The campaign group Cage has expressed sympathy for todays victims. It also called on the UK government to enact policies that will bring an end to the global cycles of violence. Dr Adnan Siddiqui, its director, said: We express our deepest sympathies to all those who have lost their lives in this incident and to those many injured. While we accept that the security services and the police play a crucial role in keeping the public safe, such attacks which require very little planning cannot be thwarted by ever more securitisation and policing of communities. Reactionary policies in the UK have a global ramification and it is important that the government leads with policies that seek to end the global cycles of violence rather than further them. World leaders have condemned the attack in Westminster. The US president, Donald Trump, offered his condolences during a call to the prime minister, Theresa May, the White House said. He also pledged the full cooperation and support of the United States government in responding to the attack and bringing those responsible to justice. The Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, also condemned the attack: I was shocked and saddened to learn of the innocent people who were killed and injured as a result of this cowardly attack. Canada and the UK are the closest of friends and allies. Our friendship is based on shared values and history  indeed, Canadas parliament is a descendant of the chamber targeted this morning. Todays attack on the UK parliament is an attack on democracies around the world. The Canadian parliament withstood a similar attack not so long ago by those who sought to instil fear and divide Canadians against themselves. Instead, Canadians came together. I am confident the British people will do the same, and will emerge from their grief stronger and more united than ever before. On behalf of all Canadians, I offer our full support to prime minister May and to the people of the United Kingdom. We stand ready to offer all possible assistance to the British government, to do what we can to bring to justice those responsible for this heinous act. Canadians stand united with the British people in the fight against terrorism. We will continue to work together with the UK and all our allies to show the world that freedom and democracy will always triumph. The leader of the Democrats in the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, also released a statement: Today, our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, survivors, and people of the United Kingdom. The American people share in the outrage and horror at this brutal terrorist attack in London. The special relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States has been critical to securing peace around the world. Together, we will remain strong and smart as we confront terrorists and defeat the threats to our nations. The United Kingdom will always have a friend and partner in the American people. Some clarification from the Met police. Acting deputy commissioner Mark Rowley said earlier that the officer who was killed was armed. It has now been confirmed that he was not armed, Scotland Yard says. Prime minister's statement on today's attack I have just chaired a meeting of the governments emergency committee, Cobra, following the sick and depraved terrorist attack on the streets of our capital this afternoon. The full details of exactly what happened are still emerging. But, having been updated by police and security officials, I can confirm that this appalling incident began when a single attacker drove his vehicle into pedestrians walking across Westminster bridge, killing two people and injuring many more, including three police officers. This attacker, who was armed with a knife, then ran towards Parliament, where he was confronted by the police officers who keep us and our democratic institutions safe. Tragically, one officer was killed. The terrorist was also shot dead. The United Kingdoms threat level has been set at severe for some time and this will not change. Acting deputy commissioner Rowley will give a further operational update later this evening. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all who have been affected; to the victims themselves and their family and friends who waved their loved ones off, but will not now be welcoming them home. For those of us who were in Parliament at the time of this attack, these events provide a particular reminder of the exceptional bravery of our police and security services who risk their lives to keep us safe. Once again today, these exceptional men and women ran towards the danger even as they encouraged others to move the other way. On behalf of the whole country, I want to pay tribute to them and to all our emergency services for the work they have been doing to reassure the public and bring security back to the streets of our capital city. That they have lost one of their own in todays attack only makes their calmness and professionalism under pressure all the more remarkable. The location of this attack was no accident. The terrorists chose to strike at the heart of our capital city, where people of all nationalities, religions and cultures come together to celebrate the values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech. These streets of Westminster  home to the worlds oldest parliament  are engrained with a spirit of freedom that echoes in some of the furthest corners of the globe. And the values our parliament represents  democracy, freedom, human rights, the rule of law  command the admiration and respect of free people everywhere. That is why it is a target for those who reject those values. But let me make it clear today, as I have had cause to do before: any attempt to defeat those values through violence and terror is doomed to failure. Tomorrow morning, Parliament will meet as normal. We will come together as normal. And Londoners - and others from around the world who have come here to visit this great city - will get up and go about their day as normal. They will board their trains, they will leave their hotels, they will walk these streets, they will live their lives. And we will all move forward together. Never giving in to terror. And never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart. May says it is no accident that the attacker chose parliament which stands for democracy, freedom and rule of law. She said that was why it is a target for those who reject those values, adding that any attempt to defeat those values through violence and terror is doomed to fail. Parliament will be open as normal tomorrow. These streets of Westminster are ingrained with the spirit of freedom that echoes in some of the furthest corners of the globe.
No evidence has been found of a link between Westminster attacker Khalid Masood and so-called Islamic State or al-Qaeda, Metropolitan Police say. The Met told BBC Panorama it was also "speculation" to suggest Masood had been radicalised while in prison. Masood killed three people when he drove a car into pedestrians on Wednesday. He then fatally stabbed a police officer before being shot dead. Police believe he drove up to 76mph as he crossed Westminster Bridge. The attack took place within 82 seconds. 'Echo IS rhetoric' The Islamic State group has previously said it was behind the attack. But Deputy Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said while Masood "clearly had an interest in Jihad", police had so far found no evidence of an association with the group or al-Qaeda, or that he had discussed his plan with others. He said: "His methods appear to be based on low sophistication, low tech, low cost techniques copied from other attacks, and echo the rhetoric of IS leaders in terms of methodology and attacking police and civilians, but I have no evidence or information at this time that he discussed this with others." Mr Basu said there was also no evidence Masood was radicalised in prison in 2003. He said Masood had not been a subject of interest or part of the current domestic or international threat picture for either the security service or counter-terrorism policing. There is also no evidence or intelligence that he was a subject of interest or a national security threat in security service or counter-terrorism police investigations connected with Luton or the long-banned al-Muhajiroun network. He added: "I know when, where and how Masood committed his atrocities, but now I need to know why. Most importantly so do the victims and families." Masood's victims were PC Keith Palmer - who was stabbed outside Parliament - Aysha Frade, who was in her 40s and worked at a London sixth-form college, US tourist Kurt Cochran, 54, and retired window cleaner Leslie Rhodes, 75, from south London. Thirteen people are understood to remain in hospital. It is understood the car Masood used was seen driving in the area around the bridge at some point before the attack. It may have been on the day or before that, although it remains unclear what the purpose of this was. On Saturday, the Metropolitan Police said they believed Masood acted alone but they were also "determined" to find out whether he had been inspired by terrorist propaganda. However, Scotland Yard said it was possible they would "never understand why he did this". It is understood Masood's phone connected with messaging app WhatsApp minutes before the attack, which police say started at 14:40 GMT. An image of Masood's Whatsapp status shows that he was "last seen" on the messaging service at 14:37. Image caption An image of Khalid Masood's Whatsapp status shows he was "last seen" at 14:37 on Wednesday 22 March The revelations have prompted a debate about the responsibilities of messaging services. Kurt Cochran's family said they had "felt the love of so many people" since his death. Mr Cochran had been with his wife, Melissa, on the final day of a holiday in Europe to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary - their first trip abroad. She suffered a broken leg and rib and a cut head. Image copyrightPA/FacebookImage caption PC Keith Palmer, Kurt Cochran and Aysha Frade all died in the attack (left to right) Thirteen members of Mr Cochran's family attended a press conference at Scotland Yard to speak in public for the first time about the attack. Mrs Cochran's brother, Clint Payne, said Mr Cochran "wouldn't bear ill feelings towards anyone and we can draw strength as a family from that". He said: "His whole life was an example of focusing on the positive. Not pretending that negative things don't exist but not living our life in the negative - that's what we choose to do." Image copyrightPA Meanwhile, Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood, who was hailed a "hero" for giving first aid to PC Keith Palmer, said he was "heartbroken" he could not do more to save the policeman's life. Mr Ellwood, a Conservative MP and former Army officer, performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on PC Palmer in New Palace Yard, Westminster. He tweeted that he had been "deeply humbled and overwhelmed" by the messages of support he had received since the attack. Officers investigating the attacks are holding two people from Birmingham on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts. Nine people have so far been released without charge, while a 32-year-old woman arrested in Manchester remains on police bail until late March. The Metropolitan Police said Masood, 52, who had previous criminal convictions but none for terrorism, had used a number of aliases. At birth, he was registered in Dartford, Kent, as Adrian Elms, but later took his stepfather's name becoming Adrian Ajao in childhood. In the early 2000s, he was convicted of causing grievous bodily harm after slashing a man across the face with a knife in a pub. Image copyrightPAImage caption Wreaths for the victims of the Westminster attack were laid in the centre of Wembley's pitch A tribute to the victims of the attacks was made at Wembley Stadium on Sunday evening when fans and players at England's World Cup qualifier against Lithuania observed a minute's silence before kick-off.
Four people, including a police officer and the lone attacker, have died in a terror attack near the Houses of Parliament in London. Two of those killed were among more than 20 pedestrians hit by a car on Westminster Bridge, before it crashed. The man stabbed the officer outside Parliament before being shot dead. PM Theresa May said it was a "sick and depraved" attack on the heart of the capital and attempts to defeat UK values were "doomed to failure". Speaking in Downing Street after chairing a meeting of the government's Cobra emergencies committee, Mrs May paid tribute to the "exceptional men and women" of the police force who responded to the attack. "We will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart," she said. The prime minister added: "The location of this attack was no accident. The terrorist chose to strike at the heart of our capital city where people of all nationalities, religions and cultures come together to celebrate the values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech." Acting Deputy Commissioner and head of counter terrorism at the Metropolitan Police, Mark Rowley, said a major investigation was under way into the "marauding terrorist attack". He said emergency services were called at 14.40 GMT after the car was driven over Westminster Bridge, hitting and injuring a number of members of the public and three police officers, who were on their way back from a commendation ceremony. After the car crashed into the railings of the Houses of Parliament, a man armed with a knife "continued the attack" and tried to enter the building. Eyewitnesses said police fired three or four gunshots as the knifeman lunged towards a second officer. 13 students from Edge Hill University in Lancashire were also caught up in the incident - two were taken to hospital and described as walking wounded; two others had minor injuries There are two police casualty bureau numbers: 0800 056 0944 and 0207 158 0010 for people worried about family and friends, or eyewitnesses Kings College Hospital says eight patients are being treated there - six male, and two female. Two are critical and two are stable St Thomas' Hospital said two patients had been admitted - both are stable The Port of London Authority said a woman was pulled alive from the River Thames near the bridge and was being treated for serious injuries Analysis Image copyrightAPImage caption A man believed to be the suspect received medical treatment By Dominic Casciani, home affairs correspondent The incident outside Westminster is exactly the kind of scenario that security chiefs have been planning for. It looks like the type of attack jihadis have wanted to carry out in Britain - namely attacking people with a vehicle and taking on the security forces with knives. In the security services' jargon this is known as a "marauding attack" and is the hardest type of terrorist incident to predict and defend against. That means casualties, as we have seen in Nice and elsewhere, are inevitable. But what matters just as much is how the police then respond. Armed police at Parliament were able to stop the attacker. Within minutes, Westminster was flooded with more armed officers, including counter-terrorism specialists. Inside Scotland Yard, teams of detectives began working on the next critical phase - establishing the suspect's movements, whether he acted alone and, in tandem with their colleagues on the street, making sure London is as secure as it can be in light of these awful events. Westminster remains locked down and it will remain so until Scotland Yard is certain the threat has been contained. If you are happy to be contacted by a BBC journalist please leave a telephone number that we can contact you on. In some cases a selection of your comments will be published, displaying your name as you provide it and location, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. When sending us pictures, video or eyewitness accounts at no time should you endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws. Please ensure you have read the terms and conditions.
Westminster attack: Fifth person dies as attacker named Khalid Masood (52) from Kent had previous convictions but was not under investigation Speaking in the House of Commons, British Prime Minister Theresa May has confirmed that one Irish person was among the injured after an attack on Westminster. Video: Parliament TV A police officer places flowers and a photograph of PC Keith Palmer on Whitehall near the Houses of Parliament in London. Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire A police officer stands outside an a property on Hagley Road in Birmingham where armed police raided a flat overnight. The raids are believed to be linked to Wednesdays terror incident in Westminster. Photograph: Richard Vernalls/PA Wire. Police activity on Whitehall in London the day after a terrorist attack where police officer Keith Palmer and three members of the public died and the attacker was shot dead. Photograph: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire. A police officer walks across Westminster Bridge the morning after an attack by a man driving a car and wielding a knife that left five people, including himself, dead and dozens injured, in London. Photograph: Darren Staples/Reuters Floral tributes with a message reading We are not afraid, our hearts are with you are seen near a police cordon in Westminster in central London. Photograph: /Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty A woman lays flowers near the scene of Wednesdays attack in London. Photograph: Carl Court/Getty A policeman by the cordon near Lambeth Bridge following major incidents in Westminster. Photograph: Facundo Arrizabalaga/EPA British police have named Khalid Masood, a 52-year-old from the Birmingham area, as the man who carried out Wednesdays attack at Westminster in which four other people died. On Thursday night, Scotland Yard said a 75-year-old man who was injured in the attack has died in hospital bringing the death toll to five including the attacker. Masood, who was shot dead during the attack, was born in Kent and detectives believe he was most recently living in the West Midlands. Masood was also known by a number of aliases, police said in a statement. Scotland Yard said Masood was not the subject of any current investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack. However, he was known to police and had a range of previous convictions for assaults including grievous bodily harm, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences. His first conviction was in November 1983 for criminal damage and his last conviction was in December 2003 for possession of a knife. He has not been convicted for any terrorism offences. Five people were killed, including the attacker, and 40 people were injured during Wednesdays attack near the British parliament in Westminster, the worst of its kind in the UK for more than a decade. One Irish person was among the 40 people injured which also included 12 Britons, three French, two Romanians, four South Koreans, one German, one Chinese, one Italian and two Greeks. Police said seven of the 40 injured people were in a critical condition. The injuries suffered by the Irish person are not considered life-threatening, Tnaiste Frances Fitzgerald told the Dil. Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan said his department had offered and was ready to provide consular assistance to the injured person. The Islamic State group said through its Aaamaq news agency that Masood was a soldier of the group. Dozens of people were knocked down by his car before he got out and stabbed policeman Keith Palmer to death inside the grounds of the British parliament on Wednesday. Eight people, three women and five men, have been arrested in London and Birmingham on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts, Scotland Yard said. Policeman Keith Palmer (48) and three civilians were killed in the attack. Masood also died after he was shot by police officers. Aysha Frade (43) and Kurt Cochran, an American tourist visiting from Utah, died in the attack while Mr Cochrans wife Melissa was also injured and remains in hospital. Ms Frade, a mother of two, worked as a teacher at DLD College in London and had family in the northwestern Spanish town of Betanzos. It is believed she was walking from the school where she taught when she was hit by the car driven by the attacker. Attack on people everywhere Prime minister Theresa May described Wednesdays incident as an attack on free people everywhere and said the threat level remained severe. While the public should remain utterly vigilant, Ms May underlined they should not and will not be cowed by this threat. We are stepping up policing to reassure the public and as a precautionary measure it will mean increasing patrols in cities across the country, with more police and more armed police on the scene. Ms May also paid tribute to the bravery of the police at the scene on Wednesday. A spokesman for the prime minister later said Ms Mays plans to begin the formal process of leaving the EU on March 29th would not be delayed by the attack. Acted alone Metropolitan Police senior anti-terror officer Mark Rowley said investigators still believed the attacker had acted alone and was inspired by international terrorism. Clearly our investigation is ongoing  developing all the time  and is focused on his motivation, his preparation and associates. Witnesses on Wednesday described seeing one of the victims injured in the attack being pulled from the river Thames. It has emerged the young woman pulled from the water was a Romanian tourist celebrating her boyfriends birthday in London. Italys ambassador to the UK Pasquale Terracciano said she had visited an Italian woman in hospital who lost consciousness for about 10 minutes after she was struck by the cars bumper. The woman has undergone surgery for a compound leg fracture. A minutes silence was held in parliament and in front of police headquarters at New Scotland Yard at 9.33am, in honour of the victims  933 was the shoulder number on the uniform of PC Palmer. Although police have stressed there is no specific information to suggest any further threat to the public, officers will also be on heightened alert for any copy-cat incidents or further attacks. UK police and MI5, supported by GCHQ, have been conducting an unprecedented and largely successful operation to contain the threat. Intelligence agencies estimate there are around 3,000 potentially violent Islamist extremists in the UK, most of them British. Counter-terrorism units are carrying out more than 500 investigations at any one time and say they have foiled 13 potential attacks in less than four years. Meanwhile, a man was arrested in Belgium on Thursday after he tried to drive into a crowd at high speed in a shopping area of Antwerp. The driver, a man of north African origin, was arrested after a chase in the city centre. He was carrying weapons and military uniforms in the boot of the car, according to the RTFB state broadcaster. Pedestrians The incident in London began at around 2.40pm when a dark-coloured Hyundai i40 drove on to a pavement on Westminster Bridge. The Palace of Westminster was locked down within minutes, with MPs in the House of Commons chamber told to lie on the floor immediately after the attack. The commons was suspended but MPs had to remain in the chamber for four hours until the lockdown was lifted. As the dead and injured lay strewn on the ground, the vehicle crashed into a railing outside parliament, close to Big Ben. Masood ran from the car and through the gates of parliament, stabbing two policemen who tried to stop him. Armed officers shouted at Masood and then fired a number of shots. PC Palmer also died, despite an attempt by foreign office minister Tobias Ellwood and others to revive him and bind his stab wounds.
Westminster Terror Attack: What we know so far Ross McCafferty A serious incident has taken place outside the Houses of Parliament, where two people have been killed and several people have been injured. A car crashed into railings on Westminster Bridge before an attacker attempted to gain access to Parliaments Old Palace Yard and was shot. A police officer was stabbed, according to the Leader of the House of Commons David Lidington. The alleged assailant was shot by armed police. Met Police are referring to the attack as a terrorist incident until further facts are established. People are being treated both on Westminster Bridge and in the grounds of Parliament. Westminster Bridge A car mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge. It drove into several people, apparently intentionally. The car crashed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster. A junior doctor at St Thomas Hospital confirmed to the Press Association that one woman had died and a number of others were injured, some with catastrophic injuries. Eyewitness photos and videos show a number of casualties. No definitive number of victims has yet been confirmed. An air ambulance arrived to treat the wounded. Pictures show one woman under the wheels of a bus. Other images show passers-by attempting to attend to those wounded. An attacker in Old Palace Yard stabbed at least one person, a police officer. He was shot by police. At least two people were being attended to by emergency services in Old Palace Yard, according to photographs. Parliamentary response David Lidlington, the leader of the House of Commons, gave a statement in the chamber, where MPs were told to shelter in place by security. He said: Colleagues will have appreciated that events have been moving rapidly and I want to emphasise that the knowledge that I have which is definite is so far very limited. What I am able to say to the House is that there has been a serious incident within the estate. It seems that a police officer has been stabbed; that the alleged assailant was shot by armed police. An air ambulance is attending the scene to remove the casualties. There are also reports of further violent incidents in the vicinity. A crucial debate on independence in the Scottish Parliament was also suspended as news of the attack filtered through to Holyrood. Presiding Officer Ken Macintosh, responding to a number of MSPs concerns, said there would be no more business for the rest of the day. Theresa May is unharmed and left the Houses of Parliament in a car soon after the attack. She has now returned to Downing Street and will head a meeting of COBRA, the crisis response team, tonight. The ambulance service and the Met Police also confirmed that they were responding to the incident. Police Officers  including firearms officers  are on scene and dealing with the incident in Westminster. They added that they were treating the incident as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise. Ambulance We were called at 2.40pm to Westminster Bridge to reports of an incident. We have sent a number of resources to the scene including ambulance crews, Londons Air Ambulance and our Hazardous Area Response Team. We will issue more information when we have it. Transport Police told Londoners to avoid Parliament Square; Whitehall; Westminster Bridge; Lambeth Bridge; Victoria Street up to the junction with Broadway and the Victoria Embankment up to Embankment tube. Westminster Tube station is closed until further notice according to Transport for London. Visitors to the London Eye were held within the stopped ferris wheel, with the operators saying: At present we are holding all of our guests within our attractions as per tried and tested security procedures. Jeremy Corbyn The Labour leaders statement said: Reports suggest the ongoing incident in Westminster this afternoon is extremely serious. Our thoughts are with the victims of this horrific attack [and their] families and friends. The police and security staff have taken quick action to ensure the safety of the public, MPs and staff, and we are grateful to them. Sadiq Khan The Mayor London said: There has been a serious incident near to Parliament Square this afternoon which is being treated as a terrorist attack until the police know otherwise. I have spoken to the Acting Commissioner. The Metropolitan Police Service is dealing with the incident and an urgent investigation is underway. My thoughts are with those affected and their families. I would like to express my thanks to police and emergency services who work so hard to keep us safe and show tremendous bravery in exceptionally difficult circumstances. Nicola Sturgeon Scotlands First Minister tweeted: My thoughts are with everyone in and around Westminster caught up in this dreadful incident  and with the brave emergency services. International response Donald Trump has been briefed on the London attack according to Press Secretary Sean Spicer. CBS News also confirmed with officials that a number of landmarks in Americas large metro areas will have extra security this evening.
Westminster attack latest: Five dead in London terror incident  everything we know so far Video captured by a tourist shows the moment police opened fire outside parliament Westminster attack latest: Five dead in London terror incident  everything we know so far Terror returned to the streets of London on Wednesday when a black-clad assailant, armed with two long knives, drove his car through a crowd of people on Westminster Bridge before stabbing a police officer to death on the grounds of Parliament. Five people died in all, including the attacker himself, in the worst terrorist incident to hit the UK since the 7 July 2005 bombings. Police said the attacker, who is believed to have acted alone, mounted the pavement of the bridge and mowed down more than a dozen tourists, local workers and police officers before crashing into the Parliament railings. As people ran for their lives, he entered the gates by Westminster Hall and repeatedly stabbed a male police officer. He was shot three times by the officer's colleagues, and later pronounced dead in hospital. Police said two people were killed as the car drove down Westminster Bridge. Twenty others were injured in all, including two people who were standing by the railings where the attacker's black Hyundai came to a stop. Metropolitan Police acting deputy commissioner Mark Rowley said the attack had been declared a terrorist incident, and Theresa May was due to chair a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee later today. A major counter-terror operation had been launched across the capital, Mr Rowley said, though police believe there was only one attacker. "Looking forward, people of London will see extra police officers on our streets, and we could call on the support of military," he said. The attack began at around 2.40pm and proceedings in the House of Commons were immediately suspended. Deputy speaker David Lidington announced to the House that a police officer had been stabbed and the "alleged assailant shot by armed police". Security sources have described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who attacked the officer on foot with a seven-to-eight inch knife. Images have emerged of a man dressed in black, believed to be the suspect, being treated on a stretcher within Parliament grounds. A knife could be seen lying on the ground nearby. A man believed to be a suspect in the attack is treated by paramedics (PA) An armed officer stands with his foot on a knife, as medics provide assistance Paramedics treat an injured person on the pavement outside the Houses of Parliament Tobias Ellwood MP, a foreign minister, was one of the first to arrive on the scene and provided first aid to the police officer, who has not been named while the force offers support to his family. The minister was pictured, his face bloodied, as he gave up efforts to provide CPR and a sheet was placed over the officers body. Later, he confirmed to the BBC that the officer had died at the scene. Witnesses, including members of The Independent's lobby staff, said the police officer fell to the ground clutching his arm or shoulder after he was stabbed, and was seen wounded but moving in the moments afterwards. A man, believed to be the assailant, then tried to run towards the exit of New Palace Yard, underneath Big Ben. Police were seen shouting at him, presumably to stop. Shots were then heard. Dozens of police, many armed, ran around the gate of parliament in the moments after the shots were fired. Images posted to Twitter appear to show the car involved in the attack (Twitter) The car is understood to have mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge before ramming the railings outside Parliament Witness Rick Longley said he saw the car crash into the Parliament railings, as well as the subsequent stabbing. "We were just walking up to the station and there was a loud bang and a guy, someone, crashed a car and took some pedestrians out," he said. "They were just laying there and then the whole crowd just surged around the corner by the gates just opposite Big Ben. "A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman. "I have never seen anything like that. I just can't believe what I just saw." Theresa May was still on the parliamentary estate following Prime Minister's Questions when the attacker struck. Witnesses saw the Prime Minister being led to her car, a silver Jaguar, with the vehicle about to leave when officers then prevented it from driving into New Palace Yard where the incident occurred. A Downing Street source confirmed Ms May was "OK". In a statement outside No 10 on Wednesday evening, the Prime Minister praised police and emergency responders who ran towards the danger "even as they encouraged others to move the other way". She said: "Our thoughts and prayers go out to all who have been affected. To the victims themselves, and their family and friends who waved their loved ones off, but will not now be welcoming them home. Amber Rudd, the Home Secretary, thanked the emergency services and praised "their bravery, their courage and their professionalism". "The government's top priority is the security of its people and I urge everyone to remain calm but to be vigilant and if they see anything they are concerned about they should report it to the police," she said. "We have the best police, the best security services in the world and we must make sure that we let them get on with doing their job. "The British people will be united in working together to defeat those who would harm our shared values. Values of democracy, tolerance and the rule of law. Values symbolised by the Houses of Parliament. Values that will never be destroyed." Speaking to reporters outside St Thomass Hospital, which is situated immediately at the southern end of Westminster Bridge, junior doctor Colleen Anderson confirmed the first fatality of the attack, a female pedestrian who had been crossing the Thames at the time. "She was under the wheel of a bus. She died, [medics] confirmed her death at the scene." She also said she treated a police officer in his 30s with a head injury who had been taken to King's College Hospital. In his statement to the press, Mr Rowley said three officers were among those injured on the bridge. Ms Anderson said the injuries to those walking on the bridge at the time ranged from minor to "catastrophic". One woman was pulled from the River Thames after falling or jumping during the incident. A spokesman for the Port of London Authority said: "A female member of the public was recovered from the water near Westminster Bridge. She is alive but undergoing urgent medical treatment on a nearby pier. We believe she fell from the bridge." He said the river has been closed from Vauxhall to Embankment "as part of the security response". One witness told Sky News: It was fairly busy and I was just walking across the bridge when suddenly a bus stopped right in front of me and everybody started screaming. "I saw a trainer in the road and I thought somebody must have been hit by a car, but then I saw a body on one side of the road. Then there was another body further up - and then when I looked over the side of the bridge there was another body in the water." Van driver Mitchell Spree, 27, told The Independent he was driving along Embankment when he saw people being evacuated from nearby buildings. He said: "Then we pulled on to the bridge. A lady was lying at the entrance to the bridge. There were about five more people. "She was crying. She was speaking to the paramedic. I don't know what the others were like. The police asked us to leave our van. It's still on the bridge. "It's shocking." A second witness, Tawhid Tanim, told The Independent he heard three shots - "bang, bang, bang" - some 10 or 15 metres from the Cafe Nero coffee bar where he was waiting for friends. "It was so loud, he said. People were running like crazy." He saw the aftermath of the car striking railings outside Parliament, he said. Whether someone, or something, was underneath, he could not be sure. "I couldn't see it properly. I started running." Police officers told the crowds to "just keep running," he said. An air ambulance arrived and landed in Parliament Square within 10 minutes of the start of the incident Within half an hour of the incident, Parliament was in total lockdown. The chamber cleared of MPs, the restaurants of diners. Parliamentary passes no longer opened any door, any gate. Westminster's press offices occupy the top floor of the palace along from Big Ben and round to Westminster Hall, right over the courtyard where some thought the car smashing into railings sounded like an explosion, and seconds later gunshots were heard. Chefs, maintenance men, reporters massed at the windows. One filmed as the Prime Minister's car was hurriedly driven away. Half an hour after the incident, along the Committee Corridor, where MPs meet for meetings all week, another wave of shouting could be heard. Through the windows, anti-terror police could be seen, in their air force blue uniforms, barking instructions to one another, apparently securing the building. Those were the first actions of a well-rehearsed counterterror plan kicking into motion. In his statement, the assistant deputy commissioner said the Met responded in line with our plans for a marauding terrorist attack. We are reaching out and engaging with all communities across London to help reassure them, Mr Rowley said. Our strength as a city is our ability to stand together at such terrible times. "My thoughts are with all those who have been affected by today's attack - and as a service we have lost one of our own as he acted to protect the public and his colleagues. This is a day that we had planned for - that we all hoped would never happen - but sadly it is now a reality. MPs wait in the House of Commons as information drifts through via their phones and the Deputy Speaker, David Lidington (BBC News) MPs remained on lockdown for hours with few updates, keeping spirits high with jokes about how food and drink were  for once  allowed to be consumed within the Commons chamber. They started to file out of the Commons at about 7.30pm, five hours after the incident began. Parliamentary authorities announced that both Houses would sit at their normal times on Thursday, in a united show of determination not to let the attack disrupt democratic proceedings. A joint statement from Commons Speaker John Bercow and Lord Fowler, the Lord Speaker, said: "On behalf of Members of both Houses of Parliament, we wish to offer our thoughts to all those affected and their families. "We would also like to express our gratitude to the police and all emergency services." In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP Reactions to the attack have come from governments and leaders around the world. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel, who earlier in the day had taken part in commemorations to mark the first anniversary of a terror attack in Brussels, said: "Our condolences are with those who mourn and all who are affected in London. Belgium stands with UK in fight against terror." The White House said President Donald Trump had spoken to Ms May by phone, and the President praised the response of security forces and emergency services, pledging "the full cooperation and support" of the US government "in responding to the attack and bringing those responsible to justice". Three French students were identified as being among those injured by the attacker's car on Westminster Bridge. President Francois Hollande was quoted by the French embassy as saying: "Terrorism concerns us all and France know how the British people are suffering today." Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said: "Horrible images from London. The very heart of the city has been struck. ''Our thoughts are with the British people." And the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said: "Our thoughts are with the victims of today's attack in London and their families. Canadians remain united with the people of the UK." On social media, people offered their condolences and support to the city under the hashtag PrayForLondon, and in a live TV statement on Wednesday night, Mayor Sadiq Khan tried to reassure both the British public and our visitors coming to the UK from all over the world. He expressed his gratitude, on behalf of all Londoners, to the police and emergency services for their bravery. London is the greatest city in the world, he said, and we stand together in the face those who seek to harm us and destroy our way of life. We always have and we always will. Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism. The Independent has launched its #FinalSay campaign to demand that voters are given a voice on the final Brexit deal.
Who Were The Westminster Attack Victims? Pc Keith Palmer And Andreea Cristea Among List Of Dead Killed By Terrorist Khalid Masood A KNIFEMAN who brought terror to the heart of Westminster killed five people before he was shot dead. A police officer was stabbed to death inside the Parliamentary estate and five members of the public were killed during the London attack on Wednesday 22 March, 2017. Getty Images Flowers were laid outside the Houses of Parliament following the terror attack on Westminster on March 24 Among those injured were people from Ireland, America, South Korea, Romania, France, Poland and Germany. The attacker was identified as British-born Khalid Masood, who had once been investigated by MI5 over extremism fears and had been convicted of multiple violent offences spanning 20 years. Officials said the knife-wielding nut acted alone and was inspired by Islamic terrorism when he mowed down crowds on Westminster Bridge before stabbing PC Keith Palmer to death. PM Theresa May said the attack was sick and depraved and struck at values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech. The five victims who lost their lives were PC Palmer, mum-of-two Aysha Frade, US tourist Kurt Cochran, Romanian visitor Andreea Cristea, and pensioner Leslie Rhodes from south London. PC Keith Palmer PA:Press Association PC Keith Palmer who was stabbed to death by a suspected terrorist outside the Palace of Westminster. He was a member of the Mets Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection command and had 15 years service PC Keith Palmer was killed during the terror attack after he was stabbed to death just inside the railings at Parliament. The 48-year-old, who was a Charlton Atheltic fan, has been described as a husband and a father. PC Palmer was a member of the Mets Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection command with 15 years service and is believed to have been a member of the Royal Artillery before coming a cop. Mark Rowley, the national lead for Counter Terrorism Policing and the Acting Deputy Commissioner, said: He was someone who left for work today expecting to return home at the end of his shift  and he had every right to expect that would happen. PC Palmer was unarmed when the attacker  who was wielding two large knives  came charging towards him after mowing down pedestrians in his car on Westminster Bridge. The British-born attacker, who cops say they know the identity of but are yet to release his name, was shot dead by armed police. Paramedics fought to save PC Palmers life, and that of his attacker, on the floor of the cobbled courtyard in front of Parliament, with Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood among those who rushed to help. People have paid tribute to the hero cop, including heartbroken friend MP James Cleverly. He said on Twitter: Ive known Keith for 25 years. We served together in the Royal Artillery before he became a copper. A lovely man, a friend. Im heartbroken. Supporters also shared their grief on fan forum Charlton Life. AFKABartram wrote: Our sympathies go to the friends and family of Keith. His name will always be remembered as a hero by his extended football family for which we are connected, and indeed by the whole country. Cafckev said: Went to work on a normal day expecting to do his job as normal without fuss or incident but became a national symbol of bravery. A true hero to us, but to others, a husband, a father, a son, a friend and a workmate. RIP Sir you gave your life to protect our way of life, you are a hero. A JustGiving page for the family of PC Palmer raised more than 500,000 within 24 hours of the attack. Aysha Frade Facebook Aysha Frade, 43, has been named as one of the victims in the London attack Mum-of-two Aysha Frade was among those who died in Wednesdays terror attack in London. She is believed to have been picking up her children from school when she was killed in the horrific attack. The 43-year-old Spanish citizen worked as a college worker in London and had family in the Spanish town of Betanzos. The mayor of Betanzos, Ramn Garca Vzquez, confirmed Ayshas death. He told the Guardian: The rumours that started going round last night are sadly true. I didnt know her but she has two sisters who run an English school here and other relatives in the area. Its a tragedy. Tributes to Aysha, who worked at DLD College, were shared on social media. Rachel Borland, principal of DLD College, said Aysha was highly regarded and loved by students and colleagues adding she will be deeply missed by all of us She said: We are all deeply shocked and saddened at the news that one of the victims yesterday was a member of our staff Aysha Frade. All our thoughts and our deepest sympathies are with her family. We will be offering every support we can to them as they try to come to terms with their devastating loss. Kurt Cochran Facebook Kurt Cochran, from Utah, also died in the attack American tourist Kurt Cochran, from Utah, died in the attack and his wife Melissa was seriously hurt. The couple were celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary and also visiting Melissas parents, who work on a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints mission. They were struck when the attacker drove a car over Westminster Bridge near the Houses of Parliament. The pair, who were travelling around Europe, were due to return to the US the day after the attack. Devastated family paid tribute to Kurt, remembering him as a husband, son and friend, saying it was a heart-wrenching loss. His wife Melissa is still in hospital with a broken leg, rib and a cut on her head but was expected to recover from her injuries, according to a family member. In a public post on Facebook, Shantell Payne wrote: With a heavy heart I must pass the sad news of our beautiful brother, father, husband, son and friend Kurt Cochran, he could not overcome the injuries he received in the London terror attacks. This pain is so heart wrenching and raw it has rocked our family and all that knew him to its core. Facebook Kurt was travelling with his wife Melissa (pictured) when they were both hit on Westminster Bridge. His wife Melissa was critically injured, their family has said. In a family statement released through Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Clint Payne, Melissas brother and Kurts brother-in-law, said: Our family is heartbroken to learn of the death of our brother- and son-in-law, Kurt W Cochran. Kurt was a good man and a loving husband to our sister and daughter, Melissa. They were in Europe to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary, and were scheduled to return to the United States on Thursday. Melissa also received serious injuries in the attack, and is being cared for in the hospital. We express our gratitude to the emergency and medical personnel who have cared for them and ask for your prayers on behalf of Melissa and our family. Kurt will be greatly missed, and we ask for privacy as our family mourns and as Melissa recovers from her injuries. Donald Trump paid tribute to Kurt calling him a great American and sent prayers and condolences to his family. The US president tweeted: A great American, Kurt Cochran, was killed in the London terror attack. My prayers and condolences are with his family and friends. Leslie Rhodes PA:Press Association Retired window cleaner Leslie Rhodes, was one of the victims in the Westminster terror attack Leslie Rhodes suffered serious injuries in the atrocity and died in hospital a day later. The 75-year-old had his life-support switched off, having been treated at Kings College Hospital prior to his death. Leslie, from south London, was Winston Churchills window cleaner and loved being in the grounds of the ex-PMs home in Chartwell. Friends and neighbours paid tribute to cleaner, remembering him as a lovely man who would still clean windows of clients he had bonded with as a favour. His friend, Michael Carney, 74, who had known Leslie for about 40 years, said they played Queen for him as as he lay critically ill in hospital. He said: My wife and my two girls went up there and were with him until he died, playing him music. He liked Queen and that. He had no-one. You cant have someone dying on their own What harm did he ever do to anyone? He was the nicest man you ever met. Neighbours and friends described cricket-loving Leslie as a lovely man and said he had been as fit as a fiddle. Philip Williams, 61, said: Wed known him for 24 years. He was a lovely man. He would do anything for anybody. And its such a shock. The thing I always remember was how kind he was. He was a very, very kind man. To lose a man like that is devastating. He was incredibly fit and used to cycle a lot. Wed pass the time of day and chat about cricket, which he loved.
How did we all react? Exactly as you might expect, everyone true to form. Photograph: PA Well, how did we do? We knew this attack was coming and we can be pretty certain more will follow because the security forces tell us so. Highly likely has been the severe threat level for years. Eight have now been arrested in raids in Birmingham and London. Our counter-terror forces have stopped a score or more attacks and 500 investigations are under way, but however many schemes are in place, who can stop lone assailants with a Hyundai and a knife? How did we all react? Exactly as you might expect, everyone true to form. On the frontline a well-drilled police force prevented the man getting to the heart of our democracy, as one officer did as they are all trained to do, and took the risk for all of us. A pleasant job, a cushy number, guarding parliament, chatting with MPs, journalists and visitors  until this moment comes. The Guardian view on the Westminster attack: solidarity against terror | Editorial Read more The rest of us? We all did just what you would expect, as no doubt I shall now: no change, every event confirming our pre-existing view of society. The prime minister said the right thing, as prime ministers do: Never giving in to terror. And never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart. Some hope. The reaction only shows yet again how driven apart we are. Our political feuds have become a mighty cultural divide: thats what mindless yes/no referendums do, and why they are the instruments of demagogues. All of us responded in our tribes. The Sun called for a huge increase in armed police right across the country. It has never seemed right before, but the world has changed. Yes, well, hows that going to help? The Daily Mail claims it has always stood up for privacy, but wrote: The truth is that in this fast-changing world, it seems increasingly perverse to deny the authorities power to eavesdrop on our electronic communications for the purpose of protecting the public. The Mail called the attacker an Asian, as if that identity were a belief, smearing global billions. Donald Trump Jnr used the chance to attack Sadiq Khan in a tweet, goading: You have to be kidding me?!: Terror attacks are part of living in big city, says London Mayor Sadiq Khan, when all hed said  last year  was to repeat security services constant warnings. But well, a Muslim mayor is too good an opportunity to miss. Website Guido Fawkes, home to virulent hate-filled below the line commenters, lets them turn on the BBC, of course: The BBC as we speak are looking for a Muslim who was injured, so they can say they are the victims, not the perpetrators ... How soon will the BBC hail todays terrorists as heroes and men of peace like Martin McGuinness?  and much worse, including obscenities about Diane Abbott. London attack: Theresa May says Westminster assailant was British-born and known to MI5  live Read more How they must detest the police spokesman who said: We must recognise now that our Muslim communities will feel anxious at this time given the past behaviour of the extreme right wing and we will continue to work with all community leaders in the coming days. Quite right, for how else were other near-attacks foiled, except through the information passed on from those close enough to potential attackers to know their thoughts? Paul Dacre, editor in chief of the Daily Mail group, pays hate-writing columnists online, (not worth a name check), as they speak his mind: London is a city of ghettoes behind a thin veneer of civility kept polished by a Muslim mayor whose greatest validation is his fathers old job. Son-of-a-bus-driver Sadiq  The war is between London and the rest of the country. Between the liberals and the right-minded. Between those who think it is more important to tip-toe around the cultures of those who choose to join us, rather than defend our own culture ... Because we are not united. We are wrenched asunder. The patriots of the rest of England versus the liberals in this city  the liberals casually use the term far right for anyone who has national pride. And last week the Mail won Newspaper of the Year, in a year during which it has promulgated racist, anti-migrant bilge on its front page day after day to secure the referendum result. But it is hard not to agree with that Mail columnist: we are not united. We are more disunited than ever, and the Mail is heavily to blame. Sadly, the optimistic Jo Cox may be wrong  more divides us than unites us. Compare the Mails coverage of the conviction of Jo Coxs neo-Nazi killer on page 30, with what we can expect if this turns out to be a religious maniac. As for the public, I doubt they feel democracy under threat. Those of us around at the time of the many IRA attacks know how to assess risk. Run through the probabilities, check the chances of being in the wrong place at the wrong time and remember they are infinitesimal. The Queen was only half a mile away, shudders the Sun. True, along with how many millions of others too, and shes rather better guarded than most. Bravery and simple humanity have shown Westminster at its best | Jonathan Freedland Read more With my seven-year-old daughter I felt I was very close in time and place to one IRA bomb  a little earlier and it could have been us, but when I calculated the number of other passersby who might say the same, the odds grew very long indeed. In 2015 1,732 were killed on the roads in the UK, 22,137 seriously injured. Step outside your front door  or, actually, stay at home  and we can all calculate the everyday risks we take just by being alive  we dont let that cripple us with terror. Wise parents, trying not to rear timid children, work out the reasonable risks they should take. Outrage at the deliberate infliction of such suffering is political: how dare they? What monstrous methods! Thats the difference in pain and misery a child feels between being deliberately hit by another child, or accidentally bumped into in the playground. The hurt we feel at political attacks is emotional, visceral indignation. The police warn there will be more. It may be a feature of global life for as far ahead as we can imagine. Treat it like the weather, regardless of whichever fanatical cult takes to random murdering to try to make themselves heard.
Eight people have been arrested during raids in London, Birmingham, Brighton and Wales that were linked to the terror attack. Four people were killed in the attack before the assailant was shot dead. The victims are: PC Keith Palmer, a member of the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Squad; a 43-year-old mother Aysha Frade; American Kurt Cochran, who was visiting London; and a 75-year-old man who had his life support switched off in hospital on Thursday evening. A family statement said that Mr Cochran and his wife Melissa "were in Europe to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. Melissa also received serious injuries in the attack, and is being cared for in the hospital". 1:43 Video:James Cleverly pays tribute to fallen officer Acting Deputy Commissioner Mark Rowley, the Met Police's senior anti-terror officer, said 29 people had been treated in hospital, with seven people in a critical condition. He added that the attacker, named as Khalid Masood, is believed to have been working alone and was inspired by "international terrorism". Mr Rowley said there was no specific information to suggest any further threat to the public. "We must not allow terrorists to create discord, distrust and fear," he said. Three police officers who were injured by the vehicle are in a stable condition in hospital, according to Met Police Federation chairman Ken Marsh. Armed police raided a flat in Hagley Road, in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham, on Wednesday night. A witness who works nearby told the Press Association: "The man from London lived here. They came and arrested three men." Dozens of officers, some armed, were pictured outside the second-floor flat, above a parade of shops, which was cordoned off by police. 0:33 Video:Birmingham neighbour tells of armed police raid Roads around the home were initially closed off, but later reopened although officers remained at the scene. Car hire firm Enterprise confirmed the Hyundai car used by Masood was one of its vehicles, reportedly rented from its Solihull branch. It said an employee had identified the vehicle after seeing the number plate online. Masood, who was armed with two knives, drove into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before crashing into railings in front of Parliament at around 2.30pm on Wednesday. Image:Forensics officers search the ground in Westminster He was shot dead after going through a gate towards the Palace of Westminster and attacking PC Palmer. Following the attack, the Prime Minister said the UK's terror threat level would remain at severe. Mr Rowley said leave had been cancelled to allow for an increased police presence in London. The House of Commons and House of Lords sat at their normal times on Thursday. 0:39 Video:Westminster attack: Route the terrorist took MPs in the Commons stood to observe a minute's silence at 9.33am - a time chosen to commemorate PC Palmer, whose shoulder number was 933. Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said the working assumption is that the Westminster attack is linked to Islamic terrorism. He said security arrangements at Westminster will be reviewed to look at whether they are "adequate" and whether police at the front gates should be armed. 6:52 Video:Deputy speaker: Terrorism will never win In a message to the Metropolitan Police's Acting Commissioner, Craig Mackey, the Queen said her "thoughts, prayers, and deepest sympathy are with all those who have been affected by yesterday's awful violence". Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, told Sky News: "It's not the first time terrorists have attacked our city; it's not the first time, I'm afraid, Londoners have tragically lost their lives and been seriously injured; it's not the first time people have tried to divide our communities and destroy our way of life. "But I tell you what, in the past we have risen, we've shown our resilience, we've returned to work and returned to normality. We have done it in the past and we will do it again now." 1:29 Video:Support for London floods in from around the world Andrew Parker, director-general of MI5, said the security service's operational response had been "fully mobilised".
London attack: police investigate terrorist Khalid Masood as death toll rises  live Summary Here is what we now know about Wednesdays terrorist attack in Westminster: The victims The number of victims has risen to four, after a 75-year-old man died in hospital on Thursday. He had been on life support since the attack. He has not been named. The three others killed have been identified as PC Keith Palmer, who was stabbed outside parliament; and Aysha Frade and Kurt Cochran, who died on Westminster bridge. Four people remain in hospital in a serious condition, one with life-threatening injuries. Westminster attack: friends and relatives remember the victims Read more The attacker Police have said that Khalid Masood was born in Kent on Christmas day 1964, and that this was not his birth name. Multiple reports now say he was born as Adrian Elms and converted to Islam. This name has not been confirmed. He had a number of convictions  for assaults, grievous bodily harm, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences  spanning 20 years, and had spent time in jail, though not for terrorist-related offences. Masood was previously known to MI5 was once investigated in relation to concerns about violent extremism, but was considered a peripheral figure, prime minister Theresa May said. The Sun reports today that Masood spent the night before the attack at the Preston Park hotel in Brighton. The Guardian has not been able to verify this. Westminster attacker named by police as Khalid Masood Read more The arrested Eight people were arrested as a number of addresses were raided in London, Birmingham and elsewhere: A 39-year-old woman at an address in east London on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. A 21-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man at an address in Birmingham on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. A 26-year-old woman and three men aged 28, 27 and 26 at a separate address in Birmingham on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. A 58-year-old man at a separate address in Birmingham on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. Intelligence services are working hard to put together the whole picture, but I would caution drawing conclusions yet. I would wait and see what comes forward from the intelligence thats going on now. Rudd said it seems likely Masood was radicalised online: We know theres an onslaught of radicalisation online, theres so much information that tries to go out as propaganda to persuade people to take this sort of action. The man who photographed a Muslim woman walking past a victim of the Westminster terrorist attack has defended her and said the image has been misappropriated. The photograph  showing a woman holding her phone as a group of people gathered around someone injured in the attack on Westminster bridge  was criticised by some on social media as alleged evidence of her lack of concern. As investigators piece together the background of Khalid Masood, reports are emerging about his past. Police have said that Masood was born in Kent on Christmas day 1964, and that this was not his birth name. Multiple reports now say he was born  and lived till at least 2003  as Adrian Elms. Police have not commented on that, but according to the Press Association, a spokesman said he was known by a number of different names and research into them was continuing. As well as Kent, he was believed to have lived for some time in the West Midlands, where police raids took place after the attack in London. The Sun reports today that Masood spent the night before the attack at the Preston Park hotel in Brighton. The Guardian has not been able to verify this, and Press Association says it was told by staff there that they had been instructed not to talk. Theresa May said the right things this week, writes Martin Kettle. But will she put them into practice? This consensual approach was the right course. It also allowed her to get some politically difficult information out into the public domain early and without provoking any blowback. Mays statement contained a disturbing admission, one familiar from the 7/7 events and from Woolwich, and which could yet become a stick to beat her with. Khalid Masood had been known to the authorities. He had come to MI5s attention in the past. But he was off the radar in the run-up to his act of terror. There was no prior intelligence of his readiness to act. When attacks like this happen people rally round. The popular wisdom is difficult to mistake in London this week. Britains wartime self-image as the nation that could take it, that was not afraid, could keep calm and carry on or, this week, go on drinking tea came effortlessly to the fore. Newspapers that are too puffed up with their own importance, especially post-Brexit, got it badly wrong by trying to be divisive or demanding unspecified tough action. A politician who pretended to be Winston Churchill would get it wrong too. Read the full column here: Theresa May talks the talk on British values, but thats not enough | Martin Kettle She was plucked to safety when the crew on a passing boat saw her floating downstream. Staff on the Milennium Diamond used a boat hook to grab her clothing. She was then picked up by a rescue boat and treated by paramedics. Andreea Cristea. Photograph: Facebook Kyle Haughton, managing director at the firm, said: City Cruises Millennium Diamond was in the area of the incident at the time and worked alongside Londons emergency services to support in the rescue efforts of a woman in the water. Once alerted by people on the bridge, the ships captain reacted fast on spotting her. He halted the boat in order to hold her out of the water and stop her from being carried any further by the current. The emergency services were called immediately and arrived within minutes to take over the rescue operation. Khalid Masood was a violent criminal convicted of multiple offences spanning 20 years, Robert Booth and Nazia Parveen report: His offences included assaults, grievous bodily harm, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences. He had spent time in jail but not for terrorist-related offences, according to Amber Rudd, the home secretary. The 52-year-olds first conviction was in November 1983 for criminal damage and his last conviction was in December 2003 for possession of a knife, said the Metropolitan police. It also emerged that Masood had been previously known to MI5 although the prime minister said he had been considered a peripheral figure in relation to suspected Islamist terror threats. He was once investigated in relation to concerns about violent extremism, said Theresa May. Downing Street declined to say whether that was between 2010 and 2016 during Mays time as home secretary. A spokesperson repeated her position that Masood came across the radar of the security services some years ago. Since then, there had been no intelligence to suggest his intent to mount a terrorist attack. The news that the London attacker was born in Britain and inspired by extremist Islamist ideology was entirely predictable, as was his criminal record. The standout detail from the sketchy profile we have of Khalid Masood is his age: 52, nearly twice that of most contemporary attackers. The significance of Masoods age will later become clear. For the moment it simply underlines the variety of extremist profiles, and the unpredictability of the threat. Most Islamic militants have been between the ages of 18 and 35, with the average age declining in recent years. Some analysts see their attraction to radicalism as partly a generational rebellion. Violent rightwing militants tend to be much older. Thomas Mair, who killed MP Jo Cox last year, was 52. Every case is, of course, unique. And the reality is that, much as all politics is essentially local, so is terrorism. Islamic extremist strategists have wrestled with this challenge to their global vision for years, and have yet to evolve an adequate response. Western experts argue interminably over whether the motives of individuals are 10% ideology and 90% local context or vice versa. But the sad reality is that, though it may be reassuring to blame bad guys, or bad ideas, from a long way away for violence at home, no one should be surprised that the man who attacked one of Britains most symbolically charged locations was born in the UK. No surprise that London attacker was born in UK | Jason Burke The Australian prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, has suggested the countrys controversial far-right politician Pauline Hanson is playing into the hands of Islamist terrorists, after she used the London attack as an opportunity to push for a Muslim ban, AAP reports. The One Nation leader tweeted after the attack, calling for people to pray for a ban on Muslims in Australia. The object of the Islamist terrorist is to get the broader society to turn on Muslims at large, Turnbull told Melbourne radio. Turnbull said he had already made that position clear to Senator Hanson, adding: If you seek to attribute to all Australian Muslims responsibility for the crimes of Isil [Islamic State] then you are doing what Isil wants. Four of the five South Koreans who were injured in the attack have been released from hospital. They are all aged in their 50s and 60s. The Korea Herald reports that the four who have been released from hospital  three women and a man  suffered injuries such as broken bones when they were caught in the rush following the attack. They are likely to return to South Korea today, the Korea JoongAng Daily reports. A 67-year-old woman who underwent surgery for a head injury was awaiting progress after the operation, South Korean foreign ministry spokesperson Cho June-hyuck told reporters at a news briefing. We will provide all necessary assistance to the injured citizens and their families until they come home safely, he said. The South Korean government yesterday issued a statement saying it strongly condemns the barbarian attack on civilians and would actively participate in the global fight against terrorism.
RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Khater lived 10 minutes down the road in Birmingham from Khalid Masood, who killed five people and injured 50 in a terrorist attack on Westminster last year. However, there was nothing linking the pair and there was no suggestion Khater's actions were a copycat of Masood's car and knife attack. Masood explicitly cited jihad as his motive for his attack in a WhatsApp message but there was nothing in any of Khater's communications to suggest extremist ideology. Detectives secured more time, until Monday, to hold the British citizen and former Sudanese refugee but his motives for the incident were still unclear Police have revealed Khater's route from Birmingham to London before launching the alleged attack around six hours after arriving in the capital Cyclists abandoned their bikes after the collision with one being treated for injuries in the middle of the road Khater's family and friends insisted he wasn't radicalised and not a believer in radical ideology, and the crash may even have been an accident. Anwar Khater said he was sure Salih did not mean to injure people when his car rammed through pedestrians and cyclists. 'You can take three words to describe any good person, he is. He is very generous, very smiley... even in any event that happens. He is always participating in a good way,' he said. 'It is an accident. It is nothing to do with terrorists, it is nothing to do with any kind of organisation that tries to attack any government department or something like that.' His brother Mustafa, 33, said he was a 'sincere kid' who just wanted to finish his studies and find a good job that gave him and his family a future. 'He's never become radicalised. Never. He would never do it because we are from Darfur, and extremism is our enemy, as it is your enemy and as it is the enemy of Islam. We love England,' he said. Khater lived in a flat in Sparkhill, home to one in 10 British jihadis already jailed over terrorist plots and police have raided two properties in Britain's second city and Nottingham overnight Friends said he was headed to the Sudanese embassy, just 10 minutes from Parliament, to get a visa to visit his family who were still back in Sudan. Police said Khater drove from Birmingham to London on Monday night, then drove around Tottenham Court Road from 1.25am to 5.55am.. Nassar Mahmood, a trustee at Birmingham Central Mosque, said he was likely just killing time until the embassy opened. 'As far as we known he was trying to get a visa. He went the night before and presume he spent the time there travelling round to wait to visit the embassy,' he said. He said Khater may not have been able to afford a hotel and so stayed in his car through the night until the embassy opened. Mr Mahmood also said Khater didn't worship at the mosque and wasn't even a 'fervent' Muslim, let alone a radical fundamentalism. 'There is no sign that he had been radicalised. He was not a fervent worshipper and had not shown any signs of that,' he said. First responders treat victims lying in the road on Parliament Square in an attack that did not claim any lives Ali Mohamed, an elder in Birmingham's Sudanese community, said from their inquiries Khater was not deeply religious and they had been told he travelled to London to get a visa from the embassy. 'He had all the paperwork in his car. As a British national it is difficult to get a visa to Sudan. That is why he had gone to London', he said. 'He is a very sociable and stable person. We don't know if he was tired and got into the incident.' An embassy official said it did not take appointments and applicants were served in the order in which they arrived. 'The visa officer has been very busy for the past couple of weeks but nobody makes an appointment, they just stand outside and wait for the office to open at 9am,' they said. CCTV showed the car swerve the wrong way down the road and veering across a pedestrian crossing through crowds of cyclists waiting at a set of traffic lights. This is the moment Khater was pulled from the Ford Fiesta and arrested after he hit cyclists, pedestrians and then a security barrier at full tilt yesterday morning Police raided this flat and internet cafe in Sparkhill Birmingham where Khater is believed to have lived until around four months ago but he had been seen here on the day before the attack The road was otherwise mostly deserted as Parliament was not in session and it was too early for commuter and tourists to pack into the area. Khater was described as a quiet loner who spent much of his time listening to pop music, smoking shisha and surfing online at an internet cafe below his old flat. He studied accountancy at Coventry University but dropped out and left in May, and friends said he had also wanted to be a pharmacist but failed that course at a Birmingham college because his English was poor. Security sources told MailOnline the Home Office recently told him he was being investigated over 'irregularities' in his successful citizenship application. Friends also said he was recently devastated when his brother and father died in recent months, reportedly in a car crash.
A suspected terrorist attack was foiled after armed police arrested a man who is alleged to have been found carrying knives near the Houses of Parliament. The Guardian understands the operation was triggered following a tip-off to police by a member of Britains Muslim community who was concerned about the mans behaviour. Officers were lying in wait for the suspect whose movements were being tracked by a joint police and MI5 operation as he travelled into central London on Thursday. They swooped close to Westminster underground station. The scene where the man, aged 27, was arrested is metres away from where Khalid Masood launched his attacks on Westminster Bridge and the parliamentary estate five weeks ago, leaving five people dead, including himself. Masood used a vehicle to mow down pedestrians before using a knife to stab a police officer to death. Thursdays daylight arrest followed a tense intelligence operation following the tip-off from someone who knew the suspect, with further investigation identifying the man detained as being of concern to counter-terrorism investigators. One source said the stop was not random, it was targeted. The man was pinned to the ground after his arrest at 2.22pm, with armed officers standing over him. Shortly afterwards, forensic experts examined the ground where two knives had fallen, along with a bag, which is believed to have contained the knives. It is thought the suspect, who is believed to be from the London area but born outside the United Kingdom was acting alone. Given the location of the arrest, investigators believe one possibility was an attack on the Westminster or Whitehall areas. Past Islamist propaganda has called for attacks on civilians or symbols of power. Security is especially tight around Whitehall following last months attack . Police said the arrest came at the junction of Parliament Street and Parliament Square, barely 30 metres from Westminster Bridge. Witnesses said the suspect wrestled to the floor by police but appeared calm after his detention. MI5 and Scotland Yards counter-terrorism command will try to establish if the suspect had any direction from overseas, and whether Islamic State played any role  either directly, through contact, or indirectly through its propaganda urging attacks. The motivation of the suspect will be a key part of the investigation and his mental health will be of keen interest to investigators. At least two knife attacks, in Leytonstone in 2015 and Russell Square in 2016, thought initially to be terrorist acts, were later determined to be best explained by the suspects severe mental health problems. Police said in a statement: A man has been arrested in Whitehall this afternoon, at approximately 14.22, following a stop and search as part of an ongoing operation. The man was arrested in Parliament Street  by armed officers from the Mets specialist firearms command. The man, aged in his late 20s, was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism. Knives have been recovered from him. He is being detained under the Terrorism Act and is in custody in a south London police station. Detectives from the counter-terrorism command are continuing their investigation, and as a result of this arrest there is no immediate known threat. The suspect was held on Parliament Street for more than half an hour, without speaking or struggling. While two officers detained him, about two dozen heavily armed police blocked off the traffic and pedestrians on one side of the road with tape. A forensic officer examines items at the scene. Photograph: Will Oliver/EPA He was led away into a police car at around 3.15pm, while scene-of-crime officers examined knives and a rucksack on the traffic island in the middle of Parliament Street at the junction with Parliament Square. The prime minister, Theresa May, praised the work by police and MI5, saying: I think it shows that our police and our intelligence and security services are on the alert as they always are, looking to keep us safe and secure. I would say that we owe a huge debt of gratitude to these people, many of whom are unseen, unheard, yet the job they do day in, day out to keep us secure is a really important one and we should thank them for it. Features of the arrest were highly unusual. Police prefer to arrest terrorism suspects in dawn raids at their homes, away from any potential target of attack. One source said there may have been a need to gather evidence to secure a conviction. Arresting someone in their home with knives poses challenges of convincing a jury that a terrorist attack was planned. Harry Peasnell, 27, and Andy Burnage, 22, were leaving a building adjacent to the scene which houses various government offices after a meeting with officials when they were told the usual entrance on to Whitehall was closed. As they left the area via an alternative route, they said they saw a man in his 20s or 30s, who they thought was the suspect, being spoken to by police next to the wall of the offices. Peasnell said police were quick on the scene and that he was not worried like he was during the terror attack in the area just weeks ago. Last time, all the buildings were on lockdown and no one was allowed to leave, he said. Witness Ian Moss, who was travelling on a bus through Whitehall at the time, said the suspect was on the ground in the middle traffic island. He said police looked like they were tending to him, adding: He was arrested. He could walk so no idea if he was injured. Asked if he was struggling while on the ground, Moss said: No, not at all. He had police pointing arms at him though. A French tourist who declined to be named, said: We just saw the man arrested and thats all. He was very calm. I think they got him on the ground, then they stood him up against the wall. There were lots of policemen. The incident unfolded with few MPs present in the Palace of Westminster because parliament is winding down before the election and May has already headed out on to the campaign trail. However, civil servants were still working as normal and a number of HMRC staff were locked outside their building when the Whitehall entrance was closed off. The atmosphere in parliament remained calm and all gates were operating as normal during the incident. The nervousness around security at Westminster was heightened when, in a separate incident, packages addressed to parliamentarians containing white powder were intercepted before they could reach their victims. The terrorism threat level for the United Kingdom remains at severe, meaning an attack by terrorists is assessed to be highly likely. The biggest threat is seen as coming from Islamic State, which constantly urges followers to stage attacks.
Everyone Arrested In Connection With The Westminster Attack Has Now Been Released Khalid Masood, born Adrian Russell Ajao, was named as the attacker. He was among those who died near parliament on March 22. Three civilians, Aysha Frade, Kurt Cochran, Leslie Rhodes, and a police officer, Keith Palmer, have been identified as his victims. What We Know So Far: Khalid Masood, 52, originally from Kent, was named as the Westminster attacker by the Metropolitan police. He was born Adrian Russell Ajao, the Met police said on Friday morning. Other aliases he is believed to have used include the name Adrian Elms. He had no prior terrorism offence convictions, although he had been previously investigated by security services as a "peripheral figure". Police released a picture of him on Friday. At least five people died  including a police officer and Masood  and 31 others required hospital treatment. Eleven arrests were made after several raids across the country, the Met confirmed. Everyone arrested has now been released with no further action. Keith Palmer, a 48-year-old unarmed officer, was stabbed before Masood was shot by police. A government minister administered CPR, but Palmer ultimately died. Aysha Frade, a 43-year-old teacher and mother of two, was one of the civilians killed. Kurt Cochran, an American citizen, was named as among the dead. Leslie Rhodes, 75, from south London, was later named as the fourth victim. The attack began when a vehicle driving over Westminster Bridge rammed into several pedestrians before crashing into railings at the Palace of Westminster. Masood, armed with a knife, continued the attack. ISIS claimed responsibility through its news agency, calling the assailant  who it did not name  its "soldier". Map Shows Locations Of Incidents In Westminster Attack Chris Applegate / Tom Phillips / BuzzFeed News / Google Maps Updates Posted at Apr. 01, 2017, at 12:12 PM All people arrested in connection with the Westminster terror attack have now been released All those arrested in connection with the terrorist attack in Westminster have now been released and police will take no further action. A 30-year-old man arrested on March 26 in Birmingham on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts and detained under the Terrorism Act was released on Sunday, Met police said in a statement. Eleven other people who were previously arrested in connection with the investigation have also been released with no further action. The inquest into the death of Khalid Masood was adjourned on Thursday and a pre-inquest review has been set by the coroner for May 19. Posted at Mar. 30, 2017, at 17:46 PM London attacker killed by single gunshot to chest, coroner says Matt Dunham / AP The man who mowed down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before fatally attacking a police officer outside parliament was killed by a single gunshot to the chest, coroner's officials said. In all, Khalid Masood killed four people and injured more than 30 others in the March 22 attack before he was shot dead. One other person remains hospitalized in critical condition. Masood's cause of death was revealed Thursday in Westminster coroner's court, the Associated Press reported. Jason Wells Posted at Mar. 28, 2017, at 07:17 AM Wife of Khalid Masood expresses her sorrow for those killed Dan Kitwood / Getty Images Rohey Hydara, wife of the man who attacked parliament last week, gave a statement through police in which she expressed her "sadness" for those who had lost their lives. "I express my condolences to the families of the victims that have died and wish a speedy recovery to all the injured," the BBC reported her as saying. Hydara, believed to be Masood's second wife, also asked for privacy for "our family, especially the children, at this difficult time". It comes following the mother of Masood, who was born Adrian Elms, stating she was "shocked" and "deeply saddened" by the actions of her son. Masood, 52, drove a car across Parliament Bridge, injuring scores of people, before crashing the vehicle into railings at the side of the houses of parliament. He then assaulted police officer Keith Palmer, who later died of his injuries, before being shot dead by officers on the scene. Posted at Mar. 27, 2017, at 17:05 PM Mother of London attacker says she is "deeply shocked" by his actions Matt Dunham / AP The mother of the man who carried out the deadly attack in London says she is "deeply shocked, saddened, and numbed" by his actions. In a statement issued Monday, Janet Ajao said she in no way condoned the actions of her son Khalid Masood, who was shot dead by police during the attack, which killed four people: I am so deeply shocked, saddened and numbed by the actions my son has taken that have killed and injured innocent people in Westminster. Since discovering that it was my son that was responsible I have shed many tears for the people caught up in this horrendous incident. I wish to make it absolutely clear, so there can be no doubt, I do not condone his actions nor support the beliefs he held that led to him committing this atrocity. I wish to thank my friends, family and community from the bottom of my heart for the love and support given to us. Jason Wells Posted at Mar. 27, 2017, at 16:13 PM No evidence Masood had any direct connections to ISIS or al-Qaeda, Met police say More information has emerged about the actions of the man who killed four people  including a police officer  outside the houses of parliament before being shot dead. Speaking on Monday, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu, senior national coordinator for UK counterterrorism policing, said there was "no evidence" the man who took the name Khalid Masood in 2005, having been born Adrian Elms, had discussed his intentions prior to the assault. "His attack method appears to be based on low sophistication, low-tech, low-cost techniques copied from other attacks, and echo the rhetoric of IS leaders in terms of methodology and attacking police and civilians, but at this stage I have no evidence he discussed this with others." Basu continued that while there were no direct connections to ISIS or al-Qaeda, "there is clearly an interest in jihad". He also said there was "no evidence" Masood had been radicalised in prison, adding that "this is pure speculation at this time". Rose Troup Buchanan Posted at Mar. 26, 2017, at 17:24 PM Police make new arrest Richard Vernalls / PA Wire/PA Images Police in Birmingham on Sunday. A 30-year-old man has been arrested in Birmingham in connection with Wednesday's attack in Westminster, it was announced on Sunday night. The Metropolitan police said the man was arrested on Sunday at an address in the city on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. One other man, aged 58, remains in custody, while a 32-year-old woman has been bailed until later this month. Meanwhile, UK home secretary Amber Rudd has said it is "completely unacceptable" that messages Khalid Masood may have sent on WhatsApp before launching his deadly attack remain encrypted. "There should be no place for terrorists to hide," Rudd said on BBC1's The Andrew Marr Show. "We need to make sure that organisations like WhatsApp, and there are plenty of others like that, don't provide a secret place for terrorists to communicate with each other." Matthew Champion Posted at Mar. 26, 2017, at 07:26 AM Police: Khalid Masood acted alone Stefan Rousseau / PA Wire/PA Images The Metropolitan police have said they believe Westminster attacker Khalid Masood acted alone, and warned that we may never know why he acted as he did. Masood was shot by police 82 seconds after his murderous attack began and later died, and while 11 arrests were made in the days after the attack, only one man remains in custody and one woman is out on bail. "We still believe that Masood acted alone on the day and there is no information or intelligence to suggest there are further attacks planned," said deputy assistant commissioner Neil Basu, the senior national coordinator for counterterrorism policing. "Even if he acted alone in the preparation we need to establish with absolute clarity why he did these unspeakable acts to bring reassurance to Londoners, and to provide answers and closure for the families of those killed and the victims and survivors of this atrocity." But Basu added: "We must all accept that there is a possibility we will never understand why he did this. That understanding may have died with him. "Nevertheless, we are determined to understand if Masood was a lone actor inspired by terrorist propaganda or if others have encouraged, supported or directed him. If the latter proves to be the case, they will face justice." Appealing for members of the public to help the investigation into the killings, Basu said: "If you knew Khalid Masood and had spoken to him in the months, weeks or days leading up to this attack please come forward." Matthew Champion Posted at Mar. 26, 2017, at 07:18 AM Family of murdered PC "overwhelmed" by support Metropolitan police The family of slain police officer Keith Palmer have said they are "overwhelmed by the love and support" they have received since the 48-year-old was killed. "Most especially," a statement released through the Metropolitan police added, "the outpouring of love and respect for our Keith." The statement said: "We want to thank everyone who has reached out to us over the past few days for their kindness and generosity. The police have been a constant, unwavering support at this very difficult time. It has made us realise what a caring, strong and supportive family Keith was part of during his career with the police. We can't thank them enough. "We would also like to express our gratitude to the people who were with Keith in his last moments and who were working that day. There was nothing more you could have done. "You did your best and we are just grateful he was not alone. We care about him being remembered for his selfless bravery and loving nature. We miss him so much, but we are also incredibly proud of Keith." Jack Taylor / Getty Images Tory MP Tobias Ellwood shakes hands with police outside parliament as he arrives for work the day after the attack. Meanwhile Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood, who gave first aid to Palmer after the officer had been stabbed by Westminster attacker Khalid Masood, has said he is "heartbroken" he could not save him. "I am heartbroken that I could not do more for PC Keith Palmer who gave his life in holding the line against terrorism and defending democracy. I shall be writing to the family of PC Palmer to offer my sincere condolences," he said in a statement. "I'm deeply humbled and overwhelmed by the messages of support, especially from the policing fraternity, which I now realise is as close knit as the military's in supporting its own. "I played only a small part that day, doing what I was taught to do, and am honoured to have been invited to join the Privy Council afterwards. "It is right that we concentrate our thoughts on the victims as we stand side by side to protect all that we hold dear, including our precious values and way of life which will always prevail." Matthew Champion Posted at Mar. 25, 2017, at 22:56 PM Police say deadly Westminster attack lasted 82 seconds Kirsty Wigglesworth / AP The deadly Westminster attack that left four people dead Wednesday began and was over within 82 seconds, police said Saturday. Police released a timeline of the bloody attack, revealing that in just over a minute Khalid Masood killed three civilians and one police officer, and injured 31 other people. The attack began Wednesday at 2:40 p.m. when Masood drove his car over the Westminster Bridge and then veered on to the footpath. Masood drove through the pedestrian walkway for 30 seconds before crashing into a perimeter fence of the Palace of Westminster, police said. Exactly 21 seconds after the crash, the first call to police was made. Masood then got out of his car and was shot by an officer inside the Palace of Westminster 31 seconds after that call was made. Police said their investigation is still continuing, and asked for people who knew and spoke with Masood in the previous weeks and months to contact authorities. "We must all accept that there is a possibility we will never understand why he did this," Deputy Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said in a statement. "That understanding may have died with him." Authorities believe he acted alone. "Whilst the attack lasted only 82 seconds it will remain in the memories of many forever," Basu said. Salvador Hernandez Posted at Mar. 25, 2017, at 17:40 PM Only one person remains in custody over Wednesday's attack On Saturday evening police revealed that one of the two people still in custody in connection with the attack in Westminster had been released. The 27-year-old man arrested late on Thursday in Birmingham was told he would face no further action. A 39-year-old woman arrested in east London and bailed until the end of this month has also been released with no further action. Seven other people have also been released and one woman remains out on bail, meaning only one person remains in custody over Khalid Masood's attack &nbsp;a 58-year-old man who was arrested on Thursday morning at an address in Birmingham, who is being detained under anti-terror laws. Two men still in custody in connection with attack Victoria Jones / PA Wire/PA Images Seven of the 11 people arrested by police investigating Khalid Masood's attack this week have now been released with no further action, it was announced last night. As well as the six people released from custody last night, a 35-year-old man has been released with no further police action, and a 32-year-old woman has been bailed until the end of the month. Both were arrested in Manchester. Meanwhile, two men remain in custody: a 58-year-old man arrested in Birmingham on Thursday morning, and a 28-year-old man arrested later in the day at a separate address in the city. They are being detained under the Terrorism Act 2000. One other woman remains on police bail: a 39-year-old arrested at an address in east London on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. She is due to return to police until a date later this month. Matthew Champion Posted at Mar. 24, 2017, at 20:17 PM Six people arrested in London attack investigation are released Christopher Furlong / Getty Images Authorities on Friday released six people who were arrested as part of the ongoing investigation into the attack in London. Among those released were a 21-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man who were arrested at one address, as well as a 26-year-old woman and three men aged 28, 27, and 26, who were taken into custody at separate locations in Birmingham, the Metropolitan police announced. A 39-year-old woman arrested in east London on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts was also released on bail until a later date in March. Four others arrested in Birmingham and Manchester on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts remain in custody as part of a sweep of 21 locations. While police believe Khalid Masood, a 52-year-old British man with a history of violent crimes, carried out the attack on Westminster Bridge and outside parliament alone, they are investigating what help he may have received and whether he had any accomplices. Khalid Masood  born Adrian Elms  has been named as the man who killed four people and injured 50 others in an attack on Westminster on Wednesday. Here's everything we know about him. Matthew Champion Posted at Mar. 24, 2017, at 17:18 PM Muslim leaders in Birmingham are holding emergency meetings across the city There are concerns of a ramped up anti-Muslim backlash that communities may face following the London terror attack. Mahmooda Qureshi from Hope Not Hate, an anti-racism campaign group, told BuzzFeed News a rally was being organised in Birmingham city centre on Saturday, and said: "It's to distance ourselves and that it has got nothing to do with Islam and to state: not in our name." Imams from major Birmingham mosques read sermons addressing the attacks, and called for "unity". At a packed Friday prayers with Muslims from all backgrounds, Sheikh Abdur Raheem McCarthy said in a sermon delivered in English that Muslims were "blessed" in the UK as they have freedom of faith. "We also need to increase our relationship with the local community. And instead of making this divide us, let it bring us closer together and let us stand in solidarity against that which is wrong." After prayers, the imam read out a statement from the Metropolitan police reassuring the communities there would be extra patrols on the streets, and that the attack was by "a terrorist and someone not of the faith". Muhammad Afzal, the chairman of Birmingham Central Mosque, called for calm and said in a statement: "We request all communities for the unity and calm." He added: "We call upon those that may have even a shred of sympathy for the like-minded terrorists to shake their conscience and realise that such acts are the work of evil and not the work of God-fearing people." In the aftermath of Wednesday's attack in London, this photo of a woman walking along Westminster bridge went viral. The woman was accused by people on the far-right of ignoring a victim on the road, and not showing emotion after the attack. Now the woman, who has not been named, has provided a statement defending herself via the charity TellMAMA: What the image does not show is that I had talked to other witnesses to try and find out what was happening, to see if I could be any help, even though enough people were at the scene tending to victims. I then decided to call my family to say that i was fine and was making my way home from work, assisting a lady along the way by helping her get to Waterloo station. My thoughts go out to all the victims and their families. I would like to thank Jamie Lorriman, the photographer who took the picture, for speaking to the media in my defence. Rachael Krishna Posted at Mar. 24, 2017, at 14:29 PM Met police release image of Masood in appeal for information Met Police In an updated statement, the Met police clarified that Masood had previously gone by both Adrian Elms and Adrian Russell Ajao. "He may also be known by a number of other names," they added. The statement also said the number of arrests had risen to 11. A 32-year-old woman was arrested on Friday at a location in Manchester on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. Ten people remain in custody. Rose Troup Buchanan Posted at Mar. 24, 2017, at 13:54 PM Downing Street says Google and Facebook "can and must do more" to fight extremism Alamy Downing Street added to pressure on Google and Facebook on Friday, warning the internet giants that they "can and must do more" to stop hateful and violent material appearing on their platforms. Theresa May's official spokesperson would not comment on whether there was specific evidence that the internet had played a role in the apparent radicalisation of the Westminster attacker, Khalid Masood. As a general point, however, he told reporters that the "fight against terrorism and hate speech has to be a joint one" and that the technology companies weren't, in the government's view, pulling their weight. "Social media companies have a responsibility when it comes to making sure that this material is not disseminated," the Number 10 official said. "And we have been clear repeatedly that we think they can and must do more. And we are always talking with them on how to achieve that." "The message that we've delivered consistently is that we want them to do more and the ball is now in their court," he added. "Let's see how they respond." First images of Masood as a schoolchild emerge Huntleys School Website This photograph, taken when Masood was at school, is believed to have been taken after a four-hour five-a-side tournament for charity. Kenton Till, who was part of the charity team, described him to the BBC as an extremely popular student who was thought of as bright and sporty. "He had a big personality and everyone liked him," Till said. It comes as details about Masood's background slowly begin to emerge. Earlier, acting deputy Met police commissioner Mark Rowley said they believed Masood was born Adrian Russell Ajao. Earlier media reports had identified one of his aliases as Adrian Elms, born in the Dartford district of Kent. It is thought he took his stepfather's name, Ajao, after his mother remarried two years after he was born. It is believed Masood was an English teacher, The Sun also reported. The newspaper also claimed to have seen a recent copy of Masood's CV in which he claims to have an economics degree and describes himself as "friendly and approachable". The BBC found he had recently lived in the West Midlands, but he is also thought to have lived in Crawley, West Sussex, and Rye and Eastbourne, both in East Sussex, as well as Luton and east London. The fourth victim, 75-year-old Leslie Rhodes, was named by the Met police today. Rhodes was a retired window cleaner, who was described by neighbours as a "lovely man," according to the Press Association. The neighbour told the news organisation Rhodes had no children and was not married, and that he "would do anything for anybody". American Kurt Cochran was identified yesterday. He and his wife Melissa Payne Cochran were thought to have been celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary in London. Relatives said she suffered serious injuries in the attack and is still being treated in hospital. Clint Payne, understood to be Kurt's brother-in-law, wrote on Facebook: "Our hearts are broken this day as we say goodbye to our dear brother-in-law Kurt. He passed away from the injuries sustained in the London terrorist attack yesterday. We love him so much and will never forget him." Aysha Frade, 43, was reportedly on her way to pick up her children from school when she was struck by the car that drove into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge. The mother of two taught Spanish at DLD College London. " She was highly regarded and loved by our students and by her colleagues. She will be deeply missed by all of us," a spokesperson for the college told BuzzFeed News. Veteran police officer Keith Palmer was killed. The 48-year-old was married with a five-year-old daughter. In a statement on Thursday, his family said he would be remembered as a "wonderful dad and husband," a loving son, brother, and uncle, and a long-time supporter of Charlton FC. He was a friend to "everyone who knew him" and was brave, dedicated, courageous, and proud to be a police officer, they said. Met police release more information about Westminster attacker Khalid Masood's birth name has been stated as Adrian Russell Ajao, acting deputy police commissioner Mark Rowley has said in a briefing outside New Scotland Yard this morning. "We stated he had a number of aliases, and we do know that his birth name was Adrian Russell," Rowley said. Rowley said there was "no evidence of further threats", but that a "large, fast paced investigation" was examining Masood's actions leading up the attack: "Our determination is to find out if he acted totally alone inspired by terrorist propaganda or if others encouraged or supported him." Rowley said two further arrests were made last night: one in the West Midlands, and one in North West England. One woman has been released on bail. Nine people remain in custody. Five searches on addresses were in progress, with 16 searches on properties around the UK concluded. "We have seized 2,700 items from these searches," he said, including "massive of amounts of computer data for us to search through". Addressing those injured in the attack, Rowley named the fourth victim as Leslie Rhodes, 75, from Streatham, in south London. The number of those hurt in the attack rose. Rowley stated at least 50 people were injured, with 31 people requiring hospital treatment, in the attack. "Those affected include a real cross-section of ages, from at least 12 nationalities," he continued. He said of those in hospital, two remained in "critical condition", with one person considered to have "life-threatening" injuries. Two off-duty officers who were caught up in the assault on Westminster Bridge remain in hospital with serious injuries. Earlier, multiple media reports identified Adrian Elms as one of the alias believed to have been used by Masood. Details around the attacker, named by the Metropolitan police as 52-year-old Khalid Masood, continue to emerge on Friday morning. Masood, who operated under a number of aliases, is believed to have been born as Adrian Elms in Kent, the BBC reported. It is believed that Masood was an English teacher, The Sun also reported. The newspaper also claimed to have seen a recent copy of Masood's CV in which he claims to have an economics degree and describes himself as "friendly and approachable". Most recently he lived in the West Midlands, but he is also thought to have lived in Crawley, West Sussex, and Rye and Eastbourne, both in East Sussex, as well as Luton and east London. Masood had a chequered past, according to his police record. His first conviction was in November 1983, aged 19, when he was convicted for criminal damage. His last conviction was in 2003 when he stabbed a 22-year-old man in a nursing home in Eastbourne. He was charged and convicted of GBH, wounding with intent, and possessing an offensive weapon, and served time in prison. Sadiq Khan, who spoke at the vigil, told BuzzFeed News it was a way of showing "evil and twisted individuals" that they were not going to be successful in their aims. The home secretary Amber Rudd also addressed the crowd to pay tribute to PC Keith Palmer. Houses searched in Brighton and Wales Joe Giddens / PA Wire/PA Images Officers search an address in Birmingham connected to Wednesday's attack. The Metropolitan police have confirmed to BuzzFeed News that as part of today's investigations, houses were also searched in Brighton and Wales. Previously police had only said searches were carried out in London, Birmingham, and "elsewhere". The news was confirmed by the Met after Norfolk police issued a statement on their website announcing the searches had been carried out. The Met said searches were ongoing at an address in Carmarthenshire, three in Birmingham, and one in east London. Searches at addresses in Brighton and southeast London have concluded. New information has also been released about the arrests made since yesterday's attack. Overnight a 39-year-old woman was arrested at an address in east London; a 21-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man were arrested at an address in Birmingham; a 26-year-old woman and three men aged 26, 27, and 28 were arrested at a separate address in Birmingham  all on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. Police have said they believed the attack's perpetrator, Khalid Masood, had acted alone. A 58-year-old man was also arrested at a separate address in Birmingham this morning, also on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. Meanwhile the police watchdog the IPCC says it has opened an independent investigation into the fatal police shooting of Masood. "It's important to stress that we are currently investigating the circumstances of the incident and no police officers are under investigation," said IPCC deputy chair Sarah Green. "The IPCC and the Metropolitan Police Service are following agreed working arrangements related to terrorist incidents, which are working well. I recognise that this is a very difficult time for the police service, following the tragic loss of PC Keith Palmer and the injuries to other officers. We are giving this investigation the highest priority and we will conclude it as soon as possible." PM visits victims injured in the Westminster attack The PM quietly visited victims who were injured in the attack along Westminster Bridge on Thursday afternoon. In a private visit to an unnamed hospital, Theresa May spent about 40 minutes speaking to victims of yesterday's attacks and hospital staff.  Rose Buchanan Posted at Mar. 23, 2017, at 16:16 PM Keith Palmer's family: "A wonderful dad and husband" Dominic Lipinski / PA Wire/PA Images In a statement, Palmer's family said the former soldier and policeman of 15 years was "dedicated to his job and proud to be a police officer, brave and courageous". Palmer, 48, who was married and had a 5-year-old daughter, was described as "a wonderful dad and husband". "A loving son, brother and uncle. A longtime supporter of Charlton FC. A friend to everyone who knew him. He will bet deeply missed. We love him so much," his family said. The statement came shortly before a number of Palmer's colleagues were due to lay a wreath outside New Scotland Yard in his memory. Colleague PC James Aitkenhead described him as "a genuinely nice person; nobody had a bad word to say about him. When I heard what had happened I knew it would be him because that's just the sort of guy he was, to step straight in when others might step back. "He had a great work ethic, he worked on our warrants' car for years, getting up at 4am to serve warrants and arresting wanted offenders. He was always so positive, always staying late after everyone else and getting in early." The 52-year-old was born in Kent and detectives believe he was most recently living in the West Midlands. Masood was also known by a number of aliases. In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said "was not the subject of any current investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack". He had a range of previous convictions, although none for terrorism offences, including GBH, possession of offensive weapons, and public order offences. His first conviction was in November 1983 for criminal damage and his last conviction was in December 2003 for possession of a knife. He was investigated "some years ago" as part of a historic investigation into violent extremism but was a peripheral figure. It is assumed by police that he was acting on extreme Islamist ideology. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack on Thursday. Former UKIP leader Nigel Farage has been called on to retract his statement that the Westminster terror attack on Wednesday was linked to uncontrolled immigration  after it emerged that the security services believe the attacker was born in Britain. Speaking on Fox News on Wednesday night after the attack, Farage said recent terrorism was the fault of politicians who advocated mass immigration. "The moment has come for us to point the finger of blame. What these politicians have done in the last 15 years will affect how we live for 100 years," he said. Social media was awash with people who challenged him to retract the statement after the prime minister told the House of Commons on Thursday morning that the attacker was born in Britain and had been investigated at some point by security services. Kurt Cochran, from Utah, was killed in terror attack in Westminster, and his wife Melissa was seriously injured and is in hospital in London. The couple were in London to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. Clint Payne, understood to be Kurt's brother-in-law, wrote on Facebook: "Our hearts are broken this day as we say goodbye to our dear brother-in-law Kurt. He passed away from the injuries sustained in the London terrorist attack yesterday. We love him so much and will never forget him." He said his sister, Melissa sustained a broken leg, broken rib and a cut to her head. "We are grateful that she will recover," he said in the post. "Our hearts ache for her and their children in losing their loving companion and father. Please continue to pray for our family. Thank you." Another relative, Shantell Payne, wrote in a separate Facebook post on Thursday: "This pain is so heart wrenching and raw it has rocked our family and all that knew him to its core. We will miss Kurt beyond words. We love you Kurt. RIP." After seeing a picture of his local liaison officer Sren D. Sozza in news coverage of the attack, Mark Oakley, who owns The Eagle pub in Vauxhall, situated near the attack, was moved to share his gratitude on Facebook. "This image has reinforced my love and respect for the many officers who I have worked with for many years and seeing how close this terror is to where I live and work, and knowing that one of his colleagues was murdered on our streets has deeply saddened me tonight," he wrote. Sozza told BuzzFeed News he was "humbled by Mark's very kind words of appreciation and am encouraged by his defiance to being affected by the incident". World leaders express condolences for London and the British people Vladimir Putin, Russia's leader, released the following statement: "Terrorist attacks are becoming increasingly cunning and cynical. It is obvious that all members of the international community should join forces to stand up against the terrorist threat." Earlier, former US president Barack Obama tweeted his support and his sorrow for those killed. Yesterday, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said US president Donald Trump had spoken to Theresa May, and that the US was continuing to monitor the situation. German chancellor Angela Merkel, before more details about the nature of the attack had been established, said: "Even if the background to these attacks has yet to be cleared up, I would like to emphasise on behalf of Germany and its citizens: We stand resolutely on Britain's side in the fight against any form of terrorism." Franois Hollande, France's leader, declared France's "solidarity and support" for Britain and the victims of the attack. "Terrorism affects us all," he said. "France, which has been so badly hit in recent times, knows what the British people are suffering today." The Netherlands' leader, Mark Rutte, said: "Horrible images from London. The very heart of the city has been struck. Our thoughts are with the British people." And Belgium's leader, Charles Michel, who only yesterday marked the year anniversary of a terror attack on Brussels, expressed his condolences with London and the British people. "Belgium stands with UK in fight against terror," he said. Rose Troup Buchanan Posted at Mar. 23, 2017, at 13:20 PM Security services could have dropped monitoring attacker because of resources or the closure of an investigation Stressing they did not know the identity of the attacker, a former British intelligence officer told BuzzFeed News that "peripheral figure" would indicate an individual that MI5 would have looked into, and possibly monitored, for reasons of behaviour, background, or connections. After a period of time, the investigation would have been dropped for a number of reasons, including human rights law that demands surveillance be proportional, resources, or the closure of an investigation, but it is difficult to speculate on these until the identity of the attacker is known. An indiscriminate attack by a British-born terrorist was a strike against "free people everywhere" and injured people from various countries, Theresa May told the House of Commons on Thursday. Updating parliament on the ongoing investigation into Wednesday's attack, the prime minister confirmed that the attacker, whose identity has not been publicly disclosed, was born in the UK and was known to the police and intelligence services. The man had been investigated "some years ago" because of concerns about violent extremism but was considered a "peripheral" figure, May said. "The case is historic  he was not part of the current intelligence picture," May said. May chaired a meeting of the government's emergency committee, Cobra, at 7.30pm on Wednesday night. She will have further briefings and meetings with security officials throughout Thursday. There was no intelligence suggesting another attack was imminent. Echoing defiant comments and tributes to the security authorities made by MPs in the House throughout the morning, the prime minister insisted Britain would not be cowed. "We are not afraid. And our resolve will never waver in the face of terrorism," she said. Scotland's first minister has paid tribute to the "vibrant, diverse, and wonderful" city of London Wpa Pool / Getty Images Nicola Sturgeon has paid tribute to the "vibrant, diverse, and wonderful city" of London during a sombre edition of First Minister's Questions at the Scottish parliament in Edinburgh. The weekly event, where the first minister is usually grilled by the four opposition leaders, was dominated this afternoon by tributes to those who lost their lives or were injured in yesterday's attack at Westminster. "Many of us in this chamber have friends and colleagues, indeed some of us have family members, who work within the Palace of Westminster," said Sturgeon. "Parliamentarians, staff, and journalists. "Yesterday was a harrowing day for all of them and they have our support and good wishes. Above all, we stand in solidarity with London  a vibrant, diverse, wonderful city that will never be cowed by mindless acts of violence." Sturgeon went on to confirm that there was "no intelligence of any increased threat" to Scotland in the wake of yesterday's attack in London, but added that security had been stepped up in "key locations" throughout the country. "Acts of terrorism are not the responsibility of any one faith or section of our society," the first minister continued. "The only people to blame for acts of terrorism are the individuals who plan and perpetrate them." Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson expressed her "deep shock" at the events in London, but went on to warn would-be attackers: "We will not be silenced, and we will not be cowed." Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale described Westminster as a "beacon of democracy", and went on to say that "this cannot and must not turn into a war on any one community". The Scottish parliament was debating a referendum on independence when news of yesterday's attack broke and the session was cancelled. It was confirmed this morning that the debate will continue on Tuesday next week. Following the attack, an image of a London Underground sign began to circulate on Twitter. However, immediately after the sign was shared, it was quickly shown to be fake. The sign appears to have been created using an online generator. On Thursday, MP Simon Hoare raised the sign in the Commons. "My judgment is he or she speaks for the whole country irrespective of faith of creed when they wrote: 'All terrorists are politely reminded that this is London and whatever you do to us we will drink tea and jolly well carry on'," he told the house. May called it a "wonderful tribute", and said it "in a very simple way I think has encapsulated everything everybody in this house has said today". "What happened yesterday was an appalling atrocity," he said. "Today, we are united by our humanity, by our democratic values and by that human impulse for solidarity to stand together in times of darkness and adversity. "I express my condolences to the family and friends of PC Keith Palmer, who gave his life yesterday in defence of the public and our democracy  and to the loved ones of those still in a critical condition including the French schoolchildren visiting our capital from Concarneau in Brittany. ... "I thank all the dedicated NHS staff working to save lives, including those from St Thomas' Hospital who rushed out to help those in need. We are grateful for the public service workers who yesterday, today and every day they pull on their uniforms. "It behoves us all not to rush to judgement, but to wait for the police to establish the facts. We must stay united in our communities and not to allow fear or the voices of hatred to divide or cower us. It is by demonstrating our values of solidarity, community, humanity and love that we will defeat the poison and division of hatred." The Scottish National Party's leader in the House of Commons Angus Robertson echoed May and Corbyn's sentiments, saying: "Today of all days we are reminded that notwithstanding our differences on political and constitutional issues we are as one in our dedication to democracy, the rule of law and harmony between peoples of all faiths and none." Robertson also paid tribute to police,and the bravery of the Conservative minister who went to the aid of the stabbed officer: "'We are all hugely grateful to all the police, security staff and first responders who ran towards danger without concern to their safety, and I include in that our colleague the Right Honourable and gallant member for Bournemouth East Tobias Ellwood." Parliament is to review its security procedures in an emergency meeting later today in the wake of yesterday's terror attack. Lindsay Hoyle, deputy speaker of the House of Commons and chairman of parliament's security committee, told the BBC that he would be hosting a meeting to check if additional measures were required. "We will be having an emergency meeting," he said. "We'll be getting information, what else needs to be put in place, and we will reflect, not instantly, we've got to take on board what's happened and we will make decisions accordingly. Of course, we've got to look after both houses." TV footage on Thursday morning showed new concrete blocks being moved into place around the Palace of Westminster in the wake of the attack. The blocks have already been in place around parts of the parliamentary estate as part of longstanding security measures against vehicle attack. People from 10 different countries caught up in attack, PM says Sky News screengrab Speaking in the Commons, Theresa May revealed some details about those injured in the attack. She said around 40 pedestrians were hurt on Westminster Bridge, including 12 Britons, three French children, two Romanians, four South Koreans, one German, one Pole, one Irish person, one Chinese person, one Italian, one American, and two Greeks. "We are in close contact with the governments of the countries of all those affected," the prime minister said. The French foreign minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault, was in the Commons and Speaker John Bercow paid tribute to him earlier that session, noting his presence was indication of the international support given to the UK in the wake of the attack on parliament. May added that the injured included three police officers who were returning from an event recognising their bravery, two of whom remain in a serious condition. Earlier, the acting Metropolitan police commissioner had said there were 29 people in five hospitals across the country. Seven are in a critical condition. Matthew Champion Posted at Mar. 23, 2017, at 10:49 AM PM Theresa May says attacker was "British-born" and had been previously investigated by MI5 as a "peripheral" figure Addressing the House of Commons, prime minister Theresa May confirmed that the attacker, who has still not been publicly identified, was known to MI5 and police and had been a "peripheral figure" in a "historic" investigation into violent extremism. "It is still believed that this attacker acted alone and there is no reason to believe there are imminent further attacks on the public," she said. "His identity is known to police and MI5 and when operational considerations allow he will be publicly identified. "What I can confirm is that the man was British-born and that some years ago he was once investigated by MI5 in relation to concerns about violent extremism. He was a peripheral figure. The case is historic. He was not part of the current intelligence picture. There was no prior intelligence of his intent or of the plot. Intensive investigations continue." May also reiterated earlier lines from the police and defence secretary Michael Fallon that the investigation is focusing on the "working assumption" the attacker was "inspired by Islamist ideology". "We know the threat from Islamist terrorism is very real," she said. "But while the public should remain utterly vigilant they should not  and will not  be cowed by this threat. "As acting Deputy Commissioner Rowley has made clear, we are stepping up policing to protect communities across the country and to reassure the public." May praised the security and emergency forces for their swift and calm response to the attack, made more remarkable after they had "lost one of their own". "We will remember the exceptional bravery of our police, security, and emergency services who once again ran towards the danger even as they encouraged others to move the other way," she said. "On behalf of the whole country I want to pay tribute to them for the work they have been doing to reassure the public, treat the injured and bring security back to the streets of our capital city. "That they have lost one of their own in yesterday's attack only makes their calmness and professionalism all the more remarkable." James Ball and Francis Whittaker Posted at Mar. 23, 2017, at 10:43 AM Prime minister reveals nationalities of those wounded and more details on attacker in speech to House of Commons Westminster Bridge survivor: "The car came out of nowhere" Carl Court / Getty Images BuzzFeed News has spoken to a survivor who was hit by the attacker's car and flung to the ground on Westminster Bridge, and who said he was unable to describe the Wednesday's events because of the horrific aftermath. The survivor, who asked not to be named, was visiting London from Liverpool and sustained cuts and bruises to his legs  he was with friends who were also hit by the car but survived. He has now been discharged from hospital. "There was just lot of yelling and commotion," he said. "Then this car came out of nowhere and knocked me and my mates over. The scenes after that I don't really want to describe. They were pretty horrific." Pat Smith Posted at Mar. 23, 2017, at 10:23 AM Met police have made another arrest in connection to the attack In total eight people have now been arrested, following raids on six properties across the country. The Met has confirmed that these arrests are connected to the attack on Westminster yesterday afternoon. Posted at Mar. 23, 2017, at 09:47 AM Minute's silence held for those killed in Westminster attack The streets around parliament remained closed on Thursday morning. But inside the building life was already back to a strange sort of normal. Hundreds of MPs, peers, staff, and journalists were allowed through police cordons around Westminster to attend parliament. They turned up early for what has been billed as a normal working day, designed to show that the attack would not disrupt British democracy. Security checks were enforced but were no tougher than usual and inside parliament's canteens hundreds of breakfasts were being served. At 9.33am a minute's silence was held, with a packed House of Commons standing together to remember those who lost their lives on Wednesday. They stood, heads bowed, and observed a minute's silence in honour of the lives lost in the attack less than 24 hours earlier. At 9.35am, the doors were opened and members of the press were admitted to the viewing galleries. Speaker John Bercow called the house to order. Liam Fox, the international trade secretary, rose to take ministerial questions as scheduled. He began with a short, defiant statement, insisting that Britain wouldn't be cowed by terrorists. "Such acts of savagery against the innocent can never be justified," Fox said. But he quickly moved on to business. Bob Blackman, a Conservative MP, rose to ask the first question. On the verge of tears, he paid tribute to the police who put their lives on the line to defend parliament every day. It was short, sombre. Then he asked the minister a question about Israeli pharmaceutical exports. A group of MPs shuffled out of the house. There was work to be done. But, while MPs attempted to get on with their days in a show of defiance, it was impossible to avoid the events. The main route linking the two main parliamentary buildings passes along the edge of New Palace Yard, the cobbled square where police officer Keith Palmer was killed by an attacker. Thousands of staff have no choice but to walk along this route several times a day, making it impossible to avoid the sight of a crime scene investigation. An ambulance remained on the scene, next to a tent covering the site where Palmer fell. At the carriage gates, where the attacker allegedly broke through, around a dozen police officers were conducting a fingertip search of the ground. And beyond that Parliament Square and Whitehall, usually packed with tourists, protesters, and office workers, was silent. Aysha Frade, a 43-year-old teacher and mother of two, was one of those killed in Wednesday's attack on Westminster, her place of work confirmed to BuzzFeed News on Thursday morning. She was reportedly on her way to pick up her children from school when she was struck by the car that drove into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge. Frade taught Spanish at DLD College London, which is just over the river from the houses of parliament. The college confirmed to BuzzFeed News she had died in yesterday's attack. "We are all deeply shocked and saddened at the news that one of the victims yesterday was a member of our staff, Aysha Frade. All our thoughts and our deepest sympathies are with her family. We will be offering every support we can to them as they try to come to terms with their devastating loss," Rachel Borland, principal at DLD College London, told BuzzFeed News. "Aysha worked as a member of our administration team at the college. She was highly regarded and loved by our students and by her colleagues. She will be deeply missed by all of us." According to Spanish newspaper La Voz de Galicia, Frade was originally from Betanzos in Galicia, northern Spain. Met police revise death toll to four, including attacker Four people, including the attacker, died in the attack on Westminster yesterday, the Metropolitan police confirmed to BuzzFeed News this morning following Commissioner Mark Rowley's earlier statement. Previous statements from New Scotland Yard had said that five people  including the attacker &nbsp;had been killed in the assault outside the British parliament. Defence secretary Michael Fallon says security services' working assumption is that the attack was linked to "Islamic terrorism" Andy Buchanan / AFP / Getty Images Defence secretary Michael Fallon, speaking to the BBC's Today programme, said the "working assumption" was that the attack on Westminster was linked to "Islamic terrorism". Fallon said the Metropolitan police were making "urgent" investigations into the alleged attacker and his known associates  although he declined to state whether there was any indication he acted alone. "The working assumption is that this is related to Islamic terrorism in some form, but they [the police] don't yet have a full enough picture of this man and his known associates. That work is still going on," he said. "This kind of attack, this lone-wolf attack, using things from daily life, a vehicle, a knife, are much more difficult to forestall, and we are also dealing with a terrorist enemy that is not making demands or holding people hostage but simply wants to kill as many people as possible. "This is a new element to international terrorism but our forces are working extremely hard. I have every confidence that they will track down his known associates." The defence secretary declined to comment on any security changes, but confirmed he would chair a review when it came. He praised the efforts of police and security forces in the aftermath of the attack. "Although there is intense security around the Palace of Westminster, London is going to work this morning," Fallon said. "Parliament itself will resume at the normal time." "London is getting back to work. London has seen this before and is taking it on the chin," he said. "I do want to reassure you that the police and the security services are doing everything possible to make sure that people can go about their daily life as safely as possible." The Metropolitan police confirm seven arrests made last night Mark Rowley, the national lead for counterterrorism policing and the acting deputy commissioner, confirmed that seven arrests had been made, following raids on six properties across the country. He confirmed that four people were killed by the attacker, including two members of the public: a woman in her mid-forties and a man in his fifties. Among the dead were a "mix of nationalities", Rowley said, declining to name any of those killed other than 48-year-old police officer Keith Palmer. Rowley said 29 individuals were being treated in five hospitals across London. Seven are in a critical condition. Probed on the identity of the alleged attacker, Rowley declined to comment on the individual's nationality and said he would not be naming the suspect  and urged the media to respect that decision. "It is still our belief that this attacker acted alone, and was inspired by international terrorism," Rowley said. Meanwhile, he said London will see an increased police presence, as at least 60 officers continue working on a "large and complicated crime scene" outside Westminster. "We must not allow terrorism to sow discord and fear in our city," he said. Rose Buchanan Posted at Mar. 23, 2017, at 07:34 AM Police make several" arrests following raid on property in Birmingham, multiple reports state Carl Court / Getty Images The police have made "several" arrests after a raid on a property in Birmingham, the BBC, ITV, and Sky News have reported. The BBC subsequently said it had been told police confirmed the raids were linked to the attack outside Westminster on Wednesday afternoon. Press inquiries to West Midlands police were redirected to the Metropolitan police, who declined to comment on the reports when contacted by BuzzFeed News, citing "operational reasons". Last night, the surrounding area of a property on Hagley Road in southwest Birmingham was closed for roughly two hours. "There is an ongoing police operation, no further details are being given at this stage," West Midlands police told The Guardian. Separately, it was reported the car  described by witnesses as a Hyundai 4x4  used to plough through pedestrians in the cycle line on Westminster Bridge was believed to have been rented from near the raided property in Solihull. The BBC's security correspondent Frank Gardner told the Today programme that there were "indications" that the car began its journey in Birmingham. Posted at Mar. 22, 2017, at 22:48 PM Slain officer is identified as death toll rises to 5 people BBC The death toll in Wednesday's Westminster attack rose to five people, including the attacker and a police officer, who was identified as a 15-year veteran. The officer, 48-year-old Keith Palmer, was a member of the parliamentary and diplomatic command, said Mark Rowley, the acting deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan police. Palmer's killer was fatally shot by another police officer. Palmer was a husband and a father, Rowley added. Metro Police Getty Keith Palmer. "He was someone who left for work today expecting to return home at the end of his shift, and he had every right to expect that to happen," Rowley said. Three of the victims were members of the public, but not immediately identified. About 40 other people were injured in the attack, some of them seriously, Rowley said. Three of the injured were police officers, two of whom were in serious condition. The identify of the attacker had not been released, but Rowley said police believe he was inspired by international terrorism. Police are working on taking statements from hundreds of people at the scene, reviewing CCTV footage, and seeking information on the attacker and his associates. "Terrorists have a clear aim: that is to create discord, destruction, and to create fear," he said. "The police stand with all communities in the UK and will take action against anyone who seeks to undermine society, especially where their crimes are motivated by hate." Claudia Koerner Posted at Mar. 22, 2017, at 21:27 PM Government officials describe crawling on hands and knees to escape attack Carl Court / Getty Images Grant Shapps was walking through from his office to a vote in the House of Commons, making small talk with a handful of fellow Conservative MPs, when he noticed something was amiss at the gates of parliament. At first he dismissed it as another protest and carried on walking. Moments later, he was crawling on his hands and knees for safety, having just witnessed a terror attack. "I could hear a kerfuffle going on, which is not unusual as there's often protests by the gates," the former minister told BuzzFeed News. "As I'm looking around I hear, 'BAM BAM BAM'  what sounded like four shots to me." "Suddenly, a police officer is standing right where we are, shouting, 'Get down, get down, get back!' We crawled, hands and knees, back to a safety position." The former minister was one of hundreds of MPs, parliamentary staff, and journalists who spent several hours in Westminster Abbey as police gathered statements. They began to trickle out of the cathedral at around 8pm. Prime minister Theresa May says attack targeted freedom and democracy BBC Theresa May on Wednesday night said the attack at Westminster was no accident, but rather a direct attack on British democracy. "The location of this attack was no accident," the prime minister said in a speech outside Number 10. "The terrorists chose to strike at the heart of our capital city where people of all nationalities, religions, and cultures come together to celebrate the values of liberty, democracy, and freedom of speech." The single attacker first drove into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, May said, killing two people and injuring others  including three police officers. He then got out of the vehicle and ran toward parliament with a knife. There, he was confronted by officers. One officer was killed, and the attacker was shot dead by police, May said. The prime minister praised police and emergency responders, and said parliament would return to its business as normal on Thursday, as would other Londoners. "And we will all move forward together," she said, "never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us." News reports identify wrong man as Westminster attacker A Channel 4 News report misidentified a man associated with a British Muslim terrorist group as the Westminster attacker on its evening broadcast. Abu Izzadeen, also known as Trevor Brooks, was in prison on Wednesday, where he has been since January 2016, sources told BuzzFeed News. Channel 4 News originally identified him as the attacker, who was killed outside British Parliament by police. The attacker's name has not been released. The mistaken report was repeated at the top of the Channel 4+1 news, which began to rebroadcast the earlier report. The channel then went dark as "conflicting information came to light," a Channel 4 News statement said. The first doctor to attend to those injured in the Westminster attack was not on duty at the time, but rushed to the scene when he heard screaming. Dr Jeeves Wijesuriya, a junior doctor from London who specialises in general practice, told BuzzFeed News he had been attending an interview nearby when the incident happened. "I heard the screaming so ran to help and the police ran me in," he told us. Wijesuriya treated two people, one of whom had been stabbed and another who had been shot. He said he believed one of the patients was the attacker. Laura Silver Posted at Mar. 22, 2017, at 19:30 PM Politicians and staff locked inside buildings in Westminster Niklas Halle'n / AFP / Getty Images Hundreds of politicians and their staff are still locked in Westminster Abbey, while police attempt to collect eyewitness testimony and evidence on this afternoon's attack. As the first reports of the attack filtered through, many in parliament seemed unsure how to react with some cafes staying open in Portcullis House. It took several minutes before security staff swept in and cleared the area. Parliamentary staff told BuzzFeed News they were told to stay in their offices for around 90 minutes after the incident, while police swept the premises and checked they were secure. People still on the premises were then led into the ancient Westminster Hall at around 4.30pm  around 90 minutes after the attack. For some staff this involved walking past the scene of the attack on a police officer. Many were then led out through the St Stephen's Entrance into Westminster Abbey, where "up to 1,000 people" remain, according to one individual, who said others had been left in Westminster Hall. Police are currently preparing to sort individuals according to how useful they are and then collect information which could help their investigation, including any photographs or eyewitness testimony of an attack that could be clearly seen from many parliamentary offices. Jim Waterson Posted at Mar. 22, 2017, at 19:08 PM Home secretary praises bravery of emergency services Daniel Sorabji / AFP / Getty Images Forensics officers at work at the scene. Home secretary Amber Rudd has released the following statement on the attack: "We do not yet know the full impact of this terrible incident. But I know that the whole country will be thinking and praying for those who are affected, as I am. "I want to thank the emergency services for the quick response and pay tribute to their bravery, their courage and their professionalism. "I have been briefed by the Met Police and by the security services and the Security Minister has also been updated. This is an ongoing incident and the Government will continue to be updated. The Prime Minister will chair Cobra today. "The Government's top priority is the security of its people and I urge everyone to remain calm but to be vigilant and if they see anything they are concerned about they should report it to the police. "We have the best police, the best security services in the world and we must make sure that we let them get on with doing their job. "The British people will be united in working together to defeat those who would harm our shared values. "Values of democracy, tolerance and the rule of law. Values symbolised by the Houses of Parliament. Values that will never be destroyed." Posted at Mar. 22, 2017, at 19:03 PM Hospital releases latest update condition of those injured in attack King's College Hospital assistant medical director Dr Chris Palin has told the BBC eight patients from the attack are being treated at the Denmark Hill hospital. "At 3.52pm we went into a major incident. We have received a total of eight patients," Palin said. "Two of those are critically injured, six are stable. Six males and two females. Care is still ongoing. All eight remain in the hospital." Posted at Mar. 22, 2017, at 18:58 PM Trump offers condolences to Theresa May during call about Westminster attack US president Donald Trump called the UK prime minister to offer support Wednesday afternoon. A readout of the call provided by the White House said: "President Donald J. Trump spoke today with Prime Minister Theresa May of the United Kingdom to offer his condolences on today's terror attack in London and his praise for the effective response of security forces and first responders. "He pledged the full cooperation and support of the United States Government in responding to the attack and bringing those responsible to justice." White House press secretary Sean Spicer also spoke about the attack during his daily briefing. "We obviously condemn today's attack in Westminster, which the United Kingdom is treating as an act of terrorism, and we applaud the quick response that the British police and their first responders made to the situation," he said. "The victims in this are in our thoughts and our prayers. "The city of London and Her Majesty's government have the full support of the US government in responding to the attack and bringing those to justice who are responsible." Both the House of Commons and the House of Lords will sit tomorrow at their normal times. Alicia Melville-Smith Posted at Mar. 22, 2017, at 18:34 PM Witnesses on London Eye describe being kept in the air for hours Niklas Halle'n / AFP / Getty Images People are seen inside the pods of the London Eye during the incident Tourists on the London Eye, the landmark ferris wheel not far from parliament on the other side of the Thames, have described how they were kept in their capsules for three hours as the attack unfolded. Jim Hutchinson, from Boston, Massachusetts, and his family were in the last capsule to be boarded before it came to a halt. "The first thing we noticed was the flashing lights of medics attending to the injured people on the bridge, and then the helicopters," he told BuzzFeed News. "There were three separate groups of injured people on the bridge, at each end and in the middle. It took half an hour before anyone was moved." He said that no one in the capsule felt worried for their own safety, although one tourist who could not speak English repeatedly pressed the alarm button to find out why they had stopped. Hutchinson confirmed that police had spoken to everyone on the Eye after they had been allowed off. Matthew Champion / BuzzFeed News Jim Hutchinson Kody and Taylor Davis, from Utah, told BuzzFeed News they were at the top of the London Eye when it came to a stop. Kody said there was initially no phone service in the capsule and it wasn't until news alerts came on their phones they realised what was going on. "We eventually managed to call our families and they told us what had happened." Taylor said they first had an idea something was wrong when they saw "a big commotion and lots of stretchers". Kody and Taylor are due to fly back to the US on Saturday. They were stuck on the London Eye for three hours in total. "The attack started when a car was driven over Westminster Bridge hitting and injuring a number of members of the public, including three police officers on their way back from a commendation ceremony," Rowley said. He added that police "we're satisfied at this stage that there looks to be only one attacker but it would be foolish to be over-confident so early on." Posted at Mar. 22, 2017, at 17:48 PM Photograph appears to show knives at scene of parliament attack This photograph taken from inside the Palace of Westminster by PA's Stefan Rousseau shows an armed officer standing on what appears to be a knife. Stefan Rousseau / PA Another image appears to show a second knife. Stefan Rousseau / PA Posted at Mar. 22, 2017, at 17:36 PM France's prime minister says French students were among those injured in attack Bernard Cazeneuve has confirmed that French students were among those injured in the attack. The number of those injured has not been confirmed. "Solidarity with our British friends, terribly stricken, full support to the injured French students, their families, and their comrades," he tweeted. Sara Spary Posted at Mar. 22, 2017, at 17:30 PM Eyewitness describes hearing gunshots and seeing bodies on the ground at Westminster Matt Haikin was cycling across Westminster Bridge when he saw what he thought was a car crash. "I saw a body, a man I think, lying in the road and a crashed car. I presumed it was an accident and carried on cycling into Parliament Square. "I didn't think anything else was going on until I saw lots of people gathered near the iron fences, and I went over. That's when I heard the gunshots." Haikin, 44, from London, who works in international development, said lots of armed police were on the scene immediately, and he and others were pushed back by the cordon. "It took a while for what had happened to sink in," he said. "It wasn't scary while it happened, but now after the event, I'm shaken." Matthew Champion / BuzzFeed News Posted at Mar. 22, 2017, at 17:25 PM Met police say counterterrorism investigation is underway Jack Taylor / Getty Images Commander B.J. Harrington Scotland Yard's Commander B.J. Harrington said the Metropolitan police are remaining open-minded as to the motive at this stage, but that a full counterterrorism investigation is already underway. He urged members of the public to remain vigilant and report anything suspicious to the police. "We received a number of different reports, which included a person in a river, a car in collision with pedestrians, and a man armed with a knife," he said. "Officers were already in that location as part of routine policing. Immediately additional officers were sent to the scene, as were firearms officers." Harrington confirmed that there were a number of casualties, including police officers, but would not confirm how many or the nature of these injuries. "Our response will be ongoing for some time and it is important that we gather all possible information and evidence," he said. "Public safety is our top priority and we are reviewing our policing stance across London, and throughout the course of this afternoon there will be additional police and officers deployed across the capital." The Met police have asked members of the public to avoid the following areas to allow emergency services to deal with the investigation: Parliament Square, Whitehall, Westminster Bridge, Lambeth Bridge, Victoria Street up to the junction with Broadway, and the Victoria Embankment up to Embankment tube. The prime minister will chair a meeting of the government's emergency Cobra committee later today, a spokeswoman in Downing Street said. Government ministers, senior staff, emergency services, and intelligence services will convene to discuss the attacks. Posted at Mar. 22, 2017, at 17:12 PM Woman pulled from River Thames with serious injuries Daniel Leal-olivas / AFP / Getty Images A woman was pulled alive but seriously injured from the River Thames near Westminster Bridge in the wake of the incident. She is now being dealt with by the emergency services. The Port of London Authority confirmed to BuzzFeed News that just one person was pulled from the water and that the river has now been closed between Vauxhall and Embankment. Earlier, an eyewitness speaking to Sky News said they saw someone fall into the water. He said: "I was walking across Westminster Bridge and a bus stopped right in front of me and everybody started screaming. And I saw a trainer [shoe] in the road, and I thought somebody must have been hit by a car, and then I saw a body on the other side of the road, and then there was another body further up, and then when I looked over the side of the bridge there was another body in the river. "I didn't see anything. The first I was aware of it was when people started to scream and people got off the bus looking very shocked. Then there was a lot of confusion and people started dealing with the casualties. I was just trying to wave people back who were coming onto the bridge. "They were lying face down in the water." The BBC later published camera footage of someone falling into the river as a speeding vehicle plows through: The London Ambulance Service Deputy Director of Operations Pauline Cranmer confirmed 10 people were treated by emergency services. "We can confirm we have treated at least 10 patients on Westminster Bridge and have put a number of hospitals on alert as we continue to respond to this incident," he said in a statement. "We were called at 2.40pm today, with the first ambulance crew arriving within six minutes. "We have sent a number of resources to the scene including ambulance crews, London's Air Ambulance and our Hazardous Area Response Team. "We are working closely with other members of the emergency services at the scene, with our priority being to ensure patients receive the medical help they need as quickly as possible. "We have declared a major incident and our priority is to assess patients and ensure that they are treated and taken to hospital as soon as possible. "As we are very busy dealing with this incident, we would ask the public to only call us in a genuine emergency." James Ball Posted at Mar. 22, 2017, at 16:42 PM At least one dead and multiple casualties reported One woman has died, according to an anonymous medical source being quoted by multiple media outlets. There are also unconfirmed reports that several people have "catastrophic injuries". There have been separate and unconfirmed reports of up to three "bodies" on the bridge, including one "face down in the water" that have not been confirmed by police. Eyewitnesses, as well as social media accounts, appear to indicate a number of people were seriously hurt on Westminster Bridge. Earlier, a Reuters photographer, Toby Melville, published pictures of four individuals with injuries on the bridge. Rose Buchanan and Sara Spary Posted at Mar. 22, 2017, at 16:35 PM London mayor confirms incidents are being treated as terrorism Stefan Rousseau / PA Wire The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said that the incident is being treated as a terrorist attack until the police know otherwise. "I have spoken to the Acting Commissioner. The Metropolitan Police Service is dealing with the incident and an urgent investigation is underway. My thoughts are with those affected and their families," he said "I would like to express my thanks to the police and emergency services who work so hard to keep us safe and show tremendous bravery in exceptionally difficult circumstances," he added. Posted at Mar. 22, 2017, at 16:31 PM Photo shows police officer pointing gun at suspect on the ground This afternoon's Scottish parliament debate has been suspended in light of the incident in Westminster, but the Holyrood parliament has been strongly criticised for how long it took to make the decision. Holyrood's MSPs were debating a second referendum on independence for over an hour after initial reports of the incident, and first minister Nicola Sturgeon left the chamber just before 3pm. Inside the chamber, outrage grew that the debate was continuing, with Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser requesting that business was suspended but the deputy presiding officer replying that it would be "business as usual". Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson and Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale urged the presiding officer to suspend business for the day, and half a dozen MSPs left the chamber in protest. However, just before 4pm, presiding officer Ken Macintosh decided to suspend the sitting out of respect for "our sister parliament" and added there will be time to resume the debate in future. Davidson tweeted: "Very pleased that sense has won the day & Holyrood has been suspended until we have a better understanding of what is going on in WM." Sturgeon added: "My thoughts are with everyone in and around Westminster caught up in this dreadful incident  and with the brave emergency services." Jamie Ross Posted at Mar. 22, 2017, at 16:02 PM Some MPs and peers have been evacuated from parliament Many politicians inside parliament have been evacuated by armed police, while some other areas remain in lockdown. MP Anna Soubry tweeted that her colleagues were being "taken out of the library at gun point" by counterterrorist police. In a statement, the Metropolitan police said: "Police are asking people to avoid the following areas: Parliament Square; Whitehall; Westminster Bridge; Lambeth Bridge; Victoria Street up to the junction with Broadway and the Victoria Embankment up to Embankment tube. "This is to allow the emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident. Police were called at approximately 14:40 hours to reports of an incident in Westminster Bridge, SW1. It is being treated as a firearms incident. "Officers  including firearms officers  remain on the scene and we are treating this as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise." A police officer was stabbed at Westminster and the attacker was shot by armed police, the leader of the House of Commons said The leader of the House of Commons, David Lidington, has just spoken in parliament and said a police officer was stabbed. He said: "First of all, colleagues will have appreciated that events have been moving rapidly and I want to emphasise that the knowledge that I have .... is so far very limited. What I am able to say to the house is that there has been a serious incident within the estate. "It seems that a police officer has been stabbed, that the alleged assailant was shot by armed police, an air ambulance is currently attending the scene to remove the casualties. There are also reports of further violent incidents in the vicinity of the palace of Westminster but I hope colleagues on all sides will appreciate that it would be wrong of me here to go into further details until we have confirmation from the police and from the house security authorities about what is going on. "I shall endeavour to do the very best I can, both at the despatch box and by communicating with my opposite numbers in other political parties to ensure that members are kept aware of what is happening, but at the moment, the very clear advice from the police and the director of security in the house is that we should remain under suspension and that the chamber should remain in lockdown until we receive advice that it is safe to go back to normal procedures." Marie Le Conte Posted at Mar. 22, 2017, at 15:10 PM This is the scene outside parliament shortly after the incident Phil Han / BuzzFeed News Parliament Square is being closed and cleared, with an emergency helicopter parked in the middle of the area. Emergency services are attempting to revive one individual lying down on the pavement on Parliament Street, some way away from the entrance to the building. Approximately a dozen armed police ran into the building shortly after 3pm. Jim Waterson Posted at Mar. 22, 2017, at 15:03 PM Picture agency images published shortly after the incident showed a heavy armed police presence outside the Palace of Westminster.
Paramedics load a victim into the back of an ambulance. Photograph: Niklas Halle'n/AFP/Getty Images It was a typically busy day in the emergency department at Kings College hospital when Dr Emer Sutherland started receiving text messages from relatives and friends. They were the first indication of the scale of the horror unfolding just two miles down the road in Westminster. Within minutes, she and her colleagues were on major alert and preparing to receive the first of many critically injured casualties. We are a major trauma centre so we are used to dealing every day with majorly injured patients, such as people who have been hit by a car or stabbed, said Sutherland, who is the consultant clinical lead for the hospitals A&E department. But even for her, a highly experienced A&E doctor, it had an impact. Its always emotional when you are working on a day like that. Trauma cases are always emotional because you have to quickly treat someone whos critically injured and who might die. Just after 3pm, Kings received the first of eight casualties from the attack, two of whom were critically ill. At one point we were treating six of the eight casualties in the emergency department at the same time, Sutherland said. It was very busy, but doctors and nurses were focused and calm. Extra colleagues came to help from operating theatres across the hospital, extra pharmacists came with additional supplies, extra radiologists came to do and interpret scans and extra porters came to move patients. That helped reassure the A&E staff. Everyone played their part. Wednesday will be remembered, among other reasons, for theresponse of NHS staff across the capital. Junior doctor Colleen Anderson, 25, was among staff from St Thomas hospital who treated injured victims in the immediate aftermath of the attack. She said she saw victims strewn across the bridge. There were some with minor injuries, some catastrophic. Some had injuries they could walk away from, others had life-changing injuries. I was there doing anything that I could, just like everyone else, she said. Anderson wrote in a Facebook post 24 hours after the attack: Days like these bring people together. No act is too small. Ive said it before and I will say it again, I couldnt be more proud to be a part of the NHS. For Dr Fenella Wrigley, the medical director of the London ambulance service, Westminster Bridge was the second major terrorist attack she has been involved in. In all, 68 paramedics and ambulance crew members from the service were deployed to help. Wednesday was an incident that the UK and London in particular has trained and planned for, something you hope would never happen, she said. Im immensely proud of my colleagues and all the emergency services. But it was also a very sad day because people lost their lives and a member of the emergency services lost their lives. And Im pleased that we were also able to help people who were scared but not injured  bystanders who were very scared because of what they had witnessed or because someone they knew had been involved. For her, like Sutherland at Kings, it was an emotional day. It brought back many memories for those of us who were deployed on 7/7 in 2005. I was one of those who attended on 7/7. I was working at the time as a doctor with Londons air ambulance service. Im now in a command position. But on Wednesday I could relate to what the paramedics, frontline crews and police officers were witnessing, having done that myself on 7/7. Dr Jeeves Wijesuriya, chair of the junior doctors committee at the British Medical Association, had been giving an interview to the BBC when the attack began. He was among those who ran to help the stabbed police officer Keith Palmer and the attacker. I saw the screaming and ran to help, he told the BBC. The police got me in to help at the scene. We gave the officer cardiac massage and spent 52 minutes trying to resuscitate the other man. A visual guide to the Westminster attack Read more We did everything we could, in terms of basic life support and starting to triage injured people at the scene. Dr Tony Joy was onboard Londons air ambulance, which landed in Parliament Square within six minutes of being alerted to the attack. The team treated 10 people injured on Westminster Bridge. We were immediately on scene and started to asses the casualties, and looked for information about how many other patients there might be, he told the BBC. Within 24 hours of the attack, the air ambulance  a charity  had received 10,000 in donations from members of the public. In a statement, it said it was blown away by the level of generosity shown.
Last year  when Brits watched terrorists strike France, Germany, and Belgium  London's police chief warned it was a case of "when, not if" the U.K. joined that list. And yet more than 90 percent of the capital's police officers carry out their daily duties without a gun. Most rely on other tools to keep their city safe: canisters of mace, handcuffs, batons and occasionally stun-guns. The Metropolitan Police, which covers most of London, was founded in 1829 on the principle of "policing by consent" rather than by force. Giving everyday police officers guns sends the wrong message to communities, so this thinking goes, and can actually cause more problems than it solves. Although there are higher numbers of armed police guarding Parliament, the attacker who rushed its gates in March was shot dead by a relatively rare member of the country's security forces  one who had been trained to use a firearm. "None of us want to live in a police state" Some of these gun-wielding officers patrol the city in pairs, others are members of crack response teams  units dressed in body-armor, helmets and carrying long rifles  who are called to the scene of violent incidents like these. In most instances, they don't use their weapons. In the year up to March 2016, police in England and Wales only fired seven bullets. (Although these government figures do not include accidental shots, shooting out tires, or killing dangerous or injured animals.) Of course it's easier for police to remain unarmed if civilians do the same. Out of every 100 people in Britain, fewer than four of them owns a firearm, according to GunPolicy.org, a project run by Australia's University of Sydney. In the U.S. there is more than one gun per person. Members of the emergency services work outside Parsons Green Tube station after a fire on a train Friday.Daniel Leal-Olivas / AFP - Getty Images While British officials have long since accepted that an attack is "highly likely," they believe that intelligence-gathering and stronger links with the community  rather than gun-toting cops  will do more to keep the city safer. "In a free and democratic society, there is going to be a balance between democracy, freedom and openness, and a police state  and none of us want to live in a police state," said Brian Dillon, former head of the Met's firearms command who now runs the counterterrorism consultancy Rubicon Resilience. "Therefore at some point some attacks are regrettably going to hit home, that's inevitable," he added. "Not everything can be stopped." While shootings involving police are relatively common in the U.S., authorities in Britain say they review each one with painstaking diligence. Every time a British police officer shoots and injures or kills someone, it is automatically referred to an separate watchdog called the Independent Police Complaints Commission, or IPCC. This process is not without its critics. Some police have complained that officers are reluctant to sign up for firearms training because they fear being dragged through years of lengthy investigations in the unlikely event they have to use their weapon. "Officers have seen what happens to their colleagues who have had to use lethal force to protect the public," outgoing Metropolitan Police Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe told reporters earlier this year. "Increasingly, they seem to be portrayed as suspects, based, I can only assume, on an underlying belief that they must have acted in a criminal fashion if someone has died." Families of people shot by police have also alleged the IPCC treated them insensitively, and in 2014 the watchdog released an internal review, "apologizing for our mistakes, and doing our best to put them right." British police are attempting to recruit more firearms officers but the overwhelming majority will remain unarmed. Officials believe they have the balance about right. "An attacker attempted to break into Parliament and was shot dead within 20 yards of the gate," Prime Minister Theresa May told lawmakers after the March attack. "If his intention was to gain access to this building we should be clear that he did not succeed. The police heroically did their job." Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.
The SNP's Westminster leader also stressed that those in the Commons are "hugely grateful" for the work of police, security and intelligence staff, including those who ran towards danger - such as Mr Ellwood. Speaking in response to Prime Minister Theresa May's statement on the attack, Mr Robertson said: "Today of all days we are reminded, notwithstanding our differences on political and constitutional issues, we are as one in our dedication to democracy, rule of law and harmony between people of all faiths and none." Iain Duncan Smith, the former leader of the Conservative Party, said: "We have faced such threats before by those of twisted and violent ideologies, as the broken stones of the arch that we enter through on a daily basis bear testament to, time and again. 'Our values with prevail' But today we meet as normal  as generations have done before us, and as future generations will continue to do  to deliver a simple message: we are not afraid. And our resolve will never waiver in the face of terrorism. And we meet here, in the oldest of all Parliaments, because we know that democracy, and the values it entails, will always prevail. Those values  free speech, liberty, human rights and the rule of law  are embodied here in this place, but they are shared by free people around the world. A terrorist came to the place where people of all nationalities and cultures gather to celebrate what it means to be free. And he took out his rage indiscriminately against innocent men, women and children. Mr Speaker, this was an attack on free people everywhere  and on behalf of the British people, I would like to thank our friends and allies around the world who have made it clear that they stand with us at this time. What happened on the streets of Westminster yesterday afternoon sickened us all. While there is an ongoing police investigation, the House will understand that there are limits to what I can say. But having been updated by police and security officials let me set out what at this stage I can tell the House. At approximately 2:40pm yesterday, a single attacker drove his vehicle at speed into innocent pedestrians who were crossing Westminster Bridge, killing 2 people and injuring around 40 more. And we are in close contact with the governments of the countries of all those affected. The injured also included 3 police officers who were returning from an event to recognise their bravery. Two of those 3 remain in a serious condition. Mr Speaker, the attacker then left the vehicle and approached a police officer at Carriage Gates, attacking that officer with a large knife, before he was shot dead by an armed police officer. Tragically, as the House will know, 48-year-old PC Keith Palmer, was killed. PC Palmer had devoted his life to the service of his country. He had been a member of the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command for 15 years, and a soldier in the Royal Artillery before that. He was a husband and a father, killed doing a job he loved. He was every inch a hero. And his actions will never be forgotten. I know the whole House will join me in sending our deepest condolences to his family  and to the families and friends of all those who have been killed or injured in yesterdays awful attacks. I know also that the House will wish to thank all those who acted with such speed and professionalism yesterday to secure this place and ensure we are able to meet as we are doing today. Mr Speaker, at 7:30 last night, I chaired a meeting of the governments emergency committee COBR and will have further briefings and meetings with security officials today. The threat level to the UK has been set at severe  meaning an attack is highly likely  for some time. This is the second highest threat level. The highest level critical means there is specific intelligence that an attack is imminent. As there is no such intelligence, the independent Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre has decided that the threat level will not change in the light of yesterdays attack. Mr Speaker, the whole country will want to know who was responsible for this atrocity and the measures that we are taking to strengthen our security, including here in Westminster. A full counter-terrorism investigation is already underway. Hundreds of our police and security officers have been working through the night to establish everything possible about this attack  including its preparation, motivation and whether there were any associates involved in its planning. And while there remain limits on what I can say at this stage, I can confirm that overnight the police have searched 6 addresses and made 8 arrests in Birmingham and London. Mr Speaker, it is still believed that this attacker acted alone, and the police have no reason to believe there are imminent further attacks on the public. His identity is known to the police and MI5, and when operational considerations allow, he will be publicly identified. What I can confirm is that the man was British born and that some years ago, he was once investigated in relation to concerns about violent extremism. He was a peripheral figure. The case is historic  he was not part of the current intelligence picture. There was no prior intelligence of his intent  or of the plot. Intensive investigations continue. And as Acting Deputy Commissioner Rowley confirmed last night, our working assumption is that the attacker was inspired by Islamist ideology. Mr Speaker, we know the threat from Islamist terrorism is very real. But while the public should remain utterly vigilant they should not  and will not  be cowed by this threat. As Acting Deputy Commissioner Rowley has made clear, we are stepping up policing to protect communities across the country and to reassure the public. And as a precautionary measure, this will mean increasing the number of patrols in cities across the country with more police and more armed police on the streets. Following the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review, we protected the police budgets for counter-terrorism and committed to increase cross-government spending on counter-terrorism by 30% in real terms over the course of this Parliament. And over the next 5 years we will invest an extra 2.5 billion in building our global security and intelligence network, employing over 1,900 additional staff at MI5, MI6 and GCHQ and more than doubling our global network of counter-terrorism experts working with priority countries across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Mr Speaker, in terms of security here in Westminster, we should be clear first of all that an attacker attempted to break into Parliament and was shot dead within 20 yards of the gates. If his intention was to gain access to this building, we should be clear that he did not succeed. The police heroically did their job. But as is routine, the police together with the House authorities are reviewing the security of the Parliamentary estate, co-ordinated with the Cabinet Office, who have responsibility for the security measures in place around the government secure zone. All of us in this House have a responsibility for the security and safety of our staff and advice is available for Members who need it. Mr Speaker, yesterday we saw the worst of humanity, but we will remember the best. We will remember the extraordinary efforts to save the life of PC Keith Palmer, including those by my Rt Hon Friend the Member for Bournemouth East. And we will remember the exceptional bravery of our police, security and emergency services who once again ran towards the danger even as they encouraged others to move the other way. On behalf of the whole country I want to pay tribute to them for the work they have been doing to reassure the public, treat the injured and bring security back to the streets of our capital city. That they have lost one of their own in yesterdays attack only makes their calmness and professionalism all the more remarkable. Mr Speaker, a lot has been said since terror struck London yesterday. Much more will be said in the coming days. But the greatest response lies not in the words of politicians, but in the everyday actions of ordinary people. For beyond these walls today  in scenes repeated in towns and cities across the country  millions of people are going about their days and getting on with their lives. The streets are as busy as ever. The offices full. The coffee shops and cafes bustling. As I speak millions will be boarding trains and aeroplanes to travel to London, and to see for themselves the greatest city on Earth. It is in these actions  millions of acts of normality  that we find the best response to terrorism. A response that denies our enemies their victory. That refuses to let them win. That shows we will never give in. A response driven by that same spirit that drove a husband and father to put himself between us and our attacker, and to pay the ultimate price. A response that says to the men and women who propagate this hate and evil: you will not defeat us. Mr Speaker, let this be the message from this House and this nation today: our values will prevail.
A man detained on suspicion of carrying out a terrorist attack outside Britain's parliament is Salih Khater, a British citizen of Sudanese origin, a European security source told Reuters on Wednesday. Police believe a car was deliberately driven into pedestrians and cyclists, injuring three people, before ramming a security barrier outside parliament on Tuesday morning. The 29-year-old driver was arrested by armed officers at the scene moments later. He is currently being questioned on suspicion of preparing acts of terrorism and on Wednesday was further arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, although police have said he is not co-operating with detectives. The security source told Reuters that Khater was from Birmingham, central England, and was not known to security services before Tuesday. Facebook A spokesman for nearby Coventry University told the Daily Telegraph newspaper Khater had studied accountancy from September 2017 until May 2018 but failed his first year course and lost his place. Speaking shortly after the incident, Britain's counter-terrorism police chief said that given the iconic location and the method used, it appeared the incident was "a deliberate act" and was therefore being treated as a terrorist incident. What happened The incident took place shortly after 7.30 am local time on Tuesday on the main road between the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. A silver Ford Fiesta sped down the street, striking a group of cyclists before smashing into a concrete barrier designed to stop car bombs. He made no attempt to slow down as he hit the cyclists, said Robert Nicholson, 36, who was on his way to work. There was a bike flying into the air. Video captured by Euronews correspondent Vincent McAviney showed the light-coloured vehicle, its bonnet crumpled in the road. A man was dragged from the car by police and arrested. Police moved bystanders away from the scene and closed roads in the area. Ewelina Ochab witnessed the incident and told Euronews: I was walking on the other side of the pavement from where the incident occurred. I heard some noise, and someone screamed. I turned around and I saw a silver car driving from the crossing  very fast and close to the railings, maybe even on the pavement. Bicycles lie on the ground at the scene after a car crashed outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, LondonReuters "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. "The driver did not get out. The guards started screaming at people to move away. One elderly man rushed me to hide behind a monument, just in case. The police arrived very quickly." Reactions Politicians and Londoners paid tribute to the work of the emergency services. British Prime Minister Theresa May, who is on holiday during parliament's summer recess, said her thoughts were with the injured people. "The threat to the United Kingdom from terrorism remains severe. I would urge the public to remain vigilant," she said. "All Londoners, like me, utterly condemn all acts of terrorism on our city," London's Mayor Sadiq Khan said 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/A3tADzEv3jpic.twitter.com/ULIHRncdMO Britain is on its second-highest threat level of "severe", meaning an attack is considered highly likely and the authorities say a dozen Islamist plots had been foiled since the attack in Westminster in March 2017. WESTMINSTER INCIDENT: A stark reminder of the threats we continue to face, the need to remain vigilant and the professionalism of @metpoliceuk in once again swiftly and courageously responding to what looks like a crude and deliberate attack on Parliament.#westminsterpic.twitter.com/kxNO6Ra3cu
Detectives have made "immense" progress in the investigation into the Manchester bombing and are confident they have arrested some "key players", Britain's top counter-terror officer has said. Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said police have made "significant" arrests and "finds" and have got hold of a "large part of the network" being sought over the atrocity. Mr Rowley said: "They are very significant, these arrests. "We are very happy we've got our hands around some of the key players that we are concerned about but there's still a little bit more to do." Fresh raids were carried earlier today as security services brace for more attacks during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan beginning tomorrow. Islamic State has called on its followers to rise up in an all-out war on "infidels in the West. Saturday marks the start of a 30-day period of fasting and reflection in the Islamic world, which has in recent years seen a large increase in terror attacks. As detectives revealed the youngest man in custody over the Manchester attack is 18, early-hours searches were on Friday launched at a Manchester barbershop and a takeaway on Merseyside. Possible detonator of Manchester bomb in a picture released as part of US leaks It comes amid fears the attacker might have built a second device that is now in the hands of fellow jihadists. Security sources now believe he assembled the bomb himself after learning his trade in Libya. But the amount of material in his home has led to fears that he could have built more than one device and and distributed them to other British-based extremists. A security source told the Telegraph: "The worry is there was enough to build two or three bombs and we can't rule that out." Police today revealed that the eight men in custody "on suspicion of offences contrary to the Terrorism Act" in connection with Monday's atrocity, which killed 22 people - including seven children - are aged between 18 and 38. Meanwhile, with the General Election campaign resuming, Jeremy Corbyns suggestion that Britains involvement in military action abroad is linked to the Manchester attack has been condemned as twisted reasoning by the Security Minister. The 22 Manchester attack victims - including seven children British police have resumed "working closely" with US authorities on the probe after a tense showdown between the allies over leaked intelligence. After Theresa May warned the transatlantic row risked hampering the "special relationship" between the UK and America, US Secretary of State is making his first official trip to Britain today. With Britain on critical alert, stay with us for the latest updates today amid the huge operation to dismantle a suspected "network" linked to Abedi. Rise in local hate crime since attack A spike in hate crime has hit Manchester in the wake of Monday's suicide bombing, Greater Manchester Police say. A total of 56 hate crimes were recorded by the force on Wednesday, a significant rise on the 28 reported on Monday. Chief constable Ian Hopkins said: "Whilst we can't directly link this to the events of Monday night, we are continuing to monitor the situation and support our communities." "Manchester has come together this week, the public has seen that, they have seen that compassion. "But it is important that we continue to stand together here, in Greater Manchester. "Particularly standing together against some of the hateful views that we have seen from a very small minority of the community that have no place here in Greater Manchester." He added: "I have sent a personal message out to all the faith leaders and places of worship today and have thanked them for the support they have shown and stressed that hate crime will not be tolerated." 'A lot of the risk contained, but still some uncertainty' "Having made enormous progress and made some significant arrests and had some significant finds, there still remain important lines of inquiry for us to pursue. "We've got to try to understand everything we can about the dead terrorist, his associates. "We need to understand the whole network and how they acquired and built the bomb that exploded on Monday night. "It's going to take a little more time to close down those gaps in our understanding. "We are working as fast as we can do because everyone wants answers to this." "We've got a lot of the risk contained but we still have some uncertainty. "As we chase down those lines of inquiry we will keep this strong policing presence. "We need to grow our confidence that we have got every component of the network and we have got as full an understanding as possible about how the device was constructed and whether there's any remaining risk. "Clearly we haven't covered all the territory we want to but we have covered a large part of it. "Our confidence has been increasing over recent days but there's still more to do to get to the degree of confidence we want." Tourists gather for the Changing the Guard ceremonyCredit: John Stillwell/PA Cameras aloft, tourists crowd around The MallCredit: John Stillwell/PA The spokeswoman said a rehearsal for Trooping the Colour - also known as the Queen's Birthday Parade - which was due to be held today had been moved to next Wednesday. She said: "This decision has been taken by General Officer Commanding London District as preparations were ahead of schedule. "We take these rehearsals for Queen's Birthday Parade very seriously to ensure we are able to equal and even exceed the standards of excellence expected for this important and high-profile annual event." In January, it was confirmed Changing the Guard was switching to fixed days in the autumn and winter after security was stepped up in the wake of the Berlin terror attack. Extra police at Scottish Cup Final in Glasgow Enhanced policing and security will also be in place for Saturday's Scottish Cup Final at Hampden Park in Glasgow. Police Scotland are asking ticket holders for the match between Celtic and Aberdeen to arrive early to allow for checks, and to not take bags into the stadium. Superintendent Mark Hargreaves, match commander for the event, said: "Whilst I understand that some people may be inconvenienced by the increased security, public safety is our priority and I am sure everyone in Scotland will co-operate with us and support this. "There is no specific threat against Scotland, or the Scottish Cup Final; however, people should remain calm but vigilant and report anything suspicious to police." Great City Games and Great Manchester run to go ahead despite terror threat Manchester is hosting the Great City Games and Great Manchester run this weekend, putting pressure on the local police force. Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said: "There are no military personnel patrolling Manchester but we are therefore able to receive additional armed policing support because of this plan. "We are using this to help in our efforts enable the Manchester Games and Manchester 10k to go ahead. "We are working with event organisers and Manchester City Council to review and enhance our safety and security." The athletics event will go ahead as planned on Friday afternoon and evening. Events start from 4.45pm and run until 7.20pm. Tillerson: The special relationship will withstand Manchester leaks Speaking on his first official visit to the UK, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the US took "full responsibility" for and "regrets" the leaking of information from the Manchester bombing. A row erupted between the US and British authorities after a host of sensitive information, including photographs from the scene of the attack, was leaked to American news outlets in the wake of Monday's attack. Mr Tillerson said: "This special relationship that exists between our two countries will certainly withstand this particular unfortunate event." Isil calls for more attacks on West at start of Ramadan European security services are bracing for more attacks during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan beginning tomorrow, after Islamic State called on its followers to rise up in an all-out war on "infidels in the West, reports Middle East Correspondent Josie Ensor in Beirut. Muslim brothers in Europe who cant reach the Islamic State lands, attack them in their homes, their markets, their roads and their forums, the jihadist group said in a message entitled Where are the lions of war? and published on YouTube. Defending themselves after the suicide attack on Manchester Arena, which left 22 mostly children and teenagers dead, the group said: Do not despise the work. Your targeting of the so-called innocents and civilians is beloved by us and the most effective, so go forth and may you get a great reward or martyrdom in Ramadan. Last year, Abu Mohammed al-Adnani, the late Isil spokesman, issued a call to arms to followers to carry out lone wolf attacks during the holy month. It was the bloodiest Ramadan month on record. Isil took credit for a lone jihadist gunman, an Afghan American who perpetrated Americas deadliest mass shooting in history and worst terrorism on US soil since 9/11 during early morning hours of June 12 at an Orlando gay nightclub, killing 49 and wounding 53. An Islamist jihadist then stabbed a police officer and his wife in a Paris suburb in front of their son. The killer explicitly claimed in a live broadcast of the murder that he was responding to Adnanis call. Later that month, three Isil suicide bombers opened fire then blew themselves up at Istanbuls main airport, killing 45 and wounding more than 250. The final global body count after the month-long rampage was 421 dead and 729 wounded. Hitting multiple targets in many different countries is designed to send the message that no person on earth is safe or can be protected from terrorism. Speaking after chairing a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee, Home Secretary Amber Rudd disclosed that the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre has assessed that the terror threat level should remain at critical while the "live" police operation continues. The rating was raised to critical, the highest level, for the first time in a decade in the wake of the Manchester outrage. It indicates that an attack may be imminent. Jeremy Corbyn: It's not unpatriotic to question British foreign wars after Manchester attack Jeremy Corbyn has denied he is being unpatriotic by claiming that the deployment of British troops overseas is linked to the suicide bombing of a pop concert in Manchester, reports Christopher Hope and Laura Hughes. "We are working closely with both the Football Association (FA) and Wembley to ensure this weekends iconic football matches pass off without incident. "Together we have a long history of delivering safe and secure major sporting events. The focus is the safety and security of fans. "Anyone coming to the FA Cup Final or the other play off matches over the weekend will see an increase in police numbers in and around the stadium. This will include extra armed officers on foot patrol around the environs of the Stadium, and the deployment of police armoured vehicles to support road closures. At Twickenham rugby fans will see more armed officers on foot around the stadium. If you have a ticket for any of the matches please help us out. Arrive earlier as there will be additional security and entry searches which may take a bit longer than fans are used to. Our operations will include a range of highly visible but also covert and discrete tactics and this will run far beyond the final whistle and away from specific stadia. This will also apply right throughout the transport network." Barbershop raided by police 'has not opened since Arena bombing' The owner of a shop next door to a barbershop raided by armed police overnight in Moss Side said the premises involved has not opened since Monday's suicide bombing at the Manchester Arena. It is understood that an armed response unit arrived at the Fade Away shop in Princess Road in the early hours of Friday and that the shutter to the barbershop was cut open at about 5.15am to gain access to the front door. A cordon was then placed around the building at 6am and stretched to an adjoining chemist, cafe and upstairs flats. The cordon was lifted at 10.40am. A marked police van is parked outside the store next to a bus stop with a number of uniformed officers guarding the cordon. A detective removes items from a barbers shop in Moss SideCredit: Christopher Furlong/Getty West Indian-born Byron Gibbs, 79, who has run Gibbs Hardware for the past 33 years, said that the shop next door had opened about 12 months ago. He said a number of men appeared to work there but had never come into his shop to buy anything. He said: "I never go there to talk to them, I don't have my hair cut there. Everyone round here has noticed that the shop has not opened since Monday and they usually open every day, including Sundays." Mr Gibbs said he had recognised the face of suicide bomber Abedi from the television. Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi He said: "I have seen him a few times just walking past in the street. I don't know if he used this barbershop or he is involved with anyone there. "We're all shocked around here about what happened on Monday and how close we are to all this. You don't know who these people are." Earlier, Greater Manchester Police said they were searching a property in Moss Side in connection with Monday's attack and had also arrested a man in the area. A spokesman said: "The search is being carried out at a separate property to the address where a man was arrested earlier this morning." The money raised from the Manchester show, at the O2 Ritz on May 30, will be donated to the Manchester Evening News' British Red Cross appeal, which was set up to help relatives of those affected by the tragedy. Speaking to the paper about his decision, he said: "I just knew I had to. I'm not in it for the money. The gig was going to happen anyway and we all have to do what we can. I want to try and help pick people up. People like me, doing what we do, it's our duty to give people a good time." Jeremy Corbyns suggestion that Britains involvement in military action abroad is linked to terror attacks like the Manchester suicide bomb has been condemned as twisted reasoning by the Governments Security Minister. Mr Corbyn will deliver a speech in London this morning in which he will point to "the connections between wars the Government has supported or fought in other countries and terrorism here at home". But Ben Wallace said the timing of Mr Corbyns speech is appalling and crass as he rejected the idea that there is a link between UK foreign policy and terror. Ben Wallace, the Security MinisterCredit: JULIAN SIMMONDS for The Telegraph Speaking to BBC Radio 4s Today programme: Im sitting here in Manchester, a place where 21 years ago the IRA detonated a bomb that injured 212 people. That was the last terrorist act in Manchester. They are all terrorists. We have to be unequivocal that no amount of excuses, no amount of twisted reasoning about a foreign policy here or a foreign policy there can be an excuse. The reality is these people hate our values. You only have to look at their propaganda to realise. End of control orders to monitor terror suspects a 'grave mistake' A former independent terror watchdog has said it was a "grave mistake" to abolish control orders to monitor terrorism suspects. Lord Carlile said the sweeping powers "may have saved dozens of lives" between 2005 and 2011. The independent peer and top QC also urged Theresa May to use their replacements "to their full effect now", with just a handful of people currently subject to terrorism prevention and investigation measures (TPIMs). Control orders restricted the freedom of terrorism suspects and could be used to force people to move or restrict their use of phones and computers. But they were abolished by the coalition government in 2012 amid concerns over their impact on civil liberties. Lord Carlile told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "In my view control orders worked very well in the period between 2005 and 2011. Although they were criticised for breaching civil liberties, in fact they were upheld by the courts, every control order was subject to automatic review by senior judges. "Fifty-three people were placed on control orders, 23 of them with relocation requirements and restrictions on their use of the internet and so on. "I believe that may have saved dozens of lives and my view is that it was a grave mistake by the coalition government to remove control orders and to produce something more dilute. I do wish at least that TPIMs would be used to their full effect now." TPIMs place restrictions on those suspected of being involved in terrorism, but where there is not enough evidence to charge or deport them. Just seven people are subject to TPIMs at the moment, Lord Carlile said, adding that they were "better than nothing". Lord Carlile was previously a Liberal Democrat peer but quit the party given its stance on security issues. Pictures: Police raid barbershop after smashing open shutters A police cordon is in place around the Fade Away barbershop in Princess Road, Moss Side, after a police raid early today. The shutters were down on the shop but part of it appeared to have been smashed open to gain access to the front door. A cordon was then placed around the building at 6am, which stretches to an adjoining chemist, cafe and upstairs flats. A marked police van is parked outside the store next to a bus stop with a number of officers guarding the cordon. A police officer outside a barber's shop in Moss Side that was raided by officers in ManchesterCredit: DARREN STAPLES/Reuters A police officer is reflected in the window of a barber's shop in Moss Side as plain clothes officers search insideCredit: DARREN STAPLES/Reuters Meanwhile, Merseyside Police said a search of a property - believed to be leased to a pizza takeaway - in St Helens is complete. A spokesman said: "This phase of the operation is still in its infancy. There is currently no specific threat to Merseyside." Superintendent Louise Harrison said: "I understand that this kind of activity can cause concern for people living in nearby communities and would like to thank them for their understanding and patience. As a result of todays operation, Merseyside Police is working very closely with community groups, community leaders, partner agencies and individuals to make sure concerns are addressed and that we provide the best possible service to local people. Over the coming days and weeks we will be continuing to work with our local communities to address any concerns they may have. We always need the publics help to defeat terrorism by being extra vigilant and letting us know of any suspicious behaviour or activity. Terrorists want to create discord in our communities, but Merseyside has a long history of our communities living and working together. This is a time for us all to work closely together and unite against those who seek, through violence and extremism, to divide us. Public safety is the paramount concern for the police and will continue to be our top priority and we have a duty to act and protect the public. We cannot be complacent and cannot take chances in situations such as this and police and the security services must act on information received. Sources believe Abedi may have used the 75 a night apartment to put all the components of the device together, before heading off late on Monday evening to make his way to the Manchester Arena where he killed 22 people. The use of two addresses to assemble the device was a tactic used by the 7/7 bombers who also spent months learning how to build a bomb at a training camp in Pakistan. Former Metropolitan Police officer, David Videcette, who helped investigate the tube bombings said it was likely Abedi had spent many months abroad practising how to assemble a device before returning to the UK. He said: "This is not something you can just put together by reading a book or watching a YouTube video. He will have spent time at a camp somewhere, possibly in Libya, being shown how to do it. "But once you have the skills and the materials, assembling the device itself can be done fairly quickly." Where the new searches are taking place St Helens Greater Manchester Police said officers have been carrying out searches at an address in the St Helens area of Merseyside this morning. A spokesman said: "These searches are connected to Mondays attack on the Manchester Arena, but this is a fast moving investigation and we are keeping an open mind at this stage." Moss Side Officers are also searching an address at a property in Moss Side in connection with the attack on the Manchester Arena on Monday. The search is being carried out at a separate property to the address where a man was arrested earlier this morning. A police spokesman said: "As it stands ten people in total have been arrested in connection with the investigation, of which a man and a woman have since been released without charge. Eight men remain in custody for questioning." The Labour leader is expected to make a veiled attack on the Conservatives for underfunding the police service at a time of heightened threat, while linking Britain's overseas military campaigns with terrorism at home. Mark Rowley, the UK's most senior counter-terrorism officer, confirmed British chiefs had "received fresh assurances" from their overseas counterparts that they could be trusted with confidential material. Home Secretary Amber Rudd said she expected the "critical" assessment of the terror threat - suggesting a fresh attack may be imminent - to remain in place in the coming days. Ms Rudd told BBC1's Question Time: "During this period of 'critical', which we hope will only last for a few days - it could be longer, it will depend on the operation - we've pulled out additional support from the Army so we can go about our normal life." The developments followed a fraught day in which Greater Manchester Police severed intelligence-sharing ties with the US due to evidence being repeatedly passed to journalists without permission. "While we do not usually comment on information-sharing arrangements with international law enforcement organisations, we want to emphasise that, having received fresh assurances, we are now working closely with our key partners around the world including all those in the Five Eyes intelligence alliance," Mr Rowley said. Abedi, who was known to security services for his radical views, was said to have been in close contact with family members moments before slaughtering concert-goers on Monday. Music fans were targeted at an Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena in the worst terrorist attack on British soil since the July 7 bombing in London in 2005. As Abedi's route to mass murder continued to be probed: Downing Street announced the Government's emergency Cobra committee will meet in Whitehall on Friday morning to discuss the latest developments, chaired by the Home Secretary. Officers also carried out searches at properties in Manchester, Wigan and Nuneaton. A bomb disposal unit returned to the Wigan address on Thursday night so experts could examine "potentially suspicious items". British investigative efforts remained focused on smashing the potential terror ring which may have assisted Abedi, despite the belief of Libyan authorities that he acted alone. Twenty-three people remained in critical care across eight hospitals. They included five children at the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital. British Transport Police announced that specialist firearms officers are to patrol on trains nationwide for the first time. NHS England warned health organisations to "ensure care is in place should it be needed" as Britain remained on high alert in the run-up to the bank holiday weekend. A man and a woman arrested as part of the probe were released without charge. At the Nato summit in Brussels, Theresa May confronted Donald Trump with her concerns about security lapses which allowed crucial evidence to be handed to US journalists by his officials. He vowed to investigate, calling the leaks "deeply troubling" and warning the sources of the security lapse could be prosecuted. In the years leading up to Monday's attack, it was said Abedi was known to security services, but his risk to the public remained "subject to review" and MI5 considered him a "former subject of interest", a Whitehall source said. Police hunting the "network" behind his attack said they had made "significant" arrests and seized "very important" items in raids. Emergency services on the night and aftermath of the Manchester attack were criticised by the widower of one victim, who accused them of leaving families in the dark. Steve Howe, whose wife Alison, 45, died as she was waiting to collect their daughter from the concert, told Channel 4 News: "I gave them all the details, all the information from security in the arena, no-one has rang us... I was so frustrated."
Read more My condolences, thoughts and prayers go to the families of the victims. His remarks came after a crowdfunding campaign by a group called Muslims United for London raised more than 3,000 for victims and their loved ones within an hour of its launch. The fund had surpassed 9,000 at the time of publication and was continuing to rise rapidly. Muddassar Ahmed said he started the fund after witnessing the attack, having entered Portcullis House just 10 minutes before terror struck and being barricaded inside for four hours. Sadiq Khan on the Westminster attack: "Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism" I was shocked to see the injuries and loss of life outside my window, he wrote. I reflected on what it means to be a born-and-bred Londoner and found myself proud of how security and medical services responded, how ordinary passers-by offered first aid, and what our Parliament means to me, an institution that is the oldest of its kind in the world and how, regardless of our critiques of government policies or political parties, remains an institution that reflects how the will of the people can be expressed with civility and dignity. The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) commended the Metropolitan Police, emergency services, Prime Minister and Mayor of London for their response to Wednesdays atrocity, which has been claimed by Isis. Two members of the public  British mother Aysha Frade and American tourist Kurt Cochran  were killed as the attacker ploughed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before crashing it into railings guarding the Houses of Parliament. He ran to one of the entrances and fatally stabbed PC Keith Palmer before being shot dead by an armed officer. Mr Khan, who will be joining a memorial for the victims to be half in Trafalgar Square, hailed Mr Palmers bravery and thanked the police and emergency services. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP I hope my Muslim brothers and sisters will reach out to fellow Londoners and Britons in solidarity to demonstrate that such hatred will not defeat our way of life, he added. The MCB is the UKs largest Muslim umbrella organisation and represents more than 500 national and local groups, mosques, charities and schools. Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, urged Muslims to be vigilant against the dangers of Islamist ideology and hate preachers. He urged people to ensure young people know true Islam from online propaganda to help them combat the risk of grooming and radicalistation. Terrorists want to attack London is because they hate the fact that we dont just tolerate each other  whether youre a Christian, Muslim, Jew, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, member of an organised faith or not, we respect, embrace and celebrate each other and thats going to carry on, Mr Khan told the BBC.
Sean Spicer, Mr Trump's spokesman, added that "the city of London and Her Majestys Government have the full support of the US government". The full White House statement read: President Donald J. Trump spoke today with Prime Minister Theresa May of the United Kingdom to offer his condolences on todays terror attack in London and his praise for the effective response of security forces and first responders. He pledged the full cooperation and support of the United States Government in responding to the attack and bringing those responsible to justice. Rex Tillerson, the US Secretary of State, said: On behalf of the United States, I send my condolences to the victims and their families, The American people send their thoughts and prayers to the people of the United Kingdom. We condemn these horrific acts of violence, and whether they were carried out by troubled individuals or by terrorists, the victims know no difference, he said. France sends 'message of friendship' to UK Franois Hollande, the French president, also called the Prime Minister and "conveyed the solidarity of France in this tragic ordeal," the Elyse Palace said in a statement. France has been struck by several acts of terrorism over the past two years, including in Nice last July when a gunman drove a heavy truck into a crowd celebrating Bastille Day in Nice, killing 86 people and injuring scores more in an attack claimed by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Three French schoolchildren were injured in yesterday's attack on London. France's new interior minister sent a "message of friendship" and "full solidarity to the British" people in the wake of the London attack. "A high place of democracy has come under attack," said Matthias Fekl. "We offer our wholehearted solidarity to Great Britain. France is naturally ready to offer any support if that is needed," he said. Three pupils from the Saint-Joseph high school in Concarneau in Brittany were among the injured in the London attack, a spokesman for the French foreign ministry confirmed. Bernard Cazeneuve, the French prime minister, confirmed that lycee pupils had been injured on Twitter. "Solidarity with our British friends who have been yerribly hit, full support to the injured French pupils, their families and their classmates," he wrote. On Thursday, French far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen said the attack highlighted the importance of protecting national borders and stepping up security measures. National Front leader Le Pen told BFM TV and RMC radio that countries had to co-operate with each other on sharing intelligence, and advocated closing down mosques with links to extremism and revoking the French nationality of those with more than one passport who were guilty of committing attacks. "The problem we have nowadays is this form of low-cost terrorism," said Ms Le Pen, adding "we must control our borders". Angela Merkel expresses shock at London attack Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, expressed her shock at the attack and said her thoughts were with the British people and everyone in the capital. She stressed that Germany was on the same side as Britain in terms of fighting terrorism. In December, a failed Tunisian asylum seeker pledging allegiance to Islamic State killed 12 people in Berlin by driving a truck into a crowded festive market. "Although the background to these incidents still needs to be exactly clarified, I confirm on behalf of Germany and its citizens that we stand firmly and resolutely by Britain's side when it comes to fighting any kind of terrorism," she said in an emailed statement. German security officials said they remained on high alert for a possible attack, but there had been no change in security procedures. Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said on Wednesday that the London attack was likely a terrorist incident. "It has not yet been definitely established what the motive for the brutal incident was. There are many indications that there was a terrorist background," de Maiziere said in an emailed statement. He added that German security authorities were in close contact with their British counterparts. Dutch send support, while Geert Wilders highlights attack Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte, who is still acting head of government while a new coalition is formed after elections last week, said he was shocked by images of the attack. "We still know very little, but it is certain that people have been injured. Perhaps, it is to be feared, worse. The British can count on our support. We are monitoring the situation closely and are in contact with the British authorities, he wrote on Facebook. Far-right Dutch PVV politician Geert Wilders retweeted the story running on national broadcaster the NOS - without comment. Italy highlight importance of intelligence cooperation Italian MPs said the attack demonstrated that intelligence cooperation between the UK and the rest of Europe must continue, notwithstanding Brexit. "The London terrorist attack shows that European intelligence must not lower its guard and cooperation between our countries must be strengthened, with or without Brexit," said Mariastella Gelmini, a former government minister and a senior member of the centre-Right Forza Italia party. In a Tweet, the Italian parliament offered its "solidarity" with London and the UK Parliament. "Our thoughts and solidarity go out to London and the UK Parliament," the tweet said. European Union European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said the attack left him "highly emotional". In Brussels to commemorate the one-year anniversary of attacks on the main airport and a metro station, Mr Juncker said "the fact that exactly on the same day something similar happened in London, and to London, is really putting me in the situation of someone who does not have...enough words to express how I am deeply feeling." My thoughts are with the victims of the Westminster attack. Europe stands firm with the UK against terror and ready to help. Ms Bishop also extended condolences to the British people and the British government for "yet another horrific attack". Ms Bishop, who is in Washington DC in talks with foreign ministers, including Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, said that she has offered Australia's support to Mr Johnson. We must continue on with our lives. We cant let isolated incidents or indeed, attacks of this kind, prevent us from continuing with our lives. We have to be careful and aware of what can happen in public places and the Australian Government has certainly reviewed our approach to law enforcement, Ms Bishop said. Israel expresses solidarity Tzipi Hotovely, Israel's deputy foreign minister, expressed deep shock and solidarity with the British people. Ms Hotovely added that she had spoken with the British ambassador to Israel about the attack. Tel Aviv city hall was lit up with an image of the Union flag on Wednesday evening: A car on Westminster Bridge has just mowed down at least 5 people, he wrote. My prayers are with the victims, he wrote on Twitter. China says there cannot be "continued instability" in the world Li Keqiang, the Chinese prime minister, said that the terrorist attack was the first subject of discussion when he met with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull of Australia on Thursday morning in Canberra. Mr Li said that "together, we send our condolences to the prime minister of the UK and together we condemn terrorism and we stand against all forms of terrorism." The Chinese leader says that "there cannot be continued instability in the world," adding: "We must cherish peace and stability." "Canada remains united with the people of the UK" Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said: "Our thoughts are with the victims of today's attack in London and their families. "Canadians remain united with the people of the UK." "The thoughts of New Zealand are with the people of London" New Zealand's prime minister Bill English told reporters on Thursday that he has written to British Prime Minister Theresa May to express support for her government and to offer his country's condolences to the victim's families. The thoughts of New Zealand are with the people of London, and with the victims and their family & friends, following this terrible attack. Spain condemns the attack Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy condemned the deadly attack and offered condolences to the British people in a telegram sent to his British counterpart Theresa May. "An execrable terrorist act like the one that took place today is a reminder that we face complex challenges for the security of our societies," said Rajoy in a transcript of the telegram distributed by Moncloa, the prime minister's palace. "We must remain united against these type of threats that affect all of us equally and that know no barriers," Rajoy wrote, offering Spain's support to the UK. Ireland: "Terror and violence will never triumph over democracy" President of Ireland Michael D Higgins has sent a sympathy message over the Westminster terror attack. The Irish Republic's head of state is to write to the Queen and London Mayor Sadiq Khan to express the sympathy "of the Irish people with the families of those who have lost their lives and to those who have been injured". President Higgins said he wanted to express "the sympathy, condolences and solidarity of the Irish people with our neighbours at this difficult time".
Sadiq pays tribute to latest victim Mayor Sadiq Khan has paid tribute to the latest person to die following the attack yesterday. His comments come after police confirmed a 75-year-old man had passed away in hospital, and after the mayor addressed a vigil in the capital. Earlier he told a packed Trafalgar Square: Those evil and twisted individuals who tried to destroy our shared way of life will never succeed and we condemn them. The victims were people who came from all corners of our world. This is a time to express our gratitude to the heroism of our police officers and emergency services, who ran towards danger to help, and at the same time they encouraged others to run for safety. London is a great city, full of amazing people from all backgrounds. When Londoners face adversity we always pull together. 22:31 Police search property in Camarthenshire Police have searched a property in Wales following yesterdays terrorist attack. Officers made eight arrests during raids at six properties in different parts of the UK in connection with the attack which left four dead and 29 injured. A spokesman said the investigation has led to at least seven arrests and property searches in London, Brighton, Birmingham and Wales. Met Police have said the search in Wales is in Carmarthenshire and is still continuing. They confirmed that none of the arrests were made in Wales. One was in London and six in Birmingham. 22:14 Keith Palmer fund raises more than 320,000 Well-wishers have donated more than 320,000 online for the family of murdered police officer Keith Palmer.Multiple fundraising pages have been set up to help the loved ones of the husband and father who was stabbed outside Parliament, as well as other victims of the deadly Westminster attack. The aftermath of the crash on Westminster Bridge (Image: Rex Features) 20:48 'Controlled explosion of suspicious package' in Westminster There have been reports of a controlled explosion in Westminster tonight. Sky News says that a suspicious package was found close to Westminster about 40 minutes ago, close to the Treasury. Well have more on this as we get it. 20:42 Suspect was born on Christmas Day in Kent Masood was born in Kent on Christmas Day in 1964 and detectives believe he was most recently living in the West Midlands. He was also known by a number of aliases. One former neighbour, Iwona Romek, speaking in Winson Green, Birmingham, said she could not believe her eyes when she realised the man who had lived near her was the man responsible for the attack. She said: Now Im scared that someone like that was living close to me. 20:32 Khalid Masood not believed to be suspect's birth name Police are trying to establish the London terror suspects exact identity. A Scotland Yard spokesman said research into Masoods aliases was ongoing, adding: Khalid Masood is not at this early stage believed to be his birth name. For everything we know about the man accused of carrying out the horrific attack in Westminster, click here. Some draped themselves in the Union Jack for the memorial (Image: AFP) 19:59 More pictures from candlelit vigil in London We have more pictures from the vigil in Trafalgar Square tonight. Thousands of people of all ages have attended the event to pay their respects to those who lost their lives yesterday. Earlier the even was addressed by the mayor Sadiq Khan. (Image: REUTERS) (Image: REUTERS) 19:47 "Locals described terror suspect as 'the vampire'" BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner says Khalid Masood was a strange character.Speaking to BBC News, Mr Gardner said locals described him as the vampire because he usually went out at night and dressed in black.He added that he felt it is unlikely Masood acted alone, adding Theres no such thing as a lone wolf attack. Frank Gardner 19:38 First details of Westminster attacker show challenge faced by security services trying to anticipate most dangerous threats Shashank Joshi, senior research fellow at security think tank the Royal United Services Institute, said: We have always known that it is exceptionally hard to understand who will become a terrorist. Masood is unusual in that only a minority become radicalised over the age of 30. His criminal record is unsurprising, as some studies show that a significant proportion of jihadists have had prior convictions. He added: Finally, its worth noting that Masood was known to MI5. However, thousands of people will be on MI5s radar. Not all can be monitored indefinitely, given the limited priorities and the massive scale of the challenge. The most important thing is to remember that dozens of attacks like this one have been stopped in the last several years, and that no country can have a perfect record. Many brought flags and banners to the vigil to show a united front (Image: REUTERS) 19:14 The West Midlands "has been a centre for Islamist terrorism for years" The West Midlands, where Westminster terror suspect Khalid Masood most recently lived, has been a centre for Islamist terrorism for years, experts said. A study examining terrorism in Britain between 1998 and 2015 found the region was the second most common for Islamism-related offences, behind London. Almost 20% of people arrested for such offences lived in the West Midlands, and 80% of these, 14% overall, were from Birmingham. Following Wednesdays attack in Westminster police raided three addresses in the city, arresting six people aged in their 20s overnight on suspicion of preparing terrorist attacks. Armed police raided a flat on Hagley Road in Birmingham while a second property two miles away is still being searched, though it has not been confirmed if this address is linked to the counter-terror investigation. Tom Wilson, a research fellow at the anti-extremism think tank The Henry Jackson Society, said the UKs second largest city offered fertile ground for terrorists seeking new recruits. Candles were lit by members of the pubic on the ground (Image: Rex Features) 18:56 Praise for murdered policeman Amber Rudd continued: He was courageous, he was brave, and he was doing his duty. And he was not alone in doing that. I know that all officers of the Met are like that and in my experience, so are all policemen. I want us to say thank you to them all for the great sacrifice and risks they take to keep us safe. Drawing applause from the crowd, she said of the attack: They will not win, we are all connected and we showed that today by coming together, by going to work, by getting about our normal business, because the terrorists will not defeat us, we will defeat them. We are strong in our values and proud of our country. 18:53 Lighting candles at Trafalgar Square vigil Home Secretary Amber Rudd paid tribute to PC Keith Palmer, the hero policeman murdered in Wednesdays terror attack, who she called courageous and brave. She also praised Londoners for going back to work and getting about their normal way of life. "I can't believe he could do something like this" - neighbour Suspect Khalid Masoods neighbour has said he cannot believe he could do something like this. Searches are continuing at a flat and a house in Birmingham following police raids linked to the Westminster terror attack.After residents described the frightening moment when armed police stormed a second-floor flat in citys Hagley Road overnight, it emerged officers are also examining a three-storey townhouse in nearby Winson Green.Masoods former neighbour Iwona Romek, said she could not believe her eyes when she realised the man who had lived near her was the same person responsible for the attack.She said: I am very surprised, I cannot believe it.Because when I saw him, I couldnt even see that he could do something like this.Now Im scared that someone like that was living close to me.She added: I see pictures of him lying injured and from that picture I can see its him.And my partner as well he has seen the picture, he is at work, and when I showed it him he said oh my God its him.Ms Romek said she had seen him with a child, aged between five and six years old, and a partner but that they had moved away around two to three months ago. 17:31 British Muslim community slams 'coward' terrorist British Muslims and mosques have slammed the terrorist as closer to Satanism than the true word of Islam. The Muslim community in the UK has been quick to condemn the knife-wielding man behind the Westminster rampage, which saw four killed and dozens injured. Abu-Khadeejah Abdul-Wahid, of the Wright Street Mosque in Birmingham, said the killer had displayed unbelievable cowardice in targeting innocent men, women and children. Hyundai used in attack confirmed as Enterprise rental car Car rental firm Enterprise has confirmed the Hyundai 4x4 used in the attack was rented in Spring Hill, Birmingham. This is less than a mile from where police are searching a house.In a statement, the car hire company said one of its employees had identified the vehicle after seeing the licence plate in an image online and the firm had immediately contacted the authorities. The aftermath of the horror attack on Westminster Bridge (Image: SkyNews/Twitter) 17:07 Police forces given flowers and chocolates Police forces have been given flowers and chocolates from people wishing to show support in the wake of the Westminster attack. West Midlands Police said an eight-year-old called Alana handed in a tub of Quality Street to West Bromwich Police station on Thursday morning. The youngster, who goes to St James C of E Primary school in Oldbury, said she wanted to cheer the officers up and say sorry for the loss of Metropolitan Police officer Keith Palmer. Inspector Phil Mees said: It was such a lovely gesture - there was hardly a dry eye in the house. Obviously the mood was very sombre in the station this morning but Alanas visit really lifted everyone. Emergency crews at the scene of yesterday's attack (Image: PA) 16:53 Terrorist was 'dad-of-three English teacher' Khalid Masood, who has been named by police as the terrorist responsible for yesterdays attack, is believed to be a dad-of-three. He was born in Kent but most recently lived in the West Midlands. Police have spend the day searching a number of properties in the Winson Green area of Birmingham. It is thought Masood hired a Hyundai 4x4 from a branch of Enterprise in Solihull which he drove to London and used to mow down innocent victims. Khalid Masood is transported to hospital - he later died (Image: PA) Masood, who was shot dead during the attack, has been described as a married dad who enjoyed bodybuilding. Sky News also reports he was an English teacher. Terror group ISIS have claimed responsibility for the attack, saying the attacker was a soldier of Islamic State. However, no firm evidence has yet emerged showing any links between Masood and ISIS. 16:40 More than 150,000 raised for officer's family More than 150,000 has been raised for PC Palmers family. Donations are pouring in from people across the world following the officers slaying. A Just Giving page was set by the Metropolitan Police Federation to raise 200,000 for his wife and child. It has already reached three quarters of its target. More than 150,000 has been raised for PC Palmers family (Image: JustGiving) A post on the page reads: The Metropolitan Police Federation are raising money for the family of PC Keith Palmer, the Police Officer who tragically gave his life on 22 March as he guarded the Palace of Westminster from what is believed to have been a terrorist attack. Every day, all over London and the rest of the UK, Police Officers risk their lives to protect and defend us - in the wake of this tragedy our thoughts are with Keiths family and all the people who are injured have lost their lives. Theresa May visits victims in hospital Theresa May has been visiting some of the victims of the Westminster terror attacks this afternoon. The Prime Minister spent around 40 minutes with those injured by attacker Khalid Masood, as well as the hospital staff working tirelessly to help them. The PMs official spokesman declined to say which hospital Mrs May had attended, or whether the victims she visited included the police officers who were hurt as they returned from an awards ceremony. It was a private visit - Im not giving any more details, he said. Mrs May has also signed the official book of condolences to those who were killed in the terror attack. Meanwhile calls have continued to flood in from world leaders offering messages of solidarity and support to Britain. Over the past 24 hours Mrs May has spoken with: US President Donald Trump German Chancellor Angela Merkel French President Francois Hollande Italian PM Paolo Gentiloni EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoan Canadian PM Justin Trudeau Romanian President Klaus Iohannis King Abdullah II of Jordan 16:14 Tragic officer leaves behind daughter, 5 PC Palmer had a five-year-old daughter, his grieving family said. The 48-year-old was also married and a long-time supporter of Charlton FC. He had joined the Met in November 2001. The full family statement reads: Keith will be remembered as a wonderful dad and husband.
Do YOU know the driving force of the car? E-mail: alex.matthews@the-sun.co.uk or name: zero20 778 24376 Armed police have been heard shouting move back as quick as you can, were asking you for a reason as they swarmed by way of Westminster. Elma Refuerzo, 57, a home keeper in Parliament, informed the Solar On-line: The driving force was pulled out of the car by police. Police aimed rifles on the car. He was contained in the car. I heard a noise  police have been shouting stay there, stay there.Pedestrian Ewalina Ochab stated: I feel the crash seemed intentional  the car drove at velocity and in the direction of the limitations. Footage shows injured cyclists being handled by paramedics as bikes lay strewn throughout the street. Dramatic pictures present a suspect being led away from the car in handcuffs by armed officers. The incident comes simply over a yr after terrorist Khalid Masood drove into pedestrians and rammed the gates of Parliament in a terror assault. The jihadi killed 5 individuals together with Westminster cop PC Keith Palmer earlier than he was shot lifeless by armed police. Safety professional Chris Phillips stated the incident could possibly be a botched terror assault. He advised GMB: I feel one of many largest points for cops once they approached the car was might it explode. This could well be some form of an attack thats not quite worked properly for the attacker.  PA:Press Affiliation Armed police on the scene of the crash as we speak Reuters A police cordon has been arrange round Parliament Sq. in Westminster this morning PA:Press Affiliation Westminster Bridge has been closed by cops in mild of the crash HIGH ALERT: The fear assault that put Westminster on lockdown simply 18 months in the past Westminster has been placed on excessive alert earlier than, with this mornings crash outside Parliament barely 18 months because the terror assault that gripped the capital. 5 individuals have been killed and greater than 50 individuals have been injured when Kent-born terrorist Khalid Masood mowed pedestrians down alongside Westminster Bridge in March final yr. The 52-year-old then crashed his car into the gates of Parliament, operating into the compound with two blades when he fatally stabbed police officer Keith Palmer. Mum-of-two Aysha Frade, American vacationer Kurt Cochran and 75-year-old Leslie Rhodes have been all murdered by the evil terrorist. Fifth sufferer, Andreea Cristea, was thrown off Westminster bridge through the terror assault.Terrorist Masood was shot by police, later dying in hospital. Scotland Yard stated Masood was a violent legal convicted of a number of offences spanning 20 years.However they confirmed Masood was not the topic of any present investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist assault. Streets round Parliament Sq., Millbank and Victoria Tower Gardens have been cordoned off with dozens of police, ambulances and firefighters on the scene. Westminster Bridge has been closed to automobiles and pedestrians and close by Lambeth Bridge can also be to be shut imminently. Theresa Might has praised medics and police for responding to the assault. The PM tweeted: My thoughts are with those injured in the incident in Westminster and my thanks to the emergency services for their immediate and courageous response. Quantity 10 stated there can be a COBRA assembly later immediately to debate the attack on Westminster. Unmesh Desai, Deputy Chair of the Police and Crime Committee, stated: This can be a critical incident however fortunately these injured havent suffered life threatening accidents. Our ideas are with them right now. VAPING FEARS E-cigarettes are MORE dangerous than first feared, specialists warn BUTCHERED LIKE AN ANIMAL Thriller as headless and limbless physique is present in Scottish flat CHILD SNATCH ALERT Homeless man tries to abduct baby outside purchasing centre DOUBLE TRAGEDY Corrie icons son killed himself days after arrest for homicide of associate for richer, for fraudster 148m Lotto winner weds man convicted of stealing 13okay from Tesco While it is too early to speculate about the reasons for this incident, our thanks go to the police for their speedy and effective response.We would remind Londoners to stand united and be vigilant as always. London Ambulance Service confirmed that two individuals had been handled on the scene of the crash. For the newest information on this story hold checking again at Solar On-line, the place well deliver you reside updates as quickly as they occur, earlier than anybody else. Like us on Fb at www.fb.com/thesun, and comply with us from our important Twitter account at @TheSun, the place well deliver you this story and all the remainder of the highest information and exclusives of the day.
British police investigating last Wednesday's attack on parliament made a new arrest on Sunday as authorities try to piece together the assailant's motive. A 30-year-old man was arrested in the central city of Birmingham on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts, London's Metropolitan Police said in a statement. A dozen people have been arrested since 52-year-old Briton Khalid Masood launched an assault on parliament on Wednesday, killing four people and leaving 50 injured before he was shot by police. Nine people have been released without charge, while a 58-year-old man remains in custody and a 32-year-old woman has been released on bail. British police admitted on Saturday they may never know the motive behind this week's attack on parliament, after releasing all but one of 11 people held over the assault. Police have now said they believe Masood acted alone and have issued a fresh plea for any information that might explain why he did it. "We must all accept that there is a possibility we will never understand why he did this. That understanding may have died with him," said senior counter-terrorism officer Neil Basu. A new breakdown of the attack revealed that Masood, a Muslim convert with a violent criminal past, took just 82 seconds to wreak havoc. His car mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge before driving along the road and footpath and crashing into the fence of the Houses of Parliament. Masood left the vehicle and was shot by police, but not before fatally stabbing an unarmed policeman, PC Keith Palmer, who was guarding a gate. "Our investigation continues at pace. I am grateful for the public support so far, but I am asking for more help," Basu said in a statement. "We still believe that Masood acted alone on the day and there is no information or intelligence to suggest there are further attacks planned. People lay floral tributes to victims of Wednesday's terror attack in Parliament Square outside Houses of Parliament in central London on Friday (AFP) "Even if he acted alone in the preparation, we need to establish with absolute clarity why he did these unspeakable acts to bring reassurance to Londoners, and to provide answers and closure for the families of those killed and the victims and survivors of this atrocity." The Islamic State group claimed that one of its "soldiers" carried out the attack, the worst in Britain since the July 2005 bombings that left 52 people dead. But police are still trying to establish Masood's motivation. "We are determined to understand if Masood was a lone actor inspired by terrorist propaganda or if others have encouraged, supported or directed him," Basu said. In one of the most dramatic scenes of the attack, Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood was photographed desperately trying to resuscitate the stabbed policeman. Ellwood, a former military officer who lost his brother in the 2002 Bali bombings, spoke out for the first time late Saturday, saying he was "heartbroken" he could not save Palmer's life. Ellwood has been hailed as a hero for his actions, but he said: "I played only a small part that day, doing what I was taught to do." Palmer's family said they were "overwhelmed by the love and support for our family, and most especially, the outpouring of love and respect for our Keith". To those who tried to save him, they added: "There was nothing more you could have done. You did your best and we are just grateful he was not alone." The attack on Westminster and the attacker's reported use of end-to-end encryption of message services has prompted a fierce debate over the role of giant technology firms and encrypted messaging. On Sunday morning, British Home Secretary Amber Rudd told the BBC that end-to-end encryption of messages offered by services like WhatsApp are "completely unacceptable" and there should be no "secret place for terrorists to communicate". Local media have reported that shortly before launching the Westminster attack, the attacker sent an encrypted message via WhatsApp. "That is my view - it is completely unacceptable, there should be no place for terrorists to hide. We need to make sure organisations like WhatsApp, and there are plenty of others like that, don't provide a secret place for terrorists to communicate with each other," Rudd told the BBC's Andrew Marr show. "We need to make sure that our intelligence services have the ability to get into situations like encrypted WhatsApp." In an interview with The Sunday Times, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said earlier that the failure of Google to remove radical websites was disgusting. He used the interview to issue the toughest condemnation by a British government minister of the way technology giants cash in by running advertisements alongside extremist videos. Im furious about it, he said. Its disgusting. They need to stop just making money out of prurient violent material.
Investigators say they believe they know the identity of the attacker, and that he is thought to have acted alone but was inspired by international terrorism. The House of Commons will sit this morning, with prime ministerTheresa May saying the country would not be cowed: Parliament will meet as normal. We will come together as normal. And Londoners  and others from around the world who have come here to visit this great city  will get up and go about their day as normal. They will board their trains, they will leave their hotels, they will walk these streets, they will live their lives. And we will all move forward together. Never giving in to terror. And never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart. London is the greatest city in the world and we stand together in the face of those who seek to harm us and destroy our way of life. UK foreign minister Boris Johnson, who is in the US for an international meeting discussing the Isis threat, said: Heartbreaking. This is not the first attack on London or our Parliament - and wont be the last - but our values will prevail. The terror threat level for the UK remains unchanged, at severe. The Metropolitan police said extra patrols, armed and unarmed, would be in place, particularly in crowded places and iconic locations. The Queen has postponed a planned visit to Scotland Yard that was due to take place today. A terrorist attack has occurred in the United Kingdom. I offer my deepest condolences to the victims and extend my sympathy to all those who were wounded. Terrorism is absolutely intolerable. Japan stands in solidarity with Prime Minister May of the United Kingdom, as well as with its people during this difficult time. Prime Minister May has conveyed the message that the United Kingdom is firm in the fight against terrorism. Japan offers its full support to Prime Minister May and will combat terrorism in cooperation with the international community. The attack outside the Houses of Parliament in London is the latest in a series of terrorist atrocities involving a vehicle being driven at speed into pedestrians  a tactic actively promoted by Islamic State. If you are not able to find a bomb or a bullet, then smash his head with a rock, or slaughter him with a knife, or run him over with your car, or throw him down from a high place, or choke him, or poison him, he said. Though al-Adnani, who was killed in 2016, pointed a finger specifically at France, where there were two vehicle attacks in 2014, he also cited the UK among preferred targets.  This section of the live blog was amended on 23 March 2017 to clarify a reference to the Berlin truck attacker. Comedian and actor Margaret Cabourn-Smith characterised this tenor of the response, tweeting: #WeAreNotAfraid Or rather I am; but Im damned if Im going to let that stop me doing anything differently. Malcolm Turnbull and Australian Labor leader Bill Shorten are offering condolences to the UK in the Canberra parliament now, with the British High Commissioner Menna Rawlings looking on. Turnbull said: As prime minister Theresa May said earlier this morning, the values of the British parliament command the admiration and respect of free people everywhere. And so they do because they are our values too. We stand, all of us, with the UK. Comforted that we share those values. Theyre ours. Freedom of speech, democracy, the rule of law. We will never give in to terror. He said of British MP Tobias Ellwood, who assisted attempts to resuscitate the police officer, PC Keith Palmer, who was fatally stabbed: This act of heroism is just one of the extraordinary stories that are emerging from this tragedy. Shorten paid tribute to Palmer: The murder of the Metropolitan police officer reminds us of the risks our security agencies take on our behalf to keep us safe. And on behalf of all honourable members I want to acknowledge and thank our Australian federal police and the parliamentary security officers for whom this news must strike a particular chord. Thursdays Guardian editorial calls for solidarity in the wake of the terror attack on Westminster and pays tribute to the officers who intervened: The security forces and police have planned for what they call a marauding attack for years. The awful choreography of the response to terror was fast and well-rehearsed. The police officer who later died of his injuries stopped the attacker at the gates off Parliament Square. Before the man had gone a pace or two further, he himself was shot by an armed officer. These two courageous interventions almost certainly saved scores of lives in a busy area thronged with politicians, visitors and some of the hundreds of staff who work in the palace. There will be many questions to ask in the coming days about what was known of the attacker and his associates, but for now, there can only be a wholehearted appreciation of the professionalism with which the police did their job. The Guardian view on the Westminster attack: solidarity against terror | Editorial
Masood, who moments earlier had struck a number of pedestrians with a car on Westminster Bridge before crashing the vehicle into railings outside Parliament, was shot dead by armed police following the attack on the officer. Conservative MP James Cleverly, who served with PC Palmer in the Royal Artillery, described the officer as "a lovely man". Image:One minute's silence for London victims He said: "I'm heartbroken. My thoughts are with the family, friends and colleagues of PC Keith Palmer. A brave man." It has been confirmed that the officer's name will be added to the Police Roll of Honour. A minute's silence was held nationwide at 9.33am, including in the Palace of Westminster and at New Scotland Yard, to commemorate the innocent people killed in Wednesday's attack. Image:Charlton Athletic's tribute to PC Palmer The time for the silence was chosen in honour of PC Palmer's shoulder number - 933. Several crowdfunding pages have also been set up to support the family of the fallen officer, including a Just Giving page which exceeded its 200,000 target within hours. A colleague of PC Palmer's, PC James Aitkenhead, also paid tribute, saying: "Keith was a genuinely nice person, nobody had a bad word to say about him. 4:16 Video:A husband, a father and a hero "When I heard what had happened I knew it would be him, because that's just the sort of guy he was, to step straight in when others might step back." An Australian tourist who asked PC Palmer to pose for pictures when his family visited the Houses of Parliament last year, Andrew Thorogood, described the officer as "a genuinely nice bloke" who was "happy to chat and smile for a photo... whilst still remaining vigilant". In another tribute, Met Police deputy commissioner Mark Rowley said: "He was someone who left for work today expecting to return home at the end of his shift - and he had every right to expect that would happen." Image:The car crashed into the gates in front of the Houses of Parliament London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the officer "personifies the brave men and women of our police and emergency services who work around the clock to keep us safe". Charlton Athletic Football Club also paid tribute to PC Palmer by placing a red and white scarf on the seat he used to sit in. Four people are so far confirmed to have died in the attack as well as the attacker - PC Palmer, Aysha Frade, American Kurt Cochran and a 75-year-old man who had his life-support turned off a day after being injured. 6:48 Video:Warning: This report begins with distressing images Police say 29 people have been injured, some of whom were said to have sustained "catastrophic injuries". Seven people remain in a critical condition. Three police officers who were on their way back from a commendation ceremony were also injured on the bridge. Two of them are in a serious condition. A number of different nationalities have been injured in the attack, including 12 Britons, three French children on a school trip, two Romanians, four South Koreans, one German, one Polish national, one Irish citizen, one Chinese national, one Italian, one American and two Greeks.
Members of the public pay their respects on Westminster Bridge on the first anniversary of the terror attack in London. Photograph: Henry Nicholls/Reuters The five casualties of the Westminster terror attack have been remembered at a service to mark the first anniversary. The ceremony in Westminster Hall on Thursday was attended by politicians, senior police officers and people caught up in the attack on 22 March last year. Those who died included a police officer, PC Keith Palmer. Dozens of other people were injured as Khalid Masood, 52, carried out the car and knife attack on Westminster Bridge and the Palace of Westminster. Masood was later shot dead. The archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, told the gathering that a year ago darkness struck across Westminster Bridge and in this palace. It spread across the bridge like a snake, driving to left and right, killing and harming. Floral tributes to PC Keith Palmer have been left outside the Palace of Westminster. Photograph: Chris Ratcliffe/Getty The service included a two-minute silence for the victims. Palmer, 48, had been on duty at the Palace of Westminster. Kurt Cochran, 54, a US tourist, Andreea Cristea, 31, a Romanian tourist, and two Britons, Aysha Frade, 44, and Leslie Rhodes, 75, were run down on the bridge. Theresa May was not at the service because she was attending an EU summit in Brussels, but Downing Street said she had attended an earlier private service in the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft in the Palace of Westminster. Earlier in the day, the Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood fought back tears as he talked about comforting his young son after Ellwood had tried in vain to save Palmer in the Palace of Westminsters courtyard. Ellwood had been in parliament when the attack began. A vivid image I have is returning home and finding my son at the top of the stairs and he was in tears  he could not understand why someone was wielding a knife in a place hed visited many times, he told BBC Breakfast. All I could offer was that there are some bad people in the world, but there are a lot more good people and its the good people who win. The defence minister said the UK was going through a dark chapter. The threats faced by the UK were not going away and involved not just terrorism but resurgent nations challenging the world order. Tobias Ellwood fights back tears on BBC Breakfast as he reflects on the Westminster attack. Photograph: BBC Ellwood, who has lobbied within government for extra funding for the armed forces, said: These attacks will continue unless we step forward and actually participate, become more proactive in dealing with what is a very changing and dark chapter that we are enduring. Palmer was praised by a friend and colleague, PC Shaun Cartwright. In a statement released through Scotland Yard on Thursday, he said: Keith loved being a police officer. He just wanted to help people and do his best  He was a proud and courageous police officer who did his job and never wanted any fuss or to be the centre of attention. Senior officers will attend private memorial services to mark the first anniversary of the atrocity. Palmers name will be one of 1,400 inscribed on a UK police memorial being built in Staffordshire, commemorating officers killed on duty. MPs observed a minutes silence to mark the anniversary of the attack. The Commons Speaker, John Bercow, asked members in the chamber to pause in respectful memory of those who died. MPs from different parties stood together to pay their respects before a scheduled session of digital, culture, media and sport questions. The culture secretary, Matt Hancock, said: Im sure the whole house will want to associate ourselves to mark the memory of those who passed away a year ago, as we have just noted in the one minutes silence, and to thank once more the emergency services who keep us safe and, especially on this day, those who put others safety ahead of their own. We remember those who have lost their lives defending democracy. They will not be forgotten. The home secretary, Amber Rudd, and the leader of the Commons, Andrea Leadsom, will attend a commemorative event in Westminster Hall later on Thursday. The hashtag #LondonUnited will be projected on to the Houses of Parliament on Thursday evening. A 3D installation of #LondonUnited will be located at City Hall, where the public will be able to pay their respects and sign a digital book of hope.
The Westminster terrorist who instigated the London attack has been named by police as Khalid Masood, a British-born criminal with a string of previous convictions. After Isil claimed the attacker was a "soldier" of the terror group, Scotland Yard formally identified the 52-year-old - saying he was not the subject of any current investigations and there was "no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack". But the man who killed four people - including a police officer - in the shadow of the Houses of Parliament had a range of previous convictions for assaults, including GBH, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences. He had not been convicted of any terrorism offences. It comes as police said a fourth innocent victim died on Thursday night. The 75-year-old man died from his injuries in hospital. A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "The man had been receiving medical treatment in hospital following the attack and life support was withdrawn this evening. "Next of kin have been informed and are receiving support from specially trained family liaison officers." Khalid Masood being treated by medics after he was shot outside the Palace of WestminsterCredit: Stefan Rousseau/PA But by the time Masood went on the rampage on Wednesday, driving a car at 50 miles an hour along Westminster bridge, murdering three innocent pedestrians before plunging his knife repeatedly into a police officer guarding the Houses of Parliament, he had dropped off their radar. Masood, a father of three, was no longer considered a threat. The Telegraph can disclose that Masood was not using his birth name. He was born Adrian Elms in Dartford, Kent. Just two hours after Theresa May told the Commons the killer was a British citizen who had been investigated by MI5 over violent extremism, Isil said that the attacker answered "calls to target citizens of coalition nations". Isil had vowed that the UK was its next target following the Paris attacks in 2015. Isil statement released by Amaq news agency on Thursday afternoon The Prime Minister earlier said the attacker was known to the police and security services, as she defiantly vowed: "We are not afraid and our resolve will never waiver in the face of terrorism." It comes as Scotland Yard disclosed that the eight people - three women and five men - arrested in London and Birmingham are being held on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. Detectives are continuing to search a number of addresses linked to the investigation: one in Carmarthenshire, three in Birmingham; and one in east London. A total of 29 people were treated in hospital following the carnage, with five people remaining in a critical condition on Thursday evening - two of them with life-threatening injuries. Among the injured were 12 Britons, including three police officers who were returning from an event to recognise their bravery. Meanwhile, at the scene of one of the police raids - a flat in Hagley Road, Birmingham, where the attacker is believed to have lived - witnesses told how black-clad officers equipped with machine guns smashed their way into the property. One neighbour told The Telegraph: "It's left me so scared and I don't know what to tell the children. He seemed like a normal calm and kind family man, always with a smile on his face." The attacker mowed down pedestrians with a car on Westminster Bridge before crashing at the railings in front of Parliament. Masood 'spent time in Saudi Arabia' The Sun has reported that Masood visited Saudi Arabia in 2005. According to a CV that the newspaper claims it obtained, he was working in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, then teaching workers at the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) in Jeddah. If confirmed, it would raise questions as to whether he was radicalised before or during his time abroad. The Telegraph has reported he is understood to have gone to jail in the past, where there is a good chance he was radicalised. It is at that stage, it is thought, he came onto MI5s radar. 'All day, I couldn't get it out of my head' A British boxing team have recalled the horror of witnessing Pc Keith Palmer being stabbed as they secured victories in the ring a day after the attack. Coach Tony Davis was outside the Houses of Parliament after attending a community event with the British Lionhearts team when terror unfolded in front of him. Tony Davis, who was first on the scene of the Westminster attack, speaks on ITV's This Morning programmeCredit: ITV The four fighters at his side spoke of their trauma after seeing the hopeless efforts to revive the officer. Flyweight and 2016 Olympian Muhammad Ali, who won his fight by unanimous decision on Thursday night, said: "All day, I couldn't get it out of my head because we saw everything." Fellow member of the British Lionhearts, welterweight Pat McCormack, added: "I didn't really sleep much. My head was a bit all over and I couldn't really stop thinking about it but I'm just glad I've come, got the job done and the win." Davis told Press Association Sport: "We had just attended a PR event at the Houses of Parliament and as we were leaving we could just see straight in front of us, on the outside of the perimeter fence, a bit of a fracas. "It was loud volume, but I didn't think much of it. I thought it must be a student demonstration but then the mood changed as I saw someone come through the gate with knives above his head and start attacking the police officers. "When I saw that I jumped over what was maybe a 4ft fence to try to give assistance but a lot of things happened in a few seconds. "As the assailant was advancing he got taken out by one of the police marksmen. Then I just tended to Keith Palmer, who was collapsing on the floor." Masood reportedly said 'London isnt what it used to be' on morning of attack. Khalid Masood was born Adrian Elms in Dartford, Kent Robert Mendick writes: As long as a decade ago, Khalid Masoods violent extremism had caused security services sufficient alarm to put him under investigation. But by the time Masood, 52, went on the rampage on Wednesday, driving a car at 50 miles an hour along Westminster bridge, murdering three innocent pedestrians before plunging his knife repeatedly into a police officer guarding the Houses of Parliament, he had dropped off their radar. Masood, a father of three, was no longer considered a threat. The Telegraph can disclose that Masood was not using his birth name. He was born Adrian Elms in Dartford, Kent. Urging calm within all communities and offering condolences to those bereaved by the attack, Mr Afzal added: "The Islamic faith does not allow anyone to take the life of others. "No religion justifies the indiscriminate killing of individuals in such a barbaric and heartless way, and such acts only serve to differentiate between the misguided and the just. "We call upon those that may have even a shred of sympathy for the like-minded terrorists to shake their conscience and realise that such acts are the work of evil and not the work of God-fearing people." In a statement on Facebook, the organisers of the vigil wrote: "Our thoughts are with all those affected by what has happened. "Birmingham is a united city and we will not let anyone use these terrible events to divide us. Please come and join us on Friday for a unity vigil." 'Teacher' Masood had never worked in English state schools Controlled explosion near Downing Street A controlled explosion on a suspicious package is believed to have taken place near Downing Street tonight. The BBC News Channel reported that a loud bang had been heard within earshot of their live broadcast. Officers said it had taken place on Birdcage Walk, not far from the Houses of Parliament and Downing Street. Minute's silence held around the world for London attack victims In pictures and video: tonight's vigil at Trafalgar Square After Wednesday's events, there was a determination throughout the city to carry on in the face of it all. The mood at Trafalgar Square was sombre but defiant, as people of all ages and backgrounds stood together, many of them Muslims holding up signs saying: "Love for all, hatred for none". Credit: Jack Taylor /Getty Among those who came to pay their respects was Jess Okpere, whose teacher Aysha Frade lost her life on Westminster bridge. Carrying a bunch of daffodils and clearly very emotional, the 18-year-old said: "I cried this morning when I found out. I've had a very long day filled with a lot of tears. I'm here to show that we're not going to let these people win." Credit: YUI MOK /PA Standing on the steps in front of the National Portrait Gallery, faith leaders joined Home Secretary Amber Rudd, Acting Met Commissioner Craig Mackey and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan. Three large candles in glass hurricane lanterns sat before them. The respectful hush in the square was broken only by applause, as the Home Secretary praised PC Keith Palmer. Credit: Eddie Mulholland for the TElegraph "He was courageous, he was brave and he was also doing his duty," she said. "It reminded us of how we are all connected." In an impassioned address, Ms Rudd said: "The terrorists will not defeat us, we will defeat them." Sadiq Khan spoke of how Londoners had come together in the aftermath of the attack. He said: "London is a great city full of amazing people from all backgrounds, and when Londoners face adversity, we always pull together. "Our response to this attack on our city, on our way of life, our shared values, shows the world what it means to be a Londoner." The crowd fell quiet as a minute's silence was observed in honour of the victims. Many bowed their heads, while others clung to each other for comfort. Credit: REUTERS/HANNAH MCKAY As the silence lifted, people began lighting candles and placing them in boxes filled with sand. Soon, the faces of people all over the square were lit with candlelight. Amanda Goodhugh, who works at St Thomas's Hospital, where two of the victims were taken on Wednesday, sat on the edge of one of the fountains and cried, her face in her hands. Credit: Eddie Mulholland for The Telegraph She told the Telegraph she had been overcome with emotion watching people come together in solidarity. "People's positive response is what is making me so emotional," she said. "That, and the staff at my hospital who ran out into the road yesterday to help. That is what healthcare in this country is all about." The Daily Telegraph understands that police have raised repeated concerns about the security of the gate, which has been described as a weak point. In February the House of Commons administration comittee discussed the issue, with a particular focus on the flimsy and Meccano crowd-control barriers in front of the wrought-iron gates. The barriers have to be manually opened by police on the pavement outside Parliament, which MPs said put them at risk. The MPs called for them to be replaced with a stronger, automated gate which police could operate remotely. Bursts of applause were the only sounds which interrupted the speeches there tonight. Candles were lit and a mintue's silence was observed for the three innocent victims who died in the attack. Meanwhile prayers were said in Parliament for Pc Keith Palmer just metres from the spot where he was stabbed to death. Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin, the chaplain to Commons Speaker John Bercow, condemned the "act of evil" but urged people to remember the "acts of goodness" demonstrated by people who tried to help those killed and injured in the attack. Pc Keith Palmer lost his lifeCredit: LONDON METROPOLITAN POLICE In a moving service in the Chapel of Saint Mary Undercroft within the Palace of Westminster, the chaplain warned against the danger of thinking "an eye for an eye" and urged people to share memories of the "heroic contributions on that day when evil dared to show its face". The ornate chapel, just off Westminster Hall, is a short distance away from New Palace Yard where Pc Palmer lost his life. Jeremy Corbyn: We need to stand together against hatred Armed police should be at 'sensitive sites' Police should consider arming all officers guarding "sensitive sites" after the London terror attacks, according to a Tory MP, our deputy political editor Steven Swinford reports. Theresa Villiers, the former Northern Ireland secretary, suggested the issue of whether police who patrol areas "known to be of interest to terrorists" should carry a weapon for personal protection should now be examined. Theresa May said who carries arms remains an "operational matter" for the police. Ms Villiers said: "As we reflect on what happened, is it time to consider whether the police who guard sensitive sites known to be of interest to terrorists like Parliament or like airports should routinely carry personal protection weapons, even when those officers are not part of the units formally tasked with armed response?" "The terrorist attack in Westminster on Wednesday was horrific and our thoughts are with all of those affected by it. "The IPCC is responsible for investigations into fatal police shootings. Accordingly, after being notified by the Metropolitan Police Service of the fatal shooting of a man outside the Houses of Parliament, we have opened an independent investigation. It's important to stress that we are currently investigating the circumstances of the incident and no police officers are under investigation. "The IPCC and the Metropolitan Police Service are following agreed working arrangements related to terrorist incidents, which are working well. I recognise that this is a very difficult time for the police service, following the tragic loss of Pc Keith Palmer and the injuries to other officers. We are giving this investigation the highest priority and we will conclude it as soon as possible." Pupil of terror victim: I'm here to show that we're not going to let these people win A pupil of Westminster victim Aysha Frade, a Spanish teacher, who lost her life in the attack, has come to pay her respects in Trafalgar Square. Carrying a bunch of daffodils, 18-year-old Jess Okpere told The Telegraph's Eleanor Steafel: "I cried this morning when I found out. My school paid tribute to her. There were so many people crying, people who saw her every day. "I was in the McDonalds by the London Eye in my free period when it happened. I didn't see it happen but I saw the aftermath, the ambulances and the stretchers. "I've had a very long day filled with a lot of tears. I'm here to show that we're not going to let these people win." 'I am a Muslim, ask me anything' - T-shirts in Trafalgar Square As a crowd gathers at Trafalgar Square, a handful of people are wearing t shirts with the words: "I am a Muslim, ask me anything" printed on them. Three members of the group are holding up a banner which reads: "Love for all, hatred for none". A crowd is beginning to gather at Trafalgar Square, where from 6pm Londoners will hold a vigil in honour of the four innocent people who lost their lives, Eleanor Steafel reports. Speaking ahead of the vigil, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said this morning: "Tonight in Trafalgar Square there will be a vigil for Londoners who are wondering what to do. "To show solidarity with those who have lost their lives and their families, to show solidarity with those who have been injured, and to say to the terrorists: 'You will not succeed in cowering us, we will remain united, and we are the greatest city in the world'." Michael Deacon's Commons sketch: Tributes, tears  and then steely resolve: how Parliament got back to business They carried on. A wide area around the Palace of Westminster had been cordoned off, the Tube station was shut, and most entrances to the estate were closed. Yet this morning, refusing to be cowed, Parliament went back to work. Masood neighbour: 'It's left me so scared... he seemed like a normal calm and kind family man' Patrick Sawer reports from Birmingham: A mother of three was left stunned after recognising Khalid Masood, the terrorist pictured on a stretcher after Wednesday's attack, as the man who had lived next to her for several months. Iwona Romek said she had been left terrified by the realisation she might have been living next to a fanatical terrorist who she had previously regarded as a "calm family man". She told The Telegraph: "I'm so scared for my children knowing that he lived so near to us. We've lived here for 12 months and I never could have imagined that we were living next to someone who would do something so terrible. "It's left me so scared and I don't know what to tell the children." Mrs Romek, a cake factory worker from Poland who has lived in Birmingham since 2005, said the man - who she said looked in his late 40s - had lived at No. 4 Quayside, in the Winston Green district, for around seven months, before leaving suddenly about two months ago. He lived with a woman of Asian appearance in her 30s who covered her hair with the hijab when outdoors, and their five year old child. "I used to see them taking the child to school in their car. The man would smile but we never spoke," said Mrs Romek, whose children are aged 25, 15 and eight. "He seemed like a normal calm and kind family man, always with a smile on his face." She also spoke to medical staff to thank them for their work, said her official spokesman, who declined to name the hospital where the private visit took place. Many of those injured on Westminster Bridge were taken to St Thomas' Hospital, which faces the Palace of Westminster across the Thames. Others went to King's College Hospital and the Royal London Hospital. Mrs May also signed a book of condolence for victims of the attack in the House of Commons. Pc Keith Palmer's family: He was proud to be a police officer, brave and courageous The family of Pc Keith Palmer, the officer killed in the Westminster attack, have described him as a "wonderful dad and husband, a loving son, brother and uncle", adding that he was "dedicated to his job and proud to be a police officer, brave and courageous". They said: "Keith will be remembered as a wonderful dad and husband. A loving son, brother and uncle. A long-time supporter of Charlton FC. "Dedicated to his job and proud to be a police officer, brave and courageous. A friend to everyone who knew him. "He will be deeply missed. We love him so much. His friends and family are shocked and devastated by his loss and ask that they are left to grieve alone in peace." A spokesman for the Italian embassy said: "The ambassador was visiting for almost an hour visiting one of the victims, who is Italian. He brought flowers and gave her comfort. "She was one of the people hit by the car. She is not in any serious danger of her life. She was just walking when it happened and had to undergo minor surgery to her left leg. She is expected to be released in the next few days." Boris Johnson lays into social media over radicalisation "If we are going to defeat these guys we are going to have to engage not just miltarily but also to win in their hearts and minds and stop the stuff on the internet that is corrupting and polluting so many people. "This is something the internet companies and the social media companies need to think about. They need to do more to take that stuff off their media. "The incitements, information about how to become a terrorists, the radicalising sermons and messages, that needs to come down ." Boris Johnson addressing the United Nations Security Council in New York on Thursday afternoonCredit: Richard Drew/AP Police create Westminster attack condolences website Silence held in Spanish region where British victim's family originates At least 100 people have attended a memorial in Spain to commemorate Aysha Frade, who was also killed in the terror attack. A minute's silence was held in the Galician municipality of Betanzos, where the British woman's family originates and where she spent her summers. Betanzos councillor Andres Hermida said the community in Spain was in "enormous pain" and shrouded in an "atmosphere of sadness". An employee sets the Spanish flag at half mast on a balcony of the council of BetanzosCredit: MIGUEL RIOPA/AFP He said: "We had a minute's silence in the Plaza de la Constitucion outside the local government building and we have declared three days of mourning, which will include flying the flag at half mast until Saturday. 'I wouldn't recognise them if I saw them', says landlord of Birmingham flat where three men arrested Patrick Sawer reports from Birmingham: Farhad Makanvand, the owner of the flat above a Persian restaurant raided by police in Birmingham on Wednesday night, told The Telegraph: "I own the restaurant and the two flats. Three men were arrested from my seven-bedroom flat. "I don't know who the men were because I let it out via an agency. I wasn't in the restaurant at the time of the raid, I found out about it from neighbours. "I voluntarily gave a statement to police this morning. But if I saw the three men who live there I wouldn't recognise them." Farhad Makanvand, landlord of the Birmingham property raided by counter-terror police late on WednesdayCredit: Michael Scott/Caters Mr Makanvand said he had been left "deeply shocked" by the sequence of events which culminated in the raid on his premises on Birmingham's Hagley Road. He said he was cooperating fully with the police to help them with their investigations into the attack on Parliament. Terrorist was shot dead by Sir Michael Fallon's bodyguard A Cabinet minister's bodyguard was the officer to stop the Westminster terrorist, it has emerged, raising fresh questions about Parliament's security arrangements, reports Gordon Rayner and Kate McCann. The close protection officer - understood to be the bodyguard of Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon - ran towards the knife-wielding attacker and shot him three times in the chest from short range. Read more here.Te French foreign minister flies to London to visit pupils hurt in attack France has opened an inquiry into "flagrant attempted murder" after three high school students were injured in the Westmisnter attack, reports Henry Samuel. It is being handled by domestic security, DGSI, and the French anti-terror body SDAT. Meanwhile, Jean-Marc Ayrault, the French foreign minister, has flown directly to London from Washington to show support and to pay a visit to the French pupils caught up in the drama. "I was adamant to make a stop in London to convey a message of solidarity to the British people," he said. "We will not forget the solidarity the British people demonstrated when we suffered (terror attacks)." "When we heard the news of the attack, we immediately felt a shock, particularly because young French pupils were involved. We must continue to fight. It is a symbol of democracy that came under attack." The French students were among those injured in the Westminster Bridge massacreCredit: TOBY MELVILLE/Reuters Some 56 pupils from Saint-Joseph lyce in Cocarneau, Brittany were due to be debriefed by police at the hotel Marriott Westminster before flying home in two French military planes. "We organised their repatriation by plane. It will take place today," said Juliette Meadel, French secretary of state in charge of aid to victims. Paul Nuttall: Muslim communities have to do more to root out 'this cancer of radicalisation' Speaking near Parliament, Ukip leader Paul Nuttall said the country must ensure there was no "knee-jerk" reaction after the "evil" attack and called on people to "come together and ensure that we move on forward". He said he was "horrified" by the "act of insanity", but said that Muslim communities had to "do more to root out this cancer of radicalisation". Mr Nuttall said that "we have to do something about people who will be returning from Syria", who he said should not be allowed back into the UK. However, he added: "Let's be frank about this, only a tiny fragment of the Muslim community in this country are radicalised - probably one per cent - so the majority should not be blamed for the actions of one lunatic. "But what will become clear I'm sure is that this is a lone wolf attack, but lone wolf attacks aren't always just committed by one person on their own. There'll be other people who would have known about this... and I just wonder whether more could have been done to stop them." Duchess of Cambridge sends 'thoughts and prayers' The Duchess of Cambridge, speaking at an event in London, has sent her "thoughts and prayers" to all those "sadly affected by yesterday's terrible attack in Westminster", reports Hannah Furness. Speaking at the launch of Best Beginnings, a charity project for mental health in parenthood, she said: "Before I begin, I know you would all want to join me in sending our thoughts and prayers to all those sadly affected by yesterdays terrible attack in Westminster. "We will be thinking of all the families, as we discuss the important issues we're here to talk about." The Duchess of Cambridge pictured on Thursday morningCredit: Chris Jackson/Getty Scottish independence referendum debate put on hold First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said Scotland stands in solidarity with London following the "heinous" terrorist attack on Westminster. In a bid to reassure people, she said there had been a "substantial uplift in armed officers on duty" across Scotland's major cities. The First Minister, though, also urged the public to go about their business "confidently and defiantly". Flags were at half-mast at Holyrood as Ms Sturgeon updated MSPs on the situation. The attack took place while MSPs were debating Ms Sturgeon's plans for a second Scottish independence referendum to be held in the wake of Brexit. The debate has now been put on hold until Tuesday March 28, when Holyrood is likely to vote to give the First Minister the authority to seek talks with Westminster over a section 30 agreement, the mechanism to transfer the powers for a legally-binding ballot to take place Statement from Islamic State, which singled out UK as next target The statement reads: "The attacker is a ISIS soldier who answered the call to attack countries participating in the anti-ISIS coalition." Josie Ensor, the Telegraph's Middle East Correspondent, reports the group's late spokesman, Abu Mohammed Adnani's, previously called on followers abroad: "If you are not able to find an IED or a bullet, then single out the disbelieving American, Frenchman, or any of their allies. "Smash his head with a rock, or slaughter him with a knife, or run him over with your car. Isil has been explicitly threatening attacks on Britain for the last 18 months. At the end of a propaganda video claiming the Paris attacks in November 2015, Isil singled out the UK as its next target. Security stepped up in Rome as EU leaders prepare to descend on city Security is being stepped up in Rome in light of the London terrorist attack as EU leaders prepare to descend on the city for the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome on Saturday, reports Nick Squires in Rome. More than 3,000 police are being deployed to the streets of the capital. Authorities are already deeply concerned about the six demonstrations planned on Saturday, but they are now worried about the risk of a terrorist attack too. Security measures have been stepped up around the Italian parliament, the president's palace on the Quirinale Hill as well as at well-known monuments such as the Colosseum. Police and the Carabinieri are deploying armoured vehicles equipped with water cannon. It comes as it emerged an Italian woman is among the injured from the attack. She is believed to be from Rome. A second Italian, a woman from Bologna, is also reported to have been lightly injured when the terrorist rammed his car into crowds on Westminster Bridge. "When the attack happened, my niece was walking across the bridge and was then crushed against the railings," the woman's aunt told Italian television. "She seems to have been shielded from the worst of it by the group of French children who were hit. It is just awful, it's so shocking what happened." Boris Johnson: 'The worst way to lose the war on terror is to be terrified, and we are not terrified' Boris Johnson, in New York to attend the UN later today, has been speaking on the Morning Joe breakfast show, reports Harriet Alexander. He was asked about the row about Sadiq Khan's September 2016 remarks that living with the threat of terrorism was a part of life in a big city - something which Donald Trump's son Don Jr misquoted, tweeting yesterday: "You have to be kidding me?" The Foreign Secretary said: "There are always a certain number  for all the time I was mayor, we had people we were monitoring and watching. "The crucial message, I think, was the one the Prime Minister gave this morning. Its a city getting on with its business  parliament is running, transport is working. "The worst way to lose the war on terror is to be terrified, and we are not terrified." Video: Defiant London commuters vow to carry on regardless Video: MP breaks down as he pays tribute to his friend Pc Keith Palmer A Conservative MP was on the edge of tears as he paid tribute to Pc Keith Palmer who he met as Gunner Palmer when they served in the Army 25 years ago. James Cleverly said Pc Palmer was "a strong, professional public servant and it was a delight to meet him here again only a few months after being elected. Mr Cleverly, his voice cracking with emotion, asked if Theresa May would recognise the work that he did and other police officers consider recognising his gallantry and sacrifice formally with a posthumous recognition. Mrs May replied Pc Palmer had paid the ultimate sacrifice by giving his life in the heart of democracy. The Prime Minister added she can assure Mr Cleverly that the issue that he has raised is of course one that will be considered in due course. Woman who plunged into Thames as terrorist struck was on holiday with her fiance Police rescued Andreea Cristea, a 29-year-old architect, from the river following the attack, and she is now in a serious condition in hospital. Her partner, engineer Andrei Burnaz, was also taken to hospital with a fractured foot. Andreea Cristea fell into the River ThamesCredit: Facebook The couple had been walking across the bridge towards the London Eye when the terrorist ploughed a 4x4 car through pedestrians, before getting out and stabbing Pc Keith Palmer to death at the entrance to Parliament. Paul Ciocoiu, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Romania, said he believed MIss Cristea had been hit by a car and then thrown into the Thames. The pair were on their way to meet a friend, Patrick Tracey, from Derbyshire, who said: 'They never made it. I phoned and could here shouts in the background and knew instantly something was wrong. I'm in shock." Video: Forensics officers search scene of Pc's murder Around 10 people in blue overalls, apparently forensics officers, were seen on their hands and knees, searching the cobblestones in a horizontal line in New Palace Yard, near where Pc Palmer was stabbed and the attacker was shot. An area of the courtyard remained cordoned off and a blue tent was in the spot where Pc Palmer fell. Queen sends 'thoughts, prayers, and deepest sympathy' The Queen has said her "thoughts, prayers, and deepest sympathy" are with all those who have been affected by yesterday's "awful violence". She wrote in a message to Acting Commissioner of the Met Craig Mackey: "Following the shocking events in Westminster, Prince Philip and I are sorry that we will not be able to open the New Scotland Yard building as planned today, for very understandable reasons. I look forward to visiting at a later date. "My thoughts, prayers, and deepest sympathy are with all those who have been affected by yesterday's awful violence. "I know I speak for everyone in expressing my enduring thanks and admiration for the members of the Metropolitan Police Service and all who work so selflessly to help and protect others." Pope sends message assuring the 'nation of his prayers' Pope Francis has sent a message to Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, assuring the "nation of his prayers" after yesterday's terror attack. The message, communicated via the Holy See's Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, commends those who died to the loving mercy of Almighty God as Pope Francis "invokes divine strength and peace upon their grieving families". Jeremy Corbyn: 'We are united by our humanity and by our democratic values' Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also paid tribute to Keith Palmer, the police officer who lost his life in the attack, and to the police and security services who "keep us safe every day" on the Parliamentary estate. He said: "Today we are united by our humanity and by our democratic values and by that human impulse of solidarity to stand together in times of darkness and adversity. "I express my condolences to the family and friends of police officer Keith Palmer who gave his life yesterday in defence of the public and of our democracy." He added: "We especially pay tribute to the bravery of those who took action to stop the perpetrator of yesterday's assault." More from Theresa May's speech on the victims and the attacker On the injured Mrs May said those injured included 12 Britons, three French children, two Romanians, four South Koreans, two Greeks, and one each from Germany, Poland, Ireland, China, Italy and the United States. Three police officers were also hurt, two of them seriously. Mrs May said the victims also included three police officers who were returning from an event to recognise their bravery. "Two of those three remain in a serious condition," she added. On the attacker Mrs May said the attacker had been identified as someone known by police and MI5, and the working assumption was that he was inspired by Islamist terrorism. She said it was still believed that the attacker acted alone and there was "no reason to believe" further attacks on the public were planned. She added: "His identity is known to the police and MI5 and when operational considerations allow, he will be publicly identified. "What I can confirm is that the man was British-born and that some years ago he was once investigated by MI5 in relation to concerns about violent extremism. "He was a peripheral figure. The case is historic. He was not part of the current intelligence picture. "There was no prior intelligence of his intent or of the plot." 'Our values will prevail' Mrs May concluded her statement by saying: "Our values will prevail." Mrs May said it was an attack on free people all over the world as she thanked global allies including US President Donald Trump for their support. The PM said: "We meet here in the oldest of all parliaments because we know that democracy and the values it entails will always prevail. "Those values - free speech, liberty, human rights, and the rule of law - are embodied here in this place but they are shared by free people around the world. "A terrorist came to the place where people of all nationalities and cultures gather to celebrate what it means to be free. And he took out his rage indiscriminately against innocent men, women and children. "This was an attack on free people everywhere, and on behalf of the British people I would like to thank our friends and allies around the world who have made it clear that they stand with us at this time." Praise for police for 'heroically' doing their job Mrs May praised the police for "heroically" doing their job by stopping the attacker getting access to Parliament. She said: "We should be clear first of all that an attacker attempted to break into Parliament and was shot dead within 20 yards of the gate. "If his intention was to gain access to this building, we should be clear that he did not succeed. "The police heroically did their job." MI5 is 'fully mobilised in support of the police', says chief in rare public statement Director General of MI5 Andrew Parker has condemned the Westminster attack as "appalling and disgusting" and said the agency's operational response is "fully mobilised in support of the police". He said in a statement: "The thoughts of the men and women of MI5 are with the families of those killed in Westminster yesterday, and with the other innocent people injured in this appalling and disgusting attack. "We stand shoulder to shoulder with our police colleagues, grieving at their loss while also applauding the professional excellence of their response. "As Acting Deputy Commissioner (Mark) Rowley said, the security community prepares for such awful events - while working tirelessly to prevent them. "The MI5 operational response is fully mobilised in support of the police." Pictures from sombre Westminster as MPs return to 'business as usual' A sombre calm hung over Westminster the morning after the attack. There were none of the large groups of tourists usually seen taking photos outside Big Ben. Instead the whole area was cordoned off as MPs and staff working in Parliament flashed their passes and filed quietly into an entrance at the side of the building. The police presence is heavy with dozens of officers, many armed with guns, keeping guard at the entrance. Forensics investigators and police officers work at the site near Westminster Bridge Credit: NEIL HALL/Reuters But despite the shock of the terror attack, MPs were determined it will be business as usual in Parliament. SNP MP Alan Brown (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) said: "I feel a slight sense of apprehension, but we can't let the crimes of one person prevent the working of Parliament. "Obviously, our thoughts are with the family of the policeman and other people who were killed. "I suspect it will be an emotional day, it will certainly be a very sombre day, in Parliament. Today it is back to business. "I've got a question on the order paper and a constituency matter to raise, so it is back to the day job of being an MP." Police cordon in Westminster the day after the terror attackCredit: Geoff Pugh for the Telegraph Barry Gardiner, the shadow international trade secretary, said: "Everything has to be seen to get back to normal as quickly as possible so that people realise that this sort of attack is ultimately a futile gesture. "I think the police have been absolutely right not to release details of the attacker, to give it no publicity. "What happened yesterday was sordid, shameful and vile. The attacker caused the most appalling carnage in the lives of 20 to 25 families. "I think everyone in Parliament will want to pay tribute to the security services and the police and how they responded yesterday, and the officer who tragically died." Minute's silence was chosen for 9.33am to honour murdered Pc's 933 shoulder number A minute's silence was held nationwide at 9.33am, including in the Palace of Westminster and at New Scotland Yard, to commemorate the three innocent people killed in Wednesday's assault on Westminster. The time for the silence was chosen in honour of murdered police officer Keith Palmer's shoulder number - 933. 'They were all dressed in black and armed with machine guns' : The moment police stormed Birmingham flat linked to terror attack Neighbours have described the dramatic moment armed police stormed a Birmingham flat linked to the Westminster terror attack. Stunned residents watched as more than a dozen black-clad officers equipped with machine guns smashed their way in to an address in Hagley Road at about 11pm on Wednesday. The Metropolitan Police have confirmed the overnight raid was part of a wider operation in which several addresses were searched and seven arrests made. One witness, who works in a shop near the second-floor flat, said: "The man from London lived here." He added: "They came and arrested three men." A police cordon in Hagley Road, BirminghamCredit: Caters Stuart Bailey, who lives four doors down, was going for a drink with his friend when an armed officer shouted for him to "Go left". The 25-year-old said: "There were a load of armed police in the street and on the pavement and I could see three or four in front of me. "They were all dressed in black and armed with what looked like MP5s (submachine guns) and one of them had six ammunition magazines strapped to his leg. "I wasn't allowed back in my property for an hour." Officers enter the flat where the suspect is believed to have livedCredit: Caters The road was sealed off by balaclava-wearing officers for several hours as the raid continued, although the busy main road into the city has since reopened. Another man who have lived in the neighbouring flats said he was "scared and frightened" when he glanced out of the window and saw about a dozen armed police wearing Kevlar helmets and body armour in the street. One man, asked if he knew anything about the men in the flat, recalled two men living there. He heard one man in the flat speaking on the phone in what he described as an "Arabic or Pakistani accent", saying he had heard it "for the last two or three nights". Hagley Road was cordoned off for several hoursCredit: Caters Describing the raid, he said: "There were armed police and some important-looking guys in suits as well. "They had tools and they were trying to break the doors down, trying to force themselves in. "We were basically staying in our house, we didn't know what was happening. Even today still we don't know what has happened. "Somebody said it was to do with the attack on Parliament, and now we're very scared and frightened." On Thursday morning there was still police activity at the flat, with one of its windows covered with cardboard. Lord Carlile: 'It is very rare for lone wolves to have no connections' Lord Carlile, the former independent government reviewer of terrorism legislation, told BBC Radio 4: "This is the sort of attack that we feared, the sort of attack that was predicted by the authorities. "There may have to be changes in the way that Parliament and other major public buildings are guarded. We have to study what occurred and lean the lessons. It is very rare for so called lone wolves to have no connections whatsoever. "However, I suspect that when we see the background of this perpetrator we will probably see that he was inspired by something external and we have to address the causes that drive people to commit these terrible crimes." Security review to investigate if Palace of Westminster police should be armed Security arrangements at Westminster are to be reviewed following Wednesday's horrific attack. Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said the review would look at whether current security arrangements are "adequate" and whether police at the front gates should be armed. But he said it was neither possible nor desirable to seal Parliament off from the public. Police outside the Palace of Westminster shortly after the attackCredit: Victoria Jones/PA Recap: What we know so far about the Westminster attack If you're just joining us this morning, here's a quick recap of what we know so far about the Westminster attack. You can read a fuller version here. Four people have died - a police officer, the attacker, a woman in her mid 40s and a man in his mid 50s The officer was Pc Keith Palmer, a 48-year-old husband and father with 15 years of police service Seven people have been arrested and six addresses raided across London, Birmingham and elsewhere The woman was killed on Westminster Bridge as a number of pedestrians were mowed down by a grey Hyundai It is believed the man was also killed in the incident on the bridge Seven people are in a critical condition, and 29 have been treated in hospital One woman ended up in the Thames and was treated for serious injuries after being pulled from the water The attacker, armed with two large knives, jumped out of the car after smashing it into the railings encircling the Palace of Westminster, fatally stabbing Pc Palmer as he entered the grounds. He was shot dead moments later by another officer Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has said the working assumption is that the attack is linked to Islamic terrorism Parliament and Whitehall to hold minute's silence MPs, peers and staff working in Parliament and Whitehall will observe a minute's silence at 9.33am to pay respects to the victims of the terror attack. A large area around the Palace of Westminster, including Parliament Square and Westminster Bridge, remained cordoned off on Thursday morning, but staff were able to access the building and return to work. The House of Commons will sit after prayers at 9.30am, with the minute's silence expected to follow, and then questions to Liam Fox and ministers from his Department for International Trade. Two people in overalls and masks were seen sorting through material near the area in New Palace Yard where the attacker was shot and Pc Keith Palmer stabbed, and an area in the courtyard remained cordoned off. The popular Terrace cafeteria was open and serving a hot breakfast as normal as MPs, peers and staff arrived for work. The Union flag was flying at half-mast over the Houses of Parliament and other nearby buildings. Flag at half mast in Westminster on Thursday morningCredit: Eddie Mulholland for The Telegraph Forensics officers remain in Westminster this morning Investigators 'looking at who might have helped' attacker Sir Michael Fallon, the Defence Secretary said investigators were working around the clock. He said: "They have been working right through the night, looking into his background, how he got hold of the vehicle, where the vehicle has been in the last day or two, and who may, or may not, have helped him." Asked if he was known to police, Sir Michael said: "I can't confirm that, you will have to ask the police that." Full statement from Mark Rowley, senior anti-terror officer Here is the full statement on the Westminster terror attack made by Mark Rowley just now: "Good morning - I am here to update you on our ongoing counter-terrorism operation following the horrific attack in Westminster. "Greater clarity is now developing regarding the casualty figures as we have now collated information from the public and five hospitals - the latest figures I have are that there are currently four dead and 29 people were treated in hospital. "We are still collating numbers of walking wounded and of those in hospital sadly seven of them are in a critical condition. "Tragically the deaths included Pc Keith Palmer who was protecting Parliament, and two members of the public - a woman aged in her mid 40s and a man aged in his mid 50s. "The fourth man of course was the terrorist who was shot dead by armed police at the scene. "Hundreds of detectives have been working through the night and during that time I can confirm we have searched six addresses - and made seven arrests. The inquiries in Birmingham, London and other parts of the country continue. "It is still our belief - which continues to be born out by our investigation - that this attacker acted alone yesterday and was inspired by international terrorism. "To be explicit - at this stage, we have no specific information about further threats to the public. "Clearly our investigation is ongoing - developing all the time - and is focused on his motivation, his preparation and associates. "I do recognise that the media are making progress in identifying the attacker - I would continue to ask that his name is not published whilst we are at such a sensitive stage in our investigation - and as I state still conducting arrests and searches. "The large and complicated crime scene remains in place and our work there continues - I would like to thank everyone for their support and patience as we finish this work. "As people are out and about on the streets of the Capital this morning they will see more police officers on duty - armed and unarmed - and a mix of British Transport Police and the City of London. "We have cancelled some leave and increased some duty hours and are working to make sure that we can out in force to reassure the public. "We must not allow terrorists to create discord, distrust and fear. "The police stand with all communities - later today a meeting of faith leaders will be held here at New Scotland Yard. "Whilst our work to investigate and understand what happened yesterday continues with vigour - we must also reflect. "I want to thank the public for their support and all their good wishes - I know it is appreciated by all those men and women who are out there today protecting us. "Finally, I would also like to ask the public for their continued help and continued vigilance and if you see anything that causes you concern or raises your suspicions do not hesitate to call us - 0800 789 321 - or in an emergency 999. Thank you." Video: Attacker killed three; 29 treated in hospital Latest summary from overnight Armed police have carried out an overnight raid on a Birmingham property, which was reportedly linked to the attack in Westminster on Wednesday. Counter-terror detectives are continuing to search for clues about about how an armed attacker, believed to have "inspired by international terrorism", brought death and destruction to the streets of London. Five people were killed in the "sick and depraved" terror attack, including a police officer who was stabbed and his assailant, while dozens more were injured. Armed police launched a late-night raid on a second-floor flat above a row of shops on Hagley Road in Birmingham. Witnesses have said three people were taken away by police. Sky News cited unnamed sources as saying the action was linked to the attack in London. BBC Newsnight had earlier reported there was a suggestion the car used in the attack was hired from an address in Birmingham. However, this has not been confirmed. Mark Rowley, Scotland Yard's top anti-terror officer, confirmed that 40 people were injured after the attacker - armed with two large knives - mowed down pedestrians with his car on Westminster Bridge then rushed at the gates in front of the Houses of Parliament, stabbing a plain-clothes policeman before he was shot by armed officers. Keith PalmerCredit: Metropolitan Police The officer who died was named as Keith Palmer, 48, a husband and father, whose bravery was hailed by colleagues, friends and the many MPs whom he was charged with protecting. The three other fatalities are understood to be people who were hit by the car on Westminster Bridge. Mr Rowley declined to name the attacker, but said police suspect he was "inspired by international terrorism" - and that they believed they knew who he was. Witnesses described scenes of terror when gunfire rang out as the attacker approached a second officer within yards of the Houses of Parliament. The suspected attacker was pictured being treated by paramedics on a stretcher, as two knives used in the assault lay on the ground nearby. Paramedics fought to save his life and that of Mr Palmer on the floor of the cobbled courtyard in front of Parliament, with Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood among those who rushed to help. "Heartbroken" former colleague, Conservative MP James Cleverly, paid tribute to the "lovely man" he had known for a quarter of a century. "I've known Keith for 25 years. We served together in the Royal Artillery before he became a copper. A lovely man, a friend. I'm heartbroken. "My thoughts are with the family, friends and colleagues of Pc Keith Palmer. A brave man." The suspected London terror attacker being treated by paramedics, with the knives used in the assault circledCredit: Stefan Rousseau/PA The killer managed to get in through a vehicle gate in New Palace Yard  used by the Prime Minister and other members of the Government  because it was not locked. Prime Minister Theresa May has described the attack as "sick and depraved". Speaking outside 10 Downing Street after chairing a meeting of the Government's Cobra emergencies committee, Mrs May paid tribute to the "exceptional men and women" of the police force who responded to the attack. Mrs May said that any attempt to defeat the values that Parliament stands for was "doomed to failure". And she vowed: "We will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart." Footage later emerged of the moment police opened fire after the attacker drove a grey Hyundai i40 across Westminster Bridge before crashing it into railings then running through the gates of the Palace of Westminster. In other developments, another woman who apparently fell into the Thames was rescued and given urgent medical treatment on a nearby pier. London Ambulance Service said paramedics had treated at least 10 patients on Westminster Bridge. A party of French schoolchildren were among those targeted on the bridge, with three injured. Mrs May, who was ushered away from Parliament after the attack, was chairing a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee. The attack left a trail of destruction as paramedics tended to victims on the bridge and at the gate.
One woman falls off the bridge and into the River Thames. She is later rescued and given treatment at a nearby pier. Witness Richard Tice, who was exiting Westminster tube station, said: "I was ushered onto Westminster Bridge and looked onto the west pavement of the bridge and literally north to south I must have counted 8-10 prostrate figures on the ground." Image:The route the vehicle driven by the suspect took 2.40pm Outside Parliament Masood speeds off in the car and crashes into railings outside Parliament. Armed with two knives, he gets out of the vehicle and enters the grounds of the Palace of Westminster, where he stabs unarmed police officer Keith Palmer. The knifeman is then shot dead by armed police. 0:56 Video:Westminster attack: Eyewitnesses recall the horror Witness Rick Longley said: "We were just walking up to the (tube) station and there was a loud bang and a guy, someone, crashed a car and took some pedestrians out. "A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the police officer. I have never seen anything like that. I just can't believe what I just saw." Image:The assailant crashes his car into railings outside Parliament 2.40pm Emergency response Emergency services receive reports of the attack and an ambulance crew arrives within six minutes. Paramedics treat PC Palmer and the knifeman, who is surrounded by armed police. Government minister Tobias Ellwood is among those who attempt to save the officer's life. The Tory MP gives mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and attempts to stem the flow of blood. 2.53pm Air ambulance An air ambulance lands at the scene. Image:The Westminster attacker being treated by medics 2.55pm Commons suspended 1:34 Video:Parliament attack: Inside the lockdown Parliament is placed into lockdown and Commons leader David Lidlington tells MPs a "police officer has been stabbed" and the "alleged assailant was shot by armed police". Commons staff are told to stay in their offices, before officers search the building. Theresa May, who was in the Commons voting lobby as gunfire rang out, is bundled into a silver Jaguar and driven from the scene. Parliament Square is closed to traffic. Image:Armed police respond outside Parliament 3.30pm Act of terrorism The Metropolitan Police say the attack is being treated "as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise". Minutes later, Donald Trump says in a meeting that he is "just getting an update on London. Big news". White House press secretary Sean Spicer confirms the President "has been briefed on the situation". MPs are evacuated from the House of Commons chamber by police. Image:Armed officers cordon off Westminster Bridge 4pm Scale of attack A spokesperson confirms the Prime Minister is back at No 10. Minutes later, a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital says one person has been confirmed dead and others have sustained "catastrophic injuries". 2:41 Video:MP caught up in terror attack tells of panic A Holyrood vote on calls for a second Scottish independence referendum is put on hold. 4.25pm Suspicious package A suspicious package is found "attached to a vehicle" outside Parliament and the bomb squad is alerted. Thirty minutes later, Met Police commander BJ Harrington confirms police officers were among those injured in the Westminster attack and says extra officers have been deployed across London. It emerges that a second person has died. Image:The London Eye is stopped as emergency services deal with the aftermath of the attack 5.50pm Ongoing operation Met Police acting deputy commissioner Mark Rowley confirms four people have died - including PC Palmer and Masood. He says three of the injured are officers who were on their way back from a commendation ceremony. 2:25 Video:Eyewitnesses describe horror of terror attack Mr Rowley confirms the Met "can call on the support of the military should we need to at a future point". The Prime Minister speaks over the phone with Donald Trump, who pledges "the full cooperation and support of the US government in responding to the attack and bringing those responsible to justice". 8.50pm 'Sick and depraved' After chairing a meeting of the Government's emergency COBRA committee, Theresa May describes the attack as "sick and depraved". She confirms the UK's threat level will not change, adding: "For those of us who were in Parliament at the time of this attack, these events provide a particular reminder of the exceptional bravery of our police and security services who risk their lives to keep us safe. "Once again today, these exceptional men and women ran towards the danger even as they encouraged others to move the other way." 10.20pm PC named Mr Rowley confirms that four people were killed, including PC Keith Palmer. The 48-year-old husband and father had served for the force for 15 years and was described by Conservative MP James Cleverly, who served with him in the Royal Artillery, as "a lovely man". Image:PC Keith Palmer was stabbed to death by a terrorist as he stood guard outside Parliament 23 March 8.40am Second victim named The second victim is named as Aysha Frade, 43, who was on her way to pick up her children from school when she was killed on Westminster Bridge. The language teacher was hit by Masood's car after leaving DLD College London, where she worked in the administration team, as she walked to collect her two daughters, aged eight and 11. Image:Aysha Frade, 43, was killed on the bridge as she went to pick up her children from school 9.30am Parliament sits Parliament sits as normal in the House of Commons chamber. The afternoon before they had spent five hours locked in the chamber for their own safety following the attack. 9.33am Minute's silence A minute's silence is held nationwide at 9.33am, including in the Palace of Westminster and at New Scotland Yard, to commemorate the three innocent people killed in the attack. Image:One minute's silence for London victims 10.30am PM statement Theresa May pays tribute to PC Palmer, describing him as "every inch a hero" whose "actions will never be forgotten". The PM says the attack tried to "silence democracy" and confirms that the threat level to the UK remains "severe". 11.35am Queen comments The Queen says her "thoughts, prayers, and deepest sympathy" are with all those affected by the "awful violence". She was due to open the New Scotland Yard building with Prince Philip on Thursday, but the visit has been postponed. 12.22pm IS Tweet Islamic State claims it is behind the attack, saying Masood was one of its "soldiers". Their statement seems to suggest he was inspired by the group, rather than being a trained fighter. 2.20pm Third victim named American tourist Kurt Cochran, from Utah, is named as the second civilian who was killed. He and his wife Melissa were on the final day of a trip to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary when they were caught up in the carnage. Mrs Payne-Cochran broke her leg, a rib and cut her head, and is recovering in hospital. Image:Kurt and his wife Melissa were in London to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary
Welcome to London: We can say were not afraid, light candles and make hearts of our hands but the truth is that we cant go on like this, says KATIE HOPKINS Hands held high, making hearts to the heavens. Showing the slaughtered they were not forgotten. Reminding themselves they were here with love. Looking to show humanity wins. That love conquers all. They lay in the centre of London, face down where they fell. Stabbed by a knife, rammed with a car, flung, broken, into the Thames, life bleeding out on the curb. And the news came thick and fast. An injured woman is assisted after a man drove a 4x4 into pedestrians along Westminster Bridge on Wednesday afternoon A car rammed deliberately into pedestrians on the bridge. Ten innocents down. A police officer stabbed at the House of Commons. Confirmed dead. Another woman now, dead at the scene. Shots fired. An Asian man rushed to hospital. People make hearts with their hands during a ceremony in Belgium to commemorate the first anniversary of the bomb attacks in Brussels A woman, plucked from the water. And I grew colder. And more tiny. No anger for me this time. No rage like Ive felt before. No desperate urge to get out there and scream at the idiots who refused to see this coming. Not even a nod for the glib idiots who say this will not defeat us, that we will never be broken, that cowardice and terror will not get the better of Britain. Because, as loyal as I am, as patriotic as I am, as much as my whole younger life was about joining the British military and fighting for my country  I fear we are broken. Not because of this ghoulish spectacle outside our own Parliament. Not because of the lives rammed apart on the pavement, even as they thought about what was for tea. Or what train home they might make. Bystanders stop to give people mouth to mouth after the driver mowed them down. Katie Hopkins says we are now a broken London But because this is us now. This is our country now. This is what we have become. To this, we have been reduced. Because all the while those forgiving fools in Brussels stood with their stupid hands raised in hearts to the sky, another mischief was in the making. More death was in the pipeline. Share this article As the last life-blood of a police officer ran out across the cobbles, the attacker was being stretchered away in an attempt to save his life. London is a city so desperate to be seen as tolerant, no news of the injured was released. No clue about who was safe or not. Liberals convince themselves multiculturalism works because we all die together, too. An entire city of monkeys: see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. Blind. Deaf. And dumb. Members of the civil protection outside the damaged front of Brussels Airport, in Zaventem, a year ago today. The attacks left dozens dead and hundreds injured Immersed in a seething pit of hatred, hidden in pockets of communities plagued by old animosities and ancient strife. These people may have left their lands. But they have brought every tension, every conflict, every bit of fight here with them. The Afghans hate the Somalias who loathe the Eritreans. As it was before, it is now. London is a city of ghettos behind a thin veneer of civility kept polished by a Muslim mayor whose greatest validation is his father's old job. Son-of-a-bus-driver Sadiq. I see him now, penning a missive about how London is a beautiful and tolerant city, how we are united by shared values and understanding, and how we will not be cowed by terror. Sure enough, there he was, saying exactly that, just now. Fool. A police officer is led away from the scene after she tries to revive her colleague who was stabbed in the attack on Wednesday afternoon Even as mothers text to check their children are safe. Including my own, worrying about me as I sit overlooking the scene, feeling fearful of this place where monsters lurk and steal lives away in an instant. For nothing. I would ask Sadiq to stop talking. Empty words. Meanwhile, banning pictures of women in bikinis on the Underground. How does that help? Please, no hashtag, no vigil, no tea lights. I am begging you not to light up Parliament in the colours of the Union. Because we are not united. We are wrenched asunder. The patriots of the rest of England versus the liberals in this city. The endless tolerance to those who harm us, (while the Home Office tries to shift the focus of public fear to white terror)  versus the millions like me who face the truth, with worried families and hopeless hearts, who feel the country sinking. We are taken under the cold water by this heavy right foot in the south, a city of lead, so desperately wedded to the multicultural illusion that it can only fight those who love the country the most, blame those who are most proud to be British, and shout racist at the 52%. Prime Minister Theresa May speaks outside 10 Downing St after the attacks. Katie Hopkins says it is time to admit that multiculturalism has not worked This place is just like Sweden. Terrified of admitting the truth about the threat we face, about the horrors committed by the migrants we failed to deter  because to admit that we are sinking, and fast, would be to admit that everything the liberals believe is wrong. That multiculturalism has not worked. That it is one big fat failure and one big fat lie. President Erdogan of Turkey said there is a war being waged between the crescent and the cross. But he is wrong. Because the cross is not strong. We are down on bended knee, a doormat to be trodden on, a joke only funny to those that wish us harm. The war is between London and the rest of the country. Between the liberals and the right-minded. Between those who think it is more important to tip-toe around the cultures of those who choose to join us, rather than defend our own culture. Katie Hopkins says these incidents are no longer unusual, but commonplace How many more times? And how many more attacks must pass before we acknowledge these are no longer the acts of extremists? That there is no safe badge with which to hold these people at arms length, in the way the liberals casually use the term 'far-right' for anyone who has National pride. These events are no longer extreme. They are commonplace. Every day occurrences. These people are no longer extremists. They are simply more devout. More true to their beliefs. Beliefs which will be supported endlessly across our state broadcaster for the next few months until we buy into the narrative that one religion is not to blame. That in fact we should blame Brexit supporters. For believing in a Britain. As it was before. Anything but the truth. This is why there is no anger from me this time, no rage. No nod for those who pretend we will not be cowed, even as they rush home to text their mum they are safe. No surprise that the city of which I was so proud is now punctured by fear, and demarcated even more formally by places we cannot tread; there were always parts in which a white woman could not safely walk. Sadiq Khan should 'stop talking' according to Katie Hopkins, who says his words are empty as we are 'wrenched asunder' Now I feel only sadness, overwhelming sadness. I will walk over the river tonight and look to the Thames, to the Union flag lowered at half mast, and the Parliament below, and I will wonder, just how much longer we can go on like this.
At least five people are dead, and 40 injured after a vicious terror incident on the Westminster Bridge outside the UK Parliament and Palace of Westminster on March 22. We have details about the situation here. UPDATE: Scotland Yard has confirmed that five people have died in the attack on Westminster Bridge in London, including the attacker, and the police officer who was stabbed in the rampage. One woman was confirmed dead by St Thomas Hospital; hers and the other victims identity are unknown at this time. UPDATE: One woman has been confirmed dead in the Westminster attack by St Thomas Hospital; others reportedly have catastrophic injuries. UPDATE: Londons Metropolitan police have stated that theyre treating the incident as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise. Metropolitan police in London report that at least a dozen people are injured after a car rammed through a crowd on the Westminster Bridge outside the British Parliament building and Palace of Westminster around 2:40pm local time. Loud bangs were heard near the parliament building, according to a Reuters photographer on the scene. Parliament is currently on lockdown as of press time. After the car crash, the suspect reportedly made it through the security gates at the palace and attacked security guards with a knife. One officer was stabbed. The suspect was reportedly shot by police, according to House of Commons leader David Lidington, who added that there were reports of further violence incidents in the area, according to Sky News. Ambulances were seen treating people on the bridge after whats being called a firearms incident. Metropolitan police released a statement on the incident, saying citizens should avoid the following areas: Parliament Square; Whitehall; Westminster Bridge; Lambeth Bridge; Victoria Street up to the junction with Broadway and the Victoria Embankment up to Embankment tube. This is to allow the emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident, the statement read. March 22 is the one-year anniversary of the Brussels bombing attack. HollywoodLifers, well keep you updated on the latest news on this developing story. Check back here.
Update 9.30pm: A 75-year-old man who was injured in the Westminster terror attack has died in hospital, Scotland Yard said. This brings the death toll of the Westminster attack to five. Detectives investigating the terrorist attack in #Westminster can confirm that a 75yo man died tonight after his life support was withdrawn. Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) March 23, 2017 Update 8.50pm: The Taoiseach has offered his condolences to Prime Minister May this evening. The two shared a ten minute phone-call this evening - during which Enda Kenny offered any assistance that maybe required as the UK comes to terms with the tragedy. Update: Britain's Foreign Secretary has led a minute's silence for London's Westminster victims, at the opening of a UN Security Council meeting in New York. Earlier: UK police and intelligence agencies mounted a massive investigation to piece together the movements of Khalid Masood in the lead-up to the attack. Searches were carried out at three addresses in Birmingham and one each in east London, Brighton, south east London and Carmarthenshire A 39-year-old woman was arrested in east London while a 21-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man were held at one address in Birmingham A 26-year-old woman and three men aged 28, 27 and 26 were arrested at another address in Birmingham They were all held overnight while a 58-year-old man was arrested this morning at a third address in Birmingham Investigators are working on the basis that the attacker acted alone Car firm Enterprise confirmed the Hyundai used in the attack was one of its vehicles Islamic State claimed the killer was one of its "soldiers" A review of security arrangements at Westminster was launched The Prime Minister addressed MPs as they gathered at the usual time inside the Palace of Westminster. In a defiant message to a packed House of Commons, Mrs May said: "We will never waver in the face of terrorism." Paying tribute to Pc Keith Palmer, who died after being stabbed, she said: "He was every inch a hero and his actions will never be forgotten." The officer's family described him as "brave and courageous", saying his friends and relatives are "shocked and devastated". The identities of the terrorist's victims on Westminster Bridge have emerged, one a US tourist from Utah celebrating his wedding anniversary, the other a "highly regarded and loved" member of college staff. Kurt Cochran and his wife, Melissa, on the last day of a trip celebrating their 25th anniversary, were visiting her parents, who are serving as Mormon missionaries in London. Mrs Cochran was badly injured. Aysha Frade, who worked in administration at independent sixth-form school DLD College London, in Westminster, is understood to have been 43 and married with two daughters. Meanwhile, Islamic State made its first public pronouncement since the atrocity, claiming in a statement: "The attacker yesterday in front of the British Parliament in London was a soldier of the Islamic State executing the operation in response to calls to target citizens of coalition nations." Commentators pointed out the terror group has a record of opportunistically claiming attacks and said it was significant the statement did not appear to claim it had directed the strike. A minute's silence was held nationwide at 9.33am, including in the Palace of Westminster and at New Scotland Yard, to commemorate the three innocent people who were killed. Forty other people were injured in the attack, with 29 treated in hospital, where seven remained in a critical condition on Thursday. Five people remained in a critical condition on Thursday evening, two with life-threatening injuries. The casualties included 12 Britons, three French children, two Romanians, four South Koreans, two Greeks, and one each from Germany, Poland, Ireland, China, Italy and the United States. Three police officers were also hurt, two of them seriously. There was a visible police presence at an address in the Olympic Park in Stratford, east London. A police van was parked outside a building bearing a plaque that read: "During the 2012 summer Olympic and Paralympic Games this building formed part of the Athlete's Village and was home to competitors, coaches and officials from: Benin, Hungary, Israel, Japan, Mali, Sudan." Plain clothes officers were also seen entering and leaving a block called Lucia Heights.
The embassy said that he had a work visa. It said he returned for six days in March 2015 on a trip booked through an approved travel agent. The Saudi embassy in London says Khalid Masood taught English in the country and was there three times, from November 2005 to November 2006, and again from April 2008 to April 2009. He returned for six days in March 2015. (London Metropolitan Police) The Saudi Embassy said that he wasn't tracked by the country's security services and didn't have a criminal record there. Before taking the name Masood, he was known as Adrian Elms. He was known for having a violent temper in England and had been convicted at least twice for violent crimes. Masood drove his rented SUV across the crowded Westminster Bridge on Wednesday, striking several pedestrians. He then jumped out and attacked police officer Keith Palmer, who was guarding Parliament, fatally stabbing him before being shot dead by police. In all, he killed four people and left more than two dozen hospitalized, including some with what have been described as catastrophic injuries. The group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) claimed responsibility for the attack. Gates to parliament complex left open British officials said security at Parliament will be reviewed after new footage emerged that showed large gates to the complex were left open after Masood rushed onto the grounds. There are concerns accomplices could have followed him in and killed more people. The footage shows pedestrians walking by the open gates and even a courier entering the grounds. A woman is treated by emergency workers near Westminster Bridge after an assailant, who later fatally stabbed a police officer, used a car to mow down pedestrians on the bridge. (Carl Court/Getty Images) The new footage follows the release of earlier video showing slight delays and confusion during the evacuation of Prime Minister Theresa May from Parliament as the attack unfolded. Masood, who at 52 is considerably older than most extremists who carry out bloodshed in the West, had an arrest record dating to 1983. The violence came later, first in 2000 when he slashed a man across the face in a pub parking lot in a racially charged argument after drinking four pints, according to a newspaper account. Hundreds of British police have been working to determine his motives and possible accomplices. Two people remain in custody for questioning. They are two men, aged 27 and 58, who were arrested in the central English city of Birmingham, where Masood was living. Authorities haven't charged or identified the two men. Others who were arrested in connection with the investigation have been released. In this photo from Wednesday, Khalid Masood, identified as the attacker, is seen being treated by emergency services outside the Houses of Parliament in London. He later died from his injuries after being shot by police. (Stefan Rousseau/PA/Associated Press) Details about how he became radicalized aren't clear. His time in Saudi Arabia may provide clues. He was also jailed in Britain and may have become exposed to radical views while an inmate. Masood's last conviction was in 2003, also involving a knife attack. It's not clear when he took the name Masood, suggesting a conversion to Islam.
London attack: First picture of PC Keith Palmer stabbed to death in Parliament terror attack The police officer killed in the Parliament terror attack has been named as Keith Palmer, a 48-year-old husband and father. Scotland Yard confirmed Mr Palmer was one of five killed in the attack, with a further 40 people injured, including three officers. The killer, who was shot by police after he drove into Parliament's gates, was also confirmed to be one of the dead. The man mowed down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before knifing Mr Palmer, who was guarding Westminster Palace as part of the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command. Westminster: Emergency services at the scene (Stefan Rousseau/PA ) In a statement read out on Wednesday evening, acting Deputy Commissioner Mark Rowley said: "One of those who died today was a police officer - PC Keith Palmer - a member of our Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command. "Keith, aged 48, had 15 years' service and was a husband and a father. "He was someone who left for work today expecting to return home at the end of his shift and he had every right to expect that would happen." He declined to name the attacker, but said police believe he was "inspired by international terrorism". Mr Rowley added: "Whilst today is an incredibly sad and sombre day, especially for the Met and everyone affected, it is only right that I mention the pride I feel in the swift and brave response from our officers, especially those who without fear for their own safety had to confront the terrorist." Lockdown: Police outside Parliament (Stefan Wermuth/Reuters) Mayor of London Sadiq Khan called PC Palmer "courageous", saying: "Keith Palmer was killed while bravely doing his duty - protecting our city and the heart of our democracy from those who want to destroy our way of life. "My heart goes out to his family, friends and colleagues. "He personifies the brave men and women of our police and emergency services who work around the clock to keep us safe - tonight all Londoners are grateful to them." Conservative MP James Cleverly later paid tribute to PC Palmer, saying the two were friends who had served in the Royal Artillery together. He tweeted: "I've known Keith for 25 years. We served together in the Royal Artillery before he became a copper. "A lovely man, a friend. I'm heartbroken." He added: "My thoughts are with the family, friends and colleagues of PC Keith Palmer. A brave man. Mr Rowley said three police officers were among those injured, two of whom were in a serious condition. He refused to comment on the identity of the attacker, but said: "Our working assumption is that he was inspired by international terrorism." Paramedics fought to save Mr Palmer's life, and that of his attacker, on the floor of the cobbled courtyard in front of Parliament, with Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood among those who rushed to help. The police officer was wheeled away on a stretcher with his face covered. Mr Ellwood, who lost his brother in the Bali bombing, could be seen pumping the officer's chest then standing above him, his hands and face smeared with blood. Attack at Parliament, March 22, 2017 Attack at Parliament, March 22, 2017 1/36 A policeman points a gun at a man on the floor as emergency services attend the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London Stefan Rousseau/PA 2/36 Emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminste PA 3/36 The scene of the incident @Lukesteele4 4/36 The scene at Westminster bridge this morning, the day after a terrorist attack Jeremy Selwyn 5/36 The scene at Westminster bridge this morning, the day after a terrorist attack Jeremy Selwyn 6/36 The scene at Westminster bridge this morning, the day after a terrorist attack Jeremy Selwyn 7/36 The flag above the Houses of Parliament in London flies at half mast the day after a terrorist attack Jeremy Selwyn 8/36 A forensics tent on Westminster Bridge seen from Victoria Embankment in London the day after a terrorist attack Jonathan Brady/PA 9/36 Police officers walk accross Westminster Bridge the morning after an attack by a man driving a car and weilding a knife Darren Staples/Reuters 10/36 Emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster Stefan Rousseau/PA 11/36 A knife on the cobbles at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London
Eerie silence in Westminster after attack (VIDEO) Published 1 year ago on 23 March 2017 Forensics investigators and police officers work at the site near Westminster Bridge the morning after an attack by a man driving a car and wielding a knife left five people dead and dozens injured, in London March 23, 2017.  Reuters pic LONDRES (United Kingdom), March 23  A bloodied rag lay on the cobbles as two forensic officers worked in a blue tent nearby. But it was the silence today that was the most poignant reminder of the terror attack at Britains parliament. Where normally there is noisy traffic, crowds of tourists and busy-looking MPs and officials walking in and out, the Palace of Westminster  cordoned off since yesterday afternoon  was eerily quiet. The only sounds were the helicopters circling above and the fountain in New Palace Yard, still gushing water just feet from where police officer Keith Palmer was stabbed to death and his suspected assailant was shot. Parliament was locked down during the attack, in which the suspect first mowed down scores of people on nearby Westminster Bridge, leaving two members of the public dead and dozens injured. Westminsters Underground station remained closed early today, while Parliament Square, Westminster Abbey and several key roads were closed off. But the Houses of Commons and Lords were open and will sit as normal in a show of defiance  even allowing in members of the public to watch, as usual. What weve got to do is not give in to terrorism today, Lindsay Hoyle, the deputy speaker of the House of Commons, told Sky News television. We will pay tribute to what has gone on. What we will do is continue as the House of Commons. We will not give in to terrorism, and terrorism will never ever win. A bouquet of flowers lay next to the security cordon outside Westminster Abbey as a tribute to the victims, while a single bloom was tucked into the knot of the police tape. A minutes silence will be held at 0933 GMT across the building, marked by the ringing of the division bells that normally call lawmakers to vote. Flags on government buildings around Westminster flew at half-mast, but many people were walking or cycling into work as usual. Parliamentary staff were escorted into the palace through a side entrance, through the House of Lords coatroom. There were respectful exchanges between staff, while armed police stood silently on guard. In the cobbled yard, the bloodied rag was the only remnant of the frantic scenes where a minister and emergency services tried in vain to resuscitate Palmer, a 48-year-old husband and father. A blue forensics tent stood over the spot where the assailant died, shot by a police marksman, with an ambulance parked alongside. Another tent was installed outside the gates, where the assailant crashed his car.  AFP
This attack struck at the centre of British democracy and power. Armed police at the Houses of Parliament following the attack of 22 March. Photograph: Facundo Arrizabalaga/EPA On Wednesday, the wave of terror attacks witnessed in Europe and elsewhere struck at the heart of London. The attacker has now been identified as Khalid Masood, born in Kent  a 52-year-old known to the security services. Isis has also claimed responsibility, although their inability to name the attacker before the police did raises some doubts as to the veracity of such claims. The far right wants to exploit the Westminster attack. London wont let it | Nesrine Malik Read more Even if investigation proves a link to Islamic State, the fact is that the new norm of low-tech attacks are not unique to them or to other jihadi groups, but to all those willing to inflict terror or indeed criminality. This raises serious security questions and highlights the significance of the UKs comprehensive counter-terrorism strategy, which is designed not only to prevent attacks but to minimise the impact when one happens. It was unsurprising that, after 24 hours, Isiss Amaq news agency released a statement claiming the attacker was a soldier of the Islamic State. The attack bore the hallmarks of events last year in Nice and Berlin, which were attributed to Isis (though in those cases HGVs were used), but the group is often keen to claim responsibility for attacks even when direct links are tenuous. As the space for Isis in Syria and Iraq has contracted, the group has also increasingly emphasised the significance of its western supporters carrying out attacks at home rather than travelling to the caliphate. Last May, Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, a close aide and (before he was killed) a potential successor to leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, said lone actor attacks in the US and Europe were dearer to us than the biggest action by us in Iraq and Syria. This raises the fear that as Isis is pushed out of the Middle East, leading to an influx of returning foreign fighters, attacks like yesterdays will become more frequent. It is important, however, not to exaggerate this fear. Not only should we avoid bolstering Isis propaganda, but the distinction between inspired and directed is important. Although a series of arrests have been made in connection to the event, authorities say they are still acting on the basis that the assailant was operating alone and that there is no intelligence further attacks will follow. It is also important to remember that lone actor attacks have also been carried out by the extreme right in recent years in Europe. Only last June, the Labour MP Jo Cox was murdered by the extreme rightwing terrorist Thomas Mair. Attacks have also been carried out by those later declared to be criminals or with mental illness. This attack was not only symbolic  striking at the centre of British democracy and power  but also rather audacious, targeting one of the most heavily guarded buildings and areas in the city. As the days pass, questions will be asked about how the UK can protect itself against future attacks of this nature. The issue is that substantial security measures are already in place, and there is no way that total security can be guaranteed in a busy, modern city. The UKs counter-terrorism strategy rests on four pillars: prevent, pursue, prepare and protect For the intelligence and security officials responsible for the countrys safety, it was simply a matter of time before of an attack of this nature was brought to the streets of London. This is why the UKs counter-terrorism strategy rests on four pillars: prevent, pursue, prepare and protect. The approach is designed not only to prevent attacks but to minimise the impact when one happens. That the assailant breached parliaments gates is a concern, but the fact he was stopped from going further, highlights that the measures put in place and ramped up over the years essentially worked. That said, the increased tendency to employ easily accessible, low-cost, unsophisticated methods to inflict terror makes this job all the more difficult. The use of these tools is not new, but these attacks appear to be the new norm and reflects the way terrorist techniques can spread through a process of diffusion and imitation. Such plots are almost impossible to uncover when there is little or no command and control, particularly without resorting to police-state type tactics. This makes the prevention aspect of the counter-terrorism strategy  working to prevent people from becoming or supporting terrorists  more important than ever. It is worth also keeping in mind that one of the driving grievances behind terrorism in some countries is overly aggressive security responses. The quick reaction of the police, security and medical services on Wednesday revealed the extent of planning that has gone into preparing for the worst. The rapid response ensured that outside the immediate Westminster vicinity, the rest of London was able to go about life as normal. The quick resumption of business as usual is not to downplay the serious nature of the attack nor the harm it caused to its victims and their relatives. But it is this kind of resilient response that is needed in these uncertain times.
A 75-year-old man has died from injuries he sustained during the Westminster terror attack. The man had been receiving medical treatment in hospital but life support was withdrawn on Thursday. Scotland Yard said the man's next of kin were informed and are now receiving support from liaison officers. A statement from police said: 'Detectives investigating the terrorist attack in Westminster on Wednesday, 22 March can confirm that a 75-year-old man died tonight, Thursday, 23 March." Details about the identity of the victim have not been released. PC Keith Palmer, Aysha Frade and US tourist Kurt Cochran were killed in Wednesday's attack. Police named Khalid Masood, 52, as man they believe carried out the attack which left four dead and 40 injured. Earlier on Thursday London Mayor Sadiq Khan told the thousands of people who responded to his personal invitation to come together in solidarity and sympathy at the Trafalgar Square vigil, that "those evil and twisted individuals who tried to destroy our shared way of life will never succeed and we condemn them". He spoke after detectives investigating Wednesday's attacks on Westminster Bridge and at the Houses of Parliament said they had arrested three women and five men on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts. The suspects were held in raids in London and Birmingham as neighbours of Masood, a 52-year-old with a string of criminal convictions including possession of a knife, spoke of their shock. Scotland Yard said Masood was not the subject of any current investigations before Wednesday's outrage and there was "no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack". However, he was known to police and MI5 and had convictions for assaults, including GBH, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences. Masood was born in Kent on Christmas Day in 1964 and detectives believe he was most recently living in the West Midlands. He was also known by a number of aliases. One former neighbour, Iwona Romek, speaking in Winson Green, Birmingham, said she could not believe her eyes when she realised the man who had lived near her was the man responsible for the attack. She said: "Now I'm scared that someone like that was living close to me." Three people were killed when the knife-wielding attacker ploughed a car through pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, before storming the Parliamentary estate. He was shot dead. A day later crowds gathered in Trafalgar Square for a candlelit vigil in memory of the victims. In praise of the bravery of the emergency services responding to the attack, Mr Khan said: "When Londoners face adversity we always pull together. We stand up for our values and we show the world we are the greatest city in the world." Earlier Prime Minister Theresa May disclosed the terrorist was British-born and was once investigated in relation to concerns about violent extremism some years ago, but was a "peripheral figure". Home Secretary Amber Rudd defended the security and intelligence agencies, saying: "The fact that he was known to them doesn't mean that somebody has 24-hour cover." She disclosed Masood had spent time in jail, but said it was not for terrorist-related offences. As police and intelligence agencies mounted a massive investigation to piece together the killer's movements in the lead-up to the attack: :: Searches were carried out at three addresses in Birmingham and one each in east London, Brighton, south-east London and Carmarthenshire. :: A 39-year-old woman was arrested in east London while a 21-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man were held at one address in Birmingham. :: A 26-year-old woman and three men aged 28, 27 and 26 were arrested at another address in Birmingham. :: They were all held overnight while a 58-year-old man was arrested on Thursday at a third address in Birmingham. :: Investigators are working on the basis that the attacker acted alone. :: Car firm Enterprise confirmed the Hyundai used in the attack was one of its vehicles. :: Islamic State claimed the killer was one of its "soldiers". :: A review of security arrangements at Westminster was launched. The Prime Minister addressed MPs as they gathered at the usual time inside the Palace of Westminster. In a defiant message to a packed House of Commons, Mrs May said: "We will never waver in the face of terrorism." Paying tribute to Pc Keith Palmer, who died after being stabbed, she said: "He was every inch a hero and his actions will never be forgotten." The officer's family described him as "brave and courageous", saying his friends and relatives are "shocked and devastated". The identities of the terrorist's victims on Westminster Bridge have emerged, one a US tourist from Utah celebrating his wedding anniversary, the other a "highly regarded and loved" member of college staff. Kurt Cochran and his wife, Melissa, on the last day of a trip celebrating their 25th anniversary, were visiting her parents, who are serving as Mormon missionaries in London. Mrs Cochran was badly injured. Aysha Frade, who worked in administration at independent sixth-form school DLD College London, in Westminster, is understood to have been 43 and married with two daughters. Meanwhile, Islamic State made its first public pronouncement since the atrocity, claiming in a statement: "The attacker yesterday in front of the British Parliament in London was a soldier of the Islamic State executing the operation in response to calls to target citizens of coalition nations." Commentators pointed out the terror group has a record of opportunistically claiming attacks and said it was significant the statement did not appear to claim it had directed the strike. A minute's silence was held nationwide at 9.33am, including in the Palace of Westminster and at New Scotland Yard, to commemorate the three innocent people who were killed. Forty other people were injured in the attack, with 29 treated in hospital. Five people remained in a critical condition on Thursday evening, two with life-threatening injuries. The casualties included 12 Britons, three French children, two Romanians, four South Koreans, two Greeks, and one each from Germany, Poland, Ireland, China, Italy and the United States. Three police officers were also hurt, two of them seriously. West Minster attack: what we know so far A massive police operation is under way after a terror attack in Westminster, in the heart of London. This is what we know so far: :: Five people have died - Pc Keith Palmer, 48, mother-of-two Aysha Frade and US tourist Kurt Cochran. A 75-year-old man died in hospital on Thursday evening after his life support was withdrawn. The attacker, Khalid Masood, also died. :: Masood, 52, had a string of criminal convictions including possession of a knife, but he was not the subject of any current investigations and there was "no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack". :: Eight people have been arrested and a number of addresses raided across London, Birmingham and elsewhere. :: Those arrested include a 39-year-old woman held overnight at an address in east London on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. :: A 21-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man were also arrested overnight at an address in Birmingham on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. :: A 26-year-old woman and three men aged 28, 27 and 26 were arrested overnight at a separate address in Birmingham on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. :: A 58-year-old man was arrested on Thursday morning at a separate address in Birmingham on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. :: The woman killed on the bridge was Ms Frade, who worked at DLD College London. :: Mr Cochran, 54, from Utah, was the man killed in the incident on the bridge. :: Those injured included 12 Britons, three French children, two Romanians, four South Koreans, two Greeks, and one each from Germany, Poland, Ireland, China, Italy and the United States. :: Three police officers were also hurt, two of them seriously. :: The Hyundai used to mow down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge was hired from a branch of car hire firm Enterprise in Spring Hill, Birmingham. :: The attacker was British-born and was investigated by MI5 some years ago over concerns of violent extremism. :: The attacker, armed with two large knives, jumped out of the car after smashing it into the railings encircling the Palace of Westminster, fatally stabbing Pc Palmer as he entered the grounds. :: He was shot dead moments later by another police officer. :: Islamic State has claimed the attacker was one of its "soldiers". :: Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon has said the working assumption is that the attack is linked to Islamic terrorism. :: Prime Minister Theresa May chaired a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee on Wednesday night, later branding the attack "sick and depraved". :: Police forces around the UK are reviewing their security arrangements in the wake of the Westminster attack.
Westminster attack: Muslim schoolgirls and police among thousands of people holding hands in bridge vigil Muslim schoolgirls, police officers, faith leaders and tourists were among thousands of people who joined hands on Westminster Bridge in a show of defiance a week after a terror attack that killed four people. The vigil came before crowds held an 82-second silence at 2.40pm, to mark the time Khalid Masood launched his massacre. Muslim children carrying flowers join a vigil on Westminster Bridge in London on 29 March: EPA Nurses and doctors from St Thomas' Hospital, where many of the injured were treated, joined those on the bridge, alongside police officers and members of the emergency services. People hold hands on Westminster Bridge during an event to mark one week since the Westminster attack on 29 March (Reuters) Rain began to fall as the crowd fell silent in the shadow of the Palace of Westminster, before dozens of people laid flowers near the site of the attack and along the bridge. One of more than 35 victims injured when Masood ploughed his car into pedestrians was pushed in a wheelchair to lay a tribute to the four people killed in the rampage. Craig Mackey, Acting Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, told mourners: This afternoon is about remembering the victims of last week's events. Our thoughts, our prayers, go out to everyone who was affected by the events last week. "I would urge you, if you get time, to go on to the bridge, talk to Londoners, talk and get a feel for this great city and how it's come together in responding to these events." Organisers of the Hands Across Westminster Bridge memorial said they wanted to show that London would not be divided by the atrocity, linking all nations, faiths, orientation and sexes. Members of Ahmadiyya Muslim Association pay their respects in Parliament Square, London, exactly a week since the Westminster terror attack took place. (PA) More than 500 faith leaders from across Britain walked across the bridge together as part of the memorial, the Metropolitan Police Federation said. School pupils aged nine and 10 from the Al-Sadiq and Al-Zahra Schools clasped yellow roses and held signs reading "Islam says no to terror" and "please don't kill innocent people" as they walked across the Thames. Hundreds of members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association were on the bridge, wearing T-shirts with the message "I am a Muslim, ask me anything". Zafir Malik, an imam from the association, said they were invited by police and wanted to "show that what happened here last week had nothing to do with the so-called religious aspect that this has been given". "[It has] nothing to do with Islam, nothing to do with what we believe in and preach on a daily basis, he added. We're here to show that we are united with our fellow countrymen and remembering those who have fallen, especially PC Keith Palmer. We are here and showing our solidarity for the country.
Midlands forces say no new threats but extra police are on patrol in the wake of Westminster terrorist attack MIDLANDS Police forces have reassured the public that there are no new security threats in the wake of the Westminster attack. Four people died during an incident yesterday (March 22) when a car was driven into pedestrians before crashing into railings at the Palace of Westminster. A policeman was stabbed to death before the attacker was shot dead by armed officers. Extra officers have been deployed across the country and a number of arrests have been made in Birmingham but both West Midlands Police and West Mercia Police say there is no immediate risk to the public or new terrorist threats. In a statement the West Midlands force said: We would like to reassure our communities that we have extra officers out on patrol throughout the next few days to offer reassurance and address any concerns you may have. We are keen to stress that this additional security is not based on any new or emerging intelligence. While West Mercia Police said: We feel it is important to emphasise that there is no specific intelligence relating to any threat to the communities that we serve and we regularly review our security measures to ensure we are doing all we can to keep you safe. Members of the public are being urged to remain vigilant and report anything suspicious to the confidential Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321 or dial 999 in an emergency. West Midlands Police assistant chief constable, Marcus Beale, who leads on counter terrorism for the force, said: "Suspicious activity is anything that seems out of place, unusual or just doesnt seem to fit in with day-to-day life - Let us decide if it is important. We work tirelessly to counter terrorism. Our absolute priority is to ensure the safety and security of the people who live, work and visit the West Midlands area. Our policing tactics and security measures are being reviewed on a daily basis - we, along with our partners, are working around the clock to keep Birmingham and our other cities as safe as can be." West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson said the attacks will not change the region being a place where people from different backgrounds live together side by side in harmony. Mr Jamieson said: "My thoughts are with the victims of the appalling attack in Westminster yesterday. "We are always prepared for incidents and public safety is our top priority. "We should act proportionately, be vigilant, but ultimately get on with our daily lives. If we do not, those who oppose our way of life will win. "The attack on our democracy yesterday will not succeed. We will not be cowed. The public will not let that happen and neither will the emergency services who, as they always do, will put the safety of others ahead of the safety of themselves. "Tragically a police officer died yesterday. This reminds us of how police officers and the emergency services put their lives on the line for us every single day. "I would like to reassure people in Birmingham and the West Midlands that while they should be vigilant, the threat level remains unchanged. "The West Midlands is a place where people from different backgrounds live together side by side in harmony. That will not be allowed to change." South Staffordshire Police chief constable Jane Sawyers has also spoken out after yesterdays terror attack - to give reassurance that day to day policing across Staffordshire continues as normal. She said: We are proud that we stand with all of our faiths and communities and I would like to encourage everyone to remain vigilant. But she stressed: While the UK threat level remains severe, there is no specific intelligence about any raised concerns here. As expected we are in close contact with our colleagues in the Counter Terrorism Unit and we are liaising with other forces to ensure we provide support if required. At this time our thoughts are very much with the victims of this attack, their families and our colleagues in London and across the UK. Ipsoregulated This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's Editors' Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then please contact the editor here. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can contact IPSO here
London police have found no evidence of terrorist plots or accomplices related to Khalid Masood, who killed four people on Westminster Bridge and stabbed a police officer to death outside Parliament on Wednesday. The attackers motive may have died with him, they say. We still believe that Masood acted alone on the day and there is no information or intelligence to suggest there are further attacks planned, Neil Basu, Deputy Assistant Commissioner and Senior National Coordinator for UK Counter Terrorism Policing, said in a statement issued late Saturday. Basu acknowledged that while the detectives of the Metropolitan Polices Counter Terrorism Command are investigating at pace trying to establish with absolute clarity why he did these unspeakable acts, the answer may not be found at all. We must all accept that there is a possibility we will never understand why he did this, Basu said. While the assumption that Masood was a lone attacker has gained credence, the police are yet to establish whether his actions were a result of self-indoctrination or if there were any other people involved who might have incited him. If the latter proves to be the case, they will face justice, Basu said, praising the British public for supporting the polices efforts and commending the early restraint shown by the UK media in its coverage of the attack and its aftermath. Terrorists have tried to tear this City apart before and they have never succeeded, he said, adding that people who were attempting to exploit the tragedy to propel their own agenda to stir up hate are a very small minority. In course of the detailed investigation, police have managed to break down the attack literally into seconds, tracing every step taken by Masood as the incident unfolded. According to their estimates, it took the 52-year old father-of-three just 82 seconds to ram the passersby on Westminster Bridge, crash his car into the rails of Parliament and stab the policemen before he was killed by a police officer inside the perimeter fence. The police were alerted by a 999 call as the attack was in its 51st second, just after Masood rushed out of his car and headed toward the Houses of Parliament. Whilst the attack lasted only 82 seconds, it will remain in the memories of many forever. The thoughts of all those working on this investigation are with those so deeply affected, Basu said, urging possible acquaintances of Masood to reach out to police. In addition to this, police ranks have been beefed up with firearms officers, who have been stationed at checkpoints. The heightened security is expected to remain for at least few more days, according to Scotland Yards counter-terrorism chief Mark Rowley. "The police service will sustain an enhanced armed and unarmed presence over the next few days, he said Saturday. Four people were killed and 50 injured in the attack, which triggered anti-terrorist raids in London and in the Birmingham area. A total of 11 people were initially detained as part of the investigation, but only one suspect, a 58-year-old man from Birmingham, was left in custody as of Saturday evening. He was detained on Thursday morning and faces charges under the Terrorism Act (TACT). Nine others have been released unconditionally, while a 32-year old woman, arrested in Manchester, has been freed on bail.
Addressing the Commons, Prime Minister Theresa May said: "We are not afraid and our resolve will never waiver in the face of terrorism." Ms May said the attacker was a British citizen who was known to police and security services, and had been investigated some years ago over violent extremism. She said the working assumption was he was inspired by Islamist terrorism. Westminster attack: What we know so far She told MPs: "Yesterday an act of terrorism tried to silence our democracy, but today we meet as normal, as generations have done before us and as future generations will continue to do, to deliver a simple message: 'We are not afraid and our resolve will never waver in the face of terrorism'." The black-clad terrorist, armed with two knives, mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed his car through a crowd of people, including schoolchildren. He was then shot dead by armed officers in the courtyard outside the Houses of Parliament after he stabbed PC Keith Palmer, who died of his wounds. Speaking in the shadow of New Scotland Yard, yards from the site of the atrocity, the Met Police's acting deputy commissioner Mr Rowley said: "Hundreds of detectives have been working through the night and during that time officers have searched six addresses and made seven arrests. "The inquiries in Birmingham, London and other parts of the country are continuing." Mr Rowley revised the death toll down from five to four, but said a "mix of nationalities" were among the dead. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP PC Keith Palmer, a member of the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Squad, was stabbed to death as he tried to stop the attacker inside the grounds of the Houses of Parliament. Two members of the public, one believed to be a Spanish teacher on her way to pick her children up from school, the other a man in his 50s, were also killed in the attack. AyshaFrade was on her way to pick up her daughters from school when she was killed in the Westminster attack (Facebook) Aysha Frade, 43, died of her injuries after the attacker ploughed his car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge. Spanish media said Mrs Frade had two daughters aged eight and 11 and worked at the nearby DLD College London. The terrorist was shot three times by armed police and later pronounced dead in hospital. Emergency services at the scene while two knives lay on the floor outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after a policeman was stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament. (PA wire) Mr Rowley said 29 people had been treated in hospital with seven people in a critical condition. Speaking as MPs were returning to Parliament in a show of defiance, he said: "We must not allow terrorists to create discord, distrust and fear. "The police stand with all communities, later today a meeting of faith leaders will be held here at New Scotland Yard. "Whilst our work to investigate and understand what happened yesterday continues with vigour, we must also reflect. "I want to thank the public for their support and all their good wishes, I know it is appreciated by all those men and women who are out there today protecting us." The car is understood to have mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge before ramming the railings outside Parliament The Queen sent her condolences to those affected: "My thoughts, prayers, and deepest sympathy are with all those who have been affected by yesterday's awful violence." Sir Michael Fallon said police were investigating whether the attacker acted alone or had help. The Defence Minister told BBC Radio Four's Today programme: "It was no accident that this attack was on Westminster, because it is at Westminster that we debate differences, very sharp differences, very freely and respectfully between us, and this kind of Islamic terrorism doesn't respect those differences, so it is no accident that there was an attack here." He went on to praise the police response: "They have been working right through the night, looking into his background, and how he got hold of the vehicle, where the vehicle has been in the last day or two, and who may, or may not, have helped him." Asked if the attacker was known to police, he said: "I can't confirm that, you will have to ask the police that." Sir Michael said a spirit of defiance was the best response to such attacks. "It is also, I think, evident form everyone involved yesterday that we are not going to let this kind of terrorism win." The Union flag flies at half mast at parliament after a suspected terror attack brought bloodshed to central London (EPA) The head of MI5 has condemned the attack as "appalling and disgusting". Andrew Parker, director-general of the security service, confirmed its operational response has been "fully mobilised". He said in a statement: "The thoughts of the men and women of MI5 are with the families of those killed in Westminster yesterday, and with the other innocent people injured in this appalling and disgusting attack. "We stand shoulder to shoulder with our police colleagues, grieving at their loss while also applauding the professional excellence of their response. "As Acting Deputy Commissioner Rowley said, the security community prepares for such awful events  while working tirelessly to prevent them. "The MI5 operational response is fully mobilised in support of the police." Britain's most senior police officer confirmed he witnessed the terror attack at Westminster. Acting commissioner of the Met Police Craig Mackey is being treated as a significant witness as he was on the scene. Speaking outside Scotland Yard just yards from the scene of the attack, Mr Mackey said: "I personally was a witness to part of yesterday's events, including part of the tragic attack on PC Palmer. "As with all police officers, I therefore had a duty to secure my evidence and produce statements yesterday evening, which I did before resuming my role leading our response to this incident." Prime Minister Theresa May praised the bravery of police officers as it was announced that the Houses of Commons and Lords would run as normal the day after the attack. "Any attempt to defeat those values through violence and terror is doomed to failure, she said. "Parliament will meet as normal. We will come together as normal. "And Londoners, and others from around the world who have come here to visit this great city, will get up and go about their day as normal. "They will board their trains, they will leave their hotels, they will walk these streets, they will live their lives. "And we will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart." Stories of heroism and bravery emerged from the incident, which brought central London to a standstill and closed transport networks. Paramedics fought to save PC Palmer and his attacker on the floor of the cobbled courtyard in front of Parliament, with Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood among those who rushed to help. Mr Ellwood, who lost his brother in the Bali bombing, could be seen pumping the officer's chest then standing above him, his hands and face smeared with blood. A party of French schoolchildren were among those targeted on the bridge, while four students from Edge Hill University in Ormskirk were also hurt, with two described as "walking wounded", and another couple said to have minor injuries. Romanian and South Korean tourists were also caught up in the tragedy. Police arrest eight in connection with Westminster terror attack 1/7 AyshaFrade was on her way to pick up her daughters from school when she was killed in the Westminster attack Facebook 2/7 PA 3/7 Emergency services at the scene while two knives lay on the floor outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after a policeman was stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament. PA wire 4/7 The car is understood to have mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge before ramming the railings outside Parliament 5/7 The Union flag flies at half mast at parliament after a suspected terror attack brought bloodshed to central London EPA 6/7 An armed police officer stands guard near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament
A TERROR attack has rocked Westminster - with a crazed knifeman running over pedestrians in a car and stabbing a police officer before being shot dead. Several Worcestershire MPs were held on lockdown inside the Commons as today's horrifying terror incident unfolded. Former Worcester Labour MP Mike Foster was also at Westminster today and was told by armed police to leave the area for his own safety. The attacker mowed down people on Westminster Bridge before smashing his car into railings, running through gates at the front of parliament and stabbing a police officer. He then tried to enter the building, where hundreds of MPs were gathered, but was shot several times by armed police as he approached a second officer at 2.45pm. It left a trail of destruction, with victims strewn across the bridge and up to a dozen gunshots heard by witnesses amid the chaos. Some county MPs, including Mid-Worcestershire's Nigel Huddleston and Wyre Forest MP Mark Garnier, were put on lockdown in the chamber as police dealt with the aftermath outside. The staff of all six Worcestershire MP's also locked themselves in their offices as police scrambled to close off roads, before the palaces were evacuated. By 10.45pm this evening four people had died, including the stabbed officer and two pedestrians run over at Westminster Bridge, but police said many more have suffered "catastrophic" injuries, with the toll set to rise. The dead police officer was named as Keith Palmer, 48, a dad and husband with more than 15 years experience in the job. The Met Police released a statement saying "at least" 20 people were seriously injured. One woman jumped into the River Thames to avoid the attacker's 4x4 as it drove at her, and is expected to survive after being rescued from the water and taken to hospital. Mr Huddleston said: "Most MPs were in the chamber at the time we heard the news - my staff are all safe and had locked themselves into my office. "My thoughts and prayers are with the injured police officer and everyone on Westminster Bridge." Some MPs also described how armed military-style police stormed sections of the building. Mr Garnier said: "There were quite a lot of impressive looking blokes in body armour with machine guns - it was very reassuring, given the circumstances." Worcester MP Robin Walker, who is in Brussels today, said: "I'm very shocked and very saddened by what's happened." West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin, who is in Malaysia doing ministerial work in her defence role, is flying back to Britain after being briefed on it. Witnesses described the attacker being an Asian man in 40s with an eight-inch long knife. Prime Minister Theresa May was seen being bundled into a silver Jaguar in the grounds of the palace just 40 yards from where the gunshots unfolded. FORMER WORCESTER MP IN STATE OF "REAL SHOCK" MIKE Foster had a lucky escape today after arriving at the scene just 15 minutes after the attacker was shot dead. Worcester's former Labour MP, who lost his seat in 2010, was at Westminster for meetings about his work fronting up an energy and utilities trade body. He left the palaces just after 1pm and tried to get back in just after 3pm, unaware of what had been unfolding moments earlier. The 54-year-old said: "I'd been in parliament all morning alongside an industry colleague from Worcester Bosch. "After catching up with some former colleagues I left the building just after 1pm. "All was normal - the security level was 'severe', which is not unusual and there is always a strong presence of police, some clearly armed. "It's always a busy place, there's always lots of activity inside the building and lots of tourists outside. "This was no different, so it came as a real shock just after 3pm when I tried to head back to Westminster for further meetings only to see a major police incident was taking place. "I followed the advice and vacated the area. "Something like this was always a possibility, but it's still shocking when it happens. "Obviously my thoughts like everyone else's are with the families of the deceased and those injured in this cowardly attack." Mr Foster, who was Worcester's MP from 1997 to 2010, is now chief executive of the Energy and Utilities Alliance and has not ruled out a return to politics. Ipsoregulated This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's Editors' Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then please contact the editor here. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can contact IPSO here
He had not been convicted previously for any terrorism offences, it said. In a statement to the House of Commons on Thursday, May said Masood was once investigated by intelligence officers over concerns of "violent extremism". London attacker named by police as Khalid Masood "He was a peripheral figure," she said. "The case is historic, he was not part of the current intelligence picture." The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group claimed responsibility on Thursday for the attack. It said on its Amaq website the attacker "carried out the operation in response to calls for targeting citizens of the coalition" of countries fighting ISIL in Syria and Iraq. It was not possible for Al Jazeera to independently confirm the claim, which did not offer any details of the attack or name Masood, casting doubt on whether there is any direct link between ISIL and the London killings. Joseph Downing, from the London School of Economics, expressed scepticism over ISIL's claim. "To me this is something quite common over the last couple of years, over the terrorist attacks in Europe, that ISIL jumps on the bandwagon in the most horrific way and says 'yeah, this our soldier', when there's actually no link between the person carrying out the attack and any particular group," he told Al Jazeera. Some 40 people were wounded in the attack, 29 of whom were being treated in hospital, according to police. Seven were still in critical condition. May said those wounded in the attack included 12 Britons, three French children, two Romanians, four South Koreans, two Greeks, and one each from Germany, Poland, Ireland, China, Italy and the United States. Three police officers were also wounded. The victims included Keith Palmer, a 48-year-old police officer who was stabbed to death, and two members of the public - a woman in her mid-40s and a man in his mid-50s. Earlier on Thursday, police said eight people had been arrested after raids on six homes in London, Birmingham and other parts of the country in their investigation into the attack, in which a man ploughed into pedestrians in a car and then went on a stabbing spree before being shot dead. Mark Rowley, acting deputy commissioner at the Metropolitan police, also revised down the number of victims to three from four. UK police seek answers after Westminster attack "It is still our belief that the attacker acted alone [and] was inspired by international terrorism," Rowley said. Al Jazeera's Barnaby Phillips, reporting from London, said: "The absolute priority of the police at this point in time would be to know what sort of accomplices, if any, the assailant had. What sort of assistance, if any, did the assailant have and whether he belonged to any sort of network." Rowley said he had no specific information about any further risk to the public, but repeated that more officers were on the streets - armed and unarmed - and that many had leave cancelled or were working extended hours. Some of the wounds suffered by the victims were described as "catastrophic". One woman was pulled out alive from the River Thames with serious injuries by port authorities. "We saw a black vehicle at full speed and it ran down a number of people. I could see people flying all around," tourist Babi Nagy told Al Jazeera. "Immediately it came to mind this was a terrorist attack." Polish politician and journalist Radoslaw Sikorski posted a video on Twitter of the aftermath on the bridge, showing several wounded people lying on the ground. "As I was walking up the steps, there was a man who had fallen and medics were taking care of him. There was a lady who was also stabbed or shot. There was a lot of blood," Martin Pearce told Al Jazeera at the scene. The last major attack to hit London was in July 2005, when a coordinated series of bomb blasts targeted its public transportation system during rush hour. The bombings killed 52 people and wounded more than 700 others.
Mr Khater describes himself as a shop manager on his Facebook page, where the about section reads: In past Im great but now I say I dont no [sic]. He said he studied at Sudan University of Science and Technology and went to school in Wad Madani, a city south-east of Khartoum. Mr Khaters page shows a mixture of connections based mainly in Sudan, Birmingham and Nottingham  the two cities that are now the focus of operations by counterterror police. Investigators are searching his former flat above a row of shops in Sparkbrook, near where the first Westminster attacker Khalid Masood lived. The area was the home of several terrorists, including UKs first suicide bomber, its first al-Qaeda plotter, one of one of the financiers of the 9/11 attacks and several extremists who went to fight for Isis. SalihKhater, in a picture posted on Facebook in 2010 (Facebook) Police also raided another property in Birmingham and a flat in Nottingham that was said to be rented by several Sudanese men. No arrests have so far been made in the operations and police are not believed to be hunting for any other suspects over the alleged attack. Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu, the head of UK counterterror policing, said the suspect was not known to MI5 or counterterror police. Mr Basu added: 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  no other suspects at the scene have been identified or reported to the police. There is no intelligence at this time of further danger to Londoners or the rest of the UK connected to this incident. Police officers guarding the area had to leap out of the cars path before armed colleagues rushed to detain the driver early on Tuesday morning. The vehicle had driven from Birmingham late on Monday and arrived in the capital just after midnight, being potted in the central Tottenham Court Road area  a famous shopping and nightlife district  from 1.25am until around 6am. Westminster incident: car crashes into barriers outside parliament We heard screams, then car ploughed into cyclists waiting at lights He said his teams current priority was to formally identify the suspect and establish his motivation if we can  he is not currently cooperating. It was then driven to Westminster and circled around the Houses of Parliament and Whitehall until the crash shortly after 7.30am. Footage showed the car sharply swerving through several cyclists and pedestrians, over central reservations and down the wrong side of the road at high speed before crashing into security barriers. It struck during parliaments summer recess and ahead of the daily rush of tourists to the area, leaving it relatively deserted. Three people suffered non life-threatening injuries in the attack, including a man and woman who needed hospital treatment but have since been discharged. Theresa May vowed that terrorists would never succeed in dividing Britain, after Donald Trump took to Twitter to blame crazy animals for the attack. It struck just metres from where Masood stabbed a police officer to death after running down four pedestrians on nearby Westminster Bridge in March 2017, in the first terror attack claimed by Isis in the UK. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said the area could be pedestrianised in a bid to ward off vehicle attacks, amid a fresh review of security around the Houses of Parliament. (PA) In the past 17 months, Westminster has been hit by two attacks and was the planned location of four disrupted plots, making it currently the biggest since terror target in Britain. Ms Dick said: You will notice that the security around parliament both in terms of armed officers and police officers and physical barriers has been further enhanced over the last several months and there is more to come on that in further months. Whether that area outside should be pedestrianised further, there should be further physical works done, I think is a matter that will be discussed no doubt between parliamentary authorities, us, the intelligence agencies and indeed the local authorities and the mayor. She said vehicles had become a weapon of choice for terrorists, following a spate of similar attacks across Europe. Isis has issued advice to its followers non how to carry out atrocities using vehicles, knives and other easily obtained items, which have made attack plans faster and harder to spot for authorities. At a briefing for journalists in Westminster, the prime ministers spokesman said 13 Islamist and four far-right plots have been foiled since the first Westminster attack in March 2017  an average of one a month. A total of 676 terrorism investigations by MI5 and counterterrorism police were underway by the end of June this year, up from around 500 just four months before.
Police surround the vehicle outside the Houses of Parliament on Tuesday morning Khater was also reportedly being investigated over irregularities in his British citizenship in the days leading up to the attack, the website claims, but the Home Office refused to comment. He is understood to have told pals he was going to London to collect a visa for Sudan before the attack yesterday morning. Ahrha Thomas, also from Birmingham, said: It was an accident just like anyone would have. He was a good person. He just lost control. I know this guy, he went to the embassy to get his visa to go to Sudan. I know him because we live in the same area. There were two ambulances behind him trying to pass and he tried to get out the way and lost control. A trustee of the Birmingham Central Mosque Nassar Mahmood told Sky News Khater was in London to apply for a visa and had his papers with him. Ahmed Al-Athwari, 48, deputy chairman of the Yemeni community in Birmingham, said: Two to three days before the incident he applied for a visa to visit his country. Thats what I have heard from people in Sudan. I hope its not a terrorist attack. People are shocked. We are lucky nobody was injured or killed. I think it was an accident. The incident became bigger because of the place where it happened. People think he could not do it because he didnt have a bad history. Khater appears to have become a lover of Western music and football and recent posts include pictures of a Sudanese mosque and desert scenes. His Facebook profile includes videos from pop stars Celine Dion, Eminem and Rihanna  including Canadian Celine singing Because You Loved Me in Memphis. He posted another video of Eminem and Rihannas Love The Way You Lie. Khater also supported Al-Merrikh SC  based in Omdurman, Sudan  and was seen wearing an Aston Villa shirt while living in Birmingham. Childhood pal Abubakr Ibrahim, 30, told the Sun Online: Hes a good man. The last time I met him was about six years ago. Hes a graduate in electrical engineering at Sudan University. Hes very kind, hes no terrorist, hes a really kind man. When I heard [what had happened] I was surprised. I really cant believe my friend would do that, even cannibals wouldnt do [something like] that. Hes a very good man and he has no idea about terrorism. He explained Khater had moved from his family  including two brothers and a sister  in Sudan around eight years ago. Khater, 29, is said to have driven down from Birmingham to London late on Monday night A man and a woman were taken to hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries and have since been discharged, while another man was treated at the scene. The man was arrested on suspicion of terror offences and taken into custody at a South London police station, but refused to cooperate with cops. The Metropolitan Police said today: Given that it appears to have been a deliberate act, the method used and the iconic location, it is being treated as a terrorist incident and the investigation is being led by officers from the Mets Counter Terrorism Command. It has since emerged he drove 115 miles from Birmingham to London on Monday night and drove around Tottenham Court Road area between 1.25am and 5.55am before heading to Westminster and Whitehall at 6am. He then circled the area before ramming through a group of cyclists waiting at lights  leaving bikes strewn across the road. A builder said: There were ten to 15 cyclists and he went through them. He kept driving on and smashed into the gates. There were about three or four cyclists left on the floor. There were people chasing after him. Bicycles were left on the ground following the rampage at the scene of another terror attack Moment suspect drives a car into a Parliament barrier in Westminister The Mets Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said: Our priority is to formally identify the suspect and establish his motivations if we can. He is not currently cooperating. He said the driver was not known to counter-terror police, but he added: Given this appears to be a deliberate act, the method and this being an iconic site, we are treating it as a terrorist incident. It emerged yesterday that the Fiesta was driven from Birmingham late on Monday, arriving in central London in the early hours of yesterday. It was parked in the Tottenham Court Road area from 1.25am until 5.55am. The lone occupant then drove around Westminster and Whitehall for more than 90 minutes before the attack. Chilling CCTV saw the Fiesta on the one-way system at Parliament Square before suddenly lurching left on to the wrong side of the road. Forensics officers gather evidence at the scene of the crash on Tuesday afternoon as they search for a motive SUN SAYS FOR the second time in 18 months terror has come to Westminster. Again, it is the bravery of our emergency services which stands out above all. To run towards a car, not knowing what or who was in it, takes extra- ordinary bravery. It is courage that we have become used to but that we should never take for granted. There will be hard questions asked over the coming days. It is too early to tell how and why this man came to commit his crime, or why the security services were not able to prevent it. But more broadly, it is a reminder of the threat that stalks our streets. We cannot forget last years carnage, from London Bridge to Manchester, which saw families ripped apart and promising lives cut short. The Government must not let terrorism slip to the back of the queue, no matter how thorny other political issues are. It remains a clear and present danger. The news that there have been 17 foiled plots since last March is terrifying. Theresa May must give our intelligence services all the support they need  including greater powers to investigate social media. Scotland Yard said Masood was a violent criminal convicted of multiple offences spanning 20 years. But they confirmed Masood was not the subject of any current investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack. We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368. You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.
Westminster and the Islamic Connection Back in the autumn of 2010, an online magazine produced and published by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula entitled Inspire, urged its readership to attack the enemies of Allah by ploughing vehicles into pedestrians in crowded locations. Narrower spots are better because it gives less chance for the people to run away they advised. It is a simple idea and there is not much involved in its preparation. All what (sic) is needed is the willingness to give ones life for Allah. Similarly, in 2014 Islamic State spokesman Abu Mohammed al-Adnani issued the following statement directed at enthusiastic ISIS supporters without the means for acquiring explosives and firearms: If you are not able to find an IED or a bullet, then single out the disbeliever (and) slaughter him with a knife, or run him over with your car. More recently, in August of last year, the Islamic State released an issue of their glossy propaganda magazine Dabiq featuring a four page article entitled Why We Hate You and Why We Fight You. This essay clearly and painstakingly spelled out the root causes and objectives of jihadist terror. It was absolutely unequivocal in its declaration that the Islamic obligation to fight the disbelievers until they submit to the authority of Islam is the primary cause of their behavior and that all other factors, including foreign policy grievances, are secondary. The policies of Western societies prioritized for violent reprisals were those of secularism, liberalism, and atheism, rather than interventionism or imperialism. The unusual clarity and articulacy of this article should have made it the final word in a long and abundant history of rhetorically consistent explanations provided by jihadists for their actions. They simply could not be any clearer in stating their motives, their aims, and their strategy for achieving them. And yet, the mainstream response to a Muslim convert named Khalid Masood mowing down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge on the first anniversary of the ISIS bombings in Brussels, before stabbing a police officer to death outside the Houses of Parliament, has once again been the usual medley of exasperating equivocation, desperate misdirection, and willful denial. Armchair experts, Facebook commentators, community spokespeople, journalists, and politicians quickly mounted their standard PR campaign for Islam by declaring that Mr Masood was just a common or garden criminal with a history of violence and drug use, that he had no connection to ISIS or al-Qaeda, that his actions were nothing to do with Islam, that terrorism in fact has no religion, and that in any case, jihadism is simply and solely a political response to Western intervention in the Middle East. As is customary, Prime Minster Theresa May joined in with this chorus of idiocy, once again eagerly showcasing her abject ignorance on this topic, by claiming that this terrorist had perverted a great faith, and that Islamic terrorism is an inaccurate descriptor of what had taken place. There seemed to be little to no understanding that Mr Masoods apparent lack of direct contact or affiliation with Islamic State is utterly irrelevant in establishing motive. Often the link between lone wolf attackers and jihadist terror groups is not in the emails that they may or may not share, but in the ideology and agenda that they clearly do. And unfortunately for the Prime Minister and other apologists for regressive theology, Islamic terrorism is precisely the correct term to use. Islam is an explicitly political religion. It is said to be a complete code of life. The religion that these terrorists subscribe to is not incidental to their terrorism. It is causal. Of course Islamic terrorists do not represent the beliefs of all or even most Muslims, but to disassociate their actions from the religion which they ceaselessly claim to be the key driving force behind their behavior, is at best, reckless wishful thinking. Furthermore, this ridiculous tactic of using aspects of criminality in the history Masood and many other jihadists to undermine the Islamic nature of the terrorism they enact, is to ignore how jihad and martyrdom are viewed in Islam. As commentator Douglas Murray has noted: jihad is considered an act of religious purification. In other words, not only does the Islamic terrorist consider it a religious duty to strike a blow for Allah against the infidels, but he believes that doing so will absolve him of his sins and fast-track him to a paradise of bountiful indulgence in the company of wide-eyed virgins. And as well he might, since there is no shortage of scriptural justification for this view. Although suicide is outlawed in Islam, so-called suicide attackers do not consider their actions to be suicidal in nature. In fact the terms suicide terrorism and suicide bombing are pejorative descriptions for what the jihadists themselves refer to as martyrdom operations. To be killed in the act of waging war for the sake of Allah is known as Istishhad, and it is not only considered to be a legitimate method of warfare in Islam, but it is also viewed as a noble act which sees those who engage in it celebrated as shahids. Masood did not blow himself up, as so many jihadists do, but he will have known that the actions he took would almost certainly culminate his own death. Yet perhaps, as Theresa May claims, this understanding of Islam is a perversion or misinterpretation of this intrinsically peaceful faith. Perhaps its fair to say that the many hundreds of thousands of jihadists across the world have all misunderstood their religion, and the fact that they have all misunderstood it in virtually identical ways is a mere coincidence. But no evidence is ever provided to support this view. The Islam is peace argument is instinctively trotted out every time cries of Allahu Akbar result in a pile of dead bodies, and it is almost always backed up by nothing more than a dishonest rewording of a single Quran verse: Whosoever killed a person It shall be as if he had killed all mankind. Read in context, however, the entirety of the verse makes it abundantly clear that this apparent prohibition on murder does not extend to those guilty of corruption in the land. We decreed upon the Children of Israel that whoever kills a soul unless for a soul or for corruption [done] in the land  it is as if he had slain mankind entirely. And whoever saves one  it is as if he had saved mankind entirely.  Quran 5:32 Corruption is known as Fasad in Islam and its definitions include mere disbelief in Islam. Moreover, the very next verse details the appropriate Islamic method of punishment for such a crime. Indeed, the penalty for those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger and strive upon earth [to cause] corruption is none but that they be killed or crucified or that their hands and feet be cut off from opposite sides or that they be exiled from the land. That is for them a disgrace in this world; and for them in the Hereafter is a great punishment.  Quran 5:33 The fact that many Islamic terrorists, including Osama Bin laden are from the Salafist or Wahhabist tradition also undercuts this narrative. Wahhabism is an Islamic reformist movement which sought to cast off theological embellishments added throughout the centuries since Islams inception, and to restore the faith to its original incarnation. Unsurprisingly, Wahhabism is arguably the most retrograde, oppressive, and fascistic ideology on the planet as well as the biggest exporter of Islamic terrorism around the world. Therefore the Nothing-To-Do-With-Islam Brigade are unwittingly arguing that either the primary exporter of global jihadism is entirely incidental to the acts of global jihadists, or that the most ideologically pure manifestation of Islam, has nothing to do with itself. It shouldnt need pointing out that each of these insinuations occupy relatively equal and substantial spaces in the realms of the absurd. In the case of the Westminster attack, these absurdities culminated, as they so often do, with trite observations about foreign policy blowback. Advocacy group Cage UK, for example, claimed that the War on Terror had unleashed an endless cycle of violence. A British man born in Kent, driving an SUV into a crowd of French school children is the unavoidable consequence of British military involvement in the Middle East, apparently. This same tiresome line of argument was wheeled out after the murder of Fusilier Lee Rigby in Woolwich and the bombing of the Boston Marathon, to name but a few. Predictably, those proffering it as a sufficient explanation for these attacks neglect, without fail, to address the only factor that could lead to British born Nigerians and Chechen-Americans feeling such a strong sense of solidarity with Afghanistan and Iraq that they would murder their own countrymen. Islamic tribalism and loyalty to the Ummah (the brotherhood of Muslims), is by definition a religious imperative, not a political one. What, I wonder, does the execution of homosexuals and blasphemers, the subjugation of Muslim women, the murder of cartoonists, the hanging of apostates, and the stoning of adulterous women have to do with recompense for Western Foreign Policy? Take the Islamists at their word however, and suddenly their behavior makes perfect sense in light of their beliefs. Yet not only is Western Foreign Policy routinely blamed for Islamic terrorism, but the U.S led invasion of Iraq is also blamed outright for the creation of ISIS as an organisation. Admittedly, there is some truth in the narrative that the withdrawal of allied troops created, among other things, a power vacuum in the region. However, Jamaat al-Tawhid wal-Jihad (The Organisation of Monotheism and Jihad), the precursor group to al-Qaeda in Iraq which would go on to become the Islamic State, was formed by a Jordanian four yearsbefore Bush and Blairs war in Iraq and the overthrow of the Baathist regime. The organisation was founded by a violently sectarian Sunni Takfiri with the dual purposes of replacing the apostate Jordanian monarchy with a sufficiently Islamic ruler, and implementing a Caliphate in the Middle East. Eagle-eyed readers may again have detected one or two religious imperatives here. Evasion here is often only possible due to the use of a dishonestly fluid approach to definitions. And because questions such as; what is Islam? What does it teach? What constitutes a real-world manifestation of its precepts? rarely feature in their commentary or their thinking, the job of deceit is made all the more easier for these obscurantists. Since the majority of Muslims are not terrorists, then terrorism, we are told, is un-Islamic by definition. So when excuse-makers for Islamic fascism demand that we write-off the 100-plus calls for violence against unbelievers in the Quran, the barbarism of the hadiths, and the troubling accounts of the life of Muhammad, with claims of contextual and historical nullification, it leaves only two ways of defining Islam. If not by the contents of its foundational texts then at the very least, Islam must be defined by the rulings of its authorities and/or the theological consensus of its adherents. Inconveniently, both of these options present even more problems for those attempting to whitewash Islam as peaceful and as ideologically compatible with secularism and liberalism. All four schools of Sunni Islamic jurisprudence consider Female Genital Mutilation to be either preferable or obligatory. The majority of Muslim jurists consider apostasy to be a crime punishable by death. The majority of the worlds Muslims wish to live in a theocratic state governed by sharia law, and of these, the majority support corporal punishment including stonings. All four schools of Sunni Islamic jurisprudence consider homosexuality a crime and the majority of them consider it indistinguishable from adultery and fornication, and as such, punishable by either death or flogging. Even the majority of British Muslims polled, viewed homosexuality and insulting Islam as deserving of punishment. If Islam really is what the majority of Muslims make of it, then a reasonable assumption is that Islam is a brutal, autocratic belief system which is deeply contemptuous of freedom and minority rights, and is in that respect, virtually indistinguishable from the jihadist interpretation. Indeed, 92 percent of Saudis polled in 2014 agreed that ISIS conforms to the values of Islam and Islamic Law. Im sure this is not the conclusion the apologists are angling for in asking Islam to be judged by these criteria. But then perhaps Islamic doctrine, Islamic jurisprudence, and widespread/majority Muslim opinion is still not sufficient to define Islam. Maybe those Muslims whose motto is Love For All, Hatred For None are truly illustrative of what Islam represents. Ahmadi Muslims They were certainly a majority of Muslims in attendance at the Westminster Bridge vigil. So is it fair to class these people as true Muslims and representative of the Islamic faith? Well, not according to the Sunni orthodox. Ahmadi Muslims, a committedly peaceful sect of Islam, represent roughly one percent of the worlds Muslims. They are considered kufar (disbelievers) by mainstream adherents to the faith, and their supposed heresy has led to their systematic persecution and murder, at the hands of other Muslims, in virtually every country they reside, including the UK. In fact the application forms for Pakistani passports and national ID cards contain a declaration that the applicant considers Ahmadis to be non-Muslims. This utter confusion and determined ignorance among westerners as to what constitutes Islam and what inspires jihadists, is presumably the reason why a Muslim attacking civilians with a car in accordance with Islamic State directives and having a clear interest in jihad, has the police and public so mystified as to his motives. Speaking on the attack, Metropolitan police commissioner Neil Basu said the following: We must all accept that there is a possibility we will never understand why he did this. That understanding may have died with him. The understanding of his motives did not die with Masood. It died long before. It died the moment we decided as a society that we would repeatedly treat attacks of this kind with platitudes and self-delusion and willful ignorance, in preference to confronting the ideology that inspires them. And as such, it seems that our collective instinct for self-preservation has died with it. If you enjoy our articles, be a part of our growth and help us produce more writing for you: 4 comments Some groups do call this Islamic terrorism but they are not often invited to respond by media and so we end up with mush from cowardly talking heads and politicos. Humanists, atheists, freethinkers and others are naming it correctly. Search them out in your local community organizations and help them spread their message of life and reason. Beyond that get behind wonderful leaders like Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Sara Haider, Maryam Namazie, Dan Dennett, Sam Harris, Jerry Coyne, Yasmine Muhammad, Douglas Murray et al. The more they are read and watched the more they will be asked to speak by the media. In your own discourses politely challenge religious norms and be prepared for resistance with reason and compassion. We are all ambassadors for liberalism and reason in an Enlightenment model and need to show it any chance we have thrust upon us. Your faith statement about reason and the Enlightenment is unsupported by the facts. Christopher Hitchens, among other devotees, supported the war in Iraq, the slaughter of a million odd innocents based on lies and greed. It was all very rational provided one accepts the initial irrational premise that brown people deserved to die for US hegemony. The list of eminent thinkers you recommend invariably includes those who espouse reason and science but fail to practice them in their hypotheses and conclusions. They are much like fundamentalists who wrap themselves in Jesus but are strangely unfamiliar with what he actually said. When you try to point out how unscientific their approach is their blindness to what is being said would rival any fundamentalist. The mystification of ones own group is a common characteristic of human attempts to be superior to others and to justify contempt for those of lesser breeding. The slaughter of the 20th century, in the shadow of the Enlightenment, is enough to make me skeptical of those who don its mantle and congratulate themselves on their rationality. In Islam and Judaism there is justification for the slaughter of the infidel or the gentile, but in Christianity there is none, Christians, nevertheless, are murdering unarmed civilians on an unprecedented scale,and supporting Israel in doing the same. That suggests to me that the issue is territory and that evildoers with power dont need to invoke God because they have weapons where those without it have only Allah to defend them. I have no objection to your description of aspects of Islam, nor would I to similar observations about Judaism, but I strongly object to blaming Islam for the justified rage of Middle Eastern Muslims (and Christians!) at the rape of the entire region, let alone the world, by the self-absorbed swine who think that the lives of millions of innocents, including children, are part of some video game.
Media captionFootage shows the moment a car sped down Westminster Bridge and a woman fell into the River Thames Three people have died and at least 40 have been injured after an attacker drove a car along a pavement in Westminster, stabbed a policeman and was shot dead by police in the grounds of Parliament. The dead officer was named as PC Keith Palmer, 48, a husband and father. PM Theresa May said the attack on Wednesday was "sick and depraved" and struck at values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech. The attacker has not been named. Acting Deputy Commissioner and head of counter-terrorism at the Metropolitan Police, Mark Rowley, said they think they know who he is and that he was inspired by international and Islamist-related terrorism, but gave no further details. The attack unfolded at about 14.40 GMT on Wednesday when a single attacker drove a grey Hyundai i40 along a pavement over Westminster Bridge, near the Houses of Parliament in central London, killing three people and injuring many more. The car then crashed into railings outside the Houses of Parliament. The attacker, armed with a knife, ran to Parliament where he was confronted by the police. PC Palmer - who was not armed - was then stabbed and killed. The attacker was shot dead by armed officers. Mr Rowley paid tribute to PC Palmer, saying: "He was someone who left for work today expecting to return home at the end of his shift, and he had every right to expect that would happen." Image copyrightMetropolitan PoliceImage caption Keith Palmer had 15 years service with the police "Heartbroken" former colleague, Conservative MP James Cleverly, paid tribute to the "lovely man" he had known for 25 years. The pair had served together in the Royal Artillery before PC Palmer became a policeman. Mrs May said the attack was a "sick and depraved" attack on the heart of the capital. Such attempts to defeat UK values were "doomed to failure", she said. She paid tribute to the "exceptional men and women" of the police force who responded to the attack, saying: "We will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart." The prime minister added: "The location of this attack was no accident. "The terrorist chose to strike at the heart of our capital city where people of all nationalities, religions and cultures come together to celebrate the values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech." She is expected to make a statement in the Commons later. Media playback is unsupported on your device Media captionLondon attack: Where Westminster attacker struck Brendan Cox, the husband of murdered MP Jo Cox, said it was important to remember that "this was a story about people who didn't come home yesterday". London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: "My message to those that want to harm us and destroy our way of life is: You won't succeed; you won't divide us; we won't be cowed by terrorists." BBC Newsnight reported there was a suggestion the car used in the attack was hired from an address in Birmingham. However, this has not been confirmed. Armed police carried out a raid on an address in Hagley Road in the city on Wednesday night. A witness told the Press Association: "They came and arrested three men." The BBC understands the Birmingham raid is linked to the London attack. West Midlands Police referred inquires about the operation to Scotland Yard. In latest developments: There will be more armed and unarmed officers on duty in London and across the country as a "precautionary measure" The prime minister said the UK terror threat level would remain at severe - its second highest - meaning an attack is "highly likely" Home Secretary Amber Rudd urged everyone to remain calm but be vigilant and if they see anything they are concerned about report it to the police People worried about family and friends can call the police casualty bureau on: 0800 056 0944 or 0207 158 0010. Anyone with images or footage of the incident is urged to send them to www.ukpoliceimageappeal.co.uk Analysis Image copyrightPAImage caption A man believed to be the suspect received medical treatment, while two knives lie on the ground By Dominic Casciani, home affairs correspondent The carnage on Westminster Bridge and inside the grounds of Parliament is the attack that security chiefs here in the UK have long been preparing for. Terrorism looks not just to kill and maim - but to create panic and such a sense of disorder that it rocks a city or nation to its foundations. And this attacker sought to do so in as low-tech way as is possible. The days when terrorism meant large, complex bombs and months of planning are gone: Western security agencies - particularly MI5 and its partner agencies - are very, very good at identifying those plots and disrupting them. The longer it takes to plan such an attack, the more people who are involved, the more chances there will be for security services to learn what is going on. If you are happy to be contacted by a BBC journalist please leave a telephone number that we can contact you on. In some cases a selection of your comments will be published, displaying your name as you provide it and location, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. 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Emergency services outside the Palace of Westminster treat the attacker, who has been named as Khalid Masood. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA Detectives are piecing together the history of the Westminster terrorist Khalid Masood, a 52-year-old ex-convict who used a string of aliases and reportedly converted to Islam only in later life. Masood was described by police as a criminal with a 20-year record of offending, who had once been investigated for extremism but was assessed as low risk. Reports have emerged that his birthname was Adrian Russell Ajao. He was earlier named as Adrian Elms. London attack: police investigate terrorist Khalid Masood as death toll rises  live Read more As police search for any evidence of a wider conspiracy, eight people remain in custody after properties across the UK were raided, while a picture emerged of the killers apparently nomadic lifestyle. The death toll from his assault on the capital rose to four on Thursday night when a 75-year-old man, named as Leslie Rhodes from Streatham, south London, had his life support withdrawn at Kings College hospital. The police said on Friday morning that two people remained in hospital in critical condition, with one of these considered to have life-threatening injuries, after Masood drove his car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before running into the parliamentary estate armed with two knives and fatally stabbing PC Keith Palmer before himself being shot dead. Fifty people have been confirmed as injured, with 31 requiring hospital treatment. Two police officers remained in hospital with significant injuries. The vigil in Trafalgar Square, central London, was held to honour the dead and injured, Sadiq Khan said, but also to send a clear, clear, message  Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism. Westminster vigil: we will never be cowed by terrorism, says mayor Read more Earlier, prime minister Theresa May told MPs Masood had been previously known to MI5: Some years ago, he was once investigated in relation to concerns about violent extremism. He was a peripheral figure. The case is historic  he was not part of the current intelligence picture. Amber Rudd, the home secretary, later added that Masood had spent time in jail, but not for terrorist offences, while the Metropolitan police said Masood was in all likelihood not his birth name. The names of two people who died after Masood mowed them down on Westminster Bridge also emerged. They were Kurt Cochran, 54, a US tourist from Utah celebrating his 25th wedding anniversary, and British-born Aysha Frade, 43, who worked at sixth-form college and had been walking over the bridge to pick up her daughters from school. In the frenzied attack on Wednesday, Masood also stabbed to death PC Keith Palmer, a 48-year-old husband and father. The prime minister said Palmer was every inch a hero and his actions will never be forgotten, while a crowdfunding appeal for his family has raised more than 364,000. The attack was stopped when armed officers assigned to protect the defence secretary, Michael Fallon, shot Masood, who is believed to have been intent on entering parliament. Palmer died at New Palace Yard on the edge of the parliamentary estate, near Parliament Square, raising questions about security for legislators. The original incident, in which Masood drove a Hyundai Tucson 4x4 into crowds at one of Londons busiest tourist spots, left 40 people injured, 29 of whom were taken to hospital. In an emergency statement to the Commons, May said people from around the world had been caught up in the attack. In addition to 12 Britons admitted to hospital, we know the victims include three French children, two Romanians, four South Koreans, one German, one Pole, one Irish, one Chinese, one Italian, one American and two Greeks, she said. London terror attack: what we know so far Read more She also sounded a note of defiance, telling MPs: Today we meet as normal, as generations have done before us and as future generations will continue to do, to deliver a simple message: we are not afraid and our resolve will never waver in the face of terrorism. Mays spokesman said she had received phone calls from world leaders including Angela Merkel, Franois Hollande and Donald Trump, offering their condolences and support, and had herself signed a book of condolence in parliament. She later visited the injured in hospital. Police said Masood had been inspired by Islamic State. But he hid his extremism from his neighbours, coming across as a keen gardener and family man. The domestic intelligence service will face questions over why Masood dropped off the radar after being investigated in relation to concerns over violent extremism. An MI5 team has been set up to see what lessons can be learned from the case and to look at the decision to not put him under surveillance. The police and security services monitor an estimated 3,000 Britons, mainly Islamists, regarded as capable of terrorism, but it emerged he was not on this list. Isis claimed responsibilty for the attack, although the claim could not be verified. Amaq, the news agency it uses to broadcast propaganda, issued a statement describing the attacker as a soldier of Islamic State, without naming him. Police revealed that Masood, born in Kent on Christmas Day 1964, had a string of criminal convictions. In a statement, the Met said: He was known to police and has a range of previous convictions for assaults, including GBH, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences. His first conviction was in November 1983 for criminal damage and his last conviction was in December 2003 for possession of a knife. The investigation is being led by SO15, Scotland Yards counter-terrorism command. Police staged raids across Birmingham, including Masoods recent home in Winson Green, and at properties in London, Carmarthenshire and Brighton. Neighbour Iwona Romek said Masood was a keen gardener, who lived in the modern mews house with his wife and young child. Romek, 45, said her experience of him was of a nice man. She said the family had moved out suddenly in December 2016 and added: I used to see him outside doing his garden. Never any trouble. It is believed that Masood rented the Hyundai car that he turned into a weapon of terror from the depot of a car hire firm, Enterprise, in Spring Hill, Birmingham. Police still believe the attack was carried out by Masood alone, but are looking into whether others helped him. The eight arrests were all on suspicion of acts of preparation of a terrorist act, a key indication that police are investigating the possibility of a wider conspiracy. A 39-year-old woman was arrested in east London, while two women aged 26 and 21 were detained in Birmingham. Five men aged 23, 26, 27, 28 and 58 were arrested in Birmingham. PC Palmers family released a statement paying tribute to the police officer, who had a five-year-old daughter. They said: Dedicated to his job and proud to be a police officer, brave and courageous. A friend to everyone who knew him. He will be deeply missed. We love him so much. As a mark of respect, Palmers shoulder number  4157U  is to be retired and not reissued to any other officer, Scotland Yard said. The Met has put extra officers on the streets and has extended the shifts they work from eight to 12 hours, until further notice. Forces outside London are also increasing their presence on the streets, to provide reassurance and to deter not only any further Islamist attacks but hate crimes against Muslims. The Independent Police Complaints Commission began an investigation into the shooting of the suspect, which is mandated by law.
The media must respond more responsibly to terrorist attacks  heres how Author Disclosure statement Richard English does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. Two days after the Westminster attack on March 22, the journalist Simon Jenkins cautioned against overreaction to such assaults, claiming the actions of the authorities and the media in response to Wednesday have ramped up the hysteria of terror. Writing in the Guardian, he argued that: This was ostensibly a random act by a lone player without access even to a gun. To over-publicise and exaggerate such crimes is to be an accomplice after the act. Londons response to the Westminster attack is an open invitation to every crazed malcontent to try it again. Jenkinss arguments raise vital questions, not least what it is about non-state terrorism that actually changes politics and society. For the historical reality is that it is not terrorism, but how we respond to it, that most decisively changes the world. Does day after day of public obsession about the perpetrator and the terrible incident offer a constructive contribution? Terrorism historically tends not to achieve its perpetrators primary goals. What it does tend to do repeatedly is to achieve publicity and, through it, fear. Anyone wanting to publicise a cause swiftly and dramatically, or to find renown and redemption through political martyrdom, will have watched the aftermath to the London attack and  if anything  been encouraged to emulate it. The situation becomes more messy and unjustifiable the more you consider it, because the United Kingdom doesnt react to all such terrorist attacks equally. A police officer was shot in Belfast in January this year, without a fraction of the attention devoted to Londons appalling experience on March 22. Perhaps it was the lack of fatality in Belfast that day, but prison officers in Northern Ireland have died after terrorists attacked them in recent times, receiving only marginal national coverage. This disproportionate attention to some attacks is a gift to terrorists and their apologists, and that is made clear when looking at the varied reactions to terrorism across the globe. It is, of course, ludicrous to claim that the West is engaged in a war on the Muslim world. But when the UK media and populace react with endless obsession to Western deaths, and with comparatively muted responses to Muslim victims, then it is hard to convince people internationally  or even domestically  that UK policies in relation to terrorism are as benignly intended as they surely are. And proportionality is a wider issue. The attack in Westminster was a merciless, unjustified assault on innocent people. But the genius of terrorism is to magnify comparatively low levels of violence into extraordinarily memorable politics. The chances of dying in the UK as a result of stress or poor diet are far greater than the chances of being killed by a terrorist; but the terrorist threat can seem more worrying because of its easily memorable set of triggers and reminders. And those triggers become even more memorable when society decides to treat them as the UK did recently. So what is to be done? There is a need for clear reporting of events that are as significant as a politically violent attack in London. And one of the treasures of democratic society is that it facilitates and relies upon the freedom of journalistic expression and reporting. Keeping things in proportion But three things are needed if the UK is to get this response to terrorism right. First, a sense of proportion is required. The reaction to the London attack was way out of tune with the political significance of the event, and utterly disproportionate when set against other threats facing the UK. Journalistic reportage needs to stress responsibly how low the threat from terrorism remains in the UK. And when considering terrorist violence and its consequences, complete honesty is necessary. Journalists need to keep pointing out that most of the victims of Islamic State violence are Muslims, and that the spin-off violence in Western Europe is an horrific side effect, despite appalling consequences for its few victims. Second, the media need to ensure that nothing in the coverage pressurises politicians into counter-productive over-reaction. The responsibility of politicians is to minimise the dangers of terrorist attack. And here the record has been mixed. In the wake of 9/11 there was an exaggeration in both the United States and the United Kingdom of the threat that was posed by al-Qaeda to the West. A consequence of that was an over-militarised reaction, one part of which was the Iraq endeavour. It is important to recognise that in the mutually shaping relationship between non-state terrorists and their state opponents, the chaotic aftermath of the Iraq invasion was one of the main reasons for the emergence of IS in the first place. Third, we need to stress the importance of high grade journalism. The reduction in the numbers of people buying high quality newspapers in Britain in recent decades has led to a diminution in the amount of first-class journalism available. Together with the digital revolution in accessing information, this has made serious minded media debate on issues like terrorism more difficult. But theres no need for despair about the options. There remain superb, independently minded journalists (Jenkins among them), and the supposed shift to a post-fact world has been exaggerated. But it is striking how often in recent times authoritative sources of uncomfortable evidence or analysis have been dismissed by politicians, with unsubstantiated assertion offered instead. Journalism that challenges and relies on hard-tested evidence to back up its arguments must be encouraged. That is a societal choice. And it is one of high importance not merely in relation to terrorism, but to issues such as climate change, Scottish independence, Brexit, and much else besides. In relation to terrorism itself, as a society it is important to reflect on what terrorist violence does and does not achieve. Here, the medias role as an informing voice and as a space for discussion and for respectful, constructive disagreement is absolutely essential. Echoes of the IRA The waves of media coverage of former IRA leader Martin McGuinnesss life included some very valuable contributions. But much of the high-profile coverage of his transition from IRA violence to peace process politics ignored the most important aspect of that shift: namely, that McGuinness and other key Irish republicans recognised by the late 1980s that the violence which they had expected to bring them victory was in fact generating only bloodstained stalemate. Hard-headed and pragmatic, they embarked on a jagged and well-constructed journey towards more peaceful politics. Martin McGuinness recognised that violence was not achieving the IRAs aims and effected a shift towards dialogue.PA People often assume that Northern Irish politics demonstrate the victory of extremes. In fact, the opposite is nearer the truth. It was only after the IRA effectively ceased their campaign of terrorist violence that their political party Sinn Fin became the dominant nationalist grouping in the North of Ireland. And there lies one of the paradoxes of terrorism. Yes, it seizes headlines and publicity; but the longer a campaign proceeds, and the more effective the state becomes at containing it, the more difficult it is for the terrorist organisation to make progress towards its central political goals. Like ETA, al-Qaeda, Hamas and the PLO, the IRA found that year after year of violence generated a self-sustaining and high-profile struggle. And it certainly made their cause one that enjoyed international recognition. But many people  including, decisively, many within their own community  came to find the violence repellent, and opted admirably for supporting a strong but peaceful alternative republicanism in Sinn Fin instead. This is not a pattern that can neatly be assumed to apply elsewhere. Ultimately, every terrorist organisation is unique and must be understood as such. But, as I argued in my recent book: Does Terrorism Work? A History, it is comparatively rare for terrorists to succeed in achieving their central, primary goals. Much more common is the securing of a diluted version (autonomy rather than independence; greater power within a state rather than secession from it), something which might be considered a partial strategic success. This can be far from negligible. But it tends not to be the cause for which the group ostensibly killed and suffered. Partial strategic success might also involve the achievement of secondary goals, whether revenge, or the sustenance of resistance into another generation. Terrorism understandably prompts strong emotions and this can be the enemy of calm debate. But the key thing to pursue is a public discussion which makes terrorist atrocity less likely in the future. To stress that terrorist organisations are highly unlikely to achieve their goals, and to recognise that their publicity will often backfire against them politically, is a vital element of reflection. Most important of all, journalists and politicians must aim for proportionate and effective response rather than the polarising effects of overreacting. And it is worth remembering how strongly states can endure even determined terrorist campaigns.
Associated Press has more on Kurt Cochran, the American man named earlier as one of the victims who was killed on Westminster bridge. Cochran, who was travelling across Europe with his wife, Melissa, to celebrate 25 years of marriage, died after being hit by the car driven by Khalid Masood. Melissa Cochran was injured. Kurt and Melissa Cochran. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images AP reports from West Bountiful, Utah, the couples home: For the last decade, the couple ran a recording studio in their basement in a neighbourhood just outside Salt Lake City. Bret Layton started crying while talking about his longtime friend outside Cochrans house on Thursday. Layton said he ran the recording studio with Kurt Cochran. Hes one of those guys: you just know you want him to be your friend within five minutes  He was just an overall good guy to everybody, Layton said. Melissa Cochran is still hospitalised. She suffered a broken leg, broken rib and a cut and bruises, said friend Mike Murphy. Murphy, owner of Murphys Guitars in Bountiful, said Kurt Cochran would come into his shop regularly. He loved music, Murphy said. He was always around when there were music things going on. Emma Dugal, executive director of Bountiful Davis art center, said the couple had volunteered at the organisations annual summer arts festival for years. She described them as warm, friendly people and, as a couple, inseparable. She said Cochrans death will have a huge impact on the music community. I know of musicians who lacked confidence and who werent sure how they wanted to present their talent, but Kurt encouraged them and got them out into performing, and has just made a huge difference in so many peoples lives, Dugal said. Kurt Cochran was a good father who will be missed dearly by his two adult sons, said Danny Wiley, the stepfather to Cochrans sons. He says Cochran loved skateboarding and playing basketball with his sons. Its devastating, Wiley said. He was a good guy, everybody liked him. He always had a smile on his face. Security at the Palace of Westminster is under intense scrutiny after the attack, report Rajeev Syal, Rowena Mason and Heather Stewart: A string of MPs identified Carriage Gates, the entrance on Parliament Square used by the attacker, as a vulnerable point as the officers most closely guarding it are not armed and the gate tends to be left open during parliamentary votes. The attacker, Khalid Masood, is thought to have been shot by a member of the close protection team of Michael Fallon, the defence secretary, whose car happened to have been parked in New Palace Yard because a vote was taking place at the time. Having breached the perimeter of the Palace of Westminster estate at Carriage Gates, there are several routes an intruder could take to the House of Commons chamber area without passing through locked doors accessible by a security pass. Alan Johnson, the Labour former home secretary, said the Carriage Gates were a point of vulnerability, particularly during votes, when they were left open to give easy access for ministers. He said: When the votes are on, the gates are open so that ministers can drive in from wherever they are in their different departments in Whitehall. Liberal Democrat MP Tom Brake, a member of the House of Commons commission and a former deputy leader of the Commons, said: There is the Carriage Gates issue. That is the weak point within the boundary of the Palace of Westminster. I cant preempt what any review is likely to find but I would be surprised if there werent attempts to direct traffic through the Black Rods entrance because traffic there is channeled through very heavy barriers. MPs raise concerns about parliamentary security after attack Thousands gathered in Trafalgar Square in central London on Thursday evening to show solidarity with the victims of Wednesdays attack. The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and home secretary Amber Rudd sent a defiant message, with Rudd telling the crowd: Anti-Brexit march will go ahead on Saturday The pro-EU march will go ahead in London on Saturday, organisers have insisted. Earlier on Thursday evening, Stephen Dorrell, chair of European Movement UK, said it would not go ahead, citing the extra burden on police following Wednesdays terror attack. But Unite4Europe, the umbrella group that has organised the anti-Brexit protest, says the march will go ahead as planned: We have spoken to the police and the GLA [Greater London Authority]. We can confirm that the march will go ahead. All plans remain the same. We will only move to our contingency if the police are still investigating the crime scene come Saturday. Our contingency will include the same march start point and time (Park Lane, 11am) with an alternate end point nearby. We will not be intimidated. We will stand in unity and solidarity. We will march on the heart of our democracy and reclaim our streets in honour and respect of those that fell yesterday. We will be observing a minute of silence and remembrance at the start of the rally. We would encourage all attendees to bring with them some symbol of respect and to act in the appropriate fashion on the day. European Movement UK has issued a clarification, saying that while the march will go ahead, it will not be participating: We dont want to increase the burden on the police at this difficult time. My colleague Denis Campbell has spoken to NHS staff who were among the first to respond to Wednesdays attack: It was a typically busy day in the emergency department at Kings College hospital when Dr Emer Sutherland started receiving text messages from relatives and friends. They were the first indication of the scale of the horror unfolding just two miles down the road in Westminster. Within minutes, she and her colleagues were on major alert and preparing to receive the first of many critically injured casualties. We are a major trauma centre so we are used to dealing every day with majorly injured patients, such as people who have been hit by a car or stabbed, said Sutherland, who is the consultant clinical lead for the hospitals A&E department. But even for her, a highly experienced A&E doctor, it had an impact. Its always emotional when you are working on a day like that. Trauma cases are always emotional because you have to quickly treat someone whos critically injured and who might die. Just after 3pm, Kings received the first of eight casualties from the attack, two of whom were critically ill. At one point we were treating six of the eight casualties in the emergency department at the same time, Sutherland said. It was very busy, but doctors and nurses were focused and calm. Extra colleagues came to help from operating theatres across the hospital, extra pharmacists came with additional supplies, extra radiologists came to do and interpret scans and extra porters came to move patients. That helped reassure the A&E staff. Everyone played their part. Read more here: Westminster attack medics: 'It was a day London has trained for' The Sun has video, taken from within the Palace of Westminster, showing the prime minister being swiftly escorted to her car as the attack unfolded. Theresa May was whisked away from parliament  where she is believed to have been in the voting lobby of the Commons  to Downing Street after the attacker, Khalid Masood, breached the security cordon of the parliamentary estate and fatally stabbed PC Keith Palmer. Masood was then shot dead by an armed officer. The video  which is on the Suns website here  shows May escorted by several security officers, at least one of whom is armed, to a grey vehicle. She runs slightly as she approaches the car, which is then driven out of the grounds. A voice can be heard shouting: There is an incident  Do not go out  Stay in the car. Speaking on BBC Newsnight, home office minister Ben Wallace insisted there are plenty of armed officers in Westminster, following calls by some for police to be routinely equipped with firearms. Wallace told the BBC: There are plenty of armed officers around the House of Commons and the House of Lords, both inside and outside and also around the area, the government quarter, theres a whole range of police forces that cover that area  diplomatic protection, Metropolitan police and other police. There are plenty of guns available and on show as a matter of reassurance. Masood was born 'Adrian Elms'  reports There are multiple reports this evening that Khalid Masood, the man who killed four people before being shot dead on Wednesday, was born Adrian Elms before later converting to Islam and changing his name. The Guardian is working to verify these reports. It is known that Masood was born in Kent. The Metropolitan police had earlier said Masood was likely not to have been his birth name.
Police investigating the Westminster attack have concluded that Khalid Masood acted entirely alone for reasons that may never be known. In the most detailed breakdown yet of events on Westminster Bridge and parliament on Wednesday, police said that the entire attack, in which Masood had killed four people before being shot dead, lasted a mere 82 seconds. After four days of intensive inquiries across England and Wales, involving hundreds of officers, the Metropolitan police said they had so far failed to establish the reason for the attack. It is continuing to look at whether Masood was prompted by online propaganda by Islamic State, which has claimed he was a soldier, or whether he had some other sense of grievance. But deputy assistant Metropolitan police commissioner Neil Basu said: We still believe that Masood acted alone on the day and there is no information or intelligence to suggest there are further attacks planned. The security services do not like the term lone wolf, feeling that it glamorises an attacker, and instead prefer lone actor. Although 11 people were arrested in the aftermath of the attack, nine have since been released, with no further action to be taken. A 58-year-old man arrested in Birmingham remained in custody on Saturday while a 32-year-old woman from Manchester has been released on bail. Police are investigating media reports that Masood checked his encrypted messaging service WhatsApp  or even sent a message  just before the attack, which hinted at others being involved. The police statement confirming that he was a lone actor does not appear to support suggestions that he had been in touch with an accomplice. Basu, who is the senior national coordinator for UK counter-terrorism policing, said: Even if he acted alone in the preparation, we need to establish with absolute clarity why he did these unspeakable acts to bring reassurance to Londoners, and to provide answers and closure for the families of those killed and the victims and survivors of this atrocity. We must all accept that there is a possibility we will never understand why he did this. That understanding may have died with him. The police, having reconstructed the attack, said it had begun at 14:40:08 when Masoods hire car mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge, weaving along the footpath and road until 14:40:38 when he crashed into the perimeter fence of the Palace of Westminster. He left the car at 14:40:51 and was shot by a police firearms officer, part of the close protection team of the defence secretary Sir Michael Fallon, in the palace courtyard at 14:41:30. At 14:40:59, the first 999 call was made to the Met reporting the incident. Basu said the investigation was continuing and appealed for anyone who had spoken to Masood in recent months, especially in the days leading up to the attack, to contact the police. They are still trying to establish whether he had been inspired by terrorist propaganda or if others have encouraged, supported or directed him. If the latter proves to be the case, they will face justice. He praised the way London and communities throughout the rest of the country had come together and that there had been no backlash. The way that communities in London, and throughout the UK, have come together in the wake of this attack shows that we will not give in to those who seek to breed discord and fear, Basu said. Terrorists have tried to tear this city apart before and they have never succeeded. A very small minority of people have tried to use this as an opportunity to stir up hate, but once again we stand together in calm defiance. We will not allow them to divide us. As the police and security services piece together Masoods background, the Saudi Arabian government confirmed that he had worked in the country as an English teacher between 2005 and 2009. It is common for converts to Islam such as Masood to seek work in Saudi Arabia.
BRITISH Prime Minister Theresa May has revealed the London terrorist attacker was investigated by authorities and his identity was known to police and MI5. The Prime Minster said the attacker was British born. The man was British born and ... some years ago he was once investigated by MI5 in relation to concerns about violent extremism, she told parliament, adding: He was not part of the current intelligence picture. May says police believe the man acted alone and there is no reason to believe imminent further attacks are planned. We should remember the bravery of the victims and those who keep us safe day in and day out, she said. Mays speech to parliament came after the second victim has been named as Aysha Frade. The 43-year-old mother of two was reportedly on her way to pick up her children from school when she was caught up in the attack. Eight people have been arrested and six addresses raided in London, Birmingham and elsewhere in connection with the Westminster terror attack, Mark Rowley, the Metropolitan Polices senior anti-terror officer, said. Mr Rowley said 29 people required hospitalisation and seven of them are in critical condition. Despite earlier reports that four victims besides the perpetrator had died, Mr Rowley stated that there were in fact only three victims and police believed the attacker acted alone and was inspired by international terrorism. A minutes silence was observed in and around Parliament at 9am Thursday (local time) in honour of the victims. media_cameraThe flag above the Houses of Parliament flies at half mast, the day after the London terrorist attack. Picture: AP media_cameraForensics investigators and police officers work near Westminster Bridge. Picture: Reuters The incident occurred around 2.40pm local time when a man mowed down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge in his car before stabbing a police officer to death at the entrance to Parliament. media_cameraA knife lies on the cobblestones as a man is treated by emergency services outside the Houses of Parliament London. Picture: AP HOW THE ATTACK UNFOLDED The panic began when the car the attacker was driving, repeatedly swerved on to the pavement on Westminster Bridge, sending victims sprawling. One was killed instantly as she was pushed under a red double-decker bus. Another tumbled down stairs. The attacker appeared to deliberately steer his grey SUV towards the larger groups of pedestrians. One was a group of Korean tourists. Another was a huddle of French schoolchildren. A group of three police officers was also targeted. Mobile phone footage in the immediate aftermath showed the injured sprawled across the bridge. media_cameraPC Keith Palmer who was killed during the terrorist attack. Picture: PA The SUV came to a stop after rebounding off an ornate stone and metal fence near Big Ben. The attacker, described as a middle-aged Asian man, then leapt from the car and sprinted around the corner to the entrance to New Palace Yard. Here he was confronted by unarmed police officer Keith Palmer, whom he attacked with two knives Moments later, as the attacker raced towards the main entrance to Parliament, an armed police officer opened fire. The assailant was critically wounded. He died a short time later. Politicians, lords, staff and visitors were locked down after the man was shot by police within the perimeter of Parliament, just metres from entrances to the building itself and in the shadow of the iconic Big Ben clock tower. media_cameraInjured people are assisted on Westminster Bridge in London. Picture: Reuters A KNIFE AT LONDONS HEART In the House of Commons, legislators were holding a series of votes on pensions when deputy Speaker Lindsay Hoyle announced that the sitting was being suspended and told politicians not to leave. Prime Minister May, who was in the voting lobby at the time, was reportedly bundled into a car by a plainclothes police officer and driven quickly from the scene. Buckingham Palaces gates were closed as a precaution. British PM Theresa May says 'hate and evil' will not drive us apart 4:29 British PM Theresa May makes statement following London terror attacks, stating that hate and evil will not drive us apart. March 22nd 2017 a year ago /display/newscorpaustralia.com/Web/NewsNetwork/Network News/World/ British PM Theresa May says 'hate and evil' will not drive us apart May praised police, saying: these exceptional men and women ran towards the danger. Standing outside her Downing Street residence after an emergency cabinet meeting, May said Britains alert level would be kept unchanged. We will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart, May said. She added any attempt to defeat the values Parliament stands for were doomed to failure. The location of this attack was no accident - the terrorist chose to strike the heart of our capital city media_cameraPeople stand near a crashed car and an injured person lying on the ground, right, on Bridge Street near the Houses of Parliament in London. Picture: AP I tried to stem the flow of blood and give mouth to mouth while waiting for the medics to arrive but I think he had lost too much blood, Ellwood said. He had multiple wounds, under the arm and in the back. The attack came a year to the day after Islamic State jihadists killed 32 people in twin bomb attacks in Brussels and after a series of deadly assaults in Europe that had hitherto spared Britain. media_cameraThis picture of a Muslim woman walking past one of the injured has drawn criticism online. It is not known if she had been helping victims prior to this shot being taken. Picture: REX/Shutterstock/australscope The chilling moments terror hit London1:27 These are the chilling moments after a terrorist attack took place at Westminster House, leaving civilians running for their lives. Courtesy: BBC/Aaron Tsang March 22nd 2017 a year ago /display/newscorpaustralia.com/Web/NewsNetwork/Network News/World/ The chilling moments terror hit London NOWHERE TO RUN The attack began as a driver in a grey SUV slammed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge. The car crashed into railings on the north side of the bridge, less than 200 metres from the entrance to Parliament. Ambulances arrived within minutes to treat people who lay scattered along the length of the bridge. One bloodied woman lay surrounded by a scattering of postcards. Police said another injured woman was pulled from the river. media_cameraAn injured man is assisted on the footpath under Westminster Bridge. Picture: Reuters French newspaper Le Telegramme reports three students from the Concarneau high school in Brittany, aged between 15 and 16, were wounded on Westminster Bridge. One of them ended up on the car bonnet, according to the other young people, the newspaper reports Former Polish foreign minister Radek Sikorski was in a car crossing the bridge when he heard something like a car hitting metal sheet and then saw people lying on the pavement. I saw one person who gave no signs of life. One man was bleeding from his head. I saw five people who were at least seriously injured, Sikorski told Polands TVN24. An air ambulance flew in and police cordoned off a large area, while tourists on the London Eye, a popular visitor attraction, were stuck up to 135 metres in the air for more than an hour during the incident. I saw three bodies lying on the ground and a whole lot of police. It was pretty terrifying, said Jack Hutchinson, 16, from the United States, who was stranded on the observation wheel with his parents. They had become suddenly animated, desperate to stop someone just out of view getting through. It appears the waist-height metal barrier, a tokenistic security precaution to slow down vehicles entering Parliament for ID checks, had proved no obstacle. The efforts of the officers too were in vain. Up to a dozen visitors to Parliament, who had just completed the routine security checks, stood on the spot usually reserved for taking pictures of Big Ben and watched an altogether more desperate spectacle. They saw the attacker run forward, with four uniformed officers giving chase and trying to encircle him. Two individuals, dressed in the black gear used by close protection officers appeared, running towards him. Three or four shots rang out. The assailant fell to the floor; the close protection officers continued to run towards him. News Corp spoke to two men who missed the attack on Westminster Bridge by a matter of minutes. We were there literally two minutes before and went for a walk in front of Westminster Palace but we decided to go for a longer walk across Lambeth Bridge instead. And thank God we did, said Liam Quinn, 25, an air conditioning engineer. It is really sad and Im told it is the anniversary of the Brussels attack which really worries me. TURNBULLS STIRRING SPEECH Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has sent a message of solidarity and heartfelt sympathy to the United Kingdom in the wake of the attack. It was an attack on parliaments, freedom and democracy everywhere, the Prime Minister said. But Australians would not be intimidated or let it change our democratic way of life, he said. We must be clear eyed about the risk, it is real and that is why the terror threat level is set at probable but we will never, ever let the terrorists win, he said. We will defeat and destroy them on the battlefield, we will defeat and defy them at home. We will never change the way we live, we will never let them divide us, we will never let them intimidate us or challenge our democratic way of life or the freedoms for which generations of Australians have served and died to keep secure. media_cameraAustralian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said Australia stands in solidarity with the people of Britain. Picture: AAP Foreign Minister Julie Bishop extended the Australian governments deepest sympathy to the people of the UK after speaking to her counterpart, Boris Johnson. The minister insisted the government is doing all it can to ensure Australia is safe from such an attack. But as we have seen in the United Kingdom today, these events can occur, she said. Australians visiting the UK were told to avoid the area around Parliament House and Parliament Square in London but there will be no changes to travel warnings, Justice Minister Michael Keenan said. The Minister also confirmed Australias terror threat level wont change in response to the attack. Mr Keenan also said an attack like the one on Westminster, where the parliament is located next to a busy city street, was not likely to occur at Australias Parliament House in Canberra. He said the government was very conscious that terrorists could also target people outside the building and in public spaces. The Government has been looking at that and working closely with the states to get a strategy in place to mitigate those risks, Mr Keenan told ABC this morning. Its impossible, of course, for any government to mitigate those risks 100 per cent but were working to make sure there are physical changes to our environment that make it harder for a terrorist to commit the sort of attack that we saw in London. Increased security at Parliament today was standard in the wake of an attack, he said. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has pledged support to Britain after the attack. This shocking crime, designed to weaken the UK, will only make her stronger. All Australians stand with Britain today, he tweeted early on Thursday. Everything else runs second today really, when you have events like this, he later told reporters in Canberra. Our sympathy goes out to the victims, in particular the policeman who died in the line of duty and those who were slain. Our sympathies go out to Australias oldest friend, the United Kingdom. The idea horrifies Australians, that people can walk near the Houses of Parliament and they are subject to murderous assault. Australians should be reassured despite the political domestic debates in Australia, all of us are united in our hatred and opposition of terrorism and the terrorists should know whenever they are, they will never divide this country. A NOTE ABOUT RELEVANT ADVERTISING: We collect information about the content (including ads) you use across this site and use it to make both advertising and content more relevant to you on our network and other sites. This is also known as Online Behavioural Advertising. You can find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out here.
In a statement released after the attack, Mr Rowley said the Metropolitan Police had lost one of our own as he acted to protect the public and his colleagues. The Acting Deputy Commissioner added: This is a day we planned for but hoped would never happen. Sadly its now a reality. We will continue to do all we can to protect the people of London. The scene where the police officer was killed in the grounds of Parliament (PA) Steve White, chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, described the attack as shocking and said it demonstrated the dangers officers face. No words can capture how members of the policing family will feel after todays horrific events, he said. Westminster terror attack: Timeline of events This incident highlights the very real risks that police face each and every day. Officers will tonight take the opportunity to hug loved ones and seek comfort in the company of friends and family. But one will not. The pain of that officers family, friends and colleagues will be shared by us all. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP Among the international messages of solidarity was a tweet from the French National Police, which voiced its support to our British colleague @MetPoliceUK stabbed in the attack near Parliament. Several other forces issued messages, including the Los Angeles Police Department, who said their thoughts & prayers are with the people of #London. Eyewitness Rick Longley described the knife attack: We were just walking up to the station and there was a loud bang and a guy, someone, crashed a car and took some pedestrians out. "They were just laying there and then the whole crowd just surged around the corner by the gates just opposite Big Ben. "A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman. "I have never seen anything like that. I just can't believe what I just saw."
The young Australian woman feared dead after the London Bridge attack narrowly avoided two other barbaric terrorist acts in the UK, her mother has revealed. Sara Zelenak, from Brisbane, has not been since she became separated from friends while on a night out in London on Saturday, with her distraught family launching a public appeal to find the 'smart and sensible' 21-year-old. Her mother, Julie Wallace, has described the moment she found out her daughter was missing after the attack, telling how she was almost caught up in the Westminster Bridge rampage and Ariana Grande concert bombing in Manchester. 'Horror, complete horror. And the one with the policeman being stabbed about three months ago, she was there the day before in the exact spot,' Ms Wallace told radio station 97.3FM on Tuesday. Australia's foreign minister has confirmed that two Australians were killed in the van and knife attacks on London Bridge and London's Borough Market. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says in a statement: 'The Australian government is deeply saddened to confirm that two Australians have been killed in the London terrorist attack.' Bishop has not revealed their names, but London police say Australian nurse Kirsty Boden, 26, is among the seven killed. The family of 21-year-old London-based nanny Sara Zelenak says she had not been heard of his the attack. Another two Australians are recovering from stab wounds to the neck. The mother of Sara Zelenak (pictured), still missing after the London Bridge attack, has revealed her daughter narrowly avoided two other terrorist acts in the UK Ms Zelenak (pictured) has not been seen since Saturday night when she was caught up in the London Bridge terror attack 'The one with Ariana Grande's [concert], she was going to go to the concert. 'Everything she's just missed.' On March 22, policeman Keith Palmer, 48, was stabbed to death by British-born jihadi Khalid Masood, 52, outside Parliament in London and four others were killed when they were mowed down by the terrorist on Westminster Bridge. RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Two months to that day, 22 people died when another Islamist terrorist, Salman Abedi, 22, bombed the Ariana Grande concert in Manchester. Ms Zelenak was meant to be working on the night of the London Bridge attack but changed her plans at the last minute as the family which employs her as an au pair had given her the night off. Three jihadi terrorists shouting 'this is for Allah' killed seven people and left 48 injured on Saturday night when launched a van and knife attack on London Bridge and at nearby Borough Market just after 10pm. On Tuesday, family and friends of Ms Zelenak were seen visiting the family home of the 21-year-old in Brisbane Ms Zelenak's aunt, Tara (pictured), speaking to reporters on Tuesday outside her niece's family home in Brisbane Family and friends, some carrying flowers, were at the family home of Ms Zelenak as they waited for news about her whereabouts Ms Wallace said she last spoke to her daughter at 4.42pm on Friday, Brisbane time, with Ms Zelenak expressing her excitement about her impending trip with her mother and stepfather to France at the end of June. Ms Wallace said her family were distraught at not having heard from Ms Zelenak and told how she has not slept for two days. The family are due to fly out to London in a desperate bid to find Ms Zelenak, who has been living in city since March on what was to be a 'wonderful trip'. Ms Wallace said that as she did not have confirmation her daughter's heart was still beating, she needed to do everything she could to track her down. On Tuesday, family and friends of Ms Zelenak were seen arriving at her family home in Brisbane, before they flew out. Ms Zelenak's stepfather Mark Wallace on Monday said he had called every hospital in the city trying to find Ms Zelenak. Ms Zelenak has not been seen, or heard from, since three jihadi terrorists shouting 'this is for Allah' killed seven people and left dozens injured in the heart of London on Saturday night A British-born jihadi was shot and killed at the gates of the Palace of Westminster after he stabbed a policeman to death and ran down four others in March Ms Zelenak's mother said she had been planning to go to the Ariana Grande concert in Manchester on May 22, which was targeted by terrorists, but changed her plans Young victims look visibly distressed as they leave the Park Inn hotel that took-in victims from the Manchester Arena stadium after the Ariana Grande Concert was bombed An emotional Ariana Grande (pictured) performing at a benefit concert for the victims of the Manchester Arena on Sunday 'Authorities in London can't give any information, they are in a terror lock down, so there's just no ability to find out or get any information... She's been gone for 48 hours and no one has seen or heard from her.' Meanwhile, family and friends launched a public appeal that same day to find Ms Zelenak. Pri Gonalves also revealed she was the last person to see Ms Zelenak  but the pair became separated when they panicked and ran for their lives when a van began plowing into people. The pair had been leaving London Grind, a trendy restaurant moments from the scene of the attack, and were looking for a bar to go to when the chaos began. Mark Wallace (left) the stepfather of Ms Zelenak (right) said he has called every hospital in London in a desperate attempt to find the 21-year-old who has not been seen since Saturday night Pri Gonalves (pictured) revealed she was the last person to see Ms Zelenak on Saturday night A public appeal to help find Ms Zelenak has been launched as the Brisbane woman has been missing since Saturday night's terror attack She called Sara at 10.09am  a minute after police received the first emergency call reporting the attack and tried again a couple of minutes later, again at 10.16pm and 10.17pm but received no answer. And Ms Zelenak hasn't been online to check her messages on Whatsapp since 10.03pm. The pair, both au pairs working in Herne Hill in south London, had met on the train. That evening, they were out celebrating Ms Zelenak's new job in Westminster and had met at London Bridge station before going to dinner.
The Carriage Gates through which Khalid Masood entered the grounds of parliament. Photograph: Jack Taylor/Getty Images Demands are growing for security around the houses of parliament to be enhanced as police seek to establish whether the terrorist who attacked Westminster had scouted the area for weak points. Video footage has emerged showing an entrance to the estate was left open in the immediate aftermath of Wednesdays attack, in which five people including the attacker were killed and more than 50 injured. Khalid Masood: from Kent schoolboy to Westminster attacker Read more The footage shows the Carriage Gates, through which Khalid Masood entered the grounds of Westminster Palace where he stabbed PC Keith Palmer to death, left unguarded for several minutes. As armed officers swarm the cobbled forecourt of New Palace Yard after shooting Masood, the iron gate through which vehicles enter the yard is left wide open. No police officers are visible guarding the gates, pedestrians walk past and a courier on a moped appears to enter unchallenged. The video, obtained by the Times (), fuelled concern that the attack could have been worse if Masood had had accomplices. Speaking on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, the Conservative MP Nigel Evans said: Ive got no doubts whatsoever that there will be enhanced features of security, its happening on a regular basis, but following this tragedy, security has got to be upped at the same time as still having a welcoming hand to members of the public to come and see how democracy works. Evans said many MPs who were locked in the Commons chamber during and after the attack were discussing how to boost security in certain areas. He said, however, that far more checks were carried out at Carriage Gates than at the time he was elected in 1992, when an officer would just wave you through. Ive got no doubts whatsoever that, under the speaker, that he is regularly in touch with the Metropolitan police, and that they will be talking about now, new security measures that will be there, Evans said. Detectives were last night scouring large amounts of CCTV footage to see if Masood had been recorded scouting the Westminster area before his attack. The Guardian understands they are also using camera records and automatic number plate recognition technology to see if Masood was captured driving his rental car, a Hyundai four-wheel drive, around Westminster Bridge to calculate the best location to mount the kerb and inflict the most damage. At the same time, it is expected they will be looking for anyone else doing a similar thing to aid the attack, since which there have been 11 arrests and a series of vehicle seizures across the UK. The former Met commissioner Ian Blair told Today he was absolutely certain that there will be a review now of the outer soft ring that those of us who work at the Palace of Westminster are very used to. Always behind it is the inner core of armed officers, but PC Keith Palmer has paid with his life for that soft outer rim and I think that his family at least, and everybody else, needs the reassurance that will be reviewed. Lord Blair refused to criticise the officers who apparently left the gate unguarded, describing them as human beings who would have been gripped completely by the attack, while knowing armed officers were on their way. But he added: Im absolutely certain that there will have to be changes. People are used to the fact that if they go into Downing Street they are confronted by basically closed gates and armed officers and Im afraid thats what will have to happen, but well leave it to the reviews to see what it is. But I dont think there should be shock, horror about the fact the gates were open for a moment after that kind of attack. Parliamentary authorities have previously been warned about the potential vulnerability of Carriage Gates. Around 5,000 people work on the estate and about 14,000 people hold parliamentary passes, while hundreds of visitors enter the building each day. On Friday, Mark Rowley, Scotland Yards anti-terror chief, said current arrangements were proportionate and that procedures for guarding parliament had been designed so they were not overly intrusive. Our current arrangements have been developed with parliament over many years and are designed to provide access to the seat of our government balanced with security that is proportionate but not overly intrusive, he said. The prime minister also defended security arrangements at parliament on Thursday, saying the UK should be clear that the attacker was unsuccessful in gaining access to the building. The security expert Prof Anthony Glees told the Guardian the attack had demonstrated a lack of protection within parliament, while there were disturbing signs of chaos in the way May was taken away from the estate. Counter-terrorism detectives have been investigating Masoods life and associations across Britain in a race to discover what led him to run down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, crash his vehicle outside parliament and attack two police officers. A joint investigation by Scotland Yards counter-terrorism command and MI5 led to three further arrests on Thursday and early Friday in London, Birmingham and Manchester, with two of them still in custody. Properties were searched in Wales and southern England. It remains unclear whether the attack was carried out alone or with support or encouragement. Fears have heightened that Masood was either radicalised overseas or in prison. The Saudi embassy in London confirmed late on Friday that Masood had been in the country three times and taught English there, from November 2005 to November 2006, from April 2008 to April 2009, and for six days in March 2015. He had a work visa and was not tracked by Saudi security services because he didnt have a criminal record in the country. Khalid Masood was a convert with a criminal past. So far, so familiar Read more But the 52-year-old, born Adrian Elms, was known at home for having a violent temper and had criminal convictions in the UK. A childhood friend told The Sun newspaper Masood had converted to Islam while in jail. When he first came out he told me hed become a Muslim in prison and I thought he was joking, Mark Ashdown said. Then I saw he was quieter and much more serious. I gave him some cash-in-hand work for a few months as a labourer. He said he needed time to pray and read the Quran  something about finding inner peace. There were still flashes of the old Ade, but they were few and far between. I heard hed split from his partner and got even more deeply into religion. But nothing could have prepared me for hearing his name on the radio. Detectives have so far seized 2,700 items as part of the investigation, including massive amounts of computer data, while they have had contact with around 3,500 witnesses. Searches at three addresses are continuing.
An Australian family have shared a tribute to the British police officer killed in the Westminster terror attack, saying he was a 'genuinely nice bloke'. Andrew Thorogood and his family travelled from Alice Springs in the Northern Territory to London in October and asked PC Keith Palmer to pose for a photo with them at the gates of the Houses of Parliament. 'With everyone so suspicious of everyone else these days, he was happy to chat and smile for a photo with a bunch of Territorians on holiday,' Mr Thorogood wrote on Facebook alongside the picture. The photograph was taken in the same spot where Mr Palmer was stabbed to death by Khalid Masood after the 'lone wolf' terrorist ploughed his car into crowds of people on Westminster Bridge on Wednesday. Scroll down for video An Australian family have shared a tribute to the British police officer killed in the Westminster terror attack, saying he was a 'genuinely nice bloke' after they met him at Houses of Parliament in October (pictured) 'It sent a shiver down my spine when I realised Keith was the officer who was killed in the London terror attack,' Mr Thorogood wrote. He said after Mr Palmer told them he would love to visit Australia, his daughters offered to show him how 'special' their home town Alice Springs is. 'That will never happen now, all because he was doing his job and trying to keep people safe in the face of yet another crazy terror attack,' Mr Thorogood said. RELATED ARTICLES Share this article The photo shows Mr Palmer in his uniform with his arms around the Alice Springs father and his two daughters smiling at the entrance to the Houses of Parliament. A total of four people were killed by Masood, 52, in the horrific attack, before he was shot dead by police near where Mr Thorogood's photo was taken. Mr Palmer's family gave their own tribute to the 'courageous' policeman on Thursday, saying he was a 'wonderful dad and husband'. Police officer Keith Palmer was killed by a knifeman before the attacker was shot by other officers outside Parliament. Emergency services desperately tried to save him, pictured, but he succumbed to his wounds 'With everyone so suspicious of everyone else these days, he was happy to chat and smile for a photo with a bunch of Territorians on holiday,' Mr Thorogood wrote on Facebook alongside the picture 'Keith will be remembered as a wonderful dad and husband. A loving son, brother and uncle. A long-time supporter of Charlton FC,' a statement released by his wife Michelle (both pictured) read A police officer places flowers and a photo of Pc Keith Palmer on Whitehall near the closed-off Houses of Parliament in London after the horrific attack 'Keith will be remembered as a wonderful dad and husband. A loving son, brother and uncle. A long-time supporter of Charlton FC,' a statement released by his wife Michelle and his five-year-old daughter read. Keith Palmer poses for a selfie with Parliament visitors 'Dedicated to his job and proud to be a police officer, brave and courageous. A friend to everyone who knew him. He will be deeply missed. We love him so much'. Mr Palmer's colleagues revealed he was nominated for the best thief taker in the Commissioner's Excellence Awards in 2015, after making over 15 arrests in 12 months. He has also been credited with saving the life of former Met officer Nina Whitehead who was involved in a car crash when she was in the passenger seat of a patrol car. Ms Whitehead said Mr Palmer kept her alive until paramedics arrived. 'He was already a hero. In my eyes he always will be. I literally owe him my life,' she said. PC Palmer's portrait rests against a wall close to the spot where he was murdered
Westminster today - as it happened: Theresa May says Russia 'highly likely' behind poison attack on former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Theresa May has said it is "highly likely that Russia was responsible" for the Salisbury nerve agent attack. The Prime Minister has been been updating MPs on the poisoning of ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, following warnings from a senior Tory MP that the incident amounted to "state-sponsored attempted murder". Live Updates Russia is "highly likely" to have been behind the nerve agent attack on former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Theresa May told has MPs. The Prime Minister said "military-grade" substance produced by Russia was used in the poisoning, leaving two possible explanations - Moscow was responsible or it has lost control of its stockpile of the chemical weapon. Russia's ambassador Alexander Yakovenko has been summoned to the Foreign Office to explain what happened. "Should there be no credible response, we will conclude that this action amounts to an unlawful use of force by the Russian State against the United Kingdom," Ms May told Parliament. The Kremlin immediately dismissed the accusation, describing the Prime Minister's statement as a "circus show". In a dramatic statement following a meeting of the UK's National Security Council, during which she received the latest intelligence analysis, Ms May told MPs that Mr Skripal and his daughter were poisoned with an illegal substance that is part of a group of nerve agents known as Novichok. She added: "Based on the positive identification of this chemical agent by world-leading experts at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory at Porton Down; our knowledge that Russia has previously produced this agent and would still be capable of doing so; Russia's record of conducting state-sponsored assassinations; and our assessment that Russia views some defectors as legitimate targets for assassinations; the Government has concluded that it is highly likely that Russia was responsible for the act against Sergei and Yulia Skripal. "There are therefore only two plausible explanations for what happened in Salisbury on 4 March. "Either this was a direct act by the Russian state against our country, or the Russian government lost control of this potentially catastrophically damaging nerve agent and allowed it to get into the hands of others." The Government has demanded an response from Moscow by the end of Tuesday. If no "credible" explanation is received, the UK will conclude there had been an "unlawful use of force" by Russia and outline its response. Following Mrs May's statement, news agency Tass quoted Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as saying: "It is a circus show in the British Parliament. "The conclusion is obvious: it's another political information campaign, based on a provocation." Meanwhile, the investigation into the nerve agent attack has expanded to village of Winterslow, about six miles from Salisbury. Police and Army teams were at a site where a white van was loaded onto a truck ready to be taken away. Theresa May has come under pressure to plan strong retaliation against Russia over the poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal, ahead of security talks with the Cabinet and after a fresh warning to people in Salisbury. Another story driving the day today is alleged bullying at the top of the Labour Party,  after a shadow cabinet minister accused members of Jeremy Corbyns staff of aggressive, intimidating and wholly unprofessional behaviour. Debbie Abrahams, the Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, said her experience highlighted a bullying culture of the worst kind, adding that she would be making a formal complaint to party officials and parliamentary authorities. David Davis has not visited Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland since September 2016, and Boris Johnson has not visited the border since he became Foreign Secretary in July 2016, MPs have discovered. Labour's Conor McGinn and Wes Streeting uncovered the information through a series of written parliamentary questions, which will raise questions on the Government's approach to the Irish border issue after Brexit. It comes after Boris Johnson got into hot water over a leaked to Theresa May, where he claimed it is wrong to see the task as maintaining 'no border'" on the island of Ireland after Brexit. Mr McGinn, a supporter of the pro-EU Open Britain campaign, said: It is beyond belief that David Davis hasnt even bothered to visit Northern Ireland since September 2016 given how vital the issue of the border is to the whole Brexit process. The serious point here is that the Government keeps insisting therell be no return to a hard border on the island of Ireland, despite their reckless decision to drag the UK out of the Single Market and the Customs Union. "But how can we take them at their word when the minister responsible for delivering Brexit has apparently visited Northern Ireland just once since he took on the job over 18 months ago, and has apparently never even visited the border? Several MPs have come out to defend Debbie Abrahams, who has accused Jeremy Corbyn's office of bullying after it announced she had "stood down" from her role as shadow work and pensions secretary over a "workplace issue". Here's the order paper for later today in the Commons, although the real drama will come if the Speaker decided to grant urgent questions on bullying allegations in Parliament, or the poisoning of Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. The public will be urged by the Government to suggest tax changes to curb plastic pollution, amid growing criticism that ministers are dragging their heels. A call for evidence on how tax incentives could cut the amount of single-use plastics  such as cutlery, foam trays and coffee cups  that end up littering the land and poisoning the seas will be launched. Philip Hammond is expected to announce the call in the Spring Statement tomorrow. Sir Vince faced criticism for saying those who backed Brexit were "driven by a nostalgia for a world where passports were blue, faces were white, and the map was coloured imperial pink". Conservative MPs said the remarks were "unfair" and demanded he apologise. Sir Vince told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that he "didn't suggest that at all" but insisted that "nostalgia for that world" was a factor in how people had voted. "One of the factors was indeed nostalgia," he said. "Why else has so much fuss been made about the change in the colour of the passport?" He said one of the most effective pieces of "propaganda" during the referendum had been an advertisement unveiled by then Ukip leader Nigel Farage showing a queue of non-white people with "breaking point" written in large letters. Downing Street has said it does not recognise the reports that the Cabinet was split over the response to Russian spy attack. The Prime Minister's official spokesman told a Westminster briefing: "You have seen words from the PM, Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary and they are very clear that this is an ongoing investigation, that it is important that we allow the police to get on with their work, that we gather all the evidence and if we get to a position when we are able to attribute this attack then we will do so and the Government will deliver an appropriate response." Downing Street also backed the handling of the Salisbury incident by chief medical officer Dame Sally Davies and Public Health England, after criticism over delays in warning customers to wash their possessions to avoid traces of nerve agent. The PM's spokesman said: "She explained that they only received the latest piece of scientific analysis on Saturday and they put in place an information programme making sure they had a website ready so that the public were able to access all the information they needed early on Sunday morning." Controversial plans to force people to prove their age before watching pornography online have been delayed by the Government. Ministers had long been hoping to introduce age checks to ensure that only over-18s can watch adult content. Those plans were due to go into force this April, and would see people who didn't properly check who was viewing their sites charged up to 250,000.
Westminster Attack in London: Live Updates Shots have reportedly been fired outside the UK Parliament in London; the building is currently on lockdown. Conflicting reports suggest that one or two people were shot by police outside the UK parliament in London. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Death Toll in Attack Rises to Five UK police announced that a fifth person has died as the result of the attack on Westminster in London earlier today, and that 40 people had been injured. Police have also announced that they will not comment on the identity of the attacker, though they believe they know who the man was. Abu Izzadeen Named As Suspect in London Terrorist Attack 23:09 22.03.2017 Reports have named Abu Izzadeen, known for his links to terrorism, as the suspect in the terrorist act in London earlier Wednesday. UK Prime Minister Calls Attack Location 'No Accident' British PM Addresses Nation After Deadly London Terror Attack 23:55 22.03.2017 Addressing the people of Britain following the terror attack that left at least five people dead and 40 injured, UK Prime Minister Theresa May called the attack an attempted assault on Parliament's noble principles, but promised the city and the government would not be cowed by terrorists. Eiffel Tower to Go Dark to Commemorate London Victims Paris city hall has said that the lights of the Eiffel Tower will be switched off at midnight to honor the victims of the terror attack in London today, AFP reports. 21:39 UK Interior Minister Says Top Priority is 'People's Security' The UK Interior Ministry commented on the London attack. Amber Rudd said that "The British people will be united in working together to defeat those who would harm our shared values: values of democracy, tolerance and the rule of law," as quoted by Sky News. Moscow Expresses Condolences to Families of Those Killed in London Attack "We, of course, express condolences and sympathy to all those affected, the relatives of all those who died in that aggressive attack... Our hearts together with the British, and we share their pain," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Wednesday. 19:58 London Ambulance Service Treated at Least 10 Victims of Westminster Attack Metropolitan Police Spokesman to Sputnik: 'I'm Unaware of Any Bomb Threat in Westminster' "The situation is this - there is always a terror threat level that might change in lieu of events in Westminster today. The Home Office are the ones who will change the terror threat level," Metropolitan Police spokesman told Sputnik. US Ready to Assist UK Authorities Following London Attack "We are closely following the concerning situation outside the UK Parliament," State Department acting spokesperson Mark Toner said. "We stand ready to assist in any way the UK authorities would find helpful." The Scottish parliament has suspended debates on the independence referendum amid the London attack. "Holyrood suspended out of respect for our sister Parliament and all that's going on in Westminster. Thoughts with all down the road," Scottish Government Minister for Transport and the Islands Humza Yousaf said. According to local media, the Scottish parliament has also stepped up its security. Russia to Stay in Touch With UK Authorities on Westminster Shooting 19:03 22.03.2017 Russia is in constant contact with the UK authorities to clarify the circumstances of the shooting incident near the parliament building in London, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Monday. "There has been a serious incident within the estate, it seems that a police officer has been stabbed, that the alleged assailant was shot by armed police. An air ambulance is attending the scene to remove the casualties. There are also reports of further violent incidents in the vicinity." 18:18 Video Footage From the Scene 18:17 Five People Hit by Car on Westminster Bridge Five people have reportedly been hit by a car after the shooting near the UK parliament. 18:15 Underground at Westminster Shut Down The Underground station at Westminster has been shut down at police's request. 18:12 Number of Injured May Be Up to 12 - Reports According to media reports, there may be up to 12 injured near the UK parliament building. Hello, ! We are committed to protecting your personal information and we have updated our Privacy Policy to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), a new EU regulation that went into effect on May 25, 2018. Please review our Privacy Policy. It contains details about the types of data we collect, how we use it, and your data protection rights. 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ALERT: Travel advisory issued following London terror attack YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE Cape Town - Travellers in the United Kingdom capital London are advised to be on alert, especially in the tourist hub of Westminster. This follows an attack on Wednesday, 22 March, when a knife-wielding man went on a deadly rampage at the heart of Britain's seat of power, ploughing a car into pedestrians on London's Westminster Bridge before stabbing an armed police officer to death inside the gates of Parliament. Four people were killed, including the assailant, and more were injured in what Prime Minister Theresa May condemned as a "sick and depraved terrorist attack". In addition to the dead, 40 people have been injured. Tourism affected May says the city of London will move forward together, but tourism authorities have urged travellers to remain on high alert. Frank Brehany from the UK-based HolidayTravelWatch, told Express.co.uk that "it is regrettably a sign of the times and all tourists to London - British or foreign - should always remain on alert, take note of the security around you, report anything suspicious and always, as we are currently seeing, do exactly what the police instruct you to do." He says that despite the city of London demonstrably showing its efforts on security through barriers, no car zones and armed police, attack like the one in Westminster is still possible. Following the attack, the usual tourist hustle and bustle in London has been subdued. Buckingham Palace officials on Wednesday night also announced that Queen Elizabeth II will postpone plans to open the new Scotland Yard headquarters. May also confirmed the UK's terror threat level will remain at "severe following Wednesday's events. Both the UK and US have instituted bans on devices bigger than a smart phone in hand luggage for passengers on board direct flights to both countries from 10 specific airports in predominantly Muslim countries. The ban is based on "intelligence of possible terror attacks", according to US Homeland Security. Overall, since May last year, the British MI5 has classed the current threat level for international terrorism in the UK as severe. The warning follows several attacks on European cities, including Paris. The Eiffel Tower is going dark in mourning and solidarity with Britain after an attack around the British Parliament in which four people, including the attacker, were killed. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, whose city has suffered deadly extremist attacks in recent years, announced that the tower is turning off its twinkling lights at midnight. Three French teenagers on a school trip were among those injured in Wednesday's attack targeting pedestrians on London's Westminster Bridge and a police officer on the nearby Parliament grounds. A French government plane is set to fly to London Wednesday evening to bring the families of three French students wounded in the attacks at the British Parliament to their loved ones. French President Francois Hollande offered support for Britain and the investigation. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull also says that police presence at the Australian Parliament House has been increased in response to the London attacks. "Australia's heartfelt sympathy and resolute solidarity is with the people of the United Kingdom with whom we stand today as we always have in freedom's cause. Staunch allies in the war against terrorism," Turnbull told reporters on Thursday. "The attack on the British Parliament is an attack on parliaments, freedom and democracy everywhere," he added. According to Associated Press, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang says the terrorist attack outside the British Parliament in London was the first subject of discussion when he met with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull of Australia on Thursday morning in Canberra. The Chinese leader says that "there cannot be continued instability in the world," adding: "We must cherish peace and stability." Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy also condemned the deadly attack in London's Westminster on Wednesday and offered condolences to the British people in a telegram sent to his British counterpart Theresa May. "An execrable terrorist act like the one that took place today is a reminder that we face complex challenges for the security of our societies," said Rajoy in a transcript of the telegram distributed by Moncloa, the prime minister's palace. "We must remain united against these type of threats that affect all of us equally and that know no barriers," Rajoy wrote, offering Spain's support to the UK. Israel, which that has faced a wave of Palestinian car ramming, stabbing and shooting assaults since 2015, also expressed solidarity with the victims of the London attack. Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely said in a statement. "Israel expresses its deep shock at the terror attack in London today and its solidarity with the victims and with the people and government of Great Britain. Terror is terror wherever it occurs and we will fight it relentlessly."
Two ISIS killers 'stalked' a Muslim leader they called 'Voldemort' for six months, stole his religious books and then murdered him after he was pictured with local MP Simon Danczuk, a court heard today. Jalal Uddin, 71, was allegedly beaten to death by Mohammed Hussain Syeedy, 22, and Mohammed Abdul Kadir, 24, who compared him to the evil wizard in Harry Potter and called his faith healing 'black magic', a jury was told. The men allegedly 'stalked' their victim in a car before caving in his skull and face with a hammer in a Rochdale park after he left his local mosque following evening prayers in February. Syeedy, who is on trial for murder at Manchester Crown Court, denies murder and his alleged accomplice Kadir has fled abroad and could be in Syria. Plot: Two ISIS supporters decided to murder Jalal Uddin after they saw this photograph of the former imam  who they regarded as a 'magician' - with Rochdale MP Simon Danczuk (on the right) at the end of last year, a court heard today The men started their surveillance of Mr Uddin in August last year - six months before the murder - believing he was practising 'magic' ISIS extremists believe should be punished with death. They and their associates carried out secret surveillance to establish where he was living and in August 2015 raided the mosque where he kept his books of 'spells' and other precious religious materials. On September 6 'covertly-recorded' footage of Mr Uddin was sent to Syeedy's phone, and showed the victim, wearing a white head scarf, walking past the window. Syeedy and Kadir initially plotted to report Mr Uddin to immigration authorities in the hope he would be deported back to Bangladesh for overstaying his visa, prosecutor Paul Greaney QC said. Share this article However he said their intention turned to murder after they saw a photograph of the former imam  who they regarded as a 'magician' - with Rochdale MP Simon Danczuk at the end of last year. A friend shared it with Syeedy on Whatsapp with the message 'Oh c**p Voldermort never gonna be busted by immigration now', Mr Greaney said  a reference to the evil wizard in the Harry Potter stories and films. He added that the 'inference' was that they believed his being associated with an MP meant the deportation plan might not work. The murder victim was a practitioner of a form of Islamic faith healing called Ruqya which involved the use of charms to bring good luck, good health and deter evil spirits. Jurors were told that Syeedy and Kadir had been ISIS supporters and believed that those who practised Ruqya should be killed. The men appear to have spent several months following and photographing their victim before they finally beat him to death in February this year. Addressing the 12 jurors, prosecutor Mr Paul Greaney QC said: 'ISIS regards this practice as black magic and adheres to the view that those who engage in it deserve severe punishment even death.' He added: 'Who hated a decent man like Jalal Uddin with such virulence?' He continued: 'The answer to that important question is to be found in the twisted ideology of ISIS, sometimes known as Islamic State'. Syeedy and Kadir had discovered that Mr Uddin was a Ruqya practitioner in the summer of 2015 and began to stalk him having 'developed a hatred of him', he said. Mr Uddin was found seriously injured by two young girls shortly before 9pm on February 18, 2016, as they entered the park and discovered him on the ground. He was taken to hospital from the scene in South Street but died a short time later. Mr Greaney said that it was on this evening that 'events reached a climax' as the men 'stalked Jalal Uddin around the streets of Rochdale.' Brutal: Syeedy is said to have driven the getaway car while his friend Kadir struck the fatal blows to kill and also 'humiliate' the Muslim scholar, it was said The court heard that in Syeedy's car, the two followed him as Mr Uddin left the Jalalia Mosque where he had been praying before going to a friend's house for a meal and walking home. Mr Greaney added: 'As Jalal Uddin entered the park on the final leg of his journey home, Kadir left the defendant's car and ran in after this man in his seventies, attacking him with a weapon, probably as I have said, a hammer striking blows to his head and face.' Kadir then ran to the other side of the park where he was picked up by Syeedy and spirited away 'having carried out a killing that was the result of hatred and intolerance', the prosecutor said. Jurors were told that the defendant accepts that Kadir murdered Mr Uddin and admits that he was with Kadir both before and after the killing. Mr Greaney continued: 'However we anticipate that he will maintain that he had no idea that Kadir was going to attack Jalal Uddin before it happened and he will claim therefore that he played no part in the murder. 'The defendant will claim also that he does not support ISIS or violent extremism of any type.' On the day of the killing jurors were told how the pair had exchanged text messages that afternoon with Kadir agreeing to come to Rochdale from Oldham in his Nissan Micra. CCTV captures its arrival near to the defendant's home in Ramsay Street, parking up at 6.32pm. Mr Greaney said: 'Just over two hours later at 8.43pm Kadir was being picked up by the defendant outside the park having carried out his fatal attack upon Jalal Uddin.' The court heard that after Kadir's arrival at Ramsay Street he got into the passenger seat of Syeedy's Astra before visiting a petrol station. At around 7.35pm the prosecution say that the two men were involved in a reconnaissance at the mosque to check that Mr Uddin was within the mosque. The Astra is then driven back to Ramsay Street where a man the prosecution say was the defendant, retrieved something from the property, the prosecution say was the weapon. In the dock: Mohammed Syeedy, who is on trial for murder at Manchester Crown Court and arrested in this street, denies murder and his alleged accomplice Kadir has apparently fled abroad Meanwhile Mr Uddin was captured on CCTV leaving the mosque heading in the direction of South Street to take his evening meal. The Astra was seen driving past Mr Uddinn before turning and driving past him again. MUCH-SCHOLAR WAS MURDERED FOR HIS BELIEFS Jalal Uddin was weeks aways from his 72nd birthday when he was murdered. He had been born in Bangladesh and from an early age had attended a religious school known as a Madrasa where he learnt the Quran. Mr Uddin was to later become an Islamic scholar who at the age of about 20 secured his first job as an Imam. Following examinations he later gained the title of Qari Saab. In Bangladesh he was to work in various locations as an Imam and went on to marry and start a family. In 2002 he moved to the UK where he worked as an Imam in Birmingham and later Rochdale. It was in Greater Manchester where he came to work at the Jalalia Mosque. However by 2016 Mr Uddin - still strongly associated with the mosque praying there five times a day, he was no longer working there. Mr Uddin, although making a positive contribution to the community had been in the country illegally and had been for a number of years. He would not settle at any particular address for long and stayed with different members of the community who were happy to support him because of his status. At the time of his death, Mr Uddin had been staying in Samson Street in Rochdale, the property of a family who had left the house vacant whilst caring for a family member elsewhere. Mr Uddin tended to visit another address in Trafalgar Street for meals which was opposite the Jalalia Mosque. For his evening meal he would eat at an address in South Street before walking back to the property in Samson Street. This had been a regular routine, of which would take him through the Wardleworth Play Park as it is formally known and where he was to be killed. Following Mr Uddin's meal at South Street, he began to walk home at around 8.40pmand as he did so he passed the Astra. Mr Greaney said: 'At 8.41 pm the Astra left its parking space with its lights off and performed a U-turn driving in the same direction Jalal Uddin was walking. 'There is no other way of describing what was happening than that the defendant and Kadir were stalking Jalal Uddin. 'It is obvious moreover that Kadir had the weapon he was to use to kill Jalal Uddin with him in the car. Accordingly on the account of the defendant, his friend must have concealed not his intention but also his possession of a weapon. We suggest that when you consider all of the evidence you will easily be able to reject that. indeed the likelihood is that the defendant supplied the weapon as we have explained.' After Mr Uddin had entered the park, Kadir, now out of the car, began to jog into the park in pursuit of Mr Uddin. By 8.43pm the Astra was on the other side of the park where it picked up Kadir. Mr Greaney added: 'In the minute in between, Kadir had attacked Jalal Uddin, striking him repeated blows to the head and face with his weapon, as we have said a number of times, probably hammer. The hammer was not found within the park and Kadir must therefore have got back into the car with it. 'Nonetheless the defendant asks you to accept that he was absolutely clueless that this attack was going to happen. Why had he agreed as is plainly the case to pick him up from precisely the point at which he emerged?' The court was told that within three minutes Kadir, having returned back to his Micra in the Astra was in his car and returning back to Oldham. Mr Greaney added: 'The prosecution case is that Kadir and the defendant had achieved their joint aim. Jalal Uddin was dying on the floor of the park.' The court was told of the moment Mr Uddin was discovered by the two young girls. One ran to get help from her medical student brother whilst the other called 999 on her mobile phone whilst tending to injured Mr Uddin. The court heard that the girl's brother who had attended at the scene realised that Mr Uddin had been assaulted and tried his best to keep him alive before paramedics and police arrived. Mr Uddin died a short time after in hospital, without ever regaining consciousness. At the scene locals were able to identify Mr Uddin, many knowing him as 'Qari Saab' - a term of respect reflecting his deep knowledge and understanding of the Koran. A post mortem examination revealed that he had suffered multiple injuries to his head and face, with the bones of his face badly fractured. Mr Greaney said that his attacker had focused the violence to those areas and that a hammer had 'probably' been used. He continued: 'Jalal Uddin's skull had been forced into his brain by a blow form the weapon, causing damage to the brain itself. 'These injuries were plainly not the result of a robbery gone wrong. On the contrary they were obviously the result of an attack that was planned, motivated by hatred and by a desire to humiliate Jalal Uddin and undoubtedly intended to kill or at the very least cause really serious harm.' The prosecutor told jurors that after hearing all of the evidence in the trial they could be sure that he had driven Kadir to the gates, 'knowing full well that Kadir intended to attack Jalal Uddin so to kill him him or at least cause him really serious harm and that he therefore intentionally assisted and encouraged that attack. Jurors were shown samples of images recovered from Syeedy's black iPhone which the prosecution say demonstrates that he was a supporter of ISIS. Five days after the murder, Syeedy's home in Ramsay Street in Rochdale, was searched by police who seized his phone. Jurors were shown samples of some of the images and videos which had been recovered including images of a child brandishing a knife in front of an ISIS flag, pictures of a fighter carrying an ISIS flag and men raising a single index finger to the sky which has been adopted by ISIS. They were also shown pictures of the defendant and his friends making the ISIS salute and asked to consider if they were making a legitimate religious gesture or whether they are demonstrating their support of ISIS. Mr Greaney said: ''The defendant's adherence to ISIS explains what motivated the killing and forms part of what demonstrates that the defendant was no innocent during the events of February 18. He was rather someone fully engaged in and playing a part in those events motivated by hatred.' The court heard that the defendant had also received images of Mr Uddin. 'FAITH HEALER' NEVER ADVERTISED WORK THAT HIS 'KILLERS' CONSIDERED BLACK MAGIC PUNISHABLE BY DEATH Jalal Uddin had not advertised his skill in Ruqya but that word spread within the community and people would go to him for help. The court was told that jurors are to hear evidence from Professor Robert Gleave from the University of Exeter who is the Professor of Arabic Studies. Mr Greaney said that Prof. Gleave is regarded as an expert in the history of Islamic thought, with a particular emphasis on the justification for violence and political thought within the Muslim religion. Mr Greaney said: 'Prof Gleave explains that magic is a controversial topic in Islam. Generally it is divided into black magic and white magic. Black magic involves the use of spirits or demons, often referred to as Jinn to carry out harmful acts against individuals. 'White magic generally includes the use of charms, incantations and amulets used for personal protection from evil spirits or to bring about fortuitous events such as pregnancy. The amulets are often called Taweez.' He added that the word 'amulet' in this context refers to an object worn by a person, constituted to perform a 'supernatural function - either warding off an evil spirit or attracting some positive result'. Mr Greaney continued: 'They involve the magician writing a series of magic formulae on a piece of paper, folding or rolling it and then placing it in a small box or other receptacle. 'The person who has requested the Tazeez then keeps it with himself or herself at all times in order for example to guard against the evil spirit.' He said that it was sometimes worn around the neck but often not because the wearer may 'attract criticism or attack' and is instead sewn into clothing. Mr Greaney added: 'Magic is not regarded as evil or impermissible by all forms of Islam. All Islamic scholars regard black magic as forbidden, but many regard white magic as acceptable so long as it is carried out by someone skilled in its practice. 'However there is a trend in Islam known as Salafism, whose supporters argue that Islam has strayed from its roots and should return to the practice of the seventh century. 'Salafis reject all forms of magic, whether white or black and belived that those who practice magic should be punished often by death. 'ISID subscribes to Salafism and so ISIS adheres to the view that practice magic of any type should be punished. 'This explains why the defendant and Kadir and indeed others developed a hatred of Jalal Uddin and started to wish him harm because they are of course, as we have sought to explain supporters and followers of ISIS and its views.'
He was charged in 2003 with grievous bodily harm, when aged 39, after being accused of stabbing a 22-year-old man in the nose in an incident in Eastbourne. The victim was left with serious facial injuries and needing cosmetic surgery. Elms, who was living in the Sussex seaside town at the time, was also facing two charges of possessing an offensive weapon, namely a knife and a baton, and is understood to have been jailed for the offences. The attack claimed another victim as a 75-year-old man died in hospital last night. Police said the man was receiving medical treatment and the decision was made to withdraw life support. There were calls for Pc Keith Palmer, 48, who was stabbed to death on the Parliamentary estate, to be posthumously awarded for his heroism. Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claimed responsibility for the attack, saying Masood was a soldier of the Islamic State but no other link between the killer and Isil has been established. Police and the security services now face serious questions about what they previously knew about the British Muslim convert, who had a string of criminal convictions for assault and had spent time in jail. Apparently anticipating criticism, Theresa May announced in the Commons that Masood was known to MI5 but insisted he was a peripheral figure in an investigation some years ago and was not part of the current intelligence picture. Amber Rudd, the Home Secretary, also mounted a pre-emptive defence of the security services, saying be careful before we point any finger of blame at the intelligence services as she suggested that well discover more about this particular man and the people around him. She added: The fact that he was known to them doesnt mean that somebody has 24-hour cover. Scotland Yard also volunteered that it had no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack. The force later admitted that Khalid Masood was an alias and not the terrorists birth name, without providing his true identity. It came as: Londoners showed their defiance by gathering in Trafalgar Square for an evening vigil Police faced criticism over a lack of leadership after it emerged that the new Scotland Yard Commissioner, Cressida Dick, is not planning on starting her job for another month, despite the attacks. Scotland Yard insisted that while Masood had previous convictions spanning 20 years he had never been convicted of a terrorist offence. Scotland Yard held back key information about Masood. He was born in Kent on Christmas Day 1964 under a different name before changing it by deed poll, but the authorities had refused to release his birth name. Julian King, the EU commissioner for security, raised the possibility Masood had become re-radicalised, making him incredibly hard to stop. He said extremists who dropped off terrorist watch lists as their perceived threat declined could become radicalised again and commit an attack without plugging in to a wider terrorist network where they might be detected. His comments suggest that Masood may have become known to MI5 when al-Qaeda was the main terrorist threat, before switching his allegiance to Isil. Masood had been "hanging out" with would-be jihadis who wanted to travel to fight abroad, a US government source said. There was no indication Masood had himself gone abroad to fight but people he associated with had wanted to. "The people he was hanging out with did include people suspected of having an interest in travelling to join jihadi groups overseas but the attacker himself never did so," the source said. Police raided at least six addresses in their search for possible accomplices, arresting three women and five men on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts. Masoods convictions, from 1983 to 2003, included grievous bodily harm, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences. He lived in London, Luton and most recently the West Midlands, but police raids were carried out in Brighton and Carmarthenshire as well as London and Birmingham. Mrs May said 40 people were injured in the attack, with 29 treated in hospital, seven of whom are in a critical condition. The casualties included 12 Britons, three French children, two Romanians, four South Koreans, two Greeks, and one each from Germany, Poland, Ireland, China, Italy and the United States. On Thursday the Prime Minister visited the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, which is treating some of the wounded.
What if the London attack wasnt an act of terrorism? What if the London attack wasnt an act of terrorism? Author Senior Lecturer in the Department of History, University of Birmingham Disclosure statement Steve Hewitt does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. A middle-aged man with a history of criminal activity and violence, a variety of aliases, multiple jobs and addresses, and several broken relationships launches an attack on parliament and is killed in the process. This individual wasnt Khalid Masood, but a man named Paul Chartier. Chartier tried to set off a bomb in the chamber of the Canadian House of Commons in Ottawa in 1966. Instead, he managed to blow himself up. He left a manifesto explaining his motivation for the attack, citing anger over economic inequality and political corruption and declaring his desire to kill politicians in response. Although it wasnt labelled as such at the time, Chartiers political agenda made the bombing an act of terrorism. We still dont know why Masood drove a rental car along the pavement on Westminster Bridge in London, killing four people and injuring many more, before stabbing police officer Keith Palmer to death. Senior counter-terrorism police officer Neil Basu, has said: We must all accept that there is a possibility we will never understand why he did this. This police response comes despite the default assumption among politicians, the media, and many academics, including myself, was that this was clearly an act of terrorism. It was horrific violence that resembled previous attacks by supporters of Islamic State (IS) in Nice and Berlin. IS also subsequently claimed credit for the London attack. But the lack of clear evidence as to what motivated the attack is a problem. Motivation is what separates terrorism from other acts of violence. British law states that terrorism occurs when the use or threat is made for the purpose of advancing a political, religious, racial, or ideological cause. A variety of other definitions of terrorism, which in itself is not a fixed concept, also refer to a political or ideological or religious inspiration for the violence. This is why not all acts of extreme violence are labelled as terrorism. In Cumbria in 2010, a taxi driver shot and killed 12 people due to personal grievances and the violence was not treated as terrorism. The same point would apply to the unspeakable violence associated with massacres in Hungerford in Berkshire 1987 and Dunblane in Stirling in 1996 in which individual attackers murdered a combined total of 33 people. Cart before horse With Masood, a step has been skipped. Instead of establishing that the London attack was an act of terrorism by providing evidence as to the perpetrators motivation, speculation has focused on why he became a terrorist. Mass immigration and multiculturalism was one culprit even though he was born in Kent in 1964. A police photo of Masood, who had a history of violence.EPA/Metropolitan Police The British government also appeared to suggest social media was responsible with a promise to crack down on extremist content online, even though no link between the attack and such material has been established. Certainly, there is circumstantial evidence to suggest Masoods violence was terrorism. MI5 considered him a possible extremist in 2010. He may have had like-minded associates, although at the time of writing only two of the 12 arrested in the aftermath of the attack remain in custody and no one has been charged in connection to the attack. Masood accessed messaging service WhatsApp just before the attack, and that might eventually provide insight into his thinking or show that he was connected to a wider cause. Conceivably other definitive evidence as to his motivation will emerge. But the police have themselves raised the possibility that it will not. Despite the lack of clear evidence on his motivation, there was no nuance in classifying Masoods act. It was quickly, and widely accepted as terrorism. His religious faith seems to be the key factor in explaining such a definitive determination. After all, considering repeated examples of the reluctance to label violence by white men as terrorism even when a relevant motivation has been established, you have to wonder if this case would have been labelled differently had a non-Muslim carried out the attack. But why does any of this matter? Whether or not it was terrorism, Masood murdered four people, injured many others, and left countless others scarred for life. It is important because labelling his violence as terrorism adds a deeper meaning and resonance. It makes it something more than a final act of rage by a man with a history of violence that predated his conversion to Islam. It also risks sparking a backlash against British Muslims. As well as ruining lives, that in turn can lead to precisely the kind of alienation that pushes recruits towards groups such as Islamic State. Masoods murderous rampage may well deserve to be called terrorism, but only when the evidence proves it. Before then, assuming to understand his motives is to unnecessarily fuel division and guesswork.
A close friend and colleague of the hero police officer stabbed to death in a terror attack as he guarded the gates of Parliament has praised the proud and courageous man on the anniversary of his death. "Keith loved being a police officer, he just wanted to help people and do his best, Pc Cartwright said in a statement. Keith was always happy, always the first to help anyone out, first in to work and the last one out. Attack: Tobias Ellwood MP was one of the people who tried to save PC Palmer after he was stabbed (Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire) "He was a proud and courageous police officer who did his job and never wanted any fuss or to be the centre of attention. He said Pc Palmer was a true and loyal friend, utterly reliable and added: "Most of all I will remember him as a family man who idolised his wife, daughter and his family; they're the important ones that I think about a year on from the Westminster attack." The pair had previously worked together on the on the Territorial Support Group and Pc Cartwright was due to be on shift after Pc Palmer at the gates on the day of the attack. Describing the moment the alert was issued, he told LBC: "I was getting myself changed when the alarm went off, that there'd been a terrorist attack, there'd been a large explosion in the area of Portcullis House, Westminster Bridge, so I quickly pulled on all of my kit. PC Keith Palmer Funeral - In pictures PC Keith Palmer Funeral - In pictures 1/43 The coffin of Pc Keith Palmer is removed from Westminster's Chapel of St Mary Undercroft in London before it makes its way to Southwark Cathedral Alex Lentati 2/43 The funeral of Pc Keith Palmer Sky News 3/43 Pall bearers carry the coffin of PC Keith Palmer into the Southwark Cathedral in London 24/43 25/43 26/43 Police officers and well-wishers line the route in Southwark as the funeral procession of PC Keith Palmer makes its way to Southwark Cathedral Dan Kitwood/Getty Images 27/43 Police at a ceremony by the Police Roll of Honour Trust to add the names of fallen officers Pc Keith Palmer and Pc Gareth Browning to the National Police Officers Roll of Honour & Remembrance in London 24/43 25/43 26/43 Police officers and well-wishers line the route in Southwark as the funeral procession of PC Keith Palmer makes its way to Southwark Cathedral Dan Kitwood/Getty Images 27/43 Police at a ceremony by the Police Roll of Honour Trust to add the names of fallen officers Pc Keith Palmer and Pc Gareth Browning to the National Police Officers Roll of Honour & Remembrance in London 38/43 39/43 A young girl looks at floral tributes at Paliament Square ahead of the funeral of PC Keith Palmer Chris Jackson/Getty Images 40/43 Police officers march towards Southwark Cathedral in London Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP/Getty Images 41/43 A couple watch as the coffin of PC Keith Palmer, who was killed in the recent Westminster attack, is transported from the Palace of Westminster Stefan Wermuth/Reuters 42/43 The coffin of Pc Keith Baker is removed from Westminster's Chapel of St Mary Undercroft in London Jeremy Selwyn 43/43 Police officers line the route in Southwark as the funeral procession of PC Keith Palmer makes its way to Southwark Cathedral Dan Kitwood/Getty Images "It took me 30 seconds or so, run down towards the scene once I'd picked up my radio and battery and I went down to very close to the scene... I saw roughly what had happened. "Obviously, we were unsure what was happening, whether it was going to be like a lone wolf attack or if it was a multi, marauding attack. Funeral: PC Palmer was killed last year (Frank Augstein/AP) That's the thing that most people were unsure about. We didn't know whether the person was acting alone or whether he was part of a bigger team." He told LBC that getting back to work had been "incredibly tough for an awful lot of people," especially for those that responded first of all, and that PC Palmer's family were "coping as best they can, like people do in terrible circumstances". Mourning: He said that it had been hard for police officers to continue working after the attack (Jeremy Selwyn) Senior officers are expected to attend a number of private memorial services on Thursday to mark the first anniversary of the atrocity, but the force has not made details public. Pc Palmer's name will be one of 1,400 inscribed on the new UK Police Memorial being built in Staffordshire, commemorating officers who were killed on duty.
Ive been speaking to Labour sources in the House of Lords, where there were clearly some concerns about the way yesterdays incident was handled. Lady Angela Smith, Labours leader in the Lords, the chief whip Steve Bassam and their staff, were holed up there for a considerable period. For much of that time, they were reliant on tweets from journalists for information about the incident. We heard the gunfire and were immediately told to get away from the windows at the front of the building  and then we spent two hours on the corridor, not really knowing what was happening other than from social media, said the source, who added that they had worked with the Conservative leader Lady Evans and her team to maintain a calm atmosphere among peers, some of whom had witnessed the events. It was unclear at that point whether there was another attacker still at large. Black Rod, the senior parliamentary official best known for knocking on the door of the Commons at the state opening of parliament, liaised with the parliamentary authorities as peers struggled to find out what was going on. Later, Smith and others moved to their offices  and remained there until the lockdown of parliament was lifted, about five hours later. Kurt Cochran's family say he was a 'good man and loving husband' The family of Kurt Cochran have issued a statement, through the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, after the American tourist was identified as the third victim of the attack in Westminster. The couple were scheduled to fly back to the US today. Melissa Cochrans parents are currently LDS missionaries in London. Clinton Payne, Melissas brother, said in a statement: Our family is heartbroken to learn of the death of our son-in-law, Kurt W Cochran, who was a victim of Wednesdays terrorist attack in London. Kurt was a good man and a loving husband to our daughter and sister, Melissa. They were in Europe to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary and were scheduled to return to the United States on Thursday. Melissa also received serious injuries in the attack and is being cared for in the hospital. We express our gratitude to the emergency and medical personnel who have cared for them and ask for your prayers on behalf of Melissa and our family. Kurt will be greatly missed, and we ask for privacy as our family mourns and as Melissa recovers from her injuries. Tom Brake, a member of the House of Commons Commission and the former deputy leader of the Commons, told the Guardian that he thought the review of security at the Palace of Westminster would focus on Carriage Gates, the gates used by the attacker yesterday. Brake said: There is the Carriage Gates issue. That is the weak point within the boundary of the Palace of Westminster. I cant preempt what any review is likely to find but I would be surprised if there werent attempts to direct traffic through the Black Rod entrance because traffic there is channelled through very heavy barriers. That will create no doubt some congestion problems and once they are in the parliamentary estate they would have to drive through so it would not be without an impact. But it is hard to see how a gate that can be opened to provide access to cars as quickly as Carriage Gates is not always going to create a security risk. MPs have long been aware that security at Carriage Gates could be better. The authorities have recently been working on something called the New Palace Yard security enhancement project, which will include replacing temporary galvanised barriers at the entrance with a stronger vehicle barrier. A business case was meant to be approved in February 2017 and work is due to start by the end of 2017, after planning permission is obtained from Westminster Council. Some more details are emerging about some of the injured. Italys ambassador Pasquale Terracciano says she has visited an Italian woman in hospital who lost consciousness for about 10 minutes after being struck by the cars bumper. The woman, a tourist from Rome, underwent surgery for a compound leg fracture. She also suffered a less serious injury to two of her vertebrae near her neck, and head trauma. The German foreign office has also confirmed that among those injured yesterday is a female German citizen  no more information than that yet. The number of different nationalities tells you a lot about the location of the attack  and London as a city. A diverse, multicultural city which attracts so many different people from around the world to visit, work and make their homes. The Ukip leader, Paul Nuttall, has put out a lengthy statement about the attack saying that Muslim communities must do far more to combat extremism. He said: Muslim communities must do far more to cut this cancer out of their midst. We need a more rigorous and assertive official approach on this. There should be no more pussyfooting around agonising whether Prevent strategies risk stigmatising people. Muslim citizens  just like non-Muslim ones  need to know it is simply unacceptable to be aware of radicalisation but to withhold information from the authorities. On the World at One just now Alan Johnson, the Labour former home secretary, said that one problem yesterday was that the gates to New Palace Yard (the main entrance to the Palace of Westminster for cars) were open because a vote was taking place. Those were the gates through which the attacker entered. Johnson said: The other thing was there was a vote at the time. When the votes are on, the gates are open so that ministers can drive in from wherever they are in their different departments in Whitehall. We might have to think about that as well. Johnson also suggested that there might be a case for arming all police on duty at the Palace of Westminster (a proposal also backed by Theresa Villiers, the Conservative former Northern Ireland secretary, in the Commons earlier - see 11.57am). Johnson said: The armed police are the second line of defence. The first line of defence, all too often, are the unarmed police, which we might need to rethink.
A joint investigation by Scotland Yards counter-terrorism command and MI5 led to new arrests on Thursday in London, Birmingham and Manchester with two people still in custody, while properties were searched in Wales and southern England. London attack: what we know so far Read more Police want to discover if Masood, who was shot dead by armed police, was encouraged, supported or directed in the atrocity. The 52-year-old mowed down people in the heart of London then stabbed a police officer to death as he tried to burst into the Palace of Westminster. The Guardian understands detectives are scouring large amounts of CCTV camera footage to see if there is any recording of Masood scouting the Westminster area before the attack. They are also using camera records and automatic number plate recognition technology to see if they show his car in the area, when Masood could have been working out where the best place to run people over might have been and what weak points there were in Palace of Westminster security in the run-up to the attack. They will also repeat the same time-consuming lines of inquiry to see if a possible accomplice may have done the same. Two minutes before the attack started at about 2.40pm on Wednesday, Masood used the WhatsApp communications app on his mobile phone, although it is not known why. On Friday police named Masoods fourth victim as 75-year-old Leslie Rhodes. Two people remained in a critical condition in hospital. MI5 is urgently trying to discover how someone could come to believe in Islamic States violent ideology and hatch a murderous plot against high-profile targets to gain worldwide attention, all without the domestic security service having any idea it was coming. Fresh details about Masoods life have emerged. He had a 20-year history of offending that saw him jailed at least twice. He had converted to Islam more than a decade ago, and used several names during his life, having been born as Adrian Elms and brought up as Adrian Ajao before adopting a Muslim name. So far, police believe he acted alone when he drove a hired car into civilians on Westminster Bridge before running into the grounds of parliament and stabbing a police officer to death. It emerged that on the eve of the attack he had checked into a Brighton hotel under his own name. The hotel manager said that Masood had been laughing and joking. Mark Rowley, Britains top counter-terrorism officer, said: Whilst there is no evidence of further threats, you will understand our determination to find out if he either acted totally alone inspired by terrorist propaganda or if others have encouraged, supported or directed him. He described as significant two arrests made in Manchester and Birmingham. Since the attack, police have arrested 11 people on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts. On Friday they released eight without charge, having eliminated them from their inquiries, and one woman was released on Thursday on bail. The two in custody are a 58-year-old man and a man aged 27, both arrested on Thursday in Birmingham. An address searched by police in Carmarthenshire, Wales, is believed to be a farmhouse, belonging to his mother. With key questions unanswered about the man who inflicted the worst mass casualty terrorist attack on Britain in more than a decade, Rowley said investigators needed help from the public. We remain keen to hear from anyone who knew Khalid Masood well; understands who his associates were; and can provide information about places he has recently visited, he said. There might well be people out there who did have concerns about Masood but werent sure or didnt feel comfortable for whatever reason in passing information to us. The man described by Isis propagandists as a soldier in their campaign of violence was born Adrian Elms, and the Guardian has established he grew up in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, with two half-brothers. But in 2000 he was jailed for grievous bodily harm after stabbing a man in the face following a row that was reported at the time to have had racial overtones. After being released from jail he attacked someone else and was imprisoned again. Seventeen people are still being treated for their injuries in five London hospitals. Two of those are in critical condition, according to the Metropolitan police, with one persons injuries considered life-threatening. One police officer struck on the bridge, 35-year-old PC Kris Aves, is feared to have suffered severe injuries. More than 50 people, of at least 12 nationalities, were injured in Masoods attack on Westminster Bridge. Of these, 31 initially required hospital treatment. One woman rescued from the Thames, Andreea Cristea, 29, from Romania, was in London with her fiance, who had been planning to propose to her. Masoods car struck her, throwing her into the river. She underwent an emergency operation for a blood clot on the brain. Prince Charles visited some of the injured in hospital as police named the fourth dead victim of Masoods attack. Rhodes, of south London, died in hospital overnight from his injuries sustained on Westminster Bridge. The others killed in the attack were PC Keith Palmer, 48, who was fatally stabbed by Masood inside the parliamentary gates; Kurt Cochran, 54, an American tourist, and Aysha Frade, 43, a London teacher. An internet fundraising appeal for Palmers family has raised more than 600,000. Past terrorist attacks in Britain have led to debates about new laws or initiatives to counter the lure that violent jihad has for a small number of British based people. Social media companies have a responsibility when it comes to making sure this material is not disseminated and we have been clear repeatedly that we think that they can and must do more, the spokesman told journalists. We are always talking with them on how to achieve that. The ball is now in their court. We will see how they respond. In the aftermath of the attack, hundreds of people were rushed into Westminster Abbey, which was used as a sanctuary in case of further attacks. On Friday the archbishop of Canterbury and Muslim leaders were among those who joined an interfaith service to remember the victims of Masood.
Four dead, 20 injured in Westminster terror attack Four dead, 20 injured in Westminster terror attack FOUR people have died and at least 20 others have been injured after a terror attack in Westminster. A police officer who was stabbed at the Houses of Parliament and his attacker are among the dead, according to Metropolitan Police Acting Deputy Commissioner and Head of Counter Terrorism Mark Rowley. He said: "Sadly I can confirm that now four people have died and that included the police officer who was protecting Parliament and one man we believe to be the attacker who was shot by a police firearms officer. "The officer's family have been made aware. "At least 20 people have been injured." He made a statement outside Scotland Yard to update the public about the incident, the ongoing operation into what has happened and what people can expect in the coming days. He said: "As you know, we've declared this as a terrorist incident and the counter-terrorism command are carrying out a full-scale investigation into events today. "The attack started when a car was driven over Westminster Bridge, hitting and injuring a number of members of the public also including three police officers on their way back from a commendation ceremony. "The car then crashed near to Parliament and at least one man, armed with a knife, continued the attack and tried to enter Parliament. "Sadly I can confirm that now four people 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. The officer's family have been made aware. At least 20 people have been injured. "As part of long-established and well-rehearsed plans Parliament has been locked down and the Met responded in line with our plans for a marauding terrorist attack. That response included uniformed and specialist firearms officers. "We now of course have an ongoing operation and, whilst we currently believe there was only one attacker, I'm sure the public will understand us taking every precaution in locking down and searching the area as thoroughly and exhaustively as possible. "I know officials working in Parliament and the public in the area completely understand the need to do this and I thank them for their patience and their support. "This investigation has the full weight and expertise of the counter-terrorism command behind it and if there are people who saw the events unfold today that haven't yet spoken to us I would urge to get in touch." "A crime scene will remain in place in the affected areas in Westminster and you will understand it is vital as we carry out a painstaking investigation to recover all the possible evidence. "Looking forward, throughout the rest of the day, including when people are commuting home and indeed over the days that follow, the people of London will see extra police officers armed and unarmed on our streets. "This includes our officers working longer hours and extra shifts alongside our colleagues from British Transport Police and the City of London, and of course as you're aware we can call on the support of the military should we need to at a future point. "We are also in a process of opening up our casualty bureau to help those people who are worried about friends or family who may have been caught up in the attack. "Furthermore, we are reaching out to communities and community leaders across London to reassure them. Our strength as a city depends on our ability to stand together in such terrible times. Ipsoregulated This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's Editors' Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then please contact the editor here. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can contact IPSO here
More on the Westminster Attack March 22, 2017 by Martin Odoni I earlier put up a small plea-for-calm over todays atrocity in London. That plea still stands, but I have few extra points and clarifications I would like to add. Firstly, more information is now available, including a clear order of events. Contrary to my earlier understanding, the attack was carried out by one person acting alone, and it began, not ended, with a car driving into a crowd of people on Westminster Bridge. The driver then got out of the car, and tried to enter the Palace of Westminster, where he was intercepted by a police officer. The assailant stabbed the officer with a knife before being gunned down by two apparently plain-clothed officers. There is no evidence of an accomplice. The death-toll currently stands at four, including the police officer and the attacker, and it is to be hoped the toll goes no higher. The necessity of my earlier plea-for-calm has been demonstrated in the hours since. Between Tommy Robinson of English Defence League infamy taking the opportunity for some Islamophobic rabble-rousing, histrionic doubtful accusations against a man who is apparently in prison, and some classic, barefaced Western hypocrisy, the aftermath of the atrocity has been predictable in its want of thought. Regarding Robinson, nothing I can say about this evil little man will not already have been said by others. But it was beyond crass of him to talk of the nation being at war, not least because what wars Britain fights it does so at its own choosing. And it makes that choice with depressing and imperialistic frequency. Regarding the doubtful accusations, the rumour is circulating that a notorious hate-preacher, born under the name of Trevor Brooks, but nowadays going by the name of Abu Izzadeen, is the dead attacker. This may potentially come as a mighty surprise to Izzadeen. It certainly did to his solicitor, who insists that Izzadeen is currently in prison, and still breathing without difficulty. Dominic Casciani of the BBC seems very confident about that too. Izzadeens ongoing imprisonment has not yet been confirmed by the Metropolitan Police or the Ministry of Justice, so there is still an outside chance that he was the attacker. But it can be taken as a sign of nervous over-eagerness that Channel 4 News, the source of the rumour, has jumped the gun quite so wildly. And finally, the Western hypocrisy. Sean Spicer, Press Secretary to US President Donald Trump and Gods gift to Melissa McCarthys comedy career, gave a briefing to the media earlier, in which he rolled out the usual sentimental clichs about full co-operation, and formal condolences, and support and so on. He also stated that the White House condemns todays attack in Westminster. I am unimpressed that Melissa has the effrontery to condemn such an attack, today of all days. After all I have seen not one example of anyone at the White House condemning an attack carried out in Syria yesterday, one that had a death-toll over eight times higher than the one in London. Why would that be? Could it be because the victims yesterday were Middle Eastern and not Westerners, and therefore their lives were prejudged to be less valuable than those of Europeans? It is partly that, I am sure. But I think the main reason is that yesterdays attack was carried out by jets allied to the US Air Force. Therefore it does not count as an atrocity, but merely as a misfortune, one to be treated as an afterthought. I received some rather ugly comments on my earlier post from some shamelessly racist individuals. I decided not to authorise the comments, and further I have no intention of doing so in the future. But one comment in particular was really galling. Among some other racist assumptions, the user said, Every non-white crime in a western country is one that shouldnt have happened at all as the non-whites shouldnt be here. Beyond the unsupported nonsense that a persons right to be in the UK is dependent on their skin colour, and the debatable assumption that the attacker was not white, I was equally contemptuous of the ignorant hypocrisy. How many crimes of extreme violence have white people committed in the Middle East? Such as the one yesterday? How long have white people been in the lands of the Middle East, mainly in order to control the flow of the regions vast oil reserves, and how often have their Governments shown a casual willingness to use force there to maintain that control? For over one hundred years, and with terrible frequency. Is that not one of the major reasons why radicalised Muslims tend to commit atrocities in the first place? Surely every white crime in a Middle Eastern country is one that should not have happened at all, as the whites should not have been there? It is a lengthy catalogue of such crimes, not least by the US Air Force. Just ask Medecins Sans Frontieres. But as I say, in too many Western minds, these crimes do not count. Atrocities are only atrocities when carried out against the West, not when they are carried out by the West. It comes to something when we need the Joker to point out what hypocrites we are.
Westminster attack: Everything we know so far A 52-year-old ex-convict from Birmingham was named on Thursday as the man who carried out the terrorist attack on Westminster in which he and four other people died, while eight others were arrested as police hunted for evidence of a wider conspiracy.Khalid Masood, a man who had used a string of aliases, was described by police as a criminal with a 20-year record of offending, who had once been investigated for extremism but was assessed as posing a low risk.It was being reported that Masoods birth name was Adrian Elms and that he had converted to Islam.Theresa May told MPs Masood had been previously known to MI5: Some years ago, he was once investigated in relation to concerns about violent extremism. He was a peripheral figure. The case is historic  he was not part of the current intelligence picture.Amber Rudd, the home secretary, later added that Masood had spent time in jail, but not for terrorist offences, while the Metropolitan police said Masood was in all likelihood not his birth name.Live London terror attack: 75-year-old man becomes fourth victim  live updatesPolice name Khalid Masood, 52, born in Kent as man responsible for attack in which three victims have died and seven more are critically injuredRead moreThe names of two people who died after Masood mowed them down on Westminster Bridge also emerged.They were Kurt Cochran, 54, a US tourist from Utah celebrating his 25th wedding anniversary, and British-born Aysha Frade, 43, who worked at sixth-form college and had been walking over the bridge to pick up her daughters from school.In the frenzied attack on Wednesday, Masood also stabbed to death PC Keith Palmer, a 48-year-old husband and father.Police said on Thursday night that a 75-year-old male victim had died in hospital. His death brought the total fatalities to five  the attacker, policeman Palmer and three civilians.The prime minister said Palmer was every inch a hero and his actions will never be forgotten, while a crowdfunding appeal for his family raised more than 250,000 within hours.The attack was stopped when armed officers assigned to protect the defence secretary, Michael Fallon, shot Masood, who is believed to have been intent on entering parliament. Palmer died at New Palace Yard on the edge of the parliamentary estate, near Parliament Square, raising questions about security for legislators.Four people remained in hospital on Thursday night in serious condition, one with life-threatening injuries. The original incident, in which Masood drove a Hyundai Tucson 4x4 into crowds at one of Londons busiest tourist spots, left 40 people injured, 29 of whom were taken to hospital.In an emergency statement to the Commons, May said people from around the world had been caught up in the attack. In addition to 12 Britons admitted to hospital, we know the victims include three French children, two Romanians, four South Koreans, one German, one Pole, one Irish, one Chinese, one Italian, one American and two Greeks, she said.She also sounded a note of defiance, telling MPs: Today we meet as normal, as generations have done before us and as future generations will continue to do, to deliver a simple message: we are not afraid and our resolve will never waver in the face of terrorism.Mays spokesman said she had received phone calls from world leaders including Angela Merkel, Franois Hollande and Donald Trump, offering their condolences and support, and had herself signed a book of condolence in parliament. She later visited the injured in hospital.Thousands of people gathered in Trafalgar Square at a vigil to commemorate the victims of the attack. Londons mayor, Sadiq Khan, said the event was to honour the dead but also to send a clear, clear, message  Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism.Police said Masood had been inspired by Islamic State. But he hid his extremism from his neighbours, coming across as a keen gardener and family man.The domestic intelligence service will face questions over why Masood dropped off the radar after being investigated in relation to concerns over violent extremism.An MI5 team has been set up to see what lessons can be learned from the case and to look at the decision to not put him under surveillance. The police and security services monitor an estimated 3,000 Britons, mainly Islamists, regarded as capable of terrorism, but it emerged he was not on this list.Isis claimed responsibilty for the attack, although the claim could not be verified. Amaq, the news agency it uses to broadcast propaganda, issued a statement describing the attacker as a soldier of Islamic State, without naming him.Police revealed that Masood, born in Kent on Christmas Day 1964, had a string of criminal convictions. In a statement, the Met said: He was known to police and has a range of previous convictions for assaults, including GBH, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences.His first conviction was in November 1983 for criminal damage and his last conviction was in December 2003 for possession of a knife.The investigation is being led by SO15, Scotland Yards counter-terrorism command. Police staged raids across Birmingham, including Masoods recent home in Winson Green, and at properties in London, Carmarthenshire and Brighton. Neighbour Iwona Romek said Masood was a keen gardener, who lived in the modern mews house with his wife and young child. Romek, 45, said her experience of him was of a nice man.She said the family had moved out suddenly in December 2016 and added: I used to see him outside doing his garden. Never any trouble.It is believed that Masood rented the Hyundai car that he turned into a weapon of terror from the depot of a car hire firm, Enterprise, in Spring Hill, Birmingham.Police still believe the attack was carried out by Masood alone, but are looking into whether others helped him. The eight arrests were all on suspicion of acts of preparation of a terrorist act, a key indication that police are investigating the possibility of a wider conspiracy.A 39-year-old woman was arrested in east London, while two women aged 26 and 21 were detained in Birmingham. Five men aged 23, 26, 27, 28 and 58 were arrested in BirminghamPC Palmers family released a statement paying tribute to the police officer, who had a five-year-old daughter. They said: Dedicated to his job and proud to be a police officer, brave and courageous. A friend to everyone who knew him. He will be deeply missed. We love him so much.As a mark of respect, Palmers shoulder number  4157U  is to be retired and not reissued to any other officer, Scotland Yard said.The Met has put extra officers on the streets and has extended the shifts they work from eight to 12 hours, until further notice. Forces outside London are also increasing their presence on the streets, to provide reassurance and to deter not only any further Islamist attacks but hate crimes against Muslims.The Independent Police Complaints Commission began an investigation into the shooting of the suspect, which is mandated by law. Comments Post a Comment Popular posts from this blog Does one need to know more details on bonuses, free spins Or maybe see all the latest casinos available on the market? 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Friday, 24 March 2017 Westminster Attack! http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39355108 Great and genuine sympathy to all those who may have been killed or injured in this attack. Far from finished piece but will put it up anyway whilst it is still topical. You will have to fill in the gaps and do the editing yourselves!Since Nice, suspicious consistency of method quite different to that expected of a true terrorist organisation. Here's just one recent American example. This is gesture terrorism.From: http://www.katc.com/story/33805469/active-shooter-reported-on-ohio-state-university-campus Ohio State attacker was Somali, US official says Posted: Nov 28, 2016 3:18 PM GST"Authorities say a man purposely ploughed his car over a curb and into pedestrians on Monday morning before jumping out of the car and attacking people with a butcher knife. A police officer who was nearby because of an earlier gas leak was on the scene in a minute and shot and killed the attacker.The FBI and other agencies joined the investigation.Authorities say nine people were hurt, one of them critically."THE ATTACKhttp://news.bbcimg.co.uk/news/special/2017/newsspec_16174/img/westminster_shooting_v03_976.pngA question arises how the following still from a video was possible and by whom given the fact that the incident began only seconds before with no advance warning? Fore knowledge is a very good indicator of responsibility.http://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/video_previews/z/0/z0m2lnyte64srj85kksess2tlpazzzl-small.jpgTHE ATTACKER"Abu Izzadeen named as suspect in London terrorist attack." Source: http://en.trend.az/world/other/2734320.htmlLondon Attacker Was Reportedly Identified As Abu Izzadeen, But There's A Problem: He's Still In Jail.Note knife in bottom left hand corner. Hard to see but no obvious evidence of blood stain. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39351280 The following appears to be a still from CCTV showing two groups of emergency workers tending the two injured parties - the assailant in the background (note policeman pointing automatic rifle) and what we must assume is the injured policeman in the foreground, there being no others. The quality of this image is not great but that is not the problem. It seems to me that there is an unexplained inconsistency with other images of the scene. How could the image have been reversed? See images below.http://i2.wp.com/media.globalnews.ca/videostatic/1019/719/injuredtreated.jpg?w=300&quality=70&strip=allSo now we have much better images from the same direction but note how the one above is laterally reversed. How and why has this occurred? There is an unexplained issue of how the individual got past the security on the gate (especially when the country was on a high state of alert) and how the assailant was nearer the entrance gate than his victim? Do we assume from this that he was actually heading back out when he was shot?http://ww2.hdnux.com/photos/60/02/25/12592485/3/1024x1024.jpgIn this next image it is clear that the assailant who later died, has been removed whilst the Policeman, now deceased remains in situ. His (?) helmet remains on the kerb to the right. What is rather strange is that the whole crime scene appears to have been totally deserted by police and other emergency services.http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/files/2017/03/body-covered-with-sheet-UK-Houses-of-Parliament-22-March-2017-620x356.jpgA wider view, now flooded with heavily armed policemen (after the horse has bolted some might say) but before the one above. Note, main gates have now been closed! http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/304/cpsprodpb/916B/production/_95272273_inside_west_pa.jpgClearly the next image was taken before ambulances arrive. Where and why the use of blue surgical gloves by non-medics?http://en.trend.az/world/other/2734320.htmlTHE ATTACK VEHICLEhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39351280Undoubtedly, as evidenced by this still, there will be CCT coverage of the moment the vehicle crashed into the railings (if it did) In fact given the location and its high security status there are sure multiple versions available to the police. To date none as far as I am aware have been made public. We shall see if they are. Given the circumstances, I can think of no reason why they should not be. Despite the damage to the front of the vehicle, there is no obvious damage to masonry or iron work that might be expected. It should be noted that either the vehicle has come to rest about a metre off the wall or has been pushed back. Other images indicate a person being treated in the space between the two, though apparently surviving the crush as the two fatalities were on Westminster Bridge only. The CCTV referred to above relating to actual moment of the crash, would clarify precisely what happened and in particular what the driver did immediately after he left the SUV and confirm that the man shot in Palace Yard, was in fact the same man that drove the vehicle. At the moment it is an unproven assumption - that may be accurate - that they are one and the same. Note helmeted cyclist in front of vehicle. Strange crime scene with police present.http://en.trend.az/world/other/2734320.htmlIn the foreground stationary official vehicles. So who is the intriguing hooded individual appearing to be making a hand signal. What is its meaning?http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpsprodpb/168E3/production/_95278329_mediaitem95278328.jpgBetter image from CCN! Identical moment.http://media.graytvinc.com/images/690*388/London+Attack+4+-+MGN.jpgAgain it is reasonable to ask where is the evidence of damage to pillar or railings from what must have been a collision at speed sufficient to cause the damage to car indicated? We do not appear to have witnesses to the collision or to the driver getting out and walking around the corner before entering without opposition it seems, the Palace Yard.http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/170322120805-uk-parliament-automobile-exlarge-tease.jpgHere's a very odd image. For some reason an area to the right has been obscured. Why?https://static.standard.co.uk/s3fs-public/styles/video_thumbnail/public/thumbnails/image/2017/03/22/18/westminsteraftermath2.jpghttps://i.ytimg.com/vi/e1iVdrEIKUc/hqdefault.jpghttps://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/styles/article_small/public/thumbnails/image/2017/03/22/16/westminster-shooting-car-.jpgTHE POLICEMAN SHOT DEAD - PC Keith Palmer. PHOTO: "METROPOLITAN POLICE" The police officer killed in the attack at Westminster was later named by Scotland Yard as PC Keith Palmer. The 48-year-old husband and father was a member of the Met's parliamentary and diplomatic protection command and had 15 years service. Previously a soldier.Explaining why he didnt have a gun despite being charged with guarding Parliament the national lead for Counter Terrorism Policing and the Acting Deputy Commissioner, Mark Rowely, said: Our parliamentary protection team are a combination of armed and unarmed officers doing different roles, and sadly the officer who lost his life today was unarmed. He was supported by armed colleagues who shot and killed the attacker. He (the attacker) tried to enter Parliament and was stopped at the gate. Some might think this raises more questions than answers them.THE HERO (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobias_Ellwood) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39351280 On 22 March 2017, during an attack on Parliament, Ellwood gave mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and CPR to a stabbed police officer even though there were plenty of healthcare professionals around the victim.[11] The police officer was subsequently reported to have died.[12]Ellwood was called a "hero" by those at Westminster and the press, as photos surfaced of him with blood on his face while he crouched over the body of the dying police officer.[13]Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the Opposition, was among the first to pay tribute.[14]John Crace, satirical political sketch writer for The Guardian, wrote that he had seen a man run out from the Parliament buildings to help, immediately after the attack; he didn't recognise him at first, but later found out that it was Ellwood, whom he knew.[15] This does raise the question as to what he was doing in that immediately vicinity at that time. Presumably he came from the 'Member's Entrance'. Only he can explain the precise circumstances. Briefly his biography was born in NYC of British parents and after Loughborough University joined the Royal Green Jackets from 1991 to 1996, leaving with the rank of Captain. He then followed a political ambition, unsuccessfully standing as Conservative candidate in 2001 and elected for Bournemouth East in 2005. Thereafter he held various government jobs often connected to military-related Ministers or topics. He was a supporter of David Cameron and immediately placed in the Whips Office on election - clearly an indication he was preferred. Thereafter in 2010, he was appointed PPS to then Defence Secretary Liam Fox, well-known for his Middle East contacts amidst some controversy over arms sales. In October 2011 was appointed PPS to David Lidington, Minister for Europe at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, now Leader of the House. In July 2014 Ellwood was appointed as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. He was a Member of the Parliamentary Delegation to the NATO Assembly, 2014 and Parliamentary Advisor to the Prime Minister for the 2014 NATO Summit. In2011, Ellwood served on the Special Select Committee set up to scrutinise the Bill which became the Armed Forces Act 2011.[5]He was also a member of the Defence Reform Act 2014 Committee[6]In May 2014 he was one of seven unsuccessful candidates for the chairmanship of the House of Commons Defence Select Committee.[7] The following image shows Ellwood with what appears to be blood stain or livid graze to forehead He has something of a reputation for confrontational behaviour. In 2011 referring to the Conservative party rebel Mark Pritchard Ellwood was reported as saying "He should be given a good hiding behind the bike shed". He later claimed he was joking.[2]In 2010 Ellwood was threatened with arrest outside the House of Commons by the police after confronting them over an anti-war protester. Contrary to policy he voted in favour of a 10% increase in pay for MP's in contrast to 1% freeze for rest of public service. Dear Lorna, One thing we could all do is not be taken in by the hype and deceit embedded in these events. All is not clear regarding this one but there are many questions that remain to be answered. Like why was the accused man, later found to be still in gaol? Who took the images of the vehicle crossing Westminster Bridge and was it just coincidental they did so in that tiny window of time? Why is there no apparent damage to pillar and railings, yet the assault car is majorly damaged including windscreen shattered? How did a member of the public just saunter into Palace Yard through gates and past policemen without being challenged? Why did he ignore policemen at the gate but stab an officer inside? Why does the offending knife show no signs of blood contamination as far as can be seen? Why if this was a genuine ISIS were not guns and explosives used and more people employed? Why does it follow an identical pattern of recent events on the continent and in Israel? Why are there so many Masonic and Caballistic embedded in the events (even the rescue helicopter was sponsored by mason and carried their logo)? How is it that an ex-military and NATO connected MP was immediately on scene and carried out resuscitation techniques when trained para-medics were available? Why was the death and injured toll mis-represented and had to be corrected down? Why was it necessary to 'lock down' Parliament for so long? Why was security so poor given the high terrorist threat level and most obvious target? How and in what way was the assailant known to MI5 (again) and why if he was known to be a "terrorist sympathiser" were alarm bells not rung when he hired a vehicle? Previous incidents both here and abroad have followed such stereotypical paths as regards the event and the way it is responded to, not to mention consistent proof of involvement by the State of Israel and/or its agents, that it would be naive to think these can be taken wholly at face value. I hope 38 Degrees is aware of this and will do its bit to shed light on a very dark and dangerous process. Yours sincerely, Tim Veater. P.S. You may like to check out these: http://veaterecosan.blogspot.co.uk/2017/03/london-322.html; http://veaterecosan.blogspot.co.uk/2017/03/orly-shooting.html; http://veaterecosan.blogspot.co.uk/2017/03/damascus-bomb-kills-seventy-innocents.html Mark, I have no special inside information but the coincidences and similarities in this latest outrage are so glaring that it would be naive to ignore them. There is no doubt in my mind that there is an evil caucus - even call it ISIS if you wish - but it is not what it is purported to be. Just as Al Qaedabefore it was a creation of mainly America, ISIS also. So even if the front of ISIS is carrying out attacks we can be sure it is implementing US/Israeli policy and planning. Israel has stated it supports ISIS and this has been proved in military action both by NATO and Israel. Why do you think ISIS has never attacked Israel? Why it has aligned itself against both Palestinians and Iran? Why Putin so pissed off the West? (Answr: Because he was actually fighting ISIS unlike us!) The whole ISIS thing is a sham from start to finish so why should we believe the plank that ISIS is Muslim and behind all these attacks? You will notice half the time the patsies that are put up are drug taking, alcohol drinking, night clubbing promiscuous MUSLIM FUNDAMENTALISTS? Very unlikely to me. In fact the ISIS fighters, led by American trained individuals, are simple mercenaries flooded in by the US from Libya and other places largely for the money. From 9/11 onwards the British people have been subjected to an evil and pernicious hoax that the political elite has signed up to and it it is surely but slowly unravelling and I think they know it. That is what these terror events are about - to spread fear and hatred and to enable them to advance an agenda, which they are doing in tiny steps. Note even here in Cornwall we have been told there will be more armed police patrols because of the Westminster incident! Can you believe it? Yet again this individual alleged to have been the assailant, was known to MI5. Why do they always know them but do nothing to stop them? That is yet another unanswered question I'm afraid. Sorry I after all that I didn't answer your specific questions. False flags come in many shapes and sizes. Invariably truth is mixed in with the lies and that is why it is so difficult to tease them apart. Thousands of people were killed on 9/11 and there probably were 19 individuals labelled as "hijackers" but that does not mean that the people blamed were actually the perpetrators. We must never let natural emotions of sympathy or rage colour our judgement because that is what the criminals behind it rely on. Everything might have happened in London exactly as stated, but equally there may be subtle but significant variations that we know nothing about. For example the vehicle that crossed the bridge might not be the vehicle that hit the wall. The vehicle that appears to have hit the wall may not have! The driver of the vehicle might not be the man that was shot. The policeman might not have died from stab wounds. The assailant may have been shot or died from someone other than the policeman. The assailant may have been acting under duress or the influence of some sort of mind control or drug. All of these things are possible and have been documented before. As to Muslims hating us, I'd be rather surprised if they didn't given our past history for at least 20 years. We have killed or facilitated millions of deaths and left civilised countries in ruin. I'm sure you would be sore if you lived abroad and watched it happening here. Considering this they have been very restrained although it has kicked off big time in France - you notice largely ignored by the British media. As to condemning the atrocities - do you mean here or there, and by whom, them or us? We all need to condemn atrocities equally and place the blame where it truly belongs. Which British politician has had the courage to challenge the 9/11 story and place the blame where it truly belongs, with elements of the American and Israeli governments? Who has had the courage to charge Israel with gross violations of human rights. Condemnation of violence from whatever quarter needs to be condemned and by all. Well I don't think we should be apathetic or indifferent to it and we should be sympathetic to the injured and affected. What I think we should avoid is uncritical acceptance of the official story and the media's treatment of it including what appears to me to be an example of mass hysteria. Why is the response to this so hugely different to the thousands killed and injured on the roads EVERY year, sometimes with the same degree of recklessness or malice? How is it that we get so emotional about three killed but don't turn a hair when thousands were murdered in Gaza by the Israelis who we actively support? It appears so irrational to me but worse it is an active objective of these events as in Paris and elsewhere. Note this is absolutely no use to ISIS but is helpful to our own politicians. Incidentally, ref. to the questions I raised above, the BBC has just revealed that the assailant was not shot by a policeman but by a "bodyguard"! Bodyguard of whom, provided by whom? I think this proves at least part of my argument. Regards. This event was over in less than TWO MINUTES! So what are the chances that there would be TWO armed guards (not police!) available at that moment to intervene? And how was Masood allowed to pass through the gate carrying two knives without being stopped or challenged by the armed police stationed there? These are questions that haven't been answered. Indeed Amber Rudd has refused to answer them. Why? British governmental corruption appears to run deep and wide, and leaving aside the whole 9/11; Afghanistan; Iraq; 7/7 fiascos, the McCann/Hampstead cases confirm and corroborate the connections between the misuse of children and the secret services. That is why the state organs are TERRIFIED of revelation and are prepared to go to almost any barely legal means of stifling the topic and those with actual information on it, Melanie Shaw for one, the Hampstead "whistle-blowers" just two painful examples of many silent and hidden ones. Their treatment is a mirror on the spots and blemishes that anti-wrinkle serums cannot hide and makes the whole visage ugly in the extreme. Sadly we cannot now take anything our government tells us at face, without questioning its purpose and veracity. We all have a responsibility - nay a duty - to question, question, question. But something in all of those I DIDN'T refer to was the fact that the very dodgy video, that purported to be of the offending vehicle crossing Westminter Bridge must have been taken from the iconic Millbank Tower, or that it is owned by two reclusive Jewish billionaires - the Reuben brothers - who made their money in Russian metals before selling up and investing in London property. So yet again we have a repeat of the stong Jewish connection to early 'terrorist' event video that strangely immediately becomes available to all media outlets. (See: http://www.reubenbrothers.com/millbank-tower/) It is also the location of the firm highlighted by Ole Dammegard: "CRISIS SOLUTIONS" (See: http://www.crisis-solutions.com/) This firm is also located there: https://www.altitudelondon.com/about-us/whats-new-at-altitude/ As far as I am aware, no one has come forward to accept responsibility for that film, nor for that matter how the vehicle on a bridge dense with slow moving traffic, was able to get back in the traffic lane and at speed crash into the masonry pillar and railings without doing any damage to them or any cyclists that would have been using the dedicated lane. Needless to say, no clear and accurate video has been released despite this being perhaps the top terrorist target in the country! Just a few of the many unexplained anomalies that strongly suggest fraud.
We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them  Albert Einstein Westminster Attack: 24 Hours On 24 hours later, the Westminster terror attack still does not quite seem real to me. Westminster is the beating heart of UK politics and British democracy. I have aspired to have a political career in Westminster for years and have fantasised about working in a place so steeped in history, right at the very core of public affairs. But yesterdays strike on parliament had harrowed me greatly. The Westminster attack yesterday that has left 5 people dead and over 40 people injured has hit London hard as it echoes the Brussel bombings that were only a year ago yesterday. The threat level for international terrorism in the UK has been severe since August 2014, making yesterdays events something that everyone planned for but hoped would never happen. It was also the hardest kind of attack to prevent, an apparently lone terrorist using low-tech weaponry seeking to do maximum harm. Whilst he succeeded in what he wanted to do, a dozen or more attacks have been blocked in Britain since 2013, 10 of them in the past two years. Our police and security forces have to be right all the time whereas the terrorists only need to be lucky once. The response to terror was fast and well-rehearsed. The police officer who later died of his injuries stopped the attacker at the gates off Parliament Square. Before the attacker had gone a pace or two further, he was shot by an armed officer. These two courageous interventions almost certainly saved scores of lives in a busy area crowded with politicians, visitors and some of the hundreds of staff who work in the palace. The brave response from the officers without fear for their own safety had to confront the terrorist and for that we should be extremely grateful. They risk their lives for everyone else and run towards danger as they ensure others are kept away. PC Keith Palmer has been named as the police officer killed in the terror attack on Westminster yesterday. Only aged 48, he had 15 years service and was a husband as well as a father. He was someone who left for work expecting to return home at the end of day, but sadly did not. Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood was seen among medics desperately trying to save PC Keith Palmer outside the parliament. He was utterly heroic, pure and simple, doing all he could to save a police officer. We have a tendency to mock our political class, but we take for granted the risk-factor that comes with being an MP. In 1979, the IRA murdered the senior Tory MP Airey Neave with a car bomb only yards from where the Westminster attack took place. An MP died in the Brighton bomb in 1984, and another was murdered at his home in 1990. Only last June, Jo Cox died at the hands of a rightwing extremist as she made her way to her constituency surgery. It is so easy to forget the vulnerable position that the police, security forces and even MPs are in, and yesterdays events are merely a reminder.
Shots were heard near Britains Parliament on Wednesday, and an officer was stabbed. Pedestrians were also hit by a vehicle on the nearby Westminster Bridge.Published OnMarch 22, 2017CreditCreditImage by Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times LONDON  A knife-wielding assailant driving a sport utility vehicle mowed down panicked pedestrians and stabbed a police officer outside Parliament on Wednesday in a deadly assault, prompting the hasty evacuation of the prime minister and punctuating the threat of terrorism in Europe. At least four people, including the assailant, were killed and at least 40 others injured in the confusing swirl of violence, which the police said they assumed had been inspired by international terrorism. It appeared to be the most serious such assault in London since the deadly subway bombings more than a decade ago. Throughout a turbulent afternoon, ambulances, emergency vehicles and heavily armed security officers thronged the area outside Parliament, as one of the busiest sections of London was cordoned off and evacuated. Prime Minister Theresa May was rushed into a vehicle and spirited back to her office. She held a meeting of the governments emergency committee and issued a statement on Wednesday night from her 10 Downing Street residence denouncing the sick and depraved terrorist attack on the streets of our Capital this afternoon. Mrs. May also said that the full details of exactly what happened are still emerging, but she confirmed that the attack had been carried out by a lone male assailant. As of late Wednesday, his identity had not been released, but Scotland Yard officials said they believed they knew who he was. The attack unfolded around 2:40 p.m., Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said at a news conference. Driving a sport utility vehicle, the assailant slammed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge near Parliament, killing two people and injuring many others, before crashing into a railing. After the crash, the driver left the vehicle and approached Parliament, where he stabbed an unarmed police officer to death and was fatally shot by the police. The dead officer was identified as Keith Palmer, 48, a member of the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command with 15 years of experience. This is the day we have planned for but we hoped would never happen, Mr. Rowley said. Sadly, its now a reality. The attack came on the anniversary of suicide bombings in Brussels that killed 32 people, along with three bombers. It confirmed fears among counterterrorism officials that London, which had largely escaped recent terrorist attacks in Europe, would join cities like Paris, Brussels and Berlin as targets of mass violence. Terrorism affects us all, and France knows the pain the British people are enduring today, President Franois Hollande of France said at a news conference in Villepinte, near Paris. Mrs. May, who spoke with Mr. Hollande and President Trump, said in her statement that Parliament would meet as normal on Thursday. She vowed to never permit the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart. Cmdr. B. J. Harrington of the Metropolitan Police said at a brief news conference earlier Wednesday that a full counterterrorism investigation is underway. He asked members of the public to report any suspicious activity and to share any images or video of the violence. Image People came to the aid of the wounded after the driver of a large vehicle mowed down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge.CreditToby Melville/Reuters Commander Harrington said that the acting police commissioner, Craig Mackey, had been at the scene of the attack and was not injured, but was being treated as a significant witness. At least three police officers were among those injured on the bridge. Also among the injured were three 10th-grade boys from a group of visitingstudents from the Brittany region of France, and a woman who fell or plunged into the River Thames. Mr. Hollandes government said it had chartered a plane to London with families of the French victims. Tobias Ellwood, a minister in the Foreign Office, tried to save the life of the fatally stabbed police officer by giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. The number of injured apparently included five South Korean tourists who were overwhelmed by a crowd fleeing the scene, South Koreas Foreign Ministry said Thursday morning. Three men suffered fractures, and a woman had surgery for a head injury, the ministry said. For more than two hours, astonished lawmakers inside the House of Commons, some of whom had ducked for cover, were told to stay in place as officers searched the premises office by office. At the moment, the very clear advice from the police and the director of security in the house is that we should remain under suspension, and that the chamber should remain in lockdown until weve received advice that it is safe to go back to normal procedures, David Lidington, the leader of the House of Commons, or lower house of Parliament, told lawmakers in remarks broadcast live on the BBC. Olly Grender, a member of the House of Lords, said that lawmakers were staying put. We were in a meeting, I heard shouting through the window, she said, adding that a colleague came in to tell them that a serious episode had taken place. Jayne Wilkinson, 59, from Birmingham, was near the statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square with her partner, David Turner, 56, when they saw people suddenly running from Parliament. The couple said they had seen a middle-aged man holding a knife. He ignored warnings from the police, running though the gates into the Parliament compound, she said. They were shouting to warn him, Ms. Wilkinson said. Soon after, she and her partner heard three gunshots and saw the man on the ground. Three construction workers inside the grounds of Westminster Palace said they had heard shots fired in rapid succession before they were escorted off the premises. It was bang-bang-bang, one said. Reuben Saunders, an American student at Cambridge University who was visiting Parliament, said he had been leaving the building when he saw a police officer accosted by an assailant armed with two knives or similar weapons. He was at the gate, I heard screaming, Mr. Saunders said. I saw the man on the ground being repeatedly stabbed, or pummeled. Mr. Saunders said two or three other police officers arrived, and there were two or three gunshots. Corinne Desray, a teacher who was outside Parliament with 39 teenage students on a three-day school trip from northern France, said they had heard three shots. My colleague saw bodies lying on the floor and someone said a policeman has been knived, she said. I told the kids to leave quickly, were heading back to the bus. Image Ambulances, emergency vehicles and heavily armed security officers thronged the area outside Parliament.CreditAndrew Testa for The New York Times Kirsten Hurrell, 70, who owns a newsstand opposite Big Ben, said she had seen a car swerve across a bicycle lane and into a fence around Parliament. She saw a body lying on the ground and called emergency services. At first I thought it was an accident, but then I was told the car had already mowed down quite a number of people on Westminster Bridge, she said, adding: Now that it is a terrorist incident, it is a bit more daunting. Robert Vaudry, 52, a fund manager from Stratford-upon-Avon, said he had emerged from the Westminster subway station around 2:40 p.m. for a meeting with a lawmaker when he realized that something was amiss. I came out of the Tube and there were two armed policemen, he said in an interview. One grabbed my arm, pushed me to the left and said, Get out of here, he said. They were shouting at everyone to get away. As he spoke, police officers were cordoning off the area. One officer shouted, We need everyone to move back past Downing Street. Radoslaw Sikorski, a former foreign minister of Poland who was in the area, was in a taxi on Westminster Bridge when the pedestrians were hit by the other vehicle. I didnt see the impact, I heard it  it sounded like a car hitting a sheet of metal, he said. I saw these people lying on the tarmac, on the pavement. I saw five people down, one unconscious and one bleeding heavily from his head. He was not moving. The taxi driver rang the emergency services, and people rushed to help. Andrew Bone, the executive director of the Responsible Jewellery Council, an industry standards group, was on a bus heading toward Victoria Station when it was stopped at the edge of Parliament Square. Seeing the commotion, he initially thought an action movie was being shot, but quickly discerned the gravity of the situation as the bus was evacuated and he saw the vehicle that had crashed into a railing. We had a front-row seat as the first responders arrived, Mr. Bone said. I am of the generation who remembers I.R.A. bombs in London during the Troubles, he said, referring to the sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland. We are not indifferent, but police have reacted with calm. I saw no panic. Britain has not suffered a large-scale terrorist attack since July 7, 2005, when bomb attacks on subway trains and on a bus killed more than 50 people. Political violence is relatively rare in Britain, where gun ownership is stringently restricted. Jo Cox, a Labour member of Parliament, was assassinated in her constituency in northern England on June 16, a week before the contentious referendum on whether Britain should leave the European Union. In 1979, a lawmaker was assassinated near the Parliament building. Airey Neave, a Conservative Party member, was killed when his car was blown up. Jeremy Shapiro, a former State Department official now at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said that the London attack was consistent with the recent pattern of attacks in which a vehicle was used to kill people, citing assaults in France, Germany and Israel. Weve seen a gradual movement away from terrorist attacks on the West to attacks on softer and softer targets with more improvised weapons, he said. In a way, its a sign of desperation and a demonstration of the effectiveness of counterterrorism in the West. Its spectacularly easy to kill a bunch of people with a car or a truck if you dont care who they are. Correction : Because of an editing error, an earlier version of this article referred incorrectly to Keith Palmer, the police officer who was stabbed to death. He was unarmed. Also because of an editing error, the article referred incorrectly to the sport utility vehicle driven by the assailant. It was a compact model (a Hyundai Tucson), not a large one.
The sun sets behind the Houses of Parliament after an attack on Westminster Bridge in London ( Reuters ) A vigil is to be held to remember the victims of the attack in Westminster, the Mayor of London has announced. Sadiq Khan has encouraged Londoners and visitors to attend the event, which will take place today (Thursday) at 6pm in Trafalgar Square, to remember the victims of yesterdays attack and stand against terrorism. Two members of the public and a police officer have died and dozens more were injuredafter the attacker mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and ploughed his car into pedestrians, before fatally stabbing a police officer outside Parliament. In a statement released on Thursday morning, the Mayors Office invited people to come together in solidarity with the victims and their families, and urged that London would stand together in the face of those who seek to harm us and destroy our way of life. The Mayor invites all Londoners  and everyone visiting our city - to come together in solidarity to remember those who have lost their lives, to express sympathy with their families and loved ones and to show the world that we are more committed than ever to the values that we hold dear  that we remain united and open, the statement read. Shortly after the attacks, Mr Khan released a video message in which he said Londoners would "never be cowed by terrorism". "London is the greatest city in the world, and we stand together in the face of those who seek to harm us and our way of life," the Mayor said. "We always have and we always will. "There will be additional armed and unarmed police officers on our streets from tonight in order to keep Londoners, and all those visiting our city, safe. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP "I want to reassure all Londoners, and all our visitors, not to be alarmed." Communities around the world have shown solidarity with those affected by Wednesday's Westminster terror attack through a series of poignant gestures. As midnight fell in France on Thursday night, the Eiffel Tower switched its lights off to honour those killed in the London massacre. Elsewhere, Ron Huldai, the mayor of Tel Aviv, posted images of the City Hall building in Israel, illuminated in red, white and blue.
How the attack unfolded Car leaves carnage in its wake on deadly route to parliament At about 2.40pm on Wednesday, a grey Hyundai Tucson driven by the attacker, Khalid Masood, drove on to Westminster Bridge. It mounted the pavement and mowed down passengers as it sped over the bridge. More than 20 pedestrians were hit and the first calls to the emergency services were made. The car sped over the bridge before smashing into parliaments perimeter wall outside New Palace Yard. Masood is said to have jumped out of the car and rushed through the Carriage Gates into New Palace Yard where he attacked two yellow-jacketed policemen at the security gates. One officer, 48-year-old PC Keith Palmer, was repeatedly stabbed and fell to the ground. The attacker turned to run but was challenged and shot several times by plainclothes officers. Despite attempts to resuscitate them, Palmer, who had 15 years of service with the parliamentary and diplomatic protection service, and Masood died. Two other people, Aysha Frade, a British teacher, and Kurt Cochran, an American tourist, died on the bridge. Police said 29 other people were treated in hospital, some of whom had catastrophic injuries. A fourth victim, Leslie Rhodes, a 75-year old man from Clapham in south London, died in hospital on Thursday night. Parliament was adjourned and locked down as police imposed a security cordon including Whitehall and Victoria Street. MPs, journalists and workers spent several hours unable to leave parliamentary buildings. The investigation Raids take place in London and Birmingham as British-born attacker named Police named the attacker as Khalid Masood on Thursday afternoon. He was 52, born in Kent and detectives believe he was most recently living in the West Midlands. Theresa May, the prime minister, said in her Thursday morning Commons statement that the dead attacker was a British-born man previously known to MI5 due to concerns over violent extremism. She said he was considered to be a peripheral figure who was not part of the current intelligence picture. The Metropolitan police said Masood had previous convictions for a number of violent offences, including GBH and assault, but had never been found guilty of terror offences. His first conviction was in November 1983 for criminal damage and his last was in December 2003 for possession of a knife, police said. Overnight, armed police arrested eight people during raids at six addresses across the country, including in Birmingham and London. The Birmingham raids included a second-floor flat above a row of shops on Hagley Road. The Hyundai Tucson used in the attack was rented from an Enterprise branch on Spring Hill Passage in Birmingham, one mile from the property raided in Hagley Road. Security questions Attacker entered through a vehicle entrance The Metropolitan police and parliamentary authorities will review security arrangements around Carriage Gates, the vehicle entrance opening on to Parliament Square, which the attacker ran through into New Palace Yard where he fatally stabbed the unarmed Palmer. The gates are usually used by vehicles carrying ministers and selected staff and are often left unlocked or ajar because they are in frequent use. They also serve as an entrance to the underground car park where the Conservative MP, Airey Neave, was blown up by Irish republicans in 1979. General security around the Palace of Westminster has tightened considerably since then  gates are controlled with airport-style searches and there can be queues of up to 45 minutes at busy times. In recent years, Parliament Square and the palace perimeter have been fortified to prevent the kind of vehicle-borne attacks seen last year in Nice and Berlin. No such measures were in place on Westminster Bridge where crowds of pedestrians were all too vulnerable to this type of assault.
A service is now taking place in front of Scotland Yard, in front of the flame that burns as a tribute to all dead Metropolitan police officers. A pray is being read by the Mets chaplain, Rev Jonathan Osborne. Cressida Dick, the incoming Met commissioner, Craig Mackay, the acting commissioner and other officers held a minutes silence in front of the eternal flame alight outside New Scotland Yard on Victoria embankment, within sight of Westminster bridge. The new headquarters was set to be formally opened by the Queen on Thursday but the ceremony was cancelled. The Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron was outside Portcullis House, the building which houses MPs offices just next to the Houses of Parliament, as the chaos unfolded on Westminster Bridge. He said he was meeting his local hospital trust but was about to head to the chamber when the division bell rang for a vote, via the underground tunnel which links two buildings. As we went underneath, it was clear the sea of people had suddenly reversed and was heading the other way. There was a noise, retrospectively you might think it was a bang or gunshot but I couldnt say for sure. Farron left the building via the MPs exit on to the embankment. He said he saw the horror but also amazing things, the running towards danger of staff at St Thomas. Lets not forget, not least the sacrifice of Keith Palmer, but the others who came to the aid of those suffering, even though doing so was putting themselves in harms way. Yesterday the anti-immigrant right, which in the past has sought to use terror attacks to justify its political stance, was generally silent. The Ukip leader Paul Nuttall put out a statement including a line saying in the coming hours and days more information will doubtlessly emerge about the attacker or attackers and their motivation but the press release focused on praising the emergency services and expressing sympathy for the victims. This morning, though, Leave.EU, the leave campaign run by the Nigel Farage ally and onetime Ukip donor Arron Banks, has put out a lengthy statement essentially blaming the attack on mass immigration. It says: We are sick, tired but perhaps even more so we are angry that recent governments across Europe have enabled these attacks through grossly negligible policies that have left us vulnerable. How many times must we #PrayForNice? For Brussels? Berlin? Paris? London? The list is endless. Candlelight vigil in London this evening The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has issued an open invitation to all Londoners and visitors to the capital to a candlelight vigil in Trafalgar Square from 6pm this evening. This is the statement from City Hall: The mayor is asking everyone to come together in solidarity to remember those who have lost their lives, to express sympathy with their families and loved ones and to show the world that we are more committed than ever to the values that we hold dear  that we remain united and open. London is the greatest city in the world. We will never be cowed by terrorism. We stand together, in the face of those who seek to harm us and destroy our way of life. We always have, and we always will. Birmingham has long been home to violent jihadis attracted to plotting and supporting terrorism. The chief constable of the West Midlands, Dave Thompson, has said that the area was second only to London for the number of terror plots linked to it. In a Guardian interview last year, Thompson said the rise of Isis, which he referred to as Daesh, had led to a very high intensity and determination of terrorist threat, he said. Thompson said there were differences between how al-Qaida had tried to attract British recruits and Isiss approach. Key to this was Isiss declaration of a hardline, pan-national Islamist state. There is something around the concept of Daesh, the concept of a caliphate that is drawing people to that. And I think there is a greater sophistication in the approach taken to radicalise people through more digital means, and I think that has driven a different face of the challenge weve faced over the last few years. The Hagley Road area of Bearwood, where one raid by police took place, is close to the Birmingham city centre, barely a mile away. Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, has been giving interviews about the Westminster attack this morning. Here are some of the points he made. Khan refused to directly hit back at Donald Trump Jr, who used a tweet yesterday to criticise Khan for a comment he made last year about terror attacks being part and parcel of living in a big city. Trumps comments have been strongly criticised. Here is the tweet. Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) You have to be kidding me?!: Terror attacks are part of living in big city, says London Mayor Sadiq Khan https://t.co/uSm2pwRTjO Im not going to respond to tweets by Donald Trump. What I will say is this: the threat level in London and our country remains the same. Its severe. That means, according to the experts, an attack is highly likely. The commissioner who just retired said last year that, as far as an attack was concerned, it was a matter of when, not if. Thankfully the police and security services practise for such incidents. One, Im afraid, happened yesterday. He said policing in London was constantly evolving as new threats emerged. One of the reasons I believe our police service, our security services, are the best in the world is we evolve and adapt as the terrorists, those who seek to harm us, evolve and adapt and find new ways to kill us and destroy our way of live. So you have seen across London bollards, in lay persons terms, for the additional security measures that have been taken over the last couple of years now. You have seen the additional searches done by the police when it comes to vehicles and when it comes to intelligence-led stop and search. Thats going to carry on. And you will see over the last 24 hours additional measures taken. He said we must not let terrorists destroy our way of life. We must never accept terrorists being successful. We must never accept that terrorists can destroy our life or destroy the way we lead our lives. We must never accept politicians not being accessible to the public. We must never accept a situation where people try and divide Christians, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus from each other, of those who are not members of organised faiths. We must never accept a situation where people can incite hatred against people because of the faith they belong to. When you think about why terrorists want to attack London, its because they hate the fact that we dont simply tolerate each other, whether you are a Christian, Muslim, Jew, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, member of an organised faith or not, we respect, embrace and celebrate each other. And thats going to carry on. Im Andrew Sparrow. I will be blogging today with my colleague Jessica Elgot, who has been running the blog until now.
Pages Thursday, March 23, 2017 How London terror attack unfolded in pictures: Pedestrians mowed down on Westminster Bridge before policeman stabbed to death and knifeman shot Violence struck in Britain Wednesday in the form of a terror attack outside the British Parliament, leaving five people dead, including a police man, and many others injured. The attack occurred at about 2:40 p.m. at which time gunshots were heard near the British Parliament.It began when the driver of a car drove along the Westminster Bridge which leads to the House of Commons, mowing down pedestrians. Five people were killed and about 40 injured in London after the car plowed into pedestrians and a suspected Islamist-inspired attacker stabbed a policeman close to Britain's parliament.The dead, in what police called a "marauding terrorist attack," included the assailant and the policeman he stabbed. The other three victims were among those hit by the car as it sped across Westminster Bridge before crashing into railings just outside parliament. Prime Minister Theresa May condemned the attack as "sick and depraved." "The location of this attack was no accident," she said in a statement outside her 10 Downing Street office late in the evening. "The terrorist chose to strike at the heart of our capital city, where people of all nationalities, religions and cultures come together to celebrate the values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech." After the driver plowed the pedestrians, he then alighted from the car after the crash and sprinted to Parliament where Theresa May had been answering Prime Minster's Questions in front of hundreds of MPs, there he went on a stabbing spree and stabbed to death an armed police officer guarding the place. It was the deadliest attack in London since four British Islamists killed 52 commuters and themselves in suicide bombings on the city's transport system in July 2005, in London's worst peacetime attack. The man's momentary reign of terror was brought to an end when he was fatally shot by police. During the attack, Westminster police bundled Theresa May into a car and rushed her away from Parliament. The police said they were treating the attack as an act of terrorism, which makes it the most serious assault in London since the deadly subway bombings more than a decade ago. A number of people are in critical condition at the hospital. Among the injured were teenage schoolchildren from France. As the attack came to an end, ambulances, emergency vehicles and heavily armed security officers thronged the area outside the House of Commons. In all the confusion resulting from the attack, a man was seen shouting that his wife had jumped into the River Thames in a desperate attempt to escape the terrorist. One victim of the car attack was left floating face down in the Thames but was pulled from the river alive. The bridge above was strewn with the victims of the terror hit and run. Witnesses said the aftermath was like a scene from a 'Hollywood disaster movie'. After the attack, sympathizers thronged the Bridge to comfort injured victims lying in a pool of their own blood. AD Find A Couples Counselor Serious about saving or improving your relationship? Get professional counseling from a licensed therapist. Busy Schedule? Flying on board a Private jet FlyPriva is an online platform aimed to connect travelers from around the world interested in hiring a business jet, VIP jet or helicopter with the most skilled air charter brokerage companies located near them. 3m360 Promote Your Products Events 2348061630049 Download Sounds #3m360 @Shuleydee - #Play BetterHelp is the world's largest ecounseling platform Help us match you to the right online therapist. Search This Blog FAMILY WORSHIP CENTER ABUJA NIGERIA COME AND ENJOY THE LOVE OF GOD VIDA STORE LOUD CUSTOM DESIGNS BY LORITOSAN Followers CHAPERON GROUP (events, lifestyle management,protocol ) chaperon offers full event planing ushering pa & protocol services , call us lets take the burden off you 08061630049 AUTO PARTS WEST AFRICA Buy original car parts from america and get it delivered to your door step any where in west africa BetterHelp is the world's largest ecounseling platform PIN IT Get News & updates (email) If you have a habit of being late, relax. Flying private Busy Schedule? Flying on board a Private jet saves your most valuable asset and greatest luxury, time. Request Now: www.FlyPriva.com If you have a habit of being late, relax. Flying private means the aircraft awaits your arrival. Be in the air just minutes after arriving at the airport!
PC Keith Palmer, a member of the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Squad, was killed as he tried to stop the attacker at around 2.30pm on Wednesday, while three members of the public were also fatally injured. The suspect, who was armed with two knives, injured around 40 people as he mowed down pedestrians with a car on Westminster Bridge before crashing at the railings in front of Parliament. Bursting through the gate to the Palace of Westminster, he stabbed PC Palmer before being shot dead by armed officers. Speaking outside Scotland Yard on Wednesday night, Acting Deputy Commissioner Mark Rowley, the Met's senior anti-terror officer, said police believe the suspect was inspired by international terrorism, and they believe they know who he was. Paying tribute to PC Palmer, who had served the police for 15 years, Mr Rowley said: Today in Westminster we saw tragic events unfold, and our thoughts are with those who lost loved ones, those who were injured and all those affected by this attack. One of those who died today was a police officer, PC Keith Palmer, a member of our parliamentary and diplomatic protection command. Keith, aged 48, had 15 years' service and was a husband and father. He was someone who left for work today expecting to return home at the end of his shift, and he had every right to expect that would happen. The attack has delayed the Queen's planned visit to the new headquarters of the Metropolitan Police. A Buckingham Palace spokesman said the decision had been taken to postpone the engagement in light of the attack. Stories of heroism and bravery emerged from the incident, which brought central London to a standstill and closed transport networks around the capital shortly after 2.30pm on Wednesday. Paramedics fought to save PC Palmer, and his attacker, on the floor of the cobbled courtyard in front of Parliament, with Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood among those who rushed to help. Mr Ellwood, who lost his brother in the Bali bombing, could be seen pumping the officer's chest then standing above him, his hands and face smeared with blood. Armed officers, some in plain clothes and wearing balaclavas, swarmed around the yard feet from where MPs had earlier attended Prime Minister's Questions. The knifeman's attack left a trail of destruction as paramedics tended to victims on the bridge and at the gate. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP One woman hit by the attacker's car before he reached Parliament was confirmed dead by a doctor at St Thomas' Hospital. Others on the bridge suffered catastrophic injuries. Another woman who fell into the Thames was rescued and given urgent medical treatment on a nearby pier. A party of French schoolchildren were among those targeted on the bridge, while four students from Edge Hill University in Ormskirk were also hurt - two described as walking wounded, and another couple said to have minor injuries. Romanian and South Korean tourists were also caught up in the tragedy.
The terror suspect who was detained with a 'rucksack full of knives' near Parliament square had been tracked on an intricate web of CCTV cameras by police and MI5. Armed police 'swarmed like bees' on the bearded man just before 2.30pm after his concerned family reportedly alerted security services. Witnesses said the man, who was wearing a tracksuit and trainers, was crossing Whitehall amid the usual crowds of tourists and political staff when a police car suddenly pulled up and officers confronted him, just five weeks after the Westminster terror attack killed that five people. But, unbeknown to him, the suspect had been tailed from the moment he got off the Underground at St James's Park - where he had travelled from east London - and headed towards Westminster. While covert teams trailed him on the ground, a live feed was being sent to control rooms in New Scotland Yard and the MI5's Thames House before they gave the order for them to swoop in. This is the face of a terror suspect tackled to the floor today in Whitehall, where knives were seen strewn across the floor Police say the man was detained after a stop and search in an 'ongoing operation'. The suspect is now being questioned Witnesses said the police appeared from nowhere and got the man on the ground. Armed officers stood guard as he was held At least three knives were seen laying on the floor after a team of officers swooped and tackled the man to the ground Pictures of forensics officers show at least three knives, a small flick knife, a large one on the ground and another being held Aerial photographs show police officers grappling with the suspect in the moments as they handcuff and arrest him The man is then led around to the other side of a waiting unmarked police car, in which he was driven to a nearby police station for questioning A large number of armed police then flooded the area as the suspect was pinned to the ground just yards from Downing Street. He was held against a wall of the Treasury before being taken away in a van to a police station. Security sources say police were tipped off by the man's family, which may have allowed officers the chance to detain him before they had to resort to opening fire. The suspect has not been named but is 27 years old and thought to be known to police, who kept tabs on him via surveillance cameras on the streets and on the Underground. It is believed that the suspect had been under round-the-clock surveillance and was tracked by two teams today with armed officers on standby, and that his phone and other means of communication were being monitored. Eyewitness Ian Grant was walking through the area when armed police rushed passed him and arrested the suspect, who is believed to have a British passport, but was not born here. The 56-year-old, from Poplar in the east of the capital, said: 'I came out of the tube station and saw a police car go flying by. Then all of a sudden it slowed down and two cops got out. 'Then an armed cop with a rifle came passed me, I thought it was just a drill at first. Then he shouted "Armed police, stop" and they got this guy down on the ground. 'When they shouted at him he didn't resist or say a word, he just put his hands up and stopped. Then they got the cuffs on him in the central reservation. Share this article 'First there was one, then two police officers, then they all came from nowhere like a swarm of bees. There was about a dozen cop cars. ' The area was sealed off as Scotland Yard's forensics experts scoured the scene, where at least three knives and a rucksack were seen laying on the ground on a central reservation. Police say the arrest was made following a 'stop and search' which was part on an ongoing operation. He is being questioned by anti-terror detectives at a south London police station. Mr Grant added: 'Before he was arrested he was just walk along normally, but he must have known they were after him because he didn't say anything when they stopped him. 'It was uncomfortable seeing that happen, it wasn't scary at first, it all happened so fast. But given what happen a month ago, it makes you really nervous.' The man was arrested just 350ft (116 yards) from where previous attacker Khalid Masood was shot 36 days ago. A Scotland Yard spokesman said: 'A man has been arrested in Whitehall this afternoon, at approximately 14:22, following a stop and search as part of an ongoing operation. 'The man, aged in his late twenties, was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism. Knives have been recovered from him. The man was tackled on a traffic island before being held against the wall of the Treasury. The bearded suspect - dressed all in black - appeared to have a bandage on his right hand before he was taken away Police around the Houses of Parliament are on high alert after a terrorist killed five in a car and knife attack five weeks ago The arrest was made just 300ft from where 'lone wolf' attacker Khalid Masood unleashed his attack five weeks ago Dramatic photos taken by witnesses show the moment police arrested the suspect after a 'stop and search' check in Whitehall A witness tweeted this picture of the suspect being held on the ground on the traffic island surrounded by armed police A picture taken through a phone box shows the man being held against the wall of the Treasury on Whitehall after the arrest The 27-year-old man, who was wearing a black tracksuit, was ushered away by a team of police around half an hour later Bus passenger Ian Moss said police 'looked like they were tending' to him, adding: 'He was arrested. He could walk so no idea if he was injured.' Asked if he was struggling while on the ground, Mr Moss said: 'No - not at all. He had police pointing arms at him though.' A builder working on the road across from the scene told MailOnline the incident was over very quickly. He said he saw the police officers wrestling the suspect, who he described as black, to the ground. The man did not shout and was calm, the witness said. Eyewitness Luke William said: 'Armed police in Westminster holding a man with a backpack with what appears to be knives falling out on the floor. Stay safe.' Journalist Helen Chandler-Wilde, 22, was near Westminster Abbey when the commotion unfolded just a few yards away. She said: 'There are loads of police, about 10 of them, as well as six police cars, and a forensic officer. 'We ran down from just behind Westminster Abbey to see what was going on, we're about 20 yards from the entrance to the Treasury. The traffic is still flowing, it's just a small bit of the road which is closed.' An employee at HMRC said the main entrance to their building at 100 Parliament Street has been closed. An photo taken from the air shows the location of the arrest, near the brightly-coloured bus. The man was detained at the southern end of Whitehall, where it opens onto Parliament Square The investigation took place within view of tourists and reporters at the south end of Whitehall this afternoon The dramatic arrest unfolded in one of Britain's best known streets, which was busy with tourists and government workers A police officer guards the scene this evening. The Prime Minister has paid tribute to police and security services The latest security incident comes after Westminster was put on a heightened state of alert following a major terror attack just over a month ago. Security in the area has been noticeably more high profile since Khalid Masood killed four people by ramming them with his car on Westminster Bridge before stabbing to death Pc Keith Palmer just inside the grounds of Parliament on March 22. Parliamentary authorities said they could not comment on what changes had been made to security measures at the Palace of Westminster since the March attack. In the aftermath of the assault, authorities have reviewed how to keep the area as safe as possible. Armed police officers have been more visible patrolling the Palace of Westminster since the attack, which also left Masood dead from gunshot injuries. I AM WAGING JIHAD IN REVENGE AGAINST THE WEST: MOTIVATION OF WESTMINSTER TERROR KILLER KHALID MASOOD IS REVEALED AS SPIES CRACK HIS WHATSAPP MESSAGE The last message sent by the Westminster terror attacker declared he wanted to wage jihad in revenge at military action in the Middle East, it has emerged. Khalid Masood was found to have been active on messaging service Whatsapp just two minutes before he carried out his fatal attack on March 22. But end-to-end encryption has meant authorities have struggled to find out what he sent before he careered his hired car into pedestrians on the Westminster Bridge before attempting to storm Parliament. However, the Independent has learnt that spies have managed to crack into the message, and revealed his motivation was revenge at western military action in the Middle East. The website reports the person who received the message was extensively questioned, but freed after the police and MI5 concluded that he was not part of a plot and had no prior knowledge of what happened. Masood killed five people and injured 50 during his rampage on Parliament last month. Among those were hero police officer Keith Palmer, who was stabbed outside the House of Commons as he acted as the last line of defence. Security sources have called getting into the message a result of 'human and technical intelligence'. The sources have not disclosed how they went about the task, but have confirmed the technical expertise now exists for any future replications. Masood's phone was recovered after he was shot dead by police in the capital. Praise: Theresa May has today paid tribute to the 'hero' police and spies behind the arrest of the Whitehall terror suspect Theresa May has paid tribute to the 'hero' police and 'unseen and unheard' spies behind the arrest of the Whitehall terror suspect today. The unnamed 27-year-old appears to have been trailed by Scotland Yard officers and MI5 before he was pinned to the ground for allegedly carrying a 'rucksuck' of knives. Scotland Yard has confirmed that the arrest was terror-related and part of an 'ongoing operation' and that nobody was injured. Theresa May and many others have praised the authorities for their intervention just yards from Downing Street. She said: 'I think it shows our police and intelligence and security services are on alert, as they always are, looking to keep us safe and secure. 'We owe them a huge debt of gratitude. They are often unseen, unheard, yet the job they do, day in and day out, is really important and we should thank them for it'. The Prime Minister was away from Number 10 on a campaign visit at the time of the incident, which did not disrupt work in Downing Street. Security in the area has been noticeably more high profile since Khalid Masood killed four people by ramming them with his car on Westminster Bridge before stabbing to death Pc Keith Palmer just inside the grounds of Parliament on March 22. In the aftermath of the assault, authorities have reviewed how to keep the area as safe as possible. Armed police officers have been more visible patrolling the Palace of Westminster since the attack, which also left Masood dead from gunshot injuries. Extra concrete barriers have also been installed to form a so-called ring of steel.
RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Share The British-born jihadi, 52, was on Whatsapp at 2.37pm, approximately two minutes before hitting people on the bridge and four minutes before he was shot dead by armed officers outside the Palaces of Westminster. He stabbed PC Keith Palmer to death with two knives outside parliament after killing 44-year-old mother-of-two Aysha Frade, 75-year-old Londoner Leslie Rhodes, and US tourist Kurt Cochran, 54, as he ploughed along a crowded pavement on Westminster Bridge. ISIS initially claimed responsibility for its first attack on British soil and said the crazed knifeman was its 'soldier', but yesterday police insisted Masood was not linked to the terror group. Floral tributes to the victims of the attack were placed outside the Palace of Westminster The Westminster terrorist Khalid Masood receives medical treatment by paramedics at the scene Metropolitan policeman Keith Palmer (left), Mother-of-two Aysha Frade (centre) and US tourist Kurt Cochran (right) have been named as victims of the attack Masood used this hire car to kill pedestrians then smashed into Parliament's railings Scotland Yard said the British-born jihadi copied ISIS techniques but there was no evidence he was in contact with them. His mother said she is 'deeply shocked, saddened and numbed' by her son's actions. Mrs Ajao said she had 'shed many tears' for the victims and did not condone the attack or the beliefs that led Masood to commit the 'atrocity'. She said: 'I am so deeply shocked, saddened and numbed by the actions my son has taken that have killed and injured innocent people in Westminster. 'Since discovering that it was my son that was responsible I have shed many tears for the people caught up in this horrendous incident. 'I wish to make it absolutely clear, so there can be no doubt, I do not condone his actions nor support the beliefs he held that led to him committing this atrocity. 'I wish to thank my friends, family and community from the bottom of my heart for the love and support given to us.' His mother now lives with her husband in Carmarthenshire, west Wales, where she runs an online business selling hand-made bags and cushions (pictured) JANET AJAO'S STATEMENT IN FULL In a statement released through the Metropolitan Police, Janet Ajao said: 'I am so deeply shocked, saddened and numbed by the actions my son has taken that have killed and injured innocent people in Westminster. 'Since discovering that it was my son that was responsible I have shed many tears for the people caught up in this horrendous incident. 'I wish to make it absolutely clear, so there can be no doubt, I do not condone his actions nor support the beliefs he held that led to him committing this atrocity. 'I wish to thank my friends, family and community from the bottom of my heart for the love and support given to us.' Scotland Yard said that, while it had not found evidence linking Masood to the group, he 'clearly' had an interest in jihad. Yesterday, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu revealed more about the investigation into the attack. He said: 'His attack method appears to be based on low sophistication, low tech, low cost techniques copied from other attacks, and echo the rhetoric of IS (Islamic State) leaders in terms of methodology and attacking police and civilians, but at this stage I have no evidence he discussed this with others. 'Whilst I have found no evidence of an association with ISIS or al-Qaeda, there is clearly an interest in jihad.' It has also emerged that Masood appeared to be obsessed with the scene of his massacre, keeping photos and maps of the bridge where he killed three people. A source told The Sun documents of Parliament and the surrounding area were found in his dingy room in Birmingham, which suggested planning as opposed to a random act of terror. Police and a removal contractor take a matress and bedding away from an address on Navigation Way in Birmingham Police officials opened the door to the family home on Navigation Way on Monday afternoon to a tradesman who loaded his white van with various household items The rented room, three miles from his home in the West Midlands, was described as a war room by the source, who said it was designed to be hidden from prying eyes. Detectives have ruled out that Masood was radicalised in prison, saying he converted to Islam a year after being released. Born Adrian Elms, Masood took his new name in 2005 having served time for possession of a knife. 'In 2005 he changed his name to Khalid Masood,' Mr Basu said. 'His last criminal offence was 2003 and he was not a current subject of interest or part of the current domestic or international threat picture for either the security service or CT (counter terrorism) policing. 'I know when, where and how Masood committed his atrocities, but now I need to know why. Most importantly, so do the victims and families.' But Scotland Yard denied claims Masood had been radicalised in prison, following claims from friends and former colleagues who knew him before and after he served time. Mr Basu, the senior national coordinator for UK counter terrorism policing, added: 'There is no evidence that Masood was radicalised in prison in 2003, as has been suggested - this is pure speculation at this time.' Dimmon Payne, the father-in-law of victim Kurt Cochran and father of Melissa Cochran, who was seriously injured, yesterday told of his family's grief Melissa Cochran's sister Angela wept as the family told of their determination to stay positive The movements of Khalid Masood 1964 - Born Adrian Elms on Christmas Day in Dartford, Kent. 1966 - His single mother, Janet Elms, later marries in Crawley, West Sussex and they later move to Tunbridge Wells, Kent and Rye, East Sussex. 1983 - In November that year, he picks up his first conviction, for criminal damage. 2000 - Jailed for two years for grievous bodily harm. When he is released, he moves to the East Sussex village of Northiam. 2003 - Aged 39 and running an aerial installation firm, he is jailed for six months for possession of a knife. 2004 - After being freed from prison, he marries Muslim Farzana Malik in Medway, Kent. It is unclear for how long they were married but they are now believed to be divorced. 2005 - Changes his name to Khalid Masood. Believed to have travelled to teach in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia. 2006 - Said to have lived in Crawley and to received visits from police. 2008-2009 - According to his CV, he returned to teach in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. 2009-2012 -Returning from Saudi, he moved to Luton, where he worked at a language school. A former colleague says he wasn't militant but did show interest in Anjem Choudary's group Al Muhajiroun. 2012 - Set up his own teaching firm in Birmingham. Later moves between east London and Birmingham with new partner and two children. 2017 - Carries out terror attack which kills four and injures 50 in London. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? 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The significant sentence slipped into the Brexit Withdrawal Bill is innocuous but all encompassing: Only the UK Government, with the approval of the UK Parliament, can act for the UK as a whole. It was not in the draft copy. It was added later, slid in silently like a knife into a honey hive. Since its obvious to everyone bar the blind and deaf that Scotland can never defeat the UK Government in a vote at Westminster  were supposed to be equals, remember  the UK Parliament in that single statement is making a grab for full dictatorial powers. In effect, it is creating a veto. That is one step away from over-turning any new law or social contract enacted by Holyrood. It gives Westminster a veto over everything. The paragraph continues: giving the right to the UK Parliament to act if the other nations are not in agreement  with the UK Parliament. This places the UK Parliament in the position of having the absolute power of a monarch. Westminster and the rabble within it show their contempt for the people of Scotland. Westminster as right-wing think tank Effectively this makes Westminster the tyrannical institution it has long denied it is. There has not been another era in British life since Oliver Cromwell went on the bloody rampage in Scotland and Ireland that dedicates itself to the overthrow of rights. What England wants England gets. This is not a novel situation. It has existed over 300 years. But what is happening here is an attempt to write it in blood and soil a one-nation state. Id warrant its unlawful in international law, if only somebody with the financial resources would challenge it. Unprincipled, unethical politicians here in Scotland and their masters in London are whittling away at democracy. This is not about curtailing the ambitions of the SNP. What we are witnessing is the gradual marginalisation of the population, the reduction until meaningless of the role of the population in political decision making. A power grab is a power grab A power grab was on Number 10 Downing Streets Cabinet table for implementation well before the advent of an SNP administration. It started with the imposition of neo-liberal dogma. Capitalists took fright at the erosion of their privileges. What we see now is an attempt to wipe out advances in economic growth and social justice fought hard for and won last century. The use of student debt is one way of keeping youth docile. Warnings of no guaranteed pension is another a way of keeping society insecure. When that happened it threatened the profits of the capitalists and corporations. They looked for ways of protecting their interests, they found it in cheap labour abroad. They reorganised the distribution of wealth and global trade, and wrapped up in a phony philosophy, half-economic gobbledygook, half-fascism. They called it neo-liberalism. The older generation are heavily criticised for soaring house prices. Nevertheless, they are due a lot of credit for being instrumental in creating a huge growth in democratic participation now under attack. The infamous Consent Clause, whatever you do we overrule A New Enlightenment The first referendum to reinstate Scotlands self-governance gave rise to a wonderful nationwide debate on rights and political power. People began to look closely at what Scotland really earns in trade, what it produces, what it achieves in arts and sciences. We analysed what we are capable of in innovation, in resources untapped and exploited for the public good. We checked out use of renewables. We looked at ways to protect the vulnerable with guaranteed social welfare. We saw what we are missing in international affairs. This New Enlightenment does not go down well with our English counterparts. Westminster dislikes a Scotland too involved in UK national and international affairs. This is what Samuel Huntington, in a book published in 1975, called An excess of democracy. He saw it as a crisis. So does Westminster, Tories and Labour both, Labour essentially Tory-lite in regards to Scotlands position. They want to restore the prestige and authority of central government institutions. A war of attrition Westminster sees its power under attack by Scotlands democratic movement. It doesnt welcome more democracy. They detest loss of control. Now they are retaliating. This is a war of attrition. The enemies of democracy inserted that sleekit sentence to guarantee the Scottish Government does as its told. Their goal is maintaining international trade to benefit the few, hold tight to the fallacy of austerity as an economic miracle worker, and hegemonic power. Dumping Europe is an extension of that dogma. You can hear the braying of the donkeys gather volume. The Welsh National Assembly capitulated to the Brexit Withdrawal Bill, exactly as history says they do on so many things affecting their land. Yet again the old adage of a Welshman an Englishman with a leek in his buttonhole proves to have some truth in it. The scummy DUP minority in Northern Ireland have all but demolished the internal co-operation of the NI Assembly. The mobilisation of big business is underway. The evidence is there in the creation of the far-Right Scotland in Union campaign with its green ink brigade and dirty donations. The Scottish Governments determination to defend Scotlands rights, and in so doing its citizens freedoms, is admirable. This is why we have governments, to protect our rights. Scotland is seeing the last ditch stand to defend the 1998 Scotland Act. Strike a blow against authoritarianism I have almost reached the point of thinking we should just declare independence and take it to the United Nations. We should do it before Englands parliament emasculates Scotlands ambitions and energies. Everybody, young, old, farmers, fishermen, tradesmen, the unions, all special interest groups, should unite to block this blatant attempt to turn Scotland into nothing more than a tourist destination north of Newcastle. The politicians I describe here are not the consensus. Ruth Davidson and her mini-fascist councillors are not the consensus. We are the consensus. We are democracy. 18 Responses to An Excess of Democracy What a splendid rant, but one that hopefully will have widespread support. WM seem to have overreached themselves this time, but will enough Scots realise in time? Correct me if Im wrong, but there seem to be two incompatible POVs here : 1. Scotland is an equal partner in a bipartite political union with England (=Englandandwales), and Holyrood is the original parliament of Scotland revived. (And FWIW was declared as such when first opened); 2. Holyrood and the entire Scottish government structure is simply a creature of WM, a part of the machinery of devolution along with the Welsh Assembly and so on. And since power devolved is power retained (who said that?) it implies that the whole political and administrative structure north of the border is nothing but a glorified local authority. Its powers are simply loaned from WM, and that loan can in principle be recalled whenever WM chooses, at their whim. So can the constitutional lawyers in the house please stand up and tell us who, if anyone, can determine which POV is valid, and how their decision can be implemented and enforced? If the Scottish government or parliament were to throw its current caution to the winds and declare UDI, and it could come to that if WM continue on their present bone-headed course, then what is to stop London imposing direct rule, just as the did in NI? This would be entirely logical given the POV #2 above. Would we not see Nicola and Co. spirited away to an unknown place of safety for an indefinite period and troops on the streets to keep the peace? In other words, UDI is a very risky strategy, genuinely the last resort, but one which cannot be delayed past a certain point. Whoever it falls to to decide will need nerves of steel  and all of our support, it goes without saying. Good points. Readers are encouraged to discuss them. Up against the Articles of the Treaty, Direct rule is unlawful. They know that and so resort to stealth tactics. Ill write next about the myth of Westminster as a repository of monarchical rule. But the crux as I see it is whether or not the present Scottish Government and Parliament can be seen to represent the Scottish party to the Treaty of Union, or OTOH whether both parties to the Treaty were perpetually joined into the UK government with the union of parliaments. If you take this latter view, and WM most probably will, then Holyrood is just an upstart pretender  and we know how that usually ends  As I make clear in Union, What Union? only the English parliament dissolved itself. The Scottish parliament remained extant. Westminster cannot take for granted automatic ownership of the other nations after every election. The nations are not England divided into village provinces. It puzzles me that, s our first commentator stated, the constitutional lawyers are not talking about this in public, or is it being suppressed? The chance to get their teeth into the interpretation of 300 years of legislation underpinned by the Treaty of Union, not forgetting the Declaration of Arbroath, is mouthwatering to anyone interested in history and the law. Come out from under your academic desks, out from you dusty lawyers cupboards and give a lead to all who wish the best for our land and people before we are overtaken by the machinations of those who wish to control and oppress us. By the way the English who live in Scotland, who enjoy the privileges and benefits of our devolution should take a long hard look at the state of affairs south the border and think hard about how they will pay the fees heaped upon them and their children for basic social needs and education. Its as much a mystery to me, and I guess others, those of influence dont demand renegotiation of the Treaty. In no small way Catalonia has been doing this for years, decades, trying to have a one-sided Spanish constitution allow for substantial democratic real change, a constitution contrived by Francos still living fascist supporters. The UK government doesnt call itself Francophiles, but by god its practices his policies. In Scotland it may come to confrontation but in the meantime Sturgeons policy is to garner a much consent as possible. I think we have it now. Like you, I believe the population is alarmed at what they are seeing and hearing emanating from England. Surely whats needed now is a will of steel, and full support of Sturgeons stance. Incidentally, I see the former ambassador Craig Murray is calling for a declaration of autonomy. I like to think the things I write about chime with the public mood. Dare I play the Devils Advocate? The original Scots Parliament, you say, never dissolved itself formally. Fair enough, so you think it still exists in some weird constitutional limbo? But its individual members will clearly all have long since departed this life and so be in no position to act, and since there were no elections held to maintain that august body, I must return to my original point : What evidence is there that the present Scottish Parliament, created under the devolution settlement, has inherited any or all of the powers, responsibilities and status of the pre-Union body? Went down to Greenock on Friday, to listen to Mike Russell, this amendment was discussed. Hard to tell if the full importance of the amendments and the delivery method went home. That we are seeing the deeper ramifications of the mantra take back control, it was not empty rhetoric. What evidence is there that the present Scottish Parliament, created under the devolution settlement, has inherited any or all of the powers, responsibilities and status of the pre-Union body? Marconatrix  What evidence is there that the Scottish parliament has not inherited any of the powers of the pre-Union parliament? For one thing Scotland is instrumental in creating the democratic structures of the England we know now, including the Bank of England which is actually a UK bank. Had both nations blended completely as one instead of retaining their separate identities a UK government would never have considered rekindling our parliament in any guise, if it felt there was no constitutional right to it. Blair endorsed it and is on record as saying, he had strong reservations, feeling it would almost certainly lead to full autonomy. Youll note he did not say it would lead to an SNP administration. The electoral system envisaged was meant to avoid that. He knew a parliament  or an executive as it was entitled to give it less status  would restore confidence in our ability to govern ourselves. Parliaments are an embodiment of the peoples will. We give it status and meaning. We bring to it our history. I believe thats what England misses, hence their understandable attempt to turn the UK Parliament into a semi-English one, a spurious development because it has always been an English parliament in all but name since 1707. I get really depressed when I think of this country of mine becoming a mere offshoot of greater England . I have absolutely no desire to be English  god bless em  or American something I fear may happen to us all English , Welsh , Northern Ireland and Scotland. Now I have re depressed myself and thinking of you off enjoying yourself in Rome makes e blue /green. I will try to be gracious and wish you a happy holiday  chuck a couple in the fountain for Scotland while you are there. I think there are plenty of English born people living in Scotland who would like Scotland to be independent so that we can be free of Westminster. My problems have been with Scots in my own family and neighbours who bang on about British Nationalism or how we are too poor, too wee and too stupid. As someone born in England, with English ancestry as far back as I can trace, I fail to see why so many Scots do not want to govern themselves fully. Regarding some English born residents in Scotland who have retired here for the benefits which we have paid for, they should seriously consider their positions. Decades of London rule teach people we have no money of our own, reinforced by once in a lifetime Tory beneficence offering a one-off grant for some project or other. Labour went to London with a begging bowl but didnt tell us they were asking for a little of our taxes back.
Subscribe to this blog Follow by Email Search This Blog kellyedoblog Westminster Bridge attack victim Andreea Cristea dies A Romanian woman who fell into the Thames during the Westminster terror attack has died, police have said. Andreea Cristea is the fifth victim of the attack on 22 March, in which Khalid Masood drove into crowds on Westminster Bridge then stabbed a policeman to death, before being shot dead himself. Ms Cristea, 31, who was on holiday with boyfriend Andrei Burnaz, had been in hospital since the attack. It has emerged that Mr Burnaz had been planning to propose during the day out. 'Ray of light' A family statement confirmed Ms Cristea, who was an architect, had died on Thursday. The family said: "After fighting for her life for over two weeks, our beloved and irreplaceable Andreea - wonderful daughter, sister, partner, dedicated friend and the most unique and life loving person you can imagine - was cruelly and brutally ripped away from our lives in the most heartless and spiritless way. "She will always be remembered as our shining ray of light that will forever keep on shining in our hearts." The family said they were "deeply touched and eternally grateful" to the "never-ending dedication" of the medical staff who treated Ms Cristea, saying their "kindness and empathy are beyond compare". "There are no words to even begin to describe the crushing pain and emptiness that is left in our hearts," they continued. The other people killed on the bridge were Aysha Frade, 44, who worked at a London sixth-form college, US tourist Kurt Cochran, 54, from Utah, and retired window cleaner Leslie Rhodes, 75, from south London. MORE FROM THIS BLOG After months of speculation he recently confirmed he was indeed in a relationship. And now reality TV vet Dr Chris Brown has been pictured stepping out with girlfriend Kendall Bora at a VIP-filled wedding. The loved-up duo were among a host of celebrities in attendance at the special day of Susanne Messara, a Channel Nine presenter and the daughter of millionaire race horse owner John, and Matt Grayback. Loved up! Reality TV vet Dr Chris Brown has been pictured stepping out with girlfriend Kendall Bora (left) at a wedding alongside glamorous TV presenter Lauren Phillips (right) and her beau Together Dr Chris and Kendall posed for a photo alongside glamorous TV presenter Lauren Phillips and her beau. Smiling as they put their arms around each other, the couple appeared very smitten, leading to questions about whether they will one day tie the knot. In a tight-fitting navy blue gown Kendall flaunted her incredible figure in glamorous style, while Dr Chris looked suave in a classic blac By the time Bill OReillys Tuesday evening broadcast came around, more than 15 advertisers had pulled current and future spots from his prime-time Fox News show. Mercedes-Benz and Hyundai were the first to go public with their decisions, followed by companies including T. Rowe Price, Allstate, Mitsubishi Motors, Lexus and Bayer. The exodus followed a bombshell New York Times investigation that said OReilly and the network that employs him had paid about $13 million over the years in settlements to address sexual harassment and other behavioral complaints from women who had worked with the Fox News host. OReilly denied the harassment allegations in a statement to The New York Times, saying that his prominent role at the network made him a target. Despite the fallout, dozens of national advertisers still ran spots on The OReilly Factor on Tuesday night. However, numerous companies that ran ads on Tuesday responded to backlash by announcing they had pulled fu While there is no official set Hearthstone UnGoro release time, Blizzard expects the game to launch Friday, April 7 in Europe. Hearthstones new range of cards are expected to go live in the early morning on April 7 for the EU regions, although fans in North America look set to get access to the new content a lot earlier. Based on earlier expansions, the Hearthstone UnGoro release could fall closer to 10am PST in NA, again depending on where you live. NEWS: HEARTHSTONE ON NINTENDO SWITCH? However, there is a chance these plans may change ahead of the launch, so it will be worth keeping an eye on the official Hearthstone Twitter page, just in case. A global unified launch time would mean players in North America could expect a mid-afternoon release, however, that doesn't seem to be on the cards today. Blizzard, meanwhile has been building up to the new launch by running a limited-time promotion, rewarding players with prizes for each day they logged in. And April 5s was perhaps ATLANTA -- Police are searching for a 29-year-old woman last seen at a Rick Ross concert. According to Atlanta police, the father of Amy Lynn Shope said his daughter was last seen at the March 25 concert at Philips Arena. Social media posts led him to believe that she had attended the show. Police said Shope's last known address was in Virginia, but she lives "a mostly transient lifestyle." Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to call authorities at 404-546-4235. Popular Posts After months of speculation he recently confirmed he was indeed in a relationship. And now reality TV vet Dr Chris Brown has been pictured stepping out with girlfriend Kendall Bora at a VIP-filled wedding. The loved-up duo were among a host of celebrities in attendance at the special day of Susanne Messara, a Channel Nine presenter and the daughter of millionaire race horse owner John, and Matt Grayback. Loved up! Reality TV vet Dr Chris Brown has been pictured stepping out with girlfriend Kendall Bora (left) at a wedding alongside glamorous TV presenter Lauren Phillips (right) and her beau Together Dr Chris and Kendall posed for a photo alongside glamorous TV presenter Lauren Phillips and her beau. Smiling as they put their arms around each other, the couple appeared very smitten, leading to questions about whether they will one day tie the knot. In a tight-fitting navy blue gown Kendall flaunted her incredible figure in glamorous style, while Dr Chris looked suave in a classic blac By the time Bill OReillys Tuesday evening broadcast came around, more than 15 advertisers had pulled current and future spots from his prime-time Fox News show. Mercedes-Benz and Hyundai were the first to go public with their decisions, followed by companies including T. Rowe Price, Allstate, Mitsubishi Motors, Lexus and Bayer. The exodus followed a bombshell New York Times investigation that said OReilly and the network that employs him had paid about $13 million over the years in settlements to address sexual harassment and other behavioral complaints from women who had worked with the Fox News host. OReilly denied the harassment allegations in a statement to The New York Times, saying that his prominent role at the network made him a target. Despite the fallout, dozens of national advertisers still ran spots on The OReilly Factor on Tuesday night. However, numerous companies that ran ads on Tuesday responded to backlash by announcing they had pulled fu While there is no official set Hearthstone UnGoro release time, Blizzard expects the game to launch Friday, April 7 in Europe. Hearthstones new range of cards are expected to go live in the early morning on April 7 for the EU regions, although fans in North America look set to get access to the new content a lot earlier. Based on earlier expansions, the Hearthstone UnGoro release could fall closer to 10am PST in NA, again depending on where you live. NEWS: HEARTHSTONE ON NINTENDO SWITCH? However, there is a chance these plans may change ahead of the launch, so it will be worth keeping an eye on the official Hearthstone Twitter page, just in case. A global unified launch time would mean players in North America could expect a mid-afternoon release, however, that doesn't seem to be on the cards today. Blizzard, meanwhile has been building up to the new launch by running a limited-time promotion, rewarding players with prizes for each day they logged in. And April 5s was perhaps ATLANTA -- Police are searching for a 29-year-old woman last seen at a Rick Ross concert. According to Atlanta police, the father of Amy Lynn Shope said his daughter was last seen at the March 25 concert at Philips Arena. Social media posts led him to believe that she had attended the show. Police said Shope's last known address was in Virginia, but she lives "a mostly transient lifestyle." Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to call authorities at 404-546-4235. It's been a dramatic week for celebrities, ranging from Steve Harvey's unsolicited advice to Black folks and Tyrese getting the dragging of a lifetime from Wendy Williams and Yandy Smith. WENDY WILLIAMS RIPS INTO TYRESE OVER HIS SURGERY COMMENTS: "The rant was so long and made me so damn mad. I don't like a man telling me what to do... You listen to your father, you listen to your husband if he has something smart to say. You might even listen to your boyfriend if you've been with him longer than three years, but I'm not listening to you, Tyrese. Are you serious?" YANDY SMITH ALSO POLITELY SHUTS DOWN TYRESE: If thats his opinion maybe that works for him in his household, I didnt see where he said that, but you know I think its a personal opinion and maybe that works for him and his new wife, congratulations to Tyrese by the way. I personally love my weave. PETER THOMAS SAYS HE GOT INTO IT WITH MATT JORDAN: Yesterday was an interesting day. Somebody tryi http//yahoo.comBlack smoke smothered Dubai's sky on Sunday after a fire broke out near the world's tallest building. The desert metropolis looked almost apocalyptic as dark clouds rose from a high-rise tower complex being built alongside Dubai's biggest mall. SEE ALSO: How a drone helped firefighters battle a blaze in New York City No one was injured in the inferno, though three workers were rescued from inside the structure and taken to the hospital for examination, authorities said. Dramatic skyscraper blazes are a growing problem in Dubai and other rapidly developing parts of the United Arab Emirates. Most of Dubai's fires have been fueled by paneling on the sides of many buildings. The paneling, known as cladding, can be made with fire-resistant material. However, some Dubai buildings instead use quick-burning tiles, without any breaks to stop or slow a fire. Sunday's fire happened only a block away from The Address Downtown Dubai, a 63-story tower that caught  Beln Sisa, 23, is a junior at Arizona State University. Shes also one of the recipients of President Barack Obamas Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which allows her to live, study, and work in the country free from the threat of deportation for a renewable period of time, despite not having a green card or visa. Sisa was born in Argentina and came to United States with her family on a visitors visa when she was 6 years old. As a DACA recipient, she became politically active years ago, which is partially how she came to write the above Facebook post in which shes holding a 1040 tax form to pay $300 worth of taxes. Since March 26, the post has been shared thousands of times, as well as commented on and reacted to thousands of times as well. The post reads in full: MYTH BUSTER: I, an undocumented immigrant, just filed my taxes and PAID $300 to the state of Arizona. I cannot receive financial aid from the state or federal government for school, I cannot benefit from  Police work at a crime scene at the Cameo club after a reported fatal shooting, Sunday, March 26, 2017, in Cincinnati. A gunfight broke out inside a crowded Cincinnati nightclub early Sunday, leaving one man dead and 15 other people wounded after a dispute among several patrons escalated into a shootout, authorities said. No suspects were in custody by Sunday night in the shooting at the Cameo club, which has a history of gun violence, and police said there was no indication of any terrorism link. Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot Isaac said one of the wounded was in "extremely critical condition," while a hospital spokeswoman said two victims were listed in critical condition. Police began receiving calls at 1:30 a.m. about gunshots at the club near the Ohio River east of downtown Cincinnati. Isaac said some 200 people were inside the club, one of the few hip-hop venues in the city, for music and dancing. Isaac identified the dead man as 27-year-old O'Bryan Spikes, but provi
Khalid Masood first came to the attention of MI5 six years ago after returning to the UK from Saudi Arabia where he had been teaching English, the Guardian can confirm, but he dropped off the radar of intelligence officials some time before the fatal attack in London on Wednesday. Theresa May confirmed that Masood had previously been investigated by the intelligence services but merely as a peripheral figure. It has since become clear the 52-year-old had completed two stints in Saudi Arabia between 2005 and 2009 before returning to Luton, Bedfordshire, again to teach English. The Sunday Times reported the banned al-Muhajiroun group, led by the jailed hate preacher Anjem Choudary, was active in the area at the time  and that Masood was regarded as a subject of interest because he was loosely connected to people under investigation by MI5. But the details of how he came to be under surveillance and for how long were disputed on Sunday amid growing pressure for an official explanation as to how closely he had been monitored and why that surveillance had been halted. The mystery of Khalid Masoods journey into violence and terror Read more Meanwhile counter-terror squads arrested a 30-year-old man on Sunday evening following the latest in a string of raids in Birmingham. A spokesman for the Metropolitan police said: A new arrest has been made as part of the investigation being carried out by the Mets counter-terrorism command into the Westminster attack. The man, who was detained on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts, brings the total number of arrests to 12. The Met also confirmed that a 58-year-old man detained under terrorism legislation had had his custody extended. Nine others have been released without charge, while a woman from Manchester was released on police bail. The latest arrest follows the search of an address in Hockley, Birmingham, by officers of the West Midlands counter-terrorism unit, near to where Masood had lived. The Met refused to confirm whether the 30-year-old was arrested at the property in Bredon Croft where friends of Masood were thought to live. A family who live next door to the Bredon Croft address said Masood used to turn up in Islamic dress and take their neighbours children to a mosque, though they did not know which one. Masood had until the end of last year lived in Quayside, less than 200 metres from the maisonette from which specialist police teams were seen removing bags of evidence on Sunday. A girl living next door to the house said she had met Masood, who had seemed kind, normal. Speaking alongside her mother, she said Masoods two younger children had gone to her school. Women link hands on Westminster Bridge to remember victims Read more She added: A couple live there with their four children, they are a nice family. I saw the man [Masood] from London visiting here. My little sister was in his sons class. His children used to visit next door and he [Masood] used to pick them up sometimes. The neighbours said they had not seen Masood or his children since his family had moved to a bedsit in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham before Christmas. Since last Wednesdays attack reports have emerged about Masoods violent past. His second wife, whom he wed in 2004, fled the marriage after just three months and was granted a divorce. A relative of Farzana Isaq, now 38, said she had fled the couples home in Crawley, West Sussex, with just a suitcase after surviving a violent episode at the hands of her controlling psychopath husband. They told the Daily Mirror: He was very violent towards her, controlling her in every aspect of her life  what she wore, where she went, everything. As the investigation continued, the debate as to how to make parliament more secure went on. The Commons leader, David Lidington, denied on Sunday that MPs had called for armed guards to be removed from Carriage Gates. His comments followed reports that politicians had railed against armed police being stationed at the entrance because they believed it created a bad atmosphere. Following Wednesdays attack parliamentarians had called for security to be tightened at the gates. Video footage released after the attack showed how MPs remained unsecured and a motorcycle courier riding through the gates unchallenged as emergency services battled to save the life of PC Keith Palmer. Lidington told BBC Sunday Politics: The idea that there have been protests from MPs that led to any operational changes is simply not the case. Whats happened in the last couple of years is that the security arrangements in New Palace Yard have actually been strengthened. He added: There are armed guards at all times in the secure estate of the Palace of Westminster. It is a matter for the security authorities and in particular for the police and direct command of those officers to decide how they are best deployed.
Temporary gates installed at an entrance to the Houses of Parliament, Westminster, after the attack in March. Photograph: Victoria Jones/PA Investigators now believe that the man responsible for the Westminster attack in March acted wholly alone in the planning and preparation for the first mass casualty terrorist atrocity to hit Britain in more than 10 years. Initially investigators believed it was possible that the attacker, 52-year-old Khalid Masood, had encouragement, support or help in the planning, from someone else. One source with knowledge of the investigation said: The indications are he acted on his own, and that is rare. The investigation of Masood is understood now not to be actively seeking anyone else. 'All hell was let loose': witnesses on the Westminster attack Read more Masoods attack killed five people, injured more than 35 others, and ended with him being shot dead by a police officer before he could storm parliamentary buildings armed with two knives. Police made 12 arrests across Britain, including some at gunpoint. All those arrested were eliminated from inquiries, including his wife. His preparations included driving to the area around the Palace of Westminster, central London, some days before the attack. He has now been identified as being behind the wheel of a vehicle moving around the parliamentary buildings about 96 hours before the atrocity, which he staged on 22 March this year. It is believed this action was reconnaissance. Another source with knowledge of the inquiry added: When its someone who is going to hire a car, they are not going to come across the radar as a concern to national security. Subsequent tracking via GPS has revealed the vehicle to have been in the Westminster area on Saturday 18 March, as first reported by the Wall Street Journal. The Guardian understands investigators have been using automatic number plate recognition technology and CCTV cameras to track the route that Masood took into the capital from a Brighton hotel he was believed to have stayed in. Cameras are believed to have also shown Masood making the reconnaissance journey or test run. The visual match has led to the conclusion that it was probably Masood carrying out the scouting mission. Westminster attacker acted alone and motive may never be known, say police Read more The investigation by Scotland Yards counter-terrorism command and MI5 has examined electronic items belonging to Masood. The inquiries are continuing. The broader conclusion, that Masood acted without help to carry out an unsophisticated attack, has prompted fresh thinking by counter-terrorism officials about ways to improve the chances of stopping any similar atrocity. Unsophisticated attacks like this can offer no clue that could lead to detection by police or MI5 beforehand  there are no communications to be intercepted. Mystery still surrounds a WhatsApp message Masood sent minutes before starting the attack. The Guardian understands he sent a message, showing an interest in extremism, to a close acquaintance. That has been recovered by police. Investigators said they had found no evidence of a direct link to Islamic State, which claimed the attack, nor that Masood had been directed to carry out the attack. It is believed he was inspired or encouraged by Islamist propaganda to attack the west, though. Westminster attacker Khalid Masood had interest in jihad, say police Read more The attack started when Masood drove into pedestrians on Westminster bridge before crashing the vehicle into railings. He then ran into the grounds of the Palace of Westminster, where he stabbed PC Keith Palmer to death. The rampage ended when he was shot dead by an officer. Scores of armed officers were rushed to the area, with 50 present within 12 minutes. Police commanders feared the potential start of an assault on the heart of British democracy by armed terrorists. Police chiefs said their armed response had improved since the 2013 terrorist attack in Woolwich, when it took 11 minutes to get the first firearms officers to the area. The first armed reinforcements at Westminster on 22 March arrived after one minute. In 12 minutes time more armed officers were present; these included counter-terrorist specialist firearms officers, bringing the total to 50. One senior source said: Enough got there to engage a marauding, multi-pronged attack. In the immediate minutes after Masood struck, other important sites also had armed protection boosted. The second source said: You dont know what you are dealing with  there could be someone else in the car on the loose. Is this a lone actor? Are others about to attack? CCTV showed crowds of people running away from the vehicle. Several years ago Masood had featured on the periphery of a terrorism investigation, through an association with the suspect being investigated. But any risk Masood posed was thought to be too little to justify continued inquiries, compared with other people of interest to counter terrorism investigators.
Related articles The Met Police tweeted: At 0737hrs today, a car was in collision with barriers outside the Houses of Parliament. The male driver of the car was detained by officers at the scene. A number of pedestrians have been injured. Officers remain at the scene. We will issue further info when we have it. Scotland Yard said a man, in his 20s, has been arrested on suspicion of terror offences and taken to a south London police station where he remains in police custody. A statement from the London Ambulance Service, Assistant Director of Operations, Peter Rhodes, said: We were called at 7.40am today (14 August) to reports of an incident on St Margaret Street, SW1. We sent a number of resources to the scene including three ambulance crews, responders in cars and an incident response officer. We have treated two people at the scene for injuries that are not believed to be series and have taken them to hospital. Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu, Specialist Operations of the Metropolitan Police, said the suspect was not currently cooperating. He said: The man is in his late 20s and has been arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences and has been taken to a south London police station where he remains in custody. 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. Officers are searching the vehicle and no other weapons have been found at this time. At this early stage of the investigation, no other suspects at the scene have been identified or have been reported to police. There is no intelligence at this time of further danger to Londoners or the rest of the UK connected to this incident. Our priority now is to formally establish the identity of the suspect and establish his motivation if we can, he is not currently cooperating. The male driver of the car was detained by officers at the scene Met Police Horrified witnesses described the moment they heard a "loud bang" at around 7.37am this morning and how the car driving at "more than 40mph" appeared to "deliberately" drive into the bollards. Jason Williams, 45, from Kennington, was walking to work when he saw the rush hour smash. He said: "I saw a car going at high speed towards Parliament. "It hit a bollard. It looked deliberate. It didn't look like an accident. How do you do that by accident? It was a loud bang." Mr Williams told how he saw "10 people lying down" following the incident outside the Houses of Parliament. He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: "He had driven it at speed - more than 40 mph. There was smoke coming out of the car. "I have seen people on the ground, lying on the road. I don't know if they have actually been hit by the vehicle or not. I saw at least 10 people lying down. I was told basically to move away, to run. I have run for my life." Witness Jason Williams told ITV's Good Morning Britain: "Basically Ive seen a man driving a vehicle, and he's gone into one of the bollards. There was a loud bang. "Straight away I thought 'Oh no, this is another terrorist attack' so I just started to run and the police were saying 'get out, get out of the area'." Members of the public and press were moved back further from the area following the crash as police put up a "Terrorism Act cordon", according to an officer at the scene. Met Police tweeted to confirm counter-terror officers are now leading the investigation, saying: "While we are keeping an open mind, the Met's Counter-Terrorism Command is leading the investigation into the #Westminster incident." Prime Minister Theresa May said her thoughts were with those injured in the Westminster car crash and thanked the emergency services for their "immediate and courageous" response. London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he is in "close contact" with the Police Crime Commissioner. He tweeted: "Im in close contact with @MetPoliceUK Commissioner about the incident at Parliament Square this morning. Thank you to the first responders who were on the scene so quickly. Enquiries are continuing. Westminster tube station is currently closed. Follow @metpoliceuk for updates." Chris Phillips, Former head of the national counter-terrorism security office, said: The great thing about this is the response of the police. Westminster has the most armed police officers of anywhere in the country and you would expect a quick response but the officers seem to have dealt with it very well. We do not know yet whether this is a deliberate act or perhaps as we see sometimes someone falling asleep at the wheel the officers will be keeping an open mind on that. One of the biggest issues in an attack like this is what is in that vehicle and that is what the officers will be concentrating on. They will want to make sure that vehicle is safe and not likely to explode. The Houses of Parliament are surrounded with security barriers of steel and concrete. The measures were extended in the wake of the Westminster Bridge attack in March 2017 when Khalid Masood ploughed a car into crowds on Westminster Bridge, killing four people. Masood abandoned his car then stabbed and killed unarmed PC Keith Palmer before he was shot by armed police in a courtyard outside Parliament.
Related articles Mr Khan said: "We come together as Londoners tonight to remember those who have lost their lives and all those affected by the horrific attack yesterday. Also, to send a clear message, Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism. Those evil and twisted individuals who try to destroy our shared way of life will never succeed, and we can condemn them. GETTY A huge crowd is paying respect to the victims of yesterday's London attack SWNS Police attend a vigil in Trafalgar Square this evening Our hearts are with the family and friends of PC Keith Palmer of Aysha Frade, Kurt Cochran and all those injured in the attack yesterday. The victims were people who came from all corners of our world, and this is a time to express our gratitude to the heroism of our police officers and emergency services who ran towards danger to help, and at the same time they encouraged others to run to safety. REUTERS People light candles during a memorial to those killed or hurt in yesterday's terror attack GETTY Sadiq Khan at tonight's Trafalgar Square vigil GETTY A memorial vigil is being held for the victims of yesterday's attack London is a great city full of amazing people form all backgrounds and when Londoners face adversity we always pull together. He was joined by Acting Met Police Commissioner Craig Mackey, who said: "This cannot be undone, much as we would wish it. "We do get to choose our reaction and gathering here tonight shows exactly how we must move forward. We must stand together. "People have tried to tear this city apart in acts of terror many times before. They have never succeeded and they never will. "We will act as one and embrace our differences. "We will clearly demonstrate the futility of hatred and the power of friendship." Amber Rudd, Home Secretary, paid tribute to PC Keith Palmer, who lost his life preventing the terrorist from entering Parliament. She continued: They will not win. We are all connected and today we showed that by getting about our normal business. "Because the terrorists will not defeat us. We will defeat them. "We are strong in our values and proud in our country. REUTERS Members of the public paying their respects to the victims this evening Three people were killed by terrorist Khalid Masood yesterday: PC Keith Palmer, who died stopping the attacker entering Parliament, US tourist Kurt Cochran, and mother-of-three Aysha Frade, who was killed as she walked to pick up her children from school. Forty people were also injured in the car and knife attack, several seriously, including three other police officers. Masood was shot dead by an armed Met Police officer at the scene just metres from the House of Commons. PA Cross-denominational religious leaders arriving at the vigil this evening REUTERS Hundreds of people are gathering at Trafalgar Square to pay their respects to the attack victims The violent criminal had driven a 4x4 car across Westminster Bridge, striking a crowd including schoolchildren, before ramming the vehicle into a gate outside Parliament. He then attempted to storm the building, fatally stabbing a police officer before being killed himself. This is a developing story. Check back soon for the latest photos and information.
The Osborne seen in The Pick and Shovel had not yet watched a drama on the Rochdale grooming scandal that triggered a spiral of radicalisation his family was powerless to stop. Woolwich Crown Court heard how the unemployed father-of-four, who had not worked for a decade, became obsessed with Muslims and started gorging on far-right material. Police said the 48-year-old became radicalised in just three to four weeks, as evidence from devices he used show him reading posts by the former English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson, far-right group Britain First and other extremists. Like many terrorists, Osborne had a dysfunctional background and history of violence, having served two years in prison for assault and suffered from depression, alcohol and drug abuse. Osbornes partner, Sarah Andrews, painted a picture of a restless, troubled and unpredictable man who she described as a functioning alcoholic. He had been prescribed medication for anxiety and depression and referred to rehabilitation services, but appeared to be worsening. Bar staff in The Pick and Shovel said Osborne had seemed 'normal' ( AFP/Getty Images) In the weeks leading up to the attack, Osborne threatened to kill himself twice, an urge his partner believed was borne out of a feeling that he was worthless and did not fit in. The turning point would come in May, when the couple watched the BBC drama Three Girls, which chronicled sexual exploitation in Rochdale. Ms Andrews was angry, but her partner was transformed into a man obsessed with Muslims, grooming gangs and terrorism. In relationship spanning two decades, she had never witnessed Osborne raise the issues or be openly racist, but he suddenly started accusing all Muslims of raping children and being capable of blowing people up. Ms Andrews said her partner became a ticking time-bomb as he was brainwashed by material including posts by Mr Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon. Darren has been watching a lot of Tommy Robinson stuff on the internet, she said. I have pleaded with Darren to stop watching this sort of thing, but he just wouldnt stop. Records of internet activity from 3 June  a fortnight before the attack  show Osborne initially perusing a range of sources including Jayda Fransen. He received an automated Twitter message from the deputy Britain First leader just hours before the Isis-inspired London Bridge attack and spent the subsequent hours reading her tweets and articles. The following day he continued conducting searches for Ms Fransen and Paul Golding, while reading tweets from anonymous posters calling on people to fight and claiming that balloons and teddy bears [wont] stop Muslims killing us and our children. Shortly afterwards, Osborne searched Mr Robinsons name for the first time  one of dozens leading up to his attack. The van Osborne used in the Finsbury Park terror attack (Metropolitan Police) While dotting around articles on themes including the Manchester bombing, Westminster attack, Lee Rigby, Rochdale, Sadiq Khan, Jeremy Corbyn, Labour and alleged Muslim celebrations of terror attacks, he started to focus on Mr Robinson. Osborne had signed up to emails from the activists website, with the first one arriving on 9 June urging him to join a protest against the Manchester attack. Dear Darren, it began, before claiming that Salman Abedis bombing is not the beginning and it wont be the end. There is a nation within a nation forming just beneath the surface of the UK It is a nation built on hatred, on violence, and on Islam, it added. The government and politicians refuse to take the necessary steps to keep us safe. It has now been left to us, the ordinary people of the United Kingdom to stand up to hate, to unite and in one voice say no more. On 14 June, Osborne searched for information on Mr Robinson and hit on his posts and articles seven times, before receiving another email urging him to join a campaign for a woman who was allegedly raped by Syrian and Iraqi refugees. Again beginning with the phrase dear Darren and signed off by Mr Robinson, it detailed a conspiracy theory against police and called on him to help get justice. By 16 June, Osborne had formulated his deadly plan, phoning a local company to enquire about hiring a Luton van with a tail lift. Metropolitan police release 999 call after Finsbury Park attack He spent that Friday night on the sofa before setting out early on Saturday to collect the vehicle and paying for two days. Staff did not ask what he wanted it for, seeing nothing unusual in the transaction with the polite and well-mannered man. After picking up the van, Osborne started an intense bout of online activity, repeatedly searching Mr Robinsons name and viewing his tweets alongside derogatory articles on Sadiq Khan and Jeremy Corbyn for more than two hours. When a Muslim bombed our kids we were told not to look back in anger? read one post by Mr Robinson. The words, referring to the Oasis song played frequently after the Manchester attack, were repeated by Osborne in the note he carried during the attack Another tweet by Mr Robinson read: Where was the day of rage after the terrorist attacks. All I saw was lighting candles. UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 1/50 Car manufacturer BMW announced on September 18, 2018, that its Mini factory in the UK would close for its annual summer maintenance several weeks earlier than planned, starting on April 1, 2019, to avoid any disruption in case of a no-deal Brexit. AFP/Getty 2/50 17 September 2018 "It's either my deal or no deal", the Prime Minister has said to the BBC's Nick Robinson in an interview on Panorama that airs this evening. Mrs May also claims to be irritated by the constant speculation over her leadership, stating "this debate is not about my future. This debate is about the future of the people of the UK and the future of the United Kingdom." BBC/Jeff Overs 3/50 16 September 2018 Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has announced his support for a second Brexit referendum. In The Observer, the mayor writes: After careful consideration, Ive decided the people must get a final say. This means a public vote on any deal or a vote on a no deal, alongside the option of staying in the EU". Mr Khan is pictured here on The Andrew Marr Show, where he appeared this morning to discuss the matter PA 4/50 15 September 2018 The Liberal Democrats party conference began today in Brighton. In his conference speech, leader Vince Cable (pictured) is expected to elaborate on his plans for a "Movement for Moderates" PA 5/50 14 September 2018 An early Banksy mural has been accidentally painted over during renovations. The mural has been on the shop front on Park Row in the artist's hometown of Bristol since the 1990s PA 6/50 13 September 2018 Suspects in the Skripal poisoning case Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov today claimed in an interview with Russian state broadcaster RT that they were visiting Salisbury as tourists. Stating "Its famous for its 123-meter spire. Its famous for its clock. Its one of the oldest working clocks in the world." Getty 7/50 12 September 2018 Tottenham Hotspur and French National goalkeeper Hugo Lloris leaves Westminster Magistrates' Court after pleading guilty to drink driving. The footballer is accused of being over twice the legal alcohol limit when he was stopped by police on August 24 Getty 8/50 11 September 2018 David Suchet recites from Amadeus during a service of thanksgiving to celebrate the life and work of Sir Peter Hall, the former director of the National Theatre, at Westminster Abbey in London PA 9/50 10 September 2018 Alastair Cook celebrates his century in his last ever innings playing for England during the fourth day of the fifth test cricket match against India at The Oval. He announced his retirement before the fifth test match began, ending his illustrious 12-year test career AFP/Getty 10/50 9 September 2018 Sir Mo Farah winning the The Great North Run's elite men's race, claiming a record-breaking fifth consecutive victory. He completed the race in under an hour Getty/Nike 11/50 8 September 2018 Britain's former foreign secretary Boris Johnson sits in the stands during play on the second day of the fifth Test cricket match between England and India at The Oval in London AFP/Getty 12/50 7 September 2018 The poppy sculpture Wave by artist Paul Cummins and designer Tom Piper at IWM North, The Quays, Manchester. This is the final presentation of Wave as part of a four year UK-wide tour, and the sculpture will be on site until 25 November PA 13/50 6 September 2018 The aftermath of a house fire, which broke out in the early hours of the morning, where a woman died in Centurion Square, south-east London. PA 14/50 5 September 2018 Counter-terrorism police have released images of the two suspects in connection with the Salisbury attack in March. The suspects Ruslan Boshirov and Alexander Petrov, are Russian nationals, and approximately 40 years old. They travelled on a Russian passport and it is likely that they were travelling under aliases and that these are not their real names. The CPS has issued European Arrest Warrants for the extradition in connection with the Novichok poisoning attack on Sergei Skripal Metropolitan Police 15/50 4 September 2018 Pro Labour party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, protesters demonstrate outside the Labour party headquarters in London. Labour's NEC (National Executive Committee) is expected to approve the international definition of anti-Semitism into Labour's code of conduct EPA 16/50 3 September 2018 Chris Evans surrounded by media as he leaves the Radio 2 studio in London after he announced he is quitting his breakfast show which he has presented since 2010 PA 17/50 2 September 2018 18/50 1 September 2018 An inflatable caricature balloon of Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan floats, near Parliament Square in London. Organizer Yanny Bruere raised more than 58,000 pounds ($75,000) through the Crowdfunder website for the 29-foot (8.8-meter) blimp as part of a campaign to oust Khan from his post. Khan angered some people in the British capital and elsewhere last month when he allowed a balloon caricaturing Donald Trump as an angry baby to float above the city while the U.S. president was in England. AP 19/50 31 August 2018 A can of Coca-Cola next to a cup of Costa coffee, as Whitbread has struck a deal to sell the Costa Coffee chain to Coca-Cola for 3.9 billion PA 20/50 30 August 2018 Frank Field MP in Westminster, London, after resigning from the Labour party over the anti-Semitism crisis. Field, who has represented Birkenhead from almost 40 years, revealed in a letter to party chief whip Nick Brown that he could no longer serve the party as the leadership was overseeing the "erosion of our core values" PA 21/50 29 August 2018 The Duke and Duchess of Sussex meeting 'King George' and the cast at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London after attending a gala performance of the musical Hamilton, in support of Sentebale. The evening raises awareness and funds for Sentebale's work with children and young people affected by HIV in southern Africa Dan Charity/The Sun/PA 22/50 28 August 2018 Prime Minister Theresa May meets students and staff at I.D. Mkize Secondary School in Cape Town, which is twinned with Whitby High School in Yorkshire. The two schools are part of a British Council funded teacher exchange scheme called 'Connected Classrooms'. The prime minister is on day one of her trip to South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya on a trade mission designed to bolster the UK's post-Brexit fortunes PA 23/50 27 August 2018 Performers take part in the main Parade day of Notting Hill Carnival in London. Nearly one million people are expected by the organizers over Sunday and Monday in the streets of west London to celebrate Caribbean culture, which is considered the largest street demonstration in Europe AFP/Getty 24/50 26 August 2018 The crowd pauses for 72 seconds silence in remembrance of all those lost in the Grenfell Tower fire at the Red Bull Music Academy Sound System at Notting Hill Getty 25/50 25 August 2018 Comedian Rose Matafeo is congratulated by Steve Coogan after winning the Edinburgh Comedy Award at the Dovecote Studio PA 26/50 24 August 2018 British Secretary of State for International Trade, Liam Fox, attends a signing ceremony for memorandums of understanding between British and Chinese firms and institutions at the British ambassador's residence in Beijing AP 27/50 23 August 2018 Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe hugs her daughter Gabriella, in Iran. She has been allowed to leave an Iranian prison for three days. Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested during a holiday with her toddler daughter in April 2016. Iranian authorities accuse her of plotting against the government. Her family denies this, saying says she was in Iran to visit family Free Nazanin Campaign/AP 28/50 22 August 2018 Anti Brexit activists protest as they deliver a pile of medical supplies in cardboard boxes to the Department of Health and Social Care in London. Our Future, Our Choice (OFOC) Pro EU campaign group wants get its message to the public surrounding the predicted costs of Britain's "No Deal Hard Brexit", exit from the European Union AP 29/50 21 August 2018 Families enjoy rides on the dodgems during an Eid in the Park celebration marking Eid Al-Adha at the New River Sports ground in Wood Green, London. The traditional four-day celebratory festival marks one of the holiest days in the Islamic religious calendar Getty 30/50 20 August 2018 Jeremy Corbyn campaigns on Labour's 'Build it in Britain' policy at Alexander Dennis bus manufacturers in Falkirk,Scotland. The Labour leader will spend the next four days in Scotland in an attempt to revitalize the party there Getty 31/50 19 August 2018 Manchester United women's side walk out alongside Liverpool ahead of their first professional game since 2005. United disbanded their senior women's team thirteen years ago and returned with a win, beating Liverpool in their Continental Tyres Cup match clash at Prenton Park PA 32/50 18 August 2018 Great Britain's Reece Prescod, finishes second, to USA's Christian Coleman, centre, in a photo finish after they both ran 9.94. With USA's Noah Lyles, left, finishing third in the men's 100m final during the Muller Grand Prix at Alexander Stadium, Birmingham PA 33/50 17 August 2018 Paul Elliott, right, carries the coffin of his brother Barry, 73, at the New York Stadium, Rotherham, for his funeral following his death on Sunday August 5. The veteran entertainer was one half of comedy duo the Chuckle Brothers with Paul PA 34/50 16 August 2018 Students react as they receive their 'A' level results at Stoke Newington School and Sixth Form in London. Universities accepted thousands fewer students as pass rates hit lowest level since 2010 Reuters 35/50 15 August 2018 People gather on Market Street, Omagh, for the ceremony to mark the 20th anniversary of the Omagh bombing on 15 August 1998. The worst single atrocity of the Northern Ireland conflict killed 29, including a woman pregnant with twins PA 36/50 14 August 2018 Police arrest a man after he crashed a car into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament Sky News 37/50 13 August 2018 Communities Secretary James Brokenshire today launched a 100 million pound government fund to end rough sleeping in England within the next decade. Brokenshire is pictured here at the central London headquarters for homelessness charity the Passage, where he launched the scheme PA 38/50 12 August 2018 Police officers stand guard at the scene of a shooting at Claremont Road in the Moss Side neighborhood of Manchester, Ten people were taken to hospital on August 12, 2018 after shots were fired in Manchester in northern England, police said. AFP/Getty 39/50 11 August 2018 Great Britain's Dina Asher-Smith reacts after she won gold in the women's 200m final at the European Athletics Championships in Berlin, completing the sprint double after she won the 100m just days before Getty/European Athletics 40/50 10 August 2018 Pedestrians walk past the entrance of the retail store House of Fraser in central London. The Chinese-owned UK department store chain, entered administration on August 10 only to be swiftly snapped up by retailer Sports Direct for 90 million ($115 million, 100 million euros) AFP 41/50 9 August 2018 Local people protest outside the Hillingdon Conservative Association office on August 9, 2018 in Uxbridge, England. Today's protest is being held following comments made by former Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, against the wearing of Burkas by Muslim women in the United Kingdom. An independent panel will investigate complaints made regarding Mr Johnson's comments and possible breaches of the Conservative Party code of conduct. Getty 42/50 8 August 2018 Britain's Prince William, right, and Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May, walk past a German flag, left, and a Britain's flag as they leave the Amiens cathedral, northern France. Prince William and Theresa May are marking the somber centenary of the Battle of Amiens, in France, a short, bloody and decisive battle that heralded the end of World War I AP 43/50 7 August 2018 Great Britain's Jack Laugher and James Heatly pose with their Gold and Bronze medal's respectively won in the 1 metre springboard men's final at the European Diving Championships in Glasgow EPA 44/50 6 August 2018 England cricketer Ben Stokes arrives at Bristol Crown Court accused of affray. The 27-year-old all-rounder and two other men, Ryan Ali and Ryan Hale are jointly charged with affray in the Clifton Triangle area of Bristol on September 25 last year, several hours after England had played a one-day international against the West Indies in the city PA 45/50 5 August 2018 Great Britain's Laura Kenny celebrates after winning the Women's Elimination Race final at the European Championships in Glasgow 46/50 4 August 2018 Ben Stokes celebrates taking the wicket of India's Hardik Pandya with team mates during the first test at Edgbaston Action Images via Reuters 47/50 3 August 2018 French President Emmanuel Macron waves to people as he arrives at the Fort de Bregancon for a meeting with British Prime Minister Theresa May epa 48/50 2 August 2018 Brexit Minister Dominic Raab is welcomed by French Minister attached to the Foreign Affairs Minister Nathalie Loiseau prior to a meeting in Paris AFP/Getty 49/50 1 August 2018 Demonstrators against Tommy Robinson outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, where the former English Defence League leader has been freed on bail by the Court of Appeal after winning a challenge against a finding of contempt of court PA 50/50 31 July 2018 Friends of Lucy McHugh gather in Mansel Park, Southampton to release balloons in her memory. Lucy disappeared from her Southampton home last Wednesday and her body was later found in woodland near Southampton Sports Centre at 7.45am on Thursday PA 1/50 Car manufacturer BMW announced on September 18, 2018, that its Mini factory in the UK would close for its annual summer maintenance several weeks earlier than planned, starting on April 1, 2019, to avoid any disruption in case of a no-deal Brexit. AFP/Getty 2/50 17 September 2018 "It's either my deal or no deal", the Prime Minister has said to the BBC's Nick Robinson in an interview on Panorama that airs this evening. Mrs May also claims to be irritated by the constant speculation over her leadership, stating "this debate is not about my future. This debate is about the future of the people of the UK and the future of the United Kingdom." BBC/Jeff Overs 3/50 16 September 2018 Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has announced his support for a second Brexit referendum. In The Observer, the mayor writes: After careful consideration, Ive decided the people must get a final say. This means a public vote on any deal or a vote on a no deal, alongside the option of staying in the EU". Mr Khan is pictured here on The Andrew Marr Show, where he appeared this morning to discuss the matter PA 4/50 15 September 2018 The Liberal Democrats party conference began today in Brighton. In his conference speech, leader Vince Cable (pictured) is expected to elaborate on his plans for a "Movement for Moderates" PA 5/50 14 September 2018 An early Banksy mural has been accidentally painted over during renovations. The mural has been on the shop front on Park Row in the artist's hometown of Bristol since the 1990s PA 6/50 13 September 2018 Suspects in the Skripal poisoning case Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov today claimed in an interview with Russian state broadcaster RT that they were visiting Salisbury as tourists. Stating "Its famous for its 123-meter spire. Its famous for its clock. Its one of the oldest working clocks in the world." Getty 7/50 12 September 2018 Tottenham Hotspur and French National goalkeeper Hugo Lloris leaves Westminster Magistrates' Court after pleading guilty to drink driving. The footballer is accused of being over twice the legal alcohol limit when he was stopped by police on August 24 Getty 8/50 11 September 2018 David Suchet recites from Amadeus during a service of thanksgiving to celebrate the life and work of Sir Peter Hall, the former director of the National Theatre, at Westminster Abbey in London PA 9/50 10 September 2018 Alastair Cook celebrates his century in his last ever innings playing for England during the fourth day of the fifth test cricket match against India at The Oval. He announced his retirement before the fifth test match began, ending his illustrious 12-year test career AFP/Getty 10/50 9 September 2018 Sir Mo Farah winning the The Great North Run's elite men's race, claiming a record-breaking fifth consecutive victory. He completed the race in under an hour Getty/Nike 11/50 8 September 2018 Britain's former foreign secretary Boris Johnson sits in the stands during play on the second day of the fifth Test cricket match between England and India at The Oval in London AFP/Getty 12/50 7 September 2018 The poppy sculpture Wave by artist Paul Cummins and designer Tom Piper at IWM North, The Quays, Manchester. This is the final presentation of Wave as part of a four year UK-wide tour, and the sculpture will be on site until 25 November PA 13/50 6 September 2018 The aftermath of a house fire, which broke out in the early hours of the morning, where a woman died in Centurion Square, south-east London. PA 14/50 5 September 2018 Counter-terrorism police have released images of the two suspects in connection with the Salisbury attack in March. The suspects Ruslan Boshirov and Alexander Petrov, are Russian nationals, and approximately 40 years old. They travelled on a Russian passport and it is likely that they were travelling under aliases and that these are not their real names. The CPS has issued European Arrest Warrants for the extradition in connection with the Novichok poisoning attack on Sergei Skripal Metropolitan Police 15/50 4 September 2018 Pro Labour party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, protesters demonstrate outside the Labour party headquarters in London. Labour's NEC (National Executive Committee) is expected to approve the international definition of anti-Semitism into Labour's code of conduct EPA 16/50 3 September 2018 Chris Evans surrounded by media as he leaves the Radio 2 studio in London after he announced he is quitting his breakfast show which he has presented since 2010 PA 17/50 2 September 2018 18/50 1 September 2018 An inflatable caricature balloon of Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan floats, near Parliament Square in London. Organizer Yanny Bruere raised more than 58,000 pounds ($75,000) through the Crowdfunder website for the 29-foot (8.8-meter) blimp as part of a campaign to oust Khan from his post. Khan angered some people in the British capital and elsewhere last month when he allowed a balloon caricaturing Donald Trump as an angry baby to float above the city while the U.S. president was in England. AP 19/50 31 August 2018 A can of Coca-Cola next to a cup of Costa coffee, as Whitbread has struck a deal to sell the Costa Coffee chain to Coca-Cola for 3.9 billion PA 20/50 30 August 2018 Frank Field MP in Westminster, London, after resigning from the Labour party over the anti-Semitism crisis. Field, who has represented Birkenhead from almost 40 years, revealed in a letter to party chief whip Nick Brown that he could no longer serve the party as the leadership was overseeing the "erosion of our core values" PA 21/50 29 August 2018 The Duke and Duchess of Sussex meeting 'King George' and the cast at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London after attending a gala performance of the musical Hamilton, in support of Sentebale. The evening raises awareness and funds for Sentebale's work with children and young people affected by HIV in southern Africa Dan Charity/The Sun/PA 22/50 28 August 2018 Prime Minister Theresa May meets students and staff at I.D. Mkize Secondary School in Cape Town, which is twinned with Whitby High School in Yorkshire. The two schools are part of a British Council funded teacher exchange scheme called 'Connected Classrooms'. The prime minister is on day one of her trip to South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya on a trade mission designed to bolster the UK's post-Brexit fortunes PA 23/50 27 August 2018 Performers take part in the main Parade day of Notting Hill Carnival in London. Nearly one million people are expected by the organizers over Sunday and Monday in the streets of west London to celebrate Caribbean culture, which is considered the largest street demonstration in Europe AFP/Getty 24/50 26 August 2018 The crowd pauses for 72 seconds silence in remembrance of all those lost in the Grenfell Tower fire at the Red Bull Music Academy Sound System at Notting Hill Getty 25/50 25 August 2018 Comedian Rose Matafeo is congratulated by Steve Coogan after winning the Edinburgh Comedy Award at the Dovecote Studio PA 26/50 24 August 2018 British Secretary of State for International Trade, Liam Fox, attends a signing ceremony for memorandums of understanding between British and Chinese firms and institutions at the British ambassador's residence in Beijing AP 27/50 23 August 2018 Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe hugs her daughter Gabriella, in Iran. She has been allowed to leave an Iranian prison for three days. Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested during a holiday with her toddler daughter in April 2016. Iranian authorities accuse her of plotting against the government. Her family denies this, saying says she was in Iran to visit family Free Nazanin Campaign/AP 28/50 22 August 2018 Anti Brexit activists protest as they deliver a pile of medical supplies in cardboard boxes to the Department of Health and Social Care in London. Our Future, Our Choice (OFOC) Pro EU campaign group wants get its message to the public surrounding the predicted costs of Britain's "No Deal Hard Brexit", exit from the European Union AP 29/50 21 August 2018 Families enjoy rides on the dodgems during an Eid in the Park celebration marking Eid Al-Adha at the New River Sports ground in Wood Green, London. The traditional four-day celebratory festival marks one of the holiest days in the Islamic religious calendar Getty 30/50 20 August 2018 Jeremy Corbyn campaigns on Labour's 'Build it in Britain' policy at Alexander Dennis bus manufacturers in Falkirk,Scotland. The Labour leader will spend the next four days in Scotland in an attempt to revitalize the party there Getty 31/50 19 August 2018 Manchester United women's side walk out alongside Liverpool ahead of their first professional game since 2005. United disbanded their senior women's team thirteen years ago and returned with a win, beating Liverpool in their Continental Tyres Cup match clash at Prenton Park PA 32/50 18 August 2018 Great Britain's Reece Prescod, finishes second, to USA's Christian Coleman, centre, in a photo finish after they both ran 9.94. With USA's Noah Lyles, left, finishing third in the men's 100m final during the Muller Grand Prix at Alexander Stadium, Birmingham PA 33/50 17 August 2018 Paul Elliott, right, carries the coffin of his brother Barry, 73, at the New York Stadium, Rotherham, for his funeral following his death on Sunday August 5. The veteran entertainer was one half of comedy duo the Chuckle Brothers with Paul PA 34/50 16 August 2018 Students react as they receive their 'A' level results at Stoke Newington School and Sixth Form in London. Universities accepted thousands fewer students as pass rates hit lowest level since 2010 Reuters 35/50 15 August 2018 People gather on Market Street, Omagh, for the ceremony to mark the 20th anniversary of the Omagh bombing on 15 August 1998. The worst single atrocity of the Northern Ireland conflict killed 29, including a woman pregnant with twins PA 36/50 14 August 2018 Police arrest a man after he crashed a car into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament Sky News 37/50 13 August 2018 Communities Secretary James Brokenshire today launched a 100 million pound government fund to end rough sleeping in England within the next decade. Brokenshire is pictured here at the central London headquarters for homelessness charity the Passage, where he launched the scheme PA 38/50 12 August 2018 Police officers stand guard at the scene of a shooting at Claremont Road in the Moss Side neighborhood of Manchester, Ten people were taken to hospital on August 12, 2018 after shots were fired in Manchester in northern England, police said. AFP/Getty 39/50 11 August 2018 Great Britain's Dina Asher-Smith reacts after she won gold in the women's 200m final at the European Athletics Championships in Berlin, completing the sprint double after she won the 100m just days before Getty/European Athletics 40/50 10 August 2018 Pedestrians walk past the entrance of the retail store House of Fraser in central London. The Chinese-owned UK department store chain, entered administration on August 10 only to be swiftly snapped up by retailer Sports Direct for 90 million ($115 million, 100 million euros) AFP 41/50 9 August 2018 Local people protest outside the Hillingdon Conservative Association office on August 9, 2018 in Uxbridge, England. Today's protest is being held following comments made by former Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, against the wearing of Burkas by Muslim women in the United Kingdom. An independent panel will investigate complaints made regarding Mr Johnson's comments and possible breaches of the Conservative Party code of conduct. Getty 42/50 8 August 2018 Britain's Prince William, right, and Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May, walk past a German flag, left, and a Britain's flag as they leave the Amiens cathedral, northern France. Prince William and Theresa May are marking the somber centenary of the Battle of Amiens, in France, a short, bloody and decisive battle that heralded the end of World War I AP 43/50 7 August 2018 Great Britain's Jack Laugher and James Heatly pose with their Gold and Bronze medal's respectively won in the 1 metre springboard men's final at the European Diving Championships in Glasgow EPA 44/50 6 August 2018 England cricketer Ben Stokes arrives at Bristol Crown Court accused of affray. The 27-year-old all-rounder and two other men, Ryan Ali and Ryan Hale are jointly charged with affray in the Clifton Triangle area of Bristol on September 25 last year, several hours after England had played a one-day international against the West Indies in the city PA 45/50 5 August 2018 Great Britain's Laura Kenny celebrates after winning the Women's Elimination Race final at the European Championships in Glasgow 46/50 4 August 2018 Ben Stokes celebrates taking the wicket of India's Hardik Pandya with team mates during the first test at Edgbaston Action Images via Reuters 47/50 3 August 2018 French President Emmanuel Macron waves to people as he arrives at the Fort de Bregancon for a meeting with British Prime Minister Theresa May epa 48/50 2 August 2018 Brexit Minister Dominic Raab is welcomed by French Minister attached to the Foreign Affairs Minister Nathalie Loiseau prior to a meeting in Paris AFP/Getty 49/50 1 August 2018 Demonstrators against Tommy Robinson outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, where the former English Defence League leader has been freed on bail by the Court of Appeal after winning a challenge against a finding of contempt of court PA 50/50 31 July 2018 Friends of Lucy McHugh gather in Mansel Park, Southampton to release balloons in her memory. Lucy disappeared from her Southampton home last Wednesday and her body was later found in woodland near Southampton Sports Centre at 7.45am on Thursday PA Osborne had arranged to have dinner with his partner but she arrived home to find he had drunk half a bottle of vodka and told him to leave. When he arrived at The Hollybush pub on the summer evening, Mr Osborne immediately asked for a pen to write a letter to Parliament, which he admitted was the note found in the van. Drinkers and bar staff recalled him ranting that he was going to kill Muslims and claiming they would be getting together and marching for Isis the following day. Osborne was referring to the pro-Palestinian Al-Quds Day march in London, which he originally intended to hit before being thwarted by road closures and forced to hunt for a new target. He was thrown out of the pub after arguing with regulars including a serving member of the British Army, who told how Osborne claimed he was a soldier while calling Muslims terrorists. The sentiments, spelled out in his letter, were repeated after the attack as he raged at survivors and recorded by police in expletive-filled rants. Despite inventing a last-minute cover story claiming that a guy called Dave was actually driving the van, Osborne showed no remorse in court. Given the chance to renounce his views, he reinforced them and told the jury how he had wanted to kill Mr Corbyn at the Al-Quds march, adding that Mr Khans death would have been like winning the lottery. A lot of people are putting their fingers in their ears, Osborne said. Something needs to be done, this can't carry on.
LONDON  A man crashed a car into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament in London, injuring two pedestrians Tuesday in an incident British police are investigating as a terror attack. It was the fourth vehicle-based terror attack in London in less than 18 months. The driver of the car  in his late 20s  was arrested at the scene on suspicion of terrorism offenses. Few other details about him, his identity or a possible motive were released. No one else was in the car, and no weapons were found with him. The incident, which took place at 7:37 a.m. local time (2:37 a.m. ET), led to a large police operation and occurred close to the site of another terrorist attack in London last year. None of the pedestrians' injuries are life-threatening. In a news conference, police said the suspect was not cooperating with investigators. London Assistant Police Commissioner Neil Basu said the crash appeared to be a "deliberate act," that no other suspects have been identified and that there is no "intelligence" of further danger to London. CLOSE London Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu confirmed the incident was a terrorist attack. He says the suspect is not cooperating and they are still working to properly identify him. USA TODAY British Prime Minister Theresa May nevertheless convened a meeting of the government's COBRA emergency committee to discuss the incident. The Houses of Parliament are ringed by steel and concrete security barriers. An unnamed eyewitness told British broadcaster the BBC the driver "drove at speed" toward the barriers and that his actions looked intentional. The eyewitness said the car appeared to swerve into a pedestrian crossing before slamming into the barriers. A Police car passes towards the Houses of Parliament in London. A car crashed into barriers outside Britain's Houses of Parliament in a suspected terror attack on Tuesday, injuring a "number of pedestrians." Daniel Leal-Olivas, AFP/Getty Images Interested in this topic? You may also want to view these photo galleries: Britain's capital has been subject to a series of terrorist attacks in recent years. In June 2017, seven people were killed and dozens injured when three men  eventually shot and killed by police  rammed pedestrians with a car at London Bridge and then went on a stabbing rampage at nearby Borough Market. The Islamic State militant group later claimed responsibility for the attack. Also in June last year, a British man drove a van into Muslim worshippers near Finsbury Park Mosque, in north London. A man who earlier collapsed near the scene died. Investigators concluded the attacker, who was jailed on murder charges, developed an extreme hatred of Muslims. Twenty-two people were killed and hundreds injured during a bombing attack at the end of an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester in northwestern England in May 2017. The Islamic State group claimed the 22-year-old British perpetrator of Libyan descent as one of its own. The area where Tuesday's assault occurred was the site of a terror attack in March 2017, when three people  a police officer and two civilians  were killed and dozens wounded by a lone attacker near Britain's Parliament. Khalid Masood was shot and killed by police after he slammed a car into crowds on Westminster Bridge and then stabbed and killed the police officer and two tourists before being shot dead in a courtyard outside Parliament. The Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility for the attack. President Donald Trump has frequently weighed in on British terror attacks. He did so again Tuesday, saying in a tweet: "Another terrorist attack in London...These animals are crazy and must be dealt with through toughness and strength!"
Follow us: Police officers stand next to terraced housing in Harlesden Road.. British counter-terrorism police said on Friday they had thwarted an active plot after a woman was shot during an armed raid on a house in north London in the second major security operation in the British capital in the space of a few hours ( Reuters ) INDYGO America warns citizens travelling to Europe that a terror attack could happen at any moment Tourists told attacks could happen on the continent 'with little or no warning' The department warned that extremists targeted tourist and transport hubs, with clubs, hotels, restaurants and places of worship priority locations for attacks. It said US citizens should be particularly vigilant during the summer travel period, when "large crowds may be common". The alert will expire on 1 September. In February Max Hull, Britain's independent reviewer of terrorism legislation warned Britain was facing a level if threat from Isis not seen since the IRA attacks in the 1970s. The UK's terror threat level remained at "severe" in the wake of the attack in Westminster in March, meaning another incident is highly likely. World news in pictures World news in pictures 1/50 18 September 2018 South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un wave during a car parade in Pyongyang, North Korea, Reuters 2/50 17 September 2018 Australia has launched a nationwide investigation into needles being hidden in strawberries. Sewing needles have reportedly been found in strawberries in all 6 Australian states and the market is suffering from the resultant fear EPA 3/50 16 September 2018 Typhoon Mangkhut has made landfall in China, bringing winds of 100mph to coastal areas and storm surges of 10 feet in Hong Kong. Pictured here are the smashed windows of an office tower in Hong Kong. Reuters 4/50 15 September 2018 German Police have begun evicting activists from the Hambacher Forest where a protest to protect the remaining section of the ancient forest has been ongoing for the past 6 years. Dozens of activists have been living in treehouses, but are now being forced out after tensions rose between them and energy company RWE, which plans to expand its coal mine further into the remaining woodland AFP/Getty 5/50 14 September 2018 Speaking in Malmo today, the Dalai Lama stated "I think Europe belongs to Europeans" and suggested that refugees should focus on returning home and developing their home countries Reuters 6/50 13 September 2018 Preparations for Hurricane Florence, expected to make land on Friday, continue in North and South Carolina and Viriginia. Over 1 million people have been evacuated leading up to the arrival of the category 4 storm Getty 7/50 12 September 2018 Um Majid, left, tries an improvised gas mask on family members in her home in Binnish in Syria's rebel-held northern Idlib province as part of preparations for any upcoming raids. Fearing government forces and their allies military advance to retake Idlib province, the mother of three learnt from YouTube videos how to make gas masks from charcoal, wood, paper cups, cotton, nylon plastic bags and tapes. According to her, she could manufacture more masks but the material she needs are not always available. She also dug a cave under her home AFP/Getty 8/50 11 September 2018 People waving pro-independence Catalan flags 'Esteladas' while holding letters reading "independence" during a pro-independence demonstration in Barcelona to mark the National Day of Catalonia, the "Diada". Catalan separatists put on a show of strength and unity at celebrations of the region's national day, nearly a year after a failed attempt to break away from Spain. Catalonia's national day, the 'Diada' commemorates the fall of Barcelona in the War of the Spanish Succession in 1714 and the region's subsequent loss of institutions and freedoms AFP/Getty 9/50 10 September 2018 An Indian man makes his way through floodwaters from the overflowing Panchanai River in Siliguri. Continuous rainfall has caused flooding and landslides in parts of Siliguri and surrounding areas, affecting road travel and daily life AFP/Getty 10/50 9 September 2018 Participants wave flowers as they march past a balcony from where North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un was watching, during a mass rally on Kim Il Sung square in Pyongyang. The military parade was held to mark the nations 70th birthday, but refrained from showing off the intercontinental ballistic missiles that have seen it hit with multiple international sanctions AFP/Getty 11/50 8 September 2018 350.Org march for Climate Justice at the Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City, Philippines. Rise for Climate protests took places across the world to demand action Leo Sabangan/350.org (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) 12/50 7 September 2018 Displaced Syrians take part in a protest against the regime and its ally Russia at a camp for displaced people in Kafr Lusin near the Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey in Syria's northern Idlib province AFP/Getty 13/50 6 September 2018 An aerial view of houses damaged by a landslide in Atsuma town, Hokkaido prefecture, after an earthquake hit the northern Japanese island. Rescuers scrabbled through mud for survivors after the powerful earthquake sent hillsides crashing down onto homes, killing at least nine people and leaving dozens of people missing AFP/Getty 14/50 5 September 2018 US Capitol Police arrest a protestor as Judge Brett Kavanaugh testifies during the second day of his US Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing to be an Associate Justice on the US Supreme Court. President Donald Trump's newest Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is expected to face punishing questioning from Democrats this week over his endorsement of presidential immunity and his opposition to abortion AFP/Getty 15/50 4 September 2018 Damaged traffic boards and telecommunication relay poles after they were brought down by strong winds caused by typhoon Jebi in Osaka. The strongest typhoon to hit Japan in 25 years made landfall on September 4, the country's weather agency said, bringing violent winds and heavy rainfall that prompted evacuation warnings AFP/Getty 16/50 3 September 2018 Myanmar journalist Kyaw Soe Oo is escorted by police after being sentenced by a court to jail in Yangon. Two Reuters journalists were jailed for seven years for breaching Myanmar's official secrets act during their reporting of the Rohingya crisis, a judge said, a case that has drawn outrage as an attack on media freedom AFP/Getty 17/50 2 September 2018 A Somali soldier walks near the wreckage of vehicles at the scene of a blast outside the compound of a district headquarters in the capital Mogadishu. A Somali police officer says a number of people were wounded after a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle at a checkpoint outside the headquarters after being stopped by security forces AP 18/50 1 September 2018 A Utair-operated Boeing 737-800 which skidded off the runway and caught fire during landing, at Sochi international airport, in the Russian Black Sea resort. Russia's transportation minister says a supervisor at the airport died during the emergency response after a landing airliner careered off the end of the runway, into a riverbed and caught fire. There were no deaths reported among the 164 passengers and six crew members aboard the Utair Boeing 737, but the Russian health ministry said 18 people were injured. The fire was extinguished within eight minutes AP 19/50 31 August 2018 20/50 30 August 2018 Firefighters watch on as flames leap from a giant factory fire in the inner Melbourne suburb of West Footscray - More than 120 firefighters are fighting the fire, with 30 trucks and cherry picker aerial appliances on the scene which is sending large plumes of smoke across the city. AFP/Getty 21/50 29 August 2018 People are evacuated after flooding in Swar township, Myanmar Reuters 22/50 28 August 2018 President Hassan Rouhani speaks at the Iranian Parliament in the capital Tehran. It was the first time Rouhani had been summoned by parliament in his five years in power, with MPs demanding answers on unemployment, rising prices and the collapsing value of the rial, which has lost more than half its value since April AFP/Getty 23/50 27 August 2018 A police officer walks by the front of a Chicago Pizza and GLHF Game Bar at the scene of fatal shooting at The Jacksonville Landing. A gunman opened fire at a video game tournament killing multiple people and then fatally shooting himself in a rampage that wounded several others AP 24/50 26 August 2018 Migrants disembark from the Italian Coast Guard ship 'Diciotti' in the port of Catania, Italy. The vessel arrived with 177 migrants on board, but the Italian Interior Ministry denied them to disembark, calling EU member states to find a solution on how to distribute them. On 22 August, 27 unaccompanied minors were let off from the ship, assisted by Red Cross, UNHCR and Save the Children EPA 25/50 25 August 2018 Rohingya refugees during a protest march after attending a ceremony to remember the first anniversary of a military crackdown that prompted a massive exodus of people from Myanmar to Bangladesh, at the Kutupalong refugee camp in Ukhia AFP/Getty 26/50 24 August 2018 US President Donald Trump sits with children during a tour of Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio AFP/Getty 27/50 23 August 2018 Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull speaks to the media during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia EPA 28/50 22 August 2018 29/50 21 August 2018 A Palestinian man throws his child in the air following morning prayers marking the first day of Eid al-Adha celebrations on the compound known to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif in Jerusalem's Old City. Eid al-Adha is the holiest of the two Muslims holidays celebrated each year, it marks the yearly Muslim pilgrimage (Hajj) to visit Mecca, the holiest place in Islam. Muslims slaughter a sacrificial animal and split the meat into three parts, one for the family, one for friends and relatives, and one for the poor and needy Reuters 30/50 20 August 2018 South Korean Lee Keum-seom, 92, meets with her North Korean son Ri Sung Chol, 71, during a separated family reunion meeting at the Mount Kumgang resort on the North's southeastern coast. Dozens of elderly and frail South Koreans met their Northern relatives for the first time since the peninsula and their families were divided by war nearly seven decades ago AFP/Getty 31/50 19 August 2018 The flag of the United Nations flying at half-mast to mark the death of former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, at the European headquarters in Geneva. Kofi Annan died on 18 August, aged 80 EPA 32/50 18 August 2018 Newly appointed Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan inspects the guard of honor on his arrival in the Prime Minister House during a ceremony in Islamabad. Imran Khan was sworn in at a ceremony in Islamabad, ushering in a new political era as the World Cup cricket hero officially took the reins of power in the nuclear-armed country PID/AFP/Getty 33/50 17 August 2018 Muslim pilgrims walk out after the Friday prayer at the Grand mosque ahead of annual Haj pilgrimage in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia Reuters 34/50 16 August 2018 A man wades through flooded water in Kochi, Kerala state, India. According to reports, the region is on a high alert with schools and offices been closed due to the rising water levels of Periyar river after the gates of the Idukki reservoir were opened. The area has been hit by heavy rains that caused floods and reportedly killed at least 65 people EPA 35/50 15 August 2018 Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets schoolchildren after his speech as part of India's 72nd Independence Day celebrations which marks the 71st anniversary of the end of British colonial rule, at the Red Fort in New Delhi AFP/Getty 36/50 14 August 2018 A large section of the Morandi viaduct upon which the A10 motorway runs collapsed in Genoa, Italy. Both sides of the highway fell. Around 10 vehicles are involved in the collapse, rescue sources said. The viaduct gave way amid torrential rain. It runs over shopping centres, factories, some homes, the Genoa-Milan railway line and the Polcevera river EPA 37/50 13 August 2018 Turkish President Erdogan addresses the 10th annual Ambassadors' Conference in Ankara. Global markets have reacted fearfully to Turkey's financial crash, which Turkish President Erdogan blames on a "political, underhand plot" by Donald Trump's USA. Last week the US doubled steel and aluminium tariffs against Turkey amidst diplomatic tensions over the latter's detaining of an American pastor Turkish Presidential Press Service/AFP/Getty 38/50 12 August 2018 NASA, The United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket launches NASA's Parker Solar Probe to touch the Sun from Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on August 12, 2018 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Parker Solar Probe is humanity's first-ever mission into a part of the Suns atmosphere called the corona. The probe will directly explore solar processes that are key to understanding and forecasting space weather events that can impact life on Earth. NASA via Getty 39/50 11 August 2018 An activist confronts Virginia State Troopers in riot gear during a rally on the campus of The University of Virginia one-year after the violent white nationalist rally that left one person dead and dozens injured in Charlottesville, Virginia AFP/Getty 40/50 10 August 2018 A man holds his son before Friday prayers at an evacuation centre in Sambik Bangkol village, in northern Lombok on West Nusa Tenggara province AFP/Getty 41/50 9 August 2018 A rescuers stands next to a damaged tent in a flooded camping as storms and heavy rains sweep across France on August 9, 2018 in Saint-Julien-de-Peyrolas, southern France. - The bad weather caused large power cuts and a man who was working in a summer camp went missing according to the gendarmerie AFP/Getty 42/50 8 August 2018 A Palestinian girl smiles as she waits to receive aids at a United Nations food distribution centre in Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza AFP/Getty 43/50 7 August 2018 An Israeli soldier rides an armoured vehicle during an army drill after the visit of Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, Israel Reuters 44/50 6 August 2018 Usable items are salvaged from a home destroyed in an earthquake in North Lombok, Indonesia. The powerful earthquake struck the Indonesian tourist island of Lombok, killing a number of people and shaking neighboring Bali, as authorities on Monday said thousands of houses were damaged and the death toll could climb AP 45/50 5 August 2018 Accident investigators and rescue personnel work at the wreckage of a Junkers JU52 aircraft in Flims, after it crashed into Piz Segnas, a 3,000-metre (10,000-foot) peak in eastern Switzerland. Twenty people were confirmed dead after the vintage World War II aircraft crashed into a Swiss mountainside, police reports said. The Junker JU52 HB-HOT aircraft, built in Germany in 1939 and now a collectors item, belongs to JU-Air, a company with links to the Swiss air force, the ATS news agency reported AFP/Getty 46/50 4 August 2018 Members of different security forces stand guard and take evidence after an explosion targeted President Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas, Venezuela. The Venezuelan Information Minister, Jorge Rodriguez, confirmed that President Nicolas Maduro was the victim of an attack with 'drone-type flying devices that contained an explosive charge', and that he escaped unharmed from the incident, which occurred during a military ceremony in Caracas EPA 47/50 3 August 2018 People in Mbare celebrate after officials announced the re-election of President Emmerson Mnangagwa of the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) in Harare, Zimbabwe. The election was the first since Robert Mugabe was ousted in a military coup last year, and featured a close race between Mnangagwa and opposition candidate Nelson Chamisa of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC Alliance). Deadly clashes broke out earlier in the week following the release of parliamentary election results, amid allegations of fraud by Chamisa and MDC supporters Getty 48/50 2 August 2018 A supporter of the ruling ZANU-PF walks past a burnt vehicle at the party's offices a day after the clashes between security forces and opposition protesters in Harare, Zimbabwe Reuters 49/50 1 August 2018 A ceremony takes place in a hangar, to mark the return of 55 sets of remains of American troops killed during the 1950-53 Korean War, at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea. The ceremony was held five days after a US airplane transported the remains to South Korea from North Korea in a move expected to facilitate ongoing efforts to promote peace on the peninsula EPA 50/50 31 July 2018 Veronika Nikulshina, one of four members of Russia's Pussy Riot protest group who were jailed for 15 days for staging a pitch invasion during the football World Cup final and were detained again after their release on July 30, is escorted by a police officer before a court hearing in Moscow Reuters 1/50 18 September 2018 South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un wave during a car parade in Pyongyang, North Korea, Reuters 2/50 17 September 2018 Australia has launched a nationwide investigation into needles being hidden in strawberries. Sewing needles have reportedly been found in strawberries in all 6 Australian states and the market is suffering from the resultant fear EPA 3/50 16 September 2018 Typhoon Mangkhut has made landfall in China, bringing winds of 100mph to coastal areas and storm surges of 10 feet in Hong Kong. Pictured here are the smashed windows of an office tower in Hong Kong. Reuters 4/50 15 September 2018 German Police have begun evicting activists from the Hambacher Forest where a protest to protect the remaining section of the ancient forest has been ongoing for the past 6 years. Dozens of activists have been living in treehouses, but are now being forced out after tensions rose between them and energy company RWE, which plans to expand its coal mine further into the remaining woodland AFP/Getty 5/50 14 September 2018 Speaking in Malmo today, the Dalai Lama stated "I think Europe belongs to Europeans" and suggested that refugees should focus on returning home and developing their home countries Reuters 6/50 13 September 2018 Preparations for Hurricane Florence, expected to make land on Friday, continue in North and South Carolina and Viriginia. Over 1 million people have been evacuated leading up to the arrival of the category 4 storm Getty 7/50 12 September 2018 Um Majid, left, tries an improvised gas mask on family members in her home in Binnish in Syria's rebel-held northern Idlib province as part of preparations for any upcoming raids. Fearing government forces and their allies military advance to retake Idlib province, the mother of three learnt from YouTube videos how to make gas masks from charcoal, wood, paper cups, cotton, nylon plastic bags and tapes. According to her, she could manufacture more masks but the material she needs are not always available. She also dug a cave under her home AFP/Getty 8/50 11 September 2018 People waving pro-independence Catalan flags 'Esteladas' while holding letters reading "independence" during a pro-independence demonstration in Barcelona to mark the National Day of Catalonia, the "Diada". Catalan separatists put on a show of strength and unity at celebrations of the region's national day, nearly a year after a failed attempt to break away from Spain. Catalonia's national day, the 'Diada' commemorates the fall of Barcelona in the War of the Spanish Succession in 1714 and the region's subsequent loss of institutions and freedoms AFP/Getty 9/50 10 September 2018 An Indian man makes his way through floodwaters from the overflowing Panchanai River in Siliguri. Continuous rainfall has caused flooding and landslides in parts of Siliguri and surrounding areas, affecting road travel and daily life AFP/Getty 10/50 9 September 2018 Participants wave flowers as they march past a balcony from where North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un was watching, during a mass rally on Kim Il Sung square in Pyongyang. The military parade was held to mark the nations 70th birthday, but refrained from showing off the intercontinental ballistic missiles that have seen it hit with multiple international sanctions AFP/Getty 11/50 8 September 2018 350.Org march for Climate Justice at the Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City, Philippines. Rise for Climate protests took places across the world to demand action Leo Sabangan/350.org (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) 12/50 7 September 2018 Displaced Syrians take part in a protest against the regime and its ally Russia at a camp for displaced people in Kafr Lusin near the Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey in Syria's northern Idlib province AFP/Getty 13/50 6 September 2018 An aerial view of houses damaged by a landslide in Atsuma town, Hokkaido prefecture, after an earthquake hit the northern Japanese island. Rescuers scrabbled through mud for survivors after the powerful earthquake sent hillsides crashing down onto homes, killing at least nine people and leaving dozens of people missing AFP/Getty 14/50 5 September 2018 US Capitol Police arrest a protestor as Judge Brett Kavanaugh testifies during the second day of his US Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing to be an Associate Justice on the US Supreme Court. President Donald Trump's newest Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is expected to face punishing questioning from Democrats this week over his endorsement of presidential immunity and his opposition to abortion AFP/Getty 15/50 4 September 2018 Damaged traffic boards and telecommunication relay poles after they were brought down by strong winds caused by typhoon Jebi in Osaka. The strongest typhoon to hit Japan in 25 years made landfall on September 4, the country's weather agency said, bringing violent winds and heavy rainfall that prompted evacuation warnings AFP/Getty 16/50 3 September 2018 Myanmar journalist Kyaw Soe Oo is escorted by police after being sentenced by a court to jail in Yangon. Two Reuters journalists were jailed for seven years for breaching Myanmar's official secrets act during their reporting of the Rohingya crisis, a judge said, a case that has drawn outrage as an attack on media freedom AFP/Getty 17/50 2 September 2018 A Somali soldier walks near the wreckage of vehicles at the scene of a blast outside the compound of a district headquarters in the capital Mogadishu. A Somali police officer says a number of people were wounded after a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle at a checkpoint outside the headquarters after being stopped by security forces AP 18/50 1 September 2018 A Utair-operated Boeing 737-800 which skidded off the runway and caught fire during landing, at Sochi international airport, in the Russian Black Sea resort. Russia's transportation minister says a supervisor at the airport died during the emergency response after a landing airliner careered off the end of the runway, into a riverbed and caught fire. There were no deaths reported among the 164 passengers and six crew members aboard the Utair Boeing 737, but the Russian health ministry said 18 people were injured. The fire was extinguished within eight minutes AP 19/50 31 August 2018 20/50 30 August 2018 Firefighters watch on as flames leap from a giant factory fire in the inner Melbourne suburb of West Footscray - More than 120 firefighters are fighting the fire, with 30 trucks and cherry picker aerial appliances on the scene which is sending large plumes of smoke across the city. AFP/Getty 21/50 29 August 2018 People are evacuated after flooding in Swar township, Myanmar Reuters 22/50 28 August 2018 President Hassan Rouhani speaks at the Iranian Parliament in the capital Tehran. It was the first time Rouhani had been summoned by parliament in his five years in power, with MPs demanding answers on unemployment, rising prices and the collapsing value of the rial, which has lost more than half its value since April AFP/Getty 23/50 27 August 2018 A police officer walks by the front of a Chicago Pizza and GLHF Game Bar at the scene of fatal shooting at The Jacksonville Landing. A gunman opened fire at a video game tournament killing multiple people and then fatally shooting himself in a rampage that wounded several others AP 24/50 26 August 2018 Migrants disembark from the Italian Coast Guard ship 'Diciotti' in the port of Catania, Italy. The vessel arrived with 177 migrants on board, but the Italian Interior Ministry denied them to disembark, calling EU member states to find a solution on how to distribute them. On 22 August, 27 unaccompanied minors were let off from the ship, assisted by Red Cross, UNHCR and Save the Children EPA 25/50 25 August 2018 Rohingya refugees during a protest march after attending a ceremony to remember the first anniversary of a military crackdown that prompted a massive exodus of people from Myanmar to Bangladesh, at the Kutupalong refugee camp in Ukhia AFP/Getty 26/50 24 August 2018 US President Donald Trump sits with children during a tour of Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio AFP/Getty 27/50 23 August 2018 Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull speaks to the media during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia EPA 28/50 22 August 2018 29/50 21 August 2018 A Palestinian man throws his child in the air following morning prayers marking the first day of Eid al-Adha celebrations on the compound known to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif in Jerusalem's Old City. Eid al-Adha is the holiest of the two Muslims holidays celebrated each year, it marks the yearly Muslim pilgrimage (Hajj) to visit Mecca, the holiest place in Islam. Muslims slaughter a sacrificial animal and split the meat into three parts, one for the family, one for friends and relatives, and one for the poor and needy Reuters 30/50 20 August 2018 South Korean Lee Keum-seom, 92, meets with her North Korean son Ri Sung Chol, 71, during a separated family reunion meeting at the Mount Kumgang resort on the North's southeastern coast. Dozens of elderly and frail South Koreans met their Northern relatives for the first time since the peninsula and their families were divided by war nearly seven decades ago AFP/Getty 31/50 19 August 2018 The flag of the United Nations flying at half-mast to mark the death of former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, at the European headquarters in Geneva. Kofi Annan died on 18 August, aged 80 EPA 32/50 18 August 2018 Newly appointed Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan inspects the guard of honor on his arrival in the Prime Minister House during a ceremony in Islamabad. Imran Khan was sworn in at a ceremony in Islamabad, ushering in a new political era as the World Cup cricket hero officially took the reins of power in the nuclear-armed country PID/AFP/Getty 33/50 17 August 2018 Muslim pilgrims walk out after the Friday prayer at the Grand mosque ahead of annual Haj pilgrimage in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia Reuters 34/50 16 August 2018 A man wades through flooded water in Kochi, Kerala state, India. According to reports, the region is on a high alert with schools and offices been closed due to the rising water levels of Periyar river after the gates of the Idukki reservoir were opened. The area has been hit by heavy rains that caused floods and reportedly killed at least 65 people EPA 35/50 15 August 2018 Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets schoolchildren after his speech as part of India's 72nd Independence Day celebrations which marks the 71st anniversary of the end of British colonial rule, at the Red Fort in New Delhi AFP/Getty 36/50 14 August 2018 A large section of the Morandi viaduct upon which the A10 motorway runs collapsed in Genoa, Italy. Both sides of the highway fell. Around 10 vehicles are involved in the collapse, rescue sources said. The viaduct gave way amid torrential rain. It runs over shopping centres, factories, some homes, the Genoa-Milan railway line and the Polcevera river EPA 37/50 13 August 2018 Turkish President Erdogan addresses the 10th annual Ambassadors' Conference in Ankara. Global markets have reacted fearfully to Turkey's financial crash, which Turkish President Erdogan blames on a "political, underhand plot" by Donald Trump's USA. Last week the US doubled steel and aluminium tariffs against Turkey amidst diplomatic tensions over the latter's detaining of an American pastor Turkish Presidential Press Service/AFP/Getty 38/50 12 August 2018 NASA, The United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket launches NASA's Parker Solar Probe to touch the Sun from Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on August 12, 2018 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Parker Solar Probe is humanity's first-ever mission into a part of the Suns atmosphere called the corona. The probe will directly explore solar processes that are key to understanding and forecasting space weather events that can impact life on Earth. NASA via Getty 39/50 11 August 2018 An activist confronts Virginia State Troopers in riot gear during a rally on the campus of The University of Virginia one-year after the violent white nationalist rally that left one person dead and dozens injured in Charlottesville, Virginia AFP/Getty 40/50 10 August 2018 A man holds his son before Friday prayers at an evacuation centre in Sambik Bangkol village, in northern Lombok on West Nusa Tenggara province AFP/Getty 41/50 9 August 2018 A rescuers stands next to a damaged tent in a flooded camping as storms and heavy rains sweep across France on August 9, 2018 in Saint-Julien-de-Peyrolas, southern France. - The bad weather caused large power cuts and a man who was working in a summer camp went missing according to the gendarmerie AFP/Getty 42/50 8 August 2018 A Palestinian girl smiles as she waits to receive aids at a United Nations food distribution centre in Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza AFP/Getty 43/50 7 August 2018 An Israeli soldier rides an armoured vehicle during an army drill after the visit of Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, Israel Reuters 44/50 6 August 2018 Usable items are salvaged from a home destroyed in an earthquake in North Lombok, Indonesia. The powerful earthquake struck the Indonesian tourist island of Lombok, killing a number of people and shaking neighboring Bali, as authorities on Monday said thousands of houses were damaged and the death toll could climb AP 45/50 5 August 2018 Accident investigators and rescue personnel work at the wreckage of a Junkers JU52 aircraft in Flims, after it crashed into Piz Segnas, a 3,000-metre (10,000-foot) peak in eastern Switzerland. Twenty people were confirmed dead after the vintage World War II aircraft crashed into a Swiss mountainside, police reports said. The Junker JU52 HB-HOT aircraft, built in Germany in 1939 and now a collectors item, belongs to JU-Air, a company with links to the Swiss air force, the ATS news agency reported AFP/Getty 46/50 4 August 2018 Members of different security forces stand guard and take evidence after an explosion targeted President Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas, Venezuela. The Venezuelan Information Minister, Jorge Rodriguez, confirmed that President Nicolas Maduro was the victim of an attack with 'drone-type flying devices that contained an explosive charge', and that he escaped unharmed from the incident, which occurred during a military ceremony in Caracas EPA 47/50 3 August 2018 People in Mbare celebrate after officials announced the re-election of President Emmerson Mnangagwa of the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) in Harare, Zimbabwe. The election was the first since Robert Mugabe was ousted in a military coup last year, and featured a close race between Mnangagwa and opposition candidate Nelson Chamisa of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC Alliance). Deadly clashes broke out earlier in the week following the release of parliamentary election results, amid allegations of fraud by Chamisa and MDC supporters Getty 48/50 2 August 2018 A supporter of the ruling ZANU-PF walks past a burnt vehicle at the party's offices a day after the clashes between security forces and opposition protesters in Harare, Zimbabwe Reuters 49/50 1 August 2018 A ceremony takes place in a hangar, to mark the return of 55 sets of remains of American troops killed during the 1950-53 Korean War, at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea. The ceremony was held five days after a US airplane transported the remains to South Korea from North Korea in a move expected to facilitate ongoing efforts to promote peace on the peninsula EPA 50/50 31 July 2018 Veronika Nikulshina, one of four members of Russia's Pussy Riot protest group who were jailed for 15 days for staging a pitch invasion during the football World Cup final and were detained again after their release on July 30, is escorted by a police officer before a court hearing in Moscow The ban, which already affected travellers from Middle Eastern countries, was expected to be expanded within a matter of weeks. British security officials were reportedly waiting to hear if the rule would apply to the UK. Under the rules, any devices larger than a mobile phone need to be checked in and stored in the hold, where they can be screened more extensively. After the initial laptop ban was brought in in January, Homeland Security Secretary John Kellyindicated the restrictions could be extended, saying US officials would tighten up their procedures to ensure more thorough vetting.
London Pride, Undaunted The Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament reopened Thursday, after the attack on Wednesday.CreditCreditNiklas Halle'n/Agence France-Presse  Getty Images LONDON  The growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts, George Eliot wrote in Middlemarch. On Thursday, in a statement to the House of Commons about the attack that had occurred right outside Parliament the day before, Prime Minister Theresa May echoed that sentiment, paying tribute to the millions of acts of normality that are the most powerful weapons against extremist violence. This was Londons counterattack: to show that it takes more than a murderous rampage through Westminster to shut down this mighty city. Somber but undaunted, members of Parliament of all parties expressed their admiration for the courage of the police, doctors and nurses who had responded with such speed and vigor, rushing to help those who had been mowed down by car on Westminster Bridge. Five people died in the attack: a London teacher, an American visitor and a 75-year-old man; a police officer, Keith Palmer; and the attacker, who has been identified as a 52-year-old Briton, Khalid Masood. As many as 40 people were injured, several of whom remain in critical condition. The deputy speaker of the House, Lindsay Hoyle, voiced the feelings of all his colleagues when he described Constable Palmer as one of our village policemen. Westminster is indeed a village, and, as a commentator on Britains political scene, I treat it as my professional workplace. For all its architectural grandeur, it is really a noisy souk, a forum for gossip, ideas and haggling. Shortly before the attack, I had been to see a cabinet minister who was worried about a difficult year ahead for the government. When I returned, Parliament Square had been closed off by the police and the traffic was gridlocked. The sirens of ambulances told their own distressing story. Youd think theyd have sorted it out, for Gods sake, a taxi driver complained out of his open window, to nobody in particular. As callous as that might sound, it was the authentic voice of London: unfazed, querulous, eccentric. The citys cabbies are more fearful of traffic than they are of nutters with knives (another Londonism I overheard as I walked across Vauxhall Bridge, trying to find a way home). Heres what really counts: By Thursday morning, London was, if not quite back to normal, then certainly back in business. As I traveled through the south of the city, up to Chelsea and later over to Kings Cross, Londoners really were going about their lives as on any other day. This behavior reflects something deeper than conscious defiance, I think. It would simply not occur to the 8.6 million citizens of this megalopolis to allow one man to send them into hiding. As they say in the East End, youre having a laugh, arent you? It is the stoicism of ancestral pride and present realism. Everyone in this city  as in New York, Tel Aviv, Paris, Brussels, Berlin  acknowledges the daily threat of low-tech terrorism. Although MI5, the domestic security service, has achieved remarkable success in recent years, it cannot foil every conspiracy or lone wolf radicalized online by the bloodstained software of Islamism. Some years ago, we learned, the assailant had flitted across the intelligence communitys radar, as a peripheral figure. Absent a police state, it is impossible to monitor every such individual. This was not the first attack like this on London and everyone knows it will not be the last. In such an age, and in such circumstances, the only way to proceed is  in the much-loved British slogan  to keep calm and carry on. There was something else detectable in the fresh spring air, too. The last year, dominated by the Brexit referendum and its aftermath, has been one of brewing nativism and frequently ugly talk about immigration. Even as the injured were being treated, Britains equivalent of the alt-right tweeted with revolting ignorance about illegals, the very word that President Trump used, incorrectly, to describe Syrian refugees in a postelection interview with The Times of London. (In fact, the man named as the attacker was reportedly born in Kent, in southeast England.) And speaking of the first family, Donald Trump Jr.s ill-informed and insulting criticism of our mayor, Sadiq Khan, via Twitter did not go down well here. British anger at such brazen examples of political opportunism has been remarkable, and reached beyond social media. Britons love a political row, but they also know that there is a time and a place. This was most definitely not an occasion to score political points. The presidents son should not plan on visiting a London pub any time soon. Of course, the divisions of the past year have not suddenly been healed, nor the poison put back in its bottle. But in conversations, on the radio, in the countenance of passers-by, you could sense a fresh recognition that this is the greatest city on earth because of, rather than in spite of, its extraordinary diversity. Those who long for a monocultural London want something back that has never existed. Not since the glorious opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympics have I felt such pride to live in such a multifarious city, a planetary community. Yesterday, we saw the worst of humanity, Mrs. May said, but we will remember the best. Thats absolutely right. It is a commonplace that pain and love are closely related, but true nonetheless. As Londoners absorbed the horror of what had happened, they quietly reaffirmed a principle that has served them well for centuries: that they  we  will not bow to fear. This story has been updated to reflect news developments. Matthew dAncona (@MatthewdAncona) is a political columnist for The Guardian and The Evening Standard and a contributing opinion writer.
As Muslim teenagers we're sending our solidarity to victims of the Westminster attack People hold up a banner ahead of a candlelit vigil at Trafalgar Square: Getty We, as a group of 14 Muslim madrasa students, aged between 13 and 17, write this letter in the aftermath of the horrific attack near Westminster, in which a coward took it upon himself to destroy the peace we had been living in for so long. Before starting to make our point, we pray to Allah that he gives good health to those who were injured and grants peace to the victims families. Our parents, madrasa teachers and our Imams continue to stress the importance of being good, productive British citizens. On the day of the attack, our Imam spoke to us about it, how violence against innocents is prohibited in Islam, how we should respond to such attacks, and how to cope with the inevitable and unfortunate backlash facing our community. As students of the school and madrasa systems, we understand the importance of education, and that good education is the key to our development. We also appreciate the responsibilities that come with living in a multi-cultural, multi-faith society, to maintain peace and harmony, and to respect the freedoms we are privileged to have. At times like this, we need to spread a message of solidarity, unity and defiance. If we begin to isolate and ostracise a 3 million strong community because of the actions of a few depraved individuals, we are doing the extremists job for them, causing hate and division. The last thing we need as a country is to allow these cowards and criminals to divide us and incite hatred between us. There are many positives to be taken from the Muslim communitys contributions in making this country great, and we would like to see the media make more of an effort in providing a truer picture of the Muslims in the UK and Islam in general. We are making every effort to integrate, and for integration to work, we need it to become a two-way street, starting with the media. We hope the bridges we have worked to build, are not burnt by the actions of a criminal. As a Muslim, and a survivor of terrorism, the famous Malala Yousafzai recently spoke out against the problem of dividing victims of terrorism: If your intention is to stop terrorism, do not try to blame the whole population of Muslims for it, because that cannot stop terrorism. Her final message speaks volumes and should serve as a stern warning for us all: It will radicalise more terrorists. It is time we all re-considered our responsibilities, and re-evaluated what we are doing to make our great country safe and united once again. A group of teenage madrasa studentsGloucester Solidarity in our communities I attended the vigil in Trafalgar Square last night which showed Britain at its best with short but powerful speeches by the Home Secretary, the Mayor and a senior police officer. Politicians from different parties united in a message of hope, tolerance and defiance against terrorism. A stark contrast to Katie Hopkins and Nigel Farage who rushed over to the Fox News Studios with the former tweeting about how we have been cowed and claiming that we were not united. Chris Key Following the multiple arrests in Birmingham on Thursday, we have once again been subject to much journalistic hand-ringing about why this great city produces a disproportionate number of would-be terrorists. While this may be a legitimate line of enquiry, the use of such ill-considered journalese as the jihadi capital of Britain by the usually excellent Nick Robinson on Fridays Today Programme, plays into the hands of those who seek to demonise the entire Muslim community after the attack in London. We need look no further than Paul Nuttalls assertion that the Muslim community have a responsibility to root out this cancer of radicalisation to see what a boon this is to the populist right. As someone whose family has lived in Birmingham for over two hundred years, I am proud to share my city with all its current inhabitants, regardless of how recently they arrived or where they come from. Our major weakness remains that too many of our residential areas are segregated along ethnic lines, with too little mixing of our diverse population in everyday settings and especially our schools. If we wish to combat the kind of extremism with which we are currently faced, it is to this that all of us should turn our attention. Ian RichardsBirmingham On Tuesday, 22 March 2017 the UK Parliament was the centre of an atrocious act of terrorism where an individual by the name of Khalid Masood attacked by first plowing his car into pedestrians then fatally stabbing a police officer. As an Ahmadi Muslim I condemn this barbaric and un-Islamic act; there is no such place for this violence in this world. My deepest condolences are with the families of all affected and my prayers are with the injured. In the Quran it states: Whosoever kills an innocent  it is as if he has killed all of mankind (5:32). London also happens to be a centre for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community as the leader of our community worldwide, His Holiness, Mirza Masroor Ahmad resides there. Time and time again His Holiness has condemned all acts of violence and he states: One who sheds blood of innocents has nothing to do with Islam and its Prophet. In the US, the community has dedicated itself to promote the peaceful message of Islam and in hoping to break the barriers that divide us, has launched a campaign called #MeetAMuslim where we go out into the streets and answer any questions one might have regarding the true teachings of Islam. Arsalan Ahmad KhanVirginia, USA When mainstream politicians call for unity in the face of murder, why do voices on the far right describe fear, confusion and fragmentation? Mark Grey London Banning electronics on flights wont stop terrorism The Department of Homeland Security and its sister equivalent in the UK are now banning all electronics bigger than a cellphone from the cabins of some direct flights to the UK in six Muslim-majority countries. Doesnt this just make the bad guys fly to France or Germany and then fly to the US or the UK? Duh! It is ridiculous also to think that just Muslim-looking people would carry out this threat. Mahmoud El-Yousseph Ohio, USA Go vegan for Earth Hour Turning off the lights for Earth Hour at 8:30 pm on 25 March may make for a romantic meal, but if you truly want to help combat climate change, go vegan. The production of animal-based foods  whether eaten by candlelight or not  requires more resources and causes more greenhouse-gas emissions than that of plant-based foods does. Research even shows that meat-eaters are responsible for about two-and-a-half times as many dietary greenhouse-gas emissions as vegans are. When scientists at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden calculated various ways to combat climate change, they found that cutting greenhouse-gas emissions from transportation and energy use would be much more expensive than curbing consumption of meat and dairy. They concluded that cutting down on these foods is key to bringing emissions down to safe levels. So if youre serious about saving the environment, prepare a vegan meal this Earth Hour  or whenever you choose to eat dinner. Youll be helping not only the environment but also animals and your own health. Jennifer WhiteLondon, N1 Brexit date saddest day I was proud to be a subject of a United Kingdom that was an integral and major part of a United Europe. The building of a united Europe was started during my lifetime. Its creation began after hundreds of thousands of European citizens had lost their lives in wars against racism and nationalism. Nations that had once been locked in brutal conflict and divided by iron curtains had started to forge alliances and friendships based upon a common peaceful cause. We did not lose our sovereignty or national identity when we became European Citizens. We all gained rights, freedoms, protections and representations that none of us had previously enjoyed. European Unity added to my freedoms, it took none of my freedoms away. It did not steal my nationality  it added to it. On the 29 March, the process will start whereby I, and 65 million of my fellow countrymen, will be stripped of our European citizenship whether we like it or not. Brexit is taking away a citizenship, an identity and freedoms that millions of British people valued. Brexit has torn countries, families and the people of our United Kingdom apart. Next Wednesday will be one of the saddest days in my 75 years of living. And, perhaps, it will be the saddest day in the history of a nation that I loved.
It was only ever a matter of time. This strike at parliament took aim directly at the heart of British democracy. It was perhaps meant to reach the prime minister  for today, the day of prime ministers questions, was the one day when her movements would be well known  but more probably it was, like the attack in Berlin just before Christmas, simply an attempt to hit at a European centre of power. The earlier car attack on the dozens of tourists and office workers and three police officers on their way back from a commendation ceremony, caught walking across Westminster Bridge around 2.45pm, was plainly intended to magnify the terror. This is the moment that everyone planned for and hoped would never happen, the Metropolitan police acting deputy commissioner, Mark Rowley, said at his first news conference afterwards. It was also the hardest kind of attack to stop, an apparently lone terrorist using low-tech weaponry seeking to do maximum harm, almost certain of death himself. He got through, but a dozen or more attacks have been foiled in Britain since 2013, 10 of them in the past two years. More than 500 live counter-terror investigations are under way at any given moment, Mr Rowley said recently. The police and the security forces have to be right all the time. The terrorists only need to be lucky once. It is important to hold on to that truth, and to remember that, terrible as the loss of life has been and grim as the aftermath will be, no one would want to live in the kind of world where such an attack had been made entirely impossible. The security forces acted swiftly and courageously to protect parliament and the public. For the families of the dead, and for the injured, this is a horrendous, life-changing event. The shock and distress of eyewitnesses, trapped on buses or simply walking along the pavement, was evident in their voices and their faces as they spoke to reporters. Some of them behaved with impressive presence of mind, including the foreign office minister Tobias Ellwood, who tried to revive the fatally injured policeman. The security forces and police have planned for what they call a marauding attack for years. The awful choreography of the response to terror was fast and well-rehearsed. The police officer who later died of his injuries stopped the attacker at the gates off Parliament Square. Before the man had gone a pace or two further, he himself was shot by an armed officer. These two courageous interventions almost certainly saved scores of lives in a busy area thronged with politicians, visitors and some of the hundreds of staff who work in the palace. There will be many questions to ask in the coming days about what was known of the attacker and his associates, but for now, there can only be a wholehearted appreciation of the professionalism with which the police did their job. What now? We often mock our political class, but it is worth remembering that being an MP has never been risk-free. In 1979, the IRA murdered the senior Tory MP Airey Neave with a car bomb only yards from where todays attack took place. An MP died in the Brighton bomb in 1984, and another was murdered at his home in 1990. Last June, Jo Cox died at the hands of a rightwing extremist, Thomas Mair, as she made her way to her constituency surgery. Security at parliament is tighter than it has ever been. Its one obvious weakness was the main vehicle entrance into New Palace Yard, off the road linking Whitehall with other government offices. This is the very heart of government. Its where tourists stand taking selfies through the open gates of the place that is still regarded around the world as the birthplace of modern democracy. Todays attack has long been anticipated. It is not an act of war. It must not be allowed to divide us one from the other. Terrors purpose is to spread hate and division. The first protection against it must be solidarity.
Moments earlier, at about 2.40pm, the attacker drove a vehicle at speed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, near parliament, killing two people. Rowley said at least 20 people, including three officers, were hurt in the attack on the bridge. A diplomatic source told Reuters three French students were among the injured. This is a day weve planned for but hoped would never happen. Sadly its now a reality, Rowley said. The attack started when a car was driven over Westminster Bridge hitting and injuring a number of members of the public, also including three police officers on their way back from a commendation ceremony. The car then crashed near to parliament and at least one man armed with a knife continued the attack and tried to enter parliament. Sadly, I can confirm that four people have died. That includes the police officer protecting parliament and one man we believe to be the attacker, who was shot by a police firearms officer. The officers family have been made aware. At least 20 people have been injured. One woman is believed to have been thrown over the bridge into the river Thames  and later pulled alive from the water  while another fell on to a hard surface below the bridge. The suspected attacker attended by emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA The vehicle came to a halt on the pavement, up against railings to the north of New Palace Yard, the green space adjacent to Big Ben, opposite an entrance to Westminster tube station. A man with a knife was then seen running through the gates of the Palace of Westminster, across New Palace Yard and stabbing a police officer. The attacker continued his rampage, targeting a second officer, according to witnesses, but was shot by police as he approached the second officer clutching his knife. In the aftermath of the attack, the Foreign Officer minister Tobias Ellwood reportedly helped treat the injured officer. The Bournemouth MP, a former soldier, was pictured helping the police officer in Parliament Square. His brother Jonathan was killed in the 2002 Bali terror attack. Colleen Anderson, a junior doctor, said a female pedestrian had died. She also said she treated a police officer in his 30s with a head injury who had been taken to Kings College hospital. I confirmed one fatality. A woman. She was under the wheel of a bus. She died, confirmed her death at the scene, she said. See the full visual The prime minister was expected to chair a meeting of the governments emergency Cobra committee on Wednesday evening. A Downing Street spokesman said: The thoughts of the PM and the government are with those killed and injured in this appalling incident, and with their families. The PM is being kept updated and will shortly chair COBR. Theresa May was in the Commons lobby when the incident occurred, according to the health secretary, Jeremy Hunt. He was with other ministers in a cabinet sub-committee when they were told of the incident. Commander BJ Harrington, head of the Mets public order command, said a full counter-terrorism investigation was under way. Harrington said the Met received a number of different reports, which included a report of a person in the river, a car in collision with pedestrians and a man armed with a knife. The acting Met commissioner, Craig Mackey, was being treated as a key witness because he was on the scene when the attack began. Police asked people to avoid the following areas: Parliament Square, Whitehall, Westminster Bridge, Lambeth Bridge, Victoria Street up to the junction with Broadway, and the Victoria Embankment up to Embankment tube. The Commons leader, David Lidington, told MPs in the moments after the attack that a police officer had been stabbed and the alleged assailant was shot by armed police following a serious incident within the parliamentary estate. People flee parliament as gunshots ring out  video Pictures emerged after the incident showing people lying injured on Westminster Bridge, some of them bleeding. Two people could be seen lying within New Palace Yard, immediately outside Westminster Hall. The sitting in the House of Commons was suspended while police officers sealed off the area. Staff inside parliament were told to stay inside their offices. Minutes after the incident, an emergency services helicopter landed in Parliament Square, as sirens were heard outside. Air ambulance medics came from the helicopter to assist the casualties. Footage of car after crash into railings outside Parliament - video Immediately before the incident, at about 2.45pm, people were seen running from the direction of Westminster Bridge and around the corner into Parliament Square. Rob Lyon, 34, from Rugby, was walking along Westminster Bridge with a colleague when he saw a 4x4 vehicle travelling at high-speed, hitting pedestrians. He said: I heard a wheel definitely hit a kerb, quite a loud crunch noise. I looked up and saw a car clearly hitting people as it came towards me. A colleague I was with, James, I heard him sort of shout. I instinctively jumped off the pavement. I could see people being hit. And then the car just carried on up the bridge and I just looked around and was really in shock. Radoslaw Sikorski captured the aftermath of the attack on Westminster Bridge on video. Sikorski, a senior fellow at the Harvard Centre for European Studies, said: I heard what I thought was just a collision and then I looked through the window of the taxi and [saw] someone down, obviously in great distress. Rick Longley said he saw the car crash into the railings and a man leap out. We were just walking up to the station and there was a loud bang and a guy, someone, crashed a car and took some pedestrians out, he said. They were just laying there and then the whole crowd just surged around the corner by the gates just opposite Big Ben. A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman. Pat McCormack, 21, from Washington in Tyne and Wear saw an attacker stabbing the police officer. I saw him stabbing the officer in the back of the head and the back of the neck. He was running away but then he collapsed. A member of the public is treated by emergency services. Photograph: Carl Court/Getty Images The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, said: Theres been an extremely serious incident in parliament today. Lives have been lost and people have been seriously injured. I want to thank the police and all the security services who did so much to keep the public, those who work in parliament and MPs safe. Our thoughts are with those who have suffered loss and those who have seen terrible injuries this afternoon. Steve White, the chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, which represents tens of thousands of rank-and-file officers, said: No words can capture how members of the policing family will feel after todays horrific events. We have lived in the knowledge that an attack on UK soil has been highly likely for nearly three years. Everyone is firmly aware of this fact, but it makes it no less shocking when it becomes a reality. This incident highlights the very real risks that police face each and every day. Officers will tonight take the opportunity to hug loved ones and seek comfort in the company of friends and family. But one will not. The pain of that officers family, friends and colleagues will be shared by us all. Our hearts go out to their family and our thoughts are with them and their colleagues at this terrible time along with others who have been injured today. The incident took place a year to the day after the terror attack on Brussels, which killed 32 people and left 320 injured. This article was amended on 23 March 2017. An earlier version said five people had been killed but this was corrected after the police revised the total to four.
This site uses cookies to improve your experience and to provide services and advertising. By continuing to browse, you agree to the use of cookies described in our Cookies Policy. You may change your settings at any time but this may impact on the functionality of the site. To learn more see our Cookies Policy. THE IRISH PERSON injured in yesterdays terror attack in Westminster, London, is believed to be recovering well in hospital. Taoiseach Enda Kenny spoke to Prime Minister Theresa May this evening, who confirmed that the injuries suffered by the woman were not life-threatening. During a ten-minute call, he offered the sympathy of the Irish government to the British people and offered any assistance that may be required. The woman is among the 29 injured people who still remain in hospital, Irish and UK officials have confirmed. The attack, which resulted in the deaths of four people, saw a car mow down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge. The attacker was shot by police after stabbing a police officer who later died of his injuries. 40 people in total were injured and 29 people remain in hospital. Seven people are still described as being in a critical condition. Social Protection Minister Leo Varadkar told TheJournal.ie this afternoon that the Tnaiste Frances Fitzgerald has been in touch with Amber Rudd, her counterpart in the UK, in relation to the incident. He added that the Irish government have also been in touch with the embassy to offer our support and condolences and any consular support to the Irish citizen injured in the attacks, who he said he understands is recovering well from her injuries. Speaking in parliament this morning, British Prime Minister Theresa May said one Irish person was among the injured. The other injured were 12 Britons, three French, two Romanians, four South Koreans, one German, one Chinese, one Italian, one American and two Greeks. The Minister for Foreign Affairs & Trade, Charlie Flanagan TD, has confirmed that one Irish person was amongst those injured in yesterdays terrorist attack in London, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed this afternoon. Minister Flanagan said that his Department has, through the Irish Embassy in London, offered and stands ready to provide consular assistance. In an overnight raid, police in London arrested seven people in connection with the attack. TheJournal.ie is a full participating member of the Press Council of Ireland and supports the Office of the Press Ombudsman. This scheme in addition to defending the freedom of the press, offers readers a quick, fair and free method of dealing with complaints that they may have in relation to articles that appear on our pages. To contact the Office of the Press Ombudsman Lo-Call 1890 208 080 or go to www.pressombudsman.ie or www.presscouncil.ie Please note that TheJournal.ie uses cookies to improve your experience and to provide services and advertising. For more information on cookies please refer to our cookies policy. Journal Media does not control and is not responsible for user created content, posts, comments, submissions or preferences. Users are reminded that they are fully responsible for their own created content and their own posts, comments and submissions and fully and effectively warrant and indemnify Journal Media in relation to such content and their ability to make such content, posts, comments and submissions available. Journal Media does not control and is not responsible for the content of external websites.
Pages Thursday, 23 March 2017 Things to know about the #Westminster terror attack as British PM, Theresa May condemns the attack There was a terror attack on the UK House of Parliament in Westminster on Wednesday afternoon.Details are still emerging from the incident but here are 7 key facts you should know about the attack, for now:Five people have been confirmed dead including a police officer protecting the Parliament building who was stabbed and another man who is believed to be the attacker and was shot by armed police.2. Metropolitan Police were alerted to the scene at about 2.40pm while proceedings were on in the House of Commons. The session was immediately suspended and Deputy speaker David Lidington announced to the Members of Parliament that a police officer had been stabbed.3. The suspect has been described as a middle-aged Asian man, he was dressed in black and drove a black Hyundai car and was armed with a seven-to-eight inch knife. He was treated on a stretcher by medics within the Parliament ground. He is believed to have acted alone. Pictures from the scene show emergency services treating the suspected terrorist on the pavement 4. The suspect first drove through Westminster Bridge running into pedestrians before crashing the car into the rails of the Parliament. One woman was thrown over the bridge into the river Thames but was later rescued alive while another fell on to a hard surface below the bridge.5. 40 other people were injured in the attacks, including three police officers. A witness reportedly saw about 10 people lying prostrate on the Westminster Bridge clearly injured. A source at Reuters says three French students were among the injured. A junior doctor, Colleen Anderson from St Thomas Hospital said the injury on those who were mowed by the car on the bridge ranged from minor to catastrophic.6. Prime Minister, Theresa May was in the Commons lobby, only 40 yards away, when the incident occurred, according to the health secretary, Jeremy Hunt.7.Head of counter-terrorism at the Met, Mark Rowley said to the press, This is a day weve planned for but we hoped will never happen. Sadly, it is now a reality. He said residents in the capital will see extra police officers across the city.The British Prime Minister, Theresa May has condemned the terror attack.May, who addressed the nation on Wednesday night described the incident as a sick and depraved terror attack.She said the incident began, when a single attacker drove his vehicle into pedestrians walking along Westminster bridge, killing two people and injuring many more, including three police officers.She added, Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those who have been affected.She commended the police and security services for protecting the lives of British citizens.
Westminster crash suspect is Midlands man of Sudanese origin A 29-year-old man arrested on suspicion of preparing an act of terror is believed to be called Salih Khater. Subscribe to our daily newsletter Westminster car crash A man arrested after a car crashed outside the Houses of Parliament in a suspected terror attack is a British citizen of Sudanese origin called Salih Khater, the Press Association understands. It is believed the 29-year-old remains in police custody after his arrest on suspicion of preparing an act of terror. A Facebook page for a man of the same name says he lives in Birmingham, works as a shop manager, and has studied at Sudan University of Science and Technology. The silver Ford Fiesta used in the attack was driven from Birmingham to London late on Monday and spent almost five hours in the Tottenham Court Road area. It was then driven around the Westminster area for more than 90 minutes before it crashed into a security barrier just before 7.40am on Tuesday. Counter-terrorism officers have since conducted searches at two addresses in Birmingham and a residential property in Nottingham as part of the probe. Plainclothed police officers could be seen outside an address in Peveril Street, Nottingham, on Tuesday evening, said by neighbours to be home to six Sudanese people. Advertising (PA Graphics) There was also a police presence near the Bunna Internet Cafe on Stratford Road in Sparkbrook, Birmingham, but it was not confirmed whether that was in relation to the Westminster probe. The suspect, who was said to not be co-operating with officers, was not known to security services, Metropolitan Police counter-terrorism head Neil Basu said. He said the apparent deliberate nature of the act, the method used and the iconic location of Parliament led the force to treat it as a terrorist incident. Advertising Footage aired on BBC News showed the cars approach towards Parliament, where it crossed into oncoming traffic and collided with cyclists before entering a small road and crashing into a security barrier. A residential property on Peveril Street in Nottingham which was searched by police (Josh Payne/PA) Three people sustained non-life-threatening injuries. One man was treated at the scene while another man and a woman were taken to hospital but were discharged by Tuesday evening. Images posted online showed a man wearing a black puffer jacket being led away in handcuffs from the car as armed police swarmed the scene. There was nobody else in the vehicle and no weapons were found, police said. Mr Basu added no other suspects have been identified and there is no intelligence at this time of further danger to Londoners. The car was removed from the scene late on Tuesday night. Todays attack at Westminster was carried out by an individual who is believed to have been living in my constituency in Birmingham. My deepest sympathies to the cyclists and pedestrians who were injured in the attack. Kirsty Moseley, of Brixton, was a passenger in the first car behind the cyclists, who were thrown everywhere after being struck at what she estimated was 25mph. Ms Moseley, 31, added: He (the driver) wasnt shouting anything, he wasnt screaming, he didnt look crazed or out of control  he was just deadpan. Jason Williams, from Kennington, was walking to work when he saw the deliberate crash. Police activity near the Houses of Parliament (Yui Mok/PA) It didnt look like an accident. How do you do that by accident? It was a loud bang, the 45-year-old told PA. The Houses of Parliament are surrounded with security barriers of steel and concrete. The measures were extended after the Westminster Bridge attack in March 2017 when Khalid Masood ploughed a car into crowds on Westminster Bridge, killing four people. Masood abandoned his car then fatally stabbed unarmed Pc Keith Palmer before he was shot by armed police in a courtyard outside Parliament. The Westminster Bridge attack left four people dead (Stefan Rousseau/PA) The terrorist threat against the UK is seen as unprecedented. The Prime Ministers official spokesman said there were 676 live investigations being carried out by the security services and counter-terror police at the end of June, up from more than 500 in March. Some 13 Islamist plots and four by far-right extremists have been foiled in the past 18 months, he added. There are roughly 3,000 active subjects of interest at any one time  while there is also a wider pool of more than 20,000 individuals who have featured in probes whose threat must be kept under review.
Romanian woman dies from Westminster attack in London last month A 31-year-old Romanian tourist who was knocked into the River Thames from Westminster Bridge during an attack on Britain's Houses of Parliament more than two weeks ago has died, London police said Friday. Andreea Cristea, 31, was knocked into the River Thames on March 22 Emergency workers collect evidence the day after the March 22 attack in the Westminister Palace grounds and on Westminster Bridge. It was announced on Friday April 7 that a Romanian woman has died, the fifth innocent victim of the attack. (Facundo Arrizabalaga/EPA) A 31-year-old Romanian tourist who was knocked into the River Thames from Westminster Bridge during an attack on Britain's Houses of Parliament more than two weeks ago has died, London police said Friday. Andreea Cristea was rescued from the cold river after the attack, in which British attacker Khalid Masood drove a rented SUV into pedestrians on the bridge and then fatally stabbed an unarmed police officer outside Parliament. Her death brings the death toll from the attack to five, plus Masood, who was shot dead by police. Her family and Burnaz described Cristea as "our shining ray of light that will forever keep on shining in our hearts," and said they would be donating to charity all the money raised to help her since the March 22 attack. "After fighting for her life for over two weeks, our beloved and irreplaceable Andreea  wonderful daughter, sister, partner, dedicated friend and the most unique and life-loving person you can imagine  was cruelly and brutally ripped away from our lives in the most heartless and spiritless way," they said in a statement. They said there are no words to describe the emptiness they feel and thanked medical personnel for their round-the-clock help. American, Britons also killed Police said she had been receiving extensive treatment in a London hospital since the attack but that life support was withdrawn Thursday afternoon. St. Bartholomew's Hospital, where Cristea was treated, said it was "greatly saddened" by her death. Footage taken at the time showed Cristea falling into the river during the attack. Witnesses saw her lying face-down in the Thames before she was rescued and rushed to an emergency room for emergency surgery after being diagnosed with a blood clot on the brain. Burnaz needed surgery on his foot but has been discharged from the hospital. He was seen in a wheelchair at a memorial service for victims held last week.
Article share tools Round-up of Friday's developments It's been a day that has seen a portrait of the attacker Khalid Masood start to emerge. His reputation in his early years was of an "all-round-nice-guy". Fatherhood followed, then violence and prison. The police have pressed on with their investigations as they try to establish whether Masood acted alone or was directed by others. They are now questioning just four people, down from 10. Another person has been bailed. Two of the injured are still critical and one has life-threatening injuries. Masood's fourth victim was named as Leslie Rhodes, a 75-year-old retired window cleaner from Clapham, south London. His neighbour, Michael Carney, who had known him for 40 years, played Queen songs at his hospital bedside. "He had no one. You can't have someone dying on their own," he said. We are ending our rolling coverage on this live page but you can continue to follow the latest developments via our news story . Article share tools Six people released 'have no link to attack' The six people released a short time ago from custody "fully co-operated with officers working on the investigation", West Midlands Police say. Assistant Chief Constable Marcus Beale, who leads the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit, said: "As a result of their co-operation and our enquiries, we are completely satisfied that they are not connected in any way to the terrorist attack in Westminster on Wednesday. Article share tools Injured PC's family: Celebratory day ended in tragedy The family of PC Kristofer Aves, who was badly injured when Khalid Masood's hired car mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge, make a public statement for the first time: Kris went to work on Wednesday full of pride as he was receiving a commendation for his exceptional work as a police liaison officer during a demonstration in 2016. What started as a celebratory day, ended in tragedy. Kris is now being treated in hospital, and as a family we remain at his bedside. We thank his colleagues and the public who have sent us messages of support. Article share tools England and Germany under-21s hold minute's silence Players in an international friendly between Germany and England's under-21 sides observe a minute's silence in tribute to those who died and were injured in the London attack. The teams are playing in the German city of Wiesbaden. Getty Images Article share tools Violent past made 'jump' to jihadism much smaller Rajan Basra, a research fellow at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation at King's College London, considers how typical is Khalid Masood's past of those who go on to carry out acts of terror: In one crucial respect Masood does fit the picture of the criminals-turned-jihadists that we have examined - he was familiar with violence. If a terrorist has a criminal background, it is very often a violent one. Stabbings, assaults, and violent behaviour are recurrent patterns amongst perpetrators of terrorist attacks with existing criminal records. This violent group is disproportionately represented when compared with those convicted of non-violent crimes. For Masood, this familiarity with personal violence may have made the "jump" into ideologically motivated violence that much smaller than it would otherwise have been. Article share tools Masood in his schooldays was 'really nice chap' Stuart Knight was in the same class as Masood at Huntley's Secondary School for Boys in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, nearly 40 years ago. Mr Knight said Masood, who he knew as Adrian, was a likeable lad and completely different from the deadly attacker he became. He was a really nice chap. He was always fun; always having a laugh with the lads; a great sportsman; and I haven't got a bad word to say about him, which is probably what a lot of people don't really want to hear. They want to hear bad things about him but I can't give you that because he was genuinely a nice guy and I was upset today to think that he would have turned the way he has and upset to think what he's done to these poor families. It was just so out of character for the guy that I knew nearly 40 years ago." Article share tools Imam: Muslims are united in grief Qari Asim, Imam at Leeds Mosque, has been telling the BBC how hundreds of thousands of Muslims across the country have been saying "special prayers" today. "Muslims are united in grief, in sadness and in shock with the rest of the community in Britain," he said. He said there was a "natural anxiety" following the attack but praised the tone of the response from the police and the prime minister, who referred to a "perversion of Islam". BBC Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the Archbishop of Westminster, who shared a platform with the Imam at a special service earlier today, said it had been "a privilege to stand alongside the major faiths of this country". He called for people to resist any instinct for targeting the Muslim community. "If we start making enemies out of people who want to be our friends then we are doing the terrorists' work for them," he said. Article share tools 'Very unlikely Masood was lone wolf' BBC Tom Wilson, of the Henry Jackson Society think tank, tells the BBC he thought it "very unlikely" that Masood had acted alone. Even in a single-handed attack, they are usually still part of a wider network or have communicated with them online, he says, adding that only 10% of cases his group has looked at involved "lone wolves". He says Masood, who was 52, did not fit the stereotype of a terrorist - the average would be in his early 20s. The crude method of attack, which bore similarities to attacks in Nice and Berlin, suggested Masood did have a connection to the so-called Islamic State group, he goes on to say. The group's message has been to use whatever tools you have available to you, whether a knife or a car, says Mr Wilson. In contrast, al-Qaeda put an emphasis on aviation bomb plots, he points out. Article share tools 'Telling him we loved him' Bob and Christine Carney were neighbours in Clapham of Leslie Rhodes, 75, the fourth victim of Westminster attacker Khalid Masood. They were with him in hospital and Christine said: "We were just holding his hand, kissing him, telling him we loved him. He would have hated that, us doing that to him...we just loved him. He was a very good man, very helpful... Argumentative sometimes but we loved him anyway." Bob added that Mr Rhodes "wouldn't ask anything for anything... if he found a phone on the floor he'd take it to the police station." Article share tools 'Great feeling of sympathy' Steffan Harries knows Khalid Masood's mother and stepfather, Janet and Philip Ajao, who live in Carmarthenshire. He says: "At first it was a great shock but as the day's gone on I think there's a great feeling of sympathy amongst the neighbourhood and the surrounding area towards Mr and Mrs Ajao. "They haven't been, from what I understand, in any sort of contact with their son for well over 20 years. And at the end of the day, when it comes to terrorism, unfortunately nobody can be responsible for the action of their children." Article share tools 'No justification for barbaric act', says Birmingham mosque One of the largest mosques in Birmingham, the Green Lane Masjid, has condemned Wednesday's attack. It called it a "sick and depraved act of terrorism". "Islam, along with other religions, exalts the sanctity of human life. There is no justification for such a barbaric act on innocent people. "Our response to this incident will only strengthen our ongoing work in exposing deviant extremist ideologies and to ensure that we safeguard vulnerable individuals susceptible to radicalisation and help recognise the real threat of terrorism in whatever form it manifests." Police cars dropping off flowers Article share tools Mayor scales back visits London Mayor Sadiq Khan is to scale back visits to European capitals next week in light of the Westminster attack. Berlin, Madrid and Warsaw are no longer on the itinerary. A spokesman for the mayor said: "The mayor will proceed with visits to Brussels and Paris. "They are two cities with a very close relationship with London and, with Article 50 due to be triggered next week, he will be making a keynote speech and attending a series of important meetings with key politicians and officials, during which both Brexit and security issues will be discussed." Article share tools 'United in grief' Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis told the vigil of faith leaders outside Westminster Abbey that people of all beliefs are united in their grief. "We stand here together, leaders of Christianity, Islam and Judaism. We have come here in friendship on behalf of our communities. "We extend our condolences to the families of those murdered. We pray for those who have been injured...and we proclaim: 'No person and no event will drive a wedge between us. Together we will prevail.'" "At moments like this, rare though they are, it is natural to be afraid and to despair at the inhuman violence we have seen. But it is at moments like these that you truly appreciate the strength of the policing family."
A SUDANESE man who is known to police is believed to have been behind the terror attack on Westminster. Salih Khater, 29, veered off the road and hit pedestrians and cyclists at Parliament Square on Tuesday morning. It came as British counter terrorism police are carrying out searches at three properties in the Midlands area of England for clues as to the motive of the car attack. Three people were injured when the silver Ford Fiesta driven by the man - thought to be Khater - when he rammed into a group of cyclists and pedestrians before crashing into a security barrier outside the Houses of Parliament. The UK national remains in police custody in south London and has been arrested on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act. He is being held under provisions in the UKs Terrorism Act. It is understood that he is refusing to cooperate. media_cameraArmed police have surrounded a car and arrested a man after a number of pedestrians were hit before ploughing into security barriers outside Parliament in London. Picture: Supplied One of the victims was treated for minor injuries at the scene, while a man and a woman were taken to with non-life-threatening injuries. Both were discharged overnight. The Metropolitan Police Service said the attack appeared to have been deliberate and it is being treated as a terrorist incident led by the Mets Counter Terrorism Command. SHOCKING CCTV OF CAR Shocking CCTV footage showed the moment the car swerved and hit at least 10 cyclists and pedestrians before smashing into barriers outside Britains Houses of Parliament. Khadeer was arrested by armed police after being pulled from a silver Ford Fiesta hatchback. The CCTV footage showed the car swerving the wrong way down the road before veering into pedestrians at 7.37am local time (4.37pm AEST). media_cameraPolice surround a silver hatchback after a number of pedestrians were hit. Picture: Sky US President Donald Trump called on the UK to be tougher on terrorists. Eyewitnesses said the driver had crashed into the bollards and there was a loud bang. I saw the cyclists, injured cyclists. I dont know if hes hit these people, or if theyve just dived to escape, witness Jason Williams told reporters. It didnt swerve, there was not another car going behind him. It looked like it was planned. Another terrorist attack in London...These animals are crazy and must be dealt with through toughness and strength! Straight away I thought Oh no, this is another terrorist attack. So Ive just started to run and the police were saying get out, get out of the area, he said. I have seen people on the ground, lying on the road. I dont know if they have actually been hit by the vehicle or not. I saw at least 10 people lying down. I had to run for my life. media_cameraPolice officers stand guard near bicycles believed to have been damaged when a vehicle crashed into security barriers near Londons Houses of Parliament. Picture: Getty Images British Prime Minister Theresa May, who like other MPs is on holiday during parliaments summer recess, said her thoughts were with the people injured. All Londoners, like me, utterly condemn all acts of terrorism on our city, Londons Mayor Sadiq Khan said on Twitter. media_cameraForensic officers with the vehicle that crashed into security barriers, injuring a number of pedestrians. Picture: Getty Images HOW IT UNFOLDED All entrances to the Houses of Parliament were placed in lockdown. No one was allowed in or out. Those outside were asked to move back as Parliament Square was closed with dozens of police and emergency vehicles at the scene. Armed police approached the small silver hatchback as uniformed police moved members of the public back and established a perimeter. Khadeer was surrounded by officers and led away from the vehicle in handcuffs. media_cameraPolice patrol on Millbank, in central London, after a car crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament. Picture: AP He was calmly led away from the scene, while smoke billowed from his car. British Parliament is in recess, however thousands of government employees continue to work in the Westminster area. The location is also popular with tourists. Metropolitan Police confirmed in a tweet that at 7.37am local time a car collided with the barriers outside Parliament. At 0737hrs today, a car was in collision with barriers outside the Houses of Parliament. The male driver of the car was detained by officers at the scene. A number of pedestrians have been injured. Officers remain at the scene. We will issue further info when we have it. The incident evoked memories of recent terror incidents which have hit London, including an attack at nearby Westminster Bridge in March 2017 during which 52-year-old Khalid Masood drove a car onto the footpath, killing five people and injuring more 50 people. In June 2017, eight people were killed and 48 injured when three terrorists drove a van into pedestrians on London Bridge before leaving the van and stabbing dozens of people in nearby bars at Borough Market. Protective barriers around Westminster were extended in the wake of the 2017 attacks. Breaking: Big armed police response to car which has cashed into Parliament barriers we are now being moved back pic.twitter.com/rYAqExq6rn A NOTE ABOUT RELEVANT ADVERTISING: We collect information about the content (including ads) you use across this site and use it to make both advertising and content more relevant to you on our network and other sites. This is also known as Online Behavioural Advertising. 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Ten people have now been arrested by police on suspicion of being involved in the preparation of terrorist acts, including at least three women. One woman has been bailed overnight while nine remain in detention. The nations top anti-terror officer, Acting Deputy Commissioner Mark Rowley, said police had conducted 16 searches as their investigation into Masood continued, while a further five searches were underway. Detectives had seized 2700 pieces of evidence, including a vast amount of computer data which was yet to be trawled through. Mr Rowley said that Khalid Masoods birth name was Adrian Russell Ajao, and he urged any member of the public who knew him well to contact them. Our determination is to find out if he acted totally alone inspired by terrorist propaganda or if others encouraged or supported or directed him, he said. Mr Rowley also gave an update on the people injured in Wednesdays attacks, saying 50 people had been injured, 31 had been treated in hospital and two remained in a critical condition. Five people, including Masood, had died. Hundreds of police and agents from the British spy agency MI5 have been deployed onto the streets of London and Masoods home city of Birmingham since he killed four people and injured 29 in the first Islamic State terror attack on British soil. The rampage ended when armed police shot Masood dead as he rushed at the entrance to Westminster. TOO UPSET The news came after the shocked mother of British terrorist Khalid Masood told police she is too upset to comment about her sons involvement in the Westminster attack. According to The Sun, Janet Ajao, 69, was being questioned by police at her remote farmhouse in South West Wales earlier today. Grey-haired Janet appeared briefly at the door while speaking to a uniformed officer. A police source said: She is too upset and adamant she wont make any comment on anything at the moment. Janet and her husband Phillip  Masoods stepdad  live in the village of Trelech in Welsh-speaking rural Carmarthenshire. Friends on their way to visit her to take her tea and biscuits said Phillip, 77, was ill in hospital. Two undercover cop cars were parked outside, although there was no evidence of a search. The interview with Ajao comes after police probing the London terror attack arrested a woman who is believed to be terrorist Khalid Masoods partner. It is thought Masood had spent a number of days over the last week at the hotel. A source told The Sun: No one knows why he came. He used a credit card with the name Masood to check in on Tuesday at 11.30am. He said he lived above a guitar shop in Birmingham but hes not originally from the Midlands and had a London accent. But he said London wasnt like what it used to be. Police told us later it was definitely the Westminster attacker. A source reportedly told The Sun: On both occasions he was asking for a cheaper rate. You would have thought if you were hellbent on committing a terror attack youd chuck it all on a credit card and forget the cost. Staff liked him so much they even wrote nice man on his computer booking. However another Sky News source, who met him, described him as a big bloke who looked like a bodybuilder you wouldnt want to mess with. PM DANGEROUSLY CLOSE TO ATTACK This is the moment Theresa May was rushed from Parliament by armed guards to a waiting car  as the Westminster terror attack took place less than 100 metres away. Exclusive video obtained by The Sun shows that lone wolf jihadi Khalid Masood got dangerously close to the PM. Moment Theresa May is bundled into car as shots are heard during London terror attack0:34 The moment Theresa May is bundled into car as shots are heard during London terror attack as lone wolf jihadi Khalid Masood got dangerously close to the PM before he was gunned down. CREDIT: The Sun March 23rd 2017 a year ago /display/newscorpaustralia.com/Web/NewsNetwork/Network News/National/ Moment Theresa May is bundled into car as shots are heard during London terror attack Mrs May emerged from the building towards her car with clear archways between her and the spot Masood was gunned down. Footage shows her temporarily losing her bearings and being steered back towards the car by aides. And the driver of the Jaguar XJ then appears to delay exiting the car park inside the Palace of Westminster complex  sparking fears the PM could have been left vulnerable. Five people died  including the attacker who was shot by police  and 28 were injured in the atrocity yesterday. Four of the five Koreans who were injured in the attack have been released from hospital, according to The Korea Herald. Three Korean women and one man suffered broken bones during the attack. All were aged in their 50s and 60s. The four people discharged will return home on Saturday. The fifth person is awaiting a progress report after undergoing an operation. Dozens of French teenagers were relieved to be back in their homeland after a traumatic school trip to London during which some of them witnessed the attack on Westminster Bridge. Three were wounded during the incident. A plane chartered by their insurance company landed on Thursday night at an airport in Quimper, in Frances western Brittany region. A 35-year-old tourist from Watford, who filmed the graphic video, said: I was there by Westminster with my sister and nephew. We were planning on going to see London Bridge and take photos there. We were crossing the bridge then this happened. The car passed and I could see bodies running, jumping and getting crushed. There were two ladies behind the car and the first one lay on the floor bleeding. One guy was just screaming and screaming. Everyone I was with was OK, but many around us were injured. One person went down. Then they woke up and went down again. I ran straight towards it to see and I saw the bodies there before I was pushed back. There was chaos and everyone was extremely shocked. media_cameraA stricken victim lies on the ground after the attack. Picture: SINS But despite the fresh carnage, pedestrians are once more crossing Westminster Bridge, which has been reopened. Some have tweeted their commute on social media, writing #WeAreNotAfraid in a show of defiance against terrorism. LONDON TERRORIST A FITNESS JUNKIE London assailant Khalid Masood, 52, was bodybuilding obsessed and a married father-of-three. The Islamist convert, who was also an English teacher, was born in Kent but later moved to West Midlands. Police have named him responsible for mowing down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before storming Parliament and stabbing a police officer to death. Scotland Yard said Masood had previous convictions for assaults, including GBH, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences. He had not been convicted of any terrorism offences. Masoods first conviction was in November 1983 for criminal damage and his last conviction was in December 2003 for possession of a knife. The Metropolitan Police said there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack. The killer was known by a number of aliases including Khali Choudri, according to Sky News. TERRORIST KNOWN TO POLICE Prime Minister Theresa May said Masood, who launched the deadly attack at Westminster, was born in Britain and known to the intelligence services. What I can confirm is that the man was British-born and that some years ago he was once investigated by MI5 in relation to concerns about violent extremism, she told MPs in her first House of Commons speech after the attack. He was a peripheral figure, she added. The case is historic, he was not part of the current intelligence picture. She said there had been no prior intelligence of his intent nor of the plot. The prime minister said it was still believed that Masood acted alone and there was no reason to believe further attacks on the public were planned. PACKAGE FOUND NEAR WESTMINSTER British police investigated what was initially believed to be a suspicious package found near Westminster and some media have reported officers carried out a controlled explosion. A spokesman for Londons Metropolitan Police said they were investigating a suspicious package found on a road just up from the terror attack on Parliament. The spokesman declined to comment on a report carried by Sky News and others that police had carried out a controlled explosion on the package. Police have now said the package is not suspicious and the exclusion zone has since been lifted. ISLAMIC STATE CLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY Islamic State claimed responsibility for Wednesdays terror attack. The jihadi news network released a statement saying a source to Amaq had confirmed the attacker was a soldier of the Islamic State who was answering calls to target British citizens. The attacker yesterday in front of the British parliament in London was a soldier of the Islamic State, executing the operation in response to calls to target citizens of coalition nations, the statement said. VIGIL FOR TERROR VICTIMS Some people wore T-shirts with the words: I am a Muslim, ask me anything printed on them, the UK Telegraph reported. Three members of the group held a banner reading: Love for all, hatred for none. Speaking ahead of the 6pm vigil, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: Tonight in Trafalgar Square there will be a vigil for Londoners who are wondering what to do. To show solidarity with those who have lost their lives and their families, to show solidarity with those who have been injured, and to say to the terrorists: You will not succeed in cowering us, we will remain united, and we are the greatest city in the world. media_cameraA Muslim man attends a vigil in Trafalgar Square after the London attack. Picture: AFP media_cameraPeople gather for a candlelit vigil in Trafalgar Square. Picture: Carl Court/Getty Images media_cameraLondon Mayor Sadiq Khan, British Home Secretary Amber Rudd and Acting Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service Craig Mackey light candles. Picture: AFP/Adrian Dennis media_cameraThe car responsible is seen on Bridge Street near the UK Houses of Parliament in London. Picture: AP It has also been revealed that the Hyundai 4x4 used by Masood in the attack was rented from an Enterprise outlet in Solihull. A statement from Enterprise car hire said: We can confirm that the car used in the tragic attack in London yesterday afternoon was one of ours. An employee identified the vehicle after seeing the licence plate in an image online. We ran another check to verify, and immediately contacted the authorities. We are co-operating fully with the authorities and will provide any assistance that we can to the investigation. A NOTE ABOUT RELEVANT ADVERTISING: We collect information about the content (including ads) you use across this site and use it to make both advertising and content more relevant to you on our network and other sites. This is also known as Online Behavioural Advertising. You can find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out here.
Two further "significant" arrests have been made in connection with the Westminster attack as detectives mount a huge investigation to establish what triggered terrorist Khalid Masood's murderous rampage. Scotland Yard's top anti-terror officer, Mark Rowley, said the suspects were held overnight in the West Midlands and Manchester as he revealed that the killer's birth name was Adrian Russell Ajao. The attacker, who was also known as Adrian Elms, was using the name Khalid Masood at the time of the atrocity. Police officers patrol along Westminster Bridge by the Houses of Parliament after the bridge was reopened following Wednesday's attack on Westminster on March 24, 2017 in London, England Asked about where the 52-year-old Muslim convert had been radicalised, Mr Rowley said: "As I have said, our investigation focuses on understanding his motivation, preparation and associates. "Whilst there is no evidence of further threats, you will understand our determination to find out if he either acted totally alone, inspired by terrorist propaganda; or, if others have encouraged, supported or directed him." Asked whether Masood had travelled overseas, the officer said: "We are looking at his history." But he reiterated Prime Minister Theresa May's comments in Parliament that, while he had been investigated previously, he has been a "peripheral figure" who was not implicated in any current probe. Mr Rowley said investigators are keen to hear from anyone who knew Masood well, understands who his associates were or can provide information about places he has recently visited. Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to playTap to play The video will start in 8Cancel Play now Searches at five addresses are continuing, while 16 have concluded. Detectives have seized 2,700 items from the searches, including "massive amounts" of computer data, while around 3,500 witnesses have been spoken to. Nine people remain in custody - including the two arrested overnight. The other suspects - three women and five men - were arrested in the West Midlands and London on Thursday and overnight on Wednesday. One of the women has been released on police bail. A clearer picture of Masood's movements before he wrought carnage on Westminster is beginning to emerge. He stayed in the Preston Park Hotel in Brighton, reportedly telling staff as he checked out that he was he was going to London. He added: "It isn't what it used to be." A letter is left amongst candles during a candlelit vigil at Trafalgar Square on March 23, 2017 in London, England. Four People were killed in Westminster, London, yesterday in a terrorist attack by " Khalid Masood, 52. Three of the victims have been named as PC Keith Palmer, US tourist Kurt Cochran from Utah and Mother of two Aysha Frade. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) The manager of the hotel said the terrorist had been "laughing and joking, telling us stories about where he lived" hours before the atrocity. Meanwhile, the widow of a man attacked with a knife by Masood in a pub assault said her late husband was injured after defending someone during a row. Masood was jailed for two years over the 2000 attack in the car park of a pub in Northiam, near Rye in East Sussex, according to a news report at the time. The Brighton Argus reported that Masood, who stood trial as Adrian Elms, "left Piers Mott with a three-inch gash on his left cheek" requiring 20 stitches after an altercation with "racial overtones". Adrian Baker, 51, who has lived in Northiam for 25 years, said Elms was known as a "troubled" character. He added: "Piers was a really nice guy, an older chap who didn't deserve to get stabbed." Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to playTap to play The video will start in 8Cancel Play now In other developments: :: A fourth victim who died after being hurt in the attack was named as Leslie Rhodes, a retired window cleaner from Clapham, south London, who neighbours described as a "lovely man". :: Mr Rowley hit out at "nonsense" from "armchair critics" when asked about Deputy Commissioner Craig Mackey's actions at Parliament, after it was revealed that the acting head of Scotland Yard was rushed away in the aftermath of the attack. :: The counter-terrorism chief insisted Parliament's security arrangements were "proportionate" and had been developed over many years following claims from critics that the main entrance to the Palace of Westminster had long been a weak spot on the estate. :: Police chiefs launched a major increase in the number of firearms officers on duty around the country. :: Two people remain in hospital in a critical condition, one with life-threatening injuries. Two police officers hurt in the attack are also in hospital with "significant injuries". Masood was known to police and MI5 and had convictions for assaults, including grievous bodily harm, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences. Home Secretary Amber Rudd has defended the security and intelligence agencies, saying: "The fact that he was known to them doesn't mean that somebody has 24-hour cover." His victims on the bridge included an American tourist, and a "highly regarded and loved" member of college staff. Kurt Cochran and his wife Melissa, from Utah, were on the last day of a trip celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary, and were visiting her parents, who are serving as Mormon missionaries in London. Mrs Cochran was badly injured. Aysha Frade, who worked in administration at independent sixth-form school DLD College London, in Westminster, is understood to have been 43 and married with two daughters.
A year to the day after the Westminster attack, memorials have taken place to remember the victims and survivors of the four terrorist attacks across London in 2017. Fourteen people were killed and more than 100 others injured in attacks in Westminster, London Bridge and Borough Market, outside Finsbury Park mosque and at Parsons Green tube station. Image:PC Keith Palmer, an officer of 15 years, 'was proud to be a policeman' Theresa May laid a wreath of flowers on Parliament Square, with a handwritten note which read: "In memory of those who were lost, and in defiance of those who would seek to silence democracy". In the chambers of the House of Commons, MPs from all parties observed a minute's silence "in respectful memory" of those who died. Marking the memory of those who passed away, Culture Secretary Matt Hancock thanked "the emergency services who keep us safeand put others' safety ahead of their own". Image:The wreath of white and purple flowers was laid by Theresa May Image:Mrs May's handwritten note paid tribute to those who died in the attacks He added: "We remember those who have lost their lives defending democracy. They will not be forgotten." Speaking at City Hall, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: "Londoners will never forget the horrific terror attacks on our city in 2017. We will never forget the bravery of our emergency services and first responders who ran towards danger while urging the rest of us to run to safety. "And we will never forget the courage of PC Keith Palmer, who paid the ultimate sacrifice whilst protecting Parliament." Five people were killed and more than 50 injured when Kent-born Khalid Masood drove a car into pedestrians on the south side of Westminster Bridge, before fatally stabbing PC Palmer in New Palace Yard. Image:MPs bow their head for a minute's silence to honour the victims MP and trained medic Tobias Ellwood treated the police officer at the scene, but his life couldn't be saved. The four people killed on the bridge were American tourist Kurt Cochran, Romanian tourist Andreea Cristea, 31, and Britons Aysha Frade, 44, and 75-year-old Leslie Rhodes. Masood, 52, was shot dead by armed police at the scene. One year on, fellow officer PC Shaun Cartwright, who was arriving at work to take over guard from PC Palmer, has paid tribute to his friend. 1:47 Video:Colleague's tribute to PC Palmer Describing the moment he was told of the attack, PC Cartwright told Sky News: "I didn't know who it was. I asked a few people, but I don't know if they didn't want to tell me or they didn't know. Finally someone told me, it's your friend Keith. "I knew by then that he'd gone. I lost a really good friend. Considering the jobs that we'd done before on the Territorial Support Group (TSG) - drugs raids and rapid entries - you can almost imagine it happening there but not at the Houses of Parliament. 1:20 Video:Westminster attack hero MP: 'We did our best' "Wherever he was he enjoyed work. He always came in with a smile on his face and just wanted to get on and do his best. I'd have liked to have my friend beside me rather than attending his funeral. It's not the way it should be. He was proud to be a policeman." A service of commemoration took place in Westminster Hall, attended by politicians, senior police officers and people affected by the attack. Led by Reverend Jonathan Osborne, the senior chaplain to Metropolitan Police, a blessing was also given by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby. Image:A service of commemoration took place in Westminster Hall Archbishop Welby told the gathering: "A year ago, darkness struck across Westminster Bridge and in this palace. It spread across the bridge like a snake, driving to left and right, killing and harming." Reverend Rose Hudson-Wilkin, chaplain to Commons Speaker John Bercow, told the service: "A year ago today on this estate and on Westminster Bridge we were visited by what I regard as evil." Rev Hudson-Wilkin praised PC Palmer, saying he "ran towards the danger in order that we might be safe". One year on, I will be remembering those affected by the Westminster attack. The professionalism of the emergency services and the bravery of PC Keith Palmer on that day will never be forgotten and my thoughts continue to be with the victims and their families #LondonUnited
Story highlights London (CNN)The four people killed in the London terror attack included a veteran policeman, a teacher and an American tourist. Kurt Cochran, who was visiting London from Utah with his wife, died as a result of injuries sustained in the attack, his family and church said. He was in his mid-50s, according to police. British national Aysha Frade, a 43-year old teacher, was identified as another victim. And Keith Palmer, a 48-year-old father and husband, was the unarmed police officer on duty at the gates of Parliament when the attacker stabbed him to death. A fourth person, a 75-year-old man, died late Thursday from injuries, according to Metropolitan Police. Read More A wedding anniversary Kurt Cochran and his wife, Melissa, were visiting London to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary when, police say, Khalid Masood drove a vehicle into people walking along Westminster Bridge. Cochran's death was confirmed by family members and his church. His wife, Melissa Cochran, suffered a broken leg, a broken rib and a cut to her head, but she will recover from her injuries, her brother Clint Payne said in a message on social media. Kurt Cochran (left) died in the London attacks. His wife Melissa (right) survived. "Our hearts are broken this day as we say goodbye to our dear brother-in-law Kurt. He passed away from the injuries sustained in the London terrorist attack yesterday. We love him so much and will never forget him." "He will be remembered as a wonderful dad and husband. A loving son, brother and uncle. A long-time supporter of Charlton FC," Palmer's family said in a statement, referring to Palmer's football club of choice. "He will be deeply missed. We love him so much." Teacher killed Aysha Frade lived in London with her husband and worked at DLD College London. Aysha Frade's death was first confirmed by the mayor of Betanzos in Spain, Ramon Garcia Vasquez, where the teacher's relatives live. Garcia Vasquez said Frade lived in London with her Portuguese husband. "We are totally overwhelmed by the news and we send our condolences to the people in London," he told CNN. A Spanish Foreign Ministry spokesman confirmed that Frade was a British national, while her mother was a Spanish citizen. Frade worked at DLD College London as an administrator, Principal Rachel Borland said in a statement. "We are all deeply shocked and saddened at the news that one of the victims yesterday was a member of our staff, Aysha Frade. All our thoughts and our deepest sympathies are with her family. We will be offering every support we can to them as they try to come to terms with their devastating loss. "Aysha worked as a member of our administration team at the college. She was highly regarded and loved by our students and by her colleagues. She will be deeply missed by all of us." Tourists struck Around 40 others were injured in the attack as the driver plowed into a crowd on Westminster Bridge, a popular spot for tourists to take photos of London's landmarks, including the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. Among them were 12 British nationals who have been hospitalized, May told Parliament. She said the victims came from France, Romania, South Korea, Germany, Poland, Ireland, China, Italy, the United States and Greece. The injured included three police officers, who were returning from an event to recognize their bravery, she said. Two of them remain in serious condition. The French Foreign Ministry said three French children were injured. They were on a school trip to London from the Saint-Joseph school in Concarneau. The ministry gave no word on the extent of their injuries.
The attacks in Westminster led to an outpouring of public compassion and kindness. Photograph: Matthew Chattle/Barcroft Images Words matter. Maniac who knifed Britain in the heart, read the Sun headline; terror rampage, according to the Express; London is a city of monkeys where liberals actually think multiculturalism means we all die together, wrote a Mail columnist who Ill not bother naming. No. Last Wednesday, a wretched, angry man, brought up in Kent and with a history of violence and a string of criminal offences behind him, drove over Westminster Bridge. His victims were an unarmed police officer; a woman from Spain with a British passport, who had two children and worked at a sixth-form college; a man from Utah, who was in London with his wife celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary (it was their last day in Britain and his wife is still in hospital with serious injuries); and a 75-year-old man, a retired window cleaner, from Streatham, south London. Of the injured, there were 12 British people, two Romanians, one German, one Pole, four South Koreans, one Irish, one Chinese, three French school students, one American, one Italian and two Greeks. In those few horrifying moments when a car ploughed its way through them as if they were objects, mere things, a cross-section of London is revealed, a glimpse into its dynamic, optimistic diversity, where people from all countries, of all creeds, walk over a bridge together. In the immediate aftermath, a Tory MP and ex-soldier, whose brother was killed in the terrorist attack in Bali, a country far from ours, gave PC Keith Palmer cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The police went into action with remarkable swiftness and coherence. Doctors and nurses ran to the scene to help the wounded. This was not a terror rampage, nor was it Britain being knifed in the heart. It was democracy in action, a quick, organised response, humane and effective. And while some of the media and the figureheads of the far right banged the opportunistic drum of jingoism and hate, shrill words that, in seeking to divide this country into them and us, collaborate with the very people committing the acts of terror, the British people did what they do so very well. They were calm, were kind, they were not fanatical or hysterical, they did not overreact or become cowed. They carried on in their understated, phlegmatic, matter-of-fact way (carrying on is our great British trait, caricatured but still undented). They lit candles in vigil and thought with sorrow of those who had died. They behaved with the decency that binds us together. Religious leaders joined not just to condemn the action, but to urge us all to talk to each other across the divides of faith and of atomised and alienated communities, seeking to go beyond differences to a shared language of humanity. Other European countries, one week before Brexit is triggered and we leave our political family, showed us overwhelming support. What happened on Wednesday was terrible, but it left me not with a sense of dread or cultural threat, but with the optimism about our country that recently Ive been struggling to feel and a surge of pride. The alacrity of the police response was a demonstration of a well-run society. The NHS, under pressure and beleaguered, was magnificent. The politicians said the right things, not seeking to make capital out of tragedy. The state worked. Its been claimed that the night before the attack, Khalid Masood told hotel staff that London isnt what it used to be. London is never what it used to be: its an absorbent and organic city, forever changing. For centuries, people have been saying that London is finished. In September 1940, during the worst days of the Blitz, the antisemitic US ambassador Joseph Kennedy wrote to the secretary of state that in his view the British were in a bad way, a month later expressing the belief that democracy is finished in England. Samuel Pepys buried his lump of parmesan cheese in his garden when the Great Fire was raging, thinking that the city would be erased. Probably even the Romans said Londinium was done for. We are forever thinking that we are living through apocalyptic times and the media encourage this. Dystopian fiction is popular right now and fear sells. Fear is also a cleaver that divides: in its Manichaean world, there is the sinner and the saint, the enemy and the ally, them and us, for us or against us, Britain against the world, the rest of Britain against the London elite, the self-righteous against the doubters. Apparently demonstrating her indifference, the picture created a flurry of outrage  one social media user apparently posted it alongside a picture of MP Tobias Ellwood performing CPR, captioning it the main difference between Muslims and Christians. But the photo that went viral was a deceptive freeze frame; another picture showed her evident distress. We were in it together. Words matter and language is not neutral  it is active and powerful. It matters that we call Masood (born Adrian Elms) a murderer and a sociopath, rather than a terrorist, for this acknowledges the way in which extremism attaches itself to actions retrospectively, sweeping up the aggrieved, the rage-filled and the adrift in its net. It matters that we say him rather than them. It matters that we say us  and that us includes the 48% and the 52%, the rural and the urban, the Christian, the Muslim, the person with no religion, for Masood acted alone and we responded together. This was not a national catastrophe, not a threat to democracy, not an act that rocked London. For those who loved the people who died, it was a tragedy. For the rest of us, it was a reminder that we are part of a society that, for all the bruises of the past months, is not fragile and divided, but robust, sane, stoical and inclusive. We have a choice in how we respond to events such as the one on Wednesday. Rather than being swept along by the inflated language of disaster and easy blame, we can think about the delicate, richly complicated language of humanity. Masood mowed down people as if they were objects. We must remember them as subjects, not simply the representative victims of an act of terror, but four men and women: Keith Palmer, Aysha Frade, Kurt Cochran, Leslie Rhodes  who were murdered by a fifth, Khalid Masood. And we keep the bridges open and we help those who are in trouble and we carry on.
Britain is on edge after a terrorist attack left at least four people dead outside the Houses of Parliament and raised renewed fears about security in Europe. Police officers, both heavily armed and unarmed, were deployed across London on Wednesday night to protect residents and tourists, hours after the most significant attack on British soil since suicide bombers targeted the capital in 2005. The assault happened in one of the busiest parts of London, at the foot of Big Ben and just down the road from Westminster Abbey. Police quickly labelled it a terrorist attack and said a man drove a large sport utility vehicle into a crowd of people along Westminster Bridge before crashing into a fence along the side of the Parliament buildings. He then ran toward the entrance to the House of Commons and stabbed an unarmed police officer before being gunned down. Police said four other people died, including the injured officer, and at least 40 have been injured including three other officers. Keith Palmer, 48, who is a 15-year veteran of the police force, was named as the murdered officer, according to Scotland Yard. Police said the attacker is thought to have been "inspired by international terrorism." Prime Minister Theresa May and dozens of other members of Parliament were rushed to safety as police sealed off several blocks around Westminster and began a floor-by-floor check of the House of Commons. Ms. May called the attack "sick and depraved." "The location of this attack was no accident," Ms. May said, adding that the terrorist chose to strike at the heart of the country's symbol of democracy and freedom. But, she added, "any attempt to defeat those values through violence is doomed to failure" and Parliament will resume as scheduled Thursday. Londoners "will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart," she said. The killings have left the country shaken and it comes after similar terrorist incidents in France and Germany last year, where attackers used heavy vehicles to run over people along the promenade in Nice and at the Berlin Christmas market. The Parliament attack also comes on the anniversary of the Brussels attacks targeting the city airport and transit system. Parliament had been on high alert as well ever since the murder of Jo Cox, a member of Parliament who was shot while meeting constituents in her riding nearly a year ago. That killing, by a far-right extremist, led to increased security around Westminster. Story continues below advertisement Story continues below advertisement "We've been on much higher alert since the murder of Jo Cox, my friend and colleague," said Mary Creagh, an MP who was among a group of parliamentarians rushed out of a nearby office building. "We had a security briefing just yesterday for women MPs and I think this is the day that we have planned for and thought about, but it was a day that we all hoped would never come." London has been relatively free of terrorist attacks since four British Islamists killed 52 commuters in suicide bombings on the city's transit system in 2005. The most significant incident since then came in 2013 when British soldier Lee Rigby was killed on a city street by two men who had been radicalized. Police credited better co-ordination with other services and improved monitoring of around 400 people who joined the Islamic State group in Syria but have since returned to Britain. In an interview last summer, then commissioner of London's Metropolitan Police Service, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, told reporters that Britain had one of the best counterterrorism operations in the world. However, London has been on a "severe" terrorism alert for months. The attack is also the first serious terrorist threat faced by Ms. May, who took over as Prime Minister last summer just weeks after Britain voted to leave the European Union. She is already coping with a host of issues, including Brexit and a renewed call for Scottish independence. Ms. May planned to begin pulling Britain out of the EU next week, by invoking the exit mechanism known as Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. Now she will be consumed by security issues. Ms. May held a meeting of the government's emergency committee Wednesday night. She also spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump who offered full support in the ongoing investigation. European leaders were also quick to offer support for Britain, knowing all too well that these kinds of attacks can stoke populist politicians who decry immigration and the EU. Presidential elections are only weeks away in France where the National Front's Marine Le Pen has called for a complete halt to immigration and linked it to terrorism. Story continues below advertisement "We are all concerned with terrorism," French President Franois Hollande told reporters. "France, which has been struck so hard lately, knows what the British people are suffering today." He added that that countries "must bring all the conditions to answer these attacks." German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who also faces re-election this year, added: "I want to say for Germany and its citizens: We stand firmly and resolutely by Great Britain's side in the fight against all forms of terrorism." On the streets around Westminster, police armed with machine guns fanned out in patrols and shut down the Westminster underground station, one of the busiest in the city. Many people were locked in their offices for hours while police combed through buildings. The incident also happened just blocks from the new Scotland Yard building, the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police. The Queen was expected to formally open the building on Thursday but that has been cancelled. As of late Wednesday, the identity of the attacker had not been released, but Scotland Yard officials said they believed they knew who he was. Acting Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Mark Rowley, who heads the counterterrorism unit, told reporters that police were satisfied that there was only one assailant, but he said the investigation was ongoing. He paused to offer condolences to the families of those who died, especially the family of the police officer. "As a service, we've lost one of our own as he acted to protect the public and his colleagues," he said. The drama began around 2:40 p.m. when the attacker drove into people on the bridge, killing two and injuring others. One badly injured woman fell into the Thames and had to be rescued. The attacker then crashed his vehicle and ran toward the main gates of Parliament. He stabbed an officer guarding the entrance and subsequently the attacker was shot and killed. Hospital officials said 12 people were treated for serious injuries and eight more were treated at the scene. The injured included three Grade 10 boys who were part of a group of French students visiting the capital. Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood, who is also a parliamentary undersecretary responsible for counterterrorism, rushed to help the stabbed officer. Mr. Ellwood, a former soldier who lost his brother in a bombing in Indonesia, tried mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and applied pressure to the wounds. "I was on the scene and, as soon as I realized what was going on, I headed toward it. It is a huge tragedy, it really is," he told reporters. "I tried to stem the flow of blood and give mouth-to-mouth while waiting for the medics to arrive but I think he had lost too much blood." Mitchell Spree happened upon the mayhem while driving home from work. A fire engineer, Mr. Spree had finished work on a project near Parliament and was heading home in his white van when he crossed on to Westminster Bridge moments after the car had plowed into pedestrians. "I pulled onto the bridge and I just saw people laying on the ground," he said. "There were five people laying on the ground. There was debris of car all on the bridge." Across the street from the shooting, Tawhid Tanim said he ran for his life when the shooting started. Mr. Tanim, 28, was standing outside the Westminster underground station waiting for a friend, when shots rang out. "All of a sudden I just heard these three shots, bang bang bang," he said. "For the first, I was like 'Well I'm going to die,' it was that kind of feeling. I was that close to the sound. I go over there, see car smashed into Parliament wall. There's a person under the car and people were trying to help." Police then started shouting at everyone to run, he added. "Police said run, run.  It was like you were going to losing your life or something." In a videotaped message at the end of a dramatic day, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the city remained one of the safest in the world. "We stand together in the face of those who seek to harm us and destroy our way of life. We always have, and we always will. Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism," he said. The United Kingdom Parliament is under lockdown after someone reportedly mowed down people on Westminster Bridge. Welcome to The Globe and Mails comment community. This is a space where subscribers can engage with each other and Globe staff. Non-subscribers can read and sort comments but will not be able to engage with them in any way. Click here to subscribe. Welcome to The Globe and Mails comment community. This is a space where subscribers can engage with each other and Globe staff. Non-subscribers can read and sort comments but will not be able to engage with them in any way. Click here to subscribe. 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Advice and support for people affected by the Westminster attack 24 March - Mayor visits emergency services Mayor visits emergency services to pay tribute to their bravery This morning the Mayor met members of the capitals emergency services to express his deepest gratitude on behalf of all Londoners for their calm and professional response to the Westminster terrorist attacks. There were four victims of in Wednesdays attack: including police officer Keith Palmer, 48, Spanish teacher Aysha Frade, 43, American tourist Kurt Cochran, 54, and Leslie Rhodes, 75, from Streatham. Sadiq visited London Ambulance Service headquarters in Waterloo to meet with emergency service staff in the control room who took calls and dispatched paramedics to Westminster to treat the 40 injured victims of the attacks. The Mayor then visited the London Fire Brigades Lambeth base, to meet members of the fire service boat crew who rescued a Romanian tourist who plunged into the River Thames from Westminster Bridge. He also met other fire crew responders who worked at the scene and the command team that led the operation from Union Street. In addition, he spent time at the Metropolitan Polices Special Operations Room who coordinated the response to the attack and continue to work on a live operation. The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: On behalf of all Londoners I have today expressed our heartfelt gratitude to Londons emergency services for the way they responded following Wednesdays awful events. It was a privilege to visit and thank the London Fire Brigade responders and commanders today face-to-face. They did an incredible job in the face of adversity and there is no question that without their swift response the outcome would be even worse. Since Wednesday, staff from London Ambulance Service and doctors and nurses in our National Health Service worked round-the-clock to care for those who were injured in the horrific attack. I pay tribute to their dedication and skill. I also want to pay tribute to the Metropolitan Police officer, Keith Palmer, who died while courageously protecting our city, our parliament and keeping Londoners safe. My thoughts are with PC Palmer's family and colleagues at this awful time. He was 48 and a husband and father. These brave police officers work tirelessly to keep us all safe. They prepare meticulously in case of attacks and put their lives on the line in order to protect the city. They ran to confront danger while encouraging others to run to safety. All Londoners are grateful for their efforts over the past few days. This was not only an attack on our city and our country, but on the very heart of our democracy and the symbol of the values we cherish most  democracy, freedom, justice and tolerance. These are the same values that those who attack us hate so much. And the best way we can honour those who have tragically lost their lives is to ensure that we always uphold these values. Photos from emergency services visits 23 March - Statement from Trafalgar Square vigil We come together as Londoners tonight - to remember those who have lost their lives. And all those affected by the horrific attack yesterday. But also to send a clear message: Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism. Those evil and twisted individuals who try to destroy our shared way of life will never succeed - and we condemn them. Our hearts are with the family and friends of PC Keith Palmer, of Aysha Frade of Kurt Cochran  and all those injured in the attack yesterday. The victims were people who came from all corners of our world. And this is a time to express our gratitude for the heroism of our police officers and our emergency services, who ran towards danger to help, and who at the same time encouraged others to run to safety. London is a great city - full of amazing people from all backgrounds. And when Londoners face adversity we always pull together. We stand up for our values and we show the world, we are the greatest city in the world. Our response to this attack on our city, to this attack on our way of life, to this attack on our shared values, shows the world what it means to be a Londoner. Thank you. Video of Statement from the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan Today London suffered a horrific attack near Parliament Square which we are treating as a terrorist attack. A number of people have lost their lives and at least twenty people have been injured. My heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones and to everyone who has been affected. Tragically, a Metropolitan Police officer who was doing his duty protecting our city is amongst those who have been killed - and my thoughts are with his family this evening. I want to express my gratitude on behalf of all Londoners to the police and emergency services who have shown tremendous bravery in exceptionally difficult circumstances. I have spoken to the Acting Metropolitan Police Commissioner Craig Mackey, and national lead for Counter-Terrorism Policing and Acting Deputy Commissioner Mark Rowley - and remain in close contact with them. Londoners should be aware that there will be additional armed and unarmed police officers on our streets from tonight in order to keep Londoners and all those visiting our city safe. I want to reassure all Londoners and all our visitors not to be alarmed - our city remains one of the safest in the world. London is the greatest city in the world and we stand together in the face of those who seek to harm us and destroy our way of life. We always have, and we always will. 22 March,16:30 - Statement on serious incident in Westminster The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: There has been a serious incident near to Parliament Square this afternoon which is being treated as a terrorist attack until the police know otherwise. "I have spoken to the Acting Commissioner. The Metropolitan Police Service is dealing with the incident and an urgent investigation is underway. My thoughts are with those affected and their families. I would like to express my thanks to the police and emergency services who work so hard to keep us safe and show tremendous bravery in exceptionally difficult circumstances. For the latest information please visit the Metropolitan Police.
Theresa May will attend the European Council summit in Brussels later today Westminster today - LIVE: Theresa May condemns Russia for 'brazen and reckless' attack as she arrives at EU Council summit Theresa May has condemned Russia for the "brazen and reckless" nerve agent attack on Sergei Skripal as she arrived in Brussels for a crucial European summit. The Prime Minister will urge EU leaders to unite against the "pattern of Russian aggression" at the two-day meeting, where the heads of the 28-nation bloc will also vote on the terms of the Brexit transition deal. Brexit Secretary David Davis hailed the draft deal as a "significant step" earlier this week, but plans for the two-year transition period still need to be rubber-stamped by EU leaders Meanwhile, the Government has been told to explain to UK workers why new British passports to be introduced after Brexit will be made in France. The passports had become a totemic issue for Brexiteers, who celebrated the Government's decision to bring back the traditional blue covers. Live Updates A row is rumbling on this morning about where the new British passports will be made after it emerged the documents will be printed in France by Franco-Dutch firm Gemalto. That prompted the boss of De La Rue, a British company that had hoped to win the 490m contract, to ask Theresa May and Amber Rudd to come and explain to his workers why they had missed out. Martin Sutherland said: "I think we have heard over the last few weeks and months ministers more than happy to come on the media and talk about the blue passports and the fact that the blue passport is an icon of British identity. "Now this icon of British identity is going to be manufactured in France." He added: "I'm going to have to go and face those workers, look at them in the whites of the eyes and try and explain to them why the British government thinks it's a sensible decision to buy French passports not British passports." "I would actually like to invite Theresa May or Amber Rudd to come to my factory and explain to my dedicated workforce why they think this is a sensible decision to offshore the manufacture of a British icon." Trade unions have also criticised the decision to award the contract for making the new British passports to a Franco-Dutch firm. Unite's national officer, Louisa Bull, said: "Theresa May and Amber Rudd need to explain to De La Rue workers why 'taking back control' means their jobs could be put at risk while the production of Britain's new iconic passport is shipped overseas to France. It wouldn't happen in France because of national security and it shouldn't happen in the UK. De La Rue is the UK's leading security printer making banknotes as well as passports sustaining thousands of decent jobs in the UK. Ministers need to reverse this decision and start supporting British business and UK workers through public procurement and an industrial strategy which is more than just soundbites." MPs have observed a minute's silence in memory of those who died during the Westminster terror attack last year. With bowed heads, politicians filled the House of Commons chamber to mark the tragedy, where five people were killed and 50 others injured when Islamist extremist Khalid Masood ploughed his car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge. Masood then stabbed Pc Keith Palmer, an unarmed constable guarding the gates of Parliament, before he was shot by an armed police officer in the grounds of the Palace of Westminster. The number of households living in temporary accommodation has surged by 64 per cent since the Tories came to power in 2010, new figures show. Almost 790,000 families were staying in temporary housing in the last three months of last year because they didn't have a permanent home, compared with 48,010 in the same period eight years before. The figures, published by the Government on Thursday, have been branded "unacceptable" by campaigners, who warn that temporary accommodation can have a "devastating" impact on peoples lives and mental health. Sajid Javid, the Housing and Communities Secretary, has just updated MPs on the response to the Grenfell Tower disaster. He says that, nine months on, "shocking and terrible events of June 14 continue to cast a long shadow". He admits the initial response to the fire was "slow and confused" but insists the Grenfell families are now receiving better support. The Government has worked to ensure there is "much-needed cultural change" within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea council, he adds. He says 188 of the 204 families made homeless have now accepted an offer of temporary accommodation, of which 128 have already moved in. 62 are now in new permanent homes. However, he says "progress has been far too slow": there are still 82 households in emergency accommodation, including 25 families and 39 children. "This is totally unacceptable. The suffering that these families have already endured is unimaginable. Living for this long in hotels can only make the process of grieving and recovery even harder." It is unlikely that all the households will have been rehoused by the first anniversary of the disaster in June - something he says is "clearly not good enough". Sajid Javid, the Housing and Communities Secretary, has just updated MPs on the response to the Grenfell Tower disaster. He says that, nine months on, "the shocking and terrible events of 14 June continue to cast a long shadow". Javid admits the initial response to the fire was "slow and confused" but insists the Grenfell families are now receiving better support. The Government has worked to ensure there is "much-needed cultural change" within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea council, he adds. He says 188 of the 204 families made homeless have now accepted an offer of accommodation, and 128 have already moved in. 62 are now in new permanent homes. However, he admits "progress has been far too slow": there are still 82 households in emergency accommodation, including 25 families and 39 children. He says: "This is totally unacceptable. The suffering that these families have already endured is unimaginable. Living for this long in hotels can only make the process of grieving and recovery even harder." It is unlikely that all the households will have been rehoused by the first anniversary of the disaster in June - something he says is "clearly not good enough". Moscow's London ambassador Alexander Yakovenko has condemned Boris Johnson's comparison of Russia hosting the World Cup to Hitler's 1936 Olympics, saying: "Nobody has the right to insult the Russian people, who defeated the Nazis." Britain is set to be pulled into talks with Spain and the EU about the status of Gibraltar after Brexit, under a roadmap for future negotiations set to be agreed by EU leaders on Friday.  Spain threatened to block progress in Brexit talks this week after David Davis said in passing that the Brexit withdrawal agreement would apply to the British tax haven  reigniting long-held anxieties in Madrid about the British presence there. At a press conference at the London embassy, Russian ambassador Alexander Yakovenko repeated his dismissal of British claims that his country was behind the nerve agent attack in Salisbury. He said Theresa May had "provided no proof " and the UK Government had "built its official position on pure assumptions". He also claimed that the embassy had learned about the death of Russian citizen Nikolay Glushkov from the media and that the "British side is deliberately ignoring our requests" for information about the case. A World Cup victory for England would be the best response to Russia hosting the football tournament, Culture Secretary Matt Hancock has said. There will be no official UK Government representation at the event as a result of the Novichok nerve agent attack in Salisbury and Boris Johnson has warned that Vladimir Putin could use the tournament for propaganda purposes in the same way Adolf Hitler exploited the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Mr Johnson's comments were branded "utterly disgusting" and "unworthy" of a foreign minister by Russian president Mr Putin's spokesman. But Downing Street insisted Theresa May had "full confidence" in her Foreign Secretary - and said the Prime Minister wanted England to win the World Cup. Mr Hancock used an appearance on ITV's Good Morning Britain to suggest an England win would be a fitting response to Russia. He said: "Actually the best response, frankly, to all of this would be for England to go to the World Cup in Russia and win it."
The vigil, which was organized by the Women's March on London, came after a photo of a woman wearing an Islamic head covering crossing the bridge in the aftermath of the attack went viral on social media. Some commentators criticized what they perceived to be the woman's indifference to an injured victim in the image. 'Sadness, fear and concern' JUST WATCHED Carrying on after a terrorist attack MUST WATCH Carrying on after a terrorist attack01:38 "Not only have I been devastated by witnessing the aftermath of a shocking and numbing terror attack, I've also had to deal with the shock of finding my picture plastered all over social media by those who could not look beyond my attire, who draw conclusions based on hate and xenophobia," she told Tell MAMA, a UK-based organization which monitors anti-Muslim attacks. "My thoughts at that moment were one of sadness, fear, and concern," the unnamed woman said in a statement. "What the image does not show is that I had talked to other witnesses to try and find out what was happening, to see if I could be of any help... My thoughts go out to all the victims and their families." The photographer who took the photo has spoken out in the woman's defense. "The people who took on that picture are being rather selective," freelance photographer Jamie Lorriman told Australian broadcaster ABC. "In the other picture in the sequence, she looks truly distraught... personally I think she looks distressed in both pictures." Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament A car is seen crashed into a fence outside the Parliament building in London on Wednesday, March 22. Police have launched a "full counter-terrorism investigation" after an attacker rammed a car into crowds of people and stabbed a police officer on Parliament grounds. Hide Caption 1 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament An armed police officer stands over the attacker, identified as Khalid Masood, outside Parliament. "It appeared that a car was coming towards the House of Commons mowing down pedestrians on the way," Member of Parliament Gerald Howarth told CNN. "The driver then got access to the parliamentary estate, stabbed a police officer and was shot." Hide Caption 2 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament Masood is treated by emergency services as police look on at the scene outside the Houses of Parliament. The Metropolitan Police say he was born in Kent, but is believed to have been living in the West Midlands recently. Police say Masood was also known by a number of aliases. "Masood was not the subject of any current investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack," Met Police said in a statement. Hide Caption 3 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament Member of Parliament Tobias Ellwood, in the glasses, tends to one of the injured people amid the chaos. The man the politician was trying to save was a police officer who died, a witness on the scene told CNN. Authorities identified the deceased officer as Keith Palmer, 48. Hide Caption 4 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament Emergency workers attend to injured people at the scene. Hide Caption 5 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament Medics treat a victim on Westminster Bridge. Hide Caption 6 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament People leave the Parliament building after the incident. Lawmakers were forced to remain in the main debating chamber of the House of Commons as police responded to the incident outside. Hide Caption 7 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament A person is treated at the scene. Hide Caption 8 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament Medical aid is provided outside Parliament. Hide Caption 9 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament Tourists were trapped for a time in cars on the London Eye Ferris wheel, which was stopped in the immediate aftermath of the attack. Hide Caption 10 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament A police officer stands guard near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament. Hide Caption 11 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament A person receives medical treatment at the scene. Hide Caption 12 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament At right, the car of British Prime Minister Theresa May is driven away from Parliament. Hide Caption 13 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament An air ambulance arrives at the scene. Hide Caption 14 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament Armed police enter the Houses of Parliament. Hide Caption 15 of 15 Another arrest made In all, twelve people were arrested in relation to the attack. The latest was a 30-year old man who was detained Sunday in Birmingham "on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts" under the TACT or Terrorism Act 2000, Metropolitan Police said. Nine people who had been arrested earlier have been released "with no further action." A 58-year-old man who was arrested Thursday in Birmingham remains in custody. A 32-year-old woman, arrested in Manchester, is out on bail, pending further inquiries. Investigators: No direct ISIS link JUST WATCHED Neighbors describe London attacker MUST WATCH Neighbors describe London attacker02:29 Khalid Masood was active on the encryption messaging service WhatsApp two minutes before he started his attack on Westminster Bridge, but no evidence has emerged to show he was communicating with ISIS at any point, the official told CNN. Investigators are looking into communications he had with individuals leading up to the attack, the official added. But investigators currently believe Masood was more likely inspired by ISIS rather than directed by the terrorist group, the official told CNN. Investigators are still assessing whether the attacker plotted alone or acted as part of a broader conspiracy. They're continuing to probe his contacts in radical circles in Birmingham, Luton and London, the official told CNN. Investigation underway Authorities are also investigating how Masood, who used multiple aliases, became radicalized. He was born Adrian Russell Ajao but also used the name Adrian Elms, police said Friday. Born in Kent, Masood had previous convictions, including some for violent offenses, but none for terrorism, police said. His most recent conviction was in 2003 for possession of a knife. Cochran and his wife, Melissa, from Utah, were visiting London to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary when they were hit by the car on the bridge. Melissa suffered a broken leg, a broken rib and a cut to her head. The couple ran a recording studio in West Bountiful, near Salt Lake City. The Metropolitan Police issued a statement from their family Monday in which they said Melissa's health is improving. "So many people have been so kind, and we are deeply touched by their goodness and generosity. Your notes, prayers, donations and love have helped us so much," they said. "The most difficult part of all of this is that Kurt is no longer with us, and we miss him terribly. He was an amazing individual who loved everyone and tried to make the world a better place. He left a legacy of generosity and service that continues to inspire us. "We are deeply saddened to lose him but are grateful that the world is coming to know him and be inspired by him."
Khalid Masood, the man who attacked parliament this week, was born Adrian Elms in Dartford, Kent, on Christmas Day in 1964. He was also later known as Adrian Russell Ajao, after the man his mother married. The 52-year-old killed three pedestrians by driving into them on Westminster Bridge and injured 50 others before fatally stabbing a police officer and being shot by police on Wednesday. Shortly after the attack, police confirmed it was being investigated as a terrorist incident. Masood had a string of criminal convictions and was known to MI5. By Friday, police had made 11 arrests in connection with the attack, but continue to investigate whether he acted alone. Searches have been carried out at addresses in Brighton, southeast London, east London, Surrey, Manchester, Carmarthenshire, and Birmingham. Masood had been investigated some years ago as part of an investigation into violent extremism, prime minister Theresa May told MPs on Thursday. But despite a history of violent criminal offences he was only ever seen as "peripheral" in historical terror investigations. It is assumed by police that he was acting on extreme Islamist ideology. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack on Thursday. A former intelligence official told BuzzFeed News: "The service had him as an SOI [subject of interest] a few years ago but think he didn't meet the threshold for investigation so was not investigated further." They added: "My sense is this was pre-ISIL but the increased sophistication online and in messaging has awakened or re-radicalised him and then he's acted as a lone wolf or perhaps as part of a small circle of extremists but with a very small, neat invisible footprint." Metropolitan police Khalid Masood The Metropolitan police said in a statement: "Masood was not the subject of any current investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack. Masoods first conviction was in November 1983 for criminal damage and his most recent was in December 2003 for possession of a knife. He was also convicted of GBH, assaults, and public order offences, but nothing terrorism-related. In 2000, while living in the village of Northiam, Sussex, Masood, still known then as Elms, was convicted for slashing a mans face after an argument in a pub. The victim, Piers Mott, was left needing stitches, and Elms was jailed for two years. Northiam resident Adrian Baker, who said he had lived in the village for the past 25 years, told the Press Association on Friday: I do remember a fracas involving a guy called Piers Mott. This was a long time ago. I remember Elms being a bit of a troubled character. Three years later Masood was accused of stabbing a man in the nose in Eastbourne, and was jailed for six months for possession of an offensive weapon. It is understood Masood had a partner and several children, including a 5-year-old boy. A marriage certificate seen by BuzzFeed News showed he married a woman called Farzana Malik in Medway, Kent, in 2004. While Masood is believed to have lived in a string of addresses in the south of England, London, and Luton  the latter with a 39-year-old woman understood to have been arrested in east London this week  its believed he most recently lived in a block of new flats on Quayside, a cul-de-sac in Birmingham near the canal. The flat was raided by anti-terror police at 11pm on Wednesday night after the attack. Aisha Gani / BuzzFeed News / Via BuzzFeed News The block of flats where Masood lived most recently in Quayside, a cul-de-sac in Birmingham. A next-door neighbour who gave her name as Iwona, 45, said he had lived there for seven months. "I am really surprised, I cannot believe it, I cannot believe it, she told BuzzFeed News. As I said, when I saw him I couldn't even think someone could do something like this. Now I am scared, someone like this living close to me. Sometimes in the afternoon I saw him taking care of the garden, washing the car, and he was very calm." Iwona described the woman he lived with there as being in her thirties and said she wore "Islamic clothing". The neighbour said she hadn't seen Masood for a few months and that he just "took a van and went". Then, 10 days ago, the woman and child followed. "The family moved quickly and took their things out of the garage," Iwona said. Aisha Gani / BuzzFeed News / Via BuzzFeed News Masood's neighbour Iwona at her flat in Quayside, Birmingham. Another neighbour, who gave her name as Sam, said: He moved out in December and I never really spoke to him. I didn't know his name before. He had a little boy who was 5 years old. There was a woman  I didn't know if it was his wife or daughter. Wed just say hello in the street. It was in Birmingham that Masood hired the Hyundai Tucson from Enterprise-Rent-a-Car that he used in his fatal attack, reportedly telling staff he was a teacher. The Department for Education said Masood never held qualified status as a teacher, but according to The Sun newspaper he claimed on his CV to have an economics degree and to be a senior English teacher at a TEFL college in Luton in 2009. The Sun also said Masood travelled to Saudi Arabia in 2005, where he taught English, but this has yet to be verified. It is not known when Masood converted to Islam, or changed his name, although he stopped using his birth name on the electoral roll from at least 2009. Speaking in the House of Commons on Thursday morning, the prime minister confirmed that Masood was known to the security services but said he was not part of the current intelligence picture and that there was no prior intelligence of his intent to attack the capital. Echoing police, she said the working assumption is that the attacker was inspired by Islamist ideology. After leaving Birmingham this week, Masood travelled to Brighton, where he spent Tuesday night in the Preston Park Hotel. Its manager Sabeur Toumi told Sky News Masood gave no indication of what was to happen the next day. He was just like any other guest who checks into the hotel," he said. "We had a brief conversation about where he came from in Birmingham. He talked about his family, his mum, his dad, his wife. He said his dad was ill and his mum was upset. Janet Ajao, Masood's mother, was last night reportedly too upset to speak to reporters from her home in rural Wales. On Friday the earliest picture of Masood, then known as Adrian Ajao, emerged. It showed him as a teenager at school in Tunbridge Wells, posing after a charity football match. Huntleys School website I am really, really shocked. He was in my class. He was a smashing guy, really nice chap. The picture of us in the football team was after we did a 24-hour sponsored football match to raise money for the sports hall, said Stuart Knight, who went to school with Masood, to TheGuardian. We would have been about 14 years old. Everyone got on with Adrian, he was a lovely bloke. He was a bright student, he loved sport. He was in the rugby team. Two days earlier, Masood began his attack by mounting the pavement on Westminster Bridge and driving into pedestrians, killing 51-year-old American tourist Kurt Cochran, who was celebrating his 25th wedding anniversary; 43-year-old Spanish teacher Aysha Frade, who was travelling to pick up her two young daughters from school; and 75-year-old Leslie Rhodes from south London, who had been visiting someone in hospital. After crashing the car into a fence outside the Palace of Westminster, Masood ran into the parliamentary estate through an open gate, fatally stabbing 48-year-old PC Keith Palmer, a father and husband, before being shot by police. Stefan Rousseau / PA Wire/PA Images Emily Dugan is a senior reporter for BuzzFeed News and is based in London.
Police say at least 50 people were injured, with 31 requiring hospital treatment. Two of these remain in a critical condition, one of whom has life-threatening injuries. Two police officers are among those still in hospital. The assailant was Khalid Masood, 52, who was born in Kent with the birth name Adrian Elms. He was believed to have been living recently in the West Midlands. He drove a car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, killing three people  two of whom died at the scene and one who died of his injuries in hospital  before crashing it outside parliament and trying to enter the building, armed with two knives. London attack: police name 75-year-old victim and make two 'significant' arrests  live Read more He stabbed an unarmed police officer who later died from the injuries. Police then shot the attacker. The dead officer was identified as PC Keith Palmer, 48, who had 15 years of service with the parliamentary and diplomatic protection service and was a husband and father. Another victim was named as Aysha Frade, 43, who worked at a sixth-form college in Westminster. The mother of two had family in Betanzos, Galicia, north-west Spain, and her death was confirmed by the mayor of the town. A third person killed by the attacker was named as Kurt Cochran, a tourist from Utah in the US. He and his wife, Melissa, were on the last day of a trip to Europe to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. Melissa remains in hospital with serious injuries. On Friday, police said a fourth victim, Leslie Rhodes, 75, from Clapham in south London, had died in hospital overnight. He was a retired window cleaner who had apparently been crossing the bridge to catch a bus after visiting a friend in St Thomas hospital. Theresa May said the attacker had been investigated some years ago by MI5 in relation to concerns about violent extremism but was not part of the current intelligence picture. The Metropolitan police said Masood had a range of previous convictions for assaults, including GBH, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences. His most recent was in December 2003 for possession of a knife. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack. It released a statement through the Amaq news agency, which it uses to broadcast propaganda, calling the attacker a soldier of Islamic State. The claim is unverified. The attacker is believed to have acted alone but police are investigating possible associates. May said there was no reason to believe further attacks on the public were planned. About 2,700 items were seized in the property searches, including computer data, and three cars were seized during an armed raid. Police said they had had contacts with about 3,500 witnesses, including 1,000 from people on Westminster Bridge and around 2,500 who were within the parliamentary estate. May told MPs in a statement to parliament on Thursday: We are not afraid and our resolve will never waver in the face of terrorism. The prime minister, who was moved out of parliament within minutes and driven to Downing Street, described Palmer as every inch a hero. Twelve Britons were injured, including three police officers. Four university students, three French children, four South Koreans, two Romanians, two Greeks, a Chinese national, an Italian, an American, a Pole, an Irish national and a German woman resident in Australia were also hurt. A Romanian tourist pulled from the Thames was celebrating her boyfriends birthday in London. She sustained serious head injuries and badly damaged lungs; her boyfriend suffered a fractured foot. The Romanian embassy in London confirmed the womans name as Andreea Cristea. The manager of the Brighton hotel where Masood stayed the night before the attack said he had laughed and joked with staff, told them about his family, and claimed he was in the south coast town to visit friends. World leaders condemned the attack and offered condolences. The US president, Donald Trump, spoke to May, promising the UK the full support of the US government in responding to the attack. Leaders of Canada, France, Germany and Spain were among others who sent messages of solidarity. The number of armed police on duty across London has been doubled, and the number of unarmed officers has also been increased; the number of armed officers across the rest of the UK has been boosted by a third. A service took place at Scotland Yard on Thursday morning, in front of the flame that burns as a tribute to all dead Metropolitan police officers.
A picture shows red London buses, pedestrians and traffic crossing Westminster Bridge over the River Thames with the Union flag atop the Houses of Parliament (R) flying at half-mast in central London on March 23, 2017. Masood had already injured at least 40 people having sped along the sidewalk of Westminster Bridge, before crashing into the carriage gates of Britains Parliamentary estate. At least two were killed on the bridge: 54-year-old U.S. tourist Kurt Cochrane and Aysha Frade, a mother of two. A third man, 75, died of his injuries on Thursday, officials said. Masood was shot dead, but there was immediate chaos and then a lockdown of around five to six hours as authorities and police worked tirelessly to make sure there were no further threats. Speaking in the House of Commons today, Prime Minister Theresa May was defiant. Our resolve will never waver in the face of terrorism, she said. As I speak millions will be boarding trains and airplanes to travel to London, and to see for themselves the greatest city on Earth. But outside the chamber there was a 1 to 2 block cordon guarded by police. An area where tens of thousands of tourists, politicians and Londoners pass through everyday was empty and eerily silent. Lawmakers and their staff were already wondering how to beef up their security now that they are all too aware of the havoc one madman with a car and two knives can cause in what is supposed to be the mother of all parliaments. Tom Brake, the chief whip of the Liberal Democrats who sits on the Commons commission that oversees parliament security, says the carriage gates have been a particular weak point for some time. Tourists often accidentally wander into the palace past these barriers, a loosely defended entrance that is used to quickly drive ministers in and out of Parliament. A short-term remedy will be for cars to only go through a more secure entrance, with bollards, at the other end of the estate. The entrance to New Palace Yard is likely to be fitted with permanent barriers. Brake also thinks the attack will see a rethink of the plans to renovate a palace that is riddled with asbestos, overrun by rodents, and blighted by sewage leaks, to name only a small handful of its problems. Lawmakers are due to debate whether to go-ahead with a restoration that is expected to take several years shortly after Easter recess. Security is potentially an extra element in the Restoration & Renewal of Parliament project, Brake said. The need to tighten security policy to protect M.P.s and staff. There is a cost issue, but that can be addressed by looking at security early and designing it in to the plans. That cost of the revamp  estimated, highly conservatively, at 4 billion (about $5 billion)  has resulted in many lawmakers arguing it is too costly for the public to swallow. They say there should be a new Parliament with more solid foundations and better use of modern technology, unlike WiFi that moves at a sloths pace in Westminster. They have argued for the palace to be turned into a museum. However, senior critics are already reconsidering this challenge, because the terrorist only made it a few yards beyond the gates. The other options may not be as secure as the palace, said one lawmaker who has previously argued for a move. Indeed, police minister Brandon Lewis told TIME: The systems in place did work yesterday. There was a phenomenal show of heroism from Keith Palmer and the police. However, both of these politicians admit here will have to be a security review. Max Freedman, a senior political researcher who leads the labor union branch for staff, will be pushing for improved communication. Some researchers who are located in a distant but nevertheless linked part of Parliament, known as the Northern Estate, have complained they were not instructed by police on how to remain safe for about two hours. Instead, they watched events unfold on television and assumed they should stay in their offices. This was despite there being public address systems in these buildings, which were not used. Sources also said that in one of these older buildings around 50 Labour Party lawmakers and staff were bundled into the office of the leader of the opposition, the far left veteran Jeremy Corbyn. However, police were rarely on the door. There was a blitz spirit according to a source who was present. Corbyn introduced a young researcher to the room who had been told to go to this safe room  despite being rather out of place given he works for the governing Conservative Party. Hes spoken to his employer, who told him it was alright for him to stay here: provided he doesnt return a socialist, Corbyn said. As security started to relax Thursday , with entrances to Parliament slowly re-opened, Robin Walker, one of the ministers charged with conducting the U.K.s negotiations to leave the European Union arrived with a suitcase. He had just come back from Brussels. The previous morning he had been consoling lawmakers in the European Parliament over the one year anniversary of terrorist attacks in Brussels. By the afternoon, they were comforting me, sighs Walker. His is not the only poignant story. Clive Lewis, touted as a future Labour leader, was a sunnier afternoon away from possible death. After an interview and minutes before Masood drove into view, a photographer wanted to take a picture of him on the sidewalk soon to be mounted by the terrorist, but they turned back because the light wasnt good enough. Security will get tighter, but luck, both good and bad, played its part in who lost their lives yesterday. SPONSORED FINANCIAL CONTENT You May Like Read More Sign Up for Our Newsletters Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know now on politics, health, money and more
This Is How People Are Raising Money For The Families Of The Westminster Attack Victims "We decided that the best thing to do was to offer our support to the victims' families," Muddassar Ahmed, who set up a crowdfunding page for the families of the Westminster attack victims, told BuzzFeed News. A terrorist drove a car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge on Wednesday and attacked officers outside parliament, killing three people before he was shot dead by police. Stefan Rousseau / PA Wire/PA Images The Metropolitan police believe the attacker to be 52-year-old British-born Khalid Masood, originally from Kent. Other aliases he is believed to have used include the name Adrian Elms. Police said that Masood had no prior terrorism offence convictions, but had been previously investigated by security services as a peripheral figure. Londoners have united to display acts of kindness and solidarity following the tragedy. Muslims in London are raising money for the families of the Westminster attack victims, one of whom was a police officer. In less than 24 hours almost 20,000 has been raised. The fundraiser was set up early Thursday as part of a project called Muslims Unite for London, which was created by Muddassar Ahmed, his friends Akeela Ahmed, Hassan Hoque, and Mohammed Marikar, and two British Muslim MPs, Naz Shah and Yasmin Qureshi. Ahmed, a communications professional who has lived in London all his life, was in parliament as the events of Wednesday afternoon unfolded. He described the situation as "frightening". "I was actually stuck in Portcullis House, and I saw the carnage unfold," he told BuzzFeed News. "We were stuck there for about four and a half hours. There was a mixture of feeling anxious, angry, and appalled  this was an attack on a symbol that defines us really to such a large extent." Ahmed went home that night and spoke to his friends about the incident. Together, he said, they decided to channel their feelings and emotions into something practical. "We decided that the best thing to do was to offer our support to the victims' families," Ahmed said. They then launched the fundraiser and have already hit their 10,000 target. He says the fundraiser's success is a good sign. "It shows that at a time of crisis people are willing to show that communities can work together and help each other in something they believe in," he said. "And I suppose one of the most powerful ways of doing that is by putting your money into something like [this fund]." Ahmed described the reaction to the fundraiser as overwhelmingly positive, and did not expect to raise so much money in such a short space of time. We were actually thinking of putting the target amount lower at 5,000," he said, "but now weve seen that the reaction has been overwhelmingly positive and I think well absolutely smash our target." The Metropolitan Police Federation is also raising money for the slain police officer, Keith Palmer, who was stabbed to death while protecting parliament. More than 160,000 has already been raised for his family on one crowdfunding website. Met police "Every day, all over London and the rest of the UK, police officers risk their lives to protect and defend us," the crowdfunding page says. "In the wake of this tragedy our thoughts are with Keiths family and all the people who are injured have lost their lives." In a statement to the Met police the father of three was described by his family as a "wonderful dad and husband". Another fundraiser set up by serving police officer Martin Coughlan has raised almost 5,000 for Palmer's family. Another fundraiser was set up after a couple from the US were identified. They were thought to have been celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary in London. Kurt Cochran, from Utah, died, and his wife Melissa Payne Cochran was hurt, the crowdfunding page states, as the attacker drove a car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge. The page was set up by Melissa's brother, Clint Payne, who said it was the couple's last day of their trip to see their parents who are serving as missionaries in the Mormon church  London LDS temple. Fiona Rutherford is a reporter for BuzzFeed News and is based in London.
Tourist (31) knocked into river and injured in Westminster terror attack loses fight for life Metropolitan Police of Andrei Burnaz with Andreea Cristea, from Romania, who has died after she was injured in the Westminster terror attack. Handout/PA Wire Metropolitan Police of Romanian national Andreea Cristea, 31, Andreea Cristea, who has died after she was injured in the Westminster terror attack. Handout/PA Wire A Romanian tourist who was injured in the Westminster terror attack has died. Andreea Cristea, 31, was knocked from Westminster Bridge into the River Thames during Muslim convert Khalid Masood's murderous rampage on March 22. She had been visiting London with her boyfriend, Andrei Burnaz, who suffered a broken foot in the attack. Scotland Yard said Ms Cristea was receiving treatment in hospital but life support was withdrawn on Thursday afternoon. Her death brings the number of innocent victims of the attack to five. In a statement, Mr Burnaz and Ms Cristea's family said she would "always be remembered as our shining ray of light that will forever keep on shining in our heart". Metropolitan Police of Romanian national Andreea Cristea, 31, Andreea Cristea, who has died after she was injured in the Westminster terror attack. Handout/PA Wire "After fighting for her life for over two weeks, our beloved and irreplaceable Andreea - wonderful daughter, sister, partner, dedicated friend and the most unique and life-loving person you can imagine - was cruelly and brutally ripped away from our lives in the most heartless and spiritless way." They said the money raised for her recovery would now be donated to charity, adding: "She would not have it any other way." "There are no words to even begin to describe the crushing pain and emptiness that is left in our hearts. "Our family, together with Andrei, are deeply touched and eternally grateful for the unimaginable efforts and never-ending dedication provided to her and us by the entire medical personnel of each and every hospital involved. Their kindness and empathy are beyond compare." They added: "We would not have been able to live through these trying and tragically hurtful weeks without the support of the Metropolitan Police, the UK Government and every department involved. "Our hearts and love go out to our two family liaison officers, Detective Sergeants Tony De-Wilde and Geraint Jones, who stood beside us every single step of the way. You were our lifeline and we will never be able to thank you enough." Ms Cristea was due to receive a marriage proposal from her partner later on the day of the attack, but fell into the river when Masood, 52, ploughed through pedestrians. Footage of the atrocity showed Ms Cristea falling from the bridge into the water below. Witnesses reported seeing a body lying face-down in the Thames in the wake of the incident. After being rushed to hospital for treatment, Ms Cristea was diagnosed with a blood clot on the brain and underwent surgery. Mr Burnaz had an operation on a broken foot but has since been discharged and attended a vigil on Westminster Bridge last week. He was pushed in a wheelchair to the scene of the attack where he placed a single rose. Kurt Cochran, 54, Leslie Rhodes, 75, and Aysha Frade, 44, also died after being struck on the bridge. Pc Keith Palmer, 48, died from a single stab wound to the chest outside the Houses of Parliament before Masood was shot dead by armed police.
Londons Westminster terror attack points to a new way of terrorism where the terrorists no longer need explosives or sophisticated arms to carry out terror attacks unlike the 2001 Indian Parliament attack where nine Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists carrying AK-47 rifles, grenade launchers infiltrated the Parliament House in a car to carry the attack. It is still unclear whether the terror attack in the heart of Britains seat of power was executed by which terror group but it is obvious that this attack is inspired by the Islamic State as the jihadist outfit in November 2016 online issue of its magazine, Rumiyah, the ISIS extolled the virtues of using vehicles and specially trucks to cause a blood -bath. Which was implemented by the ISIS inspired people n Berlin where a large truck rammed into a busy Christmas market killing 12 people and injuring of them. Likewise in this attack five people were killed and 40 injured after a car ploughed into pedestrians and a suspected Islamist-inspired attacker stabbed a policeman before being shot to death by police outside the British parliament in London. These types of Lone-wolf attacks is very easy to execute but very difficult for the governments to identify the people inspired by Islamic State ideology as the attackers take no instructions from the leaders of terror outfits like ISIS or the groups linked to other jihadist outfits. ISIS has been using internet aggressively to promote their ideology and the methods of carrying out a terror strike across the world. Europe had witnessed a string of deadly terror attacks in 2016 and London has been a target for terrorism many times over past decades. These terror incidents show that US President Donald Trump policy of banning people from majority-Muslim countries stands validated.According to the latest intelligence reports an Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) is looking for innovative methods of hiding explosives in electronic devices like laptops, cameras, tablets to carry out terror attacks. This vital intelligence inputs prompted the United States and Britain to ban devices larger than a smartphone from the cabins on certain flights from countries in the Middle East and North Africa. An incident of terrorist using electronic device to down airplane occurred in Somalia where a bomb hidden in a laptop blew a hole in the side of a plane but failed to down it. The federal government notified airlines serving 10 airports in majority Muslim countries (Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and UAE) to prevent passengers from carrying laptops, tablets or electronic cameras on flights from entering US. The policy of banning electronic devices is not a political move or a sort of Islamophobia but is a correct step to prevent terror activities in US by Trump administration. Life after Parrikars Delhi airlift doesnt look easy for Goa BJP After nearly three decades of Manohar Parrikars complete dominance over the affairs of state BJP, the party is now looking at life in Goa without him, who is battling advanced pancreatic cancer and was airlifted to New Delhis prestigious AIIMS on Saturday. With apparently chances of Parrikars return to active politics bleak, life doesnt appear all that smooth for the Goa BJP leadership, at least for now, as it is already battling crises of lack of credible successors, skeptical alliance partners who have sniffed the weakness, and the possibility of an ugly succession battle for power in Parrikars absence. For now, several core Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders in Goa seem to be in favour of dissolution of the state assembly, instead of allowing leaders from other alliance parties to head the coalition. Barely hours after Parrikar took off in a specially chartered flight to the national capital on the instructions of the BJP high command, alliance partners Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and the Goa Forward have already started scrapping publicly over sharing of power. The BJP should appoint the senior-most leader in-charge. Goa has already suffered because of lack of leadership. We need to fill that void, state MGP chief Dipak Dhavalikar told reporters, throwing his party MLA, brother and Public Works Department Minister Sudin Dhavalikars hat in the ring for the post of officiating Chief Minister. However, Goa Forward president and Town and Country Planning Minister Vijai Sardesai has already rejected the option to make Dhavalikar the Deputy Chief Minister, with an ailing Parrikar continuing in the top post. Both parties had contested the 2017 Assembly poll on an anti-BJP plank but had later joined the BJP-led coalition government on the condition that only Parrikar should head the coalition. Another proposition, which was discussed by Dhavalikar with the BJP leadership about merging his regional party MGP with the BJP, has seen stiff resistance from the cadres of both parties. Last week, state Congress president Girish Chodankar in a letter to Goa Governor Mridula Sinha had asked her not to consider the possibility of dissolution of the state Assembly and invite the Congress, which has more MLAs than the BJP in the 40-member House, to form the government instead of dissolving the House. Party leaders say, under the current scenario, the best option would be Union Minister of State for AYUSH and North Goa MP Shripad Naik, who is a popular leader of the OBC, a significant vote bank which is peeved at the pro-Brahmin politics orchestrated with Parrikar at the helm of state and party affairs. Shripad is widely acceptable, both as a person and a politician. His nature is to take everyone along, a BJP leader said. There are also talks within the party about a possible anti-incumbency factor working for Naik in the upcoming Lok Sabha election. Getting Naik, a three-time MP from North Goa, back into the state politics would serve well for the party instead. Elder to Parrikar by three years, Naik, 65, is complete counterfoil to Parrikars personality. While Parrikar is a sharp, incisive and intimidating, Naik is warm, gentle and known for his warm camaraderie. Naik, in a way, has also been at the receiving end of Parrikars style of functioning, which did not allow any second power centre in Goa to develop. The other options being touted within the party are Speaker Pramod Sawant and state BJP president and Rajya Sabha MP Vinay Tendulkar. While Sawants candidature has been opposed by alliance partners, Tendulkar could emerge as the dark horse in the BJPs quest for a homegrown CM. Amit Shahs 50-year dream: Whistling in the dark? Bharatiya Janata Party : President Amit Shahs boast at the national executive meeting about the party ruling for 50 years may have been in keeping with his usual aggressive, bombastic style, but it has been interpreted in two contradictory ways. One was to see it as a sign of arrogance and the other was to discern in the seeming extravagant claim a hint of whistling in the dark to keep up the party morale. Both the surmises have an element of plausibility. If the assertion underlines hauteur, the reason undoubtedly is the BJPs belief that it faces no serious challenge at the moment. Notwithstanding the continuing unemployment, agrarian distress, high fuel prices, falling rupee, stagnant exports and the unease among the minorities and Dalits, the opposition has not been able to get its act together. Because of this failure, there are now doubts about how it will fare in the forthcoming assembly elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh since the BJPs main opponent in these states, the Congress, which was earlier expected to have an easy run, has been unable to reach an understanding with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and is troubled by its familiar internal squabbling. Besides, the question as to who will be the oppositions prime ministerial face is yet to be settled while there has been no clearcut articulation of an economic blueprint. The BJP, on the other hand, is pursuing a well-defined path. Even as vikas (development) remains its catchphrase, it also cannily indulges in the ruses of what a dissident saffron intellectual and former BJP minister, Arun Shourie, has called a one-trick pony. The trick, according to him, is to foment divisiveness which has been highlighted by the communal uncertainties posed by the National Register of Citizens, which the Assam Chief Minister, Sarbananda Sonowal, wants to be extended from his state to the entire country so that the ghuspetiyas (infiltrators or illegal immigrants) can be summarily evicted. Chun chun ke nikaloonga, as Amit Shah has thundered. The BJPs confidence apparently stems from the belief that while the promise of development will keep the youth and the middle class on its side  as has been confirmed by the Delhi University Students Union election results where the BJPs student wing, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), won three of the top four seats  the partys nationalist plank targeting ghuspetiyas and the so-called urban Naxalites will keep the opposition off balance. It is obvious that the opposition has found no effective answers to the allegations of being soft on illegal aliens and Maoist sympathisers and has to depend on the judiciary to keep any excesses of the ruling party in check as in the matter of lynchings. How indifferent the BJP is towards such outrages or the disquiet expressed by the secular intelligentsia about its rule was evident from the seeming satisfaction which Amit Shah derived from the fact that the party keeps on winning despite the murder of Mohammed Akhlaq, allegedly for eating beef, or the award wapsi of the urban elite. It is not surprising that he believes that a combination of the promise of economic growth and a depiction of the opposition as unpatriotic will keep the lion safe from the wild dogs, to quote the similes used by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat while addressing the World Hindu Congress in Chicago to describe the Sangh Parivar and its opponents. On its part, the RSS has been engaged in broadening its appeal by calling the non-saffronites to its conclaves. It goes without saying that a possible mainstreaming of the avowedly pro-Hindu organisation will help the BJP to shake off to some extent the taint in the eyes of its opponents of its association with the RSS and thereby help in the fulfilment of the dream of ruling India for half a century. It cannot be gainsaid that at the moment, much is going for the party. It has a Prime Minister whose popular appeal is testified by virtually all the opinion polls despite the governments palpable inadequacies. The party also has a chief whose micromanagement of the organization has turned it into a formidable election-winning outfit. In addition, its publicity is boosted not only by its members in the government and the party, but also by an army of trolls who lose no opportunity to pounce on the BJPs critics with venomous abuses. Not to be left behind in supporting the ruling dispensation are some nationalist television channels whose commitment to neutrality is conspicuous by its absence. With so much in the BJPs favour, its 50-year project may not seem all that far-fetched  except that the Indian voter remains famously inscrutable. Considering that the BJP secured no more than 31 per cent of the votes at the height of its popularity in 2014, it is obvious that a large percentage of the population do not think much of the party. It may be this inconvenient fact which made Amit Shah whistle in the dark. Will Ganesh Chaturthi mark a new beginning for crisis-stricken Goa BJP? As colourful clay idols of Lord Ganesh are ushered into Hindu homes in Goa ahead of Ganesh Chaturthi, the symbolic significance of the deity, as a remover of obstacles and a god of new beginnings, may well dwell on the minds of state leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The partys top-rung leaders are battling a crisis of loyalty between their party and the ailing high priest of the BJP in Goa, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who in the past has cleared innumerable political obstacles and ushered new beginnings for the party and its cadre. The 62-year-old former Defence Ministers persisting illness is now threatening to weigh heavy on the fortunes of his party as well as the BJP-led coalition government that he heads. Parrikar returned from the US  for the third time in six months  after yet another round of treatment for advanced pancreatic cancer last week, but has failed to attend office. The question of whether and who will replace Parrikar is still not a subject for on-record conversations for BJP leaders like state party General Secretary Sadanand Shet Tanavde and South Goa MP Narendra Savoikar, who insist that there is no question of a change in leadership. But in the sanctuary of an off-record conversation, there is anxiety, anguish and worry  both for Parrikars failing health as well as the gaining perception that the Goa BJP and the government are virtually leaderless entities. There appears to be neither hope, nor a consensus, among the partys senior leadership about who could potentially replace Parrikar for now, especially since his health is worsening, although the Chief Ministers Office as well as BJP spokespersons insist that the ailing leader is recovering just fine. Last month, perhaps Parrikars only peer in the Goa BJP in terms of longevity and acceptability among cadre, Union Minister of State for AYUSH Shripad Naik, made the first attempt to spark a conversation about alternative leadership in Goa, while conceding to a crisis. But within a matter of hours of his presser, a planned trip to Delhi to meet the party High Command by Naik himself and other top party functionaries was called off, after some leaders met Parrikar, who was admitted to a Mumbai hospital. Since then, Naik too toes the line of no question of leadership change. Now that the cry for leadership change has been swiftly squelched, the question is now limited to sincere, but muffled murmurs among BJP leaders, who feel that political ground beneath them is slipping, in the face of a series of scandals  the inaction against those exposed for using carcinogenic agent formalin to preserve fish in a seafood-loving state and the never-ending mining ban and the seeming lack of effort by the state government to overcome it, being the two most significant. It is not that there arent options. One of the few propped up include Speaker Pramod Sawant, who Parrikar, ignoring protocol, had handpicked to lead the government during the state Independence Day parade. Alliance partners Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party and the Goa Forward Party have also been sounded out or have pushed for merging their legislative units into the BJP as a pre-condition for the top chair, according to sources. Last week, Goas political circles were in a tizzy about former Chief Minister and Congress MLA Digambar Kamat  a favourite of the influential mining lobby  along with other Congress MLAs joining the BJP with the Chief Ministerial berth as a prize for the coup. But Kamat, who on a clear winter day in February 2005 quit the BJP to join the Congress complaining of suffocation within the saffron party, has now formally said that no such move was on the cards. Former Goa Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Subhash Velingkar, who has groomed the top rung of BJP leadership, including Parrikar, Naik and state BJP president Vinay Tendulkar, blames Parrikar for the lack of credible second-rung leaders. He (Parrikar) has ensured that there are no second-rung leaders. Laxmikant Parsenkar (former CM), Rajendr Arlekar (Speaker) and Naik have been systematically sidelined, which is the cause of this crisis. Leadership change right now is imperative, Velingkar told IANS. One would wonder if Ganesh Chaturthi, with all its inherent symbolism, would usher in a new beginning for the BJP in Goa or, at least for now, clear up the obstacles.
Here is an extract from the statement from the Metropolitan police commander, BJ Harrington. Although we remain open-minded to the motive, a full counter-terrorism investigation is already under way. This is led by the Met counter-terrorism command. At this stage I will confirm what we know has happened but I will not speculate. We received a number of different reports which included a person in the river, a car in collision with pedestrians and a man armed with a knife. Officers were already in that location as part of routine policing but immediately additional officers were sent to the scene and that included firearms officers. We are working closely with the London ambulance service and the London fire brigade ... We know there are a number of casualties, including police officers, but at this stage we cannot confirm numbers or the nature of these injuries ... The acting commissioner, Craig Mackey, is being treated as a significant witness as he was at the scene when the incident started. Whilst he is not injured, it would be inappropriate for him to be here to talk about this incident at this stage. Our thoughts and his thoughts are with all those involved and responding to that incident this evening. I would stress that if anyone has information about todays incident they are urged to call 0800789321 and I want to stress that if the public have any information or see anything suspicious to dial 999 immediately. Police press conference  Commander BJ Harrington said there were a number of casualties but would not confirm any fatalities or the nature of injuries.  We know there are a number of casualties including police officers but at this stage we can not confirm numbers or the nature of these injuries, he said.  Craig Mackay, the acting Met commissioner, is being treated as a significant witness as he was at the scene when the attack started.  An investigation was launched immediately after the force received a number of different reports, which included a person in the river, a car in collision with pedestrians and a man armed with a knife. At 4.40pm some MPs and visitors to parliament were led out through Westminster Hall, the oldest part of the Palace of Westminster, walking across the corner of New Palace Yard where the incident occurred. There are still around 20 police cars, at least six ambulances and five fire engines on Parliament Square, next to the New Palace Yard entrance. World leaders have begun to react with shock to the incident in Westminster in which at least one person has died. The US president, Donald Trump, described the incident as big news after he was updated on the situation. Trump told reporters: I was just getting an update on London  some big news having to do with London just happened, according NBC. The US State Department said it was ready to assist the UK authorities in any way. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said: We are following the concerning situation outside the UK parliament. Our hearts go out to those affected. We stand ready to assist in any way the UK authorities would find helpful. The safety and security of US citizens overseas is one of our priorities. Our embassy in London is monitoring the situation closely. The Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte, said: Horrible images from London. The very heart of the city has been struck. Our thoughts are with the British people. Gibraltars chief minister, Fabian Picardo, said: Shocked at attack on London. Yesterday I spent the day at Westminster. Luckily not today. Londons Parliament is the mother of democracy!
The destruction that the IRA meted out to London over more than two decades was much more extensive than anything we have faced from so-called jihadi terrorism. One of the pubs in Birmingham that was bombed by the IRA on 21 November 1974, killing 21 people and injuring 182. Photograph: Evening Standard/Getty Westminster has seen all this before. On 17 June 1974, the IRA exploded a bomb at the Houses of Parliament. A fierce fire broke out, causing considerable damage to the hallowed Westminster Hall, and 11 people were injured. The destruction that the IRA meted out to London over more than two decades was much more extensive than anything we have faced from so-called jihadi terrorism. Yet this experience is often forgotten as the tabloids cry panic and some officials tell us the current terrorist threat is the worst that Britain has ever confronted. Alex Younger, the head of MI6, claimed three months ago that the scale of the threat was unprecedented. As prime minister David Cameron told us that global jihadism posed an existential threat to the UK. Even the usually sober Max Hill, the UKs terrorism legislation watchdog, said recently that jihadi terrorism posed an enormous ongoing risk  at least as great as the threat to London in the 70s when the IRA were active on the mainland. London attack: police seize three vehicles after armed raid in Birmingham  live Read more These analyses are wrong. At the high points of its campaign, the IRA was carrying out big attacks year after year in England. The Birmingham pub bombings of 1974 left 21 people dead. The Brighton bombing in 1984 killed five and nearly assassinated Margaret Thatcher and some of her cabinet. By the 1990s, British intelligence had infiltrated large parts of the terrorist group and foiled many plots. Yet the IRA still had the ability to explode a series of massive bombs in large economic centres, causing death and billions of pounds worth of destruction. In total, the IRA killed about 125 people in attacks in England, and more than 1,500 people in Northern Ireland. The security services have also foiled many al-Qaida and Islamic State-inspired plots. In contrast to the IRA, which could still break through on a regular basis, jihadis have managed to carry out only three deadly attacks in the UK in the 16 years since 9/11, resulting in the deaths of 57 people. While this is a significant threat, any claim that it is unprecedented does not stand up to scrutiny. Britain has had fewer terrorist attacks over the past decade than at any point in the past 50 years. It is true that the IRAs approach was relatively restrained  it often gave warnings before a bomb went off  while jihadis seek to kill as many people as possible and publicise the fact in bloodcurdling videos. Isis wants to build itself up to appear as a nightmarish, unprecedented threat. And we can wring our hands all day long about its evil intentions. But this needs to be balanced with proper analysis of its actual capability. While many worry that the attack on Westminster indicates an escalation of the threat to this country, it is equally possible that it betrays the limits of jihadi capability. As Jason Burke reported in the Guardian, security officials suspect that Isis has not developed a network in the UK with the deadly coherence and efficiency that it has shown in France and Belgium in recent years. The attack on Wednesday seems to have been carried out by an individual  not a coordinated group. Isis bases in Syria and Iraq are being rolled back, and the group has never had safe havens on Britains doorstep in the way the IRA did. That is a key reason why the IRA was able to carry out countless attacks, while the jihadis have managed only three. In the face of those who wish to spread fear, it is best to take a long view. Yet our immediate reaction to terrorist atrocities is often a relentless search for what is new and, by implication, more terrifying about the latest attack. On the BBC Today programme on Thursday, Sarah Montague pressed Michael Fallon, the defence secretary, on what she called the remarkable damage caused by this low-tech attack and the implications of something on this scale. Hers was not a measured tone: Its hard to see what can be done to make people feel safe, she said. Media hype about the Westminster attack will only encourage others | Simon Jenkins Read more Fallon for his part emphasised the difficulty of stopping lone-wolf, low-tech terrorism. Were dealing with an enemy, he said, a terrorist enemy that is not making demands or holding people hostage but simply wants to kill as many people as possible. So this is a new element to international terrorism. A new element? Has Sir Michael forgotten what happened on 11 September 2001? The search for what is new in every terrorist attack can cloud our thinking. And the governments assessment of the threat needs to be more clear-eyed than that of the defence secretary if it is to respond appropriately to this attack. My research indicates that Britain has shown restraint in its approach to domestic counter-terrorism since 9/11, notwithstanding the draconian instincts of Tony Blair and others. Theresa May has offered a measured public response to the attack on Westminster thus far. Yet this is also the era of Donald Trump and the politics of division and anti-immigrant sentiment. If official and media exaggerations of the terrorist threat go unchallenged and misperceptions deepen, there will be a greater risk of Britain overreacting in a way that would divide communities and play into terrorists hands.
Police release first official image of Westminster attacker Khalid Masood The police have released the first image of Westminster killer Khalid Masood and are appealing for more information on the man reportedly nicknamed "the Vampire" by neighbours. School images of Masood have been published, while his birth name is revealed as Adrian Russell Ajao. He also went by the name of Adrian Elms. Masood reportedly was on WhatsApp minutes before his rampage on Wednesday. He had a long criminal history, once stabbing a man in the face, and MI5 knew he was a terrorist sympathiser. His neighbours, however, saw only a quiet family man who took care of his garden. LONDON  The Metropolitan Police has released the first official image Khalid Masood, the man behind the brutal attack on Westminster, London, on Wednesday. Masood, 52, was born in Kent, grew up in Rye, East Sussex, and had previously been investigated by MI5 over concerns relating to violent extremism. His birth name was Adrian Russell Ajao, while he also called himself Adrian Elms, the police said. While authorities said they were not aware he was planning Wednesday's attack, the police indicated in a statement on Thursday that he had a string of previous convictions from 1982 to 2003. The married father of three was never convicted of any terrorism offences. The force appealed to the public for more information on Masood. School photos and WhatsApp messages The BBC and The Sun published other images of Masood on Friday afternoon. The photos show Masood with his football team at secondary school in Tunbridge Wells and in a posed image with classmates. Sky News and MailOnline have also reported that Masood was active on the Facebook-owned internet messaging service WhatsApp just minutes before the attack on Westminster Bridge. Screenshots show he had "seen" his messages at 2:37 p.m. on Wednesday, just three minutes before he drove a vehicle through pedestrians on the bridge. His messages were encrypted, but the police are believed to have seized his cellphone. Mark Rowley, the acting deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said the police were trying to determine whether Masood acted "totally alone" or was inspired by terrorist propaganda or whether anyone "encouraged, supported, or directed him." "At this point, I want to appeal specifically to the public," he said on Friday. "We remain keen to hear from anyone who knew Khalid Masood well; understands who his associates were; and can provide with information about places he has recently visited." Masood was not named for more than 24 hours as the police investigated the attack. In the early hours of Thursday morning, the police raided six addresses in London and Birmingham in connection with the investigation and made eight arrests. Two further "significant" arrests were made Thursday night, and nine people remain in custody, the police said. Aysha Frade and Kurt Cochran, two of the people who were killed by Masood's car. Sky News/Facebook PC Keith Palmer, a British police officer; Aysha Frade, a Spanish-born college worker; and Kurt Cochran, an American tourist, were killed in the attack. A fourth victim, a 75-year-old man named Leslie Rhodes, was named Friday morning. Two people remain in hospital in a critical condition, one with life-threatening injuries. Record of convictions In a statement, the Met Police said Masood was born in Kent on December 25, 1964. He was living in the West Midlands, the police confirmed. "His last was for an attack in 2003, where he stabbed a 22-year-old man in the face, leaving him slumped in the driveway of a nursing home in Eastbourne. The victim was left needing cosmetic surgery after the vicious attack. "He was later charged with GBH, wounding with intent and possessing an offensive weapon. "It is understood he was jailed for the attack and it is thought his indoctrination may have begun through meeting extremists while in prison." The police said he had not been convicted of any terrorism offences. Prime Minister Theresa May did say, however, that in addition to his encounters with the police, Masood was investigated by MI5 "in relation to concerns about violent extremism." 'The Vampire' ... a 'nice man' who wants a discount According to The Sun, he stayed at a 59-a-night hotel ($74) in Brighton on Tuesday night, telling workers before he left on the day of the attack that London "isn't what it used to be." Masood checked in at the Preston Park guest house on Friday night and then again on Tuesday night: "A source said: 'On both occasions he was asking for a cheaper rate. You would have thought if you were hellbent on committing a terror attack you'd chuck it all on a credit card and forget the cost." "Staff liked him so much they even wrote 'nice man' on his computer booking." The Hyundai 4x4 car he used to mow down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge was rented from Enterprise in Birmingham, according to reports. How the attack on Parliament unfolded At about 2:40 p.m. local time on Wednesday, an assailant drove a 4x4 car along Westminster Bridge  crowded with tourists  and hit many pedestrians. The driver then crashed the vehicle into railings near the houses of Parliament before entering the grounds and fatally stabbing Palmer. The BBC and Sky reported that the man, now identified as Masood, was shot dead by Defence Secretary Michael Fallon's security guard. A plain-clothed officer was pictured standing over the attacker with his gun. PA Masood was sprawled just metres away from Palmer. PA The attacker was stripped and searched, presumably for explosives, before being loaded into an ambulance. He died from his gunshot wounds.
Ms Szydlo's comments came shortly after the EU's migration commissioner, DimitrisAvramopoulos, on a visit to Warsaw, warned member states against failing to host refugees to help alleviate pressure on frontline states bearing the brunt of arrivals across the Mediterranean. Poland's right-wing Eurosceptic government has refused to accept any of the 6,200 migrants allocated to it under the European Union's quota scheme that was designed to share the burden of taking in the large numbers of refugees who have come to Europe over the past two years. The commissioner should concentrate on what to do to avoid such acts as yesterday in London," Ms Szydlo said, adding that her country would "not succumb to blackmail such as that expressed by the commissioner. She said that two days after Mr Avramopoulos' visit "another terrorist attack in London occurs". Ms Szydlo is one of a number of both British and European far right politicians to link the attack to migration policies. French National Front leader Marine Le Pen told both BFM TV and RMC radio: "The problem we have nowadays is this form of low-cost terrorism". She added "we must control our borders". In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage also argued that the London attacks proved Donald Trumps strict immigration and anti-Muslim policies were needed. Surely this is the big takeout: when Donald Trump tries to makes America safer, when Donald Trump tries to make sure that these scenes weve had in Paris, Brussels and Berlin and now London arent repeated in America, we have people on Fifth Avenue and behind me in Westminster out on the streets protesting, he told US broadcaster, Fox News.
It began like any other early afternoon in Westminster. Inside the Houses of Parliament, MPs were gathering in the Commons chamber to vote, while journalists and parliamentary staff worked in their offices, and parties of schoolchildren and other visitors mingled around the rambling parliamentary estate. Outside, on the street immediately below Big Ben and on Westminster Bridge, the pavements were packed as usual with tourists and pedestrians. Precisely what happened next will be the subject of intense inquiries by police and the security services for some time. According to multiple witnesses, however, shortly after 2.30pm a car travelled at speed across Westminster Bridge in the direction of parliament, mounting the pavement and careering into pedestrians. It struck and injured dozens of people, many of them foreign tourists. Three of those hit were killed, others sustained injuries that one junior doctor from St Thomas hospital, at the opposite end of Westminster Bridge, described as catastrophic and life-changing. Three of the injured were police officers; two of them seriously hurt. One woman leapt or was thrown into the Thames; she was recovered from the water alive but with serious injuries. Images posted on social media in the hours that followed would show at least one other badly injured victim who had apparently fallen or jumped from the bridge to a stairwell below. Rob Lyon, 34, from Rugby, was walking along the bridge when he heard quite a loud crunch noise of a wheel hitting a kerb, and looked up to see the car hitting people as it sped towards him. A colleague I was with, James, I heard him sort of shout. I instinctively jumped off the pavement. I could see people being hit. He was, he thinks, about a metre from being struck himself. He said he saw about five people lying on the ground around him. [I saw] people who had been hit by a car at speed  it was harrowing, he said. I just sort of went into shock mode. I didnt necessarily run and help people, I just looked around me. I couldnt really work out what had happened. Gathering his wits, he dialled 999, then gave a woman his coat as a pillow, kneeling beside her until the ambulance arrived. Some of the injured, it later emerged, were French students aged 15 and 16 from the Saint-Joseph de Concarneau secondary school in Brittany. Ouest-France newspaper reported that three students were injured, two critically. Westminster attack: four confirmed dead including police officer and attacker - live Read more But the incident, dreadfully, was not to end there. Having careered to the eastern end of the bridge, immediately beneath Big Ben, the car, a dark grey Hyundai i40, sharply crossed the cycle lane and mounted the pavement again, before crashing into the black railings that enclose the parliament complex, striking at least one other person. Alan Parry, of Sky Sports News, was just outside Westminster underground station, immediately opposite the scene, when he heard an almighty crash and saw the crashed car. There was smoke coming from this vehicle. I walked on a few paces further and saw what I assumed to be either a pedestrian or a cyclist who had clearly been hit and wasnt moving, although he did then gently move. The guy who I assumed was the driver of this 4x4 got out of the car and suddenly sprinted away from the scene  that was followed by four of what sounded much like gunshots. All of a sudden all hell was let loose. Police descended everywhere and the whole area was locked down. From her familys newspaper kiosk on the opposite side of the road, Kirsten Hurrell, 70, also witnessed the immediate aftermath of the crash. I thought initially it was some kind of accident, she told the Guardian. Then I heard a couple of sharp noises. It could have been gunshots. I wasnt sure. Someone, perhaps a cyclist, was lying on the ground near the car  they didnt look very good  and steam was coming from the vehicle, she said. Fearful it might explode, she fled. She did not see what happened to the driver of the vehicle, but police later confirmed that it was this man  not, as was initially feared, an accomplice  who seconds later dashed on foot through the gates of the parliamentary complex. Play Video 0:22 People flee parliament as gunshots ring out  video What happened next was witnessed by a number of parliamentary journalists, whose offices immediately overlook New Palace Yard, the cobbled square through which many MPs and peers drive each day to access parliaments underground carpark. Quentin Letts, the Daily Mails parliamentary sketch-writer, has a desk near the window overlooking the yard; on hearing a loud crash and some screams, he told BBC news, he and his colleagues rushed to see what was happening. Then I saw a thick-set man dressed in black clothes, he looked I would say about 40 years old, I dont think he had much hair, running ... through the gates. He seemed to have something in his hand, a stick or something like that. A policeman who tried to challenge the man had fallen over, Letts said, and the attacker was hitting him, possibly striking him or knifing him. The weapon was a knife, and the stab wounds inflicted would prove fatal. The victim was later named as PC Keith Palmer, a 48-year-old officer with 15 years service who was a husband and father. The attacker then ran towards the entrance of the parliament building that is used by MPs each day. He got about 15 yards or so when he was shot by two plain-clothes men who had come out of the building, having been summoned by the uniformed police, said Letts. Before shooting, they shouted something at the man, and he appeared to ignore them and still ran towards them, and they shot him about three times. For those inside the parliament buildings, the realisation of the horror outside was just beginning to dawn. Labour MP Mary Creagh said she and other colleagues were on their way to vote, making their way from Portcullis House, where many MPs have their offices, through the underground walkway beneath Westminster Bridge that opens directly into New Palace Yard. I was met by about 50 people running in the opposite direction and saying, Shots have been fired  get out, get out now! Unable to get back into Portcullis House, they were forced through the heavily guarded security doors that open into Westminster underground station. I could see there were a whole bunch of tourists just milling around, about to go into a potentially very dangerous situation. So I went to the control room, I said: Youve got to shut the station down. News was also spreading rapidly inside the Palace of Westminster itself. At 2.44pm, as MPs anxiously gathered inside the Commons chamber itself, the deputy speaker, Lindsay Hoyle, got to his feet to declare parliamentary business suspended  but please stay where you are. Fifteen minutes later, David Lidington, the Commons leader, told the packed benches that a serious incident had taken place, and for the time being the Commons chamber itself should remain in lockdown. Journalists, MPs and visitors were similarly told not to leave the offices and rooms where they were. St Thomas hospital, similarly, went into lockdown, with visitors advised not to leave. The London Eye, immediately opposite parliament at the far side of the bridge, ground to a standstill, trapping dozens of sightseers inside the attractions pods for 15 minutes. Theresa May, the prime minister, had been ushered to a government car and driven at high speed to Downing Street. In a brief statement, a spokesperson said she was being kept updated on the situation. Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary, later tweeted that May had spoken to Donald Trump about the incident. Outside, while shocked passers-by struggled to understand what they had witnessed, others leapt into action. One of the first to arrive at New Palace Yard was Tobias Ellwood MP, a foreign office minister and himself a former soldier, who attempted to resuscitate the injured policeman by giving CPR. Ellwoods brother, Jon, was killed in the Bali terror attack in 2002. On Westminster Bridge, similarly, passers-by attempted to comfort the injured until paramedics arrived, no more than six minutes after the first 999 call was made at 2.40pm. Police and emergency vehicles rushed to the scene, and speedy cordons were thrown up around the parliament buildings. The cordons were gradually pushed back as the secure area was widened by armed police. As the day drew to a close, Mark Rowley, the Metropolitan polices assistant commissioner and head of counter-terrorism, confirmed the provisional toll. Five people were dead, including the stabbed policeman, the attacker, and three on the bridge. Around 40 people were injured, some of them severely. This is a day that we had planned for  that we all hoped would never happen, but sadly it is now a reality, Rowley said. Hundreds of officers are now working on the investigation, focusing in particular on the motivation, preparation and associates of the dead attacker, said Rowley. One of those who may be key to it is Craig Mackey, as acting commissioner currently the Mets most senior officer, who happened to be at the scene when it unfolded. On an incredibly sad and sombre day, especially for the Metropolitan police and all those affected, it was only right, he said, that I mention the pride I feel in our officers swift and brave response. At 9pm, May emerged from Downing Street after chairing a meeting of Cobra, the government crisis committee. The sick and depraved incident had been the work of a single attacker, she confirmed; Britains security alert status, which has been severe for some time, would not change. She paid tribute to the exceptional men and women of the emergency services, and said her sympathies were with the victims themselves and their families and friends, who waved their loved ones off but will not be welcoming them home. Any attempt to undermine Britains values of democracy, freedom, human rights and the rule of law would fail, the prime minister added: Tomorrow morning, parliament will meet as normal. We will come together as normal. And Londoners and [other visitors] will get up and go about their day as normal.
LONDON  One was a police constable who spent 15 years with the Metropolitan Police in London. A second was a teacher who, according to reports, was walking from her school along Westminster Bridge. Another was a man from Utah who was on vacation with his wife, celebrating their 25th anniversary. The fourth was a 75-year-old man, whose family removed him from life support. They were all killed by an assailant who plowed through pedestrians on the bridge  injuring at least 50 others in the heart of the city  crashed his vehicle into a fence and then emerged with knives to stab the constable on Wednesday. Among the wounded, many of them foreign tourists, were 12 Britons, four South Koreans, three French high school students, two Romanians, two Greeks and one citizen each of China, Germany, Ireland, Italy and the United States. On Thursday afternoon local time, the police identified the assailant, who was shot and killed by officers, as Khalid Masood, 52. In a speech at Parliament, Prime Minister Theresa May said the attacker was British-born and was previously investigated by MI5, Britains domestic counterintelligence agency, for possible ties to violent extremism. The prime minister visited victims at a hospital in London for 40 minutes on Thursday, according to her office. Many of them had not been publicly identified. At a news conference, Mark Rowley, the assistant police commissioner, cited both the police investigation and the need to notify family members as reasons. But information has dribbled out. Image Keith Palmer, 48, a police constable, was one of three victims killed in the attack in London on Wednesday. The assailant was killed.CreditMetropolitan Police/Press Association, via Associated Press  Police Constable Keith Palmer, 48, a member of the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command, was patrolling the Parliament building when the assailant fatally stabbed him. Tributes for Constable Palmer have poured in. He was someone who left for work today expecting to return home at the end of his shift, and he had every right to expect that would happen, Commissioner Rowley said in a statement. Mayor Sadiq Khan said, Keith Palmer was killed while bravely doing his duty  protecting our city and the heart of our democracy from those who want to destroy our way of life. James Cleverly, a lawmaker, said on Twitter that he had served in the Royal Artillery with Constable Palmer, calling him a lovely man, a friend.  Kurt Cochran, an American traveling in Europe with his wife, Melissa Payne Cochran, died of injuries sustained in the attack, according to a statement from the family issued through the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City. Clint Payne, Mr. Cochrans brother-in-law, said in the statement: Our family is heartbroken to learn of the death of our brother- and son-in-law, Kurt W. Cochran, who was a victim of Wednesdays terrorist attack in London. Kurt was a good man and a loving husband to our sister and daughter, Melissa. They were in Europe to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary, and were scheduled to return to the United States on Thursday. Mr. Cochrans wife was also wounded in the attack, and she was hospitalized with a broken leg, a broken rib and a cut on her head, said her sister Sarah Payne-Mcfarlane in a post on Facebook. Their parents were serving as missionaries in London, according to the church. The couple ran a recording studio in West Bountiful, Utah, and Mr. Cochran had shared pictures of their stops in Germany and Scotland. Image A Facebook picture of Aysha Frade, 43, a British teacher who lived in London with her husband and two daughters.  Aysha Frade, 43, a British teacher, lived in London with her husband and two daughters. She taught Spanish not far from Westminster Bridge, according to the Spanish newspaper La Voz de Galicia, and she had family in Spain, according to the Spanish Foreign Ministry. Ms. Frades mother immigrated to Britain from Betanzos, a Galician town in northwestern Spain. Ms. Frades two sisters run the Academia Notting Hill language school in Betanzos and live in a village nearby. Her father is of Turkish Cypriot descent, a family friend said. On Thursday, the Betanzos town hall held a moment of silence at noon to honor Ms. Frade. Local leaders decreed three days of mourning. Ms. Frade, 43, was a British citizen, but her link with our town was always very strong, Jos Luis Pariente, a Betanzos town hall official, said by phone. She came back here to visit every summer. Amy Winter, the family friend and a neighbor in the Notting Hill district of London, said on the phone: When I think of Aysha, I think of her radiant smile. She always cheered people up. It crushes me to know that she was going to pick up her girls when she was killed, she said, adding, They were everything to her. Rachel Borland, the principal of DLD College London, said in a statement: We are all deeply shocked and saddened at the news that one of the victims yesterday was a member of our staff, Aysha Frade. All our thoughts and our deepest sympathies are with her family.  Leslie Rhodes, 75, a retired window cleaner from the Streatham neighborhood of south London, was injured in the rampage. He was removed from life support on Thursday. One of his neighbors, Michael Carney, told local news media that he had known Mr. Rhodes for 40 years, calling him the nicest mind you ever met. Another neighbor described Mr. Rhodes as fit as a fiddle and said he wasnt married and had no children. Mr. Carney said his own relatives went to the hospital to be by Mr. Rhodess side. My wife and my two girls went up there and were with him until he died, playing him music, Mr. Carney said. He liked Queen and that. He added: He had no one. You cant have someone dying on their own.  Three of the wounded were 10th-grade boys from France who were on the bridge with other visiting students. The three attended St.-Joseph high school in Concarneau, Brittany, according to the French Foreign Ministry. The mother of one of the injured students told the French news media that he had borrowed a friends cellphone to text that he was O.K. His phone didnt work, but he must have known I would try to reach him because I immediately got a text message from him, the mother, Isabelle Calvez, said on French television. He told me he was O.K., but had the incident happened 20 seconds later, he wouldve been hit by the car. She added that two of the other students had fractured arms and legs, while another had a neck injury. On Thursday, the French Education Ministry said that the injured students from Brittany had been treated and that their conditions were no longer life-threatening. Juliette Meadel, the government minister for victims affairs, told CNEWS that the three students were among a group of 56 that went to a nearby hostel after the attack. A second group from the high school, with 36 students, was in another location in London when the attack occurred. Ms. Meadel said the uninjured students would return to France on Thursday. There are more than 4,200 students in London on school trips from France, according to the Education Ministry. Most of the other planned school trips to London on Thursday or Friday have been postponed. Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve of France expressed solidarity with our British friends hurt in the attack and offered full support to the injured French pupils, their families and their classmates.  Five South Koreans were among the 29 people hospitalized. They were wounded when they were mobbed by a crowd fleeing the attack site, according to the South Korean Foreign Ministry. Four of them  three women and a man in their 50s and 60s  sustained fractures and other injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening. A 67-year-old woman, however, suffered a head injury when she was pushed by the fleeing crowd, according to South Korean news reports. She later had surgery to treat her injuries.  The two Romanian victims, Andrei Burnaz, 32, and Andreea Cristea, 31, are from the Black Sea port city of Constanta, according to the Romanian news agency Mediafax, which quoted an official as saying they were in London to celebrate Mr. Burnazs birthday. Ms. Cristea went into the Thames off Westminster Bridge when the assailant drove through the crowd, and news reports said she suffered serious head injuries and lung damage. She was rescued, and Mr. Burnazs foot was fractured.  At least three of those injured after being driven at by a vehicle were members of the police force, and were in stable condition.  A woman described as an Australian permanent resident was among the wounded, according to that nations government. Australian news outlets reported that the assailants vehicle had run over her foot on the bridge. The woman, originally from Germany, lives in South Australia, according to an Australian news report.  Two Greeks were hospitalized for minor injuries, according to Alexis Georgiades, the press counselor at the Greek Embassy in London. Hannah Olivennes and Ceylan Yeginsu reported from London, and Gerry Mullany from Hong Kong. Reporting was contributed by Sewell Chan and Iliana Magra from London, Kit Gillet from Bucharest, Romania, Su Hyun Lee from Seoul, South Korea, and Raphael Minder and Richard Prez-Pea from New York.
Westminster attack: London marks one year since deadly terror attack Twelve months on from Londons Westminster terror attack  the first in a spate of brutal violence that rocked the city last year  the victims and their families say the pain is still raw. On March 22, 2017, UK-born terrorist Khalid Masood drove a rental car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge in the centre of London, before fatally stabbing PC Keith Palmer on the grounds of Parliament and eventually being shot dead by armed police. Four others were killed that day  mother-of-two Aysha Frade, 43, US tourist Kurt Cochran, 54, retired window cleaner Leslie Rhodes, 75, and Romanian tourist Andreea Cristea, 31, who was with her boyfriend who had planned on proposing to her. Dozens more were injured, including Adelaide mother Trish Neis-Beer, who was in the UK to visit her daughter. I heard the news from Andrei (Ms Cristeas boyfriend) 10 minutes after the attack. He rang on her phone. He told me a car crashed into them and that he could not find Andreea. He was screaming, everyone was screaming in the background. Ms Cristea had been thrown into the freezing River Thames when Masood ploughed his car into her. She suffered critical injuries and her life support machine was turned off two weeks later. The big sadness is this child of 31 years is not with us and we miss her very much, and even one year on we cant imagine she will not come back at all, Ms Toi said. The reality of losing her forever is a pain we live with every day for the rest of our lives. Andrei Burnaz and Andreea Cristea. (AP/AAP) (AP/AAP) MP Tobias Ellwood was one of the first to rush to the aid of PC Palmer after he was stabbed by Masood. He was captured by photographers administering CPR on the officer, which has come to be one of most poignant images from the attack. Mr Ellwood said he thinks of PC Palmer every day as he enters Parliament. Keith will be front and centre of my thoughts on Thursday as I walk in, he told The Sun. The sacrifice he and others made that day will never be forgotten. It made me realise how vulnerable life can be. You just never know what is around the corner. MP Tobias Ellwood tried to resuscitate PC Palmer. (AP/AAP) (AP/AAP) American tourists Melissa and Kurt Cochran were in the UK celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary when the attack took place. Mr Cochran was killed in the rampage and Mrs Cochran was left seriously injured. She has since returned to the US and said she misses Kurt everyday. While I continue to grieve my husband and all the victims, I strive to move ahead and focus my recovery as well as honouring Kurts life by advocating love, forgiveness and peace, she told the Evening Standard. To mark the anniversary of the attack, mourners placed flowers on the bridge, and outside New Gate Palace gates. The City of London said to commemorate this attack, and the four other attacks in London last year, a 3D installation of the phrase #LondonUnited will be on display. The public will be able to sign a digital book of hope, and interact with the installation by sending messages of strength, hope and resilience using #LondonUnited on social media, which will then be projected onto a map of London that #LondonUnited will stand on, the City said in a statement. #LondonUnited will be projected onto the Houses of Parliament, London Bridge, Finsbury Park Mosque and Parsons Green Tube station on the anniversaries of the attacks. Londoners will never forget the horrific terror attacks on our city in 2017, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said. We will never forget the bravery of our emergency services and first responders who ran towards danger while urging the rest of us to run to safety. And we will never forget the courage of PC Keith Palmer who paid the ultimate sacrifice whilst protecting Parliament. These were not only attacks on our city and our country, but on the very heart of our democracy and the values we cherish most  freedom, justice and tolerance.
PM visits injured in London hospital Theresa May has made a 40-minute private visit to an unnamed London hospital to comfort victims of yesterdays attacks and thank medical staff, her spokesman said at this afternoons lobby briefing. May also travelled to Buckingham Palace last night, at about 6pm, to hold her usual audience with the Queen, the spokesman confirmed. He said May had signed the condolence book for the victims of the attacks and had received calls from a series of world leaders since the attack, including the French president, Franois Hollande, German chancellor Angela Merkel and Donald Trump. Keith Palmer's family pay tribute to 'brave and courageous' officer The family of PC Keith Palmer have released a statement through the Met police: Keith will be remembered as a wonderful dad and husband. A loving son, brother and uncle. A longtime supporter of Charlton FC. Dedicated to his job and proud to be a police officer, brave and courageous. A friend to everyone who knew him. He will be deeply missed. We love him so much. His friends and family are shocked and devastated by his loss and ask that they are left to grieve alone in peace. The police have also released more details of Palmers career, he joined the parliamentary and diplomatic protection command in April 2016 and before that was in the territorial support group, based at Catford but patrolling and working across London. Before the TSG, he was based in Bromley borough between 2002 and 2009. Keith was 48 and joined the Met in November 2001. He was married with a five-year-old daughter. He was nominated in 2015 for best thief taker in the Commissioners Excellence Awards, having made more than 150 arrests in 12 months. PC James Aitkenhead, who worked alongside him in the TSG, called him a genuinely nice person. When I heard what had happened I knew it would be him because thats just the sort of guy he was, to step straight in when others might step back. He had a great work ethic, he worked on our warrants car for years, getting up at 4am to serve warrants and arresting wanted offenders. He was always so positive, always staying late after everyone else and getting in early. In his personal life he was a massive Charlton Athletic fan and had a season ticket. We will miss him so much. Insp Mark Turner, from the parliamentary and diplomatic protection command, who most recently worked withPalmer, said: He really was a solid reliable member of the team  he came in and just got the job done, quietly and efficiently. He was a fantastic member of staff and will be sorely missed. As a mark of respect, Palmers shoulder number  4157U  will be retired and not reissued to any other officer. Jeremy Corbyn has been laying flowers on Westminster Bridge as a tribute to those killed yesterday. He also said he had signed the book of condolence for PC Keith Palmer. He said Palmer was a great man who did a great job in parliament. A woman from an inner-city Birmingham estate that was raided by anti-terror police has claimed the dead London terrorist was her neighbour. Iwona Romek, a factory worker who did not know the attackers name, described the killer as a father who was a keen gardener and lived with his Asian wife and young child. Romek, 45, who has lived in Quayside in Winson Green for 12 years, confirmed she knew the London terrorist when she was shown a photograph of him on the stretcher. I have been so shocked by it all. They were a nice family, very reserved. He was very calm. I saw the photos on the TV and knew it was the man who lived here. He had a wife, a young Asian woman, and a small child who went to school. Romek said the family moved out a few months ago. The house is now occupied by new tenants. On Thursday afternoon a police van remained parked outside the white front door. He was a nice guy. I used to see him outside doing his garden. Never any trouble. Romek said the man and his family moved out around Christmas very suddenly and did not say goodbye. Describing the late-night raid, she said officers had swarmed the terraced mews house. I just heard a lot of banging and shouting. They were shouting to open the door. It was all a bit scary. There was a helicopter above and men in white suits. The JustGiving page set up to support the family of PC Keith Palmer has now raised more than 100,000, a spokesman for the site said. It is now the fastest growing JustGiving crowdfunding page in history. The site reached its 100,000 target in just over six hours with donations from more than 5,500 members of the public. JustGiving has also made a donation of 10,000. Boris Johnson is addressing the UN security council in New York on Thursday. He was in Washington when the attack took place, where he was offered President Trumps personal condolences by vice-president Mike Pence. Sources close to the former mayor of London said he was shocked and disgusted by the attack on his home city and that the terrorist attack underlined the importance of confronting Daesh [Isis], the topic of yesterdays talks in the US capital. He is expected to travel on to Turkey, where he will discuss heightened aviation security measures. This is what he tweeted about the attack yesterday. Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) Heartbreaking. This is not the first attack on London or our Parliament - and won't be the last - but our values will prevail.
Related Headlines Police say the driver, armed with a knife, then attacked an officer who was guarding Parliament. The attacker was shot and killed by police. British police say one policeman and three civilians were killed in the attack. The policeman killed in the attack was identified at 48-year-old Keith Palmer, a 15-year Metropolitan Police veteran. Flights return to Atlanta from London Channel 2's Justin Wilfon spoke to metro Atlantans who were glad to be back on U.S. soil. "I'm happy to be here now. Happy to be on the ground," traveler Jack Albanese said. Many passengers didn't know of the attack until they landed. "We just heard from the flight attendant that there had been an attack in London," traveler Mark Thebaut said. "I had about 40 texts from my family wanting to know if I was home safe, so that's how I knew that something had happened," traveler Linda Webster said. Wilfon also stopped by a British-themed shop at the Marietta Square, where everyone who came in was talking about the attack. "It's just very, very said. Very heartbreaking. Just the shock and the horror," owner and UK native Tina Barnes said. Minute by Minute Coverage The Latest on reports of an incident outside Britain's parliament: 8:15 p.m. South Korea's foreign ministry said five South Koreans in their 50s and 60s were among the 40 people injured in London during the terror attack outside Parliament. The ministry said they were hurt when they were caught up in a stampede of people trying to escape the attack. ___ 6:30 p.m. British police say five people died in the terror attack outside Parliament. Counter-terrorism chief Mark Rowley said one policeman, three civilians and the attacker died. He said a further 40 people were wounded. U.K. police say extra armed officers to be on the streets in the next few days. ----- 5 p.m. Prime Minister Theresa May has condemned the "sick and depraved terrorist attack" in London and says the targeting Parliament was no accident. In a late-night statement outside her Downing Street office Wednesday, a defiant May said the nation will not give in to terror and those who targeted the seat of power in Britain. She insisted that "tomorrow morning Parliament will meet as normal," and urged the country to move on and behave as normal on Thursday. May says "we will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart." The prime minister confirmed that four people died in the attack and praised the security services who ran toward danger. ___ 4 p.m. A French government plane is set to fly to London Wednesday evening to bring the families of three French students wounded in the attacks at the British Parliament to their loved ones. French President Francois Hollande announced the move in a statement Wednesday night after speaking with British Prime Minister Theresa May. May confirmed to Hollande that three French high school students from France's western Britanny region were wounded in the attacks, the statement said. Hollande offered his condolences to May for those who died in the attacks and expressed France's solidarity with Britain "in this tragic ordeal." "The British and French services are in close contact to conduct the investigation," Hollande added. Romania's foreign ministry says two Romanians were wounded in a deadly attack in London's Westminster that left four dead. The ministry said the two had been taken to a hospital for treatment. There were no further details on the identity of the two or how seriously they were injured. The ministry said it had been informed by authorities in London. A knife-wielding man went on a deadly rampage near the Parliament, mowing down pedestrians on London's Westminster Bridge before stabbing an armed police officer to death inside the gates of Parliament. Four people were killed, including the attacker. About 20 others were injured. ___ 3:20 p.m. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy condemned the deadly attack in London's Westminster on Wednesday and offered condolences to the British people in a telegram sent to his British counterpart Theresa May. "An execrable terrorist act like the one that took place today is a reminder that we face complex challenges for the security of our societies," said Rajoy in a transcript of the telegram distributed by Moncloa, the prime minister's palace. "We must remain united against these type of threats that affect all of us equally and that know no barriers," Rajoy wrote, offering Spain's support to the UK. Israel, which that has faced a wave of Palestinian car ramming, stabbing and shooting assaults since 2015, also expressed solidarity with the victims of the London attack. Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely said in a statement. "Israel expresses its deep shock at the terror attack in London today and its solidarity with the victims and with the people and government of Great Britain. Terror is terror wherever it occurs and we will fight it relentlessly." ___ 2:50 p.m. One British lawmaker was hailed by some as a hero in Wednesday's attack on the British Parliament. Conservative parliamentarian and Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood, whose brother was killed in the Bali terror attack in 2002, performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on the police officer who was stabbed and later died. About 10 yards away was the attacker who was shot dead by police after scaling the security wall toward Parliament's grounds. Ellwood, who served in the British military, applied pressure to the police officer's multiple lacerations. Photographs showed Ellwood's bloodied hands and face from the police officer's wounds while the alleged attacker was seen nearby. ___ 2:20 p.m. The White House is condemning the attacks in London involving a car rampage and knife attack. President Donald Trump is said to be monitoring developments. Spokesman Sean Spicer said Wednesday Trump spoke with British Prime Minister Theresa May and said that the White House applauds "the quick response of British police and first responders" and condemns the attacks. A vehicle mowed down pedestrians on a bridge and the attacker then stabbed a police officer outside the British Parliament. At least four people died, including the attacker and a police officer. Spicer says that the city of London and the British government have the "full support" of the U.S. as they investigate the attack. The U.S. Homeland Security Department says the security posture in the United States has not changed in the wake of the attack. ___ 2:15 p.m. The Italian interior ministry says the nation's top security and intelligence officials will huddle in Rome on Thursday for "an evaluation of the terrorist threat" after the attacks in London. The ministry said minister Marco Minniti convened the Committee of Strategic Anti-terrorism Analyses following "the tragic facts in London," in which a vehicle mowed down pedestrians on a bridge and the attacker then stabbed a police officer outside the British Parliament. At least four people died, including the attacker and a police officer. Italian security was already on high alert for a European Union summit bringing EU nation leaders to Rome Friday for a meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican, and a ceremony in the Italian capital Saturday. Authorities are bracing for possible violence during several marches Saturday, drawing thousands of both pro-and anti-EU participants. 2:15 p.m. Vice President Mike Pence tweeted about the attack: Thinking of victims and families in London and praying for everyone's safety. The head of counterterrorism at London's Metropolitan Police, says four people have died in the terror incident in London, including an attacker and a police officer. Mark Rowley says some 20 people have been wounded and Parliament was locked down. A search is underway to make certain no other attackers are in the area - though police believe there was only one attacker. Rowley said the dead policeman was one of the armed officers who guard Parliament. The other victims were on Westminster Bridge. Rowley says "We are satisfied at this stage that it looks like there was only one attacker. But it would be foolish to be overconfident early on." 1:25 p.m. French Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve says that French high school students are among the wounded in the attack in London. In a tweet Wednesday, Cazeneuve offered support to the British as well as to "the French students wounded, their families and their schoolmates." London is a common destination for French school trips. ___ 1:15 p.m. British port officials say they pulled a woman from the Thames River following the incident on Westminster Bridge. The Port of London Authority says a female member of the public was recovered from the river, injured but alive. The authority says it has closed the river between Vauxhall Bridge and Embankment while a major security operation is under way after a suspected terror attack at the Houses of Parliament in London. ------ 1:10 p.m. Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May will chair a meeting of the government emergency committee to discuss the response to the terror incident in London. The emergency committee known as Cobra coordinates the high-level response to serious incidents. It brings together government ministers with senior officials of the emergency services and security and intelligence agencies. Such meetings are held after serious incidents such at the July 7, 2005, attack on London transport services. The Wednesday meeting is held in the briefing room of the Cabinet Office on Whitehall. "We were just walking up to the station and there was a loud bang and a guy, someone, crashed a car and took some pedestrians out," he said. "They were just laying there and then the whole crowd just surged around the corner by the gates just opposite Big Ben. "A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman. "I have never seen anything like that. I just can't believe what I just saw." Lawmaker Adam Holloway told the AP he saw people running and immediately ran into his offices in Parliament to be with his staff. "A lot of us are locked in with our staff at the moment," he said. ___ 12 p.m. The White House says U.S. President Donald Trump has been briefed on a gun and knife incident at Britain's Parliament in London. Trump himself said during a brief appearance Wednesday before reporters at the White House that he was just getting the news. He called it "big news." Trump's spokesman, Sean Spicer, says the U.S. will continue to monitor the situation and update the president. Britain's Parliament was on lockdown after - according to officials - an assailant stabbed an officer then was shot by police. London Police also said officers were called to an incident on nearby Westminster Bridge ORIGINAL STORY: Britain's Parliament was on lockdown Wednesday after an assailant stabbed an officer, then was shot by police, officials said. London Police also said officers were called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby. The UK Press Association reported that doctors said one woman has died and others have `catastrophic' injuries. London police say they are treating the gun and knife incident at Britain's Parliament "as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise." On the bridge, witnesses said a vehicle struck several people, and photos showed a car plowed into railings. Witnesses in Parliament reported hearing sounds like gunfire. A British lawmaker says he heard four gunshots and was told to crawl for cover. Leader of the House of Commons David Lidington said an assailant at Parliament was shot and that there were reporters of further violent incidents in the vicinity." The former Polish foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski posted a video on Twitter that seems to show people lying injured in the road on Westminster Bridge.
An attacker stabbed a police officer and was shot by police on the grounds outside Britains Parliament, sending the compound into lockdown on Wednesday. Around the same time, a vehicle mowed down pedestrians on nearby Westminster Bridge. Authorities said they were treating the attack as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise. London police confirmed four deaths in the attack, including an assailant, a policeman protecting the parliament and one woman. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. London police said they were called to a firearms incident on Westminster Bridge near the British parliament. We were called at approx 2:40 pm to reports of an incident at #Westminster Bridge. Being treated as a firearms incident - police on scene, the Metropolitan police tweeted. Meanwhile, Transport for London said the underground station at Westminster has been shut at the request of the police. The threat level for international terrorism in the UK was listed at severe. Wednesday was the anniversary of suicide bombings in the Brussels airport and subway that killed 32 people. Londons police commander said a full counter terrorism investigation is underway. 11:30pm: Head of counter terrorism at Londons Metropolitan Police, Mark Rowley, says they believe there was only one attacker 11:25pm: Rowley confirms four deaths, including one assailant and one policeman. Also confirm 20 injured 11:14pm: BBC reports one policeman is dead 11:13pm: Police search for one more person believed to have been part of the attack. 10:58pm: The London Ambulance Service said on Wednesday it had treated at least 10 people on Westminster Bridge, near Britains parliament building, after an attack police have described as a terrorist incident. 10:50pm: India condemns the Westminster terrorist incident and condoles loss of life. An MEA statement on Twitter said, No place in democracies & civilised societies for terrorism. Any Indians injured during Westminster incident today may reach Public Response Unit of HCI ASAP:info.london@hcilondon.in; 02086295950 10:45pm: Three French citizens injured in London attack, according to French diplomatic source: Reuters 10:40pm: British port officials say they pulled a woman from the Thames River following the incident on Westminster Bridge. The Port of London Authority says a female member of the public was recovered from the river, injured but alive. 10:34pm: Police say there are an unspecified number of casualties, including police officers 9:19pm: British lawmaker Grant Shapps said on Twitter that he was walking through the cloisters of the House of Commons to vote when he heard four gunshots. Police told lawmakers to get down on the ground and crawl to cover. 9:04pm: A European security official says there was increased chatter on jihadi networks Tuesday following the UKs adoption of an electronics ban aboard flights from certain mostly Muslim countries, reports AP. He said, however, there was no information that the incident was terror-related. 8:57pm: David Lidington, leader of House of Commons, says there are reports of further violent incidents neaby. Westminster is the area of central London on the north bank of the Thames river that is home to some of Londons most historic buildings, including the Palace of Westminster or the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey and Westminster Cathedral. Whitehall, a street connecting to Parliament Square, is home to key ministries, including the defence ministry and cabinet office.
Conclusion Well be bringing you more updates throughout that day from 7am tomorrow morning. Have a nice evening. 19:32David Rivers More footage shows thousands at vigil 19:25David Rivers Neighbours of Westminster attacker tell of their shock Neighbours of the terrorist, Khalid Masood, who was behind the Westminster attack have spoken of their shock that he was responsible for the atrocity, reports Press Association. Masood was born in Kent and was thought to be most recently living in the West Midlands. Police have been searching a three-storey townhouse in the Winson Green area of Birmingham and neighbours said Masood lived there for around seven months until December last year. Iwona Romek said she could not believe her eyes when she realised the man who had lived near her was the same person responsible for the attack. She said: I am very surprised, I cannot believe it. Because when I saw him, I couldnt even see that he could do something like this. Now Im scared that someone like that was living close to me. She added: I see pictures of him lying injured and from that picture I can see its him. And my partner as well, he has seen the picture, he is at work, and when I showed it him he said oh my God its him. Ms Romek said she had seen him with a child, aged between five and six years old, and a partner, but that they had moved away around two to three months ago. Armed police also raided a flat in another part of the city, storming the second-storey property on Hagley Road overnight. Stunned residents described seeing more than a dozen black-clad officers equipped with machine guns smashing their way into the Birmingham flat, believed to be a rental, at about 11pm on Wednesday. The Metropolitan Police have confirmed the raid was part of a wider operation in which several addresses were searched and eight arrests made. One witness who works in a shop near the second-floor Birmingham flat told the Press Association: The man from London lived here. He added: They came and arrested three men. Another resident said he recalled two men living there. He heard one man in the flat speaking on the phone in what he described as an Arabic or Pakistani accent, saying he had heard it for the last two or three nights. Masood is also thought to have lived in London, with a man of his name registered to an address in a terraced street in West Ham. A neighbour, who asked not to be named, told the Press Association: This guy is a local guy. Ive been living in the area for 20 years. I dont know him personally but I believe he belongs to a mosque on Leyton High Road. Ive seen his face many times. I saw him on the news at around 7pm last night and thought this is the guy I know from the mosque. 19:02David Rivers Met police: 'We stand together' 18:25David Rivers Tourists speak out We spoke to tourists this morning about how the terror attack had affected them. Heres what they said: Footage shows people gathering for vigil Killer Khalid Masood had string of previous convictions The Westminster terrorist has been named as a 52-year-old with a string of criminal convictions including possession of a knife. Scotland Yard said Masood was not the subject of any current investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack. However, he was known to police and has a range of previous convictions for assaults, including GBH, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences. Masoods first conviction was in November 1983 for criminal damage and his last conviction was in December 2003 for possession of a knife. He has not been convicted for any terrorism offences, the Met said. Earlier on Thursday Prime Minister Theresa May disclosed the terrorist was British-born and known to police and MI5. He was once investigated in relation to concerns about violent extremism some years ago but was a peripheral figure. The case is historic and the attacker was not part of the current intelligence picture, Mrs May added. 16:36 Fundraising page reaches 100,000 in just six hours The JustGiving page set up to support the family of PC Keith Palmer, the Metropolitan Police officer who was fatally stabbed in yesterdays tragic terror attack at Westminster, has now raised over 100,000 with donations continuing to flood in 16:34 His badge number will be retired As a sign of respect, the Metropolitan Police will be retiring PC Palmers shoulder number - 4157U - after his death. It will not be issued to any other officer. 16:33 Fellow officer at Parliament speaks A colleague who worked most recently with PC Palmer, Inspector Mark Turner from the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command, said: He was a really solid, reliable member of the team - he came in and just got the job done, quietly and efficiently. He was a fantastic member of staff and will be sorely missed. 16:29 Nominated for an award for catching thieves PC Palmer had a phenomenal record for catching criminals during career. In 2015, he was nominated for the best thief taker in the Commissioners Excellence Awards after he made more than 150 arrests in 12 months. 16:23 Colleagues also pay tribute to murdered father PC Palmers Met Police colleagues have also praised him as a genuinely nice person. PC James Aitkenhead, who worked with him at the Territorial Support Group, said: Keith was a genuinely nice person; nobody had a bad word to say about him. When I heard what had happened I knew it would be him because thats just the sort of guy he was, to step straight in when others might step back. PC Keith Palmer was stabbed to death in Westminster on Wednesday (March 23) (Image: Met Police) He had a great worth ethic, he worked on our warrants car for years, getting up at 4am to serve warrants and arresting wanted offenders. He was always so positive, always staying late after everyone else and getting in early. in his personal live he was a massive Charlton Athletic fan and had a season ticket. We will miss home so much. 16:15 Joined Parliamentary protection less than a year ago The 48-year-old had been working at Parliament for less than a year before he was stabbed to death in yesterdays terror attack. PC Palmer joined the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command in April last year. Before that he was in the Territorial Support Group, which deals with domestic disorder and counter-terror, based at Catford but patrolling across London. Prior to that PC Palmer was based in Bromley from 2002 to 2009. The married officer and father to a five-year-old girl joined the met in 2001. 16:10KEY EVENT Family of murdered officer PC Keith Palmer pay tribute The family of PC Keith Palmer who was stabbed to death in the grounds of the Houses of Parliament have paid tribute to a wonderful dad and husband. PC Palmer was brave and courageous according to his family and was a long-time supporter of Charlton FC. His family said in a statement released on Thursday afternoon (March 23): Keith will be remembered as a wonderful dad and husband. Dedicated to his job and proud to be a police officer, brave and courageous. A friend to everyone who knew him. He will be deeply missed. We love him so much. His friends and family are shocked and devastated by his loss and ask that they are left to grieve alone in peace. 16:06 Eight casualties at St Mary's Hospital St Marys Hospital has confirmed it received eight casualties after yesterdays terror attack. Dr Julian Redhead, medical director at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, said: We can confirm that St Marys Hospital received eight casualties yesterday from the major incident in Westminster. The hospital continues to run smoothly and we are very grateful to all our staff and those of the emergency services for their fantastic response. 15:37 Attacker responsible formally identified as 52-year-old from West Midlands Police have said after formal identification, they believe 52-year-old Khalid Masood was responsible for the attacks in Westminster. Masood was born in Kent and detectives believe he was most recently living in the West Midlands. Masood was also known by a number of aliases, according to the Counter Terrorism unit. A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: Masood was not the subject of any current investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack. However, he was known to police and has a range of previous convictions for assaults, including GBH, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences. His first conviction was in November 1983 for criminal damage and his last conviction was in December 2003 for possession of a knife. He has not been convicted for any terrorism offences. Anyone with any information about Masood can call the Anti-Terrorist Hotline 0800 789 321. 15:30KEY EVENT British Transport Police say 'higher presence of officers' will continue and monitor against hate Assistant Chief Constable Alun Thomas has said in response to yesterdays events: We increased our patrols around the country and will continue to have a higher policing presence across the railway network for the next few days. That includes both armed and unarmed officers. Our experience of the public response since yesterdays incident has been overwhelmingly positive  our officers have received messages of support and thanks for the work they do, and members of the public have been rallying together. When you see one of our officers out and about, please come and say hello. I know the loss of a fellow police officer is being felt across the country and within every police force. There is no place for intolerance and racism in our society and I have every confidence that together, in our communities, we can defeat hate and we can defeat terrorism. If you do experience any hate crime, or see it happening, on the railway, I would like to remind everyone that we want to know about it. We will take action against any criminal behaviour which seeks to undermine society, particularly crimes which are motivated by hate. 15:20 James Corden says Londoners will be closer than ever 15:10 MP Ruth Cadbury: 'Westminster attacker is not representative of Muslims' West London MP Ruth Cadbury has said the lone attacker is not representative of Muslims. In a statement sent to getwestlondon, she wrote: First of all can I thank all who sent messages of goodwill to me and my staff yesterday. We really appreciated getting them. We are all fine, although Im sure people will understand that it will take a day or two to get up to full service after the disruption. Secondly, as Londoners and as Parliamentarians, our thoughts are particularly with Keith Palmers family, his colleagues who are at work today protecting us, and all those injured and bereaved yesterday. In Parliament, are all so grateful to those who put their lives on the line for us, and also with all those who work to make Parliament tick. The Prime Minister, Jeremy Corbyn and many MPs made moving contributions in the Chamber this morning thanking the police, security services, NHS staff and the many others who responded.  They also said that Parliament cannot be cowed by this terrible act of an individual. As the widow of my colleague murdered by a terrorist last year said, The Westminster attacker is no more representative of Muslims than Jo Coxs killer is representative of Yorkshire. We must, and we will, work together in our communities, along with the police, learning listening and supporting each other to prevent further tragedies, as such work has already prevented them in recent months. Westminster Assembly Member Tony Devenish says 'will not be divided by such a cowardly act' In the wake of yesterdays terrorist attack outside the Houses of Parliament, Tony Devenish, London Assembly member for Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea and Hammersmith & Fulham, said: As we begin to come to terms with the horrifying events of yesterday afternoon I want to extend my deepest sympathies to all those injured or killed in the attack, as well as their families. The bravery of PC Keith Palmer in defending the Houses of Parliament meant he tragically lost his life, though Ive no doubt that by putting himself in harms way he saved the lives of others. Police were called to the scene near the Houses of Parliament at around 2.40pm As a representative of Westminster I can say Im truly proud of the incredible response of both the brave emergency services and of all those who live and work in the area. We have shown today we will not be divided by such a cowardly act of terror and the sight of people carrying on and uniting in the face of adversity is truly inspiring. I will be joining my fellow Londoners in paying tribute to all of those affected by the attack over the coming days. 14:33 Prime Minister and James Heappey MP to discuss importance of more people learning first aid Sue Killen, CEO of St John Ambulance, said: Our thoughts go to those affected by yesterdays incident in Westminster. It is encouraging to see the efforts of passers-by who gave first aid, working alongside the emergency services, to offer care and comfort to those who needed it. Its moments like this, when having life saving skills, can make all the difference. Police were called to Westminster Bridge on February 19 (Image: Google Street View) We welcome todays discussion between the Prime Minister and James Heappey MP regarding the importance of learning first aid  its such a simple skill but has an incredible impact. 14:24KEY EVENT Boris Johnson quotes Winston Churchill in impassioned message Winston Churchills message to the people of Britain following the terror attack on Parliament would be: Never surrender, never give in, Foreign Secretary and west London MP Boris Johnson has said. The former London mayor and Churchill biographer said it was vital for life in the city to continue as normal in the wake of the attack, declaring: The way to lose the war on terror is to be terrified, even for a second. We are not terrified and we will go on. Mr Johnson said a huge amount of surveillance and monitoring was required to tackle the small number of extremists intent on violence in a major city like London. And he issued a demand to internet companies to crack down on extremist content carried on their networks, which he said was corrupting and polluting its viewers. 14:14 Third victim named as US tourist Kurt Cochran The third victim of the London terror attack has been named as a US tourist who died after falling from Westminster Bridge. Kurt Cochran was hit by the car which ploughed into pedestrians in the horrific incident yesterday. 13:59KEY EVENT London attacker hired car in Solihill close to flat raided by terror police Searches are continuing at a Birmingham flat raided by armed police in connection with the Westminster terror attack - after it emerged that the killers car had been hired nearby. Neighbours described the frightening moment when heavily-armed officers stormed a second-floor flat in Hagley Road overnight, hours after events in London unfolded. On Thursday, car-hire firm Enterprise confirmed the Hyundai 4x4 used in the attack was one of its vehicles after an employee recognised the numberplate in online photos. The car is understood to have been rented from a branch in Stratford, Shirley, in Solihull, just eight miles (13km) from the scene of the flat raid. In a statement, Enterprise said: We can confirm that the car used in the tragic attack in London yesterday afternoon was one of ours. Islamic State has claimed the British-born attacker was one of its soldiers. Prime Minister Theresa May, addressing MPs earlier, said the man had once been investigated by MI5 but was a peripheral figure. Meanwhile, stunned residents have described seeing more than dozen black-clad officers equipped with machine guns smashing their way in to the Birmingham flat, believed to be a rental, at about 11pm on Wednesday. The Metropolitan Police have confirmed the raid was part of a wider operation in which several addresses were searched and eight arrests made. One witness who works in a shop near the second-floor Birmingham flat told the Press Association: The man from London lived here. He added They came and arrested three men. Stuart Bailey, who lives four doors down, was going for a drink with his friend when an armed officer shouted for him to Go left. The 25-year-old added: There were a load of armed police in the street and on the pavement and I could see three or four in front of me. They were all dressed in black and armed with what looked like MP5s (submachine guns) and one of them had six ammunition magazines strapped to his leg. I wasnt allowed back in my property for an hour. A shopkeeper said police had told customers and staff to stay inside the store while the operation continued. The road was sealed off by balaclava-wearing officers for several hours as the raid was carried out, although the busy main road into the city has since reopened. Another man who lives in the neighbouring flats said he was scared and frightened when he glanced out of the window and saw about a dozen armed police wearing Kevlar helmets and body armour in the street. Police activity at the flat was continuing on Thursday, with windows covered with cardboard to obscure views inside and camera-flashes visible from the interior. Enterprise said it was co-operating with the ongoing police inquiry. 13:25KEY EVENT Westminster Bridge re-opens but other roads remain closed 13:13 Brent Police announce 'reassurance patrols' in borough as council leader speaks of 'bonds that unite' Cllr Muhammed Butt, Leader of Brent Council, said: We are all profoundly saddened by the terrible scenes on the streets of London yesterday. Our thoughts and condolences are with everyone who has been affected, particularly the families and friends of those killed or injured. It is at times like these that we all need to remember, whatever our differences, that the bonds that unite us are deep and enduring and stronger than any attempt to turn us against each other. The police have confirmed that there will be extra police on the streets of Brent. The flag at Brent Civic Centre is flying at half-mast and many Londoners have started using the #Westandtogether hashtag to show their solidarity and unity with one another. Brent Council building fly their flag at half mast after four people named dead and 40 injured in yesterday's appalling attack 12:38 Extremist terror group Islamic State say attacker was 'soldier of the Islamic State' The Islamic State terror group has claimed through its news agency that the Westminster attacker was a soldier of the Islamic State. 12:31KEY EVENT JustGiving page for the victims of the Westminster attack in London has raised more than 13,000 Following yesterdays tragic attack in Westminster, members of the public have been quick to show their support and a JustGiving page has been set up for the family of Keith Palmer, the Metropolitan Police officer who was stabbed in the attack. PC Keith Palmer lost his life after being stabbed in what police are calling a terror attack In just a matter of hours more than 13,000 has been donated by 660 supporters, with donations continuing to pour in.
Police have not identified the 29-year-old suspect, who was named locally as Salih Khater, but said he is a British national originally from Sudan. A spokesperson for Scotland Yard said: He was arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism, under section 41 of the Terrorism Act (TACT) 2000, and detained under TACT. Mr Khater remains in police custody as police search a third property linked to him in Birmingham. Investigators have already finished searching two other locations in the city, as well as another in Nottingham. But they have still not established his possible motive, and will be looking for any evidence of political or religious affiliations. Given that it appears to have been a deliberate act, the method used and the iconic location, it is being treated as a terrorist incident and the investigation is being led by officers from the Mets Counter Terrorism Command, a spokesperson said. Salih Khater, in an image posted on Facebook in 2010 (Facebook) At the time of the arrest, there was nobody else in the vehicle, which has now been removed from the scene and searched. No weapons have been recovered at this stage. At this early stage, there is no intelligence of further danger to Londoners or the rest of the UK in connection with this incident. No other arrests have been made in connection with the ongoing investigation. A man and a woman were taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries after the crash early on Tuesday morning, and have now both been discharged. Another man was also treated at the scene. Detectives have released images of the Ford Fiesta involved as they appeal for help tracing its moments before the incident. Police said the privately-owned car, registration number FL10 CWZ, travelled from Birmingham to London late on Monday night and arrived in the capital just after midnight. It was in the Tottenham Court Road area from approximately 1.25am until 5.55am. It was then driven around the Westminster and Whitehall area from around 6am until the crash at 7.37am. Footage showed the car sharply swerving through several cyclists and pedestrians, over central reservations and down the wrong side of the road at high speed before crashing into security barriers. Police officers guarding the area had to leap out of the cars path before armed colleagues rushed to detain the driver. It came during parliaments summer recess and ahead of the daily rush of tourists to the area, leaving it relatively deserted. Westminster incident: car crashes into barriers outside parliament Westminster incident: car crashes into barriers outside parliament 1/30 Forensic officers by the car that crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament PA 2/30 Police arrest the man Sky News 3/30 Forensic officers work at the scene EPA 4/30 Damaged bikes near the crash site Getty Images 5/30 Police arrest the man who crashed a car into the barriers ITV 6/30 Getty Images 7/30 Getty Images 8/30 Police activity outside the Houses of Parliament after a car crashed into security barriers BBC/PA 9/30 Bicycles lie on the ground at the scene REUTERS 10/30 A forensics investigator arrives at the scene REUTERS 11/30 Police and emergency response teams work outside the Houses of Parliament AFP/Getty Images 12/30 The area is cleared near to the incident PA 13/30 A forensics investigator works at the scene REUTERS 14/30 Armed police on Victoria Embankment PA 15/30 A forensic officer attends the scene near the Houses of Parliament PA 16/30 Police officers and a search team secure the roads around the Houses of Parliament as forensic teams continue their work around a vehicle Getty Images 17/30 Police forensics officers outside the Houses of Parliament AFP/Getty Images 18/30 The car crashed into parliament barriers Vincent McAviney/NBC News/Euronews/Twitter/PA 19/30 PA 20/30 Fire fighters attend the scene Reuters 21/30 A police dog team works behind the cordon REUTERS 22/30 olice and emergency services respond EPA 23/30 Police on Westminster Bridge PA 24/30 Reuters 25/30 Police respond EPA 26/30 EPA 27/30 Armed police stand in the street after the incident Reuters 28/30 Police officers stand at a cordon Reuters 29/30 Police activity on Millbank PA 30/30 Reuters 1/30 Forensic officers by the car that crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament PA 2/30 Police arrest the man Sky News 3/30 Forensic officers work at the scene EPA 4/30 Damaged bikes near the crash site Getty Images 5/30 Police arrest the man who crashed a car into the barriers ITV 6/30 Getty Images 7/30 Getty Images 8/30 Police activity outside the Houses of Parliament after a car crashed into security barriers BBC/PA 9/30 Bicycles lie on the ground at the scene REUTERS 10/30 A forensics investigator arrives at the scene REUTERS 11/30 Police and emergency response teams work outside the Houses of Parliament AFP/Getty Images 12/30 The area is cleared near to the incident PA 13/30 A forensics investigator works at the scene REUTERS 14/30 Armed police on Victoria Embankment PA 15/30 A forensic officer attends the scene near the Houses of Parliament PA 16/30 Police officers and a search team secure the roads around the Houses of Parliament as forensic teams continue their work around a vehicle Getty Images 17/30 Police forensics officers outside the Houses of Parliament AFP/Getty Images 18/30 The car crashed into parliament barriers Vincent McAviney/NBC News/Euronews/Twitter/PA 19/30 PA 20/30 Fire fighters attend the scene Reuters 21/30 A police dog team works behind the cordon REUTERS 22/30 olice and emergency services respond EPA 23/30 Police on Westminster Bridge PA 24/30 Reuters 25/30 Police respond EPA 26/30 EPA 27/30 Armed police stand in the street after the incident Reuters 28/30 Police officers stand at a cordon Reuters 29/30 Police activity on Millbank PA 30/30 Reuters Police cordons erected amid a large-scale security response to the crash have since been lifted, but uniformed and plain-clothed officers have been deployed in central London under Project Servator. Officials said they have specialist skills to recognise tell-tale signs that that someone may be in an area for terrorist or other criminal purposes. Mr Khater describes himself as a shop manager on his Facebook page, where the about section reads: In past I'm great but now I say I don't no [sic]. He said he studied at Sudan University of Science and Technology and went to school in Wad Madani, a city south-east of Khartoum. Mr Khater's page shows a mixture of connections based mainly in Sudan, Birmingham and Nottingham  the two cities that are now the focus of operations by counterterror police. Investigators have searched his former flat above a row of shops in Sparkbrook, near where the first Westminster attacker Khalid Masood lived. The area was the home of several terrorists, including UKs first suicide bomber, its first al-Qaeda plotter, one of one of the financiers of the 9/11 atrocity and several extremists who went to fight for Isis. Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu, the head of UK counterterror policing, said the suspect was not known to MI5 or counterterror police. Theresa May vowed that terrorists would never succeed in dividing Britain, after Donald Trump took to Twitter to blame crazy animals for the attack. (EPA) It struck just metres from where Masood stabbed a police officer to death after running down four pedestrians on nearby Westminster Bridge in March 2017, in the first terror attack claimed by Isis in the UK. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said the area could be pedestrianised in a bid to ward off vehicle attacks, amid a fresh review of security around the Houses of Parliament. In the past 17 months, Westminster has been hit by two attacks and was the planned location of four disrupted plots, making it currently the biggest since terror target in Britain. Ms Dick said: Whether that area outside should be pedestrianised further, there should be further physical works done, I think is a matter that will be discussed no doubt between parliamentary authorities, us, the intelligence agencies and indeed the local authorities and the mayor. She said vehicles had become a weapon of choice for terrorists, following a spate of similar attacks across Europe. Isis has issued advice to its followers non how to carry out atrocities using vehicles, knives and other easily obtained items, which have made attack plans faster and harder to spot for authorities. At a briefing for journalists in Westminster, the prime ministers spokesman said 13 Islamist and four far-right plots have been foiled since the first Westminster attack in March 2017  an average of one a month. A total of 676 terrorism investigations by MI5 and counterterrorism police were underway by the end of June this year, up from around 500 just four months before. Police are appealing to anyone who may have seen the vehicle or the driver either in the Tottenham Court Road or Westminster areas to contact them on 0800 789 321. Anyone with footage or images of the incident is asked to send them to the investigation team via http://www.ukpoliceimageappeal.co.uk/
New arrests as British police release photo of parliament attacker The attack began on Westminster Bridge in the shadow of Big Ben, a towering landmark that draws tourists by the millions The attack began on Westminster Bridge in the shadow of Big Ben, a towering landmark that draws tourists by the millions (AFP Photo/CHRIS J RATCLIFFE) London (AFP) - British police said Friday they had made further "significant" arrests over the Islamist-inspired terror attack on parliament, as they released the first picture of the homegrown killer who left four people dead. Khalid Masood, a 52-year-old Briton with a history of violent offences but no terrorist convictions, was shot by police on Wednesday after a rampage through Westminster. Two other suspects are in custody following searches at 21 locations, mostly around London, in the central city of Birmingham and in the northwestern city of Manchester. The Islamic State group claimed that Britain's deadliest terror attack in 12 years was conducted by one of its "soldiers" acting on a call to target countries in the US-led coalition fighting the jihadists. Police said there was no further threat, but counter-terrorism commander Mark Rowley said they were trying to establish whether Masood acted alone "or if others have encouraged, supported or directed him". Released by police, the passport-style photo of Masood, who also used the names Adrian Elms and Adrian Russell Ajao among other aliases, shows a mixed race man with a shaved head and a beard. Prime Minister Theresa May has said he was known to intelligence services as a "peripheral" figure some years ago but there was no warning of his plans to stage an attack. At least 50 people from 12 different countries were injured when Masood ploughed his rented car into crowds of people walking along the pavement on Westminster Bridge, before crashing the vehicle into the fence outside parliament. Three people on the bridge died after being hit by the speeding car, then the attacker leapt out and fatally stabbed a police officer just inside the gates of the Houses of Parliament before being shot dead. Rowley described the overnight arrests of two men aged 27 and 35 in Birmingham and Manchester as "significant". - Numerous aliases - The death toll rose late Thursday after life support was withdrawn from a 75-year-old man injured in the attack, whom police named as Leslie Rhodes from south London. The other victims were 48-year-old policeman Keith Palmer and, on the bridge, 43-year-old Briton Aysha Frade, who was on her way to pick up her two daughters, and an American citizen in his 50s, Kurt Cochran. Born into a middle-class family in Kent in southeast England, Masood was described by schoolmates as a popular, "happy-go-lucky" student who excelled academically and at sport. They told the Daily Mail that he later began drinking and using drugs and slipped into criminal behaviour, receiving convictions for assault and possession of offensive weapons between 1983 and 2003. A report dating back to November 2000 shows he was sentenced to two years in prison for slashing the face of a cafe owner in a village in southern England where he lived with his family. According to The Sun tabloid, he married a Muslim woman in 2004 and moved the following year to Saudi Arabia to teach English, returning in 2009, but officials could not confirm this. The Saudi embassy in London on Friday issued a statement saying that Masood was not known to their security services "and does not have a criminal record in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia." Police chief Rowley said police were "looking at his history" and appealed to the public to come forward with any information about him. "Our investigation focuses on understanding his motivation, preparation and associates," he said. A total of 11 people have been arrested over the attack, their ages ranging from 21 to 58, all on suspicion of preparation of terrorist attacks. All four women have since been released, one on bail, while five of the men were also released, according to police. - Peaceful future - Faith leaders including Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the chief rabbi and the chief imam of London's central mosque on Friday gathered near the attack site to remember the victims. "In standing here, we represent the three Abrahamic faith communities, all equally committed to a peaceful future," Welby said after observing a minute's silence outside Westminster Abbey. Lawmakers returned to work as normal on Thursday morning, even as forensic officers worked at the scene, but a review of parliamentary security is now under way. Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood, whose attempts to save police officer Palmer were widely praised, was on Friday appointed to the Privy Council, a prestigious role usually reserved for senior ministers, as a reward for his efforts. The IS group said it was responsible for Masood's actions without naming him, according to the Amaq propaganda agency -- its first claim for an attack on British soil. It was the deadliest in Britain since four homegrown suicide bombers killed 52 people on the city's transport system in July 2005. The attack had echoes of the atrocities in Nice and Berlin when trucks ploughed into crowds of people, killing 86 people in the French Riviera city in July and 12 at a market in the German capital just days before Christmas.
The mother of a French teenager wounded in the attack on Westminster thought for an hour that he was dead before hearing that he had been injured, it emerged on Thursday. The student, named as Thomas, suffered a head injury and multiple leg fractures in the attack on Wednesday, Le Tlgramme reported. It was the school who told us yesterday afternoon the attack had taken place and our son was one of the victims, his mother said. French schoolchildren badly injured in Westminster attack Read more The French foreign minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault, visited three French schoolchildren wounded in the attack as they recovered in a London hospital on Thursday. They were among a group of 36 pupils from years 11 and 12 at the Lyce Saint-Joseph school in Brittany who were walking along the pavement from the parliament buildings to Westminster Bridge when they were struck by a car driven by the attacker. The mother of Thomas said that for some time after the schools initial call, they had no idea whatsoever about his health. She added: My husband and I thought he had died. After an hour we were told he was injured. It felt extremely long. Terrorism had already claimed a former pupil of the school, which is in the fishing and tourism town of Concarneau; the victim then, in November 2015, was Estelle Rouat, one of 89 people who lost their lives in the massacre at the Bataclan concert hall during the Paris terror attacks. The parents of the pupils injured on Wednesday in London  who are being treated in St Thomas hospital for serious but non life-threatening injuries  were flown to London by military aircraft on Wednesday night, Le Tlgramme reported. Friends and classmates were receiving psychological counselling at the school on Thursday, Ouest-France newspaper said, adding that the first some had heard of the attack was on the television news. Others had received text messages or phone calls from friends who were on the week-long visit to London organised by the school. I was right there, Johan, a year-11 pupil, told the paper from the groups hotel. We saw the car coming up on us, from the side. Three boys were hit. Given the force of impact I think they must be badly hurt. Johan said that after the car had crashed into the railings outside parliament, the driver got out and ran in. He said: We were already backing away  we heard two gunshots, and saw people on the ground. A lot of people were crying. One fainted. Timeline of the Westminster attack Read more Speaking outside the school, one pupil, Chlo, told the AFP news agency she had no words to describe how she felt. Someone called me from the scene. She was in tears and really shocked. They are all in shock, really all in shock. Im shocked, too. Victoire, another pupil, told the agency that friends of hers were in the group. We just want them to come back soon, she said. Weve spoken to them on the phone and theyve all said they just want to come home. A total of 93 pupils from Saint-Joseph were on the trip. With the exception of the injured three, all were due to fly home Thursday. Ayrault described the attack as a new tragedy and a direct attack on ... the oldest parliament in the world, Westminster. He said he wanted to send his gratitude to the British people for their support during recent terror attacks in France. The counter-terrorism section of the Paris public prosecutors office said on Thursday that it had ordered an investigation of the attack by the the DGSI internal intelligence service for attempted assassination related to a terrorist enterprise. The mother of a girl in the group said she had gone to the school to find out what was happening now. Her daughter had been on Westminster Bridge, she said: She saw everything, she saw her friends injured, she saw the terrorist get out of the car. She told AFP that the group was being questioned by British police at their hotel, but added: Thats all I know.
" This is our daily news that we feel is important & we want to tell people about the truth behind the story " (LONDON) Court Report: Lewis Ludlow from Kent, who had sworn loyalty to the #Daesh terrorist group, on Friday pleaded guilty in Westminster magistrates court to planning an attack in Oxford Street that would have killed about 100 people #AceNewsDesk reports #AceNewsReport  Aug.10: Lewis Ludlow, a converted Muslim, pleaded guilty to funding the Daesh abroad as well, according to the Sky News broadcaster: In May, the young man told Westminster Magistrates Court he was innocent of researching and planning attacks in London #AceNewsDesk reports The UK has been hit by numerous terror attacks over the past few years, with several young Muslims being radicalized online by Daesh-linked extremists: Last year, three assailants killed eight civilians in central London, in addition to injuring almost 50 bystanders in their Daesh-inspired attack. Another attack, this time a suicide bombing at a concert in the city of Manchester, left dozens dead and injured. A Muslim convert described as a dangerous individual has admitted plotting to kill around 100 people outside a Disney store on Londons Oxford Street..The Old Bailey heard how Ludlow, 26, swore allegiance to Islamic State as he plotted to mow down shoppers in MarchHe researched potential targets, van rental and hotel accommodation. The house in Warren Wood Road was cordoned off by police He then wrote down his intentions in a letter, which was found ripped up in a binLudlow was charged after being arrested in Rochester on Wednesday, April 18 this year..The resident of Warren Wood Road in the town had been charged with two counts of engaging in conduct in preparation for acts of terrorism.That is contrary to Section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006. He also faced one count of arranging funds or property for the purposes of terrorism contrary to Section 17 of the Terrorism Act.He pleaded guilty to one act of terrorism and the other act of terrorism is to remain on file. He also pleaded guilty to the count of arranging funds for terrorism. Police arrested Ludlow with terror offences He appeared at the Old Bailey in London this afternoon, and a provisional date for his sentencing has been set for November 2Speaking afterwards, Det chief supt Kath Barnes, head of Counter Terrorism Policing South East, said: Ludlow was planning an attack in the UK after he had sworn an oath of allegiance to Daesh.Ludlow had gone as far as writing out attack plans and conducting reconnaissance of potential targetsAn investigation led by detectives in Counter Terrorism Policing South East working closely with Kent Police led to Ludlow being stopped before he was able to finalise his plans to carry out an attackWe are pleased with his guilty plea, which demonstrates the quality of evidence gathering by detectives working on this investigation. Ludlow was a dangerous individual and I have no doubt that the public will be much safer as a result of our actions. Police say the threat to the UK from international terrorism remains severe, meaning an attack is highly likely.They have urged the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious behaviour or activity in confidence on 0800 789 321 or visit gov.uk/ACT/ or 999 in an emergency..In the event someone gets caught up in a weapons attack they are urged to follow the Run, Hide, Tell advice and follow @TerrorismPolice for updates. Stand By Me Ben E. King | Format: MP3 Music 287% Sales Rank in Songs: 237 (was 919 yesterday) From the Album: The Very Best Of Ben E. King (69)Download: $0.69 (Visit the Movers & Shakers in Songs list for authoritative information on this product's current rank.) Originally posted on Dear Kitty. Some blog: https://youtu.be/alIQCoW75QM This video from the USA says about itself: Facebook Fact Checkers Include Science Denying Right-Wing Propagandists 14 September 2018 From the United States liberal site Media Matters for America: Facebook is fueling far-right extremism  and profiting off of it September 4, 2018 5:13 [] Originally posted on Trump:The American Years: Although it feels as though every corner of the media has been politicized, there are still a whole lot of people who just want to know whats going on in the world. These are people like myself (when Im off the clock) who are news consumers, who want Originally posted on Trump:The American Years: of course the brownshirts, I mean #antifa can still operate freely on #FaceBook and #Twitter the left protects its ownalways https://t.co/JKOeFkS5iB ? Bethann (@sewwutnow) September 14, 2018 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Originally posted on ukgovernmentwatch: Facebook has banned Brandon Straka, the former Democrat who founded the Walk Away campaign and its viral hashtag #WalkAway, after he linked to Infowars.com  which has been banned from the platform. https://twitter.com/usminority/status/1040010205843648519 https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-09-12/facebook-bans-ex-de [] Originally posted on PUMABydesign001's Blog: Every week, the WoW! community and our invited guests weigh in at the Forum, short takes on a major issue of the day, the culture, or daily living. This weeks question: Whats Your Reaction to Barack Hussein Obamas New Speech? Jeffrey Avalon Friedberg: I didnt read it, or hear Originally posted on Trump:The American Years: Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) sat down with Breitbart News this week to talk about censorship of conservatives on social media.Rep. Jim Jordan sat down with Breitbart News Neil Munro at FAIRs Hold Their Feet to the Fire Annual Radio Row event this week to discuss social medias censorship #AceFinanceReport  Sept.07: The unemployment rate stayed at 3.9%, near historical lows, the Labor Department reported #AceNewsDesk reports Average hourly earnings grew 2.9% compared with a year ago, the strongest rate since 2009. That number is not adjusted for inflation, which has been rising in recent months and eating into workers paychecks. And its lo [] #AceFinanceReport  Sept.06: China is ready to retaliate if U.S. President Donald Trump goes ahead with a tariff hike on Chinese goods and is confident it can maintain steady and healthy economic growth, a government spokesman said Thursday.The Trump administration is poised to impose 25% penalties this week on $200 billion of Chinese goods in [] #AceFinanceReport  Aug.08: Editor says but the markets reacted positively Dow closes up 127 points, S&P 500 and Nasdaq up 0.3% apiece. Tesla soars 11% after Elon Musk says he wants to take the company private. https://cnnmon.ie/2ARtM5G to the news: The Trump administration on Tuesday unveiled a list of roughly $16 billion worth of imports [] Originally posted on theglocaljournal: We absolutely loved this place as the food taste and quality is standard . I love the Mahalaxmi outlet for its beautiful decor and being by the racecourse . 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His jeep passed through a weary column of the 503rd Parachute Regiment which had been [] [continued from the previous post where the Generals were on the island of Labaun after the Australian troops had landed to take it back from the Japanese.] From: General Kenney Reports The Borneo Campaign Map We got to the USS Boise and the next morning we all went over to the beach near Brooketon. Gen. 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Parliamentary staff have been emailed by security saying people in Millbank and Tothill Street can leave the buildings. But everyone in the Palace of Westminster must continue to stay put until further notice. Welfare support has been offered to anyone who needs it. Most MPs and staff stuck in the offices and corridors of Norman Shaw North are pretty calm though - most glued to television sets or huddled round mobile phones, and a few quietly getting on with their work. Home Secretary Amber Rudd has called the attack on our shared values, but said they would never be destroyed. Rudd has been in Lahore in Pakistan, but is currently making her way back to London. She said: We do not yet know the full impact of this terrible incident. But I know that the whole country will be thinking and praying for those who are affected as I am. I want to thank the emergency services for the quick response and pay tribute to their bravery their courage and their professionalism. Ive been briefed by the Met Police and by the security services and the security minister has also been updated. This is an ongoing incident and the government will continue to be updated. The Prime Minister will chair Cobra today. The Governments top priority is the security of the people and I urge everyone to remain calm but to be vigilant and if they see anything they are concerned about they should report it to the police. We have the best police, the best security services in the world and we must make sure that we let them get on with doing their job. The British people will be united in working together to defeat those who would harm our shared values. Values of democracy, tolerance and the rule of law. Values symbolised by the Houses of Parliament. Values that will never be destroyed. The Ukip leader, Paul Nuttall, has issued this statement about the attack. A terrible attack on our democracy has taken place today. My thoughts tonight go out to the victims of this terrorist atrocity and their families. Once again the emergency services have demonstrated the extraordinary work they do on our behalf. That a police officer is among the dead underlines the debt of gratitude we all owe those who work to keep us safe. In the coming hours and days more information will doubtlesly emerge about the attacker or attackers and their motivation. In the meantime everyone should resolve that terrorism will never beat us. Im in Westminster Hall waiting to be evacuated and have just bumped into Julian Lewis, the Conservative MP who chairs parliaments defence committee. He told me: It is always open to any lunatic with a fanatical outlook on life to mount an attack against innocent people in pursuit of their fixations and we have to be ever grateful to those who defend us on the perimeter of this building which was attacked before by the IRA and which has been anticipating this possibility ever since 11 September 2001. We were recalled to parliament for an emergency session on Friday 14 September, and that was the first time we had he presence of police armed with sub machine guns openly guarding the Palace of Westminster - and theyve been here ever since. No words can capture how members of the policing family will feel after todays horrific events. We have lived in the knowledge that an attack on UK soil has been highly likely for nearly three years. Everyone is firmly aware of this fact, but it makes it no less shocking when it becomes a reality. This incident highlights the very real risks that police face each and every day. Officers will tonight take the opportunity to hug loved ones and seek comfort in the company of friends and family. But one will not. The pain of that officers family, friends and colleagues will be shared by us all. Our hearts go out to their family and our thoughts are with them and their colleagues at this terrible time along with others who have been injured today. Even if the background to these attacks has yet to be cleared up, I would like to emphasise on behalf of Germany and its citizens: we stand resolutely on Britains side in the fight against any form of terrorism. Berlin mayor, Michael Mller, expressed his solidarity with the citizens of London while speaking at a campaign event with SPD candidate Martin Schulz, saying he had been due to meet the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, next week. Especially in times like these, it is important that friends stand together, Mller said.
Parliament Square reopens Some cordons being removed Tube station reopens Road closures still in place Several roads in the area remain closed after the incident earlier this morning. 12:38 Police chief issues statement Met Police Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said: At 7.37am a silver Ford Fiesta was involved in a collision in front of the Houses of Parliament. That vehicle collided with cyclists and pedestrians before hitting a barrier and coming to a stop. Two people have been taken to hospital. One man has been discharged and one woman remains in hospital being treated for serious but thankfully, non-life threatening injuries. Another man was also treated at the scene but didnt require hospital treatment. The driver of the Fiesta, who was alone in the vehicle, was arrested at the scene by armed officers who were already nearby. The man, who is in his late 20s, was arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences and has been taken to a south London police station where he remains in custody. 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. Officers are searching the vehicle and no other weapons have been found at this time. At this early stage of the investigation, no other suspects at the scene have been identified or reported to police. There is no intelligence of further danger to Londoners or the rest of the UK in connection with this incident. Our priority is to formally identify the suspect and establish his motivations if we can. He is not currently co-operating. However, as you would expect, detectives from the Counter Terrorism Command are making various other urgent enquiries to ensure there is no outstanding risk to the public. I would urge anyone who thinks they may have information that could assist the investigation to call police on 0800 789 321. Thank you to all the people who have already come forward. We are treating the scene and Parliament Square as a crime scene. Cordons are likely to be in place for some time as the investigation team continues to carry out its important work to establish what happened. I appreciate that this has caused a great deal of disruption to those who may live, work or be visiting the area, and I thank the public for their patience and understanding whilst we deal with this incident. We will be working as quickly and diligently as possible in order to reopen the area, but in the meantime I would ask that the public avoid the area. The safety of the public is our top priority and the Met Police will continue to do all we can to protect the people of London. As always, the public should remain vigilant and if you see anything suspicious or something that causes concern, then please dial 999. 11:57 Cordon to remain for 'some time' 11:19 People urged to plan ahead 10:39 Extra officers deployed The Met Police said the public can expect to see extra police officers, both armed and unarmed, on the streets in and around central London. 10:39KEY EVENT Incident treated as terror attack The Met Police are treating the incident as a terror attack. The driver of the car remains in police custody. A police statement said: At 07.37am on Tuesday August 14, a silver Ford Fiesta collided with a number of cyclists and pedestrians, before crashing into barriers outside the Houses of Parliament. The driver of the car, a man in his late 20s, was arrested at the scene by armed officers. He has been taken to a south London police station where he remains in police custody. He was arrested on suspicion of terrorist offences. There was nobody else in the vehicle, which remains at the scene and is being searched. No weapons have been recovered at this stage. A number of people were injured as a result of the collision and they have been taken to hospital. At this early stage none of the injuries appear to be life-threatening. Officers remain at the scene and cordons are in place to assist the investigation. Road closures in the area are likely to remain in place for some time. Westminster Tube station is currently closed. At this stage, we are treating this as a terrorist incident and the Mets Counter Terrorism Command is now leading the investigation. Anyone with information that could assist with the investigation is asked to call 0800 789 321 Two people treated at the scene The London Ambulance Service said they treated two people at the scene for injuries. The injuries are not believed to be serious and the casualties were taken to hospital. 09:47 Further public transport delays 09:38 Police remain in the area Our political editor David Williamson is currently at the scene near Parliament. 09:24KEY EVENT Counter-terrorism team leading investigation 08:54 Police release further details A Met Police statement said: A number of pedestrians have been injured. We await an update on their condition, however officers do not believe that anyone is in a life-threatening condition. Officers remain at the scene and cordons are in place to assist the investigation. Westminster Tube station is closed. Enquiries continue. 08:32 Nearby tube station closed 08:27 'I think it looked intentional' Eyewitness Ewalina Ochab told the Press Association: I think it looked intentional - the car drove at speed and towards the barriers.She said: I was walking on the other side [of the road]. I heard some noise and someone screamed. I turned around and I saw a silver car driving very fast close to the railings, maybe even on the pavement.The person driving did not go out of the vehicle, she said.The vehicle did not appear to have a front registration plate when it crashed, she added. 08:25 Large emergency service presence at the scene More than 10 police vehicles and at least three ambulances remain outside Parliament.Firearms officers and at least two police dogs are stationed inside Parliament Square.Officers have cordoned the whole square off and are asking the public and press to move away from the scene. 08:24 Police issue statement A Met Police spokesperson said: At 7.37am today, a car was in collision with barriers outside the Houses of Parliament. The male driver of the car was detained by officers at the scene. A number of pedestrians have been injured. Officers remain at the scene. We will issue further info when we have it.
A knifeman brought terror to the heart of London on Wednesday afternoon, with four people, including an armed police officer and his attacker, killed. England's friendly in Germany later that day was due to go ahead as planned and, as the incident is still unfolding, the FA plans to mark the Westminster attacks on Sunday having spoken to relevant authorities. "Our thoughts are with all of those who have been affected by this terrible incident," FA chairman Clarke said ahead of the match in Dortmund. Attack at Parliament, March 22, 2017 Attack at Parliament, March 22, 2017 1/36 A policeman points a gun at a man on the floor as emergency services attend the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London Stefan Rousseau/PA 2/36 Emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminste PA 3/36 The scene of the incident @Lukesteele4 4/36 The scene at Westminster bridge this morning, the day after a terrorist attack Jeremy Selwyn 5/36 The scene at Westminster bridge this morning, the day after a terrorist attack Jeremy Selwyn 6/36 The scene at Westminster bridge this morning, the day after a terrorist attack Jeremy Selwyn 7/36 The flag above the Houses of Parliament in London flies at half mast the day after a terrorist attack Jeremy Selwyn 8/36 A forensics tent on Westminster Bridge seen from Victoria Embankment in London the day after a terrorist attack Jonathan Brady/PA 9/36 Police officers walk accross Westminster Bridge the morning after an attack by a man driving a car and weilding a knife Darren Staples/Reuters 10/36 Emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster Stefan Rousseau/PA 11/36 A knife on the cobbles at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London England manager Gareth Southgate said before the match in Dortmund: "Our first thoughts are with the families of those that lost their lives, that have been injured. It puts football into perspective at a moment like that. "For us we're conscious that part of our identity as a nation is that we carry on in moments like this so it's important that we represent our country in the right way tonight. "In terms of any tribute we felt in London on Sunday would be the right thing."
A funeral for the hero police officer who died trying to stop a terrorist during the Westminster terror attack will be held in the coming days. PC Keith Palmer was stabbed to death as he tried to stop crazed killer Khalid Masood after the terrorist crashed into the gates of the Palace of Westminster before being shot dead. Five innocent people were killed in the attack. Hundreds of people are expected to gather and remember the officer, including his colleagues from the force, at the full police service funeral in central London. His friends, family and even his beloved Charlton Athletic football club have paid tribute to the amazing and wonderful fallen officer. The Metropolitan Police has now released details on when and where the celebration of PC Palmers life will be held, and the roads that will be affected during the cortege. Here's all the details on when the funeral is, where it will take place and how you can watch the procession. When and where is the funeral? The full-force funeral of the 48-year-old husband and father will be held at Southwark Cathedral. It will begin at 2pm on Monday, April 10. 'Last picture': This poignant picture of Keith Palmer is thought to be last taken before he was killed What route will it take? The funeral cortege, flanked by a police escort, will travel from the Palace of Westminster  the scene where the hero office was stabbed - down Millbank. After crossing Lambeth Bridge, it will head east on Lambeth Palace Road, towards Stamford Street. It will then travel through Borough High Street and onto Cathedral Place, before stopping outside the Cathedral garden entrance. Map: The funeral cortege will leave from the Palace of Westminster Where can I watch the procession? Hundreds of people are expected to line the streets of London as the cortege, which will see that a number of roads closed as it travels between the Palace of Westminster and Southwark Cathedral, takes place. The roads in which it will pass through are listed below. Tory MP pays emotional tribute to Pc Keith Palmer Which roads will be closed on the day of the funeral? Southwark Street / Blackfriars Road Southwark Street / Hopton Street Southwark Street / Sumner Street a) Sumner Street / Great Guildford Street b) Great Guildford Street / Zoar Street c) Southwark Street / Great Guildford Street Southwark Bridge Rd / Sumner Street Park Street / New Globe Walk / Bear Gardens / Rose Alley Southwark Bridge Rd / Thrale Street Southwark Street / Thrale Street Southwark Street / Redcross Way Burrell Street / Blackfriars Road Nicholson Street / Blackfriars Road Dolben Street / Great Suffolk Street Great Suffolk Street / Lavington Street Great Suffolk Street / Union Street Lavington Street / Ewer Street Southwark Street / Great Guildford Street Great Guildford St / Union Street Great Guildford St / Southwark Bridge Rd Borough High Street / Union Street a) OMeara Street / Union Street b) Union Street / Southwark Bridge Rd a) Ayres Street / Marshalsea Road b) Clennman Street / Marshalsea Road a) Redcross Way / Marshalsea Road b) Quilp Street / Marshalsea Road Borough High Street / Marshalsea Road Southwark Bridge Rd / Marshalsea Road Southwark Bridge Rd / Lant Street Borough High Street / Marshalsea Road Southwark Bridge Rd / Great Suffolk Street Southwark Bridge Rd / Borough Road Borough High Street / Duke Street Hill Old Tooley Street / Duke Street Hill St Thomas Street St Thomas Street / Snowfields Tooley Street / Bermondsey Street a) Long Lane / Tower Bridge Rd b) Bermondsey Street / Long Lane Great Dover Street / Bricklayers Arms Roundabout Queen Elizabeth St / Tower Bridge Rd Fish Street Hill / Lower Thames Street Eastcheap / Rood Lane Great Tower Street / Mincing Lane Gracechurch Street / Fenchurch Street Gracechurch Street / Leadenhall Street Bishopsgate / Camomile Street Shoreditch High St / Commercial Street King William Street / Cannon Street King William Street / Cornhill Cannon Street / Queen Victoria Street Threadneedle Street / Gracechurch Street Old Broad Street / Wormwood Street Roads affected: A number of streets will be closed from 7am on the day of the funeral Following his death, Mr Palmers family thanked those who were with him in his last moments. In an emotional statement, they said they were overwhelmed by the outpouring of love for the PC. Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey - In pictures Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey - In pictures 1/28 The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry arrive Stefan Rousseau/PA 2/28 Prince William and Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge arrive at a Service of Hope Hannah McKay/Reuters 3/28 The Duchess of Cambridge arrives Hannah McKay/Reuters 4/28 Prince William lays a wreath Hannah McKay/Reuters 5/28 A message left by Prince William is seen on a wreath he laid on arrival at a Service of Hope Hannah McKay/Reuters 6/28 Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry attend the Service of Hope Dan Kitwood/Getty Images 7/28 Prince William and Prince Harry, and Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, arrive at a Service of Hope Hannah McKay/Reuters 8/28 Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry arriv Stefan Rousseau/PA 9/28 London's Mayor Sadiq Khan arrives at the Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey Hannah McKay/Reuters 10/28 Dimmon and Sandra Payne, parents of Melisssa Cochran arrive at a Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey Hannah McKay/Reuters 11/28 Melissa Cochran arrives at a Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey Hannah McKay/Reuters 12/28 A woman injured in the London terror attack arrives at Westminster Abbey
Four people have died after a knifeman brought terror to the heart of Westminster, mowing down pedestrians then stabbing a policeman before being shot by armed officers. The attacker and the police officer he targeted are among the dead, along with a woman who was killed as the attacker drove a car across Westminster Bridge. Eyewitnesses described scenes of terror as the attacker was shot several times as he approached a second officer within yards of the Houses of Parliament. Colleen Anderson, a junior doctor at St Thomas' hospital, said a woman was killed as the attacker drove a grey Hyundai i40 across Westminster Bridge before crashing it into railings then running through the gates of the Palace of Westminster. She also said she treated a police officer in his thirties with a head injury who had been take to King's College hospital. She said: "I confirmed one fatality. A woman. She was under the wheel of a bus." What we know so far: One pedestrian hit by the attacker's car before he reached Parliament was confirmed dead by a doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Police officer who was attacked has died The attacker has died A fourth person has died. They are thought to have been killed on the bridge People on Westminster bridge suffered 'catastrophic injuries' 20 people have been injured At least one of the people being treated in the palace courtyard was wheeled away on a stretcher with their face covered Another woman who apparently jumped into the Thames as the attacker drove across the bridge was rescued and given urgent medical treatment on a nearby pier London Ambulance Service said paramedics had treated at least 10 patients on Westminster Bridge A party of French schoolchildren were among those targeted on the bridge Downing Street said Prime Minister Theresa May, who was ushered away from Parliament after the attack, was chairing a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee Commander BJ Harrington of the Metropolitan Police said there were "a number of casualties" in the attack "including police officers". He urged Londoners to be vigilant, said more officers would be on patrol and that anti-terrorism measures were being reviewed Scotland Yard said it is treating the attack in Westminster "as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise". A woman has died and several other people have "catastrophic injuries" following the terror attack in Westminster pic.twitter.com/3Mov3n5Sr6 Witness Richard Tice said he "counted between eight and 10 prostrate figures on the ground" after he came out of Westminster underground station and moved on to Westminster Bridge. He told Sky News: "My understanding from someone who was standing next to me was that a car had driven along the whole pavement knocking people over and that is why there were many injuries. The people lying on the ground were starting to be attended to by a paramedic." Staff inside Parliament said the building was being evacuated floor by floor. Police have been telling MPs and members of the public to clear the area immediatley. Scotland Yard said in a statement: "Police are asking people to avoid the following areas: Parliament Square; Whitehall; Westminster Bridge; Lambeth Bridge; Victoria Street up to the junction with Broadway and the Victoria Embankment up to Embankment tube. "This is to allow the emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident. Officers - including firearms officers - remain on the scene and we are treating this as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise." Medical staff are treating two people, the BBC is reporting. There was a wave of people running down the street. Alan Parry, of Sky Sports News, was at Westminster for a meeting when he heard "an almighty crash" when he was just outside the underground station . He could see what he thought was a 4x4 vehicle on the other side of the road which had crashed into some railings. He told Sky News: "There was smoke coming this vehicle. I walked on a few paces further and saw what I assumed to be either a pedestrian or a cyclist who had clearly been hit and wasn't moving, although he did then gently move. "The guy who I assumed was the driver of this 4x4 got out of the car and suddenly sprinted away from the scene - that was followed by four of what sounded much like gunshots. "All of a sudden all hell was let loose. Police descended everywhere and the whole area was locked down." Sky News said that there was a sighting of what was thought ot be the Prime Minister's car being driven off. Theresa May is said to be safe.
Parliaments and other seats of government are also  as Ottawans know all too well  attractive targets for terrorists intent on a twisted symbolism of their own. Last week, Khalid Masood drove a car over the Westminster Bridge in London, striking numerous people, then tried to enter the Palace of Westminster with a knife. By the time his rampage had ended, he had killed four people, including a police officer, injured more than three dozen others and been fatally shot by police. In Canada, the attack seemed eerily familiar. In Ottawa nearly 2 1/2 years ago, another lone-wolf attacker, Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, fatally shot Cpl. Nathan Cirillo as he guarded the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier before hijacking a ministerial car to drive up to Centre Block, which he stormed with an old rifle before being fatally shot. Londons fresh horror will trigger heightened or elevated efforts to assess threats on Parliament Hill, according to the Parliamentary Protective Service, formed in 2015 in the wake of the attack. Justin Tallis / AFP / Getty Images Theres no way to eliminate every threat, according to Jez Littlewood, who teaches courses on terrorism and international security at Carleton University, and serves as an associate director of the Canadian Network for Research on Terrorism, Security and Society. No one can offer a guarantee that we will be able to stop every single attack, whatever any politician or expert says, he said Friday. That doesnt mean, however, that there arent measures to protect, defend and harden targets, plus potential lessons to be learned from London, even though it has not been characterized as a security failure. Once the U.K. gets through their procedures, I have every confidence and expectation that somebody will come and talk to their Canadian counterparts, and say, This is what we learned, this is what we did OK, this is what we did wrong, said Littlewood, who also served in the British army. Postmedia News While the Five Eyes alliance on intelligence between Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the U.S. is famed, the myriad connections between the countries also include an international network of sergeant-at-arms that shares best practices among holders of the office. Parliament Hill could be an even more tempting target this summer, with Canadians flocking to celebrate Canada Day amid sesquicentennial celebrations. From a security perspective, you would have to consider this is a potentially attractive target, just like the Olympics, just like the World Cup, just like any large-scale gathering, Littlewood said, pointing to the Bastille Day attack in Nice, France, last summer as one example. This is a major celebration, this is a public celebration, people are going to come to the Hill, people are going to be wandering around Ottawa. How are you going to put in place the necessary protective and security measures that are not so intrusive that they prevent or dampen the fundamental objective, and the fundamental objective is allowing people to gather and celebrate Canadas 150th birthday? [np_storybar title=Five times when Parliament Hill security was breached: link=] May 1966: Paul Joseph Chartier died when he accidentally detonated dynamite tucked into his coat, which hed planned to lob into the ranks of rich and greedy politicians, while in the mens bathroom outside the House of Commons. Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson was handed a note alerting him to the incident a few minutes later but question period continued. June 1987: A middle-aged man in a Hawaiian shirt walked into the House of Commons, walked past MPs, grabbed the Speakers golden mace, and shouted: I protest this treason. This country is under attack from within. Turned out Michael Charette was protesting the Meech Lake Accord. April 1989: An armed Charles Yacoub, reportedly demanding the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon, hijacked a Greyhound bus in Montreal and demanded the driver take him to Ottawa and onto Parliament Hill. Buildings for a three-block radius were evacuated during an eight-hour standoff in which Yacoub fired on a group of American tourists. February 1997: An Ottawa school janitor whod later be found to be too mentally ill to be responsible for his actions drove a blue Jeep Cherokee up two staircases to just short of the main door of Centre Block, which spurred a fierce but by no means new debate about security on the Hill, historian Anne Dance wrote. December 2009: Greenpeace activists werent detected as they scaled West Block and rappelled from the roof to unfurl banners protesting Canadian inaction on climate change and the oilsands. Twenty were arrested, and the RCMP boosted its security presence. [/np_storybar] Privately, Canadian counter-terrorism officials say the same thing, and RCMP commissioner Bob Paulson has publicly pointed to the challenge of the zero-fail environment. The Parliamentary Protective Service, which brought together fragmented Hill security forces in the wake of the 2014 attack and is led by an RCMP member, was before a committee earlier this month seeking another $6.1 million for 2017-18, which would bring its total to $68.2 million. Speaker of the House Geoff Regan said the PPSs mobile response team initiative will address many of the 161 recommendations made to boost security. But the extra cash is still needed to stabilize the services organizational structure and pay for ongoing security enhancements. Examples include securing the newly reopened Wellington Building and girding for the flood of visitors to Parliament Hill for 150th birthday celebrations, such as a with a baggage-screening facility. Supt. Mike OBeirne, PPS acting director, also spoke to the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs about the balance between ensuring an open and accessible Parliament, and combining that with a very real need for security. For example, the massive Crashed Ice downhill ice cross event, which unfolded recently without incident steps from Parliament Hill, gave the service, city police and RCMP a glimpse of what to expect as they work toward the grand event of Canada Day, he said. Asked about the impact of the London events on Parliament Hill operations, Melissa Rusk, PPS executive officer and senior adviser to the director, said the service is always evaluating threats at home and abroad, and adjusting security to meet them. Its something that is embedded in todays reality, its a practice that we do on an ongoing basis, Rusk said. Events like what transpired in the U.K. certainly trigger heightened or elevated efforts to assess the environment, and (we) work closely with our various partners to determine any potential nexus on the Canadian environment. Members of the new service also include individuals who have ties to their counterparts in other capitals, and hands-on training and table-top exercises are designed to respond real-world threats, she said. Its a very unique environment  we can balance the democratic openness and accessibility of Parliament Hill with the needs of the threat environment, Rusk said. My personal opinion is that as people become more aware of the realities, and its unfortunate that these are the realities we are facing  everything evolves  there is that willingness to go through those extra steps to ensure we can all celebrate freely and together and safely. I think thats something Canadians pride themselves on. After Canada 150 celebrations, Centre Block will close for decade-long renovations  an issue highlighted as a security challenge by the PPS this month  and a great deal could change, historian and author Anne Dance said. However, unless Canadians were to move the legislature to a secret underground bunker, it is very hard to make Parliament 100-per-cent secure, Dance said. She pointed to the comment by former sergeant-at-arms Kevin Vickers, later hailed a hero for helping stop Zehaf-Bibeau, that if Parliament is completely secure and no one wants to come here, what have you accomplished?
Westminster Terror Attack Suspect Named As brit National Born In Sudan Who Drove Around London Looking For Targets Before Driving Car Into Cyclists A TERROR suspect who tried to ram Parliament in a Ford Fiesta has been revealed as a Brit national from Sudan who allegedly drove around London looking for targets. The lone attacker has been named by locals as British national Salih Khater, 29, who reportedly lives in a rundown flat above an internet cafe in Sparkhill, Birmingham. Sky News The terror suspect has been named by locals as British national Salih Khater, 29, pictured being arrested by cops outside Parliament Cops said he left the West Midlands late on Monday night and spent hours driving around central London sparking suspicions he was looking for large crowds of tourists. At 7.40am on Tuesday, a silver car mowed down 15 cyclists before trying to ram his way into Parliament at 50mph  only to be foiled by a steel barrier in what experts believe was a copycat of the previous Westminster attack. This is what we know so far A privately-owned silver Ford Fiesta crashed into anti-terror barriers outside the Houses of Parliament at 7.37am mowing down pedestrians and cyclists Three people were hurt  including a man and a woman who were taken to hospital with non life-threatening injuries and have since been discharged The 29-year-old driver, named by locals as Brit national Salih Khater, originally from Sudan, has been arrested on suspicion of terror offences He remains in custody at a South London police station and is refusing to cooperate with cops The suspect left Birmingham, where is believed to live in the Sparkhill area, late on Monday night and drove around London for several hours before the rampage Terror cops have carried raids at two addresses in Birmingham, including the suspects home, and one in Nottingham as part of their investigation Experts believe it was a copycat of the previous Westminster attack but say the suspect had got spooked by a passing ambulance Extra cops will now be stationed at key transport hubs across the country Theresa May has praised medics and police for their quick response to the attack Witnesses described the terror of seeing the car driving towards Parliament at speed before hearing a loud bang as it smashed into black steel barriers. Two uniformed cops on guard dived for cover as the front of the Fiesta crumpled on impact with smoke billowing from its engine. British national Salih Khater, 29, pictured in a selfie from a social media profile Police surround the vehicle outside the Houses of Parliament on Tuesday morning This is the moment a car careered across Westminster before mowing down pedestrians and smashing into barrier at 50mph during a terror rampage The silver Ford Fiesta then crashed into a barrier near Parliament A man and a woman were taken to hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries and have since been discharged, while another man was treated at the scene. The suspect is believed to have been spooked by an ambulance as eyewitnesses said the driver appeared to be in shock as he was pulled out by armed cops and led away in handcuffs. Undercover armed officers then poured out of a white van which was on the scene in seconds. Parliamentary housekeeper Elma Refuerzo, 57, watched the drama unfold. She said: I saw policemen aiming rifles at the car. The driver was inside, he was shocked. JamesFrancisWard The home of suspected terrorist Salih Khater, named locally as the arrested man ITV A 29-year-old man, ho has been named by locals as Salih Khater, has been arrested on suspicion of terror offences Facebook Khater, 29, is said to have driven down from Birmingham to London late on Monday night Facebook Experts say the terror suspect was attempting to carry out a copycat of the previous Westminster attack Facebook British national Khater is reported to be a student who is originally from Sudan @SnapperSK Terror suspect Salih Khater is believed to live above this internet cafe in Sparkhill, Birmingham Caters News Agency Neighbours said six Sudanese men lived in this property in Nottingham but didnt recognise the suspect involved in the attack on Parliament There was a van blocking the way. The police pulled him out and handcuffed him. The man was arrested on suspicion of terror offences and taken into custody at a South London police station, but refused to cooperate with cops. Westminster onlookers said the driver rammed through a group of cyclists waiting at lights, seriously injuring one and leaving bikes strewn across the road. A builder said: There were ten to 15 cyclists and he went through them. He kept driving on and smashed into the gates. There were about three or four cyclists left on the floor. There were people chasing after him. Did YOU witness the crash? Contact us and send us your pictures: holly.christodoulou@the-sun.co.uk or 02077824383 Terror cops raided two addresses in Birmingham, including the suspects flat, and a house in the Radford area of Nottingham. Neighbours in Radford said plain-clothed police officers forced their way into a three-storey house with a battering ram at about 3pm, shouting: Police! An occupant of the house, who asked not to be named, said six Sudanese men had lived there for the past 12 months. When shown a picture of the arrested man, he claimed not to recognise him, or the silver Fiesta involved in the incident. The man added: They (the police) were here about what happened in London. They told me they thought the car involved was registered and insured here, but it wasnt. They were asking about a silver Fiesta We all work night shifts, and I was asleep when they came this afternoon. It was a surprise, but we dont know anything about what happened. PA:Press Association The Ford Fiesta is recovered from the scene of the rampage by police late on Tuesday PA:Press Association Forensic officers by the car that crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament on Tuesday night PA:Press Association A security barrier is moved by a forklift truck in Westminster after the a car mowed down people on the morning commute PA:Press Association Forensic officers by the car that crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament, Westminster, London I have lived here a year and I dont know that guy. Neighbours confirmed the property was a shared house occupied by Sudanese men  but none recognised the suspect when shown a picture. One said: They were a lot of them [police] and they were quite aggressive. They broke in, and broke a couple of doors down inside. They wouldnt say who they were. It was quite scary. The driver is handcuffed after he drove his car into barriers outside Parliament at around 7.40am on Tuesday morning The suspect is led away from the scene by armed cops following the chaos during the Tuesday morning rush hour It makes you quite worried that a house so close is being linked to what happened in London. It is a shared house, people come and go there, they all have six bedrooms in this row. But Ive never seen the guy they arrested at the scene. One, Ibrahim Ahmed, 24, said: Some men arrived this afternoon and were going in and out. We just know the people there to say hello to. Benas Butkevicus added: I was woken up by a lot of banging and scratching, but I dont really know who lives there. Officers were seen leaving the property at around 7.30pm clutching documents. Scotland Yard said that at this stage, there have been no other arrests in connection with this part of the investigation. Labour MP Roger Godsiff last night said the terror suspect is believed to come from his Birmingham Hall Green constituency. Labours Mr Godsiff last night said West Midlands Police had contacted him, adding: The person identified as being involved is suspected as coming from my constituency. It will be inappropriate for me to be any more specific. Jamie Lorriman Bicycles were left on the ground following the rampage at the scene of another terror attack Moment suspect drives a car into a Parliament barrier in Westminister The Mets Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said: Our priority is to formally identify the suspect and establish his motivations if we can. He is not currently cooperating. He said the driver was not known to counter-terror police, but he added: Given this appears to be a deliberate act, the method and this being an iconic site, we are treating it as a terrorist incident. It emerged yesterday that the Fiesta was driven from Birmingham late on Monday, arriving in central London in the early hours of yesterday. It was parked in the Tottenham Court Road area from 1.25am until 5.55am. The lone occupant then drove around Westminster and Whitehall for more than 90 minutes before the attack. CCTV saw the Fiesta on the one-way system at Parliament Square before suddenly lurching left onto the wrong side of the road. The car swerves across the road after ploughing into cyclists in Westminster PA:Press Association Forensics officers work at the scene of the smash in Westminster EPA Forensics officers gather evidence at the scene of the crash on Tuesday afternoon as they search for a motive One cyclist in the crowd hit by the car, Geoffrey Woodman, said: It hit the lady two bikes to my left. It was going about 40 to 50mph. Its windscreen hit her hard as she was trying to jump off. He said there was chaos as the victim, in her 40s, was left badly hurt on the ground with bikes everywhere before the Fiesta smashed into the barrier to the Old Palace Yard car park at the Lords. Ex-Met counter-terror detective Brian Tarpey said: The barriers are designed to stop trucks getting through. Theres no way a Fiesta would succeed. Armed cops sprang out of an unmarked Ford van which was in the area, though police later dismissed speculation it had been following the car. SUN SAYS FOR the second time in 18 months terror has come to Westminster. Again, it is the bravery of our emergency services which stands out above all. To run towards a car, not knowing what or who was in it, takes extra- ordinary bravery. It is courage that we have become used to but that we should never take for granted. There will be hard questions asked over the coming days. It is too early to tell how and why this man came to commit his crime, or why the security services were not able to prevent it. But more broadly, it is a reminder of the threat that stalks our streets. We cannot forget last years carnage, from London Bridge to Manchester, which saw families ripped apart and promising lives cut short. The Government must not let terrorism slip to the back of the queue, no matter how thorny other political issues are. It remains a clear and present danger. The news that there have been 17 foiled plots since last March is terrifying. Theresa May must give our intelligence services all the support they need  including greater powers to investigate social media. Terrorists are desperate to divide us. Theyll never triumph. How the terror attack unfolded yesterday A search of the silver Fiesta, originally registered in Nottingham in 2010, found no weapons. It has now emerged that the car was written off by an insurance company last autumn and failed its MOT in May because of a faulty steering wheel  but was back on the road and sold two months ago. Officers ask that anyone who may have seen the silver Ford Fiesta, registration number FL10 CWZ, or the driver in the London area in the hours before the attack to get in touch. Anyone with footage or images is also urged to reach out to police to help with their investigation. Chaos at the scene of the crash in Westminster after a Ford Fiesta rammed into pedestrians and cyclists Smoke billows from the bonnet of the Fiesta after it crashed into anti-terror barriers Cyclist treated by emergency services after car drives into Houses of Parliament security banner Footage from the scene showed two police officers being forced to jump out of the road as the vehicle careers towards them before mowing down civilians. Injured cyclists are then seen being treated by paramedics as bikes lay strewn across the road. Armed police were heard shouting move back as quick as you can, were asking you for a reason as they swarmed through Westminster when the car came to a halt. Witness Barry Williams earlier said: It did look like an attack Once he hit the cyclists he accelerated towards the barrier. refer to caption. A man is led away from the silver car by armed cops outside Parliament on Tuesday Police sprint to the scene of the crash after the car ploughed into security barriers Terrified members of the public are lead away from Parliament Square by cops The attack sparked memories of the terrorist atrocity in March 2017 in which Khalid Masood, 52, killed five in Westminster, including PC Keith Palmer. The attack by Masood  who was shot dead by police  was followed by terror atrocities in Manchester and London Bridge which killed 30. Security at Parliament will be reviewed following the latest attack and the police presence around historic sites, rail stations and crowded areas is expected to be stepped up across the UK.
Westminster terror attacker had been investigated by MI5 over violent extremism Westminster terror attacker had been investigated by MI5 over violent extremism Westminster terror attacker had been investigated by MI5 over violent extremism The Westminster terrorist was previously known to security services and had been investigated by MI5 over violent extremism. Prime Minister Theresa May told MPs that the British-born attacker was a peripheral figure who was not part of the current intelligence picture. It came as Islamic State claimed that the perpetrator was one of its soldiers, while police activity in connection with the investigation has been reported in a number of areas around the country. The Prime Minister addressed MPs as they gathered at the usual time inside the Palace of Westminster, which a day earlier had come under attack from the knife-wielding terrorist. An hour after MPs had stood for a minutes silence in honour of the innocent people killed in the attack, Mrs May delivered a statement with details of the atrocity. Members of the House of Parliament observe a minutes silence to pay respect to the victims of yesterdays terror attack in Westminster (PA) Describing the terrorist, Mrs May said: What I can confirm is that the man was British-born and that some years ago he was once investigated by MI5 in relation to concerns about violent extremism. He was a peripheral figure. We have now made a total of eight arrests as part of the ongoing Counter Terrorism operation #WestminsterAttack The case is historic. He was not part of the current intelligence picture. There was no prior intelligence of his intent or of the plot. In a defiant message to a packed House of Commons, Mrs May said: We will never waver in the face of terrorism. Paying tribute to Pc Keith Palmer, who died after being stabbed, she said: He was every inch a hero and his actions will never be forgotten. Pc Keith Palmer (Metropolitan Police/PA) The identities of the terrorists victims on Westminster Bridge have emerged  one a US tourist from Utah celebrating his wedding anniversary, the other a highly regarded and loved member of college staff. Kurt Cochran and his wife, Melissa  on the last day of a trip celebrating their 25th anniversary  were visiting her parents, who are serving as Mormon missionaries in London. Aysha Frade, who worked in administration at independent sixth-form school DLD College London, in Westminster, is understood to have been 43 and married with two daughters. A massive inquiry has been launched by intelligence agencies and the police as they attempt to piece together the killers movements in the lead-up to the attack. The address in Hagley Road was raided on Wednesday night (Richard Vernalls/PA) Anti-terror police have arrested eight people in the wake of the attack, and several addresses were raided overnight in London and Birmingham. At the scene of one of the police raids, a flat in Hagley Road, Birmingham, one witness told the Press Association: The man from London lived here. Surrey Police would not comment on whether there was police activity in their county as part of the probe into the Westminster attack, instead directing queries about the matter to the Metropolitan Police. A Scotland Yard spokesman said the force would not discuss locations for operational reasons. Investigators believe the attacker acted alone, and Mrs May said there was no reason to believe further attacks on the public were planned. Meanwhile, Islamic State made its first public pronouncement since the atrocity. A statement released through the groups Aamaq news agency said the attacker was a soldier of the Islamic State. The timing of the silence was chosen in honour of Pc Palmers shoulder number  933. Forty other people were injured in the attack, with 29 treated in hospital, where seven remained in a critical condition on Thursday. The casualties included 12 Britons, three French children, two Romanians, four South Koreans, two Greeks, and one each from Germany, Poland, Ireland, China, Italy and the United States. Three police officers were also hurt, two of them seriously. Westminster Bridge reopened on Thursday, less than 24 hours after the attack. Ipsoregulated This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's Editors' Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then please contact the editor here. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can contact IPSO here
British police arrest seven people over deadly Westminster attack LONDON: British police arrested seven people in armed raids on Thursday in response to the deadly terrorist attack the day before on the symbol of the countrys democracy. Britains top anti-terror officer Mark Rowley said police have revised down the number of victims from Wednesdays rampage to three from four. Some 40 people were wounded. We have searched six addresses and made seven arrests, Mark Rowley told reporters in London. He said the raids included locations in London and the central city of Birmingham. Defiant British MPs meanwhile vowed to return to work as normal after the attack on the iconic parliament building in the shadow of Big Ben. Authorities worked round the clock to piece together what happened when carnage was sown in the heart of London as the attacker ran down several pedestrians on nearby Westminster Bridge then charged at a policeman at the parliament gates, stabbing him to death with a large knife. Armed officers shot the attacker dead but not before he had killed two members of the public and the 48-year policeman guarding the seat of British political power in the deadliest attack in the country since 2005. Press Association news agency photos believed to be of the attacker lying on an ambulance stretcher showed a burly man wearing black clothes and a beard. Other pictures showed two people being treated on the ground inside the vehicle entrance gates of parliament, with a knife visible on the cobblestones, while three shots were heard ringing out on video footage as terrified passers-by fled. British lawmaker Mary Creagh told media that there was a real sense of panic as the attack unfolded and a doctor at nearby St Thomas Hospital said they were treating people with catastrophic injuries. Prime Minister Theresa May described the attack as sick and depraved in a defiant address in which she affirmed parliament would meet as normal on Thursday. Standing outside her Downing Street residence after an emergency cabinet meeting, May said Britains alert level would remain unchanged at level four, or severe. We will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart, said May, dressed in black. The prime minister was in parliament at the time of the attack and was ushered away in a silver car as gunfire rang out. Rowley said on Wednesday police suspected they were dealing with terrorism, adding that investigators believed they knew the assailants identity. Queen Elizabeth II postponed her appearance on Thursday to open the new headquarters of Londons Metropolitan Police, where the forces flag flew at half-mast following the attack. The attack came a year to the day after Islamic State militants killed 32 people in twin bomb attacks in Brussels and after a series of deadly assaults in Europe that had spared Britain until Wednesday. Parliament was locked down for several hours and police evacuated hundreds of MPs and visitors to nearby Westminster Abbey and the Metropolitan Police headquarters. An air ambulance flew in and police cordoned off a large area, while tourists on the London Eye, a popular visitor attraction, were left dangling up to 135 metres in the air for more than an hour during the attack. I saw three bodies lying on the ground and a whole lot of police. It was pretty terrifying, said Jack Hutchinson, 16, from the United States, who was stranded on the observation wheel with his parents. Foreign Office Minister Tobias Ellwood, whose brother Jonathan was killed in the 2002 Bali bombing, was pictured with his face smeared with blood helping to give first aid to the fatally wounded police officer. The worst previous attack in London was in 2005 when four British suicide bombers inspired by al Qaeda targeted the transport system, killing 52 people. Britains last terror attack was last years assassination of MP Jo Cox by a pro-Nazi sympathizer in her constituency in northern England. Britains allies reacted with shock and vowed to stand with London in the fight against terror while lights on the Eiffel Tower in Paris were switched off at midnight in solidarity with victims of the attack. US President Donald Trump and French President Francois Hollande both spoke to May and Chancellor Angela Merkel said Germany stood with Britons against all forms of terrorism. Spoke to UK Prime Minister Theresa May today to offer condolences on the terrorist attack in London, Trump tweeted. The incident dominated Britains front pages, with The Mirror describing it as an attack on democracy while Londons Evening Standard carried the headline Terror carnage at Westminster. Several international tourists visiting one of Londons most iconic sights were caught up in the violence. Five South Korean tourists were wounded, Seouls foreign ministry said, while the Romanian government said two of its citizens were also injured. A Portuguese man was hurt, the countrys government said, while a seriously injured woman was rescued from the River Thames following the incident. French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said he would travel to London on Thursday morning to visit three French pupils on a school trip who were among those hurt.
Popular Videos There is a great deal that we do not precisely know about what appears to be the latest low-level terror attack at Westminster. However, like many you may have a terrible sinking feeling that, first, it could have been much worse and, second, it might not be unrelated to the heightened political tensions of the moment  across parties, across religious and political beliefs  across the country, in fact. The debate about antisemitism, about the burqa and niqab, the hateful tone of so much that goes on in social media, the talk of traitors and treason, enemies of the people. If you want to see what racial or religious hatred looks like, you need not infiltrate some terror cell; just take a look at the comments left below the line on popular news websites, or surf around Twitter. Sooner or later there was going to be a reckoning, a tangible act in response to the goading and climate of fear we seem to have generated in our peaceful land. Parliament crash: Footage shows moment man is taken away by police The truth is that this is the kind of low-level terror that is disturbingly easy to perpetrate. We would have to institute a police state in order to eliminate it, and even then you could not be certain of doing so. As we witnessed in the more deadly Westminster Bridge attack last year, in Borough Market, with the murder of Lee Rigby, you need only a car or van and some knives to inflict huge harm on innocent people. The same goes of the lorry attacks in Nice and Berlin. At the Manchester Arena and in the murder of Jo Cox, and in the Paris massacres, there were more sophisticated techniques deployed, which required sourcing materials and some expertise, but not that much when so much can be gleaned from the internet. Car bombings have been attempted in mainland Britain, but, as in so many benighted areas of the world, we can see how relatively simple they are to construct, and the huge impact that they have. Only days ago we commemorated the dead in the Omagh bombing three decades ago, in which Irish Republican terrorists murdered 29 people and injured 220 others. It was a reminder that car bombings were once not unusual on the streets of the UK, and not so long ago. The IRAs mainland Britain bombing campaign, of assassinations, letter bombs and explosions in crowded pubs, also remind us that the UK has been subject to domestic terror campaigns before. Westminster incident: car crashes into barriers outside parliament Westminster incident: car crashes into barriers outside parliament 1/30 Forensic officers by the car that crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament PA 2/30 Police arrest the man Sky News 3/30 Forensic officers work at the scene EPA 4/30 Damaged bikes near the crash site Getty Images 5/30 Police arrest the man who crashed a car into the barriers ITV 6/30 Getty Images 7/30 Getty Images 8/30 Police activity outside the Houses of Parliament after a car crashed into security barriers BBC/PA 9/30 Bicycles lie on the ground at the scene REUTERS 10/30 A forensics investigator arrives at the scene REUTERS 11/30 Police and emergency response teams work outside the Houses of Parliament AFP/Getty Images 12/30 The area is cleared near to the incident PA 13/30 A forensics investigator works at the scene REUTERS 14/30 Armed police on Victoria Embankment PA 15/30 A forensic officer attends the scene near the Houses of Parliament PA 16/30 Police officers and a search team secure the roads around the Houses of Parliament as forensic teams continue their work around a vehicle Getty Images 17/30 Police forensics officers outside the Houses of Parliament AFP/Getty Images 18/30 The car crashed into parliament barriers Vincent McAviney/NBC News/Euronews/Twitter/PA 19/30 PA 20/30 Fire fighters attend the scene Reuters 21/30 A police dog team works behind the cordon REUTERS 22/30 olice and emergency services respond EPA 23/30 Police on Westminster Bridge PA 24/30 Reuters 25/30 Police respond EPA 26/30 EPA 27/30 Armed police stand in the street after the incident Reuters 28/30 Police officers stand at a cordon Reuters 29/30 Police activity on Millbank PA 30/30 Reuters 1/30 Forensic officers by the car that crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament PA 2/30 Police arrest the man Sky News 3/30 Forensic officers work at the scene EPA 4/30 Damaged bikes near the crash site Getty Images 5/30 Police arrest the man who crashed a car into the barriers ITV 6/30 Getty Images 7/30 Getty Images 8/30 Police activity outside the Houses of Parliament after a car crashed into security barriers BBC/PA 9/30 Bicycles lie on the ground at the scene REUTERS 10/30 A forensics investigator arrives at the scene REUTERS 11/30 Police and emergency response teams work outside the Houses of Parliament AFP/Getty Images 12/30 The area is cleared near to the incident PA 13/30 A forensics investigator works at the scene REUTERS 14/30 Armed police on Victoria Embankment PA 15/30 A forensic officer attends the scene near the Houses of Parliament PA 16/30 Police officers and a search team secure the roads around the Houses of Parliament as forensic teams continue their work around a vehicle Getty Images 17/30 Police forensics officers outside the Houses of Parliament AFP/Getty Images 18/30 The car crashed into parliament barriers Vincent McAviney/NBC News/Euronews/Twitter/PA 19/30 PA 20/30 Fire fighters attend the scene Reuters 21/30 A police dog team works behind the cordon REUTERS 22/30 olice and emergency services respond EPA 23/30 Police on Westminster Bridge PA 24/30 Reuters 25/30 Police respond EPA 26/30 EPA 27/30 Armed police stand in the street after the incident Reuters 28/30 Police officers stand at a cordon Reuters 29/30 Police activity on Millbank PA 30/30 Reuters We could, for the sake of those who live, work, visit and travel there, cordon off Parliament Square and make it a pedestrian-only zone. We could do the same with other high-profile potential targets in the capital. Yet we know that all that would do would be to relocate the acts of terror, not stop them. Do we have get used to what they used to call in Northern Ireland during the Troubles an acceptable level of violence? We may not have much choice in these increasingly over-heated times, where political doubt turns to anxiety turns to fear turns to violence and revenge. The fear is always, as in Ulster, that tit-for-tat revenge attacks by vigilantes will follow, self-appointed defence leagues, threatening a spiral of violence. Thats what happened in Ireland. Man arrested outside Parliament after car crashes into barrier We may be horrified by the idea of another possible attack, and, to a degree, relived that the violence was not far worse  its shocking, yes, but how many of us can claim to have been completely surprised? Is this the new normal? The Independent has launched its #FinalSay campaign to demand that voters are given a voice on the final Brexit deal.
HUNDREDS of people lined up to pay tribute to the Westminster terror attack victims as it emerged that hero police officer Keith Palmer will be honoured at the police memorial grounds. PC Palmer, unarmed but wearing a protective vest, was guarding the Carriage Gates on Wednesday when he was stabbed by Khalid Masood. Masood had stormed the grounds of Parliament after ploughing a grey Hyundai Tucson into dozens of pedestrians on Westminster Bridge. Home Secretary Amber Rudd announced last night that PC Palmer, 48, will be commemorated at the UK Police Memorial at the National Arboretum in Staffordshire, which provides a lasting tribute to the sacrifices that all too many police officers have made. Related articles Ms Rudd added that the father-of-two had touched the lives of millions of people in this country and around the world. She said: [PC Palmer] gave his life, in the line of duty, in order to keep others safe. So much has been said and written in tribute to PC Palmer  a husband and father who went to work on Wednesday morning and will never go home. It is impossible to fully describe the debt of gratitude we owe to him. I want to express my heartfelt condolences to his family, his colleagues and his friends at this incredibly difficult time. I know there is a profound sense of loss, but his actions will never be forgotten. The police officer acted very bravely and he has the admiration of us all Veteran Bob Filby Ms Rudd also gave her best wishes to the two officers who remain in hospital after being injured in the attack as she praised the police and emergency services remarkable response to the atrocity. PC Palmers sacrifice has reached the hearts of people across the nation. A Just Giving account set up to help his family had raised 700,000 last night, almost tripling its original target of 250,000. A highly decorated old soldier has joined calls for murdered PC Keith Palmer to be given a posthumous medal in recognition of his bravery. Bob Filby, 93, who was awarded the Military Cross for his bravery during heavy fighting in the Second World War, said PC Palmer should be posthumously given the George Cross, a gallantry medal. Bob said: The police officer acted very bravely and he has the admiration of us all. I fully support the calls for him to be honoured. Acting Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley also paid tribute to PC Palmer, saying: Keith, you put yourself in harms way to protect others in the best traditions of the police force. Yesterday hundreds of people descended on Parliament to pay their respects to the officer as well as the three other victims of Masood. Thousands of bouquets lined the streets where the horror unfolded, while many adorned the railings surrounding the Palace of Westminster. Human rights lawyer Mohamed al Shekhili, 51, said: I feel so sorry for this policeman who died without reason. He is a hero. These terrorists are not Christian, Muslim or Jewish  they kill without reason  and I feel ashamed of them. I came here as a refugee fleeing the war in Iraq and now our blood is united and we must stand together. This beautiful country and its beautiful people gave me everything. PA The unarmed 48-year-old was guarding Westminster when he was stabbed by Khalid Masood I came here today to stand with the police and thank them. They protect our life, they stand here to give us security. Paul Monk, 55, from Wandsworth, south-west London, said: We must not let these people win. Looking around, there is such a sense of unity. The atmosphere is very emotional, its very touching to see people come together in the face of something like this. To lose your life just doing your job, in the line of duty, is awful. I came to lay flowers and handed them to a policewoman and offered my condolences. Colin Pearce, 65, travelled from Slough, Berkshire with his wife to pay tribute. He said: You dont realise how close you come to these things, you think because its Britain its safe but there is a sense of shame that this can happen here. GETTY Memebrs of the public have called the officer to be given a posthumous medal of bravery There are people from all over the world here today paying tribute. Its tragic to think that a policeman who stands between us and crime can lose his life. We care about life, and we are fighting people who dont. Pat Burke, 77, had travelled to the capital with her husband Len, 81 and grandson Liam, 10. She said: As soon as we arrived the emotion hit me. I just felt like I needed to come. People lost their lives because of this person. Im ashamed that someone who called themselves British could do this sort of thing. Being here really brings home the horror of what happened. But standing here there is also a sense of unity. Its almost like people are making a point  you are not going to stop us. Something like this doesnt change the way you live your life. Life has to go on. If it had changed anything we wouldnt be here today.
Terror in the HEART of London: the Westminster attack as it happened The attack in Westminster has left four people dead and up to 20 injured after a man drove his vehicle into pedestrians, then ran into the grounds of the Houses of Parliament before being shot by police 1 / 55 PA The alleged attacker, with the suspected weapons used in the attack highlighted in red More than 50 schoolchildren were also placed in a high-security cordon inside Parliament. Tourists were held in the London Eye ferris wheel while police dealt with the situation. A woman was amazingly pulled out of the Thames River alive some time later. Commons Leader David Lidington has told MPs: "The alleged assailant was shot by armed police, an ambulance is currently attending the scene to remove the casualities. "There are also reports of further violent incidents in the Palace of Westminster but it would be wrong of me to go into further details before confirmation from the police." TWITTER TERROR ATTACK: London has been hit by an attack as a man drove a car into pedestrians A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman Rick Longley MPs and staff sent messages to friends and family to let them know they were safe. Labour MP Jon Trickett tweeted during the incident saying: "Democracy will not be intimidated by terror." Dennis Burns described the chaotic scenes after the attack saying: "When I got inside I was wondering what the hell was going on and I saw dozens of panicked people running down the street. "The first stream was around 30 people and the second stream was 70 people. "It looked like they were running for their lives." Another witness Rick Longley fought back tears as he described seeing the attacker stab a police officer. He said: "We were just walking up to the station and there was a loud bang and a guy, someone, crashed a car and took some pedestrians out. SG LOCKDOWN: Police have halted the London Eye "They were just laying there and then the whole crowd just surged around the corner by the gates just opposite Big Ben. "A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman. "I have never seen anything like that. I just can't believe what I just saw." Prime Minister Theresa May has called an emergency Cobra meeting for later today. The House of Commons and the House of Lords will sit as normal tomorrow. Metropolitan police said members of public should avoid the following areas: Parliament Square, Whitehall, Westminster Bridge, Lambeth Bridge, Victoria Street up to the junction with Broadway and Victoria Embankment up to Embankment Tube station. REUTERS INJURED: Cops have said that many people are injured Tube services at Westminster were cancelled. People around the world reacted in horror to the terrifying incident. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: Our thoughts are with the victims of this horrific attack, their families and friends." The Scottish Parliament at Holyrood suspended their vote on an independence referendum as a result of the chaos.
Shona Craven: Terror fears should not drive us to arm every police officer HOW do you stop two neds stabbing each other? Dont skip to the bottom of the page looking for a punchline  its a serious question. I ask because a member of the Scottish Police Federation (SPF) is grappling with this problem. Indeed, it sounds like Chris Thomson might, in the course of his duties, be grappling with neds. He doesnt have the right tools for this job, he says, let alone the job of fighting terrorists. Well that escalated quickly. One second the discussion was about routine police call-outs to serious but contained violent incidents, the next it had switched to the chaotic unknown of a pre-planned atrocity like the attack on Westminster. Thats quite a leap. Its a leap that demands further scrutiny. Of course the horrifying death of PC Keith Palmer was on the mind of the rank-and-file officers who gathered for the SPF annual conference this week. And as a civilian, I cant pretend to understand how it must feel to not only run towards life-threatening situations, but to do so knowing that in many cases your mere arrival, in a uniform, may increase the risk of violence. The voices of officers must be heard in any debate about policing policy, but a respect for their bravery must not get in the way of critically assessing their arguments, especially when the discussion is about life-or-death issues such as weapon-carrying. Calum Steele, the head of the SPF, told the conference unarmed officers in Scotland were being sent to incidents involving not only knives but firearms, too  a situation he described as disgraceful and unforgivable. But then, like Thomson, in the blink of an eye he switched to talking about the Westminster attack. We dont have anything that would allow us to deal with the immediacy of a very quick attack such as that which unfolded in London, he said. The headlines, naturally, reflected this statement. The message was clear: Scotland is unprepared for a terror attack. Talk about tempting fate. But Steele failed to spell out exactly what kind of anything would have been required to halt an attack that lasted for less than two minutes and began with a deadly road traffic incident that could only be recognised as terrorism after the fact. What he also failed to clarify was whether Scotland was uniquely unprepared to deal with such an attack; whether we are any less prepared than England, France, Belgium, Germany or any of our other European neighbours. Colleagues at the conference made more concrete proposals. Chris Thomson argued that every officer should have at least a Taser, referring to the electroshock weapons designed to incapacitate, while SPF vice-chair David Hamilton pointed to the Norwegian model in which all officers are firearms trained and have guns locked away in their cars. What remains unclear is whether either approach would have made the slightest difference to how events unfolded on March 22, including the fatal stabbing of PC Palmer. Which is not to say these proposals should be dismissed out of hand, only that a cynical person might question them being discussed in the same breath as the Westminster attack. We learned this week that officers guarding the Scottish Parliament will be given Tasers, and it was announced last summer that the number of armed police was being increased in response to the threat of terrorism (bringing the total up to about 500, representing fewer than one in 40 officers). However, there seems to be no public or political appetite to go much further. Indeed, when in 2014 it emerged armed officers were supporting colleagues on routine duties in the Highlands there was an outcry, with local politicians expressing concern that the newly established Police Scotland was adopting a heavy-handed, one-size-fits-all approach. So what about those knife-wielding neds? Would officers with Tasers be better equipped to stop them stabbing each other? Perhaps  but the use of that language to describe them should give us serious pause. We can all picture the scene Thomson described, but referring to young men as neds strips them of their humanity, and talking about them stabbing each other conjures a scene of mindless recreational violence in which both are equally culpable. It suggests theres no point trying to use traditional police tactics to defuse the situation, any more than it would be worth trying to negotiate with an escaped tiger, or a maniac, or a terrorist. But these young men are human beings. They are sons, brothers, nephews, perhaps even fathers. They are citizens, too. Of course police officers should be empowered to defend themselves in the face of clear threats to their own safety, but they must not lose sight of the humanity of those they encounter while on duty. Tasers may be described as a form of non-lethal force, but that doesnt mean no-one has ever died from having electrodes fired into their flesh. The use of a Taser is clearly preferable in almost every instance to the use of a gun, but that doesnt mean it is preferable to using no weapon at all. Terrorists seek to divide and alienate the communities they target, by fostering fear and suspicion. It is right that police tactics and resources are kept under review at a time of global insecurity, but any response that increases public fear of the police  the very people assigned to keep us safe  risks playing right into their hands. Ipsoregulated This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's Editors' Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then please contact the editor here. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can contact IPSO here
Worshippers at Birmingham central mosque observe a minutes silence for the victims of the Westminster attack. Photograph: Joe Giddens/PA Inside al-Tawhid mosque in Leyton, east London, the atmosphere was nervous as volunteers unlocked doors ahead of Friday prayers. Amid reports that Khalid Masood had worshipped at the mosque in recent years, a member of its management, who declined to give his name, said: We dont know anything about this person. If he ever attended, from the name we dont know him. The images of him arent clear enough for us to know if he ever attended the mosque. London attack: police seize three vehicles after armed raid in Birmingham  live Read more The mosques tiny brick frontage on Leyton High Road leads to several large prayer rooms, with attendance on Fridays sometimes reaching 600. Some of those streaming towards the mosque for lunchtime prayers pointed out that it was impossible to know the identity of all those attending. People come and go, shrugged a volunteer in the mosques cramped office. The management team member said: We condemn the action [in Westminster] in the strongest possible terms, and we extend our sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims. This is not an Islamic action. This nothing to do with Islam. Outside, as community police officers wearing hi-vis jackets patrolled in pairs, a man who gave his name as Abdullah said the media bore some responsibility for rising anti-Muslim sentiment. Our social tissue is quite fragile. If you play this game, it will tear, he said. One of his colleagues had not returned a greeting on Thursday, he said. She wouldnt make eye contact. I was hurt. They think, Abdullah is a Muslim, maybe he is a terrorist, too. Its very depressing. He said he had never come across Masood at the mosque but claimed a friend had seen him there recently. No others heading into the mosque as prayer time approached said they had heard of Masood before this weeks events, but several expressed anxiety about an anti-Muslim backlash. This happens every time, this is our reality, said Mohammed. Next door to the mosque, in the Tayba Islamic bookshop, another man called Abdullah pointed to leaflets stocked in the shop and distributed to local mosques, schools and youth clubs. Their titles included Islam is Free From Terrorism, A Warning Against Terror Groups Isis and Al Qaeda and the Correct Islamic Position Regarding Them and Isis: Jihad in the Path of Satan. Your government needs to focus on Muslims who have got this ideology in their heads, he said. Surely British intelligence has got enough intelligence to find out whats going on? In Birmingham, there was anger at the citys central mosque as worshippers said that they were being blamed by association for the acts of a man they did not consider to be a true Muslim. Why is it that the western media wants to demonise Islam because of the acts of a radical extremist? asked Asim Riaz, 42, a solicitor. There was a double standard in the reporting of these crimes, he said, comparing the treatment of the far-right white supremacist killer of MP Jo Cox with Masood. Why was Thomas Mair not labelled a terrorist? He killed an MP for political means and shouted Britain first! when he did it. Even when Greater Manchester police carried out a training exercise to prepare for a terror attack [in the Trafford Centre] last year, they had the terrorists shout Allahu Akbar!. The assumption is that terrorists are Muslims. Riaz insisted that Birmingham was no more a hotbed of Islamic extremism than any other big city. The problem is disenfranchised youths  they are the ones who can be manipulated. They want a sense of belonging. They feel they dont belong in the UK even though they were born here. They feel rejected by their country and that they have nowhere to go. Its not an Islamic thing. Its about feeling ostracised. Among representatives of different faiths attending Friday prayers at the mosque were David Urquhart, the Anglican bishop of Birmingham, Bernard Longley, the Catholic archbishop of Birmingham, and Rabbi Margaret Jacobi. Mak Chishty, a commander at the Metropolitan police and the forces lead on hate crime, was also present. Muslims pray at Birmingham central mosque after observing a minutes silence for victims of the Westminster attack. Photograph: Joe Giddens/PA At an event afterwards, Chishty was heckled when he sought to justify the Mets labelling the London attacks an act of terrorism. The definition of terror is where an act is carried out for a political motive  I dont think its the wrong thing to do. I dont think he [Masood] is just someone who has driven across the bridge and randomly said: Oh, Ill just crash into people and kill them and then crash the car and try to maim people, Chishty said. He added: This isnt about casting a cloud over the local communities. Ive told you Im a local boy. Im a Muslim. I feel violated when Muslims are under attack, when the extremists take Islam to a violent form. It separates it from what I have learnt. London attack: what we know so far Read more After a minutes silence for Londons victims and a sermon that denounced Islamist terrorism, Chishty appealed for information about Masood, who lived in the city in the runup to the attack. Any reports would be treated in strictest confidence and could be made anonymously, he said. Just imagine if somebody somewhere had told us something that may have made us do something differently. Five people may still have been alive today and wed have been able to prevent it. Birmingham central mosque had seen an increase in Islamophobic hate crime since the London attacks, said its chairman, Makhdoom Ahmad Chishti. We have had quite a lot of emails, hate mail, since Wednesday. They say get out of our country and mosques dont belong here, that sort of thing, he told the Guardian. We just laugh it off and forward it to the police. In Westminster, close to the scene of Wednesdays attack, leaders of Britains Christian, Muslim and Jewish communities stood together to reaffirm interfaith friendship and solidarity. Against the sound of an overhead helicopter and sirens around the Palace of Westminster, Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury, Vincent Nichols, the Catholic archbishop of Westminster, Sheikh Khalifa Ezzat of the Sunni Muslim community, Sheikh Mohammed al Hilli of the Shia Muslim community, and Ephraim Mirvis, the chief rabbi, led a minutes silence outside Westminster Abbey for those who died. We are all still deeply shocked and beginning the process of thinking about the consequences and the future, said Welby. This is a moment of sad reflection but also a moment of determination for our nation. The chief rabbi said that terrorists sought to instill fear and terror into the hearts and minds of millions and to divide people and faiths against one another. We stand here as leaders of Christianity, Islam and Judaism; we have come here in friendship ... No person or no event will drive a wedge between us. Hilli said the attack was heinous and appalling, but said he had witnessed a tremendous feeling of support from British people in the past few days. At the end of the minutes silence, the faith leaders embraced one another. Afterwards, Welby told the Guardian he was concerned about a possible rise in Islamophobia in the aftermath of the attack. This has been a pattern in the past ... But there is no way that returning violence for violence has ever been successful or a good thing ... It is not appropriate to feel anger at a whole category of people. Nichols said the faith leaders spoke regularly on the phone. We are close to each other. He added: Every faith can produce extremists. We should not confuse extremism with a particular faith.
The fascinating stories behind some of 2017's most memorable photos In this photo essay, Reuters photographers tell the stories behind some of the most memorable news images of 2017, from Donald Trump's inauguration crowds and the flight of Rohingya refugees, to the Westminster terror attack and the Grenfell Tower fire. This gives the photographers a chance to tell the stories behind their pictures and explain in their own words how the images were taken. Through it all, the photographers raise a question that shows how close they were to the action: in moments of crisis, should they take pictures or try to help? 14 January 2017: Kandy Freeman takes part in a Black Lives Matter protest in front of Trump Tower in New YorkStephanie Keith/Reuters 14 January 2017: Kandy Freeman takes part in a Black Lives Matter protest in front of Trump Tower in New York Stephanie Keith: "I took this photo across the street from Trump Tower in New York City just days before Trump's inauguration. All major news outlets were staking out the Tower both for protests and for high-profile visitors. That Saturday, there wasn't much news and by 3pm most journalists had left. I stayed because there was a small Black Lives Matter march coming from Harlem. "Just as the sun was setting, about 40 protesters arrived. The snow started falling with big heavy flakes. Almost immediately I saw this woman. I thought she was so beautiful. I noticed that there were snowflakes in her hair and they were not melting. I thought, what a perfect metaphor since the right wing has named liberals "snowflakes", saying they are weak and easily take offence. "I loved the contrast of the black and white colours and the contrast of her strength and the fragility of the snowflakes. I asked if we could make a portrait. There was a store under construction with a black facade covering the building. I had this vision of taking a photo of people emerging from the blackness of the facade with snowflakes all around them. I lit the other side of her face with the warm incandescent glow of the upscale jewellery store next door. It was like creating a studio environment with available light, during a protest. "There wasn't much time because the jewellery store owners were yelling at us to leave, thinking we were part of the now-boisterous Black Lives Matter protest. I literally had two minutes to set up this portrait and capture it until she rejoined the protest. I got her name afterwards and sent her the photos. She loved them too. 'After walking over six miles my Afro was a winter wonderland,' Kandy Freeman said." Crowds gather on the National Mall in Washington DC to attend the inauguration ceremonies to swear in US President Donald Trump at 12:01pm (L) on 20 January 2017 and President Barack Obama sometime between 12:07pm and 12:26pm on 20 January 2009Lucas Jackson, Stelios Varias/Reuters 20 January 2017: Crowds gather on the National Mall in Washington DC to attend the inauguration ceremony to swear in US President Donald Trump Lucas Jackson: "The assignment was simply to shoot the inauguration from the Washington Monument. To avoid confusion I made sure to transmit crowd pictures while Trump was onstage with the crowd at its peak. Twitter quickly erupted with claims that my images were taken early in the morning or photoshopped to remove attendees. "At his first briefing, the President's new press secretary, Sean Spicer, said: 'Photographs of the inaugural proceedings were intentionally framed in a way, in one particular tweet, to minimise the enormous support that had gathered on the National Mall. This was also the first time that fencing and magnetometers went as far back on the Mall, preventing hundreds of thousands of people from being able to access the Mall as quickly as they had in inaugurations past.' "This was not true. It was a new experience to have the validity of such a straightforward image questioned. After that press conference the picture was everywhere. Later, CNN released an image it took from the portico of the US Capitol as Trump was sworn in. That vantage point is several hundred feet lower than the Washington Monument so the crowd looks bigger than in my picture. A second wave of 'liar' inundated me on Twitter. I ignored the noise but posted a copy of my image on Instagram with the caption: "Perspective; it matters." Later people noticed that the clock on the Smithsonian building in my picture shows the time at 1:15. Social media tried to claim my images were taken over an hour after the inauguration once the crowd had thinned. But the Smithsonian said its clock was broken and was stuck on that time." 27 February 2017: Displaced Iraqi women who had fled their home rest in the desert as they wait to be transported to safety while Iraqi forces battle with Islamic State militants in western MosulZohra Bensemra/Reuters 27 February 2017: Displaced women who had fled their home rest in the desert as they wait to be transported to safety during the battle for western Mosul Zohra Bensemra: "I took this picture of 90-year-old Khatla Ali Abdallah in a desert on the outskirts of Western Mosul after she fled the battle. Her fearful eyes red with fatigue, Khatla was so exhausted she could not stand or even sit properly. She looked to me like she had not eaten or drank water for a long time. "The moment was so emotional that I had tears in my eyes when I photographed her. I felt bad because I could not do anything for her apart from taking pictures to show the world the agony and torment of people trying to flee Mosul to safety. I was sad too, imagining this woman as my own grandmother and feeling helpless to make her comfortable. When you face such a moment, you always think that it could happen to anyone of us. "But despite all, Khatla looked beautiful to me, almost as if every wrinkle on her face told a story. I was fortunate to find her a few days later in a refugee camp after showing people my photograph of her. She has survived decades of turbulence in northern Iraq. She told me 'the fighting there is the worst I have ever seen'. She had been carried across the desert by her grandsons, under sniper and mortar fire, one of thousands who braved the difficult and dangerous journey out of Islamic State's shrinking stronghold in western Mosul. "Khatla made me smile when she expressed her remorse about her 20 chickens she had to leave behind. She had looked after them even while hiding from crossfire in her house's basement. Despite all the terror she experienced under IS rule, it had not destroyed her humanity - she said, 'Even animals deserve life.'" 4 March 2017: A man cries as he carries his daughter while walking from an Islamic State-controlled part of Mosul towards Iraqi special forces soldiers during a battleGoran Tomasevic/Reuters 4 March 2017: A man carries his daughter from an Islamic State-controlled part of Mosul towards Iraqi special forces soldiers during a battle Goran Tomasevic: "Both screaming in terror, a father and the young daughter he cradled in his arm fled through the rubble-strewn streets of Wadi Hajar, transformed in a flash into a battleground between Islamic State fighters and Iraqi special forces. They and their neighbours  some wearing rubber sandals, some barefoot  were running from an Isis counter-attack in this part of Mosul, dodging gunfire as the militants closed in. "When they reached the special forces lines, males were ordered to lift their shirts to prove they weren't suicide bombers. Some had to take off their clothes or show their belts, though not those carrying children. The father was so beside himself, so panicked. It was obvious because he had a short shirt on and was carrying a child that he wasn't Islamic State." 11 March 2017: Iraqi rapid response members fire a missile against Islamic State militants during a battle in MosulThaier Al-Sudani/Reuters 11 March 2017: Iraqi rapid response members fire a missile against Islamic State militants during a battle in Mosul Thaier Al-Sudani: "This attack came in the middle of a battle when Iraqi forces were trying to recapture the regional government compound from Islamic State. I was taking pictures of clashes at Mosul's antiquities museum when we spotted an Islamic State drone in the air above us. We dropped to the ground for fear of being attacked by a rocket. I cut my hand and we returned to the car to treat it. When we got there, I saw Iraqi forces firing rockets nearby at an IS target beyond our field of vision, so I resumed taking photographs. I thought this photo was a strong one that expressed the terrible violence of battle. It is another world covering wars compared with news conferences. There is 100 percent danger, and the internet we need to transmit pictures is poor or non-existent." 22 March 2017: A woman assists an injured person after an incident on Westminster Bridge in LondonToby Melville/Reuters 22 March 2017: A woman assists an injured person after an incident on Westminster Bridge in London Toby Melville: "I was on the footpath below the southeast end of Westminster Bridge, shooting pictures for the on-going Brexit story. I saw in my peripheral vision a large dark shape around 3-5 metres away come over the parapet and hit the ground approximately 10 metres below. I thought it was a terrible but isolated accident. I immediately called for an ambulance and ran to the top of the steps to try to get help at St Thomas's, the nearby hospital. While on the phone, I saw a couple more people lying on the pavement amongst debris, covered in blood or unconscious. "There were other people scattered along the bridge and pavement in various states of injury and distress. I realised this was not an accident but something premeditated. As the emergency services were on the scene now, I started taking photos along the bridge. I was unsure if danger was still present. I didn't know a car had been driven into these people. I hadn't heard any screams, loud engine noises or the gunshots of the armed police shooting and killing the perpetrator of the attack, Khalid Masood. I thought the injured or dead might also have been shot and a gunman might still be on the loose. "Armed police arrived and cleared the bridge. I called the office and started filing photographs from the back of the camera, transmitting most of the frames I had shot for the office to choose, edit and crop. A week later I walked back over the bridge, everything was 'back to normal', in a way. But the sight of the first victim falling and the sickening thud as he hit the pavement still goes through my mind. I wonder whether I should have transmitted all the frames I shot. The sequence of pictures is hard to look at. I remind myself I was lucky. I had walked over the bridge about a minute before the attack. Others weren't so fortunate." 26 March 2017: Law enforcement officers detain an opposition supporter during a rally in MoscowMaxim Shemetov/Reuters 26 March 2017: Law enforcement officers detain an opposition supporter during a rally in Moscow Maxim Shemetov: "This picture was taken during protests in central Moscow, organised by opposition leader Alexey Navalny. I was in Pushkinskaya Square, which was flooded with people, shouting slogans and waving flags. Traffic stopped and the police started detaining people. I saw police officers holding a protester by his arms and legs. He was shouting, and his head was just between their boots. I shot some frames almost from ground level while running beside them. I didn't look into my camera. I was just thinking: 'Let my picture be sharp! Let it be sharp!' The next day it was on the front page of the New York Times." 14 April 2017: Migrants try to stay afloat after falling off their rubber dinghy during a rescue operation by the Malta-based NGO Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) ship in the Mediterranean in international waters some 15 nautical miles off the coast of LibyaDarrin Zammit Lupi/Reuters 14 April 2017: Migrants try to stay afloat after falling off their rubber dinghy in the Mediterranean some 15 nautical miles off the coast of Libya Darrin Zammit Lupi: "I spent five weeks with the Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) on their ship, Phoenix, covering search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean. At the start of the Easter weekend we were on a routine rescue around 15 nautical miles off the Libyan coast. I was on the MOAS fast rubber boat with crew members handing out life jackets to a group of 134 Sub-Saharan migrants on a flimsy dinghy before we would transfer them to the Phoenix. "I had one camera up to my eye to shoot some wide angle frames. Suddenly, one migrant balancing on the rim of a dinghy slipped sideways and like dominos several of his colleagues lost their balance and fell into the sea. I captured the whole sequence by keeping my finger on the shutter button. It was chaos. I kept shooting as the rescuers leapt into action, helping several of the migrants pull themselves onto our boat. I was grabbing hold of people with one hand and shooting with the other. Then, through my viewfinder, a few metres away, I noticed one man struggling more than the others, stretching out his arm towards us. I screamed to alert our specialist rescue swimmer that one man was going under. He reacted instantly, jumped in, and pulled the man to safety. "Afterwards, I did a lot of soul searching. Should I have put down my cameras altogether and just grabbed hold of whoever I could? That evening I discussed it with the rescuers, who felt I'd done the right thing. Their job was to rescue lives. Mine was to document the harsh reality of what's happening. Everyone survived that day." 20 May 2017: A man who was set on fire by people who accused him of stealing during a rally against Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro runs amidst opposition supporters in CaracasMarco Bello/Reuters 20 May 2017: A man who was set on fire by people who accused him of stealing runs down a street in Caracas Marco Bello: "I spotted a man running in front of me, while a group of protesters, most of them hooded and with makeshift shields, were chasing him, so I followed them. Some 100 metres down the street, the protesters caught the man and surrounded him. When I walked up and went through the circle of people to take pictures, someone had already poured petrol over the man and set him on fire. "The government said that the man was set on fire for being "chavista" (a follower of Venezuela's late President Hugo Chavez), but all I heard throughout was that he was being accused of trying to steal from a woman. I didn't hear anyone accusing him of being a pro-government infiltrator. The mob was crazy, you cannot reason with them, they do not think. Later, when things calmed down, I thought, 'This is mad'. I was just taking pictures and thinking about the technical aspect of my shooting. It's how I deal with shocking situations that are happening in front of me. Orlando Figuera, 22, passed away two weeks later." 14 June 2017: Flames and smoke billow as firefighters deal with a fire in the Grenfell Tower apartment block in West LondonToby Melville/Reuters 14 June 2017: Flames and smoke billow as firefighters deal with a fire in the Grenfell Tower apartment block in West London Toby Melville: "The phone rang at around 3.30 in the morning. 'What's happened,' I said, on autopilot as I emerged from deep sleep. My picture editor, Dylan, only calls at that time of night for breaking news. 'It's not terror,' said Dylan. I felt a sense of relief. He said a tower block in West London was on fire. I dressed, picked up my cameras, laptops and phones and jumped into the car. It was still dark at 4 a.m. when I got to the scene. I could see a tower block ablaze. I was shocked. There must be scores of people trapped inside and the fire had started at 1 a.m., the worst possible time with so many residents at home and asleep. "I felt the clock ticking as I searched for a parking spot close enough to get there on foot. Dylan edited my first frames shot, via transmission directly from camera, from his home. They weren't the best images but it was key to move them on the news wire as I was first on the scene for Reuters. As I got closer, I thought about accessing the neighbouring tower blocks that were yet to be cordoned off. I couldn't help thinking that if the structure had been ablaze for some three hours the building would collapse in smoke and rubble. It would be unwise to get too close. "So I walked onto the Westway, a raised highway that runs a couple of hundred metres from Grenfell tower. It was closed to traffic and eerily quiet bar the crackling of little explosions coming from the building and the muted noise of sirens. Ash was falling around me onto the road. This picture has a church in the background. I shot wide frames of the building on what would otherwise have been a beautiful summer dawn." 21 July 2017: Palestinians react after tear gas was shot by Israeli forces on a street outside Jerusalem's Old City after Friday prayersAmmar Awad/Reuters 21 July 2017: Palestinians react after tear gas was shot by Israeli forces on a street outside Jerusalem's Old City after Friday prayers Ammar Awad: "One Friday, Muslim elders called for a Palestinian "Day of Rage" to protest against Israeli security measures at Jerusalem's holiest site. I'm a native of Jerusalem and have covered the city for Reuters for 17 years, so I knew that Ras al-Amud, directly across the valley from the walled Old City, would be my best vantage point because the al-Aqsa Mosque and the golden Dome of the Rock dominate the landscape. "I arrived at the scene and the first thing I heard was an Israeli officer giving orders to his forces to disperse the crowd the moment Friday prayers ended. Seconds later, sound bombs erupted and many of the Muslim worshippers who had been praying started to run. Others were just finishing their prayers as the scene turned to chaos. It's hard to describe the sound bombs. They are so loud it is as though the whole area must have been destroyed. "I took 20 frames as an Israeli tear gas canister was unleashed on the crowd. The light from the exploding projectile lit up the scene, highlighting the colours in an unnatural way. Scores of men cowered instinctively from the deafening boom. I delivered the photo directly from my camera to the desk knowing that it told the unfolding story. I had a feeling that it would be the photo of the day." 9 August 2017: A woman mourns the death of a protester in the Mathare slum of Nairobi, after the result of Kenya's election was plunged into doubtThomas Mukoya/Reuters 9 August 2017: A woman mourns the death of a protester in the Mathare slum of Nairobi, after the result of Kenya's election was plunged into doubt Thomas Mukoya: "After the 8 August Kenyan presidential election, opposition leader Raila Odinga called a late night news conference at which he claimed the tallying of results was flawed. This picture was taken the next morning in his volatile Mathare slums stronghold, one of the most dangerous places in Kenya. "After hours of running battles between riot police and opposition supporters infiltrated by gangs of muggers, the riot police changed tack. At about 3.30 p.m. a group of youthful protesters attempted to re-erect a barricade that had just been cleared on Juja Road near the air force headquarters. Riot police charged to repulse them, a few shots were fired and the police left the scene immediately. Two protesters were shot. Because of the muggers, it was dangerous as a photographer to access the alley, where there were casualties, children screaming, and women mourning. One of those killed  by a shot to the head  was Bernard Okoth Odoyo, 25, whose auntie mourned uncontrollably near his lifeless body. "I spent about 10 minutes taking pictures and withdrew when the crowd started becoming hostile. I chose to tell the story of the killing by focusing on the wailing auntie of the deceased. Further clashes in the Mathare slums saw protesters detained, roads blocked and several houses destroyed. Taking these pictures was a rare opportunity to show post-election violence starting even before the President-elect was named. Covering conflict, you have to stay alert and understand the environment you are operating in because things happen very fast and you have to act quickly and calmly. Safety comes first. In this case, the mourning auntie was a moment to tell the story." 25 August 2017: Afghan policemen try to rescue four-year-old Ali Ahmad at the site of a suicide attack followed by a clash between Afghan forces and insurgents after an attack on a Shia Muslim mosque in KabulOmar Sobhani/Reuters 25 August 2017: Afghan policemen try to rescue four-year-old Ali Ahmad after a suicide attack in Kabul and a clash between Afghan forces and insurgents Omar Sobhani: "It was a Friday afternoon when I got a message about an attack by Islamic State fighters on a Shia mosque that had killed and wounded a great many people. I drove to the site where dozens of security forces had already arrived. When I saw three armed policemen at the main entrance shouting at someone, I rushed to a safe place and saw Ali Ahmad, the boy in the picture. He had been playing while his grandfather was praying inside when the attack happened and he seemed completely confused by the sound of gunshots and police shouting. "I had time to get a few photos before security forces told me to leave the area but I was sure it was a top shot and I uploaded it quickly. It didn't take long before the picture began to be shared widely on social media. I think people reacted to the picture of a little child who didn't know what was happening with all this brutality going on around him. Ali's grandfather was killed inside the mosque but I learned later that the boy was rescued by security forces. Sayed Bashir, Ali's father, was nearby but not in the mosque when the initial blast was heard and immediately ran to check on his family. 'Right after the explosion I thought everything was finished,' he said. 'I called my father's mobile phone number and my son answered and said: "They killed grandpa". He wanted me to bring the car and get him. We were running everywhere in search of my son but the police were stopping us and didn't let us get too close.' After the burial ceremony of his grandfather we went to Ali's house but he wasn't able to talk. It seemed like the boy did not remember anything." 26 August 2017: SPLA-IO (SPLA-In Opposition) rebels carry an injured rebel after an assault on government SPLA (Sudan People's Liberation Army) soldiers, on the road between Kaya and Yondu, South SudanGoran Tomasevic/Reuters 26 August 2017: SPLA-IO rebels carry an injured rebel after an assault on government SPLA soldiers, on the road between Kaya and Yondu, South Sudan Goran Tomasevic: "This picture shows how the rebels lacked supplies to treat their wounded. They didn't even have a stretcher or bandages. This wounded rebel was in severe pain and I had to give him painkillers from my own supply. When rebels attacked the town of Kaya they distributed the few items they had to their men: a ragged strip of red cloth to serve as identification, a packet of biscuits and two ammunition clips per fighter. They ran out of bullets in 40 minutes and government forces counter-attacked, killing several people including American journalist Christopher Allen. "Working in South Sudan requires commitment. On that trip, my colleague Siegfried and I crossed several rivers on foot. We worried about falling and getting our equipment wet. To minimise the risk, I distributed two cameras to two rebels and carried the third myself. It was unlikely all three of us would fall into the water. On our way back to the Ugandan border we traveled by motorbike. It rained heavily and the small streams became rivers. The drivers carried the motorbikes on their heads, balancing on underwater 'bridges' that were actually fallen trees. We carried our gear at head height to prevent them getting wet. Water came up to our chests. I also worried about crocodiles but thankfully I didn't see any. One night, we walked in single file through elephant grass in complete darkness. The grass rose above our heads. When we lay down on the ground to rest, it was so cold I started shaking. On the way back, we ran out of water and I couldn't find my chlorine tablets. We had to drink from swamps, streams and boreholes. Thankfully, nobody got too sick." Jonathan Bachman: "It was my first day covering Hurricane Harvey. I only made it 500 yards into Houston when I came across a staging area where ordinary people were conducting water rescues in the Beaumont Place neighbourhood. In addition to the rescues, residents were able to walk against the current down a long road which is seen in the image. At first I went out on a boat with a couple from Louisiana to help and document several rescues. "When we got back, I looked down the road and saw an almost perfect line of residents making the long walk to the staging area. I intentionally moved to a position so I could photograph them in a way that would convey the magnitude of this storm. I wanted to communicate that it was a never-ending line of residents struggling to get to safety and it would go on for days. Harvey was a very difficult and emotionally taxing assignment. "My first instinct was to put down the camera and help. It is always hard to come to the realisation that I am most helpful when I am taking pictures. As an observer of suffering you have to believe that your images can make a difference." 2 September 2017: A man evades a chasing firefighter and falls into the flames of "The Man" as it is burned at the annual Burning Man arts and music festival in the Black Rock Desert of NevadaJim Bourg/Reuters 2 September 2017: A man evades a chasing firefighter and falls into the flames of "The Man" as it is burned at the annual Burning Man arts and music festival Jim Bourg: "It was 10:30 at night in the Black Rock Desert and tens of thousands of people were gathered in a huge circle to watch the effigy of "The Man" burn at the culmination of Burning Man 2017. I was located approximately 200 feet from the effigy, and the heat from the flames was very intense. "Suddenly, off to my right I heard screams and yells and saw Burning Man security and firefighters chasing a man running through the darkness towards the flames. I had just a moment to decide whether to expose for the likely tackle as they brought him down in the dark or spin my camera to the flames in case he actually made it to the fire. Knowing that the image and event would be far more significant if the runner made it to the flames I exposed for and focused on them as 41-year-old Aaron Joel Mitchell ran into the inferno with a firefighter trying to stop him. "Mitchell ran back and forth through the burning embers and then appeared to either trip or dive into the flames. The lens gave me a horrific close up view as the man struggled and reacted to the flames consuming him. Multiple firefighters ran into the flames and braved the threat of the falling structure to finally succeed in carrying him out. Mitchell was airlifted to a hospital in Northern California but died later that night. It was a horrible and troubling end to what is always an amazing week and coverage." 15 September 2017: US President Donald Trump welcomes 11-year-old Frank Giaccio as he cuts the Rose Garden grass at the White House in Washington, DCCarlos Barria/Reuters 15 September 2017: US President Donald Trump welcomes 11-year-old Frank Giaccio as he cuts the Rose Garden grass at the White House Carlos Barria: "Working in Washington, covering politics, I struggle with the rigid and tightly controlled images we're asked to take. But once in a while I get to witness a natural, unscripted moment. One morning, we were told the White House Pool would gather by the door of the Rose Garden for a photo opportunity. It was unscheduled so I didn't know what to expect. "As it happened, the President was planning to surprise 11-year-old Frank Giaccio, who had written a letter to Trump offering to mow the White House lawn. Giaccio had been invited to work for a day at the White House alongside National Park Service staff. As we waited for Trump, I saw that Giaccio was very focused on this job and not paying much attention to the group of journalists, photographers and cameramen milling around the garden. "Suddenly, from the other side of a hedge, wearing his signature, long red tie, President Trump appeared, dropping in as if this were an episode of The Apprentice. He walked towards Giaccio to say hi and pose for a picture. He began shouting to the boy above the noise of the lawnmower, but it was too loud. Giaccio was so focused on his job that he didn't notice Trump. He walked right past, pushing the machine. Trump paused for a second and walked to the end of the lawn to talk to Giaccio, but again, the boy didn't stop mowing. He kept going until his father rushed onto the scene to grab his attention, and he finally stopped to greet Trump. "The image of Trump shouting at a kid who is mowing his lawn might have many interpretations in today's politically polarised United States. But for me it was just a kid who loved what he was doing, to the point he almost appeared to ignore the President." 20 September 2017: Rescue workers and Mexican soldiers take part in a search operation at a collapsed building after an earthquake at the Obrera neighbourhood in Mexico CityCarlos Jasso/Reuters 20 September 2017: Rescue workers and Mexican soldiers search a collapsed building after an earthquake in Mexico City Carlos Jasso: "I took this photo of rescue workers, soldiers, volunteers and residents trying to retrieve a corpse from the rubble the day after the earthquake in Mexico City. The atmosphere was extremely emotional as everyone was shocked by their own experiences of the earthquake but desperate to help find people. Everyone was focused on the rescue  removing rubble, moving tractors, making silent gestures in case they could hear voices, bringing food and handing out water. Within the chaos there seemed to be organisation. "I got to the front of the rescue scene by accident, I started walking into the chaos and seemed to pass all security, police and army. The feeling I had when I was taking this photo was hope that they would find someone in the rubble alive. My responsibility as a photographer is to portray what is happening and I feel this image portrays the effort, hope, sadness and pain within a community after a natural disaster. "When the earthquake happened I was on one of the main streets of downtown Mexico City. I was totally shocked when the ground shook so violently. On the one hand I wanted to continue taking photos and on the other I desperately wanted to get through to my wife on the phone and see my daughter. So I tried to do both  take photos while making my way to my daughter's school. It was mayhem; buildings had collapsed, cars were abandoned on the street, people were wandering injured and shocked, there were screams about gas leaks... children from the nursery were lined up in cots on the street. Finally I was united with my daughter and wife and then I was able to carry on working." 27 September 2017: A man kneels with a folded US flag as the motorcade of President Donald Trump passes him after an event at the state fairgrounds in Indianapolis, IndianaJonathan Ernst/Reuters 27 September 2017: A man kneels with a folded US flag as President Donald Trump's motorcade passes him in Indianapolis Jonathan Ernst: "Shooting through the window of a van in the US president's motorcade is never an ideal way to make pictures  but sometimes it's the only way. Even then, if you spot something, it might be distorted by the glass in the front windshield, or a little bit fuzzy from the speed. "In September, soon after President Donald Trump had made comments condemning NFL players who kneel during the national anthem, he made a day trip to a rally in Indianapolis. As we drove there from the airport, I wondered if I might see someone kneeling along the way. As the motorcade sped along there were sporadic groups of people, many with supportive signs or American flags. All of a sudden on my side of the van I saw a man on one knee with a tri-folded flag about to whoosh by. I was able to shoot a few frames without even time to bring the camera all the way to my eye. Did I get it? No. Out of focus. Unusable. "But I was pretty sure neither of my competitors that day had spotted him at all. It's not often that you get a second chance to make a picture, but on our way back to the airport I was ready just in case he was there again. Sure enough, as I kept watch on the left-side sidewalk, there he was. I fired a burst of pictures and filed a pair of them. In one of the earlier photographs I had caught a portion of the sign on the building he was kneeling in front of. Using that information, a reporter was able to track the man down and tell his story in full. US Army veteran Marvin Boatright wanted to send a message against social injustice, and he did. I was happy he gave the motorcade a second look on the way out of town  so that I could be a messenger." 28 September 2017: People gather around the bodies of Rohingya refugees who drowned when their boat, filled with passengers fleeing Myanmar, capsized off Inani beach near Cox's Bazar, BangladeshDamir Sagolj/Reuters 28 September 2017: People gather around the bodies of Rohingya refugees who drowned when their boat, filled with people fleeing Myanmar, capsized Damir Sagolj: "It was a day of heavy rain and big waves. I was in southern Bangladesh to cover Rohingya Muslims landing in rickety boats after a dangerous sea journey from Myanmar. As I drove along Marine Drive, a beach road between the towns of Cox's Bazar and Teknaf, I thought no boatman would risk sailing in such conditions. What I didn't know was that a single doomed boat had been lost at sea overnight and was slowly making its way to shore. "Just after sunset, I learned the boat carrying 80 Rohingya had capsized at Inani beach near my hotel. There were many casualties. I made it to the beach in ten minutes. The relentless rain and chaotic scenes made it difficult to find out what happened. I counted 15 bodies lying on the road near the beach. They were partially covered by plastic sheets and soggy pieces of cloth. Lalu Miya, a Rohingya survivor who I would later meet for several days to reconstruct their deadly journey, was identifying the bodies of his wife and four-year-old son. "That same night more bodies were collected from the beach. In the morning, survivors and local residents gathered for a funeral. The 23 dead were buried in two mass graves in rice fields behind one of the most beautiful beaches in Bangladesh. Most of them were children." 4 October 2017: Air Force One departs Las Vegas past the broken windows on the Mandalay Bay hotel, where shooter Stephen Paddock conducted his mass shooting along the Las Vegas StripMike Blake/Reuters 4 October 2017: Air Force One is pictured leaving Las Vegas past broken windows on the Mandalay Bay hotel, used by mass shooter Stephen Paddock Mike Blake: "This all started with a phone call in the middle of the night. A mass shooting in Las Vegas. I packed my gear and left my house in southern California in the dark. Arriving with other colleagues at first light, I began covering what was to become the worst mass shooting in modern US history. "The picture of the president's plane leaving Las Vegas was planned and thought out. I had watched 737 aircraft take off from my hotel window and thought that because Air Force One is a much larger and heavier plane than most others, it might fly just above the hotel where the shooter had smashed out hotel windows to commit his crime. We had a rough schedule of the president's timeline, as we have a photographer travelling on his plane. But after patiently waiting for it to come into my viewfinder I put my camera down and texted our travelling photographer. They were obviously running late and he texted back they were just arriving back at the airport. "When the plane came into my viewfinder I was shocked by how low it was. I expected it to be just above the hotel but it was really low and passed behind the hotel. I quickly refocused and reframed and waited for the plane to reappear on the side where the broken windows were. I shot about 15 frames and did a quick edit and filed to our global picture desk in Singapore. The whole thing took about five minutes. When the president's plane landed hours later in Washington, I received a text from our travelling photographer Kevin Lamarque saying a White House press person loved the image and had come to show him the picture on the flight home." 13 October 2017: Caleb Amisi Luyai, an opposition politician from the National Super Alliance (NASA) coalition, reacts after a gas canister fired by policemen hit his car during a protest on a street in NairobiBaz Ratner/Reuters 13 October 2017: Caleb Amisi Luyai, an opposition politician, reacts after a tear gas canister fired by policemen hit his car during a protest in Nairobi Baz Ratner: "I was lucky to get this picture. I was covering an opposition protest with Thomas Mukoya, the chief photographer for East Africa. I was riding a motorbike ahead of a convoy going to Nairobi's main street in defiance of a government ban on rallies in city centres. Suddenly, I heard the crack of tear gas being fired by riot police. The police were stationed at almost every intersection to block the protesters. "I pulled over to put on my gas mask and saw that one of the canisters had landed inside a nearby car. A man was leaning out the window choking on fumes and frantically trying to get out. The gas was so thick he couldn't see anything. As I ran to help open the door I managed to take a few photos. I didn't recognise the man but Thomas Mukoya later identified him as an opposition MP Caleb Amisi Luyai. Opposition protests were almost a daily occurrence during Kenya's long election season and police often disperse them with tear gas or live rounds. Sometimes civilians were caught. Two days before I took the photos of the MP I saw a tear gas canister land in a crowded bus. A woman was so desperate to escape she climbed out of the vehicle's back window." 19 October 2017: A man with a bloody lip walks on as demonstrators yell at him outside the location where Richard Spencer, an avowed white nationalist and spokesperson for the so-called alt-right movement, was delivering a speech on the campus of the University of Florida in GainesvilleShannon Stapleton/Reuters 19 October 2017: Protesters confront a man with a bloody lip outside the location where Richard Spencer was delivering a speech Shannon Stapleton: "The evening before Richard Spencer, an avowed white nationalist and spokesperson for the so-called alt-right movement, was to speak at the University of Florida, I walked around the Gainesville campus. All seemed calm; there were no protests. The area was blanketed by police because Florida's governor had declared a state of emergency to try to prevent violence. Early the next day there was a light presence from both sides. "Over time, several hundred people protesting Spencer gathered in a 'free speech zone' near where he was speaking. Once his speech began, tensions ran high and a few skirmishes broke out, but overall it was peaceful. I sat to file my photos and suddenly people started running. I grabbed my cameras and followed them. In the midst of an angry crowd stood a man in a shirt printed with swastikas. The atmosphere was vitriolic. He had been punched in the face and was smirking as blood trickled down his chin. He had walked right into the free speech zone and this really physical crowd. I got in there and took my photo as police were trying to escort him out of the zone. People called him pejorative names; some spat at him. It was almost surreal. A black man stepped beside him and guided him out of the crowd and over the barricade, alternately speaking to him and shouting at him. I moved with them and watched as the man went off, seeming to disappear." 1 November 2017: Photographers help a Rohingya woman out of the Nad River after crossing the Myanmar-Bangladesh border in Palong Khali, near Cox's Bazar, BangladeshHannah McKay/Reuters 1 November 2017: Photographers help a Rohingya woman out of the Nad River after crossing the Myanmar-Bangladesh border Hannah McKay: "We were standing, looking out over paddy fields and grasslands, with lots of water and one thin path leading to the border with Myanmar. In the distance we could see a huge group of people. But they weren't moving. It was 4 o'clock in the afternoon with only two hours of daylight left. So we decided to move towards them. It took us about an hour along the muddy path, meeting border guards and persuading them to let us pass. Then we saw thousands of refugees just sitting there, with more Bangladeshi border guards telling us to go back. We could see something was going on behind the crowd. So we waited for an opportunity to move closer, and that's when we saw them. "The crowd was sitting on a riverbank and behind them, about three metres below, in the river itself, there were just hundreds of refugees coming across every minute. It was non-stop. There was no end to the people. People carrying babies. Elderly people being escorted through the water and mud, more than knee-deep. And we were just photographing everyone coming towards us. Then this woman appeared. She got to the point where she needed to get up to the footpath where we were. But she was exhausted. Two refugee men on her level were trying to push her up, which was when we reached out to help. "Reuters photographer, Adnan Abidi, took a hand. Another photographer took another and I got her leg when she got within range. It was a case of dragging her. She lay there for a few minutes. I have no idea what happened to her. You are there trying to do your job with a camera in your hand. And then your heart overrules your head."
'Lone wolf' terror attacker Khalid Masood was on WhatsApp two minutes before unleashing carnage in London, MailOnline can exclusively reveal. Questions are now being raised over whether the jihadist was working with a network when he brutally murdered four innocent people and injured at least 29 during the horrific attack on Westminster on Wednesday. Masood, 52, mowed into pedestrians while driving a Hyundai 4x4 along Westminster Bridge before attacking Pc Keith Palmer, fatally stabbing him in the head, arm and side of his ribs. Masood, 52, born Adrian Elms in Dartford, Kent, was on Whatsapp at 2.37pm approximately two minutes before ploughing into people on Westminster Bridge and four minutes before he was shot dead by armed officers outside the Palaces of Westminster Pictured: A screengrab of Khalid Masood's WhatsApp profile taken on Thursday by MailOnline shows the attacker was active in the app on his iPhone moments before he ploughed into innocent people on Westminster Bridge The man police believe to be responsible for the terrorist attack in Westminster has been identified as Khalid Masood, 52. It also emerged yesterday the attacker was known to MI5 after an investigation many years ago, but was considered 'peripheral' Masood had never been convicted of terror offences, although Theresa May revealed yesterday that he had been on MI5's radar a number of years ago. Police insist there was no intelligence suggesting he was about to unleash a terror attack. The policeman who shot the attacker on the parliamentary estate is believed to have been a close protection officer for Defence Secretary Michael Fallon rather than a member of the gate team. Masood was a married father-of-three, former English teacher and a religious convert who was into bodybuilding, according to Sky News. RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Share A Scotland Yard spokesman said yesterday: 'Masood was also known by a number of aliases. He was not the subject of any current investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack. 'However, he was known to police and has a range of previous convictions for assaults, including GBH, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences. 'His first conviction was in November 1983 for criminal damage and his last conviction was in December 2003 for possession of a knife. He has not been convicted for any terrorism offences.' Mother-of-two Aysha Frade (left), Metropolitan policeman Keith Palmer (centre) and US tourist Kurt Cochran (right) have been named as victims of the attack Masood stabbed PC Keith Palmer to death with two knives outside parliament after killing 43-year-old mother-of-two Aysha Frade, 75-year-old Londoner Leslie Rhodes, and US tourist Kurt Cochran, 54, as he ploughed along a crowded pavement on Westminster Bridge. A 75-year-old man who was injured in the attack died last night after his life support was switched off. ISIS claimed responsibility for its first attack on British soil and said the crazed knifeman was its 'soldier'. Elsewhere yesterday, hundreds of police swooped in dramatic raids across the nation making eight arrests. Theresa May revealed MI5 knew of the attacker but considered him a 'peripheral' figure who was 'not part of the current intelligence picture' Last night police were searching a flat close to the Olympic village, in East London, where a woman named locally as Rohey Hydara lived. She had lived with Masood in at least two separate addresses but it was unclear what their relationship was. Giving details of the attacker's background in Parliament yesterday, Prime Minister Theresa May said: 'The man was British-born and - some years ago - he was once investigated in relation to concerns about violent extremism. He was a peripheral figure. 'The case is historic - he was not part of the current intelligence picture. There was no prior intelligence of his intent - or of the plot. Intensive investigations continue.' The movements of Khalid Masood 1964 - Born Adrian Elms on Christmas Day in Dartford, Kent. 1966 - His single mother, Janet Elms, later marries in Crawley, West Sussex and they later move to Tunbridge Wells, Kent and Rye, East Sussex. 1983 - In November that year, he picks up his first conviction, for criminal damage. 2000 - Jailed for two years for grievous bodily harm. When he is released, he moves to the East Sussex village of Northiam. 2003 - Aged 39 and running an aerial installation firm, he is jailed for six months for possession of a knife. 2004 - After being freed from prison, he marries Muslim Farzana Malik in Medway, Kent. It is unclear for how long they were married but they are now believed to be divorced. 2005 - Believed to have taught in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia. 2006 - Said to have lived in Crawley and to received visits from police. 2008-2009 - According to his CV, he returned to teach in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. 2009-2012 - He is believed to have lived in Luton having changed his name to Khalid Masood. His CV claims he worked at a language school.
Prime Minister Theresa May has warned that "terrorism breeds terrorism" and that extremists are "copying one another." In a speech hours after Saturday's incident in London Bridge and nearby Borough Market, May vowed to work with "allied democratic governments to reach international agreements that regulate cyberspace" and prevent propaganda from spreading and attacks from being planned online. She added: "We cannot and must not pretend that things can continue as they are. Things need to change ... There is  to be frank  far too much tolerance of extremism in our country." "We've been far too tolerant in allowing people to simply opt out of being British, to opt out of our society, and to opt out of our way of life" NBC News security analyst Duncan Gardham said that while Britain has "always had a problem with radicalization, "the change in tempo [of attacks] is palpable. He blamed both the copycat mentality and ISIS propaganda push, but also said the number of extremists in the U.K. was increasing. When terrorists see one person launch an attack or commit suicide it emboldens them to do the same thing, Gardham said. It does seem to give people toying with the idea a sense of bravado to go through with it. He added: "The increase in the number of extremists is largely driven by easy access to homegrown preachers and ISIS propaganda on the internet, particularly YouTube. There are very few cases I deal with in which they have not consumed a huge diet of extremist material from mainstream commercial websites." While social media plays a role, Maher said the online eco-system is very different from what it was even just a few years ago. Companies like Facebook, Twitter, Google, are acting far more proactively to remove this content, to disrupt it and to make sure it disappears in a very rapid way," he said. Maher had more sympathy for Mays commitment to tackling extremist preaching and ideology within the U.K. We've tolerated really radical speech from all kinds of people who fundamentally preach a message of separateness," Maher said. We've been far too tolerant in allowing people to simply opt out of being British, to opt out of our society, and to opt out of our way of life." Rowley, the assistant police commissioner, highlighted that Britain's MI5 domestic intelligence agency and police were conducting around 500 active investigations at any given time, typically involving 3,000 subjects of interest. Additionally, around 20,000 individuals are former subjects of interest. They also remain on the radar of MI5 and its partners. Our work necessarily involves making difficult judgments about how to prioritize the resources available to us at a time when the U.K. is facing a severe and high-tempo terrorist threat, Rowley added. A victim is helped after a suicide bomber targeted fans leaving an Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena on May 22.Joel Goodman / REX/Shutterstock via AP Before becoming prime minister last summer, May spent six years as Britain's home secretary, meaning she was responsible for law and order, immigration and security in England and Wales. Corbyn criticized May for cutting police numbers by as many as 20,000 officers while in her previous role. His concerns were echoed by Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London and a member of Corbyn's Labour Party. "It's just a fact that over the last seven years, we as a city have lost 600 million ($774 million) from our budgets," he said. "We have had to close police stations, sell police buildings, and we've lost thousands of police staff." May responded by stating that counter-terrorism budgets had been protected and police had the powers they needed. The prime minister also insists that the U.K. is a world leader in developing a strategy for preventing violent extremism," saying its approach has been highly successful." He said the British government has grown less willing in recent years to empower organizations such as his Active Change Foundation to confront and engage with individuals on the verge of being radicalized. Given his background and history, Qadir believes people like him are able to connect and command the respect of those who require intervention. These three people should have been referred to people like me, he said, speaking of the London Bridge attackers. His group was backed by the government beginning in 2007, before its funding was cut last year. While at pains to not politicize the recent attacks, Qadir said: [May] certainly cut policing, she certainly cut a number of other projects. She certainly cut [anti-radicalization] programs that are effective in prisons. A victim is assisted after the Westminster Bridge attack on March 22.Toby Melville / Reuters However, experts concede that it's difficult to stop anyone who decides to use readily available items like knives or vehicles to cause mayhem. Would-be terrorists can prepare for such attacks over the just course of a few days  often using encrypted apps to communicate  and launch them before the security services are able to identify a plot. The reality is that the terrorist threat now, right now, is very severe not just in Britain but across Europe, across the Western world as a whole, Kings College London's Maher said. Attacks like this will continue to get through the net. It's not a case of resigning ourselves to it, but its a case of saying, 'This will continue to happen  how can we better guard against it, act against it and continue to mitigate the threat that such events pose to our society.'" Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. 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Westminster, London attack: Khalid Masood identified as killer The man believed to have carried out the terror attack in Westminster has been named by police as Khalid Masood. Kent-born Masood, who was shot dead by police, had not been the subject of any current police investigations, but had a range of previous convictions. The 52-year-old was believed to have been living in the West Midlands. The so-called Islamic State group has said it was behind the attack, in which PC Keith Palmer, Aysha Frade and US tourist Kurt Cochran were killed. Three women and five men were arrested in London and Birmingham on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts following Wednesdays attack. * A woman aged 39 was arrested in east London * A 21-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man were arrested in Birmingham * A 26-year-old woman and three men aged 28, 27 and 26 were arrested at another address in Birmingham * A man aged 58 was arrested at an address in Birmingham The Met Police says detectives are continuing to search a number of addresses, including one in Carmarthenshire, three in Birmingham and one in east London. Addresses in Brighton and south-east London have also been searched. We will defeat them Home Secretary Amber Rudd told those gathered for a candlelit vigil in Londons Trafalgar Square on Thursday evening that terrorists will not win. We are all connected and today we showed that by coming together, by going to work, by getting about our normal business, because the terrorists will not defeat us. We will defeat them, she said. Masood drove into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before crashing his car into railings and then running into the grounds of Parliament, armed with a knife. He stabbed PC Palmer before being shot dead. The Metropolitan Police said there had been no prior intelligence about Masoods intention to carry out an attack. But he was known to the police and his previous convictions included causing grievous bodily harm, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences. His first conviction was in November 1983 for criminal damage and his last in December 2003 for possession of a knife. He had not been convicted of any terrorism offences. Scotland Yard said Khalid Masood is not at this early stage believed to be his birth name and that research into his aliases was being carried out. Car hire company Enterprise said the vehicle used in the attack had been rented from its Spring Hill depot in Birmingham. The BBC understands Masood had hired the Hyundai SUV in person, giving his profession as a teacher.
British lawmakers to return to Westminster after attack Union flags fly at half mast from Portcullis house and the Houses of Parliament on March 23, 2017 in London as police maintain a security cordon. Seven people have been arrested including in London and Birmingham over Wednesday's terror attack at the British parliament, the police said on today, revising down the number of victims to three people. / AFP PHOTO / Justin TALLIS British MPs were preparing to return to parliament on Thursday after a lightning attack attributed by police to Islamist-related terrorism, which saw four people killed and 40 wounded. The attack unfolded on Wednesday across Westminster Bridge in the shadow of Big Ben, a towering landmark that draws tourists by the millions and stands over Britains Houses of Parliament  the very image of London. The attackers car struck pedestrians on the bridge before crashing into the railings surrounding the heavily guarded Houses of Parliament, sowing first shock then panic in the seat of British power. The assailant then ran through the gates brandishing a knife and stabbed a 48-year-old policeman to death before being shot dead by another officer. Prime Minister Theresa May described the attack as sick and depraved in a defiant address in which she affirmed parliament would meet as normal on Thursday. Standing outside her Downing Street residence after an emergency cabinet meeting, May said Britains alert level would be kept unchanged. We will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart, said May, who was dressed in black. The prime minister was in parliament at the time of the attack and was seen being ushered away in a silver car as what sounded like gunfire rang out, British media reported.  Islamist-related terrorism  Britains top counter-terrorism officer Mark Rowley said the four victims included a policeman guarding parliament and three members of the public. He said investigators believe they know the identity of the assailant and police would be examining the scene of the attack through the night. Queen Elizabeth II postponed her appearance on Thursday to open the new headquarters of Londons Metropolitan Police, where the forces flag was flown at half-mast following the incident. The attack came a year to the day after Islamic State jihadists killed 32 people in twin bomb attacks in Brussels and after a series of deadly assaults in Europe that had hitherto spared Britain. Parliament was locked down for several hours and hundreds of lawmakers and visitors were later evacuated to nearby Westminster Abbey and the Metropolitan Police headquarters. An air ambulance flew in and police cordoned off a large area, while tourists on the London Eye, a popular visitor attraction, were stuck up to 135 metres (443 feet) in the air for more than an hour during the incident. I saw three bodies lying on the ground and a whole lot of police. It was pretty terrifying, said Jack Hutchinson, 16, from the United States, who was stranded on the observation wheel with his parents. Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood, whose brother Jonathan was killed in the 2002 Bali bombing, was pictured with his face smeared with blood helping to give first aid to the fatally wounded police officer.  Terror carnage at Westminster  Britains last terror attack was the assassination of MP Jo Cox by a pro-Nazi sympathiser in her constituency in northern England. The worst previous attack in London was in 2005 when four British suicide bombers inspired by Al-Qaeda targeted the transport system, killing 52 people. Britains allies reacted with shock and vowed to stand with London in the fight against terror. US President Donald Trump and French President Francois Hollande both spoke to May and Chancellor Angela Merkel said Germany stood with Britons against all forms of terrorism. Spoke to U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May today to offer condolences on the terrorist attack in London, Trump tweeted. Lights on the Eiffel Tower in Paris were switched off at midnight in solidarity with victims of the attack. The incident dominated Britains front pages, with The Times describing it as an Assault on Westminster while Londons Evening Standard carried the headline Terror carnage at Westminster.  International victims  French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault is due to travel to London on Thursday morning to visit three French pupils on a school trip who were among those hurt. Five South Korean tourists were wounded, Seouls foreign ministry said, while the Romanian government said two of its citizens were also injured. A Portuguese man was hurt, the countrys government said, while a seriously injured woman was rescued from the River Thames following the incident. A doctor at nearby St Thomas Hospital said they were treating people with catastrophic injuries. Press Association news agency photos believed to be of the attacker lying on an ambulance stretcher showed he was wearing black clothes and had a beard. British lawmaker Mary Creagh told AFP there was a real sense of panic as the attack unfolded. Pictures showed two people being attended to on the ground inside the vehicle entrance gates of parliament, with a knife visible on the cobblestones, while three shots were heard on video footage.
London terrorist 'British-born' who was previously investigated by MI5 LATEST: British Prime Minister Theresa May has confirmed the terrorist who killed four people and injured 29 others is British-born and was investigated previously over his "violent extremism". A mother-of-two has been named as one of three people killed in London on Thursday. Aysha Frade was walking across the Westminster Bridge on Wednesday to pick up her two daughters, aged eight and 11, when she was struck by a four-wheel-drive. The 43-year-old mother was hit by the terrorists Hyundai and then thrown under a bus. Speaking to a shell-shocked parliament, attended by some of the politicians who tried desperately to save the life of stabbed police officer Keith Palmer, Prime Minister Theresa May conceded the attacker was known to MI5 intelligence. "Some years ago, he was once investigated by MI5 in relation to concerns about violent extremism," she said. "The case is historic, he was not part of the current intelligence picture. "There was no prior intelligence of his intent or the plot." The man, who was shot dead after he fatally stabled constable Palmer, remains unnamed. Seven people have reportedly been arrested after British police conducted raids following the Westminster Bridge terror attack. The driver was shot dead. Picture: 7 News Police now say four people, including the attacker, were killed and 29 others were injured in the horrific attack that has shocked London and the world. Armed police stormed an apartment in Birmingham just hours after the terror attack, and reportedly arrested three men. Police guard the Birmingham apartment that was raided. Picture: AAP A further four people have been arrested after raids at five addresses in London, Birmingham and elsewhere in the UK in connection with the London terror attack, the Met's senior anti-terror officer says. It's believed the vehicle used in the horror attack was rented from a Birmingham agency, but that has yet to be confirmed. Paramedics transport one of the wounded. Picture: 7 News The attacker used an SUV to run down pedestrians along the Westminster strip, before crashing into the parliament fence opposite Westminster Tube Station, near Big Ben. Armed with a knife, the terrorist jumped out and ran around the corner to the entrance gates where he fatally stabbed Police Constable Keith Palmer. The guard's colleagues then shot the man dead. The driver mowed down pedestrians on the Westminster Bridge. Picture: 7 News Constable Keith Palmer. Picture: 7 News PC Palmer was a 48-year-old father-of-two, while a woman aged in her 40s and a man aged in his 50s were also killed in the attack, London police confirmed. Panicked tourists were forced to run for their lives, including a South Australian mother who has undergone surgery on her injured foot. South Australian woman Patricia Neis-Beer. Picture: 7 News The crashed vehicle. Picture: 7 News "We heard gunshots, we thought they were gunshots," one witness said. "I hear bang, bang, twice. The vehicle crashed into the Parliament fence. Picture: 7 News "People were running like mad... and I was like 'why are they running?'." A number of politicians, including Foreign Office Minister Tobais Elwood, came rushing out to help the wounded, with Elwood performing CPR on the officer. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to all who have been affected," PM Theresa May said. CCTV shows the wounded. Picture: 7 News "To the victims themselves, and to their families and friends, who waved their loved ones off, but will not now be welcoming them home." The Department of Foreign Affairs has warned Australians to exercise caution and remain vigilant travelling to London. The injured receive treatment on the popular London strip. Picture: 7 News
A man who plotted a knife attack on MPs and police in Westminster has been handed three life sentences. Khalid Ali, 28, was arrested in Parliament Square last April by armed police who found him in possession of three knives. Police had been watching Ali since he returned from Afghanistan where he had spent five years making bombs for the Taliban which were used to maim and kill coalition troops. In late 2016, the FBI matched his fingerprints to those of two caches of explosives recovered in 2012. After being tried at the Old Bailey in June, Ali was convicted of preparing terrorist acts in Britain and two charges of possessing explosive substances with intent abroad. Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC sentenced Ali to a minimum of 40 years for making IEDs for the Taliban in 2012. He was also handed a 25-year sentence for the Westminster plot designed to attract "maximum publicity and instil terror". Image:Ali was arrested by officers as in Parliament Square The judge said: "I have no doubt whatsoever that there is a very considerable risk of your committing offences of violence in the future and cause death or serious injury as a result. "I'm sure your plan was to attack and kill someone in central London. "Your preparations were complete and you very simply had to identify your precise target and his or her death was very likely to be caused by a knife attack. You would kill any police officer you could." Ali's family in Edmonton, north London, reported him missing in June 2011 after he disappeared without warning. He resurfaced at the British Consulate in Turkey more than five years later, when he claimed he had lost his passport. The Taliban and al Qaeda follower was stopped at Heathrow Airport in November and interviewed by police who took DNA samples and fingerprints. He told police he had been involved in a Road to Hope convoy to Palestine in 2010. 1:13 Video:The moment police pinned terrorist to the floor He said he then went to Pakistan after MI5 had tried to recruit him as a spy. In late 2016, Ali's DNA and fingerprints were shared with the FBI agents and the 42 prints linked him to two loads of IEDs found in Afghanistan in 2012. In the meantime, he vowed to carry out an attack on Westminster to "send a message" to British authorities, the court heard. On 18 March, he carried out reconnaissance while claiming to be taking part in a Stand Up To Racism march, which took him past Downing Street and the Cenotaph. On 22 April, CCTV cameras caught him walking past the MI6 building at Vauxhall Cross. He was also captured by CCTV at Westminster Bridge, the Houses of Parliament and Whitehall. Shortly after midnight on 27 April his mother called police and told them she had found four knives in his bedroom and feared he was going to kill his family. Ali had bought the blades two days before in Ealing, west London, and had been seen by surveillance officers throwing away the packaging. He left his mother's home and went to Ealing where he rearmed himself with an eight-inch chef's knife and two three-and-a-half-inch paring blades from Wilko. Image:Police found knives he had bought before travelling to Westminster He also bought kitchen utensils including a potato masher as cover and purchased a rucksack with a Union flag and London logo on it. Ali then travelled on the Underground to carry out his attack, just four weeks after the Westminster Bridge killings. He deliberately dropped his mobile phone into the Thames, which police divers recovered. As police moved in to arrest Ali, the knives were seized from his jacket pockets and the waistband of his tracksuit bottoms.
British MPs to return to Westminster after attack Forensics investigators and police officers work at the site near Westminster Bridge the morning after an attack by a man driving a car and weilding a knife left five people dead and dozens injured, in London, Britain, March 23, 2017 (Photo: Reuters) British MPs were preparing to return to parliament on Thursday after a lightning attack attributed by police to "Islamist-related terrorism", which saw four people killed and 40 wounded . The attack unfolded on Wednesday across Westminster Bridge in the shadow of Big Ben, a towering landmark that draws tourists by the millions and stands over Britain's Houses of Parliament -- the very image of London. The attacker's car struck pedestrians on the bridge before crashing into the railings surrounding the heavily guarded Houses of Parliament, sowing first shock then panic in the seat of British power. The assailant then ran through the gates brandishing a knife and stabbed a 48-year-old policeman to death before being shot dead by another officer. Prime Minister Theresa May described the attack as "sick and depraved" in a defiant address in which she affirmed parliament would meet as normal on Thursday. Standing outside her Downing Street residence after an emergency cabinet meeting, May said Britain's alert level would be kept unchanged. "We will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart," said May, who was dressed in black. The prime minister was in parliament at the time of the attack and was seen being ushered away in a silver car as what sounded like gunfire rang out, British media reported. Britain's top counter-terrorism officer Mark Rowley said the four victims included a policeman guarding parliament and three members of the public. He said investigators believe they know the identity of the assailant and police would be examining the scene of the attack through the night. Queen Elizabeth II postponed her appearance on Thursday to open the new headquarters of London's Metropolitan Police, where the force's flag was flown at half-mast following the incident. The attack came a year to the day after Islamic State jihadists killed 32 people in twin bomb attacks in Brussels and after a series of deadly assaults in Europe that had hitherto spared Britain. Parliament was locked down for several hours and hundreds of lawmakers and visitors were later evacuated to nearby Westminster Abbey and the Metropolitan Police headquarters. An air ambulance flew in and police cordoned off a large area, while tourists on the London Eye, a popular visitor attraction, were stuck up to 135 metres (443 feet) in the air for more than an hour during the incident. "I saw three bodies lying on the ground and a whole lot of police. It was pretty terrifying," said Jack Hutchinson, 16, from the United States, who was stranded on the observation wheel with his parents. Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood, whose brother Jonathan was killed in the 2002 Bali bombing, was pictured with his face smeared with blood helping to give first aid to the fatally wounded police officer. Britain's last terror attack was the assassination of MP Jo Cox by a pro-Nazi sympathiser in her constituency in northern England. The worst previous attack in London was in 2005 when four British suicide bombers inspired by Al-Qaeda targeted the transport system, killing 52 people. Britain's allies reacted with shock and vowed to stand with London in the fight against terror. US President Donald Trump and French President Francois Hollande both spoke to May and Chancellor Angela Merkel said Germany stood with Britons "against all forms of terrorism". "Spoke to U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May today to offer condolences on the terrorist attack in London," Trump tweeted. Lights on the Eiffel Tower in Paris were switched off at midnight in solidarity with victims of the attack. The incident dominated Britain's front pages, with The Times describing it as an "Assault on Westminster" while London's Evening Standard carried the headline "Terror carnage at Westminster". French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault is due to travel to London on Thursday morning to visit three French pupils on a school trip who were among those hurt. Five South Korean tourists were wounded, Seoul's foreign ministry said, while the Romanian government said two of its citizens were also injured. A Portuguese man was hurt, the country's government said, while a seriously injured woman was rescued from the River Thames following the incident. A doctor at nearby St Thomas' Hospital said they were treating people with "catastrophic" injuries. Press Association news agency photos believed to be of the attacker lying on an ambulance stretcher showed he was wearing black clothes and had a beard. British lawmaker Mary Creagh told AFP there was "a real sense of panic" as the attack unfolded. Pictures showed two people being attended to on the ground inside the vehicle entrance gates of parliament, with a knife visible on the cobblestones, while three shots were heard on video footage. Ahram Online welcomes readers' comments on all issues covered by the site, along with any criticisms and/or corrections. Readers are asked to limit their feedback to a maximum of 1000 characters (roughly 200 words). All comments/criticisms will, however, be subject to the following code We will not publish comments which contain rude or abusive language, libelous statements, slander and personal attacks against any person/s. 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Thousands of people have gathered to commemorate the victims of the attack in Westminster, and to hear speeches by the capitals mayor and other leaders aimed at preventing terrorism from spreading division and hatred. London terror attack: Khalid Masood named as responsible, police make eight further arrests Read more The vigil in Trafalgar Square, central London, was held to honour the dead and injured, Sadiq Khan said, but also to send a clear, clear, message  Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism. The London mayor said: Those evil and twisted individuals who try to destroy our shared way of life will never succeed and we condemn them. The victims, he noted, were people from all corners of the world. London is a great city, full of amazing people from all backgrounds. And when Londoners face adversity we always pull together, he said. The event brought a large and fast-growing crowd of Londoners and tourists, many of whom had come from across the city to catch the event. James Armian, 28, a worker at a nature centre, travelled from Tooting in south-west London with his mother, Sandra, saying he hoped to help shift the narrative of the weeks events. The attack was intended to divide us, but instead it will bring us together, he said. Its meant to create hate, but as you saw from the way people responded to the attack with bravery and kindness, it has created love. The event was attended by politicians, religious leaders from various faiths, police and others, and completed by a ceremony in which Khan, the home secretary, Amber Rudd, and Craig Mackey, the Metropolitan police acting commissioner, all lit a candle in commemoration. This cannot be undone, much as we would wish it, Mackey said of the attack on Wednesday afternoon. However, we do get to choose our reaction, and gathering here tonight shows us exactly how we must move forwards. We must stand together. It reminded us how we are all so connected, Rudd said of such actions. The terrorists will not defeat us, we will defeat them. We are strong in our values and proud of our country. Tobias Ellwood MP praised for attempt to save police officer's life Read more Among those watching was Sharon Lando, a retired pharmaceuticals industry worker from London, now based in Philadelphia. She had returned to visit friends and family. She echoed the idea that it was pointless seeking to divide people in such a global city. Its not about what religion or country people are from. We are all people  the people who were killed and injured were people, she said. Earlier in the day the main focus of commemorations had been the new Metropolitan police headquarters on the Embankment, where Mackey and other senior Met officers gathered for a minutes silence for the victims of the attack. When Westminster Bridge was reopened early in the afternoon, a mass of flowers began to appear on its northern side, some carrying messages of condolence. One, commemorating Palmer, noted the meaningless loss of life and hailed the selfless courage of a fallen officer. Among those adding flowers to the pile was Nick Jacobs, a 47-year-old support worker from Norwich, who had come to London with his parents to see a theatre show. It just felt like the right thing to do, he said. I was shocked at what happened, but we never considered not coming. Things like this cant change our way of life, they just cant.
The Westminster attacker probably acted alone and his motives may never be known, police have said. Khalid Masood launched 82 seconds of terror on London on Wednesday afternoon when he drove a rented Hyundai into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge and then into Parliament's gates. Officers from the Metropolitan Police were investigating whether the attacker was acting with others, and the MailOnline revealed he had been signed into his Whatsapp just minutes before the attack. But in the latest update from Scotland Yard, detectives say they don't think he had an accomplice, and that they may never work out why he carried out the attack. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu, who is the Senior National Coordinator for UK Counter Terrorism Policing, said: 'If you knew Khalid Masood and had spoken to him in the months, weeks or days leading up to this attack please come forward. Police had been investigating whether he had been working with anyone but they say now they believe he was acting alone 'We still believe that Masood acted alone on the day and there is no information or intelligence to suggest there are further attacks planned. 'Even if he acted alone in the preparation we need to establish with absolute clarity why he did these unspeakable acts to bring reassurance to Londoners, and to provide answers and closure for the families of those killed and the victims and survivors of this atrocity. RELATED ARTICLES Share this article 'We must all accept that there is a possibility we will never understand why he did this. That understanding may have died with him.' Officer Basu said they still want to try to work out what inspired the maniac to carry out the act. Metropolitan policeman Keith Palmer (left), Mother-of-two Aysha Frade (centre) and US tourist Kurt Cochran (right) have been named as victims of the attack He added: 'Nevertheless, we are determined to understand if Masood was a lone actor inspired by terrorist propaganda or if others have encouraged, supported or directed him. If the latter proves to be the case, they will face justice. 'Whilst the attack lasted only 82 seconds it will remain in the memories of many forever. The thoughts of all those working on this investigation are with those so deeply affected.' Four people, excluding Masood, died after the terror attack on Wednesday, including hero officer including PC Keith Palmer, Londoner Leslie Rhodes, 75, US tourist Kurt Cochran, 54, and mother-of-two Aysha Frade, 43. A further 15 people are still being treated in hospital. The attack on Westminster by Khalid Masood lasted 82 seconds, from the first mounting of the pavement to the moment he was shot by police The attack lasted barely a minute and a half, as it began at 14:40:08 on Wednesday, when the car that Masood was driving over Westminster Bridge first mounted the northbound pavement. He continued towards Bridge Street along both the footpath and road until 14:40:38 before crashing into the perimeter fence of the Palace of Westminster. At 14:40:59, the first 999 call was made to the Met reporting the incident. Masood left the vehicle and was shot by a police firearms officer inside the Palace of Westminster boundary at 14:41:30. The movements of Khalid Masood 1964 - Born Adrian Elms on Christmas Day in Dartford, Kent. 1966 - His single mother, Janet Elms, later marries in Crawley, West Sussex and they later move to Tunbridge Wells, Kent and Rye, East Sussex. 1983 - In November that year, he picks up his first conviction, for criminal damage. 2000 - Jailed for two years for grievous bodily harm. When he is released, he moves to the East Sussex village of Northiam. 2003 - Aged 39 and running an aerial installation firm, he is jailed for six months for possession of a knife. 2004 - After being freed from prison, he marries Muslim Farzana Malik in Medway, Kent. It is unclear for how long they were married but they are now believed to be divorced. 2005 - Believed to have taught in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia. 2006 - Said to have lived in Crawley and to received visits from police. 2008-2009 - According to his CV, he returned to teach in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. 2009-2012 - He is believed to have lived in Luton having changed his name to Khalid Masood. His CV claims he worked at a language school.
Khalid Masood: Police unlock Westminster attacker's final text WhatsApp message reveals fatal assault was revenge for the west's action in the Middle East Scotland Yard has retrieved the final WhatsApp message sent by Westminster terrorist Khalid Masood minutes before he began his deadly attack in which five people, including a police officer, were killed. An exclusive by The Independent reveals detectives have managed to circumvent the app's end-to-end encryption technology, which "locks" each end of a message so it can only be accessed with a code. In the message, Masood declared he was waging jihad in revenge for western military action in Muslim countries in the Middle East. The recipient has been "extensively questioned", the Independent says, but police are satisfied he or she was not involved in the attack and had no prior knowledge of Masood's intentions. Masood sent his message minutes before he ploughed a car into pedestrians crossing Westminster Bridge, injuring dozens. Spanish teacher Aysha Frade and US tourist Kurt Cochran were declared dead soon after, while two others  London window cleaner Leslie Rhodes and Romanian tourist Andreea Cristea - later succumbed to their injuries in hospital. Masood then left the vehicle and entered the grounds of the Palace of Westminster, where he attacked and fatally stabbed PC Keith Palmer before being shot dead by security personnel. Police would not detail the method used to crack the messages, but a source told the Independent detectives were confident they could repeat the technique for similar cases in the future. The ethics of how police and intelligence services should interact with messaging services which offer end-to-end encryption became a headline debate following the attack. Home Secretary Amber Rudd said it was "completely unacceptable" for officials to be locked out of potentially crucial messages and refused to rule out legislation to ban such encryption, The Guardian said. However, Labour and the Liberal Democrats joined civil liberties groups to argue that forcing companies to reveal users' private data would undermine democratic freedoms. Westminster attack: Romanian tourist was 'knocked into Thames' 13 April A Romanian tourist who was killed in the Westminster terror attack was "knocked" into the Thames by a car being driven by Khalid Masood, an inquest heard. Andreea Cristea, 31, died on April 6, two weeks after the attack, after her life support machine was turned off. Early reports suggested her fall, which was captured by a distant CCTV camera, was an attempt to save herself from the oncoming vehicle but this was incorrect, Detective Superintendent John Crossley told the hearing. Cristea was visiting London with her boyfriend Andrei Burnaz when the pair were caught up in the 22 March attack on pedestrians. She was pulled from the river and rushed to hospital with serious injuries including a blood clot in her brain. Burnaz, who suffered a broken foot, has since been discharged from hospital. He did not attend the inquest yesterday. Masood killed three other people on Westminster Bridge before stabbing PC Keith Palmer to death in the grounds of the Palace of Westminster. Another 35 or more victims were injured by the car. One victim is still in a coma with extensive injuries. As well as Cristea and Palmer, the dead were American tourist Kurt Cochran, 54, retired window cleaner Leslie Rhodes, 75, and Aysha Frade, 44, who was on her way to pick her children up from school. Yesterday, coroner's officer Eric Sword said Cristea died of multiple organ failure, head injuries and "immersion" after entering the Thames. She suffered "extensive brain injuries", he said. Staff on the Millennium Diamond cruise boat saw Cristea floating in the water and used a boat hook to catch her clothing. She was then picked up by a rescue boat and taken to the Royal London Hospital before being transferred to St Bartholomew's Hospital. On Monday thousands of police officers paid tribute to PC Palmer, lining the central London route of his funeral cortege with their heads bowed. Palmer, 48, was an unarmed member of the parliamentary and diplomatic protection command. He was guarding one of the entrances to Parliament when he was attacked by Masood. His funeral was attended by London Mayor Sadiq Khan and the Home Secretary Amber Rudd. Westminster attack: PC Keith Palmer honoured with full police funeral 10 April A full police funeral for the officer who was killed during the Westminster attack last month takes place in London today. Keith Palmer, 48, was fatally stabbed in the grounds of the Palace of Westminster on 22 March by Khalid Masood. Yesterday, his coffin was accompanied to the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft in the Palace of Westminster by a ceremonial police escort, "a rare honour usually reserved for heads of state," says The Guardian. It will be accompanied by a "black escort" of mounted police, a tradition for officers killed in the line of duty. Between 40,000 and 50,000 people are expected to line the route in tribute to Palmer and as a show of support for his wife Michelle and their five-year-old daughter Amy. More than 5,000 police officers from across the country are also making their way to Southwark Cathedral, reports the London Evening Standard, which is thought to represent the largest gathering of police in UK history. Train companies including Virgin, CrossCountry, Northern, Great Western Railway and South West Trains are offering free travel to officers heading to the ceremony, which will also be attended by the new Metropolitan Police chief commissioner Cressida Dick, on her first day in the new role. There are plans to erect a permanent memorial to Palmer at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. Westminster attack victim dies two weeks after falling into Thames 7 April Andreea Cristea plunged into river as Khalid Masood drove through crowds on Westminster Bridge A Romanian tourist who fell into the River Thames during the Westminster terror attack has died from her injuries. Andreea Cristea, 31, who was pulled from the river after Khalid Masood drove into crowds on Westminster Bridge on 22 March, had her life support turned off at St Bartholomew's Hospital on Thursday. Her family said: "After fighting for her life over two weeks, our beloved and irreplaceable Andreea - wonderful daughter, sister, partner, dedicated friend and the most unique and life loving person you can imagine - was cruelly and brutally ripped away from our lives in the most heartless and spiritless way. "She will always be remembered as our shining ray of light that will forever keep on shining in our hearts." They continued: "There are no words to even begin to describe the crushing pain and emptiness that is left in our hearts." The family plan to donate the money raised for her recovery to charity, reports Sky News. Cristea had been on holiday with her boyfriend, Andrei Burnaz, who had planned to propose on their day out. Burnaz suffered a broken foot in the attack and attended last week's vigil on Westminster Bridge in a wheelchair. He left a rose at the scene. She is fourth victim of the attack. US tourist Kurt Cochran, 54, retired window cleaner Leslie Rhodes, 75, and Spanish teacher Aysha Frade, 44, also died after being struck on the bridge, while PC Keith Palmer, 48, was stabbed to death outside the Houses of Parliament. Masood was shot dead by armed police. Kate Middleton and Princes William and Harry lead Westminster 'service of hope' 5 April Kate Middleton, Prince William and Prince Harry today joined the families of the victims of the Westminster terror attack for a multi-faith "service of hope" at Westminster Abbey in London. Around 2,000 people are believed to have attended the invitation-only event, which took place exactly two weeks after Khalid Masood ploughed a car along Westminster Bridge and then stabbed to death PC Keith Palmer, 48, outside the Houses of Parliament. Masood's other victims were Aysha Frade, 44, who worked at a sixth-form college, tourist Kurt Cochran, 54, from Utah and retired window cleaner Leslie Rhodes, 75. Today's service, led by the Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverend John Hall, was an "attempt to offer hope rather than being a memorial", BBC correspondent Peter Hunt said, adding that the ceremony focused on the diverse nature of society, with "prayers offered to protect the country from the forces of division and hatred". The Dean praised the response of Britain and Londoners after the attack and told the congregation: "Our prayer and commitment is to live together peacefully and respectfully rich in our diversity and to sing together in harmony." The Duke of Cambridge and Home Secretary Amber Rudd both delivered readings, while London mayor Sadiq Khan said a Muslim prayer. Westminster attack: Khalid Masood 'rejected extremists' 29 March A former employer of Westminster attacker Khalid Masood says the man he knew was "apolitical" and had "no interest" in religious extremism. Farasat Latif, a director of the language school in Luton where Masood worked between 2010 and 2012, told The Guardian the knifeman did not appear to hold radical views "in any way, shape or form". He "came across as a very mature, middle-class man who was very focused on his family and his career and also being a good Muslim", Latif said. Last Wednesday's events had left staff at the school "angry" and "sickened", he added. Latif, a trustee at the Luton Islamic Centre, also said he had witnessed Masood argue with members of the now-banned radical jihadist group Al-Muhajiroun at a street stall set up in the town. Khalid was a middle-aged, middle-class, intelligent black man and these were young, highly unintelligent young Asians. There was no common ground between them," he said. "He was apolitical; they were politicised. On one occasion, he added, Masood was "absolutely livid" that the far-right English Defence League (EDL) had announced a march in Luton and threatened to "kill them" if they came to the town. "That's the only time I ever heard him say something aggressive," Latif said, saying he believed Masood's issue with the EDL was racial, rather than religious. His comments further cloud the mystery surrounding the path that led Masood to kill four people and wound dozens more in an attack apparently motivated by radical Islam. Several of his victims are still in hospital, one week after his attack. A Romanian woman, who fell into the Thames during Masood's rampage, remains in a critical condition, the BBC reports. Andreea Cristea was visiting the capital with her boyfriend when Masood's car veered towards them on Westminster Bridge. She was rescued by a lifeboat, and is now in a "critical but stable" condition, her family said. Westminster attack: Khalid Massod's wife 'saddened and shocked' 28 March The wife of Westminster attacker Khalid Masood says she was "saddened and shocked" by the atrocity and "totally condemned" his actions. In a statement released by the Metropolitan Police, Rohey Hydara said: "I am saddened and shocked by what Khalid has done. I totally condemn his actions. I express my condolences to the families of the victims that have died, and wish a speedy recovery to all the injured. "I would like to request privacy for our family, especially the children, at this difficult time." Hydara was unaware of her husband's plans and "told friends that she thought [Masood] was going away to Saudi", reports the Daily Telegraph. Masood had previously worked as an English teacher in the Islamic kingdom. She is "believed to be Masood's second wife", the BBC reports. The pair had been living together since around 2010, most recently at an address in the West Midlands. Hydara, who is originally from the Gambia, spoke out after Masood's mother said she had shed "many tears" for the victims. Janet Ajao, who lives in Carmarthenshire, Wales, issued a statement saying: "I wish to make it absolutely clear, so there can be no doubt: I do not condone his actions or support the beliefs he held that led to him committing this atrocity." Masood, a 52-year-old father of three, ploughed a car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge on Wednesday afternoon before fatally stabbing PC Keith Palmer in the grounds of Westminster Palace. He was shot dead by police officers. Detectives say they have so far been unable to uncover any links between Masood, who was known as Adrian Ajao and Adrian Elms before his conversion to Islam, and terrorist groups such as Islamic State or Al-Qaeda. They also have no evidence that he discussed his plans with anyone. However, Scotland Yard believes he accessed messaging service WhatsApp shortly before his attack and is appealing to anyone who received messages from him to come forward. "If you heard from him on March 22, please come forward now," deputy assistant commissioner Neil Basu said. "The information you have may prove important to establishing his state of mind."
Khalid Ali was carrying three knives when he was tackled by armed officers near Downing Street in April 2017 His arrest came four weeks after terrorist Khalid Masood's attack near the Houses of Parliament, in which five people died in March 2017. Ali, who grew up in Edmonton, had returned to the UK to "deliver a message" and launched his attack on April 27 last year. Following an Old Bailey trial, Ali was found guilty of preparing terrorist acts in Britain and two charges of possessing explosive substances with intent to endanger life abroad. Prosecutor Brian Altman QC had told the jury that Ali planned a "deadly terror attack at the very heart of this country's democracy by killing a police officer, a member of the military or even a Parliamentarian". He said: "Chillingly, but for the interception of the defendant by police, he would have carried out yet another murderous terror attack in Westminster." These were the three knives that were retrieved from Ali when he was detained On previous trips into central London, Mr Aldman said Ali was captured on CCTV performing "hostile reconnaissance" around the headquarters of MI6, the Houses of Parliament, and around Downing Street. He used a Stand up to Racism protest as cover to keep watch at Downing Street on March 18 last year, engaging a police officer in conversation and asking him questions. But the court heard he was unable to carry out an attack because his mum Fadumo Faji Adam contacted police just after midnight on April 27 when she found knives in her sons north London bedroom and said she was scared he was going to kill the family. The court heard Ali had bought the knives two days before at The Mighty Pound in Ealing, west London, and had been seen by surveillance officers to throw away the packaging. Jurors were told Alis mother contacted police the evening prior to the thwarted attack after finding knives in her sons north London bedroom In his police interviews, Ali said he had left the UK because he was under pressure to marry and felt trapped as MI5 and counter terrorism police tried to recruit him. When asked if he had returned for jihad, he said: "Jihad is what we do. We are Mujahideen. And I am here to let you know the reason why I have come with the message, for you to make the right decisions, if not ... we have a lot of time. UK is next on the list." He admitted involvement in IEDs in Afghanistan, even bragging he detonated more than 300 devices, although he later backtracked. Giving evidence, Ali went on to claim he had been held captive by the Taliban and forced to make bombs. On why he was armed on the day of his arrest, he said: "I had the knives ready to kill, but only in self-defence." Police were still waiting for legal authority to arrest Ali for bomb-making in Afghanistan when they swooped on him in Whitehall. The arrest warrant was finally obtained hours later. Jurors were shown photographs of the detonators Khalid Ali used to make bombs in Afghanistan Following his conviction, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Dean Haydon said: "This case demonstrates how close the UK counter-terrorism network works with partners and allies to bring to justice those seeking to harm others across the world. "He is an incredibly dangerous individual who had returned from a terrorist training camp in Afghanistan with a determination to kill, we believe, police, the military or Parliamentarians in the UK." He will be sentenced at a later date and faces the prospect of life in prison. MI5 launched their investigation into Ali after he was stopped at Heathrow on his return to the UK on 2 November 2017. He had earlier raised suspicions when he attended the British consulate in Istanbul claiming his passport was lost and seeking a temporary travel document to return to the UK.
Teaching German News Iran: Terrorists are celebrating US attack in Syria Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has said that the US airstrike on a Syrian air base will stoke terror and extremism in the region. He has also called for an independent probe into this week's alleged chemical attack. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani denounced his US counterpart Donald Trump on Saturday, claiming that the US' military attack on a Syrian air base overnight on Thursday would only encourage terrorist groups in the region. "This man who is now in office in America claimed that he wanted to fight terrorism but today all terrorists in Syria are celebrating the US attack," Rouhani told an audience in Tehran. The comments come after the US launched a barrage of Tomahawk missiles on a Syrian airbase in Shayrat. The White House said the attack was in retaliation to an alleged chemical strike earlier this week on the Syrian rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun that killed more than 80 people. Iran, along with Russia, is one of Syrian President Basahr al-Assad's closest allies, providing the Syrian regime with military and economic support in its war against rebel forces and the so-called "Islamic State" jihadist group. Iran, Russia vow to continue fight against 'terrorism' Iran's state news agency IRNA said on Saturday that Tehran and Moscow military chiefs had released a joint statement promising to continue fighting alongside Assad in the Syrian government's war against its enemies, which all three regimes label as "terrorists." Iran's Mohammad Baqeri and Russia's Valery Gerasimov "stressed that the two countries would continue their cooperation with the Syrian government until the full defeat of the terrorists and their backers in the country," IRNA reported. That statement followed with a series of air strikes on the rebel-held Syrian province of Idlib. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group, said that 18 civilians, including five children, were killed in the nearby town of Urum al-Joz in strikes believed to be carried out by a Russian aircraft. US missile attack on Syrian airbase 59 Tomahawk Missiles In April, US forces attacked a Syrian air base with cruise missiles in retaliation for a deadly chemical weapons attack on Syrian civilians. The US attack killed several Syrian soldiers and almost completely destroyed the base. US missile attack on Syrian airbase Syrian air base The air base Al-Shairat looked like this before 59 Tomahawk rockets were fired at the site. US President Donald Trump said this was the base from which the poison gas attack was flown out of on Tuesday. The strike aimed to destroy airplanes as well as prevent take-offs and landings. US missile attack on Syrian airbase Attack from the Mediterranean The cruise missiles were launched from the USS Porter and USS Ross warships stationed in the Mediterranean Sea. It was the first time US forces had directly attacked government forces in the six-year civil war. Previous attacks in Syria targeted the so-called "Islamic State." US missile attack on Syrian airbase Turning point for Trump For Trump, the use of chemical weapons was a turning point in his attitude towards the Syrian conflict. After an even bigger chemical attack in August 2013, which killed several hundred people, he warned then-President Barack Obama against retaliating against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. US missile attack on Syrian airbase Threats in the UN Security Council "When the United Nations consistently fails in its duty to act collectively, there are times in the life of states that we are compelled to take our own action," US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said on Wednesday, as she held up photographs of lifeless victims, including children. US missile attack on Syrian airbase Targeted attack or accident? On Tuesday morning a residential district in Chan Sheikhun in Idlib province was bombed and poison gas was released. At least 70 people died in the attack, but responsibility is still unclear. Rouhani on Saturday also called for an independent fact-finding mission to determine the cause of the devastating chemical attack in the town of Khan Sheikhoun. Iran's president stressed that such a probe must be led by an impartial committee and "must not be headed by Americans." "Neutral countries should come and assess to make it clear where the chemical weapons came from," Rouhani said. The Syrian government has denied carrying out the devastating attack on Wednesday, while Russia's Defense Ministry said the fallout was caused by airstrikes hitting a rebel chemical weapons arsenal and munitions factory. dm/kl (AP, Reuters, AFP) Who's fighting in the Syria conflict? War with no end Syria has been engulfed in a devastating civil war since 2011 after Syrian President Bashar Assad lost control over large parts of the country to multiple revolutionary groups. The conflict has since drawn in foreign powers and brought misery and death to Syrians. Who's fighting in the Syria conflict? The dictator Syria's army, officially known as the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), is loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and is fighting to restore the president's rule over the entire country. The SAA has been fighting alongside a number of pro-Assad militias such as the National Defense Force and has cooperated with military advisors from Russia and Iran, which back Assad. Who's fighting in the Syria conflict? The northern watchman Turkey, which is also part of the US-led coalition against IS, has actively supported rebels opposed to Assad. It has a tense relationship with its American allies over US cooperation with Kurdish fighters, who Ankara says are linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) fighting in Turkey. The Turkish military has intervened alongside rebels in northern Aleppo, Afrin and Idlib province. Who's fighting in the Syria conflict? The eastern guardian The Kremlin has proven to be a powerful friend to Assad. Russian air power and ground troops officially joined the fight in September 2015 after years of supplying the Syrian army. Moscow has come under fire from the international community for the high number of civilian casualties during its airstrikes. However, Russia's intervention turned the tide in war in favor of Assad. Who's fighting in the Syria conflict? The western allies A US-led coalition of more than 50 countries, including Germany, began targeting IS and other terrorist targets with airstrikes in late 2014. The anti-IS coalition has dealt major setbacks to the militant group. The US has more than a thousand special forces in the country backing the Syrian Democratic Forces. Who's fighting in the Syria conflict? The rebels The Free Syrian Army grew out of protests against the Assad regime that eventually turned violent. Along with other non-jihadist rebel groups, it seeks the ouster of President Assad and democratic elections. After suffering a number of defeats, many of its members defected to hardline militant groups. It garnered some support from the US and Turkey, but its strength has been greatly diminished. Who's fighting in the Syria conflict? The resistance Fighting between Syrian Kurds and Islamists has become its own conflict. The US-led coalition against the "Islamic State" has backed the Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias. The Kurdish YPG militia is the main component of the SDF. The Kurds have had a tacit understanding with Assad. Who's fighting in the Syria conflict? The new jihadists "Islamic State" (IS) took advantage of regional chaos to capture vast swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria in 2014. Seeking to establish its own "caliphate," IS has become infamous for its fundamentalist brand of Islam and its mass atrocities. IS is facing defeat in both countries after the US and Russia led separate military campaigns against the militant group. Who's fighting in the Syria conflict? The old jihadists IS is not the only terrorist group that has ravaged Syria. A number of jihadist militant groups are fighting in the conflict, warring against various rebel factions and the Assad regime. One of the main jihadist factions is Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, which controls most of Idlib province and has ties with al-Qaeda. Who's fighting in the Syria conflict? The Persian shadow Iran has supported Syria, its only Arab ally, for decades. Eager to maintain its ally, Tehran has provided Damascus with strategic assistance, military training and ground troops when the conflict emerged in 2011. The Iran-backed Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah also supports the Assad regime, fighting alongside Iranian forces and paramilitary groups in the country.
Londoners were well aware that the next terror attack in the UK was a matter of when, not if, as the acting deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police said soon after the incident at Westminster Palace on March 22. To improve Londons response to terrorism, decision-makers will expect lessons to be learnt from this incident. Over the coming weeks, security analysts will dissect the attack. They will try to gain insight into the attackers plan, and reassess current security systems. This was a test of Londons security arrangements. Even if it is considered to have been a test passed, questions will be asked. Why was Westminster Bridge not better secured? Why was the perpetrator able to leave his vehicle? Why was he able to get through the Palace of Westminsters gates and walk towards the sanctuary of democracy, even if it was just for a few metres? Police secure Parliament Square.EPA Security analysts will presumably dismiss some of these questions but come to note that, however horrific it was, this attack scenario was not an unexpected one. Westminster is among the most protected sites in the UK and has been considered a key target for some time. March 22 must also have been considered a high risk date, given that it marked a year to the day since a series of coordinated terrorist attacks unfolded in Brussels. Although rudimentary, the modes of attack and weapons used in the attack were expected, too. They are similar to those seen in the attacks in Nice and Berlin, and the Louvre knife attack in Paris. The crime script of the attacker was equally unsophisticated: drive onto Westminster Bridge pavement, run over pedestrians and cyclists, crash car into railings, take two knives, walk to the palaces Carriage Gates, walk towards the palace, stab police officer. Reviewing security measures Alongside the deaths and injuries caused by the attacker, this incident meant the prime minister had to be evacuated from the area, parliament was put on lockdown and parliamentary business was adjourned in both London and Edinburgh. Some may feel that more should be done to reduce the consequences of attacks of this kind in the future. Others may argue that they cannot always be prevented and that the polices intervention was both rapid and effective (and that the solutions to the weaknesses are to be sought elsewhere). And indeed, given the nature of this attack, its difficult to see how to prevent a repeat event without changing the face of London. Westminster Bridge has been considered a dangerous place since as early as the 19th century. Deaths and injuries caused by horse carriages were so frequent at the northern end of the bridge at that time that the authorities introduced the first (road) traffic light in the world there. In the same way, this attack may stimulate the creation of innovative, affordable and non-intrusive physical protection systems. In the meantime, though, protective bollards remain a credible option to protect public spaces. The wider installation of bollards (including automated retractable ones) was mentioned following the Nice attack on Bastille day. It was also mooted in a 2016 review of Londons preparedness to respond to a major terrorist incident and is considered a serious option against run-over attacks. However, these proposals remain controversial. Many people oppose the securitisation of public spaces so the question of how much is too much? is always hanging in the air. To answer it, policymakers will need to examine the deeply troubling question at the heart of terrorism risk management: if attacks by lone actors cannot be prevented, when is the damage so high that new measures should be introduced in our streets?
As he approached a second officer, he was shot by armed police and later died. Three police officers are said to be among those injured in the attack and the French prime minister had confirmed that three French teenage students had also been hurt in the incident. Foreign Office minister and former army office Tobias Ellwood gave mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to one of the police officers injured in the knife attack in New Palace Yard, the cobbled courtyard in front of Parliament. He said he could see a vehicle on the other side of the road which had crashed into some railings. He said: "There was smoke coming this vehicle. I walked on a few paces further and saw what I assumed to be either a pedestrian or a cyclist who had clearly been hit and wasn't moving, although he did then gently move. "The guy who I assumed was the driver of this 4x4 got out of the car and suddenly sprinted away from the scene - that was followed by four of what sounded much like gunshots. "All of a sudden all hell was let loose. Police descended everywhere and the whole area was locked down." Jayne Wilkinson said: "We were taking photos of Big Ben and we saw all the people running towards us, and then there was an Asian guy in about his 40s carrying a knife about seven or eight inches long. "And then there were three shots fired, and then we crossed the road and looked over. The man was on the floor with blood. "He had a lightweight jacket on, dark trousers and a shirt. "He was running through those gates, towards Parliament, and the police were chasing him." He was unable to make a statement because he was giving vital evidence to officers. Metropolitan Police Commander BJ Harrison said a "terrorist incident" had been declared and a "full counter terrorism operation" was under way. He said that officers had received a number of different reports which "included a person in the river, a car in collision with pedestrians and a man armed with a knife". He added: "We know there are a number of casualties including police officers but at this stage we cannot confirm numbers or the nature of these injuries." The Government has said it will chair a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee later today. Buckingham Palace declined to comment about its security arrangements but it was clear some precautions had been taken as the gates, patrolled by armed police, had been closed. MSPs have delayed a vote on a possible second independence referendum in light of the attack. More follows... The car then smashed into railings surrounding the Palace of Westminster, close to Big Ben in Parliament Square, where the attacker got out and stabbed a policeman. As he approached a second officer, he was shot by armed police. A video has emerged showing two officers pulling up outside the Houses of Parliament and then the sounds of three shots rings out. Parliament was immediately shut down and the Prime Minister bundled into a car as officers searched the building, evacuating floors one by one. At least 10 people were treated on Westminster Bridge and a number of London hospitals had been put on alert, London Ambulance Service said. Witnesses described seeing an "Asian guy in his 40s" carrying a knife and running across the bridge and towards the Houses of Parliament. Alan Parry, of Sky Sports News, was at Westminster for a meeting when he heard "an almighty crash" just outside the underground station . He said he could see a vehicle on the other side of the road which had crashed into some railings. He said: "There was smoke coming this vehicle. I walked on a few paces further and saw what I assumed to be either a pedestrian or a cyclist who had clearly been hit and wasn't moving, although he did then gently move. Police descended everywhere and the whole area was locked down." ayne Wilkinson said: "We were taking photos of Big Ben and we saw all the people running towards us, and then there was an Asian guy in about his 40s carrying a knife about seven or eight inches long. "And then there were three shots fired, and then we crossed the road and looked over. The man was on the floor with blood. "He had a lightweight jacket on, dark trousers and a shirt. "He was running through those gates, towards Parliament, and the police were chasing him." Commons leader David Lidington confirmed a "police officer has been stabbed" and the "alleged assailant was shot by armed police" amid "further violent incidents" in the area. "We know there are a number of casualties including police officers but at this stage we cannot confirm numbers or the nature of these injuries." The Government has said it will chair a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee later today. Buckingham Palace declined to comment about its security arrangements but it was clear some precautions had been taken as the gates, patrolled by armed police, had been closed. MSPs have delayed a vote on a possible second independence referendum in light of the attack.
The powerful watchdog that scrutinises the intelligence services is set to probe whether officials properly handled the case of Westminster attacker Khalid Masood. Sources close to Parliaments Intelligence and Security Committee told The Independent there would likely be a big investigation into whether the 52-year-old killer should have been better monitored after it emerged he was known to agents. They added that there would be a particular focus on whether lessons have been learnt from errors found in the way security services operated in the run up to the brutal murder of Fusilier Lee Rigby in 2013. Concerns were also raised as to whether parliamentary security is adequately staffed, following a sizeable drop in the number of firearm-trained officers employed by the Metropolitan Police. It was reported that the officer who shot Masood, ending his rampage, was actually Defence Secretary Michael Fallons personal bodyguard, who was only on the scene coincidentally. Theresa May told MPs in the Commons on Thursday that while Masood was known to security services, his case was historic and that officers did not believe him to be part of the current intelligence picture. Later in the day Home Secretary Amber Rudd said it would be wrong to say there had been an intelligence failure. However, an official close to the ISC said: [Masood] had at one point been looked at by the intelligence and security services, but obviously it had gone dormant. That sometimes happens with these cases. Westminster attacker named as KhalidMasood There is going to be a big investigation on this. It is always a worry for the intelligence and security services, when it comes to dropping cases, but they cant follow them all up. At the end of the day they have to take a decision on each one, and they will now want a proper investigation of who knew what and when. The committee is due to meet next week where the question as to whether it should launch an investigation or not will be raised. The group, chaired by former attorney general Dominic Grieve and filled with cross-party politicians from the Commons and Lords, can choose to launch an inquiry itself or it might be asked by Ms May to take the work on. In 2014 the committee conducted a far-reaching inquiry into the murder of Lee Rigby, killed a year earlier by Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale on the streets of Woolwich. The committee insider said: It was a case, once again, where the people who had killed him had been looked at by the security services and there were recommendations. It would be a fair assumption to say that the committee would look back at those recommendations with regards to this case. The 2014 report discovered a number of errors and made criticisms where processes were not being followed or decisions not recorded. Who are the victims of the Westminster attack? The report concluded the errors did not necessarily mean Fusilier Rigbys murder could have been prevented, but it called for better procedures. It also highlighted the challenge of monitoring every single individual of potential interest that comes before the intelligence services. The report said: Clearly, MI5 must focus primarily on the highest priority individuals. However, that leaves a large group of individuals who may also pose a risk to national security, but who are not under active investigation. Previous attempts by MI5 and the police to manage this group have failed: We have not yet seen any evidence that the new programme, established in late 2013, will be any better. This is an important issue and the committee will continue to take a close interest in it in order to ensure that the necessary improvements are made. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP In a statement to MPs, Ms May said Masood was once investigated in relation to concerns about violent extremism, but said he was a peripheral figure. She added: The case is historic. He was not part of the current intelligence picture. There was no prior intelligence of his intent or of the plot. Asked later if there had been a failure of intelligence, cabinet minister Ms Rudd said: I think that would be absolutely the wrong judgement to make. Im confident that as we get more information and I really cant be drawn any further on it at the moment  that we will learn more and take comfort from the information that we have and the work that the intelligence services do. Scotland Yard later said Masood had previous convictions for assaults, including GBH, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences. Westminster terror attacker had been investigated by MI5 over violent extremism His first conviction was in November 1983 for criminal damage and his last conviction was in December 2003 for possession of a knife. He had not been convicted of any terrorism offences, but had been known by a number of aliases. Also in the Commons, former cabinet minister Theresa Villiers suggested it was time for all police who patrol areas known to be of interest to terrorists to be armed. Ms May argued that the level of security in Westminster had been enhanced significantly over her 20 years in Parliament, and that questions over whether individual officers should be routinely armed is an operational matter for the police. Parliament holds a minute-long silence in memory of the victims of the Westminster attack But former Met senior investigating officer Peter Kirkham raised concerns that there might have been a fall in the number of armed guards at the gates of Parliament where the Westminster attacker struck. He said: Im beginning to hear that theres been a reduction [of armed officers] at the Houses of Parliament. Hence there wasnt armed officers specifically on that gate yesterday, it was in the presence of that yard. Weve heard that it was a protection officer that just happened to be there by chance. Reports emerged on Thursday that the individual who shot Masood was Mr Fallons Met close protection officer, raising questions as to whether another armed guard would have been on the scene if he were not. The Met said it would not be appropriate to confirm the identity of any officer involved in a fatal firearms incident. But his intervention comes against the backdrop of broader falling numbers of firearms officers in the whole of London. Official Home Office figures show they dropped by a quarter, from a high of 2,856 in 2010, to 2,139 last year. A source from Parliaments Joint Committee on Security told The Independent there had been no recent discussion about a reduction in the number of armed officers at Westminster. Any such reduction would need to be considered first by the committee, the source said, which is chaired by Deputy Leader of the Commons Lindsay Hoyle. If there was a recommendation to cut the number of armed officers on the frontline at Parliament, we would be told about it, he added. The Independent has launched its #FinalSay campaign to demand that voters are given a voice on the final Brexit deal.
A vehicle-ramming attack is a form of mass murder in which a perpetrator deliberately rams a motor vehicle into a building, crowd of people,[1][2] or another vehicle. The earliest known use of a vehicle-ramming attack took place in 1973 in Prague, former Czechoslovakia, when Olga Hepnarov killed 8 people. According to Stratfor Global Intelligence analysts, this attack represented a new militant tactic which is less lethal but could prove more difficult to prevent than suicide bombings.[3] Deliberate vehicle-ramming into crowd of people is a tactic used by terrorists,[4] becoming a major terrorist tactic in the 2010s because it requires little skill to perpetrate and has the potential to cause significant casualties.[5][6][7] Deliberate vehicle-ramming has also been carried out in the course of other types of crimes,[8] including road rage incidents.[9][10] Deliberate vehicle-ramming incidents have also sometimes been ascribed to the driver's psychiatric disorder.[11][a] Vehicles have also been used by attackers to breach buildings with locked gates, before detonating explosives, as in the Saint-Quentin-Fallavier attack. Vehicle attacks can be carried out by lone-wolf terrorists who are inspired by an ideology, but who are not actually working within a specific political movement or group.[13] Writing for The Daily Beast, Jacob Siegel suggests that the perpetrator of the 2014 Couture-Rouleau attack may be "the kind of terrorist the West could be seeing a lot more of in the future", a kind that he describes, following Brian Jenkins of the Rand Corporation, as "stray dogs", rather than lone wolves, characterizing them as "misfits" who are "moved from seething anger to spontaneous deadly action" by exposure to Islamist propaganda.[14] A 2014 propaganda video by ISIL encouraged French sympathizers to use cars to run down civilians.[15] According to Clint Watts, of the Foreign Policy Research Institute, where he is a senior fellow and expert on terrorism, the older model where members of groups like al-Qaeda would "plan and train together before going to carry out an attack, became defunct around 2005", due to increased surveillance by Western security agencies.[14] Watts says that Anwar al-Awlaki, the American born al-Qaeda imam, as a key figure in this shift, addressing English-speakers in their own language and urging them to "Do your own terrorism and stay in place."[14] Jamie Bartlett, who heads the Violence and Extremism Program at Demos, a British think tank, explains that "the internet in the last few years has both increased the possibilities and the likelihood of lone-wolf terrorism," supplying isolated individuals with ideological motivation and technique.[16] For authorities in Western countries, the difficulty is that even in a case like that of the perpetrator of the 2014 Couture-Rouleau attack, where Canadian police had identified the attacker, taken away his passport, and were working with his family and community to steer him away from jihad, vehicle attacks can be hard to prevent because, "it's very difficult to know exactly what an individual is planning to do before a crime is committed. We cannot arrest someone for thinking radical thoughts; it's not a crime in Canada."[16][17] According to Stratfor, the American global intelligence firm, "while not thus far as deadly as suicide bombing", this tactic could prove more difficult to prevent. No single group has claimed responsibility for the incidents.[3][clarification needed] Experts see a sort of saving grace in the ignorance and incompetence of most lone wolf terrorists, who often manage to murder very few people.[16] On 23 October 2014, the US National Institute of Building Sciences updated its Building Design Guideline on Crash- and Attack-Resistant Models of bollards, a guideline written to help professionals design bollards to protect facilities from vehicle operators, "who plan or carry out acts of property destruction, incite terrorism, or cause the deaths of civilian, industrial or military populations".[20] The American Bar Association recommends bollards as effective protection against car ramming attacks.[21] Security bollards are credited with minimizing damage and casualties in the 2007 Glasgow Airport attack.[22][23] Security bollards are credited with preventing ramming in the 2014 Alon Shvut stabbing attack, leading the assailant to abandon his car and attack pedestrians waiting at a bus stop with a knife, after his effort to run them over was thwarted.[24] Berlin's police chief, Klaus Kandt, argued that bollards would not have prevented the 2016 Berlin attack and that needed security measures would be "varied, complex, and far from a panacea".[25] The chief drawback of using bollards is that they are very expensive. 1983 Douglas Crabbe drove a 25-tonne Mack truck into the crowded bar of a motel at the base of Uluru on 18 August 1983. Five people were killed and sixteen seriously injured. 1995 Shawn Nelson case, plumber using a stolen tank to go on a rampage 1999 Emiko Taira (mother of Japanese pop singer Namie Amuro) and her husband Tatsunobu Taira were walking along a road near National Highway No. 58 in gimi, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan when Tatsunobus brother Kenji Taira backed his car into a telephone pole and ran over the couple on 17 March 1999. Emiko Taira was killed. Kenji Taira later committed suicide.[42] 2003 A psychological unstable person kills one and hurts eighteen in Stockholm's old town. A second death later occurs in hospital.[43] September 12, 2018 car attack in Hengyang, China when a man drove a red SUV into a group of people and then began attacking them with a knife and a shovel. 11 were killed and 44 were wounded.[66][67][68][69] ^David Ormerod, John Cyril Smith & Brian Hogan, Smith and Hogan's Criminal Law (13th ed. 2011: Oxford University Press), p. 1138: "There are at least six ways that a person might be held liable for causing a death by driving. At the most extreme it is possible for D[efendant] to be liable for murder, as when he drivers at V[ictim] with intent to kill or do gbh (great bodily harm)." ^ abAlan R. Felthouse, "Personal Violence" in The American Psychiatric Publishing Textbook of Forensic Psychiatry (2d ed.: eds. Robert I. Simon & Liza H. Gold), pp. 551-52: "An automobile is a potentially lethal machine. Litigation involving psychiatrists has resulted when a hospitalized patient, after discharges, caused a two-person vehicle accident with death or injuries to one or more victims ... Such cases involve three different types of scenarios. One is the vehicular crash that results from the patient's medication-induced drowsiness at the wheel ... The second scenario is a true accident but is unrelated to any prescribed medication. Rather, the patient's driving is impaired by the disabling effects of mental illness [or] recent consumption of nonprescribed drugs or alcohol. The third situation is when the patient deliberately crashes into another vehicle. Neuropsychiatric conditions that can be associated with an increased risk of vehicular crash include psychotic exacerbation of schizophrenia, profound or suicidal depression, dementia, and disturbances in consciousness, such as epilepsy and narcolepsy."
Five people have died and at least 40 were injured after an attacker drove a car along a pavement in Westminster, stabbed a policeman and was shot dead by police in the grounds of Parliament. The dead officer has been named as PC Keith Palmer, 48, a husband and father. PM Theresa May said the attack was "sick and depraved" and struck at values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech. The attacker has not been named by police. Acting Deputy Commissioner and head of counter terrorism at the Metropolitan Police, Mark Rowley, said they think they know who he is and that he was inspired by international and Islamist-related terrorism, but gave no further details. Media caption London attack: Eyewitness describes terror scene aftermath The attack unfolded at about 14.40 GMT when a single attacker drove a car along a pavement over Westminster Bridge, near the Houses of Parliament in central London, killing at least two people and injuring many more. The car then crashed into railings outside the Houses of Parliament. The attacker, armed with a knife, ran to Parliament where he was confronted by the police. PC Palmer - who was not armed - was then stabbed and killed. The attacker was shot dead by armed officers. Mr Rowley paid tribute to PC Palmer, saying: "He was someone who left for work today expecting to return home at the end of his shift, and he had every right to expect that would happen." Image copyright METROPOLITAN POLICE Image caption Keith Palmer had 15 years service with the police "Heartbroken" former colleague, Conservative MP James Cleverly, paid tribute to the "lovely man" he had known for 25 years. The pair had served together in the Royal Artillery before PC Palmer became a policeman. Mrs May said the attack was a "sick and depraved" attack on the heart of the capital. Such attempts to defeat UK values were "doomed to failure", she said. She paid tribute to the "exceptional men and women" of the police force who responded to the attack, saying: "We will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart." The prime minister added: "The location of this attack was no accident. "The terrorist chose to strike at the heart of our capital city where people of all nationalities, religions and cultures come together to celebrate the values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech." She is expected to make a statement in the Commons later. Media caption Theresa May: "We will never give in to terror" The husband of murdered MP Jo Cox said the "name I will remember" from the Westminster attack was that of PC Keith Palmer - not the attacker. London mayor Sadiq Khan said: "My message to those that want to harm us and destroy our way of life is: You won't succeed; you won't divide us; we won't be cowed by terrorists." In latest developments: There will be more armed and unarmed officers on duty in London and across the country as a "precautionary measure" The prime minister said the UK terror threat level would remain at severe - its second highest - meaning an attack is "highly likely" 13 students from Edge Hill University in Lancashire were also caught up in the incident - two were taken to hospital and described as walking wounded; two others had minor injuries People worried about family and friends can call the police casualty bureau on: 0800 056 0944 or 0207 158 0010. Anyone with images or footage of the incident is urged to send them to www.ukpoliceimageappeal.co.uk ANALYSIS Image copyright PA Image caption A man believed to be the suspect received medical treatment, while two knives lie on the floor By Dominic Casciani, home affairs correspondent The carnage on Westminster Bridge and inside the grounds of Parliament is the attack that security chiefs here in the UK have long been preparing for. Terrorism looks not just to kill and maim - but to create panic and such a sense of disorder that it rocks a city or nation to its foundations. And this attacker sought to do so in as low-tech way as is possible. The days when terrorism meant large, complex bombs and months of planning are gone: Western security agencies - particularly MI5 and its partner agencies - are very, very good at identifying those plots and disrupting them. The longer it takes to plan such an attack, the more people who are involved, the more chances there will be for security services to learn what is going on. If you are happy to be contacted by a BBC journalist please leave a telephone number that we can contact you on. In some cases a selection of your comments will be published, displaying your name as you provide it and location, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. When sending us pictures, video or eyewitness accounts at no time should you endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws. Please ensure you have read the terms and conditions.
Wednesday, March 22, 2017 Five people have died and at least 40 were injured after an attacker drove a car along a pavement in Westminster, stabbed a policeman and was shot dead by police in the grounds of Parliament. The dead officer has been named as PC Keith Palmer, 48, a husband and father. PM Theresa May said the attack was "sick and depraved" and struck at values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech. The attacker has not been named by police. Acting Deputy Commissioner and head of counter terrorism at the Metropolitan Police, Mark Rowley, said they think they know who he is and that he was inspired by international and Islamist-related terrorism, but gave no further details. The attack unfolded at about 14.40 GMT when a single attacker drove a car along a pavement over Westminster Bridge, near the Houses of Parliament in central London, killing at least two people and injuring many more. The car then crashed into railings outside the Houses of Parliament. The attacker, armed with a knife, ran to Parliament where he was confronted by the police. PC Palmer - who was not armed - was then stabbed and killed. The attacker was shot dead by armed officers. Mr Rowley paid tribute to PC Palmer, saying: "He was someone who left for work today expecting to return home at the end of his shift, and he had every right to expect that would happen." "Heartbroken" former colleague, Conservative MP James Cleverly, paid tribute to the "lovely man" he had known for 25 years. The pair had served together in the Royal Artillery before PC Palmer became a policeman. Mrs May said the attack was a "sick and depraved" attack on the heart of the capital. Such attempts to defeat UK values were "doomed to failure", she said. She paid tribute to the "exceptional men and women" of the police force who responded to the attack, saying: "We will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart." The prime minister added: "The location of this attack was no accident. "The terrorist chose to strike at the heart of our capital city where people of all nationalities, religions and cultures come together to celebrate the values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech." She is expected to make a statement in the Commons later. The husband of murdered MP Jo Cox said the "name I will remember" from the Westminster attack was that of PC Keith Palmer - not the attacker. London mayor Sadiq Khan said: "My message to those that want to harm us and destroy our way of life is: You won't succeed; you won't divide us; we won't be cowed by terrorists." BBC Newsnight reported there was a suggestion the car used in the attack was hired from an address in Birmingham. However, this has not been confirmed. In latest developments: There will be more armed and unarmed officers on duty in London and across the country as a "precautionary measure" The prime minister said the UK terror threat level would remain at severe - its second highest - meaning an attack is "highly likely" Westminster underground station was shut and remained open for interchange only Home Secretary Amber Rudd urged everyone to remain calm but be vigilant and if they see anything they are concerned about report it to the police A group of French schoolchildren were on the bridge and three were injured 13 students from Edge Hill University in Lancashire were also caught up in the incident - two were taken to hospital and described as walking wounded; two others had minor injuries People worried about family and friends can call the police casualty bureau on: 0800 056 0944 or 0207 158 0010. By Dominic Casciani, home affairs correspondent The carnage on Westminster Bridge and inside the grounds of Parliament is the attack that security chiefs here in the UK have long been preparing for. Terrorism looks not just to kill and maim - but to create panic and such a sense of disorder that it rocks a city or nation to its foundations. And this attacker sought to do so in as low-tech way as is possible. The days when terrorism meant large, complex bombs and months of planning are gone: Western security agencies - particularly MI5 and its partner agencies - are very, very good at identifying those plots and disrupting them. The longer it takes to plan such an attack, the more people who are involved, the more chances there will be for security services to learn what is going on. Eyewitness Rick Longley said: "We were just walking up to the station and there was a loud bang and a guy, someone, crashed a car and took some pedestrians out. "They were just laying there and then the whole crowd just surged around the corner by the gates just opposite Big Ben. "A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman. "I have never seen anything like that. I just can't believe what I just saw." An eye witness, Radoslaw Sikorski, a senior fellow at Harvard's Centre for European Studies, posted a video to Twitter showing people lying injured in the road on Westminster Bridge. Media captionSteve Voake, eyewitness: "I tried to stop people coming on to the bridge" In other developments: MPs were locked in the House of Commons for more than four hours and business suspended Around 1,000 people were taken to Westminster Abbey for safety and were then processed by police The House of Commons and Lords will sit at their usual times on Thursday The White House said Mrs May had spoken to President Donald Trump about the attack The Eiffel tower went dark at midnight in homage to the London victims London mayor Sadiq Khan praised citizens and emergency services for their "tremendous bravery" and said: "Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism." No comments: Pan-African News Wire The Pan-African News Wire is an international electronic press service designed to foster intelligent discussion on the affairs of African people throughout the continent and the world. The press agency was founded in January of 1998 and has published thousands of articles and dispatches in newspapers, magazines, journals, research reports, blogs and websites throughout the world. The PANW represents the only daily international news source on pan-african and global affairs. PANW editor Abayomi Azikiwe is often solicited by various newspaper, radio and television stations for comment and analysis on local, national and world affairs. He serves as a political analyst for Press TV and RT worldwide satellite television news networks as well as other international media in the areas of African and world affairs. He has appeared on numerous television and radio networks including Press TV, RT, Al Jazeera, China Global Television Network, BBC, NPR, Radio Netherlands, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, South Africa Radio 786, Belgian Pirate Radio, TVC Nigeria and others.
Don't blame WhatsApp for the Westminster attack In the wake of the Westminster attack, the three most powerful politicians in Britain have all called for access to encrypted WhatsApp messages which they say might have prevented Khalid Masood from plowing his hire car down the sidewalk of Westminster Bridge, before stabbing to death an unarmed police officer in the courtyard of "the Mother of all Parliaments." First it was the Home Secretary Amber Rudd, then it was the Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, and finally it was the Prime Minister, Theresa May. This is first of all a nonsensical request. WhatsApp encryption is "end-to-end", meaning the message is encrypted the moment it leaves the phone until it arrives at the recipients. Even WhatsApp, through whose servers millions of these automatically encrypted messages pass each day, cannot read the message once it is in transit. WhatsApp is being blamed because Masood is said to have used the app just minutes before the attack took place, and because blaming WhatsApp deflects from the failings of ministers to keep Britain's most important buildings safe from even the most low-tech terrorist attack. 'Using' the attack to extend surveillance powers This is not to blame the police themselves, who do brave and important work - but to lay blame at the feet of the politicians who assign their budgets and thereby limit or invest in their capabilities to stop terrorism. Police chiefs had already written to the government in November 2015 warning that further cuts to police numbers would make London more at risk of a "Paris-style" attack. Forty thousand police officers have been laid off since 2010. Gareth Thomas, Vice President of the Police Superintendents Association, wrote that "In the fight against all types of terrorism, we know that the long-term answer lies in families and in communities - and therefore, in neighbourhood policing. This is what can defeat terrorism; cyber intelligence often only helps us find it." Like any large institution, the intelligence community in Britain is by no means monolithic in opinion - and it is by no means certain whether more cyber-surveillance powers are even necessary. There are intelligence professionals who believe calls for more surveillance powers are unhelpful. Former cyber-security chief Major General Jonathan Shaw has already publicly warned that the attack should not be "used", in his words, to extend surveillance powers. In private, British intelligence professionals are like any European or American security service - they know that if absolutely necessary they can access the contents of WhatsApp conversations, though by means they are obviously not so keen on revealing in any detail. A clue as to what these methods might be came recently via WikiLeaks. Despite all the bluster from the UK, our allies in the CIA already have ways of getting around WhatsApp encryption should they really require - essentially by hacking the phones before the messages are even sent. Siding with hardliners Instead of presenting this debate in an honest way, May is siding with the hardliners in the security community, not to mention long-term allies and part of her notoriously cliquey inner-circle. The most frequent proponent of more surveillance powers, who undoubtedly has a hand in this most recent push, is a figure whose career is intimately connected with Theresa May. Civil servant-cum-spy, known as Whitehall's top "securocrat", the mysterious Charles Farr, is considered hawkish by colleagues, and was the mastermind of the notorious "Snoopers Charter", which has been called "one of the most extreme surveillance laws" ever passed in a democracy. Farr has made it his mission to turn Britain into a surveillance state. One official has called Farr's view of himself simply "messianic". He is heavily sponsored by May. In the closing months of the last government, she rushed to Farr's defence against his critics. In siding with her hardline friends in the intelligence community, and not listening to the more moderate voices with similar expertise, May is not only misdirecting from her own failings - notably on police cuts, but continuing a long tradition of "do something" policymaking. The "do something" doctrine demands that something must be done in the wake of a terrorist attack. Whether this newly conjured policy makes sense, has any substantive merit, or will make Britain safer, is entirely irrelevant. It is far more important to just "do something". It is for this reason that 13 terrorism Acts of Parliament have been passed in Britain since 2000 - each more intrusive than the last. In that same time there have been just five education Acts, three health Acts, and only three housing Acts. Explaining this disparity in legislative focus only makes sense when you consider the grip of "do something" politics on Britain's elite. In this case, asking for WhatsApp encrypted message access is a nonsensical request, and nor does it reflect anything but the more hardline desires of certain unpopular figures within the security services. It is a superficial ploy - and it has worked. Front-page headlines the day after the calls were made included "Tech giants face terror crackdown", "Internet giants hide terrorist's final note", "Apps rapped over secret terror texts" and on the front page of Britain's most popular tabloid, "What side are you on, WhatsApp?". There was little serious discussion of the fact that police chiefs had warned repeatedly that police cuts would have a knock-on effect on counter-terrorism efforts; very handy for May, of course - given it was she who, as Home Secretary, oversaw these cuts in the first place. By Alastair Sloan Alastair Sloan covers international affairs, politics and human rights for a variety of British newspapers and magazines. The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial policy. REFRENCESS ALJAZEERA http://www.aljazeera.com Comments To get the latest news and articles from Ahad-Ahad please subscribe using your email address .
A knifeman brought terror to the heart of Westminster, mowing down pedestrians then stabbing a policeman to death before being shot dead by armed officers on Wednesday afternoon. The police officer who died was named by Scotland Yard as Keith Palmer, a 48-year-old husband and father. In an update at 6pm, police said they were satisfied there was only one attacker, but said they locked down the area so it can be searched thoroughly. And in a statement in Downing Street at 9pm, Prime Minister Theresa May paid tribute to the "exceptional men and women" of the police force who responded to the attack. She confirmed that a single attacker drove a car into pedestrians walking on Westminster Bridge, killing two of them, before running with a knife through the front gates of the Palace of Westminster, where he killed a police officer before being shot dead. She vowed that "the forces of evil" would never be allowed "to drive us apart". Mrs May said that any attempt to defeat the values that Parliament stands for was "doomed to failure". And she vowed: "We will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart." The UK's terror threat level would remain at "severe", Mrs May said. She praised the bravery of the police officers "who keep us and our democratic institutions safe". "Our thoughts and prayers go out to all who have been affected, to the victims themselves and to their families and friends, who waved their loved ones off but will not now be welcoming them home. "For those of us who were in Parliament at the time of this attack, these events provide a particular reminder of the exceptional bravery of our police and security services who risk their lives to keep us safe. "Once again today, these exceptional men and women ran towards the danger, even as they encouraged others to move the other way." Eyewitnesses described scenes of terror as the attacker was shot several times as he approached a second officer within yards of the Houses of Parliament. Paramedics fought to save his life and that of his victim on the floor of the cobbled courtyard in front of Parliament with Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood among those who rushed to help. MPs from the North-East are among those who were locked down in the Houses of Parliament as the event unfolded. Witness: Pat McCormack, 21, from Washington, Tyne-on-Wear Pat McCormack, 21, from Washington, Tyne-on-Wear, was among a group from Great British Boxers who were leaving a press conference ahead of the World Series Boxing event against Italy in York Hall on Thursday when they came face to face with the alleged assailant. He said: "I saw him stabbing the officer in the back of the head and the back of the neck. "He was running away but then he collapsed. "I wasn't scared. "I just couldn't believe what was happening." Terror attack outside U.K. Parliament. 2 men down on road. Man with knife/machete got into Parliament and stabbed policeman. He's been shot pic.twitter.com/aYNktTiF4d Colleen Anderson, a junior doctor at St Thomas' hospital, said a woman was killed as the attacker drove a grey Hyundai across Westminster Bridge before crashing it into railings then running through the gates of the Palace of Westminster. She also said she treated a police officer in his 30s with a head injury who had been take to King's College hospital. She said: "I confirmed one fatality. A woman. She was under the wheel of a bus. Awful news. My staff and I are in lock down inside here. Thinking of all those dealing with the scenes outside. https://t.co/w3et8HDzo5 On Wednesday night, Prime Minister Theresa May was chairing a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee to discuss the immediate response to the bloody incident. Mrs May ordered flags to be lowered to half mast over Downing Street as a mark of respect to the innocent people who lost their lives. The Cobra committee brings together government ministers with senior officials of the emergency services and security and intelligence agencies. Meeting in a briefing room of the Cabinet Office on Whitehall, Cobra co-ordinates the high-level response to serious incidents, and has previously gathered after terrorist atrocities, including the July 7 attacks on the London transport network and the murder of soldier Lee Rigby. There was no immediate information on who was attending Wednesday night's meeting, which took place around four hours after the attack. A Number 10 spokesman said Mrs May was being kept updated about the investigation. "The thoughts of the Prime Minister and the Government are with those killed and injured in this appalling incident, and with their families," said the spokesman. "The Prime Minister is being kept updated and will shortly chair COBR." The White House said US President Donald Trump spoke with Mrs May to "offer his condolences on today's terror attack in London and his praise for the effective response of security forces and first responders. "He pledged the full cooperation and support of the United States Government in responding to the attack and bringing those responsible to justice." The attack left a trail of destruction as paramedics tended to victims on the bridge and at the gate. Mrs May was seen being ushered into a silver Jaguar in the grounds of the palace as what sounded like gunfire rang out at around 2.45pm. Eyewitness Rick Longley described the attack. "We were just walking up to the station and there was a loud bang and a guy, someone, crashed a car and took some pedestrians out. "They were just laying there and then the whole crowd just surged around the corner by the gates just opposite Big Ben. "A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman. "I have never seen anything like that. I just can't believe what I just saw." Thoughts and prayers for our brave police officers,security staff,parliamentary staff & members of the public Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: "There has been a serious incident near to Parliament Square this afternoon which is being treated as a terrorist attack until the police know otherwise. "I have spoken to the Acting Commissioner. The Metropolitan Police Service is dealing with the incident and an urgent investigation is under way. My thoughts are with those affected and their families. "I would like to express my thanks to the police and emergency services who work so hard to keep us safe and show tremendous bravery in exceptionally difficult circumstances." Pat Glass, MP for North-West Durham, said as the drama was unfolding: I am locked in parliament. "We have been told that there were shots outside of Portcullis House. There are people injured on Westminster Bridge. A vehicle was driven into the main gates. The whole place is on lockdown. We cannot move. You are where you are. I am on the principal floor in the house and those people in the chamber are locked in the chamber. It is a bit scary in here at the moment. I did hear shouts from the bridge and we heard policemen shouting, but we could not make out what it was. Everybody has to stay where they are. They are saying it is a major terrorist incident. Speaking later on BBC5 Live, Ms Glass added: "They are clearing the House room by room. "I have never seen so many armed police in my life and there's always a lot here. They are going from room to room, corridor to corridor, and they are evacuating people as they go. "At the moment we are fine. We are all stood outside." Ms Glass was talking while with a group of schoolchildren visiting Parliament. They are not from the North-East, it is understood. "I think we are more concerned about the children, but there is a sense of calm," she said. "The police are doing their job and they are doing it really well and we are trying to make sure that we make it as easy as possible for them. "They know what they are doing, they are experts." Adding to her earlier comments about the incident itself, she said: "There are people hurt or even killed on the bridge. There is a policeman who has been stabbed. "The really terrifying thing is we could hear voices, presumably policemen shouting 'armed police, put your hands in the air'. When that is very close to you that's bit frightening." Andy McDonald, Middlesbrough MP and shadow transport minister, said Parliament appeared to be in lockdown as he was trying to get back to Westminster. Weve just been out on a trip with Transport for All, a disability transport group, and we were just approaching Westminster Bridge when it was shut off, he said. Were not really sure whats happening at the moment. We are going to try to get as near as we can to the offices but Parliament would appear to be in lockdown. One journalist in Portcullis House, which is opposite the Houses of Parliament, said they heard gunshots and were in the middle of it and didnt know what was happening. Redcar MP Anna Turley tweeted: "Awful news. My staff and I are in lock down inside here. Thinking of all those dealing with the scenes outside." Sedgefield MP Phil Wilson told The Northern Echo he was not at Westminster as he was travelling north for a dental appointment but had spoken to his office worker who confirmed the Parliament building was in lock-down. He said she was safe and was locked in a room and reported seeing streams of well-armed police on Westminster Bridge. I will be returning to Parliament in the morning from Sedgefield in solidarity with my friends and colleagues. Democracy will prevail. Witnesses described seeing a middle-aged man carrying a knife and running. Jayne Wilkinson said: "We were taking photos of Big Ben and we saw all the people running towards us, and then there was an Asian guy in about his 40s carrying a knife about seven or eight inches long. "And then there were three shots fired, and then we crossed the road and looked over. The man was on the floor with blood. "He had a lightweight jacket on, dark trousers and a shirt. "He was running through those gates, towards Parliament, and the police were chasing him." Her partner David Turner added: "There was a stampede of people running out. "You saw the people and you thought 'what the hell is going on'." Radoslaw Sikorski posted a video to Twitter purporting to show people lying injured in the road on Westminster Bridge. Mr Sikorski, a senior fellow at Harvard Centre for European Studies, said he saw at least five people lying on the ground after being "mown down" by a car. "I heard what I thought what I thought was just a collision and then I looked through the window of the taxi and someone down, obviously in great distress," he told the BBC. "Then I saw a second person down, and I started filming, then I saw three more people down, one of them bleeding profusely." Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones had just voted in the House of Commons and was stood behind the Speaker's chair when a security advisor ran in to inform them of the situation. He said Prime Minister Theresa May had also just voted and was quickly taken away according to her security protocol. He said he had been told unconfirmed reports by security that a vehicle had come down Westminster Bridge, knocking down several pedestrians and then the driver climbed on to the roof of his vehicle to get into the Palace of Westminster complex. Mr Jones was located in the chamber in the centre of the Palace of Westminster with other people. I didnt hear the shots myself. I had just voted and one colleague said he had just walked past someone lying on the floor in the Palace Yard in the complex," he said. "Then security procedures kicked in and there was a full lockdown. Were in a very significant incident right now. I can hear helicopters overhead. We dont know all that has happened. "Were waiting to hear what to do next. The doors are all locked and effectively we have to stay exactly where we are. He said security services were following an established security protocol and MPs were following their instructions. This is entirely new in my experience, he said. Everybody has been asked to stay exactly where they are and thats exactly what were doing. Colleagues are obviously very anxious and were trying to get information, but right now everybody wants to give the security services time to do their jobs properly. Right now people are making calls to their family and friends and offices back home to say everything is well and do not worry. 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Firearms officers from the British police detain a man on Whitehall near the Houses of Parliament in central London.Source:AFP Undercover police were waiting for the man after they were tipped off about his alleged plans by a member of the Muslim community concerned about his behaviour, according to multiple media sources in the UK. According to The Sun the tip-off came from a family member. The man was followed by police and MI5 operatives as he travelled towards Westminster. British media is reporting he was also on the radar of counter-terrorism police. Police say they received a tip-off from a member of the Muslim community.Source:AFP The man was arrested outside the Westminster tube station near the Palace of Westminster. The House of Commons was not in session because of the upcoming UK elections. He was a few hundred metres away from 10 Downing Street and it is not clear whether the alleged target was Westminster or the government offices of Whitehall. A spokesman for the PM said that the British leader was not at her Downing Street residence at the time of the incident. A police officer photographs a knife on the ground at the scene following a mans arrest.Source:AP The area was packed with tourists and civil servants at the time of the arrest. Shortly after the arrest, police began circulating messages on social media urging people to report any terrorism suspicions they might have. In a statement on the arrest, Scotland Yard said: The man was arrested in Parliament Street, junction with Parliament Square, by armed officers from the Mets Specialist Firearms Command. A British police forensics officer passes a knife to a colleague as they collect evidence on Whitehall near the Houses of Parliament in central London.Source:AFP The man, aged in his late twenties, was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism. Knives have been recovered from him. He is being detained under the Terrorism Act and is in custody in a south London police station. Detectives from the counter-terrorism command are continuing their investigation, and as a result of this arrest there is no immediate known threat. The member of parliament who was praised for his efforts to save the life of the fatally-wounded police officer in the attacks on March 22, Tobias Elwood, was one of many MPs who took to social media platform Twitter to thank police yesterday. Well done to our courageous @metpoliceuk for arresting an armed terrorist suspect on #Whitehall by House of Commons today & keeping us safe, he wrote. London Mayor Sadiq Khan tweeted: Thanks to all officers who dealt swiftly & professionally with the incident in Whitehall. The Met Commissioner has briefed me on the arrest. Thanks to all officers who dealt swiftly & professionally with the incident in Whitehall. The Met Commissioner has briefed me on the arrest. https://t.co/qyB7HqNiGE
Four people, including a police officer and an attacker, are dead and 40 others have been injured in a terror attack in Westminster. EPA Four people, including a police officer and an attacker, died and 40 others were injured in the attack at the Palace of Westminster and Westminster Bridge. PA Emergency services sealed off the area just after 14:40 GMT after an officer was killed and his attacker shot by armed police inside the gates. PA An air ambulance landed in the middle of Parliament Square as medics rushed to help. PA MP Tobias Ellwood tried to help save the officer after he was stabbed by giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. PA Nearby, police could be seen holding a gun to a man on the cobbles inside the grounds of the palace. AP The suspect was taken to a waiting ambulance on a stretcher. He was later confirmed to have died. Getty Images The prime minister was taken by police back to Downing Street from the House of Commons. Alison Baskerville Armed police looked after visitors inside Parliament as the Commons was suspended and the site went into lockdown. BBC Ambulance crews were treating people on Westminster Bridge and on the road down to Parliament Square after a car hit pedestrians. Getty Images They treated several people who were hit by the car, before it was driven into the railings of Parliament. Getty Images Those injured on the bridge were helped from the scene. Some had "catastrophic" injuries. Getty Images Tourists and Londoners were caught up as roads were closed. Reuters They rushed from the bridge and headed away from Parliament Square. AFP/Getty Images Tourists travelling on the London Eye at the time of the incident were stranded for three hours. Getty Images "This was a day we've planned for but hoped would never happen," said the Met Police's Head of Counter Terrorism Mark Rowley. AFP Patrol boats were out on the Thames. A woman was pulled from the river and treated for injuries. EPA People were told to avoid Parliament Square, Whitehall, Lambeth Bridge, Victoria Street to the junction of Broadway, and the Embankment between Westminster and Embankment Tube. Getty Images The attacks unfolded as the Scottish Parliament was debating holding a second referendum, where proceedings were stopped. PA Prime Minister Theresa May ordered flags to be lowered to half mast on government buildings as a mark of respect to those who died. Reuters Police and intelligence services remained on the scene into the evening as they continued their investigation into the Westminster attack. AFP/Getty Images In a statement outside Number 10, Mrs May called the attacks "sick and depraved". She said the streets of Westminster were "ingrained with a spirit of freedom" and "any attempt to defeat those values through violence and terror is doomed to failure." Metropolitan Police The police officer killed in the attack at Westminster was later named by Scotland Yard as PC Keith Palmer. The 48-year-old husband and father was a member of the Met's parliamentary and diplomatic protection command and had 15 years service. Reuters Flowers were laid at the scene close to the scene of the attack. Forty others have been injured.
Mark Rowley: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know Mark Rowley of the Metropolitan Police makes a statement outside of New Scotland Yard on March 22, 2017 in London, England. (Getty) Mark Rowley is the British assistant commissioner who has been providing updates about the terrorist attack in London. Rowley said in a press conference on Wednesday afternoon that four people have been killed in the attack and at least 20 people have been injured. Heres what you need to know about Mark Rowley, the British police commissioner who has been handling the investigation into the attack in London. 1. He is the Metropolitan Police Services Assistant Commissioner for Specialist Operations Mark Rowley addresses business and community leaders as he launches an appeal to the public to take part in an Action Counters Terrorism initiative at Manchester Town Hall on 6th March, 2017 in Manchester, England. (Getty) Rowley was appointed to this position in October 2011. His specialist operations directorate has three commands: Protection Command, Security Command, and Counter Terrorism Command. Before becoming the assistant commissioner for specialist operations for the Metropolitan Police Service, Rowley was the assistant commissioner for specialist crime and operations with the London Metropolitan Police Service. He served in this position from 2009 to 2011. Rowley began his career in the 1980s when he worked as a constable for the West Midlands Police. He then became a detective superintendent for the National Criminal Intelligence Service. In 2000, Rowley became a senior officer for the Surrey Police and became chief superintendent in command of the West Surrey Basic Command Unit. In the forthcoming years, he was promoted to the role of assistant chief constable, deputy chief constable, and finally chief constable. 2. He Lead the Investigation Into the Murder of Milly Dowler Bob Dowler and Sally Dowler, parents of murdered school girl Milly Dowler, arrive at the Queen Elizabeth II centre to hear the Leveson Report into press standards on November 29, 2012 in London, England. (Getty) While he was chief constable, Mark Rowley lead the investigation into the murder of Milly Dowler. Dowler was a 13-year-old girl who went missing in March 2002. Her body was found in September 2002, and police spent years investigating the girls death. Finally, in February 2008, they charged Levi Bellfield with the murder; Bellfield was already serving life in prison for the murders of Marsha McDonnell and Amelie Delagrange. After the investigation and trial had ended, Rowley said he was shocked over the fact that Dowlers parents privacy was destroyed during the trial. There were some extraordinarily private details that came out and I dont understand why they have to be public when celebrities can get injunctions to protect their privacy, he said, according to The Telegraph. They make money out of celebrity, but here is someone who doesnt want celebrity, whose daughter has been killed, but is being vilified and humiliated. It completely incongruous and unnecessary. 3. He Says That Many Social Media Firms Make Investigating Terrorism Difficult Mark Rowley has also said that investigating terrorist plots is often made difficult by the fact that social media companies often refuse to cooperate and hand over evidence. He said that the uncooperative nature of social media companies is the growing Achilles heel of counter-terrorism, adding that many of these companies are creating safe havens for terrorists and criminals. Our experience of social media and communications companies is of a very fragmented and highly variable level of cooperation, ranging from some who are very cooperative, those who are partially cooperative and those who are at the other end of the spectrum, he said, according to The Telegraph. Some refuse to assist. For some it is also a part of their strategy  they design their products in full recognition that they will be unable to help us because of the way they have designed them. 4. He Says 13 U.K. Terrorist Plots Were Foiled in the Past Four Years Mark Rowley speaks to reporters outside The Royal Courts of Justice on January 8, 2014 in London, England. (Getty) Earlier this month, Mark Rowley said that at least 13 U.K. terrorist plots have been foiled over the past four years. He also said that there are more than 500 live counter-terrorism investigations ongoing at any given time, and that members of the public often help him and the rest of the police foil these plots, according to the Evening Standard. Sometimes that public information has actually started an investigation, he said. Other times its part way through and it corroborates some things or adds to things we already know. He says that counter-terrorism officials worry about everything from fairly simple attacks with knives or using vehicles all the way through to the more complex firearms attacks. Rowley also said earlier this month that the possibility of a terrorist attack occurring on British soil is highly likely and probably will remain that likely for some time. 5. He Says That ISIS is Just the Tip of the Iceberg Mark Rowley of the Metropolitan Police makes a statement outside of New Scotland Yard on March 22, 2017 in London, England. (Getty) Mark Rowley said in March 2017 that ISIS is just the tip of the iceberg and that any military efforts against them will not stop terrorism. The military progress squeezing the territory of ISISI see that as good news but we mustnt assume that the terrorist threat is simply about Isis or simply about whats happening in Syria, he said, according to The Daily Star. He went on to say that military success against ISIS is welcome but that in and of itself its not going to eradicate the terrorist problem. Al Qaida remain a threat and there are offshoots of both organisations, he said. The military success is welcome but in and of itself its not going to eradicate the terrorist problem. 2 Comments We must recognise now that our Muslim communities will feel anxious at this time given the past behaviour of the extreme right wing and we will continue to work with all community leaders in the coming days. Yes, because the extreme right wing has been holding Europe in its grip for many years with terror attacks on museums, schools, public transport, opinion makers, fireworks shows, concert halls, editors, parliament buildings and churches. Armed soldiers are protecting civilians in big cities against the extreme right wing. Jewish institutions have to be protected against the extreme right wing. Extreme right wing terrorists hiding for months in European urban areas full of extreme right wing sympathisers. For decades, extreme right wing supporters have demanded and received places of prayer, segregated facilities and special rights. Extreme right-wing folks apply for hopeless asylum and use their immigrant shelters in Europe as an assault base for their raids. Extreme right wing guys hang out on the streets of any European city and harass women and bully gay people to leave their neighbourhood and go completely ape shit on authorities and the free press. So lets be very careful with the feelings of the Muslim community, the poor sheep are so quickly offended. After seeing a drawing for instance. Discuss on Facebook Like Us On Facebook! Loving Heavy? Show us some love by following us on Facebook! Discover the Stories That Matter Join over 240,000 people who get the most important news stories and the best shopping deals from Heavy  Delivered right to your inbox.
Popular Videos The European Union has recalled its ambassador from Moscow after the blocs 27 other leaders backed Theresa Mays claim that the Kremlin was highly likely to be responsible for this months nerve agent attack in Salisbury. In a joint statement after midnight Brussels time the EU leaders said there was no plausible alternative explanation for the use of novichok in Salisbury other than its deployment by the Russian government. Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putins spokesman, said on Friday that Russia doesnt understand the EUs decision, and said Moscow would need to study the exact measures being taken by the bloc before it could respond. Ms May urged leaders at a dinner of the European Council in Brussels to go further than their foreign ministers had on Monday, when the bloc said that they took the assessment of Russian responsibility extremely seriously. The EU said its ambassador had been recalled for consultations following the incident. It is also understood that Ireland, France, Estonia, Poland, Latvia and Lithuania are considering the expulsion of Russian diplomats, following the UKs decision to expel 23 of them, including alleged undeclared intelligence officers. The Kremlin said the UK was forcing its allies to take confrontational steps over the incident. Russia denies any involvement in the poisoning. Mr Peskov said: We dont know what info the UK had when it discussed with EU colleagues. We dont understand it. Russia has not had the opportunity to receive a diagnosis [on the Skripals]. Regarding the EU decision, we are unhappy with highly likely formulations. Russia categorically has nothing to do with the Skripal [poisoning]. Speaking at the summit on Friday, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said: What well now consider in the coming days is whether we want to take individual action relating to Russian diplomats in Ireland, bearing in mind what the UK did was to expel 23 diplomats, who they did not believe were diplomats, they were agents. We would have to do a security assessment before we did that. Were not just going to randomly expel people who are genuine diplomats. The Prime Minister, who was due to leave for London after the Thursday dinner, is now also attending part of the Friday portion of the summit, after a discussion on trade with the US was delayed to wait a response from the Trump administration. Speaking on the doorstep of the summit in the small hours of the morning after the dinner, Ms May said: Weve had a very full discussion on Russia at this EU Council and I welcome the fact that the EU Council has agreed with the UK Governments assessment that it is highly likely that Russia was responsible for the attempted murder that took place on the streets of Salisbury, and that there is no plausible alternative explanation. Russia, and the threat that Russia poses, respects no borders and that is a threat to our values and it is right that here in the EU Council we are standing together to uphold those values. Im going to be back here tomorrow morning at the EU Council when we have a very important discussion on trade. Former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, remain in a critical condition following the 4 March attack in Salisbury. The joint statement by the European Council says: The European Council condemns in the strongest possible terms the recent attack in Salisbury, expresses its deepest sympathies to all whose lives have been threatened and lends its support to the ongoing investigation. Skripal attack aftermath  in pictures Skripal attack aftermath  in pictures 1/15 Scene of attack Members of the emergency services in hazard suits fix the tent over the bench where Sergei and Yulia Skripal were found unconscious on a park bench in Salisbury in March 2018. Getty 2/15 Victim - Sergei Skripal The retired Russian colonel and former double agent for MI6 was in a critical condition in hospital for more than two months after being exposed to novichok in Salisbury. He was given refuge in the UK after being jailed in Moscow for treason. Mr Skripal came to Britain as part of a high-profile spy swap in 2010 in which four men were exchanged for ten Russian "sleeper agents" in the US. In this image he is speaking to his lawyer from behind bars in Moscow in 2006. AP 3/15 Victim - Yulia Skripal Yulia Skripal was struck down by a novichok poison alongside her father Sergei. Facebook 4/15 Scene of attack A police officer stands guard outside a branch of the Italian chain restaurant Zizzi where the pair dined at before falling ill. It was boarded off whilst investigators worked on the building and later found traces of the chemical weapon within it. AFP/Getty 5/15 Scene of attack Large areas of central Salisbury were cordoned off by police following the discovery of the Skripals. Traces of nerve agent were also found in The Mill pub. PA 6/15 Victim - Nick Bailey Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey, rushed to the aid of the Russian ex-spy and his daughter who were targeted with a nerve agent. He was hospitalized after aiding them and didn't leave until three weeks after the attack. Wiltshire Police/Rex 7/15 Police investigation - Skripals home Police believe they were poisoned at home, and detectives found the highest concentration of novichok on the front door of Mr Skripals house. Getty 8/15 Theresa May visits scene of attack Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May spokes with Wiltshire Police's Chief Constable Kier Pritchard near where the Skripal's were found. Britain expelled 23 Russian diplomats over the nerve agent poisoning and suspended high-level contacts, including for the World Cup on March 14. Theresa May told parliament that Russia had failed to respond to her demand for an explanation on how a Soviet-designed chemical, Novichok, was used in Salisbury. AFP/Getty 9/15 Skripal days before attack Sergei Skripal days before he was exposed to Novichok, that has left him fighting for life. ITV News 10/15 Police investigation - military involvement British soldiers were deployed soon after the attack to help a counter-terrorism investigation into the nerve agent attack. One of the places they were asked to help out with was Skripal's home and it's surrounding. They were asked to remove a vehicle connected to the agent attack in Salisbury, from a residential street in Gillingham. AFP/Getty 11/15 Police investigation Personnel in protective coveralls and breathing equipment cover an ambulance with a tarpaulin at the Salisbury District Hospital. AFP/Getty 12/15 Police investigation The investigation extended to the grave of Sergei Skripal's son Alexander in London Road cemetery. Getty 13/15 Police investigation The Counter Terrorism Policing Network requested assistance from the military to remove a number of vehicles and objects from Salisbury. EPA 14/15 Home Secretary visits scene of attack Home Secretary Amber Rudd visited the scene of the nerve agent attack at the Maltings shopping centre on 9 March. Getty 15/15 Yulia Skripal speaks for the first time Yulia Skripal, speaking for the first time, said she felt lucky to have survived the nerve agent attack in Salisbury which left her fighting for life. Ms Skripal said her life had been turned upside down by the assassination attempt. But the Russian national added she hoped to return to her homeland one day, despite the Kremlin being blamed for the attack. Reuters 1/15 Scene of attack Members of the emergency services in hazard suits fix the tent over the bench where Sergei and Yulia Skripal were found unconscious on a park bench in Salisbury in March 2018. Getty 2/15 Victim - Sergei Skripal The retired Russian colonel and former double agent for MI6 was in a critical condition in hospital for more than two months after being exposed to novichok in Salisbury. He was given refuge in the UK after being jailed in Moscow for treason. Mr Skripal came to Britain as part of a high-profile spy swap in 2010 in which four men were exchanged for ten Russian "sleeper agents" in the US. In this image he is speaking to his lawyer from behind bars in Moscow in 2006. AP 3/15 Victim - Yulia Skripal Yulia Skripal was struck down by a novichok poison alongside her father Sergei. Facebook 4/15 Scene of attack A police officer stands guard outside a branch of the Italian chain restaurant Zizzi where the pair dined at before falling ill. It was boarded off whilst investigators worked on the building and later found traces of the chemical weapon within it. AFP/Getty 5/15 Scene of attack Large areas of central Salisbury were cordoned off by police following the discovery of the Skripals. Traces of nerve agent were also found in The Mill pub. PA 6/15 Victim - Nick Bailey Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey, rushed to the aid of the Russian ex-spy and his daughter who were targeted with a nerve agent. He was hospitalized after aiding them and didn't leave until three weeks after the attack. Wiltshire Police/Rex 7/15 Police investigation - Skripals home Police believe they were poisoned at home, and detectives found the highest concentration of novichok on the front door of Mr Skripals house. Getty 8/15 Theresa May visits scene of attack Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May spokes with Wiltshire Police's Chief Constable Kier Pritchard near where the Skripal's were found. Britain expelled 23 Russian diplomats over the nerve agent poisoning and suspended high-level contacts, including for the World Cup on March 14. Theresa May told parliament that Russia had failed to respond to her demand for an explanation on how a Soviet-designed chemical, Novichok, was used in Salisbury. AFP/Getty 9/15 Skripal days before attack Sergei Skripal days before he was exposed to Novichok, that has left him fighting for life. ITV News 10/15 Police investigation - military involvement British soldiers were deployed soon after the attack to help a counter-terrorism investigation into the nerve agent attack. One of the places they were asked to help out with was Skripal's home and it's surrounding. They were asked to remove a vehicle connected to the agent attack in Salisbury, from a residential street in Gillingham. AFP/Getty 11/15 Police investigation Personnel in protective coveralls and breathing equipment cover an ambulance with a tarpaulin at the Salisbury District Hospital. AFP/Getty 12/15 Police investigation The investigation extended to the grave of Sergei Skripal's son Alexander in London Road cemetery. Getty 13/15 Police investigation The Counter Terrorism Policing Network requested assistance from the military to remove a number of vehicles and objects from Salisbury. EPA 14/15 Home Secretary visits scene of attack Home Secretary Amber Rudd visited the scene of the nerve agent attack at the Maltings shopping centre on 9 March. Getty 15/15 Yulia Skripal speaks for the first time Yulia Skripal, speaking for the first time, said she felt lucky to have survived the nerve agent attack in Salisbury which left her fighting for life. Ms Skripal said her life had been turned upside down by the assassination attempt. But the Russian national added she hoped to return to her homeland one day, despite the Kremlin being blamed for the attack. Reuters It agrees with the UK Governments assessment that it is highly likely that the Russian Federation is responsible and that there is no plausible alternative explanation. We stand in unqualified solidarity with the United Kingdom in the face of this grave challenge to our shared security. The use of chemical weapons, including the use of any toxic chemicals as weapons under any circumstances, is completely unacceptable, must be systematically and rigorously condemned and constitutes a security threat to us all. Member states will coordinate on the consequences to be drawn in the light of the answers provided by the Russian authorities. The European Union will remain closely focused on this issue and its implications. The Independent has launched its #FinalSay campaign to demand that voters are given a voice on the final Brexit deal.
Vigils to be held for Westminster Bridge attack anniversary Among those murdered was Keith Palmer, an unarmed constable who 'never wanted any fuss'. Westminster: Five people were killed in the attack. PA A service is to be held on Thursday at Westminster Hall to mark the one year anniversary of the Westminster Bridge attack that killed five people and injured 50. There will also be a minute's silence in the House of Commons in memory of those who perished when Khalid Masood drove a 4X4 into a crowd before the attacker was shot and killed outside parliament. Among those murdered was Keith Palmer, an unarmed constable who "did his job and never wanted any fuss," according to his friend and former colleague Pc Shaun Cartwright. In a statement released through Scotland Yard Cartwright said: "Keith loved being a police officer, he just wanted to help people and do his best. "Keith was always happy, always the first to help anyone out, first in to work and the last one out. "He was a proud and courageous police officer who did his job and never wanted any fuss or to be the centre of attention. "Keith was a true and loyal friend, utterly reliable. "Most of all I will remember him as a family man who idolised his wife, daughter and his family; they're the important ones that I think about a year on from the Westminster attack." Speaking to ITV News, MP Tobias Ellwood, who received medical training in the services, recalled his memories of the tragic gay, including his efforts to save Pc Palmer. "I saw Pc Keith Palmer on the ground and he was bleeding profusely," Ellwood said. "Some officers were trying to help him. Being medically trained I thought I could offer some help." "I arrived and there was a pulse and there was profuse bleeding and the medics came and I thought I'd be pushed to the side but they asked me to keep doing what I was doing," the MP added. After the helicopter landed Ellwood said he thought the victim would be taken away but the casualty needed stabilising so he was again asked to carry on assisting. "And it was very sad to be told that it wouldn't be possible to save his life and that too much blood had been lost." Tobias Ellwood, who tended to a mortally wounded police officer at the climax of the Westminster Bridge attack. PA Senior officers are expected to attend a number of private memorial services on Thursday to mark the first anniversary of the atrocity, but the force has not made details public. Pc Palmer's name will be one of 1,400 inscribed on the new UK Police Memorial being built in Staffordshire, commemorating officers who were killed on duty. Another 4,000 of those who died on duty will be remembered inside the memorial. Supporters have been asked to donate 5 towards the scheme, for which 3.1 million has been raised of a total 4 million cost. It includes an education programme to teach children about policing and support scheme for bereaved families. Sir Hugh Orde, chair of trustees of the UK Police Memorial, said: "This has been an unprecedented year for policing with officers and staff repeatedly putting themselves in danger to keep the public safe and protecting them from harm. "Sadly, in March last year we saw one of my policing colleagues Pc Keith Palmer lose his life during a terrorist attack in London whilst protecting our freedoms and safeguarding our democracy," he said. "Keith's death put greater emphasis on the need to create a memorial where the nation can go to commemorate our police service," Orde added. Postcode iThere are some shows on the STV Player that you can only watch if you live in one of our license regions. Your postcode is a simple and easy way for us to check this.OkayWe need this to check that you live in an STV region. 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Owned again! Your site is ours Daesh. You have nowhere to hide. You are weak, reads a message by hackers waging war on Isis online caliphate. They are celebrating a huge cyber attack that sees anyone attempting to view the terrorist groups Amaq propaganda website met with malicious software disguised as an update. By creating a virtual back door into devices, it is able to activate cameras, log keystrokes, steal files, read phone messages, take screenshots, detect GPS locations and collect contacts from unsuspecting jihadis. The infiltration forced Isis to issue a warning to followers through Amaqs encrypted Telegram channel, saying its latest Arabic language website had been penetrated by a virus, adding: Please exercise caution. Hackers installed malware on an Arabic language propaganda website run by Isis to track supporters When The Independent tried to access the site, it was automatically blocked with a warning from Google that attackers might attempt to install dangerous programs on your computer that steal or delete your information including photos, passwords and credit cards. It is the latest move to ensnare Isis supporters through the groups own propaganda, with a fake version of its Android mobile app previously created to track extremists and convincing forgeries of a propaganda magazine released online. Charlie Winter, a senior research fellow at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence (ICSR), said extremists were becoming agitated by intensifying online attacks. Its leaving a lot of Isis paranoid and its a joy to behold, he told The Independent. Somethings afoot. Someone is putting a lot of effort in sowing discord and paranoia  its very effective. Hackers around the world are launching ever more sophisticated attacks on Isis websites and communications, with collectives hailing their success using the hashtags #OpIsis and #OpIceIsis on Twitter. Isis was forced to release a warning to followers over 'false and sometimes dangerous' content Among them is CtrlSec, which has declared its mission to limit and destroy online extremism in all shapes. Its founder is Mikro, a 20-something hacktivist leading global efforts to get jihadi Twitter accounts taken down. So brazen were communications that in 2015, Mikro and fellow hacktivists chanced upon an Isis cell in Tunisia plotting attacks on British and Jewish tourists and passed the information to security services, resulting in more than a dozen arrests. The accounts of Isis most prolific tweeters have long been removed but supporters and fanboys continue to start countless new accounts in running battles to evade activists and moderators. British Isis member Aqsa Mahmood tweeted calls for terror attacks and urged people to travel Syria before her account was shut down (Twitter) Mikro believes technology firms and governments are not doing enough to crack down on extremist social networking, claiming activists efforts are more effective. The day we run out of work then enough is done, but I do not see an end to this in sight, he added. We are playing whack-a-mole since third parties dont collaborate. Mikro said he has received so many death threats that he stopped bothering to record them two years ago, and keeps his name, identity and location a closely guarded secret for his own safety. Similarly secretive is a Muslim collective called Di5s3nSi0N, which has been hacking websites hosting Isis propaganda including its Amaq and Halummu news agencies, al-Furqan video outlet and al-Bayan online radio station. It overwrites sites with its calling card  a red and black picture with the caption Stand Against Isis and the message HaCK3d by Di5s3nSi0N, accompanied by smiley faces. The group identifies itself as Sunni Muslim, with a mission statement reading: The steadfast youth of ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jammah can no longer tolerate the obscenities of the Baghdadi gang who abuse religion and insult the dignity of people. It sends out frequent tweets aiming to enrage Isis supporters, telling them they are soooooo weak and you are not Muslim, warning: Were coming for you. Hackers have been leaving messages on websites carrying Isis propaganda Meanwhile, the End of Daesh group describes itself as the online nemesis of Isis, calling for help to smash extremist sites with cyber attacks. Gregg Housh, a former Anonymous activist, said hackers were using a range of methods including distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks that flood websites with traffic until they crash, to great effect. I think the hacktivists are winning the battle for one very simple reason, he told The Independent. When you have to move, your user base has to find the new sites and accounts. Its hard to build a large following and a large amount of influence if you have to keep jumping around to new domains, new hosts and new Twitter accounts. But Mr Winter warned that Isis is continually adapting to spread its message, even as it loses swathes of territory around its most symbolic strongholds in Syria and Iraq. Certainly the landscape has changed profoundly over the course of the past few years, but the group is still eminently capable in propaganda dissemination, he said. A website gets knocked down and it comes back exactly the same in a few days or hours with a slightly different urlits a game of cat and mouse. Timeline: The emergence of Isis Timeline: The emergence of Isis 1/40 2000 Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (pictured here) forms an al-Qaeda splinter group in Iraq, al-Qaeda in Iraq. Its brutality from the beginning alienates Iraqis and many al-Qaeda leaders. 2/40 2006 Al-Zarqawi is killed in a U.S. strike. Al-Zarqawis successor, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, announces the creation of the Islamic State in Iraq (ISI). Reuters 3/40 2009 Still al-Qaeda-linked ISI claims responsibility for suicide bombings that killed 155 in Baghdad, as well as attacks in August and October killing 240, as President Obama announces troop withdrawal from Iraq in March. Getty Images 4/40 2010 Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi becomes head of ISI, at lowest ebb of Islamist militancy in Iraq, which sees last U.S. combat brigade depart. 5/40 2012 In Syria, protests (pictured here starting in Daree) have morphed into what president Assad labelled a real war with emergence of a coalition of forces opposed to Assads regime. Syria group Jabhat al-Nusra are among rebel groups who refuse to join, denouncing it as a conspiracy. Bombings targeting Shia areas, killing more than 500 people, spark fears of new sectarian conflict. Sunni Muslims stage protests across country against what they see as increasingly marginalisation by Shia-led government. AP 6/40 2013 Al-Baghdadi renames ISI as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or Isis, as the group absorbs Syrian al-Nusra, gaining a foothold in Syria. In response, al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri (Bin Ladens successor) concerned about Isis expansion orders that Isis be dissolved and ISI operations should be confined to Iraq. This order is rejected by al-Baghdadi. AFP 7/40 2014 - January Isis fighters capture the Iraqi cities of Fallujah and Ramadi, giving them base to launch slew of attacks further south. AP 8/40 2014 - June Isis declares itself the Caliphate, calling itself Islamic State (IS). The group captures Mosul, Iraqs second largest city; Tal Afar, just 93 miles from Syrian border; and the central Iraqi city of Tikrit. These advances sent shockwaves around the world. 9/40 2014 - June Around the same time Isis releases a video calling for western Muslims to join the Caliphate and fight, prompting new evaluations of extremists groups social media understanding. 13/40 2014 - September 14/40 2014 - September Obama tells us that America will hunt down terrorists who threaten our country EPA 15/40 2014 - September Isis release a video appearing to show David Haines, who was captured by militants in Syria in 2013, wearing an orange jumpsuit and kneeling in the desert while he reads a pre-prepared script. It later shows what appears to be the aid worker's body. Rex 16/40 2014 - September Peshmerga fighters scrabble to hold positions in the Diyala province (a gateway to Baghdad) as Isis fighters continue to advance on Iraqi capital. AFP 17/40 2014 - October Aid worker Alan Henning is killed. Self-imposed media blackout refuses to show images of him in final moments, instead focuses upon humanitarian care. AP 18/40 2014 - October Isis raise their flag in Kobani, which had been strongly defended by Kurdish troops. The victory goes against hopeful western analysis Isis had overextended itself, while alienating much of the Muslim population through the murder of Henning. Victory causes fresh waves of Kurdish refugees arriving in Turkey. 19/40 2014 - November American hostage, who embarced values of Islam, Peter Kassig and 14 Syrian soldiers are shown meeting the same fate as other captives. But intelligence agencies will be poring over the apparently significant discrepancies between this and previous films. Seramedig.org.uk 20/40 2015 - February Isis has released a video revealing the murder by burning to death of a Jordanian pilot held by the group since the end of December 2014. Reuters 21/40 2015 - February Isis militants have released videos which appear to show the beheading of Japanese hostages Haruna Yukawa and Kenji Goto. 22/40 2015 - February American aid worker, Kayla Mueller was the last American hostage known to be held by Isis. She died, according to her captors, in an airstrike by the Jordanian air force on the city of Raqqa in Syria, though US authorities disputed this. AP 23/40 2015 - February Isis militants have posted a gruesome video online in which they force 21 Egyptian Coptic Christian hostages to kneel on a beach in Libya before beheading them. Egypt vowed to avenge the beheading and launched air strikes on Isis positions. AP 24/40 2015 - February The British Isis militant suspected of appearing in videos showing the beheading of Western hostages has been named in reports as Mohammed Emwazi from London. Rex Features 25/40 2015 - March Isis triple suicide attack has killed more than 100 worshippers and hundreds of others were injured after the group members targeted two mosques in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa. AP 26/40 2015 - April Iraqi forces have claimed victory over Isis in battle for Tikrit and raised the flag in the city. EPA/STR 27/40 2015 - April Isis has claimed responsibility for a suicide bomb attack in Afghanistan that killed at least 35 people queuing to collect their wages and injured 100 more. EPA 28/40 2015 - April Isis media arm released a 29-minute video purporting to show militants executing Ethiopian Christians captives. The footage bore the extremist groups al-Furqan media logo and showed the destruction of churches and desecration of religious symbols. A masked fighter made a statement threatening Christians who did not convert to Islam or pay a special tax. 29/40 2015 - May Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of Isis has been "incapacitated" by a spinal injuries sustained in a US air strike in Iraq. He is being treated in a hideout by two doctors from Isis stronghold of Mosul who are said to be "strong ideological supporters of the group". 30/40 2015 - May Isis has also claimed responsibility for killing 300 of Yazidi captives, including women, children and elderly people in Iraq AP 31/40 2015 - May Isis attack on Prophet Mohamed cartoon contest in Texas was its first action on US soil. Two gunmen were shot and killed after launching the attack at the exhibition. Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi have been named as the attackers at the Curtis Culwell Centre arena in Garland. 32/40 2015 - May Isiss deputy leader, Abu Alaa Afri, a former physics teacher who was thought to have taken charge of the deadly terrorist group, has been killed in a US-led coalition airstrike. 33/40 2015 - May US special forces have killed a senior Isis leader named as Abu Sayyaf in an operation aiming to capture him and his wife in Syria. Getty Images 34/40 2015 - May Iran-backed militias are sent to Ramadi by the Iraqi government to fight Isis militants who completed their capture of the city. Government soldiers and civilians were reportedly massacred by extremists as they took control and the army fled. Charred bodies were left littering the city streets as troops clung on to trucks speeding away from the city. Ramadi is the latest government stronghold to fall to the so-called Islamic State, despite air strikes by a US-led international coalition aiming to stop its advance in Iraq and Syria. AFP 35/40 2015 - May Isis rounded up civilians trapped in Palmyra and forced them to watch 20 people being executed in the historic citys ancient amphitheatre. The Unesco World Heritage site was overrun by militants, threatening the future of 2,000 year-old monuments and ruins. Thousands of Palmyras residents fled but many are still living within the city walls, while the UN human rights office in Geneva said it had received reports of Syrian government forces preventing people from leaving until they retreated from the city. Getty 36/40 2015 - May A group of Isis-affiliated fighters have captured a key airport in central Libya. The militants took control of the al-Qardabiya airbase in Sirte after a local militia tasked with defending the facility withdrew from their positions. Affiliates of Isis, already control large parts of Sirte, the birthplace of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and a former stronghold of his supporters. 37/40 2015 - June The US Air Force has destroyed an Isis stronghold after an extremist let slip their location on social media. According the Air Force Times, General Herbert "Hawk" Carlisle, commander of Air Combat Command, said that Airmen at Hulburt Field, Florida, used images shared by jihadists to track the location of their headquarters before destroying it in an airstrike. Reuters 38/40 2015 - June Kurdish forces captured a key military base in a significant victory in Raqqa as well as town of Tell Abyad. YPG fighters, backed by US-led airstrikes and other rebels, consolidated their gains, when they seized the key town on the Syria-Turkey border. They are now just 30 miles to the north of Raqqa and have cut off a major supply route deep inside Isis-held territory. Ahmet Silk/Getty 39/40 2015 - June Isis has released gruesome footage claiming to show the murder of more than a dozen men by drowning, decapitation and using a rocket-propelled grenade as it seeks to boost morale among its fanatical supporters. 40/40 2015 - June Isis has begun carrying out its threat to destroy structures in the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra, blowing up at least two monuments at the Unesco-protected site as Syrian government troops made advances on the Islamists positions. AFP 1/40 2000 Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (pictured here) forms an al-Qaeda splinter group in Iraq, al-Qaeda in Iraq. Its brutality from the beginning alienates Iraqis and many al-Qaeda leaders. 2/40 2006 Al-Zarqawi is killed in a U.S. strike. Al-Zarqawis successor, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, announces the creation of the Islamic State in Iraq (ISI). Reuters 3/40 2009 Still al-Qaeda-linked ISI claims responsibility for suicide bombings that killed 155 in Baghdad, as well as attacks in August and October killing 240, as President Obama announces troop withdrawal from Iraq in March. Getty Images 4/40 2010 Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi becomes head of ISI, at lowest ebb of Islamist militancy in Iraq, which sees last U.S. combat brigade depart. 5/40 2012 In Syria, protests (pictured here starting in Daree) have morphed into what president Assad labelled a real war with emergence of a coalition of forces opposed to Assads regime. Syria group Jabhat al-Nusra are among rebel groups who refuse to join, denouncing it as a conspiracy. Bombings targeting Shia areas, killing more than 500 people, spark fears of new sectarian conflict. Sunni Muslims stage protests across country against what they see as increasingly marginalisation by Shia-led government. AP 6/40 2013 Al-Baghdadi renames ISI as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or Isis, as the group absorbs Syrian al-Nusra, gaining a foothold in Syria. In response, al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri (Bin Ladens successor) concerned about Isis expansion orders that Isis be dissolved and ISI operations should be confined to Iraq. This order is rejected by al-Baghdadi. AFP 7/40 2014 - January Isis fighters capture the Iraqi cities of Fallujah and Ramadi, giving them base to launch slew of attacks further south. AP 8/40 2014 - June Isis declares itself the Caliphate, calling itself Islamic State (IS). The group captures Mosul, Iraqs second largest city; Tal Afar, just 93 miles from Syrian border; and the central Iraqi city of Tikrit. These advances sent shockwaves around the world. 9/40 2014 - June Around the same time Isis releases a video calling for western Muslims to join the Caliphate and fight, prompting new evaluations of extremists groups social media understanding. 13/40 2014 - September 14/40 2014 - September Obama tells us that America will hunt down terrorists who threaten our country EPA 15/40 2014 - September Isis release a video appearing to show David Haines, who was captured by militants in Syria in 2013, wearing an orange jumpsuit and kneeling in the desert while he reads a pre-prepared script. It later shows what appears to be the aid worker's body. Rex 16/40 2014 - September Peshmerga fighters scrabble to hold positions in the Diyala province (a gateway to Baghdad) as Isis fighters continue to advance on Iraqi capital. AFP 17/40 2014 - October Aid worker Alan Henning is killed. Self-imposed media blackout refuses to show images of him in final moments, instead focuses upon humanitarian care. AP 18/40 2014 - October Isis raise their flag in Kobani, which had been strongly defended by Kurdish troops. The victory goes against hopeful western analysis Isis had overextended itself, while alienating much of the Muslim population through the murder of Henning. Victory causes fresh waves of Kurdish refugees arriving in Turkey. 19/40 2014 - November American hostage, who embarced values of Islam, Peter Kassig and 14 Syrian soldiers are shown meeting the same fate as other captives. But intelligence agencies will be poring over the apparently significant discrepancies between this and previous films. Seramedig.org.uk 20/40 2015 - February Isis has released a video revealing the murder by burning to death of a Jordanian pilot held by the group since the end of December 2014. Reuters 21/40 2015 - February Isis militants have released videos which appear to show the beheading of Japanese hostages Haruna Yukawa and Kenji Goto. 22/40 2015 - February American aid worker, Kayla Mueller was the last American hostage known to be held by Isis. She died, according to her captors, in an airstrike by the Jordanian air force on the city of Raqqa in Syria, though US authorities disputed this. AP 23/40 2015 - February Isis militants have posted a gruesome video online in which they force 21 Egyptian Coptic Christian hostages to kneel on a beach in Libya before beheading them. Egypt vowed to avenge the beheading and launched air strikes on Isis positions. AP 24/40 2015 - February The British Isis militant suspected of appearing in videos showing the beheading of Western hostages has been named in reports as Mohammed Emwazi from London. Rex Features 25/40 2015 - March Isis triple suicide attack has killed more than 100 worshippers and hundreds of others were injured after the group members targeted two mosques in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa. AP 26/40 2015 - April Iraqi forces have claimed victory over Isis in battle for Tikrit and raised the flag in the city. EPA/STR 27/40 2015 - April Isis has claimed responsibility for a suicide bomb attack in Afghanistan that killed at least 35 people queuing to collect their wages and injured 100 more. EPA 28/40 2015 - April Isis media arm released a 29-minute video purporting to show militants executing Ethiopian Christians captives. The footage bore the extremist groups al-Furqan media logo and showed the destruction of churches and desecration of religious symbols. A masked fighter made a statement threatening Christians who did not convert to Islam or pay a special tax. 29/40 2015 - May Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of Isis has been "incapacitated" by a spinal injuries sustained in a US air strike in Iraq. He is being treated in a hideout by two doctors from Isis stronghold of Mosul who are said to be "strong ideological supporters of the group". 30/40 2015 - May Isis has also claimed responsibility for killing 300 of Yazidi captives, including women, children and elderly people in Iraq AP 31/40 2015 - May Isis attack on Prophet Mohamed cartoon contest in Texas was its first action on US soil. Two gunmen were shot and killed after launching the attack at the exhibition. Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi have been named as the attackers at the Curtis Culwell Centre arena in Garland. 32/40 2015 - May Isiss deputy leader, Abu Alaa Afri, a former physics teacher who was thought to have taken charge of the deadly terrorist group, has been killed in a US-led coalition airstrike. 33/40 2015 - May US special forces have killed a senior Isis leader named as Abu Sayyaf in an operation aiming to capture him and his wife in Syria. Getty Images 34/40 2015 - May Iran-backed militias are sent to Ramadi by the Iraqi government to fight Isis militants who completed their capture of the city. Government soldiers and civilians were reportedly massacred by extremists as they took control and the army fled. Charred bodies were left littering the city streets as troops clung on to trucks speeding away from the city. Ramadi is the latest government stronghold to fall to the so-called Islamic State, despite air strikes by a US-led international coalition aiming to stop its advance in Iraq and Syria. AFP 35/40 2015 - May Isis rounded up civilians trapped in Palmyra and forced them to watch 20 people being executed in the historic citys ancient amphitheatre. The Unesco World Heritage site was overrun by militants, threatening the future of 2,000 year-old monuments and ruins. Thousands of Palmyras residents fled but many are still living within the city walls, while the UN human rights office in Geneva said it had received reports of Syrian government forces preventing people from leaving until they retreated from the city. Getty 36/40 2015 - May A group of Isis-affiliated fighters have captured a key airport in central Libya. The militants took control of the al-Qardabiya airbase in Sirte after a local militia tasked with defending the facility withdrew from their positions. Affiliates of Isis, already control large parts of Sirte, the birthplace of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and a former stronghold of his supporters. 37/40 2015 - June The US Air Force has destroyed an Isis stronghold after an extremist let slip their location on social media. According the Air Force Times, General Herbert "Hawk" Carlisle, commander of Air Combat Command, said that Airmen at Hulburt Field, Florida, used images shared by jihadists to track the location of their headquarters before destroying it in an airstrike. Reuters 38/40 2015 - June Kurdish forces captured a key military base in a significant victory in Raqqa as well as town of Tell Abyad. YPG fighters, backed by US-led airstrikes and other rebels, consolidated their gains, when they seized the key town on the Syria-Turkey border. They are now just 30 miles to the north of Raqqa and have cut off a major supply route deep inside Isis-held territory. Ahmet Silk/Getty 39/40 2015 - June Isis has released gruesome footage claiming to show the murder of more than a dozen men by drowning, decapitation and using a rocket-propelled grenade as it seeks to boost morale among its fanatical supporters. 40/40 2015 - June Isis has begun carrying out its threat to destroy structures in the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra, blowing up at least two monuments at the Unesco-protected site as Syrian government troops made advances on the Islamists positions. AFP Mr Winter said that although it had become more difficult for Isis to circulate its propaganda and posts do not stay online for as long as they once did, the group is still publishing huge amounts of articles, magazines, videos, photos and audio files. No matter how inhospitable the environment is, theyre still going to be able to use the internet, he added, warning of far-right websites republishing Isis material that remains very easy to access. Mr Winter said: Islamphobes are circulating propaganda more efficiently than Isis itself can ever do, we need to start having that conversation. The Westminster attack has once again turned the British Governments focus on to the groups online propaganda efforts after Isis claimed responsibility for the massacre the left four victims dead. Revelations that Khalid Masood used the messaging service WhatsApp just minutes before launching his attack sparked fresh debate over encryption and privacy, with communications providers meeting the Home Secretary on Thursday. Amber Rudd said that although progress has been made, she would like to see the industry to go further and faster in not only removing online terrorist content but stopping it going up in the first place. Id also like to see more support for smaller and emerging platforms to do this as well, so they can no longer be seen as an alternative shop floor by those who want to do us harm, technology firms were told. Iraqi PM says Isis will be defeated 'within the next few weeks' Michael S Smith II, a terrorism expert who recently gave evidence at the Global Coalition conference hosted by the Foreign Office, agrees, arguing that companies need to increase the risk of exploiting their technologies to recruit and incite violence. Theres really only so much that the UK government can do apart from diplomacy, he added. Propaganda is merely one factor in the larger set of problems when you look at Isis unprecedented recruitment and incitement capabilities. He warned that Isis was using social media not only to spread its message, but to incite and control attacks, including a 2015 shooting at an exhibit featuring cartoons of the Prophet Mohamed in Texas. That was linked to British Isis hacker Junaid Hussain, who foreshadowed attack on Twitter after the perpetrators used the social network to pledge allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Mr Smith argued that Western governments had been left behind by Isis exploitation of technology created in their own countries, with the group issuing detailed advice on how to encrypt communications and evade detection. He called for more efforts to disrupt the publication of extremist material, warning that once it was flagged and removed, it was too late to stop countless copies popping up elsewhere. When you see all these hactivist groups forming, Isis has succeeded in undermining confidence in our governments capability to manage threats emanating from the cyber domain, he added. The British Governments Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit, which searches for extremist material and works with internet companies to take it down, has helped remove 250,000 pieces of extremist content since 2010, working at a current rate of 2,000 per week.
EDITORS NOTE: This post has been updated to clarify the number of causalities after police revised the death toll from five to four. LATEST NEWS: Police clarify number causalities stands at four, including attacker. Officer who was stabbed identified as Keith Palmer Police raid house in Birmingham reportedly linked to the attack At least four people were killed, including a police officer, and at least 40 others injured in what police have declared a terrorist incident outside of the U.K. Parliament Wednesday. Londons Metropolitan Police said a vehicle struck a number of people around 2:40 p.m. local time, including three police officers walking on the Westminster Bridge, not too far from where a police officer was stabbed outside of the British Parliament. The police commander noted that although we remain open minded to the motive, a full counter-terrorism investigation is already underway, led by the Mets Counter Terrorism Command. Speaking with the Associated Press, a witness said he saw a man stab a police officer outside of the Parliament building. We were just walking up to the station and there was a loud bang and a guy, someone, crashed a car and took some pedestrians out, Rick Longley told the news agency. They were just laying there and then the whole crowd just surged around the corner by the gates just opposite Big Ben. A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman. Prime Minister Theresa May was safe after the incident, a spokesperson said in a statement. May addressed the attack later on Wednesday and said the suspects behind the sick and depraved terrorist attack purposely chose to strike the heart of [the] capitol because it thrives on democracy and freedom of speech. The Westminster tube station was also closed due to the police investigation. The mayor of London issued a statement saying an urgent investigation is underway and his thoughts are with those affected and their families. He says theres no change in the threat level in Canada, but he says Canadian security agencies are taking all appropriate steps. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed his condolences to the victims of this cowardly attack. The scene unfolding in London is one that is all too familiar to members of this House that were here two and half years ago, Trudeau said in the House of Commons. An attack on the symbol and the seat of democracy is a cowardly and reprehensible act that we condemn in the strongest terms. Canada and the U.K. are close friends and allies and our message to the citizens of the United Kingdom and our colleagues in the British parliament is simple. We stand with you, the prime minister said. In 2014, gunman Michael Zehaf Bibeau fatally shot Cpl. Nathan Cirillo at the National War Memorial in Ottawa before storming Parliament Hill where he died in a shootout with then House of Commons Sergeant-at-Arms Kevin Vickers. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson issued a statement Wednesday afternoon condemning the attacks. We condemn these horrific acts of violence, and whether they were carried out by troubled individuals or by terrorists, the victims know no difference, Tillerson said. Wednesdays incident comes on the one-year anniversary of the terror attack in Brussels during which suicide bombers killed 32 people in an airport and metro station. Britains terror alert level remains severe or an attack is highly likely, which was last updated in May of last year. Spoke to U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May today to offer condolences on the terrorist attack in London. She is strong and doing very well.
Police and security services are investigating the background of the man who killed four people and injured dozens in a terrorist rampage at Westminster as security was visibly stepped up in the capital on Thursday. While the Houses of Parliament prepared to sit as normal, officers were attempting to establish the motivation and any terrorist links of the attacker  who was known to counter-terrorism officials  and look into his connections and associates. A raid was carried out by armed police overnight at a flat above a shop in Birmingham just west of the city centre, with surrounding roads closed for several hours. BBC Newsnight reported late on Wednesday that the vehicle used in the attack  a Hyundai i40  could have been rented in Birmingham. A direct link between the two events is yet to be established, however, West Midlands police referred enquiries to the Metropolitan police in London, which said it would not be commenting for operational reasons. In London, extra officers  armed and unarmed  have been ordered onto the streets and Parliament Square remains closed as the capital wakes up. Westminster Bridge remains closed and the tube station is open but for interchange only. Up to 40 people were injured when a lone terrorist attacked Westminster, stabbing a police officer to death as he tried to storm parliament, and killing three members of the public as he careered through the heart of the capital in a 4x4 vehicle. The attacker was among those killed in the first mass-casualty terrorist attack on Britain in over a decade. The Commons and Lords were locked down for several hours because of fears of further attacks. PC Keith Palmer. Photograph: HO/AFP/Getty Images The policeman who died was named as Keith Palmer, 48, a member of the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Service. He was married with children and had been a police officer for 15 years. The Mets head of counter-terrorism, Mark Rowley, said the motivation of the attacker was assumed to be Islamist related and he had tried to enter parliament but had been stopped. Rowley said Palmer was someone who left for work today expecting to return home at the end of his shift, and he had every right to expect that would happen. People fled for their lives as a Hyundai 4x4 driven by the terrorist at about 2.40pm indiscriminately ran into people on Westminster Bridge. The use of the vehicle to attack civilians was a direct copy of an Islamic State tactic used previously with murderous effect in Nice and Berlin. The vehicle then careered off the road on to pavement a few metres away from Big Ben and the attacker tried to storm parliament armed with a knife. Play Video 0:22 People flee parliament as gunshots ring out  video Moments later, a police officer who was guarding parliament was fatally stabbed. The attacker, dressed in black, was shot by another armed officer and died of his injuries. The Guardian understands the initial working theories of the police investigation are the attacker was inspired by Isis and was most likely a lone actor. The attacker was already known to counter-terrorism officials. Rowley said investigators were trying to establish the attackers associates and his preparations for the attack. Theresa May was rushed out of parliament as the attack unfolded and later chaired an emergency meeting of the governments crisis committee, Cobra. Shortly before 9pm on Wednesday, her voice cracking with emotion, the prime minister confirmed that what she called the sick and depraved attack had been carried out by a single assailant. She also praised the bravery of the police and other emergency services, who ran towards the danger, even as they encouraged others to move the other way. The prime minister added that Britains threat level would remain at severe, where it has been for some time; but she struck a defiant tone, insisting it would be business as usual for MPs and Londoners on Thursday. The location of this attack was no accident. The terrorists chose to strike at the heart of our capital city where all nationalities, religions and cultures come together to celebrate the values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech, she said. Rowley said: This is a day that we had planned for  that we all hoped would never happen  but sadly it is now a reality. On Wednesday night, a massive investigation involving Scotland Yards counter-terrorism command and domestic security service MI5 was under way. Police chiefs have ordered extra officers, armed and unarmed, on to the streets of the capital. Keeping the national terrorism threat level at severe means an attack is feared to be highly likely but there is no intelligence a specific plot is imminent. Parliament was filled with MPs at the time  a couple of hours after prime ministers question time. They were alerted to the incident by the sound of shots being fired. Within minutes, David Lidington, the leader of the Commons, told stunned MPs: What I am able to say to the house is there has been a serious incident within the estate. It seems that a police officer has been stabbed, that the alleged assailant was shot by armed police. A visual guide to the Westminster attack Read more Witnesses described how a scene of horror suddenly unfolded at what is one of the UKs busiest tourist spots. Rob Lyon, 34, from Rugby, was walking along Westminster Bridge with a colleague when he saw a 4x4 vehicle travelling at high speed, hitting pedestrians. He said: I heard a wheel definitely hit a kerb, quite a loud crunch noise, I looked up and saw a car clearly hitting people as it came towards me. A colleague I was with, James, I heard him sort of shout. I instinctively jumped off the pavement. I could see people being hit. And then the car just carried on up the bridge and I just looked around and was really in shock. Radosaw Sikorski, a former Polish foreign minister, saw at least five people lying on the ground after being mown down by a car. I heard what I thought was just a collision and then I looked through the window of the taxi and saw someone down, obviously in great distress, he said. Play Video 0:35 Members of the public helping the injured on Westminster Bridge  video Pictures emerged after the incident showing people lying injured on Westminster Bridge, some of them bleeding seriously. A woman was pulled alive from the Thames with serious injuries after having fallen into the water during the attack. The car then sped towards the Palace of Westminster, and came to a halt on the pavement, up against railings to the north of New Palace Yard, the green space adjacent to Big Ben, opposite an entrance to Westminster tube station. A man with a knife was then seen running through the gates of the Palace of Westminster, across New Palace Yard and stabbing a police officer. The attacker continued his rampage, targeting a second officer, according to witnesses. But he was shot by police as he approached, knife in hand. Witness Rick Longley said he saw the car crash into the railings and a man leaping out. He said: We were just walking up to the station and there was a loud bang and a guy, someone, crashed a car and took some pedestrians out. They were just laying there and then the whole crowd just surged around the corner by the gates just opposite Big Ben. A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman. UK terror attacks since 11 September 2001 The Bournemouth MP, a former soldier, was pictured with blood on his forehead, helping the police officer in Parliament Square. Ellwoods brother Jonathan was killed in the 2002 Bali terror attack. Two people could be seen lying within New Palace Yard, immediately outside Westminster Hall. The sitting in the House of Commons was suspended while police officers sealed off the area. Parliamentary staff were told to stay in their offices. Minutes after the incident, an air ambulance landed in Parliament Square, as sirens were heard outside, but the officer could not be saved. Up to 1,000 people were evacuated at various locations, including Westminster Abbey. It took several hours for parliament to be evacuated. The Westminster attack is a tragedy, but its not a threat to democracy | Simon Jenkins Read more Hospitals in London were put on alert and of the 20 injured, eight were taken to the major trauma centre at Kings College hospital, with two people in critical condition and six stable. Those at Kings were six men and two women. Two casualties were treated at St Thomas hospital, immediately opposite the Houses of Parliament, a man and a woman, both of whom were stable. The ambulance service said eight of those injured were treated at the scene. In a statement the Muslim Council of Britain said: We condemn this attack and while it is still too early to speculate on the motives, our thoughts and prayers are for the victims and those affected. We pay tribute, too, to the police and emergency services who handled this with bravery. The Palace of Westminster is the centre of our democracy and we must all ensure that it continues to serve our country and its people with safety and security. London mayor Sadiq Khan said in a video message: London is the greatest city in the world and we stand together in the face of those who seek to harm us and destroy our way of life. We always have, and we always will. Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism. The headline of this article was changed on 23 March 2017 after the death toll from the terrorist attack was revised downwards from five to four.
While the world was showing sympathy to the victims of the Westminster terror attack with the #PrayForLondon, Londoners started a Twitter trend #WeAreNotAfraid proclaiming defiantly that the terrorists haven't won A policeman has been stabbed and his attacker shot down by the police after a major terror attack outside the UK Parliament on March 22 that saw about a dozen people moved down by car. The man, who was carrying an eight-inch long knife, tried to break into the UK Parliament and was approaching another officer before he was shot down. According to the reports from BBC, several shots have been heard outside the British Parliament and the Houses of Parliament and the Palace of Westminster are in lockdown. What we know so far: Four people have been reported dead, and at least 20 others injured. The policeman and the attacker and a woman was killed on the Westminster bridge. A man with knife tries to break into the Palace of Westminster. Hes shot down by the police, but he stabs a policeman. The attacker mowed down up to a dozen pedestrians on the bridge. Scotland Yard treating attack as terrorist incident Theresa May is safe and driven away from Parliament Houses of Parliament, roads and Westminster underground station on lockdown. Members of Parliament locked in, told to stay away from windows. Live Blog: 1:15 am: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that the Canadians remain united with the people of the UK. Meanwhile, French President Francois Hollande has said the French government fleet will take families of injured French children to London. 12:32 am: When the world was showing sympathy to the victims of the Westminster terror attack with the #PrayForLondon, Londoners start a Twitter trend #WeAreNotAfraid defiantly proclaiming that the terrorists havent won. To the policeman who was killed today at Westminster protecting lives in our parliament, you are a true British hero. #wearenotafraid India strongly condemned the terrorist attack in London that reportedly killed four persons and injured several others, with MEA spokesperson tweeting that there is no place for terrorism in a democracy. India strongly condemns Westminster terrorist incident & condoles loss of life. No place in democracies & civilised societies for terrorism. 11:35 pm:Scotland Yard, the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service, confirms four killed in the Westminster terror attack, including the police officer who was stabbed, the top anti-terror officer Mark Rowley has confirmed. 11:30 pm: Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary, said that President Donald Trump has spoken to Theresa May. Our thoughts and prayers are with them, he said. 11:23 pm: French Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said via his tweet that French students have been hurt in the London attack. He expressed condolences with the British and offered support to the families and friends of the injured students. 11:09 pm: A woman was pulled alive from the River Thames beside the bridge where a major terror attack saw pedestrians hit by a car. However, she had suffered several injuries. 11:01 pm: After the gruesome Westminster terror attack, the British Prime Minister May is to convene emergency security committee, the spokesperson said. Meanwhile, the police are treating the attack outside UK Parliament as planned by terrorists, however, the investigations are underway. 10:43 pm: We stand ready to assist in any way the U.K. authorities would find helpful, the U.S. State Department said. Our hearts go out to those affected, spokesperson Mark Toner further said adding that the United States Embassy in London is closely following the updates and is ready to help any affected Americans. Armed police walk past emergency services attending to injured people on the floor outside the Houses of Parliament, London, Wednesday, March 22, 2017. London police say they are treating a gun and knife incident at Britains Parliament as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise. (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP). 10:38 pm: After two days of debate on First Minister Nicola Sturgeons call for another referendum on leaving the United Kingdom, there were plans by the Scottish lawmakers to vote. The debate was halted midway after the members urged the House to do so out of respect for the policeman who was stabbed by the knifeman. 10:18 pm: Keith Vaz, British Labour party politician, told NDTV that about 400-odd MPs have been locked in a chamber in the House of Commons. He further added that the doors have been sealed and they couldnt get out from there. 10:07 pm: After the terror incident at Westminster, the Buckingham Palaces gates have been closed as a precautionary measure, CNN reported. Emergency services transport an injured person to an ambulance, close to the Houses of Parliament in London, Wednesday, March 22, 2017. London police say they are treating a gun and knife incident at Britains Parliament as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) 9:57 pm: Meanwhile, the Metropolitan police has urged the people not to share pictures of those wounded in the incident. Please use common sense and restraint in circulating pictures and videos of those that have been injured during the incident in #Westminster 9:45 pm: One woman has died and others have catastrophic injuries after terror attack on Westminster Bridge, a junior doctor at St Thomas Hospital tells The Telegraph. 9:40 pm:London Ambulance Service has declared (the shooting at Palace of Westminster) a major incident in a statement. We have declared a major incident and our priority is to assess patients and ensure that they are treated and taken to hospital as soon as possible, the statement read. 9:30 pm: Reactions to the horrific shooting outside the Palace of Westminster has got the attention of British politicians. 9:15 pm: CNN reports Member of Parliament Gerald Howarth saying that the incident appears to be very, very serious indeed. Meanwhile, the British police are investigating the multiple attacks as planned by the terrorists. 9:10 pm: There were multiple attacks outside the UK Parliament and a separate attack on Westminster Bridge. Meanwhile, the Scotland Yards is calling the incidents a terrorist attack. Photo: REUTERS/Toby Melville 9:02 pm: As per the reports pouring in, a man was trying to break into the Palace of Westminster, but was shot dead by the police. The car, however, crashed on to the fence and ploughed into pedestrians, leaving several injured. 8:55 pm: BBC reports that Theresa May was ushered into a silver Jaguar car when a shot was heard at Parliament. However, quoting a source, they said that the UK Prime Minister was OK. 8:50 pm: The UK police have said via Twitter that it is being treated as a firearms incident and that they are on the scene. The incident occurred as parliament was in session. Proceedings in the House of Commons were suspended. 8:46 pm: BBC reported the Transport for London saying that the Westminster underground station has been shut at the polices request. 8:40 pm: There was screaming, shouting and about 100 people running a UK-based journalist, who was present at the scene, said via a periscope video.
Counter-terror police are investigating after a car ploughed into cyclists and pedestrians and crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament today. Three people were injured before the driver of the silver Ford Fiesta then accelerated into barriers protecting Parliament shortly before 7.40am. Two people were taken to hospital and one was treated at the scene. A man was discharged from St Thomas before midday, and a woman was still receiving treatment for serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Horrifying video footage shows the moment the car swerved hitting the group of cyclists at up to 50mph before ploughing into barriers outside Parliament. Pictures on social media showed a man in a black puffer jacket being pulled out of the car at gunpoint and led away in handcuffs. Police said a man in his late twenties had been arrested on suspicion of terror offences. No weapons were found in the vehicle, they added. Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu, the head of UK counter-terrorism policing, said the suspect was refusing to co-operate and is not thought to have given officers his name. Police do not believe he was known to either MI5 or counter-terror officers, Mr Basu disclosed. After footage emerged appearing to show police vehicles behind the Fiesta, Mr Basu said: There was not a police car in pursuit of the vehicle. He added that no other suspects had been identified and there was no intelligence at this time of further danger to Londoners. An injured man lies on the ground after a car ploughed into cyclists outside Parliament (BBC News) Witnesses said the car was travelling at up to 50mph and appeared to intentionally swerve towards Parliament and smash into a security checkpoint barrier near the St Stephens entrance, used by visitors. A builder who saw the crash told the Evening Standard: There were 10 to 15 cyclists in their lane and he went through them. He kept driving on and smashed into the gates. There were about three or four cyclists left on the floor. There were people chasing after him and shouting for him to stop. It all happened so quick. The police were there so quickly with their guns running up the road. Barry Williams, who works for the BBC in Millbank, said two police officers dived out of the way as the car raced into the barriers. Within minutes of the incident, police threw a terror cordon around Westminster, closing the Underground station and roads around Parliament Square. Armed officers stood guard outside the Tube and bomb squad experts and sniffer dogs were brought in to examine the crashed car. Palace Gates, the main entrance to the House of Commons for traffic, was closed until further notice, as were entrances to the Lords and near St Stephens Gate. Officers in armoured vests were placed on sentry duty, while armed officers patrolled the estate. A man is held by police after a car crashed into pedestrians outside Parliament (Sky News) MPs are away for the summer recess but any parliamentary staff were told to work from home unless they had already arrived at Westminster. Those inside the estate were able to move freely. The incident comes 17 months after fanatic Khalid Masood, 52, mowed down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, before stabbing Pc Keith Palmer to death at the gates of Parliament. In total five people were killed and more than 50 injured. In the wake of the attack on March 22 last year, a network of steel and concrete security barriers was reinforced around Parliament. This morning a police spokesman said: At 7.37am, a silver Ford Fiesta collided with a number of cyclists and pedestrians, before crashing into barriers outside the Houses of Parliament. The driver of the car, a man in his late-20s, was arrested at the scene by armed officers. He has been taken to a south London police station where he remains in police custody. There was nobody else in the vehicle, which remains at the scene and is being searched. No weapons have been recovered at this stage. Forensics officers outside Parliament (AFP/Getty Images) The spokesman added: At this stage, we are treating this as a terrorist incident and the Mets Counter Terrorism Command is now leading the investigation. Witnesses saw a woman cyclist lying flat on her back being treated by paramedics. Other cyclists were seen looking dazed and shocked amid bikes strewn across the road. One witness said: There were cyclists and bikes lying in the road with armed police rushing past shouting to get back. It was terrifying. Geoffrey Woodman, a strategy consultant from Battersea, had stopped at the traffic lights by Parliament Square on his cycle to work when the car swerved into cyclists and towards the security barriers. He said: I was getting off the bike and put my foot down, then there was a sound like tyres screeching. This car turned round to the left and swerved into the wrong lane of traffic and into the bank where all the cyclists wait. He said most people managed to jump off their bikes to safety but one woman who seemed in some distress was clipped by the bonnet of the car as it passed. It went through everyone and turned round, continuing down the next 50 metres before turning into the lay-by where taxis pick up politicians, smashing into the barrier. Mr Woodman said paramedics from a passing ambulance, captured on camera passing behind the car, stopped to help the cyclists and armed police arrived on the scene within 10 seconds. They reacted really quickly and the area felt pretty secure. Id say their response was outstanding, he added. Eyewitness Ewalina Ochab said: I think it looked intentional: the car drove at speed and towards the barriers. I was walking on the other side of the road when I heard some noise and someone screamed. It was driving very fast close to the railings, maybe even on the pavement. She added that the vehicle did not appear to have a front registration plate when it crashed. A man is led away from the scene by police (Sky News) Businessman Jason Williams, 45, from Kennington, was walking to work when he saw the incident. He said: He had driven it at speed  more than 40 mph. There was smoke coming out of the car. I was told basically to move away, to run. I have run for my life. In response, Prime Minister Theresa May wrote on Twitter: My thoughts are with those injured in the incident in Westminster and my thanks to the emergency services for their immediate and courageous response. Mrs May was informed before 8am of the incident and made a series of phone calls to officials but is not expected to cut short her Swiss walking holiday. The Cobra emergency committee was meeting in Whitehall today to discuss the incident and decide if further action is needed to protect the public. Police at the scene of a suspected terror attack in Westminster on August 14 (REUTERS) Westminster Tube station remained closed this afternoon. British Transport Police said extra officers would be on patrol this afternoon and into the evening to reassure the public.
The Westminster Attack Did Not Take Place When Jean Baudrillard published his classic text, The Gulf War Did Not Take Place, in 1995, it still seemed like a relatively novel idea. Common-sense notions of war such as friend and enemy were still current and reportage was confined to large media corporations. But Baudrillard saw most particularly that the business of war was increasingly (and inevitably) becoming an issue of information management. Just as wealth is no longer measured by the ostentation of wealth but by the secret circulation of speculative capital, so war is not measured by being waged but by its speculative unfolding in an abstract, electronic and informational space, the same space in which capital moves.[1] What Baudrillard is best-known for, charting the movement of post-industrial life into increasingly virtual environments, is a process that has now become an axiomatic fact of life, so banal that it is difficult to even notice it or to remember that there used to be a time in the past when everyone was not plugged in to a portable screen. It is often noted (quite rightly) that this exponential proliferation of media and information interfaces makes it possible for citizens outside the media establishment to gain a purchase; citizen journalism, memes, and so on. But such interventions very rarely do anything to challenge the primacy of the image itself. They are usually concerned with the task of replacing one prior image with a new image more to their liking. Maybe Pepe is preferable to Shepard Faireys image of Obama, but wouldnt it be nice to step outside of Warhols Factory just once more and experience something authentic? Of course, this sort of reactionary longing is doomed to failure. Unlike Patrick McGoohans Number Six, we dont need to be drugged and imprisoned in The Village; we do everything we can to gain admission to the virtual Village and would suffer withdrawal symptoms if we were expelled (even seeing someone return from a Facebook ban now has a similar, renegade feel to someone returning from doing time). And we all know about the various studies carried out with teenagers who exhibit signs of stress and other disorders if they are removed from their screens for even a short amount of time. The fact that everyone reading this will know that this is true for other people, but not for them, whilst reading it on a screen, is amusing but too commonplace to be instructive. We choose to disavow our investment in the virtual machine. What of it? I was reminded of Baudrillard a few days ago when I thought I would check to see what sort of false flag, crisis actor theories were being shared on YouTube following the Westminster attack. Conspiracy theory is a very interesting subject, both in itself and as a sociological question. In fact, I first became interested in conspiracy theory when I studied the Kennedy assassination and became aware of the inadequacies of the Warren Commission and the machinations of what is nowadays referred to as the deep state. At that time (not that long ago), information could be found through libraries and bookstores. If you were lucky, a relevant program might be shown on TV. Perhaps its for that reason that there seemed to be so few conspiracy theorists around back then. The first sign that conspiracy was primed to become a popular pastime was during the aftermath of the death of Princess Diana. It soon became bafflingly apparent that large numbers of people were convinced that Diana had been assassinated by the Royal Family (or, to be fair, by assassins employed by the Royals), and that the murder weapon was a white Fiat Uno that collided with the speeding car carrying the Princess. The obvious violation (practically a gang rape) of Occams Razor counted for nothing. The average man (and often woman) on the street was convinced beyond doubt that Diana had been removed at the behest of the Establishment. There were two things going on here: the first, that Diana had become a semi-mythical figure and people could only explain her death through some form of Byzantine intervention (assassination); the second, the ongoing breakdown of class-based deference, so that, for example, Mohamed Al-Fayed could vocally accuse the Duke of Edinburgh of murder. Conspiracy hit a peak a few years later with 9/11. The same sorts of things that fuelled speculation around Dianas death were also in play regarding the Twin Towers. There was a wish to believe that such an event somehow existed outside the natural order of reality so that it could only be explained by holographic aircraft, controlled demolitions, and so on. And there was again, with the emergence of the Internet and cheap film editing software, a powerful levelling effect so that more and more people could hear professionally-presented alternative theories. Conspiracy has never looked back since; if anything, it has grown more popular and self-assured. Since Sandy Hook and the Boston Marathon bombing, the term crisis actor has been frequently employed. This is where conspiracy reaches its full potential in inscribing itself into the virtual. Crisis actors are employed to act as relatives, victims, or witnesses of spree shootings or terrorist attacks. The shootings or bombings themselves did not really take place; they were merely staged events, scripted and acted out by paid employees of the government to further a program of control and subordination. The proof of these conspiracies often consists of the fact that the same actor is employed to play different characters in different false flag events. Apparently, the deep state has a very limited budget and cannot stretch to a larger pool of actors. (One wonders how much they must get paid per performance. Do crisis Oscars get held every year in secret?) And so, when I searched for the latest videos debunking the Westminster attack, I was expecting to find more of the same. But I noticed something very interesting instead. Certainly, there are plenty of videos claiming to show that the Westminster attack did not happen, but they seem to share a curious apathy. There is not, for instance, the well-researched and argued opinions that one sees in a video such as Loose Change. Neither, to look at it from another extreme, is there a semi-psychotic sense of self-hypnosis that one sees in videos of famous figures slowed down in low-res murkiness purporting to demonstrate how they are shape-shifting reptilians. Instead, I found that the argument had already taken place and been won before it began. There was a remarkable absence of persuasion and argumentation. Everyone involved seemed to come to the event with a firm conclusion already unshakable in their minds. Remarkably, the notion that the Westminster attack did not take place is so humdrum, so damn obvious, that it requires no further elaboration beyond merely formal enunciations that this is the case. Two examples should suffice. In one video, a witness is seen answering questions from a surrounding pack of journalists. One of the journalists writes his answers down in a notebook. This is proof, so it is claimed, that the whole thing was a staged event: because the journalist was using a paper and pen, there is such a discordant note struck that it becomes self-evident that this cannot really be happening. The very fact that someone would use pen and paper immediately invalidates the entire reality of the whole event, in the theorists minds, because it is impossible to conceptualize the idea that someone might write something down rather than filming it on their phone. This minor intrusion of antiquated technology into the spectacle becomes rather like a scene in a bad film where the microphone accidentally comes into shot. The effect is that the illusion falls away and the Real comes back into focus. Crucially, in this case, the disclosing of the Real corresponds to the belief that the scenario is faked. The semiotics of film have become so flawlessly integrated into our mode of perception that we have started to look for continuity errors in life; if something lacks the proficiency of film, then it must be fake. Conventional epistemological understanding is turned on its head. The other example is that it has been claimed that a car that was used in the Westminster attack was filmed driving over Westminster Bridge by a CCTV camera, and that a woman can be seen jumping or falling from the bridge into the Thames. In one video I watched, the CCTV footage was played repeatedly whilst a voiceover insisted again and again that what the video depicted could not possibly be what it appeared to be. Admittedly, the footage is grainy and indistinct, but the voiceover is not trying to cast doubt on what we see; his is not a voice urging skepticism. Instead, the CCTV footage is the smoking gun in the false flag operation. It is precisely the fact that this body leaving the bridge has been caught on camera that is the clinching piece of evidence for it being fake. Whereas I see a blurry image of a person falling from a bridge, the voiceover sees a fake body falling from the bridge. And its the sense of utter incredulity he evinces, incredulity that anyone could be so dumb, so blind as to believe that this video shows anything other than a fake body being thrown into the Thames, that is the significant point. There is nothing put forward in the way of argument or evidence. It is enough that there is CCTV footage of something to prove that what it shows could not have happened. In the original version of Close Encounters of the Third Kind (the scene was removed from later releases), people who have witnessed the UFOs assemble at a meeting and are told by an expert who has been studying the subject that there has never been any credible photographic or video evidence of a UFO. A newspaper reporter replies that his paper reports on road accidents every day, but that they have never had a photograph of one actually happening. So should we not believe that they really take place? What a quaint and old-fashioned world where some things happen without being recorded. One might have expected that with the present ubiquity of smart phones and CCTV, with every single event being recorded and shared, that it would be possible to either prove or disprove very specific allegations of conspiracy theorists beyond doubt. Everything can be viewed at leisure, from multiple perspectives. A massive increase in electronic information should lead to a massive improvement in understanding. But the exact reverse is actually true. The comments on crisis actor videos are extremely telling. They have already curtailed any possibility of alternative explanations, and anyone who tries to proffer a different perspective is dismissed as one of the sheeple. Skeptical inquiry is denigrated as proof of prima facie gullibility. On the other hand, the actual gullibility of these conspiracy believers is presented as proof of sophisticated wisdom, of the mystic who can see beyond the veil of Maya. One begins to sense that the real drama is taking place elsewhere, out of sight, as it is for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in Tom Stoppards play. The complete inversion of the poles skeptical-gullible is indicative of the sort of reversals that can happen when everything takes place in a world of images. The whole concept of crisis actors is something that can only emerge into consciousness in a world where everyone is already acting a part for the ubiquitous cameras that we are always aware of, even if only subliminally. The truth is that the Westminster attack did not take place. The people who were interviewed about it were acting, as were the victims. The whole thing was staged. But that is only true because everything is already staged and everyone is acting all the time. Imagine if you had witnessed part of this attack and then were suddenly confronted by TV cameras and questions. You would immediately fall into the role of playing someone who is a credible witness. You would know not to shriek hysterically, and you would know not to fixate on irrelevant details, because you want to play the role convincingly. You have seen witnesses questioned and cross-examined thousands of times before on TV and in movies, and you know how to appear sincere (how to fake sincerity, if you like). Everything is a film, and if you wanted to know how to behave like someone who existed in the pre-Internet age, you would Google it to find out. And there really is no way out of this hall of mirrors. There is no point in trying to convince someone that they are seeing a false image whilst you are seeing a true image. You can both see what you can see, and no amount of arguing is going to gain any purchase. And this all points to one of the limitations of the fast-politics notion. Meme wars will not be the place where this whole business is won and lost, they will merely provoke small changes at the margins. Instead, the whole thing needs to be entirely reframed. In terms of slow-politics, we are in need of an entirely new ontology. Such a task is best carried out by artists because they imagine what can be. The best artists are typically untroubled by the conventional thinking of the age in which they are living because they are already constructing something entirely different, so there are now likely to be several of them hovering around the fringes of the Alt Right. The task, then, is to provide platforms and spaces for artists to work within our field. One of the less-noted shortcomings of multicultural Western societies is the way that artists increasingly adopt conventional gestures which act as a mask for their actual opposites. So, conceptual art typically consists of objects pulled from their usual place and exposed in the gallery as items of capitalist circulation, as commodities. But the critique of capitalism is undermined by the hard cash that these objects attract at auction. The critique of capitalism itself becomes the pursuit of capitalism. We need to be looking for artists who do not just attempt to critique the prevailing economic or social system, but who seek for a complete reframing of reality. Such a process takes place way, way upriver from the meme wars and comment thread battles, but in the future, the combatants in such wars, whether they profess to be Right- or Left-wing, will be fighting within a framework brought into being by artists who are living today. We must ensure that such artists are brought within the fold. And things are much too urgent to be rushed. Note 1. Jean Baudrillard, The Gulf War Did Not Take Place (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1995), p. 56. 6 Comments I find the Baudrillard quote much more worthy than what this writer uses it for. It holds up. Baud wrote that particular thing at a time when the term perception management was a decade old. Iran-Contra  an executive scandal of much greater criminal magnitude than the Watergate cover-up  had been simply declared pass, not impeachable, and the mainstream media dutifully hammered its passness home. (The writers who broke that story are not household names, nor did they win any Pulitzers.) Its no secret that Western consumers of media garbage have a very shallow appreciation of history, but our intellectual culture has its corresponding blindspots, for example theres pretty much zero understanding whatsoever of the role of provocation in state repression, historically pronounced in certain famously failing regimes. This standard of ignorance is not the case among basically educated people in Russia and Eastern Europe, nor among some French intellectuals of the early 20th century, Baudrillards immediate forebears. Except for planted Liberal Oppositionists, the chatterers in former East bloc countries lack that Western characteristic  dismissive, ill-informed, smug pretension  which seems present in this article. (Also characteristic and present is a typical bourgeoise misapprehension of what an artist does, and is but why bother going down that road, here.) I mean, sure, deplorable, low-end conspiracy fans dont always talk or write smart, but psy-ops are certainly very real things, with big budgets, complexity, sophistication, waste and mission-creep. The producers of psy-ops  the ones who script, stage, cast and deploy them  are heavily involved with Simulations and Simulacra, i.e. the nuts and bolts of Baudrillard, on a daily basis. A psy-op does not fulfill the requirements of journalism, nor of linear dramatic narrative, by the way. Its goals are achieved by way of perception management which can include contradiction, unintelligibility, misinfo, disinfo, verifiability and non-verifiability, double-false-positives and triple-true-inverted-half-negatives. Even the trend in unsophisticated, lackluster conspiracy-minded critiques our writer here describes, can be programmed, incited, imitated, exploited, and/or created as bait, and/or to be denounced or discredited  and all this on an industrial scale. But no matter. The insights of Jean Baudrillard do merit review. His genius was a combination of observation and creative synthesis, with an open, multi-dimensional thinking by which he invited, inspired and engaged his reader. But sadly, due to his weakness for neologism, odd syntax, as well as his penchant for speculation and making magical judgments concerning fields about which he knew absolutely nothing (like physics), Baudrillard inadvertently incited so many pretend intellectuals to cobble formalism and erst-jargon into (non-)linear miles of pomo-speak. Like a lot of todays civilian bloggists, self-styled Critical Theorists are themselves often incapable of genuine observation, original thought, or coherent purpose. A very relevant post considering the about face by Trump. My only question is whether or not this was a con from the beginning. We ignored so much about him for we thought he was one of us. He triggered our own fears and hopes and we believed. Ah, it was sort of like falling in love and then taking a huge hit at our gullibility. The spectacle resumes. We must be more cautious and discerning. Good analysis. Interestingly, the official line on these attacks mirrors the crisis-actor one: these atrocities are perpetrated by fake Muslims as fake Jihadist attacks, presumably for the purpose of discrediting Islam. Interestingly, the official line on these attacks mirrors the crisis-actor one: these atrocities are perpetrated by fake Muslims as fake Jihadist attacks, presumably for the purpose of discrediting Islam. This is a good point: authorities who are grossly ignorant about Islam claim to know what is or isnt Islamic, and who is or isnt a Muslim. Similarly, Jews will tell Christians what is and isnt Christian, and who is or isnt a Christian. The formula for Jewish-Christian dialogue seems to be this: the Jews talk and the Christians listen. Closer to home, there are Jews who sidle up to White nationalists and claim that Jews are Whites, that Jews have common interests with White nationalists, and that White nationalists would do better if they were to abandon a particular position or throw a particular person or faction under the bus to Jerusalem. i think the event would have been staged more to distance, (for the eyes of the public), isis from the uk; now understood to be deeply involved with the financement of the proxy war in syria (and beyond). I agree altogether that we are dealing with fake muslims
London attack: Police say five dead, 40 wounded LONDON -- A knife-wielding man went on a deadly rampage in the heart of Britain's seat of power Wednesday, plowing a car into pedestrians on London's Westminster Bridge before stabbing a police officer to death inside the gates of Parliament. Five people were killed, including the assailant, and 40 others were injured in what Prime Minister Theresa May condemned as a "sick and depraved terrorist attack." Lawmakers, lords, staff and visitors were locked down after the man was shot by police within the perimeter of Parliament, just yards (meters) from entrances to the building itself and in the shadow of the iconic Big Ben clock tower. He died, as did three pedestrians on the bridge, and the police officer. A doctor who treated the wounded from the bridge said some had "catastrophic" injuries. Three police officers, several French teenagers on a school trip, two Romanian tourists and five South Korean visitors were among the injured. Police said they were treating the attack as terrorism. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Metropolitan Police counterterrorism chief Mark Rowley said police believed there was only one attacker, "but it would be foolish to be overconfident early on." He said an unarmed policeman, three civilians and the attacker died. Forty others, including three police officers, were injured. Islamic extremism was suspected in the attack, Rowley said, adding that authorities believe they know the assailant's identity but would not reveal it while the investigation was ongoing. The threat level for international terrorism in the U.K. was already listed at severe, meaning an attack was "highly likely." Speaking outside 10 Downing St. after chairing a meeting of government's emergency committee, COBRA, May said that level would not change. She said attempts to defeat British values of democracy and freedom through terrorism would fail. "Tomorrow morning, Parliament will meet as normal," she said. Londoners and visitors "will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart." U.S. President Donald Trump was among world leaders offering condolences, and in Paris, the lights of the Eiffel Tower were to be dimmed in solidarity with London. London has been a target for terrorism many times over past decades. Just this weekend, hundreds of armed police took part in an exercise simulating a "marauding" terrorist attack on the River Thames. Wednesday was the anniversary of suicide bombings in the Brussels airport and subway that killed 32 people last year, and the latest events echoed recent vehicle attacks in Berlin and Nice, France. In the House of Commons, legislators were holding a series of votes on pensions when deputy Speaker Lindsay Hoyle announced that the sitting was being suspended and told lawmakers not to leave. Parliament was locked down for several hours, and the adjoining Westminster subway station was shuttered. Conservative lawmaker Tobias Ellwood, whose brother was killed in the Bali terror attack in 2002, performed first aid on the wounded police officer, who later died. About 10 yards away lay the assailant. "I tried to stem the flow of blood and give mouth to mouth while waiting for the medics to arrive but I think he had lost too much blood," Ellwood said. "He had multiple wounds, under the arm and in the back." The attack began early Wednesday afternoon as a driver in a grey SUV slammed into pedestrians on the bridge linking Parliament to the south bank of the River Thames. Former Polish foreign minister Radek Sikorski was in a car crossing the bridge when he heard "something like a car hitting metal sheet" and then saw people lying on the pavement. "I saw one person who gave no signs of life. One man was bleeding from his head. I saw five people who were at least seriously injured," Sikorski told Poland's TVN24. Ambulances arrived within minutes to treat people who lay scattered along the length of the bridge. One bloodied woman lay surrounded by a scattering of postcards. Police said one injured woman was pulled from the river. The car crashed into railings on the north side of the bridge, less than 200 yards (meters) from the entrance to Parliament. As people scattered in panic, witnesses saw a man holding a knife run toward the building. "The whole crowd just surged around the corner by the gates just opposite Big Ben," said witness Rick Longley. "A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman. I have never seen anything like that. I just can't believe what I just saw." The attacker managed to get past a gate into Parliament's fenced-in New Palace Yard, a cobbled courtyard in the shadow of the Big Ben clock tower. Daily Mail journalist Quentin Letts said a man in black attacked the police officer before being shot two or three times as he tried to storm into the building. "As this attacker was running towards the entrance two plain-clothed guys with guns shouted at him what sounded like a warning, he ignored it and they shot two or three times and he fell," Letts told the BBC. The attacker fell to the cobbles just yards from the entrance to 1,000-year-old Westminster Hall, the oldest part of the parliamentary complex, busy with visitors and school groups. Beyond that, a corridor leads to the building's Central Lobby, flanked by House of Commons and House of Lords chambers. The prime minister was among lawmakers near the Commons at the time of the attack, and was quickly ushered away by security officers and driven back to Downing Street. To get that far, the attacker would have had to evade the armed officers who patrol the Parliament complex in pairs, as well as Parliament's own security staff, who don't carry guns. The attack unfolded near some of the city's most famous tourist sites, including the London Eye, a large Ferris wheel with pods that overlook the capital. It was halted after the attack, stranding visitors in the pods, with an aerial view of the attack scene. London Ambulance Service said medics treated 12 people for serious injuries and eight who were less seriously hurt. Dr. Colleen Anderson of St. Thomas' Hospital said some of the wounded had "catastrophic" injuries. The French Foreign Ministry said that three students on a school trip from Saint-Joseph in the Brittany town of Concarneau were among the injured. Two Romanians were also among the injured, the country's Foreign Ministry said. U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with May by telephone and applauded "the quick response of British police and first responders," spokesman Sean Spicer said. London has often been the target of terrorist attacks, from IRA campaigns in the 1970s and 80s to more recent Islamist plots. On July 7, 2005, four al-Qaida-inspired British bombers blew themselves up on three subway trains and a bus in London, killing 52 people. British security forces say they have thwarted some 13 terror plots over the past four years, but in recent years the U.K. has largely been spared major international terror attacks such as the ones seen in Belgium and France. Last year, a far-right supporter shot and killed British lawmaker Jo Cox, who had campaigned for the U.K. to remain in the European Union. Prior to that, an attacker claiming to be motivated by Syria stabbed three people at a London subway station. The most gruesome recent attack occurred in 2013 when two Muslim converts of Nigerian descent attacked Lee Rigby, a British soldier who was walking down the street. The men ran Rigby down with their vehicle and then used a cleaver to hack him to death as bystanders watched in horror. Associated Press writers Sophie Berman, Gregory Katz and Rob Harris in London and Lori Hinnant in Paris contributed to this report.
London Terrorist Attack: 3 Killed Near British Parliament, Attacker Dead A police officer points a gun at a man on the ground outside the Palace of Westminster on Wednesday.Stefan Rousseau / Press Association via AP Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings. LONDON  Three people, including a police officer, were killed Wednesday in a terrorist attack at Britain's Parliament that sent crowds running for their lives before police shot and killed the attacker. Palmer was stabbed at the House of Commons and died despite the efforts of doctors and a passing government minister to save him. What we know An attacker struck pedestrians on London's Westminster Bridge and then crashed near Parliament. The man, armed with a knife, tried to enter Parliament. He stabbed and killed a police officer before he was shot and killed by police. About 40 people were treated for injuries, some of them serious. At least two officers were seriously wounded. Police said the attack, which came on the first anniversary of the Brussels terrorist attacks, was terrorism. The prime minister and London's mayor vowed that Britons would not be intimidated. President Donald Trump promised full assistance to Britain. Counterterrorism police sent to British offices and institutions in New York City. About 40 people were injured, some of them seriously, Rowley said. He said at least two police officers were among those who were seriously wounded. The incident began when a 4x4 vehicle plowed into people walking on nearby Westminster Bridge. Some of the pedestrians suffered "catastrophic" injuries, doctors said. A woman was pulled alive from the River Thames below the bridge with serious injuries. London Metropolitan Police Constable Keith Palmer, 48, was stabbed to death in Wednesday's terrorist attack in London.London Metropolitan Police The assailant, who is thought to have been acting alone, was brought to the ground by a gunshot and also died. Rowley said they believed they knew who he was but were withholding his name while they searched for possible associates. The assault came on the first anniversary of terrorist attacks in Brussels, Belgium, that killed 32 people, and police said Wednesday's incident was also terrorism. Prime Minister Theresa May called the attacker a "sick and depraved terrorist" and said, "The location of this attack was no accident." "The terrorist chose to strike at the heart of our national capital," May said in a nationally televised address outside 10 Downing Street. May announced that Parliament would meet as scheduled on Thursday and said Londoners refused to allow "the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart." "Let me make it clear today," she vowed. "Any attempt to defeat those values through violence and terror is doomed to failure." New York police told NBC News that they were closely monitoring events in London and were sending counterterrorism teams to numerous locations across the city, including Britain's U.N. and consular offices. Lawmakers were kept on lockdown inside the House of Commons while police secured the scene, and tourists were trapped on the nearby London Eye Ferris wheel. Journalists based at Parliament reported hearing gunshots shortly after 2:30 p.m. (10:30 a.m. ET) and were told to stay in their offices. Grant Shapps, a member of Parliament and former government minister, said police ordered lawmakers to crawl for cover as the incident unfolded. Some tweeted from inside the House of Commons' debating chamber, where they were held while police secured the scene. George Nuth, 21, told NBC News that he was walking toward nearby Westminster Abbey at the time of the attack. "We saw loads of people ducking down," he said. "It must've been a tour group, around 20 or 30 people, and police or security were telling people to run. A policeman said to us: 'Stop dawdling if you don't want to get shot.'" Streets around nearby 10 Downing Street, which serves as both the home and office of May, were evacuated. French Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said high school students from his country were among the injured. In a tweet Wednesday, he offered support to the British as well as to "the French students wounded, their families and their schoolmates." Lawmaker Barry Sheerman tweeted a picture from inside the House of Commons during the lockdown. Bill Kearns, 58, of New York, was visiting a nephew who works in Parliament. "We were walking up Embankment heading towards Parliament, and then there were lots of people starting to run towards us," he told NBC News. "We tried to get a hold of our nephew straight away. We were worried about him, texting him ... and he said: 'Get away from Parliament as fast as you can.'" A map of London around Parliament.Google Maps Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.
ISLAMIC STATE has claimed responsibility for the terror attack which killed three people and injured as many as 40 others in London yesterday. Islamic State says it was responsible for the London terror attack which left three people dead in Westminster, the group's Amaq news agency said today. Their statement said: "The perpetrator of the attacks yesterday in front of the British parliament in London is an Islamic State soldier and he carried out the operation in response to calls to target citizens of the coalition". ISIS, which has controlled parts of Iraq and Syria in recent years, has lost territory this year to local forces in those countries supported by a US led military coalition. The perpetrator of the attacks yesterday in front of the British parliament in London is an Islamic State soldier ISIS The terror group made an annoucement in Arabic and French but it was quickly translated into English. Terror expert and former counter terror police chief Ahmet Yayla said he would question how deep the ties between the attacker and the terror group run. He said: Based on the language they used in the statement, I assume ISIS didn't imply they had direct connections with the #Westminster attacker. ISIS rather used a broader term response to our calls to attack for the Westminster attack. This may imply the attacker acted on his own. GETTY Police are carrying out raids in London, Birmingham and other UK lcoations Related articles The news comes as a anti-terror officers carrying automatic weapons spearheaded the hunt for known associates of the as yet unknown 'lone wolf' Islamic terrorist who brought terror to the streets of London. Night-time raids were carried out at six homes in London and Birmingham. Three people were arrested at a flat above a Persian restaurant in Hagley Road, Birmingham. Photographs from the scene show a large backpack in the hallway. The confirmation of comes after ISIS supporters celebrated the deadly terror attack with memes and photos on social media yesterday. But there was no immediate claim of responsibility from jihadist network until today. A graphic of a burning Big Ben that reads "SOON OUR Battle On Your Land" with "London". In a statement in the House of Commons, the Prime Minister said the attacker was a "peripheral" figure. She said that he was known to the intelligence services and had once been investigated by MI5 over concerns about violent extremism. She said: "His identity is known to the police and MI5 and when operational considerations allow, he will be publicly identified. GETTY Police attended to the terrorist outside parliament yesterday "What I can confirm is that the man was British-born and that some years ago he was once investigated by MI5 in relation to concerns about violent extremism. "He was a peripheral figure. The case is historic. He was not part of the current intelligence picture. "There was no prior intelligence of his intent or of the plot." There is currently no evidence any organised ISIS-orchestrated plot, and the sick murderers have a track record of claiming responsibility for any act of Islamic terrorism anywhere in the world, irrespective if whether there is any formal connection. PA PC Keith Palmer was unarmed during the Westminster attack Sky News Alistair Bunkall said: Islamic State has claimed responsibility for yesterdays attack through the Amaq News agency which is affiliated with them. MI5 are now looking into what kind of digital footprint he had - to try and figure out who he was talking to, what inspired him, Mr Bunkall said. Reuters Tributes have been paid to PC Keith Palmer Acting Deputy Commissioner Mark Rowley, the Met Police's senior anti-terror officer, confirmed that two members of the public were killed while PC Keith Palmer, a member of the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Squad was confirmed dead following the horrific attack. He added that a woman in her mid-40s named as as Aysha Frade and a man in his mid-50s who has not been named had died from their injuries after they were hit by a car on Westminster Bridge.
He said he believed dogs could have saved officer Palmer, as reported by the Sunday Times, and could help to save the lives of pranksters. If some idiot who is not a terrorist runs in, and there are a few of those out there, the dog will drop them and they wont be shot, he added. The gates which Masood tried to run through are routinely left open when MPs come to vote. Other measures to be considered are enforced vehicle barriers and keeping pedestrians further away from the building. A second report is also looking at ways to strengthen security inside Westminster. The findings were due in early May but have been delayed due to the General election on 8 June. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP A Parliamentary spokesman said: "Two reviews have now been commissioned into the perimeter security at Parliament and into the Houses response following the incident on March 22. "Both reviews have encouraged and sought the views of those on the estate on that day and from the public. "This feedback will be considered in detail along with other evidence." The news comes almost two months after Masood drove his car along the pavement on Westminster bridge, crashed the car into railings and attacked police. The attack killed six people, including Masood, and injured about 50. During the incident, armed police dressed in civilian clothes stormed Parliament, believing MPs were being held hostage, causing panic and confusion. There was reported chaos as some people were herded into the Westminster Hall, while others were told to hide or lock down in different rooms. Westminster is not completely covered by CCTV and it was reportedly difficult during the attack to communicate with all staff.
Follow the author of this article Follow the topics within this article A young man was feared dead after falling into River Thames from Westminster Bridge, close to the scene of last Wednesday's terror attack. Firefighters said the man was seen in the water a few hours before the start of a vigil in memory of those killed in the attack was due to begin. A number of fire engines, police and rescue boats arrived on the scene after a member of the public reporting the incident. One eye witness, who did not wish to be named, said he saw a boy who looked like he was aged just 16 "jump" into the river. "He went straight in, he didn't come up," he added. Metropolitan police said they were called to the scene at 11:29 to reports of a man in his 20s in the water. Officers said the incident was not being treated as suspicious. Fire and rescue services scoured the river after receiving reports of someone falling or jumping inCredit: Getty images A spokeswoman added they did not believe the incident was related to the vigil being held to mark a week since the terrorist attack, in which four people were killed and 50 injured when Khalid Masood mounted the pavement in a hire car and ploughed into pedestrians. Passers-by, some of whom came to pay their respects at the scene of the attack, posted photographs of the police at the bridge on social media. Emergency Services are dealing with reports of a man in the water near Westminster Bridge #London This is not being treated as suspicious The Metropolitan Police said: "Police were called at 11:29hrs on Wednesday, 29 March to Westminster Bridge, SW1 to reports of a man in the water. "Emergency services are in attendance and are trying to locate the man, reported to be aged in his 20s. "This is not being treated as suspicious." The incident happened exactly a week after the murder of four people in Westminster at the hands of Khaled MasoodCredit: Getty Images Police launches were seen circling the waters below the bridge, searching for the man, while passers-by - already shaken by last week's events - looked on. Incredibly, in a seperate incident one of the RNLI lifeboats taking part in the search for a man pulled a woman from the water after the crew spotted her as they were returning to their base at Tower Bridge. One passer by, called Isa, wrote on Twitter: "Watching the scenes at Westminster Bridge atm [at the moment], it's reassuring to see how quickly and meticulously the emergency services have responded." Sophie Lucken, who works in the music industry, praised the emergency services, saying: "Absolutely incredible response time by police on Westminster bridge this afternoon." The incident happened shortly before hundreds of people gathered for a vigil in memory of those killed when Masood mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed down dozens of pedestrians before ramming the gates of Parliament. Masood went on to fatally stab PC Keith Palmer, before being shot dead by armed officers.
The fact that Nigel Farage is currently choosing to honour his respect creed by telling complete lies about London for money on Fox News is perhaps the least British thing imaginable. Photograph: Fox News During their jolly to Washington for Trumps inauguration, Nigel Farage and Brexit financier Arron Banks staged the most solemn of pilgrimages to Arlington National Cemetery to lay a wreath at the grave of a British soldier who perished in 1944. The fact that he succumbed to anaemia whilst working a desk job approximately 4,000 miles from Normandy  perhaps the only person in Arlington not to have actually died for their country  was somewhat de-emphasised. Its the pose that counts. They took a documentary crew with them, obviously, and I picture the footage as the political version of Spinal Tap at Elviss headstone. The Guardian view on terror in London: standing together against cynicism | Editorial Read more In general, Farages definition of respect is so wantonly ludicrous that it has the power to kick even footballs respect agenda into a distant second place. Part of the shtick of guys like Farage is their belief that they embody British values such as respect and decency and not talking down our great country. The fact that they are currently choosing to honour this creed by telling complete lies about London for money on Fox News is perhaps the least British thing imaginable. If Farage really is terrified on the streets of degenerate London, like Abu Hopkins says she is, then this scourge of snowflakes is the biggest one out there. Some people warn against listening to the likes of Nigel Farage in the wake of a terror attack, but I disagree. These are the times you find out how strikingly little Nigel has to say. It was the same after the murder of the MP Jo Cox  an extremist killing, you might recall, that Farage found it rather less easy to talk about. In fact, on that occasion Nigel was so incapable of locating anything approaching the right tone that he just had to shut up completely for a couple of days. If part of being a leader is rising to find the right words at difficult times  then Nigel aint no leader, bruv. To many of the rest of us, his silence spoke volumes. In the wake of the Westminster terror attack, Farage has spoken volumes yet revealed a yawning silence. If the best thing you can come up with on London is a series of porkies you can only get away with on American cable news  well, you may consider your ideas cupboard rather bare. Farage reminds me of Paul Burrell, Princess Dis former butler, who plugs his silly take on British etiquette to credulous Americans who wouldnt be expected to know any better. Meanwhile, it is fair to class Nigels use of the Westminster situation as developing. it seems to have gone something along these lines: the attacker will be an immigrant, wont he? Right: the problem is immigration. Hang on, what? Hes a 52-year-old man born in Kent? Shit. Im also a 52-year-old man born in Kent. Right: Im changing what I said. The problem is integration. Give Nigel another three-quarters of a fact and hell have to adapt again. I imagine the problem will be Islam. We know his mancrush Donald Trump cheats at golf  I bet if you play with Nigel hes always saying things like: Right, that bird put me off  Im taking a mulligan. Its the same with his financial backer, Banks. Not so long ago I mentioned that Arron always tweets like hes doing 97mph in a Vauxhall Cavalier with a suit jacket hung up in the rear window. I might now add that he changes lanes in the same style. First Westminster was linked to illegals, then he suddenly realised about 50 yards too late that he needed to take the integration turnoff. To watch Banks move from immigration to integration was to imagine all the surrounding cars go into Matrix-style slo-mo as he cut across three lanes, shouting Friday nights gonna be bigly, mate! at his supplier on the hands-free. How many times, Arron? Its MIRROR, SIGNAL, MANOEUVRE. People saying they love London  this is not what Nigel likes to see at all Look, I sympathise. On the one hand, these guys have to make use of attacks like Westminster. Its good for business. On the other, couldnt this latest one have happened  to borrow the title of the Guardian series  anywhere but Westminster? I mean, Westminster is supposed to be a byword. Few have worked harder than Nigel to make it stand for the worst of everything. Its conventional to speak of a terrorist atrocity as an attack on our values. Yet the public response to the one perpetrated in Westminster on Wednesday must feel like an attack on Farages values. People using #Westminster as a hashtag of solidarity, people getting on with their days, people saying they love London  this is not what Nigel likes to see at all. Everybody ordinary and decent HATES London  wasnt that the pleasingly simple takeout from the referendum? Westminster is the very last place he wants people reminded that there are rather worse things in the world than liberal democracy. Perhaps this is why his gang have tried to seize back the initiative with an announcement. This morning Arron Banks revealed he is to fund people to stand in 100 seats against remain-supporting MPs, who embody the worst of Westminster. It is a drain the swamp exercise, he explained, in which he is assisted by David Camerons former strategist, Steve Hilton. (Oh dear. Hiltons blue-sky thinking is now so up in the clouds that he cant see what horrors hes being used by. He reminds me of the rarefied nuclear scientists Kurt Vonnegut satirised  the type indifferent to the uses of their work, who will probably be playing cats cradle when the metaphorical bomb drops.) Still, its all another manic lane change to divert the eye, which it would presumably be very un-British not to respect.
Prime Minister responds to 'sick & depraved' attack Prime Minister Theresa May has called the attack in Westminster sick and depraved while speaking outside Downing Street. 20:43Peter Harris Edge Hill Uni issue statement Edge Hill University have issued a statement after reports two students were injured in Westminster. Students on a field trip to the Houses of Parliament were affected by todays events. The University has accounted for the safety of all students on the trip and also the lecturer who accompanied them. The University is supporting the students and their families and the staff member involved. 20:19Peter Harris Public shows police they care A member of the public has delivered flowers to Warrington Helpdesk this evening after the incident in Westminster. According to Cheshire Polices Facebook post he wanted officers to know that he thanked them for everything they do 19:26Peter Harris Merseyside Police release statement Following the incident in Westminster today Merseyside Police have released the following statement: Our thoughts and sympathies are with those affected by the attack at Westminster today. The investigation into that incident is ongoing and I would like to take this opportunity to reassure the people of Merseyside that their safety is paramount. There is currently no specific threat to any particular locations, or areas, on Merseyside, but we have reviewed our resources as part of a range of measures to reassure communities and make sure we are well protected. Officers will, as always, be asked to be vigilant and passing attention will be given to key locations. At times at like this it is vital that all communities pull together and support each other. Everybody, from law enforcement, to businesses, to the general public, has a role to play in keeping the UK safe from terrorism. Be vigilant. If you suspect it, report it. Nobody is better placed to detect something that is out of place in their communities than the people living in them. We would encourage you, if you do see any suspicious activity, to call the confidential Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321 or call police on 101. 19:10KEY EVENT Edge Hill students injured The BBC are now reporting that two students from Edge Hill University have been injured. One believed to have head injuries. 19:05KEY EVENT Who to call if you're worried about family/friends 18:58Peter Harris South Wirral High School issue statement regarding student London trip A number of South Wirral High School students and staff are on a trip to London and the school have issued the following info on their Facebook page: Parents may be aware of reports of a security incident near Westminster Palace, London. We have been in contact with staff on the London trip and we have been assured all students are safe. Police have advised that only the immediate area around the Palace of Westminster has been affected by the incident. The trip will not be going anywhere near the Palace of Westminster, and the school will continue to monitor the situation closely. 18:50Peter Harris 10 Downing Street issue statement 18:30Peter Harris House of Commons and House of Lords will sit at normal times tomorrow 18:18Peter Harris Latest from Metropolitan Police 18:04KEY EVENT Breaking: Reports at least four people confirmed dead Latest from the Press Association is that at least four people are believed to have died, including a police officer and a man believed to have been an attacker. 18:02Peter Harris England game looks set to go ahead England play Germany in an international friendly in Dortmund tonight. Some have been tweeting the official account asking if todays events in London will mean the fixture will not go ahead. England are due to play a World Cup Qualifier against Lithuania at Wembley on Sunday. 17:50Peter Harris Praise for unarmed officers Former councillor Jake Morrison tweets praise for officers who acted quickly to the situation. 17:50Paul Philbin Buckingham Palace on lockdown Buckingham Palace is also on lockdown this afternoon in the wake of the Westminster attack, reports The Mirror. A Royal spokesperson confirmed that the palace was sealed after the attack in Westminster. A Royal Collection Trust spokeswoman said: Yes, we are on lockdown. 17:41KEY EVENT Press Association: Police officer has died, sources say 17:30Paul Philbin Bootle MP heard a loud 'bang' Bootle MP Peter Dowd has said that he heard a loud bang on his way into the Commons. Mr Dowd told the ECHO that he heard the noise while walking from his Westminster office into the debating chamber this afternoon. He said: I was walking down a long corridor inside Westminster toward the debating chamber when I heard a loud bang. Everyone then started running around.I am now in the Commons debating chamber, where there is a total lock down. We are shocked and concerned by the reports that people have been seriously hurt.All the MPs are talking to each other but we are not entirely sure what has happened on the outside. 17:28Paul Philbin "Very very heavy police presence" 17:22Paul Philbin Former councillor describes Westminster lockdown Jake Morrison, who was visiting Westminster as part of his work with the Oliver King Foundation and was just yards from the incident. He said: We never heard any gunshots or anything, we saw someone fly through the gates of the Houses of Parliament. The gates are wide open, and theres about four police officers with guns on the gates, which obviously is secure, but the gates are wide open and theres a little barrier that would stop a car from being able to get past Downing Street as well as a little barrier. We just saw this guy come running through and then the police jumped on top of him and then thats the situation. There was blood all over the floor and over the grass and then the police start on top of him. 17:14Rebecca Koncienzcy Schools visiting Westminster today Although there were no schools from Liverpool today there were quite a few visiting schools today 'I saw hoards of people running past outside and they looked distressed' Hannah Dodd, from Widnes, was on a day trip to London to visit the Houses of Parliament and watch Prime Ministers Questions. She says the group she was with, from the University of Sheffield, were just returning to parliament after lunch as the attack broke out and the 22-year-old has now been locked in a safe house with others. As Hannah walked back from Portcullis House after the break, she had to pass through security to get back in to parliament. She says as her things were being put through the scanners staff and armed police began shouting at her run, run. Emergency personnel close to the Palace of Westminster (Image: PA) Hannah told the ECHO: Police officers were telling us to run and get through the doors. I saw hoards of people running past outside and they looked distressed. We were pushed to the back of a room by police and we overheard on the radio an officer had been stabbed. It was scary and I could hear helicopters overhead too so I knew it must have been serious. There was an escalator at the side of the room, an emergency exit, and a lot of MPs came through there and made their way to the back of the room too. Westminster Bridge in London (Image: PA) While the group were being pushed to the back of the room police officers were shouting to get the front doors closed as people were trying to get in from the street. After borrowing a phone to call home Hannah was taken by a police escort to retrieve her personal items which were still inside the security scanners. The group, who she says were quite calm, were then taken to a safe room by specialist officers. She added: I was upset and scared. When you have been walking around seeing signs that the terror threat level is severe and then that happens outside the first thing you think is oh god its terrorism and really panic. People were saying that people had jumped from the bridge to get out of the way of the car. 17:07Rebecca Koncienzcy 'There was a lot of shock' This scene from Richard Kemp, leader of Liverpool Liberal Democrats who is in Westminster today.He told the ECHO: I saw about five ambulances and police cars drive the wrong way down Whitehall. There was a lot of shock but now people seem to be getting on with things. They have blocked off the whole of Whitehall. 17:07Paul Philbin Full statement from Commander Harrington 17:05Rebecca Koncienzcy All Edge Hill student accounted for An Edge Hill university spokeswoman added: The university has contacted all the students and they are accounted for, as is the lecturer. There were 13 students and one lecturer. We are trying to ascertain whether there were any injuries, and the extent of them. 17:03Paul Philbin Sky News: Woman pulled out of River Thames alive 17:02Paul Philbin The Mall and Whitehall both blocked in one direction 17:01Paul Philbin Facebook has launched its Safety Check feature 16:59Rebecca Koncienzcy At least 10 people injured London Ambulance Service said: At least 10 patients have been treated on Westminster Bridge and a number of hospitals are on alert.
Follow us: Counter-terror barriers to be installed at Windsor Castle in wake of Westminster attack 'Necessary': Security has been stepped up at Windsor Castle following the Westminster terror attack ( Andrew Matthews/PA ) Counter-terrorism barriers have been installed at Windsor Castle to protect the Changing of the Guard following last weeks horrific terror attack in Westminster. Last Wednesday terrorist Khalid Masood killed three people and injured at least 50 others when he mowed down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before stabbing police officer Keith Palmer in front of the Houses of Parliament. Thames Valley Police has now installed new concrete barriers to try to prevent a similar attack outside the Queen's Berkshire residence. Assistant Chief Constable Dave Hardcastle said the security upgrade was made even though there was nothing to indicate a specific threat at Windsor. London Terror Attack Floral Tributes at Westminster - 27 March 2017 London Terror Attack Floral Tributes at Westminster - 27 March 2017 1/12 Hero MP Tobias Ellwood looks over the flowers left in tribute to the victims of the attack in Westminster Jeremy Selwyn 2/12 He paused at the solemn scene in Parliament Square this morning Jeremy Selwyn 3/12 Flowers from Prime Minister Theresa May amongst tributes to the victims of the Westminster terrorist attack outside the Palace of Westminster Jeremy Selwyn 4/12 Two school children look at the floral tributes Jeremy Selwyn 5/12 A woman observes the flowers pinned to the Carriage Gates where the attack took place Jeremy Selwyn 6/12 Outpouring of support: flowers at the scene of the attack in Westminster Jeremy Selwyn 7/12 Three police officers stand in front of the floral tributes Jeremy Selwyn 8/12 A female police officer pays her respects at the scene Jeremy Selwyn 9/12 A woman in jogging attire stops to remember the victims of the attack Jeremy Selwyn 10/12 A man looks at floral tributes to the victims of the Westminster terrorist attack outside the Palace of Westminster Lauren Hurley/PA 11/12 Police officers stand in front of the floral tributes Jeremy Selwyn 12/12 Labour MP Hilary Benn passes floral tributes to the victims of the Westminster terrorist attack outside the Palace of Westminster Lauren Hurley/PA ACC Hardcastle, Thames Valley's head of operations, said: The force believes that it is proportionate and necessary to put in place extra security measures to further protect and support the public and the Guard Change. "This is consistent with security deployments in London. Preventative measures such as these have been put in place across the UK over the past 10 years at various events. The national threat level remains severe, which it has been since 2014, and I would urge the public to be alert to the threat of terror attacks but not alarmed, and to remain vigilant. Westminster attack: Londoners share messages of unity The new barriers are in addition to the existing road closures and ACC Hardcastle hoped they would offer extra protection for soldiers along the Guard Change route. Read more Ch Insp Sarah Grahame, deputy commander for Windsor and Maidenhead, said: I hope that people in Windsor will understand the reasons that these barriers are being introduced, and will see why they are necessary. Cllr Simon Dudley, leader of the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead, added: We support the good work of Thames Valley Police and the Metropolitan Police in their work to make Windsor a safer place for those who live, work and visit the town. These measures will increase security at the changing of the guard ceremony and the council is offering its help where necessary to ensure that this valued and popular tradition can continue.
London terror: Death toll rises to five people - including attacker - as eight arrested on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts Those injured included 12 Britons, three French children, two Romanians, four South Koreans, two Greeks, and one each from Germany, Poland, Ireland, China, Italy and the United States Eight people - three women and five men - have been arrested and a number of addresses raided Hyundai used to mow down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge was hired from a car hire firm in Birmingham The attacker was British-born and investigated by MI5 some years ago over concerns of violent extremism Islamic State has claimed the attacker was one of its "soldiers" Kurt Cochran, Keith Palmer and Aysha Frade - The victims of the London terror attack Emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after a policeman was stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament. Photo: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire Police outside the Palace of Westminster, London. Inset: Aysha Frade (43) died of her injuries Scenes following the London attack (main and insets right) and Keith Palmer (inset left) Armed police respond outside Parliament during the attack on Westminster in London, Britain March 22, 2017. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth PC Keith Palmer who was killed during the terrorist attack on the Houses of Parliament, London Credit: Metropolitan Police/PA Wire Police close to the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament. Victoria Jones/PA Wire Injured people are assisted after an incident on Westminster Bridge in London, March 22, 2017. REUTERS/Toby Melville An injured man is assisted after an incident on Westminster Bridge in London, Britain March 22, 2017. REUTERS/Toby Melville An Air Ambulance outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after sounds similar to gunfire have been heard close to the Palace of Westminster. A man with a knife has been seen within the confines of the Palace, eyewitnesses said: Victoria Jones/PA Wire Police close to the Palace of Westminster, London, after sounds similar to gunfire have been heard close to the Palace of Westminster. Police outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after sounds similar to gunfire have been heard close to the Palace of Westminster. Police outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after sounds similar to gunfire have been heard close to the Palace of Westminster. Police outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after sounds similar to gunfire have been heard close to the Palace of Westminster. An Air Ambulance outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after sounds similar to gunfire have been heard close to the Palace of Westminster. An Air Ambulance outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after sounds similar to gunfire have been heard close to the Palace of Westminster An Air Ambulance outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after sounds similar to gunfire have been heard close to the Palace of Westminster. Police outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after sounds similar to gunfire have been heard close to the Palace of Westminster. The Westminster terror attack has claimed its fourth innocent victim, as police confirmed that a 75-year-old man has died in hospital. A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "The man had been receiving medical treatment in hospital following the attack and life support was withdrawn this evening. "Next of kin have been informed and are receiving support from specially trained family liaison officers." Earlier, the man police believe to be responsible for the terrorist attack in Westminster was formally identified as Khalid Masood (52) Scotland Yard said. Scotland Yard said Masood had previous convictions for assaults, including GBH, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences. He had not been convicted of any terrorism offences. Earlier the Islamic State terror group claimed through its news agency that the Westminster attacker was a "soldier of the Islamic State". Emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after a policeman was stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament. Photo: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire Police close to the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament: Yui Mok/PA Wire Police close to the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament. Victoria Jones/PA Wire Police outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after sounds similar to gunfire have been heard close to the Palace of Westminster. Arrests Eight people, three women and five men, have been arrested in London and Birmingham on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts by detectives investigating the Westminster attack, Scotland Yard said. The Independent Police Complaints Commission has said "no police officers are under investigation" over the Westminster terror attack, but it is "currently investigating the circumstances". Searches were carried out at three addresses in Birmingham and one each in east London, Brighton, south-east London and Carmarthenshire. Westminster terror alert An Air Ambulance outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after sounds similar to gunfire have been heard close to the Palace of Westminster. A 39-year-old woman was arrested in east London while a 21-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man were held at one address in Birmingham. A 26-year-old woman and three men aged 28, 27 and 26 were arrested at another address in Birmingham. They were all held overnight while a 58-year-old man was arrested on Thursday at a third address in Birmingham. Investigators are working on the basis that the attacker acted alone. PC Keith Palmer who was killed during the terrorist attack on the Houses of Parliament, London Credit: Metropolitan Police/PA Wire Car firm Enterprise confirmed the Hyundai used in the attack was one of its vehicles. Islamic State claimed the killer was one of its "soldiers". A review of security arrangements at Westminster was launched. Victims The victims admitted to hospital included 12 Britons, three French children, two Romanians, four South Koreans, one German, one Pole, one Irish, one Chinese, one Italian, one American and two Greeks, she said. UK Prime Minister Theresa May said the government was in close contact with counterparts in all the countries affected. Ms May visited victims in hospital this evening. Taoiseach Enda Kenny spoke to British Prime Minister Theresa May this evening following the horrific attack in London. He offered the sympathy of the Irish Government to the British people and offered any assistance that may be required. The Prime Minister confirmed that the injuries suffers by an Irish person were not life-threatening. They also spoke about the ongoing negotiations in Stormont towards the reestablishment of power sharing in Northern Ireland. The call lasted approximately ten minutes. This afternoon the third victim of the Westminster terror attack was named as US tourist Kurt Cochran from Utah. US president Donald Trump has hailed a tourist killed in the Westminster terror attack as a "great American". Kurt Cochran from Utah was in London celebrating his 25th wedding anniversary with his wife Melissa Payne Cochran when the terrorist struck. President Trump tweeted: "A great American, Kurt Cochran, was killed in the London terror attack. My prayers and condolences are with his family and friends." Mr Cochran's wife was also injured in the attack. She sustained a broken leg and rib, but it is not believed to be critical. Shantell Payne wrote on Facebook: "With a heavy heart I must pass the sad news of our beautiful brother, father, husband, son and friend Kurt Cochran." She continued: "This pain is so heart wrenching and raw it has rocked our family and all that knew him to its core. We will miss Kurt beyond words. We love you Kurt. RIP. Melissa Payne Cochran is in the hospital with a broken leg, rib and a cut on her head but will recover from her injuries. Sending all the love to her for a quick recovery." Kurt Cochran (left) Earlier it was revealed that Spanish teacher Aysha Frade (43) died of her injuries after a car ploughed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge. The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Charlie Flanagan TD, has confirmed that one Irish person was amongst those injured in yesterdays terrorist attack in London. Minister Flanagan said that his Department has, through the Irish Embassy in London, offered and stands ready to provide consular assistance. Independent.ie understands that the injuries sustained by the Irish person, believed to be a woman, are not considered to be life-threatening. Four people were killed in the incident yesterday afternoon and in the region of 40 injured as an assailant drove a car on the footpath on Westminster Bridge, before crashing the car at the British parliament and getting out to stab a policeman to death before the attacker was shot. The British Prime Minister also told MPs that murdered PC Keith Palmer was "every inch a hero and his actions will never be forgotten". She added that the British Parliament was sending out the message following Wednesday's attack: "We will never waver in the face of terrorism." Mrs May addressed MPs as they gathered at the usual time inside the Palace of Westminster, which a day before had come under attack from a knife-wielding terrorist. An hour after MPs had stood for a minute's silence in honour of the innocent people killed in the attack, Mrs May delivered a statement with details of the atrocity. Mrs May said the attacker had been identified as someone known by police and MI5, and the working assumption was that he was inspired by Islamist terrorism. The BBC is reporting that he was British-born. "Yesterday an act of terrorism tried to silence our democracy, but today we meet as normal, as generations have done before us and as future generations will continue to do, to deliver a simple message: 'We are not afraid and our resolve will never waver in the face of terrorism'," Mrs May said. "A terrorist came to the place where people of all nationalities and cultures gather to celebrate what it means to be free. "And he took out his rage indiscriminately against innocent men, women and children. "This was an attack on free people everywhere, and on behalf of the British people I would like to thank our friends and allies around the world who have made it clear that they stand with us at this time." Westminster Bridge has reopened less than 24 hours after the attack. Victims of the Westminster terror attack are being treated in hospitals across London. King's College Hospital has confirmed its A&E department took in eight patients - six men and two women. Two of these patients are in a critical condition, while six are stable. At St Thomas' Hospital, two patients - a man and a woman - remain in a stable condition. Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust declared a major incident at St Mary's Hospital on Wednesday afternoon at 3.55pm. It has yet to release a statement on whether it is currently treating any victims. The Royal London Hospital said it admitted one patient but a spokeswoman said no further detail could be given on whether that patient died, is being treated or has been discharged. Earlier, A Spanish teacher on her way to pick up her children from school was named as the first civilian victim of the Westminster attack. Aysha Frade (43) died of her injuries after a car ploughed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge. Spanish media said Mrs Frade had two daughters aged eight and 11 and worked at the nearby DLD College London. Mrs Frade, a British citizen, had familial links to the Spanish municipality of Betanzos, where relatives were notified of her death on Wednesday afternoon. Mrs Frade worked in the administration team at DLD College London, just a few hundred metres from Westminster Bridge, principal Rachel Borland confirmed. Ms Borland said: "We are all deeply shocked and saddened at the news that one of the victims yesterday was a member of our staff, Aysha Frade. "All our thoughts and our deepest sympathies are with her family. "We will be offering every support we can to them as they try to come to terms with their devastating loss. "Aysha worked as a member of our administration team at the college. "She was highly regarded and loved by our students and by her colleagues. "She will be deeply missed by all of us." Mrs Frade was the second victim named following Wednesdays attack, where PC Palmer was stabbed to death outside the Houses of Parliament. She and another member of the public, a man in his 50s, died of injuries sustained on Westminster Bridge as an attacker sped his car along the pavement. Counter-terror detectives are continuing to search for clues about how the armed attacker brought death and destruction to the streets of London on Wednesday. The number of people killed was revised down from five to four this morning. Mark Rowley, Scotland Yard's top anti-terror officer said 29 people had been treated in hospital with seven people in a critical condition. Most of these were mown down on Westminster Bridge. Officer Palmer, 48, a husband and father, whose bravery was hailed by colleagues, friends and the many British MPs whom he was charged with protecting. His family described him as a "wonderful dad and husband, a loving son, brother and uncle", adding that he was "dedicated to his job and proud to be a police officer, brave and courageous". Paying tribute to Mr Palmer, Mr Rowley said: "He was someone who left for work today expecting to return home at the end of his shift - and he had every right to expect that would happen." Mr Rowley declined to name the attacker, but said police suspect he was "inspired by international terrorism" - and that they believed they knew who he was. Seven people have been arrested in raids in London, Birmingham and elsewhere linked to the Westminster terror attack, Mr Rowley revealed, adding that six addresses were raided overnight. At the scene of one of the police raids, a flat in Hagley Road, Birmingham, one witness told the Press Association: "The man from London lived here." Witnesses described scenes of terror when gunfire rang out as the attacker approached a second officer within yards of the Houses of Parliament. The suspected attacker was pictured being treated by paramedics on a stretcher, as two knives used in the assault lay on the ground nearby. Paramedics fought to save his life and that of Mr Palmer on the floor of the cobbled courtyard in front of Parliament, with British Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood among those who rushed to help. "Heartbroken" former colleague, Conservative MP James Cleverly, paid tribute to the "lovely man" he had known for a quarter of a century. "I've known Keith for 25 years. We served together in the Royal Artillery before he became a copper. A lovely man, a friend. I'm heartbroken. "My thoughts are with the family, friends and colleagues of Pc Keith Palmer. A brave man." British MPs said that the terror attack could have been prevented if police on duty at a well-known security weak spot had simply kept it bolted. The killer managed to get in through a vehicle gate in New Palace Yard  used by the Prime Minister and other members of the Government  because it was not locked. Footage later emerged of the moment police opened fire after the attacker drove a grey Hyundai i40 across Westminster Bridge before crashing it into railings then running through the gates of the Palace of Westminster. In other developments, another woman who apparently fell into the Thames was rescued and given urgent medical treatment on a nearby pier. London Ambulance Service said paramedics had treated at least 10 patients on Westminster Bridge. A party of French schoolchildren were among those targeted on the bridge, with three injured. Mrs May, who was ushered away from Parliament after the attack, was chairing a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee. The attack left a trail of destruction as paramedics tended to victims on the bridge and at the gate. Witnesses said the attacker was shot by police as he approached a second officer clutching his knife during the incident at about 2.45pm. Radoslaw Sikorski posted a video to Twitter purporting to show people lying injured in the road on Westminster Bridge. Mr Sikorski, a senior fellow at Harvard Centre for European Studies, said he saw at least five people lying on the ground after being "mown down" by a car. "I heard what I thought what I thought was just a collision and then I looked through the window of the taxi and someone down, obviously in great distress," he told the BBC. "Then I saw a second person down, and I started filming, then I saw three more people down, one of them bleeding profusely." That carnage was followed very shortly afterwards by a crash outside the House of Parliament, followed by a stabbing of a police officer and a number of shots being fired. A number of officers were injured in the struggle. Eyewitness Rick Longley described the attack at Palace of Westminster. "We were just walking up to the station and there was a loud bang and a guy, someone, crashed a car and took some pedestrians out. "They were just laying there and then the whole crowd just surged around the corner by the gates just opposite Big Ben. "A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman. "I have never seen anything like that. I just can't believe what I just saw." Another witness, from South Africa and living in Ireland, said she and two friends went towards the palace gates and saw a man lying on the floor inside. She said: "I saw a body, they were working on the floor. They were just inside the gates. "He had one gunshot wound to the right side of his chest. I don't know if he was dead or alive, but people were working on him. "I saw that needed medical attention and I asked if I could help because I am a doctor, but they said they were fine. "Then the police moved us back." Department of Foreign Affairs - Ireland President Michael D Higgins expressed the sympathy of the Irish people with the families of those who have lost their lives and to those who have been injured, resulting from the terrible attack in Westminster. President Higgins will be writing formally to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and to the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, to express the sympathy, condolences and solidarity of the Irish people with our neighbours at this difficult time. The Irish embassy in London say they are monitoring the situation. Anyone with serious concerns for Irish people can contact +35314082527/+44 20 72352171. The Department of Foreign Affairs later confirmed that they were not aware of any Irish caught up in the attack. Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan said: I unreservedly condemn the attack outside the Houses of Parliament at Westminster today. I deplore the loss of life, and note that the casualties include a police officer killed in the line of duty. I wish to extend my condolences and on behalf of my Government, my support to the people of London and the UK. Terror and violence will never triumph over democracy. The Irish Embassy and my Department have been active in London, and at this time we have no reason to believe that any Irish citizens have been affected or are persons over whom there are concerns. Britain is on its second-highest level of "severe" meaning an attack by militants is considered highly likely. In May 2013, two British Islamists stabbed to death soldier Lee Rigby on a street in southeast London. In July 2005, four British Islamists killed 52 commuters and themselves in suicide bombings on the British capital's transport system in what was London's worst peacetime attack.
Read More Police search a house in the Village of Trelech belonging to the mother of London terrorist Khalid Masood (Image: Athena Picture Agency Ltd) Police have today appealed for anyone who knew the attacker, Khalid Masoood, who was born Adrian Elms or Adrian Ajao to come forward. Masood is said to have been a middle-aged convert to Islam who was born in Kent and lived in the west Midlands and may have been radicalised in prison. They confirmed a fifth person has died following Wednesday's terrorist attack and two more have been arrested, one in the West Midlands and one in the north-west of England. The 75-year-old man who died was Leslie Rhodes, aged 75, from Streatham in south London. Life support was withdrawn on Thursday evening. Police have now made ten arrests in connection with the attack which left five dead and 51 people of 12 different nationalities injured. Two people remain critically ill, one of whom has life-threatening injuries. Four people remain in police custody pending further enquiries Six people arrested as part of the investigation into the terrorist attack in Westminster have now been released from police custody; with no further police action. The six people are: A 21-year-old woman [B] and a 23-year-old man [C] who were arrested at an address in Birmingham. A 26-year-old woman [D] and three men aged 28, 27 and 26 years old [E; F; G], who were arrested at separate addresses in Birmingham. A 39-year-old woman [A] was arrested at an address in east London on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. She has since been released on bail until a date in late March. Four others remain in police custody pending further enquiries. They are: A 58-year-old man [H] arrested on the morning of Thursday, 23 March at a separate address in Birmingham; A 27-year-old man [I] arrested late on Thursday, 23 March at an address in Birmingham; a 35-year-old man [J] arrested in the early hours of Friday, 24 March at an address in Manchester and a 32-year-old woman [K] arrested on the morning of Friday, 24 March at a location in Manchester. All four [H-K] were arrested on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. [H] [I] [J]were detained under TACT and [K] was detained under PACE. Enquiries continue. 20:03 Six people arrested in connection with the Westminster Attack released with no further action 14:20Ian Lewis 'It's a very quiet rural area' The landlord of the Tafarn Beca pub in Trelech Paul Francois said the first he found out about the police presence in the village was on Thursday night. I heard it on the news here in the pub and then so see it all unfold on the TV and hearing there is a local connection is a shock. Then to be told by someone coming into the pub was that it was in Trelech was even more surprising. It did come as shock but even today I dont think many people living in the village are aware of what has been going on with the police. I was in Westminster recently with my family and when you hear of any attack you tend to think its not the sort of the thing you expect to have any reaching effect in this part of Wales, its a quiet rural area. 14:12Ian Lewis 'They hadn't spoken to him for some time' (Image: Ian Lewis) A villager in Trelech said he didnt think the London attackers mother and stepfather had been in touch with him for some time. He did not wish to be named said he understood police arrived in the village on Wednesday night. It is shocking to hear of an investigation here in such a small village, he said. I heard police arrived overnight on Wednesday but they havent spoken to people in the village as far as I know, just searching up at the house.I dont think the family had been in touch with the son for a long time. (Image: Ian Lewis) Colin Brewer, who works as a mechanic in the village said: Im not surprised at a search in this area or anywhere really because any area of the UK could be looked at by police in a terror investigation.He said there had been no wider police presence in the rest of Trelech. (Image: Robert Harries) 13:31KEY EVENT 'They're really nice people' - Shock in Trelech Police search a house in the Village of Trelech belonging to the mother of London terrorist Khalid Masood (Image: WALES NEWS SERVICE) There was shock in the small Carmarthenshire village of Trelech, which has a population of just 750 people. Police are still maintaining a presence in the village where they searched the home of London attacker Khalid Masoods mother and step-father. Vanessa Francois, landlady of local pub Tafarn Beca, said she first heard that there was a local link to Wednesdays terror attack in London last night. Someone came to the pub last night at 7.30pm to ask about the family and the farm. We dont know the family, but its obviously a big shock to us all. I havent heard much about it around the village as this is a community where everyone keeps themselves to themselves. I grew up in London where you read about this sort of thing, but you dont expect there to be a link to something like Wdnesdays attack in a place as rural as this. Another local resident, who didnt want to be named, said he knows the mother of Khalid Masood and his step-father. Ive known them for more than ten years and theyre really nice people Ive dealt with him in the past and hes a nice chap. I suppose it is a shock to see police here but then again you read about this kind of thing all the time so its not really a surprise. 12:32 Religious leaders to hold memorial in London Religious leaders will be holding a vigil for the victims of Wednesdays attack at Westminster Abbey at 14.15pm this afternoon. Attending will be the: Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby Chief Rabbi Ephriam Mirvis Sheikh Ezzat Khalifa Sheikh Mohammad al Hilli Sheikh Qari Asim Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster After a few words they will hold a moments silence. 12:17 These are the pictures of an anti-terror investigation in the remote Welsh village of Trelech Police investigating Wednesdays terror attack in London have concluded their search at an address in Carmarthenshire - which is understood to be the home of the attackers mother. Police remain at the scene today. Police search a house in the Village of Trelech belonging to the mother of London terrorist Khalid Masood (Image: WALES NEWS SERVICE) Here are pictures from the scene. Police search a house in the Village of Trelech belonging to the mother of London terrorist Khalid Masood (Image: Athena Picture Agency Ltd) Yesterday police named the attacker as 52-year-old Khalid Masood, who was born Adrian Elms or Adrian Ajao. Police search a house in the Village of Trelech belonging to the mother of London terrorist Khalid Masood (Image: WALES NEWS SERVICE) Officers from the Wales Extremism and Counter Terrorism Unit searched the address in Trelech, Carmarthenshire, where his mother and stepfather live. Police search a house in the Village of Trelech belonging to the mother of London terrorist Khalid Masood (Image: Athena Picture Agency Ltd) 11:27 What we now know about the massive search for information on the London terror attacker Police are investigating the possibility Khalid Masood was not a lone wolf Police confirm birth name of attacker 07:30 Police conclude search in Camarthenshire Police have confirmed that they have concluded their search at the Welsh address, and have made no arrests. A spokesperson for Dyfed-Powys police said: The Wales Extremism and Counter Terrorism Unit supported by officers of Dyfed-Powys Police, have provided assistance to The Metropolitan Police, following incidents in London. In doing this, they have conducted a search of one property in Carmarthenshire  this search has concluded. The occupants are receiving appropriate support. They are not suspects and have not been arrested. There is no threat to the area and we are supporting the broader investigation by the MPS Counter Terrorism Command. We will continue to review our security arrangements working with colleagues and partners across Wales and wish to reassure our communities that Dyfed-Powys remains one of the safest areas to live, work and visit. 07:10 Khalid Masood - what we know Police have named the attacker as Khalid Masood, this is what we know about him so far. Police have said he was born in Kent on Christmas day 1964, and that this was not his birth name. Multiple reports now say he was born as Adrian Elms and converted to Islam. He had multiple convictions  for assaults, gbh, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences and had spent time in jail. Masood was previously known to security services and was once investigated in relation to concerns about violent extremism, but was considered a peripheral figure, prime minister Theresa May said. 21:56 This is what we know so far about the London terror attack This is what we know so far: Five people have died. They are PC Keith Palmer, 48, mother-of-two Aysha Frade and US tourist Kurt Cochran. A 75-year-old man died in hospital on Thursday evening after his life support was withdrawn. The attacker, Khalid Masood, also died. Masood, 52, was not the subject of any current investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack. Eight people have been arrested and a number of addresses raided across London, Birmingham and Wales. Those arrested include: Those arrested include a 39-year-old woman held overnight at an address in east London on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. A 21-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man were also arrested overnight at an address in Birmingham on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. A 26-year-old woman and three men aged 28, 27 and 26 were arrested overnight at a separate address in Birmingham on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. A 58-year-old man was arrested on Thursday morning at a separate address in Birmingham on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. What about those injured? Those injured included 12 Britons, three French children, two Romanians, four South Koreans, two Greeks, and one each from Germany, Poland, Ireland, China, Italy and the United States. Three police officers were also hurt, two of them seriously. What else do we know? The Hyundai used to mow down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge was hired from a branch of car hire firm Enterprise in Spring Hill, Birmingham. The attacker was British-born and was investigated by MI5 some years ago over concerns of violent extremism. The attacker, armed with two large knives, jumped out of the car after smashing it into the railings encircling the Palace of Westminster, fatally stabbing PC Palmer as he entered the grounds. He was shot dead moments later by another police officer. Islamic State has claimed the attacker was one of its soldiers. Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon has said the working assumption is that the attack is linked to Islamic terrorism. Prime Minister Theresa May chaired a meeting of the Governments emergency Cobra committee on Wednesday night, later branding the attack sick and depraved. Police forces around the UK are reviewing their security arrangements in the wake of the Westminster attack. 21:25KEY EVENT Police confirm five people have now died after Westminster attack Detectives investigating the terrorist attack in Westminster on Wednesday, 22 March can confirm that a 75-year-old man died tonight, Thursday, 23 March. The man had been receiving medical treatment in hospital following the attack and life support was withdrawn this evening. Next of kin have been informed and are receiving support from specially trained family liaison officers. 20:44 Mum of two locked in tense Westminster for hours following the attack A mum of two has described the confused and tense feeling of being locked in Westminster during the terror incident. Debbie Plenty, 50, from Rumney, Cardiff was visiting Parliament on a work trip when the incident unfolded on Wednesday, and said her stomach dropped when she saw armed police in the building. 20:26 Security at Parliament reviewed Security at Parliament is being reviewed following the horrific attack which left one of the Palace of Westminsters police officers dead. Prime Minister Theresa May said the police heroically did their job in the incident in which Pc Keith Palmer was stabbed to death. Terrorist Khalid Masood was shot dead by police, but questions have been asked about the security arrangements in the political heart of the UK. Former Northern Ireland secretary Theresa Villiers suggested it was time to consider whether police who guard sensitive sites such as Parliament should routinely carry personal protection weapons even if they were not formally part of an armed response unit. A parliamentary spokesman said: Security of Members, staff and the visiting public is our highest priority. For Parliament to fulfil its democratic function, it is crucial that it remains open and accessible to the public. While we cannot comment on the specifics of our security, we work closely with the police, security services and others to ensure that our security measures are effective and meet whatever level of security risk Parliament faces. These measures are always, and will continue to be, under constant review. As is good practice following any significant incident, the Houses in conjunction with the police and other bodies will also be carrying out a review of security around this specific incident. As this is the subject on an ongoing investigation, we cannot comment further at this time. 19:41 Crowdfunding page for PC Keith Palmer's family reaches 260,000 19:36 'Thank you all for coming here tonight' 18:51 Candlelit vigil in Trafalgar Square Defiance and quiet dignity were shown at a vigil to the victims of the Westminster attack where crowds were told that the evil and twisted acts of terrorism will be defeated. Multi-faith leaders, residents, tourists, police and politicians gathered at the candlelit vigil in Londons Trafalgar Square, which was led by mayor Sadiq Khan. He told the packed venue: Those evil and twisted individuals who tried to destroy our shared way of life will never succeed and we condemn them. The victims were people who came from all corners of our world. This a time to express our gratitude to the heroism of our police officers and emergency services who ran towards danger to help, and at the same time they encouraged others to run for safety. London is a great city, full of amazing people from all backgrounds. When Londoners face adversity we always pull together. We stand up for our values and show the world we are the greatest city in the world. No police officers are under investigation by IPCC Woman who fell into the River Thames during Westminster attack is from Romania A woman who fell from Westminster Bridge into the River Thames during the terrorist attack is from Romania. Footage of the atrocity appears to show a person falling from the bridge as the attacker ploughed a car through pedestrians. The Romanian Embassy in London confirmed the womans name as Andreea Cristea. 18:07 Candlelit vigil in Trafalgar Square 18:07 Three women and five men, have been arrested in London and Birmingham Three women and five men, have been arrested in London and Birmingham on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts by detectives investigating the Westminster attack, Scotland Yard said. There have been no arrests in Wales. The Metropolitan Police said: Detectives are continuing to search a number of addresses linked to the investigation. One in Carmarthenshire, three in Birmingham, one in east London. They said searches at addresses in Brighton and south east London have concluded. A 39-year-old woman was arrested at an address in east London on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. A 21-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man were arrested at an address in Birmingham. A 26-year-old woman and three men aged 28, 27 and 26 years old, were arrested at a separate address in Birmingham. All six were arrested on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. All seven arrests were made overnight. A 58-year-old man was also arrested this morning at a separate address in Birmingham on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. 17:58KEY EVENT Met Police say they are searching addresses in Carmarthenshire, Birmingham and London 17:55 Met Police confirm death of Kurt Cochran The Metropolitan Police say one of the victims who died is Kurt Cochran from USA, although formal ID awaits
It was a careful choice of words, Bernard Lewis being nothing if not careful. In 2004, the West audibly gasped when its preeminent scholar of Islam famously told the German newspaper Die Welt,Europe will be Islamic by the end of the century, if not sooner. Listen carefully. He did not say that Muslims will be the majority population in what is still recognizably Europe. No, Professor Lewis said Europe will be Islamic. We are not talking about Muslims here. We are talking about Islam. Lots of individual Muslims desire peaceful coexistence, even assimilation. But Islams aim is to prevail. So, yet again this week, Lewiss foreboding has been brought to the fore by a jihadist mass-murder attack, this time in London. Advertisement As we go to press, five innocent people are dead after Khalid Masood, a terrorist acting on unambiguous scriptural commands to war against non-Muslims, rammed his rental Hyundai SUV into dozens of pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, many of them tourists taking in the iconic views of Parliament. About 50 people suffered injuries, some of them grave, so the death toll may yet rise. Masood, a burly 52-year-old weightlifter with a long criminal record that included vicious stabbings, then crashed the car through the gate at Westminster Palace, home of the Wests most venerable democratic legislature. He alighted brandishing two long knives, which he used to kill Keith Palmer, a police officer who, pursuant to British policy, was unarmed despite being assigned to provide security at one of the worlds foremost terror targets. Masood was finally shot dead by a protection officer attached to Englands defense minister. Advertisement There immediately began the ritual media pondering over Masoods motive. Yes, what could it possibly have been? Im going to stick with the patently obvious. Masood was born as Adrian Russell Ajao on Christmas Day, 1964, in Kent county, just outside London. His 17-year-old single mother remarried two years later, and he was known as Adrian Elms (his stepfathers surname) until converting to Islam when he was about 40. Prior to that point, while fathering three children with his wife, he had several arrests, some for violent attacks. During at least one of the resulting stints in prison, like many inmates, he began indoctrination into Islam. Between 2004 and 2005 came the critical transition: the formal conversion, marriage to a Muslim woman, and relocation to Saudi Arabia (you know, be our ally against terrorism). For five years, Masood was immersed in the kingdoms Wahhabism  fundamentalist Islam rooted in scriptural literalism. He became an English language-teacher working for the Saudi government. When we speak of Islam, as opposed to Muslims, we are not speaking about a mere religious belief system. We are talking about a competing civilization. Masood returned to England from Jeddah about seven years ago. By the time of Wednesdays attack on Westminster Bridge, he had seamlessly gravitated to Birmingham, a city increasingly enveloped by sharia enclaves that, to varying degrees, have become no-go zones for non-Muslims and agents of the state, including police. Advertisement There is diversity in Islam, including millions of Muslims who adhere only to its spiritual elements or see themselves as more culturally than doctrinally Islamic. But when we speak of Islam, as opposed to Muslims, we are not speaking about a mere religious belief system. We are talking about a competing civilization  that is very much how Islam self-identifies. It has its own history, principles, values, mores, and legal system. Advertisement Islam, thus understood, is not non-Western. It is anti-Western. Like the conversion of Masood, the conversion of Birmingham has been a function of this defining Islamic attribute. Individual Muslims may assimilate, but Islam doesnt do assimilation. Islam does not melt into your melting pot. Islam, as Muslim Brotherhood founder Hassan al-Banna proclaimed, is content with nothing less than political, cultural, and civilizational dominance. As Soeren Kern relates in a comprehensive Gatestone Institute report on Islam in Britain, the metamorphosis of Birmingham, along with several other U.K. population centers, signifies this resistance. When the Islamic presence in a Western community reaches a critical mass, Islams hostility to Western mores and demands for sharia governance result in non-Muslim flight. Marriages between Muslims resident in the Western community and Muslims overseas tend to result in childbirth rates and household growth that dwarfs that of the indigenous population. Arranged, intra-familial, and polygamous marriages, endorsed by Islamic mores, drastically alter the fabric of communities in short order. Birmingham, in particular, has been ground zero of Operation Trojan Horse, a sharia-supremacist scheme to Islamize the public schools. Kern repeats an account of life in inner-city Birmingham by the wife of a British clergyman, first published by Standpoint in 2011. She explained how the neighborhood in which shed lived for four years had become a police no-go zone, in which the large number of newly arrived Somali immigrants now approached that of Pakistanis already resident. Then she recalled her husbands encounter with an immigrant who had just arrived from Belgium  on an EU passport, like an increasing number of Muslims these days. The migrant was surprised when the clergyman asked why he had chosen to move into their neighborhood. Finally, he replied, Everybody knows. Birminghambest place in Europe to be pure Muslim. Advertisement The memory moved the clergymans wife to a salient insight: Well, there must be many places in Europe where Muslims are entirely free to practice their faith, but I suspect there are few places in which they can have so little contact with the civic and legal structure of a Western state if they choose. To a London reader, born and bred with multiculturalism, I know that my stories may come across as outlandish and exaggerated. . . . When I recently told a friend how a large Taliban flag fluttered gaily on a house near St Andrews football stadium for some months, her cry of Cant you tell the police? made me reflect how far many of our inner cities have been abandoned by our key workers: our doctors and nurses drive in from afar, the police, as mentioned before, have shut down their stations and never venture in unless in extremis  they and ambulance crews have been known to be attacked  even the local imam lives in a leafier area. Advertisement Advertisement It is in that milieu that Khalid Masood made his decision, rented an SUV, and drove to Westminster Bridge. Naturally, the Islamic State terror network (ISIS) took credit for the atrocity, as it has been wont to do since issuing its plea that Muslims conduct attacks in place  i.e., against the Western societies where they live. Western leaders have been content to accept these claims, at least as inspirational, if not operational. It is easier to indulge the fiction that ISIS catalyzes jihadism then to ask what catalyzed ISIS. But the remorseless fact is that before ISIS and al-Qaeda and the Khomeini revolution and Hezbollah and the Blind Sheikh and the Brotherhood and Khalid Masood, there was the single thing that unites them all. There was Islam. Western political and opinion elites remain willfully blind to this. They cannot help but project onto Islamic beliefs and practices their own progressive pieties  which take seriously neither religion nor the notion that there is any civilization but their own. In their minds, and therefore ingrained in the medias coverage, is the notion that a Muslim community is just like any other community. Same with the mosque  it is just a house of worship, no different from a church, a safe harbor from worldly concerns and hostilities. Islam, however, does not separate mosque from state; the mosque is every bit as much a center for sharia indoctrination, assimilation resistance, and anti-Western politics as it is a prayer venue. That is why al-Banna regarded the mosque and the Islamic community center commonly attached to it as the axis of the movement in every community where Islam takes hold. The movement does not want cohabitation. It wants conquest. It starts with assimilation-resistant enclaves that nurture sharia supremacism today and thereby breed the jihadists of tomorrow. This week, it took the campaign to Westminster Bridge. Recommended Articles Most Popular Will this be the week? With bated breath, we wait to find out whether weve reached the moment, after the Labor Day end of summer, just as the critical midterm races heat up, when President Trump will follow through on his threat to declassify and publicize key FISA-gate documents  in particular, the ... Read More The allegations against Brett Kavanaugh  outlined now on the record in the Washington Post by Palo Alto University professor Christine Blasey Ford  are substantial and serious. She claims that Kavanaugh knocked her down, groped her, and attempted to remove her clothes. Heres the core of her ... Read More The 27-year-old Anita Hill strategy of digging for dirt on a Supreme Court nominee didnt work with Clarence Thomas back in 1991. But desperate times for liberals call for desperate measures. Just as with Anita Hill, no doubt it took a concentrated effort of importuning by a host of liberal Senate ... Read More NRPLUS MEMBER ARTICLE Theres a Bob Newhart sketch you probably know: A woman walks into a therapists office and says that her life is being spoiled because she spends all of her time obsessing over the fearful possibility that she will be buried alive in a box. His ... Read More So now what? We have a name and an accusation, which is an improvement over the status quo ante. If youre going to make an allegation of misconduct, this is how you do it: publicly, and attached to as much information as you have. Eternal shame on those who made specific calls before they knew what was being ... Read More
A car mounted a footpath and rammed crowds on Westminster Bridge about 2.40pm (1.40am AEDT) before the alleged attacker crashed the vehicle into the gates of Parliament, got out and stabbed a police officer with a large knife, before he was shot dead by police. WHAT WE KNOW: At least five people have been killed Those dead include a police officer and the attacker One woman was killed after being run over by a car Another person believed killed on the bridge At least 40 people injured Severely injured woman pulled from the Thames Three police officers injured Three French students hurt, two critical Officers opened fire and shot the attacker dead No Australians involved in the attack The sequence of terror that unfolded at London's Westminster for about 20 minutes on Wednesday afternoon. 12:30am: Video has emerged of a woman believed to have fallen into the River Thames from the Westminster Bridge during the terror attack. It is unknown whether the woman jumped or was knocked in. The attacker's car can be seen speeding down the road toward her. 12:15am: President Donald Trump's son has criticised the mayor of London in the immediate aftermath of the attack. "You have to be kidding me?!" Trump Jr. tweeted, as he shared an article from The Independent, and paraphrased its headline as: "Terror attacks are part of living in big city, says London Mayor Sadiq Khan". 11:49am:Three of the people injured are police officers an two of them are in a serious condition. Another officer, Keith Palmer, who lost his life in the attack was unarmed when he was targeted. Assistant Commissioner Rowley said police are operating under the assumption that the attacker was "inspired by international terrorism". The acting deputy commissioner said specially-trained family liaison officers were supporting the families of the three members of the public who lost their lives. 11:30am: A heroic MP who risked his life to save another has been recognised for his efforts. Scotland Yard Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley announced that there have been five victims. Photo: AAP "He left for work today, expecting to return home at the end of his shift and he had every right to expect that would happen. I can also confirm that there were three members of the public who lost their lives in the attack." Assistant Commissioner Rowley said at least 40 people were injured in the attack. The injured have been taken to six hospitals. 9:00am: The city is still in lock-down with an exclusion zone still in place for most of the centre of London. A visit by the Queen that was scheduled for tomorrow has been postponed. Police have not identified the identity of the attacker. 8:30: Victoria Police have confirmed reports that they were conducting "safety checks" at Flinders Street Station. But said the station remained opened. There is no indication of what the checks are related to. Emergency services at the scene of the terrorist attack in London. Photo: AAP Metro Trains confirmed that the station is not closed. 8:20am: Police have descended on Kennington tube station in London's south following reports of a stabbing. "Once again today, these exceptional men and women ran towards the danger even as they encouraged others to move the other way. "On the half of the whole country, I want to pay tribute to them and to all our emergency services for the work they have been doing to reassure the public can bring security back to the streets of our capital city." 8:00am: Mr Turnbull said there would be an increased police presence in Australia today. "The Police Commissioner has confirmed there will be an increased police presence today," Mr Turnbull said. "That is a appropriate response, it indicates the degree of care and caution that is taken by our security agencies in keeping us safe." A man being treated by paramedics after a terror attack on London's Westminster Bridge. Photo: Getty He said the terrorist alert level is at probable. "But we will never ever, let the terrorists win. "We will destroy them on the battlefield, we will defeat and fight them at home. We will never change the way we live, we will never let them divide us. We will never let them intimidate us or challenge our democratic way of life for the freedoms which generations of Australians have served and died to keep secure. "The challenge we face here in Australia. Is, as I said, a very real one. But, we have the finest security agencies in the world. Our police, our intelligence services, our defence forces, are the best in the world." 7:45am: Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has described Australia's heartfelt sympathy and solidarity with the people of the United Kingdom. "Staunch allies in the war against terrorism. The attack on the British Parliament is an attack on Parliament, freedom and democracy everywhere. "Westminster is rightly known as the mother of Parliament. "Almost every element of our Parliamentary tradition here in Australia is modelled on that of the houses of Parliament in London. "The birthplace of our great, free, parliamentary democracy and the rule of law which sustains it." Paramedics at the scene of the attack. Photo: AAP He said he has been briefd on the attack by Australian counter terrorism coordinator Tony Sheehan, the High Commissioner in London Alexander Downer and the Police Commissioner Andrew Colvin. "Australians should be reassured that our agencies are, today, as every day, working relentlessly to keep Australians safe. "We're very alert to the vulnerabilities of places of mass gathering and the risk of loan wolves - loan perpetrators." 7:40am: Witness Rick Longley has spoken of the horror of the event. "We were just walking up to the station and there was a loud bang and a guy, someone, crashed a car and took some pedestrians out," he said. "They were just laying there and then the whole crowd just surged around the corner by the gates just opposite Big Ben. A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman. "I have never seen anything like that. I just can't believe what I just saw." 7:30am: Colleen Anderson, a local doctor, rushed to the scene to help. "I was on the ward at a doctor's offices, my manager came running past me and I said 'What's wrong?'. "All of us in the office were like: 'We need to do something'. "We just went out and helped." When asked if she had trained for such situation she said: "we train for these events, like emergency, your basic life support if you have to do that". 7:20am:Children have been allowed to leave the House of Commons nursery after an extended stay at Parliament because of the attack. A Commons spokeswoman said: "Arrangements have been put in place to allow parents to collect their children". One father whose son attended the nursery, speaking anonymously to the BBC because of his role, said there were between ten and 20 children in the nursery every day. "The staff were amazing, they were really really great. They looked after them so well." 7:00am: The US's White House spokesman has issued a response to the attack. 6:55am: Julie Bishop said Australian authorities are working with their colleagues overseas. "We have certainly noted that advice from the United State and the United Kingdom and we have adjusted our travel advice for Australian passengers who may be passing through the nominated airports." Officers patrolling the street. Photo: AAP 6:50am: British PM Theresa May is currently chairing a meeting of COBRA, which is the group which is activated in times of crisis. This may explain why she has not appeared on camera as yet. The scenes following the attack. Photo: AAP A spokesman said earlier that the thoughts of the UK Government are with the families of the victims of this attack. This is the first major terror attack since she became prime minister. 6:45am: The Mayor of London has spoken on Twitter, saying the city remains one of the safest in the world. 5:45am: A statement from a No 10 spokesperson said the "the thoughts of the PM and the Government are with those killed and injured in this appalling incident and with their families". "The PM is being kept updated and will shortly chair COBR." 5.40am: The Office of the Press Secretary for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security released the following statement: "The Department of Homeland Security stands in solidarity alongside our friends in the United Kingdom in condemning the terrible attack at Parliament today. "With our partners in federal law enforcement, we are in close contact with our British counterparts to monitor the tragic events and to support the ongoing investigation." 5.30am: Briefing from Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley confirms that four people are dead included one police officer and the attacker. He also confirmed that 20 people were injured. Police out in force after the terror attack. Photo: Getty He said three police officers were injured in the attack. There is an ongoing investigation, he said, but would not confirm any details about it. Officers on London streets following the attack. Photo: AAP It has been reported that may include the search for another assailant, but Assistant Commisioner Rowley did not confirm that. "We're satisfied at this stage that there is only one attacker, but it would be foolish to be over confident so early on," Assistant Commissioner Rowley said. "We are locking down the area and doing necessary searches to be completely confident that everyone is safe. "What we're saying to the public is to be please be vigilant on your way home. Do not be alarmed. "Be vigilant on your way home. You will see more armed and unarmed police officers on the streets of London." The suspected attacker is treated by paramedics. Photo: Getty The scenes near London's Parliament house following what police describe as a terror attack. Photo: AAP 5.00am:Three French pupils on a school trip were among those hurt in the attack. Local officials in the western region of Brittany, where the French students are from, said two of them were in serious condition. 4.50am: Very little is known about the attacker at the moment. Witness reports, which could not be immediately confirmed, described a middle-aged man of Asian appearance who was carrying a large knife. Much of the city remains in lock-down including the Houses of Parliament and lawmakers have been ordered to stay inside. David Lidington, a government minister who is the leader of the lower House of Commons, told the chamber that a police officer had been stabbed on the parliamentary estate and that armed police had shot the alleged attacker in response, adding that there had been "reports of further violent incidents in the vicinity". Prime Minister Theresa May was just 40 metres from the attack and was quickly evacuated from the scene. She was seen getting into a car and being driven away from the parliament where she had been holding her weekly question-and-answer session a couple of hours earlier. 4:45am: A woman has been pulled from the River Thames alive after Wednesday's attack on a bridge near Britain's parliament in Westminster, the Port of London Authority said, adding that she was being treated for serious injuries. "A female member of the public was pulled from the water near Westminster Bridge, alive, with serious injuries," a PLA spokesman told Reuters. "She's undergoing very urgent medical treatment now." He added that the river had been closed to all non-emergency traffic in the immediate area. London's transport system was hit by four co-ordinated suicide bomb attacks in July 2005 that left 52 people dead, carried out by British attackers inspired by Al-Qaeda terror network. There was an attempted second wave of attacks two weeks later. In 2013, two Islamic extremists killed soldier Lee Rigby on a London street by hitting him with a car before attempting to behead him. Paramedics treating people after the attack in London. Photo: Getty Last August, a paranoid schizophrenic knifeman who tried to behead a commuter in a London Underground station in an Islamic State-inspired attack was sentenced to life behind bars. The latest incident comes with Europe on high alert after a series of deadly jihadist attacks, including the Brussels bombings exactly a year ago on March 22, 2016.
Five dead, around 40 injured in parliament "terrorist" attack LONDON (Reuters) - Five people were killed and about 40 injured in London on Wednesday after a car ploughed into pedestrians and a suspected Islamist-inspired attacker stabbed a policeman close to Britains parliament. The dead, in what police called a marauding terrorist attack, included the assailant and the policeman he stabbed. The other three victims were among those hit by the car as it sped across Westminster Bridge before crashing into railings just outside parliament. Prime Minister Theresa May condemned the attack as sick and depraved. The location of this attack was no accident, she said in a statement outside her 10 Downing Street office late in the evening. The terrorist chose to strike at the heart of our capital city, where people of all nationalities, religions and cultures come together to celebrate the values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech. Any attempt to defeat those values through violence was doomed to failure, May said. Mark Rowley, Britains most senior counter-terrorism officer, told reporters the attack started when a car was driven over Westminster Bridge, hitting and injuring members of the public and three police officers. A car then crashed near to parliament and at least one man, armed with a knife, continued the attack and tried to enter parliament, Rowley said. He said the polices fast-paced investigation was working on the assumption that the attack was Islamist-related terrorism. Police believed they knew the identity of the attacker but would not provide details at this stage, he said. It was the deadliest attack in London since four British Islamists killed 52 commuters and themselves in suicide bombings on the citys transport system in July 2005, in Londons worst peacetime attack. It took place on the first anniversary of attacks by Islamist militants that killed 32 people in Brussels. Reuters reporters inside parliament during Wednesdays attack heard loud bangs and shortly afterwards saw the knifeman and the stabbed policeman lying on the ground in a courtyard within the gates of parliament. Related Coverage The dead police officer was identified as Keith Palmer, 48, with 15 years of service. LAWMAKERS CAUGHT UP IN CHAOS A Reuters photographer saw at least a dozen people injured on the bridge. His photographs showed people lying on the ground, some of them bleeding heavily and one under a bus. A woman was pulled alive, but with serious injuries, from the Thames, the Port of London Authority said. The circumstances of her fall into the river were unknown. Three French schoolchildren aged 15 or 16 were among those injured in the attack, French officials said. Several members of parliament (MPs) and senior officials were caught up in the chaos. Tobias Ellwood, a junior Foreign Office minister, was pictured attempting to resuscitate a man lying unconscious, reported to be the stabbed policeman. London Mayor Sadiq Khan said there would be additional police officers on the city streets to keep Londoners and visitors safe. We stand together in the face of those who seek to harm us and destroy our way of life. We always have, and we always will. Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism, he said. Parliaments lower House of Commons, which was in session at the time, was suspended and lawmakers were asked to stay inside the building for several hours. May said parliament would convene as normal on Thursday in a sign that the attack would not disrupt life in the capital. However, a visit by Queen Elizabeth to officially open the new headquarters of Londons police force, which had been planned for Thursday, was postponed in light of todays events, Buckingham Palace said. In a telephone call with May, President Donald Trump offered Britain the full cooperation and support of the United States, the White House said. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson condemned the attack as horrific acts of violence. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg were among foreign leaders who expressed shock and solidarity. Forensics investigators and police officers work at the site near Westminster Bridge the morning after an attack by a man driving a car and weilding a knife left five people dead and dozens injured, in London, Britain, March 23, 2017. REUTERS/Darren Staples NO SIGNS OF LIFE Eyewitnesses described scenes of panic during the attack. I just saw a car go out of control and just go into pedestrians on the bridge, said Bernadette Kerrigan, who had been on a tour bus on the bridge, in an interview with Sky News. As we were going across the bridge, we saw people lying on the floor, they were obviously injured. I saw about 10 people maybe. And then the emergency services started to arrive. Everyone was just running everywhere. Former Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, who witnessed the attack from a taxi as he crossed the bridge, said he saw five victims and made a video of the scene. I heard something that sounded like a small car crash. Then I looked out of the window and saw that there was one person lying on the asphalt, he told Reuters. I did not see the face of the person lying on the asphalt, but the person was not moving, it was not showing any signs of life. One of the men I saw, his head was bleeding very badly. But the person I filmed  no, that person was not showing any signs of life. Journalist Quentin Letts of the Daily Mail newspaper told LBC radio that he had witnessed the stabbing of the policeman and the shooting of the assailant from his office in the parliament building. He (the assailant) ran in through the open gates ... He set about one of the policemen with what looked like a stick, Letts said. The policeman fell over on the ground and it was quite horrible to watch and then having done that, he disengaged and ran towards the House of Commons entrance used by MPs and got about 20 yards or so when two plain-clothed guys with guns shot him. In Edinburgh, the Scottish parliament suspended a planned debate and vote on independence as the news from London came in. Britain is on its second-highest alert level of severe meaning an attack by militants is considered highly likely. The most recent deadly attack in London to be treated as a terrorist incident was in May 2013, when two British Islamists stabbed to death soldier Lee Rigby on a street.
Hampshire MPs tell of horror after Westminster terror attack Hampshire MPs tell of horror after Westminster terror attack A HAMPSHIRE MP was yards away from a terror attack as chaos descended on Westminster, leaving four dead. Members of Parliament, staff and the public were thrown into a state of panic after four people were killed near the grounds of parliament yesterday afternoon. Hampshire MPs have described horrific, shocking events, with Southampton and Itchen MP Royston Smith seeing people lying on the floor outside the gates, with armed police rushing to the scene. A police officer was killed after being stabbed in the terror attack, which officers believe was carried out by one person who is believed to be dead. MPs were in London for a vote on pension changes, with Prime Minister Theresa May at the House of Commons at the time. Emergency services flooded the capital, with ambulances and police racing to the scene after the assailant reportedly drove at pedestrians before running through the gates, stabbing police with two large knives. He said: I was on my way to the chamber to vote in New Palace Yard where the man broke through the gates. There were four shots and a lot of people on the ground, it all happened very sharply. We were ushered safely into the chamber and police were running in the opposite direction very bravely. I was intent on getting myself out pretty quickly. The attack comes one year to the day that three coordinated suicide bombings occurred in Brussels, killing 32 people. The attacks were claimed by so called Islamic State, which injured more than 300 people after the bombings at two airports in Zaventem and one at Maalbeek metro stations at the Belgian capital. Royston Smith said: I saw people lying on the floor as I was very close to it and a lot of armed police came over, there was a lot of shouting too, and security. People were lying on the floor near the gates. There are a lot of things people think about before death, we were lucky to be safe. Im not certain if I saw or heard any shots, it just happened very quickly. I never had any time to react, police were just running towards the man. Eastleigh MP Mims Davies was told to evacuate by officers after the horrifying attack. She said: Everyone was in shock. There was shouting from police and we were all told to evacuate over the bridge or on the embankment. Looking at it, there was another incident on the bridge. It was very frightening and youre always aware of your personal safety. The police are working very well, so they clearly know what they are doing and the procedures work well. Its shocking, horrifying and people from all walks of life are going to be affected by this. Julian Lewis, chair of the parliamentary defence committee and New Forest East MP said he was staying away from the corridors and hadnt heard of an incident until it was reported to him by security. He said: I was in my office and I heard a lot of shouting, I didnt realise something had taken place. By coincidence it was on my list to call one of the security personnel. A woman answered in his place and said he was dealing with the incident. She said: Its shocking whats happening, and hearing of a fatality is horrendous. We all have limited access locked in the chamber, but from what I understand the response from police has been very swift and effective. MP for New Forest West, Desmond Swayne said: We are horrified by what is going on outside these walls. I have heard from other MPs that when they were on their way from the scene, they all had to get on the ground and basically crawl away. I dont think this calls for more security, you cant get ten yards without seeing an armed officer. Ipsoregulated This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's Editors' Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then please contact the editor here. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can contact IPSO here
Terror suspect in Westminster attack not known to police or MI5 Subscribe to our daily newsletter A terror suspect accused of deliberately crashing a car outside the Houses of Parliament was not known to police or MI5, Scotland Yard has said. The man, in his late twenties, is being held in custody at a south London police station but is not co-operating with officers, counter-terrorism head Neil Basu said. He was arrested on suspicion of terror offences after the silver Ford Fiesta he was driving collided with cyclists and pedestrians before crashing into security barriers just before 7.40am on Tuesday. The suspect is understood to be from the Birmingham area. 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, said Mr Basu. We have not formally identified him yet. On the details we have at the moment we dont believe this individual was known to MI5 or counter-terror police. The silver car can be seen coming along the road next to Parliament Square before moving to turn right towards Westminster Abbey in footage of the incident aired on BBC News. Advertising As an ambulance passes the car on its right-hand side, the vehicle swerves left, crossing oncoming traffic and a pavement before entering a small road and crashing into a security barrier. (PA Graphics) A police officer can be seen jumping another barrier that runs along the side of the road to get away. Two white vehicles appear to be behind the car shortly before the crash but Mr Basu insisted: There was not a police car in pursuit of the vehicle. Advertising Images posted to social media showed a man wearing a black puffer jacket being led away in handcuffs from the car. There was nobody else in the vehicle and no weapons were found, police said. Mr Basu added no other suspects have been identified and there is no intelligence at this time of further danger to Londoners. Geoffrey Woodman, a strategy consultant from Battersea, had stopped at the traffic lights by Parliament Square on his cycle to work when the car swerved into cyclists and towards the security barriers. I was getting off the bike and put my foot down, then there was a sound like tyres screeching, he 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. Breaking: Big armed police response to car which has cashed into Parliament barriers we are now being moved back pic.twitter.com/rYAqExq6rn Masood abandoned his car then stabbed and killed unarmed Pc Keith Palmer before he was shot by armed police in a courtyard outside Parliament. The terrorist threat against the UK is seen as unprecedented. In addition to five attacks that occurred last year, authorities say they have stopped 13 Islamist and four extreme right-wing plots since the Westminster atrocity in March 2017. Police and MI5 are running at least 500 live operations involving roughly 3,000 active subjects of interest at any one time  while there is also a wider pool of more than 20,000 individuals who have previously featured in probes whose threat must be kept under review. Earlier this year, the Government unveiled a refreshed counter-terror strategy. Under the blueprint, MI5 intelligence will be shared with bodies outside the security community in an attempt to stop suspects before attack plots can crystallise, while anti-terror laws are to be strengthened to allow earlier interventions.
Details of his past emerged as the city continued to react to the outrage which left a policeman dead along with a mum on the school run, an American tourist and a pensioner. Three addresses in Birmingham were raided by police in connection with the attack, including an address in Winson Green where he was believed to have lived, while a vigil will be held in the city tonight. We'll bring you live updates as the picture continues to develop throughout the day. Assistant Chief Constable Marcus Beale said six arrested in Hockley "not connected in any way" to Westminster terror attack 21:12Darren Campbell Six arrested in Birmingham released without charge Breaking news to bring you concerning the ongoing investigation into Wednesdays attack: West Midlands Police have confirmed six people arrested in Birmingham on Thursday have been released without charge. More to follow 20:46Darren Campbell 'We are stronger together' From our reporter Josh Layton at the vigil: Jessica Foster, a Church of England curate, was also among the speakers.After expressing her thoughts for the victims, she said: We are stronger together, we mustnt be divided. Salma Yaqoob among crowd at Birmingham vigil Former councillor Salma Yaqoob is amongst those in attendance at tonights vigil in Birmingham city centre. The rally in High Street this evening was organised by three groups to show solidarity between faiths and with all those affected by the atrocity. Organised by the Stop the War Coalition, Stand Up To Racism and Muslim Engagement and Development, the event follows fears that the Muslim community will be stigmatised and face attacks and abuse as a result of the Westminster attack. 20:16Darren Campbell Pictures from Birmingham peace vigil More pictures are coming in from this evenings peace vigil in Birmingham, which was taking place on High Street in the city centre: (Image: Birmingham Mail) (Image: Birmingham Mail) (Image: Birmingham Mail) 18:56Darren Campbell Stand Up To Racism show support for Muslim community From our reporter Josh Layton at the vigil: Harriet McGuire Smith, of Stand up to Racism, was also in the crowd of around 100 people. Harriet, 22, from Quinton, said: Im here to show my support not just for all this affected by the Westminster attacks but for the Muslim community who face a backlash as a result of these events. Victim now stable in hospital He added: They were coming to London to celebrate their birthday. He intended to ask her for marriage in the same day and this was unfortunately their destiny. It is quite a miracle that she could survive this very complicated experience because she was practically thrown to the Thames. The ambassador said Miss Cristea was stable, but in a good direction after being operated on for a blood clot on her brain. 16:37 Bridge fall woman's marriage proposal Meanwhile, it has been revealed the Romanian woman who fell from Westminster Bridge into the River Thames during the terrorist attack was due to receive a marriage proposal later that day. Footage of the atrocity appears to show Andreea Cristea, 29, falling from the bridge as Khalid Masood ploughed a car through pedestrians. She had been with her partner Andrei Burnaz, reportedly celebrating his birthday in London. Speaking to the BBC, Romanian ambassador Dan Mihalache explained that he thought the car mounted the pavement and hit Mr Burnaz first, before pushing Ms Cristea into the Thames. He added: It is quite a dramatic story because they were two people that were tourists. 16:09KEY EVENT No police raids in Alum Rock It is now understood that there have been NO raids carried out in Alum Rock during the anti-terror operation of the last two days. Police have carried out raids at properties in Quayside and at Navigation Way in Winson Green. A property in Hagley Road, Edgbaston, was also raided during the ongoing operation. But the Birmingham Mail has learned there have been no raids in the Alum Rock area, despite earlier reports. 14:39Matt Cannon New Khalid Masood picture released by police The Metropolitan Police has just released this mugshot of the man they have named as the man behind the London terrorist attack. Posting the picture on Twitter the force wrote: If you have any information about Khalid Masood please contact us via the Anti-Terrorist hotline which is 0800 789 321 #WestminsterAttack Khalid Masood. (Image: Met Police) 13:13KEY EVENT First picture of Westminster terrorist Khalid Masood as a schoolboy. This is the first picture of the schoolboy who would become the terrorist who murdered four people, including a police officer. The Westminster attacker, known as Khalid Masood other among aliases, was said to have had a comfortable in leafy middle England. 13:04KEY EVENT Breaking: The second overnight terror arrest was made in West Didsbury, Manchester Police at an address in West Didsbury, Manchester. Our colleagues at the Manchester Evening News are reporting that a man in his 30s held in West Didsbury was the second person arrested overnight in connection with the Westminster terror attack. The other was detained in the West Midlands, and weve told you of new raids in Winson Green and Alum Rock. 12:49 Three vehicles seized in Winson Green Three vehicles were also removed from the scene - they were a silver BMW, a white Ford Ka and a maroon Renault box van. 12:41KEY EVENT 'Saudi' man arrested as police smashed door in at 6.30am Navigation Way in Winson Green this morning. Were now getting more details of the arrest in Navigation Way, Winson Green. It happened at 6.30am on Thursday when police smashed the door down, a neighbour said. The householder said the arrested man was Saudi Arabian. She said: I was awoken by shouting from police. They smashed the front door in and shouted at the occupants to get down and stay down. The neighbour said the family whose home was raided by police were quiet people, like moles. She said: We often saw him wallking up and down the street. I dont know what he did for a living but he used to go on holiday a lot. I saw him being led away and he was smirking. The children were upset. They were taken away in a van but returned some time later. 12:05KEY EVENT New terror raids in Winson Green and Alum Rock Navigation Way in Winson Green where police are present (Image: Snappersk) Police have swooped on addresses in Winson Green and Alum Rock in the latests raids connected to the London terrorist attacks by Khalid Masood. 'We will not be divided', says Midland MP Masood was 'jailed over pub attack' Masoos slashed a man across the face with a knife in a pub row in the early 2000s, the victims wife said on Friday.Speaking in the East Sussex village of Northiam where Masood had lived with family, Heather Mott said her late husband, Piers Mott, had been defending someone in the former Crown and Thistle pub.She told the Press Association: My husband was defending someone who was working for him. I dont know how it happened. Piers was just defending this guy.According to the Daily Telegraph, Masood was jailed for two years at Hove Crown Court over the incident. 10:38 Fourth terror victim was ex-window cleaner visiting a hospital Emergency services on the scene of the attack on Westminster Bridge (Image: Jack Taylor/Getty Images) The fourth victim of the Westminster terror attack was thought to have been visiting a nearby hospital when he was mown down by the car.Leslie Rhodes, a retired window cleaner from south London, suffered serious injuries in the atrocity and died in hospital a day later.Neighbours paid tribute to the 75-year-old as a lovely man and said he had been as fit as a fiddle despite his age. Philip Williams, 61, said: Wed known him for 24 years. He was a lovely man. He would do anything for anybody. And its such a shock. Mr Rhodes was not married and had no children, Mr Williams said.He added: You know, its a crime that hes been taken.He said he had been told by neighbours who went to see him before he died that Mr Rhodes was attending the hospital and may have been coming from or going to a bus stop nearby when he was hit.He said: Ive been told he was at the hospital, St Thomas, and he went by public transport and he was apparently crossing the bridge when this car hit him.As I say, Ive been told he was hit in the midriff. He had many broken bones. Apparently he went into a coma straight away. 10:22 Almost 500k raised for hero Pc Keith Palmer Keith Palmer The fundraising appeal for Pc Keith Palmer, the policeman murdered in the Westminster terror attack, is racing towards the 500,000 mark. Police search the home of Masood's former lover Police investigating the London terror attack say they have made two more significant arrests overnight and seized thousands of items following a number of new raids around the country. One of the raids took place at a block of flats in the heart of the Olympic Village in Stratford, east London. Anti-terror officers spent hours searching a flat that was believed to be the home of Westminster terrorist Khalid Masoods former partner, who once lived with the killer, as part of a massive investigation called Operation Classific. Residents of the nine-storey block called Lucia Heights, near to the Stratford International station and Westfield shopping centre, said police had been in the building all day. Anti-terror police continue to search five addresses, with operations at another 16 complete. Detectives have seized 2,700 items from the searches, including massive amounts of computer data. Anti-terror chief Mark Rowley said officers had spoken to around 3,500 witnesses - including 1,000 who were on Westminster Bridge and around 2,500 who were in Parliament. Asked whether Masood had travelled overseas, Mr Rowley said we are looking at his history.But he reiterated Prime Minister Theresa Mays comments in Parliament that while he had been investigated previously he has been a peripheral figure not implicated in any current probe.Mr Rowley said nine people remained in custody - including the two arrested overnight. The other suspects - three women and five men - were arrested in the West Midlands and London yesterday and overnight on Wednesday. One of the women has been released on police bail.Scotland Yard said Masood - who was shot dead by police - was born in Kent on Christmas Day in 1964.After leaving Kent, it is thought he most recently spent time in the West Midlands, with a witness to an armed police raid on a flat in Edgbaston on Wednesday night saying: The man from London lived here.Masood is also thought to have spent periods living in London, Sussex and Luton.He was known to police and MI5 and had convictions for assaults, including GBH, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences. 09:38KEY EVENT New West Midlands arrest Were hearing of plans for a major anti-terror demonstration in Birmingham tomorrow afternoon. Were told it was arranged at a meeting of mosques last night and will be held at 1pm in Victoria Square.
Parliament will sit as normal tomorrow London attack: Four dead and 40 others injured in Westminster Bridge terror incident BelfastTelegraph.co.uk A total of four people, including the attacker, have died and around 40 others have been injured after a man mowed down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge and stabbed a policeman before being shot by armed officers. A total of four people, including the attacker, have died and around 40 others have been injured after a man mowed down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge and stabbed a policeman before being shot by armed officers. The police officer who died was named by Scotland Yard as 48-year-old husband and father Keith Palmer. The attacker, armed with two large knives, mowed down pedestrians with his car on Westminster Bridge, including schoolchildren, then rushed at the gates in front of the Houses of Parliament, stabbing the policeman before being shot dead by other officers. Eyewitnesses described scenes of terror when gunfire rang out as the man approached a second officer. Scotland Yard's top anti-terror officer Mark Rowley said the two other fatalities were on the bridge when the terrorist struck. At least 20 other people were injured. Mr Rowley told reporters outside New Scotland Yard, just yards from the scene of the attack: "This was a day we've planned for but hoped would never happen. Sadly it is now a reality." Paramedics fought to save the officer's life and that of his attacker on the floor of the cobbled courtyard in front of Parliament, with Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood among those who rushed to help. The police officer was wheeled away on a stretcher with his face covered. Mr Ellwood, who lost his brother in the Bali bombing, could be seen pumping the officer's chest then standing above him, his hands and face smeared with blood. Other armed officers, some in plain clothes and wearing balaclavas, swarmed around the yard just feet from where MPs had earlier attended Prime Minister's Questions. Jayne Wilkinson said: "We were taking photos of Big Ben and we saw all the people running towards us, and then there was an Asian guy in about his 40s carrying a knife about seven or eight inches long. "And then there were three shots fired, and then we crossed the road and looked over. The man was on the floor with blood. "He had a lightweight jacket on, dark trousers and a shirt. "He was running through those gates, towards Parliament, and the police were chasing him." Frazer Clarke, 25, from Burton-on-Trent, one of a group of young boxers who witnessed the attack, said: "We heard a loud bang and screaming and then I noticed some smoke. I thought it was a car crash. "I looked towards the front gate and people were running, a police officer and a fellow coming to the gate with two knives. "He was stabbing the police officer with the knives. "He was wearing black tracksuit bottoms, a black or grey top and what looked like work boots. "The police officer was stumbling and fell on the floor. "Another police officer walked toward the guy with the knives and shot him twice." Another witness, from South Africa and living in Ireland, said she and two friends went towards the palace gates and saw a man lying on the floor inside. She said: "I saw a body, they were working on the floor. They were just inside the gates. "He had one gunshot wound to the right side of his chest. I don't know if he was dead or alive, but people were working on him. "I saw that needed medical attention and I asked if I could help because I am a doctor, but they said they were fine." French teenagers injured on school visit Three French teenagers on a school visit to London were among those injured on Westminster Bridge. Le Telegramme reported the students, aged between 15 and 16, were wounded in the attack with one ending up on the roof of the car. The pupils from a school in Concarneau, Brittany, had arrived in London on Sunday evening. A spokeswoman for the Lycee Saint-Joseph de Concarneau confirmed three students were injured but said she could give no further information. France's prime minister confirmed French students were among those injured on bridge. Bernard Cazeneuve tweeted: "Solidarity with our British friends, terribly stricken, full support to the injured french students, their families and their comrades." Meanwhile, French President Francois Hollande said: "Terrorism concerns us all and France knows how the British people are suffering today. "We are doing everything to find out if French nationals have been involved." Edge Hill University students injured Four university students were injured as they were caught up in the attack on Westminster Bridge. They were among a group of 13 students and a lecturer from Edge Hill University, in Ormskirk, who were on the first day of a two-day educational visit to the Houses of Parliament. The students had just left Parliament and made their way on to Westminster Bridge after they had watched Prime Minister's Questions and met with MPs. Among those injured were Owen Lambert, 18, from Morecambe, Lancs, who needed stitches to a head wound, and Travis Frain, from Darwen. Dr John Cater, Vice Chancellor of Edge Hill University, told BBC North West Tonight: "They had just actually finished their session, were leaving the Parliament building and in the Westminster Bridge area where we understand ... they were involved in the incident. "We understand that two students have been taken to hospital but as walking wounded - one with a head wound and one with a wrist injury. There are two other students who have minor injuries who are with police and acting as witnesses. "The good news is that the other nine students are now back in a hostel receiving support and will return to the North West tomorrow." He added: "The details are invariably hazy I guess.Our assumption is that they were either knocked over by other people or struck by the vehicle. Obviously all of them will be somewhat traumatised by what they have seen as well." Earlier, the university tweeted: "All students and lecturer in Westminster have been accounted for and are being supported by the university." Prime Minister Theresa May was seen being ushered into a silver Jaguar in the grounds of the palace as what sounded like gunfire rang out at around 2.45pm. A Downing Street source confirmed she was "OK". Eyewitness Rick Longley described the attack. "We were just walking up to the station and there was a loud bang and a guy, someone, crashed a car and took some pedestrians out. "They were just laying there and then the whole crowd just surged around the corner by the gates just opposite Big Ben. "A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman. "I have never seen anything like that. I just can't believe what I just saw." Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: "There has been a serious incident near to Parliament Square this afternoon which is being treated as a terrorist attack until the police know otherwise. "I have spoken to the Acting Commissioner. The Metropolitan Police Service is dealing with the incident and an urgent investigation is under way. My thoughts are with those affected and their families. "I would like to express my thanks to the police and emergency services who work so hard to keep us safe and show tremendous bravery in exceptionally difficult circumstances. An air ambulance landed in Parliament Square and a regular ambulance came in through the front gates as medics rushed to help. Armed police cleared the area around the incident and Parliament Square and surrounding streets were closed to traffic while Parliament went into lockdown. As the sitting in the House of Commons was suspended, Commons Leader David Lidington told MPs: "What I am able to say to the House is there has been a serious incident within the estate. "It seems that a police officer has been stabbed, that the alleged assailant was shot by armed police." Witnesses described seeing a heavy-set man carrying a knife and running towards the Houses of Parliament. Jayne Wilkinson said: "We were taking photos of Big Ben and we saw all the people running towards us, and then there was an Asian guy in about his 40s carrying a knife about seven or eight inches long. "And then there were three shots fired, and then we crossed the road and looked over. The man was on the floor with blood. "He had a lightweight jacket on, dark trousers and a shirt. "He was running through those gates, towards Parliament, and the police were chasing him." Her partner David Turner added: "There was a stampede of people running out. "You saw the people and you thought 'what the hell is going on'." A witness, who did not want to be named, saw Mrs May and her undercover police detail near the area of Parliament where ministerial cars are parked. He said there were undercover officers in a 4x4 vehicle in the car park. "We just heard gunshots inside Parliament," he said. "It looked like they are taking her away." Another witness, from South Africa and living in Ireland, said she and two friends went towards the palace gates and saw a man lying on the floor inside. She said: "I saw a body, they were working on the floor. They were just inside the gates. "He had one gunshot wound to the right side of his chest. I don't know if he was dead or alive, but people were working on him. "I saw that needed medical attention and I asked if I could help because I am a doctor, but they said they were fine. "Then the police moved us back." Daily Mail political editor Jason Groves witnessed the incident from his office window. He said: "I heard a bang coming from Westminster Tube station, looked out the window, there's a commotion, armed cops were running, the crowd of people outside were running as if for their lives. Absent were Home Secretary Amber Rudd, who was away on an official trip to Pakistan, and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, in the US for a summit of nations involved in the fight against the Islamic State terror group. Speaking outside 10 Downing Street after chairing a meeting of the Government's Cobra emergencies committee, Mrs May paid tribute to the "exceptional men and women" of the police force who responded to the attack. She confirmed that a single attacker drove a car into pedestrians walking on Westminster Bridge, killing two of them, before running with a knife through the front gates of the Palace of Westminster, where he killed a police officer before being shot dead. She vowed that "the forces of evil" would never be allowed "to drive us apart". Mrs May said that any attempt to defeat the values that Parliament stands for was "doomed to failure". And she vowed: "We will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart." The UK's terror threat level would remain at "severe", Mrs May said. She praised the bravery of the police officers "who keep us and our democratic institutions safe". "Our thoughts and prayers go out to all who have been affected, to the victims themselves and to their families and friends, who waved their loved ones off but will not now be welcoming them home. "For those of us who were in Parliament at the time of this attack, these events provide a particular reminder of the exceptional bravery of our police and security services who risk their lives to keep us safe. "Once again today, these exceptional men and women ran towards the danger, even as they encouraged others to move the other way." She said Parliament would "meet as normal" on Thursday. "We will come together as normal and Londoners and others from around the world who have come here to visit this great city will get up and go about their day as normal." Mrs May said that the UK's security threat level, which has stood at "severe" for some time, will not be raised as a result of the incident. The exact details of the "sick and depraved terrorist attack on the streets of our capital this afternoon" were still emerging, she said, adding: "Having been updated by police and security officials, I can confirm that this appalling incident began when a single attacker drove his vehicle into pedestrians walking across Westminster Bridge, killing two people and injuring many more, including three police officers. "This attacker, who was armed with a knife, then ran towards Parliament, where he was confronted by the police officers who keep us and our democratic institutions safe. "Tragically, one officer was killed. The terrorist was also shot dead. "The United Kingdom's threat level has been set at severe for some time and this will not change. "Acting Deputy Commissioner Rowley will give a further operational update later this evening." She said Parliament would "meet as normal" on Thursday. "We will come together as normal and Londoners and others from around the world who have come here to visit this great city will get up and go about their day as normal." Mrs May said that the UK's security threat level, which has stood at "severe" for some time, will not be raised as a result of the incident. The exact details of the "sick and depraved terrorist attack on the streets of our capital this afternoon" were still emerging, she said, adding: "Having been updated by police and security officials, I can confirm that this appalling incident began when a single attacker drove his vehicle into pedestrians walking across Westminster Bridge, killing two people and injuring many more, including three police officers. "This attacker, who was armed with a knife, then ran towards Parliament, where he was confronted by the police officers who keep us and our democratic institutions safe. "Tragically, one officer was killed. The terrorist was also shot dead. "The United Kingdom's threat level has been set at severe for some time and this will not change. "Acting Deputy Commissioner Rowley will give a further operational update later this evening." The Cobra committee brings together government ministers with senior officials of the emergency services and security and intelligence agencies. Meeting in a briefing room of the Cabinet Office on Whitehall, Cobra co-ordinates the high-level response to serious incidents, and has previously gathered after terrorist atrocities, including the July 7 attacks on the London transport network and the murder of soldier Lee Rigby. The White House said US President Donald Trump spoke with Mrs May to "offer his condolences on today's terror attack in London and his praise for the effective response of security forces and first responders. "He pledged the full cooperation and support of the United States Government in responding to the attack and bringing those responsible to justice." US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said: "On behalf of the United States, I express my condolences to the victims and their families. "The American people send their thoughts and prayers to the people of the United Kingdom. "We condemn these horrific acts of violence, and whether they were carried out by troubled individuals or by terrorists, the victims know no difference." Cobra is named after Cabinet Office Briefing Room A, in which it often meets. In recent times, Downing Street has begun referring to it as COBR, as it sometimes meets in Briefing Room B. Politicians describe chaotic scenes Tory peer Pauline Neville-Jones, a former security minister, told the Press Association from the locked down office of an MP: "I was coming in from the dedicated entrance at Westminster Tube station into Parliament and as I was going in to the entrance I was faced with a large number of people running in the opposite direction shouting 'get out get out'. "So I went out went upstairs where I saw the car which appears to have carried the assailant. "On the pavement on the opposite side of the road, crushed up against the railings, you could see two people, one of them under the wheels of the car the other further away, who had clearly been hit by it. "There were already people kneeling down and treating them when the police arrived and ambulances arrived, so it was very prompt. "I must have been there only three or four minutes after the assailant left the car. "There were a lot of people but by then the street scene was quite calm, although there were people tending those who had obviously been injured. "We came around the corner into Whitehall and then back into Parliament. "I did conclude, on the face of it, that this was a terrorist incident. "And it's the kind of terrorist incident that's very hard to deal with because, as we now know, this is the kind of incident that can be mounted without necessarily leaving any kind of trail which the police and security services and intelligence services can actually pick up to prevent it. "It's very simple to organise, it appears to be one individual with a car and with a knife." Ms Neville-Jones said the police will have trained to respond to such an incident. She said: "Yes. It's very hard to prevent, what the police and blue light services do plan for is very quick recovery, and that's to say moving in extremely fast in order to capture as much information as is available straight away, not allowing any assailants to get away, and keeping the people who are being attacked, and whatever institution it is, keeping the people in it safe. "All of that worked." UUP peer Lord Empey: British people will not be cowed Ulster Unionist Peer Lord Empey has said that the British people will not be cowed by any terror threat and will stand together as a United Kingdom. Speaking from Westminster, Lord Empey said: "Todays shocking attack on the Palace of Westminster will be condemned by all right-thinking people. "My deepest sympathies go out to the families, friends and colleagues of three innocent victims  including an extremely brave police officer - who have lost their lives and I hope that the injured can make a full recovery. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those who have been affected. "History demonstrates that the British people do not frighten easily. This was an attack on the Mother of Parliaments, the seat of our democracy, our nation's Capital City. "If anyone thinks that this type of attack will frighten or intimidate our citizens, they are badly mistaken. London has faced terrorism before and life defiantly carried on. The British people will face down any threat that comes our way. Our democracy and our nation will endure, as one United Kingdom." SDLP South Down MP Margaret Ritchie has said her thoughts are with victims. Ms Ritchie has been in Westminster throughout the attack. The SDLP all three of the party's MPs as well as their staff are safe. Ms Ritchie said: "The events at Westminster today are a tragic reminder of the threat that police officers and public representatives face simply for doing their jobs. My thoughts and prayers are first and foremost with the victims of this attack. Many are injured and a number have already lost their lives. A tragedy has unfolded here today. "I am extremely grateful for the dedicated professionalism of House of Commons staff and police who have taken control here and ensured the safety of others at the scene including many tourists and children." President of Ireland condemns attack President of Ireland Michael D Higgins has sent a sympathy message over the Westminster terror attack. The Irish Republic's head of state is to write to the Queen and London Mayor Sadiq Khan to express the sympathy "of the Irish people with the families of those who have lost their lives and to those who have been injured". President Higgins said he wanted to express "the sympathy, condolences and solidarity of the Irish people with our neighbours at this difficult time". "I wish to extend my condolences and on behalf of my Government, my support to the people of London and the UK. Terror and violence will never triumph over democracy," he said. Taoiseach Enda Kenny took to Twitter to express solidarity and condolences. "On behalf of Government I send our support to PM May & British people. Condolences to the families of the victims and thoughts with the injured," he said. No Irish are believed to have been caught up in the attack. Echoes of attacks in Europe Investigations into the emergency at Westminster are in their infancy, but the early details echo terrorist incidents in Europe and chime with warnings from security chiefs about possible attack methods. Although Britain has until now remained unscathed amid the recent flurry of atrocities on the continent, senior figures have repeatedly cautioned that the UK remains a major target. Earlier this month it was revealed that 13 potential attacks have been foiled since the murder of Lee Rigby in 2013, while counter-terrorism units are running more than 500 live investigations at any time. The official threat level for international terrorism has been at severe - meaning an attack is "highly likely" - for more than two years. And the events at Westminster appear to tally with warnings about the threat posed by more rudimentary tactics, such as lone or small numbers of assailants carrying out knife attacks or using vehicles as weapons, in addition to more large-scale bomb or firearms plots. The possibility that vehicles could be used to inflict multiple casualties were confirmed in horrifying fashion in the Nice attacks in July last year when dozens of people were killed when a lorry ploughed into a large crowd watching a fireworks display to mark the Bastille Day holiday. Months later an attacker drove a lorry into a crowded Christmas market in central Berlin, killing several people and injuring dozens more. Both Islamic State and al Qaida have previously urged followers to use vehicles to carry out attacks. A report published in December by Europol, the EU's law enforcement agency, said the bloc was facing a range of terrorist threats and attacks including the use of bladed weapons and vehicles. In January former terror laws watchdog David Anderson spoke of a "realisation on the part of the terrorists that they don't need sophisticated explosives plots to take great numbers of lives". He added: "People using automatic weapons, heavy goods vehicles, even knives, machetes, and securing all the publicity they could possibly want from deploying relatively simple weapons such as that." Scotland Yard counter-terror chief Mark Rowley said earlier this month that police are concerned about "everything from fairly simple attacks with knives or using vehicles all the way through to the more complex firearms attacks". Security services and police will be starting to piece together the possible motivations behind the attack on Wednesday, but the location - the heart of British democracy - will be seen as highly significant. It comes days after the Metropolitan Police staged a mock "pleasure boat" attack on the Thames to test the emergency response to such an emergency. Casualty bureau A casualty bureau has been set and people in the UK worried about loved ones should call 0800 0560944 or 0207 1580010.
Terms of service We use cookies to collect and analyse information on site performance and usage, and to enhance and customise content and advertisements. By clicking "Accept" you agree to allow cookies to be placed. To decline please click here. To find out more or to change your cookie settings, visit the cookies section of our Privacy Policy. Premium Mystery over white van in the Westminster 'terror attack': was the suspect being followed? As terrorism police and security sources insisted that the 29-year-old motorist arrested at the scene was not known to them or under surveillance at the time, analysis of footage of the attack reveals how an unmarked van made a series of extreme manoeuvres to keep up with the suspect. A 47 second clip of the incident prompted Conservative MP Mark Francois, who served as a minister in the Ministry of Defence, to describe the mystery vehicles antics as classic security behaviour, similar to that used during surveillance operations. As terrorism police and security sources insisted that the 29-year-old motorist arrested at the scene was not known to them or under surveillance at the time, analysis of footage of the attack reveals how an unmarked van made a series of extreme manoeuvres to keep up with the suspect. A 47 second clip of the incident prompted Conservative MP Mark Francois, who served as a minister in the Ministry of Defence, to describe the mystery vehicles antics as classic security behaviour, similar to that used during surveillance operations. Detectives have now established that the suspect, understood to be from the West Midlands, drove the Fiesta, which is privately owned and has the registration FL10 CWZ, from Birmingham to London late on Monday night. From 1.55am to 5.55am it roamed around the West End, including along Tottenham Court Road near Soho, home to many late night clubs, before heading to Whitehall and Westminster at around 6am as the city wakes up. The van was seen following the car on footage taken by the BBC The footage shot by a BBC camera installed on top of a building on Millbank and permanently trained on Parliament Square captures the Fiesta and the van driving clockwise into Parliament Square. While the Fiesta does not have its lights on, the van does. The camera films the moments leading up to 7.37am when the suspect ploughs into the security barriers forcing two police to leap out of harms way. Nearly a minute before impact, the white van tries to keep up with the Fiesta, which has pulled into the inside lane on Parliament Square as if heading north to either Victoria or to loop around the square. Initially, the white van swerves from the outside lane to try stay behind the Fiesta. But the van is cut up by an ambulance responding to an emergency call which zig-zags across the lanes to overtake the suspect. After initially straddling two lanes, the van opts to follow the Fiesta into the inside lane. View more! While it is not known whether the terror suspect panics after seeing the flashing lights and hearing the ambulance siren, it swerves violently through what eye witnesses said was a red light before driving into waiting cyclists on the opposite side of the road. It mounts part of the pedestrian island and travels at speed west along Abingdon Street, directly opposite the House of Lords. While other motorists abandoned their cars to try to help the injured cyclists and pedestrians, the white van does no such thing. Instead, it give chase again, turning hard left cutting up a vehicle behind it, mounting part of the pedestrian island and also driving towards Abingdon Street. By then the Ford Fiesta has picked up speed and is about to ram the security barrier checkpoint. Despite the vans being blocked behind another vehicle, the driver is undeterred and tries to squeeze pass, again clipping the pedestrian island and eventually forcing the obstructing vehicle aside. It pulls up a few yards from the now smoking silver Fiesta which had petrol leaking across the road from the tank. Although no one actually gets out of the van, the BBC clip stops with the white van parked up facing the alleged attacker. It is not possible to see how many people are in the van, its number plate or any markings on the side of the vehicle. A security source claimed that a surveillance team normally would include a motorcyclist who would be able to give better pursuit in congested traffic, but the video footage appears to show no such motorcycle. Although Scotland Yard said an unmarked police vehicle was in the vicinity at the time, they said it was on completely unrelated matters, adding that officers who were unarmed got out but were not required as it was being handled by armed police. Other elements about the actual arrest appear unusual, certainly in comparison to the terror attack last year. While Khalid Masood was shot dead by armed police after he ploughed his SUV into pedestrians before running towards Westminster in March 2017, today's suspect was handcuffed and removed from the Ford Fiesta without appearing to resist in any way. Footage of him being led away showed him surprisingly calm. He had also targeted the House of Commons during the recess when few politicians attend the Palace of Westminster. This latest apparent attack has renewed calls for Parliament Square to be pedestrianised. View more! The road outside Parliament could be closed in a bid to prevent further attacks under plans being considered by ministers. Parliamentary authorities are in talks with the Home Office and Mayor of London about a feasibility study into permanently closing Abingdon Street to traffic. Ben Wallace, the security minister, confirmed that the Government has committed to help fund a 5 million study into such plans. It comes amid concerns that Parliament is in danger of losing its World Heritage status because of bollards and large steel defences erected in front of the 184-year-old building. Plans had been drawn up ten years ago to transform the square, one of the capitals most popular tourist destinations, into a pedestrianised piazza. However, they were scrapped by Boris Johnson when he became London Mayor. Ben Wallace, the security minister, confirmed that the Government has committed to help fund a 5 million study into pedestrianising Westminster Credit: Christopher Pledger Nigel Evans, the Conservative MP and former deputy speaker, said the latest attack again illustrated the need for something to be done to protect politicians. I first got elected 26 years ago, he told Talk Radio. There was none of that protection. There were not any armed police, all of that has been stepped up as a response to several instances in the past. I suspect this is now going to reignite the debate about whether the whole of Parliament Square should be pedestrianised to ensure anybody cant weaponise a vehicle and attempt, and indeed destroy, our democracy. He added that the if the attack was carried out by a terrorist he clearly didnt think things through because Parliament is in recess so very few MPs would have been at the Palace of Westminster. Sadiq Khan, the London Mayor, said it is a national disgrace that one of the capitals most famous squares is dominated by cars.
March 23 (UPI) -- Police on Thursday named the man they say carried out Britain's bloodiest attack in over a decade -- and in the process, killed four people and wounded nearly 30 others outside Westminster Palace in central London. Metropolitan Police identified the suspect as Khalid Masood, a British-born citizen who officials said lived in the West Midlands region of central Britain. "He was known to police and has a range of previous convictions for assaults, ... possession of offensive weapons and public order offences," Scotland Yard said Thursday. Investigators said Masood, 52, was shot dead by responding police at the gates of British Parliament Wednesday after he struck several people with his vehicle on nearby Westminster Bridge -- an attack that has been claimed by the Islamic State militant group. Authorities said Thursday that Masood was not the subject of any current terror probe, had no terror-related convictions and did not produce any intelligence classifying him as a significant terrorist risk. British Prime Minister Theresa May told MPs earlier Thursday that he was known to British counter-intelligence agency MI5, saying he was previously investigated as part of an operation exploring violent extremism. However, May noted that he had been a "peripheral" figure, not part of the "current intelligence picture" -- meaning he wasn't on authorities' immediate radar. "It is 'Islamist terrorism,' it is a perversion of a great faith," she told Parliament, adding that it's "wrong to describe this as 'Islamic' terrorism." Masood killed three people before he was shot -- two pedestrians on the bridge and a police officer at the Westminster gates. The victims are Police Constable Keith Palmer, 48, British citizen Aysha Frade, 43, and U.S. citizen Kurt Cochran, 54, of Utah. Twenty-nine people were injured -- seven critically, including Cochran's wife. "A great American, Kurt Cochran, was killed in the London terror attack. My prayers and condolences are with his family and friends," U.S. President Donald Trumpsaid in a statement. Metropolitan Police said late Thursday another victim had died from his wounds, a 75-year-old man who was removed from hospital life support. He was not immediately identified. British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson speaks at the United Nations on Thursday to address a terrorist attack in London that killed three victims and injured 29 others outside Westminster Palace. Johnson said the attack on Britain is an "attack on the world." Photo by John Angelillo/UPI The Metropolitan Police Service said eight people were arrested in London and Birmingham in connection to the attack earlier Thursday. British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said at the United Nations in New York City Thursday that the attack on London was an attack on the world. "The world is united to defeat the people who launched this attack, and to defeat their bankrupt and odious ideology," he said. "I say that with confidence, because our values are superior, our view of the world is better and more generous, and our will is stronger." "It is still our belief -- which continues to be born out by our investigation -- that this attacker acted alone yesterday and was inspired by international terrorism," Met Police Acting Deputy Commissioner Mark Rowley said. "To be explicit -- at this stage, we have no specific information about further threats to the public. ... We must not allow terrorists to create discord, distrust and fear." Police said they will handle the event as a "terrorist incident" until they learn otherwise. Authorities said Masood had prior convictions for violent offenses, including grievous bodily harm and assault, but was never convicted of terror crimes. His first criminal conviction occurred in 1983 for criminal damage and his most recent was in 2003 for possession of a knife, police said. Wednesday's was the deadliest attack in Britain since the July 7, 2005, terrorist bombings in central London that killed 52 people and injured nearly 800.
Questions on mainstream media response to Westminster attack Car had driven into a crowd of people outside Parliament, March 22. Photo: MGN Online LONDONHeralded as the most serious terrorist attack in London since the 7\7 bombings, which claimed 56 lives in July 2005, the recent Westminster incident which saw a 52-year-old man use his vehicle to mow down numerous civilians on Westminster bridge before killing a police officer has dominated headlines in recent days. Categorized by Prime Minister Theresa May and numerous media outlets as an attack on British values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech, some critics have begun to question whether this is a fair assessment of what appears to be the deranged actions of a single individual. British-born Khalid Masood, 52, is accused of carrying out the March 22 attack. He was shot and killed by a police officer shortly after the attack. Speaking to the BBC, Simon Jenkins, a respected author and former editor of the Evening Standard and The Times newspapers, accused the broadcaster of giving too much publicity to an incident he believes is better described as a crime rather than a terrorist attack. All over London people are doing crazier things with knives and cars and people are dying, he explained. While he was careful not to underplay the incident, Mr. Jenkins said media outlets were playing into terrorists hands by over reporting the incident due to the suspect being a self-professed Muslim. In this case, probably some crazy guy for all I know, whos gone mad, hes done something really stupid, and hes dead, its a crime, he said. Its quite different from ascribing it with this tremendous clutter of politics and Islam and religion. Its quite wrong and it is a new phenomenon, not on the part of the terrorists terrorism is just a method of getting publicity we are the people who give them publicity, and we are giving it to them now. Numerous journalists and social commentators have shared similar views, some contrasting the classification of the incident as terrorism with the British Governments more moderate view of Irish Republican Army (IRA) during the 70s and 80s. Response teams aiding to the injured on Westminster Bridge, near Parliament in London, March 22. Photo: MGN Online During this time period the group was responsible for numerous bombings, which resulted in upwards of 1,000 casualties, many of whom were civilians. In 1984, the IRA bombed the Grand Hotel in Brighton during the Conservative Party conference in 1984 targeting then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who survived. Five others were killed; over 30 people were injured with many being maimed for life. Nonetheless many believe these IRA attacks did not often receive the same frenzied media coverage despite the more pronounced and persistent threat the IRA posed at the time. There are growing fears that the characterisation of crimes committed by self-described Muslims, as terrorism will continue to fuel the rise of Islamophobia throughout the country. Last year, Anti-Muslim hate monitoring group Tell MAMA reported a 326 percent increase in incidents in between 2014 and 2015, with Muslims being punched, kicked, spat on and insulted with Muslim women being particularly targeted during physical attacks. Following the recent Westminster attack, a Muslim woman who was caught up in aftermath of attack, received a torrent of online abuse after a picture of her walking past one of the victims went viral on social media. The young woman who has not been named recently reached out to Tell MAMA to address her accusers directly; To those individuals who have interpreted and commented on what my thoughts were in that horrific and distressful moment, I would like to say not only have I been devastated by witnessing the aftermath of a shocking and numbing terror attack, Ive also had to deal with the shock of finding my picture plastered all over social media by those who could not look beyond my attire, who draw conclusions based on hate and xenophobia. In the hours and days following the incident, numerous representatives of the UKs Muslim community have spoken out against the crime branding it a cowardly act completely out of sync with the core principle of Islam, peace. Meanwhile a crowdfunding effort launched by a Muslim man who was in Westminster at the time of the attack raised more than 22,000 ($27,322) in less than a day for victims and their families.
Osborne was described by neighbours as aggressive and strange. Photograph: Facebook The suspect in the Finsbury Park mosque attack has been named as Darren Osborne, a 47-year old married father of four living in a Cardiff suburb who recently voiced a hatred of Muslims. According to witnesses, Osborne shouted, I want to kill all Muslims as he drove a van into a crowd of worshippers in north London in the small hours of Monday morning. One person died and 11 were injured; Osborne survived the attack and was arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation or instigation of terrorism including murder and attempted murder. Camera phone footage showed him being captured by worshippers, who attacked him as he screamed, Kill me. When he was eventually arrested and loaded into the back of a police van in handcuffs, he waved to the gathered crowd. On Monday, neighbours in Pentwyn said that over the weekend, Osborne had called a 12-year-old Muslim neighbour an inbred and had been thrown out of a local pub for getting drunk, cursing Muslims and saying he would do some damage. Neighbours in the Cardiff suburb where he had lived for several years described him as aggressive and strange. They said it was unclear what he did for work. Some said he was jobless, but bought and sold cars. Osborne was brought up in Weston-super-Mare, where members of his family still live. People who said they knew him in Weston when he lived there described him as a fighter who would flip when he drank too much. Police on Monday were searching his home, a modern redbrick terrace, close to Cardiff golf club in the north-east of the city suburbs. It has a Dogs Trust charity sticker in the front window and a wheelbarrow and childs toy in the front garden. There was no immediate evidence that Osborne was an active member of a far right organisation. He was not known to the security services, according to Ben Wallace, the security minister. What I can say on this case is, this individual, so far as we know at the moment, was not known to us, but we are aware of a rise in the far right, said Wallace. This was quite clearly an attack on Muslims who looked like they were probably Muslims and they were coming from a prayer meeting, said the Met police commissioner, Cressida Dick. We treat this as a terrorist attack and we in the Met are as shocked as anybody in this local community or across the country at what has happened. Osbornes Muslim neighbour in Cardiff, Khadijh Sherazi, said she had never had any problems with him or his family until this weekend. Her son, Nadeem, 12, said: I was on my bike and he just came up to me and said, Inbred. Just out there [on the road]. It was just a normal voice. His sister, Nadia, 10, said she and her grandmother also heard Osborne in his garden using the same word. All of a sudden we heard him say, Inbred. I said to my nan: Did you hear that? She said it was probably to his dogs. Osborne also appears to have a Twitter account, which he has never used to send his own tweets, instead monitoring 32 other users, including Paul Golding and Jayda Fransen, the leaders of the far right party Britain First. Its mission statement states: We will restore Christianity as the bedrock and foundation of our national life as it has been for the last one thousand years. Osborne was born in Singapore and his mother, sister and nephew live in Weston-super-Mare. His mother, Christine Osborne, 72, told the Guardian: Im sorry, Im not talking to reporters. He is my son, if thats what you want to know. You should talk to his partner, Sarah, the mother of his four children. Later, in a telephone interview with ITV News, she described him as a complex person, but said: Thats all I can say. Its a terrible, terrible shock. Sarah Andrews, 42, works as a pub chef. The couple are believed to have separated in recent months. Neighbours said he would often shout at her and his children in the street. He always seemed an aggressive and strange person, said pharmacist Rebecca Carpenter. He never caused us any real problems, but we could often hear him shouting from the other side of the street. Regulars at the Hollybush pub close to his home told how he became very drunk on Saturday night. One said: He got chucked out as he was so drunk. He was cursing Muslims and saying he would do some damage. Pauline Tibbs, 48, said: The police have been back and forward here all day. Its a terrible shock. Ive seen him walking in the street but never spoken to him. He seemed normal enough. The Met police said in a statement: At this stage in the investigation, it is believed that the suspect acted alone, but we are of course investigating all the circumstances leading up to the attack. Sadiq Khan: The Finsbury Park imams heroism shows where London can find its strength Read more Several far right groups are active in south Wales. They include the South Wales National Front. Its leader, Adam Lloyd, denied any connection to the attacker. The man in question is not known to any of us here in South Wales National Front, and to our knowledge is not and never has been a member, he said. Although we will never condone or accept this kind of violent attacks here in SWNF, anyone with a right mind can see this is not a terrorist attack but a revenge attack. Osborne hired the vehicle used in the attack from Pontyclun Van Hire, a company based on an industrial estate close to the M4, 12 miles west of Cardiff. It said in a statement: We at Pontyclun Van Hire are shocked and saddened by the incident that took place at Finsbury Park last night. We are cooperating fully with the Metropolitan police investigation and our thoughts are with those who have been injured in this cowardly attack. It said it was assisting the police in any way we can. The hire company opens seven days a week, which means the van used in the attack could have been picked up just hours earlier. Edward Gardiner, who lives in a street near Osborne, said he saw a man sleeping in a van matching the description of the one used in the Finsbury Park attack late on Saturday night. He claimed he went to speak to the man and smelled alcohol on his breath. Gardiner said he had reported it to the police. He said: I saw a van with this man lying across the three seats. I went to give him a shake. He just grunted, but his breath smelled of alcohol. I reported it to the police. I dont know what happened. Then I saw the van and the mans picture today. A spokesman for South Wales police said all inquiries were being dealt with by the Met police. The Met refused to comment.
Londoners have shown sympathy and solidarity after the terrorist attack in Westminster. People took to Twitter using the hashtags #WeStandTogether and #WeAreNotAfraid to show their defiance. It came as London Mayor Sadiq Khan announced a vigil for the victims at Trafalgar Square at 18:00 GMT. A minute's silence was also held at 09:33 GMT in memory of PC Keith Palmer. He was one of four people who died in the attack on Wednesday. The minute's silence was timed for PC Palmer's shoulder number. Surrey Police tweeted images of its officers observing the silence. Image copyright@SurreyPolice And the Metropolitan Police in Hainault, Redbridge, tweeted their appreciation after a lady stopped an officer in the street to offer her sympathies at the death of PC Palmer. Image copyright@MPSHainualt On the streets of central London at lunchtime it was business as usual with crowds of people hurrying along Oxford Street and Regent Street. One couple on holiday from Lithuania, Valentina and Saulius Nartinis, both 63, said they were unconcerned by what they had seen. "We were about 100 yards from Big Ben when it [the attack] happened," said Mr Nartinis. "We saw the car crash into the gate [at Parliament]. We didn't know what was going on at first. We were there for about two hours." Image caption Valentina and Saulius Nartinis were 100 yards from Big Ben when the attack happened "It's quite dangerous but its a big city," said Mrs Nartinis. Both said there had not been a terrorist incident in Lithuania in 20 years, but what they had witnessed had not put them off going out. Mr Nartinis added: "In the last five years we have been to Paris, Rome and now London. It's the same in any big city but we're not afraid." Across social media people wrote messages of support and remembrance. Others invoked the "Blitz spirit" warning potential terrorists the capital had been through worse and survived. They included one who tweeted: "Dear terrorists. This is the spirit you are trying to break. You won't succeed. Love from us" alongside an image of a woman drinking tea during the Blitz. Others tweeted messages of support including Sophie Yiannouris who tweeted the message board at Richmond station containing a quote from Transport for London staff which read: "Bad things do happen in the world... But out of those situations arise stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things." A club spokesman said: "Keith was a familiar face at The Valley to many supporters and sat in his same East Stand seat for many years. "Keith was a true hero who will be greatly missed by all the Charlton family and everyone at the club would like to offer their sincere condolences to his family and friends at this extremely difficult time." Image copyrightCAFC Several football clubs also tweeted messages of support and remembrance for the victims of the attack on Westminster Bridge. Tottenham Hotspur tweeted: "The thoughts of everyone at the Club are with all those affected by yesterday's incident in Westminster." Image copyright@SpursOfficial Meanwhile, Queens Park Rangers tweeted the "thoughts of everyone at #QPR are with those affected by the atrocities in #Westminster". Image copyright@QPRFC Elsewhere, the flag above Lambeth council's offices was shown at half mast as the borough, linked to Westminster by the bridge on which the attack began, remembered those who died. Image copyright@lambeth_council Despite the attacks many people tweeted how normal a day Thursday was, highlighting how little affect the attacks had had on ordinary Londoners going about their usual business. Image copyright@markydonovan Image copyright@SCMLondonMet Still more expressed their pride at living in a city of diverse people's and cultures including Lily Piachaud who tweeted: "Proud, as I always am, to be a Londoner and live in a city full of kind, tolerant people who respect and value difference #WeAreNotAfraid."
British police are trying to determine why a 29-year-old man crashed a car into security barriers outside the United Kingdom's Houses of Parliament Tuesday morning in an attack that's being investigated as a terrorist incident. The suspect appears to have deliberately targeted one of London's most iconic spot during rush hour Tuesday morning, hitting pedestrians and cyclists before smashing to a barrier, Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said Tuesday. Three people were injured -- one was treated at the scene and the other has been discharged from the hospital. No one was killed. Parliament is currently in summer recess, meaning the normally bustling center of British government was more empty than usual. The suspect was then arrested and is currently being detained at a south London police station, authorities said. Not much is known about the 29-year-old detained in the crash, but Metropolitan Police said in a news release that he is a British national. British Security Minister Ben Wallace revealed in an interview with the BBC that the suspect is a British citizen who moved from another country. Roger Godsiff, a member of Parliament who represents Birmingham Hall Green, said on Twitter the suspect was believed to have been from his constituency. "I have told the police and security services that they have my total support in doing whatever is necessary to protect the public in London and Birmingham," he said. The vehicle used in the attack left Birmingham late Monday night and arrived in London just after midnight Tuesday, authorities said. Detectives are searching two addresses in Birmingham and one with Nottingham. No other arrests have been made. Security increased Security in the area has been increased since a pair of deadly attacks near the British capital's iconic landmarks last year. The first took place in March 2017, when a 52-year-old British man rammed a rental car onto the sidewalk on Westminster Bridge, killing four. He also stabbed an unarmed police officer. Then in June, seven people were killed when a white van struck pedestrians on London Bridge. Authorities are now trying to learn more about the suspect in Tuesday's attack on Parliament House, though he is "not cooperating," Basu said. He was not believed to have been known to MI5 or counter-terrorism police, Basu said. The driver was alone in the car and no weapons were recovered at the scene, an area popular with tourists visiting the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. Authorities do not believe there is any further danger to Londoners or the wider UK related to the crash, Basu said. The attack The attack took place shortly after 7:30 a.m. Tuesday. The man's car collided with cyclists and pedestrians before crashing into the barrier. He was then detained at gunpoint. "I heard some noise, and someone screamed. I turned around and I saw a silver car driving from the crossing -- very fast and close to the railings, maybe even on the pavement," witness Ewelina U. Ochab said. There was a loud bang from the collision and a bit of smoke. The driver did not get out. The guards started screaming to people to move away. One elderly man rushed me to hide behind a monument, just in case." UK Prime Minister Theresa May chaired an emergency COBRA meeting to discuss the incident Tuesday, which she called "shocking." "For the second time in as many years the home of our democracy, which is a potent symbol of our precious values of tolerance and freedom, has witnessed terrible scenes just yards from its door," said May. "The threat to the United Kingdom from terrorism remains severe. 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. The twisted aim of the extremists is to use violence and terror to divide us. They will never succeed," May said. "Another terrorist attack in London...These animals are crazy and must be dealt with through toughness and strength!" Trump said. Trump and London Mayor Sadiq Khan have sparred in the past over immigration policy. The US President drew the ire of a number British politicians last year for appearing to criticizeKhan in the wake of the June terror attack in London. When asked about Trump's Tuesday tweet, Khan demurred. "I think all of us are angry when it comes to these acts of terror being committed. The British Parliament, the Prime Minister Theresa May, works closely with me as the Mayor to make sure we do all that we can do," Khan said in an interview with CNN. "There is an issue about resources, and I continue to lobby the government to have more resources to keep our city safe, but all of us must do our best as politicians to make sure that police services, security services have the resources they need to be tough on terrorism but to be tough on the causes as well," he said. CNN's Gianluca Mezzofiore and Sarah Tilotta contributed to this report from London.
Hundreds of people gathered on Westminster bridge and outside the Houses of Parliament to pay their respects to the four people who were killed in last weeks terror attack in central London. At 2.40pm on Wednesday, precisely a week after Khalid Masood drove into crowds of tourists and passersby on the bridge before stabbing to death a police officer at the nearby Palace of Westminster, the crowds fell silent, many bowing their heads. Among their number were scores of police officers, some of whom carried a single white rose in tribute to their murdered colleague PC Keith Palmer, and dozens of Muslim faith leaders, schoolchildren and young people who were united in their condemnation of the attack. They gathered alongside Jewish and Christian faith leaders, tourists, workers from nearby offices, medics from nearby St Thomas hospital  many of whom had rushed to treat the injured a week earlier  and other passersby. Standing by a lamp-post to which bunches of daffodils and tulips had been tied, Margaret Blackwell fought back tears as she said she just had to come from her home in Kensworth, Bedfordshire, to pay her respects. How would she describe the mood? Its very melancholy. We all feel the same. Its complete shock. Muslim children carrying placards at the vigil. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA Noelle Lynch, an Irishwoman now living in the Isle of Dogs, east London, had brought her sons Rowan, 12, and Jack, eight, because having lived through the IRA campaigns in London in the 1980s, I think its so important to show that we all stand together. Her children had been a little nervous about coming, she said, but I said: Dont worry. Were not going to give in. Thats what I noticed about London. Its all about showing we are not scared. Westminster terror attack vigil  in pictures Read more The vigil was one of a number of commemorations that took place on Wednesday, including a minutes silence observed at New Scotland Yard, the Metropolitan police headquarters. The Duke of Cambridge, visiting the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, laid a wreath for Palmer at the police memorial. Three people were killed and more than 50 injured when Masoods Hyundai 4x4 ploughed along the pavement on the bridge at more than 70mph  American tourist Kurt Cochran, Aysha Frade, a British teacher originally from northern Spain, and Londoner Leslie Rhodes, 75, all died. A woman kisses a white rose on Westminster Bridge during the vigil. Photograph: Carl Court/Getty Images Masood then stabbed and killed Palmer, having burst through the gates of the Houses of Parliament complex. He was shot dead by plainclothes officers moments later. Aside from the officers who had come to pay their respects, the police presence was highly visible, with police vans and mounted officers securing either end of the bridge, and others in high visibility uniform mingling with the crowd, along with a number of heavily armed officers carrying semi-automatic weapons. People gathered on Westminster Bridge for the vigil. Photograph: Carl Court/Getty Images Manuel Rua was leading a party of 15 and 16-year-olds from from As Barxas school in the town of Moaa, Galicia, the same region as Frades birthplace. The students, though a little nervous after arriving in the UK only yesterday, had asked to come and lay flowers, he said. It was their idea to do this, to pay their respects and in a humble way to express how deeply they have been affected by this. Abdul Hye Khan, the secretary of Bangladeshi Muslims UK, said he had gathered with other Muslim community and faith leaders to show our solidarity with those killed here by this barbaric attack. We dont support this kind of attack in the name of Islam or any other faith. On Wednesday, the family of Frade released a statement saying she would be remembered as a guardian angel who never shied away from facing up to bullies. You were ripped away from our lives in the cruellest and most cowardly of ways. We now pray that you guide and protect not only us, but all of London, from further evil. There are no words to even begin to describe the crushing pain and eternal void left in our hearts. The police presence was highly visible on the bridge, with police vans and mounted officers securing the ends of the bridge, and others in uniform mingling with the crowd, along with a number of officers carrying semi-automatic weapons. Inquest hears details of Westminster attack victims' injuries Read more Police officers also held a minutes silence outside New Scotland Yard. Craig Mackey, the acting commissioner of the Metropolitan police, said: This afternoon is about remembering the victims of last weeks events. Our thoughts, our prayers, go out to everyone who was affected by the events last week. I would urge you, if you get time, to go on to the bridge, talk to Londoners, talk and get a feel for this great city and how its come together in responding to these events. Police arrested 12 people after the attack. One, a 58-year-old man from Birmingham who was detained on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts, was released on Wednesday with no further action. A 30-year-old man remains in custody and a 32-year-old woman has been bailed, having been arrested on suspicion of the same offence. The other nine have been released. Officers have carried out searches at 17 addresses across England and Wales.
A man has been held on suspicion of terrorism offences after a car was driven into pedestrians and cyclists before crashing outside parliament in Westminster, as Downing Street revealed authorities were working on hundreds of live counter-terrorism investigations. The suspect, a 29-year-old British national, was arrested at the scene after armed police officers swooped on a silver Ford Fiesta that had crashed into security barriers on St Margaret Street at about 7.40am on Tuesday. The Guardian understands his name is Salih Khater, who lives in the Sparkbrook area of Birmingham and is of Sudanese origin. Scotland Yard said the man was not known to the security services and was not cooperating with investigating officers, but owing to the crash appearing to be deliberate and the location it was being treated as a suspected terrorist attack. The car travelled to London from Birmingham on Monday night and spent the time between around 1.25am and 5.55am in the Soho area, before moving to Westminster and Whitehall at about 6am where it remained before the incident an hour and 40 minutes later, police said. Two addresses in Birmingham and one in Nottingham were searched on Tuesday. Roger Godsiff, the MP for Birmingham Hall Green, said: Todays attack at Westminster was carried out by an individual who is believed to have been living in my constituency in Birmingham. Nottinghamshire police said they were supporting counter-terrorism officers as they searched a residential property in the Radford area of the city. The address is thought to be a flat on Peveril Street. Neighbours told the Press Association that the house, shared by occupants, is home to six Sudanese people. Ibrahim Ahmed, 24, who lives in the same terrace row, said: Its Sudanese people who live there. The Nottingham Post reported that the car involved in the incident was registered to an address in Nottingham. The current owner of the vehicle bought it on 20 June this year. Two men and one woman were injured in the crash. One was treated at the scene and two were taken to hospital and eventually discharged. Theresa May said the threat level to the UK remained at severe, meaning an attack was considered highly likely. The prime ministers spokesman said the security services and counter-terrorism police were carrying out 676 live investigations at the end of June, up from more than 500 in March. He said 13 Islamist plots and four plots by far-right extremists had been foiled in the past 18 months. The home secretary, Sajid Javid, urged people to keep an open mind about what had happened. There are understandably a lot of questions about the incident  The briefing I have received from counter-terrorism police and the security services is that work is ongoing and they are doing everything they can to find out more, he said. Kirsty Moseley, 31, one of the closest witnesses to the attack, told the Guardian the driver did not shout or say anything as the car collided with as many as 15 cyclists, and he appeared focused. CCTV footage showed the car swerve across a central reservation near Parliament Square and then accelerate down St Margaret Street before crashing into barriers. Pedestrians were seen leaping out of its path. The scenes had echoes of the Westminster Bridge attack in March 2017, which prompted the extension of steel and concrete security barriers around the Houses of Parliament. Khalid Masood ploughed a car into crowds on the bridge, killing four people, before stabbing and killing an unarmed PC, Keith Palmer. Another witness to Tuesdays crash, Ewalina Ochab, said: The car drove at speed and towards the barriers. I was walking on the other side [of the road]. I heard some noise and someone screamed. She said the car did not appear to have a front registration plate. I turned around and I saw a silver car driving very fast close to the railings, maybe even on the pavement. The person driving did not go out of the vehicle. Play Video 1:15 Houses of Parliament: armed police swoop on crashed car  video Streets around Parliament Square, Millbank and Victoria Tower Gardens were cordoned off and the length of Whitehall was closed to traffic after the incident. Westminster tube station was closed for a time before reopening. Speaking outside New Scotland Yard, Neil Basu, the head of counter-terrorism policing in the UK, said: Given that this appears to be a deliberate attack, the method and this being an iconic site, we are treating it as a terrorist incident. Westminster security measures face further scrutiny after crash Read more May, who is on holiday in Italy, was informed of the incident at 8am and was given regular updates by officials. In a statement released by Downing Street, she praised the formidable courage and professionalism of the emergency services who ran towards a dangerous situation in order to protect the public. She said: The threat to the United Kingdom from terrorism remains severe. 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. The twisted aim of the extremists is to use violence and terror to divide us. They will never succeed. Mays spokesman said the current terror threat was one of the starkest that weve faced. The nature of the terrorist threat is changing, and so must our response. Between 2010 and 2017 there were 2,029 terror arrests in Great Britain; 412 were made in 2017. That is the highest since records began. Play Video 0:21 Westminster car crash: handcuffed man taken away by police  video Security officials held a Cobra meeting on Tuesday, chaired by the deputy national security adviser, Madeleine Alessandri, and attended by Basu and representatives from the mayor of Londons office. Downing Street said it was clear the security measures currently in place around the Palace of Westminster had worked effectively and significant numbers of police had been on the scene immediately. No plans have been made for May to return from her walking holiday in Italy. The chancellor, Philip Hammond, is the most senior minister currently in the UK. Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, said: My thoughts are with those hurt and injured outside parliament this morning in what is being treated as a terrorist incident. Our thanks go to our emergency services who responded immediately. Their bravery keeps us safe day in, day out. The US president, Donald Trump, tweeted: Another terrorist attack in London  These animals are crazy and must be dealt with through toughness and strength!
Eerie silence in Westminster after attack The House of Commons resumed business as planned in a show of defiance  even allowing in members of the public to watch, as usual. The only sounds were the helicopters circling above and the fountain in New Palace Yard, still gushing water just short distance from where police officer Keith Palmer was stabbed to death and his suspected assailant was shot. Parliament was locked down during the attack, in which the suspect first mowed down scores of people on nearby Westminster Bridge, leaving two members of the public dead and dozens injured. Related Posts 23 March, 2017British parliament attack: The victimsThree people were killed in the London terror attack outside the Houses of Parliament -- two members of the public and a police officer. Police said 40 were injured after the attacker ploughed a car along a pavement on a bridge before stabbing the pol... 23 March, 20175 dead in vehicle, knife attack at British ParliamentLONDON (AP)  A knife-wielding man went on a deadly rampage in the heart of Britain's seat of power Wednesday, plowing a car into pedestrians on London's Westminster Bridge before stabbing a police officer to death inside the gates of Parliament. Five people were killed, including [] 22 March, 2017Two dead, others injured in UK parliament 'terrorist incident'By Toby Melville and William James LONDON (Reuters) - An assailant stabbed a policeman and was shot by police just outside Britain's parliament building in London on Wednesday in what police described as a "terrorist incident". Amid confusing scenes,... 22 March, 2017Attack outside the Houses of Parliament in LondonA knife-wielding man went on a deadly rampage in the heart of Britains seat of power, plowing a car into pedestrians on Londons Westminster Bridge before stabbing a police officer to death inside the gates of Parliament. Five people were killed, including the assailant, in [] Russia and Turkey agreed to create a demilitarized zone in Syria's Idlib province, potentially thwarting a large-scale military operation and impending humanitarian disaster in the country's last rebel stronghold. The Saudi-led coalition fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen has launched a major offensive to recapture the strategic port city of Hodeidah, according to state media in the United Arab Emirates, a partner in the coalition.
LONDON  A vehicle mowed down pedestrians on Londons Westminster Bridge, killing at least one woman and leaving others with injuries described as catastrophic. Around the same time Wednesday, a knife-wielding attacker stabbed a police officer and was shot on the grounds outside Britains Parliament, sending the compound into lockdown. Authorities said they were treating the attacks as a terrorist incident. Some of those injured were French high school students, Frances prime minister said. The threat level for international terrorism in the U.K. was already listed at severe. Wednesday was the anniversary of suicide bombings in the Brussels airport and subway that killed 32 people, and the latest events echoed recent vehicle attacks in Berlin and Nice, France. There was no immediate claim of responsibility and it was not clear if there was more than one attacker. Prime Minister Theresa May, who was rushed from the building within minutes, will chair a meeting of the government emergency committee. London Police Commander B.J. Harrington said a full counterterrorism investigation was underway. The incident in London unfolded within sight of some of the citys most famous tourist sites, including the London Eye, a large Ferris wheel with pods that overlook the capital. It stopped rotating and footage showed the pods full as viewers watched police and medical crews on the bridge, which has at its north end Big Ben and Parliament, two iconic symbols. The whole length of the bridge there were people on the ground, Richard Tice, a witness, told Sky News. The London Ambulance Service said it had treated at least 10 people on the bridge, and British port officials said a woman was pulled from the River Thames, injured but alive. Colleen Anderson of St. Thomas Hospital said a female pedestrian died and around a dozen people were hurt. There were some with minor injuries, some catastrophic. Some had injuries they could walk away from or who have life-changing injuries, she said. French Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve offered support to the British and to the French students wounded, their families and their schoolmates. London is a common destination for French school trips. The French Foreign Ministry said that three students on a school trip from Saint-Joseph in the Brittany town of Concarneau were among the injured. The ministry said it was in contact with British authorities. Witness Rick Longley told the Press Association that he heard a bang and saw a car plow into pedestrians and come to a crashing stop. Images from the scene showed pedestrians sprawled on the ground, with blood streaming from a woman surrounded by a scattering of postcards. They were just laying there and then the whole crowd just surged around the corner by the gates just opposite Big Ben, he said. A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman. I have never seen anything like that. I just cant believe what I just saw. At Parliament, a body was seen lying in the yard. It wasnt clear if it was the attacker. Dennis Burns, who was just entering Parliament for a meeting, told the Press Association he heard a radio message saying an officer had been stabbed. Police and security rushed outside as he was going in. When I got inside I was wondering what the hell was going on and I saw dozens of panicked people running down the street, he said. The first stream was around 30 people and the second stream was 70 people. It looked like they were running for their lives. Daily Mail journalist Quentin Letts said he saw a man in black attack a police officer outside Parliament before being shot two or three times as he tried to storm into the House of Commons. He had something in his hand, it looked like a stick of some sort, and he was challenged by a couple of policemen in yellow jackets, Letts told the BBC. And one of the yellow-jacketed policemen fell down and we could see the man in black moving his arm in a way that suggested he was stabbing or striking the yellow-jacketed policeman. Lett said the other officer ran to get help and the man in black ran toward the entrance. As this attacker was running towards the entrance two plain-clothed guys with guns shouted at him what sounded like a warning, he ignored it and they shot two or three times and he fell, he said. As lawmakers were voting inside Parliament, they reported hearing the sound of gunshots. Parliament was locked down for two hours, and the subway station outside was shuttered. British security has thwarted some 13 terror plots over the past four years, but the UK has largely been spared major international terror attacks such as the ones seen in Belgium and France. Last year, a far-right supporter shot and killed British lawmaker Jo Cox, who had campaigned for the U.K. to remain in the European Union. Prior to that, an attacker stabbed three people at a train station in east London in response to the Royal Air Forces bombing of the Islamic State group in Syria. The most gruesome recent attack occurred in 2013 when two Muslim converts of Nigerian descent attacked Lee Rigby, a British Army soldier who was walking down the street. The men ran Rigby down with their vehicle and then used a cleaver to hack him to death as bystanders watched in horror. The worst peace time attack on Britain this century was on July 7, 2005, when four Al-Qaida-inspired bombers blew themselves up on three subway trains and a bus in London, killing 52. Three of the bombers were British-born, all of Pakistani descent; the other emigrated from Jamaica.
My deluded friend; as you settle in to find out Allah has a sense of humour and your 72 virgins all look like Kellyanne Conway, may I thank you. But first let me put you right on a few things. You failed. You are no terrorist. Did you really think you could terrorise a city with your pathetic, murderous use of a really rather small car to hit people on the pavement? Even those in Berlin and Nice who are probably your role models were sensible enough to use a lorry. At least you could have hired a van, crashing your less than 9 months old car is really going to bugger up your insurance premium or if its a rental, there goes your deposit. Did you think you could destroy a city that has survived two great fires, one at the hands of Boudicca whose statue you passed at the end of Westminster Bridge? OK the other was probably a cooking accident but it did get rid of the plague rats. You are not one of the big players. You are not even up to the standard of the Zeppelin crews who threw bombs out by hand in WWI. Herr Goerings bombers caused more damage than you ever could. Perhaps that thought passed through your mind as you ran past the statue of Winston Churchill. Oh, and you crashed because like your failed colleagues at Glasgow Airport in 2007, you didnt take account of the security barriers. Unlike them, you didnt have your vehicle loaded with gas cannisters. What a loser! The security barrier that sweeps round the base of Big Ben made you swerve and crash. You obviously wanted to drive through the checkpoint at the entrance to Old Palace Yard where the MPs go in. Instead you hit the fence at almost exactly the place the IRA killed Airey Neave in 1979. Ill forgive you not having explosives as they are rather difficult to get the ingredients for these days thanks to earlier efforts. But a two door Hyundai, that even the British media had to exaggerate and call an SUV, and a couple of kitchen knives? Come off it! Didnt you even have enough self respect to get something bigger? I know its difficult these days but there are places in London where you can get illegal firearms and large bladed weapons. The killers of Lee Rigby who you copycatted had a cleaver and there were two of them Mr No Mates! Too scared of the police finding out about you if you tried to get a real weapon? That sound is those virgins smirking at your courage. As you pushed your way into Old Palace Yard no doubt you thought Kieth Palmer not having a firearm would make your mission easier. Instead that courageous unarmed policeman tackled you and you stabbed him to death for his efforts. Its his name and those of your other victims, not yours, that will be remembered. Just as the name of the MP Joe Cox, who was also killed by a knife wielding fanatic, not her killer who is remembered. Your name will not go down in infamy. In a few years you will be an aside on a little read Wikipedia page. You are no doubt pleased that you managed to kill 4 or 5 other people, injured a couple of score of others and made some frightened tourists run away from the area but you are no hero. The heroes are the passsers-by who rushed to help those injured and dying on Westminster bridge, the woman bus driver who rushed to get help for one, PC Palmer who stopped you despite being unarmed and those who rushed to treat him and you as you both lay dying. Your crimes will not change much. There will be a few more police holding automatic rifles wandering around London giving directions to lost tourists for the next couple of weeks. You managed to get Westminster tube station closed for the evening and lots of buses redirected in the immediate area. But most of the crime scene will be open by the morning. Commuters will make their grumpy way to work, more worried about strikes on Southern Rail than anything you caused. Both houses of Parliament will resume their work on Thursday, pausing to remember those you killed and injured. We will comfort the injured and bereaved. In due course we will erect a dignified memorial as a place for the relatives to gather and remember their loved ones. Therell be a brief ceremony on significant anniversaries to help them. However, its one your biggest failures that I want to thank you for. No doubt your aim was to divide communities and make Muslims feel victims of persecution to radicalize them. Boy will you fail in that and even more. At a time when the country has been divided by the Brexit vote and possible Scottish independence, you have united the people. You failed to learn that lesson from 7/7 and the bomber of the Admiral Duncan. He sought to divide the Afro-Caribbean, Muslim Asian and gay communities by his bombing campaign. Instead it made them closer through having a shared would-be oppressor. Most of all, you reminded us of the biggest legacy of 7/7  the exploration, definition and promotion of the fundamental British values that unite us. Lets look at them as set out for teaching in schools and part of the test for naturalization: democracy; the rule of law; individual liberty; mutual respect for and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs and for those without faith Democracy. Well by attacking parliament you may well have increased respect for at least one MP. Rather than running from the scene, Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood rushed to help Kieth Palmer, administring mouth-to-mouth and heart massage. He lost his brother in the Bali bombings and still went towards your victim. Proceedings had to be suspended while you were dealt with but resume in the morning. Rule of Law. Despite you stabbing PC Palmer, you were still warned to drop the knives by the armed policemen. Individual Liberty. As soon as you were disarmed, every attempt was made to save your life. The image of you and Kieth Palmer being treated almost side by side reminds the public of the respect for human rights inherent in the education of police officers. Your death will be thoroughly investigated by the Independent Police Complaints Commission to confirm your shootng was lawful. If they do not, the policeman will be sanctioned and likely prosecuted. Mutual Respect. The Coroner will make every effort to release your body for burial within the time scale proscribed by Islam. Very likely no invasive autopsy will be performed if your relatives request it and it is possible to do so. Mark Rowling, the deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police and the one in charge of anti-terrorism emphasised that he will be liasing with the Muslim community and will be actively preventing far-right groups from persecuting them. At a time when the formal Section 50 notice is about to trigger Brexit negotiations, your actions against those French schoolchildren has revealed a mutual solidarity between Britain and France. Your greatest failure was your not learning the lesson of 7/7. It bought we Londoners of our many faiths and nationalities together as one. You fail to terrorise and achieve your aims because of what London has seen before. Your reminded us of that. Simply put, London cannot be terrorized. Attacks make us stronger and more united. You allowed Londoners and our guests to show their basic decency, humanity and courage. Those uninjured will carry on with our lives as before. Some injured, like those on 7/7 will see new opportunities and like them become winning paralympians. We were not afraid after 7/7 and we are still not afraid.
But security services have been warning of a shift since the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox in 2016, with the past year seeing five mainly Isis-inspired terror attacks leave 36 victims dead in London and Manchester. Giving a lecture at an event held by the Policy Exchange think tank, Mr Rowley said: A deeply concerning characteristic is how both far-right and also Islamist terrorism are growing, allowing each side to reaffirm their grievances and justify their actions. He said police and MI5 have disrupted 10 Islamist plots and four far-right plots since the Westminster attack in March last year. Mr Rowley, who is to retire next month, declined to give details of the four cases for legal reasons, but said they represent a combination of organised and individual action. He and five other men arrested in connection with the plot are accused of being members of the neo-Nazi terrorist group National Action. Several alleged members have been charged with terror offences, including serving British soldiers, following a wave of police operations. It became the first far-right organisation to be banned by the Government in December 2016, sparking efforts by members to evade arrest by splitting into renamed regional factions including Scottish Dawn and NS131. Research and campaign group Hope Not Hate said that according to its count, 27 people were arrested or convicted of far-right inspired offences during 2017. Far-right terrorism and violent extremism is on the rise, something that concerns us greatly and which we have long warned the authorities to take note of, said chief executive Nick Lowles. More worryingly, it is a trend which we fear is going to continue. The threat from the British far right is growing and evolving. Many see themselves in a war with Islam and as a result we must be prepared for more terrorist plots and use of extreme violence from the far right for the foreseeable future. Officials said Sikh and Northern Ireland-related radicalism was also seen, while a significant proportion could not be put into one category because of a more general propensity towards mass murder and violence that covers several groups. Around a third of all those flagged were deemed to need no further action, half were passed on to alternative services and 14 per cent were considered by the counter-radicalisation Channel programme  where right-wing extremists make up more than a quarter of referees. The Governments revamped counter-terror strategy, which will be announced later this year, is expected to take a closer look at the far-right and ways to combat online messaging. Finsbury Park attack Finsbury Park attack 1/14 Police officers attend to the scene after a vehicle collided with pedestrians in the Finsbury Park, killing one person and injuring eight Reuters 2/14 The incident is being treated as a potential terror attack Reuters 3/14 A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder Reuters 4/14 Police cordon off a street in Finsbury Park AFP/Getty Images 5/14 A man prays in the street after the attack Reuters 6/14 Men gather and pray together in the street in the aftermath of the attack AFP/Getty 7/14 Reuters 8/14 PA 9/14 Onlookers gather near a police cordon EPA 10/14 Forensic investigators arrive at the scene PA 11/14 A forensic tent stands next to a van PA 12/14 A police officer talks with residents AFP/Getty Images 13/14 Onlookers watch proceedings at the security cordon AFP/Getty 14/14 Local residents react at the scene AFP/Getty Images 1/14 Police officers attend to the scene after a vehicle collided with pedestrians in the Finsbury Park, killing one person and injuring eight Reuters 2/14 The incident is being treated as a potential terror attack Reuters 3/14 A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder Reuters 4/14 Police cordon off a street in Finsbury Park AFP/Getty Images 5/14 A man prays in the street after the attack Reuters 6/14 Men gather and pray together in the street in the aftermath of the attack AFP/Getty 7/14 Reuters 8/14 PA 9/14 Onlookers gather near a police cordon EPA 10/14 Forensic investigators arrive at the scene PA 11/14 A forensic tent stands next to a van PA 12/14 A police officer talks with residents AFP/Getty Images 13/14 Onlookers watch proceedings at the security cordon AFP/Getty 14/14 Local residents react at the scene AFP/Getty Images While global efforts to remove terrorist propaganda has been largely focused on Isis, material like that consumed by Osborne as he prepared for the Finsbury Park terror attack is not illegal and remains online. You cant police the internet, a Channel intervention provider previously told The Independent. As a society we need to understand where the risks are and investigate those who are vulnerable so they can be resilient. Security services have warned of the growing risk of remote radicalisation online, which has driven the mounting terror threat and become a hallmark of Isiss bloody strategy to incite attacks worldwide. Mr Rowley, who entered policing during the IRA attacks of the 1980s, took on his role as the national lead for UK counter-terrorism policing the day before Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared the so-called Islamic State. He said Isis and other groups had become more of a cult than an organisation, shifting from regionally defined organisations to global movements. Mr Rowley argued that the terror threat will be tackled only when the whole of society responds to extremism at its source, including local policing, education, councils, media, internet firms, communities and the Government. With 600 ongoing investigations encompassing Islamist, extreme right-wing and other motivations, with more than 3,000 subjects of interest and more than 20,000 others who featured in past terrorism investigations, the challenge is unprecedented. I see extremists from Islamist and far-right persuasions both executing a common strategy by exploiting existing grievances in target communities, generating distrust of state institutions and then offering warped parallel alternatives, Mr Rowley warned. This helps create the isolated, fearful setting for terrorists to step into  whether thats in person or online  to inspire often vulnerable people to carry out attacks. Ironically, while Islamist and extreme right-wing ideologies may appear to be at opposing ends of the argument, it is evident that they both have a great deal in common.
Westminster attacker named as Khalid Masood The Conservative MP Tom Pursglove witnessed the shooting of the attack from close up yesterday. He has put a statement about this on his Facebook page. Heres an extract. I was witness to part of the attack and saw, at close proximity, the assailant being shot by a police officer, in what was a great act of bravery in order to protect the lives of others. This was obviously a very unpleasant and upsetting experience for all those who bore witness to it and I was particularly grateful to the prime minister who took the time to call me last night - this was extremely kind of her, given all that was going on. Surely this is the big takeout: when Donald Trump tries to makes America safer, when Donald Trump tries to make sure that these scenes weve had in Paris, Brussels and Berlin and now London arent repeated in America, we have people on Fifth Avenue and behind me in Westminster out on the streets protesting. What these politicians have done for the last 15 years may well affect how we live in this country for the next 100 years. He appeared on Fox News on Wednesday night, just hours after the attack, making a similar point. Weve made some terrible mistakes in this country, Farage told Sean Hannity on Fox News. When Donald Trump tries to put in place vetting measures, hes doing it to protect your country, he added. He wasnt the only hardline conservative to appear in the US media. the Daily Mail columnist Katie Hopkins also turned up on Carlsons Fox show, echoing Farages xenophobic rhetoric. Were a country that spends so much time tiptoeing around the cultures that refuse to join us and not enough time defending the culture theyve chosen to join, but because I say those things I am widely hated for those views. People are cowed, people are afraid and people are not united. UK writers on US alt-right websites also used the London terror attacks to incite hatred against Muslims. In a video on InfoWars, which published conspiracy theories about Hillary Clintons health during the 2016 election, writer Paul Joseph Watson argued that it was time to acknowledge that Islam is not a religion of peace and in serious need of reform. On Breitbart News, whose former executive chair Steve Bannon is now one of the most influential advisers to the president, the UK executive editor James Delingpole wrote a column declaring that Islamic terror attacks could end western liberal values. Jonathan Bartley, the Green party co-leader, has accused Ukip of trying to exploit the attack to divide communities. Responding to the statement from the Ukip leader, Paul Nuttall (see 1.55pm), Bartley said: Every time you think Ukip cant sink any lower, they do. It is abhorrent that Paul Nuttall is trying to capitalise on this terrible tragedy to create division between communities. Just a brief look around him would have revealed to Nuttall a resilient multicultural society coming together to reject violence. Trying to blame certain communities for this horrific incident is politics at its worst  the Ukip leader should be utterly ashamed. A tragic detail has emerged about the French school whose students were caught up in the attack on Westminster Bridge. Estelle Rouat, a pupil at the Lyce Saint-Joseph in Brittany, was one of the 89 victims who lost their lives in the massacre at the Bataclan concert hall during the Paris terror attacks of November 2015. High school students arrive at the Saint-Joseph school in Concarneau, western France. Photograph: Fred Tanneau/AFP/Getty Images Three of the pupils were injured in yesterdays attack, two seriously. A group of 36 year 11 and 12 pupils from the lyce was walking from parliament on to Westminster Bridge when they were struck by the attackers car. With the exception of the three wounded, all were due to fly home on Thursday. At least 100 people have attended a memorial in Spain to commemorate Aysha Frade, who was also killed in the terror attack on Wednesday, the Press Association reports. A minutes silence was held in the Galician municipality of Betanzos, where the British nationals family originates and where she spent her summers. Betanzos councillor Andres Hermida said the community in Spain was in enormous pain and shrouded in an atmosphere of sadness. He told the Press Association: We had a minutes silence in the Plaza de la Constitucion outside the local government building and we have declared three days of mourning, which will include flying the flag at half mast until Saturday. About 100 people attended despite the rainy weather. Frade, who worked in administration at independent sixth-form school DLD College London, in Westminster, is understood to have been 43 and married with two daughters. Reports said she had left work and was crossing Westminster Bridge as part of her usual routine when she was hit by the car. Her family is well known in Betanzos, where older sisters Silvia and Michelle run the Notting Hill English language academy. According to Hermida: The sisters suspended classes at the academy yesterday afternoon when they received the news and they left for London, we believe with their mother. Aysha spent her summers here and had many friends here since her childhood, so we are all very affected. You never think things like this will happen to you and its horrible luck when it happens at all, but when it happens close then it hurts that much more. Its an immense tragedy and an enormous pain  there is a big sadness in Betanzos. We have condemned the terrorist attack and promised our support to the family. An army veteran who was among the first on the scene of the Westminster attack has told how he tried to save the life of murdered police officer Keith Palmer. Tony Davis, who is now a GB Boxing coach, jumped over a barrier and tried to intervene moments after the officer was attacked. Davis, from Darlington, told ITVs This Morning he was leaving parliament following a press event with a group of boxers when he saw the attack taking place. There were people running, coming round towards the gate. All of a sudden I saw a large chap brandishing two knives come through the gates and start attacking the policeman. At that point instinct kicked in, I leapt over the fence because that guy needed assistance. The police were holding their ground and that is when poor Keith got attacked. You start moving back with adrenaline pumping in. At this point the assailant was coming towards us and I recall, out of the corner of my eye, one of the marksmen coming out and putting three rounds in him. Appearing on the show without shoes on because they are still being cleaned, Davis told how he rushed in to give the officer CPR, saying: I just knew he was in a great deal of difficulty. Everything happened so quick, but my natural instinct was to get over there and give some assistance if need be. Initially, when he fell to the ground I tried to have a look at him and put him in the recovery position and check his pulse. Davis said Palmer had wounds to his head, arm and another under his rib cage. About 90 seconds into it another guy called Mike came and joined in and at this time there were lots of police around, Keiths colleagues. Three and a half minutes was when the MP [Tobias Ellwood] came in and sort of took over CPR.
Little more than a week after the attack on Westminster, Britain has largely dealt with the fallout in its characteristically stoical way. The dead have been paid their respects, silences have been kept, and the Brits have gone back to bickering about Brexit  albeit still under a heightened state of alert. But in the city of Birmingham, about a hundred miles north of the capital, many are grappling with the return of old suspicions about radicals within their midst. The March 22 attacker, Khalid Masood, had lived in the city in the months before his deadly act. The police have made at least eight raids and nine arrests in Birmingham since then, further fuelling perceptions that the capital of Britains West Midlands is a hotbed of Muslim extremism. This view was already widely held, especially among the right wing. In 2015, Fox News commentator Steven Emerson described the city of 1.1 million as a no-go area for non-Muslims, and later apologized for the misperception. There are certainly connections with jihadism, however; Birmingham where around one in five identify as Muslim  was home to Britains first al-Qaeda inspired terrorist, Moinul Abedin, who was convicted in 2002 for having nearly 100kg of bomb-making materials in his property, and there have been a series of arrests since then. Most recently, in 2016 locals Zakaria Boufassil and Mohammed Ali Ahmed were convicted for passing Mohamed Abrini, a suspect in the 2016 Brussels attack and 2015 Paris attack, money in a Birmingham park. A recent report by the right-leaning think tank, the Henry Jackson Society, found that 39 of the 269 people sent to prison for terrorist offences between 1998 and 2015 came from the former industrial city, making it the countrys second-biggest incubator of Muslim radicals after London. Yet while some of the citys 230,000 Muslims acknowledge that Birmingham is home to one of the highest number of convicted terrorists in the country, analysts TIME spoke to say this figure is being blown out of proportion. You are looking at a huge city with a massive population Rashad Ali, a senior fellow at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), tells TIME. If it were a hotbed it would be a bigger problem, you would be seeing thousands of convictions, not just 39. Indeed, experts and community leaders warn that the perpetuation of this extremist hotbed narrative of Birmingham risks exacerbating the real, but nonetheless relatively small, problem that the city does have. Birmingham local Nicola Benyahia experienced it firsthand in 2015 when her 19-year-old son, Rasheed, left home to join ISIS from its de facto capital of Raqqa, Syria. He was later killed in an airstrike near the Iraqi border-town of Sinjar; a devastating sequence of events that propelled Nicola to start Families for Life, a counselling service for individuals dealing with the effects of radicalization. The bulk of her clients hail from outside the city, which makes her think that Birmingham Muslims are burying their head in the sand about the issue. But she fears the rhetoric she has witnessed days after the Westminster attack, such as the Daily Mail branding the city the jihad capital of Britain, is divisive and could ultimately play to the hands of extremists. You have to be careful because when you have people feeling victimized and fed up with the same narrative she tells TIME, recruiters will provide a solution, they thrive on any racism, bullying all of that is a recipe for them. The government has tried to tackle radicalization with a raft of counter-extremism measures, known as Prevent, which makes it a statutory duty for public sector workers to report on people suspected to be at risk. Yet some of these programs have done more to sow discord among communities, argues Imran Awan, associate professor in criminology at Birmingham City University. When 200 surveillance cameras were installed in Birmingham to monitor Muslims suspected of terrorism in 2010 it made Muslims feel like a suspect community, Awan says, causing a breakdown in relations between authorities and Muslim leaders. These measures are also likely to have been relatively ineffective in preventing the Westminster attack. Investigators are now trying to determine what or who radicalized Khalid Masood  be it online terrorist propaganda, a local recruiter or radical imam and reports of his behavior prior to the attack suggest a disturbed man who was prone to extreme bouts of violence prior to his death. Ali, who is an expert on extremism at ISD, says Masoods age makes him an outlier from the usual under-25 age group who make up the majority of those referred to the governments counter-terrorism program. Schools, colleges and universities have adopted the Prevent much quicker Ali tells TIME. There are cases that are older, it does happen, but it is anomalous, it is not a norm. Masood is hardly a typical case in other ways; he only moved to Birmingham in early 2016, living in two addresses, Winford Green and Hagley Road, far from some of the seven city wards known for their high concentration of Muslims. Before going on a rampage in London, killing 4 and injuring 50, Masood was born Adrian Russell Elms to a single teenage mother in Kent, a county to the southeast of London. He went on to lead an itinerant life, often changing addresses and having numerous encounters with the law. His first conviction came when he was 18 and the last in 2003, when he attacked a man with a knife in the coastal town of Eastbourne. He is thought to have converted to Islam around that time. Some analysts believe he was radicalized in prison, a theory which Scotland Yard doubts. But the true circumstances may never be known. Nearly two years after the death of Benyahias son, the police have yet to discover what medium or individual radicalized Rasheed. Today, vulnerable people can become lone wolves simply by following the wrong path online. So Muslims in Birmingham took to the streets over the weekend to show that they are united against extremism. Outside the stuccoed exterior of Birminghams town hall, local humanitarian officer Naveed Ahmed tells TIME that he came out to make the point that his whole community is being singled out for the actions of one man. It is upsetting that again and again we have to make the same statements, he says. [Muslims] are just like everybody else, we feel unsafe about terrorism just like everybody else extremism is like a totally different religion. SPONSORED FINANCIAL CONTENT You May Like Read More Sign Up for Our Newsletters Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know now on politics, health, money and more
Police have made two arrests in the Manchester area in connection with the London terror attacks overnight. The Metropolitan Police said the arrests were made overnight. A man, 35 was arrested in West Didsbury. Police say a woman, 32, was arrested in the Manchester area. Assistant Chief Constable Rob Potts said: The horrific events of London have affected people across the nation and we know it has been felt strongly in our communities, here in Greater Manchester. In light of an arrest in Manchester overnight, I want to offer my strongest assurances that we are here to support our communities and will robustly investigate any reports of hatred towards anyone. We have reviewed our patrols to ensure we provide visible reassurance." Key Events Update on London terror attack arrests The Met Police has released a statement confirming that six people arrested as part of the investigation into the terrorist attack in Westminster have now been released from police custody with no further police action. The six people are: A 21-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man who were arrested at an address in Birmingham. A 26-year-old woman and three men aged 28, 27 and 26 years old, who were arrested at separate addresses in Birmingham. A 39-year-old woman who was arrested at an address in east London on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. She has since been released on bail until a date in late March. Four others remain in police custody pending further enquiries. They are: A 58-year-old man arrested on the morning of Thursday, March 23, at a separate address in Birmingham. A 27-year-old man arrested late on Thursday, March 23, at an address in Birmingham. A 35-year-old man arrested in the early hours of Friday, March 24, at an address in Manchester. A 32-year-old woman arrested on the morning of Friday, March 24, at a location in Manchester. All four were arrested on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. Enquiries continue. 16:14Simon Smith 'Scary' The Press Association is reporting that a neighbour at Lawnside Mews, in West Didsbury, said she believed the house raided by police belonged to a couple in their 30s. The woman, who did not give her name, described the situation as scary. 15:45Sam Yarwood-MEN Woman was arrested in a public place It has now been confirmed that the second person to be arrested in Manchester - a 32-year-old woman - was not arrested at the address in West Didsbury which is at the centre of the investigation. The Metropolitan police say she was arrested in a public place in Manchester. 15:31Simon Smith Police search property in Wales In Wales, police have concluded the search of an isolated house in Carmarthenshire, thought to be the home of Khalid Masoods parents - its understood the alleged London attacker had been estranged from his family for several years. 14:52 Car taken away for forensic examination The huge investigation into the Westminster is continuing apace in Manchester. A picture shows how police have taken away a car from inside the gated complex where a man in his 30s was arrested last night in west Didsbury. It will be forensically examined. Although the Met Police say they believe Westminster attacker acted alone, their exhaustive probe is continuing to investigate whether he was encouraged or radicalised by others. So far eleven suspects have been arrested including two from Manchester. A man of 35 was arrested at the complex in west Didsbury last night and this morning a 32-year-old woman was also arrested in Manchester. 14:43 Police issue new picture of attacker The Met Police have released an image of London attacker Khalid Masood. Khalid Masood has previously gone by the names of Adrian Elms and Adrian Russell Ajao. He may also have been known by a number of other names. Khalid Masood 14:38 Search of Manchester property concluded News of the second arrest was announced in an afternoon update by the Met Police. They said a total of 11 people have now been arrested as part of this investigation. Police confirmed the search at an address in Manchester has now concluded. 14:33 Man, 35, and woman, 32, arrested Police have confirmed a 35-year-old man was arrested in the early hours of the morning today at an address in Manchester. A 32-year-old woman was also arrested this morning in Manchester. 14:32KEY EVENT BREAKING: Second person arrested in Manchester The Met Police has confirmed a second person was arrested in Manchester. More soon. 14:27 'Its unbelievable that something linked to a national incident is happening around here' One resident told the M.E.N that the house within Lawnside Mews go on the market for around 500,000. She said she and her partner had been looking to buy a home there working on the assumption that it was a very safe gated community. She said: Im shocked. West Didsbury I cant believe it. We were only looking at houses there a few months ago thinking it would be safe because of the huge gates. Of all the places, West Didsbury - its such a wealthy, academic, middle class area. They would have to be very wealthy to be living there. Those houses are more than half a million. Its unbelievable that something linked to a national incident is happening around here. 14:24 Where is Lawnside Mews? Lawnside Mews is located just off the busy Palatine Road, one of the main routes into the city centre from south Manchester. This part of the leafy suburb is populated by flats and large semi-detached and detached homes. It is also close to the West Didsbury job centre and the Lapwing Lane parade of shops which includes the trendy bar Wine and Wallop and Thai restaurant Chilli Banana. 14:18 Lorry arrives A lorry has now arrived at Lawnside Mews. 14:15 What we know so far Anti-terror police have arrested a man in south Manchester following the devastating attacks in London. A house on Lawnside Mews, in West Didsbury , was raided by officers overnight and a man, believed to be in his 30s, was taken into custody. Several police vehicles remain at the scene, a gated housing estate. It is currently unclear which property officers are concentrating their search on, but residents have told how police were coming in and out of the gates throughout the night. Live from scene Latest pictures Here are the latest pictures from the scene at Lawnside Mews, in West Didsbury. Lawnside Mews, West Didsbury (Image: Manchester Evening News) Lawnside Mews, West Didsbury (Image: Manchester Evening News) Lawnside Mews, West Didsbury (Image: Manchester Evening News) 13:27 More officers arrive Another police car has arrived at the scene. 13:24 Police coming and going throughout the night A resident in an adjacent block of flats to Lawnside Mews has told us police vehicles have been coming and going throughout the night. Others say they are shocked at the arrest, but say have no idea which house police have concentrated their search on. 13:22 Arrest was at small gated complex of flats and houses One resident, who lives inside the small gated complex of flats and houses, told the M.E.N: I didnt hear anything last night. I only became aware of it this morning when I opened the window and saw a police TAU van and a Panda car. I didnt think anything of it at first and then I read that one suspect had been locked up in West Didsbury and I put two and two together. Its strange to think someone has been arrested here for what happened. Im sure the cops will be casting their net quite wide. Its a nice, gated complex with families, kids and professionals living here. Commenting on the outrage in London, he continued: Its shocking and tragic that some nutter can just go in there and kill people like that. I dont think hes some big terrorist. Hes a deluded nobody whos killed innocent people. 13:20 Residents reassured John Leech, West Didsbury councillor and former Manchester Withington MP, has moved to reassure residents. He said: We do not know the details of the arrest, and whilst incidents like this can be alarming and worrying for local residents, I want to send my reassurances that Didsbury, and Manchester, is an international, welcoming, open, tolerant, diverse and most importantly, safe city. But if anyone has any information at all, please contact Greater Manchester police on 101. 13:18 Resident 'shocked' about arrest Reporter Todd Fitzgerald has been talking to residents on Lawnside Mews following the arrest. 13:14 What we know about the arrest Here is what we know about the terror arrest in Manchester: A man, in his 30s, was arrested at Lawnside Mews in West Didsbury overnight in relation to the London terror attack The arrest was at a small gated complex of flats and houses The arrest was made overnight, at the same time an arrest took place in the West Midlands The Met Police said the arrest was signifcant GMP say there is no specific intelligence suggesting that there is any raised levelof threat within Greater Manchester Nine people remain in police custody over the attack which happened at Westminster on Wednesday afternoon 12:53 Pictures from scene Here are the latest pictures from Lawnside Mews where a man was arrested overnight in connection with the London terror attack. 12:48 Live on Facebook from West Didsbury 12:44 Police statement on Manchester arrest Assistant Chief Constable Rob Potts said: The horrific events of London have affected people across the nation and we know it has been felt strongly in our communities, here in Greater Manchester. In light of an arrest in Manchester overnight, I want to offer my strongest assurances that we are here to support our communities and will robustly investigate any reports of hatred towards anyone. We have reviewed our patrols to ensure we provide visible reassurance. Terrorist acts and hate crimes are committed by a tiny minority of people and are not representative of the public. We need to work together to defeat those who seek to destroy our communities with hate, fear, and violence. I urge people to come to us with any concerns you have, with the knowledge that we stand with you and will take action against any criminal behaviour. You can speak to a Neighbourhood officer, or call 101, if you are concerned about anything, and always call 999 in an emergency. I want be clear that there is no specific intelligence suggesting that there is any raised levelof threat within Greater Manchester. Live on Facebook Breaking: Man in 30s arrested at Lawnside Mews We understand the man, in his 30s, was arrested at Lawnside Mews, West Didsbury, overnight. Police are still at the scene. 12:30 More on arrest The arrest was of a man who is believed to be in his 30s. 11:21 Arrest made in West Didsbury - M.E.N. sources Sources have told the M.E.N that the arrest was made in West Didsbury. More soon. 10:24 Increase in number of armed police Police chiefs have ordered a major surge in the number of armed officers on duty in the wake of the Westminster attack. Hundreds of extra firearms personnel are on hand around the country as forces mount a large-scale security operation following the outrage. Scotland Yard head of counter-terrorism Mark Rowley said the service will sustain an enhanced armed and unarmed presence over the next few days. In London the number of armed officers remains at near double strength, while there are up to a third more on duty in other parts of the UK. 09:49 London terror attack: what we know so far This is what we know so far: Five people have died - Pc Keith Palmer, 48, mother-of-two Aysha Frade, US tourist Kurt Cochran and Leslie Rhodes, 75, from Streatham, south London. The attacker, Khalid Masood, also died. Masood, 52, had a string of criminal convictions including possession of a knife, but he was not the subject of any current investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack. Masood was born Adrian Russell Ajao in Kent on Christmas Day 1964. The attacker was investigated by MI5 some years ago over concerns of violent extremism. Ten people have been arrested and a number of addresses raided across London, Birmingham and elsewhere. Nine people remain in custody and one, a woman, has been released on bail. Those arrested include a 39-year-old woman held at an address in east London the night after the attack on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. A 21-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man were also arrested at an address in Birmingham the night after the attack on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. A 26-year-old woman and three men aged 28, 27 and 26 were arrested at a separate address in Birmingham the night after the attack on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. A 58-year-old man was arrested on Thursday morning at a separate address in Birmingham on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. Two people were arrested overnight on Thursday/Friday in the West Midlands and the North West. The woman killed on the bridge was Ms Frade, who worked at DLD College London. Mr Cochran, 54, from Utah, was the man killed in the incident on the bridge. Mr Rhodes died after life support was withdrawn at Kings College Hospital on Thursday night. At least 50 people of 12 different nationalities were injured, including 12 Britons, three French children, two Romanians, four South Koreans, two Greeks, and one each from Germany, Poland, Ireland, China, Italy and the United States. One of the injured has life-threatening injuries and two others are in a critical condition. Three police officers were also hurt, two of whom remained in hospital in Friday with significant injuries. Police have seized 2,7000 items in searches, including massive amounts of computer data. Approximately 3,500 witnesses - including 1,000 from Westminster Bridge and 2,500 from within the Parliamentary estate, have contacted police. The Hyundai used to mow down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge was hired from a branch of car rental firm Enterprise in Spring Hill, Birmingham. Attacker Masood, armed with two large knives, jumped out of the car after smashing it into the railings encircling the Palace of Westminster, fatally stabbing Pc Palmer as he entered the grounds. He was shot dead moments later by another police officer. Islamic State has claimed the attacker was one of its soldiers. Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon has said the working assumption is that the attack is linked to Islamic terrorism. Prime Minister Theresa May chaired a meeting of the Governments emergency Cobra committee on Wednesday night, later branding the attack sick and depraved. Police forces around the UK are reviewing their security arrangements in the wake of the Westminster attack.
Attacker had not been convicted of terrorism-related offences In this photo from Wednesday, Khalid Masood, identified as the attacker, is seen being treated by emergency services outside the Houses of Parliament in London. He later died from his injuries after being shot by police. (Stefan Rousseau/PA/Associated Press) Updated Khalid Masood, 52, has been identified as the man behind the attacks Wednesday in London that left three people dead and many others injured outside Britain's Parliament. Masood was born in Kent to the southeast of London and had been most recently living in central England, London police said. "Masood was not the subject of any current investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack," police said in a statement. "However, he was known to police and has a range of previous convictions for assaults, including GBH [grievous bodily harm], possession of offensive weapons and public order offences." Earlier, U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May said the attacker had been investigated by British intelligence "some years ago." GRAPHIC WARNING: Security video shows SUV attack on London bridge0:31 May said he had been investigated by MI-5, the U.K.'s intelligence service, "in relation to concerns of violent extremism," but that he was not part of what she called the current intelligence picture, saying he was a "peripheral figure." Masood sped across Westminster Bridge in a car, ploughing into pedestrians along the way, then ran through the gates of the nearby Parliament building and fatally stabbed an unarmed policeman before being shot dead. Police and forensic officers work in London on Thursday. (Hannah McKay/Reuters) May and British police say they believe he acted alone and was "inspired by international terrorism." She said there is no reason to believe that "imminent further attacks" are planned. She called Wednesday's events "an attack on free people everywhere." U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May said there will be more armed and unarmed police officers patrolling the city in the wake of the attack. (Justin Tallis/Getty Images) ISIS, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, claimed responsibility for the attack, the group's Amaq news agency said on Thursday. The group has been responsible for numerous bloody attacks around the globe, but also has claimed certain attacks in a show of opportunism. Though ISIS says one of its "soldiers" carried out the attack, it doesn't confirm they organized it, inspired it or had anything to do w/ it Forty people were injured and 29 remain in hospital, seven of whom are in critical condition. Those still in hospital include: 12 Britons 3 French children 2 Romanians 4 South Koreans 1 German 1 Pole 1 Irish 1 Chinese 1 Italian 1 American 2 Greeks Victims killed and injured A Mormon church official says a Utah man was one of the people killed and his wife was seriously wounded and remains in hospital. Kurt W. Cochran and his wife, Melissa, were on the last day of a trip celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary on Wednesday when the attacker struck. The church said Thursday the Utah couple was also visiting the woman's parents who are Mormon missionaries in London. And earlier, the Spanish Foreign Ministry said a British national whose mother is Spanish has been identified as one of the people killed. One of the victims the March 22, 2017, London terror attack has been named as 43-year-old Aysha Frade. (BBC) A spokesman said that Spanish consular officials made contact with Aysha Frade's relatives in Spain's northwestern region of Galicia after her identity was confirmed. He was unable to give any further details. The regional Voz de Galicia newspaper said that Frade was 43 years old and was teaching Spanish in London. Queen sends condolences Westminster Bridge has reopened, nearly 24 hours after the attack. Some areas around Parliament were still cordoned off on Thursday morning and a line of forensic investigators in light blue coveralls were on their hands and knees, examining the scene where the attacker was shot. Queen Elizabeth sent her condolences on Thursday to those affected by the attack. "My thoughts, prayers, and deepest sympathy are with all those who have been affected by yesterday's awful violence," she said in a statement. The Queen was due to officially open the new headquarters of London's police force on Thursday but will now do so at a later date. Britain's Parliament this morning observed a minute of silence to mourn the victims. Since the attack, police have raided six addresses, including in London and Birmingham, which have resulted in eight arrests in total. Mark Rowley, assistant commissioner with the Metropolitan Police, said they are continuing to investigate the attacker's "motivation, his preparation and his associates." May and Rowley said there will be an increased police presence in the city, including armed and unarmed officers, as well as more patrols. 'Our values will prevail': British PM10:47 MP tried to save officer's life The policeman has been identified as Keith Palmer, 48. Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood, whose brother was killed in the Bali terror attack in 2002, performed first aid on the wounded police officer, who later died. About 10 yards away lay the assailant. "I tried to stem the flow of blood and give mouth to mouth while waiting for the medics to arrive but I think he had lost too much blood," Ellwood said. "He had multiple wounds, under the arm and in the back." May praised Palmer, calling him a hero who "devoted his life to the service of his country." She said the husband and father had been a member of the parliamentary and diplomatic protection command for 15 years. He had also been a soldier in the Royal Artillery. In Parliament Thursday, Conservative MP James Cleverly called for Palmer to receive posthumous recognition for his "gallantry and sacrifice." Choking back tears, Cleverly said he first met Palmer 25 years ago as "Gunner Keith Palmer" when both men served in the Royal Artillery. Cleverly said Palmer was "a strong, professional public servant and it was a delight to meet him again only a few months after being elected." Francisco Lopes told Portuguese channel TVI that he heard shouts behind him as he walked across Westminster Bridge and, when he turned around, he was struck by the vehicle which had mounted the sidewalk. He said he lost consciousness and woke up racked with pain. He sustained cuts on a knee and a hand but was released from Chelsea-Westminster hospital after treatment.
Moments from terror: Smiling schoolchildren pose for a picture on Westminster Bridge minutes before a car ploughed through pedestrians The image of the children from Holy Family Catholic Primary School, in Birmingham, was uploaded to Twitter just minutes before the terrorist drove his grey 4x4 Hyundai i40 into crowds on Westminster bridge In today's terror attack, a car ploughed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, killing three and injuring 40 Slammed his 4x4 vehicle into barriers outside Parliament before charging into its courtyard with two knives An unarmed constable who tried to stop him was cut down without pity and died from stab wounds and was named tonight as Keith Palmer, a 48-year-old married father These smiling schoolchildren were pictured on Westminster Bridge minutes before a car ploughed into pedestrians. The image of the children from Holy Family Catholic Primary School, in Birmingham, was uploaded to Twitter just minutes before the terrorist drove his grey 4x4 Hyundai i40 into crowds on the bridge at one of the busiest times of the day. The pupils had been sightseeing in London and they had visited tourist attractions such as Buckingham Palace and Big Ben. Headteacher Peter Foley said: 'All the children on the school trip are safe and their parents have been informed of the situation. 'The deputy head teacher is with the children and is providing me with regular updates.' Children from Holy Family School, in Birmingham, were pictured on Westminster Bridge just moments before the attack Earlier in the day, the children from the primary school had visited Buckingham Palace There were disturbing scenes on Westminster Bridge where around a dozen pedestrians were said to have been knocked down An injured man was given assistance after the 4x4 ploughed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge Elsewhere, pupils from Hotwells Primary School, in Bristol, were also caught up in the terrorist incident. One class from the school had visited Westminster today and a parent said pupils had to be evacuated from the London Eye. In today's terror attack, a car ploughed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, killing three and injuring 40. Share this article Victims were wheeled away on stretchers while others were treated at the scene, likened to a 'Hollywood disaster movie'. Those injured included the party of French schoolchildren and politics students from Edge Hill University in Ormskirk, Lancashire. Three French school children were in a critical condition last night. One was catapulted into the air and ended up on the roof of the car. The pupils, who are believed to be 15 or 16 and attend the private Lyce Saint-Joseph in Concarneau, Brittany, had been on a school trip to London. A Romanian couple on holiday are also thought to be among the injured. Andrei, an engineer in his mid-20s, and Andreea, his girlfriend, were caught up in the attack. Amid the carnage, some leapt off the bridge to escape, and one woman was later pulled alive from the Thames. Suspect: An Asian man in his forties, believed to be the attacker, is put on the stretcher and wheeled into an ambulance inside the grounds of Parliament with a knife left on the cobbles The terrorist then slammed his 4x4 vehicle into barriers outside Parliament before charging into its main courtyard brandishing two knives. A policeman who tried to stop him was cut down without pity and died from stab wounds. He was tonight named as 48-year-old PC Keith Palmer, a husband and a father. The attacker's rampage, which was witnessed by hundreds of horrified tourists, was brought to a halt by a volley of shots from another officer. The attacker died in hospital. It is currently believed the dark-skinned, bald knifeman was a 'lone wolf' attacker, although police are searching for accomplices who may have helped him. Scotland Yard said tonight said they think they know who the attacker is and believe he was inspired by 'international terrorism...Islamist related terrorism.' HUNDREDS OF TOURISTS TRAPPED ON LONDON EYE Hundreds of tourists were trapped on the London Eye For three hours while the terror attack unfolded below them. Teachers were seen comforting groups of crying schoolchildren and as police cars swarmed to the bridge, a short distance away. Christina Lewis, who lives in Camden, described 'screams' as the wheel ground to a halt. The 26-year-old said: 'It was scary at first everybody screamed and we thought the wheel had broken.' Tourists were eventually brought down from the Eye and led to the nearby Sea Life Centre where their details were taken by police. One Portuguese woman was seen sobbing as she left the area. Her husband said: 'She's crying because she is pregnant. My baby will be born with lots of adrenaline running around its body. We didn't see much, just people on the bridge. It wouldn't put us off coming to London again.' Kody Davis, from Utah, said: 'We saw all the sirens coming from the bridge we saw a lot of stretchers, it was scary not knowing what was going on. 'At first it just looked like a small accident on the bridge. At first we were pleased it (the London Eye) had stopped because it was safe up there. We were up there maybe two or three hours. 'We immediately thought it was a terror attack. That's the world we live in right now.' Jack Hutchinson, 16, who was visiting London with his parents from Boston, was stuck at the top of the London Eye for three hours. He said: 'I saw all the ambulances over towards Westminster street and that's what alerted me first. 'I saw the bodies and I saw the police running around on the police and I thought wow, that's probably something important. I was terrified.' Jack's father, Jim Hutchinson, said: 'We were one of the last groups to board the Eye. 'We didn't see the assailant do anything but we did see three different people wounded on the bridge. 'One of the thing that struck us was how long the medics were spending with the victims on the ground so we were wondering what they hell is going on. 'I thought they weren't moving patients quickly because they were all dead. 'We wondered is there any other incident that's going to happen related to this because sometimes with these terrorist attacks it's not just one person or one assailant doing one thing, it's a coordinated series of things happening so some people wondered... will anything happen in the Eye. 'But then three hours of nothing happened and they relaxed. We were up there for three straight hours and it got a bit tedious and long.'
Westminster attack was revenge against western military action police reveal Security services have revealed that the Westminster attackers motive was revenge against western military action against Muslim countries in the Middle East. In an exclusive,[1] the Independent has learnt that the security services have obtained a WhatsApp message by Adrian Russell Ajao (a.k.a. Khalid Masood) sent minutes before he killed 5 and injured 50 in Westminster last month. In the message he explicitly stated the motive of the attack being revenge against western foreign policy, contrary to various myths surrounding so-called radicalisation. ISIS supporters on social media were quick to claim responsibility for the attack on 22 March, as is usual in order to inflate their sense of importance and reachsadly in partnership with many sensationalist media outlets across the country happy to oblige. However, there was no evidence for ISIS involvement, with even reports of them getting their soldiers name wrong when claiming responsibility,[2] leading to the police ruling out any connection with the group early on in the investigation. The security services described the way in which they accessed Masoods message as human and technical intelligence, stating they could not disclose details of the method for security reasons, but adding that they now have the technical expertise to repeat the process in the future. Home Secretary Amber Rudd made the headlines shortly after the attack calling for more surveillance powers, Its completely unacceptable. There should be no place for terrorists to hide. We need to make sure that organisations like WhatsApp, and there are plenty of others like that, dont provide a secret place for terrorists to communicate with each other.[3] But civil liberties campaigners as well as technology analysis fought back highlighting the absurdity of effectively removing everyones privacy because of the actions of an incredibly small minority of people. Furthermore, measures like encryption are not only essential to prevent unwarranted state spying but to keep peoples information safe from hackers and criminals attempting to gain access to sensitive information. They dont hate our freedoms Although Masood had a violent past, colleagues confirmed there was no evidence of so-called extremist tendencies,[4] which is no surprise to anyone familiar with the causes of political violence and terrorism. As Professor Arun Kundani stated in a report reviewing peer reviewed research on the topic, specific kinds of extremist ideology associated with Islamism appear incidental rather than essential to the turn to violence. Having a belief in extremist Islam, however defined, does not correlate with involvement in terrorism. There are many good reasons for objecting to reactionary interpretations of religion but the idea that religious ideology mechanically causes terrorism is not one of them.[5] Unfortunately, the structural and institutional racism that exaggerates crimes commit by minorities and links them disproportionately with their othernessrather than their empirically-determined motives and circumstancesmeans that Masoods religious beliefs were automatically blamed for the attacks in most of the mainstream press, leading to a guilt-by-association of those who share the same religious identity. In addition, the hysteria surrounding such attacks was used by opportunists across the spectrum from assimilationist Islamophobes to isolationists, seeking to draw a wedge between practising Muslims and the rest of society, arguing that attacks such as these are born out of a hatred of our freedoms and invariably linked to some kind of global, existential Islamic threat. It is not just the racist ignoramuses on the fringes of society that parrot George W. Bushs infamous they hate our freedoms myth, but unfortunately even many MPs and commentators still seek to push such a demonstrably false narrative. Liam Fox is one MP that often and notoriously jumps at the opportunity to push such poisonous and conflict-extending rhetoric.[6] But as Michael Scheuer, the former head of the CIAs Bin Laden tracking unit and the author of three acclaimed books on al-Qaeda said, I dont think there are a lot of people who want to blow themselves up because my daughters go to universityPeople are going to come and bomb us because they dont like what weve done.[7] When those who seek to push such myths are confronted with facts such as the stated motives of terror attacks, from Westminster to Lee Rigby to the 7/7 London bombingseach invariably and professedly being in retaliation to perceived injustices overseasthey accuse the academics, commentators, general public and even politicians who simply state these facts of justifying the terror attacks, and somehow being on the side of the perpetrators. Even the leader of the opposition was smeared as being a terrorist sympathiser by a sitting prime minister himself.[8] It is highly unfortunate that those with such power and influence are incapable of distinguishing between a logical cause and a moral justificationwhen it comes to crimes commit by the other. There are tragic real-world implications of this drip-fed fear and suspicion the wider public receive on a regular basis. It is hoped that the news revealed by the Independent, despite not having been picked up by other media corporations as of yet, will go some way towards dispelling damaging myths about Muslims and terrorism. Khalid Masood did not kill and injure scores of innocent people because he was radicalised against so-called British values or because he hated our freedoms, but because of a sense of revengeone of the most primal instincts of man that rarely requires an ideological justification, especially in people who are prone towards violent or antisocial behaviour. As a result, those policiesand the people who profit from themcracking down on certain types of radical ideology under the pretext of preventing terrorism should take heed and start looking at the empirically-determined causes of terrorism, if they are indeed genuinely interested in stopping it. The only relevant aspect of Masoods ideology was the notion of being somehow connected to peoples suffering overseas. Whilst of course his actions were inexcusable, his empathy with those whom he perceived to be oppressedeven if, for arguments sake, mistakenshould not be seen as some kind of indicator of an increased propensity to violence, as some seek to portray. Rather, this empathy is something all human beings should have by default, and our focus should be helping people address their grievances in a constructive way rather than silencing them. About Dr Salman Butt Salman studied Biochemistry at Imperial College London followed by a PhD in Chemical Biology, carrying out research into photosynthesis. During his years at university he became involved in Islamic society da'wah and activism, and general Muslim community projects. He is the Chief Editor and a regular contributor at Islam21c, and also has a blog on the Huffington Post. I posted two comments on this article and both of them have not been displayed while others have and im not happy! failure to publish this will show your fear to publish opposing viewpoints. regards, Jack Dr Butt, you should not call yourself Dr when you only have a PhD in chemical biology. I know its technically correct but only the most pompous people refer to themselves as doctors on the strength of a PhD. It smacks of pride and vanity and a belief one is superior to others. Are you not aware of how sinful that is considered in Islam? You have appointed yourself an authority on Islam. you see fit to tell others what to believe and how to think, yet clearly you havent the faintest idea about what it takes to be a decent Muslim. Even if you disregard all the twisted lies and half truths you pedal in your hatemongering essays, according to your own beliefs your vanity and pride means you are destined for the hellfire. You need to stop spreading hatred and refamiliarise yourself with the Koran. You can become a decent Muslim. perhaps then you will get the respect you so desperately crave, and even better you will realise how misguided you were in craving it in the first place. Western countries have indeed slaughtered hundreds of thousands of Moslems in the war against Islamic dictators and fundamentalists. At the same time Moslems have slaughtered ten times as many OTHER MOSLEMS in their undemocratic, militaristic, theocratic systems where Sunni and Shia copy the history of Europe, where one third of the population was killed in the Catholic-Protestant struggles. Europe has mostly learnt that going to war over religion is stupid. The Islamic world has not, and any Moslem who challenges their leaders over this is risking death. For the last 30 years, millions of Muslim civilians were slaughtered by American/British bombing and drone attacks in Afghanistan, Iraq, Northern Pakistan and now in Syria. Still hundreds of Muslim civilians are being killed on daily basis but who cares? The spirit of Crusade is still alive. Muslim lives are also matters ! West must learn to respect and tolerate those who are different. Today, many non-Muslims regard Islam as a religion that promotes violence, terrorism and war. Unfortunately, they rely in their view of Islam on the general media, which is not always accurate in reporting the news. Many media outlets, such as TV, radio, newspapers and magazines, are influenced by their investors or owners who have certain agendas and who want to promote certain values and points of view. Other media outlets are simply after the big story, in order to make more money and more profits. Others are simply followers, who only gather news from other sources, re-package it and try to sell it again purely as a business. In all these cases, the news reporting is not accurate, but is driven by ulterior motives or simply by profits. Only very few media organizations are committed to providing accurate and true information, regardless of financial gain. Therefore, people today should be very careful in what they take from the media. Before blindly accepting what the TV, radio or newspaper is reporting, one should think critically about what is being reported. Is this being reported accurately, or is it being exaggerated or even completely fabricated? Who are these people reporting the news, and do they have vested interests to report the story in a certain way, or are they completely objective and fair? Critical thinking is very important in all aspects of life, especially when it comes to accepting the media reports about important and controversial issues. Islam is in fact a religion that promotes peace and understanding among people of all faiths, and it strongly prohibits all forms of violence and aggression against all people regardless of their faith or race. Islam Prohibits Violence and Aggression, and stands for Peace and Justice. Islam clearly prohibits all kinds and forms of aggression and violence against anyone, except in self-defence. Islam is a practical religion, meant to be implemented in every aspect of our life. Therefore, it realizes the fact that a person who commits aggression and violence against others will not cease these actions unless they are deterred by similar actions taken against them. Islam also places very high importance on justice, and allows for aggressors and unjust people be punished accordingly, unless they repent before they are brought to justice. At the same time, Islam encourages people to forgive those who have wronged them whenever possible. Terror is the biggest business today at home and abroad. Everyone is a beneficiary. The government gets more clout and more powers over the lives of its hapless subjects through new terror laws and activation of old ones in an atmosphere where no one dares to question the motives of the politicians over the vital issue of security. Security forces get immunity for illegal acts and crimes for which they win medals, rewards, promotions and huge funds with no accountability attached. Newspapers and TV channels improve their circulation and ratings sensationalising real and imaginary terror stories with total impunity as no one would dare question their rightful concern for our safety and security. 7/7 bombers have been radicalised in the context of racist schools rather than in Pakistan. Imams and Masajid are not the brainwashers of Muslim youths. It is state schools who have been mis-educating and de-educating Muslim children for the last 60 years. The media for the last 15 years have targeted Muslims as a threat to British life. Many of 9/11 and 7/7 attackers were not from the poor, down trodden, under-educated and alienated sectors of society but were well-educated, middle to upper class and from stable family backgrounds. Muslim youths suspected of carrying out blast across India, have not been educated in Madrassas but western qualified and had respectable jobs. IAhttp://www.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk Inaccurate. Not millions. Most Muslims killed today are killed by other Muslims. West removed Saddam and Iraq descended into sectarian violence. What does it say about the current state of Islam that Iraqis would be better off living under Saddam? Similar situation in Libya. You cant keep blaming problems in middle east on the West. West is not to blame for Islamic sectarian violence. Nor is it a crusade as Christianity is not a factor. This is just the sort of twisted rubbish Isis supporters have in their heads. Fortunately most know better and realise the reality is far more complex. That is why this sort of propaganda only strikes a chord with idiots. You seen the sort of people Isis attracts, brain dead morons, junkies and losers, people incapable of thinking and rationalising for themselves. Like the Westminster terrorist. Those are the only people fooled by this stuff. Islam may be what you claim it to be on paper but in reality its in crisis. All this violence carried out in the name of Islam. They scream Allau Akbar as they kill. No good claiming its a religion of peace. Deal with the reality, stop blaming non Muslims for the sad state of Islam. Frankly its pathetic. 1. How did he expose himself as a non-Muslim, because he disagrees with the author perhaps? 2. Even if he is Non-Muslim, how does that refute the very VALID point he has made in his argument? 3. What value has your comment added here? and why did you need to end it with an insult Frankly  I agree with Og, we should stop pointing fingers, the number of murders and casualties caused by attacks from Muslims against other Muslims should be addressed without constantly tyring to look to the US or the UK. Again, blaming others is the response of the irresponsible. Try and improve your journalism and stop attacking anyone who disagrees with you, not every critic is a Kaffir (me included) Countless Muslims have been killed by non-Muslim military action over the centuries, for various reasons, not all, but some justified. However, for every one of those deaths there are thousands of Muslims killed by other Muslims for various reasons, including more than a million Shias killed in Saddam Husseins invasion of Iran. How many Muslims have ISIS killed? How many Al Queda? Lets get things in perspective and look at the history of Islam and the millions of deaths caused by its orginal conquests, and internal, endless warring. If it wasnt so sad it would always make me laugh out loud seeing ignoramuses transplant the sins of their own misguided forefathers (in their arrogant universalism) upon other peoples. They presume they know the history of Sunni/Shia politics whilst they are doing little more than regurgitating propaganda and talking points for orthodox imperial doctrines. Forget the fact that for most of Islamic history almost nobody cared about Sunni/Shia issues, case in point being 20% intermarriages before the illegal war in Iraq this muppet defended. Pathetic. Machete-wielding man demanded to know which party people supported before attacking them at Kentucky college cafe. Amazing how this politically motivated attack was not regarded as terrorism. Oh wait, its only terrorism if the perpetrator can be identified as a muslim. If ISIS is being used to disenfranchise the mainstream, why do muslims in Britain who are British or Commonwealth citizens have the right to vote in todays local election and the forthcoming general election? If you prefer, why was the murder of Asad Shah by Tanveer Ahmed regarded as inspired by religious lunacy rather than terrorism.
New barriers have been installed on Westminster Bridge, where 52-year-old Khalid Masood drove a car into pedestrians on 22 March ( Reuters ) Digital force fields that slow vehicles to a walking pace could be used to prevent terrorists from ploughing into pedestrians following the attacks at Westminster, London Bridge, and Finsbury Park. The government is looking at the development of "geo-fencing" systems which would rely on satellites to block unauthorised vehicles from security sensitive areas. If a driver crossed the electronic boundary, the system would connect with their on-board computer and limit the vehicle's speed to a safe level. Met police officer describes taking on the London Bridge terrorists A British company is also developing a system which would link vehicles to the owner's smartphone and stop the engine if they weren't present. The Department for Transport (DfT) is investigating the potential of the high-tech solutions, which could be installed in cars and around bridges and buildings that are soft targets for extremists, according to The Times. Sweden began to adapt the "geo-fencing" technology to vehicles after four people were killed in a truck rampage in Stockholm in April. Swedish vehicle manufacturers Volvo and Scania are working on trials of the systems, with demonstrations expected to take place as early as next year. If successful, the Swedish government told the said it could "enable only authorised vehicles to be driven within a geographically defined area. Similar technology has already been used in drones to stop them from flying into restricted air space. Finsbury Park attack Finsbury Park attack 1/14 Police officers attend to the scene after a vehicle collided with pedestrians in the Finsbury Park, killing one person and injuring eight Reuters 2/14 The incident is being treated as a potential terror attack Reuters 3/14 A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder Reuters 4/14 Police cordon off a street in Finsbury Park AFP/Getty Images 5/14 A man prays in the street after the attack Reuters 6/14 Men gather and pray together in the street in the aftermath of the attack AFP/Getty 7/14 Reuters 8/14 PA 9/14 Onlookers gather near a police cordon EPA 10/14 Forensic investigators arrive at the scene PA 11/14 A forensic tent stands next to a van PA 12/14 A police officer talks with residents AFP/Getty Images 13/14 Onlookers watch proceedings at the security cordon AFP/Getty 14/14 Local residents react at the scene AFP/Getty Images 1/14 Police officers attend to the scene after a vehicle collided with pedestrians in the Finsbury Park, killing one person and injuring eight Reuters 2/14 The incident is being treated as a potential terror attack Reuters 3/14 A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder Reuters 4/14 Police cordon off a street in Finsbury Park AFP/Getty Images 5/14 A man prays in the street after the attack Reuters 6/14 Men gather and pray together in the street in the aftermath of the attack AFP/Getty 7/14 Reuters 8/14 PA 9/14 Onlookers gather near a police cordon EPA 10/14 Forensic investigators arrive at the scene PA 11/14 A forensic tent stands next to a van PA 12/14 A police officer talks with residents AFP/Getty Images 13/14 Onlookers watch proceedings at the security cordon AFP/Getty 14/14 Local residents react at the scene AFP/Getty Images Cheshire-based tech firm Trak Global Group have been developing black box-style equipment that would create IDs linked to drivers' smartphones. The telematic tool could prevent hijackings by disabling vehicles when the driver isn't nearby and logged in. Trak Global's research director Andrew Brown-Allan told The Times: It is now possible to immobilise a vehicle remotely, using the technology that goes into a telematics black box... We need to harness this relatively new technology to stop terrorists turning vehicles into weapons of mass destruction. A DfT spokesman said: Departments across government have been working together with the police and the security service to explore what more can be done to prevent the malicious use of vehicles as a weapon. As part of this the Department for Transport is exploring what role potential vehicle safety technologies can play in mitigating this. This work is at an early stage. Four people were killed and more than 50 injured when Khalid Masood rammed a rented car into pedestrians along Westminster Bridge before crashing the vehicle and fatally stabbing PC Keith Palmer in March. Theresa May: We do need to have international regulations in cyber space to stop terrorism Three months later Rachid Redouane, Khuram Shazad Butt and Youssef Zaghba ran over innocent victims in a white hire van on London Bridge before launching a knife rampage that left eight people dead and 48 injured. Both attacks were brought to an end when the men were shot dead by police. In June Darren Osborne, 47, drove a rented van into worshippers gathered near Finsbury Park Mosque in north London, leaving one man dead and another eight injured. He was arrested and is due to face terrorism-related murder and attempted murder charges at the Old Bailey this month.
Emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman was stabbed and his attacker shot by officers ( PA ) A junior doctor has described how he "ran to help" victims of the Westminster attack when he heard screaming while off-duty in the area. NHS doctors, nurses and emergency staff have been called heroes for their brave response to the terror attack. Medics working at nearby St Thomass left the hospital and rushed to the scene of the incident outside Parliament and on Westminster Bridge after a man drove a car along a pavement and stabbed a policeman. Spanish teacher Aysha Frade, 43, and a 30-year-old man were also among the victims. Seven people are in a critical condition in hospital. Neena Modi, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, praised Dr Wijesuriya on Twitter, saying: Were proud of you and everyone who stepped up. All sympathies with those affected by yet another senseless tragedy. In the darkest of days, real heroes appear, said campaign group NHS Million in a tweet that has been shared more than 1,700 times. Dr Tony Joy, of Londons Air Ambulance, who were called to treat victims of the attack, told the BBC: We were immediately on scene and started to asses the casualties, and looked for information about how many other patients there might be. We assessed a number of patients, we were involved in treating several, and tried to support the London ambulance services in any way we could. PC Palmer, a husband and father who had served in the Metropolitan Police for 15 years, was outside Parliament when a man armed with two knives entered the gates and stabbed him. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP Mark Rowley, the Met's top anti-terror officer, said PC Palmer was someone who left for work today expecting to return home at the end of his shift, and he had every right to expect that would happen. Eight people have been arrested in connection with the attack after police searched six addresses. Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon told the Today programme the working assumption was the attack was linked to Islamic terrorism in some form.
Luke Nash-Jones: The London Westminster Terrorist Attack Luke Nash-Jones is the Director of the Peoples Charter Foundation, an anti-establishment group in the UK, styled after the American tea party movement. They have held rallies outside of the British parliament demanding for Brexit, and host patriotic drinks events in London. Luke is a strong supporter of a full Brexit, who feels patriotism has been silenced by social stigma from the liberal media and academia. He is opposed to open borders, Sharia law, and multiculturalism. He is also the editor-in-chief of MBGA News, a right-leaning patriotic online news channel. Tell us about what happened in London yesterday? Three civilians, and the Islamic terrorist, Khalid Masood, have died and at least 40 have been injured after an attacker drove a car along a pavement in Westminster, stabbed a policeman and was shot dead by police in the grounds of Parliament. The most disturbing thing is that the terrorist drove his vehicle head on into 3 French schoolchildren, children! Why do you think were experiencing so many attacks like this across Europe? We also have a problem of homegrown terrorists. Khalid Masood was born in Kent, UK, on Christmas Day 1964. People are not integrating into Western society. We have ethnic segregation. They have no feeling of being British, no patriotism, but call for example Iraq their home. Pew Global (2006): Only 7% of British Muslims think of themselves as British first (81% say Muslim rather than Briton) Media encourages feelings by black and Asian communities that whites have privilege. Universities have BlackME Officers, where a report by Kings College shows working class whites least likely go to uni. Hate of the West. This alienation is a fertile ground for radical Islamic ideology. Pew Research (2013): At least 1 in 4 Muslims do not reject violence against civilians (study did not distinguish between those who believe it is partially justified and never justified). We see children of migrants or new converts are often the most radical. Channel Four (2006): 31% of younger British Muslims say 7/7 bombings were justified compared to 14% of those over 45. Center for Social Cohesion: One Third of British Muslim students support killing for Islam (Wikileaks cable) What do you think the goal of the terrorists is? GfK NOP: 28% of British Muslims want Britain to be an Islamic state; These people fundamentalist Islam. They desire to break the West and establish an international caliphate run by religious leaders, not democracy. They are disgusted by Western lifestyles, sex before marriage, gays, Charlie Hebdo cartoons. NOP Research: 78% of British Muslims support punishing the publishers of Muhammad cartoons. They believe we are kuffar, worthless, to be killed for sin, though they would spare you for unpleasant purposes. While the Bible says to wait for Jesus, judgement day, missionaries, the Quran says to kill now, and therefore, any strict interpretation is dangerous. Where Islam is dominant (as in the Middle East and Pakistan) religious minorities suffer brutal persecution with little resistance. What are your thoughts on the Mayor of London? Khan is normalising terror. As Trump Jr highlighted, last September, mayor called this part of modern life, unacceptable, Tokyo doesnt have terrorist attacks. Slow response. In September 19, 2004 at Tooting Islamic Centre, he shared platform with five Islamic extremists. Women were told to use a separate entrance. #NotMyMayor Why doesnt Tokyo have terror attacks? They refuse to tolerate Sharia law. It is banned. It is even difficult to a copy of the Quran in Arabic instead of Japanese. They heavily promote cultural integration, whereas the left in the UK expects Brits to learn the ways of migrants. What about freedom of religion? Liberty of conscience, John Stuart Mill freedom of expression. We all have partial truth, arrogant not to debate others. People can follow any ideas they want, Flying Spaghetti Monster, Jedi, but must keep within the legal framework. BBC Poll: 1 in 10 British Muslims support killing a family member over dishonor. Separation of mosque and state. But I personally do not believe Mohammed was divinely inspired. Anti-semitic violent thug with a 6 year old wife. Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 5, Book 58, Number 236, Aisha when she was a girl of six years of age, and he consumed that marriage when she was nine years old Sahih Bukhari 8:73:151, I used to play with the dolls in the presence of the Prophet To protect British children, any practise of Islam must be within our legal framework, and I should be allowed to say that without be slammed as Islamophobic. No such thing as Christianophobic. They dont respect other peoples freedom of religion, i.e. they would kill Christians, or non-theists. Why are you opposed to Sharia law? Western civilisation is supreme. Gay men thrown off roofs, women rape victims stoned. Barbic medieval. In Rotherham between 1997 and 2013, 1500 little girls were abused, white girls, viewed as worthless kuffar by Islam. Social stigma, Chief Supt Jason Harwin: Weve failed our young people. Obvs not saying all Muslims rape kids, but there are some people using this book as a justification for their sick desires. We are the cradle of liberty, Magna Carta, led to US revolution  we must cherish and protect this. Do you believe in a multicultural society? No  terrible experiment. Melting pot, not mosaic. Ruined our country. Ethnic ghettos, division, hate. No sense of nationhood. Jus sanguinus, tribe, not soli. Respect laws of home, family tradition. Live and let live? Sure, do what you want, but if you want to be in our family, accept our ways. Are there no go zones in the UK and Europe like Trump said? Boris Johnson denied such to be politically correct. There are Muslim and Caribbean neighbourhoods of London where I as a white man cannot safely enter. I was beaten up in Southern London, and so was one of our student activists. Why are the left in Britain so keen on mass migration? Rub the Rights nose in diversity, according to Andrew Neather, a former adviser to Tony Blair, Jack Straw and David Blunkett of Labour party. Migrants most likely demographic vote left. Also, middle class liberals like to have these cheap au pairs that are paid so little they are almost slaves. They dont care that English builders undercut, low safety. Do you think the Brexit vote was related to the migrant issue? Yes, social stigma, people say Brexit was about sovereignty, but was multi-faceted. It was about migration. We are sick of a lack of integration. What sort of migration system would you prefer? Points based. Preference to easily assimilated Britishy cultures, i.e. Commonwealth/USA. Open borders migration, EU. Fake refugees. Media fake news. Many from Pakistan, no war, Washington Post, The refugees report that a forged Syrian passport can be bought on the Turkish border for as little as $200. Even if from Syria, passed so many safe European countries to get here. Safe in France, but attacking British tourists, families with kids, to get into UK. After benefits.
CBS This Morning LONDON -- London's Metropolitan Police said Tuesday that a man was under arrest on suspicion of terrorism after driving through a group of pedestrians and then ramming a gate outside the Houses of Parliament in the British capital. Police said they were treating the crash as a terrorist incident, and noted that the investigation was being led by their counter-terrorism division. "The driver of the car, a man in his late 20s, was arrested at the scene by armed officers... He was arrested on suspicion of terrorist offences," the Metropolitan Police, also known as the Met and Scotland Yard, said in a statement, adding that there was nobody else in the vehicle at the time of the crash and that no weapons were found. "At this stage, we are treating this as a terrorist incident and the Met's Counter Terrorism Command is now leading the investigation," the police said. Streets in the area surrounding the British legislature were cordoned off and closed to traffic during peak morning rush hour and there was a heavy police presence. London's ambulance service said it treated two people at the scene that they were taken to an area hospital for further evaluation, but their injuries were not believed to be serious. Witnesses told British television networks that they saw the car driving toward Parliament at high speed. Video captured by a security camera with a high vantage point, aired by BBC News, shows the small car abruptly turning across several lanes of slow-moving rush hour traffic and entering the security channel outside parliament, appearing to accelerate before slamming into the barrier. While we are keeping an open mind, the Met's Counter-Terrorism Command is leading the investigation into the #Westminster incident. Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu, head of Scotland Yard's Counter-Terror Command, told reporters later Tuesday morning that only one of the three pedestrians injured in the incident remained in hospital, with non-life-threatening injuries. Basu said that it was being treated as a "terrorist incident" as it "appears to be a deliberate act" at an iconic site, but he added that, "no other suspects have been identified or reported to police" and that there was not believed to be any further danger to the public in connection with the incident. He said the priority for investigators was to identify the suspect and his motives, but that he was "not fully cooperating" with police. Two vehicles, which appear to be police vans with their lights flashing, can be seen behind the car shortly before the crash in the video of the incident aired by the BBC. Basu said the suspect's car was not being followed just before the incident. "I think it looked intentional - the car drove at speed and towards the barriers," Ewalina Ochab told Britain's Press Association. "I was walking on the other side (of the road). I heard some noise and someone screamed. I turned around and I saw a silver car driving very fast close to the railings, maybe even on the pavement," she said. Barry Williams, another witness, told CBS News partner network BBC News that he saw the silver car "heading towards cyclists" while driving on the wrong side of the road. He said the cyclists were waiting for the lights to change, adding: "He hit the cyclists and then swerved over towards the safety barrier... and accelerated and hit it at quite high speed." "I don't know whether he meant to hit the cyclist, they may just have been in the way, but he accelerated hard towards the barrier," Williams told the BBC. He said the car "actually came off the ground and landed again" as it slammed into the barrier and there was "a lot of smoke." Williams said there were, "about 10 cyclists waiting for the lights to change, I don't think he hit all of them, he hit about four or five," one of whom Williams saw get up and start "to chase the car." Im in close contact with @MetPoliceUK Commissioner about the incident at Parliament Square this morning. Thank you to the first responders who were on the scene so quickly. The vehicle involved, a small silver Ford hatchback, could be seen with its front end smashed into the security barrier at a vehicle security checkpoint in the parliament perimeter fence. Westminster station on the London Underground, or Tube network, the closest station to the Houses of Parliament, was closed for about five hours due to the incident but was reopened later Tuesday afternoon. CBS News correspondent Debora Patta notes that most British lawmakers were not at work on Tuesday, on their summer vacations, and that the area would normally have been much busier. London Metropolitan Police are seen taking into custody the driver (center) of a silver car which crashed into a perimeter gate of the British Houses of Parliament in London, Aug. 14, 2018. APTN London Mayor Sadiq Khan sent a tweet thanking the city's first responders for their quick response to the incident. British Prime Minister Theresa May also sent a tweet thanking the emergency services and saying her thoughts were with those injured in the incident. President Trump also reacted to the incident, calling it "yet another terrorist attack in London," and calling for "these animals" to be "dealt with through toughness and strength." Another terrorist attack in London...These animals are crazy and must be dealt with through toughness and strength! The crash comes about a year and a half after a terrorist drove his car into a number of people outside parliament and then attacked others with a knife, leaving a total of four people dead. Police said Khalid Masood -- a 52-year-old Briton with convictions for violence who had spent several years in Saudi Arabia -- was believed to have acted alone in the attack, but that he may have been inspired by others. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) claimed Masood was a "soldier" responding to its repeated calls for attacks on western nations. Police said, however, that they found "no evidence" of any links to ISIS or al Qaeda. Masood was killed by police after fatally stabbing an officer and running down pedestrians with his rented SUV. It was the deadliest extremist attack in Britain in 12 years.
The 2004 Madrid train bombings (also known in Spain as 11-M) were nearly simultaneous, coordinated bombings against the Cercanas commuter train system of Madrid, Spain, on the morning of 11 March 2004  three days before Spain's general elections. The explosions killed 193 people and injured around 2,000.[1][3] The official investigation by the Spanish judiciary found that the attacks were directed by an al-Qaedaterrorist cell,[4][5] although no direct al-Qaeda participation has been established.[6][7][8] Although they had no role in the planning or implementation, the Spanish miners who sold the explosives to the terrorists were also arrested.[9][10][11] Following the attacks, there were nationwide demonstrations and protests demanding that the government "tell the truth".[16] The prevailing opinion of political analysts is that the Aznar administration lost the general elections as a result of the handling and representation of the terrorist attacks, rather than because of the bombings "per se".[17][18][19][20] The bombings constituted the deadliest terrorist attack carried out in the history of Spain and Western Europe. After 21 months of investigation, judge Juan del Olmo processed Moroccan national Jamal Zougam, among several others, for his participation carrying out the attack.[21] The September 2007 sentence established no known mastermind nor direct al-Qaeda link, but experts have repeatedly said that there is no such thing as an intellectual author in Spanish law.[22][23][24][25][26] During the peak of Madrid rush hour on the morning of Thursday, 11 March 2004, ten explosions occurred aboard four commuter trains (cercanas).[27] The date led to the popular abbreviation of the incident as "11-M". All the affected trains were traveling on the same line and in the same direction between Alcal de Henares and the Atocha station in Madrid. It was later reported that thirteen improvised explosive devices (IEDs) had been placed on the trains. Bomb disposal teams (TEDAX) arriving at the scenes of the explosions detonated two of the remaining three IEDs in controlled explosions, but the third was not found until later in the evening, having been stored inadvertently with luggage taken from one of the trains. The following time-line of events comes from the judicial investigation.[28] All four trains had departed the Alcal de Henares station between 07:01 and 07:14. The explosions took place between 07:37 and 07:40, as described below (all timings given are in local time CET, UTC +1): Atocha Station (train number 21431)  Three bombs exploded. Based on the video recording from the station security system, the first bomb exploded at 07:37, and two others exploded within 4 seconds of each other at 07:38. El Pozo del To Raimundo Station (train number 21435)  At approximately 07:38, just as the train was starting to leave the station, two bombs exploded in different carriages. Santa Eugenia Station (train number 21713)  One bomb exploded at approximately 07:38. Calle Tllez (train number 17305), approximately 800 meters from Atocha Station  Four bombs exploded in different carriages of the train at approximately 07:39. At 08:00, emergency relief workers began arriving at the scenes of the bombings. The police reported numerous victims and spoke of 50 wounded and several dead. By 08:30 the emergency ambulance service, SAMUR (Servicio de Asistencia Municipal de Urgencia y Rescate), had set up a field hospital at the Daoiz y Velarde sports facility. Bystanders and local residents helped relief workers, as hospitals were told to expect the arrival of many casualties. At 08:43, firefighters reported 15 dead at El Pozo. By 09:00, the police had confirmed the death of at least 30 people  20 at El Pozo and about 10 in Santa Eugenia and Atocha. People combed the city's major hospitals in search of family members who they thought were aboard the trains. The total number of victims was higher than in any other terrorist attack in Spain, far surpassing the 21 killed and 40 wounded from a 1987 bombing at a Hipercor chain supermarket in Barcelona. On that occasion, responsibility was claimed by ETA. It was Europe's worst terror attack since the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in December 1988.[30] A device composed of 12 kilograms of Goma-2 ECO with a detonator and 136 meters of wire (connected to nothing) was found on the track of a high-speed railway line (AVE) on 2 April.[31] The Spanish judiciary chose not to investigate that incident and the perpetrators remain unknown. The device used in the AVE incident was unable to explode because it lacked an initiation system.[32] Shortly after the AVE incident, police identified an apartment in Legans, south of Madrid, as the base of operations for the individuals suspected of being the perpetrators of the Madrid and AVE attacks. The suspected militants, headed by Jamal Zougam, Sarhane Abdelmaji "the Tunisian" and Jamal Ahmidan "the Chinese", were trapped inside the apartment by a police raid on the evening of Saturday 3 April. At 9:03 pm, when the police started to assault the premises, the militants committed suicide by setting off explosives, killing themselves and one of the police officers.[33] Investigators subsequently found that the explosives used in the Legans explosion were of the same type as those used in the 11 March attacks (though it had not been possible to identify a brand of dynamite from samples taken from the trains) and in the thwarted bombing of the AVE line.[31] Based on the assumption that the militants killed at Legans were indeed the individuals responsible for the train bombings, the ensuing investigation focused on how they obtained their estimated 200 kg of explosives. The investigation revealed that they had been bought from a retired miner who still had access to blasting equipment.[34] Five to eight suspects believed to be involved in the 11 March attacks managed to escape.[35] In December 2006, the newspaper ABC reported that ETA reminded Spanish Prime Minister Zapatero about 11 March 2004 as an example of what could happen unless the government considered their petitions (in reference to the 2004 electoral swing), although the source also makes it clear that ETA 'had nothing to do' with the attack itself.[36] Plaque in memory of the casualties in the 11-M terror attack in Madrid: In memory of the victims of the attacks of 11 March 2004, who were transported to the field hospital established here in the Municipal Sports Centre of Daoiz y Velarde. As an expression of sympathy from Madrid's citizens, and of gratitude for the courage and generosity of all the services and people who came to their aid. In France, the Vigipirate plan was upgraded to orange level.[37] In Italy, the government declared a state of high alert.[38] In December 2004, Jos Luis Rodrguez Zapatero claimed that the PP government erased all of the computer files related to the Madrid bombings, leaving only the documents on paper.[39] On 25 March 2005, prosecutor Olga Snchez asserted that the bombings happened 911 days after the 11 September attacks due to the "highly symbolic and qabbalistic charge for local Al-Qaida groups"[40] of choosing that day. Because 2004 was a leap year, 912 days had elapsed between 11 September 2001 and 11 March 2004. On 27 May 2005, the Prm Convention, implementing inter alia the principle of availability which began to be discussed after the Madrid bombings, was signed by Germany, Spain, France, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Austria, and Belgium. On 4 January 2007, El Pas reported that Algerian Ouhnane Daoud, who is considered to be the mastermind of the 11-M bombings, has been searching for ways to return to Spain to prepare further attacks,[41] though this has not been confirmed.[42] On 17 March 2008, Basel Ghalyoun, Mohamed Almallah Dabas, Abdelillah El-Fadual El-Akil and Ral Gonzlez Pea, having been previously found guilty by the Audiencia Nacional, were released after a Higher Court ruling.[43] This court also verified the release of the Egyptian Rabei Osman al-Sayed.[44] The Spanish judiciary stated that a loose group of Moroccan, Syrian, and Algerian Muslims and two Guardia Civil and Spanish police informants[46][47][48] were suspected of having carried out the attacks. On 11 April 2006, Judge Juan del Olmo charged 29 suspects for their involvement in the train bombings.[49] No evidence has been found of al-Qaeda involvement,[6] although an al-Qaeda claim was made the day of the attacks by the Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades. U.S. officials note that this group is "notoriously unreliable".[50] In August 2007, al-Qaeda claimed to be "proud" about the Madrid 2004 bombings.[51] The Independent reported that "Those who invented the new kind of rucksack bomb used in the attacks are said to have been taught in training camps in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, under instruction from members of Morocco's radical Islamist Combat Group."[52] Mohamed Darif, a professor of political science at Hassan II University in Mohammedia, stated in 2004 that the history of the Moroccan Combat Group is directly tied to the rise of al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. According to Darif, "Since its inception at the end of the 1990s and until 2001, the role of the organisation was restricted to giving logistic support to al-Qaeda in Morocco, finding its members places to live, providing them with false papers, with the opportunity of marrying Moroccans and with false identities to allow them to travel to Europe. Since 11 September, however, which brought the Kingdom of Morocco in on the side of the fight against terrorism, the organisation switched strategies and opted for terrorist attacks within Morocco itself."[53] Scholar Rogelio Alonso said in 2007, "the investigation had uncovered a link between the Madrid suspects and the wider world of al-Qaida".[54]Scott Atran said "There isn't the slightest bit of evidence of any relationship with al-Qaida. We've been looking at it closely for years and we've been briefed by everybody under the sun... and nothing connects them."[55] He provides a detailed timeline that lends credence to this view.[56] According to the European Strategic Intelligence and Security Center, this is the only Islamist terrorist act in the history of Europe where international Islamists collaborated with non-Muslims.[57] Immediate reactions to the attacks in Madrid were the several press conferences held by the Spanish prime minister Jos Mara Aznar involving ETA. The Spanish government maintained this theory for two days. Because the bombs were detonated three days before the general elections in Spain, the situation had many political interpretations. The massacre also took place exactly two and a half years after the 11 September attacks on the United States in 2001. Other interpretations of this date since 9/11 points out that the bombing took place 911 days exactly since the 11 September terrorist attack. The United States also initially believed ETA was responsible,[60] then questioning if Islamists were responsible.[61] Spain's third largest newspaper, ABC, immediately labelled the attacks as "ETA's bloodiest attack."[62] Due to the government theory, statements issued shortly after the Madrid attacks, including from lehendakariJuan Jos Ibarretxe identified ETA as the prime suspect, but the group, which usually claims responsibility for its actions, denied any involvement.[63] Later evidence strongly pointed to the involvement of extremist Islamist groups, with the Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group named as a focus of investigations.[64] Although ETA has a history of mounting bomb attacks in Madrid,[65] the 11 March attacks exceeded any attack previously attempted by a European organisation. This led some experts to point out that the tactics used were more typical of Islamist militant extremist groups, perhaps with a certain link to al-Qaeda, or maybe to a new generation of ETA activists using al-Qaeda as a role model. Observers also noted that ETA customarily, but not always, issues warnings before its mass bombings and that there had been no warning for this attack. Europol director Jrgen Storbeck commented that the bombings "could have been ETA... But we're dealing with an attack that doesn't correspond to the modus operandi they have adopted up to now".[66] Political analysts believe ETA's guilt would have strengthened the PP's chances of being re-elected, as this would have been regarded as the death throes of a terrorist organisation reduced to desperate measures by the strong anti-terrorist policy of the Aznar administration.[13] On the other hand, an Islamist attack would have been perceived as the direct result of Spain's involvement in Iraq, an unpopular war that had not been approved by the Spanish Parliament.[15] The provincial chief of TEDAX (the bomb disposal experts of the Spanish police) declared on 12 July 2004 that damage in the trains could not be caused by dynamite, but by some type of military explosive, like C3 or C4.[68] An unnamed source from the Aznar administration claimed that the explosive used in the attacks had been Titadine (used by ETA, and intercepted on its way to Madrid 11 days before).[69] In March 2007, the TEDAX chief claimed that they knew that the unexploded explosive found in the Kangoo van was Goma-2 ECO the very day of the bombings.[70] He also asserted that "it is impossible to know" the components of the explosives that went off in the trains  though he later asserted that it was dynamite. The Judge Javier Gmez Bermdez replied "I cannot understand" to these assertions.[71] A radio report mentioned a plastic explosive called "Special C". However, the government said that the explosive found in an unexploded device, discovered among bags thought to be victims' lost luggage, was the Spanish made Goma-2 ECO. The unexploded device contained 10 kg (22 lb) of explosive with 1 kg (2.2 lb) of nails and screws packed around it as shrapnel.[72] In the aftermath of the attacks, however, the chief coroner alleged that no shrapnel was found in any of the victims.[73] Goma-2 ECO was never before used by al-Qaeda, but the explosive and the modus operandi were described by The Independent as ETA trademarks, although the Daily Telegraph came to the opposite conclusion.[74] Two bombsone in Atocha and another one in El Pozo stations, numbers 11 and 12were detonated accidentally by the TEDAX. According to the provincial chief of the TEDAX, deactivated rucksacks contained some other type of explosive. The 13th bomb, which was transferred to a police station, contained dynamite, although it did not explode because it was missing two wires connecting the explosives to the detonator. That bomb used a mobile phone (Mitsubishi Trium) as a timer, requiring a SIM card to activate the alarm and thereby detonate.[75] The analysis of the SIM card allowed the police to arrest an alleged perpetrator. On Saturday, 13 March, when three Moroccans and two Pakistani Muslims[76][77] were arrested for the attacks, it was confirmed that the attacks came from an Islamic group.[78] Only one of the five persons (the Moroccan Jamal Zougam) detained that day was finally prosecuted.[79] The Guardia Civil developed an extensive action plan to monitor records corresponding with the use of weapons and explosives. There were 166,000 inspections conducted throughout the country between March 2004 and November 2004. About 2,500 violations were discovered and over 3 tons of explosives, 11 kilometers of detonating cord, and over 15,000 detonators were seized.[80] On 3 April 2004, in Legans, south Madrid, four terrorists died in an apparent suicide explosion, killing one Grupo Especial de Operaciones (GEO) (Spanish special police assault unit) police officer and wounding eleven policemen. According to witnesses and media, between five and eight suspects escaped that day.[35] Security forces carried out a controlled explosion of a suspicious package found near the Atocha station and subsequently deactivated the two undetonated devices on the Tllez train. A third unexploded device was later brought from the station at El Pozo to a police station in Vallecas, and became a central piece of evidence for the investigation. It appears that the El Pozo bomb failed to detonate because a cell-phone alarm used to trigger the bomb was set 12 hours late.[81] Sectors of the People's Party (PP), and certain media, such as El Mundo newspaper and the COPE radio station,[82] continue to support theories relating the attack to a vast conspiracy to remove the governing party from power. Support for the conspiracy was also given by the Asociacin de Vctimas del Terrorismo (AVT), Spain's largest association of victims of terrorism. These theories speculate that ETA and members of the security forces and national and foreign (Morocco) secret services were involved in the bombings.[83][84] Defenders of the claims that ETA participated in some form in the 11 March attacks have affirmed that there is circumstantial evidence linking the Islamists with two ETA members who were detained while driving the outskirts of Madrid in a van containing 500 kg of explosives 11 days before the train bombings.[85] The Madrid judge Coro Cilln is continuing to hear conspiracy theory cases, including one accusing government officials of ordering the scrapping of the bombed train cars in order to destroy evidence.[86] The public seemed convinced that the Madrid Bombings were a result of the Aznar governments alignment with the U.S. and its invasion of Iraq. The terrorists behind the 11-M attack were somewhat successful because of the election outcome. Before the attack, the incumbent Popular Party led the polls by 5 percent. It is believed that the Popular Party would have won the election if it had not been for the terrorist attack. The Socialist Party, led by Jos Luis Rodrguez Zapatero, ended up winning the election by 5%. The Socialist Party had called for the removal of Spanish troops from Iraq during its campaigning. Zapatero promised to remove Spanish troops by 30 June 2004, and the troops were withdrawn a month earlier than expected. Twenty-eight percent of voters said that the bombings influenced their opinions and vote. An estimated 1 million voters switched their vote to the Socialist Party after the Madrid bombings. These voters who switched their vote were no longer willing to support the Popular Partys stance on war policy. The bombings also influenced 1,700,000 citizens to vote who did not plan on originally voting. On the other hand, the terrorist attacks discouraged 300,000 people from voting. Overall, there was a net 4 percent increase in voter turnout.[87] According to El Mundo, "the notes on the Moroccan confidant 'Cartagena' prove that the Police had the leaders of the cell responsible for the 11 March attacks under surveillance." However, none of the notes refer to the preparation of any terrorist attack.[90] The trial of 29 accused began on 15 February 2007. According to El Pas, "the Court dismantled one by one all conspiracy theories" and demonstrated that any link or implication of the bombings with ETA was either misleading or without any foundation. During the trial the defendants withdrew their previous declarations and denied any involvement.[91][92][93] According to El Mundo the questions about "who, why, when and where were the Madrid train attacks planified" are still "open", because the alleged masterminds of the attacks were absolved. El Mundo also claimed -among other misgivings[94][95][96]- that the Spanish Judiciary reached "scientifically unsound" conclusions about the kind of explosives used in the trains,[97] and that no direct al-Qaeda link was found, thus "debunking the key argument of the official version".[98] Anthropologist Scott Atran described the Madrid trial as "a complete farce" pointing at the fact that "There isn't the slightest bit of evidence of any operational relationship with al-Qaida". Instead, "The overwhelming majority of [terrorist cells] in Europe have nothing to do with al-Qaida other than a vague relationship of ideology."[54] Though the trial proceeded smoothly in its opening months, 14 of the 29 accused mounted a hunger strike in May, protesting against the alleged "unfair" role of political parties and media in the legal proceedings. Judge Javier Gmez Bermdez refused to suspend the trial despite the strike, and the hunger strikers ended their fast on 21 May.[99] The last audience of the trial was held on 2 July 2007. Transcripts and videos of the audiences are visible on datadiar.tv.[100] On 31 October 2007, the Audiencia Nacional of Spain delivered its verdicts. Of the 28 defendants in the trial, 21 were found guilty on a range of charges from forgery to murder. Two of the defendants were sentenced each to more than 40,000 years in prison.[101][102] In the investigations carried out to find out what went wrong in the security services, many individual negligences and miscoordinations between different branches of the police were found. The group dealing with Islamist extremists was very small and in spite of having carried out some surveillances, they were unable to stop the bombings. Also some of the criminals involved in the "Little Mafia" who provided the explosives were police informants and had leaked to their case officers some tips that were not followed up on. Some of the alleged perpetrators of the bombing were reportedly under surveillance by the Spanish police since 2001.[103][104][105] At the time of the Madrid bombings, Spain was well equipped with internal security structures that were for the most part effective in the fight against terrorism. It became evident that there were coordination issues between police forces as well as within each of them. The Interior Ministry focused on correcting these weaknesses. It was Spains goal to strengthen its police intelligence in order to deal with the risks and threats of international terrorism. This decision for the National Police and the Guardia Civil to strengthen their counter-terrorism services, let to an increase in jobs aimed at preventing and fighting global terrorism. Counter-terrorism services increased its employment by nearly 35% during the legislature. Human resources in external information services, dealing with international terrorism, grew by 72% in the National Police force and 22% in the Guardia Civil.[106] The authorship of the bombings remains a controversial issue in Spain. Sectors of the Partido Popular (PP) and some of the PP-friendly media outlets (primarily El Mundo and the Libertad Digital radio station) claim that there are inconsistencies and contradictions in the Spanish judicial investigation. As Spanish and international investigations continue to claim the unlikeliness of ETA's active implication, these claims have shifted from direct accusations involving the Basque separatist organization[107] to less specific insinuations and general skepticism.[108] Additionally, there is controversy over the events that took place between the bombings and the general elections held three days later.[109][110] This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it.(November 2015) In the aftermath of the bombings there were massive street demonstrations across Spain to protest against the train bombings.[111] The international reaction was also notable, as the scale of the attack became clearer. ^O'Neill, Sean (15 February 2007). "Spain furious as US blocks access to Madrid bombing 'chief'". The Times. London, UK. Retrieved 16 February 2010. The al-Qaeda leader who created, trained and directed the terrorist cell that carried out the Madrid train bombings has been held in a CIA "ghost prison" for more than a year. ^ abThe Independent article:Archived 6 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine. "While the bombers may have been inspired by bin Laden, a two-year investigation into the attacks has found no evidence that al-Qa'ida helped plan, finance or carry out the bombings, or even knew about them in advance."Ten bombs in backpacks and other small bags, such as gym bags, exploded. One bomb did not explode and was defused. The police did controlled explosions on three other bombs. ^Madrid: The Aftermath: Spain admits bombs were the work of Islamists "Connections have also been drawn between the drivers of a van found on the outskirts of Madrid on 29 February containing 500 kg of explosive and the Islamists: the two men in the van are alleged to be members of ETA, and also to have been among a group of Basques who expressed strong support for Iraq against the Anglo-American invasion. But so far the evidence does not go beyond the circumstantial." Retrieved 1 September 2009. Archived 4 September 2009.
A SERIES of potentially lethal flaws in Holyrood security have been uncovered in the wake of the terror attack in Westminster which left five people dead including the killer. Concerns focus on the car park beneath the Scottish Parliament which could be vulnerable to a terrorist car bomb, and the personal security of the First Minister. There are also concerns about the use of parliamentary passes, and the lack of pin codes in use in Holyrood. Pass-holders entering the car park do not have their vehicle or car boot searched, nor are mirrors used to search beneath the vehicle. It is also understood the First Minister is not routinely accompanied by armed protection officers. There have been previous high-profile attacks where terrorists used car parks to attack buildings, including a 1993 attack on the World Trade Center in New York, where an al-Qaeda car bomb in the car park beneath the building killed six and injured more than 1,000. In 1979, Tory Northern Ireland spokesman Airey Neave was killed when a car bomb fitted under his car exploded as he drove out of the Palace of Westminster car park. A source close to the First Minister when asked if she had a regular armed detail attached to her since the attack in Westminster said "not as far as I know". Officially, a spokeswoman for the First Minister would only say: "We don't comment on security matters." During the Westminster attack, it was a plainclothes firearms officer, part of Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallons detail, who shot dead attacker Khalid Masood after he had fatally stabbed PC Keith Palmer and before he could get further into the parliament. Present and past Prime Ministers, and UK ministers thought to be at risk, have round-the-clock armed protection. Professor Stephen Vertigans, an expert in political violence at the Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, said increased security for high profile politicians was likely to become more commonplace. He said: "I'm sure there will be greater security and the safeguarding of key figures and leading politicians. There will probably be a greater police presence at high-profile locations. Heavily-armed uniformed police have patrolled the Houses of Parliament for more than a decade - however, none of the MSPs contacted by the Sunday Herald, while calling for a greater police presence, wanted armed police at the Scottish parliament. And while security at the entrance to Holyrood has been strengthened there are no routine checks of cars and boots or the use of extendable mirrors to look under vehicles for bombs, as happens at the UK parliament. One former MSP, who wanted to remain anonymous, said that while he is satisfied with security, access to the car park below the Parliament was an area that could be reviewed. He acknowledged that security had improved, but pointed out that deliveries and other vehicles enter Holyrood and suggested boot checks were an option. The Sunday Herald asked the Scottish Parliament a series of questions relating to security of the car park, including whether mirror checks underneath cars were necessary and if boot checks could be carried out. A spokesman said: The service yard and car park area were both reviewed following the Ottawa attack [on the Canadian Parliament] and improvements put in place in early 2016. The improvements were made on advice from Police Scotland and other security partners to meet current and emerging threats. Counter-terrorism expert Charles Bird, who worked for the UK Government, including the Ministry of Defence, for a number of years, and is now based at the Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence at St Andrews University, said issues such as the security of the car park would be a concern. He said: It would be tempting to think the main target is Westminster, but one of the things we have seen with terrorist groups and individuals is that if you harden the high-profile targets, you get a switch to softer targets and ones that are easier to get to. Another MSP defended the access arrangements to the car park, but flagged up concerns about the pass-operated system. If an individual stole a pass, the MSP said, the same person could access almost all areas of the Parliament. MSPs and other workers based at the site are vetted before being given security passes to access the building or car park  but Westminster has an additional layer of protection with pin codes also required at all entrances. It is not possible to get onto the UK parliamentary estate there without entering the pin. A Holyrood source said: All pass holders are advised not to wear their pass when outside the building. This advice was reiterated to all building users in the wake of the attacks on Westminster. Furthermore, pass usage is regularly monitored and all passes are immediately disabled if reported lost or stolen or the pass holder leaves the organisation. Asked how many passes had been stolen or lost, a Holyrood spokesman said: The information you requested is not held and therefore we cannot provide it to you, the reason for this is because when a pass is reported as lost to the Security Office, it is immediately disabled and a replacement pass is issued to the pass-holder, consequently there is no requirement to record the number of passes reported as being lost. John Cuddihy, former detective chief superintendent and head of counter terrorism with Police Scotland, said all parts of the UK should continually review security provisions. He said the extent of security measures was driven by the threat level, which is currently set at severe  meaning an attack is likely but not imminent. But he added: Whilst this threat level covers the whole of the UK, each area within the UK will respond in line with the intelligence/information available. Police Scotland assistant chief constable Bernard Higgins told the Sunday Herald he had met Sturgeon to discuss her safety as part of the force's heightened security measures since the terrorist incident in London. Higgins said he could not disclose the nature of the briefing for security reasons, but said he had given the First Minister "very general" advice on her protection. Higgins also said Police Scotland would maintain the number of armed officers on the streets well into next week, including keeping armed police response vehicles near the Scottish Parliament. He added that "at some point normal operations level will return", but refused to state when this would be for security reasons. Professor Dr Phillips O'Brien from the School of International Relations at St Andrews University said there should not be a dramatic security clampdown in the long term. He said: "We always knew there was a chance this could happen and it shouldn't lead to any change in security in the long term. On the whole there are remarkably few attacks in the UK, so there should not be anything drastic. You shouldn't bring in big changes because of one event." After last weeks attack MSPs also received a security briefing. Becky Thomson, the Scottish Parliament head of security, confirmed that the UK threat level was severe but confirmed there was no intelligence to suggest a specific threat to Scotland, Edinburgh or Holyrood. However, the events at Westminster have inevitably kick-started a debate about whether security at Holyrood is fit for purpose. In October, it was revealed that more than 6,800 potential weapons had been seized from visitors to Holyrood since 2014. Most of the dangerous items seized by Holyrood security officers were knives, with 5,832 blades found, followed by 556 screwdrivers/corkscrews and 440 scissors. However, a source warned against the idea of a perfect security system: If somebody wants to get in, there is no way of guaranteeing that wont happen. Comments Comments & Moderation Readers comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the report this post link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments. Our Colleagues Ipsoregulated This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's Editors' Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then please contact the editor here. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can contact IPSO here
London attack: Five dead in Westminster terror attack BBC Five people have died and at least 40 were injured after an attacker drove a car along a pavement in Westminster, stabbed a policeman and was shot dead by police in the grounds of Parliament. The dead officer has been named as PC Keith Palmer, 48, a husband and father. PM Theresa May said the attack was "sick and depraved" and struck at values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech. The attacker has not been named by police. Acting Deputy Commissioner and head of counter terrorism at the Metropolitan Police, Mark Rowley, said they think they know who he is and that he was inspired by international and Islamist-related terrorism, but gave no further details. Media captionLondon attack: Eyewitness describes terror scene aftermath The attack unfolded at about 14.40 GMT when a single attacker drove a car along a pavement over Westminster Bridge, near the Houses of Parliament in central London, killing at least two people and injuring many more. The car then crashed into railings outside the Houses of Parliament. The attacker, armed with a knife, ran to Parliament where he was confronted by the police. PC Palmer - who was not armed - was then stabbed and killed. The attacker was shot dead by armed officers. Mr Rowley paid tribute to PC Palmer, saying: "He was someone who left for work today expecting to return home at the end of his shift, and he had every right to expect that would happen." Keith Palmer had 15 years service with the police "Heartbroken" former colleague, Conservative MP James Cleverly, paid tribute to the "lovely man" he had known for 25 years. The pair had served together in the Royal Artillery before PC Palmer became a policeman. Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood - a former Army officer whose brother died in the Bali terrorist bombing in 2002 - attempted mouth-to-mouth resuscitation of Pc Palmer. Mrs May said the attack was a "sick and depraved" attack on the heart of the capital. Such attempts to defeat UK values were "doomed to failure", she said. She paid tribute to the "exceptional men and women" of the police force who responded to the attack, saying: "We will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart." The prime minister added: "The location of this attack was no accident. "The terrorist chose to strike at the heart of our capital city where people of all nationalities, religions and cultures come together to celebrate the values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech." She is expected to make a statement in the Commons later. Media captionTheresa May: "We will never give in to terror" The husband of murdered MP Jo Cox said the "name I will remember" from the Westminster attack was that of PC Keith Palmer - not the attacker. London mayor Sadiq Khan said: "My message to those that want to harm us and destroy our way of life is: You won't succeed; you won't divide us; we won't be cowed by terrorists." BBC Newsnight reported there was a suggestion the car used in the attack was hired from an address in Birmingham. However, this has not been confirmed. In latest developments: There will be more armed and unarmed officers on duty in London and across the country as a "precautionary measure" The prime minister said the UK terror threat level would remain at severe - its second highest - meaning an attack is "highly likely" Westminster underground station was shut and remained open for interchange only Home Secretary Amber Rudd urged everyone to remain calm but be vigilant and if they see anything they are concerned about report it to the police A group of French schoolchildren were on the bridge and three were injured 13 students from Edge Hill University in Lancashire were also caught up in the incident - two were taken to hospital and described as walking wounded; two others had minor injuries People worried about family and friends can call the police casualty bureau on: 0800 056 0944 or 0207 158 0010. Anyone with images or footage of the incident is urged to send them to www.ukpoliceimageappeal.co.uk Analysis A man believed to be the suspect received medical treatment, while two knives lie on the floor By Dominic Casciani, home affairs correspondent The carnage on Westminster Bridge and inside the grounds of Parliament is the attack that security chiefs here in the UK have long been preparing for. Terrorism looks not just to kill and maim - but to create panic and such a sense of disorder that it rocks a city or nation to its foundations. And this attacker sought to do so in as low-tech way as is possible. The days when terrorism meant large, complex bombs and months of planning are gone: Western security agencies - particularly MI5 and its partner agencies - are very, very good at identifying those plots and disrupting them. The longer it takes to plan such an attack, the more people who are involved, the more chances there will be for security services to learn what is going on. Read more from Dom. Eyewitness Rick Longley said: "We were just walking up to the station and there was a loud bang and a guy, someone, crashed a car and took some pedestrians out. "They were just laying there and then the whole crowd just surged around the corner by the gates just opposite Big Ben. "A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman. "I have never seen anything like that. I just can't believe what I just saw."
An American tourist, who survived London's terror attack, broke down in tears as she spoke about the 'love of her life husband' who was killed on the bridge. In her first interview since the horrific events two weeks, Mellisa Cochran said she bears no grudge against terrorist Khalid Masood - the man who murdered her husband Kurt. Mrs Cochran, from Utah, has had to learn to walk again in hospital after surgery on her leg and said her family are keeping her strong as she recovers from the loss of her husband and her own physical injuries. Mrs Cochran said she bears no grudge against the man who killed her husband Kurt In newly released pictures Melissa Cochran can be seen slowly making her way up the stairs with the aid of two crutches and a nurse as she recovers from her injuries at a London hospital She told the BBC: 'I'm extremely proud of him and very happy that the world now knows what a wonderful man he was. He would probably hate all the publicity. He was a very private man. He was kind, generous and sweet and the love of my life . 'Fortunately I have a wonderful family and am able to take their strength and recover. Kurt would have wanted me to keep going. 'I don't feel any ill will to him. I can't relate I just know that he didn't have the qualities and beautiful heart my husband had. I feel sorry for him. No hate.' Share this article Mrs Cochran had not been told what had happened to her husband until her family arrived at the hospital. She said: 'It was after my surgery on my leg. I had come out of recovery and they placed me in a hospital room and my parents had come to visit and were there waiting for me when I came out. 'I asked them to find out what had happened to my husband. Previously no-one could tell me - no-one had any information. My parents came back in the room and both held my hands and said that he didn't make it, which crushed me. 'Fortunately I have a wonderful family so I am able to take their strength and recover. It has been difficult, obviously, but Kurt would have wanted me to keep going and with such a beautiful family that I have it's been okay.' Mrs Cochran, from Utah, is said to be 'getting stronger every day' and images were also released of her smiling and waving her crutches above her head on Saturday In a picture taken on Saturday, Mrs Cochran can be seen slowly making her way up the stairs with the aid of two crutches and a nurse as she recovers from her injuries. A second picture shows her smiling at the bottom of the staircase being hugged by a relative with one of her legs still in a metal brace. Mrs Cochran, from Utah, is said to be 'getting stronger every day'. It was the first time she has been seen outside her hospital room since the horrific terror attack in central London, which saw Masood mow down innocent people walking along Westminster Bridge on March 22. The 46-year-old's husband, Kurt, died on the final day of the couple's European trip to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. He was thrown onto a concrete underpass. Mrs Cochran spoke to the BBC today - her first interview since the Westminster terror attack Melissa Cochran, from Utah, is seen smiling and waving her crutches above her head on Saturday. This is the first image of the 46-year-old outside the hospital where she is recovering from her injuries after London's terror attack that left her with a broken leg and widowed Meanwhile, Melissa Cochran was left with a broken leg and a gashed head. A photograph of her being comforted by a passerby on the sidewalk in the aftermath became one of the defining images of the attack. Her family has thanked people for the 'outpouring of love and generosity' they have shown for her and her late husband. On Friday, the first images of the widow were revealed and showed her smiling while standing on crutches with her left leg in a cage after an operation. Melissa Cochran says she is 'getting stronger every day' after losing her husband Kurt Cochran on March 22, where Khalid Masood mowed down innocent people on Westminster Bridge. She was pictured for the first time since the attack on Friday She has also thanked people from all around the world for the 'outpouring of love and generosity' they have shown her and Kurt Shocking: Mrs Cochran was left with a broken leg and rib and a badly cut head after the collision and was comforted on the pavement in one of the defining images of the attack Much loved: Kurt and Melissa Cochran from Utah were among those run over by Khalid Masood. Kurt died while his wife was rushed to hospital with broken bones and a cut head In the other she is shown smiling in bed while taking a selfie surrounded by her family and friends. Her brother Clint Payne said on the family's GoFundMe page: 'Her health is steadily improving and she has been strengthened by the presence of her family. She is so grateful for the outpouring of love and generosity. 'So many people have been so kind, and we are deeply touched by their goodness and generosity. 'The most difficult part of all of this is that Kurt is no longer with us, and we miss him terribly. He was an amazing individual who loved everyone and tried to make the world a better place.' Members of her family gathered at New Scotland Yard  and just 100 yards from the scene of the carnage  to thank all those who had helped them in recent days. Family members of American tourist Kurt Cochran, who was killed during the Westminster attack, embrace each other Clint Payne, Mr Cochran's brother-in-law, appeared with twelve other members of the family at a press conference and said: 'This has been a humbling and difficult experience but we have felt the love of so many people during these past several days. It's been a tender experience for our family to be together with Melissa here. 'Her health is steadily improving and she has been strengthened by the presence of her family. She is so grateful for the outpouring of love and generosity.' Mr Payne thanked paramedics, medical personnel and all those who had helped them since the attack as it emerged the couple were fulfilling a dream to go sightseeing in London when tragedy struck. 'The most difficult part of all of this is that Kurt is no longer with us and we miss him terribly,' added Mr Payne. 'He was an amazing individual who loved everyone and tried to make the world a better place.' The family refused to be angry or bitter about the horrific circumstances of Mr Cochran's death, saying they were determined to concentrate on the positives of his life. Pictured, left to right, family member Jason McFarland, Melissa Cochran's sister Sara Payne-McFarland, relatives Jennifer Burton, Angela Stoll and Melissa's parents Sandra Payne and Dimmon Payne Mr Cochran and his wife had run a recording studio from their Utah home for 10 years - his family say he would had no ill will towards his killers It emerged that the couple had been visiting Mrs Cochran's parents Sandra and Dimmon who have been working for four months as missionaries at the London Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Kurt and Melissa  also known as 'Missy' - were visiting London and other parts of Europe for the first time after arriving in Britain on March 3 before visiting Scotland, Ireland Belgium, Holland and Germany. However, members of the family refused to condemn killer Masood or his actions as Clint Payne added: 'There is no ill feeling. We wouldn't bear ill feelings towards anyone and we can draw strength as a family from that. An inquest has been opened into the death of Westminster terrorist Khalid Masood, who died from a gunshot wound 'Kurt's whole life was an example of focusing on the positive  not pretending that negative things don't exist but not living our life in the negative  that's what we chose to do.' Westminster terrorist Khalid Masood was killed by a single gunshot wound to the chest, a court heard. The 52-year-old killer was pronounced dead at 3.35pm  just under an hour after he embarked on his murderous mission on Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament, an inquest into his death was told. Westminster Coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox also took the unusual step of offering her sympathies to Masood's family, 'who are also victims of this incident'. Coroners Officers Eric Sword told inquest that the terrorist had been identified by 'finger prints and DNA'. Masood was taken to St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, where he was later pronounced dead. Mr Sword said: 'The cause of death was gun-shot wound to the chest. His time of death was recorded at 15.35.' Detective Superintendent John Crossley gave the court a summary of the events that left four people dead  Kurt Cochrane, Aysha Frade, Leslie Rhodes and PC Keith Palmer  and over 35 injured. 'The driver mounted the pavement twice in the an apparently deliberate attempt to target pedestrians, before mounting the pavement for a final time and crashing his vehicle into the east parliament gates of the Houses of Parliament.' Masood died in St Mary's Hospital after being shot in the chest during the attack last week The aftermath of the attack in which Masood (top) was shot after stabbing PC Palmer (right) US tourist Kurt Cochran and mother Aysha Frade died after Masood drove across the bridge PC Keith Palmer (left) was stabbed beneath Big Ben. Pensioner Leslie Rhodes died the next day Det Supt Crossley said there were some 140 'significant witnesses' to the carnage out of a potential 1,500 potential witnesses to the 82-second terror attack. PC Keith Palmer, 48, was stabbed, American tourist Kurt Cochran, 54, and Aysha Frade, 44, died from multiple injuries that afternoon and retired window cleaner Leslie Rhodes, 75, died later in hospital of his injuries. The Independent Police Complaints Commission has launched an investigation into Masood's death and will report directly to senior coroner Dr Wilcox, the court heard. No member of Masood's family attended the 15-minute hearing at Westminster's Coroners Court but Dr Wilcox offered them her sympathies. She told the court: 'I take a moment to pass my sympathies to the family o Masood, who are also all victims of this incident.' The inquest was adjourned until May and will be heard in full at the Royal Courts of Justice. Earlier in his life, Masood, formerly called Adrian Elms, had lived in Tunbridge Wells, Kent and Rye and Eastbourne, East Sussex, where he picked up a number of convictions for petty crime and violence. After having two children with a previous partner, he was jailed twice and is understood to have converted to Islam while in prison. Upon his release, he married a Muslim woman and travelled to Saudi Arabia to teach English. In the years before his attack, he lived near a number of known radicals in Luton before travelling between homes in east London and Birmingham. It also emerged today that Masood was, as he claimed on his CV, a graduate, having received a bachelor degree in economic history in the 1990s.
Khalid Masood, 52, has been identified as the man behind the attacks Wednesday outside Britain's Parliament. Police said another victim of the attack died Thursday "after his life-support was withdrawn." 75-year-old dies after removal from life-support the day after London attack Const. Keith Palmer was honoured by his colleagues and his government one day after he died preventing Khalid Masood from getting any further during the London attack 2:47 Khalid Masood, 52, has been identified as the man behind the deadly attacks Wednesday in London outside Britain's Parliament. The death toll from the attack rose to four on Thursday when police announced a 75-year-old man "died tonight after his life-support was withdrawn." Masood was born in Kent to the southeast of London and had been most recently living in central England, London police said. "Masood was not the subject of any current investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack," police said in a statement. "However, he was known to police and has a range of previous convictions for assaults, including GBH [grievous bodily harm], possession of offensive weapons and public order offences." People lit candles Thursday night at a vigil in Trafalgar Square in London the day after the attack. (Hannah McKay/Reuters) Several thousand people gathered Thursday evening in London's Trafalgar Square for a candlelit vigil to honour the victims and their families and to show London's unity in the face of militant attacks. Dignitaries, police and clergy, including Buddhist monks in brown robes, gathered on the steps leading to the National Gallery. There was a strong sense of solidarity and camaraderie, with Muslims mingling with Jews and people stopping to thank the police for their work. After speeches and a minute's silence Amber Rudd, the home secretary MP, mayor Sadiq Khan and acting police commissioner Craig Mackey lit the three oversize candles to applause from the crowd Earlier, U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May said the attacker had been investigated by British intelligence "some years ago." May said he had been investigated by MI-5, the U.K.'s intelligence service, "in relation to concerns of violent extremism," but that he was not part of what she called the current intelligence picture, saying he was a "peripheral figure." Theresa May makes statement in the House of Commons 10:47 Masood sped across Westminster Bridge in a car, ploughing into pedestrians along the way, then ran through the gates of the nearby Parliament building and fatally stabbed an unarmed policeman before being shot dead. May and British police say they believe he acted alone and was "inspired by international terrorism." She said there is no reason to believe that "imminent further attacks" are planned. She called Wednesday's events "an attack on free people everywhere." ISIS, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, claimed responsibility for the attack, the group's Amaq news agency said on Thursday. The group has been responsible for numerous bloody attacks around the globe, but also has claimed certain attacks in a show of opportunism. Though ISIS says one of its "soldiers" carried out the attack, it doesn't confirm they organized it, inspired it or had anything to do w/ it Thousands gathered during a candlelit vigil at Trafalgar Square in London on March 23, where a moment of silence was observed. (Jack Taylor/Getty Images) Forty people were injured and 29 remain in hospital, seven of whom are in critical condition. Those still in hospital included Britons and people from 10 other countries, including an American and three children from France. Victims killed and injured A Mormon church official says a Utah man was one of the people killed and his wife was seriously wounded and remains in hospital. Kurt W. Cochran and his wife, Melissa, were on the last day of a trip celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary on Wednesday when the attacker struck. The church said Thursday the Utah couple was also visiting the woman's parents who are Mormon missionaries in London. And earlier, the Spanish Foreign Ministry said a British national whose mother is Spanish has been identified as one of the people killed. One of the victims the March 22, 2017, London terror attack has been named as 43-year-old Aysha Frade. (BBC) A spokesman said that Spanish consular officials made contact with Aysha Frade's relatives in Spain's northwestern region of Galicia after her identity was confirmed. He was unable to give any further details. The regional Voz de Galicia newspaper said that Frade was 43 years old and was teaching Spanish in London. The identity of the 75-year-old who died Thursday was not immediately clear. Queen sends condolences Queen Elizabeth sent her condolences on Thursday to those affected by the attack. "My thoughts, prayers, and deepest sympathy are with all those who have been affected by yesterday's awful violence," she said in a statement. The Queen was due to officially open the new headquarters of London's police force on Thursday but will now do so at a later date. Police and forensic officers work in London on Thursday. (Hannah McKay/Reuters) Since the attack, police have raided at least six addresses, including in London and Birmingham, which have resulted in eight arrests in total. Mark Rowley, assistant commissioner with the Metropolitan Police, said they were continuing to investigate the attacker's "motivation, his preparation and his associates." May and Rowley said there will be an increased police presence in the city, including armed and unarmed officers, as well as more patrols. MP tried to save officer's life The policeman killed was identified late Wednesday as Keith Palmer, 48. Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood, whose brother was killed in the Bali terror attack in 2002, performed first aid on the wounded police officer, who later died. About 10 yards away lay the assailant. "I tried to stem the flow of blood and give mouth to mouth while waiting for the medics to arrive but I think he had lost too much blood," Ellwood said. "He had multiple wounds, under the arm and in the back." May praised Palmer, calling him a hero who "devoted his life to the service of his country." She said the husband and father had been a member of the parliamentary and diplomatic protection command for 15 years. He had also been a soldier in the Royal Artillery. In Parliament Thursday, Conservative MP James Cleverly called for Palmer to receive posthumous recognition for his "gallantry and sacrifice." Choking back tears, Cleverly said he first met Palmer 25 years ago as "Gunner Keith Palmer" when both men served in the Royal Artillery. Cleverly said Palmer was "a strong, professional public servant and it was a delight to meet him again only a few months after being elected."
The man thought to be behind Tuesday's terror attack on Westminster has been named as 29-year-old Sudanese immigrant, Salih Khater, according to British media reports. The suspect had been recently granted British citizenship after coming to the UK as a refugee in 2010. Sputnik has discussed this with Hamed El-Said  Chair and Professor of International Business and Political Economy at the Manchester Metropolitan University Business School. Sputnik: In this case, it seems that the suspect was not known to MI5 or counterterrorism police, what can you say about the implications of that situation? It seems that often times we hear that the police had the suspect on the radar and they were aware of this and in this case it is different, do you think this is a more dangerous situation when this person was not on the radar or does this mean that this is a different kind of crime? Hamed El-Said: Yes and no. As you said rightly this person was unknown before to the MI6 or the MI5, but we know now that he's actually been known to the local police. We also know now that this person he hasn't really been outside. He's not, for example, joined any terrorist organization in Syria and Iraq. We also know that he was alone in the car, there is no other weapons that have been found in the car. We know he drove all the way from Birmingham, arrived in London at almost midnight, waited till 5-6 o'clock in the morning and last minute swept the car into a deserted area at the time when the parliament was in recess really, ahead of the daily rush hour, leaving the area relatively deserted. So if this really was a terrorist attack, obviously, what we can say is this was a lousy terrorist. It was badly planned, obviously, this individual wasn't disciplined, wasn't trained, wasn't competent, luckily for all of us obviously. But we still don't really know much about this individual and we really need to find more information about him before we conclude whether what kind of a terrorist he really was, if he was a terrorist at all. Sputnik: We were getting reports at the beginning that he was not cooperating with the police has anything come out, has he said anything? Hamed El-Said: We will know a lot about this individual, it is very difficult to hide his history, we know he's 29 years of age, as you reported, a British citizen of Sudanese origin. We don't know when he came. He's not cooperating, doesn't want to cooperate, he's probably under certain kind of drugs. We don't really know, there's still a lot of questions unanswered at this stage, but that's normal after such attacks because the police want to make sure that they get everything. They want to make sure that, actually, if there are other individuals involved in the attack they don't want them to know much about the operation. So it's very normal to have this kind of secrecy surrounding such attacks for a while, until everything is known and discovered about this individual and then we will know more, but so far really there's not much information available about this individual apart from what we've just said. Sputnik: Some experts have pointed out that the suspect may not be linked, in fact, to any organization and this could just be a copycat crime that just for some reason that an amateur, somebody who didn't have any affiliation with terrorism decided to perpetrate, what are your thoughts on that, do you think this is a possibility? Hamed El-Said: There is now, the literature has established a very strong link between crime and terrorism. A large number of individuals coming from a criminal background become terrorists along the way for many reasons, obviously, so they already have the qualifications, they are already trained in a similar area, crime scene or something. That in a sense makes them, obviously, more dangerous or equally dangerous to individuals who sometimes go to a battlefield like Syria, Iraq or maybe Afghanistan, train over there and come back. The second part of your question, this is very normal, it doesn't really mean that every individual goes abroad or all individuals who go abroad actually become terrorists. We have what we call now homegrown terrorists. They can be found anywhere in the world, and it's very possible that this is a case of a homegrown terrorist within the UK who might have been inspired, rather than trained. This is very normal and this is where unfortunately most of the danger is coming from these days. All the focus is on terrorists who actually joined a war outside, abroad and unfortunately, this has led to less attention being paid to homegrown terrorists. Sputnik: There are reports that the Metropolitan Police were searching three addresses in the Midlands, anything about that you can tell us? Hamed El-Said: Obviously, that's a very normal procedure. After any terrorist attack, you want to search for any place that the individual who committed the attack is linked to. Nothing has come out so far, as far as I know, but obviously, after the search has taken place, the Metropolitan Police will definitely provide more information. It's a matter of time, it's very difficult at the moment, you know. Sputnik: Do you think that there needs to be more done in the way of assimilating and integrating people into society? Hamed El-Said: The security forces almost all over the world, especially in western countries, today are far more equipped, far more trained, far more capable than ever before to foil terrorist attacks and they do. In fact, as we heard today (on Wednesday) in one of the journalistic briefs from an official, the prime minister spokesman today, he's been very clear, he has stated that almost 18 attacks have been foiled since the last attack on Westminster in March in 2017 and he also added that almost 676 terrorism investigations are underway. So obviously, with regard to the first part of the question on security, the security has been enhanced tremendously, but it's also really erroneous to believe that no matter how good our security staff and system is we could literally prevent every single attack in the world. This is next to impossible. I don't really think we should even dream of doing that. That is not something achievable, and the fact that some individuals who are not well known to us is also normal, not everybody we know becomes a terrorist and that also adds to the argument I made earlier on. We still don't really know enough about the path to radicalization and that actually differs tremendously from one individual to another, from one group to another, and from one country to another as well. So, therefore, the idea of investing more in preventing totally terrorism is actually a dream. It cannot be achieved and achieving it would require an enormous amount of resources. I doubt whether any country in the world can afford that. What we really need to focus on is just making sure that terrorism does not prevent us from doing our daily activities, our daily lives, practicing our daily lives. The views and opinions expressed by Hamed El-Said are those of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect those of Sputnik. Hello, ! We are committed to protecting your personal information and we have updated our Privacy Policy to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), a new EU regulation that went into effect on May 25, 2018. Please review our Privacy Policy. 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Melissa Cochran, wife of Kurt Cochran, one of those killed in the attack, attends the service at Westminster Abbey. Photograph: WPA Pool/Getty Images Hundreds of floral tributes still carpet a corner of Parliament Square, serving as a reminder of the shock that jolted the capital following those 82 seconds of mayhem and murder at its heart two weeks ago. But terror yielded to hope on Wednesday at a service at Westminster Abbey for the dead, the injured, and all those who came to their aid. Candles were lit and held by each of the 1,800 people in the congregation as an act of commitment, shining brightly as a tangible symbol that light would always overcome darkness. Families of the four people who were killed, and survivors of the 22 March Westminster Bridge attack, were joined by paramedics, nurses, doctors  the first aid responders dispatched to the scene  community and faith leaders, ambassadors and politicians. Among them was Melissa Payne Cochran, from Utah, who lost her husband, Kurt Cochran, 54, in the attack. She smiled as she arrived at the abbey in a wheelchair after being treated for leg and rib injuries. The couple had been in London celebrating their 25th anniversary. She was accompanied by her parents. The service was the first time the families of those killed had been together in one place. Melissa Cochran paid tribute to her late husband, Kurt, and explained she had no hate towards Masood, his killer. Kurt was probably the best man Ive ever met. He was sweet and kind and Im extremely proud of him. And Im very happy that the world now knows what a wonderful man he was. He would probably hate all the publicity. Hes a very private kind of person. Very generous. Very sweet. And the love of my life, she told the BBC. As tears flowed, she described how her parents broke the news that he had died after she came out of recovery from surgery. Both grabbed my hands and said that he didnt make it. Which crushed me, she said. Fortunately I have a wonderful family and Im able to take their strength and recover. Its been difficult, obviously, but Kurt would have wanted me to keep going and with such a beautiful family that I have its been OK. Asked about her feelings towards his killer, she replied: I dont feel any ill will towards him. I dont know what he was feeling or thinking, or anything that had been going on in his life. And so I cant relate. I just know that unfortunately he didnt have the qualities and the beautiful heart that my husband had. So, I actually feel a little sorry for him. No hate. Rows of green uniforms represented the medical workers who attended the shocking scene and later treated the injured. The abbey saw faith leaders join the home secretary, Amber Rudd, the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, the Commons Speaker, John Bercow, and the acting Metropolitan police commissioner, Craig Mackey, as the dean of Westminster, John Hall, said: At a time of sorrow, a time when we are tempted to despair, may we find hope. Prince William laid a wreath of spring flowers, including red and white roses and gerbera, at the Innocent Victims memorial as he arrived. His card said: In memory of the innocent lives; lost to us all on the 22 March 2017. Inside, Hall told the invited congregation the attack had left everyone bewildered and disturbed. But the flowers, many fresh, some now fading, laid out on the green and tied to lamp-posts on the bridge, and the accompanying messages spoke to determination and defiance in the face of evil and terror, he said. They were simple statements of courage, we are not afraid and we stand together. Londons mayor Sadiq Khan takes part in the service at Westminster Abbey. Photograph: POOL/Reuters Up to 50 had been injured, some seriously. Those killed and injured included Londoners, but also people from the United States of America, from Romania, France, South Korea, Italy, China, Australia, Greece, Portugal, Germany, Poland and Ireland, said Hall. We weep for the violence, for the hatred, for the loss of life, for all that divides and spoils our world. It was not meant to be like this. It should not be like this. Violence and hatred are not the answer,. He added: We have called this a service of hope. And despite the horror of the random killing and hatred shown two weeks ago today, there is much for which we can be thankful and much to offer us hope. Khan said: The city has shown its resilience. This service today is one of hope. We are not going to be cowed by terrorists and what was remarkable about the day was how you saw our police and emergency services rushing towards danger. They showed the very best of humanity and the very best of London. First responders, many from the Metropolitan police, others medical workers from nearby St Thomas hospital who rushed over Westminster Bridge to the scene moments after the attack, gathered in the Deanery drawing room at the abbey following the service to meet the royal trio. Dame Eileen Sills, of Guys and St Thomas NHS Foundation trust, who attended the service, said many of them ran without any thought of whether it was safe to do so because it happened so quickly, they had no idea of what they were going into. She said some members of staff had not yet picked up the courage to walk across the bridge since. Commander Mak Chisty, of the Metropolitan police, who read one of the prayers, told the BBC: The whole purpose of terrorism is to shock communities, to disrupt them, to divide them. And Londons difference has been its strength. So we have all come together, we have stood together. And its occasions like this, when you get inspiration and hope and Im certainly hopeful for the future. Richard Mills, an assistant commissioner of London fire brigade, said of the service: Events such as these are the start of the healing process.
Delivering a defiant message to a packed House of Commons, Mrs May said: "We will never waiver in the face of terrorism." Later, a statement released through IS's Aamaq news agency said the attacker was a "soldier of the Islamic State". Advertising The knife-wielding attacker was shot dead after he ploughed a car through pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before storming the Parliamentary estate and stabbing unarmed police officer Keith Palmer to death. Aysha Frade and a man in his mid-50s also died after being hit by the attacker's Hyundai i40 on Westminster Bridge, while around 40 more people were injured. Twenty-nine of these needed hospital treatment and seven people remained in a critical condition this morning. Those injured included 12 Britons, three French children, two Romanians, four South Koreans, two Greeks, and one each from Germany, Poland, Ireland, China, Italy and the United States. Three police officers were also hurt, two of them seriously. Pc Keith Palmer, American tourist Kurt Cochran and mother-of-two Aysha Frade were killed in the attack Advertising As MPs, workers and visitors to Parliament remained in lockdown, police flooded the Westminster streets yesterday afternoon before launching armed raids at six addresses in Birmingham, London and around the country. Stunned Hagley Road residents watched as more than a dozen black-clad officers equipped with machine guns smashed their way into a second-floor flat at around 11pm, where one witness said: "The man from London lived here." West Midlands Police have not confirmed how many people were arrested in Birmingham, but a witness who works in a shop nearby said three men were detained. The road was sealed off by balaclava-wearing officers for several hours as the raid continued, although the busy main road into the city has since reopened. Searches were continuing on Hagley Road this morning, while officers were also spotted scouring the ground for evidence in the Winson Green area of the city. Officers entering the flat in Hagley Road in the early hours The Prime Minister addresses a packed House of Commons, where she revealed the attacker was known to police Meanwhile pupils and staff from Oldbury Academy were in London yesterday, with the school tweeting to keep parents updated. The group were travelling back from the capital by around 8.20pm. This morning, MPs stood for a minute's silence in honour of the innocent people killed in the attack before Mrs May delivered a statement with details of the atrocity around an hour later. Paying tribute to Pc Keith Palmer, who was stabbed while guarding Westminster Palace, she said: "He was every inch a hero and his actions will never be forgotten." Mrs May concluded her statement by saying: "Our values will prevail." An armed policeman stands with his foot on a knife and his gun trained on an injured man believed to be the attacker Describing the terrorist, Mrs May said: "What I can confirm is that the man was British-born and that some years ago he was once investigated by MI5 in relation to concerns about violent extremism. He was a peripheral figure. "The case is historic. He was not part of the current intelligence picture. There was no prior intelligence of his intent or of the plot." Anti-terror police have arrested eight people in the wake of the attack, while the Met's senior anti-terror officer, said he believed the attacker was working alone. Director General of MI5 Andrew Parker also condemned the attack as "appalling and disgusting" and said the agency's operational response is "fully mobilised in support of the police". Tributes left to Pc Keith Palmer outside Parliament A minute's silence was held nationwide at 9.33am, including in the Palace of Westminster and at New Scotland Yard, with the timing of the silence was chosen in honour of Pc Palmer's shoulder number - 933. MPs said they wanted to attend the House of Commons to show a commitment to freedom and democracy, and get "back to business". Thursdays are often a quiet day in Parliament, with MPs travelling back to their constituencies or making trips elsewhere. But the chamber was packed for the minute's silence. Aysha Frade was the first member of the public to be identified as a victim, with her principal at DLD College London describing her as "highly regarded and loved".
Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood (centre) helps emergency services attend to a police officer outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after a policeman was stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament ( PA wire ) Tory MP Tobias Ellwood, who battled to save the life of a police officer in the Westminster terror attack, has been appointed to the Privy Council alongside security minister Ben Wallace, in recognition of their roles in responding to the atrocity, Downing Street has announced. No 10 said the Queen was "pleased" to approve the appointment of the two MPs to the council. The honour means Mr Ellwood and Mr Wallace will be entitled to be referred to as 'Right Honourable' and will be briefed on top-secret national security affairs. Mr Ellwood, a foreign office minister who served in the British Army and reached the rank of captain, reportedly attempted to perform mouth-to-mouth on 48-year-old PC Keith Palmer as he lay bleeding from stab wounds. Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood stands amongst the emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament (PA wire) The MP for Bournemouth East, whose brother died in Bali bombings of 2002, said he headed towards the incident as soon as he realised what was going on, but that despite extensive efforts by him and others to save the officer, his blood loss left little chance of survival. The officer was fatally stabbed outside Parliament following a murderous rampage across Westminster Bridge, during which the attacker mounted the pavement and ploughed his car into pedestrians, killing four and injuring at least 50 others. Images of the chaotic scenes outside Westminster Palace appeared to show Mr Ellwood pumping the officer's chest then standing above him, his hands and face smeared with blood. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP The privy council is mainly composed of senior politicians, although it also includes judges and bishops, and has advised the monarch since the Norman era. Theresa May on Thursday honoured the "extraordinary efforts" to save the life of PC Palmer, including those made by the Bournemouth MP. Westminster attack 'hero' MP Tobias Ellwood appointed to Privy Council 1/2 Conservative MP Tobias Ellwoodhelps emergency services attend to a police officer outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after a policeman was stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament PA wire 2/2 Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood stands amongst the emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament
A man armed with several knives has been arrested in Whitehall, London, on suspicion of planning a terror attack, Scotland Yard said. The suspect was carrying a rucksack containing at least three knives when he was detained "following a stop and search as part of an ongoing operation", police said. The Metropolitan Police said in a statement that he was held at approximately 2.22pm on Thursday by armed officers from the Specialist Firearms Command. It went on: "The man, aged in his late twenties, was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism. "Knives have been recovered from him. "He is being detained under the Terrorism Act and is in custody in a south London police station. "Detectives from the Counter Terrorism Command are continuing their investigation, and as a result of this arrest there is no immediate known threat." The suspect was held yards from the scene of last month's terror attack by Khalid Masood. The bearded suspect, who was dressed in dark clothing, was wrestled to the ground on a traffic island at the Parliament Square end of Whitehall, close to the Foreign Office and the entrance to Downing Street. Images from the scene showed three knives and what appeared to be a mobile on the ground close to a brown rucksack. An officer in forensic overalls could be seen taking photographs of the knives. The suspect was detained at the scene for several minutes within view of journalists and passers by before he was eventually taken away in a police vehicle. Recruiters Harry Peasnell, 27, and Andy Burnage, 22, were leaving the adjacent building which houses various Government offices after a meeting with officials when they were told over the tannoy the usual entrance on to Whitehall was closed. As they made their way back towards Parliament from the alternative House Guards Road entrance they said they were pushed back up Great George Street by several plain clothes police officers. They then made their way to Parliament Square where they said they saw a man in his 20s or 30s, who they thought was the suspect, being spoken to by police next to the wall of the offices. Mr Peasnell, who says he regularly has meetings in Westminster, said police were "quick on the scene" and that he was not worried like he was during the terror attack in the area just weeks ago. "Last time all the buildings were on lockdown and no one was allowed to leave," he said. Westminster has been on a state of heightened alert since Masood launched his attack on March 22, killing five people, including Pc Keith Palmer. Masood drove at pedestrians before stabbing Pc Palmer as he guarded the cobbled forecourt of the Palace of Westminster. He was shot dead by police. A builder working on the road nearby said: "I saw the police officers catch him. They caught him and got him on the ground." Asked if the suspect was waving knives, acting aggressively or shouting, the witness said: "No."
Speaking the morning after the devastation, the PM admitted the British-born lone-wolf attacker had previously been investigated by MI5 but had been dismissed as a peripheral figure. PA:Press Association PM Theresa May says we will never give in to terror following Westminster attack PA:Press Association An image from the scene shows two knives on the ground as paramedics treat a suspect PA:Press Association Emergency services treat two people  thought to be the attacker and injured cop  outside Parliament following the attack A car crashed into gates outside Parliament after mowing down up to a dozen people on Westminster Bridge causing carnage in the capital The large-scale terror attack has exposed critical flaws in the security of Westminster, as MPs said the killer ran through a weak spot and got 25 yards inside the gates. Shocking footage emerged of the attackers car, a year-old Hyundai Tucson registered in Chelmsford, Essex, ploughing into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, forcing one woman to jump into the Thames to escape. Witness James Sheriff told the Times he must have been going at 70mph. The Prime Minister, who was bundled into a silver Jaguar and rushed from the scene, said it was no accident the terrorist struck in the heart of our capital. Speaking after a Cobra meeting, she said: The terrorist chose to strike at the heart of our capital city. The values our parliament represents  democracy, freedom, human rights, the rule of law  command the admiration and respect of free people everywhere. Any attempt to defeat those values through violence and terror is doomed to failure. Reuters A woman trapped under a bus after the attack in London Reuters A woman helps a victim of the terror attack which a car plough down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge Reuters Witnesses rushed to help a victim with reports that a car mowed down a number of people on Westminster Bridge before crashing into the gate outside Parliament Mark Rowley, national lead for Counter Terrorism Policing and Met Acting Deputy Commissioner, said the attacker was inspired by Islamic terrorism. He added that hundreds of police officers were involved in the investigation to check his background and trace his known associates. The attack came on the first anniversary of the Brussels airport bombings. The Muslim Council of Britain said: We are shocked and saddened by the incident at Westminster. We condemn this attack and while it is still too early to speculate on the motives, our thoughts and prayers are for the victims and those affected. We pay tribute too to the police and emergency services who handled this with bravery. EPA Armed police swarm the area in Westminster after a man was shot following a terror attack EPA Cops gather outside Parliament after the attacker mowed pedestrians down EPA Officers with machine guns were pictured at the scene in Westminster PA:Press Association The Houses of Parliament and Lords were on lockdown after yesterdays incident Getty Images An armed paramedic arrives at the scene in Westminster Jamie Lorriman Officers trawl the Thames after the terror attack in Westminster Fame Flynet John Prescott pictured at the scene this evening Rob Smith, who was running past Westminster when he said he saw the drama unfolded, told Sun Online: The grey Hyundai car came across the bridge then across the cycle lane, hit a man on a bike and drive into the wall gates. Police ran straight out and shot him. He said officers had been drawing their guns as they ran out. Cops had held a practice terror drill on Sunday and were at the scene within six minutes of the attack. Staff inside Parliament were told to stay in their offices and away from windows as a sitting in the House of Commons was suspended this afternoon. Hundreds of MPs were trapped in the House of Commons for five hours. Twitter users paid tribute to those killed in yesterdays attack under the hashtag IamLondon. Reuters Flowers at the scene of the terror attack in Westminster Reuters Tel Avivs Rabin Square lit up in solidarity with London Sky News This is the moment MPs were told of the terror attack at Parliament Getty Images Cops sealed off the area around Parliament yesterday Twitter An air ambulance landed at the scene after multiple injuries were reported Spicer said: The President has been briefed on the situation in London. He just spoke to Prime Minister May and we will have a readout on that call soon. We obviously condemn todays attack in Westminster which the United Kingdom is treating as an act of terrorism we applaud the quick response that the British police and their first responders made to the situation. The victims are in our thoughts and our prayers. The city of London and Her Majestys government have the full support of the US government in responding to the attack and bringing those to justice who are responsible. We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368.
Terms of service We use cookies to collect and analyse information on site performance and usage, and to enhance and customise content and advertisements. By clicking "Accept" you agree to allow cookies to be placed. To decline please click here. To find out more or to change your cookie settings, visit the cookies section of our Privacy Policy. The man being taken away by armed police was arrested on suspicion of terror offences Danny Boyle Helena Horton Harry Yorke Patrick Sawer 14 August 2018  4:03 PM A terror suspect arrested after a car crashed into a barrier at the Houses of Parliament at high speed is not believed to be known to the security services, police have said. At least three people were injured when the silver Ford Fiesta hit a group of cyclists and pedestrians waiting for traffic lights to change. Rooftop camera footage shows the car mounting a pavement on the wrong side of the road before, witnesses said, it travelled at up to 50mph for around 40 metres (130ft) and hit a bollard. Scotland Yard said a man in his late 20s was arrested after the incident at around 7.30am on Tuesday. The suspect was taken to a south London police station, where he remains on suspicion of terrorism offences. He is not co-operating with officers. Register or log in to view this and other Politics articles. Its free and easy to do. Join regular debates with our journalists by commenting on articles Sign up to exclusive newsletters that give you the inside track on Westminster and Brexit A terror suspect arrested after a car crashed into a barrier at the Houses of Parliament at high speed is not believed to be known to the security services, police have said. At least three people were injured when the silver Ford Fiesta hit a group of cyclists and pedestrians waiting for traffic lights to change. Rooftop camera footage shows the car mounting a pavement on the wrong side of the road before, witnesses said, it travelled at up to 50mph for around 40 metres (130ft) and hit a bollard. Scotland Yard said a man in his late 20s was arrested after the incident at around 7.30am on Tuesday. The suspect was taken to a south London police station, where he remains on suspicion of terrorism offences. He is not co-operating with officers. The Met's counter-terrorism command is leading the investigation into the latest attack. Officers are seeking to formally identify the suspect, but "don't believe this person is known to either MI5 or counter-terrorism police". The suspect is reported to be from the Midlands and it is believed that he might have travelled to London from Birmingham. The man being taken away by armed police was arrested on suspicion of terror offences Credit: Sky News Westminster was in lockdown as armed police swarmed the scene. One witness said: "It looked intentional - the car drove at speed and towards the barriers." Images showed a man being led away in handcuffs after armed police surrounded the eight-year-old car. A second image appears to show pedestrians hit by the vehicle at least 40 metres (130ft) away from where the car hit the barrier. Injured pedestrians can be seen at the top of the shot - around 40 metres from where the car crashed into a barrier Credit: BBC News/PA No one else was in the car and police said no weapons had been recovered from the scene. Speaking outside New Scotland Yard, Neil Basu, the Mets Assistant Commissioner for counter-terrorism, said police and the intelligence services were working to establish if the suspect was part of a wider terror cell and if he had received assistance from others in planning the attack. Mr Basu said: It appears to have been a deliberate act, but what the motive was we cant answer at the moment. We havent formally identified the suspect, but we dont believe hes known to MI5. He added the attacker was not been pursued by police before he struck the entrance to the Palace of Westminster and that the blue lights seen behind him in footage of the incident were those of an ambulance coincidentally answering a separate emergency call. Witness Barry Williams said the car had accelerated towards the barrier after hitting the cyclists. "I turned round to see a silver car heading towards the cyclists on the wrong side of the road, they were parked waiting for the lights to change," he told the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme. "He hit the cyclists then swerved over towards where the safety barrier is.... and accelerated and hit it at quite a high speed. "I wasn't sure whether he meant to hit the cyclists, they might have just been in the way, but once he did, he accelerated towards the barrier. Police recover the car driven by a 29-year-old man who was arrested on suspicion of preparing an act of terror in Westminster Credit: PA He added: "The police were very fast, they vaulted over the safety barrier and headed towards the car. "What also happened was the police started to head away to block off people heading towards us. The cyclists...there was a few on the ground, some were holding their arms, there was bikes everywhere. It was frightening." Mr Williams added: "There was about 10 cyclists waiting for the lights to change... he hit about four or five - one of the cyclists got up and was about to chase the car." View more! Aerial footage of the crash shows the silver Ford Fiesta coming along the road next to Parliament Square before moving to turn right towards Westminster Abbey. As an ambulance passes the car on its right-hand side, the vehicle swerves left - crossing oncoming traffic and a pavement before entering a small road and crashing into a security barrier. A police officer can be seen jumping another barrier that runs along the side of the road to get away. The car, circled, drives past Westminster Abbey After knocking down cyclists, the car mounts a pavement A police officer jumps a barrier as the car approaches Parliament Square was evacuated as a large number of police cars descended on the heart of Westminster, which has seen heightened security since the Westminster Bridge attack in March 2017. Streets around Parliament Square, Millbank and Victoria Tower Gardens were also cordoned off as dozens of armed police swooped on the scene. A series of ambulances had been sent to the scene and the London Ambulance Service said two people were treated for injuries that are not thought to be serious and taken to hospital. A third person was assessed for minor injuries at the scene. 'It looked deliberate... he hit bollard at 50mph' Local businessman Jason Williams was walking to work when he saw the crash unfold. The 45-year-old, from Kennington, south London, said: "He had driven it at speed - more than 40 mph. There was smoke coming out of the car." He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: "I have seen people on the ground, lying on the road. I don't know if they have actually been hit by the vehicle or not. I saw at least 10 people lying down. "I was told basically to move away, to run. I have run for my life." Injured cyclists on the ground after the car crashed into them Credit: Twitter Mr Williams told Good Morning Britain: "I saw a car going at high speed towards Parliament. It hit a bollard." He added: "It looked deliberate. It didn't look like an accident. How do you do that by accident? It was a loud bang." Mr Williams added: "He's obviously gone into the bollard at high speed. "It seemed it was about 40-50mph, there wasn't any shouting or anything - I've seen smoke coming from the vehicle. "He did get out [of the car], I was behind and I did hear a loud bang and I'm seeing what's going on, but I couldn't hear if the police asked him to get out. The specialists came soon after, I'd say within 5-9 minutes." He said the suspect was quiet when he was taken away by the police. A circled aerial image shows where the car ended up after the attack Credit: pixel GRG Metropolitan Police statement as man arrested The man arrested over the Westminster car crash is in his 20s and is being held on suspicion of terrorist offences, Scotland Yard said. It said in a statement: "At 07:37hrs on Tuesday 14 August, a silver Ford Fiesta collided with a number of cyclists and pedestrians, before crashing into barriers outside the Houses of Parliament. "The driver of the car, a man in his late 20s, was arrested at the scene by armed officers. He has been taken to a south London police station where he remains in police custody. "He was arrested on suspicion of terrorist offences. "There was nobody else in the vehicle, which remains at the scene and is being searched. No weapons have been recovered at this stage." Armed police in Parliament Square as the heart of Westminster is in lockdown Credit: HANNAH MCKAY /Reuters The force spokesman added: "At this stage, we are treating this as a terrorist incident and the Met's Counter Terrorism Command is now leading the investigation." Ambulance service: Three injured people treated Two people were treated at the scene in Westminster for injuries that are not thought to be serious, London Ambulance Service said. A third person was assessed for minor injuries but not taken to hospital. A bicycle lies on the ground after the Westminster attack Credit: Eddie Mulholland for The Telegraph Assistant Director of Operations Peter Rhodes said: "We were called at 7.40am today (14 August) to reports of an incident on St Margaret Street, SW1. "We sent a number of resources to the scene including three ambulance crews, responders in cars and an incident response officer. "We have treated two people at the scene for injuries that are not believed to be serious and have taken them to hospital." View more! 3:28PM 'Cyclists were scattered everywhere... then we heard this huge bang' Witness Kirsty Moseley, 31, was sitting in a car behind the cyclists at the traffic lights. She said: The first thing we noticed was his car driving at high speed into the cyclists. Then he went straight through them and rather than continuing and hitting us he swerved and went over the central reservation. The cyclists were scattered everywhere and then we just heard this huge bang. Thats when we looked round and he had driven into the barriers. One cyclist got up and started screaming at him to come back. We were all in shock at that point. There was an ambulance that happened to be driving past at that very moment, so it was there to help the injured within seconds. Then the police were there so quickly and there were so many of them. Bicycles lie on the ground at the scene of the crash outside the Houses of Parliament Credit: HANNAH MCKAY /Reuters On the driver, she said: "I saw him drive past. He wasnt shouting and he just had two hands on the wheel. He was just staring straight ahead. He looked quite sure. He was just peering over the steering wheel. He knew what he was doing and he was focused on what was in front of him rather than being erratic or shouting. After seeing how he drove into them, we are amazed that only one woman has been seriously injured. Miss Moseley was on her way to work in Oxford Circus with her husband, Patrick Moseley, 34, from their Brixton home. We dont usually drive, she said. We usually cycle, but for some reason we decided to drive this morning. 2:50PM Video: Minute-by-minute - how the crash unfolded 2:44PM Westminster council leader: Our democracy, and our way of life, will continue to defy those who try to undermine it Responding to the attack, Nickie Aiken, the leader of Westminster City Council, said: Our thoughts are with those hurt and our thanks to the brilliant emergency services who were so quickly at the scene. The House of Commons was targeted again today  as it was last year  but our democracy, and our way of life, will continue to defy those who try to undermine it. The safety of the people who live, work and visit in Westminster remains our priority and we will work to ensure our capital remains a welcoming city. 2:05PM US ambassador: America's prayers are with all the innocent people hurt Woody Johnson, US ambassador to the UK, wrote on Twitter that "America's prayers are with all the innocent people hurt", as he also praised the emergency services: 1:51PM Police have stopped 17 terror plots in 18 months The terrorist threat against the UK is seen as unprecedented. In addition to five attacks last year, authorities say they have stopped 13 Islamist and four extreme right-wing plots since the Westminster atrocity in March 2017. Police and MI5 are running at least 500 live operations involving roughly 3,000 active "subjects of interest" at any one time - while there is also a wider pool of more than 20,000 individuals who have previously featured in investigations whose threat must be kept under review. Earlier this year, the Government unveiled a refreshed counter-terror strategy. Under the blueprint, MI5 intelligence will be shared with bodies outside the security community in an attempt to stop suspects before attack plots can crystallise, while anti-terror laws are to be strengthened to allow earlier interventions. 1:40PM Fiesta remains near Parliament as forensics officers work at scene Six hours after the crash, the silver Ford Fiesta can still be seen near the Parliament barriers. A number of officers in forensic suits are working at the scene. A police officer in a forensics suit next to the car used in the attack Credit: HENRY NICHOLLS /Reuters Meanwhile, Westminster Tube station has reopened and the Met Police said: "We are now in the process of removing our wider cordons, thanks for your patience and understanding. "The immediate scene, Abingdon Street, between Parliament Square and Horseferry Road, j/w Lambeth Bridge, will remain cordoned off for some time." Tobias Ellwood: This is stark reminder of threats we continue to face Defence Minister Tobias Ellwood, who was branded a hero after stepping in to help emergency services in the wake of the 2017 attack outside Parliament, said today's incident was a "stark reminder of the threats we continue to face". He wrote on Twitter: 1:06PM Donald Trump: Terrorist 'animals are crazy... and must be dealt with through toughness' US President Donald Trump, referring to the Westminster car attack said "these animals are crazy". Mr Trump wrote on Twitter: 12:34PM Remaining patient treated at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington The remaining patient being treated by medics is at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, west London, a spokeswoman for Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust has said. A statement added: "We can confirm that we have received one patient from this morning's incident in Westminster 11:54AM Police 'don't believe suspect is known to counter-terror officers or MI5' Neil Basu, Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police and counter-terrorism head, is giving an update outside New Scotland Yard. He has said: One woman is being treated for serious but not life-threatening injuries. Another person has been discharged The arrested man is in his late 20s "Given that this appears to be a deliberate act, the method and the iconic site... this is being treated as a terrorist attack" No other suspects have been identified and there is no intelligence at this time of further danger to Londoners or the rest of the UK connected to this incident The vehicle is vehicle is being searched. No weapons have been found Police are seeking to identify the suspect and "his motivation if possible" Mr Basu added that the suspect was not co-operating with police and had not yet been formally identified But on the basis of the information known so far, "we don't believe this person is known to either MI5 or counter terrorism police," he added. 11:43AM Politicians praise emergency services for bravery that 'keeps us safe day in, day out' Extra police officers put on patrol after Parliament crash British Transport Police (BTP) said it would be putting extra officers on patrols in England, Scotland and Wales on Tuesday afternoon and into the evening following the Westminster terror attack. Superintendent Chris Horton from BTP said: "We know incidents such as this are likely to cause concern, so our officers will be highly visible both on board trains and at stations. "We are there to reassure the travelling public, so please don't be alarmed if you see our officers, including firearms officers, on your journey." Armed police point a gun at the male driver as they surround the car outside the Houses of Parliament Credit: ITV 10:37AM Police treating Westminster car crash as terror attack Scotland Yard said in a new statement: "At 07:37hrs on Tuesday 14 August, a silver Ford Fiesta collided with a number of cyclists and pedestrians, before crashing into barriers outside the Houses of Parliament. "The driver of the car, a man in his late 20s, was arrested at the scene by armed officers. He has been taken to a south London police station where he remains in police custody. "He was arrested on suspicion of terrorist offences. There was nobody else in the vehicle, which remains at the scene and is being searched. No weapons have been recovered at this stage." Armed police swoop on a car that crashed outside the Houses of Parliament Credit: VinnyMcAv/EuronewsNBC The force spokesman added: "At this stage, we are treating this as a terrorist incident and the Met's Counter Terrorism Command is now leading the investigation." 10:32AM Theresa May thanks emergency services for 'immediate and courageous' response Prime Minister Theresa May said her thoughts were with those injured in the Westminster car crash and thanked the emergency services for their "immediate and courageous" response. Meanwhile, Home Secretary Sajid Javid said: "Huge thanks to our emergency services for their rapid reaction to incident in Westminster this morning. My thoughts are with those injured." 10:09AM Counter-terror expert: Chances of getting through barrier are very slim Chris Phillips, the former head of the National Counter Terrorism Security Office, said: "It looks a bit like a copycat of the incident from the other occasion, but however may be this is someone who has fallen asleep at the wheel, we don't know as yet, so this is what the officers will be trying to ascertain. "I think the key point is the barriers around that building are designed to stop a vehicle travelling at 50mph, but the chances of getting through that barrier are very, very slim. "Of course, now the police officers need to make sure the vehicle itself is safe, that's what they'll spend most of their time doing." 9:59AM 'There was a cyclist clearly injured on the floor': Witness describes scene A witness, who gave his name only as James, described how he had been cycling past Parliament shortly after the incident happened. "There was a cyclist clearly injured on the floor, there was a number of cyclists off their bikes. As I went past, an ambulance turned up," he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme. "As I carried on down I was told to get off my bike by a police officer. He said there'd been an incident. As I looked up as I got off my bike, I saw there was a car in the barrier. And a television cameraman who happened to be on the scene described the dramatic moment armed police swooped on the car, reports Patrick Sawer. Donovan Parsons, who was filming for ITN nearby, said: We saw people running away from the crash and quickly realised it was more than just an accident. As I got there I saw a silver car smoking against the barrier at the entrance to Westminster Palace and armed police scouting the area. Then four 4x4 police vehicles turned up and armed cops jumped out and pointed their guns inside the car. They then dragged this guy out and I could see them pointing their guns inside the car. Thats when we got pushed back behind the cordons. Video: ITN cameraman on what he saw unfold 9:55AM Sadiq Khan in close contact with Met Police chief Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, is in "close contact" with Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick. He thanked the emergency services at the scene in a post on Twitter: 9:49AM Security extended in wake of Westminster Bridge attack The Houses of Parliament are surrounded with security barriers of steel and concrete. The measures were extended in the wake of the Westminster Bridge attack in March 2017, when Khalid Masood ploughed a car into crowds on Westminster Bridge, killing four people. Masood abandoned his car then stabbed and killed unarmed Pc Keith Palmer before he was shot by armed police in a courtyard outside Parliament. View more! 9:42AM Cordon widened as more police arrive at scene More plain-clothed officers have arrived at the scene, as it appeared the number of armed police officers were stationed at a cordon beside Parliament were scaled back. Westminster Bridge and Tube station were both closed. The cordon was widened twice and sniffer dogs were seen scanning the area.
Thousands of police officers across the country will fall silent later to remember Pc Keith Palmer, who was murdered in the Westminster terror attack. The 48-year-old was stabbed to death by Khalid Masood as he carried out his duties on the cobbled forecourt of the Palace of Westminster. Officers from forces all over the UK will line the route his funeral cortege will take from the Palace of Westminster, where it laid in rest overnight, to Southwark Cathedral. His coffin will travel along 2.6 miles of the capitals usually bustling streets, avoiding the scene of last months atrocity on Westminster Bridge. Chief Constable Sara Thornton, head of the National Police Chiefs Council, said the scale of the funeral will be unprecedented as officers hold a two-minutes silence at 2pm. She told the BBCs Victoria Derbyshire Show: I dont think we will have ever seen a police funeral of this size. Officers from all over the country are coming to London to join their Metropolitan Police colleagues to line the route. But at 2pm outside police stations across the country, officers and staff will be observing a two-minutes silence. We all want to pay honour to the ultimate sacrifice that Keith made. The Queen gave permission for Pc Palmers body to rest in Westminsters Chapel of St Mary Undercroft, an honour normally reserved for senior figures. Ms Thornton said the gesture had had a tremendous impact on police as they go about their duty. She said: The fact Keith has laid in rest in the Palace of Westminster is a sort of acknowledgement on behalf of the whole country of the sacrifice that he made but also the job that officers do day in, day out. Full service funerals are normally only held when a police officer or member of staff dies while they are carrying out their duty, Scotland Yard said. The last full police funeral for a Met officer killed in the line of duty was in October 2013 for Pc Andrew Duncan, who was killed the month before after being hit by a car while checking vehicle speeds in Sutton, south London. Pc Palmers name has been added to the roll of honour and remembrance at a ceremony at the National Police Memorial on The Mall, in central London, complete with a guard of honour. Steve Lloyd, of the Police Roll of Honour Trust, said: It is right that the men and women of the British police service who have paid the ultimate price in the service of this county be remembered here at the national memorial on this record of historical importance. We hope that knowing their loved ones name are to be forever remembered will bring some small comfort to the families of the fallen officers. The name of former Pc Gareth Browning was also added after he died aged 36 more than three years since being seriously injured when he was hit at high speed by a stolen car while on duty. Four other innocent people were killed and dozens of others injured in the 82-second atrocity on Wednesday, March 22, which ended with Masood, 52, being shot dead. Hundreds of officers got off coaches as they began to arrive in Southwark hours before the funeral, while members of the public began to line the barriers along the cortege route. Columns of uniformed officers, many with service medals pinned to their jackets and wearing white gloves, marched towards the cathedral as on-duty colleagues involved in the large security operation stood guard. Metropolitan Police commissioner Cressida Dick, the first female head of Scotland Yard in its 188-year history, made her way to the cathedral with deputy commissioner Craig Mackey on her first day in the new role. The funeral will be Ms Dicks first major public engagement in the role. Ipsoregulated This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's Editors' Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then please contact the editor here. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can contact IPSO here
Horrifying footage shows the moment a woman plunged into the River Thames as a car ploughs onto the pavement in a terror attack in the heart of London. Incredibly she was rescued alive from the river following the atrocity, which saw three members of the public killed on the bridge before the driver murdered a police officer in a knife attack. The unarmed officer who died has been named by Scotland Yard as 48-year-old father Keith Palmer. The attacker was shot dead by officers outside the Houses of Parliament. A patient believed to be the woman who plunged into the River Thames during the horrific terror attack is treated in Westminster It is not known whether the woman fell or jumped, but initial reports from the scene suggested she had leaped into the water to escape the 4x4 which killed three people before crashing into railings outside Big Ben. The car is seen speeding along Westminster Bridge at 2.40pm. Police have said around 40 people were injured before the car came to a halt. The seriously injured include two French pupils, thought to be 15 or 16 years old, as well as tourists from South Korea and Romania. A third pupil, from St Joseph High School in the Brittany seaside town of Concarneau, was treated at the scene after being hit by the same car. Their families were flown to London last night in a move announced by President Francois Hollande. The Yonhap news agency in South Korea has said the seriously injured tourist was a 67-year-old woman whose surname is Park. She suffered a head injury after being shoved by people fleeing the scene, and needed surgery at St Mary's Hospital in London, according to reports. A man with a serious head injury is seen being treated by a woman in the road on Westminster Bridge In another video taken moments after the attack, casualties are shown being treated by passers-by on the landmark bridge, which is a popular spot for tourists. The video was taken by a woman who can be heard repeatedly stating 'Oh my god', before asking aloud: 'What coward is doing this? Oh lord.' Metropolitan Police counterterrorism chief Mark Rowley said police believed there was only one attacker, but added it would be 'foolish to be overconfident early on'. Islamic extremism was suspected to be the motivation for the attack, Rowley said, adding that authorities believe they know the assailant's identity but would not reveal it while the investigation was ongoing. Groups on the bridge gathered around the injured to offer first aid in the immediate aftermath of the attack Share this article The footage shows a woman lying in the road beneath a bus. She died as a result of her injuries, it has been confirmed. Another victim, a man, is seen being treated with what looks like a serious head injury by a woman, blood pouring from his forehead. The woman who took the footage is heard asking: 'Do you know what happened?' A passer-by responded: 'One car', but did not elaborate. Debris from the vehicle, a Hyundai 4x4, can be seen in the road and on the pavement approaching the Houses of Parliament. As the woman walks toward the Palace of Westminster, four people are seen lying on the pavement surrounded by members of the public giving them first aid. Sirens are heard in the distance as emergency services scrambled to the scene. The car mounted the pavement close to the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. After crashing the man, brandishing an eight inch kitchen knife, jumped out and ran to Parliament Square as terrified members of the public ran for their lives. After attacking PC Palmer, the terrorist was shot at least two times in the chest. The car mounted the pavement close to the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, with around 20 people injured and at least one killed People who were on the bridge when the 4x4 drove into crowds gave first aid as they waited for emergency services to arrive A man is treated in the road after the 4x4 drove into crowds on Westminster Bridge outside the Houses of Parliament Passers-by crowded round the injured to give them first aid after the 4x4 drove along the pavement on Westminster Bridge 'HE LEFT FOR WORK TODAY EXPECTING TO RETURN HOME AT THE END OF HIS SHIFT': TRIBUTES PAID TO HERO POLICE OFFICER KILLED BY TERRORIST PC Keith Palmer was stabbed to death by the crazed attacker PC Keith Palmer, who was stabbed to death by the crazed attacker, was a member of the Parliamentary Diplomatic Protection Command and had served on the force for 15 years. Paying tribute to the officer tonight, Scotland Yard's top anti-terror officer Mark Rowley said: 'He [PC Palmer] was someone who left for work today expecting to return home at the end of his shift, and he had every right to expect that would happen.' London Mayor Sadiq Khan said in a statement: 'Tonight we have learned that the courageous police officer who was killed while protecting our city was PC Keith Palmer. 'He was 48 and a husband and father. 'Keith Palmer was killed while bravely doing his duty - protecting our city and the heart of our democracy from those who want to destroy our way of life. 'My heart goes out to his family, friends and colleagues. 'He personifies the brave men and women of our police and emergency services who work around the clock to keep us safe - tonight all Londoners are grateful to them.' Police forces around the country also paid tribute to the officer. A statement by Nottinghamshire Police said: 'RIP Metropolitan Police officer - PC Keith Palmer. Father, husband, police officer of 15-years, who died today protecting the public. When many ran from danger, you went towards it.' More tributes have poured in via social media for the police officer, with many describing him as a 'hero'. Others have sent their best wishes and condolences to his family and praised PC Palmer for his dedication to keeping the public safe. Some said they would launch a petition to have the police office posthumously awarded the George Medal, a civilian honour given out for bravery. As the woman taking the footage approaches Westminster Palace, an armed officer blocks her path and tells her to move away. The man drove a year-old Hyundai Tucson - worth up to 32,000 and registered in the affluent Essex city of Chelmsford - down Westminster Bridge at 'high speed' yesterday. Several of those injured were critically wounded, medics have revealed. The attacker, who was shot at least twice by armed officers guarding the building, died after he was taken to hospital Scotland Yard said the attack, which comes a year to the day after the atrocities in Brussels is being treated 'as a terrorist incident' 'FORCES OF EVIL WILL NEVER DRIVE US APART' SAYS THERESA MAY FOLLOWING LONDON TERROR ATTACK Prime Minister Theresa May tonight vowed Britain would 'never give in to terror' and 'defeat hate and evil' after she blasted the 'sick and depraved' attack in Westminster Prime Minister Theresa May has vowed the UK will 'not give in to terror' following a 'sick and depraved' terror attack in London yesterday in which three people and a terrorist were killed. Speaking outside 10 Downing Street after chairing a meeting of the Government's Cobra emergencies committee, Mrs May paid tribute to the 'exceptional men and women' of the police force who responded to the attack. She confirmed that a 'lone wolf' attacker drove a car into pedestrians walking on Westminster Bridge, killing two of them, before running with a knife through the front gates of the Palace of Westminster, where he killed a police officer before being shot dead. Mrs May said that any attempt to defeat the values that Parliament stands for was 'doomed to failure'. And she vowed: 'We will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart.' The UK's terror threat level would remain at 'severe', Mrs May said. She praised the bravery of the police officers 'who keep us and our democratic institutions safe'. 'Our thoughts and prayers go out to all who have been affected, to the victims themselves and to their families and friends, who waved their loved ones off but will not now be welcoming them home. 'For those of us who were in Parliament at the time of this attack, these events provide a particular reminder of the exceptional bravery of our police and security services who risk their lives to keep us safe. 'Once again today, these exceptional men and women ran towards the danger, even as they encouraged others to move the other way.' The policeman died at the scene. The attacker died after he was taken to hospital. It is currently believed he was the only 'lone wolf' attacker. Nearby hospitals including St Thomas and Chelsea and Westminster treated the victims, with some doctors running to the bridge to help, and an air ambulance landing in Parliament Square. It was the worst attack in the UK since the London transport network atrocities of July 2005, which cost 52 lives. The car mounted the pavement in Westminster Bridge before crashing into railings outside the Houses of Parliament Armed police outside the Houses of Parliament, where a terrorist was shot dead after driving into crowds on Westminster Bridge before attacking a police officer, who later died 'I TRIED TO SAVE HIM... HE'D LOST TOO MUCH BLOOD': MP WHOSE BROTHER DIED IN BALI ATTACK TELLS OF HIS BATTLE TO SAVE STRICKEN POLICEMAN Tory MP Tobias Ellwood battled to save the life of the policeman stabbed outside Parliament Tory MP Tobias Ellwood battled to save the life of a policeman stabbed outside Parliament yesterday but said the officer had 'lost too much blood' after the attack. The Bournemouth East MP, 50, gave mouth-to-mouth to the officer and put pressure on his wounds to stop the blood flow after he was stabbed by an assailant just inside the gates of the Parliamentary estate. Mr Ellwood, a former army officer, was then pictured with blood on his face after the emergency services arrived and took over medical assistance. The attacker is described as an 'Asian' man aged in his 40s. He is said to have 'plunged a seven inch knife' into the officer. Mr Ellwood's brother Jonathan was killed aged 39 in the 2002 Bali bombings by a Islamic militant group Jemaah Islamiyah. Speaking just hours after the attack which has so far left four dead, including the attacker, Mr Ellwood, formerly a Captain in the Royal Green Jackets, said the attack was a 'huge tragedy'. He said: 'I am a witness, I was the last one on the scene before he died so I am not allowed to say anything. Number 10 has been in touch so I'll get into trouble. 'It is now murder, I was on the scene and as soon as I realised what was going on I headed towards it. It is a huge tragedy, it really is. 'I tried to stem the flow of blood and give mouth to mouth while waiting for the medics to arrive but I think he had lost too much blood. He had multiple wounds, under the arm and in the back. 'As I understand it the attacker has also died. I'm not allowed to say anything, I'll get into trouble. It's very sad.' A former soldier, Mr Ellwood remained with the victim for some time before an air ambulance arrived. Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood (centre) helps emergency services attend to a police officer outside the Palace of Westminster after he was attacked by a terrorist outside Parliament Witness Jayne Wilkinson said: 'We were taking photos of Big Ben and we saw all the people running towards us, and then there was an Asian guy in about his 40s carrying a knife about seven or eight inches long. 'And then there were three shots fired, and then we crossed the road and looked over. The man was on the floor with blood. 'He had a lightweight jacket on, dark trousers and a shirt. He was running through those gates, towards Parliament, and the police were chasing him.' Her partner David Turner added: 'There was a stampede of people running out. You saw the people and you thought 'what the hell is going on'.' Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood was among those who rushed to help the policeman who had been stabbed. Mr Ellwood, who lost his brother in the Bali bombing, could be seen pumping the officer's chest then standing above him, his hands and face smeared with blood. Three people were killed and a terrorist was shot dead outside the Houses of Parliament this afternoon A row of ambulances was called to Westminster Bridge after a car drove into crowds, and a terrorist attacked a police officer, who died at the scene Frazer Clarke, 25, from Burton-on-Trent, said: 'We heard a loud bang and screaming and then I noticed some smoke. I thought it was a car crash. 'I looked towards the front gate and people were running, a police officer and a fellow coming to the gate with two knives. 'He was stabbing the police officer with the knives. He was wearing black tracksuit bottoms, a black of grey top and what looked like work boots. The police officer was stumbling and fell on the floor' Pat McCormack, 21, from Washington in Tyne-on-Wear added: 'I saw him stabbing the officer in the back of the head and the back of the neck. He was running away but then he collapsed.' Steve Voake, 55, was walking across the Westminster Bridge and saw at least two bodies lying on the road and one in the water. 'I saw a trainer lying in the road and when I looked more closely I saw that there were a couple of bodies the other side of the road,' he told the Press Association. 'And when I looked over the side there was another body lying in the water with blood all around it.' Roads were closed off around the Houses of Parliament after the attack this afternoon, which claimed the lives of three people, including a police officer. A terrorist was shot dead A woman lies injured beneath a bus following the terror attack in Westminster, which claimed the lives of three members of the public and a police officer before the attacker was shot dead Flowers were laid at the scene of the terror attack close to the Houses of Parliament yesterday afternoon Three police officers on their way back from a commendation ceremony when they were knocked down on Westminster Bridge. The attacker also targeted 13 students from Edge Hill University on a politics trip to London. The university said four were hurt. One had head injuries, another wrist injuries, while two were walking wounded. Travis Frain, from Darwen, Lancashire, the Chairman of Conservative Futures West Lancashire branch, suffered a cracked rib and injuries to his hand. His mother said he was being treated in hospital but was in good spirits and in a stable condition, according to the university. LONDON ON LOCKDOWN: POLICE ISSUE LIST OF NO GO AREAS AFTER TERROR ATTACK ON WESTMINSTER London is on lockdown as people were warned to stay away from no go zones after at least four people were killed in an attack on Westminster. Westminster Tube station has been closed following the attack, in which a policeman was stabbed to death and at least twenty people were injured when a car mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge. A huge area around the palace has now been cordoned off, including the bridge, as police remain on high alert in fear of any subsequent attacks on what it the heart of Britain's political establishment. Police are asking people to avoid Parliament Square, Whitehall, Westminster Bridge, Lambeth Bridge, Victoria Street up to the junction with Broadway and the Victoria Embankment up to Embankment tube Police have warned people to expect armed guards at Tube stations and a heavy police presence on the streets, and the Army is now poised to descend upon London amid security fears. Police are asking people to avoid Parliament Square, Whitehall, Westminster Bridge, Lambeth Bridge, Victoria Street up to the junction with Broadway and the Victoria Embankment up to Embankment Tube. The Thames has been closed from Vauxhall to Embankment 'as part of the security response', after a member of the public, believed to have been hit by the car, was recovered from the water near Westminster Bridge. The terrorist was shot dead by police after he attacked an officer, who died at the scene outside the Houses of Parliament this afternoon The closure of the river, along with roads in the centre and Westminster, used by thousands of people visiting and working in Whitehall every day, caused temporary chaos in central London. Dozens of people were stranded in the air at the top of the London Eye, which stopped amid the carnage in Westminster. The huge security increase comes just days after Britain banned electronic devices such as laptops from the cabins of UK-bound planes from six middle eastern nations amid fears they could be used to blow up planes. The death toll so far stands at four, including the attacker, who was shot after stabbing a police officer with a knife. The officer suffered fatal injuries and has also died, police have now confirmed. A Romanian couple on holiday are also thought to be among the injured. Andrei, an engineer in his mid-20s, and Andreea, his girlfriend, were caught up in the attack. Retired surveyor Patrick Tracey, said he believed Andreea had been severely injured while Andrei had suffered an injury to his leg after being hit by the car. Mr Tracey, 64, from Derby, said he arranged to meet the pair by the London Eye and Andrei had called him to tell him he had lost Andrea. A message on the Romanian Embassys Facebook said two of the countrys citizens had been injured and taken to local hospitals. Armed police were called to Westminster after the deadly attack, which has seen three people, including a police officer, killed, and a terrorist shot dead Witnesses described the moment the car ploughed into the crowds on the bridge. Steve Voake, 55, said: I saw a trainer lying in the road and when I looked more closely I saw that there were a couple of bodies the other side of the road. When I looked over the side there was another body lying in the water with blood all around it. Radoslaw Sikorski, a senior fellow at Harvard Centre for European Studies, said he saw at least five people lying on the ground after being mown down by a car. I heard what I thought what I thought was just a collision and then I looked through the window of the taxi and someone down, obviously in great distress, he told the BBC. Then I saw a second person down, and I started filming, then I saw three more people down, one of them bleeding profusely. TERROR STRIKES IN LONDON: HOW THE ATTACK UNFOLDED OUTSIDE THE HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT Police cars outside the Houses of Parliament, where three people and a terrorist have died 2.40pm: An attacker mows down several pedestrians as he drives a Hyundai i40 across Westminster Bridge before crashing it into railings then running through the gates of the Palace of Westminster and stabbing a police officer 2.41pm: Metropolitan Police and London Ambulance Service are called to a major incident 3.35pm: Police say the attack is being treated as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise 4.10pm: Junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital says one woman has died and a number of others have been hurt - including some with catastrophic injuries 4.45pm: Paramedics confirm they have treated at least ten patients on Westminster Bridge 4.49pm: Police Commander BJ Harrington says there were a number of casualties in the attack including police officers. 4.51pm: Downing Street spokesman says Prime Minister Theresa May will chair a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee later 5.40pm: Sources reveal the police officer stabbed at Parliament has died 6.01pm: Police say four people were killed in the attack, including the police officer and a man believed to be the attacker 6.56pm: Home Secretary Amber Rudd says the Government's top priority following the attack is the security of its people A visit by the Queen to the new headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, scheduled for tomorrow, has been postponed. A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: 'In light of today's events the decision has been taken to postpone the Queen's engagement to New Scotland Yard tomorrow. 'The visit will be rearranged for a later date.' The Queen was due to officially open the new building on Victoria Embankment on Thursday, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh. Security around the Queen and the rest of the Royal Family was dramatically stepped up following the attack. The gates to Buckingham Palace  where the Monarch was in residence - were closed and armed guards took up positions. UK security services have foiled 13 potential attacks in less than four years. Counter-terrorism units are running more than 500 investigations at any time. In the early hours of this morning, South Korea's Foreign Ministry said five South Koreans in their 50s and 60s were among the 40 people injured. The ministry says the five were hurt when they were caught up in a stampede of people trying to escape the attack. It says four of the South Koreans suffered broken bones and other injuries and a woman in her late 60s needed an operation to treat a head injury.
Article share tools Community's 'great response' praised Getty Images Messages from the Finsbury Park vigil:- Yesterday we all experienced a horrific attack on our families, on our freedom, on our dignity... We all have harmony in this area, and these people try to divide us, but we tell them that we will not let you do that. Mohammed KozbarFinsbury Park Mosque chairman An attack on one faith is an attack on us all Rt Rev Adrian NewmanBishop of Stepney An attack on the Muslim community is an attack on every single citizen in Great Britain, because we are one nation, under one God, living together, working together, co-operating together in this country Article share tools Parliamentary group 'deeply saddened' The All Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief says it is "deeply saddened" by the attack. The cross-party campaign group welcomed the prime ministers description of the incident as a "sickening attempt to destroy this freedom and break our bonds as citizens of the United Kingdom". After significant public support from the Muslim community in the wake of the Manchester and London Bridge attacks, it is horrifying to see such violence against innocent people, just because of their faith." Article share tools Far-right extremism 'hasn't had attention it deserves' Nazir Afzal - a former chief prosecutor for north-west England, and a former head of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners - says far-right extremism "hasn't been given the attention it deserves". A former chief prosecutor says far-right radicalism in the UK has been overlooked Article share tools Sturgeon: Muslim communities 'anxious' Speaking after she chaired a meeting in Scotland, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said police will "remain vigilant" in light of the attack. She said her "thoughts go out to everyone who has been affected" by the Finsbury Park attack. I convened a resilience meeting this afternoon to ensure that we are closely monitoring the situation. While there is no intelligence of any specific threat to Scotland, Police Scotland remain vigilant and visible across communities to provide reassurance to members of the public. Muslim communities will understandably be anxious just now and it is in these moments that we must come together as a country and unite against extremism and hate from wherever it comes." Article share tools White House reacts to Finsbury Park attack Getty Images The White House has reacted to news of a terror attack on Muslims in Finsbury Park this morning. President Donald Trump has yet to speak on the attack, but his press secretary Sean Spicer said: "The president has been made aware of the attack in London, is receiving consistent updates from the staff. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families - and we've made it very clear to our British allies that we stand ready to provide any support or assistance that they may need." Article share tools 'Terrorism is terrorism' - Sadiq Khan The Guardian Writing in the Guardian, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan says officials "dont yet know the full motivations" behind the attack, adding: "Terrorism is terrorism  no matter the target and regardless of what inspires the sick and twisted perpetrators who carry out these evil crimes". He added: "I want to assure Londoners that this attack will in no way distract from other urgent work the police and emergency services are currently dealing with  including the vital recovery work at Grenfell Tower." It is more important now than ever that we focus on those things that unite us, that make our city so great  our values of tolerance and respect, our belief that our diversity makes us stronger. We must remind ourselves of these things, as they are the reasons why we can be sure that we will never allow terrorists to fuel division and we will never be defeated by those who seek to harm us and destroy our way of life. Article share tools 'We've felt rise in anti-Muslim hatred' BBC Mustafa Field, director of Faiths Forum for London, says people in Finsbury Park are feeling "very nervous about the current situation". He said: "We've been feeling a rise in anti-Muslim hatred, we know that hate crime in on the rise. People have been receiving letters, messages, threats of physical attacks and we saw what manifested yesterday." "There is a real nervousness," he added. He said the "solidarity" that had come out of the last 12 hours had brought "a calmness", but added that "we need to really think" about how to make people feel safer. "We need to be calm, we need to be vigilant and we need to work together. Our unity is what will defeat terrorism," he added. Article share tools Listen: 'Islamophobia is not the same as extremism' The World at One BBC Radio 4 An expert on Islamophobia says "we need to be tackling Islamophobia in the same way we've tackled other forms of discriminatory phenomena". Dr Chris Allen, a lecturer in social policy at the University of Birmingham, who helped to set up and used to sit on the government's Anti-Muslim Hatred Working Group, told Martha Kearney: "Islamophobia is not the same as extremism" and is "more akin to racism or homophobia." He added that everyday experiences of Islamophobia for Muslims in the UK were "at street level" with physical or verbal abuse "perpetrated by ordinary people...not necessarily extremists." Article share tools Suspect thought to have 'acted alone' A Met Police statement just released said the 47-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and taken to a south London police station where he remains in custody. "He has further been arrested for the commission, preparation or instigation of terrorism including murder and attempted murder." Police said it is believed the suspect "acted alone", adding: "We are of course investigating all the circumstances leading up to the attack. There were no reports of any people having suffered knife injuries."
As more details of the fast-moving investigation emerged, Scotland Yard revealed a probe into his use of encrypted messaging service WhatsApp on the day of the attack now forms a main line of enquiry. The revelations, which come on the fifth full day of the police investigation, appeared to contradict earlier reports that he was linked to Islamist terror groups, and that he had developed extremist views while in jail. The claim was met with scepticism, given the groups record of claiming attacks without any proof of its involvement. The Mets senior national coordinator for UK counter-terrorism policing did not rule out that Masood was inspired by the violent extremist groups responsible for massacres in other European cities, but quashed that they were directly involved in last Wednesdays attack. Deputy assistant commissioner Neil Basu said: His attack method appears to be based on low sophistication, low tech, low cost techniques copied from other attacks, and echo the rhetoric of Isis leaders in terms of methodology and attacking police and civilians, but at this stage I have no evidence he discussed this with others. Whilst I have found no evidence of an association with Isis or AQ [al-Qaeda], there is clearly an interest in Jihad. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP Meanwhile, police believe the car used to mow down dozens of pedestrians on Westminster Bridge may have been travelling at speeds of up to 76mph. The developments came as police repeated an appeal for those who may have been in contact with the killer to come forward. Masood used a rented Hyundai as a weapon during his 82-second attack, mounting the pavement and driving the vehicle into tourists and Londoners as they crossed the bridge. He then crashed it into the fence surrounding Parliament before running into the grounds of the Palace of Westminster and stabbing a police officer. Read more In all, four people were killed before 52-year-old Masood  also known as Adrian Ajao and before that Adrian Elms  was shot by police. In her first comments since the attack, Masoods mother, Janet Ajao, of Carmarthenshire, said she was shocked, saddened, and numbed by his actions. I wish to make it absolutely clear, so there can be no doubt, I do not condone his actions nor support the beliefs he held that led to him committing this atrocity, she said. I wish to thank my friends, family and community from the bottom of my heart for the love and support given to us. As investigators continue to pore over evidence, it also emerged that the car Masood used in the attack had been seen in the area before the attack. The details remain patchy but the BBC reported it was spotted either on the day of the attack or at some point in the days leading up to it. What the car was doing in the area is not yet known, but it will likely lead to speculation that Masood had carried out some form of scoping mission before he launched the fatal attack. Amber Rudd says WhatsApp's encryption of messaging may come to an end after Westminster terror attack Claims that Masoods phone connected with WhatsApp just before the atrocity triggered a debate at the weekend over authorities ability to intercept communications as part of national security investigations. If you heard from him on 22 March, please come forward now, the information you have may prove important to establishing his state of mind. Confirming that Masoods last criminal offence was carried out in 2003, and that he was not part of the current domestic or international threat picture, the counter-terror chief also spoke about claims the attacker was indoctrinated with extremist ideology while he was behind bars. There is no evidence that Masood was radicalised in prison in 2003, as has been suggested; this is pure speculation at this time, Mr Basu said, in a statement released on Monday afternoon. Whilst I have found no evidence of an association with Isis or AQ, there is clearly an interest in Jihad. On Sunday, police arrested a 30-year-old man in Birmingham on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. He remains in custody along with a 58-year-old man arrested last Thursday. A 32-year-old woman detained on Friday has been bailed until later this month, while a further nine people arrested last week have since been released without charge.
London attack: Faith leaders, police join Westminster vigil Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what's happening in the world as it unfolds. A police officer joins faith leaders at a vigil on Westminster Bridge in London on March 29. Story highlights People carried banners with messages of solidarity and laid flowers at a makeshift memorial A moment's silence is held by Elizabeth Tower, home to the iconic Big Ben bell London (CNN)Police, faith leaders and community groups joined together Wednesday in London for a vigil to remember the victims of the terror attack one week ago on Westminster Bridge and Parliament. Imams, rabbis, priests and other faith leaders gathered with uniformed police officers and groups bearing banners with slogans such as "Islam says NO to terror" and "Love for all, hatred for none" on the south side of Westminster Bridge, where the attack began. They then slowly walked in silence across the bridge toward the Houses of Parliament, some carrying flowers, before holding a moment's silence by Elizabeth Tower, home to the iconic Big Ben bell. Faith leaders take part in the vigil. Staff at the nearby St Thomas' Hospital, some of whom gave emergency aid to the victims, also gathered outside the hospital building to pay tribute. Attacker Khalid Masood plowed through crowds of pedestrians on Westminster Bridge last Wednesday, fatally injuring three people and wounding dozens before stabbing veteran police officer Keith Palmer to death in the grounds of Parliament. Masood, 52, was shot dead by a firearms officer at the scene. There was a heavy police presence for the memorial event, with armed officers, sniffer dogs and horses deployed in the area. People gathered on the south side of the Thames before walking across Westminster Bridge. The national chairman of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association, Rafiq Ahmed Hayat, told CNN it was important for his organization to show solidarity with the people of London at a very difficult time. "Also, we wanted to condemn what had happened because although he may have done this in the name of Islam, it had nothing to do with Islam. He was just a common criminal who used the name of Islam to commit these atrocities," he said. Community and faith groups carried banners with messages of solidarity. London is one of the most culturally rich and tolerant cities in the world, he said, adding: "It is very, very important on such occasions we all come together and say, this act in our great city -- we condemn it for everyone." Jan Bros, community coordinator of the east London-based SuperSisters Project for young Muslim women, told CNN she was taking part in the vigil "to show solidarity with the people who were killed last week, but most importantly to come and show that London is open for business, that we are a very diverse community, and people here feel empowered to say 'you won't do this in our name, you won't.' Everyone of us here feels very strongly about this." Those present are proud to be Londoners and want "to prove that we are part of a great metropolis of people who care," she said. Flowers are laid at a makeshift memorial near the Houses of Parliament. Gurmeer Singh, 26, said he had taken time out from work to come to pay his respects and show solidarity with the victims, especially the police officer who was killed protecting Parliament. 82-second attack JUST WATCHED Muslim women line bridge after London attack MUST WATCH Muslim women line bridge after London attack00:35 Inquests were opened Wednesday for those killed in the attack: Palmer, age 48; British college administrator Aysha Frade, age 44; US tourist Kurt Cochran, age 54; and 75-year-old south London resident Leslie Rhodes, whose life support was turned off Thursday. "As a result of the attack in excess of 35 people were injured. The injuries ranged from cuts and bruises to extensive bone and skull fractures," said a statement from London's Metropolitan Police on the opening of the inquests. "One further person remains in hospital in a coma, suffering extensive injuries." The statement added: "The incident lasted approximately 82 seconds -- from the first time the vehicle mounted the pavement until the attacker was shot by police. CCTV and other images obtained from witnesses provide a clear visual chronology of how the events unfolded." Security reviews ordered Earlier Wednesday, Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, announced two independent security reviews of UK Parliament buildings "to make sure that any lessons are learned" from the attack. The first, to be produced by the end of April, will focus on how the perimeter of the parliamentary grounds is secured. According to police, Masood crashed his rental vehicle into the east perimeter gates of the Palace of Westminster before running into the vehicle entrance gateway on the north perimeter fence, known as Carriage Gates, armed with two large knives.
THE driver of the car involved in today's Westminster terror attack outside the House of Parliament is "not cooperating" with police, according to the counter-terror officer leading the investigation. The 29-year-old man, a UK national and believed to be from the Midlands, was arrested by armed officers on suspicion of terror offences after a car mowed down pedestrians and cyclists before crashing into security barriers, installed to prevent terror attacks. Met Police confirmed they are treating the crash as a "terrorist incident". The Met Police have confirmed that counter-terrorism officers are carrying out searches at three addresses in the Midlands, which include two in Birmingham and one in Nottingham. Dozens of emergency vehicles swarmed the area and members of public were ordered to clear the area as as more than 200 police officers descended on the scene within minutes. They said the house is shared by six occupants and is home to six Sudanese people. Ibrahim Ahmed, 24, who lives in the same terrace row, said: "It's Sudanese people who live there." Benas Butkevicius, who lives next door to the house that was raided, said: "I was asleep when it happened. I just heard some banging and scratching. "I work night shifts - at about 4pm I woke up to the scratching." An occupant of the house said: "They thought the car was insured or registered here but it isn't. They were asking about a silver Fiesta. They said they were investigating what happened in Westminster." The Met Police says the suspect travelled from Birmingham to London late on Monday night and arrived in the London area just after midnight on Tuesday morning. The Ford Fiesta was in the Tottenham Court Road area from approximately 1:25am until 5:55am and then drove around Westminster and Whitehall from approximately 6:00am until the incident at 7:37am. Specialist officers from Project Servator, who are trained to recognise when a person is displaying minute signs of anxiety, have also been deployed in Westminster to identify anyone who may be in the area for terrorist or other criminal purposes. A spokesman for the Prime Minister said the terror threat remains severe and that today's suspected attack in Westminster was "shocking". Parliament crash: A man was led away in handcuffs (Image: SKY NEWS ) Mrs May said: "Today's suspected attack outside the Houses of Parliament is shocking. "For the second time in as many years, the home of our democracy, which is a potent symbol of our precious values of tolerance and freedom, has witnessed terrible scenes just yards from its door. "The threat to the UK from terrorism remains severe. 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. "The twisted aim of the extremists is to use violence and terror to divide us. They will never succeed." Chancellor Philip Hammond is the ranking minister in London at the moment but Mrs May is being kept informed while she is away in Switzerland on holiday, her spokesman said. Home Secretary Sajid Javid is returning to London from his own family break "so that he can take a briefing in person on events", the spokesman added. Security minister Ben Wallace has called for the public to be vigilant about odd behaviour and report it to police to help stop future terror attacks. The MP said:"These type of attacks use cars, they use knives - everyday items to attack us when we're at our most vulnerable. "In crowded spaces, when we're going about our normal jobs, going to work, and they do that because they know that that's where in our society - in a free and open society - we are vulnerable. "We need to think about people behaving badly. If we see odd behaviour we need to report it to the police, we need to report it to the local authorities, report it to our community leaders." The MP for Wyre and Preston North added: "It's also why we need to work with the private sector like car hire companies to say, 'Are you suspicious', 'Why is this person who's never driven an HGV hiring an HGV'." Officers cordoned off the whole square and members of the public were ordered to move back further as police put up a "Terrorism Act cordon", according to an officer at the scene. Parliament crash: Police have cordoned off the surrounding area (Image: BBC NEWS ) Jason Williams, 45, from Kennington, was walking to work when he saw the rush hour smash. He said: "I saw a car going at high speed towards Parliament. It hit a bollard. It looked deliberate. It didn't look like an accident. How do you do that by accident? It was a loud bang." Mr Williams told how he saw "10 people lying down" following the incident outside the Houses of Parliament. He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: "He had driven it at speed - more than 40 mph. There was smoke coming out of the car. "I have seen people on the ground, lying on the road. I don't know if they have actually been hit by the vehicle or not. I saw at least 10 people lying down. Parliament crash: A car has carried into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament (Image: NC) He said: "Straight away I thought 'Oh no, this is another terrorist attack' so I just started to run and the police were saying 'get out, get out of the area'." "The car was behind me. I didnt see anyone else involved. I just saw this one vehicle, so it seems to be deliberate. Police vans were seen rushing through the City of London on their way to Westminster moments after the incident unfolded. Firearms officers and at least two police dogs were seen stationed inside Parliament Square. Another eyewitness Ewalina Ochab descrbed the moment she saw the incident unfold. She said: "I think it looked intentional - the car drove at speed and towards the barriers. Bus driver Victor Ogbomo, 49, was driving passengers past the front of Westminster when he saw the crash. He told the Press Association: All I saw was the smoke coming out of a vehicle, a silver vehicle. I just stopped the bus. Parliament crash: A number of pedestrians have been injured (Image: PA ) "The police said we have to move back, then in less than five minutes the response team came. They went to the vehicle, so we had to push back. I saw the car in the barrier, I didn't know how it got there. "I think someone was inside the vehicle because many police went towards the vehicle." He said officers had their guns out when they arrested the driver. Mr Ogbomo added: I was walking on the other side of the road. I heard some noise and someone screamed. I turned around and I saw a silver car driving very fast close to the railings, maybe even on the pavement." MPs have also reacted to the terror attack, which took place during parliament recess for summer. On arrival at Parliament, Boris Johnson said: "If it is indeed confirmed to be a terror incident, then it's very sad and very troubling indeed. "Hopefully people will be able to go about their normal days as soon as possible." Home Secretary Sajid Javid said: "Huge thanks to our emergency services for their rapid reaction to incident in Westminster this morning. My thoughts are with those injured." Parliament crash: Armed police are on the scene in Westminster (Image: PA ) Roger Godsiff, the Labour MP for Birmingham Hall Green, has tweeted: "Today's attack at Westminster was carried out by an individual who is believed to have been living in my constituency in Birmingham. "My deepest sympathies to the cyclists and pedestrians who were injured in the attack. "I have told the police and security services that they have my total support in doing whatever is necessary to protect the public in London and Birmingham." David Lammy, Labour MP for Tottenham, said: Awful news from Westminster. My thoughts are with all those injured. Thanks for a quick response from @metpoliceuk, Parliament security and the London Ambulance Service. Parliament crash: Sniffer dogs are also involved in the investigation (Image: PA ) Neil OBrien Tory MP for Harborough said: Awful news - thoughts very much with those currently receiving medical treatment, and everyone else affected by this. "Please remain vigilant if working in/visiting Westminster today. Vince Cable, leader of the Liberal Democrats, tweeted: "Our thoughts are with those who have been injured in the incident outside the Houses of Parliament this morning, and our thanks go out to the quick and effective response of our police and medical services. "Thank goodness the barriers are in place and worked." Parliament crash: Most of Westminster and large parts of central London to be closed this morning. (Image: PA ) Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn tweeted: "My thoughts are with those hurt and injured outside Parliament this morning in what is being treated as a terrorist incident. "Our thanks go to our emergency services who responded immediately. Their bravery keeps us safe day in, day out." London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he is in "close contact" with the Police Crime Commissioner. He tweeted: "Im in close contact with @MetPoliceUK Commissioner about the incident at Parliament Square this morning. Thank you to the first responders who were on the scene so quickly. Enquiries are continuing. Westminster tube station is currently closed. The Speaker of the House of Commons and the Lord Speaker offered their sympathies to those injured this morning outside Parliament. They said: "We would like to offer our thoughts and sympathies to those who were injured or affected by the incident. Parliament crash: Firefighters are on the scene at Westminster (Image: REUTERS ) Our heartfelt thanks go to the emergency services who responded so quickly and to those who work every day to keep all of us who work in Parliament safe." The Houses of Parliament are surrounded with security barriers of steel and concrete. The measures were extended in the wake of the Westminster Bridge attack in March 2017 when Khalid Masood ploughed a car into crowds on Westminster Bridge, killing five people, inlcuding a police officer. Khalid Masood ploughed a 4X4 into crowds before he was shot outside Parliament, injuring 50 people. Masood abandoned his car then stabbed and killed unarmed PC Keith Palmer before he was shot by armed police in a courtyard outside Parliament. A spokesman for the Prime Minister said that since March 2017 13 Islamist plots and four far-right plots have been successfully foiled. There were 676 live investigations being carried out by the security services and counter-terror police at the end of June, up from more than 500 in March, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said. There are roughly 3,000 active "subjects of interest" at any one time - while there is also a wider pool of more than 20,000 individuals who have previously featured in probes whose threat must be kept under review. Earlier this year, the Government unveiled a refreshed counter-terror strategy. Under the blueprint, MI5 intelligence will be shared with bodies outside the security community in an attempt to stop suspects before attack plots can crystallise, while anti-terror laws are to be strengthened to allow earlier interventions. Scotland Yard is appealing to witnesses for information on Tuesday's crash to call 0800 789 321.
Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings. LONDON  The knife-wielding terrorist who killed an American tourist and three others outside the U.K. Parliament was British-born and previously investigated for "violent extremism," according to officials. Authorities identified the suspect as 52-year-old Khalid Masood but said he was known by a number of aliases. In addition to the new information about Masood, Metropolitan Police Acting Deputy Commissioner Mark Rowley said "two further significant arrests" had been made overnight, meaning nine people were in custody. A 10th suspect was released on bail. He added that investigators had spoken to 3,500 witnesses and were examining 2,700 items seized during a series of raids  including "massive amounts of computer data." "Clearly a main line in our investigation is what led him to be radicalized  was it through influences in our community, influences from overseas or from online propaganda," Rowley said. "Our investigation and arrests will help in that but the public appeal will make a real difference." Citing sources, ITV News' security editor Rohit Kachroo reported that Masood was a Muslim convert. NBC News was not able to independently confirm that information. Masood was known to security services as a peripheral figure and was not part of the current intelligence picture, Prime Minister Theresa May told the House of Commons on Thursday. Police also said Masood was not the subject of any current investigations and there were no prior intelligence reports indicating his intent to carry out the terror attack. Authorities said Masood was born in Kent  a county east of London. Masood was known to police for a range of previous convictions, they said, including assaults, possession of offensive weapons and public order offenses. His first conviction was in 1983 for criminal damage and his most recent was in December 2003 for possession of a knife. He was never convicted of any terror-related offenses. Kurt Cochran and his wife Melissa Payne CochranFamily photo Kurt Cochran, 54, who lives in Utah, was among the three slain, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints spokesman Eric Hawkins told NBC News. His wife Melissa, whose parents are currently serving as missionaries in London, was also injured. They were celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary. The others killed were a police officer, a mother-of-two who was hit by a bus as she ran from the attack, and a 75-year-old man who had been receiving medical treatment at a hospital. Police said Leslie Rhodes died Thursday night after life support was withdrawn. "It is still believed that this attacker acted alone and the police have no reason to believe that are imminent further attacks on the public, May said, just yards from Wednesday's carnage. However, police raided properties in cities including Birmingham  where the culprit's vehicle was rented from Enterprise  and London. Clearly our investigation is ongoing  and is focused on his motivation, his preparation and associates, the Metropolitan Police's Rowley told reporters on Thursday. A home raided in Birmingham was one where Masood lived until late last year, a neighbor told The Associated Press. Shown a photo of him, Iwona Romek said "that is 100 percent" the man who lived next door to her for about five months. Police officers and civilians look at flowers left near Westminster Bridge on Friday following this week's terrorist attack.DARREN STAPLES / Reuters Romek said Masood had a wife and child aged about 6. "He seemed like a normal family man who liked to take care of his garden," she added. But one day she saw him packing their belongings in a black van, and then they were gone. Amaq, the media unit of ISIS, released a statement describing the London attacker as a soldier of the Islamic State although it cited no evidence for the claim. Charlie Winter, a senior research fellow at the London-based International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence (ICSR), said the claim framed the atrocity as inspired, not directed, by ISIS. This distinction is hugely important, he wrote. Lawmakers observed a minute's silence in tribute to slain police Constable Keith Palmer, 48, who died despite efforts to revive him by doctors and a passing government minister. One of the wounded was a tourist who plunged from the bridge into the River Thames. The woman, who was in the city to celebrate her boyfriend's birthday, suffered serious head injuries and has badly damaged lungs, Romanian diplomat Dan Mihalache told Realitatea TV, according to The Associated Press. May said the suspect had been investigated "some years ago" by the MI5 domestic intelligence service "in relation to concerns about violent extremism." May added: "He was a peripheral figure. The case is historic. He was not part of the current intelligence picture. There was no prior intelligence of his intent or of the plot." "London is a city thats been resilient in the face of terror attacks in the past," he told NBC News. "People are returning to work today  were not going to allow a terrorist to divide our communities or change our way of life." More police officers than usual were on patrol as the Metropolitan Police aimed to provide reassurance." Westminster Bridge remained cordoned off and the surrounding streets  normally thronged with commuters  were eerily quiet except for the buzz of a police helicopter. Defense Minister Michael Fallon described Wednesday's atrocity as a lone-wolf attack but said investigators were still checking whether other people were involved. He added: London is getting back to work. London has seen this before and is taking it on the chin. As dusk fell, the mayor attended a silent vigil alongside several thousand people in Trafalgar Square. "Those evil and tortured individuals who try to destroy our shared way of life will never succeed," Khan told the crowd. Floral tributes to victims of the London attack are seen on Thursday.HANNAH MCKAY / Reuters Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.
Article text size U.K. Parliament attack: What we know so far At least five people have died and several were badly injured in what authorities say was a terrorist attack at the British Parliament Union flags fly at half-mast in front of Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben) at the Houses of Parliament in central London on March 23, 2017, as a mark of respect for the victims of the March 22 terror attack at the British parliament. NIKLAS HALLENNIKLAS HALLEN/AFP/Getty Images GLOBE STAFF Published March 22, 2017Updated November 12, 2017 The latest British police announced two new arrests Friday and identified the birth name of the attacker as Adrian Russell Ajao. Islamic State group says through its Aaamaq news agency that the London attacker was a soldier of the Islamic State. At least 27 people are injured; several remain in hospital. In this image taken from video police officers gather around a car adjacent to Houses of Parliament in London after the House of Commons sitting was suspended as witnesses reported sounds like gunfire outside. ITN/via The Associated Press The victims Police officer Keith Palmer, 48, was unarmed and on duty protecting Parliament Wednesday when he was fatally stabbed by the attacker. Aysha Frade, 43, a British teacher who worked at DLD College, was on her way to pick up her two children when the attacker struck her with his vehicle on Westminster Bridge. Kurt W. Cochran of Utah also died on the bridge. He and his wife, Melissa, who was injured, were on the last day of a special trip celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary. Police said Thursday a 75-year-old man injured in the attack had died. Those injured include: 12 Britons, three French citizens, two Romanians, four South Koreans, one German, one Chinese, one Irish, one Italian and two Greeks, two Americans and one person from Portugal. The attacker Police identified the attacker as Khalid Masood , 52, a British-born man who was once investigated for extremist links but was considered a peripheral figure. His birth name was Adrian Russell Ajao. Masood was born in Kent and was known to police. London police said he was most recently living in the West Midlands in central Britain. Masood had previous convictions for assaults, including grievous bodily harm, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences. He had not been convicted for any terrorism offences, police said. Prime Minister Theresa May said the attacker was once investigated by MI5 intelligence officers over concerns about violent extremism. He was a peripheral figure  He was not part of the current intelligence picture. There was no prior intelligence of his intent or of the plot, she said. The attack The attack started when a car was driven over Westminster Bridge, hitting and injuring a number of members of the public, also including three police officers, Mark Rowley, Britains most senior counter-terrorism officer, told reporters. A car then crashed near to parliament and at least one man, armed with a knife continued the attack and tried to enter parliament. Reuters reporters inside parliament at the time heard loud bangs and shortly afterwards saw the knifeman and the stabbed policeman lying on the ground in a courtyard within the gates of parliament. A police officer lays flowers around a photograph of police officer Keith Palmer, who was killed in the March 22 terror attack, in Westminster near the Houses of the Parliament in central London on March 23, 2017. JUSTIN TALLIS /AFP/Getty Images The attack took place on the first anniversary of attacks by Islamist militants that killed 32 people in Brussels. The threat level for international terrorism in the U.K. was already listed at severe, meaning an attack was highly likely. The day after People light candles at a vigil n Trafalgar Square the day after an attack, in London, Britain March 23, 2017 We are not afraid and our resolve will never waiver in the face of terrorism, said Ms. May on Thursday. We know that democracy and the value it entails will always prevail. This was an attack on free people everywhere. May addressed a packed chamber to deliver a speech praised by lawmakers from all parties as the normal adversarial tone of debate was replaced with one of sombre unity. The streets are as busy as ever. The offices full. The coffee shops and cafes bustling, May said. It is in these actions  millions of acts of normality  that we find the best response to terrorism. Hundreds of people gathered in Londons Trafalgar Square on Thursday evening in a vigil to remember the victims of this weeks attack. The Globe and Mails European correspondent Paul Waldie reports from Westminster the morning after the attack on British Parliament Canadas response to the attack "We were all saddened to learn about today's incident near the British Parliament in London and I express my deepest condolences to the victims of this cowardly attack," Mr. Trudeau said. Conservative Party Leader RonaAmbrose said the attack was "all too familiar to many members of this House and those who work here." Like many MPs, Ms. Ambrose said the attack was a clear reminder of the events of Oct. 22, 2014, when Michael Zehaf-Bibeau stormed into Centre Block in Ottawa with a gun after killing Corporal Nathan Cirillo at the nearby National War Memorial. Speaking in Ottawa, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said he was unaware of any threat to Canada and saw no need to adjust the threat level in the country. It has been set at medium since Oct. 2014, when there was a terrorist attack on Parliament Hill and another one in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu. "There is no known Canadian connection at this stage," Mr. Goodale said of the attack. "We are monitoring all factors to make sure [the threat level] remains appropriate but we have no reason at this moment to change the Canadian position." Mr. Goodale said he has been in touch with his UK counterparts to offer any type of Canadian assistance if necessary. Past attacks in the U.K. and Europe The London attack took place one year after co-ordinated suicide bombings claimed by the Islamic State struck Brussels Zaventem airport and Maalbeek subway station, killing 32 people. There was also a similarity with two other IS attacks last year where drivers deliberately drove into pedestrians. On July 14, an Islamic State follower drove a cargo truck into a crowd celebrating Bastille Day in the French city of Nice, killing 86 people. On Dec. 16, a similar attack in Berlin killed 12 victims. Videos from the scene Raw video shows aftermath of two incidents near the British parliament Welcome to The Globe and Mails comment community. This is a space where subscribers can engage with each other and Globe staff. Non-subscribers can read and sort comments but will not be able to engage with them in any way. Click here to subscribe. Welcome to The Globe and Mails comment community. This is a space where subscribers can engage with each other and Globe staff. Non-subscribers can read and sort comments but will not be able to engage with them in any way. Click here to subscribe. Welcome to The Globe and Mails comment community. This is a space where subscribers can engage with each other and Globe staff. We aim to create a safe and valuable space for discussion and debate. 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Detectives granted extra time Detectives have been granted more time to quiz the suspect in the alleged terror attack outside the Houses of Parliament. Salih Khater, 29, was arrested by armed police from a silver Ford Fiesta that crashed into a security barrier after allegedly ploughing into cyclists and pedestrians. The British national, originally from Sudan, was first held on a terrorism charge and later additionally arrested for attempted murder. He remains in custody at a south London police station and Scotland Yard said Westminster Magistrates Court on Wednesday granted the force a warrant to detain him until Monday. 15:20 birminghammail.co.uk Statement from Birmingham Central Mosque - "he was there to renew his passport" The Chairman of Birmingham Central Mosque, Nassar Mahmood, said: We are surprised, shocked and saddened by this incident at Westminster. Wed hoped we had seen the end of these kind of incidents and our thoughts and prayers are with the people who have been injured and their families. And we would caution against apportioning guilt and blame at this time because from our understanding the police are still questioning the suspect and have not charged him at this moment. Now, as far as our own enquiries from the local community, not only the people of the Masjid (Mosque) of the surrounding community and people from a similar background to this person, or from the Sundanese community originally, we understand that this gentleman had his papers with him to renew his passport. He had shown no signs to any of the people that knew him that he was capable or he had some intention to do anybody harm. He was there to renew his passport and sort his paperwork out and that is as far as we know. 13:45 birminghammail.co.uk Claims Salih Khater was being investigated over irregularities in his British citizenship application. The MailOnline understands that Salih Khater was being investigated over irregularities in his British citizenship application. The 29-year-old was also thrown off his accountancy course at Coventry University in May after failing his first year and lost his father and brother in recent months. MailOnline understands that Khater had recently been told by the Home Office he was being probed over possible irregularities in his successful application to become a British citizen. The Home Office said they would not be commenting on these claims as he has not been officially named as a suspect. 13:11 birminghammail.co.uk Suspect's Facebook profile reveals taste in music On his Facebook page - which seems to have been taken down- Salih Khater talks about his love for Celine Dion and Eminem. He posted images of himself using a laptop on a train and one of him on a mobile phone, as well as desert scenes, and one of Nelson Mandela. Likes on the page include Fort Wayne Indiana, London Metropolitan University, I Am Sudanese and the sport of basketball, with status updates in both English and Arabic.As well as listing his favourite quote as love is only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend (sic), he also states he is interested in both men and women.In April he liked a blog post about how a Birmingham school is giving students the skills to deal with and protect themselves from extremism and radicalisation. Police trying to establish motive for the attack Just after 7.35am on Tueday, a silver Ford Fiesta collided with cyclists and pedestrians before crashing into barriers outside the Houses of Parliament. A man and a woman were taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries and have now both been discharged. Another man was also treated at the scene. There was nobody else in the vehicle, which has now been removed from the scene and searched. No weapons have been recovered at this stage. Given that it appears to have been a deliberate act, the method used and the iconic location, it is being treated as a terrorist incident and the investigation is being led by officers from the Mets Counter Terrorism Command. We are satisfied that we know the identity of the arrested man. The priority of the investigation team continues to be to understand the motivation behind this incident. 12:29 birminghammail.co.uk More on the second address searched in connection with the terrorist attack Meanwhile a third address is being searched in Birmingham. We have already had searches at a tower block and a flat above an internet cafe off the Stratford Road. Counter terrorism officers at a property on the Stratford Road in Birmingham. (Image: Snappersk) 12:05 birminghammail.co.uk New pictures of car used in the terrorist attack Detectives have just released images of the Fiesta involved, as they appeal for public assistance to identify its movements in the hours leading up to the incident. The privately-owned Fiesta, registration number FL10 CWZ, travelled from Birmingham to London late on Monday night (13 August), arriving in the London area just after midnight (14 August). (Image: PA) The vehicle was in the Tottenham Court Road area from approximately 1:25am until 5.55am. It was then driven around the Westminster and Whitehall area from approximately 6am and stayed in this area until the time of the incident. (Image: PA) Officers are appealing to anyone who may have seen the vehicle or the driver either in the Tottenham Court Road area in the early hours of the morning of Tuesday, 14 August, or in the Westminster area from 06:00hrs the same morning, to contact them on 0800 789 321. 11:57KEY EVENT Police search third address in Birmingham This is the latest from the Met Police Office who are leading the investigation into yesterdays terrorist attack. Police officers have concluded their searches of two addresses in Birmingham and another in Nottingham. They continue to search a third address in Birmingham. The man, who is a UK national originally from Sudan, was arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism, under section 41 of the Terrorism Act (TACT) 2000, and detained under TACT. He was subsequently further arrested for attempted murder. The investigation is being led by the Mets Counter Terrorism Command, with support from the wider counter terrorism policing network. 11:49 birminghammail.co.uk Scotland Yard are trying to piece together the suspect's movements in London Scotland Yard said the silver Ford Fiesta used in the Westminster attack was driven from Birmingham to London late on Monday and spent almost five hours in the Tottenham Court Road area.It was then driven around the Westminster area for more than 90 minutes before it crashed into a security barrier just before 7.40am on Tuesday.The Metropolitan Police said they are still working to clarify the movements of the suspect during the period of time he spent in the Tottenham Court Road area.Unable to confirm if he had been driving around, parked or had been on foot, officers have appealed for members of the public to come forward with any information. Forensic officers by the car that crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament, Westminster, London. (Victoria Jones/PA) 11:44 birminghammail.co.uk Suspect's Facebook page says he liked post about how "a Birmingham school is giving students the skills to deal with and protect themselves from extremism and radicalisation" According to the Press Association, Khaters Facebook page states that he lives in Birmingham, works as a shop manager, and has previously studied at Sudan University of Science and Technology.He has shared music videos from artists including French-Canadian singer Celine Dion, as well as Eminems Love The Way You Lie featuring Rihanna.He has also posted images of himself using a laptop on a train and one of him on a mobile phone, as well as desert scenes, and one of Nelson Mandela.Likes on the page include Fort Wayne Indiana, London Metropolitan University, I Am Sudanese and the sport of basketball, with status updates in both English and Arabic.As well as listing his favourite quote as love is only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend (sic), he also states he is interested in both men and women.In April he liked a blog post about how a Birmingham school is giving students the skills to deal with and protect themselves from extremism and radicalisation. 11:08KEY EVENT Officers at second Birmingham address Investigations into yesterdays terrorist attack are moving quickly. Police are searching a second address just round the corner from Stratford Road.There is a police presence outside Brinklow Tower, Upper Highgate Street.This is a video showing searches taking place 11:04 birminghammail.co.uk Friends defend Salih Khater Friends of a suspect questioned in connection with the Westminster terrorism attack have called him a very nice man who had been in London to collect a visa. Salih Khater was arrested after a car was deliberately driven at cyclists and then a barrier at the Houses of Parliament on Tuesday. A friend of the 29-year-old said he travelled to the capital to get a visa for a visit to Sudan - and claimed he had simply lost control of his car as he tried to let two ambulances pass. "He's just like any other man" Abrha Thomas, from Five Ways, added: He was a very nice man, everybody knew him in this area. We see him around and we all pull together.He was a Muslim so when this accident happened they call it a terrorist attack.There were two ambulances behind him trying to pass and he tried to get out the way and lost control. He used to come drink coffee here. We were friends, we used to play pool together.He was just like any man. 09:14KEY EVENT He's innocent ! He went to London to get a "VISA"- claims his friend Our reporter has been speaking to a friend who claims he went to London to get a visa. The friend, Abrha Thomas, protested his friends innocence. He claims the suspect had driven down to London to get a VISA from the embassy.It was an accident just like anyone would have. He was a good person. He just lost control. I know this guy, he went to the embassy to get his VISA to go to Sudan. I know him because we live in the same area. 09:04 Anti-terrorism police are still at the scene on Stratford Road Our reporter has been speaking to locals after searches were carried out at a flat above an internet cafe. There is still an anti-terrorism officer on the scene. Another resident, Sonny Palmer who owns Styloprint across the road, told of his worries.He said: Ive probably passed him which is quite worrying. Weve been here 30 years and its got really bad around here. 08:47 birminghammail.co.uk 'He smoked shisha everyday' - a friend A local resident, who comes to the neighbouring Lycamobile (an internet cafe) every day, told how he knew the suspect only as Salah.Ahmed Abdi said: I knew him only as Salah. He used to smoke shisha upstairs. He always used to stay behind after lock down at midnight. Every night he was smoking shish upstairs.Its very shocking and Id never expect hed do this. He was just a normal guy. 08:38 birminghammail.co.uk More about Salih Khater's including his taste in music The terror suspect arrested by police after a car crashed into cyclists and pedestrians outside Parliament has been named as Salih Khater. More about the suspect Salih Khater A suspect arrested in connection with yesterdays terrorist attack in London has been named as Salih Khater. According to his Facebook site, he is a shop manager in Birmingham and attended the Sudan University of Science and Technology. Here is his Facebook page which is still live. 07:53KEY EVENT Breaking: Terror suspect named The terror suspect arrested by police after a car crashed into cyclists and pedestrians outside Parliament has been named as Salih Khater. The 29-year-old, said to be a Sudanese immigrant, is currently being quizzed by counter terrorism officers after a car ploughed into cyclists on Tuesday morning.
Will was walking over Westminster Bridge in London when a car crashed into him from behind. He didn't know it, but he'd been caught up in a terror attack that killed five people and injured 50. In the chaos that followed a stranger looked after him. But then they were separated and he could only remember her face... Will is stressed. He's due to meet the team he'll be working with at his new job and he's running late. He's taken extra care with his outfit today, wearing smart jeans and his favourite brown suede shoes. As he rushes down the road he decides the quickest route will be to take the Jubilee Line from Westminster underground station. He walks on to Westminster Bridge and starts to cross the Thames towards Parliament. Cristina is in a pound shop picking up cleaning products. She's just come from a talk about the economies of developing nations - a topic she became interested in while volunteering in China and Myanmar. Placing her purchases in her bike basket, she decides to head home via Westminster Bridge. It's a little out of her way but Cristina considers it the prettiest bridge in London. She pushes off from the kerb and merges into the traffic. There are a lot of tourists on the north side of the bridge so Will crosses to the other side where he can walk faster. He sprays deodorant under his shirt as he goes. It's a miserable March day and he curses as it starts to rain. He suddenly hears a car accelerating loudly behind him. He has the sensation of being propelled forward, before everything goes dark. Cristina thinks nothing of the heavy traffic but then she hears screams. She sees people streaming off the bridge and a passer-by tells her to turn back as there has been a terrible accident. Instead she parks her bike and continues on foot. She has basic nursing training and thinks she can help. She reaches a young man in brown shoes lying on the wet road with another man hovering over him. She asks if there is anything she can do. "Please can you take over? I need to leave," the man on his feet replies, clearly agitated. Cristina agrees and kneels down. She takes the injured man's hand and asks his name. "It's amazing how our friendship came out of something so horrific and terrible," Will says. "We wouldn't ordinarily have crossed paths. We're different ages, have different professions and live and work in different areas." It's a year later and he's sitting with Cristina at the back of a busy brasserie in Soho. The sun is streaming through the windows and on the street outside office workers are mingling and sipping their first post-work pints. Both have just come from work - Will, 25, from his job rejuvenating the area around Baker Street and Cristina, 34, from a meeting with an advertising firm. While Will grew up in London, Cristina moved to the city from Portugal 12 years ago. It was an act of terror by Khalid Masood that brought them to the same place at the same time. On 22 March 2017, he drove a hired car into dozens of pedestrians on Westminster Bridge and stabbed to death an unarmed police officer, before being shot and killed himself. Find out more Will believes he was the second person to be struck by Masood's car. He woke up to find himself lying in a wet gutter. "I had a strong sensation of pain all over my body," he says. "I could see the London Eye and County Hall from where I was and I could hear a lot of panic and distress but I wasn't really aware of what it was about." Cristina came across Will just a few minutes later. "Will didn't look badly injured but he was very confused. He was panicking because he had to go somewhere but he couldn't remember where," she says. "I held him and hugged him and tried to keep him calm by asking him lots of questions. We were sitting on the kerb watching this awful scene, having a mundane conversation about his parents and his job." Image caption Cristina reached Will a few minutes after he was struck by Masood's car They waited as the paramedics dealt with the most urgent cases. Will had scrapes down his back and a mass of bruises down his leg and was taken to hospital in the last ambulance that left the bridge. There was no room for Cristina. "I terribly wanted to go with him, but I knew it wasn't my place as there was a young policeman, Special Constable Thomson, with him," she says. "Due to the chaos, no-one had asked me for my details, so I simply walked off the bridge." Cristina continued to believe it was an accident until she called her boyfriend. He told her it had been a terrorist attack and that she should head home. Cycling back to her empty flat, she called Will's firm to explain what had happened. "I knew lots about him so I then tracked him down on Facebook and left a message saying, 'I hope you're OK, let me know.' "I think I was in a state of shock. It was like going through a violent 3D movie. I didn't feel like going out again so I stayed at home that evening." Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption The first ambulance arrived six minutes after the emergency services were called Meanwhile, Will's condition began to worsen. As a lower-priority case he was left to sit in A&E as medics rushed around him. Then he began to feel nauseous. "My speech started to go strange. I was trying to say things and the wrong word would come out. They put me in a wheelchair and I started throwing up. Every time they tried to lay me down I'd be sick." When police officers came to take away his clothes and bag, he tried to ask to keep his phone but struggled to express himself. The doctors began to seem concerned. Following X-rays and CT scans he was put in a head brace. "The hospital staff had a sense of urgency and I thought, 'Oh God what if I don't come through this?'" Due to the brace he could only see the ceiling. He remembers his parents arriving and having to peer over his trolley for him to see their faces. Will was diagnosed with a carotid artery dissection - a tear in one of the arteries in his neck had allowed blood to enter the artery wall and split its layers, forming a blood clot. He was given medication to thin his blood and reduce his risk of having a stroke. "I just wanted to sleep so I could just pretend it hadn't happened, but I couldn't, mainly because of the pain," he says. Image caption Will's books, and teacakes, in hospital In the following days Cristina tried to put her experience behind her. She only told a few friends who asked her why she looked shaken. But she didn't tell her mother in Portugal because she didn't want to worry her. She also chose to keep it from her colleagues. "There was nothing to tell," she says. "I couldn't relate what had happened to me to this big national event." In the weeks following the attack Cristina continued to cycle around London. However, she found that she felt on edge and anxious if a car passed close by. "I went through a phase where I would do an assessment of whether the road might be suitable for an attack," she says. However, she felt strangely calm when she crossed Westminster Bridge again. "I think it's because I thought an attack wouldn't happen in the same place twice." Cristina hadn't heard from Will but assumed he would get back to her when he was ready. She didn't know that he was actively trying to find her. Image caption Will with his mother on top of the London hospital where he was treated In hospital Will slowly regained his ability to walk. He was aware that people were talking about Westminster Bridge in hushed voices. He asked the hospital psychologist for details and he suggested they go through a newspaper article with Will's father. "My dad summarised it for me and said what the pictures showed. I didn't really think about the driver, I just felt very overwhelmed by the scale of it all," he says. Will's memory of the bridge was hazy. However, he remembered that a woman had looked after him and he wanted to track her down to thank her. "I thought she might be Spanish and I knew she had good teeth because I remember her smiling a lot. "So the police were going through the witness statements to find someone like that!" After a week in hospital Will moved back in with his parents. He was given his sister's room as it had a "nice double bed", while she moved to his old box room. "It was quite intense," he says. "I'd moved away from home when I was 18 and was very independent. It was difficult to be looked after and have decisions made for me." Image caption Will in the Soho brasserie Will wanted to get better as quickly as possible. He had several appointments most days, visiting the hospital and meeting with a counsellor, the Victim Support charity and police liaison officers. He needed to nap during the day due to the extreme exhaustion brought on by his head injuries. "I felt dizzy a lot of the time, my eating was on and off and I wasn't sleeping much at night because my neck was so painful," he says. "I had to take breaks from other people as well. People were obviously concerned and wanted to know what happened but I ended up repeating a sort of script." Friends and neighbours left food at the door, which Will found touching but also overwhelming. "I just don't like attention," he says, shifting in his chair. Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption Prince Harry and Prince William also attended the Service of Hope in Westminster Abbey Soon after moving home Will was invited to a service at Westminster Abbey for everyone who had been involved in the attack. Afterwards he decided to walk across the bridge with his family. "It was a normal day with lots of tourists everywhere and people going about their business. You couldn't really tell what had happened, although there were barriers up. "It was strange as I didn't really feel like I had been there, as I couldn't remember very much." A month after the attack, Will was disappointed to learn that the police hadn't found the woman who helped him. But the next day while checking Facebook, he spotted some messages from people not on his contacts list. "I had one from a cousin and then I came across a message from Cristina that basically said, 'You won't remember me but I helped you on Westminster Bridge. Please let me know you're OK.' "I ran - well I hobbled - down the stairs and I read it to my mum and dad but I couldn't finish it. They were both in tears." Will responded straight away and they arranged to meet. "It was so strange," Cristina says, in the brasserie where their reunion had taken place a year earlier. "I felt very close to Will but he didn't really remember our conversation." "I recognised her straight away," Will says. "And we hugged - Cristina is a real hugger." Image caption Will and Cristina in the cafe where they met for the first time after the attack Will had brought a map so Cristina could point out where she found him and take him through what happened. He also gave her a card from his mother, thanking her for staying and looking after him on the bridge. "It really helped my family to know that someone had looked after me when they couldn't," Will says. Over the following weeks they continued to meet for coffee. At first Will wanted to know some more details about the attack but slowly their chats turned to what was going on in their lives. "How do you become friends with a person? I think we think about things in a similar way," Will says. "It was very natural," agrees Cristina. "We'd meet to check in with how he was and then we'd talk about how I was. We were both going through big things." Cristina ended her long-term relationship with her boyfriend, while Will started his new job and moved back in with his flatmates. "There isn't any manual for how to move on after a terrorist attack," Will says. "I just went with my gut as I wanted to regain control of my life. I didn't want to sit at home feeling sad about what had happened and frustrated that I couldn't do any exercise." However, the transition was more difficult than he had expected and he found he was less confident about making decisions. "I felt very up and down. There were moments I felt terrible but then also moments when I felt really empowered," he says. Image caption Will and Cristina at Cristina's flat Through it all he knew he could talk to Cristina. "It was really helpful during a time when I felt crap about what had happened to have someone who had seen me at my worst," he says. "She wasn't cautious with me at all and was very honest. If I said something very melancholy she'd get me to consider other things." Cristina adds: "It also gave me a trusting space to talk." As the months passed, Will's medication was reduced and his appointments became less frequent. He finished trauma therapy but continued to see an NHS counsellor once a month. "I was thinking about it [the attack] less and it was becoming less significant," says Will. "Until something happened that reminded me of it." In November, he was in a taxi with a colleague just off Oxford Street when he saw panic-stricken people running past the car. They got out and sought shelter in an office reception. After half an hour and with little information to go on they decided to join their colleagues in a nearby hotel. "We crossed Oxford Street and it was completely deserted. Everyone was locked in shops." They reached the hotel where a back room had been set up with food for them and people evacuated from Selfridges. Will then realised he was experiencing a fight-or-flight response. "I had difficulty breathing, my hands and arms went numb, I couldn't stand up as my legs were just jelly. Eventually my panic came down but it left me exhausted." The panic had been caused by rumours of a gunman on the loose. This turned out to be a false alarm, but it still had an effect on Will. "I took a week off work to recover," he says. "You made yourself go back to Oxford Street," Cristina prompts. "That's right. I went once during the day when it was a bit quieter," he agrees. Last month, Will received the upsetting news that he still can't return to swimming, jogging or cycling - all activities he enjoyed before the attack. Doctors say vigorous activity could damage his carotid artery, which is still healing. "I do get angry, I have moments of frustration that I'm still not better," he says. "But I do think I've done a lot of growing. I have a greater perspective on what's important in my life and I don't worry so much about what other people think." You might also like: Image copyrightPhil Coomes Stephen McGown was riding his motorbike from London to Johannesburg on "one last great adventure" in 2011, when he was kidnapped at gunpoint in Mali. It was the start of a six-year ordeal from him and his wife and parents back home.
Share this: Like this: LONDON: British police arrested seven people in armed raids Thursday linked to the deadly terrorist attacks the day before on the symbol of the countrys democracy. Britains top anti-terror officer Mark Rowley also said police have revised down the number of victims from Wednesdays rampage to three from four. Some 40 people were wounded. We have searched six addresses and made seven arrests, Britains top anti-terror officer Mark Rowley told reporters in London. He said the raids included locations in London and the central city of Birmingham. Defiant British MPs meanwhile vowed to return to work as normal after the lightning attack on the iconic parliament building in the shadow of Big Ben. Authorities worked around the clock to piece together what happened when carnage was sown in the heart of London as the attacker ran down several pedestrians on nearby Westminster Bridge then charged at a policeman at the parliament gates, stabbing him to death with a large knife. Armed officers shot the attacker dead but not before he had killed two members of the public and the 48-year policeman guarding the seat of British political power in the deadliest attack in the country since 2005. Press Association news agency photos believed to be of the attacker lying on an ambulance stretcher showed a burly man wearing black clothes and a beard. Other pictures showed two people being treated on the ground inside the vehicle entrance gates of parliament, with a knife visible on the cobblestones, while three shots were heard ringing out on video footage as terrified passers-by fled. British lawmaker Mary Creagh told AFP there was a real sense of panic as the attack unfolded and a doctor at nearby St Thomas Hospital said they were treating people with catastrophic injuries. Prime Minister Theresa May described the attack as sick and depraved in a defiant address in which she affirmed parliament would meet as normal on Thursday. Standing outside her Downing Street residence after an emergency cabinet meeting, May said Britains alert level would remain unchanged at level four, or severe. We will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart, said May, dressed in black. The prime minister was in parliament at the time of the attack and was ushered away in a silver car as gunfire rang out. Rowley said on Wednesday police suspected they were dealing with terrorism, adding that investigators believed they knew the assailants identity. Queen Elizabeth II postponed her appearance on Thursday to open the new headquarters of Londons Metropolitan Police, where the forces flag flew at half-mast following the attack. The attack came a year to the day after Islamic State militants killed 32 people in twin bomb attacks in Brussels and after a series of deadly assaults in Europe that had spared Britain  until Wednesday. Parliament was locked down for several hours and police evacuated hundreds of MPs and visitors to nearby Westminster Abbey and the Metropolitan Police headquarters. An air ambulance flew in and police cordoned off a large area, while tourists on the London Eye, a popular visitor attraction, were left dangling up to 135 metres in the air for more than an hour during the attack. I saw three bodies lying on the ground and a whole lot of police. It was pretty terrifying, said Jack Hutchinson, 16, from the United States, who was stranded on the observation wheel with his parents. Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood, whose brother Jonathan was killed in the 2002 Bali bombing, was pictured with his face smeared with blood helping to give first aid to the fatally wounded police officer. The worst previous attack in London was in 2005 when four British suicide bombers inspired by al Qaeda targeted the transport system, killing 52 people. Britains last terror attack was last years assassination of MP Jo Cox by a pro-Nazi sympathiser in her constituency in northern England. Britains allies reacted with shock and vowed to stand with London in the fight against terror while lights on the Eiffel Tower in Paris were switched off at midnight in solidarity with victims of the attack. US President Donald Trump and French President Francois Hollande both spoke to May and Chancellor Angela Merkel said Germany stood with Britons against all forms of terrorism. Spoke to UK Prime Minister Theresa May today to offer condolences on the terrorist attack in London, Trump tweeted. The incident dominated Britains front pages, with The Mirror describing it as an attack on democracy while Londons Evening Standard carried the headline Terror carnage at Westminster. Several international tourists visiting one of Londons most iconic sights were caught up in the violence. Five South Korean tourists were wounded, Seouls foreign ministry said, while the Romanian government said two of its citizens were also injured. A Portuguese man was hurt, the countrys government said, while a seriously injured woman was rescued from the River Thames following the incident. French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said he would travel to London on Thursday morning to visit three French pupils on a school trip who were among those hurt. Daily Balochistan Express, Quetta Founded By About Daily Balochistan Express Daily Balochistan Express an independent daily having no links with any opinion. It is edited by professional journalists enjoying high reputation in the eyes of their readers all over Pakistan. It covers all the five ecological zones of Balochistan besides major cities and townships of Pakistan
Express.co.uk relies on cookies to collect and process data. We may use this data to make assumptions on what content or advertising may interest you. By clicking "Continue and Accept All", you agree to allow cookies to be placed. You can decline these settings . To get more information about these cookies and the processing of your personal data, check our Privacy Policy & Cookie Policy. The wording implies Masood was merely indoctrinated by the caliphate, rather than being trained by them. Advertisement The statement also suggests ISIS had no direct connection with him or the attack, but are still claiming the glory. A recent tactic by the terror group, ISIS has begun taking credit for terror attacks around the world which they were not directly linked to - but its perpertrators claim some allegiance to the ideology. Terror expert and former counter terror police chief, Ahmet Yayla, also questioned the level of involvement in the London attack. He said: Based on the language they used in the statement, I assume ISIS didn't imply they had direct connections with the #Westminster attacker. Advertisement SWNS ISIS is encouraging home-grown or lone wolf attacks ISIS rather used a broader term response to our calls to attack for the Westminster attack. This may imply the attacker acted on his own. Masood has been dubbed a low-tech terrorist, indicative of those with no formal training and using whatever weapons they can lay their hands on - such as kitchen knives and cars - along with the perpetrators of the Berlin Christmas market attack and Nice massacre. Professor Bill Durodie, chair of international relations ath University of Bath, said: Were looking at people who are increasingly desperate. If you look at the return rate if youre a terrorist minded person, youre looking at the Nice attacks in a vehicle which took out almost 100 people, the Christmas markets in Germany, a dozen, there is an element of desperation that we all saw in those incidents yesterday. I dont think that we should feel threatened as a society. Victims of the Westminster terror attack Andreea Cristea died of her injuries following the Westminster terror attacks SWNS.com Andrea Christie, the 31-year-old who fell into the Thames in the Westminster terror attack has died in the Westminster terror attack has died PA London terror attack victim Aysha Frade Facebook London terror attack victim PC Keith Palmer PA London terror attack victim Kurt Cochran was on a dream holiday from the US Facebook London terror attack victim Aysha Frade Facebook London terror attack victim Aysha Frade Facebook London terror attack victim Aysha Frade Facebook London terror attack victim Kurt Cochran Facebook Kurt Cochran, from Utah, was was on a dream holiday around Europe with his wife The change in method is also harder to detect; large groups plotting to make bombs, sourcing materials, creating explosives or getting their hands on weapons is much more noticeable than getting in a car or picking up a kitchen knife. Dr Natasha Underhill, a terrorism expert at Nottingham Trent University, said: Attacks like this, and those in Brussels and Paris, should act as reminders that it is not foreign terror groups themselves which pose the most imminent physical threat, but the ideology they espouse. PA Originally from Kent, the terrorist is said to have been inspired by Islamist terrorism Lone or self-inspired terrorism is one of the most difficult issues for any security service to address. The move towards low-tech methods for attacks is alarming. One of the main reasons for this shift may be traceability. It is far easier to track shipments or orders of the components necessary to fabricate an explosive device, for instance. These things leave trails that can be easily discovered by security forces. How do we monitor a person who simply climbs into their car or rents a truck and drives as fast as possible through a crowded street, a Christmas market, or across an embankment with the aim of killing as many people as possible for an ideology?
" This is our daily news that we feel is important & we want to tell people about the truth behind the story " #AceSecurityNews  Thursdays Westminster London attack and Khalid Masood using WhatsApp to send a message has reopened privacy debate Theresa May wants Google, Apple and Facebook to allow release of private date on their smartphones to authorities  @AceNewsServices #AceNewsReport  Mar.27: British officials have demanded tech firms do much more to give #police access to smartphone communications following last weeks Westminster attack, just months after new laws gave security services broader powers. British media have reported that shortly before launching the attack last Wednesday, Khalid Masood used encrypted messaging via #WhatsApp which investigators cannot read. Police have been trying to determine whether Masood  who #killed four people including a policeman near parliament in London before being shot dead  acted alone. Neil Basu, a top counter-terrorism policeman, said his communications on the day of the attack are the main line of inquiry and said he had a clear interest in jihadist armed struggle. A spokesman for Prime Minister Theresa May said on Monday she wanted tech firms such as Facebook, Apple and Google to find ways to give security services access to messages on phones, but was leaving it up to companies to sort out how. British officials plan to meet U.S. tech executives on Thursday to insist they do more to crack down on extremist content on websites such as Googles (GOOGL.O) YouTube, following a revolt over the issue by major advertisers, including British government agencies. (reut.rs/2nnzv98) They also plan to press Silicon Valley leaders to help monitor communications by potential attackers. If there are circumstances where law enforcement agencies need to be able to access the contents, they should be able to do so. How that is achieved, I think, is a matter for the talks later in the week, Mays spokesman said. The criticisms are the latest moves by European countries to rein in U.S. tech giants, pressing them do more to stop hate speech and extremist activities online. Germany is planning a new law calling for social networks like Facebook (FB.O) and Twitter (TWTR.N) to remove hate speech quickly or face fines of up to 50 million euros ($54 million). (reut.rs/2nnpPv6) POLITICS, OR SOMETHING NEW? The government has so far stopped short of seeking fresh laws that would make tech firms create back doors to privacy protections enabled by encryption. Instead, the Investigatory Powers Act, which came into force in November, forced tech firms to help law enforcement agencies bypass encryption, when possible, and keep records of sites their customers visit, updating decades-old surveillance laws. On Sunday Home Secretary (interior minister) Amber Rudd called for the tech companies to give security services access to encrypted messaging systems, then later qualified her stronger statements, saying she supported user privacy. We need to make sure that organisations like #WhatsApp  and there are plenty of others like that  dont provide a secret place for terrorists to communicate with each other, Rudd first told BBC TV. Later, when speaking to Sky News, she appeared to pull back on calling on tech firms to undermine encryption protections and focused instead on demanding lawful access to phones. You can have a system whereby they can build it so we can have access to it when it is absolutely necessary, Rudd said. But I want to draw a very clear distinction here  I support end-to-end encryption as part of cyber security, for families, for banking, for businesses, she said. A Home Office spokeswoman reinforced Rudds comments on Monday, saying it is irresponsible to give terrorists a way to plot online which cannot be intercepted by the police. A spokeswoman for #WhatsApp, a unit of Silicon Valley social media giant Facebook, said the company was horrified by the attack and cooperating with law enforcement agencies in their inquiries. WhatsApp introduced end-to-end encryptions by default a year ago this month for its 1.2 billion users worldwide, joining other services such as Signal and Apples (AAPL.O) iMessage. Facebook is likely to comply with a subpoena for data on what numbers Masood called, and when, using #WhatsApp, based on how it has responded in prior cases. Alternately, #police may demand help in unlocking his phone, which raises thornier issues, depending on what device he was using. Britain could also press Facebook and other internet services to provide a way to monitor or record encrypted conversations  akin to wiretapping traditional voice calls  which would move the debate into uncharted legal territory. One former top British military official said forcing tech companies to weaken encryption would simply make the problem mutate and lead extremists to find other ways to communicate. There is a lot of politics at play here, Major General Jonathan Shaw, who was in charge of cyber security at the Ministry of Defence, told BBC Radio 4 on Monday. What they (the government) are trying to do is use this moment to nudge the debate more in their line, said Shaw, who retired from the army in 2012 as assistant chief of the defence staff. (Additional reporting by Michael Holden and Elizabeth Piper; editing by David Stamp) EDITOR NOTES: Thanks for following as always appreciate every like, reblog or retweet also our newspaper is added with all our posts daily below: Private Messages to https://t.me/acechatnews Cama Vacia Tempo | Format: MP3 Music Sales Rank in Songs: 393 (previously unranked) From the Album: Back To The GameDownload: $0.99 (Visit the Movers & Shakers in Songs list for authoritative information on this product's current rank.) Originally posted on Dear Kitty. Some blog: https://youtu.be/alIQCoW75QM This video from the USA says about itself: Facebook Fact Checkers Include Science Denying Right-Wing Propagandists 14 September 2018 From the United States liberal site Media Matters for America: Facebook is fueling far-right extremism  and profiting off of it September 4, 2018 5:13 [] Originally posted on Trump:The American Years: Although it feels as though every corner of the media has been politicized, there are still a whole lot of people who just want to know whats going on in the world. These are people like myself (when Im off the clock) who are news consumers, who want Originally posted on Trump:The American Years: of course the brownshirts, I mean #antifa can still operate freely on #FaceBook and #Twitter the left protects its ownalways https://t.co/JKOeFkS5iB ? Bethann (@sewwutnow) September 14, 2018 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Originally posted on ukgovernmentwatch: Facebook has banned Brandon Straka, the former Democrat who founded the Walk Away campaign and its viral hashtag #WalkAway, after he linked to Infowars.com  which has been banned from the platform. https://twitter.com/usminority/status/1040010205843648519 https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-09-12/facebook-bans-ex-de [] Originally posted on PUMABydesign001's Blog: Every week, the WoW! community and our invited guests weigh in at the Forum, short takes on a major issue of the day, the culture, or daily living. This weeks question: Whats Your Reaction to Barack Hussein Obamas New Speech? Jeffrey Avalon Friedberg: I didnt read it, or hear Originally posted on Trump:The American Years: Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) sat down with Breitbart News this week to talk about censorship of conservatives on social media.Rep. Jim Jordan sat down with Breitbart News Neil Munro at FAIRs Hold Their Feet to the Fire Annual Radio Row event this week to discuss social medias censorship #AceFinanceReport  Sept.07: The unemployment rate stayed at 3.9%, near historical lows, the Labor Department reported #AceNewsDesk reports Average hourly earnings grew 2.9% compared with a year ago, the strongest rate since 2009. That number is not adjusted for inflation, which has been rising in recent months and eating into workers paychecks. And its lo [] #AceFinanceReport  Sept.06: China is ready to retaliate if U.S. President Donald Trump goes ahead with a tariff hike on Chinese goods and is confident it can maintain steady and healthy economic growth, a government spokesman said Thursday.The Trump administration is poised to impose 25% penalties this week on $200 billion of Chinese goods in [] #AceFinanceReport  Aug.08: Editor says but the markets reacted positively Dow closes up 127 points, S&P 500 and Nasdaq up 0.3% apiece. Tesla soars 11% after Elon Musk says he wants to take the company private. https://cnnmon.ie/2ARtM5G to the news: The Trump administration on Tuesday unveiled a list of roughly $16 billion worth of imports [] Originally posted on theglocaljournal: We absolutely loved this place as the food taste and quality is standard . I love the Mahalaxmi outlet for its beautiful decor and being by the racecourse . The Powai outlet is more like an all day place with modern ambience and gives you best of both worlds  Indigo Originally posted on theglocaljournal: Umraan Regional is a small restaurant in the by lanes of Bandra and right off the bat we can tell you it has a very homely vibe. Their menu is curated by taking dishes made by Indian mothers from all over the country. From their spicy chettinad paneer to their fluffy #AceFoodNews  May.22: Born to an upper-class family, she studied art in Paris and travelled to Greece, where she was nearly trapped by the German invasion in 1941..Returning to England in 1946, she was dismayed by the contrast between the bad food served in Britain and the simple foods she had enjoyed in France, Greece [] #AceNewsDesk  Sept.17: Later this fall, the Africa Centers expected to open in Harlem, joining established organisations such as the Asia Society and French Institute Alliance Franaise, all dedicated to helping New Yorkers explore the world without ever leaving Manhattan. Here are just a handful. Czech, mate Modal TriggerCourtesy of CCNY Located in the be [] Dont cry because its over, smile because it happened. Dr. Seuss was correct (always, even if he might not have said this one, who knows, but he makes me smile). Nothing can protect you from the storms of life, not enough the biggest umbrella (thanks Rhianna/Jay-Z, Ill never get that song out of my head). [] #AceNewsDesk  Aug.22: Its only diamond in shape, though  asteroid 162173 Ryugu is thought to be composed of mostly nickel and iron.: Asteroids like Ryugu are interesting for several reasons, perhaps foremost because they are near the Earth and might, one day in the far future, pose an impact threat. In the nearer term, [] From: Our Jungle Road to Tokyo Generals Eichelberger & MacArthur I remembers a story Bob Shoe told on himself. During the hottest of the fighting on Negros, he was making a trip to the front to look over the situation. His jeep passed through a weary column of the 503rd Parachute Regiment which had been [] [continued from the previous post where the Generals were on the island of Labaun after the Australian troops had landed to take it back from the Japanese.] From: General Kenney Reports The Borneo Campaign Map We got to the USS Boise and the next morning we all went over to the beach near Brooketon. Gen. [] #AceHistoryNews  Sept.13: Key was inspired by the sight of a lone U.S. flag, pictured here, still flying over Fort McHenry at daybreak, as reflected in the now-famous words of the Star-Spangled Banner: And the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. #AceHistoryDesk [] #AceHistoryNews  June.02: A thousand dignitaries and guests attended the coronation at Westminster Abbey, hundreds of millions listened on radio, and for the first time many watched the proceedings on live television #AceHistoryDesk reports https://t.me/HistoricalPics/8677: After the ceremony, rain-drenched spectators cheered the 27-year-old queen and her h [] #AceHistoryNews  May.29: Mount Everest sits on the crest of the Great Himalayas in Asia, lying on the border between Nepal and Tibet. Called Chomo-Lungma, or Mother Goddess of the Land, by the Tibetans, the English named the mountain after Sir George Everest, a 19th-century British surveyor of South Asia. https://t.me/HistoricalPics/8638: The first record [] #AceHistoryNews  Apr.15: On its first voyage, from Southampton, England, to New York with stops in Cherbourg, France, and Queenstown, Ireland, the Titanic was carrying 2,206 people, including a crew of 898: A relatively mild winter had produced a bumper crop of icebergs in the North Atlantic, but the crew, believing their ship was unsinkable, [] Originally posted on "OUR WORLD": onegreenplanet.org Kelly Wang It isnt every day you get to hear about someone truly heroic. And were sad that its Hurricane Florence that is the reason were hearing this news. But when a pet lover buys and converts an old school bus to rescue animals left after others Originally posted on Additional survival tricks: Paying immigrants to go back home makes sense. by tonytran2015 (Melbourne, Australia). Click here for a full, up to date ORIGINAL ARTICLE and to help fighting the stealing of readers traffic. (Blog No.  ). #pay to go, #rejected asylum seeker, #non-integrating immigrant, #cost Paying immigrants to go back [] Originally posted on Dear Kitty. Some blog: https://youtu.be/274Z97UI158 This 28 December 2016 video from the USA says about itself: In 2013, [Amazon.com boss] Jeff Bezos bought the Washington Post for $250 million. Only 4 months later, he was awarded a $600 million contract with the CIA. So the CIA has a direct connection to the There are thousands of record players available on the market with varying price range. 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Muslim Women Gather On Westminster Bridge To Condemn London Attack Participants in the Women's March, gather on Westminster Bridge to hold hands in silence, to remember victims of the attack in Westminster earlier in the week, in London, Britain March 26, 2017. REUTERS/Neil Hall Striking photographs show dozens of Womens March participants, some with their daughters, linking hands in the spot where three were killed and dozens more injured when assailant Khalid Masood mounted the pavement at speed. One of those in attendance, Sarah Waseem from Surrey, said: When an attack happens in London, it is an attack on me. It is an attack on all of us. Islam totally condemns violence of any sort. This is abhorrent to us. Swipe to open the slideshow, below. PA Wire/PA Images Women link hands on Westminster bridge in central London in an act of solidarity and to pay tribute to the victims of last week's Westminster terrorist attack. Neil Hall / Reuters People from a range of backgrounds joined the event, organised by Women's March on London. Neil Hall / Reuters Three people were killed when attacker Khalid Masood drove his Hyundai 4x4 down the pavement on the bridge, before crashing his car into Parliament and killing a police officer. PA Wire/PA Images The women, some with their daughters, linked hands on the bridge in central London just days after the incident. PA Wire/PA Images Reuters Photographer / Reuters DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS via Getty Images Ayesha Malik, a 34-year-old mother-of-two from Surrey, said: "As a visible Muslim I think it was important to show solidarity with the principles that we all hold dear, the principles of plurality, diversity and so on." PA Wire/PA Images Sarah Waseem, 57, from Surrey, said: "When an attack happens in London, it is an attack on me. It is an attack on all of us. Islam totally condemns violence of any sort. This is abhorrent to us." DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS via Getty Images Fariha Khan, 40, a GP from Surbiton, said: "The feeling of what happened here on Wednesday was really strong. We thought of the ordinary people who were here and were mown down, standing here like this, it was very overwhelming." PA Wire/PA Images DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS via Getty Images DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS via Getty Images DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS via Getty Images DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS via Getty Images Floral tributes adorn the bridge, which opened to the public less than a day after the attack on Wednesday. Leslie Rhodes died after being hit by the car, alongside mother-of-two Aysha Frade and US tourist Kurt Cochran. Masood went on to crash the vehicle into the Parliamentary estate before killing PC Keith Palmer. He was shot dead shortly after.
Westminster attacker Khalid Masood spent his last night at a budget hotel in Brighton and told staff that London "wasn't like what it used to be", it has been claimed. Before he ploughed a rented car through pedestrians on Westminster Bridge and fatally stabbed a police officer outside Parliament, the terroristborn Adrian Elms, in Kentreportedly stayed over at the Preston Park Hotel in the East Sussex seaside town. A source told The Sun he chatted with staff at the 59-per-night venue and told them he was "off to London today". Detectives traced him to the hotel thanks to a receipt left in the car he crashed into railings outside Parliament, the paper reported. The Metropolitan Police declined to confirm whether its officers had visited the hotel. The source said: "He said he lived above a guitar shop in Birmingham but hes not originally from the Midlands and had a London accent. But he said London wasnt like what it used to be. Police told us later it was definitely the Westminster attacker." Masood's attack killed four people including PC Keith Palmer, whose family described him as "dedicated to his job and proud to be a police officer, brave and courageous". An American, 54-year-old Kurt Cochran, was killed as he celebrated his 25th wedding anniversary with wife Melissa, who was injured. Aysha Frade, who worked as a sixth form Spanish teacher at the nearby DLD College London, also died in the attack. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP A British national, whose mother was Spanish and father was Cypriot, she lived in London with her two young daughters and her husband. She was walking to meet her daughters from school when the attack happened. And on Thursday night detectives said a 75-year-old man had died in hospital, his life support having been withdrawn.
Westminster Attack: European Special Forces 'Are Losing Fight With Terrorists' The terror attacks that have occurred in France, Germany and Britain in the past twelve months indicate that the special services of EU countries are losing the fight against terrorism, Sergey Goncharov, head of the Alpha Anti-Terrorist Unit's International Association of Veterans, told Sputnik. In an interview with Sputnik, Sergey Goncharov, head of the Alpha Anti-Terrorist Unit's International Association of Veterans, referred to the terror attacks that have taken place in France, Germany and Britain in the last past twelve months which he said confirm European special services' inability to effectively contain terrorists. The interview came after Reuters reported that the Daesh (ISIL/ISIS/Islamic State) terrorist group had claimed responsibility for the deadly Westminster attack in the British capital earlier this week. On Wednesday, four people were killed and many others injured after a vehicle drove into a crowd on London's Westminster Bridge near the UK Parliament building. The terrorist was later shot by police after he stabbed an officer inside the Parliament compound. Flowers are laid at the scene after an attack on Westminster Bridge in London, Britain, March 22, 2017. UK Prime Minister Theresa May said that a British-born man inspired by Islamist ideology, who had been previously investigated by MI-5, was responsible for the attack. "The threats earlier posed by Islamic State are now starting to be implemented, especially after their actual defeat in Syria. The chain of similar terrorist acts in the largest countries of Europe, such as France, Germany and the UK, indicates that this process is in progress and aimed at intimidating people," Goncharov said. On July 14, 2016, a truck rammed into a large crowd that was celebrating Bastille Day in Nice. At least 86 people, including children, were killed and over 400 people were injured. The driver was shot dead by police. According to identification documents found inside the truck, the driver was a 31-year-old male resident of Nice of Tunisian origin. Daesh claimed responsibility for the attack. On December 19, Anis Amri, a 24-year-old asylum seeker from Tunisia, drove a heavy truck into a crowd at the Christmas market on the Breitscheidplatz square in Berlin, killing 12 people and injuring almost 50 others. A few days later, Amri was shot by police in Milan, Italy. "It is safe to say that that the European special services are still yielding to terrorists despite the fact that the top terror threat level is still in place in Germany, France and the UK. In this vein, one should ask the special services of these countries why the necessary security measures failed to work," Goncharov said. He stressed that it is almost impossible to fight lone-wolf terrorists. "While obtaining information about a group of terrorists is a task that can be fulfilled, tracking a lone-wolf terrorist or a mentally ill person who can wait and see for a long time is a tricky problem," he said. At the same time, Goncharov said that he does not see the fact that the unarmed policeman was the first to stand in the way of the terrorist in London as an indication of a security breach. "Any protection of a government building is carried out both by armed officers and unarmed employees who conduct visual surveillance; after all, the terrorist was finally killed by armed police officers," he added. Goncharov stressed that it is impossible to provide full-fledged protection from terrorists by "installing concrete obstacles unthinkable fences everywhere." According to him, special services of different EU countries should really unite in the fight against terrorism, but the current political situation in the EU prevents them from "finding common ground." Hello, ! 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Mrs May condemned the attacks while US President Donald Trump said culprits will face "justice". Police officer Keith Palmer named as the first victim of the attack. Cops carry out early morning raids in Birmingham, London and other parts of the country. Seven people have been arrested so far. Mum-of-two Aysha Frade named as one of the victims. A 75-year-old man died in hospital on Thursday Here's a timeline of events: 2.40pm: A 4x4 mounts the pavement on Westminster Bridge and ploughs into pedestrians. Witnesses say one woman was thrown into the Thames and at least 10 people were left injured. The car crashes into railings outside outside Parliament. A man gets out the car and attacks a policeman before being shot. Terror in the HEART of London: the Westminster attack as it happened The attack in Westminster has left four people dead and up to 20 injured after a man drove his vehicle into pedestrians, then ran into the grounds of the Houses of Parliament before being shot by police 1 / 55 PA The alleged attacker, with the suspected weapons used in the attack highlighted in red PA ATTACK: Police attend to the scene after the terror incident in London 2.55pm: The House of Commons session is suspended after reports of gunfire. 3.05pm: Commons Leader David Livington tells MPs there has been a "serious incident within the estate". 3.30pm: Police confirm it is likely a "terrorist incident". 3.35pm: Prime Minister Theresa May is rushed into a silver Jaguar after MPs were evacuated. 4.05pm: Theresa May's official spokesman confirms she has arrived safely back at Number 10. EPA ATTACK: Police warn people to stay away from the area 4.10pm: St Thomas's Hospital confirms a woman has died and others have catastrophic injuries. 4.25pm: A suspicious package is found in a vehicle and a bomb squad is called. 4.40pm Mayor of London Sadiq Khan releases a statement saying: "I would like to express my thanks to the police and emergency services who work so hard to keep us safe and show tremendous bravery in exceptionally difficult circumstances." 4.40pm: A second person is confirmed dead. 5.40pm: A police officer is confirmed dead. 6pm: Met Police confirm four people have been killed  including the attacker  and 20 people have been injured 10pm: PC Keith Palmer named as the first victim of the Westminster attack Thursday 2.00am: Police raid home in Birmingham 7.50am: Senior anti-terror cop Mark Rowley confirms seven people have been arrested in connection with the incident 8.00am: Mum-of-two Aysha Frade named as the second victim  and first civilian  killed in the attack 9.33am: Minute's silence held following the terror atrocity 3.29pm: Khalid Masood, 52, from Brimingham, revealed as terrorist 6.00pm: Vigil in Trafalgar Square led by Home Secretary Amber Rudd and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan 9.30pm: Fifth death confirmed by police  75-year-old man died in hospital Westminster terror attack: the aftermath As the nation comes to terms with what happened, the police continue to work tirelessly to find out how this could have happened 1 / 20 Getty Images An armed police office stands guard in Whitehall Friday 12.30am: Details begin emerging on terrorist Masood, including he was born Adrian Elms in Kent and grew up in the seaside town of Rye, East Sussex. 8.10am: Two more "significant arrests" are made in connection with the attack in the West Midlands and north west, Scotland Yard confirms. 8.12am: The 75-year-old victim who died on Thursday is named as Leslie Rhodes from Streatham.
ZachNews has the latest information regarding the Westminster Bridge and Parliament Building Terror Attack in London, England that occurred on Wednesday, March 22nd, 2017. ** How the Terror Attack in London, England unfolded: ** The terror attack began at around 2:40pm (London, England Time) on Wednesday, March 22nd 2017 in London, England. A man drives a gray Hyundai i40 across Westminster Bridge, hitting pedestrians along the way. Several people were killed while dozens of others are seriously injured on the Westminster Bridge, among the injured were French school children. A woman falls off the Westminster Bridge into the River Thames and was later rescued and given treatment at a nearby pier. The man speeds off in the vehicle and crashes into railings outside the Parliament building. At 2:45pm (London, England Time), armed with 2 knives, the man gets out of the vehicle and enters the grounds of the Palace of Westminster. The man then stabbed an unarmed police officer. The man was then shot and killed by armed police officers. At 2:46pm (London, England Time), first responders, law enforcement personal, and medical crews rushed to the terror attack, including an air ambulance landing at the scene. At 2:47pm (London, England Time), the Parliament building was placed on a locked down and journalists based inside the Parliament building were told to stay in their offices. Streets around nearby 10 Downing Street, which serves as both the home and office of United Kingdoms Prime Minister Theresa May, were evacuated. Members of Parliament were later evacuated from the House of Commons Chamber by authorities. Parliament Square was closed to traffic and the adjoining Westminster subway station was also closed. At 3:32pm (London, England Time), the Metropolitan Police Service (M.P.S.) say the attack is being treated as a terrorist incident. The threat level for international terrorism in the United Kingdom was already listed at severe, meaning an attack is Highly Likely. ** Death Total: ** At least 4 people in total were killed in the terror attack, including a police officer and an American. The death total does not count the attacker. ** Victims Identified: ** On Thursday, March 23rd, 2017, names of the victims were release by authorities. 54 year old Kurt Cochran from Utah: The American who was killed was identified as 54 year old Kurt Cochran from Utah. Kurt Cochran was in London, England with his wife Melissa on their final day of a trip to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. Family of Kurt Cochran revealed he died from his injuries in the terror attack. Melissa was seriously injured in the terror attack and is recovering from her injuries. Clint Payne, a family spokesman, said in a statement, Our family is heartbroken. Kurt will be greatly missed, and we ask for privacy as our family mourns and as Melissa recovers from her injuries. In a tweet, United States of America President Donald Trump said, A great American, Kurt Cochran, was killed in the London terror attack. My prayers and condolences are with his family and friends. 43 year old Aysha Frade: Authorities identified 43 year old Aysha Frade who died in the terror attack. Spanish media reports that Aysha Frade was a British woman of Galician origin. Aysha Frade was on her way to pick up her children from school when she was killed on Westminster Bridge. Aysha Frade was a language teacher and worked at DLD College London on the administration team. Aysha Frade had 2 daughters ages 8 years old and 11 years old. In a statement, DLD College London confirmed that she died in the terror attack. We are all deeply shocked and saddened at the news that one of the victims yesterday was a member of our staff, Aysha Frade. All our thoughts and our deepest sympathies are with her family, said Rachel Borland, the principal of DLD College London. We will be offering every support we can to them as they try to come to terms with their devastating loss, DLD College London said in their statement. 48 year old Keith Palmer: The police officer who was killed by the attacker outside the Parliament building was identified by Scotland Yard as 48 year old Keith Palmer. Keith Palmer was a member of the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command and served on the force for 15 years. Keith Palmer was a husband and father. In a statement, Londons Mayor Sidiq Khan said, Keith Palmer was killed while bravely doing his duty  protecting our city and the heart of our democracy from those who want to destroy our way of life. 75 year old man (Identity Not Release Yet): According to the Metropolitan Police Service (M.P.S.), a 4th person has died from his injuries sustained in the terror attack. The man died after his life support was withdrawn. The Metropolitan Police Service (M.P.S.) did not offer any details on the mans identity. ** Injured Total: ** According to United Kingdoms Prime Minister Theresa May, 30 people were injured in the terror attack. Authorities identified the man in the terror attack as 52 year old Khalid Masood. Khalid Masood was born in Kent, England. Khalid Masood was a British born man who was previously investigated for violent extremism. On Thursday, Prime Minister Theresa May told the House of Commons that Khalid Masood was known to security services as a peripheral figure and was not part of the current intelligence picture. Khalid Masood had convictions between 1983 and 2003 that included assault, weapons possession and public order offenses. The Metropolitan Police Service (M.P.S.) say Khalid Masood was not subject of any current investigations and that there were no prior intelligence regarding his intent to launch a terrorist attack. Islamic State claims it is behind the attack in London, England. In a statement published by Amaq News Agency, ISIS called Khalid Masood, a soldier of the Islamic State and said he carried out the operation in response to calls to target citizens of the international coalition. The terror attack in London, England comes on the year anniversary of the Brussels terrorist attacks which killed 32 people and wounded hundreds of people. The terror attack in London, England was reminiscent of vehicle terror attacks that occurred in Berlin and Nice, France in 2016. ** Raids and Arrests: ** During a press conference on Thursday, March 23rd, 2017, Metropolitan Police Acting Deputy Commissioner Mark Rowley said that at least 8 people were arrested in connection with the terror attack after raids at various locations in England. Overnight on Wednesday, march 22nd, 2017, police arrested a 39 year old woman at an address in East London, a 21 year old woman and a 23 year old man at an address in Birmingham and a 26 year old woman and 3 men ages 26 to 28 at a separate address in Birmingham. On the morning of Thursday, March 23rd, 2017, police arrested a 58 year old man at a separate address in Birmingham. According to the Metropolitan Police Service (M.P.S.), all 8 people were arrested on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. Detectives are searching a number of addresses linked to the investigation, including in Carmarthenshire, in East London, and 3 in Birmingham. Authorities have concluded searches at addresses in Brighton and southeast London. ** Reaction and Condolences: ** United Kingdoms Prime Minister Theresa May: During a nationally televised address outside 10 Downing Street on Wednesday, March 22nd, 2017, United Kingdoms Prime Minister Theresa May called the attacker a sick and depraved terrorist adding, The location of this attack was no accident. The terrorist chose to strike at the heart of our national capital. Let me make it clear today, any attempt to defeat those values through violence and terror is doomed to failure. Queen Elizabeth II: In a statement on Wednesday, March 22nd, 2017, Queen Elizabeth II said, My thoughts, prayers, and deepest sympathy are with all those who have been affected by yesterdays awful violence. United States of America President Donald Trump: In a statement on Wednesday, March 22nd, 2017 from the White House, United States of America President Donald Trump called United Kingdoms Prime Minister Theresa May to offer his condolences on todays terror attack in London and praise for the effective response of security forces and first responders. He pledged the full cooperation and support of the United States Government in responding to the attack and bringing those responsible to justice, said United States of America President Donald Trump in the release statement. Londoners gathered in Trafalgar Square for a vigil for victims of the terror attack well Westminster Hall, the oldest part of Parliaments buildings, politicians, journalists and parliamentary staff, lined up to sign a book of condolences for victims of the terror attack. On Thursday, March 23rd, 2017, Parliament got back to business, opening the day with a minutes silence for the victims and United Kingdoms Prime Minister Theresa May saluted the heroism of police and the bravery of ordinary Londoners. ** ZachNews sends our thoughts, prayers, and condolences to the family and friends of the victims in the terror attack in London, England. We stand with the people of London, England as they mourn the victims of the terror attack. **
More details are emerging about the French students injured on Westminster Bridge during the attack. Ouest France reported that three students from the Saint-Joseph de Concarneau lyce (secondary school) were injured in the car attack. The paper said two of them were in a critical condition. The condition of the third is not known. The pupils were in 2nd grade - aged 15 or 16. There were four classes from the school on a week-long visit to London, meaning more than 100 teenagers. Around a dozen were believed to have been on Westminster Bridge at the time of the attack. Forough Salami, vice-president of the Brittany regional council, was in London with two colleagues Anne Gallo and Mona Bras. She was with a delegation of 40 people from business and cultural circles invited to the Australian embassy. At the time of the attack, we werent nearby and we had difficulty having information, but weve just learned what hospital the three injured lycens from Concarneau were being treated. The rest of the class was held on a boat with psychological councillors before being taken back to their youth hostel, she told the local newspaper. Police press conference  Assistant commissioner, Mark Rowley, head of counterterrorism, confirmed that four people have died including one police officer and the attacker.  Attacker ploughed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before crashing into the railing of the Houses of Parliament and exiting the car to continue the attack.  Attacker then stabbed one of the armed officers protecting parliament, who has died.  Police are currently working on the assumption that there was only one attacker.  Two people died on Westminster Bridge  At least 20 people have been injured, including three police officers who were returning from a commendation ceremony.  The public should expect a heavier police presence on the streets of London in forthcoming days. He said: Please be vigilant you will see more police officers armed and unarmed on the streets of London.  Police have deployed massive resources but they can call on the military if needed. Rowley said: This is a day weve planned for but hoped would never happen, sadly its now a reality. Nicola Sturgeon, Scotlands first minister, has issued this statement about the attack. My thoughts are with everyone caught up in the dreadful incident at Westminster today, including the emergency services who responded bravely to ensure the safety of the many people nearby. Following the incident the Scottish government has been liaising closely with Police Scotland and the cabinet secretary for Justice has been briefed by the chief constable. This afternoon our officials held a Scottish government resilience (SGoRR) meeting with Police Scotland, to ensure that any potential implications for Scotland are considered and I will convene a Ministerial SGoRR meeting later this evening. We have been in regular dialogue with the parliament and I fully support the decision of the presiding officer to suspend proceedings this afternoon. It should be made clear, however, that this was not because of any specific threat to the parliament or to Scotland We are liaising with our counterparts in the UK government and the Scottish government stands ready to support in any way we can. A police officer is addressing us now. (By us, I mean the journalists and other people working in the Commons being held in Westminster Hall.) He says there has been a significant incident, and outside the building, New Palace Yard, is a crime scene. We are also witnesses, he says. So we will be held here for about 60 to 90 minutes. After about an hour and a quarter they will take details from people. After that we will be allowed to leave, he says. A second official is speaking now. He says they will prioritise anyone who needs medical help. Then they will pass around details allowing us to upload pictures and video of the incident. That will save them having to seize phones, he says. Finally, they will triage witnesses, he says. He says this will require patience. People in other buildings are going through the same process. He asks anyone with medical needs to make themselves available. In about half an hour they will pass round information about how to submit evidence, he says.
The real Glaswegian working class voice in the independence debate read by thousands, the BBC and other related media, secured the first criminal conviction against one of the seven top cybernats outed by the Daily Mail Thursday, March 23, 2017 Sick to death of the SNP 2, Nationalists drag Scotlands reputation into the gutter, after Islamic terror attack yesterday in London; heroes emerged to aid the dead and injured but SNP elected representatives and supporters disgrace themselves with such crass behaviour, it is only right that someone calls them out as unbelievable low life trash Dear All Yesterday, the streets of London ran blood red after a horrific Islamic terror attack in Westminster, right at the heart of our democracy.4 people dead and 20 seriously injured, people yesterday were asked not to call the ambulance services unless it was a real emergency; such was the demand on their services at Westminster. Yesterday saw many ordinary people emerge as heroes such as the policeman who tragically died tackling a violent jihadi extremist. Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood's blood-stained face as he performed CPR on the knifed policeman has become a defining image of yesterday's horrifying terror attack. He worked frantically in his attempts to save the policeman killed. PC Keith Palmer's made ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. Today in an emotional House of Commons, Conservative MP James Cleverly was in tears as he described serving with the married father-of-two in the Royal Artillery regiment 25 years ago when he knew him as 'Gunner Keith Palmer'. He said: 'He was a strong, professional public servant and it was a delight to meet him again only a few months after being elected.' It is as many people know; a small world! Tobias Ellwood's blood-stained face as he performed CPR on the knifed policeman became a defining image of yesterday's horrifying terror attack but we should remember all you answered the call to help. Today in the Commons, he sat in the Commons in tears; there is a human cost to bravery, while people tried to get away from the incident unfolding, he was heading towards it to help without thought for his own safety, lives were in danger. Already, ISIS has claimed responsibility for the Westminster terror attack, but they will not break our resolve. The attack happened on the anniversary of the Brussels attack a year ago so it was timed to show symbolism and support for other Islamic terrorists. Already after the London attack, news is in about a French Muslim arrested after trying to drive a car loaded with liquid gas, firearms and knives into a crowd at high speed on a busy shopping street in Antwerp. This person has been arrested, it is not clear if both incidents are linked, the police investigation may possible be joint with British security services. Prior to the Nice attack which was horrific, I was speculating on Islamic terrorists using vehicles as weapons of terror, sadly the predication turned out to be true. The use of vehicles as weapons will continue, they are deadly and effective, you might even find that cities become more guarded that the terrorists will also use motorways where they can build up speed to cause massive piles. The authorities need to start planning for these types of scenarios and how to deal with this, terrorism can and will strike anywhere. If you think of your worst nightmare, you can be sure that the Islamic terrorists will also be thinking of it. Here are some examples, on Bastille; 86 people were killed when a truck was driven through crowds enjoying fireworks in Nice. Four months down the line, a copycat ISIS-inspired massacre took place in Germany when a terrorist drove a truck through a Christmas market in Berlin; twelve people were killed in the attack on December 19. This year, a Palestinian lorry driver mowed down and then reversed over Israeli soldiers, this killed four people. Yesterday saw many people emerge as heroes, there are too many to name, doctors and nurses ran from nearby hospital to treat victims of the London terror attack despite not knowing what horrors awaited them. The staff at St Thomas Hospital deserves special recognition; nurses from St Thomas' hospital loaded blankets outside the hospital to take to victims of the London terror attacks. It was a team effort in times of need; everyone comes to the fore without thought of self. We can be rightly proud of our NHS. As well as heroes, yesterday also saw Scotland being made a disgrace as several of the SNP brought our country down. Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham accused of 'absolutely disgraceful behaviour' after Westminster terror attack. The Perthshire MSP shouted and jabbed her finger at the Tory benches after Holyrood was suspended. More controversially, Tory sources also claimed she allegedly said This is because you didnt want to talk about independence. Most of her anger it is said was specifically targeted at Tory MSP Murdo Fraser, who had earlier called for a suspension in light of the unfolding events at Westminster. A witness said: She was having a bit of a meltdown. What I heard her say was something like this. 'You are giving into terrorists, even the Tories at Westminster carried on in the face of the IRA.' Others then heard her say something like, 'You are only doing this because we are debating independence. As well as senior SNP at Holyrood being a disgrace, SNP MP George Kerevan posted a selfie at the height of the Islamic terrorist incident. As people fought to save lives, as other people lay dead and about 20 people were seriously injured, Kerevan was smiling. Another senior nationalist Linda Fabiani MSP and Deputy Presiding Officer, was well within her right to have suspended Parliament yesterday after Murdo Fraser MSP raised it as a point of order. SNP MSP Linda Fabiani, refused to suspend the independence debate as any decent human being would have done with a second's thought. She didn't not have to waiting for confirmations from Ken Macintosh or the parliamentary manager, her crack of business as usual was one of the defining moments of SNP civic Nationalism. Just as elected SNP representatives at Westminster and Holyrood disgraced themselves, the odious Wings Over Scotland along with other bottom feeders such as Mr.Malky showed clearly that the Nationalist camp is utter wretched with crass comments. In an attempt to rally public support, today we have Nicola Sturgeon today saying that Scotland stands with London. This is in stark contrast to what the SNP were doing yesterday, which was utterly disgraceful. What low life scum these people are, we saw heroes emerge yesterday; in the SNP we also saw emerge unbelievable low life trash. 6 comments: I was less angered by the attack, George than I was by some low life scum who started twittering against people showing support with union jack because it stood for "genocide" - most of these people were Irish republicans. I guess the SNP are cut from the same disgusting cloth. "I was less angered by the attack, George than I was by some low life scum who started twittering against people showing support with union jack because it stood for "genocide" - most of these people were Irish republicans. I guess the SNP are cut from the same disgusting cloth." Totally disgusted by some of the comments I have seem by Indy Ref 2 supporters and SNP supporters. Disrespectful cretins the lot of them, of course the debate should have been stopped, out of respect for those who were killed and injured. Roseanna Cunningham is a disgrace and those faceless keyboard warriors on twitter who seem to be terrorism experts are equally disgusting. See link to this tweet https://twitter.com/PaulaHoneyRose/status/844603317707849737 This self proclaimed cybernat who is a 50+ year old man Paul Wright (SNP candidate in May 2017), posing as a woman Paula Honey Rose seems to think if it was up to him he would have continued the debate. He also states that "An horrendous event - but not one that was likely to escalate further." Not a terrorism expert of course this could have escalated. This man is vile, he posts non stop about "stupid yoons" and the virtues of an independent Scotland, I'm not quite sure what qualifies him to know what an Independent Scotland would have but quite frankly I am sick fed up of hearing about Indy Ref 2. These people should all be ashamed of themselves, they have nothing to be proud about as it was and they have now embarrassed us even further. Oddly enough to a certain extent I can understand the frustration of the SNP contingent at Holyrood. Having pushed relentlessly for a debate on Indyref2 and finally having a 2 day window provided for the debate they then find their limelight stolen on day 1 by the death of Martin McGuinness and then on day 2 by the tragic events at Westminster. Having said that however, frustration is no excuse for the unstatesman(or woman)like behaviour of Roseanna Cunningham who has lost claim to any moral high ground she or the party she represents could claim to have held. When the SNP came to power we were promised a different kind of politics with dignity and respect at the forefront of evrything they proposed to do. Both of these concepts have sadly proved to be totally alien to the SNP contingent at Holyrood.
Andreea Cristea, a 29-year-old Romanian architect, was spotted in the river soon after the attack. It isn't clear whether she leapt into the water to escape the violence or if she was thrown from the bridge as part of it. Ms Cristea was in London to celebrate her boyfriend's birthday, according to reports. Footage shows woman falling into Thames to escape terrorist Romanian Ambassador Dan Mihalache told Realitatea TV late Wednesday that the woman sustained serious head injuries and has badly damaged lungs. Her boyfriend suffered a foot fracture. The pair haven't been named. Mihalache said: "They were tourists, unfortunately they were unlucky. They had come to celebrate his birthday." He said the pair planned to get married. Port officials said that they had pulled a woman from the water, injured but alive, soon after the attack was over. She was treated for serious injuries, the Port of London Authority said. "A female member of the public was pulled from the water near Westminster Bridge, alive, with serious injuries," a PLA spokesman told Reuters in the aftermath of the attack. "She's undergoing very urgent medical treatment now." The river was closed to all non-emergency traffic for much of the time after the attack. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended
Police get more time to question man arrested over Westminster attack Salih Khater, 29, is being held on suspicion of carrying out a suspected act of terrorism earlier this week at Westminster BRITISH police on Wednesday (15) obtained more time to question a man arrested outside the Houses of Parliament for attempted murder and suspected terrorism after a car ploughed into cyclists before crashing into protective barriers. Three people were injured when the 29-year-old, named by media as Salih Khater, careered over a pavement and into the group of cyclists during Tuesdays morning rush-hour in Westminster. Police said the man, a British national originally from Sudan, was initially arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences but had now been further arrested for attempted murder. Reports state he came to Britain as a refugee and had been granted asylum. He remains in custody at a south London police station. Two of the injured victims  a man and a woman  were taken to hospital but have now been discharged. The third was treated at the scene. The incident had disturbing parallels with an attack last year, when a man drove his car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before crashing outside parliament and running inside. Khalid Masood fatally stabbed a police officer guarding parliament  one of five people killed that day  before being shot dead. The man involved in Tuesdays (14) incident was believed to be from Birmingham, according to his local MP  the same English city where Masood also lived. Police searched two addresses in Birmingham on Tuesday and were at a third address on Wednesday. Another location in nearby Nottingham was also searched. Top police counter-terrorism officer Neil Basu said on Tuesday that the suspect was not believed to be known to intelligence agencies, but British media reported he was known to local police. The car that was driven at pedestrians and cyclists in Westminster then crashed into the barrier outside the Houses of Parliament on Tuesday Reports said that Khater is a shop manager in Birmingham and had studied at Sudan University of Science and Technology, citing his Facebook page. His brother described him as a normal person with no fanatical ideas, and no links to any religious group, according to the BBC. Abdullah Khater told the broadcaster his family  who are originally from Darfur in Sudan  was in a state of shock over the incident. Meanwhile Abubakr Ibrahim, a childhood friend, told The Times: He is not a terrorist. I have known him since childhood. He is a good man. He told the newspaper Khater was the son of sorghum farmers, and had moved to Britain about five years ago in order to earn money to help his family. Police believe the car involved in the attack, a silver Ford Fiesta, travelled from Birmingham to London on Monday night, arriving just after midnight. It drove around the Tottenham Court Road area  near Oxford Street  from around 1:25am (0025 GMT) before heading to the area around parliament around 6:00am (0500 GMT). The alleged attack took place around 7:30am. The car crashed into a security barrier, one of many erected on key British sites in the wake of the September 11 attacks in the US in 2001, and reinforced in recent years. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said he backed the idea of banning vehicles from some areas around parliament. Ive been an advocate for a while now of part-pedestrianizing Parliament Square, he told BBC radio. But he warned any changes must not lose the wonderful thing about our democracy which is people having access to parliamentarians, people being able to lobby Parliament, visitors being able to come and visit. Easterneye.biz's compelling news content and trusted multi-platform network attracts a loyal readership. This offers advertisers an exceptional opportunity to connect with audiences who are otherwise difficult to reach.
This site uses cookies to improve your experience and to provide services and advertising. By continuing to browse, you agree to the use of cookies described in our Cookies Policy. You may change your settings at any time but this may impact on the functionality of the site. To learn more see our Cookies Policy. 'We are not afraid' - London pays tribute to Westminster victims Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism. Members of the public hold up signs during the candlelight vigil in Trafalgar Square. Image: Lauren Hurley/PA Members of the public hold up signs during the candlelight vigil in Trafalgar Square. Image: Lauren Hurley/PA HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE paid tribute in central London this evening to the victims of a terror attack outside British parliament a day earlier which left three people dead and dozens injured. London Mayor Sadiq Khan led the tributes in a heavily-policed Trafalgar Square, vowing Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism after a 52-year-old British-born man went on the rampage at Westminster. The victims were people who came from all corners of our world, he said. Standing alongside Home Secretary Amber Rudd and Craig Mackey, the acting commissioner of Londons Metropolitan Police, Khan lit a candle in an act mirrored by the crowds gathered in the famous square. A man draped in Britains Union Jack flag was among those lighting candles placed on sand, while others left flowers in the square. Messages of defiance were brought to the vigil, including a Hate will not divide us sign held by a member of the public and We are not afraid written on the ground. Retiree Wendy Scott was among the hundreds of people who came to Trafalgar Square to express her solidarity with victims of the attack. We will carry on, she told AFP, before laying a bunch of daffodils in the square. Naveed Mirza, a Muslim student, said he had received overwhelming support since the attack described by police as Islamist-related terrorism. We have come to say how, as Muslims, we unequivocally condemn all the violent actions that took place yesterday, he told AFP. People have been coming to us, they have been very supportive telling us we should have nothing to fear, Mirza added. The Islamic State group claimed one of its soldiers was behind the attack in which a British woman, an American man and a London policeman were killed. The Metropolitan Police held a meeting of faith leaders to discuss how to tackle the discord, distrust and fear that terrorists seek to create. Police officers in Trafalgar Square were approached by numerous people who offered their condolences for the death of their colleague, who was stabbed to death outside parliament by a man police named as Khalid Masood. I told them Im sorry for your loss and we stand by you for your work, said Anne-Marie Wilson, a 53-year-old charity worker. They have lost a brother, it could have been any one of us, she told AFP. Masood initially drove across Westminster Bridge, ploughing into pedestrians before crashing the car and stabbing police officer Keith Palmer, before being shot by police. 40 people were injured in total, including two people who are battling life-threatening injuries and five in a critical condition. TheJournal.ie is a full participating member of the Press Council of Ireland and supports the Office of the Press Ombudsman. This scheme in addition to defending the freedom of the press, offers readers a quick, fair and free method of dealing with complaints that they may have in relation to articles that appear on our pages. To contact the Office of the Press Ombudsman Lo-Call 1890 208 080 or go to www.pressombudsman.ie or www.presscouncil.ie Please note that TheJournal.ie uses cookies to improve your experience and to provide services and advertising. For more information on cookies please refer to our cookies policy. Journal Media does not control and is not responsible for user created content, posts, comments, submissions or preferences. Users are reminded that they are fully responsible for their own created content and their own posts, comments and submissions and fully and effectively warrant and indemnify Journal Media in relation to such content and their ability to make such content, posts, comments and submissions available. Journal Media does not control and is not responsible for the content of external websites.
Will the Prime Minister agree with me that what happened was not Islamic, just as the murder of Airey Neave was not Christian, and that in fact both are perversions of religion? Ms May replied that she believed it was not right to use the term, suggesting that such ideology was perversion. I absolutely agree, and it is wrong to describe this as Islamic terrorism, she said. It is Islamist terrorism, it is a perversion of a great faith. Mr Tomlinsons question referred to the killing of a Conservative MP by the Irish National Liberation Army in 1979 by car bomb attack at the House of Commons. In making her statement Ms May appeared to correct her Defence Secretary Michael Fallon, who this morning said there was a working assumption that the attack was linked to Islamic terrorism. It was no accident that this attack was on Westminster, because it is at Westminster that we debate differences, very sharp differences, very freely and respectfully between us, and this kind of Islamic terrorism doesnt respect those differences, so it is no accident that there was an attack here, he had said in a statement. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP Four people including the suspected attacker and a police officer died in Wednesdays attack. At least 40 others were injured in the attack, with seven reported to be in a critical condition. Police have arrested eight people in raids, and have said the attacker was British, known to the security services, but not part of the current intelligence picture. The Independent has launched its #FinalSay campaign to demand that voters are given a voice on the final Brexit deal.
Nine Observations on the Westminster Attack On March 22 at 14:40 GMT, Khalid Masood, 52, drove a Hyundai Tucson vehicle into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge in London, killing three and wounding over 40 others. The vehicle then crashed into the railings outside the Houses of Parliament. Masood exited the vehicle, entered the grounds of New Palace Yard, and fatally stabbed an unarmed police officer. Armed police warned Masood, then fatally shot him. In response, Parliament was placed on lockdown and later closed for the day. The National Assemblies in Scotland and Wales suspended proceedings. Nine observations on this event follow. 1. Security personnel should not be unarmed. Matters of violence are generally decided by who is more able and willing to use force. As it was, the attacker brought a knife to a fight without guns, giving him a strong advantage that he used to terrible effect. If Officer Keith Palmer had been carrying a firearm, he could have stopped Masood before he got close enough to use his knife, as the armed police who arrived later did. 2. Citizens should not be unarmed. In the United Kingdom, access to firearms by private citizens is regulated by strict gun control laws. But criminals are defined by the fact that they disregard laws. As such, the only people who would have a gun in a legally disarmed society would be government agents and criminals (but I repeat myself). Had someone on the bridge been armed, they could have stopped Masood at some point before he reached the railings outside of the Houses of Parliament. Gun control did nothing to prevent the Westminster attack, nor will it do anything to stop the next attack. The politicians prefer it this way, of course; a well-armed populace has little need for the state to protect them and is much harder for the state to victimize. 3. Government prison systems do a poor job of rehabilitation. Masood had a lengthy criminal record, beginning with an arrest for criminal damage in 1983 and ending with knife possession in 2003. His convictions include assault with grevious bodily harm, possessing offensive weaponry, and public order offenses. A better criminal justice system may have been able to reform him, but the government penal institutions certainly failed to do so. In fact, the opposite occurred, as it was reported that Masood converted to Islam while in prison. Spread of Islamic radicalism in prisons is a known problem. 4. ISIS may be lying. In a tweet, ISISs Amaq News Agency said, A soldier for the Islamic State carried out the operation in answer to calls to target the people of coalition states. But it is in their interest to claim responsibility regardless of whether Masood had any connection to or drew any inspiration from ISIS, as doing so helps them to maintain relevance and prestige. Home Secretary Amber Rudd cast doubt over whether Masood was affiliated with ISIS, and analysts monitoring ISIS point to the lack of biographical information and operational specifics in the ISIS statement suggest a lack of direct involvement. 5. Islam is incompatible with Western civilization. Contemporary Western values include separation of church and state, equality before the law, and rational skepticism. All of these values are largely absent in the Islamic world. The reason that the West has these values is that a great amount of blood was spilled over their recognizance and defense. The Islamic world has yet to undergo the sort of reformation that Western society underwent, and the Quran is particularly hostile to the aforementioned innovations of the West. Whereas immigrants from Eastern Europe to Western Europe or from Central America to the United States have different customs and traditions, they do have similar (though corrupted) legal and political systems. This makes those immigrants functional within the established systems, even if not as functional as the current populations. Muslim immigration, on the other hand, involves people who support a competing and adversarial worldview. Note that large percentages of Muslims wish to live under Sharia instead of Western common or civil law systems. 6. Preventing vehicle attacks before they start is likely impossible. There have been several incidents in which terrorists have driven vehicles into crowds of people, such as Nantes in 2014, and Nice and Berlin in 2016. Carrying out such an attack is far easier than other methods, in that there is no need to manufacture explosives, acquire arms and ammunition, or engage in multi-stage plots such as hijacking airplanes and crashing them into targets. Given that a terrorist could stay out of sight of the authorities, as Masood did after leaving prison in 2009 7. Successful attacks inspire copycats. One day after the Westminster attack, a French national of North African origin attempted a similar attack in Antwerp, Belgium. The vehicle was intercepted before it could hit anyone. Inside, police found bladed weapons, a riot gun, and a container filled with an unidentified liquid. The Westminster attack was itself carried out on the one-year anniversary of the Brussels bombings. As many attacks are attempted on anniversaries of previous successful attacks, it would be wise to increase security measures on those days. 8. Terrorist attacks make sense in a democracy. A system which does not grant the public a political voice, such as absolute monarchism or anarcho-capitalism, gives terrorists far less reason to kill members of the public, as there is little need for the monarch or the private landowners to listen to whatever calls for action that such an attack may prompt from the public. Conversely, a democratic system politicizes the masses like no other. It explicitly codifies the idea that everyone who is allowed to vote has some degree of political power. This means that targeting civilians becomes useful for promoting political change, both in the form of denying the vote to those who are killed and in the form of coercing the survivors toward a terrorists desired political changes. Furthermore, the voters are viewed by the victims of a states foreign policy as bearing responsibility for the crimes committed against them by agents of that state, thus causing terrorists who are motivated by vengeance to target civilians. For fringe elements of a society, voting will probably never get them what they want, as they simply lack the numbers to accomplish anything. But terrorism allows them to compensate for this by voting for their extremist causes multiple times over all of the elections that their victims would have otherwise lived through and voted in. While we cannot abolish terrorism by abolishing democracy, it would be a step in the right direction. 9. We should not expect anything to change unless we make it change. Through terrorist attacks in Orlando, Brussels, Paris, and Beirut, the response has generally been for people around the world to hashtag Pray for Wherever on Twitter, change their Facebook profile pictures to incorporate the flag of the attacked nation, and do little else. Meanwhile, governments do not change the policies that both encourage terrorists to strike and give them access to their victims. Thus, the terrorists win, which may be exactly what the politicians want. Until the people of Western nations demand real solutions under threat of taking matters into their own hands otherwise, citizens will continue to live with the fear and uncertainty of Islamic terrorism.
Politics professor Richard English explores the efficacy of violence in achieving terrorists' aims Politics professor Richard English explores the efficacy of violence in achieving terrorists' aims THE Westminster terrorist attack and the death of Martin McGuinness last week have between them raised vital questions about terrorism and the pursuit of political change. The brutal incidents in London loudly proclaimed that jihadist violence remains an issue of potential lethality in Britain. And the passing of one of the Provisional IRAs former leaders also challenged us all to reflect on what terrorism means for society and politics in these islands. McGuinness would have condemned Wednesdays London assault. This may seem ironic, given he had been for many years a leading figure in the IRA. The Provisionals killed many hundreds in pursuit of an independent and united Ireland, and they themselves repeatedly attacked establishment targets in England. In his later years, however, Martin McGuinness became a major player in the peace process which has transformed and largely ended the violent Northern Irish conflict. That latter phase of his career saw him clearly denounce ongoing violence. So when dissident Irish Republicans killed two soldiers and a Northern Irish police officer in March 2009, McGuinness declared these republican killers to be traitors to the island of Ireland  a brave statement for an ex-IRA man to make about Irish republicans who had killed members of the British security forces. And one of the ironies of the world which McGuinness has left behind him is this: the part of the UK that is most likely to leave the United Kingdom is not the part in which he and his IRA comrades killed hundreds in order to secure withdrawal. Its Scotland, where nationalists have a very realistic prospect of seceding from the UK after a campaign in which no blood has been spilled. And this echoes other settings. The part of Spain most likely to leave that state is not the Basque Country, where ETA separatists killed many people in pursuit of independence. Its Catalonia, where peaceful mobilisation has been the foundation for separatist momentum. Does all this have lessons for how we think about the pursuit of political change in the 21st century? I think it does. First, there is a wider pattern evident in the history of terrorism which suggests that, in the vast majority of cases, terrorist groups fail to achieve their central, primary goals. There are exceptions. So Zionist terrorists of the 1930s and 1940s could claim that their violence accelerated the establishment of the state of Israel. And the FLN (National Liberation Front) in Algeria could also make a claim that their terrorism had substantial success in relation to their strategic goals against the French during the 1950s and 1960s. But these examples represent the minority of cases. And in the wake of Wednesdays atrocity in London, it is important to remember how rare it is for terrorists to achieve their central goals. Overwhelmingly  from the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organisation) to al-Qaeda, from the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) to the far-left Baader-Meinhof Group in Germany  a more common reality has been that terrorist groups do not secure their central, primary goals through violence. Much of this has to do with the ambiguous effects of publicity, something evident again last week in London. Theres no doubt that terrorist violence seizes attention and grabs the headlines. But, as the IRA and ETA both found out, this publicity can backfire on you politically, since it tends to generate much revulsion against the cause and against the perpetrators of merciless violence. In fact, what terrorist groups tend more often to achieve is at a lower level of success. There can be partial strategic success. Martin McGuinness himself used to claim that, although a united Ireland had not been achieved, the advances that the Irish nationalist community in the North of Ireland enjoyed were partly built on the struggle that the IRA had carried out. This is a debatable claim, given that so many Northern Irish nationalists believed that progress could be made without bloodshed. But terrorist groups do often achieve partial progress, and they can also succeed in achieving their second-level goals. So, Hamas are very unlikely to destroy the state of Israel and produce an Islamic Palestinian state in its place. But they have succeeded in the secondary goal of inflicting revenge upon Israelis, and they have also ensured the secondary aim of sustaining Palestinian resistance into the future. Without justifying violence, such successes do partly explain that groups continued vibrancy. Wednesdays attacker in London will not greatly alter UK foreign policy; but he did inflict vengeful violence on what he clearly thought to be a deserving enemy, and securing that second-level aspiration of revenge echoes much terrorism throughout history. At a lower level still, terrorists can often achieve what might be termed tactical successes. The 9/11 atrocity was a strategic failure, in that it did not bring about al-Qaedas central goals of expelling the United States from influence in the Muslim world, or replacing Muslim regimes with political authorities that were more to Osama bin Ladens taste. But there is no doubt about the tactical-operational success of those brutal 2001 attacks. Similarly, much of the appeal of terrorism as a method lies in its capacity to generate huge publicity  another tactical-level success  and to undermine terrorists opponents. If Hamas can prompt Israel into what many people see as heavy-handed repression, then this can undermine Israel in the eyes of the international community. Sharper-eyed terrorists throughout history have recognised this pattern: that you can provoke a state into undermining itself in response to terrorist violence. Nor should it be ignored that there exist what might be called the inherent rewards of terrorist activity. These can involve prestige, fame, the psychological rewards of righteous struggle, the financial rewards that some people gain through their violence, and also a sense of comradeship and adventure. Martin McGuinness himself referred to his youthful IRA days with the words: When youre young, at that age, its quite exciting. There was a really exciting aspect to being on the run, living from house to house and travelling about. So terrorist groups have historically been more likely to achieve tactical successes, to bring about fulfilment of their secondary goals, and to derive inherent rewards, than they have been to secure their central, primary objectives. And this brings us to our second point: the reason for people like Martin McGuinness changing political direction owes far more to questions of effectiveness than it does to questions of morality or a change of heart. McGuinness had once believed that IRA violence would force British withdrawal from Northern Ireland. In 1984 he had claimed that it was the IRAs war against British forces that will eventually bring Britain to withdraw. If Sinn Fein were to win every election it contested, it would still not get an agreement on British withdrawal. Instead, McGuinness argued that only disciplined revolutionary armed struggle by the IRA will end British rule. By the early 1990s he had come to recognise that this was not in fact the case. There seemed no prospect of the London Government giving the IRA what it most wanted, namely British withdrawal and a united Ireland. Nor was there any sign that Northern Irelands unionist majority was losing any of its commitment to remain in the UK. Ive never met a more pragmatic group of people than the IRA members whom Ive interviewed over the years. When people like Martin McGuinness recognised that violent Plan A was not working, they pragmatically began to look for an alternative mode of struggle. And it was this development that generated the Northern Ireland peace process. This also has profound implications for other conflicts around the world, including jihadist campaigns against the West. It implies that even longstanding conflicts can come to some kind of end. It suggests that when the leadership of terrorist organisations recognises that terrorism is not producing victory, then alternative processes and political methods can sometimes be adopted. And, as in Northern Ireland, it suggests that compromises sometimes can be reached which give nobody full victory, but which give enough to most people for them to approve of a dignified ending to the violence. Not all conflicts can be negotiated to a conclusion. But the failure of terrorist violence to achieve victory can over time diminish its popularity with adherents to the cause. Theres also a third aspect to all this, and this one has a strong Scottish dimension to it. Settings of endemic violence  Northern Ireland, Israel/Palestine, the Basque Country, Colombia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria  illustrate very painfully just how polarising terrorist violence tends to prove. Even the comparatively successful Northern Ireland peace process still has to contend with violently drawn division between mutually hostile communities. The experience of loss by so many people makes this entirely understandable. Terrorism tends not to achieve its central strategic goals; it does tend to divide communities against themselves and to make trust and compromise more difficult. This is why the non-violent nationalism of contemporary Scotland is something to be respected for its peacefulness, whether or not one sympathises with its goals. What we can observe is that, whatever the eventual outcome of political divisions, the capacity to build constructively and to unite people is far more difficult if the violent path has been chosen. And even where terrorist organisations seem to have secured strategic victory, the costs of their method of struggle can be painfully obvious, as the post-independence histories of Israel and Algeria make bloodily clear. Theres nothing inevitable about the choices that political movements and political individuals make. While the IRA were engaged in a very sustained campaign of violence in Ireland, the non-violent Irish nationalists of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) argued instead that the Provisional IRA can achieve nothing by carrying on their campaign of violence but they can achieve almost anything they desire by knocking it off. The irony here is that what so many people have been celebrating about Martin McGuinness the peacemaker was his adoption of this SDLP-style approach. In other words, the genius of his latter-day contribution rested on his implicit recognition that his non-violent rivals within Irish nationalism had been right all along. What does this mean for Scotland, and for wider questions of the pursuit of important political change in a world that is anxious about terrorism? It suggests that we should recognise the preciousness of political divisions which have not become violent. And that we should do all we can to engage respectfully with opponents in settings of political disagreement. Put another way, lets not take for granted what a valuable thing it is to have peacefully expressed disagreement about an issue such as Scottish independence, and lets ensure that debates, arguments and divergent opinions do not stray into aggressive or abusive territory. Whichever way the Scottish independence argument goes in coming years, we can see from neighbours in Northern Ireland and from attacks such as the one that occurred in London last week, what a heavy cost there is to aggressive pasts. And above all lets be prepared to recognise the limits of violence as a means of achieving change. This applies to states as well as non-state groups, I think. One of the ironies of the post-9/11 US-led War on Terror was that both sides  al-Qaeda, and their state opponents  found that their violence tended to undermine their public popularity. One of the key reasons for al-Qaeda not gaining as much Muslim support as they had hoped for was that so many of the worlds Muslims were repulsed by al-Qaeda violence, especially against civilians. Its interesting to note how much sympathy there has been for Britain and for the British authorities in the wake of Wednesdays London attack. But its also true that the USA lost much international credibility by an initial over-reliance of military methods in responding to the jihadist threat. The danger of such methods prompting anger and hostility can be seen in current US and allied violence in Syria against Isis, when civilian casualties are generated. Martin McGuinnesss capacity to help shift the Irish republican movement from war to peace deserves huge respect, and the benefits of ending that violence are underlined when we witness the terrible suffering of the London victims of terrorism this week. McGuinness showed courage and resolute commitment to the eventual peace process in Northern Ireland, and that was a major contribution. But his career also demonstrates the invaluable benefits of avoiding blood-stained violence in nationalist and other conflicts. His political party, Sinn Fein, has become far more popular and effective since it turned away from supporting violence. And that is a vital lesson for future politics, whether in Scotland, Ireland or further afield in a century still marred by terrorism. Comments Comments & Moderation Readers comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the report this post link . 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Search This Blog Subscribe to this blog Newsletter Translate UP Coming "Event Update" International award-winning actor and comedian " Chris Turkertive" Detective James Carter the one and only Jackie Chan colleague in rush hour movie will be performing live in the Republic South Africa so there for stay at alert to groove with this global icon.check below his tour date and locations 1. Cape Town on 7th November 2018 at Grand Arena, GrandWest 2. Durban on 9th November 2018 at the Durban ICC 3. Johannesburg on 10th November 2018 at the Ticketpro Dome To purchase "Regular and VIP" Ticketing visit BIG Concert homepage right to learn more.www.christucker.com #Comedy #Globalicon #BigConcert #SouthAfrica #CAPtv DONATE to Help A Child Today - Today help a child if you CAN. Five dead in Westminster terror attack in London #CAPupdate Five people have died and at least 40 were injured after an attacker drove a car along a pavement in Westminster, stabbed a policeman and was shot dead by police in the grounds of Parliament. The dead officer has been named as PC Keith Palmer, 48, a husband and father. PM Theresa May said the attack was "sick and depraved" and struck at values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech. The attacker has not been named by police. Acting Deputy Commissioner and head of counter terrorism at the Metropolitan Police, Mark Rowley, said they think they know who he is and that he was inspired by international and Islamist-related terrorism, but gave no further details. The attack unfolded at about 14.40 GMT when a single attacker drove a car along a pavement over Westminster Bridge, near the Houses of Parliament in central London, killing at least two people and injuring many more. The car then crashed into railings outside the Houses of Parliament. The attacker, armed with a knife, ran to Parliament where he was confronted by the police. PC Palmer - who was not armed - was then stabbed and killed. Keith Palmer had 15 years service with the police The attacker was shot dead by armed officers. Mr Rowley paid tribute to PC Palmer, saying: "He was someone who left for work today expecting to return home at the end of his shift, and he had every right to expect that would happen." "Heartbroken" former colleague, Conservative MP James Cleverly, paid tribute to the "lovely man" he had known for 25 years. The pair had served together in the Royal Artillery before PC Palmer became a policeman. Mrs May said the attack was a "sick and depraved" attack on the heart of the capital. Such attempts to defeat UK values were "doomed to failure", she said. She paid tribute to the "exceptional men and women" of the police force who responded to the attack, saying: "We will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart." The prime minister added: "The location of this attack was no accident. "The terrorist chose to strike at the heart of our capital city where people of all nationalities, religions and cultures come together to celebrate the values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech." She is expected to make a statement in the Commons later. The husband of murdered MP Jo Cox said the "name I will remember" from the Westminster attack was that of PC Keith Palmer - not the attacker. London mayor Sadiq Khan said: "My message to those that want to harm us and destroy our way of life is: You won't succeed; you won't divide us; we won't be cowed by terrorists." In latest developments: There will be more armed and unarmed officers on duty in London and across the country as a "precautionary measure" The prime minister said the UK terror threat level would remain at severe - its second highest - meaning an attack is "highly likely" Westminster underground station was shut and remained open for interchange only Home Secretary Amber Rudd urged everyone to remain calm but be vigilant and if they see anything they are concerned about report it to the police A group of French schoolchildren were on the bridge and three were injured 13 students from Edge Hill University in Lancashire were also caught up in the incident - two were taken to hospital and described as walking wounded; two others had minor injuries People worried about family and friends can call the police casualty bureau on: 0800 056 0944 or 0207 158 0010. Anyone with images or footage of the incident is urged to send them to www.ukpoliceimageappeal.co.uk People Also Read Hydro on Boulevard is the new brand now, re-branded and ready to give the people of Gauteng that exclusive Night Life. The name Hydro is no longer new in the entertainment industry across the whole Africa "Especially in South Africa. The Journey started about 5 years ago as Hydro liquor and Hydro Lounge later moved to Fourways Sandton Operated as "New York Club" for a year. Today we are Celebrating our number one super dope family "Aremo Gucci" one of the youngest Nigerians living large in RSA, The agege bred celebrated his birthday on Sunday 25 June with friends and family in Johannesburg South Africa in a glamorious way. The YBNL Nation Flag bearer bless so many people around him on the same day which was the end of Ramadan fasting period, I am not trying to show off by blessing people around me but to extend the goodness of almighty Allah in my life to others especially to my fellow Muslim family "Aremo Gucci told CAP" also want to use this medium to say big up to all my Muslim family who complete their fasting during the holy month of Ramadan, I pray that Allah will surprise and bless everybody who believe abundantly, he added. From all of us at City Alert Plus we pray that Allah will grant all your heart dire, Enjoy this week and forever Happy Birthday once again and agian Oba lola, igba odun laye odun kan ni, #Wavelevel #CanFam UGO TUVI JAMES IGWEGBE Follow Ugo on social media IG - Twitter - FB Personal Information Ugo Tuvi James Igwegbe was born in Nigeria.He graduated from the University of Lagos with a degree computer science. He also studied broadcasting at F.R.C.N Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria.Has a Diploma in acting from British Council film Academy (Nigeria 2000).He is now based in South Africa.. Ugo Tuvi James Igwegbe not only runs his own company but works in collaboration with Shakarny Innovations, a TV Innovative Productions and Content Distributions company, in the capacity of PR Manager. Lady Gaga is using the "L" word. When it comes to beau Christian Carino, it sounds like Mother Monster is totally smitten and isn't keeping it a secret. After roughly eight months of dating, the pop star and her talent agent boyfriend are heating up, signaled in part by Gaga's word choice during her concert at Citi Field in New York City last week. Though her performance was met with a downpour, Gaga went on with her show as her right-hand man cautiously kept watch. Phoka Molabe is a dedicated, passionate and hardworking Gr 10 learner who plans to take the modelling industry by storm. POLOKWANE  Modelling, he says, has always been his biggest passion and he will represent South Africa next year during an international pageant in Turkey. I only began modelling this year with my first pageant being Mr Teen Africa where I won the crown. I am inspired by the world at large and growing up helped me realise many things about the world and how it works. Contact Contact Form Trending Hydro on Boulevard is the new brand now, re-branded and ready to give the people of Gauteng that exclusive Night Life. The name Hydro is no longer new in the entertainment industry across the whole Africa "Especially in South Africa. The Journey started about 5 years ago as Hydro liquor and Hydro Lounge later moved to Fourways Sandton Operated as "New York Club" for a year. Today we are Celebrating our number one super dope family "Aremo Gucci" one of the youngest Nigerians living large in RSA, The agege bred celebrated his birthday on Sunday 25 June with friends and family in Johannesburg South Africa in a glamorious way. The YBNL Nation Flag bearer bless so many people around him on the same day which was the end of Ramadan fasting period, I am not trying to show off by blessing people around me but to extend the goodness of almighty Allah in my life to others especially to my fellow Muslim family "Aremo Gucci told CAP" also want to use this medium to say big up to all my Muslim family who complete their fasting during the holy month of Ramadan, I pray that Allah will surprise and bless everybody who believe abundantly, he added. From all of us at City Alert Plus we pray that Allah will grant all your heart dire, Enjoy this week and forever Happy Birthday once again and agian Oba lola, igba odun laye odun kan ni, #Wavelevel #CanFam UGO TUVI JAMES IGWEGBE Follow Ugo on social media IG - Twitter - FB Personal Information Ugo Tuvi James Igwegbe was born in Nigeria.He graduated from the University of Lagos with a degree computer science. He also studied broadcasting at F.R.C.N Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria.Has a Diploma in acting from British Council film Academy (Nigeria 2000).He is now based in South Africa.. Ugo Tuvi James Igwegbe not only runs his own company but works in collaboration with Shakarny Innovations, a TV Innovative Productions and Content Distributions company, in the capacity of PR Manager.
Speaking on Wednesday evening, Theresa May said the attack was an assault on democracy: The location of this attack was no accident. The terrorists chose to strike at the heart of our capital city, where people of all nationalities, religions and cultures come together to celebrate the values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech. These streets of Westminster  home to the worlds oldest parliament  are engrained with a spirit of freedom that echoes in some of the furthest corners of the globe. And the values our parliament represents  democracy, freedom, human rights, the rule of law  command the admiration and respect of free people everywhere. That is why it is a target for those who reject those values. But let me make it clear today, as I have had cause to do before: any attempt to defeat those values through violence and terror is doomed to failure. The attack outside the Houses of Parliament in London is the latest in a series of terrorist atrocities involving a vehicle being driven at speed into pedestrians  a tactic actively promoted by Islamic State. If you are not able to find a bomb or a bullet, then smash his head with a rock, or slaughter him with a knife, or run him over with your car, or throw him down from a high place, or choke him, or poison him, he said. Though al-Adnani, who was killed in 2016, pointed a finger specifically at France, where there were two vehicle attacks in 2014, he also cited the UK among preferred targets. Police have said 40 people were injured in the attack, many of them as the assailant drove his car deliberately into pedestrians on Westminster bridge. Some are seriously wounded. The death toll rose on Wednesday evening, with four victims  three members of the public, who have not been named, and the police officer PC Keith Palmer  and the attacker confirmed to have died. Many of those injured remain in hospitals across London, including St Thomas, Kings College and St Marys. Two teenage French students were in a critical condition in hospital after being struck on the bridge. A third student was also being treated for injuries. One of the three had been thrown on to the bonnet of a car. MPs have been paying tribute to PC Keith Palmer, who was fatally stabbed within the Westminster security cordon. PC Keith Palmer. Conservative MP James Cleverly said he was a former army comrade of Palmer: Ive known Keith for 25 years. We served together in the Royal Artillery before he became a copper. A lovely man, a friend. Im heartbroken. My thoughts are with the family, friends and colleagues of PC Keith Palmer. A brave man. Home affairs select committee chair and Labour MP Yvette Cooper, who was in parliament when the terrorist attacked, said: Thank you PC Keith Palmer  to your bravery many others owe their lives and safety. Liverpool Wavertree MP Luciana Berger said: May PC Keith Palmer rest in peace. He died protecting our democracy. My sincerest condolences to all of his family and friends. Investigators say they believe they know the identity of the attacker, and that he is thought to have acted alone but was inspired by international terrorism. The House of Commons will sit this morning, with prime minister Theresa May saying the country would not be cowed: Parliament will meet as normal. We will come together as normal. And Londoners  and others from around the world who have come here to visit this great city  will get up and go about their day as normal. They will board their trains, they will leave their hotels, they will walk these streets, they will live their lives. And we will all move forward together. Never giving in to terror. And never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart. London is the greatest city in the world and we stand together in the face of those who seek to harm us and destroy our way of life. UK foreign minister Boris Johnson, who is in the US for an international meeting discussing the Isis threat, said: Heartbreaking. This is not the first attack on London or our Parliament  and wont be the last  but our values will prevail. The terror threat level for the UK remains unchanged, at severe. The Metropolitan police said extra patrols, armed and unarmed, would be in place, particularly in crowded places and iconic locations. The Queen has postponed a planned visit to Scotland Yard that was due to take place today.
It was the CIA chief Allen Dulles who devised the plan to set up secret Gladio forces across Europe. Dulles, Sir Stewart Menzies (MI6) and the Belgian Premier Paul Henri Spaak were in on the plan. A few years ago, CIA-NATO Gladio agent Vincezo Vinciguerra explained the Gladio "strategy of tension" in sworn testimony. He said: "You had to attack civilians, the people, women, children, innocent people, unknown people far removed from any political game ... to force the Italian public, to turn to the state to ask for greater security. "This is the political logic that lies behind all the massacres and the bombings which remain unpunished, because the state cannot convict itself or declare itself responsible for what happened." Remarkable is it not that persons unknown just happened to be filming at just the right moment ? Remarkable is the highly elevated position of the camera  not a building which leaves a helicopter or a plane. Remarkable indeed is the stability of the image.So remarkable it implies that the image must have been post processed. Manipulating the footage would of course render it inadmissible as evidence in court. The current UK National Security Strategy was adopted in March 2008. One of the architects was Sir Da vid Ormand, who had been the UK Security and Intelligence Coordina tor in the Cabinet Office (and previously been Director of Government Communications Headquarters, GCHQ, the UK equiva lent of the USs NSA). In a publication for the Institue for Publ ic Policy Research (IPPR) Ormand says that the implications of the Strategy for the intelligence community include the adoption of anticipatory policies towards future threats.[3] ..........He uses the example of local proble ms being tackled at the local level at the same time as national auth orities take on the international dimensions: The national intelligence authoritie s will be expected to both ensure that the local enforcement level - in cluding police, border forces and other local authorities - have the necessary information, and to help manage the international dimension of these domestic threats. 4 This is a description of the vertical , top-bottom, aspect of internal security. Anticipatory policies are intend ed to allow disruption of the threat, to pre-empt them by authorising covert actions where governments cannot afford to be seen to be directly involved. To use these tactics to disrupt the activi ties of known terrorists or drug dealers is one thing. But if these sa me practices are extended to those who have come to their notice or fr iends of these people or to those who have radical views or are organi sing a demonstration on what is perceived to be a sensitive issues it is another ma tter altogether. In the article Ormand says that mo dern national security needs three types of intelligence: traditional se cret sources, open sources and an entirely new one: personal protected data. Traditional secret sources: the heart of secret intelligence is human sources (HUMINT, undercover agents and paid/unpaid pa rticipants) and the interception of co mmunications. These are backed by SIGINT (Signals intelligence), IMINT (photo-reconnaissance), ELINT (electronic intelligence) and MASINT(measureme nt and signature intelligence). However, these secret sources are increasingly dwarfed by OSINT(Open source intelligence) trawled from the internet. The new third category is PROT INT(protected information). This is personal information ab out individuals that resides in databases, such as advance passen ger information, airline bookings and other travel data, passport an d biometric data, immigration, identity and border records, criminal records, and other governmental and private sector data, including financial and telephone and other communications records. Such information may be held in national records, covere d by Data Protection legislation, but it might also be held offshore by other nations or by global companies, and may or may not be subject to international agreements. If feel sorry for the people of the west. Every time there's something like this on the news, journalists try to make a drama out of useless parked cars and non-existent crisis. I feel really sad for such low-level reporting. I do not blame the police - yet they run these theatrical live actions - I point the finger at the journalists first, then at the people gobbling everything down their throat either from tv, the web or radio. What's the news here? I see the bridge is closed to the traffic and nothing more. In late news the obligatory GOD IS GREAT will be repeated all over the CIA//MOSSAD porpaganda fronts. It has all the makings of a hoax. Foreigner (albeit an "asian" man, maybe tie in to North Korea?) totally innocent bystanders intentionally mowed down by SUV, which then turned onto government property by crashing the gate at the house of commons where a guard was stabbed to death by the driver. "perpetrator" shot. Sounds like a typical FF. How could you get out of an SUV and approach a guard with a knife without getting shot FIRST after crashing a gate in a place like that? I don't think they are quite that patient. Not sure what to think yet, but I am skeptical to say the least. see this and that reminds me - it is interesting that the police "mysteriously found evidence of vote fraud" that could nullify Brexit just as it was about to be ratified . . . . . yep, all believable. Just like this "Asian suicide driver"." "Asian" is a term used in the U.K. To describe people from the Indian sub-continent not Korea. The car did NOT crash through the gates. He entered on foot. The gate in question was open to allow vehicle access for government ministers arriving at parliament for a vote. The police officer killed was unarmed. He was shot by a secondary officer very promptly. The voter fraud you reference relates to the breaches in laws for how much political parties can spend on campaigner during the last general election, not the Brexit referendum. Mark Rowley has also said that investigating terrorist plots is often made difficult by the fact that social media companies often refuse to cooperate and hand over evidence. At an event sponsored by !!! RUSI !!! - He said that the uncooperative nature of social media companies is the growing Achilles heel of counter-terrorism, adding that many of these companies are creating safe havens for terrorists and criminals. "It is essential that the intelligence community, regulators and wider government are coordinated in making sure that financial cyber crime has a high priority," Tyrie said (Source: Getty) The chair of the Treasury Select Committee is today calling on the government to setup a one-stop watchdog to tackle financial cyber crime. Andrew Tyrie has written to chancellor Philip Hammond, warning the current lines of accountability for cyber security for the sector are too "opaque".http://www.cityam.com/261475/treasury-committee-chair-andrew-tyrie-calls-one-stop Look how similar the 22/3/2017 London Westminster Bridge Car Attack and the 20/1/2017 Melbourne Bourke Street Car Attack is where both occured near popular tourist attractions i.e.: Wesminster Bridge where the famous Big Ben is and Bourke Street where the famous Bourke Street Mall is; both instigated by a car abiet one is with a SUV and another with a sedan; both cars are registered within country of origin abiet one is in England and another is in Australia; both Police is located within the vicinity and did nothing to stop the suspicious, abnormal driving; both the instigator got shot abiet one got killed and another injured; both occured in the afternoon peak local time abiet one is at 2:30pm GMT and another at 1:30pm AEDT; both there are innocent victims either died or injured abiet one is 5 dead and 40 injured and another is 6 dead and 36 injured; both are vehicular attacks; both have stabbings abiet one is a police officer another is the instigator's brother but at the instigator's home; both there are arrests made abiet one is the partner's in crime and the other is the instigator. ...FF stinks to high heaven, more of the same by the same cabal who have a political agenda to perhaps scuttle Brexit? Such FF carried by NATO and Gladio units reminiscent of Brussels and Cologne and Paris and other obvious terror tactics to sway public opinion, and the public needs to be informed and not let these criminals get away with their destructive agenda to fulfil their political objectives, and to disrupt, terrorise and control the masses.... He!He! Makes you wonder where these 'terrorists' come from. We have two 'Muslim' terrorists, who have no doubt been in several meetings with their controllers, discussing this attack, it has all been planned down to the last detail, the 'terrorists' supposedly travel from Essex to Westminster - right on the doorstep of Parliament. The great plan is to crash their car into a number of unknown pedestrians, passenger runs off and disappears into thin air while the other jumps out of the car and run into Parliament brandishing a knife and killing a 'policeman' on duty?? A school kid could devise a better plan! Anyone have footage of the crashed car, by the way? Meanwhile, the West continues to bomb Syria killing a number of civilians! The story goes that this terrorist is still in prison. On 14th November 2015, he and another suspect acted in breach of their probation by travelling abroad without telling anyone. They were found in Hungary and returned to the UK for sentencing, and are supposedly still in prison. This story did not appear in any Hungarian newspapers - although it did appear in the UK Telegraph. His associate's brother is a British Army member, while his father is British RAF. At the very time the gates were stuck open, at the very time the British Prime Minister was being very badly escorted in 5 different directions, just seconds before police just HAPPENED to be close by but not so close that they could have done anything obviously! These Elitist mongrels really have the sheeple fooled! But more are waking up to the truth EVERY DAY!! I can't help but think they're trying to rush in WWIII before too many people wake up and say "HEY, LET'S DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS!" http://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/world/four-dead-at-least-20-injured-in-uk-parliament-terrorist-attack/ar-BByBPix?li=AAadgLE&ocid=spartanntpMSN photos above- couple of the pics of cops/ambo with victims - why are they smiling and so relaxed??? "Mark Rowley has also said that investigating terrorist plots is often made difficult by the fact that social media companies often refuse to cooperate and hand over evidence." And there is one of your objectives right there. Peace. One thing to add here (more replies below) Regarding London Ambulance. They tweeted all throughout the day. Twitters time function tells us when the tweet was posted on a 25 hour basis. So it said '1 day ago' rather than the time. However, if you hover the cursor over the posted time insert, it will give you a small box with exact time and date the tweet was posted. The Tweet from London Amb* was posted at 9.31 a.m on the 22nd of March 2017. The 'attack' occurred at 14.40 p.m (as the narrative goes) Further tweets also give conflicting post-to-event times too. See the posts from Sadiq Khan (link to L A twitter account below)I did a source developer check. I changed my Safari search to Chrome and checked the tweets again. Same conflict. I searched one of my followers and someone I follow and they had posted 9hrs ago - the small box gave me a time of exactly 9 hours from the tweet post until then. I posted this as genuine question on Social Media because I could be a moron and interpreting it wrong. A reply came with a screen shot of the Met not having a synced time - post - event also and the suggestion that Twitter was having difficulties across the entire app. I checked if Twitter had been experiencing problems. It had but later on in the evening of the 22nd and majority of the reports were concerning using the app on an android device and nothing about time frames. A commenter on my SM said the time on Twitter would be set to another zone if I wasn't logged in. I was logged in and I double-checked both the time zone preferences and another tweet to compare hours. Went back to the London Ambulance account and encountered the same conflicting time - to - event shit. It could be an issue with Twitter. Or it could be similar to previous slip-ups on social media during alleged attacks / security breaches where announcements have gone public too soon. This was seen concretely in the recent EU Court decision that businesses may ban women from wearing Muslim religious veils at work, so long as religious symbols in general are banned in order to present a 'neutral' image to clients, e.g., also banning noticeable crucifixes or crosses, kippah - yarmulke head pieces on Jewish men, etc A new framework is evolving, with key ideas that: (A) 'European values' means protecting the Muslims who wish to be non-fundamentalist, against what seem to be oppressive Muslim dominant trends, now under influence by fundamentalist imams -- E.g., Muslim daughters & wives are being threatened, beaten, abused to coerce them into wearing veils ... these women need protection, a mere ability to file legal charges individually won't effectively protect them, hence anti-veiling laws need to be considered ... Muslim husbands in shorts & t-shirts leading wives draped & veiled head to foot in 30+ degree heat may need to be considered as spouse abusers creating public disturbance (B) It needs to be clear that anti-veiling laws etc are not 'anti-Muslim' but merely an iteration of 'anti-religious-fundamentalism', similar to how Europe has had to fight against Christian excesses up till very recently ... 'European values' means Europe needs to stop victims such as children & women being abused by religious fundamentalists of any kind-- In short, the Muslim woman's veil, is intrinsically a reminder that some percentage of those women are being coerced, beaten, threatened, forced into wearing such veils Big EU pressures currently are - (1) Visegrd countries of Hungary, Czechia, Poland & Slovakia, are making it clear that they are ready to follow Britain & exit the EU rather than accept increasing Islamist presence in their countries, this is under intensive discussion in EU corridors (2) European political parties of the Left are collapsing in part because their more indigenous European members are massively rejecting the socialist-Muslim alliances, e.g., former French Socialists now supporting Marine Le Pen (Muslims also are accepting this collapse, seeing that decimated, imploding Left parties are no longer useful to them, & Muslims have successfully begun their own migrant-Muslim parties, Denk ('Think') in the Netherlands winning Dutch Parliament seats in March 2017; Muslim politician Ahmet Ko is starting a similar party in Belgium) (3) EU citizen discontent with issues related to Muslims, has become anger at the EU itself ... approximately a third of EU voters in some countries, are showing significant anti-Islamisation tendencies in their voting (The top 2 Dutch parties in the March 2017 election, comprising one-third of the electorate, both used anti-Muslim themes to win their victory, Prime Minister Mark Rutte winning favour for sending armed security 'ready to shoot' to block a Turkish diplomat from crossing the Dutch border to campaign for Erdogan amongst the Netherlands' 400,000 Turks) (4) Donald Trump's USA administration has made it clear he is not interested in assisting Europe's internal difficulties & is even downplaying Nato, also cleverly asking Europeans to at last pay full price per the Nato agreements if they want to keep it ... Trump seems ready to let the euro currency or EU fall apart ... Trump sees Islam-tied terrorism in Europe as resulting in part from Europe's own stupid policies ... hence EU leaders are thinking & moving in new directions re Islam, as a matter of EU survival Six days ago the media ran a story on the secret code word officials would use to inform each other of the Queens death. The code word was London bridge is down. Was this a bogus story to implant the psyop of an imminent attack involving a London bridge OR even to inform those in the know a false flag event was about to go live? I noticed this article too (before the 3/22 event) and wondered at the time what the significance would be, definitely seemed like a predictive programming angle. I also,wonder if there will be multiple events during the queen's actual,passing. Tel Aviv City Hall lit up as a Union Jack to show their solidarity, with the red white and blue lights beaming from the building into the night.https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/nintchdbpict0003108480642.jpg?strip=all&w=960&quality=100 The distance video showing car driving along pavement. Women falls in river long after car passes. You would have to climb over wall on bridge before falling in river. (over acting)Not the silver blankets again. They got a lot of use on 7/7 for all those taking part in the street theatre. They made the mistake in the Vietnam war of allowing to much film to be broadcast of the horrors and atrocities of war.You will not be seeing film on the BBC of those murdered by the west in its many illegal wars. Aysha Frade was strolling across Westminster Bridge on the way to collect her children from school when Khalid Massood charged down the pavement in a 4x4 and snatched her life away, Henry Bodkin and Eleanor Steafel report. She had just come from work, a school itself, where she dedicated herself to helping youngsters learn the language and culture of her familys beloved native Spain. On Thursday, in the quiet Galician town of Betanzos, more than 100 locals, burdened by tragedy and enormous pain, gathered in silence to remember the 43-year-old, who died amid sirens and screams at the heart of a global city. Frayde is a real name; of all countries, most common in Mexico, but seriously rare even there. The 11,800th most common name in Mexico. One of the signs of rationality is to change your opinion in the light of new information: Her name is still uncommon, one in about 37,000 in Spain, which you can see here. No instances shown in England, two in Scotland. Apologies again to anyone who has suffered, but this is the world we live in. One filled with lies, run by evil people, trusted by ordinary people who just want to get on with their lives. Like most of you. But either you want to fix the world.Or you want to stand by while other people die.People who are not you. Not yet you. Anyway, either as psyop or real murders, the end result is the same: Instilling fear by media. But it need not be this way. We can be free of the liars, murderers and thieves who rule us. What will it take? What do they fear?Me? One person? No. Us. An army of me. ---"You will need five items for this journey. The first is a map, then fire, a knive and a key." "You said five things.""The fifth thing is a mystery. It is the reason; it is the goal. It will be a deep sacrifice and a perfect victory." So the car drives across a bridge, knocks down a few people then crashes into the wall, the terrorist jumps out of the car runs into parliament with a knife, stabs and kills a policeman, the terrorist is then either shot or shot dead at which point is the terrorists right sock removed and why? A user on the forum 4chan shared an image of two guns with a coded reference to the Houses of Parliament.The user also posted a string of Morse code dots and dashes which translate to a post on text-sharing website Pastebin.The Pastebin page contains a binary code which  after being translated  points to a GPS location near Big Ben.Though the post  made on the 'Politically Incorrect' sub-forum  has been archived, it is still visible on the site.It went live on the afternoon of March 21, almost exactly 24 hours before the sickening terror attack.One user managed to crack the code and replied: "Big Ben?"http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/782667/London-terror-attack-Westminster-Parliament-4chan-forum Almost fell off of my chair laughing at the headline here: http://www.msn.com/en-gb/lifestyle/family-relationships/how-to-explain-the-london-terror-attack-to-children-and-what-to-say-about-the-terrorist/ar-BByBj6x?li=AA2FOLs&ocid=spartanntp "And they were screaming." "And you ran away?""No. First I tried to free them. I opened the gate to their pen, but they wouldn't run, they just stood there, confused. They wouldn't run." "But you could and you did, didn't you?""Yes, I took one lamb and I ran away as fast as I could."--- Santa Claus is certainly realer than much of the news you read on MSN. An extract from said article: Winston's Wish, a charity for bereaved children, has compiled a list of tips advising parents on the best way to approach the subject. They recommend that you shouldn't keep the TV or radio off in an attempt to protect your kids from the news. Translation: Our propaganda, fear-based programming, only works when your children watch these terrors. And it's most effective when they're young and impressionable. We expect their response to be: "Please, big daddy government, please protect me. Even if you have to take away all my rights as a free and sovereign individual, enslave me and steal my money to pay for my enslavement." Oh, and we'll omit to mention that the terror is overwhelmingly false flag terror which we ourselves instigate. Hmm, MSN, eh? Like I said, the Gates Foundation is one of the largest contributors to the Brookings Institution. Last time you bought a PC you gave money to these murderers. Not that you had much choice. This is clearly what is known as "bundling". But for utterly inexplicable reasons, the regulators, like the EU Competition Commissioners do almost nothing. Oh, hold on, sorry. Maybe the explicableness is much greater than I thought. Honourable people like Leon Brittan. You can read up on him yourself; I can't bring myself to speak of his honorableness. And then you have Peter Sutherland, former Chairman of Goldman Sachs International. It speaks volumes about the honorableness of these people that they can maintain an unimpeachable purity in spite of blindingly clear conflicts of interest. Oh, and Karel van Miert, also a friend of Goldman. And, wow, Mario Monti. Goldman are certainly a friendly bunch, aren't they? And he's also on Bilderberg, the Trilateral Commission, the Atlantic Council, Warren Buffett's Coca Cola. Man, he's turned the corporate-friendly up to 11. And then some. Yay for you, Mario. It must've take a superhuman discipline to selflessly serve the people of Europe without any hint of future reward from the titans of wealth. Neelie Kroes. Read about her too. Seriously, the EU Commissioners are just angelic beings who deliberately test themselves with egregious corporate conflicts of interests. And the current incumbent is a Trilat. Just inundated by their sheer, unsullied, immaculate honorableness. (Oh, an epiphany: I just discovered there's a point when sarcasm becomes impossible to maintain and it starts to explode into murderous rage.) Aangirfan, by now you must realize how hard it is to wake up the innocents, so trusting of the vile creatures that rule over them. Even after the most blatant, obvious and murderous false flag in Manhattan on September the eleventh, these innocents desperately want to believe their rulers are not mass murderers, even of their own people. You try to free their minds, show clear evidence, and still they have no idea. And obediently follow those leaders. Maybe if just one person can be woken up, it's still worth it. Maybe you, reading these words. ---"I didn't have any food, any water, and it was very cold, very cold.I thought, I thought if I could save just one..." The N Ireland troubles was run by MI5 for its last 20 odd years Were they controlled both sides. They learned from Belfast etc how to control and manipulate by terror, fear and intimidation. Removal of Basic Rights and Mass Surveillance. They have simply replaced the Catholic IRA man with the Muslim Jihadist. "Control" = Power. 'The main GATE into the grounds of parliament was left open and reportedly nobody was guarding the gate.' What is your source for this? VERY, VERY suspicious if it's true. I have passed through Parliament Square a few times in my life and those gates were always tight shut! Deviations from standard operating procedures are always a huge red flag, aren't they? A 19-year-old dual American Israeli living in Ashkelon has been arrested, suspected of being behind most of a series of bomb and other threats to Jewish communities in the US, Europe, Australia and New Zealand that date back around six months, The Jerusalem Post has learned. As of Thursday, with a gag order on the probe being lifted by the Rishon Lezion Magistrates Court at the same time it extended his detention to March 30, sources indicate that most of the threats against the Diaspora communities and organizations led investigators back to Israel. cctv offline? again? SAME OL SAME OL, jUST LIKE lONDON 7/7 UNDERGROUND BOMBINGS. CCTV onboard buses also Offline then and same Isareli company who ran 911 airport security, ran London bus cctv during attack The UK is facing the threat of "enormous and spectacular attacks" by Islamic State (IS) as the extremist group aims to wage war on Western lifestyles, the national head of counter-terrorism has warned. Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said that while in the past few years the Islamist group has called on would-be jihadis to attack police and the military, their plots are now broader "plans to attack Western lifestyle". http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/12186157/Britain-at-risk-from-enormous-and-spectacular-attacks-by-Islamic-State-extremists.html Interesting media article from www.getsurrey.co.uk revealing Surrey Police expenditure on Common Purpose during a period in which they are having to cut back on their services including office facilities. Significantly Chief Constable Mark Rowley is a member of the local Common Purpose Advisory Group, which forms the local 'eyes and ears' for Common Purpose and selects future CP graduates. All this is done behind closed doors under Chatham House rules as the article points out. Since the courses are paid by public money the public has a right to know exactly what is said by whom and why.http://www.cpexposed.com/documents/cp-surrey-police-stops-common-purpose-training CRESSIDA DICK - is also a Member of the Evil Marxist Secret Society known as Common Purpose. SHOOT TO KILL DICK also has a secretive role at the Foreign Office - yet we the people who fund these creeps are denied knowledge of that role & purpose. MI5 who should have nipped this in the bud sit on their backsides whilst these networks of iniquitous "leaders" destroy our nation from within. Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, who had hoped to be on the panel for todays launch of the Islamist Terrorism report, issued the following statement: This report provides a factual, impartial and highly useful resource for many working in counter terrorism and counter radicalisation. Fifteen years of terrorist prosecutions provide a valuable tool but we must also be alive to the constant changes in terrorist methodology that we are seeing. This week the police published more information and insight about the terror threat so that the public are better informed and aware of how they can help us confront it. Todays report helps expand that understanding even further and I welcome its publication. , one of the high profile conference streams staged at CTX, made the news around the world, as keynote speakers including Mark Rowley, Head of Specialist Operations and Assistant Commissioner, Metropolitan Police and Jamie Shea, NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges, warned about new terrorist threats. Mark Rowley described how ISIS is seeking to find recruits among 'the vulnerable, people with violent backgrounds, very young people and those with mental health issues".http://www.gms-uk.co.uk/prosecurenewsonline/new/article.php?articleID=4311&section=BombDetection 2016 - Security & Counter Terror Expo returns in 2016 The centre piece of the programme is the paid-for World Counter Terror Congress, which will feature some of the security industrys most prominent figures. Mark Rowley, Assistant Commissioner, Specialist Operations at the Metropolitan Police; Dr Jamie Shea, Deputy ASG, Emerging Security Challenges at NATO; and Sir Malcolm Rifkind QC, former Chair of the UKs Intelligence and Security Committee, are just a few of the names confirmed to speak. - See more at: http://www.majoreventsinternational.com/community/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2259:security-counter-terror-expo-returns-in-2016&catid=38&Itemid=234#sthash.i9YhNKHy.dpuf Dude, a two second search shows Adam Weishaupt's death day to be the 18th of November 1830. The Russell Trust Association, or Skull and Bones, or Brotherhood of Death, is supposed by Antony C Sutton to represent the second chapter of a German secret society; this new one founded at Yale in 1832. Hence the number, 322. 1832 is two years after Adam Weishaupt's death. It is vaguely plausible Bones was established as a chapter of the Bavarian Illuminati, which was founded by Weishaupt just two months before the founding of the United States, many of whom, by the way, were deep in European freemasonry. I doubt there was any formal continuity from the Illuminatenorden to Bones, however human history is interweaving rivulets of influence, cause and consequence. And European secret societies had a definite influence on the power control structures in the United States up to today. Another theory, far more plausible, and supported by society documents, is that it refers to the year 322BC, the year of death of Demosthenes, when a literal plutocracy was instated in Athens and only those worth at least 2000 drachmas could remain citizens. Bonesmen refer to the rest of us as "barbarians", lending some credence to this theory. And of course being a Bonesman is all about being rich and privileged over the masses. That is, over us. The mass murdering clowns of the Skull and Bones, like the Bushes and Kerry, are still only a puerile periphery to today's core of control. Nonetheless William Russell, one of the founders of Bones, became first president of the Carnegie Foundation, which is still one of the planning thinktanks of the plutocracy. Anyway, after that long tangent, back to the point: The number 322 almost certainly has nothing to do with Adam Weishaupt, however there may be a tenuous connection from Weishaupt's Convenant of the Perfectibilists to the Yale Bones. And back to the tangent: Now if you really want to know who's at the core of control today, there are simple principles to apply:1) Who watches whom?2) Who pays whom? The NSA, GCHQ, BND and so on watch you. Data flows from you to them. Now does their data go anywhere else? Why, yes. How odd that 8200 get raw feeds of NSA intercept data. Your data ends up in Omer. And speaking of 8200, how much IT security technology comes from ex-8200 alumni? Um, lots. And your employers and governments are dutifully buying and putting your info through it because Gartner tells them to. (What is this "independent thought" concept I keep hearing of?) Ask Iran how clever that is. Remember Crypto AG? Gee, I wonder why the Chinese and Russians are now putting so much effort into their own IT technologies? Sunway, Loongson and Baikal processors. It ain't rocket science. Look at the Adapteva Epiphany processors. Made by a handful of blokes pushing around coloured oblongs with a fistful of crowed-funded dollars. The governments of Bora Bora or Kiribati could do this. And speaking of the malign influence of secret societies, did you ever see the masonic Supreme Court building in Jerusalem funded by Dolly Rothschild? Oh, and another theory about the number 322 is that it refers to Genesis 3:22: Can someone tell me what is special about the date 22nd?? There seems to be a supposed major event every year on that date. Always on the 22nd.Westminster 22/3/17Brussels 22/3/16Yemen 22/3/15China 22/5/14London 22/5/13France 22/3/12Gaza 22/3/11 and the list goes on. Why that date? What does it mean? You forgot JFK.22 = double 11. Although not a Prime, in numerology 22 is still seen as a Power Number. Just IMHO, but they seem to utilize 11 like a door or gate, they crack the whip, the sheep run through. You'll also find a lot of inauguration type events too. 22 seems to have a more 'foundational' character, as in more grounded, laying foundations, and, if you can call an event 'charismatic'. That explains a lot then. 'THEY' obviously rely heavily on the power of numerology.If many people across the globe performed a meditation for global peace at the same hour on the 22nd of every month, maybe we could thwart any false flags from succeeding through the power of collective thought. The date is significant in that they are trying 2 invoke the God of war Mars..March 22 being the highest vibration of Mars energy...this can be thus used as a pretext for any planned conflicts that occur throughout the year..great comments above ..cheers1&all d He smells more like mi6 all the right schools rugby lad, to me and him going off the rails in 2001 sounds like the beginning of establishing a legend beginning an infiltration process that would take 15 yrs to complete Not only did niki Minage make a Video , but it Included the precise spot in which someone was supposed to have died,More evidence if this picture isnt enough,https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2887/34026933371_df1a2749d0_b.jpg
A major counter-terrorism exercise will take place in Scotland later this year, the Prime Minister has announced. Mark Runnacles/PA Wire/PA Images Published on 27 03 2017 A major counter-terrorism exercise will take place in Scotland later this year, the Prime Minister has announced. The operation in October will test the multi-agency response that would come into force in the event of a terror attack. Theresa May made the announcement on a visit to Glasgow where she met with officers from Police Scotland, which will act as the lead force throughout the operation. She met a range of officers working in counter-terrorism, including some who were involved in Police Scotland's response to last week's attack in Westminster. Mrs May told officers: "Obviously our thoughts are still with the family and friends of those who were killed in the attack that took place in London last week. "Of course as we look to dealing with terrorism we need a multi-faceted approach. "Police Scotland is the second biggest force in the UK, with huge capabilities and capacity, and working with other police forces across the UK to help to keep us safe. "Thank-you for all that you and your officers do to help keep us safe and secure. "Obviously as we look to the future we want to make sure, ensure that we are getting that cross-fertilisation across police forces." The training exercise will also involve areas in the north of England. It is part of the UK Government's National Counter-Terrorism Exercise Programme and brings together partners from policing and security, the Armed Forces, UK Government departments and the devolved administrations to test responses to a major terrorist attack. The UK Government said lessons learnt from such operations are fed back to strengthen the UK's response to a terrorist attack on UK soil. Mrs May said: "The UK Government considers national security across the whole of the UK as a top priority. "Training operations such as this one play a significant part in making sure police forces and other response agencies are able to fully draw on the latest intelligence and resources from the UK's security forces to protect against terrorism anywhere on our soil. "As the second largest force in the country, Police Scotland are a key player in our fight against terrorism. I'm grateful to them for the exceptional work they have been delivering so far to prepare for this very important counter-terrorism exercise." Police Scotland has automatic access to the UK's National Crime Agency and its international networks, as well as the UK security agencies' resources and their interception and surveillance abilities. It can also draw on intelligence from the National Cyber Security Centre. Pc Keith Palmer, 48, was stabbed by terrorist Khalid Masood in an 82-second rampage in London last Wednesday which killed three other people who had been on Westminster Bridge. Masood drove his car along the bridge at speed, mowing down pedestrians, and was shot dead by police after he stormed the parliamentary estate armed with two knives. The Prime Minister is in Scotland to meet the First Minister to discuss Brexit ahead of triggering Article 50.
At least 7 dead and 48 wounded in terror attack, the president wrote on his personal Twitter account, and Mayor of London says there is no reason to be alarmed! Police officers and foreign nationals among London attack victims Read more In response, a spokesman for Sadiq Khan said the mayor had more important things to do than respond to Donald Trumps ill-informed tweet that deliberately takes out of context his remarks. Khan commented on the attacks in a statement overnight and in a television interview earlier on Sunday. In the interview, he said there was no reason to be alarmed by an increased and armed police presence in the city that day. In his statement on Saturday night, issued as the London Bridge attack unfolded, Khan said: Metropolitan police are responding to the horrific terrorist attack at London Bridge and Borough Market. He added: My thoughts are with everyone affected, and Id like to thank the brave men and women of our emergency services who were first on the scene and will be working throughout the night. This was a deliberate and cowardly attack on innocent Londoners and visitors to our city enjoying their Saturday night, he said. I condemn it in the strongest possible terms. There is no justification whatsoever for such barbaric acts. Play Video 1:52 Sadiq Khan: 'we will never let terrorists win' In the television interview on Sunday morning, Khan said the UK general election, scheduled for Thursday, should go ahead as planned. He added: There arent words to describe the grief and anger that our city will be facing today. Im appalled and furious that these cowardly terrorists would deliberately target innocent Londoners. There can be no justification for the acts of these terrorists and I am quite clear that we will never let them win. My message to Londoners and visitors to our great city is to be calm and vigilant today. You will see an increased police presence today, including armed officers and uniformed officers. There is no reason to be alarmed by this. We are the safest global city in the world. You saw last night as a consequence of our planning, our preparation, the rehearsals that take place, the swift response from the emergency services tackling the terrorists and also helping the injured. After Trumps tweet, a spokesperson for Khan said: The mayor is busy working with the police, emergency services and the government to coordinate the response to this horrific and cowardly terrorist attack and provide leadership and reassurance to Londoners and visitors to our city. He has more important things to do than respond to Donald Trumps ill-informed tweet that deliberately takes out of context his remarks urging Londoners not to be alarmed when they saw more police  including armed officers  on the streets. In another tweet, Trump wrote: Do you notice we are not having a gun debate right now? Thats because they used knives and a truck! He added: We must stop being politically correct and get down to the business of security for our people. If we dont get smart it will only get worse. US political figures also criticised Trumps tweets. Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat who is a member of the Senate intelligence committee, told CNN the presidents words troubled him. Former vice-president Al Gore told the same network: I dont think a major terrorist attack like this is the time to be divisive and to criticise a mayor whos trying to organise his citys response. In London, acting US ambassador Lewis Lukens issued a pointed statement: I commend the strong leadership of [Sadiq Khan] as he leads the city forward after this heinous attack. Trump was also widely criticised for his first reaction to the news from London, in which he retweeted an unsubstantiated headline from the conservative Drudge Report website and then said: We need to be smart, vigilant and tough. We need the courts to give us back our rights. We need the Travel Ban as an extra level of safety! London police shoot dead three suspects after rampage kills seven Read more The White House this week asked the supreme court to reinstate its bar on entry from six Muslim-majority countries. The measure has been blocked repeatedly by lower courts. Khan, the first Muslim mayor of a western European capital city, has attracted ire from the Trump family before. In March, hours after an attack at Westminster Bridge in which five people died, Trumps oldest son, Donald Trump Jr, tweeted: You have to be kidding me?!: Terror attacks are part of living in big city, says London Mayor Sadiq Khan. Trump Jr was criticised for taking those words out of context: speaking six months before the Westminster attack, Khan had also discussed the necessity of providing strong security for Londoners.  This article was amended on 4, 5 and 6 June 2017 to accurately reflect the timing of Sadiq Khans comments, and because an earlier version said Khan was the first Muslim mayor of a major European city. This has been corrected to say of a western European capital city.
London attack: Australian family opens holiday snaps to discover family snap with slain police officer AN Alice Springs jeweller has recalled how he and his family recently posed for a photo with the police officer killed in the terror attack on London. Andrew Thorogood was in the English capital in October and crossed paths with PC Keith Palmer when the family visited the Houses of Parliament. We passed him on the way in and watched one of the debates, then on the way out we had to hand in our passes and we were waiting for Claires parents, Mr Thorogood told the NT News. I said mate would you mind if we get a photo? He picked up our accents and we told him where we were from. He said hed love to take his family out to Australia one day and thats when the girls said: if you are ever out that way, come and look us up in Alice Springs. Mr Thorogood, originally from Townsville, met his wife Claire in Alice Springs when she was a backpacker, on holiday from the UK. The family visit Mrs Thorogoods home country every year to help her parents harvest grapes, and the trip to London was a treat during one of their days off. We have never felt unsafe in London, Mr Thorogood said. Theres always a heavy security presence up there these days but you know, how do you stop people driving a car? He recognised the slain policeman when he was named in Australia on Thursday morning. Mr Thorogood still had the photo with PC Palmer on his phone. It sends a shiver down your spine. You just think of how small the world is, Mr Thorogood said. He was there on the front gate and quite happy to be the face of the police. He seemed like a genuinely nice guy. We talked about the desert and Alice Springs. What its like in London and how he wished he could see the sunshine as much as we see the sunshine. It was just a general conversation. media_cameraKeith Palmer was a police officer killed during the terrorist attack. Already there is more than $500k raised for his family. DEATH TOLL STANDS AT FOUR Meantime, four people were killed in the terror attack outside Britains parliament: a woman picking up her children from school, a man from Utah, a 75-year-old man, and an unarmed police officer. Westminster Bridge, where the attacker mowed down pedestrians before stabbing a police officer, is a busy tourist spot with its views of parliaments Big Ben clock tower. Those injured in the attack included many foreigners. Here is what we know about the victims so far. Hero police officer Unarmed police officer Keith Palmer, who was fatally stabbed as he stood guard at an entrance to parliament, has been hailed as a hero. The 48-year-old husband and father had been a police officer for 15 years and was part of the parliamentary protection force. He previously served in the British army alongside James Cleverly, now a Conservative MP, who tweeted: A lovely man, a friend. Im heartbroken. As a tribute, Charlton Athletic football club placed a scarf in its red and white colours on Seat 166 of its stadium, which Palmer held as a season ticket holder. Thousands of people also donated money to Palmers family via a crowdfunding page set up by the police force union. Within a day, it had already collected more than $500,000. media_cameraFacebook photo of Aysha Frade who was killed on the Westminster Bridge. Picture: Facebook Mother-of-two Colleagues of Aysha Frade, a mother who was run down and killed as she was on her way to pick up her children, said she was loved and would be deeply missed. A Spanish diplomatic source confirmed to AFP that Frade was a 43-year-old British national whose mother was Spanish. Media reports said her daughters were seven and nine years old. Rachel Borland, principal of DLD College London where Frade worked in the administration team, said she was highly regarded and loved by our students and by her colleagues. media_cameraKurt Cochran was in London celebrating his 25th wedding anniversary with wife Melissa (right).Picture: Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP A great American Kurt Cochran from Utah in the United States has been named as the third victim. US President Donald Trump took to Twitter to pay tribute to a great American adding that his prayers and condolences are with the family and friends. Clint Payne, Cochrans brother-in-law, explained in a statement that Cochran and his wife Melissa Payne Cochran had been in London to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. Our family is heartbroken, he said in a statement emailed to AFP. Cochrans wife is reportedly in hospital, where she is recovering from a broken leg and rib and a cut on her head. The police said only that a man in his 50s had died. media_cameraMelissa Payne Cochran can be seen bleeding on the front page of the New York Post after the London attack. Picture: New York Post media_cameraLondon terror victim Kurt Cochran. Picture: Facebook/Kurt Cochran 75-year-old man A 75-year-old man who was injured in the attack died of his wounds on Thursday evening, police said. The man had been receiving medical treatment in hospital following the attack and life support was withdrawn this evening, police said in a statement, without giving further details of the victims background. DOZENS INJURED Police said 29 of around 40 people wounded were treated in hospital. Seven remained in critical condition on Thursday. Four of the five Koreans who were injured in the attack have been released from hospital, according to The Korea Herald. Three Korean women and one man suffered broken bones during the attack. All were aged in their 50s and 60s. The four people discharged will return home on Saturday. The fifth person is awaiting a progress report after undergoing an operation. Ms Neis-Beer, 54, who has a 26-year-old son called Jordan and a 19-year-old daughter called Paige and who works in an organic market and cafe in Stirling in Adelaide, was one of those injured in the first mass-casualty terrorism attacks on British soil in more than a decade. She is currently recovering in hospital after undergoing surgery for a crushed foot but is in good spirits, Australian High Commissioner to the UK Alexander Downer told Channel Sevens Sunrise program on Friday morning In an odd coincidence, Mr Downer said Ms Neis-Beer lived in the Adelaide Hills town where he was born, Bridgewater. Dramatic footage shows a woman identified as Romanian tourist Andreea Cristea, 29, plummeting six meters into the freezing River Thames as a speeding car flies past, smashing into pedestrians on the bridge. media_cameraAndreea Cristea, 29, plummeted into the River Thames. Picture: Facebook The Port of London Authority said she was in a critical condition and was given emergency care on a pier before being rushed to hospital. The British media is reporting that Ms Cristea was in London with her fiance Andrei Burnaz to celebrate his birthday today. Mr Burnaz is reported to have suffered a minor injury. Paul Ciocoiu, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Romania, told Digi 24 TV: According to information we have, she (Ms Cristea) would be the pedestrian hit by a car and thrown into the Thames and then recovered. Ministry contacted the family. We do not know when the family arrived in Britain. If the family require consular assistance, of course, the ministry provides help punctually. There is a crisis cell set up immediately after the conclusion of the terrorist attack. There are the usual procedures, to keep in touch with British authorities, hospital authorities and family seriously injured citizen. Three French pupils on a school trip to London, all aged 15 or 16, were among those hurt, including two who suffered broken bones but were not reported to be in life-threatening condition. media_cameraFrancisco Lopes, a Portuguese national who was injured during the London terror attack, at his home in London. Picture: AP/Sophie Berman The teenagers are from a high school in Concarneau, in the western Brittany region, and were joined by their families on Wednesday evening. French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault arrived in London on Thursday to visit them. Five South Korean tourists  four women and a man in their 50s and 60s  were also wounded after being knocked to the ground by people fleeing as the assailant mowed down pedestrians, Seoul said. In an address to parliament on Thursday, May said that among the people admitted to hospital were 12 Britons as well as two Greeks and two Romanians, one German, one Pole, one Irish citizen, one Chinese national, one Italian and one American. A NOTE ABOUT RELEVANT ADVERTISING: We collect information about the content (including ads) you use across this site and use it to make both advertising and content more relevant to you on our network and other sites. This is also known as Online Behavioural Advertising. You can find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out here.
Popular Videos The terrorist responsible for the Westminster attack has been named by police as Khalid Masood, as further details continue to emerge about the identity of the killer. The 52-year-old was born Adrian Russell Ajao in Dartford, Kent, and most recently lived in the West Midlands. He is understood to have converted to Islam in prison, having spent time behind bars for violent crime, at which point he also went by the alias Khalid Choudry. Former neighbours said they were shocked to learn of his involvement in the attack, telling The Independent he was a "nice guy" who had a "normal family". He is thought to have had young children, although there were conflicting reports regarding how many. Some acquaintances said he had three, and some four. Scotland Yard said Masood had previous convictions for assaults, grievous bodily harm, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences. In one attack he is reported to have stabbed a man in the face, leaving him needing cosmetic surgery. His first conviction was in November 1983 for criminal damage and his last conviction was in December 2003 for possession of a knife. He had not been convicted of any terrorism offences, but police said he was known by a number of aliases. The Metropolitan Police and Sussex Police did not confirm further details of Masood's convictions or prison sentences to The Independent. Although Masood had never been a part of a terror plot himself, he had been associated in the past with suspected Islamist terrorists, security sources told The Independent. His indoctrination may have begun through meeting extremists while in prison, they said. Masood, who was described as a bodybuilder, was reportedly brought up by his single mother, Janet Elms, in East Sussex. The Daily Mail reported his mother married a man named Phillip Ajao when Masood was a young boy. At times, he is understood to have gone by the name Adrian Elms. The Home Office said it was still investigating how all Masood's aliases fitted together. Westminster terror attacker named as KhalidMasood He is thought to have made trips to London from the West Midlands to plan his attack and had stayed in the capital during his visits. Apart from Kent and Birmingham, he had lived for brief periods of time in Luton and east London. Three people were killed when he ploughed a car through pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, before storming the Parliamentary estate. He was then shot dead. He is thought to have regularly attended a mosque in Birmingham, although security sources refused to discuss details because, they said, it was part of ongoing investigations. Scotland Yard said eight people  five men and three women  had been arrested in London and Birmingham and were being held on suspicion on preparing terrorist acts. Seven of the suspects, aged between 21 and 39 were arrested overnight. A 58-year-old man was arrested in a separate raid. Detectives are continuing to search a number of addresses in relation to the attack, including three properties in Birmingham, one in east London, and one in Carmarthenshire, Wales. Emergency services at the scene while two knives lay on the floor outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after a policeman was stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament (PA wire) Masood had been living at a property in Birmingham's Winson Green neighbourhood with a woman and young child, but left abruptly in December, according to his former neighbours. He is also thought to have had an interest in bodybuilding, and to have claimed to be an English teacher. Shocked residents in Winson Green, described a man who had appeared the perfect suburban neighbour. He was once investigated in relation to concerns about violent extremism some years ago but was a "peripheral figure". The case is "historic" and the attacker was "not part of the current intelligence picture," Ms May added. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP Isis claimed the attacker was a "soldier of the Islamic State" when it claimed responsibility for the attack. However the group did not name him and did not provide any further details. The terrorist group regularly claims credit for atrocities and there is no evidence at present to verify the claim. No video has yet surfaced of him pledging adherence to Isis and its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, which has become the practice of those carrying out attacks on behalf of Isis. The Enterprise rental car company said the vehicle used in the attack had been rented from its Spring Hill branch in Birmingham, which is located in the West Midlands. "An employee identified the vehicle after seeing the licence plate in an image online. We ran another check to verify, and immediately contacted the authorities," said company spokesman John Davies. Masood had told the firm that he was an English teacher on Tuesday and later called the company to say he was likely to cancel the hire, but they did not hear from him again. About 40 people were injured in the attack and around 29 remain in hospital. Five people remain in a critical condition and two have life threatening injuries. Police had given the death toll as five but revised it to four. The casualties included 12 Britons, three French children, two Romanians, four South Koreans, one German, one Pole, one Chinese, one American and two Greeks, Ms May said. The attack took place on the first anniversary of attacks that killed 32 people in Brussels, and resembled Isis-inspired attacks in France and Germany where vehicles were driven into crowds. It was the deadliest attack in Britain since 2005, when 52 people were killed by Islamist suicide bombers on London's public transport system. Police asked anyone with information about Masood to contact the Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321
Hundreds of people have already taken to social media to defend the woman, who has not been named, after some online commentators viciously attacked her for purportedly failing to stop, help, or care. "What the image does not show is that I had talked to other witnesses to try and find out what was happening," she said, "to see if I could be of any help, even though enough people were at the scene tending to the victims." Read more The photographer who captured the image told The Independent earlier today that the womans actions were "completely appropriate" and the image had been wildly "misappropriated". In a short statement shared on Twitter by the charity TellMAMA, which documents anti-Muslim hate crime, the woman said after seeing if she could help, she "decided to call my family to say that I was fine and was making my way home from work, assisting a lady along the way by helping her get to Waterloo station". She added: "My thoughts go out to all the victims and their families. I would like to thank Jamie Lorriman, the photographer who took the picture, for speaking to the media in my defence." Press photographer Lorriman said the woman was clearly traumatised and visibly distressed. He said she was just one of hundreds fleeing the bridge, trying to avoid looking at the horror surrounding them. Her behaviour was completely in line with everyone else on the bridge, but you're not assuming others are callously ignoring the scenario, he said. He also criticised those taking the image out of context, saying: I wish there was something I could do about it being misused and misinterpreted. Its people who clearly have an agenda they want to push and will just put whatever they think out there. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP I think hate is how it can be categorised  whether its racial, Islamic, whatever  people who hate will use anything as the weapon of their opinion. Other people on social media have said the woman should never have had to justify her "perfectly normal" behaviour. At least 50 people were injured after terrorist Khalid Masood ploughed his car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge. He then fatally stabbed PC Keith Palmer before being shot dead. Four people were killed in the attack and 31 needed hospital treatment. It is believed 29 people remain in hospital, five of whom are in a critical condition and two have life-threatening injuries.
Those killed include a police officer on duty outside Parliament, who was named as PC Keith Palmer, 48, and Aysha Frade, a Spanish teacher who worked at DLD College London. In a statement Muslims United for London said: The British Muslim community stands with the community during these difficult times and extends their support in raising funds to help with the immediate, short-term needs of the families of Keith Palmer, the other victims and the families of the victims. While no amount of money will bring back lives lost or take away from the pain the victims and their families are going through, we hope to lessen their burden in some way. Muddassar Ahmed, who launched the page, told ITV last night he had seen the aftermath of the attack from his office window. I was in a meeting and suddenly my phone started going off and people started calling me. We looked out of the window and we saw a scene of horror. It was so shocking and completely out of the blue, he said. Its something you hear about, but never expect to experience. The group said 100 per cent of funds collected through this campaign will go to the victims and the families of the victims most affected by the tragic events that unfolded on March 22, 2017, in our community. The campaign comes as Mohammed Shafiq, chief executive of the Ramadhan Foundation, has called for increased security outside Mosques. In a statement he said: The terrorists aim to divide communities, the far right are doing the work of these terrorist groups by perpetuating the division and hatred, but as British citizens, we will continue to work to bring people together and defeat the ideology of violence. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP Sadly, after such terrorist atrocities innocent Muslims and our Mosques are deliberately targeted as acts of Muslim hatred, we need to remain vigilant and resolute to not allow anyone to divide our communities. I want to pay tribute to PC Keith Palmer killed yesterday in the line of service defending our democracy; we pay tribute to him and offer our prayers, condolences and solidarity to his family and friends. The Independent has launched its #FinalSay campaign to demand that voters are given a voice on the final Brexit deal.
Suicide attack on Indian parliament in New Delhi by Pakistan-based Islamist terrorist organizations Jaish-E-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Toiba, aimed at eliminating the top leadership of India and causing anarchy in the country.[16] 2008 Muslim extremists kill at least 166 people and wound numerous others in a series of coordinated attacks on India's financial capital, Mumbai. The government of India blamed Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba and stated that the terrorists killed/caught were citizens of Pakistan, a claim which the Pakistani government first refused but then accepted when given proof. Ajmal Kasab, one of the terrorists, was caught alive.[41][42] On December 17, two consecutive car bombings hit a residential area near the city's General Hospital, killing 11 civilians and injuring 45 others. The attacks were part of a country-wide wave of violence that killed almost 100 people in a single day.[52] 11 45 2013 Location Date Description Deaths Injuries United States April 15 Boston Marathon bombing  Two brothers, Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnev, planted two bombs near the finish line of the Boston Marathon.[53] 2014 A gang armed with knives and axes attacked a police station and government offices in Elixku Township, and some moved onto Huangdi Township, attacking civilians and smashing vehicles as they passed.[62] 2015 A car packed with explosives drove up to the headquarters of EUPOL Afghanistan, a European police-training organization, in Kabul and detonated. Taliban claimed responsibility.[86] 1 16 Iraq January 6 Two suicide bombers attacked a mosque in the town of Al-Jubba while Iraqi soldiers were resting, killing 10 soldiers plus the two attackers. Clashes following the bombings left 13 security personnel dead and 21 wounded.[87] A series of explosions at two bus stations in Gombe kill about 40 people.[138] 40 Cameroon July 26 A suicide bomber kills at least 14 people at a popular nightclub in Maruoa, just three days after 2 suicide bombers killed 20 people in the same town.[139] 15 India July 27 2015 Gurdaspur attack Three Islamic terrorists of Pakistani origin from Indian-administrated Kashmir disguised in army uniforms attacked the Dina Nagar police station in Gurdaspur District of Punjab, India. The attack resulted in the deaths of 3 policemen, 4 civilians and 15 others were injured. All 3 attackers were killed by the Indian security forces.[140] 10 15 Nigeria August 11 47 people are killed as explosions erupt at a crowded market in the town of Sabon Gari.[141] Gunmen opened fire on a car near Nablus on the northern West Bank, killing a man and woman. 4 of their 6 children were also in the car and witnessed the attack, but were uninjured. The attackers have been praised by Hamas.[152][153] 8 people among women and children demise when a female suicide bomber is reduced to pulp.[177] 8 Tunisia November 24 At least 14 people were killed in a bus bombing in Tunis, the capital of Tunisia. ISIL claimed responsibility for this attack that targeted a bus transporting members of the Presidential Guard.[178] 14 11 Egypt November 24 In the November 2015 Sinai attack which occurred a day after the second round of parliamentary elections closed, militants attack a hotel housing election judges in the provincial capital of al-Arish in Egypt's North Sinai. 7 dead, 10+ wounded[179] 7 10+ Niger November 25 Boko Haram invades a village and shoots indiscriminately residents and also fire rockets, killing 18.[180] 18 Nigeria November 27 21 killed in Boko Haram suicide attack on a Shia procession in Nigeria[181] 22 Egypt November 28 Islamist gunmen killed four security personnel in an attack at a police checkpoint in Saqqara. 4 dead[182] Fourteen Islamist female suicide bombers aged 1218 attempted to simultaneously attack the city of Maiduguri. Seven of the bombers were shot dead by Nigerian forces while three menaged to escape and detonate themselves in Baderi general area and near a Mosque, killing 26 people and wounding another 85.[201] 36 85 Pakistan December 29 A suicide bomber detonated his explosives in the front entrance of a regional branch of the National Database and Registration Authority in the northwestern city of Mardan, Pakistan. The blast killed 26 people and more than 50 were wounded.[202] 27 50+ Russia December 29 A gunman opened fire on a group of local residents who were visiting a viewing platform at the fortress in Derbent, Dagestan, southern Russia, killing one and injuring 11. ISIL claims responsibility.[203] 1 11 2016 Location Date Description Deaths Injuries Afghanistan January 1 A Taliban suicide bomber detonated himself in a French restaurant called 'Le Jardin' in Kabul. 2 dead 15 injured.[204] The April 2016 Kabul attack targeted a security team responsible for protecting government VIPs in Kabul, Afghanistan. The attack killed 64 people and wounded 347. It was the Taliban's biggest attack on an urban area since 2001.[231] 64 347 Bangladesh April 23 Attackers hacked a university professor to death in the city of Rajshahi, Bangladesh. ISIL claimed responsibility for the attack stating that they assassinated him "for calling to atheism in the city of Rajshahi in Bangladesh".[232][233] 1 Bangladesh April 25 Two gays rights activists were hacked to death in the capital of Bangladesh, Dhaka. An Al-Qaeda affiliated group claimed responsibility for the attacks and stated they killed the two as they were "pioneers of practicing [sic] and promoting homosexuality in Bangladesh".[234][235] 2 Iraq May 11 At least 40 people were killed and 60 injured in a car bomb attack on a market in Baghdad. ISIL claims responsibility.[236] Gunmen killed 20 hostages in the affluent Gulshan Thana neighborhood of Dhaka. Thirteen hostages were rescued; two police officers and six terrorists were killed. One terrorist was taken into custody. ISIL claimed responsibility, but according to Bangladeshi officials, the attack was carried out by homegrown militant group Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh.[245] On August 27, Bangladeshi police killed three militants whom they accused of perpetrating the Dhaka attack, including Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury, a 30-year-old Canadian citizen born in Bangladesh, who was described as "one of the main suppliers of funds and arms for several recent attacks".[246] A 17-year-old Afghan refugee injured five people seriously, two critically, with a knife and hatchet on a train near Wrzburg. The attacker was shot dead when he attacked the arriving police officers.[252] 1 5 Germany July 24 A suicide bombing outside a wine bar in Ansbach, Germany, in which a bomber tried to bomb a large music festival going on at the time. After detonation, he injured 15, 4 seriously. Many videos were discovered of him pledging allegiance to ISIL and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The bomber was the only fatality.[253] 1 15 France July 26 A priest's throat was slit and four nuns were taken hostage in a church in Rouen, France. The IS-linked Amaq news agency said "two soldiers of the Islamic State" had carried out the attack. The two terrorists were shot dead by the French authorities. One of the men was known to the French intelligence services (as reported by French TV channel M6) and was on the French government's terror watch-list, known as the S list.[254] 2016 New York and New Jersey bombings - three bombs exploded and several unexploded ones were found in the New York metropolitan area. The bombings left 31 people wounded, but no fatalities or life-threatening injuries were reported. Subsequently the perpetrator has been charged with attempting to radicalized fellow jail inmates to espouse violent islamic jihadism beliefs.[256] Forty-seven people were killed and 100 injured by a bomb at the Shah Noorani shrine in Balochistan. More people were killed and injured during the stampede that resulted from people fleeing the bomb blast. ISIL claimed responsibility.[259][260][261][262] Five people were killed in two suicide bombings that hit districts recently retaken from Islamic State in eastern Mosul. The first attack targeted an army checkpoint, killing three soldiers, and the second a gathering of civilians in the commercial district known as "My Fair Lady," killing two.[274] 5 0 Pakistan February 21 Three militants threw hand grenades and opened fire as they launched an assault in Tangi, near the border with Afghanistan. Two of the men blew themselves up during the 20-minute gun battle with security forces at the gate, while the third was shot dead by police before he could detonate his explosive vest.[275] 7 22 Egypt February 22 Two Coptic citizens were found killed on Wednesday inside the North Sinai city of Al-Arish. The two are believed to have been kidnapped by anonymous militants who are suspected to be members of the IS-affiliated group of "Sinai Province."[276] 2 0 Afghanistan February 28 Twelve policemen were killed in an "insider attack" in the southern Afghan province of Helmand. An infiltrator from the Taliban had allowed militants into the outpost in the regional capital, Lashkar Gah.[277] 12 0 Afghanistan March 8 Gunmen dressed as medics attacked a military hospital in the Afghan capital of Kabul, killing more than 40 people, in an assault claimed by Islamic State.[278][279] 40+ 50+ Iraq March 8 Two suicide bombers blew themselves up, killing 26 people at a wedding party in a village near the Iraqi city of Tikrit. Islamic State said two of its fighters had carried out the attack in the village of Hajaj.[280] 2017 Stockholm attack - A rejected Uzbek asylum seeker had stolen a beer truck and drove onto the crowded high street to mow down as many pedestrians as possible. According to his testimony he wanted to pressure Sweden into ending its support for the fight against "Islamic State."[284][285] Manchester Arena bombing  A suicide bomber attacks Ariana Grande's pop concert with audience of up to 20,000. Authorities promptly raise the terror threat level to "Critical" fearing another attack.[288][289][290] Twenty-two people were arrested in connection with the attack, all of whom had been released without charge by 11 June.[291] The June 2017 London Bridge attack, was an incident where a van ran over multiple pedestrians on the London Bridge. On Borough Market the occupants of the van stabbed multiple people before being shot by police.[293][294] 2017 Tehran attacks Iran parliament and the shrine of Ruhollah Khomeini. In the first attacks orchestrated by ISIS in Iran, Tehran was targeted by suicide bombers and teams of gunmen when they stormed Iran's parliament and the nearby shrine of Ruhollah Khomeini. All 4 attackers at the parliament were killed.[296][297] 22 43 Iraq June 9 At least 30 people were killed in a suicide bombing in Karbala, Iraqi officials said. The attack was claimed by ISIL.[298] 2017 Barcelona attacks - Three separate attacks in Barcelona (location pictured) kill at least fifteen people and injure more than one hundred others. "Authorities believe the men to be part of 12 member Islamic Terror cell".[301] The group was held 120 gas canisters being ready to bomb a major target.[302] 15 120 Finland August 18 2017 Turku attack - Ten people were stabbed with knives in Turku, by an eighteen-year-old Moroccanasylum seeker named Abderrahman Bouanane. According to the police he was a radicalizedlone wolf influenced by ISIS. Two of the victims killed. The attacker was shot the in leg by police and been arrested. Police later discovered that the attacker had also planned attacks at different sites. Three other suspects, all Moroccans, have been remanded in custody in connection with the attack. He was convicted for terrorism and murder. It was the first time, a Finnish court has decreed that a crime was a terrorist act and Finland's prime minister has described the stabbings as the country's first terrorist attack in history.[303][304] 2 8 United Kingdom September 15 A bomb, wrapped in a plastic grocery bag concealed in a bucket, exploded at 8:20 a.m. at the height of the morning rush at the London's Underground. The bomb exploded just after the train drew into Parsons Green. The Islamic State asserted responsibility for the bucket bomb hours later in a message on its Amaq news site that said a detachment of its disciples had carried out the attack.[305] 0 29 United States October 31 2017 Lower Manhattan attack - A man drove a pickup truck into cyclists and runners along about 1 mile (2 km) of a bicycle path in Lower Manhattan, New York City. After he left the vehicle, the driver was wielding two guns (later found to be a paintball gun and a pellet gun); he was shot in the abdomen by police and arrested.[306] An ISIS flag and a document that read either "It will endure." or "Islamic State will endure forever." in Arabic were found in the truck.[307][308] Assailants rammed American and European cyclists with a car in the Khatlon region, then attacked them with knives and an axe. Four cyclists killed and two were injured. At least one suspected attacker was killed while resisting arrest and at least one other was detained. [333] 4 2 Netherlands August 31 A 19-year-old Afghan, with a German residence permit, stabbed two American tourists with a knife at Amsterdams central station. After the attack he was shot by Dutch police in his lower body and arrested. The victims remained in hospital with serious injuries. German police searched the mans house at the request of their Dutch colleagues and seized several data carriers.[334]
Closed Terror attack on UK parliament day 2  as it happened An investigation is under way after four people died and around 40 were injured in an attack in Westminster in central London on Wednesday afternoon. The police have said they are treating the attack as terrorism. Join us for further developments and reaction. Key points Police name attacker as Kent-born Khalid Masood The three victims named; 29 injured treated in hospital Isis reportedly claims responsibility Eight people arrested overnight in London, Birmingham and other parts of the UK If you are working or travelling in central London today, know that buses are disrupted around Westminster and Westminster station remains closed for entry and exit. You can still change trains at the station. Transport for London has said that bus tickets will be accepted on the London Underground within Zone 1 via any reasonable route. Theresa May, the prime minister, is set to make a statement to the Commons later following Wednesdays terrorist attack. Flags at the Palace of Westminster are flying at half mast this morning. Parliamentary tours and school visits have been cancelled, but the public gallery overlooking the Commons chamber is still open. MPs are likely to mark the killings in Wednesdays attack with a moments silence. For those of you who went to bed early last night in London, acting deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Mark Rowley last updated the public at around 10:30pm. In his statement, he identified the police officer who died on the parliamentary estate as PC Keith Palmer. Mr Palmer was 48 years old and married with children. Commander Rowley also confirmed that three members of the public had died and around another 40 people were injured, including three police officers. Two of the injured police officers were in a serious condition as of last night. A BBC correspondent is reporting from outside a flat in Birmingham raided on Wednesday evening. The BBC says eye witnesses said three people were taken away for questioning. The operation happened at around 11pm, with the street cordoned off. West Midlands Police referred press inquires to Scotland Yard. The BBC also reported the vehicle used in the attack at Westminster was believed to have been hired in Solihull, a town in greater Birmingham The Press Association also reported the raids in Birmingham: The London force refused to comment on the raids connection to the bloody assault on Westminster, but one witness told the Press Association: The man from London lived here. Rowley did not identify any more of those who died, but said that in addition to PC Keith Palmer and the attacker, there was a woman in her mid-40s and a man in his mid-50s who were killed in the attack. He also said some police leave has been cancelled and duty rosters increased as part of the police operation. Sir Michael Fallon, defence secretary, has been speaking to various media outlets this morning, saying there will be a review of security at the Palace of Westminster, including arrangements at Carriage Gates. London has seen this before and is taking this on the chin, and I do want to reassure you that the police and security forces are doing everything possible to make sure that people can go about their daily life as safely as possible. He said the working assumption is the attack is linked to islamic terrorism in some form. But he described the attacker as a lone wolf who used things from daily life a vehicle, a knife, which he said made such an attack much more difficult to forestall. So were dealing with an enemy, a terrorist enemy that is not making demands or holding people hostage but simply wants to kill as many people as possible. So this is a new element to international terrorism. With some reports saying PC Palmer, the murdered policeman, was unarmed, there are questions whether officers guarding Westminster should carry firearms in future. But Yvette Cooper, the Labour MP who chairs the Commons home affairs select committee, said those judgments should be made by the expert security staff. She told Sky News: I dont think its right for MPs to be second-guessing those judgments Sir Michael Fallon told the BBC earlier that London is going to work this morning. The FTs Malcolm Moore took this picture of Londons Waterloo Station during the morning rush hour, saying he counted six policemen instead of the usual two on south end of concourse, but there were no visible weapons and commuters seemed to be going about their day as normal. London mayor Sadiq Khan has said London is resilient and would not be cowed by such attacks. He told Sky News the terrorists wanted to divide communities: They hate the fact that here in London Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, those who are members of an organised faith and those who arent, dont simply tolerate each other. We respect each other, we celebrate each other, we embrace each other. The Mayor invites all Londoners  and everyone visiting our city  to come together in solidarity to remember those who have lost their lives, to express sympathy with their families and loved ones and to show the world that we are more committed than ever to the values that we hold dear  that we remain united and open. The FTs political correspondent Kate Allen sends this report from the House of Commons this morning: Westminster was eerily quiet on Thursday morning as politicians and parliamentary staff filtered back into the Palace of Westminster. Whitehall, Parliament Square and part of Millbank are closed as part of an extensive security cordon, with enhanced security procedures for those entering the complex of buildings. There is a heavy police presence throughout the area. In an early sign of normality beginning to return after yesterdays dramatic events, coffee bars and restaurants within the parliamentary estate were open as normal. MPs are preparing to pay tribute to those who died in the incident in a debate in the Commons chamber from 9.30am. The debate will start after Parliaments usual daily opener: a short prayer. West Midlands Police say the arrests overnight in Birmingham were intelligence-led and add there is no immediate risk to public safety. It has just released this statement: Following the terrible incidents in London yesterday, our thoughts are with those who have been affected. Overnight our colleagues from the Metropolitan Police have searched a number of addresses across the country and have made a number of arrests in connection with the incident, including addresses in Birmingham. The arrests and searches were intelligence led and there was no immediate risk to public safety. We would like to reassure our communities that we have extra officers out on patrol throughout the next few days to offer reassurance and address any concerns you may have. We are keen to stress that this additional security is not based on any new or emerging intelligence. The security threat level nationally remains unchanged at Severe meaning an attack is highly likely. As ever the public are urged to remain alert and not alarmed. Everyone is advised to be vigilant and to report any concerns to the confidential Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321. In an emergency, always dial 999. Assistant Chief Constable Marcus Beale, who leads on counter terrorism for the force, said: Suspicious activity is anything that seems out of place, unusual or just doesnt seem to fit in with day-to-day life  Let us decide if it is important. We work tirelessly to counter terrorism. Our absolute priority is to ensure the safety and security of the people who live, work and visit the West Midlands area. Our policing tactics and security measures are being reviewed on a daily basis  we, along with our partners, are working around the clock to keep Birmingham and our other cities as safe as can be. Senior police officers pay their tributes this morning at the eternal flame memorial at New Scotland Yard to all police officers who have lost their lives in the service of the Metropolitan Police. Earlier we reported that commuters in London are going about their daily routines largely unaffected by todays events. It appears it is also business as usual at the capitals airports. Via the FTs Robert Wright, a spokesperson for Heathrow Airport said: The safety and security of our passengers and colleagues is our top priority. The police have a permanent and effective presence at Heathrow and we will continue to work closely with them and government authorities to remain vigilant and to respond to any changes in the security situation. The FTs Peter Spiegel was at Heathrow Airport this morning and noted that while nothing was out of the ordinary in London, he had been subject to more checks than usual at Tegel in Berlin. This is an image of Cressida Dick, the incoming Met commissioner, commiserating with senior colleagues at todays event This was one of her first public appearances since her appointment in mid February. In addition, this is her message to staff issued last night: One of our officers died protecting the public and Parliament. We will never forget his courage. My deepest sympathy is with his family and with the loved ones of everyone who lost their lives. My thoughts too are with the members of the public and our officers who were injured as well as those people affected by these appalling events. As many Parliamentarians have noted, our officers ran towards danger to do their jobs. We are indebted to their bravery. Andrew Parker, director general of MI5, has released the following statement. Via the FTs defence and security editor Sam Jones: The thoughts of the men and women of MI5 are with the families of those killed in Westminster yesterday, and with the other innocent people injured in this appalling and disgusting attack. We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our police colleagues, grieving at their loss while also applauding the professional excellence of their response. As acting deputy commissioner Rowley said, the security community prepares for such awful events  while working tirelessley to prevent them. The MI5 operational response is fully mobilised in support of the police. Mrs May has just confirmed the attacker was known to police and MI5, but he would not be identified until it was operationally appropriate. What I can confirm is that the man was British-born and that some years ago he was once investigated by MI5 in relation to concerns about violent extremism. He was a peripheral figure. The case is historic. He was not part of the current intelligence picture. There was no prior intelligence of his intent or of the plot. Intensive investigations continue. The Metropolitan Police Federation has already raised more than 5,000 for the family of PC Keith Palmer. The Metropolitan Police Federation are raising money for the family of PC Keith Palmer, the Police Officer who tragically gave his life on 22 March 2017 as he guarded the Palace of Westminster from what is believed to have been a terrorist attack. Following the shocking events in Westminster, Prince Philip and I are sorry that we will not be able to open the New Scotland Yard building as planned today, for very understandable reasons. I look forward to visiting at a later date. My thoughts, prayers, and deepest sympathy are with all those who have been affected by yesterdays awful violence. I know I speak for everyone in expressing my enduring thanks and admiration for the members of the Metropolitan Police Service and all who work so selflessly to help and protect others. More from parliament today, where the sombre mood has also been one of solidarity, says the FTs Jim Pickard: The Commons dropped its usual partisan backbiting as MPs from all political parties paid solemn tribute to the bravery of the police and NHS workers from St Thomas Hospital. Both Tim Farron, leader of the Liberal Democrats, and Ed Miliband, former Labour leader, said that Mrs May had spoken for the entire country in her response to Wednesdays terrorist incident. Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, hailed the bravery of Keith Palmer and said minister Tobias Ellwood deserved special commendation for trying to save the policemans life. Mr Corbyn was among many to condem the poison and division of hatred that inspired such crimes. Dominic Grieve, chair of the joint intelligence and security committee, said it was a miracle that similar attacks had not happened in previous years. The Tory MP said Parliament must be resolute and defeat evil with rational, democratic principles: There are no short cuts to enable us to do that. Sir Peter Bottomley, another Conservative MP, said the lesson from the murder of his colleague Airey Neave a generation ago was not to blame any community for attacks by one individual. We have received a report that there is significant police activity near the US Embassy in London (below), with streets closed to traffic and officers telling workers in nearby office buildings to stay inside and away from windows. One office worker also reported hearing helicopter activity overhead. We will report more information as we receive it. The Gherkin building in the City of London was evacuated earlier this morning amid reports of a fire, but employees there have since returned to work. Our source tells us the security alert in the Mayfair district of London near the US Embassy on Grovesnor Square appears to be over. Police have re-opened the streets to pedestrians though not vehicles as yet. The leader of the House of Commons David Lidington has just given MPs some practical notices, at the end of the debate on the attacks. Security checks have been stepped up and public access to Parliament has been temporarily limited, he said. Staff and those working in Parliament can access counselling and support at the Parliamentary health and wellbeing service, he reminded MPs. Books of condolence have been opened in the MPs library, the Royal Gallery in the House of Lords and in Westminster Hall. The 13th century chapel in the Palace of Westminster will be open all day for prayers and reflection, and short services will be held by Parliaments chaplain at 12.30, 3 and 6pm. The FTs political editor, George Parker, sent this download a little earlier from the lobby briefing following Theresa Mays statement to parliament earlier: The prime ministers official spokesman said Theresa May believed the police and intelligence services had all the powers they need to tackle this kind of incident  ie no new laws are needed The spokesman confirmed attacker was not part of the current intelligence picture and that there was no prior intelligence of his intent but refused to comment when asked if this amounted to an intelligence failure. He also declined to say exactly how long ago the attacker was under surveillance, refusing to go beyond some years ago..also no comment on what exactly he was being watched for or what peripheral figure means. The person who implemented the attack yesterday in front of the British parliament in London was a soldier of the Islamic State and he executed the operation in response to the calls to target the sponsors of the international coalition. Erika Solomon, the FTs Middle East correspondent, offers this context on Isis claiming responsibility for the London attack: Isis has regularly claimed attacks carried out by assailants whose links to the group are tenuous at best, arguing that they are in response to calls by its leaders for sympathizers to attack governments that have joined the US-led international coalition fighting the jihadi group. Some assailants have indeed been found to have had communication with Isis, while most are found to have made claims of sympathising with the group. But few since the Brussels and Paris attacks have appeared to have clear, direct links or support from Isis. Right-wing politicians across Europe have seized on the attack in London to argue their case for stronger border controls and limits of immigration. Marine Le Pen, the leader of the National Front who is in a tight race for the French presidency, told BFM TV and RMC radio earlier: The problem we have nowadays is this form of low-cost terrorism . . . we must control our borders. Polands prime minister, Beata Szydlo, drew a link with the European Unions migrant policy, saying the assault vindicated Warsaws refusal to take in refugees. It is worth remembering that the UK government has confirmed the as yet unnamed attacker was British-born. Paul Nuttall, the leader of the British eurosceptic anti-immigration party UKIP, addressed the issue of so-called home-grown jihadis. The Press Association reports: Speaking near Parliament, Ukip leader Paul Nuttall said the country must ensure there was no knee-jerk reaction after the evil attack and called on people to come together and ensure that we move on forward. He said he was horrified by the act of insanity, but said that Muslim communities had to do more to root out this cancer of radicalisation. Mr Nuttall said that we have to do something about people who will be returning from Syria, who he said should not be allowed back into the UK. However, he added: Lets be frank about this, only a tiny fragment of the Muslim community in this country are radicalised  probably 1%  so the majority should not be blamed for the actions of one lunatic. There are reports that authorities in the Belgian port city of Antwerp have foiled a possible terror attack. The Dutch newspaper, De Telegraaf, reports on its website that a man has been arrested after military personnel prevented a car he was driving from entering the citys busiest street after it went through a red light. Reports suggest police discovered guns and explosives in the vehicle, which had French number plates, after it was stopped on the corner of Sint-Michielskaai. The FTs George Parker has got confirmation from government insiders of reports elsewhere that it was members of the security detail assigned to defence secretary Sir Michael Fallon (pictured below leaving Downing Street earlier) who shot the attacker on the grounds of the Palace of Westminster, the home of the British parliament. This raises questions about where the usual armed police guards were, who are normally in the vicinity of the main gate. Fallons bodyguards were only there because he was in the Commons at the time, voting. We have a bit more on the situation in Antwerp from the FTs Jim Brunsden in Brussels: Belgian state media are reporting that a possible terrorist suspect has been arrested in Antwerp after trying to drive his car through the towns pedestrianised city centre at high speed. According to public broadcaster RTBF, weapons and military fatigues were found in his car after it was stopped by police this morning. Antwerps mayor, Bart De Wever, is set to give further details at a press conference this afternoon. Mr De Wever took to Twitter to state his gratitude on behalf of all Antwerp to the soldiers that have intervened, the police services and the rapid response team. A spokesman for the Belgian federal prosecutors office told the FT that it is still gathering details of the incident to see if there is any link to terrorism. RTBF newspaper reported that the car tried to get into the pedestrianised area, known as Le Meir, at around 11am local time this morning. Le Soir newspaper said that a chase ensued with police before the car was stopped by the military. The driver of the car has been arrested. There are no reports of possible injuries at this stage. Authorities in Antwerp have just held a brief press conference confirming what the FTs Jim Brunsden filed below. Additionally, the authorities have said that a man of North African origin is under arrest. Pedestrians were forced to jump out of the way as the suspect drove his car at high speed down Le Meir, the pedestrianised area of the city. The police said the vehicle was spotted by a military patrol which tried to stop it but it sped off. The military then alerted the police who sent out a rapid response unit and intercepted the vehicle. Weapons and other suspicious items were found in the vehicle. No-one was hurt. The Belgian federal prosecutor has taken over the case, which only happens in Belgium in case of a serious crime or act of terrorism. Local media are reporting the prosecutors office have issued a statement in which they name the driver who was arrested as Mohamed R, a French national, born on May 8 1977. The events happened at around 10:45am local time this morning. The statement said: Various weapons were found in the boot, including knives, a riot gun and a container with an unknown substance inside. Going by the information available at this stage and taking into account what happened yesterday in London, it has been decided to hand the dossier to the federal prosecutors office. We have this picture of Belgian police and the bomb-disposal squad attending the scene in Antwerp: We have the name of one of the victims of yesterdays attack in London confirmed. Aysha Frade (pictured below) worked at a college in London and was reportedly on her way to pick up her children from school. The principal of DLD College, Rachel Borland, issued this statement: We are all deeply shocked and saddened at the news that one of the victims yesterday was a member of our staff, Aysha Frade. All our thoughts and our deepest sympathies are with her family. We will be offering every support we can to them as they try to come to terms with their devastating loss. Aysha worked as a member of our administration team at the college. She was highly regarded and loved by our students and by her colleagues. She will be deeply missed by all of us. No other details have been confirmed but other reports said she was a 43-year-old British woman who was married with two children. She had a Spanish mother and a father of Cypriot origin. Other media outlets have named the third victim of the attack yesterday. He was US tourist Kurt Cochran (pictured below) from Utah. The BBC have a statement from his family, which reads: Our family is heartbroken to learn of the death of our brother  and son-in-law  Kurt W. Cochran. Kurt was a good man and a loving husband to our sister and daughter, Melissa. They were in Europe to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary, and were scheduled to return to the United States on Thursday. Melissa also received serious injuries in the attack, and is being cared for in the hospital. Three people were murdered by the attacker, including police constable Keith Palmer, who challenged the assailant as he tried to force his way into parliament. The FTs Anna Nicolaou has a bit more detail on Kurt Cochran, who was murdered in London yesterday, and his wife Melissa, who was seriously injured. Kurt Cochran and his wife, Melissa, (pictured together below) had come from Bountiful, Utah, to Europe to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. The couple were in London visiting Melissas parents, who are missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and had planned to return to the US today. Our family is heartbroken to learn of the death of our brother and son-in-law, said Clint Payne, Melissas brother. We ask for privacy as our family mourns and as Melissa recovers from her injuries. Melissa Cochran is now in the hospital with serious injuries. Her parents asked the Church to distribute their message. The FTs Balkans correspondent Andrew Byrne in Budapest has spoken to the Romanian ambassador to London about the woman who was rescued from the river Thames yesterday after she either jumped or fell from Westminster Bridge (pictured below). She has been identified as Andreea Christea, a 29-year old Romanian architect who was visiting London and is now in a critical condition following surgery. Romanias ambassador to London told the Financial Times that Ms Christea was alive but seriously injured and had been transferred to St. Bartholomews hospital this morning. She is still in a critical condition; she has undergone surgery on the brain to remove a blood clot. Its a complicated and risky procedure but it was a success and now she is stable, Dan Mihalache said by telephone. My staff is there in the hospital and monitoring the situation. The biggest issue is that she is suffering serious lung problems, he said. Its unknown whether Ms Christea was directly struck by the attackers car when it drove into a group of pedestrians on Westminster bridge, or whether she fell while trying to avoid a collision. Mr Mihalache said Ms Christeas boyfriend Andrei Burnaz was also injured during the attack. Mr Burnaz had planned to propose to his girlfriend during their visit to London marking his birthday. They were tourists that came to celebrate his birthday  he wanted to propose to her today. They were simply tourists. Theresa May has paid a visit to a London hospital to meet victims of the attack and the staff who are treating them. Mrs May spent 40 minutes there and thanked staff for their hard work according to her official spokesman. Downing St refused to give further details of the event. Victims including injured police officers are being treated in several hospitals around the capital. The prime minister has also visited Westminster Hall where many parliamentary staff took refuge yesterday to sign a book of condolence that has been set up there. Mrs May has received a series of calls from world leaders in the aftermath of the attack. President Trump called her last night according to Downing St. Other leaders who have spoken to her in the past 24 hours include Angela Merkel, Francois Hollande, Justin Trudeau, President Erdogan of Turkey, the King of Jordan and Jean Claude Juncker. Mrs May attended her regular meeting with the Queen on Wednesday evening at around 6pm, Downing St has revealed. A spokesman declined to reveal the subjects that were discussed but said it was a routine meeting. The family of the Keith Palmer, who died preventing the attacker from getting inside Westminster Palace, have issued a statement via the Metropolitan Police. Heres an excerpt: Keith will be remembered as a wonderful dad and husband. A loving son, brother and uncle. A long-time supporter of Charlton FC. Dedicated to his job and proud to be a police officer, brave and courageous. A friend to everyone who knew him. He will be deeply missed. We love him so much. His friends and family are shocked and devastated by his loss and ask that they are left to grieve alone in peace. PC James Aitkenhead, who had worked alongside the murdered officer said: Keith was a genuinely nice person; nobody had a bad word to say about him. When I heard what had happened I knew it would be him because thats just the sort of guy he was, to step straight in when others might step back. He had a great work ethic, he worked on our warrants car for years, getting up at 4am to serve warrants and arresting wanted offenders. He was always so positive, always staying late after everyone else and getting in early. In his personal life he was a massive Charlton Athletic fan and had a season ticket. Amber Rudd, the Home Secretary, and Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, have addressed a large crowd in Trafalgar Square. In between polite applause, there is almost total silence in the square that lies at the heart of the capital. Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism, Mr Khan tells a large crowd. And on that note, we are going to wrap up our live coverage of the aftermath of Wednesdays attack in London. The main developments today have been the naming of the three people murdered in the attack as well as the release of the identity of the man believed to have been the assailant. Police also revealed they have arrested eight people on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts in raids in London and Birmingham. Thanks for joining us.
World Mass murder in Westminster terror attack A police officer points a gun at a man lying on the ground receiving medical attention. Photo: Stefan Rousseau/PA/AP LONDON, UK - At least three people, including a police officer, have been murdered and others 'catastrophically' injured in a combined car and knife attack on pedestrians in Westminster and at parliament itself. Reports indicate that a man driving a car ploughed into pedestrians  it is said to include a group of French tourists  on Westminster Bridge before crashing into the wall of parliament and then stabbing a police officer near the entrance of parliament before being shot. The attacker later died. Middle East Minister Tobias Ellwood immediately gave medical assistance to the police officer at some risk to his own life and was seen with the officer's blood on his face. He will be hailed as one of many heroes in the response to this attack and it is particularly poignant for him given that his own brother was killed in the Al Qaeda bomb attack on a disco in Bali in 2002. The police officer has since died from his wounds. The British police are treating the attack as a terrorist incident and parliamentary proceedings were suspended and parliament put into lockdown while a large area of central London was cordoned off. Prime Minister Theresa May was near the incident but evacuated by her security detail. The KRG High Representative to the UK, Karwan Jamal Tahir, who was with me at an all-party parliamentary group meeting in parliament in the morning, immediately tweeted his solidarity. He wrote 'Terrible terror attack on #BritishParliament, Solidarity from #KRG to all MPs and #British people. @KurdistanRegion @KRG_UK @APPGKurdistan.' Messages of solidarity and condolences from world leaders have been flooding in. The Muslim Council of Britain said: We are shocked and saddened by the incident at Westminster. We condemn this attack and while it is still too early to speculate on the motives, our thoughts and prayers are for the victims and those affected. We pay tribute too to the police and emergency services who handled this with bravery. The Palace of Westminster is the centre of our democracy and we must all ensure that it continues to serve our country and its people with safety and security. The last terrorist attack on Parliament was in March 1979 when an Irish republican group planted a bomb under the car of a leading Conservative MP, Airey Neave. Today's attack took place on the day of the first anniversary of the lethal Daesh assault on the airport in Brussels. It is too soon to be certain but the Westminster atrocity has all the hallmarks of a Daesh lone wolf operation and is in line with their injunctions to kill in whatever way possible.
Retired window cleaner fourth victim of Westminster terrorist attack Retired window cleaner fourth victim of Westminster terrorist attack The fourth person to be killed by Khalid Masood in the Westminster terror attack was pensioner Leslie Rhodes. The 75-year-old, from Streatham, south London, died at King's College Hospital on Thursday night after life support was withdrawn. Neighbours described him as a "lovely man" and said the retired window cleaner was a keen music fan. The innocent casualties include 12 Britons, three French children, two Romanians, four South Koreans, two Greeks, and one each from Germany, Poland, Ireland, China, Italy and the United States. :: Kurt Cochran Kurt Cochran, a US tourist from Utah, was killed on Westminster Bridge after Khalid Masood drove a car into unsuspecting pedestrians. He and his wife Melissa, on the last day of a trip celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary, were visiting her parents, who are serving as Mormon missionaries in London. Mrs Cochran was badly injured. After Mr Cochran's identity was revealed, US President Donald Trump tweeted: "A great American, Kurt Cochran, was killed in the London terror attack. My prayers and condolences are with his family and friends." :: Aysha Frade Aysha Frade, who worked in administration at independent sixth-form school DLD College London in Westminster, also died on the bridge. She is understood to have been 43 and married with two daughters. At least 100 people attended a memorial in Spain to commemorate the British national. A minute's silence was held in the Galician municipality of Betanzos, where Mrs Frade's family originates and where she spent her summers. Betanzos councillor Andres Hermida said the community in Spain was in "enormous pain" and shrouded in an "atmosphere of sadness". He told the Press Association: "We had a minute's silence in the Plaza de la Constitucion outside the local government building and we have declared three days of mourning, which will include flying the flag at half-mast until Saturday. "About 100 people attended despite the rainy weather." Mrs Frade's family is well known in Betanzos, where her older sisters, Silvia and Michelle, run the Notting Hill English language academy. :: Pc Keith Palmer Pc Keith Palmer, a 48-year-old husband and father and Charlton Athletic season ticket-holder, was stabbed to death in the attack. He has been praised as a "strong, professional public servant" who served in the military before joining the Metropolitan Police's parliamentary and diplomatic protection command. Pc Palmer served as a reservist from August 1987 to August 2001, leaving as a bombardier, and had 15 years of service as a police officer. Charlton Athletic said Pc Palmer was "a true hero who will be greatly missed by all the Charlton family". :: Francisco Lopes Portuguese pedestrian Francisco Lopes, 26, has said he was "scared for my life" after being mown down on Westminster Bridge, leaving him with leg and hand injuries. He said: "He started to move towards the pedestrian pavement and started to just take out the people that were in front of the car, so, literally when I realised this, the car was literally just about one metre away, so I had no, literally, no time to get out of the way." :: Travis Frain Travis Frain, 19, was walking across Westminster Bridge with other youngsters when he was mown down by the terrorist's 4x4. Angela Frain, from Darwen, Lancashire, said her son escaped with his life after going over the bonnet of the killer's car as the carnage began. Seconds later, the politics student, who wants to become an MP, called his mother to say: "Mum I'm safe ... I know you will be worrying." He suffered a fractured leg, fractured left arm, cuts to his thigh and two broken fingers and will be operated on in hospital. :: Thomas The mother of one of the French students caught up in the attack thought he was dead for an hour before being told he was injured. The teenager, named only as Thomas, was one of three pupils hurt as they walked along the bridge during a school trip to London. He suffered a head injury and fractures to his legs, his mother told French media. The students, aged between 15 and 16, were pupils from Lycee Saint-Joseph de Concarneau, Brittany. His mother told Brittany website Le Telegramme: "It was the school who told us Wednesday afternoon that the attack had taken place and our son was one of the victims." :: Other victims An Italian woman who was on holiday in the capital was hit by the terrorist's car, the country's embassy in London said. The woman, who suffered fractures, was in a stable condition the day after the attack, the embassy added. A Chinese tourist sustained minor injuries in the attack, a spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry said. A Polish man suffered minor injuries and was released from hospital on Thursday, the country's embassy said. Comments & Moderation Readers comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the report this post link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments. Ipsoregulated This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's Editors' Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then please contact the editor here. 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On Westminster Bridge he drove at tourists in a 4x4, killing mother-of-two Aysha Frade, Kurt Cochran, from Utah and 75-year-old Londoner Leslie Rhodes. Forty other people were injured in the attack, with 29 treated in hospital, where seven remained in a critical condition on Thursday. The casualties included 12 Britons, three French children, two Romanians, four South Koreans, two Greeks, and one each from Germany, Poland, Ireland, China, Italy and the United States. Three police officers were also hurt, two of them seriously. PA The man believed to be responsible for yesterday's attack has been named Two "significant" arrests in connection with the attack have been made, it was announced on Friday. One source described him as "a big bloke, he looked like he was a bodybuilder, wouldn't want to mess with him". He added Masood was a "very religious, well spoken man. You couldn't go to his home in Birmingham on Friday because he would be at prayer". A former neighbour in Birmingham said she was shocked by the news. Iwona Romek said: I have been so shocked by it all. They were a nice family, very reserved. He was very calm. "I saw the photos on the TV and knew it was the man who lived here. He had a wife, a young Asian woman, and a small child who went to school. "He was a nice guy. I used to see him outside doing his garden. Never any trouble." She described police raids last night as "a bit scary". Ms Romek said: "I just heard a lot of banging and shouting. They were shouting to open the door. It was all a bit scary. There was a helicopter above and men in white suits." Another former neighbour, this time from his time in Luton, said she was "sickened" by the news. She said: "Im proud to work in Luton, in a diverse culture and Im sorry that I didnt know more about him that I couldnt do my public duty." PA Four people, including the attacker and a police officer who tried to stop him, died in the attack Scotland Yard said: The man police believe to be responsible for the terrorist attack in Westminster yesterday, Wednesday, 22 March, has now been formally identified as Khalid Masood. Masood, aged 52 (25.12.1964), was born in Kent and detectives believe he was most recently living in the West Midlands. Masood was also known by a number of aliases. Masood was not the subject of any current investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack. However, he was known to police and has a range of previous convictions for assaults, including GBH, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences. His first conviction was in November 1983 for criminal damage and his last conviction was in December 2003 for possession of a knife. PA Khalid Masood being treated by paramedics following yesterday's attack PA Armed police during yesterday's deadly attack in Westminster Earlier Prime Minister Theresa May told the House of Commons: "It is still believed that this attacker acted alone, and the police have no reason to believe there are imminent further attacks on the public. "His identity is known to the police and MI5, and when operational considerations allow, he will be publicly identified. "What I can confirm is that the man was British born and that  some years ago  he was once investigated in relation to concerns about violent extremism. He was a peripheral figure. "The case is historic  he was not part of the current intelligence picture. "There was no prior intelligence of his intent  or of the plot. Intensive investigations continue."
Thursday, 23 March 2017 Notes on Westminister Attack Tragedy strikes Europe. Yesterday afternoon, on the anniversary of the Brussels attacks from last year, London was on the end of a terrorist assault. According to the BBC, Three people have died and at least 40 have been injured after an attacker drove a car along a pavement in Westminster, stabbed a policeman and was shot dead by police in the grounds of Parliament. The dead police officer - who was unarmed as the attacker charged over and stabbed him - is known as PC Keith Palmer, aged 48, a husband and a father. His former colleague in the Royal Artillery and Conservative MP James Cleverly, paid tribute to him by describing him as a "lovely man". Another victim has been named as 43 year old, mother of two and Spanish language teacher, Aysha Frade. Aysha was mowed down by a the grey Hyundai 4x4 as she walked over Westminster Bridge to collect her two daughters, aged 8 and 11. The third victim was American tourist Kurt Cochran, who was on the final day holiday with his wife celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary when he was killed. At least 40 people are known to have been injured. Among them twelve Britons, four South Koreans, three French youngsters on a school trip, two Romanians, two Greeks, one German, one Polish national, one Irish citizen, one American citizen, one Chinese and one Italian. This attack was an act of Islamist terrorism, ISIS recently claimed responsibility, praising the attacker - a British born jihadist named Khalid Masood- as a "soldier of the Islamic state". However, it remains to be seen whether the attack was directed by ISIS , or inspired by them. It seems more likely that it was the latter, not the former. As usual, after every one of these tragedies, we subject ourselves to the same rituals we always go through. It really is tiring and immensely frustrating to see one side act as if there is no problem, or if they do they severely simplify and misdiagnose the problem, while the other side will exploit what is a legitimate issue in order to spread bigotry, hatred and unneccessary, irrational fear. I write this first and foremost as a human being, who has a sense of empathy, compassion and solidarity with my fellow creatures. In the aftermath of every terrorist attack, All of my thoughts and condolences are with the victims and their families, before anything else. They are the ones whose lives have been taken from them, unable to ever embrace their parents, wives, husbands, brothers, sisters, children and friends again. Just imagine being the children of Aysha Frade, eagerly waiting for their mother at school, looking forward to going home to spend time with the family, only to realise that someone had taken her life. Imagine being the wife of PC Palmer, who everyday says goodbye to her husband as he goes off to work always expecting he will return home from his shift safely, but this time, on this day, he doesn't. Nothing is worse than that and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. Many have described yesterday's assault as an "attack on democracy", or as Theresa May put it, "a shot against our values of democracy, freedom, human rights and the rule of law". True, this Jihadist scumbag and his ideological ilk do hate these values and their universality because it is in direct opposition to everything they stand for: one set of values sets the conditions for human flourishing, happiness and emancipation, while the other set can only bring death, misery and enslavement. However, let us have some perspective. No individual, no matter how well armed they are, no matter how determined, no matter how committed he is to his cause, can overthrow democracy or enslave a free people. These hard won rights and liberties that previous generations have struggled for are too robust, too vigarous, too steeped in the consciousness of all generations, to be overthrown by a twisted zealot with a weaponised vehicle, a knife, and a perverse belief in a reward of 72 virgins in a celestial orgy for killing 'the kuffar'. The only way the terrorist would have any impact on democracy and freedom is if we give him an enourmous helping hand. It will be our response as a society to this act of barbarity that will decide whether democracy is under attack or not. You can rest assured vile bigots and Muslimaphobic chauvanists who desire to stigmatise and demonise an entire community, are talking this attack up as an act of war, the latest blow by an Islamic army slowly, stealthily conquering Europe. These merchants of racism from the far-right have no other purpose but to spread irrational fear and hatred. They claimed Britain was "cowed" by the crime and London was "shut down" and under "lockdown" as a result of the attack. This is of course a total falsehood, London carried on as normal and people were not cowed and went about their business as usual. All these people desire is the power to subjugate and stigmatise muslims, and they seek to undermine the idea that peoples of different faiths can coexist with each other and build a society. Meanwhile those often labelled "the regressive left" will indulge themselves in a toxic mix of victim blaming, masochism and a self hatred before the blood of the victims is even allowed to dry, desperately peddling 'grievance' and 'root cause' narratives of how 'we' brought this horror on ourselves; of how these are the deserved punishements for our numerous crimes and iniquities; of why we somehow triggered this poor guy to slam a car into a pedestrians and slit a man's throat. I have said it before and I will say it again: do not give me this crap that jihadist atrocities are a response (or shall we say 'blowback') to western imperialism. ISIS are not anti-imperialists, or some strange Islamic version of liberation theology. They are pro-imperialism, they seek to revive a lost empire: their imagined caliphate. This is what their Islamic state project is all about, imposing a purritanical, theocratic fascist empire, first in the muslim world, then across the whole world. Obviously, this project is so utopian and so irrational that it could never be fully established, but let us be clear on their intentions and the character of their ideology. In response to these two pathologies, we cannot surrender ourselves to the culture of fear and the politics of suspicion because it will potentially lead to us down the barren road of petty authoritarianism, the security state and foul assaults on the liberties which supposedly needed to be defended from the Islamist threat. While it is understandable and proper that we focus on the tragic nature of this attack and the challenges around other potential attack it provokes. Let us not forget the bravery, heroism and humanity that was on display in the midst of such savagery and the international solidarity and sympathy. We may have seen the worst of humanity, but we also saw the best of it. Our response to yesterday's assault should be to demand more freedom and democracy, not less. It should be to never allow hatred and fear to colonise our hearts. It should be to remember the victims, their memory and humanise them, as opposed to the manner the terrorist dehumanised them. Ultimately, it is to do everything within our power to make sure that while this bloody, savage act may have succeeded in impacting awfully on scores of innocent people, it will have no impact on our values, our political life, our daily lives, and our sense of security. This, of course, on its own won't solve the challenges the global threat we all face from the Jihadist internationale, but it is neccessary step to even begin dealing with the challenge. We must resist terrorism not complete it. 1 comment: I am in my early 40s and have never had a happy relationships or marriages because of the terrible mistake I made in my youthful age (15 years ago), though I have been married for 3times now. This story is ugly but I must share it to clear my conscience and pave the way for a new beginning in life. I broke two homes; their marriage did not mean anything to me as much as I gets what I want. It was fun until I got married, then karma started. My first husband was a cheating machine with both women and men, the second was nothing to write home about. I visited a therapist immediately the second left, to make sure I do not have broken home again, but the third which I have married for a year and two months took in another girl and demanded I leave his house. I did not see that one coming. To cut it shot; dr. wakina via (dr.wakinalovetemple@gmail.com) showed me mercy by rewriting history with a special love spell. Asked me to first go and plead for forgiveness from the homes I broke before the spell can take effect, it was not an easy task, in fact it was a suicide mission but was success. The spell took effect immediately I forgave myself, something strange began to happen, I saw shadows running off my body that morning, my husband who despised me so much did not only call but came to pick me from work to a romantic dinner. Over a year now, my husband has remained a loving and romantic man. I learnt my lesson. Thank you doctor wakina.
Westminster Attack: Courage, Cowardice and Double Standards by Felicity Arbuthnot / March 30th, 2017 The attack outside and inside Londons Westminster Parliament just before 4 pm local time on Wednesday 22nd March resulted in five deaths, including the assailant and forty injured. The confirmed British-born attacker, Adrian Elms  but with a number of alias including the much quoted Khalid Masood  drove a grey Hyundai SUV over Westminster Bridge, which spans the River Thames as it flows past Parliament, mounting the pavement and mowing down pedestrians crossing the great span, with its panoramic city views. Some forty people were injured, twenty nine treated in hospital, with seven initially in a critical condition. Speaking in Parliament the next morning Prime Minister Theresa May listed the injured including twelve Britons, three of whom were police officers returning from an Award ceremony, three French children, two Romanians, four South Koreans, one Pole, one Irish, one Chinese, one Italian, an American and two Greeks. Killed was American Kurt Cochran who ran a recording studio from his home in Utah who, with his wife, Melissa, had been touring Germany, Scotland and Ireland before arriving in London to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. It was the last day of their visit. Melissa was seriously injured. Also killed was Aysha Frade, originally from the municipality of Betanzos, Spain, an administrator and Spanish teacher at a nearby College, on her way to collect her daughters, aged eight and eleven, from school. Seventy five year old Londoner, Leslie Rhodes also died from his injuries the following night. The car turned left at the end of the bridge, driving outside the Parliament building, crashing in to the wrought iron railings. The driver then ran through gates in to the New Palace Yard entrance, just below Big Ben, reportedly armed with two knives, fatally wounding unarmed Parliamentary Protection Officer and former soldier, PC Keith Palmer who attempted to stop him. An act of courage and compassion came from MP Tobias Ellwood, Minister for Middle East and Africa, who gave CPR and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to PC Palmer, in spite of the chaos breaking out after the attacker was shot, ignoring possible threat to his own safety. Ellwoods attempts failed and his bent body as he looked down at Keith Palmer, his mouth and face smeared with Palmers blood as the cuffs of his formerly immaculate shirt and suit are both a haunting image of grief and a tribute to one who gave no thought but to trying to save a familiar face. There was courage from countless police, paramedics, doctors and nurses who rushed unhesitatingly towards potential danger with emergency equipment from the nearby hospital to help the injured. Ellwood himself is no stranger to violent tragedy having lost his brother Jonathan in the 2002 Bali bombing. He wrote a searing account of dealing with the seemingly endless official bureaucratic red tape involved in both countries in trying to bring his brothers body home whilst stricken with grief. I actually ended up nailing the lid of the coffin down myself, he said. That cant be right. Not everyone showed the courage of Mr. Ellwood and others. As Parliament went in to total lockdown with MPs and all staff trapped inside for hours, The Guardian reported: Theresa May, the Prime Minister, was rushed into a car 40 yards from the gates outside Parliament where shots were fired minutes after the incident occurred, according to footage filmed by a member of staff. She was ushered by at least eight armed undercover police, some with their firearms drawn, into a waiting black vehicle in Speakers Court, the footage seen by The Guardian shows. Loud bangs can be heard in the background as she is ushered into the car, but it is unclear whether the bangs were gunshots. Safely back in her official residence, behind Downing Streets fortified walls and soaring iron gates, guarded by colleagues of PC Palmer, she paid tribute to the emergency services:   these exceptional men and women ran towards the danger even as they encouraged others to move the other way. She talked of terrorists targeting Parliament because they hated the values our Parliament represents  democracy, freedom, human rights, the rule of law and the spirit of (its engendered) freedom that echoes in some of the furthest corners of the globe. It has to be wondered whether those still under bombardment from the UK or its ally the US, in Afghanistan after sixteen years, Iraq after fourteen years, in Libya, Syria, Yemen; Palestinians remembering the decimation the Balfour Declaration has wrought on them for generations  when May had declared that in this, its centenary year, it is to be remembered in special UK celebrations  share quite such a starry eyed view of the values, human rights and freedoms etc., emanating from the Mother of Parliaments. She concluded: Any attempt to defeat those values through violence and terror is doomed to failure. Tomorrow morning, Parliament will meet as normal. We will come together as normal. And Londoners  and others from around the world who have come here to visit this great City  will get up and go about their day as normal. They will board their trains, they will leave their hotels, they will walk these streets, they will live their lives. And we will all move forward together. Never giving in to terror. Breathtaking stuff from the woman who gave in instantly, running away, protected by eight armed guards, in a bullet proof limo, rather than remaining in solidarity with her colleagues and the extensive staff who were in lockdown, not knowing whether further unhinged potential assassins were prowling Parliament. No doubt if challenged she would say that such an emergency demanded she convened the COBRA group  another silly acronym which refers to the crisis response committee that meets in instances of national or regional crisis. However, there are plenty of telephones in Parliament and an on line conference is not exactly rocket science. The following morning she told MPs: Yesterday an act of terrorism tried to silence our democracy, but today we meet as normal, as generations have done before us and as future generations will continue to do, to deliver a simple message: We are not afraid and our resolve will never waver in the face of terrorism. Her resolve it seems not so much never wavered. It collapsed in a pile of dust. What a contrast to President Bashar al Assad and his wife, who with their children, have never fled in terrorist attacks on their country ongoing since March 2011, terrorist attacks which include entirely illegal, massive bombings by UK and US air power. See, for example, for just one months UK decimation from the UK governments very own horses mouth. A week before the Westminster attack a suicide bomber blew himself up in the Syrian capitol, Damascus, Palace of Justice killing reportedly thirty nine people. President al-Assad and his wife stayed put in their residence in the city. Their resolve has absolutely never wavered in the face of terrorism, indeed never giving in to terror, plotted from inside the US Embassy in Damascus in 2006 and in Washington well before. He has been called by the US, UK and their allies a tyrant, a despot and a war criminal. The Western backed moderate head choppers are now a mere several kilometres distance from Damascus, still the first family remain. I was born in Syria and I will die in Syria, the President has stated. Given that Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi also refused to abandon their people in the face of Western onslaughts and remembering their terrible fates, whatever observers varying views, it is undeniable Assad shows a particular kind of towering courage seemingly rare in the West. George W. Bush, of course, on 9/11, although already over 1,000 miles away in Florida, was rushed to a top-secret military bunker in Louisiana. Not alone the standards but the language differs in the West. Attacks in Paris, Brussels, Nice, London, are undoubtedly terrorism. In Syria attacks of enormity are declared a rebel offensive usually quotes provided by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights which is allegedly funded by the EU and another government, thought to be the UK. The founder, Rami Abdulrahman, with a couple of other aliases  has direct access to former (UK) Foreign Minister William Hague, who he has been documented meeting in person on multiple occasions at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London and shares (Abdulrahmans) enthusiasm for removing Assad from power. The reaction to an attack in the West also differs. The UK Prime Ministers office received condolences from Heads of State across the globe. The lights of the Eiffel Tower were shut off at midnight, Berlins Brandenburg Gate was lit, in marks of sympathy. President Putin also conveyed his condolences, in spite of the street level insults he has received from the British parliamentary establishment. The UN Security Council observed a minutes silence in respect of a tragic, horrific incident, but nevertheless one which would be an unusually quiet day in any of the countries the UK is enjoining in occupying, bombing or has invaded. A friend also commented succinctly: If terrorists will not succeed in the UK and other Western countries, why should the West expect the Syrian government and its allies to allow the Western, GCC, Israeli-backed terrorists, to succeed in Syria and seize control of the country after six years of global terror? Terrorists from up to ninety countries gaining access via the borders left open by the occupiers of Iraq from the time of the 2003 invasion and via NATO ally Turkeys borders and blind eyes. Coincidentally, Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had said on the morning of the Westminster attack, after a series of verbal spats with European countries, that: If Europe continues this way, no European in any part of the world can walk safely on the streets. Europe will be damaged by this. A few hours later he stated that: Turkey feels and shares deeply in the United Kingdoms pain and that it stood in solidarity with Britain in the fight against terrorism. If a week is a long time in politics, so, clearly, is six hours. In Iraq in just two catastrophic liberation assaults on Mosuls ancient, beautiful city, US coalition bombings killed up to three hundred and fifty souls, wiping out entire families in the week before Londons one man attack: Journalists saw children and a pregnant woman among at least 50 bodies recovered from the rubble, with limbs and shoes protruding from destroyed houses. No condolences from world leaders, no Eiffel Tower or Brandenburg Gate markings for them. A spokesman for the US led Mosul slaughter: Operation Inherent Resolve, responded with: The coalition respects human life, which is why we are assisting our Iraqi partner forces in their effort to liberate their lands from ISIS brutality. He has clearly forgotten what the US has demonstrated in Iraq  with a brief break  fourteen years of their respect for human life  and the comment from a bewildered senior US military man to Major General Antonio Taguba during his investigation into the horrors, torture and death inflicted by US forces at Abu Ghraib: But they were only Iraqis. Another friend provided me unwittingly with the conclusion for this inadequate piece on towering double standards. Thank you: Do we not all bleed the same? 8/3 Kabul, Afghanistan  49 dead. Silence 9/3 Tikrit, Iraq  30 dead. Silence 11/3 Damascus, Syria  74 dead. Silence 15/3 Damascus, Syria  40 dead. Silence 16/3 Al-Jineh, Syria  46 dead. Silence 21/3 Raqqa, Syria  33 dead. Silence 21/3 Westminster, London  5 dead. 22/3 Mosul, Iraq  240 dead. Silence They say we are all born equal. But only the (Western deemed) worthy die as humans. The others are simply forgotten. UK residents have responded with generosity to funds for Westminsters injured and grieving families with large sums being raised including 500,000 for the family of PC Palmer. Muddassar Ahmed set up the Muslims United for London page after witnessing the attack from Parliaments Portcullis House: I happened to be trapped inside the building yesterday, and saw the carnage  His appeal raised 3,000 in the first hour. Last weekend hundreds of Muslim women joined hands along Westminster Bridge in memory and solidarity  as the UK continues to bomb or threaten many of their countries. Their gesture should both humble and shame. And since the perpetrator of the London attack is dead, it will likely never be known whether it was a coincidence that the attack was on the first anniversary of three suicide bombers killing thirty-two people and injuring three hundred and sixteen in Brussels on 22nd March 2016. In another coincidence, on 19th March, armed anti-terror police carried out a terrifyingly realistic boat drill a little further down the Thames: A sightseeing vessel became the scene of a fierce mock-gun battle between armed officers and police volunteers posing as terrorists shortly after 11am on Sunday  At least one body, played by a police volunteer, was cast overboard, and officers were deployed in an effort to assess the effectiveness of rescue operation tactics in life-like conditions. The multi-agency operation was carried out between the Met, the Port of London Authority, London Coastguard, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), London Ambulance Service and London Fire Brigade. Police stressed that there was no specific threat but with London on high alert for two years: I do hope there is a deterrent effect in this when they see how effective our people are. After last Wednesdays attack Romanian architect Andreea Cristea was pulled from the Thames, alive but badly injured. It is uncertain whether she jumped to escape the car or fell off in the chaos. On the day of the 7th July 2005 London tube and bus bombings, Visor Security were running a live exercise outside every tube station affected. Managing Director Peter Power told the BBC: At half past nine this morning we were actually running an exercise for a company of over a thousand people in London based on simultaneous bombs going off precisely at the railway stations where it happened this morning, so I still have the hairs on the back of my neck standing up right now. Tragic fact really can truly be stranger than fiction. Felicity Arbuthnot is a journalist with special knowledge of Iraq. Author, with Nikki van der Gaag, of Baghdad in the Great City series for World Almanac books, she has also been Senior Researcher for two Award winning documentaries on Iraq, John Pilger's Paying the Price: Killing the Children of Iraq and Denis Halliday Returns for RTE (Ireland.) Read other articles by Felicity.
Follow us: Why are converts to Islam specifically vulnerable to becoming extremists? While family and friends may shun the converts for making such a drastic change, the mainstream Muslim community may still see them as outsiders. But extremist fringe groups are always looking for recruits The initial aftermath of the horrific attacks on the Houses of Parliament led many organisations scrambling for information. As more information is being released by the police and intelligence agencies, the attacker has now been identified as 52-year-old Khalid Masood. Masood, who was born in Kent but later moved to the West Midlands, was a former English teacher, a husband, and a father of three. Masood was also a convert to Islam; and yet another case that establishes the seemingly inexplicable allure of radical Islamist ideology to converts. Though it is vital to reiterate that for the vast majority of converts to Islam the motives are rarely political, converts have, time and time again, been found to go through a rapid process of radicalisation when it comes to committing violent terrorist attacks and tend to be the most vicious when doing so. I believe that there are three main reasons why converts are particularly vulnerable to radicalisation. Firstly, because converts often know very little about Islam when they first decide to switch over, they are susceptible to brainwashing and propaganda, making them ideal targets for recruiters. Because the convert will often have no one else to consult and no independent guide to their new faith, recruiters may feed the individual whatever information they wish, and the indoctrination can easily go unchecked and unchallenged. Individuals who are Muslim from birth retain the potential to be advised on their extremist views with more moderate interpretations by a family member or a Muslim friend. With converts, this opportunity is non-existent since there isnt a moderate sounding board for their ideas. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP Unfortunately, with social media becoming the main source of Islamic education today for Muslims newly discovering their religiosity, the default position is a puritanical reading of the Koran. This theological maze is immensely difficult to navigate for Muslims who come from Muslim families, let alone for converts. This leads us to the second major factor in the radicalisation of converts: they are eager to please. Because converts find themselves trying to integrate with an entirely different subset of society, they are compelled to quickly forge new relationships in order to demonstrate their loyalty and faithfulness to the community, and to show that they belong. Converts have something to prove, and they are thus much more likely to employ theatrics and exhibit their loyalty through savagery. The savagery and harshness is a way of overcompensating for the fact that they are new to the religion and that their knowledge is very minimal. Lastly, we need to analyse the social standing of a convert. A non-Muslim who converts to Islam will likely find themselves marginalised, at least to some extent, from their family and friends when they decide to make this major change and declare a drastically different worldview. To add to this, the convert has chosen to partake in a religion that, for whatever reasons, is one of the most ostracised and controversial faiths in our world right now. Consequently, the convert is now doubly marginalised from society. This, in turn, will lead the convert to involve themselves heavily in their new religion in order to establish a new and reformed social status with their adoptive community. Westminster attacks: Two more significant arrests made Conversion to any religion, let alone to one that is routinely labelled backward, is a testing journey and one that can leave a person feeling abandoned by all sides. While family and friends may shun them for making such a drastic change, the mainstream Muslim community may still see them as outsiders. In such a scenario, joining a small, intimate band of extremists, who are always on the hunt for recruits and wouldnt turn anyone away, may appeal to the converts desire for belonging and membership. To understand the process of radicalisation, it is vital that we view the problem holistically while also considering nuances such as converts increased susceptibility to extremist views. Extremists will continue to spread their propaganda. How we respond to extremist messaging, and whether we provide a robust theological counter-attack, will impact future generations and those who are most vulnerable. The key to safeguarding these individuals is to delegitimise the broad spectrum of ideas that are shared by extremists and the mainstream religious community. Only then can extremist ideology be laid bare for what it is: an artificial claim to salvation and a distortion of core Islamic teachings.
London attack location: One thing to know MUST WATCH Story highlights Two Parliament members honored by queen for their roles in response to attack Birmingham, England (CNN)Police investigating the deadly terrorist attack in central London are focusing closely on how the perpetrator became radicalized, as they battle to piece together his identity and connections. Masood, in a photo issued by the Metropolitan Police. Britain's most senior counter-terror police officer, Mark Rowley, described the inquiry as "very large and fast-paced," and announced two "significant arrests" Friday. Hundreds of officers had made contact with thousands of witnesses, he said. Authorities had earlier portrayed the attacker, 52-year-old British man Khalid Masood, as having acted alone. It was unclear whether the arrests indicated that Masood may have had associates. Masood is known to have used multiple aliases during his life. He was born Adrian Russell Ajao but also used the name Adrian Elms, police said. Asked about his possible conversion to Islam and subsequent radicalization, Rowley said: "Clearly that's the main line of our investigation, is what led him to be radicalized, was it through influences in a community, influences from overseas, or through online propaganda." Read More He appealed for anyone who knew Masood well or was aware of his recent movements to get in touch, as detectives probe his motivation, his preparation for the attack and any associates. Arrests and raids Of 11 people arrested so far, two remained in custody as of late Friday, London's Metropolitan Police said. The two in custody are a 58-year-old man and a 27-year-old man, police said. Both men were arrested Thursday in Birmingham, according to police. All but one of the people brought in were detained on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. JUST WATCHED London Attack: An animated map MUST WATCH London Attack: An animated map00:55 Arrests were made in London, Birmingham, central England, and Manchester, north west England, police said. Addresses were searched in Brighton, on the south coast of England, Surrey, to the west of London, and in the county of Carmarthenshire, in Wales. Two searches continue in Birmingham and one in London. Officers have seized 2,700 items, including "massive amounts" of computer data, and have had contact with 3,500 witnesses to the attack, many of them of different nationalities, Rowley said. The number of armed officers remains at nearly double strength in London in the wake of the attack, Rowley said, while extra police officers are also on patrol elsewhere in the UK. Details about killer Details are gradually emerging about Masood, who was shot dead by a police firearms officer after he rammed a car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge and stabbed an unarmed police officer outside parliament. Police searched a property in the Winson Green area of Birmingham, where Masood is thought to have been living with his family until last December. Police could be seen Friday carrying boxes from the property, a modern, redbrick town house in a quiet cul-de-sac. Marjoli Gajecka, 26, told CNN she had seen Masood and his family often when she visited her mother, who lives on the street. Masood kept to himself, she said, adding: "He was never really talkative with neighbors." She said Masood had two children, a boy and a girl, whose ages she estimated at six or seven. She was "very shocked" by the news he had carried out the attack, she said, "because they just seemed a normal family, a normal Muslim family." Police raided an apartment above this Persian restaurant. Gajecka said she saw Masood and his family moving out of the house around Christmas time. They are thought to have relocated to a shabby looking flat above a Persian restaurant on busy Hagley Road, which was also raided by police Thursday. Masood stayed in a $75-a-night hotel in Brighton, about 55 miles south of London, for several nights before the attack, staff said. The reception manager at the Preston Park Hotel told CNN that he came across "as an absolutely normal client." The employee, who did not give her name, said she saw the name Masood on his credit card. She said the hotel didn't asked for his ID, in line with its normal practice. The Preston Park Hotel in Brighton, where Masood stayed before the attack. Born in Kent, Masood had previous convictions, including some for violent offenses but none for terrorism, police said. His most recent conviction was in 2003 for possession of a knife. Asked about reports Masood worked as an English language teacher, Britain's Department for Education said that according to their records Masood was not a teacher in any English language school. Because of his criminal record, he would not pass the necessary checks to become a qualified teacher. A car is seen crashed into a fence outside the Parliament building in London on Wednesday, March 22. Police have launched a "full counter-terrorism investigation" after an attacker rammed a car into crowds of people and stabbed a police officer on Parliament grounds. Hide Caption 1 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament An armed police officer stands over the attacker, identified as Khalid Masood, outside Parliament. "It appeared that a car was coming towards the House of Commons mowing down pedestrians on the way," Member of Parliament Gerald Howarth told CNN. "The driver then got access to the parliamentary estate, stabbed a police officer and was shot." Hide Caption 2 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament Masood is treated by emergency services as police look on at the scene outside the Houses of Parliament. The Metropolitan Police say he was born in Kent, but is believed to have been living in the West Midlands recently. Police say Masood was also known by a number of aliases. "Masood was not the subject of any current investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack," Met Police said in a statement. Hide Caption 3 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament Member of Parliament Tobias Ellwood, in the glasses, tends to one of the injured people amid the chaos. The man the politician was trying to save was a police officer who died, a witness on the scene told CNN. Authorities identified the deceased officer as Keith Palmer, 48. Hide Caption 4 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament Emergency workers attend to injured people at the scene. Hide Caption 5 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament Medics treat a victim on Westminster Bridge. Hide Caption 6 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament People leave the Parliament building after the incident. Lawmakers were forced to remain in the main debating chamber of the House of Commons as police responded to the incident outside. Hide Caption 7 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament A person is treated at the scene. Hide Caption 8 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament Medical aid is provided outside Parliament. Hide Caption 9 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament Tourists were trapped for a time in cars on the London Eye Ferris wheel, which was stopped in the immediate aftermath of the attack. Hide Caption 10 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament A police officer stands guard near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament. Hide Caption 11 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament A person receives medical treatment at the scene. Hide Caption 12 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament At right, the car of British Prime Minister Theresa May is driven away from Parliament. Hide Caption 13 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament An air ambulance arrives at the scene. Hide Caption 14 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament Armed police enter the Houses of Parliament. Hide Caption 15 of 15 Attack victims The attack left four people dead and injured at least 50 more, 31 of whom needed hospital treatment, Rowley said. Two people are in critical condition and another has life-threatening injuries. Two police officers who were injured as the attacker plowed through crowds walking across Westminster Bridge also remain in hospital with "very significant" injuries, Rowley said. The fourth victim, a 75-year-old man, died Thursday night after his life support was withdrawn, according to London's Metropolitan Police. He was named by Rowley as Leslie Rhodes, from Streatham in south London. The other three who died were policeman Keith Palmer, stabbed as he protected Parliament, American tourist Kurt Cochran and college administrator Aysha Frade, a British citizen with Spanish roots. The Romanian Foreign Ministry said a Romanian woman remained in critical condition after undergoing complicated surgery for her injuries. Two members of Parliament have been honored by Queen Elizabeth II for their heroics in the attack, Downing Street announced Friday. MP Tobias Ellwood, who tried to save the life of Palmer, and Security Minister Ben Wallace, who helped coordinate the government's response, have been approved as members of the queen's Privy Council. Ellwood and Wallace will now be entitled to be referred to as "right honorable" as members of the group of advisers to the monarchy that includes present or former members of the House of Commons or House of Lords. Vigils and defiance JUST WATCHED Carrying on: The day after a terrorist attack MUST WATCH "We come together as Londoners tonight to remember those who have lost their lives and all those affected by the horrific attack yesterday. But also to send a clear message, Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism," London Mayor Sadiq Khan told the crowd. Khan laid a wreath Friday at New Scotland Yard in remembrance of Palmer, the slain police office. A fundraising campaign for attack victims started by a Muslim man who witnessed the incident has already raised over $25,000, according to its website. Muddassar Ahmed said he started the " Muslims United for London" campaign to show "we all stand with fellow Londoners during these difficult times." CNN's Laura Smith-Spark reported and wrote from London, while Nic Robertson and Salma Abdelaziz reported from Birmingham. CNN's Bharati Naik, Lorenzo D'Agostino, James Griffiths, James Masters, Richard Allen Greene and Natalie Gallon contributed to this report.
Police officers at the National Police Memorial in central London. Many left floral tributes to PC Keith Palmer, who was killed in the terrorist attack. Photograph: Rex/Shutterstock For all the understandable insistence that parliament and London would continue as normal after Wednesdays terrorist attack, almost 24 hours later a large section of streets around the area remained sealed off by police. The cordon, enclosing Westminster Bridge and the roads around Parliament Square, meant the only floral tributes to those who died were a few bouquets left outside the new Metropolitan police headquarters, just outside the barriers on the Embankment. Several bunches of roses had been placed against the stone wall, beneath the carved name of the force in which PC Keith Palmer, stabbed to death by the attacker, had served. At the other end of the building is the Mets eternal flame, which commemorates officers who have died in the course of their duties. It was outside here, on Thursday morning, that senior Met officers gathered for a minutes silence for the victims of the attack, beginning at 9.33am  chosen as it was Palmers shoulder number. The building, which replaces the now-sold former New Scotland Yard headquarters on the other side of Westminster, was due to be formally opened on Thursday by the Queen, but the ceremony was cancelled. London terror attack: what we know so far Read more Speaking after the silence, Mackey thanked everyone for attending the service to remember Palmer and everybody affected by yesterdays terrible events in London. The support of Londoners and this wonderful community ensures that we can do the job we are entrusted to do within keeping London safe, he said, calling for the publics help to combat such events. The work we have done over many years practising and exercising for scenarios like yesterday has helped. But nothing prepares people and nothing prepares family for the reality of what occurred yesterday. MPs observed the silence too at the start of their days business in the Commons, as did many other people elsewhere. The road closures caused traffic to crawl at a near-standstill on both sides of the river, while Westminster station, the entrances to which are inside the area still being combed by police investigating the attack, remained closed. Just beyond the cordon, everyday life in one of the capitals busiest areas for tourism and other commerce continued as best it could, with the addition of TV news crews gathered as close as possible to the scene, mainly by Lambeth Bridge, to the west of parliament, and just over the river on the South Bank. Play Video 1:48 MP James Cleverly's emotional tribute to police officer On the south side a handful of the capitals tourist sites remained closed for the morning, notably the London Eye observation wheel. Staff were telling visitors that it was hoped the attraction would reopen within a few hours  which it did  and to return. Its disappointing, but I understand, said one Spanish woman who was turned away with her family, asking to not be named. There are bigger things happening. Asked if it put her off visiting London again, she replied: Why? It could happen anywhere. This is the modern world. Westminster attacker was UK-born and known to MI5, Theresa May tells MPs Read more Surveying the massed news crews on the south side of Westminster Bridge outside the plush hotel that stands in the centre of the traffic roundabout there, one British couple from outside London said they were checking out a day early. We had a room overlooking the bridge and Parliament, which was lovely, said the woman, also asking to not be identified. But then yesterday it just looked out over what had happened. But again they insisted this would not put them off returning, or prompt undue concern about the mans daughter, who lives in London. Of course, I was worried for her when the attack happened, he said. But you have to put it into context. More people die on the roads every day. Theres no point letting it change the way you live.
Morecambe victim of Westminster terror attack speaks out about his shocking ordeal Owen Lambert was laughing and joking with his friends as they set out to explore the sights of London on a university trip. But within minutes the Morecambe teenagers carefree day out in the capital turned into a nightmare. Owen Lambert is recovering at home after being caught up in the London terrorist attack. Owen and four friends  all politics students on a visit to the Houses of Parliament - were walking along Westminster Bridge when terrorist Khalid Masood drove a Hyundai 4x4 straight at them. The 18-year-old was hit by the speeding car and knocked to the ground. It all happened in a split-second, said Owen. Wed been at Parliament and had an hours free time so we decided to go for a wander. We were walking on the pavement along Westminster Bridge. Im small and as I was behind my friends I didnt see the car until the last second. The next thing, it was like a flash. I remember being hit. Owen fell onto his friend Travis Frain, 19, who had been walking in front of him and was also struck by the vehicle as it hurtled along the pavement towards Parliament, ploughing through groups of pedestrians. I saw blood on Travis neck and I said to him Youre bleeding, said Owen. But then he gestured to my head. I put my hand to my head and it was just red with blood. I realised it was my blood on Travis. It all happened so fast. I assume I was hit by the wing mirror. Passers-by and paramedics raced to their aid as Masood continued on his deadly path, crashing the hired car into the gates of Parliament. As Owen sat dazed on the bridge, clutching his wounded forehead, Masood burst into the grounds of Westminster. PC Palmer and three pedestrians who were on Westminster Bridge died of their injuries. While sitting on the bridge bleeding from his head, Owen saw many other people lying injured on the pavement and in the road all around him. I saw a police officer with an assault rifle  he shouted Shots fired! and then ran towards Westminster, he said. Combined with the fact that the car didnt stop, it was on the pavement and I saw a policeman with a gun, I knew then it was much bigger than just an accident. It was chaos. The first person on the scene to help Owen was a young woman called Alice. She came over to make sure we were all right, she put her hand on my shoulder and said everything is going to be fine, said Owen. There were people crowding around us. A guy called Dean asked if I was all right too. Travis was sitting across from me clutching his arm, lying with his legs out. I asked my friend Harmen Van Arragon to get some tissues out of my bag to stem the blood but he was shaking and said he couldnt move his hand.  Within a few minutes of Wednesday afternoons terrifying incident, Owen spoke to his frantic mum Sharon by phone, assuring her he was all right. A police officer then bandaged his head wound as paramedics tended to Travis and Harmen. At that point Owen had no idea where his other two friends from the party of five had gone. I heard somebody saying that people had gone over the bridge into the water, he said. So at that point I thought my two other friends were dead. After around 15 minutes, two police constables escorted Owen and Harmen to a nearby hotel. A photographer from a national newspaper snapped Owen as he was led him away from the bridge. This picture would later be spread around the worlds media to show the impact of terror. Owen remained in a small function room at the Marriott Hotel for a couple of hours while he was checked over, keeping in regular phone contact with his worried parents Sharon and Greg who had been watching the horror unfold on television news. A junior paramedic called Emma stayed with him for most of his time in the hotel. She removed my police bandage, cleaned the wound as best as she could and applied a great big gauze plaster on my forehead, he said. She made sure that my reflexes were OK, did a few tests to check the strength of my legs and my arms. She was trying to help everybody else and was lovely. But she was visibly shaken herself. All the hotel guests looked shocked too. Owen was then transferred to the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital by ambulance. I was with a few other people; two police officers, Harmen, a man called Francisco and a lady from South Korea and two men who were with her helping to translate, he said. On arriving at hospital, he was taken to casualty. They removed my plaster, they cleaned me up a bit more and they took my blood pressure, he said. At first Id been told I might need stitches but in the end they just glued my head back together. As well as the 2.5cm long vertical cut in the centre of his forehead, Owen also suffered bruising and a cut to his left thigh from where he fell, and a small gash on his right cheek. They did an X-ray on my leg, I then got a CT scan on my head and finally they did an ultra-sound on my leg, he said. Thankfully all the tests proved that I had no internal injuries. The staff were incredibly upbeat, helpful and lovely caring people. I was just trying to keep my spirits up. I wasnt in any pain at the time. The police were guarding my room which helped me feel safe. After being interviewed by police, Owen was discharged from hospital before midnight. Owen and Harmen, who had suffered a leg injury and whose arm was in a cast, were taken in an ambulance back to their digs, a hostel at Kings Cross. There they were reunited with other members of their Edge Hill University politics group and for the first time, discovered that the two friends they had been separated from on Westminster Bridge were safe. I was utterly utterly relieved, said Owen. I went back upstairs to my room and sent a Facebook post to say I was OK. Owen, 12 other students from the Ormskirk university, and tutor Paula Keaveney, arrived in London on Tuesday for a two-day educational visit to Parliament. On Wednesday morning they were taken on a tour of the Houses of Parliament and met with Rosie Cooper, MP for West Lancashire. They were due to meet with a trade union representative and attend a House of Lords sitting during the remainder of their trip. Owen and his four friends who were on Westminster Bridge had been given an hour of free time and decided to explore London before returning to Parliament. The tutor and the other students were still inside Westminster when the building went into lockdown after Masoods attack and remained there for several hours afterwards. On Thursday morning, Owen returned to Edge Hill by train and bus. There, he was reunited with his parents, younger brother Dale and grandpa Frank. I was over the moon to see my family, he said. The staff at Edge Hill were very understanding, compassionate and helpful. They offered us counselling and support, and free food! We spoke to the vice-chancellor John Cater and I gave a statement to the counter-terrorism officer from Lancashire police. Owen then returned home to Morecambe on Thursday. He expects to stay at home for a few days to recover before returning to university. The Lamberts have been overwhelmed by the messages and support they have received from well-wishers, which have been non-stop since Wednesday afternoon. The messages wishing Owen a speedy recovery from family and friends have been a huge comfort to us all, said his mum Sharon, who works for Bay Medical Group in Morecambe. We also want to say a big thank you to the passers-by, the staff at the hospital, the police and everybody who looked after him. We are incredibly relieved that he is OK. His dad Greg, content editor at The Visitor and Lancaster Guardian, said: Owen is an incredibly brave lad. He has been through an unimaginable ordeal but is still feeling upbeat and positive, and this is testimony to what kind of a young man he is. We are so proud of him and love him very very much. We also cant begin to tell you how grateful we are to everybody who helped him and everybody who has offered us support. Since the horrifying events of Wednesday, Owen has been in touch with his other friends including Travis, from Darwen, Lancashire, who is in Kings College Hospital in London and on Friday, met Prince Charles when he visited victims of the attack. I was very worried about him, said Owen. He was the worst injured out of all of us. But we have messaged each other regularly and Im looking forward to seeing him. We were all incredibly lucky to come out of it alive and in one piece. Owen, a former Morecambe Community High and Great Wood school pupil, said he was thinking of the families of those who died and were critically injured in the terrible events of Wednesday afternoon. He realises only too well, it could easily have been him. I cant begin to imagine what theyre going through, he said. Owen, who is studying politics and history at Edge Hill, has been told the scar on his forehead will remain for life, is walking with a limp and struggling to move his head, neck and shoulders without pain due to the whiplash impact of the car. The physical injuries will heal over time but Owen said he will never forget what happened on Wednesday. But he also said the terrible events in London will not stop him pursuing his ambition which is to make a career in politics. I want to make the world a better and gentler place, he said. What happened on Wednesday has made me realise that you have to treat everyone with kindness, tolerance and understanding. Thats because of the overwhelming support I received from the emergency services and everybody who I came into contact with. I particularly want to thank Alice, who was with me just after the attack, Emma the junior paramedic who despite her group leaving the scene stayed with some of the walking wounded for hours, and I especially want to thank the two police constables, Ash Rashid and Constable Simmonds, who stayed with me for over nine hours. They were professional, helpful, really informative, kept me up to date with what was going on, and they had been up since 7.30am and had 12 hour shifts the next day. They deserve medals.
JUST WATCHED People trapped on London Eye MUST WATCH 5:19 p.m. - Woman pulled from Thames A woman is pulled from the River Thames alive but with injuries, she was found near Westminster Bridge, where the attack occurred, a Port of London Authority spokesman tells CNN. 5:50 p.m. - Three deaths confirmed Three people have died, Britain's most senior counter-terrorism police officer Mark Rowley announces in a news conference. He confirms the attacker was also killed. "Our strength as a city is our ability to stand together at such terrible times," Rowley says. "My thoughts are with all those who have been affected by today's attack -- and as a service we have lost one of our own as he acted to protect the public and his colleagues. "This is a day that we had planned for -- that we all hoped would never happen -- but sadly it is now a reality." JUST WATCHED Scotland Yard: There are several casualties MUST WATCH Scotland Yard: There are several casualties 01:43 5:50 p.m. - Parliament evacuated Hundreds of people are evacuated from Parliament to nearby Westminster Abbey, Britain's Press Association news agency reports. A Metropolitan Police superintendent says it will take around 90 minutes to process everyone. Authorities add that people will be assessed to see if they have any information. 6:23 p.m. - Parliament defiant UK Parliament tweets that both the House of Commons and House of Lords will open and sit as usual on Thursday despite the attack. We can confirm that both the House of Commons and the House of Lords will sit tomorrow at their normal times. JUST WATCHED Theresa May: UK will never give in to terror MUST WATCH 10:29 p.m. - Slain cop identified Mark Rowley announces that the death toll has risen to four, including one police officer, and 40 were injured in the attack. He later revises the death toll back to three. He announces the officer killed was Keith Palmer, 48, a husband and father and a 15-year veteran. At Scotland Yard, headquarters of London's police force, flags were flying at half-staff on Wednesday evening, in honor of Palmer and the other victims. THURSDAY 6:03 a.m. - Seven arrested in police raids Police raided an apartment in Birmingham and other locations overnight, Britain's Press Association reports early on Thursday morning. Seven people were arrested at six addresses following enquiries in London and Birmingham, acting deputy police commissioner Mark Rowley tells journalists. Rowley adds that police believe the attacker acted alone and was inspired by international terrorism. 9:26 a.m. - First victim identified Aysha Frade is identified as one of the victims killed in the attack near Parliament Square, a spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry in Spain tells CNN. The 43-year-old British teacher with Spanish origins, had been living in London for several years with her Portuguese husband, according to Ramon Garcia Vasquez, the mayor of the Spanish town of Betanzos. 2:08 p.m. - Utah man also died in attack American tourist Kurt Cochran is identified by family and his church as the second victims who died in the London attack. Cochran was in London celebrating his 25th wedding anniversary with his wife Melissa. His wife suffered a broken leg and rib as well as a cut to her head but she is expected to recover from her injuries, her brother Clint wrote on social media. 12:39 p.m. - ISIS claims responsibility ISIS claims responsibility for Wednesday's Westminster attack but does not offer evidence of any connections to the assailant. ISIS-affiliated news agency, Amaq, reports that the attacker was a "soldier of Islamic State." CNN Terrorism analyst Paul Cruickshank said the language used by ISIS doesn't necessarily mean that the group is claiming it had connections to the attacker. He says this type of language has been used in the past by the group for attacks it believes it helped inspire. 3:33 p.m. - Police name attacker A statement says Masood, who was born in Kent, a county in the south-east, had previous convictions for violence. It adds that he is thought to have been living in the West Midlands in central England. He has never been convicted of any terrorism offenses, according to the police statement. Speaking before Masood was named, Prime Minster Theresa May said the attacker was known to authorities for links to violent extremism. He was investigated "some years ago" by security services, but was regarded as a "peripheral figure," May said in the House of Commons. 9.17 p.m. - Death toll rises to 4 A man who was being treated at a local hospital has become the fourth fatality of the rampage, according to London Metropolitan Police. The 75-year-old man had been receiving medical treatment following the attack and his life support was withdrawn this evening, said police.
Pope 'deeply saddened' by Westminster terrorist attack and assures those affected of his prayers Cardinal Nichols says his thoughts are with those killed in the attack and for those who will mourn and be in considerable shock Pope Francis has offered his prayers for those affected by the terrorist attack at Westminster yesterday in which four people, including the assailant, were killed and at least 30 others injured. In a letter sent to the Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the Vatican said Francis was "deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life and the injuries caused by the attack. "His Holiness Pope Francis expresses his prayerful solidarity with all those affected by the tragedy, it said. Commending those who have died to the loving mercy of almighty God, His Holiness invokes divine strength and peace upon their grieving families, and he assures the nation of his prayers at this time." Speaking to BBC Radio last night, Cardinal Vincent Nichols said his first thoughts were with those killed in the attack and for those who will mourn and be in considerable shock. In the attack, a man drove a car into pedestrians on the pavement of Westminster Bridge, killing two people, before crashing it outside parliament and trying to enter the buildings, armed with a knife. He stabbed an unarmed police officer who later died from his injuries, before the police shot him dead. The police officer was identified as 48-year-old PC Keith Palmer, a husband and father, who had 15 years service with the police. Another of the victims has been named as Aysha Frade, a Spanish teacher aged 43, who died after being hit on Westminster bridge. American Kurt Cochran who was on holiday in London with his wife was also killed in the attack on the bridge. Police named the attacker as Khalid Masood, who was born in Kent, late on Thursday afternoon. Masood, who died in the attack, was not the subject of any current police investigations, but had a range of previous convictions. The 52-year-old was believed to have been living in the West Midlands. The so-called Islamic State group has said it was behind the attack, describing the assailant as a "soldier for the Islamic State" in a statement released this morning by its Amaq news agency. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, offered his "prayers and thoughts for PC Keith Palmer and his family", in a statement given in the House of Lords on Thursday. Addressing members of the House of Commons this morning, the Prime Minister, Theresa May paid tribute to PC Palmer describing him as every inch a hero. In her statement Mrs May said that the attacked was British born and had once been investigated in the past in relation to violent extremism. He was not a current suspect, she said. She also said that the working assumption was that the attacker was inspired by Islamist ideology and is though to have acted alone. Police are reported to have made eight arrests last night during raids in Birmingham. Describing the incident as an attack on free people everywhere, Mrs May said the best response for terrorism was for people to carry on with their lives as normal. A response that says to the men and women who propagate this hate and evil: you will not defeat us, she said. PICTURE: The flag above the Houses of Parliament flies at half mast the day after a terrorist attack where police officer Keith Palmer and two members of the public died and the attacker was shot dead.
Express.co.uk relies on cookies to collect and process data. We may use this data to make assumptions on what content or advertising may interest you. By clicking "Continue and Accept All", you agree to allow cookies to be placed. You can decline these settings . To get more information about these cookies and the processing of your personal data, check our Privacy Policy & Cookie Policy. POLICE have charged two men over an alleged plot to launch a terror attack on 10 Downing Street to kill the Prime Minister. According to reports, one man was plotting to blow up the security gates at Downing Street with an explosive hidden in a bag. The man then allegedly planned to storm Number 10 armed with a knife and suicide vest to kill Theresa May. A man, 20, has been charged with preparing acts of terrorism and is understood to have been arrested by Met Police last week. A 21-year-old man is accused of assisting him. Advertisement GETTY The nations terror level has been raised to 'critical' several times this year Advertisement Security around the Prime Ministers home is high with police and security gates surrounding Number 10. Both men are said to have been arrested on November 28. They will appear in custody at Westminster Magistrates Court on Wednesday. The UK has been on high alert following several ISIS terror attacks on British soil this year. London Terror Attack: Politicians react At least four people have been killed including a policeman GETTY/REUTERS/TWITTER Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull responds on Twitter TWITTER US President Donald Trump responds on Twitter TWITTER France's President Francois Hollande responds on Twitter TWITTER Canada's Prime Minster Justin Trudeau responds on Twitter TWITTER New Zealand's Prime Minister Bill English responds on Twitter TWITTER Belgium's Prime Minister Charles Michel responds on Twitter TWITTER Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak responds on Twitter TWITTER EU Council president Donald Tusk responds on Twitter TWITTER The Netherlands' Prime Minister Mark Rutte responds on Twitter TWITTER Greece's Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras responds on Twitter TWITTER Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan responds on Twitter TWITTER In March, Khalid Masood, born Adrian Elms in Kent, drove a car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, before crashing the vehicle into the gates of Westminster. Five people were killed and 49 others injured in the attack before Masood was shot by police. Then in June, less than two weeks after Manchester Arena was targeted, eight people were killed after a van drove through crowds on London Bridge and three terrorists launched a knife attack in Borough Market. In September an improvised explosive exploded on a London tube train leaving 30 people injured. GETTY Security around the Prime Ministers home is high with police and security gates surrounding No. 10 Following Marchs terror attack on Westminster, Theresa May said: Yesterday an act of terrorism tried to silence our democracy. But today we meet as normal  as generations have done before us, and as future generations will continue to do  to deliver a simple message: we are not afraid. And our resolve will never waver in the face of terrorism. The nations terror level has been raised to critical  meaning an attack is expected imminently  several times this year. Mr Parker, at a Cabinet meeting, warned Theresa May and her senior ministers that the defeat of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria did not mean the terror threat was over, warning that social media was being used to encourage attacks in the UK and elsewhere. Following the briefing at a cabinet meeting, Mrs May told ministers that the threat from terror was at an "unprecedented" level, despite the military setbacks experienced in its Middle East strongholds by Islamic State  also known as Daesh. Home Secretary Amber Rudd added that the pace of attack planning has increased "significantly" over the past year. How the front pages of newspapers reported the London terror attack The Washington Post USA Today Chicago Tribune The New York Times The Boston Globe The Wall Street Journal Daily Express The Times The Scotsman Le Parisien El Pais Frankfurter Allgemeine El Mercurio La Voix Du Nord Wyborcza NRC. De Telegraaf Le Figaro Later, reporting back to MPs in the Commons, the Home Secretary outlined the terror threat facing the UK, saying there was "simply more terrorist activity" which had been partly inspired by more terrorist propaganda and instruction videos online. The Home Secretary said: "Plots are developing more quickly from radicalisation to attack, and threats are becoming harder to detect, partly due to the challenge of accessing communications that are increasingly end-to-end encrypted. "MI5 and counter terrorism policing are currently running well over 500 live operations, a third up since the beginning of the year, involving roughly 3,000 subjects of interest. "In addition, there are over 20,000 further individuals, or closed subjects, of interest, who have previously been investigated and may again pose a threat." Express.co.uk contacted the Metropolitan Police but a spokeswoman said they would not comment on the allegations.
MP James Cleverly, friend of Keith Palmer, calls for posthumous award James Cleverly, the Tory MP who knew Palmer during his time in the armed forces, has been paying a highly emotional tribute to his friend, which has moved MPs across all sides of the house. May was emotional too in her response. Matt Dathan (@matt_dathan) James Cleverly sheds tears as he pays tribute to Keith Palmer, who he served alongside. Says he was a "strong, professional public servant" pic.twitter.com/HhP2n5sMDV Theresa May's statement - Summary MPs from all sides of the Commons have been praising Theresa May for the tone and the language she used in her statement to the Commons about the Westminster terror attack. It is routine for prime ministers to respond to terrorist killings by saying that democracy will prevail, but May delivered that message this morning with great dignity and sincerity. Here are the key points. May said that attacker was a British-born man who had been investigated in the past in relation to violent extremism, by only as a peripheral figure. But he had not been a current suspect, she said. His identity is known to the police and MI5, and when operational considerations allow, he will be publicly identified. What I can confirm is that the man was British born and that  some years ago  he was once investigated by M15 in relation to concerns about violent extremism. He was a peripheral figure. The case is historic  he was not part of the current intelligence picture. (The text issued by Number 10 says the attacker was once investigated in relation to concerns about violent extremism but in the chamber May said he was once investigated by MI5 in relation to concerns about violent extremism.) She said the attackerwas thought to have acted alone and that the police have no reason to believe there are imminent further attacks on the public. She said the working assumption was that the attacker was inspired by Islamist ideology. She gave details of the nationalities of those injured on Westminster Bridge. Two people were killed and about 40 more were injured, she said: In addition to 12 Britons admitted to hospital, we know that the victims include three French children, two Romanians, four South Koreans, one German, one Pole, one Irish, one Chinese, one Italian, one American and two Greeks. She said the police would increase the number of patrols in cities as a precautionary measure. She described the attack as an attack on free people everywhere. She said the best response to terrorism was for people to carry with their lives as normal. It is in these actions  millions of acts of normality  that we find the best response to terrorism. A response that denies our enemies their victory. That refuses to let them win. That shows we will never give in. A response driven by that same spirit that drove a husband and father to put himself between us and our attacker, and to pay the ultimate price. A response that says to the men and women who propagate this hate and evil: you will not defeat us. One of the Edge Hill University students who was struck by the terrorists 4x4 has this morning thanked the emergency services. Owen Lambert, 18, was on Westminster Bridge when the vehicle ploughed into pedestrians, killing two and leaving dozens more injured. Owen, who received stitches for a head wound, said on Thursday: Battered and bruised but doing fine, massive thanks to Metropolitan police and the Chelsea and Westminster hospital for helping me through this ordeal and an even bigger thanks to all my family and friends for supporting me every step of the way. His fellow student, Travis Frain, suffered a cracked rib plus hand and arm injuries. His mother, Angela Frain, said last night that he was OK and in good spirits. He is expected to remain in hospital for several days. Travis Frain, 19, who was injured in the Westminster terror attack went over the bonnet of the killers car as the carnage began, his mother said today. Photograph: Family Handout/PA Responding to Corbyn, May paid tribute both to the support received from France and to the bravery of the police. She said France too had felt the horror and trauma of terrible terrorist attacks. Police officers like Keith Palmer put their lives on the line every day, she said. Every day, when they put on that uniform, they dont know what they are going to confront in the course of their duties that day. Its a fact often forgotten when people see the police officer walking on the streets that actually they do put their lives on the line for our safety and security. They show enormous bravery and we are grateful to them all. Here is the statement from Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, where he called the attack an appalling atrocity but urged people not to rush to judgment. Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn responds after Prime Minister Theresa May spoke to MPs in the House of Commons in the aftermath of yesterdays terror attack on the Palace of Westminster. Photograph: PA What happened yesterday was an appalling atrocity. Today, we are united by our humanity, by our democratic values and by that human impulse for solidarity to stand together in times of darkness and adversity. I express my condolences to the family and friends of PC Keith Palmer, who gave his life yesterday in defence of the public and our democracy  and to the loved ones of those still in a critical condition including the French schoolchildren visiting our capital from Concarneau in Brittany. The injured include people of ten nationalities. Innocent people were killed yesterday walking across Westminster Bridge as many millions of Londoners and tourists have done before them. I thank all the dedicated NHS staff working to save lives, including those from St Thomas Hospital who rushed out to help those in need. We are grateful for the public service workers who yesterday, today and every day they pull on their uniforms. It behoves us all not to rush to judgement, but to wait for the police to establish the facts. We must stay united in our communities and not to allow fear or the voices of hatred to divide or cower us. It is by demonstrating our values of solidarity, community, humanity and love that we will defeat the poison and division of hatred. Angus Robertson, the SNP Westminster leader, praised the prime minister for her statement. Today of all days we are reminded that, notwithstanding our differences on political and constitutional issues, we are as one in our dedication to democracy, the rule of law and harmony between peoples of all faiths and none. Does she agree with me that no terrorist outrage is representative of any faith or faith community and we recommit ourselves to strengthening the bonds of tolerance and understanding? In the days to come I hope we will remember the love and bravery of the victim, not just the hatred and cowardice of the attackers. Theresa May's statement - further key extracts Mr Speaker, in terms of security here in Westminster, we should be clear first of all that an attacker attempted to break into Parliament and was shot dead within twenty yards of the gates. If his intention was to gain access to this building, we should be clear that he did not succeed.The police heroically did their job. But as is routine, the police together with the House authorities are reviewing the security of the Parliamentary estate, co-ordinated with the Cabinet Office, who have responsibility for the security measures in place around the Government secure zone. All of us in this House have a responsibility for the security and safety of our staff and advice is available for Members who need it. Mr Speaker, yesterday we saw the worst of humanity, but we will remember the best. We will remember the extraordinary efforts to save the life of PC Keith Palmer, including those by my Rt Hon Friend the Member for Bournemouth East. And we will remember the exceptional bravery of our police, security and emergency services who once again ran towards the danger even as they encouraged others to move the other way ... Mr Speaker, a lot has been said since terror struck London yesterday. Much more will be said in the coming days. But the greatest response lies not in the words of politicians, but in the everyday actions of ordinary people. For beyond these walls today  in scenes repeated in towns and cities across the country millions of people are going about their days and getting on with their lives. The streets are as busy as ever. The offices full. The coffee shops and cafes bustling. As I speak millions will be boarding trains and aeroplanes to travel to London, and to see for themselves the greatest city on Earth. It is in these actions  millions of acts of normality  that we find the best response to terrorism. A response that denies our enemies their victory. That refuses to let them win. That shows we will never give in. A response driven by that same spirit that drove a husband and father to put himself between us and our attacker, and to pay the ultimate price. A response that says to the men and women who propagate this hate and evil: you will not defeat us. Mr Speaker, let this be the message from this House and this nation today: our values will prevail. And I commend this statement to the House. Theresa May's statement  key extracts Rowena Mason Here are key extracts from Theresa Mays statement. Yesterday an act of terrorism tried to silence our democracy. But today we meet as normal, as generations have done before us and as future generations will continue to do, to deliver a simple message: we are not afraid and our resolve will never waver in the face ofterrorism. And we meet here in the oldest of all parliaments because we know democracy and the values it entails will always prevail. Those values free speech, liberty, human rights and rule of law are embodied here in this place and shared by free people around the world. A terrorist came to the place where people of all nationalities and culture gather to celebrate what it means to be free. He took out his rage indiscriminately on men, women and children. This was an attack on free people everywhere and on behalf of the British people I would like to thank our friends and allies around the world who have made it clear they stand with us. What happened on the streets of Westminster sickened us all. While there is an ongoing police investigation, the House will understand there are limits to what I can say but having been updated by police and security officials let me set out what at this stage I can tell the house. At approximately 2.40pm yesterday a single attacker drove his vehicle at speed into innocent pedestrians crossing Westminster Bridge, killing two people and injuring around 40 more. In addition to 12 Britons admitted to hospital, we know the victims include three French children, two Romanians, four South Koreans, one German, one Pole, one Irish, one Chinese, one Italian, one American and two Greeks. We are in close contacts with the governments of the countries of all those affected. The injured also included three police officers returning from an event to recognise their bravery ... Two of those three remain in a serious condition. The attacker then left the vehicle and approached a police officer at Carriage Gates, attacking that officer with a large knife before he was shot dead by an armed police officer. Tragically 48 year old PC Keith Palmer was killed. He was every inch a hero and his actions will never be forgotten. I can confirm police have searched six addresses and made eight arrests in Birmingham and London. It is still believed this attacker acted alone and police have no reason to believe there are imminent further attacks on the public. His identity is known to the police and MI5. When operational considerations allow he will be publicly identified. What I can confirm is the man was British born and that some years ago he was once investigated by MI5 in relation to concerns about violent extremism. He was a peripheral figure. The case is historic. He is not part of the current intelligence picture. There was no prior intelligence of his intent or the plot. Intensive investigations continue  Our working assumption is that the attacker was inspired by Islamist ideology. We know the threat from Islamist terrorism is very real. But while the public should remain utterly vigilant they should not and will not be cowed by this threat. We are stepping up policing to reassure the public and as a precautionary measure it will mean increasing patrols in cities across the country, with more police and more armed police on the streets.
MPs across the Commons have united behind a call to rename the entrance to Parliament after hero police officer Keith Palmer, who was killed defending democracy. Almost 120 MPs have backed a motion for the Carriage Gates to be renamed the Palmer Gates in honour of the unarmed PC who single-handedly took on a knife-wielding terrorist. It comes ahead of the anniversary of the March 22 attack, amid expectations that the Government will shortly announce plans to honour the popular officer who was stationed at the gates. Labours Diane Abbott, the shadow home secretary, told the Standard: I think of Pc Palmers bravery when I walk through the gates and it would be wonderful to memorialise him by renaming the gates after him. He showed supreme bravery by running unarmed into danger and gave his life to protect our democratic process. Former Conservative minister Peter Bottomley said many rooms and locations in the House of Commons were named after famous politicians, including the Churchill Arch, the Wilson Room and the Thatcher Room. We should not just name things after monarchs and prime ministers, he said. Keith Palmers actions are an inspiration for many of us and have drawn admiration from all. It would be fitting for us to name the gates after him to remind people of his courage. A police officer places flowers and a photo of Pc Keith Palmer on Whitehall after the Westminster attacks (Dominic Lipinski/PA) Commons leader Andrea Leadsom has confirmed that Pc Palmers heroism will be commemorated this month but has not disclosed how. The idea of renaming the gates was put forward by Labour MP Matt Western after it was suggested to him by a member of the public. Within days 117 MPs signed a motion backing the plan. PC Keith Palmer Funeral - In pictures PC Keith Palmer Funeral - In pictures 1/43 The coffin of Pc Keith Palmer is removed from Westminster's Chapel of St Mary Undercroft in London before it makes its way to Southwark Cathedral Alex Lentati 2/43 The funeral of Pc Keith Palmer Sky News 3/43 Pall bearers carry the coffin of PC Keith Palmer into the Southwark Cathedral in London 24/43 25/43 26/43 Police officers and well-wishers line the route in Southwark as the funeral procession of PC Keith Palmer makes its way to Southwark Cathedral Dan Kitwood/Getty Images 27/43 Police at a ceremony by the Police Roll of Honour Trust to add the names of fallen officers Pc Keith Palmer and Pc Gareth Browning to the National Police Officers Roll of Honour & Remembrance in London 24/43 25/43 26/43 Police officers and well-wishers line the route in Southwark as the funeral procession of PC Keith Palmer makes its way to Southwark Cathedral Dan Kitwood/Getty Images 27/43 Police at a ceremony by the Police Roll of Honour Trust to add the names of fallen officers Pc Keith Palmer and Pc Gareth Browning to the National Police Officers Roll of Honour & Remembrance in London 38/43 39/43 A young girl looks at floral tributes at Paliament Square ahead of the funeral of PC Keith Palmer Chris Jackson/Getty Images 40/43 Police officers march towards Southwark Cathedral in London Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP/Getty Images 41/43 A couple watch as the coffin of PC Keith Palmer, who was killed in the recent Westminster attack, is transported from the Palace of Westminster Stefan Wermuth/Reuters 42/43 The coffin of Pc Keith Baker is removed from Westminster's Chapel of St Mary Undercroft in London Jeremy Selwyn 43/43 Police officers line the route in Southwark as the funeral procession of PC Keith Palmer makes its way to Southwark Cathedral Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Pc Palmer, who had a wife and daughter, was stabbed as he prevented terrorist Khalid Masood from entering Parliament to carry out a killing spree. Masood drove at pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before running through Carriage Gates. He killed five people, injuring others. Pc Palmer was posthumously recognised with a George Medal in the Queens civilian gallantry list.
Women who gathered in London in a show of solidarity with the victims of Wednesday's terror attack have spoken of the "overwhelming" emotion they felt standing on the bridge where people were mown down. A group of women, who said they were wearing blue as a symbol of hope, stood holding hands for five minutes on Westminster Bridge as Big Ben chimed 4pm on Sunday. People from a range of backgrounds joined the event, organised by Women's March On London. Three members of the public died and many more were injured after Khalid Masood sped along the bridge before storming the parliamentary estate and stabbing to death a police officer. Activists: The women held hands along the bridge (AFP/ Getty Images) Fariha Khan, 40, a GP from Surbiton, said: "The feeling of what happened here on Wednesday was really strong. "We thought of the ordinary people who were here and were mown down, standing here like this, it was very overwhelming." London attack: Trafalgar Square vigil London attack: Trafalgar Square vigil 1/16 Trafalgar Square vigil People light candles at a vigil in Trafalgar Square the day after an attack Stefan Wermuth/Reuters 2/16 Trafalgar Square vigil Londoners light candles as they gather for a vigil in Trafalgar Square Facundo Arrizabalaga/EPA 3/16 Trafalgar Square vigil A woman holds up a sign at a vigil for the victims of Wednesday's attack Matt Dunham/AP 4/16 Trafalgar Square vigil A tribute at a vigil in Trafalgar Square for the victims of Wednesday's attack Lucy Young 5/16 Trafalgar Square vigil People attend a vigil for the victims of Wednesday's attack at Trafalgar Square Matt Dunham/AP 6/16 Trafalgar Square vigil People light candles at a vigil for the victims of Wednesday's attack Matt Dunham/AP 7/16 Trafalgar Square vigil People hold up signs at a vigil for the victims of Wednesday's attack Matt Dunham/AP 8/16 Trafalgar Square vigil People attend a vigil in Trafalgar Square the day after an attack Darren Staples/Reuters 9/16 Trafalgar Square vigil Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, Home Secretary Amber Rudd and Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Craig Mackey at the candlelight vigil in Trafalgar Square Yui Mok/PA 10/16 Trafalgar Square vigil Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, Home Secretary Amber Rudd and Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Craig Mackey at the candlelight vigil in Trafalgar Square Yui Mok/PA 11/16 Trafalgar Square vigil Londoners gather for a vigil in Trafalgar Square Andy Rain/EPA 12/16 Trafalgar Square vigil Crowds gathered in Trafalgar Square Amy Ashenden 13/16 Trafalgar Square vigil A few people were left paying their respects late in the evening after the crowds had dispersed from Trafalgar Square following a vigil Lucy Young 14/16 Floral tributes are seen in Westminster the day after an attack in London REUTERS 15/16 Candles burn on Westminster Bridge the day after an attack in London Darren Staples/Reuters 16/16 Trafalgar Square vigil A woman reacts at a vigil in Trafalgar Square the day after an attack Hannah McKay/Reuters 1/16 Trafalgar Square vigil People light candles at a vigil in Trafalgar Square the day after an attack Stefan Wermuth/Reuters 2/16 Trafalgar Square vigil Londoners light candles as they gather for a vigil in Trafalgar Square Facundo Arrizabalaga/EPA 3/16 Trafalgar Square vigil A woman holds up a sign at a vigil for the victims of Wednesday's attack Matt Dunham/AP 4/16 Trafalgar Square vigil A tribute at a vigil in Trafalgar Square for the victims of Wednesday's attack Lucy Young 5/16 Trafalgar Square vigil People attend a vigil for the victims of Wednesday's attack at Trafalgar Square Matt Dunham/AP 6/16 Trafalgar Square vigil People light candles at a vigil for the victims of Wednesday's attack Matt Dunham/AP 7/16 Trafalgar Square vigil People hold up signs at a vigil for the victims of Wednesday's attack Matt Dunham/AP 8/16 Trafalgar Square vigil People attend a vigil in Trafalgar Square the day after an attack Darren Staples/Reuters 9/16 Trafalgar Square vigil Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, Home Secretary Amber Rudd and Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Craig Mackey at the candlelight vigil in Trafalgar Square Yui Mok/PA 10/16 Trafalgar Square vigil Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, Home Secretary Amber Rudd and Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Craig Mackey at the candlelight vigil in Trafalgar Square Yui Mok/PA 11/16 Trafalgar Square vigil Londoners gather for a vigil in Trafalgar Square Andy Rain/EPA 12/16 Trafalgar Square vigil Crowds gathered in Trafalgar Square Amy Ashenden 13/16 Trafalgar Square vigil A few people were left paying their respects late in the evening after the crowds had dispersed from Trafalgar Square following a vigil Lucy Young 14/16 Floral tributes are seen in Westminster the day after an attack in London REUTERS 15/16 Candles burn on Westminster Bridge the day after an attack in London Darren Staples/Reuters 16/16 Trafalgar Square vigil A woman reacts at a vigil in Trafalgar Square the day after an attack Hannah McKay/Reuters She was joined by fellow Ahmadiyya Muslims who said they wanted to add to the condemnation of the violent attack and stand defiant in the face of terrorism. Sarah Waseem, 57, from Surrey, said: "When an attack happens in London, it is an attack on me. Wembley pays tribute to victims of Westminster attack "It is an attack on all of us. Islam totally condemns violence of any sort. This is abhorrent to us." Being present for the demonstration shows people in the city are united in support of democracy, said Ayesha Malik. Tribute: Women activists wearing blue hold hands on Westminster Bridge in front of the Houses of Parliament to honour the victims of the March 22 attack (AFP/ Getty Images) The 34-year-old mother-of-two, also from Surrey, said: "As a visible Muslim I think it was important to show solidarity with the principles that we all hold dear, the principles of plurality, diversity and so on." Londoner Mary Bennett said she was present to make a "small gesture". The retired healthcare worker said: "I am here to show that in a quiet way we continue to go where we like and do what we like in London. "This is my city. It's a very small gesture but life is made up of small gestures."
London terror attacker named as Khalid Masood  a 52-year-old body-building obsessed dad-of-three English teacher seduced by ISIS The Muslim convert used several aliases and had been convicted previously of possessing a knife BY Holly Christodoulou and Emma Lake 23rd March 2017,5:50 pm Updated: 23rd March 2017,7:47 pm A KILLER who murdered three people before he was shot dead by police has been named as a body-building obsessed married dad-of-three. Muslim convert former English teacher Khalid Masood, 52, who mowed down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before storming Parliament and stabbing a police officer to death, was born in Kent but later moved to the West Midlands. The three women and five men have been held on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts. Police said a 39-year-old woman was arrested at an address in east London, a 21-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man were arrested at an address in Birmingham, a 26-year-old woman and three men aged 28, 27 and 26 years old were arrested at a separate address in Birmingham. A 58-year-old man was also arrested this morning at a separate address in Birmingham on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. Mark Rowley, national lead for Counter Terrorism Policing and Met Acting Deputy Commissioner corrected earlier figures saying three innocent victims  PC Palmer, a woman in her mid 40s and a man in his mid 50s  were killed along with the attacker who was shot by cops. Mark Rowley, national lead for Counter Terrorism Policing and Met Acting Deputy Commissioner gives a press conference this morning Mr Rowley said 29 people are being treated in hospital, with five in a critical condition and two with life threatening injuries. Theresa May has been visiting victims of the attack in hospital. The PM spent around 40 minutes with the injured victims talking to them about their harrowing experiences. She also spoke to medical staff to thank them for their work, said her official spokesman, who declined to name the hospital where the private visit took place. Many of those injured on Westminster Bridge were taken to St Thomas Hospital, which faces the Palace of Westminster across the Thames. Others went to Kings College Hospital and the Royal London Hospital. SKy PC Keith Palmers former team lay a wreath for the tragic cop Twelve Brits were injured, with police officers reportedly among those hurt, while nationals from France, Romania, China and America were also hurt. The Romanian couple who were injured have been named as Andrei Burnaz and Andreea Cristea. Car hire firm Enterprise has confirmed that one of their cars had been rented out and used in the attack, saying in a statement: We can confirm that the car used in the tragic attack in London yesterday afternoon was one of ours. An employee identified the vehicle after seeing the licence plate in an image online. We ran another check to verify, and immediately contacted the authorities. We are co-operating fully with the authorities and will provide any assistance that we can to the investigation. Our thoughts are very much with the victims of this terrible tragedy. Those injured in the Westminster Bridge attack Theresa May has confirmed 29 people were hurt when the speeding car smashed into crowds on Westminster Bridge. Seven remain in a critical condition. The nationalities of those injured have been released, including: Twelve Brits Three French children Two Romanians Four South Koreans One German One Pole One Irish One Chinese One Italian One American Two Greeks Last night Theresa May held an emergency COBRA meeting following the attack, which she called sick and depraved. In a statement from Downing Street, the Prime Minister said: Any attempt to defeat those values through violence and terror is doomed to failure. Parliament will meet as normal. We will come together as normal. And Londoners  and others from around the world who have come here to visit this great city  will get up and go about their day as normal. They will board their trains, they will leave their hotels, they will walk these streets, they will live their lives. And we will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart. In a message to staff she said: One of our officers died protecting the public and Parliament. We will never forget his courage. My deepest sympathy is with his family and with the loved ones of everyone who lost their lives. My thoughts too are with the members of the public and our officers who were injured as well as those people affected by these appalling events. As many Parliamentarians have noted, our officers ran towards danger to do their jobs. We are indebted to their bravery. Officers and staff from the Metropolitan Police are working as hard as we can to protect the public and our capital city. I am grateful for all their efforts. TIMELINE OF TERROR Lone wolf attacker mowed down crowds of pedestrians in 44 on Westminster Bridge He then crashed into gate outside Parliament before stabbing policeman PC Keith Palmer, 48, to death Armed cops put Westminster on lockdown as attack brought London to a standstill yesterday afternoon Four people died  including the attacker who was shot by police  and 29 are injured, including seven critical Eight people arrested today after six raids at addresses in London, Birmingham and elsewhere Cops believe they know the identity of the suspect who was inspired by Islamic terrorism The Hyundai used to carry out the attack was hired last Thursday in Birmingham, according to Newsnight Hero MP Tobias Ellwood attempted to revive PC Palmer but husband and father could not be saved Theresa May condemned attack as sick and depraved before holding emergency Cobra meeting MPs were locked in House of Commons for five hours PC Palmer, a member of the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Squad and former Bombardier in the Royal Artillery Army Reserve between 87-01 , was killed as he tried to stop the attacker at about 2.30pm on Wednesday, while two members of the public were also fatally injured. The knifeman drove a grey Hyundai i40 across Westminster Bridge before crashing it into railings, then running through the gates of the Palace of Westminster. His attack left a trail of destruction as paramedics and heroic bystanders tended to victims on the bridge and at the gate. One woman hit by the attackers car before he reached Parliament was confirmed dead by a doctor at St Thomas Hospital. Others on the bridge suffered catastrophic injuries. Reuters Witnesses rushed to help a victim with reports that a car mowed down a number of people on Westminster Bridge before crashing into the gate outside Parliament Reuters A body was seen on Westminster Bridge with police confirming they are treating the incident as a terror attack Another woman who fell into the Thames was rescued and given urgent medical treatment on a nearby pier. A party of French schoolchildren were among those targeted on the bridge, while four students from Edge Hill University in Ormskirk were also hurt  two described as walking wounded, and others said to have minor injuries. The attack came on the first anniversary of the Brussels airport bombings. The Muslim Council of Britain said: We are shocked and saddened by the incident at Westminster. We condemn this attack and while it is still too early to speculate on the motives, our thoughts and prayers are for the victims and those affected. EPA Armed police swarm the area in Westminster after a man was shot following a terror attack EPA Cops gather outside Parliament after the attacker mowed pedestrians down London mayor Sadiq Khan said: London is the greatest city in the world and we stand together in the face of those who seek to harm us and destroy our way of life. Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism. Home Secretary Amber Rudd said: I want to thank the emergency services for the quick response and pay tribute to their bravery, courage and professionalism. We have the best police, the best security services in the world and we must let them get on with doing their job. The British people will be united in working together to defeat those who would harm our shared values. Values of democracy, tolerance and the rule of law. Values symbolised by the Houses of Parliament. Values that will never be destroyed. MORE FOLLOWS LATER For the latest news on this story keep checking back at Sun Online, where we will bring you live updates as soon as they happen, before anyone else. Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thesun, and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun, where we will bring you this story and all the rest of the top news and exclusives of the day. 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Londoners back to business after terror attack A major police investigation is underway after a terrorist attack at Westminster in London left four people dead. Transcript plusminus LEIGH SALES, PRESENTER: There's arguably no city in the world that gets back to business as quickly as London in the wake of a major terrorist attack. After years of IRA bombings and in more recent times Islamist terrorist attacks, the residents of London take pride in their stoicism. And that resilience is on show again today as life in London grinds on the morning after a deadly terrorist attack outside its parliament. A major police operation is now under way to confirm the identity of the killer and his motives, although authorities are already treating it as a terrorist attack. JAMES GLENDAY, REPORTER: Good evening, Leigh. We know that police have made seven arrests in the wake of this attack, all of those in the city of Birmingham. The death toll has also been revised down to four. Authorities say that hundreds of detectives worked throughout the night, carrying out six searches in six different addresses, including, as you mentioned, in Birmingham. But there are also inquiries under way in London and other parts of the country too. However, police do stress that they think this man acted alone, and there isn't an imminent threat currently to the public. We've also been given some new information about some of the victims and those that are hurt. Police say they are mix of nationalities and seven of those who were mown down yesterday remain in a critical condition in hospital. LEIGH SALES: As I mentioned just before, James, Londoners are a pretty stoic lot, but this was a particularly galling attack. JAMES GLENDAY: It certainly was, because Westminster's not just an iconic place, it's not just a tourist hot spot - it is, of course, the home of the country's political establishment. Parliament was suspended yesterday. Most of the nation's representatives were locked down for hours. And this is being interpreted here as very much a direct attack on the beating heart of British democracy. UNIDENTIFIED MAN 1: Oh, God, it was horrible. I was on the 53 bus and I was halfway across the bridge, and all of a sudden, I thought someone had chucked their shoes at the window. And I jumped up to have a look, 'cause I heard a scream as well. UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN 1: Oh, shit! UNIDENTIFIED MAN 1: She'd been crushed. She'd been crushed, and she was trapped at the back of the bus and she was dead. POLICE OFFICER 1: Everyone, that side of the grass, now! POLICE OFFICER 2: Get under cover now! Get under cover! UNIDENTIFIED MAN 2: There was a body. And when I looked further up, there was another body. And then, when I looked over the side of the bridge, there appeared to be a body in the water as well. JAMES GLENDAY: This was the moment authorities had long warned would come. Fear, panic and bloodshed returning to the British capital. POLICE OFFICER 3: You, away! JAMES GLENDAY: In the middle of the afternoon, a man driving a Hyundai four-wheel drive towards the UK parliament suddenly veered onto the footpath on Westminster Bridge, sending a woman into the Thames River and leaving more than 20 wounded in his wake. Some had catastrophic injuries. UNIDENTIFIED MAN 3: Ambulance and probably police. There's been an accident. A car has just mowed down about three people on Westminster Bridge Road. UNIDENTIFIED MAN 4: Then I saw the vehicle mount the curb and it was coming at it so quickly. I saw some people be hit in front of me and I jumped to the left, into the road. I think one of the guys that had been hit was, unfortunately, kicked past me. And then looked around me in shock, 'cause I could, you know, see bodies and people and it was all, yeah, a real shock. JAMES GLENDAY: The car then ploughed into the fence surrounding parliament. The attacker, who was known to authorities, was shot dead as he moved towards the building...but not before he fatally stabbed a police officer. UNIDENTIFIED MAN 5: There's been one person shot - bang, bang, bang. He had a knife. MARK ROWLEY, ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER FOR SPECIAL OPERATIONS, LONDON METROPOLITAN POLICE: Our thoughts are with those who lost loved ones, those who were injured and all those affected by this attack. One of those who died today was a police officer, PC Keith Palmer, a member of our Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command. Keith, aged 48, had 15 years' service and was a husband and father. JAMES GLENDAY: Inside, parliament was suspended and locked down for hours. Confusion reigned as the SWAT teams moved in. UNIDENTIFIED MAN 6: This enormous noise at the front of Portcullis House about 10 minutes ago. Lots of police and security guards shouting. People running past the building. General sense of panic. Everyone ordered to the back towards the building until it was safe to do otherwise. UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN 2: The emergency services... There was a lot of shouting going on initially on the car impact, a lot of shouting going on and a lot of police presence coming from everywhere. JAMES GLENDAY: Major landmarks screeched to a standstill as the enormous police operation kicked into gear. Some sightseers spent hours on the London Eye. Throughout the night detectives scoured the scene for evidence. British authorities have long feared a car would be used as a weapon of mass murder. RICHARD WALTON, FORMER HEAD OF COUNTER TERRORISM, LONDON METROPOLITAN POLICE: It's very hard to prevent an attack, if you like, a low-tac attack like this, from happening once an individual is inspired to carry one out. JAMES GLENDAY: The attacker may now be dead and the area secure, but those who survive say they've been scarred forever.
Muslims raise funds for Westminster terrorist attack victims A man wearing a t-shirt reading "I am a Muslim, ask me anything?" is pictured during a vigil in Trafalgar Square in central London on March 23, 2017 in solidarity with the victims of the March 22 terror attack at the British parliament and on Westminster Bridge. Britain's parliament reopened on Thursday with a minute's silence in a gesture of defiance a day after an attacker sowed terror in the heart of Westminster, killing three people before being shot dead. Sombre-looking lawmakers in a packed House of Commons chamber bowed their heads and police officers also marked the silence standing outside the headquarters of London's Metropolitan Police nearby. / AFP PHOTO / Joel FordJOEL FORD/AFP/Getty Images The Muslims United for London fundraiser has gathered more than 20,000 for victims of the Westminster bridge terrorist attack which occurred close to the UK Parliament, killing four people and injuring 40 individuals. The Muslim-led campaign surprisingly raised 10,000 pouring in less than 15 hours. Money raised by the crowdfunding page will be donated to support victims and the families of those affected by the atrocities, which saw terrorist Khalid Masood along Westminster Bridge on the afternoon of March 22 ploughing into pedestrians. The attack killed mother-of-two Aysha Frade, 75-year-old Leslie Rhodes and Kurt Cochran, an American tourist in his mid-50s who was in London celebrating his 25th anniversary with wife Melissa, who was badly injured. Muddassar Ahmed, who set up the campaign told Metro.co.uk: The British Muslim community stands with all Britons and Londoners during these difficult times and extends their support in raising funds to help with the immediate, short-term needs of the families of Keith Palmer, the other victims and the families of the victims. (Picture: LaunchGood) A Metropolitan Police officer arrives with floral tributes near Westminster Bridge following yesterdays attack in which one police officer was killed, on March 23, 2017 in London (Picture: Getty) People light candles at a vigil in Trafalgar Square the day after an attack, in London, Britain March 23, 2017 (Picture: Reuters) He added: While no amount of money will bring back lives lost or take away from the pain the victims and their families are going through, we hope to lessen their burden in some way. Though this is a Muslim-led campaign, we welcome contributions from our friends from other faiths and none. The fundraiser has been so successful the target has been raised to 30,000. Fakoyejo Olalekan is a certified Journalist. His love for writing is beyond being a Mass Communication graduate. The zeal to write was developed out of the passion to shape people's thoughts or opinions; so people can use his stories as a guideline for their daily lives. Straight From Naija is Nigerians online destination for original stories, breaking news, useful and up to date information. For information and enquires, please Send an email to contact@straightfromnaija.com or call 08156020044.
"I saw people rushing into Parliament and the police were going crazy trying to stop everyone. "A couple of seconds later I heard gunshots and then once the traffic started moving I could see the rest of the damage that he had caused - all the people laying on the floor." The 25-year-old said up to 20 injured people were lying on the bridge, with two not moving. Scotland Yard has confirmed five people died in the incident, including the attacker, a police officer and three others. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP Police say at least 40 are injured, with dozens of ambulances and the London air ambulance evacuating casualties from the scene. Mr Adamou said his passengers were "panicking" and trying to get off the trapped bus.
Terrorism in Westminster: London had expected attack for some time and police reaction was rapid Author Disclosure statement David Lowe does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. At least five people are dead and 20 injured following a terrorist incident in London. What had been dreaded finally happened  an attack on UK soil which brought to mind recent tragedies on mainland Europe. Police are conducting a major terrorist investigation. It appears that a car was driven at speed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, which is just in front of the Palace of Westminster  home to the UK parliament. At least two people have died as a result of being injured by the car. The driver then reportedly ran the few metres to the parliament complex and attacked a police officer with a knife before being shot by another officer. The police later confirmed that the stabbed officer was among the dead, as well as the suspected attacker. Parliamentarians were quickly put into lockdown and the prime minister was driven away at speed. The area around Westminster  including Whitehall, where many government departments are based  was shut off. The rapidity with which the authorities reacted proves that London, though horrified by what has happened, was ready for such an event. MPs were kept shut in the House of Commons as the incident unfolded outside.PA The devastation that can be caused when ordinary vehicles are used as weapons on soft targets such as civilian areas has been all too clear in recent years. With so many killed in Nice in July 2016 and Berlin in December 2016 by men driving lorries into crowds, there has been mounting concern about how to protect public spaces. On this occasion it appeared to be a car that was used, but the driver was still able to inflict serious injury on passers by. The terror effect The Metropolitan Police have been preparing for such an incident in London at least since Daesh (IS) struck in Paris in November 2015. And planning has realistically been in the works since long before that. London suffered its last large-scale terrorist attack in 2005, but several smaller scale incidents have occurred since and many more plots foiled. The UK has been on severe alert since 2014, meaning an attack is highly likely. Preparations for attacks have included a series of exercises to test responses and effectiveness in dealing with an incident. Just days before the Westminster attack, armed police were out on the river Thames carrying out a large-scale hostage simulation involving a ferry and dozens of actors. Police lock down the area around parliament.EPA/Andy Rain London has long been recognised as a primary target for a terrorist attack, with certain parts of Westminster and the City of London seen as particularly high risk. The capital experienced numerous IRA attacks during the Troubles in Northern Ireland, including a bomb at the Houses of Parliament in 1974 and the killing of Airey Nevey, the shadow Northern Ireland secretary, who died after his car was blown up as he drove out of a car park beneath parliaments New Palace Yard. Government minister Tobias Ellwood attempted to resuscitate the stabbed policeman.PA The citys approach to managing the terrorist threat has evolved along the way. These days, physical barriers can be seen at strategic locations all over London. The palace of Westminster itself is surrounded by large black barriers, which make approaching the complex in a vehicle difficult. Police officers are deployed at strategic locations and their numbers have been increased lately. They are on the ground to provide a rapid response to attack and appear to have done exactly that in this case. While the horror of what has happened cant be denied, the response was incredibly rapid. The suspect was tackled extremely quickly and the area locked down at great speed. This incident shows why the threat level in the UK has been rated as severe for some time now  meaning that an attack is highly likely but that there are no details about how, when or where the attack might take place. Details are still emerging but most are in agreement that the police reaction was rapid and worthy of high praise.
Almost 700 terror investigations are being carried out by the security services. The figures were revealed yesterday after a car ploughed into cyclists outside Parliament in an apparent extremist attack. Britain was on a heightened state of alert last night, with Theresa May warning that the threat was now one of the starkest we have faced. Security minister Ben Wallace said the increased danger of attacks was here to stay. Their warnings came as anti-terror police tried to question a suspect over the latest feared targeting of Westminster. The man  named last night as Salih Khater and said to be a British citizen of Sudanese origin  was arrested by armed police after the car hit cyclists and pedestrians before crashing into a security barrier at around 50mph during the morning rush-hour. Police raided a string of addresses in the Midlands as they tried to discover what was behind his actions. He was refusing to cooperate with police. Britain was on a heightened state of alert last night after a car ploughed into cyclists outside Parliament in an apparent extremist attack Officials revealed that there were 676 live investigations being conducted by the security services and counter-terror police at the end of June, up from more than 500 three months earlier. Some 13 Islamist plots have been foiled since March 2017  including one in the past month. A further four far-Right plots have been stopped. Officials also said that between 2010 and 2017 there were 2,029 terrorist arrests in Britain, but 412 of those were in the year to December  the highest on record. RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Share Mrs May yesterday called on the country to come together as she voiced her disgust at the attack outside Parliament. It follows the Westminster Bridge attack in March last year in which Khalid Masood killed five pedestrians before stabbing to death PC Keith Palmer at the gates of Parliament. The Prime Minister said: For the second time in as many years the home of our democracy, which is a potent symbol of our precious values of tolerance and freedom, has witnessed terrible scenes just yards from its door. The threat to the United Kingdom from terrorism remains severe. 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. Officials revealed that there were 676 live investigations being conducted by the security services and counter-terror police at the end of June, up from more than 500 three months earlier (pictured: armed police outside Westminster station yesterday) The twisted aim of the extremists is to use violence and terror to divide us. They will never succeed. Mrs May voiced relief that no one had been killed in the latest attack as she praised the formidable courage of the armed officers who apprehended the driver within minutes of him driving into the security barrier outside Parliament. My thoughts are with the innocent members of the public who were hurt in this appalling incident, she said. The Prime Minister, who is on holiday in Switzerland, was informed of the incident at 8am yesterday  less than half an hour after it took place. She was kept abreast of the situation throughout the day. Home Secretary Sajid Javid last night returned to the UK from his holidays. A meeting of the Cobra emergency committee was held by security officials in Whitehall yesterday afternoon. Last night Mr Wallace told 5 News: We have seen a shift since 2017 in the numbers of terrorist plots and the number of live investigations that are going on  both from the far-Right and Islamist extremists. Asked if people should feel worried, he said: I think worried is the wrong word. People should realise that this is at the moment going to be here to stay, that the shift in threat is a phenomena of this generation. The Prime Ministers official spokesman added: We have been clear that the threat from terrorism is one of the starkest we have faced, the nature of the threat is changing and so is our response. Advertisement Share or comment on this article: After new attack on Westminster, officials reveal Britain faces 700 live terror probes
Westminster attack: Video shows apparent security flaws Two men remain in custody in connection with Khalid Masoods London rampage President Michael D Higgins and Taoiseach Enda Kenny attend the British embassy in Dublin to sign a book of condolence for the victims of the recent attack on Westminster. Video: Ronan McGreevy Floral tributes in Parliament Square, London, for the victims of the Westminster terror attack. Photograph: John Stillwell/PA Wire British parliamentarians have said the soft outer ring of security at the Palace of Westminster must be enhanced after a video showed the complexs gates were left open and apparently unmanned after Wednesdays terror attack, which left five people dead. The footage, captured by The London Times, shows the aftermath of the assault on New Palace Yard which left police officer Keith Palmer fatally wounded. Mr Palmer was knifed by the attacker, Khalid Masood, after the terrorist drove a car at pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before storming the parliamentary estate armed with two knives. He was then shot dead by police. As armed officers swarm the cobbled forecourt after killing Masood, the footage shows that the iron gate which allows vehicles to enter parliament was apparently left wide open. No police officers are visibly guarding the entry point, known as Carriage Gates, fuelling concern that the attack might have been worse had Masood been followed by accomplices. Pedestrians are shown walking past and at one stage a courier on a moped appears to enter unchallenged. Separate footage had shown British prime minister Theresa May being rushed from the building and into a waiting car just yards away. Former Metropolitan police commissioner Lord Ian Blair and ex-House of Commons deputy speaker Nigel Evans have both said security will now have to be stepped up. Prison Meanwhile, fears Khalid Masood was groomed for extremism in prison have heightened after it was claimed he turned to Islam while behind bars. Counter-terrorism officers have spent days piecing together what led the 52-year-old to commit Wednesdays assault in London. Only two men - a 27-year-old and 58-year-old arrested in Birmingham - remain in custody after a hunt for accomplices saw 11 people detained in raids across England. It remains unclear whether the assault was carried out alone or with support. The Saudi Arabian embassy in London said Masood worked in the country for several years, raising the possibility he was radicalised overseas. A childhood friend of the man who was known then as Adrian Elms told The Sun newspaper that Masood first emerged as a Muslim after serving a jail sentence. Mark Ashdown (52) said: When he first came out, he told me hed become a Muslim in prison and I thought he was joking. Then I saw he was quieter and much more serious. I gave him some cash-in-hand work for a few months as a labourer. He said he needed time to pray and read the Koran - something about finding inner peace. There were still flashes of the old Ade, but they were few and far between. I heard hed split from his partner and got even more deeply into religion. But nothing could have prepared me for hearing his name on the radio. Masoods conversion will fuel concerns about the rising threat of criminals being brought under the influence of hardened jihadists while in prison. British ministers have announced plans to create specialist units within jails to tackle what a government-ordered review last year concluded was a growing problem. Saudi statement The Saudi embassy said Masood lived in the country between November 2005 and 2006 and between April 2008 and April 2009, during which time he worked as an English teacher on a work visa. He travelled to the country again for five days in March 2015. It said in a statement: During his time in Saudi Arabia, Khalid Masood did not appear on the security services radar and does not have a criminal record in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Details of Masoods history of criminality have continued to come to light, suggesting a propensity for violence which laid the groundwork for his armed rampage on Wednesday. Masood was born in Kent, but moved across the country and used a variety of aliases, including Adrian Russell Ajao. Scotland Yards head of counter-terrorism, Mark Rowley, said detectives want to understand his motivation, preparation and associates and if he either acted totally alone, inspired by terrorist propaganda, or if others have encouraged, supported or directed him. Detectives have seized 2,700 items from the searches, including massive amounts of computer data, while about 3,500 witnesses have been spoken to. Searches at three addresses are continuing. Mr Rowley said: We remain keen to hear from anyone who knew Khalid Masood well, understands who his associates were, and can provide us with information about places he has recently visited. There might well be people out there who did have concerns about Masood but werent sure or didnt feel comfortable for whatever reason in passing information to us. Masood was known to police and MI5 but was a peripheral figure who was not implicated in any current inquiry. He had convictions for assaults, including grievous bodily harm, as well as possession of offensive weapons and public order offences. Hero MP Hero MP Tobias Ellwood, who tried to save Mr Palmers life, and security minister Ben Wallace have been appointed to the Privy Council for their roles in responding to the atrocity. Masoods victims on the bridge included US tourist Kurt Cochran and his wife Melissa, from Utah, who were on the last day of a trip celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary. Mr Cochran was killed and Ms Cochran was badly injured. Aysha Frade, who worked in administration at independent sixth-form school DLD College London, in Westminster, also died. She is believed to be a 43-year-old mother-of-two. Leslie Rhodes, a retired window cleaner from Clapham, south London, died from injuries sustained in the attack. He was described by neighbours as a lovely man. Two people remain in hospital in a critical condition, one with life-threatening injuries. Police officer Kristofer Aves and another member of the force hurt in the attack are also in hospital with significant injuries. Police said armed patrols would take place at Wembley Stadium and extra officers would be on the ground when England played a World Cup qualifier against Lithuania on Sunday.
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Thursday 27 April 2017 12.18 EDT First published on Thursday 27 April 2017 10.02 EDT A suspected terrorist attack was thwarted in central London on Thursday after armed police arrested a man who is alleged to have been carrying knives near the Houses of Parliament. The afternoon arrest followed a tense intelligence operation that had earlier identified the man detained as being of concern to counterterrorism investigators. His movements were being tracked. The scene where the man, aged 27, was arrested is metres away from where Khalid Masood attacked Westminster bridge and the parliamentary estate five weeks ago, leaving five people dead, including himself. Masood drove into pedestrians before stabbing a police officer to death. The suspect in the latest incident was seen pinned to the ground after his arrest at 2.22pm as armed officers stood over him. Shortly afterwards forensic experts could be seen examining the ground where at least one knife had fallen on to the the road. The man, believed to be from the London area, had come to the attention of MI5 and Scotland Yards counterterrorism command. Investigators believe he may have been about to launch an attack and he was stopped by armed officers in a targeted stop and search. The suspect is believed to have been acting alone, and the investigation will try to establish what his targets may have been. Given the location of the arrest, investigators believe one possibility was an attack on the Westminster or Whitehall areas. Past Islamist propaganda has called for attacks on civilians or symbols of power. Security is especially tight around Whitehall following last months attack. Police said the arrest came at the junction of Parliament Street and Parliament Square, barely 30 metres from Westminster Bridge. Police said in a statement: A man has been arrested in Whitehall this afternoon, at approximately 14.22, following a stop and search as part of an ongoing operation. The man was arrested in Parliament Street  by armed officers from the Mets specialist firearms command. The man, aged in his late 20s, was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism. Knives have been recovered from him. He is being detained under the Terrorism Act and is in custody in a south London police station. Detectives from the counterterrorism command are continuing their investigation, and as a result of this arrest there is no immediate known threat. The suspect was held on Parliament Street for more than half an hour, without speaking or struggling. While two officers detained him, around two dozen heavily armed police blocked off the traffic and pedestrians on one side of the road with tape. He was led away into a police car at around 3.15pm, while scene-of-crime officers examined knives and a rucksack on the traffic island in the middle of Parliament Street at the junction with Parliament Square. The prime minister, Theresa May, praised the work by police and MI5:  I think it shows that our police and our intelligence and security services are on the alert as they always are, looking to keep us safe and secure. I would say that we owe a huge debt of gratitude to these people, many of whom are unseen, unheard, yet the job they do day in, day out to keep us secure is a really important one and we should thank them for it. Few MPs were in the Palace of Westminster because parliament is winding down before the election and May has already headed out on to the campaign trail. However, civil servants were still working as normal, and a number of HMRC staff were locked outside their building when the Whitehall entrance was closed off. The atmosphere in parliament remained calm and all gates were operating as normal during the incident. No injuries have been reported. The terrorism threat level for the United Kingdom remains at severe, meaning an attack by Islamist terrorists is assessed to be highly likely.
Police who die in line of duty to be commemorated at National Memorial Arboretum Police who die in line of duty to be commemorated at National Memorial Arboretum THE bravery shown by police such as Keith Palmer in the Westminster terror attack will be remembered at a new police memorial. PUBLISHED: PUBLISHED: 00:01, Wed, May 17, 2017 0 PA/GETTY The bravery of police such as PC Palmer will be remembered at the National Memorial Arboretum A campaign is being launched today to raise funds for the project, which is to be built at the National Memorial Arboretum (NMA) in Staffordshire. While 2.5 million has already been raised, 4 million is needed for the UK Police Memorial, which will bear the names of more than 1,400 police and staff who have died while carrying out their duties. Home Secretary Amber Rudd said: "Every day, our police officers and staff go out to work not knowing what they might face, but do so with the utmost professionalism and bravery. "That bravery was plain for everyone to see in the phenomenal response of the police to the shocking events in Westminster back in March, as a result of which PC Keith Palmer tragically lost his life. "It is entirely fitting that those officers and staff who give their lives in the line of duty should be remembered with a lasting tribute. GETTY 4 million is neededfor the UK Police Memorial "The Government has already committed 1 million towards the UK Police Memorial and I hope the public also take this campaign to their hearts and recognise the importance of establishing a permanent place of remembrance." It is eight weeks since the police constable was killed alongside four members of the public in the Westminster terror attack in March. Sir Hugh Orde, the chairman of the UK Police Memorial Trust, said: "PC Palmer's death has put greater emphasis on the need to create a place where the nation can honour and commemorate our police and where family, friends and colleagues of those killed on duty can go to carry out personal acts of remembrance. GETTY It is eight weeks since PC Palmer and four members of the public were killed "The NMA is the place where the nation can go to remember the men and women who have been killed in the course of their duty for their country. "We need to establish a fitting memorial that recognises the vital contribution that policing makes to our society and acknowledges the courage and sacrifice made by police who have paid the ultimate price. "That tribute must become part of the fabric of our national life." GETTY Sir Hugh Orde said there is a need to create a place to commemorate and honour our police The memorial will also feature an interactive space, telling the stories of those who have sacrificed their lives and is expected to be completed by 2019. Further information about the memorial, including how to make a donation or take part in fundraising activity can be found at the UK Police Memorial website www.ukpolicememorial.org. Anyone making a donation of more than 20 will receive a black and white Sillitoe Tartan wristband inscribed with the legend "Courage and sacrifice".
The suspect is not believed to have been known to MI5 or counter-terrorism police, but is understood to have been known to local police. He did not co-operate with officers after his arrest, Scotland Yard said. The investigation team's priority "continues to be to understand the motivation behind this incident", a spokesman added. Police have concluded searches of two properties in Birmingham and one in Nottingham, and are currently searching a third address in Birmingham. BBC News home affairs correspondent Daniel Sandford said the reasons for the crash remained "very open". He said while detectives were holding Mr Khater on suspicion of terror offences, they had not formally declared the crash a terrorist incident, suggesting they are yet to find anything to link him to extremism. What else is known about the suspect? Mr Khater came to Britain in 2010 and successfully applied for UK citizenship in the past two years. His brother said he had been planning a trip back home to see his family, having not seen them for some time. Mr Khater is believed to have lived in a first-floor flat above a parade of shops in the Sparkbrook area of Birmingham until four months ago, when he moved to the city's Highgate area. Media playback is unsupported on your device Media captionAhmed Abdi used to visit the same shisha cafe as Salih Khater Neighbours called him a quiet man who frequently visited an internet cafe and a nearby shisha lounge, both on Stratford Road. Local resident Ahmed Abdi described him as a man who "never spoke to anybody", and added: "I recognised his picture from the news and I was shocked." Having completed his secondary education in Sudan, he studied electrical engineering at university there before moving to the UK. He studied English as a second or foreign language at City College from 2010 to 2011, later studying a diploma in science at South and City College in Birmingham from 2014 to 2017. More recently, Mr Khater studied accountancy at Coventry University from September 2017 to May this year, a spokesman for the university said. He is no longer enrolled there. People in Birmingham who know Mr Khater say they thought he travelled to London in order to renew his Sudanese visa at the Sudanese embassy. A source at the embassy told the BBC they could find no information about an appointment on Tuesday, but confirmed people were able to turn up without one. Birmingham Central Mosque said its inquiries with the community found he did not worship at the mosque and had showed no signs of radicalisation. In a CV seen by the BBC, Mr Khater described himself as a "hardworking, honest and polite individual" and "mature and responsible, with the ability to stay calm in high pressured situations". It says he worked in Libya for two years as a farm labourer before coming to the UK. The BBC understands Mr Khater did spend time in Libya before travelling to Britain, but has not confirmed the exact timeframe. The CV also suggests he spent time as a security guard in Nottingham. It is understood Mr Khater did obtain a licence from the Security Industry Authority (SIA), although the organisation said it could not comment due to the "ongoing police investigation". What happened on Tuesday? A number of witnesses said the car, which was travelling westbound in Parliament Square, appeared to deliberately hit members of the public as it swerved into the opposite lane. Footage released by the BBC showed the moment of the crash. A police officer can be seen jumping over a barrier to get out of the way. Image caption Cyclists were seen on the ground after the crash A passenger in the first car behind the cyclists said they had been "thrown everywhere" after being hit at what she estimated to be 25mph. The car was driven to London from Birmingham the night before, arriving just after midnight on Tuesday. It then spent nearly five hours in the Tottenham Court Road area before being driven around Westminster for more than 90 minutes before the crash. Police have been able to trace the route taken thanks to automatic number plate recognition cameras. They have released new images of the Fiesta and appealed to anyone who may have seen the car or its driver in the hours leading up to the crash to come forward. Image copyrightMetropolitan PoliceImage caption Police have asked anyone who saw the car before the crash to come forward Image copyrightPAImage caption The car was removed from the scene by police on Tuesday night Mr Khater was detained at the scene under the Terrorism Act and taken to a south London police station. No-one else was in the car when it crashed and no weapons were found in it. Police are treating it as a terror-related incident "given that this appears to be a deliberate act, the method, and this being an iconic site", Scotland Yard's head of counter-terrorism Neil Basu said. She said it was "a matter that will be discussed no doubt between parliamentary authorities, us, the intelligence agencies and indeed the local authorities and the mayor". Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said he was also in favour of more security measures being introduced in Parliament Square and around London. "I'm an advocate of part-pedestrianising part of Parliament Square," he told BBC Breakfast. "Not only would it make Parliament Square more attractive, but there are clever technical ways to make Parliament and pedestrians and visitors safer as well. "There are now very attractive small bollards in place which actually stop vehicles hitting pedestrians or buildings." British Transport Police said it was increasing patrols in England, Scotland and Wales and that its officers would be "highly visible on trains and at stations". Specialist officers skilled in recognising if "someone may be in an area for terrorist or other criminal purposes" have been deployed in Westminster, with uniformed and plain-clothed officers patrolling. The prime minister's spokesman said, as of the end of June 2018, there were 676 live investigations into potential terrorist plots. Since March 2017, 13 Islamist plots and four far-right plots had been foiled, he added.
Two of the 11 people arrested after the brazen terror attack on British parliament are still in custody for questioning with police trying to establish whether the attacker acted alone or had associates. The Metropolitan Police said two men, aged 27 and 58, both from Birmingham where attacker Khalid Masood was living, are still in custody for questioning under the Terrorism Act. Of the 11 people held after the attack, a 32-year-old woman arrested in Manchester, and a 39-year-old woman arrested in east London, were released on bail until late March while seven had been set free with no further action. Police are investigating whether Masood, who killed four people outside Britains Parliament, used the encrypted messaging service WhatsApp moments before driving across Westminster Bridge on high speed mowing down pedestrians on Wednesday. A message was reportedly sent from Masoods phone two minutes before the attack. Meanwhile, the Saudi Arabian government has confirmed that Masood was in Saudi Arabia three times and taught English there. He taught English in Saudi Arabia from November 2005 to November 2006 and again from April 2008 to April 2009, a Saudi Embassy statement said. Masood again returned for six days in March 2015 on a trip booked through an approved travel agent, the embassy said. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia strongly condemns Wednesdays terrorist act in London, as it does all forms of terrorism. The attack in London this week has again demonstrated the importance of international efforts to confront and eradicate terrorism, the Saudi Arabian embassy said. Masood drove his rented SUV into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge on Wednesday before crashing his car into railings and then running into the grounds of Parliament. Armed with a knife, he stabbed a police constable, before being shot dead by police. In the attack, four people were killed while 50 injured with 31 requiring hospital treatment. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack. Police have been working to determine his motives and possible accomplices. Masood was born as Adrian Russell Ajao in Dartford before converting to Islam. He is said to have used a number of aliases, including Adrian Elms, and was known to UK police and intelligences services. His first conviction was in November 1983 for criminal damage and his last conviction was in December 2003, also involving a knife attack. He was born to a white mother and black father and is said to have been affected by racism while growing up. Scotland Yard has deployed bomb proof armoured vehicles on the streets of London following the attack. The forces anti-terror chief Mark Rowley said: The police service will sustain an enhanced armed and unarmed presence over the next few days. London, and the UK, are open for business, and we are out there in greater numbers to make sure that the public see a highly visible presence to help reassure them as they go about their daily lives.
Masood was shot dead by a police officer outside the UK Parliament after stabbing another officer to death. He also drove his SUV through a crowd of pedestrians on the Westminster Bridge en route to Parliament, killing three people and injuring dozens. Masood has a criminal background that stretches back into the early 1980s, though he wasnt being investigated by U.K. intelligence prior to the attack. A photo believed to be of Masood was posted to Twitter, and it appeared to show two knives on the ground surrounding him on a stretcher. The car crashed near Parliament and Masood exited the vehicle with a knife in hand and tried to enter Parliament. Masood approached an officer after leaving the vehicle, stabbing and killing him. As a result of his actions, Masood was shot and killed by another officer. 2. Masood Had Been Investigated By British Authorities for Extremism In the Past & Neighbors Called Him Vampire British Prime Minister Theresa May said that Masood was known to British intelligence MI5 prior to the attack. In a speech to members of Parliament on March 23, she said that he was once investigated over concerns about violent extremism. He was a peripheral figure. The case is historic. He was not part of the current intelligence picture. There was no prior intelligence of his intent, or of the plot. Neighbors dubbed Masood vampire because they said he was known to have regularly gone out at night, dressed in black clothing, UK Mirror reported. The Scotland Yard released a statement that said Masoods criminal record goes back as far as 1983 when he was arrested and convicted for criminal damage. He was also found guilty of numerous violent crimes, including assaults and possession of offensive weapons charges, though nothing directly related to terrorism. His last conviction was in December 2003. In 2000, Masood blamed racism for when he slashed the face of a business owner in 2000 after drinking, Daily Mail reports. According to The Guardian, police and security officers in the U.K. keep tabs on around 3,000 citizens, many of whom are Islamists that have been regarded as potentially capable of domestic terrorism. Of the 3,000 that are on intelligences radar, approximately 500 of them are the subject of active investigations. Masood wasnt even on the list of 3,000 people because he was said to pose such little threat, The Guardian wrote. Metropolitan Police head of counter-terrorism Mark Rowley said to media that Masood was indeed encouraged to perform the attact. It is still our belief, which continues to be borne out by our investigation, that this attacker acted alone and was inspired by international terrorism. 3. Masood Was Reportedly An English Teacher & Bodybuilder That Was Married With 3 Kids (Getty) Masood was believed to be have been living most recently in the West Midlands, about 115 miles northeast of where the March 22 attack took place. Reports say, Masood was an English teacher at a teaching firm he started on his own in 2012 and was known by various aliases including Adrian Ajao and Khalid Choudri, Sky News reported. Reports say that despite his criminal background, Masood taught English in Saudi Arabia for years before coming back to England. He never taught at any state school in England, the Daily Mail wrote. In 2000, Masood lived in the East Sussex Village of Northiam with his first wife and children. Masood was jailed in East Sussex for some time when he stabbed a man in the face in 2003, and thats apparently when he converted to Islam. Anti-terror officers confirmed to BBC that the raid in Birmingham wasnt the only one to take place overnight. Instead, six addresses were raided in London and Birmingham and eight arrests total were made. According to a report from Daily Mail, one of the raids took place at a flat belonging to Rohey Hydara, who apparently had lived with Masood in at least two different addresses. Police released a statement about the raids to national media that confirmed they took place in connection with the London attack. It added that there is no risk to those in the area. Overnight our colleagues from the Metropolitan Police have searched a number of addresses across the country and have made a number of arrests in connection with the (Westminster) incident, including addresses in Birmingham. The arrests and searches were intelligence led and there was no immediate risk to public safety. 5. Early Media Reports Falsely Identified The Attacker as the Leader of a British Muslim Organization (Getty) Despite media reports to the contrary, a radical Muslim convert wasnt involved in the terror attack, the BBC confirmed. Izadeen is a well known subject in the U.K. and has had many run-ins in the past with law enforcement for his radical views on terrorism. Most recently, Izzadeen was sentenced to two years in prison in 2016. 16 Comments If this man Khalid Masood is a 52-year old British convert to Islam, then Khalid Masood is obviously not his original name! Khalid Masood is a Muslim name he adopted following his conversion to Islam (similar, for example, to boxer Cassius Clay adopting the Muslim name Muhammad Ali following his conversion to Islam). What then is Khalid Masoods original name? It will be impossible to learn anything about his family background until his original name is released.
A post on an online forum appeared to predict the terror attack at Westminster, according to internet users. At least one man ran over members of the public with a car before trying to stab and injure police officers. He was shot by armed police next to the Houses of Parliament. The attack may have been flagged by a post on the 4chan forum, which contained references to its exact location. It also contained a photo, taken from the internet, of two guns. It isn't known that the post was anything to do with the attacker, and it made no explicit reference to the date or nature of the incident. But many internet users are pointing out the chilling coincidence of the two events. The reference to the location was posted through a strange code. Alongside the picture, the user posted a series of dashes and dots  when translated into Morse code, they pointed to a URL, and at that page was the exact co-ordinates for the attack. Video shows terrifying moment police open fire outside parliament Those co-ordinates pointed to Westminster Bridge, which the attacker drove over. Specifically, they are located at the side where Parliament is located, which is where the shooting took place. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP The post went live on the afternoon of 21 March, almost exactly 24 hours before the attack. It featured a note written on paint that included that date, making clear that it had been posted to 4chan's "Politically Incorrect" board. One user followed the code and posted "Big Ben?", just minutes after it went online.
A man looks at floral tributes to the victims of the Westminster terrorist attack. Photograph: Nick Ansell/PA Police have released without charge all of the 12 people arrested in connection with the Westminster terrorist attack last week, strengthening investigators belief that Briton Khalid Masood acted alone when he killed four and injured more than 50. A 30-year-old man arrested on 26 March in Birmingham on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts and detained under the Terrorism Act was released on Saturday and faced no further action, police said. Khalid Masood died of gunshot wound to chest, inquest hears Read more Eleven other people previously arrested in connection with the investigation into the 22 March attack had previously been released with no further action. Masoods partner, Rohey Hydara, was one of those individuals. The four victims of the attack have been formally identified as Kurt Cochran, 54, an American tourist; Aysha Frade, 44, a teacher; PC Keith Palmer, 48; and Leslie Rhodes, 75, a retired window cleaner. The inquests into their deaths opened and adjourned on Wednesday under the authority of the senior coroner for Westminster, Fiona Wilcox. A provisional date for the pre-inquest review was set for 19 May at the Royal Courts of Justice. An inquest into the death of Masood, 52, heard on Thursday that he died of a gunshot wound to the chest. It was also adjourned until 19 May. More than 50 people were injured in the attack, with wounds ranging from cuts and bruises to extensive bone and skull fractures. Andreea Cristea, a Romanian tourist who fell into the Thames during the attack, remains in critical but stable condition. The entire incident on 22 March lasted just 82 seconds. Police said it began at 14:40:08 when Masoods hire car mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge, weaving along the footpath and road until 14:40:38, when he crashed into the perimeter fence of the Palace of Westminster. He left the car at 14:40:51 and was shot by a police firearms officer, part of the close protection team of the defence secretary Sir Michael Fallon, in the palace courtyard at 14:41:30. At 14:40:59, the first 999 call was made to the Met reporting the incident. Deputy assistant Metropolitan police commissioner Neil Basu said last week the investigation was continuing and appealed for anyone who had spoken to Masood in recent months, especially in the days leading up to the attack, to contact the police. Police are still trying to establish whether he had been inspired by terrorist propaganda or if others have encouraged, supported or directed him. Basu said: We still believe that Masood acted alone on the day and there is no information or intelligence to suggest there are further attacks planned. Even if he acted alone in the preparation, we need to establish with absolute clarity why he did these unspeakable acts, to bring reassurance to Londoners and to provide answers and closure for the families of those killed and the victims and survivors of this atrocity. We must all accept that there is a possibility we will never understand why he did this. That understanding may have died with him. In a statement released on Tuesday through the Metropolitan police, Masoods partner, Rohey Hydara, said: I am saddened and shocked by what Khalid has done. I totally condemn his actions. I express my condolences to the families of the victims that have died, and wish a speedy recovery to all the injured. Her comments followed a statement issued by Masoods mother, Janet Ajao, who has been under armed police guard in west Wales, where she runs a craft business. Since discovering that it was my son who was responsible, I have shed many tears for the people caught up in this horrendous incident, she said. I wish to make it absolutely clear, so there can be no doubt, I do not condone his actions or support the beliefs he held that led to him committing this atrocity.
Popular Videos A police officer has been stabbed and an alleged assailant shot by armed police outside the Houses of Parliament in London, shortly after a vehicle is reported to have ploughed into members of the public on Westminster Bridge. The Metropolitan Police released a statement saying: "Incident in Westminster: We are treating this as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise. "Officers - including firearms officers - remain on the scene." The Police said they were called at approximately 2.40pm to reports of a firearms incident near Westminster Bridge. The Metropolitan Police asked people to avoid Parliament Square, Whitehall, Westminster Bridge, Lambeth Bridge, and Victoria Street up to the junction with Broadway and the Victoria Embankment up to Embankment tube in order to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP Staff inside parliament found themselves on lockdown and unable to leave the building on Wednesday afternoon after at least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster. Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and ploughed into approximately a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the gates of Westminster just around the corner. Theresa May was in parliament at the time of the incident but has been confirmed safe. Proceedings at the House of Commons have been suspended and the Speaker said Parliament will shut down activity until further notice. David Lidington gives statement to House of Commons after security incident Commons leader David Lidington, announced the commons would be suspended in the house, saying a police officer had been stabbed and the "alleged assailant shot by armed police". Liddington said the Commons would "remain in lockdown" until further notice. He said: "I shall endeavour to do the very best I can, both at the despatch box and by communicating with my opposite numbers in other political parties, to ensure that Members are kept aware of what is happening but at the moment the very clear advice from the police and the director of security in the House is that we should remain under suspension and that the chamber should remain in lockdown until we receive advice that it is safe to go back to normal procedures."
How the Far-Right Has Already Capitalised On the Westminster Attack It took no time at all for the right to start spreading misinformation, using a tragedy for their own ends. (Top image: the lead image on an event page for the Britain First-organised "London MARCH Against Terrorism!" Image: Facebook / Britain First) A terrorist attack upends the rhythm of routine, puncturing a hole in the surface of social life. This creates a space for heroic moral action  think of those who came running to the victims' aid on Westminster Bridge, or the MP praised for giving CPR to a dying police officer  but also for its opposite. Society's worst instincts come rushing through that social wound: a swirling vortex of unarticulated prejudice and baseless assumption. We've seen much of this before: the period before the attacker's race or religious identity is pronounced  the period in which the media, judiciary and state are unsure whether to call it "terrorism" or something else. The bromides concocted to justify an increasingly militarised police force. The banal championing of an "undivided London", which obscures the city's many divisions and miseries. But since this was the first terrorist attack in Britain since the EU referendum  leaving aside that foundational act of Brexit terror: the assassination of Labour MP Jo Cox  the response by the far-right, and the sect of Brexiteers that parrot many of their views, has been louder and more determined than usual. Although it is tempting to ignore them in these circumstances  to see them as risible or parodic  it's worth taking stock of what they're saying. This isn't just because their politics pose an immediate threat to Muslims and other minorities in Britain, but also because their ideas, slowly and subtly, percolate through society into the realm of acceptable thought. One of the first to offer his judgement was Arron Banks, the multi-millionaire co-founder of the Leave.EU campaign, who tweeted at 5.23PM: "Teresa [sic] May was Home Secretary for 6 year when over a million illegals were allowed into our country. I don't think I've ever felt more sick." This morning, police confirmed the attacker was British-born. Leave.EU later released a statement  published on Westmonster, Banks' Breitbart-style website  stating that Britain must not "pander to political correctness" in its response to the attack. As if the British government's anti-terror strategy  a 16-year "war on terror" in several countries; an ongoing bombing campaign against Islamic State; the use of torture and extraordinary rendition; the passing of exhaustive surveillance powers; and a controversial monitoring programme targeting Muslim communities  testify to an excess of liberal decorum. Much of the far-right's vitriol has also been focused on London Mayor Sadiq Khan, with news articles and memes claiming that he took too long to make a statement, and insinuating that his sympathies lie elsewhere. Paul Joseph Watson, the Editor-at-Large of InfoWars, has been one of the most vocal in condemning the mayor for this, which is no surprise: he and InfoWars have been obsessed with Khan's religious identity since he was elected last year, referring to him in headlines as "London's Muslim Mayor". "In response to the right-wing and far-right's manipulative reaction to yesterday's attack, reasoned and empirical debate is unlikely to get us very far." Donald Trump Jr also joined in, sharing an article from The Independent published in September of 2016  which has also been spread as a decontextualised meme, re-tweeted by Joseph Watson  in which the mayor appears to take a relaxed attitude to terror attacks. The headline reads "Sadiq Khan: London mayor says terror attacks 'part and parcel' of living in a major city". As other publications have pointed out, the headline misrepresents Khan's statement, in which he said he was "losing sleep" over the possibility of an attack in London and had ordered "an urgent review" of the Metropolitan Police's counter-terror tactics. In terms of on-the-ground mobilisations, the far-right groupuscule Britain First has been the first to capitalise, relocating a pre-planned protest against the development of a mosque on the 1st of April in Darwen, Lancashire to central London, calling it "London MARCH against Terrorism!" The event's Facebook page notes that the protest is against "radical Islamic terrorism"  the phrasing made famous by President Trump  and encourages "all patriots" to attend. So far, 339 people are going and over 1,000 are interested. But none of these responses quite match the wretched spectacle of former EDL leader and sun bed shop owner Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (known by the pseudonym Tommy Robinson), who, in his capacity as a presenter on the Canadian website Rebel Media, went to Westminster hours after the attack to condemn Muslims, verses from the Quran and politicians who allow immigrants into the country. He was joined by a sycophant doing a bad impersonation of Milo Yiannopoulos (who, himself, does a bad impersonation of Christopher Hitchens), who tried to evoke the emotion of being a bereaved family receiving a "knock on the door tonight"  as if his performance, his shoddy instrumentalisation of tragedy for racist ends, was an authentic expression of care for those families. In response to the right-wing and far-right's manipulative reaction to yesterday's attack  and the inevitable doubling-down of repressive state powers to follow  reasoned and empirical debate is unlikely to get us very far. The fact that only a tiny number of terror attacks committed in Europe are religious in nature  the largest proportion is motivated by separatist politics  is immaterial in a country where anti-refugee sentiment and Islamophobia is so much easier to marshal than the facts. When David Cameron gave a speech in 2011 denouncing the "failure of multiculturalism" on the same day that the EDL rallied in Luton, he illustrated the subtle continuity between official thinking and the far-right. We need to be sensitive to that relationship in the following weeks as racialised and culturalist interpretations of terrorism abound. At the same time, we should recognise that the far-right pose a unique threat on their own terms; the usual clichs about countering this with grassroots organising and anti-fascism remain as true as ever. The recent closure of an alt-right gallery in London under sustained pressure from anti-fascist groups shows how, once they're taken offline, far-right ideologues and groups can be easily outmanoeuvred. Countering Britain First's demonstration next month might be a moment to cohere that energy again and move it forward.
Acting Metropolitan police commissioner Craig Mackey, who himself was caught up in the terror attack, spoke of the three innocent people killed during the truly terrible incident, that many more were gravely injured and that all of us have been deeply affected by what has happened. To applause, he said: This cannot be undone, much as we would wish it. However we do get to choose our reaction and gathering here tonight shows exactly how we must move forward. We must stand together. People have tried to tear this city apart with acts of terror many times before. They have never succeeded and they never will. Detectives investigating the attack are treating Mackey as a significant witness because he was at the scene. An army veteran who was among the first responders to the stabbing of PC Keith Palmer told the Guardian he had no second thoughts about rushing to the scene of the terror attack. I didnt even feel I had a choice: there was nothing to hesitate about, Mike Crofts, a former army captain said, speaking for the first time since the incident. Instinct kicks in. Croft, who runs the Three Pillars Project, an organisation working with troubled youth and convicts, was leaving a parliamentary meeting about boxing with Sgt Tony Davis, who had trained him at Sandhurst years before, when he saw the attack. He came at PC Palmer from one side and I ran from the other, he said, describing the feeling as surreal. Tony Davis Photograph: ITV/PA Davis described the same moment to ITVs This Morning: There were people running, coming round towards the gate. All of a sudden I saw a large chap brandishing two knives come through the gates and start attacking the policeman. At that point instinct kicked in, I leapt over the fence because that guy needed assistance. The two men started performing first aid on Palmer, and were quickly joined by Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood, who performed CPR. Palmer was pronounced dead on the scene. Croft, who left the army last year, said: The unity and the teamwork showed by the police officers who were on the scene immediately, the other people who rushed to the scene initially and later, and the helicopter team, was heroic. It would compare with the casualty evacuations Ive seen in Afghanistan. More from the Trafalgar Square vigil, where the home secretary, Amber Rudd, paid tribute to courageous and brave police officer Keith Palmer, who was stabbed to death by the Westminster attacker. He was courageous, he was brave, and he was doing his duty. And he was not alone in doing that. I know that all officers of the Met are like that and, in my experience, so are all policemen. I want us to say thank you to them all for the great sacrifice and risks they take to keep us safe. To applause from the crowd, she said of the attack: They will not win, we are all connected and we showed that today by coming together, by going to work, by getting about our normal business, because the terrorists will not defeat us, we will defeat them. We are strong in our values and proud of our country. The former Manchester United footballer Gary Neville stood shoulder to shoulder with students, military veterans and city leaders in a vigil outside the town hall in Manchester. Neville, who chose to stand with members of the public rather than city leaders during the minutes silence, declined to speak when approached afterwords by reporters. Led by the lord mayor, Carl Austin-Behan, a small crowd braved chilly temperatures for a minutes silence for the victims of the Westminster terror attack. Among those paying tribute was Danny Standring who, like the murdered PC Keith Palmer, served in the Royal Artillery. Its a horrible, horrible, horrible state of affairs, Standring said. We must stand united against terrorism and oppression. Radicalism should be stamped on. Josh Halliday (@JoshHalliday) "It's a horrible, horrible state of affairs" - Danny Standring, who served in same military unit as murdered PC Keith Palmer pic.twitter.com/2vHbAba1qs Standing next to him, Hemmy Spiggott, a former royal military police officer, said: It would be good to see everyone from all communities say were not having it. It doesnt matter what faith you belong to, or whether you have no faith. Its a free country, were allowed to worship as we see fit. Were not going to let people like that drive a wedge between us. We can only do that by coming together. Josh Halliday (@JoshHalliday) Student Yasmin Mannan: "What the terrorists want is to change this way of living and coexisting. It's made me more defiant." pic.twitter.com/CcNV2B5gqg Guys and St Thomas NHS foundation trust says two patients were treated at St Thomas hospital following the attack  one man and one woman: The man has now left hospital and the woman remains in a stable condition.
Terror in LondonBritain suffers its worst terrorist attack since 2005 ITS a simulation, no? asked a confused tourist, as the emergency services hurried into action and a helicopter flew low overhead. This time, it was not. At 2.40pm on March 22ndthe anniversary of the terrorist assault on Brussels airport last year, which may or may not be a coincidencea man using a car as a lethal weapon mowed down people on Westminster Bridge, crashed into gates outside Parliament and used a large kitchen knife to murder a policeman before being shot dead himself. It was precisely the kind of attack that Britains security authorities have been expecting. It was also the kind that is most difficult to prevent. Two other people died and around 40 were injured, seven critically, including one woman who fell or jumped from the bridge into the River Thames. Among the injured was a party of French schoolchildren and three other police officers. As news of the attack spread, Parliament went into lockdown and the part of London that symbolises Britains democracy was sealed off. Later in the day Theresa May condemned the sick and depraved terrorist attack. The prime minister, who previously served as home secretary, declared: We will all move forward together. Never giving in to terror. And never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart. It was the deadliest terrorist attack London had suffered since the Tube and bus bombings of 2005 (see chart). But Parliament re-opened the following day. As The Economist went to press, some details of the investigation into the attack had begun to emerge. Although it was a lone wolf assault of the sort seen several times during the past year in France and Germany, the British-born killer may have had helpers. On March 23rd police announced the arrest of eight people after a series of raids in London and Birmingham. What is not in doubt is that the perpetrator was inspired by Islamist extremism. Although such an attack was anticipatedthe first response was efficient and calmthe grim reality is that it may be the precursor to many similar ones. Britains counter-terrorism police and intelligence agencies are among the best in the world and have a successful recent record. Since the murder of a soldier in east London in 2013, they claim to have thwarted 13 terrorist plots. At any time there may be up to 500 security-related investigations under way. British security agencies have several advantages over their colleagues elsewhere in Europe. They are well funded, have state-of-the-art electronic surveillance capabilities and have largely banished the inter-agency rivalries that hamper counter-terrorist efforts elsewhere. Britain has some of the strictest firearms laws in the world and never joined the Schengen agreement, which allows border-free travel across much of the European Union. Its security services also have experience of fighting terrorism in Northern Irelandas Britons were reminded this week by the death of Martin McGuinness, a proponent of terrorism and later peace in the province (see article). But the problems they face now are different. Complex plots that involve detailed planning, numerous accomplices and the acquisition of guns or explosives offer plenty of opportunities for intelligence agencies to thwart them. But the kind of attack that Islamic State (IS) has become known for in the West is much cruder. Even if an individual is known to the authorities as an extremist who might one day pose a threat, he may slip off the radar. The Westminster Bridge attacker had been investigated some years ago by the intelligence services, Mrs May said. And although IS may be on the point of losing its so-called caliphate in Iraq and Syria, its online propaganda remains as slick and seductive as ever. Radicalised, often disturbed young men are enticed into acts of violence against the societies in which they live. If anything, the threat posed by IS as it increasingly turns its attention towards the West is growing, possibly fuelled by the return of some battle-hardened jihadists to their homes in Europe. Al-Qaeda, more active than ever in Yemen and under less pressure in Afghanistan, has learned from IS. Nonetheless, as the ban this week on taking electronic devices into the passenger cabins of aircraft flying from some Muslim countries suggests, the organisation has lost none of its fascination with aviation (see article). After every terrorist outrage there is a temptation to look for the lessons that can be learned to make such an event less likely in the future. In the case of the Westminster Bridge attack, it is hard to see what those are. A car and a kitchen knife were all that was needed to bring terror to the capital for a few hours. But the security services in Britain are clear on one thing: policies that appear to demonise ordinary Muslims, as well as being wrong in themselves, are wholly counter-productive. The best technology in the world is no substitute for the human intelligence that comes from communities that do not feel alienated from the state. This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline "Parliament under attack"
We think we know who the attacker is, Acting Deputy Commissioner & national lead for Counter Terrorism Policing Mark Rowley said but stated that they were not willing to divulge the assailants name at this time, though they did admit that it Islamic terrorism is our assumption. Police have also named the officer who died as 48-year-old husband and father PC Keith Palmer, a 15-year veteran of the force. What we know Five people are dead, including a police officer and the alleged attacker Several others have "catastrophic" injuries after a car reportedly mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and "tried to mow people down" A woman was treated after "falling" from bridge into the River Thames A police officer is dead after being stabbed inside Parliament grounds There were people across the bridge. There were some with minor injuries, some catastrophic. Some had injuries they could walk away from or who have life-changing injuries," Anderson said. Mark Rowley, assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said the police are "satisfied at this stage it looks like there was only one attacker." London Ambulance Service says it has treated at least 10 patients on Westminster Bridge. An eyewitness has told Sky News he saw a body "face down" in the Thames. Witnesses said people either jumped or were knocked over the side of the bridge as the car mounted the pavement and struck a number of pedestrians. A spokesman for the Port of London Authority, which looks after safety on the river, said a female member of the public had been recovered from the water near Westminster bridge after she "fell" or "jumped" in. "A female member of the public was recovered alive from the water, but with serious injuries. She has been brought ashore and is undergoing urgent medical treatment. The working assumption is that she fell or jumped from the bridge." Shocking videos and photographs show people lying on the bridge, bleeding heavily, with members of the public rushing to their aid. I came out of Westminster Tube at about 2:45pm when police were locking down the tube, ushering people out away from Parliament. I was ushered onto Westminster Bridge, and then I looked across the bridge, onto the west pavement, he recalled. For the whole length of the bridge, from south to north, there were people lying on the ground and I was then told that a car had driven from the south end all the way up the pavement to the north end of the bridge. I counted at least eight people clearly injured on the ground. Another witness described seeing a middle-aged man carrying a knife running towards the Palace of Westminster. Kamal Alam, a Syrian military analyst whose office isnt far from where the attack took place, also spoke with RT. I thought its just some kind of school drill, but within a few seconds heard what sounded like gunshots and a lot of screaming, and all of a sudden there [were] dozens of armed policemen telling everyone to run away from Parliament Square and Westminster Tube Station, he said. Jayne Wilkinson told Sky News: "We were taking photos of Big Ben and we saw all the people running towards us, and then there was an Asian guy in about his 40s carrying a knife about seven or eight inches long. "And then there were three shots fired, and then we crossed the road and looked over. The man was on the floor with blood. "He had a lightweight jacket on, dark trousers and a shirt. "He was running through those gates, towards parliament, and the police were chasing him." According to Doug Weeks, terrorism expert at London Metropolitan University, the attack, while softened by the high security presence in the area, could have been far bloodier. Well certainly within the Parliament compound itself, that is by far one of the most secure areas within London. There are numerous police officers and other security personnel that work in that area as well as around that area, thus its not surprising that the police have a very rapid response to this incident, Weeks told RT. Following the attack, Number 10 said Prime Minister Theresa May was safe. The spokesman declined to say where May was when the attack took place. It is understood, however, she was rushed to a car 40 yards from the gates outside parliament where the shots were fired minutes after the attack. She was ushered by at least eight armed undercover police, some with their firearms drawn. The leader of the House of Commons David Lidington said the alleged assailant was shot by armed police "inside the parliament perimeter." Parliament and the surrounding area were placed on lockdown. Staff inside parliament were told to stay inside their offices. The London Eye was stopped and temporarily held all its "guests" within the attraction. An air ambulance landed in Parliament Square shortly after the incident. London Ambulance Service deputy director of operations Pauline Cranmer said it has "declared a major incident and our priority is to assess patients and ensure that they are treated and taken to hospital as soon as possible." The US State Department said it was closely following the "concerning situation" in the UK. "The Department of Homeland Security stands in solidarity alongside our friends in the United Kingdom in condemning the terrible attack at Parliament today. With our partners in federal law enforcement, we are in close contact with our British counterparts to monitor the tragic events and to support the ongoing investigation," it said in a statement. The Muslim Council of Britain has issued a statement on the attack, which has not yet been claimed by any group.
Theresa May vowed defiance to terrorism today in the wake of the murderous attack on Westminster, insisting: 'We are not afraid.' The Prime Minister sent out the uncompromising message as MPs gathered in the House of Commons to condemn the atrocity and pay tribute to the victims. Branding the episode 'sickening' and an effort to 'silence our democracy', Mrs May said that the best response was 'normality'. 'What happened on the streets of Westminster yesterday afternoon sickened us all,' Mrs May said. Theresa May vowed to show terrorists that 'we are not afraid' as she addressed the Commons The Prime Minister paid tribute to the 'heroic' police officers who prevented the attacker gaining access to parliament 'An act of terrorism tried to silence our democracy, but today we meet as normal, as generations have done before us and as future generations will continue to do, to deliver a simple message - we are not afraid and our resolve will never waver in the face of terrorism. 'Those values, free speech, liberty, human rights and the rule of law are embodied here in this place but they are shared by free people around the world.' Mrs May revealed that the attacker - whose identity is known but not yet public - was British born and had been previously investigated by MI5. However, she stressed he had been a 'peripheral' figure in an historic probe, and was not part of the 'current intelligence picture'. RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Share She told the House that the man was thought to have been acting alone, but inspired by international extremism. Mrs May also dismissed the idea that the assault had succeeded, hailing the sacrifice of policeman Keith Palmer, who died stopping the man gaining access to the parliamentary estate. 'The police heroically did their job,' she said. The premier singled out Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood, who desperately tried to save Pc Palmer in the minutes after he suffered horrific knife wounds. As a clearly emotional Mr Ellwood watched from the government benches, she said: 'Yesterday we saw the worst of humanity but we will remember the best. 'We will remember the extraordinary efforts to save the life of PC Keith Palmer, including those by my Right Honourable Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood), and we will remember the exceptional bravery of our police, security and emergency services who once again ran towards the danger even as they encouraged others to move the other way.' Earlier, a packed House of Commons paused along with the rest of the country to honour those who lost their lives - including Pc Palmer. The 48-year-old, a member of the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Squad who worked for the Met for 15 years, was murdered as he tried to stop the attacker. Speaker John Bercow branded the murderous assault on parliament an 'outrage' and praised the policeman for giving his life to protect democracy. MPs bowed their heads in a packed chamber as they paid tribute to victims of the attack The chamber will continue with business as usual today in a sign of defiance to terrorists Pc Palmer's maniac killer, an unnamed Asian man in his forties, had used a Hyundai 4x4 as a weapon to mow down at least 40 people on Westminster Bridge and Parliament Square before charging towards PC Palmer brandishing two knives. The bravery of the murdered policeman was hailed by colleagues, friends and the many MPs whom he was charged with protecting who said he had 'run towards danger' to save the lives of others. The tribute came as a defiant London went back to work less than 24 hours after the terror attack on Westminster that left five dead and 29 injured. Hero: Pc Keith Palmer, 48, a member of the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Squad who worked for the Met for 15 years, was murdered as he tried to stop the attacker at around 2.30pm on Wednesday. MPs, who bowed their heads as they stood in silence in the chamber today, have vowed to continue with business as usual today. Undeterred by the horrific assault on Parliament, the capital's commuters were seen packing onto the Underground and boarding their usual trains this morning. Londoners have been urged not to let terrorists create a culture of 'fear' in the city with the hashtag #wearenotafraid now trending on social media. Defence secretary Michael Fallon said the city would not be beaten by terrorism and would take yesterday's chilling attack 'on the chin'. The Metropolitan Police said they were 'absolutely certain' that Parliament could work as usual while declaring that it was 'business as normal' in the capital. Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood, whose brother was murdered by terrorists in Bali in 2002, was among those who tried in vain to save the stabbed policeman's life. He left the scene looking bereft, with the officer's blood on his face. In an emotional intervention, Tory MP James Cleverley said he wanted to pay a special tribute to Pc Palmer. He said he first met him as Gunner Palmer 25 years ago when they were both serving in the 100 Regiment, Royal Artillery. Fighting back tears, the Braintree MP said: 'He was a strong, professional public servant. And it was a delight to meet him here again only a few months after being elected. TORY MP FIGHTS BACK TEARS AS HE PRAISES MURDERED FRIEND Tory MP James Cleverley fought back tears as he paid an emotional tribute to his friend Keith Palmer. The backbencher said he first knew the heroic Pc as Gunner Palmer 25 years ago, when they were both serving in the 100 Regiment, Royal Artillery. The Braintree MP said: 'He was a strong, professional public servant. And it was a delight to meet him here again only a few months after being elected. 'Would my RHF the PM in recognition of the work he did and the other police officers and public servants here in the House do, to consider recognising his gallantry and sacrifice formally with a posthumous recognition.' The PM, who appeared close to tears herself, praised the 'passion' with which he had paid his tribute. 'Having served in our armed forces and then come here to this place and paid the ultimate sacrifice here at our heart of democracy I can assure my honourable friend that the issue he has raised will be considered in due course.' 'Would my RHF the PM in recognition of the work he did and the other police officers and public servants here in the House do, to consider recognising his gallantry and sacrifice formally with a posthumous recognition.' The PM, who appeared close to tears herself, praised the 'passion' with which he had paid his tribute. 'Having served in our armed forces and then come here to this place and paid the ultimate sacrifice here at our heart of democracy I can assure my honourable friend that the issue he has raised will be considered in due course.' Scotland Yard's top anti-terror officer Mark Rowley said of his colleague: 'He was someone who left for work today expecting to return home at the end of his shift - and he had every right to expect that would happen.' Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said 'London is going to work this morning' and would not be cowed by terrorism. He said: 'London has seen this before and is taking it on the chin.' Mr Fallon confirmed Parliament's security would now be reviewed. But paying tribute to PC Palmer, he said: 'They did not get into Parliament. They only got as far as the gate. They did not breach the security of the House of Commons and he gave his life to protect the security of our democracy. 'Parliament cannot be hermetically sealed. People are coming and going all the time. 'There was a division going on at the time, people arriving through the gates either by car or foot, to vote. 'This is something that will now be reviewed by the House authorities.' Mr Fallon said the 'assumption' was the attack was related to 'Islamic terrorism in some form' but deferred to police for the detail. Senior Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen said he expected security would be tightened at Parliament following the attack. He told MailOnline: 'Clearly in the wake of the tragic attack suffered yesterday, something we have all expected for some time, our professional police and security service ,who performed so well, will cooly and calmly analyse their response to the attack and security will be tightened once again. Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage pointed the finger of blame for the Westminster attack at political support for multiculturalism, claiming it has created a 'fifth column' of terror supporters within Western societies. Speaking on US TV network Fox News, the MEP said: 'The problem with multiculturalism is that it leads to divided communities. It's quite different to multi-racialism. That's fine, that can work very happily and extremely well. But we've finished up with very divided communities.' This was the scene in the immediate aftermath of the attack, after the attacker entered the grounds of Parliament. He is pictured at the top of the picture - PC Palmer is lying in the middle of the image Fight for life: Tory minister Tobias Ellwood gives mouth to mouth to PC Palmer after he was fatally wounded by the terrorist Mr Ellwood watched from the government benches today as the PM praised his efforts to save Pc Palmer 'However, there is always a balance to be made in an open democracy between public access to Parliament and security concerns . We must not let the terrorist win.' Former counter-terrorism watchdog Lord Carlile said the incident raised questions about the gates and the roads around Westminster. London Mayor Sadiq Khan has called for Parliament Square to be pedestrianised. Lord Carlile went on: 'I am sure that there will be an examination of (a) the roads around Westminster, including the possible risks caused by the new and wide cycle lane used by the perpetrator; (b) the carriage gates to Parliament; and (c) whether all Parliamentary police officers should be armed.' Speaker John Bercow led observance of the silence in the wake of the deadly incident MPs took to Twitter this morning to signal their defiance to the terrorists
Emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament. ( PA ) The IndependentProceedings at the House of Commons have been suspended amid reports a man has been shot outside Parliament. A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said they were looking into the reports. More follows Witness Don Brind told the Press Association he heard shots being fired and saw two people apparently injured on the ground. Mr Brind, a researcher for MPs, said: "I heard some shouting and saw some running out of the corner of my eye and then a short time after that there was a shot. I looked and I saw a civilian on the ground, with somebody standing over him with what I assumed to be a gun. "Then I looked and about 10 yards away, there was a yellow jacketed person on the ground, who appeared to be alive and talking." He said he assumed the person in the high-visibility jacket was a police officer. Press Association reporter Laura Harding, who was in Westminster at the time of the incident, said: "Everyone has been evacuated into Central Lobby, including a group of schoolchildren and kitchen staff. Dennis Burns, who was just entering Parliament for a meeting when the security alert happened, told the Press Association: "As I was coming through the doors at Portcullis House, a policeman grabbed someone who was coming in and threw him out. "As we were coming though the glass doors I was told by one security guard to get out while another one told me to get in. "As I walked in I heard a security guard get a radio message saying 'a policeman has been stabbed'. "Then I walked in as police officers and security start rushing out of the front doors on to the street. "When I got inside I was wondering what the hell was going on and I saw dozens of panicked people running down the street. The first stream was around 30 people and the second stream was 70 people. The IndependentA police officer has been stabbed and at least one man has been shot in a "serious" incident outside the Houses of Parliament. At least two gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster. Proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended. The deputy speaker of the Commons, David Lidington, announced the suspension, and said a police officer had been stabbed and the "alleged assailant shot by armed police". Man pictured on stretcher believed to be Westminster terror suspect 1/2 Emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament.
A suspected jihadist carrying a rucksack packed with knives was thought to be heading towards Downing Street when he was dramatically arrested by armed police, according to security sources. The lone wolf suspect had been under close surveillance when counter-terrorism officers ordered his immediate detention as he came within 300 yards of the gates of the Prime Ministers residence. It is understood that the suspects family had become concerned about his behaviour and reported him to the authorities several weeks ago. Investigators believe he was about to launch an attack. The 27-year-old man, dressed head to toe in black, was wrestled to the ground by armed police officers as he walked among a crowd of tourists and workers in Parliament Street at just after 2.20pm yesterday. His arrest came just five weeks - and a 100 yards away - from the spot where Khalid Masood was shot and killed within the grounds of the Palace of Westminster, having mowed down bystanders in a hired car driven over Westminster Bridge. A Whitehall source told The Telegraph that the man, who is understood to have been born overseas but who lives in south east London, had been arrested as part on an intelligence-led operation. He had been followed on the Underground and is thought to have surfaced at St Jamess park tube station before heading towards Westminster. The investigation into the suspect will now look at how he may have been radicalised and the motives for the attack. Sources said he had not been in Syria. Islamic State has called on jihadists to launch attacks on centres of power in the West. It also comes a day after Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, the national lead for counter terrorism, warned doctors and health workers were not doing enough to help police prevent terror attacks by mentally ill people who are targeted by extremist recruiters. Since the 2011 Prevent Review all NHS bodies must train staff to spot the signs of radicalisation and report people they fear are at risk of becoming terrorists to the security services. Metropolitan Police said that out of 13 major attacks foiled by Scotland Yard since 2013, a disproportionate number of those involved people with mental health issues. A man armed with several knives has been arrested in Whitehall on suspicion of planning a terror attack, Scotland Yard said. The suspect was carrying a rucksack containing at least three knives when he was detained "following a stop and search as part of an ongoing operation", police said. Police were tipped of by the suspect's family, according to reports. The suspect (pictured) is arrested by policeCredit: Heathcliff O'Malley for the Daily Telegraph The Metropolitan Police said in a statement that he was held at approximately 2.22pm on Thursday by armed officers from the Specialist Firearms Command. The bearded suspect, who was dressed in dark clothing, was wrestled to the ground on a traffic island at the Parliament Square end of Whitehall, close to the Foreign Office and the entrance to Downing Street. Images from the scene showed three knives and what appeared to be a mobile on the ground close to a brown rucksack. An officer in forensic overalls could be seen taking photographs of the knives. Man arrested in Westminster. No reported injuries. More information to follow. The suspect was detained at the scene for several minutes within view of journalists and passers by before he was eventually taken away in a police vehicle. Recruiters Harry Peasnell, 27, and Andy Burnage, 22, were leaving the adjacent building which houses various Government offices after a meeting with officials when they were told over the tannoy the usual entrance on to Whitehall was closed. As they made their way back towards Parliament from the alternative House Guards Road entrance they said they were pushed back up Great George Street by several plain clothes police officers. They then made their way to Parliament Square where they said they saw a man in his 20s or 30s, who they thought was the suspect, being spoken to by police next to the wall of the offices. Mr Peasnell, who says he regularly has meetings in Westminster, said police were "quick on the scene" and that he was not worried like he was during the terror attack in the area just weeks ago. "Last time all the buildings were on lockdown and no one was allowed to leave," he said. Westminster has been on a state of heightened alert since Masood launched his attack on March 22, killing five people, including Pc Keith Palmer. Masood drove at pedestrians before stabbing Pc Palmer as he guarded the cobbled forecourt of the Palace of Westminster. He was shot dead by police. Scotland Yard said there were no reports of any injuries. A spokesman added: "The man, aged in his late twenties, was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism. "Knives have been recovered from him. He is being detained under the Terrorism Act and is in custody in a south London police station. "Detectives from the Counter Terrorism Command are continuing their investigation, and as a result of this arrest there is no immediate known threat." First test for new Met chief The successful arrest is the first real test for Cressida Dick, the new Metropolitan Police Commissioner, who previously - and notoriously - had been in charge of the operation that led to the death of the innocent Brazilian electrician Jean Charles de Menezes who was mistaken for a terrorist when he was shot on the London Underground in July 2005. Ms Dick briefed London mayor Sadiq Khan on yesterdays arrest. A spokesman for the mayor said: Mr Khan is hugely grateful to the police for their swift, decisive and professional actions. He is hugely relieved there have been no casualties. Reports suspect's family tipped off police Another eyewitness has described what she saw Helen Chandler Wilde told the BBC: "I saw a couple of police officers with a guy interviewing him and then putting him in a car as well as a couple of police forensics officers photographing the scene. "And I did see the knives on the floor with the brown backpack lying next to it which was in the middle of the intersection in Whitehall. "I didn't see the guy, you know, being put on the floor by the police, so all I can imagine is that he was stopped there and dropped his things and then was taken to the other side of the road just outside the Treasury to be arrested and questioned which is where I saw him "I'd say there were a dozen or two dozen [police officers] kind of spread out around Westminster and Parliament Square. "He had his head low, his hood still up of his black hoodie, trying to hide his face from police, I don't know, but from photographs he appeared to be smirking. "[People were] remarkably not scared at all, not worried, the road was shut off but only just, still on the other side of the road there were people on the bus stuck in traffic on the way home just like any normal day, there were even a couple of tourists coming up to me thinking the Queen was coming to visit because the road was shut. I had to disappoint them there." Full quote from Theresa May Theresa May said: "It shows that our police and intelligence and security services are on the alert, as they always are, looking to keep us safe and secure. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to these people, many of whom are unseen, unheard, yet the job they do day in, day out to keep us secure is a really important one and we should thank them for it." Theresa May kept in the loop Prime Minister Theresa May was away from Number 10 on a campaign visit at the time of the incident, which did not disrupt work in Downing Street, said a spokeswoman. "This is an ongoing police operation and we are monitoring it," said the Number 10 spokeswoman. "The Prime Minister has been informed by officials and she will be updated, as usual for incidents like this." Heightened security at Westminster The latest security incident comes after Westminster was put on a heightened state of alert following a major terror attack just over a month ago. Khalid MasoodCredit: PA Security in the area has been noticeably more high profile since Khalid Masood killed four people by ramming them with his car on Westminster Bridge before stabbing to death Pc Keith Palmer just inside the grounds of Parliament on March 22. In the aftermath of the assault, authorities have reviewed how to keep the area as safe as possible. Armed police officers have been more visible patrolling the Palace of Westminster since the attack, which also left Masood dead from gunshot injuries. Incident treated as 'terrorism' Scotland Yard has released this statement confirming the incident is being treated as a suspected terror attack: A man has been arrested in Whitehall this afternoon, at approximately 14:22, following a stop and search as part of an ongoing operation. The man was arrested in Parliament Street, junction with Parliament Square, by armed officers from the Mets Specialist Firearms Command. The man, aged in his late twenties, was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism. Knives have been recovered from him. He is being detained under the Terrorism Act and is in custody in a south London police station. Detectives from the Counter Terrorism Command are continuing their investigation, and as a result of this arrest there is no immediate known threat.
A member of the public is treated by emergency services near Westminster Bridge on 22 March 2017 in London. Grant Shapps was walking through from his office to a vote in the House of Commons, making small talk with a handful of fellow Conservative MPs, when he noticed something was amiss at the gates of parliament. At first he dismissed it as another protest and carried on walking. Moments later, he was crawling on his hands and knees for safety, having just witnessed a terror attack. "I could hear a kerfuffle going on, which is not unusual as theres often protests by the gates, the former minister told BuzzFeed News. "As Im looking around I hear, 'BAM BAM BAM'  what sounded like four shots to me." Daniel Leal-olivas / AFP / Getty Images Armed British police officers outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster. Suddenly, a police officer is standing right where we are, shouting, 'Get down, get down, get back!' We crawled, hands and knees, back to a safety position. The former minister was one of hundreds of MPs, parliamentary staff, and journalists who spent several hours in Westminster Abbey as police gathered statements. They began to trickle out of the abbey at around 8pm. Shapps crawled to safety while watching armed police shoot the alleged attacker who had made it on to parliamentary territory, he said. "Within moments they were standing there telling us to get out of the way, but in reality they were standing there themselves without knowing what else was happening. It was instantaneous," Shapps said. "I did some work when I was a minister in Mogadishu where you learn what happens when you come under attack, but I never imagined it could happen in Westminster. As MPs were allowed to leave Westminster on Wednesday night, five hours after the attack took place, they described a chaotic scene in which initial panic gave way to admiration for the security services and their well-formulated plan for dealing with an attack. Niklas Halle'n / AFP / Getty Images At first there was confusion on the part of the House of Commons authorities, who were in the process of holding a vote. Shapps says that as one of the first people to witness the attack, he ran inside to reach the deputy speaker and inform him that the vote needed to be called off. At first people attempted to direct him to the correct voting lobby before they realized what had happened. One of those inside the chamber voting on a bill was Theresa May, the prime minister. Andrew Bridgen MP was standing next to her in one of the voting lobbies when news of the attack broke. Within minutes, one of her security detail came up and quietly told her what was happening. She moved very quickly, he said. Others took refuge elsewhere on the parliamentary estate. Margot James, a business minister, said she was on her own in a room inside the palace when she heard police shouting outside the door. She mistakenly thought there was an assailant inside the building. Former Labour MP Tom Levitt, who was visiting the House of Commons, said he found himself hiding with a group in the gilded 13th-century Chapel of of St Mary Undercroft, wondering whether the attack would get inside. People were running away from the man that theyd seen with a knife, so we took sanctuary in the crypt, 10 of us, he said. Some of those who hid in the ancient church had witnessed the aftermath of the attack, and found themselves relying on their phones for snippets of info as to what was going on outside. All they saw was a man with knife and lots of people running and screaming, he said of the rest of the group. "That was enough to upset them." Afp / AFP / Getty Images Police boats pass the London Eye as they patrol on the River Thames, near the houses of parliament in Westminster. The parliamentary estate was swiftly put on lockdown, with staff told to stay in their offices and hundreds of MPs locked in the House of Commons chamber. Some walked up to the closed doors, baffled as to why they could not get in, before being ushered into nearby tea rooms or even the House of Commons library. Stephen Timms, the Labour MP for East Ham in London, was in the library waiting to vote when he learned of the attack. Timms was stabbed at his constituency surgery in 2010. At one point during the incident, the local police liaison officer in his constituency rang to make sure he was okay. Timms said he was reassured by the way the authorities handled the attack and that MPs around him had also remained calm. "We felt safe at all times," he said. Eventually, most were led to Westminster Abbey, where the atmosphere was described as calm, with police collecting witness statements. Labours Chris Bryant said most MPs were concerned about their own staff, from whom they had been separated all day. But the real focus was on what had happened to the parliamentary police officers. We come in every day, we see them, we chat with them. We know their names and they know our names," Bryant said. "Were all worried about whats happened to them." Daniel Leal-olivas / AFP / Getty Images People leave after being evacuated from the houses of parliament in central London. Barry Gardiner, a member of the shadow cabinet, said the security services "did the job they were there to do. "They kept everyone calm, they kept everyone safe," he said. "The tragedy is that the police officer lost their life defending our parliament. "Inside Westminster Abbey the atmosphere has been calm, with no one getting upset." Bridgen said: "What's very important is that both houses will be functioning tomorrow."
Mar. 23, 2017 06:30 pm JST Mar. 23, 2017 06:32 pm JST I guess we are just supposed to not care who actually did this, what their name is or where they are from. I have seen no update to the story since I saw a description of a 40s Asian burly guy with a beard. I wonder when we will hear how police have enough evidence to arrest 6 additional people already and what their personal details are. Guess just doesn't matter. Mar. 23, 2017 06:45 pm JST I guess we are just supposed to not care who actually did this, So you care about the details personally because even given the identity of attacker it won't change the outcome but the police and security will release that info once it decides that they have everyone who might have been involved or even involved in further attacks. You don't show your poker hand until you call. Mar. 23, 2017 07:16 pm JST Mar. 23, 2017 08:59 pm JST So yet again, they knew they perp, so did they give him the idea to do it also and help him do it like we have seen with the FBI in the US? Is it really terrorism or is everything called that these days? Is it really Islamic based or just another nut job they incited. BUT never worry, they will enforce some new anti terror laws so they can spy on all of you regardless and you'll be safe, until they need to make you fearful again so they can push more laws on you. Mar. 23, 2017 09:32 pm JST ...or, scoobydoo, you could actually WAIT for the details to come out (it only happened yesterday and is still very much ongoing now) before going off on a conspiracy rant. Oh, sorry. Forgot. I guess details are not important to some. Personally, I don't see this incident changing any laws. The police will probably look into their procedures and make adjustments to try to make them more efficient, but that's just my opinion and I'll wait to see what happens. Either way, from what I've read, they've done a great job in responding and have lost one of their own in the process. Mar. 23, 2017 10:04 pm JST As a Brit and long time Londoner this was unwelcome twittering. Spoke to UK Prime Minister Theresa May today to offer condolences on the terrorist attack in London, Trump tweeted. ...After his son had tweeted an attack on London's Muslim Mayor as the story unfolded. Pair of idiots. Mar. 24, 2017 12:07 am JST I guess we are just supposed to not care who actually did this, what their name is or where they are from. I have seen no update to the story since I saw a description of a 40s Asian burly guy with a beard. I wonder when we will hear how police have enough evidence to arrest 6 additional people already and what their personal details are. Guess just doesn't matter. Mar. 24, 2017 12:17 am JST They just said on CNN attacks like these have "very little to do with religion". The reporter is trying to talk the person being interviewed into agreeing that this was not ISIS influenced but could be something else? Maybe that's why the attacker has only been identified as "British born". TV now turned off. Mar. 24, 2017 12:55 am JST The police have released the name of the attacker. British born 52 year old Khalid Masood. Born in Kent but living in Birmingham area. He was a career criminal convicted of assault including GBH and other crimes but never convicted of terror offenses. The ISS claim responsibility but not likely. More violent criminal than jihadist. Mar. 24, 2017 01:06 am JST I'm sure you would quickly change this opinion if it was your sister, daughter, mother, brother, son or father killed in this attack. Hardly. I'm able to differentiate between the actions of a murderous loser and the other members of the sect. It's like saying I should hate all white Christian Americans because Dillan Roof emptied an AR 15 in a black church. Mar. 24, 2017 05:03 am JST Mar. 24, 2017 05:44 am JST @Madverts - Bollocks to those of you turning this into your political and/or anti-Muslim agenda. @Disillusioned - I'm sure you would quickly change this opinion if it was your sister, daughter etc... Only if you completely ignore the mental stability of those involved, and the fact that more Muslims have died at the hands of these sort of extremists than non-Muslims, and that most of the Muslim world actually stand with us in wanting to get rid of idiot ideologies that have inspired mentally deficient individuals like the one who has commit these crimes... Mar. 24, 2017 05:51 am JST Mar. 24, 2017 06:08 am JST Next time Britain and the USA decide to pursue foreign policy like a Hollywood script, they should think of the future consequences.... for everyone. Hollywood? I don't think so. More like The Prine (Machiavelli) The years 1914-1922 were the creative, formative years when everything seemed possible, but the events of 1922, the pivotal year, set the course for a future of endless wars and acts of terrorism that became the legacy of this period. Issues such as The Allenby Declaration establishing nominal independence for Egypt, the Palestine Mandate and the Churchill White Paper (from which Israel and Jordan sprang), the installing of Hashemite leaders of predominantly Shi'ite teritories, new leaders for Egypt and Iraq, the Russian declaration of a Soviet Union intent on re-establishing her rule over Moslem Central Asia - David Fromkin shows how all these changed the Middle East (and Europe) forever. David Fromkin A Peaceto End All Peace: Creating the Modern Middle East, 1914-1922 It's wise to know just how far down the roots go if you really want to extract the weed. Chopping the head off the Petrodollar will only allow it to grow back with different stems. Mar. 24, 2017 06:37 am JST donkusai they've done a great job in responding and have lost one of their own in the process. Except that they knew the perp, so thats a great job? Yes we can wait and nothing wrong with that but I am simply basing an assumption on past events. Also before you call out "conspiracy theorist" you should check out the number of conspiracy theories that turned out true. But don't worry, the truth telling main stream media has your back. Mar. 24, 2017 07:49 am JST Mar. 24, 2017 08:35 am JST The weapons charges in his previous convictions were all for knives and never once for any firearms. His last conviction was sometime ago in 2003. All of his criminal past was before he became religious which probably happened while in prison. Not clear if and when he became radicalised. Previous English teacher, an English boy from Kent named Adrian Elms and changed his name with his religious conversion. Mar. 24, 2017 11:28 am JST I heard this which I found interesting. Whenever something like this happens, it is amazing to see the diversity of the 'victims' yet there appears to be none among the 'attackers'. I thought that was pretty deep, if you think about it. Mar. 24, 2017 12:14 pm JST How do you get "diversity" with a single attacker who happens to be English born anyway. The victims were mostly tourists who were attacked in a high tourist location. Nonsense. Investigators identified him a few years back as a "peripheral" figure in the Jihadi movement, and he was known and investigated by Mi5 for "violent extremism." His offenses were last committed in 2003, that was 14 years ago until yesterday. He was a religious convert until after 2003. He was never arrested or charged with any terrorist activity. He was investigated but he police for jihadism but was not a person of interest unlike the other 3000 people on a watch list. Mar. 24, 2017 01:53 pm JST attackers, meaning in the multiple times this has happened. Victims, as in all the places people have had to die for no reason. And why does it matter if he is English born? I dont care where someone was born. I want to know what groups these people belong to and what the beliefs of those groups are. A person doesnt join a group that they do not agree with, and neither do they join a religion whose doctrine they dont plan to abide by. Mar. 24, 2017 02:09 pm JST attackers, meaning in the multiple times this has happened. Victims, as in all the places people have had to die for no reason. so you mean like because he was terrorist and a muslim so belonged to that jihadist group or like the American mass murderer and white supremacist Dylann Roof and all of his nine victims were black and from the same group. And why does it matter if he is English born? But in these cases it does matter because the crime happened on English soil carried out by an English born man and therefore now belongs to the group of "home born terrorists", just like the home born Timothy McVeigh in America. Mar. 24, 2017 04:52 pm JST "How exactly would immigration control have stopped this attack?" We don't know his background yet, right? Well, nearly all the jihadi attackers in UK and Europe attacks are done by people of immigrant background. Tighter immigration policies over the years could well have prevented many if not all the major attacks. It's funny how the multi-culties play up the London mayor's "immigrant background," but when people from the same or similar communities blow up the underground or whatever in the name of Allah, suddenly the "immigrant background" factor disappears from the discussion. Hypocritical much? Mar. 24, 2017 05:33 pm JST We don't know his background yet, right? Well, nearly all the jihadi attackers in UK and Europe attacks are done by people of immigrant background. Tighter immigration policies over the years could well have prevented many if not all the major attacks. We do: "London attacker identified as 52-year-old born Adrian Elms in Kent who 'converted to Islam'" So how exactly would immigration control have prevented this attack? And this shows that your claim that tighter immigration control could have potentially prevented all the major attacks in Europe to be incorrect. Immigration control can't keep out someone who is born in the country. Mar. 24, 2017 05:49 pm JST @JeffLee We don't know his background yet, right? Well, nearly all the jihadi attackers in UK and Europe attacks are done by people of immigrant background. Tighter immigration policies over the years could well have prevented many if not all the major attacks. Firstly, the true people of these fair Isles would be the original inhabitants, the Britons Celts and Picts which ended around 750AD. From then on, the Anglo-Saxons, Romans, Vikings, Normans were all invaders and immigrants. In more modern time there was the British Empire which ruled much of the world and in return gave British passports to people from the British Empire countries or Commonwealth as its now called. The Great British nation like America is made from so many different countries of peoples. Certainly for decades many of the arriving immigrants suffered abuse and treated badly believing they would have a better life. When that fails to happen, low paid work, poor housing, the people and the especially the young become frustrated with the limitations imposed on their lives. They start to strike out at the injustices. Mar. 24, 2017 05:57 pm JST Research finds ZERO correlation between radicalization and socio-economic background. They can be rich, middle class or poor. They can have loads of white friends or none. Or some. Jihadi John, to name only one, was from Maida Vale, who lived in a large house the state gave his family for FREE. His mother received state benefits for FREE. He had a very good university education, presumably paid for by the state. How much is a country supposed to do? Oh, the injustice! He is one of a long list I could give you. It's all about an intolerant, medieval, revengeful creed. Mar. 24, 2017 06:20 pm JST @JeffLee Have you ever lived in Britain, not just visiting as a tourist or student but actually lived and worked and visited the northern towns and cities to see what actually happens.Do you have any British muslim friends or work associates? The same kind of treatments what Caribbean people experienced and the Irish living in the country too. "Jihadi John" a British Arab who joined ISIL and is believed to have beheaded several victims shown in their videos. Believed to have been killed in 2015. Which terrorist acts did he commit in Britain? The house in Maida Vale was actually the size of local council housing, they were tenants not owners with the rent paid by housing credit. The family were not immigrants they were given asylum from Kuwait. We took the foreign lands and wealth in return for a British passport but by the 1960's the government were trying to cancel or restrict those and stating about not being responsible for what our forefathers had agreed. Mar. 24, 2017 09:46 pm JST "Have you ever lived in Britain" Yes, I have. I've also been back about 20 times since. "The same kind of treatments what Caribbean people experienced." And yet they're more than happy to stay. Because they know for whatever "injustice" they get in UK -- like their free house in Maida Vale not being big enough for their 7 member family -- they still know that secular Western UK is a million times better than the sad, intolerant and backward societies they left. And when their sons commit mass murder against UK citizens in the name of their alien God, we're supposed to be understanding and sympathetic. No way. Mar. 24, 2017 09:56 pm JST JeffLee How long did you live there, tourist or resident. Did you work? Did you live outside London. Even with Jihadist John you can't pass judgement on his family or the 3 million other Muslims. Not all Carribean stayed and I personally know families who returned to their home countries. I don't know what mass murder Jihad John did in the UK. You didn't supply inform on that point. He may have beheaded seven victims but that's not 100% certain since head was masked. I would go as far as thinking your words are based on hate more than facts. Mar. 24, 2017 10:59 pm JST "If you continue to behave like this, not a single European,not a single westerner will be able to take a step on the road safely anytime in the world" Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, just hours before the latest terrorist attack in London, whose Muslim mayor has called moderate Muslims "uncle Toms" and terrorism "just something we have to learn to live with" Mar. 25, 2017 07:39 am JST @zichi "Even with Jihadist John you can't pass judgement on his family or the 3 million other Muslims." He is just one terrorist suspect on UK's terror list of 3,000 or so. Many, many have similar stories. And as we know now, there are many dangerous Muslims who arent even on that list. So how long should that list really be? Mar. 29, 2017 11:44 pm JST He is just one terrorist suspect on UK's terror list of 3,000 or so. Many, many have similar stories. And as we know now, there are many dangerous Muslims who arent even on that list. So how long should that list really be? Agree. Have not read about any Chinese, Swiss, Finish, Japanese or Singaporean terrorist making trouble in the UK. 0 ( +0 / -0 ) Login to leave a comment Facebook users Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.
How @MetPoliceUK became a trusted source This article was published in CorpCommsMagazines December issue. To subscribe to the publication or find out more, please email subs@corpcommsmagazine.co.uk When an incident occurred at Oxford Circus Tube station in late November 2017, the social media team at the Metropolitan Police swung into action. Within minutes, @metpoliceuk had tweeted that its officers were at the scene and advised people to avoid the area. Shortly afterwards, its tweet to more than 1.1 million followers indicated that police were treating the incident as terror-related. The tweets were all part of the Metropolitan Polices updated major incident plan. We know we have to be quick because information is now available within seconds of an incident happening, explains Ed Stearns, the outgoing head of media at the Metropolitan Police. We need to be seen as the trusted voice within the social sphere and that is what we are. It did not matter that the incident was not a terrorist attack. We can say we are treating it as a terrorist incident, because you can row back from that, he explains. It can take a long time to declare a terrorist attack. Youve got to remember that in a major incident everything is very confused. We have just got to try to give as much clarity about the stuff we know. Within seven minutes of the terrorist attack on Westminster Bridge last March, @metpoliceuk had tweeted that it was aware that an incident had occurred and that officers were dealing with it. We had prepared messaging to go out to fill that void. We were also obviously thinking about traditional media and held press conferences. Any information we can put out, we will put out publicly by Twitter. It meant we were the most retweeted source, which shows that people were using us as a trusted source, says Stearns. The command and control unit knew that communicating quickly was important. One of the most popular tweets, which I signed off, was Please use common sense and restraint when you are circulating images on social media. Another popular one was We will update you as soon as we can when information is verified, which made the point that there will be rumours going around but we are a trusted source. Before releasing any information to the public, Stearns team must get clearance from the officers in charge of the operation. During an incident, Stearns delegates a colleague to the control room, so that communications is at the heart of the response and can provide accurate information in a timely manner. Within an hour [of the Westminster attack], we had put out information about a website that people could upload images to, which could help with the investigations. We ask for their details, as they may be key witnesses. They may also put the images out on social media, but we now have an evidentiary record, which is really important. We had also said that we were treating it as a terrorist attack; that has to be called by the counter-terrorism command. Its an important fact that we can put out. The first hour is key, and Stearns 70 person team has rehearsed every aspect of its response to a major incident. Everyone knows their role. The terror attack at London Bridge occurred after 10pm on a Saturday night, but Metropolitan Police runs a 24 hour press bureau staffed by eight. The duty officer knew exactly what was required, although initially there was some confusion that there was another related incident in South London. It was a Saturday night. There are always incidents on a Saturday night, says Stearns. In the aftermath of the Borough Market attacks, the police deployed run, hide, tell messaging for the first time, which required clearance from command. It was a reminder to people of how to act if they are in that situation. As it happened, the perpetrators had been shot by that stage but there was confusion about whether others were around. A stock of pre-prepared graphics are also ready to use if necessary, many of which then get reused by the media which gives them even greater reach. We originally had a major incident plan, which was pretty big, and had been added to over the years, as internal structures changed and people started to consume media in different ways. It ended up as something unmanageable and difficult to use. Obviously events started happening in Europe, especially Paris, and the threat was feeling different in the way that terrorists were operating. The fact that they were willing to die was different. We needed to rip it up and start again, explains Stearns. We made it slimmer. But the most important thing we did was to make sure that we were seen internally as an operational resource. Historically, we were seen as the department that sorted out the headache that the media were going to be. Now it was recognised that communications can change behaviours, could ultimately potentially save lives, and could really help an operation be effective. We sold it that way and made sure our plan worked that way. He adds that, in major incidents, the team now has certain things that it works towards. We work towards doing a press statement outside [under the iconic Scotland Yard rotating sign] in front of the cameras, so we will work to get more information for that. We did a briefing a few days after London Bridge about what we had found, and one of our counter intelligence officers did quite a large briefing on the fire bombs that had been used. You roll out information as it comes but there are some things that we can work towards. For example, if we are making arrests around the country we want to put that out proactively, so we would liaise with other forces on that. After Borough Market, we made some arrests in South Wales, so we put out lines on what we were doing. Some things in a police investigation have to be kept completely confidential, but we have to keep asking ourselves Is there a reason we cant tell the public? After its overhaul of the major incident plan, the team ran table top exercises where everybody worked through scenarios to check that the communications response would work. Stearns has also ensured that communications is represented when police officers do their own exercises. Indeed, the weekend before the Westminster Bridge attack, Stearns and members of his team participated in an exercise on the Thames. That was also the first time we exercised our internal communications response. The Met Police is Londons biggest employer, with 45,000 staff, and frankly people want to see internally what we put out externally. But it is also important to flag up what HR is doing in terms of offering support to people affected by the incidents. The team also ran through scenario exercises with the media. In the wake of the Charlie Hebdo attacks, Stearns had visited Paris to discover the challenges faced by the local police force in dealing with the media. He had anticipated that there may have been difficulties with imposing media blackouts, but instead found that the main issue had been journalists trying to contact the terrorists on their mobile phones. We hadnt even thought about that, he concedes. It was an issue that could then be addressed during the media table tops. The relationship seems to work. For example, after the attack at Borough Market, the police asked the media not to release the names of the terrorists. You cant hang on to that for a long time, but while the perpetrators may be dead, there may be action that we need to take against their associates, he explains. The media also has a lot to weigh up on what they can publish and what they cant, what they have verified and what they havent. We are not there to police taste and decency. He adds: These incidents can go on for days or even weeks; funerals may need to be held. There are communications issues around families; we have family liaison officers but the bereaved may have media issues that they want help with. There may be question marks over identities so we have to work with the coroner. It is almost more difficult as time goes on. Blame starts pretty quickly. Why did it happen? How did it happen? Post the attacks, we went to Critical which meant that soldiers were going into buildings allowing more armed police on the street. Theres quite a lot to do to explain all that. It almost gets more complicated as time goes by. We had a press conference after the Westminster attack, in which an American tourist died; 13 family members wanted to attend. We had to help them, take them through it and provide the structure to do so. The team here are fantastic. The Met Police has used Twitter since 2011, when it launched an events account to talk to demonstrators. But it was after the London riots in 2011 that the flagship @MetPoliceUK corporate account was established. The corporate account is a broadcast account, explains Stearns. We have well over one million followers now and it would really clog it up if we were two-way. But everything underneath that account is about conversation. Each one of Londons 32 boroughs, which have individual police forces, has its own Twitter account, as do the Met Polices 629 neighbourhood offices and most services, such as Marine Policing with @MPSontheWater and almost 26,000 followers. I think we operate the biggest network of social accounts within an organisation, says Stearns. Some commanders also run accounts while a Twitter feed is now part of the command and control centre, where 999 and 101 calls are dealt with. It uses software to identify issues being tweeted about that may require police assistance, such as anti social behaviour. The force also operates a Facebook account, which has more than 176,000 followers, which is used to promote campaigns, share stories and videos and also to provide more detailed information in a major incident or create an emotional connection. For example, within hours of the Westminster attack, it became clear that PC Keith Palmer had been killed. We videoed the flag at Scotland Yard being brought down to half mast, and put it on Facebook. It was massively shared. It showed the human part of what we were dealing with, it showed how we were reacting as a force and it was an important bit of content, explains Stearns. By contrast, the Met Polices website is much more about customer service, such as information on how to report crime or a traffic incident, find a police station and how to join the force. We have a news site, which we update in the press office, but people get their running information from social media, says Stearns. People use websites to do transactions. Having worked through two major terrorist incidents this year, are there any lessons that Stearns and his team have learned? It is important to debrief to understand how things have mapped out and to reflect on the prepared messaging to see if it sat right, he says. We have to ask Can we change anything? But I think the preparation in making communications an important part of the operation was key for us.
The Duchess of Cambridge spoke movingly about her experience of motherhood today - admitting that she suffered from a 'lack of confidence' when it comes to her parenting abilities. Kate, 35, was speaking on the issue of maternal mental health, and also admitted that being a mother could be tough even for someone like herself who has had help in terms of nannies and housekeepers. The royal, who is mother to Prince George, three, and 22-month-old Princess Charlotte, has as both a full-time nanny and at least two housekeepers, as well as other household staff. She said: 'Personally, becoming a mother has been such a rewarding and wonderful experience. However, at times it has also been a huge challenge - even for me, who has support at home that most mothers do not.' Scroll down for video Kate leaves the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in London on Thursday afternoon after launching the films, part of a campaign working to banish the stigma that exists around the issue of mental health Poignant: Addressing a packed auditorium, Kate said: 'Two in 10 women will suffer mental health issues that can occur during pregnancy and in the year after birth, often clouding their moments of joy with a real sense of darkness and isolation' Get the Duchess' look in a textured skirt The Duchess of Cambridge looked as elegant as ever when she arrived at a Best Beginnings event. As avid followers of Kate's wardrobe, we know that she likes to recycle her outfits and today was no different. The royal repeated a skirt suit by British label Eponine that she previously wore a year ago while out on duties with William. We loved the retro feel and red and white check design of this two-piece on her first time around. We're still fans of the outfit by the Kensington-based designer that specializes in bespoke pieces inspired by the Fifties and Sixties. The look comes from the SS16 collection and costs $1500. The button details are a nice touch and the box pleated skirt is super flattering. You of course cannot buy it as it's made-to-measure for the Duchess, but click the link (right) to make sure this brand is on your radar. Alternatively recreate Kate's look with the help of our edit below. We've found some Eponine-esque skirt options below so simply take your pick to look royally stylish this spring. 'And yet there is no rule book, no right or wrong - you just have to make it up and do the very best you can to care for your family. For many mothers, myself included, this can, at times lead to lack of confidence and feelings of ignorance.' She added: 'Sadly, for some mothers, this experience can be made so much harder due to challenges with their own mental health. Two in 10 women will suffer mental health issues that can occur during pregnancy and in the year after birth, often clouding their moments of joy with a real sense of darkness and isolation. 'Many of these women also suffer in silence, overwhelmed by negative feelings, but also afraid to admit to the struggles they are facing due to the fear or shame of what others might think if they 'aren't coping'. Share this article Share 'Some of this fear is about the pressure to be a perfect parent; pretending we're all coping perfectly and loving every minute of it. It's right to talk about motherhood as a wonderful thing, but we also need to talk about its stresses and strains. It's ok not to find it easy. Asking for help should not be seen as a sign of weakness. 'If any of us caught a fever during pregnancy, we would seek advice and support from a doctor. Getting help with our mental health is no different  our children need us to look after ourselves and get the support we need. ' The Duchess, 35, also paid tribute to the victims of Wednesday's Westminster attack as she urged families - particularly mothers - to talk about their problems to either their friend, family or professionals. The Duchess pulled no punches as she admitted to feelings of 'ignorance' and a 'lack of confidence' when she became a parent for the first time. She urged families to talk about their problems to either their friend, family or professionals The Duchess meets Kirsty Francois, 21 (far left) and her two-year-old daughter Teegan-Mia during a meeting with a parent support group at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (RCOG) on Thursday Kate joins a meeting with a parent support group. The films launched by Best Beginnings today are also aimed to help fathers and other family members understand what new mothers go through and how they can be supported more effectively Kate was joined by Kirsty Francois (in pale blue shirt) and her daughter Tegan-Mia, two. She was just 19 when she had her daughter and although working in a nursery found herself homeless after experiencing problems with her daughter's father Opening up to Kate, Kirsty (foreground) told her: 'Once I had let everything out it felt like a weight was off my shoulders. I had struggled because there is already such a stigma with young parents and i had wanted to prove them wrong' 'Conversations are crucial for mental wellbeing and they should be part of everyday family life. Talking about a problem with a friend or another trusted person can be the beginning of getting better,' she said. As we approach Mother's Day, she said, it was important to see 'everyone celebrate and value the fundamental importance that mothers play in family life'. She concluded: 'Mothers take on an overwhelming responsibility of caring for their families. Their role is vital in providing unconditional love, care, and support at home, particularly in the early years of a child's development. We therefore should do everything we can to support and value their hard work.' Today's event was organised by Best Beginnings, a small charity that has, nevertheless, helped some two million families with emotional and practical support during pregnancy and beyond. During the discussion, the Duchess also spoke to Kathryn Grant, 36, from London, who after enjoying a wonderful pregnancy with her much-longed for son, suffered a terribly traumatic birth and experienced several post-partum psychosis It is a charity partner of William, Kate and Harry's Heads Together campaign which is working to banish the stigma that exists around the issue of mental health. Despite the heightened level of security in the capital, Kate embodied the 'keep calm and carry on' mentality of Londoners as she carried out her official engagement as planned. The venue, at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, is Regent's Park, is just a few miles from the scene of yesterday's terrorist atrocity. The Duchess, wearing a striking sixties-style dress by Eponine she has worn before, watched one of a series of films called Out of the Blue about the issue of maternal mental health. The series was created by Best Beginnings to explore the range of mental health issues that can affect mothers such as anxiety and low moods, as well as the more severe forms of depression, through the stories of real mothers across the country. Kate donned a year-old skirt suit from London label Eponine on Thursday at the launch of a series of educational films created by Best Beginnings, a charity partner of Heads Together, just hours after the terror attack in central London Kate shakes hands with Best Beginnings founder and CEO Alison Baum before heading inside. Today's event in central London has been timed to coincide with Mother's Day on Sunday and takes place a month before the London Marathon The films are also aimed to help fathers and other family members understand what new mothers go through and how they can be supported more effectively. Afterwards she sat in on a parental support group where mothers - and fathers - told her of their experiences. Among them was Kirsty Francois and her daughter Tegan-Mia, two. She was just 19 when she had her daughter and although working in a nursery found herself homeless after experiencing problems with her daughter's father. Nothing she dealt with at work, she told the Duchess, compared to having to deal with being a mother herself. 'It got to a point where I was trying to support all three of us and I just wasn't coping. I became so withdrawn from her. My nurse recognised that there was clearly some depression there. That unleashed everything I had held back for long,' Kirsty told Kate. Kate showed off her slimline physique in the 1,200 skirt suit from the London label which she first wore a year ago at the mentoring programme of the XLP project, as she met staff including Best Beginnings CEO Alison Baum, pictured The royal kicked off the event with a speech, delivered to a packed auditorium, about the importance of the issue after watching one of a series of films about the issue called Out of the Blue - also paying tribute to victim's of yesterday's attack 'Once I had let everything out it felt like a weight was off my shoulders. I had struggled because there is already such a stigma with young parents and i had wanted to prove them wrong. That's when I got involved with Best Beginnings. I was able to talk about what I was feeling .' 'Did sharing your feelings help, do you think?' Asked Kate. 'Yes, definitely, the floodgates opened,' replied Kirsty. The Duchess also spoke to Kathryn Grant, 36, from London, who after enjoying a wonderful pregnancy with her much-longed for son, suffered a terribly traumatic birth and became one of just one in a thousand mothers who experience several post-partum psychosis. 'I wasn't sleeping, I was unable to feed, I had an infection and was in a bad way physically after I lost three quarters of my blood,' Kathryn later explained 'I begged for help with what I think was my last vestige of sanity. I just wanted to get my baby someone where safe and was admitted to a special mother and baby unit.' Important cause: Thursday's event at the RCOG is designed to focus on the mental health challenges faced in particular by mothers and the effect this can have on families. Kate kicked off the event by giving a short speech Bye for now: Best Beginnings CEO Alison Baum sees Kate off after her visit. Alison, along with director Shabira Papain, invited the Duchess to help launch their new Out of the Blue film series at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists There she suffered what was described as a 'floridly psychotic' episode which saw her hallucinate about the end of the world, her own death and her husband leaving her. 'It was as if I was living in an alternate reality,' she said. 'It was something that came out of nowhere, I never expected it and in many ways I felt like that I had let my husband down as he comes from a good family and had never experienced anything like this either.' Thanks to the help of a team of 'amazing' professionals, Kathryn made a good recovery and her 'bright and funny' son, now four and a half, is about to start school, while she is back at work. 'I feel very passionately about women - and fathers, getting the help they need at the right time and being able to talk about these issues.,' Kate told her, 'I know if William was here then he would say the same,. The royal added: 'Well done to you all in taking the step to come here and talk about your experiences. Having that conversation is so important.' And she told little Mia: 'You have been so good, sitting there.I know George wouldn't have done the same at your age!' Kate posed for one final photo call with staff and visitors before leaving at around 3pm. The royal teamed her vibrant Eponine skirt suit with a nude clutch bag and matching suede courts, adding a touch of sparkle with a pair of drop earrings The royal, who wore a pair of square-cut diamond earrings, looked to be in good spirits as she left the venue. The Duchess thanked the mothers for doing the 'difficult job of being here and sharing your stories' during an informal discussion Jessica Warne, 31, and her husband Jon, 32, said Kate told them when they met: 'I must give you a hug.' The couple had been reliving their struggles with Jessica's post-natal depression after the birth of their five-year-old daughter Lily. 'Straight away she said to Jon, 'I'm really sorry but I can't shake your hand - I have to give you a hug.' And she gave me a hug as well, which was very nice. It was really informal,' said Jessica, from north London. 'She was lovely, really warm and welcoming. It was like just having a conversation with another mum, because she is another mum. 'She said she was really grateful for us to be opening up and how important it is. She also said that if William was here he would have said the same thing and been really proud of us. 'She said that she's taken to motherhood as much as anyone else does and that even though she does have help she's a human being so she still has the same experiences other people have. But she says she's very lucky that she has a support network around her. 'She asked about our children and I told her my five-year-old is slightly princess-obsessed. She was very sweet and said to send her love to our girls.' Poignant: Speaking on the issue of motherhood, Kate said: 'Personally, becoming a mother has been such a rewarding and wonderful experience. However, at times it has also been a huge challenge - even for me, who has support at home' The royal added: 'Nothing can really prepare you for you the sheer overwhelming experience of what it means to become a mother. It is full of complex emotions of joy, exhaustion, love, and worry, all mixed together' Kate also spoke about Wednesday's terror attack, saying: 'I know you would all want to join me in sending our thoughts and prayers to all those sadly affected by yesterday's terrible attack in Westminster. We will be thinking of all the families' Jessica and Jon feature in one of the films that were shown at the event and had earlier spoken frankly about Jessica's post-natal depression, which almost drove her to step in front of a speeding train, but for the intervention of a passing stranger. Her experience led Jessica  mum to Lily, 5, and Rhianna, 10 - to set up the London-based charity Cocoon Family Support. Nursery nurse Kirsty Francois, 21, also met the Duchess and told her how she'd suffered from depression after two-year-old daughter Teegan was born. 'She genuinely took an interest in what I had experienced. She was very supportive and she wasn't judging me. I felt very comfortable and she really put me at ease,' said Kirsty, from Basingstoke. Laura Keeley, 35, from Chichester, said: 'She was lovey and she listened and seemed genuinely interested. She said everyone has a degree of mental health and that it's certain pinch points that bring it out and that really struck me. She said it in such a natural, accepting way. She was really understanding.' Today's event was timed to coincide with Mother's Day on Sunday and took place a month before the London Marathon, for which Heads Together is the official charity of the year. The Duchess of Cambridge's poignant speech in full 'Before I begin, I know you would all want to join me in sending our thoughts and prayers to all those sadly affected by yesterday's terrible attack in Westminster. We will be thinking of all the families, as we discuss the important issues we're here to talk about. 'I would like to thank Best Beginnings for inviting me here to introduce the 'Out of The Blue' series. This collection of films highlights how vital it is to be open about our mental health especially in the early years of parenthood. 'Personally, becoming a mother has been such a rewarding and wonderful experience. However, at times it has also been a huge challenge- even for me who has support at home that most mothers do not. Kate spoke about suffering from a lack of confidence and 'feelings of ignorance' when it comes to parenting - as she urged other mothers who may be feeling overwhelmed not to suffer in silence 'Nothing can really prepare you for you the sheer overwhelming experience of what it means to become a mother. It is full of complex emotions of joy, exhaustion, love, and worry, all mixed together. Your fundamental identity changes overnight. You go from thinking of yourself as primarily an individual, to suddenly being a mother, first and foremost. 'And yet there is no rule book, no right or wrong - you just have to make it up and do the very best you can to care for your family. For many mothers, myself included, this can, at times lead to lack of confidence and feelings of ignorance. 'Sadly, for some mothers, this experience can be made so much harder due to challenges with their own mental health. Two in ten women will suffer mental health issues that can occur during pregnancy and in the year after birth, often clouding their moments of joy with a real sense of darkness and isolation. Many of these women also suffer in silence, overwhelmed by negative feelings, but also afraid to admit to the struggles they are facing due to the fear or shame of what others might think if they 'aren't coping'. 'Some of this fear is about the pressure to be a perfect parent; pretending we're all coping perfectly and loving every minute of it. It's right to talk about motherhood as a wonderful thing, but we also need to talk about its stresses and strains. It's ok not to find it easy. Asking for help should not be seen as a sign of weakness. 'If any of us caught a fever during pregnancy, we would seek advice and support from a doctor. Getting help with our mental health is no different  our children need us to look after ourselves and get the support we need. 'Conversations are crucial for mental wellbeing and they should be part of everyday family life. Talking about a problem with a friend or another trusted person can be the beginning of getting better. 'This week, as we look forward to Mother's Day, I would love to see everyone celebrate and value the fundamental importance that mothers play in family life. 'Mothers take on an overwhelming responsibility of caring for their families. Their role is vital in providing unconditional love, care, and support at home, particularly in the early years of a child's development. We therefore should do everything we can to support and value their hard work. 'The work of Best Beginnings is vital. By providing tools and resources to help parents establish their own confidence and their own self-awareness, Best Beginnings enables mothers and fathers to do the best they can for their families. 'The Out of the Blue films you are about to see are also an amazing example to all parents, that starting conversations and asking for support is a real source of strength. They have been created with real parents, talking honestly and openly about their own experiences of parenthood.'
The bearded suspect, who was dressed in dark clothing, was wrestled to the ground on a traffic island at the Parliament Square end of Whitehall, close to the Foreign Office and the entrance to Downing Street. Images from the scene showed three knives and what appeared to be a mobile on the ground close to a brown rucksack. An officer in forensic overalls could be seen taking photographs of the knives. Man arrested in Westminster. No reported injuries. More information to follow. The suspect was detained at the scene for several minutes within view of journalists and passers by before he was eventually taken away in a police vehicle. Recruiters Harry Peasnell, 27, and Andy Burnage, 22, were leaving the adjacent building which houses various Government offices after a meeting with officials when they were told over the tannoy the usual entrance on to Whitehall was closed. As they made their way back towards Parliament from the alternative House Guards Road entrance they said they were pushed back up Great George Street by several plain clothes police officers. Forensics inspect scene in Whitehall 00:36 They then made their way to Parliament Square where they said they saw a man in his 20s or 30s, who they thought was the suspect, being spoken to by police next to the wall of the offices. Mr Peasnell, who says he regularly has meetings in Westminster, said police were "quick on the scene" and that he was not worried like he was during the terror attack in the area just weeks ago. "Last time all the buildings were on lockdown and no one was allowed to leave," he said. Westminster has been on a state of heightened alert since Masood launched his attack on March 22, killing five people, including Pc Keith Palmer. Masood drove at pedestrians before stabbing Pc Palmer as he guarded the cobbled forecourt of the Palace of Westminster. He was shot dead by police. Scotland Yard said there were no reports of any injuries. A spokesman added: "The man, aged in his late twenties, was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism. "Knives have been recovered from him. He is being detained under the Terrorism Act and is in custody in a south London police station. "Detectives from the Counter Terrorism Command are continuing their investigation, and as a result of this arrest there is no immediate known threat." Reports suspect's family tipped off police Another eyewitness has described what she saw Helen Chandler Wilde told the BBC: "I saw a couple of police officers with a guy interviewing him and then putting him in a car as well as a couple of police forensics officers photographing the scene. "And I did see the knives on the floor with the brown backpack lying next to it which was in the middle of the intersection in Whitehall. "I didn't see the guy, you know, being put on the floor by the police, so all I can imagine is that he was stopped there and dropped his things and then was taken to the other side of the road just outside the Treasury to be arrested and questioned which is where I saw him "I'd say there were a dozen or two dozen [police officers] kind of spread out around Westminster and Parliament Square. "He had his head low, his hood still up of his black hoodie, trying to hide his face from police, I don't know, but from photographs he appeared to be smirking. "[People were] remarkably not scared at all, not worried, the road was shut off but only just, still on the other side of the road there were people on the bus stuck in traffic on the way home just like any normal day, there were even a couple of tourists coming up to me thinking the Queen was coming to visit because the road was shut. I had to disappoint them there." Full quote from Theresa May Theresa May said: "It shows that our police and intelligence and security services are on the alert, as they always are, looking to keep us safe and secure. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to these people, many of whom are unseen, unheard, yet the job they do day in, day out to keep us secure is a really important one and we should thank them for it." Theresa May kept in the loop Prime Minister Theresa May was away from Number 10 on a campaign visit at the time of the incident, which did not disrupt work in Downing Street, said a spokeswoman. "This is an ongoing police operation and we are monitoring it," said the Number 10 spokeswoman. "The Prime Minister has been informed by officials and she will be updated, as usual for incidents like this." Heightened security at Westminster The latest security incident comes after Westminster was put on a heightened state of alert following a major terror attack just over a month ago. Khalid MasoodCredit: PA Security in the area has been noticeably more high profile since Khalid Masood killed four people by ramming them with his car on Westminster Bridge before stabbing to death Pc Keith Palmer just inside the grounds of Parliament on March 22. In the aftermath of the assault, authorities have reviewed how to keep the area as safe as possible. Armed police officers have been more visible patrolling the Palace of Westminster since the attack, which also left Masood dead from gunshot injuries. Incident treated as 'terrorism' Scotland Yard has released this statement confirming the incident is being treated as a suspected terror attack: A man has been arrested in Whitehall this afternoon, at approximately 14:22, following a stop and search as part of an ongoing operation. The man was arrested in Parliament Street, junction with Parliament Square, by armed officers from the Mets Specialist Firearms Command. The man, aged in his late twenties, was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism. Knives have been recovered from him. He is being detained under the Terrorism Act and is in custody in a south London police station. Detectives from the Counter Terrorism Command are continuing their investigation, and as a result of this arrest there is no immediate known threat.
UPDATE: 'We are here to support our communities' - Police assurances after arrest made in Greater Manchester in connection with Westminster attack UPDATE: 'We are here to support our communities' - Police assurances after arrest made in Greater Manchester in connection with Westminster attack 'Significant arrest' made in North West in connection with Westminster attack A MAN has been arrested in Greater Manchester in connection with the Westminster terrorist attack. The arrest was made in the area overnight and police have moved to reassure communities over the arrest. GMPs Assistant Chief Constable Rob Potts, said: The horrific events of London have affected people across the nation and we know it has been felt strongly in our communities, here in Greater Manchester. In light of an arrest in Manchester overnight, I want to offer my strongest assurances that we are here to support our communities and will robustly investigate any reports of hatred towards anyone. We have reviewed our patrols to ensure we provide visible reassurance. Terrorist acts and hate crimes are committed by a tiny minority of people and are not representative of the public. We need to work together to defeat those who seek to destroy our communities with hate, fear, and violence. I urge people to come to us with any concerns you have, with the knowledge that we stand with you and will take action against any criminal behaviour. You can speak to a Neighbourhood officer, or call 101, if you are concerned about anything, and always call 999 in an emergency. I want be clear that there is no specific intelligence suggesting that there is any raised level of threat within Greater Manchester. The arrest in Manchester was one of two significant arrests made overnight, including one in the West Midlands. Five people including the attacker, Khalid Masood, have now died as a result of the terrorist attack. The Metropolitan Police are appealing to the public for information about the killer, who was also known as Adrian Elms but was using the name Khalid Masood at the time of the attack. Scotland Yard's top anti-terror officer, Mark Rowley, said two people remain in hospital in a critical condition, one with a life-threatening injuries. Two police officers injured in the attack are also in hospital with "significant injuries". Mr Rowley said searches at five address were ongoing and 16 have finished. Detectives have seized 2,700 items from the searches, including "massive amounts of computer data" across the country. He said officers had spoken to around 3,500 witnesses - including 1,000 who were on Westminster Bridge and around 2,500 who were in Parliament. Mr Rowley said nine people remained in custody - including the two arrested overnight. The other suspects - three women and five men - were arrested in the West Midlands and London yesterday and overnight on Wednesday. One of the women has been released on police bail. Ipsoregulated This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's Editors' Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then please contact the editor here. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can contact IPSO here
On Brussels airport bombing anniversary, terror strikes London Four people died and 20 others were injured in the terror incident near the British Parliament in London on Wednesday, a year after suicide bombing in Brussels airport. India TV News Desk, London [ Published on: March 23, 2017 0:07 IST ] Image Source : AP The attack in London came exactly a year after the Brussels suicide bombing Four people died and 20 others were injured in the terror incident near the British Parliament in London on Wednesday, a security official said. The head of counterterrorism at London's Metropolitan Police, Mark Rowley, said four people have died in the incident, including an attacker and a police officer. Rowley said some 20 people have been wounded in the attacks that involved mowing by a vehicle. The Parliament was locked down a search is underway to make certain no other attackers are in the area  though police believe there was only one attacker. A vehicle mowed down pedestrians on London's Westminster Bridge, killing at least one woman and leaving others with injuries described as catastrophic. Around the same time, a knife-wielding attacker stabbed a police officer and was shot on the grounds outside Britain's Parliament, sending the compound into lockdown. The attack came exactly a year after the Brussels suicide bombing. Wednesday, March 22, was the anniversary of suicide bombings in the Brussels airport and subway that killed 32 people. The threat level for international terrorism in the U.K. was already listed at severe when the attack took place. There was no immediate claim of responsibility and it was not clear if there was more than one attacker. The incident in London unfolded within sight of some of the city's most famous tourist sites, including the London Eye, a large Ferris wheel with pods that overlook the capital. It stopped rotating and footage showed the pods full as viewers watched police and medical crews on the bridge, which has at its north end Big Ben and Parliament, two iconic symbols. "The whole length of the bridge there were people on the ground," Richard Tice, a witness, told Sky News. The London Ambulance Service said it had treated at least 10 people on the bridge, and British port officials said a woman was pulled from the River Thames, injured but alive. At Parliament, a body was seen lying in the yard. It wasn't clear if it was the attacker. British security has thwarted some 13 terror plots over the past four years, but the UK has largely been spared major international terror attacks such as the ones seen in Belgium and France. Last year, a far-right supporter shot and killed British lawmaker Jo Cox, who had campaigned for the U.K. to remain in the European Union. Prior to that, an attacker stabbed three people at a train station in east London in response to the Royal Air Force's bombing of the Islamic State group in Syria. The most gruesome recent attack occurred in 2013 when two Muslim converts of Nigerian descent attacked Lee Rigby, a British Army soldier who was walking down the street. The men ran Rigby down with their vehicle and then used a cleaver to hack him to death as bystanders watched in horror. The worst peace time attack on Britain this century was on July 7, 2005, when four Al-Qaida-inspired bombers blew themselves up on three subway trains and a bus in London, killing 52. Three of the bombers were British-born, all of Pakistani descent; the other emigrated from Jamaica.
He said police believed they knew the identity of the attacker but he declined to provide details. Rowley said the violence started when a car was driven over Westminster Bridge, hitting and wounding a number of civilians and three police officers. The car then crashed into railings just outside parliament where a man armed with a knife continued the attack and tried to enter the building. The assailant was shot dead after he stabbed to death a policeman. The other three victims were among those hit by the car. Many people were lying on the ground - some bleeding heavily and apparently unconscious - after the attack, which Prime Minister Theresa May condemned as "sick and depraved". "The location of this attack was no accident," she said in a statement outside her Downing Street office late in the evening. "The terrorist chose to strike at the heart of our capital city, where people of all nationalities, religions and cultures come together to celebrate the values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech." Injured people are assisted after the attack on Westminster Bridge [Toby Melville/Reuters] Some of the wounds suffered by the victims were described as "catastrophic". One woman was pulled out alive by port authorities from the River Thames with serious injuries. Witnesses initially reported a number of attacks near parliament. "We saw a black vehicle at full speed and it ran down a number of people. I could see people flying all around," tourist Babi Nagy told Al Jazeera. "Immediately it came to mind this was a terrorist attack." Polish politician and journalist Radoslaw Sikorski posted a video on Twitter of the aftermath on the bridge, showing several wounded people lying on the ground. Another witness said he saw victims scattered along the street. "As I was walking up the steps, there was a man who had fallen and medics were taking care of him. There was a lady who was also stabbed or shot. There was a lot of blood," Martin Pearce told Al Jazeera at the scene. The last major attack to hit London was in July 2005, when a coordinated series of bomb blasts targeted its public transportation system during rush hour. The bombings killed 52 people and wounded more than 700 others. Mayor Sadiq Khan said Londoners will "never be cowed by terrorism". "There will be additional armed and unarmed police officers on our streets from tonight in order to keep Londoners, and all those visiting our city, safe," he said. "I want to reassure all Londoners, and all our visitors, not to be alarmed." International messages of condolence were offered to the United Kingdom. Chancellor Angela Merkel said Germany stood by Britain following the deadly attack. "Although the background to these acts are not yet clear, I reaffirm that Germany and its citizens stand firmly and resolutely alongside Britons in the struggle against all forms of terrorism," Merkel said in a statement. US President Donald Trump offered May the full cooperation and support of the United States in responding to the attack, the White House said in a statement. "I want to emphasise that Turkey deeply feels and shares the United Kingdom's sorrow. Turkey always stands in solidarity with the friendly and allied United Kingdom in the fight against terrorism, one of the greatest threats to international peace and security," he said. In Paris, the lights of the Eiffel Tower were switched off. Three French schoolchildren on a visit to London were injured in the attack.
Westminster terror: Parliament hit by deadly attack Sign Up A terrorist attack outside Parliament in Westminster has left four dead, including the attacker, and injured at least 40 others. Police shot dead a man who attacked officers in front of the parliament building in London, after a grey 4x4 mowed down more than a dozen people on Westminster Bridge. At least two people died on the bridge, and a number of others were seriously hurt, according to the BBC. The victims are understood to include a group of French teenagers. Journalists at the scene saw a police officer being stabbed outside Parliament, who was later confirmed to have died. His name was confirmed late on Wednesday night as Keith Palmer, 48. The assailant was shot by other officers, and is also dead. The Met Police confirmed they are treating the events as a "terrorist incident". There was one assailant, whose identity is known to the police but has not yet been released. Theresa May gave a statement outside Number 10 after chairing a COBRA committee. "The terrorists chose to strike at the heart of our Capital City, where people of all nationalities, religions and cultures come together to celebrate the values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech," she said. London Mayor Sadiq Khan has tweeted his thanks for the "tremendous bravery" of the emergency services. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also released a short statement. He said: "Reports suggest the ongoing incident in Westminster this afternoon is extremely serious. Our thoughts are with the victims of this horrific attack, their families and friends. The police and security staff have taken swift action to ensure the safety of the public, MPs and staff, and we are grateful to them." After the incident this afternoon, journalists shared footage of injured people in the street, and pictures of a car which crashed into the railings outside Big Ben. After the shots rang out, Parliament was placed under lockdown, with the main rooms including the Commons Chamber and the tearoom sealed off. The streets around Parliament were also cordoned off and Westminster Tube station was closed. Those caught up in the incident include visitors to Parliament, such as schoolchildren, who spent the afternoon trapped alongside politicians and political journalists. Hours after the incident, the security services began evacuating MPs and others trapped inside Parliament in small groups. Group of school children from Birmingham just let out of public gallery, they got up 6am to be here, MPs waving them goodbye From the window of the parliamentary Press Gallery, I have just seen police shoot a man who charged at officers while carrying what appeared to be a knife. A large crowd was seen fleeing the man before he entered the parliamentary estate. After several officers evaded him he was swiftly shot by armed police. Ministers have been evacuated and journalists ordered to remain at their desks. Police have just shot a man who was attacking officers at parliament's entrance. According to The Telegraph, foreign minister Tobias Ellwood, a former soldier, tried to resucitate the police officer who later died. Meanwhile another MP, Mary Creagh, who was going into Westminster to vote, managed to persuade the Westminster tube staff to shut down the station and prevent tourists from wandering on to the scene of the attack. A helicopter, ambulances and paramedics soon crowded the scene. There were reports of many badly injured victims. However, one woman was pulled from the River Thames alive. A woman was pulled alive from the River Thames and is being treated by paramedics on a nearby pier. It's thought she was on bridge at time MPs trapped inside the building shared messages of sympathy for the victims on Westminster Bridge, and in defence of democracy. The Labour MP Jon Trickett has tweeted that "democracy will not be intimidated". MPs in the Chamber stood up to witness the removal of the mace, the symbol of Parliamentary democracy, which symbolises that Parliament is adjourned. I and my staff are all safe. Democracy will not be intimidated by terror. We owe our deepest thanks to police,the emergency services & nhs Those trapped inside Parliament included 40 children visiting on a school trip, and a group of boxers, according to the Press Association's Laura Harding. The teachers tried to distract the children by leading them in song and giving them lessons about Parliament. Schoolchildren in high vis jackets being led in song by their teachers. Security yelling at people for taking photos. In Scotland, the debate over whether to have a second independence referendum initially continued, despite the news, amid bolstered security. After pressure from Labour leader Kezia Dugdale, the session was later suspended. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted that her "thoughts are with everyone in and around Westminster". The Welsh Assembly also suspended proceedings. A spokesman for New Scotland Yard, the police headquarters, said: "There is an ongoing investigation led by the counter-terrorism command and we would ask anybody who has images or film of the incident to pass it onto police. We know there are a number of casualties, including police officers, but at this stage we cannot confirm numbers or the nature of these injuries." Three students from a high school from Concarneau, Britanny, were among the people hurt on the bridge, according to French local newspaper Le Telegramme (translated by my colleague Pauline). They were walking when the car hit them, and are understood to be in a critical condition. The French Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve has also tweeted his solidarity with the UK and the victims, saying: "Solidarity with our British friends, terribly hit, our full support to the French high schoolers who are hurt, to their families and schoolmates." Julia Rampen is the digital news editor of the New Statesman (previously editor of The Staggers, The New Statesman's online rolling politics blog). She has also been deputy editor at Mirror Money Online and has worked as a financial journalist for several trade magazines. Serial disruptors like Amazon are shaping the economic transformation that is taking place before us. John Pattullo, co-fund manager of Henderson Diversified Income Trust, explains how investors can be on the right side of change.
WATCH LIVE: Westminster Attack With Multiple People Injured Reports from the ground indicate that as many as 12 people are injured while Prime Minister Theresa May is said to be okay following an attack which took place in-and-around the Houses of Parliament in London on March 22. The assailant, who has not been identified, was shot by police officers. The suspects condition is unknown. Officers were first called to the scene at around 2:40 p.m. GMT, 10:40 a.m. Eastern time. The London Metropolitan police is treating the attack as a terrorist incident until [They] know otherwise. Heres what else we know so far: A Car Has Mowed Down Pedestrians Along Westminster Bridge Incident in #Westminster: We are treating this as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise There are also reports of a car mowing down pedestrians on the nearby Westminster Bridge. It has not been confirmed if the two incidents are related. Conservative MP David Lidington told ITV that there had been further violent incidents in the vicinity. He also said that an air ambulance has been called to the scene to remove the casualties. A Police Officer Has Been Stabbed (Getty) The officers condition, nor his identity, have been revealed. The Metropolitan Police tweeted that armed police are on the scene dealing with the incident. 1 Comment THE REAL CRUX OF ISLAM . . Preface . . The REAL CRUX of Islam! is the Muslim/ Islamic confusion over who Muhammad actually was, and WHY he introduced his DOCTRINE to the world! And! if properly assessed and addressed, and our PROOFS of the basis of/ for this confusion communicated to Muslim/ Islamic peoples through our global institutions! and, likewise, to the rest of our inquiring communities worldwide! our world would witness a change for the better! . This matter of RADICALIZATION, is to me! a R-E-A-L PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE! when an entire faith population on our planet is living under the DELUSION that a would-be, self- styled faith leaders religion, IS SANCTIONED BY GOD! And its akin to our populations centuries ago, when millions of people believed the world was flat! And, it was NO LESS a PUBLIC HEALTH concern back then, than what the global Muslim/ Islamic FAITH ISSUE is today! Simply put, when people around the world began to realize that the earth was indeed round, then things began to change for the better! And the para-dogmas structured around the old way of seeing the world no longer had value, and social acceptance! . ALL OF US ARE STUPID OF MANY THINGS! and, if we could somehow learn of that of which we are inherently stupid, our lives would improve! dramatically! . The ensuing personal findings, and resolve, are I suggest! the T-A-C-T-I-C-A-L F-R-O-N-T L-I-N-E that the international community of interests should be employing in their respective, and collective campaign/ s, re Muslim/ Islamic indoctrination! AND! for use against the likes of ISIS! And! I suggest! should be used in place of Trumpian and GOPic REACTIONS to worldwide aggressions! And! in the process of REACTING to such, causing further COLLATERAL DAMAGE, and continued impetus for the PSEUDOCAUSE of PSEUDO-MUSLIM/ PSEUDO-ISLAMIC EXTREMISTS, AND THEIR EXTREMISM!! . And so for those who may wonder about Islam and its place in the world I offer you the following . . Jesus Christ and Muhammad . . In an attempt to ascertain the Biblical TRUTH concerning the veracity of the claims attributed to the said prophet Muhammad (by whomever, and whenever), and afterupon my examination of both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, and the Quran, I happened upon a couple of remarkable Chapters, and their Verses, within the New Testaments Book of Luke (although, found elsewhere, within the New Testament!), attributed to Jesus Christ! . In Chapter 16, Verse 16, we read: The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed UNTIL (my emphasis) John (i.e., John the Baptist!). and within the Book of Luke, Chapter 7, Verse 28, we read: I say to you, among those born of women, there is NO ONE GREATER (my emphasis) than John (i.e., John the Baptist!)! [Gideons Translation] . Simply stated, if the claim on page 8 of the book titled, The Quran Translated: Message For Humanity, is correct (and, which reads:  Being the last of these Prophets, Muhammad was to be Gods FINAL Messenger! and thus, ULTIMATE Messenger!), then, the words attributed to Christ within the Book of Luke, Chapter 7, Verse 28, are UNTRUE! And so! making Christ confused at best! or worse, A LIAR! But! if the words of Christ within the Book of Luke, Chapter 7, Verse 28, and within Chapter 16, Verse 16, are TRUE! then! not only was Muhammad NOT the greatest of the Prophets, he (Muhammad!) AND, MORE IMPORTANTLY! COULD NOT HAVE BEEN A PROPHET, A-T A-L-L (i.e., as such are described within the pages of the Bible!)! For! and apart from Christs words in Luke 7: 28 (extolling praise, glory, and the Seal of Finality on John the Baptist!) how could the Law and the Prophets be up UNTIL John, yet nevertheless! a subsequent prophet (and yea! supposedly! THE GREATEST PROPHET! ) is revealed some six hundred years after the fact, of the time of Christ (see, Quran, CH 33: 41 and note: With the exception of Ahmadi Muslims, Khatamu n-Nabiyyn Seal of the Prophets! is regarded by Muslims to mean, that Muhammad was the last of the prophets sent by God! i.e., the God, of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob!)? . And thus, the battle then! obviously! is between the claims proffered by this self-styled prophet of God (Muhammad!), and the claims CLEARLY ATTRIBUTED to Christ! And as for the said appearance of Archangel Gabriel to Muhammad to bestow upon Muhammad a SPECIAL PROPHETIC DISPENSATION (as outlined in the work, The Quran Translated: Message For Humanity!), such an act by Gabriel (something not mentioned in the Bible!) would put Gabriel in conflict with the words and will! of Jesus Christ! and ultimately! in conflict with GOD! And so, if the said prophet Muhammad did in fact receive a visit from an Angel, I would strongly assert that that Angel, was someone OTHER, than Gabriel! . And so! there can be only ONE! CLEAR! resolve to this epistemologic dilemma!: either Jesus Christ, or Muhammad, was confused! OR! A LIAR! For! God is not confused! and God is not A LIAR! And! as there is OVERWHELMING EVIDENCE for the veracity of the claims put forward by Jesus Christ, the confusion! or, DISHONESTY! IS NOT CHRISTS! As 1 John 2: 22 states (a verse, prepared 600 years before the advent of Muhammad!): Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the A-N-T-I-C-H-R-I-S-T! denying the FATHER, and the Son.+ [NIV] And further, Acts 4: 12 states (a verse, prepared 600 years before the advent of Muhammad!): Salvation exists in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. [Berean Study Bible] . . GOP Radicalization . . But with regard to the CHRISTIAN CONSERVATIVE REACTION to Islam and re the view of the self-avowed/ averred CHRISTIAN RIGHT (and its supporters e.g., the Christian Right-wing GOP!), that T-H-E-S-E have a DEVINE/ SACROSANCT DISPENSATION (i.e., one blessed by God! AND YEA, A RIGHT, AT THE HEART, OF THE TEACHINGS OF JESUS CHRIST! leaving aside for the moment, those claiming a SACROSANCT HUMAN RIGHT! in deference to the non-Christian, Humanist members of the GOP!) to bare arms in defence of themselves (e.g., against the likes of ISIS!), and, IN DEFENCE OF THE DOWNTRODDEN OF THE WORLD! such I suggest! IS SUSPECT! And! begs the question: IS THEIR DEVINE POSTURE AND DEFENSIVE POSITION JUSTIFIED THROUGH JESUS CHRIST? Well let us examine (i.e., those who profess Christ! but, etc.!) a few further New Testament passages, to find out! . In Matthew Chapter 05, Verse 38, Christ states: Youve heard that it has been said: An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, THAT YOU NOT RESIST (PHYSICALLY CONTEND WITH!) EVIL: WHOSOEVER SHALL HIT YOU ON ONE CHEEK, TURN TO THAT ONE, ALSO, THE OTHER. In Matthew Chapter 10, Verse 16, Christ states, Be aware! I send you out AS SHEEP, in the midst of wolves; therefore, be as wise as serpents, BUT HARMLESS, AS DOVES. . Next, the ensuing is a question put to Christ from a Pharisaic lawyer in an attempt to catch Jesus in some act of pompous pontification, and religious sophistry! In Matthew, Chapter 22, Verse 36, the Pharisaic lawyer asks: Master, which is the GREAT COMMANDMENT in the Law?; V37) Jesus said unto him, YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; V38) THIS IS THE FIRST AND GREAT COMMANDMENT; V39) AND THE SECOND IS LIKE UNTO IT! YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR, AS YOURSELF'; V40) ON THESE TWO COMMANDMENTS, H-A-N-G A-L-L T-H-E L-A-W, A-N-D T-H-E P-R-O-P-H-E-T-S! . Next, are the words of Paul to the Ephesians, concerning the Christians struggle with evil: In Ephesians Chapter 06, Verse 12, Paul states: FOR WE (CHRISTIANS!) W-R-E-S-T-L-E N-O-T A-G-A-I-N-S-T F-L-E-S-H A-N-D B-L-O-O-D; BUT, AGAINST PRINCIPALITIES, AGAINST POWERS, AGAINST THE RULERS OF THE DARKNESS OF THIS WORLD, AGAINST SPIRITUAL WICKEDNESS IN HIGH PLACES. . Next, in advance of His anticipated sojourn to the Garden of Gethsemene, Jesus sought to convey an important message to His entourage and, to all others who might bear witness (then, and in the future!)! about the error of physically resisting/ contending with evil, in an effort to vanquish it! And! in His preparation! set in motion the ensuing means, whereby, His message to be told, could be manifest! . In Luke, Chapter 22, Verse 36, Christ states to His entourage: But now let the one who has a moneybag take it! and likewise, a knapsack! And let the one who has no sword, sell his cloak, and buy one (a sword!); V37) For I tell you, that this Scripture must be fulfilled in Me: And He was numbered with the transgressors.' For what is written about Me, has its fulfillment; V38) And they said (those with Christ!): Look, Lord, here are two swords. And He (Jesus!) said to them: It is enough; V39) And when Jesus came out, He went (as was His custom!) to the Mount of Olives; and His disciples followed Him. . Subsequently, and upon completion of His efforts in the Garden of Gethsemene, Jesus stood ready to confront the evil advancing upon Him and His followers. In Matthew, Chapter 26, Verse 46, Jesus states: Rise, let us be going. See My betrayer is at hand; V47) While He was still speaking, Judas came (one of the original twelve disciples!) and, with him, a great crowd with swords, and clubs from the Chief Priests to the elders of the people; V48) Now the betrayer had given them (those with Judas!) a sign; and, saying to them (those with Judas!): The one I will kiss, is the man seize Him; V49) And he came up to Jesus, at once, and said: Greetings, Rabbi! and he (Judas!) kissed Him (Jesus!); V50) Jesus said to him: Friend, do what you came to do. Then they (those with Judas!) came up, and laid hands on Jesus and seized Him; V51) And suddenly, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand, drew his sword (i.e., Simon Peter see, John 18: 10) , and struck the servant of the High Priest cutting off his ear; V52) Then Jesus said to the one (Peter) who drew the sword: PUT YOUR SWORD BACK INTO ITS PLACE. F-O-R A-L-L W-H-O U-S-E T-H-E S-W-O-R-D, W-I-L-L P-E-R-I-S-H B-Y T-H-E S-W-O-R-D; V53) DO YOU THINK THAT I CANT APPEAL TO MY FATHER? WHO WILL, AT ONCE, SEND ME MORE THAN TWELVE LEGIONS OF ANGELS!; V54) BUT HOW, THEN (if God were to do this! Jesus continued!) SHALL THE SCRIPTURES BE FULFILLED? THAT THUS, IT MUST BE SO (i.e., that the prophesied events should happen in the manner, as was prophesied!)? . An interesting response to His disciples to say the least! and, after having compelled them to buy, and bring the weapons, in the first place! And! at a time, of the greatest physical threat to the life of Jesus! that would lead to His very crucifixion! But! and as it turned out! to teach them (and all who would eventually receive these actions, and words!), an important lesson: VENGENCE IS GODS PREROGATIVE! NOT MANS!; VENGENCE IS NOT THE RESERVE OF THOSE CLAIMING CHRIST!; AND, IT IS NOT TO BE METED OUT, IN THIS WORLD! And! Jesus adds an additional reinforcement, in the Book of John . In John, Chapter 18, Verse 36, Jesus states: MY KINGDOM IS NOT OF THIS WORLD! IF IT WERE, MY SERVANTS WOULD HAVE FOUGHT (and Ill add here when Judas, and his gang, met Christ!), THAT I MIGHT NOT BE DELIVERED OVER TO THE JEWS! . In other words, THE SERVANTS OF CHRIST WERE NOT TO PHYSICALLY RESIST EVIL! EITHER TO SAVE CHRIST, OR THEMSELVES! AND! MOST IMPORTANTLY! WERE COMMANDED BY CHRIST, NOT TO DO SO! . And so, are we (who profess Christ!) to adopt the view today! in 2017! that THIS WORLD (the world that Christ declared was NOT His Kingdom!), IS TO BE MADE HIS KINGDOM! IS TO BE MADE OUR KINGDOM! THROUGH BLOODSHED? AND NUKES? AND! AS IF! CHRISTS SECOND COMING, AND HIS HEAVENLY SPIRITUAL KINGDOM HAD ARRIVED! . And further and in a perverse SATANIC-BACKED! attempt to subvert the simple story of the AGAPE LOVE of Jesus Christ for God, and for mankind, the following Bible passage is often cited as some kind of DEVINE SUPPORT for the position, that CHRISTIANS should BATTLE EVIL THROUGH THE FLESH! . In John, Chapter 15, Verse 13, Christ states: GREATER LOVE HAS NO ONE, THAN THIS: THAT ONE LAY DOWN ONES LIFE, FOR ONES FRIENDS! . The questions to be asked here, are these: Is the laying down of ones life for ones friends (AS A CHRISTIAN!), the same as TAKING THE LIFE OF ANOTHER, OR THE LIVES OF OTHERS, IN ONES DEFENCE OF ONES FRIENDS? And, if so, how can/ does such a parity remain CONSISTENT, with the totality AND CLEAR! teachings of Jesus Christ? . Simply put, given all of the aforenoted Scriptures (and those unstated!), there can be ONLY ONE INTERPRETATION of/ for John, Chapter 15, Verse 13 and that is: OUR LAYING DOWN OF ONES LIFE FOR A FRIEND I.E., AS A TRUE CHRISTIAN, AND IN THE SPIRIT OF GOD! MUST BE IN THE MANNER, OF JESUS CHRIST (I.E., W-I-T-H-O-U-T T-H-E S-H-E-D-D-I-N-G O-F T-H-E B-L-O-O-D, O-F A-N-Y O-T-H-E-R)! . Nevertheless! if we as professing Christians! have acted violently in defence of a friend, we have Christ as our propitiation for our sin! i.e., upon our repentence of our respective impassioned thoughtless act! Otherwise, we invite Gods wrath! A-N-D C-E-R-T-A-I-N J-U-D-G-E-M-E-N-T, A-N-D R-E-T-R-I-B-U-T-I-O-N! . IN MATTHEW 7:21-23, WE READ: 21) NOT EVERYONE WHO SAYS TO ME, LORD, LORD, WILL ENTER INTO THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, BUT HE WHO DOES THE WILL OF MY FATHER WHO IS IN HEAVEN WILL ENTER. 22) MANY WILL SAY TO ME ON THAT DAY (I.E., AND, IN PARTICULAR! ON THE DAY THAT PROFESSING CHRISTIANS WILL STAND BEFORE GOD, AND GIVE AN ACCOUNT OF THEIR COMMISSIONS AND/ OR OMISSIONS!): LORD, LORD! DID WE NOT PROPHESY IN YOUR NAME, AND IN YOUR NAME CAST OUT DEMONS, AND IN YOUR NAME PERFORM MANY MIRACLES (AND I WILL ADD HERE: AND IN YOUR NAME, PERFORMED MANY ACTS OF WAR?)?' 23) AND THEN I WILL DECLARE TO THEM: I NEVER KNEW YOU; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.' [NIV] . IN OTHER WORDS, THERE WILL BE MANY WHO WILL HAVE SHOWN SIGNS OF HAVING FOLLOWED GOD! AND TRUTH! BUT! WHO IN REALITY! NEVER KNEW GOD! NEVER ACCEPTED THE TRUTH! AND NEVER TRULY ACCEPTED GODS LOVE, NOR THE A-G-A-P-E L-O-V-E OF HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON! AND YEA! INDEED! WERE REVEALED AS HAVING DESTROYED OTHERS, WHO WERE FAITHFUL TO THAT LOVE! . . All You Need . . Terrorists, and Terrorism, ARE NOT THE PROBLEM! ARE NOT OUR TARGET! Theyve never been THE PROBLEM! nor, will they ever be THE PROBLEM! . However distasteful one might find and for example! what Ill term, ISISic Muhammad_Munchausen Syndrome By Proxy (or ISIS-MSBP!) and ISIS-born Marahiq-Muhammad_mujahidization (i.e, and a.k.a., Preteen-Muhammad_mujahidization!) of Marahiq-Muhammad_mujahideen/ Preteen-Muhammad_mujahideen suicide bombers! whats WORSE, is the PREMEDITATED POLITICORADICALIZED COLLATERAL MURDER OF RADICALIZED CHILDREN, as a REACTIONARY TREATMENT of the SOCIAL SEQUELAE of ISISic RADICALIZATION generally! . The key question to ask ourselves today, in the aftermath of Trumps win, is: Will ISIS reaction be greater to Trump, than such would have been to Clinton? And lets not be confused! terrorists watch the news! and these have heard the claims, and the hyperbole! and have gauged the rhetoric! Hl! ISIS was using Twitter! i.e., until the plug was pulled! These have assessed how Trump may respond to their campaigns versus how Hillary may have responded! And! these are preparing for their counter retaliatory responses to any Trumpian measures to be effected in the future! And! these respond most agressively when theyre under threat! Its what they do! its who they are! . And dont forget it was the George W. Bush fashioned collateral damage against innocent lives over there wherever! that G-A-L-V-A-N-I-Z-E-D otherwise non-aggressive souls into others worst nightmares! wherever! And it remains to be revealed, to what extent the tactical offensives mounted against the bad guys by the military minions to Barack Obama, will fare any better in our histories to be told (i.e., have c-o-r-r-e-c-t-e-d THE PROBLEM'!)! And so the long, and the short of it, is: Will Americans favor Trumps body-bag detail (wherever! however! and of whomever!)? or, what would have been that, of Hillary Clinton? Because lets face it! the terrorists havent quit! and theyre on their way! And although Trump appears to some! to be a kind of stalwart defence (though, perverse!) against the DARK ARTS of you know who, is his defense more of the same old, same old of yesteryear (i.e., a repeat of the evils of by-gone years! a repeat of history!)? In other words, will Donald Trump become, Mr. Deja Vu? . THE PROBLEM, reader, is S-I-N! AND, IN PARTICULAR, T-H-E L-A-C-K O-F T-H-E A-G-A-P-E L-O-V-E O-F J-E-S-U-S C-H-R-I-S-T! WITHIN WHOMEVER! AND WHEREVER! AND UNLESS THIS SIN OF L-O-V-E-L-E-S-S-N-E-S-S IS ADDRESSED, T-H-E-R-E I-S N-O H-O-P-E F-O-R A R-E-S-O-L-V-E T-O T-H-E V-I-O-L-E-N-C-E I-N T-H-E W-O-R-L-D! A-N-D! N-O W-E-A-P-O-N W-I-L-L E-F-F-E-C-T A-N E-N-D T-O T-H-A-T L-A-C-K, S-A-V-E T-H-E W-E-A-P-O-N O-F T-H-E S-P-I-R-I-T O-F T-H-E L-I-V-I-N-G G-O-D, T-H-R-O-U-G-H H-I-S L-I-V-I-N-G S-O-N, J-E-S-U-S C-H-R-I-S-T! . T-H-E-R-E W-I-L-L B-E N-O J-U-S-T-I-F-I-C-A-T-I-O-N B-Y G-O-D F-O-R T-H-O-S-E W-H-O P-R-O-F-E-S-S C-H-R-I-S-T, F-O-R T-H-E-I-R H-A-V-I-N-G A-B-A-N-D-O-N-E-D T-H-E M-E-S-S-A-G-E O-F J-E-S-U-S, T-H-A-T T-H-E-S-E (C-H-R-I-S-T-I-A-N-S!) C-O-N-T-I-N-U-E T-O L-O-V-E O-N-E A-N-O-T-H-E-R A-N-D Y-E-A, T-H-E W-O-R-L-D! D-E-S-P-I-T-E T-H-E E-V-I-L-S C-O-N-F-R-O-N-T-I-N-G T-H-E-M! . As 1 Corinthians 13: 1-3 states: 1) If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have L-O-V-E, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal! 2) If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have L-O-V-E, I am n-o-t-h-i-n-g! 3) And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have L-O-V-E, it profits me N-O-T-H-I-N-G! . As a footnote AND P-L-E-A! to our B-E-L-O-V-E-D Islamic brothers and sisters, and to the Global Muslim Community (leaving aside, for the moment, those who are of other faiths!)! remember! Islam attests to the existence of the person of Jesus Christ; however, the Old Testament (the Testament and Bible of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob! and, to which, Islam subscribes!) D-O-E-S N-O-T A-T-T-E-S-T T-O T-H-E P-E-R-S-O-N O-F M-U-H-A-M-M-A-D! And a Testament, and Bible, that preceded the birth of Jesus Christ! and, preceded His New Testament! . One can only speculate (save, Gods intercession, and revelation!) as to why Muhammad/ Muhammadism/ Islamism/ Muslimism emerged! Possibly the encroachment of Judaism! and possibly the additional encroachment of the Roman Catholic movement (the latter of which, St. Paul in tears! warned the 1st century Christians, would arise! And! which took the lives of many Christians, and non-christians, alike! And! in the name of God, and Christ!)! But! whatever the reasons! the words of Christ are clear! John the Baptist, was THE ONLY, FINAL! AND GREAT! PROPHET OF GOD!! . Please! no emails! Discuss on Facebook Like Us On Facebook! Loving Heavy? Show us some love by following us on Facebook! Discover the Stories That Matter Join over 240,000 people who get the most important news stories and the best shopping deals from Heavy  Delivered right to your inbox.
THE daughter of London attack killer Khalid Masood refused to wear a burqa or convert to Islam  and instead wore a revealing dress to her school formal. Staff writers News Corp Australia NetworkMarch 27, 201710:55am Khalid Masood mowed down pedestrians and stabbed a cop in London. Picture: SuppliedSource:Supplied WESTMINSTER killer Khalid Masoods teenage daughter defied his orders to wear a burqa  and headed to a school prom night in a revealing backless dress. Unlike her older sister, student Teegan Harvey, 18, refused to bow to pressure from fanatical Masood and convert to Islam. Family friends said radicalised Muslim convert Masood, who killed four people and wounded more than 50 during an 82-second rampage in Westminster last week, demanded both his daughters become Muslims and don the veil. Older sister Andi, now 24, converted to Islam six years ago and left her mum Jane Harvey and sister Teegan behind at their home in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, to move in with her dad and his new partner in Luton, Beds. They later moved to Birmingham where Andi is said to have been persuaded by Masood to cover herself in a burqa. She is also reported to have changed her name to an Arabic one. But younger daughter Teegan resisted her fathers demands to give up her western lifestyle. The teenage beauty posed for the camera in a revealing backless dress at a prom night in May last year for leavers at Tunbridge Wells Girls Grammar School. She had earlier come under pressure from her father to convert to Islam after she turned 16. Her successful businesswoman mother Jane, managing director of a chemicals company, fought desperately to prevent her younger daughter from joining her father. Luke Lawrence, 23, close friends with Andi at school when she lived in Northiam, East Sussex, with both her parents and sister, said: Jane was totally against the idea and wanted Teegan to remain with her. But Andi was older and could be very headstrong, so she just went off and did it anyway. Lawrence said Andi was popular and attractive and he couldnt understand why she had gone to live with her nutter dad. KILLER SENT A CRYPTIC WHATSAPP MESSAGE Meantime, Masood sent a WhatsApp message that cannot be accessed because it was encrypted by the popular messaging service, a top British security official said. British press reports suggest the 52-year-old used the easily available messaging service just minutes moments before his deadly rampage on Wednesday. Home Secretary Amber Rudd overnight urged WhatsApp and other encrypted services to make their platforms accessible to intelligence services and police trying to carrying out lawful eavesdropping. We need to make sure that organisations like WhatsApp  and there are plenty of others like that  dont provide a secret place for terrorists to communicate with each other, she said. Ms Rudd did not provide any details about Masoods use of WhatsApp, saying only this terrorist sent a WhatsApp message and it cant be accessed. Her call for a back door system to allow authorities to access information is likely to be met with resistance throughout the industry. Masood, a British citizen, ploughed his car into scores of innocent bystanders on Westminster Bridge, killing three and injuring 50, on Wednesday. He then rammed gates at Parliament and fatally stabbed PC Palmer before he was shot dead by police. The entire incident lasted just 82 seconds. TERRORISTS FINAL MOMENTS New footage has emerged showing Masood running at police officers, armed with knives, before he was shot dead. British boxer Frazer Clarke, who was visiting the Houses of Parliament on Wednesday when all hell broke loose, managed to capture seven seconds of footage on his mobile phone. He and his friend were just 20 metres away from Masood as he fatally stabbed PC Keith Palmer. (Masood) was trying to kill the officer. That was the only word for it  it was just savage, he told Sky News. Among all the madness there was one calm figure, and that was the armed police officer. They are trained for this situation, but I dont think you can replicate that sort of situation anywhere, anyhow. British boxer Frazer Clarke witnessed and filmed some of the Westminster terror attack, including the shooting of attacker Khalid Masood pic.twitter.com/YLZYCS5iQG Masood was a party animal who loved marathon crack sessions with prostitutes, his former landlady Cassie Harvard told The Sun. She claimed Masood  also known as Adrian Elms  went on drug binges for 72 hours at a time before robbing pushers at knifepoint for his next fix. She also said he spent thousands of dollars on sex workers while staying at a rented pad and on pals sofas. He was a madman. After one four-day crack session, one druggie pal got paranoid and accused him of being an undercover cop. Adrian went absolutely wild and ran to the kitchen to grab the biggest knife he could find. He went back in the room and slashed the guys face to pieces. It was horrific, but he always had that darker side about him. Masood, 52, had convictions for violent crimes in the UK and spent time in prison. He also worked in Saudi Arabia teaching English for two years and travelled there again in 2015 on a visa designed for religious pilgrimages. FURTHER ARRESTS MADE Police have arrested a 30-year-old man in the central English city of Birmingham in connection with last weeks attack on parliament, on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts, the Metropolitan Police said. The police said in a statement on Sunday they had arrested 12 people since Wednesdays attack, but nine have been released with no further action.
Share this with Police are searching three properties in the Midlands in relation to the suspected terror attack in Westminster, as the suspects route from Birmingham to London was revealed. Counter Terrorism officers, supported by Nottinghamshire Police, are searching a flat in the Radford/Arboretum area in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire Police said. Officers are also carrying out searches at two other addresses in Birmingham as part of their ongoing investigation into the collision in central London, in which three people were injured. Forensic officers by the car that crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament, Westminster, London (Picture: PA) Steven ODonnell, 35 from Birmingham, told Metro.co.uk : Weve been driving through Birmingham from Sparkbrook, through Digbeth and Newtown and have never seen so many police. We have seen several unmarked cars with armed police in as well as the normal uniformed lot. They all seemed very twitchy, we were glad to get home, because we knew something was going on. Advertisement Advertisement A 29-year-old man, believed to be a UK national of Sudanese origin, was arrested on suspicion of preparing an act of terror after the silver Ford Fiesta he was driving collided with cyclists and pedestrians before crashing into a security barrier just before 7.40am on Tuesday. Detectives believe the privately-owned car was driven from Birmingham late on Monday night, arriving in London just after midnight. The property on the left on Peveril Street in Nottingham was searched by police after a 29-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of preparing an act of terror (Picture: PA) Sorry, this video isn't available any more. Cyclists were injured when the car crashed into barriers at Westminster (Picture: BBC) The suspect has not been formally identified but is believed to be from the Birmingham area (Picture: SKY News) Police today confirmed that they are treating the incident in Westminster as a terrorist attack. Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said at a press conference this morning that the suspect was not co-operating and one of the victims had serious but not life-threatening injuries. The driver of the car is believed to live in the Midlands, from the Birmingham area. The priority for the investigation team is to understand the full circumstances and motivation behind this incident, a police spokesman added. Home Secretary Sajid Javid tonight urged people to keep an open mind over the suspected terror attack. Speaking at the Home Office, Mr Javid said he was limited in what he could say as the investigation was live. Advertisement Advertisement There are understandably a lot of questions about the incident and what has happened, He said. I think people will appreciate its only just happened in the early hours of this morning. The briefing I have received from counter-terrorism police and the security services is that work is ongoing and they are doing everything they can to find out more about the incident. We must keep an open mind about what has happened and Im sure when they do have more information they will say more. We must give the time the police need to do their work.  He also thanked the people of London for their resolve and resilience as it comes just 16 months after a similar terror attack on Westminster bridge. The suspect in todays attack was wearing a black puffer jacket when he was pulled from the car outside the Houses of Parliament and placed in handcuffs. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Armed police in the street after the car crashed outside the Houses of Parliament (Picture: Reuters) Forensic officers by the car that crashed into security barriers (Picture: PA) Scotland Yard said the terror suspect was not known to counter-terrorism police or MI5. 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, Mr Basu said. Advertisement We have not formally identified him yet. On the details we have at the moment we dont believe this individual was known to MI5 or counter-terror police. Theresa May has said the terror threat to the UK remains severe as she urged the country to carry on as normal in the wake of the attack on Parliament. The suspect is being held by police (Picture: SKY News) The car is seen crashed on the right hand side of this picture (Picture: ITV) To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video In a statement, the Prime Minister praised the formidable courage of the emergency services who ran towards a dangerous situation in order to protect the public. She added: The threat to the United Kingdom from terrorism remains severe. 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. The twisted aim of the extremists is to use violence and terror to divide us. They will never succeed. The Met Police said: Detectives have established that the Fiesta, registration number FL10 CWZ and which is privately owned, travelled from Birmingham to London late on Monday night (13 August), arriving in the London area just after midnight (14 August). The path of the crash vehicle (Picture: PA) The vehicle was in the Tottenham Court Road area from approximately 1:25am until 5:55am. It was then driven around the Westminster and Whitehall area from approximately 6am and stayed in this area until the time of the incident. Advertisement Officers are appealing to anyone who may have seen the vehicle or the driver either in the Tottenham Court Road area in the early hours of this morning, or in the Westminster area from 6am today, to contact them on 0800 789 321. Police are also appealing for anyone with video or pictures of the crash in Westminster to sent it to them via the website www.ukpoliceimageappeal.co.uk. At this stage, there have been no other arrests in connection with this investigation, police said.
Limerick student caught up in 'scary' Westminster attack Patrick Culhane was touring the Houses of Parliament when attacker struck Reporter: Maria Flannery 2 Apr 2017 0 Patrick Culhane, centre, with classmates in front of Big Ben on the morning of the Westminster attack A LIMERICK man who was in Westminster on the day of the terror attack last week has said the incident was scary, but praised the quick response by security and police. Patrick Culhane from Mungret was held up in the Westminster complex on Wednesday, March 22, while on a tour with his classmates from the University of Sheffield. The Broadcast Journalism student was stuck inside for at least five hours while the emergency services dealt with the major terror incident which left five people dead. We had done a tour of the houses of parliament that morning - we were in the Commons and the House of Lords - then we went on break at 1.30pm, said Patrick. Me and some friends came back at 2.25pm into Portcullis House where we were to have talks from journalists. Portcullis House is just right across the road from Big Ben and part of the Westminster Complex, he explained. I went to the bathroom and when I came out, everyone was pressed up against the window. We were on the first floor which looks down onto an atrium. We didnt know what was happening, but then suddenly we saw people sprinting away and security services running everywhere. We were then told to get away from the glass and were put into a room, and we stayed there for over an hour. We were on lockdown, and were then moved further from the attack location. We ended up in the corridors of MP offices, and were there for about five hours, said Patrick of the ordeal. Although Patrick was in the bathroom at the moment of the attack, he said some members of the group saw a body on the ground. I believe it was the police officer, he said, referring to PC Keith Palmer who died when he was stabbed by the attacker, Khalid Masood. Some heard gunshots, he added. Hours after the attack, the group was allowed to leave the building. A lot of the road was blocked off and loads of police officers came and spoke to everyone who'd been on lockdown, which was maybe over 500 or 600 people, one by one, said Patrick. It was scary but I think the security services were on it, and they were good at keeping things calm, so we felt safe pretty quickly. They just took us through a questionnaire - whether wed seen anything, if we needed support, and gave us a specific hotline number in case we thought of anything later, he explained. The student praised the work of the police and security services for their fast response to the incident. They seemed to have the attack contained so quickly, but then it was the Houses of Parliament, so you would kind of expect that, he added. The entire attack lasted 82 seconds before Masood was shot by a police firearms officer inside the Palace of Westminster. At 2.40pm, he drove a car over Westminster Bridge near the Houses of Parliament, eventually mounting the pavement and hitting pedestrians at random, killing four. He then crashed the car, and ran into Westminster Palace armed with a knife, where he killed the policeman. If you wish, you can contact us using any of the methods below. 54 O'Connell Street Limerick Ireland Email: news@limerickleader.ie Telephone: 061 214500 This website and its associated sites are full participating members of the Press Council of Ireland and supports the Office of the Press Ombudsman. This scheme in addition to defending the freedom of the press, offers readers a quick, fair and free method of dealing with complaints that they may have in relation to articles that appear on our pages. To contact the Office of the Press Ombudsman go to www.pressombudsman.ie or www.presscouncil.ie
photo galleryPedestrians return to Westminster Bridge after terror People pose for photographs on Westminster Bridge in central London on March 23, 2017 after the bridge reopened to traffic following its closure during the March 22 terror attack. Picture: AFP1 of 16 Members of the public walk along Westminster Bridge in central London on March 23, 2017 after it reopened following the March 22 terror attack at the British parliament. Picture: AFP2 of 16 A couple prepare to pose for their wedding pictures by Westminster Bridge in central London on March 23, 2017 after the bridge reopened to traffic following its closure during the March 22 terror attack. Picture: AFP3 of 16 People pose for selfie as they walk over Westminster Bridge as it is opened to the public on March 23, 2017 in London, England. Picture: Getty4 of 16 Members of the public and traffic cross Westminster Bridge in central London on March 23, 2017 after it reopened following the March 22 terror attack at the British parliament. Picture: AFP5 of 16 People cycle over Westminster Bridge as it is opened to the public on March 23, 2017 in London, England. Picture: Getty6 of 16 Members of the public walk along Westminster Bridge in central London on March 23, 2017 after it reopened following the March 22 terror attack at the British parliament. Picture: AFP7 of 16 Tourists pose on Westminster Bridge with the London Eye in the background in central London on March 23, 2017 after it reopened following the March 22 terror attack at the British parliament. Picture: AFP8 of 16 Pedestrians and a jogger cross Westminster Bridge with the Houses of Parliament in the background in central London on Marhc 23, 2017 after it reopened following its closure by security services during and after the March 22 terror attack. Picture: AFP9 of 16 People take selfie photographs of themselves on Westminster Bridge in front of the Houses of Parliament in central London on March 23, 2017 after the bridge reopened to traffic following its closure during the March 22 terror attack. Picture: AFP10 of 16 People and vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after it was re-opened to the public Thursday, March 23, 2017, following an attack on Wednesday when a man drove a car into pedestrians then stabbed a police officer to death before being fatally shot by police within Parliaments grounds. Picture: AP11 of 16 People pose for photographs on Westminster Bridge in central London on March 23, 2017 after the bridge reopened to traffic following its closure during the March 22 terror attack. Picture: AFP12 of 16 People pose on Westminster Bridge with the London Eye in the background in central London on March 23, 2017 after it reopened following the March 22 terror attack at the British parliament. Picture: AFP13 of 16 A couple prepare to pose for their wedding pictures by Westminster Bridge in central London on March 23, 2017 after the bridge reopened to traffic following its closure during the March 22 terror attack. Picture: AFP14 of 16 People take selfie photographs of themselves on Westminster Bridge in front of the Houses of Parliament in central London on March 23, 2017 after the bridge reopened to traffic following its closure during the March 22 terror attack. Picture: AFP15 of 16 Members of the public cross Westminster Bridge with the London Eye in the background in central London on March 23, 2017 after it reopened following the March 22 terror attack at the British parliament. Picture: AFP16 of 16 People pose for photographs on Westminster Bridge in central London on March 23, 2017 after the bridge reopened to traffic following its closure during the March 22 terror attack. Picture: AFP Members of the public walk along Westminster Bridge in central London on March 23, 2017 after it reopened following the March 22 terror attack at the British parliament. Picture: AFP A couple prepare to pose for their wedding pictures by Westminster Bridge in central London on March 23, 2017 after the bridge reopened to traffic following its closure during the March 22 terror attack. Picture: AFP People pose for selfie as they walk over Westminster Bridge as it is opened to the public on March 23, 2017 in London, England. Picture: Getty Members of the public and traffic cross Westminster Bridge in central London on March 23, 2017 after it reopened following the March 22 terror attack at the British parliament. Picture: AFP People cycle over Westminster Bridge as it is opened to the public on March 23, 2017 in London, England. Picture: Getty Members of the public walk along Westminster Bridge in central London on March 23, 2017 after it reopened following the March 22 terror attack at the British parliament. Picture: AFP Tourists pose on Westminster Bridge with the London Eye in the background in central London on March 23, 2017 after it reopened following the March 22 terror attack at the British parliament. Picture: AFP Pedestrians and a jogger cross Westminster Bridge with the Houses of Parliament in the background in central London on Marhc 23, 2017 after it reopened following its closure by security services during and after the March 22 terror attack. Picture: AFP People take selfie photographs of themselves on Westminster Bridge in front of the Houses of Parliament in central London on March 23, 2017 after the bridge reopened to traffic following its closure during the March 22 terror attack. Picture: AFP People and vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after it was re-opened to the public Thursday, March 23, 2017, following an attack on Wednesday when a man drove a car into pedestrians then stabbed a police officer to death before being fatally shot by police within Parliaments grounds. Picture: AP People pose for photographs on Westminster Bridge in central London on March 23, 2017 after the bridge reopened to traffic following its closure during the March 22 terror attack. Picture: AFP People pose on Westminster Bridge with the London Eye in the background in central London on March 23, 2017 after it reopened following the March 22 terror attack at the British parliament. Picture: AFP A couple prepare to pose for their wedding pictures by Westminster Bridge in central London on March 23, 2017 after the bridge reopened to traffic following its closure during the March 22 terror attack. Picture: AFP People take selfie photographs of themselves on Westminster Bridge in front of the Houses of Parliament in central London on March 23, 2017 after the bridge reopened to traffic following its closure during the March 22 terror attack. Picture: AFP Members of the public cross Westminster Bridge with the London Eye in the background in central London on March 23, 2017 after it reopened following the March 22 terror attack at the British parliament. Picture: AFP 1 of 16 But just a day later the cordons were lifted and traffic, cyclists and pedestrians made their way down across the River Thames. A newlywed couple used the site of the rampage for snaps of their big day. A couple pose for their wedding pictures on Westminster Bridge following the attack a day earlier.Source:AFP Another couple made the shape of a heart in a pose for a selfie in a symbolic gesture that love defies hate. Tourists posed for photos on the bridge flying the British flag. Others were there to lay a floral tribute in memory of those that lost their lives. Some posted video of their walk over the bridge since the attack using the mantra wearenotafraid. Westminster bridge just reopened. Among the first to cross. #wearenotafraid, Keith Alan Lynch wrote on Facebook beside a video of his walk. Britains Prime Minister, Theresa May repeated these words of defiance in a speech to Parliament shortly after yesterdays attack. She called on the country to carry on with its everyday business as she addressed MPs. Today we meet as normal, as generations have done before us, and as future generations will continue to do, to deliver a simple message  we are not afraid. And our resolve will never waver in the face of terrorism, she said.
Mrs May said the victims included 12 Britons, three French children, two people from Romania, four from South Korea, one from Germany, one from Poland, one from Ireland, one from China, one from Italy, one from the US and two Greek people. She told MPs: "Yesterday an act of terrorism tried to silence our democracy, but today we meet as normal, as generations have done before us and as future generations will continue to do, to deliver a simple message: We are not afraid and our resolve will never waver in the face of terrorism." "Those values - free speech, liberty, human rights, and the rule of law - are embodied here in this place but they are shared by free people around the world. "A terrorist came to the place where people of all nationalities and cultures gather to celebrate what it means to be free. And he took out his rage indiscriminately against innocent men, women and children. "This was an attack on free people everywhere - and on behalf of the British people, I would like to thank our friends and allies around the world who have made it clear that they stand with us at this time." Mrs May also paid tribute to Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood, who tried to save the life of PC Palmer by giving him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and attempting to stem the flow of blood from his stab wounds in New Palace Yard. And she praised the police for "heroically" doing their job by stopping the attacker getting access to Parliamentary buildings by shooting him dead "within 20 yards of the gate". "If his intention was to gain access to this building, we should be clear that he did not succeed," she said. She also said it was wrong to describe the attack as Islamic, claiming it was "Islamist terrorism - it's a perversion of a great faith". Mr Corbyn said MPs were "united by our humanity, by our democratic values and by that human impulse for solidarity to stand together in times of darkness and adversity". "I express my condolences to the family and friends of PC Keith Palmer, who gave his life yesterday in defence of the public and our democracy - and to the loved ones of those still in a critical condition, including the French schoolchildren visiting our capital from Concarneau in Brittany," he said. "The injured include people of ten nationalities. Innocent people were killed yesterday walking across Westminster Bridge as many millions of Londoners and tourists have done before them." Conservative MP James Cleverly fought back tears as he paid tribute to his friend PC Palmer, who he met 25 years ago in the Royal Artillery. He asked Mrs May whether the police officer's "gallantry and sacrifice" could be recognised posthumously - to which she replied, that this would be considered in due course. Image copyrightHoCImage caption MPs began the day in the Commons with one minute's silence SNP Westminster leader Angus Robertson said: "Today of all days we are reminded, notwithstanding our differences on political and constitutional issues, we are as one in our dedication to democracy, rule of law and harmony between people of all faiths and none." He wished Mrs May and Home Secretary Amber Rudd well in their work in the aftermath of the "appalling, indiscriminate, terrorist act". Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said MPs were "beyond thankful to the police, to the NHS, to the emergency services, actually to the staff of this House, in keeping us safe and being so utterly dedicated to their roles". Image caption UKIP leader Paul Nuttall said people will know of the attacker and that he had been radicalised Nigel Dodds, deputy leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, said PC Palmer "and his colleagues are the reason that we're here today and every other day". Over in the House of Lords, the Archbishop of Canterbury said: "Yesterday afternoon, one of our own security staff at Lambeth Palace - a Muslim - arrived at the gate having been missed by the vehicle very narrowly, and spent time helping those who'd been injured. "It was typical of this community in this country that he refused to go home until the end of his shift, and simply spent the time doing his job as he expected." But outside Parliament, UKIP leader Paul Nuttall called on the Muslim community to help cut out the "cancer within our society of radical Islam". He said security needed to be heightened, adding that "all that was needed for this terrorist attack to take place yesterday was a Hyundai 4x4 and a couple of kitchen knives". Earlier MPs, peers, police and workers around Whitehall observed a one minute's silence. Image caption Builders working near Parliament stopped work to observe a minute's silence Commons deputy speaker Lindsay Hoyle said Parliament's security committee will hold an emergency meeting later on Thursday to discuss security arrangements on the estate. Speaking beside a police cordon outside Parliament, Mr Hoyle told BBC Breakfast: "We're in a village and our village policeman has been murdered and all of our thoughts are with the family and the other innocent victims. "But of course the House must continue - we will not give in to terrorism and today we'll continue. Mr Hoyle, who is also chairman of the security committee, said: "We will be having an emergency meeting. We'll be getting information - what else needs to be put in place - and we will reflect." He said there would be support for MPs and staff who "witnessed things they never expected to witness in their lives", he said. Mrs May has spoken to Mr Trump, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and Romanian President Klaus Iohannis in the period since the attack, and will speak to more foreign leaders over the course of Thursday, Downing Street said. The PM's official spokesman said Mrs May had been "focused entirely on this issue since it happened" and was in constant contact with police and security services. He declined to discuss whether any changes had been made to her schedule for the coming days.
Watching the news today, I felt a really long, long way from home, he told viewers on Wednesday night. London is a diverse and proud and brilliant city and one thing is for sure: If this act of terrorism was supposed to divide the people of London, I know for a fact that all something like this does is bring them closer together as one. Attack at Parliament, March 22, 2017 Attack at Parliament, March 22, 2017 1/36 A policeman points a gun at a man on the floor as emergency services attend the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London Stefan Rousseau/PA 2/36 Emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminste PA 3/36 The scene of the incident @Lukesteele4 4/36 The scene at Westminster bridge this morning, the day after a terrorist attack Jeremy Selwyn 5/36 The scene at Westminster bridge this morning, the day after a terrorist attack Jeremy Selwyn 6/36 The scene at Westminster bridge this morning, the day after a terrorist attack Jeremy Selwyn 7/36 The flag above the Houses of Parliament in London flies at half mast the day after a terrorist attack Jeremy Selwyn 8/36 A forensics tent on Westminster Bridge seen from Victoria Embankment in London the day after a terrorist attack Jonathan Brady/PA 9/36 Police officers walk accross Westminster Bridge the morning after an attack by a man driving a car and weilding a knife Darren Staples/Reuters 10/36 Emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster Stefan Rousseau/PA 11/36 A knife on the cobbles at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London
Archbishop says response to terror attack show victory of good over evil In the House of Lords peers have also been speaking about the attack yesterday. One of the most striking interventions came from Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury, who spoke to peers about the Christian lessons to be learnt from atrocity. He said he was struck by three images from yesterday. The first is of a vehicle being driven across Westminster Bridge by someone who had a perverted, nihilistic, despairing view of objectives of what life is about, of what this society is about, that could only be fulfilled by death and destruction. The second is of that same person a few minutes later on a stretcher or on the ground being treated by the very people he had sought to kill. The third is of these two houses, where profound disagreement, bitter disagreement, angry disagreement, is dealt with not with violence, not with despair, not with cruelty, but with discussion, with reason, and with calmness. It seems to me that those three pictures point us to deep values within our own society, deeper even than the ones that have been mentioned in the prime ministers statement and other statements, which is the sense that comes from a narrative within our society for almost 2,000 years that speaks of, at this time of year as we look forward to Holy Week and Easter, of a God who stands with the suffering and brings justice, and whose resurrection has given to believer and unbeliever the sense that, where we do what is right, where we behave properly, where that generosity and extraordinary sense of duty that leads people to treat a terrorist is shown, where that bravery of someone like PC Keith Palmer is demonstrated, that there is a victory for what is right and good over what is evil, despairing and bad. That was shown yesterday, hat is shown not just in our expression of values but in our practices which define those values and that is the mood that we must show in the future. Attacker 'not among' top 3,000 on MI5 list Ewen MacAskill It has emerged that the attacker  who has still not been named  was not among the 3,000 Britons on MI5s list of individuals whom they regard as potentially capable of committing an act of domestic terrorism. May told the Commons he had been on the radar of the security services as a peripheral figure years ago. About 3,000 Britons, mainly Islamists, are monitored because police suspect they might be capable of an attack. Of them, 500 are the subject of active investigations and only a limited number of those become the targets of physical surveillance. Boris Johnson, the foreign secretary, has been speaking to US news show Morning Joe. He says the attacker was known to police and MI5, as May said earlier this morning. I think what I can say about the individual concerned is that his values, his idea of the world will not prevail. He launched an attack at the heart of our democracy as has happened many times in the last decades. The values of that Palace of Westminster will continue to triumph and whatever he thought he was doing, he will not succeed. Islamic State claims responsibility for Westminster attack Amaq, the news agency used by Isis to broadcast propaganda, says that the group is responsible for the attack. It calls the attacker a soldier of Islamic State. This is a claim by them, which obviously cannot be verified at this stage. The wording of the Isis statement suggests he was inspired, rather than directed by them but we have no confirmation on either front. Often what is significant in the Commons is what is not said. As the Guardians home affairs editor Alan Travis says, it was striking that this atrocity has not led to calls for a new anti-terror crackdown. The one exception to this was Theresa Villiers suggesting that all police officers guarding sensitive sites in London should be routinely armed. (See 11.57am.) But the fact that this was a relatively modest proposal, which Theresa May was happy to sidestep, proves Alans point; there is no appetite in the Commons for a fresh wave of authoritarianism. The Metropolitan police has acted fast to step up security at Londons airports, reports the Guardians Helena Smith. Within hours of the attack, extra patrols of police armed with automatic weapons were in place at Heathrows terminals. By 3.10PM yesterday  exactly 30 minutes after the as-yet-unidentified assailant ploughed the rented SUV into people on Westminster bridge  six heavily armed police were standing outside one entrance to the departures lounge of Terminal Two. In an effort to reassure the public the Met police had announced that extra patrols, armed and unarmed, would be in place, particularly in crowded places and iconic locations. Despite the heightened police presence however, there were no other evident restrictions for travellers flying out of Heathrow last night or this morning. Several MPs have called for a permanent memorial to PC Keith Palmer for making the ultimate sacrifice for our democracy. Conservative MP Nigel Evans said Palmer was one of us. The tribute to Keith and the police are that we are here today and our proceedings are going on. We have the arch thats been spoken about before, which is a lasting memorial to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our democracy. I do hope that at an appropriate time, with discussion with the family, that we too may be able to look at a lasting memorial to Keith in order that each and every one of us know that there are people putting their lives on the line for our democracy today. Fellow Tory MP Michael Fabricant also called for a memorial in Palmers honour and Palmers friend, James Cleverly, asked for him to be given a posthumous award for bravery. The prime minister said she was sure the issue would be considered by the parliamentary authorities. In Edinburgh Nicola Sturgeon has just started first ministers questions in the Scottish parliament. She says many MSPs have friends and even family members working in Westminster. They were shocked by what happened, she says. She says her thoughts and prayers are with the family of PC Keith Palmer. And she praises the bravery of all those who serve in the police. She says she was updated by Police Scotland yesterday, and again this morning. There is no evidence of a threat to Scotland. But, as a precautionary measure, policing has been increased, she says. She says the only people to blame for acts of terrorism are those who perpetrate them. She says she wants to echo the words of Theresa May: terrorists seek to undermine our values, but they will not succeed, she says. Tobias Ellwood, the junior foreign office minister who went to the aid of PC Keith Palmer, has been listening to tributes in the House. His face was full of emotion. The MP, who performed CPR on the dying officer, did not speak but his bravery was mentioned by many MPs from both parties. MP Tobias Ellwood listens to speeches in Parliament the morning after an attack in Westminster Photograph: Reuters
British MPs were preparing to return to parliament on Thursday after a lightning attack attributed by police to Islamist-related terrorism, which saw four people killed and 40 wounded. The attack unfolded on Wednesday across Westminster Bridge in the shadow of Big Ben, a towering landmark that draws tourists by the millions and stands over Britains Houses of Parliament  the very image of London. The attackers car struck pedestrians on the bridge before crashing into the railings surrounding the heavily guarded Houses of Parliament, sowing first shock then panic in the seat of British power. The assailant then ran through the gates brandishing a knife and stabbed a 48-year-old policeman to death before being shot dead by another officer. Standing outside her Downing Street residence after an emergency cabinet meeting, May said Britains alert level would be kept unchanged. Prime Minister Theresa May described the attack as sick and depraved in a defiant address in which she affirmed parliament would meet as normal on Thursday. We will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart, said May, who was dressed in black. The prime minister was in parliament at the time of the attack and was seen being ushered away in a silver car as what sounded like gunfire rang out, British media reported.  Islamist-related terrorism  Britains top counter-terrorism officer Mark Rowley said the four victims included a policeman guarding parliament and three members of the public. He said investigators believe they know the identity of the assailant and police would be examining the scene of the attack through the night. Queen Elizabeth II postponed her appearance on Thursday to open the new headquarters of Londons Metropolitan Police, where the forces flag was flown at half-mast following the incident. The attack came a year to the day after Islamic State jihadists killed 32 people in twin bomb attacks in Brussels and after a series of deadly assaults in Europe that had hitherto spared Britain. Parliament was locked down for several hours and hundreds of lawmakers and visitors were later evacuated to nearby Westminster Abbey and the Metropolitan Police headquarters. I saw three bodies lying on the ground and a whole lot of police. It was pretty terrifying, said Jack Hutchinson, 16, from the United States, who was stranded on the observation wheel with his parents.An air ambulance flew in and police cordoned off a large area, while tourists on the London Eye, a popular visitor attraction, were stuck up to 135 metres (443 feet) in the air for more than an hour during the incident. Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood, whose brother Jonathan was killed in the 2002 Bali bombing, was pictured with his face smeared with blood helping to give first aid to the fatally wounded police officer.
Five killed and 40 injured in Westminster terror attack An assailant stabbed a policeman and was shot by police just outside Britain's parliament building in London on Wednesday (March 22) in what police described as a "terrorist incident". Commuters near Waterloo station respond to the attack outside the House of Parliament in Westminster, London. A policeman points a gun at a man on the ground outside the Palace of Westminster, London, on Wednesday. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire A woman assists an injured person after an incident on Westminster Bridge in London. Photograph: Toby Melville/Reuters A police officer outside parliament during an incident on Westminster Bridge in which more than 40 people were injured. Photograph: Stefan Wermuth/Reuters A large area in Westminster remained cordoned off last night after five people died and at least 40 were injured near the Houses of Parliament in the worst single terrorist attack in Britain for more than a decade. An assailant carrying two knives mowed down pedestrians as he drove a car across Westminster Bridge before stabbing an unarmed police officer to death inside the grounds of parliament. Police shot the attacker, described as a thick-set man in black clothes, killing him. Scotland Yards top anti-terror officer Mark Rowley said they believed they knew the identity of the attacker but declined to give any details. He said the man was thought to be inspired by Islamist-related international terrorism. The Palace of Westminster was locked down within minutes, with MPs in the House of Commons chamber told to lie on the floor immediately after the attack. The commons was suspended but MPs had to remain in the chamber for four hours until the lockdown was lifted. The incident began around 2.40pm when a dark-coloured Hyundai i40 drove on to a pavement on Westminster Bridge, running over pedestrians, and leaving two dead and others seriously injured. Among the injured were three French secondary school students who were visiting London on a class trip. Cobra As the dead and injured lay strewn on the ground, the vehicle crashed into a railing outside parliament, close to Big Ben. The assailant ran from the car and through the gates of parliament, stabbing two policemen who tried to stop him. Armed officers shouted at the attacker and then fired a number of shots. One of the police officers also died, despite an attempt by foreign office minister Tobias Ellwood and others to revive him and bind his stab wounds. He was named as Keith Palmer, a 48-year-old husband and father. Theresa May, who was in parliament after her weekly prime ministers questions, was whisked away to Downing Street. The incident, which came exactly a year after co-ordinated bombings in Brussels, was the worst terrorist attack in Britain since the bombings in London on July 7th, 2005, which killed 52 people. This is a day we planned for but hoped would never happen, sadly it is now a reality, said Mr Rowley, acting deputy Metropolitan Police commissioner. Police were satisfied last night that there was only one attacker but a large area around Westminster remained cordoned off. As the prime minister convened a meeting of the Cobra emergency committee, armed police were deployed across London. Prime minister Theresa May makes a statement in Downing Street on Wednesday night following the terrorist incident in Westminster where five people died. Photograph: Richard Pohle/The Times/PA Wire Speaking outside 10 Downing Street later, Ms May struck a defiant tone, saying that the attackers choice of target was no accident. The values our parliament represents  democracy, freedom, human rights, the rule of law  command the admiration of free people everywhere. That is why it is a target for those who reject those values. But let me make it clear: any attempt to defeat those values through violence and terror is doomed to failure, she said. There was no information to suggest that any Irish citizens were injured.
He then stabbed unarmed police constable Keith Palmer to death as he stood on duty outside the Houses of Parliament. One year after the 48-year-olds death, a friend paid tribute to a courageous officer and family man who idolised his wife and daughter. He still struggles with memories of that day, dislikes being in crowded places and was forced to give up his job near the site of the attack because of the sadness that his journey to work provoked. Looking back on it now, my life is so much different than it was, he said. I was so different than I am now. Sometimes I wish I was that person still. I was much stronger. I had a much stronger character. Ive kind of lost a lot of confidence in myself. I try not to talk a lot about it because I dont want people to feel sorry for me. I want to try my best to be the normal person that I was. Its been quite tough. He is now set to move from London to Ecuador, where his mother lives. I dont really enjoy my life here after the accident, I just want to go where I feel comfortable, he said. My goal is to go back to South America to be with my fiancee. Also speaking on the eve of the anniversary, junior doctor Colleen Anderson, who was working at St Thomas Hospital at the time of the attack, described seeing mayhem when she arrived to treat the casualties of the attack. She was only eight months into her training at the time and said much of the two hours she spent attending to the wounded on the bridge was with PC Kristofer Aves, who has been left paralysed by the injuries he suffered. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP The police officer had been celebrating a day of professional success when the attack unfolded, having just been presented with a commendation for his work as a police liaison officer. Dr Anderson, 27, said: I spent the majority of my time with him, I was holding him in a C-spine position to keep his neck dead still. He wont remember any of the day. I was speaking to him, keeping him awake. I was asking him about his day, about his family  he was talking about the award he got. I was just trying to calm him down as well. Looking back one year later, Dr Anderson said: I remember it vividly and perhaps I would not remember so much if there were not these constant reminders. There was a show on looking back at 2017 and all the attacks and unfortunately I was on call when London Bridge happened. But she added good things had come from the tragic events, saying they brought people much closer together. Melissa Cochran, whose husband Kurt was among the five killed in the attack and who suffered a broken rib and leg when she was hit by Masoods vehicle, said she continued to grieve for her partner. We all miss Kurt very much and speak of him often, she said in a statement. I continue to focus on my recovery and think of all of the victims of that terrible day at this difficult time. While I continue to grieve my husband Kurt and all the victims of that day, I strive to move ahead and focus on my recovery as well as honouring Kurts life by advocating love, forgiveness and peace. The inquests into the five deaths will begin in September, followed by a separate jury inquest into the death of Masood, who was shot by police. Lawyer Patrick Maguire from Slater and Gordon, which is representing the victims families, said: When Khalid Masood drove into our clients in a despicable act of evil a year ago he changed their lives forever. Many still face a daily struggle with their physical injuries that are unlikely to ever properly heal. But what has blighted all of their lives are the mental scars from the horrors they experienced that day. The anniversary of this terrible day should be used to remember those who lost their lives and support those who survived with their recovery. We look forward to the inquest, when questions about how this atrocity was ever allowed to happen, will hopefully be answered. Most of all I will remember him as a family man who idolised his wife, daughter and his family; theyre the important ones that I think about a year on from the Westminster attack. Senior officers are expected to attend a number of private memorial services on Thursday to mark the first anniversary of the atrocity, but the force has not made details public. PC Palmers name will be one of 1,400 inscribed on the new UK Police Memorial being built in Staffordshire, commemorating officers who were killed on duty. Another 4,000 of those who died on duty will be remembered inside the memorial. Supporters have been asked to donate 5 towards the scheme, for which 3.1m has been raised of a total 4m cost. It includes an education programme to teach children about policing and support scheme for bereaved families. Sir Hugh Orde, chair of trustees of the UK Police Memorial, said: This has been an unprecedented year for policing with officers and staff repeatedly putting themselves in danger to keep the public safe and protecting them from harm. Sadly, in March last year we saw one of my policing colleagues Pc Keith Palmer lose his life during a terrorist attack in London whilst protecting our freedoms and safeguarding our democracy. Keiths death put greater emphasis on the need to create a memorial where the nation can go to commemorate our police service.
Popular Videos Londoners hurled vile slurs at police who were working at the scene of yesterday's terror attack, it has been claimed. Scotland Yard officers were labelled "jobsworth", "Nazi scum" and "fa[s]cist", according to claims made by police working in the aftermath of the attack at Parliament. A Treasury official was even among those who abused police officers, it is claimed. According to a Met officer, the man tried to barge his way through a cordon stating he was "very important" and "need[ed] to get through". The police officer wrote anonymously on Twitter: "On #Westminster cordons today.... amazing that the tourists, were the ones who were polite and understanding.... the local office workers were the rude ones! "Been called a jobsworth Nazi scum and a facist (sic). All because the road was closed. #PoliceFamily," he added. He followed up to say the person who called him a "bloody fa[s]cist]" had told him: "I work at the Treasury in a very important role, Im not just a member of the public. I need to get through." Cyclists were strewn across the road in the wake of the crash (BBC News) Tweets by the man from previous weeks show images from police weapons seizures and references to "#officerproblems". The Met told the Standard they could not comment as the Twitter account does not belong to them. The claims came as Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick praised police officers for their quick response to the "ghastly" crash at the Houses of Parliament at about 7.40am on Tuesday. Witnesses told how emergency services arrived almost instantly after more than a dozen cyclists were hit in a chilling echo of Khalid Masood's rampage that killed five people at Westminster 17 months ago. This morning, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan gave credit to the police, saying London is "one of the safest global cities in the world". Police recover the silver Ford Fiesta involved (PA) He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I think what it shows is that the planning, the practice, the preparation, that the police, the security services, the emergency services do, should give us some confidence that we are one of the safest global cities in the world. "I say that realising that terrorists are trying to cause damage, trying to kill people in not just London and Manchester, Paris, Berlin, Brussels, Boston, New York, Istanbul and elsewhere around the world. SalidKhater, who lives in Birmingham, has been arrested on suspicion of preparing an act of terror "We've got to carry on evolving and finding new ways to keep ourselves (safe), just like the terrorists and bad guys are finding new ways to cause us damage." Londoners yesterday told of their horror as the silver Ford Fiesta veered into a column of cyclists, who tried to leap to safety to the left and right. Kirsty Moseley, of Brixton, south London, was a passenger in the first car behind the "wall" of up to 12 cyclists hit at what she estimated was 25mph. "He went straight through them. People were thrown everywhere," the 31-year-old said. Westminster Bridge Terror Attack: One Year On Westminster Bridge Terror Attack: One Year On 1/20 6 people including the killer died in the attack Jeremy Selwyn 2/20 Theresa May laying a wreath at Parliament Square Jeremy Selwyn 3/20 Message from Theresa May on her floral tribute at Parliament Square Jeremy Selwyn 4/20 #Londonunited one year on from the Westminster attack Nigel Howard 5/20 People paid tribute to the victims who were killed in the Westminster terror attack last year Jeremy Selwyn 6/20 Emergency services workers lay flowers and pay their respects at Parliament Square in Westminster on the anniversary of the Westminster Bridge attack in London Reuters 7/20 Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, poses with the #LondonUnited memorial at City Hall, marking the anniversaries of the four terror attacks in London Reuters 8/20 A message is beamed onto a map at the #LondonUnited memorial at City Hall, marking the anniversaries of the four terror attacks in London Reuters 9/20 A desolate Westminster bridge where the attack took place Jeremy Selwyn 10/20 Londoners left messages and tributes for the victims Jeremy Selwyn 11/20 Londoners leave messages and tributes for the victims Jeremy Selwyn 12/20 People lay flowers for the victims Jeremy Selwyn 13/20 Police walk past truibute at Westminster today Jeremy Selwyn 14/20 The attack occurred on Westminster bridge near the houses of Parliament Jeremy Selwyn 15/20 Woman and child look out over the River Thames on Westminster bridge Jeremy Selwyn 16/20 Man carries memorial flowers across Westminster bridge Jeremy Selwyn 17/20 Theresa May laying a wreath at Parliament Square Jeremy Selwyn 18/20 Theresa May stands by her floral tribute at Parliament Square Jeremy Selwyn 19/20 Londoners leave messages and tributes for the victims Jeremy Selwyn 20/20 Londoners leave messages and tributes for the victims Jeremy Selwyn 1/20 6 people including the killer died in the attack Jeremy Selwyn 2/20 Theresa May laying a wreath at Parliament Square Jeremy Selwyn 3/20 Message from Theresa May on her floral tribute at Parliament Square Jeremy Selwyn 4/20 #Londonunited one year on from the Westminster attack Nigel Howard 5/20 People paid tribute to the victims who were killed in the Westminster terror attack last year Jeremy Selwyn 6/20 Emergency services workers lay flowers and pay their respects at Parliament Square in Westminster on the anniversary of the Westminster Bridge attack in London Reuters 7/20 Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, poses with the #LondonUnited memorial at City Hall, marking the anniversaries of the four terror attacks in London Reuters 8/20 A message is beamed onto a map at the #LondonUnited memorial at City Hall, marking the anniversaries of the four terror attacks in London Reuters 9/20 A desolate Westminster bridge where the attack took place Jeremy Selwyn 10/20 Londoners left messages and tributes for the victims Jeremy Selwyn 11/20 Londoners leave messages and tributes for the victims Jeremy Selwyn 12/20 People lay flowers for the victims Jeremy Selwyn 13/20 Police walk past truibute at Westminster today Jeremy Selwyn 14/20 The attack occurred on Westminster bridge near the houses of Parliament Jeremy Selwyn 15/20 Woman and child look out over the River Thames on Westminster bridge Jeremy Selwyn 16/20 Man carries memorial flowers across Westminster bridge Jeremy Selwyn 17/20 Theresa May laying a wreath at Parliament Square Jeremy Selwyn 18/20 Theresa May stands by her floral tribute at Parliament Square Jeremy Selwyn 19/20 Londoners leave messages and tributes for the victims Jeremy Selwyn 20/20 Londoners leave messages and tributes for the victims Jeremy Selwyn "(He had) two hands on the steering wheel and he did not look back over his shoulder to look at the damage he'd created - he was just looking deadpan straight in front of him," she added. Geoffrey Woodman, from Battersea, south-west London, had stopped at the traffic lights by Parliament Square on his cycle to work when the car swerved into cyclists and towards the security barriers.
Westminster attack: Car-and-knife rampage kills four Scenes of carnage on Westminster Bridge near London parliament after car-and-knife attack PM calls 'sick and depraved'. 22 Mar 2017 21:57 GMT Fast Facts Four killed including police officer and attacker Car rammed into crowds on Westminster Bridge Man armed with knife tried to enter parliament Four people were killed and at least 20 wounded in London on Wednesday after a car ploughed into pedestrians and an attacker went on a stabbing spree with a knife before being shot dead close to the British parliament. London Metropolitan Deputy Police Commissioner Mark Rowley told reporters a "full counterterrorism investigation" into the attack was under way. He said the violence started when a car was driven over Westminster Bridge, hitting and injuring a number of civilians and three police officers on their way back from a commendation ceremony. The car then crashed close to parliament where at least one man armed with a knife continued the attack and tried to enter the building. Many people were lying on the ground - some bleeding heavily and apparently unconscious - on Westminster Bridge near Britain's parliament. Some of the wounds suffered by the victims were described as "catastrophic". One woman was pulled out alive from the River Thames with serious injuries by port authorities. Injured people are assisted after the attack on Westminster Bridge [Toby Melville/Reuters] Prime Minister Theresa May condemned the attack as "sick and depraved". "The location of this attack was no accident," she said in a statement outside her Downing Street office late in the evening. "The terrorist chose to strike at the heart of our capital city, where people of all nationalities, religions and cultures come together to celebrate the values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech." Witnesses initially reported multiple attacks near parliament. "We saw a black vehicle at full speed and it ran down a number of people. I could see people flying all around," tourist Babi Nagy told Al Jazeera. "Immediately it came to mind this was a terrorist attack." Polish politician and journalist Radoslaw Sikorski posted a video on Twitter of the aftermath on the bridge, showing several injured people lying on the ground. "As I was walking up the steps, there was a man who had fallen and medics were taking care of him. There was a lady who was also stabbed or shot. There was a lot of blood," Martin Pearce, visibly shaken, told Al Jazeera at the scene. Security analyst Afzal Ashraf said extra vigilance by the public and authorities was now necessary. "One of the features of these forms of attacks is a follow-on attack. They like to have publicity. The potential threat is huge," Ashraf said. The last major attack to hit London was in July 2005, when a coordinated series of bomb blasts targeted its public transportation system during rush hour. The bombings killed 52 people and wounded more than 700 others. London Mayor Sadiq Khan said on Twitter that an urgent investigation had been launched. "My thoughts are with those affected and their families," he said. International messages of condolence were offered to the United Kingdom. Chancellor Angela Merkel said Germany stood by Britain following the deadly attack. "Although the background to these acts are not yet clear, I reaffirm that Germany and its citizens stand firmly and resolutely alongside Britons in the struggle against all forms of terrorism," Merkel said in a statement. US President Donald Trump offered May the full cooperation and support of the United States in responding to the attack, the White House said in a statement.
Armed police have carried out an overnight raid on a Birmingham property, which was reportedly linked to the attack in Westminster on Wednesday. Counter-terror detectives are continuing to search for clues about about how an armed attacker, believed to have "inspired by international terrorism", brought death and destruction to the streets of London. Five people were killed in the "sick and depraved" terror attack, including a police officer who was stabbed and his assailant, while dozens more were injured. Armed police launched a late-night raid on a second-floor flat above a row of shops on Hagley Road in Birmingham. Witnesses have said three people were taken away by police. Sky News cited unnamed sources as saying the action was linked to the attack in London. BBC Newsnight had earlier reported there was a suggestion the car used in the attack was hired from an address in Birmingham. However, this has not been confirmed. Mark Rowley, Scotland Yard's top anti-terror officer, confirmed that 40 people were injured after the attacker - armed with two large knives - mowed down pedestrians with his car on Westminster Bridge then rushed at the gates in front of the Houses of Parliament, stabbing a plain-clothes policeman before he was shot by armed officers. Keith PalmerCredit: Metropolitan Police The officer who died was named as Keith Palmer, 48, a husband and father, whose bravery was hailed by colleagues, friends and the many MPs whom he was charged with protecting. The three other fatalities are understood to be people who were hit by the car on Westminster Bridge. Mr Rowley declined to name the attacker, but said police suspect he was "inspired by international terrorism" - and that they believed they knew who he was. The suspected London terror attacker being treated by paramedics, with the knives used in the assault circledCredit: Stefan Rousseau/PA The killer managed to get in through a vehicle gate in New Palace Yard  used by the Prime Minister and other members of the Government  because it was not locked. Prime Minister Theresa May has described the attack as "sick and depraved". Speaking outside 10 Downing Street after chairing a meeting of the Government's Cobra emergencies committee, Mrs May paid tribute to the "exceptional men and women" of the police force who responded to the attack. Mrs May said that any attempt to defeat the values that Parliament stands for was "doomed to failure". And she vowed: "We will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart." Footage later emerged of the moment police opened fire after the attacker drove a grey Hyundai i40 across Westminster Bridge before crashing it into railings then running through the gates of the Palace of Westminster. In other developments, another woman who apparently fell into the Thames was rescued and given urgent medical treatment on a nearby pier. How the Westminster terror attack unfolded on video 02:28 London Ambulance Service said paramedics had treated at least 10 patients on Westminster Bridge. A party of French schoolchildren were among those targeted on the bridge, with three injured. Mrs May, who was ushered away from Parliament after the attack, was chairing a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee. The attack left a trail of destruction as paramedics tended to victims on the bridge and at the gate. 'This was the lone wolf attack Britain has long been fearing' Police have been hunting for clues throughout the night in a bid to determine who carried out the attack, and why. It is suspected, though, that this was an attack carried by out by a "lone wolf", inspired by international terrorism. According to the Telegraph's Con Coughlin, it had been simply a matter of time. For the intelligence and security officials charged with the formidable task of keeping the country safe from terror attacks, it was simply a question of time before a lone fanatic brought carnage to the streets of Britain. Politicians, the police and intelligence chiefs have been warning for months that Britain faced the imminent threat of attack following the recent wave of atrocities committed in European capitals such as Paris, Brussels, Berlin and Istanbul. And, with Islamist terror groups like al-Qaeda and Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isil) showing no sign of abandoning their commitment to attacking the West, Britains security forces have been in a state of high readiness in anticipation of such an attack. Compared with other European cities, London has, until yesterday, escaped relatively unscathed from the growing menace posed by Islamist fanatics. Indeed, it is down to the constant vigilance of our security services that Britain has not suffered another attack on the scale of the July 7 bombings in London in 2005, in which 52 people died and more than 700 were injured. Xi Jinping sends 'telegram of sympathy' to Queen Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, has "strongly condemned" the terror attack in London in a "telegram of sympathy" he sent to Queen Elizabeth, China Correspondent Neil Connor reports from Beijing. Mr Xi "strongly condemned the terror attack incident, expressed deep condolences to the innocent victims, and expressed his sincere sympathy to the injured and relatives of the dead," state broadcaster CCTV reported. The Chinese president said terrorism is the enemy of the international community, and that China is against terrorism in all its forms, the report said. Mr Xi said Beijing was willing to strengthen cooperation with the international community to make positive efforts to defend the security of China, the UK and the world. Li Keqiang, the Chinese prime minister, had earlier said the attack was the first subject of discussion when he met with Malcolm Turnbull, the prime minister of Australia, in Canberra on Thursday morning. According to AP, Mr Li said: "Together, we send our condolences to the prime minister of the UK and together we condemn terrorism and we stand against all forms of terrorism. There is no indication if the raid is linked to the attack at Westminster. In a statement, West Midlands Police said: 'There is an ongoing police operation, no further details are being given at this stage." They referred inquiries to Scotland Yard, who have not commented on the incident. Trump tweets about attack Donald Trump tweeted from his personal account about the Westminster attack. The President, who had earlier tweeted a statement from the official presidential account, said: "Spoke to UK Prime Minister Theresa May today to offer condolences on the terrorist attack in London. She is strong and doing very well." Spoke to U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May today to offer condolences on the terrorist attack in London. She is strong and doing very well. Theresa May will lead show of defiance from Parliament on Thursday Theresa May will lead a show of defiance on Thursday as MPs and peers return to Parliament in the wake of the terror attack. The Prime Minister is expected to make a statement in the Commons on the horror that unfolded on both sides of the boundary of the Palace of Westminster when a terrorist ploughed into pedestrians before rushing the gates to the estate and killing a police officer. Both Houses will sit at their usual times in a symbolic move showing that terror cannot bring the country to a halt. Tributes will be paid to the victims of the attack, including Pc Keith Palmer, 48. London terror attack raises parliamentary security questions 'He was someone who left for work today expecting to return home at the end of his shift' Pc Keith Palmer had worked for the Metropolitan Police for 15 years, having previously served in the armed forces. "He was someone who left for work today expecting to return home at the end of his shift - and he had every right to expect that would happen," Scotland Yard's most senior anti-terror officer Mark Rowley said. Conservative MP James Cleverly, said he served with Pc Palmer in the Royal Artillery before he became a policeman. "I've known Keith for 25 years. We served together in the Royal Artillery before he became a copper. A lovely man, a friend. I'm heartbroken," Mr Cleverly said. "My thoughts are with the family, friends and colleagues of PC Keith Palmer. A brave man." Labour MP Keir Starmer said: "Thank you PC Keith Palmer. No need for words about us or Parliament. Just all thoughts to your family." He added: "This incident sadly shows the dangers our colleagues face on a daily basis. They show incredible bravery protecting the public." Chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales Steve White said "no words can capture how members of the policing family will feel". Explaining why Pc Palmer was unarmed, Mr Rowley said: "Our parliamentary protection team are a combination of armed and unarmed officers doing different roles, and sadly the officer who lost his life today was unarmed. "He was supported by armed colleagues who shot and killed the attacker. "He (the attacker) tried to enter Parliament and was stopped at the gate." The last death of a Met Police officer on duty was in September 2013 when 47-year-old Pc Andrew Duncan was killed as he attempted to stop a speeding vehicle in Sutton, south London. Terror attack could have been prevented if police at Parliament's 'weak spot' had kept gate bolted, MPs said Gordon Rayner and Christopher Hope report: The terrorist attack on Parliament could have been prevented if police on duty at a well-known security weak spot had simply kept it bolted, MPs have said. The killer managed to get in through a vehicle gate in New Palace Yard  used by the Prime Minister and other members of the Government  because it was not locked. Known as Carriage Gates, it is always manned by two police officers, who usually leave it slightly ajar because it is in frequent use. But if the iron double gate had simply been bolted shut, it would have been impossible for the terrorist to pass. Mary Creagh, the MP for Wakefield, said: Its a terrible, terrible day for Parliament, the one weak spot on our estate is those carriage gates. We have four police officers there, two on the gate going in, two on the gate going out, we see them every day, we are friends with lots of them. Five now dead in Westminster terror attack - including the suspect Metropolitan Police counterterrorism chief Mark Rowley has announced that the death toll has now risen to five, including the suspected attacker. The dead police officer was named as Keith Palmer, 48 a husband and father. Keith Palmer named as officer who died in Westminster attack 01:10 The number of injured is 40 people. Mr Rowley said that Islamist-related terrorism is the assumption behind the attack. He said that police believed they knew the identity of the attacker, but he did not give details. He said that Britains Muslim communities will feel vulnerable at this time, given the past actions of right-wing extremists. Mr Rowley's statement: Terrorists have a clear aim and that is to create discord, distrust and to create fear. The police stand with all communities in the UK and will take action against anyone who seeks to undermine society, especially where their crimes are motivated by hate. We must recognise now that our Muslim communities will feel anxious at this time given the past behaviour of the extreme right wing and we will continue to work with all community leaders in the coming days. It's essential for us to remain vigilant but to also work together - policing and communities - and unite against those who seek, through violence and extremism, to threaten, intimidate and cause fear. Absent were Home Secretary Amber Rudd, who was away on an official trip to Pakistan, and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, in the US for a summit of nations involved in the fight against the Islamic State terror group. Praise for Tobias Ellwood MP who tried to save police officer Police officers last night paid tribute to Tobias Ellwood for the efforts he made to save the life of the police officer who was stabbed. Many police colleagues from around the country took to social media to praise the MP. Rhys Huges, a superintendent with Avon and Somerset Police summed up the feeling from within the police family with a simple tweet to Mr Ellwood which read: "Thank you for trying today, sir." Lights on Eiffel Tower will be turned off tonight as mark of respect All the lights on the Eiffel Tower will be turned out for ten minutes to commemorate the dead, Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris has announced. She expressed her "solidarity" with Sadiq Khan, "London mayor and friend, as well as with all Londoners and the British people". The two capitals are "both tolerant, cosmopolitan cities, open to the world, that draw their strength from their diversity". None of the injuries on the three French high school pupils are "life threatening," according to Bernard Musset, state sub-prefect of Chteaulin in the Finistre, near where the boys live. However, two are suffering from "serious broken bones". Meanwhile City Hall in Tel Aviv has been lit up in solidarity with London. Location of the attack was 'no accident' "The location of this attack was no accident," Theresa May said. "The terrorist chose to strike at the heart of our capital city where people of all nationalities, religions and cultures come together to celebrate the values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech. "These streets of Westminster, home to the world's oldest parliament are ingrained with a spirit of freedom that echoes in some of the furthest corners of the globe. Westminster terror attack had echoes of Brussels, Nice and Berlin Today's terror attack came a year to the day since the Isil suicide bombers killed more than 30 people in Brussels and bore striking similarities to atrocities in France and Germany, writes Steven Swinford. It comes amid concerns that terrorists are increasingly resorting to "low-tech" attacks to inflict maximum damage because of the difficulty obtaining guns and bombs. Nurse describes how hospital went into 'major incident' mode A nurse who works in a high dependency unit at St Thomas's Hospital, where two people were taken following the attack, told our reporter Eleanor Steafel how within half an hour, the hospital was told they were "on a major incident". The nurse, who asked to remain anonymous, said: "The ward that I work on has a view of Westminster Bridge so we could see that there was something happening, we could see blue lights and lots of police officers running. That was the point at which we realised there was something going on. "Within about half an hour we had an official notification that we were on a major incident. Emergency services on the sceneCredit: Getty "When that happens, all non emergency theatre is cancelled and anything non emergency stops happening. We try to clear as many beds as possible to take people from HDU and ITU areas to free up the critical care beds. "We've been trying to clear our beds to make sure we've got space for people. "From about 15:30 we were notified that no staff or patients were going to be able to leave the hospital. Two patients are being treated at St Thomas Hospital following todays security incident in Westminster  one man and one woman. (1/2) Video: Theresa May whisked away from Downing Street by a back door The Prime Minister had been chairing a Brexit subcommittee in the House of Commons with other Cabinet ministers and officials including Cabinet secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood at the time of the attack. When the attack happened at around 2.40pm Mrs May had just voted and was standing in members' lobby with other Tory MPs. Theresa May driven away from back of Downing Street 00:26 She later chaired a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee to discuss the immediate response to the incident at the Palace of Westminster. The Cobra committee brings together government ministers with senior officials of the emergency services and security and intelligence agencies. Meeting in a briefing room of the Cabinet Office on Whitehall, Cobra co-ordinates the high-level response to serious incidents, and has previously gathered after terrorist atrocities, including the July 7 attacks on the London transport network and the murder of soldier Lee Rigby. 'It was like wartime camaraderie': Politicians describe their experience as terror hit their workplace Our reporters at the scene have been speaking to politicians as they are eventually allowed to depart the area. One MP told how they were locked in the House of Commons lobby with the door closed shut with a wooden bolt when two police officers wearing balaclavas, with raised machine guns and wearing body armour burst in, splintering the door. The MP said: "We thought they were the terrorists." 400 MPs only just let out of Commons chamber. They gave rousing applause to police and security services, two just told me The people being held in Westminster Hall, including former Lib Dem leader Paddy Ashdown and former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith, were evacuated from the Houses of Parliament. Lord Digby Jones said: "We have been surrounded by very heavily armed police. There were 1,000 of us in there. It was like wartime camaraderie, all tea and biccies. "The police did not have enough people to deal with this situation. They were not prepared for the numbers. But this is nothing compared to the death and destruction that has happened today. Today we were the lucky ones." Dominic Grieve MP said: "The police did a fantastic job. We've not been told much about the incident. We spent three hours in the Abbey." Some MPs were held in the CommonsCredit: Twitter/BarrySheerman MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, who has been locked down in the House of Commons chamber, said: "I hugely admire the courage of the police who have done their duty and protected parliament, that this attack dos not succeed. Parliament will carry on. The courage of those who serve and protect is amazing and tragic when events like this happens and someone's life if given in the line of duty. "This has actually shown that the counter terrorism methods that the government and the police use work very effectively. There is nothing you can do to stop one lone murderer but his efforts were limited and stopped, therefore we can have confidence in the counter terrorism strategy." About to head home. Special thanks to the amazing staff at the Commons nursery. Hold those you love close tonight pic.twitter.com/pPlKl8jljW He said inside the Commons the atmosphere had been "incredibly calm. We had less knowledge than most other people because there aren't any television screens on the chamber. "We didn't really know what had happened. We were waiting patiently for further instructions. People behaved sensibly and calmly. If we were safe we couldn't get in anyone's way." Police outside Palace of WestminsterCredit: Victoria Jones /PA Former MP Tom Levitt hid in the crypt under Westminster Abbey with 10 others. "Some people came tuning in screaming and we all ran for the crypt,"he said. "They saw the man with the knife and just ran to warn us. People were rubbing and screaming." Jo Johnson, brother of the foreign secretary, was walking into new palace yard when the attack started. The Conservative MP said he was ushered into a secure room and told to lie on his back under a desk. Mr Johnson also paid tribute to the police officer killed. "My thoughts are with everybody who was injured and lost their lives, especially the policewoman. We are hugely grateful to the police." He was due to meet two friends from Romania at the London Eye only to realise they had been injured in the attack. He said their names were are Andrei and Andrea, both in their late 20s. Mr Tracey said he confirmed with the Romanian embassy that Andrei has been taken to King's hospital with an injured leg and Andreea is in St Thomas's in an unknown condition. "They never made it (to the Eye). I phoned and could here shouts in the background and knew instantly something was wrong. I'm in shock. It's incredibly distressing for him because he doesn't know how his girlfriend is." A message on the Romanian Embassy's Facebook said two citizens had been injured and taken to local hospitals. Following the incident in #Westminster this afternoon, we can confirm that our Emergency Department treated 8 patients - 6 males & 2 females A spokesperson from Guys and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust said: Two patients are being treated at St Thomas Hospital following todays security incident in Westminster  one man and one woman. "Both patients have been admitted to St Thomas and both are in a stable condition. A spokesman for Imperial College Healthcare Trust, which includes Charing Cross and Hammersmith hospitals, said the trust had declared a major incident after receiving casualties from the attack. This status has now been stood down. Politicians and their staff allowed to leave Parliament Parliament went into lockdown earlier, but MPs and their staff have now been allowed to leave the Commons chamber and their offices. Some had been in the Commons for almost five hours. As he left Grant Shapps told our reporter Joe Shute: "It's something everyone has feared at some point. I was walking through the cloisters and here 4 pops. "The police have got their weapons drawn in the palace yard. An officer shouted 'get down' and we were on our hands and knees. I thought 'ok this is now'. I came back into the lobby. "People were calm. We were on our hands and knees but calm. You can't stop a lunatic in a car but it's very important we carry on as usual." Labour MP Mary Creagh told Sky News people were told they could go once police officers had verified everyone's identities. Mary Creagh: chaos around Parliament during terror attack 01:27 "It was a panicky moment... a lot of us were pretty shaken," she said. "It's a terrible, terrible day for parliament, the one weak spot on our estate is those carriage gates. "We have four police officers there, two on the gate going in, two on the gate going out, we see them every day, we are friends with lots of them so I know that MPs, the thousands of people who work in that building, our thoughts and prayers are with that poor officer and their family tonight. "I think we will need to look at security at the Palace in the wake of this incident, but that is a plan for another day. I think tonight we need to be remembering all those who have been caught up in today's tragic events." Meanwhile Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has recorded a message in reponse to the attack. Foreign leaders send condolences to London President Franois Hollande of France has just spoken to Theresa May by phone and said that a plane from the "French government fleet" will take the families of three injured French high school children to London on Wednesday night, Henry Samuel reports. "He conveyed his condolences following the attacked that has placed Great Britain in mourning and conveyed the solidarity of France in this tragic ordeal," the Elyse said in a statement. "Mrs May gave him the latest information on the situation and confirmed the death toll: three people were killed by the assailant and around 20 injured, including three French lycee pupils from Concarneau." Donald Trump offered the "full co-operation and support" of the United States in responding to the Westminster terror attack and "bringing those responsible to justice" in a phone call with Mrs May. Our thoughts are with the victims of todays attack in London & their families. Canadians remain united with the people of the UK. Car was travelling 'really fast' as it ploughed into crowds Eyewitness Baylor Cook, 20, a student from Alabama, was on Westminster Bridge with his parents and 15-year-old sister when a "black SUV" mounted the pavement and hit "four or five" people in front of him. He said: "I was standing on the island in the middle of the road when the car came and mounted the pavement on the side we were crossing to. "It had to have been going over 35 miles per hour - it was going really fast. It careered onto the pavement and hit a ton of people. It looked like it had just lost control but then they sped up and accelerated around the corner. "I think there was a barrier which it hit because we heard a loud bang. "I was thinking to myself 'he's not slowing down'. When he accelerated I just didn't understand." Police officers mourn loss of one of their own Chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales Steve White said "no words can capture how members of the policing family will feel" after the death of a Metropolitan Police Officer. He said: "Officers will tonight take the opportunity to hug loved ones and seek comfort in the company of friends and family. But one will not. The pain of that officer's family, friends and colleagues will be shared by us all. "We have lived in the knowledge that an attack on UK soil has been highly likely for nearly three years. Everyone is firmly aware of this fact, but it makes it no less shocking when it becomes a reality. "This incident highlights the very real risks that police face each and every day. "Our hearts go out to their family and our thoughts are with them and their colleagues at this terrible time along with others who have been injured today." What is the UK's terror threat level? No. 10: Thoughts of PM are with those killed A 10 Downing Street spokesman said: "The thoughts of the PM and the Government are with those killed and injured in this appalling incident, and with their families. The PM is being kept updated and will shortly chair Cobra." Two French children hurt on bridge in 'critical condition' Two of the three French pupils caught up on the London attack are in a "critical condition" and the third is in the operating theatre, according to parents who spoke to local media in Brittany, reports Henry Samuel. According to Le Tlgramme, the three pupils from the lyce Saint-Joseph de Concarneau were "walking when the car hit them". "One of them ended up on the bonnet of the vehicle", according to one of the classmates who witnessed the scene, it reported. "We saw the car hit a group. Twenty seconds later, it was us," said Kilian, one of the high school pupils in a text message to his mother, said Le Tlgramme. "After being taken to safety on a boat, the other high school were able to return to the youth hostel where they had been staying since Sunday night." According to BFM TV, there were around 50 pupils from the high school split into two groups. One of the groups was targetted by the car. The three pupils are being treated at Saint Thomas' hospital, it said. Pregnant woman among those trapped on London Eye for three hours A pregnant woman walked out of the Sea Life Centre, where people trapped on the London Eye for three hours were being held, holding onto her husband and crying, reports Eleanor Steafel at the London Eye. She said she was crying because she was scared as they had no idea how long they would be up there for and she was worried about the effect the stress would have on her baby. She was also worried about the lack of toilet facilities in the pods. Her worried husband hurried her away from reporters, eager to get her somewhere warm and safe. Mary Creagh: chaos around Parliament during terror attack Witness tells of distressing scenes as woman tended to by passers-by There were distressing scenes on the Thames embankment, at the southern end of Westminster Bridge, were a severely injured woman was seen being tended to by stunned passers-by, reports Patrick Sawer. The woman, who appeared to be in her early thirties, had apparently suffered serious injuries to the back of her head during the attack. One witness said it looked as if she had subsequently been carried onto the embankment, away from where the car is thought to have ploughed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge. Injured people are assisted on Westminster BridgeCredit: TOBY MELVILLE/Reuters Here another woman was seen trying to comfort the injured victim, who lay among scattered postcards and maps from a vending rack which had been overturned in the chaos. It appears that the injured woman, who had long blonde hair and was wearing black jeans and trainers, later succumbed to her injuries and was covered with a sheet by police. An American student who witnesses the scene said: "It was horrible. She's been carried down from the bridge to be looked after, but I think she just have died because she was then moved out of sight, closer to the pillars of the bridge, and covered with some sort of sheet. It was really upsetting." Video: Houses of Parliament being evacuated Attacker 'was running really fast and went straight past guards' Martin Evans reports: John Campbell, who witnessed events from a passing bus, said: "I was upstairs on the number 88 bus which was stuck in a traffic jam on parliament square when I saw a lot of people running up from Westminster Bridge. "I then 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 then saw him stab a police officer two or three times. His colleague then intervened and the officer managed to stagger away. I then heard two neat shots and the man went down." Prime Minister to chair meeting of emergency Cobra committee Acting Met Commissioner was at scene and is 'significant witness' Acting Met Commissioner Craig Mackey was at the scene at the time of the incident and is being treated as a "significant witness", Scotland Yard has confirmed, reports Crime Correspondent Martin Evans. Commander BJ Harrington of the Metropolitan Police said there were "a number of casualties" in the Westminster attack "including police officers". Grant Shapps: MPs were told 'get down, drop down on the floor' Grant Shapps, Minister of State, Department for International Development, was walking through New Palace Yard when he heard gunfire, reports Lexi Finnigan. He told the Telegraph: "I heard a commotion which might have been a car crashing and then there was shouting and I heard four shots being fired. "Armed police rushed out and me and a group of MPs were told 'get down, drop down on the floor, get back, get back'. "I knew at that stage it wasn't a protestor or something. We knew it was serious and real and i immediately felt really exposed. My mind actually switched to some hostile environment training i had done but you never think you will need to use in London. I remembered about getting to a safe area and thought I need to get into the Palace behind those thick walls. "I then went straight to the deputy speaker to get them to suspend the sitting." Emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of WestminsterCredit: Stefan Rousseau/PA MSPs delay second independence referendum vote Security has been upgraded at Holyrood and further details on when the debate will resume will be circulated later. The decision to initially carry on with the debate was severely criticised on social media by several MSPs, including Ruth Davidson. Holyrood's authorities had decided that proceedings should continue before changing their minds. Theresa May back at No. 10 and 'monitoring the situation' Theresa May's official spokesman said: "The Prime Minister was brought back to Number 10 from Parliament. She is currently monitoring the situation." The office of the Serjeant at Arms, who handles security in the House of Commons, said: "We are aware that there has been an incident that has taken place. At this early stage, we cannot comment further." Emergency response on Westminster BridgeCredit: Geoff Pugh for the Telegraph MPs 'ordered into lobby by police at gunpoint' Around half an hour after the attack, former cabinet minister Anna Soubry claimed she and the Security Minister, Ben Wallace MP, were ordered into the Parliament lobby "at gun point" by police officers. "Colleagues taken out of the library at gun point by counter terrorist armed police officers," she tweeted. Colleagues taken out of the library at gun point by counter terrorist armed police officers. Eyewitness account from Telegraph's Political Editor, Gordon Rayner From the Telegraph's office on an upper floor of Parliament near Big Ben, the first warning we had of what was about to happen was a bang, followed by a scream, coming from the direction of Westminster Underground station. At first we assumed there had been a car accident, perhaps with someone run over, and I and my colleagues looked out of the window to see people running away from the location of the noise. Seconds later, around a dozen people appeared to rush a gate to New Palace Yard, opposite Parliament Square. It was unclear whether the police had opened the gates to let people in for protection, or the gates were forced open by the weight of people. Emergency services outside the Houses of Parliament The people who had come in through the gates quickly appeared to mix with others running away from the pedestrian entrance next to it, and moments later a man with a pistol - assumed to be a police officer - shot a man three times in the chest as he ran towards him, around 25 yards from the gate where the people had entered. He fell backwards onto the cobbles. Confusion followed; inside Parliament police officers moved through corridors telling journalists and staff to stay inside their rooms. MPs in the Commons chamber were told Parliament was suspended. Outside, shouting and temporary chaos as police tried to work out what was going on. Within a minute police were giving emergency CPR to two people on the ground in New Palace Yard. The location is just yards away from the car park ramp where the Conservative MP Airey Neave was killed by an IRA car bomb in 1979. Full Scotland Yard statement "Police are asking people to avoid the following areas: Parliament Square; Whitehall; Westminster Bridge; Lambeth Bridge; Victoria Street up to the junction with Broadway and the Victoria Embankment up to Embankment tube. "This is to allow the emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident. "Officers - including firearms officers - remain on the scene and we are treating this as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise. Picture of smoking car outside Palace of Westminster Commons leader's statement to MPs Commons Leader David Lidington told MPs: "What I am able to say to the House is there has been a serious incident within the estate. "It seems that a police officer has been stabbed, that the alleged assailant was shot by armed police. "An air ambulance is currently attending the scene to remove the casualties. "There are also reports of further violent incidents in the vicinity of the Palace of Westminster but I hope colleagues on all sides will appreciate that it'd be wrong of me to go into further details until we have confirmation from the police and from the House security authorities about what is going on." Downing Street not involved in attack, source confirms 'They were running for their lives' Dennis Burns, who was just entering Parliament for a meeting when the security alert happened, told the Press Association: "As I was coming through the doors at Portcullis House, a policeman grabbed someone who was coming in and threw him out. "As we were coming though the glass doors I was told by one security guard to get out while another one told me to get in. "As I walked in I heard a security guard get a radio message saying 'a policeman has been stabbed'. "Then I walked in as police officers and security start rushing out of the front doors on to the street. "When I got inside I was wondering what the hell was going on and I saw dozens of panicked people running down the street. The first stream was around 30 people and the second stream was 70 people.
FNN: Deadly TERROR Attack in London  People Struck on Westminster Bridge  FULL COVERAGE Brought to you by Desert Diamond: http://ddcaz.com LONDON (AP)  A knife-wielding man went on a deadly rampage in the heart of Britains seat of power Wednesday, plowing a car into pedestrians on Londons Westminster Bridge before stabbing a police officer to death inside the gates of Parliament. Four people were killed, including the assailant, and about 20 others were injured in what Prime Minister Theresa May condemned as a sick and depraved terrorist attack. Lawmakers, lords, staff and visitors were locked down after the man was shot by police within the perimeter of Parliament, just yards (meters) from entrances to the building itself and in the shadow of the iconic Big Ben clock tower. He died, as did two pedestrians on the bridge, and the police officer. A doctor who treated the wounded from the bridge said some had catastrophic injuries. Three police officers, several French teenagers on a school trip and two Romanian tourists were among the casualties. Police said they were treating the attack as terrorism. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Metropolitan Police counterterrorism chief Mark Rowley said police believed there was only one attacker, but it would be foolish to be overconfident early on. The threat level for international terrorism in the U.K. was already listed at severe, meaning an attack was highly likely. Speaking outside 10 Downing St. after chairing a meeting of governments emergency committee, COBRA, May said that level would not change. She said attempts to defeat British values of democracy and freedom through terrorism would fail. Tomorrow morning, Parliament will meet as normal, she said. Londoners and visitors will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart. U.S. President Donald Trump was among world leaders offering condolences, and in Paris, the lights of the Eiffel Tower were to be dimmed in solidarity with London. London has been a target for terrorism many times over past decades. Just this weekend, hundreds of armed police took part in an exercise simulating a marauding terrorist attack on the River Thames. Wednesday was the anniversary of suicide bombings in the Brussels airport and subway that killed 32 people last year, and the latest events echoed recent vehicle attacks in Berlin and Nice, France. In the House of Commons, legislators were holding a series of votes on pensions when deputy Speaker Lindsay Hoyle announced that the sitting was being suspended and told lawmakers not to leave. Parliament was locked down for several hours, and the adjoining Westminster subway station was shuttered. Conservative lawmaker Tobias Ellwood, whose brother was killed in the Bali terror attack in 2002, performed first aid on the wounded police officer, who later died. About 10 yards away lay the assailant. I tried to stem the flow of blood and give mouth to mouth while waiting for the medics to arrive but I think he had lost too much blood, Ellwood said. He had multiple wounds, under the arm and in the back. The attack began early Wednesday afternoon as a driver in a gray SUV slammed into pedestrians on the bridge linking Parliament to the south bank of the River Thames. Former Polish foreign minister Radek Sikorski was in a car crossing the bridge when he heard something like a car hitting metal sheet and then saw people lying on the pavement. I saw one person who gave no signs of life. One man was bleeding from his head. I saw five people who were at least seriously injured, Sikorski told Polands TVN24. Ambulances arrived within minutes to treat people who lay scattered along the length of the bridge. One bloodied woman lay surrounded by a scattering of postcards. Police said one injured woman was pulled from the river. The car crashed into railings on the north side of the bridge, less than 200 yards (meters) from the entrance to Parliament. As people scattered in panic, witnesses saw a man holding a knife run toward the building. The whole crowd just surged around the corner by the gates just opposite Big Ben, said witness Rick Longley. A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman. I have never seen anything like that. I just cant believe what I just saw. The attacker managed to get past a gate into Parliaments fenced-in New Palace Yard, a cobbled courtyard in the shadow of the Big Ben clock tower. Daily Mail journalist Quentin Letts said a man in black attacked the police officer before being shot two or three times as he tried to storm into the building. As this attacker was running towards the entrance two plain-clothed guys with guns shouted at him what sounded like a warning, he ignored it and they shot two or three times and he fell, Letts told the BBC. Share your comments These poor fools always leave ID-documents because they hope to go down in history as great heroes. They are just as vain as they are stupid. If the authorities would keep their names hidden, it would destroy part of their motivation. They must simply be handed over to eternal oblivion as if they had never existed. I think it would be one of the best ways to fight this madness. Londons new owners (saudis) drove a bunch of tresspassers (english) off london bridge. Then stabbed a foriegn cop and illegal govt. officials. This what ya get idiots. You have an arab mayor and saudis are your landlords. HAHA sadly this is the result of not allowing more Muslims in the UK. Double your efforts to permit more Muslims and allow Sharia Law to replace your Parliament Government, and just maybe Islam will extend what little freedom you have left. Hate to say it, but you asked for it Britain. Keep letting these sub-human islamic cultists into your nation. I'm sure it'll work out just fine. Becuase being realistic about the Judiac cult of islam is a phobia. It's better to be accepting of these uneducated, uncultured desert primates without reservation or qualification standards. Doesn't matter if these people are unproductive, and hostile. Doesn't matter if they promote rape and ruin of your country while boasting about it. Doesn't matter if they call for the death of your nation and the call to jihad. Doesn't matter when you have another islamic terrorist attack. Life goes on right? You bet. The murdered Cop in the yellow vest was unarmed.. Why don't they carry guns? The terrorist was shot by an agent(?) wearing a suit. Very tragic.. and the bridge has no guard posts dividing the sidewalk from the road.. bad design!
Brief remarks echoing those issued after previous attacks across Europe claimed the atrocity was carried out in response to calls to target citizens of coalition countries. Experts said the claims lack of biographical information and specifics suggested Isis did not directly commission or facilitate the attack outside the Houses of Parliament. Westminster terror attacker named as KhalidMasood Jean-Marc Rickli, a research fellow at Kings College London and the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, said the groups recruiters could have been in contact with Masood online. When Isis has not directly ordered an attack, it does some kind of vetting process and background check to see if the person has been in contact with Isis members in one way or another, he told The Independent. Read more The concept of lone wolf is difficult because in most cases there is contact with recruiters, or people involved in the organisations can be traced. Pure lone wolf attacks are very rare, they are more the exception than the norm. Dr Rickli said that while Isis seeks to boost its image, it also exercises caution in claiming attacks as it has an interest in being credible. Renad Mansour, an academy fellow in the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House, also said the idea of lone wolf attacks was problematic. He said that while many assailants act on their own intuition and with no direction, they are frequently part of wider online or offline extremist networks incorporating family members or friends. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP Isis is far from being a centralised organisation, Dr Mansour told The Independent. Sometimes you have people in these networks going to Syria and then coming back but its hard to draw a direct link. Investigators are probing Masoods possible links to a wider extremist network, saying that although there was no prior intelligence of his intentions he had been the subject of a terror investigation by MI5. It did not result in prosecution but Masood was known to police for a range of convictions dating back to 1983 for violent crime including assaults, grievous bodily harm, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences. The terrorist group itself dislikes the term lone wolf, instructing its followers instead to use the term just terror attacks for the justified murders of so-called disbelievers, whether civilians or members of the security forces. Abu Muhammad al-Adnani led Isis calls for lone wolf attacks before being killed in an air strike (AP) Since Adnanis death, Isis propaganda has continued inciting terror attacks in Europe, the US, Australia and other countries supporting military operations against its fighters. An issue of its Rumiyah magazine issued in October contained lengthy instructions on how to carry out knife attacks, including what weapon to use, deadly places to strike a blow and ways to overcome discomfort at the thought of such slaughter. The next issue of the propaganda magazine, released in multiple languages in November, advised jihadis to launch vehicle attacks in an article citing the Nice lorry attack that killed 86 people as a superb demonstration. Having a secondary weapon, such as a gun or a knife, is also a great way to combine a vehicle attack with other forms, it read. Masoods attack appeared to match Isis instructions to target crowded outdoor attractions, seeing him plough a car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge  where two people were killed  before crashing it into railings outside Parliament. He emerged with a knife and attempted to run inside the nearest entrance, fatally stabbing PC Keith Palmer before being shot dead. Dr Mansour said that the Houses of Parliament were a hugely symbolic target for the group, seeing horrific scenes beamed around the world with the iconic backdrop of Big Ben. Isis supporters are trying to show their reach is wider than many would have assumed, he added. Jihadis are fighting for survival in western parts of their former Iraqi stronghold of Mosul (Reuters) As Isis loses more and more territory in Iraq and Syria, it needs to find another narrative to show its success. Dr Rickli predicted the group would continue attempts to incite unpredictable and low-tech attacks around the world to maintain momentum and hit the headlines. Because Isis is being challenged in Syria and Iraq they have to move into an insurgency mode, he added, noting that large-scale bomb and gun attacks of the kind seen in Paris and Brussels had been made far more difficult by security crackdowns across Europe. There are fears commanders could attempt to exploit returning foreign fighters to carry out or organise further attacks, with at least 400 jihadis believed to have travelled back to the UK from Isis territory. Members of the 68-nation US-led coalition met in Washington on Wednesday, hailing success in halving Isis fighting force since its formation in 2014 and driving militants from swathes of territory in their self-declared caliphate. Jihadis are fighting for survival in western parts of their former Iraqi stronghold of Mosul, while international forces surround Isis de-facto Syrian capital of Raqqa in preparation for an all-out assault. The US-led coalition has conducted more than 19,000 air strikes on Isis targets, with officials saying the bombing had killed tens of thousands of fighters and about 180 leaders, as well as disabling oil fields, destroying ammunition, factories, weapons facilities, command posts and cash stores. We are united in our determination to eliminate this global threat and overcome its false, destructive narrative, members said at their US conference, vowing to work relentlessly towards Isis final defeat.
Another 'terror attack'. Another outpouring of sympathy, this time 'for London'. Another round of media hypocrisy that willfully ignores the obvious explanation for and solution to these kinds of incidents. On Wednesday 22nd March, around 2.40pm, we're told that a 'lone wolf', named as 52-year-old Khalid Masood, drove a black SUV along the sidewalk of the 252m-long Westminster bridge, knocking down at least 12 pedestrians and killing two of them. The SUV is about 6 feet wide and the sidewalk about 12 feet wide. There are vehicles on one side and the stone balustrade of the bridge on the other. The SUV was traveling at at least 60mph. So this was a rather difficult, if horrific, feat to carry out. Leaving the bridge, Masood turned left towards the 'front' of the Houses of Parliament where he mounted the sidewalk and crashed the SUV into railings near the Carriage Gate entrance which is a 'weak spot' guarded by unarmed officers. Exiting the vehicle, he tried to enter the grounds of the building and was confronted by a police officer whom he stabbed. The attacker was then shot dead by another plain clothes police officer. This was a clear attack on the 'center of power' in the UK that was designed to and succeeded (no doubt) in striking a particular chord with the British political elite. As is often the case with such attacks in Western nations, news reports (like this BBC news segment) released immediately after the attack cited eyewitnesses who claimed there were two people in the car, one described as black with a goatee beard (matching the description of the man shot by police outside Parliament) and the other a white, bald male. But with only one man shot and killed and the official narrative reflecting this, these initial eyewitness reports have been shunted down the memory hole, never to be heard again. While eyewitness reports are inherently unreliable, this is not always true. In the case of yesterday's attack in London, how is it possible that multiple eyewitnesses saw two people in a car (clearly enough to define skin color) when there was, in fact, only one person in the car? In other similar 'terror car' attacks that involved only one person, like in Nice and Berlin last year, there were no eyewitnesses who said that there were two people in the trucks used. The reason is that there was only ever one person driving. The knife allegedly used by Masood to kill PC Palmer So rather than dismissing the London reports as the traumatized imagination of ordinary people unaccustomed to such carnage, a much more reasonable conclusion is to assume that there was a white bald guy in the car, and that he fled the scene, and that that was his intention all along, leaving his 'partner' to take the fall, literally. This scenario raises the specter of the Muslim patsy having a handler, possibly someone with nerves of steel and a heart to match. It may have been the white bald guy driving the car along Westminster bridge, mowing down people, as the Muslim patsy sat beside him. As a general rule, ignorant patsies can't be relied on to carry out 'terror attacks' on their own; they might, after all, balk at the last minute. Now, I understand that this scenario is highly implausible for those who fervently believe that there are no dark corners within the British government that actually benefit from terror attacks against British civilians to the extent that they would have a hand in carrying them out. But to hold that belief a person has to be totally ignorant of the hard official evidence that some section of the British government has, in the recent past, consciously carried out terror attacks against British citizens, and then pointed the finger at someone else. Getting back to London: the only video of the SUV speeding along Westminster bridge emerged late last night and was shown on the BBC evening news. I found the same footage on the Twitter account of BBC home affairs correspondent Dominic Casciani and published it on SOTT.net (Casciani removed it from his Twitter account soon thereafter). While the footage has since appeared on several other news sites, SOTT.net was the first news website to host the video and carried it as an 'exclusive' (meaning it was not, at the time of publishing, available anywhere else). As a result, I was contacted this morning by two AP journalists asking if SOTT.net owned the video or if we knew the source. I replied in the negative on both counts, but suggested it might be CCTV footage and therefore the legal property of Westminster city council. One of the AP reporters was able to tell me that he had contacted Westminster city council and they had denied that it was from any of their cameras. First, check out the video. There are three initial things to note: 1) the vertical angle is quite steep, suggesting that the video was taken from a relatively high altitude. 2) the video is low quality, suggesting a high zoom level. 3) the position of the camera is to the left of the center of the bridge, making it possible that the camera was located somewhere on the north bank of the river Thames. With that information, to get an idea of the approximate locations for the camera, we need to look at some images. Here's the view up the Thames, looking back at the view from where the video was shot. And here's a zoom of that area with significant buildings marked The next image is taken from this Google 'street view' link at the 'altitude 360' restaurant at the top of Millbank tower. I zoomed the image further after processing and it seems like a pretty good candidate for the location of the camera (not excluding, however, that it may have been situated on top of MI5 HQ). Just for the record, I can find no evidence that there is an automated CCTV or webcam in this restaurant or on the exterior top of the tower that points at Westminster bridge (there might be one at MI5 HQ, however). In case you were wondering why, in a city like London that is infamous for its preponderance of security cameras (where the average Londoner can expect to be photographed 300 times per day), there is no better footage of the attack, last September all CCTV cameras in Westminster were shut off to 'save money'. So the only question left unanswered (well, sort of) is who happened to be filming Westminster bridge on a grey Wednesday afternoon in March at the precise time that a black SUV containing at least one terrorist was mowing down pedestrians? The answer, of course, is easy: it was a member of ISIS who works undercover as a cleaner at the altitude 360 restaurant (or MI5 HQ). After all, today ISIS "claimed responsibility" for the attack, which was, of course, carried out by one of their "soldiers of the caliphate" who was, apparently, known to MI5 (what a surprise). An established web-based essayist and print author, Quinn has been writing incisive editorials for Sott.net for over 10 years. His articles have appeared on many alternative news sites and he has been interviewed on several internet radio shows and has also appeared on Iranian Press TV. His articles can also be found on his personal blog JoeQuinn.net. Don't be suprised to hear calls for British involvement in Syria. All under the guise of anti ISIS coaltion. Strange as it seems, who happen to be meeting in the US at the moment. 68 countries. Yet another coincidence? Hi everybody! they did a terror drill march 19 on the thames and if you watch one of the videos on the page link it shows they used a dummy to dump overboard into the river to practice fishing it out. [ Link] Smoke and mirrors as usual. I mean do they really think that after so many lies, stage shows , false pretenses and what they claim is reality, we are that stupid ? Looks to me like their IQs are going down and ours are going up. What unbelievable BS. Ok, we believe you , it was another terrorist attack, now can we get back to work because we have more important things to do than trying to digest this horse***t. LonSabbatical Depends. After WW2 people were afraid of the "Balance of terror" as it was called , as they thought that ICBMs could be launched from the U.S. towards the U.S.S.R. and vice versa and the planet could be blown up. That kind of fear at the time kept people at bay, working every day, being friendly to each other, believing that everything was "O.K." and apart from Korea and Vietnam we'd never engage in a 3d World War. And indeed we did not because you have to make the same mistake twice to realize that it's a mistake. What most people didn't know and as I found out later was that the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. were cooperating on many levels. But fear works both ways : For the oppressed and those who oppress them. So the first anarchists like Baader-Meinhof which really was a governmentally controlled terrorist group never to be really dissolved but created only so that public discontent could be personified , the Red Brigades in Italy, the Vascos in Spain, the IRA in Ireland (Joe could help us out with some more info at this point) , November the 17th in Greece were let's say the first terrorist groups. And they were governmentally controlled mostly. But you can keep a myth and a lie going only for a limited period of time before you are actually made by the people. After most of these organizations were dissolved and especially after 9/11 the word terrorist became a household word. Again people were dissatisfied with their lives, they understood that they were being exploited so the "terrorist" patsy had to be reinvented. Why would a person, any normal person, become an anarchist , a terrorist and turn against his/her government ? There's no apparent answer. The only apparent answer is because he's paid from any government to do so. So most of these trouble makers are as Joe described them very accurately government agents. You want to be afraid...I'll give you an instance and there you should get through without making a mistake : When lives of good people are in your hands...Don't worry about the scum of this planet. They can't touch you. Excellent article. Amazing how these events follow the same scripts. It is also amazing how many institutions have to be onboard to pull these things off. Nothing will change until this corruption is exposed, and I am not holding my breath that it will be anytime soon. One observation though, the PTB really can't do anything like this in the US right now as they are fighting Trumps travel ban. To do something would give it credence and I don't think they want to chance that right now. Hello H2O He was British born...that's a vital element here. He had a 'normal' name and was a normal guy before he was radicalised, but the rise of populism and a fractured society created a 'victim'...that's my guess on the spin next week. Naught bad populism. Breitbart, Infowars and other right leaning mainstream have gone full Pavlov on this. Both sides have grabbed hold of the pendulum and are determined to keep it swinging and absolutely not let it settle in the calm of centre, where the pertinent questions from people like Joe and others will be heard. Security though, we NEED more... Joe Thank you Joe...who is sorcha faal? Where did the article go? Did you take it down? Disinfo is good, it helps us to find the truth. Censorship, like prohibition, is essential for tptb...please put it back. Potatoes and Tomatoes Sorcha Fal is a person who claims to be an ex-KGB agent that has defected and is now "exposing" the NWO agenda. In reality Sorcha is a guy named David Booth (I think), who lives in the US and is an intelligence asset tasked with putting out the most bizarre conspiracy stories to cast anyone who speaks rationally as a nutter. He's been debunked so many times and exposed, yet is still allowed to spread his drivel far and wide. Controlled opposition I believe is what he is.. From whatdoesitmean.com. The link no longer works. I'm only reposting this as it has disappeared from my previous post...sorry! June 21, 2016Assassins Who Killed British MP Jo Cox And Targeted Donald Trump Tied To UK Military, CIABy: Sorcha Faal, and as reported to her Western SubscribersA new Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) report circulating in the Kremlin today is raising serious questions relating to last weeks assassination of British Member of Parliament Jo Cox and the attempted assassination of Donald Trump as both the hit men involved in these plots have been traced to the same British Military mental hospital. According to this report, on 16 June, British Labor Party MP Jo Cox was assassinated by Thomas Mair in Birstall, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom, and a little more than 48 hours later, on 18 June, Michael Sandford attempted to assassinate US presidential candidate Donald Trump in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Thomas Mair, assassin of MP Jo CoxMichael Sandford, attempted to assassinate Donald Trump Important to note about the political environment both of these assassination plots were operating within, this report continues, was that in MP Coxs death the debate ahead of this weeks Brexit vote in the UK was able to be stalled, while in the US, the candidacy of Donald Trump for president has sent chills through the entire American elite governing system.The SVRs interest in both Mair and Sandford, this report explains, was elevated last year to a high level due to their interaction with a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) clandestine services operative named Lawrence Sanchez whose Federation surveillance records showed him taking a US Air Force flight from McGuire Field at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, to RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom in April, 2015.Though US public records state CIA operative Sanchez retried from this spy agency in 2004, this report notes, SVR records show him continuing to work for the CIA as late as 2012 when he was dismissed from his oversight of spying operations for the New York City Police Department where he had set up the United States most successful counter intelligence units combating Islamic inspired terrorism. CIA master spy Lawrence Sanchez (one of only two verified public photos) From 2012 to the present, this report continues, CIA operative Sanchez has worked within the 87th Medical Group at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst on projects involving various US Air Force bioenvironmental engineering projectsand when he traveled to Britain in early 2015, it was in that capacity SVR analysts were believing he did so.However, this report explains, once arriving in Britain, CIA operative Sanchez traveled to Lincolnshire, England, accompanied by Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) operatives, where he entered a hospital facility known as the Lincolnshire Partnership.The Lincolnshire Partnership hospital, this report states, has long been known to the SVR as it is the British militaries and intelligence services main facility for treating severely mentally impaired soldiers and spies, and operates under the supervision of the Defence Medical Services (DMS).And in a patient record count during the time of CIA operative Sanchezs April 2015 visit there, this report says, both Thomas Mair and Michael Sandford were listed as high security patientsbut, and most strangely, Sandford was released into the custody of CIA operative Sanchez and was flown back to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst and put under the medical supervision of the 87th Medical Group. As neither Thomas Mair or Michael Sandford were previously known to the SVR, this report continues, their names were electronically associated with CIA operative Sanchezand whose SVR computer file noted an alert on 16 June when Thomas Mair assassinated MP Jo Cox.Once this 16 June alert on CIA operative Sanchez was analyzed by the SVR, this report says, an already established protocol was enacted to notify various British and American intelligence agencies requesting guidance and assistanceand that SVR analysts in this report credit with saving the life of Donald Trump.In the SVR making this bold assertion that their actions had saved the life of Donald Trump, this report explains, was due to the United States Secret Service (USSS), on 17 June, changing their protection of Donald Trump to snap-snap-snap wherein just prior to his making any public appearance, both local police forces and government agents protecting his life are suddenly, and without notice, completely changed with entirely different personal. US news reports about Donald Trumps attempted assassination by Michael Sandford, also, support this SVR assertion by noting that his assassin had planned to use a gun to kill Trump from a local police guard he believed would have his weapon unsecured and that we would be able to quickly grab, fire at least two shots at Trump, and in return be killed by Secret Service agents.Other US news reports contained in this SVR report note that the assassin of MP Jo Cox, Thomas Mair, was a loner who needed treatment for mental illness, and that Trumps would be assassin, Michael Sandford, had been diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome (a form of autism) and in past attempted suicide.This report concludes by noting that Trumps would be assassin, Michael Sandford, appears to have been more highly trained than Thomas Mair as his unlimited source of funds to remain undetected in the US for so long, plus his availability to vehicles, airline travel, and expensive, and extended, hotel stays, show all of the tradecraft CIA master spy Sanchez has taught other operatives under his control, almost all of whom are known to the SVRand whose CIA tactics to control them are well know too. (click on image below to see CIA documents) June 21, 2016 EU and US all rights reserved. Permission to use this report in its entirety is granted under the condition it is linked back to its original source at WhatDoesItMean.Com. Freebase content licensed under CC-BY and GFDL.[Note: Many governments and their intelligence services actively campaign against the information found in these reports so as not to alarm their citizens about the many catastrophic Earth changes and events to come, a stance that the Sisters of Sorcha Faal strongly disagree with in believing that it is every human beings right to know the truth. Due to our missions conflicts with that of those governments, the responses of their agents has been a longstanding misinformation/misdirection campaign designed to discredit us, and others like us, that is exampled in numerous places, including HERE.]
Updated: Cyclists injured in Westminster terror attack as driver crashes through them Two hospitalised with non-life threatening injuries this morning; streets around Parliament cordoned off Police tape (CC licensed by freefotouk on Flickr) UPDATED: Two people, believed to be cyclists, were taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries after a car was driven into a group of riders outside the Palace of Westminster this morning. The Metropolitan Police have confirmed that they are treating the incident as a terrorist attack. The incident happened at 0737 according to Scotland Yard, who cordoned off a large area of Westminster. The driver of the vehicle, who has been arrested on suspicion of having committed terror offences, ploughed through a group of around 10 cyclists on the south-east corner of Parliament Square before hitting a crash barrier outside the Palace of Westminster. Three cyclists were injured. Two, a man and a woman, were treated at hospital for their injuries but have since been released, while a third was treated at the scene. Another cyclist was shown on video chasing after the car on foot just before it hit the barrier outside Parliament. Armed police officers were on the scene immediately and took the driver away in handcuffs. Cycle Superhighway 3, the most popular cycle route in London, runs through Parliament Square though the cyclists who were hit were not on that route but on the other side of the square.. Eyewitnesses told BBC News that they believed the motorist drove into the cyclists on purpose. Barry Williams, who works for the BBC at its Millbank location, said: "I heard lots of screams and turned round. "The car went onto the wrong side of the road to where cyclists were waiting at lights and ploughed into them. "Then it swerved back across the road and accelerated as fast as possible and hit the barrier at full pelt. "It was a small silver car and he hit it at such speed the car actually lifted off the ground and bounced. "Then the police just jumped. Two officers managed to leap over the security barriers and then the armed police vehicles all sped towards the scene." BBC reporter Callum May, speaking from Westminster, said: "Parliament Square is now ringed by blue police tape. There is a large group of armed officers in the square. "Paramedics are treating a small group of people sitting on the ground outside the Palace of Westminster. "They are wrapped in silver blankets. One eyewitness, who declined to give his name, said he saw a small hatchback drive into a group of cyclists and then into the barrier outside the Palace of Westminster. The man said that the driver's action appeared deliberate." Scotland Yard confirmed that a man was arrested and is being held at a police station in south London. Born in Scotland, Simon moved to London aged seven and now lives in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds with his miniature schnauzer, Elodie. He fell in love with cycling one Saturday morning in 1994 while living in Italy when Milan-San Remo went past his front door. A daily cycle commuter in London back before riding to work started to boom, he's been news editor at road.cc since 2009. Handily for work, he speaks French and Italian. He doesn't get to ride his Colnago as often as he'd like, and freely admits he's much more adept at cooking than fettling with bikes.
Mark Rowley, national lead for Counter Terrorism Policing and Met Acting Deputy Commissioner corrected earlier figures saying three innocent victims - Pc Palmer, a woman in her mid 40s and a man in his mid 50s - were killed along with the attacker who was shot by cops. Car hire firm Enterprise has confirmed that one of their cars had been rented out and used in the attack, saying in a statement: "We can confirm that the car used in the tragic attack in London yesterday afternoon was one of ours. "An employee identified the vehicle after seeing the licence plate in an image online. We ran another check to verify, and immediately contacted the authorities. "We are co-operating fully with the authorities and will provide any assistance that we can to the investigation. "Our thoughts are very much with the victims of this terrible tragedy." Those injured in the Westminster Bridge attack Theresa May has confirmed 29 people were hurt when the speeding car smashed into crowds on Westminster Bridge. HOLIDAY ATTACK In a message to staff she said: "One of our officers died protecting the public and Parliament. We will never forget his courage. "My deepest sympathy is with his family and with the loved ones of everyone who lost their lives. "My thoughts too are with the members of the public and our officers who were injured as well as those people affected by these appalling events. "As many Parliamentarians have noted, our officers ran towards danger to do their jobs. We are indebted to their bravery. "Officers and staff from the Metropolitan Police are working as hard as we can to protect the public and our capital city. "I am grateful for all their efforts." TIMELINE OF TERROR Lone wolf attacker mowed down crowds of pedestrians in 4x4 on Westminster Bridge He then crashed into gate outside Parliament before stabbing policeman PC Keith Palmer, 48, to death Armed cops put Westminster on lockdown as attack brought London to a standstill yesterday afternoon Four people died - including the attacker who was shot by police - and 29 are injured, including seven critical Eight people arrested today after six raids at addresses in London, Birmingham and elsewhere Cops believe they know the identity of the suspect who was inspired by Islamic terrorism The Hyundai used to carry out the attack was hired last Thursday in Birmingham, according to Newsnight Hero MP Tobias Ellwood attempted to revive PC Palmer but husband and father could not be saved Theresa May condemned attack as 'sick and depraved' before holding emergency Cobra meeting MPs were locked in House of Commons for five hours PC Palmer, a member of the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Squad and former Bombardier in the Royal Artillery Army Reserve between '87-'01 , was killed as he tried to stop the attacker at about 2.30pm on Wednesday, while two members of the public were also fatally injured. A body was seen on Westminster Bridge with police confirming they are treating the incident as a terror attack Another woman who fell into the Thames was rescued and given urgent medical treatment on a nearby pier. A party of French schoolchildren were among those targeted on the bridge, while four students from Edge Hill University in Ormskirk were also hurt - two described as "walking wounded", and others said to have minor injuries. The attack came on the first anniversary of the Brussels airport bombings. The Muslim Council of Britain said: "We are shocked and saddened by the incident at Westminster. We condemn this attack and while it is still too early to speculate on the motives, our thoughts and prayers are for the victims and those affected."
Follow us: London attack: Muslim Labour adviser working in Parliament describes how terror unfolded in Westminster 'Its an added sense of responsibility. There's a sense you stand apart from those that do these sorts of things and that you are more empowered to make things better,' Imran Ahmed tells The Independent Its an added sense of responsibility. There's a sense you stand apart from those that do these sorts of things and that you're more empowered than most members of your community to make things better, he said. But you feel a sense of empowerment and purpose because you do work here and you do have the capacity to make things change. As a Labour adviser you feel like you are in a position to help. Mr Ahmed now identifies as an atheist, though he was brought up a Muslim and his parents both continue to be religious. Its not something that comes to mind very often - I don't much think about my heritage or my parents religion, he said. But after an attack like this its the sharing of that burden that really makes the soul lighter because you know that together, the rest of us who are of Muslim faith or descent can make a difference. Mr Ahmed, who was in Portcullis House when the attack occurred, returned to Parliament today and described the atmosphere as very, very quiet." In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP Its very, very quiet outside and inside, everyones being a bit warmer to each other than they already are and theres a sense of purpose," he said. He also issued a scathing criticism of the far-right, labelling Tommy Robinson a hatemonger after he launched into a tirade in front of Parliament yesterday that has been widely condemned as Islamophobic and inflammatory. I am as much anathema to those half-witted f***wit terrorist chumps as a Christian or a Jewish person or a Hindu. They hold us in contempt? F*** me, you have no idea how much I hold them in contempt, Mr Ahmed wrote on Facebook. For their actions, their beliefs and how pathetic they are in not doing the work and having the true steel to see through their political goals without resorting to the cheap, vicious, nasty last resort of violence. The Metropolitan Police's top anti-terror officer confirmed police have searched six addresses and made seven arrests. The black-clad terrorist - who is believed to have been British-born - armed with two knives, mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed his car through a crowd of people, including schoolchildren. Two members of the public, one believed to be Aysha Frade, a 43-year-old Spanish teacher who was on her way to pick her children up from school. The other man killed was in his fifties but has not yet been identified.
The Sudanese immigrant accused of trying to kill pedestrians in Parliament Square hails from a Midlands suburb considered a terror hotspot because of the extraordinary number of jihadis who have lived there. Salih Khater, 29, a British citizen who moved to the UK from Sudan five years ago, lived in a flat in Sparkhill, an area of south Birmingham home to one in 10 UK extremists jailed over Islamic terrorist plots. His council flat is also just ten minutes from the former home of Khalid Masood, whose murderous rampage 17 months ago appears to have inspired Khater's own carborne attack yesterday. Last year it was reported that one in ten convicted Islamic terrorists come from the tiny area of Birmingham, south-east of the city centre. Most recently a group of extremists from the area who called themselves the 'Three Musketeers' were jailed for life last year. Sparkhill neighbours Naweed Ali, 29, Khobaib Hussain, 25 and Mohibur Rahman, 33, planned to launch murder on Britain's streets using a car before attacking people with meat cleavers etched with 'Kafir' and setting off a pipe bomb. Belgian jihadi Mohamed Abrini, better known as the 'man in the hat', collected 3,000 to fund his terrorism during a secret handover in Sparkhill's nearest park months before masterminding terror attacks in Paris and Brussels in 2015. Salih Khater, 29, lived just a 10-minute drive away from Westminster terrorist Khalid Masood in a Midlands suburb considered a terror hotspot because of the extraordinary number of jihadis who have lived there. They include Al-Qaeda terrorists Irfan Khalid and Moinul Abedin, the 'Three Musketeers' gang of Naweed Ali, Khobaib Hussain and Mohibur Rahman who plotted a Lee Rigby-style attack on a Muslim British soldier, 'extremist Imam' Tarik Chadlioui and 'Man in the Hat' Mohamed Abrini Khater (left) lived close to the home of Khalid Masood (right), who ploughed a car into crowds on Westminster Bridge in March 2017, before abandoning his vehicle then stabbing and killing unarmed PC Keith Palmer Share this article Share Abrini later became one of the world's most wanted men after 130 people died in ISIS attacks on Paris in 2015 - and was arrested after he accompanied suicide bombers into Brussels Airport where 33 died but he fled. 'Man in the hat' Mohamed Abrini collected cash from a terror suspect in Birmingham before the Paris and Brussels terror attacks And last year a British-based imam accused of recruiting Jihadists to fight for ISIS is being extradited to Spain to face terror charges. Tarik Chadlioui, 43, allegedly tried to recruit and radicalise fighters for ISIS as part of a terror cell from his home in the Sparkhill area of Birmingham. Sparkbrook contains five highly concentrated Muslim council wards, occupying a few square miles, which have produced 26 of the countrys 269 known jihadis, according to analysis of terrorism in the UK last year. The Birmingham wards of Springfield, Sparkhill, Hall Green and Hodge Hill in particular have been home to a high proportion of convicted terrorists. It was one of the main conclusions of a 1,000-page report to be published by think tank the Henry Jackson society in Parliament in March last year. The overall number of Islamic terrorists revealed to have had a Birmingham address down the years is even higher: 39 in total. This figure is more than for the whole of West Yorkshire, Greater Manchester and Lancashire put together. Other south Birmingham terrorists include: In 2002, Britains first Al Qaeda-inspired terrorist, Moinul Abedin, was jailed for 20 years for turning a terrace house in Sparkbrook into a bomb-making factory. Among the deadly haul was an industrial quantity of the chemical required for the high-explosive HMTD, which was used in the July 7 attacks on Londons Tube and bus network in 2005. In 2013, Irfan Khalid was jailed for 18 years for being part of an Al-Qaeda cell that plotted a bomb attack with the aim of killing 2,000 people. Khalid lived in Sparkbrook, not far from the scene of this weeks police raids. Friends say Khater, who is refusing to speak to police, was last seen on the day before the attack at the Bunna Internet cafe below his old Sparkbrook flat, where police took away a PC last night. The terror suspect had recently moved to a tower block behind Birmingham's central mosque, and his tenth floor council flat was also stormed by counter-terrorism officers yesterday and remains sealed off today. Counter-terrorism officers also raided a Nottingham property believed to have links to the Ford Fiesta bought two months ago. Today Khater is in a south London police station after veered off the road careering into pedestrians and cyclists on Parliament Square, after spending the night cruising around in a Ford Fiesta bought two months ago. Police say he drove 115 miles to London late on Monday night and toured the Tottenham Court Road area between 1.25am and 5.55am before heading to Westminster and Whitehall at 6am and circled until he struck at just after 7.30am yesterday. This stalking of London streets will raise suspicions that he was looking for crowds and later plumped for Westminster, where British extremist Masood killed six in March 2017. Sparkhill terror gang Naweed Ali, 29, Mohibur Rahman, 33, and Khobaib Hussain, 25, (left to right) were jailed for life last year over a plot to kill people with a car, knives and a bomb Imam Tarik Chadlioui, 43, (pictured) allegedly tried to recruit and radicalise fighters for ISIS as part of a terror cell from his home in the Sparkhill area of Birmingham. Salih Khater, 29, veered off the road careering into pedestrians and cyclists at Parliament Square, after spending the night cruising around London There were screams as the Ford Fiesta mounted the pavement and mowed people down at up to 50mph at 7.37am before he crashed into a security barrier outside Parliament, narrowly missing two police officers. Within seconds brave armed officers surrounded the car not knowing if he was armed or had a bomb and dragged him from the smoking vehicle. In a chilling echo of Khalid Masood's murderous rampage on Westminster 17 months ago, the driver, from Birmingham, sped towards the Palace of Westminster  narrowly missing two police officers guarding the access road who jumped out of his path. He then smashed into a security barrier outside Parliament. Despite hitting at least 15 cyclists and pedestrians during rush hour, no one was killed with only one female cyclist seriously injured. Within minutes the driver, dressed in a white shirt, jeans and a black puffa jacket, was dragged from the driving seat of the crumpled vehicle by armed officers. The terror suspect  thought to be a lone wolf  remained strangely calm and utterly silent, offering no resistance as he was handcuffed. Police found no weapons or explosives. Last night it emerged Khater, who was said to be of Sudanese origin, drove from his rundown flat in Hall Green, Birmingham, to London on Monday evening arriving just after midnight. He spent all night driving around central London, cruising around tourist hotspots such as Tottenham Court Road between 1.25am and 5.55am Salih Khater, 29, a British citizen who moved to the UK from Sudan five years ago, lived in a flat in Sparkhill, home to one in 10 British jihadis already jailed over terrorist plots and police have raided properties in Britain's second city and Nottingham overnight CCTV footage of the car unearthed by the BBC shows the car on the wrong side of the road then swerve left, hitting cyclists and pedestrians before hitting a barrier Police officers were spotted removing the damaged Ford Fiesta Khater used from the scene this evening The location of the barrier crash was just around the corner from where Khalid Masood killed five people in March 2017 The car was written off by insurers last autumn and had failed an MOT as it had problems with headlights, a hand brake lever and the steering rack. But it was put back on the road and sold again eight weeks ago The car was stopped in its tracks by a new security barrier designed to stop a lorryborne attack used in Nice or Berlin Cyclists abandoned their bikes after the collision with one being treated for injuries in the middle of the road as terror came to London's streets again Suspected terror attack tests beefed up Westminster security Security measures around Westminster and on central London bridges were beefed up in the wake of terror attacks last year. Within days of the atrocity at London Bridge and Borough Market in June 2017, barriers were put in place on bridges including Westminster, Waterloo and Lambeth in a bid to stop terrorists mowing down pedestrians. Tactics for armed officers were also changed, with marksmen allowed to shoot at a vehicle being used in such an attack. Previously, firearms officers had the option of shooting at a moving car, van or lorry, but this was discouraged as it was felt it could increase the risk to the public. But the approach was revised so that firing at a car, van or lorry when it is on the move is an accepted tactic for such incidents. There are also more armed patrols on the streets at any one time, with the number of firearms officers and vehicles having gradually increased since 2016. A 143 million plan to boost armed policing was announced in the months after the terrorist attacks in Paris in November 2015, in which 130 people died and hundreds more were injured. Security arrangements around Parliament are likely to come under fresh scrutiny at the forthcoming inquests into the deaths of five people including police officer Keith Palmer who were killed in the Westminster Bridge attack last year. Khalid Masood ploughed a hired SUV into pedestrians on the bridge before getting out and fatally stabbing Mr Palmer, who was guarding the Palace of Westminster but was unarmed. Around a month later, former Taliban bomb maker Khalid Ali was arrested in Parliament Square with three knives ready to attack MPs and police. He was later jailed for at least 40 years for making the explosive devices and 25 years for the knife plot. Scotland Yard said the public can expect to see more police officers, both armed and unarmed, on the capital's streets in the wake of Tuesday's incident. Questions will be raised about why the attack took place during recess when Parliament is not sitting. Last night it emerged Khater drove from his rundown flat in Birmingham, to London on Monday evening arriving just after midnight. He spent all night driving around central London, cruising around tourist hotspots such as Tottenham Court Road between 1.25am and 5.55am. He then spent 90 minutes driving around Whitehall and Westminster, leading to suspicions he may have been hunting for large crowds of tourists to target. The man had not spoken a word since being arrested despite hours of questioning last night. Officers have raided two addresses in Birmingham and one in Nottingham where the vehicle was registered. The terror suspect is understood to have moved out of a run down flat above an Internet caf almost four months ago. Khater is thought to have lived alone at the flat in the Sparkhill area of Birmingham. A worker at the Bunna Internet caf below the flat said police visited the premises and took away at least one of the computers. Officers were seen leaving with evidence contained in clear plastic bags. The worker claimed he saw the suspect inside the caf the day before he drove to London. One man outside the shop, who did not want to be named, said: 'The police came to the caf and took away evidence.' Hours after the attack, Britain's head of counter terrorism announced the suspect was not known to Scotland Yard or MI5 for any previous terrorist activity. But last night it emerged he was an immigrant known to West Midlands police. Security minister Ben Wallace said the suspect was born in another country but had been given British citizenship. The vehicle that police say he used 'deliberately' as a weapon was written off by insurers last autumn and had failed an MOT as it had problems with headlights, a hand brake lever and the steering rack. But it was put back on the road and sold again eight weeks ago. The attack was caught on CCTV showing the car swerve the wrong way down the road and veering across a pedestrian crossing through crowds of cyclists waiting at a set of traffic lights. He hit a female cyclist who was left lying motionless in the road suffering from a suspected broken hip, while other injured cyclists lay sprawled in the road by their mangled bikes. A man and the female cyclist were taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries and were later discharged. Robert Nicholson was heading to work and waiting in a 'safe cycling box' near Parliament when the man struck. He said: 'There were about 15 cyclists there. All of a sudden, whipping round the corner  just from the traffic lights  was this small car and just rammed straight through the group of ten to 15 cyclists that were stood there.' One cyclist, a management consultant, told MailOnline how he cheated death as the speeding car ploughed past him - knocking down the cyclist next to him. Armed officers swamp a crumpled silver car after a rush hour crash at Westminster today that left two pedestrians needing hospital treatment First responders treat victims lying in the road on Parliament Square in an attack that did not claim any lives Forensic officers by the Ford Fiesta that crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament today in the first terror attack in Britain this year Bicycles are sat against a wall near the scene of the crash at the Houses of Parliament today How the Westminster car's current owner has been registered for only two months The car involved in todays crash was a 2010 Ford Fiesta, first registered near Nottingham in March 2010. Forensic officers by the car that crashed into security barriers outside Parliament It has had five previous owners before the current keeper  who has only been registered to it since June 20. The car, which has a manual transmission, is valued at about 4,500 and has an estimated mileage of around 68,000. It previously failed an MOT in 2015 due to issues with the front brake pad, front tyre and front windscreen wiper. It was also said to have suffered serious structural damage last November and written off - but then passed its most recent MOT this May. Geoffrey Woodman, 27, from Battersea, was cycling to work when he heard a 'loud screech' and the car slammed into the woman on the bicycle next to him. 'I felt very shocked,' he said. 'It was a very odd experience to have. It happens more and more but you never expect it to be you. It was so close. 'One slight turn of the wheel and it would have taken me out. I had pulled up to the red light by Parliament Square and put my foot down. 'After about ten seconds I heard a car screeching over the bridge. It was obscured behind a van at first but then it cut out in front of us through the red light on the wrong side of the road. 'It swerved left and hit the lady two bikes to my left. It was going about 40 to 50mph. Its windscreen hit her quite hard as she was trying to jump off to the left.' Kirsty Moseley, 31, of Brixton, south London, was a passenger in the first car behind the cyclists. She said: 'I heard a few shouts, looked up and this silver car was driving at high speed the wrong way into the cyclists. 'People were thrown everywhere. [He had] two hands on the steering wheel and he did not look back over his shoulder to look at the damage he'd created  he was just looking deadpan straight in front of him.' Westminster was quickly locked down, with more than 200 officers flooding the area including police 'super spotters' dispatched to look for other attackers using their specialist skills to recognise when a person is displaying minute signs of anxiety. A large cordon was initially set up but police later announced there was no threat after ruling out the possibility of further attackers. British Transport Police said commuters would see extra officers on trains and at stations around England, Scotland and Wales in response to the attack. Geoffrey Woodman, 27, a management consultant from Battersea, was almost hit Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said there was 'no intelligence at this time of further danger' to Londoners following the attack. But he added: 'Detectives from the counter-terrorism command are making various other urgent enquiries to ensure that there is no outstanding risk to the public.' BTP said anybody with concerns following the incident outside the Houses of Parliament can speak to a member of rail staff or a police officer. Superintendent Chris Horton said: 'We know incidents such as this are likely to cause concern, so our officers will be highly visible both on board trains and at stations. 'We are there to reassure the travelling public so please don't be alarmed if you see our officers, including firearms officers, on your journey.' Neil Basu, the Met's Assistant Commissioner Specialist Operations, said: 'This appears to be a deliberate act... we're treating it as a terrorist incident.' Home Secretary Sajid Javid has said 'we must keep an open mind' about the suspected terror attack. He added: 'The briefing I have received from counter-terrorism police and the security services is that work is ongoing and they are doing everything they can to find out more about the incident.' Forensic officers were still at the scene where the Ford Fiesta crashed near the Houses of Parliament Other officers were seen loading abandoned bicycles into vans after the crash that involved 15 cyclists and pedestrians Britain faces 700 live terror probes: After new attack on Westminster, officials reveal the scale of the threat to the UK by John Stevens, Deputy Political Editor for the Daily Mail Almost 700 terror investigations are being carried out by the security services. The figures were revealed yesterday after a car ploughed into cyclists outside Parliament in an apparent extremist attack. Britain was on a heightened state of alert last night, with Theresa May warning that the threat was now 'one of the starkest we have faced'. Security minister Ben Wallace said the increased danger of attacks was 'here to stay'. Their warnings came as anti-terror police tried to question a suspect over the latest feared targeting of Westminster. The man  named last night as Salih Khater and said to be a British citizen of Sudanese origin  was arrested by armed police after the car hit cyclists and pedestrians before crashing into a security barrier at around 50mph during the morning rush-hour. Police raided a string of addresses in the Midlands as they tried to discover what was behind his actions. He was refusing to cooperate with police. Britain was on a heightened state of alert last night after a car ploughed into cyclists outside Parliament in an apparent extremist attack Cars could be banned from Parliament Square after another terror attack, says Met chief The streets around Parliament could be pedestrianised to stop vehicle attacks, Britain's most senior police officer has said. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick praised officers' courage as they leapt into action following the 'ghastly' incident on Tuesday. Since the Westminster Bridge attack in March last year, Ms Dick said there had been an increase in the number of armed officers and barriers in place to protect the capital's political heart. Discussions between parliamentary authorities, security agencies, the police and London's mayor will 'no doubt' take place about whether the site should be further pedestrianised, she said. But the commissioner, speaking ahead of a series of unrelated dawn raids that took place in Lewisham, south east London, on Wednesday said: 'As with anything there is a balance to be drawn.' She added: 'We are not going to give in, we are not going to just change our lifestyle, but it is important we take reasonable measures, as I think we have being doing over the last several months, to try and make sure that the most iconic sites, including those in central London, are well protected and should something happen there, that the police are able to respond very quickly with armed officers, which is exactly what we saw yesterday.' Officials revealed that there were 676 live investigations being conducted by the security services and counter-terror police at the end of June, up from more than 500 three months earlier. Officials also said that between 2010 and 2017 there were 2,029 terrorist arrests in Britain, but 412 of those were in the year to December  the highest on record. Mrs May yesterday called on the country to come together as she voiced her disgust at the attack outside Parliament. It follows the Westminster Bridge attack in March last year in which Khalid Masood killed five pedestrians before stabbing to death PC Keith Palmer at the gates of Parliament. The Prime Minister said: 'For the second time in as many years the home of our democracy, which is a potent symbol of our precious values of tolerance and freedom, has witnessed terrible scenes just yards from its door. 'The threat to the United Kingdom from terrorism remains severe. 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. 'The twisted aim of the extremists is to use violence and terror to divide us. They will never succeed.' Mrs May voiced relief that no one had been killed in the latest attack as she praised the 'formidable courage' of the armed officers who apprehended the driver within minutes of him driving into the security barrier outside Parliament. 'My thoughts are with the innocent members of the public who were hurt in this appalling incident,' she said. The Prime Minister, who is on holiday in Switzerland, was informed of the incident at 8am yesterday  less than half an hour after it took place. She was kept abreast of the situation throughout the day. Home Secretary Sajid Javid last night returned to the UK from his holidays. A meeting of the Cobra emergency committee was held by security officials in Whitehall yesterday afternoon. Officials revealed that there were 676 live investigations being conducted by the security services and counter-terror police at the end of June, up from more than 500 three months earlier (pictured: armed police outside Westminster station yesterday) Last night Mr Wallace told 5 News: 'We have seen a shift since 2017 in the numbers of terrorist plots and the number of live investigations that are going on  both from the far-Right and Islamist extremists.' Asked if people should feel worried, he said: 'I think worried is the wrong word. People should realise that this is at the moment going to be here to stay, that the shift in threat is a phenomena of this generation.' The Prime Minister's official spokesman added: 'We have been clear that the threat from terrorism is one of the starkest we have faced, the nature of the threat is changing and so is our response.'
These Are The Victims Of The Westminster Attack Four people were killed and 50 others were injured when an attacker drove a vehicle into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge and fatally stabbed a police officer outside parliament on Wednesday. Please note: This post includes details on people both killed and injured in the incident. Leslie Rhodes, killed On Thursday night police announced that a 75-year-old man who had been injured in the attack had died. Leslie Rhodes, who was named by police on Friday, had been in hospital, where he was taken off life support. "Next of kin have been informed and are receiving support from specially trained family liaison officers," a statement said. According to reports, Rhodes was a retired window cleaner who was described by neighbours as a "lovely man". A neighbour told the Press Association that Rhodes had no children and was not married. He "would do anything for anybody", the neighbour added. Labour MP Chuka Umunna paid tribute to Rhodes, who was from his constituency of Streatham in London. Kurt Cochran, killed, and Melissa Payne Cochran, seriously injured Kurt Cochran, from Utah in the US, died during the attack. He and his wife Melissa Payne Cochran were thought to have been celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary in London. Relatives said she suffered serious injuries in the attack and is still being treated in hospital. Clint Payne, Melissa's brother, wrote on Facebook: "Our hearts are broken this day as we say goodbye to our dear brother-in-law Kurt. He passed away from the injuries sustained in the London terrorist attack yesterday. We love him so much and will never forget him. He said his sister sustained a broken leg, a broken rib, and a cut to her head. We are grateful that she will recover, he said in the post. Our hearts ache for her and their children in losing their loving companion and father. Please continue to pray for our family. Thank you." The couple were enjoying the final day of their European vacation, which was their first trip abroad, according to BBC News. In the previous days, they had visited Melissa's parents, who worked on a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints mission. In a tweet, President Trump praised Kurt Cochran as a "great American". Another of Kurt's relatives, Shantell Payne, wrote in a separate Facebook post on Thursday: "This pain is so heart wrenching and raw it has rocked our family and all that knew him to its core. We will miss Kurt beyond words. We love you Kurt. RIP." The Monday following the attack, Clint Payne read out a statement on behalf of the family at London's Scotland Yard, attended by thirteen of Cochran's relatives. "The most difficult part of all of this is that Kurt is no longer with us, and we miss him terribly. He was an amazing individual who loved everyone, and tried to make the world a better place," Payne said. "He left a legacy of generosity and service that continues to inspire us. We are deeply saddened to lose him but are grateful the world is coming to know him and be inspired by him." Jonathan Brady / PA Wire/PA Images Cochran's family at Scotland Yard, Mar. 27. Payne said that Cochran "wouldn't bear ill feelings towards anyone and we can draw strength as a family from that". "His whole life was an example of focusing on the positive. Not pretending that negative things don't exist but not living our life in the negative - that's what we choose to do." He added that Melissa's health is "steadily improving" and had been "strengthened by the presence of her family." Aysha Frade, killed Facebook Aysha Frade was reportedly on her way to pick up her children from school when she was struck by the car that drove into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge. The 43-year-old mother of two taught Spanish at DLD College London, which is just over the river from the houses of parliament. On Friday, her husband, John Frade, changed his profile picture to a poem that read: "our most beautiful flower in our garden of joy, protect us from heaven in all that you do." Friends and family wrote on the post that her loss was "devastating". "My heart is broken for you and your beautiful girls," wrote one person. "My heart goes out to you in this difficult time. You are in my thoughts and prayers," wrote another. Facebook / Via Facebook The college confirmed to BuzzFeed News on Wednesday that she died in the attack. Rachel Borland, principal at DLD College London, told BuzzFeed News: "We are all deeply shocked and saddened at the news that one of the victims yesterday was a member of our staff, Aysha Frade. All our thoughts and our deepest sympathies are with her family. We will be offering every support we can to them as they try to come to terms with their devastating loss." She added: "Aysha worked as a member of our administration team at the college. She was highly regarded and loved by our students and by her colleagues. She will be deeply missed by all of us." According to the Spanish newspaper La Voz de Galicia, Frade was originally from Betanzos in Galicia, northern Spain. Keith Palmer, killed The Metropolitan police confirmed on Wednesday that veteran police officer Keith Palmer was one of the four people who died during the attack. Palmer, 48, was married with a 5-year-old daughter. He became part of the parliamentary and diplomatic command in April 2016, after joining the Met in 2001. Stefan Rousseau / PA Wire/PA Images In a statement on Thursday, his family said he would be remembered as a "wonderful dad and husband," a loving son, brother and uncle, and a long-time supporter of Charlton FC. He was a friend to "everyone who knew him" and was brave, dedicated, courageous, and proud to be a police officer, they said. "He will be deeply missed. We love him so much. His friends and family are shocked and devastated by his loss and ask that they are left to grieve alone in peace." Tobias Ellwood, a minister in the Foreign Office, tried to save Palmer by giving him mouth-to-mouth and attempting to apply pressures on his wounds to stem the blood flow. The MP was pictured surrounded by medics and police officers giving CPR, and stayed with Palmer until an air ambulance arrived. Speaking in the House of Commons on Thursday morning, prime minister Theresa May paid tribute to Palmer: "He was a husband, and a father, killed doing the job he loved. He was every inch the hero and his action will not be forgotten." The flag at Scotland Yard was flown at half mast to mark Palmer's death. His colleague, PC James Aitkenhead, said he had a "great work ethic". "We will miss him so much," he added. Inspector Mark Turner, who also worked alongside him, said Palmer was a fantastic member of staff who would be "sorely missed". Andreea Cristea, in hospital, and Andrei Burnaz, discharged from hospital The Romanian embassy in London told BuzzFeed News the woman who was taken to hospital after being found in the River Thames is 29-year-old Andreea Cristea. A spokesperson on Thursday said Cristea had undergone surgery overnight. Her fianc, named as Andrei Burnaz, was discharged from hospital after suffering a knee injury, the spokesperson added. It is understood Cristea is now in a stable condition. The Port of London Authority confirmed yesterday that a woman had been pulled alive from the Thames. "A female member of the public was pulled from the water near Westminster Bridge, alive, with serious injuries," a spokesperson said on Wednesday. The Romanian embassy said it was in contact with the families of Cristea and Burnaz. Other victims The number of pedestrians hurt on Westminster Bridge fluctuated immediately after the incident, and police said on Friday there had been 50 injuries. Two people, they said, remain in a critical condition and one person has life-threatening injuries. On Thursday, authorities said the injured included 12 Britons, three French children, two Romanians, four South Koreans, one German, one Pole, one Irish person, one Chinese person, one Italian, one American, and two Greeks. Three of the injured were police officers returning from an event recognising their bravery. Edge Hill University, in Lancashire, confirmed a group of 13 politics students and a lecturer were on a field trip during the attack. One student, 19-year-old Travis Frain, remains in hospital and is being treated for a leg injury. Four other pupils sustained minor injuries and are now at home, a spokesperson said. Frain tweeted on Friday to thank hospital staff for his treatment. Prince Charles visited him following an operation. The French embassy confirmed on Friday that three students, aged 15 and 16, who were on a school trip from Britanny, remain in hospital in London with injuries that a spokesperson said "were not life-threatening". The Polish embassy in London confirmed in a tweet that a Polish national was hurt in the attack, but said he had suffered minor injuries and was released from hospital on Thursday.
Police officer stabbed and many wounded in apparent terror attack near UK Parliament Police fatally shot a man who stabbed a police officer to death inside the grounds of the UK Parliament in London. A car drove into a crowd of pedestrians on the nearby Westminster Bridge. Four others died as a result of the attacks. At least 40 are injured. Police put Parliament and the Westminster area on lockdown WARNING: Some of the images below are graphic. Five people were dead and at least 40 were injured Wednesday after an apparent terrorist attack in central London. A lone assailant mowed down dozens of pedestrians on Westminster Bridge in a 4X4 vehicle before killing a police officer with a knife in the grounds of Parliament just after 2:30 p.m. local time. The attacker was shot dead by the police outside Parliament gates. Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner Mark Rowley told reporters they have identified the attacker, but will not yet name him publicly. Investigators believe the attack was inspired by Islamist-related international terrorism, he said. In a statement, UK Prime Minister Theresa May called the attacks "sick and depraved" and thanked the "exceptional men and women" who protect London. Rowley told reporters that the police believed there to be only one attacker but that it would be "foolish" to rule out the possibility of more. He advised the public to be vigilant and confirmed that additional officers would patrol the capital Wednesday night and Thursday. "I saw a fairly thick-set man wearing black clothes running through the open gates, the security gates where people drive their cars," Letts said. "He seemed to have something in his hand, maybe a knife, maybe a stick." Letts continued: "He started beating a policeman who had fallen over on the ground. The policeman managed to shake him off and the attacker then ran towards the entrance of the House of Commons, which is used by our members of Parliament and he got about 15 yards before the authorities responded." Member of Parliament Tobias Ellwood attempted to give mouth-to-mouth to the stabbed police officer before the officer died. The officer was identified as Keith Palmer, a 48-year-old veteran with 15 years of service. A police officer taping off Parliament Square after reports of loud bangs in London on Wednesday. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth Aside from the five dead, others are suffering from "catastrophic injuries" after a car mowed down pedestrians on a packed Westminster Bridge no more than a few hundred meters from the houses of Parliament. Three of the injured are French students, according to French media. US President Donald Trump called May, his British counterpart, to express condolences for the attack, the White House said. "He pledged the full cooperation and support of the United States government in responding to the attack and bringing those responsible to justice," the White House said. No terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the attack. New York Times terrorism correspondent Rukmini Callimachi noted on Twitter, however, that pro-Islamic State channels on the chat app Telegram were talking about the attack. "Numerous ISIS-linked channels are sharing blow-by-blow updates on events in London," Callimachi said. She went on to note that this pattern followed that of some recent terrorist attacks: "We saw this post-Paris, post-Nice, post-Orlando etc." "The mode of attack, according to reporters at the scene, includes stabbing and car-ramming, both ISIS signatures," she said. Wednesday marks the first anniversary of the worst terrorist attack in Belgium's history, in which 32 people were killed and hundreds were wounded in bombings carried out by the Islamic State in Brussels. Callimachi said that "ISIS, like al-Qaeda, loves anniversaries." A bystander who was struck by the car. Toby Melville / Reuters 'Panic and confusion' A witness close to Westminster Bridge has told Business Insider that there were "lots of sirens" and "people running" at the scene. Steve Voake, 55, a witness on the scene who said he was visiting London for the day, told NBC News that he was walking on the bridge when he heard screaming. "I thought it was a road accident," he said. "There was lots of panic and confusion. Then I saw a shoe [on the] ground. I [saw] one body on one side of the road and one body face down in the water with blood all around it." Metropolitan Police Commander BJ Harrington described the attack in a statement. "We received a number of different reports  which included a person in the river, a car in collision with pedestrians, and a man with a knife," Harrington said. "Officers were already in the location as part of our routine policing operation." A woman was pulled alive from the River Thames shortly after the attack on Westminster Bridge. Google Maps / Business Insider All government and civil-service offices were on lockdown, and all inside were told to remain indoors as the situation unfolded. The Westminster tube station and nearby buildings including St. Thomas' Hospital and the Gherkin building were on lockdown after the attack. Dozens of armed officers were inside the grounds of Parliament. Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn released a statement after the attack. "Reports suggest the ongoing incident in Westminster this afternoon is extremely serious," he said. "Our thoughts are with the victims of this horrific attack, their families and friends. The police and security staff have taken swift action to ensure the safety of the public, MPs and staff, and we are grateful to them." Mayor Sadiq Khan of London also released a statement on the attack. "There has been a serious incident near to Parliament Square this afternoon which is being treated as a terrorist attack until the police know otherwise," Khan said, adding: "The Metropolitan Police Service is dealing with the incident and an urgent investigation is underway. My thoughts are with those affected and their families." These are the latest images from Westminster: Pedestrians made their way across Westminster Bridge after the attack: The scene after the incident on Westminster Bridge in London on Wednesday. Reuters/Toby Melville Some victims were hit near the Eye end of the bridge, below, while others were injured closer to Parliament: Toby Melville / Reuters Armed police officers were on the scene in minutes to escort people out of the area:
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.  A judge denied bail Monday to an Ohio man accused of slamming his car into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing one of them, during a white nationalist rally. James Alex Fields Jr., 20, appeared in Charlottesville General District Court by video conference, where a judge read out the charges that include one count of second-degree murder, several counts of malicious wounding and one count of hit and run. Clad in a striped gray and white shirt, Fields was subdued while answering questions from Judge Robert Downer. Fields said he could not afford a lawyer, and Downer assigned private attorney Charles Weber to the case. Downer said he could not appoint a public defender due to a conflict of interest someone linked to the public defender's office was injured in the crash Saturday. Fields next court date will be Aug. 25. Heather Heyer, 32, was killed and 19 people were injured Saturday when a Dodge Challenger allegedly driven by Fields rear-ended a sedan, which then hit a minivan that had slowed to allow the counter-protesters to cross at an intersection, Charlottesville police said. The impact pushed the vehicles into the crowd, police said in a statement. The Challenger fled the scene, but officers stopped it a short time later and arrested Fields, police said. The Justice Department has opened a civil rights investigation into the car attack, and FBI Director Christopher Wray said Monday it does meet the definition of domestic terrorism. President Trump said he discussed the case with Wray and Attorney Gen. Jeff Sessions. Trump, who condemned the violence hours after the tragedy but drew criticism for blaming "many sides," blasted white supremacists Monday. "Racism is evil, and those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs, including the KKK, neo-Nazis, white supremacists and other hate groups that are are repugnant to everything we hold dear as Americans," he said. Trump also paid homage to Heyer and to two State Troopers who died when their surveillance helicopter crashed in woods hours after Heyer's death. Heyer was killed shortly after police broke up the rally, which was a protest against the city's plans to remove a state of Confederate general Robert E. Lee from a park. The rally drew hundreds of white supremacists, neo-Nazis and others, some dressed in militia-type garb and carrying weapons. Clashes between them and counter-protesters prompted Gov. Terry McAuliffe to declare a state of emergency before the rally even got underway. The crowd mostly dispersed after police stepped in, and that is when the crash occurred. Fields' mother Samantha Bloom told CBS News she heard about the charges facing her son from a news reporter. "I just knew he was going to a rally," she told CBS. "I didn't know it was white supremacist. I thought it had something to do with Trump." Fields graduated high school in 2015, and the Army has confirmed that Fields reported for basic training in August of 2015. He was released from active duty a few months later "due to a failure to meet training standards," the Army said in a statement. CLOSE Graphic video: A bystander captures the moment a car slams into a crowd at a white nationalist protest in Charlottesville, Virginia. USA TODAY Former Randall K. Cooper High School history teacher Derek Weimer, 45, of Florence, Ky., told The (Cincinnati) Enquirer in an interview that he was probably the closest to Fields out of everyone on the faculty. Im sure if you would ask James he would say I was his favorite or one of his favorite teachers, said Weimer, adding that he had Fields in three classes directly and had regular interaction with him after classes and during free time. I feel like I failed and that we all failed, Weimer said of Fields. He was a very bright kid but very misguided and disillusioned. Weimer told the Associated Press that Fields was fascinated with Nazism, idolized Adolf Hitler and had "deeply held, radical" convictions on race. "Once you talked to James for a while, you would start to see that sympathy towards Nazism, that idolization of Hitler, that belief in white supremacy," Weimer said. "It would start to creep out." A photo of Heather Heyer, who was killed during a white nationalist rally, sits on the ground at a memorial the day her life was celebrated at the Paramount Theater on Aug. 16, 2017, in Charlottesville, Va. Evan Vucci, AP Marcus Martin, right, hugs Marissa Blair, left, during a memorial for Heather Heyer on Aug. 16, 2017, in Charlottesville, Va. Martin pushed Blair out of the way of the vehicle that killed Heyer. Pool photo by Andrew Shurtleff Clergy observe a moment of silence during the memorial service for Heather Heyer outside the Paramount Theater Aug. 16, 2017, in Charlottesville, Va. The memorial service was held four days after Heyer was killed when a participant in a white nationalist, neo-Nazi rally allegedly drove his car into the crowd of people demonstrating against the 'alt-right' gathering. Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images Jason Charter of Washington, left, stands at the site where Heather Heyer was killed during a white nationalist rally on Aug. 16, 2017, in Charlottesville, Va. Charter was at the scene when a car rammed into a crowd of people protesting the rally. Evan Vucci, AP A chalk message calling for a park to be renamed after Heather Heyer is written in the street where she was killed and 19 others injured when a car slamed into a crowd of people protesting against a white supremacist rally, Aug. 16, 2017, in Charlottesville, Va. Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images Mason Pickett, a Charlottesville resident, tries to toss a wire over the chalk wall to hang up a wreath. Following protests that turned violent on Aug. 12, 2017, and a day of memorial and mourning on 13th, Charlottesville, Va, continues to recover. Henry Taylor, USA TODAY Tannis Fuller embraces her son while her husband and other son stands nearby. Fuller moved to Charlottesville in 2003 and started a family from scratch, both her sons were born in the town and she was just blocks away at the time when Heather Heyer was killed. Henry Taylor, USA TODAY The memorial on 4th Street is built up with more flowers while two spectators drop their bouquets into the formation. Following protests that turned violent on Saturday and a day of memorial and mourning on Sunday, the town of Charlottesville, Va., continues to recover from the social rift. Henry Taylor, USA TODAY People gather at an informal memorial at the site where 32-year-old Heather Heyer was killed when a car plowed into a crowd of people protesting against the white supremacist Unite the Right rally on Aug. 13, 2017, in Charlottesville, Va. Charlottesville is calm the day after violence errupted around the Unite the Right rally, a gathering of white nationalists, neo-Nazis, the Ku Klux Klan and members of the 'alt-right,' that left Heyer dead and injured 19 others. Win McNamee, Getty Images After threats of alt-right presence in the area, a crowd of hundreds of mourners and citizens showed up to a vigil on Aug. 13, 2017, at the crash site in Charlottesville, Va., where Heather Heyer was killed when a car barreled into a group of protesters. Henry Taylor, USA TODAY Brittney Cain-Conley, lead organizer for Congregate Charlottesville, with hat, gets a hug from a supporter after she addressed the crowd during a vigil on, Aug. 13, 2017, held at the site where a car plowed into a crowd of people protesting a white nationalist rally on Saturday in Charlottesville, Va. Steve Helber, AP Hundreds of people gather for a vigil on the spot where 32-year-old Heather Heyer was killed when a car plowed into a crowd of people protesting against the white supremacist Unite the Right rally Aug. 13, 2017, in Charlottesville, Virginia. Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images Flowers and notes are left in memory of Heather Heyer, who died after she was struck when a car plowed into a crowd protesting the 'Unite the Right' rally. Mykal McEldowney, Indy Star-USA TODAY NETWORK David Brear, gray shirt, Kerry Rock, facing camera, and Colleen Todd, red shirt, embrace after visiting the memorial for the three who passed away the day before during the protests. Henry Taylor, USA TODAY Sports A protester throws a punch at Jason Kessler after grabbing at his shoulder during a press conference. Kessler, an alt-right blogger, held a press conference in front of Charlottesville City Hall the day after the protests, where a crowd of counter protesters arrived to shout over him while he spoke into the microphone on Aug. 13, 2017. Henry Taylor, USA TODAY Virginia police are stationed in locations all around the podium as Jason Kessler, an alt-right blogger, holds a press conference in front of Charlottesville City Hall the day after the protests, where a crowd of counter protesters arrived to shout over him while he spoke on Aug. 13, 2017. Henry Taylor, USA TODAY Sports "I just don't want to see people get hurt anymore," said Charlottesville resident Mai Shurtleff, left. "I have a little girl I just can't imagine." As Shurtleff sat weeping on the sidewalk near the site where a car plowed into a group of counter protesters killing one, Damonia Lee approached. "We are fighting for equality. I was here. I hugged her. She was so sweet," Lee said, about the young female who lost her life. "We're going to take our city back. This is a city of love." Mykal McEldowney, The Indianapolis Star via USA TODAY NETWORK A counter protester warns police that if actions, hate aren't stopped he will 'do something' on his own. He and others voiced their opinions over a loud speaker after the press conference by 'Unite the Right' organizer Jason Kessler in Charlottesville, Va., on Aug. 13, 2017. Mykal McEldowney, The Indianapolis Star via USA TODAY NETWORK Crowd members play loud instruments and yell as to drown out the voice of 'Unite the Right' rally organizer and white nationalist Jason Kessler as he speaks to a large crowd gathered at Charlottesville City Hall on Aug. 13, 2017. Mykal McEldowney, The Indianapolis Star via USA TODAY NETWORK Nicole Curry, a life-long resident of Charlottesville, watches from inside the Charlottesville Downtown Visitors Center as people start to file onto the grounds in front of City Hall to watch a press conference by 'Unite the Right' organizer and white nationalist Jason Kessler on Aug. 13, 2017. Mykal McEldowney, The Indianapolis Star via USA TODAY NETWORK 'Unite the Right' rally organizer and white nationalist Jason Kessler speaks to a large crowd gathered at Charlottesville City Hall. Crowd members played loud instruments and yelled as to drown out his voice on Aug. 13, 2017. Mykal McEldowney, The Indianapolis Star via USA TODAY NETWORK Following the violence during the Alt-right rally and counter protests, where one person was killed and nineteen injured after being hit by a car, the city of Charlottesville reacts. Henry Taylor, USA TODAY Jewel King presents flowers to a small memorial following the violence at the Alt-right rally and counter protests where one person was killed and nineteen injured after being hit by a car. Henry Taylor, USA TODAY David Heins spreads flowers in the shape of a heart on Sunday in Charlottesville, Va., a day after one person died in violent protests when white supremacists clashed with counter protesters. Henry Taylor, USA TODAY Charlottesville resident Mai Shurtleff, right, sits weeping on the sidewalk near the site where a car plowed into a group of counter protesters killing one. "This wasn't something I expected to happen in our town," she said as Charlottesville resident Bob Kiefer consoled her on Aug. 13, 2017. "This does not define Charlottesville at all. We are a strong, loving community. I don't even know this gentleman but as strangers we are friends. This is what makes us stronger together." Mykal McEldowney, The Indianapolis Star via USA TODAY NETWORK TC Whysall, manager at Red Pump Kitchen in Charlottesville, lays white roses on the site where a car plowed into a group of counter protesters killing one. Mykal McEldowney, The Indianapolis Star via USA TODAY NETWORK People fly into the air as a vehicle drives into a group of protesters demonstrating against a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va. on Aug. 12, 2017. The nationalists were holding the rally to protest plans by the city of Charlottesville to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. There were several hundred protesters marching in a long line when the car drove into a group of them. Ryan M. Kelly, The Daily Progress via AP Virginia State Police inspect the site where a vehicle hit protesters in Charlottesville, Va. on Aug. 12, 2017. According to media reports at least one person was killed and 19 injured after a car hit a crowd of people counter-protesting the 'Unite the Right' rally. Tasos Katopodis, European Pressphoto Agency Police and members of the National Guard patrol near the location where a car plowed into a crowd of people marching through a downtown shopping district on Aug. 12, 2017 in Charlottesville, Va. Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images AUGUST 12: Krystin Rines, center, rests her head on her husband Tyler Rines' shoulder during a vigil for those who were injured and died when a car plowed into a crowd of anti-fascist counter-demonstrators marching near a downtown shopping area Aug. 12, 2017 in Charlottesville, Va. Win McNamee, Getty Images People place flowers at a makeshift memorial during a vigil for those who were injured and died when a car plowed into a crowd of anti-facist counter-demonstrators marching near a downtown shopping area Aug. 12, 2017 in Charlottesville, Va. Win McNamee, Getty Images People gather for a vigil after a car plowed through a crowd of demonstrators, killing one person and injuring 18 others, during violence at the white nationalist 'United the Right' rally Aug. 12, 2017 in Charlottesville, Va. Gov. Terry McAuliffe declared a state of emergency after white nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the "alt-right" violently clashed with anti-facist and Black Lives Matter counter-demonstrators at Emancipation Park. Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images A car plows into pedestrians and vehicles on the mall in Charlottesville after Saturday's white supremacist rally. The driver hit the knot of cars and people at high speed, then backed up and fled the scene. Jeremiah Knupp, Special to The News Leader via USA TODAY Network Rescue personnel help injured people after a car ran into a large group of protesters after a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va. on Aug. 12, 2017. The nationalists were holding the rally to protest plans by the city of Charlottesville to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. There were several hundred protesters marching in a long line when the car drove into a group of them. Steve Helber, AP A member of a white nationalist group recovers after being hit by a counter protester on the grounds of Emancipation Park, formerly known as Lee Park, during a 'Unite the Right' rally. Mykal McEldowney, IndyStar via USA TODAY NETWORK A member of a white nationalist group recovers after being hit by pepper spray by a counter protester on the grounds of Emancipation Park, formerly known as Lee Park, during a 'Unite the Right' rally. Mykal McEldowney, IndyStar via USA TODAY NETWORK White nationalists swing their flag sticks and use makeshift shields to push their way through counter protesters at Emancipation Park during the 'Unite the Right' rallyon Aug.12, 2017. Mykal McEldowney, The Indianapolis Star via USA TODAY NETWORK A white nationalist prepares to swing his flag stick and use makeshift shields to help push his crew's way through counter protesters at Emancipation Park during the 'Unite the Right' rally on Aug.12, 2017. Mykal McEldowney, The Indianapolis Star via USA TODAY NETWORK A Charlottesville police officer breaks up a fight on the street in front of Emancipation Park, formerly known as Lee Park, during the 'Unite the Right' rally on Aug.12, 2017. Mykal McEldowney, The Indianapolis Star via USA TODAY NETWORK A counter protester, left, feuds with a white nationalist on the street in front of Emancipation Park, formerly known as Lee Park, during the 'Unite the Right' rally on Aug.12, 2017. Mykal McEldowney, The Indianapolis Star via USA TODAY NETWORK A white nationalist guards the entrance to Emancipation Park, formerly known as Lee Park, during the 'Unite the Right' rally on Aug.12, 2017. The man wore a red wings pin on the collar of his shirt. According to the Detroit Free Press, "The Detroit Red Wings are exploring possible legal action after a slightly modified team logo appeared on signs held by protesters at a violent and deadly white nationalist rally in Virginia on Saturday. " Mykal McEldowney, The Indianapolis Star via USA TODAY NETWORK A Charlottesville Police officer breaks up a fight on the street in front of Emancipation Park, formerly known as Lee Park, during the 'Unite the Right' rally in Charlottesville, Va. on Aug. 12, 2017. Mykal McEldowney, IndyStar via USA TODAY NETWORK Colleen Cook, 26, holds a sign as hundreds of people are facing off in Charlottesville, Va., ahead of a white nationalist rally planned in the Virginia city's downtown on Aug. 12, 2017. Cook, a teacher who attended UVA, said she sent her black son out of town for the weekend. "This isn't how he should have to grow up," she said. Sarah Rankin, AP White nationalist Richard Spencer, center, and his supporters clash with Virginia State Police in Lee Park after the "United the Right" rally was declared an unlawful gathering Aug. 12, 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia. Hundreds of white nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the "alt-right" clashed with anti-facist protesters and police as they attempted to hold a rally in Lee Park, where a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee is slated to be removed. Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images Hundreds of white nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the "alt-right" are confronted by protesters as they march down East Market Street toward Lee Park during the "United the Right" rally Aug. 12, 2017 in Charlottesville, Va. Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images Hundreds of white nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the "alt-right" march down East Market Street toward Lee Park during the "United the Right" rally Aug.12, 2017 in Charlottesville, Va. A Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images Hundreds of white nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the "alt-right" march down East Market Street toward Lee Park during the "United the Right" rally Aug.12, 2017 in Charlottesville, Va. Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images White nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the "alt-right" clash with counter-protesters as they enter Lee Park during the "Unite the Right" rally Aug. 12, 2017 in Charlottesville, Va. Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images White nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the "alt-right" exchange vollys of pepper spray with counter-protesters as they enter Lee Park during the "Unite the Right" rally Aug. 12, 2017 in Charlottesville, Va. Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images White nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the "alt-right" exchange insults with counter-protesters as they enter Lee Park during the "Unite the Right" rally Aug. 12, 2017 in Charlottesville, Va. Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images White nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the "alt-right" exchange insults with counter-protesters as they enter Lee Park during the "Unite the Right" rally Aug. 12, 2017 in Charlottesville, Va. Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images White nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the "alt-right" clash with counter-protesters as they enter Lee Park during the "Unite the Right" rally Aug. 12, 2017 in Charlottesville, Va. Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images White nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the "alt-right" clash with counter-protesters as they enter Lee Park during the "Unite the Right" rally Aug. 12, 2017 in Charlottesville, Va. Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images A man makes a slashing motion across his throat twoard counter-protesters as he marches with other white nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the "alt-right" during the "Unite the Right" rally Aug 12, 2017 in Charlottesville, Va. Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images Counter-protesters line the route taken by white nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the "alt-right" during the "Unite the Right" rally Aug. 12, 2017 in Charlottesville, Va. Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images Counter-protesters line the route taken by white nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the "alt-right" during the "Unite the Right" rally Aug. 12, 2017 in Charlottesville, Va. Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images Counter-protesters line the route taken by white nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the "alt-right" during the "Unite the Right" rally Aug. 12, 2017 in Charlottesville, Va. Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images Multiple white nationalist groups march with torches through the University of Virginia campus in Charlottesville on Aug. 11, 2017. When met by counter protesters, some yelling "Black lives matter," tempers turned into violence. Multiple punches were thrown, pepper spray was sprayed and torches were used as weapons. Mykal McEldowney, The Indianapolis Star via USA TODAY NETWORK Campus and state police yell to disperse as white nationalists and counter protesters feud on the UVA campus in Charlottesville on August 11, 2017. Mykal McEldowney, The Indianapolis Star via USA TODAY NETWORK
Westminster terror suspect is football and Celine Dion fan who drove from Birmingham to launch attack on Parliament THE Westminster suspect has been revealed as a Celine Dion-loving British nationwide who drove 115 miles from his residence in Birmingham to launch an attack, studies declare. The lone attacker has been named by locals as Sudan-born Salih Khater, 29, who most lately was dwelling in a rundown flat above an web cafe in Sparkhill, Birmingham. Sky Information The terror suspect has been named by locals as British nationwide Salih Khater, 29, pictured being arrested by cops outdoors Parliament Particulars have now start to emerge concerning the suspect, who describes himself on Fb as a store supervisor who studied on the Sudan College of Science and Know-how. He additionally studied accountancy at Coventry College between September 2017 and Might 2018, the varsity confirmed at this time. Cops stated he left the West Midlands late on Monday night time and spent hours stalking the streets of central London earlier than mowing down 15 cyclists and making an attempt to ram his means into Parliament at 50mph. However the suspect was foiled by a metal barrier in what specialists consider was a copycat of the earlier Westminster attack in March final yr that killed 5 individuals. This is what we all know to date A silver Ford Fiesta crashed into anti-terror limitations outdoors the Homes of Parliament at 7.37am mowing down pedestrians and cyclists Three individuals have been harm  together with a person and a lady who have been taken to hospital with non life-threatening accidents whove since been discharged The 29-year-old driver, named by locals as Brit nationwide Salih Khater, initially from Sudan, has been arrested on suspicion of terror offences The suspect left Birmingham late on Monday night time and drove round London for a number of hours earlier than the rampage Terror cops have carried out raids at two addresses in Birmingham, together with the suspects house, and one in Nottingham as a part of their investigation Specialists consider it was a copycat of the earlier Westminster attack in March final yr however say the suspect had received spooked by a passing ambulance Additional cops will now be stationed at key transport hubs throughout the nation Theresa Might has praised medics and police for his or her fast response to the attack Khater grew up in the agricultural city of Wad Madani the place his mother and father have been sorghum farmers. He got here to the UK round 5 years in the past and lately misplaced his dad and brother inside months of one another. Khater seems to have turn into a lover of Western music and football and current posts embrace footage of a Sudanese mosque and desert scenes. His Fb profile consists of movies from pop stars Celine Dion, Eminem and Rihanna  together with Canadian Celine singing As a result of You Liked Me in Memphis. He posted one other video of Eminem and Rihannas Love The Means You Lie. Cops have been at present search a flat on this tower block in Birmingham He had been dwelling above an web cafe in Sparkhill till round 4 months, which is ten minutes from the previous house of Westminster Bridge attacker Khalid Masood. An area barber, who didnt need to be named, informed The Telegraph: He all the time comes to the Sudanese espresso store subsequent door. I feel the final time I noticed him was final week. Labour MP Roger Godsiff final night time confirmed the suspect lived in his constituency, including: My deepest sympathies to the cyclists and pedestrians who have been injured within the attack. Ive advised the police and safety providers that theyve my complete help in doing no matter is crucial to shield the general public in London and Birmingham. Neighbours in Radford stated plain-clothed cops pressured their approach right into a three-storey home with a battering ram at about 3pm, shouting: Police! An occupant of the home, who requested not to be named, stated six Sudanese males had lived there for the previous 12 months. Caters Information Company Neighbours stated six Sudanese males lived on this property in Nottingham however did not recognise the suspect concerned within the attack on Parliament One neighbour stated: They have been numerous them [police] and they have been fairly aggressive. They broke in, and broke a few doorways down inside. They wouldnt say who they have been. It was fairly scary. It makes you fairly apprehensive that a home so shut is being linked to what occurred in London. It is a shared house, people come and go there, they all have six bedrooms in this row. But Ive never seen the guy they arrested at the scene. Officers have been seen leaving the property at round 7.30pm clutching paperwork. It comes as horrified witnesses described the terror of seeing the automotive driving towards Parliament at speed earlier than listening to a loud bang because it smashed into black metal limitations. Two uniformed cops on guard dived for canopy because the entrance of the Fiesta crumpled on impression with smoke billowing from its engine. The silver Ford Fiesta crashed right into a barrier close to Parliament A person and a lady have been taken to hospital with critical however non-life threatening accidents and have since been discharged, whereas one other man was handled on the scene. The suspect is believed to have been spooked by an ambulance as eyewitnesses claimed the driving force appeared to be in shock as he was led away in handcuffs. Undercover armed officers had poured out of a white van which was on the scene in simply seconds. Did YOU witness the crash? Contact us and ship us your footage: holly.christodoulou@the-sun.co.uk or 02077824383 PA:Press Affiliation The Ford Fiesta is recovered from the scene of the rampage by police late on Tuesday PA:Press Affiliation Forensic officers by the automotive that crashed into safety limitations outdoors the Homes of Parliament on Tuesday night time PA:Press Affiliation A safety barrier is moved by a forklift truck in Westminster after the a automotive mowed down individuals on the morning commute PA:Press Affiliation Forensic officers by the automotive that crashed into safety obstacles outdoors the Homes of Parliament, Westminster, London The driving force is handcuffed after he drove his automotive into obstacles outdoors Parliament at round 7.40am on Tuesday morning The suspect is led away from the scene by armed cops following the chaos through the Tuesday morning rush hour Jamie Lorriman Bicycles have been left on the bottom following the rampage on the scene of one other terror attack Second suspect drives a automotive right into a Parliament barrier in Westminister The Mets Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu stated: Our priority is to formally identify the suspect and establish his motivations if we can. He is not currently cooperating. He stated the driving force was not recognized to counter-terror police, however he added: Given this appears to be a deliberate act, the method and this being an iconic site, we are treating it as a terrorist incident. It emerged yesterday that the Fiesta was pushed from Birmingham late on Monday, arriving in central London within the early hours of yesterday. It was parked within the Tottenham Courtroom Street space from 1.25am till 5.55am. The lone occupant then drove round Westminster and Whitehall for greater than 90 minutes earlier than the attack. Chilling CCTV noticed the Fiesta on the one-way system at Parliament Sq. earlier than all of a sudden lurching left on to the flawed aspect of the street. The automotive swerves throughout the street after ploughing into cyclists in Westminster PA:Press Affiliation Forensics officers work on the scene of the smash in Westminster EPA Forensics officers collect proof on the scene of the crash on Tuesday afternoon as they seek for a motive One bike owner struck by the automotive, Geoffrey Woodman, stated: It hit the lady two bikes to my left. It was going about 40 to 50mph. Its windscreen hit her hard as she was trying to jump off. He stated there was chaos because the sufferer, in her 40s, was left badly harm on the ground with bikes everywhere earlier than the Fiesta smashed into the barrier to the Previous Palace Yard automotive park on the Lords. Ex-Met counter-terror detective Brian Tarpey stated: The barriers are designed to stop trucks getting through. Theres no way a Fiesta would succeed. SUN SAYS FOR the second time in 18 months terror has come to Westminster. Once more, it is the bravery of our emergency providers which stands out above all. To run in the direction of a automotive, not figuring out what or who was in it, takes extra- peculiar bravery. It is braveness that weve turn out to be used to however that we should always by no means take as a right. There shall be exhausting questions requested over the approaching days. It is too early to inform how and why this man got here to commit his crime, or why the safety providers werent in a position to forestall it. However extra broadly, it is a reminder of the menace that stalks our streets. We cant overlook final yrs carnage, from London Bridge to Manchester, which noticed households ripped aside and promising lives reduce brief. The Authorities should not let terrorism slip to the again of the queue, regardless of how thorny different political points are. It stays a transparent and current hazard. The information that there have been 17 foiled plots since final March is terrifying. Theresa Might should give our intelligence providers all of the help they want  together with higher powers to examine social media. Terrorists are determined to divide us. Theyll by no means triumph. How the terror attack unfolded yesterday A search of the silver Fiesta, initially registered in Nottingham in 2010, discovered no weapons. It has now emerged that the automotive was written off by an insurance coverage firm final autumn and failed its MOT in Might due to a defective steering wheel  however was again on the street and bought two months in the past. Officers ask that anybody who might have seen the silver Ford Fiesta, registration quantity FL10 CWZ, or the driving force within the London space within the hours earlier than the attack to get in contact. Anybody with footage or pictures is additionally urged to attain out to police to assist with their investigation. Chaos on the scene of the crash in Westminster after a Ford Fiesta rammed into pedestrians and cyclists Smoke billows from the bonnet of the Fiesta after it crashed into anti-terror limitations HIGH ALERT: The terror attack that put Westminster on lockdown simply 18 months in the past Westminster has been put on excessive alert earlier than, with Tuesdays crash outdoors Parliament barely 18 months because the terror attack that gripped the capital. 5 individuals have been killed and greater than 50 individuals have been injured when Kent-born terrorist Khalid Masood mowed pedestrians down alongside Westminster Bridge in March final yr. The 52-year-old then crashed his automotive into the gates of Parliament, operating into the compound with two blades when he fatally stabbed police officer Keith Palmer. Mum-of-two Aysha Frade, American vacationer Kurt Cochran and 75-year-old Leslie Rhodes have been all murdered by the evil terrorist. Fifth sufferer, Andreea Cristea, was thrown off Westminster bridge in the course of the terror attack.Terrorist Masood was shot by police, later dying in hospital. Scotland Yard stated Masood was a violent felony convicted of a number of offences spanning 20 years.However they confirmed Masood was not the topic of any present investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack. We pay on your tales! Do you could have a narrative for The Solar On-line information group? E-mail us at ideas@the-sun.co.uk or name 0207 782 4368. You possibly can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for movies too. Click on right here to add yours.
Sebastian Coe and World Series of Boxing teams caught up in Westminster terrorist attack International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) President Sebastian Coe and members of the British Lionhearts and Italia Thunder boxing teams were among those caught up in a terrorist attack in Westminster here today, where five people have died and at least 40 injured. Representatives from the two boxing squads were present at the launch of the second year of the British Lionhearts in the Community (BLITC) programme here, which finished just as the horrific incident was unfolding at around 2:40pm local time. One of the victims of the attack was killed when a car drove at high speed on Westminster Bridge and into pedestrians, leaving dozens of others with serious injuries. The car then crashed before the assailant continued the attack on foot and tried to gain access to the Palace of Westminster, fatally stabbing a police officer before he was shot dead. The policeman has since been named as 48-year-old Keith Palmer. Foreign Office Minister Tobias Ellwood was seen giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to the officer. A woman was also reportedly pulled alive from the River Thames, although she had severe injuries. There are not yet any other confirmed casualties. Three of those injured on Westminster Bridge were from a group of French schoolchildren, while four students Edge Hill University in Lancashire were also hurt, with two being described as walking wounded. Acting Deputy Commissioner and head of counter terrorism at the Metropolitan Police Mark Rowley told reporters at New Scotland Yard that a major investigation was underway into a marauding terrorist attack. British Lionhearts super heavyweight boxer Frazer Clarke appears to have been one of the closest of the athletes to the incident. He Tweeted: I can never unsee what Ive just seen in front of my eyes at the House of Parliament [sic] in London. God be with the police officer. Currently inside the lobby at the Houses of Parliament terrible scenes. God be with that police officer!! Get me out of here ASAP. The Italia Thunder also issued a statement on Twitter in their native language, reassuring their fans and followers that they were okay. Not a good start [to] the adventure in London, the post read. Although at the time of the incident some of the #ItaliaThunder boxers were not far away, we want to reassure you that all are well. Coe, a member of the House of Lords, and IAAF communications director Jackie Brock-Doyle were also visiting Westminster at the time of the incident. They were among several hundred people forced to wait in buildings around Westminster, spending several hours there before being evacuated. Witnesses heard gunshots just outside of the building before the entire area was placed under lockdown by police and security officers. Members of Parliament (MPs), who were in attendance at the House of Commons to vote on a pension bill, which came after Theresa May held her Prime Ministers Questions, were kept inside for over four hours along with hundreds of others, including journalists, staff and tour groups. Around 1,000 people were then evacuated to nearby Westminster Abbey, where they were processed. In the evening, May chaired an emergency meeting of the Cobra Committee, the British Governments emergency council for major security issues. The British Prime Minister described the attack as sick and depraved in an address outside Downing Street this evening. For those of us who were in Parliament at the time of this attack, these events provide a particular reminder of the exceptional bravery of our police and security services who risk their lives to keep us safe, she said. Once again today, these exceptional men and women ran towards the danger, even as they encouraged others to move the other way. On behalf of the whole country I want to pay tribute to them and to all our emergency services for the work they have been doing to reassure the public. The location of this attack was no accident. The terrorist chose to strike at the heart of our capital city, where people of all nationalities, religions and cultures come together to celebrate the values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech. Boxers from the British Lionhearts and the Italia Thunder were here at an event to launch the second year of the BLITC, which aims to increase participation in sport in London. It was held on the eve of the World Series of Boxing match between the two teams at York Hall tomorrow. A statement from GB Boxing confirmed none of the British Lionhearts team were hurt in the attack but that they witnessed part of the incident. They have vowed to fulfill tomorrow nights fixture with the Italia Thunder as planned. GB Boxing can confirm that boxers and coaching staff from its British Lionhearts boxing team (who are due compete against Italia Thunder in the World Series of Boxing tomorrow night at York Hall) were at Westminster today and witnessed part of the attack at the Houses of Parliament, a statement read. No members of the British Lionhearts team or coaching staff were harmed in the incident and all of the boxers and staff are safe and well. The boxers and staff have spoken to the police and security forces and are assisting them with their enquiries into the incident. The boxers are due to compete tomorrow night in the World Series of Boxing against Italia Thunder and are very keen to fulfil this despite todays events. The team is completely focused on preparing for the fixture and will not be making any further comment on todays incident until after the match is over and would like to ask journalists and the media to respect this and leave the boxers free to complete their preparations without any further disturbances. The team will review this position once the match is completed. The boxers, coaches and everyone connected with GB Boxing and the British LIonhearts would like to express their sympathies to everyone that was hurt in todays incident and their sincere condolences to all of the families that have lost loved ones. The team would also like to thank the public for all of their messages of support. Welterweight Pat McCormack and flyweight Muhammad Ali joined team-mate Frazer Clarke and members of the Italian side were in attendance, along with MPs and participants in the BLITC scheme. Figures revealed today show that 2,321 people in the capital engaged with the award-winning programme, which also helps people in London with qualifications and health, during its first year. A total of 12 community hubs were also created. Those behind the scheme announced their intention to expand the project into six further London boroughs and engage with 1,500 more people in the second year. It is also hoped the initiative, backed by Sport England, London Mayor Sadiq Khan and delivered by a network of boxing clubs and community groups overseen by England Boxing, can be spread throughout the country in future. The programme is everything we want to see from boxing, All Party Parliamentary Group for Boxing chair Charlotte Leslie said. Sometimes in politics things dont work because people dont work together, but the collaboration in this is amazing. International Boxing Association President CK Wu added: This programme represents the very essence of WSB values and why AIBA has created this league. By successfully engaging the community around boxing in a collective spirit, the British Lionhearts and all its partners have created a reference for other franchises to follow. Leave A Reply What you need to Know Taking a nap longer than 20 minutes can help boost memory and enhance creativity.Only Asian people have black hair. Every other supposedly blacken hair color is actually really dark brown.It is illegal to refuse a person a glass of water in the state of Arizona.The length of your foot is the same as that of your forearm between your wrist and the inside of your elbow.The average guy will cry six times a year while the average woman will empty her tear ducts somewhere between 30 and 64 timesThe only place where you can really tickle yourself is on the roof of your mouth... 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This made Nigeria the last country to abandon the  currency system.The bloodhound is the only animal whose evidence is admissible in court.People who remain calm in stressful situations tend to have higher rates of depression and obesity.The first refrigerator used ether and ammonia to cool its contents.Alcohol activates and stimulates the same part of the brain associated with honesty.Mother Teresa just was 5 feet (1.52) tall.In 2011, for the first time ever, there were more Black, Hispanic and Asian babies born in America, than White babies.The world's most expensive car was a 1963 Bugatti 57SC Atlantic, which sold at auction for nearly $40 million in 2009A person can live without food for about a month, but only about a week without water.If you imagine hearing your name being called, when it's not, it's actually just a sign of a healthy mind.The can opener was invented 48 years after the can.The average person spends two weeks waiting for a traffic light to change Most dust particles in your house are made from dead skinResearchers say, a simple tilt of the head makes you more attractive.Dolphins sleep with one eye open Quote of the Day Every day is a new day, and youll never be able to find happiness if you dont move on
Scotland Yard said an appropriate policing plan will be put in place for Sundays clash between Oxford and Cambridge universities. Patrols across the capital have been stepped up after the Khalid Masood launched a horror attack on Westminster Bridge on March 22. The 52-year-old ploughed into crowds on Westminster Bridge before fatally stabbing Pc Keith Palmer outside the Palace of Westminster. Masood was shot dead by police. London Terror Attack: Armed Police at Westminster - 27 March 2017 London Terror Attack: Armed Police at Westminster - 27 March 2017 1/5 Two heavily armed police officers at the scene of the attack in Westminster Jeremy Selwyn 2/5 There is increased security at the Carriage Gates Jeremy Selwyn 3/5 Four police officers behind the barrier at Carriage Gates Jeremy Selwyn 4/5 Days after the attack, security has been increased at the Houses of Parliament Jeremy Selwyn 5/5 Sniffer dogs on patrol at Parliament today Jeremy Selwyn 1/5 Two heavily armed police officers at the scene of the attack in Westminster Jeremy Selwyn 2/5 There is increased security at the Carriage Gates Jeremy Selwyn 3/5 Four police officers behind the barrier at Carriage Gates Jeremy Selwyn 4/5 Days after the attack, security has been increased at the Houses of Parliament Jeremy Selwyn 5/5 Sniffer dogs on patrol at Parliament today Jeremy Selwyn Now, detectives have urged thousands of revellers expected to line the Thames to take extra care following the attack. The Met Police said in a statement: An appropriate policing plan is in place for the Boat Race. In light of last weeks attack, additional patrols are being carried out across the capital to provide reassurance. Where to watch the Boat Race 2018 Where to watch the Boat Race 2018 1/15 The Star & Garter Catch the start of the action at this upmarket spot. Head outside to glimpse the coin tosses, which decide who races on which side of the river (Middlesex or Surrey). The Star & Garter is just by University Stone, which marks the start line. Watch them bolt from the line, then grab a pint inside to enjoy the rest of the race on screens inside. 2/15 Boma Bridge Take in the festivities in civilised fashion this Saturday at Putney restaurant and event space Boma Bridge, located just a stone's throw from the start point of the race. If you're in for the long haul, the Tunnel Bar inside the venue is throwing a party with live music and cocktails afterwards to keep the night going too. 3/15 The Boathouse See the two teams set off on from the Boathouse this Saturday. The Youngs pub outdoor terrace offers a great view of Putney Bridge and is an ideal place to soak up the pre-race atmosphere. The comfortable and spacious three-storey pub is a nice place to retire to when all the excitement is over for the day, too. 4/15 Thai Square Putney Bridge Keen rowing fans can get an elevated view of the very first strokes from Thai Square Putney Bridge, where the restaurant will be partying until the early hours of Sunday. Food stalls will be serving up Thai specials and drinks from just 1 in the afternoon, before the celebrations continue until 2am with live music. 5/15 The Duke's Head A few doors down from The Star sits the Duke's Head. Just the name of the Coxswain Dining Room lets you know they're serious about rowing here. The race starts by their terrace, they're screening it indoors and there's a party downstairs in the Rowing Club afterwards, with live music. Everyone's a winner. 6/15 The Crabtree This pub, on the Middlesex side of the river (that's the north side to most of us) about one and a half miles into the race, is steeped in boat race history: the stretch of the course it overlooks is even named Crabtree Reach after it. Unsurprisingly, they're going all out for the Boat Race, with a festival kicking off from midday. There'll be themed pop-up bars, an array of bites to eat (including a BBQ), and live music and a DJ set. 7/15 The Blue Anchor Just 10 minutes from Hammersmith tube, the family-run Blue Anchor is always popular. It's the first of four pubs that line the north bank around the midway point, and its outside space, the walkway, takes you right down to the river. It's right by the Rutland Arms, so if you can't squeeze in here, pop next door. Google Maps 8/15 The Rutland Arms Another one thats always packed, The Rutland shares the same great view as its neighbour, The Blue Anchor, but is slightly bigger. There will be classic burgers and chips pub grub and extra TVs installed for the occasion. If you can face the crowds, wander up to Hammersmith Bridge itself for the truly special views. Google Maps 9/15 The Blue Boat Fulham pub The Blue Boat is firing up the BBQ to celebrate the race this weekend and the venue could be a great option for sports fans in the area. Therell be plenty taking in the race with a beer and a hotdog on the Thames-side beer terrace, which offers views of the mid stretch of the race. 10/15 The Dove The outside area here is small and gets packed at the best of times at this charming little pub. There are two levels, and the upstairs one seats only a handful, but has the best views. According to the Guinness book of records, one of its bars is the smallest in the world  so if you miss the race, you'll still have something to look out for. 11/15 The Old Ship The final pub on the midway stretch, The Old Ship has a terrific view down Chiswick Reach towards Chiswick Steps. Its a big space with terraces up and downstairs and a large beer garden. It's actually a great spot to watch, as at this point the race usually isn't completely decided one way or the other. 12/15 The Bull's Head This popular jazz venue in leafy Barnes is just before the Barnes Bridge, so you'll have to pop over the Lonsdale Road to the bank to actually watch the boats go by, but if you're too attached to your pint by that time, screens inside will be showing the action. 13/15 The White Hart The White Hart has stunning riverside views from the south bank and its position between Barnes Bridge and the finish line at Chiswick Bridge makes it the perfect spot to watch the final quarter of the race  even if the outcome of the race is often already decided by then. Start in style with its set menu lunch or keep it relaxed with their outdoor BBQ and bar, and enjoy live music in the bar both before and after the races. 14/15 Rick Stein This Barnes restaurant reopened last year with none other than seafood supremo Rick Stein steering the ship. If youre looking for a civilised spot to watch the race, it offers pretty perfect riverside viewing for when the boats emerge from under Barnes Bridge. The restaurant will also be putting on a special menu on the afternoon, serving up three courses for 70. 15/15 The Ship It's not terribly often there's a photo finish in the boat race, but if there is, this is the place to watch it. It gets busy with crowds eagerly waiting to catch the first glimpse of boats coming round the bend after Barnes Bridge and, with a view of the final stretch, its the perfect place to celebrate or drown your sorrows. Screens inside will keep you up to date with all the action until then. 1/15 The Star & Garter Catch the start of the action at this upmarket spot. Head outside to glimpse the coin tosses, which decide who races on which side of the river (Middlesex or Surrey). The Star & Garter is just by University Stone, which marks the start line. Watch them bolt from the line, then grab a pint inside to enjoy the rest of the race on screens inside. 2/15 Boma Bridge Take in the festivities in civilised fashion this Saturday at Putney restaurant and event space Boma Bridge, located just a stone's throw from the start point of the race. If you're in for the long haul, the Tunnel Bar inside the venue is throwing a party with live music and cocktails afterwards to keep the night going too. 3/15 The Boathouse See the two teams set off on from the Boathouse this Saturday. The Youngs pub outdoor terrace offers a great view of Putney Bridge and is an ideal place to soak up the pre-race atmosphere. The comfortable and spacious three-storey pub is a nice place to retire to when all the excitement is over for the day, too. 4/15 Thai Square Putney Bridge Keen rowing fans can get an elevated view of the very first strokes from Thai Square Putney Bridge, where the restaurant will be partying until the early hours of Sunday. Food stalls will be serving up Thai specials and drinks from just 1 in the afternoon, before the celebrations continue until 2am with live music. 5/15 The Duke's Head A few doors down from The Star sits the Duke's Head. Just the name of the Coxswain Dining Room lets you know they're serious about rowing here. The race starts by their terrace, they're screening it indoors and there's a party downstairs in the Rowing Club afterwards, with live music. Everyone's a winner. 6/15 The Crabtree This pub, on the Middlesex side of the river (that's the north side to most of us) about one and a half miles into the race, is steeped in boat race history: the stretch of the course it overlooks is even named Crabtree Reach after it. Unsurprisingly, they're going all out for the Boat Race, with a festival kicking off from midday. There'll be themed pop-up bars, an array of bites to eat (including a BBQ), and live music and a DJ set. 7/15 The Blue Anchor Just 10 minutes from Hammersmith tube, the family-run Blue Anchor is always popular. It's the first of four pubs that line the north bank around the midway point, and its outside space, the walkway, takes you right down to the river. It's right by the Rutland Arms, so if you can't squeeze in here, pop next door. Google Maps 8/15 The Rutland Arms Another one thats always packed, The Rutland shares the same great view as its neighbour, The Blue Anchor, but is slightly bigger. There will be classic burgers and chips pub grub and extra TVs installed for the occasion. If you can face the crowds, wander up to Hammersmith Bridge itself for the truly special views. Google Maps 9/15 The Blue Boat Fulham pub The Blue Boat is firing up the BBQ to celebrate the race this weekend and the venue could be a great option for sports fans in the area. Therell be plenty taking in the race with a beer and a hotdog on the Thames-side beer terrace, which offers views of the mid stretch of the race. 10/15 The Dove The outside area here is small and gets packed at the best of times at this charming little pub. There are two levels, and the upstairs one seats only a handful, but has the best views. According to the Guinness book of records, one of its bars is the smallest in the world  so if you miss the race, you'll still have something to look out for. 11/15 The Old Ship The final pub on the midway stretch, The Old Ship has a terrific view down Chiswick Reach towards Chiswick Steps. Its a big space with terraces up and downstairs and a large beer garden. It's actually a great spot to watch, as at this point the race usually isn't completely decided one way or the other. 12/15 The Bull's Head This popular jazz venue in leafy Barnes is just before the Barnes Bridge, so you'll have to pop over the Lonsdale Road to the bank to actually watch the boats go by, but if you're too attached to your pint by that time, screens inside will be showing the action. 13/15 The White Hart The White Hart has stunning riverside views from the south bank and its position between Barnes Bridge and the finish line at Chiswick Bridge makes it the perfect spot to watch the final quarter of the race  even if the outcome of the race is often already decided by then. Start in style with its set menu lunch or keep it relaxed with their outdoor BBQ and bar, and enjoy live music in the bar both before and after the races. 14/15 Rick Stein This Barnes restaurant reopened last year with none other than seafood supremo Rick Stein steering the ship. If youre looking for a civilised spot to watch the race, it offers pretty perfect riverside viewing for when the boats emerge from under Barnes Bridge. The restaurant will also be putting on a special menu on the afternoon, serving up three courses for 70. 15/15 The Ship It's not terribly often there's a photo finish in the boat race, but if there is, this is the place to watch it. It gets busy with crowds eagerly waiting to catch the first glimpse of boats coming round the bend after Barnes Bridge and, with a view of the final stretch, its the perfect place to celebrate or drown your sorrows. Screens inside will keep you up to date with all the action until then. The security threat level remains at severe and, as always, we would encourage those attending to be aware of their surroundings and be vigilant. The Telegraph reported that there are no plans for visible armed patrols along the four-and-a-half mile stretch of river from Putney to Mortlake. Boat Race: 60-second guide to Oxford v Cambridge According to the newspaper, the security plan is focussed on the whole course rather than specific landmarks such as Hammersmith Bridge and Putney Bridge. Race director Michelle Dite told the Telegraph: We have been in constant communication with the Metropolitan Police following the incident in Westminster. We would like to take this opportunity to reassure all those planning to attend that we are taking appropriate advice to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all.
What We Know About the Suspected Terrorist Attack Outside the U.K. Parliament A man has been arrested on suspicion of terrorism offenses after a car was driven into barriers near the UKs Houses of Parliament in Westminster, London on Tuesday morning, injuring three people. Police said counter-terrorism officers were leading the investigation and that they were treating it as a terrorist incident. The collision appears to be a deliberate act, according to police, who said the suspect was not currently cooperating. The suspected attack came months after a spate of similar vehicle attacks in 2017, including one in the same area of the city. Heres what we know so far: What happened? At 07:37 a.m. a silver Ford Fiesta crashed into barriers outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, after reportedly swerving into the wrong lane and hitting a group of cyclists. Armed police quickly surrounded the vehicle and arrested its driver, a man in his late 20s, who was the sole occupant. A video showing police vehicles crowding the car quickly went viral on Twitter. Breaking: Big armed police response to car which has cashed into Parliament barriers we are now being moved back pic.twitter.com/rYAqExq6rn Photos from the scene showed multiple people lying in the road. A video captured by a rooftop camera appeared to show the moment the car left the road and crashed into barriers, narrowly avoiding two police officers. The area was put into lockdown and Westminster underground station closed. Police said that one man had been discharged from hospital, another was treated at the scene, and that one woman was in hospital being treated for serious but thankfully non life-threatening injuries. What have eyewitnesses said? Eyewitnesses said the car appeared to deliberately target members of the public, according to the BBC. I heard lots of screams and turned round, said Barry Williams, a BBC member of staff who was in the area at the time. The car went onto the wrong side of the road to where cyclists were waiting at lights and ploughed into them. Then it swerved back across the road and accelerated as fast as possible and hit the barrier at full pelt. It was a small silver car and he hit it at such speed the car actually lifted off the ground and bounced, Williams continued. Then the police just jumped. Two officers managed to leap over the security barriers and then the armed police vehicles all sped towards the scene. Another witness, Jason Williams, told the BBC the driver had driven at speed  more than 40 mph. There was smoke coming out of the car, he added. I saw at least 10 people lying down. I was told basically to move away, to run. I have run for my life. It looked deliberate, he said. It didnt look like an accident. What were the other similar attacks? On March 22, 2017, a car mounted the sidewalk on Westminster Bridge  just south of where Tuesdays attack occurred  and hit 11 pedestrians before the attacker exited the vehicle with a knife and attempted to enter Parliament, fatally wounding a police officer before being shot. Those incidents prompted officials to install concrete and steel barriers around the area to prevent a similar event happening again. It appeared to be one of these barriers that the car crashed into on Tuesday. What have officials said? Police said that counter-terrorism officers were leading the investigation into the incident, and that intelligence indicated there was no wider threat to London or the rest of the U.K. 'The suspect is not co-operating'  Met Police assistant commissioner Neil Basu says the crash that happened outside Parliament is being treated as a terrorist incident.
Prayers go out amid confusion, chaos following London attack A suspected terrorist attack outside the seat of Parliament left four people dead, including the attacker, in London on Wednesday. The incident has led to an outpouring of support to the people of the United Kingdom. Church and government leaders offered prayers in the aftermath of an attack in London on Wednesday afternoon. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by the incident in Westminster this afternoon, read a post on Twitter from the news page of the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales. We pray tonight for the victims, their families, for all affected by this terrible attack and those who responded so bravely, said Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster. Details surrounding the March 22 attack in Westminster remained unclear hours after an attacker in a car apparently plowed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge. The assailant then reportedly crashed the car and attempted to enter the Parliament building with a knife before being shot by armed police. According to the Guardian, four people were killed, including one police officer and one man believed to be the assailant. About 20 others were reported injured, some severely. Nearby government buildings were placed on lockdown while authorities worked to ensure the safety of the area. Scotland Yard said the attack is being treated as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise. March 22 marks the one-year anniversary of the Brussels airport bombings that left more than 30 dead and 300 injured. Those bombings were declared the deadliest act of terrorism in Belgiums history. The Catholic Bishops of England and Wales sent out a message on Twitter: Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by the incident in Westminster this afternoon. Also on Twitter, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby: Praying tonight for those grieving loved ones  and those injured and traumatised  after the brutal and senseless attack in #Westminster. Messages of support also came from the United States. Please join me in praying for the people of #London, especially those killed and injured today. St. George and St. Paul, pray for us, said Bishop James Conley of Lincoln on Twitter. Terrible scene in London, said U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan in a post on Twitter. Praying for the victims of this apparent act of terror. We stand with our friends in Parliament and Great Britain. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson also released a statement offering prayers. On behalf of the United States, I express my condolences to the victims and their families, he said. The American people send their thoughts and prayers to the people of the United Kingdom. We condemn these horrific acts of violence, and whether they were carried out by troubled individuals or by terrorists, the victims know no difference.
Others, including Ashford MP Damian Green, have taken refuge in parliament offices Kent MPs have confirmed they are in lockdown in the House of Commons chamber following reports of gunshots, which police are treating as a terror incident. One woman has died and a number of others have been hurt - including some with catastrophic injuries - in the incident on Westminster Bridge, a junior doctor at St Thomas Hospital has said. Ashford MP and work and pensions secretary Damian Green told Kent News: There was an attack on parliament. I was in a cabinet committee meeting and the prime minister was taken away by her security guard. First responders outside the Palace of Westminster. Picture: PA/Yui Mok The rest of us were told to return to our offices, which is where I am now. There was no panic but everyone moved very quickly. The police were incredibly efficient and professional. South Thanet MP Craig Mackinlay told us: We dont know much other than whats on Twitter but Ive heard a car knocked two people over then a policeman was attacked with a knife and the assailant was shot three times. There are currenly about 300 of us here in the chamber and weve been here about half an hour. He had earlier welcomed students from Rainham Mark Grammar School, though they left before the incident took place. In a statement, headteacher Simon Decker said: Parents may be aware that RMGS students were visiting the Houses of Parliament today and I am happy to report that they are all safe and returning home. Maidstones Helen Grant added: Me and my team are fine but thanks must go to our fantastic police force in Westminster. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims. Orpington MP Jo Johnson was reportedly taken off his bike and bundled into the security check point hut upon arriving to vote in Parliament, according to Broxtowe MP Anna Soubry. Scotland Yard said it was called to a firearms incident on Westminster Bridge amid reports of several people injured. Minutes after the incident, an emergency services helicopter landed in Parliament Square, as sirens were heard outside. Air ambulance medics came from the helicopter to assist the casualties. Two people lay on the ground in the yard. One of them appeared to have had clothes removed as emergency workers attempted to resuscitate the pair. Parliament Square was closed to traffic. As the sitting in the House of Commons was suspended, Commons Leader David Lidington told MPs: What I am able to say to the House is there has been a serious incident within the estate. It seems that a police officer has been stabbed, that the alleged assailant was shot by armed police. An air ambulance is currently attending the scene to remove the casualties. There are also reports of further violent incidents in the vicinity of the Palace of Westminster but I hope colleagues on all sides will appreciate that itd be wrong of me to go into further details until we have confirmation from the police and from the House security authorities about what is going on. Theresa May was seen being ushered into a silver Jaguar car as what sounded like gunfire rang out at Parliament during the incident. Witnesses described seeing a middle-aged man carrying a knife and running. Jayne Wilkinson said: We were taking photos of Big Ben and we saw all the people running towards us, and then there was an Asian guy in about his 40s carrying a knife about seven or eight inches long. And then there were three shots fired, and then we crossed the road and looked over. The man was on the floor with blood. He had a lightweight jacket on, dark trousers and a shirt. He was running through those gates, towards Parliament, and the police were chasing him. Her partner David Turner added: There was a stampede of people running out. Latest News On a day when young, top-order batsmen shone for their respective clubs, Zak Crawley hit a fluent 56 not out to give Kent the advantage on the opening day of their Specsavers County Championship clash with Glamorgan in Canterbury.
Weve raised 210 to support of Westminster terror attack victims. Let's help the victims family. Crowdfunding is a new type of fundraising where you can raise funds for your own personal cause, even if you're not a registered charity. The page owner is responsible for the distribution of funds raised. Story WestminsterAt around 2.40 pm on the 22nd of March, an attacker drove a car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge and then stabbed a police officer within the grounds of the Houses of Parliament. At least 4 people have been killed, including officer Keith Palmer, and about 40 were wounded (BBC News). The alleged attacker, apparently a British citizen, has been shot and killed by police. A full investigation has been launched. I was a witness to the attack, having entered Portcullis house less than 10 minutes from when it occurred. Barricaded in an office for nearly 4 hours while events unfolded outside me, I was shocked to see the injuries and loss of life outside my window. I reflected on what it means to be a born-and-bred Londoner and found myself proud of how security and medical services responded, how ordinary passers-by offered first aid, and what our Parliament means to me, an institution that is the oldest of its kind in the world and how, regardless of our critiques of government policies or political parties, remains an institution that reflects how the will of the people can be expressed with civility and dignity. While details of the victims are still emerging, I have been in touch with networks within British Muslim communities and can assure you that we all stand with fellow Londoners during these difficult times and want to extend our support by raising funds to help with the immediate, short-term needs of the families of Keith Palmer, the other victims and their families. While no amount of money will bring back lives lost or take away from the pain the victims and their families are going through, we hope to lessen their burden in some way as citizens, Londoners, and human beings. Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Updates 4 1 year ago Victim Support 1 year ago Families of Westminster attack victims found out fate through pictures online The families of Kurt Cochran, who was killed in the Westminster terror attack, and his wife Melissa, who was badly injured, found out they had been hurt when they recognised them in photographs posted online. The couple, from Utah, were sightseeing on the last day of a trip celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary when Khalid Masood hit them with a 4x4 Hyundai Tucson on Westminster Bridge in London. He killed four people including Kurt Cochran and a police officer Share this update to help us raise more 1 year ago Victim Support started crowdfunding Leave a message of support Page last updated on: 3/30/20175:24 PM Supporters 4 Martin Styles Mar 29, 2017 30.00 Anonymous Mar 25, 2017 Best wishes to the families of all of the victims 30.00 Anonymous Mar 23, 2017 I think a little each one can help the cause. Bless nuno gomes Mar 23, 2017 hope that my donation can help for the cause. God bless the victims and their families. Great people make things happen About the fundraiser Victim Support London, United Kingdom How funds will be distributed Thank you for supporting the victims and the families of victims of this tragic attack. 100% of funds collected through this campaign will go to the victims and the families of the victims most affected by the tragic events that unfolded on March
Westminster terror attack claims fourth victim hours after American Kurt Cochran named as third person killed The world is learning more about the three victims of Wednesdays terror attack at Westminster ( ) An officer on duty, a teacher, a pensioner and a tourist celebrating his wedding anniversary with his wife  the world is learning more about the four people killed in Wednesdays attack in Westminster. The third victim of the terror attack in Westminster has been named as American Kurt Cochran. Mr Cochran was visiting London with his wife Melissa to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. His wife was injured in the attack and she is in hospital with a broken leg, rib and a cut to the head. A Facebook post by the Cochrans' family described the loss of the 54-year-old as "heart wrenching". It said: With a heavy heart I must pass the sad news of our beautiful brother, father, husband, son and friend Kurt Cochran, he could not overcome the injuries he received in the London terror attacks. This pain is so heart wrenching and raw it has rocked our family and all that knew him to its core. We will miss Kurt beyond words. We love you Kurt. RIP. Melissa Payne Cochran is in the hospital with a broken leg, rib and a cut on her head but will recover from her injuries. Sending all the love to her for a quick recovery. Kurt Cochran was visiting London with his wife Melissa (Facebook/ Shantell Payne) A statement from Ms Cochran's side of the family said: Our family is heartbroken to learn of the death of our brother and son-in-law, Kurt W. Cochran, who was a victim of Wednesdays terrorist attack in London. Kurt was a good man and a loving husband to our sister and daughter, Melissa. They were in Europe to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary, and were scheduled to return to the United States on Thursday. Melissa also received serious injuries in the attack and is being cared for in the hospital. US President Donald Trump tweeted condolences to Mr Cochran. He said: A great American, Kurt Cochran, was killed in the London terror attack. My prayers and condolences are with his family and friends. Mr Cochran was the third person who died in the attack to be named. Aysha Frade AyshaFrade was walking to pick up her daughters from school when she was killed (Facebook) Aysha Frade, who worked as a sixth form Spanish teacher at the nearby DLD College London, also died in the attack. A British national, whose mother was Spanish and father was Cypriot, she lived in London with her two young daughters and her husband. She was walking to meet her daughters from school when the attack happened. The schools head teacher Rachel Borland said Ms Frade was a highly regarded and loved teacher at the college. She will be missed by us all. A former neighbour of Ms Frade, Patricia Scotland, who lives in the Ladbroke Grove area of London told the BBC Ms Frade had been a lovely mother, a lovely wife. "She was just a lovely person, with two lovely, lovely girls," she said. "You couldn't ask for better neighbours". PC Keith Palmer PC Keith Palmer was on duty and unarmed when he was stabbed by the attacker (Metropolitan Police) PC Keith Palmer, 48, was stabbed by the attacker who was attempting to gain entry to the Palace of Westminster. PC Palmer was on duty as an unarmed member of the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Squad at the Houses of Parliament. He had been in the Metropolitan Police since 2001 and has a five-year-old daughter. A statement from PC Palmers family said: Keith will be remembered as a wonderful dad and husband. A loving son, brother and uncle. A long-time supporter of Charlton FC Dedicated to his job and proud to be a police officer, brave and courageous. A friend to everyone who knew him. He will be deeply missed. We love him so much. His friends and family are shocked and devastated by his loss and ask that they are left to grieve alone in peace. Conservative MP and former colleague James Cleverly described the police officer as a lovely man, a friend. Im heartbroken, he said. In a moving tribute to PC Palmer in the House of Commons, Mr Cleverly later described him as a strong, professional public servant, while Prime Minister Theresa May said he was every inch a hero and his actions will never be forgotten. Charlton Athletic Football Club, paid tribute to PC Palmer by placing a scarf on the seat he occupied in the stands as a long-time season-ticket holder. Over 225,000 has been donated after the Metropolitan Police Federation launched a memorial fund to pay tribute to their fallen colleague, who they say was simply doing his job when he was senselessly targeted while guarding the Palace of Westminster. A JustGiving page launched just after 9am on Thursday reached its target of 10,000 in less than two hours. Injured At least 40 people were injured in the attack, including a Romanian woman who has undergone major surgery, including the removal of a blood clot on her brain. Her fianc also sustained a broken foot. Three French school children were also struck by the car as it drove along the pavement on Westminster bridge. One boy is in intensive care with broken legs, a head injury and a localised haematoma behind one of his lungs. Two police officers are also believed to be in a serious condition in hospital, while another is reportedly stable. The group were returning from an event that recognised their bravery in service, according to the Metropolitan Police. Two British students were also injured, with one requiring stitches for a head wound, while the other sustained a wrist injury. In total five people remain in a critical condition and two have life threatening injuries. Attacker The attacker has been named as 52-year-old Khalid Massood, who was born in Kent and is believed to have been living in the West Midlands. He was shot dead at the scene of the attack.
The attack on Parliament in London is another reminder that a facility's security is only as strong as its weakest point. In this case, it was a frequently used gate in New Palace Yard that was left unlocked. Known as Carriage Gates, the entrance is generally monitored by police officers. Could the weakness have led to the attack? Could the attack have been prevented (or minimised) if the gate had been bolted shut? Planned complete security overhaul Finger pointing in the wake of such incidents may seem counterproductive, but there is value in assessing any lessons learned. Reports of a planned "complete security overhaul" in the wake of the London attack make sense. In any case, the existing security procedures likely minimised the impact of the attack, which could have been even worse and more deadly. As it was, a terrorist drove a vehicle down a Westminster Bridge pavement crowded with pedestrians and into a perimeter fence. Getting out of the car, the man stabbed the first officer he encountered after entering the unlocked gate; the officer later died of his wounds. Five people were killed, including the attacker, who was shot to death. Twenty-nine were wounded, including seven reported in critical condition. The low-tech, rudimentary nature of the attack is another reminder of the changing face of terrorism The changing face of terrorism The low-tech, rudimentary nature of the attack is another reminder of the changing face of terrorism. Previous emphasis on elaborate, carefully planned attacks seems to have given way to a more barebones approach to creating terror: Simply drive a vehicle into a crowd of people. Planning more elaborate attacks tends to involve more people and could leave an electronic trail to enable security and anti-terrorism agencies to uncover plots before they can be carried out. In contrast, driving a vehicle into a crowd is easier, might involve fewer perpetrators and likely needs little advanced planning. Successful detection of more elaborate plots has led terrorism groups to resort to the simpler route. Several terrorist-related web sites have reportedly encouraged followers to use vehicles as weapons of terrorism. ISIS has claimed responsibility for the London attack. The plan was simple and almost undetectable until it happened. Vehicle barriers Vehicle barriers can help prevent such attacks, whether concrete or moveable bollards, steel fencing, crash-rated portable barriers, or other measures. They are currently used all over the world, including government buildings and high-profile locales where pedestrians might gather. The Elysee Palace is fortified by high walls and steel fencesand is restricted from trafficand protected by armed patrols For example, Berlin's Reichstag has fences in front of the building's main entrance and is surrounded by low concrete blocks, although it is largely accessible to the public with no fences on the other sides. The European Parliament headquarters in Brussels is protected by low steel bollards on the roadside, and the French National Assembly's front gates are protected by concrete bollards to prevent high-speed ramming. France's Elysee Palace is fortified by high walls and steel fences, and is restricted from traffic and protected by armed patrols. Vehicle traffic around the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., is restricted; steel railings several feet high, also encircled by steel bollards and chains, protect the perimeter of the White House. Such venues will be the subject of new security evaluations, even as Britons look for answers about how the latest attack could have been prevented. The challenge is that any weak spot could be the point of entry for the next tragedy. Author profile An experienced journalist and long-time presence in the US security industry, Larry is SourceSecurity.com's eyes and ears in the fast-changing security marketplace, attending industry and corporate events, interviewing security leaders and contributing original editorial content to the site. He leads SourceSecurity.com's team of dedicated editorial and content professionals, guiding the "editorial roadmap" to ensure the site provides the most relevant content for security professionals. In case you missed it Newly modernised halls with lots of daylight will house hundreds of exhibitions and conference events at the upcoming Security Essen 2018 at Messe Essen, Germany. A new layout and hall numbering system will be unfamiliar to past attendees but promises to simplify the experience as it brings together attendees and exhibitors. European physical security market Security Essen is an international trade fair, but the emphasis is more on German, Austrian and Swiss companies. In all, Security Essen will feature 1,000 exhibitors from 40 nations. The trade fair has more of a continental European flavour compared to IFSEC, which focuses more on the U.K market. At the last Security Essen in 2016, organisers reported about 40,000 visitors including conference participants, VIP guests, members of various delegations and journalists. Security Essen 2018 has more of a continental European flavour compared to IFSEC, which focuses more on the U.K market This year, we have sharpened the profile of Security Essen, says Oliver P. Kuhrt, CEO of Messe Essen, a trade fair, congress and event organiser with its own exhibition grounds. The trade fair has become considerably more digital, more modern and more interactive. Due to the optimised hall layout, we are offering our exhibitors and visitors the best possible experience with short paths and direct communication. Newly modernised Messe Essen The newly modernised site of Security Essen will encompass eight halls, newly renumbered and with the subject areas reorganised, too. Visitors will find Services in Hall 1; Access, Mechanatronics, Mechanics and Systems in Halls 2 and 3 and the Galeria; Perimeter Protection in Hall 3; Video in Halls 5 and 7; and Fire, Intrusion and Systems in Halls 6 and 7. A helpful smart phone app, downloadable free from the Google Play Store (Android) or the Apple App Store (iOS), will be available two weeks before the event and include a show floor plan; the exhibitor list with booth numbers and contact information; and an overview of the supporting programme. A separate hall  Hall 8  will house new Cyber Security and Economic Security categories. Cyber Security Conference At the new Cyber Security Conference, located prominently at the new East Entrance, experts will share their knowledge about the more pressing challenges and potential of cybersecurity. The programme opens and closes on 25 and 28 September with the main topic Opportunities and Risks of Cyber Security. On 26 September, discussions and lectures will centre on Entry, Admission, Access: Identification Options.A helpful smart phone app, downloadable free will be available two weeks before the event and include a show floor plan On 27 September, the topic will be smart homes and focus on Connected Building, Security in the Buildings of the Future. Speakers will include the president of Germanys Federal Office for Information Security, who will address cybersecurity as a challenge for politics, business and society. The fair organises the conference in cooperation with the BHE Federal Association of Security Technology and the technical support of the Federal Office for Information Security. In Hall 8, a new Public Security Forum will enable visitors to experience digital security technologies for public spaces from the areas of sensors/IoT, cyber security and surveillance. The products and solutions will be installed in four different building scenarios (town hall, school, hospital and library) and it will be possible to test them extensively. The forum, including lectures and discussions, will target municipal decision makers and planners of public spaces. Comprehensive programme A Security Expert Forum in Hall 2 will present a continuous programme with more than 90 presentations during the period of the fair. Visitors will obtain information and solution ideas about all six subject areas covered at the fair, and the programme will begin with a keynote lecture each morning and finish with a live demonstration in the evening. On the first day of the fair (25 September), Security Essens Career Forum will introduce retrainees, students, trainees and graduates to companies from the security industry. Targeted and professional communication will be established between companies and job applicants to facilitate making contacts, developing networks, and filling actual vacancies. Thursday (27 September) will be observed as Fire Prevention Day, and a Drone Course will be provided each day in Hall 7. One day admission to Security Essen is 41; a four-day ticket is 105. Advance sale tickets are discounted. There are many aspects to consider when developing a retail security strategy, including loss prevention, physical security, asset protection, risk management, and IT. All these areas could be the responsibility of just a few people working to secure a handful of stores or each of these areas could be entirely separate departments, as is often the case for major retailers with locations throughout the country. Regardless of the size of the retailer, there are many different technologies that can be used within a retail store to improve security and loss prevention, yet none should be used in a silo. There are tremendous benefits to integrating security technologies and communications systems together, including enhancing overall safety and security, reducing shrink, and improving operations. There are many different technologies that can be used within a retail store to improve security and loss prevention As the existing security infrastructure is evaluated and plans for the future are developed, the team responsible should consider some of the following questions. Are there areas of the store that require greater security? Are there notifications or other technologies that could improve the efficiency of personnel and the safety of shoppers? Are there other departments within the organisation that could benefit from the data gathered by the security technology? Understanding current pain points within the stores and how integrated security solutions can address these is the key to implementing the best solution. Here are a few hot spots within a typical retail store that easily demonstrate the power of integrated solutions. Point of sale terminals Whether its loss through sweet hearting or other fraud, point of sale terminals present a significant shrink risk for retailers. Integrated systems enhance security at these locations. Video recording of HD or megapixel cameras integrated with point of sale data makes it easy to locate video associated with transactions and exception reporting. This allows for visual verification of each transaction when needed.There are tremendous benefits to integrating security technologies and communications systems together Other risks like robbery not only result in loss, but also impact the safety of employees and shoppers alike. Panic buttons or bill trap sensors connected to the intrusion detection system ensure silent alarms are issued when employees are at risk. When the intrusion detection system is integrated with the video system, pressing a panic button or pulling the bill from the sensor can automatically trigger a video snapshot to be sent to the monitoring station to provide verification of the alarm and more information for law enforcement when they are dispatched. Adding audio integration to the intrusion system can also result in a message sent to the store security personnels two-way radio when a panic button is pushed, or a bill trap sensor is activated. If no security guard is onsite, video monitoring services can allow the monitoring centre to intervene through audio, alerting the perpetrator that his or her actions are being monitored and that the authorities have been contacted. This may cause the offender to flee the area, helping to mitigate the safety risk as well as the potential for loss. Panic buttons or bill trap sensors connected to the intrusion detection system ensure silent alarms are issued when employees are at risk High value displays Protect high-value or frequently-stolen items such as electronics, using video analytics integrated with audio communication Protect high-value or frequently-stolen items such as electronics, using video analytics integrated with audio communications. For example, a person standing at a display for longer than a pre-defined time or touching items on display can trigger a video snapshot to be sent to the store manager and an audio message to play through a nearby loudspeaker, such as: Thank you for your interest in our smartphone selection; an associate will be there soon to assist you. This not only alerts potential offenders that their actions are being watched, it also serves to improve customer service for legitimate shoppers  as a retail floor associate is notified that a customer may need assistance. Cash office An access control reader at the door to the cash office restricts access to only authorised individuals. Integrating video can automatically capture an image of the person requesting access for verifying an employees identification prior to granting access or for retrospective analysis in the event of a theft. Exit doors If an employee props open a back door  either for easy re-entry after a break or to allow access to another person with intentions of theft  integration of the intrusion detection system to the video and audio system can significantly reduce risk of loss. For example, the intrusion detection system can monitor doors for abnormal conditions, even when the system is disarmed.Loss can also occur when a cooler or freezer malfunctions or when the door is accidentally left open A door left open for longer than a pre-defined time can cause an alarm on the intrusion panel, which can trigger a nearby camera to send a snapshot of the open door to the store manager and trigger the public address system to play a pre-recorded message through a nearby speaker. This prompts the employee to close the door, reducing risk of theft. Coolers and freezers Loss isnt just about theft. Loss can also occur when a cooler or freezer malfunctions or when the door of one of these units is accidentally left open. The same concept for monitoring exit doors can also apply to doors for coolers and freezers to prevent spoilage. A cooler or freezer door monitored by the intrusion detection system can trigger an alert or chime to play in the area to remind an employee to close the door or to alert the store manager to the issue. While providing surveillance of the cash register area, the camera's video analytics can be used to trigger an alert in case the queue exceeds the pre-defined threshold Serving a dual purpose Retailers can use the metadata from the cameras to gather business statistics like counts of people entering the store While the technology solutions described above positively impact loss prevention in a retail store, they can also extend beyond security to improve health and safety and enhance customer service as well as customer engagement and sales. For example, while securing a stores main entrance with IP cameras featuring on-board video analytics, retailers can use the metadata from the cameras to gather business statistics like counts of people entering the store. This data can help them understand peak days and times when making decisions about staffing. Or while providing surveillance of the cash register area, the camera's video analytics can also be used to trigger an alert in case the number of people in a queue exceeds the pre-defined threshold. At this point, the same public address system and loudspeakers used to play background music to enhance the shopping experience could be activated to broadcast a message to request another cash register to be opened, improving store operations. For security and loss prevention purposes, video analytics can also be used to ensure that no one enters or leaves the retail shop using the emergency exit. To address health and safety issues, these same cameras can also trigger an alarm if that emergency exit is blocked by an object  improving the safety of customers and employees. When systems are used to deliver data for purposes beyond security, other departments may be willing to contribute toward the cost Metadata generated by the cameras can also be used to gather information that when processed with sophisticated algorithms in the cloud can show trajectories of the paths that shoppers take as they travel throughout a store as well as heat maps indicating where they walk, stop and dwell  all while protecting the privacy of individual shoppers. This information can be used by merchandisers to evaluate the success of displays and store layouts, which directly impacts customer engagement and sales. When systems are used for and deliver data for purposes beyond security, other departments may be willing to contribute toward the cost of the system. This provides an added benefit by relieving some of the cost burden from security or other operational budgets. Product selection Integration is becoming easier using standards and expanding industry partnerships. However, in some cases, choosing systems from a single vendor that are designed to work together can help to speed and simplify installation, while also reducing system costs for both the integrator and the user. Regardless of the products chosen, it will be important for a retailer with many locations to have consistency in the type of equipment installed at each site. This makes support easier and enables a more uniform response to incidents that happen at various stores. As many retailers already understand, there is no silver bullet to reducing loss. However, a combination of the right technologies working together to prevent shrink and improve investigative capabilities can result in smarter and more effective loss prevention. GSX 2018 is both a new event for the security industry and the continuation of a 63-year tradition. Global Security Exchange (GSX) is the new branding for ASIS Internationals annual seminar and exhibits, which have been held since 1955. In recent years, the ASIS event has joined forces with other organisations to expand its scope and to appeal to a broader audience. Partners include ISSA (Information Systems Security Association) and Infragard, a public-private partnership between U.S. businesses and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The expansion is continuing this year with the addition of 30 supporting organisations representing industry verticals and reflecting ASISs intent to unite the full spectrum of security. Improving the state of cyber security Held September 23-27 at the Las Vegas convention Center, GSX 2018 seeks to attract more than 20,000 operational and cyber security professionals and 550 exhibitors. The Cyber Security Summit will co-locate with GSX, offering cyber security programming at a time when it is needed the most Other elements will further expand the 2018 events scope. The Cyber Security Summit will co-locate with GSX, offering cyber security programming at a time when it is needed the most. Top government, industry and academic thought leaders will engage in a dialogue to improve the state of cyber security. The 2018 Security Cares Program will address school violence prevention and response in a free education program. Topics will include pre-violence indicators, target hardening, and best practices to involve the entire community of school administrators, law enforcement, security professionals and mental health providers. Experts to deliver keynote speeches Keynote speakers including CNN host Fareed Zakaria will bestow celebrity appeal. Air Force Major General Bradley D. Spacy will share details about the new AFWERX innovation and tech hub in Las Vegas and how the U.S. Air Force is collaborating with the private sector to bring new security product ideas to market. Spacys keynote on Sept. 26 will kick off Military and Law Enforcement Appreciation Day. Also, K.T. McFarland, former Trump Administration Deputy National Security Advisor, will share an insiders perspective on critical foreign policy and defence industries. Attendees to ASIS Internationals annual gathering typically list networking and education as big benefits of the event. Historically, the trade show aspect has existed separately from the educational program, and foot traffic to the exhibits has sometimes suffered from the competition. Beginning last year, and continuing in 2018, ASIS International has pursued innovative approaches to integrate the trade show more closely into the overall attendee experience. The integration of programming and exhibits is truly seamless, says one observer of the new approach. Held Sept. 23-27 at the Las Vegas convention Center, GSX 2018 seeks to attract more than 20,000 operational and cyber security professionals and 550 exhibitors X Learning Theatres GSX has sought to transform the exhibit hall into a learning lab environment that features thousands of security products, technologies and service solutions (provided by the exhibitors), in addition to immersive learning opportunities to connect the current and emerging threat landscape with solutions available in the marketplace. There are several X Learning Theatres, including one (X-Stage) focussed on leading-edge technologies such as blockchain, cryptocurrencies, AI, drones, and robotics. There is also an Xcelerated Exchange Stage to facilitate discussions among security practitioners and solution providers. The Xperience Stage showcases case studies and best practices. Also attracting more attendees to the Exhibit Hall will be Career HQ, a free career fair and enhanced career centre. D3 Xperience (Drones, Droids Defence) will focus on unmanned systems with education and demos. The Innovative Product Awards (IPAs) Showcase will highlight winners of an awards program. Focussing on security practices GSX is not as much about sales leads as about making connections and contributing to a larger conversation about how to protect people, facilities and assets ASIS International (now GSX 2018) is often compared to ISC West, the U.S. industrys largest show held in Las Vegas in the spring. GSX 2018 this year may face even more scrutiny based on the changes, rebranding, and location (also in Las Vegas). However, GSX is a completely different show than ISC West, which focuses on the business of security. In contrast, GSX is much more about the practice of security than business. The international network of ASIS International members attend the yearly conference to make new connections, to learn and to benefit from the experiences of other security professionals around the world. The successful trade show exhibitors are the ones that approach the show with that understanding. GSX is not as much about sales leads as about making connections and contributing to a larger conversation about how to protect people, facilities and assets. ASIS International deserves credit for their efforts to integrate the trade show element into the larger goal of the event. Hopefully their new approach will enhance the overall experience for both attendees and exhibitors  and help to make the world a safer place as a consequence.
What we know about the victims of the London terrorist attack Three people were killed and twenty-nine other people were reportedly injured in the knife and vehicle attack in London March 22. (The Washington Post) Constable Keith Palmer was unarmed and at his normal post outside Parliament. Like many of his fellow officers in the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Squad, he had become a friendly face to the politicians, journalists and tourists at Westminster. On Wednesday, the 48-year-old father lay mortally wounded from a stab wound as rescuers tried desperately to save his life. His attacker left at least two other people dead and more than two dozen injured before being killed outside Parliament. A wide variety of British politicians paid tribute to Palmer, a 15-year member of the police force. Sadiq Khan, London's mayor, said Palmer died while protecting our city and our democracy from those who want to destroy our way of life. James Cleverly, a Conservative member of Parliament for Braintree, said on Twitter that he had known Palmer for 25 years, from serving in the British army together. We served together in the Royal Artillery before he became a copper, Cleverly wrote. A lovely man, a friend. I'm heartbroken. James Cleverly spoke about his friend of 25 years, officer Keith Palmer, the 48-year-old husband and father stabbed to death during the terrorist attack in London on March 22. (Parliament.tv) Another MP, Tobias Ellwood, had tried to save Palmer as he lay on the ground after the attack. Ellwood, who had served as a captain in the Royal Green Jackets from 1991 to 1996 and previously lost his brother in a terrorist attack, gave mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and applied pressure to the wounds to stem Palmer's blood flow. Colleagues of Palmer's have described him as a warm man. A woman who said she is a former police officer phoned London's LBC Radio to say that Palmer had once saved her from a car accident, adding that she owed him everything. He was a wonderful dad and a wonderful husband to his wife, said the caller, who gave her name only as Nina. He was fun, he was a laugh, he cared. I know ... when someone passes, [people] always say, 'He was such a lovely person,' but he actually really was. In a statement released Thursday afternoon, Palmer's family said he would be "deeply missed" and that "we love him so much." This family photo shows Kurt W. Cochran, left, who was killed in Wednesday's terror attack in London, and his wife, Melissa. (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints via AFP) Two other people were killed in the attack. The U.S. State Department initially declined to comment on reports that Americans were among the victims. However, it was later confirmed that a couple from Utah, Kurt Cochran and his wife, Melissa, had been on Westminster Bridge in London when the attack occurred. In a Facebook post, Melissa's sister said that Kurt Cochran died of his injuries, while Melissa had several broken bones. While we are glad she survived, our hearts are broken and will never be the same after losing our dear uncle, brother-in-law, father, Melissa's sister wrote. Kurt, you are a HERO, and we will never forget you. In a statement released through the Mormon Church, the Cochran family said the couple went to London to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary and had been scheduled to return to the United States on Thursday. We express our gratitude to the emergency and medical personnel who have cared for them and ask for your prayers on behalf of Melissa and our family, the statement said. Kurt will be greatly missed, and we ask for privacy as our family mourns and as Melissa recovers from her injuries. President Trump also offered his praise for Kurt Cochran, dubbing him a "great American" in a message on Twitter. "My prayers and condolences are with his family and friends," the president added. Flags were lowered to half staff on a balcony of the Council of Betanzos in northwestern Spain on Thursday, in memory of the victims of Wednesday's terrorist attack in London, one of whom was Aysha Frade, a daughter of a Galician mother from Betanzos. (MIGUEL RIOPA/AFP) The other victim, Aysha Frade, a 43-year-old mother of two, was reportedly walking on Westminster Bridge on her way to pick up her children when she was hit by the attacker's Hyundai 4x4. The Spanish newspaper La Voz de Galicia reported that Frade, a Londoner of Spanish heritage, worked at DLD College London, where she taught Spanish. DLD College released a statement confirming that Frade died in the attack. All our thoughts and our deepest sympathies are with her family, Principal Rachel Borland said. We will be offering every support we can to them as they try to come to terms with their devastating loss. Twenty-nine other people were reportedly injured in the attack, seven listed as critically injured, said British police. Speaking in Parliament on Thursday, Prime Minister Theresa May said 12 Britons were among the injured. Three police officers were injured, two seriously. May noted that they had been returning from an event commending their bravery. Westminster, the site of Parliament and the iconic Big Ben clock tower, is one of London's most popular spots with tourists, and many victims appeared to be visitors to London. May said Thursday that the victims included three French citizens, two Romanians, four South Koreans, one German, one Pole, one Irish, one Chinese, one Italian, one American and two Greeks. French officials have said that three schoolchildren were injured in the attack as they crossed Westminster Bridge. The French newspaper Le Tlgramme reported that the children were visiting from the Lyce Saint-Joseph in Brittany. Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve tweeted that the students and their family and friends had the full support of the French state. The Romanian Foreign Ministry confirmed that two Romanian citizens were injured in the attack. Dan Mihalache, Romania's ambassador to Britain, told Romanian media that a female victim was knocked into the River Thames from Westminster Bridge and was later recovered by rescuers and taken to a hospital, where she is in critical condition. A Romanian man who was also hurt suffered a broken leg, Mihalache said. South Korea announced that five of its citizens were injured in the attack, and the countrys Foreign Ministry was moving to offer them support. The South Koreans, all in their 50s and 60s, were hurt during a stampede after the attack, the Foreign Ministry said. Australian media reported that a German citizen who lives in Australia was injured by the attacker's vehicle on Westminster Bridge. The Chinese Embassy said in a statement Thursday said that a Chinese citizen was wounded in the assault but did not offer details.
Malcolm Turnbull and Australian Labor leader Bill Shorten are offering condolences to the UK in the Canberra parliament now, with the British High Commissioner Menna Rawlings looking on. Turnbull said: As prime minister Theresa May said earlier this morning, the values of the British parliament command the admiration and respect of free people everywhere. And so they do because they are our values too. We stand, all of us, with the UK. Comforted that we share those values. Theyre ours. Freedom of speech, democracy, the rule of law. We will never give in to terror. He said of British MP Tobias Ellwood, who assisted attempts to resuscitate the police officer, PC Keith Palmer, who was fatally stabbed: This act of heroism is just one of the extraordinary stories that are emerging from this tragedy. Shorten paid tribute to Palmer: The murder of the Metropolitan police officer reminds us of the risks our security agencies take on our behalf to keep us safe. And on behalf of all honourable members I want to acknowledge and thank our Australian federal police and the parliamentary security officers for whom this news must strike a particular chord. Thursdays Guardian editorial calls for solidarity in the wake of the terror attack on Westminster and pays tribute to the officers who intervened: The security forces and police have planned for what they call a marauding attack for years. The awful choreography of the response to terror was fast and well-rehearsed. The police officer who later died of his injuries stopped the attacker at the gates off Parliament Square. Before the man had gone a pace or two further, he himself was shot by an armed officer. These two courageous interventions almost certainly saved scores of lives in a busy area thronged with politicians, visitors and some of the hundreds of staff who work in the palace. There will be many questions to ask in the coming days about what was known of the attacker and his associates, but for now, there can only be a wholehearted appreciation of the professionalism with which the police did their job. The Guardian view on the Westminster attack: solidarity against terror | Editorial Donald Trump Jr is facing a backlash for criticising London mayor Sadiq Khan with a scornful tweet sent hours after an attack at the Houses of Parliament left five dead, including a police officer and the attacker. The US presidents eldest son tweeted a link to a September 2016 story in the Independent, which quoted Khan saying terror attacks were part and parcel of living in a big city  I want to be reassured that every single agency and individual involved in protecting our city has the resources and expertise they need to respond in the event that London is attacked. You have to be kidding me?! Trump Jr tweeted, quoting only the headline: Terror attacks are part of living in big city, says London Mayor Sadiq Khan. Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) You have to be kidding me?!: Terror attacks are part of living in big city, says London Mayor Sadiq Khan https://t.co/uSm2pwRTjO Donald Trump Jr called 'a disgrace' for tweet goading London mayor The Hyundai driven by the attacker raced over Westminster Bridge, mounting the pavement and mowing down pedestrians. Three members of the public are now believed to have been killed here, and up to 40 injured. The car then veered across a cycle lane and smashed into parliaments perimeter wall. A man jumped out of the car and rushed through the gates into New Palace Yard where he fatally stabbed PC Keith Palmer. The attacker was then shot several times by armed officers. What happened in Westminster was witnessed by a number of parliamentary journalists, whose offices immediately overlook New Palace Yard, the cobbled square through which many MPs and peers drive each day to access parliaments underground carpark: Quentin Letts, the Daily Mails parliamentary sketchwriter, has a desk near the window overlooking the yard; on hearing a loud crash and some screams, he told BBC news, he and his colleagues rushed to see what was happening. Then I saw a thick-set man dressed in black clothes, he looked I would say about 40 years old, I dont think he had much hair, running  through the gates. He seemed to have something in his hand, a stick or something like that. A policeman who tried to challenge the man had fallen over, Letts said, and the attacker was hitting him, possibly striking him or knifing him. The weapon was a knife, and the stab wounds inflicted would prove fatal. The victim was later named as PC Keith Palmer, a 48-year-old officer with 15 years service who was a husband and father. The attacker then ran towards the entrance of the parliament building that is used by MPs each day. He got about 15 yards or so when he was shot by two plain-clothes men who had come out of the building, having been summoned by the uniformed police, said Letts. Before shooting, they shouted something at the man, and he appeared to ignore them and still ran towards them, and they shot him about three times. 'All hell was let loose': witnesses on the Westminster attack Australian PM pays tribute to 'mother of parliaments' The Australian prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, has extended Australias heartfelt sympathy and resolute solidarity to the people of the UK. The attack in the British parliament is an attack on parliaments, freedom and democracy everywhere. Westminster is rightly known as the mother of parliaments. Almost every element of our parliamentary tradition, here in Australia, is modelled on that of the houses of parliament in London. We send our condolences, especially to the families of the victims, those injured, including a police officer murdered by the terrorist. Turnbull said he had received briefings on the attack from Australias counter-terrorism coordinator, Tony Sheehan, and the high commissioner in London, Alexander Downer. He had also spoken to the Australian federal police commissioner and the director general of security, Duncan Lewis. Turnbull added that there would be an increased police presence in Canberras Parliament House on Thursday. Australians should be reassured that our agencies are today, as every day, working relentlessly to keep Australians safe. We are very alert to the vulnerabilities of places of mass gathering and the risk of lone attackers, like the terrorist in London. Keeping Australians safe is our highest priority. It is the first duty of my government. The South Korean embassy in London has sent officials to two London hospitals where five South Korean victims are being treated, media in Seoul have reported. All of the injured South Koreans are believed to be aged in their 50s or 60s. A South Korean foreign ministry official said the embassy had entered emergency mode since the terrorist attack, according to KBS World Radio. The report added that South Korean nationals travelling in the UK had been sent text messages alerting them about possible risks. Three of the four women and a man sustained relatively light injuries but the other woman sustained an injury to her head and underwent surgery at a nearby hospital, KBS World Radio reported, saying the tourists were hurt when they were caught in a stampede of people fleeing the attack on Westminster Bridge. The Seoul Shinmun, a daily broadsheet, reported that the 67-year-old female victim, who has been identified only as Park, was not directly injured by the vehicle driven deliberately by the attacker into pedestrians on the bridge, but fell to the floor. She is undergoing surgery at St Marys hospital, Paddington. Park arrived in London a day earlier together with her husband and was scheduled to leave for Paris later on Wednesday, Yonhap news agency reported, citing officials. Of the four other South Koreans injured in the incident, two required surgery due to a clavicle fracture or arm fracture, and the remaining two patients complained of pain, according to the Seoul Shinmum. Edge Hill University, in Ormskirk, Lancashire, has confirmed that some of its students were injured on Westminster Bridge. In a statement, the university said the group  believed to have been 13 students and their lecturer  had been visiting the capital on a field trip. Two students were taken to hospital. Owen Lambert, 18, from Morecambe, Lancashire, needed stitches to a head wound, and Travis Frain from Darwen, who, according to a tweet from a local journalist, had a cracked rib plus hand and arm injuries. His mother, Angela Frain, confirmed he was in hospital: I have spoken to him at 3.20pm and I know hes OK. Hes at the hospital with a police officer. The police officer just said he was in good spirits. Two other students are believed to have minor injuries but were not hospitalised. All others on the trip were safe and accounted for, the university said. Dr John Cater, vice-chancellor of Edge Hill, told BBC North West Tonight: They had just actually finished their session, were leaving the parliament building and in the Westminster Bridge area where we understand  they were involved in the incident. We understand that two students have been taken to hospital but as walking wounded  one with a head wound and one with a wrist injury. There are two other students who have minor injuries who are with police and acting as witnesses. The good news is that the other nine students are now back in a hostel receiving support and will return to the north-west tomorrow. The details are invariably hazy  Our assumption is that they were either knocked over by other people or struck by the vehicle. Obviously all of them will be somewhat traumatised by what they have seen as well.
London police make two more 'significant arrests' in Westminster attack Armed Metropolitan Police remain vigilant on Thursday while roads remain closed and cordoned off around Westminster Palace after Wednesday's attack on Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament where four people are known to have died. Met Police said authorities have carried out two more arrests, raising the total of those arrested in response to the incident to 10 -- one of whom was released on bail. Photo by Hugo Philpott/UPI | License Photo March 24 (UPI) -- London's Metropolitan Police on Friday said officers made "two further significant arrests" overnight in their investigation of an attack near Parliament that killed four victims and the assailant. Rowley said a total of 10 people have been detained, including one woman was released on bail. Authorities have carried out at least 21 searches and seized more than 2,700 items including "massive of amounts of computer data." "To that end in our continuing investigation and ongoing covert activity, we have made two further significant arrests overnight -- one in the West Midlands and one in North West," Rowley said during a press conference, referring to official regions in England north of London. Rowley also identified the fourth victim who died from his injuries while hospitalized as 75-year-old Leslie Rhodes from Streatham in south London. There are two people hospitalized in critical condition, one in a life-threatening condition and two police officers who sustained injuries, Rowley said, adding that a total of at least 50 people were injured with 31 needing hospitalization. Rowley said that though there is no further evidence of threats, investigators are moving to focus on understanding the attacker's motivation, preparation and to see if he had associates -- specifically, if he acted alone and was inspired by terrorist propaganda, or if he was encouraged, supported or directed by others. "At this point I want to appeal specifically to the public. We remain keen to hear from anyone who knew Khalid Masood well; understands who his associates were; and can provide with information about places he has recently visited," Rowley said. "There might well be people out there who did have concerns about Masood but weren't sure or didn't feel comfortable for whatever reason in passing information to us." Armed officers patrolling London have nearly doubled since the attack, Rowley added. Investigators said Masood, 52, was shot dead by responding police at the gates of British Parliament on Wednesday after he struck several people with his vehicle on the nearby Westminster Bridge in an attack claimed by the Islamic State militant group. Masood killed three people before he was shot -- two pedestrians on the bridge and a police officer at the Westminster gates. The victims are Rhodes, who later died, Police Constable Keith Palmer, 48, British citizen Aysha Frade, 43, and U.S. citizen Kurt Cochran, 54, of Utah. Authorities said Masood had prior convictions for violent offenses, including grievous bodily harm and assault, but was never convicted of terror crimes. His first criminal conviction occurred in 1983 for criminal damage and his most recent was in 2003 for possession of a knife, police said. The attack, which is being investigated as a terrorist incident, on Wednesday is Britain's deadliest since the July 7, 2005, terrorist bombings in central London that killed 52 people and injured nearly 800. Rowley said that despite the attempt, terrorists targeting London would not succeed. On Thursday, hundreds gathered to hold a vigil to pay tribute to the victims of the attack. "Finally, last night a true cross section of people came together to stand together to remember -- but also to send a message. A strong message -- to those inspired by hate and extremism of all persuasions that we will not give in to those who seek to breed discord and fear," Rowley said. "This is as true now as it has ever been. Our acting commissioner, Craig Mackey, told thousands who gathered in central London last night terrorist have tried to tear this city apart before and they have never succeeded. The very fact London has gone back to work and so many were happy to gather in central London last night shows they have failed again.
Another terror attack. Another outpouring of sympathy, this time for London. Another round of media hypocrisy that willfully ignores the obvious explanation for and solution to these kinds of incidents. On Wednesday 22nd March, around 2.40pm, were told that a lone wolf, named as 52-year-old Khalid Masood, drove a black SUV along the sidewalk of the 252m-long Westminster bridge, knocking down at least 12 pedestrians and killing two of them. The SUV is about 6 feet wide and the sidewalk about 12 feet wide. There are vehicles on one side and the stone balustrade of the bridge on the other. The SUV was traveling at at least 60mph. So this was a rather difficult, if horrific, feat to carry out. Leaving the bridge, Masood turned left towards the front of the Houses of Parliament where he mounted the sidewalk and crashed the SUV into railings near the Carriage Gate entrance which is a weak spot guarded by unarmed officers. Exiting the vehicle, he tried to enter the grounds of the building and was confronted by a police officer whom he stabbed. The attacker was then shot dead by another plain clothes police officer. This was a clear attack on the center of power in the UK that was designed to and succeeded (no doubt) in striking a particular chord with the British political elite. As is often the case with such attacks in Western nations, news reports released immediately after the attack cited eyewitnesses who claimed there were two people in the car, one described as black with a goatee beard (matching the description of the man shot by police outside Parliament) and the other a white, bald male. But with only one man shot and killed and the official narrative reflecting this, these initial eyewitness reports have been shunted down the memory hole, never to be heard again. While eyewitness reports are inherently unreliable, this is not always true. In the case of yesterdays attack in London, how is it possible that multiple eyewitnesses saw two people in a car (clearly enough to define skin color) when there was, in fact, only one person in the car? In other similar terror car attacks that involved only one person, like in Nice and Berlin last year, there were no eyewitnesses who said that there were two people in the trucks used. The reason is that there was only ever one person driving. The knife allegedly used by Masood to kill PC Palmer So rather than dismissing the London reports as the traumatized imagination of ordinary people unaccustomed to such carnage, a much more reasonable conclusion is to assume that there was a white bald guy in the car, and that he fled the scene, and that that was his intention all along, leaving his partner to take the fall, literally. This scenario raises the specter of the Muslim patsy having a handler, possibly someone with nerves of steel and a heart to match. It may have been the white bald guy driving the car along Westminster bridge, mowing down people, as the Muslim patsy sat beside him. As a general rule, ignorant patsies cant be relied on to carry out terror attacks on their own; they might, after all, balk at the last minute. Now, I understand that this scenario is highly implausible for those who fervently believe that there are no dark corners within the British government that actually benefit from terror attacks against British civilians to the extent that they would have a hand in carrying them out. But to hold that belief a person has to be totally ignorant of the hard official evidence that some section of the British government has, in the recent past, consciously carried out terror attacks against British citizens, and then pointed the finger at someone else. Getting back to London; the only video of the SUV speeding along Westminster bridge emerged late last night and was shown on the BBC evening news. I found the same footage on the Twitter account of BBC home affairs correspondent Dominic Casciani and published it on SOTT.net (Casciani removed it from his Twitter account soon thereafter). While the footage has since appeared on several other news sites, SOTT.net was the first news website to host the video and carried it as an exclusive (meaning it was not, at the time of publishing, available anywhere else). As a result, I was contacted this morning by two AP journalists asking if SOTT.net owned the video or if we knew the source. I replied in the negative on both counts, but suggested it might be CCTV footage and therefore the legal property of Westminster city council. One of the AP reporters was able to tell me that he had contacted Westminster city council and they had denied that it was from any of their cameras. First, check out the video. There are three initial things to note: 1) the vertical angle is quite steep, suggesting that the video was taken from a relatively high altitude. 2) the video is low quality, suggesting a high zoom level. 3) the position of the camera is to the left of the center of the bridge, making it possible that the camera was located somewhere on the north bank of the river Thames. With that information, to get an idea of the approximate locations for the camera, we need to look at some images. Heres the view up the Thames, looking back at the view from where the video was shot. And heres a zoom of that area with significant buildings marked The next image is taken from this Google street view link at the altitude 360 restaurant at the top of Millbank tower. I zoomed the image further after processing and I it seems like a pretty good candidate for the location of the camera (not excluding, however, that it may have been situated on top of MI5 HQ). Just for the record, I can find no evidence that there is an automated CCTV or webcam in this restaurant or on the exterior top of the tower that points at Westminster bridge (there might be one at MI5 HQ, however). So the only question left unanswered (well, sort of) is who happened to be filming Westminster bridge on a grey Wednesday afternoon in March at the precise time that a black SUV containing at least one terrorist was mowing down pedestrians? The answer, of course, is easy: it was a member of ISIS who works undercover as a cleaner at the altitude 360 restaurant (or MI5 HQ). After all, today ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, which was, of course, carried out by one of their soldiers of the caliphate who was, apparently, known to MI5 (what a surprise). Is it possible that the British government agency such as MI5 operated a drone to take this footage? I don't know much of the details about this other than reading this article but I also read a similar theory regarding the MH17 shooting down and the footage of the burning wreckage smoke taken from a building in Ukraine. See the website Dances With Bears by journalist John Helmer.
Westminster Attack; Why Terror Will Not Win Westminster Attack Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all ones lifetime. Mark Twain, The Innocents Abroad/Roughing It Yet again another major city and tourism destination mourns the senseless loss of innocent lives, with still more injured, Westminster added to the list of recent cowardly acts of terrorism. Paris, Tunisia and now London, the victims, just people minding their own business, enjoying the sights of the capital city and a police officer doing his duty. Why, because several radical groups have twisted one of the worlds great religions to meet their own twisted agenda. They want to strike fear into us, they want to stop us going about our daily lives, they want us to live in fear. An iconic skyline They also want to divide us, drive a wedge between our communities, create hatred, so that some members of our communities become marginalised. This fits their plan, creating still more fear as we bicker amongst ourselves, a breeding ground for bigotry and radicalism. The world reels in shock as the horrific events of the attack became known, messages of sympathy and support from world leaders and religious leaders from a variety of faiths have flooded in through official channels and social media. People of every ethnicity and religious belief have stood together in condemnation of this attack. It is easy to feel anger, I did yesterday and for most of today, but giving myself the time to watch the news broadcasts, allowing the bulletins and magnitude of yet another act of terrorism sink in. Only then, did I feel able to write, after the anger had subsided, my thoughts still with those lost and their families. What remains? Determination. London, Paris, Bali, Tunisia and numerous other destinations which have suffered this kind of sickening attack were targeted for a reason; they have culture, history and are beautiful, therefore popular with tourists. While causing maximum fatalities and casualties is a prime motive of the terrorist, creating fear, causing us to question the validity of travelling to these and other destinations is another. They hope by creating a climate of fear, they can prevent us from living normal lives, and takeaway the privilege of travel. Icons of London It is not merely confined to personal fear, it is national fear too. Security will become tightened, greater checks at airports and borders, increased police presence on the streets of our cities and the introduction of xenophobic travel bans. If any of these possibilities become eventualities, then the terrorists have achieved their aim, they have won. The Bulldog Spirit We cannot let that happen! Targeting London may not be the finest hour of the terrorist, they seem not to have learned the lessons of history, or have heard of the Bulldog Spirit. The British do not respond well to bullies, we tend to fight back, this is not the first attack Londoners have suffered, it is unlikely it will be the last, but they survived the Blitz and they will survive this. Sir Winston Churchill is one of our greatest statesmen, an icon and a hero of the nation, a man that galvanised a nation into standing up to a tyrant, bullying his way across Europe. The spirit of Churchill may have lain dormant for some time, but it remains and it is during times of greatest need that it usually resurfaces. London will remain one of the great cities of the world, it will continue as a destination popular with tourists. It is still a city which has great history, many cultural attractions, impressive architecture built along the River Thames, a cosmopolitan city, with great theatres and fine restaurants, this is London. Tower Bridge It is home to: The Palace of Westminster and House of Peers The Tower of London Big Ben Buckingham Palace The Natural History Museum Trafalgar Square St James Park The Shard Tower Bridge Covent Garden Kew Gardens The British Museum Tate Modern Regents Park Hampton Court Palace Shakespeares Globe Theatre These are just a few of the reasons we love to visit London and why no threat of terrorism, real or imagined should ever prevent any of us from visiting this great city. London is not perfect, it has its faults; it is not the friendliest of United Kingdom cities, as a trip on the underground will testify. Far from being the cleanest city on the planet, its citizens showing little reverence for the historic streets, but these slight imperfections are the little idiosyncrasies which endear our capital to us. It is a time not for division, but for us to unite, regardless of colour, creed or faith, we now need to stand together against not just terrorism, but bigotry and xenophobia. We do this by carrying on as usual, living our lives and not only tolerating, but embracing different cultures and beliefs. London, A city which will not be cowed Travel fosters this understanding of alien cultures, travellers usually realise that we have more in common with others than we have differences, that we have more to learn from them than we can teach. Choose to continue to travel, to explore, to discover, not only London, but any place we desire, not allowing our fears to limit these ambitions. Its time not only to write a bucket list, but to start ticking off those must visit destinations!
Mr Rowley said three police officers were among those injured, two of whom were in a serious condition. He refused to comment on the identity of the attacker, but said: "Our working assumption is that he was inspired by international terrorism." Update: 10.30pm: Five people have died and around 40 others have been injured in the Westminster terror attack, Scotland Yard's top anti-terror officer Mark Rowley has confirmed. Update 9pm: Prime Minister Theresa May has confirmed that four people - including one police officer and the perpetrator - died in today's "sick and depraved" attack in Westminster. Speaking outside 10 Downing Street after chairing a meeting of the Government's Cobra emergencies committee, Mrs May paid tribute to the "exceptional men and women" of the police force who responded to the attack. She confirmed that a single attacker drove a car into pedestrians walking on Westminster Bridge, killing two of them, before running with a knife through the front gates of the Palace of Westminster, where he killed a police officer before being shot dead. She vowed that "the forces of evil" would never be allowed "to drive us apart". Mrs May said that any attempt to defeat the values that Parliament stands for was "doomed to failure". And she vowed: "We will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart." The UK's terror threat level would remain at "severe", Mrs May said. She praised the bravery of the police officers "who keep us and our democratic institutions safe". "Our thoughts and prayers go out to all who have been affected, to the victims themselves and to their families and friends, who waved their loved ones off but will not now be welcoming them home. "For those of us who were in Parliament at the time of this attack, these events provide a particular reminder of the exceptional bravery of our police and security services who risk their lives to keep us safe. "Once again today, these exceptional men and women ran towards the danger, even as they encouraged others to move the other way." Update 8pm: Four university students were injured as they were caught up in the attack on Westminster Bridge. They were among a group of 13 students and a lecturer from Edge Hill University, in Ormskirk, who were on the first day of a two-day educational visit to the Houses of Parliament. The students had just left Parliament and made their way on to Westminster Bridge after they had watched Prime Minister's Questions and met with MPs. Among those injured were Owen Lambert, 18, from Morecambe, Lancs, who needed stitches to a head wound, and Travis Frain, from Darwen. Dr John Cater, Vice Chancellor of Edge Hill University, told BBC North West Tonight: "They had just actually finished their session, were leaving the Parliament building and in the Westminster Bridge area where we understand ... they were involved in the incident. "We understand that two students have been taken to hospital but as walking wounded - one with a head wound and one with a wrist injury. There are two other students who have minor injuries who are with police and acting as witnesses. "The good news is that the other nine students are now back in a hostel receiving support and will return to the North West tomorrow." He added: "The details are invariably hazy I guess.Our assumption is that they were either knocked over by other people or struck by the vehicle. Obviously all of them will be somewhat traumatised by what they have seen as well." Earlier, the university tweeted: "All students and lecturer in Westminster have been accounted for and are being supported by the university." Update 7.30pm: World leaders have condemned the attack in Westminster. The French and German leaders have both issued statements offering Britain their support and Theresa May has spoken on the phone to US president Donald Trump. Update 7.10pm: The UK Home Secretary Amber Rudd said that the UK Government's top priority following the Westminster attack was "the security of its people". Speaking during a visit to Pakistan, Ms Rudd urged the public to remain calm and keep vigilant. She said: "I know the whole country will be thinking of and praying for those affected by this terrible incident. Our top priority is people's security. "We have the best police and security services in the world and we will let them get on with their job." The UK Home Secretary described the incident as "on-going" as she said the UK Prime Minister would hold a meeting of the emergency Cobra committee to consider the situation. "I want to thank the emergency services for the quick response, and pay tribute to their bravery, their courage, and their professionalism. "I have been briefed by the Met Police and by the security services, and the Security Minister has also been updated. "This is an on-going incident and the Government will continue to be updated. The Prime Minister will chair Cobra today. "I urge everyone to remain calm, but to be vigilant, and if they see anything they are concerned about they should report it to the police." Ms Rudd added: "The British people will be united in working together to defeat those who would harm our shared values. "Values of democracy, tolerance and the rule of law. Values symbolised by the Houses of Parliament. Values that will never be destroyed." Update 6.50pm: The French Prime Minister has confirmed that several French school children are among the injured. Update 6.40pm: Metropolitan Police Acting Deputy Commissioner and Head of Counter Terrorism Mark Rowley made a statement outside Scotland Yard to update the public about the incident, the ongoing operation into what has happened and what people can expect in the coming days. He said: "As you know, we've declared this as a terrorist incident and the counter-terrorism command are carrying out a full-scale investigation into events today. "The attack started when a car was driven over Westminster Bridge, hitting and injuring a number of members of the public also including three police officers on their way back from a commendation ceremony. "The car then crashed near to Parliament and at least one man, armed with a knife, continued the attack and tried to enter Parliament. "Sadly I can confirm that now four people 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. The officer's family have been made aware. At least 20 people have been injured. "As part of long-established and well-rehearsed plans Parliament has been locked down and the Met responded in line with our plans for a marauding terrorist attack. That response included uniformed and specialist firearms officers. "We now of course have an ongoing operation and, whilst we currently believe there was only one attacker, I'm sure the public will understand us taking every precaution in locking down and searching the area as thoroughly and exhaustively as possible. "I know officials working in Parliament and the public in the area completely understand the need to do this and I thank them for their patience and their support. "This investigation has the full weight and expertise of the counter-terrorism command behind it and if there are people who saw the events unfold today that haven't yet spoken to us I would urge to get in touch." "A crime scene will remain in place in the affected areas in Westminster and you will understand it is vital as we carry out a painstaking investigation to recover all the possible evidence. "Looking forward, throughout the rest of the day, including when people are commuting home and indeed over the days that follow, the people of London will see extra police officers armed and unarmed on our streets. "This includes our officers working longer hours and extra shifts alongside our colleagues from British Transport Police and the City of London, and of course as you're aware we can call on the support of the military should we need to at a future point. "We are also in a process of opening up our casualty bureau to help those people who are worried about friends or family who may have been caught up in the attack. "Furthermore, we are reaching out to communities and community leaders across London to reassure them. Our strength as a city depends on our ability to stand together in such terrible times. "My thoughts are with all those who have been affected by today's attack. And as a service we have lost one of our own as he acted to protect the public and his colleagues. "This is a day we planned for but we hoped would never happen. "Sadly it's now a reality. "We will continue to do all we can to protect the people of London." Mr Rowley said the officer who was attacked was one of the armed officers who protect Parliament, and detectives currently believe it was a lone attacker. He said: "We are satisfied at this stage that it looks like there was only one attacker, but it would be foolish to be overconfident so early on. "For a precautionary basis are locking down the area and doing all the necessary searches so we can be completely confident that everyone is safe." Mr Rowley said that, apart from the police officer and his attacker, it was his understanding that the two other victims died on the bridge. Update 6.01pm: Four people were killed in the Westminster terror attack, including the police officer who was stabbed and his attacker, Scotland Yard's top anti-terror officer Mark Rowley has confirmed. Assistant Police Commissioner Rowley also said that at least 20 people have been injured. It is also being reported that three police officers have been injured. Mr Rowley said the two other fatalities were on the bridge when the terrorist struck. He told reporters outside New Scotland Yard, just yards from the scene of the attack: "This was a day we've planned for but hoped would never happen. Sadly it is now a reality." Update 5.41pm: A police officer and a pedestrian have been killed after a knifeman brought terror to the heart of Westminster. The police officer was wheeled away on a stretcher with his face covered and sources later confirmed he had died. Hundreds of people were evacuated from Parliament to Westminster Abbey. Addressing the crowd, which included ministers, MPs, peers and tourists, from the pulpit a Met Police superintendent said it would take around 90 minutes to process everyone. An email address and website was given out so eyewitnesses can upload any pictures or videos of what happened for use in evidence. Police said people would be assessed to see if they have any information. Update 5.30pm: Three French teenagers on a school visit to London were among those injured on Westminster Bridge. Le Telegramme reported the students, aged between 15 and 16, were wounded in the attack with one ending up on the roof of the car. The pupils from a school in Concarneau, Brittany, had arrived in London on Sunday evening. A spokeswoman for the Lycee Saint-Joseph de Concarneau confirmed three students were injured but said she could give no further information. Meanwhile, French President Francois Hollande said: "Terrorism concerns us all and France knows how the British people are suffering today. "We are doing everything to find out if French nationals have been involved." Update 5.20pm: A woman who apparently jumped into the Thames as the attacker drove across the bridge was rescued and given urgent medical treatment on a nearby pier. A party of French schoolchildren were among those targeted on the bridge. Eyewitness Rick Longley described the attack. "We were just walking up to the station and there was a loud bang and a guy, someone, crashed a car and took some pedestrians out. "They were just laying there and then the whole crowd just surged around the corner by the gates just opposite Big Ben. "A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman. "I have never seen anything like that. I just can't believe what I just saw." He urged Londoners to be vigilant, said more officers would be on patrol and that anti-terrorism measures were being reviewed. British Prime Minister Theresa May will chair a meeting of the British Government's emergency Cobra committee later today, a Downing Street spokesman said. Update 4.50pm: Another witness, from South Africa and living in Ireland, said she and two friends went towards the palace gates and saw a man lying on the floor inside. She said: "I saw a body, they were working on the floor. They were just inside the gates. "He had one gunshot wound to the right side of his chest. I don't know if he was dead or alive, but people were working on him. "I saw that he needed medical attention and I asked if I could help because I am a doctor, but they said they were fine. "Then the police moved us back." Update 4.42pm: At least two people have died after a knifeman brought terror to the heart of Westminster in London this afternoon, mowing down pedestrians then stabbing a policeman before being shot by armed officers. Eyewitnesses described scenes of terror as the attacker was shot several times as he approached a second officer within yards of the Houses of Parliament. Paramedics fought to save his life and that of his victim on the floor of the cobbled courtyard in front of Parliament with Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood among those who rushed to help. Colleen Anderson, a junior doctor at St Thomas' hospital, said a woman was killed as the attacker drove a grey Hyundai i40 across Westminster Bridge before crashing it into railings then running through the gates of the Palace of Westminster. She also said she treated a police officer in his 30s with a head injury who had been take to King's College hospital. She said: "I confirmed one fatality. A woman. She was under the wheel of a bus. "She died. Confirmed her death at the scene." Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: "There has been a serious incident near to Parliament Square this afternoon which is being treated as a terrorist attack until the police know otherwise. "I have spoken to the Acting Commissioner. The Metropolitan Police Service is dealing with the incident and an urgent investigation is under way. My thoughts are with those affected and their families. "I would like to express my thanks to the police and emergency services who work so hard to keep us safe and show tremendous bravery in exceptionally difficult circumstances. "For the latest information please visit news.met.police.uk." Update 4.32pm: Bradford Buck, from Connecticut in the US, saw the incident unfolding. He said: "Police cars just kept coming one after another after another, I've never seen such a quick response. Then a little bit later the helicopter came. "My wife and I came up from Westminster underground, we walked across to Parliament and there was a car crashed into the gate there. "Police officers were running with machine guns, and there was a man down right next to the car." Fearing for their safety, Mr Buck and his wife sheltered behind some concrete, before police moved them to safety. Update 4.20pm: The London Eye tourist attraction, just across the Thames from Parliament, said it was on lockdown following the attack. A spokesman said: "At present we are holding all of our guests within our attractions as per tried and tested security procedures." Update 4.10pm: One woman has died and a number of others have been hurt - including some with "catastrophic" injuries - in the incident on Westminster Bridge, a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital has said. An announcement made in Parliament said there was a suspicious package in a vehicle and the bomb squad had been called which halted a planned evacuation. Kathy Casatelli, 58, saw a car rammed into the front gates of the palace and a man being treated on the floor. She said: "We were coming up from the Tube and we walked out and there were officers there with their guns drawn. "I saw this car that was smashed into the gate. It was a grey BMW, it looked like a nice car. The whole windshield was smashed. "There was a man on the ground, it looked like he was moving. I don't know if he was the driver." Ms Casatelli, from Syracuse in the US and on holiday in London since Saturday, said she heard that someone had been wielding a knife. She said: "One of the officers was trying to him. "He wasn't moving very much, I thought I saw him moving. "I don't know if he was riding a bike and got hit. There was somebody with him and he was there with his hands on his head. "I don't know if they were walking or biking and it hit them." Police extended the cordon back up Broad Sanctuary beyond Westminster Abbey to the junction with Victoria Street. Four police vans arrived at the scene at 3.40pm, as the air ambulance took off. London Ambulance Service "declared a major incident" in a statement, saying: "We were called at 2.40pm to Westminster Bridge to reports of an incident, with the first crew arriving within six minutes. "We have sent a number of resources to the scene including ambulance crews, London's Air Ambulance and our Hazardous Area Response Team. "We are working closely with other members of the emergency services at the scene, with our priority being to ensure patients receive the medical help they need as quickly as possible. "We have declared a major incident and our priority is to assess patients and ensure that they are treated and taken to hospital as soon as possible. "As we are very busy dealing with this incident, we would ask the public to only call us in a genuine emergency." Update 3.45pm: Witness Quentin Letts said he saw a man in black attack a police officer outside the British Parliament before being shot two or three times as he tried to storm into the House of Commons. Pic via BBC. "I saw a thick-set man in black clothes come through the gates into New Palace Yard, just below Big Ben," he told the BBC. "He had something in his hand, it looked like a stick of some sort, and he was challenged by a couple of policemen in yellow jackets. "And one of the yellow-jacketed policemen fell down and we could see the man in black moving his arm in a way that suggested he was stabbing or striking the yellow-jacketed policeman." The other officer ran to get help and the man in black ran about 15 yards towards the entrance, he said. He added: "As this attacker was running towards the entrance two plain-clothed guys with guns shouted at him what sounded like a warning, he ignored it and they shot two or three times and he fell." "I heard shouts and screams from outside and looked out, and there was a group of maybe 40 or 50 people running round the corner from Bridge Street into Parliament Square," said Mr Woodcock. "They appeared to be running away from something. As the group arrived at the Carriage Gates, where policemen are posted at the security entrance, a man suddenly ran out of the crowd and into the yard. He seemed to be holding up a long kitchen knife. "I heard what sounded like shots - I think about three of them - and then the next thing I knew there were two people lying on the ground and others running to help them. Armed police were quickly on the scene and I heard them shouting to people to get out of the Yard." Police outside the Palace of Westminster, London. A witness, who did not want to be named, saw Mrs May and her undercover police detail near the area of Parliament where ministerial cars are parked. He said there were undercover officers in a 4x4 vehicle in the car park. "We just heard gunshots inside Parliament," he said. "It looked like they are taking her away." Update 3.15pm: A policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the British Houses of Parliament. Around three shots rang out outside the Palace of Westminster after a man ran through the gates into the front yard of the parliamentary compound apparently waving a knife. Two people were seen being treated on the ground in New Palace Yard amid shouts and screams. An air ambulance landed in Parliament Square and a regular ambulance came in through the front gates as medics rushed to help the injured people. Emergency services close to the Palace of Westminster, Armed police cleared the area around the incident and Parliament Square was closed to traffic. A Downing Street source confirmed that Prime Minister Theresa May was "OK". Mrs May was seen being ushered into a silver Jaguar car as what sounded like gunfire rang out at Parliament during the incident at around 2.45pm. As the sitting in the House of Commons was suspended, Commons Leader David Lidington told MPs: "What I am able to say to the House is there has been a serious incident within the estate. "It seems that a police officer has been stabbed, that the alleged assailant was shot by armed police. Emergency personnel close to the Palace of Westminster. "An air ambulance is currently attending the scene to remove the casualties. "There are also reports of further violent incidents in the vicinity of the Palace of Westminster but I hope colleagues on all sides will appreciate that it'd be wrong of me to go into further details until we have confirmation from the police and from the House security authorities about what is going on." Witnesses described seeing a middle-aged man carrying a knife and running. Jayne Wilkinson said: "We were taking photos of Big Ben and we saw all the people running towards us, and then there was an Asian guy in about his 40s carrying a knife about seven or eight inches long. "And then there were three shots fired, and then we crossed the road and looked over. The man was on the floor with blood. "He had a lightweight jacket on, dark trousers and a shirt. "He was running through those gates, towards Parliament, and the police were chasing him." Her partner David Turner added: "There was a stampede of people running out. "You saw the people and you thought 'what the hell is going on'." Screengrab from a video posted on the twitter feed of @sikorskiradek of people attending to a person on Westminster Bridge, London. After the incident, Radoslaw Sikorski posted a video to Twitter purporting to show people lying injured in the road on Westminster Bridge. Mr Sikorski, a senior fellow at Harvard's Centre for European Studies, wrote: "A car on Westminster Bridge has just mowed down at least 5 people." Earlier: Sounds similar to gunfire have been heard close to the Palace of Westminster. A man with a knife has been seen within the confines of the Palace, eyewitnesses said. The House of Commons is in lockdown as emergency services deal with the situation. Commons Leader David Lidington has told MPs a "police officer has been stabbed" and the "alleged assailant was shot by armed police" following a "serious" incident within the parliamentary estate. The alleged assailant was shot by armed police. A Downing Street source declined to say where British Prime Minister Theresa May had been during the attack, but said she had not been involved. There are reports of other incidents within the vicinity of the Parliament, including one that a car had mown down a number of people in the area. These reports have not been confirmed. Two people were seen lying within Old Palace Yard, immediately outside Westminster Hall. Scotland Yard confirmed it was called to a firearms incident on Westminster Bridge amid reports of several people injured. A number of people are reported to have been injured on Westminster Bridge. Between five and 12 people are reported to have been injured. One man who says he is in an office block close to the incident said on twitter: "Just seen police shoot a man outside parliament, appeared to be wielding a knife / About five minutes we hard a bang, and then screams, from our office in the Palace of Westminster. "We went to the window and saw a man, who appeared to be wielding a knife, enter New Palace Yard, which is inside the secure zone / It appeared that the man was attacking a police officer, then advanced into New Palace Yard. "Armed officers moved in quickly, and shot him / Can't say more with certainty, as we witnessed this from distance, from our office window. Have been told by police to move away from window."
Khalid Masood Family: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know Khalid Masood, the London terror attacker, was a middle-aged father who once worked as an English teacher. Masood, 52  identified by police as the assailant in the attack on UK Parliament  was described as a British-born father and husband with a criminal record and several aliases, who was a peripheral figure to intelligence services. Forty were injured and three killed in the terror attack, in addition to the suspect, who was shot by a police officer. Masood was described by neighbors as a religious convert, and ISIS has labeled him a soldier of the Islamic state. Heres what you need to know about Masood and his family: 1. Masood Was a Married Father of Three Who Lived Until Recently in Birmingham According to The Sun, Masood was a married dad-of-three. Sky News also reported that Masood had a wife and three children, and said they lived most recently in Birmingham, England. A person who knew Masood professionally told Sky News he was a big bloke, adding: He looked like he was a bodybuilder, (you) wouldnt want to mess with him. That source told Sky News that Masood was a very religious, well spoken man. You couldnt go to his home in Birmingham on Friday because he would be at prayer. According to The New York Post, a neighbor said of Masood: He had a wife, a young Asian woman, and a small child who went to school. The Guardian reported that Masood was born in Kent but was believed to have been living in the West Midlands most recently. 3. Masood Was Obsessed With Bodybuilding & Was an English Teacher A neighbor said one of his children was age 5 or 6, and There was a woman living there with him, an Asian woman. He seemed to be quite nice, he would be taking care of his garden and the weeds, reported UK Daily Mail. The site reported that, according to the neighbor, Masood moved out in December. 4. Masood Had a Lengthy Criminal Record & Neighbors Called Him Vampire Armed police officers stand guard, as ambulance paramedics arrive at the Carriage Gates entrance of the Houses of Parliament in central London on March 22, 2017. (Getty) Neighbors dubbed Masood vampire because they said he was known to have regularly gone out at night, dressed in black clothing, UK Mirror reported. According to The Sun, Masood had a lengthy criminal record, but there was nothing in his record relating to terrorism. He had previous convictions for assaults, including GBH, possession of offensive weapons and public order offenses, reported the British news site, which added that his first conviction was in November 1983 for criminal damage and his last conviction was in December 2003 for possession of a knife. Police made a series of arrests in the London terror attack, but it was not yet clear what, if any, tie they had to Masood, reported The Guardian. 5. Four People Died in the Attack, Including an American Tourist & an English Police Officer Kurt and Melissa Cochran, tourists from Utah, were both injured on Westminster bridge during the London terror attack. Kurt has died from his injuries, but Melissa is expected to recover. The Americans recording studio. (Facebook) Masood was shot and killed in the terror attack after ramming into people with his car on Westminster bridge and then stabbing to death police officer Keith Palmer. Masood was then shot to death by another police officer before he could make his way into the House of Commons. UK Parliament was suspended, and the prime minister, Theresa May, was whisked away from the scene. Also killed in the attack were Kurt Cochran, an American Tourist on holiday with his wife for their anniversary and Aysha Frade, a college worker. was an english teacher mostly on the dole then  paid for by the very people that he hated most. what a big snake in the grass. instead of building his body, he should have built his mind so as not to be twisted and evil. he got his 15 minutes of fame (?) then forgotten like a pig that he was.as thousands like him were.
Westminster Attack Claimed by ISIS A massive police operation is under way after a terror attack in Westminster, in the heart of London, yesterday in which four people died. The Islamic State terror group has claimed responsibility. Here's what happened, and everything we know so far. An attacker killed two pedestrians and injured around 40 other people as he mowed down members of the public with a car on Westminster Bridge before crashing into the railings in front of Parliament. Bursting through the gate to the Palace of Westminster, he stabbed unarmed Pc Keith Palmer, 48, before being shot dead by armed officers. Paramedics fought to save the attacker, and that of Pc Palmer on the floor of the cobbled courtyard just yards from the House of Commons. Both were later confirmed dead. Two large knives could be seen at the scene. Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood was among those who rushed to help. Mr Ellwood, who lost his brother in the Bali bombing, was seen pumping the officer's chest then standing above him, his hands and face smeared with blood. The Islamic State terror group has claimed the British born attacker was one of its "soldiers", in a statement released through IS's Aamaq news agency. It came just two hours after Prime Minister Theresa May addressed the House of Commons saying the man was British and known by police and MI5. He has not been publicly identified. Police believe he was acting alone, although they are investigating possible associates. Mrs May said: "What I can confirm is that the man was British-born and that some years ago he was once investigated by MI5 in relation to concerns about violent extremism. "He was a peripheral figure. The case is historic. He was not part of the current intelligence picture. There was no prior intelligence of his intent or of the plot." Isil has been explicitly threatening attacks on Britain for the last 18 months. At the end of a propaganda video claiming the Paris attacks in November 2015, Isil singled out the UK as its next target. Eight people have been arrested so far, and six addresses raided across London, Birmingham and elsewhere overnight. The Birmingham raid took place on the Hagley Road, a mile or so southwest of Birmingham city centre at 11pm yesterday. Neighbours said more than a dozen black-clad police stormed a flat on the road with machine guns. One witness, who works in a shop near the second-floor flat, said: "The man from London lived here." He added: "They came and arrested three men." Searches are continuing at the flat today after it emerged that the killer's car had been hired nearby. On Thursday, car-hire firm Enterprise confirmed the Hyundai 4x4 used in the attack was one of its vehicles after an employee recognised the numberplate in online photos. The car is understood to have been rented from a branch in Stratford, Shirley, in Solihull, just eight miles (13km) from the scene of the flat raid. In a statement, Enterprise said: "We can confirm that the car used in the tragic attack in London yesterday afternoon was one of ours."
New arrest over London attack as govt eyes WhatsApp British police investigating a deadly attack on parliament made a new arrest Sunday as officials set their sights on accessing WhatsApp, the heavily-encrypted messaging service that was used by the killer. The arrest came four days after the lightening assault that unfolded in the shadow of the Houses of Parliament, in which an apparently lone attacker killed four people and wounded 50 before being shot dead by armed police. The latest arrest was a 30-year-old man who was detained in the central city of Birmingham on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts, London's Metropolitan Police said. A dozen people have been arrested since Wednesday's attack by 52-year-old Khalid Masood who deliberately ran down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge then stabbed a policeman just inside the gates of parliament. Nine people have been released without charge, while a 58-year-old man remains in custody and a 32-year-old woman has been released on bail. The arrest came as the government confirmed Masood had used the WhatsApp messaging service, saying it was crucial that the security services be allowed to access the heavily-encrypted app. Media reports said Masood used the Facebook-owned service just minutes before staging his assault, although it was unclear whether he sent any messages or just looked at the app. Speaking to Sky News, Home Secretary Amber Rudd said it was "completely unacceptable" that police and security services had not been able to crack the heavily-encrypted service. "You can't have a situation where you have terrorists talking to each other -- where this terrorist sent a WhatsApp message -- and it can't be accessed," she said. - 'Don't let them hide' - Home Secretary Amber Rudd said it was "completely unacceptable" that police and security services had not been able to crack the heavily-encrypted service WhatsApp Adrian DENNIS, AFP/File Police had on Saturday acknowledged they may never know why Masood, a Muslim convert with a violent criminal past, carried out the attack and that he probably acted alone, despite a claim of responsibility by the Islamic State group. "We must all accept that there is a possibility we will never understand why he did this. That understanding may have died with him," said senior counter-terrorism officer Neil Basu. Although police believe he acted alone on the day, investigators are still trying to find out whether he was encouraged or directed by others. "There should be no place for terrorists to hide," Rudd said in a separate interview with the BBC. "We need to make sure that organisations like WhatsApp -- and there are plenty of others like that -- don't provide a secret place for terrorists to communicate with each other." WhatsApp said it was "horrified" by the attack and was working with the investigating authorities without saying whether it would change its encryption policy. "We are horrified at the attack carried out in London earlier this week and are cooperating with law enforcement as they continue their investigations," a spokeswoman told AFP. - Must be accessible - Rudd acknowledged that end-to-end encryption was vital to cyber security, to ensure that business, banking and other transactions were safe -- but said it must also be accessible. An armed police officer stands at an entrance to the Houses of Parliament in central London on March 26, 2017 DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS, AFP "It's not incompatible. You can have a system whereby they can build it so that we can have access to it when it is absolutely necessary," she told Sky News. Rudd said she did not yet intend to force the industry's hand with new legislation, but would meet key players on Thursday to discuss this issue, as well as the "constant battle" against extremist videos posted online. Tech firms and social media players are coming under increasing pressure over extremists using their websites, applications and technology to communicate extremist content. Last year, US authorities fought a legal battle with tech giant Apple to get it to unlock a smartphone used by one of the shooters in a 2015 attack in San Bernardino, California. The FBI's own experts ended up breaking into the device. And Google has faced a boycott by companies whose adverts appear alongside extremist content on its internet platforms, particularly its video-sharing site YouTube.
Popular Videos The Presidents eldest child stoked controversy after he criticised the Mayor of London in the immediate aftermath of the incident which killed three people. Trump Jnr shared a link to a six-month-old story by The Independent which quoted Mr Khan saying terror attacks were part and parcel of living in a global city. You have to be kidding me?! Trump Jr said on Twitter. After being asked about Trump Jnrs criticism of him on the Today Programme on Radio Four, Mr Khan sharply said: Im not going to respond to tweets by Donald Trump. It is probable Mr Khan was referring to Mr Trump's son here rather than the president himself. What I will say about this is the threat level in London and our country remains the same: its severe. That means according to experts an attack is highly likely," the London Mayor continued. The commissioner who just retired said last year that as far as an attack was concerned its a question of when not if. Thankfully the police and the security services and the emergency services practise for such incidents. One Im afraid has happened yesterday. The response from the police and the emergency services has been superb. Mr Khan was then pressed about whether we should accept terror attacks as part and parcel of London life but remained insistent terrorism should never be accepted. We must never accept terrorists being successful, we must never accept that terrorists can destroy our life or destroy the way we lead our lives, he told host Michelle Hussain. The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued 1/9 Trump and the media 2/9 Trump and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Union leaders applaud US President Donald Trump for signing an executive order withdrawing the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations during a meeting in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington DC. Mr Trump issued a presidential memorandum in January announcing that the US would withdraw from the trade deal Getty 3/9 Trump and the Mexico wall A US Border Patrol vehicle sits waiting for illegal immigrants at a fence opening near the US-Mexico border near McAllen, Texas. The number of incoming immigrants has surged ahead of the upcoming Presidential inauguration of Donald Trump, who has pledged to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. A signature campaign promise, Mr Trump outlined his intention to build a border wall on the US-Mexico border days after taking office Getty Images 4/9 Trump and abortion US President Donald Trump signs an executive order as Chief of Staff Reince Priebus looks on in the Oval Office of the White House. Mr Trump reinstated a ban on American financial aide being granted to non-governmental organizations that provide abortion counseling, provide abortion referrals, or advocate for abortion access outside of the United States Getty Images 5/9 Trump and the Dakota Access pipeline Opponents of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines hold a rally as they protest US President Donald Trump's executive orders advancing their construction, at Columbus Circle in New York. US President Donald Trump signed executive orders reviving the construction of two controversial oil pipelines, but said the projects would be subject to renegotiation Getty Images 6/9 Trump and 'Obamacare' Nancy Pelosi who is the minority leader of the House of Representatives speaks beside House Democrats at an event to protect the Affordable Care Act in Los Angeles, California. US President Donald Trump's effort to make good on his campaign promise to repeal and replace the healthcare law failed when Republicans failed to get enough votes. Mr Trump has promised to revisit the matter Getty Images 7/9 Donald Trump and 'sanctuary cities' US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January threatening to pull funding for so-called "sanctuary cities" if they do not comply with federal immigration law AP 8/9 Trump and the travel ban US President Donald Trump has attempted twice to restrict travel into the United States from several predominantly Muslim countries. The first attempt, in February, was met with swift opposition from protesters who flocked to airports around the country. That travel ban was later blocked by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The second ban was blocked by a federal judge a day before it was scheduled to be implemented in mid-March SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP/Getty Images 9/9 Trump and climate change US President Donald Trump sought to dismantle several of his predecessor's actions on climate change in March. His order instructed the Environmental Protection Agency to reevaluate the Clean Power Plan, which would cap power plant emissions Shannon Stapleton/Reuters 1/9 Trump and the media 2/9 Trump and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Union leaders applaud US President Donald Trump for signing an executive order withdrawing the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations during a meeting in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington DC. Mr Trump issued a presidential memorandum in January announcing that the US would withdraw from the trade deal Getty 3/9 Trump and the Mexico wall A US Border Patrol vehicle sits waiting for illegal immigrants at a fence opening near the US-Mexico border near McAllen, Texas. The number of incoming immigrants has surged ahead of the upcoming Presidential inauguration of Donald Trump, who has pledged to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. A signature campaign promise, Mr Trump outlined his intention to build a border wall on the US-Mexico border days after taking office Getty Images 4/9 Trump and abortion US President Donald Trump signs an executive order as Chief of Staff Reince Priebus looks on in the Oval Office of the White House. Mr Trump reinstated a ban on American financial aide being granted to non-governmental organizations that provide abortion counseling, provide abortion referrals, or advocate for abortion access outside of the United States Getty Images 5/9 Trump and the Dakota Access pipeline Opponents of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines hold a rally as they protest US President Donald Trump's executive orders advancing their construction, at Columbus Circle in New York. US President Donald Trump signed executive orders reviving the construction of two controversial oil pipelines, but said the projects would be subject to renegotiation Getty Images 6/9 Trump and 'Obamacare' Nancy Pelosi who is the minority leader of the House of Representatives speaks beside House Democrats at an event to protect the Affordable Care Act in Los Angeles, California. US President Donald Trump's effort to make good on his campaign promise to repeal and replace the healthcare law failed when Republicans failed to get enough votes. Mr Trump has promised to revisit the matter Getty Images 7/9 Donald Trump and 'sanctuary cities' US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January threatening to pull funding for so-called "sanctuary cities" if they do not comply with federal immigration law AP 8/9 Trump and the travel ban US President Donald Trump has attempted twice to restrict travel into the United States from several predominantly Muslim countries. The first attempt, in February, was met with swift opposition from protesters who flocked to airports around the country. That travel ban was later blocked by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The second ban was blocked by a federal judge a day before it was scheduled to be implemented in mid-March SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP/Getty Images 9/9 Trump and climate change US President Donald Trump sought to dismantle several of his predecessor's actions on climate change in March. His order instructed the Environmental Protection Agency to reevaluate the Clean Power Plan, which would cap power plant emissions Shannon Stapleton/Reuters We must never accept a situation where people try and divide Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs from each other or from those who are not members of organised faith. We must never accept a situation where people incite hatred against people because of the faith they belong to. Londons mayor, who has organised a vigil in Trafalgar Square at 6pm to commemorate victims of the attack, suggested people want to attack London because its citizens do not merely tolerate each other regardless of religion but respect, embrace and celebrate" one another. Mr Khan, the first Muslim to become mayor of a major Western capital, also referred to his own religion saying: As the Mayor of London, I bring many experiences to this job including the faith I belong to and the experiences Ive had growing up in the greatest city in the world. The Metropolitan Police is deploying extra armed and unarmed patrols across the capital to provide protection and reassurance in the aftermath of the tragedy, which investigators are treating as an Islamist-inspired terror attack. It is not clear whether Trump Jnr, an executive of the Trump Organisation, read Mr Khans actual article or was aware the six-month-old piece bore no relation to the Wednesday attack outside the Houses of Parliament before criticising him. In the article, Mr Khan said: Nothing is more important to me than keeping Londoners safe. I want to be reassured that every single agency and individual involved in protecting our city has the resources and expertise they need to respond in the event that London is attacked. Trump Jr, who claimed his fathers comments about grabbing woman by the pussy are typical among some men and are a fact of life last year, is the first child of Mr Trump and Czech former model Ivana Trump.
The attacker, armed with two large knives, mowed down pedestrians with his car on Westminster Bridge, including schoolchildren, then rushed at the gates in front of the Houses of Parliament, stabbing the policeman before being shot dead by other officers. Eyewitnesses described scenes of terror when gunfire rang out as the man approached a second officer. Scotland Yards top anti-terror officer Mark Rowley said the two other fatalities were on the bridge when the terrorist struck. At least 20 other people were injured. Mr Rowley told reporters outside New Scotland Yard, just yards from the scene of the attack:  This was a day weve planned for but hoped would never happen. Sadly it is now a reality. Paramedics fought to save the officers life and that of his attacker on the floor of the cobbled courtyard in front of Parliament, with Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood among those who rushed to help. The police officer was wheeled away on a stretcher with his face covered. Mr Ellwood, who lost his brother in the Bali bombing, could be seen pumping the officers chest then standing above him, his hands and face smeared with blood. Four people have died as a result of the incident (PA) Other armed officers, some in plain clothes and wearing balaclavas, swarmed around the yard just feet from where MPs had earlier attended Prime Ministers Questions. The knifeman drove a grey Hyundai i40 across Westminster Bridge before crashing it into railings then running through the gates of the Palace of Westminster. His attack left a trail of destruction as paramedics tended to victims on the bridge and at the gate. One woman hit by the attackers car before he reached Parliament was confirmed dead by a doctor at St Thomas Hospital. She said others on the bridge suffered catastrophic injuries. Emergency services staff provide medical attention close to the Houses of Parliament in London (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) Another woman who apparently fell into the Thames was rescued and given urgent medical treatment on a nearby pier. London Ambulance Service said paramedics had treated at least 10 patients on Westminster Bridge. A party of French schoolchildren were among those targeted on the bridge, with three injured. Downing Street said Prime Minister Theresa May, who was ushered away from Parliament after the attack, was chairing a meeting of the Governments emergency Cobra committee. The scene outside Parliament after it was evacuated (Picture: PA) Mrs May was seen being ushered into a silver Jaguar in the grounds of the palace as what sounded like gunfire rang out at around 2.45pm. Eyewitness Rick Longley described the attack. We were just walking up to the station and there was a loud bang and a guy, someone, crashed a car and took some pedestrians out. They were just laying there and then the whole crowd just surged around the corner by the gates just opposite Big Ben. A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman. I have never seen anything like that. I just cant believe what I just saw. An air ambulance landed in Parliament Square and a regular ambulance came in through the front gates as medics rushed to help. Armed police cleared the area around the incident and Parliament Square and surrounding streets were closed to traffic while Parliament went into lockdown. As the sitting in the House of Commons was suspended, Commons Leader David Lidington told MPs: What I am able to say to the House is there has been a serious incident within the estate. It seems that a police officer has been stabbed, that the alleged assailant was shot by armed police. (Photo by Tom Shaw/Getty Images) Witnesses described seeing a heavy-set man carrying a knife and running towards the Houses of Parliament. Jayne Wilkinson said: We were taking photos of Big Ben and we saw all the people running towards us, and then there was an Asian guy in about his 40s carrying a knife about seven or eight inches long. And then there were three shots fired, and then we crossed the road and looked over. The man was on the floor with blood. He had a lightweight jacket on, dark trousers and a shirt. He was running through those gates, towards Parliament, and the police were chasing him. Frazer Clarke, 25, from Burton-on-Trent, one of a group of young boxers who witnessed the attack, said: We heard a loud bang and screaming and then I noticed some smoke. I thought it was a car crash. The attacker can be seen at the top of the photo (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP). I looked towards the front gate and people were running, a police officer and a fellow coming to the gate with two knives. He was stabbing the police officer with the knives. He was wearing black tracksuit bottoms, a black or grey top and what looked like work boots. The police officer was stumbling and fell on the floor. Another police officer walked toward the guy with the knives and shot him twice. Another witness, from South Africa and living in Ireland, said she and two friends went towards the palace gates and saw a man lying on the floor inside. She said: I saw a body, they were working on the floor. They were just inside the gates. He had one gunshot wound to the right side of his chest. I dont know if he was dead or alive, but people were working on him. I saw that needed medical attention and I asked if I could help because I am a doctor, but they said they were fine.
In Northern Ireland the Social Democratic and Labour party leader, Colum Eastwood, has said Theresa Mays decision to call a snap Westminster election reflects the disdain she holds for Northern Ireland and attempts to restore a power-sharing government there. He said: It tells you all you need to know about Theresa May that she would call a snap Westminster election in the middle of intense efforts to restore power-sharing government to Northern Ireland. From the beginning of her tenure as British prime minister, she has shown very little but disinterest and disdain for this place. As Theresa May seeks a mandate for a hard Brexit from an English electorate, people here have an opportunity to unite behind parties which have defended their will and sought to protect our values. England may want to isolate itself from Europe and the world. But people in Northern Ireland and Scotland made a different choice. A choice that cannot be fulfilled through a hard Brexit. We now have an opportunity to strengthen the mandate of parties which campaigned against and consistently voted against Brexit at Westminster. I know people are suffering from electoral fatigue. But this is not a time to sit on the sidelines. This is a moment to unite to deliver a strong message to Theresa May and the Brexiteers. Our voice will be heard. Ukip sources believe they can turn around the partys recent misfortunes with victory in the Labour stronghold of north-east England. They believe they can win in the seaside town of Hartlepool, which has been Labour since 1964 but elected Iain Wright with a slender majority of 3,024 at the 2015 general election. Ukip went on to win its sixth seat on Hartlepool borough council last October, signalling that the countrys vote for Brexit had not killed the partys appeal in the north-east. One Ukip source in the north-east texted after Theresa Mays announcement on Tuesday morning: Id say theres a fair amount of excitement in Hartlepool! Ukip also has its sights on Redcar (Labour majority: 10,388) and Blyth Valley (Labour majority: 9,229), where it believes it can make significant gains. Elsewhere in the north-east, Labours Tom Blenkinsop announced within minutes of May leaving the No 10 podium that he would not stand for re-election in his seat of Middlesbrough South and Cleveland East. With a majority of just 2,268, his is the slenderest Labour majority in the north-east and one many believe could fall to the Tories on 8 June. Guy Verhofstadt, the European parliaments Brexit coordinator, said the general election was an opportunity for the British people to shape any future withdrawal deal. He said: The UK election is an internal affair but clearly Brexit will be the key element of it. This means there will be an opportunity for the UK citizens to express themselves on how they see the future relationship between their country and the EU. As the EP Brexit negotiator, I will work with the new government for the best common future possible. And Donald Tusk, the president of the European council tweeted of a good phone call with Theresa May in which the prime minister informed him of the coming general election. The shadow home secretary, Diane Abbott, has insisted that Labour is prepared for the election and will campaign against Mays version of Brexit. Speaking to BBC News, Abbott said the mood at this mornings shadow cabinet meeting was not one of panic, but of unity behind Jeremy Corbyns leadership. She said: There was a calm mood, and Tom Watson lead the discussion talking about the importance of uniting behind the leadership. We have planned for this eventuality, weve got the people and the plans in place and we believe that the party as a whole wants MPs to unite behind the leadership and fight this election to win. Challenged about Labours preparations, Abbott added: Every time the shadow cabinet has come together we have talked about the possibility of a snap election, now it is happening. We are going to fight it and we are going to win it. She refused to be drawn on how many seats Labour would win and she cited the Lib Dems win at the Richmond byelection as a reason for Labour hope. Abbot said: Theresa May is the one to worry, look at that Richmond result  people have looked at her version of Brexit and they dont like it. The Richmond result, not necessarily with the Lib Dems benefitting, is going to be replicated across the country. She described Mays move as a cut and run election. Abbott added: This wont be the first time the polls have a called an general election wrong. We believe the polls will allow the general public to focus on Theresa Mays version of Brexit, which puts controlling immigration before every other thing. She has panicked her whole Brexit strategy is collapsing, shes not going to get access to the single market and complete control of the borders. Most of the things she has promised will not happen. We want to bring people together with a vision of Brexit which protects jobs and protects living standards. Mayhas sought to justify her U-turn over an early election by arguing that a poll is necessary because the opposition parties are trying to block Brexit. In her statement in Downing Street (see 11.31am) she said: Our opponents believe that because the governments majority is so small, our resolve will weaken and that they can force us to change course ... If we do not hold a general election now their political game-playing will continue, and the negotiations with the European Union will reach their most difficult stage in the run-up to the next scheduled election. Division in Westminster will risk our ability to make a success of Brexit and it will cause damaging uncertainty and instability to the country. May has sought to put leadership at the heart of the election campaign. This is what she said in her statement. And the decision facing the country will be all about leadership. It will be a choice between strong and stable leadership in the national interest, with me as your prime minister, or weak and unstable coalition government, led by Jeremy Corbyn, propped up by the Liberal Democrats  who want to reopen the divisions of the referendum  and Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP. Recently polling makes it obvious why May wants to make this an election about leadership. YouGov (@YouGov) With the PM calling for a general election on 8 June, 50% say she would be make the best PM, 14% for Jeremy Corbyn, 36% don't know pic.twitter.com/qhhdCe5nFe The election will also allow May, who became prime minister last summer without winning a general election campaign and after a truncated leadership contest, to set out and seek to win a mandate for her own policy agenda. For a flavour of what we can expect, it is worth rereading this story from Tim Shipmans in the Sunday Times two days ago (paywall), which was not denied. Cabinet ministers are plotting to axe Britains pledge to spend 0.7% of national income on foreign aid so they can promise in the next Tory election manifesto to divert more cash to the armed forces ... Under one plan being advanced, the law guaranteeing that 0.7% of national income is spent on aid would be replaced with one guaranteeing that a total of 3% was spent on security instead. May is going to get MPs to vote tomorrow on a motion authorising an early general election. Under the Fixed-term Parliament Act, a prime minister can only bring forward an election if two-thirds of MPs vote in favour. But Labour, the SNP and the Lib Dems have all said or signalled that they will back the call for an early poll and it is possible that the motion will get passed without a division. Downing Street has said that the early election will not interfere with the Brexit negotiations. (See 12.39pm.) But, in practice, having an election now could substantially expand Mays room for manoeuvre in the talks. The UK and the EU are expected to agree a transitional period and, as the EUs negotiating guidelines make clear, the UK is likely to have to agree to paying a large sum to the EU and continued European court of justice jurisdiction as part of this deal. Voters (see here) and Conservative party members (see here) would oppose both compromises quite strongly. Until now May faced the prospect of trying to get these through parliament with a small majority and an election looming. Now it is possible that she could enter talks with a large majority and no election due until 2022. Jeremy Corbyn has welcomed the announcement of an election and has said Labour will use it to set out an effective alternative to a government that has failed to rebuild the economy, delivered falling living standards and damaging cuts to our schools and NHS. (See 11.44am.) Play Video 1:01 'I welcome the opportunity': Jeremy Corbyn on 8 June general election Matt Zarb-Cousin, who until recently worked for Corbyn as his press officer, says Labour is very prepared for the poll. Matt Zarb-Cousin (@mattzarb) Labour has been planning for an early general election since Theresa May was anointed Prime Minister. They are very prepared for today. A Guardian/ICM poll published this morning - the first published since Mays announcement - has put the Conservatives 18 points ahead of Labour. (See 12.05pm.) According to Electoral Calculus, this would give the Conservatives a majority of 126. The Press Association says that the average Conservative lead at the moment is 17 points and that no other Conservative government in modern times has been this far ahead of the main opposition party 51 days from a general election. Tony Blairs Labour government went into the 2001 general election with a lead averaging 19 points, going on to win by a landslide. Downing Street has said that parliament is expected to dissolve on 3 May. That would be one day before the local elections on Thursday 4 May, which will go ahead as normal. The general election campaign proper will start after that. The Brexit secretary, David Davis, has denied that Theresa May has broken a promise by calling for a snap election. Speaking on BBC Radio 4s World at One programme, Davis was challenged on the prime ministers repeated pledges not to call an early election. Asked if she had broken her word, he said: Not at all. He claimed an election was now in the national interest because opposition parties have been jumping on every little difficulty to undermine the governments negotiating position on Brexit. Davis said: I do the negotiation and it does undermine what we are trying to do. He added: This is about getting a mandate from the British people to deliver the best possible outcome. It is not just about delivering Brexit, it is also about delivering the other aspects of her prime ministership which she was not elected for. Davis praised Mays decision as a bold move. He said: Elections are unpredictable. The easy thing for the prime minister to do would be to sit on the majority she has until 2020 and not take any risks, but this is an incredibly conscientious prime minister who takes her duty to the national interest very seriously indeed, and thats what this decision is about. Arron Banks is due to launch his campaign to become an MP at Clacton on Thursday, possibly as a Ukip candidate, writes Robert Booth. The insurance millionaire who previously bankrolled the Leave.EU Brexit campaign and Ukip, last month angrily quit the party, saying they were never, ever getting back together after a bitter row over political direction. But he is now to meet Nigel Farage and Ukip officials on Wednesday to discuss whether he should stand as the partys candidate, against Douglas Carswell, the incumbent MP who quit Ukip last month to sit as an independent. Banks had intended to launch his own political movement, the Patriotic Alliance, on 5 May. He wanted to put up several hundred candidates against anti-Brexit MPs in an attempt to drain the swap at Westminster of what he considered careerist politicians, in a deliberate echo of campaign rhetoric used by the US president, Donald Trump. But Mays decision to call the general election has come too soon as he does not have a list of candidates in place. Whether Banks stands as an independent, Patriotic Alliance or Ukip, those things are all up for discussion, said Andy Wigmore, Bankss spokesman. We were due to launch it on 5 May, but events supersede everything. We will just concentrate on the Clacton swamp. Make Clacton great. Banks is also ready to give Ukip access to the social media campaign team at his Bristol insurance offices, which proved influential during the EUreferendum campaign. Following advice from US-based social media strategists Cambridge Analytica, which also advised Trump, Banks claims to have developed his own algorithms for targeting voters with tailored messages through social media platforms, in particular Facebook. But he wants Ukip to consider only putting up candidates against MPs who are opposed to Brexit. What we might say to Ukip is, what you should do is not put candidates up against strong Brexit candidates whether they be Labour, Lib Dem or Tory and focus on the MPs that are anti-Brexit, said Wigmore. In that case, the machine that we have got helps massively. Carswell suggested a vote for Ukip was now redundant after last years referendum.
Five people have died at Westminster today in what Met Police have said they are treating as a "terrorist incident". Here is a timeline of events today: Emergency services are called at 2.40pm to an incident in the area of Parliament Square. It emerges that an attacker, armed with two large knives, mowed down pedestrians with his car on Westminster Bridge, including schoolchildren, then rushed at the gates in front of the Houses of Parliament, stabbing a policeman before being shot dead by other officers. Read More The first death is confirmed after 4pm when a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital says one woman has died and a number of others have been hurt - including some with "catastrophic" injuries. Before 4.50pm, Commander BJ Harrington of the Metropolitan Police says there are "a number of casualties" in the attack "including police officers". London Ambulance Service say before 5pm that at least 10 patients were treated on Westminster Bridge and a number of hospitals are on alert. Before 5.40pm, sources say a police officer stabbed at the Houses of Parliament has died. Police forensic officers close to the Palace of Westminster (Image: Yui Mok/PA Wire) At about 6pm, Scotland Yard's top anti-terror officer Mark Rowley confirms four people were killed, including the police officer who was stabbed and his attacker. Before 6.45pm, a spokesman for 10 Downing Street says Prime Minister Theresa May will shortly chair a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee to discuss the immediate response to the incident in which at least 20 other people were injured. She orders flags to be lowered to half mast over Downing Street as a mark of respect to the innocent people who lost their lives, and a spokesman says she is being kept updated about the investigation. After almost five hours, MPs are allowed to leave the Commons chamber Read More The Prime Minister describes the attack as "sick and depraved" and that any attempt to defeat the values that Parliament stands for was doomed to failure. She says the UKs terror threat level will remain at severe. Just before 11pm, Met Police confirm five people have died in the attack and at least 40 others have been injured. The police officer who died is named by Scotland Yard as Keith Palmer, a 48-year-old husband and father. Metropolitan Police Acting Deputy Commissioner and Head of Counter Terrorism Mark Rowley says while he will not comment at this stage on the identity of the attacker, the "working assumption is that he was inspired by international terrorism"
Express.co.uk relies on cookies to collect and process data. We may use this data to make assumptions on what content or advertising may interest you. By clicking "Continue and Accept All", you agree to allow cookies to be placed. You can decline these settings . To get more information about these cookies and the processing of your personal data, check our Privacy Policy & Cookie Policy. Westminster attack: Terrorism will affect ALL OF US eventually  when is too late to act? GETTY*BBC Ben Harris-Quinney, Chairman of the Bow Group, thinks Britain needs to be better prepared in future A WEEK after depraved terrorist Khalid Masood went on a murderous rampage in Westminster, the Chairman of the right wing Bow Group asks what it will take for Britain to wise up and adequately defend itself against the growing threat of extremism. For the vast majority of people, terrorism is an abstract concept  something that happens to others. I am one of that majority. I have written about terrorism, debated the issues around it, been to sites of terrorist attacks and met those directly affected, but I've never witnessed an act of terror first-hand. On Wednesday afternoon, I was supposed to be at a reception in the House of Lords but I decided not to go. I received sporadic messages from two o'clock onwards from friends and colleagues on the Parliamentary estate that they had heard gunshots before watching the confusion and tragedy slowly unfold on the news. It is highly unlikely I would have been in any way harmed, nor would have been able to affect the outcome, but watching the events unfold and speaking to people there I had the strange feeling that I wished I had gone to Parliament. Related articles The desire to be there leaves me somewhere between a journalist and someone who rubber-necks at car accidents. However, the motivation is essentially the same in both cases: a fascination in confronting an ugly reality that we don't ordinarily engage with either individually or as a society. Any event, however tragic, is always eventually politicised, sometimes with noble, sometimes with nefarious aims, but most often not by those directly affected. Alistair Cooke's BBC 'Letter from America' series began its episode after 9/11 with the statement "people are unbelievable". There is an extent to which I think such random, brutal acts of terror have to be seen to be believed - they otherwise fall too far from our narrow life experience to be able to rationalise or understand. What convinces someone to sacrifice their life to the cause of indiscriminately killing innocent strangers of no particularly ideology or creed, and what should our reaction be? It's easy to speak in platitudes about British values and tolerance when you are not eye to eye with a threat, and far easier to go through the usual motions; thoughts and prayers, Facebook filter, return to normal. Those who experience it directly are rarely as relaxed about it. Two emotions were palpable in friends and colleagues that were in Parliament that day; gratitude towards the security services that were protecting them and burning defiant anger towards the attacker and his ideology. Britain has a long and mixed history of dealing with terrorism. Advertisement GETTY How many more terror attacks before Britain wakes up and secures itself properly? Sometimes, as with the death of John Charles De Menezes, we have been overzealous in suppressing threat but most of the time we have tended to fall on the side of peace over justice. This week also saw the death of Martin McGuinness, a terrorist-turned-politician who was praised in much coverage for his life's work, not least by Jeremy Corbyn. The President of the Bow Group, Lord Tebbit, who was in the Brighton bombings and whose wife was severely injured, cut through any praise for McGuinness reminding us: "He was not only a multi-murderer, he was a coward." As someone who has seen and felt the effects of terrorism, and had to live with them, I have to feel that Lord Tebbit has a far better idea of what we are grappling with than I do. There is a real danger, that either from remote complacency or for fear of upsetting the narrow lines of debate, we as a society fail to see the true face of terror, the face that victims know too well. London Terror Attack: Politicians react At least four people have been killed including a policeman GETTY/REUTERS/TWITTER Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull responds on Twitter TWITTER US President Donald Trump responds on Twitter TWITTER France's President Francois Hollande responds on Twitter TWITTER Canada's Prime Minster Justin Trudeau responds on Twitter TWITTER New Zealand's Prime Minister Bill English responds on Twitter TWITTER Belgium's Prime Minister Charles Michel responds on Twitter TWITTER Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak responds on Twitter TWITTER EU Council president Donald Tusk responds on Twitter TWITTER The Netherlands' Prime Minister Mark Rutte responds on Twitter TWITTER Greece's Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras responds on Twitter TWITTER Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan responds on Twitter TWITTER British intelligence services have shown exemplary proficiency in preventing terrorism, and are widely acknowledged as among the best in the world. We only get to see their failures, their successes are hidden in every day that has elapsed since 7/7 without a major attack. However, what we know for sure, at least across the West generally, is that our current approach isn't working. No intelligence service can prevent the vast range of threats that the society our successive governments have created presents. The school of Saint-Joseph in the small Brittany town of Concarneau saw three of its pupils seriously injured on Wednesday, the same school lost a former pupil in the Bataclan attacks in 2015. Sooner or later, it seems, Islamic terrorism will touch all of our lives directly  either by size or frequency of atrocity. Tobias Ellwood held a dying man in his arms while he tried to save PC Keith Palmer, it is perhaps a cruel blessing that he is the man this country has charged with counter terrorism policy in the Middle East. No one would have been better equipped to keep calm and deal with such horrific events as a former Green Jacket, and no one now better able to weigh the threat of terrorism and how we deal with it. What he experienced will I am sure inform the decisions he takes in office. My inclination is to listen to the victims and understand that outrage and anger is a warning to us all. Related videos If and when terrorism directly and bitterly touches our lives we may wish we were angrier and more present earlier. Those who have argued for tighter border controls, greater preemptive efforts and a more robust defence of Britishness have often appeared unseemly, but they might also be right, much as we may wish they weren't. There is perhaps the same naivety in my wanting to have been on the scene as a 14-year-old wanting to join up for the front line in 1914. No-one who is actually there wants to be there, but with each attack that line gets a little closer to home, and there is the fear, if we don't see the front line, one day it will come to us, and find us unprepared.
London was today on lockdown as people were warned to stay away from no go zones after at least five people were killed in the London terror attack this afternoon. Westminster Tube station has been closed following the attack, in which a policeman was stabbed to death and at least 40 people were injured when a car mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge. Three more civilians were killed on the bridge, as well as the attacker, and many suffered 'catastrophic injuries', including one women who was pulled from the Thames after jumping over to avoid the car. A huge area around the palace has now been cordoned off, including the bridge, as police remain on high alert in fear of any subsequent attacks on what it the heart of Britain's political establishment. Police have warned people to expect armed guards at Tube stations and a heavy police presence on the streets, and the Army is now poised to descend upon London amid security fears. Police are asking people to avoid Parliament Square, Whitehall, Westminster Bridge, Lambeth Bridge, Victoria Street up to the junction with Broadway and the Victoria Embankment up to Embankment tube Areas usually packed with nose-to-bumper traffic were totally deserted this evening as police put certain areas on lockdown. Pictured is Westminster Bridge Officers were also on guard at The Mall, with Trafalgar Square closed to traffic, as officers stand guard against any subsequent attacks Westminster Tube station, pictured, was close after the attack and officers are now guarding numerous stops in central London during the busy rush hour Police wearing body armour and carrying guns were at the scene today. People across London can expect to see armed officers at Tube stations and other significant areas as security services remain on high alert Parliament Square, usually populated by thousands of visitors and people who work in the corridors of power, was today abandoned after police put the area on lockdown after the attack on the Palace of Westminster The Thames has been closed from Vauxhall to Embankment 'as part of the security response', after a member of the public, believed to have been hit by the car, was recovered from the water near Westminster Bridge Parliament was placed on lockdown after the attack. Pictured is Northern Ireland First Minister David Trimble standing next to an armed policeman in the Central Lobby today Police are asking people to avoid Parliament Square, Whitehall, Westminster Bridge, Lambeth Bridge, Victoria Street up to the junction with Broadway and the Victoria Embankment up to Embankment Tube. The Thames has been closed from Vauxhall to Embankment 'as part of the security response', after a member of the public, believed to have been hit by the car, was recovered from the water near Westminster Bridge. The closure of the river, along with roads in the centre and Westminster, used by thousands of people visiting and working in Whitehall every day, caused temporary chaos in central London. Dozens of people were stranded in the air at the top of the London Eye, which stopped amid the carnage in Westminster. The huge security increase comes just days after Britain banned electronic devices such as laptops from the cabins of UK-bound planes from six middle eastern nations amid fears they could be used to blow up planes. The death toll so far stands at four, including the attacker, who was shot after stabbing a police officer with a knife. The officer suffered fatal injuries and has also died, police have now confirmed. Share this article Share 5.3k shares The Met's head of counter-terrorism Mark Rowley said: 'Looking forward, throughout the rest of the day including when people are commuting home and over the days that follow, the people of London will see extra police officers - both armed and unarmed - out on our streets.' He confirmed that 40 people have been wounded, mostly on Westminster Bridge, where the attacker ploughed through cyclists and pedestrians. He said officers are now searching the area for any other threats, adding: 'We are satisfied at this stage that it looks like there was only one attacker. But it would be foolish to be overconfident early on.' Two of those injured were police officers who had finished their shift and can be heard screaming at civilians to 'get out the way' as the car approached, in shocking footage of the attack. Dozens of people were left stranded in the air at the top of the London Eye, which stopped amid the carnage in Westminster this afternoon People who have ridden on the landmark, which stopped in the air, walk out to a police escort on the banks of the Thames The head of counter-terrorism at London's Metropolitan Police, Mark Rowley, said four people have died in the terror incident in London, including an attacker and a police officer Acting Commander BJ Harrington of the Metropolitan Police, pictured today, warned people to stay away from parts of central London, now on lockdown as officers investigate and guard against any further attacks that may follow HOME SECRETARY PROMISES SECURITY IS 'TOP PRIORITY' Home Secretary Amber Rudd said that the Government's top priority following the Westminster attack was 'the security of its people'. Speaking during a visit to Pakistan, Ms Rudd urged the public to remain calm and keep vigilant. She said: 'I know the whole country will be thinking of and praying for those affected by this terrible incident. Our top priority is people's security. 'We have the best police and security services in the world and we will let them get on with their job.' The Home Secretary described the incident as 'on-going' as she said the Prime Minister would hold a meeting of the emergency Cobra committee to consider the situation. 'I want to thank the emergency services for the quick response, and pay tribute to their bravery, their courage, and their professionalism. 'I have been briefed by the Met Police and by the security services, and the Security Minister has also been updated. 'This is an on-going incident and the Government will continue to be updated. The Prime Minister will chair Cobra today. 'I urge everyone to remain calm, but to be vigilant, and if they see anything they are concerned about they should report it to the police.' Mr Rowley said the dead policeman who died was one of the armed officers who guard Parliament and the other victims confirmed dead were on Westminster Bridge. Some pedestrians were said to have suffered 'catastrophic injuries', and one woman was fished out of the water after it is thought that she jumped over the edge to avoid the careering vehicle. The driver, said to be an Asian man in his 40s, then ploughed into the gates of the Palace of Westminster, where Theresa May had been answering Prime Minister's Questions. Witness Jayne Wilkinson said: 'We were taking photos of Big Ben and we saw all the people running towards us, and then there was an Asian guy in about his 40s carrying a knife about seven or eight inches long. 'And then there were three shots fired, and then we crossed the road and looked over. The man was on the floor with blood. 'He had a lightweight jacket on, dark trousers and a shirt. He was running through those gates, towards Parliament, and the police were chasing him.' Craig Mackley, who is the acting head of the Met, is being treated as a significant witness so was unable to answer questions today. Acting commander BJ Harrington said that there were 'a number of casualties' but would not confirm how many. He urged people in London to stay away from the area - usually populated by thousands of tourists visiting some of Britain's most iconic architecture - as police continue to investigate. This map shows the area now cordoned off after the attack this afternoon, as well as where people were hurt Two knives have were seen on the ground as a man, believed to be the attacker, pictured, was taken from the scene in an ambulance. Police have now confirmed that he has died Moments beforehand, officcers could be seen crowding around the injured man, who was shot by a policeman after stabbing a fellow officer outside the Palace of Westminster Commander Harrington also said they were not yet sure of the motive, but Scotland Yard said that the attack - a year after the Brussels bombing - was being treated as terrorist 'until we know otherwise'. The commander told reporters: 'I can confirm we are treating this as a terrorist incident, although we remain open-minded as it the motives for the incident. A full investigation is underway. 'The acting commissioner was a significant witness in the incident as he was there at the scene and it would not be appropriate for him to discuss it at this stage. 'We request any member of the public who has an information to contact police. Anyone who has any film of the incident should contact us as well. 'I want to reiterate our number one priority is keeping the public safe and if Londoners on their way home from work today will see an increased police presence.' An hour after the attack, paramedics removed a man, thought to be the attacker, from the scene after extensive CPR. Another body appeared to have been left on the ground covered by a red blanket. Police are asking people to avoid Parliament Square (pictured), Whitehall, Westminster Bridge, Lambeth Bridge, Victoria Street up to the junction with Broadway and the Victoria Embankment up to Embankment tube Police are seen on the banks of the Thames opposite the Houses of Parliament this afternoon A doctor at St Thomas' Hospital confirmed one woman has died and a number of others have been hurt - including some with 'catastrophic' injuries. At least three police officers are believed to have been injured. Prime Minister Theresa May, who was evacuated from Parliament in an armoured car, is to chair a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee to discuss the immediate response to the bloody incident. The Cobra committee brings together government ministers with senior officials of the emergency services and security and intelligence agencies. Normal parliamentary discussions were suspended when the news broke today. Meeting in a briefing room of the Cabinet Office on Whitehall, Cobra co-ordinates the high-level response to serious incidents, and has previously gathered after terrorist atrocities including the July 7 attacks on the London transport network and the murder of soldier Lee Rigby. Investigations into the emergency at Westminster are in their infancy, but the early details echo terrorist incidents in Europe and chime with warnings from security chiefs about possible attack methods. Although Britain has until now remained unscathed amid the recent flurry of atrocities on the continent, senior figures have repeatedly cautioned that the UK remains a major target. At least 40 civilians were injured on Westminster Bridge as the car mounted the pavement and ploughed into pedestrians and cyclists HOW TODAY'S EVENTS IN LONDON HAPPENED 2.40pm: An attacker mows down several pedestrians as he drives a Hyundai i40 across Westminster Bridge before crashing it into railings then running through the gates of the Palace of Westminster and stabbing a police officer 2.41pm: Metropolitan Police and London Ambulance Service are called to a major incident 3.35pm: Police say the attack is being treated 'as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise' 4.10pm: Junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital says one woman has died and a number of others have been hurt - including some with 'catastrophic' injuries 4.45pm: Paramedics confirm they have treated at least ten patients on Westminster Bridge 4.49pm: Police Commander BJ Harrington says there were 'a number of casualties' in the attack 'including police officers'. 4.51pm: Downing Street spokesman says Prime Minister Theresa May will chair a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee later 5.40pm: Sources reveal the police officer stabbed at Parliament has died 6.01pm: Police say four people were killed in the attack, including the police officer and a man believed to be the attacker 6.56pm: Home Secretary Amber Rudd says the Government's top priority following the attack is 'the security of its people' Earlier this month it was revealed that 13 potential attacks have been foiled since the murder of Lee Rigby in 2013, while counter-terrorism units are running more than 500 live investigations at any time. The official threat level for international terrorism has been at severe - meaning an attack is 'highly likely' - for more than two years. And the events at Westminster appear to tally with warnings about the threat posed by more rudimentary tactics, such as lone or small numbers of assailants carrying out knife attacks or using vehicles as weapons, in addition to more large-scale bomb or firearms plots. The possibility that vehicles could be used to inflict multiple casualties were confirmed in horrifying fashion in the Nice attacks in July last year when dozens of people were killed when a lorry ploughed into a large crowd watching a fireworks display to mark the Bastille Day holiday. Months later an attacker drove a lorry into a crowded Christmas market in central Berlin, killing several people and injuring dozens more. Both Islamic State and al Qaida have previously urged followers to use vehicles to carry out attacks. Neither have yet claimed responsibility for today's violent acts. A report published in December by Europol, the EU's law enforcement agency, said the bloc was facing a range of terrorist threats and attacks including the use of bladed weapons and vehicles. In January former terror laws watchdog David Anderson spoke of a 'realisation on the part of the terrorists that they don't need sophisticated explosives plots to take great numbers of lives'. The Hyundai 4x4 used by the attacker remains at the scene after it slammed into a fence before the attacker got out He added: 'People using automatic weapons, heavy goods vehicles, even knives, machetes, and securing all the publicity they could possibly want from deploying relatively simple weapons such as that.' Scotland Yard counter-terror chief Mark Rowley said earlier this month that police are concerned about 'everything from fairly simple attacks with knives or using vehicles all the way through to the more complex firearms attacks'. Security services and police will be starting to piece together the possible motivations behind the attack on Wednesday, but the location - the heart of British democracy - will be seen as highly significant. It comes days after the Metropolitan Police staged a mock 'pleasure boat' attack on the Thames to test the emergency response to such an emergency. But Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism and will stand together against those who seek to harm and 'destroy our way of life', London's Mayor said. Large areas of London were left deserted today, with nothing but police on guard in places usually packed with people. Pictured is Westminster Bridge, where 40 were injured The statement was made as two victims of the terror attack remain in a stable condition at St Thomas's Hospital opposite the Houses of Parliament. Sadiq Khan, said: 'Today London suffered a horrific attack near Parliament Square which we are treating as a terrorist attack. 'A number of people have lost their lives and at least 40 people have been injured. 'My heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones and to everyone who has been affected. 'Tragically, a Metropolitan Police officer who was doing his duty protecting our city is amongst those who have been killed - and my thoughts are with his family this evening. 'I want to express my gratitude on behalf of all Londoners to the police and emergency services who have shown tremendous bravery in exceptionally difficult circumstances.'
A terrorist attack has taken place in London, England near the Houses of Parliament and Westminster bridge. Several people have been injured. At least one fatality and numerous serious injuries. According to the latest reports approximately a dozen victims were struck by a small SUV four wheel drive vehicle on Westminster Bridge near the Houses of Parliament. The victims were intentionally mowed down. The vehicle then crashed through barricades at the entrance to Parliament and a knife-wielding suspect exited the vehicle and stabbed a police officer nearby, they had to wrap the whole car in order to fix it and make look nice again you can visit adsonwheels.com to get good recommendation about vehicles wraps. The suspect described as a mid-aged Muslim or Asian male was shot on the grounds of Parliament by responding police. The terror suspect is pictured below The Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL), in the latest edition of its online propaganda magazine Rumiyah, applauds the martyrdom of the Ohio State University (OSU) jihadi who used a butcher knife and vehicle to attack people and repeats instructions on carrying out more knife attacks. In the English version of the magazines fourth edition released Wednesday, ISIS provides a full-page spread on knife attack advice along with new charts and pictures instructing prospective jihadists on the best knives to use and the most lethal parts of the body to stab, report the Foreign Desk and the SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks jihadi activity online. (emphasis added} ISIS et al have been urging vehicle and knife attacks for some time. Part of their instructions/orders to solo enthusiasts across the world to commit jihad where they are, at the time they choose, by whatever method they choose. Al-Awlaki was very big on this concept which has been misconstrued when the term lone wolf was applied. These terrorists often act alone, and may not be part of any organization, but the impetus comes from ISIS via the internet. The British armed response police need better training to avoid the need for these types of suspects to get medical treatment. Our tac teams are trained to shoot to kill in these scenarios. Now the Brits have a live martyr on their hands. I dont care, I live in the north and London has had it. The government doesnt care about the safety of its citizens so why should I? Maybe this will wake a few politicians up but I wont hold my breath. They are all addicted to Saudi and corporate money and couldnt care less about the ordinary people dying in the streets, theyre safe and sound with their police escorts. Thats my own feeling. Whats the point? No one cares about the attacks, they just do obligatory mourning for a day and then business as usual. Meh, just a cost of being an open society. A democracy. Do they really expect me to join in with their mourning facade? Were being panhandled, and theyre conditioning us to their planned Muslim induction. Im getting fed up with the language that this and other attacks are INSPIRED BY ISIS. Thats like saying the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944 were INSPIRED by the Allies, or that the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 was inspired by Japan. Evidently, I am not the only one to have thought of this phrase today as we deal with the increasing frequency of terror attacks on civilian and domestic targets. What bothers me even more than the fact that so many of us are beginning to think that terror attacks are a way of life is that the mayor of London already had the same view last year. I missed this as it was so close to our election. He states that terror attacks are a normal part of life in big cities. This view is dangerous to the citizens of his city and others. I dont think it is a normal part of life in big cities  at least it wasnt until the last 30 yrs. Did we have terrorist attacks in London, Paris and New York in the 40s, 50s? No, but the more a certain population grows the more we do have them. Maybe the mayor thought of them as normal because it has been normal in non Western parts of the world for so long. In the ME it has been common and is more common than in the Europe and the US even today. We DONT want this to be normal! This is NOT civilized! More terrifying than any one attack is that so many of us are getting used to these attacks and accept them as a price that is paid for having Muslims and citizens from terrorist prone countries in our own country. British Islamic extremists arrested in Hungary are returned to England to face charges over leaving the UK illegally 27 November 2015 Brooks and Keeler were convicted at Kingston Crown Court in April 2008 after urging worshippers at Regents Park mosque to join the mujahideen and fight Britons and Americans in Iran. They were both handed four-and-a-half year jail terms. I do believe that the Muslims are using the Muslim card very effectively, just like Obama used the race card. London has a Muslim Mayor, Vermont Democratic Party chair is Muslim, Hamtramck, Michigans council the first in the United States with a Muslim majority and I know there are more instances. America please wake up, these Muslims are for American assimilation, but for changing America into a Muslim culture. It just amazes me to no end  that a historical and ancestral homeland of Caucasians have fallen from the majority or become so delusional and ignorant of historical facts and inevitability of the Muslim Conquest doctrine, whether it was written decades or centuries ago. That a Muslim would be even considered, much less elected of London. I heard some self-identified so-called moderate Muslim say that he started a web site. I laughed out loud. It reminds me of the bring back our girls campaign. Yah, that worked out so well, holding up signs with hashtags saved the day, right?
Kirklees Council fly flag at half mast at Huddersfield Town Hall (Image: Kirklees Council - Twitter) Welcome to the Huddersfield Examiner's breaking news service. In light of yesterday's terror attack in Westminster, we will be bringing you all the latest updates as West Yorkshire Police step up surveillance and Kirklees Council, police and fire services fly their flags at half mast. Stay with us throughout the day to be the first to know everything that's happening across Huddersfield and the rest of West Yorkshire. We'll be bringing you updates on crime, health, sport, politics, education and more live from the Examiner team. And remember to check back before you travel as during peak times we'll provide you with all of the latest traffic updates on the M62 and roads around the region. You can also download our app to get news on the go and push notification for the latest breaking stories here . If there's something you've noticed and want us to check out then please feel free to get in touch - you can call us on 01484 437712, email editorial@examiner.co.uk or tweet @Examiner. You can also find us on social media here . Appeal in memory of murdered police officer Keith Palmer breaks 100k Well-wishers have donated more than 100,000 online for the family of murdered police officer Keith Palmer. Multiple fundraising pages have been set up to help the loved ones of the husband and father who was stabbed outside Parliament, as well as other victims of the deadly Westminster attack. The Metropolitan Police Federation launched an official memorial page at 9.13am on Thursday which smashed its 100,000 target within hours. The association, which has 30,000 constables, sergeants, inspectors and chief inspectors, was prompted to set up the page after receiving a huge number of pleas from members who wanted to help, chairman Ken Marsh said. PC Keith Palmer who was murdered outside the Houses of Parliament (Image: PA) 16:28 Belgians tighten secure after driver attempts to mow down pedestrians in Antwerp Belgian authorities have tightened security in the port city of Antwerp after a Frenchman drove his car at high speed through a busy shopping area, forcing pedestrians to jump out of the way. French president Francois Hollande compared the incident to the attack in London the day before, saying the Frenchman was trying to kill people or create a dramatic event. The federal prosecutors office said the car was intercepted late on Thursday morning at the port docks and police arrested a man, identified as 39-year-old Mohamed R, who has been living in France. In the car, authorities said they found knives, a shotgun and a gas can with an unknown liquid. There were no immediate reports of injuries. Emergency services staff provide medical attention close to the Houses of Parliament in London, Wednesday, March 22, 2017. London police say they are treating a gun and knife incident at Britain's Parliament "as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise." The Metropolitan Police says in a statement that the incident is ongoing. Officials say a man with a knife attacked a police officer at Parliament and was shot by officers. Nearby, witnesses say a vehicle struck several people on the Westminster Bridge. (Image: AP Photo/Matt Dunham) 15:59 Slow M62 traffic due to broken down vehicle Very slow traffic due to earlier broken down vehicle on M62 Eastbound between J25 A644 (Brighouse) and J26 M606 / A58 (Chain Bar). All lanes have been re-opened. 15:36Susie Beever Police name who they believe to be Westminster attacker Scotland Yard have named the man believed to be responsible for the Westminster attack as Khalid Masood, 52. Two policemen stand guard at a cordoned off area on the way to the Houses of Parliament in central London 15:01KEY EVENT Police charge 29 people over string of historic sex offences in Huddersfield Kirklees police have charged 29 people - including two women - predominantly from Huddersfield over numerous sexual offence allegations, including rape, trafficking and sexual activity with children. The allegations against the defendants are non-recent sexual offences, having occurred between 2004 and 2011 and relate to 18 women. The offences were committed against them as children in the Huddersfield area and are alleged to have taken place while the women were aged between 11 and 17-years-old. These arrests were made as part of Operation Tendersea. The defendants have all been bailed and are due to appear at Kirklees Magistrates next month. One of the men, Amere Singh Dhaliwal, 34, of Huddersfield, is charged with 21 counts of rape, four counts of supplying of Class A drugs, supplying Class B drugs, supply of controlled substances with intention to engage in sexual activity, 14 counts of trafficking a female within the UK with a view to her sexual exploitation, five counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, sexual assault by penetration, three counts of sexual touching, three counts of possession of indecent images of a child, racially aggravated assault and inciting a child into prostitution. Some 26 of the 29 charged are from Huddersfield. (Image: Anna Gowthorpe/PA Wire) 14:41Susie Beever Congestion on M1 northbound Problems on the M1 again this afternoon - this time heading northbound. Congestion is between junctions 40 and 41 around Wakefield. 14:04Susie Beever Food blogger shortlisted for national award A Huddersfield nutritionist has been shortlisted for a national award for her blog on food and fitness. Dr Emma Kirke, based at Fitness First in Waterloo, has seen her blog Medicinal Kitchen nominated for the Health & Social Care category for the Odeon UK Blog Awards. Finalist Emma, from Wakefield, has already won several awards for her site which provides recipes and advice on keeping fit and healthy. Emma said: My recipes and articles arise from a health stand point and I am mindful of allergies and the way food can affect mood and disease processes. I write meal plans to give quality of life to people that maybe suffering. This can give them a sense of well being and control back. Armed police in Leeds Armed officers are also in the centre of Leeds today. Officers have been seen in Huddersfield and Brighouse town centres so far. This picture was tweeted by ITV journalist Jonathan Brown. 13:21KEY EVENT Birkby shooting victim released from hospital We have a small update on the shooting in Birkby yesterday. A spokeswoman for West Yorkshire Police says the victim has now been discharged from hospital. Two men arrested on suspicion of attempted murder remain in custody at this moment. We will let you know when we hear any more. Shooting, Crescent Road, Birkby 13:14Susie Beever ISIS claim responsibility for terror attack Islamic State have claimed responsibility for yesterdays terror attack in Westminster. According to the SITE Intel Group, which monitors jihadist groups, an IS statement said: The attacker yesterday in front of the British Parliament in London was a soldier of the Islamic State executing the operation in response to calls to target citizens of coalition nations. Police activity on Whitehall in London the day after a terrorist attack where police officer Keith Palmer and three members of the public died and the attacker was shot dead 12:50Susie Beever Hunt for man wanted in connection with attempted murder Police have renewed an appeal in a desperate bid to trace a man wanted in connection with an attempted murder, and say he could be anywhere in Yorkshire or the North. Joseph Lowther is wanted by police in Barnsley over a stabbing at a nightclub, and authorities fear he may have travelled outside the county and could be anywhere. Acting Detective Inspector Stuart Hall said: We believe Lowther could have travelled outside of South Yorkshire and has some connections to the north of England, but he really could be anywhere in the country. Id urge anyone with information about his whereabouts to contact police and Id warn any individual who may be shielding Lowther that you could face prosecution for helping him stay undetected. Luckily, the victim is now recovering and no longer in hospital. If you see Lowther, you are advised not to approach him but to call 101 asking for South Yorkshire Police. Joseph Lowther, wanted in connection with an attempted murder (Image: South Yorkshire Police) 12:27KEY EVENT Armed police patrol Huddersfield town centre and Kingsgate Many have reported spotting armed officers in Huddersfield town centre this morning. Officers have been seen in Kingsgate shopping centre among other places in town. One member of the public wrote on social media: Fantastic to see armed Police patrolling the Kingsgate shopping centre this morning. I feel safe in our countrys wonderful Police forces hands. Thank you to each and every one of you. Kingsgate Centre off King Street. (Image: Huddersfield Examiner) 12:00Susie Beever Water turned off to repair burst main in Heckmondwike Water is being turned off on a street in Heckmondwike due to a burst pipe. 11:53Susie Beever ...and so do Calderdale Council ...also followed by Calderdale Council at Halifax Town Hall. 11:47Susie Beever Council follow suit and fly flags at half mast Kirklees Council have followed police and fire services and are also flying flags at Huddersfield and Dewsbury Town Halls at half mast this morning. The council tweeted these pictures just now with the hashtag #WeStandTogether. Kirklees Council fly flag at half mast at Huddersfield Town Hall (Image: Kirklees Council - Twitter) Kirklees Council fly flag at half mast at Huddersfield Town Hall (Image: Kirklees Council - Twitter) 11:36Susie Beever Police and fire services raise their flags to half mast Both West Yorkshire Police and West Yorkshire Fire Service has raised their flags are half mast today to pay respect to those killed and injured in yesterdays terror attack. The services headquarters in Wakefield and Bradford respectively made the display this morning, following the Houses of Parliament and many other police forces and organisations across the country. Motorist viciously assaulted near Nont Sarah's Police are appealing for witnesses after a motorist was assaulted near Nont Sarahs in Scammmonden. The male victim was driving a blue VW Beetle on New Hey Road when he noticed he was being followed by a black vehicle. After pulling over, the vehicle pulled up alongside and two men inside assaulted the Beetle driver, causing him serious injuries to his wrists. Officers want to speak to two men, described as being of Asian ethnicity, in connection with the assault. The assault happened on Wednesday, March 1, between 1.30pm and 2pm. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Kirklees CID on 101 quoting crime reference 13170096217. Nont Sarah's, Scammonden, Huddersfield. 11:08Susie Beever Brendan Cox urges public to remain united against hatred One person who has been speaking out about events in London yesterday is the widower of Batley & Spen MP Jo Cox, Brendan Cox. Brendan has condemned the attacker, saying his name will be forgotten while the name of victim Pc Keith Palmer will be forever remembered. He said: The person who did this yesterday is no more representative of British Muslims than the person who killed Jo was representative of the people of Yorkshire. These are extremists, we have to take them on and defeat them but without making the mistake they in someway represent the broader group. (Image: PA) 11:03Susie Beever Spring scenes at Cannon Hall Farm A beautiful morning at Cannon Hall Farm this morning! Despite the rain telling us otherwise, it seems Spring really has sprung. 10:30Susie Beever WATCH: Birkby road remains closed following yesterday's shooting Reporter Louise Cooper is at Crescent Road in Birkby this morning, which remains cordoned off following a shooting at Dappas barbers shop. Two men were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder following the shooting and we ware waiting for an update on this from police. 10:14Susie Beever Armed police in Brighouse Residents in Brighouse have reported seeing armed police on patrol in the town centre this morning. One member of the public said she saw officers on Commercial Street. We have spoken to West Yorkshire Police and they have confirmed they have no log of any ongoing incidents in the town centre currently, and this is more than likely to be a result of stepped-up security in light of yesterdays events in London. Have you seen armed officers in the area? Let us know via Twitter, Facebook or give us a call on 01484 437765 and we will check it out. You can see a statement on stepped-up security from West Yorkshire Police here. The victim was left terrified by this carjacking and police want your help 09:57KEY EVENT Standstill traffic on M1 southbound following multi-vehicle accident Theres currently stationary traffic on the M1 southbound with long delays due to a multi-vehicle accident near Ossett. Congestion is predominantly between junction 39 for Denby Dale and junction 40 for Ossett, although tailbacks are right back to junction 42 for the Lofthouse Interchange for the M62. One lane remains closed and traffic is ridiculously congested. Do avoid the M1 if possible this morning. The M1 motorway 09:35Susie Beever Appeal for relatives of Mirfield man Coroners are appealing for any relatives of a Mirfield man who has passed away. David Sykes 77, of Co-operative Street, died at his home address on 13 March of natural causes. Mr Sykes was known to have a sister and possibly a cousin although no further details are known about them. Any relatives or anyone with information are asked to contact Coroners Officer Sam Cariss on 01274 373721. West Yorkshire Coroner's Office 09:22KEY EVENT Muslim community condemns attacks and express sympathies to those affected Huddersfields Muslim community have come together to condemn the attacks in Westminster yesterday. Fatihul Haq, President of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in the town, said: The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Huddersfield strongly condemns the barbaric attacks in Westminster today. Our sympathies and prayers are with the people of London and all those affected. Such attacks and violence against innocent people can never be justified under any circumstances. A spokesman for the Kirklees Imams & Mosques Advisory Board said: The Muslim community of Kirklees is saddened to learn about the incident at Westminster today. We condemn this vicious attack on innocent people, whoever it may be perpetrated by and for whatever motive. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families and those affected. Also, our tributes go to the Police, the Emergency services and the Authorities who have handled the situation with sensitivity. We stand by all the decent citizens in this country against this attack at the heart of Westminster; at the centre of democracy and together we must all do what we can to ensure the safety and security of our nation. (Image: AP Photo/Matt Dunham) 09:06Susie Beever Council hold minute's silence following terror attack Councillors started their meeting with a minutes silence yesterday following the terror attack in Westminster. 08:58KEY EVENT String of suspicious fires on Heckmondwike street Fire services attended a string of fires on a street in Heckmondwike last night. Crews from Cleckheaton and Dewsbury were called to Church Lane at 8pm after two Transit vans, a bin and a mans front door were set alight. The fires are thought to be connected and started deliberately. Watch Commander Darren Haley, of Cleckheaton Fire Station, said they targeted the bin fire while two crews from Dewsbury extinguished the vans. The man whose door was alight bravely managed to put it out himself. Nobody was injured in the fires and luckily the property avoided any damage due to the residents quick thinking. Fire investigators will investigate the cause of the fires.
Follow the author of this article Follow the topics within this article The parents of three French schoolchildren injured in the Westminster terror attack have flown into London where the teenage boys are being treated in hospital. Two of the three boys from Brittany are in serious condition but none are believed to have life-threatening injuries. The teenagers were walking along Westminster Bridge when they were hit by the speeding Hyundai car, travelling at up to 50 miles per hour. Twelve Britons were also among the injured, as well as two Romanians, four South Koreans and two Greeks as well as individuals from Germany, Poland, China and the US. The groups teacher said: Three of us were hit, we dont know if they are dead or not. I cannot speak anymore, I dont know what to say. According to local newspaper Le Tlgramme, the children were part of a group of 92 students from the "European" section of Saint-Joseph, a private sixth-form college. It emerged today they school has already suffered tragedy at the hands of terrorism, having lost a former pupil, 25-year-old Estelle Rouat, in the Bataclan massacre in Paris in 2015. The parents arrived in London last night on a Falcon jet that is part of the French government fleet. French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault was expected to arrive in London to visit them at hospital, French media reported. Kilian, a classmate, told his mother via text message: "We saw the car hit the group. Twenty seconds more and it would have been us." He said his friend Clment, had been "brushed" by the "crazy car" but had come off unscathed. One of the group - a young teenage girl - sat and wept openly on a bench a few hundred yards from the scene of devastation and destruction on Wednesday. She was wrapped in a foil blanket and being comforted by fellow pupils. She appeared to be having a panic attack. Bernard Cazeneuve, the French prime minister, later tweeted: "Solidarity with our British friends struck terribly, full support to the injured French pupils, their families and their classmates." She said: I confirmed one fatality. A woman. She was under the wheel of a bus. She died. Confirmed her death at the scene. She also said she treated a police officer in his 30s with a head injury who had been taken to Kings College Hospital. A Metropolitan Police spokesman later confirmed that a police officer had died. One eyewitness described seeing a body lying face down in the water, the victim having jumped into the Thames or else been thrown into the river having been hit by the speeding car. A second woman was pulled out alive. The German national hit by a the car on Westminster Bridge has been named as Patricia Neis-Beer by a broadcaster in Australia, where she lives. Ms Neis-Beer, whose foot was injured in the attack, had recently flown over to the UK to visit her daughter, according to a recent Facebook post. "The travel bug has beckoned and I am travelling around England and Europe to visit my daughter and family," she wrote. Ms Neis-Beers mother Evelyn Neis-Conrad told Australia's seven news that she is "safe, alive being well looked-after by the government". The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing consular assistance to Ms Neis-Beer, who sells vintage fashion and crafts online. Five South Korean tourists were also injured in the attack, including a 67-year-old woman who had surgery after suffering serious head injuries when she was pushed down in the rush to escape. The others included three woman and a man, all in their 50s and 60s, who suffered lighter injuries and are due to return home on Friday. A spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry in Beijing confirmed one of its citizens was among the injured. A European news outlet reported the female had an injured shoulder and was "covered in bruises", but that her life was not in danger. A woman from Rome was also injured when visiting Westminster as part of a tourist group and had to undergo surgery to her left leg. Italian ambassador to London, Pasquale Terracciano, visited her for around an hour at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, bringing flowers. Her aunt told reporters: "When the attack happened, my niece was walking across the bridge and was then crushed against the railings." "She seems to have been shielded from the worst of it by the group of French children who were hit. It is just awful, it's so shocking what happened." A spokesman for the Italian Embassy said the victim "Appeared to be a strong-willed lady", adding "It's not an easy experience." Passers-by offered help while they waited for the emergency services Credit: Reuters Having stabbed one officer, the attacker was shot as he approached a second officer.
Wrapping up the liveblog Were winding down the liveblog for today, although if there are any major developments overnight we will keep you updated here. Police have appealed for those who knew Khalid Masood to come forward as they try to establish whether he acted alone. A major investigation is underway and 10 people are in custody following raids and searches on properties in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Wales, Surrey and Brighton. Seventeen people remain in hospital, and one person remains in a life-threatening condition. The death toll in the attack stands at five including Masood after Leslie Rhodes, 75, died of his injuries overnight. Masood's half-brother says 2005 London attacks were his 'worst day at work' Philip Oltermann Khalid Masoods siblings have gone on to have very different careers. Alex Ajao, his half-brother, is an account director at the Berlin office of an international marketing agency, who has worked with clients including Ferrari, Volkswagen and the Daily Telegraph. Employees at the companys offices on Friday said they had been instructed not to speak to the press. 7th July 2005  I was on a train from Kings Cross to an internet forum I was co-chairing in Halifax which left at about 8am. News filtered through about what was going on in town, but by the time it had the phone network had gone into meltdown meaning I couldnt contact any friends. [...] I ended up chairing a meeting for which I was half prepared, whilst my mind was about 200 miles away. Forensic officers used wooden sticks to search through grass and debris outside a house that was raided by anti-terror police in Birmingham. Police took away a smirking man during the armed raid at the property, which was streets away from where Khalid Masood allegedly lived with his wife and young child. Officers shone torches into air vents below and searched through foliage at the three-storey property in Winson Green, where a man of Saudi appearance was reportedly arrested early on Thursday. Following the raid police seized three vehicles. The red Renault Kangoo van and two cars  a white Ford Ka and a silver BMW estate  were taken away on recovery trucks. Shortly afterwards, police officers emerged from the property carrying a plastic box. The house is on the same estate as a three-storey townhouse thought to have been occupied by London terrorist Khalid Masood. The 52-year-old is believed to have lived just two streets away in Quayside with his wife and young child. Residents said armed officers had forced their way in to the property at about 6.30am on Thursday. One local, who asked not to be named, said: A Saudi Arabian man lived at the address with his wife and four children, all aged under 15. He had been living there less than a year. The property raided was a housing association property and a short distance from Winson Green prison. The neighbour added: Police have been in my garden and have been searching. There was nothing unusual about the family, I used to see the dad going over to the park. He would regularly feed the birds. But I would very rarely see him with his wife or kids. The police have been here the whole time, in and out. Another neighbour, Shekila Sahota, said a man, thought to be in his 40s or 50s, had lived at the address with several young women for about a year. They were very, very quiet people and I never saw them together. But he used to make a lot of trips up and down the road and he sold cars from here, she said. The police knocked the door in at about 6.30am and you could hear them shouting Open and Clear and Get down. The man they led away was put in the van straight away and he had a big smirk on his face when they took him away. Raveena Rull, who also witnessed the raid, said: It was really scary  there were guns everywhere. You dont know whats going on and its just mad. He was smiling as he was arrested with the whole road blocked off. On Friday afternoon a large police presence remained at the scene with officers searching the surrounding area. A pro-Europe march will go ahead tomorrow in central London as planned, its organisers Unite for Europe have said, despite concerns about holding a major political protest so soon after the Westminster attacks. Dan Roberts has the story: Pro-EU march to go ahead in London despite Westminster attack Seventeen people are still being treated for their injuries in five London hospitals, NHS England has confirmed. Two of those are in critical condition, according to the Metropolitan police, with one persons injuries considered life-threatening. More than 50 people, from at least 12 nationalities, were injured in Masoods attack on Westminster Bridge, of whom 31 initially required hospital treatment. More details of Masoods life have been unearthed. Police and reporters have been piecing together the Westminster attackers final hours and complicated backstory, which includes multiple names, a violent criminal past and a nomadic lifestyle. A schoolfriend described him as a smashing guy, while an acquaintance from 2000 said he was troubled. Masood was on WhatsApp minutes before the attack. The Guardian has confirmed Masood checked the app moments before ploughing through pedestrians on Westminster bridge. A Romanian man caught in the attacks planned to propose to his girlfriend that day. Instead both Andrei Burnaz and his girlfriend, Andreea Cristea, were injured on Westminster Bridge, seriously in her case. She remains unconscious, although her condition has stabilised, the Romanian ambassador told the BBC. The government has urged social media companies to do more to tackle extremism online. The PMs spokesman said he was not necessarily referring to Masoods case but companies have a responsibility to ensure their platforms arent used to spread extremist material. Westminster terrorist Khalid Masood appears to have used the Whatsapp messaging service minutes before launching the attack at the gates of parliament. A number registered to one of his previous addresses reveals he was last seen on Wednesday at 2.37pm. Emergency services started to receive reports of the attack at 2.40pm. Travis Frain, a student from Darwen in Lancashire who was injured in Wednesdays attack, has shared a photo of Prince Charles at his bedside from the princes visit to the wounded at Kings College hospital, south London, this afternoon. Frain, 18, was leaving parliament with fellow students from Edge Hill university, Ormskirk, when he was hit by Khalid Masoods car. His mother Angela Frain told the Guardian yesterday he was in good spirits. Detectives appear to have concluded searching a three-storey townhouse where counter-terrorism police made a significant arrest on Friday morning. Officers in blue forensic suits were seen carefully searching through the 35-year-old unnamed mans 350,000 property in one of Manchesters most affluent suburbs. One resident, who lived inside the small gated complex of flats and houses in West Didsbury, said: Its strange to think someone has been arrested here for what happened... its a nice gated complex with families, kids and professionals living here. Leaders of Britains Christian, Muslim and Jewish communities came together to condemn Wednesdays attack in Westminster and to speak of inter-faith friendship and solidarity. Against the sound of an overhead helicopter and sirens around the Palace of Westminster, Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury, Vincent Nichols, the Catholic archbishop of Westminster, Sheikh Ezzat Khalifa of the Sunni Muslim community, Sheikh Mohammad al-Hilli of the Shia Muslim community, and Ephraim Mirvis, the chief rabbi led a minutes silence outside Westminster Abbey for those who died. Two days after the attack, we are all still deeply shocked and beginning the process of thinking about the consequences and the future, said Welby. This is a moment of sad reflection but also a moment of determination for our nation. The chief rabbi said that terrorists sought to instil fear and terror into the hearts and minds of millions and to divide people and faiths against one another. We stand here as leaders of Christianity, Islam and Judaism, we have come here in friendship... No person or no event will drive a wedge between us. Sheikh al-Hilli said the attack was heinous and appalling, but said he had witnessed a tremendous feeling of support from British people in the past few days. At the end of the minutes silence, the faith leaders embraced one another. Afterwards, Welby told the Guardian he was concerned about a possible rise in Islamophobia in the aftermath of the attack. This has been a pattern in the past... But there is no way that returning violence for violence has ever been successful or a good thing... It is not appropriate to feel anger at a whole category of people.
The police watchdog has opened an investigation into the circumstances of the fatal shooting of attacker Khalid Masood, as is standard procedure in incidents of this kind. The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) stressed no police officers were under investigation. IPCC deputy chair Sarah Green said: "The terrorist attack in Westminster on Wednesday was horrific and our thoughts are with all of those affected by it. "The IPCC is responsible for investigations into fatal police shootings. Accordingly, after being notified by the Metropolitan Police Service of the fatal shooting of a man outside the Houses of Parliament, we have opened an independent investigation. "It's important to stress that we are currently investigating the circumstances of the incident and no police officers are under investigation. "The IPCC and the Metropolitan Police Service are following agreed working arrangements related to terrorist incidents, which are working well. I recognise that this is a very difficult time for the police service, following the tragic loss of PC Keith Palmer and the injuries to other officers. We are giving this investigation the highest priority and we will conclude it as soon as possible." Far-right political party Britain First has been condemned by anti-extremism campaigners for planning a march outside Parliament next Saturday (1 April) in the wake of Wednesday's attack, IBTimes UK reports. It comes amid concerns from police over the activities of right-wing extremists in the wake of the attack. Family tribute to Keith Palmer The family of PC Keith Palmer have just paid tribute to the 48-year-old following his death, describing him as a "wonderful dad and husband". The family added: "Keith will be remembered as a wonderful dad and husband. A loving son, brother and uncle. A long-time supporter of Charlton FC. "Dedicated to his job and proud to be a police officer, brave and courageous. "A friend to everyone who knew him. He will be deeply missed. We love him so much. "His friends and family are shocked and devastated by his loss and ask that they are left to grieve alone in peace." Met Police have confirmed that as a mark of respect, Palmer's shoulder number - 4157U - will be retired and not reissued to any other officer. Palmer joined the force in 2001 and was nominated in 2015 for best thief taker in the Commissioner's Excellence Awards, having made more than 150 arrests in 12 months. PC James Aitkenhead, who worked alongside Keith in the TSG, said: "Keith was a genuinely nice person; nobody had a bad word to say about him. When I heard what had happened I knew it would be him because that's just the sort of guy he was, to step straight in when others might step back. "He had a great work ethic, he worked on our warrants' car for years, getting up at 4am to serve warrants and arresting wanted offenders. He was always so positive, always staying late after everyone else and getting in early. "In his personal life he was a massive Charlton Athletic fan and had a season ticket. We will miss him so much." PC Keith Palmer was stabbed by a terrorist in the grounds of the Houses of ParliamentMet Police Handout Metropolitan Police Service Acting Commissioner Craig Mackey salutes at New Scotland Yard during a minute silence to commemorate the victims of the terror attack at the parliament and on Westminster bridgeJustin Tallis/AFP British police officers bow their heads as they stand near a police cordon directly outside New Scotland Yard, LondonJustin Tallis/AFP A police officer lays flowers on Whitehall around a photograph of police officer Keith Palmer who was killed in the Westminster terror attacksJustin Tallis/AFP The perpetrator of the attacks yesterday in front of the British parliament in London is an Islamic State soldier and he carried out the operation in response to calls to target citizens of the coalition. Isis have claimed responsibility for the attack in which four people died, describing the terrorist as a "soldier of Islamic State" according to the Amaq news agency. Theresa May previously confirmed in the House of Commons police are working under the assumption the attacker was "inspired by Islamist ideology". No other details have been released about the assailant who was shot dead outside parliament expect he is British-born and previously investigated by MI5 for violent extremism but considered "peripheral" and "not part of the intelligence picture". Forensic officers work on Westminster Bridge one day after the attack in LondonCarl Court/Getty Images Charlton football club have paid tribute to PC Keith Palmer, a "loyal Charlton supporter and season-ticket holder" who was killed on-duty in yesterday's attack. Charlton have also released an imaged of a scarf on the seat in which the officer "occupied for many years" as part of the tribute. PC Keith Palmer was stabbed by a terrorist in the grounds of the Houses of ParliamentMet Police Handout In a statement, the club added: "It is with great sadness that the club has learned of the tragic news of the death of PC Keith Palmer, a loyal Charlton supporter and season-ticket holder, who lost his life as a result of the terror incident in Westminster on Wednesday afternoon. "Keith was a familiar face at The Valley to many supporters and sat in his same East Stand seat for many years. "As an immediate tribute, a red and white scarf has been placed on his seat which will remain until the next home game on Tuesday, April 4th, while the club will discuss ways in which it can commemorate his life at the game itself. "Keith was a true hero who will be greatly missed by all the Charlton family and everyone at the club would like to offer their sincere condolences to his family and friends at this extremely difficult time. "The club also wish to extend condolences to the families of all those victims who were involved in yesterday's incident." Tributes have also continued to pour in from across the world. In India, world famous sand artist Sudarshan Pattnaik has created this sculpture condemning the attack on a beach Puri Beach in the state of Odisha. The Queen has said her "thoughts, prayers and deepest sympathies" with all those affected by yesterday's attack. In a message to acting Met Police Commissioner Craig Mackey, she added: Following yesterday's shocking events in Westminster, Prince Phillip and I are sorry that we will not be able to open the new Scotland Yard building as planned today, for very understandable reasons. I look forward to visiting at a later date. My thoughts, prayers and deepest sympathies are with those who have been affected by yesterday's awful events. I know I speak for everyone in expressing my enduring thanks and admiration for the members of the Metropolitan police service and all who work so selflessly to help and protect others.
UK Parliament Attack: Car Mows Down People, Cop Stabbed - 10 Points UK Parliament Shooting: The attack took pace near the Palace of Westminster in London. London: The British parliament was locked down on Wednesday after an attack was reported near it, in the heart of London, after 2:30 pm local time. Eyewitnesses said a black car ploughed into several people near the Westminster Bridge and crashed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster. A man got out with two 8-inch knives and attacked a policeman with what appeared a large knife or a machete before being shot down by the police. Five people including the police officer and the attacker are dead and around 40 people have sustained injuries. No Indians have been hurt in the incident, Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted. Eyewitnesses say the attacker who tried to access parliament was a middle aged man. London Police say that they believe there was only one attacker, refuting earlier reports that they were on the lookout for another man. Scotland Yard said an investigation has been launched by the counter terrorism command. Britain is on its second-highest alert level of "severe" meaning an attack by terrorists is considered "highly likely". Three French schoolchildren aged 15 or 16 were among those injured in the attack, French officials said. Some of the injured are being treated for "catastrophic" injuries, British news agency Press Association reported. At the Westminster Bridge, the attacker's car had apparently mounted the pavement and mowed down people and then crashed into the railings outside parliament. Photographs from Westminster Bridge showed people lying on the ground. Some of them were bleeding heavily and one was apparently under a bus. The police asked the people to stay away from the nearby areas, including Parliament Square, Whitehall; Westminster Bridge, Lambeth Bridge, Victoria Street up to the junction with Broadway and the Victoria Embankment up to Embankment tube. Leaders from across the world have condemned the attack. US President Donald Trump tweeted, "spoke to U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May today to offer condolences on the terrorist attack in London. She is strong and doing very well." Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he is "deeply saddened by the terror attack in London. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. At this difficult moment, India stands with UK in the fight against terrorism."
Popular Videos Extremists were able to launch a barrage of attacks in the UK because it was a less hostile place for terrorists in 2017, the head of counter-terror policing has admitted. Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu, who took over the post from Mark Rowley this month, said security services had raised the bar since the Westminster attack triggered four months of bloodshed. To say that there would not be another attack would be foolish, he told The Independent. But I am optimistic  I think we have an incredible machine in this country. Read more It is a year since Islamist extremist Khalid Masood ploughed his car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, killing four victims before running towards Parliament and stabbing a police officer to death. His rampage was the first attack claimed by Isis in Britain, shaking the country that had previously been spared the massacres carried out in France, Belgium and elsewhere. The assault was followed by the Manchester bombing on 22 May and the London Bridge attack on 3 June, both claimed by Isis, and the far-right Finsbury Park attack on 19 June. The attacks killed a total of 36 victims, injuring hundreds, and saw all perpetrators apart from Finsbury Park attacker Darren Osborne die. Police line London streets in memory of PC Keith Palmer Melissa Cochran, whose husband Kurt was killed in the Westminster attack, said she was thinking of other victims of the terrible day. We all miss Kurt very much and speak of him often, she added. While I continue to grieve for my husband and all the victims of that day, I strive to move ahead and focus on my recovery, as well as honouring Kurts life by advocating love, forgiveness and peace. Inquests into the deaths of Mr Cochran, an American tourist, British mother Aysha Frade, Romanian architect Andreea Cristea, pensioner Leslie Rhodes and PC Keith Palmer are due to start in September. Patrick Maguire, a lawyer representing injured victims on behalf of Slater and Gordon, said Masood had changed their lives forever with his despicable act of evil. Many still face a daily struggle with their physical injuries that are unlikely to ever properly heal, he added. But what has blighted all of their lives are the mental scars from the horrors they experienced. The anniversary of this terrible day should be used to remember those who lost their lives and support those who survived with their recovery. We look forward to the inquest, when questions about how this atrocity was ever allowed to happen will hopefully be answered. But the UK threat level remains at severe, meaning an attack is deemed highly likely, and the risk from both jihadi and far-right extremists continues to rise. Mr Basu said police had worked to break the momentum of attacks, sparking successful efforts to disrupt fresh plots in the latter part of 2017. People saw the bar had been lowered in this country and it was a less hostile place for terrorists, he added. I think we raised that bar again. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP The head of national counter-terror policing said the tempo of plots had increased to an unprecedented rate. It is possible for attacks to get through, and weve seen that in the speed people are radicalised, the speed of which they plan and the speed they commit the crime, he added. Its becoming harder to stop these things. Mr Basu cited changes including online radicalisation and encrypted communications among the challenges, after calling for members of the public to provide real-world information on suspicious behaviour, which he said remains a valuable part of the jigsaw. But he concluded that neither MI5 nor the police had any reason to anticipate the Westminster attack. Youre looking at someone [Masood] who is such a long way from the top of anyones grid that, frankly, its a bit difficult to see how they would have been easily stopped, whatever agencies had done, Mr Anderson said in December. His review did not cover the Finsbury Park attack or Parsons Green bombing, in which a homemade device partly exploded on a District Line train in September. Ahmed Hassan, an Iraqi teenager who told immigration officials he underwent Isis training in his home country, had been reported to Prevent on at least two occasions. An internal probe into potential failings is ongoing. We are always concerned if we havent joined all of the dots, Mr Basu said. Over the course of the last five years 23 plots have been disrupted, all of which saved lives. We are good at this, we can always be better. The senior officer said it was a prime objective to have online propaganda removed using the Counter-Terrorism Internet Referral Unit and by working with social media companies. The moment an explosive device built by AhmedHassan partly detonated on a Tube train in Parsons Green, London, on 15 September 2017 (Met Police) We want to act as soon as possible, Mr Basu said. Sometimes that may stop more serious offences being detected, but we wont take risks with public safety. But he suggested that current punishments available for lower-level terror offences, like dissemination of terrorist publications and collecting information useful to someone planning an attack, are not sufficiently robust. Many such cases see convicted terrorists imprisoned for fewer than five years, if at all, and the Parole Board raised concerns they could be further radicalised inside jail. MPs are to observe a minutes silence to mark the anniversary of the Westminster attack at 9.33am, ahead of services in Parliament to remember those who were killed and injured. It was a sick and depraved attack on the streets of our capital, Prime Minister Theresa May said. But what I remember most is the exceptional bravery of our police and security services, who risked their lives to keep us safe. Jeremy Corbyn said the atrocity would be remembered as an attack on democracy within our society. Separate commemorations for all four attacks that struck London in 2017 have been announced by Mayor Sadiq Khan. Following consultation with victims families and survivors, the phrase London United will be projected onto the Houses of Parliament, and members of the public will be able to pay their respects at City Hall. These were not only attacks on our city and our country, but on the very heart of our democracy and the values we cherish most  freedom, justice and tolerance, Mr Khan said. As we enter this period of remembrance and reflection, we stand together as Londoners, united against terrorism and in hope for the future.
No police officers are visible guarding the entry point, known as Carriage Gates, fuelling concern that the attack might have been worse had Masood been followed by accomplices. The video shows pedestrians walking past and at one stage a courier on a moped appears to enter unchallenged. Yards away, separate footage showed Prime Minister Theresa May being rushed from the building and into a waiting car. Former Metropolitan Police commissioner Lord Blair and ex-House of Commons deputy speaker Nigel Evans both said security will now have to be stepped up. 'I expected AK47s': Security expert's verdict on Westminster attack Lord Blair told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I am absolutely certain that there will be a review now of the outer soft ring that those of us who work at the Palace of Westminster are very used to. "Always behind it is the inner core of armed officers, but Pc Keith Palmer has paid with his life for that soft outer rim and I think that his family at least, and everybody else, needs the reassurance that will be reviewed." Lord Blair refused to criticise the officers who apparently left the gate unguarded, describing them as "human beings" who will have been "gripped completely" by the attack while knowing the "cavalry" of armed officers was on its way. But he added: "I'm absolutely certain that there will have to be changes. "People are used to the fact that if they go into Downing Street they are confronted by basically closed gates and armed officers and I'm afraid that's what will have to happen, but we'll leave it to the reviews to see what it is. "But I don't think there should be shock horror about the fact the gates were open for a moment after that kind of attack." Mr Evans described the outrage as "one of those things that by experience you learn" from. Front Pages for Westminster & Parliament Attack Front Pages for Westminster & Parliament Attack 1/32 2/32 3/32 4/32 5/32 6/32 7/32 8/32 9/32 10/32 11/32 12/32 13/32 14/32 15/32 16/32 17/32 The front pages of today's newspapers the day after a terrorist attack Ryan Hooper/PA 18/32 Evening Standard Evening Standard 19/32 The Times The Times 20/32 Daily Mail Daily Mail 21/32 The Sun The Sun 22/32 i i 23/32 The Scotsman The Scotsman 24/32 The Daily Telegraph The Daily Telegraph 25/32 The Guardian The Guardian 26/32 Daily Mirror Daily Mirror 27/32 Daily Star Daily Star 28/32 Daily Express Daily Express 29/32 Metro Metro 30/32 City A.M City A.M 31/32 Independent Independent 32/32 The front pages of today's newspapers the day after a terrorist attack PA 1/32 2/32 3/32 4/32 5/32 6/32 7/32 8/32 9/32 10/32 11/32 12/32 13/32 14/32 15/32 16/32 17/32 The front pages of today's newspapers the day after a terrorist attack Ryan Hooper/PA 18/32 Evening Standard Evening Standard 19/32 The Times The Times 20/32 Daily Mail Daily Mail 21/32 The Sun The Sun 22/32 i i 23/32 The Scotsman The Scotsman 24/32 The Daily Telegraph The Daily Telegraph 25/32 The Guardian The Guardian 26/32 Daily Mirror Daily Mirror 27/32 Daily Star Daily Star 28/32 Daily Express Daily Express 29/32 Metro Metro 30/32 City A.M City A.M 31/32 Independent Independent 32/32 The front pages of today's newspapers the day after a terrorist attack PA He revealed that "lots" of MPs locked in the Commons chamber during and after the attack were discussing how to boost security in certain areas. But he said far more checks are carried out at Carriage Gates than we he was elected in 1992, when a police officer would just "wave you through". The Tory MP told Today: "I've got no doubts whatsoever that there will be enhanced features of security, it's happening on a regular basis. But following this tragedy, security has got to be upped at the same time as still having a welcoming hand to members of the public to come and see how democracy works." The video comes after Scotland Yard's anti-terror chief Mark Rowley said current arrangements were "proportionate". Two Jankel Guardians in front of Parliament (AFP/ Getty Images) On Friday, he said that procedures for guarding Parliament had been designed so they were not "overly intrusive". Parliamentary authorities and the police are carrying out a review of security in the wake of Wednesdays bloody assault. The horrifying attacks left five people dead, as Masood ploughed through pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before crashing through Parliament gates. It was there that he stabbed to death unarmed police officer Keith Palmer before he was stopped, shot and killed.
The Guardian Have you experienced hate crime since the Westminster Bridge terrorist attack? The Guardian Flowers and candle lights on Westminster Bridge two days after the attack in March. Photograph: Victoria Jones/PA. Hate crime. Have you experienced hate crime since the Westminster Bridge terrorist attack? As a spike in hate crime offences in England ... Hate crime up 29% since Brexit referendum & Westminster attack, but prosecution numbers fallRT Hate crime, England and Wales, 2016 to 2 HeraldScotland Majority of Scots want Holyrood to control immigration amidst rising Westminster mistrust levels HeraldScotland SHOCKING levels of mistrust in Westminster's handling of immigration has meant that nearly two in three want Scotland to take control of its own affairs, a new study reveals. A poll shows that 64% of Scots back immigration devolution for Scotland ...and more  Birmingham Live Westminster terrorist Khalid Masood 'cut down PC Keith Palmer in ... Birmingham Live Armed officers were "nowhere to be seen" when a terrorist wielding two foot-long knives cut down Pc Keith Palmer in scenes likened to a horror film, an inquest ... 'Armed police nowhere to be seen during Westminster attack'Daddyhoodall 3 news articles  PoliticsHome.com ANALYSIS: Maybe Westminster will now believe that Ruth Davidson will never be Prime Minister PoliticsHome.com In a crowded field, it has probably been the most boring Westminster guessing game of recent years. Ruth Davidson and Theresa May. Credit: PA Images. Forget 'When will Boris challenge Theresa' or 'Will the Labour Party split'. For my money, the 'When ...and more  The National The week that Westminster paved the way to reject a Brexit deal ... The National AS Westminster returns briefly after the summer break before rising again for the three-week conference recess, the only show in town is Brexit. Yetand more  The Guardian Westminster attack survivors fear their voices will not be heard at inquest The Guardian Survivors of the Westminster terror attack last March claim they have been airbrushed from the inquest into its five victims, which opened last week. Travis Frain, 20, said that hardly any of the attack's 50 survivors had been invited to offer ... Westminster attack: PC Keith Palmer 'left unprotected' at Parliament gate, says familyBBC News No armed officers present to protect mur Channel 4 News Armed officers 'nowhere to be seen' as PC killed in Westminster Channel 4 News A terrorist brandishing two foot-long knives stabbed a police officer in an animated and frenzied attack inside the Palace of Westminster, yet armed officers were nowhere to be seen, an inquest has heard. Witnesses described horrific scenes as PC ... E&T Magazine Westminster brands 5G phone kiosks a deceit E&T Magazine Westminster City Council has accused BT of cheating to push its national rollout of 5G phone boxes past public officials who oppose it. The London authority made the accusation in formal planning objections it raised against BT's requests to install ... Londonist Is Westminster Council TfL's Nemesis? Londonist To the unbridled joy of some, and the intense disappointment of others, Cycle Superhighway 11 suffered a major setback yesterday in the High Court. Sir Ross Cranston, presiding over a legal challenge to the route from Westminster City Council, ruled ... UCG to launch group legal action against TfL, Uber and Westminster Magistrates CourtTaxiPoint Taxi Newsall 3 news articles  Architects Journal Council rejects Dexter Moren's Westminster hotel over height fears Architects Journal Westminster councillors have refused Dexter Moren Associates' proposals for a hotel scheme in Pimlico after residents complained over its height. The practice's plans for 4C Hotels Group involved the demolition of existing offices on the Vauxhall ... The Times Westminster denies 'power grab' over Scottish farming The Times UK ministers have hit back over claims that they are planning a power grab over Scottish farming. A UK Agriculture Bill was introduced this week to ensure a smooth transition for farming after Brexit but which drew objections from the Scottish ... Westminster heads towards no-deal Brexit clash with ScotlandThe Scotsmanall 17 news articles  The Edinburgh Reporter MP congratulates Edinburgh restaurant manager Rachel with an invitation to Westminster The Edinburgh Reporter Local MP Deidre Brock greeted Rachel Clark from the Slug and Lettuce in Edinburgh at the House of Commons this week. Deidre wanted to congratulate her on graduating from Stonegate Pub Company's 'Bar to Boardroom' management training programme. Telegraph.co.uk Westminster victim left face down in water for five minutes as passing boat captain thought she was already dead Telegraph.co.uk Vital time was lost in the battle to save a victim of the Westminster terror attack who was left face down in the river for five minutes because a passing boat captain wrongly thought she was already dead, an inquest has heard. Andreea Cristea, 31, had ... Vital minutes lost as Westminster victim held face down in River ThamesSky News Westminster attac Sky News Westminster victim's boyfriend found phone in pool of blood Sky News The boyfriend of Andreea Cristea, who was thrown into the Thames by Khalid Masood's car, tells of the desperate search for her. 18:34, UK, Thursday 13 September 2018. Andreea Cristea on CCTV crossing the bridge in the moments before her death. Lancashire Telegraph Injured Darwen student attends Westminster Bridge terror attack inquest Lancashire Telegraph A DARWEN student seriously injured in the Westminster Bridge terrorist attack was this week reliving the 'terrible drama' of March last year. 1 comment. Travis Frain, 20, is attending the London inquest into the atrocity in which four pedestrians and ...and more  Evening Standard Westminster terror attack: CCTV shows final moments of victim ... Evening Standard Shocking CCTV footage of rescue efforts being made after a victim of the Westminster terror attack was thrown into the Thames has been played at an inquest ... Westminster Bridge terror victim Andreea Cristea had to be 'hooked from Thames'Sky News Westminster attack tourist had taken photo moments before being hurled into ThamesAOL UKall 7 news articles  HuffPost UK Exclusive: Westminster Women Rally Against 'Misogynist' Treatment Of Carrie Symonds HuffPost UK Dozens of women working in Westminster have written an open letter rallying against the misogynist treatment of Carrie Symonds by the media. Symonds, an ex-Tory communications director, has been linked to former foreign secretary Boris Johnson after ...and more  Sky News Westminster Bridge terror victim Andreea Cristea had to be 'hooked ... Sky News CCTV shows Andreea Cristea being secured with a boat hook after she was struck and thrown into the River Thames on 22 March 2017. Westminster terror attack: CCTV shows final moments of victim Andreea Cristea crossing bridge before being thrown ...Evening Standard Westminster terror attack tourist had photo taken moments before being hurled into ThamesBirmingham Liveall 7 news articles  Sky News Westminster terror victim 'hooked from the Thames' Sky News Andreea Cristea was pulled from the River Thames after being thrown through the air by Khalid Masood's car. 17:07, UK, Wednesday 12 September 2018. Andreea Cristea. Image: Andreea Cristea was pulled from the Thames after she was hit by the car. HuffPost UK Jacob Rees-Mogg's Family Targeted By 'Class War' Protests Outside Their Westminster Home HuffPost UK Jacob Rees-Mogg and his family were targeted by left-wing protestors outside their Westminster home on Wednesday, with activists shouting at his children: your daddy is a totally horrible person. Police stood between protesters from the group Class ... UK Politics: Is there really a coup brewing in Westminster?Betting.betfairall 192 news articles  BBC News Westminster Bridge terror attack: Victim 'completely unaware' of attacker BBC News A victim of the 2017 Westminster terror attack was "completely unaware" of the vehicle speeding towards her, an inquest into the attack has heard. Khalid Masood ran down and killed four people on Westminster Bridge before stabbing a policeman to death. Westminster attack inquest: Tourist took photo moments before she was thrown off bridgeExpress.co.uk Husband tried to call Westminster terror attack victi Belfast Telegraph Martin hints Fianna Fail could sit in Westminster Belfast Telegraph Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin has suggested that the Irish party could send MPs to Westminster if it decided to stand in Northern Ireland. But he said talks of a Fianna Fail merger with the SDLP are a work in progress. Speaking at his party's think ...and more  Sky News 'Chaos, just chaos': Terrifying accounts of Westminster attack heard ... Sky News "I remember seeing the front of the vehicle. The next thing I remember  being on the ground," a survivor tells the Old Bailey.and more  Sky News 'Chaos, just chaos': Terrifying accounts of Westminster attack heard at inquests Sky News "I remember seeing the front of the vehicle. The next thing I remember  being on the ground," a survivor tells the Old Bailey. 19:26, UK, Tuesday 11 September 2018. CCTV image dated 22/03/17 issued by the Metropolitan Police of Kurt Cochran. Image ...and more  Express.co.uk Westminster terror attack inquest: Widow tells of moment car hit her and husband Express.co.uk American Melissa Cochran and her husband Kurt had been sightseeing in the capital before Khalid Masood ploughed into them on Westminster Bridge. Mr Cochran, 54, pushed his wife out of the way moments before Masood deliberately drove at them, ... Westminster attack: Inquest hears how tourist pushed his wife out of ...The Independent Elderly victim of Westminster attack was flipped in Westminster Abbey (press release) Westminster Abbey celebrates the life of Sir Peter Hall Westminster Abbey (press release) A Service of Thanksgiving to celebrate the life and work of Sir Peter Hall CBE was held at Westminster Abbey on Tuesday 11th September 2018. HRH The Prince of Wales was represented by Sir Kenneth Branagh, accompanied by Edward Kemp, Academy ...and more 
Tributes to heroic PC Keith Palmer as moment's silence to be held on anniversary of attack A commemorative service to remember the 14 people killed in four terror attacks in London last year is due to be held today  a year after the Westminster attack. One year ago today, heroic police officer PC Keith Palmer died from his injuries after challenging Dartford-born Khalid Masood, who stabbed PC Palmer after having driven a car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge. MPs in the Houses of Parliament will observe a minutes silence today to remember the victims of last years attacks. More tributes to PC Palmer have been given on the anniversary of his death, with a friend describing him as "a proud and courageous police officer who did his job and never wanted any fuss". The coffin of Pc Keith Palmer makes its way to Southwark Cathedral (Gareth Fuller/PA) PC Shaun Cartwrights tribute, issued through Scotland Yard, continued: "Keith loved being a police officer, he just wanted to help people and do his best. "Keith was always happy, always the first to help anyone out, first in to work and the last one out. "He was a proud and courageous police officer who did his job and never wanted any fuss or to be the centre of attention. "Keith was a true and loyal friend, utterly reliable. Flowers laid in remembrance of Pc Keith Palmer (Rick Findler/PA) "Most of all I will remember him as a family man who idolised his wife, daughter and his family; they're the important ones that I think about a year on from the Westminster attack." Senior officers are expected to attend a number of private memorial services on Thursday to mark the first anniversary of the atrocity, but the force has not made details public. London Bridge, Finsbury Park Mosque, Parsons Green underground station, and the Houses of Parliament will have the phrase displayed on them overnight. The four terror attacks which shook London to the core last year: March 22: Five people died in Westminster after Khalid Masood drove his car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge at around 70mph before stabbing unarmed police officer Keith Palmer. Masood died from a single gunshot wound to the chest. June 3: Eight people died when three Muslim extremists drove a van into pedestrians on London Bridge before continuing into Borough Market to launch a knife attack. The three attackers were all shot dead. June 19: Darren Osborne drove a van into a group of worshippers who were leaving Finsbury Park Mosque, killing Makram Ali, 51, and injuring nine other people. Osborne received a life sentence for the attack. September 15: A homemade explosive device partially explodes on a packed District Line tube at Parsons Green Station, injuring around 50 people. Ahmed Hassan, 18, from Iraq was found guilty of attempted murder. Ipsoregulated This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's Editors' Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then please contact the editor here. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can contact IPSO here
What Britain Must Ask Itself after London Attacks U.K. authorities have been preparing for a terrorist attack of this kind for years. At 2:40 p.m. London time, a terrorist drove a vehicle into pedestrians on Londons Westminster Bridge. Then, reaching the north side of the bridge over the River Thames, he smashed into the gates of the British Parliament. Leaving his vehicle, he fought with police officers just inside a Parliamentary checkpoint. He was then shot and killed by armed police. Regrettably, before he died, the terrorist murdered one police officer and two other individuals and injured at least 20 others. By utilizing a motor vehicle and knife and by targeting police (though this may have been pursuant to a desire to enter the Houses of Parliament), this assault follows Daesh (a.k.a. ISIS) methodology. And coincidentally or not, today is also the first anniversary of the Daesh attacks in Brussels. It is so far unclear whether the attack is linked to or inspired by Daesh  but I would bet very strongly that it is. Regardless, British officials must now answer three pressing questions. First, was the suspect operating alone or as part of a larger cell? Here, we must recognize that Britains terrorism environment is diverse. There are the loser-lone-wolfs in the vein of Omar Mateen, the Orlando nightclub shooter, but also skilled, multi-member cells. Daesh has previously planned highly compartmented, multi-stage attack plots in Europe. And in January 2016, it specifically threatened Londons Tower Bridge (not Westminster Bridge) and the then-prime minister, David Cameron. Authorities must quickly identify the suspects connections and learn whether (as with Daesh plots in France) he was advised by operatives abroad. This leads us to the second question: Was the suspect known to the authorities? I suspect he was. British counterterrorism authorities retain a highly advanced database of jihadists and their sympathizers. This is helped by the fact that U.K. spy agencies have great latitude to identify and monitor terrorist suspects. The challenge, however, is that the number of terrorist suspects in Britain reaches into the thousands. Correspondingly, counterterrorism investigators must prioritize resources on those individuals they believe to pose the most significant threat. They cannot monitor everyone all the time. That said, if the suspect does turn out to be a known threat, political pressure will grow for a reintroduction of the now-defunct control orders, which imposed electronic tagging on terrorist suspects in lieu of prosecution. Third, the U.K. must consider how well it responded today. While the Paris and Brussels attacks led the British to improve their response capacity to so-called roaming attacks, more must be done. Until now, the specific focus has been on investment in improved SWAT counterterrorism capabilities. But those efforts have been prioritized for London. Two immediate issues for the British are that the physical security of Parliament and the personal security of the British prime minister and the Queen are inadequate. Was the suspect known to the authorities? I suspect he was. But further hardening of the capitals defenses wont solve the problem of other British localities lacking Londons counterterrorism resources. Specifically, they do not have enough armed police officers (most British police do not carry firearms). Any major attack outside London would thus likely require a response from two military special-forces units that are kept on permanent standby. But aside from small forward-deployed elements, both of those units are based in western and southern England, leaving much of the United Kingdom vulnerable. All this said, British officials will tonight privately breathe a sigh of relief. An attack of this kind has been expected for years. But it was expected to be far worse. Fortunately, Londons first responders reacted with speed and exemplary courage. None more so than the officer who gave his life to defend his nations Parliament.
Further details emerged about his violent history, which included an episode when he stabbed a man in the nose in the driveway of a nursing home in Eastbourne in 2003. The death toll from his assault on the capital rose again on Thursday when a 75-year-old man became the fourth innocent victim to die. The man, who has not been named, had his life support withdrawn at King's College Hospital. Five people remain in a critical condition after Masood ploughed a car down Westminster Bridge and stormed the Parliamentary estate armed with two blades, fatally knifing Pc Keith Palmer. More candlelit vigils for the victims are scheduled on Friday in Birmingham and London. Scotland Yard said Masood - who was shot dead by police - was born in Kent on Christmas Day in 1964. A spokesman said he was known by a number of different names and research into them was continuing. After leaving Kent, it is thought he most recently spent time in the West Midlands, with a witness to an armed raid on a flat in Edgbaston saying: "The man from London lived here." Masood is also thought to have spent periods living in London, Sussex and Luton. Scotland Yard said he was not the subject of any current investigations before the massacre and there was "no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack". But he was known to police and MI5 and had convictions for assaults, including GBH, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences. His victims on Westminster Bridge included a US tourist from Utah who was celebrating his wedding anniversary and a "highly regarded and loved" member of college staff. Kurt Cochran and his wife Melissa, on the last day of a trip celebrating their 25th anniversary, were visiting her parents, who are serving as Mormon missionaries in London. Mrs Cochran was badly injured. Aysha Frade, who worked in administration at independent sixth-form school DLD College London, in Westminster, is understood to have been 43 and married with two daughters. Up to 40 other people were injured in the attack, with casualties including Britons, French children, Romanians, South Koreans, Greeks, and people from Germany, Poland, Ireland, China, Italy and the United States. Three police officers were hurt, two of them seriously. Police arrested three women and five men on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts after raids in London and Birmingham. A house in Carmarthenshire, south west Wales, was also searched, Dyfed-Powys Police said. A minute's silence was held nationwide on Thursday and crowds later gathered in Trafalgar Square for a candlelit vigil. Theresa May said Masood was investigated some years ago in relation to concerns about violent extremism but was a "peripheral figure". Home Secretary Amber Rudd defended the security and intelligence agencies, saying: "The fact that he was known to them doesn't mean that somebody has 24-hour cover." As police and intelligence agencies mounted a massive investigation to piece together the killer's movements in the lead-up to the attack: :: The Islamic State terror group claimed in a statement that the attacker was "a soldier of the Islamic State executing the operation in response to calls to target citizens of coalition nations". :: Commentators pointed out the group had a record of opportunistically claiming attacks and it was significant the statement did not appear to claim it had directed the strike. :: Carriage Gates, where Pc Palmer and Masood died, was back in use on Thursday evening, although armed police were at the entrance. :: Roads around the Palace of Westminster, including Parliament Square, also reopened. Ipsoregulated This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's Editors' Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then please contact the editor here. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can contact IPSO here
Police treated the attack as "Islamist-related terrorism". Masood reportedly said in a final text message that he was waging jihad in revenge for Western military action in Muslim countries in the Middle East. Amaq News Agency, which is linked to Islamic State, said the attacker answered the group's calls to target citizens of states that are fighting against it, though the claim was questioned by the UK police and government. Police have found no link with a terrorist organisation and believe Masood acted alone.[1] One of the victims, a Romanian tourist, was thrown by the car's impact over the parapet of the bridge into the River Thames below. Having been knocked unconscious and sustained severe injuries from the fall, she was later rescued by the crew of a river cruise and brought aboard a London Fire Brigade boat.[8] She later died in hospital from her injuries.[14] The car continued, and crashed into railings on Bridge Street at the north perimeter of the Palace of Westminster.[15] Despite attempts to resuscitate him, Masood died at the scene from a single gunshot wound to his chest;[19][20][21] he was pronounced dead at 15:35 at hospital.[22] Passers-by, including MP Tobias Ellwood (the Foreign Minister for the Middle East and Africa) and paramedics, attempted to revive PC Palmer, also without success.[23][21] Police later confirmed that PC Palmer had been wearing a protective vest, which did not appear to have been punctured in the attack.[24] Six people, including the attacker, died as a result of the incident, and around 50 others were injured, some of them severely. Of the five people killed by the attacker, three were British nationals.[13][17] Aysha Frade, a British teacher, believed to have been walking along the bridge to pick up her children from school, was struck by the attacker's car and killed.[40] A tourist from the United States, Kurt Cochran, was also hit by the car and died.[17] Cochran was visiting London from Utah to celebrate his 25th anniversary with his wife Melissa, who was among the injured.[41] The police officer killed was PC Keith Palmer, 48, an unarmed police officer who was on duty with the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection command.[42][43] Palmer had 15 years of experience in the Metropolitan Police Service.[20] The fourth victim was Leslie Rhodes, 75, from Clapham in south-west London, who was hit by the car and later died in hospital after his life support was switched off.[44][45] A fifth victim, Andreea Cristea, a 31-year-old tourist from Romania, fell into the Thames during the attack; she died in hospital as a result of her injuries on 6 April after her life support was withdrawn. Her Romanian boyfriend, who had planned to propose marriage during their trip to London, was also injured during the attack.[46][33] The attacker was identified by the Metropolitan Police as 52-year-old Briton Khalid Masood.[48] He was born Adrian Russell Elms, but later changed the name to Adrian Russell Ajao when he took the name of his stepfather.[49][50][51] He changed his name to Khalid Masood after he converted to Islam. Police said he also used several other aliases, including Khalid Choudry.[49][52] Born in Kent, Masood was brought up in Rye, East Sussex, and later attended secondary school in Tunbridge Wells in Kent. Most recently he was living in the West Midlands.[53] When he was 16, he dropped out of school and by 18 he was described as a heavy cocaine user.[54] In 2000, he was sentenced to two years in prison for grievous bodily harm after a knife attack in a public house in Northiam in Sussex. In 2003, he was sentenced to a further six months in prison for possession of an offensive weapon following another knife attack in Eastbourne in Sussex.[55][56] As well as these two prison terms, Masood had convictions for public order offences going back to 1983.[55][56] A British newspaper obtained a CV of Masood's in which he described himself as having taught English in Saudi Arabia from November 2005 to November 2006, and again from April 2008 to April 2009.[60][61] After this, according to the CV he returned to the United Kingdom and worked at a TEFL college in Luton.[62] In early March 2015, he made a brief trip to Saudi Arabia on an Umrah visa, normally issued to those making a pilgrimage to Mecca.[50][61] During his time in Saudi Arabia he was not recorded as having a criminal record there.[61] In 2010, Masood was a "peripheral figure" in an MI5 investigation of a group of Islamists later convicted of plotting to bomb a Territorial Army base in Luton. Following a risk assessment, MI5 decided he did not pose a threat.[63][64] The Metropolitan Police said he was not the subject of any current investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack.[65] He had not been convicted of any terrorism offences.[66] Farasat Latif, director of the language school in Luton where Masood taught between 2010 and 2012, told The Guardian that when Masood lived in Luton he was apolitical and not aligned with the younger and predominantly Asian local radical Islamist group Al-Muhajiroun. Although aware of violence in Masood's past, Latif had only seen him become angry once, when Masood learnt of plans for a march by the English Defence League through Luton.[67] Between 2012 and 2016, Masood appeared in MI5 investigations as a contact of individuals linked to Al-Muhajiroun.[57] Three days before the attack, Masood carried out reconnaissance of Westminster Bridge in person and online.[57] Masood spent the night before the attack at the Preston Park Hotel in Brighton in Sussex and was described as "laughing and joking" by the manager there.[68] Pre-inquest revealed that he had used anabolic steroids shortly before the terrorist attack.[69] Masood's profile was atypical in that most jihadi terrorists are under 30, while he was 52. On 22 March, the day of the attack, the Metropolitan Police said it believed the attack was inspired by "international terrorism"[70][71] and that they were working under the assumption that it was "Islamist-related terrorism".[72][73][74] On 23 March, the Islamic State-associated Amaq News Agency announced that the attacker was "a soldier of the Islamic State, executing the operation in response to calls to target citizens of coalition nations".[75] The Home Secretary, Amber Rudd, cast doubts on this claim.[76] Analysts monitoring Islamic State online said the claim appeared to be an effort to mask its losses in Iraq and Syria, adding that the lack of biographical information on the attacker and lack of specifics about the attack suggested it was not directly involved.[77] Describing Masood as a "terrorist",[78] the Metropolitan Police said it was investigating whether he was a lone actor inspired by terrorist propaganda or was being directed by others.[79] On 25 March Neil Basu, Deputy Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police and Senior National Coordinator for UK Counter-Terrorism Policing, announced that investigators believed Masood acted alone.[80] On 27 March, Basu announced that Masood clearly had an interest in jihad, that his methods echoed the rhetoric of Islamic State leaders and that investigators have found no evidence he was linked with it or al-Qaeda.[81][63] The security services later recovered the last WhatsApp message sent by Masood shortly before his attack. In it, Masood reportedly said he was waging jihad in revenge for Western military action in Muslim countries of the Middle East.[1] He had written a document named "Jihad in the Quran and Sunnah", with his photograph on the front page and multiple extracts from the Quran that could be seen as supportive of jihad and martyrdom.[57] He sent this document to numerous contacts a few minutes before the attack.[57] Some early reports gave descriptions of two supposed attackers, one described as a "bald white man" and another as a "black man with goatee beard".[17] On the morning after the attack, however, Mark Rowley, the Metropolitan Police's Assistant Commissioner for Specialist Operations, stated that the police believed the attacker acted alone.[70]Abu Izzadeen was also erroneously identified as the attacker on social media, Channel 4 News and The Independent shortly after the attack, although Izzadeen was actually in prison at the time.[82] In April 2017, OFCOM announced an investigation into the Channel 4 News naming of Izzadeen.[83] Police and media outside the Hagley Road premises that were raided on 22 March, seen on the morning following the raid At 23:00 on 22 March, West Midlands Police raided a flat in Hagley Road, Birmingham. By the morning of 23 March, six locations in East London and Birmingham had been raided resulting in the arrests of eight people on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts.[17][48][84] Officials also carried out searches in London, Brighton and Carmarthenshire.[85][48] The investigation was named Operation Classific. By 24 March, three further arrests had taken place, two men overnight in the West Midlands and North West England and a woman during the day in Manchester.[86] A woman, arrested earlier in East London, was released on bail.[87] Later on 24 March, seven of those initially arrested were released without further action and the woman arrested in Manchester was released on bail.[88][20][50] By 25 March, only one man from Birmingham remained in custody and the woman on bail from East London had been removed from police enquiries. Up to that point in the investigation, 2,700 items had been seized and 3,500 witnesses had been contacted.[6] A further arrest was made in Birmingham on 26 March.[89] By 1 April, all 12 suspects arrested after the attack had been released without charge.[90] Both the House of Commons and the House of Lords resumed their normal functions on 23 March, the day after the attack.[20] A one-minute silence in honour of the dead was observed in Parliament, and by London's emergency services, at 09:33. The time was selected to coincide with the start of the day's official parliamentary business.[93][74] In the morning session of parliament, Prime Minister Theresa May said that, "Yesterday an act of terrorism tried to silence our democracy, but today we meet as normal ... to deliver a simple message: We are not afraid and our resolve will never waver in the face of terrorism."[93][74] In a later statement following the June 2017 London attack, May stated that all three recent attacks were "bound together by the single evil ideology of Islamic extremism".[94] The Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, the Leader of the Opposition, described the attack as "an appalling atrocity".[93][74] The speakers of both Houses of Parliament jointly offered sympathy to those affected, and thanked the emergency services.[95] The Scottish Parliament suspended the day's proceedings, including a debate on a second independence referendum.[96] Some MSPs who opposed the decision to suspend parliament said that doing so was "giving in to terrorism".[97] The Metropolitan Police honoured PC Palmer by retiring his shoulder number 4157U; Charlton Athletic F.C. announced that his season ticket seat at the Valley would not be occupied at the club's next home game, but would instead have a club scarf placed over it as a mark of respect.[102] A JustGiving fund was set up, with the target of raising 100,000 for his family, a goal attained in less than 24 hours.[66] A group called "Muslims United for London" also raised over 29,000 to support victims and victims' families, releasing a statement saying, "The British Muslim community stands with the community during these difficult times".[103][104][105] Home Secretary Amber Rudd announced that PC Palmer would be remembered at the National Memorial Arboretum's UK Police Memorial in Staffordshire.[106] On 26 March, in an event organised by Women's March on London, roughly 100 women, including many Muslims, joined hands to form a chain along Westminster Bridge and stood in silence for five minutes to pay tribute to the victims of the attack.[109][110][111] Amber Rudd appeared on BBC's The Andrew Marr Show to call for government backdoor access to encrypted messaging services like WhatsApp, which Masood used to send a message shortly before the attack. She announced a meeting with similar technology industry leaders for 30 March, where she would persuade them to voluntarily co-operate with the government. She refused to rule out passing new legislation to this end if the companies do not comply.[112][1] The BBC TV series Hospital was filming a routine meeting at St Mary's when the attack occurred; within minutes St Mary's declared a "major incident", one of several central London hospitals to do so. The cameras recorded the involvement of the emergency room and intensive care staff over the next few hours, and then followed the cases of three patients until their discharge. The hour-long episode was broadcast in June, resulting in "a powerful, moving portrait of a major trauma centres response to such an event, and of the brilliant human beings who work there."[161]
The Metropolitan Police confirmed in a press statement on Thursday morning that it also arrested 7 people. However, at 10.16 a.m. GMT, Met police said another person was arrested: One of the raids took place in a second floor flat, above a row of shops, on Hagley Road in the Egbaston area of the city. An eyewitness who spoke to the Press Association said: "The man from London lived here. They came and arrested three men." The police closed off several roads in Birmingham as they raided that property. As you can tell from the map of where the flat is situated, it is close to the University of Birmingham as well as the main shopping and entertainment hub for the city: Google Maps West Midlands Police referred inquiries about the operation to the Metropolitan Police, which confirmed the connection to the London attacks. Here is a video from Sky News which has pictures and video of the Hagley Road raid: The first civilian victim was identified as Aysha Frade, a 43-year-old year mother of two. Another civilian, an American tourist from Utah, US, Kurt Cochran is also believed to have been killed while walking on Westminster Bridge. His wife Melissa is in a critical condition, according to Fox News. "The location of the attack was no accident, where all people from all nationalities, religions and cultures come together to celebrate liberation and democracy. "Let me make it clear today... any attempt to defeat those values through violence is doomed to failure. The streets of Westminster are ingrained with the spirit of freedom." "Tomorrow morning Parliament will meet as normal. We will come together as normal. And Londoners and others around the world will get up and go about their day as normal. They will board their trains. They will leave their hotels. They will walk these streets. They will live their lives, they will all move forward together, never giving into terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart." Public appeal for information After a one minute silence to pay respects to victims of the London attack, the Metropolitan Police has appealed to the public for information. The Acting Met Police commissioner paid tribute to PC Keith Palmer and said: "We need the public's help. The police are the public and the public are the police. I would urge anyone in this great city, if they are concerned or worried, about anything to approach a police officer and talk to them." "Police officers will be talking to Londoners. That is part of what we do. We are leading a large response that covers all of London and national government in relation to the response of this incident. We are working with all the emergency services and local agencies in London to ensure the response is of a high quality, high calibre, and it is about keeping Londoners safe.
THIS is the chilling moment a car careered through Westminster before mowing down pedestrians and smashing into a barrier at 50mph in a terror rampage. The dramatic footage shows the silver Ford Fiesta hurtling across lanes outside the Houses of Parliament before ploughing into several cyclists. This is the moment a car careered across Westminster before mowing down pedestrians and smashing into barrier at 50mph during a terror rampage The handcuffed driver, in his 20s and believed to be from the Midlands, was led away by armed cops after people were left injured in the very sinister smash at around 7.40am. Witnesses described the terror of seeing the car driving towards Parliament at speed before hearing a loud bang. This is what we know so far A car crashed into anti-terror barriers outside the Houses of Parliament at 7.40am Three people have been hurt  but cops say none have life-threatening injuries Witnesses saw a silver car deliberately travelling towards Westminster at 50mph A man, in his 20s, has been arrested on suspicion of terror offences Extra cops will now be stationed at key transport hubs across the country Theresa May has praised medics and police for their quick response to the attack One woman suffered serious, but non-life threatening, injuries while two other men also needed medical treatment. Met Police confirmed the suspect  who is not believed to have been armed  is currently being quizzed on suspicion of terror offences at a South London police station. Sky News The driver of the silver car is led away from the scene by cops outside Parliament this morning A man, in his twenties, has been arrested on suspicion of terror offences Police surround the vehicle outside the Houses of Parliament this morning The driver is handcuffed after he drove his car into barriers outside Parliament this morning But cops said he is not cooperating as they try to establish the motive behind the attack. Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said in a police press conference: It appears to be a deliberate act. We are treating it as a terrorist incident. At this early stage of the investigation no other suspects at the scene have been identified or reported to police. Footage shows two police officers being forced to jump out of the road as the car careers towards them before mowing down civilians. Injured cyclists are then seen being treated by paramedics as bikes lay strewn across the road. Armed police were heard shouting move back as quick as you can, were asking you for a reason as they swarmed through Westminster when the car came to a halt. Witness Barry Williams earlier said: It did look like an attack Once he hit the cyclists he accelerated towards the barrier. The suspect is led away from the scene by armed cops following the chaos this morning The car speeds through Westminster before colliding into innocent victims The car swerves across the road after ploughing into cyclists in Westminster The car crashes into the anti-terror barriers outside of the Houses of Parliament Rex Features Officers investigate the car after it smashed into the barriers Chaos at the scene of the crash in Westminster this morning Smoke billows from the bonnet of the Fiesta after it crashed into anti-terror barriers Bus driver Victor Ogbomo, 49, was driving passengers past the front of Westminster when he saw the crash. All I saw was the smoke coming out of a vehicle, a silver vehicle  I just stopped the bus, he said. The police said we have to move back, then in less than five minutes the response team came. Did YOU witness the crash? Contact us and send us your pictures: alex.matthews@the-sun.co.uk or call: 020 778 24376 Jason Williams told ITVs Good Morning Britain that the incident was very, very scary. He said: Ive seen a man driving a vehicle, and hes gone into one of the bollards. There was a loud bang. Straight away I thought Oh no, this is another terrorist attack. So Ive just started to run and the police were saying get out, get out of the area. An aerial shot of the crash shows the wrecked car and paramedics treating an injured pedestrian Twitter/EwelinaUO This is the car that crashed into the barrier outside Parliament this morning ITV Police swarm in on the scene in Westminster this morning Armed police swoop after car crashes into barriers outside Houses of Parliament US President Donald Trump tweeted this afternoon: Another terrorist attack in London These animals are crazy and must be dealt with through toughness and strength! The incident comes just over a year after terrorist Khalid Masood drove into pedestrians and rammed the gates of Parliament in a terror attack. The jihadi killed five people including Westminster cop PC Keith Palmer before he was shot dead by armed police. Security expert Chris Phillips said todays could be a botched terror attack. He told GMB: I think one of the biggest issues for police officers when they approached the vehicle was could it explode. This could well be some form of an attack thats not quite worked properly for the attacker.  PA:Press Association Armed police at the scene of the crash today Reuters A police cordon has been set up around Parliament Square in Westminster this morning PA:Press Association Westminster Bridge has been closed by cops in light of the crash HIGH ALERT: The terror attack that put Westminster on lockdown just 18 months ago Westminster has been put on high alert before, with this mornings crash outside Parliament barely 18 months since the terror attack that gripped the capital. Five people were killed and more than 50 people were injured when Kent-born terrorist Khalid Masood mowed pedestrians down along Westminster Bridge in March last year. The 52-year-old then crashed his car into the gates of Parliament, running into the compound with two blades when he fatally stabbed police officer Keith Palmer. Mum-of-two Aysha Frade, American tourist Kurt Cochran and 75-year-old Leslie Rhodes were all murdered by the evil terrorist. Fifth victim, Andreea Cristea, was thrown off Westminster bridge during the terror attack. Terrorist Masood was shot by police, later dying in hospital. Scotland Yard said Masood was a violent criminal convicted of multiple offences spanning 20 years. But they confirmed Masood was not the subject of any current investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack. Streets around Parliament Square, Millbank and Victoria Tower Gardens have been cordoned off with dozens of police, ambulances and firefighters at the scene. Westminster Bridge has been closed to cars and pedestrians and nearby Lambeth Bridge is also to be shut imminently. Theresa May has praised medics and police for responding to the attack.
Student Travis Frain has spoken out about post terrorist attack care after being injured in Westminster, London, in March. S Meddle/ITV/REX/Shutterstock A teenager mown down by a terrorists car during the worst attack on British soil for 12 years received death threats from extremists while he lay in hospital with multiple injuries, the National has learned. Travis Frain, 19, received abusive messages via social media from Islamist and far-right wing extremists who suggested he was making up his unwanted role in the attack by a British-born terrorist who killed five and injured 50 in London in March last year. Mr Frain detailed the threats as he revealed how he felt neglected by British authorities in the months after the attacks and called for reforms to a system ill-equipped to cope with the needs of survivors of terrorism. He said he was forced to wait for ten weeks for an appointment with Britains state-run health service to address the traumatic mental effects of the attack despite pleas for swifter treatment from specialist advisers and his doctor. When he finally got an appointment, he was told by a specialist to drink a warm glass of milk to help him sleep better. I know it sounds like a joke - but you couldnt make it up, he said. A spokesperson for Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust said it was "really sorry to hear that Mr Frain has not had a positive experience of our services". It added: "The matters have been investigated by us and the results fed back to Mr Frain through his MP. We would like to reassure you that our number one priority is always to ensure that our patients receive the highest quality of care at the right place, every time." Mr Frain has written to the prime minister, Theresa May, to detail his concerns. He has also become a trustee of a charity, the Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace, which runs a network that specialises in the care of victims of terrorism. The Survivors' Assistance Network provided the only reliable and constant source of assistance," he said, adding: We didnt get anything from the government. Mr Frain, a history and politics student, was walking across Londons Westminster Bridge on March 22 last year when he was hit head-on by a car driven by Khalid Masood, a radicalised Briton, who had taken anabolic steroids before the attack, an inquest hearing heard on Monday. Mr Frain was thrown on to the bonnet of the car as it was driven along the pavement outside the UKs parliament building, before being tossed aside and left with injuries including a broken leg, broken hand, torn ligament, whiplash and cuts. Masood killed four pedestrians during the attack and then stabbed a policeman to death who was guarding parliament before he was shot dead by police. The attack was the first of five that rocked Britain in 2017 leaving a total of 36 people dead. Mr Frain received the first threat via Facebook a day after the attack, he told The National, from an apparent conspiracy theorist who accused him of treason and made a threat against his life. Police officers visiting Mr Frain encouraged him to report the abuse. The London force passed the case to colleagues in Manchester but the malicious communication case has not been actively pursued for three months. Officers investigated, however no arrests were made, said the Manchester force in a statement. In October 2017 the crime was filed, however should further information come to light we will continue to investigate. Mr Frain said he was not told that officers in Manchester were investigating the case, or that it had been effectively closed. I dont want to say abandoned because its a strong word, but its along those lines, said the 19-year-old student of his experiences after the attack. Thats how one of my friends summed it up, one of the other lads involved. He said it almost like when youve left London, its all over. Governments and all sorts of services prepare for years for these sorts of things. When it came around, it didnt feel like there was any clear direction. Mr Frain was not alone in receiving abuse from abusive trolls with some accusing victims of trying to cash in on what had happened by talking to the media after attacks in London and Manchester, according to the UK health authorities. NHS England said that innocent people have unwittingly been the target of trolls who use social media to prey on victims, subjecting them to vile and upsetting abuse. His experiences followed similar complaints from victims of an attack on Berlins Christmas markets in December 2016, which left 12 people dead. Families complained they had nobody to speak to after the attacks and faced a series of bureaucratic hurdles to secure compensation. A government-appointed ombudsman called for improvements to the system.
The manager of the Preston Park Hotel in Brighton city where Masood stayed the night before the attack said he was struck by his guests friendly manner. Attacker Khalid Masood is treated by emergency services outside the Houses of parliament in London.(AP Photo) Long before his short stints in jail turned into years behind bars, Khalid Masood was known as Adrian Elms, with a reputation for drinking and an unpredictable temper. At least twice he was convicted of violent crimes, well before he stabbed a police officer to death on Wednesday in London with a motion that one horrified witness described as playing a drum on your back with two knives. But as he checked out of his hotel to head toward London for his deadly rampage, the manager said he was struck by his guests friendly manner. In all, he killed five people and left more than two dozen hospitalised. Masood, who at 52 is considerably older than most extremists who carry out bloodshed in the West, had an arrest record dating to 1983. The violence came later, first in 2000 when he slashed a man across the face in a pub parking lot in a racially charged argument after drinking four pints, according to a newspaper account. The victim, Piers Mott, was scarred for life, said his widow Heather. Masoods last conviction was in 2003, also involving a knife attack. It is not clear when he took the name Masood, suggesting a conversion to Islam. Heather Mott said Masood appeared to come out of jail even worse. She said she got chills when she learned the identity of the London attacker. Khalid Masood, a 52-year-old Briton who mowed down pedestrians and stabbed a policeman to death outside the parliament in London on Wednesday. (AP Photo) What a pity they did not realize he was a nutter, she said. Police are combing through massive amounts of computer data and have contacted 3,500 witnesses as they look for clues as to why the British-born man launched the deadly attack. Clearly that is a main line of our investigation is what led him to be radicalised: Was it through influences in our community, influences from overseas or through online propaganda? Our investigations and our arrests will help in that, but the public appeal will make a big difference if people come forward with more information, said Britains top counterterrorism officer Mark Rowley. A security official who spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed that Masood had spent time in Saudi Arabia but said investigators were still trying to determine how long he stayed and what he was doing. The Islamic State group described Masood as a soldier, claiming responsibility for the attack. Rowley said police are investigating whether he acted totally alone inspired by terrorist propaganda, or if others have encouraged, supported or directed him. People made arrests across the country as they investigate whether anyone else helped Masood prepare his attack. Six people were released without charge on Friday night, leaving four in custody on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts. Detectives have searched 21 properties in London, Brighton, Wales, Manchester and the central English city of Birmingham in one of Britains biggest counterterrorism operations in years. Wednesdays attack was the deadliest in Britain since suicide bombers killed 52 commuters on Londons transit system on July 7, 2005. Once Masoods identity became known, the police and the media began tracing his final hours. The Preston Park Hotel in Brighton. (AFP Photo) The manager of the Preston Park Hotel in the beachside city of Brighton where Masood stayed the night before the attack said he seemed unusually outgoing and mentioned details about his family, including having a sick father. He was normal, in fact friendly, because we spent possibly five or 10 minutes talking to him about his background and where he came from, Sabeur Toumi told Sky News. He was laughing and joking, telling us stories about where he lived. Police raided the room, searching for clues about Masood. Early life Masoods mother lives in rural Wales, according to a website on which she sells handmade cushions and handbags. The listings on Folksy by Janet Ajao have been taken down, but in an archived version of the site, she describes living in rural west Wales with my husband, border collie and a few chickens. Calls to the home in remote Trelech, Wales, went unanswered on Friday. When Masood was in school, he took his stepfathers name, Ajao. He was athletic and popular in high school, known as someone who liked to party, according to Stuart Knight, a former classmate, who said the young man was one of only two black students in the school of 600. I am in shock  that is not sympathy for what he has done  he was a nice guy and I am surprised he turned and did what he did, Knight said. In one of the last places Masood lived, a home in Birmingham, neighbours recalled him as a quiet man whose wife was veiled and who wore traditional Muslim clothing. But the neighbourhood is not among one of the citys many Muslim enclaves, suggesting he was not deeply embedded in its religious community. A police officer enters the house in Quayside where Khalid Masood lived, in Birmingham, England. (AP Photo) Moazzam Begg, a former Guantanamo prisoner born and raised in Birmingham, said the details emerging of the attackers life raised questions about where was radicalised. He did not live in a Muslim neighborhood. In my mind, in my analysis, he was probably a drifter, said Begg, adding that no one he knew in the community had met Masood. I would also be surprised if he had any connection with a mosque, because sadly they are places where you can no longer discuss politics or air grievances. Begg helps run a group called Cage that has encountered extremists who spoke of their alienation before they committed attacks. While in prison, Begg said he saw others who succumbed to radicalism. He said groups like IS can exploit peoples weaknesses and criminality. Late on Friday, the British government honoured a lawmaker who battled to save the life of the police officer slain in the parliament attack, giving him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Mays office said Tobias Ellwood has been named to the Privy Council, a committee of senior lawmakers, judges and others that advises Queen Elizabeth II. The institution dates back a millennium. Security minister Ben Wallace, who helped coordinate the government response to Wednesdays attack, was also named to the council.
Popular Videos A Twitter account which tweeted a picture of a Muslim woman wrongly accused of ignoring the Westminster terror attack has been revealed as one of the thousands of fake accounts set up by a Russian troll factory. The account, @Southlonestar, tweeted a picture of a woman in a hijab walking past a victim laying on the ground while on her phone. It said: Muslim woman pays no mind to the terror attack, casually walks by a dying man while checking phone #PrayForLondon #Westminster #BanIslam. The sentiment was picked up by far-right activists in the UK and the US and the woman was attacked for her indifference to the scene. He said she was just one of hundreds fleeing the bridge, trying to avoid looking at the horror surrounding them. Her behaviour was completely in line with everyone else on the bridge, but you're not assuming others are callously ignoring the scenario, he said. The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation 1/17 Paul Manafort Mr Manafort is a Republican strategist and former Trump campaign manager. He resigned from that post over questions about his extensive lobbying overseas, including in Ukraine where he represented pro-Russian interests. Mr Manafort turned himself in at FBI headquarters to special counsel Robert Muellers team on Oct 30, 2017, after he was indicted under seal on charges that include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts. Getty 2/17 Rick Gates Mr Gates joined the Trump team in spring 2016, and served as a top aide until he left to work at the Republican National Committee after the departure of former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort. Mr Gates' had previously worked on several presidential campaigns, on international political campaigns in Europe and Africa, and had 15 years of political or financial experience with multinational firms, according to his bio. Mr Gates was indicted alongside Mr Manafort by special counsel Robert Mueller's team on charges that include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts. AP 3/17 George Papadopoulos George Papadopoulos was a former foreign policy adviser for the Trump campaign, having joined around March 2016. Mr Papadopoulos plead guilty to federal charges for lying to the FBI as a part of a cooperation agreement with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. Mr Papadopoulos claimed in an interview with the FBI that he had made contacts with Russian sources before joining the Trump campaign, but he actually began working with them after joining the team. Mr Papadopoulos allegedly took a meeting with a professor in London who reportedly told him that Russians had "dirt" on Hillary Clinton. The professor also allegedly introduced Mr Papadopoulos to a Russian who was said to have close ties to officials at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mr Papadopoulos also allegedly was in contact with a woman whom he incorrectly described in one email to others in the campaign as the "niece" to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Twitter 4/17 Donald Trump Jr The President's eldest son met with a Russian lawyer - Natalia Veselnitskaya - on 9 June 2016 at Trump Tower in New York. He said in an initial statement that the meeting was about Russia halting adoptions of its children by US citizens. Then, he said it was regarding the Magnitsky Act, a US law blacklisting Russian human rights abusers. In a final statement, Mr Trump Jr released a chain of emails that revealed he took the meeting in hopes of getting information Ms Veselnitskaya had about Hillary Clinton's alleged financial ties to Russia. He and the President called it standard "opposition research" in the course of campaigning and that no information came from the meeting. The meeting was set up by an intermediary, Rob Goldstone. Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort were also at the same meeting. Getty Images 5/17 Jared Kushner Mr Kushner is President Donald Trump's son-in-law and a key adviser to the White House. He met with a Russian banker appointed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in December. Mr Kushner has said he did so in his role as an adviser to Mr Trump while the bank says he did so as a private developer. Mr Kushner has also volunteered to testify in the Senate about his role helping to arrange meetings between Trump advisers and Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Getty Images 6/17 Rob Goldstone Former tabloid journalist and now music publicist Rob Goldstone is a contact of the Trump family through the previously Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant, which took place in Moscow. In June 2016, he wrote to Donald Trump Jr offering a meeting with a Russian lawyer, Natalya Veselnitskaya, who had information about Hillary Clinton. Mr Goldstone was the intermediary for Russian pop star Emin Agalaraov and his father, real estate magnate Aras, who played a role in putting on the 2013 pageant. In an email chain released by Mr Trump Jr, Mr Goldstone seemed to indicate Russian government's support of Donald Trump's campaign. AP images 7/17 Aras and Emin Agalarov Aras Agalarov (R) is a wealthy Moscow-based real estate magnate and son Emin (L) is a pop star. Both played a role in putting on the previously Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow. They allegedly had information about Hillary Clinton and offered that information to the Trump campaign through a lawyer with whom they had worked with, Natalia Veselnitskaya, and music publicist Rob Goldstone. Getty Images 8/17 Natalia Veselnitskaya Natalia Veselnitskaya is a Russian lawyer with ties to the Kremlin. She has worked on real estate issues and reportedly counted the FSB as a client in the past. She has ties to a Trump family connection, real estate magnate Aras Agalarov, who had helped set up the Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant which took place in Moscow. Ms Veselnitskaya met with Donald Trump Jr, Jared Kushner, and Paul Manafort in Trump Tower on 9 June 2016 but denies the allegation that she went there promising information on Hillary Clinton's alleged financial ties to Russia. She contends that the meeting was about the US adoptions of Russian children being stopped by Moscow as a reaction to the Magnitsky Act, a US law blacklisting Russian human rights abusers. Getty Images 9/17 Mike Flynn Mr Flynn was named as Trump's national security adviser but was forced to resign from his post for inappropriate communication with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. He had misrepresented a conversation he had with Mr Kislyak to Vice President Mike Pence, telling him wrongly that he had not discussed sanctions with the Russian. Getty Images 10/17 Sergey Kislyak Mr Kislyak, the former longtime Russian ambassador to the US, is at the centre of the web said to connect President Donald Trump's campaign with Russia. Reuters 11/17 Roger Stone Mr Stone is a former Trump adviser who worked on the political campaigns of Richard Nixon, George HW Bush, and Ronald Reagan. Mr Stone claimed repeatedly in the final months of the campaign that he had backchannel communications with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and that he knew the group was going to dump damaging documents to the campaign of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton - which did happen. Mr Stone also had contacts with the hacker Guccier 2.0 on Twitter, who claimed to have hacked the DNC and is linked to Russian intelligence services. Getty Images 12/17 Jeff Sessions The US attorney general was forced to recuse himself from the Trump-Russia investigation after it was learned that he had lied about meeting with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Getty Images 13/17 Carter Page Mr Page is a former advisor to the Trump campaign and has a background working as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch. Mr Page met with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Mr Page had invested in oil companies connected to Russia and had admitted that US Russia sanctions had hurt his bottom line. Reuters 14/17 Jeffrey "JD" Gorden Mr Gordon met with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 Republian National Convention to discuss how the US and Russia could work together to combat Islamist extremism should then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump win the election. The meeting came days before a massive leak of DNC emails that has been connected to Russia. Creative Commons 15/17 James Comey Mr Comey was fired from his post as head of the FBI by President Donald Trump. The timing of Mr Comey's firing raised questions around whether or not the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign may have played a role in the decision. Getty Images 16/17 Preet Bharara Mr Bahara refused, alongside 46 other US district attorney's across the country, to resign once President Donald Trump took office after previous assurances from Mr Trump that he would keep his job. Mr Bahara had been heading up several investigations including one into one of President Donald Trump's favorite cable television channels Fox News. Several investigations would lead back to that district, too, including those into Mr Trump's campaign ties to Russia, and Mr Trump's assertion that Trump Tower was wiretapped on orders from his predecessor. Getty Images 17/17 Sally Yates Ms Yates, a former Deputy Attorney General, was running the Justice Department while President Donald Trump's pick for attorney general awaited confirmation. Ms Yates was later fired by Mr Trump from her temporary post over her refusal to implement Mr Trump's first travel ban. She had also warned the White House about potential ties former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn to Russia after discovering those ties during the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign's connections to Russia. Getty Images So many other people were walking all over the place - everybody that was on the ground had someone with them, if everybody had stopped and tried to help you would never have been able to help anyone. He said he hated that the photo had been taken out of context and used to push an agenda and said people who hate will use anything as the weapon of their opinion. The trolls are believed to work around from 8am-8pm Moscow time (5am- 5pm UK time) to churn out hundreds of thousands of tweets designed to spread political disharmony in western countries such as the US and the UK and encourage the rise of populist politicians or causes. Many tweets mocked the warnings of the Remain campaign, which said the country faced years of economic uncertainty and a potential recession if it voted to leave, with memes such as one which said: If you Brexit your car wont start in the morning. The scale and speed at which the tweets were produced suggested they were not spontaneous or genuine  one account, called @PeterMagLob who was pretending to be German, tweeted 20 times an hour during polling day. The Independent has launched its #FinalSay campaign to demand that voters are given a voice on the final Brexit deal.
A man is arrested on Whitehall. Photograph: Niklas Halle'N/AFP/Getty Images The suspected terrorist arrested in Westminster carrying knives is a one-time humanitarian activist who is now facing questions from police about whether he was about to stage a murderous attack in central London. Khalid Mohamed Omar Ali, 27, was arrested by armed police on Thursday afternoon yards from the Houses of Parliament and the scene of the previous terrorist attack in March in which five people lost their lives. Counter-terrorism detectives continued questioning Ali on Friday. He had been under surveillance for weeks by MI5 and the Metropolitan police over concerns he had been lured by violent extremism. Ali was a schoolboy in inner north London who by the age of 21 had set sail on a ship to take relief supplies to Gaza on a mission that eschewed politics or religion but nonetheless became mired in difficulty and never reached its destination. Ali was being questioned at Southwark police station in south London, with detectives trying to piece together why he was in Westminster with two knives, what he intended to do with the implements and why. He is understood to have been a lone actor. Ali was born outside of Britain, moved to the UK at a young age and went to school in Tottenham, north London, a multicultural area that has a long history of neglect and where sections of the community mistrust the police and other authorities. In 2010 Ali joined the Road to Hope convoy taking aid to Gaza, sources have confirmed. He and other volunteers boarded the Strofades IV ship in Libya. The convoy leader, Kieran Turner, said it was apolitical. Turner said: The people who were involved with this convoy were the ones who went to really do humanitarian care. These were young men who were very keen to do something to help and for a lot of them it was a great introduction  some of them are still trustees on charities. The voyage saw a falling out between the captain and those on board, and that part of the journey was aborted, with the vessel ending up in Greece with the humanitarian activists on board complaining of their treatment. Ali was last registered to an address in Enfield, north London, but is no longer resident there, according to official residence documents. His arrest followed counter-terrorism investigators tracking him as he traveled through London and armed officers were laying in wait and swooped on him in an area full of high-profile buildings such as the House of Parliament and Downing Street. He is alleged to have been carrying two knives in a bag that spilled out into the middle of the road as he was grabbed by police and put on the ground. Concerns about his behaviour were reported to police by at least one member of the Muslim community and led to a joint MI5 and Met police investigation. Play Video 0:59 Armed police detain man near Houses of Parliament  video report Ali was arrested at 2.22pm, police said, on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism. Knives have been recovered from him. Police also said that they had carried out two searches at addresses in London as part of their inquiries into Ali. His arrest at junction of Parliament Street and Parliament Square was just yards from where Khalid Masood first drove into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge and then used a knife to stab a police officer to death. Investigators will be examining electronic devices seized during the searches and any computers or smartphones used by Ali to look for evidence of online material viewed and whom he was in contact with. Britain remains at a severe level of terrorism alert, meaning an attack is highly likely. Alis arrest was followed five hours later by arrests in Willesden, north west London. The Guardian understands investigators believe both operations thwarted terrorist attack plots that they fear may have been imminent. A source said of both had attracted the very highest level of priority from police and MI5. Despite their belief that two attack plans were disrupted within five hours of each other, at least two other suspected jihadist plots were on Friday being monitored and under investigation. Developments on Thursday were incorporated into a regular review of the alert status, but it was left unchanged. Met police counter-terrorism units and MI5 have been operating at an intense workload for two years with the rise of Islamic State and its call for attacks on the west, with 13 plots thwarted since 2013. Met police deputy assistant commissioner Neil Basu, senior national coordinator for counter-terrorism, said: Activity continues around the clock to identify and stop these threats and we are making arrests on a near daily basis.
The man, in his late 20s, is being held in custody at a south London police station after armed officers swarmed the scene following the suspected terror attack just before 7.40am on Tuesday - live updates from the scene. Images posted to social media showed a man, wearing a black puffer jacket, surrounded by police and being led away in handcuffs from a silver-coloured Ford Fiesta. There was nobody else in the vehicle and no weapons were found, Scotland yard said. Aerial footage captured by the BBC, which you can watch above, appears to show a car accelerating towards railings outside the Houses of Parliament. Read More Today's other news stories Witness Ewalina Ochab told the Press Association: "I think it looked intentional - the car drove at speed and towards the barriers." She continued: "I was walking on the other side (of the road). I heard some noise and someone screamed. "I turned around and I saw a silver car driving very fast close to the railings, maybe even on the pavement." The car appears to have been driven through cyclists before ploughing into the security barrier. Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to playTap to play The video will start in 8Cancel Play now Footage shot outside Parliament showed cyclists helping at least one rider lying on the ground as ambulance crews and armed police arrived on the scene. Cyclist James Maker, 30, of Chelmsford, Essex, passed the scene in Westminster minutes later and saw a woman injured on the ground and the car crashed into the barrier. "I looked to the right-hand side and there was a cyclist on the floor, clearly injured," he told the Press Association. "It was a woman, they were clearly quite injured, they weren't moving and they were in the recovery position." Jason Williams, 45, from Kennington, was walking to work when he saw the crash. Police on Westminster Bridge (Image: PA) "I saw a car going at high speed towards Parliament. It hit a bollard," he told the Press Association. "It looked deliberate. It didn't look like an accident. How do you do that by accident? It was a loud bang." Streets around Parliament Square, Millbank and Victoria Tower Gardens were cordoned off as police, ambulances and firefighters arrived. Bus driver Victor Ogbomo, 49, passed the scene just after the crash. "All I saw was the smoke coming out of a vehicle, a silver vehicle ... I just stopped the bus," he said. Police activity near the Houses of Parliament (Image: PA) "The police said we have to move back, then in less than five minutes the response team came. "They went to the vehicle, so we had to push back. I saw the car in the barrier, I didn't know how it got there. "I think someone was inside the vehicle because many police went towards the vehicle." He said officers had their guns out when they arrested the driver. A number of armed police officers remain stationed at a cordon beside Parliament, while Westminster Bridge and Tube station are both closed. The cordon was widened twice and sniffer dogs were seen scanning the area. Scotland Yard said: ""At 7.37am on Tuesday August 14, a silver Ford Fiesta collided with a number of cyclists and pedestrians, before crashing into barriers outside the Houses of Parliament. "The driver of the car, a man in his late 20s, was arrested at the scene by armed officers. "He has been taken to a south London police station where he remains in police custody. "He was arrested on suspicion of terrorist offences. "There was nobody else in the vehicle, which remains at the scene and is being searched. No weapons have been recovered at this stage." A force spokesman added: "At this stage, we are treating this as a terrorist incident and the Met's Counter Terrorism Command is now leading the investigation." The Houses of Parliament are surrounded with security barriers of steel and concrete. The measures were extended in the wake of the Westminster Bridge attack in March 2017 when Khalid Masood ploughed a car into crowds on Westminster Bridge, killing four people. Masood abandoned his car then stabbed and killed unarmed Pc Keith Palmer before he was shot by armed police in a courtyard outside Parliament. The terrorist threat against the UK is seen as unprecedented. In addition to five attacks that occurred last year, authorities say they have stopped 13 Islamist and four extreme right-wing plots since the Westminster atrocity in March 2017. Police and MI5 are running at least 500 live operations involving roughly 3,000 active "subjects of interest" at any one time - while there is also a wider pool of more than 20,000 individuals who have previously featured in probes whose threat must be kept under review. Earlier this year, the Government unveiled a refreshed counter-terror strategy. Under the blueprint, MI5 intelligence will be shared with bodies outside the security community in an attempt to stop suspects before attack plots can crystallise, while anti-terror laws are to be strengthened to allow earlier interventions.
Advertisement Birmingham flat raided after Westminster terror attack Armed police have carried out a raid on a flat in Hagley Road in Birmingham Credit: SWNS Armed police have carried out a raid in Birmingham linked to Wednesday's deadly terror attack in Westminster. According to a witness the flat that was stormed in Hagley Road late on Wednesday was where "the man from London lived". Officers stormed a flat in Hagley Road in Birmingham late on Wednesday night Credit: ITV News News of the raid came on the eve before Scotland Yard confirmed eight people in total, three women and five men, have been arrested on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts by detectives investigating the Westminster attack. The arrests were made in London and Birmingham. Police said the following arrests have been made: On Wednesday night, a 39-year-old woman was arrested in east London and a 21-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man were arrested at an address in Birmingham. At a separate address in Birmingham a 26-year-old woman and three men aged 26, 27 and 28-years-old were also arrested. On Thursday morning, an eighth arrest was made of a 58-year-old man at another address in Birmingham. Force officials also noted that officers are continuing to search a number of addresses linked to the investigation - one in Carmarthenshire, west Wales, three in Birmingham and one in east London. On Thursday morning Scotland Yard's acting deputy commissioner Mark Rowley, the Met's top anti-terror officer, said: "Hundreds of detectives have been working through the night and during that time I can confirm we have searched six addresses - and made seven arrests. "The inquiries in Birmingham, London and other parts of the country continue." The arrests followed a terror attack in Westminster on Wednesday afternoon Credit: Ik Aldama/DPA/PA Police have also named the man responsible for the terror attack, which killed three people, as 52-year-old Khalid Masood. During the attack Pc Keith Palmer, a member of the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Squad, was fatally stabbed inside the grounds of the Houses of Parliament at around 2.30pm on Wednesday. Two members of the public -Kurt Cochran and Aysha Frade - were also killed in the attack. Masood, who was armed with two knives, injured dozens of people as he mowed down pedestrians with a car on Westminster Bridge before crashing at the railings in front of Parliament.
Westminster attacker Khalid Masood was called 'the vampire' by his neighbours PAThe suspect in the Westminster terrorist attack, identified Thursday as Khalid Masood, being treated by medics outside Parliament on Wednesday. Police name the Westminster Bridge killer: Khalid Masood. Some of his neighbours called him the vampire. His birth name was Adrien Elms. He spent the night before the attack in a cheap Brighton hotel, and haggled over the price of the room. Hotel staff noted he was a nice man. Masood claimed to be an English teacher but never qualified. He had a long criminal history and MI5 knew he was a terrorist sympathiser. But his neighbours saw only a quiet family man who took care of his garden. LONDON  The Metropolitan Police named the man behind the brutal attack on Westminster Bridge in the capital on Wednesday as Khalid Masood. Some of his neighbours had another name for him: The vampire, because they frequently saw him go out at night. Masood, 52, was born in Kent and had previously been investigated by MI5 over concerns relating to violent extremism. While authorities said they were not aware he was planning Wednesdays attack, the police indicated in a statement that he had a string of previous convictions over a 20-year period from 1982 to 2003. The married father of three was never convicted of any terrorism offences. Masood was not named for more than 24 hours as the police investigated the attack. In the early hours of Thursday morning, the police raided six addresses in London and Birmingham in connection to the investigation and made eight arrests. PC Keith Palmer, a British police officer; Aysha Frade, a Spanish-born college worker; and Kurt Cochran, an American tourist, were killed in the attack, while seven of the injured remained in hospital in a critical condition on Thursday. Record of convictions In its statement, Met Police said Masood was born in Kent on Christmas Day, 1964. He was living in the West Midlands, police confirmed. A quiet, bodybuilding English teacher He was a married father of three, according to reports in the British press. The Westminster attacker, an alleged teacher, was never actually a qualified teacher, the Department of Education told the BBC, and apparently called himself an English tutor. A source, who met him in a professional capacity, told Sky News Masood was a big bloke, he looked like he was a bodybuilder, wouldnt want to mess with him. A neighbour described him as a quiet man. She told the Birmingham Mail that she often saw him washing his car and mowing his lawn when he lived in Quayside. According to The Sun, he stayed at a 59-a-night hotel in Brighton on Tuesday night, telling staff before he left on the day of the attack that London isnt what it used to be. Masood checked in at the Preston Park guest house on Friday night and then again on Tuesday night: A source said: On both occasions he was asking for a cheaper rate. You would have thought if you were hellbent on committing a terror attack youd chuck it all on a credit card and forget the cost. Staff liked him so much they even wrote nice man on his computer booking. The Hyundai 4X4 car he used to mow down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge was rented from Enterprise in Birmingham, according to reports. How the attack on Parliament unfolded At about 2:40 p.m. GMT on Wednesday, an assailant drove a 44 car along Westminster Bridge  crowded with tourists  and hit many pedestrians. The driver then crashed the vehicle into railings near the houses of Parliament before entering the grounds and fatally stabbing Palmer. The BBC and Sky reported that the man, now identified as Masood, was shot dead by Defence Secretary Michael Fallons security guard. The attacker was stripped and searched, presumably for explosives, before being loaded into an ambulance. He died from his gunshot wounds.
Popular Videos There is a great deal that we do not precisely know about what appears to be the latest low-level terror attack at Westminster. However, like many you may have a terrible sinking feeling that, first, it could have been much worse and, second, it might not be unrelated to the heightened political tensions of the moment  across parties, across religious and political beliefs  across the country, in fact. The debate about antisemitism, about the burqa and niqab, the hateful tone of so much that goes on in social media, the talk of traitors and treason, enemies of the people. If you want to see what racial or religious hatred looks like, you need not infiltrate some terror cell; just take a look at the comments left below the line on popular news websites, or surf around Twitter. Sooner or later there was going to be a reckoning, a tangible act in response to the goading and climate of fear we seem to have generated in our peaceful land. Parliament crash: Footage shows moment man is taken away by police The truth is that this is the kind of low-level terror that is disturbingly easy to perpetrate. We would have to institute a police state in order to eliminate it, and even then you could not be certain of doing so. As we witnessed in the more deadly Westminster Bridge attack last year, in Borough Market, with the murder of Lee Rigby, you need only a car or van and some knives to inflict huge harm on innocent people. The same goes of the lorry attacks in Nice and Berlin. At the Manchester Arena and in the murder of Jo Cox, and in the Paris massacres, there were more sophisticated techniques deployed, which required sourcing materials and some expertise, but not that much when so much can be gleaned from the internet. Car bombings have been attempted in mainland Britain, but, as in so many benighted areas of the world, we can see how relatively simple they are to construct, and the huge impact that they have. Only days ago we commemorated the dead in the Omagh bombing three decades ago, in which Irish Republican terrorists murdered 29 people and injured 220 others. It was a reminder that car bombings were once not unusual on the streets of the UK, and not so long ago. The IRAs mainland Britain bombing campaign, of assassinations, letter bombs and explosions in crowded pubs, also remind us that the UK has been subject to domestic terror campaigns before. Westminster incident: car crashes into barriers outside parliament Westminster incident: car crashes into barriers outside parliament 1/27 Police activity outside the Houses of Parliament in central London after a car crashed into security barriers BBC/PA 2/27 Police arrest man who crashed car into barrier Sky News 3/27 The car which crashed into security barriers AFP/Getty Images 4/27 Police and emergency response teams work outside the Houses of Parliament AFP/Getty Images 5/27 A forensics investigator works at the scene REUTERS 6/27 Armed police on Victoria Embankment PA 7/27 A forensic officer attends the scene near the Houses of Parliament PA 8/27 Police officers and a search team secure the roads around the Houses of Parliament as forensic teams continue their work around a vehicle Getty Images 9/27 Police forensics officers outside the Houses of Parliament AFP/Getty Images 10/27 The car crashed into parliament barriers Vincent McAviney/NBC News/Euronews/Twitter/PA 11/27 A policeman attends the scene PA 12/27 PA 13/27 Fire fighters attend the scene Reuters 14/27 Boris Johnson walks near Whitehall after roads were blocked AP 15/27 The area is cleared near to the incident PA 16/27 Police activity PA 17/27 Armed police stand in the street after the incident Reuters 18/27 Police on Westminster Bridge PA 19/27 20/27 Reuters 21/27 Police respond EPA 22/27 Police activity on Millbank PA 23/27 olice and emergency services respond EPA 24/27 EPA 25/27 Police officers stand at a cordon Reuters 26/27 PA 27/27 Reuters 1/27 Police activity outside the Houses of Parliament in central London after a car crashed into security barriers BBC/PA 2/27 Police arrest man who crashed car into barrier Sky News 3/27 The car which crashed into security barriers AFP/Getty Images 4/27 Police and emergency response teams work outside the Houses of Parliament AFP/Getty Images 5/27 A forensics investigator works at the scene REUTERS 6/27 Armed police on Victoria Embankment PA 7/27 A forensic officer attends the scene near the Houses of Parliament PA 8/27 Police officers and a search team secure the roads around the Houses of Parliament as forensic teams continue their work around a vehicle Getty Images 9/27 Police forensics officers outside the Houses of Parliament AFP/Getty Images 10/27 The car crashed into parliament barriers Vincent McAviney/NBC News/Euronews/Twitter/PA 11/27 A policeman attends the scene PA 12/27 PA 13/27 Fire fighters attend the scene Reuters 14/27 Boris Johnson walks near Whitehall after roads were blocked AP 15/27 The area is cleared near to the incident PA 16/27 Police activity PA 17/27 Armed police stand in the street after the incident Reuters 18/27 Police on Westminster Bridge PA 19/27 20/27 Reuters 21/27 Police respond EPA 22/27 Police activity on Millbank PA 23/27 olice and emergency services respond EPA 24/27 EPA 25/27 Police officers stand at a cordon Reuters 26/27 PA 27/27 Reuters We could, for the sake of those who live, work, visit and travel there, cordon off Parliament Square and make it a pedestrian-only zone. We could do the same with other high-profile potential targets in the capital. Yet we know that all that would do would be to relocate the acts of terror, not stop them. Do we have get used to what they used to call in Northern Ireland during the Troubles an acceptable level of violence? We may not have much choice in these increasingly over-heated times, where political doubt turns to anxiety turns to fear turns to violence and revenge. The fear is always, as in Ulster, that tit-for-tat revenge attacks by vigilantes will follow, self-appointed defence leagues, threatening a spiral of violence. Thats what happened in Ireland. Man arrested outside Parliament after car crashes into barrier We may be horrified by the idea of another possible attack, and, to a degree, relived that the violence was not far worse  its shocking, yes, but how many of us can claim to have been completely surprised? Is this the new normal? The Independent has launched its #FinalSay campaign to demand that voters are given a voice on the final Brexit deal.
Popular Videos Police have arrested Salih Khater on suspicion of attempted murder and committing an act of terrorism after he allegedly ploughed his car into cyclists and crashed into barriers outside the Houses of Parliament. But the 29-year-olds friends told The Independent he was a normal guy who was not radicalised and had been planning to visit family in Sudan. Read more Hes a very good man, a very friendly man, everybody knows him, said one man, who did not want to be named. His father died six or seven months ago and thats why he was stressed. In my opinion he was going the wrong way and he didnt know what he was doing and when he saw the police he got scared  hes lucky they didnt shoot him. Armed police responded to Tuesday mornings crash in seconds, after footage showed a silver Ford Fiesta swerving off Parliament Square and hitting cyclists before ploughing into a security barrier outside the Houses of Parliament. Police officers leapt out of the vehicles path and three cyclists and pedestrians were injured, including two who needed hospital treatment. SalihKhater, in a picture posted on Facebook in 2010 (Facebook) The crash came during parliaments summer recess and ahead of the daily rush of tourists to Westminster, leaving the area relatively deserted. Mr Khaters brother, Abdullah Khater, told the BBC he was a normal person with no fanatical ideas or links to extremist groups. His family are a state of shock over the incident, he added, saying he had been planning a trip to Sudan. Nassar Mahmood, a trustee at Birmingham Central Mosque, said Mr Khater did not worship there and enquiries suggested he was not a fervent Muslim. He had his paperwork with him to go to the Sudanese embassy, and we know that the office opens very early in the morning so probably rather than going very early he went overnight, he added. He was very humble in terms of his finances and may not have wanted to pay for a hotel. Mr Mahmood said the terror suspect used his own car and claimed he was not generally the kind of person we see commit these sort of crimes, adding: Weve been cautioning people against apportioning guilt before the police have concluded their investigation. Westminster incident: car crashes into barriers outside parliament Westminster incident: car crashes into barriers outside parliament 1/30 Forensic officers by the car that crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament PA 2/30 Police arrest the man Sky News 3/30 Forensic officers work at the scene EPA 4/30 Damaged bikes near the crash site Getty Images 5/30 Police arrest the man who crashed a car into the barriers ITV 6/30 Getty Images 7/30 Getty Images 8/30 Police activity outside the Houses of Parliament after a car crashed into security barriers BBC/PA 9/30 Bicycles lie on the ground at the scene REUTERS 10/30 A forensics investigator arrives at the scene REUTERS 11/30 Police and emergency response teams work outside the Houses of Parliament AFP/Getty Images 12/30 The area is cleared near to the incident PA 13/30 A forensics investigator works at the scene REUTERS 14/30 Armed police on Victoria Embankment PA 15/30 A forensic officer attends the scene near the Houses of Parliament PA 16/30 Police officers and a search team secure the roads around the Houses of Parliament as forensic teams continue their work around a vehicle Getty Images 17/30 Police forensics officers outside the Houses of Parliament AFP/Getty Images 18/30 The car crashed into parliament barriers Vincent McAviney/NBC News/Euronews/Twitter/PA 19/30 PA 20/30 Fire fighters attend the scene Reuters 21/30 A police dog team works behind the cordon REUTERS 22/30 olice and emergency services respond EPA 23/30 Police on Westminster Bridge PA 24/30 Reuters 25/30 Police respond EPA 26/30 EPA 27/30 Armed police stand in the street after the incident Reuters 28/30 Police officers stand at a cordon Reuters 29/30 Police activity on Millbank PA 30/30 Reuters Counterterror officers have completed searches of Mr Khaters former home above an internet cafe and barber shop in the Sparkbrook area of Birmingham, as well as a second property in the city and a flat where he used to live in Nottingham. Friends said he moved out of Sparkbrook about four months ago, to a nearby flat in Brinklow Tower, Highgate, Birmingham, where residents recognised his photograph. Police were seen entering the block with evidence bags and boxes on Wednesday afternoon as they continued work to establish a potential motive for the Westminster incident. Mr Khater, whose social media indicated a liking for Celine Dion and Rihanna, is believed to have arrived in the UK in 2010 as an asylum seeker. He was granted refugee status and later applied successfully for British citizenship. He studied English at City College from 2010 to 2011, then a diploma in science at Birminghams South and City College from 2014 to 2017, and started an accountancy course at Coventry University. Salih Khater studied accountancy at Coventry University between September 2017 and May 2018, a spokesperson said. He failed the first year of his course, therefore his enrolment was terminated. One friend described Mr Khater as a simple man, while some acquaintances said he was slow and thought he may have mental difficulties. Mr Khater described himself as a shop manager on his Facebook page, where the about section reads: In past Im great but now I say I dont no [sic]. He said he studied at Sudan University of Science and Technology and went to school in Wad Madani, a city southeast of Khartoum. Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner Neil Basu, the head of UK counterterror policing, said the suspect was not known to MI5 or counterterror police. Investigators have still not established a possible motive, and will be looking for any evidence of political or religious affiliations. Given that it appears to have been a deliberate act, the method used and the iconic location, it is being treated as a terrorist incident and the investigation is being led by officers from the Mets Counter Terrorism Command, a spokesperson said. At the time of the arrest, there was nobody else in the vehicle, which has now been removed from the scene and searched. No weapons have been recovered at this stage. At this early stage, there is no intelligence of further danger to Londoners or the rest of the UK in connection with this incident. No other arrests have been made in connection with the ongoing investigation. Police cordons erected amid a large-scale security response to the crash have since been lifted, but uniformed and plain-clothed officers have been deployed in central London under Project Servator. Officials said they have specialist skills to recognise telltale signs that someone may be in an area for terrorist or other criminal purposes. The car struck metres from where Khalid Masood launched the first terror attack claimed by Isis in Britain, and the metropolitan commissioner is among the officials suggesting parts of Westminster may be pedestrianised. In the past 17 months, Westminster has been hit by two attacks and was the planned location of four disrupted plots, making it currently the biggest terror target in Britain. Isis has issued advice to its followers on how to carry out atrocities using vehicles, knives and other easily obtained items, which have made attack plans faster, and harder to spot for authorities. The prime ministers spokesperson said 13 Islamist and four far-right plots have been foiled since the first Westminster attack in March 2017  an average of one a month. A total of 676 terrorism investigations by MI5 and counterterrorism police were underway by the end of June this year, up from around 500 just four months before.
Floral tributes to the victims of the 22 March terror attack are seen on railings outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster. Photograph: Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images Its the little things that Phil Williams says hell miss about Leslie Rhodes. The sight of the spry 75-year-old arriving home from his daily bike ride. The copies of the London Evening Standard that he would always bring back to hand out to his neighbours. The way he regularly, ritually cleaned his blue Ford Focus in the car park outside the council block they shared in Macaulay Road, a stones throw from Clapham Common. Rhodes, a supposedly retired window-cleaner  who still frequently cleaned windows for his friends and favourite clients  was the buildings longest-standing resident. His neighbours knew little of his personal life; he was a private man. But he was also a reassuringly consistent presence in this corner of south Londons community. Les was the glue that held the place together, says Williams, who has lived three doors down from Rhodes for the past 25 years. The service will be attended by their families, friends, survivors of the attack, emergency service workers and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Given the circumstances of his death, Rhodes is being mourned in a public manner that friends say he would have neither expected nor enjoyed. Those who knew him recall a man who was friendly but reserved, frugal but generous of spirit, who lived alone but who never seemed lonely. There are 10 flats in the block on Macaulay Road where Rhodes spent his whole adult life. He would do anything for anyone, says Williams. My neighbours, who are from Africa, they locked themselves out. He got his ladders, climbed up and opened the door for them. Hed take your rubbish down, clean your windows. Hed never walk past you without saying hello. He was as kind as the day is long. You dont get people like that any more. Mick Carney first encountered Rhodes in the late 60s, playing darts at the Sun pub in Clapham. Several years later, Mick moved in next door at Macaulay Road, and the two men could often be found shooting the breeze on their shared first-floor balcony. Rhodes had a dry sense of humour, says Melanie Ryan, who lives downstairs. Every day when I came home from work, there were Mick and Les on the balcony, like the two old men from The Muppets. Id say hello and theyd pass some cheeky comment. Last Friday, Mick, who is 73, and his wife Christine, 70, sat at home watching a lunchtime news report about the Westminster attack, while Rhodess tidy, sparsely furnished flat sat empty on the far side of the party wall. One of Christines dishes was still drying by the sink in Rhodess kitchen, from the last time she gave him a share of their evening curry. Rhodes was unmarried and had no children, so it was Christine and her adult daughters who were at his bedside when he died. He was a man of routine, says Mick. Hed get up at six, come outside at about a quarter-to-eight, to see what the weather was like. Then hed go out to the betting shop, get his coupons, sort out his horses. Rhodes gambled for pleasure, not money, betting less than a pound a day. But sometimes he won big all the same. A few years ago, he showed me a cheque [from the bookies], Mick recalls. And it was for 1,300! Police officers stop to look at floral tributes to the victims near the Houses of Parliament in Westminster. Photograph: Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images Later, he might stroll the four miles to Colliers Wood, or drive to Mitcham with his bike in the boot, to go for a ride. Then it was off to the pond at Clapham Common, where he used the free evening newspaper as an ice-breaker, distributing copies to the anglers. Les came down for a chat most afternoons, says Perry Cook, who fishes there regularly. He was a sociable fella. Everybody liked him. There are plans to dedicate a bench at the pond to his memory. In the evenings, Rhodes would cycle home with a stack of Standards balanced on his front wheel and bang on the Carneys front door to deliver their copy. If anybody else banged at the door like that, Mick would have a go at them, says Christine. But we always knew it was Les. In recent years, Rhodes had stopped going to the pub at night, preferring instead to drink a few cans of beer at home. A lifelong cricket fan, he kept a large collection of old Test matches on VHS. He watched football, too, but turned the sound down so as not to hear the commentary. He avoided European games, because he couldnt bear the sight of foreign players diving. On Saturdays, he often went with a friend to the dogs at Wimbledon Stadium, the capitals last greyhound racing venue, which closed for good last month  just a few days after his death. He was old-fashioned, a Conservative, and proudly voted leave in last years Brexit referendum. He got me to vote for it and all, says Mick. Rhodes was born in Battersea in October 1941, the youngest of three boys, and moved to the flat in nearby Clapham with his parents, Thomas and Edith, in the 60s. His eldest brother, Roy, died three years ago, aged 79. Roys widow, Audrey, who lives in Seaford, East Sussex, says she remembered Les as a happy-go-lucky boy, who rode a bike when she first met him as a 12- or 13-year-old, just as he would in later life. Les was especially close to their middle brother, Brian, just two years his senior. They worked together as window-cleaners and, when Brian got married, Les was his best man. But in 1974, Brian died suddenly following a short illness, leaving his wife Carol with four daughters under the age of 10. It ripped the family apart, says Brians eldest daughter, Amanda, now 52. A few months after that, my nanny Edith died of a broken heart. It was Les who stepped in, visiting Brians family at their home in Holborn several times a week. I think he felt it was his role to help my mum  and he did, Amanda says. I used to wait for his face to come past the kitchen window, knowing hed have brought me sweets. And Id be so excited, because he and my dad looked so alike. It was like my dad had come back. That brought me great comfort. He was just like my dad: placid, quiet, kind. I loved Les to death. Carol later remarried and the family drifted apart. The last time Amanda saw Les was at Thomass funeral in 1988. We just lost contact, she says. My mum used to say, I wonder what happened to Les, but we didnt have his number. And, for whatever reason, I just never went over there. Les remained in touch with Roy, who also had a son and daughter, but they saw less of each other in later years, after Roy moved to the south coast. Early in his career, Rhodes worked for a window-cleaning firm in Croydon, whose clients included hotels and large houses such as Chartwell, Winston Churchills home, latterly a National Trust property. When the company closed in the 1980s, he struck out on his own. Opera singer Janine Roebuck says he had cleaned the windows of her south London townhouse every month or two for at least 20 years, and continued to do so after he retired. I suppose he missed it, so he kept his old favourites on. He was extremely professional, 100% reliable and took great pride in his work. After hearing the news of his death, Roebuck says: I wandered through the rooms, crying. I could hear him saying, Ooh, I think that windows blown, Janine. Youll have to get it replaced. Or, Whos been decorating? Theres paint all over this window! And hed get his little scraper out and make it perfect. After he had finished his work, they would set the world to rights over a cup of tea. Once, on Rhodess recommendation, Roebuck took her mother to Chartwell for a day out. We became friends over the years, Les and I, she says. He was a kind soul and a gentleman. Rhodes never had a girlfriend in the time the Carneys knew him and wasnt gay, says Mick. He used to entertain friends at his flat now and then, but most had died, or grown ill and immobile. He took it in his stride, says Christine. Les always put sad things to the back of his mind. Ignorance is bliss  thats what it was with him. Every year, she goes on, the Carneys invited him over for Christmas dinner, but he invariably declined. He never celebrated his birthday. We exchanged cards and presents at Christmas. Hed buy us a tub of sweets, and Id get him a Christmas cake from Marks & Spencer. There are few recent photographs of Rhodes. The Carneys were surprised to see the image from his bus pass, issued by police and published in the media in the wake of the attack. It makes him look a bit harsh, says Christine. He wasnt like that. Roebuck agrees: Im sorry it doesnt show him smiling, she says, because he was normally smiling. Careful with his money, Rhodes frequented car boot sales and the local pound shop. He used to grow runner beans on the balcony and tomatoes out the back. He would go blackberry picking in the summer and make slapdash pies with slabs of pre-made pastry. But he also displayed flashes of real generosity, like on hot days when he bought choc ices for the children in the block. And he was happy to spend on the things that mattered. He owned at least three bicycles: a folding bike, a regular city bike and a lightweight model for longer rides. Les didnt care what he paid for them, Williams says. His bikes were very important to him. Perhaps unsurprisingly, in view of his active lifestyle and his facility with ladders, Rhodes was fit and healthy for his age. Several acquaintances expressed surprise to learn that he was as old as 75. He could easily have lived up into his 90s, says Williams. He was as fit as a fiddle. He gave up smoking after Roy died of lung cancer and had cut down considerably on booze. He wasnt the sort to visit the doctor for regular checkups, but had recently been undergoing treatment for glaucoma at St Thomas hospital in central London, which is what brought him to Westminster Bridge on the afternoon of 22 March. As he walked to catch the bus home, Rhodes was struck by the car driven by Khalid Masood. He suffered broken ribs and a punctured lung, and was left in a coma from which he would never recover. As he walked to catch the bus home, Rhodes was struck by the car driven by Khalid Masood. Photograph: Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images The following day, the Carney family made their way to Kings College hospital to be with their neighbour for the last few hours of his life. Mick preferred not to go into the room, so Christine took up the bedside vigil with their adult daughters, Rachel and Emma. Les would have hated the thought of us three sitting there, kissing him and telling him we love him, she says. The hospital staff asked whether Rhodes was a music fan. Christine remembered having heard him listening to Queen in his kitchen, so the nurses played a few tracks on their smartphones. The last before his life support system was withdrawn was a nostalgic ballad  These Are the Days of Our Lives. Emma laid her head on the pillow beside his. Rachel urged him not to be frightened. When he was finally gone, she tickled the soles of his feet. Christine explains: Ive always said to them, When I die, tickle my feet, to make sure Im dead. It took the police days to trace Amanda, Rhodess next-of-kin, and it wasnt until last Friday that she finally returned to the flat in Macaulay Road. I walked in and felt the hairs on my arm stand on end, she says. It was like going back in time. I remembered running in to my Nanny Ediths rocking chair as a kid. Its almost exactly the same as it was then. Christine told Amanda that Les had always talked fondly of his favourite niece. That made me feel so lovely, she says. The other residents say they hope a tree will be planted in Rhodess memory, on the lawn outside the block where the children kick balls around. We wont ever forget Les, said Melanie Ryan. Hes part of this place. The Carney family has launched a JustGiving page in Leslie Rhodess name, to raise money for Kings College Hospitals Critical Care Unit
WESTMINSTER is on lockdown after pedestrians were mown down on Westminster Bridge and a knifeman stabbed a policeman inside the grounds of the Palace of Wesminster, moments before gunshots were heard in the area. One man told Express.co.uk of the moment a 4x4 came hurtling towards pedestrians on Wesnesday afternoon. He said: "I saw the car swerve to hit pedestrians, many of them were children. "In a fit of panic people were jumping off the bridge and into the river, that was their only hope of survival." A woman was later pulled alive from the river with horror injuries. Shocking pictures have emerged of one man who appears to be dead, having been knocked from the bridge onto concrete below. It is not clear how many others leapt off the famous bridge. PA Horrifying images have begun to emerge of Westminster Bridge It has now been confirmed four people have died in the terror attack - one of which was the suspected attacker. At least four people were lying on the ground, some bleeding heavily and apparently unconscious. Hospital staff have revealed people have suffered catastrophic injuries. One photograph showed a body lying under the wheels of a London bus. The driver of the car was described as a middle-aged Asian man who carried a large knife. It is reported the man then drove the car to Parliament and got out to attack a police officer. PA Victims have been brought away from the Bridge after a car hit pedestrians Steve Voake, 55, was walking across the Westminster Bridge towards the South Bank when he saw the aftermath. He said he saw at least two bodies lying on the road and one in the water. "I saw a trainer lying in the road and when I looked more closely I saw that there were a couple of bodies the other side of the road," he told the Press Association. "And when I looked over the side there was another body lying in the water with blood all around it." According to witnesses doctors and medical staff came pouring out of St Thomas' Hospital after hearing screams. One man said they had their arms raised and rushed to the sides of victims to give them emergency treatment. David Lidington, the leader of the House of Commons, told Parliament a police officer was stabbed inside Westminster moments later. The officer's colleagues then shot the attacker. MPs were being kept inside. Twitter Pictures are emerging on social media A number of shots were fired at around 2.35pm moments after a loud bang was heard inside the Palace estate. According to eyewitnesses there was three bodies were visible on the floor. The House of Commons has been suspended by Deputy Speaker Lindsay Hoyle. PA The suspect lays on the ground after being shot by police Google There have been three incidents, according to reports, at Westminster Palace and on the bridge PA Police and paramedics are on scene in Westminster Alan Parry from Sky Sports News said: "I was just outside Westminster tube station when I heard an almighty crash and a vehicle that looked like a 4x4 had crashed into railings. There was smoke coming from underneath the bonnet. I saw a pedestrian or a cyclist who had clearly been hit. The driver sprinted away from the scene. That was followed by four what sounded very much like gunshots. Then all of a sudden all hell was let loose and police descended everywhere. The whole area was locked down." People have been seen fleeing the area. The incident follows Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs). TWITTER Pedestrians stop to help injured person on Westminster Bridge PA Westminster Bridge has been closed to pedestrians And then there were three shots fired, and then we crossed the road and looked over. The man was on the floor with blood Jayne Wilkinson Jayne Wilkinson told Sky News: "We were taking photos of Big Ben and we saw all the people running towards us, and then there was an Asian guy in about his 40s carrying a knife about seven or eight inches long. "And then there were three shots fired, and then we crossed the road and looked over. The man was on the floor with blood. "He had a lightweight jacket on, dark trousers and a shirt. "He was running through those gates, towards Parliament, and the police were chasing him." PA A car was crashed outside parliament - one person can be seen on the floor
Kate Middleton joins Princes William and Harry at Westminster Abbey service following London attack Bereaved families of the terror victims were among the congregation on 5 April. The Very Reverend John Hall, Dean of Westminster, meets with Prince William (L), Kate Middleton (C) and Prince Harry (R) as they arrive for the Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey in LondonDan Kitwood/Getty Images The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge looked forlorn as they paid respects to the individuals who lost their lives in the terror attack in London at an emotional memorial service in Westminster Abbey today (5 April). Joined by Prince Harry, William and Kate joined grieving families and injured victims along with scores of London emergency service workers at the congregation this afternoon. The royal trio arrived at the abbey at approximately midday before laying a wreath and meeting the Dean of Westminster, The Very Reverend John Hall at the Great West Gate. They also greeted London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Met Police acting commissioner Craig Mackey. The young royals then followed a solemn procession down the abbey aisle to commemorate those who lost their lives on the 22 March in the Westminster incident committed by Khalid Masood. Home Secretary Amber Rudd, incoming Met commissioner Cressida Dick, Jeremy Corbyn and Commons speaker John Bercow were also among the congregation  also made up of approximately 2,000 people of all major denominations and faiths in the UK. Two hundred diplomatic representatives from across the world also attended the invite-only Service of Hope, which was broadcast across the nation. Upon arriving at the abbey, members of the congregation were given candles which were lit as prayers were said. Kate Middleton in Missoni at a service of remembrance at Westminster Abbey in central LondonDaniel Leal-Olivas/AFP During the service, prayers were read to protect the country from division and hatred, with the address delivered by the Dean of Westminster. Khan also offered a prayer. Rudd gave the first reading, followed by Prince William who read a passage from Luke. This morning, Rudd paid tribute to Londoners by stating: "Today's service of hope marks two weeks since a cowardly attacker tried, and failed, to divide the people and the communities of London and cause us to live in fear and suspicion. But we were not cowed and we did not give in to terror." Khan added: "Today is an opportunity for all Londoners to say thank you to the emergency services and the police who went above and beyond the call of duty to keep us all safe. It's also our opportunity to pay our respects and remember PC Keith Palmer, Kurt Cochran, Aysha Frade and Leslie Rhodes." "Their families, friends and colleagues are in all our minds." Prince William, Kate Middleton and Prince Harry attend the Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey in LondonDan Kitwood/Getty Images Today's event comes exactly two weeks after Kent-born terrorist Masood ploughed a car along Westminster Bridge before stabbing police officer PC Keith Palmer, 48, outside the Houses of Parliament. Four people died in total and many more were wounded. One week after the attack, William laid a wreath with a handwritten message at the National Memorial Arboretum, Staffordshire, to honour PC Palmer. It read: "For PC Keith Palmer, and all those who have served our community so valiantly. Your legacy is our way of life. William." Kate Middleton attends the Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey on April 5 in LondonDan Kitwood/Getty Images
Share this article Share 1.5k shares MailOnline political editor James Tapsfield described hearing the 'bang' of the car smashing into the fence after its Westminster Bridge rampage and then the gunfire that followed when the terrorist was shot dead below his office. He said: 'We were in the MailOnline office overlooking New Palace Yard when the attack started. Mrs May (pictured leaving No 10 for PMQs) is safe and uninjured 'The first sign we had that something was wrong was a loud bang. It sounded like a bomb, but I now realise it must have been the car smashing into the perimeter fence around parliament. 'Some people ran in through the gates, past the police. I didn't see the policeman being stabbed, but then spotted the man in black. He made it a few yards inside the grounds before being challenged by two men with guns and then shots - I think three of them - rang out. 'Police and staff poured on to the scene very quickly and started trying to resuscitate the attacker. 'They took the attacker away in an ambulance, but the other person - we think was the officer - was covered with a sheet.' It was later confirmed that both men died and police have since said that three more people are death, bringing the death toll to five. In the aftermath of the attack the hundreds of people inside Parliament were warned to stay away from any windows before being evacuated. Armed police from the Met's elite terror squad combed the estate to ensure it was secure keeping people in the 900-year-old Westminster Hall. Three people and a terrorist are dead after the attacker brought carnage to central London today, mowing down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge and hacking at police with knives in the grounds of the Houses of Parliament. A police officer was stabbed by the knifeman (pictured at the top) before he was shot by other officers. One stabbed police officer was also treated (below) There were disturbing scenes on Westminster Bridge where around a dozen pedestrians were said to have been knocked down The car started its path of destruction on Westminster Bridge taking out pedestrians before the assailant sprinted from the car and stabbed the police officer before being shot At least 20 people were hit on the crowded bridge when a 4x4 drove along the pavement, knocking down pedestrians before crashing into a fence below Big Ben. The intruder, described by a witness as 'middle-aged and Asian', then managed to break into the grounds of the Parliament where he fatally stabbed a police officer with two knives. The policeman died at the scene. The attacker, who was shot by armed officers, died after he was taken to the nearby St Thomas' Hospital. Scotland Yard said the attack, which comes a year to the day after the terrorist atrocities in Brussels, is being treated 'as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise'. Fellow Tory Michael Fabricant described a similar scene, saying: 'I was walking briskly to a vote when crowds of MPs rushed towards me saying that shots have been fired and shouts of 'get back'.' Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron tweeted shortly after news of the incident broke: 'Currently with a shell-shocked group of MPs at New Scotland Yard having been evacuated following the attack. Police doing an incredible job.' Many MPs spoke about being locked inside rooms in the Parliament building. Green Party leader Caroline Lucas tweeted: 'Locked in Commons with fellow MPs. Thoughts with innocent people hurt today and thanks as ever to Police & other staff working so hard here.' Labour's David Lammy wrote: 'Locked in the Commons Chamber but my heart goes out to the police officers, those hit by the car on the bridge and their families. Stay safe.'
However, there had been less than there was in the wake of the attacks on Paris and Brussels. He said: We began tracking [Islamophobic activity] straight away and we keep that tracking in progress as we speak today. We saw a slight uplift in what we call Islamophobic incidents the day after the event but small and far smaller than we have seen in previous events. Praising faith leaders for their immediate response to the attack, he said he believed this was one of the reasons that Islamophobic hate crime was down on previous occasions. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP Fiyaz Mughal, founder of Islamophobic helpline Tell Mama, said the charity had seen a measurable mini-spike following the Westminster attack. But like Deputy Commissioner Mackey, he said it was not as large as after the attacks on the Charlie Hebdo magazine offices in Paris, or the November 2015 attacks on the French capital. He told The Independent: Its not just extremist materials, the police dont have an clear understanding of right wing, rhetoric and material. Ive had to explain to them what far right material is to them and Im not even a police officer. He said tech companies did not care about right wing material on their sites because Governments were only putting pressure on them about Islamist material. On Islamist material they are great but on far right they dont give a damn, he said.
Advertisement Westminster attack victim Travis Frain has relived the moment he was flung over Khalid Masood's car bonnet as he told ITV's Good Morning Britain what had made him revisit the scene of last month's attack. The teenage student said he had been "enthralled" on his phone after watching Prime Minister's Questions with course-mates when a friend saw the pavement-bound vehicle hurling towards them. "We'd just left Parliament and I was walking across the bridge with a couple of friends," he said. "I was texting someone at the time and one of my friends said 'Travis, look'." Travis Frain has twice gone back to Westminster Bridge since the March 24 attack. Credit: PA Travis said when he looked up he saw Masood's 4x4 car around five metres away, giving him no time to avoid the collision. He said the fact the vehicle was so close may have actually helped him survive the impact. "I didn't really have time to react," he explained. "My body didn't have time to tense up and was thrown almost like a ragdoll over the bonnet. "I landed on the left side and my head was actually cushioned by a friend ... whereas obviously if it had landed on the concrete with the same force that the rest of my body had we don't know what could have happened." The 19-year-old said the moments after the attack largely remain "a blur" though he remembers walking around - despite breaking his leg - and picking up his phone before his eyes "just blacked out". Candles were lit on Westminster Bridge in the wake of the attack for the victims. Credit: PA The teen had emergency surgery after breaking his leg, arm and fingers in the March 24 attack, which would claim five lives before Masood was shot dead outside Parliament. His account of the attack came as the new Metropolitan Police chief Cressida Dick said an armed police officer may not necessarily have intervened to stop Masood earlier. The collision with Masood's car has left Travis with his arm in a cast and his leg in a brace for several months, but feeling fortunate to be alive. "It sounds weird (but) I do feel very lucky," he said. Travis's recovery at London's King's College Hospital saw him spend time with Prince Charles in a bedside visit commemorated with a photograph the teen shared on his Facebook page. The university student, seen with Prince Charles and with his dog before the attack, said he appreciated the visit the royal visit. Credit: Handout He said he appreciated the 10 minutes with the future king. "It was really nice of him," he said. "He was actually quite laid back and asked how I was doing." Travis, who is studying politics and history at university in Lancashire, has revisited Westminster Bridge twice since his attack as he insisted that terror would not deter him from visiting the capital. "I wanted to see it again," he said, adding that he did not "get flashbacks" as he retraced his steps. "It's not going to put me off London. As weird as it is, life goes on." Travis said he believed the acts of terror had become increasingly "desperate" but were doomed to fail. "This one guy (tried) to shut down London and he managed to shut down a bridge for 24 hours. That's it. Life went on as usual," he said. "Obviously it's drastically changed a lot of people's lives, there are people who can't be brought back sadly. (But terror attackers are) getting desperate now and I think it's showing."
Westminster shooting highlight: The Palace of Westminster was put under lockdown even as the assailant was shot by security forces. Emergency services transport an injured person to an ambulance, close to the Houses of Parliament in London, Wednesday, March 22, 2017. London police say they are treating a gun and knife incident at Britains Parliament as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) At least four persons were killed and at least a dozen people have sustained catastrophic injuries in a shootout outside the British Parliament on Wednesday. The Palace of Westminster was put under lockdown even as the assailant was shot by security forces. Metropolitan Police said they are treating is as a terrorist incident. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Theresa May is safe, her spokesperson has confirmed to news agency CBS. The US State Department has also said it is closely monitoring the concerning situation outside the Parliament. Here are the highlights from the Westminster shooting (India time): 06:38 am: Eiffel Tower in Paris turns off its lights in mark of respect to Westminster terror attack 10:38 pm: As of now treating it as a terror incident, investigations are underway, additional officers deployed: Police. 10:30 pm: Scottish lawmakers had been planning to vote after two days of debate on First Minister Nicola Sturgeons call for another referendum on leaving the United Kingdom. The debate was suspended after some members said it should be halted out of respect after a policeman was stabbed and his attacker shot in London. Sturgeon tweeted that her thoughts were with everyone in Westminster caught up in this dreadful incident. 10:22 pm: Witness Rick Longley told the Press Association that he saw a man stab a policeman outside Britains Parliament. We were just walking up to the station and there was a loud bang and a guy, someone, crashed a car and took some pedestrians out, he said. They were just laying there and then the whole crowd just surged around the corner by the gates just opposite Big Ben. A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman. I have never seen anything like that. I just cant believe what I just saw. Armed police walk past emergency services attending to injured people on the floor outside the Houses of Parliament, London, Wednesday, March 22, 2017. London police say they are treating a gun and knife incident at Britains Parliament as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise. (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP). 10:18 pm: The U.S. State Department says: We stand ready to assist in any way the U.K. authorities would find helpful. Spokesperson Mark Toner has added that the U.S. Embassy in London is closely following the news and stands ready to help any affected Americans. He said: Our hearts go out to those affected. 10:15 pm: Cmdr Harrington RE Westminster incident: Our response will be ongoing for some time as its important that we gather all evidence. 10:15 pm: Cmdr Harrington confirms what we know, but will not speculate. There are a number of casualties including police officers. Emergency services staff provide medical attention close to the Houses of Parliament in London, Wednesday, March 22, 2017. London police say they are treating a gun and knife incident at Britains Parliament as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) 10:09 pm: The Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh suspended its debate on a second independence referendum after the incident outside the British Parliament in London. Emergency services attend to injured people outside the Palace of Westminster, London, Wednesday, March 22, 2017. London police say they are treating a gun and knife incident at Britains Parliament as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise. (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP). Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood, centre, stands amongst the emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London, Wednesday, March 22, 2017. London police say they are treating a gun and knife incident at Britains Parliament as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise. (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP). 10:01 pm: London eye has stopped working and there are tourists stuck inside. 9:55 pm: A worrying situation, MPs are calm and talking to each others, says British MP Keith Vaz to NDTV. Emergency services transport an injured person to an ambulance, close to the Houses of Parliament in London, Wednesday, March 22, 2017. London police say they are treating a gun and knife incident at Britains Parliament as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) 9:52 pm: One person has been killed in the incident, says AFP. 9:45 pm: A European security official says there was increased chatter on jihadi networks Tuesday following the UKs adoption of an electronics ban aboard flights from certain mostly Muslim countries. He said, however, there was no information that the incident was terror-related. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about ongoing security operations. 9:44 pm: The leader of Britains House of Commons says a man attacked a police officer at Parliament and has been shot by police. David Lidington says the Parliament complex is in lockdown. He says there are reports of further violent incidents nearby, and police say they have been called to a firearms incident on nearby Westminster Bridge. Witnesses said a vehicle struck several people on the bridge, and photos showed a car plowed into railings. 9:25 pm: As per BBC, crowds being moved out of Parliament Square, suspect vehicle outside the Parliament. 9:22 pm: Meanwhile, the London Ambulance Service Deputy Director of Operations Pauline Cranmer has said in a statement: We were called at 2.40pm to Westminster Bridge to reports of an incident, with the first crew arriving within six minutes. We have sent a number of resources to the scene including ambulance crews, Londons Air Ambulance and our Hazardous Area Response Team. 9:12 pm: UK police appealing to people to pass on photos from the incident to them. 9:10 pm: British MP Keith Vaz tells NDTV that theyre locked inside the chamber in the House of Commons. 400 MPs are with him in the chamber and they are not allowed to go out. 9:09 pm: Police are asking people to avoid the following areas: Parliament Square; Whitehall; Westminster Bridge; Lambeth Bridge; Victoria Street up to the junction with Broadway and the Victoria Embankment up to Embankment tube. This is to allow the emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident. 9:09 pm: We thank the public for their assistance & urge people to remain calm, be alert & vigilant: Metropolitan police. 9:07 pm: We are treating this as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise, Metropolitan Police A man lies wounded after an apparent shooting incident on Westminster Bridge in London on Wednesday [Toby Melville/Reuters]8:56 pm: Deputy speaker announces that UK Houses of Parliament suspended after shooting incident. 8:52 pm: A leader of House of Commons says that a policeman has been stabbed inside Parliament. 8:50 pm: As per the British Police, it is being treated as a firearms incident. 8:42 pm: At least a dozen people were injured in the incident. 8:40 pm: Several shots fired outside UK Parliament as Palace of Westminster was put under lockdown.
In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP Scotland Yards acting deputy commissioner, Mark Rowley, said police were probing whether the father-of-three acted completely alone after being inspired by terrorist propaganda or was encouraged, supported or directed by others. Deputy assistant commissioner Neil Basu acknowledged that the method of attack, following Isis propaganda instructions on using cars and knives, echoed Isis rhetoric but said investigators had not yet found any evidence of a direct link. Whilst I have found no evidence of an association with Isis or al-Qaeda, there is clearly an interest in jihad, he added. Questions over whether Masood may have been radicalised in part by extremist material online have sparked renewed efforts to remove such content, seeing the Home Secretary meet with technology companies this week. Investigators continue efforts to establish the motive of Masood, a 52-year-old Muslim convert who had a lengthy criminal history and lived in areas including Sussex, Birmingham and London. Thousands of people joined hands in a vigil for the victims exactly a week after the attack on Wednesday, while further tributes have been paid across the country.
Heres more from Jason Burke on the language used in the Isis propaganda and on British-born extremists: Soldiers responding to the call is used to describe people such as Omar Mateen, who opened fire in a nightclub in Florida last year and who claimed allegiance to Isis during the attack without any prior contact with the group. Other terms are used to describe attackers such as those who made up the Paris/Brussels network who, for the most part, were trained, commissioned and dispatched by Isis planners after spending time in Syria. The vast majority of attackers are local  many born in the countries they attack in, or at least naturalised citizens or long-term residents. Same in France, with a couple of recent exceptions, and elsewhere in Europe. The idea that terrorists systematically fly thousands of miles to infiltrate and strike is a fallacy  though it does occasionally happen. 9/11 set up this idea, but was an anomaly. The Isis claim was issued in English, Arabic, French and German. Yes, it was aimed at enemy but aimed at supporters too. Isis needs to boost morale. Its motto is to endure and expand. Its done precious little of either recently, so needs to make a point to potential and actual sympathisers and militants already in ranks who may be losing heart. I would like to just start, given what happened, the terrible events of yesterday afternoon, by using this opportunity to thank the staff across the NHS in London who responded so brilliantly to the terrorist outrage in Westminster. The fact is that this was not just paramedics and ambulance crew but staff from St Thomas hospital running across Westminster Bridge into potential danger. I think that really demonstrates not only the professional skill of all our staff across the NHS but also immense personal bravery. Stevens marked one minutes silence for the victims of the attack alongside staff who oversaw the NHS response from its London Incident Coordination Centre, which was activated as soon as news came through about 2.30pm on Wednesday. In all 68 paramedics and ambulance crew personnel from the London ambulance service were involved in the response to the attack. and casualties were treated at five London hospitals: St Marys, Chelsea & Westminster, Kings College, Royal London and St Thomas. Polands prime minister became the first senior European leader to draw a link between the London attack and the European Unions migrant policy, saying the assault vindicated Warsaws refusal to take in refugees. Polands government has refused to accept any of the 6,200 migrants allocated to it under the European Unions quota scheme that is designed to share the burden of taking in the large numbers of migrants and refugees who have come to Europe over the past two years. I hear in Europe very often: do not connect the migration policy with terrorism, but it is impossible not to connect them, Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo told private broadcaster TVN24. The EUs migration commissioner, Dimitris Avramopoulos, on a visit to Warsaw, warned member states against failing to host refugees to help alleviate pressure on frontline states bearing the brunt of arrivals across the Mediterranean. The commissioner should concentrate on what to do to avoid such acts as yesterday in London ... Poland will not succumb to blackmail such as that expressed by the commissioner, Szydlo said. The commissioner is coming to Warsaw and trying to tell us: you have to do what the EU decided, you have to take these migrants .... Two days later another terrorist attack in London occurs, she said. Nigel Farage has used the London terror attack as a reason to justify Donald Trumps travel ban on travellers from Muslim-majority countries as he appeared on Fox News to claim it showed there should be more vetting of migrants. The former Ukip leader appeared on the US network in the early hours of the morning to blame politicians who embrace multiculturalism and uncontrolled immigration from Middle Eastern countries for inviting in terrorism. He said it was a reason for US citizens to stop protest against Trumps travel ban, even though Theresa May has confirmed police believe the attacker was British born. He said: Weve made some terrible mistakes in this country, and it really started with the election of Tony Blair back in 1997, who said he wanted to build a multicultural Britain. His government even said they sent out search parties to find immigrants from all over the world to come into Britain. Do you know what? I dont think we vetted a single one of them. The problem with multiculturalism is that it leads to divided communities. Its quite different to multiracialism. Thats fine, that can work very happily and extremely well. But weve finished up with very divided communities. Im sorry to say that we have now a fifth column living inside these European countries. Surely an American audience seeing this horrendous thing happening in Westminster should start to say to itself that when Donald Trump tries to put in place vetting measures, he is doing it to protect your country. Frankly, all those people out protesting in Fifth Avenue in New York and elsewhere need to have a good, long hard think about what they are doing. Frankly, if you open your door to uncontrolled immigration from Middle Eastern countries, you are inviting in terrorism. I do actually think that the moment has come for us to actually point the blame. What these politicians have done in the space of just 15 years may well affect the way we live in this country over the next 100 years. Victoria Ayling, a Ukip heritage and tourism spokesman, also retweeted a series of inflammatory posts about challenging the Wests Muslims problem and a need for action against Islam. The Guardians Jason Burke has some useful context on the credibility of the statement from Isis. The language in the statement does not name the attacker and suggested he was inspired by the group rather than organised. At Birmingham Central Mosque, chairman Mohammed Afzal was ready with a statement for journalists on Thursday condemning the London attacks. Birmingham Central Mosque Photograph: David Sillitoe for the Guardian He handed out copies of a booklet called Terrorism Is Not Islam, a 12-page guide the mosque has produced. Fifty-five thousand copies of the leaflet were handed out at mosques, schools and shops across Birmingham, supported by West Midlands police. Afzal said he didnt know if the terrorist had attended the mosque because they did not yet know his identity. He questioned why the intelligence services had stopped monitoring the attacker.
London terrorist's mother's farm with chickens and dogs under police guard in rural Wales THE farm where the mother of London terrorist Khalid Masood lives in rural Wales is under police guard. Janet Elms' home in Carmarthenshire, west Wales, was searched by counter-terror police on Thursday as part of the "fast-paced investigation" into her son Masood who mowed down dozens of pedestrians on Westminster Bridge on Wednesday before fatally stabbing PC Keith Palmer in the grounds of Parliament. Three of the pedestrians were killed by Masood, who also called himself Adrian Elms and whose birthname was Adrian Russell Ajao. Following yesterday's search on Ms Elms' home, police have been seen guarding the farm where she lives with her husband, chickens and her border collie. Related articles She runs a business selling hand-made bags and cushions on hand crafted gifts website Folksy. On the site, she says: "Hello, I'm Janet and I live in rural west Wales with my husband, border collie and a few chickens. "Our home is tucked away at the end of a little land, and it's here that you'll find me making bags and cushions. "I use natural fabrics, both new and recycled, and love to make use of old Welsh wool blankets. "All items are one-off. You may see the same style of bag, or the same fabric may reappear in a different guise, but never the same thing twice." Sky Mark Rowley said two more arrests were made Ms Elms gave birth to Masood on as a 17-year-old single mother and within two years she married Phillip Ajao and lived in a 300,000 house in the coastal town of Rye, East Sussex. Twenty years after that they moved to Tunbridge Wells with Masood's two half-brothers, Alex and Paul. Neighbours of his mother said there was a heavy police presence in the village yesterday, which can now be revealed as a search on her home. Dimitris LegakisAthena Pictures Masood's mother's house in Carmarthenshire was being guarded by police today One local, said: "We heard rumours early yesterday. Then police streamed up the drive to the house. I've heard what the connection is and I'm stunned." Today police were seen entering 50-year-old Paul Ajao's home in Banbury, Oxfordshire. Officers made two more "significant arrests" overnight in the West Midlands and the North West of England, Mark Rowley, the Met Police Assistant Commisioner, said during a briefing this morning. Dimitris LegakisAthena Pictures Ms Elms runs an online business selling homemade bags and cushions The number of arrests has now risen to ten, with nine still in custody after a woman from Birmingham was released on bail. He revealed two of the victims of Masood's attack on Wednesday afternoon remain in critical condition in hospital, with one in a life-threatening condition. Yesterday terror group Islamic State (ISIS) claimed Masood was a "soldier of the caliphate" and praised him for carrying out the attack in which he stabbed PC Keith Palmer to death inside the grounds of Parliament and killed three others by running them down on Westminster Bridge. Questions have now been raised as to how the 52-year-old, born in Dartford, Kent and raised in the picturesque seaside town of Rye in East Sussex, then Royal Tunbridge Wells in Kent, was radicalised - to such an extent he changed his name entirely and carried out an attack against Western civilisation. Mr Rowley, said: "Clearly thats a main line of our investigation. What led him to be radicalised? Was it through influences in our community, influences from overseas or influences from online propaganda? "Our investigations, our arrests will help in that but the public appeal will make a big difference in that, if people come forward with more information. "It would be wrong for me to say any more than what the Prime Minister said in Parliament yesterday. "But, were looking at his history. Several years ago he had been a peripheral figure, hes never been part of the mainstream intelligence picture about terrorism." It is believed Masood may have been radicalised in jail, or in Saudi Arabia where he spent four years and converted to Islam. After he returned to the UK he taught English at a centre in Luton, Bedfordshire, and in 2012 set up his own business in the West Midlands, it is claimed. Getty Floral tributes to PC Palmer and the other three victims have been placed outside Parliament Getty A vigil held at Trafalgar Square on Thursday night drew thousands of politicians and Londoners The fourth victim was named as 75-year-old Leslie Rhodes, of Streatham, south London. He died in hospital yesterday after his life support was pulled. Mr Rowley said two police officers injured on Westminster Bridge as they walked back from a commendation ceremony remain in hospital with "significant injuries". Giving further information on how the investigation was going, Mr Rowley said searches at five addresses are ongoing and 16 have finished. Getty Masood knocked down dozens of pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before getting to Parliament He added detectives have seized 2,700 items from the searches, including "massive amounts of computer data". Officers have spoken to about 3,500 witnesses, including 1,000 who were on Westminster Bridge and about 2,500 who were in Parliament. Mr Rowley added any information from the public about Masood would be extremely helpful.
House Of Commons Westminster attack A police officer has been stabbed and a suspected assailant shot outside the Houses of Parliament, shortly after a car rammed into members of the public on Westminster Bridge, in what police have described as a terrorist incident. One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas Hospital. Some were described as having catastrophic injuries. At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended. The deputy speaker of the Commons, David Lidington, announced the suspension in the House, saying a police officer had been stabbed and the alleged assailant shot by armed police. Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner. Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife. Paramedics treat an injured person on the pavement outside the Houses of Parliament The police officer was seen wounded but moving, after falling to the ground clutching his arm or shoulder. At least one man was seen running towards the exit of New Palace Yard, underneath Big Ben. Police were seen shouting at him, presumably to stop. Shots were then heard. It is unclear at this stage whether one or more assailants were involved. Dozens of police, many armed, ran around the gate of parliament in the moments after the shots were fired. The car is understood to have mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge before ramming the railings outside Parliament We were just walking up to the station and there was a loud bang and a guy, someone, crashed a car and took some pedestrians out, he said. They were just laying there and then the whole crowd just surged around the corner by the gates just opposite Big Ben. A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman. I have never seen anything like that. I just cant believe what I just saw. Nearby the main gate, just outside the entrance to Westminster Hall, a crowd of police and paramedics crouched over one of the victims and just metres away police pointed their weapons to an individual who was lying motionless on the floor. Paramedics worked furiously pulling medical supplies from their bags and dressing wounds. The traffic all around Parliament was stopped and the road immediately outside the gate was cleared. Inside Parliament, workers were told to stay away from the windows as the building went into lockdown. Police carried out CPR on one of the individuals who had been shot, in an attempt to keep them alive. At 2.50pm an air ambulance arrived and landed in Parliament Square to take the injured to hospital. Police continued to do CPR to one of the injured. A spokesperson for Metropolitan Police said: We are treating this as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise. Earlier, the force tweeted: We are aware of reports of an incident at Westminster. We will put more information out as soon as we can. We were called at approx 2.40pm to reports of an incident at Westminster Bridge. Being treated as a firearms incident  police on scene. An air ambulance arrived and landed in Parliament Square within 10 minutes of the start of the incident Theresa May was still on the parliamentary estate following Prime Ministers Questions when the attacker struck. Witnesses saw the Prime Minister being led to her car, a silver jaguar, with the vehicle about to leave when officers then prevented it from driving into New Palace Yard where the incident occurred. A Downing Street source confirmed Ms May was OK. Van driver Mitchell Spree, 27, told The Independent he was driving along Embankment when he saw people being evacuated from nearby buildings. He said: Then we pulled on to the bridge. A lady was laying at the entrance to the bridge. There was about five more people. She was crying. She was speaking to the paramedic. I dont know what the others were like. The police asked us to leave our van. Its still on the bridge. Its shocking. A second witness, Tawhid Tanim, told The Independent he heard three shots  bang, bang, bang  some 10 or 15 metres from the Cafe Nero coffee bar where he was waiting for friends. He said: It was so loud. People were running like crazy. He saw the aftermath of the car striking railings outside Parliament, he said. Whether someone, or something, was underneath, he could not be sure. I couldnt see it properly. I started running. Police officers told the crowds to just keep running, he said. MPs wait in the House of Commons as information drifts through via their phones and the Deputy Speaker, David Lidington (BBC News) Within half an hour of the incident, Parliament was in lockdown. The chamber cleared of MPs, the restaurants of diners. Parliamentary passes no longer opened any door, any gate. Westminsters press offices occupy the top floor of the palace along from Big Ben and round to Westminster Hall, right over the courtyard where a car smashed into a gate, tourists and pedestrians screamed and, seconds later gunshots were heard. Chefs, maintenance men, reporters massed at the windows. One had a video of the Prime Ministers car, understood to be Theresa May hurriedly driven away. Ambulance staff treated a man by the entrance to Westminster Palace, at least thirty metres inside the perimeter. Half an hour after the incident, along the Committee Corridor, where MPs meet for meetings all week, another wave of shouting could be heard. Through the windows, anti-terror police could be seen, in their air force blue uniforms, barking instructions to one another, apparently securing the building. Text Widget This is a text widget, which allows you to add text or HTML to your sidebar. You can use them to display text, links, images, HTML, or a combination of these. Edit them in the Widget section of the Customizer.
The best friend of a police officer who was paralysed in the Westminster terror attack has raised thousands of pounds for him as he continues his recovery more than a year later. PC Kris Aves was left with devastating injuries when terrorist Khalid Masood ploughed his 4x4 into him on Westminster Bridge during the attack that left five dead. He had been returning from a ceremony in which he received a commendation for his police work, but the day would end in tragedy. The impact of the car dislocated his spine, shattered the bones in both his legs, broke his collar bone and left him with a laceration to this left arm and cuts to his head. Westminster Bridge Terror Attack: One Year On Westminster Bridge Terror Attack: One Year On 1/20 6 people including the killer died in the attack Jeremy Selwyn 2/20 Theresa May laying a wreath at Parliament Square Jeremy Selwyn 3/20 Message from Theresa May on her floral tribute at Parliament Square Jeremy Selwyn 4/20 #Londonunited one year on from the Westminster attack Nigel Howard 5/20 People paid tribute to the victims who were killed in the Westminster terror attack last year Jeremy Selwyn 6/20 Emergency services workers lay flowers and pay their respects at Parliament Square in Westminster on the anniversary of the Westminster Bridge attack in London Reuters 7/20 Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, poses with the #LondonUnited memorial at City Hall, marking the anniversaries of the four terror attacks in London Reuters 8/20 A message is beamed onto a map at the #LondonUnited memorial at City Hall, marking the anniversaries of the four terror attacks in London Reuters 9/20 A desolate Westminster bridge where the attack took place Jeremy Selwyn 10/20 Londoners left messages and tributes for the victims Jeremy Selwyn 11/20 Londoners leave messages and tributes for the victims Jeremy Selwyn 12/20 People lay flowers for the victims Jeremy Selwyn 13/20 Police walk past truibute at Westminster today Jeremy Selwyn 14/20 The attack occurred on Westminster bridge near the houses of Parliament Jeremy Selwyn 15/20 Woman and child look out over the River Thames on Westminster bridge Jeremy Selwyn 16/20 Man carries memorial flowers across Westminster bridge Jeremy Selwyn 17/20 Theresa May laying a wreath at Parliament Square Jeremy Selwyn 18/20 Theresa May stands by her floral tribute at Parliament Square Jeremy Selwyn 19/20 Londoners leave messages and tributes for the victims Jeremy Selwyn 20/20 Londoners leave messages and tributes for the victims Jeremy Selwyn 1/20 6 people including the killer died in the attack Jeremy Selwyn 2/20 Theresa May laying a wreath at Parliament Square Jeremy Selwyn 3/20 Message from Theresa May on her floral tribute at Parliament Square Jeremy Selwyn 4/20 #Londonunited one year on from the Westminster attack Nigel Howard 5/20 People paid tribute to the victims who were killed in the Westminster terror attack last year Jeremy Selwyn 6/20 Emergency services workers lay flowers and pay their respects at Parliament Square in Westminster on the anniversary of the Westminster Bridge attack in London Reuters 7/20 Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, poses with the #LondonUnited memorial at City Hall, marking the anniversaries of the four terror attacks in London Reuters 8/20 A message is beamed onto a map at the #LondonUnited memorial at City Hall, marking the anniversaries of the four terror attacks in London Reuters 9/20 A desolate Westminster bridge where the attack took place Jeremy Selwyn 10/20 Londoners left messages and tributes for the victims Jeremy Selwyn 11/20 Londoners leave messages and tributes for the victims Jeremy Selwyn 12/20 People lay flowers for the victims Jeremy Selwyn 13/20 Police walk past truibute at Westminster today Jeremy Selwyn 14/20 The attack occurred on Westminster bridge near the houses of Parliament Jeremy Selwyn 15/20 Woman and child look out over the River Thames on Westminster bridge Jeremy Selwyn 16/20 Man carries memorial flowers across Westminster bridge Jeremy Selwyn 17/20 Theresa May laying a wreath at Parliament Square Jeremy Selwyn 18/20 Theresa May stands by her floral tribute at Parliament Square Jeremy Selwyn 19/20 Londoners leave messages and tributes for the victims Jeremy Selwyn 20/20 Londoners leave messages and tributes for the victims Jeremy Selwyn The 36-year-old, from Barnet, north London, spent eight days unconscious and was left with no movement from the chest down. He is now wheelchair-bound. He spent months at Stoke Mandeville Hospital and was only able to return home to his wife and two young children just before Christmas. As he continues his rehabilitation, his friend Luke Delderfield, who has known him since the pair went to Sixth Form College together 20 years ago, has been raising funds to buy equipment to help him recover further. Luke Delderfield with best friend Kris Aves Speaking of his friends struggle over the last year, Mr Delderfield, 36, said: It was very hard to see him like that to start with. When he told me he wasnt going to be able to walk it was very emotional, you go through a rollercoaster of anger and upset. You dont realise how good youve got it until you see someone in his situation. So far he has raised over 7,000 and he hopes to raise 10,000 to buy electrode pads to reduce muscle loss in his legs. Mr Aves, who was based at the Met Police's Holborn branch, has regained some movement in his left leg, and although he has no movement in his right leg and is unable to walk unassisted, the pads will improve his slim chances of walking again. Front Pages for Westminster & Parliament Attack Front Pages for Westminster & Parliament Attack 1/32 2/32 3/32 4/32 5/32 6/32 7/32 8/32 9/32 10/32 11/32 12/32 13/32 14/32 15/32 16/32 17/32 The front pages of today's newspapers the day after a terrorist attack Ryan Hooper/PA 18/32 Evening Standard Evening Standard 19/32 The Times The Times 20/32 Daily Mail Daily Mail 21/32 The Sun The Sun 22/32 i i 23/32 The Scotsman The Scotsman 24/32 The Daily Telegraph The Daily Telegraph 25/32 The Guardian The Guardian 26/32 Daily Mirror Daily Mirror 27/32 Daily Star Daily Star 28/32 Daily Express Daily Express 29/32 Metro Metro 30/32 City A.M City A.M 31/32 Independent Independent 32/32 The front pages of today's newspapers the day after a terrorist attack PA 1/32 2/32 3/32 4/32 5/32 6/32 7/32 8/32 9/32 10/32 11/32 12/32 13/32 14/32 15/32 16/32 17/32 The front pages of today's newspapers the day after a terrorist attack Ryan Hooper/PA 18/32 Evening Standard Evening Standard 19/32 The Times The Times 20/32 Daily Mail Daily Mail 21/32 The Sun The Sun 22/32 i i 23/32 The Scotsman The Scotsman 24/32 The Daily Telegraph The Daily Telegraph 25/32 The Guardian The Guardian 26/32 Daily Mirror Daily Mirror 27/32 Daily Star Daily Star 28/32 Daily Express Daily Express 29/32 Metro Metro 30/32 City A.M City A.M 31/32 Independent Independent 32/32 The front pages of today's newspapers the day after a terrorist attack PA Mr Delderfield added: Ive been amazed at how upbeat hes kept himself, most people would have just crumbled. He has shown no anger towards the guy who did it, he doesnt think about him, he just tries to keep himself positive.
Parliament Square has been covered in a sea of flowers for terror victims PC Keith Palmer, Aysha Frade, Kurt Cochran and Leslie Rhodes. School children, pensioners and police officers have been among the hundreds who have brought tributes to the square in memory of those killed in last Wednesday's attack. The Prime Minister Theresa May and MP Tobias Ellwood, one of those who tried to save PC Palmer's life, are among the politicians who have left tributes at the scene. Thousands of donations have meanwhile been made to funds set up to help the families of those killed by ISIS-inspired extremist Khalid Masood. People from around the world have added to the ever growing carpet of floral tributes following last week's terror attack A policeman inspects the sea of floral tributes which have been placed in Parliament Square in memory to those killed Flags, flowers and messages have been attached to Westminster Bridge, where Khalid Masood drove in more than 50 people Mr Tobias Ellwood, who tried to save the life of PC Palmer after Masood's knife attack, inspected the floral tributes today Former soldier Mr Ellwood has said he is 'heartbroken' that his efforts to save the life of PC Palmer were unsuccessful A JustGiving page set up for the family of PC Palmer has been closed after it raised more than 730,000, far more than the target set by those who set it up. The Metropolitan Police Federation, which set up the official JustGiving site, said it felt a 'suitable amount' had been collected in memory of PC Palmer. Chairman Ken Marsh denied the closure was linked to criticism over the 5% administration fee which JustGiving takes from each donation and said focus would now turn to raising money for other injured officers. Two similar funds for mother-of-two Aysha Frade has raised nearly 70,000. The website states: 'This page will raise money to help Aysha's children and family in their hour of need.' Share this article Share 1.6k shares A Go Fund Me page set up in US for the family of Mr Cochran has raised $70,000 (55,000). In Parliament Square, a floral tribute left by Mrs May included a message stating: 'With the deepest condolences for those who lost their lives as a result of this evil and cowardly attack. Our thoughts and prayers are with them and their families.' London Mayor Sadiq Khan's note outside the Metropolitan Police headquarters read: 'You will always be in our hearts. Londoners will never forget the innocent people who lost their lives.' A note left by British Transport Police officers from Lambeth, south London, simply read: 'For Pc Keith Palmer. HERO. Never forgotten.' Prime Minister Theresa May is among the politicians who have left messages in the square following the attack A police officer reads messages on the flowers attached to the gates of Parliament, where PC Palmer was stabbed to death A photo of PC Keith Palmer has been left in the square where he tragically lost his life. Police officers from around the country have sent their condolences to his family Tributes have been attached the railings next to the gate which the terrorist ran through to get into the grounds of Parliament A member of the public lays flowers near Westminster Bridge as the police suggest terrorist Masood acted alone A tribute left by a British Transport Police officer against the walls of Parliament said: 'From one PC Palmer to another, may you rest in peace now.' There were also bunches of flowers left by officers from Hertfordshire Police as well as Met officers from across the capital, paying tribute to their 'brother in blue'. One note read: 'When others run away, heroes step forward.' On Westminster Bridge, a note in Spanish paid tribute to Aysha Frade, whose family come from the Galician municipality of Betanzos. The family of Kurt Cochran, the US tourist killed in the attack as he walked with his wife Melissa, today spoke of their determination to stay positive following the horrific events. Speaking at Scotland Yard, just a few hundred yards from the devastating attack, Mrs Cochran's sister-in-law, Shantell Payne, said this morning it was 'awful, horrible, (and) gut-wrenching' that the attack was carried out in the name of religion. 'But we're going to support Melissa and we're going to try not to concern ourselves with any of that for the moment,' she added. Police officers and members of the public look at messages on the thousands of bouquets left in the central London square The shocking attack unfolded in the shadow of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament last Wednesday afternoon Flowers attached to a lamp post on the famous bridge over the Thames where three people lost their lives last week Sara McFarland, Mrs Cochran's sister, said: 'Last night we were speaking as a family about this and it was deeply unanimous that none of us harbour any ill will or harsh feelings towards this. 'We love our brother, we love what he brought to the world and we feel like this situation is going to bring many good things to the world, a lot of inspiration.' The flowers were laid as Mr Cochran's family, who have come to the UK from the US to care for his wife, who remains in hospital, told how they were overwhelmed by the support they have received. Mr and Mrs Cochran had been visiting her parents, who were serving as missionaries in the London Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), and were sightseeing on the last day before going home when they were caught up in the attack. Flanked by 12 members of the couple's family, Dimmon Payne, Mrs Cochran's father, said the family had heard about the attack happening but did not know their loved ones were caught up in it until they saw photos online. He said: 'That came to us shortly after pictures were recognised; our daughter-in-law recognised the pictures and called us immediately. We got online and realised it was our loved ones, and that's how we found out.'
What Britain Must Ask Itself after London Attacks Security forces respond to the attacks outside Parliament in London, March 22, 2017. (Reuters photo: Stefan Wermuth) U.K. authorities have been preparing for a terrorist attack of this kind for years. At 2:40 p.m. London time, a terrorist drove a vehicle into pedestrians on Londons Westminster Bridge. Then, reaching the north side of the bridge over the River Thames, he smashed into the gates of the British Parliament. Leaving his vehicle, he fought with police officers just inside a Parliamentary checkpoint. He was then shot and killed by armed police. Regrettably, before he died, the terrorist murdered one police officer and two other individuals and injured at least 20 others. Advertisement By utilizing a motor vehicle and knife and by targeting police (though this may have been pursuant to a desire to enter the Houses of Parliament), this assault follows Daesh (a.k.a. ISIS) methodology. And coincidentally or not, today is also the first anniversary of the Daesh attacks in Brussels. It is so far unclear whether the attack is linked to or inspired by Daesh  but I would bet very strongly that it is. Regardless, British officials must now answer three pressing questions. First, was the suspect operating alone or as part of a larger cell? Here, we must recognize that Britains terrorism environment is diverse. There are the loser-lone-wolfs in the vein of Omar Mateen, the Orlando nightclub shooter, but also skilled, multi-member cells. Daesh has previously planned highly compartmented, multi-stage attack plots in Europe. And in January 2016, it specifically threatened Londons Tower Bridge (not Westminster Bridge) and the then-prime minister, David Cameron. Authorities must quickly identify the suspects connections and learn whether (as with Daesh plots in France) he was advised by operatives abroad. This leads us to the second question: Was the suspect known to the authorities? I suspect he was. British counterterrorism authorities retain a highly advanced database of jihadists and their sympathizers. This is helped by the fact that U.K. spy agencies have great latitude to identify and monitor terrorist suspects. The challenge, however, is that the number of terrorist suspects in Britain reaches into the thousands. Correspondingly, counterterrorism investigators must prioritize resources on those individuals they believe to pose the most significant threat. They cannot monitor everyone all the time. That said, if the suspect does turn out to be a known threat, political pressure will grow for a reintroduction of the now-defunct control orders, which imposed electronic tagging on terrorist suspects in lieu of prosecution. Advertisement Third, the U.K. must consider how well it responded today. While the Paris and Brussels attacks led the British to improve their response capacity to so-called roaming attacks, more must be done. Until now, the specific focus has been on investment in improved SWAT counterterrorism capabilities. But those efforts have been prioritized for London. Two immediate issues for the British are that the physical security of Parliament and the personal security of the British prime minister and the Queen are inadequate. But further hardening of the capitals defenses wont solve the problem of other British localities lacking Londons counterterrorism resources. Specifically, they do not have enough armed police officers (most British police do not carry firearms). Any major attack outside London would thus likely require a response from two military special-forces units that are kept on permanent standby. But aside from small forward-deployed elements, both of those units are based in western and southern England, leaving much of the United Kingdom vulnerable. All this said, British officials will tonight privately breathe a sigh of relief. An attack of this kind has been expected for years. But it was expected to be far worse. Fortunately, Londons first responders reacted with speed and exemplary courage. None more so than the officer who gave his life to defend his nations Parliament. Recommended Articles Most Popular Will this be the week? With bated breath, we wait to find out whether weve reached the moment, after the Labor Day end of summer, just as the critical midterm races heat up, when President Trump will follow through on his threat to declassify and publicize key FISA-gate documents  in particular, the ... 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We have a name and an accusation, which is an improvement over the status quo ante. If youre going to make an allegation of misconduct, this is how you do it: publicly, and attached to as much information as you have. Eternal shame on those who made specific calls before they knew what was being ... Read More The American Academy of Pediatrics released new guidelines on Monday urging parents to accept the preferred gender identity of their children. In a policy statement entitled "Ensuring Comprehensive Care and Support for Transgender and Gender-Diverse Children and Adolescents," the group recommended ... Read More
What I Have Learnt From The Westminster Terrorist Attack by Michelle Langan | 27 03 2017 Michelle Langan is a 44-year-old writer who was working in parliament on the day that Khalid Masood struck. Here is her account of what happened on that awful day. If I have learnt anything over the past week, it has been the lesson that every day is a gift, and should be lived accordingly. I've also learnt that no matter how much we plan, sometimes life is out of our control. Last Wednesday morning, 22nd March, I was travelling to London from Liverpool, with a charity I work for, to meet with MPs in parliament. We had a busy day planned, and were keen to get through parliamentary security as quickly as possible to ensure we weren't late. The morning went well, and parliament was particularly busy due to Prime Minister's questions. Our meetings finished at 2pm, and with some time to spare, we headed to the cafe inside the Palace of Westminster, to have some late lunch. Michelle before the attack It was just half an hour later, that mayhen broke out. Hearing loud screams and shouting outside, everyone in the busy cafe jumped up and ran towards the window, where the hi viz jackets of the armed police were swooping across the grounds. More screaming, and the doors of the cafe burst open, as police shouted to people walking outside to 'get inside.' Crowds rushed in, and people started to dive underneath tables, screaming and crying. I still didn't comprehend what was going on. I'd seen a policeman fall to the ground, and thought he had been punched in the stomach by someone who had got through security. There were lots of people seeking safety. One of the groups was made up of young men from a boxing club. One of the lads was filming the chaos on his phone. 'He's got a weapon,' he shouted. As police bundled onto the assailant, who we now know was Khalid Masood, another police officer on the other side of the glass yelled at everyone to get away from the window. We were all rushed into a back corridor, where I pulled out my phone and called my mum to let her know I was safe. At this point, it hadn't hit the news, as it was still unfolding, so she had no idea what was going on. Nor did I, and still thought it was just a fight breaking out. During the lockdown. Photograph by Michelle Langan. We were moved into another area, Central Lobby, along with hundreds of other people including several school groups who were visiting parliament that day, and the sound of helicopters directly above was unmistakeable. It was only at that point that I was able to piece together what had happened. Through social media, and panicked friends and family calling me, I realised that we were in the middle of a serious attack. I was devastated to hear that the police officer, PC Keith Palmer, had died, and that there were more casualties on Westminster Bridge. We were held on lockdown for several hours, and finally released at around 8pm. I was desperate to get back to Liverpool and my family, and luckily, we were able to make the last train home. The days following have hit me harder than I thought. I have no doubt that without the selfless actions of PC Palmer, there would have certainly been more casulaties. I feel guilty that he lost his life protecting all of us. Sadly, my workplace has been less than sympathetic. Sometimes without physical injuries, people find it difficult to understand that you are affected. I was meant to be back in parliament a few days after the attack, but couldn't face it. Even seeing pictures of the flowers laid by school children and visitors has had an effect on me. With time, I will heal, but many won't. There was a lot of bravery that day, and somebody told me that in events like this, always look for the heroes, as they are there. They are the ones running towards the danger rather than away from it. PC Palmer and his colleagues are those heroes. Nobody should ever go to work and not come home.
Popular Videos Sadiq Khan has said London will never be cowed by terror as the capital mourns the death of three victims in the Westminster attack. You will see Londoners returning to work whether its in Parliament, whether its in City Hall, whether its in hospitals or businesses across London, because thats who we are, the mayor told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. We are not going to allow these terrorists to cow us, were not going to allow them to change our way of life. Read more Mr Khan paid tribute to PC Keith Palmer and other victims of the attack, which saw a man plough his car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, killing two members of the public. He crashed it into a fence outside the Houses of Parliament, launching himself inside the entrance and fatally stabbing PC Palmer before being shot dead. The Metropolitan Police is deploying extra armed and unarmed patrols across London to provide protection and reassurance in the aftermath of the atrocity, which investigators are treating as an Islamist-inspired terror attack. Mr Khan praised the emergency services for carrying out their work in extremely difficult circumstances, with concrete bollards among the safety measures being deployed. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended Well take the precautions weve got to take but remind the world that Londons faced such horrific incidents before, the mayor and former Tooting MP added. We cant allow them to succeed in dividing communities, we will not allow them to destroy our way of life. Were going to be defiant, were going to be resilient, were going to return to work but of course never be complacentwe must never accept terrorist being successful. The mayor also urged the UK not to allow the attack to be used as a means of inciting hatred. Terrorists want to attack London is because they hate the fact that we dont just tolerate each other  whether youre a Christian, Muslim, Jew, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, member of an organised faith or not, we respect, embrace and celebrate each other and thats going to carry on, he added. A vigil is to be held in Trafalgar Square at 6pm to commemorate the victims of the attack.
Follow us: Working in Westminster, I always had an escape route planned Going to work at the heart of our democracy always comes with risks. An older colleague showed me a backstairs way to the basement, down a spiral staircase. After 9/11, I regularly walked through this route in my mind In the Palace of Westminster you are never far away from security. There is a constant reminder that the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, one of the most recognisable tourist sites in the world, the star of a million holiday selfies, is also a major terrorist target. From the airport-style security screening to the armed police who discreetly walk the cloistered passageways, it is impossible not to be aware that you are in a building that, as a symbol of both ancient and everyday democracy, the heart of an 800-year-old parliament but also the ordinary place of work for thousands of people, is fiercely protected. On the day of the 9/11 attacks I was working in the House of Commons, at one point diverting to Whitehall to report on the Foreign Secretary Jack Straws response to the atrocity, before returning to the press gallery where I worked until after midnight. It was only on 12 September 2001, sitting back at my desk overlooking New Palace Yard, that I started to think about the very real possibility that we could be next. At the time, after planes had been crashed out of the sky, the fear was of obliteration by calculated terror plots rather than a low-tech, marauding lone actor with a knife and a car. Westminster attack update: How the day unfolded The only way to process this fear is to get on with work and life  and to plan an escape route just in case. An older colleague showed me a backstairs way to the basement, down a spiral staircase, and I regularly walked through this route in my mind. Over the years, the security barriers became more visible, the checks of passes a little more routine. After the London Underground bombings of 7/7, there were more barriers, higher fences, extra security detail. Throughout all of this, police officers like PC Keith Palmer held the line, the living embodiment of Parliaments face to the world: open and friendly, happily posing for tourists photographs, yet keeping safe the heart of democracy. When I saw this officers picture I instantly recognised him as someone I had seen and said "hello" and "thank you" to countless times over more than 15 years of going through those gates. He will be recognisable to so many others; he is the friendly policeman in many tourist pictures. Knowing that Palmer and his colleagues were always at the gates, standing between us and any potential attacker, meant working in Parliament felt all the more safe. Fear of terror subsided to mere calm awareness. That escape route remained, but only at the back of my mind. For the police officers who guard us, there is, of course, no escape route. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP There is no question of running and hiding. Palmer stepped in the way of the attacker with such an automatic heroism that the Parliament building was never breached. The terrorist did not make it beyond 20 yards inside New Palace Yard thanks to Palmer and the plain clothes armed officers who shot and killed him. This time around, I was nowhere near Westminster on Wednesday, but I did spent a frantic 10 minutes trying to contact my partner who had texted to say he was just outside the Commons at the time. The nature of the Houses of Parliament as a prime target means that, even though breaches of security are rare, the police and workers can be prepared. Yet the cowardly actions of this attacker, who drove indiscriminately at the softest of targets on Westminster Bridge  school children grouped together, tourists paying attention to the spectacle of the Houses of Parliament rather than an accelerating vehicle behind them  meant that, for them, any escape route was impossible. The Independent has launched its #FinalSay campaign to demand that voters are given a voice on the final Brexit deal.
A summary of the latest development from today's London terrorist attack, which has taken place on the one year anniversary of the March 2016 Brussels Massacre: An SUV drove over Westminster Bridge knocking down pedestrians this afternoon killing at least five people in the process - including one policeman and the suspect - while injuring 40 others Victims were said to have been left scattered in the road, with some reportedly floating in the River Thames A knifeman, described as 'middle-aged and Asian' then got into the grounds of Parliament where he reportedly stabbed a police officer He as then shot by armed officers as the area was cleared by emergency services According to a Scotland yard conference, there are numerous casualties, including police officers; The London police requests the public to avoid the area around parliament and nearby bridges. Parliament was suspended and the Prime Minister was rushed from the scene in an unmarked police car As SkyNews summarizes the chaotis sequence of events, the attacker drove into people on Westminster bridge, drove to Parliament Square, stabbed police officer and was shot by police According to the UK's Mirror, the following is a photo of the moment the Parliament terror attack suspect is wheeled into an ambulance after being shot by police. The man, who was said to be "Asian, and middle-aged" in appearance, entered the grounds of the Houses of Parliament and stabbed a policeman just after 2.30pm this afternoon. This is what is believed to be the series of events this afternoon where a knife attacker drove into pedestrians before he was shot As the Daily Mail reports, a terror attacker brought carnage to central London today by mowing down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge and attacking police with a knife in the grounds of the Houses of Parliament. At least 20 people are said to have been hit by a car on the bridge after a vehicle described as a '4x4' drove into pedestrians and cyclists, with four people reportedly killed, including a police officer and the suspect. The alleged vehicle that mowed down people An intruder, described by a witness as 'middle-aged and Asian', then managed to break into the grounds of the Parliament and stabbed a police officer before he was shot. An hour after the attack, paramedics removed one person from the scene after extensive CPR. Another body appeared to have been left on the ground covered by a red blanket. A police officer was stabbed by the knifeman before he was shot by other officers. Prime Minister Theresa May is said to have been bundled into a car by a plain-clothes police officer and driven quickly from the scene. Scotland Yard said the attack, which comes a year to the day after the terrorist atrocities in Brussels, is being treated 'as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise'. Commons Leader David Lidington told MPs a 'police officer has been stabbed' and the 'alleged assailant was shot by armed police' following a 'serious' incident within the parliamentary estate. Witness Jayne Wilkinson said: 'We were taking photos of Big Ben and we saw all the people running towards us, and then there was an Asian guy in about his 40s carrying a knife about seven or eight inches long. 'And then there were three shots fired, and then we crossed the road and looked over. The man was on the floor with blood.' He had a lightweight jacket on, dark trousers and a shirt. He was running through those gates, towards Parliament, and the police were chasing him.' Emergency teams were seen carrying out CPR inside the palace grounds in New Palace Yard Her partner David Turner added: 'There was a stampede of people running out. You saw the people and you thought 'what the hell is going on'.' Steve Voake, 55, was walking across the Westminster Bridge and saw at least two bodies lying on the road and one in the water. 'I saw a trainer lying in the road and when I looked more closely I saw that there were a couple of bodies the other side of the road,' he told the Press Association. 'And when I looked over the side there was another body lying in the water with blood all around it.' An injured victim walks from the scene on Westminster Bridge where at least 10 people were reported knocked down Mail journalist Quentin Letts saw the incident out of the window of a Commons office. He told the BBC: 'We heard this sound that sounded like a car crash 'Then we saw a thick set man in black clothes come through the gates where people would normally drive cars 'This man had something in his hand. It looked like a stick. He was challenged by two policemen. The policeman fell down. 'We could see the man in black movinghis arm in a way that suggested he was either striking or stabbing.' Kevin Schofield, the editor of PoliticsHome.com heard 'a very loud bang' from the press gallery inside the Houses of Parliament followed by lots of shouting and men running around. He initially thought it was a car crash but then he looked outside the window to a heavily-guarded area outside which is out of bounds to the public. He told Sky News: 'Someone rushed through, attacked a policeman, a policeman went down, another policeman came and he was rescued. 'The man who had assaulted him got up and he appeared to be carrying either a knife or a gun. Then we heard gunfire, lots of gunfire, maybe five or six rounds. 'All I remember seeing is the man approaching the police officer probably with a knife and then there was gunfire.' Eyewitness Rick Longley described the attack saying: 'We were just walking up to the station and there was a loud bang and a guy, someone, crashed a car and took some pedestrians out. 'They were just laying there and then the whole crowd just surged around the corner by the gates just opposite Big Ben. 'A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman. I have never seen anything like that. I just can't believe what I just saw.' After the incident, Radoslaw Sikorski posted a video to Twitter purporting to show people lying injured in the road on Westminster Bridge. Mr Sikorski, a senior fellow at Harvard's Centre for European Studies, wrote: 'A car on Westminster Bridge has just mowed down at least 5 people.' People outside the palace could be seen running from the scene when the shots were heard. An eye witness said that a car was seen to mow down five people on Westminster Bridge. Police are then believed to have shot a man who tried to enter the Parliamentary Estate. The dramatic incident comes weeks after it was revealed that UK security services have foiled 13 potential attacks in less than four years, while counter-terrorism units are running more than 500 investigations at any time. The official threat level for international terrorism has stood at severe, meaning an attack is 'highly likely', for more than two years. Liberal Democrat transport spokeswoman Baroness Randerson said countries seem to have been 'singled out based on religious beliefs'. 'Of course safety is paramount at all times and we all need to remain vigilant but this ban needs to be explained in detail,' she said. Two people have reportedly been shot outside the U.K. parliament building in London, in a developing incident that may have taken place on the adjacent Westminster Bridge. A parliamentary clerk told Reuters two people had been shot, but there was no official confirmation from the police. A Reuters photographer said he saw at least a dozen people injured on Westminster Bridge near the parliament building. Reports said that a man was seen waving a knife and police said they treating the situation as a firearm incident. * * * Eariler Shots have been reportedly fired outside UK parliament in London, where two people have been reportedly shot outside the gates to parliament, Reuters and Bloomberg report with iTV adding that explosions heard outside British Parliament, the building on lockdown. The Sun reports that a car mowed down a dozen pedestrians on Westminster Bridge. According to SkyNews, waves of people' have been seen running from Parliament amid reports of gunfire, while Reuters adds that around six people are injured on Westminster Bridgeg. As BBC adds, politicians and journalists have tweeted about hearing loud crashes outside the buildings, as witnesses said they saw people being treated for injuries. Witnesses have reported seeing a man with a knife within the palace grounds. A police officer has also told a BBC's political editor that someone has been shot outside Portcullis House. SHOTS FIRED OUTSIDE U.K. PARLIAMENT IN LONDON: BBG PEOPLE ON GROUND ARE WITHIN PRECINCTS OF PARLIAMENT IN LONDON HOUSE OF COMMONS SITTING HAS BEEN SUSPENDED REUTERS PHOTOGRAPHER SEES AROUND SIX PEOPLE INJURED ON WESTMINSTER BRIDGE OUTSIDE BRITISH PARLIAMENT
Related articles In terms of us being here we are just carrying on as normal. Really thinking about everybody who has been injured and who has died. This morning a statement by the Met Police revealed four people had died, including a man in his mid 50s and a Spanish woman in her mid 40s. Acting lead commissioner Mark Rowley said 29 people had been injured, with seven still in critical condition. A tearful man revealed how proud of the emergency services and in particular the Met police he was following the attack. He said: Very proud of the police, pity that constable died, but the police were on the ball and they done an excellent job as per usual. Seeing what we saw over here with the amount of police around, well done to the Metropolitan police. A tourist couple claimed that they would not be deterred from London by the attack. Were not going to stop being tourists, he said. Were just going to get on with it. EXPRESS One couple admitted they were thinking about those who lost their lives on Wednesday Were just going to get on with it Tourist His partner added: Its good to see lots of police, it makes it safe, it feels safe. The Met police have said that the man responsible for the deadly attack was Khalid Masood, a 52-year old man from Kent who was living in the West Midlands. Scotland Yard said: The man police believe to be responsible for the terrorist attack in Westminster yesterday, Wednesday, 22 March, has now been formally identified as Khalid Masood. Masood, aged 52 (25.12.1964), was born in Kent and detectives believe he was most recently living in the West Midlands. Masood was also known by a number of aliases. Masood was not the subject of any current investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack. A tourist from Hamburg reiterated the message that she would not be stopped exploring London due to the terror attack. She said: We were standing in front of Buckingham Palace and there were lots of police sirens, but we just figured, its not going to stop us, its not going to be any different. Amber, a 20-year-old American intern said this message was clear in London and suggested she didnt feel any different after what had happened. Ive found that everyone is acting like everything is normal, she said. No one is acting suspicious or anything, everyone is just trying to get back to what life is. A Canadian teacher, originally from Blackburn, urged Brits to not be impacted by the terror attack. The 72-year-old said: I really dont feel much different because I seem to be so far removed from it. Bad news travels fast and its often exaggerated and until you get the real facts youre not sure whats going on. But keeping with tradition, you keep calm and carry on, you cant let these people take over and dictate what we are going to do. Speaking on Wednesday following the terror attack, the Prime Minister paid tribute to the emergency services and to those who had lost their lives. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all that have been affected, to the victims themselves and their family and friends who waved their loved ones off but will not now be welcoming them home, she said. One tourist from Amsterdam admitted that her family back home were more worried than her, before another tourist suggested the atmosphere was back to normal in the capital. A Londoner finished by claiming that he was a little on edge by the attack, but insisted that people will just go on with their lives.
Share this: Comments Fancy being locked in a haunted police cell? Forget Halloween Fancy a spooky night of fun, locked in a haunted cell for 24 hours to raise money for charity. Then we have an event that is right up your street. Following on from the success of the PC Edward Walker Tour, Jules Berry a DDO with the Met Police is back with her spooky haunted cell idea to raise money for COPS UK and WMP History Museum, That is exactly what you can do this Feb. Met Police Detention Officer Jules Berry is arranging the whole event in partnership with the WMP History Museum and is hoping to raise thousands of pounds for charity. The event will take place on the 8th and 9th of February 2019, but be quick as places are limited. Unfortunately, Police Hour will no longer be live streaming this event to our 2.5 Million Followers, But we hope our readers can still attend and support this event. Need we say any more, Simply watch this video then sign up Hats off to Kerry Blakeman for his fantastic advertorial. The event is being held to support the restoration of the West Midlands Police Museum and COPS UK. About COPS COPS is the UK charity dedicated to helping the families of police officers who have lost their lives in relation to their duty, to rebuild their lives. Since being founded in 2003, they have helped hundreds of families shattered by the loss of their police officer. They aim to ensure that surviving family members have all the help they need to cope with such a tragedy and they remain part of the police family. What COPS do? COPS is a peer support charity, enabling Survivors from around the UK to support other Survivors in practical ways. They arrange local and national events that enable Survivors to build friendships and bonds that support them through the good times and bad. Families are rightly proud of their officer and COPS to help ensure that they remain part of the police family. What about the WMP History? The West Midlands Police Museum at Coventry was opened in 1959 and celebrates the history of Coventry City Police which existed between 1839 & 1969, before becoming part of Warwickshire and Coventry Constabulary and in 1974, West Midlands Police. The site at Sparkhill has been operating since 1995 when it moved there from the forces training facility at Tally Ho! where it been operating as a CID training facility since the mid 1970s. Several of the exhibits had originated from the old Forensic Science Service laboratory when it moved from Newton Street to Gooch Street. The Sparkhill museum contains items of policing memorabilia and old records from the West Midlands Police predecessor forces of Birmingham City Police, Walsall Borough Police, Dudley Borough Police, Wolverhampton Borough Police and West Midlands Constabulary. Some records are also held of Staffordshire County Police and Worcestershire officers as parts of those forces now fall within the West Midlands Police area. You can also drop an email [email protected] to sign up, you must raise a minimum of 250 sponsorship. Let us know your views by tweeting @PoliceHour We'll feature the best tweets within the article. Share this: Comments What on earth is happening in Salisbury? Two people fall seriously ill Emergency Services have launched a major incident after two people have fallen ill in Salisbury. Officers have placed a cordon around Prezzo Restaurant after a man and woman were taken ill. Police have declared a major incident. Police do not believe this is linked to Novichok. Police received a call from the ambulance service to Prezzo restaurant, in High Street, at approximately 6.45pm. Two people, a man aged in his 40s and a woman aged in her 30s, had become unwell. Due to recent events in the city and concerns that the pair had been exposed to an unknown substance, a highly precautionary approach was taken by all emergency services. Both were taken to Salisbury District Hospital and were clinically assessed. We can now confirm that there is nothing to suggest that Novichok is the substance. Both people remain in hospital under observation. The major incident status has now been stood down. At this stage it is not yet clear if a crime has been committed and enquiries remain ongoing. Salisbury District Hospital remains open as usual. A cordon will remain in place around Prezzo at this time as part of ongoing routine enquiries. All other areas that were cordoned off will now be reopened. Wed like to thank the public for their patience as a result of the impact of this incident. Let us know your views by tweeting @PoliceHour We'll feature the best tweets within the article. Share this: Comments Homeless man covered in red spray paint found dead in cemetery days later Police say they are not linking the incidents together despite a vile video being uploaded to Facebook just days before. Sick thugs covered the homeless man in red paint as he sat outside a supermarket, the attack was uploaded to facebook along with the the words : This is how we deal with the beggars on the street. He is not even a beggar we spray them to death. Days later he was found dead, Police say these circumstances are non-suspicious. The shocking video was shared on Facebook of Micheal Cash outside of Tesco Express in Normanby. Despite Cash being found dead days later police refuse to link the death to this incident after his body was found in Eston Cemetery in Middlesbrough on Wednesday afternoon. Crime Scene Investigators could be seen in the bushes within the cemetery and quickly put a cordon in place. It has been speculated that Cash killed himself following the incident, but until circumstances are known we will not be able to speculate. Police have confirmed the death is not suspicious there it is our assumption the circumstances around the death are no longer being investigated. Police have not formally identified the body but a member of Mr Cashs family confirmed they were visited by detectives on Wednesday. Police have asked people not to speculate on social media regarding the incident. Cleveland Police have released a statement saying The death of a man whose body was found in Eston Cemetery on Wednesday 12th September is not being treated as suspicious. The man who is believed to be aged in his 30s has not yet been formally identified. A post-mortem examination has been held and although the death is not being treated as suspicious police believe this man was the victim of a previous incident of assault which resulted in the man being sprayed with red paint. The incident occurred near to Tesco Express on the High Street in Normanby and was reported to police on Sunday 9th September. Detective Inspector Matt Hollingsworth said: Police are aware of the speculation on social media regarding the cause of the mans death but we are not linking the assault with his death. Officers are carrying out enquiries in relation to the assault outside of Tesco and would appeal for anyone with information or anyone who witnessed it to contact Cleveland Police on the non-emergency number 101 quoting 166668, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or www.crimestoppers-uk.org. Let us know your views by tweeting @PoliceHour We'll feature the best tweets within the article.
LISTEN - Former York student speaks of Westminster attack A former student at the University of York has spoken to Minster FM about her experiences of the Westminster terror attacks. Katy Sandalls, now a postgraduate student at the University of Sheffield, was visiting Westminster as part of her course when the attacks began. She told Minster FM about what happened: Katy said: "We were on the first floor of Portcullis House, which is just across the road from the Palace of Westminster. Suddenly, armed police were around and were telling everyone to move back and keep away from the glass. It was at that point we realized everything was serious. It was a very strange experience. Obviously we had no idea what was going to happen next, or how long we were going to be there. Fortunately the security services were very good and were trying to keep us as informed as they could. It's not how we expected the day to go at all and it's strange thinking about it now." This is what we know so far about the attack on Westminster Bridge and the Palace of Westminster. :: A raid in Birmingham is linked to the Westminster terror attack, according to Sky sources. :: Seven people have been arrested and six addresses have been searched. :: Three people died in the attack, plus the assailant who was shot dead by police. :: The first named victim is PC Keith Palmer, a 48-year-old husband and father, who was guarding Parliament. :: A woman in her 40s and a man in his 50s also died. :: The attacker was shot by police and later died. Police think they know who he is but he has not been named. :: Police say 29 people were treated in hospital, with some suffering "catastrophic injuries". :: Seven people remain in a critical condition. :: Among the injured were two police officers who were hit by the car on Westminster Bridge. :: The most seriously injured have been taken to King's College Hospital in south London. :: A woman who fell in to the River Thames during the attack was rescued but is seriously ill. :: People from South Korea, France and Romania were among those harmed. :: Prime Minister Theresa May has condemned the attack as "sick and depraved".
Finsbury Park Cover-up? PM May says Lone Wolf  But 4 separate witnesses say THREE men were in attack van Early this morning, the mainstream media reported that another terrorist attack took place in London. Were told that one man died and 10 people were injured after a 48 year-old man drove a white van onto the pavement running over worshippers after late night Ramadan prayer at the Muslim Welfare House in Finsbury Park. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick stated that the incident was quite clearly an attack on Muslims. Theresa May announced that the police were on the scene in only 1 minute, and that incredibly, police had officially declared the event a terrorist incident after just 8 minutes. Police apprehended one man, supposedly white-caucasian, who they say was motived by hate for Muslims. IMAGE: The suspect in custody was driving a rented white van (pictured above). This afternoon in her lunchtime statement, Prime Minister Theresa May reiterated that the terror attack was indeed a lone wolf attack. Watch the following BBC segment from this afternoon; at the 1 min 50 second mark, May clearly states, The early assessment with the police is that the attacker acted alone. . However, at least four separate testimonies were made on camera this morning at the scene of the incident  which tell an entirely different story. Question: With such a high-profile incident, how is it possible that the official statement could differ so greatly from multiple eye-witnesses on the ground? Watch the following segment broadcast on Sky News, where Mohammed clearly states that there were 3 men in the alleged attack van  one man was and held down by the crowd before eventually being apprehended by the police. Watch: The next segment shows the BBC at the scene in the immediate aftermath of the event, and interviewing a man by the name of Khalid who, like Mohammed on Sky News, clearly states that there were 3 men in the alleged attack van.  Two, they ran, and one got arrested after people surrounded him there [at the scene]. Watch: Here is third man at the scene, interviewed by Ruptly News Agency. His testimony is secondhand but on-the-scene nonetheless. He describes how he came out of the mosque and photographed the suspect arrested by police and was told by persons close to him that two other men were in the van and who quickly ran on foot. Watch: .The following was a statement given by Adil Rana, 24 years old, on the scene of the incident, who spoke with Sky News and stated that there were three men in the van, and two escaped on foot. Ranas full statement was available on video this morning as of 11:30am at Sunrise Radios website at the following page, which has been taken offline for some reason: If any one of these witness statements is true, and this was indeed a terrorist attack  then that means their are currently TWO fugitive terrorist suspects on the loose at present. If this is the case, then by definition, this omission by police and the government would be a cover-up. Question: Are police currently looking for the two men who fled on foot  as testified by multiple persons on the scene? 3 Responses to Finsbury Park Cover-up? PM May says Lone Wolf  But 4 separate witnesses say THREE men were in attack van Grenfell Tower Cover-up: 500 People Are Now Dead, Media Silence London Tower blaze death toll played down by media The British media are covering up the death toll of hundreds of people at the recent Grenfell Tower Blaze in West London according to a long-standing resident. The resident who, known as Nadia (family name or not given) or DJ Isla on Social Media, claims that the 500 people who are currently unaccounted for are dead. London Police Commander, Stuart Cundy recently confirmed to reporters that 58 people are feared dead from the blaze. Despite reports of the current death toll, public tensions and anger are surging due to the lack of transparency on the actual death toll. Is Terry May the pre World War 3 version of Neville Chamberlain? Who is waiting in the wings like the sexually deviant war hawk Winston Churchill? Is the UK about to have a puppet government of national unity led by no other than elevated to the House of Lords Tony Cnuting Blair? Lord Halifax very nearly led the WW2 government of national unity after Neville Chamberlains downfall following the phoney war. I sat last night drinking a very good bottle of wine, much better than my normal plonk. For some reason, I felt particularly calm, not my normal demeanour, as Im normally a crotchety old b*stard. I sat thinking along very similar lines to this Aldous. Tony Bliar wasnt in my equation, but now that you mention it, it does make perfect gut churning sense. You are certainly more articulate than I am, I like your style.
"You were ripped away from our lives in the cruellest and most cowardly of ways. We now pray that you guide and protect not only us, but all of London, from further evil. "You will always be remembered as our guardian angel who never shied away from facing up to bullies. There are no words to even begin to describe the crushing pain and eternal void left in our hearts." Media playback is unsupported on your device Media captionImam Nufais Ahmed: 'Any attack against this country is an attack on ourselves' Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption Police officers joined the crowds in remembering the victims of last Wednesday's attack In Westminster on Wednesday, acting commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Craig Mackey said: "This afternoon is about remembering the victims of last week's events. "Our thoughts, our prayers, go out to everyone who was affected by the events last week." Zafir Malik, an imam from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association, said his members were "here to show that we are united with our fellow countrymen and remembering those who have fallen, especially PC Keith Palmer". As the vigil reached Parliament, dozens of people laid flowers on the side of the bridge, among them a man who was hurt in the attack. At the scene By Alex Therrien, BBC News There was an atmosphere of solidarity as the silence was held on Westminster Bridge. Just before the clock struck 14:40 BST, a group including police, children and faith leaders walked across the bridge, led by the banner "love for all, hatred for none". When the silence finished, children and other members of the procession laid flowers near to where three pedestrians were killed by Masood. Earlier, people held hands across the bridge in a symbol of unity. Among those paying tribute was Danyal Ahmad, a trainee imam at the Baitul Futuh Mosque in south-west London. The 21-year-old said his group, Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association, wanted to show that Islam was about "love, peace and compassion". His brother, Zishan Ahmad, a 25-year-old imam, who also attended the memorial, added: "You can't divide London - we stand together. "It doesn't matter if you are Muslim, Christian or Jew, or black, brown or any other race. London will never be divided." Brendan O'Connor, from Holborn, central London, said the memorial service sent a message that those seeking to divide London are "not going to stop us". Det Supt Crossley described how Masood, driving across Westminster Bridge, mounted the pavement twice in an apparently deliberate attempt to target pedestrians. He crashed the car into the east perimeter railings of the Palace of Westminster, before going into the grounds to attack PC Palmer. More than 35 people were injured in the attack. Twelve are still being treated in hospital, one of whom is in a coma. Image copyrightPAImage caption One of the victims was retired window cleaner Leslie Rhodes, whose picture has now been released The inquest into Masood's death will be opened and adjourned on Thursday. In other developments: Commons Speaker John Bercow told MPs that two reviews of the incident will be held A preliminary report into how the perimeter of the parliamentary estate is secured and protected will be published by the end of April A review into the "lessons learned" from the response will report back by the end of June Earlier, acting Met Police commissioner Craig Mackey told London Assembly members last Wednesday was a "terrible" day but the capital's response had brought about "hope" He said the force had an "extraordinary" level of firearms capability and it was quickly made available after the attack The Met has announced that the funeral of PC Palmer will take place at Southwark Cathedral on 10 April He will receive a full police service funeral, which will be followed by a private cremation Earlier, the family of a Romanian woman who fell into the Thames during the attack said they had been overwhelmed by "love, support and respect" for her. Andreea Cristea, 29, was on holiday with her boyfriend Andrei Burnaz. Image caption Andreea Cristea was on holiday with Andrei Burnaz In a statement, the couple's families said Ms Cristea was still in a critical but stable condition in hospital. Mr Burnaz sustained a broken foot but has been discharged. They added: "Our family is so grateful for the first responders, the medical personnel and the assistance of the UK government agencies." Further questioning The so-called Islamic State group has said it was behind Masood's attack, but police say they have so far found no evidence of an association with the group or al-Qaeda. Two men were arrested in Birmingham under the Terrorism Act by police investigating the attack. One remains in custody after officers were granted warrants for further detention, while the other was released with no further action.
Precedents, Parallels: The Westminster Attack's Social and Historical Context Salih Khater, a 29-year-old shop manager from Birmingham, is currently in police custody, the prime suspect in August 14's attempted terror attack in Westminster, that left cyclists and pedestrians injured during early-morning rush-hour. Initially arrested on suspicion of terror offences, then attempted murder, the Sudanese immigrant, who resided in the Sparkhill area of Birmingham, was a former accountancy student at Coventry University, but dropped out after less than a year in May. While Khater is still refusing to cooperate with investigators, and little has been disclosed about him so far, officials have indicated the attacker was not known to security services of any stripe prior to the attack, a notable feature of the incident. State surveillance of suspects prior to attacks, and missed opportunities to prevent such events, are a recurring theme of major terrorist incidents in Western countries. In the case of the June 2017 London Bridge attacks, which claimed the lives of eight civilians, it has emerged security agents surveilled the trio as they loaded a van used in the attack before departing to their fateful destination. The car that was driven at pedestrians and cyclists in Westminster then crashed into the barrier outside the Houses of Parliament on Tuesday is seen in an image handed out by the Metropolitan Police in London, August 15, 2018 Just two hours later, their vehicle was mowing down pedestrians on London Bridge, before the group exited and went on a stabbing spree, attacking Friday night revellers at nearby pubs and restaurants. They were only stopped when armed police arrived and shot them dead, eight minutes after the attack commenced. Troubling Parallels Nonetheless, Khater's attempted strike was not without recent parallel  perhaps most obviously, the March 22 2017 terror attack outside the Palace of Westminster, less than a fifth of a mile away from where August 14's violence unfolded. Khalid Masood, 52, drove a car into pedestrians on the pavement along the south side of Westminster Bridge and Bridge Street, injuring over 50 and killing five. He then crashed the vehicle into the perimeter fence of Westminster Palace and ran into New Palace Yard, in an apparent attempt to enter parliament. En route, he fatally stabbed a police officer, before being shot by an armed police officer and dying at the scene. FILE- In this March 22, 2017 file photo, the attacker Khalid Masood is treated by emergency services outside the Houses of Parliament London. British Police named on Thursday March 23, 2017, Khalid Masood as The Houses of Parliament attacker Subsequent investigation by both media and authorities revealed Masood to be a heavy cocaine user with an extensive history of violence. Convictions for public order offences stretched back to 1983  but in 2000, he was sentenced to two years in prison for grievous bodily harm after a knife attack in a bar in Sussex. Three years later, he received a further six months' incarceration for possession of an offensive weapon following another knife attack in Sussex. It was while in prison he converted to Islam, and he subsequently made several visits to Saudi Arabia. Like other terrorists before and since, Masood was well-known to security services. In 2010, he was a "peripheral figure" in an MI5 investigation into a group of Islamists later convicted of plotting to bomb a Territorial Army base in Luton  although following a risk assessment, MI5 decided he didn't pose a threat. However, between 2012  2016, Masood was a person of interest in MI5 investigations as a contact of individuals linked to UK-based salafist organization Al-Muhajiroun. Some critical voices have questioned how to he seemingly arrived with such precision at the exact moment the Carriage Gate to the South of the parliamentary estate was not only wide open but merely manned by unarmed uniformed police officers, rather than armed specialists. Had it not been for the miraculous presence at the scene of then-Defense Secretary Michael Fallon's armed bodyguard, Masood would've likely enacted far greater carnage than he ultimately managed. Independent researcher Garrick Alder has gone so far as to suggest Masood may have had a source in parliament, who helping ensure he was in the right place and time to penetrate Parliament's usually rock-solid defensive structures. Point of Origin In many ways, Masood was an atypical jihadist, given most are under 30. However, like Khater he resided in Birmingham  an area of the UK that has become closely associated with Islamic extremism. The city, Britain's second-largest, was allegedly the birthplace of the UK's first suicide bomber, where the country's first al-Qaeda plot was hatched, and was also home to one of the financiers of the 9/11 atrocity. Masood rented the vehicle used in his attack from Enterprise's Birmingham branch, and the days following the incident saw police carry out a series of raids across the city  four arrests, out of eight nationwide, were made there. Moreover, a study in 2017 estimated one in 10 of all those linked to Islamist terrorism in Britain and abroad  26 in total  hailed from just five council wards in Birmingham; Bordesley Green, Hodge Hill, Sparkbrook, Springfield, and Washwood Heath. In all, 39 convicted terrorists have hailed from Birmingham, more than West Yorkshire, Greater Manchester and Lancashire combined, out of a Muslim population of 234,000. Police and emergency services are seen working at the scene of a multiple car crash on Lee Bank Middleway in central Birmingham, Britain, December 17, 2017 Among their number are Moinal Abedin, who attended a training camp in Pakistan, and turned his Sparkbrook home into an incendiary factory. When raided by police, investigators found industrial quantities" of explosive HMTD, later used in the 7/7 London bombings. Abedin was jailed for 20 years in 2002. Likewise, Rashid Rauf, a ringleader of a plot to blow up transatlantic airliners in 2006, was a Birmingham resident. He was arrested in Pakistan in December that year but charges against him were eventually reduced to forgery and possession of explosives. He subsequently escaped from prison, and is said to have been killed in a 2008 drone strike. American officials have claimed Rauf he was protected  and may have been allowed to flee custody  by extremist elements within Pakistani intelligence. The year Rauf absconded, fellow Brummie Parviz Khan was jailed for life for planning to kidnap and behead a British soldier. In 2013, a trio of lifelong Sparkhill dwellers were jailed for as combined minimum of 51 years for plotting to carry out an attack that expressly aimed to kill more civilians than the 7/7 attacks. The prevalence of thought in the city is often said to result from extensive infiltration of both state and local Islamic education resources by extremist elements. Birmingham has been accused of being the center of 'peration trojan horse,' a plot by organized Islamists to infiltrate and take over state education structures. Whether a genuine strategy or not, the infection of mainstream Islamic institutions in the UK by extremist ideology has long been known by authorities and the public alike, but typically only in the aftermath of major terrorist attacks is it widely acknowledged. Police forensics investigators work on London Bridge after a terror attack in London, Britain, June 4, 2017. For instance, in 2010 an investigation found around 40 Islamic religious schools operating in Britain used anti-Semitic textbooks to teach children as young as six Jews descend from "monkeys" and "pigs"  and Zionists are plotting to take over the world. One textbook asked children to itemize the "reprehensible" qualities of Jews  another taught the penalty for sodomy is execution, and outlined differing perspectives as to whether death should be meted out via stoning, immolation or throwing offenders off a cliff. Hello, ! We are committed to protecting your personal information and we have updated our Privacy Policy to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), a new EU regulation that went into effect on May 25, 2018. Please review our Privacy Policy. It contains details about the types of data we collect, how we use it, and your data protection rights. 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He told BBC Breakfast: "It was an incredible and shocking event. A normal day in Parliament, very busy, very bustling. "The divisional bell went and MPs were migrating to the chamber then we heard a sound you never expect to hear - anywhere, let alone in Parliament - that was high-velocity gunshots that caused understandable panic and chaos. "I found myself coming out to where the incident was unfolding to find police officers, including Pc Keith Palmer, who every day deal with the public and tourists and are part of our community, had then moved into operational mode. "There was a gunline of about 30 guns, all trained towards the gates themselves. "Beyond that, that's where I saw Pc Keith Palmer was on the ground and he was bleeding and a couple of officers were trying to help. That's when I ran forward." Tobias Ellwood is visibly emotional on BBC BreakfastCredit: BBC Mr Ellwood added: "I didn't feel I did anything more than was the product of my training and background. "I am medically trained. I saw what was going on , so I stepped forward. I was one of many people that stepped forward that day to do what we could. It's the heroes of the police force who guarded Parliament. "But very sadly, the injuries that Pc Keith Palmer had sustained were just too complicated. "We had a wave of medics come through and then a helicopter landed in Parliament Square. "And still, we were unable to save his life. And it's a profound regret that that happened." He struggles to control his emotions during the interviewCredit: BBC Asked about how he explained the attack to his family, Mr Ellwood said: "A vivid image I have is returning home after what had happened and finding my son on the top of the stairs and he was in tears and he was on his own." Pausing for a moment to compose himself, he added with his voice breaking: "I sat next to him and he just asked 'why?'. "He couldn't understand why I stepped forward, why somebody had been killed, why somebody was wielding a knife in a place he had visited many times. "All I could offer was 'there are some bad people in the world, but there are a lot more good people and it's the good people who win'." As he was thanked for sharing his "raw emotions" by interviewer Charlie Stayt, a tear rolled down Mr Ellwood's cheek. A tear runs down Mr Ellwood's cheekCredit: BBC UK is dealing with 'dark chapter' of terrorism Mr Ellwood also warned that the threats faced by the UK are not going away and involve not just terrorism, but "resurgent nations challenging the world order". Describing how the UK is going through a "dark chapter" facing the terrorist threat, he paid tribute to the police for their work in a country "that seems to be getting more dangerous and more volatile". Mr Ellwood, who has lobbied within government for extra funding for the Armed Forces, said: "There are some big questions, wider questions, about what we do because this terrorist attack - non-state, caused by Daesh - they are not going away. "These attacks will continue unless we step forward and actually participate, become more pro-active in dealing with what is a very changing and dark chapter that we are enduring." He told BBC Radio 4's Today: "From 2002 to today, extremism is still there. We are still not able to better understand why people with a scant understanding of Islam are able to be recruited with a false promise of a fast-track to paradise. "Until that is grasped, until we can better ensure that the peaceful religion of Islam is better understood - probably at a very younger age - so these people aren't recruited, this threat will continue." The threats faced around the world meant "the relative peace that we have had for the last three or four decades is going to be challenged", Mr Ellwood said. "We are in a difficult time at the moment, there's no doubt about it," he added. 'Hero' police officers 'defending Parliament' Mr Ellwood was walking through the Palace of Westminster when Masood ploughed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before fatally stabbing unarmed police officer Pc Palmer a year ago on Thursday. He praised the work of the police on duty that day: "They were the ones that were defending Parliament and us, huge tribute to them. "They get up every day, they don't know how their day is going to unfold." #LondonUnited: Memorial tribute to vicims and survivors of attacks Plans have been revealed for a memorial for victims and survivors of the four terror attacks in London last year. Well-wishers will be able to leave messages in a digital book of hope at City Hall from Thursday, a year since Khalid Masood's attack in Westminster. Members of the public will be able to send messages to the installation - which will remain open until June - using #LondonUnited on social media, and their words will be projected on to a map of the capital. The tribute has been set up to mark the four terrorist atrocities that took place in the city last year - at Westminster Bridge, London Bridge, Finsbury Park and Parsons Green. The phrase #LondonUnited will be projected on to the Houses of Parliament, London Bridge, Finsbury Park Mosque and Parsons Green Tube station on the anniversaries of the attacks. #LondonUnited is projected onto the Houses of ParliamentCredit: Mayor of London London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: "Londoners will never forget the horrific terror attacks on our city in 2017. We will never forget the bravery of our emergency services and first responders who ran towards danger while urging the rest of us to run to safety. "And we will never forget the courage of Pc Keith Palmer, who paid the ultimate sacrifice whilst protecting Parliament. "These were not only attacks on our city and our country, but on the very heart of our democracy and the values we cherish most - freedom, justice and tolerance. "We know that families, friends and communities have their own private arrangements in place to mark this tragic anniversary, and our plans here at City Hall are intended to complement, without intruding on, individual private commemorations. "I hope these arrangements will help people to come together and remember those who were killed and injured, to show solidarity and support for their families and friends and the people whose lives have been affected by these tragic attacks. "As we enter this period of remembrance and reflection, we stand together as Londoners, united against terrorism and in hope for the future." Five innocent people were killed in Masood's rampage - 48-year-old Pc Palmer, who was on duty at the Palace of Westminster, along with US tourist Kurt Cochran, Romanian tourist Andreea Cristea, 31, and Britons Aysha Frade, 44, and 75-year-old Leslie Rhodes, who were mown down on the bridge. The planned memorial was agreed following meetings with bereaved families, survivors, members of the emergency services and local councils. MPs hold minute's silence to remember victims Leader of Westminster City Council Nickie Aiken said she would join the Lord Mayor to lay flowers in Parliament Square on Thursday. She said: "This week's anniversary will inevitably lead to feelings of huge sadness and loss for so many. But we will continue to stand together, united by what we have in common and not what separates us. "That will be the true legacy of a senseless act of violence and murderous hate. It will only make the bonds that bind us all together even stronger." 'He wouldn't like any of the fuss': Pc Palmer's friend pays tribute to 'modest' officer A police officer has paid tribute to his friend and fellow officer who was killed in the Westminster attack. Pc Shaun Cartwright, who had been friends with Pc Keith Palmer for more than 10 years, said: "Keith was a very modest man. "He wouldn't like any of the fuss. He's just see whatever he was doing as just performing his job and doing it to the best of his ability." The pair had previously worked together on the on the Territorial Support Group and Pc Cartwright was due to be on shift after Pc Palmer at the gates on the day of the attack. Pc Keith Palmer with Staci Martin, an American tourist, 45 minutes before his death He told LBC radio: "I was getting myself changed when the alarm went off, that there'd been a terrorist attack, there'd been a large explosion in the area of Portcullis House, Westminster Bridge, so I quickly pulled on all of my kit. "It took me 30 seconds or so, run down towards the scene once I'd picked up my radio and battery and I went down to very close to the scene... I saw roughly what had happened. "Obviously, we were unsure what was happening, whether it was going to be like a lone wolf attack or if it was a multi, marauding attack. That's the thing that most people were unsure about. We didn't know whether the person was acting alone or whether he was part of a bigger team." Video: Thousands attend Pc Keith Palmer's funeral He told LBC that getting back to work had been "incredibly tough for an awful lot of people," especially for those that responded first of all, and that PC Palmer's family were "coping as best they can, like people do in terrible circumstances".
Here is the full text of the Prime Minister's speech: "But today we meet as normal - as generations have done before us, and as future generations will continue to do - to deliver a simple message: we are not afraid. And our resolve will never waver in the face of terrorism. "And we meet here, in the oldest of all Parliaments, because we know that democracy - and the values it entails - will always prevail. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP "Those values - free speech, liberty, human rights and the rule of law - are embodied here in this place, but they are shared by free people around the world. "A terrorist came to the place where people of all nationalities and cultures gather to celebrate what it means to be free. And he took out his rage indiscriminately against innocent men, women and children. "Mr Speaker, this was an attack on free people everywhere - and on behalf of the British people, I would like to thank our friends and allies around the world who have made it clear that they stand with us at this time. "What happened on the streets of Westminster yesterday afternoon sickened us all. "While there is an ongoing police investigation, the House will understand that there are limits to what I can say. "But, having been updated by police and security officials, let me set out what at this stage I can tell the House. "At approximately 2.40pm yesterday, a single attacker drove his vehicle at speed into innocent pedestrians who were crossing Westminster Bridge, killing two people and injuring around 40 more. A police officer places flowers and a photo of PC Keith Palmer on Whitehall near the Houses of Parliament (PA) "In addition to 12 Britons admitted to hospital, we know that the victims include three French children, two Romanians, four South Koreans, one German, one Pole, one Irish, one Chinese, one Italian, one American and two Greeks. "And we are in close contact with the governments of the countries of all those affected. "The injured also included three police officers who were returning from an event to recognise their bravery. Two of those three remain in a serious condition. "Mr Speaker, the attacker then left the vehicle and approached a police officer at Carriage Gates, attacking that officer with a large knife, before he was shot dead by an armed police officer. "Tragically, as the House will know, 48-year-old PC Keith Palmer was killed. "PC Palmer had devoted his life to the service of his country. He had been a member of the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command for 15 years, and a soldier in the Royal Artillery before that. "He was a husband and a father, killed doing a job he loved. "He was every inch a hero. And his actions will never be forgotten. "I know the whole House will join me in sending our deepest condolences to his family - and to the families and friends of all those who have been killed or injured in yesterday's awful attacks. "I know also that the House will wish to thank all those who acted with such speed and professionalism yesterday to secure this place and ensure we are able to meet as we are doing today. Paramedics load a victim into the back of an ambulance on Westminster Bridge (AFP/ Getty Images) "Mr Speaker, at 7.30 last night, I chaired a meeting of the Government's emergency committee COBR and will have further briefings and meetings with security officials today. "The threat level to the UK has been set at 'severe' - meaning an attack is highly likely - for some time. "This is the second highest threat level. The highest level - 'critical' - means there is specific intelligence that an attack is imminent. "As there is no such intelligence, the independent Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre has decided that the threat level will not change in the light of yesterday's attack. "Mr Speaker, the whole country will want to know who was responsible for this atrocity and the measures that we are taking to strengthen our security, including here in Westminster. "A full counter-terrorism investigation is already under way. "Hundreds of our police and security officers have been working through the night to establish everything possible about this attack - including its preparation, motivation and whether there were any associates involved in its planning. "And while there remain limits on what I can say at this stage, I can confirm that overnight the police have searched six addresses and made eight arrests in Birmingham and London. Two boxing teams were at the House of Commons when the Westminster attack happened ( Getty) "Mr Speaker, it is still believed that this attacker acted alone, and the police have no reason to believe there are imminent further attacks on the public. "His identity is known to the police and MI5 and, when operational considerations allow, he will be publicly identified. "What I can confirm is that the man was British-born and that - some years ago - he was once investigated in relation to concerns about violent extremism. He was a peripheral figure. "The case is historic - he was not part of the current intelligence picture. "There was no prior intelligence of his intent - or of the plot. Intensive investigations continue. "And, as Acting Deputy Commissioner Rowley confirmed last night, our working assumption is that the attacker was inspired by Islamist ideology. "Mr Speaker, we know the threat from Islamist terrorism is very real. But while the public should remain utterly vigilant, they should not - and will not - be cowed by this threat. "As Acting Deputy Commissioner Rowley has made clear, we are stepping up policing to protect communities across the country and to reassure the public. "And, as a precautionary measure, this will mean increasing the number of patrols in cities across the country with more police and more armed police on the streets. "Following the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review, we protected the police budgets for counter-terrorism and committed to increase cross-government spending on counter-terrorism by 30% in real terms over the course of this Parliament. A medic near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament, where a police officer was stabbed yesterday ( Getty Images) "And over the next five years we will invest an extra 2.5 billion in building our global security and intelligence network, employing over 1,900 additional staff at MI5, MI6 and GCHQ and more than doubling our global network of counter-terrorism experts working with priority countries across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. "Mr Speaker, in terms of security here in Westminster, we should be clear first of all that an attacker attempted to break into Parliament and was shot dead within 20 yards of the gates. "If his intention was to gain access to this building, we should be clear that he did not succeed. "The police heroically did their job. But, as is routine, the police together with the House authorities are reviewing the security of the Parliamentary estate, co-ordinated with the Cabinet Office, who have responsibility for the security measures in place around the Government secure zone. "All of us in this House have a responsibility for the security and safety of our staff and advice is available for Members who need it. "Mr Speaker, yesterday we saw the worst of humanity, but we will remember the best. "We will remember the extraordinary efforts to save the life of Pc Keith Palmer, including those by my Right Honourable Friend the Member for Bournemouth East. "And we will remember the exceptional bravery of our police, security and emergency services who once again ran towards the danger even as they encouraged others to move the other way. "On behalf of the whole country, I want to pay tribute to them for the work they have been doing to reassure the public, treat the injured and bring security back to the streets of our capital city. Picture: (Jack Taylor / Getty) "That they have lost one of their own in yesterday's attack only makes their calmness and professionalism all the more remarkable. "Mr Speaker, a lot has been said since terror struck London yesterday. Much more will be said in the coming days. "But the greatest response lies not in the words of politicians, but in the everyday actions of ordinary people. "For beyond these walls today - in scenes repeated in towns and cities across the country - millions of people are going about their days and getting on with their lives. "The streets are as busy as ever. The offices full. The coffee shops and cafes bustling. "As I speak, millions will be boarding trains and aeroplanes to travel to London, and to see for themselves the greatest city on Earth. "It is in these actions - millions of acts of normality - that we find the best response to terrorism. "A response that denies our enemies their victory. That refuses to let them win. That shows we will never give in. "A response driven by that same spirit that drove a husband and father to put himself between us and our attacker, and to pay the ultimate price. "A response that says to the men and women who propagate this hate and evil: you will not defeat us. "Mr Speaker, let this be the message from this House and this nation today: our values will prevail."
As the inquiry into the atrocity gathered pace, Prime Minister Theresa May revealed the attacker was once linked to violent extremism. He was thought to have been inspired by Islamist ideology, she said. In an address to the House of Commons -- reconvened less than a day after it was placed in lockdown as the attack unfolded outside -- May vowed that Britain's freedoms and values would remain undiminished. Four people died in the attack. An American man and a British woman of Spanish origin were killed when Masood rammed a rental car onto the sidewalk on Westminster Bridge. Masood then stabbed an unarmed police officer in as he stood guard at Carriage Gates, an entrance into a cobbled courtyard frequently used by Members of Parliament and staff. A fourth victim died Thursday night after his life support was withdrawn at a hospital. Read More An ISIS-affiliated news agency claimed that the extremist group was behind Wednesday's outrage, which left 29 people requiring hospital treatment. Six people remain critically ill. Latest developments:  Khalid Masood had previous convictions for violence but not terrorism offenses, police said.  Kurt Cochran, from Utah, is named by family and his church as having died in the London attacks.  Injured include 10 nationalities besides the British, among them French, South Korean and American.  London Mayor Sadiq Khan led tributes at a vigil at Trafalgar Square, near the scene of the attack.  Addresses were searched in Birmingham and elsewhere and a number of arrests were made.  Queen Elizabeth II voices her "thoughts, prayers, and deepest sympathy" for all those affected. May: 'Our values will prevail' In a defiant speech, May vowed that Britain would not be cowed by the attack. "Yesterday an act of terrorism tried to silence our democracy. But today we meet as normal -- as generations have done before us, and as future generations will continue to do -- to deliver a simple message: we are not afraid. And our resolve will never waver in the face of terrorism. "And we meet here, in the oldest of all Parliaments, because we know that democracy -- and the values it entails -- will always prevail." She said the police officer who was killed in the attack, PC Keith Palmer, was "every inch a hero and his actions will never be forgotten." JUST WATCHED Minute of silence at UK Parliament after attack MUST WATCH Minute of silence at UK Parliament after attack01:29 May said the current threat level for Britain -- which has been at severe, the second highest, for some time -- would not be raised to critical because there was no specific intelligence that an attack was imminent. Since 2013, police, security and intelligence agencies have successfully disrupted 13 separate terrorist plots in Britain, she said. "We know the threat from Islamist terrorism is very real. But while the public should remain utterly vigilant they should not -- and will not -- be cowed by this threat." A tweet from ISIS-affiliated news agency Amaq said the attacker was "a soldier" of ISIS, inspired by its message. However, ISIS has provided no evidence for any direct links to the assailant, whom it did not name. CNN Terrorism Analyst Paul Cruickshank said the language used by ISIS asserting the attack was by one of its "soldiers" did not necessarily mean the group was claiming direct connections to the attacker. This phrasing has been used in the past by the group for attacks ISIS believes it helped inspire, he said. Investigation gathers pace Masood, who was born in Kent and had been living in the West Midlands region of central England, had previous convictions for violence but not for terrorism offenses, police said. His most recent conviction was in 2003 for possession of a knife. But he was not the subject of any recent investigations and there was no intelligence about his intent to mount an attack, the Metropolitan Police said. May said he was not part of the "current intelligence picture." Britain's most senior counterterror police officer, Mark Rowley, earlier said inquiries were continuing in London, the West Midlands city of Birmingham and elsewhere. Arrests were made in Birmingham and London. "It is still our belief -- which continues to be borne out by our investigation -- that this attacker acted alone yesterday and was inspired by international terrorism," Rowley said. The car rental company whose vehicle was used in the attack said it was cooperating with the police. Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament A car is seen crashed into a fence outside the Parliament building in London on Wednesday, March 22. Police have launched a "full counter-terrorism investigation" after an attacker rammed a car into crowds of people and stabbed a police officer on Parliament grounds. Hide Caption 1 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament An armed police officer stands over the attacker, identified as Khalid Masood, outside Parliament. "It appeared that a car was coming towards the House of Commons mowing down pedestrians on the way," Member of Parliament Gerald Howarth told CNN. "The driver then got access to the parliamentary estate, stabbed a police officer and was shot." Hide Caption 2 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament Masood is treated by emergency services as police look on at the scene outside the Houses of Parliament. The Metropolitan Police say he was born in Kent, but is believed to have been living in the West Midlands recently. Police say Masood was also known by a number of aliases. "Masood was not the subject of any current investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack," Met Police said in a statement. Hide Caption 3 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament Member of Parliament Tobias Ellwood, in the glasses, tends to one of the injured people amid the chaos. The man the politician was trying to save was a police officer who died, a witness on the scene told CNN. Authorities identified the deceased officer as Keith Palmer, 48. Hide Caption 4 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament Emergency workers attend to injured people at the scene. Hide Caption 5 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament Medics treat a victim on Westminster Bridge. Hide Caption 6 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament People leave the Parliament building after the incident. Lawmakers were forced to remain in the main debating chamber of the House of Commons as police responded to the incident outside. Hide Caption 7 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament A person is treated at the scene. Hide Caption 8 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament Medical aid is provided outside Parliament. Hide Caption 9 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament Tourists were trapped for a time in cars on the London Eye Ferris wheel, which was stopped in the immediate aftermath of the attack. Hide Caption 10 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament A police officer stands guard near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament. Hide Caption 11 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament A person receives medical treatment at the scene. Hide Caption 12 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament At right, the car of British Prime Minister Theresa May is driven away from Parliament. London Mayor Sadiq Khan told CNN that the city was protected by the best police and security services in the world. "I'm confident that we are doing all that we can to keep our city safe, to keep Londoners safe and to keep visitors safe," he said. Extra police officers will be patrolling London, he said. Victims named Police officer Keith Palmer was killed in the London attack, March 22, 2017. The dead police officer was named as Keith Palmer, a member of the Metropolitan Police's parliamentary and diplomatic protection command unit. He was a husband and father, and had served in the Met for 15 years. Aysha Frade, a 43-year-old teacher killed in the attack, was a British national whose mother is a Spanish national, a spokesman for Spain's Foreign Ministry told CNN. Earlier, the mayor of the Spanish town of Betanzos, Ramon Garcia Vasquez, had told CNN that Frade was a Spanish citizen. Frade's family and relatives live in Betanzos, according to Vasquez. Aysha Frade was also named as a victim of the terror attack in central London. US citizen Kurt Cochran was in London celebrating his 25th wedding anniversary with his wife Melissa, who suffered a broken leg, broken rib and cut to her head, her brother Clint Payne posted to social media. "Our hearts are broken this day as we say good-bye to our dear brother-in-law Kurt. He passed away from the injuries sustained in the London terrorist attack yesterday," he posted. US President Donald Trump tweeted: "A great American, Kurt Cochran, was killed in the London terror attack. My prayers and condolences are with his family and friends." Kurt Cochran (left) was in London celebrating his 25th wedding anniversary with his wife Melissa (right). The unidentified fourth victim, a 75-year-old man, died Thursday night after his life support was withdrawn at a hospital where he had been receiving treatment, according to Met Police. A number of tourists were among 40 people hurt in the assault, including five South Koreans and three French high school students. One Australian was hospitalized. A Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman said one Chinese tourist was slightly injured. May also listed citizens of Romania, Germany, Poland, Ireland, Italy and Greece among the victims. Twelve Britons required hospital treatment. UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson earlier led the UN Security Council in a moment of silence for the victims of terror in London and elsewhere. "There are victims in London from 11 nations, which goes to show that an attack on London is an attack on the world," he said. "And I can tell you from my talks here in the United States, with the US government and with partners from around the world, that the world is united to defeat the people who launched this attack, and to defeat their bankrupt and odious ideology." The image of Britain's Union Flag was projected on the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin Thursday night in solidarity with London, while the Eiffel Tower went dark Wednesday in Paris, a city shaken by several attacks in recent years.
Two alleged Isis supporters who were born on Germany are to be deported from the country in the first such expulsion in history. The men, who hold Algerian and Nigerian citizenship, were arrested on suspicion of planning an imminent terror attack after a gun and Isis flags were found at their homes during police raids in Gttingen. They have not been prosecuted and the allegations have not been tested in a criminal court, but federal judges upheld their planned deportation, bolstering government plans to expel more foreign nationals believed to be terror threats. Confiscated weapons and an Isis flag seized in Gottingen, Germany, by police investigating Algerian and Nigerian men suspected of planning a terror attack (AFP/ Getty Images) Boris Pistorius, the interior minister for Lower Saxony, said the move sent a nationwide signal to all fanatics, that we will give not even a centimetre for their inhuman plans. They will be met with the full severity of means at our disposal  whether they have grown up here [in Germany] or not, he added. Read more Authorities in the state adopted a new law allowing them to expel terror suspects held to be dangerous in February, amid nationwide security crackdowns following the Berlin attack. The two unnamed suspects launched an appeal to stay their expulsion from Germany but it was rejected by the Federal Administrative Court on Tuesday. This has confirmed our legal position, Mr Pistorius said. We have applied the sharpest sword of law governing foreigners to avert a concrete danger and I am satisfied that the court agrees with our assessment. The men, who hold Nigerian and Algerian citizenship through their parents, were described as having an extremist Salafist background. They were arrested in February when investigators found two weapons, at least one of them a firearm that required no permit but had been altered to fire live ammunition. Police chief says Germany 'on high alert' after attack Ammunition was also discovered alongside flags of the so-called Islamic State and a machete, with counter-terror police seizing computers and other evidence. Lower Saxony's state government said they will be transported before Easter and could also be banned from returning to Germany for life. In order for them to be legally deported, the German government must ensure they will not face torture or persecution abroad, and it was unclear whether appeals could be launched in higher courts. A claim could also be launched using European human rights laws including the right to a family life, as the men are understood to have lived their entire lives in Germany and have few links to their parents homelands. Prosecutors concluded that the two had discussed an attack plan but had no concrete plans to carry one out. Nevertheless, the government decided to deport them, relying for the first time on measures that were part of tightened anti-terrorism laws passed after the September 11 attacks in the US. Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis 1/9 Policemen outside Rouen's cathedral during the funeral of Jacques Hamel, the priest who was killed in a church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray in Normandy on 26 July during a hostage-taking claimed by Islamic State group Joel Saget/AFP/Getty Images 2/9 Two jihadists, both 19, slit Hamel's throat while he was celebrating mass in an attack that shocked France as well as the Catholic Church Joel Saget/AFP/Getty Images 3/9 Muslims place flowers and hold a minute of silence in front of the church if Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, western France, where French priest Jacques Hamel was killed on 26 July Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty Images 4/9 Two people hold each other by the new makeshift memorial in Nice, in tribute to the victims of the deadly Bastille Day attack at the Promenade des Anglais Valery Hache/AFP/Getty Images 5/9 The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the truck attack that killed 84 people in Nice on France's national holiday. Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, 31, smashed a 19-tonne truck into a packed crowd of people in the Riviera city celebrating Bastille Day Valery Hache/AFP/Getty Images 6/9 Police work at a site where a Syrian migrant set off an explosive device in Ansbach, southern Germany, on 25 July, killing himself and wounding a dozen others Daniel Roland/AFP/Getty Images 7/9 A Syrian migrant set off an explosion at a bar in southern Germany that killed himself and wounded a dozen others in the third attack to hit Bavaria in a week. The 27-year-old, who had spent a stint in a psychiatric facility, had intended to target a music festival in the city of Ansbach but was turned away because he did not have a ticket Friebe/AFP/Getty Images 8/9 Police officers walk along train tracks in Wuerzburg southern Germany on 19 July, a day after a man attacked train passengers with an axe. German authorities said they had found a hand-painted IS flag among the belongings of the man, an asylum seeker from Afghanistan, who seriously injured four members of a family of tourists from Hong Kong in his rampage Daniel Roland/AFP/Getty Images 9/9 German police killed a teenage assailant after he attacked passengers on a train in Wuerzburg, southerg Germany with an axe and a knife on 18 July, seriously wounding three people Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/AFP/Getty Images 1/9 Policemen outside Rouen's cathedral during the funeral of Jacques Hamel, the priest who was killed in a church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray in Normandy on 26 July during a hostage-taking claimed by Islamic State group Joel Saget/AFP/Getty Images 2/9 Two jihadists, both 19, slit Hamel's throat while he was celebrating mass in an attack that shocked France as well as the Catholic Church Joel Saget/AFP/Getty Images 3/9 Muslims place flowers and hold a minute of silence in front of the church if Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, western France, where French priest Jacques Hamel was killed on 26 July Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty Images 4/9 Two people hold each other by the new makeshift memorial in Nice, in tribute to the victims of the deadly Bastille Day attack at the Promenade des Anglais Valery Hache/AFP/Getty Images 5/9 The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the truck attack that killed 84 people in Nice on France's national holiday. Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, 31, smashed a 19-tonne truck into a packed crowd of people in the Riviera city celebrating Bastille Day Valery Hache/AFP/Getty Images 6/9 Police work at a site where a Syrian migrant set off an explosive device in Ansbach, southern Germany, on 25 July, killing himself and wounding a dozen others Daniel Roland/AFP/Getty Images 7/9 A Syrian migrant set off an explosion at a bar in southern Germany that killed himself and wounded a dozen others in the third attack to hit Bavaria in a week. The 27-year-old, who had spent a stint in a psychiatric facility, had intended to target a music festival in the city of Ansbach but was turned away because he did not have a ticket Friebe/AFP/Getty Images 8/9 Police officers walk along train tracks in Wuerzburg southern Germany on 19 July, a day after a man attacked train passengers with an axe. German authorities said they had found a hand-painted IS flag among the belongings of the man, an asylum seeker from Afghanistan, who seriously injured four members of a family of tourists from Hong Kong in his rampage Daniel Roland/AFP/Getty Images 9/9 German police killed a teenage assailant after he attacked passengers on a train in Wuerzburg, southerg Germany with an axe and a knife on 18 July, seriously wounding three people Anas Amri was investigated over a previous alleged plot and put under surveillance for several months but missing paperwork meant he could not be sent to Tunisia after his asylum application was rejected in June. He was released from detention after the maximum period allowed by German law and moved freely around the country using fake identities before carrying out his attack. Following two previous Isis-inspired terror attacks that hit Germany in July, the interior minister drew up proposals to boost security, including a new focus on deporting foreigners deemed dangerous and stripping dual nationals who fight for extremist groups of their German citizenship. After the Berlin attack, the government proposed further measures to toughen the rules on deporting such individuals and on monitoring extremists.
Police thwart suspected terror attack in Westminster. London police say they have arrested a man for possession of weapons near Britains Houses of Parliament. UK police say man was arrested near parliament on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism. Armed police carrying out a counterterrorism operation Thursday swooped in on a man they said was carrying knives in a bag near Britains Parliament and arrested him on suspicion of planning terrorist acts. Londons Metropolitan Police said the 27-year-old man was stopped and detained as part of an ongoing operation by the forces counterterrorism unit. No one was injured in the incident, which unfolded just yards from where an attacker killed five people with a vehicle and a knife last month. It sent a jittery jolt through an area that has been on edge since the March 22 attack. A suspected terrorist attack was thwarted in central London on Thursday after armed police arrested a man who is alleged to have been carrying knives near the Houses of Parliament. The dramatic afternoon arrest followed a tense intelligence operation that had earlier identified the man detained as being of concern to counter-terrorism investigators. His movements were being tracked just before his arrest. The scene where the man, aged 27, was arrested is metres away from where five weeks ago Khalid Masood attacked Westminster bridge and the parliamentary estate, leaving five people, including himself, dead. That attack last month saw Masood first use a vehicle to mow down pedestrians and then a knife to stab a police officer to death. As armed police blocked off Whitehall, a street lined with government buildings that is the main artery of Londons government district, witnesses reported seeing and a man on the ground surrounded by police. Ian Moss, who was traveling on a bus on Whitehall, said the man did not appear to be struggling. He had police pointing arms at him though, Moss said. A bearded, black-clad man could later be seen standing on the sidewalk, surrounded by police, before being put into a police vehicle. I saw the backpack and knives on the floor in the intersection in the middle of Whitehall, and a guy being bundled into the car who I believe was the criminal, and a forensics team, said Helen Chandler-Wilde, a journalism student. After the arrest, forensic officers pored over the scene. A black bag and at least three knives could be seen on the ground.
[[UPDATED]] Can you empathise and understand why we are indifferent and proud of violent acts committed in our names? In this post I will tell you what a five-year old also can do so, but apparently not the loyal mainstream media or the talking heads, TV, news, politicians and the likes; namely, why we, the Muslims, are indifferent to violence committed in our names and in revenge for our violated people and lands. We can beat the bushes in dissecting all forms and types of causes of violence or apparent hatred from mommy didnt love him or her, to drugs, gangs culture, prisons, religion, hatred of freedoms and liberal ways of life, sexual repression, isolation, weirdo-ism and so forth but the truth is simple: We, the Muslim, are indifferent (and sympathetic) to revenge-violence (also labelled as T-word) such as Nice, Westminster etc et cetera just as You, the Westerners (western public, media, politicians etc), are indifferent (& sympathetic) to your belligerent governments (continuing colonial- and imperial-minded and cultured) violent acts across the Muslim World, from Syria to Iraq, Yemen, Somalia, Libya, Mali, Chad, Nigeria, Algeria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kashmiri et cetera et cetera and here is just an example from today (25th March 2017) of over 150 civilians (depending on the sources of corrupt mainstream media, guardian says 150 and New York Times, another rag, says over 200) killed by US-led western coalition in bombings in Mosul, Iraq. Remember, civilians and non-combatants not armed fighters. In London, 4 or 5 died, right? In other words, I, as any other Muslim across the world (and inside the west), will not apologies (not in my name lies), crocodile tears over the events or so do much in any form of acceptable (public or not) treason and submissive treachery. Across the Muslim world since 9/11, western nations of UK, US, France and others are committing violence and slaughtering [per week, only] in hundreds, and destroying their livelihoods, homes etc; while you want me and my fellow Muslims to cry or apologies for one or two or in small hundreds rare deaths. You must be kidding me/us. And which of these two really deserves the word terror; 24 hrs of indiscriminate bombings of homes, civilians and so forth or rare counter-attacks by knives, cars and so forth???? By the way, when western coalitions of US, UK, France and others commit violent atrocities, human rights abuses and war crimes GUESS WHO INVESTIGATES, the same parties who have committed such criminal and terrorist acts, and they always (ALWAYS) find themselves not GUILTY, of course not; is like giving the murderous-rapist the right to judge his or her own conduct in the case against the defendant with a penalty of life in imprisonment (awaiting), mmm, what do you think will be the verdit  not fucking guilty gentlemen and ladies, thank you (with a smile). POINT: Across the Muslim World  between Monday 20th March to Sunday 26th March 2017  Western forces have directly slaughtered between 500  600 innocent Muslims, majority of whom are made up of non-combatants children, women and old-aged and not armed freedom fighters! This plus x2 of above figures responsible in the hands of western-backed local worthless fucking proxies; e.g. YPG Mercenaries, kurdish forces, etc. So think, where is the candle-light vigil for the fallen Muslims; is Muslim LIVES not worth in value to western lives? And you can not say the west cant left our people and our lands to our own business as in future it might just come and bite you, are you kidding me; in terms of fighting  from the past to present and near future  you are armed to the teeth while our freedom fighters (yep, just said it) are like someone going into a bare-knuckles fight just with armed with his fist [in accordance to agreement of the fight] while the west come to the fight armed with an automatic close-quarter 50 calibre (shooting) rifles and grenades; mmm, not a fair fight right. Same as today, west come with planes, heavy artillery etc etc and our fighters with small arms (aptly named). In summary, lets not claim otherwise or pretend with lies, the truth is for us Muslims, as it is for you Westerners, violence and counter-violence are all carried out in our names and not the bull-shit favoured-meme of #NotInMyName  Fuck off (be truthful, for gods sake)! Why dont the western public, en masses, protest their governments illegal, belligerent, and ancient colonial and imperial-cultures in foreign policies based on dominance over others, interference in others affairs, sponsoring violence and terrorism, creating violent divisions and hatred, fuelling wars and civil violence (including sectarianism) to continuing with theft of our peoples and lands natural resources and wealth, while leaving our people and nations in destitute and poverty. Imagine the issue of China or Russia cyber interfering or hacking etc in western elections, espionage etc; these trivial (in a sense as these acts do not cost any real lives) create hysterical outrage among western ruling elites, echoed by the mouthpieces (so-called independent and free western mainstream media, like Guardian, BBC, CNN, Washington Post, New York Times, etc etc). So imagine the equal hysterical outrage among us, Muslims, when we have US-led western imperial or Crusading (call it as you might wish) armies interfere violently inside our Muslim World with huge bloodshed and losses of lives? Can you imagine this or is your head still up your ass? Thus, for us (Muslims), as for you (Westerners), the bigger the violence and the bigger the numbers (of victims of the revenge-attacks) the prouder and content we (wake up to the news) are, respectively from our positions; after 9/11 western governments and violent armed forces labelled themselves avengers and heroes of victims and their innocent victims caused no stirs or outrages; so today, our own (Muslims) avengers  do not need to write on their foreheads or bodies or carve it on bullets or bombs dropped from thousands feet the words in revenge of all Muslims or in the name of all Muslims as their  actions are enough to communicate and signal the intent behind them as [1] in vengeance of crimes committed onto our peoples and blessed lands and [2] that it is all in our names. Yes, sometime groups conduct these operations for their own revenge sake, but as long as their are Muslim-groups  and they can be brutal or worst to anything else in history of human-kind  we will always be proud and content! Simple solution to end this war: just stop all interference (openly or covertly) inside the Muslims lands and between Muslim people and leave us to kill each other  more preferred to us Muslims  even if it means mass genocide unparalleled in histories of humans and societies, and all these insecurities will just stop. But you cant do that can you, and the western public cant do anything to raise their objections after all the so-called independent and free mouthpieces of mainstream media will always hold western governments own crimes, while hyping those of Muslims. Now you have come this far, try this social experiment and see if you can really empathise with us, the Muslims as you put yourselves and your mental faculties into our uncomfortable shoes to understand why we are indifferent in the face of horrendous violence acts committed in [pride] of our names . Can you empathise and understand why we are indifferent and proud of violent acts committed in our names? Methodology: This article is deliberatively designed as a small visual experiment which will rely on critical thinking approach mainly found within the fields of philosophical and theological studies as well as psychological cognitive experiments. Experiment objectivity: The primary aim of this visual-based critical thinking experiment is to find out [a] if it is possible to empathize with todays Islamic Jihadists (also known as terrorists, Islamists, extremists etc) and [b] to review the balance of factual frame of references or rather the central point of justification of both the Jihadists armed resistance as to that of western presented viewpoint. Background (The contested views): So on one side we have our western leaders, securocrats, media and commentators who have presented as with a very simple-constructed facts on why the Jihadists fight and why they fight so barbaric, and of course this view is counter-balanced by those of the Jihadists themselves. The former, western viewpoint, states the Jihadists hate our western liberal ways of life mainly due to their envy and old religious animosities. The latter, the Jihadists, say, on contra, they do not envy or hate our ways of life and general liberal democratic values but rather they are only struggling to fight against forceful [colonial-imperial] imposition of these western customs and practices on Islamic customs and identity (leading to their erosions). The Introduction to the experiment: So far we have successfully covered the main critical points and frame of references and we can now move into our brief but serious critical thinking (visual-based) experiment to see [a] which presented viewpoint merit more support and [b] why. Both of these questions response-positions will decide if it is possible to empathize with the present western enemies (Jihadists) acts. The Experiment I (the context of the time and space): It is year twenty-two twenty (c.2220). The worst case scenario dreaded by western ruling elites, governments and people have all come into reality. Of course we are talking about the self-prophesied clash of civilizations where just like the theory went (as expressed by the author, Samuel Huntington) the West have come under massive assault from the Triad Eastern-Powers of Islam, Confucian China and of course the revived Leninist-Stalinist (cult of leadership) New Soviet Russia. With years of wars and violence, occupations and colonialism of western nations and people by the Triad Eastern Powers  or hereafter TEP, also can be referred to as the NWOIC aka New World Order International Community  and having established their new customs, social norms and the likes they have also either occupied in complete western lands, divided these up as spheres of interests between themselves or instead they have chosen to completely eliminate old western ruling establishments (e. g. Her Majesty the Queen in UK and her barons, lords, and other top powerful families) and replace these with own favored stooges/puppets or they have turned the old existing ruling elites into their own stooges/puppets. The TEP have bought the old ruling elites loyalties by resoundingly defeating any attempts to challenge their newly empowered stooge (guaranteeing security clause) and also by making them more wealthier than the rest (we have seen this throughout, wealthy west/North, poor South/Non-Western; the very reason why wars can be completely eradicated from the history of humanity but will never happens because to many the commercialization of security, also known as securitisation of relations as product and services, well pointed out by a favored neo-conservative geopolitician, Thomas Barnett, who said the most invaluable western competitive resources and advantage is their ability to export security, and to do so we need to create constant insecurities; the loop that can never be broken and hence wars will never cease. Many depend on violence for their wealth) who are now suffering the humiliation of poverty, arrogance and living in constant state of violence and wars as the few rebels rise up to clash with puppet ruling elites and their masters locally based forces; yes by this time, TEP have spread their military bases as well as clandestine reaches, in organizations as well as networks in relations and so forth, deeper into the fabrics of western societies from top to bottom. The western populations, that is the majority of the masses, are left in destitute conditions of poverty and crimes. The few middle classes are continued to be bought with their tacit passivity with few key roles and well-off lifestyles. However from all sections the few rise out to defy the new lords of the east. They refuse to wear Burqas or any other Islamic or Confucian clothing. They are disturbed by the levels of erosion taking place from their once proud western identity and customs. They are angered by hearing never ending reports of collateral killings of their innocent fellow populace. They hate the new machineries of wars (weapons) brought to sow chaos and reap damages from their sacred lands and people. They weep as they see their women and mothers no longer free to be independent but corrupted by new aliens and masters ways and customs. They are brought to boiling points when they see new masters corporations profiting from their nations resources while the rest live in poverty. So what do these individuals (initially before becoming collectives) do? They secretly organize themselves into popular armed resistance forces. They spread and share doctrines, ideas and tactics from the wild lands of Canada to US to their transatlantic cousins of Britain and mainland Continental Europe. The Heart of The Experiment II (Visualization): Now we have come this far and we posses all the essential briefing above let me ask you from the reading above described as hypothetical environment  of the damned west of year 2220 under occupation, constant humiliation, powerless and in poverty, robbed of its resources and so forth  what is the main visual picture forming in your mind. Now be honest. How do you imagine the popular armed resistance forces and why. Come, Come. Again, only honesty will make this experiment successful. I can see the rebels. Yes, I can see the rebels just like you can; actually I think we might have same visual images of the rebels across all lands and societies of the west. Freeze the image. Look it is you as the rebel leader. You are surrounded  in hiding presumably sheltered by the harsh and wild environments of Scottish Highlands, or Welsh mountains, or Yorkshire moors, or North American wilderness, forests, national parks, or the vast metropolis urban milieu as urban guerrillas or inside enemies lands as tourist or immigrants  by young and old. Lets zoom in. Can you seen any shared symbolic icons, imagery or specific symbols. Yes, say it: what is the only thing that all these western rebels have in common? Come, Come. No, it is not their liberalism or democratic passions. yes, it is in your tongue. It is on you chest and flag as you stand in year 2220 as a leader of the rebel, look hard there it is a recognizable symbol to a Medieval person or any other afterward. It is a CROSS. Yes, Christianity is the only true thing that all these rebels share and connect them to their western societies. Thus the rebel of year 2220 look just like a Crusader of Medieval times. He or She, or rather you, have a big Cross sown-in on your combat garment which has been placed in front of your Kelvar body armor as well as helmet and of course the Flag. Christianity, like Islam today, is what unites these disparate groups and what brought them into a union. Conclusion: The Jihadists perspective and reasoning of their casus bellis is much stronger than the western presented version. But does this make you, a la philosophical and critical thinking perspective, able to empathize with them today since every descriptions made above can be said to be exact to what some principal western states have and are still doing with the Islamic World and are exactly why Jihadists are engaging ( and perhaps made more symbolically through their highly selective targets; why not attack Belgium, and instead travel and risk operational security to attack France?; known as diagonal attacks). Does these actions not justify their anger and resistance, as these would for rebels of 2220? Would the rebels of 2220 not be referred to as terrorists then by TEP? Would their people, the publics of the west (inside and outside), not (always) sympathize (in secrecy or in open) with their own popular armed resistance forces (whatever their barbaric tactics and approach to fighting might it be)? I would like you, as a reader and a participant of this simple public experiment, to be quiet honest with yourself in responding to above questions. I would also like to see comments, if you wish, so I can get the picture of the failure of success of this experiment.
CALLS are to be made for Scottish police officers to be armed in the wake of the Westminster terror outrage. Controversy surrounded a previous attempt to routinely arm bobbies north of the border. Then, the nation was split on the issue of officers carrying lethal protection with them at all times. But, following Wednesdays attack, which resulted in the murder of unarmed Police Constable Keith Palmer at the hands of Khalid Masood, The Sunday Post can reveal the issue will be discussed by rank and file officers at the Scottish Police Federations annual conference on Tuesday. The topic was not originally on the agenda of the event, which will be attended by Justice Secretary Michael Matheson, but is now a racing certainty to be examined following last weeks attack which resulted in the police officer and three other victims being killed. Some federation members believe it is time for Scottish officers to be armed given the expectations placed on them to deal with terror situations and not simply be potential victims to add to the body count. Terror expert Professor Anthony Glees, director of Buckinghamshire Universitys security and intelligence studies, is also calling for more armed officers on our streets. He said: We have sent an extremely brave man  PC Keith Palmer  to deal with an Islamist terrorist who was armed with a knife. You dont send soldiers into battle unarmed. Times are hard now and we need more armed police. We have got to stop pussy-footing around. When the terror threat is reduced we can get rid of the guns. The number of armed officers to cover the whole of Scotland, , has increased recently by around 400. For operational and security reasons Police Scotland will not reveal the exact figure on duty at any one time, but its widely accepted to be only a tiny fraction of the specialist resource. Last June, it was announced the number of armed officers in Scotland would be increased by a third after an injection of 3m. At the time, Assistant Chief Constable Bernard Higgins warned the terror threat was severe. The move was a result of a fresh assessment of the danger posed by fanatics following atrocities in Orlando and Paris, as well as homegrown criminals with increasing access to guns. Forces in England and Wales are training an extra 1500 firearms officers to help guard against terrorism at a cost of 143m over five years. But ACC Higgins stressed the increase in armed officers in Scotland was not a response to intelligence of a specific terror threat. Scottish Police Federation general secretary Calum Steele would not be drawn on the details of the agenda for the three-day conference at the Trump Turnberry golf resort in Ayrshire. However, he said: Wednesday was a stark reminder of the very unpredictable nature of the job we do. Police officers never know what they will be dealing with next. When something like this happens it drives home the reality there is a chance you may leave for work in the morning and not come home. He also challenged Scotlands MSPs to provide adequate funding for policing. Mr Steele added: In many ways, the warm words we hear from politicians at these times are very welcome. However, they have a responsibility to deliver what is required to protect their citizens and I would ask them to look in the mirror and ask themselves if theyve done that in recent years. Former Police Scotland chief constable Sir Stephen House faced a storm of controversy when it emerged armed officers were being sent to deal with routine incidents. House, who left his post in November 2015, made the change without the consent of politicians. He also promised to stop sending armed officers out on such patrols, but top brass later admitted armed response officers had been involved in 1644 routine incidents since the chief made his pledge. Highland Green MSP John Finnie, a former police officer and a staunch critic of the way the force handled the armed officers controversy in 2014, warned there shouldnt be a knee-jerk reaction to the London attack. He said: I understand what will motivate people to make calls for officers to carry firearms but this is a time for calm reflection. What makes the world safer is removing conflict but the stark reality is you cant cover for every eventuality. What you do is assess risk and put mechanisms in place to deal with it. In relatively recent times weve seen an increase in the number of authorised firearms officers being deployed by Police Scotland. We were given a briefing a few months ago about the nature of the threat thats posed and this week weve been told theres no evidence to support an additional threat to Scotland. Its certainly not a knee-jerk reaction thats required. Claire Baker, Labours justice spokeswoman, also urged caution. She said: We must be wary of rushing to decisions so soon after such a tragedy. With intelligence saying that we are not under immediate threat we need to ensure our policing is proportionate. Justice Secretary Michael Matheson insisted the deployment of armed officers was an operational decision for the Chief Constable, Phil Gormley. He added: The Standing Authority to carry firearms is also reviewed quarterly, taking into account the threat level. PC Palmer, a former soldier, was stabbed to death by Masood at a security gate outside the Parliament building. The 52-year-old fanatic was armed with two knives when he confronted the father of one. MP and former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith has since questioned why there was not an armed presence at the gates where the incident took place, and said it was a little bit of a surprise that there was not. Masood claimed a number of other lives in a murderous spree which saw him mow down a large number of people on Westminster Bridge before crashing his grey 44 into a gate. His victims included Aysha Frade, 43, a mum on the school run, US tourist Kurt Cochran, 54, and 75-year-old Leslie Rhodes, from South London, who was injured in the catastrophic attack and later died in hospital.
Welcome back! Sign in to start taking action. Thanks for signing up as a global citizen. In order to create your account we need you to provide your email address. You can check out our Privacy Policy to see how we safeguard and use the information you provide us with. If your Facebook account does not have an attached e-mail address, you'll need to add that before you can sign up. These Are the Heroes Who Rushed to Defend London Amid Westminster Attacks We are not afraid. In the aftermath of a serious terror attack in Westminster, Brendan Cox, widower of the murdered MP Jo Cox, shared a powerful message of hope: Yesterday was characterised by one act of extremism and hatred, and thousands of acts of love and kindness. P.C Keith Palmer The unarmed police officer, who was killed after being stabbed by an unnamed attacker as he stood guard outside Parliament, was a 48-year-old husband and father. He had served in the Metropolitan Police for 15 years, and was a member of the forces parliamentary and diplomatic protection command. In a tribute delivered to the House of Commons, Prime Minister May described him as every inch a hero. Conservative MP James Cleverly, who had served alongside Palmer in the army, also addressed the Commons to pay homage to his friend and colleague. Ive known Keith for 25 years. We served together in the Royal Artillery before he became a copper. A lovely man, a friend. Im heartbroken. My thoughts are with the family, friends and colleagues of PC Keith Palmer. A brave man. PC Palmer's family released a moving statement following the attack: "Keith will be remembered as a wonderful dad and husband. A loving son, brother and uncle. A long-time supporter of Charlton FC. Dedicated to his job and proud to be a police officer, brave and courageous." A JustGiving page was set up to raise money for PC Palmers family and raised more than 730,000. MP Tobias Ellwood Conservative MP and Foreign Officer Minister Tobias Ellwood rushed to the aid of the stabbed police officer. A former Army officer, he attempted to staunch the flow of blood, and provide CPR and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Photographs showed him with blood on his face and his hand. Ellwood is no stranger to the impact of terrorism, having lost his brother in a terrorist bombing in Bali in 2002. Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn said: Our thanks and gratitude go to the police and emergency services who responded so bravely, and to those  including the MP Tobias Ellwood  who went to the aid of the injured and dying." Ellwoods mother spoke to the Telegraph to explain why she was more than proud of her son: I am very proud of my son. But what he did was only what I would have expected him to do. I dont think he was particularly a hero." "Every single other person who was there as well was also a hero  the nurses, medical teams, politicians, and police officers. If you are going to talk about heroes then you need to talk about all of these people. Dr. Jeeves Wijesuriya was the first doctor to rush to assist the injured. The Chair of the British Medical Associations Junior Doctors Committee was off-duty at the time, and being interviewed nearby for the BBC when he became aware of the tumult. After hearing screams, he raced to the scene, where he was granted access to the police cordon to assist PC Palmer and another victim. He told Buzzfeed News: "I heard the screaming so ran to help and the police ran me in. Hems [helicopter emergency services], paramedics and police were incredible as we tried to save both the officer and the assailant. Those hailed as heroes have eschewed praise, pointing to the collective response instead of their own individual efforts. The unnamed doctors and nurses who ran on their feet from St. Thomass hospital to to tend the wounded, the paramedics who rushed to the scene, and the passersby who stopped to help the injured on Westminster bridge, all prove that it's citizens like these that that keep the city moving. Please RT to say thank you to all the emergency services who acted so bravely in Westminster today. You are all heroes. pic.twitter.com/YKjPXS95q4 And in the aftermath, people came together to drown out hate  from the Muslim-led campaign that raised more than 10,000 for the victims families in less than 24 hours, to those who rallied in Trafalgar Square. In dark and complicated times, these are the actions that matter most.
Photographs, truth and the Westminster attack During the recent Westminster attack, a photograph was taken of a young Muslim woman, wearing a hijab, walking past one of the victims. She clasps one hand to the side of her face; she is looking at her phone, which she holds in her other hand. Behind her, a victim is being attended by two women; a group of four people are standing around, two of them looking at the victim, two of them talking to one another; and another woman, with grey hair but largely obscured from view, also appears to be walking by. As The Guardian has reported, there have been several outraged responses to this photograph. Tim Young, who describes himself as a political comedian (despite his numerous tweets exhibiting neither comedic ability nor political intelligence) claimed that the image could end up being one of the most iconic of our time. The faulty, unspoken logic behind his tweet is this: an apparently Muslim terrorist act has been perpetrated; a young Muslim woman is unconcerned about this; therefore all Muslims are, at the very least, unconcerned by Islamist terror, and quite possibly approve of it. Another Twitter user (who goes by the handle of @SouthLoneStar, moronically declares Fuck Islam in his profile and seems manically obsessed with tweeting endless, mindless and offensive Islamophobia) contrasted the photograph with that of the Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood attempting to save the life of the police officer stabbed by the assailant, suggesting that the two images show the main difference between Christians and Muslims. Jamie Lorriman, the photographer who captured the image on Westminster Bridge, has said that the image has been misappropriated by those seeking to make Islamophobic capital from it. He points to another photograph in the sequence in which the Muslim woman is clearly distressed, and has commented: Looking back at the pictures now, she looks visibly distraught in both pictures in my opinion. Shes in the middle of an unfolding horrific scene I think her expression says to me that shes horrified by what shes seen and she just needs to get out of the situation. As Lorriman adds, its impossible to know what the young woman was thinking. I used to teach a class on visual evidence to first-year history undergraduates. One of the main points I tried to get across in the lecture was the importance of being highly critical of images as a form of evidence. In particular, we can be easily seduced by the power of the camera, and the notion that the camera never lies. But that notion is a fallacy. A photograph neither lies nor tells the truth; it simply records a tiny fragment of time and space. It then becomes subject to multiple interpretations that invariably have little relationship to the reality of the scene it depicts. One of the images I showed the students is a controversial photograph taken by Thomas Hoepker during the 9/11 attacks. It depicts a group of young people in a Brooklyn park, casually dressed, looking relaxed and chatting among themselves while in the distance behind them smoke pours from the World Trade Center. For some commentators, the image exhibited the detached, possibly callous nature of modern youth: while thousands are dying across the Hudson, these New Yorkers are carrying on as normal, seemingly careless about the atrocity. But ask this: how are people supposed to appear during such an incident? Should these New Yorkers have been exhibiting a constant state of distressed wailing on the off chance that a photographer may have been in the vicinity? And consider: how many unstaged wedding photographs are there which show the bride or groom looking, in a seemingly unguarded moment, miserable? How many staged photographs have we all been in when, no matter how hard we tried to maintain a fixed smile and open eyes, we unfortunately get caught looking unhappy and half asleep? Later we may protest that the photograph misrepresents us: we were genuinely happy, we may sincerely and honestly say, but we are stuck with an image that is repeatedly and unfairly cited as evidence to the contrary. And ask this: if we are quick to condemn the New Yorkers for their apparent lack of concern over 9/11, what do we say about the photographer choosing to spend his time in a Brooklyn park and focus his attention on park-goers? And what, indeed, do we say about ourselves, fixating on this image rather than on, say, images of the victims in Manhattan? Recently I was involved in a brief Facebook discussion about a viral image of schoolchildren looking at their phones rather than at Rembrandts The Night Watch on the wall behind them. A metaphor for our age; the distracted society. No wonder were in the shape were in now; what a sad picture of todays society!: these were some of the comments about the photograph on Twitter. But the photograph tells us little, and is potentially highly misleading. It says nothing about what the kids were doing the rest of the time in the gallery; and it reveals nothing about what they were looking at on their phones. The reality is (as later confirmed by the teachers accompanying the school party) that the children were, as part of an assignment, researching Rembrandts painting using an app on their phones. For some, this is still a dismal comment on our society; but would they complain if, instead of learning about the painting on their phones, the children were all reading a catalogue? The Night Watch is not an easy painting to interpret; we all need some guidance to help us, and it is not obvious why such guidance is any better in physical rather than digital form. So the photograph in fact shows children interacting with art; indeed, they appear rather engrossed in what they are learning about Rembrandts painting. Yet, by ignoring all context and by leaping unthinkingly to an abrupt judgement, this photograph ends up being used to illustrate the idea that young people are so hopelessly obsessed with their smartphones and social media they are no longer capable of interacting with art (and, perhaps, reality in general). For those inclined to a negative view on the culture and character of young people, or on the effect of digital media on modern society, then it is as easy as it is erroneous to read into the photographs of the 9/11 park group or the school party in the Rijksmuseum confirmation of existing beliefs. Similarly, those already prejudiced against Islam will seize on the photograph of the young woman on Westminster Bridge and distort it to fit their own agenda. To use one photograph out of the many thousands taken that day as a piece of Islamophobic evidence is a dangerous and wilful distortion of reality: it ignores the fact that another photograph shows the woman in a clear state of distress; it ignores the fact that at least three of the other people in the photograph are also displaying little obvious shock (there are folded arms, hands in pockets, conversations occurring without obvious attention to the victim); it ignores the fact that the police were clearing the bridge (the young woman was doing the right thing not to loiter around at the scene); it ignores the fact that many of those in the area were frantically contacting loved ones to let them know they were safe. We are prone to see what we want to see, framing images to fit a narrative that suits our purpose. The Islamophobes havent looked at this photograph with any critical thought: they have simply read into it their existing prejudices, and they have used it to frame their anti-Islamic narrative. Desperate to exploit the Westminster attack for their own agenda, they have framed it as evidence of the supposed evils of Islam and the dangers of multiculturalism and immigration. As the facts of the attack slowly emerge, these misleading interpretations look ever more irrational, hateful and nonsensical. But facts and reality count for little in the feverish minds of the Islamophobic far right. Hence they try to build grand truths out of an image that, showing no more than a millisecond of time and a minuscule slither of space, reveals next to nothing about the people it depicts, and even less about society and culture as a whole. 2 thoughts on Photographs, truth and the Westminster attack I understand that this iconic image of the horrors of the Vietnam war was only one of a series. The photographer himself chose to continue taking pictures, rather than attempt to help her immediately. The image that was selected for the front page of The New York Times was one that did not show the US soldiers helping the girl, which I believe appeared in later shots. This 1972 picture from Vietnam is another classic example where a single image fails to tell the whole story. It also makes you question why the 2017 photographer was snapping the girl in the hijab, rather than trying to help the injured victims. Presumably he intended to sell the images? You also have to wonder whether he sought the permission of any of the people in the image, some of whom were obviously unconscious. Photographers have to make a living somehow, and images of major events can contribute to public discussion. Such images can also distort public perceptions though, and need to be treated with caution. I dont blame the photographers. As you say, they have to make a living. More importantly, I think we need these records. The problem is not the images; its the inability of too many people (including many in the media) to question them critically, and its the willingness of too many people (again, including many in the media) to misappropriate them for their own agenda. My main pointand this comes from my background as a historianis that all evidence needs to be questioned and treated critically. Theres a tendency among politicians, commentators and the media to seize upon a single piece of evidence that at first glance fits their worldview, subject it to no sort of scrutiny or questioning, and then use it uncritically and out of context to promote their agenda. The famous image from the Vietnam War is an interesting one. Its deservedly iconic, and was an important contributor to changing American opinion about the war. It certainly does not tell the whole story. But it does capture something real and important: the horror and devastation of the war. It brought home, for example, the effect of napalm, and it raised the question of the morality of the war. It says something. The Westminster bridge photograph is far less interesting simply because it doesnt say anything. The suggestion by some on the far right that it could be an iconic image is nonsense; they are trying to search for a point or a truth or a narrative in an image which simply is not there. The very best images (the Vietnam War being an example of one) say something, even if that something is not necessarily the whole truth.
Four people were killed and 40 injured after being run over and stabbed in an attack at the gates of British democracy attributed by police to Islamist-related terrorism. Heres what we know so far. An injured woman is assisted after an attack on Westminster Bridge in London.(Reuters) Four people were killed and 40 injured after being run over and stabbed in an attack at the gates of British democracy attributed by police to Islamist-related terrorism. The attack unfolded on Wednesday across Westminster Bridge in the shadow of Big Ben, a towering landmark that draws tourists by the millions and stands over Britains Houses of Parliament -- the very image of London. Heres what we know so far. Terror unleashed A knife-wielding man went on the deadly rampage, plowing a car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before stabbing a police officer to death inside the gates of Parliament. Four people and the assailant were killed in what Prime Minister Theresa May condemned as a sick and depraved terrorist attack. The car crashed into railings on the north side of the bridge, less than 200 yards (meters) from the entrance to Parliament. As people scattered in panic, witnesses saw a man holding a knife run toward the building. The whole crowd just surged around the corner by the gates just opposite Big Ben, said witness Rick Longley. A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman. I have never seen anything like that. I just cant believe what I just saw. The attacker managed to get past a gate into Parliaments fenced-in New Palace Yard, a cobbled courtyard in the shadow of the Big Ben clock tower. Daily Mail journalist Quentin Letts said a man in black attacked the police officer before being shot two or three times as he tried to storm into the building. As this attacker was running towards the entrance two plain-clothed guys with guns shouted at him what sounded like a warning, he ignored it and they shot two or three times and he fell, Letts told the BBC. The attacker fell to the cobbles just yards from the entrance to 1,000-year-old Westminster Hall, the oldest part of the parliamentary complex, busy with visitors and school groups. Beyond that, a corridor leads to the buildings Central Lobby, flanked by House of Commons and House of Lords chambers. Members of the emergency services work on Westminster Bridge. (AFP) Quick response Lawmakers, lords, staff and visitors were locked down after the man was shot by police within the perimeter of Parliament, just yards (meters) from entrances to the building itself and in the shadow of the iconic Big Ben clock tower. He died, as did three pedestrians on the bridge, and the police officer. A doctor who treated the wounded from the bridge said some had catastrophic injuries. Three police officers, several French teenagers on a school trip, two Romanian tourists and five South Korean visitors were among the injured. Parliament was locked down for several hours, and the adjoining Westminster subway station was shuttered. Conservative lawmaker Tobias Ellwood, whose brother was killed in the Bali terror attack in 2002, performed first aid on the wounded police officer, who later died. About 10 yards away lay the assailant. I tried to stem the flow of blood and give mouth to mouth while waiting for the medics to arrive but I think he had lost too much blood, Ellwood said. He had multiple wounds, under the arm and in the back. The attack began early Wednesday afternoon as a driver in a gray SUV slammed into pedestrians on the bridge linking Parliament to the south bank of the River Thames. The prime minister was among lawmakers near the Commons at the time of the attack, and was quickly ushered away by security officers and driven back to Downing Street. To get that far, the attacker would have had to evade the armed officers who patrol the Parliament complex in pairs, as well as Parliaments own security staff, who dont carry guns. The attack unfolded near some of the citys most famous tourist sites, including the London Eye, a large Ferris wheel with pods that overlook the capital. It was halted after the attack, stranding visitors in the pods, with an aerial view of the attack scene. Dr. Colleen Anderson of St. Thomas Hospital said some of the wounded had catastrophic injuries. The French foreign ministry said that three students on a school trip from Saint-Joseph in the Brittany town of Concarneau were among the injured. Two Romanians were also among the injured, the countrys foreign ministry said. A street sign indicates a road closure near Buckingham Palace, as roads leading towards Westminster and Parliament Square in central London remain closed. (AFP) Terror attack Police said they were treating the attack as terrorism. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Metropolitan Police counterterrorism chief Mark Rowley said police believed there was only one attacker, but it would be foolish to be overconfident early on. He said an unarmed policeman, three civilians and the attacker died. Forty others, including three police officers, were injured. Islamic extremism was suspected in the attack, Rowley said, adding that authorities believe they know the assailants identity but would not reveal it while the investigation was ongoing. The threat level for international terrorism in the UK was already listed at severe, meaning an attack was highly likely. Wednesday was the anniversary of suicide bombings in the Brussels airport and subway that killed 32 people last year, and the latest events echoed recent vehicle attacks in Berlin and Nice, France. London has often been the target of terrorist attacks, from IRA campaigns in the 1970s and 80s to more recent Islamist plots. On July 7, 2005, four al Qaeda-inspired British bombers blew themselves up on three subway trains and a bus in London, killing 52 people. British security forces say they have thwarted some 13 terror plots over the past four years, but in recent years the UK has largely been spared major international terror attacks such as the ones seen in Belgium and France. Last year, a far-right supporter shot and killed British lawmaker Jo Cox, who had campaigned for the U.K. to remain in the European Union. Prior to that, an attacker claiming to be motivated by Syria stabbed three people at a London subway station. The most gruesome recent attack occurred in 2013 when two Muslim converts of Nigerian descent attacked Lee Rigby, a British soldier who was walking down the street. The men ran Rigby down with their vehicle and then used a cleaver to hack him to death as bystanders watched in horror. US President Donald Trump was among world leaders offering condolences, and in Paris, the lights of the Eiffel Tower were to be dimmed in solidarity with London. Trump spoke with May by telephone and applauded the quick response of British police and first responders, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said. May described the attack as sick and depraved, saying the assailant chose the site as an assault on Britains democratic values. German chancellor Angela Merkel said Germany stood firmly and resolutely alongside Britons in the struggle against all forms of terrorism while President Frank-Walter Steinmeier added: In these grave moments, we Germans feel very close to the British people. French President Francois Hollande sent a message of solidarity and support to the British people saying France could identify with their pain after the attack, in which three French high school students were also wounded. France, which has been hit so hard in recent times, knows what the British people are suffering today, he said. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted: Our thoughts are with the victims of todays attack in London and their families. Canadians remain united with the people of the UK. India reacts India stood with the United Kingdom in the fight against terrorism, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, adding he was deeply saddened by the terror attack. External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said that there was no Indian casualty in the attack.
In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP Tower Hill, Oval, Clapham and Tooting Bec's signs have all been shared thousands of times. Some are even posting signs and artwork that was already on the Tube network  but has acquired new significance in the wake of the attacks. Some users are pointing out that signs installed as part of the London is Open campaign in 2016  which aimed to show how the city has welcomed people from across the world  were even more powerful the day after the attack. The posts were shared by defiant commuters who have been heading back to work just hours after the attacks, which took place near the Westminster Tube station.
In all, 30 Britons were killed in the Tunisian beach massacre in Sousse, along with three Irish citizens. The inquests at the Royal Courts of Justice into the deaths of the British victims in June 2015 heard often highly personal insights into the lives of those killed and the devastation the attack brought to their families. The victims were: Joel Richards, 19 A student at the University of Worcester and aspiring top-flight football referee, who was the youngest of the British victims. Joel Richards (PA) Adrian Evans, 49 Joel's uncle, a gas service manager at Sandwell Council in the West Midlands. Joel's grandfather and Mr Evans' father. Suzanne Richards, Joel's mother, said their deaths within 12 hours of arriving in Sousse for a jolly boys outing had left the remaining members of her tight-knit family broken. Eileen Swannack, 73 and John Welch, 74 The couple from Wiltshire, who had been together since 2007, were staying at the RIU Imperial Marhaba, a hotel they adored and had stayed in every year of their relationship. EileenSwannack and John Welch (PA) Christopher Bell, 59, and Sharon Bell, 54 Mr Bell, a former bus and taxi driver who worked in the ticket office at Leeds railway station, and his wife, who was a carer for people with learning difficulties and rose to a management position, were gunned down by the hotel swimming pool. Relatives said the grandparents were never happier than when they were surrounded by their family. John Stollery, 58 The former paratrooper was on holiday with his wife Cheryl and son Matthew. Mrs Stollery told the inquest her husband was shot dead next to her as the couple tried to flee from gunman Seifeddine Rezgui. Mr Stollery worked for Nottinghamshire County Council for more than three decades, including 16 years dedicated to helping children in care. David Thompson, 80 The retired scientist from Tadley, Hampshire, was the oldest victim of the attack. The widower, understood to have previously worked for the Atomic Weapons Establishment, was sitting with his long-term partner, Anne Kear, by the hotel pool when the shooting started. Ms Kear, who had been widowed once before, was later taken to the hospital mortuary in Tunis to identify his body. A pen portrait written by her family said: We will always be grateful to him for looking after Anne. Chris Dyer, 32, was killed in the Tunisia massacre at the Imperial Marhaba hotel ( Instagram) Christopher Dyer, 32 He was an engineer who practised jiu-jitsu, from Watford. His wife Gina Van Dort told the inquest how they were shot as they crouched behind a car, trying to hide. She told the hearing Rezgui was very quiet and had a really unimpressed, blank look as he walked towards them and opened fire. Trudy Jones, 51 The divorced single mother-of-four was from Gwent, South Wales. Described by her family as a caring person who put everyone else before herself, she had been holidaying with friends when she was shot. She was identified by the glittery nail varnish on her toes, the inquest heard. Bruce Wilkinson, 72 The former serviceman drove ambulances in Lincolnshire after retiring from working at Drax power station. He was sunbathing with Rita, his wife of 51 years, when the attack started. In a statement, Mrs Wilkinson told the inquest: I feel I've lost my best friend and my right arm. Lisa Burbidge, 66 The widowed grandmother-of-four from Whickham, Gateshead, was shot and killed on the beach on the 10th anniversary of her husband Bill's death, while holidaying with friends. Her two daughters wept as a portrait of her life was read to the inquest describing how she lived for her family, doted on her grandchildren and cared for her elderly mother. CarlyLovett, 24-year-old graduate (PA) Carly Lovett, 24 The fashion blogger, from Gainsborough in Lincolnshire, was on her first couple's holiday with fiance Liam Moore. She ran into the hotel to escape gunfire but was killed after being shot and injured by a grenade explosion. In a statement Mr Moore told the inquest that as Miss Lovett lay dying she told me she loved me and I told her I loved her too. Denis Thwaites, 70, and Elaine Thwaites, 69 The former Birmingham City footballer lived in Blackpool with his wife. Their son-in-law Daniel Clifford, who attended the inquest with his wife Lindsey, the couple's daughter, told the hearing: Our family's lives have been torn apart due to an ideology that is both evil and twisted. They may have taken the best but they will never break the love we shared as a family. Philip Heathcote, 52 He who had been celebrating his 30th wedding anniversary with wife Allison, then 48, when he was shot dead as they lay relaxing on sunbeds. Mrs Heathcote, from Felixtowe in Suffolk, told the inquest that after being shot five times herself she played dead next to her dead or dying husband, who was originally from Manchester, to avoid being shot again. The British victims of the Tunisia attack The British victims of the Tunisia attack 1/22 Tunisia attack victims Janet and John Stocker, in a statement, their children described the couple as the "happiest, most loving" people who enjoyed simple pleasures and the strong love they shared after decades of marriage. "They were both young at heart and enjoyed all that life could offer, and especially enjoyed travelling to new places, exploring and appreciating local cultures, and they died together doing what they enjoyed most; sunbathing side by side," the statement said. Mr Stocker, 74, was a retired printer from Peckham and his 63-year-old wife was born in Fulham. They had five children and 10 grandchildren PA 2/22 Tunisia attack victims John Welch and Eileen Swannack, a couple in their 70s from Wiltshire, "adored" the Imperial Marhaba hotel and had been going twice a year for eight years. After desperately appealing for information on social media, Ms Swannack's granddaughter wrote on Facebook that the family received news of their deaths PA 3/22 Tunisia attack victims Denis Thwaites, 70, a former Birmingham City Football Club player, and his wife Elaine Thwaites, 69, were killed in the attack. Birmingham City FC said: "We are deeply shocked and saddened by the death of former player Denis Thwaites and his wife Elaine in the Tunisian terrorist attack." Their daughter Lindsey, who identified their bodies in Tunisia, and son-in-law Daniel Clifford, said in a statement: Words can't express what all the family are feeling at this difficult time...we would like to take this opportunity to thank people on the ground in this horrendous situation. It was extremely hard to find out any information beforehand but now we completely understand" PA 4/22 Tunisia attack victims James McQuire, 66, a retired former marine engineer from Cumbernauld in North Lanarkshire, was captain in the Boys' Brigade, a Christian youth organisation that said it was "shocked and deeply saddened" to hear of his and his wife's deaths. Ann McQuire, 63, was a former medial practice receptionist. Their son, Stuart, said: I just dont know what to say, I cant speak. The couple's minister from Cumbernauld Abronhill Church of Scotland paid tribute to them, saying they had a close family and would be sorely missed. "They had given a life of service to young people and to the church and community" PA 5/22 Tunisia attack victims Chris Dyer , a 32-year-old engineer from Watford, was on holiday with his wife Gina Van Dort when they were both shot. He died at the scene and doctors said his wife had to be prised from his dead body because she "didn't want to leave him" Instagram 6/22 Tunisia attack victims John Stollery, a 58-year-old children's social worker from Nottinghamshire, was described by his family as a special man "who made a difference and gave his best to others". He was on holiday with his wife and son when he was murdered. His wife, Cheryl, said: "We still had a long life to live with plans and dreams for our future together PA 7/22 Tunisia attack victims Lisa Burbidge, a grandmother from Whickham in Gateshead, was called the "most beautiful, amazing, caring and gentle person in our lives" by her family in a statement. "We have been left with a massive hole in our hearts," it said. "She leaves behind many family members including four fantastic grandchildren who were her world and will miss her tremendously" PA 8/22 Tunisia attack victims Carly Lovett, a 24-year-old fashion blogger from Gainsborough in Lincolnshire, was the first British victim to be named. Lincolnshire Police said it had appointed a family liaison officer to support Ms Lovett's family and police officers were positioned outside her address, while her fiance was understood to be travelling back home PA 9/22 Tunisia attack victims Claire Windass, 54, has been named by her family as one of the victims. Ms Windass and her husband Jim Windass lived in Thistlewood Court in Bransholme and were in Sousse for a week's holiday. He was sat next to her as they sunbathed but escaped unharmed and has returned home. A family statement said: "She was a warm, kind-hearted woman who made friends easily and was loved by everyone who knew her. She will be deeply missed" Humberside Police 10/22 Tunisia attack victims Trudy Jones, a 51-year-old mother of four from Blackwood in Gwent, South Wales, was killed. A statement from her family read: "Our mother of all people didn't deserve this, such a caring person who put everyone else before herself. She was the rock of our family and kept us all going. None of us have a clue how we're going to cope without her." They described Ms Jones, who worked at Highfields Nursing Home, as "always willing to help others". "She'll be missed by so many people" Gwent Police 11/22 Tunisia attack victims Bruce Wilkinson, 72, a retired power station worker from Goole in Yorkshire, was also among the victims. His family issued a statement through local MP Andrew Percy saying they were "devastated" at the loss of a devoted husband, father and grandfather" PA 12/22 Tunisia attack victims Joel Richards, 19, was a student at the University of Worcester. A local football referee and keen Gaelic football player, Birmingham County FA said he had had the world at his feet and that he was highly thought-of and will be sadly missed PA 13/22 Tunisia attack victims Sue Davey, 42, from Tamworth, Staffordshire, was the subject of an appeal on Twitter for information from her son, Conor Fulford, who thought he had seen her in a Sky News TV report. He tweeted that he was sorry to tell you we lost my mother Sue Davey tonight, adding: "Love you always mum, I've go my teddy bear you got me tonight, rest easy" PA 14/22 Tunisia attack victims Scott Chalkley, 42, was Ms Daveys partner. His son Ross Naylor, from Derby, had also launched an online plea for any information on his father but later posted saying Mr Chalkley was no longer with us. Severn Trent Water, where both Ms Davey and Mr Chalkley worked, paid tribute to the couple. A spokeswoman said: We are immensely saddened by the news about Sue and Scott. They were much-loved by their colleagues PA 15/22 Tunisia attack victims David Thompson, a retired scientist from Tadley in Hampshire, is also believed to have been killed in the attack. The 80-year-old reportedly worked for the Atomic Weapons Establishment and was described by his neighbours as a "wonderful man" PA 16/22 Tunisia attack victims Patrick Evans, believed to be aged 78, was killed alongside his son Adrian and his 19-year-old grandson Joel Richards. Joel's 16-year-old brother, Owen, survived the attack PA 17/22 Tunisia attack victims Adrian Evans, 44, worked for Sandwell Council in the West Midlands as a manager in the gas services department. Council leader Darren Cooper said he was a very popular and long-serving employee and his colleagues were absolutely devastated PA 18/22 Tunisia attack victims Christopher Bell, from Leeds, died in the attack along his wife Sharon. Their family issued a statement saying they were "deeply saddened" and knew little about their deaths but were "working with the authorities to gather as much information as possible" PA 19/22 Tunisia attack victims Mrs Bell, a care manager, was described by colleagues as a "caring, loving woman" who "spent her life looking after other people", while Mr Bell was fondly remembered as a "much loved" member of staff in the ticket office at Leeds railway station PA 20/22 Tunisia attack victims Stuart Cullen, 52, from the Lowestoft area of Suffolk, is believed to have died instantly. His wife, who was with him, was injured but survived and has returned to the UK PA 21/22 Tunisia attack victims William, 51 and Lisa Graham, 50, a Scottish couple from Perthshire, were on holiday to celebrate Mrs Graham's 50th birthday. Mr Graham's sister, Lindsay, said that the family received the news they feared after an agonising wait PA 22/22 Tunisia attack victims The coffin of Stephen Mellor is taken from the RAF C-17 aircraft at RAF Brize Norton in Tunisia. Stephen Mellor, an engineer from Bodmin in Cornwall, was killed as he shielded his wife Cheryl on the beach. The other confirmed British victim include: Philip Heathcote, 52, who flew to Tunisia with his wife to celebrate their wedding anniversary, has been confirmed dead by his family, while his wife Allison is in an induced coma while being treated for serious injuries after being shot Getty 1/22 Tunisia attack victims Janet and John Stocker, in a statement, their children described the couple as the "happiest, most loving" people who enjoyed simple pleasures and the strong love they shared after decades of marriage. "They were both young at heart and enjoyed all that life could offer, and especially enjoyed travelling to new places, exploring and appreciating local cultures, and they died together doing what they enjoyed most; sunbathing side by side," the statement said. Mr Stocker, 74, was a retired printer from Peckham and his 63-year-old wife was born in Fulham. They had five children and 10 grandchildren PA 2/22 Tunisia attack victims John Welch and Eileen Swannack, a couple in their 70s from Wiltshire, "adored" the Imperial Marhaba hotel and had been going twice a year for eight years. After desperately appealing for information on social media, Ms Swannack's granddaughter wrote on Facebook that the family received news of their deaths PA 3/22 Tunisia attack victims Denis Thwaites, 70, a former Birmingham City Football Club player, and his wife Elaine Thwaites, 69, were killed in the attack. Birmingham City FC said: "We are deeply shocked and saddened by the death of former player Denis Thwaites and his wife Elaine in the Tunisian terrorist attack." Their daughter Lindsey, who identified their bodies in Tunisia, and son-in-law Daniel Clifford, said in a statement: Words can't express what all the family are feeling at this difficult time...we would like to take this opportunity to thank people on the ground in this horrendous situation. It was extremely hard to find out any information beforehand but now we completely understand" PA 4/22 Tunisia attack victims James McQuire, 66, a retired former marine engineer from Cumbernauld in North Lanarkshire, was captain in the Boys' Brigade, a Christian youth organisation that said it was "shocked and deeply saddened" to hear of his and his wife's deaths. Ann McQuire, 63, was a former medial practice receptionist. Their son, Stuart, said: I just dont know what to say, I cant speak. The couple's minister from Cumbernauld Abronhill Church of Scotland paid tribute to them, saying they had a close family and would be sorely missed. "They had given a life of service to young people and to the church and community" PA 5/22 Tunisia attack victims Chris Dyer , a 32-year-old engineer from Watford, was on holiday with his wife Gina Van Dort when they were both shot. He died at the scene and doctors said his wife had to be prised from his dead body because she "didn't want to leave him" Instagram 6/22 Tunisia attack victims John Stollery, a 58-year-old children's social worker from Nottinghamshire, was described by his family as a special man "who made a difference and gave his best to others". He was on holiday with his wife and son when he was murdered. His wife, Cheryl, said: "We still had a long life to live with plans and dreams for our future together PA 7/22 Tunisia attack victims Lisa Burbidge, a grandmother from Whickham in Gateshead, was called the "most beautiful, amazing, caring and gentle person in our lives" by her family in a statement. "We have been left with a massive hole in our hearts," it said. "She leaves behind many family members including four fantastic grandchildren who were her world and will miss her tremendously" PA 8/22 Tunisia attack victims Carly Lovett, a 24-year-old fashion blogger from Gainsborough in Lincolnshire, was the first British victim to be named. Lincolnshire Police said it had appointed a family liaison officer to support Ms Lovett's family and police officers were positioned outside her address, while her fiance was understood to be travelling back home PA 9/22 Tunisia attack victims Claire Windass, 54, has been named by her family as one of the victims. Ms Windass and her husband Jim Windass lived in Thistlewood Court in Bransholme and were in Sousse for a week's holiday. He was sat next to her as they sunbathed but escaped unharmed and has returned home. A family statement said: "She was a warm, kind-hearted woman who made friends easily and was loved by everyone who knew her. She will be deeply missed" Humberside Police 10/22 Tunisia attack victims Trudy Jones, a 51-year-old mother of four from Blackwood in Gwent, South Wales, was killed. A statement from her family read: "Our mother of all people didn't deserve this, such a caring person who put everyone else before herself. She was the rock of our family and kept us all going. None of us have a clue how we're going to cope without her." They described Ms Jones, who worked at Highfields Nursing Home, as "always willing to help others". "She'll be missed by so many people" Gwent Police 11/22 Tunisia attack victims Bruce Wilkinson, 72, a retired power station worker from Goole in Yorkshire, was also among the victims. His family issued a statement through local MP Andrew Percy saying they were "devastated" at the loss of a devoted husband, father and grandfather" PA 12/22 Tunisia attack victims Joel Richards, 19, was a student at the University of Worcester. A local football referee and keen Gaelic football player, Birmingham County FA said he had had the world at his feet and that he was highly thought-of and will be sadly missed PA 13/22 Tunisia attack victims Sue Davey, 42, from Tamworth, Staffordshire, was the subject of an appeal on Twitter for information from her son, Conor Fulford, who thought he had seen her in a Sky News TV report. He tweeted that he was sorry to tell you we lost my mother Sue Davey tonight, adding: "Love you always mum, I've go my teddy bear you got me tonight, rest easy" PA 14/22 Tunisia attack victims Scott Chalkley, 42, was Ms Daveys partner. His son Ross Naylor, from Derby, had also launched an online plea for any information on his father but later posted saying Mr Chalkley was no longer with us. Severn Trent Water, where both Ms Davey and Mr Chalkley worked, paid tribute to the couple. A spokeswoman said: We are immensely saddened by the news about Sue and Scott. They were much-loved by their colleagues PA 15/22 Tunisia attack victims David Thompson, a retired scientist from Tadley in Hampshire, is also believed to have been killed in the attack. The 80-year-old reportedly worked for the Atomic Weapons Establishment and was described by his neighbours as a "wonderful man" PA 16/22 Tunisia attack victims Patrick Evans, believed to be aged 78, was killed alongside his son Adrian and his 19-year-old grandson Joel Richards. Joel's 16-year-old brother, Owen, survived the attack PA 17/22 Tunisia attack victims Adrian Evans, 44, worked for Sandwell Council in the West Midlands as a manager in the gas services department. Council leader Darren Cooper said he was a very popular and long-serving employee and his colleagues were absolutely devastated PA 18/22 Tunisia attack victims Christopher Bell, from Leeds, died in the attack along his wife Sharon. Their family issued a statement saying they were "deeply saddened" and knew little about their deaths but were "working with the authorities to gather as much information as possible" PA 19/22 Tunisia attack victims Mrs Bell, a care manager, was described by colleagues as a "caring, loving woman" who "spent her life looking after other people", while Mr Bell was fondly remembered as a "much loved" member of staff in the ticket office at Leeds railway station PA 20/22 Tunisia attack victims Stuart Cullen, 52, from the Lowestoft area of Suffolk, is believed to have died instantly. His wife, who was with him, was injured but survived and has returned to the UK PA 21/22 Tunisia attack victims William, 51 and Lisa Graham, 50, a Scottish couple from Perthshire, were on holiday to celebrate Mrs Graham's 50th birthday. Mr Graham's sister, Lindsay, said that the family received the news they feared after an agonising wait PA 22/22 Tunisia attack victims The coffin of Stephen Mellor is taken from the RAF C-17 aircraft at RAF Brize Norton in Tunisia. Stephen Mellor, an engineer from Bodmin in Cornwall, was killed as he shielded his wife Cheryl on the beach. The other confirmed British victim include: Philip Heathcote, 52, who flew to Tunisia with his wife to celebrate their wedding anniversary, has been confirmed dead by his family, while his wife Allison is in an induced coma while being treated for serious injuries after being shot Getty Stephen Mellor, 59 The engineer, from Bodmin in Cornwall, was killed as he shielded his wife Cheryl on the beach. In a statement, Mrs Mellor, who suffered life-changing injuries in the attack, told the inquest: I am only here today due to the bravery of my husband Stephen. He sacrificed himself. Stephen is a hero to me. Sue Davey, 43, and Scott Chalkley, 42 The mother-of-three, from Tamworth, Staffordshire, and her partner, an ex-Royal Fusilier and father-of-two from Derby, met while working for Severn Trent Water and died after being shot as they relaxed on sunloungers. Ms Davey's son Conor Fulford told the inquest she had been caring with a do-good attitude, adding: Scott really did give mum a new lease of life. He was a really good guy and gave mum a lot of happiness. Knowing that she was with someone like that is really comforting. Claire Windass, 54 A mother-of-two from Hull in East Yorkshire. Her husband Jim told how he desperately tried to pull the Lincolnshire-born care worker to safety as they were attacked on his 65th birthday. Mr Windass, 66, who later dived into the sea to escape Rezgui, told the inquest: I'm not medical but it was clear that something had happened (to Claire). There was no pulse. I closed her eyes. Jim and Ann McQuire, from Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire (PA) Jim McQuire, 66, and Ann McQuire, 63 McQuire, a former shipyard engineer and trade union shop steward active in the Boys' Brigade, was on his first post-retirement holiday with his wife, a lab technician turned medical receptionist, when they were killed. Mr McQuire, from Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire, died en route to hospital after his ambulance sat outside the hotel with him inside it for up to 20 minutes, the inquest heard. Their son Stuart told the hearing in a statement: This was meant to be the first of many holidays, sadly this was not to be. They were taken from us before their time. Stuart Cullen, 52 His wife Christine, who was wounded, told the inquest how Rezgui shot the defenceless former prison officer as he lay badly injured from a grenade blast, while she screamed No. No. Mrs Cullen, from Lowestoft in Suffolk, told the hearing the shooter had taken away the love of her life and Mr Cullen's biggest dream of walking their daughter, Emma-Jayne, down the aisle. Billy Graham and Lisa Graham The couple, from Bankfoot near Perth in Scotland, were on a trip to the tourist resort of Sousse to celebrate Mrs Graham's 50th birthday and their 31st wedding anniversary. Mr Graham, 51, who served for 22 years in the 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards, and his wife tried to escape from the gunfire by leaving the hotel lobby through a doorway next to the reception area. Lisa, 50, and her husband William Graham, 51, died in the attack (PA) John Stocker, 74 and Janet Stocker, 63 The couple were sunbathing on the beach and eyewitness Anthony Miller said they did not stand a chance when Rezgui opened fire at holidaymakers. In a statement, their family said they were a happy couple, both young at heart, and enjoyed all life could afford, adding: They died together doing what they enjoyed most - being side by side. Ray and Angie Fisher The Leicester couple had been due to celebrate their golden wedding anniversary just months after the attack. Mr Fisher, 75, a retired former engineer and caretaker who loved wildlife and bred koi carp, and his wife, 69, a retired bank manager and hairdresser, were shot at close range as they sat on sunloungers. Their daughter, Donna Bradley, told the inquest that their first grandchild, a son nicknamed Little Fish, was born to their son, Adam, and his wife two days before the inquest began in January. She added: It's so sad that Ray and Angie were not able to meet and cuddle Little Fish. The Irish victims were: Laurence and Martina Hayes (PA) Lorna Carty, a mother-of-two from Robinstown, Co Meath. Bishop of Meath Michael Smith said Mrs Carty was the victim of a senseless killing. Husband and wife Laurence and Martina Hayes, both in their 50s, from Athlone in Co Westmeath. Mr Hayes was a schools transport inspector who had worked for Bus Eireann for the past 20 years. Prior to the Sousse attack, British tourist Sally Adey, 57, from Shropshire, was among 22 people killed as Isis terrorists opened fire at the Bardo National Museum in the capital Tunis in March 2015.
London assailant had been investigated for terrorism; Utah man among victims The man who killed four people and injured dozens more in an attack outside the British Parliament before being shot to death by police was "a peripheral figure" in British terrorism investigations who had a long criminal history that included violent crimes, authorities said Thursday. The Islamic State group claimed the British-born suspect, identified as Khalid Masood , 52, as one of its "soldiers." He is believed to be the assailant who plowed through pedestrians in a car on Westminster Bridge on Wednesday, then ran toward the Parliament compound with a knife, which he used to fatally wound a police officer before he was shot and killed by other police. A 75-year-old man injured in the rampage died Thursday, police said, bringing the death toll to five, including the police officer and Masood. Dozens of others were injured, some seriously. Among the dead was a Utah man celebrating his 25th wedding anniversary with his wife. Advertisement The attack came one year to the day after a pair of suicide bombings in Brussels killed 32 people and injured more than 300 others. Islamic State also claimed responsibility for those attacks. With Europe on high alert Thursday, police in Belgium said they had arrested a French man of North African descent on suspicion of attempting to run over pedestrians in a crowded shopping street in the city of Antwerp. Soldiers on a routine patrol spotted the vehicle as it sped through the area but were unable to halt it, they said. Police were alerted and sent a rapid response team, which intercepted the vehicle and driver. No injuries were reported, but a rifle, several knives and a canister containing an unidentified liquid were found in the vehicle, prosecutors said. "We are monitoring the situation very closely," the Belgian prime minister, Charles Michel, said in a tweet. French President Francois Hollande told reporters that the suspect  identified only as 39-year-old Mohamed R.  was "trying to kill or at the very least create a dramatic event." "We must therefore be extremely vigilant and also mobilize all our forces," he said. Authorities in Britain said Masood, the London suspect, had recently been living in the West Midlands in central England, was known by several aliases and had previously been investigated by the MI5, Britain's domestic intelligence agency. He had a range of previous convictions for assaults, including grievous bodily harm, possession of offensive weapons and public order offenses dating from November 1983 to December 2003, police said. He had not been convicted of any terrorism-related offenses and was not the subject of any current police investigation. British Prime Minister Theresa May told members of Parliament inside a packed House of Commons chamber that Masood was once investigated over concerns about violent extremism. "He was a peripheral figure," she said. "The case is historic. He was not part of the current intelligence picture. There was no prior intelligence of his intent, or of the plot." The Islamic State-linked Aamaq news agency issued a statement saying the person who carried out the attack "was a soldier of the Islamic State." It added that the person "carried out the operation in response to calls for targeting citizens of the coalition." Islamic State has called on its supporters to carry out attacks against citizens of the U.S.-led coalition that has been targeting the group since 2014. The group has been directly responsible for numerous bloody assaults around the globe but also has claimed other attacks in an apparent show of opportunism. The assailant appeared to have acted alone but was inspired by Islamist-related international terrorism, said Mark Rowley, acting deputy commissioner at London's Metropolitan Police. Police investigating the attack raided six addresses overnight, resulting in eight arrests. Sealed boxes of evidence were removed from the properties. Police patrols will be stepped up in the coming days but the threat level  which was already set at severe  will not be raised and there was no information to suggest there were further threats to the public, police said. May said that the best possible response was for the public to go about its usual routine, and that included her decision for Parliament to meet Thursday morning. "Our values will prevail," she said. Hundreds of people gathered for a vigil Thursday evening in Trafalgar Square to show their respect for the dead and injured. Speeches were given by Home Secretary Amber Rudd and London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who both paid tribute to the slain police officer Keith Palmer as the crowds broke into spontaneous applause. "He was courageous, he was brave," Rudd said. "And he was also doing his duty." Khan condemned the "evil and twisted individuals" who seek to do harm and threaten western society's way of life. He said London would never be cowed by terrorism and coming together Thursday night was a way to prove that. People who gathered on a cold evening brought candles, flowers and handmade signs saying "We stand together" and "We are not afraid." Several groups of young Muslims stood amid the crowd, eager to defend their religion as peaceful and show that they are Londoners too, and feel the pain of the attack. "Personally, it's very difficult to see our religion put in such a bad light," said law student Naveed Mirza, 20. He and his friends were wearing T-shirts with the logo #IAmAMuslim across their chest. "But through our actions and good will we will prove to the world that Islam is a peaceful and loving religion." Hundreds of people mingled around the square after the official vigil ended to share words with strangers. Many approached some of the Muslims present to share their respective feelings of sadness, confusion and anger at the senseless violence. "People have got to show their support for one another," said Brian Morris, 71. "I think the average Londoner realizes that these people are radicalized maniacs, for want of a better word, who have nothing really to do with the true meaning of Islam." "They can't beat us and they never will. We fought two world wars and won. A few terrorists are not going to overpower us." One victim of the attack was named by British media as Spanish teacher Aysha Frade, 43, a mother of two who was on her way to collect her children from school when she was killed. The Utah victim was identified as Kurt Cochran, who was with his wife, Melissa, who was seriously injured, according to a statement released by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on behalf of Melissa Cochran's family. Metropolitan Police announced the death of the 75-year-old victim late Thursday evening, but did not identify him. May paid tribute to Palmer, the police officer, as a husband and father who had "devoted his life to the service of his country." He was unarmed and standing guard in a courtyard that is not accessible to the public and leads directly into the Houses of Parliament, when the attacker approached him with a large knife and stabbed him several times. The assailant was then shot dead by police. "He was every inch a hero and his actions will never be forgotten," the prime minister said of Palmer. Advertisement The Palmer family issued a statement calling the slain officer "brave and courageous," "a friend to everyone who knew him" and a staunch supporter of "Charlton F.C.," a professional soccer team in southeast London. Advertisement The team issued a statement paying tribute to Palmer, with a photo of his seat  he was a season ticket-holder -- draped in the team's red scarf. A total of 29 people were hospitalized after the attack, seven of whom remained in critical condition Thursday, police said. There were also an unspecified number of "walking wounded." The injured include 12 Britons, as well as citizens from France, Romania, South Korea, Poland, Ireland, China, Italy, the U.S and Greece, the prime minister said. Three police officers returning from a commendation ceremony were also hurt; two remain in a critical condition. Sources: Times reporting, Mapbox, OpenStreetMap @latimesgraphics Attack near British Parliament River Thames WESTMINSTER BRIDGE St. James Park Westminster BRITISH PARLIAMENT London Suspect shot An assailant plows his vehicle into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge. Vehicle crashes into fence. The attack brought the heart of British government to a standstill as lawmakers, staff and journalists became trapped inside Parliament and buildings in the vicinity for several hours. Flags were at half-staff on Thursday morning and a moment of silence was held to honor the dead and injured. "Yesterday an act of terrorism tried to silence our democracy, but today we meet as normal," May said. "We are not afraid. And our resolve will never waver in the face of terrorism. "This was an attack on free people everywhere," she added. Times staff writers Alexandra Zavis and Alene Tchekmedyian in Los Angeles and special correspondent Nabih Bulos in Beirut contributed to this report.
Homeland Security Further Reading Policeman, Pedestrian Killed In Westminster Terrorist Attack RFE/RL March 22, 2017 The British Parliament has come under what police described as a terrorist attack -- with an assailant driving a car into a group of pedestrians, and a man who got out of the vehicle running inside the Parliament's security perimeter, where he fatally stabbed a police officer before he was shot by security. At least one woman was killed in the March 22 attack when a driver sped across Westminster Bridge at a high speed and slammed into as many as 12 pedestrians before crashing into a railing near Parliament and the Big Ben clock-tower. The BBC reports that the police officer who was stabbed in the attack died later in a hospital. Reports said one person -- a thick-set man dressed in black -- got out of the car waving an object and ran inside the Parliament's security perimeter through a vehicle entrance used by lawmakers. The assailant stabbed one police officer inside the entrance gate and then ran further into the parliamentary estate. Meanwhile, there were unconfirmed reports that a second man in the vehicle was arrested outside of the parliamentary compound. London's ambulance service said it treated 10 people on Westminster Bridge who were injured by the vehicle. House of Commons Leader David Lidington said the assailant was shot by plainclothes police as he was running toward the Parliament building. Hospital officials said several people who were struck by the assailant's vehicle suffered "catastrophic" injuries. The BBC reported that a group of French school children who were walking on the northern end of Westminster Bridge were among those struck by the assailant's vehicle. French Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve later confirmed that three French schoolchildren, aged 15 to 16, were among the injured. Westminster Bridge spans the River Thames and is used for vehicle and pedestrian traffic. It meets the Palace of Westminster compound near its northern end. A spokesman for Prime Minister Theresa May said she was safe after the attack. She had been in the House of Commons at the time of the attack and was quickly shuttled away by security to her office at 10 Downing Street, where she called for an emergency security meeting at her Cabinet Office Briefing Room. A full counterterrorism investigation was launched by London Metropolitan Police. Meanwhile, the Parliament was placed on lockdown and lawmakers were sequestered in a secure area along with others in the compound before people were allowed to start leaving. British Special Forces and heavily armed police were deployed inside the Parliament building after the attack, as military helicopters flew overhead. The violence outside the British Parliament came on the first anniversary of three coordinated suicide bombings in Brussels that killed 32 victims and injured more than 300 others. Extremists in the so-called Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the Brussels attacks. Authorities said later that the Brussels attacks were carried out by members of a terrorist cell that had been involved in the November 2015 Paris attacks that killed 130 people and injured 368 others.
Defiant Londoners have rushed to show the world that #LondonisOpen in the wake of the horrific terror attack on Westminster. Locals have refused to be cowed by the terrifying scenes that unfolded in the heart of the capital yesterday, gathering to take pictures and lay floral tributes on Westminster Bridge almost as soon as the Metropolitan Police lifted its cordon. On social media people have drawn comparisons to the Blitz spirit of the Second World War, by posting memes of inspirational messages with pictures of bombed out war-time London. While stations on the Underground network have used notice boards to offer messages of support, willing people to remain strong in times of adversity. Politicians and the police have also urged the public not to let the attack, which claimed the lives of three innocent people and injured at least 29, create a culture of 'fear' in the city - with the hashtags #LondonisOpen and #WeAreNotAfraid trending on Twitter. Addressing MPs in the House of Commons today, Prime Minister Theresa May said: 'We are not afraid and our resolve will never waiver in the face of terrorism.' Scroll down for video Pictured: A couple makes a heart sign with their hands after the cordon was lifted on Westminster Bridge, the day after a terrorist attack rocked London Business as usual: One woman wearning a wedding dress posed for a bridal photo on the South Bank opposite Big Ben All smiles: The defiant woman captured the spirit of keeping calm and carrying on as she flashed a beaming smile Pictured: Floral tributes are laid at the scene of yesterday's carnage in Westminster, that left three innocent people dead Defiant Londoners have vowed not to let the terror attack beat them with the #WeAreNotAfraid hashtag trending on social media (right). Left, the Quote of the Day board at Tower Hill Station asks people to be strong in the face of adversity A tweeter posts a picture of a woman drinking a cup of tea while sitting on the rubble of a house in London, during the Second World War - as people take a defiant stance in light of yesterday's terror attack Tweeters have posted inspirational messages as people taking a defiant stance in the wake of the Westminster terrorist attack London was rocked yesterday afternoon after jihadist Khalid Masood crashed a Hyundai 4x4 into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before hurtling towards the gates of Parliament. Pc Keith Palmer, a member of the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Squad, was killed as he tried to stop Masood, 52, at around 2.30pm on Wednesday, while three members of the public were also fatally injured. The terrorist, who was armed with two knives, injured crowds of people as he mowed down pedestrians with a car on Westminster Bridge before crashing at the railings in front of Parliament. RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Share Bursting through the gate to the Palace of Westminster, he stabbed Pc Palmer before being shot dead by armed officers. Eight people have been arrested and six addresses raided in London, Birmingham and elsewhere in connection with the Westminster terror attack, Mark Rowley, the Met's senior anti-terror officer, has revealed. In her speech to the Commons this morning Mrs May lauded the courageous actions of fallen officer Pc Palmer and revealed Masood had previously been investigated by MI5. She said: 'Pc Palmer had devoted his life to the service of his country. He had been a member of the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command for 15 years, and a soldier in the Royal Artillery before that. 'He was a husband and a father, killed doing a job he loved. 'He was every inch a hero. And his actions will never be forgotten. 'I know the whole House will join me in sending our deepest condolences to his family - and to the families and friends of all those who have been killed or injured in yesterday's awful attacks. In an effort to rally around in the face of adversity, many people have been posting pictures and messages of condolence in wake of the attack. The capital's Underground stations have used their 'Thought of the Day' boards to offer support, with Tower Hill station writing: 'The flower that blooms in adversity is the rarest and most beautiful of them all. #Londonisopen #Westminster #WeAreNotAfraid' While staff at Oval station wrote: 'You have to be at your strongest when you're feeling at your weakest. Our condolences, our city, our diversity, our strength. #IAmLondon #WeAreNotAfraid. Charlotte Eames posted: 'The UK survived 2 world wars and the IRA. The UK will not bow down to terrorists #WeAreNotAfraid' While a tweeter called Rachel shared: '#londonisopen Today London will carry on...I WILL be taking my children into the city on Saturday #WeAreNotAfraid' Ross wrote: 'I am so proud of this country and people getting on with their days after such a terrible day yesterday #PrayForLondon #wearenotafraid' While Francesca De Florio posted a picture of the Thames with the Houses of Parliament in the background and said: '#London's quiet dignity this morning makes me so Proud #WeAreNotAfraid.' Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said the capital would not be intimidated by terrorism. He said: 'London has seen this before and is taking it on the chin.' Mr Fallon confirmed Parliament's security would now be reviewed. But paying tribute to Pc Palmer, he said: 'They did not get into Parliament. They only got as far as the gate. They did not breach the security of the House of Commons and he gave his life to protect the security of our democracy. 'Parliament cannot be hermetically sealed. People are coming and going all the time. Pictured: Paramedics treat the knifeman who left three people dead and 29 injured after ploughing into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before stabbing a police officer outside the Houses of Parliament on Wednesday afternoon (ringed, his knife) Pictured: Members of the public rush to help a man run down after the vehicle mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge during Wednesday's attack This was the series of events where a knife attacker drove into pedestrians before he was shot by police The police chief explained that a 'large and complicated crime scene' remains in place around Westminster, but thanked the public for their patience. He said: 'As people are out and about on the streets of the Capital this morning they will see more police officers on duty - armed and unarmed - and a mix of British Transport Police and the City of London. 'We have cancelled some leave and increased some duty hours and are working to make sure that we can out in force to reassure the public. Acting Deputy Met Police Commissioner Mark Rowley said London should not let terrorists create a culture of 'fear' in the city London Mayor Sadiq Khan has invited Londoners to attend a candlelight vigil in Trafalgar Square this evening to remember the victims of yesterday's attack 'The police stand with all communities - later today a meeting of faith leaders will be held here at New Scotland Yard. 'Whilst our work to investigate and understand what happened yesterday continues with vigour - we must also reflect. 'I want to thank the public for their support and all their good wishes - I know it is appreciated by all those men and women who are out there today protecting us.' London Mayor Sadiq Khan has invited people to join him for a candlelight vigil in Trafalgar Square at 6pm this evening to remember those lost in the attack. On Mr Khan's website it said: 'The Mayor invites all Londoners  and everyone visiting our city - to come together in solidarity to remember those who have lost their lives, to express sympathy with their families and loved ones and to show the world that we are more committed than ever to the values that we hold dear  that we remain united and open. 'London is the greatest city in the world. We will never be cowed by terrorism. We stand together, in the face of those who seek to harm us and destroy our way of life. We always have, and we always will.'
"There are also reports of further violent incidents in the vicinity of the palace of Westminster but I hope colleagues on all sides will appreciate it would be wrong for me to go into further details until we have confirmation from the police and house security authorities about what is going on. "I shall endeavour to do the very best I can, both at the dispatch box and by communicating with my opposite numbers in other political parties to ensure members are kept aware of what is happening. "But at the moment the very clear advice from the police and director of security in the house is that we should remain under suspension and that the chamber should remain in lockdown until we receive advice that it is safe to go back to normal procedures." Shadow leader of the house Valerie Vaz added: "Our thoughts and prayers are with the police officer. [I want] to thank the police and all security services, and all the staff for looking after us so well." On the bridge, witnesses said a vehicle struck several people, and photos showed a car ploughed into railings. Witnesses in Parliament reported hearing sounds like gunfire. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP Eyewitness video has shown five people being mown down by a car on Westminster Bridge. Radoslaw Sikorski posted a video to Twitter purporting to show people lying injured in the road on Westminster Bridge. Mr Sikorski, a senior fellow at Harvard Centre for European Studies, said he saw at least five people lying on the ground after being mown down by a car.
Terrorist Khalid Masood kept maps and photos of Westminster Bridge in his rented bedsit as it emerged police are insisting he was not linked to ISIS. Scotland Yard said the British-born jihadi copied ISIS techniques but there was no evidence he was in contact with the terror group. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu revealed more about the investigation into the attack which killed four and injured more than 50 last Wednesday. Police believe Masood drove up to 76mph as he ploughed into his victims on Westminster Bridge and the attack took a mere 82 seconds. He said: 'His attack method appears to be based on low sophistication, low tech, low cost techniques copied from other attacks, and echo the rhetoric of IS (Islamic State) leaders in terms of methodology and attacking police and civilians, but at this stage I have no evidence he discussed this with others. 'Whilst I have found no evidence of an association with ISIS or al-Qaeda, there is clearly an interest in jihad.' The Westminster terrorist Khalid Masood receives medical treatment by paramedics at the scene Metropolitan policeman Keith Palmer (left), Mother-of-two Aysha Frade (centre) and US tourist Kurt Cochran (right) have been named as victims of the attack It also emerged that Masood appeared to be obsessed with the scene of his massacre on Wednesday, keeping photos and maps of the bridge where he killed three people. A source told The Sun documents of Parliament and the surrounding area were found in his dingy room in Birmingham, which suggested planning as opposed to a random act of terror. The rented room, three miles from his home in the West Midlands, was described as a war room by the source, who said it was designed to be hidden from prying eyes. Share this article Detectives have ruled out that Masood was radicalised in prison, saying he converted to Islam a year after being released. Born Adrian Elms, Masood took his new name in 2005 having served time for possession of a knife. 'In 2005 he changed his name to Khalid Masood,' Mr Basu said. 'His last criminal offence was 2003 and he was not a current subject of interest or part of the current domestic or international threat picture for either the security service or CT (counter terrorism) policing. 'I know when, where and how Masood committed his atrocities, but now I need to know why. Most importantly, so do the victims and families.' But Scotland Yard denied claims Masood had been radicalised in prison, following claims from friends and former colleagues who knew him before and after he served time. Mr Basu, the senior national coordinator for UK counter terrorism policing, added: 'There is no evidence that Masood was radicalised in prison in 2003, as has been suggested - this is pure speculation at this time.' Police and a removal contractor take a matress and bedding away from an address on Navigation Way in Birmingham Police officials opened the door to the family home on Navigation Way on Monday afternoon to a tradesman who loaded his white van with various household items A vacuum cleaner and other household items were also seized from the address, linked to Masood It is also unclear whether or not the Westminster killer was a member of the banned al-Muhajiroun group when he spent time in Luton. Masood was known as a potential terrorist in 2010 after a trip to Saudi Arabia alerted MI5. Theresa May told the House of Commons this week that the 52-year-old murderer was merely a 'peripheral' figure when spies were monitoring his actions in the years building up to his killing spree. It was reported yesterday the authorities had considered him to have potential for extremism due to links with hate preacher Anjem Choudary and the prohibited al-Muhajiroun group. But Scotland Yard said today there is no evidence that he was part of the radical group, according to the BBC, and appealed for people who were in contact with the killer on March 22 to come forward. A computer monitor, taken from the Birmingham address, is loaded into a van and taken away The removal driver made four trips in and out of the house, loading the van with a double bed mattress, television screen and a Henry Hoover Large yellow steel structures have been placed outside Buckingham Palace, Central London, in the wake of the Westminster terrorist attacks The giant ring of huge metal bollards has been installed outside Buckingham Palace to stop Westminster-style terror attacks - by preventing cars from driving on the pavement As well as the four people who died in the massacre in the capital on Wednesday, dozens were injured when the terrorist mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge to deliberately mow down pedestrians and cyclists. He then crashed his 4x4 into railings outside Parliament before getting out of the car and fatally stabbing police officer Keith Palmer. Four people have died, excluding the attacker who was shot dead, including PC Palmer, Londoner Leslie Rhodes, 75, US tourist Kurt Cochran, 54, and mother-of-two Aysha Frade, 43. The inquest into their deaths will open and adjourn at Westminster's Coroner Court on Wednesday at 2pm. Masood's inquest will open and adjourn at the same location on Thursday at 2pm. The method used by Masood struck a frightening resemblance to other deadly terror attacks across the world claimed by ISIS. They follow the terror group's advice to their militants to use vehicles as weapons of mass destruction in busy, public areas. In response, a giant ring of huge metal bollards has been installed outside Buckingham Palace to stop Westminster-style terror attacks - by preventing cars from driving on the pavement. Police continued to search properties in Birmingham and took away a number of houshold items from a house in Navigation Way including a Henry vaccuum cleaner, bedding and computer monitors. Other deadly attacks using vehicles Wednesday's terror attack in London was the latest in a string of similar incidents across the world where extremists have used vehicles as weapons. On Bastille Day in the summer of last year, 86 people were killed when a truck was driven through crowds enjoying fireworks in Nice. Four months later, a copycat ISIS-inspired massacre took place in Germany when a terrorist drove a truck through a Christmas market in Berlin. Twelve people were killed in the attack on December 19. This year, a Palestinian lorry driver mowed down and then reversed over Israeli soldiers. The attack occurred on January 8 and killed four people. At least one person is feared dead in the Westminster Bridge incident, which comes on the anniversary of another deadly act of terrorism in the name of Islamic State in Brussels which killed 32. ISIS' propaganda magazine has regularly called on lone wolf attackers to use lorries and vehicles as deadly weapons. In response to the terror threat, France is in the process of building an 8ft bulletproof wall around the Eiffel Tower aimed at protecting the iconic landmark from potential jihadists. BASTILLE DAY On the evening of July 14, 2016, a 19-tonne cargo truck was driven into crowds celebrating Bastille Day on the Promenage des Anglais in Nice. ISIS fanatic Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel was behind the wheel and after exchanging gunfire with police, the Tunisian migrant was shot dead. Thousands had gathered on the seafront to watch the fireworks that night. Eighty-six of them died and 434 were injured. BERLIN CHRISTMAS MARKET Anis Amri stole a cargo truck and killed 12 people when he drove through a Christmas market next to the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church at Breitscheidplatz in Berlin. Among the dozen people killed in the ISIS-inspired terror attack on December 19, 2016, was the original driver of the truck Lukasz Urban who was found dead with a gunshot wound in the passenger street. Amri was a Tunisian who had failed to gain asylum status in the country. He was killed in Milan four days later after an international manhunt. JERUSALEM SOLDIERS ATTACK On January 8 this year, a Palestinian rammed a truck into a group of Israeli soldiers visiting a popular tourist spot in Jerusalem, killing four and wounding 15 people, in a shocking copycat of the Berlin and Nice terror massacres. Shocking video from the scene shows the driver reversing back over the soldiers, trapping ten under his wheels, during the sickening attack on Sunday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu alleged the attacker 'supported' the Islamic State group, though he provided no details on what led to the finding. He said there 'definitely could be a connection' between Sunday's attack, which killed four Israeli soldiers, and recent attacks in France and Germany. OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY A Somali refugee injured 13 people when he rammed his car into a group of people outside Ohio State University in Columbus. Abdul Razak Ali Artan was shot dead by the first responding OSU police officer and ISIS claimed through its Amaq News Agency that he had acted on behalf of the terror group. After mowing down people in the car, he jumped out of his vehicle and attempted to stab more people.
Weekly Transmission: August 19 2018 Hello, and welcome to Weekly Transmission, a new segment where Ill be dissecting and discussing some of the weeks biggest news stories! This segment will be coming out every Sunday, and will cover the news from the previous week. On todays segment, were covering the Westminster Terror Attack, Jeremy Corbyn, and A-Level results day! Hello everyone! Sorry I havent been overly active recently, Ive been a bit busy. Ive had a lot of ideas, but not enough time or care to write them up into full articles. This is something new Ive decided to start doing  a quick run through of some of the weeks more prominent news stories, with my opinions and thoughts added in for good measure. Some of these will undoubtedly be longer and more in depth than others, since some weeks are just slow for news, and others are chock full of juicy stuff. Without further ado, let me begin with the rundown of this weeks news, running from Monday the 13th of August 2018, to Sunday the 19th of August. Well open up with one of the bigger domestic stories from the week, the terrorist attack on Parliament that took place on Tuesday morning. Just after 7:30, a silver Ford crashed into barriers outside Parliament. The attack  as the media and the police are treating it  didnt get anywhere near Parliament proper or anyone significant within government. It did, however, deliberately aim for members of the public. Thankfully, this attack appears to have been relatively impotent; a man and a woman were admitted to hospital with serious injuries, but were discharged by Tuesday evening. A third person was treated for minor injuries at the scene. The driver of the Ford  a 29 year old man  was arrested on suspicion of terrorist offences. The man is believed to have been unknown to security services and counter-terrorism police, but was apparently known in some capacity to local police. What interests me specifically about this attack is the timing. If we compare it to two other recent vehicle ramming attacks  the 2017 Westminster van attack, and the 2017 Finsbury Park mosque attack  we can see that this incident did significantly less damage than the two prior ones. The Westminster van attack in March of 2017 injured more than 50 people, and killed five. It took place just before three oclock in the afternoon, a time at which significantly more people were likely to have been out and about on the streets of London. It also took place in March, when Parliament is still in session. If the target was members of government, it was a much more appropriate time, and if the target was the general public, it was also likely to be a time that presented the attacker with a much larger number of potential casualties. This weeks attack took place while Parliament was on summer recess, meaning the building wouldve been largely empty. It also took place early in the morning, so while Im sure the streets werent exactly quiet, they were probably more so than at three oclock in the afternoon. The Finsbury Park mosque attack took place just after midnight, at the time when local Muslims were just emerging from their prayers. This attack killed one person and injured around ten. The timing here seems to be very specific  the attacker knew when his targets would be gathered for maximum impact and damage, and timed his attack accordingly. So now look at this weeks attack  only three people injured, none dead, minor damage done. With several other more successful attacks to learn from, why was this attacker so ineffective? This, to me, suggests that this attack was incredibly random, motivated almost on a whim, with little forethought or planning. The establishment media onslaught against Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also continued this week, with the new scandal being that in 2014, Corbyn apparently attended a memorial service and laid a wreath for terrorists involved in the 1972 Munich Olympics terror attack. The victims of this attack were members of the Israeli Olympic team, and so this fit into the anti-Corbyn narrative nicely, and his enemies were quick to point to it as one, more evidence that Corbyn is anti-Semitic, and two, that he supports and has sympathies with terrorists. This story first began gaining media traction on Saturday, when the Daily Mail dug up and published a picture of the wreath-laying, with Corbyn himself holding a wreath. The Labour Leader didnt overly help his case, first denying that he personally laid a wreath, then saying he did, and then that he, did not think, he had done so. The media went on the warpath, with the Evening Standard labelling it a, tipping point, in the ongoing anti-Semitism row, and the widow of one of the Israelis killed personally condemning Corbyn and his alleged actions. Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu took to Twitter to put pressure on Corbyn, declaring that, the laying of a wreath by Jeremy Corbyndeserves unequivocal condemnation from everyone, and prompting a scathing retort from Corbyn. In a reply, Corbyn said, what deserves unequivocal condemnation is the killing of over 160 Palestianian protestors in Gaza by Israeli forces. So, on the face of it, its looking like the whole issue is rather bad for Jeremy Corbyn. Hes been caught red-handed, with undeniable evidence that hes a raging Jew-hater and terrorist supporter. But theres one problem. None of it is true. Well, I say none of it  Jeremy was at a ceremony, in Tunisia, with Palestinians. Thats about it. The ceremony Jeremy attended is an annual affair, held to commemorate an Israeli attack on the Palestinian Liberation Organisation headquarters in 1985. 74 people were killed during that attack, and at the time it was condemned by the UN, as well as various world leaders including then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Theres a slight irony in that Thatcher agreed with Corbyn at the time, but todays right wing are incapable of grasping what she saw. A statement issued by the Labour Party stated that the claims made in the media have been, false and misleading, and that Jeremy attended, with other European parliamentarians, including a Conservative and Liberal Democrat from the UK. This is hypocrisy in its most blatant form  where has the outrage been about the Conservative and Lib Dem MPs that also attended? Where was the outrage back in 2014, when this event actually took place? Non-existent, of course, because its only been drudged back up now in order to provide more ammunition for the relentless media assault on Jeremy Corbyn. The media and the establishment do not care about the Jewish people  they never have  and their pseudo-concern here is actually grossly more offensive to me, as a Jew, than anything Corbyn has said or done. We, as Jews, are not a stick with which to beat a politician you dont like. To use anti-Semitism in such a way is wrong. Anti-Semitism, of course, should be condemned and fought every time it. It is a despicable racism that must be purged from society. But turning it into a weapon against an innocent man is not how we go about that. A-Level results were released this week, with thousands of teenagers across the country finding out their grades from exams they took months ago. These grades are potentially life changing; they effectively dictate what university youll go to, and thus, what direction the rest of your life will take. Or, I guess, theyre just some numbers on a piece of paper and you stopped caring about them as soon as you got a job. Amidst a raft of government mandated changes designed to make exams harder, the BBC reported that this years students had achieved the highest proportion of As and A*s since 2012. Examiners dismissed the rise in top grades, calling it, extremely marginal, and, exactly what you might expect to see. Englands exam regulator did, however, say the results showed, a steady national picture at a time of significant change. Despite the calm words coming from the powers that be, though, the picture on the ground is far less positive. Since the introduction of new-style A-Levels that move away from coursework and focus heavily on more challenging exams, an, intolerable additional strain, has been placed on teachers and students, according to the head of the Association of School and College Leaders. This rise in stress isnt unique to A-Level students, either. The NSPCC, one of Britains leading childrens charities, reported a surge in the number of young people seeking help specifically as a result of exam stress in 2017. The charity said that the new grading system for GCSEs meant that students would be under even more pressure than previously, and a spokesperson said that, many teenagers struggle with exam stress and the pressure to perform well. While this is something that we need to be paying attention to all year round, I think its especially important to reiterate at exam and results time; your education should not be destroying your mental health. If it is, something is wrong within the system, and that something needs to be fixed. Im happy to welcome governmental changes that improve upon the welfare of students, but I stand vehemently opposed to all changes that put arbitrary numbers  which is what grades are, after all  above students health and happiness. If even one child is depressed because of their schooling, thats one too many. Its up to us to scrutinise every proposed change to the education system, and to ensure that we fight as hard as we possibly can against any change that prioritises anything other than students wellbeing.
Share this article Share 1k shares Secretary of State Rex Tillerson offered his condolences to the victims of the attack and their families in a separate statement. 'The American people send their thoughts and prayers to the people of the United Kingdom. We condemn these horrific acts of violence, and whether they were carried out by troubled individuals or by terrorists, the victims know no difference,' he said. An attacker, described by a witness as 'middle-aged and Asian', entered the security perimeter of Britain's parliament and stabbed a policeman on Wednesday afternoon before being shot by police. The law enforcement official he assaulted died at the scene. The attacked died later at a hospital. WHITE HOUSE READOUT ON TRUMP'S CALL WITH MAY 'President Donald J. Trump spoke today with Prime Minister Theresa May of the United Kingdom to offer his condolences on todays terror attack in London and his praise for the effective response of security forces and first responders. 'He pledged the full cooperation and support of the United States Government in responding to the attack and bringing those responsible to justice.' David Lidington, the leader of the House of Commons, informed parliament of the incident on Wednesday afternoon in London. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police, an ambulance is currently attending the scene to remove the causalities,' he said, according to Reuters. 'There are also reports of further violent incidents in the Palace of Westminster but it would be wrong of me to go into further details before confirmation from the police.' Witness Jayne Wilkinson said she and her partner were taking photos of Big Ben 'and we saw all the people running towards us, and then there was an Asian guy in about his 40s carrying a knife about seven or eight inches long.' 'And then there were three shots fired, and then we crossed the road and looked over. The man was on the floor with blood.' 'He had a lightweight jacket on, dark trousers and a shirt. He was running through those gates, towards Parliament, and the police were chasing him.' A man, believed to be the attacker, is put on the stretcher and wheeled into an ambulance inside the grounds of Parliament Her partner, David Turner, said, 'There was a stampede of people running out. You saw the people and you thought 'what the hell is going on'.' Parliament was on lock down as Trump commented on the matter in Washington. Around the time of the stabbing, a vehicle drove over Westminster Bridge and maimed more than a dozen people. 'It was horrendous, absolutely horrendous,' an eyewitness told CNN. At least four people have been reported dead. A doctor at St Thomas' Hospital has said one woman died and a number of others have been hurt - including some with 'catastrophic' injuries. Scotland Yard is treating the two events as a terror attack until they have reason to believe otherwise. It is not known whether the individual who stabbed the police officer was the driver of the vehicle. British PM Theresa May was immediately evacuated from parliament after the assault. It is believed this was the series of events this afternoon where a knife attacker drove into pedestrians before he was shot Some 300 lawmakers were in the chamber of parliament when the lock down occurred, British MP Simon Danczuk told CNN over the phone as he awaited removal. Danczuk was elected in 2010. In his 7 years, Danczuk said he had never seen anything like this. The last major terror attack in London was more than a decade ago, in 2005. Today's assaults at the British parliament occurred nearly a year to the day after the terrorist atrocities in Brussels.
"Next of kin have been informed and are receiving support from specially trained family liaison officers." The attacker who brought terror to the streets of the capital has been named as Khalid Masood and detectives investigating Wednesday's attacks on Westminster Bridge and at the Houses of Parliament said they had arrested three women and five men on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts. The suspects were held in raids in London and Birmingham as neighbours of Masood, a 52-year-old with a string of criminal convictions including possession of a knife, spoke of their shock. Three people were killed when the knife-wielding attacker ploughed a car through pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, before storming the Parliamentary estate. He was shot dead. Unarmed Pc Keith Palmer died after being stabbed at the Houses of Parliament. The Westminster Bridge victims include a US tourist from Utah who was celebrating his wedding anniversary and a "highly regarded and loved" member of college staff. Kurt Cochran and his wife, Melissa, on the last day of a trip celebrating their 25th anniversary, were visiting her parents, who are serving as Mormon missionaries in London. Mrs Cochran was badly injured. Aysha Frade, who worked in administration at independent sixth-form school DLD College London, in Westminster, is understood to have been 43 and married with two daughters. Scotland Yard said Masood was not the subject of any current investigations before Wednesday's outrage and there was "no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack". However, he was known to police and MI5 and had convictions for assaults, including GBH, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences. Masood was born in Kent on Christmas Day in 1964 and detectives believe he was most recently living in the West Midlands. He was also known by a number of aliases. One former neighbour, Iwona Romek, speaking in Winson Green, Birmingham, said she could not believe her eyes when she realised the man who had lived near her was the man responsible for the attack. She said: "Now I'm scared that someone like that was living close to me." In Trafalgar Square, crowds gathered for a candlelit vigil in memory of the victims on Thursday evening. They had responded to a personal invitation by London mayor Sadiq Khan to come together in solidarity and sympathy. In praise of the bravery of the emergency services responding to the attack, the mayor said: "When Londoners face adversity we always pull together. We stand up for our values and we show the world we are the greatest city in the world." Earlier Prime Minister Theresa May disclosed the terrorist was British-born and was once investigated in relation to concerns about violent extremism some years ago, but was a "peripheral figure". Home Secretary Amber Rudd defended the security and intelligence agencies, saying: "The fact that he was known to them doesn't mean that somebody has 24-hour cover." She disclosed Masood had spent time in jail, but said it was not for terrorist-related offences. As police and intelligence agencies mounted a massive investigation to piece together the killer's movements in the lead-up to the attack: :: Searches were carried out at three addresses in Birmingham and one each in east London, Brighton, south-east London and Carmarthenshire. :: A 39-year-old woman was arrested in east London while a 21-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man were held at one address in Birmingham. :: A 26-year-old woman and three men aged 28, 27 and 26 were arrested at another address in Birmingham. :: They were all held overnight while a 58-year-old man was arrested on Thursday at a third address in Birmingham. :: Investigators are working on the basis that the attacker acted alone. :: Car firm Enterprise confirmed the Hyundai used in the attack was one of its vehicles. :: Islamic State claimed the killer was one of its "soldiers". :: A review of security arrangements at Westminster was launched. The Prime Minister addressed MPs as they gathered at the usual time inside the Palace of Westminster. In a defiant message to a packed House of Commons, Mrs May said: "We will never waver in the face of terrorism." Paying tribute to Pc Palmer, she said: "He was every inch a hero and his actions will never be forgotten." The officer's family described him as "brave and courageous", saying his friends and relatives are "shocked and devastated". Meanwhile, Islamic State made its first public pronouncement since the atrocity, claiming in a statement: "The attacker yesterday in front of the British Parliament in London was a soldier of the Islamic State executing the operation in response to calls to target citizens of coalition nations." Commentators pointed out the terror group has a record of opportunistically claiming attacks and said it was significant the statement did not appear to claim it had directed the strike. A minute's silence was held nationwide at 9.33am, including in the Palace of Westminster and at New Scotland Yard. Up to 40 other people were also injured in the attack, with casualties including Britons, French children, Romanians, South Koreans, Greeks, and people from Germany, Poland, Ireland, China, Italy and the United States. Three police officers were also hurt, two of them seriously. In a sign of Westminster's determination to return to business as usual, the entrance to Parliament which saw the deaths of Pc Palmer and Masood, was back in use. Parliamentary passholders were able to use the Carriage Gates, walking within metres of the spot where Pc Palmer fell as he confronted Masood, although armed police were in attendance at the entrance. Roads around the Palace of Westminster, including Parliament Square, were reopened and soon busy with traffic. A spokeswoman for King's College Hospital confirmed that the 75-year-old man had been treated there prior to his death.
Mrs Palmer, with whom he has a five-year-old daughter Amy, added: 'Keith will be remembered as a wonderful dad and husband. A loving son, brother and uncle. A long-time supporter of Charlton FC. 'Dedicated to his job and proud to be a police officer, brave and courageous. 'A friend to everyone who knew him. He will be deeply missed. His friends and family are shocked and devastated by his loss.' Yesterday tourists from as far afield as Australia posted images of themselves alongside a beaming PC Palmer on social media, sharing memories of the officer who always gave them a warm welcome at the Houses of Parliament. PC Palmer happily smiles with tourists for a picture outside Parliament, where he told the holiday makers he would love to visit their native Australia one day Good sport: Pc Keith Palmer poses for a selfie with Parliament visitors Will Robins and Tyler Chapperley-Russell by Big Ben There were mounting calls yesterday for the policeman to receive the George Medal as it emerged that he was an extraordinary policeman. One former officer said she owed him her life after she was injured in a road accident. Nina Whitehead was a front passenger in a patrol car when it crashed into a van, but PC Palmer kept her alive until paramedics arrived. 'He was already a hero. In my eyes he always will be,' she said. 'I literally owe him my life. I want to tell people how lovely he was and how brave he was.' In an interview with LBC radio, she said she was devastated by his death, adding: 'I was in an accident ten years ago and he was one of the first officers to attend. 'I was in a police car on duty and my driver hit a white van and I got it all. Keith kept me alive until the ambulance got there. I spent three months in hospital and had to learn to walk again. Tourists posed for selfies with Keith Palmer 'He would come in and see me in hospital a bit. He'd always give me a big cuddle when he came in. I owe him everything. He was a wonderful dad and wonderful husband to his wife.' Miss Whitehead, who was medically retired after the crash, went on: 'He was just really friendly, always laughing and bringing cakes into work to cheer us all up. 'He was lovable and funny, but when it came to his work he was professional, hands on, and he always put others before his own safety, like he did yesterday.' PC Palmer, who was a member of the Metropolitan Police's parliamentary and diplomatic protection command, had served with the force for 15 years. He was nominated just two years ago for 'best thief taker' in the Commissioner's Excellence Awards, having made more than 150 arrests in 12 months. PC James Aitkenhead, who worked with him at Westminster, said: 'When I heard what had happened I knew it would be him because that's just the sort of guy he was, to step straight in when others might step back.' Incoming Metropolitan Police commissioner Cressida Dick said: 'We will never forget his courage. My deepest sympathy is with his family and with the loved ones of everyone who lost their lives.' Before he joined Scotland Yard, PC Palmer served as a reservist in the Royal Artillery from August 1987 to August 2001, leaving as a bombardier. His friend David Derby, who served with him, said: 'He was an amazing guy. He would always want to help people out and give people encouragement. He wanted to go above and beyond in his job. Police officer Keith Palmer was killed by a knifeman before the attacker was shot by other officers outside Parliament. Emergency services desperately tried to save him, pictured, but he succumbed to his wounds 'That's why he joined the police force and died in the cause of duty, protecting the people of London, it cost him his life.' The Prime Minister added: 'PC Palmer had devoted his life to the service of his country. He had been a member of the parliamentary and diplomatic protection command for 15 years, and a soldier in the Royal Artillery before that. He was a husband and a father, killed doing a job he loved. 'He was every inch a hero, and his actions will never be forgotten.' Her words reduced Tory MP Tobias Ellwood, who was part of the team who tried to save the life of PC Palmer, to tears. Last night a chorus of MPs called for a lasting memorial to the policeman, who is believed to be the first officer to die in the line of duty within Westminster. Labour's Chris Bryant suggested PC Palmer should be given a commemorative heraldic shield in the Commons chamber 'because he was our shield and defender' during the attack. Much loved: PC Palmer's portrait rests against a wall close to the spot where he was murdered Sorely missed: A police officer places flowers and a photo of Pc Keith Palmer on Whitehall near the closed-off Houses of Parliament in London The Speaker's chaplain, Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin, led prayers for the officer during a chapel service in the House of Commons at the edge of Westminster Hall, where Margaret Thatcher and Tony Benn both lay in state. The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby, also joined those sending prayers and thoughts to the family of PC Palmer. Last night the officer's portrait rested against a wall close to the spot where he was murdered. Meanwhile, at the ground of his beloved Charlton Athletic Football Club, a single red and white scarf was laid on the seat he had occupied for many years in a moving tribute. Serving officers leave tributes for the police officer murdered in the first major terror attack in Britain since 2005 The Metropolitan Police Federation launched an official memorial page for his family which raised 250,000 within six hours. Scotland Yard said that PC Palmer's shoulder number, 4157U, would be retired and not reissued to any other officer as a mark of respect. Home Secretary Amber Rudd said: 'He was courageous, he was brave, and he was doing his duty. 'And he was not alone in doing that. I know that all officers of the Met are like that and in my experience, so are all policemen. 'I want us to say thank you to them all for the great sacrifice and risks they take to keep us safe.'
Terror attack in Westminster  Queen cancels engagement Five people have died after an attack in Westminster, believed to be linked to terrorism, after a police man was stabbed at the Houses of Parliament and two others ploughed a car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge yesterday afternoon. The attack took place at around 2:40pm, with emergency services arrived soon after. Amateur videos shows tourists running from the Palace of Westminster, where a session of Parliament was sitting, with gunshots being heard soon after. Police officers can also be heard shouting, Go, just go! A police officer had been stabbed by a man who was confirmed to be a hate preacher; he was subsequently shot by police and died in hospital. Three pedestrians died and forty people have been reported injured, some suffering catastrophic injuries from the collision. The Queen was set to open the new HQ of the Metropolitan Police today, but the visit has been postponed as the police already have stretched resources; Her Majesty wishes to ease the burden on them. After the House of Commons, and the House of Lords were suspended, as well as the Scottish and Welsh assemblies, Parliament will sit at the usual time today, in a sign that terrorism cannot disrupt democracy. There was an attack at the Houses of Parliament and on Westminster Bridge (Wilson Hui) The Prime Minister was in parliament at the time of the attack, and was quickly escorted to her armoured car while MPs remained inside on lockdown. Theresa May then followed developments at 10 Downing Street. She held an emergency COBRA (Cabinet Office Briefing Room A) meeting this evening, to discuss the official response of Her Majestys Government. A statement from Downing Street read, The thoughts of the PM and the Government are with those killed and injured in this appalling incident, and with their families. The PM is being kept updated and will shortly chair COBRA. Witnesses described a chaotic scene, seeing bodies scatter as the car crashed into the gate at the Palace of Westminster. As a precaution, Buckingham Palace, just half a mile away, closed its gates. Her Majesty is currently in residence, less than one mile from the scene. Foreign & Commonwealth Office minister Tobias Ellwood administered mouth-to-mouth CPR to the injured policeman, in an attempt to save the stabbed officers life. Unfortunately, the officer later died. Among those injured by the car were three police officers on their way back from a commendation ceremony and three French teenage students on a school trip. The French Prime Minister confirmed, that the French students were involved in the incident. Over 1,000 people were moved to Westminster Abbey, where they were briefed by the Metropolitan Police. The White House Press Secretary, Sean Spicer said that the US will back The City of London and Her Majestys Government. President Trump spoke with the Prime Minister via telephone, earlier today. Increased security presence will be visible across the kingdom tonight, to reassure the British people. Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said, This is a day we plan for but hoped would never happen. Sadly it is now a reality. We will continue to do all we can to protect the people of London. The UK security services have disrupted over 13 attacks since 2014. The current terror threat level to the UK is severe, meaning an attack is highly likely. This is the second highest level, the highest being critical, meaning an attack is imminent. The attack comes after the UK and US governments ordered an electronics ban on flights from the Middle East and North Africa, due to actionable intelligence. The official Twitter account of the Spanish Monarchy tweeted, Shocked by the London attack, all our solidarity with the British people & their institutions in the fight against terror. Seven arrests were made in London and Birmingham overnight, thought to be in connection with the attack. Share this: Post Tags I currently study Politics with International Relations at Aston University. I am very interested in current affairs and have a passion for our monarchy and British history. World War II is a very interesting area of study for me. I strongly believe the United Kingdom benefits from a monarchy to protect the unwritten constitution that we have. I would class myself as a traditional person and I enjoy reading historical books. Furthermore I enjoy flying as aviation is another passion of mine. I also enjoy to travel, especially when spending time in quintessential English villages.
This is the moment Theresa May was rushed to her bomb proof car with lone wolf jihadi Khalid Masood just 100 yards away. Shaky eyewitness video, first obtained by the Sun, shows the Prime Minister being rushed to her Jaguar XJ by her bodyguards in the moments after Masood when on his rampage. It also reveals that in the panic Mrs May ran in the wrong direction as the terror attack unfolded. It is only when one of her armed security detail yells at her to 'get in the car' and opens the silver car's door that she goes in the right direction. Theresa May is guided to her waiting Jaguar (left) while officers rush to their Land Rover (right) The video shows Mrs May momentarily losing her bearings, before being steered back to the car by her aides. At the same time the Prime Minister's bodyguards can be seen drawing automatic weapons and standing on guard in the heart of the House of Commons. Mrs May was then driven off at high speed to the safety of Downing Street Escape: Mrs May was seen being bundled into the back seat of her silver Jaguar (pictured racing away) surrounded by armed guards at around 2.30pm The astonishing footage is made all the more shocking by the fact that jihadi Khalid Masood had managed to get within 100 feet of the Prime Minister. Sources said that there was 'clear air' between the spot that Masood was gunned down by armed police and the Prime Minister's car. They added that, if there had been more then one attacker, the situation could have been much worse. A witness claimed that Mrs May's car initially tried to drive out into New Palace Yard, where the attack took place, but police stopped her from exiting that way. MPs meanwhile were locked inside the Commons as the Met's elite counter-terrorism unit combed through the House looking for any other attackers. Theresa May was escorted by a full security convoy the day after the attack The Prime Minister vowed that Britain would not surrender to the 'voice of hate and evil trying to drive us apart' MailOnline political editor James Tapsfield was in his officer overlooking New Palace Yard when the rampage began. He said: 'The first sign we had that something was wrong was a loud bang. It sounded like a bomb, but I now realise it must have been the car smashing into the perimeter fence around parliament. Parliament security in the spotlight The attack will likely trigger a major re-think about Parliamentary security The attack on the Palace of Westminster has raised serious concerns about security at what should be one of Britain's most heavily-guarded buildings. Carriage Gates has been identified as a particularly vulnerable spot since police officers guarding it are unarmed. It is emerged that the attacker was only stopped when he was confronted by one of Defence Secretary Michael Fallon's personal guards. It is understood that officers work in a 'fluid' patrol pattern so terrorists can't plan around their patrol routes. However the latest attack will undoubtedly prompt a re-think of Palace security. Former cabinet minister Theresa Villiers told the Guardian: 'The armed police are the second line of defence. The first line of defence, all too often, are the unarmed police, which we might need to re-think' 'Some people ran through the gates, past the police. I didn't see the policemen being stabbed, but then spotted the man in black. 'He made it a few yards inside the ground before being challenged by two men with guns and then shots - I think three of them - rang out. 'Police and staff poured on to the scene very quickly and started trying to resuscitate the attacker.' The day after the attack Theresa May delivered a defiant speech to Parliament, vowing Britain would not surrender to 'the voice of hate and evil trying to drive us apart'. She said: 'We will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive as apart . The Prime Minister's custom-made Jaguar XJ is armoured and includes bulletproof windows 'For those of us who were in Parliament at the time of this attack, these events provide a particular reminder of the exceptional bravery of our police and security service who risk their lives to keep us safe. 'Once again today these exceptional men and women ran towards the danger, even as they encouraged others to move the other way.'
Read more Opening the inquests at Westminster Coroner's Court, senior coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox told the victims relatives everything possible would be done to piece together how their loved ones lost their lives. It is very much a first step in this inquiry in what will be a long, difficult and complex process, she said. But I would like to assure you all that everything that can be done by this court will be done. Detective Superintendent John Crossley, who is leading the police investigation codenamed Operation Classific, recounted how Masoods attack unfolded to the court. Two reviews into Parliament security announced following Westminster attack He said the assault started at around 2.40pm on 22 March, when Masood drove a Hyundai with the registration number EK66 RWO over Westminster Bridge towards the Houses of Parliament. The driver mounted the pavement twice in an apparently deliberate attempt to target pedestrians before mounting the pavement for a final time and crashing the car into the east perimeter gates of the Palace of Westminster, Det Supt Crossley added. The man then left the car armed with two large knives and ran into the vehicle entrance gateway known as Carriage Gates, at the north perimeter fence of the Palace of Westminster. The investigator said PC Palmer was attacked with the knives inside the palace grounds and died at the scene. The incident lasted approximately 82 seconds  from the first time the vehicle mounted the pavement until the attacker was shot by police, Det Supt Crossley told the court. More than 35 people were injured in the rampage, he added, suffering wounds ranging from cuts and bruises to extensive bone and skull fractures. Police walk past floral tributes to the victims of the Westminster terrorist attack outside the Palace of Westminster, London (PA) Det Supt Crossley said the first victim to be pronounced dead was Mrs Frade, a 44-year-old British national who had been on her way to pick up her daughters from school when she was hit on Westminster Bridge. She died at 3.08pm after suffering head and chest injuries, while PC Palmers death was recorded just under half an hour later at 3.34pm. He will be laid to rest at a full police service funeral to be held at Southwark Cathedral next month. Mr Cochran, a 52-year-old American tourist who was celebrating his wedding anniversary, died at the scene 5.34pm. Mr Rhodes, a 75-year-old retired window cleaner, was taken to King's College Hospital with critical injuries but was pronounced dead at 8.25pm the following day, when his life support was withdrawn. Det Supt Crossley said another person further in hospital in a coma, suffering extensive injuries. Retired window cleaner Leslie Rhodes, one of the victims in the Westminster terror attack (Met Police) We are overwhelmed by the love, support and respect for our Andreea, said a statement from relatives of Ms Cristea and her partner Andrei Burnaz, who was injured during the attack but has since been charged from hospital. Det Supt Crossley said a wide-ranging inquiry was being led by the counter-terrorism command, which was looking at a number of strands of investigation using a large amount of CCTV footage and images taken by bystanders. Currently there are in excess of 1,500 potential witnesses, with accounts being those who are deemed significant, he added. This is currently in excess of 140. Dr Wilcox adjourned the inquest while police continue their investigations, and ordered that a pre-inquest review would provisionally be held on 19 May at the Royal Courts of Justice. She told gathered families: I wish you all well, and asked them to pass on her condolences to those who were unable to attend the hearing. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP Westminster Bridge was closed for a memorial joined by hundreds of Londoners and members of the emergency services on Wednesday afternoon. An 82-second silence was held beneath Big Ben exactly a week after Masood launched his attack, which is being investigated as an act of Islamist-inspired terror. Among the crowd were people wearing blue and white T-shirts reading I am a Muslim  ask me anything, and carrying banners reading love for all and hatred for none as part of an Ahmadi campaign similar to that seen after the Berlin attack. Scotland Yards acting commissioner, Craig Mackey, was joined by senior police officers for a separate minutes silence at the eternal flame at New Scotland Yard. Officers continue efforts to establish the motive of Masood, a 52-year-old Muslim convert who had a lengthy criminal history and lived in areas including Sussex, Birmingham and London. Isis hailed him as a soldier of the Islamic State in its claim of responsibility for the attack but the extent of the groups involvement remains unclear. KhalidMasood had a lengthy history of violent crime (PA) Investigators are looking for potential accomplices in the atrocity, focusing on Masoods use of the encrypted messaging service WhatsApp just minutes before he launched the assault. Appearing at the London Assembly's Police and Crime Committee, he stopped short of identifying individual companies that host propaganda from Isis and other jihadi groups, adding: I think these sorts of incidents and the others we've seen in Europe are probably a bit of a wake-up call for the industry in terms of trying to understand what it means to put your own house in order. If you are going to have ethical statements and talk about operating in an ethical way it actually has to mean something. Mr Mackey said the method of causing large-scale carnage using little more than a vehicle and a knife will naturally lead to consideration as to whether there is more we can sensibly do to prevent similar attacks. Isis has released detailed instructions on how to maximise casualties using cars, lorries and knives in its online propaganda magazines and called on followers unable to wage jihad in Syria and Iraq to launch attacks at home. Boris Johnson, the Foreign Secretary, attacked firms over a disgusting failure to remove extremist material while Amber Rudd, the Home Secretary, will raise the matter at a meeting with technology leaders on Thursday. Twelve people have been arrested in connection with the probe but only one remains in custody after a 58-year-old man from Birmingham was released on Wednesday. A 32-year-old woman from Manchester remains on bail and 10 others arrested were freed with no further action.
Theresa May vows to beat terrorists on Westminster attack anniversary WESTMINSTER: Theresa May lays a wreath in Parliament square on terror attack anniversary MPs observed a minutes silence to mark the first anniversary of the Westminster terror attack. Speaker John Bercow asked members in the House of Commons chamber to pause in respectful memory of the five who died last year on March 22. The Prime Minister placed a wreath in Parliament Square with a note saying: In memory of those who were lost, and in defiance of those who would seek to silence our democracy. Leslie Rhodes, 75, from Clapham, south London, Aysha Frade, 44, from Spain, Romanian tourist Andreea Cristea, 31, Kurt Cochran, a US tourist from Utah, and PC Keith Palmer all died during the attack on Westerminister Bridge. PC Palmer was stabbed as he tried to stop terrorist Khalid Masood as he leapt out of the car he used to ram pedestrians and attempted to storm Parliament. Terror in the HEART of London: the Westminster attack as it happened The attack in Westminster has left four people dead and up to 20 injured after a man drove his vehicle into pedestrians, then ran into the grounds of the Houses of Parliament before being shot by police 1 / 55 PA The alleged attacker, with the suspected weapons used in the attack highlighted in red There are some bad people in the world but there are a lot more good people, and its the good people that win Tobias Ellwood MP Hero MP Tobias Ellwood, who tried to save PC Palmer, broke down as he today remembered the moment he had to tell his son what had happened. He said: There are some bad people in the world but there are a lot more good people, and its the good people that win. With heads bowed, MPs from different parties stood side-by-side along the green benches to pay their respects ahead of digital, culture, media and sport questions. Masood was shot dead by armed police before he could cause anymore carnage in the attack which was the first of four jihadi attacks in the UK in 2017. GETTY TRIBUTE: Theresa May vowed to stand-up to those who want to silence democracy GETTY MET POLICE: Cops pay tribute at the bank of flowers in Parliament Square Culture Secretary Matt Hancock said: Im sure the whole House will want to associate ourselves to mark the memory of those who passed away a year ago, as we have just noted in the one minutes silence, and to thank once more the emergency services who keep us safe and, especially on this day, those who put others safety ahead of their own. We remember those who have lost their lives defending democracy. They will not be forgotten. Tributes were also paid by the Met Police to PC Palmer who was hailed as a proud and courageous police officer. PC Palmers name will be one of 1,400 inscribed on the new UK Police Memorial being built in Staffordshire, commemorating officers who were killed on duty. Related videos PC Shaun Cartwright said in a statement: Keith loved being a police officer, he just wanted to help people and do his best. Keith was always happy, always the first to help anyone out, first in to work and the last one out. He was a proud and courageous police officer who did his job and never wanted any fuss or to be the centre of attention. Keith was a true and loyal friend, utterly reliable. Most of all I will remember him as a family man who idolised his wife, daughter and his family; theyre the important ones that I think about a year on from the Westminster attack. BOLLARDS: Find out where they could be installed in London Barriers are going up around the capital in a bid to strengthen defences and prevent another terror attack 1 / 10 SWNS.com Large yellow steel structures have been placed outside Buckingham Palace, Central London Labour MP Barry Sheerman said: While thinking of the victims of the terrorist outrage last year, I think all of us on the benches hope that the families of those people who were tragically killed have been looked after. Sports minister Tracey Crouch, in her reply, said: PC Keith Palmer was an avid Charlton Athletic fan and it was only right that the club actually respected him by turning his usual red seat in The Valley white with his number written on it, so his memory will always live on at the football club. Attacks on the Manchester Arena, London Bridge and the Tube station at Parsons Green all followed Westminster Bridge.
Image copyrightAFPImage caption Only the area around the scene of the crash remains sealed off Image caption Cyclists were seen on the ground after the crash Police say the vehicle was driven from Birmingham to London on Monday night, was in the Tottenham Court Road area until about 06:00 and was seen driving around Westminster and Whitehall for 90 minutes before the incident. A number of eyewitnesses have said the silver Ford Fiesta, which was travelling westbound in Parliament Square, appeared to deliberately hit members of the public as it swerved into the opposite lane. 'Formidable courage' Footage released by the BBC shows the moment when the car then crosses over a traffic island in the middle of the road before crashing into the security barriers. A police officer can be seen jumping over another barrier to get out of the way. Media playback is unsupported on your device Media captionWitness: "I saw a man drive towards Parliament at speed" Westminster Tube station was closed and streets around Millbank and Parliament Square cordoned off for several hours. The immediate area around the incident remains taped off and screened by white temporary fencing. Parliament is not currently sitting. British Transport Police said it was increasing patrols in England, Scotland and Wales and that its officers would be "highly visible on trains and at stations". The prime minister has paid tribute to the "formidable courage" and professionalism of the emergency services who "ran towards a dangerous situation in order to protect the public". Urging the public to remain vigilant but "carry on as normal", Theresa May added: "For the second time in as many years the home of our democracy, which is a potent symbol of our precious values of tolerance and freedom, has witnessed terrible scenes just yards from its door." The Houses of Parliament are surrounded with security barriers of steel and concrete. The measures were extended in the wake of the Westminster Bridge attack in March 2017 when Khalid Masood ploughed a car into crowds on Westminster Bridge, killing four people. Analysis By Dominic Casciani, BBC News home affairs correspondent Security arrangements at Parliament have progressively tightened since 2001. In the aftermath of the 7/7 attacks, new truck bomb-proof barriers were installed in an effort to "target harden" Westminster. These include the reinforced low black rampart-like walls that surround Parliament itself and a highly visible armed police presence. Visitors need to go through a chicane-like system designed to help armed officers spot suspects. The one significant weak spot was the main vehicle gates - as became apparent in March 2017's one-man attack. That triggered an internal security review that has led to changes that remain secret - although it's apparent to Londoners that there are now more armed police than ever before patrolling the area. The threat of terrorism is a constant concern for Parliamentarians - it's not new. The IRA murdered Airey Neave MP in 1979 in a car bomb that exploded within the palace grounds. And the dilemma remains the same: how best to balance security with guaranteeing that the heart of British democracy remains open to the people. The prime minister's official spokesman said as of the end June 2018 there were 676 live investigations into potential terrorist plots. He said since March 2017, 13 Islamist plots and four far-right plots had been foiled. Scotland Yard is asking anyone with information on Tuesday's crash to call 0800 789 321. Anyone with video or pictures of the crash is asked to send them to police.
European 'No-Go' Zones: Fact or Fiction? Part 2: Britain "There's things that I see when I'm driving around Birmingham that shouldn't be happening. I only drive into these areas, never actually walk into these areas, I just wouldn't. Just in case I did do something that...because of their culture or their religion it was a threat or it was an insult or something."  Resident of Birmingham. "There are some communities born under other skies who will not involve the police at all... there are communities from other cultures who would prefer to police themselves."  Sir Tom Winsor, chief inspector of the police forces in England and Wales. "We are sleepwalking our way to segregation. We are becoming strangers to each other and leaving communities to be marooned outside the mainstream."  Trevor Phillips, former chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality. "One of the results of [multiculturalism] has been to further alienate the young from the nation in which they were growing up and also to turn already separate communities into 'no-go' areas where adherence to this ideology [of Islamic extremism] has become a mark of acceptability."  Michael Nazir-Ali, former Bishop of Rochester. This is the second article in a multi-part series documenting so-called no-go zones in Europe. The first article in this series documents no-go zones in France. This second segment focuses on the United Kingdom. It provides a brief compilation of references to British no-go zones by academic, police, media and government sources. An erroneous claim on American television that Birmingham, England, is "totally Muslim" and off-limits to non-Muslims has ignited a politically charged debate about the existence of no-go zones in Britain and other European countries. No-go zones can be defined as Muslim-dominated neighborhoods that are de facto off limits to non-Muslims due to a number of factors, including the lawlessness, insecurity or religious intimidation that often pervades these areas. In some no-go zones, host-country authorities are unable or unwilling to provide even basic public aid, such as police, fire fighting and ambulance services, out of fear of being attacked by Muslim gangs that sometimes claim control over such areas. Muslim enclaves in European cities are also breeding grounds for Islamic radicalism. Europe's no-go zones are the by-product of decades of multicultural policies that have encouraged Muslim immigrants to remain segregated from  rather than become integrated into  their European host nations. The problem of no-go zones is well documented, but multiculturalists and their politically correct supporters vehemently deny that they exist. Some are now engaged in a concerted campaign to discredit and even silence those who draw attention to the issue  often by deliberately mischaracterizing the term "no-go zone." Islam expert Andrew C. McCarthy has offered a lucid clarification of what no-go zones are and of what they are not: "[N]o sensible person is saying that state authorities are prohibited from entering no-go zones as a matter of law. The point is that they are severely discouraged from entering as a matter of fact  and the degree of discouragement varies directly with the density of the Muslim population and its radical component. Ditto for non-Muslim lay people: It is not that they are not permitted to enter these enclaves; it is that they avoid entering because doing so is dangerous if they are flaunting Western modes of dress and conduct. "White Flight" In the United Kingdom, much of the debate over no-go zones  in Britain they are sometimes referred to as "Muslim areas" or "Muslim enclaves"  has focused on "white flight," the large-scale migration of native white Britons out of a given neighborhood as more and more Muslim and other immigrants move in. Although the issue of "white flight" remains taboo for British multiculturalists, official statistics and academic research confirm that many British cities are undergoing huge demographic transformations due to mass immigration. A study by Oxford Professor David Coleman showed that if current immigration levels continue, white Britons will be a minority in little more than 50 years  within the lifespan of most young adults alive today. Coleman warned that this will be accompanied by a total change in national identitycultural, political, economic and religious. He wrote: "The ethnic transformation implicit in current trends would be a major, unlooked-for, and irreversible change in British society, unprecedented for at least a millennium." A recent study by the think tank Demos found that native white Britons are increasingly abandoning parts of the country where Muslim immigrants have become the majority of the population. Demos wrote: "In these areas, departing white British are replaced by immigration or by the natural growth of the minority population. Over time, the end result of this process is a spiral of white British demographic decline." An example of this trend is Birmingham. In August 2007, researchers at Manchester University predicted that the number of native white Britons in Birmingham would drop by nearly one-fifth over the next 20 years, from 65% in 2006 to 48% in 2027. At the same time, the number of Pakistanis in the city would nearly quadruple, increasing from 13% in 2006 to 48% in 2027. In January 2013, Manchester University statistician Ludi Simpson analyzed official data from the 2011 census and found that native white Britons are already a minority in Leicester (45%), Luton (45%) and Slough (35%). He also forecast that they would be a minority in Birmingham by 2019, nearly a decade earlier than the previous estimate. Muslim Enclaves in Britain An analysis of 2011 census data reveals the existence of more than 100 Muslim enclaves in Britain. The Muslim population exceeds 85% in some parts of Blackburn and 70% in a half-dozen wards in Birmingham and Bradford. There are also large Muslim communities in Dewsbury, Leicester, London, Luton and Manchester, among others. Britain's Asian Muslims The British Muslim community is ethnically diverse, although the vast majority are from Asia. Census data shows that two-thirds of Muslims (68%) have an Asian background, including 38% from Pakistan and 15% from Bangladesh. Just over 10% of Muslims fall into the official census category of "Black/African/Caribbean/Black British," 7.8% are "White" and 6.6% are "Arab." Opinion surveys cited by Ludi Simpson show that most ethnic minorities identify as "British" at least as strongly as do native white Britons. Many areas of Britain with large concentrations of Pakistani, Kashmiri and Bangladeshi Muslims, however, are insular, parallel societies that are run according to patronage-based politics, known as the biraderi (clan or tribal) system. These enclaves are also run according to Sharia law, as evidenced by the prevalence of honor-based violence, polygamy and forced marriage. A report by the former chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality, Lord Ouseley, found that arranged marriages, common among Asian Muslims, are a key factor in the formation of Muslim ghettoes in Britain. The report said: "The Sikh and Hindu communities are doing relatively well. Overall, their children are performing above average in educational terms. They tend to be better housed and are more likely to be in employment than are those of Pakistani or Bangladeshi origins. This can be explained mainly in class terms. Most of the Sikhs and Hindus come from the middle strata of their societies and are relatively well educated. Most of the Pakistanis and Bangladeshis, predominantly Muslim, come from rural, or more correctly, peasant societies. Many have relatively little education and hold traditionalist views on religion. This, coupled with complex family relationships often identified with land ownership in Pakistan and Bangladesh, leads to a predominance of first cousin marriages which include one spouse from the country of origin. It is estimated these constitute 60% of marriages. This has a significant impact. "It has a major impact on population growth. About 1,000 Bradfordian Muslims marry each year. If most of those marriages were internal to this country, it would lead to 500 new households which would be likely to average 4 children per household. (This is based on experience from other immigrant groups where family size usually halves that of the first generation by the second generation.) With 60% of marriages involving a spouse from overseas, the number of households goes up to 800 and, with many of the spouses being first generation, family size is likely to be significantly larger. So whereas 500 internal marriages might be expected to produce 2,000 offspring, the 800 marriages are likely to produce 4,000 offspring. This leads to very rapid population growth. In the eighties the Council estimated that the Muslim population would reach 130,000 by 2030 and then level. Now the projection is for 130,000 by 2020 and rising. The number of separate households is predicted to rise from 16,000 now to 40,000 in 2020. This rate of growth concentrated in particular areas puts severe demands on the public services. It has other ramifications. Many of the children arrive at school with little or no English. Many of those who come from overseas have little education and do not possess skills which are transferable to a Western economy. The high family size means overcrowding will be a persistent problem." Blackburn A BBC Panorama documentary about separation and segregation between Muslim Asians and white Britons in Blackburn in Lancashire can be viewed here. According to the BBC: "For all the hopeful talk about 'integration,' 'multiculturalism' and now 'cohesion,' the reality on the ground appears to be that Britain's Muslim Asian community and its white community have few points of contact, and that the white majority often feel they share little in common with the growing Muslim Asian minority." "There is not just simply residential segregation, but there is separation in education, in social, cultural, faith, in virtually every aspect of their daily lives, employment too. "It exists as a problem, to some degree or other, throughout the country, and it may be in small pockets and neighborhoods within larger cities like London and Birmingham and therefore not quite so evident. "It might be whole boroughs or whole cities, but to some degree or another it exists. There is some degree of separation or segregation in most towns and cities." Bradford In 2001, the Principal Race Relations Officer at the Commission for Racial Equality, GV Mahony, warned about the proliferation of Muslim-only areas in Bradford: "Not all Muslims in Bradford want Muslim-only areas. Traders, retailers, restaurant owners want and need a broad-based custom profile. However, there is a drive amongst the mosque-attending older generation who would like Sharia areas. There is also the minority of highly disaffected young men who want to control their patches. These two opposite ends of the spectrum desire the same thing albeit for different reasons and it is likely that they will support each other in order to attain their goals." London Native white Britons are already in the minority in London (45%). According to Ludi Simpson, 23 of London's 33 boroughs are now "plural." In the London Borough of Tower Hamlets (sometimes called "Britain's Islamic republic"), white Britons (31%) are outnumbered by Bangladeshis (32%). Tower Hamlets and other parts of East London have been the focus of repeated attempts by Islamists to impose Sharia law on members of the public. Extremist Muslim preachers  sometimes referred to as the Tower Hamlets Taliban  have issued death threats to women who refuse to wear Islamic veils. Neighborhood streets have been plastered with posters declaring: "You are entering a Sharia controlled zone. Islamic rules enforced." And street advertising deemed offensive to Muslims has been vandalized or blacked out with spray paint. Left, an example of the posters that have been put up in Muslim enclaves in Britain. Right, British jihadists in Syria encourage British Muslims to take up arms for the Islamic State, in a recruitment video entitled "There is No Life Without Jihad". The Sunday Telegraphuncovered more than a dozen other instances in Tower Hamlets where both Muslims and non-Muslims have been threatened or beaten for behavior considered to be a breach of fundamentalist "Islamic norms." Victims said that police ignored or downplayed outbreaks of hate crime, and suppressed evidence implicating Muslims in them, because they feared being accused of racism or "Islamophobia." One victim, Mohammed Monzur Rahman, was left partially blind after being attacked by a mob in Cannon Street Road, Shadwell, for smoking during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. "Two guys stopped me in the street and asked me why I was smoking," he said. "I just carried on, and before I knew another dozen guys came and jumped me. The next thing I knew, I was waking up in hospital." A group of Muslim men attacked a 23-year-old American student, who had only been in the country for three days, after they saw him drinking on an East London street. The student suffered extensive injuries, including a smashed eye socket. The perpetrators are now in prison. The owners of restaurants and shops in Brick Lane in Whitechapel, a popular area of London, have been warned that they faced 40 lashes if they continued to sell alcoholic products. In Leytonstone in East London, the former Home Secretary John Reid was heckled by the Muslim extremist Abu Izzadeen who yelled: "How dare you come to a Muslim area." A four-minute video of the incident can be viewed here. Muslim gangs have also been filmed loitering on London streets and demanding that passersby conform to Sharia law. In a series of videos, the self-proclaimed vigilantes  who called themselves Muslim London Patrol  are seen abusing non-Muslim pedestrians and repeatedly shouting "this is a Muslim area." One video records the men shouting: "Allah is the greatest! Islam is here, whether you like it or not. We are here! We are here! What we need is Islam! What we need is Sharia!" The video continues: "We are the Muslim Patrol. We are in north London, we are in south London, in east London and west London. We command good and forbid evil. Islam is here in London. [Prime Minister] David Cameron, Mr. Police Officer, whether you like it or not, we will command good and forbid evil. You will never get us. You can go to hell! This is not a Christian country. To hell with Christianity. Isa [Jesus] was a messenger of Allah. Muslim Patrol will never die. Allah is great! Allah is great! We are coming!" In January 2015, twelve of the men were given Antisocial Behavior Orders ("Asbos"), forbidding them from "forcing their views on others" for a period of three years. Their spiritual mentor is a British-born Islamist agitator named Anjem Choudary, whose parents migrated from Pakistan. In July 2011, "Muslims Against Crusades," a group founded by Choudary, launched a campaign to turn twelve British cities  including what it calls "Londonistan"  into independent Islamic states. The so-called Islamic Emirates would function as autonomous enclaves ruled by Islamic Sharia law and operate outside British jurisprudence. The Islamic Emirates Project named the British cities of Birmingham, Bradford, Derby, Dewsbury, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Luton, Manchester, Sheffield, as well as Waltham Forest in northeast London and Tower Hamlets in East London, as territories to be targeted for blanket Sharia rule. Muslims Against Crusades (proscribed in November 2011) is one of the many reincarnations of the Muslim extremist group al-Muhajiroun, which was banned in January 2010. A study published by the London-based Henry Jackson Society in September 2014 found that one in five terrorists convicted in Britain over more than a decade have had links to al-Muhajiroun. An investigative report published by the British anti-fascism group Hope Not Hate in November 2013 concluded that al-Muhajiroun was "the single biggest gateway to terrorism in recent British history." The group's founder, Anjem Choudary, remains free and continues to call for the implementation of Sharia law in Britain. Meanwhile, Britain's first directly elected Muslim mayor  a close ally of Choudary named Lutfur Rahman, who runs Tower Hamlets Council  has been accused of using illegal tactics to get re-elected in May 2014. Muslim residents were allegedly told that they would not be "good Muslims" unless they voted for Rahman, who was born in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), and moved to Britain as a child. A letter signed by 101 Islamic figures that was published in a Bengali newspaper, The Weekly Desh, said that not voting for Rahman was an "un-Islamic and a sinful act." Their pronouncements were allegedly used to cajole and control many within the local 65,000-strong Muslim community. Rahman is linked to the Islamic Forum of Europe [IFE], an Islamist group dedicated to changing the "very infrastructure of society, its institutions, its culture, its political order and its creed ... from ignorance to Islam." In the years since he was first elected in 2010, Rahman has dedicated much of his time as mayor to diverting public money to the IFE, and to stocking public libraries in Tower Hamlets with books and DVDs containing the extremist speeches of banned Islamist preachers. The complete transcript of a Channel 4 Dispatches film about the IFE's effort to implement Sharia law in London can be found here. Luton Luton, where one quarter of the residents are Muslim, is situated 30 miles (50 km) north of London. Luton has a total population of 200,000, including some 50,000 Muslims. Most are Pakistanis (30,000) or Bangladeshis (13,000), according to recent census data. Many of the Muslims in Luton have settled in Bury Park, a well-known Muslim enclave where the native British population has all but disappeared. Muslims in Bury Park have been accused of "ethnic cleansing" for harassing elderly non-Muslims to the point that many have been forced to move away. BBC reports on "white flight" in Luton can be viewed here and here (links to original videos here and here). Bury Park, a "town within a town" that abuts the Luton town center, is known for high unemployment, drug trafficking and domestic violence. Bury Park is also known for its nearly two dozen mosques and madrassas that cater to at least ten different Muslim groups or sects, including: Hizb ut-Tahrir, Salafism, Sufism, Deobandism and Barelvism. The largest mosque in Bury Park is the Luton Central Mosque, where loudspeakers attached to a minaret call Muslims to prayer. Bury Park is home to at least two dozen of the more than 600 British jihadists who are fighting in Syria and Iraq. A BBC report on Muslim women from Luton who want to join the conflict in Syria can be found here. "When a Mecca Bingo Hall opened in the heart of Bury Park, its windows were smashed. The neon Mecca sign, some Muslims claimed, was an insult to their religion because it associated the name of their holiest city with gambling. Adverts and billboards featuring women deemed to be showing too much flesh have been defaced. An evangelical church was daubed with graffiti. Over the past 18 months or so, around 30 non-Muslim homes in the area have also been attacked. Multiculturalism in Bury Park now seems to mean a Muslim from Pakistan living side-by-side with a Muslim from Bangladesh, not white living next to black and brown." A one-hour BBC documentary about Islamic extremism in Luton can be viewed here. Birmingham Birmingham has been the focus of "Operation Trojan Horse," an alleged plot by Muslim extremists to Islamize primary and secondary schools in the city. British authorities are now investigating the activities of Islamists in at least 25 schools in Birmingham, up from initially four. The plan consists of a strategy to wrest control of schools by ousting non-Muslim head teachers and staff at secular schools and replacing them with ones who would run the schools according to strict Islamic principles. Since Operation Trojan Horse came to light, British authorities have been inundated with hundreds of whistleblower complaints in Birmingham alone  including emails, letters and telephone calls from parents, teachers and school leaders  about the imposition of Islamic fundamentalist practices in city schools. In 2009, the Birmingham Mailreported that native British working class Brummies [colloquial term for the inhabitants, accent and dialect of Birmingham] feared that parts of their city had become no-go areas for them. The article cited research carried out by the UK Department of Communities and Local Government, which questioned residents from the Castle Vale neighborhood about their feelings on immigration. The report highlighted concerns that white people were not welcome in parts of Birmingham at night, and quoted an anonymous male contributor who described an area with a high "Asian" population where a road sign was sprayed with the phrase: "No Whites after 8:30." He said: "Perhaps I need to work harder in understanding the different cultures and things like that, but there's things that I see when I'm driving around Birmingham that shouldn't be happening. "There's these areas that have completely been took over... and you do feel very uneasy. Not just me, and I only drive into these areas, never actually walk into these areas, I just wouldn't. Just in case I did do something that I... because of their culture or their religion it was a threat or it was an insult or something, because we don't understand." In 2011, the magazine Standpoint published the first-hand account of a British clergyman's wife who had just returned to London after living in Birmingham for the past four years. She wrote: "For four years, we lived in inner-city Birmingham, in what has been a police no-go area for 20 years. We know that because some plain-clothed cops told us when they asked to use our vicarage as a stake-out to bust drugs rings that pervade the area. Even during this time we saw the area change. When we arrived, the population was predominantly Pakistani. Now Somalis are there in equal number. Most of the run-down Irish pubs were turned into mosques during our time. "One day he [her husband] was chatting to a man with a passing resemblance to Lawrence of Arabia, who had just arrived from Antwerpone of an increasing number of Muslims who are arriving here with EU passports. He asked him why he had come to Birmingham. He was surprised at the question: 'Everybody knows. Birminghambest place in Europe to be pure Muslim.' Well, there must be many places in Europe where Muslims are entirely free to practice their faith, but I suspect there are few places in which they can have so little contact with the civic and legal structure of a Western state if they choose. "To a London reader, born and bred with multiculturalism, I know that my stories may come across as outlandish and exaggerated When I recently told a friend how a large Taliban flag fluttered gaily on a house near St Andrew's football stadium for some months, her cry of 'Can't you tell the police?' made me reflect how far many of our inner cities have been abandoned by our key workers: our doctors and nurses drive in from afar, the police, as mentioned before, have shut down their stations and never venture in unless in extremisthey and ambulance crews have been known to be attackedeven the local Imam lives in a leafier area." Warnings Ignored In January 2014, the chief inspector of the police forces in England and Wales, Sir Tom Winsor, told the London Times that "some parts of Britain have their own form of justice" and that crimes as serious as honor killings, domestic violence, sexual abuse of children and female genital mutilations often go unreported. He added: "There are some communities born under other skies who will not involve the police at all. I am reluctant to name the communities in question, but there are communities from other cultures who would prefer to police themselves. There are cities in the Midlands where the police never go because they are never called. They never hear of any trouble because the community deals with that on its own. It's not that the police are afraid to go into these areas or don't want to go into those areas. But if the police don't get calls for help then, of course, they won't know what's going on." Similar warnings emerged from a documentary secretly filmed inside several of the 85 Sharia law courts operating in Britain, which exposed the systematic discrimination that many women are suffering at the hands of Muslim jurists. The documentary, Secrets of Britain's Sharia Courts, was filmed by the BBC and was first aired on BBC Panorama, a long-running current affairs program, in April 2013. The undercover investigation proved what has long been suspected: Sharia courts, which operate in mosques and houses across Britain, routinely issue rulings on domestic and marital issues according to Sharia law that are at odds with British law. Although Sharia rulings are not legally binding, those subject to the rulings often feel obliged to obey them as a matter of religious belief, or because of pressure from family and community members to do so. In September 2005, the high-profile black chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality, Trevor Phillips, said in a speech that multiculturalism was dividing rather than uniting British society. He also warned of the emergence of "fully fledged ghettos" based on race and religion. Speaking after Hurricane Katrina exposed the black underclass in the American city of New Orleans, Phillips said: "The fact is that we are a society which, almost without noticing it, is becoming more divided by race and religion. We are becoming more unequal by ethnicity There are some simple truths which should bind us together." Phillips added that some districts are becoming "literal black holes into which nobody goes without fear and trepidation and from which nobody ever escapes undamaged." He warned that this situation risks culminating in a "New Orleans-style Britain of passively coexisting ethnic and religious communities, eyeing each other over the fences of our differences." He concluded: "We are sleepwalking our way to segregation. We are becoming strangers to each other and leaving communities to be marooned outside the mainstream." The former head of the Commission for Racial Equality, Lord Ouseley, concurred. "We do have concentrations and clusters of ethnic groups in areas that are suffering poverty, racialism, exclusion and discrimination," Ouseley told the BBC's Today program. "It's not new. It's been around for a while. It may be getting worse." In January 2008, Michael Nazir-Ali, then one of the Church of England's most senior bishops, warned that Islamic extremists had created "no-go" areas across Britain where it is too dangerous for non-Muslims to enter. In an essay published by the Sunday Telegraph, Nazir-Ali wrote: "One of the results of this [multiculturalism] has been to further alienate the young from the nation in which they were growing up and also to turn already separate communities into 'no-go' areas where adherence to this ideology [of Islamic extremism] has become a mark of acceptability. "Those of a different faith or race may find it difficult to live or work there because of hostility to them and even the risk of violence. In many ways, this is but the other side of the coin to far-Right intimidation. Attempts have been made to impose an 'Islamic' character on certain areas, for example, by insisting on artificial amplification for the Adhan, the call to prayer. "Such amplification was, of course, unknown throughout most of [British] history and its use raises all sorts of questions about noise levels and whether non-Muslims wish to be told the creed of a particular faith five times a day on the loudspeaker. "There is pressure already to relate aspects of the Sharia to civil law in Britain. To some extent this is already true of arrangements for Sharia-compliant banking but have the far-reaching implications of this been fully considered?" Nazir-Ali was widely mocked for his politically incorrect observations. The leader of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg, said they were "a gross caricature of reality." William Hague, who at the time was the shadow foreign secretary, said Nazir-Ali had "probably put it too strongly." The Muslim Council of Britain [MCB] accused him of "frantic scaremongering." Less than one month later, however, two Christian preachers were threatened with arrest for committing a "hate crime" after they handed out gospel leaflets in Alum Rock, a predominantly Muslim area of Birmingham. One of the preachers, Joseph Abraham, said: "I couldn't believe this was happening in Britain. The Bishop of Rochester was criticized by the Church of England recently when he said there were no-go areas in Britain but he was right; there are certainly no-go areas for Christians who want to share the gospel." The other preacher, Arthur Cunningham, said: "He [the police officer] said we were in a Muslim area and were not allowed to spread our Christian message. He said we were committing a hate crime by telling the youths to leave Islam and said that he was going to take us to the police station." The then shadow home secretary, David Davies, accused Muslims of promoting a sort of "voluntary apartheid" by shutting themselves in closed societies and demanding immunity from criticism. He defended Nazir-Ali: "Bishop Nazir-Ali has drawn attention to a deeply serious problem. The government's confused and counter-productive approach risks creating a number of closed societies instead of one open, cohesive one. It generates the risk of encouraging radicalization and creating home-grown terrorism." Soeren Kern is a Senior Fellow at the New York-basedGatestone Institute. He is also Senior Fellow for European Politics at the Madrid-based Grupo de Estudios Estratgicos / Strategic Studies Group. Follow him onFacebook and onTwitter. Additional Resources A video showing a group of Muslim men attacking a white couple in Walsall, situated just eight miles from Birmingham, can be viewed here. A video showing Muslim youth attacking white girls in Ashton-under-Lyne in Greater Manchester can be viewed here. A video showing Muslim youth attacking police in East London with rocket fireworks can be viewed here. A video showing Muslim youth interrupting a television interview in Burnley in Lancashire can be viewed here. A video showing a Muslim threatening to kill a man filming street preaching in England can be viewed here. A video showing Muslims attempting to enforce Sharia law on the streets of London can be viewed here. A video showing Muslims attacking an American student after walking around East London drinking a bottle of beer can be viewed here. A BBC documentary about "white flight" in the East London Borough of Barking and Dagenham can be viewed here. A BBC Panorama documentary about separation and segregation between Muslim Asians and white Britons in Blackburn in Lancashire can be viewed here, here and here. BBC reports on "white flight" in Luton can be viewed here and here. A one-hour BBC documentary about extremism in Luton can be viewed here. A 20-minute documentary, entitled "London's Holy Turf War" can be viewed here. A 25-minute documentary about rising tensions between Asians and West Indians can be viewed here. A 45-minute documentary about the exploding subculture of polygamous marriages among British Muslims can be viewed here. A BBC Panorama documentary secretly filmed inside several of the 85 Sharia law courts operating in Britain can be viewed here and here. A 30-minute BBC documentary about honor crimes in Britain can be viewed here. A 1.5-hour BBC Three documentary about the sexual grooming of young girls by Pakistani men in the UK can be viewed here. A 30-minute BBC documentary on the sexual grooming of young Sikh girls by Muslim men can be viewed here. A 30-minute BBC Panorama documentary about the sexual grooming of young girls in the South Yorkshire town of Rotherham can be viewed here. A 30-minute BBC documentary about Muslim radicalization in British prisons can be viewed here. A 15-minute documentary about the rise of British jihadists in Syria can be viewed here. A three-hour BBC documentary called "Generation Jihad" can be viewed here, here and here. Comment on this item Name: Email Address: Comments: Email me if someone replies to my comment Note: Gatestone Institute greatly appreciates your comments. The editors reserve the right, however, not to publish comments containing: incitement to violence, profanity, or any broad-brush slurring of any race, ethnic group or religion. Gatestone also reserves the right to edit comments for length, clarity and grammar. All thoughtful suggestions and analyses will be gratefully considered. Commenters' email addresses will not be displayed publicly. Gatestone regrets that, because of the increasingly great volume of traffic, we are not able to publish them all. 30 Reader Comments Sandie Abel  Mar 23, 2016 at 21:58 I live in the US, which has a small Muslim population. If this kind of thing happened in our neighborhood, the police would be patrolling the neighborhood and arresting people for creating and maintaining No-Go Zones. Bad behavior is bad behavior. A Muslim's right to swing his Sharia Law ends where civilization begins. I suspect that a minority of Muslims behave like this, making it difficult for their fellow sane Muslims! Your right to swing your Sharia Law ends where freedom begins. Practice your religion, and if you don't like your non-Muslim neighbors, leave them alone. Reply-> Daniel  Sep 19, 2015 at 05:27 Most British people are aware of the problem. So, what is the solution? Reply-> Susan Falknor  Feb 12, 2015 at 20:06 Are there already Islamist no-go zones in our country? Can women in western dress walk freely on the streets of Dearborn? Are there Muslim neighborhoods in New York where police are reluctant to go? Are there neighborhoods in Nashville where a fellow with a bottle in a brown bag might get attacked? This report brings it home for London, and other British cities. Now we need a report JUST like this one for America. Reply-> Beth Martin  Feb 11, 2015 at 00:11 During the 20th century, western intellectuals and politicians engineered massive in-migrations from countries which are third world in part because of their practices, uneducated female children, poorly educated male children, arranging marriages in early teens in impoverished families, etc. Is it any surprises that such cultural aspects are being replicated in Great Britain, and other western countries. Now it is the 21st century, the in-migration continues, and massive population growth of non-western and often hostile communities proceeds apace. Is this the death of the west? Reply-> jason  Feb 9, 2015 at 23:53 Welcome to the future America. Reply-> Mike  Feb 8, 2015 at 22:50 Britain is gambling away their country thinking that Islam will change its ways which it hasn't done in the last 14 centuries. Britain is probably already considered holy Islamic land as perhaps much of Europe is destined to be. Wherever Muslims become a large or dominant population their expansionism, radicalism and despotism asserts itself and Britain will become a "holy" Islamic land. Are they really willing to submit to Islam and Change democratic British law for theocratic Sharia law? They did fight feudalism and developed a successful just, humane and fair legal system over many years which will devolve into a theocratic law worse than feudalism. What a sad ending. Reply-> Leah Mike  May 10, 2017 at 20:54 Muslims who try to enforce Shariah Law in ANY Western country should be deported back to their own Islamic countries. Reply-> Michael Copeland  Feb 8, 2015 at 13:21 "White Flight" is the catchy rhyming term habitually used by the media. The reality is rather less poetic. Non-muslims are actively driven out, by stones through their windows at night, television aerial leads cut, poison left for the dog, the car vandalised, and so on. Harassment and abuse, verbal and physical, by gangs of teenagers, add to the stress. Plunging house values seal the deal. This is White Drive-Out. Reply-> James Mills  Feb 5, 2015 at 12:51 During 2014 national papers in the UK carried a story concerning a school in Cannock, Staffordshire which sent a letter to parents of children at the primary school to say that "Refusal to allow your child to attend will result in a Racial Discrimination note being attached to your child's education record which will remain on this file throughout their school career. This concerned a trip for the pupils to attend an Explore Islam event being held at Staffordshire University. I am sure the Headmistress would not have dared to do the same to the Muslim parents if this event had been a Christian one. You see it's all one way only. Reply-> Peter James Mills  Dec 9, 2015 at 06:34 We should ask this question. Islam is not a race, it is a system (religion, law, politics, education etc). Reply-> Alice Maxwell  Feb 4, 2015 at 19:59 So Britain is losing the battle with immigrants, people of different religions and backgrounds! The United States of America has lost the same battles in almost every large city and town too. Multi-culturalism, heavily subsidized by churches, charities and governments since WWII, has taken a terrible toll on our country too. Think back to Chicago, Illinois, Fort Apache in the Bronx, NY, to Watts in California, to Detroit, Dearborn, in Michigan, to Kansas City, St. Louis, to New Orleans, to Albuqueque, NM, Philadelphia, Pa., Seattle, Washington and Washington, DC and on and on and you could amass the same list as in this article re England. The world goes on, altered by the generations that once were as they give way to those who come to take their place. There is no way to stop this, not in our world. Those who unite against those who do not, always win. The world belongs to those who know what they are and is lost to those who do not! Reply-> Brenda Reiss  Feb 4, 2015 at 10:44 This article re-enforces for me the belief that if a country abdicates its responsibilities of law enforcement because of the misplaced fear of being accused of racism the resutlts will be catastrophic. We are seeing this all around Europe with the last horrific episode in France. Why the UK doesn't immediately rectify its misguided policies is a mystery to me. We see in Sweden that their remedy is to offer those who have left the country to fight in Syria along side IS jobs and free housing, neglecting those citizens who are not Muslim but have been in the Swedish army and have paid taxes and been contributing citizen. This is a formula for disaster. How long do you think the "native" born will tolerate these policies? In the US, historically the immigrant populations have assimilated and have made America stronger. These immigrants contributed their skills, joined the society and became American citizens with the results; a stronger and vital America. My fear is that today the idea of multiculturalism has encouraged the new immigrants (of course not all, no absolutes here) to remain in their own enclaves resisting assimilation. This, to me, is a recipe for a repeat of what we are seeing in Europe. We must not allow isolation to occur among our new immigrants. We must encourage them to join our society instead of passing those ridiculous anti-Sharia laws that are popping up in several states. Without giving everything away we can encourage by enticing these new American residents with offers of affordable housing and jobs. Of course, having an intelligent immigration law put into place by a reluctant Congress would be an ideal first step. Reply-> steven L  Feb 4, 2015 at 00:13 No-Go Zone stand really for "Danger, Abstain". The country concerned can always use tanks to get in. So this is PC message from the left who supports actively or passively (Votes!!!) the Islamists and vice versa. Several Obama advisers are Islamists; NOT MODERATE MUSLIMS.For this kind of the dis-proportionality, the left is silent. Reply-> Carl  Feb 3, 2015 at 11:01 The Brits have lost their country and probably will never regain control of it without an armed fight. They will lose that fight because the Islamists are well armed due to the fact that they are not bound by EU rules while others are. I feel sorry for them and wish them luck, but the politicians they put into office brought this upon them. The USA is probably next once Bloomberg, Obama, Feinstein, Schumer and their cronies disarm us, also. Reply-> Annette  Feb 3, 2015 at 09:45 Well, nice to see some statistics. I was accused of racism and libel on Twitter when I agreed that there are no go zones in France, where I lived in Paris for 5 plus years; and I guess it does depend on how you define NO GO - however, when you are asked to leave a place due to your clothes, i.e. not Islamic, or the police or other authorities think twice about going to specific areas, then you have de facto no go zones, which is a tragedy, given that our national states in Europe build on common values and respect of the individual. I fear that our politicians have completely lost touch with and respect of our mutual humanistic heritage... Reply-> Joe  Feb 3, 2015 at 09:23 It's either happening or not happening. I have been told that it is Happening and it is getting Worse every day. My friends families tell them that they are going to emigrate to Canada or the USA. It's difficult to believe that it has happened to a country like Britain and other European countries. Where are our government leaders,don't they have children and families that they care about? What's our future ? I would like to hear from other normal civilized people, please tell me, what can we do about it? What about the Monarchy,no more Queen /King. Wake up Britain and smell the coffee, You are in Big trouble. Reply-> Busy Mum Joe  Feb 9, 2015 at 07:14 Some of us have smelt the coffee for years but whenever we say anything we are slammed as being too right-wing, Little Englanders, even Nazis. Those in authority have used the education system to teach our own children to hate and despise our own heritage; it's apparent to some of us why Tony Blair abolished the treason laws. He is the biggest traitor on earth and having betrayed us, he silenced us all with his wretched Equality Act. Reply-> Greg Smith  Feb 3, 2015 at 09:08 What a crime that wonderful, historic England should be lost because of progressive liberals in government that are blind to the inevitable. England has moved into the "lost" country phase.I fear the same for America. It is obvious in government, industry and schools. Reply-> Dean  Feb 3, 2015 at 09:07 I forwarded Soeren Kern's Part 1 of this series to a local editor-in-chief of a major newspaper in Canada. He immediately dismissed it in an email as being equivalent to "the belief in aliens." I am sure that he did not read it. He is known for his papering-over of the Islamic connection to terrorism and seems to think that all people engage in terrorism in the same way, and that the Muslims who carry out terrorism are provoked into it by Western foreign policy and disadvantages brought on by a lack of suitable social safety nets in the community, as if throwing money at the problem and paying more respect to Islam will make it disappear. The same editor wrote two op-eds recently: one saying that he will not publish the Hebdo cartoons for fear of being attacked; and the other about no-go zones being lies spread by right-wing news agencies and prejudiced individuals. I have sent the editor the second part of this series, but I am afraid that facts will not sway those who really want to believe that they live in a wonderland where there are no threats, no Islamist-inspired terrorism, and where Islam is only pure and good. I'm a pessimist where Islam is concerned. At some point some Muslim - or group thereof, as the lawyers would put it - will commit an act in a secular First World democracy that will have the population of the country concerned up in arms. They will exert democratically irresistible pressure to forbid this religion and everything to do with it and tell all the Muslims in that country to leave. What will our lords and masters in politics and the public service - who by the way constitute a single coherent interest group - do then? We live in interesting times, as the old Chinese curse has it. Reply-> John MacArthur  Feb 3, 2015 at 08:42 Michael Nazir-Ali's remarks are from one who is uniquely qualified; Nick Clegg is not, having little or no real understanding of the extent of the problem. He wrote in June 2014: "Being Muslim does not contradict being British, nor is it in tension with it. A person can uphold their religious and cultural identity as well as British identity." How we would love this to be true, but wishful thinking will not halt the exponential rise in Islamic populations whose adherence to Shari'a supersedes the rule of common law and the consequent ghettoization of British cities. Whether we like to admit it or not, multiculturalism as originally envisaged is a failure and the sooner we can come up with a realistic social alternative, the better. Reply-> Ceekay  Feb 3, 2015 at 08:31 Oh yes you will go once the British Government finds enough courage to disregard their voting power, and cut the welfare of any not conforming to a minimal standard of acceptance of the mores of the nation who gave them shelter. Reply-> Fred  Feb 3, 2015 at 08:04 The root cause is not revealed, that a continuing incitement to stay separate and not abide by the law of the land is very evident. We did not come to Europe & Britain to integrate. We will work hard to stay & create separate a state and take over the rest, mate. It is an subtle but stealthy invasion with no control but that of the Imams. It is becoming slightly late to change the rising tide. Reply-> Sandra Girardau Fred  Feb 3, 2015 at 09:53 How very sad for Britain, my country of birth. The politicians have no regard for natural born Brits, they only want to hand over the country to these people for the votes, why wouldn't these people vote for them they are handed things on a silver platter whilst the Brits watch their country fall at their feet. This will happen in North America if something is not done soon. I am glad I will not be around to witness the fall of Western society as we know it. Reply-> Clifford Hall  Feb 3, 2015 at 07:56 A brilliant exposition. Have copies been sent to UKIP and the Government? Somehow it all needs to reach my people. It really is too good/horrifying to miss. Reply-> Michael Martin-Smith Clifford Hall  Sep 8, 2016 at 07:52 Sharia Law can and should have no place in the UK. We never voted for it. Self-proclaimed illegal and anti-human enclaves or "no-go" areas ruled by abuse, violence or persecution of people deemed "un-Islamic" should be walled up and isolated if we unwilling or unable to imprison its advocates, prior to speedy expulsion. Reply-> Hanna  Feb 3, 2015 at 06:45 This is a very sad series, but it is, probably, too late. A great country like ENGLAND - - A beacon of freedom and liberty. The home of the MAGNA CARTA and the British Empire and it is, slowly going to hell, while it's politicians and so-called leaders are fiddling and worrying about non-existent Islamophobia. Is the world going nuts? Thank you Mr. Soeren Kern for a great series. Reply-> Harvey Hanna  Feb 6, 2015 at 05:39 Make way for this new colonial power if the west and others don't wake up from their denial of what is going on. One has to remember that countries' borders are man made, if nothing is done by politicians then we will be a totalitarian world where democracy will be non existent. No one will be able to express opinions without risk of serious reprisal, heaven help us all. Reply-> Busy Mum Hanna  Feb 9, 2015 at 07:09 Sadly, the native English and British children are taught to appreciate every single culture and history but their own. If my children say anything pro-British, the other white children all jeer and tell them to go and join the BNP or call them Nazis. We have been totally betrayed by our own leaders. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. Both reserve the right not to publish replies to articles should they so choose. Gatestone Institute is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, Federal Tax ID #454724565.
No evidence Westminster attacker associated with IS group Police have found no evidence that the man who killed four people in London last week was associated with the Islamic State group or al-Qaida, a senior British counterterrorism officer said Monday. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu of the Metropolitan Police said Westminster attacker Khalid Masood clearly had an interest in jihad, but police have no indication he discussed his attack plans with others. Basu, who also serves as Britains senior national coordinator for counterterrorism policing, said Wednesdays attack - in which Masood ran down pedestrians on Londons Westminster Bridge before fatally stabbing a policeman guarding Parliament - appears to be based on low-sophistication, low-tech, low-cost techniques copied from other attacks. Masood was shot dead by police after his deadly rampage, which police have revealed lasted just 82 seconds. Police believe Masood - a 52-year-old Briton with convictions for violence who had spent several years in Saudi Arabia - acted alone, but are trying to determine whether others helped inspire or direct his actions. Detectives on Monday continued to question a 30-year-old man arrested Sunday and a 58-year-old man arrested shortly after Wednesdays attack. Both were detained in the central England city of Birmingham, where Masood had recently lived. Prime Minister Theresa May said last week that Masood was a peripheral figure in an investigation into violent extremism some years ago. But Basu said he was not a subject of interest for counterterrorism police or the intelligence services before last weeks attack. Suspects mother shocked, numbed Masood was born Adrian Elms, but changed his name in 2005, suggesting a conversion to Islam. His mother, Janet Ajao, said Monday she was deeply shocked, saddened and numbed by his murderous actions. In a statement released through the police, Ajao said that since discovering that it was my son that was responsible I have shed many tears for the people caught up in this horrendous incident. Basu said there was no sign Masood was radicalized during one of his stints in prison, the last of which was in 2003. I know when, where and how Masood committed his atrocities, but now I need to know why, Basu said. Most importantly, so do the victims and families. As Basu appealed for anyone who spoke to Masood on the day of the attack to come forward, the British government repeated calls for tech companies to give police and intelligence services access to encrypted messages exchanged by terrorism suspects.Masood used the messaging service WhatsApp just before he began his attack. Home Secretary Amber Rudd said Sunday that such services must not provide a secret place for terrorists to communicate with each other. Tech firms should be helping Tech companies have strongly resisted previous calls to create back-doors into encrypted messaging, arguing that to do so would compromise the secure communications underpinning everything from shopping to tax returns to online banking. Rudd is due to hold a previously scheduled meeting with internet companies on Thursday. Slack said that if agreement was not reached with the companies, the government rules nothing out, including legislation. Meanwhile, the families of the dead and injured set about the difficult task of going on with their lives. The family of an American victim expressed gratitude Monday for the kindness of strangers as they insisted some good would come from the tragedy. A dozen members of Kurt W. Cochrans family gathered to face the media, sharing their shock and sense of loss. Cochran, from Utah, was on the last day of a European trip celebrating his 25th wedding anniversary when he was killed on Westminster Bridge. Cochrans wife, Melissa, suffered a broken leg and rib and a cut head, but is steadily improving.The family offered profuse thanks to first responders, British and American authorities and people who had sent notes, prayer and donations. Last night we were speaking as a family about all this, and it was unanimous that none of us harbor any ill will or harsh feelings towards this, said Sarah McFarland, Melissa Cochrans sister. So we love our brother. We love what he brought to the world, and we feel like that this situation is going to bring many good things to the world.
UK Parliament Attack: British Prime Minister Theresa May  Is She OK? After a deadly attack in London where 3 people died and 20 were injured, on the Westminster Bridge, the question remains  Where is the British Prime Minister, Teresa May? Weve got all the answers, right here. Theresa May, 60, IS safe, according spokespeople in her UK office. She was evacuated shortly after the tragic shooting on the Westminster Bridge outside the UK Parliament and Palace of Westminster on March 22. You can watch live coverage, HERE. Multiple witnesses in numerous reports claim that they saw May with her undercover police detail being smuggled away to safety, following the incident. The British Parliament and its surrounding areas are on lockdown after the reported shooting. Officers, including firearms officers, are on the scene, according to Metropolitan police. What has been confirmed is the following:  Three people have been confirmed dead  one of which was a police officer who was stabbed and the alleged attacker; 20 others have catastrophic injuries.  British Prime Minister, Theresa May, 60, has been confirmed safe and OK by a spokesperson from her UK office.  The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has issued a statement on the attack, which you can read, here.  The gates have been closed at Buckingham Palace as a precautionary measure. The tragic incident occured on the Westminster Bridge after an unidentified individual(s) reportedly mowed down innocent bystanders with a truck just before allegedly opening fire and using a knife as a weapon. Again, this is all reported information, and an attacker(s) has NOT been identified. There has been multiple reports that an unidentified man was reportedly inside [the] Palace of Westminster grounds.  via Sky News. UK Metropolitan police released a statement on the incident, saying citizens should avoid the following areas: Parliament Square; Whitehall; Westminster Bridge; Lambeth Bridge; Victoria Street up to the junction with Broadway and the Victoria Embankment up to Embankment tube. This is to allow the emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident, the statement read. For any photos or footage from the scene obtained by the public, Police are appealing to send anything to THIS address. Today  March 22  actually marks the one year anniversary of the horrific Brussels attack.
Terror at my workplace: The Islamist assault on Westminster Dr Marcus Papadopoulos is the publisher and editior of Politics First, a non-partisan publication for the UK Parliament. He holds a PhD in Russian history and specialises in Russia and the rest of the former Soviet Union and the former Yugoslavia. The appalling Westminster terror attack was not unexpected. For some years now, MI5, the UKs domestic security service, has set the terrorist threat level in Britain at severe, meaning that a terror attack in the country is highly likely. Politicians, members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery (myself included) and other pass-holders at the Houses of Parliament have been aware for quite some time now that the Palace of Westminster (and the adjacent area, including Westminster Bridge, where the Islamist terror attack began) is a prime target for terrorists, and we have witnessed ever-increasing security measures introduced, including some in recent months. Members of the public who have visited parliament would not have failed to notice the large numbers of heavily armed police officers guarding and patrolling the Parliamentary estate. I dare say that some of the public may have considered the heavy police presence to be slightly excessive. But yesterdays terror attack clearly and brutally demonstrated why parliament has become one of the most guarded places in the UK. The terrorist assault on the Houses of Parliament is not just attack on those of us who work there; rather, it is first and foremost an attack on UK democracy and every single person in Britain. And whilst we have to wait and see for what the police investigation uncovers, it is painfully evident that the attack on Westminster will not be the last. The UK parliament will continue, indefinitely, to be a magnet to terrorists. MI5 and the police are tracking more than 3,000 homegrown potential terrorists in the UK on a daily basis. Prime Minister Theresa May said that the perpetrator of the Westminster attack was a British national who was known to MI5. Therefore, some serious questions will be asked by politicians and journalists, alike, as to how and why he was able to carry out the deadly attack, evading the authorities in doing so. It must be also mentioned, however, that a terrorist acting alone is the worst nightmare for any anti-terror unit. We still do not know if that was the case. That brings me onto another point. The attack on Westminster demonstrates how a terrorist does not require guns, hand grenades or semtex to cause a catastrophic terror attack. All he or she requires is a car and/or a knife to inflict terrible casualties. Low-tech devices have now become a preference for terrorists in Britain and across the world. That is a terrifying reality for not just the British authorities, but for the entire British population. It is also a chilling reality for other countries in the world. Turning to security precautions at the Palace of Westminster, as I said earlier these are rigorous, but I have often wondered whether the gates leading to New Palace Yard, opposite Parliament Square, which the Prime Minister and others use to drive into and out of parliament, should be open, despite there being armed police officers standing there. After all, the gates which lead to Downing Street, where the Prime Minister resides, are always closed, except, of course, when the Prime Minister, her Cabinet or guests are leaving or entering. Given that the terrorist who perpetrated the Westminster attack actually ran through the open gates which lead into Old Palace Yard, killing a police officer in doing so, may result in new security precautions being implemented there. As I write this article, the terror attack has resulted in the deaths of four people, while forty others are injured, some with catastrophic injuries. However, the human toll would undoubtedly have been even higher had the terrorist detonated an explosive belt, or if he had been armed with a gun. That is some consolation from this appalling tragedy. I would like to end this article by praising the police at the Palace of Westminster for the security that they provide to people working and visiting there. These men and women put their lives on the line every minute of every day so that British democracy can function. The police officer who died confronting the terrorist paid the ultimate price for protecting UK democracy. Let us all remember him, his family and, indeed, all of the other people who died and their families, too. History has shown that good always prevails over evil. I have no doubt that Islamist terrorism will be defeated in Britain, as it will be in Syria, Iraq and every other country in the world which is currently contending with this cancerous scourge. The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.
Four dead and 27 injured in Westminster terror attack A man ploughed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before stabbing a policeman outside Parliament Four people have died following a terror attack outside the Houses of Parliament. A man was shot outside the Houses of Parliament after a car mowed down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge and a police officer was stabbed in the terrorist attack this afternoon. Four people died in the attack, including PC Keith Palmer, a woman in her 40s, a man in his 50s, and the attacker  and 29 people were injured. (Note: police originally reported five dead and 40 injured but this was updated on March 23) Southwark News sales assistant Sarah Stewart, who lives in Bermondsey, was at the Lambeth Music Festival at the Southbank Centre when the building was evacuated. She reported three helicopters circling over London Eye, Waterloo Station, and the South Bank Centre, at about 4pm. Lambeth Music Festival was been abandoned and the building evacuated. It is believed 500 people including schoolchildren were attending the event. Im outside the South Bank Centre and theyre telling everyone to go to Waterloo Station, said Sarah, aged 23. They have put the whole of the South Bank area on lockdown. Nothing is going to reopen until tomorrow. No one is being allowed back in. They are no letting us near the river. There about 200 or 300 people around me. I dont think everyone has heard what happened in Westminster yet. All the kids who were at the Lambeth Music Festival have gone with their teachers. About 20 security guards were called down. It looks like the police are trying to close down Westminster Bridge, Waterloo Bridge and [Hungerford Bridge]. The scene at Westminster after a policeman was stabbed. Credit: Patrick Daly @thepatrickdaly Witnesses told of hearing screams and gunshots ring out near Westminster at about 2.40pm today, Wednesday. It is believed a 44 vehicle ploughed down numerous people on Westminster Bridge before crashing into railings outside of Parliament. Some pedestrians either jumped or were knocked over the side of the bridge as the car mounted the pavement and struck a number of pedestrians. A man stabbed an unarmed policeman before being shot three times by an armed policeman. Sitting in the Commons was suspended and MPs and journalists were told to stay inside as the surrounding area continues to be in lockdown. Cmdr Harrington of the Met Police said: The events near Parliament Square Wesminster has been declared a terrorist incident. There are a number of casualties including police officers. A police cordon is in place and people are being asked to avoid the following areas: Parliament Square; Whitehall; Westminster Bridge; Lambeth Bridge; Victoria Street up to the junction with Broadway and the Victoria Embankment up to Embankment tube. Horse Guards Avenue in Westminster has been cordoned off Credit: Kirstie Purnell Southwark MPS are all safe Thoughts with police & pedestrians. My team & I safe. Commons in lockdownhttps://twitter.com/DailyMirror/status/844564437700956165/photo/1
Two Muslims charged with plotting to carry out knife jihad terror attack a week after Westminster slaughter Two Muslims arrested by armed police have been charged with multiple terrorism offences. Ummariyat Mirza and Zainub Mirza are set to appear in court on Thursday after being arrested by officers from the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit. The pre-planned operation also saw police search five homes and a business address in Birmingham. 21-year-old Muslim Ummariyat Mirza was arrested in Birmingham, UK  only a week after the deadly Westminster attack. Ummariyat Mirza, from St Agathas Road in Birmingham, is charged with three offences including possessing documents containing information likely to be used in preparing for an act of terrorism. The 21-year-old is also charged with conducting research and purchasing a knife and other items which would assist him to carry out an attack in the UK. Zainub Mirza, from Eastfield Road in Bordesley Green, is charged with five offences including sending links to videos of beheadings and ISIS propaganda as well as an image of a man holding two severed heads. He is accused of buying a blade and conducting research to carry out a deadly assault. West Midlands Police have also charged Mirza with possessing the bomb-making guide the Anarchist Cookbook and an extremist document called the Mujahideen Poisons handbook. Anarchy and jihad  the leftist/Islamic  red/green alliance. Birmingham man charged with plotting to carry out terror attack armed with knife A MAN has been charged with plotting to carry out a terror attack armed with a knife, police said. It is alleged she sent the extremist material, including a picture of a man holding two severed heads, to encourage terror attacks. The arrests, made on March 29, were said not to be linked to the Westminster attack last month, in which four people died after a terrorist drove his car into crowds and fatally knifed a police officer. Five homes and one business address were searched by counter-terrorism officers as part of the investigation, police said. The pair will appear before Westminster Magistrates Court on Thursday. Two arrested in Alum Rock Road charged with multiple terror offences Ummariyat Mirza and Zainub Mirza to appear in court after being arrested in swoop by armed cops Ummariyat Mirza, from St Agathas Road in Birmingham, is charged with three offences including possessing documents containing information likely to be used in preparing for an act of terrorism. The 21-year-old is also charged with conducting research and purchasing a knife and other items which would assist him to carry out an attack in the UK. Time Line Ummariyat Mirza Charge 1 On or before the 29 day of March 2017, with the intention of committing acts of terrorism engaged in conduct in preparation for giving effect to his intention, namely by conducting research and purchasing a knife and other items which would assist him carry out an attack in the UK. Contrary to section 5(1) of the Terrorism Act 2006. Charge 2 On 2 February 2017, within the jurisdiction of the Central Criminal Court, possessed a document containing information of a kind likely to be of use to a person preparing or committing an act of terrorism, namely the Anarchist Cookbook 2000. Contrary to s.58(1)(b) Terrorism Act 2000. Charge 3 On 28 February 2017, within the jurisdiction of the Central Criminal Court, possessed a document containing information of a kind likely to be of use to a person preparing or committing an act of terrorism, namely the Mujahideen Poisons handbook. Contrary to s.58(1)(b) Terrorism Act 2000. Zainub Mirza, from Eastfield Road in Bordesley Green, is charged with five offences including sending links to videos of beheadings and ISIS propaganda as well as an image of a man holding two severed heads. The 23-year-old is accused of sending the links intending the direct or indirect encouragement to the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism, or being reckless as to whether her conduct had such an effect. Time Line Zainub Mirza Charge 1 On 10 January 2017, within the jurisdiction of the Central Criminal Court, provided a service to others, namely sent a link to a beheading video, that enabled others to listen to or look at a terrorist publication, namely a video of a beheading, intending an effect of her conduct to be a direct or indirect encouragement to the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism, or being reckless as to whether her conduct has such an effect. Contrary to section 2(1) and (2)(d) of the Terrorism Act 2006. Charge 2 On 11 January 2017, within the jurisdiction of the Central Criminal Court, provided a service to others, namely sent a link to an ISIS propaganda video showing a number of beheadings and executions, that enabled others to listen to or look at a terrorist publication, namely a video of a beheading, intending an effect of her conduct to be a direct or indirect encouragement to the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism, or being reckless as to whether her conduct has such an effect. Contrary to section 2(1) and (2)(d) of the Terrorism Act 2006. Charge 3 On 13 January 2017, within the jurisdiction of the Central Criminal Court, provided a service to others, namely sent a link to an execution video, that enabled others to listen to or look at a terrorist publication, namely a video of an execution, intending an effect of her conduct to be a direct or indirect encouragement to the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism, or being reckless as to whether her conduct has such an effect. Contrary to section 2(1) and (2)(d) of the Terrorism Act 2006. Charge 4 On 14 January 2017, within the jurisdiction of the Central Criminal Court, distributed a terrorist publication, namely an image of a male holding two severed heads, intending an effect of her conduct to be a direct or indirect encouragement to the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism, or being reckless as to whether her conduct has such an effect. Contrary to section 2(1) and (2)(a) of the Terrorism Act 2006. Charge 5 On 23 January 2017, within the jurisdiction of the Central Criminal Court, provided a service to others, namely sent a link to a beheading video, that enabled others to listen to or look at a terrorist publication, namely a video of a beheading, intending an effect of her conduct to be a direct or indirect encouragement to the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism, or being reckless as to whether her conduct has such an effect. Contrary to section 2(1) and (2)(d) of the Terrorism Act 2006. The Truth Must be Told Your contribution supports independent journalism Please take a moment to consider this. Now, more than ever, people are reading Geller Report for news they won't get anywhere else. But advertising revenues have all but disappeared. Google Adsense is the online advertising monopoly and they have banned us. Social media giants like Facebook and Twitter have blocked and shadow-banned our accounts. But we won't put up a paywall. Because never has the free world needed independent journalism more. Everyone who reads our reporting knows the Geller Report covers the news the media won't. We cannot do our ground-breaking report without your support. We must continue to report on the global jihad and the left's war on freedom. Our readers contributions make that possible. Geller Report's independent, investigative journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we believe our work is critical in the fight for freedom and because it is your fight, too. Books & Movies By Pamela Geller Today Islamic supremacists are demanding more accommodation of Islamic principles and practices than ever, and daily growing more aggressive in eroding our freedoms  with politically correct public officials only too happy..
POLICE have charged two men over an alleged plot to launch a terror attack on 10 Downing Street to kill the Prime Minister. According to reports, one man was plotting to blow up the security gates at Downing Street with an explosive hidden in a bag. The man then allegedly planned to storm Number 10 armed with a knife and suicide vest to kill Theresa May. A man, 20, has been charged with preparing acts of terrorism and is understood to have been arrested by Met Police last week. A 21-year-old man is accused of assisting him. GETTY Police have foiled an alleged plot to blow up Number 10 and kill Theresa May GETTY The nations terror level has been raised to 'critical' several times this year Security around the Prime Ministers home is high with police and security gates surrounding Number 10. Both men are said to have been arrested on November 28. They will appear in custody at Westminster Magistrates Court on Wednesday. The UK has been on high alert following several ISIS terror attacks on British soil this year. In March, Khalid Masood, born Adrian Elms in Kent, drove a car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, before crashing the vehicle into the gates of Westminster. Five people were killed and 49 others injured in the attack before Masood was shot by police. Then in June, less than two weeks after Manchester Arena was targeted, eight people were killed after a van drove through crowds on London Bridge and three terrorists launched a knife attack in Borough Market. In September an improvised explosive exploded on a London tube train leaving 30 people injured. GETTY Security around the Prime Ministers home is high with police and security gates surrounding No. 10 Following Marchs terror attack on Westminster, Theresa May said: Yesterday an act of terrorism tried to silence our democracy. But today we meet as normal  as generations have done before us, and as future generations will continue to do  to deliver a simple message: we are not afraid. And our resolve will never waver in the face of terrorism. The nations terror level has been raised to critical  meaning an attack is expected imminently  several times this year. Mr Parker, at a Cabinet meeting, warned Theresa May and her senior ministers that the defeat of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria did not mean the terror threat was over, warning that social media was being used to encourage attacks in the UK and elsewhere. Following the briefing at a cabinet meeting, Mrs May told ministers that the threat from terror was at an "unprecedented" level, despite the military setbacks experienced in its Middle East strongholds by Islamic State  also known as Daesh. Home Secretary Amber Rudd added that the pace of attack planning has increased "significantly" over the past year. Later, reporting back to MPs in the Commons, the Home Secretary outlined the terror threat facing the UK, saying there was "simply more terrorist activity" which had been partly inspired by more terrorist propaganda and instruction videos online. The Home Secretary said: "Plots are developing more quickly from radicalisation to attack, and threats are becoming harder to detect, partly due to the challenge of accessing communications that are increasingly end-to-end encrypted. "MI5 and counter terrorism policing are currently running well over 500 live operations, a third up since the beginning of the year, involving roughly 3,000 subjects of interest. "In addition, there are over 20,000 further individuals, or closed subjects, of interest, who have previously been investigated and may again pose a threat." Express.co.uk contacted the Metropolitan Police but a spokeswoman said they would not comment on the allegations.
Have we been told the truth about the alleged terror attack on Westminster Bridge, London in March 2017? The incidence occurred on 3/22 (March 22) 2017, exactly a year after the Brussels terror event on the same day last year, that in itself is very suspicious. The video and photo evidence of the Westminster attack suggests it was all staged and the only death may have been the Policemans. He may have been sacrificed to give the whole event some reality. False flag staged attacks are psychological warfare operations targeting the minds of the masses. Fabricated events can be used to further an agenda of the deep state and the perpetrators typically include CIA, MI6, MI5, MOSSAD, and DGSE (French Intelligence). The Muslim or Arab patsie is sent there to do the crime or blackmailed into doing it to enforce the idea to the world that the boogieman Muslim terrorist is still real. If this was a white man that allegedly drove this car along the bridge then it would not be classed as a terrorist event, only because this man was classed as a Muslim is it then labelled a terror event. Look at the incident in Times Square, New York on May 18th 2017 were a man mowed down 20 pedestrians and killing one, it was labelled by Police as not a terrorist incident in fact New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said there was "no indication" it was an act of terrorism and this was because the perpetrator was not a Muslim. We are told the person who carried out the Westminster attack was Khalid Masood (Adrian Russell Elms) who was a Christian until he allegedly converted to Islam in 2005, so he is not really a Muslim. What did this Muslim have to gain from this event, what was his objective in carrying it out, well he had none whatsoever. These false flags are now becoming so obvious with so many mistakes. The mainstream media never bothers to bring up the anomalies or mistakes just like they did with 9/11 or 7/7 and that is because they are controlled and they are there to repeat the governments version of events. Let us look at 13 reasons why this could be a fabricated or staged event. 1.Suspicious Video. The first piece of evidence is the video below which shows the only footage known of the car that was reported to have been involved in the Westminster terrorist attack. First the car looks more like a cartoon or ghost car in comparison to the other vehicles on the bridge. The video is below if you want to look at it. Look at the splash in the water on the video below, the splash is followed by a black streak. What is the black streak or trail? It is CGI, not real. Notice how the person (if it was a person) jumped into the water after the car has already gone by. Research has shown that the building were this video was taken was the upper half of the Milbank Tower which houses the Government/Political agencies. In the past and in the present Milbank Tower has been used by a cluster of predominantly political organisations including the Conservative and Labour parties and the United Nations to name a few. Today it hosts a wide range of companies from PR agencies to the Ministry of Justice Records Management Service. One company in the Milbank Tower is Altitude London which was opened by former PM David Cameron in 2010. Altitude states on its own website it is: A firm supporter of the UK film industry and arts in general, Altitude has helped some of the foremost film and television production companies gain footage that is just not possible anywhere else. So we are led to believe the person who took this video just happened to have a video camera pointed at Westminster Bridge when this alleged car started its journey. What a coincidence? I dont think so, they were part of the staged attack. The one thing that looks really odd is that the attacker was able to drive at speed over Westminster Bridge and mow down pedestrians. It is a very busy bridge  why was it empty enough for anyone to drive at speed at that hour? It should have been jam packed with traffic  you would be lucky to do 10mph! If one looks at the pictures afterwards, there are several buses and cars stopped on the South bound lane  but almost nothing stopped on the North bound lane used by the attacker, that lane is almost empty. What a coincidence? 2.SuspiciousPhotographers. Did you know nearly all the photographs of the Westminster attack which were used by the media were taken by Toby Melville a photographer for Reuters based in London? Reuters Media, we know is owned by the Rothschilds. You could say Melville is an elite photographer because he took the photo of Kate Middletons baby when it was first shown to the world as well as many photos of the Queen and Obama when he visited the Queen. Melville took the photo which shows a womans pair of legs (it was a mannequin) sticking out from under a bus during the Westminster attack. Other photographs of the events of the attack were taken by one Stefan Rouseau who states on his website that he has spent the past 15 years travelling with and taking photographs of the Prime Minister. So all the photographs of the Westminster attack were taken by trusted Government/Royal photographers, two high profile insiders. There is no footage from peoples phones and they would be because on the other side of the road there was a queue of traffic with several buses, so someone would have taken videos and photos but there is none available. 3. The Woman under the Bus The two pair of legs sticking out from under the bus do not belong to a human being, it is a dummy or mannequin. We are told this woman got hit by a car and then the front wheels of a double decker bus went over this woman and then the back wheels went over this woman. Does any sensible person believe that? Where is the blood, if a 12 ton bus went over you twice there would be blood and your body would be squashed? It is not believable. It looks like this dummy was placed under the bus for shock effect meant to manipulate public consciousness. As mention earlier this photo was taken by Toby Melville. The hand looks to white to be the hand of a human and why would your shoes be off? I love the way the cop is just walking by as if nothing has happened! Just a double-decker bus driving over someone, nothing special, dont even try to help her. "I can tell you the girl under the bus is bullshit, a fact! I used to be a fireman in London many years ago, and seen some real gory shit, trains that ran over people, trucks, all sorts. If she had been run over as depicted, she would have been flat, and there would have been a mass pool of blood and shit, up to a 3 to 4 meter radius of her body with all sorts splattered everywhere, be like you standing on a fly only much bigger of course. That picture is taking the piss for sure! "  Ex London Fireman 4. The Lady in Pink Now this piece of evidence for me makes this Westminster attack to be nothing more than a false flag hoax. Now there is a few videos on Youtube which shows videos of someone moving along Westminster Bridge just after the alleged car mowed down pedestrians. It shows alleged injured people on the floor been attended to by members of the public. Below is a screenshot of an alleged injured person been attended to and standing near is a lady in pink holding her arms up taking photos and near her is a man also taking photos and he has blue\grey jeans and a dark grey jacket on. At the point that the lady in the pink jacket is taking photos, the car that allegedly mowed down all the pedestrians has already gone along past were she is standing because there is an injured person already near her on the floor. A screenshot is below. Do you get that, the lady in pink was not hit by the car. Now there is a another video of her lying injured in the same spot with blood near her as if she has been hit by the car and the same man standing next to her taking the photos is now acting as her helper. The screen shot is below of her lying injured. She was not hit by the car, it is a staged scene and she is an actor and probably paid huge sums for this fakery. Notice the man helping her, it is the same man who was stood near her taking photos. Also would you really take photos if there was someone lying next to you injured? 5. The Shoes Shoes were placed into a scene for some unknown reason. Since when does a car hitting you knock your shoes off? Here we have a photo which shows a man being attended to and there are no shoes by the side of the road. We now see a photo of the same man being attended to but this time with shoes carefully placed by the side of the road. Who placed the shoes there neatly and why? Take a closer look at this picture. In the video online the mans backside never touches the road underneath (that his hard to do), his knees are up and so is his left arm and hand, he does not seem to move. If he was in pain his knees would be resting on the ground, flopped over to the left or right and so would his left arm. It takes a lot of effort to stay in the position he is in, it is not believable. Look at the photo above, does the hand look real. It is to white, is it a dummy? The video is below which shows this more clearly. Also as you watch these videos going along Westminster Bridge there is not many people injured but we are told that over 40 people were injured, somehow I dont think so. Video was removed by the Jewish run Youtube, sorry. You have got to ask why? 6. Strange Photos Look at the photo below. If this is a dead Policeman under the white sheet then why is he left alone this is supposed to be a crime scene, why is it not cordoned off with tape? Why is the ambulance empty? Why is the member of the public attending to the dying Policeman but the Doctor and Paramedics are just watching? In the photo below look at the man with the blue gloves he is holding the Policeman up by his feet now the Policemans head must be touching the floor. Why? We are told there was 44 victims? In the photos below were are these victims? 7. No CCTV, again! London has more CCTV per square mile than any city in the world, so wheres the footage of this incident? The CCTV cameras for Westminster were taken off-line during the attack. CCTV offline? Again? Its the same old story, just like London 7/7 underground bombings, no CCTV. CCTV on board the bus that blew up was also offline. The same Israeli Company who ran 911 airport security (No CCTV), ran the London bus CCTV during the attack. Of course they were taken offline as they dont want the people who monitor the CCTV to see what actually happened on the Bridge. This alleged car that came onto the bridge must have came from somewhere in London. So where is the CCTV of this car approaching the bridge from its starting point, well they can't show it can they. London has more CCTV than any city in the world per population. 8. No Security The main gate into the grounds of parliament was left open and reportedly nobody was guarding the gate. Normally these gates are always kept shut. Why was the main gate into the grounds of parliament left open and why was nobody guarding the gate? There are claims that no-one was on duty on the gate when the attacker entered. That place is a fortress. There is no way anyone could get into that area. There are armed guards at every entrance. At least four staff are usually stationed at all the gates, two outside and two inside. How did he get inside those gates? No one can enter that region. How could he knife down a constable? 9. The London Eye The London Eye was stopped during the Westminster attack for 3 hours. Whoever was behind the attacks had the London Eye stopped because if someone on the London Eye took a video of what really happened on the bridge then got off the London Eye with this evidence and disappeared, the this evidence could be the used at some point to prove the hoax. To stop this happening the London eye was stopped and as people got off their phones were checked by the Police to make sure they had no evidence of the alleged car driving along the bridge at high speed. 10. The Shot Assailant: Lack of Blood There was first news of the assailant being a Mr. Abu Izzadeen but later identity of killed assailant was given as Khalid Masood. The man originally alleged to be the main attacker, Trevor Brooks aka Abu Izzadeen, has links to MI6. The media found out they made a blunder and that Abu Izzadeen was alive in jail. But there is no real blood anywhere, including on the knife which was used to stab a Police officer. Where are the bullet wounds? His eyes are open, is he dead? Where is all the blood? The terrorist was shot  not taken into interrogation, because he had to be disposed of  as in Nice, Berlin, Paris 13 Nov. 2015, Brussels 3/22 2016 etc. Maybe that is why they always kill him or get him killed: So that the alleged perpetrator isnt alive to explain what really happened. At first, there were two assailants:The BBC understands from multiple sources that two assailants were in the vehicle on Westminster Bridge, BBC correspondent Dominic Casciani said on Twitter. What happened to the other guy? 11. Iconic date Another sign of a false flag is the iconic date, often featuring the numbers 9, 11 or 7 or multiples thereof. The London bombings happened on 7/7 and we of course we have 9/11. The Westminster attack happened on 3/22, the first anniversary of the false flag attack in Brussels Airport which was also 3/22, 3+2+2=7. 322 is a big time satanic number and date, is the identifier of the Skull and Bones secret society of which many American Presidents were a member of. In the recent terror attack at Manchester Arena, the date was 22/05. 2+2+5=9. The truck attack in Stockholm, Sweden happened on April 7 th. 7+4=11 and the Berlin truck attack happened on the 9 th. Is it all just a coincidence? Believe me the same organisation planned all the attacks and then convinced some patsie to carry it out and it was not Isis or Al Qaeda. The Illuminati and its intelligent (Psychopaths) agencies such as Mossad, CIA, MI5 and MI6 were behind all these attacks. What are the chances that the 8 attacks below spread out over 6 years in 6 different countries would all be carried out on the 22nd of the month? It is not possible that these were random events. Norway attack- 22-07-11 Lee Rigby  22-05-2013 Pakistan tourist shooting  22-06-13 Canada shootings parliament  22-10-14 Brussels attack  22-03-16 Munich attack  22-07-16 London Westminster attack- 22-03-17 Manchester Arena attack- 22-05-17 Just to note that the 22 nd is a very significant date for the Jews because that was the date they blew up the British headquarters at the King David hotel (July 22 nd, 1946) and killed 91 civilians. Also these Jewish terrorists tried to make people believe that the Arabs did it (akin to 9/11) by dressing up as Palestinian Arabs to plant the bombs. In July 2006 Netanyahu and former Irgun gang members attended a 60th anniversary celebration of this outrage and continue to claim that it was all the fault of the British and not the fault of the bombers. 12. Terror Drills Every major terrorist incident has had terror drills or training at exactly the same time as the terror incident was happening. 9/11 did so did 7/7 London, Boston, Paris etc.. and so did Westminster. 13. Israel Connection Every terror event from Manchester to Nice seems to get blamed on ISIS or ISIS claims responsibility. Did you know that an Israeli group SITE (Search for International Terrorist Entities) always announces first that terror events like Westminster, Manchester and Nice were allegedly done by ISIS. Can we really believe them? In fact any ISIS related news come from SITE first. It is run by a Jewish woman Rita Katz whose father was a Mossad spy. Look at this message that SITE tweeted before the Westminster attacks, seems they knew this would happen before it did. Well thats no coincidence when you realise that ISIS was created by Israel and America. Or maybe it was just a Mossad (Israeli Intelligence) operation from the start. Click on the ISIS section of this website to see more information on that. Why do these events happen? My research says the ones behind the planning of this event were Mossad (Israeli Intelligence) with the help of MI5 and MI6. It is a psychological operation to keep in the minds of the masses of people and politicians that the Muslims are the real threat and that gives Israel the support it needs to slaughter the Palestinians and gives a legitimate reason to keep the wars in the Middle East rolling along, more Muslims slaughtered (4 million since 1990). But there are other reasons. After the Westminster attack Home Secretary Amber Rudd has demanded more action from social media such as Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and Youtube to take down extremist videos, really she means videos that expose the false flag lies so no one will be able to find out the truth. She said new proposals are going to be implemented by the government to make internet giants take down so called hate videos. But in reality they are not hate videos but truth videos that try to expose the lies of the government. Also in government plans in the wake of this alleged attack is to deploy 5000 soldiers on the streets of the UK. This secret plan is codenamed Operation Temperer. The attack stopped parliament from voting on leaving the EU. So it disrupted the Brexit debate. Terror attacks also keep us divided especially Muslims and Christians. These terror attacks are happening in Christian countries in Europe and America and we are told the perpetrators are always Muslims. But who would profit from Muslims and Christians hating each other? Could it be the people of Asia or could it be the Jewish Zionists? Could it be a prelude to the coming Economic Collapse? The global elites know full well that the Global Economic & Financial System is on the verge of collapse and that the banksters in London are the primary culprits. Hence, they feel compelled to put into place all of the controls and safeguards, laws and technology necessary to preclude a replay of the French Revolution    in London France announced that in the wake of the so-called Charlie Hebdo Shooting, it passed a controversial new bill granting security agencies unprecedented powers to tap the communications of Frances population without judicial overview. This would have been Impossible to pass without having the Charlie Hebdo Shooting. Once again, CCTV cameras were missing, drills and events that mimic the event played out just days earlier, and, the aftermath, the loss of personal freedoms and freedom of speech, plus troops on our streets being proposed. Dr. Kevin Barrett, a founding member of the Scientific Panel for the Investigation of 9/11, made these remarks in an interview with Press TV when he was asked to name the biggest false flag operations of 2015. 2015 saw an outrageous number of false flag events, and the two biggest ones were the attacks in Paris, France; the second attack in Paris on November 13 was followed up quickly by a sequel attack in San Bernardino, California, Dr. Barrett said. It seems that the people behind the so-called war on terror, and that would be neoconservative Zionists, have decided to use Paris as their center of operations, or at least this past year they did, he added. I think that was perhaps because Paris is perhaps the capital of world secularism, and they are trying to stir up a strategy of tensions pitting Islam against the West, and in particular against the secular tendencies of the West, he stated. They are concerned that many progressive intellectuals are turning against Zionism. French youth turning against Zionism Dr. Barrett, an editor at Veterans Today, said Alain Soral is absolutely right when he says in a new book that I am editing on the Paris attacks, Another French False Flag, that they chose victims in these trendy youth neighborhoods of Paris  young people who were partying at a rock concert, young people who were hanging out at cafes  because these young people in the 11th Arrondissement of Paris are precisely the demographic in France that has been turning against Zionism and supporting the Palestinians. So I think that Paris was targeted as the new fulcrum in this clash of civilizations in order to continue to try to push the West into the Zionist camp, and bring the West into a long-term war on Islam on behalf of Israel, he noted. Isis\Daesh exposed as false flag group Dr. Barrett said that regarding other false flag stories of this year, many of them are also related to the same theme. I think the other great false flag story of 2015 is that the so-called Islamic States (Daesh/ISIS) has been exposed as a false flag group. It has been exposed in many many ways, as essentially a band of cutthroat mercenaries organized by the West in order to destabilize the Middle East and particularly to destabilize and even to depopulate the countries on the borders of Israel in support of the Greater Israel project, in which Israel is trying to expand and ultimately occupy everything from the Nile to Euphrates, he stated. Daesh has been exposed in so many ways, and in particular by the intervention of Russia in Syria. The Russians have potentially blown the whistle on the fact that the US war on Daesh was a fake. In 2015, we learnt that Daesh is a fake false flag group and the war on Daesh by the West was phony, the analyst pointed out. So I think these were the biggest false flag stories of the year 2015.
UK: Attacker used WhatsApp, firm must help police get access People look at tributes in Parliament Square, London, Saturday March 25, 2017, laid out for the victims of the Westminster attack on Wednesday. Khalid Masood killed four people and left more than two dozen hospitalized, including some with what have been described as catastrophic injuries. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack. (John Stillwell/PA via AP) LONDON (AP)  Westminster Bridge attacker Khalid Masood sent a WhatsApp message that cannot be accessed because it was encrypted by the popular messaging service, a top British security official said Sunday. British press reports suggest Masood used the messaging service owned by Facebook just minutes before the Wednesday rampage that left three pedestrians and one police officer dead and dozens more wounded. As controversy swirled over the encrypted messages, police made another arrest in Birmingham, England, where Masood had lived. The 30-year-old is one of two men now in custody over possible links to the attack. Neither has been charged or publicly named. Masood was shot dead on the grounds of Parliament. Home Secretary Amber Rudd used appearances on BBC and Sky News to urge WhatsApp and other encrypted services to make their platforms accessible to intelligence services and police trying to carrying out lawful eavesdropping. "We need to make sure that organizations like WhatsApp  and there are plenty of others like that  don't provide a secret place for terrorists to communicate with each other," she said. Rudd did not provide any details about Masood's use of WhatsApp, saying only "this terrorist sent a WhatsApp message and it can't be accessed." But her call for a "back door" system to allow authorities to retrieve information is likely to meet resistance from the tech industry, which has faced previous law enforcement demands for access to data after major attacks. In the United States, Apple fought the FBI's request for the passcodes needed to unlock an iPhone that had been used by one of the perpetrators in the 2015 extremist attack in San Bernardino, California. The FBI initially claimed it could obtain the data only with Apple's help, but ultimately found another way to hack into the locked phone. Masood drove a rented SUV into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before smashing it into Parliament's gates and rushing onto the grounds, where he fatally stabbed a policeman and was shot by other officers. A detailed police reconstruction has found the entire attack lasted 82 seconds. Police are trying to pinpoint his motive and identify any possible accomplices, making the WhatsApp message a potential clue to his state of mind and his social media contacts. Rudd said attacks like Masood's would be easier to prevent if authorities could penetrate encrypted services after obtaining warrants similar to the ones used to listen in on telephone calls or  in snail mail days  to steam open letters and read their contents. Without a change in the system, she said terrorists would be able to communicate with each other without fear of being overheard even in cases where a legal warrant has been obtained. Rudd also urged technology companies to do a better job at preventing the publication of material that promotes extremism. She plans to meet with firms Thursday about setting up an industry board that would take steps to make the web less useful to extremists. British police investigating the attack say they still believe Masood, a 52-year-old Briton, acted alone and say they have no indications that further attacks are planned. Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said it may never be possible to fully determine Masood's motives. "That understanding may have died with him," Basu said Saturday night as police appealed for people who knew Masood or saw him to contact investigators. "Even if he acted alone in the preparation, we need to establish with absolute clarity why he did these unspeakable acts, to bring reassurance to Londoners." The Islamic State group, which is losing territory in Iraq and Syria but still has radical followers in other parts of the world, has claimed Masood was a "soldier" carrying out its wishes to attack Western countries. Masood had convictions for violent crimes in the U.K. and spent time in prison. He also worked in Saudi Arabia teaching English for two years and traveled there again in 2015 on a visa designed for religious pilgrimages. Along with the man arrested Sunday, a 58-year-old man detained in Birmingham several days ago remains in custody in the case. Nine others arrested after the attack have been freed without charges, while one person was released on bail. The family of slain police officer Keith Palmer, meanwhile, released a statement thanking those who tried to save his life. "There was nothing more you could have done. You did your best and we are just grateful he was not alone," the statement said.
Britain is on edge after a terrorist attack left at least five people dead outside the Houses of Parliament and raised renewed fears about security in Europe. Police officers, both heavily armed and unarmed, were deployed across London on Wednesday night to protect residents and tourists, hours after the most significant attack on British soil since suicide bombers targeted the capital in 2005. The assault happened in one of the busiest parts of London, at the foot of Big Ben and just down the road from Westminster Abbey. Police quickly labelled it a terrorist attack and said a man drove a large sport utility vehicle into a crowd of people along Westminster Bridge before crashing into a fence along the side of the Parliament buildings. He then ran toward the entrance to the House of Commons and stabbed an unarmed police officer before being gunned down. Police said four other people died, including the injured officer, and at least 40 have been injured including three other officers. Keith Palmer, 48, who is a 15-year veteran of the police force, was named as the murdered officer, according to Scotland Yard. Police said the attacker is thought to have been inspired by international terrorism. Prime Minister Theresa May and dozens of other members of Parliament were rushed to safety as police sealed off several blocks around Westminster and began a floor-by-floor check of the House of Commons. Ms. May called the attack sick and depraved. The location of this attack was no accident, Ms. May said, adding that the terrorist chose to strike at the heart of the countrys symbol of democracy and freedom. But, she added, any attempt to defeat those values through violence is doomed to failure and Parliament will resume as scheduled Thursday. Londoners will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart, she said. The killings have left the country shaken and it comes after similar terrorist incidents in France and Germany last year, where attackers used heavy vehicles to run over people along the promenade in Nice and at the Berlin Christmas market. The Parliament attack also comes on the anniversary of the Brussels attacks targeting the city airport and transit system. Parliament had been on high alert as well ever since the murder of Jo Cox, a member of Parliament who was shot while meeting constituents in her riding nearly a year ago. That killing, by a far-right extremist, led to increased security around Westminster. Weve been on much higher alert since the murder of Jo Cox, my friend and colleague, said Mary Creagh, an MP who was among a group of parliamentarians rushed out of a nearby office building. We had a security briefing just yesterday for women MPs and I think this is the day that we have planned for and thought about, but it was a day that we all hoped would never come. London has been relatively free of terrorist attacks since four British Islamists killed 52 commuters in suicide bombings on the citys transit system in 2005. The most significant incident since then came in 2013 when British soldier Lee Rigby was killed on a city street by two men who had been radicalized. Police credited better co-ordination with other services and improved monitoring of around 400 people who joined the Islamic State group in Syria but have since returned to Britain. In an interview last summer, then commissioner of Londons Metropolitan Police Service, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, told reporters that Britain had one of the best counterterrorism operations in the world. However, London has been on a severe terrorism alert for months. The attack is also the first serious terrorist threat faced by Ms. May, who took over as Prime Minister last summer just weeks after Britain voted to leave the European Union. She is already coping with a host of issues, including Brexit and a renewed call for Scottish independence. Ms. May planned to begin pulling Britain out of the EU next week, by invoking the exit mechanism known as Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. Now she will be consumed by security issues. Ms. May held a meeting of the governments emergency committee Wednesday night. She also spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump who offered full support in the ongoing investigation. European leaders were also quick to offer support for Britain, knowing all too well that these kinds of attacks can stoke populist politicians who decry immigration and the EU. Presidential elections are only weeks away in France where the National Fronts Marine Le Pen has called for a complete halt to immigration and linked it to terrorism. We are all concerned with terrorism, French President Franois Hollande told reporters. France, which has been struck so hard lately, knows what the British people are suffering today. He added that that countries must bring all the conditions to answer these attacks. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who also faces re-election this year, added: I want to say for Germany and its citizens: We stand firmly and resolutely by Great Britains side in the fight against all forms of terrorism. On the streets around Westminster, police armed with machine guns fanned out in patrols and shut down the Westminster underground station, one of the busiest in the city. Many people were locked in their offices for hours while police combed through buildings. The incident also happened just blocks from the new Scotland Yard building, the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police. The Queen was expected to formally open the building on Thursday but that has been cancelled. As of late Wednesday, the identity of the attacker had not been released, but Scotland Yard officials said they believed they knew who he was. Acting Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Mark Rowley, who heads the counterterrorism unit, told reporters that police were satisfied that there was only one assailant, but he said the investigation was ongoing. He paused to offer condolences to the families of those who died, especially the family of the police officer. As a service, weve lost one of our own as he acted to protect the public and his colleagues, he said. The drama began around 2:40 p.m. when the attacker drove into people on the bridge, killing two and injuring others. One badly injured woman fell into the Thames and had to be rescued. The attacker then crashed his vehicle and ran toward the main gates of Parliament. He stabbed an officer guarding the entrance and subsequently the attacker was shot and killed. Hospital officials said 12 people were treated for serious injuries and eight more were treated at the scene. The injured included three Grade 10 boys who were part of a group of French students visiting the capital. Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood, who is also a parliamentary undersecretary responsible for counterterrorism, rushed to help the stabbed officer. Mr. Ellwood, a former soldier who lost his brother in a bombing in Indonesia, tried mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and applied pressure to the wounds. I was on the scene and, as soon as I realized what was going on, I headed toward it. It is a huge tragedy, it really is, he told reporters. I tried to stem the flow of blood and give mouth-to-mouth while waiting for the medics to arrive but I think he had lost too much blood. Mitchell Spree happened upon the mayhem while driving home from work. A fire engineer, Mr. Spree had finished work on a project near Parliament and was heading home in his white van when he crossed on to Westminster Bridge moments after the car had plowed into pedestrians. I pulled onto the bridge and I just saw people laying on the ground, he said. There were five people laying on the ground. There was debris of car all on the bridge. Across the street from the shooting, Tawhid Tanim said he ran for his life when the shooting started. Mr. Tanim, 28, was standing outside the Westminster underground station waiting for a friend, when shots rang out. All of a sudden I just heard these three shots, bang bang bang, he said. For the first, I was like Well Im going to die, it was that kind of feeling. I was that close to the sound. I go over there, see car smashed into Parliament wall. Theres a person under the car and people were trying to help. Police then started shouting at everyone to run, he added. Police said run, run.  It was like you were going to losing your life or something. In a videotaped message at the end of a dramatic day, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the city remained one of the safest in the world. We stand together in the face of those who seek to harm us and destroy our way of life. We always have, and we always will. Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism, he said. Also on The Globe and Mail Next story | Learn More Discover content from The Globe and Mail that you might otherwise not have come across. Here well provide you with fresh suggestions where we will continue to make even better ones as we get to know you better. You can let us know if a suggestion is not to your liking by hitting the  close button to the right of the headline.
William, Kate and Harry attend Westminster terror attack service William, Kate and Harry attend Westminster terror attack service The injured wife of a man killed in the Westminster terror attack has been joined by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry at a service for families and survivors. Around 1,800 people gathered at Westminster Abbey for the Service of Hope, two weeks on from Khalid Masoods murderous rampage. Melissa Cochran, from Utah, who lost her husband Kurt, 54, in the attack, arrived at the service in a wheelchair. Melissa Cochran, who lost her husband Kurt in the attack (Stefan Rousseau/PA) The couple had been celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary in London when they were caught up in the carnage, with Mrs Cochran suffering a broken leg and rib and a cut head. Five people, including terrorist Masood, were killed and dozens of others injured in the 82-second atrocity on Wednesday March 22. Mr Cochran, retired window cleaner Leslie Rhodes, 75, and Aysha Frade, 44, died when the Muslim convert drove at pedestrians on Westminster Bridge. The 52-year-old attacker was shot dead by armed police after fatally stabbing Pc Keith Palmer, 48, in the Palace of Westminsters cobbled forecourt. William, Kate and Harry were greeted by London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Metropolitan Police Acting Commissioner Craig Mackey before processing down the aisle, where emergency services personnel lined the front row. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Commons Speaker John Bercow were seen taking a seat at the service. The Dean of Westminster, the Very Rev John Hall, who led the service, told the congregation: We are all affected by the attack a fortnight ago on Westminster Bridge and at the gates of the Palace of Westminster, and we are all left bewildered and disturbed. But our sense of loss and diminishment is paled by comparison with that of the families of those who died: Aysha Frade, Kurt Cochran and Leslie Rhodes on the bridge, and Police Constable Keith Palmer on duty at the gates of Parliament, and all those who were injured. Our hearts go out to them in sympathy and prayer and love. Dr Hall continued: What happened a fortnight ago leaves us bewildered. What could possibly motivate a man to hire a car and take it from Birmingham to Brighton to London, and then drive it fast at people he had never met, couldnt possibly know, against whom he had no personal grudge, no reason to hate them and then run at the gates of the Palace of Westminster to cause another death? It seems likely that we shall never know. Comments & Moderation Readers comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the report this post link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments. Ipsoregulated This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's Editors' Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then please contact the editor here. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can contact IPSO here
London attack: Raids across UK as Westminster attacker identified (CNN)Police across the UK have raided addresses associated with Wednesday's terrorist attack in central London, which left four people dead and dozens injured. The fourth victim, a 75-year-old man, died Thursday night after his life support was withdrawn at a hospital where he had been receiving treatment, according to London's Metropolitan Police.Arrests were made in London and Birmingham, while homes were also searched in Brighton and Carmarthenshire, in South Wales. Police said the addresses were "linked to the investigation" of Wednesday's attack, carried out by 52-year-old British man Khalid Masood.A 39-year-old woman was arrested at an address Thursday night in East London on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts, police said. The woman, who has not been named, is being held under the Police and Criminal Evidence (PACE) act. Six people -- two women and four men, their ages ranging from 21 to 28 -- were arrested at two addresses in Birmingham, a city in central England. The six were also held on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. Another man, 58, was also arrested Friday morning at another address in Birmingham, and held on the same charge.Not a great deal is known about Masood, who was shot dead by a police firearms officer after he rammed a car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge and stabbed an unarmed police officer outside parliament. Born in Kent, Masood had been living in England's West Midlands region -- where Birmingham is located -- and had previous convictions, but not for terrorism offenses, police said. His most recent conviction was in 2003 for possession of a knife. But police said he was not the subject of any recent investigations and there was no intelligence about any intent to mount an attack. British Prime Minister Theresa May said Masood was not part of the "current intelligence picture." While a tweet from ISIS-affiliated news agency Amaq claimed Masood as a "soldier" of the terror group, inspired by its message, it provided no evidence of direct links between ISIS and Masood, whom Amaq did not name. CNN's terrorism analyst Paul Cruickshank said the language used by ISIS asserting the attack was by one of its "soldiers" did not necessarily mean the group was claiming direct connections to the attacker. This phrasing has been used in the past by the group for attacks ISIS believes it helped inspire, he said.The attack was the first mass-casualty terrorist outrage in Britain since 2005 when 52 people died in the July 7 bomb attacks on the London public transportation system. London Mayor Sadiq Khan told CNN that the city was protected by the best police and security services in the world. "I'm confident that we are doing all that we can to keep our city safe, to keep Londoners safe and to keep visitors safe," he said. Extra police officers will be patrolling London, he said. A vigil was held Thursday in a show of solidarity and mourning for the victims. "We come together as Londoners tonight to remember those who have lost their lives and all those affected by the horrific attack yesterday. But also to send a clear message, Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism," Khan told the crowd.
See, thats what the app is perfect for. The English Defence League condemns the jihadist martyrdom attack in Westminster yesterday afternoon, 22 March 2017. The English Defence League also condemns the politicians, media, community leaders, and organisations who are reading this statement solely to find something to condemn in our words, our tone, our stand. Well do our best to embarrass you, so keep reading. An Islamic attack on our people and our values The Prime Minister said the attack was a serious assault on the values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech. It was also an assault on ordinary people in London  up to 40 were injured, 40 that the jihadist would like to have killed outright. Despite the unambiguous nature of the attack, the Metropolitan Police warned that our Muslim communities will feel anxious at this time because of the past behaviour of extreme right wing groups. But Muslim communities were not in the stabbing line. We were. We feel anxious. Muslims were not singled out by the jihadist as he barrelled his car along the pavement on Westminster Bridge. That was us. And PC Keith Palmer (ex-Gunner Palmer of the Royal Artillery) was singled out as a serving police officer. The jihadist was implementing the regular Friday prayer from the Koran (2:286) for victory over the kuffar. He was striking terror into the hearts of the unbelievers (Koran 8:12). Join the dots people, because if you dont do it now, we will have many more tragic opportunities in the future. An Islamic martyrdom operation, not a suicide attack Yesterdays car and knife jihad attack was designed as a martyrdom operation. The jihadist was hoping to die in war. Martyrdom through violent jihad offers Muslims a direct route to eternal life in paradise, bypassing Islams hell. The martyrs apparently believe that they will enter paradise instantly, having earned Allahs redemption, when the first drop of their martyrs blood is spilled and even while their earthly heart is still beating. We have been conditioned to play down Islamic terrorism Mayor Khan told us months ago that terrorist attacks are part and parcel of living in a big city. His message was designed to numb us in advance to attacks like yesterdays, to defuse our outrage and to disempower us. It was also designed to deflect criticism from his leadership. How not to respond to the Westminster attack We predict that TellMAMA and others who regularly run interference when events like this happen will be reporting to an eager BBC and Guardian over the next few days about Muslims being ticked off or sneered at. We will be saddened if a totally innocent Muslim has her hijab interfered with by a cowardly bully. But if Muslims continue to strut defiantly in the uniform in the midst of an event like this, they have to expect some kickback. We will not condone such kickback, but we will understand the anger of ordinary English people. We urge people who feel this anger to direct their attention in more positive directions. How to respond to the Westminster attack This is a time for action. This is not the time to go along with the elites who want us to be stoical and show our defiance by continuing to go about our daily business. Showing defiance by doing nothing? It is time to take a new course, to do things differently:  Join us in our national demonstration in Derby on Saturday 8 April.  Or, donate to us because we can be relied on to use donations to continue the struggle against Islam, no matter what. We do not weary.  Or, again, support other organisations active in the counter-jihad in Britain; there are many and there is bound to be one pretty close to your own style. Yes, now is the time for action. New action. Invigorated action. Action away from the keyboard. Effective action. More you might like We stand because the Government refuses to stand up for us and the thousands of young women and girls abused by Muslim gangs up and down this country. We call it rape jihad because it is not only an attack on the individual girls it is an attack on the foundation of this country, on our future mothers. It is jihad because it is inspired by Mohammed, the founder of Islam, and the theology of the Quran. In all the wars Mohammed was involved in girls and women became mere war booty, sex slaves who were used and abused and then sold for profit. And the same thing is happening now in this country! Many Muslims have declared war on us and they are following the example of their leader Mohammed. The Government refuses to stand for controlled immigration. Because of the lack of vigorous enforcement of border controls thousands of so-called children enter into the country pretending to be refugees. But if you look at them anyone with any sense can see that they are not children. The Government refuses to stand for proper food labelling which tells us that we are buying halal food and products. Halal certification costs money and that money goes to fund causes of Allah, as the Quran clearly stipulates. Halal is a Muslim employment scheme which drives prices down and drives non-Muslim butchers out of the business. In Christian terms it is also idolatry since the meat is dedicated to Allah as it is slaughtered. Of course, the process pays no attention to the suffering of the animals. The Government refuses to stand for integration when the Sharia-pushers insist on separate facilities between Muslims and non-Muslims and between men and women. Not one prosecution for Female Genital Mutilation has succeeded yet in this country even though it has been illegal for 30 years and the NHS has recorded thousands of cases in that time. The Government refuses to stand for equality under the law; it is seriously contemplating one law for Muslims and another for non-Muslims as it still considers the rights and wrongs of full face coverings in public and even in courts of law for accused people as well as for witnesses. The rot of Islam is drawing our young people away toward terrorism. Here in Walsall alone four converts to Islam are associated with terrorism  two of them are linked with ISIS and Syria. So we stand here in Walsall to say, like our weak prime minister has said: Enough is enough. But her just saying it, is not enough! The rape jihad must stop and resources must be allocated to rout out these criminals and more importantly to attack and destroy the hatred of non-Muslims and particularly women that is part and parcel of the teachings of Islam. It is our right and duty to encourage our Government to do its job  to defend and protect this country! The Sharia-pushers need to know that we will push back and never give up our birth-right as English citizens to our traditional values and customs. The English Defence League has been pushing back now  for going on 8 years. Little, but some progress has been made but we will not be satisfied until the misogyny, cruelty and terror of Islam are banished from this green and pleasant land. The Home Office is a sprawling collection of agencies responsible for immigration, security and law and order. As such it is responsible for the police, fire and rescue services, visas and immigration, border protection and the Security Service (MI5). A decade ago a former Home Secretary declared the Home Office was not fit for purpose and so it lost its law, justice and prisons responsibility. But it still appears to be unmanageable. The present Home Secretary, Amber Rudd has not publicly backed the Home Office. More particularly, the Home Secretary has not publicly backed the UK Border Force. The problems confronting Border Force Every year thousands - tens of thousands - of illegals break into Britain - despite the fact that our island status means our borders are far easier to secure than the borders of any other European nation. About 40 illegals are detected in Dover on an average day and the media have given up reporting individual illegals caught in lorries or under buses well beyond our border ports because occurrences are too frequent to be reported as news. Its only when more than five are discovered in one vehicle that even a local paper can be bothered reporting it. Every one of these breaches of our borders is a failure by Border Force, an agency of the Home Office. Border Force must be fully supported by the government But we mustnt blame Border Force. They have good staff up and down the line. In the face of the intense threat, they need, to paraphrase Winston Churchill, the tools to carry out the job. This is what the Home Secretary must do to show that she and the Tory government are as serious as the majority of Britons are about stopping illegal entry across British borders. The Home Secretary must speak directly (and on the public record) to Border Force staff and tell them their job is to defend our borders. She must ask them to let her know how their ability to fulfil their role could be improved. She must tell them that she will see to it that they get the staff, the equipment, the training and the public support they need. No excuses. No buck-passing. She must inspect a different Border Force unit every week to hear directly from staff and refresh her commitment directly to them. There must be no childish window-dressing for the media about calling in the Marines or the Army - unless the government really wants illegals to be stopped with gunfire from SA80A2 assault rifles. No sane person really wants that. Is the Home Office up to managing Border Force? The truth is, the English Defence League do not have sufficient faith in the Home Secretary. Nor do we have a lot of faith in the Home Office. The Home Office is still not fit for purpose. It is not merely incompetent. Its incompetence has a shape and pattern that reeks of infighting, betrayal and hidden agendas as well as ineptitude. Here we lay out recent examples to illustrate the nature of the Home Offices inadequacy. The Home Office: Lost track of hundreds of dangerous foreign criminals awaiting deportation from Britain Under-resourced Border Force, and failed to give them top-level, public backing Employs/contracts/listens uncritically to a string of ethnic and religious advisers. With a record like this, is there any wonder that Britains borders are successfully penetrated every day? The English Defence League calls for a Border Force that works and a Home Office that is recognised for its dedication to the safety and security of our homeland. At the moment, the enemies of an open society, free speech, basic hospitality towards friends and allies are rejoicing because President Donald Trump has cancelled his planned visit to the UK. Cries of Yes we won are heard in offices and media rooms throughout the country. Smirking activists and protesters are thinking that their insolent campaign of intimidation and the not welcome chorus caused the result. But it is not true. President Trump was not deterred by the shouting, rudeness, and incivility led by the Muslim mayor of London Sadiq Khan and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. Amongst dealing with many domestic and global issues, it is most likely he didnt even notice them. But the politicians and media talking heads choose to believe their own propaganda. President Trump wrote: Reason I cancelled my trip to London is that I am not a big fan of the Obama Administration having sold perhaps the best located and finest embassy in London for peanuts, only to build a new one in an off location for 1.2 billion dollars. Bad deal. Wanted me to cut ribbon-NO! When a politician speaks, especially President Trump, their words are rarely taken at face value. The echo chamber is alive and well. Their self-congratulations and back-patting are meaningless. Why? Because of course President Trump will visit the UK sometime in the next three years for reasons that he chooses would be more appropriate. All the infantile posturing and protesting will not stop him from accepting an invitation by this Government. And members of the English Defence League will be there to welcome him! The opposition to his presence in the UK gets some people all in a lather - particularly the Left, Cultural Marxists, Muslim organisations, Sharia-pushers, Liberal media types, the Open Borders gang, anti-Brexit rabble, promoters of the destruction of Israel, and radical (and pro-abortion) feminists. They truly have a spasmodic, hate-fest time about it all. It is like the world will end or at least the white cliffs of Dover will crumble into the Channel. But why is that? Because when President Trump comes to the UK, the leader of the most powerful nation in the world with the largest megaphone, he will, no doubt, have a thing or two to say (or tweet) about the issues that most concern the opposition. And they would hate the competition for media space! Last November, President Trump caused a flurry when he posted three videos on his Twitter account. Our Muslim Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said that President Trump is not welcome in Britain. Communities Secretary Sajid Javid went further on Twitter saying: So POTUS has endorsed the views of a vile, hate-filled racist organization that hates me and people like me. He is wrong and I refuse to let it go and say nothing. Note to Mr Javid: retweeting videos that Britain First had also retweeted but had absolutely nothing to do with, is NOT an endorsement of BF. You should go back to school. Theresa Mays spokesman said the President was wrong to post the tweets. Unfazed President Trump tweeted: Theresa May, dont focus on me, focus on the destructive Radical Islamic Terrorism that is taking place within the United Kingdom. We are doing just fine! But the larger social paroxysm goes back to his victory in the USA elections. The opposition just cannot get over that fact and is still trying to reclaim lost ground. They will do everything in their power to destroy his credibility and authority. Because their preferred darlings, Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders, did not win they shift to plan B. Not getting their own way in a fair political fight means that they are escalating their tactics to dirty tricks, crude propaganda and even violence towards anyone who expresses support for President Trump as seen on the streets of the USA. We in the UK can expect the same. This cancellation has only delayed the demonstrations to oppose him and his views. If the 2017 presidential inauguration demonstrations are anything to go by, when he does come to the UK there will be millions on the streets, with some women dressed up as vaginas (well, supposedly representing vaginas), or pussy hats. This counts as political debate for the Left. One wonders where the opposition will go from there. The English Defence League, along with many other like-minded groups, will be there to offer a balance to the bile that will be directed his way. While we are not a political party and do not offer political solutions to every problem in society, nor indeed endorse every decision President Trump has made since his inauguration a year ago, we recognise that those who attack him also attack us. Those same people also want to silence us and take the country in a direction fundamentally at odds with our traditional values and culture. We remember the enormous support America has given to this country, particularly over the last century through two world wars, financial assistance after the devastation of World War II and the Cold War. Whilst two dynamic and democratic countries with strong historical ties have argued and will argue about the details of any particular policies, both domestic and foreign, we celebrate the wider framework of freedom, democracy and Western culture and values that bind two great countries together. Mr Abdul Muquaddas Choudhuri, Chairman of Peterboroughs Faizan e Madinah mosque, has written in Peterborough Today on 28 October about what he calls EDL myths. He makes his task easy by: (a) misrepresenting our position, and then (b) criticising his own misrepresentation  not the EDL. The English Defence League comes out of this unscathed. Mr Choudhuri begins with a misrepresentation about the make-up of our demonstrating members in Peterborough on 21 October. He imagines he has scored a point with his claim that most, if not all of them, were from outside Peterborough. Of course most of our participants came from outside Peterborough! Our members in Peterborough had been inviting us for some months to demonstrate in the city and English Defence League people from across England were pleased to help them out. Thats the way our demonstrations are conducted: our members from outside the demonstration city support the local members by traveling to show that the issues pushed at us by Islam are being pushed similarly in every English city. Our country is under siege: Illegal immigration (we call it what it is: invasion), Murder and wounding by Islamic terrorists, Sexual abuse of the next generation of English mothers (we call it what it is: its the use of rape as a weapon of war  rape jihad). Our thanks to Mr Choudhuri Before we deal with some of the issues he raises, we thank him for addressing these issues. Our demonstrations of marches, songs, placards, chants and speeches are designed to attract attention to the concerns we have about Islam. These issues do need addressing and Mr Choudhuri did his best to do this without being distracted by our tone and style. Many of our opponents criticise our tone and style and we believe this is because they are too politically correct or intimidated to debate us on the issues. Not Mr Choudhuri; well done, Sir. 1. Sexual grooming and abuse of English girls by Muslim men Take the issue of the grooming and sexual abuse of English girls by adult Muslim men. We have identified over 140 trials resulting in convictions of Muslims in over 50 cities and towns. Of course not all sexual abusers are Muslims. Sadly, abuse by Muslim gangs over many years is a whole new layer on top of the terrible indigenous abuse. To put it bluntly: if there were no Muslims here, this whole new layer of abuse would not exist. Our police, prosecutors and courts could take a breath and deal more effectively with the indigenous problem  which is not shrouded in political correctness. Even in the period before our demonstration two more sexual assaults were reported in Peterborough: an assault in New Bank Road by an Asian and an alleged rape in Castor. The rape jihad continues in Peterborough. Who is it then who is destroying the harmonious relationship in the country and indeed in Peterborough? 2. Female Genital Mutilation  FGM Mr Choudhuri writes: FGM is a non-Islamic practice and such practices take place in some of the African countries FGM may not be practised in his particular sect of Islam, but it is an obligation in another sect, the Dawoodi Bohra, and people from that sect were recently convicted in Australia for FGM of girls. Whats more, FGM is admired in the Hadith transmitted by Imam Al-Sadiq. So far as some of the African countries are concerned, you will find that these are Muslim-majority countries. Is Mr Choudhuri trying to deflect attention away from Muslims of his own ethnic background and onto undifferentiated Africans? Mr Choudhuri continues along the same lines: Our understanding is that according to the NHS, such activities took place outside the UK. The NHS is right: most mutilations recorded by the NHS have been inflicted outside the UK. Some of these were inflicted on British Muslim girls taken to Muslim countries for that purpose. Most mutilations recorded in Peterborough will have been inflicted in Muslim countries years before they have been detected by the NHS. According to the NHS, at least 50 mutilations are inflicted in the UK every year. Over 50 crimes! The NHS know the victims, but have they reported the mutilations to the police? We dont know. Did the police decide not to prosecute for cultural/religious reasons? We dont know. Fifty unprosecuted life-changing assault crimes! Isnt this the shameful pattern of official inaction that was exposed in Rotherham? Mr Choudhuris obfuscation shows how sensitive he is about the topic. It is because people like Mr Choudhuri and the NHS try to hide the facts about Female Genital Mutilation that the EDL will continue to call out Islamic practices and Muslim people who inflict or hide these attacks on girls, girls who deserve the care and protection from this country which their own family denies them. 3. Terrorism in UK Mr Choudhuri has wheeled out a verse from the Koran that he says clearly states that to kill a single innocent person is equal to killing all mankind. This is a reference to Koran 5:32. But 5:32 needs to be read in context. The context tells us that 5:32 applies to Jews, not Muslims. And 5:33, the very next verse, tells us that: the penalty for those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger and strive upon earth [to cause] corruption is none but that they be killed or crucified So this is another misrepresentation. Few readers will have the fortitude to delve deeper into these verses, but  believe us  the Koran and the religion that flows from it are not peaceful. Unless Mr Choudhuris mosque is an exception, at Friday prayers his congregation prays for victory over the kuffar (the non-believers)  reciting Koran 2:286. Prayers like this foster a mindset that is antagonistic to the English. Dealing with Islamic terrorism  by charity or prevention? Mr Choudhuri tells us that his mosque raised 1,000 for the victims of the Manchester bombing this year. He asks us what the EDL did. Our response to the Islamic bombing in Manchester was not aimed at helping the wounded and bereaved from this Islamic attack. We in Britain are well-equipped to deal with the effects of terrorist attacks: emergency medicine, trauma counselling and providing comfort. But we are apparently at a loss in confronting the causes of violent attacks by self-declared Islamists on innocent citizens. Thats where the EDL can make a significant contribution: using our public demonstrations  like the one in Peterborough  to focus on prevention. We argue for unfettered public discussion so governments and communities can make sound judgements based on all the relevant facts to take action against the source of the threat and deal with it directly, decisively and effectively. The English Defence League will continue its program of demonstrations in 2018 Mr Choudhuri says Everyone has the right in a democratic society to march peacefully on the issues which concern the people Exactly. But he errs when he adds The EDL march is neither peaceful nor concerning the most decent people of Peterborough. EDLs tactics are to provoke people and create violence and get into media headlines. We were peaceful in Peterborough. We marched peacefully. Then we delivered speeches. We had prepared speeches for the citizens of Peterborough, but when a crowd gathered deliberately to oppose us, drown us out, abuse us, and even had to be restrained by the police from attacking us, we switched from information and education to the verbal battle that was forced upon us. We will continue our program of national and local demonstrations in 2018 to alert the public and decision-makers to the Islamist threat. New Life in Christ was the theme of this years Easter Live Worship from Leicester Cathedral and was led by The Bishop of Leicester, The Right Reverend Tim Stevens (BBC1 TV, 20 April 2014). The conducting priest, the Dean of the Leicester Cathedral, the very Reverend David Monteith, during the homily, had some unkind words to say about the EDL. Where did this come from? Was the priest only to blame or was there any connection with the larger BBC Corporation or perhaps from the head of BBC Head of Religion and Ethics, Aaqil Ahmed? Mr Ahmed became the first Muslim to be the head of the religious affairs programming three years ago, amidst much controversy. Was there any discussion about the content of the sermon with Mr Ahmed? Could we ever find out if there was? All it takes is a phone call via third parties. So the priest had a national platform on the most important liturgical day of the Christian calendar and used it to disparage a section of the community, many of whose members are Christian. But Christian or not, the intention was to silence and humiliate all people affiliated with the EDL and to warn people who are drawn to its message to stay away. Also, people who value freedom in this country should be appalled at this taxpayer-funded denigration of a legitimate political movement in this country. The EDL have not been banned by the Government. There has been no judicial process to ascertain its harm or otherwise to the nation. The EDL have no right of reply. Will the Bishop publically reprimand the priest or utter an apology? Will he invite us in to discuss what his concerns are? Okay, what did the very Reverend David Monteith say? In general (the full text is found here), his theme was how the Easter event and message is about overcoming fear. In his sermon he said: We are still learning but we keep discovering a deeper solidarity which overcomes fear. When the English Defence League decided to come to Leicester, we came together in this Cathedral, recognizing that fearful vitriol aimed at one community was vitriol aimed at us all. Every person finds welcome here as in Christ we discover that difference need not mean fear Do the EDL really aim vitriol at one community? Or do we justly criticise criminal elements within communities and the belief system which produces threats and criminal behaviours? Of course the very Reverend David Monteith produced no evidence of the vitriol that the EDL supposedly cast upon a section of the community of Leicester. And notice he assumed that everyone knew what he was talking about. He did not try to describe the EDL or the one community that was supposedly the object of the EDL vitriol. The dictionary definition of vitriol is caustic or hostile speech, criticism or feeling. But what is wrong with vitriol that is well directed? Indeed, what is unchristian about it? Should not all right-minded people, especially the clergy, have criticisms or (dare we say) even hostile feelings towards sections of the community which promote or allow: marriage to girls as young as nine, Female Genital Mutilation, so-called honour killings, the permissibility of husbands beating their wives, polygamy, the killing of people who leave the religion of Islam, the superiority of Muslims over non-Muslims, a society in which Muslims must rule over non-Muslims, the destruction of democracy and its replacement with the Sharia, the holding up of Mohammed as the perfect man whose actions are a model for all human behaviour for all time. and, particularly relevant for an Easter service, the persecution and killing of Christians in Muslim-majority societies, as commanded in many verses of the Quran. etc. Are not the members of the EDL also part of the community of Leicester? Evidently not. It seems his feelings of compassion and inclusiveness do not extend to the EDL. We are simply an object of ridicule and the cause of all that is wrong in the community of Leicester. Rather than the cause of strife, the EDL simply point out what people like the very Reverend David Monteith, despite (or perhaps because of) their education, refuse to see and a future they refuse to contemplate. We say: the Sharia-pushers are here and so too is the English Defence League! Instead of a micro-analysis of the evidence, the investigation, the trials and the verdicts, we put these trials in the national context, because this will be more likely to lead  ultimately  to the prevention of all crimes like these in the future. We are accepting civil comments on this article at the foot of the page. Please comment on the article  this is not the place for other statements. Other statements can be submitted for publication here. We moderate all comments. What are the causes of these outrages? Firstly, lets look at the common factors: Almost all the perpetrators have Muslim names and a heritage from Muslim countries and cultures. Most of their victims are non-Muslims. Most are English, but Sikh girls have also been victims in the UK  since 1988. Secondly, there is a straight line that can be drawn from the Koran through to the behaviour of the Newcastle gang  and other gangs like them across the UK. In the Koran, Muslims are told they are the best and that non-believers are trash: You are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind. (Koran 3:110) Jews and Christians are the worst of creatures (Koran 98:6) Allah has no love for unbelievers (Koran 3:32) One of the Newcastle gang, Badrul Hussain, was reported in court as declaring: All white women are good for one thing, for men like me to f*** and use as trash, that is all women like you are worth. The leader of the 2012 Rochdale gang, Shabir Ahmed, declared We are a civilised society. We are the supreme race. Thirdly, the straight line continues through the misogyny promoted and lived in mosques and their congregations in Britain. There Muslim women are separated from men and exhorted to be moral and pure. Imams contrast a pure Muslim woman with English women whose dress is deemed immodest, whose independence is condemned and whose behaviour is deemed licentious. We know that in the Trojan Horse schools children as young as six were told that Western women are white prostitutes. So, whats the status of non-Muslim British girls in Muslim eyes? In 2013 Mohammed Shafiq wrote a sermon to be read in all mosques in the UK saying that Muslim participation in sexual abuse of non-Muslims is a crime forbidden in Islam. In only a small minority of mosques was the sermon read. This was probably because most imams know that this is not a crime Islam forbids, but more than this, it is behaviour Islam condones in its references to the treatment of non-Muslim sex slaves. Fourthly, the straight line goes through to the life experiences of Muslim men in the UK. They are faced with Western society that puts the lie to Allahs claim that they are the best of peoples. Muslim cab drivers ferry around people who are they are taught are their kuffar inferiors. Muslims serving kebabs to English girls know that these girls should be their sex slaves. English girls enjoy themselves in ways good Muslim girls cant and yet they are not punished. Muslim men are bitter and resentful. They are motivated to set the world right, to take out their resentment on, for example, easily available kuffar girls. They feel justified in punishing them. All of you treated them as though they were worthless and beyond any respect. One of the factors leading to that was the fact that they were not part of your community or religion. The failures of the establishment that enabled these outrages By the establishment we mean government, politicians, media, churches, educators and the bulk of opinion formers, decision-makers and influence-holders in civil society that enabled past outrages and is  as you read this  enabling the next ones It is a situation which defies belief. These were public servants, who would not talk about child rape and prostitution, which they knew had been going on for years. They were not the rapists. They were not being paid by the criminals. But political correctness and multiculturalism had left them too scared to speak about these horrific crimes. No wonder these grooming gangs felt untouchable  The tyranny of political correctness meant that they did not dare articulate or even acknowledge what they were seeing and hearing. [Easy Meat, 2016, page 41] The police deliberately gave the rapists of English girls the nod in 2005 that theyd be spared investigation. In The Betrayed Girls (BBC, July 2017) the narrator describes how the 2005 London Transport bombings stimulated rising Islamophobia which the authorities were determined to hose down because of its effect on community cohesion. Pulling back from Muslim Child Sexual Exploitation investigations was one thing the police could do to ease pressure on the Muslim community. The documentary does not reveal whose bright idea this was. An ethnic adviser to the Home Office, perhaps? The police were the same across the country. West Midlands Police is a force that admitted in 2015 to burying a report on the sexual exploitation of over 100 girls to avoid the issue influencing the 2010 General Election. Yes: an English Police Force went along with the continuing criminal abuse of English girls on their beat. In Rotherham, there are over 50 investigations into alleged police misconduct linked to child sex crimes  in that one town. All over England police forces have admitted they made serious mistakes in the way they treated the rape jihad. But they are not admitting it openly; they have been using weasel words to tell us they have upped their game, improved their responsiveness, given it our highest priority, learned lessons and other similar bureaucratic non-apologies to the hundreds girls who were abused to the point of PTSD while the police sat knowingly on their hands. Lets look at the media. In 2004 Nick Griffin exposed on BBC television all that needed to be known to justify a full-scale investigation into this grooming/rape jihad scandal. Listen to the BBC interviewer Gavin Eslar in that video put the establishment line: Eslar does his best to ensure, in effect, that the rape jihad can continue without disruption. Nick Griffin, of course, was the leader of the British National Party (a party explicitly critical of the EDL since our inception) and the establishment saw the BNP under Griffin as a threat. He could indeed have been a threat. So West Yorkshire Police and the Crown Prosecution Service worked hard to have him jailed, disrupting his public exposure for two years. Even today, there is almost universal refusal by the media to acknowledge Griffins role in bringing the rape jihad crimes before the British public. Another media example: Andrew Norfolk of The Times. Andrew Norfolk has done good work on this issue, but much of his achievement was due to his position on a respected newspaper. In the BBCs The Betrayed Girls Norfolk says: To my shame I allowed my liberal fear about giving succour and credence to the British National Party to act as a brake on actually doing my job. Norfolk eventually trawled through media and court reports to compile an expos of the grooming gangs in January 2011. He also says in The Betrayed Girls that he took it on as his mission to claim the story of Muslim grooming gangs from the far right, epitomised by the EDL. The left at both the BBC and at The Times are committed to protecting their ideology far ahead of protecting English girls. A third example: Child sex abuse by Catholic clergy cf. Muslim men. The media freely connect child abuse with religion when it involves Catholics: but when it involves Muslims, the very word is taboo. Here journalists apply their template: sneer at traditional British culture (like British religions) and protect non-British, enriching culture (like Islam). Instead of Muslim, the deliberately vague and misleading term Asian is used to add a racial dimension to the discussion, while subtracting the opportunity to consider the religious dimension. Edgy journalists occasionally step beyond Asian to the awkward of Pakistani heritage or simply Pakistani. But even in 2017, the majority of reports of sex crimes revert to the timorous and inaccurate Asian  never Muslim. The failure of the Muslim community to accept ownership of the outrages We wrote above that the causes of the rape jihad lie in Islam. Sadly most Muslims not only refuse to accept the substance of that proposition, but contrive victimhood and offence when it is even raised for consideration. They demand no free speech or discussion of the issue. They condemn any criticism as Islamophobia and dismiss it as coming from the far-right. The Muslim response to these Newcastle trials  The Chronicle reports today that Faith leaders from across Newcastle have come together to condemn the horrific actions of those convicted in Operation Sanctuary. Of course they do. Thats the easy bit, with Muslims drawing their wagons into a circle, while being comforted by non-Muslim virtue-signallers. What the Muslims like their spokesman Dipu Ahad will not do is to condemn the misogyny in Islam, disowning specific misogynistic verses in the Koran  like 4:24 and 4:34. They will not condemn the passages in the Koran that assert Muslim superiority and dominance over non-Muslims  like Koran 3:32, 3:110, 98:6-7 and 2:286  the last of which is frequently prayed in British mosques with its call for victory over the non-Muslims. They will not disown the sex-addicted and paedophile behaviour of Mohammed reported in the Hadith; on the contrary, they insist Mohammeds behaviour  even for today  is the model of perfection. The Muslim response to the 2012 Rochdale case  In The Betrayed Girls, Ann Cryer (ex-MP) tells us that when Rochdale Muslim elders were confronted about the Muslim gangs, they said Its got nothing to do with us. End of story. Mohammed Shafiq of the Ramadan Foundation says There is nothing, absolutely nothing in my faith, Islam, that justifies this type of despicable and evil crimes. He adds I was told I was bringing the community down by talking about these issues, and they didnt want me to talk about this or raise these issues. The Betrayed Girls did not include: Shabir Ahmed, the gang leader, after telling the court that he often prayed to Allah, blamed the white community for allowing teenage girls to go around unsupervised, so that at a young age they were trained in both sex and drinking. We should not become absorbed by the trial of the moment, whether it be in Newcastle, Oxford, Rochdale or Rotherham. Across England the media have reported on well over 100 trials in over 50 centres that fit the rape jihad mould. The culpability of the Muslim community in its shielding of child abusers The cover-up of child sexual grooming by Muslim men  The media have reported on the cover-up by police, local authorities and even MPs. In Newcastle they have pounced on the secondary issue of a payment of almost 10,000 to an informant. But the vigour of all this media witch-hunt, anger and outrage is displacement activity. Its a red herring to draw attention from the bigger cover-up: the cover-up by the Muslim community of their crimes and criminals. The Muslim communitys cover up of their child abusers  We are not told how many suspects were considered for trial in Newcastle, but we can say that all those with a case to answer would have been tried successfully years ago if the Muslim community was not stonewalling. Only in Rotherham has there been a takeover of these cases by the National Crime Agency (Operation Stovewood), so only in Rotherham are the dimensions of the criminal activity made public. There is still a Muslim wall of silence. Those with inside information have been persuaded, intimidated or accustomed into protecting the criminals, actively or passively. Their cover-up holds firm to this day. What does the cover-up look like?  Because of the scale and duration of the abuse, and the arrogant and boastful characters of the abusers, the abusers parents, siblings, imams, workmates, business associates, community leaders, aunts, uncles and other acquaintances (including their wives and children) must have been aware of it. Andrew Norfolk told us in The Betrayed Girls In one tiny town it was even a generational thing there where they had fathers who had been doing this to the mothers of young girls who were now being groomed and abused by these mens sons. All these Muslims clammed up. At the very least, they asked no questions and looked the other way to protect their own. The damage from the Muslim community cover-up  If there was no Muslim wall of silence, there would never  could never  have been 1,400 child sexual abuse victims in Rotherham. And 1,385 Rotherham victims would not still be waiting to give evidence in trials of their abusers. In Newcastle there ware 102 potential victims but only 20 were given the opportunity to appear as witnesses in court. In the 2012 Rochdale case there were 47 identified victims, but only five of these, just 10%, were called to give evidence. Again, if Muslims in the know had come forward, the many other Newcastle abusers of all 102 English girls would have been brought before British justice. What British Muslims Really Think  In his Channel 4 program, Trevor Phillips told us that 39% of British Muslims believe wives should obey their husbands  so Muslim women are not inclined to expose their criminal menfolk, even for grooming abuse of English girls. Nothing less than two Royal Commissions  Our nation and our future generations deserve two thorough enquiries, with Royal Commission powers to compel witnesses including those retired, even those overseas: one into the cover-up of that abuse  by other Muslims as well as by government officials, another into what motivates Muslim men to abuse English girls on an extraordinary scale.  This is not the EDLs own idea. It comes straight from the Serious Case Review of the 2012 Oxford grooming gang investigation: With a significant proportion of those found guilty nationally of group CSE being from a Pakistani and/or Muslim heritage, relevant government departments should research why this is the case, in order to guide prevention strategies.  Why has this recommendation not been acted upon? Another cover-up! A note on the rape jihad The rape jihad has manifest itself in many ways in recent years. As well as the grooming/rape epidemic here in England, there was the infamous New Years Eve attack in Cologne in 2015-16, the treatment of Yazidis by ISIS (justified explicitly by quotations from the Koran and Hadith), the kidnap by Boko Haram of the girls in Chibok, Nigeria, and the triumphal behaviour of the abusers relatives on the final day of numerous rape gang trials. The crimes revealed in Newcastle yesterday should be seen in this context. Some men are so weak they fall for it every time. A young woman and a pretty smile. Or is it, a pretty young woman and a smile. Whatever the saying is, Billy is smitten. You can tell. My, oh my, has he fallen for it, hook, line and sinker. He has even written a song about it. Now that is serious. This image portrays to him all that is good, wholesome and powerful in a woman. The name of this woman is Saffiyah Khan who is an expert practitioner/activist and rabble-rouser for the fascist Left. She was at the English Defence League (EDL) demonstration on 8 April 2017 for the sole purpose of giving aid and support to those who wanted to silence us, to prevent the people of Birmingham from hearing what we had to say about the threat of Islam, Muslim grooming gangs and the anti-democratic Union and political forces in Birmingham. But this does not matter to Mr Bragg. When he wants an icon to carry his brand of social justice he reads into it what he likes. He fashions an icon in his own artistic image. Yes she is smiling but what does that mean, exactly? For Mr Bragg it means some sort of jujitsu over one of the leaders of the EDL. That smile illustrates for him the overthrow of hatred, injustice, racism and bigotry. Imagine; he saw all that in a smile. the constant efforts by the Sharia-pushers to dominate English society, the daily fear of Muslims who want to leave Islam but are afraid to because of death threats from the religion of peace crowd. Maybe if he smiled, a serene smile, on them we all could witness the power to hold back these soldiers of Allah. Mr Bragg is keen to also note the power of a woman, this woman, over an EDL man. This is nothing short of imputing a lie into the context of a political confrontation. She refused to be silent during a call for a moments silence in memory of the victims of terrorism. She supported the disruption. In what way was Ian Crossland supposed to act other than to verbally tell her she was in the wrong? There was no exercise of power over anyone, let alone by that feminine smile. She should have been ashamed of herself. Instead she gloried in her 15 minutes of fame which now Mr Bragg extends for a few more minutes. Apparently she is trying to capitalise on this fame by advertising her uninspired and uninspiring collection of selected photographs of Asian Britons - such a perfect example of inclusivity. He is currently on tour in the USA. Will he tell his audience of: The attempted brutal take-over of this green and pleasant land by the soldiers of Allah and the Sharia-pushers? Will he tell them that in some schools that Muslim children are told not to listen to Christians as they were all liars and that they were lucky to be Muslims and not ignorant like Christians and Jews. Will he tell them of the no-go zones in many places in London due to Friday prayers? Will he tell them of the widespread abuse of the benefits system by Muslim men who get benefits for themselves, their children and multiple wives? Will he tell them about the many terrorist actions that have been thwarted by the security forces? Will he remind them that Salmon Rushdie still has a fatwa, a death sentence, for daring to write some fantasy comments about Mohammed in a book many years ago? Will he remind them of the 7-7-2005 bombings in London or the Lee Rigby murder or the more recent terrorist murders this year alone? The list of offences against the good and decent people of this country by the followers of Islam/Mohammed can be extended for many pages. Will he tell them anything about the dangers, threats and impositions of Islam experienced largely by working class people in this country? No, he will not. His latest song/album is about solidarity with those like Saffiyah Khan who he believes is acting for the poor and oppressed in this world against the ranting fascist and the neo-fascists of the EDL and other patriots. He speaks of S Khans selfless act of solidarity. Solidarity with who or what? It is a word bandied about and is supposed to automatically mean something good. The context here however is solidarity with people whose sole reason for being where they were, was to disrupt our demonstration and cause a violent reaction which would feed the media lies and hype about the EDL. S Khan and the others failed to do that because of the discipline of our supporters and particularly Ian Crossland. Mr Bragg is so taken with that smile he fails to notice other images like the one taken a few minutes later of her, not Mr Crossland, being taken away by the Police. So, were the Police wrong Mr Bragg? Or did they see what you refuse to see: a woman hell-bent on disrupting a civil, legal, and non-violent demonstration? We thought the politics of Mr Bragg included solidarity with the working class of this country. We have suffered the most under Islamisation and the open borders brought on by previous Labour politicians. We thought he would support freedom of speech and assembly. We thought he would support non-violent political assemblies of people who are appealing to the people and Government to do something effective about these problems. How wrong we were. He says S Khan was there to take part in a counter-demonstration. No she was not. But the truth does not matter to Mr Bragg. Why bother with facts when the icon is so much more fun? There was a legal counter-demonstration some short distance away from our LEGAL demonstration which she could have attended. But that was not good enough for her and her anti-democratic friends. She wanted to deny us our space in the public square. Nothing short of our complete silence would do for her and, apparently, for Mr Bragg. What does that make him? We have no inside knowledge of what the programme contains, but we are promised a: Documentary about the child abuse revelations in Rochdale and other towns. Featuring the harrowing testimony of the victims and the shocking truth from those who spoke out, this film reveals how it wasnt just the professionals whose job it was to protect the girls who ignored their plight, but others did as well. Unfortunately, viewers have been prepared for The Betrayed Girls by the earlier fictionalised The Three Girls which will have sown the seeds in some minds that this second programme must also be partly fictional, as if it, too, is not wholly true and so need not be believed if disbelief is psychologically easier. But people who understand the circumstances wrote in yesterdays Sunday press about it. Others have addressed the same issues. Nazir Afzal Nazir Afzal, a prosecutor in this Rochdale trial, has moved well beyond the hand-wringing Betrayed girls approach and is, rightly, looking at what motivated the Muslim rapists/groomers to assault non-Muslim girls. This is whats at the core of the issue. But Mr Afzal is not first with this question. The Oxford SCR recommendation More than two years ago an official report into rape/grooming in Oxford recommended that: With a significant proportion of those found guilty nationally of group Child Sexual Exploitation being from a Pakistani and/or Muslim heritage, relevant government departments should research why this is the case, in order to guide prevention strategies. This recommendation led to a very brief flurry of interest by the media but, even with this recommendation as a shield, they quickly lost interest in the face of establishment torpor and Muslim outrage. The Times gave it a front page headline, and then promptly dropped it. The English Defence League In September 2014, the EDL demonstrated in Rotherham and we made the same point in our media briefing: The EDL maintains that the Muslim religion, its texts, teachings and its insistence that Mohammeds 7th century example is the perfect model to emulate in the 21st century, are at the core of the problems that surfaced in some of their many forms in Rotherham. Watch Nick Griffin in this 2004 video exposing the Muslim roots of the grooming/rape gang phenomenon: Now, 13 years after the ground had been broken, and years during which EDL has been saying the same thing, is The Betrayed Girls hoping to bask in public and pundit approval for their courage in dusting the cobwebs off old material? Old material that the BBC themselves scorned for years. Sarah Vine Sarah Vine wrote in the Daily Mail on 24 June about The Betrayed Girls, but although she mentions the Muslim community, also keeps the fuzziness going by referring also to Pakistanis and clumsily inserting the red herring of ISIS and Boko Haram: [Abridged:] The mens religion, Islam, cannot be discounted, although it is frequently misconstrued in its approach to women and, in particular, Western women. The foul notion that non-Muslim women are impure, promiscuous and therefore unworthy of respect, finds its expression all too often in the behaviour of Islamist terrorist organisations such as ISIS and Boko Haram. The idea that they somehow deserve to be punished seems to be a recurring theme wherever Islamist terrorism is involved. Our jails are filling up with Muslim prisoners and yet the crimes theyre committing have become a taboo subject.  So-called Muslim community leaders would prefer these issues were ignored.  would prefer women to be oppressed and do what men want them to do. Forcing the Muslim community to do more to deal with these problems has to be the starting point to drive grooming gangs out of existence. What are the next steps? Nazir Afzal has outlined a chain of causality. It is also obvious that the chain does not bind all Muslims. It is these Muslims who must lead the way. No-one else is doing it. Step 1  The first step is to identify the passages in the Koran and the hadith that lead to: misogyny among Muslims, Muslim contempt for non-Muslim women, the belief by some Muslim men that non-Muslim girls are slags who are available for their abuse, and the belief among some Muslims that abusing non-Muslim girls and women is a right of Muslim men and that it is allowed and condoned as a cultural norm. It will not be just the passages themselves that need to be identified, but the way these passages are treated in mosques, Muslim literature and across the UK Muslim community in general. Step 2  The second step is for Muslims across the UK, in every mosque and masjiid, to renounce these passages and excise them from the texts used for worship, education, outreach and private devotions. Is The Betrayed Girls up to the job? The greatest betrayal of the Rochdale girls was by their abusers. The groomers appeared to be offering love, admiration, esteem, status and a good time. The girls were betrayed in dispiriting, debauched and disgusting ways. The shortcomings of the police, council officials, Councillors, politicians and the media must be brought out and those culpable brought to account in ways that will be most effective in preventing future abuse. But all these shortcomings are secondary problems. Will tonights The Betrayed Girls divert attention away from the primary problem of the child sexual abusers and their motivations and onto the secondary problem of weaknesses in dealing with the abuse and the abusers? We, the English Defence League, will be watching to see if this BBC programmes focus is on protecting the next generation of English mothers or on shielding Islam. The botched explosion on a District Line train near Parsons Green station two days ago (15 September 2017) should not be underestimated. It was a narrow escape for all those in the targeted carriage and it was also a warning that other attacks are likely in the immediate future. The government made the same assessment and raised the threat level to critical, the top of the UK scale. Soldiers on the streets Soldiers moved onto the streets yesterday, freeing police from static guard duties at buildings, venues, transport hubs and facilities to take on a mobile, pro-active, protective role across the country, with the focus on high-risk locations in London. How to describe the attack? 24 hours after the attack the police were treating it as one with the familiar characteristics of a jihad attack by a Muslim, although police, politicians and the media are refusing to say so: they prefer instead to describe it only as a terrorist attack. When being more specific about the type of terrorism involved, they will use the terms extremist, Islamist or Islamist extremist. 24 hours after the attack, a significant arrest was made of an 18-year-old in Dover. Lets see how he describes his motivations when he appears in court. Lets see if he agrees that he is best described by any of the terms used by senior officials and respected media commentators. Hed know better than anybody else. 24 hours after the attack Anne Marie Waters, a candidate in the current UKIP leadership ballot, set herself apart from every other politician in the country when she tweeted: We will never be intimidated or defeated by terrorism say leaders. When too afraid to name a problem, you are both intimidated & defeated. Treat the attack according to its intentions, not as a fizzer The threat is not only one for the next few days. The BBCs security correspondent said that the Parsons Green bomb, had it worked as intended, it would have killed everyone around it and maimed everyone in the train carriage for life. That is what we must respond to, not the relatively small explosion that actually occurred. How long will these attacks continue? Until politicians match their words about responding proportionately and sensibly with proportionate and sensible actions, Islamic terrorism with massive death and maiming tolls in English trains, streets, concerts and buses will be feature of English society forever. Forever! Or at least until Muslims achieve their aim of turning our country into a caliphate. That is when their religion promises them they will have achieved their religion of peace  when all opposition has been vanquished and all kuffar/infidels/non-believers have converted to Islam or otherwise submitted. If we dont aim to prevent jihad attacks, we are aiming to be their victims The English Defence League is firm: a proportionate and sensible response is one that prevents all future Islamic terrorism. Is there any non-Muslim who would not prefer to prevent Islamic terrorism? Most may be at loss to see how that could come about; well get to that. Police and intelligence services can, through counter-terrorism intelligence work, nip most attacks in the bud. Even when they prevent an attack, they do not prevent the intention, the scheming, the planning, the networking, the training or the inspiration provided by scriptures, preachers, lies, Marxist agent provocateurs, videos and other motivators. Even a failed attack inspires others to do better. We know from experience across Europe that there is, to all intents and purposes, an inexhaustible supply of Muslims who are passionate about jihad and who welcome death in pursuit of the privileges of martyrdom. We need to defuse Muslims and Islam in the UK The only way to prevent Islamic terrorism is to defuse Muslims in Britain as individuals and as communities, congregations, organisations, classes and representative bodies. Islam has demonstrated that it, too, needs to be defused for the safety and security of the rest of the population. We are not calling for deportation, banning, incarceration or any other impracticable knee-jerk reaction. Just defusing. Do we really want to live the rest of our lives being a few steps too many behind the Islamists and their sorry English victims? Far preferable to deploying crack police snipers, brave MI5 informers and threat levels hovering back and forth between severe and critical would be for British Muslims to never even think about imposing sharia on their aspirational British caliphate. Preventing attacks will be difficult. But so will living with a murderous mass jihad attack every couple of months or so. Surely aiming for prevention is proportionate and sensible. And surely it is within the capabilities of our society to deal with and prevent this recurring deadly terrorist activity. Who believes we cannot do so? Can we, please, make Parsons Green the turning point from denial and incomprehension to a truly proportionate and responsible response? [This is the basis of the speech given by the London Division at the EDL London demo on 24 June 2017] The well-known copy of the wartime poster Keep Calm and Carry On is very popular. It was fine in 1941 when to carry on was to continue doing whatever was your part in the War Effort. The Government was doing its duty in the defence of our country and every individual was pulling together to play their part. But this wont work today. To Carry on, assuming that the Government has recognised that we are at war and is acting accordingly is a dangerous delusion. We need to recognise that the Government, the institutions, the elite movers and shakers who run the country have failed in their duty of care to preserve and protect us. We obviously cannot carry on like this. March 2017, 5 people murdered and over 50 injured on Westminster Bridge by an Islamic terrorist inspired by Islamic State. May 2017 Manchester Arena; a pop concert - 23 children and their parents murdered and 119 injured by an Islamic suicide bomber connected to Islamic state. The youngest was age 8. June 2017 London Bridge and Borough Market 8 people murdered and 48 badly injured by three Islamic terrorists, known to the authorities for their views and jihadist connections. The ringleader and those of his associates who have been arrested since live in East London, in the very district where I have lived all my life, and have raised my family. This cannot continue. Security Services believe that there are 23,000 potential terrorists in the UK. Men and women known for their ideology, their threats, their associates such as Anjem Choudary and Omar Bakri and their membership of organisations such as Al Muhajiroun. Only the 3000 perceived as the most likely, the most dangerous, can be watched at any time. We can no longer carry on keeping calm as if nothing untoward happened. As if schoolgirls and their Mums at a pop concert, residents out for a meal on a Saturday night, workers and tourists viewing Big Ben face being murdered as a mere occupational hazard. When Keep Calm and Carry on was appropriate we knew who our enemy was. We knew our government was against our common enemy. Traitors, threats to security, potential spies, fellow travellers and fifth columnists were dealt with so that they could not jeopardise the war effort. During her term as Home Secretary Theresa May had at her disposal powers to deport from the UK, powers to refuse entry to the UK, powers to revoke British citizenship where obtained by naturalisation and the holder is convicted of serious crime. This was all available under existing legislation. No new laws were required. Nothing needed to be ratified by Europe. She hardly used these powers Less than 40 people have been relieved of their British citizenship. The leaders of the gang that raped and prostituted up to 1400 English schoolgirls in Rotherham are currently fighting our Governments efforts to return them to Pakistan the land of their birth, minus their British passports. And they are able to fight because we, the British taxpayers are funding them with free legal aid. The avowed aim of Islamic State and other jihadists is to overthrow our constitutional government and implement Sharia law under the Islamic rule of the Caliphate. This purpose fits the definition of treason. They could be tried for treason; they are traitors. The penalty is no longer death; Tony Blair saw that that was removed from the statute book very quickly. But the penalties are still very robust. After the Manchester massacre the police were active and raided shops, homes, businesses, even student accommodation across the North West. 20 arrests were made, all of whom have quietly been released without charge. But did they check the mosques where these men and women worshipped? Where they met, gathered, debated, socialised? First the Mosques couldnt believe that Salman, the martyrdom bomber, this quiet devout boy could do such a thing. His father has a lovely voice, we were told. Then suddenly, oh no, he hardly came here. Well he might have done, in the back row. But we never saw him no, no, nothing to do with us. And instead of searching this place where the suicide bomber, his father, his brother, his cousins, his friends, worshiped, like they did their homes, and where they ate, the police patrolled outside the mosques, lest a concerned citizen call out a rude name in protest. The police will and have raided and searched churches if they think something amiss is occurring within. Why are they more reticent to inspect a mosque? We call upon Her Majestys Government, current Home Secretary Amber Rudd and the Minister of Defence Sir Michael Fallon to use the powers they already have at their disposal to identify these Islamic State Enemies of our state, to correctly identify them as traitors, enemies of our country and face the danger to society, our peace and wellbeing that they pose. We can no longer pretend that they are a small minority who can be contained and tamed with softness and kindness.
On the eve of the Westminster attacks first anniversary, survivors and families have remembered the horror of that day  and spoken of their hopes for the future. On March 22 last year, Khalid Masood, a radicalised Muslim convert, ran pedestrians down with a 4x4 on Westminster Bridge before fatally stabbing Pc Keith Palmer in the grounds of Parliament. Masood was shot dead by armed police. Pc Palmer, 48, died alongside mother-of-two Aysha Frade, 43, US tourist Kurt Cochran, 54, retired window cleaner Leslie Rhodes, 75, and Andreea Cristea, 31, who was visiting from Romania with her boyfriend, Andrei Burnaz. Dozens more people were hurt, including tourists from Ireland, South Korea, France, Poland and Germany. Francisco Lopes, 27, from Willesden, was one of the last people to be hit before Masoods car crashed outside Parliament. He was thrown over the bonnet, leaving his head and legs covered in gashes. He has since stopped work at an M&S in St Thomass Hospital because of stress. I was close to death, he said. I am just thankful to be alive, but it has changed me. I went into a big depression. I am just trying to be happy again, which is difficult some days. I have got a lot of anxiety. I get frightened of traffic. You never think its going to happen to you. Ms Cristeas sister Magda Toi, 40, found out that her sibling had been hit in a phone call from Mr Burnaz, who had planned to propose that day. She told the Standard: I will remember that day for the rest of my life. It is still so raw. I heard the news from Andrei 10 minutes after the attack. He rang on her phone. He told me a car crashed into them, and that he could not find Andreea. He was screaming, everyone was screaming in the background, I could hear police sirens. A sea of flowers in Westminster following the attack in March, 2017 (REUTERS) After that I turned on the TV and all the news was of a terror attack in London. I realised my sister was involved. Ms Cristea, an interior designer, had been hit and thrown into the Thames. Ms Toi flew in from her home in Bucharest but her sister had suffered critical injuries. Her life support machine was switched off two weeks later. Ms Cristeas family are planning to mark the anniversary in her hometown of Constanta by visiting her grave before taking food to a childrens home in her honour. Ms Toi, who is being represented by law firm Fieldfisher in claiming compensation for the atrocity, said their lives were consumed by overwhelming heartache and grief. She said: The big sadness is this child of 31 years is not with us and we miss her very much, and even one year on we cant imagine she will not come back at all. The reality of losing her for ever is a pain we live with every day for the rest of our lives. Westminster attack - Who the five people killed? Melissa Cochran, 47, who was visiting London with her husband Kurt to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary when he was hit and killed, today said: We all miss Kurt very much and speak of him often. I continue to focus on my recovery and think of all of the victims of that terrible day at this difficult time. Like Mr Lopes, she is being represented by law firm Slater & Gordon. She said: While I continue to grieve my husband Kurt and all the victims, I strive to move ahead and focus on my recovery as well as honouring Kurts life by advocating love, forgiveness and peace. The Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood told of his deep regret at being unable to save Pc Palmer. The defence minister, 51, ran towards gunfire to give mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to the dying officer. He said: There are a number of impressions left with me. One is the immediate sense of deep regret and disappointment, also a sense of failure in arriving on the scene and finding a pulse and sadly we werent able to save Pc Keith Palmers life, and that very much stays with me. On a more stoic level, there is a huge pride. I come from an Army background and the comradeship in looking after one another, particularly when facing danger, is reflected in our emergency services and was very apparent. Mr Ellwood, who lost his brother Jon in the Bali bombing in 2002, said Britains resilience was crucial. The world has become more dangerous and more volatile and it requires us on a national level to show the same bravery Keith Palmer emulated on that fatal day. I have a renewed respect and huge reverence for anyone who is in uniform, not knowing how their day might unfold, but who goes to work with the same professionalism and determination to serve, without question, and on occasion might be tested in a way that Pc Keith Palmer was... we are very blessed and fortunate to have such a professional service. You realise how mortal we all are and how short life can be, and you simply do not know what is coming around the corner. It makes you realise that you must recognise we live in very dangerous world.
But today we meet as normal - as generations have done before us, and as future generations will continue to do - to deliver a simple message: we are not afraid. And our resolve will never waver in the face of terrorism. And we meet here, in the oldest of all Parliaments, because we know that democracy and the values it entails will always prevail. Those values free speech, liberty, human rights and the rule of law are embodied here in this place, but they are shared by free people around the world. A terrorist came to the place where people of all nationalities and cultures gather to celebrate what it means to be free. And he took out his rage indiscriminately against innocent men, women and children. 15:13 Video:May and Corbyn pay tribute to victims Mr Speaker, this was an attack on free people everywhere and on behalf of the British people, I would like to thank our friends and allies around the world who have made it clear that they stand with us at this time. What happened on the streets of Westminster yesterday afternoon sickened us all. While there is an ongoing police investigation, the House will understand that there are limits to what I can say. But having been updated by police and security officials let me set out what at this stage I can tell the House. At approximately 2.40pm yesterday, a single attacker drove his vehicle at speed into innocent pedestrians who were crossing Westminster Bridge, killing two people and injuring around 40 more. In addition to 12 Britons admitted to hospital, we know that the victims include three French children, two Romanians, four South Koreans, one German, one Pole, one Irish, one Chinese, one Italian, one American and two Greeks. And we are in close contact with the governments of the countries of all those affected. The injured also included three police officers who were returning from an event to recognise their bravery. Two of those three remain in a serious condition. Mr Speaker, the attacker then left the vehicle and approached a police officer at Carriage Gates, attacking that officer with a large knife, before he was shot dead by an armed police officer. 0:36 Video:Key moments of London Attack Tragically, as the House will know, 48-year-old PC Keith Palmer was killed. PC Palmer had devoted his life to the service of his country. He had been a member of the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command for 15 years, and a soldier in the Royal Artillery before that. He was a husband and a father, killed doing a job he loved. He was every inch a hero. And his actions will never be forgotten. I know the whole House will join me in sending our deepest condolences to his family and to the families and friends of all those who have been killed or injured in yesterday's awful attacks. I know also that the House will wish to thank all those who acted with such speed and professionalism yesterday to secure this place and ensure we are able to meet as we are doing today. Mr Speaker, at 7.30 last night, I chaired a meeting of the Government's emergency committee COBRA and will have further briefings and meetings with security officials today. The threat level to the UK has been set at "severe" meaning an attack is highly likely for some time. This is the second-highest threat level. The highest level "critical" means there is specific intelligence that an attack is imminent. As there is no such intelligence, the independent Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre has decided that the threat level will not change in the light of yesterday's attack. Mr Speaker, the whole country will want to know who was responsible for this atrocity and the measures that we are taking to strengthen our security, including here in Westminster. A full counter-terrorism investigation is already under way. Hundreds of our police and security officers have been working through the night to establish everything possible about this attack - including its preparation, motivation and whether there were any associates involved in its planning. 1:43 Video:James Cleverly pays tribute to fallen officer And while there remain limits on what I can say at this stage, I can confirm that overnight the police have searched six addresses and made eight arrests in Birmingham and London. Mr Speaker, it is still believed that this attacker acted alone, and the police have no reason to believe there are imminent further attacks on the public. His identity is known to the police and MI5, and when operational considerations allow, he will be publicly identified. What I can confirm is that the man was British-born and that some years ago he was once investigated in relation to concerns about violent extremism. He was a peripheral figure. The case is historic he was not part of the current intelligence picture. There was no prior intelligence of his intent or of the plot. Intensive investigations continue. And as Acting Deputy Commissioner Rowley confirmed last night, our working assumption is that the attacker was inspired by Islamist ideology. Mr Speaker, we know the threat from Islamist terrorism is very real. But while the public should remain utterly vigilant they should not - and will not - be cowed by this threat. As Acting Deputy Commissioner Rowley has made clear, we are stepping up policing to protect communities across the country and to reassure the public. And as a precautionary measure, this will mean increasing the number of patrols in cities across the country with more police and more armed police on the streets. Following the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review, we protected the police budgets for counter-terrorism and committed to increase cross-government spending on counter-terrorism by 30% in real terms over the course of this Parliament. And over the next five years we will invest an extra 2.5 billion in building our global security and intelligence network, employing over 1,900 additional staff at MI5, MI6 and GCHQ and more than doubling our global network of counter-terrorism experts working with priority countries across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Mr Speaker, in terms of security here in Westminster, we should be clear first of all that an attacker attempted to break into Parliament and was shot dead within 20 yards of the gates. If his intention was to gain access to this building, we should be clear that he did not succeed. The police heroically did their job. But as is routine, the police together with the House authorities are reviewing the security of the Parliamentary estate, co-ordinated with the Cabinet Office, who have responsibility for the security measures in place around the Government secure zone. All of us in this House have a responsibility for the security and safety of our staff and advice is available for members who need it. Mr Speaker, yesterday we saw the worst of humanity, but we will remember the best. We will remember the extraordinary efforts to save the life of PC Keith Palmer, including those by my Rt Hon Friend the Member for Bournemouth East. 0:34 Video:PM's tribute to the minister who tried to save PC And we will remember the exceptional bravery of our police, security and emergency services who once again ran towards the danger even as they encouraged others to move the other way.
Her family has thanked well-wishers for the outpouring of love and generosity she has received. Images of Mrs Cochran, 46, recovering in a London hospital were posted on a GoFundMe page today set up to raise money for her and her children. In one, she stands on crutches, with her leg sheathed in a brace and a gash visible on her forehead. In another she can be seen smiling surrounded by her parents Dimmon and Sandra Payne and brother Clint Payne as she lies in bed speaking to relatives by phone. Clint said: Her health is steadily improving and she has been strengthened by the presence of her family. She is so grateful for the outpouring of love and generosity. Kurt Cochran, of Utah, who was killed in the Westminster terror attack, pictured with his wife Melissa. The couple, who were visiting London from the US to celebrate 25 years of marriage, were enjoying the final day of a trip of a lifetime when they were caught up in the atrocity. Mrs Cochran was left with a broken leg and rib and a badly cut head. She was comforted on the pavement in one of the defining images of the attack. Clint said: The most difficult part of all of this is that Kurt is no longer with us, and we miss him terribly. He was an amazing individual who loved everyone and tried to make the world a better place. The GoFundMe appeal has raised more than 56,000 since the attack on Wednesday last week. Road to recovery: Melissa Cochran in hospital Masood, who stabbed unarmed Pc Keith Palmer, 48, to death in Parliaments New Palace Yard before being killed, is understood to have been shot dead by one of Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallons close protection team, which was waiting for the minister outside Parliament. Today, Sir Michael signalled that a security clampdown could result in new restrictions on the public accessing parts of the parliamentary estate. He made clear a review would probe whether more armed officers are needed to protect Westminster and whether public access needed to be cut back to ensure MPs safety. Tributes for Westminster & Parliament Attack Tributes for Westminster & Parliament Attack 1/20 A police officer places flowers and a photo of Pc Keith Palmer on Whitehall near the Houses of Parliament in London Dominic Lipinski/PA 2/20 A floral tribute to the victims of yesterday's terror attack is left at the security cordon near Westminster Abbey in central London Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP/Getty Images 3/20 Metropolitan Police in a minute's silence at New Scotland Yard Sky News 4/20 A minute's silence is observed outside New Scotland Yard in London to pay respect to the victims of yesterday's terror attack in Westminster Jonathan Brady/PA 5/20 MP's in a minute's silence at the House of Commons BBC 6/20 Conservative MP James Cleverly pays an emotional tribute to his friend Pc Keith Palmer, telling the Commons he was a "strong, professional public servant". PA 7/20 The flag above the Houses of Parliament in London flies at half mast the day after a terrorist attack Jeremy Selwyn 8/20 People leave flowers at the scene after an attack on Westminster Bridge in London Hannah McKay/Reuters 9/20 Flowers outside the Queen Elizabeth II Centre in London Gareth Fuller/PA 10/20 Flowers at the Police Memorial after yesterday's terror attack on the Houses of Parliament in Westminste Alex Lentati 11/20 Cressida Dick in a minute silence today at New Scotland Yard for Westminster terror victims Jeremy Selwyn 12/20 A bunch of roses is layed at the Metropolitan Police headquarters at New Scotland Yard in central London Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images 13/20 Flowers arrive in Westminster the day after the attack Jeremy Selwyn 14/20 The Union Flag on Portcullis House flies at half mast following yesterday's attack Carl Court/Getty Images 15/20 Flowers are laid at the scene after an attack on Westminster Bridge in London 15/20 16/20 17/20 Prime Minister Theresa May makes a statement in Downing Street, London Richard Pohle/The Times/PA 18/20 Flowers are laid at the scene after an attack on Westminster Bridge in London Hannah McKay/Reuters 19/20 Two policemen stand guard at a cordoned off area on the way to the Houses of Parliament in central London Matt Dunham/AP 20/20 The royal standard at full mast above Buckingham Palace in London the day after a terrorist attack Jonathan Brady/PA He also rejected criticism of Theresa Mays close protection team, stressing that the officers had taken her out of Parliament extremely quickly. Two reviews of security at Westminster are under way following the attack. The first, an external independent review, will examine the perimeter security of the parliamentary estate, including out-buildings. The second will focus on how Parliament responded to the incident. Armed police have this week been visibly deployed at the Carriage Gates, through which Masood ran. Victim of Westminster attack returns to the scene for vigil The body of Pc Palmer will lie in rest at Westminsters St Mary Undercroft chapel ahead of his funeral  an honour normally reserved for heads of state. The father of one will be the first person to lie at the 13th-century chapel since Margaret Thatcher in 2013. His funeral will be held at Southwark Cathedral on April 10. A 30-year-old man arrested in Birmingham last week on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts was still being questioned in London today.
Popular Videos Adele has paid tribute to the victims of the Westminster attack during a concert in New Zealand. The London-born singer dedicated her song Make You Feel My Love to the people who lost their lives in the atrocity. Four people including the suspected attacker and a police officer died in Wednesdays attack. At least 40 others were injured in the attack, with seven reported to be in a critical condition. Today there was a terror attack in my hometown of London, the London-born singer, who grew up in Tottenham in North London, said. I'm literally on the other side of the world and I want them to see our lights and to hear us. It's very strange not being home, all I want to do today is be at home with my friends and family," she continued. All of them are fine but there are four people who aren't fine so let's dedicate this to them tonight. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP Around 40,000 fans held up lights during the Grammy-winning-singer's emotional tribute at Aucklands Mount Smart stadium. Fellow Brit James Corden commemorated the tragedy during his uncharacteristically sombre Late Late Show in the US. The comedian also said it was unsettling to be so far away from his hometown while the attack took place. There was a terror attack today in my hometown - the city of London - in Westminster, Corden, who grew up in Buckinghamshire, told his predominantly American audience. While were filming this, its still unknown what the motives were. What we do know at this point is that people have lost their lives and many, many more have been injured," the host said. Watching the news today, I felt a really long, long way from home. When something like that happens in your hometown, you dont have a feeling of being glad that youre so far away, what you feel is that you wish you could be there with loved ones to stand alongside them. A vigil is being held in Trafalgar Square at 6pm to commemorate the victims of the attack, following a minute's silence observed at 9.33am in honour of PC Palmer's badge number.
Possibly the most important post ever put up on The Tap, Ole Dammagard explains why The Statue Of Liberty will be the next target for false flag terror after the London attack at Westminster Bridge. There is no time suggested for this attack, but the quickening pace of false flags might suggest the attack will come in April or May. Anyone who still thinks the London attack was real, can also usefully absorb the details of this post. This post is a must read for everyone. No one should skip it. TAP  The signing of Liberty as the next target should make all representations of The Statue Of Liberty a potential focus of attack including the one in Las Vegas. The more likely target would NYC. Sent in by Jean Marie It is dated 30/3. Ole Dammegard with Alfred Webre, Ole dissecting the recent event in London. About two hours long; the first half hour or so he recaps his previous research ( to lend credibility for those unfamiliar with his investigations, perhaps ), and then he starts. I have only heard the first hour so far, but consider it even more of his excellent analysis, with observations I have not yet heard others make ( role of Marriott hotel, for instance; the fact that the murdered police officer has tattoos, and this is not allowed in the police ). Ole predicted the Westminster attack, saying the next false flag target would be Big Ben. The cult leaves clues in each attack as to where the next attack will be. The camera at Melbourne focused on a tower based on Big Ben, which tipped him to make the prediction. Ole explains how he seeks clues in each event as to what the next event will be. Its the interpretation of the New World Order of karma, to leave clues for us as to what outrages they plan next. If we dont react to the clues, then the karma is on our shoulders, the guilt, not on theirs. The Nice attack also dropped hints of Westminster being a future target. He predicted the Copenhagen attack, and the date for the attack. It happened exactly one month later, maybe as the prediction was well publicised. Why are films of these events so often made? How come they are filming in time to record such apparently random attacks? Israeli continues to paint itself as the victim of the attacks, with Moslems or Palestinians, or Palestinian Moslems the patsies. How come the same cameraman keeps recording separate events? Other extraordinary details. The power structure behind the New World Order is behind countries. Its a global organisation. They want us in fear, so they can bring forward solutions to the series of fake terror attacks, which they bring against their own populations. During US election period, there were no attacks in the US. Theres also a Christmas theme running through the terror attacks. As Trump was sealed, there were three attacks in succession, Berlin, Russian ambassador assassinated, and Switzerland. Berlin was impossible, as the bollards were in the way of the trucks supposed path. Media were on location  BBC, Finnish were there before German TV could arrive. Witnesses are usually journalists or connected to government. Many more details. Then Istanbul happened on New Years Eve, a nightclub was said to be attacked. It is said he was dressed like Santa, later denied. Then the truck attack in Jerusalem, the first one in Israel  as so many people kept asking why ISIS never attacks Israel. No CCTV footage. No dates given on footage, which is blurry. Four soldiers said to be killed. A headless dummy, no blood. They keep using dummies. Then the Fort Lauderdale attack. Quickly debunked. Crisis actors. Another Santa character interviewed over and over, with a Santa mask, red trousers and a bight green T shirt. He gives his name as Santa Paul!! Was St Paul a clue for the next attack? Melbourne. St Pauls Cathedral across the intersection. Crazy guy doing doughnuts then drives into a crowd. How come the cameraman was filming before the event even started? No other traffic on the intersection, leaving a theatre stage. A man is directing the driver with arm signals. Lots of civilian unmarked police cars. No sirens. He drives but hits no people. He has his brake lights on as he drives into the crowd. People jumping out of his way look like part of the psyop. People ask why no CCTV footage? Many people in local shops had been told not to be there that day, so there are few or no direct witnesses. The car doing the doughnuts has a towbar. The car pictured after the event abandoned with his ID card, had no towbar. Later on there were pictures added with a towbar. Side mirrors did not match either and other details. The tower similar to Big Ben was filmed at the beginning before the doughnuts start. Ole Dammagard predicted an attack on Westminster/Big Ben, taking this as the clue. Next up ? Slide show at 29 minutes. London attack. Anniversary of Brussels Airport attack. They often use the same dates. 322. London. Number of dead keeps changing as usual, said to be 5 dead with 40 wounded. The numbers shown on TV are nowhere 40 people. TV images show nothing. Westminster Hotel in Nice at the Promenade Anglais was maybe a clue  the Nice attack took place exactly after the Brexit vote. The London attack was all around the Parliamentary vote for Brexit. The roster of wounded was highly international to draw in worldwide attention. Lots of images where people seem to be smiling instead of being terrorised. Some dummies used as corpses. Fund-raising for dead people highly lucrative. Missing shoes on victims. Freemasonic rituals removing one or two shoes. Signs of danger and courage. Shoes are taken off and placed tidily alongside victim. Typical of earlier attacks. Strange witness behaviour, behaving as if part of the operation. A Bilderberger member from 2006 filmed the scene on the bridge, Radoslaw Sikorsky  pictured with Hillary Clinton and John Kerry, Kaminski PM of Poland, Donald Tusk  active in Ukraine politics. Attacks often happen near public libraries. They use these premises for catering, preparation of crisis actors. Ambulances drive by the victims who then walk into the Marriott Hotel by Waterloo Bridge, along with people helping them. They used the Marriott Hotel for this operation. London Freemasonry helicopter landed on Palace Yard, in shot with Winston Churchills statue. The Police officer who was stabbed to death  good-looking guy. With tatoos openly visible on his lefty arm  not permitted by British Police. They have to be covered. The man is a Navy Seal or Special Operations man. Nicki Minaj posed on Westminster Bridge exactly alongside postcard stall knocked down in attack (supposedly), just a few days beforehand. How did they block the traffic to stop it from coming onto the bridge? Loads of buses blocking the whole area off. White trucks behind the sealed off area used to bring on dummies, and equipment. No CCTV as usual. Filming from a distance. Why were they filming at all? Big gathering of Police at the Albert Bridge two hours before the attack. They rehearsed the attack at the Albert Bridge, then went live on Westminster Bridge. Both bridges are visible from the HQ of MI6. The best bogeyman is Moslem. The attacker had big beard and dark skin. Theres always a hero  this time Thomas Ellis MP pro-NATO  tried to save Police officers life, giving him CPR. Not suitable for multiple stab wounds. Why him when there are medical staff all around? Blood on his forehead. Why not wipe it off? Day before this attack, Webcham  coded coordinates given of exact location of the attack to come next day. Casualty laughing, smoking on stretcher. Car. No damage to gate or fence at all while car is smashed up totally. Not like hitting pedestrians. No skid marks. No tyre tracks. Car placed on pavement not driven. Police demanded from people who happened to be on the bridge to delete all their footage. London Eye was shut down at the time this took place. No footage from there. CCTV shut down in 2016!!!! Would they really close down the CCTV at Westminster? Nonsense. CCTV was working, one researcher proved, taking a still from it at the time of the attack. 25 minutes after the time the attack was supposed to be taking place. Tfl webcam footage must exist. James Bond publicity gives away coming attack at Westminster. Crisis actors are such low standard. High school plays have better make-up departments. They consider they have everyone brainwashed. The NWO doesnt want Brexit to take place. The same theatre is happening in country after country, trying to create fear everywhere, getting the illusion of terror everywhere. The ones who promise to protect you, they are the killers. Any clues about the next production? There was a blue bus on the bridge. It had a big ad for Budweiser Light on one side, on the other side, a big photo of The Statue Of Liberty. March 28th forecast. Date of the attack unknown. They have to keep us in fear, as there are so few of them, and they need to manufacture enemies, boogeymen. This terror, dozens of events, hundreds of events, every single time, we come to the same conclusion. These are false events. Where are the victims? They have phantom identities. He goes to the cemeteries. Theyre not there. He attends the court cases, but theres nothing there except a sign up saying the court case happened the day before, etc or elsewhere. Ole can tell the camerawork in courts is false. The camera flashes are not the same on different cameras taking the same scene. Doctored photos. The perpetrators probably dont even exist. Theres a false incident every year one week before the Bilderberg meeting, to grab the attention, like the Lee Rigby case. Nick Kollustrum sent an enquiry to Somerset House to get the birth certificate of Lee Rigby (using a false name). They returned his fee saying no such person existed. The Bataclan massacre had false victims with families called to say two boys dead. They called an hour later. The Nice driver was filmed in Tunisia the next day. 9 of the pilots of 9/11 are still flying planes. We are being played an illusion to keep us fearful. Alfred Lambremont Webre remembers that he defended Black Panthers who were plotting to blow up the Statue Of Liberty 47 years ago. This Liberty Statue blowing up is a movie rerun from 50 years ago. Liberty was a Freemasonic God, gifted by French Freemasons to the young US. Blowing it up would have a cult meaning and significance. Other details given. Watch out for drills . One took place at Westminster Bridge three days before real attack. 9/11 had a drill. Madrid bombings. So many attacks have drills the same day or in the days before. Every single attack thats ever taken place in America has been planned, funded, staffed and executed by the FBI. Ole says there are no terrorists. Same in Europe. Crisis actors, whove signed agreements before they do their work, and who face beatings or death if they leave the group theyre in. Product placement adverts on the back of the events carried out. The crowds all paid for. The same people turning up at event after event. Vehicles bringing the actors in. Police holding up blankets so people cant see into the event being created. Dummies used as props. Watch out for drills which precede synthetic terror. They are the forerunners for the introduction of a global fascist Police State. Fear fear fear porn, from which you can be controlled. The opposite to politics is spirituality. Politics is lies, manipulations, fear, control. All politicians are suspect. These are the last people in whom you should place your trust. Spirituality is to believe in the laws of the universe. The false flags have gone on forever. You can look back and find false events going on throughout history. We used to believe they were historical events. Not now. All the false events are part of a plan. To bring in greater and more centralised powers. The product placement adverts put out in the terror reports are there to get you to believe in the brands advertised, to get you to throw your fears to the brands like Nike, Budweiser for your salvation. Lost shoes are a ritual. Would you stop and take off your shoes if you feared you were being fired on, as at Bataclan? Dont accept the karma of any future attacks, or any past attacks. Its not passed over to us. Its on your account, you attackers whoever you are. Millions are awaking to this stuff now. People send stuff to Ole, people from inside the Police, and inside the military as well as millions of members of the public. The awakening is accelerating, so theyre speeding up the false attacks. Theyre scared. If they cant close the gate around us, with their spell of fear, we can escape their control system. Thats what they fear. The BBC have pulled the Westminster attack from their website. They must realise people have twigged that its all false, and they dont want it talked about. They might possibly try and do another big one soon to get past this one. He wants to get on location when hes predicting events and try to stop them. Non-violent is the way to go. They want riots. They want violence so they can call for more military protection. The agencies who are putting us through body-scanners are doing wrong. You can block them and refuse them. You have to be searched instead. No problem. They are nice and pleasant people who believe they are doing the right thing. Do not go into body-scanners. Insist on a body search. Ends on a prayer. Turn off your TV. Its sewage flowing into your living room, convincing you you have no power, that youre useless. Get rid of it. Get close with your friends. With your family. Be an example. Let it be cool to be kind. Ole does it best. Listen to him.
Theresa Villiers, the former Northern Ireland secretary, used her question during the statement to suggest that all police officers guarding sensitive sites in London should be routinely armed. She asked Theresa May: As we reflect on what happened, is it time to consider whether the police who guard sensitive sites known to be of interest to terrorists like Parliament or like airports should routinely carry personal protection weapons, even when those officers are not part of the units formally tasked with armed response? May said that whether particular officers were armed was an operational matter for the police. She went on: They are the best able to judge the circumstances in which it is best for individuals to have those arms but of course we have seen a significant increase in the number of armed response vehicles, the number of counter terrorism specialists, firearms officers. It is a sad reflection of the threat that we face that it has been necessary to do that but we have been doing that. Here are some more quotes from MPs who have been speaking during the statement. Harriet Harman, the former Labour deputy leader, said the act of terror had failed. As an act of terror it has failed. It has failed because we are here and we are going to go about our business. It failed because, as the prime minister so rightly said, we are not going to allow this to be used as a pretext for division, hatred and Islamophobia. Ed Miliband, the former Labour leader, said the UK was united against terrorism. We must not allow anyone to try and divide our country on the basis of faith or nationality after these attacks. The reality is that across London, across the country, we are a country united against these attacks. Dominic Grieve, the Conservative chair of the intelligence and security committee, said it was a miracle that the UK had escaped most terror plots in recent years and that this house is going to have to simply be resolute in accepting that such attacks cannot always be prevented. The Lib Dem leader, Tim Farron, praised Theresa May for the tone she adopted in her statement, which was unifying and defiant and with which she really did speak for us all. The Plaid Cymru MP Liz Saville Roberts said one attacker could not shut down a city. One man cannot shut down a city and one man cannot lock down democracy  We must also not react to such a warped ideology with unworthy responses. No 10 would not say precisely when the attacker was last investigated by MI5. Theresa Mays spokesman would only say it was some years ago in response to repeated questions about when, why and how the intelligence agencies have monitored him in the past. The spokesman also refused to say whether May believes there have been any failings by the security services in their decision not to continue monitoring him. However, Downing Street did confirm that the prime minister intends to stick to her plan of triggering article 50 on Wednesday next week. The Hyundai Tucson used by the attacker was rented from an Enterprise branch on Spring Hill passage in Birmingham, one mile from the property raided last night on Hagley Road, the Guardian understands. May says that, as home secretary, there were two events every year that brought home to her how brave the police are. They were the national police service memorial day and the police bravery awards. What always struck her, she says, was how officers, when asked about what they did, just said they were doing their job. Witnesses yesterday described seeing a woman pulled from the river after the carnage on Westminster bridge, who is alive but in a serious condition. It has since emerged she was a Romanian tourist celebrating her boyfriends birthday in London. Romanian Ambassador Dan Mihalache told Realitatea TV that the woman sustained serious head injuries and has badly damaged lungs. Her boyfriend suffered a foot fracture. The pair havent been named yet. They were tourists, unfortunately they were unlucky. They had come to celebrate his birthday. He said the pair planned to wed, Mihalache said. The Conservative MP James Cleverly sounded close to tears as he paid tribute to PC Keith Palmer in the chamber a few minutes ago. He said he first met him 25 years ago as Gunner Keith Palmer at the Royal Artillery HQ. He was a strong, professional public servant and it was a delight to meet him here again only a few months after being elected. Would [Theresa May] in recognition of the work that he did and the other police officers and public servants in the House do consider recognising his gallantry and sacrifice formally with a posthumous recognition?
Islamic State Claims Responsibility For Westminster Attack Rachel Megawhat / Breitbart London23 Mar 2017 LONDON (AP)  The Islamic State group claimed responsibility Thursday for an attack by a man who plowed an SUV into pedestrians on a crowded London bridge and then stabbed a police officer to death on the grounds of Britains Parliament. The attacker was born in Britain and known to authorities who had once investigated him for links to religious extremism, British Prime Minister Theresa May said Thursday in a sweeping speech in which she also encouraged Britons to go about their lives. The Islamic State group said through its Aamaq News Agency that the attacker was a soldier of the Islamic State who carried out the operation in response to calls for targeting citizens of the coalition of countries fighting IS in Syria and Iraq. In addition to the police officer and the attacker, who was shot by police, two people died on Westminster Bridge and at least 30 others were injured, seven critically. British officials did not release the attackers identity or confirm a link with the Islamic State group, though May did say it would be wrong to describe the attack as Islamic extremism. It is Islamist terrorism, she said. It is a perversion of a great faith. The IS group has been responsible for numerous bloody attacks around the globe and has specifically called for Western followers to carry out this kind of attack in their own countries, though the group has also claimed attacks later found to have no clear links to it. May set an unyielding tone Thursday in a sweeping statement before the House of Commons. While she honored the police, she also saluted the actions of millions of people who went about their lives as normal, describing it as proof that the act of terror failed. As I speak millions will be boarding trains and airplanes to travel to London, and to see for themselves the greatest city on Earth, she told the House of Commons. It is in these actions  millions of acts of normality  that we find the best response to terrorism a response that denies our enemies their victory, that refuses to let them win, that shows we will never give in. Parliament began its moment of silence at 9:33 a.m., honoring the shoulder number of the murdered officer, Keith Palmer, a 15-year veteran of the Metropolitan Police and a former soldier. Then Parliament, which was locked down after the attack, returned to business  a counter to those who had attacked British democracy. Those who carry out such wicked and depraved acts as we saw yesterday can never triumph in our country and we must ensure it is not violence, hatred or division but decency and tolerance that prevails in our country, Trade Secretary Liam Fox said. Hear, hear! lawmakers from all parties responded in unison. Police believe the attacker acted alone and there is no reason to believe imminent further attacks are planned, she said. He had been investigated before but police believed he was a peripheral figure, May said. At least eight people were arrested in raids, some in the city of Birmingham, in the central part of the country. Mayor Sadiq Khan called for Londoners to attend a candlelit vigil at Trafalgar Square on Thursday evening in solidarity with the victims and their families and to show that London remains united. London went on. Parliament Square, Westminster Bridge and several surrounding streets remain cordoned off by police. Scores of unarmed officers in bright yellow jackets were staffing the perimeter tape, guiding confused civil servants trying to get to work. In Parliaments New Palace Yard, a blue police tent was erected over the spot where the stabbing and shooting occurred, and two forensic officers worked at a trestle table nearby. Metropolitan Police counterterrorism chief Mark Rowley revised the death toll from five to four, including the attacker, the police officer and two civilians. He said that 29 people required hospitalization and seven of them were in critical condition. He also said that authorities were still working out the number of walking wounded. Police had previously given the total number of injured as around 40. One of those killed was Aysha Frade, a British national whose mother is Spanish, the Spanish Foreign Ministry said. A doctor who treated the wounded from the bridge said some had catastrophic injuries. Three police officers returning from a ceremony to honor their bravery were among the injured. May said people from 11 countries were among the victims. They included: 12 Britons, 3 French, 2 Romanians, 4 South Koreans, 1 German, 1 Pole, 1 Irish, 1 Chinese, 1 Italian, 1 American and two Greeks required hospital treatment. Police earlier said that seven of the 29 who are hospitalized are in critical condition. The threat level for international terrorism in the U.K. was already listed at severe, meaning an attack was highly likely. President Donald Trump was among world leaders offering condolences. London has been a target for terrorism many times over past decades. Just this weekend, hundreds of armed police took part in an exercise simulating a marauding terrorist attack on the River Thames. May underscored that the attack targeted free people everywhere, and she said she had a response: You will not defeat us. Let this be the message from this House and this nation today: our values will prevail, she said.
The vehicle then crashed into railings just yards from the Houses of Parliament and the attacker was seen running through the gates of the Palace of Westminster with a knife. He stabbed a policeman before being shot by armed officers. Paramedics fought to save his life and that of his victim on the floor of the cobbled courtyard just yards from the House of Commons. Both the policeman are the attacker were later confirmed dead. Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood was among those who rushed to help. Mr Ellwood, who lost his brother in the Bali bombing, could be seen pumping the officer's chest then standing above him, his hands and face smeared with blood. Scotland Yard has declared the attack a terrorist incident and a counter-terrorism investigation is under way. Who was the attacker? We don't know yet, but police believe he was acting alone. Eyewitnesses described seeing an Asian man in his 40s carrying a knife. Acting deputy commissioner Mark Rowley, the Met's senior anti-terror officer, declined to name the attacker, but said police suspect he was "inspired by international terrorism" - and that they believed they knew who he was. The suspected London terror attacker being treated by paramedics, with the knives used in the assault circled.Credit: PA Who are the dead? Five people are confirmed dead, including the attacker and the police officer who was stabbed by the attacker, Scotland Yard's top anti-terror officer Mark Rowley confirmed. The police officer who died was later named by Scotland Yard as Keith Palmer, a 48-year-old husband and father. Keith PalmerCredit: Metropolitan Police The other three victims died after the car rampage on Westminster Bridge, including a female pedestrian who became trapped under the wheels of a bus after seemingly being flung there by the attacker's car, according to a junior doctor. Injured victims are seen on Westminster Bridge this afternoon, with wreckage strewn across the pavement.Credit: Reuters Spanish media has reported that one of the victims of the attack was a 43-year-old British woman of Galician origin. The 43-year-old was leaving work at a school near the Westminster Bridge, where she was a department head and taught Spanish, when she lost her life in the attack, La Voz reported. The newspaper reported that the woman had always lived in London, where her parents met. Her father was of Cypriot origin while her mother was born in Betanzos in northwestern Spain. According to La Voz, the woman often spent her holidays with her family back in the town. What about those injured? At least 40 people have been seriously injured, including three police officers on their way back from a commendation ceremony and three French teenagers on a school visit to London. Some people were described as having "catastrophic" injuries. Two of the French teenagers are believed to be in a "critical condition" while the third is in the operating theatre, according to parents who spoke to local media in Brittany. A member of the public is treated by emergency services near Westminster Bridge. Credit: Carl Court/Getty Images The pupils, aged between 15 and 16, are believed to be from a school in Concarneau, Brittany, and had arrived in London on Sunday evening. They were walking along the bridge when the attacker's car apparently hit them, propelling one of them up onto the bonnet of the vehicle. Another woman who apparently ended up in the Thames as the attacker drove across the bridge was rescued and given urgent medical treatment on a nearby pier. The South Korean Yonhap news agency reports that five South Korean citizens were injured in the terror attack, including a 67-year-old woman who was in a serious condition. Malcolm Turnbull has announced in parliament that a person from South Australia was wounded in the attack. The woman's foot was ran over during the attack and is recovering in hospital, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop told the ABC. The woman, who has not been named, is originally from Germany but is a permanent resident in South Australia. Romania's foreign ministry says two Romanians were also wounded in the attack. Watch | Eyewitness: All of a sudden there were people flying in the air 01:19 Where was the Prime Minister? When the attack happened Prime Minister Theresa May had just voted and was standing in members' lobby with other Tory MPs. She was seen being quickly ushered into a silver Jaguar in the grounds of the Palace of Westminster. A Downing Street source confirmed she was "OK". Mrs May chaired a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee at Downing Street. She later said that any attempt to defeat the values that Parliament stands for was "doomed to failure". And she vowed: "We will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart." The UK's terror threat level would remain at "severe", Mrs May said. She praised the bravery of the police officers "who keep us and our democratic institutions safe". Our thoughts and prayers go out to all who have been affected, to the victims themselves and to their families and friends, who waved their loved ones off but will not now be welcoming them home. For those of us who were in Parliament at the time of this attack, these events provide a particular reminder of the exceptional bravery of our police and security services who risk their lives to keep us safe. Once again today, these exceptional men and women ran towards the danger, even as they encouraged others to move the other way. A No 10 spokesman said: "The thoughts of the PM and the Government are with those killed and injured in this appalling incident, and with their families. The PM is being kept updated and will shortly chair Cobra." What about Parliament? MPs were locked in the House of Commons for more than four hours and business suspended after the terror attack. Deputy Speaker Lindsay Hoyle halted the sitting of the House and told MPs, who had just been called to vote on a piece of legislation, to remain in the chamber as details of the incident filtered through. Just minutes later Commons Leader David Lidington told MPs the chamber would "remain in lockdown" until further notice. The people being held in Westminster Hall, including former Lib Dem leader Paddy Ashdown and former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith, were later evacuated from the Houses of Parliament. It was thought they were evacuated in blocks of 20 at a time. Both the House of Commons and the House of Lords will sit on Thursday at their normal times. Are London roads and stations closed? Police asked the public to avoid the following areas on Wednesday night: Parliament Square, Whitehall, Westminster Bridge, Lambeth Bridge, Victoria Street up to the junction with Broadway and Victoria Embankment up to Embankment Tube station. Early on Thursday morning, TfL tweeted: #Westminster - All approaches to Parliament Sq remain closed. Northumberland Ave, Millbank and the Mall also remain closed. Use other routes Is the capital safe? The area around Westminster is currently on lock down and the public are being urged to avoid the area and remain vigilant. Extra armed and unarmed police are being deployed across the capital. Facebook has activated its Safety Check feature. People in the area can use the tool to mark themselves as "safe" which will be visible to their friends on the network, as well as to see if friends nearby have done the same. Londoners have taken to social media to tell those responsible for the terror attack that today's events did not succeed in crushing their spirits and making them afraid. A defiant trend popped up on Twitter, as people commuting home and going about their business in the Capital in the wake of the attack tweeted "we are not afraid". A White House spokesman said: "President Donald J. Trump spoke today with Prime Minister Theresa May of the United Kingdom to offer his condolences on today's terror attack in London and his praise for the effective response of security forces and first responders. "He pledged the full co-operation and support of the United States government in responding to the attack and bringing those responsible to justice." Spoke to U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May today to offer condolences on the terrorist attack in London. She is strong and doing very well. Mr Trump later tweeted: "Spoke to U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May today to offer condolences on the terrorist attack in London. She is strong and doing very well." President Franois Hollande of France told Mrs May in a phone call that a plane from the "French government fleet" would take the families of three injured French high school children to London on Wednesday night. He also conveyed his condolences. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said: "Our thoughts are with the victims of today's attack in London and their families. Canadians remain united with the people of the UK." Gibraltar's Chief Minister Fabian Picardo said: "Shocked at attack on London. Yesterday I spent the day at Westminster. Luckily not today. London's Parliament is the mother of democracy!"
In the footage Parliament can be seen being suspended due to the attack. The deputy speaker Lindsay Hoyle can be heard saying: I am now going to suspend the sitting of the House. "This House is now suspended but please wait here." BBCPA Parliament was suspended amid reports of a shooting outside the building In another clip MPs can be seen in lockdown, crowded around inside the Palace of Westminster, after gunshots were heard outside. Images appear to show people who were held up in the House of Commons later released at around 5pm. A handful of people are thought to have entered the parliamentary estate before one appeared to repeatedly attack a police officer. Journalists in the press gallery were told to stay inside and keep away from windows as security officers dealt with the incident. A Met Police spokesperson said: Police were called at 14.40 to reports of an incident on Westminster Bridge. Its being treated as a fire arms incident. Officers are on the scene and dealing. Another attack took place on Westminster Bridge as a car mowed down people before an attacker charged towards Parliament. Five people were killed in the incident and as many as 40 people were injured. A police officer was killed after being stabbed by the attacker, who was then shot by police. As well as the House of Commons being suspended, Theresa May was bundled into a car by several plain-clothed police officers. Express.co.uk was alerted to the incident by a series of blasts before a group of people were seen running towards Parliament from Westminster Bridge. The Conservative Leader of the House of Commons David Lidington said while the House remains on "lockdown", the session has been ceased for the day amid the reports. He said: "At the moment the very clear advice from the police and director of security in the House is we should remain under suspension and the chamber remain in lockdown until we receive advice that it is safe." Philip Davies MP said: "Yes, we were in the middle of a vote when the incident happened and so along with many other MPs I am currently locked in the voting lobby watching the news on the TV in there. "People are shocked. Through the window of the voting lobby, we can see armed police units going around the parliamentary estate. We were told there were attacked by the doorkeepers." The Metropolitan Police have since announced they are treating the incident as a "terrorist incident until we know otherwise". Scottish Parliament has suspended its debate on a second independence referendum following the attack outside UK Parliament.
Witnesses reported seeing victims with horrific head wounds at the scene of the incident Getty Images A witness told The Sun Online they saw a person flung into the Thames during the attack A witness told The Sun Online: I was just walking up to Parliament just about to walk in the steps. I wasnt looking when it happened but I saw the aftermath. (The driver) just went on the pavement and trampled a lot of people. There was a woman at the top of the steps, her head was just pulsing with blood and bleeding out and there was another woman who flipped over the side of the bridge. Someone landed in the river somewhere. From what I could tell I think they got that person because I saw cops on a ferry. She was not in a good state and there were a load of bodies on the road. The London Port Authority later confirmed a woman was pulled alive from the water. A female member of the public was retrieved from the river near Westminster Bridge with injuries and is receiving medical treatment, a spokesman for the authority said. Polands former foreign minister, Radek Sikorski, says he was in a taxi leaving Westminster and was checking his email when he heard something like a car crash, something like a car hitting metal sheet. I look up and I see that a person is lying on the pavement. I started my camera and I saw more people lying on the street and on the pavement, Sikorski said on Polands TVN24. People started running up to them. I saw one person who gave no sign of life, another man was bleeding from his head. In all, I saw five people who were at least seriously injured, he said. The taxi driver immediately called the emergency number. I heard ambulances within two or three minutes, so the rescue action was really very quick. There is a hospital near there. Getty Images Police boats scan the river amid reports of victims being flung, or jumping, into the water It all happened so fast that there was no time to get scared, said Sikorski who posted his video on Twitter. We were just walking up to the station and there was a loud bang and a guy, someone, crashed a car and took some pedestrians out. They were just laying there and then the whole crowd just surged around the corner by the gates just opposite Big Ben. A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman. I have never seen anything like that. I just cant believe what I just saw. Jayne Wilkinson, also told the Press Association she had seen the drama unfold. We were taking photos of Big Ben and we saw all the people running towards us, and then there was an Asian guy in about his 40s carrying a knife about seven or eight inches long. And then there were three shots fired, and then we crossed the road and looked over. The man was on the floor with blood. AP:Associated Press Paramedics treat a victim of the attack on Westminster Bridge He had a lightweight jacket on, dark trousers and a shirt. He was running through those gates, towards Parliament, and the police were chasing him. Steve Voake, 55, was walking across the Westminster Bridge towards the South Bank when he saw the aftermath. He said he saw at least two bodies lying on the road and one in the water. I saw a trainer lying in the road and when I looked more closely I saw that there were a couple of bodies the other side of the road, he told the Press Association. And when I looked over the side there was another body lying in the water with blood all around it. PA:Press Association Forensic police officers work at the scene of the horrific attack Eyewitness Rob Lyon, 34, from Rugby, who works in marketing, said: I heard a wheel definitely hit a kerb and quite a large crunch noise, I looked up and saw a car clearly hitting people as it came towards me. A colleague I was with, I heard him shout but I just instinctively jumped off the pavement and I could see people getting hit. Then the car just carried on up the bridges and I just looked round me in shock. I just saw people being hit by a car at speed, it was harrowing. I just sort of went into shock mode. PA:Press Association Witnesses said the car barrelled through pedestrians walking along the bridge I just looked around me and couldnt really work out what had happened. I was numb it felt like I was in the middle of a Hollywood movie, you see these things but suddenly I was in the middle of it. My first thought is I wanted to tell my wife I was okay and my children. Then I wanted to check a lady I was near and I gave her coat as a pillow and waited with her. I called the emergency services I think I was one of the first to do so and waited with her. I couldnt see the driver. I saw it come up onto the kerb and then just drive straight. PA:Press Association Cops have said they are treating it as a terrorist attack until they can confirm otherwise It was so quick it probably joined the pavement ten or 15 metres in front of me. I saw about five people injured around me, but I was aware of all the people I had walked passed who were previously having selfies with Big Ben. There was a big group of Chinese tourists and I hope theyre all okay. I was about metre away from being hit myself.
Two suspects, both men, remained in custody on Friday night. Seven people have been released with no further police action. A 32-year-old woman, arrested in Manchester, has been bailed pending further inquiries, while a 39-year-old woman arrested in east London has been released on bail until late March. It comes after Mark Rowley, Scotland Yard's top anti-terror officer, disclosed that 2,700 items - including "massive amounts of computer data" - have already been seized in raids on 16 properties. Police also appealed for help from anyone who "knew Khalid Masood well; understands who his associates were; and can provide us with information about places he has recently visited". The terrorist's birth name was Adrian Russell Ajao, but he was also known as Adrian Elms. It was earlier revealed that the fourth member of the public who died after the attack by the home-grown terrorist was 75-year-old Leslie Rhodes from Clapham, south London. Mr Rhodes' sister-in-law said his killer was "scum and pure evil" as she recounted how she could not get the image of him lying in hospital with appalling injuries out of her head. The revelations came as a picture emerged of the killer's nomadic lifestyle. Masood - a 52-year-old father of three with a string of convictions stretching back decades - claimed he was an English teacher. He was born in Kent on Christmas day, before later converting to Islam. Hours before carrying out his atrocity, the career criminal stayed at a hotel in Brighton, telling staff as he checked out that he was he was going to London. He reportedly added: "It isn't what it used to be." Khaldid Masood, circled, during his school years in Kent aged about 14 The death toll from Masood's murderous assault on the capital rose again on Thursday when Mr Rhodes - a retired window-cleaner, who is believed to have been visiting a nearby hospital when he was killed - became the fourth innocent victim to die. Two people remain in hospital in a critical condition, one with life-threatening injuries. Two police officers injured in the attack are also in hospital with "significant injuries" after Masood ploughed a car down Westminster Bridge and stormed the Parliamentary estate armed with two blades, fatally knifing Pc Keith Palmer. His victims on Westminster Bridge included Kurt Cochran, a US tourist from Utah who was celebrating his wedding anniversary, when he was murdered on Westminster Bridge. Aysha Frade, a mother of two who worked in administration at independent sixth-form school DLD College London, was also killed. Fifty other people were injured in the attack, with casualties including Britons, French children, Romanians, South Koreans, Greeks, and people from Germany, Poland, Ireland, China, Italy and the United States. More candlelit vigils for the victims are scheduled on Friday in Birmingham and London. Recap: What we know so far about Westminster terror attack If you're looking to catch up with the latest on the London terror attack, this is what we know so far: Five people have died - Pc Keith Palmer, 48, mother-of-two Aysha Frade, US tourist Kurt Cochran and Leslie Rhodes, 75, from Clapham, south London. The attacker, Khalid Masood, also died. Masood, 52, had a string of criminal convictions including possession of a knife, but he was not the subject of any current investigations and there was "no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack". Masood was born Adrian Russell Elms in Dartford on Christmas Day 1964. He later used the name Adrian Ajao after his mother married Phillip Ajao in 1966. The attacker was investigated by MI5 some years ago over concerns of violent extremism. Eleven people have been arrested and a number of addresses raided across London, Birmingham and elsewhere. Ten people remain in custody and one, a woman, has been released on bail. The woman killed on the bridge was Ms Frade, who worked at DLD College London. Mr Cochran, 54, from Utah, was the man killed in the incident on the bridge. Mr Rhodes, a retired window cleaner, died after life support was withdrawn at King's College Hospital on Thursday night. At least 50 people of 12 different nationalities were injured, including 12 Britons, three French children, two Romanians, four South Koreans, two Greeks, and one each from Germany, Poland, Ireland, China, Italy and the United States. One of the injured has life-threatening injuries and two others are in a critical condition. Three police officers were also hurt, two of whom remained in hospital in Friday with "significant injuries". Police have seized 2,7000 items in searches, including "massive amounts of computer data". Approximately 3,500 witnesses, including 1,000 from Westminster Bridge and 2,500 from within the Parliamentary estate, have contacted police. The Hyundai used to mow down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge was hired from a branch of car rental firm Enterprise in Spring Hill, Birmingham. Attacker Masood, armed with two large knives, jumped out of the car after smashing it into the railings encircling the Palace of Westminster, fatally stabbing Pc Palmer as he entered the grounds. He was shot dead moments later by another police officer. They led a minute of silence in tribute to the four innocent victims who were killed and the many who were left injured. Mr Al-Hilli said: "As a member of the Shia Muslim community here in the United Kingdom I would like to express my condolences to the families of the victims of this heinous and appalling attack. We utterly condemn this terrorist act." The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, speaks as Inter-faith leaders listen during a vigil in the grounds of Westminster AbbeyCredit: HANNAH MCKAY/EPA Sadiq Khan lays flowers as it is revealed he will drop three cities from European capitals tour The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has laid flowers for the victims of the Westminster terror attack. It came as it was announced he will scale back a planned tour of European capitals next week in light of the atrocity. He will still visit Brussels and Paris, but has dropped Berlin, Madrid and Warsaw from his itinerary. A spokesman for the mayor said: "Given the tragic events in Westminster this week, a planned visit to several major cities next week has been scaled back. "As a result, visits to Berlin, Madrid and Warsaw will not now happen. Sadiq hopes that visits to those cities will be able to be rearranged for a later date. "The mayor will proceed with visits to Brussels and Paris. They are two cities with a very close relationship with London and, with Article 50 due to be triggered next week, he will be making a keynote speech and attending a series of important meetings with key politicians and officials, during which both Brexit and security issues will be discussed." Victim's husband pays poignant tribute on Facebook John Frade, the grieving husband of the mother of two killed by Masood, has paid a poignant tribute to his wife Aysha on Facebook. The father of two changed his profile picture alongside another image of him with his wife and one of their daughters, to a photo of a rose by the message: "Roses are usually red, our angel who was never blue. The most beautiful flower in our garden of joy. Protect us from heaven in all that we do." Aysha Frade and her husband JohnCredit: Solarpix Friends immediately offered messages of support in English and Mr Frade's native Portuguese. Jose Guimaraes wrote in Portuguese: "These are difficult moments John. I don't have words to ease your pain. "God has taken her body but you are left with everlasting memories and two daughters who are the legacy she will leave you always." Mr Frade's cousin, also called John, said: "His life's completely fallen apart. They've got young kids. You can't believe how anyone could do something like that. "When I heard, I was just absolutely shocked. I'm still feeling terrible." Video: Police search hotel where Masood stayed before attack First picture: Westminster terrorist pictured in school football team This is the first photo of Khalid Masood, the terrorist responsible for the Westminster attack. Smiling broadly for the camera, he is photographed in his school football team. Khalid Masood, circled, during his school days The picture is not dated but he appears to be about 14-years-old. Almost 40 years later, he would go on to wreak havoc at the heart of British democracy, murdering four innocent people. Read more here. 'Scum and pure evil' - terror victim's sister in law The sister-in-law of Leslie Rhodes said his killer, Khalid Masood, was "scum and pure evil", as she recounted how she could not get the picture of the 75-year-old lying in King's College hospital "out of my head", reports Harry Yorke. "He was lying there, everything was broken. Lung punctured, broken ribs, it was just terrible," she said outside of the Seaford home she used to share with her husband Roy Rhodes, who died two years ago. Mrs Rhodes added that she had got the news on Wednesday evening, at around 6pm, as she sat watching events unfold on television. She said Leslie, who she had known since he was a schoolboy when her and Roy first started dating, had been struck down on what would have been her 60th wedding anniversary. "He was a lovely man Lez. He was just out for the day. He's retired now, lives in Clapham, so it was just pure coincidence that he was there she added. "These people are pure scum, evil. I just can't get the picture of Leslie out of my head. She added that police were still holding his body as part of ongoing investigations, and that the family were being kept in "limbo", without knowing how long it will be until they are able to organise the funeral. Had terrorist just become a grandfather? Reports are emerging that Masood had recently become a grandfather. Records suggest that the terrorist was married to a 39-year-old woman named Rohey Hydara, who lives in an Olympic Village apartment in east London. Neighbours confirmed that Hydara lived in the flat and said that her daughter had just had a baby. Read more here. Fourth victim believed to have been visiting hospital when he was mown down The fourth victim of the Westminster terror attack is thought to have been visiting a nearby hospital when he was mown down by the car, reports Henry Bodkin. Leslie Rhodes, a retired window cleaner from south London, suffered serious injuries in the atrocity and died in hospital a day later. Neighbours paid tribute to the 75-year-old as "a lovely man" and said he had been "as fit as a fiddle" despite his age. Philip Williams, 61, said: "We'd known him for 24 years. He was a lovely man. He would do anything for anybody. And it's such a shock." Mr Rhodes - a retired self-employed window cleaner - was not married and had no children, Mr Williams said. He added: "You know, it's a crime that he's been taken." Emergency services on Westminster Bridge after the attackCredit: Dominic Lipinski/PA Mr Williams said he had been told by neighbours who went to see him before he died that Mr Rhodes was attending the hospital and may have been coming from or going to a bus stop nearby when he was hit. He said: "I've been told he was at the hospital, St Thomas', and he went by public transport and he was apparently crossing the bridge when this car hit him. "As I say, I've been told he was hit in the midriff. He had many broken bones. Apparently he went into a coma straight away." Mr Williams added: "I came to take the dog out this morning and the first thing I saw was his car and I burst into tears. "He would do anything for you. He would help clean your windows or take your rubbish out. "The thing I always remember was how kind he was. He was a very, very kind man. To lose a man like that is devastating. 'He was incredibly fit and used to cycle a lot. We'd pass the time of day and chat about cricket, which he loved." Philip Williams, a neighbour of Leslie RhodesCredit: Nick Ansell/PA Mr Williams said Mr Rhodes had grown up in the block of flats he was living in when he was killed. Khalid Masood's mother, Janet Ajao, lives a seemingly idyllic life in a remote farmhouse in Wales where she tends her chickens, sews cushions and bags and lives with her husband and their border collie. The 69-year-old runs a business where she sells the textile goods she sews. Read more here. She lives in a remote village in Wales where she sews cushions and keeps chickens Credit: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS/AFP Police chief's angry reaction: 'It's frustrating that we get nonsense like this from armchair critics' Asked about where Masood had been radicalised, Mr Rowley said: "As I have said our investigation focuses on understanding his motivation, preparation and associates. "Whilst there is no evidence of further threats you will understand our determination to find out if he either; acted totally alone, inspired by terrorist propaganda; or, if others have encouraged, supported or directed him. "To that end in our continuing investigation and ongoing covert activity we have made further significant arrests overnight - in the West Midlands and north west." Asked whether Masood had travelled overseas, Mr Rowley said "we are looking at his history". But he reiterated Prime Minister Theresa May's comments in Parliament that while he had been investigated previously he has been a "peripheral figure" not implicated in any current probe. Mr Rowley reacted angrily when asked about Deputy Commissioner Craig Mackey's actions at Parliament, after it was revealed the acting head of Scotland Yard was rushed away in the aftermath of the attack. He said: "It's frustrating that we get nonsense like this from armchair critics." Key points from anti-terror officer's 8am statement Mark Rowley appealed to the public for information about the killer, whose birth name was Adrian Russell Ajao - but who was also known as Adrian Elms and was using the name Khalid Masood at the time of the attack. He disclosed that: Two people remain in hospital in a critical condition, one with life-threatening injuries Two police officers injured in the attack are also in hospital with "significant injuries" A total of 50 people were injured in the murderous rampage, with 30 of them needing hospital treatment Hundreds of officers are involved in the investigation after the Westminster attack Two more arrests have been made overnight, in the West Midlands and North West A total of nine people remain in custody after one woman earlier arrested was bailed Searches of five addresses are ongoing Officers have so far seized 2,700 items from searches - including computer data He was charged in 2003 with grievous bodily harm, when aged 39, after being accused of stabbing a 22-year-old man in the nose in an incident in Eastbourne. The victim was left with serious facial injuries and needing cosmetic surgery. Elms, who was living in the Sussex seaside town at the time, was also facing two charges of possessing an offensive weapon, namely a knife and a baton, and is understood to have been jailed for the offences. The attack claimed another victim as a 75-year-old man died in hospital on Thursday night. Police said the man was receiving medical treatment and the decision was made to withdraw life support. There were calls for Pc Keith Palmer, 48, who was stabbed to death on the Parliamentary estate, to be posthumously awarded for his heroism. Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claimed responsibility for the attack, saying Masood was a soldier of the Islamic State but no other link between the killer and Isil has been established. Police and the security services now face serious questions about what they previously knew about the British Muslim convert, who had a string of criminal convictions for assault and had spent time in jail. Apparently anticipating criticism, Theresa May announced in the Commons that Masood was known to MI5 but insisted he was a peripheral figure in an investigation some years ago and was not part of the current intelligence picture. Amber Rudd, the Home Secretary, also mounted a pre-emptive defence of the security services, saying be careful before we point any finger of blame at the intelligence services as she suggested that well discover more about this particular man and the people around him. She added: The fact that he was known to them doesnt mean that somebody has 24-hour cover. Scotland Yard also volunteered that it had no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack. The force later admitted that Khalid Masood was an alias and not the terrorists birth name, without providing his true identity. It came as: Londoners showed their defiance by gathering in Trafalgar Square for an evening vigil Police faced criticism over a lack of leadership after it emerged that the new Scotland Yard Commissioner, Cressida Dick, is not planning on starting her job for another month, despite the attacks. Scotland Yard insisted that while Masood had previous convictions spanning 20 years he had never been convicted of a terrorist offence. Scotland Yard held back key information about Masood. He was born in Kent on Christmas Day 1964 under a different name before changing it by deed poll, but the authorities had refused to release his birth name. Julian King, the EU commissioner for security, raised the possibility Masood had become re-radicalised, making him incredibly hard to stop. He said extremists who dropped off terrorist watch lists as their perceived threat declined could become radicalised again and commit an attack without plugging in to a wider terrorist network where they might be detected. His comments suggest that Masood may have become known to MI5 when al-Qaeda was the main terrorist threat, before switching his allegiance to Isil.
CBS This Morning London attack victim identified as Utah man SALT LAKE CITY -- Family members of a Utah couple celebrating their anniversary on a European vacation say theyre heartbroken by the London attack that killed the man and seriously injured his wife. Kurt W. Cochran and his wife, Melissa, were on the last day of their trip celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary when the deadly attack played out in the heart of London, according to a statement issued by the Mormon church. She remains in a hospital. An attacker plowed an SUV into pedestrians Wednesday on Londons Westminster Bridge, killing three people and wounding dozens before fatally stabbing police Officer Keith Palmer inside the gates of Parliament. The assailant was shot dead by armed officers. The death toll increased from four to five, including the attacker, on Thursday night, when a 75-year-old man wounded in the attack was taken off life support, the Metropolitan Police said. Police identified the person responsible for the attack as 52-year-old Khalid Masood. Police say Masood, who had a number of aliases, wasnt the subject of any current investigation and that there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack. Kurt Cochran was a good dad and likable guy who will be missed dearly by his two adult sons, said Danny Wiley, the step-father to Cochrans sons. Kurt Cochran is seen in a photo posted to his Facebook page on March 13, 2017. Wiley said he and Cochran always got along well. He says Cochran loved skateboarding and playing basketball with his sons. Its devastating, said Wiley, who lives in West Valley City, Utah. He was a good guy, everybody liked him. He always had a smile on his face. The church said the Utah couple was also visiting the womans parents, who are serving as Mormon missionaries in London. Her family in a statement made by her brother, Clint Payne, said Cochran will be greatly missed. Kurt was a good man and a loving husband to our sister and daughter, Melissa, the statement said. The family also thanked emergency and medical crews. They asked for prayers and privacy. The couple was initially scheduled to return to the U.S. on Thursday. Kurt Cochran and his wife Melissa, who were in Europe to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary and had been due to return to the United States on March 23, 2017, are shown in this photo released by the family in Salt Lake City, Utah. Courtesy the Payne family/Handout via Reuters Payne, through a verified GoFundMe account webpage, said his sister and brother-in-law were among the first hit by a vehicle on the Westminister Bridge. He said the Cochrans were self-employed, running a recording studio business for the past 10 years. They have also given their time to school productions and a local community festival in their hometown of Bountiful, about 10 miles north of Salt Lake City, he said. The London attack comes exactly one year after four Mormon missionaries - three from Utah - were seriously injured in a Brussels airport bombing on March 22, 2016. On Thursday, President Trump called Cochran a great American on Twitter. A great American, Kurt Cochran, was killed in the London terror attack, the president said. My prayers and condolences are with his family and friends. A great American, Kurt Cochran, was killed in the London terror attack. My prayers and condolences are with his family and friends. Also, several Utah lawmakers expressed their sympathies and pointed to terrorism. Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, speaking to reporters at a regularly scheduled news conference, said it was a sign of the times that a local Utah man was a victim because terrorist attacks seem to happen more frequently. Our hearts are broken for those affected by the deadly terror attack in London, including Kurt Cochran of Bountiful who was killed there. And a statement from U.S. Rep. Chris Stewart, who is a member of the House Intelligence Committee, read: We are in the midst of a generational fight against global terrorism. But we must keep our heads high. We cannot let the worlds evils destroy our values and take our freedoms.
PC Keith Palmer's death sparks questions over whether all parliamentary police should be armed Palmer was stabbed as he rushed to confront the knife-wielding attacker, moments before armed colleagues shot and killed the suspect. MP and former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith has now questioned why there was not an armed presence at the gates where the incident took place, and said it was a "little bit of a surprise that there was not." So why was PC Palmer unarmed? What police carry Most police officers in the UK do not carry a firearm, as senior officers want forces to retain a "respect and consent" policy which could be undermined by the widespread use of weapons. The unit is an armed command, meaning that most of its officers are "authorised firearms officers" (AFOs). Firearms commonly carried by officers include the Glock 17 pistol and the Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine gun. Rowley did not specify why Palmer was not carrying a gun, or why there was not an armed presence at the gates which the attacker attempted to breach. Armed response units responded swiftly Stefan Wermuth / Reuters As well as the armed PaDP officers who were already present at the scene of the attack, a number of Metropolitan Police counter-terrorism armed response units flooded the area around Westminster on Wednesday. The response by emergency services was widely praised for its speed and preparedness. BBC home affairs correspondent Dominic Casciani said: "The fact that the Metropolitan Police's counter-terrorism armed response swung into action so quickly indicates how much work has been done since the killing of Lee Rigby in 2013." Stepping up police patrols Stefan Wermuth / Reuters Extra armed police officers have been deployed across London in the wake of the attack. The Metropolitan Police, British Transport Police, and the City of London Police all confirmed on Wednesday that more officers are currently on patrol. Rowley said in a statement: "On a precautionary basis across the country we are stepping up police patrols - unarmed and armed - and the public will see far more of their local police forces over the forthcoming days, particularly in crowded places and iconic locations." What next? Prime Minister Theresa May told the House of Commons on Thursday morning that security around the parliamentary estate would be reviewed as a matter of routine. She said: "In terms of security here in Westminster, we should be clear first of all that an attacker attempted to break into parliament and was shot dead within twenty yards of the gate. "If his intention was to gain access to this building, we should be clear that he did not succeed. The police heroically did their job. "But as is routine, the police  together with the house authorities  are reviewing the security of the parliamentary estate, co-ordinated with the cabinet office, who have responsibility for the security measures in place around the government's secure zone." Defence Minister Michael Fallon also confirmed that all security at the Houses of Parliament will be reviewed, including whether police on the front gates should be armed or not. He paid tribute to PC Palmer, who he said had "made the ultimate sacrifice" to keep others safe by stopping the attacker breaching the gates at Parliament.
Ms May, responsible for the security services since 2010 as Home Secretary and then Prime Minister, has already been attacked by political rivals and police figures over severe cuts. Mr Hilton, who left Downing Street in 2012, posted reports relating to an alleged suspect of Saturdays attack, before adding: Theresa May responsible for security failures of London Bridge, Manchester, Westminster Bridge. Should be resigning not seeking re-election. Commenting on newspaper reports that appeared to attribute some responsibility to the security services, he went on: Theresa May blame shifting again. London Bridge Terror Attack London Bridge Terror Attack 1/16 Armed police on Borough High Street as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge PA 2/16 Armed Police talk to members of the public outside London Bridge Hospital as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge PA 3/16 Police Officers outside the Barrowboy and Banker Public House on Borough High Street as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge PA 4/16 Armed Police talk to members of the public outside London Bridge Hospital as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge PA 5/16 Armed police on Borough High Street as police deal with a 'major incident' at London Bridge PA 6/16 Emergency services near the scene of the incident Screengrab 7/16 People run down Borough High Street as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge Reuters 8/16 Emergency services arrive at the scene near Borough market at London Bridge Carl Court/Getty Images 9/16 Emergency personnel on London Bridge as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge PA 10/16 Police sniffer dogs on London Bridge as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge PA 11/16 A second helicopter lands on London Bridge as police are responding to three incidents in the capital, amid reports that a vehicle collided with pedestrians on London Bridge, Scotland Yard said. Officers are dealing with reports of stabbings in Borough Market, where armed officers attended and shots were fired. They are also at an incident in the Vauxhall area PA 12/16 Police attend to an incident on London Bridge in London REUTERS 13/16 Police attend to an incident on London Bridge in London, Britain Reuters 14/16 A police officer escorts members of the public to safety at London Bridge Getty Images 15/16 Police attend to an incident on London Bridge in London, Britain REUTERS 16/16 Police attend to an incident near London Bridge in London, Britain Reuters 1/16 Armed police on Borough High Street as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge PA 2/16 Armed Police talk to members of the public outside London Bridge Hospital as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge PA 3/16 Police Officers outside the Barrowboy and Banker Public House on Borough High Street as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge PA 4/16 Armed Police talk to members of the public outside London Bridge Hospital as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge PA 5/16 Armed police on Borough High Street as police deal with a 'major incident' at London Bridge PA 6/16 Emergency services near the scene of the incident Screengrab 7/16 People run down Borough High Street as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge Reuters 8/16 Emergency services arrive at the scene near Borough market at London Bridge Carl Court/Getty Images 9/16 Emergency personnel on London Bridge as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge PA 10/16 Police sniffer dogs on London Bridge as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge PA 11/16 A second helicopter lands on London Bridge as police are responding to three incidents in the capital, amid reports that a vehicle collided with pedestrians on London Bridge, Scotland Yard said. Officers are dealing with reports of stabbings in Borough Market, where armed officers attended and shots were fired. They are also at an incident in the Vauxhall area PA 12/16 Police attend to an incident on London Bridge in London REUTERS 13/16 Police attend to an incident on London Bridge in London, Britain Reuters 14/16 A police officer escorts members of the public to safety at London Bridge Getty Images 15/16 Police attend to an incident on London Bridge in London, Britain REUTERS 16/16 Police attend to an incident near London Bridge in London, Britain Reuters Her spin doctors attack MI5, but she was in charge of them for years. There was a 20 per cent drop in the number of armed officers between 2010 and 2016, when Ms May was at the the Home Office, accompanied by a total reduction of some 20,000 police officers in general.
London terror attacker named as Khalid Masood  a 52-year-old body-building obsessed dad-of-three English teacher seduced by ISIS The Muslim convert used several aliases and had been convicted previously of possessing a knife BY Holly Christodoulou and Emma Lake 23rd March 2017, 5:50 pm Updated: 23rd March 2017, 7:47 pm BY Holly Christodoulou and Emma Lake Invalid Date, A KILLER who murdered three people before he was shot dead by police has been named as a body-building obsessed married dad-of-three. Muslim convert former English teacher Khalid Masood, 52, who mowed down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before storming Parliament and stabbing a police officer to death, was born in Kent but later moved to the West Midlands. The three women and five men have been held on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts. Police said a 39-year-old woman was arrested at an address in east London, a 21-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man were arrested at an address in Birmingham, a 26-year-old woman and three men aged 28, 27 and 26 years old were arrested at a separate address in Birmingham. A 58-year-old man was also arrested this morning at a separate address in Birmingham on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. Mark Rowley, national lead for Counter Terrorism Policing and Met Acting Deputy Commissioner corrected earlier figures saying three innocent victims - PC Palmer, a woman in her mid 40s and a man in his mid 50s - were killed along with the attacker who was shot by cops. Mark Rowley, national lead for Counter Terrorism Policing and Met Acting Deputy Commissioner gives a press conference this morning Mr Rowley said 29 people are being treated in hospital, with five in a critical condition and two with life threatening injuries. Theresa May has been visiting victims of the attack in hospital. The PM spent around 40 minutes with the injured victims talking to them about their harrowing experiences. She also spoke to medical staff to thank them for their work, said her official spokesman, who declined to name the hospital where the private visit took place. Many of those injured on Westminster Bridge were taken to St Thomas' Hospital, which faces the Palace of Westminster across the Thames. Others went to King's College Hospital and the Royal London Hospital. Car hire firm Enterprise has confirmed that one of their cars had been rented out and used in the attack, saying in a statement: "We can confirm that the car used in the tragic attack in London yesterday afternoon was one of ours. "An employee identified the vehicle after seeing the licence plate in an image online. We ran another check to verify, and immediately contacted the authorities. "We are co-operating fully with the authorities and will provide any assistance that we can to the investigation. "Our thoughts are very much with the victims of this terrible tragedy." Those injured in the Westminster Bridge attack Theresa May has confirmed 29 people were hurt when the speeding car smashed into crowds on Westminster Bridge. Seven remain in a critical condition. The nationalities of those injured have been released, including: Twelve Brits Three French children Two Romanians Four South Koreans One German One Pole One Irish One Chinese One Italian One American Two Greeks Last night Theresa May held an emergency COBRA meeting following the attack, which she called "sick and depraved". In a statement from Downing Street, the Prime Minister said: "Any attempt to defeat those values through violence and terror is doomed to failure. "Parliament will meet as normal. "We will come together as normal. "And Londoners - and others from around the world who have come here to visit this great city - will get up and go about their day as normal. "They will board their trains, they will leave their hotels, they will walk these streets, they will live their lives. "And we will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart." HOLIDAY ATTACK In a message to staff she said: "One of our officers died protecting the public and Parliament. We will never forget his courage. "My deepest sympathy is with his family and with the loved ones of everyone who lost their lives. "My thoughts too are with the members of the public and our officers who were injured as well as those people affected by these appalling events. "As many Parliamentarians have noted, our officers ran towards danger to do their jobs. We are indebted to their bravery. "Officers and staff from the Metropolitan Police are working as hard as we can to protect the public and our capital city. "I am grateful for all their efforts." TIMELINE OF TERROR Lone wolf attacker mowed down crowds of pedestrians in 4x4 on Westminster Bridge He then crashed into gate outside Parliament before stabbing policeman PC Keith Palmer, 48, to death Armed cops put Westminster on lockdown as attack brought London to a standstill yesterday afternoon Four people died - including the attacker who was shot by police - and 29 are injured, including seven critical Eight people arrested today after six raids at addresses in London, Birmingham and elsewhere Cops believe they know the identity of the suspect who was inspired by Islamic terrorism The Hyundai used to carry out the attack was hired last Thursday in Birmingham, according to Newsnight Hero MP Tobias Ellwood attempted to revive PC Palmer but husband and father could not be saved Theresa May condemned attack as 'sick and depraved' before holding emergency Cobra meeting MPs were locked in House of Commons for five hours PC Palmer, a member of the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Squad and former Bombardier in the Royal Artillery Army Reserve between '87-'01 , was killed as he tried to stop the attacker at about 2.30pm on Wednesday, while two members of the public were also fatally injured. A body was seen on Westminster Bridge with police confirming they are treating the incident as a terror attack Another woman who fell into the Thames was rescued and given urgent medical treatment on a nearby pier. A party of French schoolchildren were among those targeted on the bridge, while four students from Edge Hill University in Ormskirk were also hurt - two described as "walking wounded", and others said to have minor injuries. The attack came on the first anniversary of the Brussels airport bombings. The Muslim Council of Britain said: "We are shocked and saddened by the incident at Westminster. We condemn this attack and while it is still too early to speculate on the motives, our thoughts and prayers are for the victims and those affected."
Popular Videos Brendan Cox has urged Britain not to let itself be divided by the Westminster attack, saying the assailant no more represents British Muslims than his wifes murderer represented the people of Yorkshire. Jo Cox, a Labour MP, died after being shot and stabbed outside her constituency surgery in Birstall, West Yorkshire on 16 June by far-right extremist Thomas Mair. Mr Cox said it was important to remember the victims, and not the assailant, of yesterday's terror attack outside Parliament and on Westminster Bridge that left four dead. Read more "What the terrorist would like to happen is for us to fall apart and start blaming groups of people, to say that in some way this is Muslim or Islam as a whole," he told Radio 4's Today programme. "We have to remember that the person who did this is no more representative of British Muslims than the person who killed Jo is representative of people that are from Yorkshire." "Im going to do whatever I can to remember the names of the victims like PC Palmer and not the name of the person who did this, partly driven by the desire for notoriety," he said. Seven people remain in hospital in a critical condition after the incident, in which a man drove a car along a pavement and stabbed a policeman before being shot dead by police. The officer, who died from his injuries, was named as 48-year-old Keith Palmer. A woman in her 40s and a man in his 50s were also killed in the attack. The first thing we need to do is to remember that this is a story about people who didnt come home yesterday, and the impact that will have on their families, the thousands of lives that will be touched by the individual tragedies, said Mr Cox. Tributes to murdered MP Jo Cox (Garry Knight) What helped me in the weeks after [Ms Coxs death] was that sense of public support, those thousand acts of kindness  the sense the person you lost meant something not just to you, but to others. PC Palmer, a husband and father who had served in the Metropolitan Police for 15 years, was outside Parliament when a man armed with two knives entered the gates and stabbed him. Mark Rowley, the Met's top anti-terror officer, said PC Palmer was "someone who left for work today expecting to return home at the end of his shift, and he had every right to expect that would happen." In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP Speaking outside Scotland Yard, acting deputy commissioner Rowley said: "Today in Westminster we saw tragic events unfold and our thoughts are with those who lost loved ones, those who were injured and all those affected by this attack". A further three police officers were among the injured, two of whom were in a serious condition, he added. The attack began at around 2.40pm and proceedings in the House of Commons were immediately suspended. Deputy speaker David Lidington announced to the House that a police officer had been stabbed and the alleged assailant shot by armed police.
We use cookies to personalise content, target and report on ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. For more information see our Cookie Policy. The Westminster attack is a tragedy, but its not a threat to democracy The terrorists aim is not just to kill a few but to terrify a multitude. For politicians and media to overreact would play into their hands Thu, Mar 23, 2017, 10:59Updated: Thu, Mar 23, 2017, 15:05 Simon Jenkins Flowers and messages are left near the scene of an attack by a man driving a car and weilding a knife left five people dead and dozens injured, in London. REUTERS/Neil Hall The current bout of global terrorism came to the heart of London today in a fatal attack outside the Palace of Westminster. The symbolism is impossible to escape. An assault on the home of democracy induces a peculiar sense of outrage. That people, including a policeman, should die in such an assault is tragic. As yet, nothing is known of the motive. All that can be said is that the attacker failed to enter parliament itself. Bystanders were killed and injured, but the massive security inevitable for such an institution was effective in protecting its occupants. In a busy modern city there is no way absolute security can be assured, but the police can say that the system was tested and worked. Short of holding parliament in a bunker, there are limits to what more can or should sensibly be done. Parliament will have been subjected to this test because of its high profile. The initial purpose of such incidents is to kill and wreak havoc. But the culprit cannot have sought simply to damage a wall or cause death and injury. We can assume he anticipated massive publicity for his deed  and thus for his message. His purpose may well have been to spread fear, to test the robustness of democracy and, if possible, make it change its behaviour. Our response to these incidents must not be to overreact. This week is the anniversary of the Islamic State outrage at Brussels airport , when 32 people lost their lives in a coordinated assault on Belgiums transport system. It followed earlier attacks in Paris. The reaction then was extraordinary. Europes media and politicians were close to hysterical. For days, BBC reporters on the spot repeated the words panic, threat and menace by the hour. Frances President Franois Hollande declared that  all of Europe has been attacked . Prime minister David Cameron announced that  the UK faces a very real terror threat . Donald Trump declared to cheering supporters that  Belgium and France are literally disintegrating . Isis could not have asked for a greater megaphone. The terrorist is helpless without the assistance of the media and those who feed it with words and deeds. In his thoughtful manual, Terrorism: How to Respond, academic Richard English points out that the so-called threat to democracy, about which politicians like to talk at such times, lies not in any bloodshed and damage. It is the more real danger of provoking ill-judged, extravagant and counterproductive state responses. But this puts those who choose to be provoked in a peculiar and compromising position. Only if the media respond in a certain way can the terrorists achieve whatever spurious ends they may have. We should recall that Theresa May as home secretary used the Paris and Belgium attacks to champion her  snoopers charter , the most severe intrusion on personal privacy anywhere in the western world  and described as such by Bill Binney, formerly of Americas National Security Agency. May added that the terrorist threat was why we should stay in the EU, as otherwise they would roam free. She warned that it took 143 days to process terrorist DNA outside the EU, against 15 minutes inside. Does she still say that? We have to respect those who defend us, but terrorism induces a strange madness. At the time, the British government also rushed ahead with its Prevent strategy, commanding every educational institution to show it had programmes in place to counter nonviolent extremism, which can create an atmosphere conducive to terrorism. The attendant bureaucracy is now massive. Hardly a week passes without the Metropolitan police demanding vigilance  inducing fear, caution and nervousness towards strangers. A recent BBC drama documentary titled Attack was ill-concealed publicity for more money for the police. In struggling to put these incidents into proportion, we need to remember that there are now huge amounts of money in counterterrorism. Now is not the time to say this money is disproportionate, but it is open to the charge of serving terrors purposes. Everyone involved has, in truth, a sort of interest in it, from journalists and politicians to police and security lobbyists. The paucity of terror incidents in totalitarian countries that censor news shows the crucial role of publicity to terrors methodology. That said, suppressing such news cannot be justified in a free society. There is even a reluctance to admit self-censorship. When last year the French newspaper Le Monde decided not to publish the names of those responsible for terrorist killings as it clearly aided their martyrdom, it was criticised for denying coverage. But every decision to publish an item of news involves a choice, a judgment. That is not censorship. For those seeking publicity for their misdeeds, there is a world of difference between the top spot on the news and the bottom. If the intention is not just to kill a few but thereby to terrify a multitude, the media is an essential accomplice. It is not the act that spreads terror, it is the report, the broadcast, the edited presentation, the decision on prominence. All analysts of terrorism reiterate that it is not an ideology. Guns and bombs pose no existential threat to a country or society. Politicians who exploit it to engender fear are cynics with vested interests. Terrorism is a methodology of conflict. There is no real defence against madmen who kill, though its worth restating that Londons streets have probably never been safer places. The use of vehicles to convey death is as old as the motor car  or at least since Mario Buda exploded his car bomb in Wall Street in 1920. Recent advances in electronics have clearly taken this a step further, hence the new horror of laptops on board aeroplanes. But planes are safer vehicles than ever. That is why the response of British governments to IRA incidents in the 1970s and 80s  to regard them as random crimes not quasi-political gestures  was surely correct. IRA terrorism was a much worse threat than anything experienced at present. Some freedoms were curtailed, as in detention without trial and the censoring of IRA spokespeople. They were minor victories for terror. But for the most part, British freedoms were not infringed, life went on and the threat eventually passed. Let us hope the same applies today. We reserve the right to remove any content at any time from this Community, including without limitation if it violates the Community Standards. We ask that you report content that you in good faith believe violates the above rules by clicking the Flag link next to the offending comment or by filling out this form. New comments are only accepted for 3 days from the date of publication.
Politicians are calling for a security review at Westminster after a video showed the gates being left 'wide open' in the aftermath of Wednesday's terror attack (Photo: Lauren Hurley/Press Association) POLITICIANS warn security at the Palace of Westminster must be improved after a video showed the gates were left open and unmanned after Wednesday's terror attack. The footage, captured by a national newspaper, shows the aftermath of the assault on New Palace Yard that left PC Keith Palmer mortally wounded. As armed officers swarm the cobbled forecourt, having shot dead terrorist Khalid Masood, the imposing iron gate that allows vehicles to enter can be seen wide open. No police officers can be seen guarding the entry point, known as Carriage Gates, fuelling concern that the attack might have been worse had Masood been followed by accomplices. Pedestrians are shown walking past and at one stage a courier on a moped appears to enter unchallenged. Yards away, separate footage showed Prime Minister Theresa May being rushed from the building and into a waiting car. Former Metropolitan Police commissioner Lord Blair and ex-House of Commons deputy speaker Nigel Evans both said security will now have to be stepped up. Lord Blair told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I am absolutely certain there will be a review now of the outer soft ring that those of us who work at the Palace of Westminster are very used to. "Always behind it is the inner core of armed officers, but PC Keith Palmer has paid with his life for that soft outer rim and I think that his family at least, and everybody else, needs the reassurance that will be reviewed." Lord Blair refused to criticise the officers who apparently left the gate unguarded, describing them as "human beings" who will have been "gripped completely" by the attack while knowing the "cavalry" of armed officers was on its way. But he added: "I'm absolutely certain that there will have to be changes. "People are used to the fact that if they go into Downing Street they are confronted by basically closed gates and armed officers and I'm afraid that's what will have to happen, but we'll leave it to the reviews to see what it is. "But I don't think there should be shock horror about the fact the gates were open for a moment after that kind of attack." Mr Evans described the outrage as "one of those things that by experience you learn" from. He revealed that "lots" of MPs locked in the Commons chamber during and after the attack were discussing how to boost security in certain areas, but said far more checks are carried out at Carriage Gates than we he was elected in 1992 and a "bobby" would just "wave you through". The Tory MP said: "I've got no doubts whatsoever that there will be enhanced features of security, it's happening on a regular basis, but following this tragedy security has got to be upped at the same time as still having a welcoming hand to members of the public to come and see how democracy works." The video comes after Scotland Yard's anti-terror chief said current arrangements were "proportionate". On Friday, Mark Rowley said procedures for guarding Parliament had been designed so they were not "overly intrusive". Parliamentary authorities and the police are carrying out a review of security in the wake of the atrocity. The complex's main entrance has two sets of large metal gates allowing vehicles to go in and out of the estate and they have traditionally been left open during the day. A pair of smaller, makeshift gates was introduced more recently with two police officers at each to check passes and allow cyclists, cars and delivery drivers to come and go. Just inside the entrance gate, armed police are usually present and an unarmed officer sits in a booth by the exit. Electronic ramps are depressed and barriers lifted further into the courtyard after passes are checked using handheld machines which flash up with a picture of the passholder. More police, some armed, are usually present after the final checkpoint. Ipsoregulated This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's Editors' Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then please contact the editor here. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can contact IPSO here
The attack was planned by a group of terrorists including Ramzi Yousef, Mahmud Abouhalima, Mohammad Salameh, Nidal A. Ayyad, Abdul Rahman Yasin, and Ahmed Ajaj. They received financing from Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Yousef's uncle. In March 1994, four men were convicted of carrying out the bombing: Abouhalima, Ajaj, Ayyad, and Salameh. The charges included conspiracy, explosive destruction of property, and interstate transportation of explosives. In November 1997, two more were convicted: Ramzi Yousef, the mastermind behind the bombings, and Eyad Ismoil, who drove the truck carrying the bomb. Yousef arrived illegally in the United States on September 1, 1992, traveling with Ahmed Ajaj from Pakistan, though both sat apart on the flight and acted as though they were traveling separately. Ajaj tried to enter with a forged Swedish passport, though it had been altered and thus raised suspicions among INS officials at John F. Kennedy International Airport. When officials put Ajaj through secondary inspection, they discovered bomb-making instructions and other materials in his luggage, and arrested him. The name Abu Barra, an alias of Mohammed Jamal Khalifa, appeared in the manuals. Yousef tried to enter with a false Iraqi passport, claiming political asylum. Yousef was allowed into the United States, and was given a hearing date.[8] Yousef set up residence in Jersey City, New Jersey, traveled around New York and New Jersey and called Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman, a controversial blind Muslim cleric, via cell phone. After being introduced to his co-conspirators by Abdel Rahman at the latter's Al-Farooq Mosque in Brooklyn, Yousef began assembling the 1,500 lb (680 kg) urea nitratehydrogen gas enhanced device for delivery to the WTC. He ordered chemicals from his hospital room when injured in a car crash  one of three accidents caused by Salameh in late 1992 and early in 1993. El Sayyid Nosair, one of the blind sheikh's men, was arrested in 1991 for the murder of RabbiMeir Kahane. According to prosecutors, "the Red" Mahmud Abouhalima, also convicted in the bombing, told Wadih el Hage to buy the .357 caliber revolver used by Nosair in the Kahane shooting. In the initial court case in NYS Criminal Court Nosair was acquitted of murder but convicted of gun charges (in a related and follow-up case in Federal Court, he was convicted). Dozens of Arabic bomb-making manuals and documents related to terrorist plots were found in Nosair's New Jersey apartment, with manuals from Army Special Warfare Center at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, secret memos linked to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and 1,440 rounds of ammunition. (Lance 2004 26) According to the transcript of his trial, Yousef hoped that his explosion would topple Tower 1 which would fall into Tower 2, killing the occupants of both buildings, which he estimated to be about 250,000 people[9] in vengeance for America's support for Israel against Palestine.[10] According to the journalist Steve Coll, Yousef mailed letters to various New York newspapers just before the attack, in which he claimed he belonged to "Liberation Army, Fifth Battalion".[11] These letters made three demands: an end to all US aid to Israel, an end to US diplomatic relations with Israel, and a pledge by the United States to end interference "with any of the Middle East countries' interior affairs." He stated that the attack on the World Trade Center would be merely the first of such attacks if his demands were not met. In his letters, Yousef admitted that the World Trade Center bombing was an act of terrorism, but this was justified because "the terrorism that Israel practices (which America supports) must be faced with a similar one."[citation needed] On Friday, February 26, 1993, Ramzi Yousef and a Jordanian friend, Eyad Ismoil, drove a yellow Ryder van into Lower Manhattan, and pulled into the public parking garage beneath the World Trade Center around noon. They parked on the underground B-2 level. Yousef ignited the 20-foot fuse, and fled. Twelve minutes later, at 12:17:37 p.m., the bomb exploded in the underground garage, generating an estimated pressure of 150,000 psi.[12] The bomb opened a 30-m (98 ft) wide hole through four sublevels of concrete. The detonation velocity of this bomb was about 15,000 ft/s (4.5 km/s). Initial news reports indicated a main transformer might have blown, before it became clear that a bomb had exploded in the basement. The bomb instantly cut off the World Trade Center's main electrical power line, knocking out the emergency lighting system. The bomb caused smoke to rise to the 93rd floor of both towers, including through the stairwells which were not pressurized, and smoke went up the damaged elevators in the World Trade Center Towers 1 & 2.[13] With thick smoke filling the stairwells, evacuation was difficult for building occupants and led to many smoke inhalation injuries. Hundreds were trapped in elevators in the towers when the power was cut, including a group of 17 kindergartners, on their way down from the South Tower observation deck, who were trapped between the 35th and 36th floors for five hours.[14][15] Also as a result of the loss of power most of New York City's radio and television stations lost their over-the-air broadcast signal for almost a week, with television stations only being able to broadcast via cable and satellite via a microwave hookup between the stations and three of the New York area's largest cable companies, Cablevision, Comcast, and Time Warner Cable. Telephone service for much of Lower Manhattan was also disrupted. Six people were killed, five Port Authority employees and a businessman whose car was in the parking garage. Additionally, 1,042 people were injured, most during the evacuation that followed the blast.[16] A report from the US Fire Administration states that, "Among the scores of people who fled to the roofs of the towers, 28 with medical problems were airlifted by New York City police helicopters". It is known that 15 people received traumatic injury from the blast and 20 complained of cardiac problems. One firefighter was hospitalized, while 87 others, 35 police officers, and an EMS worker were also injured in dealing with the fires and other aftermath.[17] The plan was that if the bomb truck was parked at the right place, the North Tower would fall onto the South Tower, collapsing them both. However, the tower did not collapse, according to Yousef's plan, but the garage was severely damaged in the explosion. Nevertheless, had the van been parked closer to the WTC's poured concrete foundations, Yousef's plan might have succeeded.[18] He escaped to Pakistan several hours after the bombing. Yousef was assisted by Iraqi bomb maker Abdul Rahman Yasin, who helped assemble the complex 1,310-pound (590 kg) bomb, which was made of a urea nitrate main charge with aluminum, magnesium and ferric oxide particles surrounding the explosive. The charge used nitroglycerine, ammonium nitrate dynamite, smokeless powder and fuse as booster explosives.[19] Three tanks of bottled hydrogen were also placed in a circular configuration around the main charge, to enhance the fireball and afterburn of the solid metal particles.[20] The use of compressed gas cylinders in this type of attack closely resembles the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing 10 years earlier. Both of these attacks used compressed gas cylinders to create fuel-air and thermobaric bombs[21] that release more energy than conventional high explosives. According to testimony in the bomb trial, only once before the 1993 attack had the FBI recorded a bomb that used urea nitrate.[22][23][24] The Ryder van used in the bombing had 295 cubic feet (8.4 m3) of space, which would hold up to 2,000 pounds (910 kg) of explosives. However, the van was not filled to capacity. Yousef used four 20 ft (6 m) long fuses, all covered in surgical tubing. Yasin calculated that the fuse would trigger the bomb in twelve minutes after he had used a cigarette lighter to light the fuse. Yousef wanted the smoke to remain in the tower, therefore catching the public eye by smothering people inside, killing them slowly. He anticipated Tower One collapsing onto Tower Two after the blast. There remains a popular belief that there was cyanide in the bomb, which is reinforced by Judge Duffy's statement at sentencing, "You had sodium cyanide around, and I'm sure it was in the bomb." However, the bomb's true composition was not able to be ascertained from the crime scene and Robert Blitzer, a senior FBI official who worked on the case, stated that there was "no forensic evidence indicating the presence of sodium cyanide at the bomb site." Furthermore, Yousef is said only to have considered adding cyanide to the bomb, and to have regretted not doing so in Peter Lance's book 1000 Years for Revenge. Though the cause of the blast was not immediately known, with some suspecting a transformer explosion, agents and bomb technicians from the ATF, FBI, and the NYPD quickly responded to the scene. The magnitude of the explosion was far beyond that of a transformer explosion and the FBI Laboratory Division technician, David Williams, who took charge of the crime scene, claimed to know prior to scientific testing the nature and size of the bomb which other lab specialists such as Stephen Burmeister and Frederic Whitehurst contradicted and later challenged with embarrassing consequences for the FBI Laboratory.[25] In the days after the bombing, investigators surveyed the damage and looked for clues. About 300 FBI agents were deployed under the codename TRADEBOM.[26] While combing through the rubble in the underground parking area, a bomb technician located some internal component fragments from the vehicle that delivered the bomb. A vehicle identification number (VIN), found on a piece from an axle, gave investigators crucial information that led them to a Ryder truck rental outlet in Jersey City. Investigators determined that the vehicle had been rented by Mohammed A. Salameh, one of Yousef's co-conspirators.[27] Salameh had reported the van stolen, and when he returned on March 4, 1993, to get his deposit back, authorities arrested him.[28] The capture of Salameh and Yasin led authorities to Ramzi Yousef's apartment, where they found bomb-making materials and a business card from Mohammed Jamal Khalifa. Khalifa was arrested on December 14, 1994, and was deported to Jordan by the INS on May 5, 1995. He was acquitted by a Jordanian court and lived as a free man in Saudi Arabia until he was killed in 2007.[30] In 2002, it was made public that Yasin, the only person involved in the bombing who was never convicted by US authorities,[31] was being held as a prisoner on the outskirts of Baghdad, Iraq since 1994.[31] When journalist Leslie Stahl interviewed him there for a segment on 60 Minutes on May 23, 2002 [31] Yasin appeared in prison pyjamas and handcuffs.[31] Yasin has not been seen or heard from since the interview. He was not located during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. None of the U.S. government's indictments against former al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden suggested that he had any connection with this bombing.[32] Monica Rodriguez Smith age 35, a secretary, who was seven months pregnant. At the time of the bombing, Smith was checking time sheets in her office on the B-2 level, Kirkpatrick, Knapp and Macko were eating lunch together in an employees' break room next to Smith's office, Mercado was checking in deliveries for the restaurant, and DiGiovanni was parking in the underground garage.[33] A granite memorial fountain honoring the victims of the bombing was designed by Elyn Zimmerman and dedicated in 1995 on Austin J. Tobin Plaza, directly above the site of the explosion. It contained the names of the six adults who were killed in the attack as well as an inscription that read: "On February 26, 1993, a bomb set by terrorists exploded below this site. This horrible act of violence killed innocent people, injured thousands, and made victims of us all."[34] The fountain was destroyed with the rest of the World Trade Center during the September 11 attacks. A recovered fragment from the 1993 bombing memorial with the text "John D", from bombing victim John DiGiovanni, was later incorporated into a temporary memorial designed by Port Authority architect Jacqueline Hanley, and erected on the Liberty Street side of the site following the September 11 attacks. The memorial was visible across a fence barrier but was not open to the public.[35] At the 9/11 Memorial, which opened on the tenth anniversary of the 2001 attacks, the six adult victims of the 1993 bombing are memorialized at the North Pool, on Panel N-73.[36] The recovered fragment of the memorial fountain is on display among other artifacts[37] related to the bombing inside the museum's historical exhibition. Stephen Knapp's name is on the Postcards memorial in Staten Island, as the sole victim from the borough involved in the bombing. In the course of the trial it was revealed that the FBI had an informant, a former Egyptian army officer named Emad Salem. Salem claims to have informed the FBI of the plot to build a bomb that would eventually be used in the World Trade Center towers as early as February 6, 1992. Salem's role as informant allowed the FBI to quickly pinpoint the conspirators out of hundreds of possible suspects. The transcripts do not make clear the extent to which Federal Authorities knew that there was a plan to bomb the World Trade Center, merely that a bombing of some sort was being discussed. Salem claimed that the FBI's plan was for Salem to supply the conspirators with a harmless powder instead of actual explosive to build their bomb, but that the FBI chose to use him for other purposes instead. He secretly recorded hundreds of hours of telephone conversations with his FBI handlers.[38] Although the FBI received the credit, Diplomatic Security Service special agents actually found and arrested Ramzi Ahmed Yousef, the architect of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Special Agents Bill Miller and Jeff Riner were given a tip by an associate of Ramzi Yousef about his location. In coordination with the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), DSS arrested Yousef.[39] After his arrest, Ramzi Yousef is alleged to have said to investigators "this is only the beginning." In October 2001 in a PBS interview, former CIA Director James Woolsey claimed that Ramzi Yousef worked for Iraqi intelligence.[40] He suggested the grand jury investigation turned up evidence pointing to Iraq that the Justice Department "brushed aside." But Neil Herman, who headed the FBI investigation, noted "The one glaring connection that can't be overlooked is Yasin. We pursued that on every level, traced him to a relative and a location, and we made overtures to get him back." However, Herman says that Yasin's presence in Baghdad does not mean Iraq sponsored the attack: "We looked at that rather extensively. There were no ties to the Iraqi government." CNN terrorism reporter Peter L. Bergen writes, "In sum, by the mid-'90s, the Joint Terrorism Task Force in New York, the F.B.I., the U.S. Attorney's office in the Southern District of New York, the C.I.A., the N.S.C., and the State Department had all found no evidence implicating the Iraqi government in the first Trade Center attack."[41] Claims of direct Iraqi involvement come from Dr. Laurie Mylroie of the American Enterprise Institute and former associate professor of the U.S. Naval War College, with the claims rejected by others. CNN reporter Peter Bergen has called her a "crackpot" who claimed that "Saddam was not only behind the '93 Trade Center attack, but also every anti-American terrorist incident of the past decade, from the bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania to the leveling of the federal building in Oklahoma City bombing to September 11 itself."[41] Daniel Benjamin, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, writes: "The most knowledgeable analysts and investigators at the CIA and at the FBI believe that their work conclusively disproves Mylroie's claims."[42] Dr. Robert Leiken of the Nixon Center comments on the lack of evidence in her work: "Laurie has discovered Saddam's hand in every major attack on US interests since the Persian Gulf War, including U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania and even the federal building in Oklahoma City. These allegations have all been definitively refuted by the FBI, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and other investigatory bodies...."[43] In March 2008, the Pentagon released its study of some 600,000 documents captured in Iraq after the 2003 invasion (see 2008 Pentagon Report). The study "found no 'smoking gun' (i.e., direct connection) between Saddam's Iraq and al Qaeda."[44] Among the documents released by the Pentagon was a captured audio file of Saddam Hussein speculating that the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center had been carried out by Israel or American intelligence, or perhaps a Saudi or Egyptian faction. Saddam said that he did not trust the bomber Yasin, who was in Iraqi custody, because his testimony was too "organized." The Pentagon study found that Yasin "was a prisoner, and not a guest, in Iraq."[45] Mylroie denied that this was proof of Saddam's non-involvement, claiming that "one common purpose of such meetings was to develop cover stories for whatever Iraq sought to conceal."[46] In the wake of the bombing and the chaotic evacuation which followed, the World Trade Center and many of the firms inside of it revamped emergency procedures, particularly with regard to evacuation of the towers. The New York Port Authority was to govern as the main security for the World Trade buildings. All packages were scanned at various checkpoints then sent up to the proper addressee. These policies played a role in evacuating the building during the September 11 attacks, which destroyed the towers. Free access to the roofs, which had enabled the evacuation by police helicopter in the 1993 bombing, was ended soon after.[citation needed] The victims of the 1993 World Trade Center bombings sued the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for damages. A decision was handed down in 2005, assigning liability for the bombings to the Port Authority.[47] The decision declared that the agency was 68 percent responsible for the bombing, and the terrorists bore only 32 percent of the responsibility. In January 2008, the Port Authority asked a five-judge panel of the Appellate Division of the New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan to throw out the decision, describing the jury's verdict as "bizarre".[48] On April 29, 2008, a New York State Appeals Court unanimously upheld the jury's verdict. Under New York law once a defendant is more than 50 percent at fault, he/she/it can be held fully financially liable.[49] On September 22, 2011, the New York Court of Appeals, in a four to three ruling, excluded the Port Authority from claims of negligence related to the 1993 bombing.[50] It has been argued that the problem with the apportionment of responsibility in the case is not the jury's verdict, but rather New York's tort-reform-produced state apportionment law. Traditionally, courts do not compare intentional and negligent fault. The Restatement Third of Torts: Apportionment of Liability recommends a rule to prevent juries from having to make comparisons like the terrorist-Port Authority comparison in this case. However, if a jurisdiction does compare these intentional and negligent torts, courts' second-best position is to do what the NYS Appeals Court didto uphold all jury apportionments, even those that assign greater, or perhaps far greater, responsibility to negligent than intentional parties.[51]
This story has been updated to reflect the latest number of fatalities from London Metropolitan Police. London (CNN)Four people were killed and scores injured when an attacker plowed a car through crowds in central London before attempting to storm the Houses of Parliament in what police believe was an act of Islamist-inspired terrorism. Police indicated they knew the identity of the assailant, who fatally stabbed unarmed police officer Keith Palmer, a 15-year-veteran, on the grounds of Parliament after ramming a car onto the crowded sidewalks nearby. Armed officers shot the attacker dead. Prime Minister Theresa May described the attack as "sick and depraved." She said attempts to defeat through violence the values Parliament represents would be "doomed to failure." "The location of this attack was no accident. The terrorist chose to strike at the heart of our capital city, where people of all nationalities, religions and cultures come together to celebrate the values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech," she said. JUST WATCHED The moment the UK Parliament stopped MUST WATCH Parliament was placed on lockdown for several hours and lawmakers were forced to remain in the main debating chamber of the House of Commons as officers rushed to the scene outside. Pictures showed scenes of carnage in the aftermath of the attack, which happened as Parliament was in session. One member of the British government gave mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to the officer who died from stab wounds. 'Islamist-related' Mark Rowley, Britain's most senior counterterror police officer, told reporters late Wednesday that authorities believe they know the attacker's identity but are not releasing it, and are operating on the assumption the incident was "Islamist-related terrorism." "This is a day that we had planned for -- that we all hoped would never happen -- but sadly it is now a reality," said Rowley, acting deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police. He said Palmer, 48, was a father and a husband. Rowley said 40 people were hurt. Incident began near Westminster Bridge The area around Westminster was teeming with people when the attack began at about 2:40 p.m. Witnesses said the attacker drove his car over Westminster Bridge and into the crowds. The vehicle hit a large number of people, including three police officers. "The car then crashed near to Parliament and at least one man -- armed with a knife -- continued the attack, trying to enter Parliament," said Rowley. One of those who died was a woman, he said. Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament A car is seen crashed into a fence outside the Parliament building in London on Wednesday, March 22. Police have launched a "full counter-terrorism investigation" after an attacker rammed a car into crowds of people and stabbed a police officer on Parliament grounds. Hide Caption 1 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament An armed police officer stands over the attacker, identified as Khalid Masood, outside Parliament. "It appeared that a car was coming towards the House of Commons mowing down pedestrians on the way," Member of Parliament Gerald Howarth told CNN. "The driver then got access to the parliamentary estate, stabbed a police officer and was shot." Hide Caption 2 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament Masood is treated by emergency services as police look on at the scene outside the Houses of Parliament. The Metropolitan Police say he was born in Kent, but is believed to have been living in the West Midlands recently. Police say Masood was also known by a number of aliases. "Masood was not the subject of any current investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack," Met Police said in a statement. Hide Caption 3 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament Member of Parliament Tobias Ellwood, in the glasses, tends to one of the injured people amid the chaos. The man the politician was trying to save was a police officer who died, a witness on the scene told CNN. Authorities identified the deceased officer as Keith Palmer, 48. Hide Caption 4 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament Emergency workers attend to injured people at the scene. Hide Caption 5 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament Medics treat a victim on Westminster Bridge. Hide Caption 6 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament People leave the Parliament building after the incident. Lawmakers were forced to remain in the main debating chamber of the House of Commons as police responded to the incident outside. Hide Caption 7 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament A person is treated at the scene. Hide Caption 8 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament Medical aid is provided outside Parliament. Hide Caption 9 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament Tourists were trapped for a time in cars on the London Eye Ferris wheel, which was stopped in the immediate aftermath of the attack. Hide Caption 10 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament A police officer stands guard near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament. Hide Caption 11 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament A person receives medical treatment at the scene. Hide Caption 12 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament At right, the car of British Prime Minister Theresa May is driven away from Parliament. Hide Caption 13 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament An air ambulance arrives at the scene. Hide Caption 14 of 15 Photos:Deadly attack outside UK Parliament Armed police enter the Houses of Parliament. Hide Caption 15 of 15 Proceedings in the House of Commons were suspended, with dozens of MPs locked inside. Police put the Westminster area on lockdown, securing roads, Parliament buildings and the Westminster underground station. The zone was soon expanded to a larger part of central London, including the London Eye Ferris wheel, which was halted for hours with people still on it. They have since been let off. JUST WATCHED People trapped on London Eye following attack MUST WATCH The London Ambulance Service treated at least 10 patients on Westminster Bridge. In the chaos, a woman was pulled from the River Thames alive, but with serious injuries. London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: "My heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones and to everyone who has been affected," he said, paying tribute to the emergency services. He announced the deployment of additional armed officers on the streets of the British capital. "We stand together in the face of those who would seek to harm us and destroy our way of life," he added. "Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism." Police appealed for anyone with photos or video of the incident to contact them. Police close off the area near the Houses of Parliament in London. The Prime Minister called a meeting of COBRA, the UK's emergency Cabinet committee. US President Donald Trump spoke with May on the phone after learning of the attack, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said. Mark Toner, acting spokesman for the US State Department, said officials were closely following the situation. "Our hearts go out to those affected. We stand ready to assist in any way the UK authorities would find helpful," he said. Eyewitnesses report chaotic scenes People were photographed running in a panic from the scene, while witnesses told CNN they saw the car plow through a crowd. Robyn Lyon, 34, from Rugby, said he was walking along Westminster Bridge. JUST WATCHED Crashed car smokes outside Parliament MUST WATCH Crashed car smokes outside Parliament00:26 "I saw a car, the crunch of car, hitting the curb. I kind of thought the guy had maybe had a heart attack or something," he said. "The accelerator suddenly picked up so you had that revving. I expected it to hit the bridge wall and then stop, and then turn back carry up the pavement. It hit several people. I jumped out the way into a road. "I stood in shock and saw carnage around me and the car carrying on up the bridge." Another witness, Radek Sikorski, said he saw one of the victims bleeding heavily from the head and another lying unconscious. JUST WATCHED Parliament attack witness: 'It was horrendous' MUST WATCH Richard Poet, 62, who was visiting London from Brighton and his partner were leaving the Tate Britain gallery when he heard "great crashes." "I thought it was a wrecking ball. It didn't sound like guns or anything." Craig Meichan, 20, a student from Ormskirk near Liverpool, was on a field trip with around 15 others and had left Parliament just a moment before. He was shaking as he told CNN his party was separated into three groups. "It sounded like a car backfiring, police began shouting and they started cordoning off the area," he said, adding that he believed his tutor was still locked inside. "I'm a bit shaken up, you never expect this to happen to you. When it does it's an indescribable feeling." Chaos in Parliament As the incident unfolded outside, the Leader of the House of Commons, David Lidington, told MPs a serious incident had taken place "within the estate." Proceedings were suspended. Lidington told MPs that it appeared a police officer has been stabbed and that the assailant had been shot. Emergency services at the scene of the attack. Conservative MP Damian Collins told CNN that he was walking through an underground tunnel from his office to vote in the chamber with about 30 other MPs when he heard shouting followed by gunshots. Police shouted for the MPs to get down on the ground. "Clearly, something serious had happened but no one was being told what was going on," he said. "The instant response from the police was incredible -- they seemed on top of the situation straight away." JUST WATCHED Witnesses describe 'horrendous' Parliament attack MUST WATCH Chris Doyle, Director of Council for Arab-British Understanding, who was at a restaurant at Parliament at the time, described a moment of sudden panic. "We were in the terrace restaurant when there was a series of panicked male shouts. Everyone started getting under tables. Under the sofa by me was a small child. Only after several minutes did people get up. It became clear it was the police," he said. "We still did not know what had happened, if there was a bomb, a gunman a fire. The police directed everyone -- MPs, Lords, cooks, waiters, visitors and schoolchildren -- to the central lobby. Members of parliament were locked in and asked to keep away from windows. Hundreds were later evacuated from the Parliament buildings after hours locked inside. Labour MP Barry Sheerman posted an image on Twitter showing lawmakers in the House in the evening with food and drink. A member of the government, Foreign Office Minister Tobias Ellwood, was pictured giving assistance to a victim in New Palace Yard, a courtyard within the grounds of Parliament. A fellow Conservative Party MP, Maria Miller said he had "given mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to one victim," the Press Association said. A witness told CNN that Ellwood was trying to save the police officer, who died. Eyewitness Hugh Dickinson, a 21-year-old student from High Wycombe, posted a picture of the minister on Twitter, showing the minister bleeding, but saying "he looked to be fine." Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect the latest number of fatalities from London Metropolitan Police.
Wednesday, 22 March 2017 Attack at Westminster & 322 Today, an incident unfolded in Westminster in London that the BBC are currently describing as a terrorist incident and an Attack at Westminster. Here is the official account currently posted on the BBCs website as of approximately 6pm the same day. A police officer and a woman have been killed near Parliament in central London in what Scotland Yard are treating as a terrorist incident. The woman was among several pedestrians struck by a car on Westminster Bridge, before it crashed into railings. An officer was stabbed in the Houses of Parliament by an attacker, who was shot by police. Police said there were "a number of casualties" and a "full counter-terrorism inquiry" was under way. Writing on Twitter, BBC home affairs correspondent Dominic Casciani said it is understood from multiple sources that two people were in the vehicle on the bridge.http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39355940At the time of writing this, few other details about the incident have been disclosed. At present, a single individual has been described as being responsible for the incident. It appears that this individual was shot dead. There has been some speculation that a second individual may have been involved in some manner. At present, the identity of the dead individual nor any details about the individuals possible motives have been announced. My thoughts are with those innocent bystanders who have been traumatized or injured during this incident. My thoughts and deepest sympathies also go out to the loved ones of those people who have lost their lives as a result of the incident today. My regular readers will know that I have, from time to time, written on this blog about terrorist incidents that have taken place throughout recent years. I have no wish to trivialise the events of today, nor do I wish to engage at this point in a lengthy discourse about the alternative nature of certain similar incidents that have taken place in recent times. I will leave that subject for another day. However, I have learned that there are times when it is vital to be observant and vigilant when certain events take place. It is an unbelievably important lesson from history that we never take information that is conveyed to us by the media on blind, face value. An irresponsible observer is one who does not scrutinise all they see and are told. Equally so when we do not ask questions. Please keep this in mind as we are told more about the events in Westminster and we observe the subsequent reactions of those in positions of authority. Moving onIm not sure how many people will have noticed, but today is, aside from the tragic events in London, a very important day for those people in the world with certain belief systems. Today is 322. More accurately, it is March 22nd. 322 is considered a hugely significant number in certain occult and esoteric circles. Amongst its many diverse associations, 322 is perhaps best known to alternative knowledge researchers as the numerical emblem of the Skull and Bones society. Although many men of power and wealth have moved through the ranks of Skull and Bones, its most high profile member is undoubtedly George W Bush. Although some people will remember him for a myriad of reasons, most will remember Bush Jnr as the American president who presided over the US during the events of 9/11 and the formative years of the subsequent Western-led War on Terror. Above and beyond the many tragic events that have happened in the last decade and a half, 9/11 is remembered as the most devastating to have been declared a terrorist attack. Of course, compelling and exhaustive evidence analysing the events of 9/11 - such as that assembled by Dr Judy Wood in her book Where Did the Towers Go?  shows that what really happened that day does not match the official narrative that the public were told about 9/11. It is that evidence, and inconsistencies about other subsequent events like 7/7, that has given many people justifiable reason to pay extra attention whenever such events - deemed of a terrorist nature - unfold. But back to 322 Historically, March 20 - 22 has been dedicated to the Goddess Ostara. March 20th 2017 celebrates the High Feast of Ostara and is also the Spring Equinox - often dedicated to the worship of the Mother Earth Goddess Gaia. March 21 is allegedly, according to certain sources, one of the Illuminati's "Human Sacrifice Nights." March 22nd 2017 is also the Ceremony of Hilaria - an Ancient Roman rite given to "rejoicing and public sacrifices [...] the eve of that day they spent in tears and lamentations [...] The day of its celebration was the first after the vernal equinox, or the first day of the year which was longer than the night. The winter with its gloom had passed away, and the first day of a better season was spent in rejoicings [...] All kinds of games and amusements were allowed on this day; masquerades were the most prominent among them, and everyone might, in his disguise, imitate whomsoever he liked, and even magistrates." The date is also curious for an assassination plot that took in Ancient Rome. "Maternus against Emperor Commodus [...] planned to disguise himself and his followers as members of the Praetorian Guard, and proceed among the true members of the Guard, until they were close enough to kill Commodus. However, one of Maternus's followers revealed the plot ahead of time..." http://pagancalendar.co.uk/event.php?zodiac=astrological&getdate=20170322&tz=Europe/London&id=1098322 coincides with Uttara Ashadha Nakshatra - indicative of sun symbolism, the "birth star" and the creation of powerful energy. It also represents the first day of the 40 Day "Season of Human Sacrifice", the completion of the three-day process of resurrection from death. The Season of Human Sacrifice will conclude on April 30th 2017 - which is Beltane Eve (often celebrated with bonfires and fertility rites) and considered to be one of the most crucial occult dates in the annual calendar. We are currently seeing trailers for Ridley Scott's "Prometheus" movie "Alien: Covenant". A few weeks ago, a provisional release date for the film was cited, by certain sources, as April 30th. It is now being stated as May 19th. The original "Prometheus" was first shown to the public in Paris on April 11th 2012 - smack bang in the centre of the "40 Day Season of Human Sacrifice". Both "Prometheus" and, from what we have seen in the film trailer, "Alien: Covenant" contain ritualistic sacrifices of innocent humans. "Prometheus" is loaded with 322 symbolism - most notably the inverted name of the planet LV-223, which director Ridley Scott described (on the DVD commentary for the film) rather cryptically as a very romantic codename. "Prometheus" is also awash with symbols and themes relating to Saturn worship - another purveyor of ritual and mortal sacrifice. But I digress a little...On March 22nd 2017 (322), the "Attack on Westminster" took place. According to several early sources, the assailant allegedly responsible for the events was shot by police at 2.30pm. A number of witnesses heard 3 shots being fired. One of the London "Red" buses photographed on the Westminster Bridge after the event was the 211. For much of the afternoon, the BBC has been airing helicopter footage of the Westminster Bridge cordoned off. From the time on the Big Ben clock face, we can see this footage was filmed at 3.20pm. The overhead footage clearly shows the two principle lane/direction signs painted on the road. One directs for the A302, the other for the A3211. These are the only road numbers shown on the road surface of Westminster Bridge in the footage. A minister in the House of Commons announced the events in Westminster to his fellow house members at exactly 3pm. Finally, Westminster is located in W1. W is the 23rd letter of the English alphabet. March 22nd 2017 (322) is, to the day, the one year anniversary of the Brussels "terrorist attack".Maybe this is all coincidental... maybe not. I will leave it for you to decide.If nothing else, please remember always to be mindful and observant - especially right now.The Truth Seeker's Guide.Books available from Carl James:Science Fiction and the Hidden Global Agenda - Volume One - http://www.lulu.com/shop/carl-james/science-fiction-and-the-hidden-global-agenda-2016-edition-volume-one/paperback/product-23209429.htmlScience Fiction and the Hidden Global Agenda - Volume Two - http://www.lulu.com/shop/carl-james/science-fiction-and-the-hidden-global-agenda-2016-edition-volume-two/paperback/product-23209433.htmlWhat Really Happened at the London 2012 Olympics - http://www.lulu.com/shop/carl-james/what-really-happened-at-the-london-2012-olympics/paperback/product-23221527.html 3 comments: Hi Carl Another very interesting post my friend. Much food for thought I must say. Thank you for the work you do and share with all of us. I agree that we must all remain very diligent especially in the days we are now living. Keep up the good work. As always my friend, the very best to you and yours always! About The Author Carl James worked for many years in the healthcare profession - including four years as a therapeutic activities co-ordinator for the elderly. He also worked for many years as a singer, songwriter, musician and musical multimedia producer. He has worked on numerous musical projects - including fourteen years fronting one of the UK's leading tribute bands to rock legends The Who. He is the author of the alternative knowledge website "The Truth Seeker's Guide" and several alternative knowledge books. Carl is also an occasional graphic artist.
British Security Officials Scramble to Identify Attackers Motive Emergency services transport an injured person to an ambulance, close to the Houses of Parliament in London, March 22, 2017. Share British Security Officials Scramble to Identify Attackers Motive share As the gunshots cracked out, a bystander muttered a fearful, Jesus Christ. Others, tourists and office workers, already wondering why an SUV would ram the railings of Britains storied House of Commons, started to flee, some screaming. Under the shadow of Big Ben, a policeman who moments earlier had confronted a knife-wielding assailant died from his stab wounds. Meters away, his attacker, said by eyewitnesses to be middle-aged and Indian or Pakistani in appearance, was mortally wounded after having been shot by other armed police officer. On Westminster Bridge, scattered bodies lay in pools of blood on the sidewalk or in the road after having been plowed into by a speeding SUV. One man ended up spread-eagled at the bottom of stone steps that lead to the embankment along the River Thames. Inside the chamber of the House of Commons, lawmakers suspended a debate on pension reform. Just a half-hour earlier they had been listening to Chris Grayling, the transport minister, talk about why the government had decided to join the U.S. in banning laptops and other electronic items being carried in the cabins of passenger jets flying from a half-dozen Mideast and North African airports. That was underlined minutes later by crumpled bodies and gunshots, the desperate stabbing and the ramming of pedestrians on nearby Westminster Bridge and in bustling Parliament Square. A woman lies injured after an incident on Westminster Bridge in London, March 22, 2017. Quick response Britains counter-terror squad and other armed specialist units responded quickly to the incident, locking down the Palace of Westminster as a calm David Lidington, the leader of the House of Commons, explained why proceedings had to be suspended. Theresa May, who had been in an adjacent voting lobby when the gunfire erupted, was immediately surrounded by plainclothes bodyguards who drew their weapons as they escorted her out of the building, according to Conservative lawmaker Andrew Bridgen. As counter-terror police scrambled to understand the scale of the attack and to establish whether the assailant had acted alone, senior officers from Londons Metropolitan police already were launching a parallel probe to outline provisional lessons from the worst terror incident involving Britains parliament in nearly 40 years. In 1979, the Irish republicans managed to blow up in Old Palace Yard Airey Neave, a confidant of then newly elected British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. It was after that bombing that Parliament took on the appearance of a fortress. Security was ramped up and many of the security procedures still in use today can de dated from that bombing, although with dramatic updates as needed in the light of the threat from jihadists. Police prevent members of the public to from approaching the scene of the attack in London, March 22, 2017. (R. James/VOA) Lone wolf? Anticipation is one thing, making sure an attacker doesn't breach again the grounds of the Palace of Westminster is another. As one senior policeman told VOA, any obvious gaps in security need to be plugged quickly in case Wednesdays attack was a prelude to another. We still dont know whether the assailant was a 'lone wolf' or part of an operation with others, who may be planning to follow up, he said. We have to take into account what happened recently in Brussels and Paris, where there was coordination. Or is this more like Nice, he added, referring to last years terror attack on the French coast. Police know the identity of the assailant, say British security sources, and have visited his home as well as the houses of friends and known associates. Mark Rowley, the acting deputy commissioner who oversees Britains counter-terrorism police, said: A crime scene will remain in place in the affected areas in Westminster - it is vital that we carry out a painstaking investigation to recover all possible evidence. Not unexpected Labor Party activist Gary Kent, who has worked in the British Parliament for 25 years and is director of the all-party parliamentary group on the Kurdistan Region, said he remained shaken but not entirely surprised. Today has taken a long time but I have anticipated it or something like it on many occasions, he said. Peter Kirkham, a former police commissioner, said the security procedures were successful, adding that the attacker managed to breach the outer security cordon but was then stopped. Photo Gallery: Shots Fired Outside British Parliament When they were allowed to leave the Palace of Westminster, lawmakers sang the praises of the police, saluting them for rushing to the danger as they ordered everyone else to move away. But there will be lessons to be learned from the attack. A security review will likely see some changes. One upshot, says a senior security official, may be a decision to turn Parliament Square into a pedestrian precinct and to establish another barrier beyond the railings surrounding the building, thus making it harder for an attacker to rush into Old Palace Yard. Wednesdays attack is dismaying for security officials. Despite Britain being seen as a prime target, this is the first act of terrorism since 2013, when self-proclaimed jihadists hacked to death an off-duty British soldier in a London street. Vigilance and surveillance and quick detection of those who have become radicalized have helped prevent terrorism. Since 2009 there have been nearly 300 successful prosecutions of militants and would-be terrorists. But however good counterterror tactics and policing are, however much capabilities are improved, there cant be foolproof security. The attack on Britains parliament once again underlines how easy it is to pull off devastating assaults - all an attacker needs is a vehicle and a knife. It is always open to any lunatic with a fanatical outlook on life to mount an attack against innocent people in pursuit of their fixations, lamented Conservative lawmaker Julian Lewis.
CBS This Morning 7 arrested as ISIS claims London terror attack LONDON -- Police in Britain arrested seven people in overnight raids in London, Birmingham and elsewhere in connection with the Wednesday attack on the Houses of Parliament by a knife-wielding man who first drove a vehicle down a crowded sidewalk. The death toll in the attack increased from four to five, including the attacker, on Thursday night, when a 75-year-old man was taken off life support, Londons Metropolitan Police said. An American man was also confirmed to have been among the three civilians killed in the first stage of the attack, on Westminster Bridge over the River Thames. Speaking earlier Thursday morning, the top antiterrorism officer for the Metropolitan Police (Scotland Yard), Mark Rowley, said two civilians -- a woman in her 40s and a man in his 50s -- were killed, along with a police officer and the attacker. A photo posted to his Facebook profile shows Utah resident Kurt Cochran, who was killed in the suspected terror attack on the U.K. Parliament, March 23, 2017. Cochrans brother-in-law Clint Payne confirmed his death in a statement released by the couples church, adding that Cochrans wife Melissa was being treated for serious injuries. Payne said in his statement that Cochran and his wife were in London celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary, and had been due to fly home on Thursday. Greater clarity is now developing regarding the casualty figures as we have now collated information from the public and five hospitals, Rowley said Thursday. He also said 29 people were wounded, including seven who remained in critical condition on Thursday. That toll was also significantly lower than reported the previous day in the wake of the attack, when Rowley said 40 people were injured. British media quoted witnesses as saying the suspect had lived at a home raided in Birmingham, which is about 120 miles north of the capital city. The man from London lived here. They came and arrested three men, a man who works near one of the raided buildings told the Press Association news agency. Officials did not confirm the specifics of the raid at that location, or any of the six others. The suspect, who police identified as 52-year-old Khalid Masood, was fatally shot by an armed police officer after he stabbed the first officer he encountered just inside a gated entrance to the Parliament campus. Police Constable Keith Palmer died of his stab wounds. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) claimed responsibility on Thursday for the attack, but offered no evidence of any prior communications with or links to the attacker. The claim was made in a simple statement posted on the website of ISIS pseudo-news agency, AMAQ, saying the man carried out the attack in response to calls for the targeting of citizens of coalition countries. The statement did not include any details of the attackers identity or imagery of him. Prime Minister Theresa May said Thursday in the House of Commons that the attacker was British-born and known to intelligence agencies. He was investigated by domestic spy agency MI5 historically, in relation to concerns about violent extremism, but had no longer been deemed part of the current intelligence picture, according to May. The civilian deaths occurred on Westminster Bridge, which spans the River Thames. The attacker drove an SUV down the wide sidewalk of the bridge, plowing through throngs of tourists and other people going about their business in the heart of central London on Wednesday afternoon. Spoke to U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May today to offer condolences on the terrorist attack in London. She is strong and doing very well. May said the victims include 12 Britons, three French students, two Romanians, four South Koreans, a German, one Pole, one Chinese, one American and two Greeks. May did not appear to include the seriously-injured American mans wife among the casualties. My heart goes out to the victims and their families in London. No act of terror can shake the strength and resilience of our British ally. One of the slain civilians was identified Thursday by her employer, a London high school, as Aysha Frade. According to British media, she was a 43-year-old mother of two who worked as an administrator at the school, which is located just across the Thames from Parliament. At the north end of the bridge, on the bank of the Thames, sit the Palaces of Westminster, home of the oldest parliament in the world and where the attackers car smashed into a perimeter fence and came to a stop. From there the attacker, armed with at least one knife, walked through the same gate into the parliamentary estate that is used by lawmakers. He was immediately challenged by Palmer. He stabbed Palmer and was shot by another, armed officer moments later as he tried to walk into the Houses of Parliament. Rowley reiterated on Thursday morning that Scotland Yard does not believe any other suspects were directly involved in the attack. At this stage, we have no specific information about further threats to the public, said Rowley. Clearly our investigation is ongoing -- developing all the time -- and is focused on his motivation, his preparation and associates. Speaking Thursday morning, British Secretary of Defense Michael Fallon said investigators working assumption is that this is linked to Islamic terrorism. He sounded a defiant tone: We are going to be reassuring people today that people are going back to normal. London has seen terrorism before and London has faced it down. Parliament will be going about normal business.
A California physician who appeared in a reality TV dating show and an alleged female accomplice have been charged with drugging and sexually assaulting two women, and authorities say there could be many more victims. Man suspected of Westminster crash was UK national A man who rammed cyclists, pedestrians and security barriers at the Houses of Parliament in central London was a UK national, police have revealed. While he is yet to be formally identified, a number of British media, including The Guardian, say the suspect is believed to be Salih Khater, a 29-year-old from Birmingham of Sudanese origin. The suspect was arrested at the scene after armed police officers pounced on a silver Ford Fiesta that had crashed into security barriers. Armed police attended the scene in Westminster within minutes and dragged the man out of the vehicle. (Supplied) A man in handcuffs was seen being taken away from the scene by multiple police. (Supplied) Scotland Yard has said the man was not known to security services and was not cooperating with investigating officers. However, as the crash appeared to be deliberate it was being treated as a suspected terrorist attack. Three people were injured when the car ploughed into people on St Margaret Street in Westminster about 7.30am local time (4.30pm AEST). Two were taken to hospital and have since been released, and one was treated at the scene. Related Articles Counter-terror police also raided three properties in the Midlands, in central Britain at two addresses in Birmingham and an address in Nottingham, as part of their ongoing operation. "At this stage, there have been no other arrests in connection with this investigation, a statement from police said. Police also took the usual step of patrolling the Westminster area to "confront anyone they suspect may be in an area for criminal purposes." "Project Servator officers, who have specialist skills to recognise when a person is displaying minute signs of anxiety, have been deployed...to identify anyone who may be in the area for terrorist or other criminal purposes. A man has been arrested after crashing into a security barrier outside the UK Houses of Parliament in London. (Supplied) Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said the suspect driver was not known to authorities and is currently not negotiating with officers. (AAP) "These officers are both in uniform and plain clothes." Detectives said the car, a privately owned Ford Fiestas, travelled from Birmingham to London late on Monday night arriving in the London area just after midnight. "The vehicle was in the Tottenham Court Road area from approximately 1.25am until 5.55am (local time)," police said. "It was then driven around the Westminster and Whitehall area from approximately 6.00am and stayed in this area until the time of the incident." Westminster train station was also closed for entry and exit as authorities dealt with the 'security alert' incident. (Supplied) "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," Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu told reporters earlier. "At this early stage of the investigation no other suspects at the scene have been identified or reported to police. "There is no intelligence at this time of further danger to Londoners or to the rest of the UK connected to this incident. Camera footage showed the vehicle taking a wrong turn into a group of cyclists waiting at traffic lights before veering across the road and into a lane leading to parliament before hitting the barrier as two police officers jumped to safety. None of the injuries are believed to be life-threatening, however local police are awaiting updates on the condition of the pedestrians. (AP) The immediate area surrounding the crash site has been put into lockdown and traffic is being diverted by police. (AAP) Armed officers swarmed the scene and cordoned off a large area around the parliament building in central London, usually bustling with tourists and government workers. "I saw the cyclists, injured cyclists. I don't know if he's hit these people, or if they've just dived to escape," witness Jason Williams told reporters. "It didn't swerve, there was not another car going behind him. It looked like it was planned." Images shot by a Euronews journalist showed police pointing their guns at the vehicle shortly after the crash. Footage on social media showed a handcuffed man being led away by heavily armed police. No one else was in the car. The incident comes almost 18 months after a deadly terror attack on Westminster Bridge in which six people died. (AP/AAP) The area surrounding the Houses of Parliament was placed into lockdown and police cordons were established as pedestrians were pushed away from the scene. Westminster train station was closed for much of the day. Parliament is not currently sitting, however the UK Government has announced has held an emergency meeting of its COBRA Committee. UK-born terrorist Khalid Masood killed five people and was shot to death himself when he drove his car into pedestrians and stabbed to death another man. (AP/AAP) "All Londoners, like me, utterly condemn all acts of terrorism on our city," London's Mayor Sadiq Khan said on Twitter. US President Donald Trump tweeted shortly after the attack, saying "these animals are crazy". Britain is on its second-highest threat level of "severe", meaning an attack is considered highly likely and the authorities say a dozen Islamist plots had been foiled.
BREAKING: Theresa May has suggested that she wants to contest the next election but admitted that she needed to communicate better with her MPs and the country. ALSO BREAKING: More trouble for the outsourcing sector after Carillion's collapse: now Capita has issued a profit warning. Property developers are set to lose planning permission on unused land if they fail to hit construction targets under moves to kickstart housebuilding. Bad news for Nicola Sturgeon: A new analysis suggests Brexit is unlikely to be the constitutional game changer that leads Scots to vote for independence. Plotters' pubs face closure If you thought June 2016 was dramatic, it could have been even more politically explosive. On June 10, 2016 two weeks before the EU referendum, a fire broke out in the roof of a plant room in parliament. Luckily it happened in the daytime. Had it been at night or the weekend it could have been catastrophic. Big Ben wouldnt have struck to mark Brexit. Or anything. Since then there have been a dozen other fires of varying levels of seriousness. A team of wardens patrols the corridors of power around the clock looking for flames. There are real fears the whole place could burn down. Yet there is not quite the level of urgency you might expect ahead of a key vote today on whether MPs move out of parliament for the vital work to be carried out. Oddly there are two government motions: one, demanded by Theresa May (who is in China so will miss the vote) puts the whole decision off until 2022. Dither and delay? I know, doesnt sound like our prime minister at all, does it? A second motion, backed by Andrea Leadsom trying to be as collegiate as possible, supports the principle of the work and proposes more studies into whether to move out or not while the work is carried. Medium-length grass. There are amendments ranging from staying put while the work is done, moving parliament out of Westminster and JUST BLOODY GET ON WITH IT. It is worth noting that the vote to save parliament comes on the date that Guy Fawkes and his fellow Gunpowder Plot conspirators were executed, back in 1606, for their failed efforts to destroy it. If MPs do move out they will have to go somewhere. Richmond House has been earmarked, and the Department of Health has already moved out. A replica chamber would be built in the courtyard. There are just one or two problems: as we reveal in The Times today, Richmond House is 10 per cent smaller than thought (and in a much worse state, dirty Jeremy) so new office blocks might have to be built. More worryingly, security around the northern part of the parliamentary estate (across the road from the Palace of Westminster) isnt good enough. So a 52 million ring of steel is planned. But there is a snag: two of Westminsters best known pubs, notorius as scenes of political plots, face being seized by parliament. Leaked papers reveal that a Boots store has had its lease cut short. Moves are afoot to do the same for St Stephens Tavern, opposite Big Ben. The report states that increased security would also lead to the closure of retail units ahead of lease breaks and the likely compulsory purchase of the Red Lion. I understand it is far from clear whether the pubs would shut, or be kept for exclusive use of MPs. There has been a pub on the site of the Red Lion for 500 years. Charles Dickens drank there when a young parliamentary reporter. It secured its place in political history in 1997 when Charlie Whelan, a spin doctor to Gordon Brown, was overheard briefing reporters that Britain would not be joining the euro. He stepped outside to take a call from a furious Tony Blair who knew nothing about an interview that Brown had given for the next edition of The Times. All that history could come to an end. The drinking culture in Westminster is not what it was. Maybe in an era of normal working hours and few politicians drinking anything stronger than a fizzy water, the loss of these pubs wont be too sorely felt. But where will we all go to drown our sorrows when parliament burns down? You might think what else could she say? Even so, Theresa May's decision to restate her catchphrase I'm not a quitter has echoes of her vow to fight the next election delivered on a different trip to the Far East last summer. May is in China where she wants to talk trade but the first story to emerge from her chat with reporters, including The Times' Henry Zeffman, on her RAF Voyager flight was about her own job. First and foremost Im a servant of my country and my party." Asked about Robert Halfon saying she was a tortoise when the country needed a lion, May replied: "I have never tried to compare myself to any animal, or bird or car or whatever sort of comparisons that sometimes people use". Nick Gibb, the schools minister, hit the airwaves to insist everything is fine. Asked on ITV's Good Morning Britain if he thought there was someone who could do a better job he replied: "No I don't. I do think she is the best person for the job." A YouGov poll for WPI Strategy, a consultancy, found that 69 per cent of people who voted for the Conservatives think Theresa May should continue as prime minister, with 18 per cent saying that she should stand down and let someone else take over. Voters were not enthralled by the prospect of any alternative Tory leaders, with Boris Johnson the most divisive candidate. A government minister stood at the government dispatch box, took one look at the government analysis of the government's plans for Brexit and declared: "Nothing to do with me." It ought to have been bizarre, but we are way past that now. "David Davis" was unavailable, so sent his understudy to give the Commons the sort of mind-bending, avant-garde performance we have come to expect from the DExEU Performing Arts Theatre Company. Challenged over the government document, leaked to Buzzfeed, warning of the economic damage that would be caused by a no deal or limited free trade agreement with Britains biggest trading partner, Steve Baker sought to rubbish it  and those who produced it. "Flawed ... selective ... an attempt to undermine our exit from the European Union. Sir Jeremy Heywood, the cabinet secretary and most senior civil servant, is being blamed by Brexiteers for peddling, as they see it, the leftovers of Project Fear. But also worth noting: Philip Lee, a junior justice minister of the same rank as Baker, tweeted last night that such warnings cannot just be dismissed: "If these figures turn out to be anywhere near right, there would be a serious question over whether a government could legitimately lead a country along a path that the evidence and rational consideration indicate would be damaging." Labour will try to force a vote today forcing the government to publish the analysis in full. Theresa May told reporters in China that parliament would get he information it needs, but not now. To the red end of parliament, then, where 191 peers, a record number, had signed up to debate the EU (Withdrawal) Bill. This is not about revisiting the arguments of the referendum, Baroness Evans of Bowes Park, the leader of the House, pleaded. Fat chance. There they all were: Lord Has-Been, Lord Claimform, Baroness Toady and dozens of Lib Dems, all desperate to have their six minutes worth. It's deputy day in the Commons: With Theresa May away in China, David Lidington stands in at PMQs, facing Labour's Emily Thornberry. When they clashed back in December 2016, she mocked him with a list of his old pro-Remain quotes, asking: We agree with what he said six months ago. The question is, does he still agree with himself? The Times begins a major investigation into the housing crisis, and what to do about it. Sajid Javid, the housing secretary, tells the paper that he will take a more "muscular approach" to drive up the supply of new homes, including greater use of compulsory purchase powers. "If you are nimby, the government is not going to be your friend," he says. Which is awkward because a former aide to the PM describes Theresa May as a nimby who doesnt understand the scale of the crisis. The chancellor has raised the possibility of a big upheaval to inheritance tax less than a year after George Osbornes reforms came into effect. Philip Hammond has written to the Office of Tax Simplification asking for a review, describing the present regime as particularly complex. Mark Carney, governor of the Bank of England, has called for the government to scrap the retail prices index of inflation used to set the interest rate on student loans, rail fares and on 400 billion of government debt because it has known errors. Ruth Davidson, the Scottish Tory leader, has given an interview to Vogue magazine. In it she says it would be a "bad idea" for Donald Trump to visit Britain. And she also describes her horror at the sexual harassment scandal, triggered by the Harvey Weinstein case, and revealed she had suffered herself. "I never questioned whether I should stand up to men who behaved like that to me. I tried to not let it get to me, but when I was very young, it ground me down. I felt like a piece of meat that had no value." Henry Bolt-on Maybe it's something about Ukip leaders that they have to add bits and pieces to their CV. As former professional football, Phd, first man on the Moon and Henry VIII's ninth wife, Paul Nuttall, found. Michael Crick, of Channel 4 News, has unearthed one or two issues with Henry Bolton's CV. He tweeted: "Following queries from me, Ukip leader Henry Bolton has today corrected his LinkedIn site to remove the BA he claimed from Sandhurst (which doesn't award BAs), & clarified that the BA he still claims from City & Guilds (which also doesn't award BAs) is really an NVQ Level 6." American heart, American hands, and American grit A year ago he spoke in apocalyptic terms about "American carnage" in his inauguration speech. Last night Donald Trump struck a markedly more positive tone, using his state of the union speech to herald what he said was a new American moment. He tried to reach out to Democrats to find common ground on infrastructure, though it will take more than one of his "gleaming new bridges" to span the bitter divisions over his immigration policy. SYRIA: Chemical weapons inspectors have for the first time linked the sarin gas used in an attack in Damascus in 2013 to President Assads stockpiles. Read the full storySPAIN: Separatists who promised to return the exiled former president of Catalonia to power have backed down in the face of legal threats from the prime minister. Read the full story ITALY: The far-right Brothers of Italy party has launched a new member of the Mussolini family into national politics, choosing Rachele Mussolini as a parliamentary candidate in the Lazio region. Read the full storyKENYA: The leader of the Kenyan opposition has been threatened with arrest after he staged an unofficial swearing-in ceremony as an alternative president. Read the full storyAUSTRALIA: A government minister faces loses his job after it emerged that a vote to name a ferry in Sydney harbour was rigged, and Ferry McFerryface was not the popular choice. Read the full story The SNP has never been keen on Michelle Mone, the Glaswegian underwear tycoon who received a peerage from David Cameron in 2015. Yesterday one of them boiled over when she tweeted, under the name Lady Mone, about her designer jewellery brand. How thrilling, sneered Stewart McDonald, MP for Glasgow South, who observed that Mone has spoken only twice in the Lords and missed 60 per cent of votes. It got a graceless reply. Im a Global [sic] entrepreneur not a full-time MP like u, she wrote. The difference is Im a Baroness for life, whereas u will be out of ur MP job in no time. He should have told the classy Baroness Brassiere not to get her knickers in a twist. The Times"In 1913 The Times published an editorial arguing that 'the homes of a large proportion of the nation fall far beneath the standard of health, decency and comfort which our level of civilisation requires,' and that 'private enterprise is proved incapable of solving the problem by itself'. A century on the problem is more with the quantity than quality of housing but the analysis holds true." Read the full article The Guardian"The government acts as if it has a blank cheque to vandalise the economy in Brexits name. The fight to stop that must not falter." Read the full article The Daily Telegraph"To get a picture of what a Labour government under Jeremy Corbyn might look like the goings-on in the London borough of Haringey provide a timely insight. The Labour-run council has been seeking to develop land that it owns to provide much-needed housing. This project would be a joint venture between the local authority and private construction companies creating 6,400 homes and thousands of jobs." Read the full article The Sun"What fools Remainers made of themselves yesterday, swallowing whole the ridiculous Brexit impact papers." Read the full article Daily Mail"There can be few more unsavoury sights in politics than unaccountable, unelected peers competing to sneer at the 17.4 million who voted for Brexit. With egregious hypocrisy, many pretend to be concerned about the constitutional technicalities of the Withdrawal Bill, which would give the Government Henry VIII powers to repeal or amend EU legislation without full Parliamentary scrutiny." Agenda Today Theresa May visits Beijing for talks with Li Keqiang, the Chinese prime minister, on the first day of a three-day trip to China. Gavin Williamson, the defence secretary, meets James Mattis, the US defence secretary, for talks at the Pentagon. Low-skilled immigration should be cut in favour of a "lighter touch" for professionals post-Brexit, according to a report by the Policy Exchange. There is a growing sense of crisis in schools over teacher retention, according to a report on teacher retention. Stonewall releases annual workplace equality index Ending the benefit cap and "rape clause" in Scotland could lift 15,000 people out of poverty, according to a report by IPPR Scotland. 9.00am Sir John Curtice, the polling expert, Liz Kendall, the Labour MP, and Anthony Wells, director of political research at YouGov, speak on Brexit and public opinion hosted by The UK in a Changing Europe. 9.30am Home Office hosts a round table on moped and scooter-related crime. 2.15pm Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary, delivers a speech at the National Suicide Prevention Alliance conference. 1.00pm Damian Hinds, the education secretary, addresses the all-party parliamentary group on education and autism in England. 5.45pm Simon Coveney, the Irish foreign minister and deputy prime minister, speaks on the relationship between Britain and Ireland in the past, present and future at the Chatham House think tank. 6.00pm Ken Clarke, the former chancellor, and Jack Straw, the former foreign secretary, speak on the challenges of being a minister at an event organised by the Institute for Government. 9.30am Mark Lancaster, the armed forces minister, Nick Gurr, director of international security policy at the Ministry of Defence, Major-General Charles Stickland and Jane Rumble, head of the polar regions at the FCO on defence in the Arctic. 9.45am Northern Ireland affairs: Karen Bradley, the secretary of state for Northern Ireland, and Sir Jonathan Stephens, permanent secretary at the Northern Ireland office, on the work of the secretary of state for Northern Ireland. 9.45am Lords EU committee: George Hamilton, chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, and representatives of agriculture and business on UK-Irish relations after Brexit. 10.00am International trade: Giles Derrington, Mike Hawes, chief executive at the Society of Motor Manufacturers, and representatives from the BioTech industry on UK-US trade relations. 10.00am Business, energy and industrial strategy: Shanker Singham, of the Legatum Institute, Stephen Booth, director of policy and research at Open Europe, and Emily Lydgate, lecturer in law at the Sussex Trade Observatory, on the implications of Brexit on UK businesses. 10.30am International relations committee: Lord Hague of Richmond on foreign policy in changed world conditions. 10.30am Women and equalities: Representatives from the CBI, legal firms, Equity and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development on sexual harassment in the workplace. 2.05pm Science and technology: Professor Fiona Watt, candidate for executive chairwoman of the Medical Research Council, and Sir John Kingman, candidate for chairman, of UK Research and Innovation. 2.10pm Environmental audit: Thrse Coffey, the environment minister, and officials from Defra and the Environment Agency on Chinese restriction on imported waste. 2.15pm Treasury: Liz Truss, chief secretary to the Treasury, and HMRC and Treasury officials on childcare. 2.15pm International development: Penny Mordaunt, secretary of state for international development, and Matthew Rycroft, permanent secretary, on the work of the department for international development. 2.30pm Public accounts: Alex Chisholm, permanent secretary at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and Sir Chris Wormald, permanent secretary at the Department of Health and Social Care. 3.15pm Human rights: Max Hill, QC, on his work as the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation. 3.00pm Oral questions on strategy for reducing home inequality; NHS budgets for clinical negligence claims; Brexit transition, and the National Careers Service. 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Share this article After a violent petrol bomb attack on four officers near Paris, France's prime minister insisted there were no no-go zones in the country, but police unions themselves told The Local the reality is very different. Valls was paying a visit to the suburb of Paris where four police officers were injured on Saturday after coming under fire from a hail of Molotov cocktails. The incident, which left one officer in a critical condition, occurred near the notorious housing estate of La Grande Borne in Viry-Chtillon, to the south of Paris. The attack on the officers, who were protecting a CCTV camera installed in an area where there had been a spate of robberies on motorists, was used as ammunition by opposition politicians who claimed the government had allowed lawless areas to develop. But PM Valls, who was joined by interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve said: The authority of the state will be guaranteed. There are no no-go zones before acknowledging that there are particularly difficult areas. Valls promised all would be done to bring those responsible for the petrol bomb attack to justice. These individuals will be found, brought to justice and severely punished because when we attack the police, we attack France itself, said the PM. But police unions disagreed with the prime minister. (PM Manuel Valls on a visit to Viry-Chtillon. AFP) Of course there are no-go zones in France where the police cannot intervene and do their jobs in safety, Denis Jacob from the union Alternative police-CFDT told The Local. And it's the same for fire fighters or pretty much any representative of the state. The police can't apply the law in these areas, they are attacked. If the police can't do their work it's because there are criminals and delinquents who don't respect the law. It's not just a problem with this government it's a problem with all French governments over the last 20 years. Governments will never admit there are no-go zones because it's a sign of a failed state." New statistics were released on Monday that will concern Valls and anyone working in the French police force. According to France's national crime observatory, between 2010 and 2015 the number of police and gendarmes (military police) injured while on duty rose by 25 percent. In 2015 some 5,674 police officers were injured in the line of duty compared to 4,535 back in 2010. For the gendarmes the rise was even more striking  1,807 injuries in 2015 compared to 1,408 in 2010. A section of the population has no respect for the police or the state anymore, said Jacob. He said the solution was a return to local policing and local police stations or the UK's old bobbies on the beat style of policing. I've been in the French national police for 30 years. When I started there were police working locally in local police stations, but these have been taken away," said Jacob. The police used to know all the young people in the area and would build up important intelligence on who were the criminals. They would also get information from the local population who now feel completely abandoned," he added. Following the attack in Viry-Chtillon scores of riot police flooded the area as a show of force from authorities, but Jacob says it will ultimately be pointless. When it calms down the riot police will go and when they do, things will just return to how they were.
Comments (38) Closed Saudi Arabia has a lot to answer for influencing people in following hard line ideology Recommend0 M.Saeed Mar 25, 2017 01:37pm He was stated to have an accomplice who probably had slipped after mowing down the pedestrians. It is not a simple case as it being made to appears. Recommend0 Dr Mazhar Mar 25, 2017 01:59pm A guy hit and killed 5 innocent people in Melbourne last month. No body asked his religion because he was not Muslim, Media didn't say it was a terrorist attack because he was not Muslim, even police didn't kill him because he was not Muslim. Khalid Masood had criminal history long before he was converted to Islam, When police and intelligence fail to protect people it is easy for them to put everything on religion. @Dr Mazhar I partially tends to agree but there are few differences due to which such attacks like in London or Paris are dubbed as religiously motivated and tracked to religion. The incident in Melbourne yo quoted was and act of individual which he executed due to his mental state and was not influenced by any ideology (be very clear that twisted and sick ideology of IS has nothing to do with Islam) but in case of other mentioned attacks it was ideologically motivated and there was one thing in mind of attacker that he is doing it as a greater good. IS and other terrorist outfits very cleverly capitalized on criminal mind set when he fails to gain all goals in life and resort to violence what IS did that it made that violence a great virtue. The way west is dealing with such incidents is as dangerous as this IS mindset is where Muslims who have to suffer the most due to this twisted IS mindset which tends to hijack their religion are painted as real problem. But it is different Recommend0 irfan uk Mar 25, 2017 02:45pm Why was this person killed and not shot in the leg or something so that the police could interrogate him and maybe find some real answers? It makes no sense to me and most others why someone would commit an act like this so we really need answers. People blaming Muslims for these terrorists need to understand that we the Muslims use the same roads and streets and parks and all other places so we are a target just as much as others. Recommend0 Sajid malick Mar 25, 2017 02:50pm @Dr Mazhar I agree with you. Recommend0 jafar abbas Mar 25, 2017 02:57pm How depressing for the Muslim world. Each terrorist or it's group in found links with K.S.A. Recommend0 Lafanga Mar 25, 2017 03:02pm @Nomi Goraya How do you know for sure that Melbourne attack was not religiously motivated but London attack was? All we know so far is that a guy mowed down people on the bridge then killed a cop in front of the parliament before being shot and killed. How can you say from this that it was religiously motivated other than one simple fact that this guy changed his name to a Muslim name at some point in his life. That is all. Recommend0 Love Your Country Mar 25, 2017 02:59pm Loss of innocent life is regrettable no matter where it happens to followers of whatever faith. But did the world pay as much attention to 20+ children killed in one targeted air strike in Syria (no matter who was hitting). I challenge all readers to find me one meaningful and balanced discussion on issues of foreign policy related faults of the policy of the Western powers that are only affecting the Muslims. Discussion is successfully kept focused on terrorists to lead the general public look away. Recommend0 imran Mar 25, 2017 03:05pm killing innocent people and that too children is barbaric and totally condemnable. Our thoughts and prayers for the victims, their families and friends and those who are recovering in hospitals. no religion teaches us to target innocent human lives. i have lived in london for 6 years and Londoners didnt deserve such a barbaric and terrible act. our thought to all the expats overseas who have to bear its repercussions Recommend0 Sajid malick Mar 25, 2017 03:09pm This was the media who discriminate such ideology otherwise I believe people understood the actual story and the things which has going on now a days. Recommend0 Nomi Goraya Mar 25, 2017 03:09pm @Lafanga Sir I hate even more than this when such senseless crimes are related to Islam but just to get emotional and blame for everything on others and keeping our own head buried deep in sand is not solution. We have to wake up to take back our religion from IS and other outfits who has nothing to do with Islam and making life hell of Muslims. I have no doubt in my mind that to blame a whole religion or whole community for a mindless is attack is the worst thing but London attack is not an isolated event why all countries who have sizeable Muslim population are suffering due to this twisted ideology of IS. Can you give me a any example of Muslim country who do not consider attacks such as in London or Paris a real threat? I know that it is not Islam but you can not just paint it as discrimination and sleep that it was just an isolated event. People traveled from Europe to IS held areas and exploded on order of IS and still we think that it is some isolated event? Recommend0 Nomi Goraya Mar 25, 2017 03:18pm @Love Your Country You pointed very rightly to sole cause which is providing fuel to this twisted ideology this injustice on part of world this silence on cruelty which people have to face in their lives. If WEST wants peace in their own countries then they have to treat others in SYRIA, IRAQ etc as equal humans. Just blaming whole religion and whole community due to some sick and twisted mindset is as deplorable as this so called IS ideology is Recommend0 Abdulla Hussain Mar 25, 2017 03:41pm @Jo: There is no justification to point finger towards Saudi Arab. This is an individual act or acts of his mentor, the ISS not KSA. Knowing fully well the temperament of this person why the local authority did not take some steps to watch this man. Recommend0 Zak Mar 25, 2017 03:51pm What has visiting countries got to do with an individual's act. Only biased idiots will find links to further their prejudices. Recommend0 Nomi Goraya Mar 25, 2017 04:03pm @Abdulla Hussain I totally agree but from where IS derives its ideology and what is their main funding recourse ? Just going by his name, some were making typical insinuations about his origin!!! Recommend0 Sana Mar 25, 2017 04:34pm @M.Saeed Sure accomplice - yes but he himself was guilty or is there any conspiracy theory in your mind? That is why the cops are spending time interviewing family and friends since he had some support Recommend0 Sana Mar 25, 2017 04:36pm @Dr Mazhar so it's not a terror attack? wow when you say these things people wonder about how closed minded you are ISIS claimed responsibility for this attack - isn't that enough to make it a terror attack? Recommend0 pakistani Mar 25, 2017 04:32pm Thank God he is not a Pakistani and did not visit Pakistan. Recommend0 JYOTI Mar 25, 2017 04:39pm @irfan uk Absolutely spot on. I have been to Saudi Arabia 5 times does that make me a terrorist!!! Recommend0 JYOTI Mar 25, 2017 04:41pm A fearful world is a very ugly world. Ordinary human beings are bringing their worst out!!! Recommend0 Sana Mar 25, 2017 04:41pm @Zak the visits at times- and I agree with you- not at all times are connected to becoming radicalized Recommend0 Dr Mazhar Mar 25, 2017 04:46pm @Nomi Goraya I just want to say that how media paints an event when any Muslim is involved as an attacker. We read in newspapers every other day about shootings in USA where innocent people are killed but no one takes care until it is done by any Muslim. most of the terrorist attacks happened in west are done by criminals (non-ideologists) Muslims, For sure I believe these organizations like Talibans, AlQaida, IS are all criminals, cruel and have nothing to do with ideological Islam. They have killed more number of Muslims and destroyed more mosques as compared to other people. Recommend0 syedchaudhrygangadinkhan Mar 25, 2017 05:19pm "Saudi embassy confirms UK attacker had been in Saudi Arabia:" What does that mean? Recommend0 M.Saeed Mar 25, 2017 05:21pm This appears to be a serious security breach by Saudi Arabia. Anyone applying for a visa to Saudi Arabia has to give details of one's ancestors up to his grandfather and history of links to any Saudi outlawed bodies. It is surprising how he was issued visas on 3 occasions with non-Muslim parentage? Recommend0 JAMIL Mar 25, 2017 05:25pm @Dr Mazhar great thought Recommend0 ahaq Mar 25, 2017 05:31pm @Abdulla Hussain With no democracy, accountability of government in Saudi Arabia, everything goes by the whims of ruling royalties. Underground extremists thrive in such an environment. Recommend0 Jo Mar 25, 2017 05:40pm Remember it's a kingdom!! Recommend0 Nomi Goraya Mar 25, 2017 05:42pm @Dr Mazhar I can well understand your point and I have said that reaction of WEST to deal with such attacks is also part of problem and is as deplorable as ideology of IS is. But at least I can very clearly see the line which separates hate crimes or individual attacks to the Ideological attacks like this. Respected Dr. since we are blaming to West so lets come home what is problem in Pakistan? Why Pakistan thinks IS and TTP as threat why IS and TTP are attacking Pakistan a Muslim majority country and calls herself Islamic Republic. For a moment just ignore what is the source of funding and look what is the point on which each and every suicide attacker is brain washed? Do you remember the pic TTP issues after APS massacre what was written in background? I know Islam even does not allow you to harm the animal or plant but we know that IS TTP all are using the Islam to brain wash their members so we need to work to fight this ideological war on two fronts IS and West to show real Islam Recommend0 Iftikhar Husain Mar 25, 2017 05:49pm He had an influence on his thinking in KSA. Recommend0 Faisal Mar 25, 2017 05:56pm @Nomi Goraya Well said Nomi. Recommend0 B.patel. USA Mar 25, 2017 06:24pm @irfan uk. A very, very sensible comment Irfanbhai. Recommend0 Abdulla Hussain Mar 25, 2017 06:46pm @Dr Mazhar: They are all biased towards Muslims Recommend0 Oussy Mar 25, 2017 06:53pm @sam in canada 11 muslim shot dead outside mosque. Taxi man shot dead. Did that even make the headlines??? Recommend0 Right Mar 25, 2017 07:22pm @jafar abbas Stop commenting on sectarian lines, Millions of Muslims go to Saudi Arabia for work or Haj. Any one of them will do something and you will say look he has been to Saudi hence Saudi connection proven.
I love Manchester and its people - we are a resolute people and will not be divided by these barbaric animals or cowered by their violence, he said. He added: We reject this barbaric terrorism, we commit to exposing the evil ideology of violence behind it and stand together with our fellow Mancunians. The Ramadhan Foundation, which works to build cohesion between communities, is holding a multi-faith vigil on Wednesday outside Manchester Town Hall, which will be led by Muslim scholars. The vigil, Mr Shafiq said, was a chance for communities to come together and show unity, compassion and solidarity. Manchester terror attack: What we know so far His comments come after Muslims in the UK and around the world condemned the fatal attack, triggered by a man with an improvised explosive device, killing scores of young people as they piled out of a packed stadium after a pop concert. The death toll stands at 22 and 59 more people were injured. It has been described as the deadliest attack in the UK since the London bombings in 2005. Harun Khan, the secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, described the attack as horrific and criminal. Manchester explosion in pictures Manchester explosion in pictures 1/37 People running down stairs as they attempt to exit the Manchester Arena after a blast, where U.S. singer Ariana Grande had been performing, in Manchester Twitter/@ZACH_BRUCE/ via REUTERS 2/37 Helpers attend to people inside the Manchester Arena after a suspected suicide bomber detonated an explosive device at the end of an Ariana Grande concert, killing 22 people PA wire 3/37 Armed officers guard outside a hotel near the Manchester Arena following reports of an explosion, in Manchester, Britain EPA 4/37 Police officers are seen outside the Manchester Arena, where U.S. singer Ariana Grande had been performing, in Manchester, northern England Reuters 5/37 Getty Images 6/37 Getty Images 7/37 Getty Images 8/37 AFP/Getty Images 9/37 Police and fans close to the Manchester Arena, after reports of an explosion Getty Images 10/37 There have been reports of explosions at Manchester Arena where Ariana Grande had performed Getty Images 11/37 Police deploy at scene of explosion in Manchester, England, at a concert in Manchester Arena AFP/Getty Images 12/37 Police stand by a cordoned off street close to the Manchester Arena Getty Images 13/37 Police deploy at scene of explosion in Manchester, England AFP/Getty Images 14/37 Police deploy at scene of a reported explosion during a concert in Manchester, England, on May 23, 2017. British police said early May 23 there were "a number of confirmed fatalities" after reports of at least one explosion during a pop concert by US singer Ariana Grande. Ambulances were seen rushing to the Manchester Arena venue and police added in a statement that people should avoid the area AFP/Getty Images 15/37 An ambulance drives away from the Manchester Arena, where U.S. singer Ariana Grande had been performing, in Manchester Reuters 16/37 Police escort members of the public from the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England. Getty Images 17/37 A woman sits in the street in a blanket near the Manchester Arena as police guard the area following reports of an explosion, in Manchester, Britain EPA 18/37 Two women wrapped in thermal blankets stand near the Manchester Arena, where US singer Ariana Grande had been performing, in Manchester Reuters 19/37 A Royal Logistic Corps (RLC) bomb disposal robot is unloaded outside the Manchester Arena following reports of an explosion, in Manchester. At least 19 people have been confirmed dead and others 50 were injured, authorities said. It is being treated as a terrorist incident until police know otherwise EPA 20/37 A Royal Logistic Corps (RLC) bomb disposal robot is unloaded outside the Manchester Arena following reports of an explosion, in Manchester EPA 21/37 Members of the public receive treatment from emergency service staff at Victoria Railway Station close to the Manchester Arena on May 23, 2017 in Manchester, England. There have been reports of explosions at Manchester Arena where Ariana Grande had performed this evening. Greater Manchester Police have have confirmed there are fatalities and warned people to stay away from the area Getty Images 22/37 Armed police after a suspected terrorist attack at the Manchester Arena at the end of a concert by US star Ariana Grande left 19 dead PA wire 23/37 Emergency services arrive close to the Manchester Arena in Manchester Getty Images 24/37 An amoured police vehicle patrols near Manchester Arena in Manchester Getty Images 25/37 A man carries a young girl on his shoulders near Victoria station in Manchester AFP/Getty Images 26/37 Police officers stand at the Miller Street and Corporation Street Crossroads, in front of the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England Getty Images 27/37 Police block a road near to the Manchester Arena in central Manchester, England AP 28/37 Armed police patrol near Victoria station in Manchester, northwest England. Twenty two people have been killed and dozens injured after a suspected suicide bomber targeted fans leaving a concert of US singer Ariana Grande in Manchester Getty Images 29/37 Police forensic officers leave the Manchester Arena as they investigate the scene of an explosion in Manchester Getty Images 30/37 A forensic officer collects evidence on a walkway between Victoria station and Manchester Arena following a deadly terror attack in Manchester, Getty Images 31/37 A woman and a young girl wearing a t-shirt of US singer Ariana Grande talks to police near Manchester Arena following a deadly terror attack in Manchester, Getty 32/37 EPA 33/37 Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham and Manchester City Council Leader Sir Richard Leese speak to the media outside Manchester Town Hall after a suicide bomber killed 22 people, including children, as an explosion tore through fans leaving a pop concert in Manchester Dave Higgens/PA Wire 34/37 The media gather behind a police cordon in Manchester Getty Images 35/37 Flowers left close to the Manchester Arena, the morning after a suicide bomber killed 22 people, including children, as an explosion tore through fans leaving a pop concert in Manchester Danny Lawson/PA Wire 36/37 Ariana Grande concert attendees Karen Moore and her daughter Molly Steed, aged 14, from Derby, leave the Park Inn where they were given refuge after last night's explosion at Manchester Arena Getty 37/37 Signs saying 'We love Manchester' are displayed in a window in Manchester, England Getty Images 1/37 People running down stairs as they attempt to exit the Manchester Arena after a blast, where U.S. singer Ariana Grande had been performing, in Manchester Twitter/@ZACH_BRUCE/ via REUTERS 2/37 Helpers attend to people inside the Manchester Arena after a suspected suicide bomber detonated an explosive device at the end of an Ariana Grande concert, killing 22 people PA wire 3/37 Armed officers guard outside a hotel near the Manchester Arena following reports of an explosion, in Manchester, Britain EPA 4/37 Police officers are seen outside the Manchester Arena, where U.S. singer Ariana Grande had been performing, in Manchester, northern England Reuters 5/37 Getty Images 6/37 Getty Images 7/37 Getty Images 8/37 AFP/Getty Images 9/37 Police and fans close to the Manchester Arena, after reports of an explosion Getty Images 10/37 There have been reports of explosions at Manchester Arena where Ariana Grande had performed Getty Images 11/37 Police deploy at scene of explosion in Manchester, England, at a concert in Manchester Arena AFP/Getty Images 12/37 Police stand by a cordoned off street close to the Manchester Arena Getty Images 13/37 Police deploy at scene of explosion in Manchester, England AFP/Getty Images 14/37 Police deploy at scene of a reported explosion during a concert in Manchester, England, on May 23, 2017. British police said early May 23 there were "a number of confirmed fatalities" after reports of at least one explosion during a pop concert by US singer Ariana Grande. Ambulances were seen rushing to the Manchester Arena venue and police added in a statement that people should avoid the area AFP/Getty Images 15/37 An ambulance drives away from the Manchester Arena, where U.S. singer Ariana Grande had been performing, in Manchester Reuters 16/37 Police escort members of the public from the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England. Getty Images 17/37 A woman sits in the street in a blanket near the Manchester Arena as police guard the area following reports of an explosion, in Manchester, Britain EPA 18/37 Two women wrapped in thermal blankets stand near the Manchester Arena, where US singer Ariana Grande had been performing, in Manchester Reuters 19/37 A Royal Logistic Corps (RLC) bomb disposal robot is unloaded outside the Manchester Arena following reports of an explosion, in Manchester. At least 19 people have been confirmed dead and others 50 were injured, authorities said. It is being treated as a terrorist incident until police know otherwise EPA 20/37 A Royal Logistic Corps (RLC) bomb disposal robot is unloaded outside the Manchester Arena following reports of an explosion, in Manchester EPA 21/37 Members of the public receive treatment from emergency service staff at Victoria Railway Station close to the Manchester Arena on May 23, 2017 in Manchester, England. There have been reports of explosions at Manchester Arena where Ariana Grande had performed this evening. Greater Manchester Police have have confirmed there are fatalities and warned people to stay away from the area Getty Images 22/37 Armed police after a suspected terrorist attack at the Manchester Arena at the end of a concert by US star Ariana Grande left 19 dead PA wire 23/37 Emergency services arrive close to the Manchester Arena in Manchester Getty Images 24/37 An amoured police vehicle patrols near Manchester Arena in Manchester Getty Images 25/37 A man carries a young girl on his shoulders near Victoria station in Manchester AFP/Getty Images 26/37 Police officers stand at the Miller Street and Corporation Street Crossroads, in front of the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England Getty Images 27/37 Police block a road near to the Manchester Arena in central Manchester, England AP 28/37 Armed police patrol near Victoria station in Manchester, northwest England. Twenty two people have been killed and dozens injured after a suspected suicide bomber targeted fans leaving a concert of US singer Ariana Grande in Manchester Getty Images 29/37 Police forensic officers leave the Manchester Arena as they investigate the scene of an explosion in Manchester Getty Images 30/37 A forensic officer collects evidence on a walkway between Victoria station and Manchester Arena following a deadly terror attack in Manchester, Getty Images 31/37 A woman and a young girl wearing a t-shirt of US singer Ariana Grande talks to police near Manchester Arena following a deadly terror attack in Manchester, Getty 32/37 EPA 33/37 Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham and Manchester City Council Leader Sir Richard Leese speak to the media outside Manchester Town Hall after a suicide bomber killed 22 people, including children, as an explosion tore through fans leaving a pop concert in Manchester Dave Higgens/PA Wire 34/37 The media gather behind a police cordon in Manchester Getty Images 35/37 Flowers left close to the Manchester Arena, the morning after a suicide bomber killed 22 people, including children, as an explosion tore through fans leaving a pop concert in Manchester Danny Lawson/PA Wire 36/37 Ariana Grande concert attendees Karen Moore and her daughter Molly Steed, aged 14, from Derby, leave the Park Inn where they were given refuge after last night's explosion at Manchester Arena Getty 37/37 Signs saying 'We love Manchester' are displayed in a window in Manchester, England Getty Images May the perpetrators face the full weight of justice both in this life and the next, he said. I urge all those in the region and around the country to pool together to support those affected. Police have reportedly identified the attacker but the information has not been released. Isis has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the police have not confirmed if the attacker had any links to the extremist group. Read more In the chaotic aftermath, taxi drivers including Muslims were praised for offering people free lifts, water and helped to charge peoples mobile phones. People online shared their experience of witnessing Muslim doctors and nurses working through the night to save victims, quick to defend their community against prejudice. The MI5 said it was revolted by the attack and confirmed it was working with the police in its investigation as to how the attacker obtained the explosive device, how he selected his target and whether he obtained ID to enter an area so close to the arena.
The number of suspects arrested in terrorism investigations has reached a record high, official figures reveal. A total of 400 people were held for terror-related offences in Britain in the year to the end of September, the highest tally since data collection started in 2001 and a jump of 54% compared to last year. The 400 total includes 12 arrests made in connection with the Westminster attack, 23 after Manchester, 21 after London Bridge and one after the Finsbury Park attack, It was also revealed that 58 of those held were female - the highest number on record. Anti-terror police take down a suspect in east London during the London Bridge attack probe. Figures released today show UK police arrested a record 400 terror suspects in the last year A Home Office statistical bulletin said: 'As a result, the number of arrests in the year to 30 September 2017 was the highest since the data collection began.' Just under a third of those arrested, 115 people, were later charged, with the vast majority of those charged with terrorism-related offences. More than 200 of those arrested were were released without charge, 60 were released on bail pending further investigation and 11 faced so-called 'alternative action'. RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Share The increase includes a 77% rise in the number of white suspects held, from 81 to 143. Earlier this week, a report revealed that counter-terror teams are currently running about 500 live investigations involving 3,000 individuals at any one time, while there is also a wider pool of 20,000 subjects of previous probes. In a briefing given to the Cabinet on Tuesday, the head of MI5 Andrew Parker revealed that total of nine Islamist terrorist plots have been thwarted in the UK over the past year. 21 arrests were made after the London Bridge attack, a month after the Manchester bombing What the stats show: Terror arrest in figures 400 people were held for terror-related offences in Britain in the last year 58 of those held were female - the highest number on record 115 resulted in a charge 97 were charged with terrorism-related offences 213 were released without charge 292 were arrests linked to international terrorism 73 arrests for domestic terrorism (no links to either Northern Ireland or international terrorism) 500 live anti-terror investigations 20,000 subjects of previous and ongoing probes Two men appeared in court yesterday after security services said they interrupted an alleged plan to blow up the gates to Downing Street and assassinate Prime Minister Theresa May. Accusations also emerged yesterday, in a separate case, that an alleged extremist encouraged followers to attack Prince George at his primary school. He too faces court action. An official report earlier this week found that spies missed crucial opportunities to thwart the Manchester terror attack which cost 22 lives. UK counter-terrorism officials might have prevented suicide bomber Salman Abedi blowing himself up at a pop concert if intelligence had been given greater priority. Home Secretary Amber Rudd told the Commons that the jihadist atrocity on May 22, which left adults and children dead, could have been avoided 'had the cards fallen differently'. Meanwhile, it was also revealed that the ringleader of the Islamist terror gang which brought bloodshed to central London on June 3 was being investigated by MI5 and police for his extremist views. Khuram Butt and his two accomplices in the London Bridge attacks were shot dead by armed police. A review earlier this week found he was being investigated at the time of the attack Khuram Butt  one of three men who slaughtered eight people in a van and knife rampage  had been on the authorities' radar for two years because of concerns he wanted to attack the UK. Despite the findings, David Anderson QC, a former anti-terror laws watchdog who examined the four main attacks of the summer, said: 'The excellent recent record of MI5 and the police in defending the UK from terrorist attack came to a brutal end this year. 'Despite elevated threat levels, the fundamentals are sound and the great majority of attacks continue to be thwarted.' Mr Anderson said: 'In particular, MI5 and the police have identified the need to use data more effectively, to share knowledge more widely, to improve their own collaboration and to assess and investigate terrorist threats on a uniform basis, whatever the ideology that inspires them.' New Defence Secretary says British citizens who fought for ISIS should be 'eliminated' By Larisa Brown Defence And Security Editor For The Daily Mail Gavin Williamson signalled he was prepared to hunt down and use air strikes against the remaining 270 Britons who have travelled to Syria and Iraq Not a single British citizen who has fought for Islamic State should be allowed back into the UK, the Defence Secretary declared last night. Gavin Williamson signalled he was prepared to hunt down and use air strikes against the remaining 270 UK passport holders who have travelled to Syria and Iraq. In an interview with the Daily Mail, he said: 'Quite simply, my view is a dead terrorist can't cause any harm to Britain.' He added: 'I do not believe that any terrorist, whether they come from this country or any other, should ever be allowed back into this country. 'We should do everything we can do to destroy and eliminate that threat.' His comments are the starkest yet on the issue of whether British jihadists should be allowed to return home to the UK. In October, Britain's terror watchdog, Max Hill QC, sparked a row by suggesting that some young people who had travelled to Syria and Iraq should be allowed to come home and re-join society. He said that it was not worth losing a generation of young people who 'naively' went to join Islamic State. But Mr Williamson's remarks appear to be an emphatic rejection of that argument. More than 800 UK citizens are thought to have gone to fight for Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Around half of them have already returned, and around 130 have been killed, leaving an estimated 270 left.
Popular Videos A woman who plunged into the Thames during Wednesdays terror attack did not jump from Westminster Bridge to escape the attackers car, but was instead hurled into the water by the force of the vehicle, a senior diplomat has said. Andreea Cristea, a 29-year-old Romanian architect, was spotted in the river soon after the attack. In the confusion that followed, there was speculation that Ms Cristea had leaped from the bridge to escape the violence. But Romanian ambassador Dan Mihalache said Ms Cristea had been practically thrown into the river by the car. He added that the 29-year-old had been on holiday in London with her boyfriend, Andrei Burnaz, to celebrate his birthday at the time. He said Mr Burnaz, an engineer, had planned to propose to her that same day. CCTV footage of AndreeaCristea falling from the bridge has been widely circulated online ( AndreeaCristea/Facebook) On Friday afternoon, Ms Cristea had not regained consciousness, but was in a stable condition following an operation for a blood clot on her brain. Mr Burnaz was treated in hospital for a fractured foot. Dramatic CCTV footage of the architect falling from the bridge has been widely circulated online. Mr Mihalache told the BBC: Its a miracle she survived. She was practically thrown into the Thames. They were tourists, they had come to celebrate [a] birthday. He intended to ask her for marriage [sic] in the same day [as the attack], and this was unfortunately the destiny. Soon after the attack was over, port officials said that they had pulled a woman from the water, injured but alive and that she was treated for serious injuries. A female member of the public was pulled from the water near Westminster Bridge, alive, with serious injuries, a Port of London Authority spokesman told Reuters in the aftermath of the attack. Shes undergoing very urgent medical treatment now. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP The river was closed to all non-emergency traffic for much of the time after the attack. A London bus driver who described the panic after the attack said that he was aware someone was in the water soon after a car was driven down Westminster Bridge. Once I got everyone off the bus I heard someone shouting that his wife had jumped into the river to avoid getting knocked over, Michael Adamou told The Independent. Four people were killed, in addition to attacker Khalid Masood, and at least 50 people injured on Wednesday in the attack outside the Houses of Parliament. Two people remain in hospital in a critical condition, while one person has life threatening injuries. Two police officers sustained serious injuries, Scotland Yard said. Nine people remain in police custody in connection with the attack and one woman has been released on bail. Police said on Friday they had concluded 16 searches, and five searches were ongoing.
The terrorist who killed five people in the Westminster attack had taken steroids before launching the frenzied rampage, a court has heard. The possible effect of steroid use on Khalid Masood will be considered alongside a psychological autopsy during the inquest into his death. It will examine whether he was radicalised in prison, the extent of his contact with Anjem Choudarys al-Muhajiroun network and what the security services learned during an MI5 investigation that declared Masood a subject of interest in 2009. The inquest, where Masoods widow is among interested parties, will piece together his preparations including obtaining the knives and car used in the attack and consider whether his activities gave any warning signs. Judge Mark Lucraft QC, the Chief Coroner of England and Wales, ruled that the inquest will be held before a jury, as required for all deaths involving contact with police. Specialist witnesses will be called to hearings at the Old Bailey to reconstruct the events of 22 March and Masoods preparations, including body armour experts charged with examining PC Palmers inadequate protection. Judge Lucraft expressed his condolences to their families and the hope that answering their many questions could provide some comfort. The inquest can point everyone in the right direction to do more to address these problems... which occur again and again in trial after trial, Mr Patterson said. We do not understand why radicalising material remains freely available on the internet. We do not understand why its necessary for WhatsApp, Telegram and other applications to have end-to-end encryption. Mr Patterson also questioned how Masood managed to get through the gates surrounding the Houses of Parliament and how it was PC Palmer was apparently stationed alone and unarmed with, it seems, inadequate body protection. Masood, 52, was born in Kent as Adrian Russell and was known to police after seven convictions for violent crime leading up to 2003, when he may have converted to Islam during his last spell in prison. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP He appeared on MI5 records for the first time the following year as a contact of a terror network aiming to launch bomb attacks in the UK, becoming a subject of interest in 2009 after being misidentified as an al-Qaeda facilitator in Saudi Arabia. Masoods case was closed in 2012 following a security review, appearing intermittently as contact of subject in Choudarys network before starting preparations for his attack in 2016. From the end of that year, he told his family he was considering working overseas, but his job and visa applications failed. Masood bought the knives used in the attack on 9 March, sending himself an email with the subject line Retaliation on the same day. Six days later, he created a document entitled Jihad in the Quran and Sunnah, with his photograph on the front page and multiple extracts from the Quran that could be seen as supportive of jihad and martyrdom. He collected the Hyundai Tucson on 16 March, conducted reconnaissance of Westminster Bridge three days later and browsed YouTube for videos relating to terrorism and suicide attacks. Minutes before launching the attack, Masood shared his document with numerous WhatsApp contacts, which was soon sent onwards via iMessage and SMS A review of the intelligence gathered in the run-up to the Westminster, Manchester, London Bridge and Finsbury Park attacks found that Masood had not been re-considered as a potential threat by MI5. No intelligence was being gathered on him and neither MI5 nor the police had any reason the anticipate the attack, said David Anderson QC. Youre looking at someone who is such a long way from the top of anyones grid that frankly, its a bit difficult to see how they would have been easily stopped, whatever agencies had done.
Share this article Nidhi Chaphekar, an air stewardess who became a symbol of the attacks, returned to the scene today to mark the one year since the event. Nidhi Chaphekar, Jet Airways flight attendant and a victim of the Brussels airport terror attack, lays a rose on a memorial in Brussels King Philippe (right) and Queen Mathilde (second left) pose for photographs with Indian flight attendant Nidhi Chaphekar, who was injured in the Brussels airport attack and her husband Rupesh Chaphekar (left) in Brussels She broke down in tears as she joined hundreds of others, including Belgium's King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, when the city fell silent today one year on from the devastating attacks. Former pro basketball player Sebastien Bellin who lives in Battle Creek, Michigan, was also among those paying tribute today. Pictures taken in the aftermath of the bombing showed him lying in a pool of blood in the departure lounge. Their tributes began at 7.58am, the time the airport was brought to a halt by the first bomb. More than 300 people were wounded in the attacks, claimed by ISIS, but around 900 people now number themselves among the victims to have suffered physical or mental trauma. A policeman points a gun at a man on the floor while emergency services attend after the attack on Westminster on Wednesday afternoon Victims of the crash are stretchered off in scenes which hit the British capital one year to the day since 32 were killed in Brussels King Philippe said Belgium had stayed united after the attacks on March 22, 2016, and told families of the victims they had responded to the 'deadly madness' of the attacks with 'dignity'. Watched by relatives and survivors, the royals also unveiled a new stainless steel memorial near the European Union's headquarters to the dead and the more than 320 wounded in Belgium's worst ever peacetime attacks. 'It is the responsibility of each and every one of us to make our society more humane and more just,' King Philippe said at the memorial. 'And above all, let us dare to be tender.' Armed police descend on Westminster after the attacker crashed the 4x4 into gates outside Parliament In an act of defiance and solidarity, trams and buses ground to a halt across the Belgian capital and commuters and public transport workers applauded during a 'minute of noise'. A year on from the attacks led by an Islamic State cell that was also responsible for the carnage in Paris in November 2015, Belgium remains on high alert with troops patrolling the streets and warnings of fresh risks. Within a few hours, Westminster was brought to a similar dramatic halt when a 4x4 drove into pedestrians and cyclists before crashing into the gates of Parliament, injuring at least 10 people. At least two people are dead in the capital, and three police officers have been injured. A police officer was confirmed to have died from stabbing injuries after the attack. Political blogger Nick Short noted: 'Brussels terrorist attack happened exactly one year ago today. Terrorists are notorious for using significant dates.' The attack also bears a chilling resemblance to the attack on Canada's parliament in 2014, where a vehicle was also used as a weapon on police. A gunman, later identified as Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, shot a sentry dead at a war memorial near the Parliament building in Ottawa. He then leaped into a car and drove towards Parliament, still wielding his hunting rifle, before hijacking another vehicle and heading for the main building in the complex. Zehaf-Bibeau - a 32-year-old jihadist - made it inside Parliament, shooting a policeman in the foot, before he was himself shot by the Sergeant-at-Arms Kevin Vickers and then killed by another officer. Just days before Christmas, a truck ploughed into a crowded festive market in central Berlin, killing 12 people and injuring 48 In the year since the attack in Belgium, there have been similar uses of vehicles as weapons in horrific attacks on the continent. On Bastille Day, July 14, 2016, a gunman drove a heavy truck into a crowd celebrating Bastille Day in the French city of Nice, killing 86 people and injuring scores more in an attack claimed by Islamic State. The attacker is identified as a Tunisian-born Frenchman. On December 19, a truck ploughed into a crowded Christmas market in central Berlin, killing 12 people and injuring 48. German Chancellor Angela Merkel says authorities are assuming it was a terrorist attack. Just four days ago, a man attempted to snatch a gun from female soldier on patrol at Orly airport south of Paris. The man, who interior ministry spokesman said had earlier fired a potshot at police during an identity check before fleeing, was shot dead in the Orly incident by other members of soldier patrol unit.
One of the victims was a policeman, PC Keith Palmer, who was stabbed by the assailant outside Parliament. The 48-year-old had served in the Metropolitan Police for 15 years and was a member of the specialist parliamentary and diplomatic protection command. Another victim has been named as Aysha Frade. The 43-year-old Spanish teacher was on her way to pick up her children from school when she was killed on Westminster Bridge. Frade had two daughters aged eight and 11 and worked at the nearby DLD College London. She has been described as highly regarded and loved. She and another member of the public, a man in his 50s, died of injuries sustained on the bridge. The man has not been named. Paramedics fought to save both PC Palmer and the attacker on the ground outside Parliament, with Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood among those who rushed to help. Assistant Commissioner for Specialist Operations Mark Rowley said 29 people have been treated in hospitals, adding that seven people are now in a critical condition. The parents of three French schoolchildren injured in the attack have flown to London where the teenage boys are being treated in hospital. Two of the three boys are in a serious condition, but none are believed to have life-threatening injuries. Rowley noted that police still believe the attacker acted alone. It is still our belief that this attacker acted alone and was inspired by international terrorism. At this stage we have no specific information about further threats to the public, Rowley said. Police say they know the identity of the attacker but have not made his name public yet. The vehicle used by the attacker to mow people down on Westminster Bridge was rented from the Enterprise car company, the business said in a statement. We can confirm that the car used in the tragic attack in London yesterday afternoon was one of ours. An employee identified the vehicle after seeing the licence plate in an image online. We ran another check to verify, and immediately contacted the authorities. UK Defense Minister Michael Fallon said on Thursday that the attack may be related to Islamic terrorism in some form. The police are investigating this man, his associates, where he came from. [They are] checking urgently whether other people were involved in this. Their working assumption is that this is linked to Islamic terrorism, Fallon told BBC Radio on Thursday. He also stated that security around the UK Parliament will be reviewed. The police and agencies that we rely on for our security have forestalled a large number of these attacks in recent years, over a dozen last year. This kind of attack, this lone-wolf attack, using things from daily life, a vehicle, a knife, are much more difficult to forestall, Fallon pointed out, noting that were dealing with an enemy, a terrorist enemy, that is not making demands or taking people hostage, but simply wants to kill as many people as possible. This is a new element to international terrorism, the minister said. The attack on Wednesday started when the assailant rammed pedestrians while speeding across Westminster Bridge in a car. He then ran towards Parliament and stabbed a policeman attempting to block him, before being shot.
Media captionThe undercover BBC reporter reveals how an agent encouraged him to carry out an attack at London Bridge A BBC investigation has unearthed evidence of Islamic State (IS) agents trying to recruit terrorists for attacks on central London in 2016. Undercover reporters posing as UK teenagers contacted IS recruiters who suggested they carry out attacks on Westminster and London Bridge. A counter terrorism expert described the messages as "highly significant". BBC Inside Out London passed the information to the security services as it was received. Reporters were in contact with people verified by the security services as senior IS recruiters for more than two years. Image copyrightJack Taylor/Getty ImagesImage caption Five people were killed in the Westminster terror attack in March They posed as fictional characters committed to jihad. Last July, they discovered the terrorist group was touting on social media for British Muslims to carry out attacks at specific London locations. The reporters began talking to one of the recruiters, who then invited them to chat privately on a secure messaging site. Posing as a 17-year-old boy living with his parents, one reporter was asked by the IS recruiter if he knew Westminster. He was told it was a good target because it was busy and crowded. "If you succeed it will be huge and damaging for them [the UK]," the recruiter said. In December 2016, a second IS agent outlined how such an attack could be carried out. "Make the Kuffar [non believers] scared. Kill a lot. The best way you can do [it] is to kill normal people." He then directed the reporter to a terrorist manual on the dark web. It outlined the strategy of using vehicles as lethal weapons and explained how to target vulnerable parts of the body with a knife. Security services believe the perpetrators of the Westminster and London Bridge attacks engaged via encrypted messages with IS. Image caption The IS recruiter gave information on how to carry out an attack In March, Khalid Masood drove a car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, killing four people and injuring more than 50. He then got out and stabbed to death PC Keith Palmer outside the Houses of Parliament. In June, eight people died and 48 were injured when three men drove at pedestrians on London Bridge before randomly stabbing people in nearby Borough Market. An attack at this location was first mentioned to the BBC's undercover reporter last summer. The messages said: "Now target setting is the thing. London Bridge - what you say about that? "Truck, axe, anything can work..." Months later, the recruiter directed the reporter to bomb-making instructions on the internet. Another video showed how to make a fake suicide vest and claimed if an attacker wore the vest and stood next to civilians, "the police would not apprehend or kill you". The London Bridge terrorists wore fake suicide vests during their attack, although they were still shot dead by armed policemen. Image copyrightGabriele SciottoImage caption The men who carried out the London Bridge attack wore fake explosive vests Raffaello Pantucci, an expert on counter terrorism at the London-based think tank RUSI, said the recruitment messages were "highly significant" and gave an "unprecedented insight" into how IS "plotted and planned terror attacks on London". "This is the first time that the online direction approach has so clearly been linked to London, and laid out in such detail," he said. Security Minister Ben Wallace said: "There was definitely usage of encrypted communicating between planners and terrorist and people that carried out some of those dreadful attacks. "That I am afraid is common throughout every one of these incidents and there is also a role of watching videos online to either prepare themselves or train themselves. I think that they are both, I am afraid, current occurrences in these terrorist attacks." He added that 250,000 pieces of data or videos used to radicalise people had been removed from the internet to "effectively suffocate out messages from people like IS and Al Qaeda". Twitter, which was used by the IS recruiters to attract people to the encrypted messaging platforms, said it was important that technology companies and the government worked together. The firm's UK head of public policy, Nick Pickles, said although it could delete extremist content, it could not delete the ideology behind it. Jamie Bartlett, director of the Centre for the Analysis of Social Media, said the number of encrypted services available meant the security authorities had an "unbelievably difficult task" tackling terrorist recruiters. He said: "Encrypted apps or anonymous web browsers or the dark net, these places online that are very, very difficult to properly monitor, are proliferating very quickly." Perception of terror threat 'has increased' A poll commissioned by the BBC in conjunction with YouGov indicates the vast majority of respondents (81%) believe the threat of terrorism in Britain has increased over the past five years, and 90% believe further attacks are likely. However, this perception has not had a corresponding impact on the behaviour of those questioned. Just 7% say they have changed their travel plans because of a terrorist incident or concerns about terrorism. In terms of future behaviour, 19% of people say they are less likely to attend an event at a large venue, such as a concert hall or sports stadium, and 20% feel more concerned about travelling on public transport. When asked about the possibility of themselves, a family member or close friend being killed or injured in a terror attack, 69% thought there was a low chance, with 10% assessing the chance as very high or fairly high. It appears that those questioned believe a terror attack or attacks are almost inevitable, but that they themselves are unlikely to be directly affected.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "Police are dealing with a suspect package in the area of Birdcage Walk. Officers remain at the scene." The spokesman did not confirm whether a controlled explosion had been carried out. The Met said on Twitter: "Unattended bag found Birdcage Walk/Horseguards was not suspicious. All cordons put in for safety being lifted. Thanks for your patience." The reported explosion came during a BBC News live broadcast. Senior producer Pia Talbot tweeted: "Police say they've just carried out a controlled explosion within earshot of our live spot." Sky News reporter Laura Bundock tweeted there was a "very loud bang close to security cordon where suspicious package found". Masood is thought to have regularly attended a mosque in Birmingham, although security sources refused to discuss details because, they said, it was part of ongoing investigations. Scotland Yard said eight people  five men and three women  had been arrested in London and Birmingham and were being held on suspicion on preparing terrorist acts. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP Detectives are continuing to search a number of addresses in relation to the attack, including three properties in Birmingham, one in east London, and one in Carmarthenshire, Wales. Isis claimed the attacker was a "soldier of the Islamic State" when it claimed responsibility for the attack. However the group did not name him and did not provide any further details. The terrorist group regularly claims credit for atrocities and there is no evidence at present to verify the claim.
Thursday, 23 March 2017 Islamic State Claims Known Wolf Westminster Bridge Attack. 'On the authority of Thawbaan: The Messenger of Allah said: "If you see the Black Banners coming from Khurasan go to them immediately, even if you must crawl over ice, because indeed amongst them is the Caliph, Al Mahdi."' So says one of the most authoritative compilations of ahadith in Islamic scripture, Sunan Ibn Majah, in volume three, number 4084. This is what motivates Muslims all over the world to swear allegiance to that bunch of drooling sadists & rapist in the Syrian & Iraqi desert calling themselves the Islamic State. Although 'Khurasan' actually refers to India, ISIS savages do wave black flags & its leader does claim to be the Mahdi. This is why the career criminal, thug & former English teacher (which is a story in need of telling in & of itself) Khalid Masood murdered three people in Westminster, yesterday. He turns out to have been a devout Muslim, well, he would, wouldn't he? And as a thug with convictions for GBH, he was naturally drawn to convert to Islam, as reported by MailOnline today (hat-tip to Christopher J Green @DefiantLionUK): Westminster ISIS attacker is named as UK born Khalid Masood - a 52 year old married father of three who was probed by MI5 'some years ago' and had a string of convictions Police reveal a middle-aged extremist from the West Midlands carried out yesterday's terror attack Scotland Yard say he had a long list of crimes to his name but had not been convicted of terror offences Theresa May said he was known to the security services but was 'not part of the current intelligence picture' Probe into the British citizen's links to violent jihadism was 'historical' and he was deemed 'peripheral' ISIS have claimed responsibility for the attack, saying the killer was a 'soldier of the Islamic State' Armed police stormed a flat above a takeaway in Birmingham last night and arrested three people Five others have been detained in raids on six properties thought to be linked to the terrorist The Hyundai Tucson 4x4 he used to kill and injure was rented from a hire car firm in Birmingham The British-born jihadi who killed three and injured 29 in Westminster yesterday was a middle-aged criminal called Khalid Masood. The 52-year-old 'lone-wolf' attacker, who was living in the Birmingham area, has a series of convictions for assault and other crimes but police insist there was no intelligence suggesting he was about to unleash a terror attack. Kent-born Masood has never been convicted of terror offences, although Theresa May revealed this morning that he had been on MI5's radar a number of years ago. Masood was a married father-of-three, former English teacher and a religious convert who was into bodybuilding, according to Sky News. A Scotland Yard spokesman said this afternoon: 'Masood was also known by a number of aliases. He was not the subject of any current investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack. 'However, he was known to police and has a range of previous convictions for assaults, including GBH, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences. 'His first conviction was in November 1983 for criminal damage and his last conviction was in December 2003 for possession of a knife. He has not been convicted for any terrorism offences.' Masood stabbed PC Keith Palmer to death with two knives outside parliament after killing mother-of-two Aysha Frade and US tourist Kurt Cochran as he ploughed along a crowded pavement on Westminster Bridge. Giving details of the attacker's background in Parliament today, Prime Minister Theresa May said: 'The man was British-born and - some years ago - he was once investigated in relation to concerns about violent extremism. He was a peripheral figure. 'The case is historic - he was not part of the current intelligence picture. There was no prior intelligence of his intent - or of the plot. Intensive investigations continue.' It is believed Masood had lived in the Winson Green area of Birmingham, where neighbours claimed he shared a flat with a woman and a young child. Neighbour Iwona Romek, 45, said: 'When I saw the pictures on TV and in the papers of the man who carried out the attack, I recognised him as the man who used to live next door. 'I would see him quite often, but it would just be a 'hello' and a 'how are you'. He had a young child, who I'd think was about five or six years old. 'There was a woman living there with him, an Asian woman. He seemed to be quite nice, he would be taking care of his garden and the weeds. 'He moved out in December. One day he was gone, there were delivery vans outside all of a sudden. Last night I just heard banging of the door and police shouting 'open the door, open the door'. They were saying 'it's on the second floor' 'I heard the helicopters flying above too. Men were going in the forensics outfits, it was very strange... I just thought it was a normal family.' Earlier today, Middle East terror group ISIS released a statement saying: 'The attacker yesterday in front of the British Parliament in London was a soldier of the Islamic State executing the operation in response to calls to target citizens of coalition nations.' ISIS is currently being squeezed in its stronghold of Syria and has previously urged jihadists around the world to attack people in their own countries rather than travel to join them. Experts believe Masood did not receive direct orders or help from ISIS but may have been inspired to carry out the attack by material online. He was not on an MI5 list of 3,000 people thought to be capable of mounting an attack, The Guardian reported. The details of Masood's background will raise questions over what security officials knew about the assailant and what decisions were taken when he first appeared on the radar. Armed police have arrested eight other people and raided six properties in London and Birmingham as they attempt to find any associates Masood may have had. A neighbour of another property raided this morning says he believes Masood had been living there with another man. Another resident said: 'There were definitely two men and one woman and they were fairly young. It's horrible conditions up there and there have been problems with that row of flats before. 'It's not the first time there have been problems there. In 2011 there was a drugs raid in the same flat. People tend to come and go quite quickly.' Scotland Yard said that it was 'not prepared to discuss' the operation coordinated with West Midlands Police, but a witness who works nearby said of the flat on Hagley Road: 'The man from London lived here.' The Hyundai Tucson 4x4 which was used as a weapon to kill the two pedestrians and injure at least 29 others was also rented in the same area. Stuart Bailey, who lives four doors down from one of the flats raided, said: 'There were a load of armed police in the street. They were all dressed in black and armed with what looked like MP5s (submachine guns) and one of them had six ammunition magazines strapped to his leg. Landlord Farhad Makanvand said he didn't know who had been staying at the flats above his curry house as it was rented out by a separate letting agents. Mr Makanvand, who also owns the next door curry house Shiraz, said: 'I wasn't at the scene last night, I don't live there. 'I bought the property six years ago for over 300,000. It is contracted to the letting agents so I have no idea who lives there or how many people.' A spokesperson for Initial Property, who let the flats on behalf of the landlord, said: 'Initial Property are not making any comment at the moment.' The Hyundai Tucson used in the attack was rented from a local Enterprise rent-a-car outlet. A spokesman for the company said: 'We can confirm that the car used in the tragic attack in London yesterday afternoon was one of ours. 'An employee identified the vehicle after seeing the licence plate in an image online. We ran another check to verify, and immediately contacted the authorities. 'We are co-operating fully with the authorities and will provide any assistance that we can to the investigation. 'Our thoughts are very much with the victims of this terrible tragedy.' A local shopkeeper said he thinks three people arrested above the takeaway were Romanians who happened to be living in the same building. He told reporters: 'I'm friends with someone that works at the curry house next door to the flat. 'He came in and said that the Romanian people living in the flat above had been taken away by the police. 'I have no idea who they were.' Speaking this morning, Mark Rowley, the Met's senior anti-terror officer, said: 'Hundreds of detectives have been working through the night and during that time I can confirm we have searched six addresses - and made seven arrests. 'The inquiries in Birmingham, London and other parts of the country continue. It is still our belief - which continues to be borne out by our investigation - that this attacker acted alone yesterday and was inspired by international terrorism. 'To be explicit - at this stage, we have no specific information about further threats to the public. 'Clearly our investigation is ongoing - developing all the time - and is focused on his motivation, his preparation and associates. 'The large and complicated crime scene remains in place and our work there continues - I would like to thank everyone for their support and patience as we finish this work.' Pc Keith Palmer, a member of the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Squad, was killed as he tried to stop Masood at around 2.30pm on Wednesday, while three members of the public were also fatally injured. Masood, who was armed with two knives, injured around 40 people as he mowed down pedestrians with a car on Westminster Bridge before crashing at the railings in front of Parliament. Bursting through the gate to the Palace of Westminster, he stabbed Pc Palmer before being shot dead by armed officers. Theresa May praised the bravery of police officers on Wednesday night as it was announced Westminster would attempt to run as smoothly as normal. In a statement from Downing Street, the Prime Minister said: 'Any attempt to defeat those values through violence and terror is doomed to failure. '(Thursday) morning, Parliament will meet as normal. We will come together as normal. 'And Londoners - and others from around the world who have come here to visit this great city - will get up and go about their day as normal. 'They will board their trains, they will leave their hotels, they will walk these streets, they will live their lives. 'And we will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart.' Donald Trump was among world leaders to offer their support. Shortly after 1.30am UK time, the US president tweeted: 'Spoke to UK Prime Minister Theresa May today to offer condolences on the terrorist attack in London. She is strong and doing very well.' Counter-terror detectives will continue searching for clues to how an armed attacker brought destruction to London. Speaking outside Scotland Yard on Wednesday night, Acting Deputy Commissioner Mark Rowley, the Met's senior anti-terror officer, said police believe the suspect was 'inspired by international terrorism', and they believe they know who he was. Paying tribute to Pc Palmer, who had served the police for 15 years, Mr Rowley said: 'In Westminster we saw tragic events unfold, and our thoughts are with those who lost loved ones, those who were injured and all those affected by this attack. 'One of those who died today was a police officer, Pc Keith Palmer, a member of our parliamentary and diplomatic protection command. Keith, aged 48, had 15 years' service and was a husband and father. 'He was someone who left for work today expecting to return home at the end of his shift, and he had every right to expect that would happen.'
British-born, known to the intelligence services and the police, previously questioned about his extremist views and holding convictions for assaults, including GBH, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences. Could Khalid Masood have been stopped? It is an inevitable question in such tragic circumstances, and a fair one at least to pose. In every outrage the security forces, their political masters and the wider population has to be satisfied that every possible practical precaution had been taken. There may have been mistakes in this case, or there may not  none of that is so clear now. What we do know, however, is that only in a totalitarian police state is it possible to eliminate all possible threats to security, and in fact not even entirely reliably in such circumstances. The British do not wish to live in a police state as the price of improved security; absurd as it is, that would only represent a victory for the terrorists themselves who wish to destroy our way of life. Much the same goes for ever more draconian measures to invade privacy and erode civil liberties. Almost mundane questions will need to be asked about the quality of intelligence and surveillance over this individual and any associates or accomplices. But it is too premature to condemn the authorities for incompetence. Besides, we should take them at their word that they quietly thwart scores of planned deadly attacks every year; the record, so far as can be judged, is not one to be ashamed of. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP Nor is it sensible to believe that extremism can ever be eradicated. The Prevent strategy has many critics, inside and outside Muslim communities, and could no doubt be reformed to make it more sensitive and more effective. Hate preachers are all too common, but there are already laws that can control them, and the pressure of the wider Muslim community to minimise their influence on impressionable young minds. It is also an uncomfortable truth that the vast library of jihadi material available freely on the internet is near-impossible to regulate. Multiculturalism is hardly to blame for that. If it has been as profound a failure as Nigel Farage and others claim, there would be far more incidents than the ones we have witnessed. Nor can it be blamed for the murderous assault on Jo Cox MP last year. The backlash that the enemies of democracy on the extreme fringes of British society yearn for has not come. People generally recognise that their Muslim friends, neighbours and work colleagues wish nothing more than the opportunity to make a better life for themselves and their families, as does everyone. Their leaders have vocally condemned the violence, though none of it is their fault, and the daily contributions millions of our fellow Muslim citizens continues. With previous generations of terrorists  Irish republicans, Basque separatists or the far left  there were identifiable individuals, though vile, who could be negotiated with. The funeral of one such individual, the reformed IRA gunman Martin McGuinness, was held on Thursday, a reminder of how so many conflicts involving the British have ended up with terrorist leaders becoming leaders of their independent nations and taking tea with the Queen. Even if it were sensible to engage with Islamist organisations such as Isis, they have little, if any, control over those inspired by the myriad perversions of Islam circulating on the web. Sadiq Khan, who as London Mayor has shown leadership and statesmanship sadly lacking elsewhere, has been much criticised, and much misrepresented, for holding the view that terrorism has become a fact of modern life in big cities  but he is right. Islamist terrorists  not Islamic, as Theresa Amy also correctly stressed  and the deranged individuals who take it on themselves to act in their name prefer to attack high-profile world-famous landmarks in media hubs such as Berlin, Paris and London, or New York and Washington as on 9/11. As the Westminster attack shows, a low-tech assault on a famous symbolic target in the West can yield vastly more coverage than yet another suicide car bomb killing many more people in Kabul. The terrorist also win if we lose our sense of perspective. The Independent has launched its #FinalSay campaign to demand that voters are given a voice on the final Brexit deal.
What Westminster Attack Shows About London Police And MPs Published: March 23, 2017 14:57 IST Share EMAIL PRINT COMMENTS The shock in London at yesterday's attack is profound. The loss of life is grievous, and the mowing down of foreign students and visitors as they crossed one of London's most renowned bridges adds to the sense of bewilderment and anger. But it is the target which has caused greatest alarm. An attack on the Houses of Parliament is also an assault on the way that Britain is governed - its democracy, its tradition of tolerance and of discussion and debate which lies at the heart of any liberal democracy. At least 4 people, including attacker, were killed and more than 40 injured in the attack Parliament was in a security lockdown for several hours. The proceedings of the House of Commons were suspended - but MPs were unable to leave the chamber. Any attempt to defeat Britain's values through violence was "doomed to failure", declared Prime Minister Theresa May last night. "We will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of heat and evil to drive us apart." Her remarks bear an mistakable echo of those by the country's the first woman Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher in 1984 after the Irish Republican Army or IRA bombed the hotel she was staying at for the Conservative Party conference. This is not the first time that an act of violence has been directed at Britain's system of governance. British Prime Minister Theresa May said that her thoughts were with the victims of the 'appalling' attack Compared to European cities such as Paris, Brussels, Nice and Berlin, London had been relatively unaffected by the recent spate of violence linked to Islamic State and similar extremist groups. It's almost twelve years since the 7/7 attacks, when coordinated suicide bombings on London's transport system during the morning rush hour killed 56 people. The murder of Lee Rigby in 2013 is the other infamous incident in London in recent years linked to Islamic radicalism. He was an off-duty soldier stabbed and hacked to death in broad daylight near a big army barracks. Britain had been bracing itself for the prospect of another act of violence. The motive behind yesterday's attack, and indeed the name of the perpetrator, have not been made public. As far as we can tell, the man responsible may have been a 'lone wolf' - perhaps influenced by extreme Islamist groups but not necessarily in direct contact with them. This was not a Mumbai-style attack. London police and anti-terrorist forces have comprehensive plans to deal with an attack on Westminster. Yesterday, all that preparation, all the security drills and exercises, paid a dividend. The attacker did not gain access to the Houses of Parliament. The lockdown of the Parliament buildings was introduced smoothly. The response of specialist armed police was almost immediate. After the attack, Westminster was in a security lockdown for several hours For Theresa May, there is a difficult balance to be struck - to express the national sense of shock and revulsion, but to demonstrate also that British democracy will not succumb to a fortress mentality. Parliament is due to convene as usual today. Tours round the buildings have been cancelled for the moment, flags are flying at half-mast and the public gallery will be closed - but as much as possible, it's business as usual. Londoners are resilient - they have been through worse than yesterday's attack, and the city will be much as normal today. Visitors, of course, may take a different view. Americans in particular can be nervous travelers - and businesses dependent on tourism will hope that those planning to come to London in coming weeks don't cancel. London bears the distinction of being the first major western capital to have a Muslim mayor, Labour's Sadiq Khan. He's a popular and well-regarded political leader and has expressed his resolve to ensure that this attack doesn't foment division in one of the world's most diverse cities. One incidental aspect of yesterday's tragedy may be to burnish the reputation of Britain's politicians. They were directly caught up in yesterday's mayhem - and they behaved with decorum and dignity. Their tweets and messages of appreciation for the bravery and efficiency of the security services and of medical staff were more than normally heartfelt. Bournemouth MP Tobias Ellwood giving emergency help to a policeman Among MPs, Tobias Ellwood, a junior foreign office minister, has emerged as something of a hero. He gave emergency medical help to a policeman who had been stabbed in a brave, but sadly unsuccessful, attempt to save his life. At a time when MPs are sometimes derided for being self-serving and out-of-touch, this politician showed presence of mind and personal courage. Politics should be about public service - and that's certainly what Mr Ellwood demonstrated at Westminster yesterday. Andrew Whitehead, a former BBC India correspondent, is an honorary professor at the University of Nottingham. He has recently been a guest professor at the Asian College of Journalism in Chennai. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of NDTV and NDTV does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.
While the public should remain utterly vigilant, they should not  and will not  be cowed by this threat, Ms May told MPs ( ) Britain will not be cowed by the threat of terrorism in its cities, the Prime Minister has said, following an attack on Parliament in which four people died. In tributes in the House of Commons this morning Theresa May said the attacker, who has since been named as Khalid Masood, 52, did not succeed in getting past Parliaments gates and that police did their job heroically. We know the threat from Islamist terrorism is very real. But while the public should remain utterly vigilant, they should not  and will not  be cowed by this threat, the Prime Minister told MPs. She said the act of terrorism had tried to silence our democracy, but pledged: We are not afraid and our resolve will never waver in the face of terrorism. She continued: The greatest response lies not in the words of politicians, but in the everyday actions of ordinary people. For beyond these walls today, in scenes repeated in towns and cities across the country, millions of people are going about their days and getting on with their lives Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn thanked public servants for their work respond to the attack, and in particular noted a Conservative MP who had gone beyond the call of duty. As the Prime Minister said, when dangerous and violent incidents take place, we all instinctively run away from them, for our own safety, he said. The police and emergency services run towards them. We are grateful for the public service yesterday, today and every day that they pull on their uniforms to protect us all. I want to express our admiration to [Tobias Ellwood], whose efforts yesterday deserve special commendation. He used his skills to try to save life. Mr Corbyn also paid tribute to Keith Palmer, the police officer who was stabbed dead in the attack, and to the police and security services who keep us safe every day on the Parliamentary estate. He also echoed similar sentiments to the Prime Minister, arguing that the UK must not allow fear or the voices of hatred to divide or cower us. PC Palmer, the slain police officer served as a reservist from August 1987 to August 2001, leaving as a bombardier, and had 15 years of service in the police. Conservative MP James Cleverly, who had met the Pc 25 years ago as part of Battery 100 Regiment, Royal Artillery, paid a tearful tribute to his late comrade. He was a strong, professional public servant and it was a delight to meet him again only a few months after being elected, he said. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP Four people including the suspected attacker and a police officer died in Wednesdays attack. At least 40 others were injured in the attack, with seven reported to be in a critical condition. Police have arrested eight people in raids, and have said the attacker was British, known to the security services, but not part of the current intelligence picture. The Independent has launched its #FinalSay campaign to demand that voters are given a voice on the final Brexit deal.
The terrorist Khalid Masood was not a lone wolf and others had played a key part in indoctrinating him and helping to carry out Wednesdays deadly attacks in London, security officials believe. The disclosure that the British-born Muslim convert was likely to have been part of a wider conspiracy came as armed police detained 11 people in raids across the country with two of the arrests, including that of a woman, described as significant in the investigation. Three cars were also taken away for forensic examination. Police are still hunting associates of Masood who are believed to be linked to the Westminster attack. It has also emerged that 52-year-old Masood used the Whatsapp messaging service just minutes before he smashed his hired Hyundai car into the railings at the Houses of Parliament. A number registered to one of his previous addresses was in operation at 2.37 pm on Wednesday: the emergency services began to receive reports of the attack at 2.40 pm. There is no evidence that anyone else accompanied Masood during the rampage in which he murdered four people and injured 50 others. But the timing and sequence of the radicalisation of Masood, born Adrian Elms, will, the law agencies believe, provide important pointers towards what unfolded. Masood had come to the notice of MI5 and Scotland Yards Special Branch in the past for associating with known extremists, but, security officials insist, had not been involved in plotting terrorist acts. KhalidMasood (Metropolitan Police) There has been speculation that the radicalisation process began when he went to work as an English teacher in Saudi Arabia in 2005. The indications, however, are that it is more likely to have taken place while he served sentences in prison for violent offences. After being freed in 2003 from his second time in jail he married Farzana Malik, a Muslim woman following conversion. It was his increasing interest in fundamentalist Islam which is said to have taken him to Saudi Arabia. The security agencies are, however, examining whether he met with extremists there and had maintained contact with them since. Ironically, in the light of what was to happen, finding Islam also seemed to have curbed Masoods violent nature, those who know him have told investigators. He had previously been engaged in repeated acts of criminality under a number of aliases. Both of his serious convictions had been in relation to stabbing attacks and he had been arrested on other occasions for aggressive actions. Masood and his wife, who have three children, are said to have later divorced. But changing religion also brought a change to Masoods circle of friends and acquaintances with him gravitating to those sharing his conservative interpretation of Islam. He is also said to have spent long hours indoors during the day, a lot of the time on the internet. Whether he was steered towards terrorism online is a major part of the inquiry with a number of computers and tablets, of the killer and those detained, being examined by police. A series of attacks which had been previously written off as being the work of lone wolves were later found to have been orchestrated by Isis handlers on the Internet. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP Last year in Germany a Syrian who blew himself up outside a caf and a Pakistani who attacked a family on the train were, it was subsequently discovered, coached to carry out the attacks. There was a similar scenario in France in the cases of two young men of North African origin slit the throat of an 85-year-old priest and a group women who tried to blow up a car outside Notre-Dame cathedral. In the two days following the London attack the police have arrested four women and seven men, ranging in age from 21 to 58. The Met police said that six of these  including two women and four men arrested at two addresses in Birmingham  had been released from custody with no further action, while a woman arrested in east London has been bailed until early March. Two others who were arrested in Manchester have been released: a man who faces no further police action and a woman who has been bailed until March. Read more Two men arrested in Birmingham and a man and a woman arrested in Manchester are still being held on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. The woman is being held under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act. One of the arrests took place at Navigation Way in Birmingham at a house in the same estate that Masood had once lived. A neighbour said a Saudi Arabian man lived at the address with his wife and four children, all aged under 15. He had been living there less than a year. Three vehicles - a white Ford Ka, a silver BMW estate and a red Renault Kangoo - were removed from a house in Winson Green, Birmingham, on Friday morning. One man was arrested at the address in which Masood and a female companion are believed to have lived until Christmas last year. Jean-Marc Rickli, research fellow at Kings College London and the Geneva Centre for Security policy, pointed out the concept of lone wolf is difficult because in most cases there is contact with recruiters, or people involved in the organisation can be traced. "Pure lone wolf attacks are very rare; they are more the exception rather than the norm," he said. Nikita Malik, senior researcher in the counter-radicalisation think-tank Quillam Foundation added: I am almost certain he would not have been a lone wolf because the people who are inspired by extremist content are often receiving instructions on what to do. Westminster looks like a very similar format to what weve seen elsewhere in Europe.
The news that the London attacker was born in Britain and inspired by extremist Islamist ideology was entirely predictable, as was his criminal record. The standout detail from the sketchy profile we have of Khalid Masood is his age: 52, nearly twice that of most contemporary attackers. The significance of Masoods age will later become clear. For the moment it simply underlines the variety of extremist profiles, and the unpredictability of the threat. Most Islamic militants have been between the ages of 18 and 35, with the average age declining in recent years. Some analysts see their attraction to radicalism as partly a generational rebellion. Violent rightwing militants tend to be much older. Thomas Mair, who killed MP Jo Cox last year, was 52. Every case is, of course, unique. And the reality is that, much as all politics is essentially local, so is terrorism. Islamic extremist strategists have wrestled with this challenge to their global vision for years, and have yet to evolve an adequate response. Western experts argue interminably over whether the motives of individuals are 10% ideology and 90% local context or vice versa. But the sad reality is that, though it may be reassuring to blame bad guys, or bad ideas, from a long way away for violence at home, no one should be surprised that the man who attacked one of Britains most symbolically charged locations was born in the UK. No surprise that London attacker was born in UK | Jason Burke The Australian prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, has suggested the countrys controversial far-right politician Pauline Hanson is playing into the hands of Islamist terrorists, after she used the London attack as an opportunity to push for a Muslim ban, AAP reports. The One Nation leader tweeted after the attack, calling for people to pray for a ban on Muslims in Australia. The object of the Islamist terrorist is to get the broader society to turn on Muslims at large, Turnbull told Melbourne radio. Turnbull said he had already made that position clear to Senator Hanson, adding: If you seek to attribute to all Australian Muslims responsibility for the crimes of Isil [Islamic State] then you are doing what Isil wants. Four of the five South Koreans who were injured in the attack have been released from hospital. They are all aged in their 50s and 60s. The Korea Herald reports that the four who have been released from hospital  three women and a man  suffered injuries such as broken bones when they were caught in the rush following the attack. They are likely to return to South Korea today, the Korea JoongAng Daily reports. A 67-year-old woman who underwent surgery for a head injury was awaiting progress after the operation, South Korean foreign ministry spokesperson Cho June-hyuck told reporters at a news briefing. We will provide all necessary assistance to the injured citizens and their families until they come home safely, he said. The South Korean government yesterday issued a statement saying it strongly condemns the barbarian attack on civilians and would actively participate in the global fight against terrorism. Associated Press has more on Kurt Cochran, the American man named earlier as one of the victims who was killed on Westminster bridge. Cochran, who was travelling across Europe with his wife, Melissa, to celebrate 25 years of marriage, died after being hit by the car driven by Khalid Masood. Melissa Cochran was injured. Kurt and Melissa Cochran. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images AP reports from West Bountiful, Utah, the couples home: For the last decade, the couple ran a recording studio in their basement in a neighbourhood just outside Salt Lake City. Bret Layton started crying while talking about his longtime friend outside Cochrans house on Thursday. Layton said he ran the recording studio with Kurt Cochran. Hes one of those guys: you just know you want him to be your friend within five minutes  He was just an overall good guy to everybody, Layton said. Melissa Cochran is still hospitalised. She suffered a broken leg, broken rib and a cut and bruises, said friend Mike Murphy. Murphy, owner of Murphys Guitars in Bountiful, said Kurt Cochran would come into his shop regularly. He loved music, Murphy said. He was always around when there were music things going on. Emma Dugal, executive director of Bountiful Davis art center, said the couple had volunteered at the organisations annual summer arts festival for years. She described them as warm, friendly people and, as a couple, inseparable. She said Cochrans death will have a huge impact on the music community. I know of musicians who lacked confidence and who werent sure how they wanted to present their talent, but Kurt encouraged them and got them out into performing, and has just made a huge difference in so many peoples lives, Dugal said. Kurt Cochran was a good father who will be missed dearly by his two adult sons, said Danny Wiley, the stepfather to Cochrans sons. He says Cochran loved skateboarding and playing basketball with his sons. Its devastating, Wiley said. He was a good guy, everybody liked him. He always had a smile on his face. Security at the Palace of Westminster is under intense scrutiny after the attack, report Rajeev Syal, Rowena Mason and Heather Stewart: A string of MPs identified Carriage Gates, the entrance on Parliament Square used by the attacker, as a vulnerable point as the officers most closely guarding it are not armed and the gate tends to be left open during parliamentary votes. The attacker, Khalid Masood, is thought to have been shot by a member of the close protection team of Michael Fallon, the defence secretary, whose car happened to have been parked in New Palace Yard because a vote was taking place at the time. Having breached the perimeter of the Palace of Westminster estate at Carriage Gates, there are several routes an intruder could take to the House of Commons chamber area without passing through locked doors accessible by a security pass. Alan Johnson, the Labour former home secretary, said the Carriage Gates were a point of vulnerability, particularly during votes, when they were left open to give easy access for ministers. He said: When the votes are on, the gates are open so that ministers can drive in from wherever they are in their different departments in Whitehall. Liberal Democrat MP Tom Brake, a member of the House of Commons commission and a former deputy leader of the Commons, said: There is the Carriage Gates issue. That is the weak point within the boundary of the Palace of Westminster. I cant preempt what any review is likely to find but I would be surprised if there werent attempts to direct traffic through the Black Rods entrance because traffic there is channeled through very heavy barriers. MPs raise concerns about parliamentary security after attack Thousands gathered in Trafalgar Square in central London on Thursday evening to show solidarity with the victims of Wednesdays attack. The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and home secretary Amber Rudd sent a defiant message, with Rudd telling the crowd: Anti-Brexit march will go ahead on Saturday The pro-EU march will go ahead in London on Saturday, organisers have insisted. Earlier on Thursday evening, Stephen Dorrell, chair of European Movement UK, said it would not go ahead, citing the extra burden on police following Wednesdays terror attack. But Unite4Europe, the umbrella group that has organised the anti-Brexit protest, says the march will go ahead as planned: We have spoken to the police and the GLA [Greater London Authority]. We can confirm that the march will go ahead. All plans remain the same. We will only move to our contingency if the police are still investigating the crime scene come Saturday. Our contingency will include the same march start point and time (Park Lane, 11am) with an alternate end point nearby. We will not be intimidated. We will stand in unity and solidarity. We will march on the heart of our democracy and reclaim our streets in honour and respect of those that fell yesterday. We will be observing a minute of silence and remembrance at the start of the rally. We would encourage all attendees to bring with them some symbol of respect and to act in the appropriate fashion on the day. European Movement UK has issued a clarification, saying that while the march will go ahead, it will not be participating: We dont want to increase the burden on the police at this difficult time. My colleague Denis Campbell has spoken to NHS staff who were among the first to respond to Wednesdays attack: It was a typically busy day in the emergency department at Kings College hospital when Dr Emer Sutherland started receiving text messages from relatives and friends. They were the first indication of the scale of the horror unfolding just two miles down the road in Westminster. Within minutes, she and her colleagues were on major alert and preparing to receive the first of many critically injured casualties. We are a major trauma centre so we are used to dealing every day with majorly injured patients, such as people who have been hit by a car or stabbed, said Sutherland, who is the consultant clinical lead for the hospitals A&E department. But even for her, a highly experienced A&E doctor, it had an impact. Its always emotional when you are working on a day like that. Trauma cases are always emotional because you have to quickly treat someone whos critically injured and who might die. Just after 3pm, Kings received the first of eight casualties from the attack, two of whom were critically ill. At one point we were treating six of the eight casualties in the emergency department at the same time, Sutherland said. It was very busy, but doctors and nurses were focused and calm. Extra colleagues came to help from operating theatres across the hospital, extra pharmacists came with additional supplies, extra radiologists came to do and interpret scans and extra porters came to move patients. That helped reassure the A&E staff. Everyone played their part. Westminster attack medics: 'It was a day London has trained for' The Sun has video, taken from within the Palace of Westminster, showing the prime minister being swiftly escorted to her car as the attack unfolded. Theresa May was whisked away from parliament  where she is believed to have been in the voting lobby of the Commons  to Downing Street after the attacker, Khalid Masood, breached the security cordon of the parliamentary estate and fatally stabbed PC Keith Palmer. Masood was then shot dead by an armed officer. The video  which is on the Suns website here  shows May escorted by several security officers, at least one of whom is armed, to a grey vehicle. She runs slightly as she approaches the car, which is then driven out of the grounds. A voice can be heard shouting: There is an incident  Do not go out  Stay in the car. Speaking on BBC Newsnight, home office minister Ben Wallace insisted there are plenty of armed officers in Westminster, following calls by some for police to be routinely equipped with firearms. Wallace told the BBC: There are plenty of armed officers around the House of Commons and the House of Lords, both inside and outside and also around the area, the government quarter, theres a whole range of police forces that cover that area  diplomatic protection, Metropolitan police and other police. There are plenty of guns available and on show as a matter of reassurance. Masood was born 'Adrian Elms'  reports There are multiple reports this evening that Khalid Masood, the man who killed four people before being shot dead on Wednesday, was born Adrian Elms before later converting to Islam and changing his name. The Guardian is working to verify these reports. It is known that Masood was born in Kent. The Metropolitan police had earlier said Masood was likely not to have been his birth name.
Rowley confimed that a woman in her mid-40s and man in his 50s died in the attack and seven people are still in hospital. CATERS TERROR CAR: The terrorist used this car to cause chaos Terror in the HEART of London: the Westminster attack as it happened The attack in Westminster has left four people dead and up to 20 injured after a man drove his vehicle into pedestrians, then ran into the grounds of the Houses of Parliament before being shot by police 1 / 55 PA The alleged attacker, with the suspected weapons used in the attack highlighted in red In his statement Rowley said: "Hundreds of detectives have been working through the night and during that time I can confirm we have searched six addresses - and made seven arrests. The inquiries in Birmingham, London and other parts of the country continue." "It is still our belief - which continues to be born out by our investigation - that this attacker acted alone yesterday and was inspired by international terrorism," he added. "We must not allow the terrorists to sow discord." CATERS TERROR RAID: Armed police descended on a flat In his statement Rowley said: "We must not allow the terrorists to sow discord." According to cops, there is evidence of the Hyundai used in the attack being rented from an Enterprise in the Midlands city. Armed police descended on Hagley Road in the Edgbaston area of the city, in a Met Police led operation throughout the night. DS CLOSED: Police have cordoned off Hagley Road Speaking about the numbers of casualties Rowley said that several people remained in hospital with some still in critical condition. "Greater clarity is now developing regarding the casualty figures as we have now collated information from the public and five hospitals - the latest figures I have are that there are currently four dead and 29 people were treated in hospital," he added. "We are still collating numbers of walking wounded and of those in hospital sadly seven of them are in a critical condition." SWNS TERROR RAIDS: Police are expected to conduct more searches Dramatic pictures from the scene showed officers standing guard in front of an address  where the door had been kicked down. It appears the door leads to a flat above some shops on the road. A number of local residents voiced their concerns about seeing armed police on the street. CATERS WORRIED: Locals were scared to see armed police on the road Sky sources claim arrests were made during the raid. Officers are expected to carry out more raids in the area today as they hunt for anyone who may have helped yesterday's attacker. Conflicting reports claimed the car had been registered to a dealership in Chelmsford, Essex. SWNS LONDON-RELATED: The operation was led by the Met Police DS TERROR ROUTE: This is the journey the terrorist took SWNS ARRESTS: Police have made a number of arrests on the road Essex Live reported that the black Hyundai i40 was registered to an address in the commuter town in September last year. It is not known who the owner was at that time. The Met Police are not releasing any more details about the operation for the moment.
JustGiving also donated 10,000 and a spokesman said: Yesterday we saw an attack on the city that JustGiving calls home  it was an attack on what we as a company hold dear: compassion, empathy and democracy. Today has shown the world that Londons spirit of compassion and togetherness will not be beaten. She added: As many Parliamentarians have noted, our officers ran towards danger to do their jobs. We are indebted to their bravery. Yesterday a woman who was a cop alongside PC Palmer wept as she told how he saved her life ten years ago. Nina Whitehead said it happened when she was in a serious car smash while on duty. A police officer is given a floral tribute by a member of the public to lay as a tribute to PC Keith Palmer Colleague PC James Aitkenhead said: Keith was a genuinely nice person  nobody had a bad word to say about him. When I heard what had happened I knew it would be him because thats just the sort of guy he was, to step straight in when others might step back. He was always so positive, always staying late after everyone else and getting in early. Communities Secretary, Sajid Javid was at the vigil in Trafalgar Square on Thursday night. He said: "Like the incredible bravery displayed by police, medics and members of the public on Wednesday afternoon, the phenomenal response to this campaign shows the true spirit of the British people. "When we are attacked we don't raise our fists against each other - we reach out and offer a hand to those in need. "Nothing will ever make up for the loss suffered by PC Palmer's family, but I hope they can take some comfort from the outpouring of support we have seen over the past two days. He was a true hero. "We should remember him and the other victims, not the attacker." In his role guarding Parliament, Keith, of Welling, South East London, often posed with tourists taking souvenir snaps. Photos of the smiling PC were yesterday posted online by many who met him. Home Affairs Select Committee chairwoman Yvette Cooper, who was in the Palace of Westminster when the terrorist burst through the gates, said: "Thank you PC Keith Palmer - to your bravery many others owe their lives and safety". Four people have been confirmed dead in the attack - including the terrorist - and 29 people were injured including seven people critically. Floral tributes have been left at the scene after three people were killed including a police officer Hundreds of officers worked throughout the night on the investigation, interviewing witnesses, scouring CCTV and focusing on the suspect's "motivation, preparation and his associates". Top Met cop Mark Rowley said: "We are forensically examining a complicated crime scene that covers a wide area, and as with all investigations of this nature it will take us some time to work through the painstaking work necessary to get all of the relevant evidence." The scene inside Parliament Yard where the police officer was knifed to death The lockdown on Parliament, which saw hundreds of MPs and parliamentary staff kept inside Commons buildings for their safety, has now been lifted. Parliament will reopen on Friday and parts of the crime scene will restrict some of the entrances, but business must return to normal as quickly as possible. Mr Rowley said that while the threat level of "severe" will remain, "on a precautionary basis across the country we are stepping up police patrols - unarmed and armed - and the public will see far more of their local police forces over the forthcoming days, particularly in crowded places and iconic locations". He said: "Terrorists have a clear aim, and that is to create discord, distrust and to create fear. "The police stand together with all communities in the UK and will take action against anyone who seeks to undermine society, especially where crimes are motivated by hate.
Four people have died and a number of others have been hurt - including some with ''catastrophic'' injuries - in a major security incident on Westminster Bridge, a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital has said. A policeman has also been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers at the Houses of Parliament. Around three shots rang out outside the Palace of Westminster after a man ran through the gates into the front yard of the parliamentary compound apparently waving a knife. Two people were seen being treated on the ground in New Palace Yard amid shouts and screams. An air ambulance landed in Parliament Square and a regular ambulance came in through the front gates as medics rushed to help the injured people. An air ambulance outside the Palace of Westminster, London. (Image: Victoria Jones/PA Wire) Armed police cleared the area around the incident and Parliament Square was closed to traffic. A Downing Street source confirmed that Prime Minister Theresa May was "OK". Key Events What we know so far A single as-yet-unnamed attacker today drove a car into pedestrians walking on Westminster Bridge, killing two of them, before running with a knife through the front gates of the Palace of Westminster, where he killed a police officer before being shot dead. When did the incident begin? The incident began around 2.40pm when a man driving a grey Hyundai i40 mowed down around a dozen people on Westminster Bridge. (Image: ap) And what happened after that? The attacker crashed the car into railings - then running through the gates of the Palace of Westminster and stabbing the officer. Was anyone injured - and what happened to the attacker? A policeman was stabbed and his attacker was shot when he approached a second officer wielding his knife, according to eye witnesses. Police have confirmed four people have now died including a police officer, a woman and one attacker. It is feared the number of deaths could increase due to the catastrophic injuries suffered by some of the victims mowed down on Westminster Bridge. (Image: PA) How quickly were the security services on the scene? They were on the scene within minutes. Members of the Met Polices new heavily armed SAS-style counter terrorism unit were deployed with automatic weapons. What has happened this evening? Prime Minister Theresa May has confirmed that four people - including one police officer and the perpetrator - died in todays sick and depraved attack in Westminster. Speaking outside 10 Downing Street after chairing a meeting of the Governments Cobra emergencies committee, Mrs May paid tribute to the exceptional men and women of the police force who responded to the attack. She confirmed that She vowed that the forces of evil would never be allowed to drive us apart. 21:34Tom Eden Threat level remains unchanged The official threat level for international terrorism has been at severe - indicating that an attack is highly likely- for more than two years. Prime Minister Theresa May confirmed on Wednesday night that the level remains unchanged. Severe is the second highest of five levels, with the highest, critical, indicating that an attack is expected imminently. Although the Commons and the Lords will sit as normal on Thursday, officials confirmed that tours, educational visits and banqueting in Parliament will be cancelled.Access to the public gallery will be maintained. 21:33Tom Eden Police reviewing terrorist attack preperations The Westminster attack triggered a response police hoped would never be needed - but which has been rigorously planned and rehearsed. (Image: AP) Police and security services have been fine-tuning their arrangements for this kind of emergency for a number of years, and fears that London could be targeted have heightened following atrocities in major European cities. The Metropolitan Police has staged mock assaults to test their response, including an exercise carried out on Sunday. In the aftermath of the attack, members of the public were told to expect to see more armed and unarmed officers on the streets of the capital. Personnel from the Met, British Transport Police and City of London will work longer hours and extra shifts, while the military can also be called in should their assistance be required. A crime scene will remain in place as a painstaking investigation to gather all available evidence is carried out. Other forces around the UK will be reviewing their arrangements in light of the attack. 21:14Tom Eden PM condemns sick and depraved attack Theresa May has given a statement outside Downing Street where she condemns the sick and depraved terrorist attack on the streets of our capital this afternoon. She added: I can confirm that this appalling incident began when a single attacker drove his vehicle into pedestrians crossing Westminster Bridge. This attacker, who was armed with a knife, then ran towards parliament where he was confronted by the police officers who keep us and our democratic institutions safe. She says tragically, one of those officers was killed. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all who have been affected - to the victims themselves and their family and friends, who waved their loved ones off but will not now be welcoming them home, she says. She says the attack is a reminder of the exceptional bravery of police and security services who keep us safe. Once again today these exceptional men and women ran towards the danger even as they encouraged others to move the other way, she says. That they have lost one of their own in todays attack only makes their calmness and professionalism more exceptional, she adds. But she continues: Any attempt to defeat those values through violence and terror is doomed to failure. Tomorrow morning, Parliament will meet as normal. We will come together as normal. Londoners will go about their lives, she says. We will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart. 21:12KEY EVENT How events unfolded Heres how events unfolded in the Westminster attack: Emergency services are called at 2.40pm to an incident in the area of Parliament Square. It emerges that an attacker, armed with two large knives, mowed down pedestrians with his car on Westminster Bridge, including schoolchildren, then rushed at the gates in front of the Houses of Parliament, stabbing a policeman before being shot dead by other officers. (Image: Getty Images Europe) MPs are told the chamber would remain in lockdown until further notice and business is suspended. At around 3.30pm Scotland Yard says the attack is being treated as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise. The first death is confirmed after 4pm when a junior doctor at St Thomas Hospital says one woman has died and a number of others have been hurt - including some with catastrophic injuries. Before 4.50pm, Commander BJ Harrington of the Metropolitan Police says there are a number of casualties in the attack including police officers. (Image: Getty Images Europe) London Ambulance Service say before 5pm that at least 10 patients were treated on Westminster Bridge and a number of hospitals are on alert. Before 5.40pm, sources say a police officer stabbed at the Houses of Parliament has died. At about 6pm, Scotland Yards top anti-terror officer Mark Rowley confirms four people were killed, including the police officer who was stabbed and his attacker. Before 6.45pm, a spokesman for 10 Downing Street says Prime Minister Theresa May will shortly chair a meeting of the Governments emergency Cobra committee to discuss the immediate response to the incident in which at least 20 other people were injured. She orders flags to be lowered to half mast over Downing Street as a mark of respect to the innocent people who lost their lives, and a spokesman says she is being kept updated about the investigation. (Image: PA) 20:40Tom Eden Sadiq Kahn's message The London Mayor has posted this video message on behalf of Londoners: London Terror attackTom Eden A reading list A lot has been written today about the horrific events that unfolded, so heres all our stories on the London attack: 'Thoughts and prayers with brave police officers' Chi Onwurah on being let out Huge praise (and thoroughly deserved) for the police today: 20:03Tom Eden MPs allowed to leave the House of Commons After almost five hours MPs have been allowed to leave the Commons chamber. Around 1,000 people who were taken to Westminster Abbey for safety are now being processed by police.Scotland Yard urged the crowd to put delays in letting them leave into context.Chief Superintendent Raj Kohli told the crowd: There are families planning funerals as we speak so lets put it into context. 20:01Tom Eden More details on the injured (Image: ap) Pauline Cranmer, London Ambulance Service deputy director of operations, has given further details of the injured. She said: Our thoughts are with the friends and families of those affected by todays incident. We treated 12 patients for serious injuries, who were all taken to hospital. Eight further patients were treated for less serious injuries at the scene. We were called to the incident at 2.40pm today, with the first ambulance crew arriving within six minutes. We sent a number of resources to the scene including ambulance crews, Londons Air Ambulance and specialist teams trained to respond to this type of incident. We have been working closely with other members of the emergency services at the scene, with our priority being to ensure patients received the medical help they needed as quickly as possible. We declared a major incident and our priority was to assess patients and ensure that they were treated and taken to hospital as soon as possible. I would like to thank our staff and the other emergency services who responded today. 19:48Tom Eden Sniffer dogs around Westminster Investigations are ongoing around Westminster: Scotland YardTom Eden Flags at half mast The flag over New Scotland Yard has been lowered to half-mast, Daily Mirror Chief Reporter Andy Lines reports. 19:16Tom Eden Eight-month pregnant Benwell woman locked in Parliament A young couple from Benwell spoken of the horror of being caught up in the Westminster terror attack. The man and woman, who are in their 30s, were forced to cower under a table as their day-trip turned into a nightmare. The pair, who asked not to be named, said the ordeal was made all the more traumatising by the fact that the woman is eight months pregnant. The two were being shown around by the historic buildings by a parliamentary staffer after being invited by their member of Parliament, Chi Onwurah. But chaos soon broke out. The shaken father-to-be said: We had just left the chamber and were walking down a corridor when police ran past us. The two of us and a few others took shelter in a small side-room and hid there for about 30 minutes. We heard a lot of shouting outside and hid under the tables but couldnt get the door to lock. We were both very shaken. When we were hiding under the table we didnt even want to open the door to see what all the shouting was. With my wife being pregnant we were extremely concerned. Shes due in four weeks and that was our main worry. Eventually we were led out and told by the police to keep our hands on our head. 19:10Tom Eden Witnesses asked to contact police If you saw anything today, please contact the Met Police force: 19:09Tom Eden Pat Glass tweets Pat Glass, who says she will be attending the Commons tomorrow, has tweeted this from the Houses of Parliament: 19:06Tom Eden Where the attacks happened (Image: (Photo: Alamy / Reuters / Twitter / PA)) This graphic shows how the suspected terror attack got under way this afternoon. The suspect allegedly mounted a pavement in a car before crashing into multiple pedestrians and cyclists. He then crashed the vehicle into railings before stabbing a police officer, it is claimed. He was then shot by police. Both the suspect and the officer died. 19:01Tom Eden Timeline of events The Press Association have put out this video showing a timeline of todays terror attack: 18:55Tom Eden Lots of police activity There is still a lot of sirens and police activity outside Westminster: 18:44Tom Eden House of Commons still in lockdown MPs are still being kept inside the House of Commons: 18:40Tom Eden Trump speaks with Theresa May The White House press secretary Sean Spicer said that Donald Trump had spoken to Theresa May on the phone about the incident, adding that the US was continuing to monitor the situation. We obviously condemn todays attack in Westminster, he told reporters, noting that the UK government was treating it as a terrorist incident. We applaud the quick response of British police and first responders. Spicer said our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and the UK has the full support of the US government in bringing those responsible to justice. 18:36Tom Eden Knife attacker ran down at least 10 people The knifeman drove a grey Hyundai i40 across Westminster Bridge before crashing it into railings then running through the gates of the Palace of Westminster. (Image: PA) One woman hit by the attackers car before he reached Parliament was confirmed dead by a doctor at St Thomas Hospital. She said others on the bridge suffered catastrophic injuries. Another woman who apparently fell into the Thames was rescued and given urgent medical treatment on a nearby pier. London Ambulance Service said paramedics had treated at least 10 patients on Westminster Bridge. A party of French schoolchildren were among those targeted on the bridge, with three injured. 18:31Tom Eden Keep calm and carry on? MPs and Lords will sit as normal tomorrow, Parliament confirms: 18:28Tom Eden Latest update on the Westminster attack Heres an updated rundown of what we know so far: Four people, including a police officer and the attacker, have died and more than 20 others wounded, some with catastrophic injuries One woman was killed on Westminster Bridge after a number of pedestrians were mowed down by a car It is believed a second person was killed in the incident on the bridge Another woman ended up in the Thames and was treated for serious injuries after being pulled from the water A group of French schoolchildren were among those targeted on the bridge The attacker jumped out the car and fatally stabbed a police officer in the grounds of the Palace of Westminster The knifeman was shot dead moments later by another officer Police are treating the incident as a terrorist attack Prime Minister Theresa May will be chairing a meeting of the Governments emergency Cobra committee 18:22KEY EVENT How the terror attack unfolded Mr Rowley, the UKs most senior counter-terror officer, explained how the attack unfolded. He said: The attack started when a car was driven over Westminster Bridge, hitting and injuring members of the public, including three police officers on their way back from a commendation ceremony. At least one man got out (the car) with a knife. Four people have died. That includes a police officer who was protecting Parliament. At least 20 people have been injured. While police do not believe any other terrorists are at large, the area is on lockdown to be searched. 18:20Tom Eden Car registered in Essex For what its worth, a BBC Daily Politics producer tweeted this about the car that is believed to have ploughed into people on Westminster Bridge: (Image: PA) 18:17Tom Eden Three police officers among those injured Three police officers returning from a commendation ceremony were among those injured on Westminster Bridge, according to Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley. 18:16Tom Eden Police 'looking for second suspect' Police are still looking for a second assailant inside the Houses of Parliament, according to unconfirmed reports. Separate reports cited by the Mirror suggest there were two men inside the car that ploughed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, injuring at least 12. The situation remains unclear at the moment and police have not confirmed how many suspects they are seeking. The knifeman who allegedly stabbed a policeman was taken away by paramedics after being shot. 18:13Tom Eden Latest from inside Westminster Hall Police have told hundreds of people being held in Westminster Hall they are being treated as potential witnesses and they should expect to be held there for 60 to 90 minutes.London Ambulance Service is offering medical attention to diabetics.
Here is the full interview from defence secretary Michael Fallon this morning. Fallon says the belief is that the man was motivated by international terrorism Their working assumption this is linked to Islamic terrorism but they dont yet know and the investigation - and it is a very large investigation - has been underway since it happened. Fallon said attacks are not part of normal life but London was clearly a target police were preparing for The current warning is at severe - that an attack - and that has been the case for sometime, is likely but not imminent. There is no specific information about other attacks and let me emphasise today although there is intense security around palace of Westminster, London is going to work this morning, I passed school children going to school, there are school trips going ahead, parliament itself will resume at the normal time at half past nine. Fallon said it was not the case that police could not prevent low tech attacks but admitted it was more difficult. The police and agencies that we rely on for our security have forestalled a large number of these attacks in recent years over a dozen last year. Now of course this kind of attack, this lone wolf attack, things from daily life - a vehicle, a knife are much more difficult to forestall - and we are dealing with a terrorist enemy that is not making demands or holding people hostage but just to kill as many people as possible. This is a new element to international terrorism but our forces are working extremely hard to identify those that are involved to this and I have every confidence they will be able to track down the associates of this particular man. Fallon said police had to work on the assumption others may have helped prepare the attack. The police have to proceed on the presumption that he may well have been assisted in this task - there may have been others involved - they have been working right through the night looking into his background, how he got hold of vehicle and who or where the vehicle has been in the last day or two and he may or may not have been helped. He also insists it is not the case that the security of parliament was breached, and that is down to the bravery of PC Keith Palmer at carriage gate. In paying tribute to PC Keith Palmer, they did not get into parliament, they only got as far as the gate, they did not breach the security of the House of Commons - he gave his life to protect our democracy. Parliament cannot be hermetically sealed, people are coming and going all the time, there was a division in place in the House of Commons at that time - people arriving at the gates by car or foot to vote on that. But obviously this is something that will be reviewed by the House authorities. Fallon also said the cabinet had reviewed at the Cobr meeting whether the Metropolitan police had all the resources they need, including military back-up to deal with situations like that. There have been increases in the budgets of security services - we will continue to keep that under review. I want to reassure you that the police and security sources will have resources they need. Im joined by my colleague Andrew Sparrow in Westminster now, hell be taking charge of events today in Westminster while I monitor developments in the investigations. You can get in touch with either of us via Twitter, @jessicaelgot and @AndrewSparrow. Victim named as Aysha Frade, teacher and mother of two A teacher and mother of two was among those who died in Wednesdays terror attack in London, it has emerged. Aysha Frade, 43, who worked as a teacher in London, had family in the town of Betanzos, Galicia in north-west Spain. The mayor of Betanzos, Ramn Garca Vzquez, confirmed Frades death, saying he had been informed early on Thursday morning. The rumours that started going round last night are sadly true, he told the Guardian. I didnt know her but she has two sisters who run an English school here and other relatives in the area. Its a tragedy. Fallon: 'London is taking this on the chin' Sir Michael Fallon, the defence secretary, has been speaking to Radio 4 Today. He said police working assumption is that this is linked to islamic terrorism. Police had been working through the night, he said. Fallon says he will not rule out that the attack was directed from overseas, but says all options are being looked at. They [police] dont yet have a full enough picture of the man and his known associates who may or may not have helped him prepare the attack. Fallon says he has passed many people going to work as normal in London this morning, including pupils on school trips, and says parliament will sit as normal at 9.30am. The deputy speaker Lindsay Hoyle, who announced the attack to MPs in the chamber yesterday afternoon, has been speaking to Sky News this morning. We had the information an attack was taking place outside, so we asked how serious? Really serious. So we suspended the sitting immediately, and we were partway through a division [a vote] so there were a lot of MPs in the chamber, which was good news. Of course, then we went into complete lockdown and no one can go in or out, which is the best thing to happen. Hoyle said he was devastated by the death of PC Keith Palmer. We lost one of our own, one of the village policemen. This is our village, to lose a person we all know, is not acceptable. Our thoughts are with his family and the other victims of this hideous crime. People are doing their duty, he has lost his life serving us and its a tragedy that should never have happened. We have got to not give into terrorism. We will pay tribute to what has gone and that tragedy that took place yesterday, but we will not give into terrorism, and it will never, ever win. Hoyle said MPs greet the police officers every day and get to know them well. They look after us, they put the safety of the house first, they gave their lives to defend democracy. It will be business as usual, but not quite as usual. Innocent victims, tourists, people going about their business, mown down by a car. These despots will never win. We will stand together and stand firm. Hoyle says he feels safe every day in parliament. We have the best police force in the world  we have great people who look after us and our head of security is second to none and proved it yesterday, he said. We lost someone but no one got into parliament. Jess Phillips, the chair of the womens PLP, said that the group of Labours female politicians had met the day before with the deputy speaker, Lindsay Hoyle, and the head of security in parliament to talk about safety. The feeling in the room was very much that we felt safe on the estate. We had more concerns about random attacks in our constituency. During the attack the very next day the security was tested and the feeling of all the MPs inside and outside the building was that still we felt safe, she said. Phillips described the calm, professional but forceful way the doorkeepers, security staff and police handled the situation to keep staff, MPs and visiting schoolchildren and guests safe. Today we will attend a statement to honour Keith Palmer, but to honour him and the sacrifice he made for us we will keep going to our constituency meetings and parliament debates. Summary of latest Met Police briefing Good morning from London. Heres what we know from the most recent statement from Scotland Yards acting deputy commissioner Mark Rowley. Rowley revised down the death toll  four people killed in the attack in Westminster yesterday, including the killer and parliament police officer Keith Palmer. Two other victims, who Rowley said were a mix of nationalities, were killed on Westminster bridge, a man and a woman. This morning, there are 29 people being treated in hospital, seven in a critical condition, which is also revised down from yesterday, when police said 40 were injured. Police have searched six addresses in Birmingham, London and other parts of the country, and made seven arrests. They believe this attacker acted alone and inspired by international terrorism. Rowley said he had no specific information about any further risk to the public, but repeated that more officers were on the streets - armed and unarmed - and that many had leave cancelled or were working extended hours. The area is a large and complex crime scene that officers are still working on. Rowley said he would not identify the attacker or other victims at this stage - because the victims were a mix of nationalities. He said he realised journalists would be investigating too, but asked them not to name the attacker.
Suspect in Westminster 'attack' not known to security services The man, who is in his late twenties, was arrested on suspicion of terror offences. Police activity near the Houses of Parliament Yui Mok/PA A terror suspect accused of deliberately crashing a car outside the Houses of Parliament was not known to the security services, Scotland Yard has said. The man, in his late twenties, was arrested on suspicion of terror offences after the silver Ford Fiesta he was driving collided with cyclists and pedestrians before crashing into security barriers just before 7.40am on Tuesday. The suspect, who is understood to be from the Birmingham area, is being held in custody at a south London police station. Metropolitan Police counter-terrorism head Neil Basu said he is not co-operating. "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," he told reporters. "We have not formally identified him yet. On the details we have at the moment, we don't believe this individual was known to MI5 or counter-terror police." The silver car can be seen driving along the road next to Parliament Square before moving to turn right towards Westminster Abbey in footage of the incident aired on BBC News. As an ambulance passes the car on its right-hand side, the vehicle swerves left, crossing oncoming traffic and colliding with cyclists before entering a small road and crashing into a security barrier. Westminster: Map shows how incident unfolded. PA Graphics A police officer can be seen jumping another barrier that runs along the side of the road to get away. Images posted to social media showed a man wearing a black puffer jacket being led away in handcuffs from the car as armed police officers swarmed the scene. There was nobody else in the vehicle and no weapons were found, police said. Mr Basu added no other suspects have been identified and there is "no intelligence at this time of further danger" to Londoners. Two people were taken to hospital, while a third person with minor injuries was assessed at the scene, the London Ambulance Service (LAS) said. One was discharged from St Thomas' Hospital before midday, while a woman is being treated for serious but not life-threatening injuries at St Mary's Hospital. After a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee, Theresa May urged the country to come together and carry on as normal. In a statement released by Downing Street, the Prime Minister praised the "formidable courage" and professionalism of the emergency services who "ran towards" danger. She said: "The threat to the United Kingdom from terrorism remains severe. "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. "The twisted aim of the extremists is to use violence and terror to divide us. They will never succeed." Witnesses described the car ploughing through cyclists in what appeared to be a deliberate act. Geoffrey Woodman, a strategy consultant from Battersea, had stopped at the traffic lights by Parliament Square on his cycle to work when the car swerved into cyclists and towards the security barriers. "I was getting off the bike and put my foot down, then there was a sound like tyres screeching," he told PA. "This car turned round to the left and swerved into the wrong lane of traffic and into the bank where all the cyclists wait." He said most people managed to jump off their bikes to safety but one woman who "seemed in some distress" was clipped by the bonnet of the car as it passed. Mr Woodman said paramedics from a passing ambulance stopped to help before armed police arrived on the scene. Cyclist James Maker, 30, of Chelmsford, Essex, passed the scene in Westminster minutes later and saw a woman injured on the ground and the car crashed into the barrier. "I looked to the right-hand side and there was a cyclist on the floor, clearly injured," he told PA. "It was a woman, they were clearly quite injured, they weren't moving and they were in the recovery position." Jason Williams, 45, from Kennington, was walking to work when he saw the crash. "I saw a car going at high speed towards Parliament. It hit a bollard," he told PA. "It looked deliberate. It didn't look like an accident. How do you do that by accident? It was a loud bang." Forensic officers at the scene Stefan Rousseau/PA Streets around Parliament Square, Millbank and Victoria Tower Gardens were cordoned off as police, ambulances and firefighters arrived. Bus driver Victor Ogbomo, 49, passed the scene just after the crash. "All I saw was the smoke coming out of a vehicle, a silver vehicle... I just stopped the bus," he said. "The police said we have to move back, then in less than five minutes the response team came." The Houses of Parliament are surrounded with security barriers of steel and concrete. The measures were extended in the wake of the Westminster Bridge attack in March 2017 when Khalid Masood ploughed a car into crowds on Westminster Bridge, killing four people. Masood abandoned his car then stabbed and killed unarmed Pc Keith Palmer before he was shot by armed police in a courtyard outside Parliament. The terrorist threat against the UK is seen as unprecedented. The Prime Minister's official spokesman said there were 676 live investigations being carried out by the security services and counter-terror police at the end of June, up from more than 500 in March. Some 13 Islamist plots and four by far-right extremists have been foiled in the past 18 months, he added. There are roughly 3,000 active "subjects of interest" at any one time - while there is also a wider pool of more than 20,000 individuals who have previously featured in probes whose threat must be kept under review. Earlier this year, the Government unveiled a refreshed counter-terror strategy. Under the blueprint, MI5 intelligence will be shared with bodies outside the security community in an attempt to stop suspects before attack plots can crystallise, while anti-terror laws are to be strengthened to allow earlier interventions. Postcode iThere are some shows on the STV Player that you can only watch if you live in one of our license regions. 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We are not afraid. That was the simple note written on one of many floral tributes on Londons Westminster Bridge after last weeks terror attack there. I read this defiant message while walking along the infamous Bridge where, just a few days earlier, 52-year-old Kent-born terrorist Khalid Masood killed four innocent people and injured dozens. The defiance of Londoners and their determination to get on with their lives, despite this tragic event and the ongoing terror threat, was palpable everywhere around the city. Beyond defiance, however, there were mixed responses to the heinous crime. Some rushed to exploit the attack by denigrating the British Muslim community; others promptly responded by defending Muslims, dissociating themselves from terrorism. Newspapers highlighted how Muslim women gathered on Westminster Bridge in a show of solidarity with the victims of last weeks terror attack. Others fueled public debate by comparing attacks by radical Islamist groups to the IRA bombings or by blaming Western foreign policies in the Middle East for the rise of radical groups. These confused, almost competing responses are active whenever there is a terror attack in a Western city. Each echo chamber has an almost identical response after every terror attack, which reflects its own political attitudes. As Polly Toynbee has written: All of us responded in our tribes. Amidst those chaotic echo chambers, attempts are made, consciously or subconsciously, to cast an air of confusion on the phenomenon of radical Islamism, mainly to serve often-competing political agendas. But the rhetoric fuelling this confusion is simply a betrayal of the victims of such violence. Islamist radicalism is not that difficult to understand, and the first step in understanding it should be by dispelling a few of the myths circulated after each terror attack. Here are some: Myth one: It is Islamic terror British Prime Minister Theresa May was more accurate than many in her assessment. It is wrong to describe this as Islamic terrorism. It is Islamist terrorism; it is a perversion of a great faith. May pointed out, albeit subtly, to the ideological root of violent Islamism, emphasizing that it is an ideology, not a faith. In simpler terms, it is a political ideology that appeals to a tiny minority of followers of the Muslim faith who believe Islam is not just a religion, but also a system of governance that should be dictated by Islamic laws. Many argue that Islams holy book, the Quran, backs this ideology. That is simply a farce. Muslim scholars have disagreed for centuries about interpretations of Islamic texts. What we have witnessed recently are attempts by certain groups and states to assert their own vision of Islam, using financial and cultural influences to lure Muslim communities in both the West and in the Muslim world. Myth two: It has nothing to do with Muslims While it is important to understand the difference between Islam as a faith and Islamism as an ideology, it is crucial to acknowledge the complexity of radicalism and how it grows and recruits a few Muslims. A recent report in The New York Times sheds more light on the complex link between radicalism and Muslim communities. It explains how Khalid Masood had a connection to Birmingham, Britains second-biggest city, which has produced a disproportionate number of convicted Islamist militants, including some linked to the attacks of September 11, 2001, and to last years bombings in Brussels. Anjem Choudary, a founder of Al Muhajiroun, which has been classified as a terror organization, blurred the boundary between religion and violent extremism for many years. His entourage used to arrive in big vans on Birminghams Coventry Road, an area associated with conservative Islam, preaching and distributing leaflets. Choudary is now in prison after being convicted last year of encouraging support for Islamic State, but his legacy continues. The problem is, there are many shades of Choudary within Britains Muslim communities, and arguably in other Western countries. Unlike Choudary, some Islamists adopt a softer tune, spreading a similar message of hate and radicalization, but are hard to spot among ordinary Muslims. It is not bigoted or anti-Islam to acknowledge that simple fact, and to work harder to expose people like Choudary who try to exploit Muslims to fulfill their poisonous agendas. In fact, the best way to confront bigotry and racism is to address these issues and openly discuss the challenges facing Muslims in Britain. Myth three: Non-violent Islamism is not part of the problem Despite acknowledging the difference between Islam and Islamism, the British PM, its government, and the wider political elite in Britain are still refraining from discussing Islamism as an ideology. Even in its non-violent form, Islamism is problematic for two reasons: First, is its ghettoizing nature: For Islamists, religion should be the top identity of any Muslim; and this identity must be protected. Islamists are naturally isolationists. They adopt a veneer of openness and use it as a campaign tool to attract sympathizers among human rights advocates and policy makers. They see others as a threat to their way of life and discourage their followers from integrating properly within their wider communities. Second, Islamists encourage perpetual victimhood by pooling endless historic grievances and mixing them with the current unfortunate realities in many Muslim countries. The end result is a poisonous environment that breeds emotionalism and anger. In fact, the combined ingredients of social dissociation and emotionalism provide a perfect recipe for radicalism to flourish. It engenders a deep reluctance to discuss Islamism for fear of offending Muslims, which is not just wrong; it is dangerous too! Myth four: Essentializing Islam As I have written before, the cynical glee with which the Western media publicly flaunts  and generalizes  the practice of Islamic customs has become a disturbing pattern. Symbols like the Hijab (disputed by many liberal Muslims) have become a favorite trendy logo whenever Islam is mentioned. Using the hijab recently as a logo during the Womens March against Trump is just one example. Western media tend to juggle Islam and Islamism depending on the story. Here is a headline from The Independent: Thousands of Muslims from across the world converged on the UK for a convention where they rejected extremism and violence of terror groups such as Isis. What the headline does not reveal, however, is that this congregation belongs to the Ahmadiyya Islamic movement, a sect of Islam that most political Islamists regard as heretical. Again, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth joined the commemoration of the Westminster attack, but again, media outlets branded them as Muslims without explaining the distinction between them and Islamism. It is hard to walk along Westminster Bridge and not to agree with William Wordsworths 1802 poem upon Westminster Bridge. The messages of defiance and solidarity with the victims of terror indeed make the bridge, more than ever, a sight so touching in its majesty. But outside the splendor of the scene, there is a vulnerable society rife with myths, denial, tribalism and exploitations. Terrorism is a symptom of deeper illnesses we should all confront. We cannot afford the cowardice of the elite, and exploitation by ideology.
A Muslim-led initiative to raise money for the families of the victims of Wednesday's Islamic State (IS)-claimed attack in London has raised over 22,000 ($17,000) 24 hours since going live. The fund was launched on Wednesday night by Muddassar Ahmed, a businessman who was trapped in a Westminster building during the incident. A statement on the fundraising page titled Muslims United for London reads: The British Muslim community stands with the community during these difficult times and extends their support in raising funds to help with the immediate, short-term needs of the families of Keith Palmer, the other victims and the families of the victims." Palmer, a police officer, was fatally stabbed by an assailant at the Palace of Westminster, while two other people died after being run over by the attacker as he drove a car onto the pavement on Westminster Bridge. "While no amount of money will bring back lives lost or take away from the pain the victims and their families are going through, we hope to lessen their burden in some way, the statement said. Ahmed, a businessman who was attending a meeting at Portcullis House, an office building opposite parliament that is used by MPs and their staff, told Middle East Eye that he had watched the incident unfold and been trapped for four to five hours as police and emergency services responded to the incident. I felt frightened, terrorised and upset, and couldnt imagine what the victims and their families were feeling, he said. The fund was also backed by two members of parliament, Naz Shah and Yasmin Qureshi, who both represent the opposition Labour party. "It is fantastic that two members of parliament have given support to the campaign, said Ahmed. Qureshi said she had been voting in the House of Commons at the time of the attacks and was also trapped with other MPs as parliament was suspended. Looking after people is very much part of Islamic philosophy, to help your fellow citizens, she told MEE. She said the fund was "the right thing to do". "Although it wont bring anyone back, or heal the physical and mental injures, it will hopefully help those affected." Shah told MEE that she was honoured to have been asked to support the initiative. "In times like this we ask ourselves as human beings, how can we respond emotionally to something. Out of pain, people came together to do something As British people we stand together." Mohammed Marikar, an associate director at the Royal Bank of Canada, also helped Ahmed set up the campaign. He said he, Ahmed and Qureshi had come up with the plan over dinner on Wednesday night. Marikar said that the fund would help to pay the medical bills of foreign nationals injured in the attack. "And Keith Palmer leaves behind a wife and child. We knew we had to do something to help. We went home and worked until the early hours to get it up online. PC Keith Palmer who died during a terrorist incident in Westminster (Metropolitan Police) Muslims United for London stated that 100 percent of funds collected through this campaign will go to the victims and the families of the victims most affected by the tragic events". Ahmed told MEE that Muslims United for London would contact the police to discuss how best to spend the money and said some would likely be donated to a Metropolitan Police fund. A fundraising effort launched by the Metropolitan Police Federation has already raised more than 547,000 ($438,000), for Palmer's family.
All 12 people arrested after Westminster terror attack released without charge Khalid Masood killed 4 people before he was shot dead on Wednesday 22 March in London In a related video Londoners leave chalk messages of hope and peace in Trafalgar Square after terror attackStoryful Police have released 12 people arrested in connection with the Westminster terror attack without any charges being brought. The Metropolitan Police (Met) have been investigating whether Kent-born Khalid Masood acted alone when he killed four and injured more than 35 people on Wednesday 22 March. Masood killed Aysha Frade, 44, Kurt Cochran, 54, Leslie Rhodes, 75, and PC Keith Palmer, 48, when he drove a car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before attacking the police officer in the grounds of the Palace of Westminster. It was reported by the Guardian that Scotland Yard had also arrested Masood's partner, Rohey Hydara, who was later released. More than 35 people were injured when Masood drove his rented Hyundai over the famous bridge aiming the car at pedistrians. Police stand on guard outside a flat, above Shiraz Restaurant, in Hagley Road, Birmingham, which was raided by anti-terror police in connection with the London Terror attacksChristopher Furlong/Getty Images With wounds ranging from cuts and bruises to extensive bone and skull fractures, one of the worst affected was Andreea Cristea, a Romanian tourist who fell into the Thames, who remains in critical but stable condition. Police enquiries continue with officers probing one theory that Massod, born Adrian Russell Ajao, may have been in contact with an Isis mastermind in the moments before the attack. It has been revealed that Masood was on the messaging service WhatsApp around two minutes before he ploughed his car into innocent pedestrians. A picture of Khalid Masood released by Metropolitan Police in the wake of the terror attack.Metropolitan Police
A man has been arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences after a car crashed outside the Houses of Parliament. The vehicle swerved into cyclists and pedestrians shortly after 07:30 BST, injuring three people. The 29-year-old suspect is not believed to be known to MI5 or counter-terrorism police, and is not co-operating with officers. Searches are taking place in Birmingham and Nottingham. Two people were treated in hospital for their injuries but discharged. Scotland Yard's head of counter terrorism Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu 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." He added there was "no intelligence at this time of further danger" to London or the UK as a whole. The government held a meeting of its Cobra emergency committee and the prime minister has paid tribute to the "formidable courage" and professionalism of the emergency services who "ran towards a dangerous situation in order to protect the public". Urging the public to remain vigilant but "carry on as normal", Theresa May added: "For the second time in as many years the home of our democracy, which is a potent symbol of our precious values of tolerance and freedom, has witnessed terrible scenes just yards from its door." The suspect, who has not been formally identified, is being held at a south London police station and the vehicle is being searched. Sources say he is from the Birmingham area. Security Minister Ben Wallace told the BBC the suspect was British but originally from another country. Image caption The suspect, on the right of the image, can be seen being taken away by police Image copyrightAFPImage caption Only the area around the scene of the crash remains sealed off A number of eyewitnesses have said the silver Ford Fiesta, which was travelling westbound in Parliament Square, appeared to deliberately hit members of the public as it swerved into the opposite lane. Footage released by the BBC shows the moment when the car then crosses over a traffic island in the middle of the road before crashing into the security barriers. A police officer can be seen jumping over another barrier to get out of the way. Police have released more details about the car's movements before the crash: The car travelled from Birmingham to London on Monday night, arriving in the capital just after midnight The vehicle was in the Tottenham Court Road area from approximately 01:25 BST until 05:55. It was then driven around the Westminster and Whitehall area from approximately 06:00 until the incident Image caption Cyclists were seen on the ground after the crash Westminster Tube station was closed for entry and exit, and streets around Millbank and Parliament Square cordoned off for several hours after the crash. The immediate area around the incident remains taped off and screened by white temporary fencing. Ewalina Ochab, who also saw the crash, said: "I think it looked intentional - the car drove at speed and towards the barriers." She said: "I was walking on the other side of the road. I heard some noise and someone screamed. I turned around and I saw a silver car driving very fast close to the railings, maybe even on the pavement." Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption The area around the Houses of Parliament was sealed off More than 10 police vehicles and at least three ambulances were at the scene outside Parliament - where firearms officers and police sniffer dogs searched the area. British Transport Police said it was increasing patrols in England, Scotland and Wales and that its officers would be "highly visible on trains and at stations". Analysis By Dominic Casciani, BBC News home affairs correspondent Security arrangements at Parliament have progressively tightened since 2001. In the aftermath of the 7/7 attacks, new truck bomb-proof barriers were installed in an effort to "target harden" Westminster. These include the reinforced low black rampart-like walls that surround Parliament itself and a highly visible armed police presence. Visitors need to go through a chicane-like system designed to help armed officers spot suspects. The one significant weak spot was the main vehicle gates - as became apparent in March 2017's one-man attack. That triggered an internal security review that has led to changes that remain secret - although it's apparent to Londoners that there are now more armed police than ever before patrolling the area. The threat of terrorism is a constant concern for Parliamentarians - it's not new. The IRA murdered Airey Neave MP in 1979 in a car bomb that exploded within the palace grounds. And the dilemma remains the same: how best to balance security with guaranteeing that the heart of British democracy remains open to the people. Home Secretary Sajid Javid expressed his gratitude to the emergency services. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said he was in close contact with police and that he "utterly condemns all acts of terrorism on our city". And Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the bravery of emergency services "keeps us safe day in, day out". US President Donald Trump responded to the incident on Twitter, saying: "Another terrorist attack in London... These animals are crazy and must be dealt with through toughness and strength!" Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption Forensics officers could be seen at the scene The Houses of Parliament are surrounded with security barriers of steel and concrete. The measures were extended in the wake of the Westminster Bridge attack in March 2017 when Khalid Masood ploughed a car into crowds on Westminster Bridge, killing four people. The Prime Minister's Official Spokesman said as of the end June 2018 there were 676 live investigations into potential terrorist plots. He said since March 2017, 13 Islamist plots and four far-right plots had been foiled. Scotland Yard is asking anyone with information on Tuesday's crash to call 0800 789 321. Anyone with video or pictures of the crash is asked to send them to police.
Witnesses have described scenes of chaos after a police officer was stabbed and a suspect was shot outside the Houses of Parliament after an alleged terror attack. Approximately 12 pedestrians were also mowed down by a car on Westminster Bridge. One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital. Some were described as having "catastrophic'' and "life-changing" injuries. Van driver Mitchell Spree, 27, told The Independent he was driving along Embankment when he saw people being evacuated from nearby buildings. He said: "Then we pulled on to the bridge. A lady was laying at the entrance to the bridge. There was about five more people. "She was crying. She was speaking to the paramedic. I don't know what the others were like. The police asked us to leave our van. It's still on the bridge. It's shocking." A second witness, Tawhid Tanim, told The Independent he heard three shots - "bang, bang, bang" - some 10 or 15 metres from the Caffe Nero coffee bar where he was waiting for friends. He said: "It was so loud. People were running like crazy." He saw the aftermath of the car striking railings outside Parliament however he could not be sure if someone, or something, was underneath. He said: "I couldn't see it properly. I started running. Police officers told the crowds to "just keep running," he said. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended Early reports indicate a car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the gates of Westminster just around the corner. At least three gunshots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended as police deal with what they tentatively described as a "terrorist incident". The deputy speaker of the Commons, David Lidington, announced the suspension in the House, saying a police officer had been stabbed and the "alleged assailant shot by armed police".
Header Ads Seven people arrested in connection Westminster attack Wednesday night, Officers were stormed a flat in Birminghamwith West Midlands Police directing inquiries about the operation to the Metropolitan Police. The Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said the working assumption is that the Westminster attack is linked to an Islamic terrorism. Sir Michael said: "They have been working right through the night, looking into his background, how he got hold of the vehicle, where the vehicle has been in the last day or two, and who may, or may not, have helped him." Police confirmed that four people died including PC Keith Palmer and the attacker (Picture: Reuters) Acting deputy Met Police Mark Rowley said: "It is our believe that the attacker acted alone during the Westminster attack yesterday and was inspired by international terrorism. To be explicit  we have no specific information about further threats to the public at this time." A total of 29 people were killed in the attack (Picture: Reuters) Police previously said that five people had died in the attack, however that number has been revised down to four and a total of 29 people have been injured and seven of them are in a critical condition. Police said that a man woman in her 40s and a man in his 50s had both been killed. PC Keith Palmer, the police officer who was killed, a member of the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Squad. He was killed as he tried to stop the attacker at around 2.30pm yesterday. The woman has been identified as Aysha Frade, a Spanish teacher on her way to pick her two children up from school. The suspect, who was armed with two knives, injured around 40 people as he mowed down pedestrians with a car on Westminster Bridge before crashing at the railings in front of Parliament. Police refused to say whether it was connected to the London terror attack (Picture: Caters) Police at the scene in Birmingham where a flat has been raided (Picture: Caters) Bursting through the gate to the Palace of Westminster, he stabbed Pc Palmer before being shot dead by armed officers. Theresa May praised the bravery of police officers on Wednesday night as it was announced Westminster would attempt to run as smoothly as normal. In a statement from Downing Street, the Prime Minister said: Any attempt to defeat those values through violence and terror is doomed to failure. And Londoners  and others from around the world who have come here to visit this great city  will get up and go about their day as normal. They will board their trains, they will leave their hotels, they will walk these streets, they will live their lives. And we will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart. Donald Trump was among world leaders to offer their support. Shortly after 1.30am UK time, the US president tweeted: Spoke to UK Prime Minister Theresa May today to offer condolences on the terrorist attack in London. She is strong and doing very well. Counter-terror detectives will continue searching for clues to how an armed attacker brought destruction to London. Several people have been arrested as a result of the raid in Birmingham (Picture: SWNS) (Picture: SWNS) Speaking outside Scotland Yard on Wednesday night, Acting Deputy Commissioner Mark Rowley, the Mets senior anti-terror officer, said police believe the suspect was inspired by international terrorism, and they believe they know who he was. Paying tribute to Pc Palmer, who had served the police for 15 years, Mr Rowley said: Today in Westminster we saw tragic events unfold, and our thoughts are with those who lost loved ones, those who were injured and all those affected by this attack. One of those who died today was a police officer, Pc Keith Palmer, a member of our parliamentary and diplomatic protection command. Keith, aged 48, had 15 years service and was a husband and father. He was someone who left for work today expecting to return home at the end of his shift, and he had every right to expect that would happen. The attack has delayed the Queens planned visit to the new headquarters of the Metropolitan Police. A picture taken through the door of the flat in Hagley Road, Birmingham (Picture: SWNS) A Buckingham Palace spokesman said the decision had been taken to postpone the engagement in light of the attack. Stories of heroism and bravery emerged from the incident, which brought central London to a standstill and closed transport networks around the capital shortly after 2.30pm on Wednesday. Paramedics fought to save Pc Palmer, and his attacker, on the floor of the cobbled courtyard in front of Parliament, with Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood among those who rushed to help. Mr Ellwood, who lost his brother in the Bali bombing, could be seen pumping the officers chest then standing above him, his hands and face smeared with blood. Investigations continue today near the Houses of Parliament (Picture: Reuters) Terror struck at the heart of British democracy yesterday (Picture: PA) Armed officers, some in plain clothes and wearing balaclavas, swarmed around the yard feet from where MPs had earlier attended Prime Ministers Questions. The knifemans attack left a trail of destruction as paramedics tended to victims on the bridge and at the gate. One woman hit by the attackers car before he reached Parliament was confirmed dead by a doctor at St Thomas Hospital. Others on the bridge suffered catastrophic injuries. Another woman who fell into the Thames was rescued and given urgent medical treatment on a nearby pier. A party of French schoolchildren were among those targeted on the bridge, while four students from Edge Hill University in Ormskirk were also hurt  two described as walking wounded, and another couple said to have minor injuries. Romanian and South Korean tourists were also caught up in the tragedy.
A north London plumber, who spent years making bombs for the Taliban in Afghanistan, came within yards of launching a deadly knife attack on Downing Street. Khalid Ali, 28, is now facing life in prison after a jury at the Old Bailey found him guilty of planning an attack He has also been convicted of possessing explosives, after dozens of his fingerprints were found on bomb components recovered by US forces in Afghanistan. Image:Khalid Ali faces life in jail His trial at the Old Bailey heard how Ali, also a qualified gas-fitter, had been under surveillance by MI5 after returning from Afghanistan in late 2016 He had spent more than five years helping construct hundreds of bombs for the Taliban. Following his return to the UK, an intelligence database cross matched his fingerprints with 42 separate prints found on dozens of improvised explosive device components. As police and the security services began preparing a criminal case against Ali, he was being monitored by authorities, when it became clear he was about to launch an attack Image:Khalid Ali told officers he was sending a message to people in power Deputy assistant commissioner Dean Haydon, head of counter terror policing in the UK, said Ali was a "highly dangerous individual". "We were trying to understand what he was up to here and trying to get the evidence from international partners we could use in court, when we became pretty convinced that he'd rearmed himself with knives," he said. His arrest in April last year came just a month after terrorist Khalid Masood killed pedestrians on Westminster bridge, before fatally stabbing PC Keith Palmer outside the Houses of Parliament. Image:Ali had been visited by officers the night before. Pic: Met Police Prosecutors believe Ali had been planning to target police, members of the military, or parliamentarians around Westminster The night before the planned attack, Ali's mother had called the police to her home after she discovered a set of kitchen knives on his bedroom floor But Ali was not arrested and counter-terror officers were not informed about the incident at the time. Ali was asked to leave the house after his mother told officers she feared for her safety. The next morning, he bought a new set of knives in Ealing, west London, before heading towards the heart of the capital. Image:Ali was detained outside parliament Mr Haydon said: "We were pretty convinced he was about to launch a deadly terrorist attack here in central London and so we intervened." The jury was shown a video of Ali's arrest, captured on a bodycam carried by one of the armed officers. It showed armed police running up to the suspect at the junction of Parliament Square and Whitehall and pinning him to the ground. One of the officers said: "You are under suspicion of being a terrorist," and then asked Ali, "What's your first name? Ali would not answer, so the officer continued: "Do you have anything on you that may hurt anyone? Ali replied: "You'll find out." Image:Officers found three knives on Ali when he was arrested. Pic: Met Police As they searched him on the ground, they found a total of three knives. Two 3.5-inch-long knives were recovered from his jacket pockets. Police then pulled an eight-inch Sabatier chef's knife from the waistband of Ali's tracksuit bottoms. They also found a bundle of cash in another pocket. He claimed later that he was carrying the knives for his own protection and that he simply wanted to deliver a message to leading politicians. In a police interview he said the message was not for them but for "those who are running the country, that's why I was in the Westminster area", adding it was "for the leaders, those who are the decision-makers". The message, he claimed was "the same, it always will be, leave their lands, leave the Muslims to do whatever they are doing". Image:A British police forensics officer holds a knife as evidence is collected on Whitehall The court heard how Ali had joined a convoy delivering aid to Gaza in 2010, painting himself as caring and compassionate. But just months later, he left his family in London and headed out to Pakistan and Afghanistan. In his defence, he told the court he had been kidnapped by the Taliban, suspected of being a British spy and forced into making bombs. Brian Altman QC, prosecuting, said Ali's version was "a preposterous story from beginning to end" which was "quite literally incredible - a story of riddles and nonsense".
London Suffers Terror Attack Against Parliament, Westminster Bridge London has suffered a terror attack today targeting Parliament and Westminster Bridge. The attack appears to have consisted of a vehicular assault upon pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, and a knife attack on Londons Parliament Building. Authorities have stated that there was a single attacker, who drove down Westminster Bridge before crashing into the railings of Parliament Square. The attacker then made his out of the vehicle, stabbing a police officer fatally before running into the front yard of the Palace of Westminster where he was shot fatally by police. The official statements about a single attacker stand at odds with reports from the BBC that eyewitnesses saw a bald, white man and a black man with a goatee beard take part in the attack on Parliament. Reporters on the scene as well as the New York Times have stated that police were searching for a second suspect. Scotland Yard has told the public to avoid Parliament Square; Whitehall; Westminster Bridge; Lambeth Bridge; Victoria Street up to the junction with Broadway and the Victoria Embankment up to Embankment tube. Eyewitnesses to the attack also claimed that they heard either one, or a series of explosions at the beginning of the attack. Reports of explosions were carried by The Express, who reported multiple blasts, as well as the Daily Mail, which featured footage of what they said was the House of Commons being suspended after an explosion. It appears these reports may have been describing the impact of the vehicle as it crashed in Parliament Square, however. ABC News cited a European security official who said that there was increased chatter on jihadi networks Tuesday following the UKs adoption of an electronics ban aboard flights from certain mostly Muslim countries. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about ongoing security operations. Gizmodo has also reported that the London incident may have been hinted at a day before it occurred by a user posting in online imageboard 4chan. The attack comes on the one year anniversary of the 2016 Brussels terror attacks. Reports say that there are now five dead and over 40 injured. The identity of the dead attacker is said to be Khalid Masood, a 52 year old married man who had a string of criminal convictions and had been investigated by MI-5 for potential ties to terror. ISIS has now claimed responsibility for the attack, calling Masood a soldier of the Islamic State. Disobedient Media has previously highlighted ISIS move to control many aspects of organized crime in Western Europe and their heavy recruitment drives targeting individuals with histories of criminal activity. In a bizarre episode the morning after the attack, a terror expert from counter-terror think tank Quilliam stated three times in an interview with the BBC that the attacker was still alive, despite police claiming he had been shot dead. The BBCs reporters did not correct her at any point during the interview.
Late last night in the House Of Commons saw one of the most significant votes in the history of UK constitutional politics. A group of Scottish Tory MPs voted to oppose an amendment which would have protected the central building block of Scottish (and Welsh) devolution  the principle that any powers not explicitly reserved are devolved  from the UK governments attempted huge power grab under the cover of Brexit. Last night they could have fixed it by supporting the amendment (backed by every other Scottish MP right across party lines), which would have tipped the arithmetic and ensured its success. Instead they betrayed every voter in Scotland  including their own  by waving the bill through unamended and passing the buck to the unelected House Of Lords, which has no representatives from Scotlands most popular party. This morning, BBC Scotland led on the fact that it snowed a bit in Scotland in January. Astonishingly, even if you drill right down to the Scotland Politics section of the BBC website, theres not a single mention of the vote, just hours after it happened. Theres room for the latest news on scallops and a couple of half-hearted NHS BAD stories, but nothing on Scotlands democratically-elected parliament and all of Scotlands MPs being binned for some bishops, George Foulkes and Michelle Mone. (And it wasnt as if lots of new breaking stories had pushed it off  most of the articles in the section are still from earlier yesterday, and some from THREE days ago.) Good Morning Scotland had a brief debate between the SNPs Stephen Gethins and John Lamont of the Scottish Tories  the latter of whom turned it into a meaningless farce by incessantly talking over both Gethins and presenter Gary Robertson when either of them tried to challenge him on any point  but both the flagship news show and the Kaye Adams phone-in afterwards concentrated mainly on the fact that thered been a moderate amount of snow and it had caused a bit of traffic disruption. (We assume that the Queensferry Crossing stayed open, or wed have had nothing but wall-to-wall screaming from Alex Cole-Hamilton and Jamie Greene for three hours.) For the state broadcaster to be so completely and unashamedly blanking such a huge story goes some way beyond basic incompetence or a lack of resources. Its all but impossible to reasonably explain it as anything other than a deliberate act of protection for the Scottish Conservatives, covering up their meek compliance as the foundation of Scotlands democratic governance is attacked and its future left to the mercies of a bunch of unelected English lords. 359 to The Great Whiteout I think that pretty much covers both the act (theres a name for it) of Scotlands Conservative representatives and the state of our media. I didnt think it possible to think less of either than I already do. Keep it up, BBC. Keep it up. The truth is getting out anyway and just highlights to folk your credentials as the State Propagandist that you are. And when people see it, they cant unsee it. And another indy supporter gets his/her wings. Has there been significant snowfall? I look out the window and if I didnt know it was from a light dusting overnight the bits and pieces of white could be ice. A lot of what fell has simply melted. We had a moderately heavy flurry in the middle of yesterday, it looked dramatic, big heavy flakes being driven by a gusting wind. But when it finished there wasnt much and then the sun came out and it melted. I went for a run about 18:00 last night, the underfoot conditions were fine. I wasnt the only one out either. As I was trying to hold it together coming home I was passed by an entire pack of runners across the age ranges. As expected I was greeted as a fellow runner and returned that greeting. Oh yes, it wasnt even that cold. I wore no gloves and no headwear. Leggings and a jacket which I partly unzipped as I detected I was in danger of sweating. To Weegies and other folk from the West, the sun is a giant ball of nuclear fusion which hangs in the sky and is clearly visible when there are not clouds. I understand that the concept of no clouds is hard as well. The only conclusion is that both BBC Scotland and the Tories in Scotland are here only to poison democracy in Scotland. While Labour MPs voted to keep control of the devolved powers it was an empty and very, very belated gesture. The main action of Labour was to deny extra powers for Scotland that would have benefited their constituents and all in Scotland. Once again the out manoeuvring of Labour by the Tories, starting preInd Ref shows like neon lights. When you give away your vote when you are not in power to use the result, thats third rate thinking. Its made worse by the extremely poor quality MPs the Tories have in place. Yesterday we were asked not to believe any news stories we heard or saw on the internet as they were not compiled by professional Journalists. Today I am hearing and reading on the internet about a vote which took place in the HOC. Why am I hearing nothing about this vote from the so called Journalists of the BBC and Southern TV. If there was such a vote then the internet is the most reliable form of Journalism open to the general public. They are not Scottish Conservatives, They are only Conservatives, too willing to toe the Party line even at the cost to Scottish democracy and freedom. Their allegiance is to their ambition within a Party structure, even if that means Jimmy and Jean fae Glasgow are thrown to the wolves in Westminster. Sorry, but they are not Scots in any true sense of the word. They are the grazing pasture of bigots and racists in this country. They encourage hatred and division as a political tool, because the people they use are too stupid or entrenched to see it. When oh when will we get rid of these parasites who care only about themselves and social division for the sake of power. Hand on heart ,I want a Scotland where everyone is equal. They want a Scotland who will serve, and sing the glory of Brittania in English, with NO Surrender stuck in a chorus somewhere. Och, look, theres a squirrel looking to be stoat fur upon some hauf wits Unionist shooders giein laldy for the corpse of General Wade and his favoured verse in German Lizzies battle hymn of the AngloBritNat coup detat in Scotia. Silly Billys yin an a for even tie-dyeing your Jock essence in BritNat red white and blue wont make you any more than Hoose Uncle Tams in Englands many unsplendered halls. I am absolutely livid about this. My great named and shamed MP (his mug shot appeared in the Telegraph  and so far, apart from one abstention on the EU Withdrawal Bill, he has done absolutely nothing) is one of the 13 (I didnt vote for him) and he assured me that things would be sorted out at the amendment stage. I have an email to that effect. And look what theyve done. These Tories are truly despicable and the BBC and so called investigative MSM more than complicit. Well theyre feckin Tories arent they. This is what they do, so no one should be surprised. I for one, am getting thoroughly pissed off with the unionist parties ganging up to try and oust the SNP government. Labour are as thick as two short planks and cant see how they are being used by the blue tories. Mind you, the red tories have to be the most useless bunch o chancers there is. Its the numpties that vote for these clowns that I really get angry at. As has been said, the hoose Scots, afraid o upsettin the maisters. How spineless. Before I get told off for saying that about them, cause well never get them to vote for yes, well tough. Its how I feel, and I dont think youll ever change them anyway. And I will tell you why I am raging, their seemingly no fear of any consequence of their actions tells me one of two things, they are either very confident that Scotland has no backbone, or they and Ruth Davidson know something that we dont. I think that Stu like me and most of you knew that shoving this to the Lords was their twisted plan all along because they know that we in the SNP will not take any seats in that disreputable place. OK, so they want to play dirty, they want to dig-up Henry VIII so lets dig-up the old convention that if SNP have majority in Commons then we can dissolve the Union NOW while at the same time have diplomatic representatives in New York and Brussels deliver a letter of the Declaration of Independence and application to be recognised as The Nation of Scotland. Sad to say but theyre all guilty as f*** There is no newsworthy justification for not reporting on this. How many times have we seen a Scottish item on the UK-wide BBC immediately repeated on Reporting Scotland introduced with the phrase more on the xxxxx story and finding nothing more at all. Just rinse and repeat. Here is a Scottish story which would lead a Scottish six or nine but they cant be bothered because rather than pincer movements or frontal assaults it would show the Scottish Tory elite command unit and TankGirl slinking in through the servants entrance. Reporting SNPBadland are happy to show shouty bullshitters at FMQT (angry exchanges), rent-a-gob Scottish politicians and journalists on Sturgeons NHS failings, Jim Sillars despatches from the fading light, Ross Thomsons despatches from the growing darkness but no public-interest discussion or enlightenment on this era-defining issue when the implications are so massive. Question for Ross Green MSP and his ilk: is the BBC, a) a public-service broadcaster? b) a state broadcaster? I have no idea. I need the guidance of wiser heads. Just seen the screen grab from the BBC Welsh website with a report by Carwyn Jones on the power grab and BBC Scotland still blanking it. Ive gone beyond mad to being just totally gobsmacked by this. It is truly incredible that our national broadcaster thinks this is OK. I take the same view: Tories will be Tories after all, but BBC Scotland, with all the high and mighty principles of the BBC charter, has not for the first time shown disdain for Scotland and its people, and scant regard for its supposed mission to inform and educate. This most recent example of bias by omission in its online news coverage, not least given the stark contrast with BBC Wales online, is so blatant that BBC Scotland clearly has no fear of any consequence. Now, now. Fairs, fair! I caught a snippet on radio Scotland about the vote, Im sure it was BBC Scotlands London political correspondent, stating that the Bill would now progress to the Lords which was chock full of judges and constitutional experts and they would definitely have something to say about it all. I wish someone had been on hand to ask what he meant by chock full as I suspect a handful of retired judges and the few experts there are on the UK constitution will have their hands full explaining the consequences to the gravy train riders and trough feeders that inhabit the upper house. Cant say Im surprised at all by the Scottish Tory MPs voting against the amendment. Its the complete silence on the BBC website that disturbs me. Total silence on the Scotland page, and although Ive seen screenshots on Twitter of an article on the Wales page, I dont see it there at all. Do they show you different articles according to your geographical location? This along with the lack of discussion of the Scottish Government paper on the effect of Brexit on the economy is taking BBC propaganda to new levels. Havent noted any mention by BBC Scotland online of the FMs significant policy speech at the David Hume Institute yesterday evening. Another whiteout? As well as reviewing forecasts of post-Brexit impacts, the speech was of particular importance because it devoted much attention to immigration  a key and, yes, controversial issue which, whatever your politics, all of us in Scotland will need to think deeply about for the medium to long term future of the country. I agree with you Glamaig. I am not surprised by the actions of the Scottish Tories (livid, yes; surprised, no), but the actions (or rather inactions) of the BBC are truly disturbing. After all the BBC is meant to provide a fair unbaised reporting service, a service towards which many Scots still pay. I have real concerns now about just where all this is leading. Exactly. So why do they use the term Scottish? I think its two fold. Firstly (in common with LibDems and Labour) they know it widens their appeal by giving the gullible the impression that they are actually of this nation. However secondly, Scottish Scotland this nation all have a quite different meaning to Tories. To them Scotland is not their nation or country, it is no more than a region like Yorkshire or East Anglia. They dont believe they are abusing the term Scottish because to them it means much less. They are proud Scots in the same way as a proud Yorkshireman (-woman) sees their nation and country as England. Anglicised Scots might claim to be British, but lets face it, they aspire to be English if they were honest. I have a feeling of dread. We knew this was coming, but its real now, and I dont think there is any stopping the Tories. The stance from Tories is, we voted against it, out of respect for Holyrood. Holyrood needs to give approval to the EU Withdrawal Bill via the LCM, and then we sort out the powers. We all know this is shite. The Withdrawal Bill will not be given consent by Holyrood, and uppity jocks are not supportive of Brexit, and they are holding us to ransom. The UK needs to Brexit, therefore we need to overrule Holyrood, and keep their powers, they cant be trusted. As the Wee Ginger Dug so eloquently put it this morning: They are not respecting the result of the 1997 referendum on devolution. Remember all the crap we had to put up with about not respecting the result of 2014? Irony bypass or what? This really needs to be hammered home. Come on, SNP spokespeople, any chance you get, hammer these tories for not respecting the referendum result in 1997. PS: They seem to be ignoring the 62% of scottish voters who voted REMAIN in 2016 as well.  It must be plain for all to see we are never going to win our freedom while we play by their rules when things go against them they just change the rules we know from history what their record is when any country wants independence from them so we should not be surprised they are depending on our honesty and fair play helping them to defeat us either that or they are trying to provoke a violent reaction .. The SNP have given the people of Scotland the best standard of living in the U.K.And the tories hate that and labour are mad because it shows them up for the frauds they are Generalissimo Ruth Davidson is frustrated that shes stuck in Scotlandshires coonty coonsil and nobody is yet prepared to pop their clogs to let her into the imperial English parliament where she can fully deploy her fabulous leadership skills. Cancel the TV License heres how. If you never watch the BBC or BBC iPlayer (or dont want to) and only want to watch all other channels catch-up services, cancel your TV licence and save yourself 147 per year. You may get a refund as its paid in advance. You only need a TV licence if you watch or record TV as its being broadcast or use BBC iPlayer  if you only use other catch-up sites, you dont need one. You can watch almost anything on other stations catch-up services: soaps, documentaries, dramas, cartoons and films. And if you you buy a chrome cast or link a PC to a TV you can watch You Tube. And because services such as The ITV Hub only take a few hours to update, you could watch the news not long after its been on STV. How can I cancel? If youre absolutely sure you no longer need a licence on-line, you can formally let TV licensing know. Although theres no legal obligation to do this, it says doing so will prevent an increasing number of letters coming your way. Cancel payment first. If you pay by direct debit you can cancel it by filling out TV Licensings contact form. Tell it you no longer watch TV and confirm your current address. Youll also need to cancel your direct debit with your bank. If you pay with a TV Licensing payment card, youll need to call 0300 555 0286. Then fill out the declaration on-line. Everyone who no longer requires a TV licence  including those who pay in cash at certain stores or Post Offices, who dont need to do the above  can fill out a No Licence Needed declaration form. After this, keep your confirmation email from TV Licensing as proof. TV Licensing have a right to visit but not enter your house. Once youve cancelled, you might find you get a visit from TV Licensing to check whether you actually do need a TV licence  it says these inspections find one in five households do. If you do need a licence, youll need to pay the full licence fee, and you could risk prosecution plus a fine of up to 1,000 (500 Jersey, 2,000 Guernsey). Is this legal? Yes, you dont need a licence so long as you are not 1. watching live TV or 2. Watching or recording BBC or BBC iPlayer and are only watching on-demand or catch-up on other services. The Scottish Gov will not support Brexit. There will be another IndyRef. The Tories have done just what they were warned. There have created a constitutional crisis along with a financial, economic mess. They will not last much longer. Everyone is sick fed up of their carry on. They are not fit for public office. As a 1940 model my generation, the preceding generations and almost certainly more recent generations have been brought up and educated that Napoleon was a Late 18th. Cent/Early 19th. Cent. equivalent of Hitler. Has any study ever been made of what the effect on history would have been if Napoleon had won? Is it possible that things would have been much better for both Continental Europe and The UK and that the 2 World Wars would never have taken place? Mail today is reporting latest YouGov poll shows only 36% support for another referendum. While last weeks Curtice poll was also very disappointing. We seem to be going backwards as panic and ennui sets in. Its beginning to look as though only a MAJOR upheaval (Trident sub explodes, UK goes to war with Spain over Gib?) is likely to shake the sheeple out of their dazed apathy. There is something on their website now http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-42719324. Admittedly on the menu this comes below that its snowing (three reports) and that the Scottish economy grew by 0.2%, or on an annualised basis about 1/3 of the rate of the economy in the UK as a whole. According to Mundell this is the fault of the SG who arent using their new borrowing powers correctly (he claims!). The report itself includes quotes from Lamont to the effect that it would be foolish to amend the legislation now while there are still negotiations going on between WM and Holyrood. Even Tory MP Stephen Kerr is quoted as saying that the Bill is leaving the HOC in an unsatisfactory state, though he goes on to claim that the SNP (NOT the SG) have approached the negotiations with their usual wrecking ball (remember THAT cartoon?) mentality, which I suppose means they havent done as they are telt. These people, these 13 enemies of Scotland, know that they will be well looked after. They have been told that they will be looked after, we just have to see how utterly corrupt the tories in WM are. Its like some dystopian bloody nightmare, where the dodgy, unscrupulous gits are in power, and, they are actually taking more power, from the people of Scotland. Is this effectively a coup, it seems that way. To silence this in the media, this must be north Korea, because it sure as hell aint what we would consider to be Europe. And what of the rEU? OK with them? Yep. Oil, fishing grounds, water, renewables, land, its all up for grabs, isnt it. Can the ScotGov take this to the UN, is anyone outside of this disgusting so called union bothered by what is going on here. Youll have had your referendum then! They must be pretty sure that another one would return a yes vote, with bells on. Democracy is well and truly in deep doo doo in the UKOK and in Europe if devolution is removed, thereby the SNP are removed and Holyrood dismantled. Scotland, get out of this dysfunctional, undemocratic yookay before its too late, otherwise you will be destroyed. Our 21st Century parcel o rogues the 13 tory mps from Scotland who prefer to give powers to the unelected house of lords than to the Scottish Parliament. The BBC does not even report until nearly 20 hours later and then only on website not on the news and of course Ruth Davidson is back in hiding  when the going gets tough ruth get going as far away as possible. Me thinks its time to do something its all fine and well hiding behind our own wee screens . But come on ffs its just blatant colonisation and do what yer felt. Its time to show them who we are . And not just sit about an do sfa its time for the snp to stand up and be counted and to tell them to gtf. Its time for action words have done us sfa I for one am really pissed off with all this pussy footing being done its time and the time should be now. Ffs Scotland grow a set of balls every ctsk laughing at us. The Tories are false friends to Scotland and I am hoping that any Labour or even SNP voters that crossed the divide now see that. I see Kezia has come out very strongly against their actions last night. Hopefully that is representative across the board in Labour. We will never convince every Labour voter to vote for independence but I do hope that all the other parties make it very clear that the Tories and Ruth Davidson as their leader failed Scotland last night and that no one should trust them. In one of your polls it would be interesting to see if this is how the Labour and LibDem voters who supported them to keep SNP out expected to be represented at Westminster. It would be interesting to hear their views compare to habitual Tory voters. At times like this I appreciate the National more and more. Imagine if it went under, apart from a scattering of saltires and Yes stickers, its the only visible sign of the independence movement  I have an online sub but also buy a paper copy when I can. Consider that 45-50% of people support independence, and a casual visitor to the country would not see that at all, only an array of anti-SNP and pro Union newpapers and media, and UJs all over the shops and the TV. Looks like devolution and all the time wasted voting for it was just a f/in farce What was the point , just a time wasting exercise , we know now it wasnt a benevolent gift from the Unionist Bloc , but it was forced on them by the EU , The EU we are about to say bye to , What mugs we have been expecting psychopaths and liars to deliver what was promised , All with the help of our fellow countrymen and women , whose shortsightedness have taken us to where we are today , the Proud House Jocks , thanks to all . Admitted correction to my last post. What do the corrupt Spanish Faciast Government and Westminster have in common? I said they both have taken direct control of devolved Parliaments but i got it that wrong. For now. The U.K. Westminster government after last nights vote have take direct control of 2 devolved Parliaments. UK 2  Spain 1. Rule Britania, Britania Waves the Rules. Quick check of @BBCScotlandNews ccount shows that since the 13 Tories voted last night to begin dismantling devolved powers, the BBC have only tweeted about it 3 times. During the same period they have tweeted about Aberdeen Stadium 7 times. The problem in the NE is that over 6,000 voters did not come out to vote. It was raining. They will regret it when they lose their rights. The Tories too high taxes (40% ) have already ruined the Oil & Gas sector. May crowing about Scotland having lower growth. When the Tories are doing everything possible to ruin the Scottish economy. The Brexit will ruin Scottish economy. They are a disgrace. Taking Billions out of Scotland on mismagement and misappropriation. The Hedge funds (May/associates) have made Billion on Carillon collapse. More public money misappropriated. Another cover up. If there was still anyone who wanted or needed any proof that Reporting Scotland and STV News are anti-Scottish, you will have it by the end of today. If any of these supposedly Scottish news programmes does not mention anything about the fact that the votes from the 13 Scottish Tory MPs allowed a bill to pass to remove powers from Holyrood, then they will be guilty as charged for all to see, no question. Without this amendment then there is simply no conceivable way the Scottish Parliament can give its legislative consent to this Bill. Which will trigger a constitutional crisis between WM and Holyrood. Who will blink first? WM will have to ignore the Scottish Parliament and over-rule it. And right there, RIGHT THERE is when Scotlands First Minister can address the people of Scotland and inform them that Devolution is officially dead and that the ONLY way Scotland can control any of its own affairs is to dissolve the Treaty of Union and take its place, once more, as a sovereign nation of the world. Mundell and his bonanza of powers are a joke. A lying, treacherous joke admittedly but still a joke. On the BBC I noticed that the green ink fraternity are constantly crying foul over losing the rating battles in Scottish threads. Why the hell something so trivial should matter to them I really dont know but it does Were going to have to wait until tomorrow till after FMQs for the BBC to figure out a way of saying the FM and her dastardly plot has been foiled by hard working Tory MPs who suspected all the time that the Natsis were secretly planning another referendum to snatch away democracy from R precious UK and make Scotland the new Kremlin republic of Scotlandiavistch on the Clydesbach but Ruth will complain about the snow first and comrade Leonard will repeat the same personal distressing story as he did last week except change the name of the poor downtrodden victim of SNPness Willie Rennie will eat sweeties and Patrick Harvie will condemn something unimportant to anybody in the world bar him But lets see if Kezia has grown a pair and at last speaks up for what she really thinks.Nah! Before all that however there will be a short statement to the chamber by FM Nicola Sturgeon Almost 311 years of the so-called greatest union in the entire history of everything and Scotland is in this state. Absolute no reason apart from gross political incompetence and economic mismanagement on a criminal scale by Westminster, who still after all control almost all of the economic levers in Scotland. As my mum was wont to say about any wrong uns, they should think black, burning shame of themselves. People stranded on the M74 last night were treated to some leading questions by Radio Pravda this morning  questions hoping for a semi-hysterical answer No, it was disgraceful, we were totally abandoned, what a shambolic country, SNPBAD. Disappointingly for Pravda, despite their ordeal, most motorists seemed good-humoured and grateful for the efforts the various emergency services made to look after them. Rather than SNPBAD it was more a mild case of motorists bad, for being unprepared and for blocking the hard shoulder which the police were trying to keep clear. Good to see people Tweeting thanks to Scotrail, too. Ive been very impressed with efficient train travel today, and its obvious that a huge effort has gone into keeping platforms clear of snow and as safe as possible. Scotland there, getting on with the day job while the UKOK media ignores this latest Westminster insult and goes hunting for SNPBAD snow stories, and all in the interests of a regime which nurtures a shambolic Brexit, Carillion, Trident, benefits sanctions and the rest. Scotland has so much to be proud of. We need to celebrate it and guard it fiercely from useless Westminster Tories. in which they tell us how trustworthy they are in reporting the news in a evenhanded and impartial manner. It is worth a read. I am going to send in a complaint (I know I am wasting my time) and I will refer them to their own statement on how impartial and unbiased they are. As if to reinforce many comments above concerning the BBC giving the Scots tories an easy ride and indeed virtually IGNORING the Commons vote last nightPolitics Scotland devoted approx. 4/5 mins on the topic.Totally Unacceptable. Incidentally is Angela Haggerty still an advocate for Scottish Independence? Name me any other country in the world ,where 13 members of their own parliament would get away with backstabbing and selling out that countrys democratic rights. At the next sitting of holyrood, they should be slow handclapped into the chamber. For me the interesting thing is that NO has stayed the same but YES moved down 2% BUT dont know increased by 3% (rounding errors). I want to see dont know increase and NO get below that 50% nect time. Holyrood voting intentions show exactly why weve been plagued with people telling us Indyref is no good, and shows what a load of cobblers those Indy supporters are spouting who want to leave Indy Ref to 2022  that wont happen if its not an overall majority SNP + Green. Personally I think the poll is OK, considering the media frenzy lately, and the sheer desperation of the trolls and actual unionist posters on the forums. Theyre right to be in a panic, they aint seen nothin yet. @Dr Jim Fuckwit has seen the yougov poll and would like to see a Holyrood election forced on an unwilling Scotland, resulting in a drop in support for the SNP, so we dont get Indy Ref 2 for, oh, another generation which would be at least 4 years. The Poll was done before the latest Tory carry on. The last IndyRef vote increased nearly 20% during the Campaign. It could go up exceedingly again. The Poll could be miskeading in any case. They always have been. The Polling association has been censored and fined several time for ignoring the rules and poor methodology. Including the so called expert. They just get away with manipulation of the vote. Not banned or put in jail for gerrymandering. Dishonourable. Yesindyref2. Im not taking Cas side here, but if the scottish people are unwilling or unready to vote for the Snp in an election for an independence mandate, after all the sh**e and humiliation that westmidden insists on inflicting on us. Then we might just as well roll over and pull the covers over our heads. Because if we are not ready now.then well NEVER be f****g ready. Something that I noticed on occasion over the last 3-4 weeks is what amounts to a subliminal message when clicking between pages while in the BBC news site. The message flashed briefly when pages were loading and said you can trust the BBC. If you blinked you would miss it as it was so briefly on the screen. The last IndyRef the Vote. increased from (estimated) 27% to 47%. Increased more. It increased another 20% of the (estimated) electoral vote. . Nearly 3/4 (75%) increase from starting point. Starting at 49% it would increase even more. Well I see that the BBC now have a Scottish report online, however no mention of the fact that it was the Unlucky 13 that actually swung the vote. See too that theyre allowing people to post comments re. the article, in the main some real nasty Unionist supporters. Amazing how they pick and choose which news items to open to comments, eh! Lets see if its reported on the news tonight and if so will they do it in such a way as to protect Ruth Davidson and her Tory cabal? I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall this week when Davidson visited her Big T English boss. How did that conversation go down? Ive got a sneaking suspicion that Davidson (and Tomkins) knew that this would go against her party, may even generate more Indy support, but was told by Bossy that she REALLY needed the votes. I see that some people are griping about Nicola Sturgeon / the SNP. The cold, hard facts are, that Nicola Sturgeon will no doubt have a GREAT deal to say about this, but if the Media dont interview her, or do and then edit what she has to say then thats that. THAT being what we are up against. The Establishments propaganda machine going FULL tilt. No doubt from now until we win Indyref2, which we WILL do against all odds. What WE CAN do is phone or email the BBC and STV (etc) every day asking why theyre not informing the Scots about .. whatever. You just have to check out John Robertsons site, alone, for ammunition on a daily basis. Ive already sent an email off to one and phoned the other today about this particular fiasco. It only took a couple of minutes. If we would ALL do that they might just get the message. Left to a handful of people you can just forget it. And as someone has mentioned already if we didnt have the National there would be nothing but biased front page news headlines on EVERY newspaper stand in the land. If you dont buy it or subscribe to it PLEASE start thinking of doing so now. A few phone calls or emails, a few letters to Unionist newspapers now and again and putting your hand in your pocket to buy a daily newspaper. Not a lot to ask for to help us get our FREEDOM. Is it? I for one wish they would all just go away!! If you have friends and they lie and back-stab you, try to con you out of your life you would disown them for sure. When will this nation awaken to the truth and put these liars front and centre and challenge them. If I was in the jungle I would ask Nicola to get me out of here!So,,, NS get me the hell out of here. This is getting too outrageous and the anger is about to boil over. @Mike d I think if the SNP called an early election (even if they were able) to get a mandate for an Indy Ref, much of the Scottish public would be asking how many mandates do you need, youve already got half a dozen. And if they called one on the basis of UDI, Id emigrate, because UDI would be suicidal. Patience is needed, its been and still is a long-drawn knockout process since June 2016, but only a few more months to go and then as Ken500 says, were starting at 49%, or 43% if anyone believes the Yougov poll which does NOT poll 16-17 year-olds as SGP points out (and I checked the table). No 1  I hope Nicola pisses off the presiding officer by instead of answering bloody stupid Tory questions she goes for the throats of these Tory b/reds , make them justify their MPs actions , dont let any political waffle disguised as a question go un challenged , interrupt them immediately . No 2  Alex comes out guns blazing and gives a true assessment of Tory Britain , he has been pretty quiet since his show started , Now devolution is as dead as the Union lets get some mischief started , give the b/reds something to moan about . Mike d@ 4.10 You rightly complain about many Scots being unwilling to vote for the SNP in the light of all the lies and treachery imposed on us by the media, but many Scots take no interest in politics. They simply dont know they are being lied to, and are not as aware as Wings followers of what is going on. Without this site and The National there would be wall to wall support for the Union. The SNP MUST go on the attack against the BBC at every opportunity. They have nothing to lose by refusing to speak to them or calling out their bias in every interview. Th BBC cant be worse than they are now so why pander to them? Having said that a new YES campaign will wake up many of the sleepers as it did in 2014, and 47%-49% is a great place to start. @ Black Joan says at 3:23 pm . People stranded on the M74 last night were treated to some leading questions by Radio Pravda this morning  questions hoping for a semi-hysterical answer No, it was disgraceful, we were totally abandoned, what a shambolic country, SNPBAD. Disappointingly for Pravda, despite their ordeal, most motorists seemed good-humoured and grateful for the efforts the various emergency services made to look after them. I noticed that on the BBC this morning Joan. It was a right laugh that they couldnt find ANYONE to complain about anything, far less the SNP. All pretty chipper in fact. One young girl whod been stuck in her car for hours with her mother, was freezing and had had nothing to eat, when asked if she wasnt concerned about the situation said yes she was. She was (genuinely) concerned that she was due to start her work in 20 minutes time. That shut them right up, lol. Thepnr says: 17 January, 2018 at 4:37 pm Im guessing that tomorrows Tory question at FMQs will be about Scotrail. Trains are running late again apparently. SNPBADD!  The trains I used today were all fine and could not see any sign of problems e.g. cancellation of services at Waverley. Wonder how hard the BBC had to look, and for how long, to find a problem? For goodness sake folks why are you still going on about their phoney polls they only represent the opinions of the people they ask and they never tell you how many they asked or where they asked for any poll to be believed you would have to ask the whole country concerned and if they got A poll that should freedom to be ahead they would not tell you they are a unionist ploy to try to make the gullable think that a minority represents a majority when in fact the majority have not been asked its called tactics Im still in shock at the three key components of this story. 1) The Tories liedagain :-/ 2) The BBC ignored the story (unlike their in depth coverage of Brexit Impact assessment-sarcasm) 3) That anyone is surprised by 1) and 2) British nationalism is an ideology aimed at creating a national identity that is resilient, strong and stable, if you like. In order to do so, it must establish and protect the boundaries of the British state. The media and culture industrys totalisation of informed opinion, plays a vital role in this process. For example, the BBC is Charter bound to encourage social cohesion within the UK. Another way of viewing this duty, is the BBC has a duty to undermine pluralism of thought, hence their animosity towards half of Scotlands electorate. The BBC is a vehicle for the dissemination of British nationalism, which is an expansionist form of English nationalism. Even if this story was shouted from the rooftops in the media everyday, I doubt it would have much impact. Unionist Scots are a servile bunch and will defend their London masters come what may. Theyd stick up for them even if every Commons session began with the sacrifice of a Scottish infant instead of a morning prayer. They are more outraged by that Sturgeon woman bringing in baby boxes. You are preaching to the converted here, Rev. Good work regardless. But this sort of story will not upset unionists. It will make them positively delighted. The more Scotland is controlled by those nice politicians in Westminster the better. What is best for Scotland does not matter to them. Being ruled from London makes them feel all warm, fuzzy and British inside, and thats all that matters. It reminds me of when I asked my Orange Order uncle why he supported the Union. We fought two wars together was his answer. Says it all really. No sign of this on STV either but they did cover the Transport Minister apologising to those stuck in their cars because its winter. FFS!!!!! (please remove superfluous exclamation marks as you see fit). yesindyref2 says: 17 January, 2018 at 2:37 pm From the BBC article: He (Kerr) warned that the bill was leaving the Commons in an unsatisfactory state. But he voted against the amendment to safeguard devolution. . There was a piece on Reporting Scotland last night about the debate. It lead off with a clip of Mr Kerr speaking in the debate apparently supporting Labours amendment. Then a Labour MP. No mention of the SNPs contribution to the debate apart from a short interview with Mr Gethins outside on the Commons Green! Subliminal message or what? The piece ended with the reporter quoting, approvingly, from Mr Kerrs contribution and again giving the impression that the Tories would support the ammendment. Hardly any wonder then that giving such a misleading impression of Tory intentions the BBC has not reported the reality. Mr Kerr is, unfortunately, my MP and I have noticed since his election that our local paper seems to have regular, very regular, articles about him. In contrast, when it was an SNP MP he was nearly invisible when it came to coverage by the local paper. It may seem trivial but such coverage does give the impression in the constituency that an MP is doing something. I wonder how many of the other Tory MPs in Scotland are being promoted in this way in their local papers? Do people keep an eye on their local papers and what they are up to with things like This? Torrance will be on Gorilla TVs News at Six assuring us colonial serfs that the Bakers Yoonzen voted with their Puppet Masters because we should all be right behind getting the best Brexit Deal for England. Back in your boxes, tenement dwelling semi educated thieves and vandals.(Oh, how they laughed at Ruth at Party Conference.) Where the fuck is Ruth hiding? What has that Dick The Scarf Leonard got to say about it? Surely he should be ripping Davidsons lungs out right now? And Wee Willie Winkie? Come out come out wherever you are,you little Winker. We are approaching Bastille Day Tipping Point. I see the List Tory MSPs have voted down retrospectively chasing Police VAT from previous years. They are the enemy within. Now I know why at the freedom referendum some Tory papers said that the Scots were not capable of running Scotland. They obviously had only met their Scottish members.They are incapable of any clear thinking. Having to ask their Westminster masters which way to vote. What we are witnessing at this time is the implementation of many research pieces and public opinion soundings. It is not haphazard nor arbitrary. Governments spend a lot of money on research and strategists. They are now implementing the result of that work. Be in no doubt. It is being coordinated by a Central body and involves those in positions of power within the media, and in political and community life. It will also involve leaders of community organisation and those groups with ties to the Union by either tradition or employment. Now the question we have to ask ourselves is how effectively we are counteracting these strategies. I suggest we are not. There is no central coordination and that is a big failing. The SNP do not openly associate with Wings who is probably the foremost supporter of indy. Media like Bella, Common space focus on their own agendas rather than a united front. They and the National give voice to anti independence individuals and groups. I. E. Green ink brigade. No ones surprised were just fucking ragin aboot it, rightly so. At least we get to vent on here and there are millions of usnever forget thatthat tiny cabal of Tory fucks placed their by dimwitted Tory voter numpties, will never be forgotten, never, for their betrayal of this country at this perilous time. The Yes vote is rising in spite of all of this pish. Can we just remember that? More and more people are moving toward yes, not no. This will reach sections of the population that have heretofore not been reached. They want a war. We should not give them war, we should continue to do what we are all doing, use your voice, keep talking to people, keep telling them what is going on. We will win by word of mouth, Stu provides the ammunition, we are the guns, now fire intae themlight the fires on the hillsWestiminster is coming for Scotland, be prepared to fight till the end. Andy-b like all Yougov polls it excludes 16-18 years olds and if past polls are anything to go by will have more respondents in the 55 and over range, although these are meant to be weighed , im suspicious on why they do this in the first olace. SIU Burns Dinner is in Club 29, Royal Exchange Sq, Glasgow, on Friday Feb 2nd at 7pm. If you want to ask Murdo Fraser, Alistair Carmichael and Johann Lamont for their autographs and see some of SIUs grassroots members turning up for their 40 a skull dinner, best to be there nice and early. My local had a full 4 page front cover at xmas extolling the virtues of a young clown called Mr Clappy, soon to be available for childrens parties. Wonder how much it cost, no not really, it was surely just a small donation paid for by the BBC tax Why, exactly, does Humza Yousaf have to apologize for it snowing in Scotland? Fuck me, its winter, its Scotland, it fucking well snows! The M74 (A74 under Labour) has always been difficult, I remember travelling north along it about 30 years ago, cars and lorries sliding off all over the place and if idiots decide to block up the hard shoulder thats hardly the fault of the emergency services Just been dipping in to the BBC Dirty Dozen thread and it seems that pro-Indy comments are winning from the up-arrows. So do we know how many people click on these threads (as opposed to WoS) or would that be an FOI question? I have approx 2 months to persuade 2 potential backers that our tv channels can and should move to the next level. So far, Ive not managed to achieve their target of 2857 per day for 1 day never mind 3 consecutive months  This service is good. If you have a Smart TV, type trulyscottishtv.com on the internet screen. Five channels with loads of interesting stuff. Give it a try. The last three elections. GE and Holyrood the Polls were out 10%. If they try to devolve powers from the Scottish Gov. There will be a massive backlash. Same as the Indy Ref. The Scottish Gov just do but have to sign through the Brexit deal. Wales is making contingency Laws. So their devolved Powers cant be changed. The powers must be there. Growth is 0.2 a month. Total 2.4 a year. More than the rest of the UK?  1.7? May/MSM lying again. Regugitated lies. Yknow, not to beat about the bush here. The devolution settlement that is the basis and binding of the current UK has just been shit upon from a great height by the current UK government and their poodles. That receives only a passing mention on the Beeb site and practically nowhere else today, is an absolute crime to the peoples of the United Kingdom. Theyve been stabbed in the back by their political class and abandoned by their media en masse. It is just that serious. In what universe, what reality, does any of the actions taken by these (fill in as appropriate) seem right or ethical? Theyll do the same thing tomorrow and not one of them will miss a nights sleep either. Theyll still be able to use a mirror and theyll still demand your respect, your support and your loyalty. Laaaydeeez and ginnamin. I give you the establishment political class and their pet meeja. Not a single moral between the lot of them. Galamcennalath. Yes.i think the people who laid down their lives in those wars, would be turning in their graves when the right wing fascists they fought against,are ruling us todayand discriminating against the poor,disabled,low paid,etc. Yes it seems their sacrifice was in vain. One tory mp talking about vasectomies for benefit claimants. How long till its legalised euthanasia?. Be very careful who you vote for proudscotbuts. Im as angry as anyone about that Westminster vote and these 13 tory traytirs but they acted out of hate and anger hatred for the SNP and anger because theyre losing,and I believe at the end of the day that hate & anger will destroy them and their precious union. I cant see how this will do anything to further their cause in fact it will damage their cause and bring more people over to yes, thats what happens when you allow hate and rage to cloud your judgment you make bad decisions. The YES movement can capitalise on this but we must stay calm and stay focused, leave the anger & hatred to them and we will win in the end, I honestly believe that Yeah, polls, but there is interesting stuff there, took me time to find some. Labour from Oct to Jan: for Holyrood headline 18-24 rose from 30% to 35% 25-49 rose from 23% to 26% 50-64 dropped from 25% to 20% 65 + dropped from 24% to 18% What changed? Leonard. So perhaps the younger are hopeful Leonard and Corbyn will give them socialism, whereas the older are not impressed. But according to Revs poll Indy and the EU is high amongst the younger, lower the older, and Lab voters quite high anyway (40%?) for Indy. So yeah, SNP losing some younger voters, gaining just a few older ones. Small changes all the same. Did May tell a complete lie in Westminster? Sure she claimed growth in Scotland was 0.2 (month). Then claimed growth rate in rest of the UK was 0.8? (Month or Year) Continued to compare them. Sniddy. That would make rest of the UK 9.6 a year. That is a complete and utter lie. A few years ago I left Perth on the A9 heading South at 11.oopm. By the time I drove one mile, the snow came on ,and within five minutes I could see nothing through my windscreen. Discretion being the better part of valour I pulled in to what I thought was a lay bye. I could not read a sign that was there as it was obliterated by snow. . Lorry after lorry thundered past doing over 50 mph downhill whilst I sat there unable to move or gain traction. Low profile wide wheels do not work in snow. Eventually a snowplough came along and I followed whilst he gritted. Since then I have always kept chains in the boot and change to snow tyres in winter. The Bayeux tapestry, a pictorial account of the conquest of England by Guillaume le conqurant, Duc de Normandie, is coming to Britain, newspeak for London. The media present this as of significance to all the peoples of the these islands. Their history, not ours, rules. Very Norman. I noticed the rash of articles about Scotrail over the last day or two. I travel by train fairly regularly and have no complaints about the service. The report yesterday in the Herald was its usual garbled reportage of statistics. Kept saying fares had gone up in Scotland without pointing out the fares had gone up across the UK. Also kept saying that Scotrail was rated lowest of train companies operating in Scotland. That is an apple and pears comparison since the other companies quoted are not providing commuter services or full raft of daily, local services. As often as not delays are due to signal or track problems which are the responsibility of Network Rail and below the main article the Herald did have an article along those lines. Yesindyref2. Ah well we were all young once and had ideals. Once they (younger voters) get to my/our age.their idealism will take a lightswitch moment.,When they realise they were lied to by their liebor socialist saviours .No fools like young fools. Apologies to any switched on younger voters. GCC has voted unanimously not to appeal the Equal Pay case. First time its been voted on in 11 years. Test cases over the moon talking about it dragging on for years. No mention that it dragged on due to the Labour Party. Labour Councillor still getting a word in as if they brought this about. Going to cost Hundreds of Millions. RBS closures. Due to customer behaviour. Not down to money. (I reckon we should all pull our money out of RBS  check out their attitude at Westminster meeting). No current murder to report on STV so as per usual they dredge up the ten year old murder of the Orkney girl in NZ. Celtic will have to wait on Martin somebody. Weather. On STV 2 at 7:00pm  Tapestry and the springer spaniel that made a 1 million. . BBC news with Jackie Liar. Ten minutes spent on the weather / transport / school closures. Someone at least mentioned gritters have been out for 24 hours. Royal Bank of Scotland closures. Nun abuse story. Teachers should be trained to deal with children with mental health issues. SNP should deal with it. Scotlands lousy economic figures in comparison to UKs. Oil news: Three oil rigs that have to be scrapped cant be moved. Swimming hedgehog. ********* AND then Jackie Bird said they are about to vote tonight. SNP attempted to throw it out. Now being left to the Lords. (Lord) Jim Wallace had his say as did Foulkes saying something along threatening lines. I couldnt believe my ears. Then they showed footage of a building with scaffolding outside and I thought they had moved onto a Carillion story but no. More gobbledygook. To be honest it was the most disjointed garbage that I couldnt follow it (take notes), never mind someone who doesnt have a clue about this. If anyone can get their hands on the BBC 6:30 news footage, get it on here as you wont believe your ears. @Mike d Yes indeed. But perhaps that will change sooner as they watch Corbyn and Leonard. In any case it seems to indicate socialism as opposed to Toryism, which is good for Indy. I agree about polls by the way, but its useful to also take them at face value. You can bet that what I did painfully with a + + on the pdf and scraps of paper, the parties have done by shoving the figures into a spreadsheet or even program, and checking trends in seconds. Not as an absolute rule, but to guide policy  and strategy. Stats as a whole can be very useful, I did them on a couple of gigs in my previous life, and it was one back in the mid-70s before oil started to bite, that showed me from a full data model (not just samples) that Scotland was perfectly capable of running ourselves with just our onshore economy, and nothing Ive seen since has ever changed my mind on that. Never saw that published, kind of like the McCrone report. When Theresa May called a so-called snap General Election for June 8th 2017, did she get lucky in ousting 21 SNP MPs including Angus Robertson, Alex Salmond and Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh, three thorns in Theresa Mays side in the House of Commons and leading an SNP bloc of 51 MPs which constituted a major obstacle to the Tories Brexit plans? Sure, things didnt go well for May in England, but they could not have gone better in Scotland as we can all see very clearly in the time since. Strategically, the 21 MPs the SNP lost have proved of far greater significance than the 13 Scottish MPs which the Tories gained. It is arguable that the 2017GE served its Tory -planned purpose, and luck had nothing to do with it. @manandboy,7.30pmIt is arguable that the 2017GE served its Tory -planned purpose, and luck had nothing to do with it. Agreed. I wondered at the time about the number of Ruth Davidson election leaflets which I received through the mail. Then I read later that the Conservative party had accrued a massive war chest between January and March 2017. My uncle will never see the light. Hes an insular, racist, selfish person. The last time he came to visit, he was talking about how Muslims were outbreeding Christians. He failed to explain why this was a problem. He has also never been religious in his life. He is a bigot, plain and simple. What makes it worse is that his mum (my Gran) is a Catholic but he sees no issue with being in the OO. Even my late grandfather once said, I might be a Freemason but I sure as hell am not Orange. @Tinto Chiel Any complaints Scots make about the system is grievance-mongering. Apparently were not allowed to criticise the government in a democracy. Well, criticise the Scottish Government because its full of those horrible SNP types but you must not criticise the Westminster government. The sainted English who rule us are beyond reproach. To criticise them is to be ANTI-ENGLISH and as we all know, thats worse than being a Nazi for these unionists. Lets not forget: these Tory rats got elected because the Unionists came out fighting for the Union at the General Election. The SNP stood for keeping Scotland strong at Westminster. Oh and for a mandate for an indyref that they already had. So double mandate became triple mandate. So, effectively the SNP stood for NOTHING and half a million YES supporters didnt bother to vote. Thats the price now being paid for an SNP adopting the same entitlement attitude as Scottish Labour, expecting the electorate to keep voting for them when they dont deliver on their independence promises. And still no answer to independence supporters on whether there will be an indyref or any other strategy to gain independence. Say: We fought two wars together. Really pisses me off that one. The nostalgia argument for the Union. Its the only one they really have. I always reply with something like . we should be voting for the best future for our children and not in the memory of those who have passed. I recall this topic coming up here BTL in November last year .. and it remains an important mindset thing. Then galamcennalath (I think) said: . We should make decisions for the generations to come, not in memory of those which have passed. I agreed then and still do strongly. Ive always been with Thomas Jefferson, principal author of the US Declaration of Independence, when he stated: I like the dreams for the future better than the history of the past. These factors may explain a key divide in attitude  and in imagination and aspiration  between those supporting Scottish independence and those insisting that Scotland must always remain wedded to the Union  to the past. Ottomanboi We arent the nationalists, thats the yoons. Most yoons are probably unaware that their sense of patriotism to Britain, is actually patriotism to England. Scots arent stupid though, it wont take much more of this before a large portion of the No vote decides their loyalty was bought with empty promises and psychological intimidation. The Brexit charabanc hasnt even managed to conclude stage one yet. Give it time.  Thanks for the low down on the UKok media and their slapdash twaddle. Goodness it sounds like a comedy show it really does. Out to confuse, and con, they are really taking the rip out of Scotlands people. Like Alice through the looking glass, who knows what the devil you may find when you switch on the box these days! I can hear the bbc voices on my next door neighbours tv, if in my wee cold studio, if I dont get the headphones on, and anyone would think they were saying something important and even genuine. Rather than important lies and wall to wall propaganda. Every time I think, god you are being so brain washed neighbour! WOS page has shrunk this evening, like it used to when things like Britnat lies about oil, or trident, or GERS was being pulled apart, hasnt happened in ages. I am sure that the Britnats are hoping to shrink the Scottish parliament, particulary the SNP. Lets make sure they grow and ensure that Tweedle dee and dum, those working in the interests of their London masters, are taken down to size for shafting Scotland! I would agree, and say definitely no talk of even peaceful resistance because it is exactly what the Britnats are hoping for. We can be sure false flags would be conscripted to cause violence. I have seen them at marches, listening devices and all. We bide our time, we support the SNP in whatever way we can, and we share info. Simple. Nationalize Scotlands rail network, create a Scottish state bank, abolish hereditary titles, call an independence referendum, resist the imperious British state..what the party of Scottish nationalism might consider while awaiting that Brexit deal over which we know it has zero influence. So, effectively the SNP stood for NOTHING and half a million YES supporters didnt bother to vote. Thats the price now being paid for an SNP adopting the same entitlement attitude as Scottish Labour, expecting the electorate to keep voting for them when they dont deliver on their independence promises. colin alexander The SNP stood on a manifesto that was relevant to the governance of Scotland, as the vote was to elect Members of the Scottish Parliament. It was the Yoons and the media who conflated an election with a vote on independence. You appear keen to continue the misrepresentation. We all know whats going to happen anyway, Mackay finds an extra 150 million, the Greens get street creds, Labour got egg on their faces walking into a trap with their eyes open, and the Tories, well, yes they are as are the LibDems. Samuel Adams, American patriot during their War of Independence, seemed to know something of the Scottish Tory mind: If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen. It deliberately shows that the results of referendums eg 1997 do not need to be respected so that when Jeremy comes off his fence and declares for Brexit TMay can abandon 2016, paint Lab as the perpe-("Tractor" - Ed)s and the Tories will rule in the sunshine for another 20 years Shocking indeed that 13 Tories, who are cynically being helped to create the false impression that things are really getting done when they take control, have deliberately voted with their great big grown up, immature, NASTY Tory party, against every other Scots MP, cross-party, and shafted Scotland, Wales and N.Ireland. I even read that my MP  Stephen Kerr urged the government not to underestimate the depth of disappointment and frustration felt by him and his colleagues over the delay to its promised amendments. He added: The government had control of the timetable. The deadlines were created by them, but they have let this chamber down by not delivering on what they promised. He warned that the bill was leaving the Commons in an unsatisfactory state. yet despite feeling this way, he voted it through. What a plonker!  Petra? Did anyone hear the party Political broadcast on behalf of the pretend labour party tonight?Mr. Leopard-never-changes -his-spots was lying about how important equal pay was and how the Labour party was he online to have fought for this  I nearly choked. Against the background of SNP led GCC voting it through tonight it is breathtaking brass neckery  What a nerve Richard Leonard has to lead Labours PPB on Equal Pay for Women on the very day when, thanks to the SNP, Glasgow City Council stopped Labours discrimination against thousands of women employees. But then of course BBC / STV coverage refused to tell viewers that it was Labour who were wasting money taking this to the Courts and lumbered Glasgow CC with back pay claims potentially amounting to 500m. But Labour can rely on our fearless broadcasters to keep the public in the dark. The English state have always put Scotland at the head of their attack agendanot Brexit. Destroy Scotlands political voice by ridicule, lies and now total media suppression. As manandboy says this was what the snap G.E was about. But the SNP did not take heed of the flood of unified propaganda for No Referendumthey went for the good managerial schtick. It failed miserably and we lost 1/2 million votes and twenty plus seats. Now we are facing political obliteration. The tory stooges have done as expected and kicked our political destiny into the lions den of political oblivion at the hands of drunks like Foulkes and imposters like Mone. All representative of the Motherfucker of all Parliaments. The time for tweeting and posturing with placards with nul points (Pete Wishart) is over. Unified resistance by the SNP in concert with the YES movement, Wings, the National etc. must begin immediately. Organised tv licence wont pay; concerted phone ins to Call Kaye; letter writing; and picketing of the BBC and press with placards proclaiming their lies. We must raise the consciousness of the uninformed. FFS if the young are being seduced by Corbyn and Leonard even in small numbers, it shows how desperate things are. Doesnt that depend on which one you count as Number one i.e. each and every one of them can be number one but equally, each and everyone of them can also be number13 i.e. they are all tractors.. Shame on them. my message about the PPB Labour broadcast got mangled by spells heck .. it should have read how Leonard said the Labour party was the only one to have fought for this managed to be printed as  how the Labour Party was he online Sorry. The question I tweeted is exactly as that copied into the 7.13 post above. I didnt underline, italicise or embolden the word peaceful because civil disobedience already incorporates it  the mere presence of the word should serve as an emphasis. I dont understand how anyone could reasonably object to peaceful resistance when weve reached the stage where a so-called national broadcaster wont inform citizens about vital constitutional matters. The SNP may well have stood on a mandate which showed they could govern sensibly. However if after 10 years and counting they have not got that message across then I despair. The message from them should be our own project fear. Whilst the rest of the UK wrings its hands over Brexit, where are the SNP. They have an opportunity to galvanise anti Brexit eery throughout these lands that form the uK, but I have only really heard the Tories and Labour on the subject. Plenty of Westminster English mps commentate on Scottish matters. I may be wrong, but it appears the SNP strategy is to try and appeal to everybody at the expense of their first priority, Independence. I shall maintain my membership of the SNP ,but in reality I believe the time for softly softly is past. If this you gov pole is accurate, we have clearly let people slide away. But the SNP did not take heed of the flood of unified propaganda for No Referendumthey went for the good managerial schtick. It failed miserably and we lost 1/2 million votes and twenty plus seats. Or it just reflected the actual Scottish electorate party vote layout, across 56 seats, with tory dingdongs on 13, within this yew kay or ending it. Why shut Holyrood when they (UK Govt) can keep it as an impotent talking shop that keeps Scotlands political class bought off by WM level salaries and pensions and almost guaranteed jobs for life via the party list system? Why bother shutting Holyrood down when it is stuffed with careerist MSPs like Kezia Dugdale, who are in it for the money? Then there are the others who keep Scottish independence supporters suppressed, so the independists are turning away from them. Why shut Holyrood when that would be like the British Empire sacking the Indian Maharajas, when they helped keep the Indian people suppressed, and kept them under WMs yoke. The SNP are fighting an uphill battle and as far as I can see are doing what they can. There is reason though to believe that more could be done when they are giving an opportunity to get their point across in a LIVE interview. I stress LIVE else anything positive is more than likely to end up on the cutting room floor. To be honest, a successful YES vote in a second referendum will be pretty much down to the grassroots at getting the message out. Especially with those closest to you who have yet to be convinced. I watched what was supposed to be your 6pm Scottish news tonight Wed 17/01/2018 and was astonished and disgusted that STV is following in the footsteps of the state propaganda channel BBC ( aka Pravda ) by omitting and ignoring the disgraceful act of 13 conservative MP;s , who chose to support and side with the UK government in their attempt to undermine and undemocratically destroy the powers of the elected devolved governments of Scotland and Wales . It is reprehensible that you as a broadcaster did not consider this constitutional information important enough to inform your viewers , the people of Scotland For a broadcaster to be so completely and unashamedly blanking such a huge story goes some way beyond basic incompetence or a lack of resources. Its all but impossible to reasonably explain it as anything other than a deliberate act of protection for the Scottish Conservatives , covering up their meek compliance , as the foundation of Scotlands democratic governance is attacked and its future left to the mercies of a bunch of unelected English lords. It is also becoming more apparent by the deliberate misinformation and exaggeration being expounded in relation to our SNHS and other public services that the tenets of journalism and investigative reporting have fallen prey to a corrupting and corrosive influence The SNP stood on a manifesto that was relevant to the governance of Scotland, as the vote was to elect Members of the Scottish Parliament. No. It was the 2017 UK General Election for WM MPs. There was no way the SNP would be governing. No way Scotland has EVER been strong at Westminster, so what was going through the SNPs mind when they ran with: Keep Scotland Strong at Westminster and Keep Scotlands voice Strong at Westminster? Slogans Labour or the Tories would be happy to use. No wonder the Tories got in with the SNP campaigning FOR Westminster rule. This from a pro-independence party? Indyref was to keep Scotland in the EU if the UK tries to drag Scotland out. That was the 2016 manifesto mandate. The SNP bottled it by going for Soft Brexit and the fact is :Scotland is going to be out of the EU because of that. So, now theres no way Scotland can maintain EU membership. So, now there is no EU / Brexit game changer. The UK will still remain a safer option than indy for Scotland for those who voted NO because of the fear that not being part of a larger whole makes Scotland too vulnerable as a smaller country. All thats left is hoping that the Tories and Labour continue to make an even bigger mess and can drive voters away from being pro-UK to independence, cos sure as hell, the SNP are doing nothing to attract them to the idea of an independent Scotland. I understand perfectly what you are saying, but I have for the past two years watched political shows where the SNP were present and one thing always stands out. They let the interviewer control all the narrative. They allow themselves to be badgered and interrupted. Now ,a classic example was when Nicola was on Marr on Sunday. Many on this site and others were delighted she would not Marr spoil her train of thought. Ask yourself why that made an impression ? The answer is because it was unusual and we all noticed. We have a positive message and vision, but we try to be all things to all men and that is not going to work. People join movements which inspire them with belief, even though the message may be dubious. If you want examples just think of Farage, Mussolini,etc. Meg theyre a bunch of out and out liars  Unionist politicians, in this case Labour (plus the Unions) and their comrades in arms  the Media. Im just nursing my wrath and biding my time, because their days are well and truly numbered and they better believe it. Ive just been reading some of the more recent posts (SNP Baad) on here and would just say come on buck up folks. Yesindyref2 comes on with some stats and the next thing we know everyone is up in arms. Surely no one is surprised with this  the Tories? And the Media have been pumping out their propaganda for years now. Dipping into their cache of propaganda strategies to meet their convoluted, twisted agenda on a daily basis. No surprises there either, but they wont get away with it. Do you think were the only people that are concerned and annoyed with their latest move? There will be talks amongst Constitutional lawyers (and others) going on behind the scenes right now. Just wait and see what happens next. And we will win the next referendum. Just a few short months to go now. Have faith.  Oh and while I remember dont forget to tune into trulyscottishtv.com at least once a day. @ScotNational 42m42 minutes ago More Tomorrows front page  No ideas and no clue: Scottish Labour shown up at stunt budget debate as Kelly cant say what theyd do differently  as they end up voting with the Tories Rock asked: Why else would SNP support have fallen from 50% to 37%, with a loss of half a million voters and 23 MPs at the last election? Because the SNP gave no good reason to vote SNP. Unionist Tory and Labour supporters had good reasons to get out and vote with the strong message that a vote for them would be a kick in the teeth to independence and the SNP. In contrast, the SNP came out with tripe. Cos the SNP expected people to vote for them because, the SNP think they deserve those votes, cos theyre the Scottish Govt. Cos theyve been in power for over a decade at Holyrood. Cos they are full of self-importance. Cos they are the Scottish political Establishment. And biggest laugh of all: cos they are the champions of independence. Except, they havent campaigned for independence since 2014, but EXPECTED and took it for granted that pro-independence supporters would keep voting for them anyway, cos theyre the SNP. SNP bad fraud youre always pedaling, that as soon as 18 Sept 2014 passed, we should all have been campaigning in indyref2, is a predictably creepy one though. Scots would not have participated in or even tolerated indyref2 campaigning the day after indyref1. Yet here you are ragin away at the democratic NO win 2014 ref1. Is this really all unionists like you and Rock have Colin A? The SNP have a country to run as well as work towards the goal of independence. They are not a pressure group, they are a government. If it were not for the SNP we would never have had 2014, never had a Government in Holyrood that fights for Scottish interests and not be looking at the very real probability of another bite at the cherry in 2019. The fortunes of political parties rise and fall and voters are fickle. The turnout in 2015 was high, the SNP did spectacularly, almost unnaturally, well. I doubt 95% of the seats will ever be bettered. They did pretty damn well in 2016 too, perhaps too well because the systems checks and balances didnt like their improved constituency vote. No one really wanted the 2017 election (judging by her pathetic performance not even Theresa May), turnout was well down and Unionists got some sort tactical thing going for the first (and possibly the last) time. However, if, as expected, Brexit is a mixture of failed deals and betrayal by Westminster on devolution we will have a shot at this before the next election. Party politics will not therefore be an issue. Be thankful that it is the SNP in power because no one else will give us that chance. cmon wheres the excitement folks. BBC Scotchland female on newsdrive so happy to talk about the return of the Bayeux tapestry to the uk again!! She couldnt use the word England so it was uk or Britain or back home. Please BBC I dont have a problem of using the term England if it applies to England. I do have a problem of bbc scotchland ignoring the fact that in good old 1066 there was no UK nor British and that Scotland did exist in its own right. Quite deliberate on the part of the BBC. Bob Mack said: If you have heard any politician give out anything but political waffle you are in a minority of one. Fair point. However, we were told the SNP were going to change things. They were going to be more open. They would no be like Scottish Labour. They have become full of the same professional spin doctors as Tony Blairs New Labour and are losing touch with the ordinary people. The FMs performance was a polished political performance, but its the same type of thing we get from any of them. The politicians that alienate the ordinary people. That scunner people about politics and politicians. They dont give proper answers. They talk a lot and wont answer the questions asked. How is that supposed to convince people an indy Scotland government would be ANY different from what we have now? It just encourages the attitude of: Ach! Whats the point? Theyre aw the same. But, I accept, with such a biased media, anything of any usefulness that could be said, would be then twisted and misrepresented. So, all thats left is waffle. Brilliant TH. An excellent role model for Bill and Ben, whove just recently joined the company. Now lets ALL get complaining to them, BBC, STV etc, on a daily basis in relation to the lies that they tell and the information that they suppress.  Ive just been watching Frank Macaveety lying through his teeth again. Where do these people get the brass neck from? He was on the Council when I was involved in Equal Pay cases, one in particular that went all the way to the House of Lords, and I know that as some Councils across Scotland wanted to settle out of Court it was GCC that was calling the shots and said no way. What they dont tell you either is that in dragging these cases on for years, dragging them through the Courts millions of additional public money gets spent on paying extortionate legal costs. In the case Im referring to they employed a QC plus a number of lawyers on a daily basis from day one at Glasgow Tribunal. The Tribunal board couldnt belief their eyes, as this was totally unheard of. The case was also the longest running Employment Law case in British history up until that time. May still be the case, so thatll give you some idea of the amount of money that was squandered. Add to that having to pay wages for (numerous) staff to cover for witnesses when they were attending Court. If the general public had any idea of what they, Labour politicians (including Donald Dewar), and Councillors, had / have been getting up to theyd be strung up, imo. Over the past ten years the SNP have most definitely changed things. Compare everything done to protect citizens rights and finances in Scotland as opposed to other parts of the UK. Are you taking these things for granted now.? Independence is NOT the property of the SNP. It is not theirs to give. It is the prerogative of any Scot to choose. All the SNP do is facilitate that ability to make the choice ,as they did in 2014. The only dissapointment I really feel is that they do not feel it is time to offer that just now for whatever reason. It just encourages the attitude of: Ach! Whats the point? Theyre aw the same. Which is precisely the game youre about, CoCo. After a while, you get a feeling where most regular posters are coming from. But in your case, there isnt a position you havent at some time or other canvassed, from slow-and-steady super-dooper Labourite Unionist federalism to impatient flat out UDI. From why isnt the SG doing more about staying in the EU? to dreaded EU federal superstate. All around the compass for a direction. The only constant in it all is hate the SNP without ever actually proposing a positive alternative that you are actually for. Just a pathetic little nihilist shit-stirrer with nothing significant to say about anything. Might it just be a good idea if folk just ignored Colin Alexander? Thatll do for a while then hell pop up again with a different name and we can ignore that as well. A serious point. I have never understood how the inhabitants of Edinburgh didnt realise how it would hugely benefit them and Edinburgh to be the capital of an independent Scotland. I dont think such a stupid community should be capital of Scotland and I think the title should be passed to Glasgow. The Kelvingrove Art Gallery would make a magnificent parliament building and George Square would of course become John Maclean Square The indyref2 movement really needs to start identifying no voters and making sure they receive the picture of how Westminster holds them in complete contempt and the comparison between Norways Sovereign wealth fund and the UK, this shows the extent of their mismanagement of the country. The BBC and MSM will not allow this message out there so that is the one we have to deliver Im getting fair sick fed up with this miasma of TINA being spread by the media. Get yourself stuck into this lot folks and youll be immune to yoons howling at the moon, with a bit of practice.  4 Ways to Detox from Negative Media What we do know is that our brains are naturally built to weigh and respond to negative information much more so than positive information. This concept has been termed the negativity bias and is wide-ranging, from our decision-making to our perception of ourselves and others. As one group of researchers put it, We have found bad to be stronger than good in a disappointingly relentless pattern this difference may be one of the most basic and far-reaching psychological principles. (Baumeister et al. 2001) How should one respond to racial oppression? Conventional prescriptions of mainstream social psychological science emphasize the idea of coping with oppressionwhether via emotional management strategies that emphasize denial or disengagement; problem-focused strategies that emphasize compensation, self-efficacy, or skills training; or collective strategies that emphasize emotional supportin ways that promote adaptation to, rather than transformation of, oppressive social structures. Following a brief review of the literature on coping with racism and oppression, we present an alternative model rooted in perspectives of liberation psychology (Martn-Bar, 1994). This decolonial approach emphasizes critical consciousness (rather than cultivated ignorance) of racial oppression, a focus on de-ideologization (rather than legitimation) of status quo realities, and illumination of models of identification conducive to collective action. Whereas the standard approach to coping with oppression may ultimately both reinforce and reproduce systems of domination, we propose a decolonial approach to racism perception as a more effective strategy for enduring prosperity and well-being. Thats the worst aspect of it for me. Not the Tory landed gentry selfishly defending their narrow interests, but the Labour Party apparatchiks whom theyre buying. You know, all those socialists =cough= that young people are supposedly being drawn to as the Great New Hope, unashamedly holding out their hands to the Tory lairds while simultaneously tugging their forelocks. That shower of hypocritical do-nothings were bad enough when they were in charge, now in their desperation they are anybodys. Well, anybodys except ours. Wake up, young folk, to what we have learnt from the bitter experience of all those wasted decades. NorthBritLab are a bunch of shameless hypocritical self-serving FAKES. The indyref2 movement really needs to start identifying no voters and making sure they receive the picture of how Westminster holds them in complete contempt and the comparison between Norways Sovereign wealth fund and the UK, this shows the extent of their mismanagement of the country. Theyre all YES2 reforming again right the now. Get involved, check locally. Youll be surprised. Not sure how you do it but somehow ordinary people in Scotland and Wales have to start working together to stand up for our parliaments as our elected reps at Westminster are always going to be out numbered. A massive paper petition ( the Yes groups) a demo, an online Twitter storm to get it trending , I dont know but we need to get the message out as our media certainly wont do it. Theyre the party of Scotland, Scottish National Party. Not the Scottish Nationalist Party. Keep that real clear folks. We are not nationalist in the way we are described and painted as, by the msm. Or anyone else for that matter. Our aims are for self determination and the power to run our own economy/country we live in as we see fit. Our aims having nothing to do with exceptionalism or true Scottishness etc etc. Which is the traditional understanding of the term nationalists and if indeed we are then we are no different from that other great nationalist country who literally make their children sing to a flag from birththey call it patriotism, but ah dont see anyone in the msm or unionists gunning for the USA just cause they run their own affairs and wave their flags at every opportunityeh? Fucking hypocrite Britnationalists are the problem not Scotland seeking self determination. They are exceptionalists they do believe in all things Blighty, they live in the past and ridicule every other nation on the planet with some form or racist slurnever mistake Scotlands seeking of independence as anything close to that rabid outlook. We will bide our time on this matter and see how far the Westminster establishment will go and then we shall have our referendum. Shit stirring little wanks can fuck right off. Were doing this peacefully and we are respecting half the population in Scotland who voted No and we will wait till a sufficient number of them get on board and we will do this the right way without need for deliberate acts of stupidity which would only play into our enemies hands. Those slagging off the SNP, repeatedly, can fuck off wi yer udi and yer polemical pish. We live in the real worldand well find a way through all of this by all means possible and we will never, ever resort to strong-arm tactics or violence as a means of achieving our aims. Ever. Nor will we put the people living and working in Scotland at risk of a backlash because of a handful of nutfuckjobs who think they are more informed and knowledgeable than the SNP and the rest of us. Yknow the ones? Who have some crystal ball into the future, and can determine right now that there is no other way but to follow their lead? Aye right. Youre seen for what youre attempting to do on these threads and yer ontae plums, cause no one is interested in yer jumped up pish. Now away and navel gaze wi yer powerful in yer ain heid fantasy crap somewhere else and gies aw peace. @ Bob at 11:47pm .The only disappointment I really feel is that they do not feel it is time to offer that now for whatever reason. Well Bob I dont think that you should feel disappointed at all. The only reason another Indyref is on the cards is due to the material change, outlined in the SNP manifesto, that is Brexit with the Scots potentially getting dragged out of the EU against majority wishes. Taking Brexit as the baseline for all future acts, Nicola Sturgeon couldnt set a date for a Ref right now, or previously, as we still have absolutely no idea what is happening, in no small part due to the fact that the Tories themselves dont seem to have a clue. As an (extreme) example what if she called for Indyref2 and started spouting, more so than shes done already, the implications for Scotland being dragged out of the EU and then T May decided to take Farages / Libdems advice and hold another EU ref? Shed look like a right mug and it would no doubt jigger up our chances of winning to a great extent. And as a less extreme example what if she started focusing on a WTO scenario and then Westminster opted for a Canadian type of deal? Shed be accused of scaremongering, worst still lying etc. Its all about her having some concrete (Brexit) information at her disposal before she makes a move and knowing when to show her hand in relation to an Independent Scotlands economy, currency, banks, military and so on. Just my opinion Bob, but I hope it helps to alleviate your concerns to some extent. You certainly do get a feeling where most regular posters are coming from if you read the btl comments often enough. I can only assume that those that persist even after they know they are being ignored or ridiculed do so for only one of two reasons. Either they are being paid to do so and that is their job or they are so insecure, lonely and living in their own little fantasy world that it just all breaks out and they have to say something. Anything in order to get attention. Weve got one Twit telling us were the most stupid people on earth yet he comes on here wanting to talk to us, so whos the stupid one Then theres the other Twit whos also cleverer than the rest of us but flounces off because hes answered back for his arrogance then gets his nerve back the next day so hes back telling us not to vote SNP again The Two Top Twits sitting in their Paw Patrol jammies waiting for their cares to bring them tea and toast have nothing better to do than disrupt, and the only thing that brings them happy clappy glee in their rotten we lives is when folk get annoyed by them and answer their crap back . Dear God !! .. when will the frightened in Scotland wake up and  smell the coffee (or shite as the case maybe)  the Indepenistas will always vote YES and the Yoons NAW  but the 20% unsure CAN be won over to AYE . this must be front & center to them  they are the difference !! @Thepnr Its a constant drip drip drip of twisted postings, insinuations, misinformation and outright lies, all of them aiming at genuine posters and lurkers who might have doubts about each point they aim at, while trying to get regular posters at each others throats and stir up discord and division  and make people suspicious of genuine posters who disagree on sone points. This is not a full list: 1. Discredit the SNP 2. Discredit The National 3. Stir up resentment at an exaggerated number of English settlers 4. Stir up resentment about the pensioners 5. Insist a referendum is not coming so go for UDI 6. Try to make people violent 7. Constant attacks on regular posters who they see as a threat 8. Try to make a regular poster isolated and unprotected 9. Attack a poster they see as isolated and unprotected and 10. Get posters and lurkers so fed up with their trolling they give up Wings, articles, posting, and reading postings. At times they take a reasonable point a poster makes and agree with it but exaggerate it and twist it. This attempts to discredit that poster and at the same time turn other posters against that poster. At times they also try to appear reasonable to draw in suckers, they often do this with a posting making two points, one apparently sensible, the other outrageous, to troll the reply from an unwitting victim: I actually agree with you Troll A or good point Troll B. What that does is give the Troll credibility in the eyes of the unwary. But the victim can happily ignore the Troll, and make the actual point for themselves. Since Nay became PM growth in Scotland fell to 0.3 and she is crowing about it. UK growth is only 1.7 compared to EU 3.0. Growth in the rest of the UK is only 1.4. May thinks that is great. Appalling imbecile. Scotland has lost 4Billion +++ since 2010. Tory too high taxes on the Oil &Gas sector when the price had fallen. 40% since Jan 2016. Total Westminster ignorant incompetence. Losing 120,000 jobs in Scotland. The Tories have cut the block grant 10% a year since 2010. Now cut 3Billion. Scotland has pay loan repayments on money not borrowed or spent in Scotland. Average of 4Billion a year. Hinkley Point and HS2 etc. A total waste of publicin money. It will make train journeys throughout Britain take longer. 1Billion on Trident. Scotland cant borrow to grow the economy. Tax evasion 3Billion. Total 20Billion a year Mismanaged or misappropriated from Scotland. Resulting in 0.3. Growth. Appalling behaviour by imbecile May and her cronies. Just wicked. Thank goodness for minimum pricing coming in. After 5 years of Westminster intransigence. They are total pycho bastards. May crowing about ruining the Scottish economy. Brexit will be even more damaging, The Tories should hang their heads in shame. They are a total embarrassment. Scotland raises 54Billion in tax revenues. The rest of the UK raises 46Billion pro rata. Borrows more (10Billion pro rata more). Yet Scotland ends off poorer. The Westminster crooks taking Billions from Scotland. It cant be long before they are gone. Acting illegally. To destroy the Scottish economy as they have been doing since 1928 and before, So tonight at Westminster Tories are using an English majority 2steamroller the Brexit Bill thru, ride roughshod over Devolution& most Scottish MPs 2drag Scotland out the EU against its will but Ive got my history head on so heres a random look at the other end of this Union >;https://twitter.com/Rog_Anderson/status/953397972108181505 O/T but pertinent to the bollocks reporting  Radio Shortbread reporting on the Justice Committee saying the OBFA unfairly targeting football fans  WTF it is the Offensive Behavior at FOOTBALL Act  can these people get any more dense? Brexit will be a disaster for Scotland but compliant media will ensure that the impact on public services, stagnant wages, fall in living standards etc will be falsely attributed to the governance of the SNP. Scot Gov will do their best to mitigate but ironically their savvy and competence will soften the negative consequence of Brexit on the people of Scotland and slow movement of folk persuaded to vote for independence. I think were in for a very rough time over the next year and so need to galvanise support for Scot Gov as the only ones standing up for Scotlands best interests. Just temporarily as Nana is receiving some treatment from our Superb Scottish Health Service. No doubt Nana will be back sooner than is recommended. Shes an awfy wummin fir no dain whit shes telt. Have a peaceful and profitable day, my friend.  I have never used these words before, but if it sounds like a ("Tractor" - Ed), acts like a ("Tractor" - Ed) then it must be a ("Tractor" - Ed). I know these words are offensive, but what else can you call this.. Thanks CameronB for those links on coping with negative media and liberation psychology. Very timely after my depressed rant yesterday! Feeling more positive today so will use info and advice in those links to get back to the fight. Macart , just read your comment on  shitting hedgehogs for the rest of their natural lives is too kind , I think I would employ the artistry of ancient torturers , iron maidens , thumbscrews as well as hedgehogs! Traditionally an online troll acted for amusement and perverted pleasure. Winding people up, causing disruption, getting people to argue with each other, all for fun. I mention this traditional style of trolling because I do wonder if there is an element of non politically motivated disruption on WoS. HOWEVER, most will be politically motivated and quite possibly coordinated, organised, and planned. Some is obvious, some, as yesindyref2 says, can be quite subtle. Fitting in, agreeing with the consensus, then just slipping in an opinion designed to cause turmoil. Im going to stick my neck out and suggest it is having modest success. There are a lot of people on here I trust, so when they make a slightly wayward comment, its innocent. Heat of the moment, and we all should hold different views and opinions anyway. But a new poster I havent noticed before, I treat with suspicion. That is harming the atmosphere. Part of the problem is we all sometimes express opposite opinions and that is good healthy debate, however, it cant be hard to tell with newbies whether its genuine opinion or seeds for disruption. There are a great many politicians at every level who are simply not up to the job. Nornally that wouldnt happen in a democracy because an effective media would expose their shortcomings to the electorate. The BIG problem we have in Scotland is a media which protects naff politicians in useless parties with no real policies, simply because they are pro Union. For those who accuse me of supporting federalism, show me one quote where I say I want a federal UK. You cant, cos I didnt say it. Its simply untrue. I want independence for Scotland. For those who say I have made seemingly conflicting statements about the EU, thats true. That is because its a fluid situation and I have conflicting feelings about the EU. I voted to Remain. The SNP sought and got a mandate to keep Scotland in the EU. Thats the SNPs mandate, so they should have fought harder for it. Catalonia and EU statements supporting Spain and opposing democratic votes for independence have led me to change my views about the EU. Now, personally, I no longer support the EU. If the EU maintains its current silence on Scottish indy and anti-indy rhetoric I would not vote for Scottish membership of the EU. However, thats my personal view. The SNPs mandate for indyref was to keep Scotland in the EU. The SNP had no electoral mandate to then change that to keep the UK in the Single Market. Thus keeping Scotland in the Single Market as part of the UK. Instead of opposing Brexit, which is the SNPs mandate, the SNP then wanted a role in achieving Brexit, with a seat at Brexit talks. So, aye its easy to criticise, so people ask: so whats your answer? The SNP simply refuse ANY cooperation with Brexit, as their mandate was keep Scotland in the EU. Let the UK Govt get on with screwing up Scotland. Let the UK Govt get on with betraying the devolution settlement which said what is devolved is devolved, so EU powers that were devolved should remain devolved. Thus, devolved EU powers should return to the devolved parliament. If the UK Govt betray that settlement, my view is that the SNP should call a new election, to give the people to vote on this new constitutional arrangement. If I were the SNP, Id say: the changes to Scotlands constitutional settlement are unacceptable. Westminster has betrayed the devolution settlement of 2014. Those changes arent just political, they will cause economic damage to Scotland. Thus, the people must decide whether to accept this or reject it. The only way to reject it is by voting for independence. Thus, the SNP will not stand for administering devolution govt on behalf of WM. The SNP is asking the people for a democratic mandate to negotiate the dissolution of the Union. Thus, the SNP if they are elected with a majority of seats  and over 50% of the votes cast  will accept this as a clear democratic mandate that the sovereign people of Scotland have decided that Scotland should become an independent country. If the SNP win most seats but, do not win a majority of votes, the SNP will sit as opposition MSPs. They will no longer administer devolution as the Scottish Govt. The SNP will continue to campaign for independence only, as devolution is no longer acceptable. And thats our Albatross. Theyre the only thing keeping those useless twats in office and theyre the glue that binds the political union together. Without their cheerleaders (invested meeja barons), the UKs current societal and political make up would long since have bit the dust. Unfiltered political bullshit is easy to spot for pretty much anyone. Most anoraks who pay attention to PMQs, FMQs, inquiries, committees soon sort the good from the bad. But professionally repackaged, rebranded horse shit sold to the public masses in bite size chunks? Thats the real enemy. Thats what keeps the bad guys in the lifestyle to which theyve become accustomed. Together the political establishment and the media form a formidable hurdle for a true rethink on our democracy and our political practices. Those parasites like it just peachy the way it is. They have and will continue to mushroom farm the general public without fear of reproach or care on the cost to lives and public well being. HeedtrackerI see your hive is having a go at trolls. The irony is that you are the biggest one on here. for some time now,every time I contribute, you pop upalmost immediately with an insult and a nmisrepresentation of what I say. Nothing positive, always nasty wee asides and playground insults. But its not just me that you snipe at with your customary drivel. You and a couple of others use offensive and disgusting language at people, who may well be politically at odds with most of us but it deliberately lowers the tone and level of debateI dont include you as us because I think you are here to disruptwhich you do constantlyon some threads you are on at all different times.significantlyand regularly involve yourself in tag team troll style slagging. If you are a real person, rather than part of a 77 Brig. shift team, then I advise you to scroll past my contributions, as I do with others that I dont respect..and leave off with the personal insults. And by the way, you are supposed to use quotation marks (..) when you are quoting someone elseotherwise it looks like you are just stealing their comments. You wouldnt want to be considered a thief as well as a stinking troll would you? Holyrood had a vote on 20th March 2017 on a motion regarding Scotlands Choice which was of course about a second Independence referendum. I thought it worth reminding people and especially the press what that motion said particularly with regard to a date for Indyref2. Scotlands Choice That the Parliament acknowledges the sovereign right of the Scottish people to determine the form of government best suited to their needs and therefore mandates the Scottish Government to take forward discussions with the UK Government on the details of an order under section 30 of the Scotland Act 1998 to ensure that the Scottish Parliament can legislate for a referendum to be held that will give the people of Scotland a choice over the future direction and governance of their country at a time, and with a question and franchise, determined by the Scottish Parliament, which would most appropriately be between the autumn of 2018, when there is clarity over the outcome of the Brexit negotiations, and around the point at which the UK leaves the EU in spring 2019. Much obliged once again for all those lovely links. Hope that nana is progressing well. I especially liked the LSE article by Kirsty Hughes, who  in stark contrast to the predictable and ubiquitous media suspects  offers a fair and measured appreciation of the SGs latest analysis of the Brexit options, and notes a small but quite significant change of tack, but equally doesnt fail to spot the obvious weaknesses in the SGs current approach. Which is of course a work in progress still. I suggested the SNP abandon pro-devolution and instead go all out for independence, especially if the devolution settlement is betrayed, as currently seems likely. In those circumstances I would have no hesitation in suggesting people vote SNP. I may even rejoin the party, if they adopted those policies, so I could actively campaign for them. Of course, that isnt the case yet and there are no elections now. There are no policies to vote for. Thus, at this stage I cannot advise people who to vote for. I was critical of the SNP before the GE and warned them they need to do more. However, I said people should still vote SNP as a way of blocking Unionists from being elected. (Its a shame disgruntled SNP voters didnt take my advice). I also said I would vote for my local SNP candidate ( and I did), as I know from experience that Carol Monaghan was a good SNP MP who personally intervened and helped solve a problem for some of her constituents that was a source of great worry for them. While the colonialist parties led by Lt.Col Ruth McMad and their media fan club continue with their futile attempts to destroy The Justice Secretary is it not odd that none of them seem to have made any attempt to elicit a statement from the other participant in the notorious meeting  namely Flanagan the then Head of The SPA? Keep telling you lochside, if youre going to comment online anywhere, youre going to get into disagreements. But dude, calling me a deltante prick, which is fine, and then spouting all that nonsense above is pushing your luck too far. I dont include you as us because I think you are here to disruptwhich you do constantlyon some threads you are on at all different times.significantlyand regularly involve yourself in tag team troll style slagging. Biggest reason you and idiots like Rock or Colin A stick out btl WoS lochside? you dingdongs spend all your broadband laying in to the SNP btl WoS and none of you ever have a bad about word to say about the unionists in Scotland, or England, ever. Its not like yoon culture needs you lot to monster the SNP, does it lochside, although you all have your own creepy style of SNP bad nonsense , you dilettante prick. Some people post comments to the effect that the current Holyrood versus Westminster situation gets them down and they worry that we wont get our Independence. None of that bothers me at all. What DOES get me down however is coming on here on a daily basis and reading posts full of vulgar language, especially when its from people that I know can construct a half decent sentence. You wont find this kind of language being used on other sites, such as comment sections in newspapers. There are clear regulations relating to the use vulgar and obscene language, that is that posts that include such language dont see the light of day. Why would that be? Many of these vile words are being used by individuals who claim to be Independence supporters. They say that they want to see support for the Independence cause rise. They reckon that this site is the first port of call for people who are considering their options. The undecided. So why on earth would such people risk putting individuals off supporting Independence? Do they really think that people want to come on here and read words such as pr*ck, f**ny, c*nt, f*d, sh*te, f*cking etc, etc, etc. Well I can tell them that they dont. I personally know of a (large) number of people who have been put right off by this, people that I have personally directed to this site, that have stated that if this is the type of people that support the Independence movement they dont want to be part of it. In other words instead of attracting support they are doing the opposite. One then has to ask if such people are really independence supporters at all or do they have a more hidden agenda? Know full well that this is putting people off? A form of propaganda? Propaganda is intended to alter the way people think and feel about the society they live in and its governing values and priorities. Something to reflect on. Although we post on here as individuals we have a collective responsibility to others. Its high time that we cleaned up our act on here, imo. Seriously Petra? I mean seriously you are stating that people are put off Scotlands self determination because some people use sweary words in response to others or expressions of frustration btl on Wings? But you seem to think you are the moderator on here and can compare Wings btl with other msm rags and the rags come out on top because they dont let the sweary words pass their filters? Seriouslyyou are literally stating that a swear word is preventing people from voting Yes. Excuse me while I faint with embarrassment at such infantile logic on this matter. By all means have your opinion Petra, but dont come btl the line on Wings telling the rest of us to clean up our act because your gentle sensibilities and those of your pals are offended by the words fuck, or cunt or shite, fanny and especially the word fud and thats their bottom line when it comes down to:  if this is the type of people that support the Independence movement they dont want to be part of it. Well quite frankly Petra if that is how shallow the people you associate with are, then Im sorry to inform you and them that we are actually adults on this site. I personally dont give one flying fuck about what your pals think about those of us who have enough grasp of the language and creative flair to incorporate swear words into our posts as part of our general chat on here? Id love you to say this to Stu Petra? Hes like a fucking trooper, are your friends put off being part of the movement because Stuart Campbell swears? Or do you not direct your friends to the Revs Twitter feed for this very reason? Grow up Petra and dont play mammy on here, its not your site and there is no moderation on swearing. Im pretty certain that Stu hasnt placed any such nonsense rules on his blog because hes an adult and he isnt trying to whitewash ordinary people and the way we actually interact and at times express ourselves in real life interactions with others. If you dont like it Petra, dont post, but dont attempt a feeble blackmail of ma pals are put off and you lot better clean up yer act because yer putting people off independence. That is a shameless and provable lie Petra. Go preach somewhere else, this church is a wide and broad one and if your lot cant stomach a sweary word here, then all I can say is theyve lived a sheltered life, but you havent Petra. It is you who should know better than to post that kind of nonsense on here. Dont admonish others for the intolerance of people you know who take offence at others language Petra. Dont shield them, ask them what their issue really is, explore that dynamic instead of thinking for one moment that it is your responsibility to come btl and lecture the rest of us on how we express ourselves, because someone or others you know cant hear a word inside their own mind that they read on a page on the internet and that has scunnered them to the point of being put off independence. And dont ever infer that people on here are less than in that snotty manner ever again that if this is the type of people... That is disgraceful snobbery on the part of the people you know and you for even allowing yourself to relate that to others on this site.  Panelbase poll mid December 2017: 49% Yes. Itll be the swearing on Wings thats holding back the rest of Scotland. Just as you are doing as you have clearly have no idea who I was referring to, K1. Its amazing how you just jumped to conclusions with your my friends or my pals. It just so happens that the people that Im talking about arent my pals or friends at all. They number amongst the hundreds of people I visit through my work, a wide range of people fron different socio-economic backgrounds, and most are not snobs, shallow or have lived sheltered lives at all. FAR from it in fact. As to not answering the points that you raised. What points would that be? You didnt raise any points. Just came on to admonish me for pointing out the viewpoints of people who have previously visited this site. Try putting yourself in their shoes, in that this is the first site of its kind that you have visited and see what YOU make of it  such as the content of some of your prior posts. Well you characterised who you were referring to as I personally know of a (large) number of people I could be forgiven for taking that as people you knew personally Petra. My mistake on that point, happy to concede. So you have based what you say next on that 1 point? What other points did I raise? That you even went so far as to suggest that anyone coming onto Wings would be put off Independence by seeing swear words on Wings btl Petra? That the cohort you were referrring to, which you have now expanded on, have characterised those using swear words as this is the type of people. The point of me referring to them as shallow still stands, if seeing a swear word on a page threatens your capacity to think through why you may support independence and you arrive at swearing on Wings btl is a factor in determining your political affiliation with our movement then that is shallow Petra? That you think you are the moderator on Wings, that you suggested we cleaned up our act so that the cohort you are referring does not feel offended by seeing swear words in posts. Ysee Petra there was a few points that are completely independent of your grasping at my one error in terms of yer pals et al, was there not? So you just resorted to characterising the entire thrust of what I said on that one point alone and now suggest that I cant place myself in others shoes. I can Petra, I can state with pretty near certainty that people arent put off self determination because they saw a swear word on Wings btl. And if they are being put off on that basis, its that that needs further enquiry not for you to come btl and play mammy on Wings cause people you have directed to Wings have come back to you to moan about a swear word as if that is all that takes place btl? You dont have to tell people off because people you know from many different backgrounds amazingly all have the exact same issue. Seriously Petra if youre going to debate with meup your game my dear. Yeskinda thought you needed to get at me for my posts Petra. Be honest eh? Youre the one with the swearing issue but thats neither here nor there is it? Its not your site, there is no swearing moderation, is there? I genuinely dont mind that you dont like my posts, you know the drill, dont you? But dont dress it up as swearing puts people off Independence. Does it fuck Petra.  Panel base poll mid December 2017; 49% Yes. I dont know what you dont get, that is the most valid point that I made, is it not? Och dont be like that Petra. You dont understand my humouror how cheeky I am. It tells us that this site with all its terrible btl vulgarity is not impacting the rise of the Yes vote, it is going up regardless of you and others protestations that swearing btl on Wings puts people off Independence. It doesntbecause not swearing is not a reason why anyone supports Independence. I thought that was self evident. Also I dont take myself as seriously as you take yourself Petra. And as seriously as you are now taking me. The traffic on this site has risen year on yearnot fallen like those esteemed rags whose comments pages are full of the vilest anti Scottish and anti SNP comment sections you can find, but of course those comments are allowed by those moderators. Could there be any more evidence of the wrong headedness of those asserting that Wings btl vulgarity is a huge issue wrt putting people of voting Yes? Or turning people off Wings itself? The numbers contradict those assertions, the evidence does not support the proposition. To conflate ones own personal issues regarding how others express themselves on here with diminishing support for Independence is a nonsense. They are not related and it is the intellectual dishonesty involved in the attempt to persuade others that it is that riles me and has done so in the past when weve discussed this on Wings. The rise of the Yes vote to the degree that it reached 45% is a testament to the power of Wingsnot just Stu but especially the btl comments, for anyone to even suggest that we are not genuine independence supporters because we use swear words in our posts is one of the more ridiculous assertions thats been touted a few times by those who have, what can only be termed as hang ups surrounding the use of certain words that trigger the moral high ground response in them. Perhaps these people could educate themselves a little about swearing and its functions and uses in society? Researchers point out that cursing is often an amalgam of raw, spontaneous feeling and targeted, gimlet-eyed cunning. When one person curses at another, they say, the curser rarely spews obscenities and insults at random, but rather will assess the object of his wrath, and adjust the content of the uncontrollable outburst accordingly. . Studies show that if youre with a group of close friends, the more relaxed you are, the more you swear, Burridge said. Its a way of saying: Im so comfortable here, I can let off steam. I can say whatever I like.  Evidence also suggests that cursing can be an effective means of venting aggression and thereby forestalling physical violence. . Frans de Waal a professor of primate behavior at Emory University in Atlanta, said that when chimpanzees were angry they will grunt or spit or make an abrupt, upsweeping gesture that, if a human were to do it, youd recognize it as aggressive. Such behaviors are threat gestures, de Waal said, and they are all a good sign. A chimpanzee who is really gearing up for a fight doesnt waste time with gestures, but just goes ahead and attacks, he added. By the same token, he said, nothing is more deadly than a person who is too enraged for expletives  who cleanly and quietly picks up a gun and starts shooting. There are countless other articles on this subject if people cared to research the subject. Och GhillieI challenged the assertion that swearing puts others off Independence. There is no evidence that supports this. Swearing isnt about causing offence or hurt. You yourself just acknowledged that you swear in every day interactionsIm pretty certain that you are not causing offence or hurt in doing so? I tend to write as I speak, Im also very specific as to when and to whom I aim that at. The characterisation of this is the type of people because someone swears in a post is an awful snobbery and reveals more about the mentality of those who think in theses terms than it does about the people they are referring to. That because of these types of people one doesnt want or is put off Independence is a ridiculous assertion. Petra didnt receive an unwarranted backlash, Im sorry that you have misrepresented what I pointed out in my posts. I challenged these assertions. Petra didnt like that and went in a huff. One is neither a good person or a bad person because one swears. More saliently on this subject on this forum, there is no moderation on swearing and it is not up to others to come btl and take the moral high ground because they define others according to what their perceptions of a swear word means to/for them. Again I would direct people to Stus twitter feed and to the occasions he nips btl the lineno one utters a word to him about his swearingI wonder why that is K1 You maybe make a valid point about swearing in general. There are pros and cons. I perceive that Petra did receive an unwarrented blacklash for airing her concerns. Nor is she the first on this site to suggest we reign it in a bit. Whether we should or not is up to each of us individualy. It was a suggestion based on feedback. Indeed, possibly from folk who were only looking for an excuse to avoid reading what appears here. Your posts sounded a bit heavyhanded and close to bullying to me. Not just challenging an idea, which is valid, but an uncomfortable bit beyond that, as well as personal. My perception, and maybe not your intention. Anyway, how do you know that Petra went off in a huff? She probably just went to bed! I often enjoy and support your posts but these ones sat ill with me. Friends, families and loved ones can squabble and it can be difficult to find a way back from that. So in the words of a wise friend, Peace and Love K1 and Petra. Comment - please read this page for comment rules. HTML tags like <i> and <b> are permitted. Use paragraph breaks in long comments. DO NOT SIGN YOUR COMMENTS, either with a name or a slogan. Ignore these rules and I WILL KILL YOU WITH HAMMERS.
Doctors, police officers and faith leaders were among thousands of people who linked hands on Westminster Bridge in a show of defiance, a week after the terror attack in the capital. Share this Doctors, police officers and faith leaders were among thousands of people who linked hands on Westminster Bridge in a show of defiance, a week after the terror attack in the capital. Men and women of all faiths, ages and walks of life came together for the vigil which culminated in a minute's silence for the victims. Among them was Romanian tourist Andrei Burnaz who suffered a broken foot in the attack. He had planned to propose later that day to his girlfriend Andreea Cristea. Miss Cristea was knocked from the bridge into the River Thames and remains in hospital in a critical but stable condition. Mr Burnaz, who was pushed in a wheelchair, placed a single rose on the bridge. Organisers of the Hands Across Westminster Bridge event said it had brought "people of all faiths" together, and showed that those who sought to "divide us have failed". Mustafa Field, director of the Faiths Forum for London, which helped organise the vigil, said: "This attack tried to divide us and what I've seen and I've witnessed is that we've come stronger in our unity, we're stronger in our relationships and that we will not be cowed and we will not be defeated." The bridge, still adorned with floral tributes to the victims, was closed to traffic as those gathered walked in solidarity across the Thames. Nurses and doctors from St Thomas' hospital, where many of the injured were treated, came out to pay their respects. Schoolchildren aged nine and 10 from Al-Sadiq and Al-Zahra Schools clasped yellow roses and held signs which read "Islam says no to terror" and "please don't kill innocent people" as they walked across the river. They laid flowers on the bridge in the shadow of the Palace of Westminster after walking hand-in-hand. Police officers, paramedics, religious leaders and members of the public also laid floral tributes - many emotional as they crouched down on the pavement, pausing for a moment to remember the victims. Rain began to fall as the vigil stopped for a minute's silence at 2.40pm - the time the first call was made to police exactly seven days ago. Police officers also held a minute's silence outside New Scotland Yard. Acting commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Craig Mackey said: "This afternoon is about remembering the victims of last week's events. Our thoughts, our prayers, go out to everyone who was affected by the events last week. "I would urge you, if you get time, to go on to the bridge, talk to Londoners, talk and get a feel for this great city and how it's come together in responding to these events." Hundreds of members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association were on the bridge, wearing T-shirts with the message "I am a Muslim, ask me anything". Zafir Malik, an imam from the association, said they were asked by the police to come along to show solidarity, adding: "We're here to show that we are united with our fellow countrymen and remembering those who have fallen, especially Pc Keith Palmer." Rabbi Natan Levy, of the Faiths Forum, said the bridge was symbolic as "terrorism tries to put barriers up between communities, between faiths, and people are walking on Westminster Bridge and saying 'we are stronger and are coming together and are not going to be divided in this way'. "It makes one heck of a difference the fact that we as Muslims and Jews, rabbis, imams, people of all faiths, people of none, are willing to walk together, to be together, to hold hands together and that makes each of us feel safe." Vigils were also held across the country to coincide with the Westminster event.
British police said Friday they had made two further significant arrests over the Islamist-inspired terror attack on parliament, as they appealed for information about the homegrown killer who left four people dead. Nine people are now in custody over Wednesdays rampage in Westminster, in which at least 50 people were injured, 31 requiring hospital treatment, counter-terrorism commander Mark Rowley said. Police have searched 16 addresses, with five more raids still underway, mainly in London and the central city of Birmingham, where the attacker reportedly lived and near where he rented the car used in the assault. The police officer also revealed the attackers birth name as Adrian Russell Ajao, after naming him Thursday as Khalid Masood, a 52-year-old who used a number of aliases and had a history of violent offences but no terrorist convictions. The Islamic State group claimed the assailant behind Britains deadliest terror attack in 12 years was one of its soldiers acting on a call to target countries in the US-led coalition fighting the jihadists. Prime Minister Theresa May has said that Masood was known to intelligence services as a peripheral figure some years ago but there was no warning of his intention to mount an attack. Rowley said Friday that police were trying to establish whether Masood acted totally alone or if others have encouraged, supported or directed him. Masood ran over dozens of pedestrians and tourists on Westminster Bridge on Wednesday afternoon before crashing his car into parliament, where he managed to stab a police officer before being shot dead. Lawmakers returned to work as normal on Thursday morning, even as forensic officers worked at the scene, but a review of parliamentary security is now underway. Hundreds of people gathered in nearby Trafalgar Square late Thursday for a vigil led by Mayor Sadiq Khan who vowed that Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism. Numerous aliases The death toll rose late Thursday after life support was withdrawn from a 75-year-old man injured in the attack, whom police named as Leslie Rhodes from south London. The other victims were 48-year-old policeman Keith Palmer and, on the bridge, a 43-year-old British woman, Aysha Frade, who was on her way to pick up her two daughters, and an American citizen in his 50s, Kurt Cochran. Police earlier said that five men and three women aged between 21 and 58 were arrested on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. One woman was later released on bail. Rowley gave no details of the new arrests, only to say that they took place in the West Midlands the area of the country that includes Birmingham and the north-west of England. Born in Kent in southeast England, Masood was a British citizen with convictions for assault and possession of offensive weapons dating from 1983 to 2003. According to The Sun tabloid, he married a Muslim woman in 2004 and moved the following year to Saudi Arabia to teach, returning in 2009. Police said he went by numerous aliases, including, reportedly, Adrian Elms, while reports suggest he lived all over England, including in Luton and east London. He was described as a nice guy by Iwona Romek, a former neighbour in Birmingham, who told the Birmingham Mail: He had a wife, a young Asian woman and a small child who went to school. Rowley said police were looking at his history and appealed for any public information about him, adding: Our investigation focuses on understanding his motivation, preparation and associates. The crowds at Trafalgar Square late Thursday brought messages of defiance, flags and flowers, and offered their condolences to officers who lost a colleague in the attack. Naveed Mirza, a Muslim student, said he had received overwhelming support since the attack described by police as Islamist-related terrorism. We have come to say how, as Muslims, we unequivocally condemn all the violent actions that took place yesterday, he told AFP. First IS claim of British attack The IS group said it was responsible, according to the Amaq propaganda agency, its first claim of an attack on British soil. The latest attack had echoes of the atrocities in Nice and Berlin when trucks ploughed into crowds of people, killing 86 people in the French Riviera city in July and 12 at a market in the German capital just days before Christmas. The assault on Westminster was the deadliest in Britain since four suicide bombers killed 52 people on the citys transport system in July 2005. A defiant May had told the reopened parliament that Britains resolve will never waver in the face of terrorism, as MPs stood heads bowed for a minutes silence in remembrance of the victims. Britains last terror attack was the 2016 assassination of MP Jo Cox by a pro-Nazi sympathiser shortly before the historic but deeply divisive June vote to leave the EU.In 2013, British soldier Lee Rigby was run down and knifed on a London street to death by two Islamist extremists.
Fourteen people in total died in the attacks on London Bridge, Finsbury Park Mosque and the Houses of Parliament which took place between March and September 2017. The attack at Parsons Green underground station, where a homemade bomb partially detonated injuring about 50 people, is also being commemorated. Five people died and 49 were injured in the attack in Westminster on March 22 last year. The attacker also died. Terror attacks in London 2017 March 22: Five people were killed when Khalid Masood mounted the pavement and mowed down people on Westminster bridge. On duty officer PC Keith Palmer was stabbed to death. Mr Masood was shot by responding armed officers June 3: Eight people were killed when a van driven by three muslin extremists drove into pedestrians on London Bridge. The attackers then launched a knife attack in Borough Market. All of the attackers were shot dead by police June 19: Darren Osborne drove a van into worshippers leaving Finsbury Park Mosque . He killed 51 year-old Makram Ali and injured nine others. He was sentenced to life imprisonment September 15: Iraqi teenager Ahmed Hassan, 18, detonated a homemade bomb on the District Line train at Parsons Green tube station injuring 50 people. Mr Hassan was found guilty of attempted murder The sister of one of the victims today spoke out about the horrific event in a heartbreaking interview. Magda Tois said she refuses to dwell on the killer. Her sister Andreea Cristea, 31, was flung into the River Thames when Khalid Masood ploughed into Londoners on Westminster Bridge on March 22 last year. He said Pc Palmer was a true and loyal friend, utterly reliable and added: "Most of all I will remember him as a family man who idolised his wife, daughter and his family; they're the important ones that I think about a year on from the Westminster attack." A junior doctor who rushed to the aid of the victims who were mowed down during the attack spoke of the Mayhem she encountered. Dr Colleen Anderson rushed to the aid of the victims (PA) Dr Colleen Anderson was working at St Thomas' Hospital, on the bank of the Thames opposite Parliament and next to the bridge, when a colleague saw the attack. The doctor, who was only eight months into her training, said much of the two hours she spent attending to the wounded on the bridge was with Pc Kristofer Aves, who has been left paralysed by the injuries he suffered. Westminster Bridge vigil - In pictures Westminster Bridge vigil - In pictures 1/20 Schoolgirls on Westminster Bridge during the vigil today Jeremy Selwyn 2/20 An injured man holding a rose is wheeled on to Westminster Bridge during an event to mark one week since a man drove his car into pedestrians then stabbed a police officer in London Stefan Wermuth/Reuters 3/20 Police officers hold flowers at the event on Westminster Bridge Matt Dunham/AP 4/20 Communities across London unite one week on from the attack in which four people died Metropolitan Police 5/20 Police officers stand guard on Westminster Bridge ahead of the vigil Dan Kitwood/Getty Images 6/20 Imams honour the victims of the attack on Westminster Bridge Carl Court/Getty Images 7/20 Muslim men pray during an event to mark one week since a man drove his car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge Hannah McKay/Reuters 8/20 A group of Muslim men hold banners on Westminster Bridge Stefan Wermuth/Reuters 9/20 Superintendent Jon Williams (centre) joins a vigil held on Westminster Bridge in London, exactly a week since the Westminster terror attack took plac Yui Mok/PA 10/20 A vigil is held on Westminster Bridge in London, exactly a week since the Westminster terror attack took plac Yui Mok/PA 11/20 Memorial Service on Westminster Bridge today a week on from the terror attack last week Jeremy Selwyn 12/20 Memorial Service on Westminster Bridge today a week on from the terror attack last week Jeremy Selwyn 13/20 People arrive to take part in a vigil on Westminster Bridge in London, exactly a week since the Westminster terror attack took place Yui Mok/PA 14/20 Police block Bridge Street outside the Palace of Westminster as a vigil on Westminster Bridge is held a week since the terror attack took place Victoria Jones/PA 15/20 People pay their respects and hold roses on Westminster Bridge as they attend a vigil to remember the victims of last week's Westminster terrorist attack Dan Kitwood/Getty Images 16/20 People walking across Westminster Bridge in London after a vigil to mark a week since the Westminster terror attack took place BBC 17/20 Police officers hold white roses on Westminster Bridge during a vigil to remember the victims of last week's Westminster terrorist attack Dan Kitwood/Getty Images 18/20 Members of Ahmadiyya Muslim Association pay their respects in Parliament Square, London David Mirzoeff/PA 19/20 Memorial Service on Westminster Bridge today a week on from the terror attack last week Jeremy Selwyn 20/20 People hold posters on Westminster Bridge during an event to mark one week since a man drove his car into pedestrians then stabbed a police officer in London Stefan Wermuth/Reuters 1/20 Schoolgirls on Westminster Bridge during the vigil today Jeremy Selwyn 2/20 An injured man holding a rose is wheeled on to Westminster Bridge during an event to mark one week since a man drove his car into pedestrians then stabbed a police officer in London Stefan Wermuth/Reuters 3/20 Police officers hold flowers at the event on Westminster Bridge Matt Dunham/AP 4/20 Communities across London unite one week on from the attack in which four people died Metropolitan Police 5/20 Police officers stand guard on Westminster Bridge ahead of the vigil Dan Kitwood/Getty Images 6/20 Imams honour the victims of the attack on Westminster Bridge Carl Court/Getty Images 7/20 Muslim men pray during an event to mark one week since a man drove his car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge Hannah McKay/Reuters 8/20 A group of Muslim men hold banners on Westminster Bridge Stefan Wermuth/Reuters 9/20 Superintendent Jon Williams (centre) joins a vigil held on Westminster Bridge in London, exactly a week since the Westminster terror attack took plac Yui Mok/PA 10/20 A vigil is held on Westminster Bridge in London, exactly a week since the Westminster terror attack took plac Yui Mok/PA 11/20 Memorial Service on Westminster Bridge today a week on from the terror attack last week Jeremy Selwyn 12/20 Memorial Service on Westminster Bridge today a week on from the terror attack last week Jeremy Selwyn 13/20 People arrive to take part in a vigil on Westminster Bridge in London, exactly a week since the Westminster terror attack took place Yui Mok/PA 14/20 Police block Bridge Street outside the Palace of Westminster as a vigil on Westminster Bridge is held a week since the terror attack took place Victoria Jones/PA 15/20 People pay their respects and hold roses on Westminster Bridge as they attend a vigil to remember the victims of last week's Westminster terrorist attack Dan Kitwood/Getty Images 16/20 People walking across Westminster Bridge in London after a vigil to mark a week since the Westminster terror attack took place BBC 17/20 Police officers hold white roses on Westminster Bridge during a vigil to remember the victims of last week's Westminster terrorist attack Dan Kitwood/Getty Images 18/20 Members of Ahmadiyya Muslim Association pay their respects in Parliament Square, London David Mirzoeff/PA 19/20 Memorial Service on Westminster Bridge today a week on from the terror attack last week Jeremy Selwyn 20/20 People hold posters on Westminster Bridge during an event to mark one week since a man drove his car into pedestrians then stabbed a police officer in London Stefan Wermuth/Reuters Looking back one year later, Dr Anderson said: "I remember it vividly and perhaps I would not remember so much if there were not these constant reminders. "There was a show on looking back at 2017 and all the attacks and unfortunately I was on call when London Bridge happened. ES Magazine 07/07 Covers - In pictures ES Magazine 07/07 Covers - In pictures 1/7 2/7 3/7 4/7 5/7 6/7 7/7 1/7 2/7 3/7 4/7 5/7 6/7 7/7 "Good things have come from it - it brought people much closer together and it did not do anything to deter people."
What we know about the killed and injured victims of the Westminster terror attack Friday, March 24, 2017 - 06:42 PM Khalid Masood killed three people and injured scores more after ploughing a car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before stabbing Pc Keith Palmer to death. Here is what we know about the terrorist's victims. Retired window cleaner Leslie Rhodes was the fourth victim to be named. The 75-year-old, from Clapham, south London, died at King's College Hospital on Thursday night after life support was withdrawn. Neighbours described him as a "lovely man" and said the pensioner was a keen music fan. The innocent casualties include 12 Britons, three French children, two Romanians, four South Koreans, two Greeks, and one each from Germany, Poland, Ireland, China, Italy and the United States. Kurt Cochran Kurt Cochran, a US tourist from Utah, was killed on Westminster Bridge after Khalid Masood drove a car into unsuspecting pedestrians. He and his wife Melissa, on the last day of a trip celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary, were visiting her parents, who are serving as Mormon missionaries in London. Mrs Cochran was badly injured. After Mr Cochran's identity was revealed, US President Donald Trump tweeted: "A great American, Kurt Cochran, was killed in the London terror attack. My prayers and condolences are with his family and friends." Aysha Frade Aysha Frade, who worked in administration at independent sixth-form school DLD College London in Westminster, also died on the bridge. She is understood to have been 43 and married with two daughters. At least 100 people attended a memorial in Spain to commemorate the British national. A minute's silence was held in the Galician municipality of Betanzos, where Mrs Frade's family originates and where she spent her summers. Betanzos councillor Andres Hermida said the community in Spain was in "enormous pain" and shrouded in an "atmosphere of sadness". He told the Press Association: "We had a minute's silence in the Plaza de la Constitucion outside the local government building and we have declared three days of mourning, which will include flying the flag at half mast until Saturday. "About 100 people attended despite the rainy weather." Mrs Frade's family is well known in Betanzos, where her older sisters, Silvia and Michelle, run the Notting Hill English language academy. Pc Keith Palmer Pc Keith Palmer, a 48-year-old husband and father and Charlton Athletic season ticket-holder, was stabbed to death in the attack. He has been praised as a "strong, professional public servant" who served in the military before joining the Metropolitan Police's parliamentary and diplomatic protection command. Pc Palmer served as a reservist from August 1987 to August 2001, leaving as a bombardier, and had 15 years of service as a police officer. Charlton Athletic said Pc Palmer was "a true hero who will be greatly missed by all the Charlton family". Francisco Lopes Portuguese pedestrian Francisco Lopes, 26, has said he was "scared for my life" after being mowed down on Westminster Bridge, leaving him with leg and hand injuries. He said: "He started to move towards the pedestrian pavement and started to just take out the people that were in front of the car, so, literally when I realised this, the car was literally just about one metre away, so I had no, literally, no time to get out of the way." Travis Frain Travis Frain, 19, was walking across Westminster Bridge with other youngsters when he was mowed down by the terrorist's 4x4. Angela Frain, from Darwen, Lancashire, said her son escaped with his life after going over the bonnet of the killer's car as the carnage began. Seconds later, the politics student, who wants to become an MP, called his mother to say: "Mum I'm safe ... I know you will be worrying." He suffered a fractured leg, fractured left arm, cuts to his thigh and two broken fingers and will be operated on in hospital. Thomas The mother of one of the French students caught up in the attack thought he was dead for an hour before being told he was injured. The teenager, named only as Thomas, was one of three pupils hurt as they walked along the bridge during a school trip to London. He suffered a head injury and fractures to his legs, his mother told French media. The students, aged between 15 and 16, were pupils from Lycee Saint-Joseph de Concarneau, Brittany. His mother told Brittany website Le Telegramme: "It was the school who told us Wednesday afternoon that the attack had taken place and our son was one of the victims." Andreea Cristea and Andrei Burnaz Andrei Burnaz and Andreea Cristea, 29, were on the bridge when the car ploughed into them Miss Cristea was thrown into the River Thames, and subsequently suffered a blood clot on the brain for which she was operated on. According to reports the couple were in London celebrating Mr Burnaz's birthday, and he was due to propose to Ms Cristea later that day. Mr Burnaz suffered a broken foot, and Ms Cristea was in a stable condition after surgery. Other victims: An Italian woman who was on holiday in the capital was hit by the terrorist's car, the country's embassy in London said. The woman, who suffered fractures, was in a stable condition the day after the attack, the embassy added. A Chinese tourist sustained minor injuries in the attack, a spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry said. A Polish man suffered minor injuries and was released from hospital on Thursday, the country's embassy said.
The 27-year-old man, dressed head to toe in black, was wrestled to the ground by armed police officers as he walked among a crowd of tourists and workers in Parliament Street at just after 2.20pm yesterday. His arrest came just five weeks - and a 100 yards away - from the spot where Khalid Masood was shot and killed within the grounds of the Palace of Westminster, having mowed down bystanders in a hired car driven over Westminster Bridge. The Telegraph understands that the man, who is understood to have been born overseas but who lives in south east London, was known to the security services and was being watched as part of an ongoing counter-terrorism operation. The suspect was detained at the scene for several minutes within view of journalists and passers by before he was eventually taken away in a police vehicle. Recruiters Harry Peasnell, 27, and Andy Burnage, 22, were leaving the adjacent building which houses various Government offices after a meeting with officials when they were told over the tannoy the usual entrance on to Whitehall was closed. As they made their way back towards Parliament from the alternative House Guards Road entrance they said they were pushed back up Great George Street by several plain clothes police officers. They then made their way to Parliament Square where they said they saw a man in his 20s or 30s, who they thought was the suspect, being spoken to by police next to the wall of the offices. Mr Peasnell, who says he regularly has meetings in Westminster, said police were "quick on the scene" and that he was not worried like he was during the terror attack in the area just weeks ago. "Last time all the buildings were on lockdown and no one was allowed to leave," he said. Westminster has been on a state of heightened alert since Masood launched his attack on March 22, killing five people, including Pc Keith Palmer. First test for new Met chief The successful arrest is the first real test for Cressida Dick, the new Metropolitan Police Commissioner, who previously - and notoriously - had been in charge of the operation that led to the death of the innocent Brazilian electrician Jean Charles de Menezes who was mistaken for a terrorist when he was shot on the London Underground in July 2005. Ms Dick briefed London mayor Sadiq Khan on yesterdays arrest. A spokesman for the mayor said: Mr Khan is hugely grateful to the police for their swift, decisive and professional actions. He is hugely relieved there have been no casualties. Reports suspect's family tipped off police Another eyewitness has described what she saw Helen Chandler Wilde told the BBC: "I saw a couple of police officers with a guy interviewing him and then putting him in a car as well as a couple of police forensics officers photographing the scene. "And I did see the knives on the floor with the brown backpack lying next to it which was in the middle of the intersection in Whitehall. "I didn't see the guy, you know, being put on the floor by the police, so all I can imagine is that he was stopped there and dropped his things and then was taken to the other side of the road just outside the Treasury to be arrested and questioned which is where I saw him "I'd say there were a dozen or two dozen [police officers] kind of spread out around Westminster and Parliament Square. "He had his head low, his hood still up of his black hoodie, trying to hide his face from police, I don't know, but from photographs he appeared to be smirking. "[People were] remarkably not scared at all, not worried, the road was shut off but only just, still on the other side of the road there were people on the bus stuck in traffic on the way home just like any normal day, there were even a couple of tourists coming up to me thinking the Queen was coming to visit because the road was shut. I had to disappoint them there." Full quote from Theresa May Theresa May said: "It shows that our police and intelligence and security services are on the alert, as they always are, looking to keep us safe and secure. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to these people, many of whom are unseen, unheard, yet the job they do day in, day out to keep us secure is a really important one and we should thank them for it." Theresa May kept in the loop Prime Minister Theresa May was away from Number 10 on a campaign visit at the time of the incident, which did not disrupt work in Downing Street, said a spokeswoman. "This is an ongoing police operation and we are monitoring it," said the Number 10 spokeswoman. "The Prime Minister has been informed by officials and she will be updated, as usual for incidents like this." Heightened security at Westminster The latest security incident comes after Westminster was put on a heightened state of alert following a major terror attack just over a month ago. Khalid MasoodCredit: PA Security in the area has been noticeably more high profile since Khalid Masood killed four people by ramming them with his car on Westminster Bridge before stabbing to death Pc Keith Palmer just inside the grounds of Parliament on March 22. In the aftermath of the assault, authorities have reviewed how to keep the area as safe as possible. Armed police officers have been more visible patrolling the Palace of Westminster since the attack, which also left Masood dead from gunshot injuries. Incident treated as 'terrorism' Scotland Yard has released this statement confirming the incident is being treated as a suspected terror attack: A man has been arrested in Whitehall this afternoon, at approximately 14:22, following a stop and search as part of an ongoing operation. The man was arrested in Parliament Street, junction with Parliament Square, by armed officers from the Mets Specialist Firearms Command. The man, aged in his late twenties, was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism. Knives have been recovered from him. He is being detained under the Terrorism Act and is in custody in a south London police station. Detectives from the Counter Terrorism Command are continuing their investigation, and as a result of this arrest there is no immediate known threat.
Katie Price receives vile comments from trolls about disabled son Harvey, 14, as she is targeted for posting 'insensitive' tweet about Westminster terror incident London has been hit by a devastating terror attack, which saw a man mow down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before attacking police with a knife in the grounds of the Houses of Parliament. And Katie Price found herself caught up in the incident on Wednesday, tweeting from the scene after witnessing the horrific scenes on the bridge. The 35-year-old TV personality's comment prompted an influx of abuse on social media - both from vicious trolls and from annoyed fans who branded her tweets 'insensitive'. Scroll down for video Terror attack: Katie Price found herself caught up in the London terror attack in Westminster on Wednesday, tweeting from the scene after witnessing the horrific scenes on the bridge - but subsequently found herself the victim of cruel trolls targeting her son Harvey, 14, following her post Share this article The star was inundated with messages of support from loyal fans, telling her to be careful and to stay safe, with one user enthusing, 'Good to know you're ok!!'. However, her second post provoked an influx of criticism from social media users, who accused Katie of being 'insensitive' and 'crass' towards the victims of the horrific attack. Social media reaction: London has been hit by a devastating terror attack, which saw a man mow down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before attacking police with a knife in the grounds of the Houses of Parliament - and Katie took to Twitter to post about the incident 'Insensative tweet': her second post provoked an influx of criticism from social media users, who accused Katie of being 'insensitive' and 'crass' towards the victims of the horrific attack Horrific: Four people are dead after a terrorist brought carnage to central London. At least 10 people were hit on the crowded bridge when a 4x4 drove along the pavement, knocking down pedestrians before crashing into a fence below Big Ben 'Its not all about you katie ffs', one Twitter user raged, while another shared, 'insensitive much?!', and a third incredulous person scathingly wrote, 'typically sensitive tweet Katie.' Another raged: 'wow are you really that self involved... Get a grip and some empathy #unfollow'. The model turned businesswoman, who was in central London for her appearance on Loose Women earlier in the day, was also targeted by vile comments from trolls, who made wildly inappropriate jokes about her eldest son Harvey. Furious: 'Its not all about you katie ffs', one Twitter user raged, while another shared, 'insensitive much?!', and a third incredulous person scathingly wrote, 'typically sensitive tweet Katie' One troll posted, 'Did Harvy fail his driving test?', while another cruelly joked, 'Last time you leave Harvey with your car keys'. 'Should of got big Harvey to rugby tackle the geezer and this would have been avoided', another person posted. A third even sent a death threat to Katie, writing, 'should of been you not the police officer'. MailOnline has contacted Katie's representatives for comment. Trolled: The model turned businesswoman, who was in central London for her appearance on Loose Women earlier in the day, was also targeted by vile comments from trolls, who made wildly inappropriate jokes about her eldest son Harvey Death threat: A third even sent a death threat to Katie, writing, 'should of been you not the police officer' Mother-of-five: As well as Harvey and Junior, Katie is also mum to Princess, nine, with ex-husband Peter Andre, and Jett, three, and Bunny, two, with spouse Kieran Hayler As well as Harvey and Junior, Katie is also mum to Princess, nine, with ex-husband Peter Andre, and Jett, three, and Bunny, two, with spouse Kieran Hayler. Four people are dead and at least 20 injured after a terrorist brought carnage to central London. At least 10 people were hit on the crowded bridge when a 4x4 drove along the pavement, knocking down pedestrians before crashing into a fence below Big Ben. An intruder, described by a witness as 'middle-aged and Asian' and carrying two knives, then managed to break into the grounds of the Parliament and stabbed a police officer before he was shot and injured. The policeman has since died. It is currently believed one attacker was involved, killing three people, including a policeman, and leaving at least 10 pedestrians and two other police officers seriously injured. Prime Minister Theresa May was bundled into her car by a plain-clothes police officer and driven quickly from the scene as the attack unfolded. She will chair a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra Committee tonight. Scotland Yard said the attack, which comes a year to the day after the terrorist atrocities in Brussels, is being treated 'as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise'. Katie wasn't the only high profile star using social media to air their concerns for Londoners and to praise the emergency services. Expressing concern: Katie wasn't the only high profile person using social media to share their shock and concern for London This Morning presenter Holly Willoughby said: 'Just in such shock at what happened today... #Westminster' Former X Factor winner James Arthur also said: 'Thoughts are with the families affected by the tragedies in London today. 'So sad that the world keeps being affected by this. #PrayForLondon' From across the pond, former Fifth Harmony singer Camila Cabello expressed her concerns writing: '#PrayForPeru and #PrayForLondon my thoughts are with you all' Finally going home: Georgia Toffolo, from reality TV show Made In Chelsea, was held in London's House of Lords for secutiry reasons after finding herself at the centre of the ordeal and was eventually sent home after an eight-hour stretch While US actor Jake T Austin, who acted alongside Selena Gomez in Wizards Of Waverly Place said: 'Let's stop for a moment today and #prayforlondon during this terrifying time. 'My heart goes out to everyone in the U.K. #LondonStrong' Closer to home, Made In Chelsea reality star Georgia Toffolo shared a first-hand account of the incident, finding herself stuck in London's House Of Lords. Georgia, who works as Event Manager for thinktank Parliament Street, wasn't evacuated until 11pm on Wednesday, having been kept inside the building for security. Closing her eight-hour live feed from the attack, Georgia wrote: 'Just now been evacuated from Westminster Hall. 'What a day, feeling very very sad. A savage attack on our proud and welcoming city' Keeping a low profile: Earlier in the day, Katie was spotted leaving the ITV studios following her appearance on Loose Women Hats off: The star kept a low profile under her baseball cap as she left the venue Keeping it casual: The TV personality was dress in a casual grey tracksuit
Did London attack expose citys weak spot?Westminster attack: What you need to knowLondon attack inquiry focuses on radicalization of perpetratorKhalid Masood: What we know about the London attackerLondon unites against terror in defiant vigilLondon attack: Assailant shot dead after 4 killed near Parliament 1Miami (CNN)  The terrorist attack on Westminster  the heart of government in Britain since the 16th century  did not come as a surprise to authorities. In the aftermath of atrocities in France last year, Londons most senior police officer warned that an attack was highly likely  a case of when, not if. Given the threat, it may come as a surprise to people unfamiliar with the British model of policing that fewer than one in 10 London police officers carries a gun in their daily duties. Keith Palmer, the 48-year-old officer stabbed to death at the gates of Parliament, was unarmed. Only a select number of police officers in Britain are trained as firearms specialists; the rest carry tools including batons and stun guns. In London, its common to see tourists posing with police as they guard the citys landmarks. Weak spot Palmer was standing guard at Carriage Gates, the wrought-iron entrance from Parliament Square that gives onto New Palace Yard, where cars carrying Members of Parliament sweep through into the underground parking lot below. After plowing a rental car through crowds on Wesminster Bridge, 52-year-old Khalid Masood crashed the vehicle into Parliaments perimeter fence, dashed round the corner, stabbed Palmer and pushed through into the compound before being shot by an armed officer. There were questions about why the gate, which can only be used by parliamentary pass holders, was ajar and not bolted shut. Its a terrible, terrible day for parliament, the one weak spot on our estate is those carriage gates, said Mary Creagh, a member of parliament, said, according to The Telegraph. When asked why an armed policeman was not on the gate, Iain Duncan Smith, a former cabinet minister, said it was a little bit of a surprise that there was not. He said the gate was a vulnerability because vehicles come and go through it. However, another lawmaker, Richard Benyon, said on Twitter he was irritated by reports of a security breach, calling it a highly professional response. More police? London has stepped up security in the wake of the attacks. Mayor Sadiq Khan told CNN that Londoners would see more armed and unarmed police officers patrolling the streets. One of the reasons I can say London is the safest global city in the world and one of the safest cities in the world is because there are literally tens of thousands of Keith Palmers keeping our cities safe, working with members of the public who provide intelligence and information, working with our security services, he said. Last year, shortly after the Nice truck attack, the Metropolitan Police, which covers most of London and is usually referred to simply as the Met, increased its number of firearms officers by 600 to 2,800  however this is still less than 10% of the total. However, its unlikely that the Met will make a wholesale shift in its policing model. The previous Commissioner, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, who retired in January, said last year the fact that the vast majority of police officers were unarmed gives us a far healthier relationship with the people we police. Our neighborhood officers  the ones who know their streets, who know their environment and who know many of the names of the people in their communities  are our major weapon. They are our eyes and ears on the street, he said. Low-tech terror The Parliament attack is just one in a series of such relatively low-tech terrorist attacks involving vehicles in the West over the past three years that have typically been inspired by ISIS, says Peter Bergen, CNNs National Security analyst. These attacks are hard to defend against in free societies where crowds will gather, as was the case for Bastille Day in Nice, or the Christmas market in Berlin, or students attending Ohio State  and now the throngs of tourists and visitors that typically crowd the sidewalks around the Houses of Parliament, he said. He says law enforcement needs to have a deep understanding of who may be radicalizing before they carry out a lethal terrorist attack. And for that, they need the help of peers and family members. Community initiatives also help, say analysts at Quillam, a counter-extremism think thank in London. If extremist recruiters seek to manipulate grievances, teachers and youth workers must develop programs to address them through promoting democratic responses, Jonathan Russell, head of policy at Quilliam and Joshua Stewart, a strategic communications officer there, wrote in an opinion piece for CNN. Copyright 2017 by CNN NewSource. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Amid shock and horror, Londoners feel Westminster terror attack was a case of not if but when The shocking attack has left at least 4 dead including one police officer. Picture: James West via AP.Source:AP AMID the shock and horror that dominated news of the latest terror attack in London was another emotion keenly felt in the British capital; resignation. On the first anniversary of the Brussels attack  and having seen their French and German cousins suffer through atrocities in Berlin, Nice and Paris  many in London felt it was a case of not if, but when. The UK terror threat warning would remain at severe, where it had been for some time, British Prime Minister Theresa May said in the wake of the bloodshed. News that at least five people had died with several others left with catastrophic injuries was heartbreaking and shocking for the country to hear. You could see it on the faces of those ducking under police tape with phones glued to their ears, whispering hurried assurances to their loved ones. But quickly afterwards others professed their resignation. Its not surprising, but I feel upset about it, said one Londoner who didnt want to be named. Police officers console one another following the stabbing death of a colleague in the London terror attack. Picture: Stefan Rousseau/PA via APSource:AP Seun Roberts-Edomi, who worked just metres from Westminster Bridge, said he would be back tomorrow like every other day in the office. Ive never been scared. This is what Im used to. It can happen in Paris, It can happen in Berlin. Youve got to not let fear consume you. Otherwise what, youre going to let them win. You just continue on as normal. What other solution do you have? Government worker Barbara said she was shocked and scared about the reality of it actually happening but it was not unexpected. Im actually quite surprised its been so long, but there you have it. Bike courier Daniel said he had been past Westminster five times that day and was now stressed he was unable to make his last deliveries. You can just get run over by a car without terrorism, he said. A woman lying on the ground is treated by passers by outside Westminster. Picture: AP Photo.Source:AP The shocking scene happened in broad daylight one of the busiest and most heavily protected parts of London. Picture: AFP PHOTO / NIKLAS HALLE'NSource:AFP UK Prime Minister Theresa May called the attack today sick and depravedbut warned the terrorists were doomed to fail. Tomorrow morning, Parliament will meet as normal. We will come together as normal. And Londoners  and others from around the world who have come here to visit this great City  will get up and go about their day as normal, Ms May said. They will board their trains, they will leave their hotels, they will walk these streets, they will live their lives. And we will all move forward together. Never giving in to terror. And never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart. Tourists packed into the epicentre of political and cultural life in London were also unbowed. The area is home to not just Parliament but the London Eye, and Westminster Abbey. Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace are also close by. Just metres away from the flashing lights of emergency services on the bridge, others took selfies in St James Park with daffodils and gazed up at the gates of Buckingham Palace. Irish women Megan OConner and Antoinette Leonard watched with their young daughter, relieved they had delayed their walk because of rain, but not put off visiting the capital. It happens everywhere. It would put me off going to Paris more, Antoinette said We go to places but its not normal. There are terrorist attacks. We dont stop to travel. We go around, Grazia said. Californian tourists Tony Navarini and Jacqueline Curti  who had just been to Paris  said they too would be back. Forensic teams work on a grey vehicle that mowed down several people in London leaving them with catastrophic injuries. Picture: AFP PHOTO / DANIEL SORABJISource:AFP I probably wouldnt go back to Istanbul . but we want to come back to London, Tony said. The event was something police and emergency services had practised for  even this week running an elaborate drill in the event a ferry was hijacked. In the end, driving through pedestrians  a brutal tactic used in Nice, Berlin and Melbourne  that proved fatal and will become the subject of a police investigation as to how this plan slipped through the tight net. As London grieves for those killed and prays for those injured, the latest attack proves the devastating reality were all now forced to live with.
Police line London streets to pay tribute to Westminster attack victim The body of murdered Pc Keith Palmer has begun a final journey through the city he once protected as thousands of police officers lined the route of his funeral cortege. The 48-year-old was stabbed to death by Khalid Masood as he carried out his duties on the cobbled forecourt of the Palace of Westminster. His funeral cortege, led by the Metropolitan Police Colour Party and a Black Guard of mounted officers, left the palace, where his coffin laid in rest overnight, on its journey to Southwark Cathedral, in central London. Pc Palmers coffin will travel along 2.6 miles of the capitals usually bustling streets, avoiding the scene of last months atrocity on Westminster Bridge, to arrive for the 2pm ceremony. A floral tribute left on top of the hearse read: No 1 daddy. Around 50 members of Pc Palmers family including his wife, child, mother and father, brother and sisters will attend the cathedral service, which will be led by the Dean of Southwark The Very Reverend Andrew Nunn and followed by a private cremation. Met commissioner Cressida Dick, the first female head of Scotland Yard in its 188-year history, will also attend the funeral in her first public engagement in her new role. The Met said more than 5,000 officers from the force and across the country were expected to gather in central London for the service and to line the route, which has seen dozens of roads closed to traffic for hours. Columns of officers in dress uniform, many with service medals pinned to their jackets and wearing white gloves, lined up near the cathedral as on-duty colleagues involved in the large security operation stood guard. Members of the public also began to line the barriers several hours before the service began. Chief Constable Sara Thornton, head of the National Police Chiefs Council, said the scale of the funeral will be unprecedented as officers hold a two-minute silence at 2pm. She told the BBCs Victoria Derbyshire Show: I dont think we will have ever seen a police funeral of this size. Officers from all over the country are coming to London to join their Metropolitan Police colleagues to line the route. We all want to pay honour to the ultimate sacrifice that Keith made. The Queen gave permission for Pc Palmers body to rest in Westminsters Chapel of St Mary Undercroft, an honour normally reserved for senior figures. Ms Thornton said the gesture had had a tremendous impact on police as they go about their duty. She said: The fact Keith has laid in rest in the Palace of Westminster is a sort of acknowledgement on behalf of the whole country of the sacrifice that he made but also the job that officers do day in, day out. Full service funerals are normally only held when a police officer or member of staff dies while they are carrying out their duty, Scotland Yard said. The last full police funeral for a Met officer killed in the line of duty was in October 2013 for Pc Andrew Duncan, who was killed the month before after being hit by a car while checking vehicle speeds in Sutton, south London. Pc Palmers name has been added to the roll of honour and remembrance at a ceremony at the National Police Memorial on The Mall, in central London, complete with a guard of honor. Steve Lloyd, of the Police Roll of Honour Trust, said: We hope that knowing their loved ones name are to be forever remembered will bring some small comfort to the families of the fallen officers. Four other innocent people were killed and dozens of others injured in the 82-second atrocity in Westminster on Wednesday March 22, which ended with Masood, 52, being shot dead.
UK Parliament Attack: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know Armed police officer stand guard near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament on March 22. (Getty) An attacker drove a SUV into pedestrians on the Westminster Bridge, killing and wounding several others, crashed into a fence near the UK Parliament and then attacked police officers with a knife before he was shot by police. At least five people were killed in the attack, including a police officer and the assailant, the London Metropolitan Police said at a press conference. At least 40 others were injured, police said. The officer that was stabbed to death was identified as Keith Palmer, a 15-year veteran of the Metropolitan Police force. The attacker has not yet been identified and the rest of the victims names have also not been released. Authorities refused to release the name of the suspect March 23, but provided more details about his identity. They referred to him as British born, saying that he had been the subject of previous investigations by the MI5, the LA Times reported. British Prime Minister Theresa May reiterated that he was known to British intelligence, saying in a speech to members of Parliament on March 23 that the assailant was once investigated over concerns about violent extremism. He was a peripheral figure. The case is historic. He was not part of the current intelligence picture. There was no prior intelligence of his intent, or of the plot. A tweet sent out in Arabic on March 23 appeared to confirm that the attacker was a member of the Islamic State. 1. Witnesses Described a Chaotic Scene at the Westminster Bridge as the SUV Drove Through Pedestrians Toward the Parliament Witnesses described a chaotic scene at the Westminster Bridge and at the UK Parliament building. Prior to making his way toward the building, the suspect reportedly mowed down groups of pedestrians near Westminster Bridge with his car, and some witnesses described seeing the car crash into a fence. After the crash, the suspect reportedly ran toward the Parliament and at police officers, where he was reportedly was shot and killed by authorities. London Ambulance Service Deputy Director of Operations Pauline Cranmer released a statement on the incident. She said that at about 2:40 p.m., the service was called to Westminster Bridge. The first crew arrived within six minutes in what she described as a major incident in the city. The BBC reported that a police officer was near the Houses of Parliament, located in central London, when the assailant tried to enter after fleeing from his car. Commons Leader David Lidington told police that the alleged assailant was shot by armed police. A photographer from Reuters said that he witnessed about 12 people who were laying on the ground injured on Westminster Bridge as a result of the car crashing into them. Photos from the scene show the victims bloodied heavily. In addition, a woman was reportedly pulled from the River Thames near the bridge. She is alive and being treated by paramedics, and its thought that she fell or jumped into the river when the car headed toward pedestrians. A woman was pulled alive from the River Thames and is being treated by paramedics on a nearby pier. It's thought she was on bridge at time As a result of the terrorist attack, authorities are took increased security measures in and around Parliament. That included sending armed police officers into the building and investigating any other concerns in the nearby area. Metropolitan Police urged those nearby to report anything suspicious to its Anti-Terrorist Hotline. Areas around the Westminster Bridge and Parliament were evacuated immediately following the incident. In addition, police feared that there may be a car bomb near the scene, so they evacuated Westminster Square. MP tells me that police with bomb shields now going through the site. MPs in chamber worried someone could still be on site I'm told Anti-terror officers confirmed to BBC that the raid in Birmingham wasnt the only one to take place overnight. Instead, six addresses were raided in London and Birmingham and eight arrests total were made. Metropolitan Police said that they continue to search different addresses for suspects. Two of those people arrested in the raid were a 58-year-old man and a 39-year-old woman on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts, Scotland Yard authorities said. In addition, at least four others were also detained on suspicion of preparing terrorist attacks, Reuters reported. Police released a statement about the raids to national media that confirmed they took place in connection with the London attack. It added that there is no risk to those in the area. Overnight our colleagues from the Metropolitan Police have searched a number of addresses across the country and have made a number of arrests in connection with the (Westminster) incident, including addresses in Birmingham. The arrests and searches were intelligence led and there was no immediate risk to public safety. 5. President Trump Was Informed of the Incident U.S. President Donald Trump was informed on the terror-related incident that took place in London. (Getty) White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer confirmed on Twitter that U.S. President Donald Trump has been briefed on the matter and are keeping tabs for updates on the situation. Trump tweeted March 22 that he had spoke with May and praised the effective response of security forces and first responders. The statement from the White House added that the U.K. has the full cooperation and support of the U.S. Earlier in the day, Trump was briefed by National Security Adviser HR McMaster and was late to a meeting. He told the press pool at the meeting that he was just getting an update on London. Some big news having to do with London just happened, Mirror reported. The U.S. State Department issued a statement following the incident that said the country stands ready to assist in any way. 9 Comments So right!Working for a Living!.ANOTHER P.O.S. ISIL SYMPATHIZER BITES THE DUST I HOPE! LOOSER TERRORISTS GET A LIFEJOBHOBBYGIRLFRIEND.LAYED. IF YOUR LIFE SUCKS OFF YOURSELF  NOT INNOCENT PEACE LOVING PEOPLE! MAY ALA PUNISH YOUAND YOUR VIRGIN HAREMTORTURE YOU FOR ALL ETERNITY! a) McVeigh was an agnostic and had not been to a church for a decade before that attack. When asked about his religious beliefs he said he had none and science is my religion. b) Christianity does not have thousands and thousands of clerics preaching violent mass terrorism is OK. Islam does. c) Per capita to their population the west Moslems are committing mass terrorism at 25X the rate Christians are.
London Driver Held in Terrorism Inquiry After Car Crash Near Parliament LONDON  A car struck and injured several pedestrians and cyclists, then crashed into a security barrier just outside the Houses of Parliament in London early Tuesday, in what the police said they were treating as a terrorist attack. About a dozen armed police officers swarmed a silver Ford Fiesta and pointed their weapons at it, before handcuffing the driver, who was arrested on suspicion of terrorist offenses. The police said that the driver, in his late 20s, was the only person in the car, and that no weapons had yet been found in the vehicle. Neil Basu, the counterterrorism chief of the Metropolitan Police, said the department was treating the episode as one of terrorism, given that this appears to be a deliberate act, the sensitive location and the method used. Parliament has been attacked before, and past terrorist attacks have involved cars driving into pedestrians. Our priority now is to formally establish the identity of the suspect and establish his motivation, Mr. Basu said. He is not currently cooperating. We dont believe this person was known to MI5 or to counterterrorism policing, he added, referring to Britains domestic intelligence service. As part of the investigation, the Metropolitan Police said they were searching three addresses in the Midlands region of England  two in Birmingham, and one in Nottingham. Officers set up a security cordon around Parliament Square, with around a dozen police cars and ambulances parked at the site, while helicopters circled above. Armed officers stood guard, and video footage on Twitter showed them urging people to leave the area. Westminster Bridge was closed to vehicles, pedestrians were directed to alternative routes, and the nearby, heavily used Westminster subway station was closed. None of those injured were believed to be in life-threatening condition, the police said. The Parliament building, also called the Palace of Westminster, is bounded by some of the citys busiest streets, with traffic passing much closer than it does to the White House or the United States Capitol, for example, making security a challenge. Witnesses told television stations that the episode seemed deliberate; the car was traveling too fast, they said, and did not try to avoid striking people or the security barrier. Image A video still showing police officers detaining the man who was in the car.CreditSKY NEWS, via Associated Press One witness, Jason Williams, told ITVs Good Morning Britain: Basically, Ive seen a man driving a vehicle, and hes gone into one of the bollards. There was a loud bang. Straight away I thought, Oh no, this is another terrorist attack. So I just started to run, and the police were saying, Get out, get out of the area.  Another witness, Barry Williams, told the BBC that the car had accelerated after hitting a group of cyclists, rather than trying to slow down. A security camera recording broadcast by the BBC showed the car making a sharp turn to go the wrong way onto a one-way set of traffic lanes, then driving over an island in the middle of the street, before entering a side lane where it hit the barrier. George Pascal, 31, a maintenance worker at the Parliament building, said that there was big smoke and everyone was sent to safe places, and that the building, had been locked down. It felt quite claustrophobic because you couldnt move anywhere. Everything happened so quickly, he said. Police were running around with guns and everyone was mobilizing. Declaring the episode a terrorist incident allows the police to detain the driver for up to 28 days without charging him, rather than the usual limit of three days. Under some circumstances, the designation can also allow the police to restrict the mans access to legal advice. According to a police statement, At 7.37 a.m. today, a car was in collision with barriers outside the Houses of Parliament. The statement said that the male driver of the car had been detained by officers at the scene. A number of pedestrians have been injured, it continued. Image A still from video footage of armed officers surrounding the car after the crash.CreditITN, via Associated Press Prime Minister Theresa May said on Twitter, My thoughts are with those injured, and she thanked the emergency services for their immediate and courageous response. President Trump, who has previously criticized Mayor Sadiq Khan of London for what he called a very bad job on terrorism  the mayors supporters have noted that Mr. Khan is a local politician, and that terrorism is an international issue  was quick to weigh in. Another terrorist attack in London, he wrote on Twitter. These animals are crazy and must be dealt with through toughness and strength! A month after the Westminster attack last year, a 27-year-old man carrying knives was arrested near Parliament by the police, who charged him with planning a terrorist attack. No one was hurt. Parliament was already surrounded by lines of crash bollards, balustrades and steel barricades, put in place after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States and the bombings on July 7, 2005, in London. Terrorist attacks in Paris and Brussels in 2016 led to even tighter security. Richard Martyn-Hemphill and Prashant S. Rao contributed reporting. A version of this article appears in print on , on Page A 8 of the New York edition with the headline: Driver Arrested in Terrorism Inquiry After Crash in London . Order Reprints | Todays Paper | Subscribe
Follow the author of this article Follow the topics within this article Part of Parliament Square could be pedestrianised in the wake of the latest suspected Westminster terror attack, Britain's most senior police officer has said. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said the move to ban vehicles from the road in front of the Houses of Parliament could be made in a bid to prevent further vehicle attacks - terrorists' "weapon of choice". A 29-year-old UK national - named as Salih Khater, a former Sudanese migrant - remains in police custody following his arrest on suspicion of preparing an act of terror after crashing a silver Ford Fiesta. Police revealed on Wednesday that he has been further arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. The Fiesta was driven from Birmingham to London late on Monday, spent almost five hours in the Tottenham Court Road area and was then driven around the Westminster area for more than 90 minutes, before it crashed into a security barrier just before 7.40am. Salih Khater is a former Sudanese migrant who is now a UK nationalCredit: Facebook Ms Dick praised officers' courage as they leapt into action following the "ghastly" crash at the entrance to the House of Lords. Over the past year-and-a-half, Westminster has become a target for attack for a variety of motivations, including terrorist, Ms Dick said. She said: "You will notice that the security around Parliament both in terms of armed officers and police officers and physical barriers has been further enhanced over the last several months and there is more to come on that in further months. "Whether that area outside should be pedestrianised further, there should be further physical works done, I think is a matter that will be discussed no doubt between parliamentary authorities, us, the intelligence agencies and indeed the local authorities and the mayor." Video: Moment terror suspect is held by armed police Homes raided by counter-terror police officers Counter-terrorism officers conducted searches at two addresses in Birmingham and a residential property in Nottingham as part of the Westminster investigation. Plain-clothed police officers could be seen outside an address in Peveril Street in Nottingham on Tuesday evening, which was said by neighbours to be home to six Sudanese people. There was also a police presence near the Bunna Internet Cafe on Stratford Road in Sparkbrook, Birmingham, where Mr Khater is believed to have lived. The Bunna Internet Cafe in Sparkbrook, BirminghamCredit: James Ward/Caters Police outside Brinklow Tower in BirminghamCredit: James Ward/Caters Workmen measure up to replace a door broken in a police raid on a flat in Peveril Street, NottinghamCredit: Caters News Birmingham Hall Green MP Roger Godsiff said it is believed the suspect had been living in his constituency. The suspect, who was said to not be co-operating with officers, was not known to security services, Metropolitan Police counter-terrorism head Neil Basu said. He said the apparent deliberate nature of the act, the method used and the "iconic" location of Parliament led the force to treat it as a terrorist incident. Details have started to emerge about the Westminster suspect, Salih Khater, a Sudanese immigrant who studied accountancy in the UK and loved Western music and football. He lived in a small flat in Birmingham and described himself as a shop manager. Salih Khater, who liked pop stars Celine Dion and Rihanna, is believed to have moved to the UK five years agoCredit: Facebook Khater was previously an accountancy student at Coventry University, but was kicked out after failing his first year. A university spokesman said: "Salih Khater studied accountancy at Coventry University between September 2017 and May 2018. As of May 2018 he is no longer enrolled at the university." The spokesman added: "Salih Khater failed the first year of his course, therefore his enrolment was terminated." Mayor of London backs part-pedestrianisation Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, backed the part-pedestrianisation of Parliament Square, saying he is an "advocate" of the move. But he stressed there would be "all sorts of challenges" with making the entire area vehicle-free. Asked if the physical security around Parliament should be strengthened, including potentially pedestrianising Parliament Square, Mr Khan said on Wednesday: "I think it should be, I've been an advocate for a while now of part-pedestrianising Parliament Square, but making sure we don't lose the wonderful thing about our democracy which is people having access to parliamentarians, people being able to lobby Parliament, visitors being able to come and visit Parliament. "What I'm seeking to do, you've seen since last March the temporary barriers across a number of our bridges, but also you can design in ways to keep buildings safe from hostile vehicles. You'll have seen around Whitehall barriers which don't look like barriers because they've been designed in a way to look attractive and not unattractive. Video: Khan is 'advocate' of banning cars near Parliament Mr Khan added: "So some of the things we're keen to do, working with the Palace of Westminster, working with the council and the experts, is to part-pedestrianise that part of Parliament Square immediately outside the gates to Parliament, but at the same time making it attractive... I think there'd be all sorts of challenges with doing the whole square because it is a thoroughfare for cars, vehicles, commercial deliveries going through London. "So it's possible to have a design solution that meets the objectives... in relation to keeping our buildings and our people as safe as we can do, but also not losing what's wonderful about our city which is a vibrant democracy and people can walk around our city, cycle around our city, safely." Rooftop footage shows moment car hit cyclists Footage captured on a rooftop camera showed the car's approach towards Parliament, where it crossed into oncoming traffic and hit a group of cyclists before entering a small road and crashing into a security barrier. Video: Minute-by-minute - footage shows how crash unfolded Three people suffered non-life-threatening injuries. One man was treated at the scene while another man and woman were taken to hospital but both were discharged by Tuesday evening. Images posted online showed a man wearing a black jacket being led away in handcuffs from the car as armed police officers swarmed the scene. Video: Ford Fiesta that crashed is removed from scene There was nobody else in the vehicle and no weapons were found, police said. The terrorist threat against the UK is seen as unprecedented. The Prime Minister's official spokesman said there were 676 live investigations being carried out by the security services and counter-terror police at the end of June, up from more than 500 in March. Some 13 Islamist plots and four by far-right extremists have been foiled in the past 18 months, he added. There are roughly 3,000 active "subjects of interest" at any one time - while there is also a wider pool of more than 20,000 individuals who have previously featured in probes whose threat must be kept under review. Ex counter-terror chief: Security worked well Sir Mark Rowley, a former Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner and the UK's national lead for counter-terrorism policing, told Radio 4's Today programme that constantly changing tactics by terrorists requires constantly changing tactics by the police, adding that "all that physical security worked really well yesterday". He said police would be trying to understand the "ideology and the motivation behind the attack", plus any possible associations.
Popular Videos The crashing of a car into the Houses of Parliament, which prompted a major counterterrorist operation, may not have been an act of terrorism, The Independent has learned. While the motive of the driver remains unclear, investigators are coming to the view that it is likely to be related to his personal circumstances. The police have been granted an extension of time, until next Monday, to hold 29-year-old Salih Khater, and more information about what happened may emerge in that time. But senior Whitehall and diplomatic sources say there is no evidence yet that he had been radicalised into Islamist extremism. Investigations into Sudanese-born Mr Khaters activities and associates are continuing, and officials point out that while proof of terrorist links may emerge, that is currently looking unlikely. A number of people, however, were injured during the incident and he may face serious charges including that of attempted murder. SalihKhater, in a 2010 Facebook post (Facebook) Mr Khaters home in Birmingham is near an address where Khalid Masood, who carried out a car and knife attack in Westminster last year, had lived at one point. But no links have emerged between the two men so far and investigators dismiss suggestions that a svengali may have influenced both. Officials say that even if the crash this week was a copycat strike, it does not necessarily mean that it was a terrorist one. Within hours of Mr Khaters Ford Fiesta crashing into barriers outside parliament, Donald Trump had tweeted: Another terrorist attack in London. These animals are crazy and must be dealt with through toughness and strength. However, US diplomatic sources who closely liaise with British security and intelligence services, and Scotland Yards counter terrorism unit echo Whitehall officials in saying they have not seen anything to prove this was a terrorist attack. Mr Khaters telephone as well as those of some of his associates have been examined and, according to Whitehall and diplomatic sources, they are yet to yield anything which shows he had been indoctrinated into extremist ideology. Inquiries continue however into electronic communications. His overseas background, so far as it has been checked to date, does not show terrorist connections. His family originally came from Darfur, where a vicious conflict had taken place between the Sudanese government and its militias, including the Janjaweed, and rebels including Islamist groups. However, there is nothing to suggest the family took part in the fighting there. Mr Khater had spent time in Libya before seeking asylum in the UK. That was, however, under the Gaddafi regime and before the revolution and civil war which saw the emergence of Islamist groups in the country. Friends and neighbours of Mr Khater in Birmingham have expressed disbelief that he could have been responsible for an act of terrorism and have denied that he was involved in radical Islam. Investigators say this has been taken into account in building up a picture of his personality and background, but it is the lack of any evidence so far which is drawing them towards the conclusion that the Westminster incident was not instigated by politics or religion Three people were injured in Tuesdays incident, including a man and woman who required hospital treatment and have subsequently been discharged. Mr Khaters friends have claimed the crash may have been an accident. He was going to the Sudanese embassy to get a visa to visit his family in Sudan, one man told The Independent, saying that Mr Khaters father had died in recent months. In my opinion he was going the wrong way and he didnt know what he was doing, and when he saw the police he got scared. He was under a lot of stress. Mr Khaters brother, Abdullah Khater, said he was a normal person with no fanatical ideas or links to extremist groups. The Sudanese embassy sits in Cleveland Row, less than a 10 minute drive away from where his silver Ford Fiesta hit cyclists and then crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament. Police officers had to leap out of the vehicles path, after aerial footage showed it appearing to swerve off Parliament Square and cross a central reservation to drive into the security lane. No other weapons were found in the car, which has been removed from the scene of the crash and searched. Investigators said it had been driven from Birmingham to London late on Monday night and drove around the city centre for almost eight hours before the incident. It came during parliaments summer recess and ahead of the daily rush of tourists to Westminster, leaving the area relatively deserted. Nassar Mahmood, a trustee at Birmingham Central Mosque, said Mr Khater did not worship there and enquiries suggested he was not a fervent Muslim. He had his paperwork with him to go to the Sudanese embassy, and we know that the office opens very early in the morning so probably rather than going very early he went overnight, he added. He was very humble in terms of his finances and may not have wanted to pay for a hotel. Westminster incident: car crashes into barriers outside parliament Westminster incident: car crashes into barriers outside parliament 1/30 Forensic officers by the car that crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament PA 2/30 Police arrest the man Sky News 3/30 Forensic officers work at the scene EPA 4/30 Damaged bikes near the crash site Getty Images 5/30 Police arrest the man who crashed a car into the barriers ITV 6/30 Getty Images 7/30 Getty Images 8/30 Police activity outside the Houses of Parliament after a car crashed into security barriers BBC/PA 9/30 Bicycles lie on the ground at the scene REUTERS 10/30 A forensics investigator arrives at the scene REUTERS 11/30 Police and emergency response teams work outside the Houses of Parliament AFP/Getty Images 12/30 The area is cleared near to the incident PA 13/30 A forensics investigator works at the scene REUTERS 14/30 Armed police on Victoria Embankment PA 15/30 A forensic officer attends the scene near the Houses of Parliament PA 16/30 Police officers and a search team secure the roads around the Houses of Parliament as forensic teams continue their work around a vehicle Getty Images 17/30 Police forensics officers outside the Houses of Parliament AFP/Getty Images 18/30 The car crashed into parliament barriers Vincent McAviney/NBC News/Euronews/Twitter/PA 19/30 PA 20/30 Fire fighters attend the scene Reuters 21/30 A police dog team works behind the cordon REUTERS 22/30 olice and emergency services respond EPA 23/30 Police on Westminster Bridge PA 24/30 Reuters 25/30 Police respond EPA 26/30 EPA 27/30 Armed police stand in the street after the incident Reuters 28/30 Police officers stand at a cordon Reuters 29/30 Police activity on Millbank PA 30/30 Reuters 1/30 Forensic officers by the car that crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament PA 2/30 Police arrest the man Sky News 3/30 Forensic officers work at the scene EPA 4/30 Damaged bikes near the crash site Getty Images 5/30 Police arrest the man who crashed a car into the barriers ITV 6/30 Getty Images 7/30 Getty Images 8/30 Police activity outside the Houses of Parliament after a car crashed into security barriers BBC/PA 9/30 Bicycles lie on the ground at the scene REUTERS 10/30 A forensics investigator arrives at the scene REUTERS 11/30 Police and emergency response teams work outside the Houses of Parliament AFP/Getty Images 12/30 The area is cleared near to the incident PA 13/30 A forensics investigator works at the scene REUTERS 14/30 Armed police on Victoria Embankment PA 15/30 A forensic officer attends the scene near the Houses of Parliament PA 16/30 Police officers and a search team secure the roads around the Houses of Parliament as forensic teams continue their work around a vehicle Getty Images 17/30 Police forensics officers outside the Houses of Parliament AFP/Getty Images 18/30 The car crashed into parliament barriers Vincent McAviney/NBC News/Euronews/Twitter/PA 19/30 PA 20/30 Fire fighters attend the scene Reuters 21/30 A police dog team works behind the cordon REUTERS 22/30 olice and emergency services respond EPA 23/30 Police on Westminster Bridge PA 24/30 Reuters 25/30 Police respond EPA 26/30 EPA 27/30 Armed police stand in the street after the incident Reuters 28/30 Police officers stand at a cordon Reuters 29/30 Police activity on Millbank PA 30/30 Reuters An official at the Sudan embassy told The Independent that it does not offer visa appointments and instead advises applicants to arrive on a first come, first served basis. The visa office has been very busy for the past couple of weeks but nobody makes an appointment, they just stand outside and wait for the office to open at 9am, said the woman, who did not want to be named. Mr Khater, whose social media indicated a liking for Celine Dion and Rihanna, is believed to have arrived in the UK in 2010 as an asylum seeker. He was granted refugee status and later applied successfully for British citizenship. He studied English at City College from 2010 to 2011, then a diploma in science at Birminghams South and City College from 2014 to 2017, and started an accountancy course at Coventry University but was thrown out in May after failing his first year. Mr Khater described himself as a shop manager on his Facebook page, which says he studied at Sudan University of Science and Technology and went to school in Wad Madani, a city southeast of Khartoum.
Years of improved security measures mean Westminster has never been more secure. Yet with the country on high terror alert a killer was still able to run into the grounds of parliament and murder an officer Policeman killed, as well as attacker, two civilians and 20 injured in attack today Took place at Palace of Westminster, the Government's most important building A massive increase in security introduced after the 7/7 bombings and the deaths of dozens of people on the continent were still not enough to prevent today's attack on the heart of Britain's Government. A policeman was stabbed to death at the gates of the Palace of Westminster today, where Theresa May had been answering Prime Minster's Questions in front of hundreds of MPs. At least 20 people were injured beforehand, and at least two of them killed, when the attacker drove a 4x4 along the pavement of Westminster Bridge, which had chilling echoes of the atrocity in Nice last year. An attacker was today shot and killed at the gates of the Palace of Westminster but he managed to kill a policeman and two civilians, despite years of investment in security since the 7/7 bombings in 2005 At least twenty people were injured and two were killed after the car mounted the pavement and mowed down pedestrians and cyclists on Westminster Bridge on its way to the parliamentary building The driver managed to reach the palace (pictured) and kill a policeman, despite years of increased security following the 7/7 bombings and numerous attack on the continent in France and Germany in recent years The attack today targeted arguably the most important building in Britain, leaving police and security services on high alert, guarding British landmarks in case of subsequent attacks. But the attack succeeded after years of increased investment in Britain's security after the 7/7 bombings by home-grown terrorists in 2005 that left 52 dead in London. And it comes as Britain remains on high alert, with the official threat level for international terrorism at severe - meaning an attack is 'highly likely' - for more than two years. Share this article Following the Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris two years ago, armed officers were positioned at the front vehicle gates to the Palace of Westminster, in a change from normal practice. Concrete blocks have also been installed around the premises to block vehicles, in a bid to protect the building from a possible attack like the one carried out by a truck in Nice last year. Additional Metropolitan Police firearms officers are regularly put on detail around the grounds of the Houses of Parliament, where the policeman was today stabbed to death at the very gates. Police are asking people to avoid Parliament Square, Whitehall, Westminster Bridge, Lambeth Bridge, Victoria Street up to the junction with Broadway and the Victoria Embankment up to Embankment tube Westminster Tube station, pictured, was close after the attack and officers are now guarding numerous stops in central London during the busy rush hour PERVIOUS ATTACKS THAT SPARKED SECURITY INCREASES London's transport system was hit by four co-ordinated suicide bomb attacks in July 2005 that left 52 people dead, carried out by British attackers inspired by Al-Qaeda terror network. There was an attempted second wave of attacks two weeks later. In 2013, two Islamic extremists killed soldier Lee Rigby on a London street by hitting him with a car before attempting to behead him. Last August, a paranoid schizophrenic knifeman who tried to behead a commuter in a London Underground station in an Islamic State-inspired attack was sentenced to life behind bars. In terms of attacks on parliament, Airey Neave - the shadow Northern Ireland Secretary and a close friend of Conservative Party leader Margaret Thatcher - was killed by an Irish National Liberation Army car bomb in the House of Commons car park. The latest incident comes with Europe on high alert after a series of deadly jihadist attacks, including the Brussels bombings exactly a year ago on March 22, 2016. Police were today seen on guard at Tube stations in central London, which have seen a massive increase in security measures since the 7/7 bombings on the London Underground and a bus. After the inquests into the deaths of 52 people who were killed that day in 2005, several recommendations were incorporated into the Government's counter-terrorism plans. Bollards and low-level planters were added to cityscapes all over Britain, like those in Westminster, which are designed to stop vehicles carrying bombs. New procedure was also put in place for ambulances dealing with major incidents, after it took them 52 minutes to get to Tavistock Square, the scene of the bus bombing. Now, 20 are sent immediately, as well as extra supplies of bandages. Tube stations are now numbered so that emergency services do not go to the wrong ones, and communication systems on the underground have been updated since being called 'inadequate' and 'non-existant' after 7/7. Bins have also now been removed from stations, replaced with clear plastic bags so that anything placed inside will be visible by emergency services if there are reports it poses a threat. Parliament Square, usually populated by thousands of visitors and people who work in the corridors of power, was today abandoned after police put the area on lockdown after the attack on the Palace of Westminster Parliament was placed on lockdown after the attack. Pictured is Northern Ireland First Minister David Trimble standing next to an armed policeman in the Central Lobby today Officers were also on guard at The Mall, with Trafalgar Square closed to traffic, as officers stand guard against any subsequent attacks In recent years, MPs have been told to consider fitting their constituency offices with panic buttons and designating a 'safe room' in their homes. They are also being briefed on the security plans in case of an attack on the Commons. Following the stabbing to death of Jo Cox, MPs spent almost 640,000 on boosting security. During the four months after her murder, politicians spent four times on security measures what they had done in the whole previous year. Spending on MP's office and home security also rocketed after Mrs Cox was shot three times and stabbed outside a constituency surgery meeting. Last year it was revealed that 130 MPs had requested additional security measures, including bomb-proof letter boxes and reinforced windows. Police wearing body armour and carrying guns were at the scene today. People across London can expect to see armed officers at Tube stations and other significant areas as security services remain on high alert There was a heavy police presence at Kennington Tube Station tonight, south of the Thames Members have also been offered classes in self-defence techniques in a bid to ward off would-be attackers. Speaking after the attack, Will Geddes, CEO of ICP Group said: 'Westminster is an obvious terrorist target so it is very well protected. HOW IT UNFOLDED IN LONDON TODAY 2.40pm: An attacker mows down several pedestrians as he drives a Hyundai i40 across Westminster Bridge before crashing it into railings then running through the gates of the Palace of Westminster and stabbing a police officer 2.41pm: Metropolitan Police and London Ambulance Service are called to a major incident 3.35pm: Police say the attack is being treated as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise 4.10pm: Junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital says one woman has died and a number of others have been hurt - including some with catastrophic injuries 4.45pm: Paramedics confirm they have treated at least ten patients on Westminster Bridge 4.49pm: Police Commander BJ Harrington says there were a number of casualties in the attack including police officers. 4.51pm: Downing Street spokesman says Prime Minister Theresa May will chair a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee later 5.40pm: Sources reveal the police officer stabbed at Parliament has died 6.01pm: Police say four people were killed in the attack, including the police officer and a man believed to be the attacker 6.56pm: Home Secretary Amber Rudd says the Government's top priority following the attack is the security of its people 'It is surrounded by concrete walls and there are specially trained police officers who are well prepared for attacks. 'It would appear to me that they have done everything they could in this case.' Speaking of the challenges of preventing a lone wolf attack, Geddes said: 'It's always going to be a challenge to prevent lone wolf attacks.' Swords and imitation guns are just some of the items that have been confiscated by police at public entrances to the Houses of Parliament in the past decade. Earlier this month it was revealed that 13 potential attacks have been foiled since the murder of Lee Rigby in 2013, while counter-terrorism units are running more than 500 live investigations at any time. And the events at Westminster appear to tally with warnings about the threat posed by more rudimentary tactics, such as lone or small numbers of assailants carrying out knife attacks or using vehicles as weapons, in addition to more large-scale bomb or firearms plots. The possibility that vehicles could be used to inflict multiple casualties were confirmed in horrifying fashion in the Nice attacks in July last year when dozens of people were killed when a lorry ploughed into a large crowd watching a fireworks display to mark the Bastille Day holiday. Months later an attacker drove a lorry into a crowded Christmas market in central Berlin, killing several people and injuring dozens more. Both Islamic State and al Qaida have previously urged followers to use vehicles to carry out attacks. Neither have yet claimed responsibility for today's violent acts. A report published in December by Europol, the EU's law enforcement agency, said the bloc was facing a range of terrorist threats and attacks including the use of bladed weapons and vehicles. In January former terror laws watchdog David Anderson spoke of a 'realisation on the part of the terrorists that they don't need sophisticated explosives plots to take great numbers of lives'. Tonight, as the sun went down, a heavy police presence was still seen in the capital, even though authorities believe that the attacker was acting alone and is now dead He added: 'People using automatic weapons, heavy goods vehicles, even knives, machetes, and securing all the publicity they could possibly want from deploying relatively simple weapons such as that.' Scotland Yard counter-terror chief Mark Rowley said earlier this month that police are concerned about 'everything from fairly simple attacks with knives or using vehicles all the way through to the more complex firearms attacks'. Security services and police will be starting to piece together the possible motivations behind the attack on Wednesday, but the location - the heart of British democracy - will be seen as highly significant. It comes days after the Metropolitan Police staged a mock 'pleasure boat' attack on the Thames to test the emergency response to such an emergency.
Ambulances line Westminster Bridge after Parliament was put on lockdown on Wednesday afternoon ( Getty ) Wednesday afternoon: the usual dissection of Prime Ministers Questions and then bang. There was no time to hope for the best. The sound of panic rising from the streets below and, seconds later, gunshots in quick succession: three or four in total. Two bodies lay on Parliaments front lawn, one a police officer, the other the man who killed him. It was 2.40pm. Two more people had been killed by a car speeding down Westminster Bridge and mounting the pavement. At least twenty more were injured, many "catastrophic". The car had crashed into the railings of the palace. The driver then ran to the palace gates, where he stabbed a police officer several times. Police with automatic weapons had sprinted across the grass beneath Big Ben, some uniformed, some plain clothed. Outside the entrance to Westminster Hall, thirty yards at least inside the perimeter of the palace, a man had been shot dead. Another, a police officer, lay near him. The Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood, a former British army captain who lost his brother in the 2002 Bali bombings, gave him mouth to mouth resuscitation and CPR. Forty minutes later he would be covered over with a plastic sheet. Three hours later, he was confirmed killed. The target was no accident: the bricks and mortar of the heart of British democracy. But the victims wandering over Westminster Bridge could have been anyone. "We were just walking up to the station and there was a loud bang and a guy, someone, crashed a car and took some pedestrians out," a man called Rick Longley said. "They were just laying there and then the whole crowd just surged around the corner by the gates just opposite Big Ben. "A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman. I have never seen anything like that. I just can't believe what I just saw. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP The press offices at Westminster run all along the top floor of the palace, from Big Ben then around to Westminster Hall, directly overlooking what was clearly an incident of immense seriousness. Journalists had rushed to the windows, predictably pulling down the anti bomb-blast curtains for a better look. A large black car was smashed against the high black railings opposite Westminster tube station. From office windows over Westminster Bridge, people had watched it mount the pavement and leave a trail of casualties in its wake, before twisting through ninety degrees and crashing into the barriers of the parliamentary estate. Its driver had escaped, running past tourists on the packed pavement, a knife in his hand, and round to the front gate where police officers wait to let ministers and their ministerial cars in and out. A second witness, Tawhid Tanim, told The Independent he heard three shots - "bang, bang, bang" - some 10 or 15 metres from the Cafe Nero coffee bar where he was waiting for friends. He said: "It was so loud. People were running like crazy, I couldn't see it properly. I started running. Police officers told the crowds to "just keep running," he said. Westminster attack: Key moments caught on camera In the courtyard behind the cloisters, the Prime Minister was bundled into her silver jaguar and driven to Number 10 Downing Street. The Palace of Westminster is like any large office with thousands of staff. All life is contained within. Chefs, hairdressers, maintenance men, librarians and yes, politicians, heard the air ambulance land, and watched out of windows as attempts were made to revive the two men, one, quite evidently a killer. Two paramedic teams worked with equal diligence on both men. Almost unnoticed on the cobbled stones around the green, where classes of schoolchildren stop every day for photographs, lay a large knife. The division bell had rung at the same time as the gunshots, calling MPs to the commons chamber for a vote on pension reform. Hundreds of them were held there all afternoon. News of the possibility of mass casualties on the bridge outside swept through the palace like a wave. Richard Tice, a leading figure on the Brexit campaign, said he had seen ten bodies on the bridge. Outside areas were suddenly off limits. Every door had an officer outside it, sending people back where they had come from. Parliamentary passes would no longer open any door, any gate. The scene where the police officer died outside Parliament (PA) A second wave of panic swept the building twenty minutes later, spread by what turned out to be the loud shouts of Counter Terrorist Specialist Firearms Officers in their blue/grey uniforms, moving through every courtyard and corridor of the vast building. Armed police are part of the furniture in the Palace of Westminster. The CTSFO are not. At six o clock, police confirmed four people had been killed, the killer and the police officer included. A further twenty injured. The coastguard confirmed a woman had been pulled alive from the Thames. Within minutes it clarified she had suffered serious injuries. A spokesman for the Port of London Authority said: "A female member of the public was recovered from the water near Westminster Bridge. She is alive but undergoing urgent medical treatment on a nearby pier. We believe she fell from the bridge." Read more He said the river has been closed from Vauxhall to Embankment "as part of the security response". Below the stairs at Westminster Hall, where members of the Royal Family stand guard over the coffin when one of their number is laid in state, visitors, tourists, constituents who had arrived for meetings with their MPs were kept in offices unable to leave. In the grand hall where global statesman occasionally address both Houses of Parliament, hundreds of people were held - all potential witnesses. One man had arrived for a job interview at the Policy Research Unit. I was meant to meet them in Central lobby, he said. I never got that far. An amateur boxing team, the British Lionhearts, had been holding their pre fight press conference in one of Westminsters many rooms before their bout at York Hall on Thursday. Weve got to eat, one said. Weve a fight tomorrow. A couple of civil servants, called in for meetings with ministers, never made it that far either. Reaction from the scene for terrorist attack at Westminster In a joint statement the Commons Speaker John Bercow and Lord Fowler, the Lord Speaker, said: "On behalf of Members of both Houses of Parliament, we wish to offer our thoughts to all those affected and their families. We would also like to express our gratitude to the police and all emergency services." The heart of power is always a heartbeat away from lockdown. The cops, the sniffer dogs, the giant barriers are not here as a precaution. Police, politicians, the security services have warned over many years the inevitability of a London terror attack. But nothing is truly inevitable until the moment it happens. At 7pm parliamentary authorities confirmed that the House of Commons and the House of Lords will sit on Thursday morning at the usual time. And the day after that, too. And again on Monday morning.
ECHR: Sharia is undemocratic and incompatible with human rights Main menu You are here Jihad-Is-Islamic Summary: The fundamental point about jihad has been well made by Denis MacEoin: What seems not to be understood about "the religion of peace" is that "peace" comes only after the entire world has been converted to Islam so that a "Dar al-Harb", the "Abode of War," will no longer even exist. Then we have this from a 14th century respected Islamic scholar when Islam was at the height of its power: "In the Muslim community, the holy war [jihad] is a religious duty, because of the universalism of the Muslim mission and the obligation to convert everybody to Islam either by persuasion or by force" ...."But Islam is under obligation to gain power over other nations." In an article unambiguously titled, "Why We Hate You & Why We Fight You," the Islamic State (ISIS) confessed that "We hate you, first and foremost, because you are disbelievers." As for any and all political "grievances," these are "secondary" reasons for the jihad: What's important to understand here is that although some might argue that your foreign policies are the extent of what drives our hatred, this particular reason for hating you is secondary [...] The fact is, even if you were to stop bombing us, imprisoning us, torturing us, vilifying us, and usurping our lands, we would continue to hate you because our primary reason for hating you will not cease to exist until you embrace Islam. Even if you wereto pay (the) jizyah and live under the authority of Islam in humiliation, we would continue to hate you [emphasis added]. Ayatollah Khomeini devoted his entire life to the study of Islamic doctrine. He became the spiritual and religious leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the foremost religious authority for the entire Shiite world (differences between Shia and Sunni Islam are fairly superficial). Here is what he had to say about Islam and warfare. But those who study Islamic Holy War will understand why Islam wants to conquer the whole world. Those who know nothing of Islam pretend that Islam counsels against war. Those (who say this) are witless. Finally Bill Warner PhD: Jihad not Terror He explains that we need to use the word jihad to describe attacks by Muslim jihadis not "terror" because the latter word helps disguise the Islamic nature of these attacks. The Wests movement towards the truth is remarkably slow. We drag ourselves towards it painfully, inch by inch, after each bloody Islamist assault. In France, Britain, Germany, America and nearly every other country in the world it remains government policy to say that any and all attacks carried out in the name of Mohammed have nothing to do with Islam. It was said by George W. Bush after 9/11, Tony Blair after 7/7 and Tony Abbott after the Sydney attack last month. It is what David Cameron said after two British extremists cut off the head of Drummer Lee Rigby in London, when Jihadi John cut off the head of aid worker Alan Henning in the Islamic State and when Islamic extremists attacked a Kenyan mall, separated the Muslims from the Christians and shot the latter in the head. And, of course, it is what President Franois Hollande said after the massacre of journalists and Jews in Paris last week. ... There may be some positive things to be said about Mohammed, but I thought this was pushing things too far and mentioned just one occasion when Mohammed didnt welcome a critic. Asma bint Marwan was a female poetess who mocked the Prophet and who, as a result, Mohammed had killed. It is in the texts. It is not a problem for me. But I can understand why it is a problem for decent Muslims. The moment I said this, my Muslim colleague went berserk. How dare I say this? I replied that it was in the Hadith and had a respectable chain of transmission (an important debate). He said it was a fabrication which he would not allow to stand. The upshot was that he refused to continue unless all mention of this was wiped from the recording. The BBC team agreed and I was left trying to find another way to express the same point. The broadcast had this offensive fact left out. Although the internet evidently did play a role in the radicalization process, the study showed that face-to-face encounters were more important, and that dawa, the proselytizing of Islam, played a central role in this process, as the men themselves became missionaries for Islam. The third factor was the establishment of a "them and us" distinction between the radicalized men and the rest of the world, especially the belief that the West is an enemy of the Muslim world. The distinction also involved a rejection of democracy and a commitment to the establishment of a caliphate governed by sharia law, which the men want to bring about either through dawa(proselytizing) or violence (jihad). "The Islamic State is a byproduct of Al Azhar's programs. So can Al Azhar denounce itself as un-Islamic? Al Azhar says there must be a caliphate and that it is an obligation for the Muslim world. Al Azhar teaches the law of apostasy and killing the apostate. Al Azhar is hostile towards religious minorities, and teaches things like not building churches, etc. Al Azhar upholds the institution of jizya [extracting tribute from non-Muslims]. Al Azhar teaches stoning people. So can Al Azhar denounce itself as un-Islamic?"  Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah Nasr, scholar of Islamic law, graduate of Egypt's Al Azhar University, explaining why it refused to denounce ISIS as un-Islamic, 2015. One of the most frequently quoted Quranic verses is chapter 9 verse 5. This verse is known as "The Verse of the Sword." Muslim terrorists cite it to justify their violent jihad. Correspondingly, critics of Islam claim that it commands Muslims to act with offensive aggression towards the non-Muslims of that period, and contributes to Islams final theological doctrine of aggression towards all non-Muslims of all times. Apologists for Islam claim that 9:5 is purely defensive. Which side is right? As the Islamic source materials are examined it will become evident that verse 9:5 is part of the theology of jihad and is meant to be both offensive and defensive. It is directed against Pagans living both near to and far away from Muhammad. Understanding 9:5 in context requires an examination of the passage in which it is found. This passage consists of 29 to 41 verses or so (depending on which scholars view you hold). Because of time and space constraints however, I will only review the first 8 or so verses. I believe that they set the passages tone and belay its directives. Islams final theological position regarding the use of violence to further its domain does not rest upon one verse or passage. Rather the entire Quran, other Islamic source materials, and Muhammads actions and lifestyle (Sunnah) must be examined and evaluated. Well do that with a view toward Sura 9:5. I have attempted to keep this article focused on 9:5 within the broad theology of jihad. 9:5 is a foundational stone in the building of jihad and general aspects of jihad must be discussed. There is also the related topic of abrogation, but that has been dealt with elsewhere1, 2, 3, 4. Precise language is necessary for critical thought. The use of the word "terror" instead of jihad is an example of using the wrong word. Jihad is the word that Islamic texts use and it is accurate. Probably the worst artificial phrase to be minted is "combating violent extremism". It sounds like it is straight from the novel, 1984. We need to use the words that come from Islam to describe Muslims' actions and thoughts. In light of the Charlie Hebdo Massacre, we reflect on how violence and extremism has been gathering momentum in Europe throughout the years. The UK, France, Holland and many other European countries are suffering a tide of Islamic extremism unprecedented in living memory. Is Europe's culture and way of life in danger? Will the governments wake up and act or continue to bury their heads in the sand, living in denial. Clarions Project's film, The Third Jihad, predicted this tide of violence and extremism now gathering momentum as seen in France, the UK, Holland and across all of Europe. That there is no compulsion in Islam and that Islam is a religion of peace are common refrains among Muslim activists,[1] academics,[2] officials,[3] and journalists.[4] In an age of terrorism and violent jihad, nowhere, they argue, does the Qur'an allow Muslims to fight non-Muslims solely because they refuse to become Muslim.[5] Proponents of Islamic tolerance point to a number of Qur'anic verses which admonish violence and advocate peace, tolerance, and compromise.[6] But not all verses in the Qur'an have the same weight in assessment. Unlike the Old or New Testaments, the Qur'an is not organized by chronology but rather by size of chapters.[7] Even within chapters, chronology can be confused. In sura (chapter) 2, for example, God revealed verses 193, 216, and 217 to Muhammad shortly after he arrived in Medina. God only revealed verses 190, 191, and 192 six years later.[8] This complicates interpretation, all the more when some verses appear to contradict. ABROGATION IN THE QUR'AN The Qur'an is unique among sacred scriptures in accepting a doctrine of abrogation in which later pronouncements of the Prophet declare null and void his earlier pronouncements.[9] Four verses in the Qu'ran acknowledge or justify abrogation: When we cancel a message, or throw it into oblivion, we replace it with one better or one similar. Do you not know that God has power over all things?[10] When we replace a message with another, and God knows best what he reveals, they say: You have made it up. Yet, most of them do not know.[11] God abrogates or confirms whatsoever he will, for he has with him the Book of the Books.[12] If we pleased, we could take away what we have revealed to you. Then you will not find anyone to plead for it with us.[13] ... Abrogation occurs not only within the Qur'an, but also by the Qur'an toward earlier revelations, such as those passed on by Jesus or Moses. Sura 2:106 refers to commandments sent to prophets before Muhammad.[19] Abdullah Yusuf Ali, commentator and translator of the Qur'an, interpreted the verse to mean that God's message is the same across time, but its form may differ according to the exigencies of time.[20] Abd al-Majid Daryabadi, a Pakistani Qur'an commentator, suggested, however, that the laws might differ across time but that there should be no shame in the same lawgiver replacing temporary laws with permanent ones.[21] It is simply false to declare that jihadists represent the tiny few extremists who sully the reputation of an otherwise peace-loving and tolerant Muslim faith. In reality, the truth is far more troubling  that jihadists represent the natural and inevitable outgrowth of a faith that is given over to hate on a massive scale, with hundreds of millions of believers holding views that Americans would rightly find revolting. Not all Muslims are hateful, of course, but so many are that its not remotely surprising that the world is wracked by wave after wave of jihadist violence. To understand the Muslim edifice of hate, imagine it as a pyramid  with broadly-shared bigotry at the bottom, followed by stair steps of escalating radicalism  culminating in jihadist armies that in some instances represent a greater share of their respective populations than does the active-duty military in the United States. The base of the pyramid, the most broadly held hatred in the Islamic world, is anti-Semitism, with staggering numbers of Muslims expressing anti-Jewish views. In 2014, the Anti-Defamation League released the results of polling 53,100 people in 102 countries for evidence of anti-Semitic attitudes and beliefs. The numbers from the majority-Muslim world are difficult to believe for those steeped in politically correct rhetoric about Islam. A full 74 percent of North African and Middle Eastern residents registered anti-Semitic beliefs, including 92 percent of Iraqis, a whopping 69 percent of relatively secular Turks, and 74 percent of Saudis. Egyptian intellectual Dr. Khaled Montaser referred to the "scientific-miraculous" nature of the Quran (i'jaz) as a "great delusion" and "an anesthetic or a nice sedative" for the Arabs and the Muslims. "Where does extremism come from? People, we must admit -- as our president has often said -- that there are elements in our books of heritage that incite to this. We must admit this."  Dr. Khaled Montaser. Montaser's harsh criticism should be understood as a call, similar to that of other caring Muslims "trying to fix this," not to abandon Islam, but to modernize or risk remaining "at the tail end of all the nations." I have lived for years in these places in the Middle East and seen with my own eyes the cruelty and abuse that takes place under extremist Islamic law. I have heard the screams of families as their loved ones were tortured and slaughtered for the simplest acts -- singing, dancing, voicing an opinion, or simply being a non-Muslim -- all of which are crimes. If we play the game of misinforming and misleading people about Islamism, by making irrelevant analogies to whitewash the violence and terrorism which are generated by Islamic fundamentalism, we are indoctrinating the literally millions of innocent children who will be either the perpetrators or victims of the next radical Islamic terror attacks -- including Muslims. Meanwhile the real scholars of Islam, such as Robert Spencer, who are trying to warn the public about these apologists, are called "Islamophobes," poisoned, often fired from work, censored on social media and barred from entering democratic countries such as Britain. Muslim demands for non-Muslim infidels to pay jizya on pain of death are growing, even as the West fluctuates between having no clue what jizya is and thinking that jizya is an example of tolerance in Islam. In the video where the Islamic State slaughters some 30 Christian Ethiopians in Libya last April, the spokesman repeatedly pointed out that payment of jizya (which the impoverished Ethiopian migrant workers could not render, nor the 21 Copts before them) is the only way for Christians around the world to safeguard their lives: But whoever refuses [to pay jizya] will see nothing from us but the edge of a spear. The men will be killed and the children will be enslaved, and their wealth will be taken as booty. This is the judgment of Allah and His Messenger. Will Muslim spokesmen in the West denounce this call as un-Islamic, or remain silent about it? Im betting the latter, in light of passages like these that make it clear that al-Qadi is speaking in complete accord with the Quran and Islamic law: Fight those who do not believe in Allah or the Last Day, and do not forbidden what has been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, and do not acknowledge the religion of Truth, even if they are of the People of the Book, until they pay the jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued (Quran 9:29). A hadith depicts Muhammad saying: Fight against those who disbelieve in Allah. Make a holy warWhen you meet your enemies who are polytheists, invite them to three courses of action. If they respond to any one of these you also accept it and withhold yourself from doing them any harm. Invite them to (accept) Islam; if they respond to you, accept it from them and desist from fighting against them. If they refuse to accept Islam, demand from them the Jizya. If they agree to pay, accept it from them and hold off your hands. If they refuse to pay the tax, seek Allahs help and fight them. (Sahih Muslim 4294) From MUQADDIMAH by Abd Ar Rahman bin Muhammed ibn Khaldun (1332-1406) In the Muslim community, the holy war [jihad] is a religious duty, because of the universalism of the Muslim mission and the obligation to convert everybody to Islam either by persuasion or by force ... The other religious groups did not have a universal mission, and the Holy War was not a religious duty for them, save only for purposes of defense ... They are merely required to establish their religion among their own people. That is why the Israelites after Moses and Joshua remained unconcerned with royal authority [e.g., a Caliphate]. Their only concern was to establish their religion [not spread it to the nations]  But Islam is under obligation to gain power over other nations. A respected and celebrated Islamic scholar, Ibn Khaldun (1332-1406), studied Al Qur'an in its original Arabic and other Islamic texts. At the heart of the problem lies the fantasy that Islam must be very similar to other religions, particularly Judaism and Christianity, out of which it was, in fact derived. The use of force, mainly through jihad, is a basic doctrine in the Qur'an, the Prophetic sayings (ahadith), and in all manuals of Islamic law. It is on these sources that fighters from Islamic State, al-Qa'ida, al-Shabaab, and hundreds of other groupings base their preaching and their actions. To say that such people have "nothing to do with Islam" could not be more wrong. Note: The Hadith reference links have been changed to a new source because UCL have removed their hadith collection from public access. As a side note, this statement is a third party report. We do not have the exact words of Muhammad to evaluate them at this point. Yet there is a narration in Sunan Abu Dawud where Muhammad is directly quoted: Narrated Rabah ibn Rabi': When we were with the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) on an expedition, he saw some people collected together over something and sent a man and said: See, what are these people collected around? He then came and said: They are round a woman who has been killed. He said: This is not one with whom fighting should have taken place. Khalid ibn al-Walid was in charge of the van; so he sent a man and said: Tell Khalid not to kill a woman or a hired servant. (Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 14, Number 2663) HOWEVER, there are certain other narrations that permit the killing of women and children, specifically during Muslim raids where they attack unsuspecting victims at night: Narrated As-Sab bin Jaththama: The Prophet passed by me at a place called Al-Abwa or Waddan, and was asked whether it was permissible to attack the pagan warriors at night with the probability of exposing their women and children to danger. The Prophet replied, "They (i.e. women and children) are from them (i.e. pagans)." I also heard the Prophet saying, "The institution of Hima is invalid except for Allah and His Apostle." (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 52, Number 256) I.e., they are all the sameboth the women and children are nothing more than pagans! The above narration is repeated in several, different hadith collections: Chapter 9: PERMISSIBILITY OF KILLING WOMEN AND CHILDREN IN THE NIGHT RAIDS, PROVIDED IT IS NOT DELIBERATE It is reported on the authority of Sa'b b. Jaththama that the Prophet of Allah (may peace be upon him), when asked about the women and children of the polytheists being killed during the night raid, said: They are from them. (Sahih Muslim, Book 019, Number 4321) Keep in mind that the subheading is not part of the narration, it is added by the collector of the hadiths. In other words, the statement regarding the killing of women and children being permissible as long as it isnt deliberate is not part of the narration. The hadiths do not explicitly say this, and yet the compiler assumed that this was the clear implication and meaning of these narrations. It is narrated by Sa'b b. Jaththama that he said (to the Holy Prophet): Messenger of Allah, we kill the children of the polytheists during the night raids. He said: They are from them. (Sahih Muslim, Book 019, Number 4322) Sa'b b. Jaththama has narrated that the Prophet (may peace be upon him) asked: What about the children of polytheists killed by the cavalry during the night raid? He said: They are from them. (Sahih Muslim, Book 019, Number 4323) In this year a raiding party led by Zayd b. Harithah set out against Umm Qirfah in the month of Ramadan. During it, Umm Qirfah (Fatimah bt. Rabiah b. Badr) suffered a cruel death. He tied her legs with rope and then tied her between two camels until they split her in two. She was a very old woman. Her story is as follows. According to Ibn Humayd  Salamah  Ibn Ishaq  Abdallah b. Abi Bakr, who said: The Messenger of God sent Zayd b. Harithah to Wadi al-Qura, where he encountered the Banu Fazarah. Some of his companions were killed there, and Zayd was carried away wounded from among the slain. One of those killed was Ward b. Amr, one of the Banu Sad b. Hudhaym: he was killed by one of the Banu Badr [b. Fazarah]. When Zayd returned, he vowed that no washing [to cleanse him] from impurity should touch his head until he had raided the Fazarah. After he recovered from his wounds, the Messenger of God sent him with an army against the Banu Fazarah. He met them in Wadi al-Qura and inflicted causalities on them. Qays b. al-Musahhar al-Yamuri killed Masadah b. Hakamah b. Malik b. Badr and took Umm Qirfah prisoner. (Her name was Fatimah bt. Rabiah b. Badr. She was married to Malik b. Hudhayfah b. Badr. She was a very old woman.) He also took one of Umm Qirfah daughters and Abdallah b. Masadah prisoner. Zayd b. Harithah ordered Qays to kill Umm Qirfah, and he killed her cruelly. He tied each of her legs with a rope and tied the ropes to two camels, and they split her in two. Then they brought Umm Qirfahs daughter and Abdallah b. Masadah to the Messenger of God. Umm Qirfahs daughter belonged to Salamah b. Amr b. al-Akwa, who had taken her - she was a member of a distinguished family among her people: the Arabs used to say, "Had you been more powerful than Umm Qirfah, you could have done no more." The Messenger of God asked Salamah for her, and Salamah gave her to him. He then gave her to his maternal uncle, Hazn b. Abi Wahb and she bore him Abd al-Rahman b. Hazn. (The History of Al-Tabari: The Victory of Islam, translated by Michael Fishbein [State University of New York Press (SUNY), Albany 1997], Volume VIII, pp. 95-97) Al-Tabari also mentioned that Muhammad had the young boys of the Jewish tribe of Banu Qurayzah beheaded: The Messenger of God had commanded that all of them who had reached puberty should be killed. (The History of Al-Tabari, Volume VIII, p. 38) ... Not only were the young boys of the tribe beheaded, but the Muslims also beheaded one of their women: According to Ibn Ishaq, the conquest of the Banu Qurayzah took place in the month of Dhu al-Qadah or in the beginning of Dhu al-Hijjah. Al-Waqidi, however, said that the Messenger of God attacked them a few days before the end of Dhu al-Qadah. He asserted that the Messenger of God commanded that furrows should be dug in the ground for the Banu Qurayzah. Then he sat down, and Ali and al-Zubayr began cutting off their heads in his presence. He asserts that the woman whom the Prophet killed that day was named Bunanah, the wife of al-Hakam al-Qurazi- it was she who had killed Khallad b. Suwayd by throwing a milestone on him. The Messenger of God called for her and beheaded her in retaliation for Khallad b. Suwayd. (The History of Al-Tabari, Volume VIII, pp. 40-41) Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu'minin: No woman of Banu Qurayzah was killed except one. She was with me, talking and laughing on her back and belly (extremely), while the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) was killing her people with the swords. Suddenly a man called her name: Where is so-and-so? She said: I. I asked: What is the matter with you? She said: I did a new act. She said: The man took her and beheaded her. She said: I will not forget that she was laughing extremely although she knew that she would be killed. (Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 15, Number 195) It doesnt stop here. When Muhammad conquered Mecca he ordered the murder of a couple of singers solely because they had made fun of him in song! Also among them was Abdallah b. Khatal, a member of the Banu Taym b. Ghalib. The Messenger of God ordered that he should be killed only for the following reason: He was a Muslim, and the Messenger of God sent him to collect alms, sending with him one of the Ansar. With him went a mawla of his, also a Muslim, to serve him. He halted at a resting place and commanded the mawla to slaughter him a goat and make him a meal; then he went to sleep. When he woke up, the mawla had done nothing for him; so he attacked him and killed him. He had two singing girls, Fartana and another with her. The two used to sing satire about the Messenger of God; so the latter commanded that the two of them should be killed along with him Also among them were Ikrimah b. Abi Jahl and Sarah, a mawla of one of the sons of Abd al-Muttalib. She was one of those who used to molest the Messenger of God in Mecca The irony, of course, is that so many people, have adopted a way of interpreting human rights and liberal values in a manner that often undermines them. It is time for some home truths. Islam has been at war with the West for some 1,384 years, with very little respite. When Muslim Arab armies invaded Syria in 634, went on to destroy all but a rump of the Christian Byzantine empire (which it finally defeated when the Ottoman Turks conquered Constantinople in 1453), took control of Spain, Portugal, Sicily and other lands on the north Mediterranean coast, it was the start of endless jihad wars. Most importantly, we seem unable to understand that Islam is, above all else, a totalitarian project covering all aspects of human life from the spiritual to the material, from law to government to clothing to food to sex to taxation and more. This totalitarianism rejects democracy in the most basic way, as having come from mere humans rather than divinely, from Allah. Unfortunately, concluding that modern terrorism "has nothing to do with Islam" or that "Islam is a religion of peace" visibly contradicts the historical record. The purpose of this article is to introduce the complex, abstract concept of fitnah to those in the non-Islamic world who are concerned about the apparent rising tide of global violence associated with Islam. After several years of intense study and discussion with colleagues, I have come to believe that fitnah is the most essential motivational component of Islamic theology. It is the cornerstone of an adversarial, confrontational worldview that inevitably leads to a state of perpetual conflict with the non-Islamic world. In fact, fighting against the multi-faceted threat of fitnah is such an essential part of a Quran-based worldview that it is both the strategy and tactics and the beating heart of the global Islamic movement, the GIM. Removing fitnah from the world is so fundamental to Islamic ideology that every primary source contains extensive references to the concept. It also follows, that if fitnah is the gravitational force behind the GIM, then some essential tactical elements, or operative verbs, must also be understood. For this reason, two of these key tactical verbs  qital and kharaj, or kill/slaughter/slay and displace/expel/drive out, respectively  are discussed in this article. But we need to acknowledge that this is a battle that will not end soon. We are fighting a terrorism that exists through an ideology, and transcends organisations. We arent just fighting the Taliban, al-Qaeda and Isis, but the ideas that drive them. ... Most British Muslims are able to healthily integrate being both Muslim and Western, seeing those two identities as compatible and harmonious rather than conflicting. But there are an increasing number of young Muslims who find their sense of belonging and identity elsewhere. That comes from Islamophobia, but also portions of the Muslim community refusing to culturally integrate, regarding integration as a compromise of their identity. They push the notion of Britain never being our home, that we will always be hated for being Muslim, that you cannot truly be British and Muslim. On November 7, Kuwaiti cleric Sheikh Saalim Bin Sa'd At-Taweel published a lecture on his official YouTube channel explaining the concept of Jihad. Sheikh At-Taweel said that while "Jihad" has different meanings, "Jihad for the sake of Allah" means fighting infidels in order to spread Islam. He further explained that slavery is part of Islam and said that Muslims should not try to deny this. In fact, he said, slavery is "one of the virtues of Islam" because it provides infidels with an opportunity to become Muslims and avoid the Hellfire. Over the past decade, Sheikh At-Taweel has made several visits to the United States and was guest lecturer in mosques in Worcester, Massachusetts, Modesto, California, and New York, and elsewhere. In 2016, he participated in the 3rd Annual U.K. National Knowledge Conference. During the Biafra War of 1967-1969, which was triggered by a massacre by Muslims of Christians, the entire Western world stood by and allowed the Muslims of the North to slaughter the Christian, mainly Ibo, south. These Muslims were aided by outside Muslims, including Egyptian pilots who strafed and bombed Ibo villages, killing tens of thousands  without any opposition, anti-aircraft fire, anything. The war was brought on by the Jihad against the Christian Ibo and other Christian peoples of southern Nigeria by the Hausa and Fulani Muslims of the north (Islam itself was spread most recently in the 1804 Jihad declared by Othman Dan Fodio), and by the desperate attempt of the Ibo (Igbo) people to free themselves from Muslim aggression. Tens of thousands of civilians were murdered  by the Egyptian pilots who repeatedly bombed and strafed them. Great Britain, France, the United States, all of Europe, did nothing to help the Christians. Col. Ojukwu, in his Ahiara Declaration (for the full text, google Jihad Watch and Posted by Hugh and Ahiara Declaration), said that the Biafrans were fighting off a Jihad that was being waged against them  and the word was not being used figuratively. On November 7, Kuwaiti cleric Sheikh Saalim Bin Sa'd At-Taweel published a lecture on his official YouTube channel explaining the concept of Jihad. Sheikh At-Taweel said that while "Jihad" has different meanings, "Jihad for the sake of Allah" means fighting infidels in order to spread Islam. He further explained that slavery is part of Islam and said that Muslims should not try to deny this. In fact, he said, slavery is "one of the virtues of Islam" because it provides infidels with an opportunity to become Muslims and avoid the Hellfire. Over the past decade, Sheikh At-Taweel has made several visits to the United States and was guest lecturer in mosques in Worcester, Massachusetts, Modesto, California, and New York, and elsewhere. In 2016, he participated in the 3rd Annual U.K. National Knowledge Conference. Saalim Bin Sa'd At-Taweel: When we speak about Jihad for the sake of Allah, we mean fighting for the sake of Allah. The word "Jihad" has other meanings apart from "fighting." "Fighting" is only one of the meanings of the word "Jihad," but "Jihad for the sake of Allah" refers to "fighting." On Saturday, Sept. 21, 2013, the Somali militant group al-Shabab carried out an assault on Kenyas Westgate Mall in one of the worst terrorist attacks in the countrys history. A group of young gunmen stalked the halls and stores of the upscale Nairobi shopping center, and methodically murdered at least 67 people. News of the attack seized the worlds attention, dominating international media coverage for days. The practice of substituting political correctness for scholarship, namely educating the public in the West about actual the contents of Islam, has become so prevalent that it is undermining our ability to recognize, let alone rectify, any problems. "Some prominent scientists and philosophers have stated openly that moral and political considerations should influence whether we accept or promulgate scientific theories... [M]isrepresenting findings in science to achieve desirable social goals will ultimately harm both science and society."  Nathan Cofnas, writing in the journal Foundations of Science. Many people who need structure prefer every activity proscribed for them. In addition, many people with sadistic wishes might be lured by being given permission to act on these wishes; and not only that, but they are told that these acts are, indeed, obligatory and good, and that the person acting on them is, in the view of many Islamic tenets, heroic. Because Islam gets criticized for many things  from hostility to modernity and democracy to calls for theocratic rule, radical patriarchy, misogyny, and draconian punishments, to name a few  it is helpful to step back and distinguish between those (many) doctrines that affect Muslim society alone, and those that extend to and affect Western or non-Muslim peoples in general. On doing this, three interrelated doctrines come into sharp focus. They are: 1) total disavowal from, and enmity for, the infidel, that is, constant spiritual or metaphysical hostility against the non-Muslim (in Arabic known as al-wala wal bara, or loyalty and enmity); this naturally manifests itself as 2) jihad, that is, physical hostility against and  whenever and wherever possible  attempts to subjugate the non-Muslim); finally, successful jihads lead to 3) dhimmitude, the degrading position of conquered non-Muslims who refuse to forfeit their religious freedom by converting to the victors creed. In the twentieth century, targets were churches and synagogues; today, they are churches, synagogues, mosques, temples -- wherever there is a faith, even a Muslim one, that these Islamic fundamentalists want to "purify". Radical Islam has declared war on the pillars of the West: modernity, science, rationalism, tolerance, equality under the law, freedom of expression and the dignity of the individual, to name only a few. Many of these ideas are currently under threat in Western Europe. Many Europeans might sentimentally think of the hundreds of thousands of Muslims pouring into Europe as "the new Jews"  even though their culture is virtually opposite to the Jews' -- but perhaps the Europeans should be aware that they have now forced the Jews to flee twice in the modern era. These people are enemy combatants in a war. They are being treated, however, as if they were individual criminals with no connection to a larger struggle. They are charged, serve some time, and are released. This girl will be out in eight years at the latest, and most likely much sooner. What do authorities think will happen then? That she will become a productive member of Danish society? Thats naivete to the point of madness. She is a jihadi now and will be a jihadi when she gets out. Why did she target a Jewish school? Islamic Jew-hatred: its in the Quran. Indonesia, the worlds biggest Muslim-majority country, has a constitution that recognizes other major religions, and practices a syncretic form of Islam that draws on not just the faiths tenets but local spiritual and cultural traditions. As a result, the nation has long been a voice of, and for, moderation in the Islamic world. Yet Indonesia is not without its radical elements. Though most are on the fringe, they can add up to a significant number given Indonesias 260-million population. In the early 2000s, the country was terrorized by Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), a homegrown extremist organization allied with al-Qaeda. JIs deadliest attack was the 2002 Bali bombing that killed 202 people. While JI has been neutralized, ISIS has claimed responsibility for recent, smaller terrorist incidents in the country and has inspired some Indonesians to fight in Syria  Indonesians who could pose a threat when they return home. The country has also seen the rise of hate groups that preach intolerance and violence against local religious and ethnic minorities, which include Shia and Ahmadiya Muslims. .... Many Western politicians and intellectuals say that Islamist terrorism has nothing to do with Islam. What is your view? Western politicians should stop pretending that extremism and terrorism have nothing to do with Islam. There is a clear relationship between fundamentalism, terrorism, and the basic assumptions of Islamic orthodoxy. So long as we lack consensus regarding this matter, we cannot gain victory over fundamentalist violence within Islam. Radical Islamic movements are nothing new. Theyve appeared again and again throughout our own history in Indonesia. The West must stop ascribing any and all discussion of these issues to Islamophobia. Or do people want to accuse me  an Islamic scholar  of being an Islamophobe too? What basic assumptions within traditional Islam are problematic? The relationship between Muslims and non-Muslims, the relationship of Muslims with the state, and Muslims relationship to the prevailing legal system wherever they live  Within the classical tradition, the relationship between Muslims and non-Muslims is assumed to be one of segregation and enmity. Perhaps there were reasons for this during the Middle Ages, when the tenets of Islamic orthodoxy were established, but in todays world such a doctrine is unreasonable. To the extent that Muslims adhere to this view of Islam, it renders them incapable of living harmoniously and peacefully within the multi-cultural, multi-religious societies of the 21st century. A Western politician would likely be accused of racism for saying what you just said. Im not saying that Islam is the only factor causing Muslim minorities in the West to lead a segregated existence, often isolated from society as a whole. There may be other factors on the part of the host nations, such as racism, which exists everywhere in the world. But traditional Islam  which fosters an attitude of segregation and enmity toward non-Muslims  is an important factor. And Muslims and the state? Within the Islamic tradition, the state is a single, universal entity that unites all Muslims under the rule of one man who leads them in opposition to, and conflict with, the non-Muslim world. The narrative we are expected to buy into is that terrorism is nothing to do with Islam and, further, that it is a state of mind imposed upon young and vulnerable Muslim men and women by an outside agency  a foreign agency and an agency which, again, has nothing to do with Islam. This is the process of radicalisation we keep hearing about and I have never bought into it, having a certain respect for the concept of free will. And, I would contend, a rather less generous view of Islams worldwide beneficence and pacific nature than the one we are all enjoined to take. And yet here we have a young man taken into the kindly, if somewhat wrinkled, bosom of an English couple who, it may emerge, still ended up trying to terrorise people in the name of his weary God. If the Joneses had been a Muslim family, then the press and the police would be demanding to know what they knew of this process of radicalisation, and what they had done to counter it. But there is nothing to be done. The religion itself sets its people apart from the rest and, in all too many cases, this apartness leads to a hatred. Radicalisation is nothing to do with it. Most people living in Belgium assume that Islam is a religion like any other, that brings a mostly spiritual message to which each adherent tries to live up as well as possible. They are mistaken. Islam deeply permeates the daily life and social interactions of a Muslim. It is true, as Muslims tend to say, that Islam is an all-encompassing system, that at least includes the following human activities: q CULTURE: the way in which people perform daily routines: e.g. how one should greet the other, who should greet first, personal hygiene (showering, toilet, ), how to eat and drink, how to treat guests,  q SOCIAL SYSTEM: Islam determines the relationship of the Muslim with other Muslims and Muslimas, with those of different religions, with slaves (Islam did not abolish slavery),  q LEGAL SYSTEM: a good part of what a society needs in legislation, such as family law, inheritance law, property law, transactions, contracts, legislation regarding slaves,  is provided for by the Quran and the traditions/Hadith of Muhammad. Believers can only make new laws for matters that are not provided for in the Quran and the Hadith. q RELIGION: rules for prayer, fasting, making the pilgrimage to Mecca, almsgiving to the poor, being good to your parents and fellow Muslims,  q MILITARY: The last 10 years of his life, Muhammad was constantly at war. His successors have continued this permanent state of war. So, the Quran contains quite a lot of rules pertaining to war, and these are an integral part of Islamic law. The ideology of Jihad, waging war to protect Islam and to spread it, sometimes called holy war, is very well-developed and is a part of Islamic law. No other religion has such an elaborate war doctrine as Islam has. q JUDICIAL PROCEDURES: islamic scholars have compiled law books based on the Quran and the traditions of Muhammad. Quite a bit of attention is given to procedures of witnesses. Islam did not bring an organized judicial apparatus with procedures of defence, appeals, ... Muhammad himself was the judge and what he decided was executed. He even had people executed without putting them on trial. His successors have simply continued in the role of being a judge as well. Saudi Arabia tries to copy the situation that Muhammad instituted (or didnt institute) as much as possible, resulting in a condition where in the 21st century they still dont have a judiciary where the rights of citizens are protected. And they still carry out punishments that were common in the 7th century, but that are now regarded as abhorrent. q POLITICAL SYSTEM: in an Islamic system there is no separation of powers, all power (political, judicial, military, ) is in the hands of the Caliph or his representative. Citizens in this Islamic system must be unconditionally obedient to the Caliph, unless he deviates from Islamic law. The system of a Caliphate is a continuation of the principle that Muhammad held all power. One of the shortcomings of Muhammad is that he didnt institute a system with elections or democratic representation, resulting in a lot of problems with his succession, especially the fourth Caliph, Ali. These problems caused the split between the Shiites and Sunnites. Jihad Watch recently posted an article about Saudi schools teaching Muhammads statements that Jews and Christians are accursed and Muslims must kill Jews. Such teachings begin as early as first grade. Many Western politicians and intellectuals say that Islamist terrorism has nothing to do with Islam. What is your view? Western politicians should stop pretending that extremism and terrorism have nothing to do with Islam. There is a clear relationship between fundamentalism, terrorism, and the basic assumptions of Islamic orthodoxy. So long as we lack consensus regarding this matter, we cannot gain victory over fundamentalist violence within Islam. And still more and more cats[Muslims} pour into Europe and into the UK. The grooming has been occasioned because we made this mess for ourselves and have neither the political inclination nor the will to call a halt. And because our politicians are terrified they might be called racist if they grasp the nettle. And so we live in a bizarre state of denial. Heres my bet  Mohammed Khan wins his case. One need not go back centuries to the Muslim conquest of the Christian late classical world -- the medieval Barbary corsair raids, the Ottoman yoke in Central and Eastern Europe or the slave markets of Kaffa in Tatar Muslim Crimea -- to understand that this violence clearly predates the European colonial era, the creation of the modern state of Israel, or the issue of climate change. Countries such as China, Nigeria or Kenya that are not Western, not"imperialist", not whatever the excuses that Islamists make, are still spectacularly attacked by similar stabbings. Month on month, there seems almost nowhere that Islamic terror did not strike. Volumes of revered Islamic texts establish in great detail the grounds of violence and oppression of non-believers and those deemed heretical. These supposed grounds -- made alive daily in madrassas and mosques across the world before being acted upon by religiously-trained terrorists -- are childishly dismissed by Western liberals as immaterial. The first step towards a solution is to question the received knowledge tirelessly dished out by media pundits in the West. What is lacking is simply seeing a huge body of evidence of theological justification for Islamist terror. Turkey has now become the first and only NATO member state that teaches "jihad" in its schools. Although the Turkish government claims that "jihad" means a "spiritual inner struggle for salvation," the official Turkish dictionary defines it as a "war fought in the name of religion." When it comes to Islam, I criticize the ideology AND its followers. I can't understand how anyone could take a good look at Islamic texts and tenets and come to the conclusion that they're in any way tolerable let alone great! I don't advocate or condone violence, but I am compelled to call a spade a spade. I don't care if these people are brainwashed -- they should know better. No ideology can be active without adherents. I hold PEOPLE accountable for embracing barbaric ideology. Modern Islamic Warfare Author(s): FINALLY, THE TRUTH about Islam. After all of the ahistorical, naively well-meaning but misleading accounts of Islam offered by Western political academics, and the mainstream mass media, finally, in Harold Rhodes Modern Islamic Warfare, we get an historically grounded, sociologically sophisticated, true account of expansionistic Islamic civilization. Understanding the nature of Islam is particularly important because Muslim organizations, in the interests of Muslim expansionism and dominance, often strive to obscure and deny their real intentions and goals. And even when they admit their objectives, as in the Hamas and Muslim Brotherhood charters, Western leaders ignore or deny Muslim intentions. Rhode makes clear the challenge that the West faces; either we take up the Islamic challenge, or lose the West. In the immediate aftermath of the massacre of civilians in Tunisia David Cameron, the U.K.'s Prime-minister has once again assured the British public and non-Muslims worldwide that the attack was not carried out in the name of Islam. Islam is a religion of peace. The killers, rather, do it in the name of a twisted, perverted ideology. Of course I believe what he says. It is a great relief to me that I have such an Islamically educated man as the leader of my Country. Perhaps we should call him Mufti sheikh Imam Ayatollah Cameron to reflect his encyclopaedic knowledge of Islam. A young woman originally from Oldham, who is set to attend Newcastle University, offered up the opinion, based on fact, that Islamic terrorism has its roots in the texts of the Koran. Because she did this, she was contacted by a police officer from Northumbria Police who threatened the lady, Jonaya English of The Insurgents You Tube channel, with having her place at Newcastle University removed. Unfortunately, you cannot disconnect this type of event  terrorism  from Islam in general, Couillard said in Quebec City when asked if he was worried the attack would fuel anti-Muslim sentiment. He said he shares the position French President Emmanuel Macron expressed this week in a speech to Muslim community leaders. It is unfortunate and grossly disturbing that the current Mayor of London cannot describe the attackers of London Bridge as Islamic terrorists. The still continuing state of denial of many European leaders about the link between Islamism and terrorism is at the root of a strategy to combat jihadism that falls short of what is required to preserve the safety of their citizens and the security of our societies. This is a basic contrast with Israel where authorities and citizens have learnt the hard way who their enemies are, an essential requisite for their survival. The second wrong assumption that we must discard as soon as possible is the idea that terrorism is like a natural phenomenon, statistically marginal, unsolvable, that essentially demands of us to find a way to live with it. But terrorism cannot be equated with the casualties from bath drownings, lightning strikes or bee stings, as some of those seeking to minimise it do. Terror is humanly motivated, politically and religiously oriented, has goals and means. Terrorism should and can never be, in the infamous deplorable words of London Mayor Sadiq Khan part and parcel of living in a great city. Preparations to respond to attacks in a quick and effective manner are essential, but actions to prevent terrorism are even more significant. At the moment, the bar for taking extremists out of circulation is set ridiculously high. People known for their own extremism that reaches pre-terrorist levels should not be walking the streets when they have expressed support for Islamic State (ISIS) or tried to head to Syria or called for the destruction of Britain and other democracies or allied themselves to people already in prison. Their demand for free speech or freedom of belief must never be elevated above the rights of citizens to live safely in their own towns and cities. It is essential for parliament to lower the bar. Is this to be the political landscape for the future, where groups of people demanding death and destruction are given the freedom of the streets whilst those wishing to hold a peaceful celebration are prevented from doing so? To see extremist Islam as a "perversion" of Islam misses an important point. The politically correct insistence that radical versions of Islam somehow pervert an essentially peaceful and tolerant faith forces policy-makers and legislators, church leaders, rabbis, interfaith workers and the public at large to leave to one side an important reality. Flatly, Islam in its original and classic forms has everything to do with today's radicals and the violence they commit. The Qur'an is explicit in its hatred for pagans, Jews and Christians. It calls for the fighting of holy war (jihad) to conquer the non-Muslim world, subdue it, and gradually bring it into the fold of Islam. Islam has been at war with Europe since the seventh century. They recorded themselves. They did a sort of sermon around the altar, in Arabic. Its a horror, she told BMF television. It was an Islamic sacrificial offering to Allah. Such a sacrificial system is part and parcel of Islam itself where Islamic history shares the story of Jaad bin Durham when Al-Kasri slaughtered him in the mosque on the Sacrifical Day 119 A.H. This set the precedent that using a human being as The Festival of Sacrifice is permissible is Islam. This is supported by several of the top most forceful theologians during the history of Islam like Al-Shafi, Ibin Tayymiya, Bukhari, Dhahabi, Ibin Al-Qiyam, Darami and Ibin Katheer. The London Bridge attackers wanted us to be in no doubt about their motivation. This is for Allah, they shouted, as they slashed and stabbed their victims. When they could, they slit peoples throats  just as Isis executioners in Syria, claiming obedience to a command in the Quran to strike off the heads of unbelievers, had slit the throats of western hostages. Shot by police marksmen, the three men were hailed by supporters of Isis as martyrs. .... When, for instance, in her speech after the London Bridge attacks, Theresa May decried as a perversion of Islam any notion that it might be incompatible with Western concepts of human rights, she had things precisely the wrong way round. Classically, Muslims have believed that no human rights exist except for those that have been prescribed by God. In the Quran, it is taken for granted that the only way to know how to live well is by means of a divine revelation. Naturally, the Quran casts itself as the ultimate source of these revelations.Anyone who does not submit to the god revealed in its pages is, then, by definition, inferior to those who do. This is all the more so because, according to one of Mohammeds most quoted sayings, every newborn is naturally Muslim. Then his two parents make him a Jew, a Christian, a Zoroastrian. Non Muslims, in other words, are effectively apostates. This is why, should they subsequently convert to Islam, they are termed by many Muslims reverts. It is also why, for a millennium and more, Islamic states actively discriminated against them. A Quranic injunction decreed that Jews and Christians pay a humiliating tax, the jizya, in exchange for the right to practise their respective religions. Those defined as mushrikun  idolaters  were denied the right to practise their religion at all. The proposition that Islam is especially intolerant, especially prone to violence, is one that has come to possess for liberals as well as Muslims the authentic quality of blasphemy. The possibility that sanction might exist within the Koran for brutal crimes committed by the Islamic State is an upsetting one for all decent and generous-hearted people  non-Muslim as well as Muslim  to countenance. Admin: The brutal truth is that the link does exist, see: http://shariawatch.org.uk/?q=tags/jihad-is-islamic and what is being proposed here is in effect that the hadith and sira (biograpgy of Muhammad) are dropped because they are unreliable. This is something that others have proposed but it runs into a simple problem, namely, that the quran contains many violent verses and exhortations to violence. Thus even if Muslims were minded to largely dump the story of Muhammad much violence as well as the brutality of Sharia law would still remaIn. The infiltration of this ideology is reminiscent of the spread of communism and should be defeated similarly -- not with weapons, but by exposing its true nature and providing an alternative. The West first must abandon, however, the notion that radical Islam is an internal Muslim issue, any more than communism was a "Russian issue" that "the Russians" needed to solve. In addition, the views of liberal Muslim scholars, who reject the whole premise of extremist, political Islam, should be supported and widely circulated. Finally, imams in Western countries must be held to the same standard as members of other professions. They should be required to receive occupational licenses, based on criteria determined by the state, in conjunction with modern Muslims seeking a peaceful life and the ability to integrate into their societies without fear of repercussions at the hands of fundamentalists. In a May 16 interview with Al-Tanasuh TV, Libyan cleric Muhammad Bouajila, a member of the Libyan Ulema Association, explained that in principle, beheadings and body mutilation are prohibited, but that they are allowed under certain circumstances "especially if this serves to strike terror in the heart" of the enemy. Sheik Bouajila further commented that Muslims should fight non-Muslims who refuse to convert to Islam or pay the jizya poll tax. Al-Tanasuh TV is owned by Sadiq Al-Ghariani, Mufti of Libya, who is associated with the Libya Dawn forces. Pages These links and any other content or links on this website are provided for information only. No warranty is provided regarding their accuracy, and no liability is accepted for reliance on them. Sharia Watch UK Ltd. is not responsible for the content of external sites. We do not necessarily endorse any or all of the views expressed on these external sites.
The London Ambulance Service said two patients were treated at the scene and taken to hospital. One of them, a man, has already been discharged from hospital, while a woman was still in hospital Tuesday afternoon being treated for what police described as serious but non-life-threatening injuries. A third victim with "minor injuries" was assessed at the site of the crash. In press conference at Scotland Yard, Met Police assistant commissioner for specialist operations, Neil Basu, 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. "At this early stage of the invitation no other suspects at the scene have been identified or uprooted to police. There is no intelligence at this time of further danger to Londoners or the rest of the UK related to this incident. "Our priority now is to formally set the identity of the suspect and his motivation if we can. He is not currently cooperating." Basu, answering a reporter's question, said the suspect was not known to either MI5 or to counter-terror police. Victoria Jones / PA Wire/PA Images Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Specialist Operations Neil Basu makes a statement at New Scotland Yard in London after a car crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament. Prime Minister Theresa May said in a statement: Todays suspected attack outside the Houses of Parliament is shocking. For the second time in as many years the home of our democracy, which is a potent symbol of our precious values of tolerance and freedom, has witnessed terrible scenes just yards from its door. My thoughts are with the innocent members of the public who were hurt in this appalling incident. I wish them a speedy recovery and we must be thankful that nobody suffered life-threatening injuries. I also wish to praise the formidable courage of our emergency services, who were on the scene immediately and in significant numbers. Once again, they did not flinch and ran towards a dangerous situation in order to protect the public. The country is hugely grateful for their calmness and professionalism. The threat to the United Kingdom from terrorism remains severe. I would encourage the public to remain vigilant - but also to come together and carry on as normal, as they did after the sickening attacks in Manchester and London last year. The twisted aim of the extremists is to use violence and terror to divide us. They will never succeed. After a meeting of the government's Cobra emergency response committee, the prime minister's spokesperson confirmed that since March 2017, UK police have foiled 13 Islamist and four far-right terrorist plots, without including Tuesday's incident. As of June 2018, counter-terror forces had 676 open terror-related investigations m the last time the government published figures, in March, the number was "over 500". May is currently out of the country on holiday, but has been in constant conversations since she was informed at 8am, the spokesperson said. Chancellor Philip Hammond is the ranking minister in the country, while home secretary Sajid Javid cancelled a family holiday to return to the UK. A large police presence and series of cordons remain in place after the attack, which took place as commuters made their way to work. Cordons are expected to be in place for much of Tuesday. Alastair Swaine, 22, was walking to work on a construction site opposite parliament when the incident unfolded. I was terrified, he told BuzzFeed News. Ive never seen anything like it. He described what he had seen: I was on the other side of the road walking next to the palace when I saw a car driving through ... people on bikes. I couldnt see if it was a man or a woman  then he drove past me, but luckily I was on the side of the barriers. I saw them hit a barrier. I saw the airbag go boom, said the construction worker. I saw loads of armed guards running up to me and past me but I was running as fast as I could. As he glanced back shortly after he saw the vehicle hit the barrier, Swaine said he remembered roughly six or seven of them [police officers] came running past me, with guns. Adam, 28, who was commuting to the City on a scooter and was at the traffic lights when the crash happened, told BuzzFeed News: "It was a silver hatchback car. It suddenly veered off the roundabout and came down the wrong side of the road. Im pretty sure it hit a pedestrian first then it sped up into cyclists. "Fortunately it was pretty early so there were only ten or half a dozen cyclists. Most were able to get back to their feet. One was down and being put in braces. I didnt see her move. It went back onto the right side of the road and then headed straight to the barriers on the entrance to the Houses of Parliament." Steven, a builder working on a construction site at Westminster Abbey, told BuzzFeed News he saw a cyclist lying on the floor at the scene after he was evacuated following the incident. He and his team have been told that they may not be able to return to their vans to retrieve belongings  including house keys and mobile phones  for the rest of the day. The incident caused serious disruption as workers made their way to offices during London's busy rush hour. Members of the House were among those stopped by police cordons. Westminster underground station was closed as British Transport Police assisted the Met with the incident, but reopened on Tuesday afternoon. The House of Commons is currently not sitting and most MPs have left Westminster for the summer recess.
Armed officers have been placed on standby as Greater Manchester Police review security following the Westminster terror attack. A police officer was killed and three others were also confirmed dead after the incident in the heart of the capital on Wednesday afternoon. A man is said to have driven a 4x4 into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, including a visiting party of school children from France, sending one woman into the River Thames. A senior police source indicated to the M.E.N last night that officers in London believed at this stage the attack was the work of a single man rather than an organised terror cell. It's understood that armed police have been placed on standby in Greater Manchester as a result of the Westminster attack. An armed officer points his weapon at a man receiving treatment - a knife appears to be under his foot (Image: PA) In an official statement, GMP's Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said there was no specific intelligence suggesting an imminent threat to Greater Manchester. He added: Our sympathies go out to all those affected by the serious events in London. I want to assure the people of Greater Manchester that GMP and its partners will be reviewing all security in light of todays incident. Although I think it is important to stress that there is no specific intelligence suggesting an imminent threat to Greater Manchester, we will continue to review our deployments and take all possible steps to keep people safe. Read More It is also incredibly important at times like this that communities come together and support each other. Should anyone have any concerns or see anything suspicious I would urge them to report it immediately. At least four died and 20 other were injured in the Westminster attack, some said to have been left with catastrophic wounds. Greater Manchesters Mayor and Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd said: The terrorist attack in Westminster is not just an assault at the heart of our democracy, but an assault on our way of life, and on those values which make our nation great. Our police and security services risk their lives every day to protect us and keep us safe and free. Sadly, one of those brave public servants has lost his life in the line of duty. Our thoughts are with the officers family, friends and colleagues, and our promise is that his sacrifice will not be forgotten. We also think of the others who have been killed and wounded in this dreadful act of terrorism. An attack on them is an attack on us all, and it will not stand. Those who think they can use fear, hatred, intimidation and murder to divide us are simply wrong. As a nation we are stronger than them, and in the face of terror they will only make us stronger still, and more determined to work together to build a future of hope.
The Romanian woman who was knocked off Westminster Bridge during the terror attack remains in a critical condition almost a week after the incident. Andreea Cristea, a 29-year-old architect, was walking near the Houses of Parliament when Khalid Masood drove onto the pavement, throwing her some 50ft into the Thames. The 29-year-old's partner Andrei Burnaz had been planning to propose to her later that day, according to the Romanian ambassador. Footage widely circulated after the attack, showed Ms Cristea falling from the bridge into the water below. Woman fell into Thames after being hit by car, now in stable condition Mr Burnaz suffered a fractured foot during the attack as the pair walked towards the London Eye. The couple's families have thanked those who helped save Ms Cristea. Our family is so grateful for the first responders, the medical personnel and the assistance of the UK Government agencies,"they said. Andreea is still in a critical but stable condition and benefits from the best medical healthcare possible. They said that they were "overwhelmed by the love, support and respect for our Andreea, adding that London's "Metropolitan Police have been and continue to work tirelessly in providing their care and support during this very difficult time. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP Romanian ambassador Dan Mihalache said it was a miracle Ms Cristea had survived. Four people were killed and at least 50 people injured in the attack outside the Houses of Parliament. Attacker, KhalidMasood, was shot dead by police shortly after the attack.
Related News The boyfriend of a victim of the Westminster terrorist attack has revealed he planned to ask her to get married the day she died. Tourist Andreea Cristea, 31, fell from Westminster Bridge after Khalid Masood, 52, drove into her on March 22 last year. Her partner Andrei Burnaz, who was with her at the time, also described his desperate attempts to find her after she fell into... THE young woman thrown into the Thames during the Westminster terror attack is still in hospital in a critical condition  almost a week after the atrocity. Romanian tourists Andreea Cristea and boyfriend Andrei Burnaz were struck by the car driven by Khalid Masood as they strolled along Westminster Bridge. SWNS 10 > SWNS 10 She was on holiday with boyfriend Andrei Burnaz when... A 31-year-old woman who was thrown from Westminster Bridge during a terror attack on the day her boyfriend was set to propose, has died in hospital. Romanian architect Andreea Cristea was pushed over a barrier into the River Thames when Muslim convert Khalid Masood carried out his murderous rampage. Ms Cristea was on holiday in London with her boyfriend Andrei Burnaz when they... The family of a Romanian woman who fell from Westminster Bridge into the River Thames during the terrorist attack have said they are "overwhelmed by the love, support and respect" shown for her. Andreea Cristea (29) was due to receive a marriage proposal from partner Andrei Burnaz later that day, but was critically injured as attacker Khalid Masood ploughed through pedestrians.... Police say a Romanian woman who fell into the Thames River during the March 22 London terror attack has died from her injuries , The Guardian reports. Andreea Cristea, 31, a tourist from Romania, died on Thursday after her life support was turned off by doctors. She had fallen from Westminster Bridge but was pulled from the water and taken to hospital. In a statement released... CCTV footage of the 2017 Westminster terror attack has been released. It shows Kurt Cochran strolling with his wife, Melissa, shortly before Khalid Masood carried out a car and knife attack, in which five people were killed and dozens injured. The couple had been in London to celebrate 25 years of marriage. Kurt died after he pushed his wife out of the way of the oncoming car. Melissa was seriously injured Subscribe to Guardian News on YouTube  http://bit.ly/guardianwiressub Westminster attack inquest hears how victim saved his wife  https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/sep/10/westminster-atrocity-tore-lives-apart-in-82-seconds-inquest-hears Support the Guardian  https://theguardian.com/supportus The Guardian  https://www.theguardian.com The Guardian YouTube network: The Guardian  www.youtube.com/theguardian Owen Jones talks  http://bit.ly/subsowenjones Guardian Football  http://is.gd/guardianfootball Guardian Sport  http://bit.ly/GDNsport Guardian Culture  http://is.gd/guardianculture Guardian Science and Tech  http://is.gd/guardiantech... CCTV footage of the 2017 Westminster terror attack has been released. It shows Kurt Cochran strolling with his wife, Melissa, shortly before Khalid Masood carried out a car and knife attack, in which five people were killed and dozens injured. The couple had been in London to celebrate 25 years of marriage. Kurt died after he pushed his wife out of the way of the oncoming car. Melissa was seriously injured Subscribe to Guardian News on YouTube  http://bit.ly/guardianwiressub Westminster attack inquest hears how victim saved his wife  https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/sep/10/westminster-atrocity-tore-lives-apart-in-82-seconds-inquest-hears Support the Guardian  https://theguardian.com/supportus The Guardian  https://www.theguardian.com The Guardian YouTube network: The Guardian  www.youtube.com/theguardian Owen Jones talks  http://bit.ly/subsowenjones Guardian Football  http://is.gd/guardianfootball Guardian Sport  http://bit.ly/GDNsport Guardian Culture  http://is.gd/guardianculture Guardian Science and Tech  http://is.gd/guardiantech... London attack: Moment car drove into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge published:23 Mar 2017 London attack: Moment car drove into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge London attack: Moment car drove into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge published:23 Mar 2017 views:219644 The moment that a car drove into pedestrians on London\'s Westminster Bridge, close to Britain\'s parliament, on March 22 has been captured on video. A speeding car can be seen entering the bridge on the right-hand side of the screen, it then continues along the pavement running over those in its path, as some pedestrians jump into the river Thames below. Not pictured in the footage is the aftermath in which the car crashed into railings just outside parliament. Five people were killed and around 40 injured in the worst attack of its kind in England\'s capital since 2005, when four British Islamists killed 52 commuters in suicide bombings on the city\'s transport system.... London attack: Moment car drove into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge published:23 Mar 2017 views:219644 The moment that a car drove into pedestrians on London\'s Westminster Bridge, close to Britain\'s parliament, on March 22 has been captured on video. A speeding car can be seen entering the bridge on the right-hand side of the screen, it then continues along the pavement running over those in its path, as some pedestrians jump into the river Thames below. Not pictured in the footage is the aftermath in which the car crashed into railings just outside parliament. Five people were killed and around 40 injured in the worst attack of its kind in England\'s capital since 2005, when four British Islamists killed 52 commuters in suicide bombings on the city\'s transport system.... How the Westminster terror attack unfolded on video published:22 Mar 2017 How the Westminster terror attack unfolded on video How the Westminster terror attack unfolded on video published:22 Mar 2017 views:59344 A summary of all the key video from the scene of the terror attack in Westminster that left many dead and dozens injured. Get the latest headlines: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/ Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=telegraphtv Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/telegraph.co.uk Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/telegraph Follow us on Google+ https://plus.google.com/102891355072777008500/ Telegraph.co.uk and YouTube.com/TelegraphTV are websites of The Daily Telegraph, the UK\'s best-selling quality daily newspaper providing news and analysis on UK and world events, business, sport, lifestyle and culture.... How the Westminster terror attack unfolded on video published:22 Mar 2017 views:59344 A summary of all the key video from the scene of the terror attack in Westminster that left many dead and dozens injured. Get the latest headlines: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/ Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=telegraphtv Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/telegraph.co.uk Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/telegraph Follow us on Google+ https://plus.google.com/102891355072777008500/ Telegraph.co.uk and YouTube.com/TelegraphTV are websites of The Daily Telegraph, the UK\'s best-selling quality daily newspaper providing news and analysis on UK and world events, business, sport, lifestyle and culture.... Aftermath of Westminster Bridge attack published:22 Mar 2017 Aftermath of Westminster Bridge attack Aftermath of Westminster Bridge attack published:22 Mar 2017 views:3194 Video shows the aftermath of the Westminster bridge where over 10 people were injured after a 4X4 mounted the pavement. Like what you see? Please subscribe http://youtube.com/RTUKnews FOLLOW ON TWITTER: http://twitter.com/RTUKnews FOLLOW ON FACEBOOK: http://fb.com/RTUKnews READ MORE http://rt.com/uk/ WATCH LIVE: http://rt.com/on-air/rt-uk-air/... Aftermath of Westminster Bridge attack published:22 Mar 2017 views:3194 Video shows the aftermath of the Westminster bridge where over 10 people were injured after a 4X4 mounted the pavement. Like what you see? Please subscribe http://youtube.com/RTUKnews FOLLOW ON TWITTER: http://twitter.com/RTUKnews FOLLOW ON FACEBOOK: http://fb.com/RTUKnews READ MORE http://rt.com/uk/ WATCH LIVE: http://rt.com/on-air/rt-uk-air/... FNN: Deadly TERROR Attack in London - People Struck on Westminster Bridge - FULL COVERAGE published:22 Mar 2017 FNN: Deadly TERROR Attack in London - People Struck on Westminster Bridge - FULL COVERAGE FNN: Deadly TERROR Attack in London - People Struck on Westminster Bridge - FULL COVERAGE published:22 Mar 2017 views:43202 Brought to you by Desert Diamond: http://ddcaz.com LONDON (AP) -- A knife-wielding man went on a deadly rampage in the heart of Britain\'s seat of power Wednesday, plowing a car into pedestrians on London\'s Westminster Bridge before stabbing a police officer to death inside the gates of Parliament. Four people were killed, including the assailant, and about 20 others were injured in what Prime Minister Theresa May condemned as a \"sick and depraved terrorist attack.\" Lawmakers, lords, staff and visitors were locked down after the man was shot by police within the perimeter of Parliament, just yards (meters) from entrances to the building itself and in the shadow of the iconic Big Ben clock tower. He died, as did two pedestrians on the bridge, and the police officer. A doctor who treated the wounded from the bridge said some had \"catastrophic\" injuries. Three police officers, several French teenagers on a school trip and two Romanian tourists were among the casualties. Police said they were treating the attack as terrorism. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Metropolitan Police counterterrorism chief Mark Rowley said police believed there was only one attacker, \"but it would be foolish to be overconfident early on.\" The threat level for international terrorism in the U.K. was already listed at severe, meaning an attack was \"highly likely.\" Speaking outside 10 Downing St. after chairing a meeting of government\'s emergency committee, COBRA, May said that level would not change. She said attempts to defeat British values of democracy ... FNN: Deadly TERROR Attack in London - People Struck on Westminster Bridge - FULL COVERAGE published:22 Mar 2017 views:43202 Brought to you by Desert Diamond: http://ddcaz.com LONDON (AP) -- A knife-wielding man went on a deadly rampage in the heart of Britain\'s seat of power Wednesday, plowing a car into pedestrians on London\'s Westminster Bridge before stabbing a police officer to death inside the gates of Parliament. Four people were killed, including the assailant, and about 20 others were injured in what Prime Minister Theresa May condemned as a \"sick and depraved terrorist attack.\" Lawmakers, lords, staff and visitors were locked down after the man was shot by police within the perimeter of Parliament, just yards (meters) from entrances to the building itself and in the shadow of the iconic Big Ben clock tower. He died, as did two pedestrians on the bridge, and the police officer. A doctor who treated the wounded from the bridge said some had \"catastrophic\" injuries. Three police officers, several French teenagers on a school trip and two Romanian tourists were among the casualties. Police said they were treating the attack as terrorism. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Metropolitan Police counterterrorism chief Mark Rowley said police believed there was only one attacker, \"but it would be foolish to be overconfident early on.\" The threat level for international terrorism in the U.K. was already listed at severe, meaning an attack was \"highly likely.\" Speaking outside 10 Downing St. after chairing a meeting of government\'s emergency committee, COBRA, May said that level would not change. She said attempts to defeat British values of democracy ... WATCH: Woman falls off Westminster Bridge during London 'terror attack' Attack on Westminster published:23 Mar 2017 Attack on Westminster Attack on Westminster published:23 Mar 2017 views:32870 A knife-wielding man plowed a car into pedestrians on London\'s Westminster Bridge before stabbing a police officer to death inside the gates of Parliament. Click here for the full story: http://www.cbc.ca/1.4035964  Subscribe to The National to watch more videos here: https://www.youtube.com/user/CBCTheNational?sub_confirmation=1 Voice Your Opinion & Connect With Us Online: The National Updates on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thenational The National Updates on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CBCTheNational The National Updates on Google+: https://plus.google.com/+CBCTheNational      The National is CBC Television\'s flagship news program. Airing seven days a week, the show delivers news, feature documentaries and analysis from some of Canada\'s leading journalists.... Attack on Westminster published:23 Mar 2017 views:32870 A knife-wielding man plowed a car into pedestrians on London\'s Westminster Bridge before stabbing a police officer to death inside the gates of Parliament. Click here for the full story: http://www.cbc.ca/1.4035964  Subscribe to The National to watch more videos here: https://www.youtube.com/user/CBCTheNational?sub_confirmation=1 Voice Your Opinion & Connect With Us Online: The National Updates on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thenational The National Updates on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CBCTheNational The National Updates on Google+: https://plus.google.com/+CBCTheNational      The National is CBC Television\'s flagship news program. Airing seven days a week, the show delivers news, feature documentaries and analysis from some of Canada\'s leading journalists.... Deadly attack causes chaos in the heart of London Westminster Bridge teeming with people day after terrorist attack published:23 Mar 2017 Westminster Bridge teeming with people day after terrorist attack Westminster Bridge teeming with people day after terrorist attack published:23 Mar 2017 views:2568 Shaken but remaining defiant ... just a day after the terrible scenes on Westminster Bridge and outside parliament, people are going about their daily business in the same area. It was the message that came from the Prime Minister Theresa May hours after the attack: that London will not be intimidated with fear, even though the terrorist alert level is high. Morris Carey, a commuter from Wales, told reporters: \'It is something at the back of my mind, yes, it\'s got to be hasn\'t it? You know READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2017/03/23/westminster-bridge-teeming-with-people-day-after-terrorist-attack What are the top stories today? Click to watch: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSyY1udCyYqBeDOz400FlseNGNqReKkFd euronews: the most watched news channel in Europe Subscribe! http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=euronews euronews is available in 13 languages: https://www.youtube.com/user/euronewsnetwork/channels In English: Website: http://www.euronews.com/news Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/euronews Twitter: http://twitter.com/euronews Google+: http://google.com/+euronews VKontakte: http://vk.com/en.euronews... Westminster Bridge teeming with people day after terrorist attack published:23 Mar 2017 views:2568 Shaken but remaining defiant ... just a day after the terrible scenes on Westminster Bridge and outside parliament, people are going about their daily business in the same area. It was the message that came from the Prime Minister Theresa May hours after the attack: that London will not be intimidated with fear, even though the terrorist alert level is high. Morris Carey, a commuter from Wales, told reporters: \'It is something at the back of my mind, yes, it\'s got to be hasn\'t it? You know READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2017/03/23/westminster-bridge-teeming-with-people-day-after-terrorist-attack What are the top stories today? Click to watch: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSyY1udCyYqBeDOz400FlseNGNqReKkFd euronews: the most watched news channel in Europe Subscribe! http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=euronews euronews is available in 13 languages: https://www.youtube.com/user/euronewsnetwork/channels In English: Website: http://www.euronews.com/news Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/euronews Twitter: http://twitter.com/euronews Google+: http://google.com/+euronews VKontakte: http://vk.com/en.euronews... Footage shows woman jumping off Westminster Bridge during attack published:23 Mar 2017 Footage shows woman jumping off Westminster Bridge during attack Footage shows woman jumping off Westminster Bridge during attack published:23 Mar 2017 views:40489 A Romanian woman who apparently fell into the Thames River during the terror attack in London was rescued by a passing cruise ship, local media reported Thursday. Andreea Cristea, 29, was visiting London with her fianc when an attacker drove his vehicle into a crowd on Westminster Bridge, an iconic London landmark popular with tourists, the Daily Mail reports. Be Smarter. Faster. More Colorful and get the full story at http://usat.ly/2oajqCQ *************************************************************************** Want even more? Subscribe to USA TODAY\'s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/USATODAY?sub_confirmation=1 Like USA TODAY on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/usatoday Follow USA TODAY on Twitter: https://twitter.com/USATODAY Follow USA TODAY on Instagram: https://instagram.com/usatoday/... Footage shows woman jumping off Westminster Bridge during attack published:23 Mar 2017 views:40489 A Romanian woman who apparently fell into the Thames River during the terror attack in London was rescued by a passing cruise ship, local media reported Thursday. Andreea Cristea, 29, was visiting London with her fianc when an attacker drove his vehicle into a crowd on Westminster Bridge, an iconic London landmark popular with tourists, the Daily Mail reports. Be Smarter. Faster. More Colorful and get the full story at http://usat.ly/2oajqCQ *************************************************************************** Want even more? Subscribe to USA TODAY\'s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/USATODAY?sub_confirmation=1 Like USA TODAY on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/usatoday Follow USA TODAY on Twitter: https://twitter.com/USATODAY Follow USA TODAY on Instagram: https://instagram.com/usatoday/... CCTV footage of the 2017 Westminster terror attack has been released. It shows Kurt Cochran strolling with his wife, Melissa, shortly before Khalid Masood carried out a car and knife attack, in which five people were killed and dozens injured. The couple had been in London to celebrate 25 years of m The moment that a car drove into pedestrians on London\'s Westminster Bridge, close to Britain\'s parliament, on March 22 has been captured on video. A speeding car can be seen entering the bridge on the right-hand side of the screen, it then continues along the pavement running over those in its pa A summary of all the key video from the scene of the terror attack in Westminster that left many dead and dozens injured. Get the latest headlines: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/ Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=telegraphtv Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/t Video shows the aftermath of the Westminster bridge where over 10 people were injured after a 4X4 mounted the pavement. Like what you see? Please subscribe http://youtube.com/RTUKnews FOLLOW ON TWITTER: http://twitter.com/RTUKnews FOLLOW ON FACEBOOK: http://fb.com/RTUKnews READ MORE http://rt.c Brought to you by Desert Diamond: http://ddcaz.com LONDON (AP) -- A knife-wielding man went on a deadly rampage in the heart of Britain\'s seat of power Wednesday, plowing a car into pedestrians on London\'s Westminster Bridge before stabbing a police officer to death inside the gates of Parliament. A knife-wielding man plowed a car into pedestrians on London\'s Westminster Bridge before stabbing a police officer to death inside the gates of Parliament. Click here for the full story: http://www.cbc.ca/1.4035964  Subscribe to The National to watch more videos here: https://www.youtube.com/ Shaken but remaining defiant ... just a day after the terrible scenes on Westminster Bridge and outside parliament, people are going about their daily business in the same area. It was the message that came from the Prime Minister Theresa May hours after the attack: that London will not be intimid A Romanian woman who apparently fell into the Thames River during the terror attack in London was rescued by a passing cruise ship, local media reported Thursday. Andreea Cristea, 29, was visiting London with her fianc when an attacker drove his vehicle into a crowd on Westminster Bridge, an iconi
Terrorism diary Share Tommy Robinson, Caolan Robertson and I were filming in a Chelsea studio for Rebel Media. We were recording videos about the imminent threat of Islam and Jihad in Britain, and discussing how MI5 had foiled twelve Islamic attacks since June 2013. As Tommy was recording, we heard the BBC Breaking News alert on our phones. ; Shots Fired at Parliament it read. Within moments, we had decided to grab our camera equipment and microphones, hail a cab and head to Westminster to report on what was happening. There was no word on Twitter or the networks about who the attacker was. All we knew was that a man had driven a 44 across Westminster bridge, mounted the kerb and mowed down 50 people. On leaving the vehicle, the attacker had stabbed an unarmed policeman to death. The journey to Parliament was almost hypnagogic. In the sky, I saw police helicopters circling, but through the window, hundreds of tourists snapped photos of Buckingham Palace as if nothing had changed. To them, Britain was still the great country it was some centuries ago  the historic homeland for freedom, democracy, and enlightenment. Just minutes away, the reality was stark and consuming. At the scene, the BBC had set up opposite the Battle of Britain memorial, while other journalists crowded around the police line to get a glimpse of what was happening. Soon, they recognised Tommy, and surrounded him as he ranted about the nature of the attack on camera. By now, wed come to the conclusion that this must have been an Islamic terror attack. Despite media silence, it was clear the attacker had followed the instructions of Inspire magazine  a booklet produced by Al Qaeda which told its readers to use cars and knives to perform effective, yet low-tech attacks. Ill never forget what a tall, empty-eyed journalist asked Tommy. Arent you also concerned about the threat of far-right terrorism? he said. An Asian reporter chuckled as Tommy answered honestly about the real nature of these attacks being carried out throughout Europe, while others in the media scrum shouted How do you know this is Islamic?. We were just yards away from dead bodies, and yet the media were more concerned about defending the Religion of Peace, and speculating that this could, in fact, have been a far-right attack. It wasnt. The media, the politicians and the police seem unwilling to recognise patterns, and acknowledge the imminent threat that Islam poses in Europe. The police investigating the attack concluded that Khalid Masood, the perpetrator, had acted alone and that his motives may never be known. A day later, Home Secretary Amber Rudd took the stage at a Trafalgar Square vigil, and exclaimed that We are all connected, and today we showed that by coming together, going to work and by getting about our normal business, because the terrorists will not defeat us. At the same vigil, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan told us Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism. And yet, they already are. If Londons only response to terrorism is going to work and getting about their daily lives, then they are, by definition, cowed by terrorism. London is submitting to these attacks and to the people that hate them, accepting these incidents as, in Khans words, part and parcel of living in a big city. As I was leaving London that night, walking through Chelsea to reach the nearby Underground station, I studied the attitudes and behavior of everyone around me. Three professionals were holding bouquets of flowers and muttering quietly about the best route to Westminster station. An old lady with a walking stick just peered at the ground as she crossed the road, and the usually-busy high street was eerily silent. During my journey on the Underground, I saw a middle-aged man, his top button open, his tie pulled loose. As he held the railing and stared into space, you could almost hear his brain reciting I am not racist, I am not racist. Middle class leftists were evidently battling their own problematic thoughts. They wont be cowed by terrorism, they tell themselves, and yet they had no clue what they hoped the government would even do about it. What if, next time, they were the victim of these attacks? What if the offices of their millennial PR companies, or the hip music venues they attend become the focus of the next attacker, in a Bataclan-style massacre? Will they be cowed then? Or will their families go about their lives as normal and chuckle at the futility of these brutal strikes? These burdensome thoughts are unquestionably the reason the middle class are so quick to compare Islamic terrorism with far-right terrorism  whatever thats meant to mean. Acknowledging patterns is racist, and making the assumption that such attacks are inspired by Islam is simply beyond the pale. To worry about future attacks is Islamophobic, and the only cure is a hefty dose of virtue signaling. If our only response to these atrocities is to ignore them, to stand silent on trains battling our own racist thoughts, to lay flowers in the street and loudly exclaim we are not defeated!, then what does a victory really look like? Will we be winning every time our own blood is let on our own soil? In the wake of the attack on the 22nd March, London is neither united nor strong. The community spirit and strength seen in New York City after 9/11 wasnt seen here. Instead, London was despondent, sunk in an air of quiet defeatism. They were not a people angered, but a mass of tired moderates accepting that this is their life now. And it is.
Westminster attack: MPs and peers to question security procedures Read more A video captured at long-range emerged showing Cristea fall as Masood careered towards her. She was pulled from the water by a lifeboat crew. Cristea was in London for a short break with her boyfriend, Andrei Burnaz, who has since been discharged from hospital, the Metropolitan police said. A statement released on behalf of the families of Cristea and Burnaz said: Our family is so grateful for the first responders, the medical personnel and the assistance of the UK government agencies. Andreea is still in a critical but stable condition and benefits from the best medical healthcare possible. We are overwhelmed by the love, support and respect for our Andreea. The Metropolitan police have been and continue to work tirelessly in providing their care and support during this very difficult time. Police officers are among those expected to join together on Wednesday on Westminster Bridge to mark a week since the attack. The Metropolitan Police Federation said the intention was to link hands across Westminster Bridge from the south to the north at the moment the attack began. Organisers said the event will show we will not be divided. Linking all nations, faiths, orientation and sexes. It was expected to begin at 2.15pm, and a minutes silence to remember those who died would take place at 2.40pm. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association will be involved, and about 500 participants are expected on the bridge, wearing T-shirts printed with the message: I am a Muslim, ask me anything. Masood was a convert to Islam. An inquest into the deaths of PC Keith Palmer, Aysha Frade, Kurt Cochran and Leslie Rhodes opened at Westminster coroners court on Wednesday. An inquest into Masoods death will open on Thursday. Masood ran over Frade, Cochran and Rhodes as he drove at up to 76mph in a Hyundai Tucson across the crowded tourist spot at about 2.40pm on 22 March before crashing into railings around the courtyard of the Palace of Westminster. The 52-year-old then leapt from the 4x4 vehicle and ran through the gates of parliament, stabbed Palmer to death and shortly after was shot dead by a protection officer. Palmer, 48, who was married and had a five-year-old daughter, had served as a police officer for 15 years. His funeral will take place on 10 April at Southwark Cathedral, south London. He will receive a full police service funeral, followed by a private cremation. Cochran, 54, from Utah, in the US, was in London with his wife Melissa on the last day of a trip celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary. Melissa Cochran is being treated in hospital for neck and rib injuries. Frade, 44, a mother of two who worked in administration at an independent sixth-form school, DLD College London, in Westminster, had left work and was walking over the bridge to pick up her daughters from school when she was killed. Rhodes, 75, was a retired window cleaner from south London. He suffered serious injuries and died in Kings College hospital a day later. Police temporarily closed Westminster Bridge before the gathering after a man and a woman fell into the Thames on Wednesday in separate incidents. The man has not been recovered and emergency services have called off the search. Shortly before 11.30am the man, believed to be in his 20s, jumped from the bridge, the Met confirmed. His death is not being treated as suspicious. Emergency services called off the search at 12.22pm. At 1.11pm, a woman also jumped into the Thames, the Met said. She was recovered from the water by the RNLI shortly afterwards and was being dealt with under the Mental Health Act, according to a Met spokesman. In the UK, the Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14. Hotlines in other countries can be found here.
BREAKING: British-US Toxin, Not Novichok used in Salisbury Attack Published on April 14, 2018 Written by rightedition.com Swiss lab says BZ toxin used in Salisbury, not produced in Russia, was in US & UK service. The substance used on Sergei Skripal was an agent called BZ, according to Swiss state Spiez lab, the Russian foreign minister said. The toxin was never produced in Russia, but was in service in the US, UK, and other NATO states. Sergei Skripal, a former Russian double agent, and his daughter Yulia were poisoned with an incapacitating toxin known as 3-Quinuclidinyl benzilate or BZ, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, citing the results of the examination conducted by a Swiss chemical lab that worked with the samples that London handed over to the Organisation for the Prohibition of the Chemical Weapons (OPCW). The Swiss center sent the results to the OPCW. However, the UN chemical watchdog limited itself only to confirming the formula of the substance used to poison the Skripals in its final report without mentioning anything about the other facts presented in the Swiss document, the Russian foreign minister added. He went on to say that Moscow would ask the OPCW about its decision to not include any other information provided by the Swiss in its report. The Swiss center mentioned by Lavrov is the Spiez Laboratory controlled by the Swiss Federal Office for Civil Protection and ultimately by the countrys defense minister. The lab is also an internationally recognized center of excellence in the field of the nuclear, biological, and chemical protection and is one of the five centers permanently authorized by the OPCW. The Russian foreign minister said that London refused to answer dozens of very specific questions asked by Moscow about the Salisbury case, as well as to provide any substantial evidence that could shed light on the incident. Instead, the UK accused Russia of failing to answer its own questions, he said, adding that, in fact, London did not ask any questions but wanted Moscow to admit that it was responsible for the delivery of the chemical agent to the UK. The scandal erupted in early March, when former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found in critical condition in the town of Salisbury. Top UK officials almost immediately pinned the blame on Russia. Moscow believes that the entire Skripal case lacks transparency and that the UK is in fact not interested in an independent inquiry. We get the impression that the British government is deliberately pursuing the policy of destroying all possible evidence, classifying all remaining materials and making a transparent investigation impossible, the Russian ambassador to the UK, Alexander Yakovenko, said during a press conference on Friday. Sam John O'Sullivan Sam, I would agree it would be unwise to just take the word of any Russian government appointee in such a serious matter. However, the Russians claim their source is the highly-respected Swiss Spiez laboratory. They officially tested the samples from Salisbury submitted to them by Organisation for the Prohibition of the Chemical Weapons (OPCW). Unless/until Spiez Lab deny the Russian claim, then it is reasonable to accept this latest revelation as credible. Brian Coss Sam Always verify, the Russians always lie, and the lab could be compromised. Makes no sense for the Brits to do that and blame the Russians, or did a Russian operative in the British government do it to misdirect? Perhaps, the gassing was concocted by the DNC and Robert Mueller to get the President and May in a collision. (LOL) Speculation, but the Ruskies have always had that MO. John O'Sullivan I have been checking up 3-Quinuclidinyl benzilate or BZ and it fits to the Skripals symptoms to a tee: a hallucinogenic and incapacitating chemical warfare agent. BZ is disseminated as an aerosol, through the respiratory system. BZ affects both peripheral and central nervous systems.  signs of disorientation, agitation, tremor, ataxia, stupor, coma, and seizures may occur. BZ is disseminated as a small particle aerosol and so may be present on clothing, which is removed and sealed in a plastic bag, or skin, which is washed with water. If severe delirium and agitation occur, then the patient may require sedation with a benzodiazepine.https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/3-quinuclidinyl-benzilate British Police asked the people who were in contact with the Skripals to wash their clothes or throw them away in sealed bags. Both father and daughter were kept under heavy sedation for at least three weeks. Yulia said that she feels disoriented. QED Sam Biological effects. Nerve agents attack the nervous system of the human body. All such agents function the same way resulting in cholinergic crisis: they inhibit the enzyme acetylcholinesterase, which is responsible for the breakdown of acetylcholine (ACh) in the synapses between nerves that control muscle contraction. However, nerve agents are much more potent than organophosphate pesticides. Sarin originally was developed in 1938 in Germany as a pesticide. Sarin is a clear, colorless, and tasteless liquid that has no odor in its pure form. However, sarin can evaporate into a vapor (gas) and spread into the environment. Often the most important first step in treating nerve agent exposure is to decontaminate the patient. This is normally done by removing contaminated clothing, thoroughly washing body and hair with soap and water, and flushing eyes with large amounts of water or saline solution. Contaminated clothing should be double-bagged after removal to prevent further exposure. It is important that anyone treating a contaminated person should wear appropriate personal protective equipment to avoid exposure. Nerve agent poisoning can be treated with the antidotes atropine and pralidoxime chloride (2-PAM chloride). Atropine has anticholinergic properties that are particularly effective at peripheral muscarinic sites, but are less effective at nicotinic sites. 2-PAM chloride cleaves the nerve agent from the cholinesterase enzyme and restores the enzymes activity. In contrast to atropines action, the effects of 2-PAM chloride are most noticeable at tissues with nicotinic receptors; muscarinic effects are not observably altered. The efficacy of 2-PAM chloride for treating patients decreases as time elapses due to the strengthening or aging of the nerve agent-enzyme bond. This so-called aging occurs most rapidly with soman, and 2-PAM chloride may be ineffective for exposures to soman unless administered within several minutes of exposure. Repeated administration of both atropine and 2-PAM chloride may be needed to reverse the effects of nerve agents on patients. Benzodiazepine administration may also be necessary to control seizures, and phentolamine may be needed to treat 2-PAM chloride-induced hypertension. Both atropine and 2-PAM chloride are available to medical professionals as spring-loaded auto-injector syringes for intramuscular administration. Mark I kits consist of one syringe containing 2 mg atropine and another containing 600 mg 2-PAM chloride. The doses provided by the Mark I kits are designed for adults and these kits have not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use of children. Atropine alone in auto-injector form is available as the AtroPen in amounts of 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 mg. 2-PAM chloride alone is available in auto-injector form as the 600 mg ComboPen. John O'Sullivan BZ was invented by the Swiss pharmaceutical company Hoffman-LaRoche in 1951.[2] The company was investigating anti-spasmodic agents, similar to tropine, for treating gastrointestinal ailments when the chemical was discovered.[2] It was then investigated for possible use in ulcer treatment, but was found unsuitable. At this time the United States military investigated it along with a wide range of possible nonlethal, psychoactive incapacitating agents including psychedelic drugs such as LSD and THC, dissociative drugs such as ketamine and phencyclidine, potent opioids such as fentanyl, as well as several glycolate anticholinergics.[3][4] By 1959 the United States Army showed significant interest in deploying it as a chemical warfare agent.[2] It was originally designated TK, but when it was standardized by the Army in 1961 it received the NATO code name BZ.[2] The agent commonly became known as Buzz because of this abbreviation and the effects it had on the mental state of the human volunteers intoxicated with it in research studies at Edgewood Arsenal in Maryland.[2] As described in retired Army psychiatrist James Ketchums autobiographical book Chemical Warfare: Secrets Almost Forgotten (2006), work proceeded in 1964 when a general envisioned a scheme to incapacitate an entire trawler with aerosolized BZ; this effort was dubbed Project DORK.[5] BZ was ultimately weaponized for delivery in the M44 generator cluster and the M43 cluster bomb, until all such stocks were destroyed in 1989 as part of a general downsizing of the US chemical warfare program. Finally, In 1994, The Committee On Veterans Affairs Of The United States Senate confirmed the involvement of the Army and CIA in covert operations involving the testing of BZ: Is Military Research Hazardous To Veterans Health? Lessons Spanning Half A Century 3A Staff Report Prepared For The Committee On Veterans Affairs United States Senate, December 8, 1994 For at least 50 years, DOD [Department of Defese] has knowingly exposed military personnel to potentially dangerous substances, often in secret. The U.S. General Accounting Office issued a report on September 28, 1994, which stated that between 1940 and 1974, DOD and other national security agencies studied hundreds of thousands of human subjects in tests and experiments involving hazardous substances. GAO stated that some tests and experiments were conducted in secret. Medical research involving the testing of nerve agents, nerve agent antidotes, psychochemicals and irritants was often classified. Additionally, some work conducted for DOD by contractors still remains classified today. For example, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has not released the names of 15 of the approximately 80 organizations that conducted experiments under the MKULTRA program, which gave psychochemical drugs to an undetermined number of people without their knowledge or consent. According to the GAO report, the CIA has not released this information because the organizations do not want to be identified. . . . (underline mine). Hallucinogens Working with the CIA the Department of Defense gave hallucinogenic drugs to thousands of volunteer soldiers in the 1950s and 1960s. In addition to LSD, the Army also tested quinuclidinyl benzilate, a hallucinogen code-named BZ. Many of these tests were conducted under the so-called MKULTRA program, established to counter perceived Soviet and Chinese advances in brainwashing techniques. Between 1953 and 1964, the program consisted of 149 projects involving drug testing and other studies on unwitting human subjects. Although many human subjects were not informed or protected, Dr. Gottlieb defended those actions by stating harsh as it may seem in retrospect, it was felt that in an issue where national survival might be concerned, such a procedure and such a risk was a reasonable one to take. Sam I am fully aware of what the CIA did in the 50s and the 60s. Still, I am very skeptical of the Soviets, especially V. Putin and his Komitet gosudarstvennoy bezopasnosti background, which lends itself to obfuscation and misdirection. I am enjoying this repartee with you, John. Gary Mullennix Gee, why would anyone blame Russia? Or Putin? Theyve always been above reproach. They have a diligent, free and active activist press who would alert the world in a moment if any untoward psyops activity was fomented by either. Right? John O'Sullivan I am no fan of Putin or his regime. But I speak as I find. In 2010 rt.com invited myself and Piers Corbyn (weatheraction.com) to appear live on prime time news to make our points about the great global warming scam and we were fairly treated. See link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24aEw7f1Xuc I am also aware that Larry King, Max Keiser among many other US citizens have prominent and uncensored shows on Russian tv. Indeed, it is thanks to rt.com that anyone online can hear the superb expert opinion of British Major-General Jonathan Shaw, formerly one of the British Armys most senior officers, exposing the UKs nonsense narrative on the alleged Syrian government gas attack in Douma. General Shaw was cut off in mid sentence when interviewed on UKs Sky News exposing this false flag crap:https://www.rt.com/news/424078-sky-news-general-shaw/ So, yes, never take on face value anything said by the Russian govt, but be aware that quite often they can be of use in helping us get to the truth of a story. Sam John Harrison It seems there are a fair number of Russian patsies subscribing and commenting here. Useful idiots to the Kremlin in spreading their ludicrous attempts at disinformation. Spiez, it appears have issued no such report and neither would they. I just cannot understand why anybody in their right mind would believe anything Putin would have to say in this matter. Some of the most idiotic claims have been made by the Kremlin, most of them way beyond belief except to those with sucker stamped on their forehead. These ridiculous claims being made demonstrate just how desperate are the Kremlin to try and shake off accusations of this appalling crime. The Russian disinformation department have always operated on the principal that the more unbelievable the story the more likely some idiots will believe, particularly the conspiracy theorist brigade, that there must be some truth in what is being spouted. Heaven preserve us from these gullible morons. John Harrison Please do us all a favour, check your facts before aiding Russian misinformation by spreading such drivel. You are scientists and isnt that supposed to be what scientists do? You are quick enough to complain about such behaviour from climate alarmists. Wise up. John Harrison Hi. Im afraid your logical deductions lack proper logic. I use common sense and proper investigation before adopting a point of view. That viewpoint is subject to moderation at any time in the light of new and trustworthy evidence. Do I trust the Kremlins ideas on the subject of the Skripals poisoning? Silly question. Who in their right mind would place any trust in a man like Putin? John O'Sullivan John, You miss the point. I am relying only on Sundays response from the Swiss lab. Please read my prior comment carefully. The Swiss labs press release conspicuously avoids all mention of the BZ nerve agent. I am sure you can appreciate that a failure to deny is equivalent to an admission. Now look at other facts, scientific and circumstantial that undermine the official story. Yesterday I posted standard chemical analysis of the symptoms of BZ poisoning  they exactly match the symptoms exhibited by the Skripals. Moreover, novichok is rated one of the deadliest nerve agents. By contrast, BZ is known to be non-fatal, even in high doses. We know that of the three reported cases (2 Skripals, 1 police detective) there are zero fatalities. Dont you think it is odd that the first responder to the Skripals emergency call was a detective sergeant? I have been married to a police officer. Detectives are NEVER first responders. Moreover, emergency service personnel at the scene were not wearing hazmat protective clothing, etc, Dont you smell something fishy at all? Sam Sam John O'Sullivan Sam, Go check for yourself and verify that the Swiss labs response to the Russian claim that BZ was also in the Salisbury sample was to ignore the issue and simply refer to Novichok. The lab was at pains to carefully word their statement. So why did they not mention BZ? Their statement Sunday afternoon reads: Only OPCW can comment this assertion. But we can repeat what we stated 10 days ago: We have no doubt that Porton Down has identified Novichock. Sam Jim The UK government regularly used false flags against Irish Catholics in Northern Ireland in fact Theresa May acted to prevent the prosecution of British soldiers accused of e.g. using Catholic children as human shields, assassinations and bombings to incriminate the IRA. The UK government has been using this anti-Russian race hatred as policy before Donald Trump and in terms of Yulia Skripal she has been disappeared. This in order to continue this fiction. The Skripals were found on the bench in Salisbury waving their arms, shouting. In fact the early news reports suggested they had used fentanyl. Only later did news reports change to where we are now. A-234 would have killed them especially in that pure form. Few of us in Britain accept this governments story and its truly disturbing that a Russian citizen can be held hostage in this manner in Britain. db Arguing the veracity of the Russians vs the US & their joined at the hip allies is equivalent to arguing the veracity of the Republicans vs the Democrats, the US Administration vs the US Congress, et al And those who only subscribe to one side, typically w/ no drilling down into as many reasonable sources as possible, are as likely to be misled as not As illustrated by some of the respondents to this thread John O'Sullivan Db, You are dead right. The police investigation into the events in Salisbury is also still ongoing, but the government did not wait for any conclusion from them before insisting that it was highly likely that Russia was to blame for targeting the Skripals. But today we learn the British delegation to the OPCW has admitted that international chemical weapons inspectors did NOT confirm the origin of the nerve agent used in the Salisbury attack. So the UK had ZERO official proof before hanging Russia. This is how world wars get started. Principia Scientific International (PSI) is a not-for-profit community interest association. PRINCIPIA SCIENTIFIC INTERNATIONAL is legally registered in the UK as a company incorporated for charitable purposes. Head Office: 27 Old Gloucester Street, London WC1N 3AX. Telephone: Calls from within the UK: 020 7419 5027. International dialling: (44) 20 7419 5027.
Man arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences after Westminster crash2:45 A man has been arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences after a car crashed into barriers outside of the Houses of Parliament in London yesterday. British police say they are treating the crash as a terrorist incident, but maintain there is no further threat to the UK. Counter-terror officers have today conducted raids on addresses in the Midlands following the collision. Witnesses say the 29-year-old deliberately drove into a number of cyclists before he crashed into the police barriers. Two people were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, while another man was also treated at the scene. A SUDANESE immigrant, thought to be behind Londons latest terror attack, has been revealed as a shy Celine Dion-loving British national whose dad and brother recently died. Salih Khater, 29, who veered off the road careering into pedestrians and 15 cyclists at Westminster on Tuesday morning, was most recently living in a rundown flat above an internet cafe in Sparkhill, Birmingham Customers sit outside the Bunna internet Cafe in Stratford Road in Sparkbrook, which has been searched by police as part of the investigation into the suspected terror attack in Westminster. Picture: GettySource:Getty Images Last night he refused to answer police questions over the incident which sent the citys parliamentary precinct into lockdown. Details have now begin to emerge about the suspect, who describes himself on Facebook as a shop manager who studied at the Sudan University of Science and Technology. He also studied accountancy at Coventry University between September 2017 and May 2018, the university confirmed. It was reported today Khater had dreams about being a pharmacist but failed part of his course at South & City College in Digbeth because his English was too poor. Khater grew up in the rural town of Wad Madani where his parents were farmers. He came to the UK around five years ago and recently lost his dad and brother within months of each other, the Daily Mail reported. One friend said he understood his relatives died in Sudan in separate car crashes and he was devastated by his sudden loss. Khater was also reportedly being investigated over irregularities in his British citizenship in the days leading up to the attack, the website claims, but the Home Office refused to comment. He is understood to have told friends he was going to London to collect a visa for Sudan before the attack yesterday morning. His Facebook profile includes videos from pop stars Celine Dion, Eminem and Rihanna  including Dion singing Because You Loved Me in Memphis. He posted another video of Eminem and Rihannas Love The Way You Lie. Police officers work outside Brinklow Court, Highgate, where they are searching a flat on the 10th floor as part of the investigation into the suspected terror attack in Westminster. Picture: GettySource:Getty Images Friends described their shock at hearing about his alleged involvement in the attack, describing him as quiet and a good person. Abrha Tomas, 35, said: Everybody knows him. I knew this guy. Hes a good person. Ive known him for about six or seven years. I dont know where he lives. We played pool together. I dont think it was terrorism. Hes not that kind of person. Mr Tomas suggested the incident was unintentional. It was an accident just like anyone would have, he said. There were two ambulances behind him trying to pass and he tried to get out the way and lost control. Childhood friend Abubakr Ibrahim, 30, told The Sun: Hes a very good man and he has no idea about terrorism. When I heard (what had happened) I was surprised. I really cant believe my friend would do that, even cannibals wouldnt do (something like) that. British counter terrorism police yesterday raided three properties, including one in Nottingham where the Ford Fiesta used in the attack was registered. The silver Ford Fiesta after it crashed outside the Houses of Parliament in a suspected terror attack. Picture: APSource:AP Khater is reported to have driven from his flat in Birmingham, in the Midlands, to London late on Monday night. He spent the early hours of Tuesday driving around central London, including the tourist hot spots along Tottenham Court Road. He then spent 90 minutes driving around Whitehall and Westminster, before the 7.37am attack. Three people were injured. One of the victims was treated for minor injuries at the scene, while a man and a woman were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Both were discharged overnight. Armed police surrounded a car and arrested a man after a number of pedestrians were hit before ploughing into security barriers outside Parliament in Westminster, London. Picture: Sky TVSource:Supplied The Metropolitan Police Service said the attack appeared to have been deliberate and it is being treated as a terrorist incident led by the Mets Counter Terrorism Command. Specialist officers, trained in recognising anxiety, spent the day examining those in the crowd around the scene of the attack to identify anyone who may be in the area for terrorist or other criminal purposes. These officers are both in uniform and plain clothes and will confront anyone they suspect may be in an area for criminal purposes, the Met said. The wide cordon around Westminster was confined to a smaller area around the car on Tuesday afternoon and thousands of tourists, some unaware of the incident, flocked to the area, which had a beefed-up police presence. Many stopped to ask the large media contingent what had happened, while others posed for photos in front of the scene.
The floral tributes placed in Parliament Square, following the attack in Westminster. Photograph: Peter Nicholls/Reuters Those of us who work in the Palace of Westminster as journalists enjoy extraordinary privilege. We live, socialise and work with the politicians who run the country. We see them daily, in their different guises, not just from high above in the press gallery of the Commons chamber, but all the time in person, as colleagues or friends. We wander the same corridors and cloisters. We stop to chat with MPs, peers, advisers, exchanging news and gossip. We, like them, are part of the palace, at democracys heart, and part of the system. We get together with ministers and MPs over lunch, coffee, tea or a drink. That is our job, and part of theirs. We sometimes take for granted the police who observe our movements on every corner, check our passes at each point of entry, and risk their safety to guard us. We forget, too, that thousands of people stop every day and stare at us from outside the palace perimeter, many from Westminster Bridge, eager to glimpse the political inner sanctum that to us is just routine. We are shielded here, at the heart of power  safe, secure, fortunate, and insufficiently grateful. One of the joys of showing visitors round the Houses of Parliament  a friend or family member  is that they remind us how special our world is. When they come to prime ministers questions or enter the House of Lords with all its finery, they become wide-eyed with fascination, and leave, invariably, awestruck. They see politics and politicians, suddenly alive before their eyes, in a place with so much history and grandeur that it is difficult to absorb in one short visit. Do you realise how lucky, how privileged you are? is the response I encounter almost every time I escort an outsider around. The answer is partly yes. Of course we realise. But partly no, because it is so easy to forget. This is a place of work for MPs, peers, officials, palace staff, we journalists. It might be the centre of democracy but it is our normal. It is always like this. Or at least it was. On Wednesday at 2.40pm, suddenly, horribly, we were no longer set apart, protected in our bubble and safe in our uniquely rarified workplace. Parliament had been violated. Those dreadful moments when everyone inside the palace realised they had become terror targets were, at first, impossible to compute. Politicians never like to look anything but composed. And nor do the police. But in those appalling minutes many wore looks of sheer horror. I had just finished a lunch with a minister in a restaurant in Portcullis House  the modern part of the Commons  and was heading towards New Palace Yard to our offices in the press gallery under Big Ben. At the bottom of the escalator, I saw several armed police officers and could not understand why they were shouting at people getting on behind me, from the top. Initially I thought it was a problem with the escalator itself. But the officers were gesticulating frantically, and shouting, No, no get out, get out, get off. From the other direction, coming from New Palace Yard, a group of MPs, including Penny Mordaunt, a minister, and the Lib Dem leader Tim Farron rushed past and somebody screamed: Shots are being fired, just get out, out, out! We didnt know then but we were underneath the section of road, at the end of Westminster Bridge, where the attacker had driven minutes before into dozens of passersby, and crashed his car into the railings, before pushing his way in and stabbing PC Keith Palmer, fatally. London attack: police seize three vehicles after armed raid in Birmingham  as it happened Read more Terrified, we escaped to Westminster underground station and headed to New Scotland Yard, just down the Embankment. Everyone was texting their families. The MPs were desperate to know their staff inside were safe. One MP among our fleeing group said over and over again that this was just the beginning. Opposite, on the other side of the Thames, the London Eye was halted mid-trip. Tourists were suspended, high above London, able to witness it all if they were not too petrified to do so. We, and they, were fortunate. We would find out later that a policeman and three passersby, including a mother going to pick up her children, had died. Later, I walked two hours home because the roads were all jammed, not knowing the full details. I never thought I would suffer delayed shock. Why should that happen to someone who lost no one, and only saw a lot of people fearing for their lives and feared for his own for just a few seconds? I was wrong. People had died and many had been terribly injured, including so many young. Next morning, when pictures of PC Palmer were on every TV screen and every front page, and it seemed impossible to avoid the images of horror, and 12 forensic officers crawled on hands and knees where the policeman had died below our offices, everything that 24 hours before had seemed safe and normal now felt terrifyingly disturbed and distorted and, worst of all, just appallingly sad. Politicians never like to look anything but composed. And nor do the police. But many wore looks of sheer horror.
'We are not afraid': Theresa May delivers her parliament speech less than 24 hours after the London attack LONDON  Prime Minister Theresa May told MPs that the country is not afraid as she delivered her first speech to the House of Commons following Wednesdays terrorist attacks in London. May was speaking to MPs less than 24 hours after a yet to be identified terrorist fatally stabbed a police officer in the entrance to parliament shortly after mowing down pedestrians on nearby Westminster bridge, killing at least two. She said: Yesterday, an act of terrorism tried to silence our democracy but today we meet as normal. As generations have done before us and future generations will continue to do, to deliver a simple message: we are not afraid. Our resolve will never waver in the face of terrorism. We know that democracy and the values it entails will always prevail. The prime minister said that the greatest response lies in the actions of ordinary people. Millions of people are going about their ordinary lives People will be boarding buses and trains to come to London as she speaks, she says, to see the best city on earth. This is the response that shows we will never give in to terrorism. It is the same spirit that drove a husband and father to put himself between us and th attack, and to pay the ultimate price. Let this be the message for us today; our values will prevail. The prime minister added that the attacks were an attack on free speech, liberty, human rights and the rule of law and free people in London and beyond. She went on to say: Yesterday we saw the worst of humanity, but we will remember the best. She also confirmed that the attacker was British-born and once investigated by MI5 for terrorism-related activity as a peripheral figure but was not part of the current intelligence picture. She did not disclose any more details. Yesterday an act of terrorism tried to silence our democracy. But today we meet as normal, as generations have done before us and as future generations will continue to do, to deliver a simple message: we are not afraid and our resolve will never waver in the face of terrorism. And we meet here in the oldest of all parliaments because we know democracy and the values it entails will always prevail. Those values free speech, liberty, human rights and rule of law are embodied here in this place and shared by free people around the world. A terrorist came to the place where people of all nationalities and culture gather to celebrate what it means to be free. He took out his rage indiscriminately on men, women and children. This was an attack on free people everywhere and on behalf of the British people I would like to thank our friends and allies around the world who have made it clear they stand with us. What happened on the streets of Westminster sickened us all. While there is an ongoing police investigation, the House will understand there are limits to what I can say but having been updated by police and security officials let me set out what at this stage I can tell the House. At approximately 2.40pm yesterday a single attacker drove his vehicle at speed into innocent pedestrians crossing Westminster Bridge, killing two people and injuring around 40 more. In addition to 12 Britons admitted to hospital, we know the victims include three French children, two Romanians, four South Koreans, one German, one Pole, one Irish, one Chinese, one Italian, one American and two Greeks. We are in close contacts with the governments of the countries of all those affected. The injured also included three police officers returning from an event to recognise their bravery  Two of those three remain in a serious condition. The attacker then left the vehicle and approached a police officer at Carriage Gates, attacking that officer with a large knife before he was shot dead by an armed police officer. Tragically48-year-oldd PC Keith Palmer was killed May confirmed on Thursday morning that the terror risk level remained at severe, meaning an attack is deemed highly likely but has not been increased to critical as theres currently no intelligence to suggest an imminent attack. May was quickly ushered into a car and driven away from Westminster as the attack took place. Conservative MP Tobias Elwood attempted mouth-to-mouth on PC Palmer prior to the officer passing away. A candlelit vigil will take place at nearby Trafalgar Square tonight in solidarity with the victims.
Follow the author of this article Follow the topics within this article It was the terrorist attack that police and security services always feared, but hoped would never come. A man, dressed all in black, drove a car at 50mph the full length of Westminster Bridge, aiming deliberately at pedestrians and cyclists. The bodies were scattered in his wake. One woman died after she was hit and thrown under the wheels of a bus; another woman was struck as she walked past a stand selling postcards to tourists. She lay on the ground under the shadow of Big Ben, blood pouring from the wound in her head and seeping into cracks in the pavement. The driver of the Hyundai 4x4 then crashed the vehicle into the iron railings that surround the Palace of Westminster, hitting at least two more pedestrians. He leapt from the car and ran around the corner, brandishing a kitchen knife, eight inches long. Hundreds of tourists and workers, panicked into a stampede, ran for their lives while, the attacker, now on foot, headed for Parliament Square and pushed past police officers at the barrier to New Palace Yard. Just within the entrance he slashed and stabbed at an unarmed policeman, who would later die of his wounds. The Prime Minister, Theresa May, had been due to leave the House of Commons for the short drive to Downing Street when the attack happened. Police said last night five were confirmed dead: the terrorist, the policeman and three people killed on the bridge. At least 40 more were injured, several of them critically. The death toll, it was feared, would rise. This is a day that we had planned for  that we all hoped would never happen  but sadly it is now a reality, said Acting Deputy Commissioner, Mark Rowley, who is in overall charge of Britains Counter Terrorism Police. Mrs May would later declare, in a speech just before 9pm on the steps of Downing Street: We will never give in to terror; we will never allow hate and evil to drive us apart. The carnage had begun a little over six hours earlier. At first I thought the car had lost balance, but he was going in and coming back in a zig-zag, he did it about three times, said Ismail Hassan, 45, who was riding his motorbike on Westminster Bridge when he saw the 30,000 grey Hyundai Santa Fe  registered in Chelmsford, Essex  career towards him. When he got to the shop he started hitting people, driving into people. The car was hitting people on the pavement, he said. The third time [he zig-zagged] there was a guy who collapsed in the middle of the road. He wasnt moving at all. At first we didnt know what was happening, it took less than 10 seconds. It was six or seven people injured that I saw with my own eyes. Mr Hassan attempted to hold people back as an ambulance was called. Im sickened, I dont know whats going on, he said. One victim was seen trapped under the rear wheel of a bus. A junior doctor later confirmed the worst. Colleen Anderson at St Thomas Hospital said a female pedestrian had died. I confirmed one fatality. A woman. She was under the wheel of a bus. She died, confirmed her death at the scene. Dr Anderson added: There were people across the bridge. There were some with minor injuries, some catastrophic. Radek Sikorski, Polands former foreign minister and now a senior fellow at the Harvard Centre for European Studies, posted a video on Twitter showing people lying injured. The horrifying images were some of the first posted on the internet. I heard what I thought was just a collision and then I looked through the window of the taxi and [saw] someone down, obviously in great distress, said Mr Sikorski. Then I saw a second person down, and I started filming, then I saw three more people down, one of them bleeding profusely. Police officers were also hit and injured. They had been walking along the bridge, having just come from a commendation ceremony. One of the group, who was in his thirties, suffered a head injury. He was being treated last night at Kings College Hospital, south London. The hospital said it was treating eight patients in total, two of them critical. After perhaps 10 seconds, the Hyundai had come to a halt just off the bridge; the driver, deliberately or otherwise, having crashed into the railings in opposite parliamentary offices in Portcullis House. Eyewitnesses had described how the bearded man, said to be of Asian appearance and in his forties, had then leapt from the car. But his attack was far from over. Rick Longley, 50, a health and safety manager from Tunbridge Wells, Kent, recalled: He got out the car. I was standing next to the policeman right at the entrance where Big Ben is right behind you. There was a car crash and all the crowd surged around the corner. I couldnt work out why they were surging. Frazer Clarke, 25, said the attacker had two knives. The police officer was stumbling and fell on the floor. Katie Marthini, who was on holiday and visiting Westminster, said: We heard four shots. It was in the enclosure next to Big Ben. I was next to it. I didnt see what happened next, its terrifying we ran. Everyone was running. Jayne Wilkinson, another tourist, said: We were taking photos of Big Ben and we saw all the people running towards us, and then there was an Asian guy in about his forties carrying a knife about seven or eight inches long, she said. There were three shots fired, and then we crossed the road and looked over. The man was on the floor with blood. He had a lightweight jacket on, dark trousers and a shirt. He was running through those gates, towards Parliament, and the police were chasing. Her partner, David Turner, added: There was a stampede of people running out. You saw the people and you thought what the hell is going on. Journalists had witnessed the events too. Gordon Rayner, The Daily Telegraph political editor, said: A man who appeared to be carrying a knife, who had got around 25 yards inside the gates, was rushing towards a policeman who pulled a pistol and fired three shots into his chest from around six feet away. Knocked off his feet by the impact of the bullets, he fell backwards on to the cobbles. Quentin Letts, The Daily Mails parliamentary sketch writer, said: I saw a thick-set man in black clothes come through the gates ... he had something in his hand, it looked like a stick of some sort, and he was challenged by a couple of policemen in yellow jackets. And one of the yellow-jacketed policemen fell down and we could see the man in black moving his arm in a way that suggested he was stabbing or striking the yellow-jacketed policeman. He added: As this attacker was running towards the entrance two plain-clothed guys with guns shouted at him what sounded like a warning, he ignored it and they shot two or three times and he fell. Mr Ellwood, whose brother died in the Bali bombing in 2002, gave PC Palmer mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and stemmed the blood flow by applying pressure to the wounds. Mr Ellwood  himself a former soldier  remained with the injured officer awaiting paramedics. Blood covered his hand and his forehead. Inside Parliament, security services went into overdrive. Theresa May had been in the voting lobby and was bundled out of the Palace of Westminster and into a waiting silver Jaguar car. Andrew Bridgen, the Conservative MP, saw Mrs May being led to safety. Mr Bridgen said: We were just about to vote and I was behind the Prime Minister and the first time I realised something was happening was when her security detail came and spoke to the prime minister and she moved away very quickly. Ive watched the Prime Minister moved away by the biggest plain-clothed police officer Ive ever seen. He put his arm around her and took her very quickly away. Grant Shapps MP described the ordeal. Its something everyone has feared at some point, he said. I was walking through the cloisters and I hear four pops. The police have got their weapons drawn in the palace yard. An officer shouted get down and we were on our hands and knees. I thought OK this is it now. I came back into the lobby. People were calm. We were on our hands and knees but calm. You cant stop a lunatic in a car but its very important we carry on as usual. Parliament was put into lockdown. Rumours spread of a second assailant, a theory only knocked down by Scotland yard several hours later. As many as 600 ministers, MPs, researchers and journalists were kept locked in Westminster Hall, the cavernous chamber that is the entry point into the building proper. Officers took details of those in the hall, many of whom will have witnessed the attack or its aftermath. Heidi Allen, the Conservative MP, told The Telegraph: Hundreds of us are all locked in the chamber and voting lobbies, waiting for news. I believe the police are checking every corner and every room. Everyone is sitting around checking their phones, watching the TV and trying to find out what is going on and hoping the police officer and civilians are OK. I was under the colonnade, right at the arch by Speakers Court when the shots went off to my right and armed police ran towards me, pushing me into a doorway. Outside the Palace of Westminster, the emergency services had gone to work, setting up makeshift treatment areas for the wounded. An air ambulance landed in Parliament Square. Some 53 Year Six pupils from St John and St Francis School in Bridgwater, Somerset, had been on a trip to the Palace of Westminster. To calm their nerves, the pupils, aged 10 and 11, began singing. A member of school staff tweeted: We are safe, happy and lightening the mood with a sing song. Were all fine. Weve all been sent to the central part of the Houses of Parliament. Were all together and happy. A Labour councillor later tweeted: Apparently there are schoolchildren singing songs in Parliament to lift peoples spirits. How beautifully British.
They were just laying there and then the whole crowd just surged around the corner by the gates just opposite Big Ben. A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman. I have never seen anything like that. I just cant believe what I just saw. Around three shots rang out as the attacker ran through the gates into the front yard of the parliamentary compound. Two people  thought to be the knifeman and the officer  were then seen being treated on the ground in New Palace Yard amid shouts and screams. An air ambulance landed in Parliament Square and a regular ambulance came in through the front gates as medics rushed to help the injured people. Armed police cleared the area around the incident and Parliament Square was closed to traffic while Parliament went into lockdown. As the sitting in the House of Commons was suspended, Commons Leader David Lidington told MPs: What I am able to say to the House is there has been a serious incident within the estate. It seems that a police officer has been stabbed, that the alleged assailant was shot by armed police. An air ambulance is currently attending the scene to remove the casualties. Witnesses described seeing a middle-aged man carrying a knife and running. Jayne Wilkinson said: We were taking photos of Big Ben and we saw all the people running towards us, and then there was an Asian guy in about his 40s carrying a knife about seven or eight inches long. And then there were three shots fired, and then we crossed the road and looked over. The man was on the floor with blood. He had a lightweight jacket on, dark trousers and a shirt. He was running through those gates, towards Parliament, and the police were chasing him. Her partner David Turner added: There was a stampede of people running out. You saw the people and you thought what the hell is going on. A witness, who did not want to be named, saw Mrs May and her undercover police detail near the area of Parliament where ministerial cars are parked. He said there were undercover officers in a 44 vehicle in the car park. We just heard gunshots inside Parliament, he said. It looked like they are taking her away. Another witness, from South Africa and living in Ireland, said she and two friends went towards the palace gates and saw a man lying on the floor inside. She said: I saw a body, they were working on the floor. They were just inside the gates. He had one gunshot wound to the right side of his chest. I dont know if he was dead or alive, but people were working on him. I saw that needed medical attention and I asked if I could help because I am a doctor, but they said they were fine. Then the police moved us back. Scotlands First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: My thoughts are with everyone in and around Westminster caught up in this dreadful incident  and with the brave emergency services. Two people were seen lying within Old Palace Yard, immediately outside Westminster Hall. Transport for London said Westminster underground station has been shut at the polices request. Dennis Burns, who was just entering Parliament for a meeting when the security alert happened, said: As I was coming through the doors at Portcullis House, a policeman grabbed someone who was coming in and threw him out. As we were coming though the glass doors I was told by one security guard to get out while another one told me to get in. As I walked in I heard a security guard get a radio message saying a policeman has been stabbed. Then I walked in as police officers and security start rushing out of the front doors on to the street. When I got inside I was wondering what the hell was going on and I saw dozens of panicked people running down the street. The first stream was around 30 people and the second stream was 70 people. It looked like they were running for their lives. A member of staff for Roger Mullin, the SNP MP in Fife, said he saw the grim aftermath of a man being hit by a car that had driven over Westminster Bridge. I heard the man screaming so I went over to the window and saw the car sliding along the road and crashing, he said. Then I heard two loud bangs. At that point I moved away from the window and urged others to do the same. I can see the man lying on the ground, hes clearly seriously injured. Weve been told to lock our doors and keep away from the window. Everyones trying to keep level-headed but we have no idea whats going on. The SNPs Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh, a Perthshire MP, is being held in the Commons chamber with her colleagues. All of us have been asked to stay in the chamber and we do not know what is going on. We are locked in here, she said. There is a huge amount of concern, a policeman has been stabbed, people have been injured and we are very worried about whats happening, but theres not much else I can say. After the incident, Radoslaw Sikorski posted a video to Twitter purporting to show people lying injured in the road on Westminster Bridge. Mr Sikorski, a senior fellow at Harvards Centre for European Studies, wrote: A car on Westminster Bridge has just mowed down at least 5 people.
Terms of service We use cookies to collect and analyse information on site performance and usage, and to enhance and customise content and advertisements. By clicking "Accept" you agree to allow cookies to be placed. To decline please click here. To find out more or to change your cookie settings, visit the cookies section of our Privacy Policy. Attack on Parliament March 22: The Westminster rampage at the heart of Britain's democracy Armed police have carried out an overnight raid on a Birmingham property, which was reportedly linked to the attack in Westminster on Wednesday. Counter-terror detectives are continuing to search for clues about about how an armed attacker, believed to have "inspired by international terrorism", brought death and destruction to the streets of London. Five people were killed in the "sick and depraved" terror attack, including a police officer who was stabbed and his assailant, while dozens more were injured. Armed police launched a late-night raid on a second-floor flat above a row of shops on Hagley Road in Birmingham. Witnesses have said three people were taken away by police. Sky News cited unnamed sources as saying the action was linked to the attack in London. BBC Newsnight had earlier reported there was a suggestion the car used in the attack was hired from an address in Birmingham. However, this has not been confirmed. Mark Rowley, Scotland Yard's top anti-terror officer, confirmed that 40 people were injured after the attacker - armed with two large knives - mowed down pedestrians with his car on Westminster Bridge then rushed at the gates in front of the Houses of Parliament, stabbing a plain-clothes policeman before he was shot by armed officers. Keith Palmer Credit: Metropolitan Police The officer who died was named as Keith Palmer, 48, a husband and father, whose bravery was hailed by colleagues, friends and the many MPs whom he was charged with protecting. The three other fatalities are understood to be people who were hit by the car on Westminster Bridge. Mr Rowley declined to name the attacker, but said police suspect he was "inspired by international terrorism" - and that they believed they knew who he was. Witnesses described scenes of terror when gunfire rang out as the attacker approached a second officer within yards of the Houses of Parliament. The suspected attacker was pictured being treated by paramedics on a stretcher, as two knives used in the assault lay on the ground nearby. Paramedics fought to save his life and that of Mr Palmer on the floor of the cobbled courtyard in front of Parliament, with Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood among those who rushed to help. "Heartbroken" former colleague, Conservative MP James Cleverly, paid tribute to the "lovely man" he had known for a quarter of a century. "I've known Keith for 25 years. We served together in the Royal Artillery before he became a copper. A lovely man, a friend. I'm heartbroken. "My thoughts are with the family, friends and colleagues of Pc Keith Palmer. A brave man." The suspected London terror attacker being treated by paramedics, with the knives used in the assault circled Credit: Stefan Rousseau/PA The killer managed to get in through a vehicle gate in New Palace Yard  used by the Prime Minister and other members of the Government  because it was not locked. Prime Minister Theresa May has described the attack as "sick and depraved". Speaking outside 10 Downing Street after chairing a meeting of the Government's Cobra emergencies committee, Mrs May paid tribute to the "exceptional men and women" of the police force who responded to the attack. Mrs May said that any attempt to defeat the values that Parliament stands for was "doomed to failure". And she vowed: "We will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart." Footage later emerged of the moment police opened fire after the attacker drove a grey Hyundai i40 across Westminster Bridge before crashing it into railings then running through the gates of the Palace of Westminster. In other developments, another woman who apparently fell into the Thames was rescued and given urgent medical treatment on a nearby pier. London Ambulance Service said paramedics had treated at least 10 patients on Westminster Bridge. A party of French schoolchildren were among those targeted on the bridge, with three injured. Mrs May, who was ushered away from Parliament after the attack, was chairing a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee. The attack left a trail of destruction as paramedics tended to victims on the bridge and at the gate. Witnesses said the attacker was shot by police as he approached a second officer clutching his knife during the incident at about 2.45pm. View more! The vehicle rammed into a perimeter fence outside the Palace of Westminster Credit: Lukesteele4/Twitter Injured man on Westminster Bridge Credit: @sikorskiradek/Twitter 7:02AM Victim 'was 43-year-old teacher' One of the victims of the attack was a 43-year-old British woman of Galician origin, Spanish media has reported. Aysha Frade was married and had two daughters, reported Spanish newspaper La Voz de Galicia. The 43-year-old was leaving work at a school near the Westminster Bridge, where she was a department head and taught Spanish, when she lost her life in the attack, La Voz reported. The newspaper reported that the woman had always lived in London, where her parents met. Her father was of Cypriot origin while her mother was born in Betanzos in northwestern Spain. According to La Voz, the woman often spent her holidays with her family back in the town. 6:27AM Birmingham raid 'linked to terror attack' The raid that took place in Birmingham is linked to the Westminster attack, sources have told Sky News. Armed police launched a late-night raid on a second-floor flat above a row of shops on Hagley Road. Witnesses have said three people were taken away by police. BBC Newsnight had earlier reported there was a suggestion the car used in the attack was hired from an address in Birmingham. However, this has not been confirmed. 6:12AM 'This was the lone wolf attack Britain has long been fearing' Police have been hunting for clues throughout the night in a bid to determine who carried out the attack, and why. It is suspected, though, that this was an attack carried by out by a "lone wolf", inspired by international terrorism. According to the Telegraph's Con Coughlin, it had been simply a matter of time. For the intelligence and security officials charged with the formidable task of keeping the country safe from terror attacks, it was simply a question of time before a lone fanatic brought carnage to the streets of Britain. Politicians, the police and intelligence chiefs have been warning for months that Britain faced the imminent threat of attack following the recent wave of atrocities committed in European capitals such as Paris, Brussels, Berlin and Istanbul. And, with Islamist terror groups like al-Qaeda and Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isil) showing no sign of abandoning their commitment to attacking the West, Britains security forces have been in a state of high readiness in anticipation of such an attack. Compared with other European cities, London has, until yesterday, escaped relatively unscathed from the growing menace posed by Islamist fanatics. Indeed, it is down to the constant vigilance of our security services that Britain has not suffered another attack on the scale of the July 7 bombings in London in 2005, in which 52 people died and more than 700 were injured. Xi Jinping sends 'telegram of sympathy' to Queen Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, has "strongly condemned" the terror attack in London in a "telegram of sympathy" he sent to Queen Elizabeth, China Correspondent Neil Connor reports from Beijing. Mr Xi "strongly condemned the terror attack incident, expressed deep condolences to the innocent victims, and expressed his sincere sympathy to the injured and relatives of the dead," state broadcaster CCTV reported. The Chinese president said terrorism is the enemy of the international community, and that China is against terrorism in all its forms, the report said. Mr Xi said Beijing was willing to strengthen cooperation with the international community to make positive efforts to defend the security of China, the UK and the world. Li Keqiang, the Chinese prime minister, had earlier said the attack was the first subject of discussion when he met with Malcolm Turnbull, the prime minister of Australia, in Canberra on Thursday morning. According to AP, Mr Li said: "Together, we send our condolences to the prime minister of the UK and together we condemn terrorism and we stand against all forms of terrorism. 5:10AM Transport update for Westminster Transport for London has issued the following updates about what areas travellers should avoid this morning. 4:19AM Chinese PM discusses attack with Turnbull Li Keqiang, the Chinese Premier, says the terrorist attack in London was the first subject of discussion when he met with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull of Australia on Thursday morning in Canberra. Mr Li says that "together, we send our condolences to the prime minister of the UK and together we condemn terrorism and we stand against all forms of terrorism". The Chinese leader says that "there cannot be continued instability in the world," adding: "We must cherish peace and stability." 3:57AM Armed police raid property in Birmingham BBC Newsnight reported earlier there was a suggestion the car used in the attack was hired from an address in Birmingham. However, this has not been confirmed. It has since emerged that armed police were involved in a raid at a residential property in the city. Hagley Road was reportedly closed for about 3 hours from 11pm. There is no indication if the raid is linked to the attack at Westminster. In a statement, West Midlands Police said: 'There is an ongoing police operation, no further details are being given at this stage." They referred inquiries to Scotland Yard, who have not commented on the incident. 3:38AM Australian injured in attack Malcolm Turnbull has announced in parliament that a person from South Australia was wounded in the attack. ABC's Leigh Sales reported that a foreign national living in Australia was among those injured in the attack. 3:19AM Floral tributes at Westminster Flowers are laid at the scene after an attack on Westminster Bridge in London Credit: Reuters Westminster Bridge in London Credit: Reuters 2:53AM Farage hits out at 'uncontrolled immigration' Nigel Farage has been speaking on US television about Wednesday's events, blaming Britain's immigration policies for the attack. 2:42AM Brother of beheaded aid worker appeals for calm The brother of a British aid worker murdered by Islamic State terrorists has made a plea for unity and calm in the wake of the Westminster terror attack. Trump tweets about attack Donald Trump tweeted from his personal account about the Westminster attack. The President, who had earlier tweeted a statement from the official presidential account, said: "Spoke to UK Prime Minister Theresa May today to offer condolences on the terrorist attack in London. She is strong and doing very well." London attack eyewitness: 'We thought they were shooting at Parliament' Chief Political Correspondent Christopher Hope tells of the chaos and confusion in parliament at the terror attack unfolded in front of the eyes of the Westminster press: 12:39AM Theresa May will lead show of defiance from Parliament on Thursday Theresa May will lead a show of defiance on Thursday as MPs and peers return to Parliament in the wake of the terror attack. The Prime Minister is expected to make a statement in the Commons on the horror that unfolded on both sides of the boundary of the Palace of Westminster when a terrorist ploughed into pedestrians before rushing the gates to the estate and killing a police officer. Both Houses will sit at their usual times in a symbolic move showing that terror cannot bring the country to a halt. Tributes will be paid to the victims of the attack, including Pc Keith Palmer, 48. 12:00AM Reports that car used in attack was hired last Thursday in Birmingham 11:51PM Eiffel Tower lights turned off 11:47PM London terror attack raises parliamentary security questions Telegraph political correspondent Ben Riley-Smith says that the attack will raise the questions about the publics access to MPs 11:40PM 'He was someone who left for work today expecting to return home at the end of his shift' Pc Keith Palmer had worked for the Metropolitan Police for 15 years, having previously served in the armed forces. "He was someone who left for work today expecting to return home at the end of his shift - and he had every right to expect that would happen," Scotland Yard's most senior anti-terror officer Mark Rowley said. Conservative MP James Cleverly, said he served with Pc Palmer in the Royal Artillery before he became a policeman. "I've known Keith for 25 years. We served together in the Royal Artillery before he became a copper. A lovely man, a friend. I'm heartbroken," Mr Cleverly said. "My thoughts are with the family, friends and colleagues of PC Keith Palmer. A brave man." Labour MP Keir Starmer said: "Thank you PC Keith Palmer. No need for words about us or Parliament. Just all thoughts to your family." He added: "This incident sadly shows the dangers our colleagues face on a daily basis. They show incredible bravery protecting the public." Chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales Steve White said "no words can capture how members of the policing family will feel". Explaining why Pc Palmer was unarmed, Mr Rowley said: "Our parliamentary protection team are a combination of armed and unarmed officers doing different roles, and sadly the officer who lost his life today was unarmed. "He was supported by armed colleagues who shot and killed the attacker. "He (the attacker) tried to enter Parliament and was stopped at the gate." The last death of a Met Police officer on duty was in September 2013 when 47-year-old Pc Andrew Duncan was killed as he attempted to stop a speeding vehicle in Sutton, south London. 11:36PM Jo Cox's widow: the name I will remember is Pc Keith Palmer - not his killer The husband of murdered MP Jo Cox has said the "name I will remember" from the Westminster atrocity is Pc Keith Palmer - not his killer. Brendan Cox, whose wife was stabbed and shot by a right-wing extremist outside her constituency office last June, said the identity of the suspected terrorist was irrelevant. Sharing a picture of Mr Palmer on his Twitter feed, he wrote: "I don't care about the name of the attacker. "This is the name I will remember." Mr Cox earlier said the assault on the country's political nerve centre would "not succeed in dividing us". 11:24PM MPs pay tribute to Keith Palmer and the police Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, wrote: View more! 11:21PM Five South Koreans reportedly among injured The South Korean Yonhap news agency reports that five South Korean citizens were injured in today's terror attack, including a 67-year-old woman who is seriously injured. 11:19PM Boris Johnson: 'Our values will prevail' 11:15PM Queen postpones Scotland Yard visit Buckingham Palace officials say the Queen will postpone plans to open the new Scotland Yard headquarters. The palace said that the Queen's visit, which had been set for Thursday, will be postponed. The change is due to security concerns raised by the terror attack on Parliament. It is also expected that police will be involved with a major investigation that will occupy many officers. The Queen was to have been joined by Prince Philip at the official opening of the new building. 11:01PM Terror attack could have been prevented if police at Parliament's 'weak spot' had kept gate bolted, MPs said Gordon Rayner and Christopher Hope report: The terrorist attack on Parliament could have been prevented if police on duty at a well-known security weak spot had simply kept it bolted, MPs have said. The killer managed to get in through a vehicle gate in New Palace Yard  used by the Prime Minister and other members of the Government  because it was not locked. Known as Carriage Gates, it is always manned by two police officers, who usually leave it slightly ajar because it is in frequent use. But if the iron double gate had simply been bolted shut, it would have been impossible for the terrorist to pass. Mary Creagh, the MP for Wakefield, said: Its a terrible, terrible day for Parliament, the one weak spot on our estate is those carriage gates. We have four police officers there, two on the gate going in, two on the gate going out, we see them every day, we are friends with lots of them. Dead police officer Keith Palmer pictured Mark Rowley confirms PC Keith Palmer was the officer killed in the Westminster terror attacks in London Credit: Metropolitan Police 10:30PM Five now dead in Westminster terror attack - including the suspect Metropolitan Police counterterrorism chief Mark Rowley has announced that the death toll has now risen to five, including the suspected attacker. The dead police officer was named as Keith Palmer, 48 a husband and father. The number of injured is 40 people. Mr Rowley said that Islamist-related terrorism is the assumption behind the attack. He said that police believed they knew the identity of the attacker, but he did not give details. He said that Britains Muslim communities will feel vulnerable at this time, given the past actions of right-wing extremists. Mr Rowley's statement: Terrorists have a clear aim and that is to create discord, distrust and to create fear. The police stand with all communities in the UK and will take action against anyone who seeks to undermine society, especially where their crimes are motivated by hate. We must recognise now that our Muslim communities will feel anxious at this time given the past behaviour of the extreme right wing and we will continue to work with all community leaders in the coming days. It's essential for us to remain vigilant but to also work together - policing and communities - and unite against those who seek, through violence and extremism, to threaten, intimidate and cause fear. 10:07PM Who was at Theresa May's emergency Cobra meeting? The 45-minute Goverment Cobra meeting brought together senior ministers as well as top police officers, representatives of the security agencies and London Mayor Sadiq Khan. Mrs May ordered flags to be lowered to half mast over Downing Street as a mark of respect to the innocent people who lost their lives at Westminster. Absent were Home Secretary Amber Rudd, who was away on an official trip to Pakistan, and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, in the US for a summit of nations involved in the fight against the Islamic State terror group. Praise for Tobias Ellwood MP who tried to save police officer Police officers last night paid tribute to Tobias Ellwood for the efforts he made to save the life of the police officer who was stabbed. Many police colleagues from around the country took to social media to praise the MP. Rhys Huges, a superintendent with Avon and Somerset Police summed up the feeling from within the police family with a simple tweet to Mr Ellwood which read: "Thank you for trying today, sir." Another officer, Sgt Steve Haywood from Dorset Police wrote: "Thank you Bournemouth MP Tobias Ellwood for coming to the aid of a police officer and doing CPR." Another person, Harry Leslie Smith added: "We too often say our politicians live in a bubble but #tobiasellwood proved that wrong today. Fair play to his heroism." 9:39PM Commons public gallery will still be open tomorrow Commons officials have confirmed that access to the public gallery will be maintained tomorrow. But tours, educational visits and banqueting in Parliament on Thursday will be cancelled. The Commons and the Lords will sit as normal. 9:34PM Video: Chaos inside Palace of Westminster after attack Grant Shapps earlier described how people were on their "hands and knees" in Parliament as news of the attack spread. MPs from across the political spectrum have taken to Twitter to thank those who helped and stayed calm during the aftermath of the attack. Labour's Harriet Harman tweeted a heartfelt thanks to the paramedics and doctors who helped those injured, while Ian Murray MP thanked the emergency services. Siobhan McDonald tweeted a thank you to both the emergency services and House of Commons staff. Jonathan Reynolds posted a photograph of himself kissing his son as he thanked those who work in the nursery in Parliament. 9:27PM Lights on Eiffel Tower will be turned off tonight as mark of respect All the lights on the Eiffel Tower will be turned out for ten minutes to commemorate the dead, Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris has announced. She expressed her "solidarity" with Sadiq Khan, "London mayor and friend, as well as with all Londoners and the British people". The two capitals are "both tolerant, cosmopolitan cities, open to the world, that draw their strength from their diversity". None of the injuries on the three French high school pupils are "life threatening," according to Bernard Musset, state sub-prefect of Chteaulin in the Finistre, near where the boys live. However, two are suffering from "serious broken bones". Meanwhile City Hall in Tel Aviv has been lit up in solidarity with London. And Birmingham Library has done the same. 9:19PM Location of the attack was 'no accident' "The location of this attack was no accident," Theresa May said. "The terrorist chose to strike at the heart of our capital city where people of all nationalities, religions and cultures come together to celebrate the values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech. "These streets of Westminster, home to the world's oldest parliament are ingrained with a spirit of freedom that echoes in some of the furthest corners of the globe. "Let me make it clear today, as I have had cause to do before, any attempt to defeat our values through violence and terror is doomed to failure." She said Parliament would "meet as normal" on Thursday. "We will come together as normal and Londoners and others from around the world who have come here to visit this great city will get up and go about their day as normal." 9:10PM Westminster terror attack had echoes of Brussels, Nice and Berlin Today's terror attack came a year to the day since the Isil suicide bombers killed more than 30 people in Brussels and bore striking similarities to atrocities in France and Germany, writes Steven Swinford. It comes amid concerns that terrorists are increasingly resorting to "low-tech" attacks to inflict maximum damage because of the difficulty obtaining guns and bombs. Theresa May: Attempts to defeat our values are "doomed to failure" Speaking after the emergency Cobra meeting, Mrs May praised the "exceptional bravery" of police during the attack who ran towards danger while protecting others. She said: "The location of this attack was no accident. The terrorists chose to strike at the heart of our capital city." She said any attempt to defeat the values that Parliament stands for are "doomed to failure". She added: "We will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart." 8:56PM Theresa May condemns 'sick and depraved' terror attack Theresa May is speaking outside Downing Street now. She described the attack as "sick and depraved". She said that the UK's terror threat level will remain at severe. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to all who have been affected, go the victims themselves and to their families and friends who waved their loved ones off and will not now be welcoming them home. " 8:45PM Extra armed police to be deployed on London streets Extra armed police will be on the streets of the capital following the attack in Westminster, Sadiq Khan said as he vowed that "Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism". The London Mayor said his thoughts were with the family of the Metropolitan Police officer who died "doing his duty protecting our city". The mayor stressed that London remained one of the safest cities in the world and praised citizens and emergency services for the "tremendous bravery" they had shown. He said: "London is the greatest city in the world and we stand together in the face of those who seek to harm us and destroy our way of life. We always have, and we always will. "Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism." 8:40PM Nurse describes how hospital went into 'major incident' mode A nurse who works in a high dependency unit at St Thomas's Hospital, where two people were taken following the attack, told our reporter Eleanor Steafel how within half an hour, the hospital was told they were "on a major incident". The nurse, who asked to remain anonymous, said: "The ward that I work on has a view of Westminster Bridge so we could see that there was something happening, we could see blue lights and lots of police officers running. That was the point at which we realised there was something going on. "Within about half an hour we had an official notification that we were on a major incident. Emergency services on the scene Credit: Getty "When that happens, all non emergency theatre is cancelled and anything non emergency stops happening. We try to clear as many beds as possible to take people from HDU and ITU areas to free up the critical care beds. "We've been trying to clear our beds to make sure we've got space for people. "From about 15:30 we were notified that no staff or patients were going to be able to leave the hospital. "Just before six we were told people could leave and that any staff coming in for night shifts would be allowed in as long as they had ID. "We had some problems with relatives not being able to leave the hospital and some problems with patients not being able to be discharged because they needed transport to get them home. "It feels eerily quiet because it's just staff and no visitors. "People are working quickly but aren't panicked." 8:32PM Video: Theresa May whisked away from Downing Street by a back door The Prime Minister had been chairing a Brexit subcommittee in the House of Commons with other Cabinet ministers and officials including Cabinet secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood at the time of the attack. When the attack happened at around 2.40pm Mrs May had just voted and was standing in members' lobby with other Tory MPs. She later chaired a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee to discuss the immediate response to the incident at the Palace of Westminster. The Cobra committee brings together government ministers with senior officials of the emergency services and security and intelligence agencies. Meeting in a briefing room of the Cabinet Office on Whitehall, Cobra co-ordinates the high-level response to serious incidents, and has previously gathered after terrorist atrocities, including the July 7 attacks on the London transport network and the murder of soldier Lee Rigby. View more! There was no immediate information on who was attending Wednesday night's meeting, which took place around four hours after the attack. A Number 10 spokesman said Mrs May was being kept updated about the investigation. "The thoughts of the Prime Minister and the Government are with those killed and injured in this appalling incident, and with their families," said the spokesman. 8:28PM 'It was like wartime camaraderie': Politicians describe their experience as terror hit their workplace Our reporters at the scene have been speaking to politicians as they are eventually allowed to depart the area. One MP told how they were locked in the House of Commons lobby with the door closed shut with a wooden bolt when two police officers wearing balaclavas, with raised machine guns and wearing body armour burst in, splintering the door. The MP said: "We thought they were the terrorists." Around 1,000 people had been taken to Westminster Abbey for safety and are now being processed by police. Chief Superintendent Raj Kohli of Scotland Yard told the crowd there: "There are families planning funerals as we speak so let's put it into context." The people being held in Westminster Hall, including former Lib Dem leader Paddy Ashdown and former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith, were evacuated from the Houses of Parliament. Lord Digby Jones said: "We have been surrounded by very heavily armed police. There were 1,000 of us in there. It was like wartime camaraderie, all tea and biccies. "The police did not have enough people to deal with this situation. They were not prepared for the numbers. But this is nothing compared to the death and destruction that has happened today. Today we were the lucky ones." Dominic Grieve MP said: "The police did a fantastic job. We've not been told much about the incident. We spent three hours in the Abbey." Some MPs were held in the Commons Credit: Twitter/BarrySheerman MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, who has been locked down in the House of Commons chamber, said: "I hugely admire the courage of the police who have done their duty and protected parliament, that this attack dos not succeed. Parliament will carry on. The courage of those who serve and protect is amazing and tragic when events like this happens and someone's life if given in the line of duty. "This has actually shown that the counter terrorism methods that the government and the police use work very effectively. There is nothing you can do to stop one lone murderer but his efforts were limited and stopped, therefore we can have confidence in the counter terrorism strategy." He said inside the Commons the atmosphere had been "incredibly calm. We had less knowledge than most other people because there aren't any television screens on the chamber. "We didn't really know what had happened. We were waiting patiently for further instructions. People behaved sensibly and calmly. If we were safe we couldn't get in anyone's way." Police outside Palace of Westminster Credit: Victoria Jones /PA Former MP Tom Levitt hid in the crypt under Westminster Abbey with 10 others. "Some people came tuning in screaming and we all ran for the crypt,"he said. "They saw the man with the knife and just ran to warn us. People were rubbing and screaming." Jo Johnson, brother of the foreign secretary, was walking into new palace yard when the attack started. The Conservative MP said he was ushered into a secure room and told to lie on his back under a desk. Mr Johnson also paid tribute to the police officer killed. "My thoughts are with everybody who was injured and lost their lives, especially the policewoman. We are hugely grateful to the police." 8:10PM Sadiq Khan: Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism 8:03PM At least two victims known to be in a critical condition in hospital Two people are known to be in a critical condition in hospital in London tonight. King's College Hospital in south London confirmed they have treated eight people, two of whom are in a critical condition. Two patients are in a stable condition at St Thomas' Hospital, which is located right beside Westminster Bridge where the attack happened. He was due to meet two friends from Romania at the London Eye only to realise they had been injured in the attack. He said their names were are Andrei and Andrea, both in their late 20s. Mr Tracey said he confirmed with the Romanian embassy that Andrei has been taken to King's hospital with an injured leg and Andreea is in St Thomas's in an unknown condition. "They never made it (to the Eye). I phoned and could here shouts in the background and knew instantly something was wrong. I'm in shock. It's incredibly distressing for him because he doesn't know how his girlfriend is." A message on the Romanian Embassy's Facebook said two citizens had been injured and taken to local hospitals. A spokesperson from Guys and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust said: Two patients are being treated at St Thomas Hospital following todays security incident in Westminster  one man and one woman. "Both patients have been admitted to St Thomas and both are in a stable condition. A spokesman for Imperial College Healthcare Trust, which includes Charing Cross and Hammersmith hospitals, said the trust had declared a major incident after receiving casualties from the attack. This status has now been stood down. 7:54PM Flags flying at half mast in London tonight Theresa May has ordered flags to be lowered to half mast over Downing Street as a mark of respect to the innocent people who lost their lives. At New Scotland Yard, the flag has also been lowered. 7:47PM Politicians and their staff allowed to leave Parliament Parliament went into lockdown earlier, but MPs and their staff have now been allowed to leave the Commons chamber and their offices. Some had been in the Commons for almost five hours. As he left Grant Shapps told our reporter Joe Shute: "It's something everyone has feared at some point. I was walking through the cloisters and here 4 pops. "The police have got their weapons drawn in the palace yard. An officer shouted 'get down' and we were on our hands and knees. I thought 'ok this is now'. I came back into the lobby. "People were calm. We were on our hands and knees but calm. You can't stop a lunatic in a car but it's very important we carry on as usual." Labour MP Mary Creagh told Sky News people were told they could go once police officers had verified everyone's identities. "It was a panicky moment... a lot of us were pretty shaken," she said. "It's a terrible, terrible day for parliament, the one weak spot on our estate is those carriage gates. "We have four police officers there, two on the gate going in, two on the gate going out, we see them every day, we are friends with lots of them so I know that MPs, the thousands of people who work in that building, our thoughts and prayers are with that poor officer and their family tonight. "I think we will need to look at security at the Palace in the wake of this incident, but that is a plan for another day. I think tonight we need to be remembering all those who have been caught up in today's tragic events." Meanwhile Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has recorded a message in reponse to the attack. Foreign leaders send condolences to London President Franois Hollande of France has just spoken to Theresa May by phone and said that a plane from the "French government fleet" will take the families of three injured French high school children to London on Wednesday night, Henry Samuel reports. "He conveyed his condolences following the attacked that has placed Great Britain in mourning and conveyed the solidarity of France in this tragic ordeal," the Elyse said in a statement. "Mrs May gave him the latest information on the situation and confirmed the death toll: three people were killed by the assailant and around 20 injured, including three French lycee pupils from Concarneau." Donald Trump offered the "full co-operation and support" of the United States in responding to the Westminster terror attack and "bringing those responsible to justice" in a phone call with Mrs May. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said: "Our thoughts are with the victims of today's attack in London and their families. Canadians remain united with the people of the UK." Gibraltar's Chief Minister Fabian Picardo said: "Shocked at attack on London. Yesterday I spent the day at Westminster. Luckily not today. London's Parliament is the mother of democracy!" 7:11PM Car was travelling 'really fast' as it ploughed into crowds Eyewitness Baylor Cook, 20, a student from Alabama, was on Westminster Bridge with his parents and 15-year-old sister when a "black SUV" mounted the pavement and hit "four or five" people in front of him. He said: "I was standing on the island in the middle of the road when the car came and mounted the pavement on the side we were crossing to. "It had to have been going over 35 miles per hour - it was going really fast. It careered onto the pavement and hit a ton of people. It looked like it had just lost control but then they sped up and accelerated around the corner. "I think there was a barrier which it hit because we heard a loud bang. "I was thinking to myself 'he's not slowing down'. When he accelerated I just didn't understand." 7:07PM Police officers mourn loss of one of their own Chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales Steve White said "no words can capture how members of the policing family will feel" after the death of a Metropolitan Police Officer. He said: "Officers will tonight take the opportunity to hug loved ones and seek comfort in the company of friends and family. But one will not. The pain of that officer's family, friends and colleagues will be shared by us all. "We have lived in the knowledge that an attack on UK soil has been highly likely for nearly three years. Everyone is firmly aware of this fact, but it makes it no less shocking when it becomes a reality. "This incident highlights the very real risks that police face each and every day. "Our hearts go out to their family and our thoughts are with them and their colleagues at this terrible time along with others who have been injured today." 7:04PM Home Secretary urges public to be calm and vigilant Home Secretary Amber Rudd said that the Government's top priority following the Westminster attack was "the security of its people". Speaking during a visit to Pakistan, Ms Rudd urged the public to remain calm and keep vigilant. She said: "I know the whole country will be thinking of and praying for those affected by this terrible incident. Our top priority is people's security. "We have the best police and security services in the world and we will let them get on with their job." The Home Secretary described the incident as "on-going" as she said the Prime Minister would hold a meeting of the emergency Cobra committee to consider the situation. "I urge everyone to remain calm, but to be vigilant, and if they see anything they are concerned about they should report it to the police." The Prime Minister was chairing a Brexit subcommittee in the House of Commons with other Cabinet ministers and officials including Cabinet secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood. When the attack happened at around 2.40pm Mrs May had just voted and was standing in members' lobby with other Tory MPs. 6:59PM "Keep Calm and Carry On" - Praise for Parliament carrying on as usual It has been confirmed that Parliament will sit as usual on Thursday - an announcement met with admiration and pride by MPs and others on social media. One Twitter user wrote: "This has to be the best and most potent response. Democracy continues." Another said: "How the mother of Parliaments reacts when faced with terror". David Lammy MP commented: "Never in doubt. We stand firm, we stand united and that is how we show that we will not be cowed into defeat." And Jonathan Reynolds MP simply said: "Hell yes". 6:48PM What is the UK's terror threat level? View more! 6:47PM No. 10: Thoughts of PM are with those killed A 10 Downing Street spokesman said: "The thoughts of the PM and the Government are with those killed and injured in this appalling incident, and with their families. The PM is being kept updated and will shortly chair Cobra." 6:43PM Somerset children caught up in attack sing songs A group of schoolchildren from Somerset caught up in the attack sat in the Houses of Parliament and sang as chaos ensued around them. A total of 53 year six pupils from St John and St Francis School in Bridgwater were on a trip to the Palace of Westminster when the incident started. When Parliament went into lockdown they were told they could not leave - so started singing. The school tweeted: 6:41PM Two French children hurt on bridge in 'critical condition' Two of the three French pupils caught up on the London attack are in a "critical condition" and the third is in the operating theatre, according to parents who spoke to local media in Brittany, reports Henry Samuel. According to Le Tlgramme, the three pupils from the lyce Saint-Joseph de Concarneau were "walking when the car hit them". "One of them ended up on the bonnet of the vehicle", according to one of the classmates who witnessed the scene, it reported. "We saw the car hit a group. Twenty seconds later, it was us," said Kilian, one of the high school pupils in a text message to his mother, said Le Tlgramme. "After being taken to safety on a boat, the other high school were able to return to the youth hostel where they had been staying since Sunday night." According to BFM TV, there were around 50 pupils from the high school split into two groups. One of the groups was targetted by the car. The three pupils are being treated at Saint Thomas' hospital, it said. 6:39PM #WeAreNotAfraid: Londoners proclaim terrorists have not won Londoners have told those responsible for the terror attack that they did not succeed in crushing their spirits and making them afraid. A defiant trend popped up on Twitter, as people commuting home and going about their business in the Capital in the wake of the attack tweeted "we are not afraid". Many shared pictures of a Tube sign Photoshopped to display the hopeful slogan as people from London displayed their stiff upper lip on social media. 6:32PM Pregnant woman among those trapped on London Eye for three hours A pregnant woman walked out of the Sea Life Centre, where people trapped on the London Eye for three hours were being held, holding onto her husband and crying, reports Eleanor Steafel at the London Eye. She said she was crying because she was scared as they had no idea how long they would be up there for and she was worried about the effect the stress would have on her baby. She was also worried about the lack of toilet facilities in the pods. Her worried husband hurried her away from reporters, eager to get her somewhere warm and safe. 6:27PM Houses of Commons and Lords to sit again tomorrow 6:22PM Witness: I didn't realise somebody was intentionally driving a car at me 6:11PM Latest from Scotland Yard Mark Rowley, the Met's most senior Counter Terror officer confirmed that four people were dead including the police officer who was stabbed and the attacker who was shot dead, reports Martin Evans. The other two fatalities are understood to be people who were hit by the car on Westminster Bridge. Mr Rowley said it was believed there was only one attacker. 6:02PM Scotland Yard confirms four killed in attack Four people were killed in the Westminster terror attack, including the police officer who was stabbed and his attacker, Scotland Yard's top anti-terror officer Mark Rowley has confirmed. Donald Trump speaks to Theresa May about London attack He said: "The President has been briefed on the situation in London. He just spoke to Prime Minister May. "We obviously condemn the attack, which the United Kingdom is treating as terrorism. Our thoughts and prayers are with them." Mr Trump offered his condolences and praised the response from the emergency services. 5:44PM Police officer among two killed in London terror attack A police officer stabbed at the Houses of Parliament has died, sources have said. 5:27PM People moved from Parliament to Westminster Abbey 5:19PM Mary Creagh: chaos around Parliament during terror attack 5:15PM Witness tells of distressing scenes as woman tended to by passers-by There were distressing scenes on the Thames embankment, at the southern end of Westminster Bridge, were a severely injured woman was seen being tended to by stunned passers-by, reports Patrick Sawer. The woman, who appeared to be in her early thirties, had apparently suffered serious injuries to the back of her head during the attack. One witness said it looked as if she had subsequently been carried onto the embankment, away from where the car is thought to have ploughed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge. Injured people are assisted on Westminster Bridge Credit: TOBY MELVILLE/Reuters Here another woman was seen trying to comfort the injured victim, who lay among scattered postcards and maps from a vending rack which had been overturned in the chaos. It appears that the injured woman, who had long blonde hair and was wearing black jeans and trainers, later succumbed to her injuries and was covered with a sheet by police. An American student who witnesses the scene said: "It was horrible. She's been carried down from the bridge to be looked after, but I think she just have died because she was then moved out of sight, closer to the pillars of the bridge, and covered with some sort of sheet. It was really upsetting." Children inside Parliament 'singing songs to lift people's spirits' Video: Houses of Parliament being evacuated 5:04PM Attacker 'was running really fast and went straight past guards' Martin Evans reports: John Campbell, who witnessed events from a passing bus, said: "I was upstairs on the number 88 bus which was stuck in a traffic jam on parliament square when I saw a lot of people running up from Westminster Bridge. "I then 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 then saw him stab a police officer two or three times. His colleague then intervened and the officer managed to stagger away. I then heard two neat shots and the man went down." 5:02PM 'We saw police officer fall to the ground' Michelle Langham, who was visiting Westminster, saw the police officer fall to the ground. She told BBC 5live: "We saw him fall to the ground. It all happened very, very quickly, We saw the officer fall to the ground and officers rush to help him. "There was a lot of screams and shouting and people rushing into the cafe. There was a lot of schoolchildren here, on school trips. "They were very good, they were very calm. The teachers made sure the children were calm. They were very young children." Scene on Westminster Bridge Credit: Eddie Mulholland for The Telegraph 4:58PM London Ambulance Service: At least 10 people treated on Westminster Bridge At least 10 patients have been treated on Westminster Bridge and a number of hospitals are on alert, London Ambulance Service said. Mr Elwood  himself a former soldier  remained with the injured officer awaiting the for the air ambulance to arrive, which dropped off in Parliament Square. He was later seen with bloodied hands talking to officers before returning to the Foreign Office. A source close to Mr Elwood told The Telegraph: [He] tried to give mouth to mouth and stem blood flow from multiple stab wounds to the officer until the chopper and medics arrived. Mr Elwood has been Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Foreign Office since July 2014, covering the Middle East and Africa brief. He has been an MP for Bournemouth East since 2005. 4:51PM Prime Minister to chair meeting of emergency Cobra committee Prime Minister Theresa May will chair a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee later today, a Downing Street spokesman said. 4:50PM Acting Met Commissioner was at scene and is 'significant witness' Acting Met Commissioner Craig Mackey was at the scene at the time of the incident and is being treated as a "significant witness", Scotland Yard has confirmed, reports Crime Correspondent Martin Evans. Commander BJ Harrington of the Metropolitan Police said there were "a number of casualties" in the Westminster attack "including police officers". 4:42PM Grant Shapps: MPs were told 'get down, drop down on the floor' Grant Shapps, Minister of State, Department for International Development, was walking through New Palace Yard when he heard gunfire, reports Lexi Finnigan. He told the Telegraph: "I heard a commotion which might have been a car crashing and then there was shouting and I heard four shots being fired. "Armed police rushed out and me and a group of MPs were told 'get down, drop down on the floor, get back, get back'. "I knew at that stage it wasn't a protestor or something. We knew it was serious and real and i immediately felt really exposed. My mind actually switched to some hostile environment training i had done but you never think you will need to use in London. I remembered about getting to a safe area and thought I need to get into the Palace behind those thick walls. "I then went straight to the deputy speaker to get them to suspend the sitting." Emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster Credit: Stefan Rousseau/PA 4:33PM Three French students reportedly hit on Westminster Bridge A group of French students were on the bridge at the time of the incident, reports Harry Yorke. A teacher with the group said three of his pupils had been hit. A young girl was being treated on the north bank for shock, and was wrapped in a foil sheet where she was seen to by police officers. MSPs delay second independence referendum vote Security has been upgraded at Holyrood and further details on when the debate will resume will be circulated later. The decision to initially carry on with the debate was severely criticised on social media by several MSPs, including Ruth Davidson. Holyrood's authorities had decided that proceedings should continue before changing their minds. 4:30PM Statement from junior doctor about fatality Speaking to reporters outside the central London hospital, junior doctor Colleen Anderson from St Thomas' Hospital said a female pedestrian had died. She also said she treated a police officer in his 30s with a head injury who had been taken to King's College Hospital. She said: "I confirmed one fatality. A woman. She was under the wheel of a bus. She died, confirmed her death at the scene." Ms Anderson said: "There were people across the bridge. There were some with minor injuries, some catastrophic. "Some had injuries they could walk away from or who have life-changing injuries. There were maybe a dozen (injured)." Scene of response outside Parliament Credit: Rengisfausen/Twitter 4:24PM Pictures of armed police inside Houses of Parliament 4:23PM Tourists trapped on London Eye as attraction on lockdown The London Eye tourist attraction, just across the Thames from Parliament, said it was on lockdown following the attack. A spokesman said: "At present we are holding all of our guests within our attractions as per tried and tested security procedures." 4:11PM One woman dead on Westminster Bridge One woman has died and a number of others have been hurt - including some with "catastrophic" injuries - in the incident on Westminster Bridge, a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital has said. Telegraph reporter: It sounded like a bomb My desk is next to the window in the Telegraphs offices. At about 2.40pm I heard a loud bang to the right by the railings followed by a man shouting and screaming. It sounded like a bomb, or a person being hit by car through the open window of our office. Then hundreds of tourists and passers by ran from the scene outside the gates of Parliament and towards Westminster Abbey. A short time later there were a series of gun shots. Then I saw two bodies lying in the road outside Westminster Hall on the road. Police ran into New Palace Yard and started to treat the two bodies. An air ambulance landed in Parliament Square and medics ran across to treat them. Then two ambulances arrived. Medics then jumped out and began to treat the two injured individuals. At around 3.30pm one ambulance left New Palace Yard. One still remains. The air ambulance has left Parliament Square. The car which caused the bang is still in the railings in the shadow of Big Ben. 4:04PM Theresa May back at No. 10 and 'monitoring the situation' Theresa May's official spokesman said: "The Prime Minister was brought back to Number 10 from Parliament. She is currently monitoring the situation." The office of the Serjeant at Arms, who handles security in the House of Commons, said: "We are aware that there has been an incident that has taken place. At this early stage, we cannot comment further." Jeremy Corbyn: Out thoughts are with the victims In a statement Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: "Reports suggest the ongoing incident in Westminster this afternoon is extremely serious. "Our thoughts are with the victims of this horrific attack, (their) families and friends. "The police and security staff have taken swift action to ensure the safety of the public, MPs and staff, and we are grateful to them." 4:01PM London Ambulance Service declared 'major incident" London Ambulance Service "declared a major incident" in a statement, saying: "We were called at 2.40pm to Westminster Bridge to reports of an incident, with the first crew arriving within six minutes. "We have sent a number of resources to the scene including ambulance crews, London's Air Ambulance and our Hazardous Area Response Team. "We are working closely with other members of the emergency services at the scene, with our priority being to ensure patients receive the medical help they need as quickly as possible. "We have declared a major incident and our priority is to assess patients and ensure that they are treated and taken to hospital as soon as possible. "As we are very busy dealing with this incident, we would ask the public to only call us in a genuine emergency." 3:55PM Extra security at Buckingham Palace this afternoon Buckingham Palace declined to comment about its security arrangements in light of the terrorist incident and referred all inquiries to the Met Police. But with the Royal Standard flying above the palace - indicating the Queen was in residence - it was clear some precautions had been taken as the gates, patrolled by armed police, had been closed. 3:54PM MPs 'ordered into lobby by police at gunpoint' Around half an hour after the attack, former cabinet minister Anna Soubry claimed she and the Security Minister, Ben Wallace MP, were ordered into the Parliament lobby "at gun point" by police officers. "Colleagues taken out of the library at gun point by counter terrorist armed police officers," she tweeted. 3:53PM At least two bodies lying on road and one in water - witness Steve Voake, 55, was walking across the Westminster Bridge towards the South Bank when he saw the aftermath. He said he saw at least two bodies lying on the road and one in the water. "I saw a trainer lying in the road and when I looked more closely I saw that there were a couple of bodies the other side of the road," he told the Press Association. "And when I looked over the side there was another body lying in the water with blood all around it." 3:52PM In tweets: Politicians describe chaotic scenes in Westminster Politicians described chaotic scenes in Westminster after a security alert meant many had to be evacuated from Parliament. 3:49PM Eyewitness account from Telegraph's Political Editor, Gordon Rayner From the Telegraph's office on an upper floor of Parliament near Big Ben, the first warning we had of what was about to happen was a bang, followed by a scream, coming from the direction of Westminster Underground station. At first we assumed there had been a car accident, perhaps with someone run over, and I and my colleagues looked out of the window to see people running away from the location of the noise. Seconds later, around a dozen people appeared to rush a gate to New Palace Yard, opposite Parliament Square. It was unclear whether the police had opened the gates to let people in for protection, or the gates were forced open by the weight of people. Emergency services outside the Houses of Parliament The people who had come in through the gates quickly appeared to mix with others running away from the pedestrian entrance next to it, and moments later a man with a pistol - assumed to be a police officer - shot a man three times in the chest as he ran towards him, around 25 yards from the gate where the people had entered. He fell backwards onto the cobbles. Confusion followed; inside Parliament police officers moved through corridors telling journalists and staff to stay inside their rooms. MPs in the Commons chamber were told Parliament was suspended. Outside, shouting and temporary chaos as police tried to work out what was going on. Within a minute police were giving emergency CPR to two people on the ground in New Palace Yard. The location is just yards away from the car park ramp where the Conservative MP Airey Neave was killed by an IRA car bomb in 1979. 3:47PM Full Scotland Yard statement "Police are asking people to avoid the following areas: Parliament Square; Whitehall; Westminster Bridge; Lambeth Bridge; Victoria Street up to the junction with Broadway and the Victoria Embankment up to Embankment tube. "This is to allow the emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident. "Officers - including firearms officers - remain on the scene and we are treating this as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise. "We thank the public for their assistance." 3:46PM Westminster Tube station closed A Transport for London spokeswoman said Westminster Tube station has been closed "on the request of the police" and buses are being diverted. "We were taking photos of Big Ben and we saw all the people running towards us, and then there was an Asian guy in about his 40s carrying a knife about seven or eight inches long. "And then there were three shots fired, and then we crossed the road and looked over. The man was on the floor with blood. "He had a lightweight jacket on, dark trousers and a shirt. He was running through those gates, towards Parliament, and the police were chasing him." 3:35PM Police treat attack as 'terrorist incident' Scotland Yard said the attack in Westminster was being treated "as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise". 3:30PM Pictured: Theresa May being driven away from Westminster Prime Minister Theresa May was seen being ushered into a silver Jaguar car as what sounded like gunfire rang out at Parliament during the incident. A police officer stops traffic as the Jaguar car of Theresa May is driven away from the Houses of Parliament Credit: DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP 3:28PM 'We literally just heard shots and then saw people running' A woman at the scene was on the opposite side of the square when she heard shots ring out at about 2.45pm. She said: "We literally just heard shots and then saw people running, and we went to have a look. I saw a body, they were working on the floor. They were just inside the gates. "He had one gunshot wound to the right side of his chest. I don't know if he was dead or alive, but people were working on him. "I saw that needed medical attention and I asked if I could help because I am a doctor, but they said they were fine. Then the police moved us back." 3:27PM Picture of smoking car outside Palace of Westminster 3:20PM Commons leader's statement to MPs Commons Leader David Lidington told MPs: "What I am able to say to the House is there has been a serious incident within the estate. "It seems that a police officer has been stabbed, that the alleged assailant was shot by armed police. "An air ambulance is currently attending the scene to remove the casualties. "There are also reports of further violent incidents in the vicinity of the Palace of Westminster but I hope colleagues on all sides will appreciate that it'd be wrong of me to go into further details until we have confirmation from the police and from the House security authorities about what is going on." 3:19PM Downing Street not involved in attack, source confirms A Downing Street source declined to say where Theresa May had been during the attack, but said she had not been involved. 3:19PM 'They were running for their lives' Dennis Burns, who was just entering Parliament for a meeting when the security alert happened, told the Press Association: "As I was coming through the doors at Portcullis House, a policeman grabbed someone who was coming in and threw him out. "As we were coming though the glass doors I was told by one security guard to get out while another one told me to get in. "As I walked in I heard a security guard get a radio message saying 'a policeman has been stabbed'. "Then I walked in as police officers and security start rushing out of the front doors on to the street. "When I got inside I was wondering what the hell was going on and I saw dozens of panicked people running down the street. The first stream was around 30 people and the second stream was 70 people. "It looked like they were running for their lives." 3:08PM Scene on Westminster Bridge 3:05PM Commons leader tells MP police officer has been stabbed Commons Leader David Lidington has told MPs a "police officer has been stabbed" and the "alleged assailant was shot by armed police" following a "serious" incident within the parliamentary estate. 3:04PM Helicopter lands in Parliament Square Minutes after the incident, an emergency services helicopter landed in Parliament Square, as sirens were heard outside. Air ambulance medics came from the helicopter to assist the casualties. Two people lay on the ground in the yard. One of them appeared to have had clothes removed as emergency workers attempted to resuscitate the pair. Parliament Square was closed to traffic. 2:56PM Scotland Yard confirms reports of several people injured on Westminster Bridge Scotland Yard said it was called to a firearms incident on Westminster Bridge amid reports of several people injured. 2:56PM Staff told to stay inside Parliament Staff inside Parliament were told to stay inside their offices. 2:52PM House of Commons suspended Two people were seen lying within Old Palace Yard, immediately outside Westminster Hall. The sitting in the House of Commons has been suspended while police officers sealed off the area around the incident.
PC Palmer was one of four people who died during the terror attack outside the House of Commons, with a further 40 people injured. He was stabbed by the lone assailant, who had driven through pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before crashing into the gates of Westminster Village, with armed police then shooting him. The attacker, who has not been named, was one of the four killed, with two other dying after being hit by the car he was travelling in. League One club Charlton confirmed on Thursday that PC Palmer was a season-ticket holder at The Valley, and had been a loyal supporter for a number of years. As a tribute to him, the club posted a video on Twitter of a red and white scarf, the clubs colours, laid over his seat, and issued a statement to express their great sadness at hearing of his death. Keith was a familiar face at The Valley to many supporters and sat in his same East Stand seat for many years., the statement read. As an immediate tribute, a red and white scarf has been placed on his seat which will remain until the next home game on Tuesday, April 4th, while the club will discuss ways in which it can commemorate his life at the game itself. Keith was a true hero who will be greatly missed by all the Charlton family and everyone at the club would like to offer their sincere condolences to his family and friends at this extremely difficult time. The club also wish to extend condolences to the families of all those victims who were involved in yesterdays incident. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP Money is being raised for PC Palmers family by the Metropolitan Police Federation, which is aiming to raise 100,000 for the late policeman. At time of writing, the Just Giving page has raised over 33,000 in less than 24 hours.
If Muslims could stop condemning the Westminster attack, thatd be great! If youre a non-Muslim reading this, then please take yourself back to last Wednesday afternoon at around 3pm when you found out about the horror that was unfolding in London. Think back to the emotions you felt; horror, fear, despair, anger. Now think about a Muslim that you know personally (Im sure you can think of one) If you do know a Muslim personally, then I dont think I need to tell you that he/she felt exactly the same emotions as you, and more. Muslims react to these attacks in exactly the same way that non-Muslims do (shocking I know), but to add to that we also have that nervous feeling in the pit of our stomachs. The inevitability that the perpetrator was radicalised in an East London mosque, or watched jihadi videos online, OR that they coincidentally pledged their allegiance hours before the attack to ISIS on social media. Muslim leaderships response What has been telling over the last few days is that amongst the Muslim leadership in the UK there has been a knee-jerk reaction to condemn the incident. Apologetic Muslims condemning terrorism wont stop Islamophobia. By being the only community to condemn such depraved acts of violence, we are inadvertently being led to accept a degree of responsibility and blame. People dont hate Muslims because we arent vocal enough against terrorism. Muslims have been condemning acts of terrorism for years and that hasnt convinced or changed the minds of Europes far-right or Donald Trumps alt-right. In fact, in November 2016 a 19-year-old Muslim student called Heraa Hashmi compiled a list of 5784 instances that Muslims and Muslim organisations condemned an act of terrorism. This 719 page has now been turned into a website (MuslimsCondemn.com) and sadly only proves the point that being vocal in condemnation of attacks wont stop ignorant people from being ignorant. People dont hate Muslims because we arent vocal enough against terrorism. Click to Tweet The silent majority are aware that Muslims are normal functioning members of society (just like them) and dont need a statement by the Muslim Council of Britain to remind them of this. The attack in Westminster on Wednesday was a cowardly depraved act and it was wrong. There is no justification for this act of violence and we condemn it unequivocally.  Harun Khan, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain. If we all know that the actions of this man were not in line with Islamic teachings and were trying to distance ourselves from them, then how about we dont stick a bunch of Muslim women in hijab on the bridge where this vile and disgusting attack took place? Thousands of pounds have been raised to support the families of the innocent victims of this attack (money that will never be able to bring back the loss of their loved ones but will hopefully assist the families in rebuilding their lives). This is a fantastic gesture and something that Muslims should champion. Muslims shouldnt only raise money when they perpetrator calls himself a Muslim. They shouldnt only raise money when it can be used as nice PR stunt. Islam teaches Muslims to contribute and impact social justice in our society at all times. In 2013 an 82-year-old by the name of Mohammed Saleem was stabbed to death by a racially motivated terrorist who was plotting to cause explosions near mosques in Walsall, Tipton and Wolverhampton. This terrorist (here we can definitively use this term) incident is one that is hardly known in Muslim circles and no money was raised by British Muslims to support the family through this tragedy. Whilst I applaud the efforts of those who raised over 28,000 for the families of the victims of the Westminster incident, let this not simply serve as a tokenistic PR gesture to serve as a means of condemning an attack that we all know had nothing to do with us. The far-right and the media The response to the attacks from Londoners has been pretty awesome by all accounts. If we are to assume that this was a terrorist attack, they sought to divide us and create mistrust between different groups of people, but we have not let them have their way. Whilst we the people have managed to move forward, elements of society refuse to let this go. Predominantly, those elements are the far right, the media and Muslims. Adrian Elms AKA Khalid Masood was not white, converted to Islam and had a beard. Thats fuel enough for their anti-immigration and anti-Islam rhetoric. Despite the fact that he was born in Kent and is reported to have taken Class-A drugs and slept with prostitutes for days at a time, people like our beloved Tommy Robinson have no problem with highlighting the issues they have with Islam as a whole just moments after the incident. In typical fashion, the media have focussed so much attention on this story that theyve simply fed into the hands of terrorists (again, if this was a terrorist attack) and have only served to encourage others in carrying out similar attacks to forward their agenda. Simon Jenkins does a much better job of explaining this point than I could. What was also interesting, was that the media (whilst not taking the overt Fox News-esque approach of blaming Islam and talking about Muslim-only zones in Birmingham) opted to fill their prime-time slots with Muslim experts and leaders condemning the attack and explaining that were all shocked and disgusted by the attack. It started to feel like Muslims were guilty by association. Yes, they werent saying this was about Islam or that the guy was a practicing Muslim, but Muslim influencers and leaders were being invited onto the sofas at Sky News, the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and more. A terrorist attack, really? Ive attempted to stay away from referring to this as a terrorist attack, because details of this crime are still unclear. With the attacker dying from his injuries, the job of the police to piece together the puzzle that led to the fateful events on in Westminster on the 22nd March becomes all the more difficult. One thing to note however is that ISIS claiming responsibility is much much to go by in terms of a motive. They have previously claimed responsibility for a fire at the Eiffel Tower, which in reality was caused by a fireworks display and for bringing down a Russian plane in 2015 which investigators ultimately concluded there was no evidence to support. Time will tell with regards to Masoods exact motive, but it already seems that he had no link to ISIS, though he had jihadi interest (which is a term I cant say I have much understanding of). As Muslims its time that we stopped taking responsibility for the crimes of people who have nothing to do with us or our faith. I think its time people started looking beyond simplistic gestures of condemnation because we need to distance ourselves from extremists. We need a radical change in how we deal with violent extremist incidents.
Searches took place at two addresses in Birmingham and a residential property in the Radford and Arboretum area of Nottingham. A woman who witnessed police arriving to search the Nottingham property told the BBC the raid took place between about 15:00 and 16:00 BST. She said other officers in plain clothes remained at the scene for a few hours. Sham Khatun said: "A van parked up outside the house, they broke into the house. They shouted 'Police!', they broke a couple of doors." Suspect 'not co-operating' Scotland Yard's head of counter terrorism Neil Basu 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." The assistant commissioner added there was "no intelligence at this time of further danger" to London or the UK as a whole. The suspect, who has not been formally identified, is being held at a south London police station but police said he was not co-operating with officers. Security minister Ben Wallace said he was British but originally from another country. Image caption A residential property in Nottingham (seen on the left of this picture) was raided by police in connection with the inquiry Labour's Roger Godsiff, MP for Birmingham Hall Green, tweeted that the driver was "believed to have been living in my constituency". Home Secretary Sajid Javid said: "The briefing I have received from counter-terrorism police and the security services is that work is ongoing and they are doing everything they can to find out more about the incident. Image copyrightAFPImage caption Only the area around the scene of the crash remains sealed off Image caption Cyclists were seen on the ground after the crash Police say the vehicle was driven from Birmingham to London on Monday night, was in the Tottenham Court Road area until about 06:00 and was seen driving around Westminster and Whitehall for 90 minutes before the incident. A number of eyewitnesses have said the silver Ford Fiesta, which was travelling westbound in Parliament Square, appeared to deliberately hit members of the public as it swerved into the opposite lane. 'Formidable courage' Footage released by the BBC shows the moment when the car then crosses over a traffic island in the middle of the road before crashing into the security barriers. A police officer can be seen jumping over another barrier to get out of the way. Media playback is unsupported on your device Media captionWitness: "I saw a man drive towards Parliament at speed" Westminster Tube station was closed and streets around Millbank and Parliament Square cordoned off for several hours. The immediate area around the incident remains taped off and screened by white temporary fencing. Parliament is not currently sitting. British Transport Police said it was increasing patrols in England, Scotland and Wales and that its officers would be "highly visible on trains and at stations". The prime minister paid tribute to the "formidable courage" and professionalism of the emergency services who "ran towards a dangerous situation in order to protect the public". Urging the public to remain vigilant but "carry on as normal", Theresa May added: "For the second time in as many years the home of our democracy, which is a potent symbol of our precious values of tolerance and freedom, has witnessed terrible scenes just yards from its door." The Houses of Parliament are surrounded with security barriers of steel and concrete. The measures were extended in the wake of the Westminster Bridge attack in March 2017 when Khalid Masood ploughed a car into crowds on Westminster Bridge, killing four people. Analysis By Dominic Casciani, BBC News home affairs correspondent Security arrangements at Parliament have progressively tightened since 2001. In the aftermath of the 7/7 attacks, new truck bomb-proof barriers were installed in an effort to "target harden" Westminster. These include the reinforced low black rampart-like walls that surround Parliament itself and a highly visible armed police presence. Visitors need to go through a chicane-like system designed to help armed officers spot suspects. The one significant weak spot was the main vehicle gates - as became apparent in March 2017's one-man attack. That triggered an internal security review that has led to changes that remain secret - although it's apparent to Londoners that there are now more armed police than ever before patrolling the area. The threat of terrorism is a constant concern for Parliamentarians - it's not new. Irish republican paramilitaries murdered Airey Neave MP in 1979 in a car bomb that exploded within the palace grounds. And the dilemma remains the same: how best to balance security with guaranteeing that the heart of British democracy remains open to the people. The prime minister's official spokesman said as of the end June 2018 there were 676 live investigations into potential terrorist plots. He said since March 2017, 13 Islamist plots and four far-right plots had been foiled. Scotland Yard is asking anyone with information on Tuesday's crash to call 0800 789 321. Anyone with video or pictures of the crash is asked to send them to police.
Armed police arrested a man on terror offences after he was found carrying "a bag of knives" in Westminster. Scotland Yard said a knifeman was tackled yards from the Houses of Parliament after a stop and search was carried out as part of an "ongoing operation". The man, 27, was detained on Parliament Street at just after 2.20pm, Scotland Yard said. Nobody was injured. It is thought the suspected terrorist's plot was foiled thanks to an "intelligence-led" joint operation by MI5 and counter-terrorism police. Photos shared on social media show a large carving knife lying on the pavement next to a smaller knife and a bag. Tackled: Armed police surrounded the man (Twitter/@ 3213dev) Reports by eyewitnesses claimed the suspect had been carrying "a rucksack of knives". Luke William said he was driving past as police flooded the area. He told the Standard: There was a man being held against a wall by armed police. Police detain a man following the incident in Whitehall. (EPA) On the floor was a backpack with knives falling out of it." He added: "It didn't look like anyone was being attacked. Whitehall 'Knifeman' incident - In pictures Whitehall 'Knifeman' incident - In pictures 1/18 Tackled: Armed police surrounded the man Twitter/@3213dev 2/18 Firearms officiers from the British police arrest a man on the ground on Whitehall near the Houses of Parliament in central London AFP/Getty Images 3/18 Firearms officiers from the British police arrest a man on Whitehall near the Houses of Parliament AFP/Getty Images 4/18 Armed police talk to man at the scene after a person was arrested following an incident in Whitehall in London Dominic Lipinski/PA 5/18 Armed police talk to a man at the scene after a person was arrested following an incident in Whitehall in London Yui Mok/PA 6/18 A man is led away by police in Westminster after an arrest was made on Whitehall Toby Melville/Reuters 7/18 Forensic Officers looking at with knifes at the scene after a man was arrested following an incident in Whitehall in London Yui Mok/PA 8/18 A British police forensics officer (R) passes a knife to a colleague as they collect evidence on Whitehall near the Houses of Parliament AFP/Getty Images 9/18 A man is held by police in Westminster after an arrest was made on Whitehall Toby Melville/Reuters 10/18 Knives on the ground at the scene after a person was arrested following an incident in Whitehall Lauren Hurley/PA 11/18 A bag and what appears to be at least one knife on the ground, being photographed by forensic officers Guido Fawkes 12/18 Forensic Officers looking at with knifes at the scene after a man was arrested following an incident in Whitehall Yui Mok/PA 13/18 Video grab taken from BBC News of the scene in Westminster after a man was arrested following an incident in Whitehall, BBC 14/18 A forensics investigator photographs knives on the ground after man in Westminster after an arrest was made on Whitehall Toby Melville/Reuters 15/18 Police at the scene after a person was arrested following an incident in Whitehall Dominic Lipinski/PA 16/18 Firearms officiers from the British police arrest a man on the ground on Whitehall near the Houses of Parliament AFP/Getty Images 17/18 A man is held by police in Westminster after an arrest was made on Whitehall Kylie MacLellan/Reuters 18/18 Police at the scene where a man has been arrested following an incident in Whitehall in London @inapposite/PA 1/18 Tackled: Armed police surrounded the man Twitter/@3213dev 2/18 Firearms officiers from the British police arrest a man on the ground on Whitehall near the Houses of Parliament in central London AFP/Getty Images 3/18 Firearms officiers from the British police arrest a man on Whitehall near the Houses of Parliament AFP/Getty Images 4/18 Armed police talk to man at the scene after a person was arrested following an incident in Whitehall in London Dominic Lipinski/PA 5/18 Armed police talk to a man at the scene after a person was arrested following an incident in Whitehall in London Yui Mok/PA 6/18 A man is led away by police in Westminster after an arrest was made on Whitehall Toby Melville/Reuters 7/18 Forensic Officers looking at with knifes at the scene after a man was arrested following an incident in Whitehall in London Yui Mok/PA 8/18 A British police forensics officer (R) passes a knife to a colleague as they collect evidence on Whitehall near the Houses of Parliament AFP/Getty Images 9/18 A man is held by police in Westminster after an arrest was made on Whitehall Toby Melville/Reuters 10/18 Knives on the ground at the scene after a person was arrested following an incident in Whitehall Lauren Hurley/PA 11/18 A bag and what appears to be at least one knife on the ground, being photographed by forensic officers Guido Fawkes 12/18 Forensic Officers looking at with knifes at the scene after a man was arrested following an incident in Whitehall Yui Mok/PA 13/18 Video grab taken from BBC News of the scene in Westminster after a man was arrested following an incident in Whitehall, BBC 14/18 A forensics investigator photographs knives on the ground after man in Westminster after an arrest was made on Whitehall Toby Melville/Reuters 15/18 Police at the scene after a person was arrested following an incident in Whitehall Dominic Lipinski/PA 16/18 Firearms officiers from the British police arrest a man on the ground on Whitehall near the Houses of Parliament AFP/Getty Images 17/18 A man is held by police in Westminster after an arrest was made on Whitehall Kylie MacLellan/Reuters 18/18 Police at the scene where a man has been arrested following an incident in Whitehall in London @inapposite/PA Armed police descended on the area as the road, near to Westminster Bridge, was sealed off. Photos showed a police cordon surrounding the bag, which had been discarded on a road traffic island. Armed police were seen detaining the bearded suspect, who was dressed in dark clothing, before wrestling him to the ground. He was then seen pinned up against the wall of the HMRC offices being questioned by police before he was taken away in a police vehicle. A forensic officer dressed in blue overalls photographed the knives and bent down to closely inspect the weapons. A forensics officer photographing a discarded bag. (Guido Fawkes) The Met Police said the man was arrested at 2.22pm at the junction with Parliament Square during a stop and search. Scotland Yard confirmed they found knives on him. Armed officers from the Met's special firearms squad arrested the man on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism. He was detained under the Terrorism Act and is in custody in a south London police station. Suspect: A man aged 27 was detained by police. ( Getty Images) According to Reuters news agency, a security source said the suspect was known to counter-terrorism police and British intelligence. Prime Minister Theresa May was away from Number 10 on a campaign visit at the time of the incident on Thursday, which did not disrupt work in Downing Street, said a spokeswoman. The scene on Parliament Street at just after 2.30pm. (@inapposite) "This is an ongoing police operation and we are monitoring it," said the Number 10 spokeswoman. "The Prime Minister has been informed by officials and she will be updated, as usual for incidents like this." Traffic was brought to a standstill northbound on Parliament Street as police detained the man. Police descended onto Parliament Street. (BBC) Ian Moss told the Standard: I could see a person down on the floor in the middle traffic island. It looked like they were tending to him but kept him under cover of armed police. They later stood him up, handcuffed, and walked him over to the wall by HMRC. There were lots of armed police, 20 or so, unmarked and marked police cars. I was on a bus turning into Whitehall so was close to the incident but didnt see how it had started. Forensic officials inspecting the seized weapons (AFP/ Getty Images) I could see items on the floor, which I assumed was a weapon but was not close enough to see. The whole incident lasted about 10 to 15 minutes. Everyone was very calm. An employee at HMRC said the main entrance to their building at 100 Parliament Street has been closed. Police with the suspect against the wall of the HMRC offices. (Dominic Lipinski/PA) Recruiters Harry Peasnell, 27, and Andy Burnage, 22, were leaving the adjacent building which houses various Government offices after a meeting with officials when they were told over the Tannoy the usual entrance on to Whitehall was closed. As they made their way back towards Parliament from the alternative House Guards Road entrance they said they were pushed back up Great George Street by several plain clothes police officers. They then made their way to Parliament Square where they said they saw a man in his 20s or 30s, who they thought was the suspect, being spoken to by police next to the wall of the offices. The man was taken away in a police vehicle. (Toby Melville/Reuters) Mr Peasnell, who says he regularly has meetings in Westminster, said police were "quick on the scene" and that he was not worried like he was during the terror attack in the area just weeks ago. "Last time all the buildings were on lockdown and no one was allowed to leave," he said.
Inside the enquiring mind of Mr Bloggy (aka Mark Mapstone) UPDATE:  THE WESTMINSTER ATTACK  WHAT NEXT? NOW WE KNOW! THE WESTMINSTER ATTACK WHAT NEXT? WE NOW KNOW! The Chaos one person can cause. Sadly it is now proving that my thoughts on this were accurate. Fanatics around the world are using the Westminster and London Bridge method of attacking innocent people, using vehicles as a battering ram, as they have found this a cheap and available way to obtain publicity for their cause, whatever that is. The question now is: What can we do now the cat is out of the bag? The answer: Very little. The majority of these attacks are now being carried out by unbalanced individuals who have given no sign of their fanatical leanings, and are therefore out of the terrorist radar. Short of having a thought police, there is very little can now be done other than pray. The additional problem now, as was shown in Barcelona, the fanatics have realised that they can get just as good results by using a car instead of a van. This opens out the prospective attackers to phenominal figures. Do we ban all vehicles from city centres? If we do then how will businesses get and despatch their deliveries? How will the disabled get their supplies or mobility vehicles within the No Vehicles zones? I am open to any logical suggestions that anyone out there has. (Polite ones only, please) Name(required) Email(required) Comment(required) MY ORIGINAL WARNING Before continuing, I would like to send my condolences to the relatives and friends of those murdered and best wishes for a rapid recovery to those injured in the attack on Westminster on Friday. The question I am asking is: What will happen now? I dont mean how will the investigation go on, but what are the long term consequences of what has happened? One of the biggest problems facing our modern way of life has been a dependance to the more traditional methods of terrorism, i.e. Bombs and Gas attacks. On Friday we saw a new angle for terrorism  the lone attacker. We were used to having notice of bomb attacks, giving the emergency services some time to clear the threatened area. This lone attacker gives no notice of his (or her) intentions. Fridays attack clearly showed how one person alone can cause carnage in their wake, produce a glut of publicity for their cause, and bring a massive area to a stand-still, with no-one having any inkling of what was about to happen. With the old type of terrorist, they would need a whole team of support, making the attack more predictable and vulnerable to discovery by the security services. The single person attacker needs no special equipment what-so-ever. My real dread now is that as a result of the impact that this incident had, and the glut of publicity it created, there will now be a speight of copy-cat attacks carried out by a string of individuals seeking quick attention to their cause or belief, or just individuals with psychological problems looking for a quick way to end it all with an impact. Sadly there is very little the police or security services can do to prevent this type of attack, without declaring a police state, which none of us want. We live in an age of rapid impact in all forms of life. Some members of the public will do anything to draw attention to their cause or belief. They will now have seen how just one person can have so much impact on the daily life and movement of the public, that it will prove irresistable to them. My prediction is for a sad future of single person pavement attacks with vehicles, and random individual attacks on the Police and public figures. As I have said, I hope it never happens again, but there are a lot of crazies out there. Time alone will tell. Recent Posts from my other sites:: London's East End Guard Dog Originally posted on The Thoughts Of Mr Bloggy: TRANSPORT FAILURES POINTED OUT AT TOWER HAMLETS ACCESSIBLE TRANSPORT FORUM The Real and Local Voices combined their resources and hosted a forum targeted at highlighting the problems local disabled residents had with accessing public transport. And they did a great job! There were representative bodies from almost Originally posted on David Hencke: Guy Opperman  the current pension minister who says it is too expensive to pay the 50s women. CROSS POSTED ON BYLINE.COM The fact that 50s women were robbed of their pensions by raising the pension age is undeniable. But the biggest argument against putting this right has been the Skin-whitening creams: The battle against illegal products VIEW THE ORIGINAL BBC NEWS ARTICLE: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-45085674 High Street shops that were prosecuted for selling illegal skin-whitening creams are continuing to do so, the BBC has found. Trading Standards acknowledged its a really big problem and more could be done to regulate the industry. Substances containing hydroquinone and [] THERE IS STILL WORK TO BE DONE. At a meeting of the Granby Estate Tenants Association on 20th April, there was a series of complaints that work either has not been finished properly, and that it has been done to an unacceptable standard. The Keepmoat office in Bentworth Court has now been closed down, and [] As the Decent Homes Scheme project within Bentworth Court is slowly coming to a close, it is about time to create a summary showing how things seem to have gone through the eyes of a resident. Companies Involved. There were two main companies involved in the rebuild of the block. These were Breyer who concentrated [] 6 KEY NEW SIGNS STILL PRINTED COMPLETELY WRONG. Even though I personally warned the Keepmoat site offices about the incorrect printing on the original signage which appears beside flat 1 of each floor, and even went to the measures of warning them about it ON THIS BLOGSITE on 9th September 2015, they have still gone [] Recent Posts from my other sites:: health support database for tower hamlets Originally posted on London's East End Guard Dog: IS IT POSSIBLE THAT SOME HOSPITAL CLINIC NURSES HAVE LOST THE EMPATHY AND CARING TOUCH? Today I attended a scheduled appointment for 2.30pm at the Sleep Clinic, (Clinic 6, East Wing, St. Bartholomews Hospital, London) Having arrived 15 minutes early, I had a cheery and professional Originally posted on Blithehale Health Centre Patients Blog: A LIGHT-HEARTED LOOK AT TODAYS P.P.G. MEETING ? MINUTES FROM THE PREVIOUS MEETING: Telephones: The new telephone system is now up and running, and the practice are now receiving positive feedback. They got there in the end! Hurrah! ? TEAM BUILDING: There are several changes in professional Recent Posts from my other sites:: Sundial Book Project "Tales by Eastenders" We are sad to announce the passing away of Barry Gendler, one of the key writers of our book, and a good friend. We know that Barry has been ill for a long time now, but he finally passed away Tuesday night, 21st February 2017 at St. Josephs Hospice, in the East-End of London. Barrys [] SORRY BUT WE ARE ALL AILING AT THE MOMENT Photo taken at the launch of Tales by Eastenders You may have noticed that there have not been many entries onto this site recently. This has been the result of a speight of bad health permeating throughout our team at the moment. The writers and team [] SALLY GIVES UNEXPECTED READING FROM OUR BOOK Tales by Eastenders received an unexpected boost when Sally Flood read one of the poems, Small Cogs, she wrote for our book at the Write Idea Festival last Saturday. Sally was talking to Kate Thompson about Kates new book Secrets of the Singer Girls when the unexpected reading [] Recent Posts: Blithehale Health Centre Patients Blog A Light-hearted look at the PPG Meeting held on Wednesday 22nd August 2018 at 5.00pm Following the usual quick introductions, which included introducing the new Practice Manager, Bola Jacobs, the meeting agenda was adjusted to start with a presentation from Penny Hampson of St. Josephs Hospice. Penny gave a detailed breakdown of the services provided [] We are pleased to say that the next Patients Participation Group Meeting will now take place TOMORROW Wednesday 22nd August 2018 at 5.00pm It is hoped that changing the time and day of the meeting will enable more patients to attend. If you have a question or point you would like brought up, and are [] Originally posted on London's East End Guard Dog: Skin-whitening creams: The battle against illegal products VIEW THE ORIGINAL BBC NEWS ARTICLE: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-45085674 High Street shops that were prosecuted for selling illegal skin-whitening creams are continuing to do so, the BBC has found. YouTubers Mariam Omotunde and Arlene Dihoulou used skin-lightening cream when they were
UK terror attack: Romanian woman knocked off Westminster Bridge, dies Cristea underwent surgery for a blood clot on the brain and was taken off life support on Thursday. She was knocked from Westminster Bridge as the attacker drove into pedestrians on March 22. (Photo: AP) London: A Romanian woman who fell into the River Thames during last month's terror attack outside the British parliament has died in hospital, police said on Friday, bringing the toll to five. Andreea Cristea, 31, was visiting London with her partner Andrei Burnaz, who intended to propose marriage later that day, according to Romanian ambassador Dan Mihalache. She was knocked from Westminster Bridge as the attacker drove into pedestrians on March 22. Life support for Cristea was withdrawn on Thursday, the police said. "There are no words to even begin to describe the crushing pain and emptiness that is left in our hearts," her family and partner said in a statement. Cristea's death brings the number of innocent lives lost to five. In the attack, Khalid Masood, a 52-year-old convert to Islam known to the security services, drove at high speed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge. The rampage killed Leslie Rhodes, 75, a retired window cleaner; Aysha Frade, 44, a school administrator; Kurt Cochran, 54, an American tourist, and now Cristea. Masood then fatally stabbed 48-year-old policeman Keith Palmer, who was guarding the gates of parliament, before being shot dead himself by an armed officer in the forecourt. "After fighting for her life for over two weeks, our beloved and irreplaceable Andreea -- wonderful daughter, sister, partner, dedicated friend and the most unique and life loving person you can imagine -- was cruelly and brutally ripped away from our lives in the most heartless and spiritless way," Cristea's family and partner said. "She will always be remembered as our shining ray of light that will forever keep on shining in our hearts. "Andreea is now unfortunately not able to have part of the money that was raised for her recovery, so we would like to donate it to charity. She would not have it any other way." Footage of the attack, in which around 50 people were injured, showed Masood's hire car speeding into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge and Cristea falling into the river below. Witnesses reported seeing a body lying face-down in the Thames in the wake of the assault. After being taken from the water and rushed to hospital for treatment, Cristea underwent surgery for a blood clot on the brain. Her partner had an operation on a broken foot but has since been discharged and attended a vigil on Westminster Bridge last week. Burnaz was pushed in a wheelchair to the scene of the attack where he placed a single rose. Britain's Prince William, his wife Kate and his brother Prince Harry spoke with survivors and the families of those killed in the attack at a memorial service on Wednesday. The royals joined those affected by the assault at a "Service of Hope" at Westminster Abbey, just across Parliament Square from the scene of the attack. Witnesses and emergency service workers involved in the response effort were among the 1,800 people who attended, along with the speakers of both houses of parliament. All 12 people arrested in connection with the attack have been released and face no further police action.
Theresa May told MPs our values will prevail as she delivered a defiant statement to a packed House of Commons less than 24 hours after the attack on Westminster. May said that parliament, and the UK, will not be cowed by terrorism. In an effort to emphasise business as usual, Mays spokesman later confirmed she would press ahead with invoking article 50, the formal divorce process from the EU, next Wednesday as planned. The prime minister had warmly paid tribute to PC Keith Palmer, who lost his life defending parliament, and the other victims who were killed and injured when Khalid Masood drove his vehicle across Westminster Bridge, ploughing into pedestrians. PC Palmer had devoted his life to the service of his country, she said. He had been a member of the parliamentary and diplomatic protection command for 15 years, and a soldier in the Royal Artillery before that. He was a husband and a father, killed doing a job he loved. He was every inch a hero. And his actions will never be forgotten. MP Tobias Ellwood listens to speeches in Parliament the morning after an attack in Westminster. Photograph: Reuters Yesterday, an act of terrorism tried to silence our democracy. But today we meet as normal, as generations have done before us and as future generations will continue to do, to deliver a simple message: we are not afraid and our resolve will never waver in the face of terrorism. And we meet here in the oldest of all parliaments because we know democracy and the values it entails will always prevail, the prime minister said. She listed the nationalities of those injured, underlining the global nature of London and its visitors. In addition to 12 Britons admitted to hospital, we know the victims include three French children, two Romanians, four South Koreans, one German, one Pole, one Irish, one Chinese, one Italian, one American and two Greeks, she said. The French foreign minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault, was sitting in the public gallery of the chamber to hear Mays statement, and rose to show his support when the Speaker, John Bercow, called him. The prime minister thanked the French government for its solidarity. Later in the day, the prime minister visited victims of the attack in hospital. Speaking to journalists in mid-afternoon, Mays spokesman said: She has recently returned to Downing Street from a private visit to a hospital, where she spent around 40 minutes speaking to victims of yesterdays events and hospital staff, to thank them for their work. Many MPs had spent much of Wednesday penned in the parliamentary estate  including about 300 in the Commons chamber  as the police secured the area. As May delivered her statement in the chamber, police helicopters hovered overhead and a police cordon remained in place around Westminster, but MPs from across the political spectrum were determined to show that they were continuing with business as usual. London terror attack: Khalid Masood named as responsible, police make eight further arrests Read more May confirmed, as she said in her statement on Wednesday evening, that the terrorist threat level would not be increased as a result of the incident. The threat level to the UK has been severe  meaning an attack is highly likely  for some time. It is the second highest threat level. The highest level, critical, means there is specific intelligence that an attack is imminent. As there was no such intelligence, the independent Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre had decided that the threat level would not change in the light of Wednesdays attack, she said. The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, responded to the prime ministers statement, saying: What happened yesterday was an appalling atrocity. Today, we are united by our humanity, by our democratic values and by that human impulse for solidarity to stand together in times of darkness and adversity. The Conservative MP James Cleverly paid tribute to Palmer, who he had known well as a gunner in the Royal Artillery. Cleverly asked the prime minister to consider formally honouring his bravery. He was a strong, professional public servant and it was a delight to meet him here again only a few months after being elected. Would my right honourable friend the prime minister, in recognition of the work that he did and the other police officers and public servants in the house do, consider recognising his gallantry and sacrifice formally with a posthumous recognition? May appeared emotional as she replied, saying: I thank my honourable friend for the obvious, not just compassion, but passion that he has given about an individual he knew ... having served in our armed forces and then come here to this place and paid the ultimate sacrifice here at our heart of democracy, I can assure my honourable friend that the issue hes raised is, of course, one that will be considered in due course. Mays spokesman said she had received a series of phone calls from world leaders, including Angela Merkel, Franois Hollande and Donald Trump, offering their condolences and support, and had herself signed a book of condolence in parliament. Boris Johnson, the foreign secretary, who was in New York for a meeting of the UN security council, called for a period of reflection on how terrorist incidents are relayed round the world on TV and social media. At present there are few direct controls on what TV companies broadcast, although the police can make private requests for footage not to be shown if it can be proven it will aid terrorists during an incident. Johnson called for media conglomerates to do more to take down Islamic State propaganda to prevent on line radicalisation. He said: I do think the responsibility for this most lies with the internet providers, with those that are responsible for great social media companies. They have got to look at the stuff that is going up on their sites. They have got to take steps to invigilate it and to take it down where they can. Everyone has a responsibility in this. I do believe we need to go through a period of reflection about how we transmit images of these events around the world in real time. Johnson was in the US for meetings with key figures in the republican administration and to attend a meeting of the global coalition against terrorism. He said: Our values are superior, our view of the world is better and more generous and our will is stronger.
Terror returns to Westminster: What we know so far Premier's political editor Martyn Eden reports yesterday's attack and urges Christians to value both our politicians and the security services charged with protecting them The Westminster Parliament is a popular symbol of British democracy which makes it an obvious target for terrorists. At 7:37am on Tuesday Salih Khater drove his Ford Fiesta into Parliament Square, scattering a group of cyclists and seriously injuring one of them before crashing into a barrier outside the St Stephens entrance to the House of Commons. Mercifully, no-one was killed unlike a similar incident in March 2017 when Khalid Masood injured 50 and killed 6 people before being shot by the police. Masood was a jihadist linked to Islamic State, seeking revenge for UK involvement in the Middle East. Khaters motives are not known yet and he does not appear to have planned his attack as carefully as Masood had. He travelled to London from his Birmingham home on Monday and drove around Westminster for more than an hour before making his attack. Parliaments security barriers were sufficiently robust to stop the attack but had Khaters car carried a bomb the outcome could have been much more serious. Khater was known to the police in Birmingham but not to MI5. However, the use of a vehicle as a weapon raises serious issues for the security services and some are talking about banning traffic from proximity to Parliament. Attacks on Parliament are not just a modern phenomenon. Every November 5th we remember Guy Fawkes failed attempt to blow up Parliament. In 1979 a car bomb planted by the INLA was used to kill Airey Neave MP, the Conservative spokesman on Northern Ireland, as he drove out of the Parliamentary estate. Since the 2017 attack security measures have been substantially strengthened and Tuesdays attack demonstrated their effectiveness. The public gallery in the House of Commons now has a bomb-proof screen to prevent any attacks in the Chamber. Visitors to Parliament have to pass through thorough security procedures and Parliamentary staff and press personnel have to be checked by the security services before being issued with passes. These measures help to keep Parliament open to the people whom it exists to serve and that is important. At the same time, those who are elected to represent us should not be open to terrorist attacks or the acts of deranged individuals. The murder of Jo Cox MP in her Batley and Spen constituency in 2016 and the knifing of Stephen Timms in his constituency surgery in 2010, in revenge for his vote for the Iraq war, both demonstrate that total security for MPs is not possible. These incidents remind us that security is about more than barriers. The police who manned the barriers on Tuesday responded rapidly and effectively to arrest Khater and prevent him from causing any more harm. Their lives are potentially at risk as the killing of PC Keith Palmer by Khalid Masood in 2017 demonstrated. Ultimately, there is no guaranteed defence against a well-planned attack by a determined terrorist. Mercifully Tuesdays attack was not well-planned but it reminds us to value those who represent us and those who guard them too. About the Authors Martyn Eden is Premiers resident political editor - reporting, analysing and commenting on political developments on Premier Christian Radio and writing a weekly political commentary with a Christian perspective.
Muslims, worldwide leaders and ordinary people, respond to the Westminster bridge attack in Londonand the attack on a school in Syria London is shaken. Syria is shaken. We are all shaken. People of all faiths, races and backgrounds by what has unfolded at the Westminster bridge in London on Wednesday and the attack on a school in Syria. One man. One psycho. One mentally-deranged man went on a rampage first in his car on the Westminster bridge to kill whoever comes in his path on the bridge and then ramming into the gate, followed with trying to knife as he ran around before being shot down by the police. That was a brief summary of the attack that has so far left 5 dead and many other injured, some critically. Muslim Council of Hong Kong, along with every other sane person, regardless of our beliefs, condemn this attack just like we condemn any other similar attack happening in other parts of the world, such as recently a US-led coalition air strike in Syria kills more than 30 people in school. But sadly, with every such attack, Muslims especially are in the spotlight again since the attacker is being reported as being a Muslim and the #NotInMyName are being cried out, whilst the fear of Islamophobia grows. Here are how Muslims are responding for those who want to know: British Muslim Amar Alam iterates this attack wasnt about a Muslim upon a Non-Muslim Lets be clear about one thing regarding the disgusting attack that happened at Westminster today. The lunatic who perpetrated the attack, killing and injuring innocent people including a police officer, did not check to see if his victims were Muslims or not. Westminster Bridge could have been lined with Muslims today, yet it would have made no difference to the one who perpetrated the attack. He had one single aim and that was to indiscriminately kill as many people as possible, no matter their race or religion. So it is important that we are aware of this fact before Muslims are blamed for what happened, because these people are as much the enemies of Muslims as they are of non-Muslims. It could have been any one of us (Muslims) or our loved ones who had been killed or injured on that bridge today. There are many similar voices, mindsets and emotions of not just Muslims, but again people of all faiths at an event which shouldnt make Muslims being forced to condemn  any sane human would naturally feel the disgust. And finally, just for the record, here are a few statements from the Quran and the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) which are put forward again and again whenever such an event happens to disassociate Islam from such acts. Whoever kills an innocent person, it is as if he has killed all of humanity We humbly urge all communities to compassionately stand firm against all acts of violence upon innocents in every single land. We must not let these terrorists, warmongers and bigots (Muslims and Non-Muslims alike) divide us. Let us not play into their evil narrative, and instead show them that people of all faiths and backgrounds can live peacefully together. What do you think? Born in Hong Kong, grew up in Scotland and ethnically Pakistani, Adeel primes himself to be a multicultural individual who is an advent social media user for the purpose of learning and propagating Islam while is also a sports fan. Being an English teacher himself, he envisions a bright future for Muslims which he strongly believes can only be done with education.
LONDONA car crashed into barriers outside the U.K. Houses of Parliament on Tuesday morning in a suspected terrorist attack, injuring several people just yards away from the site of an attack last year. Police said the driver, a 29-year-old U.K. national, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of terrorist offenses. Westminster Crash A silver Ford Fiesta collided with cyclists and pedestrians before crashing into barriers outside the Houses of Parliament. Location of the crash The car hit cyclists going in the opposite direction along this approximate path Note: Incident locations are approximate Source: Google Earth (image) It certainly appears this was a deliberate act but what the motivation is we cant say, said Neil Basu, the head of the London police counterterrorism unit, adding that the method and the iconic scene of the crash pointed to terrorism. The incident prompted an early morning tweet from President Donald Trump. Another terrorist attack in LondonThese animals are crazy and must be dealt with through toughness and strength! he tweeted. A woman and two men were treated for their injuries following the incident, the police said. The woman remains in the hospital, but her injuries dont appear to be life-threatening. If confirmed as terrorism-related, the attack would be one that lacks the sophistication and planning that marked last years deadly attacks in the British capital, where vehicles and bladed weapons were used. Police said there were no weapons found in the car and no evidence of any attempt to follow up with a blade attack. Detectives established that the vehicle was driven to London from Birmingham, around 120 miles northwest of London in Englands Midlands region, late Monday and was driven around the Westminster area for more than an hour before the assault, police said. Counterterror officers are searching three addresses outside the capital in connection with their investigation. Two are in Birmingham and the third is in the English city of Nottingham, also in the Midlands. Television footage of the path of the vehicle and eyewitness accounts suggested it could have injured more people. The area is normally much more crowded later in the day, and parliament is in summer recess, meaning prominent politicians are less likely to be in the neighborhood. In Photos: Car Hits Barriers Outside U.K. Parliament Several people are injured in what police called a suspected terrorist attack, just yards away from the site of a similar incident last year Police forensics officers investigate a silver Ford Fiesta car that was driven into a barrier at the Houses of Parliament in central London on Aug. 14, injuring several pedestrians in what authorities said was a suspected terrorist attack. DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images 1 of 10  The driver didnt appear to have been known to security services or counterterrorism police before the incident, Mr. Basu said. That increase the likelihood that, if it was terrorism, the attacker will be found to be a lone wolf, self-directed individuals who are difficult for security services to track. Television footage from the scene showed a silver Ford Fiesta surrounded by armed police officers and fire engines outside the parliamentary buildings, the seat of the British government. Footage also showed a cyclist lying on the ground near where the car came to a halt, and what appeared to be policeman jumping out of the way before it hit the barriers. The suspected attack on a U.K. landmark and tourist hub comes just over a year after a spate of summer assaults rattled the U.K., including three in which attackers used vehicles in the capital. The country has beefed up security, including placing barriers along major bridges and other prominent sites in the capital. Some are disguised as flower beds, public benches and bicycle stands. Security services in the U.K. say the current threat level is at severe-the second highestwhich means a terrorist attack is highly likely. For the second time in as many years the home of our democracy, which is a potent symbol of our precious values of tolerance and freedom, has witnessed terrible scenes just yards from its door, Prime Minister Theresa May said. The threat to the United Kingdom from terrorism remains severe, she added, indicating that the official threat level remained unchanged compared with before the attack. Mrs. Mays official spokesman told reporters Tuesday that since the start of 2017 security services have foiled 13 Islamist terror plots and four by far-right extremists. The spokesman added that counterterror police and security services were at the end of June conducting 676 live terror investigations. Jason Williams, a witness, said he saw a man driving a car straight through Parliament hitting the bollards and barriers. Specialist police arrived in 10 minutes with rifles, Mr. Williams added. They arrested a man. There were cyclists injured; they were on the ground. Newsletter Sign-up In March of last year, Khalid Masood mowed down pedestrians on nearby Westminster Bridge and stabbed a policeman before being shot and killed. In June 2017, three terrorists used a van to plow into people walking over London Bridge before stabbing and slashing others with knives, leaving a total of eight people dead. Later that month, a van careered into a crowd near a London mosque, and one man died. Police closed surrounding roads in the area in the hours after Tuesdays crash. Workers in offices just inside the cordon who werent allowed out passed laptops to colleagues so they could begin the working day from nearby coffee shops.
Ms Rudd gave the first reading, followed by Prince William who read a passage from Luke. Members of the congregation were given candles as they arrived at the abbey which were lit as prayers were said. Dr Hall told the congregation: "We are all affected by the attack a fortnight ago on Westminster Bridge and at the gates of the Palace of Westminster, and we are all left bewildered and disturbed. "But our sense of loss and diminishment is paled by comparison with that of the families of those who died: Aysha Frade, Kurt Cochran and Leslie Rhodes on the bridge, and Police Constable Keith Palmer on duty at the gates of Parliament, and all those who were injured. Our hearts go out to them in sympathy and prayer and love." Solemn: The Royals outside the abbey. (Dan Kitwood/ Getty Images) He continued: "What happened a fortnight ago leaves us bewildered. "What could possibly motivate a man to hire a car and take it from Birmingham to Brighton to London, and then drive it fast at people he had never met, couldn't possibly know, against whom he had no personal grudge, no reason to hate them and then run at the gates of the Palace of Westminster to cause another death? It seems likely that we shall never know. "No doubt it was in imitation of the attacks in Nice and Berlin. But what on earth did he hope to achieve? Such random acts of aggression are nothing new." A message left by Prince William in memory of the victims. (Hannah McKay/Reuters) The service ended with the Our Father, hymn 'Now Thank We All Our God' and the national anthem. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry will now meet with the injured and the bereaved families of those killed. Melissa Cochran, the wife of Kurt who was killed, arrives at the service in a wheechair. (Dan Kitwood/ Getty Images) Injured student Travis Frain, from Lancashire, attended on crutches and Australian tourist Trish Neis-Beer arrived in a wheelchair. Relatives of college worker Aysha Frade, 44, who died on the bridge, were also present. Prior to the service, the Dean of Westminster the Very Rev John Hall told the BBC the attack was "senseless" and said the service will be one of hope to bring communities together. This morning Ms Rudd also paid tribute to Londoners, saying: Todays service of hope marks two weeks since a cowardly attacker tried, and failed, to divide the people and the communities of London and cause us to live in fear and suspicion. But we were not cowed and we did not give in to terror. Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey - In pictures Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey - In pictures 1/28 The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry arrive Stefan Rousseau/PA 2/28 Prince William and Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge arrive at a Service of Hope Hannah McKay/Reuters 3/28 The Duchess of Cambridge arrives Hannah McKay/Reuters 4/28 Prince William lays a wreath Hannah McKay/Reuters 5/28 A message left by Prince William is seen on a wreath he laid on arrival at a Service of Hope Hannah McKay/Reuters 6/28 Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry attend the Service of Hope Dan Kitwood/Getty Images 7/28 Prince William and Prince Harry, and Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, arrive at a Service of Hope Hannah McKay/Reuters 8/28 Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry arriv Stefan Rousseau/PA 9/28 London's Mayor Sadiq Khan arrives at the Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey Hannah McKay/Reuters 10/28 Dimmon and Sandra Payne, parents of Melisssa Cochran arrive at a Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey Hannah McKay/Reuters 11/28 Melissa Cochran arrives at a Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey Hannah McKay/Reuters 12/28 A woman injured in the London terror attack arrives at Westminster Abbey 23/28 24/28 25/28 The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry attend the Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey Eddie Mulholland/The Daily Telegraph/PA 26/28 The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry attend the Service of Hope Eddie Mulholland/The Daily Telegraph/PA 27/28 Metropolitan Police officers attend the Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey Eddie Mulholland/The Daily Telegraph/PA 28/28 The Duke of Cambridge during the Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey Eddie Mulholland/The Daily Telegraph/PA As he attended the service, Mr Khan said: Today is an opportunity for all Londoners to say thank you to the emergency services and the police who went above and beyond the call of duty to keep us all safe. Its also our opportunity to pay our respects and remember PC Keith Palmer, Kurt Cochran, Aysha Frade and Leslie Rhodes.
The palace said Wednesday night that the queen's visit, which had been set for Thursday, will be postponed. The change is due to security concerns raised by the terror attack on Parliament. It is also expected that police will be involved with a major investigation that will occupy many officers. The queen was to have been joined by her husband Prince Philip at the official opening of the new building. ___ 10:15 p.m. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says the police presence at the Australian Parliament House has been increased in response to the London attacks. "Australia's heartfelt sympathy and resolute solidarity is with the people of the United Kingdom with whom we stand today as we always have in freedom's cause. Staunch allies in the war against terrorism," Turnbull told reporters on Thursday. "The attack on the British Parliament is an attack on parliaments, freedom and democracy everywhere," he added. ___ 10:05 p.m. The Eiffel Tower is going dark in mourning and solidarity with Britain after an attack around the British Parliament in which four people, including the attacker, were killed. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, whose city has suffered deadly extremist attacks in recent years, announced that the tower is turning off its twinkling lights at midnight (2300 GMT). Three French teenagers on a school trip were among those injured in Wednesday's attack targeting pedestrians on London's Westminster Bridge and a police officer on the nearby Parliament grounds. French President Francois Hollande offered support for Britain and the investigation. ___ 9 p.m. Prime Minister Theresa May has condemned the "sick and depraved terrorist attack" in London and says the targeting Parliament was no accident. In a late-night statement outside her Downing Street office Wednesday, a defiant May said the nation will not give in to terror and those who targeted the seat of power in Britain. She insisted that "tomorrow morning Parliament will meet as normal," and urged the country to move on and behave as normal on Thursday. May says "we will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart." The prime minister confirmed that four people died in the attack and praised the security services who ran toward danger. ___ 8 p.m. A French government plane is set to fly to London Wednesday evening to bring the families of three French students wounded in the attacks at the British Parliament to their loved ones. French President Francois Hollande announced the move in a statement Wednesday night after speaking with British Prime Minister Theresa May. May confirmed to Hollande that three French high school students from France's western Britanny region were wounded in the attacks, the statement said. Hollande offered his condolences to May for those who died in the attacks and expressed France's solidarity with Britain "in this tragic ordeal." "The British and French services are in close contact to conduct the investigation," Hollande added. London is a common destination for French school trips. ___ 7:55 p.m. Romania's foreign ministry says two Romanians were wounded in a deadly attack in London's Westminster that left four dead. The ministry said the two had been taken to a hospital for treatment. There were no further details on the identity of the two or how seriously they were injured. The ministry said it had been informed by authorities in London. A knife-wielding man went on a deadly rampage near the Parliament, mowing down pedestrians on London's Westminster Bridge before stabbing an armed police officer to death inside the gates of Parliament. Four people were killed, including the attacker. About 20 others were injured. ___ 7:20 p.m. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy condemned the deadly attack in London's Westminster on Wednesday and offered condolences to the British people in a telegram sent to his British counterpart Theresa May. "An execrable terrorist act like the one that took place today is a reminder that we face complex challenges for the security of our societies," said Rajoy in a transcript of the telegram distributed by Moncloa, the prime minister's palace. "We must remain united against these type of threats that affect all of us equally and that know no barriers," Rajoy wrote, offering Spain's support to the UK. Israel, which that has faced a wave of Palestinian car ramming, stabbing and shooting assaults since 2015, also expressed solidarity with the victims of the London attack. Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely said in a statement. "Israel expresses its deep shock at the terror attack in London today and its solidarity with the victims and with the people and government of Great Britain. Terror is terror wherever it occurs and we will fight it relentlessly." ___ 6:50 p.m. One British lawmaker was hailed by some as a hero in Wednesday's attack on the British Parliament. Conservative parliamentarian and Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood, whose brother was killed in the Bali terror attack in 2002, performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on the police officer who was stabbed and later died. About 10 yards away was the attacker who was shot dead by police after scaling the security wall toward Parliament's grounds. Ellwood, who served in the British military, applied pressure to the police officer's multiple lacerations. Photographs showed Ellwood's bloodied hands and face from the police officer's wounds while the alleged attacker was seen nearby. ___ 6:20 p.m. The White House is condemning the attacks in London involving a car rampage and knife attack. President Donald Trump is said to be monitoring developments. Spokesman Sean Spicer said Wednesday Trump spoke with British Prime Minister Theresa May and said that the White House applauds "the quick response of British police and first responders" and condemns the attacks. A vehicle mowed down pedestrians on a bridge and the attacker then stabbed a police officer outside the British Parliament. At least four people died, including the attacker and a police officer. Spicer says that the city of London and the British government have the "full support" of the U.S. as they investigate the attack. The U.S. Homeland Security Department says the security posture in the United States has not changed in the wake of the attack. ___ 6:15 p.m. The Italian interior ministry says the nation's top security and intelligence officials will huddle in Rome on Thursday for "an evaluation of the terrorist threat" after the attacks in London. The ministry said minister Marco Minniti convened the Committee of Strategic Anti-terrorism Analyses following "the tragic facts in London," in which a vehicle mowed down pedestrians on a bridge and the attacker then stabbed a police officer outside the British Parliament. At least four people died, including the attacker and a police officer. Italian security was already on high alert for a European Union summit bringing EU nation leaders to Rome Friday for a meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican, and a ceremony in the Italian capital Saturday. Authorities are bracing for possible violence during several marches Saturday, drawing thousands of both pro-and anti-EU participants. ___ 6:05 p.m. The head of counterterrorism at London's Metropolitan Police, says four people have died in the terror incident in London, including an attacker and a police officer. Mark Rowley says some 20 people have been wounded and Parliament was locked down. A search is underway to make certain no other attackers are in the area - though police believe there was only one attacker. Rowley said the dead policeman was one of the armed officers who guard Parliament. The other victims were on Westminster Bridge. Rowley says "We are satisfied at this stage that it looks like there was only one attacker. But it would be foolish to be overconfident early on." ___ 5:50 p.m. French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have both expressed their support and solidarity with Britain after the attacks at the British Parliament in London. "We are all concerned with terrorism," Hollande told reporters Wednesday during a visit in Villepinte, outside Paris. "France, which has been struck so hard lately, knows what the British people are suffering today." Hollande added that countries "must bring all the conditions to answer these attacks" and that "it is clear that it is at the European level, and even beyond that, that we must organize ourselves." French Interior Minister Matthias Fekl said "it is a high place of democracy that has been attacked" and that France is "obviously ready to help." Merkel said in a statement Wednesday that she learned "with sorrow" of Wednesday's incident and her thoughts were "with our British friends and all of the people of London," in particular those who were injured. While the circumstances of the attack were still unclear, "I want to say for Germany and its citizens: we stand firmly and resolutely by Great Britain's side in the fight against all forms of terrorism," she said. ___ 5:45 p.m. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has expressed sympathy to those injured and condolences to the relatives of those who died in the incident at Britain's parliament, and has underlined the need for global cooperation in the fight against terrorism. "We don't split terrorism into categories; we consider it as absolute evil. At this moment, as always, our hearts are together with the British people, we feel their pain and speak again about the need to confront that evil," she said. ___ 5:40 p.m. British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson was absent from a "family photo" of officials attending a conference on the Islamic State group in Washington, D.C. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who was also at the meeting, issued a statement offering his condolences to the victims. "The American people send their thoughts and prayers to the people of the United Kingdom. We condemn these horrific acts of violence, and whether they were carried out by troubled individuals or by terrorists, the victims know no difference," he said. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the U.S. was ready to assist in any way. "The safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas is one of our highest priorities. Our embassy in London is monitoring the situation closely," he added. ___ 5:30 p.m. Three students on a school trip from Saint-Joseph high school in the Brittany town of Concarneau were among the injured, according to the French foreign ministry. The ministry said it is in contact with British authorities. ___ 5:25 p.m. French Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve says that French high school students are among the wounded in the attack in London. In a tweet Wednesday, Cazeneuve offered support to the British as well as to "the French students wounded, their families and their schoolmates." London is a common destination for French school trips. ___ 5:15 p.m. British port officials say they pulled a woman from the Thames River following the incident on Westminster Bridge. The Port of London Authority says a female member of the public was recovered from the river, injured but alive. The authority says it has closed the river between Vauxhall Bridge and Embankment while a major security operation is under way after a suspected terror attack at the Houses of Parliament in London. ___ 5:10 p.m. Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May will chair a meeting of the government emergency committee to discuss the response to the terror incident in London. The emergency committee known as Cobra coordinates the high-level response to serious incidents. It brings together government ministers with senior officials of the emergency services and security and intelligence agencies. Such meetings are held after serious incidents such at the July 7, 2005, attack on London transport services. The Wednesday meeting is held in the briefing room of the Cabinet Office on Whitehall. ___ 5 p.m. The London Ambulance Service says it has treated at least 10 injured people on Westminster Bridge after a vehicle hit pedestrians. It says the first ambulance arrived within six minutes of the first call at 2:40 p.m. (1440GMT). Ambulances, an air ambulance and a Hazardous Area Response Team were all sent to the scene. One woman has been confirmed dead, and a body was seen lying in the yard of Parliament, where a knifeman stabbed a police officer and was shot by police. People began leaving the Houses of Parliament about two hours after the incident. ___ 4:50 p.m. A senior police commander says the attack at London's Parliament has been declared a terrorist incident and "a full counterterrorism investigation is underway." Commander B.J. Harrington says "a number" of people have been injured, including police officers. He says additional police officers, armed and unarmed, will be deployed across London during the evening rush hour as part of efforts to keep people safe. ___ 4:35 p.m. The Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh suspended its debate on a second independence referendum after the incident outside the British Parliament in London. Scottish lawmakers had been planning to vote after two days of debate on First Minister Nicola Sturgeon's call for another referendum on leaving the United Kingdom. The debate was suspended after some members said it should be halted out of respect after a policeman was stabbed and his attacker shot in London. Sturgeon tweeted that her thoughts were with everyone in Westminster "caught up in this dreadful incident." ___ 4:30 p.m. A doctor says a woman has died and about a dozen people are hurt, some with "catastrophic" injuries, after a vehicle apparently hit pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, near Parliament. Anderson said: "There were people across the bridge. There were some with minor injuries, some catastrophic. Some had injuries they could walk away from or who have life-changing injuries." She said there might be a dozen injured in all. ___ 4:20 p.m. Poland's former foreign minister, Radek Sikorski, says he was in a taxi leaving Westminster and was checking his email when he heard something like a car crash, "something like a car hitting metal sheet." "I look up and I see that a person is lying on the pavement. I started my camera and I saw more people lying on the street and on the pavement," Sikorski said on Poland's TVN24. "People started running up to them. I saw one person who gave no sign of life, another man was bleeding from his head. In all, I saw five people who were at least seriously injured," he said. "The taxi driver immediately called the emergency number. I heard ambulances within two or three minutes, so the rescue action was really very quick. There is a hospital near there." "It all happened so fast that there was no time to get scared," said Sikorski who posted his video on Twitter. ___ 4:05 p.m. The U.S. State Department says it is closely monitoring the incident outside London's Parliament and urged Americans in London to avoid the area. Spokesman Mark Toner said Wednesday: "We stand ready to assist in any way the U.K. authorities would find helpful." He added that the U.S. Embassy in London is closely following the news and stands ready to help any affected Americans. "We were just walking up to the station and there was a loud bang and a guy, someone, crashed a car and took some pedestrians out," he said. "They were just laying there and then the whole crowd just surged around the corner by the gates just opposite Big Ben. "A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman. "I have never seen anything like that. I just can't believe what I just saw." Lawmaker Adam Holloway told the AP he saw people running and immediately ran into his offices in Parliament to be with his staff. "A lot of us are locked in with our staff at the moment," he said. ___ 3:50 p.m. The White House says U.S. President Donald Trump has been briefed on a gun and knife incident at Britain's Parliament in London. Trump himself said during a brief appearance Wednesday before reporters at the White House that he was just getting the news. He called it "big news." Trump's spokesman, Sean Spicer, says the U.S. will continue to monitor the situation and update the president. Britain's Parliament was on lockdown after - according to officials - an assailant stabbed an officer then was shot by police. London Police also said officers were called to an incident on nearby Westminster Bridge ___ 3:40 p.m. British lawmaker Grant Shapps said on Twitter that he was walking through the cloisters of the House of Commons to vote when he heard four gunshots. 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Westminster terror attack: Here's what we know so far A massive police operation is under way after a terror attack in Westminster, in the heart of London. This is what we know so far: Four people have died - Pc Keith Palmer, 48, mother-of-two Aysha Frade and US tourist Kurt Cochran. The attacker, Khalid Masood, also died. Masood, 52, had a string of criminal convictions including possession of a knife, but he was not the subject of any current investigations and there was "no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack". Eight people have been arrested and a number of addresses raided across London, Birmingham and elsewhere. Those arrested include a 39-year-old woman held overnight at an address in east London on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. A 21-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man were also arrested overnight at an address in Birmingham on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. A 26-year-old woman and three men aged 28, 27 and 26 were arrested overnight at a separate address in Birmingham on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. A 58-year-old man was arrested on Thursday morning at a separate address in Birmingham on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. The woman killed on the bridge was Ms Frade, who worked at DLD College London. Mr Cochran, 54, from Utah, was the man killed in the incident on the bridge. Those injured included 12 Britons, three French children, two Romanians, four South Koreans, two Greeks, and one each from Germany, Poland, Ireland, China, Italy and the United States. Three police officers were also hurt, two of them seriously. The Hyundai used to mow down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge was hired from a branch of car hire firm Enterprise in Spring Hill, Birmingham. The attacker was British-born and was investigated by MI5 some years ago over concerns of violent extremism. The attacker, armed with two large knives, jumped out of the car after smashing it into the railings encircling the Palace of Westminster, fatally stabbing Pc Palmer as he entered the grounds. He was shot dead moments later by another police officer. Islamic State has claimed the attacker was one of its "soldiers". Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon has said the working assumption is that the attack is linked to Islamic terrorism. Prime Minister Theresa May chaired a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee on Wednesday night, later branding the attack "sick and depraved". Police forces around the UK are reviewing their security arrangements in the wake of the Westminster attack.
A WITNESS of the Westminster attack has described the terror as she saw a knifeman running towards Parliament as three shots were fired in the London attack. Car mowed down up to a dozen people on Westminster Bridge - just outside the Palace of Westminster Police officer dies after being stabbed by knife-wielding attacker Scotland Yard says five people have died including a policeman and the suspected attacker At least 40 people injured Houses of Parliament on lockdown Met Police treating incident as terror attack Theresa May was in the division lobby when she was whisked away by plain clothes policeman in a car Eyewitnesses said bodies were scattered on the ground on Westminster Bridge near Parliament. Scotland Yard said the attack is being treated "as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise". At least five people have died after a knifeman mowed down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge then stabbed a policeman in front of Parliament before being shot by armed officers. One witness said she saw an Asian man carrying an eight-inch knife heading towards the building. Jayne Wilkinson said: "We were taking photos of Big Ben and we saw all the people running towards us, and then there was an Asian guy in about his 40s carrying a knife about seven or eight inches long. Watching the incident unfold from the press gallery inside the Houses of Parliament, George Eaton the political editor of the New Statesman told Sky News: "I saw a large crowd fleeing the attacker who appeared to be carrying a knife, fleeing him from close to the Tube station. "He then entered the gates of Parliament and charged at officers. We now know that one of them was sadly stabbed. He was then very swiftly shot by armed police." Kathy Casatelli, 58, saw a car rammed into the front gates of the palace and a man being treated on the floor. She said: "We were coming up from the Tube and we walked out and there were officers there with their guns drawn. She said: I saw this car that was smashed into the gate. It was a grey BMW, it looked like a nice car. The whole windshield was smashed. "There was a man on the ground, it looked like he was moving. I don't know if he was the driver." Police extended the cordon back up Broad Sanctuary beyond Westminster Abbey to the junction with Victoria Street. After the incident, Radoslaw Sikorski posted a video to Twitter purporting to show people lying injured in the road on Westminster Bridge. Mr Sikorski, a senior fellow at Harvard's Centre for European Studies, wrote: "A car on Westminster Bridge has just mowed down at least five people." At least four people were seen lying on the ground, some bleeding heavily and apparently unconscious, on Westminster Bridge near Britain's parliament on Wednesday, Reuters photographs showed. One of the photographs showed a body lying under the wheels of a London bus. An assailant was shot outside parliament by armed police, the leader of the House of Commons said after loud bangs were heard with at least a dozen injured people on the nearby bridge. Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said: "I can see people injured on Westminster bridge. There are a lot of ambulances. I was coming down the escalators with loads of other people and police suddenly stopped us all. There was no way back up and it was a bottleneck. It was very scary. Everyone was panicking but the solidarity shown was inspiring. We're not sure if it was one or two attackers, or if it was the bloke in the 4x4 who attacked everyone on the bridge. I heard gunshots, but that was the police taking down the attacker. Witness Quentin Letts said he saw a man in black attack a police officer outside Parliament before being shot two or three times as he tried to storm into the House of Commons. "I saw a thick-set man in black clothes come through the gates into New Palace Yard, just below Big Ben," he told the BBC. "He had something in his hand, it looked like a stick of some sort, and he was challenged by a couple of policemen in yellow jackets. "And one of the yellow-jacketed policemen fell down and we could see the man in black moving his arm in a way that suggested he was stabbing or striking the yellow-jacketed policeman." PA Parliament shooting: Witness reveals knifeman ran towards Parliament PA Scotland Yard are treating the incident as a terror attack The other officer ran to get help and the man in black ran about 15 yards towards the entrance. Mr Letts said: "As this attacker was running towards the entrance two plain-clothed guys with guns shouted at him what sounded like a warning, he ignored it and they shot two or three times and he fell." Kevin Schofield, the editor of PoliticsHome.com heard "a very loud bang" from the press gallery inside the Houses of Parliament followed by lots of shouting and men running around. He initially thought it was a car crash but then he looked outside the window to a heavily-guarded area outside which is out of bounds to the public. He told Sky News: "Someone rushed through, attacked a policeman, a policeman went down, another policeman came and he was rescued. "The man who had assaulted him got up and he appeared to be carrying either a knife or a gun. Then we heard gunfire, lots of gunfire, maybe five or six rounds. EPA Shocked witnesses said they saw bodies lying on the ground on Westminster Bridge near Parliament "All I remember seeing is the man approaching the police officer probably with a knife and then there was gunfire. "He was walking towards a second policeman with his arm outstretched, with what looked like a knife in his hand, having already assaulted another policeman. "It was at that moment that you realised that something serious was happening - a man had broken in to Parliament and had a weapon." Steve Voake, 55, was walking across the Westminster Bridge towards the South Bank when he saw the aftermath. He said he saw at least two bodies lying on the road and one in the water. "I saw a trainer lying in the road and when I looked more closely I saw that there were a couple of bodies the other side of the road," he told the Press Association. "And when I looked over the side there was another body lying in the water with blood all around it." Westminster underground station has been closed and pedestrians moved away from the scene. One witness told Express.co.uk: "There's no tubes, no taxis, and people can't even walk anywhere because the police are moving people further and further away. It's chaos." In the Commons, MP John Pugh says MPs are being evacuated from the building. Helicopters are circling overheard as officers at the scene say they are unable to confirm how long the cordon will be in place. Police have cordoned off the Mall to cars with officers seen in Trafalgar Square. EXPRESS The attacker struck on Westminster Bridge Metropolitan Police said in a statement: Police are asking people to avoid the following areas: Parliament Square; Whitehall; Westminster Bridge; Lambeth Bridge; Victoria Street up to the junction with Broadway and the Victoria Embankment up to Embankment tube. This is to allow the emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident. Police were called at approximately 14:40 hours to reports of an incident in Westminster Bridge, SW1. It is being treated as a firearms incident. Officers - including firearms officers - remain on the scene and we are treating this as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise. We thank the public for their assistance. Police are appealing for any members of the public who may have images or footage of the incident to send them to this address: www.ukpoliceimageappeal.co.uk.
In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP She and another member of the public, a man in his 50s, died of injuries sustained on Westminster Bridge as an attacker sped his car along the pavement. He crashed it into gates next to the Houses of Parliament before getting out and bursting through the entrance, stabbing PC Palmer before being shot dead at around 2.40pm. The police have no reason to believe there are imminent further attacks on the public, she told MPs gathered in a packed House of Commons. Some years ago, he was once investigated by MI5 in relation to concerns about violent extremism. Floral tributes with a message reading 'We are not afraid, our hearts are with you' are seen near a police cordon in Westminster (Getty Images) He was a peripheral figure and the case is historicthere was no prior intelligence of his intent or the plot. Mrs May said the atrocity was an attack on free people everywhere but that British people would show their defiance by carrying on with their daily lives. Yesterday an act of terrorism tried to silence our democracy, but today we meet as normal, as generations have done before us and as future generations will continue to do, to deliver a simple message: 'We are not afraid and our resolve will never waver in the face of terrorism', the Prime Minister said. We are not going to allow these terrorists to cow us, were not going to allow them to change our way of life, he added. Terrorists want to attack London is because they hate the fact that we dont just tolerate each other  whether youre a Christian, Muslim, Jew, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, member of an organised faith or not, we respect, embrace and celebrate each other and thats going to carry on.
The attack outside the Houses of Parliament in London is the latest in a series of terrorist atrocities involving a vehicle being driven at speed into pedestrians  a tactic actively promoted by Islamic State. Live London attack: police confirm seven people arrested  live Police officer named as one of four dead  with two members of public and assailant  in Wednesdays terrorist attack on London In December, a refugee in Germany drove a truck into a market in Berlin, killing 12. Last July a stolen truck driven through a Bastille Day parade in Nice killed 86. The strikes appear inspired, if not actively commissioned, by Isis in Iraq and Syria. In November a student used a vehicle and knives to injure 13 on a campus in Ohio, in the US. His motives and allegiance are less clear. Such attacks are not unprecedented, but have become much more numerous in recent years. In 2014 the chief spokesman of the group, Mohammed al-Adnani, issued a call for sympathisers in the west to strike unbelievers, especially police officers or soldiers, where they were  rather than travel to the middle east to fight there. Abu Mohammed al-Adnani, who incited vehicle attacks in the west and was killed in 2016. Photograph: Uncredited/AP If you are not able to find a bomb or a bullet, then smash his head with a rock, or slaughter him with a knife, or run him over with your car, or throw him down from a high place, or choke him, or poison him, he said. Though al-Adnani, who was killed in 2016, pointed a finger specifically at France, where there were two vehicle attacks in 2014, he also cited the UK among preferred targets. As the military tide began to turn against the jihadi group in 2016, Isis urgently repeated its call. Isis had hoped to attack in the UK with more conventional tactics such as those used to such terrible effect in Paris in November 2015 and Brussels a year ago to the day of the Westminster attack. But despite the significant number of British nationals who had joined their ranks in Iraq and Syria, security officials say the group has lacked a network with the same deadly coherence and efficacy as that in France and Belgium. The fact that a Belgian recruit may have been employed to survey possible targets in Britain  not a UK citizen  in 2015 underlines their shortage. An alternative was individuals using whatever they could lay their hands on. The US too has seen a string of attacks by individuals  or in one case a couple  who have declared their allegiance to Isis before launching deadly strikes in which scores have died. British security officials say the UKs strict gun control laws  and the absence of significant illegal markets such as that in Belgium  have been key to preventing such attacks in the UK. Over the past 15 years, the vast majority of strikes, whether in Iraq, Afghanistan or the west, have involved weapons that are relatively easy to obtain. They have also almost all been committed within an hours travel of the attackers home and, despite the tendency to label individual attackers lone wolves, have involved networks. Research has shown that between half and two-thirds of lone attackers signal their intent to relatives or friends before executing a violent act. Most have links to broader networks or active Islamist groups, some non-violent. Associates of the Nice and Berlin attackers have been detained. The Guardian view on the Westminster attack: solidarity against terror Editorial: It is the moment everyone feared would come. But it must be kept in proportion There have also been attacks in Israel and the occupied territories, where cars have been used in a series of lethal attacks by Palestinians on Jewish targets. The tactic has led to unrest being called the run-over intifada and generated cartoons and songs on social media calling for the use of vehicles as weapons. These have inevitably circulated well beyond the Middle East. Uighur militants based in western China have used both vehicles and knives in attacks over the past decade. Security officials have long emphasised it was a question of when, not if, an attack would be carried out in the UK. The threat level has long been judged severe, which means an attack is seen as highly likely. In January, Richard Walton, the recently retired head of the Mets counter-terrorism command, said the threat was complex, diverse, and one weve not seen before. The call for individual violent acts in support of the greater jihadist cause is not new. It has its roots in jihadi ideology going back to the 1980s and before. The veteran rival of Isis  al-Qaida  has long backed such actions and has also repeatedly targeted London. In 2005 the group commissioned and trained the leader of the 7/7 plotters who went on to kill 52 on the London Underground. How the Westminster terror attack unfolded When such attacks became logistically difficult, al-Qaida sought to execute or inspire smaller scale operations, although its leaders rejected a suggestion that blades be attached to a tractor which would be driven through a crowd. However, al-Qaida publications did encourage strikes using vehicles. Britains only Islamist-related terrorist casualty since 2005 was Lee Rigby, an off-duty soldier who was killed in south-east London in 2013 when he was run down by a car driven by two Islamic militants and then stabbed to death. The threat has increased exponentially since 2011, security officials have said. As Isis disintegrates, al-Qaida remains resilient and while the Islamist extremist ideology continues to attract new followers the threat will not decline substantially in the near future.
Specially trained officers were spotted patrolling the perimeter fence of the Houses of Parliament while MPs were locked-down inside the Commons. Reports of two incidents have emerged after a car ploughed through a crowd of people on Westminster Bridge shortly after 2.30pm this afternoon. At many as 40 were reportedly injured before the car continued towards Parliament, causing people to flee and jump into the Thames to avoid being struck. REUTERS Highly trained terror police react to the London terror attack in Westminster A Met Police spokesman later declared five people were killed during the incident, including a policeman  named as PC Keith Palmer  and the attacker. The car then reached Parliament where one knifeman is though to have got out of the car and attacked a police officer before being shot dead. Theresa May was bundled into a police car by plain-clothed officers and evacuated. MPs were debating in the Commons at the time of the attack and have been prevented from leaving the chamber until the security services give them the go-ahead to leave. The specialist units seen responding after the deadly attack are kitted out in grey Kevlar body armour and carry a cache of weapons including sniper rifles, automatic assault rifles, handguns, submachine guns and tasers. They were introduced to London after a spate of deadly terror attacks across major European cities. Days before the attack armed police played out the chaos of a pleasure boat terrorist attack on the Thames in a unique marine-based exercise to test the emergency response to gunmen in London. A sightseeing vessel became the scene of a fierce mock-gun battle between armed officers and police volunteers posing as terrorists shortly after 11am on Sunday, close to the London Docklands area. The Exercise marks the first time the Metropolitan Police have enacted a live-action, water-borne exercise of its kind, with over 200 officers involved. Sky News reported the highly-prepared units arrived on the scene within six minutes of the attack on Westminster. A spokesman for the Met Police told reporters they will maintain a heavy police presence around London to ensure the safety of the public and urged anyone with evidence or information to contact them on 0800 789 321.
It was unclear whether the change came during his imprisonment at Lewes Prison in East Sussex, Wayland Prison in Norfolk or Ford open prison in West Sussex. Masoods abrupt religious conversion will fuel concerns about the rising threat of criminals being brought under the influence of hardened jihadis while in prison  a pattern repeated time and again in Europe among Isis militants including those who carried out the Brussels and Paris attacks. Ministers have announced plans to create specialist units within jails to tackle what a Government-ordered review last year concluded was a growing problem. Isis recruiters are known to target violent criminals looking for a route to redemption, with more than half of known European jihadis fighting in Iraq and Syria known to have a criminal past. Masoods route to extremism could also have been influenced by two stints working as an English teacher in Saudi Arabia, whose government enforces a fundamentalist form of Islam linked to extremist movements around the world. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP The Saudi Arabian Embassy in London said Masood did not appear on the security services radar during stays in 2005/6 and 2008/9. Theresa May said Masood was the subject of an historical investigation over violent extremism by MI5 but was not part of the current intelligence picture, describing him as a peripheral figure. There was no prior intelligence of his intent, or of the plot, she added. Police are also searching for potential accomplices after it emerged that Masood used the messaging service WhatsApp just minutes before his attack, raiding properties in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Wales. Only one man out of 11 people arrested in the wake of Wednesdays terror attack remains in custody after two more suspects were released yesterday. The Metropolitan Police said a 27-year-old man from Birmingham and 39-year-old woman from East London would face no further action in the case. A 58-year-old arrested in Birmingham remains in custody and a 32-year-old woman from Manchester is on bail pending further inquiries. Seven other people were released with no further action on Friday. Police conduct a fingertip search near Parliament yesterday (PA) Scotland Yards head of counter-terrorism Mark Rowley said detectives want to understand Masoods motivation, preparation and associates and if he either acted totally alone, inspired by terrorist propaganda, or if others have encouraged, supported or directed him. Masood ploughed his car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, killing three members of the public including a British mother-of-two on her way to pick up her daughter from school, and an American tourist celebrating his 25th wedding anniversary. He then crashed the car into railings outside the Houses of Parliament and ran into an entrance, fatally stabbing PC Keith Palmer to death despite his protective vest, before being shot dead. Calls are growing for security and physical barriers around the Palace of Westminster to be stepped up, although Government officials have praised the response of emergency services. Muslim faith leaders led a 200-strong peace rally in Birmingham on yesterday, with Dr Waqar Azmi telling the crowd: Those people who are Daesh and Isis do not define the values that Muslims would hold. We refuse now to allow them to misrepresent us, and refuse now to allow them to define us. Tens of thousands of anti-Brexit demonstrators also fell silent at Parliament Square in tribute to the victims of the Westminster attack.
Politicians, fellow soldiers and Canadians are gathering on Parliament Hill today for a ceremony marking the anniversary of two uniformed soldiers killed one year ago. Cpl. Nathan Cirillo was gunned down Oct. 22, 2014, at the National War Memorial by Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, who later stormed into the Centre Block of the House of Commons where he was shot dead. Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, left, and Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent were killed within days of each other in October 2014. A ceremonial service to commemorate the Parliament Hill shooting and the lives of two soldiers killed on their home soil last October is set to take place at the National War Memorial on Oct. 22, 2015. (Canadian Press) Cirillo's death came two days after a separate incident in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que. when a man deliberately ran down 53-year-old Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent. Canadians are recalling the terror and heroism that marked that day. Here are their voices. "Oct. 20 and Oct. 22, 2014. It's been one year. We continue to grieve. We continue to heal. "To the families, friends and loved ones of Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent and Cpl. Nathan Cirillo: my heart goes out to you on this painful anniversary. We remember them, and we honour their service to Canada. "Their duty was to defend us and to bravely stand on guard for our country. Ours is to remember their sacrifice, and to remember why they served. "Warrant Officer Vincent and Cpl. Cirillo both had very important jobs: to defend our rights and our freedoms as a people. They stood up for our democratic values of tolerance, of diversity, of equality, of fairness and of the rule of law, by which I mean the constant, relentless pursuit of justice. "This is who we are. Our Parliament is a symbol of who we are. It too was attacked last October. "Many of you valiantly rushed to defend it, just as others of you rushed to the aid of the wounded here in Ottawa and in Saint-Jean-Sur-Richelieu. "You boldly reminded us that with our rights and freedoms, come responsibilities-responsibilities toward each other and to Canada. "You are citizens, you are first responders, and you are police and security officers. You are dedicated members of the Canadian Armed Forces. And when those terrible events took place, you acted with great resolve. You were courageous and compassionate and professional. "You helped maintain order and security. You stood in the way of danger. And you did everything you could for the fallen. It's been one year. "Many people said Canada changed forever last October. But I don't think Canada changed forever. Canadians are a caring, courageous people, and that did not change, and that will not change. Such moments arise rarely in a nation's history, and how we respond tells us what kind of people we are. "How you responded tells us what kind of people you are, and what kind of people we are. We owe an enormous debt to everyone who pulled together one year ago with such bravery, humanity and resolve. Here we stand, and here we shall remain. Let us remember the fallen, and rededicate ourselves to all we hold dear as a people." - Gov.-Gen. of Canada David Johnston From right: Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his wife, Laureen Harper, and Justin Trudeau, prime minister-designate of Canada, and his wife, Sophie Grgoire-Trudeau, attend a ceremonial service in Ottawa on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2015 to commemorate the attack on on Parliament Hill and the deaths of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo and Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press) "One year ago today, terrorist attacks were carried out against fellow Canadians at hallowed national sites of commemoration and democracy. "Let us pause on this date to remember Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, who fell while standing guard at the National War Memorial, as well as those injured on Parliament Hill. Let us also remember the deadly assault on Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent, who was targeted simply for wearing his uniform two days earlier in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que. Canadians continue to honour and remember these proud members of our Canadian Armed Forces. "On this day let us also pay tribute to all the security forces, medical personnel and brave citizens who risked their safety to stop the attackers and help those injured. "It was inspiring to see how Canadians came together in the aftermath of these attacks, offering each other support, condemning terrorism and showing the courage and resolve that make our country great. "As we remember the victims and heroes on this sombre anniversary, let us be thankful for the freedom and peace we continue to enjoy in Canada." - Prime Minister Stephen Harper "One year ago, our nation was shaken by brutal and heartless acts of violence that occurred in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu and in Ottawa on Parliament Hill. We are grateful for all the brave men and women who sought to keep us safe on Oct. 22. "Today our thoughts and prayers remain with the loved ones of Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent and Cpl. Nathan Cirillo who tragically lost their lives. We continue to grieve with their families. "Our servicemen and women, who have put their lives on the line for their country, stand for the very best of what it means to be Canadian. We will live up to our sacred obligation to Canada's men and women in uniform, our veterans, and their families. "As I said in addressing the country last year, the picture in our minds  of Canadians helping and protecting Canadians  that is who we truly are, and it is who we shall continue to be. "We will not allow threats to shape us, nor bow to those who mean to undermine our values and way of life. Canadians are kind and generous, open-minded, and optimistic. We know that Canada was built by people from all corners of the world, who worship every faith, who belong to every culture, and who speak every language. "Today, on this solemn anniversary, I join Canadians from coast to coast to coast in committing that we shall continue moving forward, together." - Prime minister-designate Justin Trudeau Lt. Colonel Peter St. Denis, Commanding Officer of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders reflects on how the regiment has dealt with the death of Corporal Nathan Cirillo. 4:17 "Today, the NDP caucus, Catherine and I join with all Canadians in solemn remembrance on this one-year anniversary of the shootings at the National War Memorial and Parliament Hill. "These horrifying attacks shocked our country and stunned the nation's capital. Our thoughts and most sincere best wishes are with the family of Corporal Nathan Cirillo and Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent, who paid the ultimate price for these senseless acts. We also offer our deepest gratitude to the law enforcement officials who demonstrated their heroism that day and who continue to risk their lives to remain on guard. "Today, Canada grieves and remembers, but we remain steadfast against any who wish to undo our unwavering commitment to peace and order. This act of hate, which intended to drive neighbours apart and isolate communities, achieved the opposite result, a stronger and more united Canada." - NDP Leader Tom Mulcair "Today, my thoughts and prayers are with Kathy Cirillo, Nathan's mom, and all the members of the House of Commons and Senate Security, RCMP and Ottawa police officers who performed so many selfless acts of unmeasurable courage standing and defending the values of all Canadians." - Kevin Vickers, former Sgt.-at-Arms for Parliament Hil "We've worked really hard to support the family and make sure that they're being taken care of. We've actually been very lucky in a way, because as much as we claim to have tried to support the family, they've demonstrated such an amount of courage and dignity  that kind of supported us in turn." Floral tributes to Cpl. Nathan Cirillo sit at the National War Memorial in Ottawa, Ontario on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2014. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press) "Today marks one year since the tragic death of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo and the heroic actions of several Parliament Hill security personnel and RCMP officers. We remember Cpl. Cirillo and honour him not just today but every day, by our constant pursuit of peace, order and security. Our thoughts remain with Cpl. Cirillo's loved ones..... "Security is a shared responsibility and we need to remain vigilant. Together with our partners, we will continue to keep Canadians and visitors to Parliament Hill safe and secure by reducing the risk of potential incidents." "We were shocked and saddened by these assaults and reminded that no country is immune to terrorism. Today, we commemorate the tragic events of October 2014 by honouring our Fallen and our heroes. "Today we pay tribute to those who gave their lives so that we can live in a free, democratic and safe society. We have pulled together as a country through many challenges and together we stand in solidarity as we remain vigilant against those at home and abroad who wish to harm us." Corporal Ryan Weinberger of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders remembers his friendship, and growing up with Corporal Nathan Cirillo. 2:46 "Today, the parliamentary community pauses to acknowledge the terrorist attack that took place on Parliament Hill one year ago. All of us were profoundly affected by that distressing day, and, for many, the passage of time has not lessened the impact of the experience. As Speaker of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Commons, we are proud of the courage and dignity that was demonstrated by our security forces, parliamentarians and employees, not only on Oct. 22, 2014 but in the difficult weeks and months that followed. We are also proud of the strides that have been made over the past year towards improving security on Parliament Hill. The changes are palpable while still ensuring open access to the home of Canada's democracy. What has and always will underpin the approach are the men and women in uniform who protect us daily and without question: from the newly-created Parliamentary Protective Service to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and their security partners. We are forever grateful to them." - Leo Housakos, Speaker of the Senate and Andrew Scheer Speaker of the House of Commons Popular Now Comments To encourage thoughtful and respectful conversations, first and last names will appear with each submission to CBC/Radio-Canada's online communities (except in children and youth-oriented communities). Pseudonyms will no longer be permitted. By submitting a comment, you accept that CBC has the right to reproduce and publish that comment in whole or in part, in any manner CBC chooses. Please note that CBC does not endorse the opinions expressed in comments. Comments on this story are moderated according to our Submission Guidelines. Comments are welcome while open. We reserve the right to close comments at any time.
Off-duty police officer killed in the atrocity The terror threat level has been raised to its highest possible rating, meaning another atrocity is expected imminently, as police warn they are investigating a "network" linked to the Manchester Arena bomber. Soldiers have been deployed to guard Buckingham Palace, Downing Street and key sites with the Houses of Parliament on lockdown and the Ministry of Defence cancelling Buckingham Palace's Changing of the Guard allowing armed police to be moved elsewhere. Manchester bombing - Armed police and soldiers have been deployed across Britain PA Soldiers patrol Downing Street as the UK is put on high alert Police have arrested four people in south Manchester, including a 23-year-old man, in connection with the bombing as in the terror investigation intensifies. A source says police are hunting for accomplices who have helped suicide bomber Salman Abedi build a suicide bomb. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Reuters: "The question is: Was he acting alone or was he part of a network of others who want to kill. That is what the investigation is focusing on," the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "The concern is that there may be others out there who helped him to make the bomb. Making a bomb of this sort requires a certain level of expertise and competence. Armed police and soldiers stormed a block of flats in Manchester city centre as the investigation into the terror attack continues. Greater Manchesters Chief Constable Ian Hopkins told reporters police are carrying out extensive searches of properties across Manchester as they investigate a network linked to the attack. Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said: Its very clear this is a network we are investigating, it continues at a pace, there are extensive investigations and activity taking place across Greater Manchester as we speak. He warned the investigation is intense and continuing at a pace with four people in custody. AFP GETTY Soldiers are deployed in London AFP GETTY Soldiers have been deployed to guard Downing Street and Parliament He added: People will have seen a significant increase in the number of armed officers in Greater Manchester. We have been supported by forces in the North West and beyond in order to do this and this all forms part of our tried and tested plan for a major terrorist incident. With the threat level being increased to critical you will be aware that military are supporting policing across the country. This is about using the military across sites in London and elsewhere to free up armed police officers to support police forces. There are no military personnel patrolling Manchester but we are therefore able to receive additional armed policing support because of this plan. We are using this to help in our efforts enable the Manchester Games and Manchester 10k to go ahead. We are working with event organisers and Manchester City Council to review and enhance our safety and security. Islamic State (ISIS) has claimed responsibility for the attack which saw Salman Abedi kill 22 people, including an eight-year-old girl and injure at least 64 people at an Ariana Grande pop concert at Manchester Arena on Monday night. 20 people remain in "critical care" across Manchester with people suffering from "horrific injuries" including major organ damage and potential loss of limbs. Home Secretary Amber Rudd said it seems likely that Manchester bomber Abedi was not acting alone and admitted the bomber was known to the intelligence services up to a point. This morning Greater Manchester Police arrested three men in south Manchester in connection with the bombing . Yesterday a 23-year-old man was arrested in Chorlton. Nearly 4,000 soldiers could take to the streets of Britain in the wake of the Manchester bombing It seems likely, possible, that he wasn't doing this on his own Home Secretary Amber Rudd Ms Rudd told BBC Radio: It seems likely, possible, that he wasn't doing this on his own so the intelligence services and the police are pursuing their leads in order to make sure they get all the information ... that they need to keep us safe. French interior minister Gerard Collomb has said Abedi is believed to have travelled to Syria and had "proven" links with ISIS. Ms Rudd confirmed Abedi had recently returned from a visit to Libya, where his parents are reported to now live, and said the nature of the attack suggested he may have had support. PA A man with a knife has been arrested outside Buckingham Palace She added: It was more sophisticated than some of the horrific events that we have seen in the past or in other parts of Europe so people are reasonably wondering whether he did this on his own. Abedis former school, Burnage Academy for Boys, says it stands shoulder to shoulder with our fellow Manchurians against terrorism in all its forms. Related articles Soldiers have been deployed to guard Buckingham Palace, Downing Street, Palace of Westminster and embassies as heavily armed police patrol train stations in the capital. Parliament is on lockdown with all public tours and events cancelled until the threat level changes with the Palace of Westminster only open to passholders. The Ministry of Defence has announced the Changing the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace has been cancelled today to redeploy police officers in the wake of the Manchester attack. Met Police said: The military will be working under the Metropolitan Police Service command structure to provide static armed guarding at key locations. Chelsea have cancelled their Premier League title victory parade on Sunday out of respect to the Manchester victims amid security concerns. Players will also wear black armbands at the FA Cup Final against Arsenal on Saturday with the club making a donation to a fund supporting attack victims. The football club said: In light of these tragic events, we feel it is inappropriate to go ahead with the victory parade in London on Sunday. Given the heightened security threat announced by the Government, and recognising that this is a developing situation, we have given this careful consideration. We strongly believe, in the interests of everyone, this is the correct course of action. We are sure our fans will understand this decision. Manchester United's Europa League final against Ajax will go ahead as planned with a minutes silence before kickoff in Stockholm. Well-wishers have donated more than 1million to a fundraising page for the families of those killed and injured in Mondays attack. EPA Police have stepped up armed patrols in the wake of the Manchester bombing GETTY Operation Temperer is now in force GETTY Soldiers will guard Buckingham Palace Ms Rudd said the move was temporary but refused to be drawn on how long the heightened state of alert would remain in place. "It is an ongoing operation which means that the investigation is continuing to find leads," she said. "So until we can be reassured that there is no continued activity around this operation, that it is entirely safe around this operation, then it is right that we are at this heightened state of alert. "It is operationally driven, it is intelligence-driven and we must make sure that we allow our counter-terrorist police, our police and our intelligence services to get on and do their job and this helps give them the space to do just that." The Home Secretary said the intelligence services had been aware of British-born Abedi, who is reported to have recently returned to the UK from a visit to Libya. She told Sky News: "We do know that he was known up to a point to the intelligence services". Home Secretary Amber Rudd said it is likely bomber Abedi did not act alone In Scotland security pass holders in the Scottish Parliament will have to go through the public airport-style security entrance with armed police standing guard outside the building in Edinburgh. London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: The national threat level has now been raised to critical on the advice of security experts in the aftermath of the barbaric and cowardly terrorist attack in Manchester. This is the highest level of security preparedness in the UK. I want to reassure wall Londoners and visitors that we are doing everything possible to protect our city, As your mayor Im in constant contact with MP and we are liasing closely with government and security services. Our emergency services prepare day in, day out for these situations. Our plans are well rehearsed and well prepared. I would urge all Londoners and visitors to remain clam and vigilant and to report anything sup to the police. There will be additional police officers on Londons streets over the coming days including additional armed officers. You will also see some military personnel around London. They are there to help our police to keep us safe and guard key safe. London stands in solidarity with Manchester. Those who seek to harm and divide us through barbaric acts of terrorism will never succeed. We will never be cowed by terrorism. Campaigning for the General Election has been temporarily suspended with all parties agreeing to stop electioneering in the wake of the attack. It is unclear when all parties will return to the campaign trail. Ukip has announced it will launch its manifesto tomorrow. The Prime Minister chaired a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee this morning. Police have arrested a 23-year-old man in Chorlton, south Manchester in connection with the bombing with officers carrying out a controlled explosion at a nearby property as part of the terror probe which put parts of the city on lockdown and the Arndale Centre evacuated. As counter-terrorism agencies mount a major inquiry into the bombing, dozens of victims remain in hospital fighting for their lives. Twelve of those rushed to hospital were children with hospital bosses some 20 people are being treated for "horrific injuries" in critical care following the attack, which involved a home-made device packed with nuts and bolts which exploded in the venue's foyer as thousands of people were leaving. Jon Rouse, chief officer of the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership, confirmed some people have life-threatening injuries. He told the BBC: They've been the sort of traumatic injuries that you would expect in terms of the type of device used, the proximity to the people who were injured. We're dealing with injuries to major organs, we're dealing with loss of limbs potentially, we're dealing with embedded objects, all the horrific injuries that you would expect from the event that happened. Greater Manchester Police confirmed they have identified all of the people who were killed in the attack. Specially trained officers supporting the deceaseds families with post mortars expected to take four to five days. He said he was deeply saddened by the news and expressed his solidarity with all the people who have been hit by this brutal act. Pope Francis praised :the generous efforts of emergency and security personnel and offers the assurance of his prayers to the wounded and to those who have died. For the children and young people who have lost their lives and for their families. World leaders condemned the attack with US president Donald Trump denouncing those responsible as evil losers. He pledged the United States absolute solidarity with the UK as Germany, France and Russia vowed to stand united with Britain in the fight against terror. In a rare public statement the director general of MI5 condemned the disgusted attack. Andrew Parker said the intelligence agency remains "relentlessly focused" on tackling the "scourge of terrorism. GREATER MANCHESTER POLICE Manchester Police have released a timeline of Monday night's attack The country's senior anti-terror police officer said there were "gaps in our knowledge" about Abedi which had led to the increased threat level. Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said: We are moving at pace, we are making arrests, we are doing searches but - not unsurprisingly - there are still gaps in our knowledge. Whilst we are chasing those gaps down, on a precautionary basis, based on that judgment, JTAC (the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre) have made this judgment about the threat level and we will respond in our policing stance to that decision. Greater Manchester Police Deputy Chief Constable Ian Pilling said the raised level will support the "significant" resources the force has in place. He also praised the "tremendous strength and resilience" shown in Manchester on Tuesday, adding: "We need this to continue in the difficult days ahead." In France, president Emmanuel Macron has announced plans to extend the nations state of emergency until November 1. Emergency rules giving French police wider search and arrest powers were introduced after Islamist gunmen and suicide bombers killed 130 people in and around Paris in November 2015 and had been due to expire in mid-July this year. In Brussels, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker held a minutes silence in honour of the Manchester victims.
London attack: Five dead in Westminster terror attack Five people have died and at least 40 were injured after an attacker drove a car along a pavement in Westminster, stabbed a policeman and was shot dead by police in the grounds of Parliament. The dead officer has been named as PC Keith Palmer, 48, a husband and father. PM Theresa May said the attack was "sick and depraved" and struck at values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech. The attacker has not been named by police. Acting Deputy Commissioner and head of counter terrorism at the Metropolitan Police, Mark Rowley, said they think they know who he is and that he was inspired by international and Islamist-related terrorism, but gave no further details. The attack unfolded at about 14.40 GMT when a single attacker drove a car along a pavement over Westminster Bridge, near the Houses of Parliament in central London, killing at least two people and injuring many more. The car then crashed into railings outside the Houses of Parliament. The attacker, armed with a knife, ran to Parliament where he was confronted by the police. PC Palmer - who was not armed - was then stabbed and killed. The attacker was shot dead by armed officers. Rowley paid tribute to PC Palmer, saying: "He was someone who left for work today expecting to return home at the end of his shift, and he had every right to expect that would happen." "Heartbroken" former colleague, Conservative MP James Cleverly, paid tribute to the "lovely man" he had known for 25 years. The pair had served together in the Royal Artillery before PC Palmer became a policeman. May said the attack was a "sick and depraved" attack on the heart of the capital. Such attempts to defeat UK values were "doomed to failure", she said. She paid tribute to the "exceptional men and women" of the police force who responded to the attack, saying: "We will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart." The prime minister added: "The location of this attack was no accident. "The terrorist chose to strike at the heart of our capital city where people of all nationalities, religions and cultures come together to celebrate the values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech." She is expected to make a statement in the Commons later. The husband of murdered MP Jo Cox said the "name I will remember" from the Westminster attack was that of PC Keith Palmer - not the attacker. London mayor Sadiq Khan said: "My message to those that want to harm us and destroy our way of life is: You won't succeed; you won't divide us; we won't be cowed by terrorists." BBC Newsnight reported there was a suggestion the car used in the attack was hired from an address in Birmingham. However, this has not been confirmed. In latest developments: There will be more armed and unarmed officers on duty in London and across the country as a "precautionary measure" The prime minister said the UK terror threat level would remain at severe - its second highest - meaning an attack is "highly likely" Westminster underground station was shut and remained open for interchange only. Home Secretary Amber Rudd urged everyone to remain calm but be vigilant and if they see anything they are concerned about report it to the police A group of French schoolchildren were on the bridge and three were injured. 13 students from Edge Hill University in Lancashire were also caught up in the incident - two were taken to hospital and described as walking wounded; two others had minor injuries US: US President Donald Trump says that he will write a real book about his time in the White House, as he continued to seek to discredit other efforts to chronicle his chaotic tenure.In a morning... INDIA: A tailor in Bhopal admitted to killing 33 truck drivers and their helpers. Adesh Khamra from Mandideep committed the first murder around 2010 in Amravati and the second one in Nashik. Soon he...
The areas are diverse, full of churches, mosques and gurdwaras. Radicalisation doesnt happen inside any of these: it happens online and off the grid ( Getty ) My brother, who lives abroad, surprised me with a text message this week saying that everyone is asking him about Birmingham. Our great citys name has been spoiled, he typed. It wasnt just national press and television reporting about Birmingham, apparently, but the international media too. I was born in Sparkbrook, the area highlighted in so many reports as a terrorist hotspot after the Westminster attack. The Daily Mail even called it the jihadi capital of Britain. Soon after the horrific events in London, I realised that as a Brummie Muslim, I was now saddled with a double burden. Its hard when someone stereotypes your home and your religion like that  but I still consider my identity to be a double privilege. I am proud that Sparkbrook survived soaring unemployment during Margaret Thatchers years. In one of its areas, Balsall Heath, the violence of an infamous red light district was defeated by the local community. This city has a long tradition of surviving hardship: the Birmingham Blitz in the Second World War, damaging factory closures, sudden riots and disproportionately low funding from successive British governments. A few years ago, it was confirmed that London has multiple amounts spent on its infrastructure compared to the West Midlands, with only the North East receiving less. Apprenticeships for youngsters remain capital-centric despite Birmingham being the youngest city in Europe, with almost 45 per cent of its population under 25. If we want to stop radicalisation, lets create apprenticeships and jobs, have a go at improving the quality of schools, beautify neighbourhoods to create a sense of ownership and pride, and reinvigorate a struggling but diverse arts scene which offers people alternatives in expression. That means stopping the recently promised cuts to the citys creative arts and the drastic city-wide cuts in school funding. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP Reporters have been floating around certain areas in the last few days, conducting vox pops with perplexed locals who have nothing sensational to say. These locals have never met an extremist or anyone who would contemplate extremist actions. Ive seen journalists crowding outside a lovely family-run restaurant under a raided flat as though they believe that staring at a door might help them understand what transpired in Westminster. Instead of pointing the finger at a religion or race, we should be noting that these areas are some of the most deprived in Birmingham. Its housing and jobs and youth centres that these residents want to talk about, rather than extremist ideas. The areas are diverse, full of churches, mosques and gurdwaras. Radicalisation doesnt happen inside any of these: it happens online and off the grid. Reporters should have stuck with TheGuardians one-liner choice from the recently aired Extremely British Muslims: The only extreme thing around here is the size of the rats, bro. If we want to report on these areas fairly, lets consider the impact of this Governments austerity agenda, and the poor management and distribution of funding by the citys current council. Peace vigil held in Birmingham to promote unity in wake of London terror attack These latest news developments about Birmingham are something of a non-issue. I didnt feel any different when walking around the city since the raids, reports and journalists have come pouring in, because they have nothing to do with me or my community. The real issue is that we might be allowing one heinous crime to ostracise a community already facing low levels of employment and attainment, and compounding that by allowing them to feel victimised. Despite all the pressures facing Birmingham, this is a beautiful city: not a terrorist hotspot but a tourist hotspot to which Londoners are flocking. So, dear media, unless you genuinely care about it, then please leave my city alone. The secret to radicalisation cannot be found on our beloved streets. The Independent has launched its #FinalSay campaign to demand that voters are given a voice on the final Brexit deal.
Terror came to the heart of British democracy as an attacker murdered three people and injured at least 20 others at Westminster. Gunfire rang out in Parliament as the attacker was himself shot dead by police. Victims included one police officer, who died after being stabbed. Others were hit by a vehicle, apparently driven by the assailant, on Westminster Bridge, a busy main road next to Parliament which is often busy with tourists. MPs were voting as the incident unfolded at around 2.40pm. Many were kept in the Commons Chamber for their own protection as police locked down the Parliamentary estate. North East MPs paid tribute to those who were killed. Newcastle Central MP Chi Onwurah said: We know that we are targets and have security advice every two or three months but thats very different to actually experiencing it and then seeing the impact on other people, on constituents, on the police, on the tourists and everyone around - its different when it actually happens to knowing its possible. Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to playTap to play The video will start in 8Cancel Play now We dont want parliament to change - part of democracy means there has to be access to parliament and MPs. What the implications are of this is something were going to have to work through. Some politicians, including Berwick MP Anne-Marie Trevelyan, were evacuated to Westminster Abbey. She said on Twitter: All of us sheltering in Westminster Abbey are OK. Police, emergency services and deans team wonderful. As events became clear, it appeared the attacker drove a grey Hyundai i40 across Westminster Bridge, mowing down pedestrians including schoolchildren. This a popular spot with visitors to the city, as it well-placed for selfie photos with Big Ben in the background. A party of French schoolchildren were among those targeted on the bridge, with three injured. One woman hit by the attackers car was confirmed dead by a doctor at St Thomas Hospital, who said others on the bridge suffered catastrophic injuries. Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to playTap to play The video will start in 8Cancel Play now Another woman who apparently fell into the Thames but was rescued and given medical treatment on a nearby pier. London Ambulance Service said paramedics had treated at least 10 patients on Westminster Bridge. The attacker then crashed the vehicle into railings, before running through the gates of the Palace of Westminster. Armed with two knives, he stabbed a policeman before being shot dead by other officers. Read More Paramedics fought to save the officers life and that of his attacker on the floor of the cobbled courtyard in front of Parliament. MP and Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood was among those who rushed to help. He was seen pumping the officers chest then standing above him, his hands and face smeared with blood. Prime Minister Theresa May was seen by eye witnesses being ushered into a silver Jaguar in the grounds of the Palace of Westminster, which apparently took her to safety. Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to playTap to play The video will start in 8Cancel Play now A spokesman for the Prime Minister said she later chaired a meeting of the Governments emergency Cobra committee. Mrs May ordered flags to be lowered to half mast over Downing Street as a mark of respect to those who lost their lives. Police confirmed they were treating the incident as terrorism. Mark Rowley, Metropolitan Polices acting deputy commissioner and head of counter terrorism, said: Weve declared this as a terrorist incident and the counter-terrorism command are carrying out a full-scale investigation into events today. He said police detectives currently believe it was a lone attacker, although some reports have suggested there may have been a second person involved. Read More Eyewitnesses described seeing a heavy-set man carrying a knife and running towards the Houses of Parliament. Pat McCormack, a 21-year-old boxer from Washington , added: I saw him stabbing the officer in the back of the head and the back of the neck. He was running away but then he collapsed. I wasnt scared. I just couldnt believe what was happening. The White House said US President Donald Trump spoke with Mrs May to offer his condolences on todays terror attack in London and his praise for the effective response of security forces and first responders.
At least 20 people were hit when a 44 drove along the pavement on the crowded bridge, knocking down and seriously injuring pedestrians before crashing into a fence below Big Ben. An intruder, described by witnesses as middle-aged and Asian, then managed to break into the grounds of the Parliament where he fatally stabbed a police officer with two knives. The policeman died at the scene. The attacker, who was shot by armed officers, died after he was taken to hospital. It is currently believed one attacker was involved and he killed three people, including the policeman, and left at least 20 pedestrians and three other police officers seriously injured. Prime Minister Theresa May was bundled into her car by a plain-clothes police officer and driven quickly from the scene as the attack unfolded. She will chair a meeting of the Governments emergency Cobra Committee tonight. Scotland Yard said the attack, which comes a year to the day after the terrorist atrocities in Brussels, is being treated as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise. It is currently known that: One woman was killed on Westminster Bridge after a number of pedestrians were mowed down by a car. It is believed a second person was killed in the incident on the bridge. Another woman ended up in the Thames and was treated for serious injuries after being pulled from the water. A group of French schoolchildren were among those targeted on the bridge. The attacker jumped out the car and fatally stabbed a police officer in the grounds of the Palace of Westminster. The knifeman was shot dead moments later by another officer. Police are treating the incident as a terrorist attack. Witness Jayne Wilkinson said: We were taking photos of Big Ben and we saw all the people running towards us, and then there was an Asian guy in about his 40s carrying a knife about seven or eight inches long. And then there were three shots fired, and then we crossed the road and looked over. The man was on the floor with blood. He had a lightweight jacket on, dark trousers and a shirt. He was running through those gates, towards Parliament, and the police were chasing him. Her partner David Turner added: There was a stampede of people running out. You saw the people and you thought what the hell is going on. Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood was among those who rushed to help the policeman who had been stabbed. Mr Ellwood, who lost his brother in the Bali bombing, could be seen pumping the officers chest then standing above him, his hands and face smeared with blood. A spokesman for the Port of London Authority, which looks after safety on the River Thames, said: A female member of the public was recovered from the water near Westminster Bridge. She is alive but undergoing urgent medical treatment on a nearby pier. We believe she fell from the bridge. He said the river has been closed from Vauxhall to Embankment as part of the security response. French media are reporting that three French students were injured when the car ploughed into walkers on Westminster Bridge. The pupils from the Lycee Saint-Joseph in Concarneau were among a group on an educational visit. There is no information as to their injuries and others in the party have returned to a nearby hostel before returning to Frances as soon as possible. A spokesman for St Josephs school in Brittany said: There were four classes on a trip to London. They travelled at the start of the week and were due to return at the end of the week. He confirmed that those injured were in St Thomass hospital, on the south side of Westminster Bridge. Four people, including a police officer, were killed and about 40 others were wounded Wednesday in a terrorist attack at Britains Parliament that sent crowds running for their lives before police shot and killed the attacker. Police for several hours said the attacker had killed three people. Acting Deputy Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley said Wednesday night that a fourth victim had died. Among those hospitalized were 12 British citizens, four South Koreans and one American, May said. Three French teenagers visiting London on a school trip were also admitted to the hospital with injuries not considered life-threatening, according to a French official. And more: Just two hours after Theresa May told the Commons the killer was a British citizen who had been investigated by MI5 over violent extremism, Isil said that the attacker answered calls to target citizens of coalition nations. Isil had vowed that the UK was its next target following the Paris attacks in 2015. British-born. Proving that while a travel ban from Muslim countries is a good start, a ban on Muslims is what is needed. The Sunday Timeshas revealed that last months Westminster terror killer, who murdered five and injured another forty-nine more victims, was a senior official at a known extremist hub, the Luton Islamic Centre. Where is this  Religion Of Peace  they keep talking about ? The followers of Islam have been outwardly aggressive and killing others since the 7th Century. All of the so called peaceful verses in the Quran have been superseded by ones that command hate, intolerance, and violence. When is the Western world going to wake up to the true motivation behind Islam ? Most of the pusillanimous UK online news still will NOT say Muslim or Islam. WE all know he is Muslim and a terrorist. It amazes me that they do this coz they dont want to upset Muslims that are trying to kill us. WTF?
Wednesday in Westminster Fate never checks your diary. But to be honest, if it did and had asked me when Id have been happy to be caught up in a terrorist attack, I think wed have struggled to fix a date. For a period on Wednesday, I wondered if I was moments from being killed. Melodramatic, you may think, but after terrorist attacks across Europe in recent years, I doubt I was the only one. It was an ordinary sort of day, they always are. I was in Parliament having had a tour in the morning, lunch in the lords with a friend and was preparing for an afternoon in the company of political journalists from across Westminster. All our days were about to take a very sudden turn. I, with friends had returned from lunch with another friend from the Lords, and we stood and passed the time of day stood in the corner of Portcullis Houses lobby, talking about various bits of political gossip, and spotting various MPs (Jess Phillips), and journalists (Laura Kuenssberg, more on her later). Up we went, outside the room our afternoon sessions were due to take place. People started filing back, and my foremost thoughts were how I was going to leave and meet a Times journalist halfway through our session, and later meet my other half for her to get a tour around Parliament. All of a sudden, people rushed forwards towards the glass panels overlooking the atrium. I went over, thinking that someone may have collapsed, an altercation could be taking place, or someone had been spotted. Instead, a clutch of armed officers were bustling outside through the doors of Portcullis House, while a few remained behind, before telling people to move away. Seconds later it turned up to 11. They began shouting at anybody in sight to get to the back of the atrium. Go! Run! Get away now! Not the language armed police use if a handbags been stolen. You quickly realise that this was not a drill. In amongst this, BBCs Kuenssberg was stood on the phone, reporting while people fled past her. The type of steel you can only envy. A friend checked Twitter and found Kevin Schofields tweet that someone had been shot outside. Parliament was under attack. In this fight or flight scenario, mine was clear. Flight the fuck out of there. My first thoughts were logical. Where had this taken place? How many people attacking were there? Was this the first wave of a few? Were armed police prepared? Was there anybody inside? Was Portcullis House about to be overwhelmed? Well, it wasnt beyond the realm of possibilities. After watching this unfold from our vantage point, a security staff member came up and told us to move to the back of the floor. I passed the message onto others that it may be best to pre-emptively ring home and tell family we were okay, and safe for now. Mom, this is going to come onto the news in about 30 seconds I began. I relayed the information to her. The most difficult part was when she asked how I was. Not that I am devoid of emotion, but I very rarely shed a tear (although watching Up is always a risk). However when I told her I loved her before I ended the call, my tear ducts nudged the rest of my face, reminding it they were there. Only a staccato Yes, fine. I went. Worse was when I text my girlfriend, Tasha, and it took me four attempts to finish a text telling her I loved her and couldnt wait to see her later. By now we had been moved to a large room in Portcullis House, with around 60 others. All I could think was that if an attacker found us, wed be mown down in seconds. Any time I thought of my family, Tasha, my friends or our own mortality, my tear ducts were starting to hold the rest of my face to ransom. Im not against crying. Its just that 1) I look dreadful on the rare occasion I do cry, and 2) in a situation thats bad enough already, its an absolute priority not to panic anybody else. Pathetic, you may think. Melodramatic too. That may be, but you never know until youre faced with that very real situation. You never know when youll be making that last call to your loved ones. Once those calls were made, I decided to mill around asking others if they were okay. Its easier to take attention off yourself that way, and in any situation, theres always people in a worse position than yourself. I looked around room for possible escape options if someone was to burst in. Two inch thick Perspex covered the windows, and there doors opened out onto the same corridor. If anything was to happen, it was unlikely Id be doing a John McClane impression. The time in that room was otherwise spent running my phone battery down checking Twitter for updates. Im a big advocate of the idea that people give too much attention to their phones, but what people did that situation pre-mobile I have no idea, and it would have been far spookier without it. Eventually we were moved to a building adjacent to Portcullis and put into a Tory MPs office, with their staff and told to lock the door. Conversation was exchanged, and its always easy to feel slightly better when you know that by chance theres someone with counter-terrorism training in the room. Firm advice was given not to reopen a door once its been locked. It was followed. Yards away, out of the window was Westminster Bridge, and on the TV was Westminster Bridge. Surreal does not begin to cut it. We were eventually put into the lobby of that building, and found ourselves in the same area as the BBCs Kneussberg, and the Telegraph and former Labour MP Tom Harris. To kill boredom, I took to wandering the corridor and popping my head into the offices of MPs whose staff was there watching TV. A flat phone battery and an information vacuum meant it was the only way to keep up-to-date. That, and idle chatter is a great way to pass time, especially when youre united by a shared experience. Happily I bumped into a staffer of Tory MP Justin Tomlinson, a fellow Harrier in the House as it were. By now, hours after the incident and the lockdown was put into place, fear, had given way to tedium and everybody just wanted to get home. We heard that they were clearing Parliament room by room, searching along the way. Rumours circulated that we would be in there until 10pm, thankfully we were out at 8pm in one massive snake along with various MPs. I briefly mused to John McDonnell on the way out on how strange a day it had been. I wonder if he still believes in the power of the bullet and the bomb. Walking out of Black Rods entrance was a bizarre feeling. Freedom. We were safe, and it was over. Freedom: The view down Millbank at the end of the day As I write this a day later, staring out of the coach window into the pitch black M1, my only thoughts are how lucky I am. Its true, we were never facing down a gun barrel. Yet we werent to know that the armed police had it under control. Just like those on Westminster Bridge, or PC Keith Palmer, who werent to know they wouldnt be returning home that night. It wasnt so much a taste of ones mortality, as the faint scent of it carried in the wind. Enough to make you worry that that phone call to your Mom may be the last one. Or that you might not be in the arms of your girlfriend that night. As the IRA pointed out, terrorists only have to be lucky once. To look back, its endlessly surreal to think that we were caught up in it; probably one of the biggest events of the 2010s. We werent the story, neither were we eyewitnesses nor causalities but we were involved. The sad part is, itll no doubt be used to justify increasing anti-immigration feeling and more intrusive surveillance powers by those seeking to exploit the opportunity to fulfil their pre-existing narrative. There but for the grace of god, and our magnificent emergency services, go we. Never was that truer than Wednesday in Westminster.
White man traveled to New York to kill black men and make a statement, police say Surveillance footage allegedly shows a man New York City police say is accused of a stabbing attack on a black man. (New York Police Department) A white man from Maryland who told police he traveled to New York to kill black men turned himself in on Wednesday, about 24 hours after he fatally stabbed a man he encountered on the street, officials said. Authorities described the suspected attacker as someone who had long harbored feelings of hatred toward black men before violently acting on them this week. Police said he carried out the attack in a way that intended to draw attention. The reason why he picked New York is cause its the media capital of the world, said William Aubry, assistant chief of the New York City Police Department. And he wanted to make a statement. New York police said they charged James Harris Jackson, 28, with murder. Police said Jackson encountered 66-year-old Timothy Caughman shortly after 11 p.m. on Monday and stabbed him multiple times. Caughman went to a police precinct for help and was brought to Bellevue Hospital, where he died, police said. Early Wednesday morning, a little more than 24 hours after the attack, Jackson walked into the police substation in Times Square and announced that he was wanted for murder. James Harris Jackson, in white, is escorted out of a police precinct in New York on Wednesday. (Seth Wenig/AP) Im the person youre looking for,' Jackson told the patrol officers there, Aubry said at a briefing later Wednesday. Jackson also told them he had knives in his pockets, and police searched him and took him into custody, Aubry said. Police recovered what Aubry called a 26-inch black mini-sword, which he said police believe is the weapon used to stab Caughman in the back. The attack is extremely distressing, James P. ONeill, the New York City police commissioner, said at the same briefing. Police gave few details of Jacksons background on Wednesday, identifying him only as a Baltimore resident and military veteran. Jackson was in the Army for more than three years, deploying to Afghanistan between December 2010 and November 2011, according to Lt. Col. Jennifer Johnson, an Army spokesperson. His service record did not include any badges reflecting combat interaction with any enemy during that time. Jackson served as a military intelligence analyst and left the service in August 2012 with the rank of specialist. Jacksons arraigned was still pending Thursday afternoon, and it was not immediately clear from court dockets whether he had an attorney. Baltimore police said they do not have records of any interactions with Jackson, and his name did not appear in a search of Maryland court records. Authorities also said that Jackson traveled to New York from Baltimore on a Bolt Bus on Friday, staying at a hotel in midtown until Monday afternoon, at which point he proceeded to wander through the city, Aubry said. Aubry said the initial investigation gave detectives little question about what prompted the stabbing. Based on statements that he made as well as a preliminary review of video, it reveals that the attack on Timothy Caughman was clearly racially motivated, he said. Aubry went on to say that Jackson was specifically intending to target male blacks for assault. While Aubry did not elaborate on what Jackson said to police about what motivated the stabbing, he did say that Jackson has been harboring these types of feelings for quite some time, adding: Its well over 10 years that hes been harboring these feelings of hate towards male blacks. Public officials decried the stabbing as an act of racial hatred. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) issued a statement calling the attack more than an unspeakable human tragedy and an assault on the citys inclusiveness and our diversity. Now its our collective responsibility to speak clearly and forcefully in the face of intolerance and violence  here or across the country, he said. We are a safe city because we are inclusive. We are a nation of unrivaled strength because we are diverse. No act of violence can undermine who we are. Melissa Mark-Viverito (D), speaker of the New York City Council, called Jackson a white supremacist. She also tied the attack to a recent spike in reports of hate crimes both in the city and nationwide and invoked the election of President Trump, saying in a statement that the attack highlighted a growing divide that he has only made worse. In a statement Thursday, New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D) said he was appalled by the stabbing and said his administration had zero tolerance for hate crimes of any kind. We will not allow the forces of racism and hate to intimidate or divide us, Cuomo said. Let me be very clear: This disturbing act of violence goes against everything New York stands for. Not only must we repudiate this attack, but we must continue to deny that the ideas behind this cowardly crime have any place in democratic society. Officials say they are looking into Jacksons background, relatives and his social media history, and detectives traveled to Maryland to speak with people there. Police said they have not found many interactions with law enforcement. New York police are working with the Manhattan District Attorneys Office to see if they can upgrade the charges against Jackson to include that it was motivated by hate or racism, Aubry said. Jackson was very forthcoming with detectives and knew what he was doing when he came up here, Aubry said. Aubry said the stabbing appeared to be random, saying that Caughman happened to be going through garbage on the sidewalk, and he happened to be the unfortunate one who Jackson encountered. Julie Tate and Dan Lamothe contributed to this report, which was first published on Wednesday at 6:21 p.m. and updated Thursday with details about the arraignment. Mark BermanMark Berman covers national news for The Washington Post. He also anchors Post Nation, The Post's hub for news, analysis and the biggest stories happening across the country. He has been at The Post since 2007 and previously covered transportation and local news. Follow Content from Allstate This content is paid for by an advertiser and published by WP BrandStudio. The Washington Post newsroom was not involved in the creation of this content. Learn more about WP BrandStudio.
New arrests as British police release photo of parliament attacker March 25, 2017 4:41 am By AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE, London, United Kingdom, Mar 23  British police said Friday they had made further significant arrests over the Islamist-inspired terror attack on parliament, as they released the first picture of the homegrown killer who left four people dead. Khalid Masood, a 52-year-old Briton with a history of violent offences but no terrorist convictions, was shot by police on Wednesday after a rampage through Westminster. Two other suspects are in custody following searches at 21 locations, mostly around London, in the central city of Birmingham and in the northwestern city of Manchester. The Islamic State group claimed that Britains deadliest terror attack in 12 years was conducted by one of its soldiers acting on a call to target countries in the US-led coalition fighting the jihadists. Police said there was no further threat, but counter-terrorism commander Mark Rowley said they were trying to establish whether Masood acted alone or if others have encouraged, supported or directed him. Released by police, the passport-style photo of Masood, who also used the names Adrian Elms and Adrian Russell Ajao among other aliases, shows a mixed race man with a shaved head and a beard. Prime Minister Theresa May has said he was known to intelligence services as a peripheral figure some years ago but there was no warning of his plans to stage an attack. At least 50 people from 12 different countries were injured when Masood ploughed his rented car into crowds of people walking along the pavement on Westminster Bridge, before crashing the vehicle into the fence outside parliament. Three people on the bridge died after being hit by the speeding car, then the attacker leapt out and fatally stabbed a police officer just inside the gates of the Houses of Parliament before being shot dead. Rowley described the overnight arrests of two men aged 27 and 35 in Birmingham and Manchester as significant.  Numerous aliases  The death toll rose late Thursday after life support was withdrawn from a 75-year-old man injured in the attack, whom police named as Leslie Rhodes from south London. The other victims were 48-year-old policeman Keith Palmer and, on the bridge, 43-year-old Briton Aysha Frade, who was on her way to pick up her two daughters, and an American citizen in his 50s, Kurt Cochran. Born into a middle-class family in Kent in southeast England, Masood was described by schoolmates as a popular, happy-go-lucky student who excelled academically and at sport. They told the Daily Mail that he later began drinking and using drugs and slipped into criminal behaviour, receiving convictions for assault and possession of offensive weapons between 1983 and 2003. A report dating back to November 2000 shows he was sentenced to two years in prison for slashing the face of a cafe owner in a village in southern England where he lived with his family. According to The Sun tabloid, he married a Muslim woman in 2004 and moved the following year to Saudi Arabia to teach English, returning in 2009, but officials could not confirm this. The Saudi embassy in London on Friday issued a statement saying that Masood was not known to their security services and does not have a criminal record in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Police chief Rowley said police were looking at his history and appealed to the public to come forward with any information about him. Our investigation focuses on understanding his motivation, preparation and associates, he said. A total of 11 people have been arrested over the attack, their ages ranging from 21 to 58, all on suspicion of preparation of terrorist attacks. All four women have since been released, one on bail, while five of the men were also released, according to police.  Peaceful future  Faith leaders including Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the chief rabbi and the chief imam of Londons central mosque on Friday gathered near the attack site to remember the victims. In standing here, we represent the three Abrahamic faith communities, all equally committed to a peaceful future, Welby said after observing a minutes silence outside Westminster Abbey. Lawmakers returned to work as normal on Thursday morning, even as forensic officers worked at the scene, but a review of parliamentary security is now under way. Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood, whose attempts to save police officer Palmer were widely praised, was on Friday appointed to the Privy Council, a prestigious role usually reserved for senior ministers, as a reward for his efforts. The IS group said it was responsible for Masoods actions without naming him, according to the Amaq propaganda agency  its first claim for an attack on British soil. It was the deadliest in Britain since four homegrown suicide bombers killed 52 people on the citys transport system in July 2005. The attack had echoes of the atrocities in Nice and Berlin when trucks ploughed into crowds of people, killing 86 people in the French Riviera city in July and 12 at a market in the German capital just days before Christmas. AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE Agence France-Presse is a global news agency delivering fast, in-depth coverage of the events shaping our world from wars and conflicts to politics, sports, entertainment and the latest breakthroughs in health, science and technology.
A 26-year-old woman and three men aged 28, 27 and 26 were arrested at another address in Birmingham A man aged 58 was arrested at an address in Birmingham The Met Police says detectives are continuing to search a number of addresses, including one in Carmarthenshire, three in Birmingham and one in east London. Addresses in Brighton and south-east London have also been searched. 'We will defeat them' Home Secretary Amber Rudd told those gathered for a candlelit vigil in London's Trafalgar Square on Thursday evening that terrorists "will not win". "We are all connected and today we showed that by coming together, by going to work, by getting about our normal business, because the terrorists will not defeat us. We will defeat them," she said. Masood drove into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before crashing his car into railings and then running into the grounds of Parliament, armed with a knife. He stabbed PC Palmer before being shot dead. The Metropolitan Police said there had been no prior intelligence about Masood's intention to carry out an attack. But he was known to the police and his previous convictions included causing grievous bodily harm, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences. He was believed to have been living in the West Midlands. Masood is believed to have lived at various times in Crawley, West Sussex, and Rye and Eastbourne, both in East Sussex. He also appears to have been convicted of a knife crime in 2003 in Eastbourne. His first conviction was in November 1983 for criminal damage and his last in December 2003 for possession of a knife. He had not been convicted of any terrorism offences. Car hire company Enterprise said the vehicle used in the attack had been rented from its Spring Hill depot in Birmingham. The BBC understands Masood hired the Hyundai SUV in person, giving his profession as a teacher. The Department for Education said it had no record of him having worked as a qualified teacher in English state schools. It appears that he styled himself as an English tutor at one point. At the Trafalgar Square vigil Image copyrightReuters By Jodie Halford, BBC News People gathered in Trafalgar Square stood together quietly, flanked by police officers with the sound of helicopters a constant presence above. The people of London and visitors to the city came together to remember the people who lost their lives in Wednesday's attack. The word "solidarity" was heard over and over again. Candles were laid on the floor and on the steps leading to the National Gallery, waiting to be lit in memory of those who died. As the bells of St Martin's in the Fields chimed, the crowds fell silent and paused to think about Wednesday's events. Some filmed the scene on their phones, some cast glances across the crowds, but the focus was on the candles on the steps leading up to the National Gallery, above which MPs, religious figures and others stood in a line to pay their respects. PC Palmer, who was stabbed in the grounds of Parliament, was a father. He was an unarmed member of the parliamentary and diplomatic protection squad, with 15 years' service. His family said in a statement that he would be remembered as a "wonderful dad and husband". 'Brave and courageous' They also described him as "a loving son, brother and uncle. A long-time supporter of Charlton FC. Dedicated to his job and proud to be a police officer, brave and courageous. A friend to everyone who knew him. "He will be deeply missed. We love him so much. "His friends and family are shocked and devastated by his loss and ask that they are left to grieve alone in peace." People worried about family and friends can call the police casualty bureau on: 0800 056 0944 or 0207 158 0010. Anyone with images or footage of the incident can send them to ukpoliceimageappeal.co.uk Police have said five people remain in a critical condition in hospital and two have life-threatening injuries. A total of about 40 people had been treated in hospital, police said. A Romanian couple injured in the attack have been identified as Andrei Burnaz and Andreea Cristea. The Romanian embassy in London has confirmed that Ms Cristea is the person who fell from Westminster Bridge during the attack. The casualties also included 12 Britons, three French children -who have since returned home -, four South Koreans, one German, one Pole, one Irish, one Chinese, one Italian, one American and two Greeks. If you are happy to be contacted by a BBC journalist please leave a telephone number that we can contact you on. In some cases a selection of your comments will be published, displaying your name as you provide it and location, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. When sending us pictures, video or eyewitness accounts at no time should you endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws. Please ensure you have read the terms and conditions.
Police secure the area on the south side of Westminster Bridge close to the Houses of Parliament in London on Wednesday, March 22, 2017. 5:50 P.M. UPDATE: British police say five people died in the terror attack outside Parliament. Counter-terrorism chief Mark Rowley said one policeman, three civilians and the attacker died. He said a further 40 people were wounded. The assailant has not been identified. Rowley said police think they know the identity of the man but would not reveal details. He said Islamic extremism is suspected in the attack. He said extra armed police would be on the streets in the coming days to reassure the public, and hundreds of police officers are working on the case. He identified the police officer who died as Keith Palmer, 48. Read Thursday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details. EARLIER: LONDON  A knife-wielding man went on a deadly rampage at the heart of Britain's seat of power Wednesday, plowing a car into pedestrians on London's Westminster Bridge before stabbing an armed police officer to death inside the gates of Parliament. Four people were killed, including the assailant, and about 20 others were injured in what Prime Minister Theresa May condemned as a "sick and depraved terrorist attack." Lawmakers, lords, staff and visitors were locked down after the man was shot by police within the perimeter of Parliament, just yards from entrances to the building itself and in the shadow of the iconic Big Ben clock tower. He died, as did two pedestrians on the bridge, and the police officer. A doctor who treated the wounded from the bridge said some had "catastrophic" injuries. Three police officers, French teenagers on a school trip and two Romanian tourists were among the casualties. Police said they were treating the attack as terrorism. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Metropolitan Police counterterrorism chief Mark Rowley said police believed there was only one attacker, "but it would be foolish to be overconfident early on." The threat level for international terrorism in the U.K. was already listed at severe, meaning an attack is "highly likely." Speaking outside 10 Downing St., May said that level would not change. She said attempts to defeat British values of democracy and freedom through terrorism would fail. "Tomorrow morning, Parliament will meet as normal," she said. She said Londoners and visitors "will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart." Wednesday was the anniversary of suicide bombings in the Brussels airport and subway that killed 32 people last year, and the latest events echoed recent vehicle attacks in Berlin and Nice, France. In the House of Commons, legislators were holding a series of votes on pensions when deputy Speaker Lindsay Hoyle announced that the sitting was being suspended and told lawmakers not to leave. Parliament was locked down for several hours, and the adjoining Westminster subway station was shuttered. Conservative lawmaker Tobias Ellwood, whose brother was killed in the Bali terror attack in 2002, performed first aid on the wounded police officer, who later died. About 10 yards away lay the assailant. "I tried to stem the flow of blood and give mouth to mouth while waiting for the medics to arrive, but I think he had lost too much blood," Ellwood said. "He had multiple wounds, under the arm and in the back." The attack began early Wednesday afternoon, as a driver in a gray SUV slammed into pedestrians on the bridge. Former Polish foreign minister Radek Sikorski was in a car crossing the bridge when he heard "something like a car hitting metal sheet" and then saw people lying on the pavement. "I saw one person who gave no signs of life. One man was bleeding from his head. I saw five people who were at least seriously injured," Sikorski told Poland's TVN24. Ambulances arrived within minutes to treat people who lay scattered along the length of the bridge, which links Parliament to the south bank of the River Thames. One bloodied woman lay surrounded by a scattering of postcards. Police said one injured woman was pulled from the river. The car crashed into railings on the north side of the bridge, less than 200 yards from the entrance to Parliament. As people scattered in panic, witnesses saw a man holding a knife run toward the building. "The whole crowd just surged around the corner by the gates just opposite Big Ben," said witness Rick Longley. "A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman. I have never seen anything like that. I just can't believe what I just saw." The attacker managed to get past a gate into Parliament's fenced-in New Palace Yard, a cobbled courtyard in the shadow of the Big Ben clock tower. Daily Mail journalist Quentin Letts said a man in black attacked the police officer before being shot two or three times as he tried to storm into the building. "As this attacker was running towards the entrance two plain-clothed guys with guns shouted at him what sounded like a warning, he ignored it and they shot two or three times and he fell," Letts told the BBC. The attacker fell to the cobbles just yards from the entrance to 1,000-year-old Westminster Hall, the oldest part of the parliamentary complex, busy with visitors and school groups. Beyond that, a corridor leads to the building's Central Lobby, flanked by House of Commons and House of Lords chambers. Prime Minister Theresa May was among lawmakers near the Commons at the time of the attack, and was quickly ushered away by security officers and driven back to Downing Street. Read Thursday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details. Sponsor Content Comments Thoughts and prayers to the people of London. Apparently Donald Jr. seems to be like his dad and tweeted a spiteful out of context comment from London's mayor about the challenges of living with terrorism. Looking at the full comment, which Trump conveniently left out, the mayor was talking about the need to stay ready. That means being vigilant, having a police force that is in touch with communities; it means the security services being ready, but it also means exchanging ideas and best practice, Khan said in a video interview published by The Evening Standard, another British paper. (Source: Boston Globe)...What Trump Jr. forgot to say was that his thoughts and prayers were with the people of London at this time. Trump hasn't deleted the offensive tweet and followed it up with incorrectly attributing the attack to an extremist who's actually still in prison. Trump Jr. seems to be following in the path of Flynn Jr. who falsely claimed things to rile up people. Now who's trying to incite anger? What country did this guy come from, DDDKA? The First Amendment says you can't ban a religion; that's why Trump's bans keep getting into trouble in court. And no one knows yet whether or not he came from any of the countries Trump named in his bans. For all we know, he could have been a British Muslim; we certainly can't ban everyone from the UK!
Heroes to Villains Like many, my thoughts are with all those affected by the terrible event on Wednesday 22nd March 2017 when a cowardly and selfish man killed four people and injured many others. Some of those injured may never fully recover and the lives of many will have changed forever by the actions of one individual. As ever, the Police service were at the forefront of the incident and ran towards the danger whilst moving others away and shielding some from the attack. Standing between society and this type of evil cost one Police officer his life and three others were victims on Westminster Bridge when they were run over after attending a commendation ceremony. The conduct and actions of the officers at the Palace of Westminster and on Westminster Bridge, were rightly recognised and reported as being heroic and representative of Policing in the UK. They upheld the finest traditions of the service and the swiftness and professionalism of the response was acknowledged and praised almost across the board. There was genuine shock and horror amongst most of society and the outpouring of gratitude and thanks to the thin blue line was extremely welcoming and needed. I spoke with many officers working there after the attack and they were all genuinely moved by the show of Public support but also devastated by the loss of one of their own. Public Perception The danger is that people may start to really believe what they see and read in the press, some of these reports quickly become the accepted account of what happened regardless of whether there are any facts contained in the story. These stories or reports are frequently opinion based and may contain conjecture from many who have an issue with policing. The public reaction this week shows that the majority do support their Police and are grateful for the work that is done. They understand the sacrifices being made, the long hours being worked and the fact that it remains a very dangerous profession with the unexpected or occasionally terrifying incident likely to require Police to step forward and deal. Police reaction This continual negativity has an understandable effect on the Police service and there are very few weeks go past without some form of critical report. Within a day of Wednesdays attack there were already debates and discussions around the extraction of the Prime Minister from the Palace of Westminster and whether her Police security team had made mistakes. The overall issue of security and why Police officers at the entry gates were not armed was questioned and was this another Police error? There were also questions about why the acting Commissioner was not speaking to the press and why he had left the scene of the attack. He was reportedly a `significant` witness and had been present as the attack at the gates of Westminster took place. In the last day, more footage has emerged and questions raised about a gate being left unguarded whilst officers ran to the aid of their dying colleague. It took just one day for the critics to resurface and start minutely examining every action by Police during the attack. Assessment Mobile phone footage taken by people hiding in offices whilst being protected by Police, emerged from a couple of sources with their commentary highlighting the `errors` identified by these instant security experts. If you wanted to be hyper critical, and knowing the Police service and those involved I know they will be, there are a couple of points that could have been better. The car for the Prime Minister could have had the driver ready and waiting but again, it looked like the back-up car was ready to go hence the slight movement in that direction first. In any event throughout that evacuation, she was under control and safe with her team around her ready to confront any attack from any direction. These officers are from the same department as the protection officers that moved forward and dealt with the attacker so quickly and effectively. The question about easy access for the attacker through the gates was also raised. There used to be a fixed armed post on the entry gates but my understanding now is that it was removed a couple of years ago, due to cuts in the Police resources. It was also felt by many working at the Palace of Westminster that it was not the image they wanted to portray and having a gun toting Police officer on the entry gate looked oppressive. That is why the officers on that gate were unarmed and not because of a policing error but from a change in policy, influenced no doubt by the views from Westminster. There will no doubt be an intensive review of security and probably a return to the armed post that seemed to be effective in previous years. The acting Commissioner was a significant witness but he is also a very important figurehead and his presence in the midst of a crime scene would have been more of a hindrance than a help. His protection team did the right thing to remove him as quickly as they did. Lastly, the issue of the unattended gates and remember one of the officers posted to those gates was now lying fatally injured in the courtyard with his colleagues ensuring the threat had been dealt with. They would also have been assessing any further threat whilst rushing to provide emergency first aid to the officer and the suspect who had been shot. In situations like these you must prioritise and they would have been aware of the gates and ready to deal if another attack took place. Their priority was now emergency first aid whilst assessing any further threats which would have included the gates being open. An armed response vehicle was on scene within seconds and would also have been able to deal should the open gate pose an additional threat. It was closed just over a minute later and at no time escalated as a potential threat. I could write so much more on every single aspect but it is indicative of the agenda by some in this country to look for criticism in policing at literally every opportunity. The Met seemed to go from heroes to villains in some peoples` eyes overnight and I imagine the possibility of further criticism of the Police and security services has not vanished as we learn more about the attacker and his life. No doubt, someone somewhere should have read and assessed him as being capable of this action and predicted this would take place. My real concern is the lack of balance in some reporting and the effect this continual `police bashing` has on the public and the very officers tasked to protect society. To me, Police officers are heroes every day in dealing with everything society demands of them. The villains are those who have the luxury of being able to criticise without ever having to face the situations Police officers deal with. If you see a Police officer over the next few days go up and thank them for their work, I know it will make a difference to their day and restore their faith in the public. Advertisements Share this: Like this: LikeLoading... Related Published by grahamwettone Over 30 years Policing experience predominantly in London but worked across the UK. Mostly uniformed operational Policing and specialised in Public Order and Policing Football and events. Since retiring I have worked as a Policing analyst for Sky News and media commentator on Policing. Involved in teaching the pre join Police CKP course and passionate about all policing issues. Keen football fan and equally keen golfer but no real ability in either! View all posts by grahamwettone Here, here! Being a serving Police Constable with 27 yrs service , I find that not a day goes by without some armchair critic or keyboard warrior spouting forth about some lacking in the Police (normally the local rag) . This not only turns the public against us but also makes you question your worth. Im sure I speak for a majority of officers when I say that we dont want medals or honours , but a smile and a thank you from time to time would be great fully appreciated.
British police arrested eight people in armed raids Thursday linked to the deadly Islamist-related attacks the day on the symbol of the countrys democracy. Britains top anti-terror officer Mark Rowley also said police have revised down the number of victims from Wednesdays rampage to three from four. Some 40 people were wounded. We have searched six addresses and made seven arrests, Britains top anti-terror officer Mark Rowley told reporters in London. He said the raids included locations in London and the central city of Birmingham. Watch: eyewitness account of London terror attack Defiant British MPs meanwhile vowed to return to work as normal after the lightning attack on the iconic parliament building in the shadow of Big Ben. Authorities worked around the clock to piece together what happened when carnage was sown in the heart of London as the attacker ran down several pedestrians on nearby Westminster Bridge then charged at a policeman at the parliament gates, stabbing him to death with a large knife. Armed officers shot the attacker dead but not before he had killed two members of the public, a man and a woman, and the 48-year policeman guarding the seat of British political power in the deadliest attack in the country since 2005. It is still our belief... that this attacker acted alone yesterday and was inspired by international terrorism, Rowley said. The police have said they believe they know the identity of the attacker but will not reveal it at such a sensitive stage in our investigation. Rowley also said that 29 people were treated in hospital. The police had said on Wednesday that around 40 people were injured. Press Association news agency photos believed to be of the knifeman lying on an ambulance stretcher showed a burly man with black clothes and a beard. Other pictures showed a knife on the cobblestones inside the vehicle entrance gates to parliament, while three shots were heard ringing out on video footage as terrified passers-by fled. Prime Minister Theresa May condemned the attack as sick and depraved. The location of this attack was no accident, she said in a statement outside her 10 Downing Street office late in the evening. The terrorist chose to strike at the heart of our capital city, where people of all nationalities, religions and cultures come together to celebrate the values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech. Any attempt to defeat those values through violence was doomed to failure, May said. Watch: video shows moment of London attack It was the deadliest attack in London since four British Islamists killed 52 commuters and themselves in suicide bombings on the citys transport system in July 2005, in Londons worst peacetime attack. Hong Kongs Immigration Department has not received requests for assistance from Hongkongers in London. Reporters inside parliament during Wednesdays attack heard loud bangs and shortly afterwards saw the knifeman and the stabbed policeman lying on the ground in a courtyard within the gates of parliament. The dead police officer was identified as Keith Palmer, 48, with 15 years of service. A Reuters photographer saw at least a dozen people injured on the bridge. His photographs showed people lying on the ground, some of them bleeding heavily and one under a bus. A woman was pulled alive, but with serious injuries, from the Thames, the Port of London Authority said. The circumstances of her fall into the river were unknown. Three French schoolchildren aged 15 or 16 were among those injured in the attack, French officials said. Five South Korean tourists were wounded, Seouls foreign ministry said, while the Romanian government said two of its citizens were also injured. A Portuguese man was hurt, the countrys government said, while a seriously injured woman was rescued from the River Thames following the incident. Several members of parliament (MPs) and senior officials were caught up in the chaos. Tobias Ellwood, a junior Foreign Office minister, was pictured attempting to resuscitate a man lying unconscious, reported to be the stabbed policeman. London Mayor Sadiq Khan said there would be additional police officers on the city streets to keep Londoners and visitors safe. We stand together in the face of those who seek to harm us and destroy our way of life. We always have, and we always will. Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism, he said. Parliaments lower House of Commons, which was in session at the time, was suspended and lawmakers were asked to stay inside the building for several hours. May said parliament would convene as normal on Thursday in a sign that the attack would not disrupt life in the capital. However, a visit by Queen Elizabeth to officially open the new headquarters of Londons police force, which had been planned for Thursday, was postponed in light of todays events, Buckingham Palace said. In a telephone call with May, President Donald Trump offered Britain the full cooperation and support of the United States, the White House said. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson condemned the attack as horrific acts of violence. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg were among foreign leaders who expressed shock and solidarity. Eyewitnesses described scenes of panic during the attack. I just saw a car go out of control and just go into pedestrians on the bridge, said Bernadette Kerrigan, who had been on a tour bus on the bridge, in an interview with Sky News. A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman ... I just cant believe what I just saw Rick Longley, witness As we were going across the bridge, we saw people lying on the floor, they were obviously injured. I saw about 10 people maybe. And then the emergency services started to arrive. Everyone was just running everywhere. Former Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, who witnessed the attack from a taxi as he crossed the bridge, said he saw five victims and made a video of the scene. I heard something that sounded like a small car crash. Then I looked out of the window and saw that there was one person lying on the asphalt, he said. I did not see the face of the person lying on the asphalt, but the person was not moving, it was not showing any signs of life. One of the men I saw, his head was bleeding very badly. But the person I filmed - no, that person was not showing any signs of life. The whole crowd just surged around the corner by the gates just opposite Big Ben, said witness Rick Longley. A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman. I have never seen anything like that. I just cant believe what I just saw. Journalist Quentin Letts of the Daily Mail newspaper told LBC radio that he had witnessed the stabbing of the policeman and the shooting of the assailant from his office in the parliament building. He (the assailant) ran in through the open gates ... He set about one of the policemen with what looked like a stick, Letts said. The policeman fell over on the ground and it was quite horrible to watch and then having done that, he disengaged and ran towards the House of Commons entrance used by MPs and got about 20 yards or so when two plain-clothed guys with guns shot him. In Edinburgh, the Scottish parliament suspended a planned debate and vote on independence as the news from London came in. Britain is on its second-highest alert level of severe meaning an attack by militants is considered highly likely. The most recent deadly attack in London to be treated as a terrorist incident was in May 2013, when two British Islamists stabbed to death soldier Lee Rigby on a street.
United Kingdom-Saudi Arabia Joint Communiqu From 6th to 9th March 2018, during the visit to the United Kingdom of His Royal Highness Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, at the invitation of the Government of Queen Elizabeth ll. Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom confirmed and reinforced the relations between the two countries, and committed to developing a deeper and more strategic partnership to enhance mutual interests. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II welcomed his Royal Highness the Crown Prince at the beginning of his visit and invited him to lunch at Buckingham Palace. His Royal Highness extended to Her Majesty the regards of the Custodian of the two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the King of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 1. Strategic Partnership and support for Vision 2030 1.1 The United Kingdom confirmed its strong support for Vision 2030 and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabias programme for economic diversity and social reform. The Kingdom will transform into a pioneering investment power and a strategic partner for the Middle East, serving as a focal point for dialogue with the rest of the world. The skills and potential of the Kingdoms human capital will also be improved, releasing the capabilities and possibilities of all citizens of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The United Kingdom is committed to delivering expertise to support the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in these vital reforms. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is confirming that the United Kingdom is a strategic partner in Vision 2030, acknowledging the advanced expertise and capabilities of the public, private, and non-profit sectors of the United Kingdom, in key sectors including: education, healthcare, culture, entertainment, financial services, technology, life sciences, innovation, energy, security, and defence. 1.2 The Crown Prince and the Prime Minister launched on the 7th of March 2018 the annual UK-Saudi Strategic Partnership Council as a key mechanism for discussing and developing all aspects of the bilateral relationship, including UK support for Saudi Arabias Vision 2030; on security, defence and international humanitarian assistance; and on regional and international issues. Both countries committed to a detailed plan to deliver this agenda with further meetings in 2018. 1.3 The UK and Saudi Arabia committed to a long-term partnership to support delivery of Vision 2030 covering a range of fields including evaluating mutual investment opportunities in and through the UK by the Public Investment Fund, bilateral trade, and public procurement with UK companies in Vision 2030 priority areas, including on: education, training and skills; financial and investment services; culture and entertainment; healthcare services and life sciences; technology and renewable energy; and the defence industry. Taken together these opportunities are expected to amount up to $100 billion over a 10-year period, from which PIF will aim to target direct investments amounting to $30 billion. 2. Education, health, culture and entertainment 2.1 The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has paid tribute to the expertise and experience of the United Kingdom in different education sectors, from kindergarten to primary and secondary education, all the way through to higher education, as well as technical vocation training. An agreement was concluded on shared cooperation in the different fields of education, including bringing the benefit of British skills and expertise in supporting early years development. A Memorandum of Understanding that will enable a partnership in developing educational curricula and capacity building was also signed between the two countries and the United Kingdom appointed Sir Anthony Seldon as its Education Special Representative to support Vision 2030. 2.2 The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia acknowledged the extent of British expertise in healthcare and the two countries agreed to reinforce cooperation in this field through a Memoranda of Understanding. This will reinforce cooperation in the fields of training, primary health care, health investment, digital healthcare, and others that the two nations agreed. The United Kingdom appointed Sir Mike Richards as its Special Representative on Healthcare to support Vision 2030. 2.3 The United Kingdom has shown its interest in becoming involved with the large opportunities with have resulted recently from positive changes in the fields of culture and entertainment. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia confirmed its confidence in the leading role and deep-rooted experience that distinguishes the United Kingdom in the creative, cultural, and entertainment industries. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the two sides for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport in the United Kingdom. The two sides signed an agreement on cultural cooperation, which will work to preserve tradition and expand cooperation in developing and protecting cultural content. The United Kingdom undertook to support Saudi Arabias investment in new cultural and entertainment projects across the country. 2.4 The United Kingdom welcomed Saudi Arabias goal, under Vision 2030, of promoting and reinvigorating social development to build a vibrant society, including strengthening families and providing proper education for all children. The United Kingdom welcomed and agreed to support Saudi Arabias goal of increasing the number of women and young people participating in the workforce  including in science, technology, engineering, maths, and digital sectors. The United Kingdom reaffirmed its support to the recent reforms and announcements empowering women. 3. Trade, investment and the private sector 3.1 The United Kingdom recognised the substantial potential for Saudi Arabia as a global investment powerhouse and committed to work with Saudi Arabia to meet Saudi objectives on industrialisation and human capital development. The Public Investment Fund recognised the United Kingdom as a highly attractive investment location and a gateway to the world, with London as a global city unrivalled in its international reach. The Public Investment Fund agreed to work closely with the British side to identify mutually beneficial inward investment opportunities in the United Kingdom and beyond, consistent with Saudi Vision 2030 and the United Kingdoms own investment priorities. The United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia further agreed to establish co-chaired Private Sector Groups to support the expansion of the key sectors identified in Vision 2030, including on privatisation and corporatisation, asset management, real estate, life sciences and technology. 3.2 The United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia recognised the importance of a successful listing of Saudi Aramco as part of the Kingdoms economic reform agenda. The United Kingdom underlined its support for the development of Saudi Arabias financial services industry and Saudi Arabia praised the United Kingdoms support for plans to increase the size, depth and development of the Kingdoms capital markets, affording the Saudi stock exchange, Tadawul, the international status it deserved. Saudi Arabia endorsed the status of London as the premier global financial centre, providing unparalleled access to the global investors and expertise in financial and related professional services. The London Stock Exchange Group agreed with Tadawul on a programme of capacity-building and training measures to assist in developing the exchange. 3.3 The United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia launched the first Ministerial United Kingdom-Saudi Arabia Energy and Industry Dialogue. A Memorandum of Understanding on clean energy was signed, with Saudi Arabia recognising United Kingdoms experience and expertise in clean growth. The United Kingdom expressed strong interest in Saudi Arabias giga-project NEOM, and Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom agreed to work together to identify ways to use British expertise and innovation, including from the private sector, to develop NEOM and build in-country skills, capacity and expertise in Saudi Arabia. The United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia agreed to share British expertise on growth hubs and business accelerators, with Saudi Arabia recognising the investment potential and opportunities from entrepreneurs and innovators in both countries, as well as the opportunities offered by investment in Saudi Arabia. 3.4 The United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia welcomed the significant number of major new commercial deals that were agreed during the visit expected to total over $2 billion, creating and securing jobs and prosperity both in Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom. 4. Security and defence 4.1 The United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia reiterated the importance of the defence and security relationship for mutual security and regional stability. They celebrated a defence partnership of over half a century of cooperation on issues such as countering terrorism, developing joint capabilities and strengthening regional security. Both countries stressed the importance of continuous strong collaboration in defending their national security and fighting terrorism and its funding as well as on areas of defence. They affirmed that this cooperation was decisive in saving lives in the two countries, as well as in other areas of the world, and they pledged to deepen their cooperation and broaden their partnership in facing new challenges. This would include strategic cooperation in areas of cyber security, where a framework agreement on strategic cooperation in cyber security between the 2 countries was signed. 4.2 The two countries expressed their resolve to intensify their efforts to combat terrorism and extremism until its roots were eradicated and its funding exhausted, especially by exchanging information and understanding the different methods that extremists and terrorists use to influence vulnerable people, and working together to protect people from negative terrorist campaigns that terrorists use to spread extremism and conduct recruitment online. The United Kingdom expressed its support for Saudi Arabias efforts and leadership in promoting tolerance and inter-faith dialogue, including the development of initiatives related to fighting extremism, including the establishment of Etidal, which represents a global center of excellence for countering extremist narrative. The two nations committed to sharing best practices and identify opportunities for joint projects to counter terrorist propaganda, including in the English language. 4.3 The United Kingdom has expressed their appreciation to the efforts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in countering terrorism and terrorist financing by announcing the establishment of the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition with Riyadh as a centre consisting of 41 Islamic countries. The United Kingdom also expressed pleasure to be the first supporting country signing an agreement of collaboration with the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition in its initiative to combat threats from terrorism and violent extremism in four working sectors: Media, Counter-terrorism, Military and Ideology. The United Kingdom also welcomed the establishment of the International Centre for Targeting Terrorism Funding in Riyadh. 4.4 The two nations have signed a number of MoUs to deepen and broaden cooperation between them and enhance the Kingdoms industrial defence capabilities, noting that this was being achieved through technology transfer and capability development, training, and building a partnership in research and development on a national and industrial level, and providing technical advisory to the development program of the Ministry of Defence in Saudi Arabia. As a central part of this, Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom signed a letter of intent to finalize discussions for the purchase of 48 Typhoon aircrafts. 4.5 The two countries agreed to increase cooperation on aviation security. The United Kingdom expressed its appreciation of Saudi Arabias partnership in aviation security and in countering the continuing terrorist threat, fulfilling commitments under United Nations Security Council Resolution 2309. The United Kingdom underlined the importance of the recently signed Department for General Authority of Civil Aviation Priority Action Plan to work together to further develop aviation security standards. 5. International issues 5.1 The two countries agreed to continue to co-operate closely on international security, national development, and humanitarian issues. The United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia signed cooperation agreements to enable the strengthening of responses to regional and global humanitarian and development challenges. As part of this partnership, the two sides pledged 100 million of joint funding to support livelihoods and economic prosperity in the Horn of Africa and East Africa. 5.2 The two countries stressed the importance of Irans adherence to the principles of good neighboring behaviors, and not interfering in the internal affairs of countries in accordance with international norms and the United Nations Charter. 5.3 The two countries discussed Yemen: The two countries confirmed the importance of reaching a political solution to the crisis in Yemen on the basis of the Gulf Cooperation Council Initiative and its implementation mechanism, the outcome of the Yemen National Dialogue and UN Security Council Resolution 2216, so as to ensure Yemens security and territorial integrity. They expressed their strong support for the recently appointed UN Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths. The 2 nations agreed to stay in regular contact, and conduct intensive discussions around this. The two countries agreed that any political settlement must result in an end to security threats to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, other regional states, and to Red Sea shipping, as well as see an end to the Iranian support for militias and a withdrawal of Iranian elements and Hizbollah from Yemen. The two countries agreed to continue to work together to address the humanitarian crisis, building on Saudi Arabias efforts, including Saudi Arabias recently announced Comprehensive Humanitarian Operations plan. Saudi Arabia reaffirmed its commitment to disburse its pledge to the UN Appeal. Both countries reaffirmed their commitment since November to work together to strengthen the inspection mechanism of the UNVIM to ensure that all Yemeni ports can remain fully open to commercial and humanitarian supplies, according to relevant United Nations resolutions. They agreed on the importance of the international community to pressure the Houthi militias to allow unimpeded humanitarian access in areas they control, whilst taking all appropriate measures to implement the arms embargo pursuant to paragraph 14 of UNSCR 2216 (2015). They agreed to work together with international partners including the UN to agree on a mechanism for paying public sector salaries across the country. The United Kingdom welcomed Saudi Arabias recent establishment of an office for Yemen reconstruction in Riyadh to develop reconstruction plans to be implemented following a political settlement. The United Kingdom sees this as an important expression of Saudi Arabias commitment to the long-term development of all of Yemen. The United Kingdom welcomed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabias continuing commitment to ensuring that the Coalitions military campaign is conducted in accordance with international humanitarian law. 5.4 On other Middle East issues the two sides affirmed the following: Middle East Peace Process: The two countries reaffirmed their commitment to a two-state solution based on the Arab Peace Initiative and the relevant UN Resolutions. Iraq: The United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia congratulated the Iraqi government on their progress and success against ISIS. The UK strongly supports the improvement in relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Government of Iraq, including the reopening of border crossings and trade routes, the resumption of direct flights and its support to rebuild Iraq. Help us improve GOV.UK Help us improve GOV.UK To help us improve GOV.UK, wed like to know more about your visit today. Well send you a link to a feedback form. 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LONDON CAR JIHAD? Another apparent terrorist attack in Westminster, car deliberately crashes into cyclists, several injured So far, we know that the terror suspect is black (photo right & below), is from Midlands, and was known to police but not MI5. He used a Ford Fiesta bought two months ago to mow down 15 cyclists  as officers say he is refusing to co-operate. Police say: It was a deliberate attack but we dont know the motive Terror suspect in his twenties has been arrested after Ford Fiesta hit crowds and smashed into barriers Suspect was pulled from the car by armed officers who surrounded vehicle outside St Stephens entrance Unnamed man is refusing to co-operate or give any potential motive but he may have aimed at police officers Pedestrians and cyclists describe car on wrong side of road then swerving deliberately to hit them at 50mph Terrorism act cordon set up in all directions from Trafalgar Square, Westminster Bridge and Lambeth Bridge Reader Interactions Comments Thanks BNI, for the first time ever, I am not receiving Britain First e-mails, since Paul, Jayda & Tommy were gaoled. I published an illustrated colour book including a praise with images of Paul & Jayda & BNI in USA. But I cannot get a copy of my own book. It was published on 8th August 2018. Our government changed all the GST rules and now we cannot buy Internet imports from Amazon in USA or UK anymore. I am going to increase the number of book publications in USA. The world wants an ahimsa academic war they have now got one. I will when necessary get around this import order roadblock, but it will now be substantially more expensive. Our leaders Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull Liberal Party & Bill Shorten Opposition Labor Party are all supportive of Muslims in Australia just like Theresa May in Britains Conservative Party & just like Britains opposition Labour Party. As you know Canada is going down the same pro-Islam road. I found out that the Royal Family gave Royal Assent in 2006 to the Blasphemy Law type act which is the tool used to gaol Paul, Jayda & Tommy. The anti-freedom of speech Greens in Australia are also supporting the acceptance of Islam. Psychology in Australia supports anti-freedom of speech Socialist Political Correctness & supports the existence of degree qualified Muslim Psychologists. One whom, residing in Sydney has visited Iran supporting this country, and has several Psychology offices in Sydney supporting all Muslims only they believe in the Anti-Freedom Quran. I published her story with images in my book Insanity of Hate. I published issues on Australia & Canada head-on. Sydney University is talking about teaching Sharia Law to students to support Pluralism as exists in Britain. I have published that concern. Every Belief System on this planet is now on the table for scrutineering. Every person and every belief system that supports any form of Totalitarianism and opposes 100% Freedom of Speech is being gradually dealt with. I dont care who I offend, if a person is not standing for 100% Freedom & Equality Values. I will progressively challenge them, one by one. We are going to build a free world. Islam, Socialism, Communism & Fascism are all on the table.  As I advertised far back in 2012, founded upon my decision in 2010, D-Day is September 11, 2024. I have a zero tolerance for apathy, cowardice, treason and every form of Totalitarianism. Cosmic Libertarianism will free the world gradually during a one thousand year fight. Artificial Intelligence & Transhumanism is also now being watched for its totalitarian objectives. BNI, it is not a ban, it is more cunning than just banning. Our government is in the red for billions of dollars, a debt created by incompetent Labor & taken over by incompetent Turnbull Liberal. Howard Liberal got our economy into the black. Idiots afterwards destroyed our economic position. The government driven by Greed & Desperation for money wanted GST from all imports by Internet and forced Amazon USA to establish no import flags for all Aussies. If Aussies want anything from Amazon, they now have to buy from Amazon Australia. Problem is that Aussies are slow, and not very efficient in upgrade of business process. I have reported to Amazon USA my criticism of Amazon Australia Performance, During my Manufacturing Career in Australia, I taught Class A World Class Manufacturing in several companies. I was trained by Americans. But since 2003 after I retired from Manufacturing most Manufacturing have gone broke or sent overseas, costing Australians jobs because our idiot Labor & Liberal & Greens Politicians opened the free trade gate and allowed China to take over supplying to us inferior quality products. We need USA to invest in Australia, but for most Manufacturing Industries in USA it is no longer profitable. Amazon is a different market and will succeed in Australia. Britain now has my book and keeps up with USA, Australia is too slow to be that good. Australian Primary Industry is sliding downhill, because of Politicians. Our food quality standards have deteriorated since 2000 C.E. We have the ability to grow pineapples and yet Woolworths an inferior greedy monopoly retail supermarket imports pineapple tin products from Asia and other foods we can grow & manufacture. This greed behaviour is treason. I have attacked Woolworths in my book Insanity of Hate. We are one of the richest countries in minerals in the world, we have the resources to manufacture our own steel, cars, ships, but we do nothing we sell our minerals overseas and buy back parts & products. We have one of the most expensive energy costs in the world, and we have over 1,000 years of coal, which the Greens are blocking us from using to lower energy costs. Our Pension age was 65 years it is now moving up to 70 years to help our government finance donations of millions of dollars to countries like Indonesia & Palestine. We have 100,000 homeless Australians being denied help. Because they have no fixed address they cannot get welfare aid, but Muslim immigrants can get welfare. The world is a mess, but our once free lucky country is now sliding downhill. Our cities and big towns are heading for disaster, because Islam wants control of those territories first. Our only advantage over Britain is large rural regions which is too tough for Muslims to work and demands Aussie pioneer strength activity to survive. Unfortunately, I am getting old, 70 years by 26 December this year. But I will do what I can to turn the pressure up against all these treasonous coward creeps now destroying our once great country. It is indicative of the media/authorities overt politically correct stance towards telling the truth, that he was described by security minister Ben Wallace as A British citizen from another country YAWN, FFS! A mentally challenged marsupial could manage a more accurate description. These experts do themselves and their IQs no favors with such feeble announcements. I can assure you by looking at his photo he was not just from any other country, certainly wasnt Danish or Australian, he was in fact a Sudanese Muslim and what he did was a deliberate act of vehicular Jihad! The truth is all that matters, polite PC euphemisms around race, religion and identity help no one, The public are not fools, by covering up plain factual details to avoid spilling the beans on ethnicity is fraudulent and insincere. The public for reasons of safety and security need honest objective reporting and support from elected officials, police and media. Not cosy feel good lies for the sake of community cohesion which is clearly in decline! You have to ask why do they do this in the heaviest policed part of London full of bollards and police checks etcWhy choose there? There must be hundreds of other less obvious targetsweird reasoning Why was he not shot ? It just doesnt smell right.. REVEALED: Sudanese immigrant terror attacker who drove around London for hours before smashi * Salih Khater, from Birmingham, veered off road into pedestrians and cyclists at Parliament Square at 7.37am * Emerged 29 year old drove from flat in Hall Green, Birmingham, to London on Monday before driving around * Cruised tourist hotspots around Tottenham Court Road before 1.25am and 5.55am before going to Whitehall Salih Khater (top), 29, drove from his flat in Hall Green, Birmingham, to London on Monday evening before driving around tourist hotspots near Tottenham Court between 1.25am and 5.55am. Khater then drove his Ford Fiesta, which was bought two months ago, around the Westminster and Whitehall area from 6am until the attack at 7.37am. Horrifying CCTV footage from earlier today captured the moment the driver sped through crowds at up to 50mph before ploughing into barriers outside the Houses of Parliament (bottom). Despite hitting at least 15 cyclists and pedestrians during rush hour, no one was killed with only one female cyclist seriously injured. Within minutes the driver, dressed in a white shirt, jeans and a black puffa jacket, was dragged from the driving seat of the crumpled vehicle by armed officers. Armed police tackle man to the ground outside St Pauls tube station as capital remains on high alert * A man has been tackled by armed police outside St Pauls Station in London * Another man ran away from the officers, according to an eye witness The motive is, and always will be Islam until they are purged like the disease that they are. Purged back ti the desert utopias that allow them to practice their barbaric ways far away from the civilized world. The suspect had apparently driven to London from Birmingham and arrived there at least 7 hours earlier. Reports of the silver Fiesta car being seen in the Tottenham area 6 hours previous to the time of the incident were given to the police, but remain unverified at the time of writing. Three houses (two in the Birmingham area of the UK) are currently being searched for any evidence. All computers seized, documents and other items removed for examination by forensic officers. The day began with yet another vehicular jihad at the Houses of Parliament at Westminster. Ten cyclists and pedestrians were injured by a black man in his late twenties in a silver Ford Fiesta. It is not known if the Ford Fiesta has the usual mental health issues. (Mark Steyn) 15 years spreading Islamist extremism in prison. And its not just black Muslims. We have to take off our shoes at airports because a white, British Muslim smuggled explosives in his shoes and almost brought down an airplane in mid-flight. Hate has no color.
Citizens Electoral Council of Australia Media Release Thursday, 6 April 2017 Westminster terror attack: Prince Charles and Saudis must answer! Upon reading of Prince Charless hospital condolence visits to those injured on 22 March 2017 in the Westminster Bridge terrorist attack, one can hardly refrain from vomiting. Is there any individual in the United Kingdom who bears more responsibility for such attacksincluding the 7 July 2005 (7/7) London subway bombing that killed 52 and wounded 700, and now this latest rampagethan Charles? We pose that question in the belief that exposing and dismantling the platforms from which terrorism is staged, can prevent further attacks. The Citizens Electoral Council of Australia has insistently put the key issues on the table, in a series of media releases, as well as a pamphlet published last year: In all of these publications, we warned that such attacks would not only continue, but would inevitably escalate unless Charles and his Saudi cronies were brought to book. The pamphlet concluded with the section We Can End This Era of Terrorism and War, a list of needed steps including: Force the reopening of the UK Serious Fraud Office investigation of al-Yamamah, the Anglo-Saudi oil-for-arms deal; A Parliamentary commission in the UK should investigate the al-Yamamah connection to the 9/11 attacks in the USA in 2001; Prince Charles must be called to testify before the new House of Commons hearings, in view of his long-standing close connections with Saudi figures involved in promoting terrorism. None of these steps have been taken, and the consequences are now at hand. In the latest terrorism incident, British-born Muslim convert Khalid Masood mowed down dozens of people with his car while driving across Westminster Bridge, killing three, then crashed into the wall around Parliament House, and finally stabbed and killed a policeman before being shot dead. Masoods biography, reported in the Telegraph of 27 March, reveals a past that intersects precisely the Anglo-Saudi terrorism apparatus, of which Prince Charles has been the leading patron, that the CEC warned about in our press releases. More than a decade ago this apparatus was under scrutiny by Britains Serious Fraud Office, until then-PM Tony Blair abruptly halted the investigation in December 2006, on national security grounds. It is a terror machine that implicates not only the highest levels of UK and Saudi security agencies, but, beyond any margin of doubt, the Royal families of both kingdoms as well. The latest attack prompts us to return to these questions with even greater urgency, and with the addition of new information that has come to light in recent publications. This media release is divided into the following sections. The Westminster terrorist attack raises questions about two areas of British government activity related to terrorism. The first is the infamous al-Yamamah arms deal between the UKs BAE Systems and Saudi Arabia. This still ongoing, largest arms deal in history was originally negotiated in 1985 between Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan. Most of its later phases have been concluded by Prince Charles during his dozen or so official visits to Saudi Arabia, as well as innumerable private ones. His role in this international arms trade is so notorious that in 2015 the Prince made it known through friends that he preferred not to be known as merely peddling arms or marketing weaponry. Al-Yamamah is an extraordinary arms deal, quite apart from its sheer scale. As Executive Intelligence Review magazine has documented over the past decade, it generated a secret US$100 billion slush fund, which was used to fund the creation of the Afghan mujahideen in the late 1980s for deployment against the Soviet Union. Its monies also went into the launch, out of that Afghanistan project, of an international terrorist apparatus, beginning with al-Qaeda. One of the principal sponsors of al-Qaeda was Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan, whose biographer describes his close friendship with Charles. More recently, with the belated release in July 2016 of the suppressed 28 pages of the 2002 US Congressional Joint Inquiry report on the 9/11 attacks, then-Saudi ambassador to the United States Bandar stands exposed as a financer of 9/11. Those 28 pages shed new light on the al-Yamamah arrangement, and on the case of Khalid Masood. The second area of concern is the so-called covenant of security between MI5/MI6 and UK-based terrorist organisations, which was officially in effect until the aftermath of 7/7, the 2005 London terror attack, but de facto has continued into the present. Journalist Nafeez Ahmed, in his authoritative 2006 expos of the 7/7 attack, The London Bombings. An Independent Inquiry, noted the continuing benign attitude towards UK-based radical jihadists: The British state shows no interest in using its existing legal powers to neutralise terrorist networks in Britain, despite open threats of a new wave of terrorist attacks. This cannot be explained by the Covenant of Security, which ceased to function after 7 July 2005. What then can explain the ongoing British government reluctance to shut down this network? Britains Royal Institute of International Affairs (the famous Chatham House) summarised the covenant in a 25 July 2005 Briefing Paper titled Security, Terrorism and the UK: By the mid-1990s the UKs intelligence agencies and the police were well aware that London was increasingly being used as a base by individuals involved in promoting, funding and planning terrorism in the Middle East and elsewhere. However, these individuals were not viewed as a threat to the UKs national security, and so they were left to continue their activities with relative impunity, a policy which caused much anger among the foreign governments concerned. This practice was so notorious, that Britain became known as Londonistan. More than a dozen governments formally protested to British authorities about it. But the MI5/MI6-protected terrorists were unleashed not only upon foreign countries, but increasingly within the UK itself. The trail of Khalid Masood (born Adrian Russell Elms), starting in his home town of Luton, Bedfordshire, leads into the workings of the covenant, and from there via Saudi Arabia to al-Yamamah, and on to those at the highest levels of the UK who inaugurated and protect both. Following the Westminster attack, Prime Minister Theresa May attempted to pre-empt the inevitable questions about MI5s relationship with Masood by admitting that he had been known to MI5 (for which May was responsible for more than six years as Home Secretary), but only as a peripheral figure in a larger terrorism investigation. She argued, implicitly, as MI5 and MI6 officials have done explicitly, that there are so many thousands of potential terrorists, and the manpower required to follow each one is so great, that inevitably some will slip through the net. Even setting aside the facts that Britain has some of the most draconian anti-terror laws in the world and that its Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) monitors all communications in the country, that argument is pure sophistry. Under the covenant of security, MI5 and MI6 themselves for decades have fostered and protected the leading figures who created this army of terrorists, now numbering at least a few thousands, according to former MI6 Chief John Sawers. Even the shards of information released in the British media, however, make clear that Masood was hardly an unknown or peripheral figure in this sea of terrorists. The clues begin with his decision to return to live in Lutona notorious stronghold of Islamist radicalismin 2009, after a second one-year stay in Saudi Arabia. Masood had a 20-year record as a violent criminal, serving three prison terms; a friend described him as having converted to Islam while in prisona profile typical of a future terrorist. Among his immediate neighbours in Luton, the Telegraph reported 26 March, were Taimour Abdulwahab, a Swedish student who became a suicide bomber in Stockholm, and Abu Rahin Aziz, who would become an ISIS jihadist and be killed in a drone strike in Raqqa, Syria in 2015. Through his gym, Masood was associated with a gang accused of plotting to equip a remote-controlled car with a bomb to attack a military base, a scheme some media have speculated is what brought him to MI5s attention. The milieu in which Masood moved in Luton had to be well known to MI5 and MI6, for several reasons: 1. It was in Luton that the infamous terror mastermind Abu Hamza al-Masri began his blood-soaked career, preaching at the citys mosque. There he built up a large jihadist network, and with those credentials graduated to become the long-time preacher at the notorious Finsbury Park Mosque in north London. Hamza used the Finsbury Park Mosque as a recruitment centre for hundreds upon hundreds of young British Muslims, twisting them into becoming suicide bombers and foreign jihadists. His hate-filled disciples can still be found all over the world. From 1997 to 2006, he established the infrastructure in the UK that helped finance and prepare jihadists in North London, helping them get out of the country across to Pakistan for training. In several cases, these young recruits were assisted in reaching places like Yemen and Israel to carry out terrorist attacks or suicide bombings. The mosque itself became a training facility, not just preaching jihad, but also stockpiling weapons and becoming a local centre for organised crime. His network has been implicated in dozens of attacks, including 9/11, the 7/7 bombings, and the January 2015 Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris, carried out by disciples of one of Abu Hamzas closest associates, in which 12 were killed and 11 wounded, with another 5 killed and 11 wounded in coordinated attacks elsewhere in France. Moreover, according to Nafeez Ahmed, Every leading member of al-Qaedas Finsbury divisionOmar Bakri, Abu Hamza, Abu Qatadahas according to credible reports, a close relationship to Britains security services. Author Ahmed is a widely published investigative journalist, international security scholar, and official contributor to the US 9/11 Commission and Britains 7/7 Coroners Inquest. 2. Anjem Choudary and his now-banned extremist group al-Muhajiroun were regular figures in Luton, where Choudary often preached, and where Masood lived until 2013. A notorious radical cleric, Choudary was finally imprisoned in September 2016, but not before recruiting hundreds of jihadists with impunity over a period of 20 years. The 21 August 2016 Telegraph reported that Londons Metropolitan Police had linked Choudary to 15 terrorist attacks going back to 2001, and to at least 500 jihadists who travelled to Syria to join ISIS. Yet MI5 repeatedly intervened to protect him. A Met counter-terrorism officer told the Telegraph: I am gobsmacked that we allowed him to carry on as long as long as he did. He was up to his neck in it but the police cant do full investigations on people if the security service say they are working on a really big job, because they have the priority. That is what they did constantly. While the police might have had lots of evidence they were pulled back by the security service because he [Choudary] was one of the people they were monitoring. It was very frustrating and did cause some tension but we were told we had to consider the bigger picture. 3. Given the networks built in Luton first by Abu Hamza and then by Choudary, it is little surprise that the city also served as the staging ground for the 7/7 London subway attacks in 2005. One of the four bombers lived there, and it was in Luton that they met before proceeding to the London subways. Indeed, Nafeez Ahmed reports in his book that the mastermind of that atrocity, the well-known Abu Hamza disciple Haroon Rashid Ashwat, was a double agent working for MI6 as an informant on al-Qaeda operations, while still being an active al-Qaeda operative. Only by examining the careers of Abu Hamza, Choudary and other butchers, and the covenant of security under which they were not only allowed to operate, but protected and encouraged, can one begin to understand the case of Khalid Masood. MI5 and MI6 created the UKs omnipresent threat of new terror outbreaks! Abu Hamza and Choudary may finally have been taken out of circulation, but the networks they spawned pervade both the British Isles and continental Europe. The infamous 9/11 attacks in the USA notwithstanding, British security officials carried on with the covenant of security. They stuck to it even after the warning from Choudarys al-Muhajiroun shortly after 9/11, a time when the British government was drafting tougher anti-terror legislation: For the moment, Muslims in the UK have a covenant of security which prevents them from attacking the lives and wealth of anyone here. However  the Blair regime is today sitting on a box of dynamite and have only themselves to blame if after attacking the Islamic movements and the Islamic scholars, it all blows up in their face. Indeed, as Nafeez Ahmed observes, in January 20056 months before 7/7in live internet broadcasts urging British Muslims to join al-Qaeda, Bakri [Omar al-Bakri] claimed that the covenant of security had been violated by the British governments anti-terrorist legislation, and was henceforth cancelled. Yet in May of that year, MI5s Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre reduced its UK threat level because there was no intelligence of a current credible plot to attack the UK at that time (i.e., a group with established capability and current intent). Ahmed points out that this was patently false. On the contrary, extensive evidence in the public record from British, American, European and other security sources shows that the government had received a large number of advance warnings of an imminent attack on UK soil, specifically on the London Underground. As crucial as the Abu Hamza and Choudary cases are for understanding the present, ever escalating threat of major new terror attacks in Britain and across Europe, there is a higher level than the covenant of securityan umbrella under which all of this apparatus was originally created and still operates, and to which the career of Khalid Masood also points. According to the Telegraph of 27 March, Masood had worked as an English teacher in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for the Saudi governments General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA). He was there twice, for 12 months each time: from November 2005 to November 2006 and from April 2008 to April 2009. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has come under intense scrutiny in the USA in the last year, for its sponsorship of terrorism and its role in the 9/11 attacks. After the above-cited 28 pages of the 2002 Joint Congressional Inquiry report were finally released in July 2016, the US Congress passed the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), enabling 9/11 survivors and victim family members to sue Saudi Arabia in US courts. The first such lawsuit has just commenced in New York, and Saudi Arabias sensitivity to this development may explain the curious statement its London embassy issued 24 March to clarify Masoods activities in Saudi Arabia. Although it acknowledged Masoods two English-teaching stints in Saudi Arabia, it omitted mentioning that he had taught at the GACA. Despite his long criminal record, filled with incidents of violent assault, following his release from the second of his three prison terms (from which he emerged as a radical Islamist), Masood somehow landed this overseas job. Were his record of violent assault with a knife, and his radicalisation in prison, known and overlooked? Or were these a reason for his hiring? His employer, the GACA, is a Saudi government department implicated in the 9/11 terrorist attacks! Omar al-Bayoumi is a star figure in the 28 pages, which are reproduced in full in the CEC pamphlet To Stop a Near-term Terror Attack, Read the 28 Pages! He had worked for the GACA in Saudi Arabia from 1979 to 1994. The Authority continued to pay his monthly salary, through a subsidiary, when he lived in San Diego from 1994 until August 2001, the month before 9/11. The 28 pages cite several US government investigators who were of the opinion that al-Bayoumi acted like or might be or was a Saudi intelligence officer. The later 9/11 Commission Report (2004) noted that a fellow employee in San Diego described al-Bayoumi as a ghost employee, one of the Saudis on the payroll who was not required to workindicating that his employment with the GACA was a cover for other activities. In early 2000 al-Bayoumi and a fellow agent assisted the first two 9/11 hijackers who arrived in the United States in finding accommodation, paid their first months rent, and enrolled them in a flight training school near San Diego. This support for the hijackers coincided with a substantial pay rise for al-Bayoumi, paid by the GACA. The 28 pages were suppressed for 14 years, first by the administration of President George W. Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney, and then by President Barack Obama, because they reveal another crucial piece of information about Omar al-Bayoumi and his fellow Saudi agent: in either late 1999 or early 2000, they started receiving, via their wives, monthly payments from Princess Haifa bint Faisal and her husband, Saudi Ambassador to the United States Prince Bandarthe close friend and al-Yamamah associate of Prince Charles. We reported in our Read the 28 Pages! pamphlet: The Serious Fraud Office probe, which began in 2003, examined payments made by the British government and BAE Systems to Prince Bandar and his agent Wafic Sad. Then-Director of the SFO Robert Wardle revealed at the time, that Saudi Arabia had strongly objected to the investigation. Now it is apparent that those al-Yamamah payments to Bandar directly overlapped his activities documented in the 28 pages. In 2007 The Guardian reported that the SFO had been looking at BAE payments to Bandar made through a UK Ministry of Defence-administered account at the Bank of England, to Bandars account at the Riggs Bank, Washington, DC. The 28 pages reveal payments from the Riggs accounts of Bandar and his wife to the Saudi operatives who assisted two of the 9/11 hijackers. The SFO investigations implication of Bandar and others in corruption was enough to make Tony Blair shut the probe down in 2006, claiming that Our relationship with Saudi Arabia is vitally important for our country in terms of counter-terrorism. But, there is a higher level still. A glimpse of the highest-level facilitator of Saudi international terrorism within Britain appeared in Mark Hollingsworths 2005 book, Saudi Babylon. Torture, Corruption and Cover-Up Inside the House of Saud, a chronicle of the Saudi Kingdoms imprisonment and torture of British citizen Sandy Mitchell in 2000. Hollingsworth recounted an extraordinary April 2003 meeting at New Scotland Yard: Prince Charless relationships with prominent House of Saud members have created serious problems and obstacles to UK agencies investigating claims of Saudi financing of international terrorism, according to Special Branch sources. The delicacy and sensitivity of Prince Charless friendships was raised during a meeting at New Scotland Yard in April 2003. Families of the victims of 9/11 had filed a lawsuit accusing some members of the House of Saud, notably defence minister Prince Sultan and the new UK Ambassador, Prince Turki, of supporting Al-Qaeda in the past. Their lawyers were in Europe investigating allegations that senior Saudi royals had backed Islamic charities, run by the government, which funded the 9/11 hijackers. The meeting at New Scotland Yard was attended by detective chief inspector Stephen Ratcliffe, the Special Branch officer in charge of tracking terrorism financing; Peter Clarke, national director of countering terrorist funding; Robert Randall, a police liaison officer; and lawyers for the families of the 9/11 victims. Alan Gerson, a lawyer for 9/11 relatives, outlined their case and said that the Saudi royal family were put on notice in 1999 by US National Security Council (NSC) officials in Riyadh that funds for Al-Qaeda came from Saudi. There were similar warnings to the Saudis in London as well, said Ratcliffe, although some of our regulatory agencies were not always up to scratch in tracing the money. Well, have the UK authorities uncovered anything to show that charities run by some members of the Saudi royal family were channelling money to the terrorists? asked Gerson. Ratcliffe looked hesitant and a little sheepish. Our ability to investigate the Saudis is very limited, he said. He then paused, looked across at a photograph of Prince Charles on the wall, raised his eyebrows and smiled knowingly without saying a word. He did not say anything but the message was crystal clear when he looked at the picture, said a police officer who was present. It was Prince Charless special relationship with the Saudis which was a problem. He gave no other reason why they were restricted. The two senior Saudi royals mentioned in Hollingsworths account of that New Scotland Yard meeting, al-Yamamahs Prince Bandar and Prince Turki, each received one of just eight foreign royal invitations from Charles to his 2005 wedding with Camilla Parker-Bowles. Bandars brother-in-law Prince Turki headed Saudi General Intelligence from 1979 to 2001, during which time he created al-Qaeda. He suddenly resigned from that post only 10 days before 9/11, and though featured in the 9/11 families lawsuit and subsequently named by Zacarias Moussaoui, who was convicted for conspiring to carry out the 9/11 attacks, as one of the plots main orchestrators, Turki went on to become Saudi Ambassador to the UK (2003-05) and to the USA (2005-06). And what of Charless activity on the home front? He was the personal, indispensable patron of the establishment of an extensive network of mosques throughout the UK. To avoid misunderstanding: There is nothing wrong with building mosques per se, as they are the places of worship for Islam, one of the worlds great religions. It is natural to have mosques in areas with a substantial Islamic population. At the same time Charles, as someone purportedly knowledgeable about Islam, cannot be ignorant of the worldwide Saudi program to promote radical Wahhabism, incorporating hatred of, and even a duty to kill, non-Muslims. Later on, he cannot have been unaware of the pleas for help from local Muslim leaders, who realised that some of the mosques were being turned into virtual terrorist factories. The most notorious of these is Finsbury. Melanie Phillips wrote in her book Londonistan, It was the Prince of Wales who was a prime mover behind the building of the Finsbury Park mosque in north London, which became the clerical epicentre of the jihad in Britain. Charles found the Finsbury site already in the early 1980s, arranged a zoning revision to enable construction of the mosque, and then secured funding for it from Saudi King Fahd in 1987. The conclusion of the processraising the money to fund both Finsbury and a nationwide network of similar mosqueswas recounted by Sean ONeill and Daniel McGrory in The Suicide Factory. Abu Hamza and the Finsbury Park Mosque. When the two men [Charles and Fahd] shook hands on the platform at Victoria Station on the Kings arrival on 25 March 1987, the Prince lost no time in presenting the Finsbury Park scheme. The Saudi ruler quickly approved, and wrote a cheque for 12 million to fund a number of mosque-building projects around Britain, beginning with the North London Central Mosque in Finsbury Park. Another notorious example of a terror network emerging as a direct result of Charless patronage is the East London Mosque. In the late 1990s, Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Faisal, soon to be named in a lawsuit by the 9/11 families for financing that event, and Prince Charles jointly headed the fundraising committee to construct the London Muslim Centre as a huge extension of the East London Mosque, Londons oldest. The UKs Department of Communities and Local Government has written that the East London Mosque [is] the key institution for the Bangladeshi wing of JI [Jamaat-e-Islami] in the UK. The Jamaat-e-Islami group has unleashed murderous terrorism on the Indian sub-continent, ravaging India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. The usual story, namely that no one could have foreseen that the radicals would take over the vast network built by Prince Charles and his Saudi friends, is absurd on the face of it. The particular people who took over the mosques, such as Abu Hamza, Choudary, et al., were employed as MI5/MI6 agents, while complaints and pleas for help from the existing boards of trustees were continually met with Sorry, nothing we can do about it from the police and their superiors in MI5 and MI6. The management of Finsbury also launched dozens of legal challenges, attempting to kick Abu Hamza out, but he was not touched, and even boasted that his activity was sanctioned by the British Government and MI5. As recounted by Mark Curtis in Secret Affairs: Britains Collusion with Radical Islam, it is a prime example of the covenant of security. Abu Hamza, the former imam at the Finsbury Park Mosque, said at his trial at the Old Bailey that he believed a deal operated whereby his activities would be tolerated as long as they targeted only foreign soil. He recalled how Scotland Yards intelligence wing, the Special Branch, assured him that you dont have anything to worry about as long as we dont see blood on the streets.  In August of the same year, Omar Bakri Mohammed, who had established the militant al-Muhajiroun organisation, described how I work here in accordance with the covenant of peace which I made with the British government when I got [political] asylum. Nine months later, he said in a further interview that the British government knows who we are. MI5 has interrogated us many times. I think now we have something called public immunity. American authorities had been trying for years to have Abu Hamza extradited to the United States, to face charges of terrorism in Yemen and training terrorists in the USA itself. MI5 and the British government stalled for many months on one pretext or another, before they were finally forced to cough him up. In a US courtroom in 2014, Abu Hamza stated in his defence that he had been working for MI5 all along. Had Charles himself intervened in response to the pleas for help from the trustees of Finsbury Park and other mosques, which he himself had caused to be built and which were being radicalised, there is no doubt the process could have been stopped. He never indicated any intent to take such an action, which would have put him at odds with those Saudi figures who pack the board of the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, known as Charless OCIS. Virtually every past or present OCIS board member was a funder, orchestrator, or propagandist for international terrorism. Among them: Prince Bandar bin Sultan contributed an estimated US$13-24.4 million to the OCIS in the early 1990s, according to various accounts, and arranged for then-Saudi King Fahd to kick in another $32.4 million in 1997. While Saudi ambassador to the United States, Bandar provided financing and logistical support to the 9/11 terrorists. Prince Turki bin Faisal, a member of the OCIS Board of Trustees and chairman of its Strategy Advisory Committee, has been named as financer and coordinator of 9/11. As head of Saudi intelligence, he created al-Qaeda out of the Afghan mujahideen. Prince Mohamed bin Faisal, a brother of al-Qaeda architect Prince Turki and known as a pioneer of Islamic banking, was named by the 9/11 families in a lawsuit. Collaborating with Charles as noted above, he provided the funds for a huge expansion of the East London Mosque, a hotbed of terrorism according to one of the UKs own government departments. Abdullah Omar Naseef co-founded the OCIS and has chaired its Board of Trustees. In the 1980s, he co-created Maktab al-Khidamat, the backbone organisation of the Arab-Afghan mujahideen in Afghanistan, which in 1989 changed its name to al-Qaeda. He, too, has been named a financer of terrorism in a 9/11 families lawsuit. After Queen Elizabeth II herself granted the OCIS a Royal Charter in May 2011, Naseef exulted, This is very good news. This shows that the British government, the Queen, and the whole state are very much aware that the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies is doing very well to make relations between the Islamic world and the Western world closer and to bring Islam and its role into the international arena. Yusuf al-Qaradawi was a board member of the OCIS from 1985 until 2006. Qatar-based spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, he issued fatwas for the overthrow and assassination of Libyas Qaddafi and Syrias Assadin tune with Anglo-American plans for those two countriesand in July 2012 threatened the assassination of Egyptian leader Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, now President of Egypt. In a 30 January 2009 broadcast on Al-Jazeera TV, Charless friend al-Qaradawi proclaimed that Hitler Put the Jews in Their Place, crowing that This was divine punishment for them. The Bin Laden family, besides the notoriety brought by its famous member Osama bin Laden, was among the Saudi, Qatari and Kuwaiti private donors of some US$70 million to the OCIS, endowing its Mohammed bin Laden chair, named after Osamas father. Osama had been recruited by Prince Turki to set up the Maktab al-Khidamat network, the future al-Qaeda. That Prince Charles should be so intimately associated with the terror-financing al-Yamamah, and with leading orchestrators and funders of terrorism from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf kingdoms, should be no surprise to anyone who has studied the history of the British Empire. The British imperial leaders have always sponsored the most fanatical, Wahhabite wing of Islam, including through creation of the Muslim Brotherhood and its spin-offs as their chosen instrument in the region. These forces were consistently deployed against such secular nationalist leaders such as Egypts Gamal Abdel Nasser, Iraqs Saddam Hussein, Libyas Muammar Qaddafi, and Egypts General al-Sisi, a process documented by Curtis in Secret Affairs. Britains Collusion with Radical Islam and by investigative journalist Dan Glazebrook in a recent series of articles called British Collusion with Sectarian Violence. These and other sources abundantly demonstrate MI5s and MI6s sponsorship of Wahhabite terrorism, including dozens more cases where their assets committed murder and mayhem on British soil. Lawfully enough, Prince Charles is the Patron of all three of the major British intelligence agencies, which are supposedly in charge of stopping terrorism: MI5, MI6, and GCHQ. Charless role as Patron, in these cases as well as for the OCIS, is no mere formality. Clive Bloom wrote in Thatchers Secret War. Subversion, Coercion, Secrecy and Government 1974-90: Parliamentarians knew that MI5 reported nominally to the Home Secretary and MI6 to the Foreign Office, but they might not have known, which very few voters would have imagined possible, that both services were not bound to anybody and acted, to all intents and purposes, as independent wings of the permanent state outside any real government control and answerable to a nebulous entity called the Crown. Those who are familiar with the all-pervasive powers of the Crowns Privy Council in the UK, and any other nations where the Queen is still head of state, know that the British cabinet, for instance, is merely a subcommittee of the Privy Council and that Privy Councillors are sworn to secrecy in all matters of substance. The leading institutions of Britain, including such powerhouses as the City of London Corporation and the Bank of England, function only under Privy Council authority; according to the Privy Councils own website, once incorporated by Royal Charter a body surrenders significant aspects of the control of its internal affairs to the Privy Council. Australians who have followed the irrefutable evidence that has emerged in recent years, that the plot to overthrow Prime Minister Gough Whitlam in 1975 was coordinated every step of the way by Queen Elizabeth personally, and with the assistance of Prince Charles, shouldnt need Clive Bloom or anyone else to remind them that the powers of the Crown are real, and are used. Nor should Britons who remember PM Harold Wilsons public charge, before his sudden resignation in 1976, that the Crown in the person of Lord Mountbatten and Britains intelligence agencies were conspiring to oust him. Whitlam and Wilson had grand economic development plans for their respective nations, which brought each of them in head-to-head confrontation with the Crown and the City of London. Even granting that the Crown has such enormous power, why in the world would Prince Charles personally be sponsoring not only international terrorism, but mayhem and butchery at home? In 2008, the City of London-centred international monetary system came within inches of exploding. Today, the London and Wall Street Too-Big-to-Fail Banks are far larger and in much worse shape than they were then, provoking many leaders in politics and finance to forecast a far worse crash than then, even one akin to the 14th-century collapse of the Bardi and Peruzzi banks. That crash unleashed the genocidal New Dark Age of that era, in which one-third to one-half of Europes population died. As seen in recent elections in several countries and in the Brexit referendum vote of June 2016, the populations of Europe, the USA, and the UK are revolting against the killer austerity that has savaged them since the end of the fixed-exchange-rate Bretton Woods financial system in 1971, the 1986 Big Bang deregulation of the City of London, and its sequel, the 1999 repeal of the US Glass-Steagall law. Originally passed under President Franklin Roosevelt in 1933, Glass-Steagall had separated and protected normal commercial banks from highly speculative investment banking; Glass-Steagall barred mega-banks from using customers deposits for the sort of wild speculation that had unleashed the Depression, a speculation also manifest in the present, post-Glass-Steagall US$1.2 quadrillion trade in financial derivatives. If the policy changes these rebellious voters yearn for come to passsuch as the restoration of Glass-Steagall bank separationthis will rein in the power of London and Wall Street. Throughout history, the worst fear of any oligarchy (rule by the few) is that, under conditions of crisis, the many might rise up and drive them from their seats of power. So it is with todays Crown and City of London/Wall Street oligarchy: At the slightest hint of measures that would overthrow their power, such as Donald Trumps pledges to wipe out international terrorism, cooperate with Russia and China instead of attacking them, and restore Glass-Steagall, it reacts with fury and deploys its Deep State intelligence agencies to eliminate such an eventuality through assassinations, the unleashing of terrorism, or whatever else may be found useful for installing fascist-style states, whose police and military powers can be deployed to control the mob. It is yet to be seen whether Trump will deliver on his promises, but the very fact that he has made them, and just might keep them, terrifies the Crown and its London/Wall Street allies, because that would end their financial tyranny and imperial divide and conquer geopolitical games. As part of its contribution to reining in the tyrannical powers of MI5 and MI6 (and its cousins and offspring in the United States, Australia, and NATO), the CECs weekly news magazine, the Australian Alert Service, will soon inaugurate a new regular column, Stop MI5/MI6-run Terrorism!
Victims and their families, alongside the police, NHS hospital workers, fire brigade and ambulance teams took part in the service. Prince William, the Duchess of Cambridge (in Missoni) and Prince Harry arrive after laying a wreath at Westminster Abbey in London. ANDY RAIN/EPA/REX/Shutterstock FRESH MEMORY: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge joined Prince Harry at a ceremony on Wednesday to honor the victims of the terrorist attack in London last month. The incident, which took place outside the Palace of Westminster, and on the nearby bridge, saw five people killed, including the perpetrator, and 50 injured. The Westminster Underground station remained shut that day, and government buildings were in lock down as police dealt with the victims on Westminster bridge, and outside the Houses of Parliament. Victims and their families, alongside the police, NHS hospital workers, fire brigade and ambulance teams took part in the service. About 2,000 people attended the multifaith ceremony, called Service of Hope, which was aired on BBC One TV. After hymns were sung, Britains Home Secretary Amber Rudd read a passage from the Book of Jeremiah. Prince William took to the pulpit and recited the parable of the Good Samaritan from Luke 10:2537 in the Bible. Kate Middleton wore a gray and white Missoni coat, the same one she donned for the Somme Vigil in France last year. The Duchess of Cambridge (in Missoni) after laying a wreath at Westminster Abbey in London. Nils Jorgensen/REX/Shutterstock The victims of the attack were Aysha Frade, who worked at a London college; Kurt Cochran, a tourist from Utah, Leslie Rhodes, from south London; and PC Keith Palmer. The attacker, Khalid Masood, was shot and killed by police. Two male suspects were taken into custody that evening, while seven were released by police. A woman was arrested in Manchester, then released on bail, while another woman was arrested in east London, and also released on bail. Londons Metropolitan Police said they have seized 2,700 items during their investigation, including massive amounts of computer data. The attack started when Masood drove his car over Westminster Bridge, hitting and injuring a number of members of the public, also including three police officers who were on their way back from a commendation ceremony. After the car crashed into railings, Masood continued his rampage and tried to enter Parliament, killing a police officer with a knife. Police believe he acted alone. On Tuesday, the duchess attended opening night of the 42nd Street Musical that stars Sheena Easton at the Theatre Royal on Drury Lane in Londons Covent Garden. Produced by David Merrick and directed by Gower Champion, the West End play originally debuted on Broadway in 1980. In 1984, it debuted at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane and starred Catherine Zeta Jones. The production raised funds for the Nook Appeal, an initiative under EACH, where the duchess is a patron. FREE ALERTS & NEWSLETTERS Social Studies Penelope Cruz wows in a strapless white @chanelofficial feather dress. She is nominated for Best Movie/Limited Series Supporting Actress for The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story. #Emmys Take a peek into Gucci's new Instagram account (@guccibeauty), which is guided by Creative Director Alessandro Micheles vision of beauty. In typical Gucci fashion, the account already features a series of artworks spanning across history, ethnicity, culture and geography. It will showcase and promote its new cosmetic launches and fragrances as well as looks from the fashion shows and special collaborations with artists and talents. #wwdbeauty Photographed by @delphachardphotos
Advertisement Police and MPs mark Westminster Bridge attack anniversary MPs and police are among those who have solemnly marked the one year anniversary of the Westminster Bridge attack. Ahead of business in the House of Commons, Speaker John Bercow asked those in the chamber to pause "in respectful memory" of those who lost their lives in the attack on March 22 last year. A service was later held at Westminster Hall, and Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, told the gathering: "A year ago, darkness struck across Westminster Bridge and in this palace. "It spread across the bridge like a snake, driving to left and right, killing and harming." MPs observed a minutes silence to mark a year on from the Westminster Bridge attack Credit: PA Reverend Rose Hudson-Wilkin, the Speaker's chaplain, told the service: "A year ago today on this estate and on Westminster Bridge we were visited by what I regard as evil." Elsewhere, senior police officers were expected to attend a number of private memorial services, although details of those have not been made public. And this evening, the message "London United" will be projected onto the Houses of Parliament, London Bridge, Finsbury Park Mosque and Parsons Green Tube station tonight  all places hit by terrorist attacks last year. Attacker Khalid Masood was killed outside parliament. Credit: PA In the Westminster attack, five people were killed and another 50 injured when attacker Khalid Masood drove a 4x4 into a crowd on Westminster Bridge then launched a knife attack, before he was shot and killed outside parliament. Among those murdered was Keith Palmer, an unarmed constable who was on duty at parliament that day and was stabbed by Masood. In a statement released through Scotland Yard, friend and former colleague PC Shaun Cartwright said: "Keith loved being a police officer, he just wanted to help people and do his best. "Keith was always happy, always the first to help anyone out, first in to work and the last one out. "He was a proud and courageous police officer who did his job and never wanted any fuss or to be the centre of attention. Keith was a true and loyal friend, utterly reliable. "Most of all I will remember him as a family man who idolised his wife, daughter and his family; they're the important ones that I think about a year on from the Westminster attack." Another person who distinguished themselves that day was MP Tobias Ellwood, who attempted to save the life of the injured PC Palmer. MP Tobias Ellwood recalls day of attack Speaking to ITV News, Mr Ellwood, who received medical training in the services, recalled his memories of the tragic day. "I saw PC Keith Palmer on the ground and he was bleeding profusely," he said. "Some officers were trying to help him. Being medically trained I thought I could offer some help. "I arrived and there was a pulse and there was profuse bleeding and the medics came and I thought Id be pushed to the side but they asked me to keep doing what I was doing," he added. After the helicopter landed Mr Ellwood said he thought the victim would be taken away, but the casualty needed stabilising and he was asked to carry on assisting. "It was very sad to be told that it wouldn't be possible to save his life and that too much blood had been lost," he said. A new UK Police Memorial being built in Staffordshire to commemorate officers killed on duty will include PC Palmer's name alongside 1,400 others. Another 4,000 of those who died on duty will be remembered inside the memorial. Supporters have been asked to donate 5 towards the scheme, for which 3.1 million has already been raised towards a total cost of 4 million. It includes an education programme to teach children about policing and support scheme for bereaved families. Sir Hugh Orde, chair of trustees of the UK Police Memorial, said: "This has been an unprecedented year for policing with officers and staff repeatedly putting themselves in danger to keep the public safe and protecting them from harm. "Sadly, in March last year we saw one of my policing colleagues PC Keith Palmer lose his life during a terrorist attack in London whilst protecting our freedoms and safeguarding our democracy," he said. "Keith's death put greater emphasis on the need to create a memorial where the nation can go to commemorate our police service."
Saturday, January 7, 2017 Future of Terrorism What is terrorism? It makes all the more difficult to define the term terrorism in just one paragraph with the kind of dimension that it has assumed! It is popularly described in two ways, one version by the ones who commit it and the other version by the ones who face it and undergo victim-hood. Those of who do the terrorism themselves glorify it as fight for freedom, fight for political belief, fight for social right, fight for equality or sometimes popularly and conveniently termed as Jihad and those who face it, condemn it as heinous act, barbaric act, act of the cowardice. So by the way the subject of terrorism or the acts of violence gets represented by the body language of the presenter or the tone of speech, you can now decipher who the Terrorist is and who is the Victim, right? 1.0 History and background Incidentally, Terrorism has connection with the famous French revolution of late 18th century wherein the word terrorism was derived from the French word terrorisme, uttered in reference to the rule of Jacobian faction also said in Latin as terror, which is to generate extreme sense of fear amongst civilians and innocents by the armed fighters. The word Terrorism evolved since the late 18th century, in reference to the rule of the Jacobin faction, it is also believed to have derived from Latin verb terrere or to cause to tremble. After the Jacobians lost power this very word was termed as abuse. We have not been able to get over the horrifying word till in the midst of the 21st Century i.e. even after almost 3 centuries, with every passing day it is becoming grave and graver and may reach a limit beyond imagination. The unlawful use of violence and intimidation, seeking revengeful vengeance, especially against civilians, unarmed population, innocents, women and children in the pursuit of political, social, religious aims etc., falls within the ambit of terrorism. This menace is not just a localized problem but today it has assumed International dimension. There are several mechanisms that are being devised to fight it from International perspective. Terrorism is the act performed by generally the non-state actors and evokes fear in the mind of innocents. State actors who have limited courage adopt this cowardly route to destabilize their opponents. Targets are incapacitated, unarmed, innocent persons who have no link to their idealism. Terrorist do not know whom are they killing, dont really understand their cause well and are thoroughly misguided by their masters. At times some states who are not courageous enough to fight the battle themselves and win on the basis of brevity; clandestinely send their mercenaries and guerrillas to terrorise to primarily create media attention and attract the attention of the international community by attacking and killing  innocents preferably a popular public place frequented by multinational visitors. Terrorism cannot be made an act of bravery as the handlers of terrorism do not generally confront the armed and equipped state personnel who are in a position to rebut their act, but unfortunately attacks vulnerable groups like unarmed civilians, women, children in schools, who has nothing to do with either for or against their mission and objective. Thus the act of terrorism are acts of cowards who cannot have enough courage to face war officially following the international rules in place and can therefore be called as act of cowardice in no uncertain terms. In modern times "Terrorism" usually refers to the killing of innocent people by a private group in such a way as to create a media spectacle. In November 2004, a United Nations Security Council report described terrorism as any act "Intended to cause death or serious bodily harm to civilians or non-combatants with the purpose of intimidating a population or compelling a government or an international organization to do or abstain from doing any act". In many countries including India, acts of terrorism are legally distinguished from criminal acts done for other purposes, and "terrorism" is defined by statute or law. 2.0 Is Terrorism a part of larger conflict? All conflict arises in humanity out of the reason that we are out of touch with the actual reality, means at the fundamental level, we human beings are totally interdependent with each and everything else existing in the Universe. There is one inseparable wholeness exists in the Universe which is sole origin of all our resources. This is basic concept spelt out in the wisdom traditions of east: Vedanta. Separate self, individuality and becoming extremely selfish and not caring about others or anything surrounding us is an illusionary and delusionary attitude. Thus to begin with care for humanity and environment is the starting point of selflessness and this idea is close to true nature of our beings. Conflict is a natural phenomenon, it persists and pervades. The conflict gives rise perpetually and history is the witness to this fact. Conflict mongers also keep it alive for various beneficial reasons for their sustenance, like arms producing countries wish to keep the engagement alive to maintain their sale of arms for a profitable business venture. Conflict between daughter in law and mother in law gives rise to soap opera business, but let us accept that all these are naturally arising. Terrorism, therefore, may be a part of larger conflict to attain control of events and may be a part of power struggle. There are power centers who have extreme desire for control, consequently they keep the conflict alive by mischievous means and dont allow the same to subside. India may be victim of this, we all should better be aware now, if not already. 3.0 Terrorists have no religion true or false. Terrorists have no religion is yet another myth and unsubstantiated statement. Religion has so far proved to be the key element involved in the terrorists activities. If religion is not abused, majority of the terrorist activities shall cease to exist. When the terrorists are eliminated they are mostly buried and mortal remains are disposed of according to their own individual, firm and respective religious beliefs and there is no equality there. Therefore, irony is those who fight for equality and lay their life are treated unequally on death. Seventy two virgins and life in heaven are unrealistic assumptions neither supported by science nor spirituality and is the most common motivation for terrorists by which they are lured into the oblivion of non-realism. The holy Quran translated by Abdullah Yusuf Ali, (Goodword Books 2105) has reference to Verse 8:38 where unbelievers of Allah are to be dealt as And fight with them on until there is no more persecution or oppression, and religion becomes Allahs in its entirety, but if they cease, surely Allah does see all that they do. Here fighting of persecution and oppression is talked about and not creating the same adverse effect on others unless faced first by the subjects. Verse 9:29 states, Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the last day, nor hold that forbidden which has been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of truth, (even if they are) of the people of the Book, until they pay the Jizyah (poll tax) with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued. If you dont believe the Allah then it can be neutralized by payment of poll tax, so that there is no issue, thereafter. Verse 9:30 The Jews call, Uzayr a son of God, and the Christians call The Christ the son of God. That is a saying from their mouth; (in this) they imitate what the Unbelievers of old used to say. Allahs curse to be on them: how they are deluded from the truth! Holy Quran thus depicts and recognizes that Allah is the ultimate truth. Nothing wrong; all other religions say the same. However, there are certain preachers who misguide and mislead about religious dictates and sermons and attempt to cause turbulence in the society for other selfish benefits and serve their own hidden agendas, which are the matters of complicated research. Thus ' Terrorist' groups are at times made up of frustrated, exasperated, disillusioned people who feel that society is deeply unfair to them and social injustice have had affected them the most. They believe that peaceful politics cannot solve their problems and it is acceptable to break the law and adopt violence to achieve change. They are the believers of Ballot cannot bring about the desired change but bullet can. Many a times it has been observed from the voice intercepts of the Terrorists and their handlers that they invoke the name of respective God almost in every sentence that they exchange especially during the carnage and crisis. Terrorists while executing various acts of terrorism on ground are also known to have uttered religious phrases in all of the recent attacks in Europe, USA, India and elsewhere in the globe. Terrorism is a serious conflict in the minds of the planners or the conspirators, thereafter they take advantage of the weak point of the society like of the economic backwardness and other social injustices and recruit young boys and girls from that indigent social strata and motivate them mostly in the name of religion. Terrorists have no religion, is therefore a delusionary statement, it is nothing more than a misnomer, a politically correct statement, meant for serving I am holier than thou self-certification and vote bank agenda and nothing more. 4.0 History of terrorism in India Terrorism in India presumed to have started before India got independence in 1947 but during those times the terrorist activities aimed to create a fear among the British Rulers and not to kill the general civilians, vulnerable groups such as women and children, innocents. So we cannot call these freedom fighters as terrorists, but after 1947 the terrorism activities were instigated to kill the innocent masses of weak, susceptible and defenseless population. In early times the Kashmir, Punjab and North East Frontier part was affected by terrorism. But in current scenario the terrorism domain has been on the rise. The regions with long term terrorist activities today are Jammu and Kashmir, Mumbai, Central India (Naxalism) and Seven Sister North Eastern States (independence and autonomy movements). Kolkata of West Bengal appears to act as a hub as there are hardly any explosions taking place there, where on the contrary all other places in India have not been spared to that extent. In the past, the Punjab insurgency led to militant activities in the Indian state of Punjab as well as the national capital Delhi, which of course have died its natural death. In Indian context the concern for the terrorism, it is the main attribute of the terrorist activities on this soil is that it is in the form of religious terrorism. Religious terrorism is terrorism performed by groups or individuals, the motivation of which is typically rooted in the religious based tenets. Terrorist acts throughout the centuries have been performed on religious grounds with the hope to either spread or enforce a system of belief, viewpoint or opinion. In current scenario the domestic and external terrorist activities are increasing in monumental proportion, something appears to be out of control of the Government security machinery. One of the dreadful incidents that took place was of 26/11 in Mumbai, where a group of ten trained terrorists killed 168 people and injuring more than three hundred. Many daughters lost their father and saw it right before their own eyes body to get splintered into pieces in a moment. That was the eye witness story of one of the helpless innocent girl, out of the entire operation that lasted around four frightful days. The statue of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj planned by the Government having identified at a strategic location in Arabian Sea near coast of Mumbai is to provide an immersive experience using both traditional curatorial skills and contemporary virtual-reality based technologies. This will help anti-terror surveillance and have an opportunity to earn perpetual revenue, which can be directed for social security of the adjacent coastal area. The exhibits will not only re-animate the life and times of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharajs but provide visitors deep insight into his character and showcase his progressive vision of a cohesive and inclusive nation. This may be an intrepid step to help promote social tranquility in the adjacent area. 5.0 Criminology and Jurisprudence of Terrorism Considering the criminology of terrorists and according to Italian Physicist and Criminologist Dr. Cesare Lombroso, terrorists are born criminals, but later advent in criminology by Enrico Ferri determined it as Anthropological. Raffaele Garofalo an Italian magistrate mentioned it as a moral organisation based on thought process. Overall it has been revealed that Terrorists are the victims of circumstances consisting of locality, environment, childhood incidents and situations etc. and all reasons combined with genetic, anthropological, thought process and circumstances notwithstanding, all are attributable to the acts and omissions of Terrorism and no single cause can be ruled out. (#2) World tower collapse of Manhattan, NewYork USA of 9/11 is the unforgettable date, where the twin tower was made to collapse by hijacked aircraft directly hitting the two buildings containing all innocents. The reason this incident deserves a mention that after this, the human rights perception for terrorists rights changed for good. Now the United nation commission on human rights denies human rights for terrorists which otherwise were of the opinion that terrorist are also human so they should also have human rights, changed to this new concept in humane perspective in view of the new philosophy of Jurisprudence for the terrorists. Thus Jurisprudence in dealing with terrorism has also failed to evolve a solution to a large extent. The offence is to be viewed strictly or the offender has always been a question that hounded the Jurists. In India, we had a few of the anti-terror laws but many of them were not implementable, the reason attributable for non-enforcement may be ourselves, our flawed value system of democracy, vote bank politics, our dishonesty in misusing the power of position and authority, our hidden agendas, misplaced intents and ultimately not being honest to ourselves and to our national pride. Armed Forces (Special Powers) Acts (AFSPA), are Acts of the Parliament of India that grant special powers to the Indian Armed Forces in dealing with insurgency, what the Act terms as "disturbed areas". One such act passed on September 11, 1958 was applicable to the Naga Hills, then part of Assam. Thereafter, it was greatly in force in Jammu & Kashmir for handling of foreign shore sponsored insurgency. However, there are widespread allegations of misuse and fast until death saga of Irom Sharmilas of Manipur and elsewhere reinstates that view. Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act or TADA, enacted in the year 1985 and allowed to lapse in 1995 due to unpopularity and widespread allegations of abuse. The Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2002 (POTA) was passed by the Indian Parliament in 2002, but by the time it was October 2004, the Act was repealed. This time for it being abused against the political opponents and many high profile cases like Vaiko came to limelight. Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) Amendment Act 2012 (#1) This piece of legislation was introduced way back in 1963 and enacted in 1967 to protect the unity and integrity of the Nation and was amended in 2012 with emphasis on possession of nuclear arms, aircraft hijacking, money laundering and economic security point of view. However, this Act also proved to be ineffective and inadequate. This to certain extent was inspired by the American law of JASTA Justice against Sponsors of Terrorism Act. 6.0 Terror Funding The financing of terror organisation is fascinating indeed and may be considered the root cause of terrorism. Without funding of their activities in a systematic and organised manner, it would not be possible to sustain any terror operation. Funding problem through Hawala and other illegal route is an international problem and there are various means that have been considered in the past by all countries including USA, Australia, and European countries but without any major success. There are stumbling blocks are somewhat intriguing and raises suspicion as to why these funding are not being blocked. If this stalling is successful then there is some hope to see the end of this dreadful menace. Severe financial control at various points of exchange needs to be done. Cash is a menace with fair chance to avoid responsibility. Large cash handling needs to be discouraged and banned if required, across the World and digital mode needs to be resorted by all Nations, seeking peace and tranquility, so that it facilitates tracking of money transactions. Thus it will make the life of the terrorist outfits difficult to operate under the veil of charitable organisations. 7.0 Conclusion When Americans have realized that no terrorist activity can take place in their soil unless the local help angle is addressed in its right spirit, terrorist who are strangers to the land where they have been assigned to perform terrorist act, cannot conduct acts of violence, unless they are aided and abetted with a local emotional and logistics support. That is the reason they are more serious about the sponsors of terrorism rather than the terrorist themselves. The Indians shall also need to realize this issue, no sooner than later, and become extraordinarily alert in their respective neighborhood, so as to operate as a preventive mechanism for nipping terrorism activities in the bud. Today the  enemies within and sympathisers of unlawful activities are bigger threats than threat of any external aggression. If India wants to achieve its goals of development, peaceful environment has a great impact and evoking patriotism in ourselves becomes an important factor, as it will radically reduce the enemies within our own country. Press reports and past incidents suggest that the terrorists attacks of Jammu & Kashmir and Mumbai 26/11 could not have taken place, if there were no local handlers assisting the enemies with logistics and information. Patriots, are therefore, to remain extra vigilant for any kind of suspicious activity in the neighborhoods, not only for self-protection and self-defense but also for overall security of the society and Nation. The power struggle, extreme desire and urge to control affairs around them may be many out of the root causes for conflict and terrorism thereof. Terrorism cannot be dismissed as solitary events and actually are the evil designs of their masters and in general an organised crime and dreadful activity. Terrorists have been found in possession of latest and upto date ammunition and improved explosive devices (IDE). One amongst them popularly known as AK 47 assault rifles or Kalashnikov machine guns, capable of firing upto 390 rounds of fire in one go. Unless there exist a systematic funding and training regime, it is not a childs play to organise and operate these killer ammunition. It is a matter of great distress that the worst sufferers of Terrorism are unsuspecting, innocents, women and children who has no knowledge about what is going on and what for people in conflict inflict their lives. Psychology of terrorists persists with their delusion about their own life, not knowing about their true nature and misplaced identity. Terrorism is a criminal conspiracy against the institution of humanity and recognition of this fact is universal. Nuclear weapons & terrorism are the biggest threat facing the World that we live in today, if Nuclear arms slips into the hands of terrorists, for which there exists enough suspicion, then there will be no respite and World is certain to be not far away from destruction. There is a famous saying that When people shout there's no understanding, when people make minimum sounds that shows a better understanding but interestingly intense love happens on silence. To quote in famous poet Rumis words,  I choose to love you in silence For in silence I find no rejection Hence, to further the cause of understanding, and obliterate the feeling of rejection around we all need to work is in silence to bring about peace and minimize conflicts. Ultimately, it can be seen that World has become a lunatic asylum because of social disparity, social injustice, inequality and all that promote conflict and its vulnerability towards self- destruction. Here are people who fight for no real cause and terrorism is nothing but mischievous actions of certain sections of the society, this evil needs eradication with an equal, if not better, systematic methodology than what organised terrorists intend to do. Future of terrorism is therefore in our hands, the ordinary citizens of the globe and country by being extraordinarily alert, truthfully vigilant and consciously aware of the phenomenon to be successfully able to guard against this outrageous destructive menace. Then we all must collectively make endeavours to build our country the most livable place on the planet and strive for excellence in terms of progress and human development, as it is many amongst joint and several responsibilities and not to be passed upon solely on the Government of the day as their liability. No comments: About Shantanu Born in Shillong India known as the Scotland of the East predominantly because of its rolling hills around the city and unpredictable but naturally pleasant weather. Son of a Vedic teacher,Lawyer and ex-servicemen in the British Army. Brought up in hybrid culture of St. Anthony's belonging to Irish Missionary traditions & Ramakrishna Mission of Universal oneness. Studied in NIT - top 10 Leading Engg Institution in India and have previously worked in Senior Management Positions for various National,Transnational Organisations like Skanska Sweden, L&T and represented organisations in innumerable National & International forums. Much out of intrusiveness obtained Law degree from Mumbai University later in life, experienced being as young in old age in a leading Law School. Like reading books and a huge follower of music. Like children a lot. Write as a passion, hobby and as a favorite past time. Like eating & drinking, write in the middle of hectic work schedule, sometime in the middle of the night as well. Look for positives by living in the present moment, of course not without totally forgetting about the past - which I relish with nostalgia at times.
BREAKING NEWS: Second man is arrested over Parsons Green attack after it is revealed police first held 'bomber' arrested yesterday at Dover TWO WEEKS AGO as officers 'find a bomb' in home of MBE foster couple who took him in Police launched an armed operation in Sunbury-on-Thames yesterday with local residents evacuated Neighbours on the quiet Surrey street said officers had been there since Friday, just hours after the bombing Came after officers arrested suspected bomber in the departure lounge of Dover port at around 7.50am Home in Sunbury owned by Penelope and Ronald Jones who have been honoured by Queen for fostering Neighbours of MBE couple said they are currently looking after two children one of whom is '18 and awful' At least 30 people were injured in the Parsons Green bomb on the London Underground on Friday morning Did you see the Sunbury armed operation or the Hounslow arrest? Email joseph.sheppard@mailonline.co.uk A second man has been arrested in connection with the terror attack at Parsons Green. The 21-year-old man was arrested in the London borough of Hounslow at around 11.50pm last night and has been taken to a south London police station. It comes as neighbours claim terror police have recovered 'a bomb' from a Surrey house raided in connection with the attack. Police are today searching the property, in Sunbury-on-Thames, after the first suspect, an 18-year-old man, was detained in Dover yesterday morning as he apparently attempted to leave the country. Neighbours on the quiet street said police had been there since Friday and claimed a teenager living at the raided property had been arrested two weeks ago and later released. The arrests come after the Prime Minister announced the UK's terror threat has been raised to critical as officials fear there could be copycat attacks following Friday's bombing. This morning Home Secretary Amber Rudd said it appeared the bomber was not a lone wolf but it 'too early to reach any final conclusions on that'. The lilac-painted property raided in connection with the attack, which injured 30, is owned by a kind-hearted couple who were both appointed MBEs for fostering hundreds of children. Penelope Jones, 71, and her husband Ronald, 88, have raised 268 foster children in the house over three decades and the last eight have been refugees. Scroll down for videos Police are still searching a property in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, raided yesterday in connection with the attack Around 60 residents in the surrounding area were evacuated from their homes as armed police carried out the raid The lilac-painted property raided in connection with the attack, which injured 30, is owned by a kind-hearted couple who were both appointed MBEs for fostering hundreds of children Sunbury-on-Thames is just a 37-minute train journey from Wimbledon station, where the tube that was bombed yesterday began its journey. A second man was arrested four miles away in Hounslow last night The couple who own the Sunbury home, Ronald and Penelope Jones, receive MBEs from the Queen in 2009 for fostering hundreds of children Penelope Jones became a foster mother after working in a juvenile prison and was always supported by her husband. She said: 'I just like being able to help people' Close friends of pensioners Penny and Ron Jones said the couple - who are widely respected in the local area - were at 'their end' with the teenager Officers stormed the house on Cavendish Road at 2pm around six hours after apprehending the suspect in the departure lounge of the Port of Dover. Residents had to be evacuated as a precaution Officers stormed the home on Cavendish Road at 2pm yesterday, around six hours after apprehending the suspect in the departure lounge of the Port of Dover. Around 60 residents on the street were told to leave their homes, while unconfirmed reports suggested 'explosives' were found in the garden. One Neighbour, who identified herself as Carrie, said: 'I was speaking to a police officer and asking him what was going on and how long we would be out of our house. 'He said he could not say but pointed to one of his colleagues and said he might know. I asked him and he told me they had found 15 firearms at the house and a bomb in the garden. It doesn't feel real any of this.' Close friends of pensioners Penny and Ron Jones said the couple - who are widely respected in the local area - were at 'their end' with the teenager. Serena Barber, 47, who has known the couple all her life and lives in a property backing on to theirs, said: 'They have two boys at the moment, both are foreign. One is very quiet and polite, the other who is 18 is awful. 'I know about two weeks ago he was arrested by police at Parsons Green, for what I don't know and returned back to Penny and Ron. After that Penny said she was going to have to stop caring for him, she couldn't handle him.' The development comes as police revealed they are 'keeping an open mind' on whether there was more than one person responsible for the bombing. Foster couple that took in hundreds of needy children The kind-hearted couple whose house in Sunbury was raided yesterday have MBEs for fostering at least 268 people over three decades. Of those children Penny and Ron Jones have taken in, at least eight were refugees coming from countries including Iraq, Eritrea, Syria, Albania and Afghanistan. One of them was a 15-year-old boy who had smuggled himself into the country from Calais in the back of a lorry after escaping his oppressive family who had imprisoned him for his beliefs. Mrs Jones, who has six children of her own with her husband, said in an interview with community group Elmbridge CAN: 'We just try and support where we can - because theyve had bad lives. Penny and Ron Jones have taken in at least eight refugees coming from countries including Iraq, Eritrea, Syria, Albania and Afghanistan 'Sometimes, watching the news, they can get so worked up that they have to leave the house and go for a walk  its awful to see and its so difficult for them.' Mrs Jones was inspired to foster children after working in a juvenile prison for five years. '[I read] one of the kids profiles and thought, "had his mum and dad had time for him, he wouldnt be in here". Every time I gave him some attention he grabbed it. I knew that if hed had this before, he would never have gone off [the rails].' In an interview with the BBC after the couple were honoured by the Queen in 2009 Mrs Jones said the children they take in need to be 'loved and feel special'. She added: 'We open our hearts to all the children. Anybody that comes to us we will do whatever we can do to help them with whatever they need.' The couple try to stay in touch with all the children they have taken in. Mrs Jones said: 'I send them birthday cards - it's a very extended family.' Serena Barber, 47, who has known the foster parents all her life, said: 'They have two boys at the moment, both are foreign. One is very quiet and polite, the other who is 18 is awful'. Pictured: The scene in Sudbury tonight At least eight of the Jones' foster children have been refugees, with some coming from Iraq, Eritrea, Syria, Albania and Afghanistan. The couple were honoured by the Queen in 2009 for their services to children and families An aerial view of Cavendish Road in Sudbury-on-Thames where the house that has been raided is located A photograph of the flaming white bucket taken just after it exploded around 8.20am on Friday shows a number of wires protruding out of the top and on to the train carriage floor Share this article Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said: 'At approximately 7.50am local police officers in Kent arrested an 18-year-old man in the departures area of the port in Dover. 'He was arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism and transferred to custody in a police station in London. 'Officers from Kent police had to partially evacuate the port of Dover at 11am this morning. That work is now complete and they have recovered a number of items during that search.' 'At around 1.40pm with the assistance of Surrey Police, we evacuated a house on Sunbury-on-Thames. As a precautionary measure we evacuated the surrounding buildings. Neighbour: 'Police had been at house before' Stephen Griffiths, 28, who lives across the road from the house that was raided, told MailOnline that police had been at the house numerous times in recent weeks - sometimes spending 'hours' at the property'. He also saw officers using drones to search the garden at the back of the property. He said: 'Police have been at this address a few times in the last couple of weeks. 'At the time we just put it down to it being foster kids that needed to be spoken to. 'But it clicked in my head earlier - what if one of the children was under investigation or surveillance? 'Three or four officers would turn up and would speak to the foster parents on the doorstep. 'They were in normal police cars but they weren't wearing police hats or reflective jackets - they were dressed all in black. 'It was nothing like just a normal officer doing a duty call, it seemed like something a bit higher in the chain. 'The other day they were out there for a long time - a few hours - and they could have even gone in the house.' 'I want to reassure that community that our experts are quickly and thoroughly searching that address. 'At this stage we are keeping an open mind about whether more than one person is responsible for this attack and we are still pursuing multiple lines of enquiry at pace.' Deputy Commissioner Basu revealed police have received 180 photos and videos and located 121 witnesses - 100 of whom they have spoken to already. Sunbury-on-Thames is just a 37-minute train ride from Wimbledon station, where the tube that was bombed yesterday began its journey. Residents on Cavendish Road were evacuated and asked to find somewhere to stay for the evening. Staines Rugby Club has been set up as a meeting point. Police even applied to the Civil Aviation Authority for a no-fly zone to stop drones and TV news helicopters flying overhead. Residents in the outer cordon were allowed home at 8pm after they had given their names and proof of address to police. They were told once they were in their houses they must stay there unless absolutely necessary, and sign in and out of the cordon until it was lifted if they had to leave. Residents closer living closer to the house were asked to find alternative accommodation for the night. Brenda Matthews, 53, was told by police to pack essential items and find somewhere to stay for 12 hours while specialist officers raided the property. She said: 'I looked out this morning and saw men with bandannas. I asked what was going on and a neighbour told me it was a terrorist raid. 'Everyone knows everyone round here. The house involved is blocked off, police are knocking on doors to try and basically get everyone out and to safety. 'The scary thing is how long have these people been living in this house for? I've lived here seven years.' Mrs Jones is the governor of a local school and became a foster mother after working in a juvenile prison and was always supported by her husband. The couple featured in an interview with Elmbridge CAN, a community group which aims 'to build a culture of welcome to refugees' and help settle them in the local community. The organisation states that Mr and Mrs Jones have been foster parents for almost 40 years and had taken in 268 children - the last eight of which were refugees. It is not clear when the interview was published. In the interview Mrs Jones said fostering 'had its ups and downs', adding: 'They're all children, it doesn't matter if they're sky blue or with pink dots on them - they just need to be loved.' Alison Griffiths, a Surrey county councillor who knows Mr and Mrs Jones, said they had two young people staying with them - an 18-year-old and a 22-year-old. She described Mr and Mrs Jones as 'great pillars of the community', adding: 'They do a job that not many people do.' Ms Griffiths, 42, said the couple may not be able to return home for days as police continue to search their house. She said: 'I think they are actually staying with friends of theirs. 'But I spoke to the police officer earlier and he said he doesn't think they will be going home until at least five days because of forensics.' Mojgan Jamali, who lives on the road where the house was raided this afternoon, said police gave her just 'one minute' to pack her bags, grab her children, and leave her home. She said: 'We didn't know what was going on. There was a lot of rumours going on, a lot of stories, people saying this and that, but we didn't know.' Another neighbour, who did not wish to be named, told MailOnline police vehicles swooped on the street as she was making her way to a local Tesco store. We thought it was a drug raid, but the police would not tell us anything. Police were seen searching bins outside Dover Priory railway station on prompting suggestions the suspect may have arrived in the town by train An 18-year-old man was arrested in Dover in relation to the Parsons Green bombing at around 3pm. This image shows police at the port A police van pictured in the Dover port area outside a building that houses the terminal's control offices and a car rental firm where officers say they have arrested an 18-year-old man in connection with the attack on Parsons Green Armed police raided the residential property on Cavendish Road in Sunbury-on-Thames in connection to the Parsons Green bombing There is a heavy police presence around the area, where residents have been ordered to leave their homes as the investigation continues One neighbour, a 32-year-old woman, told MailOnline she was ordered to leave her mother's house after getting a knock on the door from a police SWAT team 'We tried driving around but they had blocked of part of the road and they said that we really need to go right down [to the other end of the road]. 'When I was leaving they were knocking on all the doors. A police sergeant told us that they had found an explosive device.' A 32-year-old woman who lives locally told MailOnline she was ordered to leave her mother's house after getting a knock on the door from a police SWAT team. 'My brother got a bang on the door about half past one by a swat team and they were told to leave immediately. 'We are waiting outside on Catherine Drive there now. Everyone is cold and just waiting to see when we can go back home. The couple in the house are lovely, they've be fostering kids for years since I was little.' A woman, who lives opposite, added: 'I am so worried about Ron and Penny, they are a lovely couple. I hear they have been taken away for questioning. I don't understand.' At 8.20am on Friday, a bomb left by a suspected terrorist detonated on the tube at Parsons Green in west London, injuring 30 people. Two hours afterwards, the Metropolitan Police said they were investigating a terrorist incident. On Friday evening, the Islamic State claimed the attack, saying it had been carried out by their 'soldiers', although the group has made false claims in the past. Theresa May raised the UK's threat level to critical on Friday night and soldiers were deployed to guard key sites, such as nuclear power stations, to free up armed police for regular patrols. These are the updates since then - Parsons Green underground station reopened on Saturday morning following the attack at 8.20am on Friday; 18-year-old 'suspected bomber' was arrested in Dover at 7.50am and at 2pm police stormed house in Sudbury; Unconfirmed reports from locals said police found explosives in the garden of the terraced house; The Metropolitan Police said officers 'open minded' about whether more than one person was responsible; Police have received 180 photos and videos, located 121 witnesses and have spoken to 100 of them already; Public have been told to dial 999 or call the anti-terror hotline on 0800 789 321 if see anything suspicious. Home Secretary Amber Rudd described arrest of the 18-year-old at 7.50am in the Dover port departure lounge as 'very significant', but added: 'The operation is ongoing.' The suspect was taken to a local police station and will be transferred to south London during the course of the day, officers said. One witness said the man was arrested in the ticket office at the port. She told The Sunday Mirror: 'He was surrounded by about seven police officers as he went to buy a ticket. It was all done very quickly and quietly. 'I couldn't really see who he was or what he was wearing as they were all around him. 'I didn't realise what it was at the time. It's only after and heard it on the news I realised what it was.' Tourist Daniel Vaselicu, 31, said the man appeared calm as the officers two unarmed interrogated him for 10 minutes before arresting him minutes later. Police were seen searching bins outside Dover Priory railway station on prompting suggestions the suspect may have arrived in the town by train. The station also has CCTV cameras positioned in and outside the building. The station is a 30 minute walk to the port. Police officers also searched industrial bins at the Dover ferry passenger terminal. Officers were pictured lifting plastic carrier bags out of the bin and examining them before putting them back. Police lay in wait at the port for his arrival, sources told the Mail On Sunday, suggesting his movements were being monitored by security services. It is understood he was identified following an exhaustive examination by hundreds of detectives of CCTV footage. This prompted a tense surveillance operation involving MI5 and several police forces which ended dramatically with the Dover sting. Special Forces were also involved, according to the Sunday Times. Security minister Ben Wallace said today the threat level has been raised to critical because a new attack is likely to be 'imminent' as an increased presence of armed officers was seen in cities across the country. But he piled the pressure on police for not releasing CCTV footage of the attacker, describing it as a 'useful' tool in identifying suspects. He said on BBC Radio 4's Today show this morning: 'I totally agree that CCTV footage is useful but that part of the investigation I leave with the police and security services.' Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick vowed: 'London has not stopped after other terrible attacks and it will not stop after this one.' Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said today: 'London has not stopped after other terrible attacks and it will not stop after this one' The crime commissioner chats with armed police officers who have been deployed around the city in the wake of the failed bombing at Parsons Green tube station yesterday The crime commissioner joined police patrols today after Operation Temperer was activated, meaning that up to 5,000 armed troops can be deployed at sensitive sites Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick talks to a member of the public on the South Bank in central London, as Operation Temperer is enacted Armed officers on patrol at a busy Westminster station this morning - Scotland Yard said the arrest will lead to more activity from officers Armed police officers patrol Northumberland Street in Newcastle today following the UK's threat level being raised to critical following yesterday's attack in London Operation Temperer will see soldiers replacing police at key sites including nuclear power plants to free up extra armed officers for regular patrols Armed police were also seen on patrol in other parts of the country such as in Brighton (pictured) Armed officers chat with passengers coming in and out of Manchester Piccadilly station on Saturday In Liverpool Armed officer were present at the city's Food & Drink Festival at Sefton Park An armed police officer provides security as members of the Queen's Life Guard ride across Horse Guards Parade Scotland Yard said last night it is making 'excellent' progress in hunting the suspected terrorist who set off a crude bucket bomb on a packed commuter train. The timeline of the attack is shown in this graphic It was the middle of rush hour on Friday when the crude bucket bomb - which had a timer - went off at 8.20am inside a tube train packed with commuters, including schoolchildren and a pregnant woman. The train is regularly packed full of schoolchildren. The Fulham area serves at least three state secondary schools: Fulham Boys School, The London Oratory and Lady Margaret Hall along with a number of independent schools. Terrified passengers were left covered in blood with scorched hands, legs, faces and hair  others suffered crush injuries during a stampede as they 'ran for their lives' over fears the 'train would blow up'. Theresa May raises terror threat level to its highest possible Mrs May said in a statement from Number 10 on Friday night - 'The Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre has now decided to raise the national threat level from severe to critical - this means their assessment is that a further attack may be imminent. 'The public will see more armed police on the transport network and on our streets, providing extra protection. 'This is a proportionate and sensible step which will provide extra reassurance and protection while the investigation progresses.' London Ambulance took 19 patients to hospitals, while the others went in themselves. The four hospitals dealing with patients were Imperial, Chelsea and Westminster, Guy's and St Thomas' and St George's. All but one patient have now been released. An officer at the scene on Friday told MailOnline: 'We believe there is a second bomb - there is a man with knives on the loose.' In a pre-recorded television statement released around 8.30pm, Mrs May said military personnel would replace police officers 'on guard duties at certain protected sites which are not accessible to the public'. She said: 'The public will see more armed police on the transport network and on our streets, providing extra protection. 'This is a proportionate and sensible step which will provide extra reassurance and protection while the investigation progresses.' Speaking moments afterwards, Assistant Commissioner Mike Rowley said: 'We are making excellent progress at the moment as we pursue our lines of inquiry to identify, locate and arrest those responsible. 'We have hundreds of police officers trawling through CCTV footage, detectives have spoken to tens of witnesses and we have taken a large number of calls to the hotline... from members of the public. Donald Trump tweeted just hours after the blast that police had the attacker 'in their sights' and should have been 'more proactive' in catching 'the loser'. Scotland Yard hit back and said Mr Trump's comments were 'pure speculation' while senior officers refused to name the suspect. The President later adopted a more conciliatory tone in another tweet last night saying, 'our hearts and prayers go out to the people of London'. Mrs May also hit out at the President's tweet, calling it 'unhelpful', and has this evening discussed the intelligence sharing between the two countries with the President in a telephone call. The majority of victims of Friday's attack suffered 'flash burns' including to their heads (pictured) and several were taken to a specialist burns unit A victim, believed to be a schoolchild, is carried from the station with charred legs (left) as others were treated for burns in the street and neighbouring shops (centre) and an 11-year-old who was found on the floor asking for his brother Armed police pictured on guard in Westminster on Saturday after the UK's terror threat level was raised to severe - the highest level The introduction of Operation Temperer will see soldiers replacing police at key sites including nuclear power plants to free up extra armed officers for regular patrols Theresa May gave a statement from within Downing Street on Friday in which she announced the terror threat level would be raised to critical, its highest level Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley suggested there may have been more than one person involved stating that police were 'chasing down suspects' A young woman was walked to safety by a Met officer after having her head bandaged after suffering a burn or wound to her cheek Elite armed counter-terrorism police were at the scene on Friday amid reports of the suspect being on the run and claims of a second device Security was stepped up at stations around London following Friday morning's attack. Pictured is a British Transport Police officers at Euston A police officer watches on as commuters file into the underground at Euston Station amid newly tightened security Business as usual: Undeterred passengers were at the station again this morning to catch services into central London Passengers were pictured going through the turnstiles less than 24 hours after the bomb exploded at the station on Friday This image was taken from the platform in the minutes after the terror attack and it remained alight until the fire service arrived The abandoned train at Parsons Green on Friday morning after a terrorist left a bucket bomb on the carriage floor Police believe the bomber may have exited the train (pictured) perhaps one or two stops before the bomb went off Passengers are ushered across the track by firefighters after getting trapped in the aftermath of the bombing on Friday morning Witnesses to the explosion said there was a loud 'bang', a flash and then a ball of flame engulfed surrounding passengers on the 'packed' District Line train. Gillian Wixley, 36, who lives in Putney, was eight seats from the explosion. She said: 'It was chaotic: There was lots of people panicking and people were injured due to the crush. 'Everyone was very emotional. There was one boy maybe age ten who was commuting to school on his own. He was sitting on the floor sobbing. How releasing information helped catch Barcelona attacker The failure of the Metropolitan Police to name the suspect contrasts sharply with the response to the last major terror attack in Europe, Barcelona in August. Just over an hour after the attack took place, Spanish police tweeted the public to say they were searching for the attacker and to avoid the area. Then, three hours after the attack, a photo of a suspect, Driss Oukabir, was released and circulated online. The release of the image caused Oukabir to come forward to his local police and tell officers his documents had been stolen. This was again revealed to the media as Oukabir's younger brother Moussa became the prime suspect. 'He was obviously in shock and very scared. Everyone around him was trying to calm him down and help him.' Lady Margaret Hall schoolgirl Emanuella Mensah, 16, described the panic. I was right outside the corner shop when people started running from the station. People were shouting 'run, run'. I saw old people, people with their kids. Then someone shouted 'terrorist!'. More people kept coming out of the station. 'There were people sitting on the pavement crying and in hysterics. Schoolgirls were coming from all kinds of directions. The teachers came down and we started escorting people into school.' She said the younger children were particularly shocked and scared and that the distress carried on throughout the day. 'Years seven, eight and nine, they were all on the phone trying to call their parents. People were crying everywhere. 'The teachers were putting them into rooms, giving them water and biscuits, trying to keep them calm. They tried to keep everyone going to their lessons but people couldn't concentrate.' Luke Warsmey said: 'The explosion was like a large match going off at the end of the carriage. People just started sprinting. It was every man for himself when that happened. The burn victims had severe leg injuries. 'It was a very busy commuter train, young and old, school children going to their schools. I saw was nannies trying to look for kids, because of the rush of people just taking five and six year olds away from them and they were trying to look for them. 'There were lots of injuries from people being trampled on and everyone who had been close to it had the same burns to their head.' Armed policemen stand by cordon near Parsons Green tube station - and the Met will flood London with them over the coming days A police cordon remained outside Parsons Green Tube station on Friday afternoon following the blast during the morning rush hour A forensic officer in blue overalls walks along the pavement near Parsons Green tube station as the investigation continued into the attack on Friday Emma Stevie, 27, described a 'human stampede' after the bomb went off. She said: 'I heard lots of screams and people saying 'run, run'. We got out and then there was a human stampede, down the stairs. 'There were people lying underneath getting crushed, a big human pile-on. I wedged myself in next to a railing. I put myself in the foetal position. I kept thinking, 'I'll be ok, I'll be ok'. 'There was a pregnant woman underneath me and I was trying really hard not to crush her.' Lidl will help police after their bag was used to house bomb Supermarket Lidl offered to assist a police investigation into the terrorist attack on the London Underground, after one of its bags was apparently used to hold the improvised bomb. The German-owned grocery chain issued a statement just hours after social media photos of the affected District Line carriage showed a still-burning bucket inside a Lidl-branded reusable bag. 'We are shocked and concerned to have learned of an incident at Parsons Green this morning and our thoughts are with those affected,' Lidl UK said. 'We will, of course, support the authorities should they need our assistance in their investigations. We are closely monitoring the situation as it develops over the course of the day.' A spokesman for the supermarket also confirmed that what seemed to be an insensitive tweet, purportedly sent out by Lidl UK's twitter account on Friday morning, was fake. Twitter user @jesuiscanard appeared to retweet a Lidl UK tweet from 10:32am which read: 'We are proud to officially have the strongest bags. Great value for just 10p.' Ryan Barnett, 25, who was further up the train, recalled: 'I was sitting there, headphones in, at Parsons Green, the doors open fine, I'm not really paying attention, and all of a sudden hundreds of people run past me screaming a mixture of 'stampede', 'attack', 'terrorist', 'explosion', 'get off the train', 'everyone run'.' He made it to the staircase but stewards were shouting 'stop, stop, stop' and it turned into what another witness called a mass pile-up. Mr Barnett said: 'People were falling over, people were fainting, people were crying. There were little kids clinging on to the back of me.' In the chaos, he said a pregnant woman lost her shoes and fell over. 'There was sheer pandemonium and panic,' added passenger Neil White, while another witness told LBC radio: 'I was helping a lady up and she was unconscious  she was just getting trampled.' Richard Aylmer-Hall told Sky News: 'There were a few crush injuries on the stairs. People got squashed and crushed going down the stairs. Police evacuated everyone from the scene pretty quickly. 'There was screaming, pushing and shoving - it was a like there was a terrorist on the loose with a gun or something - lots of people were in tears. When it was all over lots of people were being comforted and looked after. It was total chaotic panic. 'A lady who had been on the same carriage as the device described it going off - a puff of smoke and flames coming out of it.' Couple Lucy, 24 and Fabin, 29, were on their way to work when the explosion happened. Lucy, who works in PR, said: 'We just heard screaming and sprinting, there was a stampede on the stairs and people were falling over, there was a schoolboy being lifted up after he had fallen down, he was in his school uniform, he must have been about ten, he was crying and distressed.' Fulham fitness instructor Niyi Shokunbi, 24, was in the next carriage the moment the bomb went off. He told MailOnline: 'I have never seen anything like it was like something out of a film. I thought it was an acid attack. It happened like bang within ten seconds, I just wanted to run. 'I went towards the carriage where the bomb went off a woman said you don't want to go in there. I saw a little boy with scratches on his face crying for his brother. A woman was bleeding. Everyone was running. I've never seen anything like it.' There is terror and panic at the station on Friday morning, with police officers consoling members of the public An injured man is helped into an ambulance - one of 18 ferried by ambulance to hospitals across London. Four others went to A&E themselves A family with young children look towards the station in the aftermath of the terror attack on London on Friday morning Luke Walmsley, a 33-year-old video editor, said: 'It was complete pandemonium, complete terror. They didn't open the gates and the Underground staff did not understand what was going on. People were shouting 'He's got a knife! He's got a knife!' I didn't see anyone with a knife.' He added: 'In the immediate seconds there were people running and shouting, it was just like where do you run to? 'People were rushing down the platform, everyone was doing a 100metre sprint. There were lots of injuries from people being trampled on.' Still online: The simple plans for a bomb that could wreak carnage By Vanessa Allen, Jason Groves and Isabella Fish Terror manuals detailing how to build a 'fairy light' bomb were easily available via Google on Friday night. The vile 'how to' guides were readily accessible despite repeated calls for the internet giant to remove links to the sites. Fanatics set out step-by-step guides of how to build a bomb similar to the device used on the Tube yesterday, using fairy lights as a crude detonator. Theresa May  who said 'enough is enough' after the London Bridge atrocity  will put fresh pressure on Google, Facebook and Microsoft next week, when she and French President Emmanuel Macron host an anti-extremism summit with the internet giants in New York. Daily Mail journalists were able to find the manuals online within seconds  despite repeated warnings that they have been used to commit terror outrages, and counter-terrorism chiefs saying it is 'critical' that would-be terrorists are blocked from accessing them. The manuals detailed how to use basic household items to make 'an effective bomb that causes damage to the enemy' and said followers could use the devices to 'kill tens of people'. Last night, Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg called for Google to be held criminally liable. Accountant Sarah Hickson, 31, who was on her way to work from Putney to Paddington, said: 'I heard everyone screaming 'Run, run, run!' and the whole Tube went into frantic panic. 'Everyone was sprinting for the exit and someone was screaming, 'There's a man, there's a man!' One person tried to climb over the railings and over everyone else. It was total chaos. 'There was a pregnant woman and a little boy of about ten. His face must have been crushed against the concrete stairs because when he stood up he had grazes all over his face. It was horrible.' She added: 'Transport for London staff were doing their best to get control but everyone was screaming, trying to get out. 'Eventually they managed to get some calm and people moved ever so slightly back, allowing the boy and pregnant woman to get up. 'I am physically OK but shaken up, it was a scary experience.' Insurance broker Grace Watts, 27, from Fulham, said: 'Everyone was being shoved and squashed then someone at the bottom started shouting at us to get back up. 'It wasn't a member of staff, but in the panic everyone assumed that there was an attack going on outside the station, and we were stuck in between. 'There were some five or six boys from the London Oratory School  they were only 11 or 12 years old  who had cuts and bruises from the crush. It was sheer panic.' She added: 'There was one girl who was running down the stairs who got pushed right over and cut her leg. She looked like she was in a lot of pain. Instinct just kicked in  I thought there must be a bomb or a gunman so you just get away as quick as you can. People were terrified. It was really scary.' Sixth form student Wella Mensah, 16, said people were 'on the floor outside crying' with scorched faces. Wella, who attends nearby Lady Margaret School, said: 'I was under the bridge the train was on. I was looking and people just started running past me. 'I saw a bunch of girls. I asked if they were OK and they said there was a terrorist on the train and there was a fire.' Commuters on the train behind witnessed terrified passengers sprinting away up the tracks. Nicole Linnell, 29, who works for a fashion label, said: 'We saw people running down the tracks. About 30 or 40 people. It was absolutely terrifying. 'Running on the tracks is the last thing you want to do, so we were like 'What's going on?' 'After about an hour we were evacuated off the train on to the tracks, about ten to 15 people at a time.' Armed Police, paramedics and firefighters were at the west London station within five minutes of the explosion Witnesses said people were trampled on when they fled the train after hearing a 'whoosh' and seeing flames race towards them Flames engulfed one carriage and raced along a train on a west London route to Parsons Green, forcing passengers to trample others as they rushed for an exit Transport for London said Tube services were suspended between Edgware Road and Wimbledon on Friday. Services resumed as usual on Friday evening Members of a bomb disposal squad exchange notes in the street near Parsons Green tube station on Friday morning June 19: One man dies and several others are injured after a man allegedly rams his van into worshippers in north London. Darren Osborne, 47, of no fixed address in Cardiff, is charged with murder and attempted murder after being accused of carrying out a premeditated attack on Muslims as they left a mosque on Seven Sisters Road, Finsbury Park. June 19: One man dies and several others are injured after a man allegedly rams his van into worshippers in north London Police warned there is no such thing as a 'typical terrorist' after official statistics showed rises in numbers detained across ethnicities and age groups. There were 379 arrests for terrorism-related offences in the year ending June 2017, the highest number in a 12-month period since data collection began in 2001. Police and MI5 are running 500 investigations involving 3,000 individuals at any one time, while there are also 20,000 former 'subjects of interest' whose risk must be kept under review.
5 dead in vehicle, knife attack at British Parliament By Jill Lawless, Paisley Dodds and Danica Kirka; Benjamin Van Maele | Posted: Wed 10:05 AM, Mar 22, 2017 | Updated: Wed 6:01 PM, Mar 22, 2017 LONDON (AP)  A knife-wielding man went on a deadly rampage in the heart of Britain's seat of power Wednesday, plowing a car into pedestrians on London's Westminster Bridge before stabbing a police officer to death inside the gates of Parliament. Five people were killed, including the assailant, and 40 others were injured in what Prime Minister Theresa May condemned as a "sick and depraved terrorist attack." Police secure the area on the south side of Westminster Bridge close to the Houses of Parliament in London, Wednesday, March 22, 2017. The leader of Britain's House of Commons says a man has been shot by police at Parliament. David Liddington also said there were "reports of further violent incidents in the vicinity." London's police said officers had been called to a firearms incident on Westminster Bridge, near the parliament. Britain's MI5 says it is too early to say if the incident is terror-related. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) Lawmakers, lords, staff and visitors were locked down after the man was shot by police within the perimeter of Parliament, just yards (meters) from entrances to the building itself and in the shadow of the iconic Big Ben clock tower. He died, as did three pedestrians on the bridge, and the police officer. A doctor who treated the wounded from the bridge said some had "catastrophic" injuries. Three police officers, several French teenagers on a school trip and two Romanian tourists were among the casualties. Police said they were treating the attack as terrorism. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Metropolitan Police counterterrorism chief Mark Rowley said police believed there was only one attacker, "but it would be foolish to be overconfident early on." He said an unarmed policeman, three civilians and the attacker died. Forty others, including three police officers, were injured. Islamic extremism was suspected in the attack, Rowley said, adding that authorities believe they know the assailant's identity but would not reveal it while the investigation was ongoing. The threat level for international terrorism in the U.K. was already listed at severe, meaning an attack was "highly likely." Speaking outside 10 Downing St. after chairing a meeting of government's emergency committee, COBRA, May said that level would not change. She said attempts to defeat British values of democracy and freedom through terrorism would fail. "Tomorrow morning, Parliament will meet as normal," she said. Londoners and visitors "will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart." U.S. President Donald Trump was among world leaders offering condolences, and in Paris, the lights of the Eiffel Tower were to be dimmed in solidarity with London. London has been a target for terrorism many times over past decades. Just this weekend, hundreds of armed police took part in an exercise simulating a "marauding" terrorist attack on the River Thames. Wednesday was the anniversary of suicide bombings in the Brussels airport and subway that killed 32 people last year, and the latest events echoed recent vehicle attacks in Berlin and Nice, France. In the House of Commons, legislators were holding a series of votes on pensions when deputy Speaker Lindsay Hoyle announced that the sitting was being suspended and told lawmakers not to leave. Parliament was locked down for several hours, and the adjoining Westminster subway station was shuttered. Conservative lawmaker Tobias Ellwood, whose brother was killed in the Bali terror attack in 2002, performed first aid on the wounded police officer, who later died. About 10 yards away lay the assailant. "I tried to stem the flow of blood and give mouth to mouth while waiting for the medics to arrive but I think he had lost too much blood," Ellwood said. "He had multiple wounds, under the arm and in the back." The attack began early Wednesday afternoon as a driver in a gray SUV slammed into pedestrians on the bridge linking Parliament to the south bank of the River Thames. Former Polish foreign minister Radek Sikorski was in a car crossing the bridge when he heard "something like a car hitting metal sheet" and then saw people lying on the pavement. "I saw one person who gave no signs of life. One man was bleeding from his head. I saw five people who were at least seriously injured," Sikorski told Poland's TVN24. Ambulances arrived within minutes to treat people who lay scattered along the length of the bridge. One bloodied woman lay surrounded by a scattering of postcards. Police said one injured woman was pulled from the river. The car crashed into railings on the north side of the bridge, less than 200 yards (meters) from the entrance to Parliament. As people scattered in panic, witnesses saw a man holding a knife run toward the building. "The whole crowd just surged around the corner by the gates just opposite Big Ben," said witness Rick Longley. "A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman. I have never seen anything like that. I just can't believe what I just saw." The attacker managed to get past a gate into Parliament's fenced-in New Palace Yard, a cobbled courtyard in the shadow of the Big Ben clock tower. Daily Mail journalist Quentin Letts said a man in black attacked the police officer before being shot two or three times as he tried to storm into the building. "As this attacker was running towards the entrance two plain-clothed guys with guns shouted at him what sounded like a warning, he ignored it and they shot two or three times and he fell," Letts told the BBC. The attacker fell to the cobbles just yards from the entrance to 1,000-year-old Westminster Hall, the oldest part of the parliamentary complex, busy with visitors and school groups. Beyond that, a corridor leads to the building's Central Lobby, flanked by House of Commons and House of Lords chambers. The prime minister was among lawmakers near the Commons at the time of the attack, and was quickly ushered away by security officers and driven back to Downing Street. To get that far, the attacker would have had to evade the armed officers who patrol the Parliament complex in pairs, as well as Parliament's own security staff, who don't carry guns. The attack unfolded near some of the city's most famous tourist sites, including the London Eye, a large Ferris wheel with pods that overlook the capital. It was halted after the attack, stranding visitors in the pods, with an aerial view of the attack scene. London Ambulance Service said medics treated 12 people for serious injuries and eight who were less seriously hurt. Dr. Colleen Anderson of St. Thomas' Hospital said some of the wounded had "catastrophic" injuries. The French Foreign Ministry said that three students on a school trip from Saint-Joseph in the Brittany town of Concarneau were among the injured. Two Romanians were also among the injured, the country's Foreign Ministry said. U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with May by telephone and applauded "the quick response of British police and first responders," spokesman Sean Spicer said. London has often been the target of terrorist attacks, from IRA campaigns in the 1970s and 80s to more recent Islamist plots. On July 7, 2005, four al-Qaida-inspired British bombers blew themselves up on three subway trains and a bus in London, killing 52 people. British security forces say they have thwarted some 13 terror plots over the past four years, but in recent years the U.K. has largely been spared major international terror attacks such as the ones seen in Belgium and France. Last year, a far-right supporter shot and killed British lawmaker Jo Cox, who had campaigned for the U.K. to remain in the European Union. Prior to that, an attacker claiming to be motivated by Syria stabbed three people at a London subway station. The most gruesome recent attack occurred in 2013 when two Muslim converts of Nigerian descent attacked Lee Rigby, a British soldier who was walking down the street. The men ran Rigby down with their vehicle and then used a cleaver to hack him to death as bystanders watched in horror. ___ Associated Press writers Sophie Berman, Gregory Katz and Rob Harris in London and Lori Hinnant in Paris contributed to this report. Online Public Information File Viewers with disabilities can get assistance accessing this station's FCC Public Inspection File by contacting the station with the information listed below. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, 888-835-5322 (TTY), or fccinfo@fcc.gov.
A Jack the Ripper mural in London Do we need to think again about how our society handles terrorism, asks Christopher Jackson, in the wake of the Westminster attack March 22. New York. Madrid. Paris. London. Bali. Nice. Brussels. Each has experienced in this digital but morbid century a major terrorist attack perpetrated by people of criminal bent in the name of the religion of Islam. To this we must now add Westminster. Death is the dark backing that a mirror needs if we are to see anything, wrote Saul Bellow in Humboldts Gift. In each of the attacks listed above, the murderers rushing toward their oblivion might have been surprised by the ramifications of their actions. Each attack has led to the opposite of what was intended: In creating the dark backing, they did not know that they were also creating mirrors. Once the shock subsides, grief and misery cede in time to a hypertrophied sense of whichever place was subject to violence. New Yorks remaining towers never looked so splendid as on September 12, 2001. The Nice atrocities  once the world had recovered from the surprise of politically motivated death meted out in a place so much implicated in the apolitical activity of the sea  in time reflected back at us the sleepy loveliness of that place, its lemon calm. The Brussels killings might have been enough to make even the ardent Eurosceptic pause a moment and lay aside the urgency of Brexit to admit other thoughts. These places were selected for terror because they are each, to millions of people, worth living in: They are homes to excessive toil and dizzying contention perhaps, but also to hopes, possibilities, even to beauty. And now we are left to think upon Westminster. Its a place of rich association. First and foremost, its the seat of the U.K.s parliamentary democracy, the scene of the passage of the Slavery Abolition Act, the theatrical rivalry of Gladstone and Disraeli, and not just some of the speeches but also the marriage of Winston Churchill (St. Margarets lies just across the way). It hasnt in the last year always produced an especially edifying spectacle, what with the ramped-up atmosphere of childishness surrounding the EU referendum. But once the killer Khalid Masood had driven his car along that vector of unnecessary mayhem in late March, we were reminded of Westminsters good intentions, and that good is attempted in its precincts more than you might think. Upon Jack the Ripper This was an appalling act of mass murder. We mourn  as we have become used to doing  those who ought now to be encountering the spring another time, and who ought to be moving toward the fulfilment of their natural spans. Who knows what potential, and what scope of love, was cut off in those four victims on March 22. Yet in another sense, death ought to be no surprise by now. Since Cain, murder has been a fact of life. And nine stops along the District Line east of Westminster you will find Whitechapel where, in the grimly terrifying autumn of 1888, the killer who became known as Jack the Ripper carried out the murders of Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes and Mary Jane Kelly. How different were these murders to Mahmoods March 2017 spree? The Ripper created a media inheritance we still inhabit: It might be argued that from the Whitechapel murders we receive our sensationalist approach to crime. When the famous Dear Boss letter (whether written by the killer himself or by the perpetrator of a hoax) was sent to the Central News Agency, it was forwarded to the Metropolitan police, which published it, giving us the soubriquet of our most notorious killer. It was a marriage of the unfailing power of death to astonish with our need for the up-to-date bulletin, and the latest fact. It marked a new era in our fascination with evil. But there has always been uneasiness with that fascination. On the day of the Westminster attack, there was widespread weariness in London. Everybody is sick of being afraid, but sometimes one wonders whether fear has already been replaced with a secret boredom. Our culture has never been so vibrant on the one hand  neon-lit and starry, the flicker of the screens always there to accompany us. And yet when the medieval claim of the terrorist enters our entertaining lives, we find ourselves ill-equipped. We are tired of that moment when you are suddenly not enjoying the opera or the theater because you have remembered the Moscow theater hostage crisis. Or there is that nervous Tube journey, where you get out a stop early sure the place is about to blow up, and the subsequent desultory walk youd not be doing had morbidity not overtaken you. Copy of graffito in Goulston Street, attached to Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Charles Warrens report to the Home Office on the Whitechapel murders. But this ennui is not aimed  perhaps it isnt even primarily aimed  at the perpetrators. In London, with its pedigree of experiencing modern terror stretching back to at least the IRA, there is also irritation at the way in which the media sensationalize what in one sense are mundane crimes. It is as if we have forgotten what Hannah Arendt called the banality of evil: The murderous have, among other things, elected to be uninteresting. After Westminster, the eminently sensible journalist Simon Jenkins explained in The Guardian: [E]very decision to publish an item of news involves a choice, a judgment. That is not censorship. For those seeking publicity for their misdeeds, there is a world of difference between the top spot on the news and the bottom. If the intention is not just to kill a few but thereby to terrify a multitude, the media is an essential accomplice. It takes some bravery to write that sort of thing when other people are laying flowers and kind notes of grief at the scene. But if we cannot have this conversation about media coverage and the way in which it aids a terrorist like Mahmood, when it matters, in the aftermath of an attack, then we might never have it at all. And not to have it, might mean we are beholden for the foreseeable future to what Claudius in Hamlet calls obsequious sorrow. A Case of Definition In times of crisis, it is not unwise to fall back on dictionaries. How does a terrorist differ from a criminal? In our grief and in our panic, we are in danger of not thinking clearly. Samuel Johnson  the 18th-century writer who lived about a mile from the scene of the Westminster attack  defined a lexicographer as a harmless drudge, but I think a true understanding of the meaning of words can instead be a liberation toward nothing less than a better life. Define your terms, as Spinoza would say. The Oxford Dictionary defines terrorism as The unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims. A crime meanwhile is defined as An action or omission which constitutes an offence and is punishable by law. Jenkins point is that when the second happens, we treat it very differently from the first, except in rare cases of politically unmotivated mass murder. But when the first occurs (or is deemed to have occurred), the media goes into overdrive: One recalls Donald Trump, in the blessed time when he was merely a presidential candidate, announcing after the Nice and Brussels attacks: France and Belgium are literally disintegrating. Of course, they werent, and besides, if they do, it will more likely be because of him. One might almost wish to amend political aims to realistic political aims. All depends on the state of mind of the perpetrator: It might be, for all we know, that Jack the Ripper had a series of anti-Semitic political aims independent from the astounding butchery of the murders. There was, for instance, the grisly note in chalk, the Juwes are the men that will not be blamed for nothing scrawled in Goulston Street after the murders of Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes. And yet we tend to think of it as a sexual murder and deem any political aspects secondary. That didnt stop it topping the news, but it topped the news as crime, not politics. Why should Mahmood, whose mental state is in doubt, not be treated instead as a criminal? Theres the choice of location, which one doubts was without meaning to him. But there is also the fact that he was Muslim. And the fear is that the second fact is giving a killer like Mahmood a prominence he doesnt deserve. An unreasoned act is treated seriously, almost as a kind of statement, and this in turn fails to take into account the simplicity of his rage, the extent of his torment, and lends a bogus geopolitical ratification to a largely individual folly. Reflections in Brookwood Cemetery None of the newspapers report where Masood is buried. One possible place is in Surrey southeast of London. Wind into the countryside for 35 minutes or so, and you shall find yourself in another dark backing to the great mirror of death: Brookwood Cemetery. This is the second-largest cemetery in Europe and the resting place of Dodi Al-Fayed, Idries Shah, John Singer Sargent, Zaha Hadid and Freddie Mercury, among others. The cemetery is so vast that often even the groundspeople dont know who is where. The place, like death itself, is a metaphor for the vastness and mystery of things. This author intends to travel down there en route to visiting his parents for Easter. I shall alight from the Waterloo-Alton train and, seeking a rural route to nearby Worplesdon, walk past the graves of Muslims of all sects, and Christians of all denominations. I shall pass the Orthodox Church and the splendid tomb of Lord Edward Clinton with its vast angel wing and pitiable Christ, and hope to encounter a certain peace. Here, the city, in all its striving and its will toward power, lapses and the fundamental takes its stead: The hegemony of pine-shade and heathland, the awesome fact of death, and the hope  somewhat less absurd in the country than in town  of the world eventually coming right somehow. It shall all have little or nothing to do with politics. Graves, in their homogeneity, their shared griefs and hopes, usher us away from morbidity toward solemn sympathy: It is about as far from a news headline as one can get. One gravestone for Kemal, a 14-year-old boy, buried next to the station reads: We are so proud and privileged to have had you in our lives. You had such special qualities which left an impact on all of us. You gave us love and laughter to the fullest measure. Youre a precious gem well always treasure. Loved and missed by all the family. Special hugs and cuddles. It is always beautifully adorned with flowers, and the kindly boy who looks out of the photograph seems a fit recipient for this heartfelt tribute. But it is also every mothers tribute to her child  and every fathers too. Cemeteries end up showing us a scope of love far greater than what we are used to: They are mirrors held up to the universal ambition of resurrection and reconciliation. The Meaning of Westminister Terror attacks are also mirrors. They have no such intention of course. It is as if the world is always swerving the evil intention and insisting again on some gigantic backing of love. We see this in the stories each time one of these catastrophes comes along. This time around there was the ageless spectacle of Tobias Elwood MP returning to the fray, though he had lost a brother in a terror attack in Bali, to attempt mouth-to-mouth on the fallen PC Keith Palmer. And even the grief of the nearest and dearest of those who died in this attack has the possibility of turning to love, a love like that on Kemals grave. Of course, it might turn to other things if we let it  to hatred and the desire for revenge. But I think each terrorist attack is really notable for the gigantism of its failure. The attacks are aberrations: The terrorist is essentially adolescent, afflicted with the unappeasable self. We too should take refuge in that which, as Dante said, moves the sun and the other stars. We should not give way to panic or fear, or let the terrorist interfere with the inviolable projects of humankind: of love, the pursuit of happiness and knowledge, and the construction of peace. Death is less interesting than life, which is why most of us long simply to go on living, until our little lights go out. That is what the dark backing of the mirror shows. About The Author Christopher Jackson About Christopher Jackson Christopher Jackson is a freelance writer based in London. His work appears regularly in Politics, Salon, Third Way and The Hill. His collection of poems "The Gallery" was published in 2013 by the University of Salzburg to critical acclaim. His next book, on Roger Federer, is forthcoming in 2016.
'In memory of the innocent lives lost to us all': Prince William leaves touching floral tribute as royals, victims' families and first responders mark two weeks since London terror attacks with Westminster Abbey service Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry have joined families of Westminster terror attack victims Survivors, witnesses and members of the emergency services all attended multi-faith Service of Hope Five people, including terrorist Khalid Masood, were killed and dozens of others injured in the atrocity Royals privately met some members of the congregation, including families of victims and survivors The Duke of Cambridge left a touching note to the victims of the London terror attacks as he placed a wreath on a memorial outside Westminster Abbey today. The Prince laid a wreath of spring flowers, including red and white roses and gerbera, at the Innocent Victims memorial as he arrived at the Abbey with his wife and brother for a multi-faith service of hope. The handwritten note said: 'In memory of the innocent lives, lost to us all on the 22nd March 2017. William.' The Duke laid a wreath of spring flowers, including red and white roses and gerbera, at the Innocent Victims memorial The Prince's message said: 'In memory of the innocent lives, lost to us all on the 22nd March 2017. William' After the ceremony Mrs Cochran spotted paramedic Mo Adimora who came to her aid on that day and gave him a big hug Prince William, Kate and Prince Harry stand silent during the service (left), while the Duchess of Cambridge flashes a smile (right) Around 1,800 people gathered at Westminster Abbey for the Service of Hope, two weeks on from Khalid Masood's murderous rampage which saw five people killed and dozens injured. American tourist Melissa Payne Cochran, who lost her husband in the horrific incident, also attended the service and smiled as she arrived at the Abbey accompanied by her parents. She sustained a broken leg and shattered ribs in the attack. After the ceremony Mrs Cochran spotted paramedic Mo Adimora, who came to her aid that day, and gave him a hug. Share this article A card on the wreath, signed by William, read: 'In memory of the innocent lives; lost to us all on the 22nd March, 2017.' The royals were greeted by London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Metropolitan Police Acting Commissioner Craig Mackey before processing down the aisle, where emergency services personnel lined the front row. The Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverend John Hall, led the service and Prince William gave a Bible reading from Luke, Chapter 10, about the Good Samaritan, while Home Secretary Amber Rudd read from Jeremiah. Following the service William, Kate and Harry met in private with some members of the congregation, including the families of the victims and survivors of the attack. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry arrive for a Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey in London American tourist Melissa Payne Cochran (pictured) who lost her husband, broke her leg and shattered her ribs in last month's terrorist attack, is pictured arriving at Westminster Abbey's Service of Hope this afternoon It is the first time Mrs Cochran, who was in London with her husband celebrating her 25th wedding anniversary, has been seen in public since the attack although she has been pictured in hospital Prince William gave a Bible reading from Luke, Chapter 10, while Home Secretary Amber Rudd read from Jeremiah The royals held on to their services during the memorial ceremony in honour of the victims who died in the terror attack After the service the royals met the families of victims and some of the survivors for a private meeting Metropolitan Police officers are pictured at the Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey in London, following the terror attack Each member of the congregation clutched a single candle as prayers were read by those of all faiths, including Rabbi Baroness Julia Neuberger and Mr Khan (pictured) Witnesses and members of the emergency services involved in the response effort are among the congregation for the service - held just minutes from where the attack unfolded. VICTIM'S TRIBUTE TO MURDERED HUSBAND By Anthony Joseph and Rachael Burford for MailOnline An American tourist, who survived London's terror attack, broke down in tears as she spoke about the 'love of her life husband' who was killed on the bridge. In her first interview since the horrific events two weeks, Mellisa Cochran said she bears no grudge against terrorist Khalid Masood - the man who murdered her husband Kurt. Mrs Cochran, from Utah, has had to learn to walk again in hospital after surgery on her leg and said her family are keeping her strong as she recovers from the loss of her husband and her own physical injuries. Mrs Cochran said she bears no grudge against the man who killed her husband Kurt She told the BBC: 'I'm extremely proud of him and very happy that the world now knows what a wonderful man he was. He would probably hate all the publicity. He was a very private man. He was kind, generous and sweet and the love of my life . 'Fortunately I have a wonderful family and am able to take their strength and recover. Kurt would have wanted me to keep going. 'I don't feel any ill will to him. I can't relate I just know that he didn't have the qualities and beautiful heart my husband had. I feel sorry for him. No hate.' Five people, including terrorist Masood, were killed and dozens of others injured in the 82-second atrocity on Wednesday March 22. The 52-year-old attacker was shot dead by armed police after fatally stabbing PC Keith Palmer, 48, in the Palace of Westminster's cobbled forecourt. Speaking at the service, Dr Hall told the congregation: 'We are all affected by the attack a fortnight ago on Westminster Bridge and at the gates of the Palace of Westminster, and we are all left bewildered and disturbed. 'But our sense of loss and diminishment is paled by comparison with that of the families of those who died: Aysha Frade, Kurt Cochran and Leslie Rhodes on the bridge, and Police Constable Keith Palmer on duty at the gates of Parliament, and all those who were injured. Our hearts go out to them in sympathy and prayer and love.' He continued: 'What happened a fortnight ago leaves us bewildered. What could possibly motivate a man to hire a car and take it from Birmingham to Brighton to London, and then drive it fast at people he had never met, couldn't possibly know, against whom he had no personal grudge, no reason to hate them and then run at the gates of the Palace of Westminster to cause another death? It seems likely that we shall never know. 'No doubt it was in imitation of the attacks in Nice and Berlin. But what on earth did he hope to achieve? Such random acts of aggression are nothing new.' In a poignant moment of reflection - The Act of Commitment - candles were lit while the choir sang. Each member of the congregation clutched a single candle as prayers were read by those of all faiths, including Rabbi Baroness Julia Neuberger and Mr Khan. It is the first time Mrs Cochran, who was in London with her husband celebrating her 25th wedding anniversary, has been seen in public since the attack although she has been pictured in hospital. She attended the service with her parents Sandra and Dimmon Payne. Her siblings, who flew over to Britain for a press conference, have now returned to the United States. Last night her brother Clint told MailOnline: 'Melissa will be attending a memorial service at Westminster Abbey with my parents and sister in London this Wednesday. 'I am told they will have a brief meeting with members of the royal family. We hope she will be able to return to Utah soon. I have returned with my siblings to the United States.' Melissa Cochran's parents Sandra, and Dimmon attend Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey this afternoon Prince Harry (left) looked sombre as he arrived for the ceremony with his sister-in-law the Duchess of Cambridge Prince William and Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, arrive at a Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey today Prince William, Kate the Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry stand together after William laid a wreath at the memorial Family members were among those to attend the service, which took place at Westminster Abbey this afternoon Police officers and families of those affected by the Westminster terror attack make their way inside for the service The multi-faith Service of Hope is being held for the four people killed when Khalid Masood embarked upon his rampage Survivors, witnesses and members of the emergency services have come together for the multi-faith Service of Hope Ambulance staff and guests arrive at Westminster Abbey for a service to commemorate the Westminster terror attack Amanda Rhodes, the niece of Westminster terror attack victim Leslie Rhodes, arrives for the service at Westminster London Ambulance Service personnel arrive for the service at Westminster Abbey - minutes from the scene of the attack Travis Frain, 19, was among those hit by Masood's car on Westminster Bridge, breaking his hand and foot. The politics student is seen arriving at the ceremony today (left). Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (right) was also in attendance Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and MP Harriet Harman are pictured arriving attending a service of hope at Westminster Abbey Armed police ahead of a Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey in London following the Westminster terror attack Mrs Cochran in the immediate aftermath of the attack on Westminster Bridge. Her husband died during the incident American tourist Melissa Payne Cochran, who broke her leg and shattered her ribs in last month's terrorist attack, is expected to leave her hospital bed for Westminster Abbey's Service of Hope. Her husband Kurt (left) died in the horrific incident Announcing the Service of Hope, Westminster Abbey wrote: 'A Service of Hope Following the Terror Attack in Westminster will be held in Westminster Abbey at Noon on Wednesday 5th April. 'The service will be attended by Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry, and will be broadcast live on BBC Television. An inquest has been opened into the death of Westminster terrorist Khalid Masood, who died from a gunshot wound 'Families of those killed in the attack, together with other victims, witnesses and first responders from the police, fire, paramedics, RNLI, lifeboat and NHS hospital services will be among the congregation.' The service, which will take place at noon, will be broadcast live on the BBC. Westminster terrorist Khalid Masood was killed by a single gunshot wound to the chest, a court heard last week. The 52-year-old killer was pronounced dead at 3.35pm  just under an hour after he embarked on his murderous mission on Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament, an inquest into his death was told. Westminster Coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox also took the unusual step of offering her sympathies to Masood's family, 'who are also victims of this incident'. Coroners Officers Eric Sword told inquest that the terrorist had been identified by 'finger prints and DNA'. Masood was taken to St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, where he was later pronounced dead. Mr Sword said: 'The cause of death was gun-shot wound to the chest. His time of death was recorded at 15.35.' The aftermath of the attack in which Masood (top) was shot after stabbing PC Palmer (right) Survivor of Westminster terror attack Melissa Cochran cries as she speaks for the first time about the 'love of her life husband' who was murdered on the bridge By Keiligh Baker, Anthony Joseph and Rachael Burford for MailOnline An American tourist, who survived London's terror attack, broke down in tears as she spoke about the 'love of her life husband' who was killed on the bridge. In her first interview since the horrific events two weeks, Mellisa Cochran said she bears no grudge against terrorist Khalid Masood - the man who murdered her husband Kurt. Mrs Cochran, from Utah, has had to learn to walk again in hospital after surgery on her leg and said her family are keeping her strong as she recovers from the loss of her husband and her own physical injuries. Mrs Cochran said she bears no grudge against the man who killed her husband Kurt She told the BBC: 'I'm extremely proud of him and very happy that the world now knows what a wonderful man he was. He would probably hate all the publicity. He was a very private man. He was kind, generous and sweet and the love of my life . 'Fortunately I have a wonderful family and am able to take their strength and recover. Kurt would have wanted me to keep going. 'I don't feel any ill will to him. I can't relate I just know that he didn't have the qualities and beautiful heart my husband had. I feel sorry for him. No hate.' In newly released pictures Melissa Cochran can be seen slowly making her way up the stairs with the aid of two crutches and a nurse as she recovers from her injuries at a London hospital Mrs Cochran had not been told what had happened to her husband until her family arrived at the hospital. She said: 'It was after my surgery on my leg. I had come out of recovery and they placed me in a hospital room and my parents had come to visit and were there waiting for me when I came out. 'I asked them to find out what had happened to my husband. Previously no-one could tell me - no-one had any information. My parents came back in the room and both held my hands and said that he didn't make it, which crushed me. 'Fortunately I have a wonderful family so I am able to take their strength and recover. It has been difficult, obviously, but Kurt would have wanted me to keep going and with such a beautiful family that I have it's been okay.' Mrs Cochran, from Utah, is said to be 'getting stronger every day' and images were also released of her smiling and waving her crutches above her head on Saturday Mrs Cochran spoke to the BBC today - her first interview since the Westminster terror attack Melissa Cochran, from Utah, is seen smiling and waving her crutches above her head on Saturday. This is the first image of the 46-year-old outside the hospital where she is recovering from her injuries after London's terror attack that left her with a broken leg and widowed In a picture taken on Saturday, Mrs Cochran can be seen slowly making her way up the stairs with the aid of two crutches and a nurse as she recovers from her injuries. A second picture shows her smiling at the bottom of the staircase being hugged by a relative with one of her legs still in a metal brace. Mrs Cochran, from Utah, is said to be 'getting stronger every day'. It was the first time she has been seen outside her hospital room since the horrific terror attack in central London, which saw Masood mow down innocent people walking along Westminster Bridge on March 22. Melissa Cochran says she is 'getting stronger every day' after losing her husband Kurt Cochran on March 22, where Khalid Masood mowed down innocent people on Westminster Bridge. She was pictured for the first time since the attack on Friday She has also thanked people from all around the world for the 'outpouring of love and generosity' they have shown her and Kurt The 46-year-old's husband, Kurt, died on the final day of the couple's European trip to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. He was thrown onto a concrete underpass. Meanwhile, Melissa Cochran was left with a broken leg and a gashed head. A photograph of her being comforted by a passerby on the sidewalk in the aftermath became one of the defining images of the attack. Her family has thanked people for the 'outpouring of love and generosity' they have shown for her and her late husband. On Friday, the first images of the widow were revealed and showed her smiling while standing on crutches with her left leg in a cage after an operation. In the other she is shown smiling in bed while taking a selfie surrounded by her family and friends. Her brother Clint Payne said on the family's GoFundMe page: 'Her health is steadily improving and she has been strengthened by the presence of her family. She is so grateful for the outpouring of love and generosity. 'So many people have been so kind, and we are deeply touched by their goodness and generosity. 'The most difficult part of all of this is that Kurt is no longer with us, and we miss him terribly. He was an amazing individual who loved everyone and tried to make the world a better place.' Members of her family gathered at New Scotland Yard  and just 100 yards from the scene of the carnage  to thank all those who had helped them in recent days.
Inside the Met Police comms response to the Westminster attacks The past seven days have seen heightened tension, with the Metropolitan Police deployed to prevent a suspected terror attack - arresting a man armed with knives in Westminster - and two counter-terrorism raids on addresses in London. In an interview with the senior heads of news, social media and internal comms at the Met, PRWeek reveals the thinking that went into the comms response around the attack on Westminster Bridge and Parliament. At approximately 2.45pm on 22 March, a car was driven by Khalid Masood across Westminster Bridge at high speed, hitting pedestrians before crashing into the gates of the Houses of Parliament. Masood then got out, attacked police officers and stabbed PC Keith Palmer to death. Just 82 seconds after the attack began, five people, including PC Palmer, an American tourist and Masood lay dead, while a further 50 people, including three police officers, were injured. Initial reports to the comms team at New Scotland Yard, half a mile from the scene of the attack, were unclear. Anna de Vries (pictured above), deputy head of media at the Metropolitan Police, said the comms team's phone queuing system suddenly showed a "massive spike" in calls, from one to 16. She said: "The types of calls we were receiving in the first two minutes were reports of a person in the water, reports of a road traffic collision, reports of somebody under a bus. There were reports of explosions, shots fired, a man armed with knives. That's why the picture was quite confused at first, in terms of the actual nature and sequence of events." Because of the proximately of the Met's HQ, they could see people running away from the vicinity of the attack. The comms team immediately switched into information gathering mode, contacting the police control room, looking at their computer systems and preparing their digital comms team, led by Dylan Morrisroe, to respond. Normal business, including a good news story the team had prepared about a four-year-old saving his mother's life by dialling 999, was put on hold as the comms operation moved into gear. The comms operation would have multiple strands, including managing media calls, streamlining the comms response with other agencies and an internal comms operation to respond to the grief felt by colleagues at the death of PC Palmer. Communicating with the public But in those initial moments, communicating with the public first and foremost was the critical part of the comms operation. The comms team exercises regularly against the possibility of such attacks and one part of this is to create prepared social media messages that can be adapted to the specific situation, enabling a swifter response. Ed Stearns (pictured above), head of media at the Met, said: "The first bit of communications we put out was (a tweet) within seven minutes. "That was probably the full communications you could put out at that stage because it's informing people that you are aware of what's going on that's really important so that people feel reassured." We were called at approx 2:40pm to reports of an incident at #Westminster Bridge. Being treated as a firearms incident - police on scene Stearns added: "The comms strategy from the very first minute is that a communication could save life, could change behaviour that will help the policing operation and reassure the public that the police are aware and dealing with the situation, whatever that will be. "That was the clear strategy we were all working to, right from the very start." The initial phase of the comms response was focussed on telling the public to avoid the area of the attack and that the police were responding as if it were a terrorist attack, until they knew otherwise. De Vries said: "It might sound like quite a simple thing to say but in the past we've not said [anything] for quite a while and that has sometimes given the media the impression that we are not as operationally in control as we could be." The social media team, one of whom had been nominated to liaise with Stearns and de Vries, were central to putting out the initial public information comms operation but they also had another important, behaviour-change function, during the initial stages. Within 20 minutes of the attack, unpixillated images of the full horror of the aftermath, posted by members of the public, began to appear on social media channels. The social team then put out a tweet urging the public and media to show restraint in posting images. Please use common sense and restraint in circulating pictures and videos of those that have been injured during the incident in #Westminster Morrisroe (pictured above) said: "This was a big behaviour-change tweet. After we put this tweet out, it encouraged social media, in effect, to start policing itself. By pointing out that that wasn't appropriate." Within an hour, further tweets were put out to the public, encouraging them to help the police operation by uploading any images or videos to the Met's website. Media relations Meanwhile, the media relations exercise was also moving into action, with all non-urgent calls put on the back burner. Stearns said: "[The attack] didn't stop some calls from local papers about local incidents coming in and we made it clear that we were not in a position to deal with that." As the day continued, it fell to de Vries to prepare a statement for Commander BJ Harrington to read out to a waiting press pack at 4.40pm, just two hours after the attacks took place. Stearns said: "We were keen to get someone up as soon as they had something meaty to say. BJ Harrington is a very experienced and good commander who was able to give reassurance." Deciding exactly what to tell the assembled media in a pressurised situation is no easy task but how did the team decide what to say? De Vries said: "We are talking to the media, so we understand where they are trying to take the story, but also [to] people who live and work in London. We understand what we would want to hear. "You are of course constrained by the investigation but we try and tell the public what we are doing, why we're doing it and what they can expect to see over the coming days." Stearns adds that it is important to publically explain why you can't say some things. This has the effect of managing further calls from the media asking the same question. This was the case with requests for the police to name the attacker and, initially, an incorrect name was published by some media outlets before the comms team put out a "not for publication" advisory note to the media, urging them not to hamper the investigation. The day after the attack, a national newspaper printed a front page picture of PC Palmer as he lay, dying, in Parliament Square, prompting an outcry from police officers and staff. Steans said: "Officers were very unhappy about it. We wrote an advisory to the media and copied in IPSO to say that it was distressing. "We cant ban people from doing things - we're not the police of the media - but we have a duty to our staff." Internal communications The attack, which left left PC Palmer dead and three other police officers injured, also prompted a critical internal comms operation as 44,000 fellow officers and staff expressed their grief. The initial phase of the internal comms operation was to create a rolling log of the incident on the Met's intranet system, to keep everyone informed with the most up-to-date information about the attacks. There were also links for police staff to access occupational health if they had suffered psychological distress as a result of the attack. Yvonne O'Hara, head of internal communications, said: "Once we knew that Keith Palmer had died, the internal comms had a different focus  making sure the organisation could grieve and offer its condolences." O'Hara used a section of the intranet usually used to gather feedback from staff and dedicated it to an area where colleagues could pay tribute to PC Palmer and the injured officers. O'Hara (pictured above) continued: "That was really important because the organisation was in mourning and we had to make sure, as well as having up-to-date information that they had a chance to do that emotional outpouring." The comms team, by this point, were also in contact with PC Palmer's family and those of the other people murdered in the attack to help them manage their interaction with the media. Stearns said: "Keith's family provided us with a photo that they wanted to see rather than one that might be found on Facebook or wherever else." The intranet page for PC Palmer received nearly four times as many views as a normal article, which was symptomatic of an organisation feeling the pain. But the organisation also wanted a visual symbol of the loss and it was decided, that day, to lower the Met's flag to half-mast. Stearns said: "We took the flag at Scotland Yard down to half-mast that evening. We sent one of our staff members to film it coming down, which was a really poignant symbol of what had happened to the Met and summarised it in a picture more than any words could have done. "It shows how a simple idea and a simple thing can really give the feel of the Met and also communicate to our staff, though external means, what we're doing and how we're doing it." O'Hara set up screens that showed messages sent in from the public and from public figures regarding PC Palmer. She said: "We were able to show the messages from the public on social media, to help support that grieving process and to say 'the public has got your back'. I think those messages were important in terms of the organisation feeling supported." Inter-agency communication In addition to all these strands, the operation had to manage comms with other agencies. The first job however, was to get the Met's 300 Twitter feeds to all repeat the same message from the central team. Five minutes after the attack began, a call was put into members of the London Resilience committee comms team, which comprises the emergency services, the Mayor's office and the Cabinet Office, among others, to tell them there would be a conference call with all of them within 40 minutes. The resilience committee, like the Met's comms team exercises together regularly. Stearns said: "The agency that leads the response, often the police, is the one that leads the communication. Everyone knows that so it runs very smoothly. "Even before we talk to each other in a conference call, that lead agency will lead the communications and the others will retweet that communication." De Vries added: "The first two agencies I contacted were fire and ambulance, just because they have an emergency services role. "We exercise together so it becomes really seamless and we understand each other's areas of responsibility and know where the boundaries are and what we would lead on and what others would do." Lessons for the future Every operation is scrutinised after the event to see if anything could be done differently or better next time, and it was the same with the Westminster attacks. What is clear is that police officers value the input of the comms team more than they ever have before. "They see it very much as an operational tool rather than seeing us as a department that sorts out the headache of having lots of media attention", Stearns concludes. "Once upon a time it wouldn't have been, which shows how much comms has moved on. There are some things you look at and think 'could we have put out some of our generic messages quicker or not?' "There is nothing major we would look at doing differently, but then not every incident is the same." The comms response in numbers: 55 tweets with 21.6 million impressions on day one of the attack 790,000 engagements (eg click-throughs to website or social video) Biggest tweet: "Please use common sense and restraint" - 6.3 million impressions and 229,000 engagements Biggest Facebook post: Video showing the Met's flag being lowered to half-mast out of respect to PC Palmer - 1.7 million reach and 70,000 engagements
U.K. Parliament attack: What we know so far At least four people have died and several were badly injured in what authorities say was a terrorist attack at the British Parliament Union flags fly at half-mast in front of Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben) at the Houses of Parliament in central London on March 23, 2017, as a mark of respect for the victims of the March 22 terror attack at the British parliament. The latest Police believe there was only one attacker: Khalid Masood, a British-born man who was once investigated for extremist links but was considered a peripheral figure. He was shot dead by police after the attack. Islamic State group says through its Aaamaq news agency that the London attacker was a soldier of the Islamic State Four people are dead, including: two members of the public, the stabbed policeman and the attacker. At least 27 people are injured; several remain in hospital. British PM Theresa May said on Thursday: We are not afraid and our resolve will never waiver in the face of terrorism. Parliament resumed on Thursday In this image taken from video police officers gather around a car adjacent to Houses of Parliament in London after the House of Commons sitting was suspended as witnesses reported sounds like gunfire outside. ITN/via The Associated Press The victims Police officer Keith Palmer, an unarmed member of the Parliamentary security force, was fatally stabbed by the attacker. Aysha Frade, 43, a British teacher who worked at DLD College, was on her way to pick up her two children when the attacker ran her down in his vehicle. Kurt W. Cochran of Utah. He and his wife, Melissa, who was injured, were on the last day of a special trip celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary. Those injured include: 12 Britons, three French citizens, two Romanians, four South Koreans, one German, one Chinese, one Irish, one Italian and two Greeks. The suspect Police identified the attacker as Khalid Masood, a British-born man who was once investigated for extremist links but was considered a peripheral figure. Masood was born in Kent and was known to police. London police said he was most recently living in the West Midlands. Masood had previous convictions for assaults, including greivous bodily harm, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences. He had not been convicted for any terrorism offences, police said. Prime Minister Theresa May said on earlier Thursday the attacker was once investigated by MI5 intelligence officers over concerns about violent extremism. He was a peripheral figure  He was not part of the current intelligence picture. There was no prior intelligence of his intent or of the plot, she said. The attack The attack started when a car was driven over Westminster Bridge, hitting and injuring a number of members of the public, also including three police officers, Mark Rowley, Britains most senior counter-terrorism officer, told reporters. A car then crashed near to parliament and at least one man, armed with a knife continued the attack and tried to enter parliament. Reuters reporters inside parliament at the time heard loud bangs and shortly afterwards saw the knifeman and the stabbed policeman lying on the ground in a courtyard within the gates of parliament. A police officer lays flowers around a photograph of police officer Keith Palmer, who was killed in the March 22 terror attack, in Westminster near the Houses of the Parliament in central London on March 23, 2017. JUSTIN TALLIS /AFP/Getty Images The attack took place on the first anniversary of attacks by Islamist militants that killed 32 people in Brussels. The threat level for international terrorism in the U.K. was already listed at severe, meaning an attack was highly likely. London, the day after Britains Parliament resumed work Thursday morning in a spirit of defiance. We are not afraid and our resolve will never waiver in the face of terrorism, said Ms. May on Thursday. We know that democracy and the value it entails will always prevail. This was an attack on free people everywhere. May addressed a packed chamber to deliver a speech praised by lawmakers from all parties as the normal adversarial tone of debate was replaced with one of sombre unity. The streets are as busy as ever. The offices full. The coffee shops and cafes bustling, May said. It is in these actions  millions of acts of normality  that we find the best response to terrorism. London remained on high alert, however. Police cordoned off streets in Shoreditch, east London, to investigate a suspect package which was later declared not dangerous. The Globe and Mails European correspondent Paul Waldie reports from Westminster the morning after the attack on British Parliament 0:50 MP hailed as a hero One British lawmaker was hailed by some as a hero in Wednesdays attack on the British Parliament. Canadas response to the attack We were all saddened to learn about todays incident near the British Parliament in London and I express my deepest condolences to the victims of this cowardly attack, Mr. Trudeau said. Conservative Party Leader RonaAmbrose said the attack was all too familiar to many members of this House and those who work here. Like many MPs, Ms. Ambrose said the attack was a clear reminder of the events of Oct. 22, 2014, when Michael Zehaf-Bibeau stormed into Centre Block in Ottawa with a gun after killing Corporal Nathan Cirillo at the nearby National War Memorial. Speaking in Ottawa, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said he was unaware of any threat to Canada and saw no need to adjust the threat level in the country. It has been set at medium since Oct. 2014, when there was a terrorist attack on Parliament Hill and another one in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu. There is no known Canadian connection at this stage, Mr. Goodale said of the attack. We are monitoring all factors to make sure [the threat level] remains appropriate but we have no reason at this moment to change the Canadian position. Mr. Goodale said he has been in touch with his UK counterparts to offer any type of Canadian assistance if necessary. Past attacks in the U.K. and Europe The London attack took place one year after co-ordinated suicide bombings claimed by the Islamic State struck Brussels Zaventem airport and Maalbeek subway station, killing 32 people. There was also a similarity with two other IS attacks last year where drivers deliberately drove into pedestrians. On July 14, an Islamic State follower drove a cargo truck into a crowd celebrating Bastille Day in the French city of Nice, killing 86 people. On Dec. 16, a similar attack in Berlin killed 12 victims. Videos from the scene Raw video shows aftermath of two incidents near the British parliament Next story | Learn More Discover content from The Globe and Mail that you might otherwise not have come across. Here well provide you with fresh suggestions where we will continue to make even better ones as we get to know you better. You can let us know if a suggestion is not to your liking by hitting the  close button to the right of the headline.
The Braintree MP held back tears as he recalled the moment he met PC Palmer 25 years ago as "Gunner Keith Palmer" in the military, he told the House of Commons on Thursday. Mr Cleverly said: "He was a strong, professional public servant and it was a delight to meet him again only a few months after being elected." He then requested the Prime Minister Theresa May honoured the hero officer posthumously for his gallant actions as he battled to stop a knifeman entering Parliament Square. Emotional tribute: MP James Cleverly fought back tears as he spoke in Parliament (PA) Mr Cleverly added: "Whilst our hearts go to all those people who were wounded and murdered yesterday, and to all the people who sought to help them, with your indulgence I'd like to turn for just a moment to Pc Keith Palmer, who I first met 25 years ago as Gunner Keith Palmer, at headquarters, Battery 100 Regiment, Royal Artillery. "Would the Prime Minister, in recognition of the work that he did and the other police officers and public servants here in the House do, consider recognising his gallantry and sacrifice formally with a posthumous recognition?" Killed: Keith Palmer (Metropolitan Police) The married father was unarmed when he was stabbed by the lone attacker who was then shot dead by police after mowing down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge on Wednesday. Tributes for Westminster & Parliament Attack Tributes for Westminster & Parliament Attack 1/20 A police officer places flowers and a photo of Pc Keith Palmer on Whitehall near the Houses of Parliament in London Dominic Lipinski/PA 2/20 A floral tribute to the victims of yesterday's terror attack is left at the security cordon near Westminster Abbey in central London Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP/Getty Images 3/20 Metropolitan Police in a minute's silence at New Scotland Yard Sky News 4/20 A minute's silence is observed outside New Scotland Yard in London to pay respect to the victims of yesterday's terror attack in Westminster Jonathan Brady/PA 5/20 MP's in a minute's silence at the House of Commons BBC 6/20 Conservative MP James Cleverly pays an emotional tribute to his friend Pc Keith Palmer, telling the Commons he was a "strong, professional public servant". PA 7/20 The flag above the Houses of Parliament in London flies at half mast the day after a terrorist attack Jeremy Selwyn 8/20 People leave flowers at the scene after an attack on Westminster Bridge in London Hannah McKay/Reuters 9/20 Flowers outside the Queen Elizabeth II Centre in London Gareth Fuller/PA 10/20 Flowers at the Police Memorial after yesterday's terror attack on the Houses of Parliament in Westminste Alex Lentati 11/20 Cressida Dick in a minute silence today at New Scotland Yard for Westminster terror victims Jeremy Selwyn 12/20 A bunch of roses is layed at the Metropolitan Police headquarters at New Scotland Yard in central London Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images 13/20 Flowers arrive in Westminster the day after the attack Jeremy Selwyn 14/20 The Union Flag on Portcullis House flies at half mast following yesterday's attack Carl Court/Getty Images 15/20 Flowers are laid at the scene after an attack on Westminster Bridge in London 15/20 16/20 17/20 Prime Minister Theresa May makes a statement in Downing Street, London Richard Pohle/The Times/PA 18/20 Flowers are laid at the scene after an attack on Westminster Bridge in London Hannah McKay/Reuters 19/20 Two policemen stand guard at a cordoned off area on the way to the Houses of Parliament in central London Matt Dunham/AP 20/20 The royal standard at full mast above Buckingham Palace in London the day after a terrorist attack Jonathan Brady/PA Responding to Mr Cleverly, Mrs May said: "I thank him for the obvious, not just compassion, but passion with which he has spoken about an individual he knew, and he bears witness to the tremendous public service that Keith Palmer had given this country in so many ways. Read more "Having served in our armed forces and then come here to this place and paid the ultimate sacrifice here at the heart of our democracy, I can assure (Mr Cleverly) that the issue that he's raised is of course one that will be considered in due course." PC Palmer, 48, has been hailed lovely and wonderful by distraught friends and colleagues.
Taliban Bomb Maker Found Guilty of Plotting Westminster Terror Attack NIKLAS HALLE'N/AFP/Getty27 Jun 2018 Khalid Mohammed Omar Ali has been found guilty of plotting to commit a terror attack on MPs and police and for making explosive devices for the Taliban. The 28-year-old British national from Edmonton, North London, was arrested by police on 27 April 2017 in Parliament Street  just yards from Prime Minister Theresa Mays Downing Street residence  and was found in possession of three knives. A man has today been convicted of planning a terrorist attack and making explosives, following an investigation by the Met Police Counter Terrorism Command spanning Afghanistan, Turkey, the US and the UK. pic.twitter.com/qpVbIvFR6K A jury convicted Ali at the Old Bailey of preparing an act of terrorism in the UK and two counts of possessing an explosive substance with intent, reports the BBC. The prosecution had told the jury that Ali went to Westminster for one reason and one reason only  to launch a deadly terror attack to strike at the very heart of this countrys democracy, by killing a police officer, a member of the military or even a parliamentarian. Just four weeks before his arrest, Islamist terrorist Khalid Masood carried out his deadly attack, running down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge with his car, killing four, before committing a fatal knife attack on PC Keith Palmer who was on duty at the House of Commons. LONDON, ENGLAND  APRIL 27: A man (L) is detained by police officers near Downing Street, on Whitehall on April 27, 2017 in London, England. Multiple knives were seen at the scene close to Parliament Square and are being investigated. (Photo by John Phillips/Getty Images) The court also heard that Ali told police he owed his loyalty to the Taliban and al-Qaeda and that he wanted to deliver a message to the leaders and decision-makers of this country. Before the attempted attack, Ali had returned from Afghanistan where he had spent five years making bombs to kill coalition troops. Ali admitted to fighting with British soldiers when he was in Afghanistan, but refused to confirm if he had killed any. When police if he had returned from Afghanistan for jihad, he replied: Jihad is what we do. We are Mujahideen. When Ali had returned to the UK in November 2016, he was temporarily detained by police and his fingerprints and a DNA sample were taken which were then shared with the FBI who identified him as a bomb maker for the Taliban in Afghanistan, based on matching fingerprints taken off of device components. However, Ali was not arrested until he was armed and walking towards the House of Commons  the decision defended by Deputy Assistant Commissioner Dean Haydon who said police and security services were managing any potential risk he posed and he was arrested at the most appropriate time.
In the aftermath of the Westminster attack, however, the Defence Secretary also admitted that Britain now faced a new type of lone-wolf, low-tech terror threat that was much more difficult to prevent. We are also dealing with a terrorist enemy that is not making demands or holding people hostage, but simply wants to kill as many people as possible  so this is a new element to international terrorism. This is a new type of attack where somebody gets hold of a vehicle and drives it into innocent people  that also shows the moral vacuity of these terrorists. But he insisted that the security services were successfully foiling terror plots, saying: The police and agencies that we rely on for our security have forestalled a large number of attacks in recent years  over a dozen last year. This seems a significant increase on some previously disclosed figures. In October, Neil Basu, deputy assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan police and the senior national co-ordinator for counter-terrorism policing, said the security services had successfully foiled at least 10 attacks in the last two years. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP Suggesting the scale of the threat faced by the UK, Mr Basu added: We continue to work at a relentless pace with our key partners, currently dealing with around 550 live cases at any one time. One attempted plot, it was revealed last August, had been thwarted in the final hours before the planned attack on a UK target. An operation run by GCHQ, the British intelligence and security organisation, used interception warrants to monitor phones owned by individuals linked to the 2015 plot, it was reported. According to the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, agents were then able to identify and intercept a would-be terrorist cell that was close to carrying out its plan. Answering questions about whether the security services had enough resources to deal with such levels of threat, Sir Michael Fallon revealed this had been reviewed at an emergency COBRA meeting chaired by Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday night. He said: We reviewed whether the Met had all the resources they need  including military back up  to deal with situations like this. That is something we always review at the time. There have been increases in the budgets of the security services over the last few years. We will continue to keep that under review. The police and the security agencies will have the resources they need.
24/43 25/43 26/43 Police officers and well-wishers line the route in Southwark as the funeral procession of PC Keith Palmer makes its way to Southwark Cathedral Dan Kitwood/Getty Images 27/43 Police at a ceremony by the Police Roll of Honour Trust to add the names of fallen officers Pc Keith Palmer and Pc Gareth Browning to the National Police Officers Roll of Honour & Remembrance in London 24/43 25/43 26/43 Police officers and well-wishers line the route in Southwark as the funeral procession of PC Keith Palmer makes its way to Southwark Cathedral Dan Kitwood/Getty Images 27/43 Police at a ceremony by the Police Roll of Honour Trust to add the names of fallen officers Pc Keith Palmer and Pc Gareth Browning to the National Police Officers Roll of Honour & Remembrance in London At around 1.30pm on Monday, PC Palmer's body will be taken from Westminster to the cathedral for a full funeral. Local Bexley councillor James Hunt described a sense of calm and tranquillity this morning on Borough High Street as final preparations were made for the funeral at the cathedral on the north end of the road. The funeral cortege will travel from the Palace of Westminster, along Millbank and across Lambeth Bridge before heading east along Lambeth Palace Road towards Stamford Street. The route the funeral procession will take. (Metropolitan Police) The procession will then travel along Borough High Street and onto Cathedral Place. A large swathe of roads were closed at 7am on Monday, including both Southwark Bridge and London Bridge. 23/28 24/28 25/28 The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry attend the Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey Eddie Mulholland/The Daily Telegraph/PA 26/28 The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry attend the Service of Hope Eddie Mulholland/The Daily Telegraph/PA 27/28 Metropolitan Police officers attend the Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey Eddie Mulholland/The Daily Telegraph/PA 28/28 The Duke of Cambridge during the Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey Eddie Mulholland/The Daily Telegraph/PA He said: "The public are as appalled by what happened as the police. At times they can be our biggest critics but when something like this happens they come together with us, because they dont like someone hurting one of their own. "I cant recall an occasion like this in regard to the number of officers who will be there, but we must not lose sight of the fact that it is a family funeral. "It is for Keiths family and we have made sure we have done everything his wife wants because, first and foremost, it is for her to mourn her husband." In a statement released in the aftermath of the attack, the family said: Keith will be remembered as a wonderful dad and husband. A loving son, brother and uncle. A long-time supporter of Charlton FC. "Dedicated to his job and proud to be a police officer, brave and courageous. "A friend to everyone who knew him. He will be deeply missed. We love him so much. Four other innocent people were killed in the atrocity nearly three weeks ago, including Andreea Cristea, 31, Leslie Rhodes, 75, Kurt Cochran, 54, and Aysha Frade, 44.
He added: "During the attack she was knocked into the River Thames and was taken to the Royal London Hospital by ambulance. "She was then taken to St Bartholomew's Hospital. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP "Her time of death was recorded as 3.11pm on April 6." Coroner's officer Eric Sword told the inquest a post-mortem examination had given her main cause of death as "multiple organ failure" with a secondary cause given as "head injury ... and immersion". Mr Burnaz, who suffered a broken foot in the attack, did not attend Wednesday's hearing. The inquest was adjourned to a preliminary hearing on May 19 at the Royal Courts of Justice.
Acting Deputy Commissioner Mark Rowley, the Met's senior anti-terror officer, said police believe the suspect was inspired by international terrorism but did not name any group. Our thoughts are with those who lost loved ones, those who were injured and all those affected by this attack, he added, paying tribute to PC Palmer and his 15 years of service. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP He was someone who left for work expecting to return home at the end of his shift, and he had every right to expect that would happen. Paramedics fought to save both PC Palmer and his attacker on the floor of the cobbled courtyard in front of Parliament, with Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood among those who rushed to help. Armed officers, some in plain clothes and wearing balaclavas, created a large safety cordon around the yard feet from where MPs had earlier attended Prime Minister's Questions and injured victims on Westminster Bridge. One woman hit by the attacker's car before he reached Parliament was confirmed dead by a doctor at St Thomas' Hospital. Others on the bridge suffered catastrophic injuries. Another woman who fell into the Thames was rescued and given urgent medical treatment on a nearby pier. A party of French schoolchildren were among those targeted on the bridge, while four students from Edge Hill University were also hurt, and another couple said to have minor injuries. Romanian and South Korean tourists were among those caught up in the atrocity.
UK marks first anniv of Westminster Bridge attack Britain yesterday marked the one year anniversary of the terror attack on Westminster Bridge, the first in a series of assaults in the UK in 2017 that killed dozens of people and left scores injured. On March 22 last year, Khalid Masood, a 52-year-old British convert to Islam, drove a car at pedestrians on the bridge over the River Thames in the heart of the London, before fatally stabbing a policeman on guard outside parliament. The attack left five people dead and around 50 injured, and only ended when police shot Masood dead. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility, but investigators have said they found no evidence of an association. The incident mirrored truck attacks in Europe, including the 2016 Bastille Day assault in Nice that killed 86 people, and a similar attack months later on a Christmas market in Berlin that claimed 12 lives. Britain endured a tumultuous period following the March 22 rampage, with four further terror attacks, including three in the capital at London Bridge, Finsbury Park and Parsons Green tube station. Mourners left flowers at the scene yesterday, with one note reading; "Kurt, taken too soon, but never forgotten -- RIP Much love, Sandy", in tribute to US musician Kurt Cochran, who died in the attack. "It's very moving," Mick Hodges, 67, who had travelled from the East Midlands to pay his respects, told AFP. "Our thoughts are with the families and also the people that acted so bravely that day, trying to revive the people." In the House of Commons on Wednesday, Prime Minister Theresa May praised the "exceptional bravery of our police and security services", while MPs yesterday held a minute's silence. With May in Brussels yesterday, interior minister Amber Rudd and Leader of the House of Commons Andrea Leadsom attended a commemorative event in parliament's Westminster Hall. Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, has announced plans for the hashtag "LondonUnited" to be displayed at the locations targeted on the anniversaries of each attack, with the phrase projected onto the Houses of Parliament yesterday. A 3D installation of #LondonUnited will also be located at City Hall, home to Khan's devolved administration, where the public will be able to pay their respects and sign a "digital book of hope". Khan said the commemoration was drawn up after consultation with 14 bereaved families, survivors, the emergency services and local councils. "Londoners will never forget the horrific terror attacks on our city in 2017," the mayor added in a statement. Stay updated on the go with The Daily Star Android & iOS News App. Click here to download it for your device.
Developments And Reaction Following The London Terror Attack10 pictures Union flags, also known as Union Jacks, fly at half-mast outside the Palace of Westminster and the Elizabeth Tower, commonly refereed to as Big Ben, in central London, U.K., on Thursday, March 23, 2017. Parliament will return to work...More Union flags, also known as Union Jacks, fly at half-mast outside the Palace of...Union flags, also known as Union Jacks, fly at half-mast outside the Palace of Westminster and the Elizabeth Tower, commonly refereed to as Big Ben, in central London, U.K., on Thursday, March 23, 2017. Parliament will return to work on Thursday after London's worst terror attack in more than a decade left five people dead, including the assailant and the police officer he stabbed. Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesLessMore An armed British police officer stands on duty at the Carriage Gates entrance inside the grounds of the Palace of Westminster in central London, U.K., on Friday, March 24, 2017. The terrorist behind the worst attack on London in more...More An armed British police officer stands on duty at the Carriage Gates entrance...An armed British police officer stands on duty at the Carriage Gates entrance inside the grounds of the Palace of Westminster in central London, U.K., on Friday, March 24, 2017. The terrorist behind the worst attack on London in more than a decade had a string of convictions for violence and was once investigated by British intelligence over concerns he was turning to extremism. Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesUKLessMore A British police officer stands on duty next to police trucks near Parliament Square in central London, U.K., on Friday, March 24, 2017. The terrorist behind the worst attack on London in more than a decade had a string of convictions...More A British police officer stands on duty next to police trucks near Parliament...A British police officer stands on duty next to police trucks near Parliament Square in central London, U.K., on Friday, March 24, 2017. The terrorist behind the worst attack on London in more than a decade had a string of convictions for violence and was once investigated by British intelligence over concerns he was turning to extremism. Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesLessMore A sign hangs on the Carriage Gates entrance to the Palace of Westminster in central London, U.K., on Friday, March 24, 2017. The terrorist behind the worst attack on London in more than a decade had a string of convictions for violence...More A sign hangs on the Carriage Gates entrance to the Palace of Westminster in central...A sign hangs on the Carriage Gates entrance to the Palace of Westminster in central London, U.K., on Friday, March 24, 2017. The terrorist behind the worst attack on London in more than a decade had a string of convictions for violence and was once investigated by British intelligence over concerns he was turning to extremism. Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesLessMore Pedestrians walk past the Carriage Gates entrance to the Palace of Westminster in central London, U.K., on Friday, March 24, 2017. The terrorist behind the worst attack on London in more than a decade had a string of convictions for...More Pedestrians walk past the Carriage Gates entrance to the Palace of Westminster in...Pedestrians walk past the Carriage Gates entrance to the Palace of Westminster in central London, U.K., on Friday, March 24, 2017. The terrorist behind the worst attack on London in more than a decade had a string of convictions for violence and was once investigated by British intelligence over concerns he was turning to extremism. Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesLessMore A sign hangs on the Carriage Gates entrance to the Palace of Westminster in central London, U.K., on Friday, March 24, 2017. The terrorist behind the worst attack on London in more than a decade had a string of convictions for violence...More A sign hangs on the Carriage Gates entrance to the Palace of Westminster in central...A sign hangs on the Carriage Gates entrance to the Palace of Westminster in central London, U.K., on Friday, March 24, 2017. The terrorist behind the worst attack on London in more than a decade had a string of convictions for violence and was once investigated by British intelligence over concerns he was turning to extremism. Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesLessMore A message sits on a bunch of flowers laid in tribute to the victims of the Westminster terror attack, at Trafalgar Square in central London, U.K., on Friday, March 24, 2017. The terrorist behind the worst attack on London in more than...More A message sits on a bunch of flowers laid in tribute to the victims of the...A message sits on a bunch of flowers laid in tribute to the victims of the Westminster terror attack, at Trafalgar Square in central London, U.K., on Friday, March 24, 2017. The terrorist behind the worst attack on London in more than a decade had a string of convictions for violence and was once investigated by British intelligence over concerns he was turning to extremism. Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesLessMore Flowers left in tribute to the victims of the terror attack stand next to a Union flag, also known as Union Jack, in central London, U.K., on Thursday, March 23, 2017. Parliament will return to work on Thursday after London's worst...More Flowers left in tribute to the victims of the terror attack stand next to a Union...Flowers left in tribute to the victims of the terror attack stand next to a Union flag, also known as Union Jack, in central London, U.K., on Thursday, March 23, 2017. Parliament will return to work on Thursday after London's worst terror attack in more than a decade left five people dead, including the assailant and the police officer he stabbed. Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesLessMore A single white rose stands in tribute next to a police cordon tape outside the Palace of Westminster following a terror attack in central London, U.K., on Thursday, March 23, 2017. Parliament will return to work on Thursday after...More A single white rose stands in tribute next to a police cordon tape outside the...A single white rose stands in tribute next to a police cordon tape outside the Palace of Westminster following a terror attack in central London, U.K., on Thursday, March 23, 2017. Parliament will return to work on Thursday after London's worst terror attack in more than a decade left five people dead, including the assailant and the police officer he stabbed. Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesLessMore A woman adjusts her wedding dress, worn for a photo-shoot in view of the Palace of Westminster and the Elizabeth Tower, commonly refereed to as Big Ben, in central London, U.K., on Thursday, March 23, 2017. Parliament will return to...More A woman adjusts her wedding dress, worn for a photo-shoot in view of the Palace of...A woman adjusts her wedding dress, worn for a photo-shoot in view of the Palace of Westminster and the Elizabeth Tower, commonly refereed to as Big Ben, in central London, U.K., on Thursday, March 23, 2017. Parliament will return to work on Thursday after London's worst terror attack in more than a decade left five people dead, including the assailant and the police officer he stabbed. Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesLessMore
PC Keith Palmer wouldn't have made a fuss about stopping a terrorist gaining access to the Houses of Parliament, his friend said as he was posthumously honoured for bravery. The unarmed Metropolitan Police officer was stabbed to death by Isis supporter Khalid Masood after he rammed his car into pedestrians in Westminster Bridge and ran towards parliament armed with knives. The 48-year-old was jointly awarded the national Police Bravery Award with another officer who fought the London Bridge attackers and was put in a coma by his injuries. Read more Receiving the accolade on PC Palmers behalf, PC Shaun Cartwright described his best friend as the perfect policeman. He wouldn't have made a fuss at all  doing his job, that was Keithits a dangerous job but everybody does the job and thats how Keith would have viewed it, he told officers and politicians gathered at an award ceremony in London. Its a shame that all the accolades that he gets now hes not here to receive them in person, because he truly deserves them. PC Palmer, who was married with a young daughter, has also been posthumously awarded the George Medal for gallantry and tens of thousands of people lined the route of his funeral procession. His colleague and best friend PC Cartwright told how he was getting changed ready to take over his guard post at the gates to the Houses of Parliament when the attack took place. He emerged to see PC Palmer gravely injured on the ground as police officers, security guards, politicians and paramedics worked to save his life. Police line London streets in memory of Pc Keith Palmer By confronting Masood, he had bought time for armed officers to shoot the terrorist, and both were pronounced dead at the scene. If there was somebody that was going to stand in the way it would have been Keith, he was that brave person that would stand his ground and he bought time for everybody else who was inside the building, PC Cartwright said. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said both PC Palmer and PC Charlie Guenigault, who survived the injuries he sustained during the London Bridge attack, had put their lives on the line to confront armed terrorists. We will never forget the terror brought to our shores in 2017 and the extraordinary acts by so many officers and so many other people, she added. PC Guenigault was on his way home from a drink with friends when the London Bridge attackers ploughed a van into pedestrians on London Bridge and started a knife rampage in Borough Market last June. Suddenly I heard a man saying Ive been stabbed, he recalled. I looked over and it was one, two, three of them in a row and I saw the knives in their handsI just went running over and barged into the entire group. PC Guenigault was stabbed and slashed in the back, head, face and eye, sustaining injuries that left him in a coma for three days and caused his spleen to be removed. London Bridge Terror Attack London Bridge Terror Attack 1/16 Armed police on Borough High Street as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge PA 2/16 Armed Police talk to members of the public outside London Bridge Hospital as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge PA 3/16 Police Officers outside the Barrowboy and Banker Public House on Borough High Street as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge PA 4/16 Armed Police talk to members of the public outside London Bridge Hospital as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge PA 5/16 Armed police on Borough High Street as police deal with a 'major incident' at London Bridge PA 6/16 Emergency services near the scene of the incident Screengrab 7/16 People run down Borough High Street as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge Reuters 8/16 Emergency services arrive at the scene near Borough market at London Bridge Carl Court/Getty Images 9/16 Emergency personnel on London Bridge as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge PA 10/16 Police sniffer dogs on London Bridge as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge PA 11/16 A second helicopter lands on London Bridge as police are responding to three incidents in the capital, amid reports that a vehicle collided with pedestrians on London Bridge, Scotland Yard said. Officers are dealing with reports of stabbings in Borough Market, where armed officers attended and shots were fired. They are also at an incident in the Vauxhall area PA 12/16 Police attend to an incident on London Bridge in London REUTERS 13/16 Police attend to an incident on London Bridge in London, Britain Reuters 14/16 A police officer escorts members of the public to safety at London Bridge Getty Images 15/16 Police attend to an incident on London Bridge in London, Britain REUTERS 16/16 Police attend to an incident near London Bridge in London, Britain Reuters 1/16 Armed police on Borough High Street as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge PA 2/16 Armed Police talk to members of the public outside London Bridge Hospital as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge PA 3/16 Police Officers outside the Barrowboy and Banker Public House on Borough High Street as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge PA 4/16 Armed Police talk to members of the public outside London Bridge Hospital as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge PA 5/16 Armed police on Borough High Street as police deal with a 'major incident' at London Bridge PA 6/16 Emergency services near the scene of the incident Screengrab 7/16 People run down Borough High Street as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge Reuters 8/16 Emergency services arrive at the scene near Borough market at London Bridge Carl Court/Getty Images 9/16 Emergency personnel on London Bridge as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge PA 10/16 Police sniffer dogs on London Bridge as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge PA 11/16 A second helicopter lands on London Bridge as police are responding to three incidents in the capital, amid reports that a vehicle collided with pedestrians on London Bridge, Scotland Yard said. Officers are dealing with reports of stabbings in Borough Market, where armed officers attended and shots were fired. They are also at an incident in the Vauxhall area PA 12/16 Police attend to an incident on London Bridge in London REUTERS 13/16 Police attend to an incident on London Bridge in London, Britain Reuters 14/16 A police officer escorts members of the public to safety at London Bridge Getty Images 15/16 Police attend to an incident on London Bridge in London, Britain REUTERS 16/16 Police attend to an incident near London Bridge in London, Britain Reuters But he worked his way back to health and ran the London Marathon earlier this year. PC Guenigault paid tribute to PC Palmer for making the ultimate sacrifice, adding: Its nice to be here and be recognised, but at the end of the day Im alive, I still get to see my friends and my family get to see me. To me thats the biggest thing. Wayne Marques, an unarmed British Transport Police officer, also fought the London Bridge attackers and sustained severe injuries. The chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, which hosted the awards, praised the officers as true heroes [who] ran towards a situation that most of us cant even imagine. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP Calum Macleod added: These awards are a chance to showcase the exceptional bravery that officers protecting our country show day in, day out. The heroic deeds we have heard about today did not happen by accident; they were borne of dedication, selflessness and an overwhelming commitment to keeping the public safe. Nominees attended a reception at Downing Street on Thursday and politicians including the home secretary, policing minister, shadow policing minister and chair of the Home Affairs Committee were at the awards evening. Sajid Javid, who quipped that he was still the home secretary as we speak, told audience members they were truly the best police service in the world. We are deeply indebted and immensely proud of the courageous policemen and women who regularly risk their own safety to protect the people of Britain, he said. The last couple of years have put the bravery of all police forces in England and Wales to the test and I would like to pay special tribute to PC Keith Palmer who paid the ultimate price defending our Parliament. The Police Bravery Awards celebrate the commitment, dedication and resilience of the entire police service  and all officers nominated stand as an example to us all. Police Bravery Awards nominees in the garden of 10 Downing Street on 12 July 2018 (Police Federation of England and Wales. ) The regional winners were: Northumbria: PCs Gary Sharpe and Victoria Threadgold confronted and disarmed a man waving a 4ft samurai sword at them and later a handgun. Midlands West Mercia: PC Kimberley Morris gave vital first aid to a stabbing victim, while keeping the suspected attacker talking and in view while back up arrived. Eastern Norfolk: A man came at lone officer PC Frances Peters with a sword in each hand. Using her Pava spray and personal safety skills she restrained and handcuffed him until other officers arrived. South East Thames Valley: Off duty officer Sergeant Mark Allmond and PC Alex Quigley followed and detained a man who had killed a stranger in Poundland. The man was walking the streets still clutching the knife and making threats when the officers intervened. South West Wiltshire: Inspector Ian Stevenson pulled a vulnerable woman off a railway track just as a train was approaching. The train missed them by a couple of feet in a scene his colleague described as like something out of a movie. Wales North Wales: PCs David Hall and Rhys Rushby were attacked by a wanted murder suspect with a claw hammer. The offender was biting and punching, screaming that he had a gun and was going to kill - before thrusting an unknown object underneath PC Rushbys throat. The object was a nine inch kitchen knife.
British Muslims raise over 12,000 for Westminster attack victims in less than 15 hours A Muslim-led campaign has raised over 12,000 in less than 24 hours for the families of the victims of the terrorist attack that took place in Westminster on the 22nd March. On Wednesday the world watched on in horror as an attacker used his car to ram civilians on Westminster bridge, before running to the Houses of Parliament and fatally stabbing an officer. In the aftermath, 4 people were left dead, including police officer Keith Palmer. Of course, while Muslim and non-Muslim Londoners alike watched on in horror, a voice in the back of all Muslim minds begged and prayed for the attacker to not be Muslim. These fears seem to have been realised, with ISIL claiming responsibility for the attack, and the attacker named as Khalid Masood earlier today. The fundraiser was launched by Muddassar Ahmed, a businessman who was trapped in a Westminster building during the attack. I felt frightened, terrorised and upset, and couldnt imagine what the victims and their families were feeling, he said. He told Middle East Eye that he had watched the incident unfold, and been trapped for four to five hours as police and emergency services responded to the incident. A statement on the fundraising page reads, While no amount of money will bring back lives lost or take away from the pain the victims and their families are going through, we hope to lessen their burden in some way. Naz Shah and Yasmin Qureshi, two members of Parliament, have backed the fundraiser. Looking after people is very much part of Islamic philosophy, to help your fellow citizens, said Shah to Middle East Eye. Although it wont bring anyone back, or heal the physical and mental injures, it will hopefully help those affected. 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Reactions to the September 11 attacks A museum panel showing headlines on September 12 in America and around the world. Most of the images on the headlines are images of United Airlines Flight 175 hitting the South Tower. Reactions to the September 11 attacks included condemnation from world leaders, other political and religious representatives and the international media, as well as numerous memorials and services all over the world. The attacks were widely condemned by the governments of the world, including those traditionally considered hostile to the United States, such as Cuba, Iran, Libya, and North Korea. However, in a few cases celebrations of the attacks were also reported,[not verified in body] and some groups and individuals accused the United States in effect of bringing the attacks on itself. Many countries introduced anti-terrorism legislation[1] and froze the bank accounts[2] of businesses and individuals they suspected of having connections with al-Qaeda and its leader Osama bin Laden, the accused perpetrators of the attacks. In the immediate aftermath of the attacks, the Bush administration declared a war on terrorism, with the stated goals of bringing Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda to justice and preventing the emergence of other terrorist networks. These goals were to be accomplished by means including economic and military sanctions against states perceived as harboring terrorists and increasing global surveillance and intelligence sharing. Within hours after the September 11 attacks, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld speculated on possible involvement by Saddam Hussein and ordered his aides to make plans for striking Iraq;[3] although unfounded, the association contributed to public acceptance for the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The second-biggest operation of the US Global War on Terrorism outside of the United States, and the largest directly connected to terrorism, was the overthrow of the Taliban rule from Afghanistan, by a US-led coalition. American Muslims utterly condemn the vicious and cowardly acts of terrorism against innocent civilians. We join with all Americans in calling for the swift apprehension and punishment of the perpetrators. No political cause could ever be assisted by such immoral acts. After the attacks many governments and organizations in the western world and several pro-U.S. allies expressed shock and sympathy, and were supportive of burgeoning efforts to combat terrorism. Among them: Brazil: Rio de Janeiro put up billboards that showed the city's famous Christ the Redeemer statue embracing the New York City Skyline.[16] Bulgaria: People gathered in town squares to light candles and pray.[15] Canada: Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrtien said of the attacks, "It is impossible to fully comprehend the evil that would have conjured up such a cowardly and depraved assault upon thousands of innocent people."[17]Transport Canada and Nav Canada activated emergency protocols and commenced Operation Yellow Ribbon in response to the first plane hitting the World Trade Center, allowing all commercial flights entering the U.S. to land at Canadian airports and remain there. Many of those flights were directed to Gander International Airport, where extra RCMP personnel was deployed. The foreign travelers were housed and fed in Gander following the attacks. Burma (Myanmar): Burmese government issued a letter to the United Nations on 30 November 2002 outlining its commitment to all counter terrorism efforts. The Burmese government stated its opposition to terrorism and declared government officials would not allow the country to be used as a safehaven or a location for the planning and execution of terrorist acts.[13] China: President Jiang Zemin said he was "shocked" and sent his condolences to President Bush, while the Foreign Ministry said China "opposed all manner" of terrorism.[13][18] In Beijing, tens of thousands of people visited the U.S. Embassy, leaving flowers, cards, funeral wreaths and hand-written notes of condolence on the sidewalk out front. Estonia: Estonian PresidentLennart Meri sent a letter of condolences to George W. Bush: Estonia has stood with the United States in the past and we stand with our American friends in this hour of tragedy, Meri wrote and added that "terrorism in all forms must be fought with every means possible, and that Estonia will support the United States in bringing those responsible for the attack to justice."[19] Finland: Buses and other public transportation came to a stop to pay tribute to the victims of the attacks.[15] France: The French newspaper of record, Le Monde, ran a front-page headline reading "Nous sommes tous Amricains" ("We are all Americans"). Following the attacks, then-French president Jacques Chirac released a statement: "It is with great emotion that France has learned of these monstrous attacksthere is no other wordthat have recently hit the United States of America. And in these appalling circumstances, the whole French peopleI want to say hereis beside the American people. France expresses its friendship and solidarity in this tragedy. Of course, I assure President George Bush of my total support. France, you know, has always condemned and unreservedly condemns terrorism, and considers that we must fight against terrorism by all means." Germany: Chancellor Gerhard Schrder described the attacks as "a declaration of war against the entire civilized world." Authorities urged Frankfurt, the country's financial capital, to close all its major skyscrapers. The new Jewish museum in Berlin canceled its public opening.[18] In Berlin 200,000 Germans marched to show their solidarity with America. Three days after the attacks, the crew of the German destroyer Ltjensmanned the rails as they approached the American destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill, displaying an American flag and a banner reading "We Stand By You".[20] Greece: Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis expressed his dismay of the attacks on the United States. quoting "Greece condemns, most categorically, these horrific acts. We hope that the culprits be located and brought to justice immediately." Many Greek citizens called the U.S. embassy to offer their support and express their outrage over the attacks. Security was also ramped up at American and other European embassies in Athens. Opposition candidate Kostas Karamanlis was in the United States at the time, attending the opening of a Greek Studies Department at Tufts University in Boston. Karamanlis also condemned the attacks.[citation needed] Greenland: People gathered in Nuuk, and other town squares to light candles and offer prayers.[15] Hungary: Firefighters tied black ribbons to their trucks in honor of the victims.[15] India: India declared high alert across most of its major cities and conveyed "deepest sympathies" to the U.S. and condemned the attacks.[21] Children in the country taped up signs that read, "This is an attack on all of us".[15] Italy: Race car drivers preparing for the Italian Grand Prix silenced their engines out of respect for the victims of the attacks.[15] Students and public workers observed a three minutes silence. Japan: Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said, "This outrageous and vicious act of violence against the United States is unforgivable." Special security precautions were ordered at all United States military installations.[18] Kenya: The Maasai people in a Kenyan village gave 14 cows to help and support the United States after the attacks.[22] North Korea: A spokesperson for the North Korean Foreign Ministry in Pyongyang was quoted by the state-run news agency KCNA as saying: "The very regretful and tragic incident reminds it once again of the gravity of terrorism. As a UN member, the DPRK is opposed to all forms of terrorism and whatever support to it... and this stance will remain unchanged."[23] South Korea: Immediately after the attacks, South Korean President Kim Dae-jung instructed all available ministries to assess the situation, and to ensure the safety of all South Korean citizens living in the affected regions.[24] He later offered his condolences, stating that he "would like to convey our most sincere condolences and sympathies to the people of America for their tremendous loss and the pain and the suffering that they suffer due to the terrorist attack." He also voiced his support for President Bush and the United States, and offered his full support and assistance.[25] South Korea also has strengthened its domestic legislation and institutions to combat financial support for terrorism, including the creation of a financial intelligence unit.[13] Laos: The government of Laos has stated it condemns all forms of terrorism and supports the global war on terrorism. Its national bank, the Bank of Laos, has issued orders to freeze terrorist assets and instructed banks to locate and seize such assets, though the country is still slow to ratify international conventions against terrorism.[13] Lithuania: Lithuanian PresidentValdas Adamkus during a visit to George W. Bush in Washington, D.C., expressed his sympathy with victims and deepest condolences to Bush and the American people. In a letter to President Bush, "The sympathies and solidarity of the Lithuanian people are with victims and their families. Lithuania strongly condemns international terrorism and hopes that the organizers of these attacks will be found and brought to justice. Mr. President, I want to assure you that Lithuania will continue to support the United States in fighting terrorists".[26] Mexico: The Mexican government increased its security, causing enormous traffic jams at the United States border and officials said they were considering closing the entire border. President Vicente Fox expressed "solidarity and our most profound condolences".[18] Mongolia: Permanent Representative of Mongolia Amb. J. Enkhsaikhan condemned the attacks, calling them "Barbaric" and "Heinous", and claimed: "The world community not only strongly condemned these barbaric acts and reiterated its determination to fight all manifestations of terrorism".[27] In 2003, New Zealand began administering a "Pacific Security Fund" to vulnerable nations in the Pacific region aiming at securing and preventing terrorism from entering the region, there is an annual fund of NZD$3 million that is paid by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) and is used to provide support to Pacific Island countries.[30] Philippines: Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo sent a letter to President Bush assuring the safety of U.S. facilities in the Philippines. She said that "nothing can describe the shock and horror of all humanity in the face of the unimaginable acts of terror inflicted on the United States." She added that the Filipino people extends condolences to all victims of the attacks. Arroyo also ordered the Philippine consulate in New York to search and confirm Filipino casualties of the attacks.[31] The Philippines has since offering medical assistance for coalition forces, blanket overflight clearance, and landing rights for US aircraft involved in Operation Enduring Freedom as well the Philippine Congress began passing the Anti-Money-laundering Act of 2001 on 29 September.[13] Poland: Firefighters and other professional rescue workers sounded their vehicle sirens, letting loose a collective wail one warm afternoon. Many Poles also expressed their sympathy by lighting hundreds of candles in front of the U.S. embassy in Warsaw.[15][32] Romania: Many churches and monasteries in Romania held a memorial prayer in honor of the victims.[15] Russia: Russian troops were put on alert in response to the attacks. President Vladimir Putin held an emergency meeting of security officials and said he supported a tough response to these "barbaric acts".[18] He also informed Condoleezza Rice by telephone that any and all pre-existing hostility between the two countries would be put aside while America dealt with the tragedy. In Moscow, women who spoke no English and had never been to America were captured on film sobbing in front of a makeshift tribute on a sidewalk. In addition, television and radio stations went silent to commemorate the dead.[15] Singapore: Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong condemned the attacks and pledge support to US-led anti terrorism operations.[33] Following the attacks, Singaporean government began to investigate a possible terrorist cell within its borders.[13] South Africa: South African president halted all broadcasts and was left in solitude for the rest of the day after offering financial support to the U.S. Sweden: Trams and buses in Sweden came to a halt out of respect for the victims.[15] Republic of China (Taiwan): The President of the Republic of ChinaChen Shui-bian said the ROC would "fully support the spirit and determination of the anti-terrorist campaign, as well as any effective, substantive measures that may be adopted" and announced that it would fully abide by the 12 United Nations counter terrorism conventions, even though it is a former member of the United Nations. The country strengthened laws on money laundering and criminal-case-procedure law shortly after the attacks. It also stated that Bush's proclamation that the U.S. would do "whatever it took to help Taiwan defend herself."[13][34] Thailand: Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra condemned the attacks and said his country would stand by the United States in the international coalition to combat terrorism. Thai government leaders also condemned the attacks and pledged cooperation on counter terrorism efforts between Thai and US agencies, committed to signing all the United Nations counter terrorism conventions.[35] Ukraine: Immediately declared solidarity with the United States, and offered moral, technical and military support to the extent of their infrastructure. The Ukrainian parliament passed three resolutions all in favor of assisting the United States following the attacks. Congressman Bob Schaffer expressed gratitude towards Ukraine and its stance on terrorism, saying "Ukraine's condemnation of international terrorism, its much-appreciated support in the war on terrorism, its tough newly enacted laws to combat terrorism, and its commitment to fight at the side of the United States and its allies for civil society and democracy demonstrates the role Ukraine and her people intend to play in the emerging democracy".[36] United Kingdom: British security forces in the country and across the world were placed on maximum alert. Prime Minister Tony Blair pledged that Britain would stand "full square alongside the U.S." in the battle against terrorism. Queen Elizabeth expressed "growing disbelief and total shock."[18] In London, Her Majesty the Queen personally authorised the U.S. national anthem to be played at the Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace and traffic on The Mall came to a halt during the tribute.[37] A Service of Remembrance was held at St. Paul's Cathedral attended by Her Majesty the Queen, His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, Prime Minister Tony Blair, senior government officials, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom William Farish, military representatives from both the United States and British armed forces and a congregation of thousands inside and outside the cathedral.[38] Vatican City: Pope John Paul II dedicated his weekly address to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square to discussing the events. Referring to the attacks as "an appalling offence against peace" and "a terrible assault against human dignity", he said, "I ask God to grant the American people the strength and courage they need at this time of sorrow and trial."[39] John Paul II also fell to his knees in prayer at a service in the Vatican. Vietnam: Vietnam's leaders sympathized with the United States and condemning terrorism in the days following the attacks but also condemned any US "overreaction retaliation" such as the US airstrikes on Kabul, Afghanistan while supporting a resolution to the Afghanistan situation under the auspices of the United Nations. The country together with its neighbors of Laos as well Burma has signing an agreement on combating international terrorism.[40] In 2008, John L. Esposito and Dalia Mogahed published the findings of a six-year effort to poll and interview tens of thousands of Muslims in more than 35 countries with Muslim majorities or substantial minorities about reactions to the September 11 attacks: 23.1 percent of respondents said the attacks were in some way justified, and 7 percent viewed them as "completely justified."[46] According to Pew Research, the majority of Muslims do not believe the official 9/11 story.[47][48] /Afghanistan: Taliban rulers condemned the attacks, but vehemently rejected suggestions that Osama bin Laden, who had been given asylum in Afghanistan, could be behind them.[49] Azerbaijan: Azerbaijanis gathered in town squares to light candles, pray and offered good wishes. Indonesia: President Megawati Sukarnoputri expressed public support for a global war on terrorism and promised to implement United Nations counter-terrorism resolutions; however, the Indonesian government opposed unilateral US military action in Afghanistan, and thus, took limited action in support of international anti-terrorism efforts.[13] In addition, many Indonesians gathered on beaches to pray for the victims of the attacks.[15] Iran: Iranian president Mohamed Khatami[50][51][52] and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei condemned and denounced the attacks and the terrorists who carried them out. Iranians who gathered for a soccer match in Tehran two days after the 9/11 attacks observed a moment of silence. There was also a candlelight vigil. Huge crowds attended candlelit vigils in Iran, and 60,000 spectators observed a minute's silence at Tehran's soccer stadium.[53][54] On Tuesday, September 25, in 2001, Iran's fifth president, Mohammad Khatami meeting British Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, said: "Iran fully understands the feelings of the Americans about the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington on September 11." He said although the American administrations had been at best indifferent about terrorist operations in Iran (since 1979), the Iranians instead felt differently and had expressed their sympathetic feelings with bereaved Americans in the tragic incidents in the two cities." He also stated that "Nations should not be punished in place of terrorists." [55] According to Radio Farda's website, in 2011, on the anniversary of the attacks, United States Department of State, published a post at its blog, in which the Department thanked Iranian people for their sympathy and stated that they would never forget Iranian people's kindness on those harsh days. This piece of news at Radio Farda's website also states that after the attacks' news was released, some Iranian citizens gathered in front of the Embassy of Switzerland in Tehran, which serves as the protecting power of the United States in Iran, to express their sympathy and some of them lit candles as a symbol of mourning.[56] Iraq: After first justifying the 9/11 attacks, Saddam Hussein, a few months later, offered his sympathy for the victims and Americans killed in the attacks. Malaysia: Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad immediately condemned the attacks and promised to fight terrorism within Malaysia.[57] Since the attacks, Malaysia together with its neighbor of Singapore began to cooperate with the United States through exchange of intelligence information and coordinating security measures against possible terrorist attacks and pledged full support for the US-led effort to combat terrorism.[13][33] Pakistan: Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf condemned the attacks. Some Islamic clerics in a few Paskistani mosques also condemned the attacks.[15] However, a 2004 Pew poll found that 65% of Pakistanis viewed Osama Bin Laden favorably.[59] A group of Palestinians were filmed celebrating in the street after hearing the local news reports of attacks on the World Trade Center and the deaths of thousands of Americans. Fox News reported that in Ein el-Hilweh, Lebanon's largest Palestinian refugee camp, revelers fired weapons in the air, with similar celebratory gunfire heard at the Rashidiyeh camp near the southern city of Tyre as well.[49]Yasser Arafat and nearly all the leaders of Palestinian National Authority (PNA) condemned the attacks and attempted to censure and discredit broadcasts and other Palestinian news reports justifying the attacks in America,[49] with many newspapers, magazines, websites and wire services running photographs of Palestinian public celebrations.[60][61] The PNA claimed such celebrations were not representative of the sentiments of the Palestinian people, and the Information Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo said the PNA would not allow "a few kids" to "smear the real face of the Palestinians". In an attempt to quash further reporting, Ahmed Abdel Rahman, Arafat's Cabinet secretary, said the Palestinian Authority could not "guarantee the life" of an Associated Press (AP) cameraman if footage he filmed of post-9/11 celebrations in Nablus was broadcast. Rahman's statement prompted a formal protest from the AP bureau chief, Dan Perry.[62] Palestinian Authority has muzzled coverage of Palestinian celebrations' (MIDDLE EAST NEWSLINE)'Israel to AP: Release film of Palestinian celebrations' (Jerusalem Post/The Associated Press)'Bin-Laden Poster Seen at Gaza Rally' (The Associated Press).</ref>[61] James Bennet reported in the New York Times that while "most" towns in the West Bank were quiet, some drivers in East Jerusalem were honking horns in celebration, he saw one man passing out celebratory candy.[63] Big crowds celebrated in Nablus of Palestinians, chanting Beloved bin Laden, strike Tel Aviv! while Palestinian Authority personnel prevented photographers from taking pictures.[63] Annette Krger Spitta of the ARD's (German public broadcasting) TV magazine Panorama states that footage not aired shows that the street surrounding the celebration in Jerusalem is quiet. Furthermore, she states that a man in a white T-shirt incited the children and gathered people together for the shot. The Panorama report, dated September 20, 2001, quotes Communications Professor Martin Lffelholz explaining that in the images one sees jubilant Palestinian children and several adults but there is no indication that their pleasure is related to the attack. The woman seen cheering (Nawal Abdel Fatah) stated afterwards that she was offered cake if she celebrated on camera, and was frightened when she saw the pictures on television afterward.[64][65] There was also rumour that the footage of some Palestinians celebrating the attacks was stock footage of Palestinian reactions to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990.[66] This rumour was proven false shortly afterwards,[67] and CNN issued a statement to that effect.[68] A poll conducted by the Fafo Foundation in the Palestinian Authority in 2005 found that 65% of respondents supported "Al Qaeda bombings in the USA and Europe".[69] European Union: European foreign ministers scheduled a rare emergency meeting the next day of the attacks to discuss a joint response, as officials expressed solidarity with the United States. The external relations commissioner, Chris Patten, called the attacks "the work of a madman."[18] NATO held an emergency meeting of the alliance's ambassadors in Brussels. The secretary general, Lord Robertson, promised the United States that it could rely on its allies in North America and Europe for assistance and support, and pledged that those responsible would not get away with it.[18] Renowned Muslim scholar Yusuf al-Qaradawi denounced the attacks and the unprovoked killings of thousands of American civilians as a "heinous crime" and urged Muslims to donate blood to the victims. He did, however, criticize the United States' "biased policy towards Israel" and also called on Muslims to "concentrate on facing the occupying enemy directly", inside the Palestinian territories.[71] The alleged Hezbollah "spiritual mentor" and Lebanese Shia cleric Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah condemned the attacks. Ahmed Yassin, the spiritual leader of Hamas, stated: "We are not ready to move our struggle outside the occupied Palestinian land. We are not prepared to open international fronts, however much we criticize the unfair American position." Yassin also stated: "No doubt this is a result of injustice the U.S practices against the weak in the world."[49][72] Polls taken several years later by Saudi-owned Al Arabiya and Gallup suggest some support for the September 11 attacks within the Islamic world, with 38% believing the attacks to be not justified, while 36% believing them to be justified when Saudis were polled in 2011.[75] Another 2008 study, produced by Gallup, found that 7% of the sample of Muslims polled believing the 9/11 attacks were "completely" justified.[76]
Popular Videos Counter-terror police are investigating after a car ploughed into cyclists and pedestrians and crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament today. Three people were injured before the driver of the silver Ford Fiesta then accelerated into barriers protecting Parliament shortly before 7.40am. Two people were taken to hospital and one was treated at the scene. A man was discharged from St Thomas before midday, and a woman was still receiving treatment for serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Horrifying video footage shows the moment the car swerved hitting the group of cyclists at up to 50mph before ploughing into barriers outside Parliament. Pictures on social media showed a man in a black puffer jacket being pulled out of the car at gunpoint and led away in handcuffs. Police said a man in his late twenties had been arrested on suspicion of terror offences. No weapons were found in the vehicle, they added. Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu, the head of UK counter-terrorism policing, said the suspect was refusing to co-operate and is not thought to have given officers his name. Police do not believe he was known to either MI5 or counter-terror officers, Mr Basu disclosed. After footage emerged appearing to show police vehicles behind the Fiesta, Mr Basu said: There was not a police car in pursuit of the vehicle. He added that no other suspects had been identified and there was no intelligence at this time of further danger to Londoners. An injured man lies on the ground after a car ploughed into cyclists outside Parliament (BBC News) Witnesses said the car was travelling at up to 50mph and appeared to intentionally swerve towards Parliament and smash into a security checkpoint barrier near the St Stephens entrance, used by visitors. A builder who saw the crash told the Evening Standard: There were 10 to 15 cyclists in their lane and he went through them. He kept driving on and smashed into the gates. There were about three or four cyclists left on the floor. There were people chasing after him and shouting for him to stop. It all happened so quick. The police were there so quickly with their guns running up the road. Barry Williams, who works for the BBC in Millbank, said two police officers dived out of the way as the car raced into the barriers. Within minutes of the incident, police threw a terror cordon around Westminster, closing the Underground station and roads around Parliament Square. Armed officers stood guard outside the Tube and bomb squad experts and sniffer dogs were brought in to examine the crashed car. Palace Gates, the main entrance to the House of Commons for traffic, was closed until further notice, as were entrances to the Lords and near St Stephens Gate. Officers in armoured vests were placed on sentry duty, while armed officers patrolled the estate. A man is held by police after a car crashed into pedestrians outside Parliament (Sky News) MPs are away for the summer recess but any parliamentary staff were told to work from home unless they had already arrived at Westminster. Those inside the estate were able to move freely. The incident comes 17 months after fanatic Khalid Masood, 52, mowed down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, before stabbing Pc Keith Palmer to death at the gates of Parliament. In total five people were killed and more than 50 injured. In the wake of the attack on March 22 last year, a network of steel and concrete security barriers was reinforced around Parliament. This morning a police spokesman said: At 7.37am, a silver Ford Fiesta collided with a number of cyclists and pedestrians, before crashing into barriers outside the Houses of Parliament. The driver of the car, a man in his late-20s, was arrested at the scene by armed officers. He has been taken to a south London police station where he remains in police custody. There was nobody else in the vehicle, which remains at the scene and is being searched. No weapons have been recovered at this stage. Forensics officers outside Parliament ( AFP/Getty Images) The spokesman added: At this stage, we are treating this as a terrorist incident and the Mets Counter Terrorism Command is now leading the investigation. Witnesses saw a woman cyclist lying flat on her back being treated by paramedics. Other cyclists were seen looking dazed and shocked amid bikes strewn across the road. Parliament Crash - In pictures Parliament Crash - In pictures 1/23 A Man detained (circled) by Police on Millbank, in central London, after a car crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament Sky News 2/23 Forensic officerS attend the scene near the Houses of Parliament, Westminster in central London, after a car crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament Alex Lentati 3/23 Police activity on Millbank, London after a car crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament 4/23 5/23 6/23 7/23 8/23 9/23 A forensic officer attends the scene near the Houses of Parliament, Westminster in central London, after a car crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament PA 10/23 BBC News 11/23 BBC News 12/23 PA 13/23 Reuters 14/23 Sky News 15/23 PA 16/23 PA 17/23 Police activity on Millbank, in central London, after a car crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament PA 18/23 Police on Westminster Bridge, central London, after a car crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament PA 19/23 Armed police stand in the street after a car crashed outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster REUTERS 20/23 Police activity on Millbank, in central London, after a car crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament PA 21/23 Police activity on Millbank, in central London, after a car crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament PA 22/23 Police forensics officers work at the scene outside the Houses of Parliament in central London AFP/Getty Images 23/23 Forensic officers by the car that crashed into security barriers outside Parliament PA One witness said: There were cyclists and bikes lying in the road with armed police rushing past shouting to get back. It was terrifying. Geoffrey Woodman, a strategy consultant from Battersea, had stopped at the traffic lights by Parliament Square on his cycle to work when the car swerved into cyclists and towards the security barriers. He said: I was getting off the bike and put my foot down, then there was a sound like tyres screeching. This car turned round to the left and swerved into the wrong lane of traffic and into the bank where all the cyclists wait. He said most people managed to jump off their bikes to safety but one woman who seemed in some distress was clipped by the bonnet of the car as it passed. It went through everyone and turned round, continuing down the next 50 metres before turning into the lay-by where taxis pick up politicians, smashing into the barrier. Moment man is led away by police after car smashes into Parliament in London Mr Woodman said paramedics from a passing ambulance, captured on camera passing behind the car, stopped to help the cyclists and armed police arrived on the scene within 10 seconds. They reacted really quickly and the area felt pretty secure. Id say their response was outstanding, he added. Eyewitness Ewalina Ochab said: I think it looked intentional: the car drove at speed and towards the barriers. I was walking on the other side of the road when I heard some noise and someone screamed. It was driving very fast close to the railings, maybe even on the pavement. She added that the vehicle did not appear to have a front registration plate when it crashed. A man is led away from the scene by police (Sky News) Businessman Jason Williams, 45, from Kennington, was walking to work when he saw the incident. He said: He had driven it at speed  more than 40 mph. There was smoke coming out of the car. I was told basically to move away, to run. I have run for my life. In response, Prime Minister Theresa May wrote on Twitter: My thoughts are with those injured in the incident in Westminster and my thanks to the emergency services for their immediate and courageous response. Mrs May was informed before 8am of the incident and made a series of phone calls to officials but is not expected to cut short her Swiss walking holiday. The Cobra emergency committee was meeting in Whitehall today to discuss the incident and decide if further action is needed to protect the public. Police at the scene of a suspected terror attack in Westminster on August 14 (REUTERS) Westminster Tube station remained closed this afternoon. British Transport Police said extra officers would be on patrol this afternoon and into the evening to reassure the public.
Top Searches: A policeman was stabbed and an assailant was shot in the vicinity of the Parliament building in London, United Kingdom (UK) on Wednesday, in what police are calling a terror-related incident. Agencies | Updated: Mar 22, 2017, 22:50 IST Highlights The UK Parliament is on lock down after shots were fired in the building's vicinity The assailant has reportedly been shot by police There are also reports of a vehicle ramming into several people on Westminster bridge, injuring at least a dozen Police on the scene after shots were fired outside the Parliament of the United Kindom (AP photo) Related Videos London: Multiple attacks near ... Video uploaded by eyewitness a... Man who stabbed cop tried to e... NEW DELHI: A policeman was stabbed + and an assailant was shot in the vicinity of the Parliament building in London, United Kingdom (UK) on Wednesday, in what police are calling a terror-related incident. An eyewitness told the Press Association he heard shots being fired and saw two people apparently injured on the ground. A Reuters photographer also reported seeing at least 12 injured people on Westminster Bridge near the Parliament, after a vehicle struck several people, and photos showed a car plowed into railings. A spokesperson for the government said Prime Minister Theresa May is safe after the attack. Parliament Square was closed to traffic and air ambulance medics have arrived to assist the casualties. Britain is on its second-highest level of "severe", meaning an attack by terrorists is considered highly likely. The incident took place on the first anniversary of attacks on Brussels in Belgium. 'Terror incident' near UK Parliament 110 'Terror incident' near UK Parliament Britain's Parliament was locked down on Wednesday after an attacker stabbed an officer and was then shot by police. There are also reports of a vehicle hitting pedestrians on nearby Westminster Bridge. Seen here, an air ambulance approaching the UK Parliament complex after the incident on Wednesday afternoon. (AFP photo) 'Terror incident' near UK Parliament London police said they were treating the attack as a "terrorist incident". A woman has died in the incident, which comes on the first anniversary of Brussels attack, and reports say many 'catastrophic' injuries are feared. Heavy police presence is seen around the UK Parliament complex after the incident which unfolded as a man tried to gain entry into the Parliament via the main entrance and stabbed a police officer. (AP photo) 'Terror incident' near UK Parliament Heavily armed security personnel move to neutralise the threat at Parliament complex in London after the police received an alert about a shooting there. British lawmaker Grant Shapps said on Twitter that he was walking through the cloisters of the House of Commons to vote when he heard four gunshots. Police told lawmakers to get down on the ground and crawl to cover. (AP photo) 'Terror incident' near UK Parliament The Metropolitan Police said in a statement that the incident is ongoing. It is urging people to stay away from the area. (AP photo) 'Terror incident' near UK Parliament In Parliament, witnesses reported hearing sounds like gunfire. Leader of the House of Commons David Lidington said an assailant at Parliament was shot and that there were reports of other violence nearby. (AP photo) 'Terror incident' near UK Parliament A woman assists an injured person after an incident on Westminster Bridge in London. On the bridge, witnesses said a vehicle struck several people, and photos showed a car plowed into railings. Former Polish foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski posted a video on Twitter that showed people lying injured on the bridge. (Reuters photo) 'Terror incident' near UK Parliament Sikorski, a senior fellow at Harvard Centre for European Studies, says he saw at least five people lying on the ground after being "mowed down" by a car. (Reuters photo) 'Terror incident' near UK Parliament People leave after being evacuated from the Houses of Parliament in central London during an emergency incident, which triggered a security alert. The threat level for international terrorism in the UK was listed at severe. The city was also on alert for the Thursday funeral of Martin McGuinness, former IRA commander. (AFP photo) 'Terror incident' near UK Parliament Police secure the area close to the Houses of Parliament in London after the attack on Wednesday. The scene unfolded within clear sight of the London Eye, a large ferris wheel with viewing pods with views of the capital. Footage showed the pods full as viewers watched police and medical crews on the bridge. (AP photo) 'Terror incident' near UK Parliament Armed police officers gather outside of the Houses of Parliament in London on Wednesday. A spokesperson for the government said Prime Minister Theresa May is safe after the attack. 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Israel sends message of solidarity with Britain following Westminster attack Israeli leaders have condemned yesterdays terror attack in Westminster, and sent messages of solidarity to all of those affected and the people of Britain. Four people were killed and at least 50 were injured yesterday after an attacker drove a vehicle into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge and crashed into the Palaces perimeter fence, before abandoning the vehicle and attempting to enter the building, fatally stabbing a policeman with a large knife. The named victims are PC Keith Palmer, aged 48, who was stabbed as he tried to stop the attacker in a courtyard outside the Houses of Parliament, Aysha Frade, a mother of two young children who worked at DLD College near Westminster Bridge, 75-year-old Leslie Rhodes from south London, and Kurt Cochran, aged 54, a tourist from the US of Utah. At least 50 people from 12 different countries were injured, of whom 31 needed hospital treatment. Two remain in a critical condition, and one person has life-threatening injuries. Last night, Tel Avivs City Hall was illuminated with the Union flag in tribute to the victims of the attack and in solidarity with the people of Britain. In a condolence call to Prime Minister Theresa May, Israels Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel stood shoulder-to-shoulder with citizens of Britain and the entire civilised world against radical Islamic terrorism. Israels President Reuven Rivlin said: Our thoughts are with the people of London. Terror is a threat to us all and we must stand united against it. Deputy Foreign Minister of Israel, Tzipi Hotovely, made a condolence call to the UKs Ambassador to Israel, H.E. David Quarrey, and said: Israel expresses its deep shock at the terror attack in London today and its solidarity with the victims, the people and the government of Great Britain. Terror is terror wherever it occurs and we will fight it relentlessly. Israels Minister of Public Security, Gilad Erdan, said in a message: My thoughts are with the people and police officers of London. We stand together in the fight against terrorWe unfortunately know what it means to face knife and vehicle terror. Our prayers for the speedy recovery of the wounded. The UK Embassy in Israel had its flag at half mast today in solidarity with the people of London. Today in Parliament, Prime Minister Theresa May underlined in a statement to the House of Commons: We are not afraid and our resolve will never waver in the face of terrorism. We meet here in the oldest of all parliaments because we know that democracy and the values that it entails will always prevail. Former Northern Ireland Secretary, Rt. Hon. Theresa Villiers MP, said in International Trade Questions this morning: Will the Secretary of State in his discussions with the Israeli Government on trade convey to them the sympathy and solidarity of this House with Israel because they have so often suffered the same kind of terrorist attack as we did in this House yesterday? International Trade Secretary, Rt. Hon. Liam Fox MP, responded stating: What we have in common with all terrorist attacks is that such acts of savagery against the innocent can never be justified or excused by creed or by politics.
Thursday, 23 March 2017 Westminster Redux: Antwerp Attack Attempted One Day after London Killing Spree. "O you who believe! Fight those of the unbelievers who are near to you & let them find in you hardness; & know that Allah is with those who guard (against evil)." So Allah the pathetic pagan rock idol tells his demented devotees, in verse 9:123 of his pitiful pile of piffle, the Koran. Notice that Allah provides no other criterion for attacking the unbeliever than mere geographic proximity, which is why Muslims engage in terrorism the minute they get here. It is why Khalid Masood murdered three people in Westminster yesterday, it is also why one 'Mohamed R' tried the same thing today in Antwerp, as reported by MailOnline (hat-tip to Anne Bayefsky @AnneBayefsky): French-Tunisian is arrested after trying to drive a car loaded with liquid gas, assault rifle and knives into shoppers in an attempted terrorist attack in Antwerp Belgian police confirmed more security personnel were being sent to the city The car, which had French plates, was driven at high speed trying to enter street Scene has been described as Antwerp's main pedestrianised shopping street Comes hours after three people were killed by an attacker shot dead in London A French-Tunisian has been arrested after trying to drive a car loaded with liquid gas, assault rifles and knives into a crowd of shoppers in Antwerp in an attempted terror attack. Belgian police, who confirmed the bomb squad had been sent to the area, said the car was being driven at high speed and that pedestrians had to jump out of the way to avoid being injured. Authorities found knives, a shotgun and a gas can with an unknown liquid in the car prompting officers who usually deal with extremist attacks to take over the case. It comes just hours after three people were killed in London by a terrorist who mowed down pedestrians and cyclists outside the House of Commons before stabbing a policeman to death. Belgian police arrested a man named as Mohamed R, 39, on Thursday after he tried to drive into a crowd at high-speed in a shopping area in the port city of Antwerp at around 11am. The suspect, who has not been confirmed as a Muslim but is named after the religion's prophet and is said to be of North African descent, was wearing camouflage when he was arrested. Belgian security forces found a rifle as well as bladed weapons in the car driven by the Frenchman who tried to ram a crowd in the main pedestrianised street in the port city, described by the French President Francois Hollande as an 'attempted terrorist attack'. The federal prosecutor's office also said bomb disposal units were sent to the scene to examine the vehicle. 'Different arms were found in the boot - bladed weapons, a riot gun (rifle) and a container of liquid that is still unidentified,' the federal prosecutor's office said in a statement. 'The suspect is Mohamed R, born on May 8, 1977, of French nationality and a resident of France,' the statement said. The driver sped off after Belgian soldiers, who have been deployed around the country to assist the counter-terrorism fight, tried to stop the car. 'A short while later, a rapid intervention force from Antwerp police was able to stop the car,' the statement said. It was not immediately clear if the car contained any explosives. The car was driven down the Meir street in Antwerp - the city's busiest pedestrianised streets. Shoppers had to dive out of the way of the speeding car to avoid serious injury. Belgian soldiers then forced the driver to stop, but he fled by running a red light as he made his way towards the Scheldt river. Less than a mile later, he was stopped by police officers and arrested. The gas liquid was found in a canister, and as a result the case was handed over to the federal prosecutor's office, which usually deals with terrorism cases in Belgium. The office said: 'Because of these elements, and the events in London yesterday, the case is being taken on by the federal prosecutor's office.' The events happened a day after the nation held remembrance services for the Brussels airport and subway attacks, which killed 32 people on March 22, 2016. He added the driver was later arrested and additional police and military personnel had been deployed to the centre of Antwerp, but did not give any further details. The suspect was said to be travelling in a car registered in France and that it was a red Citron. He tried and failed to knock people down in the busy shopping area and fled the scene towards the city's port where he was arrested, according to Le Soir. The man, who is said to be of North African origin, was detained on St Michielskaai in Antwerp which is less than a mile away from the Meir, according to VTM. French President Francois Hollande said on Thursday that a French national appeared to have been involved in a suspected, attempted attack in the Belgium city of Antwerp. He called the incident 'an attempted terrorist attack', according to CNN. 'It seemed to involve a French national, with possibly a certain number of weapons in his boot - it's up to the judges to make a statement on that - who was looking to kill or at the very least create a dramatic incident,' Hollande told reporters. 'Therefore we must continue to be on high alert and mobilise all our forces,' he added. Yesterday, on the first anniversary of an ISIS-inspired terror attack in Brussels that killed 32 people, there was terror on the streets of London. Two people died when an Islamist extremist drove a Hyundai 4x4 along the pavement and bus lane on Westminster Bridge, mowing down pedestrians and cyclists. Twenty-nine people were injured. After crashing the car into railings outside the House of Commons, the attacker ran to towards the iconic building and stabbed a policeman to death. He was shot dead by armed officers.
A number of amateur boxers were caught up in the Westminster terror attack on Wednesday after visiting the House of Commons ahead of the World Series of Boxing clash between the British Lionhearts and the Italia Thunder teams. Four people have been confirmed to have died following Wednesdays terror attack, during which a man drove through pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before crashing into the gates of the House of Commons. The man, who is among the fatalities, then stabbed a policeman before being shot by armed officers. The Metropolitan Police confirmed on Thursday morning that the attacker, policeman and two members of the public have died, with 29 people still in hospital, seven of which are in a critical condition. Seven arrests have been made after six police raids across London and Birmingham overnight, though the identity of the Westminster attacker is yet to be identified. A number of reporters at the scene on Wednesday reported a large number of people in gym wear, with the Press Associations Laura Harding noting the lobby of the Commons being dominated by boxers in tracksuits. The Italia Thunder team were visiting the House of Commons when the attack unfolded, along with members of the Hammersmith Boxing Academy. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP They took to Twitter to confirm they were safe from the attack, though British boxer Frazer Clarke was clearly shaken by the events that had unfolded. I can never unsee what I've just seen infront of my eyes at the House of Parliament in London ... God be with the police officer, Clarke wrote on Twitter. Currently inside the lobby at the Houses of Parliament terrible scenes ... God be with that police officer!! get me out of here ASAP. The Italia Thunder account added in Italian: Not a good start [to] the adventure in London. Although at the time of the incident some of the #ItaliaThunder boxers were not far away, we want to reassure you that all are well. Sebastian Coe, the IAAF president and a member of the House of Lords, and Jackie Brock-Doyle, IAAF communications director, were also visiting Westminster at the time of the attack, and were among several hundred people that were forced to wait inside the buildings before being evacuated once it was safe to do so.
British Army soldiers patrol along Whitehall near Downing Street and the Houses of Parliament in central London Another 5,000 Forces personnel are on standby, with Amber Rudd claiming they are ready to be called upon should counties across the country wish to have them man the streets in their communities. A Ministry of Defence spokeswoman said: "The decision has been taken in order to release the police who would otherwise be dealing with the road closures." At Heathrow yesterday everyone entering Terminal 5 was made to pass through new scanners that had been installed overnight. Extra armed police were on patrol there and throughout the rest of the airport. Police chiefs have yet to decide if soldiers will be on guard at Wembley for Saturdays FA Cup Final between Arsenal and Chelsea. Marine Police officers pictured leaving their base on the River Thames this morning Mrs May acted on the advice of the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre after chairing two meetings of the Cobra emergency committee. In a live address late on Tuesday, she said: "The change in the threat level means that there will be additional resources and support made available to the police as they work to keep us all safe. "As a result of [the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre's] decision the police have asked for authorisation from the Secretary of State for Defence to deploy a number of armed military personnel in support of their armed officers. "This request is part of a well-established plan known as Operation Temperer in which both the armed forces and the police officers involved are well-trained and well-prepared to work in this kind of environment. "The Secretary of State for Defence has approved this request and Operation Temperer is now in force. "This means that armed police officers responsible for duties such as guarding key sites will be replaced by members of the armed forces, which will allow the police to significantly increase the number of armed officers on patrol in key locations. "You might also see military personnel deployed at certain events such as concerts and sports matches, helping the police to keep the public safe. "In all circumstances, members of the armed forces who are deployed in this way will be under the command of police officers." CHILD ALERT HOLIDAY ATTACK Armed police keep guard near Victoria Station in Manchester this morning in the wake of the bombing on Monday night Armed cops are already patrolling cities across the UK following the attack at the Ariana Grande concert, with the public also urged to remain vigilant. In Edinburgh, armed cops are patrolling the streets close to Waverley Train station. They are also being scrambled to the Scottish Cup Final clash in Glasgow on Saturday in the wake of the terror attack. Officers carrying guns in Newcastle were seen patrolling shopping centres yesterday as Northumbria Police reassured the public they were not anticipating any specific threat. A spokesperson for the force said: The national threat level currently remains at severe and there is nothing to suggest there is any specific threat to our communities in Northumbria. Extra patrols will be on patrol, including armed officers, in high footfalls areas such as the city centres and around transport hubs as they have done since last year. Members of the public should not be concerned about the patrols, they are not in response to any specific threat but are there to reassure members of the public of the security measures we have in place to help protect them and keep them safe. Ms Dick, Britain's most senior police officer, said the extra armed and unarmed officers in London "are there to reassure". She said: This is an utterly appalling attack. My thoughts are with the people of Manchester as they try to come to terms with the horrific events that took place in their city. "Our colleagues from Greater Manchester Police and their emergency services showed huge bravery as they ran towards the confusion and danger. We are providing every possible support through the counter terrorism network as investigators work tirelessly to understand what has happened. Here in the Capital we put extra police officers on duty as Londoners started their journeys into work. This will continue for as long as it is needed, and the mix of armed and unarmed officers are there to reassure. Looking ahead to the weekend - a normal busy and vibrant weekend in our city - we are working with all those planning events to make sure we are doing all we can. Terrorists seek to spread fear and undermine our way of life. We must work together to stop that from happening. If you have suspicions, tell us; if you see something that concerns you, report it. Together we can protect London.
Westminster terror shooting: Four dead including a police officer Four people have died including a police officer and 20 others injured after a terrorist incident at the Houses of Parliament. The attacker was shot at least three times by police inside the parliamentary estate in Westminster after stabbing up to police officers, one of whom later died from his wounds. Three others have also died on Westminster Bridge and many more injured after being mown down by a 4x4 vehicle which sped across Westminster Bridge, mounting the pavement and hitting several people before ploughing into the gates of the Palace of Westminster. A man then jumped out the car with a large knife and stabbed a police officer before being shot. Police have said they are treating it as a terrorist incident until they know otherwise. Emergency services have secured the area after the Prime Minister, who was in a voting lobby when the incident was reported, was ushered away by a plains clothing police officer. The Prime Ministerial car was later seen driving quickly away from the Palace. Police are going through the Palace of Westminster floor by floor to ensure it is safe. Jonathon Reynolds, Labour's shadow treasury secretary and head of Christians on the Left, confirmed he was safe and told Christian Today: 'Whole area on lockdown. People in the offices, inside the Chamber.' He added: 'The situation on the bridge looks bad. Quite a few hurt.' The Church of England has called for people to pray for those affected. Kevin Schofield, reporter for Politics Home, said he saw a man approaching a police with a knife inside the grounds of the Palace of Westminser before there were 'several rounds of gunfire'. He told Sky News he heard a 'bang like a car crash' with reports suggesting a man ran through a security barrier with a knife in his hands. reutersSeveral people are injured after being mown down in separate incident on Westminster Bridge MPs and staff have been to remain in their offices in the Palace of Westminster. The House of Commons sitting has been suspended and MPs told to stay where they were. Cobra, a gathering of senior security officials including the Prime Minister, will meet tonight.
Our use of cookies Options Back We use cookies to help our site work, to understand how it is used, and to tailor the adverts presented on our site. By clicking Accept below, you agree to us doing so. You can read more in our cookie notice. Or, if you do not agree, you can click Manage below to access other choices. You can choose whether or not to accept advertising cookies from our advertising partner Google using the buttons below. If you choose not to, you will still see adverts on our site, because they help us to fund it, but those adverts will not be tailored to you. You can also choose not to accept session and analytics cookies through the settings in your browser, but some parts of our site might stop working as a result. You can also learn more in our cookie notice. Man arrested at gunpoint outside Parliament was Tasered by armed police as he reached for knife The incident, which took place near to where hero PC Keith Palmer was stabbed to death, was not declared a terrorist one but counter terror investigators will investigate as police say they are "open minded" to motive Share by Mikey Smith 11:18, 16 Jun 2017Updated13:44, 16 Jun 2017 Man detained by armed police outside Houses of Parliament Armed police today arrested a man at gunpoint outside Parliament and Tasered him after he reached for a knife. Officers ran towards Carriage Gates in response to shouts of "knife, knife, knife" outside shortly after 11.10am as the entrance to the Palace of Westminster was shut. A bearded man, wearing black trousers and a grey sweatshirt, was held against the fence with his arms behind his back by a police officer. Scotland Yard confirmed a man in his 30s was arrested on suspicion of possessing a knife. Cops were seen picking items up off the floor close to the man. In an updated statement, police said the incident was not declared a terrorist one but said counter terror detectives will investigate as they remain "open minded" to the motive. Police said the man was Tasered by officers as he reached for a knife. The incident happened just metres away from where PC Keith Palmer was killed in the Westminster terror attack in March. Members of the public and staff were asked to stay on the building side of New Palace Yard. Eyewitnesses told how the man was wrestled to the floor as armed police raced to the scene. The incident happened metres from where a terrorist attack took place in March(Image: Ben Hansen Hicks)The incident took in place in front of witnesses as some fled in fear(Image: Mikey Smith/ Mirror Online) Police arrest 'man with knife' at Palace of Westminster Aaron Simons, who was walking from Westminster Tube station to College Green at the time of the incident, told Mirror Online: "I had my headphones in and wasn't really concentrating but then heard shouting from the police and people starting running the other way. "I looked up at a man was being wrestled to the ground by a couple of policeman. "He was struggling on the ground and a load of armed police ran out and trained their guns on him. "They also then shut the gate immediately and one of the officers tasered him." Mr Simons said bystanders fled in fear while some tourists watched on in shock. The London Evening Standard's political reporter Joe Murphy tweeted: "There were shouts of "knife knife knife" and man was brought down with a Taser." Footage circulating on social media showed the man being led into a van by police. The man was lead into a police van(Image: Rex Features)The man has been taken into custody(Image: Mikey Smith/ Mirror Online) The incident is not thought to be terror related and no one was injured. A police spokesman said: "At 11:10am on Friday officers on routine duties near to the Carriage Gates entrance to the Palace of Westminster became aware of a man acting suspiciously. "The officers approached the man in order to speak with him. The man reached for a knife, and police discharged a Taser. "The man - aged in his 30s - was arrested for possession of a knife. Nobody was injured. "The arrested man has been taken to a central London police station, where he remains in custody. "At this time it is too early to understand the motivation so we have not declared this a terrorist incident. However given the location, the circumstances and recent tragic events, the MPS Counter Terrorism Command will be investigating this incident. "We remain open minded as to whether terrorism was a motive. "Once again we commend the actions of our armed and unarmed officers based in Westminster who are keeping the public safe."
It was about 2.40pm and a division bell was ringing, calling MPs to vote on a pensions bill, when shots were heard in the grounds of the Palace of Westminster, one of the most heavily guarded buildings in the world. Minutes earlier a black car had driven into pedestrians on a footpath on Westminster Bridge, before crashing into a railing outside parliament. Polands former foreign minister, Radek Sikorski, was in a taxi crossing the bridge as the vehicle crashed into the railing near Big Ben. I heard what I thought was just a collision. And then I looked through the window of the taxi and saw someone down, obviously in great distress. Then I saw a second person down . . . then I saw three more people down, one of them bleeding profusely, Sikorski told the BBC. Two people died and at least 20 were injured on Westminster Bridge. Among the injured were three police officers walking back from a commendation ceremony and three teenage secondary school students from Brittany. One woman who was hurled over the bridge into the river when the car drove into her was later rescued but was badly injured. Black clothes Moments after the car crashed to a halt, a thick-set man in black clothes rushed through the gates of parliament and attacked a policeman with a knife. As the policeman went down, another officer rushed to his aid, but he too was attacked. It was then that shots were heard and the assailant fell. Ulster Unionist MP Danny Kinahan was inside parliament and on his way to the Commons chamber when he was turned back. The bells had just gone for a vote and we, the MPs, were all heading down to the chamber to vote, to be told that there was a lockdown and proceedings were being suspended, and get back to your office, Kinahan told The Irish Times. And on the way back to the office, he added, we then could hear outside police shouts to someone to get down on the ground and lie down and sort of military organisation and police organisation going on. Outside, foreign office minister Tobias Ellwood attempted to give the fallen policeman mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and put pressure on his stab wounds in an effort to stem the loss of blood. Tony Davis, a coach for the British Lionhearts, a boxing team which was visiting Parliament, also attempted to help. The attacker has two knives and was stabbing the officer, one of Mr Daviss teammates said. Then shots rang out and the attacker fell to the floor. Tony jumped over a fence and ran to the police officer and tried to revive him. The officer started to fit, but Tony was still working on him. There were lots of officers around, but they were trying to revive both men. The police officer died, however, as did the assailant who had been shot. Parliament lockdown Inside parliament, those MPs who had already arrived in the chamber were told to remain there while proceedings were suspended. As the entire parliamentary complex went into immediate lockdown, Theresa May, who was at Westminster following her weekly prime ministers questions, was whisked away to 10 Downing Street. As details of the attacks spread around Westminster, Kinahan said that MPs and staff were quietly stunned by what had happened. We all know were in a fairly secure location and we probably assumed because it is the Houses of Parliament that it was always going to be a target, he said. But you just dont expect it to happen here. But those who witnessed things were I think also stunned. They were shocked. Within minutes of the attacks, fleets of ambulances and police vehicles were speeding towards Westminster, sirens screaming, as police threw a wide cordon around the area. Get out! Get under cover now! police officers roared as they rushed passers-by away from the scene. An air ambulance flew back and forth to Parliament Square, taking off with stretchers bearing the wounded to trauma centres at various London hospitals. Medical teams at St Thomass Hospital described some of the injuries suffered by the victims on Westminster Bridge as catastrophic. Photos or videos Meanwhile, police began their investigation, urging anyone with photos or videos of the incidents to send them to Scotland Yard. A wide area around Westminster remained closed off. Inside Parliament, police were searching every room and office in the building. Armed police officers were deployed around London after the attack, and the Metropolitan Police said enhanced security precautions would remain in operation in the coming days. At 7.30pm, almost four hours after the attack, the lockdown of parliament was lifted and those MPs who were in the chamber were allowed to leave. The Leader of the House, David Lidington, told them before they left that parliament would sit as usual on Thursday.
A review of security at the House of Commons is underway following the Westminster attack in March, which left four dead ( Getty ) A night-time terror attack simulation has revealed extensive security weaknesses at the Palace of Westminster, suggesting terrorists could break in and murder more than 100 MPs in under five minutes. The simulated attack was conducted earlier this year while Parliament was in recess, with police officers posing as terrorists using a boat to gain access to the building from the Thames. The mock-extremists then entered the building via a terrace, navigating its corridors and storming the Commons chamber within five minutes. According to The Sunday Telegraph, this would have led to a massacre of more than 100 MPs if the House had been sitting. Westminster attack  Who were the five people killed? The paper said three separate sources had given accounts of what had happened, with one saying it showed MPs were sitting ducks. Another said: I remember thinking Jesus Christ, if thats where we are at and that can happen, then the public would be horrified. A review of security at the House of Commons is underway following the Westminster attack in March, when a police officer guarding the palaces front gates was stabbed to death and four people killed after the attacker, Khalid Masood, drove a car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge. The former Chief Constable of Merseyside Police, who was asked to look into security in the wake of the attack, has reportedly recommended installing a physical barrier on the river to stop boats approaching, as well as an armed guard to protect entrances from the Thames. A stretch of perimeter fencing just over three feet high was also flagged as a security risk. According to the paper, more than 15,000 Parliament security passes are to be reissued from autumn, with new identification cards including a name and photograph on both sides as well as a distinctive hologram. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP A spokesman for the Houses of Parliament said: The security of members, staff and the visiting public is our highest priority. While we cannot comment on the specifics of our security, we work closely with the police, security services and others to ensure that our security measures are effective and meet whatever level of security risk Parliament faces. These measures are always, and will continue to be, under constant review. The Independent has launched its #FinalSay campaign to demand that voters are given a voice on the final Brexit deal.
A VITAL clue left at the scene of the explosion after the Ariana Grande concert helped British police identify Manchester suicide bomber Salman Abedi. NBC reports a US intelligence official, who allegedly has direct knowledge of the investigation, was identified by a bank card found in his pocket at the scene of the explosion. The identification was confirmed by facial recognition technology, NBC quoted the official as saying. It came as Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull condemned Abedis reprehensible actions as details were revealed about his secret jihadist training. Police believe Abedi killed 22 people  many children  and injured at least 119 when he detonated an explosive device at an Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena. Mr Turnbull paused the usual Question Time argy-bargy to condemn the vile and evil attack on children. This attack was designed to kill children. What could be more vile, more reprehensible, more criminal than this crime, Mr Turbull said. It was committed by a coward. And brave men and women, Australians and Britons alike, will not be cowered by terrorism wherever it occurs. We will not change our way of life and we will continue to fight together as the (British) Prime Minister and I reaffirmed last night, to defeat this scourge of terrorism in our homes and around the world. The 22-year-olds identity was revealed after teams of armed police swooped on his address in Fallowfield, Manchester, The Sun reports. It was also reported Abedi had secret jihadi training during family trips to Syria and spooks fear he was not acting alone when he carried out the atrocity that ISIS has claimed responsibility for. According to The Sun, Abedi was born and grew up in Britain but his family hail from Libya. He dropped out of a business and management degree at Salford University in 2014 and is thought to have visited Libya  also a haven for ISIS fighters  regularly in recent years. Sources said there were fears Abedi may have taken advantage of the conflict to make the simple journey across the Med to Syria without alerting the British authorities. media_cameraSaffie Rose Roussos, 8, was confirmed dead after becoming separated from her mother and sister at the concert. Picture: Adam J. Brown/Facebook One revealed: His potential ties to Syria now very much forms one line of inquiry. The front page of the UK newspaper has his face next to the attackers youngest victim to date, Saffie Roussos, who was eight-years-old. Investigators combed through material at his home, and forensic officer at the scene were seen holding a know your chemicals booklet. Manchester Police chief constable Ian Hopkins identified Abedi but said he has not been formally named by the coroner so I wouldnt want to say any more. media_cameraMalcolm Turnbull said the suicide bomber was a coward. Picture: AAP Eyewitnesses told how bomb disposal officers were seen entering his house before a controlled explosion took place. MI5 agents and anti-terror police are now racing against the clock to uncover Abedis links to any possible terror cell. Sources said their aim would be to establish if Abedi himself had built the deadly device  or if a bomb-making mastermind was behind the blast. Abedi was reportedly born in December 1995 in Manchester. He is believed to be of Libyan origin and has at least three siblings. Alan Kinsey, 52, who lives across the street from the raided house, filmed at least 20 heavily armed police in helmets and armor march down the street, surround the house and blast down the door before entering. He said he didnt see anyone but police leave the house. He said a man in his 20s, whose name he didnt know, lived there. In the past there had been other residents but for the last six months or more he had just seen the man. Though it is reported that he was heard chanting Islamic prayers loudly in the street in the weeks before the deadly terror blast. media_cameraA forensic police officer could be seen leaving the home of the alleged bomber with a know your chemicals booklet. Picture: Danny Lawson/PA via AP MAY RAISES TERROR THREAT TO CRITICAL British Prime Minister Theresa May has raised the UKs terror threat level from severe to critical, which means a further attack may be imminent. Ms May made the sombre announcement from Downing Street. It is a possibility that we cannot ignore that there is a wider group of individuals linked to this attack, she said. Raising the level to critical means that military personnel could be deployed to support armed police officers. Ms May said that the threat level was under constant review. The change in the threat level means there will be additional support available to the police as they work to keep us safe, she said. media_cameraBritish police patrol through Trafalgar Square in central London on May 23. Picture: AFP A source told The Sun: Attacks like this are mercifully rare because they require expertise  or a great deal of luck  to pull off. In this case the real fear is that Abedi was just the tip of a more sinister network. The focus will now be on his friends, family and other ties to see if there was a sprawling terrorist network behind him. At least two other addresses linked to Abedi were also raided with more arrests expected in the next 24 hours. Greater Manchester Police said they had executed a warrant and carried out a controlled explosion at Fallowfield in the south of the city on May 23, the day after a deadly attack at an Ariana Grande concert on May 22. This footage was described as showing a helicopter flying above Fallowfield during the operation. Credit: Twitter/jen_4268 via Storyful Malcolm Turnbull has spoken with Prime Minister May in the wake of the Manchester attack. We discussed the matter, this shocking attack last night, and I conveyed the heartfelt sympathies and prayers of Australians to the people of Britain and to the victims and to the families of the victims, Mr Turnbull told ABC radio this morning. Australians would stand shoulder to shoulder with the people of Britain in resolute solidarity, he said. We will not be cowered by terrorists, we will not be intimidated by them, we will not change our way of life and we will continue to fight together, united, to defeat them. A 23-year-old man was arrested earlier Tuesday in connection with the attack, while a house was raided in the Whalley Range area, also in south Manchester. Eyewitnesses described how the suspect was smiling as he was led away. Greater Manchester Police gave no further details about the arrest but said they had executed warrants in the districts of Whalley Range and Fallowfield, 5km south of the city centre, where a controlled explosion took place. The attack led to a large-scale investigation by the Manchester police, who asked for drivers with dashboard cameras to hand them any film they took late on Monday. Police sealed off an entrance to dozens of terraced houses in Fallowfield, where a witness said armed police surrounded a property. Police ... gained entry to the property using an explosive charge to take the door off, said Neville Edwards, an events safety adviser, 32, whose mothers house backs onto the property which was raided, told AAP. Within moments of that there were reports of a gentleman being whisked off. In Whalley Range in southern Manchester, witnesses said armed police had surrounded a newly-built apartment block on a usually quiet tree-lined street. Mussab Amari said he saw lots of police cars and vans. They just came in and surrounded everywhere, he told AAP. Everyone was armed. It came as mourners united against terror in Manchester this evening, with thousands taking to the streets to honour the victims of Mondays bombings. Locals, office workers, emergency service workers and students flooded into Albert Square in central Manchester to take a stand against terrorism and send messages of love and support to those hurt or killed at Manchester Arena in the UKs worst terror attack since 2005. The twilight vigil acknowledged the 22 who were killed and sent messages of support and strength to the 59 who were injured. This is an unbelievable turnout tonight, it shows they are the very few, we are the very many, said Sir Richard Leese, Leader of Manchester City Council. We are Manchester. We will pull through the events of last night. We will stand together. You cannot defeat us because in the end love is always stronger than hate. The crowd roared its support as Sir Richard finished his speech. Members of Greater Manchester Police as well as the Bishop of Manchester, David Walker, addressed the crowd. media_cameraA man hands out free bottles of water as members of the public gather at a vigil, to honour the victims of Monday evening's terror attack, at Albert Square. Picture: Getty Manchester City Council has organised a relief fund for those who would like to donate money to help those affected by the attack. A separate crowd-funding campaign set up by the Manchester Evening News has so far raised more than $641,000. ISLAMIC STATE CLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY Islamic State earlier claimed responsibility for a barbaric concert attack that killed 22 people  many of them children  at an Ariana Grande gig. US intelligence officials, however, were cautious on attributing the bombing to IS. IS warned of more severe attacks in Britain as they claimed responsibility for the Manchester massacre, reports The Sun. In a crowing English-language message boasting of the bloody attack, IS media wing said: What comes next will be more severe on the worshippers of the Cross and their allies. Writing in English, IS claim of responsibility described innocent children attending last nights Ariana Grande concert as crusaders and boasted of the sickening slaughter. It said: With Allahs grace a soldier of the Khilafah managed to place explosives in the midst of the gathering of the Crusaders in the British city of Manchester in revenge for Allahs religion. Claiming the massacre was in response to their [the Wests] transgressions against the lands of the Muslims, ISIS claimed an IED was placed inside the shameless concert area. MORE VICTIMS NAMED Eight people have so far been named as victims of the attack. Its been confirmed Olivia Campbell, 15, who became the face of the missing concertgoers, died in the attack. The teen became the subject of a massive social media campaign after she couldnt be contacted in the wake of the explosion. Alison Howe, 44, and Lisa Lees, 43, from Royton, didnt return after they went to pick up their children from the concert. Howes son, Jordan, later posted a tribute to her on social media: They took a caring beautiful mum and step mother away from us all she was amazing to us all x love you loads Alison Howe xx. Local government worker Kelly Brewster, 32, was also confirmed as one of the dead. Its understood she became separated from her sister at the concert. A friend posted a tribute, writing: Its with a sad broken heart I can say weve had news that Kelly is no longer with us. fly high beautiful you will be a bright shinning star. A fundraising page has been established for Liverpool victim Megan Hurley, 15, to raise funds for her family to hold a funeral for her, according to the Liverpool Echo. Helen McDermott, from Halewood just outside Liverpool, who set up the page said: Were raising 500 ($A866) to help fund a beautiful send off for Megan who was taken far too early due to the awful attacks at Manchester Arena on 22/05/2017. Lets help Megan Hurleys family as much as possible guys this is an awful time for the whole country but we can do our bit for our own!!! Eight-year-old Saffie Rose Roussos has been confirmed dead after becoming separated from her mother and sister at the concert. media_cameraSaffie Roussos, one of the victims of an attack at Manchester Arena. Picture: AP A teacher at her school, Chris Upton, told the Guardian: Saffie was simply a beautiful little girl in every aspect of the word. She was loved by everyone. The girls mother and sister are in hospital with non-life threatening injuries. While tributes have also poured in for beautiful soul, 26-year-old John Atkinson. Atkinson was remembered as an amazing young man as friends paid tribute to him on social media. Lee Paul posted on Facebook: Sleep tight John Atkinson. Thoughts and prayers with all your family and the other 21 people who lost there lives last night. media_cameraGeorgina Callander, 18, pictured with Ariana Grande, was one of the 22 people killed in the attack. Picture: Instagram Georgina Callender, 18, was earlier named as the first victim of the atrocity. According to The Sun, the teen was described as a girl who lit up the room. ROYAL FAMILY EXPRESSES SHOCK Queen Elizabeth II also released a statement condemning the attack. The whole nation has been shocked by the death and injury in Manchester last night of so many people, adults and children, who had just been enjoying a concert, she said. I know I speak for everyone in expressing my deepest sympathy to all who have been affected by this dreadful event and especially to the families and friends of those who have died or were injured. The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall echoed the sentiments of the Queens message expressing their most heartfelt sympathy for the families and friends of the victims of the truly dreadful Manchester terrorist attack. My wife and I were so profoundly shocked to learn of the truly dreadful event which took place in Manchester last night, Prince Charles said in his message of condolence. Photographs on social media taken from outside the venue looking in through the doors showed bodies lying on the floor on the foyer, while outside, dozens of ambulances transported bleeding and shocked victims to six hospitals across the Greater Manchester area. Some had suffered crush injuries in the stampede to escape. media_cameraHelpers attend to people inside the Manchester Arena after a bomb exploded in the foyer. Picture: PA Wire Parents unable to contact their children tweeted heartbreaking messages trying to find them, while police rushed dozens of terrified children and young people into a nearby hotel to protect them and try to reunite them with their families. media_cameraA map of where the terror attack at Manchester Arena occurred. Picture: Supplied A NOTE ABOUT RELEVANT ADVERTISING: We collect information about the content (including ads) you use across this site and use it to make both advertising and content more relevant to you on our network and other sites. This is also known as Online Behavioural Advertising. You can find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out here.
An exterior view shows the main entrance of St Bartholomew's Hospital, in London, one of the hospitals whose computer systems were affected by a cyberattack, Friday, May 12, 2017. A large cyberattack crippled computer systems at hospitals across England on Friday, with appointments canceled, phone lines down and patients turned away. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) FILE - This Friday Aug. 14, 2009 file photo shows a sign outside one of London's National Health Service hospitals. Several British hospitals say they are having major computer problems Hospitals in London, northwest England and other parts of the country are reporting problems with their computer systems as the result of an apparent cyberattack, Friday May 12, 2017. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File) This is screengrab taken from the website of the East and North Hertfordshire NHS trust as Britain's National Health Service is investigating "an issue with IT" Friday May 12, 2017. Several British hospitals say they are having major computer problems Hospitals in London, northwest England and other parts of the country are reporting problems with their computer systems as the result of an apparent cyberattack,.(PA via AP) Patrick Ward, 47, a sales director at Purbeck Ice Cream, from Dorset in England, poses for photographs after giving media interviews after his heart operation scheduled today was cancelled because of a cyberattack, outside St Bartholomew's Hospital in London, Friday, May 12, 2017. A large cyberattack crippled computer systems at hospitals across England on Friday, with appointments canceled, phone lines down and patients turned away. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) An exterior view shows the main entrance of St Bartholomew's Hospital, in London, one of the hospitals whose computer systems were affected by a cyberattack, Friday, May 12, 2017. A large cyberattack crippled computer systems at hospitals across England on Friday, with appointments canceled, phone lines down and patients turned away. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) An exterior view shows the main entrance of St Bartholomew's Hospital, in London, one of the hospitals whose computer systems were affected by a cyberattack, Friday, May 12, 2017. A large cyberattack crippled computer systems at hospitals across England on Friday, with appointments canceled, phone lines down and patients turned away. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) This image provided by the Twitter page of @fendifille shows a computer at Greater Preston CCG as Britain's National Health Service is investigating "an issue with IT" Friday May 12, 2017. Several British hospitals say they are having major computer problems Hospitals in London, northwest England and other parts of the country are reporting problems with their computer systems as the result of an apparent cyberattack. (@fendifille via AP) The Latest: FedEx confirms it hit by malware attack May. 13, 2017 NEW YORK (AP)  The Latest on reported a global cyberattack (all times local): 5:05 p.m. FedEx Corp. is confirming that it is suffering a malware attack. A statement from the delivery company Friday said its Windows-based systems were "experiencing interference" due to malware and that it was trying to fix the issue as quickly as possible. It gave no further details. Computer systems at companies and hospitals in dozens of countries were hit Friday, apparently part of a huge extortion plot. The so-called ransomware attack appears to exploit a weakness that was purportedly identified by the U.S. National Security Agency and leaked to the internet. It encrypts data on infected computers and demands payment before the information is unencrypted. ___ 9:30 p.m. France's government cybersecurity agency is urging French Internet users to take measures to protect themselves from a new ransomware detected in several other countries. An official with the ANSSI cybersecurity agency told The Associated Press that it has not detected any French targets of the new ransomware so far. The official was not authorized to be publicly named. ANSSI issued a warning message Friday night suggesting upgrades to security systems and measures to protect servers. It says any device using Windows is vulnerable to the ransomware. A cyberattack that is forcing computer owners to pay hundreds of dollars in ransom to unlock their files has hit almost every corner of the world. F-Secure on Friday says it's gotten reports from more than 60 countries. Mikko Hypponen, its chief research officer, calls it "the biggest ransomware outbreak in history." Security experts from Kaspersky Lab and Avast Software say Russia was the hardest hit, followed by Ukraine and Taiwan. Researchers believe a criminal organization is behind this, given its sophistication. Kurt Baumgartner, principal security researcher at Kaspersky, says the malware has translations in dozens of languages, such that instructions for paying the ransom are displayed in the language set for that computer. He and others say the malware takes advantage of an exploit purportedly identified by the National Security Agency. ___ 9:10 p.m. Russia's Interior Ministry says it has come under cyberattack. Agency spokeswoman Irina Volk says in a statement carried by Russian news agencies that Friday's cyberattacks hit about 1,000 computers. She said the ministry's servers haven't been affected. Volk added that ministry experts are now working to recover the system and do necessary security updates. Russian media also said that the Investigative Committee, the nation's top criminal investigation agency, also has been targeted. The committee denied the reports. Megafon, a top Russian mobile operator, also said it has come under cyberattacks that appeared similar to those that crippled U.K. hospitals on Friday. ___ 8:45 p.m. Security experts say a cyberattack that holds computer data for ransom grew out of vulnerabilities purportedly identified by the National Security Agency. Microsoft has released fixes for vulnerabilities and related tools disclosed by TheShadowBrokers, a mysterious group that has repeatedly published alleged NSA software code. But many companies and individuals haven't installed the fixes yet, or are using older versions of Windows that Microsoft no longer supports and didn't fix. Hospitals in the U.K. and telecommunications companies in Spain are among those hit by a "ransomware" attack that locked up computer data and demanded payment to free it. The attacks use a malware called Wanna Decryptor, also known as WannaCry. Chris Wysopal of the software security firm Veracode says criminal organizations are likely behind this, given how quickly the malware has spread. He says "for so many organizations in the same day to be hit, this is unprecedented." ___ 8:25 p.m. A spokesman for the European Union's police agency, Europol, says Britain and Spain have asked for its support as they investigate the ransomware cyberattacks in those countries. The spokesman, Jan Op Gen Oorth, declined to give further details Friday so as not to jeopardize the ongoing investigations. In a tweet, Europol Director Rob Wainwright said the cyberattack on British health care institutions "follows trend from US of ransomware attacks on health care trusts." ___ 8:20 p.m. Romania's intelligence service says it has intercepted an attempted cyberattack on a government institution which it said likely came from cybercriminal group APT28 also known as Fancy Bear. Cyberint, subordinated to the Romanian Intelligence Service, said Friday it thwarted a cyberattack to a government institution, without saying when it occurred, following notification from NATO and the Romanian foreign intelligence agency. The foreign ministry did not confirm whether it was the institution in question. The statement said "due to the efficient cooperation between the institutions, the attack was prevented as were damages, as the targets were identified as well as the methodology of the attack." The statement said there were thousands of cyberattacks daily "and Romania is no exception." ___ 8:15 p.m. A top Russian mobile operator says it has come under cyberattacks that appeared similar to those that have crippled some U.K. hospitals. Pyotr Lidov, a spokesman for Megafon, said Friday's attacks froze computers in company's offices across Russia. He said that mobile communications haven't been affected. Lidov said that the attack involved demands of payment of $300 worth to free up the system. He added that the company managed to restore the work of its call center but closed most of its offices for the day. Some Russian media also have reported cyberattacks on the Interior Ministry and the Investigative Committee. The committee, the nation's top investigative agency, has rejected the claim. ___ 7:15 p.m. British Prime Minister Theresa May says a cyberattack that has crippled some U.K. hospitals is part of a wider international attack. May says there is no evidence that patient data has been compromised. Hospitals across the country have been hit by a "ransomware" attack that froze computers, shutting wards, closing emergency rooms and bringing treatment to a halt. The infected computer screens demand payment for the data to be released. Similar widespread attacks have been reported in Spain and other countries. ___ 5:30 p.m. Spain has activated a special protocol to protect critical infrastructure in response to the "massive infection" of personal and corporate computers targeted in ransomware cyberattacks. The National Center for the Protection of Critical Infrastructure says Friday it was communicating with more than 100 providers of energy, transportation, telecommunications and financial services about the attack even if basic services had not suffered any disruption. The Ministry of Energy, Tourism and Digital Agenda says the attack Friday affected the Windows operating system of employees' computers in several companies. It said the attacks were carried out with a version of WannaCry ransomware that encrypted files and prompted a demand for money transfers to free up the system. Spain's Telefonica was among the companies hit. ___ 4:55 p.m. The Spanish government says several companies have been targeted in ransomware cyberattacks. The Industry Ministry says the attack affected the Windows operating system of employees' computers, blocking files and demanding a ransom to free up the system. It said the attacks had not affected the companies' services or data protection of their clients. Microsoft issued a security update on March 14 about vulnerabilities in the Windows system. There were no details on which companies were targeted or the origin of the attack. ___ 4:20 p.m. Britain's National Health Service says hospitals across the country have been hit by a "ransomware" cyberattack but there is no evidence that patient data has been accessed. NHS Digital, which oversees hospital cybersecurity, says the attack used the Wanna Decryptor variant of malware, which holds affected computers hostage while the attackers demand a ransom. NHS Digital says the attack "was not specifically targeted at the NHS and is affecting organizations from across a range of sectors." Hospitals across England have canceled appointments and turned away patients after suffering an apparent cyberattack. Hospitals in London, northwest England and other parts of the country reported problems with their computer systems Friday. They asked patients not to come to the hospitals unless it was an emergency. Pictures posted on social media showed screens of NHS computers with images demanding payment of $300 worth of the online currency Bitcoin, saying: "Ooops, your files have been encrypted!" NHS Merseyside, which operates several hospitals in northwest England, tweeted that "following a suspected national cyberattack, we are taking all precautionary measures possible to protect our local NHS systems and services." Bart's Health, which runs several London hospitals, said it had activated its major incident plan, cancelling routine appointments and diverting ambulances to neighboring hospitals.
Westminster knifeman found guilty of preparing terror attack A north London plumber, who spent years making bombs for the Taliban in Afghanistan, came within yards of launching a deadly knife attack on Downing Street. Khalid Ali, 28, is now facing life in prison after a jury at the Old Bailey found him guilty of planning an attack He has also been convicted of possessing explosives, after dozens of his fingerprints were found on bomb components recovered by US forces in Afghanistan. Image:Khalid Ali faces life in jail His trial at the Old Bailey heard how Ali, also a qualified gas-fitter, had been under surveillance by MI5 after returning from Afghanistan in late 2016 He had spent more than five years helping construct hundreds of bombs for the Taliban. Following his return to the UK, an intelligence database cross matched his fingerprints with 42 separate prints found on dozens of improvised explosive device components. As police and the security services began preparing a criminal case against Ali, he was being monitored by authorities, when it became clear he was about to launch an attack Image:Khalid Ali told officers he was sending a message to people in power Deputy assistant commissioner Dean Haydon, head of counter terror policing in the UK, said Ali was a highly dangerous individual. We were trying to understand what he was up to here and trying to get the evidence from international partners we could use in court, when we became pretty convinced that hed rearmed himself with knives, he said. His arrest in April last year came just a month after terrorist Khalid Masood killed pedestrians on Westminster bridge, before fatally stabbing PC Keith Palmer outside the Houses of Parliament. Image:Ali had been visited by officers the night before. Pic: Met Police Prosecutors believe Ali had been planning to target police, members of the military, or parliamentarians around Westminster The night before the planned attack, Alis mother had called the police to her home after she discovered a set of kitchen knives on his bedroom floor But Ali was not arrested and counter-terror officers were not informed about the incident at the time. Ali was asked to leave the house after his mother told officers she feared for her safety. The next morning, he bought a new set of knives in Ealing, west London, before heading towards the heart of the capital. Image:Ali was detained outside parliament Mr Haydon said: We were pretty convinced he was about to launch a deadly terrorist attack here in central London and so we intervened. The jury was shown a video of Alis arrest, captured on a bodycam carried by one of the armed officers. It showed armed police running up to the suspect at the junction of Parliament Square and Whitehall and pinning him to the ground. One of the officers said: You are under suspicion of being a terrorist, and then asked Ali, Whats your first name? Ali would not answer, so the officer continued: Do you have anything on you that may hurt anyone? Ali replied: Youll find out. Image:Officers found three knives on Ali when he was arrested. Pic: Met Police As they searched him on the ground, they found a total of three knives. Two 3.5-inch-long knives were recovered from his jacket pockets. Police then pulled an eight-inch Sabatier chefs knife from the waistband of Alis tracksuit bottoms. They also found a bundle of cash in another pocket. He claimed later that he was carrying the knives for his own protection and that he simply wanted to deliver a message to leading politicians. In a police interview he said the message was not for them but for those who are running the country, thats why I was in the Westminster area, adding it was for the leaders, those who are the decision-makers. The message, he claimed was the same, it always will be, leave their lands, leave the Muslims to do whatever they are doing. The Truth Must be Told Your contribution supports independent journalism Please take a moment to consider this. Now, more than ever, people are reading Geller Report for news they won't get anywhere else. But advertising revenues have all but disappeared. Google Adsense is the online advertising monopoly and they have banned us. Social media giants like Facebook and Twitter have blocked and shadow-banned our accounts. But we won't put up a paywall. Because never has the free world needed independent journalism more. Everyone who reads our reporting knows the Geller Report covers the news the media won't. We cannot do our ground-breaking report without your support. We must continue to report on the global jihad and the left's war on freedom. Our readers contributions make that possible. Geller Report's independent, investigative journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we believe our work is critical in the fight for freedom and because it is your fight, too. Books & Movies By Pamela Geller Today Islamic supremacists are demanding more accommodation of Islamic principles and practices than ever, and daily growing more aggressive in eroding our freedoms  with politically correct public officials only too happy..
All arrested in London terror attack case released: Police PTI | Updated: Apr 01, 2017, 07.23 PM IST 0Comments The inquest earlier this week heard that Masood died at the scene from a single gunshot wound to the chest after he was shot by police. LONDON: All those arrested in connection with the brazen terror attack outside the British Parliament have been released with no further action, the Scotland Yard said soon after a 30-year-old suspect was freed today. The last suspect in custody, arrested in Birmingham on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts, was released today. "Eleven other people were previously arrested and released with no further action," the Metropolitan Police (Met) said. Four victims who died as a result of the attack have been formally identified as Kurt Cochran, aged 54, Aysha Frade, aged 44, PC Keith Palmer, aged 48, and Leslie Rhodes, aged 75. The attacker, Khalid Masood, aged 52, has also been formally identified. "The inquests into the deaths of the victims of the Westminster terrorist attack opened and adjourned on March 29 under the authority of Senior Coroner for Westminster Fiona Wilcox. A provisional date for the pre-inquest review was set by the coroner as 19 May at the Royal Courts of Justice," the Met statement said. The inquest into the death of Masood also opened and adjourned on Thursday, under the authority of Wilcox. A provisional date for the pre-inquest review was also set by the coroner as 19 May, at the Royal Courts of Justice in London. The inquest earlier this week heard that Masood died at the scene from a single gunshot wound to the chest after he was shot by police. In total, his attack on Westminster Bridge and the Palace of Westminster, which houses the UK Parliament, lasted 82 seconds. Masood drove his rented SUV into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge on March 22 before crashing his car into railings and then running into the grounds of Parliament. Armed with a knife, he stabbed a police constable, before being shot dead by police. In the attack, five people were killed and 50 were injured. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack.
Westminster attack: Car ramming, stabbing and gunshots in Westminster Two people have died and a number of others are hurt, including some with "catastrophic" injuries. Westminster is on lockdown after a terror attack where a knifeman ploughed a car into pedestrians before stabbing a policeman outside the Houses of Parliament. Two people have died and a number of people have suffered "catastrophic" injuries after in the incident where a number of people were mowed down on Westminster Bridge by the attacker. Witnesses described hearing people screaming and seeing bodies scatter as the car is understood to have mounted the pavement just in front of the Houses of Parliament. Another witness said they had seen a person in the River Thames. The car then smashed into railings surrounding the Palace of Westminster, close to Big Ben in Parliament Square, where the attacker got out and stabbed a policeman. As he approached a second officer, he was shot by armed police. A video has emerged showing two officers pulling up outside the Houses of Parliament and then the sounds of three shots rings out. Parliament was immediately shut down and the Prime Minister bundled into a car as officers searched the building, evacuating floors one by one. Staff in other buildings around Westminster were being asked by police to stay into their officers and Parliament was suspended for the day. Sightseers on the London Eye were being held inside the viewing pods. Scotland Yard said the attack was being treated "as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise". An air ambulance landed in Parliament Square and medics were treating a number of people who had been injured in the incident. Pictures showed a number of people lying in the road on the bridge, another image showed a man lying bleeding at the foot of stairs next to the Parliament building. Witnesses described seeing an Asian guy in his 40 carrying a knife and running across the bridge and towards the Houses of Parliament. Alan Parry, of Sky Sports News, was at Westminster for a meeting when he heard "an almighty crash" just outside the underground station . He said he could see a vehicle on the other side of the road which had crashed into some railings. He said: "There was smoke coming this vehicle. I walked on a few paces further and saw what I assumed to be either a pedestrian or a cyclist who had clearly been hit and wasn't moving, although he did then gently move. "The guy who I assumed was the driver of this 4x4 got out of the car and suddenly sprinted away from the scene - that was followed by four of what sounded much like gunshots. "All of a sudden all hell was let loose. Police descended everywhere and the whole area was locked down." Jayne Wilkinson said: "We were taking photos of Big Ben and we saw all the people running towards us, and then there was an Asian guy in about his 40s carrying a knife about seven or eight inches long. "And then there were three shots fired, and then we crossed the road and looked over. The man was on the floor with blood. "He had a lightweight jacket on, dark trousers and a shirt. "He was running through those gates, towards Parliament, and the police were chasing him." Commons leader David Lidington confirmed a "police officer has been stabbed" and the "alleged assailant was shot by armed police" amid "further violent incidents" in the area. He told MPs in the House of Commons: "An air ambulance is currently attending the scene to remove the casualties. "There are also reports of further violent incidents in the vicinity of the Palace of Westminster but I hope colleagues on all sides will appreciate that it'd be wrong of me to go into further details until we have confirmation from the police and from the House security authorities about what is going on." Buckingham Palace declined to comment about its security arrangements but it was clear some precautions had been taken as the gates, patrolled by armed police, had been closed. MSPs have delayed a vote on a possible second independence referendum in light of the attack.
Westminster Terror Attack  Four dead including the Knife Attacker A suspected terrorist attack occurred today at outside the Palace of Westminster on Westminster Bridge, in Parliament Square in central London. A vehicle was driven into a crowd of people near the palace gates, and an attacker stabbed people, at least one of them being a police officer. Four people are confirmed to be dead including a armed police officer guarding the Palace of Westminster and Parliament square, a woman mowed down on Westminster Bridge, and a third victim, and the unknown knife attacker who was shot by armed police who quickly attended the scene. 20 people are confirmed injured from the bridge attack. Parliament; Westminster Hall, Portcullis House and both Norman Shaw South and North buildings are currently in lockdown with many MPs and their staff waiting for safety clearance. Parliamentary business is suspended until tomorrow. The attack happened at around 14:40 on 22 March 2017, a grey Hyundai on Westminster Bridge ran into approximately 10 individuals, before crashing into railings. Following that, a man wearing black clothes was seen stabbing a police officer with a knife in Old Palace Yard. After he was warned, two plainclothes police officers shot the individual three or four times. Response The Metropolitan Police counter-terrorism unit at New Scotland Yard have asked people to come forward with information and have closed most of the bridges in central London including Lambeth Bridge, Westminster Bridge, Tower Bridge. Shortly after the incident, additional armed police arrived. An air ambulance attended the scene and emergency services attempted to resuscitate the assailant. Injured members of the public were taken to St Thomas Hospital, which is located around 200 metres south of Westminster Bridge. Tobias Ellwood MP attempted to provide resuscitation and stem the bleeding of an injured police officer. After the incident, Parliament was suspended and MPs were locked into the Commons debating chamber as a precaution, and other Parliamentary staff were told to remain in their offices. All were later evacuated to Westminster Abbey. Prime Minister Theresa May was evacuated to 10 Downing Street. Westminster tube station was closed and buses diverted as a precaution. The River Thames was shut between Vauxhall Bridge and the Embankment immediately after the attack. The London Eye was placed in lock-down. The incidents are being treated by the Metropolitan Police as a terrorist attack and asked the public to avoid the area including Parliament Square, Whitehall, Westminster Bridge, Lambeth Bridge, Victoria Street up to the junction with Broadway and Victoria Embankment up to Embankment Tube station. Channel 4 news last night named a possible suspect however it was understood that the man they alleged carried out the attack is in prison. However its been announced that police now believe that attacker to be Khalid Masood (52) who is believed to have not been under surveillance by the security service.
A policeman points a gun at a man on the floor (top) while emergency services attend him and a police officer (bottom) outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman was stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament ( PA ) But British-born Masood wasn't known for looking to commit a terror attack. He wasn't the subject of any current investigations and police had no intelligence about his plan to commit such an attack, police said. His crimes were various but not related to terrorism: he has a range of different convictions for assaults, including for GBH, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences. His first conviction was in November 1983 for criminal damage and his last conviction was in December 2003 for possession of a knife, the police said. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP He had never been convicted of terror offences. Three people were killed when the knife-wielding attacker ploughed a car through pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, before storming the Parliamentary estate wielding a knife. He was shot dead. Before the attack, Masood worked as an English teacher, Sky reported. He was a Muslim convert and lived with his wife and at least one child, according to neighbours. Beyond those details, little has emerged about Masood as a person, beyond an interest in bodybuilding. The report that Masood lived in the West Midlands also matches up with the fact that the car used in the attack appears to have been rented from Enterprise's Spring Hill branch in Birmingham. The company said the car was identified by an employee after seeing the licence plate online. He had been living at a property in Birmingham's Winson Green neighbourhood until December, according to the Birmingham Mail. The paper reported that he had been living there with a woman and a young child. One neighbour said she was "very surprised" that Masood could commit such an act of violence. At a house being searched in the city, his former neighbour Iwona Romek, said she could not believe her eyes when she realised the man who had lived near her was the same person responsible for the attack. She said: "I am very surprised, I cannot believe it. "Because when I saw him, I couldn't even see that he could do something like this. Now I'm scared that someone like that was living close to me." She added: "I see pictures of him lying injured and from that picture I can see it's him. And my partner as well he has seen the picture, he is at work, and when I showed it him he said 'oh my God' it's him." Ms Romek said she had seen him with a child, aged between five and six years old, and a partner but that they had moved away around two to three months ago. Earlier, Ms May had said that the attacker had previously been investigated for suspected extremism by MI5. But those investigations do not appear to have led to any conviction, and she said that he was "not part of the current intelligence picture". Other residents, elsewhere in Birmingham, told how more than a dozen black-clad officers equipped with machine guns smashed their way in to the Birmingham flat, believed to be a rental property, at about 11pm on Wednesday. The Met have confirmed the raid was part of a wider operation in which several addresses were searched and eight arrests made. One witness who works in a shop near the second-floor Birmingham flat told the Press Association: "The man from London lived here." He added "They came and arrested three men." Stuart Bailey, who lives four doors down, was going for a drink with his friend when an armed officer shouted at him. The 25-year-old added: "There were a load of armed police in the street and on the pavement and I could see three or four in front of me. "They were all dressed in black and armed with what looked like MP5s (submachine guns) and one of them had six ammunition magazines strapped to his leg. I wasn't allowed back in my property for an hour." Masood's history is likely to lead to questions for the intelligence services, given they had been in contact with him before the attack. Defence secretary Michael Fallon told the BBC that Masood appeared to be a "lone wolf". He used "things from daily life, a vehicle, a knife" in the attack, making it "much more difficult to forestall", he said. Isis claimed that Masood was a "soldier of the Islamic State" when it claimed responsibility for the attack, but did not make reference to his name or any details. Authorities had initially kept the attacker's name secret while investigations were underway. Police asked that anyone with information about Masood contact the Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321.
Prosecutor Brian Altman QC said the 28-year-old defendant aimed to launch a deadly terror attack to strike at the very heart of this countrys democracy, by killing a police officer, a member of the military or even a parliamentarian. Read more Four months before his arrest, the FBI had matched his fingerprints to two caches of explosives recovered by Afghan forces in 2012, but police said they waited to arrest Ali until the most appropriate time. In an interview with officers, Ali said he wanted to deliver a message to British leaders telling them to leave Muslim lands, destroy the state of Israel and release prisoners of war. I would consider myself as a mujahid [Islamic warrior], he added. Jihad is what we do and I am here to let you know the reason why I have come with the message, for you to make the right decisions, if not we have a lot of time. UK is next on the list. Ali declared his loyalty to the Taliban and told how he made bombs and pressed the button more than 300 times in attacks targeting American and British soldiers spanning five years. Footage showed police finding three knives in Khalid Alis jacket and trousers after arresting him in Whitehall on 27 April last year (Metropolitan Police) He denied terror offences but when asked why he was carrying knives on the day of his arrest, Ali replied: I had the knives ready to kill, but only in self-defence. He did not react while being convicted of explosives offences committed abroad and preparing an act of terrorism in Britain, following three days of jury deliberations. Prosecutors said he used an anti-racist march through central London as cover to conduct reconnaissance in March 2017, even talking to police officers guarding Downing Street. The following month, he scouted out the MI6 building, Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament, where he photographed cameras, guards and potential access points. While working at a friends pizza shop in Ealing, he bought a set of five knives and took them back to his mothers house on 26 April last year. But Fadumo Haji Adam was already alarmed about her sons strange behaviour and called the police after finding the weapons on his bedroom floor. She said that she had found knives in her sons bedroom and that she was scared he was going to kill the family, Mr Altman told the court. Ali told officers who visited the house shortly after midnight that he had no idea why his mother had called them, taking the opportunity ask about how powerful their Tasers were before fleeing the house. Asked if she wanted him to be arrested, Ms Adam said: No, no, no. I just want him leave. Alis knives and rucksack could be seen on the ground after his arrest (Reuters) He rearmed himself at a shop in Ealing the following morning, bought a rucksack emblazoned with a British flag and prepared for his attack in a gym changing room. Ali stashed three new knives within easy reach in his jacket pockets and the waistband of his trousers as he journeyed towards central London. A phone Ali dumped in the Thames shortly before his arrest was found to contain Islamic songs that prosecutors said he listened to for inspiration while planning his attack. Police body camera footage showed officers spotting Ali, who had been under surveillance, walking down Whitehall and surrounding him within seconds as tourists ran. As he was forced to the ground at gunpoint, he was asked if the public were in danger but he told police he did not care. On whether there was a risk to anyone else, he allegedly replied: You lot are carrying weapons, so you must know you are in danger. His family told how he trained as a gas fitter and plumber at college and started working for his brothers business, but started to wear Islamic attire, grow a beard and frequently attend a mosque in early 2010. That year he joined the Road to Hope aid convoy to Gaza, where he was among British citizens kidnapped on a Greek ship before being freed. In 2011, he told his family he was moving to Birmingham for work as a pretence to travel to Afghanistan via Abu Dhabi, and did not speak to them for five and a half years. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP Police launched a missing person case that continued until Ali surfaced at the British consulate in Istanbul in 2016, claiming he had lost his passport and asking for emergency travel documents to return to the UK. Suspicious officials raised the alarm and Ali was arrested upon arrival at Heathrow, but he claimed he had been travelling and denied any affinity with extremism before being released. Fingerprints taken during the stop were matched to those recovered by American authorities on a cache of bomb components seized from the Taliban. Ali said he had originally left the UK because he was under pressure to marry and felt trapped as MI5 and counterterrorism police allegedly tried to recruit him. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Dean Haydon, of the Metropolitan Police, said: This case demonstrates how close the UK counterterrorism network works with partners and allies to bring to justice those seeking to harm others across the world. He is an incredibly dangerous individual who had returned from a terrorist training camp in Afghanistan with a determination to kill, we believe, police, the military or parliamentarians in the UK. Mr Haydon said there was a time lag between the FBI linking Ali to the Taliban bombs and his arrest because due legal process needed to be followed to collect the evidence from abroad. He defended the decision not to move in before Ali was armed and within metres of the Houses of Parliament, saying police and security services were managing any potential risk he posed and he was arrested at the most appropriate time. Scotland Yard says 16 attacks have been foiled since last March, including four right-wing extremist plots.
A police officer places flowers from a member of the public next to a photo of Keith Palmer, the police officer who was stabbed Wednesday as he guarded the Palace of Westminster. Prime Minister Theresa May said of Palmer, "He was every inch a hero." Jack Taylor / Getty Images Originally published on March 23, 2017 7:19 pm Updated at 5:30 p.m. ET The man who is believed to have carried out a deadly attack near the U.K. Parliament has been identified by Britain's Metropolitan Police as Khalid Masood, 52. Police believe the man acted alone. He was shot and killed after carrying out an attack that killed a police officer and three civilians and wounded several others around 2:40 p.m. local time Wednesday. (Two of the civilian victims died on Wednesday; the third was hospitalized after the attack and died Thursday.) Masood was born in Kent and is believed to have been living in the West Midlands. Police say he "was not the subject of any current investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack." "However, he was known to police and has a range of previous convictions for assaults, including [grievous bodily harm ], possession of offensive weapons and public order offences," Scotland Yard said Thursday. Masood, who used "a number of aliases," according to police, has a criminal record that dates to at least November 1983, when he was convicted of criminal damage. His last conviction was in December 2003 for possession of a knife, police say. "He has not been convicted for any terrorism offences," the agency says. Those killed include an American, Kurt Cochran of Utah, who was visiting London and was hit by the attacker's vehicle on Westminster Bridge. According to The Salt Lake Tribune, Cochran, 54, was on the final day of a wedding-anniversary trip with his wife, who was injured in the attack. "A great American, Kurt Cochran, was killed in the London terror attack," President Trump said in a tweet. "My prayers and condolences are with his family and friends." Two other civilian victims have died, the Metropolitan Police say: a woman in her 40s, and a man in his 70s who was taken off life support on Thursday. In a visit to the House of Commons Thursday morning, Prime Minister Theresa May said the suspect in the case was British-born and had previously been under the eye of security agencies. "Some years ago, he was once investigated by MI5 in relation to concerns about violent extremism. He was a peripheral figure; the case was historic; he was not part of the current intelligence picture," May said of the attacker. She added that investigations are continuing. "Our working assumption is that the attacker was inspired by Islamist ideology," the prime minister said. ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack, through a media outlet with ties to the extremist group. In a brief statement, it called the attacker an ISIS soldier  but the British government says a direct link with ISIS has not been confirmed. Calling it "an attack on free people everywhere," May said, "We are not afraid, and our resolve will never waver in the face of terrorism." In a counterterrorism operation launched after the attack, Britain's Metropolitan Police made eight arrests and searched six addresses in Birmingham and London. In London Thursday, extra officers  both armed and unarmed  are out on the streets, the Metropolitan Police says. The department observed a moment of silence this morning, and a public vigil is scheduled for 6 p.m. local time Thursday in Trafalgar Square. May also shared more details about the attack and those it harmed, saying it injured around 40 people. Of three police officers who were wounded, two remain hospitalized. The wounded are from around the world, May said. In addition to 12 Britons, there are four South Koreans, three French children, two Romanians and two Greeks, along with nationals of the U.S., Germany, Poland, Ireland, China, Italy and other nations. Speaking of slain police officer Keith Palmer, 48, a husband and father who had previously been in the military, May said, "He was every inch a hero, and his actions will never be forgotten." On Thursday, Queen Elizabeth said via a statement: "My thoughts, prayers, and deepest sympathy are with all those who have been affected by yesterday's awful violence. "I know I speak for everyone in expressing my enduring thanks and admiration for the members of the Metropolitan Police Service and all who work so selflessly to help and protect others." "Authorities say a small SUV barreled into pedestrians along the sidewalk of Westminster Bridge, causing multiple 'catastrophic injuries' to pedestrians. ... After striking the pedestrians on the bridge, the SUV then crashed into the fence that surrounds Parliament. A man armed with a knife emerged and stabbed a police officer before being shot to death by police."
This is the moment an armed police officer trains an assault rifle on the window of a suspect arrested in connection with the Westminster terror attack. The officer, wearing a balaclava and helmet, is seen in the back garden of a suburban house during a raid in Birmingham yesterday. The raid was one of a series carried out around the country by anti-terror police after Khalid Masood killed four and injured more than 50 in London on Wednesday. A total of 11 have been arrested as part of the inquiry but Scotland Yard said only four remain in custody - two men aged 27 and 58 who were arrested in Birmingham on Thursday and a 32-year-old woman and a 35-year-old man who were arrested in Manchester on Friday. All are being held on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. Six of those arrested have now been released from police custody and face no further action - two women aged 21 and 26 and four men aged 23, 26, 27 and 28 who were all arrested at addresses in Birmingham. One of the arrested was Masood's partner Rohey Hydara, 39, who lives at a property in east London's Olympic park. She has been released on bail until late March. A neighbour who took the pictures of the armed officer during the raid in Birmingham said: 'I went to my window and there three cops with guns running up to the back window. 'There was shouting and screaming for ages, I couldn't hear what they were saying but it was proper loud. It sounded like there were loads of people in there.' The neighbour added: 'They just stood there for like an hour or 45 minutes. I think they were making sure that no one was going to try and escape round the back or anything like that. 'I had no idea what the hell was going on and now people are saying it's something to do with the attack in London.' A number of local residents said they believe a man from Saudi Arabia lived at the house in the Winson Green area with his wife and children. Local resident Shekila Sahota, said a man, thought to be in his 40s or 50s, had lived at the address for about a year. She added: 'The man they led away was put in the van straight away and he had a big smirk on his face when they took him away.' The raid came ahead of the arrest of two more 'significant' suspects this morning as police try to find out whether terrorist killer Khalid Masood was aided by others. Two people, a man and a woman, were arrested in Greater Manchester in the early hours of this morning and another man, aged 27, was arrested in Birmingham. Police confirmed a 34-year-old man was arrested in a mews road in the affluent West Didsbury suburb of Manchester in the early hours of this morning. Residents who live close to the affluent gated community, where properties are believed to sell for up to 500,000, said a car had been towed from the area. The Met's top anti-terror officer Mark Rowley said police have searched 21 properties around the country, with five searches ongoing this morning, and seized 2,700 items including numerous computers. Masood, 52, killed 75-year-old Londoner Leslie Rhodes, US tourist Kurt Cochran, 54, and mother-of-two Aysha Frade, 43, as he ploughed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge. He then stabbed PC Keith Palmer, 48, to death inside the grounds of Parliament. Scotland Yard have also urged anyone who knew Masood or has any information about him to come forward. Asked about where the Muslim convert had been radicalised, Mr Rowley said: 'As I have said, our investigation focuses on understanding his motivation, preparation and associates. 'Whilst there is no evidence of further threats, you will understand our determination to find out if he either acted totally alone, inspired by terrorist propaganda; or, if others have encouraged, supported or directed him. 'To that end in our continuing investigation and ongoing covert activity we have made further significant arrests overnight - in the West Midlands and North West.' Mr Rowley said officers had spoken to around 3,500 witnesses - including 1,000 who were on Westminster Bridge and around 2,500 who were in Parliament. He added: 'We remain keen to hear from anyone who knew Khalid Masood well, understands who his associates were and can provide us with information about places he has recently visited. 'There might be people out there who did have concerns about Masood but did not feel comfortable for whatever reason in passing those concerns to us.' Asked whether Masood had travelled overseas, Mr Rowley said 'we are looking at his history'. Separately from the arrests in the Midlands and North West, police were last night searching a flat in east London which previously housed teams during the 2012 Olympic Games. It is believed the property was home to a Rohey Hydara, who is believed to have lived with Masood in at least three separate addresses. Last night, the Met said Masood's partner Hydara, 39, was released on bail pending further inquiries. She was arrested on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts. Officers could be seen rifling through rooms on the first floor flat, although curtains in most of the windows were drawn. Residents of the nine-storey block near to the Eurostar Stratford International Station said police had been in the building all day. Neighbours said they saw Masood at the apartment several weeks ago. Local resident Vera Amade, 21, said: 'My brother saw him a few times quite recently in the last few weeks. 'It was definitely him, the woman has two kids, one of the daughters has just had a baby. They all live in the same flat. 'She was quite polite, there was nothing bad to say about her. He was really nice and polite as well, he was very pleasant. 'I'm very shocked. We were watching it on TV last night and trying to figure out if it was definitely him and it is. 'He was always dressed in a suit, I don't know what he did for a living. He used to come back from work at about five or six.' Masood was registered to two addresses in Luton in 2010 and 2011 and was recorded as living in Forest Gate, east London, last year. Hydara was also registered as having lived at those three places. A neighbour said three children lived in the home in Forest Gate with their mother, aged between eight and 15. He said they later moved out to the Olympic Village. The man, who did not want to give his name, said: 'There was a family who lived here and then they moved out. 'They were there about five, six years. I only saw the kids and the mother. 'We saw the family there, we saw the ladies there but I never saw a man living there. I think he was clean shaven when I did see him last year. 'He was darker, seemed a bit plump. But he was cleanly shaven. I occasionally saw him, I just assumed he was working all day.' 0 comments. Leave a comment below.: Post a Comment Spam and abuse will not be published. You can use some HTML tags in your comments. SEARCH SUBSCRIBE FOLLOWERS MISSION STATEMENT It is our position that shariah law imposes second class status on women and is incompatible with the standards of liberal Western societies and the basic principles of human rights that include equality under the law and the protection of individual freedoms. The shariah code mandates the complete authority of men over women, including the control of their movement, education, marital options, clothing, bodies, place of residence and all other aspects of their existence. Further, it calls for the beating, punishment, and murder of women who dont comply with shariah requirements. In our efforts to stem the encroachment of shariah in the West, we are focusing on the following objectives: Education of the American public about the inherent human rights violations and the attempt to undermine or replace U.S. law and American statutes with Islamic shariah Alerting policy makers and legislators to potential human rights and equal rights violations and working toward the development of possible remedies and legal actions Building coalitions with like-minded organizations to develop policy initiatives and interventions for victims of shariah. IMPORTANT TERMS Shariah: an all-encompassing and in-transmutable system of Islamic jurisprudence, found in the Koran and the Sunnah, that covers all aspect of life, including daily routines, hygiene, familial roles and responsibilities, social order and conduct, directives on relationships with Muslims and non-Muslims, religious obligations, financial dealings and many other facets of living. Ird: the sexual purity of a woman that confers honor to her husband, family and community. Ird is based on the traditional standards of behavior set forth in the shariah code and includes subservience to male relatives, modest dress which could include veiling and the covering of the body, and restricted movement outside of the home. The loss of a womans ird confers shame upon her family and can result in ostracism by the community, economic damage, political consequences and the loss of self esteem. Zina: the Koranic word for sexual relations outside of marriage. Under shariah law, Zina is punished by lashings, imprisonment or stoning to death. FGM: female genital mutilation refers to the partial or complete removal of the female genitalia for religious and cultural reasons. It is practiced to preserve a females chastity and dampen her sexual desire. FGM is permitted in the Koran but required by the Shafii, one of the four schools of shariah law within Sunni Islam. Honor Killing: a murder, usually of a female, committed to restore the social and political standing of a family or community when it is believed that the victim has violated traditional behavioral expectations. Such violations can include improper covering of the body, appearing in public without a male relative chaperone, talking to an unrelated male, or exhibiting independence in thought and action. An honor killing can also be based on hearsay or gossip that is perceived as damaging to a womans relatives. Forced Marriage: a marriage that is conducted without the consent of one or both parties in which duress is a factor. Such duress can include violence or physical intimidation, psychological abuse, blackmailing, kidnapping, or threats of imprisonment or institutional confinement. SLAVERY IN ISLAM Islam permits the taking of slaves as booty or as a reward for waging jihad. Slavery became a Muslim tradition at the time that Mohammed moved to Medina and amassed sufficient power for the enslavement of non-Muslims. Slavery is an accepted part of Islamic society and is never viewed in a negative way in the Koran, Sira or Hadith. In fact, it is a God-given right for Muslims to have slaves. [6:7] Allah has given more of His gifts of material things to some rather than others. In the same manner, those who have more do not give an equal share to their slaves so that they would share equally. Would they then deny the favors of Allah. Although Islam has sustained slavery for 1400 years, a Muslim may never be enslaved. Only non-believers or kafirs may be enslaved and may be eligible for freedom upon conversion to Islam at the discretion of the slave owner. Slavery is viewed as a moral good in Islam as it transforms a kafir into a believer. Slaves have no means for legal action in Islam and their rights are based solely on the good will of their master. If a slave flees his master, this is view as a sin against Allah. Slaves have few civil or legal rights. The following are rules pertaining to slavery from the Shariah: 1) Muslim men may have sex with female slaves at any time and it is not possible to rape a slave. 2) Slaves have the same status as animals and it is permissible to whip them. 3) No Muslim can be put to death for murdering a slave. 4) A slaves testimony is inadmissible in court. 5) Slaves can be forced to marry whomever their master chooses and may not choose their marriage mate. 6) Christians and Jews who do not pay the jizya or protection tax can be enslaved. In his book, Christian Slaves, Muslim Masters, historian Robert Davis estimates that North African Muslims abducted and enslaved more than 1 million white Christian Europeans from the coastal towns from Sicily to Cornwall between 1530 and 1780. Muslim slavers also seized people from Britain, Ireland, Iceland and even American seaman on ships in the Atlantic. In a recent case of Muslim slavery in the United States, Sarah Khonaizan and her husband Homaidan Al-Turki were arrested for forced labor, sexual abuse and harboring an alien for enslaving an Indonesian housekeeper in their home in Colorado. The couple reportedly brought the housekeeper to Colorado from Saudi Arabia to care for their five children and to cook and clean for the family. The Indonesian woman slept on the basement floor, was paid less than $2 per day and was the victim of rape. Al-Turki and his defense attorney complained that they were being persecuted for their beliefs and stated, "The state has criminalized these basic Muslim behaviors. Attacking traditional Muslim behaviors was the focal point of the prosecution." Al-Turki received letters of support from the local Muslim community and from his academic colleagues at the University of Colorado. This case continues to arouse strong feelings in Saudi Arabia where there is great sympathy and support for Al-Turki. On March 26, 2008, a high level Saudi official brought up the case in a meeting with Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff. He urged Americans to review the case and mentioned the strong support for Al-Turki in Saudi Arabia. RELIGION OF PEACE IMPORTANT NOTE Click on the title of each story in order to go to the original news story. Women Against Shariah does not claim copyright on any of the stories. This site should be considered a repository of news stories relating to Islamic matters. We aim to put all relevant news on this site so our viewers can locate these important stories in one place. Thank you. ABOUT US The mission of Women Against Shariah is to prevent and outlaw the imposition of shariah law in the United States for both Muslim and American women as either a parallel legal system or a replacement for existing laws. Additionally, we hope to empower women worldwide to resist shariah.
Witnessing the London attack "I heard a thud, turned round and there was a man lying about 10 yards away from me," Reuters photographer Toby Melville recalls, describing the moment a man fell from London's Westminster Bridge to the pavement below during Wednesday's attack. It had been a quiet afternoon in central London and Melville was taking pictures around parliament for stories about Britain's exit from the European Union. 22 Mar 2017. London, United Kingdom. Reuters/Toby Melville Melville was standing below the bridge on the south bank of the River Thames opposite the Houses of Parliament at around 2:30 p.m. when the man landed near him. "There was a lot of blood coming from his head. I thought this must be a domestic or horrible accident," Melville said. "The noisiest part I can remember is the initial thud which I'm sure was the shock in my mind of hearing the bloke landing behind me. It was relatively quiet, in my mind anyway," he said. 22 Mar 2017. London, United Kingdom. Reuters/Toby Melville Melville immediately phoned the emergency services and decided to go to nearby St Thomas's Hospital to alert doctors about the injured man. He climbed the steps to reach the bridge above, and that's when he saw other injured women lying on the pavement. 22 Mar 2017. London, United Kingdom. Reuters/Toby Melville Story "At which point I thought this looks like it's more than someone's fallen over the wall," he said. Other bystanders were already rushing to help the victims. At the top of the bridge he began taking pictures. British police say four people were killed, including the attacker, and around 40 injured on Wednesday. A car hit pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, and an attacker stabbed a policeman close to parliament and was shot. "Of a dozen or so people, some of them seemed to be conscious. I didn't know there had been a vehicle involved at the time, someone said 'bus', someone said 'car' someone said 'shooting'," he said. "It was just surreal and it was a fairly quick computation that this was a serious incident and a lot of people injured." Writing by Michael Holden 1 / 7 Slideshow 22 Mar 2017. London, United Kingdom. Reuters/Toby Melville A man lies injured after an incident on Westminster Bridge. 22 Mar 2017. London, United Kingdom. Reuters/Toby Melville A woman assists an injured person after an incident on Westminster Bridge. 22 Mar 2017. London, United Kingdom. Reuters/Toby Melville Injured people are assisted after an incident on Westminster Bridge. 22 Mar 2017. London, United Kingdom. Reuters/Toby Melville Injured people are assisted after an incident on Westminster Bridge. 22 Mar 2017. London, United Kingdom. Reuters/Toby Melville A woman ducks under a police tape after an incident on Westminster Bridge. 22 Mar 2017. London, United Kingdom. Reuters/Toby Melville Paramedics treat an inured person after an incident on Westminster Bridge. 22 Mar 2017. London, United Kingdom. Reuters/Toby Melville An armed police officer runs across the road during an incident on Westminster Bridge.
Westminster attack suspect is identified as a British citizen Salih Khater (29) remains in custody on suspicion of preparing an act of terror A man was arrested after appearing to drive into cyclists before crashing outside UK parliament. The man, in his 20s, injured three people as he drove through a group of cyclists and pedestrians before hitting a barrier. Video: BBC Salih Khater, believed to be the suspect in the Westminster crash. Photograph: Facebook Forensic officers by the car that crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, London, on Tuesday. Photograph: Victoria Jones/PA Wire Police are continuing to question a man over a suspected terrorist attack in Westminster, London, after the investigation went nationwide with raids on addresses in Nottingham and Birmingham. The 29-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of preparing an act of terrorism after a silver Ford Fiesta was driven into cyclists travelling around Parliament Square on Tuesday morning. He is understood to be Salih Khater, a British national who lives in the Sparkbrook area of Birmingham and is of Sudanese origin. On Wednesday police said he had been further arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. Counter-terrorism officers have also been granted a warrant to detain him until Monday. A spokesman for Coventry University confirmed Khater had studied accountancy there from September 2017 to May this year. He said: Salih Khater studied accountancy at Coventry University between September 2017 and May 2018. As of May 2018 he is no longer enrolled at the university. Khater told members of the Sudanese community he was travelling to London to obtain a visa to visit his homeland, officials at a Birmingham mosque said. Scotland Yard said the suspect, who has not been officially named, was not known to the security services and was not co-operating with investigating officers, but owing to the crash appearing to be deliberate and the location it was being treated as a suspected terrorist attack. He has not been charged. The car travelled to London from Birmingham on Monday night and spent the time between about 1.25am and 5.55am in the Tottenham Court Road area, before moving to Westminster and Whitehall at about 6am. It remained there before the incident an hour and 40 minutes later, police said. Two Birmingham addresses in the Sparkhill area were searched on Tuesday in connection with the incident. Police said on Wednesday that a third address in Birmingham was being searched. On Wednesday morning, two plainclothes policemen officers were at the Bunna internet cafe on Stratford Road in Sparkhill. Neighbours said the police arrived on Tuesday afternoon to search the flat upstairs, where Khater is thought to have lived. A man working in the cafe said he had moved out four months ago. Very quiet Ahmed Abdi (43), sitting at the internet cafe next door, said Khater would smoke shisha at the Bunna internet cafe every day. He was very quiet  always smoking shisha and looking at his phone, he said. He said Khater drove a small, old white car. Michael Hagos (35) was drinking coffee outside the Bunna cafe. He said he often saw Khater there though he didnt really know him. I think it was an accident, he said. People around here think it was an accident. The Nottingham Post reported that the car involved in the incident was registered to an address in Nottingham. The current owner of the vehicle bought it on June 20th this year. Nottinghamshire police said they were supporting counter-terrorism officers as they searched a residential property in the Radford area of the city. The address is thought to be a flat on Peveril Street. Neighbours said it was home to six Sudanese people. Both Cressida Dick, the Metropolitan police commissioner, and Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, suggested that Parliament Square could be pedestrianised, at least in part, to prevent similar attacks in future. Speaking ahead of unrelated dawn raids in southeast London, Ms Dick said: You will notice that the security around parliament both in terms of armed officers and police officers and physical barriers has been further enhanced over the last several months and there is more to come on that in further months. Whether that area outside should be pedestrianised further, there should be further physical works done, I think is a matter that will be discussed no doubt between parliamentary authorities, us, the intelligence agencies and indeed the local authorities and the mayor. She added: Sadly the vehicle appears to, in some ways when you look across Europe and the western world, have become a weapon of choice, method of attack of choice for terrorists, and devastation can be caused by a vehicle, as weve seen so many times. Hostile vehicles Mr Khan told the Today programme on BBC Radio 4 that countermeasures against hostile vehicles could be built unobstrusively into the urban environment. He said he was in favour of a part-pedestrianisation of Parliament Square, immediately outside the gates of parliament. I have been an advocate for some time now of part-pedestrianising Parliament Square, but making sure we dont lose the wonderful thing about our democracy, which is people having access to parliamentarians, people being able to lobby parliament [and] visitors being able to visit parliament, he said. Despite the calls for further fortifications, Mark Rowley, former assistant commissioner for specialist operations at the Met, who also appeared on Today, said that security arrangements had mitigated the effects of Tuesdays incident. This person was driving around for some time, Mr Rowley said. He didnt find a weak spot and ends up doing a fairly chaotic attack which fortunately only resulted in injuries, not in death. The physical protection around parliament worked very well and the police response was brilliant, quick and massively careful, given the risk that they were rushing into. Kirsty Moseley (31), one of the closest witnesses to the attack, told the Guardian the driver did not shout or say anything as the car collided with as many as 15 cyclists, and he appeared focused. CCTV footage showed the car swerving across a central reservation near Parliament Square and then accelerating down St Margaret Street before crashing into barriers. Pedestrians were seen leaping out of its path. Two men and one woman were injured in the crash. One was treated at the scene and two were taken to hospital and eventually discharged.  Guardian
Popular Videos Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism. We stand together in the face of those who seek to harm us and destroy our way of life. We always have, and we always will. What we saw yesterday  striking at the heart of London and the heart of our democracy  was a cowardly and indiscriminate attack on innocent people going about their daily lives. It took no account of age, gender, sexuality, nationality or religion. My thoughts today  and those of millions of people around the world  are with everyone affected by this tragedy. My heart goes out to the families who have lost loved ones and those who have suffered life-changing injuries. This was not only an attack on our city and our country but on the values we cherish most: democracy, freedom, justice and tolerance. These are the same values that those who attack us hate so much. And the best way we can honour those who have tragically lost their lives is to ensure that we always uphold and cherish these values. On behalf of all Londoners I want to express my deepest gratitude to the police and emergency services for the way they have responded over the past 24 hours. They work incredibly hard, around the clock, to keep us safe and have once again shown tremendous bravery in the face of adversity. While our emergency services regularly and meticulously prepare in case of attacks, we all hope theyll never have to put in to action what theyve practised. Yesterday they did  and in doing so they showed their true colours. In the words of the Prime Minister, they ran towards danger, all the time encouraging others to run towards safety. All Londoners are immensely grateful for their efforts yesterday. Our police and security services are the best in the world and work tirelessly to protect us. Attack at Parliament, March 22, 2017 Attack at Parliament, March 22, 2017 1/36 A policeman points a gun at a man on the floor as emergency services attend the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London Stefan Rousseau/PA 2/36 Emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminste PA 3/36 The scene of the incident @Lukesteele4 4/36 The scene at Westminster bridge this morning, the day after a terrorist attack Jeremy Selwyn 5/36 The scene at Westminster bridge this morning, the day after a terrorist attack Jeremy Selwyn 6/36 The scene at Westminster bridge this morning, the day after a terrorist attack Jeremy Selwyn 7/36 The flag above the Houses of Parliament in London flies at half mast the day after a terrorist attack Jeremy Selwyn 8/36 A forensics tent on Westminster Bridge seen from Victoria Embankment in London the day after a terrorist attack Jonathan Brady/PA 9/36 Police officers walk accross Westminster Bridge the morning after an attack by a man driving a car and weilding a knife Darren Staples/Reuters 10/36 Emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster Stefan Rousseau/PA 11/36 A knife on the cobbles at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London 33/36 34/36 Westminster Bridge BBC 35/36 Emergency services make their way down the river Jack Taylor/Getty Images 36/36 Members of the public wait at locked doors outside St Thomas' hospital Carl Court/Getty Images They were helped by passers-by  ordinary Londoners and tourists too  who did what they could to help those injured on Westminster Bridge. They are all heroes and I am incredibly proud of them and of our city. Tragically, PC Keith Palmer, a Metropolitan Police officer who was doing his duty  protecting our city, our Parliament and keeping people safe  was among those killed yesterday. He was 48 and a husband and father. He was not armed. My thoughts are with his family, friends and colleagues at this awful time for them and for the city he gave his life to protect. We Londoners have experienced horrific attacks and tragedy before. Weve suffered terrorist attacks in the heart of our city over many decades, including the 7/7 bombings and the cowardly murder of Fusilier Lee Rigby in Woolwich. Every time, without fail, those seeking to destroy our way of life have failed. Every time, Londoners have come together to show our resilience, our resolve and our determination: we will never be cowed by those who use terror to try to break us. I want to reassure all Londoners and all visitors to our city  do not be alarmed. London remains one of the safest cities in the world. There is no specific information of a further threat to the public. Last night I attended the Governments emergency Cobra meeting and I remain in constant contact with the Acting Metropolitan Police Commissioner, the head of Counter Terrorism Policing, the Government and the emergency services. There will be additional armed and unarmed police officers on Londons streets over the coming days to keep Londoners and visitors safe  you will see them at stations and across the city. The official threat level remains at severe. Westminster falls silent in memory of terror attack victims Already, we know that the police have arrested seven people in six raids across the country, and the full force of our police and security services are focused on investigating this attack. At this stage we believe that the attacker acted alone, inspired by Islamic terrorism. Of course, London has lived with the serious threat of another terrorist attack for some time  our police and security services have foiled 13 attempted attacks over the past four years alone. The previous Met Commissioner, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, warned last summer that it was a matter of when, not if. All the while, Londoners have carried on living their lives, going about their daily routines. After yesterday, nothing must change. We will always do everything possible to prepare for the worst but we must never accept that these attacks are a price we have to pay for our way of life or for the times we live in. Terrorist attacks that kill and injure innocent people are not inevitable. They are choices made by evil cowards, extremists and terrorists who choose to target innocent men, women and children in the name of their grotesque, perverse and twisted ideology. They will never win. Tonight, I am asking Londoners and those who are visiting our city to come together in solidarity to commemorate those who have lost their lives, to show sympathy with their families and loved ones and to show the world that we are more committed than ever to the values we hold dear, that we remain united and open. There will be a candlelit vigil in Trafalgar Square from 6pm. This show of solidarity today is also our act of defiance. Please join us in coming together to commemorate, and to show to the world that London will never be cowed. London is a truly incredible city full of amazing people. When it is faced with adversity, when we are tested on who we are and what we stand for, we always pull together. We stand together stronger than ever. We stand up for our values and our way of life. We show the world what it means to be a Londoner. We always have, and we always will.
We use cookies to collect and analyse information on site performance and usage, and to enhance and customise content and advertisements. By clicking "OK" or by clicking into any content on this site, you agree to allow cookies to be placed. To find out more visit the cookies section of our privacy policy. Sebastian Coe and World Series of Boxing teams caught up in Westminster terrorist attack International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) President Sebastian Coe and members of the British Lionhearts and Italia Thunder boxing teams were among those caught up in a terrorist attack in Westminster here today, where five people have died and at least 40 injured. Representatives from the two boxing squads were present at the launch of the second year of the British Lionhearts in the Community (BLITC) programme here, which finished just as the horrific incident was unfolding at around 2:40pm local time. One of the victims of the attack was killed when a car drove at high speed on Westminster Bridge and into pedestrians, leaving dozens of others with serious injuries. The car then crashed before the assailant continued the attack on foot and tried to gain access to the Palace of Westminster, fatally stabbing a police officer before he was shot dead. The policeman has since been named as 48-year-old Keith Palmer. Foreign Office Minister Tobias Ellwood was seen giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to the officer. A woman was also reportedly pulled alive from the River Thames, although she had severe injuries. There are not yet any other confirmed casualties. Three of those injured on Westminster Bridge were from a group of French schoolchildren, while four students Edge Hill University in Lancashire were also hurt, with two being described as "walking wounded". Acting Deputy Commissioner and head of counter terrorism at the Metropolitan Police Mark Rowley told reporters at New Scotland Yard that a major investigation was underway into a "marauding terrorist attack". British Lionhearts super heavyweight boxer Frazer Clarke appears to have been one of the closest of the athletes to the incident. He Tweeted: "I can never unsee what I've just seen in front of my eyes at the House of Parliament [sic] in London. "God be with the police officer. "Currently inside the lobby at the Houses of Parliament terrible scenes. "God be with that police officer!! Get me out of here ASAP." The Italia Thunder also issued a statement on Twitter in their native language, reassuring their fans and followers that they were okay. "Not a good start [to] the adventure in London," the post read. "Although at the time of the incident some of the #ItaliaThunder boxers were not far away, we want to reassure you that all are well." I can never unsee what I've just seen infront of my eyes at the House of Parliament in London ... God be with the police officer Coe, a member of the House of Lords, and IAAF communications director Jackie Brock-Doyle were also visiting Westminster at the time of the incident. They were among several hundred people forced to wait in buildings around Westminster, spending several hours there before being evacuated. Witnesses heard gunshots just outside of the building before the entire area was placed under lockdown by police and security officers. Members of Parliament (MPs), who were in attendance at the House of Commons to vote on a pension bill, which came after Theresa May held her Prime Minister's Questions, were kept inside for over four hours along with hundreds of others, including journalists, staff and tour groups. Around 1,000 people were then evacuated to nearby Westminster Abbey, where they were processed. In the evening, May chaired an emergency meeting of the Cobra Committee, the British Government's emergency council for major security issues. The British Prime Minister described the attack as "sick and depraved" in an address outside Downing Street this evening. "For those of us who were in Parliament at the time of this attack, these events provide a particular reminder of the exceptional bravery of our police and security services who risk their lives to keep us safe," she said. "Once again today, these exceptional men and women ran towards the danger, even as they encouraged others to move the other way. "On behalf of the whole country I want to pay tribute to them and to all our emergency services for the work they have been doing to reassure the public. "The location of this attack was no accident. "The terrorist chose to strike at the heart of our capital city, where people of all nationalities, religions and cultures come together to celebrate the values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech." Boxers from the British Lionhearts and the Italia Thunder were here at an event to launch the second year of the BLITC, which aims to increase participation in sport in London. It was held on the eve of the World Series of Boxing match between the two teams at York Hall tomorrow. A statement from GB Boxing confirmed none of the British Lionhearts team were hurt in the attack but that they "witnessed" part of the incident. They have vowed to fulfill tomorrow night's fixture with the Italia Thunder as planned. "GB Boxing can confirm that boxers and coaching staff from its British Lionhearts boxing team (who are due compete against Italia Thunder in the World Series of Boxing tomorrow night at York Hall) were at Westminster today and witnessed part of the attack at the Houses of Parliament," a statement read. No members of the British Lionhearts team or coaching staff were harmed in the incident and all of the boxers and staff are safe and well. The boxers and staff have spoken to the police and security forces and are assisting them with their enquiries into the incident. The boxers are due to compete tomorrow night in the World Series of Boxing against Italia Thunder and are very keen to fulfil this despite todays events. The team is completely focused on preparing for the fixture and will not be making any further comment on todays incident until after the match is over and would like to ask journalists and the media to respect this and leave the boxers free to complete their preparations without any further disturbances. The team will review this position once the match is completed. "The boxers, coaches and everyone connected with GB Boxing and the British LIonhearts would like to express their sympathies to everyone that was hurt in todays incident and their sincere condolences to all of the families that have lost loved ones. The team would also like to thank the public for all of their messages of support. Welterweight Pat McCormack and flyweight Muhammad Ali joined team-mate Frazer Clarke and members of the Italian side were in attendance, along with MPs and participants in the BLITC scheme. Figures revealed today show that 2,321 people in the capital engaged with the award-winning programme, which also helps people in London with qualifications and health, during its first year. A total of 12 community hubs were also created. Those behind the scheme announced their intention to expand the project into six further London boroughs and engage with 1,500 more people in the second year. It is also hoped the initiative, backed by Sport England, London Mayor Sadiq Khan and delivered by a network of boxing clubs and community groups overseen by England Boxing, can be spread throughout the country in future. "The programme is everything we want to see from boxing," All Party Parliamentary Group for Boxing chair Charlotte Leslie said. "Sometimes in politics things don't work because people don't work together, but the collaboration in this is amazing." International Boxing Association President CK Wu added: "This programme represents the very essence of WSB values and why AIBA has created this league. "By successfully engaging the community around boxing in a collective spirit, the British Lionhearts and all its partners have created a reference for other franchises to follow." About the author Since joining insidethegames.biz, in 2015 Liam Morgan has covered a variety of international multi-sport events and conferences, including the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics, the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games and the Lillehammer 2016 Winter Youth Olympics. He also reported from the 2017 IOC Session in Lima and three editions of the FIFA Congress. He graduated from Southampton Solent University in 2014 with a BA First Class honours degree in Sports Journalism. inside the photos Fact of the day At the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Iranian judoka Arash Miresmaeili was disqualified for weighing in at nearly four pounds above the limit for his weight class of his under-66 kilograms match against an Israeli opponent Ehud Vaks in the first round. It was claimed Miresmaeili had gone on an eating binge to protest the International Olympic Committee's recognition of the state of Israel. Iran does not recognise the state of Israel, and Miresmaeili's actions won praise from high-ranking Iranian officials. Mohammad Khatami, the country's President at the time, was quoted as saying Miresmaili's actions would be "recorded in the history of Iranian glories". He was later awarded $125,000 by the Government - the same amount given to Olympic gold medallists. Featured Job The EURO 2020 Digital Media Specialist requires excellent technical IT and broadcast know-how and digital media expertise for duties that range from ensuring the integration of digital and TV production workflows, systems operational implementation at the venue/IBC and efficient delivery of next-generation digital media and broadcast solutions and services. The Big Read David Lappartient is approaching his one year anniversary as President of the International Cycling Union. Mike Rowbottom speaks to the Frenchman about a first 12 months which has not been short of incident.
Anyone who counts the Palace of Westminster as their place of work is filled with an overwhelming sense of sadness over the lives lost on Wednesday. But, if I am completely honest, laced with that deep sorrow is a tiny sense of something very like relief, at least in one narrow respect: that the attack, and the misery it unleashed, wasnt even worse. For Keith Palmer, the policeman who, day in day out, guarded me and my colleagues  and I speak as a former officer of the Metropolitan police  there is no relief; nor for his poor wife, family and friends. Nor for other innocent victims and their families. Their loss is absolute, overwhelming, unimaginable. But there could, easily, have been even greater loss of life, and with it even greater physical pain and emotional carnage. Parliament security to be reviewed by police and authorities Read more As a Liberal Democrat peer, now the partys home affairs spokesperson, I guess it is my job to tear lumps out of a Conservative government for which I have little sympathy. But not after this. Security is graver than party politics. So I write simply in the spirit of improving security. That security must be balanced with an obligation to keep parliament open to the people. We shouldnt turn Westminster into Fort Knox, even if such a thing were possible. But we can improve security, for politicians, staff and, crucially, police on the frontline. Those officers are not armed. Armed support is a distance away. No one wants an ostentatious display of force, which would only increase that sense of alienation many feel about Westminster. But this attack shows, alas, that armed officers should be directly behind that frontline. Otherwise lives will be lost that could be saved. In this attack, I gather, it was only because a ministers armed close protection officer happened to be close by that the assailant was stopped. While millions are spent on surveillance powers and the security services, over the past six years 1bn has been cut from the Metropolitan police budget. Thats huge. This suspect was known to police and the security services. Liberal Democrats are traditionally the most hardline in defending liberty, but we support the monitoring of communication of those suspected of terrorism, with appropriate safeguards. But this needs to be focused on suspects, not everyone, and the danger of treating all citizens as suspects is that real threats slip through. Those who are not known or who are not current suspects may get through to a high-profile target, as on this occasion. So police need to be in place on the ground  not just armed officers at Westminster, but armed response units throughout the UK. Meanwhile, we need proper resources for community policing to pick up intelligence on those being lured into terrorism. Ultimately, communities defeat terrorism, not police and security services given  or perhaps burdened with  ever more draconian powers. Communities spot the tell-tale changes in behaviour. Trust and confidence in the relevant agencies are essential. The governments Prevent strategy  supposedly targeting radicalised groups, but in practice stigmatising children as young as nine  is discredited because it causes resentment and drives a wedge between communities. Instead, we need to positively engage so that the security services target resources more accurately on the most dangerous, while simultaneously winning the trust of their communities. Terrorists striking in Europe in recent months were in several cases known to security services, so the issue is with operational capacity, not identifying suspects. We need intelligent, directed surveillance, not all-embracing surveillance. After previous terrorist attacks, home secretaries typically have appealed for greater powers and accuse liberals of being soft on terror. The result is a political arms race to increase state might, rarely with evidence that this will make the public safer. Parliament cant be defeated by terror, but it will be changed | Andrew Rawnsley Read more Instead, we should instigate the tangible changes that are shown to work, such as increasing police budgets and ensuring there are armed officers close to likely targets. Apologies for being so Lib Dem as the anti-hard Brexit party  but if we avoid a Brexit that will cost the public finances 100bn, we could afford better security, while also working closely with our friends across the Channel through the pooling of intelligence and the European arrest warrant. I struggle to see how you can have a hard Brexit and safer streets. The governments plan to collect and store all our web histories for a year is expensive, ineffective and disproportionate. The creation and maintenance of this system is likely to cost over 1bn, money that could be better spent restoring police numbers in our community. Whether it is working with communities or other intelligence agencies, we should work together. Terrorists want division, and we should not be so foolish as to give it to them. Let us remain open, tolerant and united.
London Ambulance said it had treated at least 10 people on Westminster Bridge. The Port of London Authority said a woman has been pulled alive from the River Thames near the bridge and was being treated for serious injuries. Image copyrightAPImage caption A man believed to be the suspect received medical treatment The French Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said three French school pupils were among the injured and offered "solidarity with our British friends, and full support" for the wounded students and their families. Junior doctor Colleen Anderson from St Thomas' Hospital confirmed the death of the woman and said a number of other people were hurt - some with "catastrophic" injuries. She said she also treated a police officer in his 30s with a head injury, who had been taken to King's College Hospital. She said the woman had died at the scene. Analysis Image copyrightPA By Dominic Casciani, home affairs correspondent The incident outside Westminster is exactly the kind of scenario that security chiefs have been planning for. It looks like the type of attack that jihadis have wanted to carry out in Britain - mainly attacking people with a vehicle and taking on the security forces with knives. But the fact that the Metropolitan Police's counter-terrorism armed response swung into action so quickly indicates how much work has been done since the killing of Lee Rigby in 2013. Scotland Yard's counter-terrorism command, MI5 and, where relevant, other major agencies, will now throw absolutely everything at trying to establish the background of the suspects - whether they were working alone or whether there could be more of the same on the way. At the same time, while they are treating this as a terrorist incident, they will know full well that they will have to test the evidence to ensure that this theory is correct. MPs said they had heard three or four gunshots and staff inside Parliament were told to stay inside their offices. "I heard shouts and screams from outside and looked out, and there was a group of maybe 40 or 50 people running round the corner from Bridge Street into Parliament Square. "They appeared to be running away from something. "As the group arrived at the Carriage Gates, where policemen are posted at the security entrance, a man suddenly ran out of the crowd and into the yard. "He seemed to be holding up a long kitchen knife. "I heard what sounded like shots - I think about three of them - and then the next thing I knew there were two people lying on the ground and others running to help them. "Armed police were quickly on the scene and I heard them shouting to people to get out of the yard." 'Mowed down' An eye witness, Radoslaw Sikorski, a senior fellow at Harvard's Centre for European Studies, posted a video to Twitter showing people lying injured in the road on Westminster Bridge. Image copyrightAlison BaskervilleImage caption Parliament went into lockdown after the attack Image copyrightAP Image copyrightAP He wrote: "A car on Westminster Bridge has just mowed down at least 5 people." Scotland Yard said it was called to a firearms incident on the bridge amid reports of several people injured. Transport for London said Westminster underground station has been shut at the police's request, and buses diverted. Media playback is unsupported on your device Media captionAerial views of Houses of Parliament Mr Lidington said: "It seems that a police officer has been stabbed, that the alleged assailant was shot by armed police. "An air ambulance is currently attending the scene to remove the casualties. "There are also reports of further violent incidents in the vicinity of the Palace of Westminster but I hope colleagues on all sides will appreciate that it'd be wrong of me to go into further details until we have confirmation from the police and from the House security authorities about what is going on." Update: An earlier version of this story included an incorrect report that it was understood from multiple sources that two people were in the vehicle on the bridge. Are you in the area? If it is safe to do so, please get in touch with us. Email us at haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk If you are happy to be contacted by a BBC journalist please leave a telephone number that we can contact you on. In some cases a selection of your comments will be published, displaying your name as you provide it and location, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. When sending us pictures, video or eyewitness accounts at no time should you endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws. Please ensure you have read the terms and conditions.
Seven people have been arrested and six addresses raided in London, Birmingham and elsewhere in connection with the Westminster terror attack, Mark Rowley, the Met's senior anti-terror officer, has said. Armed police have carried out a raid apparently linked to the terror plot that brought bloodshed to the heart of London, as MPs spearhead a show of defiance by returning to Parliament. Officers stormed a flat in Birmingham late on Wednesday night, with West Midlands Police directing inquiries about the operation to the Metropolitan Police. The London force refused to comment on the raid's connection to the bloody assault on Westminster, but one witness told the Press Association: "The man from London lived here." The House of Commons and the House of Lords will sit at their normal times on Thursday, despite the parliamentary estate playing unwilling host to the attack the previous day. Pc Keith Palmer, a member of the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Squad, was killed as he tried to stop the attacker at around 2.30pm on Wednesday, while three members of the public were also fatally injured. The suspect, who was armed with two knives, injured around 40 people as he mowed down pedestrians with a car on Westminster Bridge before crashing at the railings in front of Parliament. Bursting through the gate to the Palace of Westminster, he stabbed Pc Palmer before being shot dead by armed officers. Theresa May praised the bravery of police officers on Wednesday night as it was announced Westminster would attempt to run as smoothly as normal. In a statement from Downing Street, the Prime Minister said: "Any attempt to defeat those values through violence and terror is doomed to failure. "(Thursday) morning, Parliament will meet as normal. We will come together as normal. "And Londoners - and others from around the world who have come here to visit this great city - will get up and go about their day as normal. "They will board their trains, they will leave their hotels, they will walk these streets, they will live their lives. "And we will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart." Donald Trump was among world leaders to offer their support. Shortly after 1.30am UK time, the US president tweeted: "Spoke to UK Prime Minister Theresa May today to offer condolences on the terrorist attack in London. She is strong and doing very well." Counter-terror detectives will continue searching for clues to how an armed attacker brought destruction to London. Speaking outside Scotland Yard on Wednesday night, Acting Deputy Commissioner Mark Rowley, the Met's senior anti-terror officer, said police believe the suspect was "inspired by international terrorism", and they believe they know who he was. Paying tribute to Pc Palmer, who had served the police for 15 years, Mr Rowley said: "Today in Westminster we saw tragic events unfold, and our thoughts are with those who lost loved ones, those who were injured and all those affected by this attack. "One of those who died today was a police officer, Pc Keith Palmer, a member of our parliamentary and diplomatic protection command. Keith, aged 48, had 15 years' service and was a husband and father. "He was someone who left for work today expecting to return home at the end of his shift, and he had every right to expect that would happen." The attack has delayed the Queen's planned visit to the new headquarters of the Metropolitan Police. A Buckingham Palace spokesman said the decision had been taken to postpone the engagement in light of the attack. Stories of heroism and bravery emerged from the incident, which brought central London to a standstill and closed transport networks around the capital shortly after 2.30pm on Wednesday. Paramedics fought to save Pc Palmer, and his attacker, on the floor of the cobbled courtyard in front of Parliament, with Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood among those who rushed to help. Mr Ellwood, who lost his brother in the Bali bombing, could be seen pumping the officer's chest then standing above him, his hands and face smeared with blood. Armed officers, some in plain clothes and wearing balaclavas, swarmed around the yard feet from where MPs had earlier attended Prime Minister's Questions. The knifeman's attack left a trail of destruction as paramedics tended to victims on the bridge and at the gate. One woman hit by the attacker's car before he reached Parliament was confirmed dead by a doctor at St Thomas' Hospital. Others on the bridge suffered "catastrophic injuries". Another woman who fell into the Thames was rescued and given urgent medical treatment on a nearby pier. A party of French schoolchildren were among those targeted on the bridge, while four students from Edge Hill University in Ormskirk were also hurt - two described as "walking wounded", and another couple said to have minor injuries. Romanian and South Korean tourists were also caught up in the tragedy. Ipsoregulated This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's Editors' Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then please contact the editor here. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can contact IPSO here
Pope Francis prays for victims of deadly London attack Vatican City, Mar 23, 2017 / 06:08 am (CNA/EWTN News).- After four people died in an apparent terrorist attack in London yesterday, Pope Francis has voiced his sorrow and solidarity for the victims and their families, entrusting them and the nation to Gods mercy. Deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life and of the injuries caused by the attack in central London, His Holiness Pope Francis expresses his prayerful solidarity with all those affected by this tragedy, a March 23 letter signed by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin read. The Pope commended the souls of those who died to the loving mercy of Almighty God, and prayed for divine strength and peace upon their grieving families, while assuring of his prayer for the entire nation. Francis letter comes the day after a deadly March 22 attack on Londons Parliament took the lives of four people. During the attack, a car apparently plowed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before crashing into the fence surrounding the Parliament building. The assailant then attempted to enter the Parliament building with a knife, stabbing one police officer before being shot by other officers on the grounds. According to the Guardian, four people were killed, including the police officer who was stabbed and one man believed to be the assailant. About 20 others were reported injured, some severely. Nearby government buildings were placed on lockdown while authorities worked to ensure the safety of the area. Scotland Yard said the attack is being treated as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise. The incident marks the first mass-casualty terrorist attack in Britain since the 2005 bomb attack on London that claimed the lives of 52 people when four bombers blew themselves up in the citys public transportation system. March 22 also marks the one-year anniversary of the Brussels airport bombings that left more than 30 dead and 300 injured. Those bombings were declared the deadliest act of terrorism in Belgium's history. The use of a vehicle as a weapon yesterdays London attack is reminiscent of the methods used last year by terrorists in Nice and Berlin. Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, issued a March 23 statement to the priests and parishes of his diocese saying yesterdays attacks have shocked us all. The kind of violence we have seen all too often in other places has again brought horror and killing to this city, he said, and urged pastors to lead their people in prayer, particularly for the victims and their families. He offered special prayers for victim Aysha Frade, who was killed by the car on Westminster Bridge and whose two young children attend the dioceses St. Mary of the Angels Primary School. He also offered special prayers for Frades husband and a group of French students who were injured in the attack, as well as police officer Keith Palmer, the officer who died, and his family. Let our voice be one of prayer, of compassionate solidarity and of calm, the cardinal said. All who believe in God, Creator and Father of every person, will echo this voice, for faith in God is not a problem to be solved, but a strength and a foundation on which we depend.
Related Content British national Aysha Frade, a 43-year old teacher, was identified as another victim. And Keith Palmer, a 48-year-old father and husband, was the unarmed police officer on duty at the gates of Parliament when the attacker stabbed him to death. A fourth person, a 75-year-old man, died late Thursday from injuries, according to Metropolitan Police. A wedding anniversary Kurt Cochran and his wife, Melissa, were visiting London to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary when, police say, Khalid Masood drove a vehicle into people walking along Westminster Bridge. Cochran's death was confirmed by family members and his church. His wife, Melissa Cochran, suffered a broken leg, a broken rib and a cut to her head, but she will recover from her injuries, her brother Clint Payne said in a message on social media. "Our hearts are broken this day as we say goodbye to our dear brother-in-law Kurt. He passed away from the injuries sustained in the London terrorist attack yesterday. We love him so much and will never forget him." Payne said he was grateful his sister would recover. "Our hearts ache for her and their children in losing their loving companion and father. Please continue to pray for our family. Thank you." The couple ran the Onion Street Studio -- a recording studio -- in West Bountiful, near Salt Lake City, Utah. Nate Kizerian, a close friend, said Kurt was passionate about music. "I love talking to people that light up when they talk about what they are passionate about," said Kizerian. "Kurt was one of those people." Kurt also lit up around the other love of his life: his wife. "That's what is bothering me the most," said Kizerian. "They just celebrated 25 years." 'Every inch a hero' After Officer Keith Palmer was stabbed, bystanders rushed to his aid. As he lay bleeding on the cobblestone street, Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood gave him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, to no avail. Tributes poured in from his family and colleagues, as well as the country's leaders. "He was a husband and a father, killed doing a job he loved. He was every inch a hero, and his actions will never be forgotten," Prime Minister Theresa May said in Parliament. "Keith was a genuinely nice person; nobody had a bad word to say about him," a colleague, James Aitkenhead, said. "When I heard what had happened I knew it would be him because that's just the sort of guy he was, to step straight in when others might step back." London's Metropolitan Police said on Twitter that Palmer's shoulder number, 4157U, would be retired as a mark of respect. His former team laid a wreath Thursday in his honor. "Keith Palmer was killed while bravely doing his duty, protecting our city and the heart of our democracy from those who want to destroy our way of life," London Mayor Sadiq Khan said. His death drew tributes from politicians including Conservative James Cleverly, who said he served with Palmer in the Royal Artillery before he became a "copper." "A lovely man, a friend. I'm heartbroken," Cleverly said on Twitter. A crowdfunding campaign on the website JustGiving aims to raise 200,000 ($250,000) for Palmer's family; by Thursday evening it had surpassed 290,000. "He will be remembered as a wonderful dad and husband. A loving son, brother and uncle. A long-time supporter of Charlton FC," Palmer's family said in a statement, referring to Palmer's football club of choice. "He will be deeply missed. We love him so much." Teacher killed Aysha Frade's death was first confirmed by the mayor of Betanzos in Spain, Ramon Garcia Vasquez, where the teacher's relatives live. Garcia Vasquez said Frade lived in London with her Portuguese husband. "We are totally overwhelmed by the news and we send our condolences to the people in London," he told CNN. A Spanish Foreign Ministry spokesman confirmed that Frade was a British national, while her mother was a Spanish citizen. Frade worked at DLD College London as an administrator, Principal Rachel Borland said in a statement. "We are all deeply shocked and saddened at the news that one of the victims yesterday was a member of our staff, Aysha Frade. All our thoughts and our deepest sympathies are with her family. We will be offering every support we can to them as they try to come to terms with their devastating loss. "Aysha worked as a member of our administration team at the college. She was highly regarded and loved by our students and by her colleagues. She will be deeply missed by all of us." Tourists struck Around 40 others were injured in the attack as the driver plowed into a crowd on Westminster Bridge, a popular spot for tourists to take photos of London's landmarks, including the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. Among them were 12 British nationals who have been hospitalized, May told Parliament. She said the victims came from France, Romania, South Korea, Germany, Poland, Ireland, China, Italy, the United States and Greece. The injured included three police officers, who were returning from an event to recognize their bravery, she said. Two of them remain in serious condition. The French Foreign Ministry said three French children were injured. They were on a school trip to London from the Saint-Joseph school in Concarneau. The ministry gave no word on the extent of their injuries.
Five people died and nearly 40 others injured when a knife-wielding man rampaged through a street in his car and tried to storm the UK Parliament in London. Five people died and nearly 40 others injured when a knife-wielding man rampaged through a street in his car and tried to storm the UK Parliament in London. (Reuters image) London terror attack: Four people died and nearly 40 others were injured when a knife-wielding man rampaged through a street in his car and tried to storm the UK Parliament in London. The incident has been termed as Islamist-related terrorism attack. The dead included the attacker, who was known to the Metropolitan Police, and the 48-year-old police officer he stabbed. The police identified the officer as Keith Palmer. Three civilians were killed when the man plowed his grey Hyundai i40 through the pedestrians on Westminster Bridge just outside the British Parliament. The knife-man then tried to gain entry to the Parliament via the main entrance and stabbed a police officer. Plainclothes armed officers shouted warnings at him before shooting a number of rounds. Track here for LIVE Updates: 7:45 am: In a message to the police, British Queen Elizabeth II said, My thoughts, prayers and deepest sympathy are with all those who have been affected by the awful violence. 7:00 am: Before he killed at least four people in Britains deadliest attack since the 2005 London bombings, Khalid Masood was considered by intelligence officers to be a criminal who posed little serious threat. 6:55 am: A British-born former teacher and Muslim convert, Masood had shown up on the periphery of previous terrorism investigations that brought him to the attention of Britains MI5 spy agency. 3:56 AM: No evidence that British-born London attacker Khalid Masood travelled overseas to join Jihadist groups: US Government sources 2:33 AM: A Utah couple was enjoying the final day of their European trip to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary when they were among the crowd of people on Londons Westminster Bridge who were struck by an SUV. Kurt W. Cochran was one of two people killed and his wife, Melissa Cochran, was among dozens who were injured. 12:50 AM: Nigel Farage, former leader of the right-wing UK Independence Party, blamed the attack on multiculturalism, which he said leads to divided communities. (AP) 11:50 PM: Chinese Premier Li Keqiang talking about the terrorist attack outside British Parliament said, we condemn terrorism and we stand against all forms of terrorism. 09:20 PM: British police named the man behind the attack as Khalid Masood (52), saying he had a string of criminal convictions but none for terrorism-related offences. Masood, who killed three people near parliament before being shot dead, was born in Kent to the southeast of London and had been most recently living in central England, London police said. 8:30 PM: A video filmed by British lawmaker David Davies shows scenes of panic in Westminster during the attack 07:45 PM: Pope Francis was deeply saddened by the terror attack outside the British parliament and prayed for all those affected. In a message of solidarity to the head of the Roman Catholic church in Britain, the Archbishop of Westminster Vincent Nicholsthe, the Holy See said, His Holiness Pope Francis expresses his prayerful solidarity with all those affected by this tragedy. 6:30 PM: A picture of British Foreign Officer, Tobias Ellwood has come out in which he is seen giving first aid to a wounded police officer, one of four casualties of the London terror attack. The police constable has been identified as Keith Palmer. 5:55 PM: Terrorist organisation ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attacks, according to the news agency Reuters. Earlier in the day, PM May said Islamist thinking was behind the attack. 5:10 PM: The British Prime Minister also confirmed that this attack wont change her approach on Brexit. The country is set to start the negotiations once again on 29th March and the PMs spokesperson told reporters that they wont be delayed. 4:40 PM: The British Prime Minister also confirmed that attacker was London based. She said, What I can confirm is that the man was British-born and that some years ago he was once investigated by MI5 in relation to concerns about violent extremism. 4:22 PM: May says the attack was inspired by Islamist ideology. Meanwhile, British High Commissioner to India Dominic Asquith has thanked India for support by saying, I want to thank those who have offered wishes of condolence and support from here in India for what has happened. It is a reminder of those links between our two countries the values we share. Secondly, it is still being investigated so Im not going to dive into the details of the incidence. 4:18 PM: PM has confirmed that eight arrests have been made overnight and is increasing patrols across the country with more police on streets as precautionary measure. She said terrorists took out rage on innocent women, men and children. 4:15 PM: PM Theresa May says we are not afraid and will never waver in face of terrorism. She added that it was an act of terrorism and free speech, liberty, human rights and rule of law are embodies in Parliament. 3:55 PM: London mayor Sadiq Khan has invited all the citizens for a candlenight vigil. A statement released by his office said, London is the greatest city in the world. We will never be cowed by terrorism. We stand together, in the face of those who seek to harm us and destroy our way of life. We always have, and we always will. 3:23 pm: Sikh Federation (UK) called for unity against all violence and terrorism and urged Sikhs to remain calm and extra vigilant. 3:19 pm: The British Parliament has observed a minute of silence to remember those killed in the attack at that heart of the government. Watch this video 3:15 pm: British envoy to India today said it was an attack on the values shared by Britain, India and many other countries, and pitched for greater cooperation to defeat the menace. 3:04 pm: British parliament reopens a day after terror attack, according to AFP. 3:02 pm: British Prime Minister Theresa May will make a statement in Parliament 3:00 pm: Three French high-school students aged 15 or 16, who were on a school trip to London with fellow students from Brittany, were among the injured. 2:57 pm: French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault was expected to arrive in London to visit them at hospital, French media reported. 2:55 pm: Experts say the tactic of mowing people down avoids the need to obtain any explosives or weapons and can be carried out by a lone-wolf attacker without using a network of fellow militants  all lessening the risk of alerting security agencies. 2:50 pm: This kind of attack doesnt need special preparation, it is very low-cost, within anybodys reach, said Sebastien Pietrasanta, a French Socialist lawmaker and terrorism expert. 2:45 pm: The Lok Sabha also condemned the terror attack on the British Parliament in London that killed five people including the attacker. 2:20PM: The pound hit a months high against the dollar on Thursday as investors awaited UK retail sales data expected to turn positive for the first time in three months. This was above Wednesdays low of $1.2424 the pound had briefly hit after the attack in London. 2:15PM: Meanwhile, Polands prime minister Beata Szydlo drew a link on Thursday between an attack in London targeting the British parliament and the European Unions migrant policy, saying the assault vindicated Warsaws refusal to take in refugees. 2:10PM: British police believe the attack was linked to Islamic terrorism and are checking whether the lone attacker was supported by anyone else, the defence minister said on Thursday. The police are investigating this man, his associates, where he came from, Michael Fallon told BBC Radio 2:05PM: Russian President Vladimir Putin says the attack outside Parliament in London underlined the need for pooling global efforts against terrorism. In a letter to British Prime Minister Theresa May released by the Kremlin Thursday, Putin said the forces of terror are acting in an increasingly treacherous and cynical way. 2:00PM: Britains most senior counter-terrorism officer Mark Rowley said that there was a mix of nationalities among the dead but gave no details. He said the latest figures were that there were four dead including the attacker and 29 people being treated in hospital, seven of whom were in a critical condition 1:54PM: UKs Defence Minister Fallon says police are checking whether other people are involved in London attack 1:50PM: South Koreas foreign ministry said in Seoul that five of its citizens for wounded near the British parliament on Wednesday in what police called a marauding terrorist attack 1:46 pm: Britains most senior counter-terrorism officer Mark Rowley has said the latest figures were that there were four dead including the attacker and 29 people being treated in hospital, seven of whom were in a critical condition. 1:35 pm: British police have searched six addresses. 1:23 pm: Seven persons have been arrested over British parliament terror attack says Police, according to AFP report. 12:52 pm: The Rajasthan Assembly today condemned the terror attack near the UK Parliament and paid homage to the victims. 12:50 pm: As soon as the Question Hour got over, Speaker Kailash Meghwal said the attack which left four persons dead and nearly 40 injured took place yesterday when Parliament in London was functioning. 12:21 pm: British police made several arrests in a raid on a house in Birmimgham as part of an investigation into Wednesdays attack on parliament, Sky News television channel quoted unidentified sources as saying on Thursday. 12:20 pm: I want to thank those who have offered wishes of condolence&support frm here in India, says D Asquith Watch this video 12:15 pm: Business of life will carry on.Will do our utmost so people go on doing that in confidence and safety, says D Asquith, UK High Commissioner to India on London attack. 10:50 am: In the wake of the unfortunate terror attack outside the Houses of Parliament in London on Wednesday, the music fraternity across the world, have come forward and shared their condolences and prayers for the people of London. 10: 45 am: Artists like Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj, Ellie Goulding and many others took to their Twitter and condemned the attack on Westminster Bridge in London. 10:40 am: The Scotland Yard has urged public to remain vigilant and said a review of policing strategy in London was underway, with additional policemen being deployed across the city. 10:37 am: The first mass casualty terrorist strike on Britain in over a decade was condemned as sick and depraved terrorist attack on democratic values by Prime Minister Theresa May. 10:32 am: The incident happened on the first anniversary of attacks in Brussels by Islamist militants that killed 32 people, and the use of a vehicle was a copy of an Islamic State tactic used previously in the French city Nice and Germanys Berlin. 10:27 am: Sterling lower after London attack. Watch this video 10:25 am: The lights of the Eiffel Tower were turned off at midnight to pay respect for the victims of Wednesdays vehicle and knife attack in Westminster. 10:20 am: India stands by UK; terrorism must be met through collective action by international community, says President Mukherjee 10:18 am: Shocked to hear of terrorist attack in London ; condolences to bereaved families & prayers for recovery of injured, says President Pranab Mukherjee. Watch this video 10:16 am: Donald Trump Jr is facing criticism for posting a distasteful tweet featuring London Mayor Sadiq Khan hours after a major terror attack on the Houses of Parliament in London. 10:16 am: Check out PM Modis tweet Deeply saddened by the terror attack in London. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. 10:15 am: At this difficult moment, India stands with UK in the fight against terrorism, says PM Modi. 10:14 am: Deeply saddened by the terror attack in London. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families, says PM Narendra Modi. 10:13 am: Prime Minister Theresa May also paid tributes to the exceptional men and women of the police force who responded to the attack. 10:12 am: We will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart, she said. 10:10 am: The Metropolitan Police named the police officer killed as 48-year-old Keith Palmer and also confirmed that the attacker was known to the police. 10:08 am: I can also now confirm three members of the public also lost their lives in this attack. And I confirmed earlier, the suspected attacker was shot dead by an armed officer -therefore meaning we now have five people in total who have died, said Mark Rowley, national lead for Counter Terrorism Policing and the Acting Deputy Commissioner.
Westminster attack: police believe Khalid Masood acted alone Motive for attack on British parliament may never be understood An assailant stabbed a policeman and was shot by police just outside Britain's parliament building in London on Wednesday (March 22) in what police described as a "terrorist incident". Shadows of member of the public are seen in front of floral tributes next to the British houses of parliament in the aftermath of the attack on Wednesday. Photograph: EPA British anti-terrorism police said on Saturday they still believe the man who launched a deadly attack outside parliament this week was acting alone but conceded they may never understand his motive. British-born Islamic convert Khalid Masood (52) was shot dead after killing four people including a policemen in a rampage on Wednesday when he rammed his car into pedestrians and tried to force his way into the parliament building in central London. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack and police inquiries since have concentrated on whether Masood was acting with accomplices. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said there was no intelligence to suggest further attacks were planned. We still believe that Masood acted alone on the day, he said in a statement. Basu said that even if he acted alone, police need to give as much of an explanation as possible to reassure Londoners. We must all accept there is a possibility we will never understand why he did this. That understanding may have died with him, he added. Nevertheless we are determined to understand if Masood was a lone actor inspired by terrorist propaganda or if others have encouraged, supported or directed him. Police raided properties in several areas of England after the attack and arrested 11 people but only one remained in custody on Saturday. They have appealed for any friends and associates of Masood to come forward to help them piece together his movements before the attack and any specific reasons for his actions. Before he launched Britains deadliest attack since the 2005 London bombings, Masood was considered by intelligence officers to be a known criminal who posed little serious threat. He had shown up on the periphery of previous terrorism investigations that brought him to the attention of Britains MI5 spy agency. He first came to the attention of the authorities in November 1983 when he was found guilty of causing criminal damage. His last conviction came 14 years ago in December 2003 for possession of a knife.
The Westminster attack, what do we know? An incident has occurred in Westminster and is being treated by the Metropolitan Police as a terrorist attack. The attack occurred on Wednesday afternoon at 14:40 on Westminster Bridge, in Parliament Square and within the grounds of the Palace of Westminster in central London during which a vehicle was seen mounting the pavement on Westminster Bridge and reportedly collided with up to 20 individuals. Following that, a man wearing black clothes was seen attacking a police officer with a knife in Old Palace Yard. The attacker drove a vehicle towards the palace gates and stabbed people, killing a police officer. The threat level for terrorism in the UK was already listed at severe, meaning an attack was highly likely. Shortly after the incident, additional armed police arrived. An air ambulance from London HEMS attended the scene, and emergency services attempted to resuscitate the assailant who had been shot at least once on the left side of his chest. After the incident, Parliament was suspended and MPs were locked into the Commons debating chamber as a precaution, and other Parliamentary staff were told to remain in their offices. In addition, all visitors to Parliament, including journalists and several school trips, were ordered to remain in the building as well. All were later evacuated to Westminster Abbey. At 23:00 on 22 March, West Midlands Police raided a flat in Birmingham. A witness claimed that it was the home of the perpetrator of the attack. By the morning of 23 March, six addresses had been raided and eight people arrested. Four people were killed as a result of the incident, as well as the perpetrator, and at least 40 people were injured. Keith Palmer, 48, an on-duty police officer assigned to the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection command, was stabbed and subsequently died from his injuries. Additionally, 12 people received serious injuries, some described as catastrophic, and eight others were treated for less serious injuries at the scene. Injured members of the public were taken to St Thomas Hospital, which is located immediately across Westminster Bridge in Lambeth, and to Kings College Hospital, which declared a major incident in its designated trauma centre, St Marys Hospital, the Royal London Hospital and the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. A woman with serious injuries, who was rescued from the River Thames, is believed to have either fallen from the bridge or jumped off to evade the attacker. A group of French students aged 1516, from Concarneau in Brittany, were among those injured. Others included three police officers who were returning from a commendation ceremony, two Romanian citizens, and four students from Edge Hill University in northern England. The Metropolitan Police said: Police were called at approx 2:40pm to reports of an incident at Westminster Bridge. Being treated as a firearms incident  police on scene. A spokesman added that a full counter-terrorism investigation underway and asked the public to avoid the area and asked that any members of public in the area send them images of the incident. ISIS have claimed this, but then wouldnt they claim anything that attacks the west? This guys attack is pretty lame at best. Two guys in a taxi could come up with a stronger plan to attack Westminster, I really cant see this as any strategic thinking on behalf of dead bad guy. We have deceased, we have injured and Britain is thinking of them this week, but to make, to elevate this attack to terrorist level is promoting some lone wolf guy way beyond his station. If ISIS were going to deploy a soldier on a one way mission, they would surely have drawn up a plan that their expended life gained the maximum impact for his Virginstow reward? Isis is NOT a threat to this country, and the reason I know this is that 20 determined people on one way missions could SERIOUSLY drop this country into the dark ages using nothing more than every day tools and delivering thousands of casualties.and yet they havent? In the methods I described to a friend whilst driving the other afternoon required no special skill, and could not be protected against in any format. Our security services do a great job protecting us from skilled bad guys, but the low tech mass harm events are the ones likely to cause the greatest hard, and for that there is no protection. He was on the radicalised list so can conclude he was at the very least ISIS aligned. Thats not to say that ISIS gave him the green light for the attack and/or organised it. Your summary is very simplistic but not particularly wrong. ISIS have a network of sleeper cells and agents operating in the shadows, radicalising individuals. This is where the war is fought and why we rarely see the battle. Its that act of radicalising individuals, who set out their own plans of this scale that ISIS knows is hard to stop hence why were seeing an increase in said types of attacks, using vehicles and simple tools. This is ISIS inspired and motivated.
Westminster attack hero Tony Davis on trying to save the life of PC Keith Palmer GB coach Davis speaks to Danny Flexen about the horrors of the Westminster attack and his brave attempt to aid PC Keith Palmer. Witnesses to any violent crime are generally presented with three options: flee the scene, stand and watch like a macabre voyeur, or intervene, usually to aid the victim. For many of us, the likelihood of our coming to harm would significantly influence the next move we made. Most would surely rather broker peace between two scrapping drunks than confront an axe-wielding maniac. Its not easy to be an accidental hero, a fact highlighted once again by the events surrounding the recent Westminster attack. For me, even in the past as a teenager, Id probably get involved, go to the aid of other people. So when I saw a big bloke with knives above his head, attack a policeman, I instantly jumped over the fence. Placed by pure chance in the wrong place at the wrong time, GB boxing performance coach Tony Davis never considered spectating from the periphery. For the first man on the scene following terrorist Khalid Masoods stabbing of PC Keith Palmer at the Houses of Parliament, the situation was reduced to a stark black-and-white decision: fight or flight. And, for Davis, that wasnt really a choice at all. When I see him [Khalid Masood] run through the gate, knives in his hands, Im not saying this informed me decision but Ive always thought of Lee Rigby [the off-duty British soldier murdered by two terrorists in 2013], Tony, who served a long period in the Army himself, explains from his home in the North East. [sam id=1 codes=true] I never knew the kid but we served in the same unit and I remember the culprits in that case had time to mill about wielding knives; people could see what was going on from a distance. For me, even in the past as a teenager, Id probably get involved, go to the aid of other people. So when I saw a big bloke with knives above his head, attack a policeman, I instantly jumped over the fence. Tony was there with the British Lionhearts team and Italia Thunder, their World Series of Boxing (WSB) opponents in a contest that took place the next day. An outreach group called British Lionhearts in the Community target young people at grassroots level, helping them to develop through boxing, and members of both squads had been invited to the Houses of Parliament, the home team spoke and answered questions. I noticed PC Palmer moving back and he looked in a great deal of difficulty, and as I ran over he collapsed. I was the first to him, I got down on one knee, and I was shouting for a medic, an ambulance, telling them Id got a pulse. I start giving him first aid. He had a massive head wound. Davis and fellow coach Lee Pullen had just appropriated some mini-desserts for the journey back but, unbeknownst to anyone inside, terrorist Khalid Masood, having mowed down innocent pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, killing three, then crashed his SUV into the railings guarding Parliament Yard. Just as I come out the door, there was a fracas straight ahead from me but outside the perimeter; I now know it was where the car crashed but I didnt know that at the time, I just thought there was a bit of a crowd, recalls Davis, a former ABA champion and ex-Army team head coach. If you follow the fence to the left-hand side it will bring you to where the gates are. I looked through the gates and at the 10 oclock position I could see lots of people running, I thought it must be Greenpeace or some kind of student demonstration that was getting a bit meaty. Then I saw the guy [Khalid Masood] come through the gate with two knives above his head and started attacking the policeman, and I just jumped over the fence and started running. [sam id=1 codes=true] This bodyguard, he put three rounds into the attacker, that dropped him. I noticed PC Palmer moving back and he looked in a great deal of difficulty, and as I ran over he collapsed. I was the first to him, I got down on one knee, and I was shouting for a medic, an ambulance, telling them Id got a pulse. I start giving him first aid. He had a massive head wound. For some people a situation like this would be really shocking but you just deal with the situation. That wasnt the worst wound, he had blood pumping out of his left arm by his bicep, which must have been due to a reaction where he raised his arm in defence to protect himself, but the main one was just under his left armpit; he was wearing a stab vest, but it was just above there and absolutely gushing. I used my GB rain jacket to apply as much pressure as I could to stem the blood flow. His eyes were open, he was still breathing and conscious and I was telling him, Stay with me, help is on the way. I heard another policeman say, Its Keith! so I then used his name to try to get him to respond. Another guy, Mike Crofts, come a minute-and-a-half later, to try to give assistance and, a minute-and-a-half after that, Tobias [Ellwood], the MP [and Foreign Office minister], he started taking over the CPR. It was a manic situation but we all worked together. I had left my phone recording from when Id been videoing the grounds and, although it was in my pocket at the time, you can hear me on the audio, shouting, Were losing him! Thats when Tobias tried chest compressions, and the policeman took over mouth-to-mouth. The air doctor came and administered to him, his lungs were breathing but it was off the oxygen canister. It was really graphic. The policeman was holding his legs up so blood would come back down to his heart. The air doctor was so professional, he tried everything. The policeman proved tragically beyond recovery, something that clearly still haunts Davis despite their being nothing more he could have done. Palmers funeral takes place next week (April 10) and Davis is hoping to attend, primarily to pay his respects but also with the hope that saying goodbye to the man he endeavoured so valiantly to save will afford him some welcome closure from the Westminster attack. My wife and family were proud of me but I did question myself about what people would think, Tony reveals. I thought I did the right thing, but people sometimes look at the negative side so maybe some wouldnt have put themselves in that position. I keep going over and over and over it, seeing them wounds he had, it was just a matter of time. Despite tours of Bosnia and Northern Ireland in his military days, Davis had never seen anything like the horrors that confronted him during and after the Westminster attack. Still, he did not hesitate and used the skills he had to manage the situation to the best of his ability. His bravery and heroism could yet be rewarded with a special award from the WBC but, typically, he does not feel his actions warrant such an honour. Your author respectfully disagrees. [sam id=1 codes=true] Related Publishing manager by day, boxing writer by night. Danny, based in London and Kent, is a former longtime writer and manager of Boxing News and has worked in boxing for, among many others, ITV, BT Sport, BoxNation and Kellie Maloney. Follow Danny on Twitter @DannyFlexen
Actually this is just good business for the Tories, and I've long expected it. The opposition is in disarray under Corbyn, and our prime minister has never won an election. This is as easy a victory as Theresa May will ever be able to bank on, and legitimises her leadership in the eyes of a large section of the public. She can also claim (maybe rightly so) that she has the undisputed majority support of the public for whatever terms she gets for a hard Brexit from the EU. Vote for your Progressive Alliance candidate. Both Greens and Lib Dems have signed up to this and will hopefully put forward one agreed candidate locally in your area. Basically you are voting for an Anti-Brexit and pro proportional representation candidate. Which, frankly, is scary in itself. Brexit, in whatever form, is far the only thing that matters in government. We also have significant and immediate concerns about the NHS, the education system at several different levels, our transport and communications infrastructure, our energy infrastructure, the environment and natural resources, the changing nature of work and employment, over-centralisation around London, the erosion of civil liberties, and other issues. Many of these could have far greater effects on the average citizen than anything to do with Brexit is likely to cause, even over the next few years and certainly in the long term, but they're being drowned out by an issue that is, in the big picture, simply not that big a deal. When 40% of your NHS workforce are potentially at risk due to Brexit, or when farming as we know it will collapse, then it very very much is a big deal. However you are right that what should be happening is that the current intended prosecutions for electoral fraud should be completed (report due 12th of June) before any election is considered. The opposition parties should not be voting for to enact an election. That dates from last year, but suggests only 5% of NHS staff overall and 10% of doctors at that time were immigrants from elsewhere in the EU, and that this was a lower proportion than immigrants from non-EU nations. Talk of farming collapsing also seems rather extreme. There are some important subsidies from the EU that do support genuine farming, but there is a lot more in the CAP that really doesn't. I'm far more worried about not just underfunding but morale in the NHS, and in those who are leaving it or who might consider working within it in the future. For example, the figures for doctors planning leaving the profession in the near future compared to those starting to train to become doctors are not comfortable reading next to our predicted national demographics in the future. I'm also far more worried about the kinds of conditions that make genuine farming need hand-outs to be viable. If that is the case then it seems likely that market forces and/or national resilience strategies have failed catastrophically already and those problems need to be addressed in their own right. It's not that Brexit couldn't affect these things, I just think some of our existing problems are significantly bigger and their effects longer-lasting than any likely changes due to post-Brexit arrangements. Why vote Lib Dem? If the last election turned out slightly differently and the Conservatives still needed the coalition, I bet they'd be out happily singing the praises of Brexit to us all, and walking back their campaign promises. They previously always had a "were not like Labour/Con" cred, but the coalition showed that this simply is not true I really don't get this line of thinking at all. In any coalition compromises are required. Yes the Lib Dems made a campaign promise not to increase tuition fees. But (and this is important), they DID NOT WIN the general election so therefore did not have a strong mandate for those promises. Somehow the Lib Dems get all the blame for increased tuition fees as if it was their idea. The blame for that should lie squarely with the Tories. They really pushed for it and were willing to compromise in other areas important to the Lib Dems to achieve it. Firstly it wasn't their only campaign promise. Secondly they didn't win so had no mandate. Thirdly it was a coalition and the Tories had a slightly stronger mandate. Finally they had to compromise on some things to achieve other arguably more important goals. This is how politics works. If you don't get this then I don't know what to tell you. Actually, their behaviour in the coalition was the fact or that made me respect the LibDems tremendously. In my opinion they actually set aside party advantage in order to give the UK a working government. I believe that without their moderating influence the last government would have been a lot worse - hats off to them. And I speak as a (probably former) Labour voter. > set aside party advantage in order to give the UK a working government Working government is overrated; Belgium took over a year to form a government and therefore ended up handling the financial crisis slightly better as there was no opportunity to do anything dramatically stupid. The Lib Dems should have fought a lot harder and longer before agreeing to that coalition. I'm afraid this is a "but her emails!" position. I'm not a fan of the way the Lib Dems handled the tuition fees fiasco - straightforward breach of promise - but they seem to be the only remaining viable anti-brexit option in England. People say things like this a lot at the moment, but the objective reality is that for a lot of graduates in the current tuition fees and student loans system, they are leaving university already tens of thousands of pounds in debt. Earning anything resembling a "normal" graduate salary -- which of course isn't guaranteed these days -- they will then be making repayments that effectively increase their marginal income tax rate by a whopping 9%. And with the current rate of inflation and the 3% extra interest that gets added on top, most of those repayments will actually just be servicing interest. Bottom line: a young person graduating this year will have huge debts at the start of their career, they could be facing an extra tax-like burden for most of their working lives, and they're entering a workforce that demands more and offers less than any previous generation in recent history has faced. And that's before you even consider things like the housing market or the likelihood of that generation receiving a useful state pension by the time they retire. How is anything related to Brexit, even in the most negative possible outcome, going to have anywhere close to that effect on the life of a young person who graduates this year? It is. Nationalism is on the march, and with it war won't be far away. We're looking at a disintegration of the Western order and the rise of China and a threat from Russia, and a self-interested USA. I don't think the individual countries of Western Europe have a hope standing alone; they will have their arms twisted and they'll toe someone else's line, like it or not, if they can't band together. I agree that certain forms of nationalism and an aggressive Russia are real and significant concerns, but I don't see how Brexit is going to make much difference to either of them. There were always unpleasant people using nationalism as cover for doing unpleasant things, even though the current sentiment in many western countries has brought them a higher profile. They're still a relatively small minority, they've never amounted to much before, and I don't see them achieving much in the long term either, even if they cause nasty irritation for a while. More generally, broader nationalist sentiment might lead to a more isolationist foreign policy for a while, with the pros and cons that brings, but talk of that getting us into a war any time in the near future seems hyperbolic. Russian aggression in Eastern Europe seems a greater and more urgent threat in terms of geopolitical stability, but then NATO seems a more likely forum to moderate that influence than the EU. Given that even NATO has had a limited effect on Putin so far, I don't see the UK's membership or otherwise of the EU making much difference to anything in this respect. With the US not knowing what its foreign policy is from one day to the next under Trump and with many of the other relatively powerful European nations systematically underinvesting in defence for years, I think there are much more influential factors that would need to change here before Brexit started to have much relevance in this context. Meanwhile, with the tuition fees and student loans system we now have and with current inflation rates, we're talking about crippling around half of a whole generation economically, possibly for their entire lives. I'm already somewhat concerned that inequality and generational conflict could lead to widespread disorder within the next few years here at home, regardless of anything going on abroad. The effects of Brexit surely wouldn't help with that, but I don't believe any outcome in relation to Brexit (including completely stopping it) would fix these deep problems in our own society or their long term consequences either. I originally posted a smartass one-liner response ("I don't think even the Lib Dems understand the Lib Dems") but deleted it as it was not constructive or particularly fair on you. I think that it is worth explaining what I meant however. I genuinely admire that you are motivated enough to get involved with UK politics - and I wish you all the best. You've no idea the disappointment I had in the LDs though - I cheered them on in a handful of successive elections (they ousted the Tories in my home constituency West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine in '97 much to my family's delight) and in the run-in to 2010 was convinced they could rise up to challenge Labour and the Conservatives. And then to join the Tories - it just boggles the mind, I cannot fathom how anyone didn't think "won't this completely kill us off?". For one this basically lost them the foothold they had Scotland (my home constituency was lost to the SNP, for example) and whatever was left of the younger supporters who weren't turned off by the association with the Conservatives were then burned by the Tuition Fee saga in England. We'll never know what would have happened with Brexit if the Lib Dems were still in the coalition. But they completely capitulated on a single extremely simple promise in 2010. Now I (a previous Lib Dem voter) have no reason to believe they wouldn't do the exact same again. But overall, yeah you are right. I do not understand the Lib Dems. And it fucking saddens me. We're nerds. I've met very few Lib dems who aren't nerds. And some of us are nerds about transport, and some of us are nerds about budgets, and so on. That is who we are above all else. We're ravenclaws. (With some hufflepuffs). We write long complex policies with painstaking research only to have the other parties nick them, and then say "well at least the clever thing I designed is happening even if I don't get the credit". Now, one thing we did with the coalition was do exactly what we'd been saying before the election. It wasn't what the media reported, but it is what we said. Which was that we'd consider coalition with any party that got the most votes and the most seats. Which was the Tories. Now, you should also remember that the Lib Dems have a shared history with both the conservative and labour parties. The SDP may be much more recent, but the flight of the libertarians in the 1920s and 30s (along with the telegraph newspaper) lost us what was an originally liberal idea: the market. Suddenly we were no longer the party of the market. And the Tories were a mixture of market purists, capitalists and moral conservatives (political theists). They've purged most of the moral conservatives now, and we're just left with the capitalists (the libertarians forgot all about the social conscience of Adam Smith without the rest of the Liberal party to remind them.) Now, the Liberals who were left in the 40s and onwards were several things. Social liberal, internationalist, a little bit CND, etc. Radicals. Protestors. Then we got this influx from Labour in the 80s, the right wing of the Labour Party, the SDP. Vince Cable. Shirley Williams. We grew up and became less of a protest party and more professional. We started winning by-elections and having more than 6 seats. It is important to distinguish us from a European Liberal (centre-right) party. It is also important to remember that we're internationalists. And it is important to remember that we're not too different from a European Liberal party; we definitely believe in free trade across borders. So, the European project is a part of British Liberalism which cuts across both internationalism and market freedoms. It's in the political DNA of nearly all Lib Dems. Brexit is one of the few things we pretty much all agree on (that it's a terrible catastrophe). Surely this is a Tory own-goal? Petitioning the people again (whilst ignoring the inconvenient ones)? You'd have thought Cameron's dodgy success rate would have put paid to that. Of course your lot fell for the PR one... that worked so we got one on Scotland - ooh squeaky - and then he tried it again on Europe:'not so great' as POTUS would say. How easy will it be to make this an anti-Brexit vote, a vote to keep Scotland, a vote on the NHS, on social care, an anti-Trump vote, a pro-status quo, conservative with a small 'C' anti-change vote, an anti-war vote, an anti-elitist grammar schools, a kick the arrogant Tory toffs of Johnson, Gove and Hunt... the Tories are hugely unpopular in spite of the Lab-Con polls (Labour are just even more unpopular) Labour is in a bit of leadership dispute and the Article 50 negotiations haven't had time to go bad. Now is probably the best possible time to call an election. This time next year Labour might have gotten their house in order and the first results of the negotiations with the EU will be in and under close scrutiny, and it is very likely the the government will have been forced to make some tough concessions. Both of those things are likely to make winning an election much harder. Also if they win now they can conduct the Article 50 negotiations in peace and with clear mandate. Trying to win an election and negotiate Brexit at the same time will be much harder, if for no other reason than the fact that the person across the table won't have any idea if the person they're talking to now will be in charge when it comes time to actually sign the papers. Not a two party thing at all though eh? They won't get a majority. There will be no winner at all. They will have to carry on with a minority government trying to negotiate a Brexit they no longer have a mandate for - LOL! That is certainly one possible outcome. However the Tories seem rather convinced that they can keep and even increase their majority (although the Tories do seem to have a thing for taking big bets with the country on election outcomes). And if they end up even just keeping their majority it will remove the whole "Theresa May has no public mandate to negotiate Brexit" argument from the table. It will also give them 5 more years to ride out the Brexit storm before having to face the voters again. I wish you all the best. I think you may be able to capture some Conservative voters who do not like what is going on, but critically as always there need to be enough people without a defeatist attitude to switch and for you to succeed. I agreed with the Lib Dems on about two issues: privacy and censorship. For these, I disagree with the Labour line. However I am also against capitalist exploitation, and that makes a stronger case for me than the previous two issues. If the Lib Dems became a Democratic/Liberal Socialist party, I'd be happier. Given that the country basically fell apart the moment we went out of coalition government - yeah I'm not too uncomfortable with the record at this point despite lots of reservations on things like austerity and the tution fee embarrassment (which in the scheme of politics today is the least of anyone's concerns). I would have prefered a Labour + LibDem coalition in 2010 and 2015, but for what its worth the Lib Dems kept the conservatives on the side of sanity between 2010 and 2015. Without the lib dems they were torn apart by the far right of their party. Of course you're right. I just pointed out that the Tories and Labour did worse on the issue and suffered less for it. But then, the Lib Dems did the pledge and weren't able to stand up for it, so they did deserve some punishment. Libdems lost the trust of students everywhere. I like core libdem ideas on land but sadly they were led by empty suits like Clegg and Cable. Anyhow, under first past the post your vote means nothing. Kneel before your boomer overlords, who will be bribed and who will enslave their own kids for their gain. It's also an incredibly cynical ploy that'll probably damage belief in democracy more than anything. It's not a vote on whether Brexit happens because she called it after she'd already irrevocably started the countdown on that by triggering Article 50. It's not a vote on how Brexit happens because, as far as I can tell, she's consistently refused to be specific about that and no real negotiation with the EU has happened yet. (Edit: and the Tories have confirmed this is their election strategy: https://twitter.com/DMcCaffreySKY/status/854329597793632257) It lets May claim a democratic mandate for whatever she wants to do without giving voters any insight or say in what that is. (1) It's not whether to Brexit or not because that has already been democratically decided by the voters. (2) If there are any counterproposals (i.e. another party saying "we'll do Brexit this way") then she'll have to clarify her strategy. If not, it doesn't matter anyways (the democratical choice of a single option is that single option). The only problem I see with this is that the election is only 6 weeks away, too little for any credible new stances to form. Beneficial for her & Tories, but undemocratic and bad for the country. Indeed, she is shoring up the Tory vote in the commons. At the moment they have a thin majority and just a small number of backbenchers can run amok to prevent or derail government / ministerial law making agenda. Most people will see this as the party political move that it is. Tory voters will love this, other parties much less so. As an aside, Northern Ireland will probably join in and have another assembly election on the same date. I wonder if Scotland will join in too? The Labour Party establishment have tried to dethrone Corbyn before and failed. He's an odd case. He commands a lot of influence among Labour members and to some extent the unions (who have significant ties to and influence on the Labour Party here). This makes him more-or-less untouchable as party leader. However, he's loathed by most of the party's current MPs, who are politicians and know he's going to be a liability at election time. And he's not particularly popular among the general public outside the traditional Labour voters, which is why he's going to be a liability. The irony of the snap election, if it does happen, is that it will be an opportunity for Corbyn to clear out the disloyal backstabbers in the Commons and replace them with more traditional Labour MPs, which is probably why he seems to have said previously that he'd support calls for a snap election. On the other hand, he would probably lose so many MPs altogether that his party would become almost irrelevant in the next Parliament, much as the Lib Dems did last time. A somewhat ironic but apparently quite plausible outcome to all the political manoeuvres is that Corbyn says Labour will support the snap election, almost all of his MPs openly rebel, the election consequently doesn't achieve the 2/3 support needed in the Commons and so doesn't happen, May is weakened and probably steps down as a result, and Corbyn is also so weakened that he finally goes, thus making the two party leaders who were playing the political games the major victims of those games. We live in interesting times, literally and perhaps euphemistically as well. I'm still a Corbyn supporter, and I think he's had a difficult time, having to owe up to his own goals, the goals of his grassroots movement and the goals of the old time voters and unions. This is very highlighted on the EU move; I don't think it's charitable to say that he "supported Tory policy"; the members don't mean anything when the majority of people voting for you aren't members. So what would you have done if you were him? Go with your members and get booted out of any sensible position, or go with your voting base and disregard your members? Brexit was a hot button topic for many reasons and arguably the fact that someone is either a Tory supporter or betraying their voter base is an example of politics becoming more about principle than doing what's right. 'Go with your members and get booted out of any sensible position' I don't understand why its to be taken as a given that noone will vote for the anti-brexit party, given that a was a good 45% of the population supported it? surely then all you have to do is win 10% of the population over with other arguments to win? Corbyn is not to blame for this. When Harriet Harman was caretaker leader after Ed Miliband resigned, Labour MPs voted in favour of having the referendum on EU membership. They should therefore feel bound by its result. The only party which voted against having the referendum, and who aren't similarly bound, were the SNP. It's possibly worth mentioning for those not closely following UK news that "soft Brexit" now usually seems to mean "remaining a member of the Single Market", and "hard Brexit" usually seems to mean "anything less than that". I don't personally think this is a very useful distinction. By this definition, a soft Brexit is what for example the Lib Dems are advocating at the moment. However, I think it is also highly unlikely to happen, because to a first approximation it is leaving-in-name-only and thus probably an untenable position for the government to adopt politically. The entire spectrum of other possibilities, from retaining relatively close ties in some respects up to completely walking away with no deal at all, then fall under the single banner of hard Brexit, but treating such widely different possible outcomes as equivalent doesn't seem to be very useful (unless for political reasons you want to try to equate them anyway, I suppose). Yes, there's certainly an element of that going on, and it's not surprising that a lot of people are concerned about it. I suppose to be balanced we should also acknowledge the other side's similarly daft argument that they accept that people voted for tea and yet propose a scheme in which you can't buy any of tea bags, tea leaves, a kettle, an urn, or an instant hot water tap, though it's possible that milk or lemon will still be negotiable. :-) How is Corbyn playing political games? He had the overwhelming support of members in two leadership elections. The people playing political games have been those Labour MPs who have been trying to get him to stand down. It's almost as if they'd rather have the Tories in government. Presumably the general public don't like him because the media have been telling them he's unelectable, even though he's been voted leader twice and his policies are popular with the electorate even if he isn't. I suspect he's considering his own position and the general dissatisfaction he faces among his current crop of MPs, and he's probably figuring this is a chance to clean house a bit. I also suspect the extremely short notice given by May is designed to frustrate that effort. It's almost as if they'd rather have the Tories in government. I imagine some current Labour MPs with Blairite leanings really might prefer having the Tories in government if a Corbyn-led administration is the alternative. The Tory position on a lot of issues is probably closer to their own. Presumably the general public don't like him because the media have been telling them he's unelectable, even though he's been voted leader twice and his policies are popular with the electorate even if he isn't. But being voted leader by a party who like him is far different from getting votes from anyone else, and almost everyone's policies are popular until you start asking the hard questions like how you're going to pay for it or who else is going to lose out as a result. I don't think either the general public's view of him or any resulting electability problems are entirely down to the media. I would hope that any Labour MPs who want the Tories to win rather than a Corbyn-led Labour Party would have the integrity to resign their seats and stand as Tories, instead of undermining the party from within. Theresa May's just taking advantage of her huge poll lead, which is mostly down to a divided official opposition. I think a lot of Labour MPs are in a tricky ethical and political bind at the moment. When they were elected, Corbyn wasn't leader. The platform they were elected on wasn't Corbyn's, and the people who elected them were their local constituents, not just Corbyn-supporting members of the Labour party. On the other hand, they ran under a Labour banner, which will be why quite a lot of them are MPs today, and it wasn't the New Labour of Tony Blair, it was the Labour of Ed Miliband, which now belongs to Jeremy Corbyn. openly blocking the call for an early election would be really interesting, but I wonder if it would actually lead to either Corbyn or May resigning. There are straight forward routes through for both of them. May :- repeal the fixed term parliaments act (which would be an entertaining kick in the teeth to the Lib Dems) Corbyn :- accuse Labour rebels of not respecting democracy and even question their motives w/regard to Brexit. On that basis I can't see enough Labour rebels actually turning out to block it. They're more likely to walk away from politics completely (their heart was never really in the business of fighting for something). Pretty much, Corbyn has gathered a lot of grass roots support but will fail to appeal to the wider electorate. I suspect there is a good chance that Labour in the rest of the UK will implode after this election in the same way that it has collapsed in Scotland (although I'm not clear who voters would transfer their loyalties to as they have here in Scotland where the SNP now dominates). Nothing will happen in the short term, but the upcoming hammering that Labour will endure is probably going to be the catalyst for either a successful challenge or a final split between the populist far left in Labour and the urban Blairites. Everyone is always describing Corbyn as some far left nutjob, look at Europe or Scandinavia and you'll see he is actually the moderate left. Don't let the continued hatchet job by every media outlet in the country fool you. Corbyn isn't in Europe or Scandanavia, I'm going to assume your post you're under 30 and in the UK judging by your support for Corbyn. Maybe you should ask yourself why in your lifetime a Labour leader hasn't won an election without dominating the centre of the political spectrum. Corbyn is too far left to win a general election the press have nothing to do with it, Teresa May is becoming increasing right wing and he lacks the common sense to vacate that position. > I'm going to assume your post you're under 30 and in the UK judging by your support for Corbyn. Nice assumptions there, shame they are incorrect other than my location. My point is that Corbyn is a bog standard left of centre politician in a left of centre party. If you honestly believe the press have nothing to do with the image of him being a left wing loon then I honestly don't think you're paying attention. He is continually painted as a terrorist sympathizer for his views that talking and treating others as humans actually gets shit resolved (you know, diplomacy), he's quoted out of context time and again to paint him into the fringe left rather than where he actually stands. That said, I agree that he's not the right candidate to get elected in the UK and he has been particularly ineffectual at providing any meaningful opposition to either Cameron or May both of whom I think Thatcher would think was a bit extreme. I've never really seen the "punishment" rhetoric outside the British press; among the EU-27, the assumption seems to be that the consequences of a hard Brexit will be bad enough. The problem with a hard Brexit is all the non-tariff barriers [1] that will kick in. This is unavoidable: lack of tariffs was never that big a benefit of EU membership, because the EU has few tariffs as is and one of the lowest weighted mean tariff rates in the world. The benefit of the single market is that British products and services are basically treated just like domestic products and services in all the other member states for regulatory purposes. This will force Britain to largely keep regulations for products that are being exported in line with the EU's (as its biggest export market), while still adding costs [2]. Nobody seriously believes that the British economy will implode as a result; what it will do is retard economic growth somewhat (economists argue how much) and possibly create structural problems in sectors that are heavily reliant on exports. P.S.: I would also not rely on the Daily Express. It's probably one of the worst British tabloids. Probably because the EU 27's rhetorical tactic is to claim all the ways they come up with to punish Britain over Brexit are simply inevitable consequences of Brexit, regardless how obvious it is that they're just things they've pulled out their ass for naked political reasons. For example, their bizarre interpretation of a rule forbidding countries from negotiating trade agreements unilaterally to mean the EU couldn't negotiate its post-exit trade agreements with the UK until the UK actually exited (hurting members with close trading ties to the UK), or cynical insistence Spain must get a veto on the deal because of the Gibraltar border but Ireland doesn't get one. Your comment is over simplistic because many reputable news outlets are reporting the hard observable fact that a general election has been called. Therefore the fact that the Guardian is a source for this is irrelevant. A single newspaper, The Daily Express is reporting comments made by a single Danish MEP, who could be from some mad fringe party for all we know, as if this is the official policy of four nation states. Therefore the Express article is mostly speculation based on a secondary source of information; a person whose personal agenda and relation to the Danish Government's official foreign policy is unknown. Dane here. According to the article he is from the Danish People's Party. Although pretty right wing on issues like immigration, they're not exactly a fringe party these days but also they have never been a governing party. As for the official foreign policy, I think our government is sorry to see the UK leave ship as we have often had similar objectives when it came to EU politics. I don't think there is any desire to "punish" Britain as far as the Danish government is concerned. It's a bit like pointing out to environmentalists that the earth itself will be fine; it's true but glossing over a huge amount of detail of what might actually be lost. Possibly the most accurate prophecy I've read on twitter is that we'll gradually forget that people used to migrate to the UK from Ireland for economic reasons, as it becomes the other way round. The UK is likely to move smoothly from importing workers to young people going abroad (with greater difficulty) in order to find work. And the Home Office net migration figures will declare this a success. Brexit won't demolish the UK, but it will cripple growth and cut us out of a whole bunch of global opportunities. (Unless the Home Office goes to kick out the 3m Europeans already here, in which case we're back to tanks-in-the-streets apocalypses) The UK won't get a deal like Norway because UK politics prohibits it; it's not politically acceptable to continue to send billions to the EU after leaving. If UK were to contribute as much to the EU as Norway per capita, it would be over 2 billion EUR per year. I don't know where you get your information from with regard to the desire for a trade war. It is wishful thinking at best. The UK will not come to any settlement within the allotted time frame with the EU and will have to accept default terms if they want to continue trading. I don't think we can underestimate the enmity that already exists because of Brexit. There will be a huge payback for this. What is left of the UK will have a huge hostile super-power right on its doorstep. Most of the countries in the EU are in the Eurozone too. The UK is pretty much the last major economy in the EU that's outside the Eurozone, and one of only two EU members that are not in theory obliged to join it as soon as they're able to. Doesn't really matter what three countries want. You'd need to get agreement from 27 countries. That is why trade deals are so hard for the EU to do. I really doubt we'll be getting a deal in the next two years. A more likely outcome is a French Exit or the collapse of a large Italian bank causing the end of the EU as we know it. Then we can make trade deals with individual countries. If this was going to happen, it would have happened during the peak of "Grexit" talk about Greece. Greece were doing incredibly badly out of the EU at that point, far worse than the UK could ever be said to be experiencing, and decided not to leave. That's why I don't think further fragmentation is likely, and the banking system has been shored up. French exit would kill the EU, but I think we'll see another narrow defeat for Le Pen. But I could be wrong there, it's volatile. Yes exactly, it is IndyRef lite! She is hoping they lose, thereby negating calls for IndyRef proper. I din't say it wasn't going to backfire spectacularly. I think the whole thing is a huge mistake. Brexit is happening, Article 50 has been triggered and is irrevocable. Unlike the rest of UK, Scotland still appear to have a choice. I can't see how the Tories ever thought this was going to end well. By doing this she gives herself a full five years to hammer out all of the deals required to "successfully" Brexit. With the opposition in disarray, they stand a good chance to securing more seats. This helps them to prevent other parties blocking the things she needs to pass in order to start revoking EU laws, which they have already said they will copy verbatim to start with into UK law, and then slowly rewrite the bits out they don't want. EHRC being one of their key targets. Labour's problem is they are basically two parties, the metropolitan socialists (remain) and working classes (leave). I doubt any leader would be able to fight this upcoming general election - it's a huge mess for them. It's not quite as simple as that. Much of the country is prosperous but still voted leave, many working class people live in cities and voted remain, and it's quite hard to define working class now in a country which gets ~10% of its GDP from industry and most of it from services. There's stronger signs of a generational split, and a rural/city split than a simple rich poor split and of course each area has substantial numbers of voters who think differently. Lots of rich people voted for Brexit, lots of people who are not nationalists voted for Brexit lots of people who are not particularly racist voted for Brexit, etc. The reasons are varied. I disagree with Brexit and think it will end in disaster (esp. for labour as you point out), but the view above is unduly reductive. Unfortunately such a nuanced reality doesn't fit into a sound bite and people prefer to neatly put their opponents in a reductive box, so here we are talking about cities vs countryside and rich vs poor. your quote seemed to imply that it should come as a surprise that there are non-racist Brexit voters. As a pro-Brexit voter myself I'm used to being on the receiving end of that kind of inflammatory rhetoric so if that wasn't your intention then I apologise. this is the funny thing - Labour has bent over more and more to gain the backing of middle-class wannabe socialists to the point where it has alienated its core constituency. There's not really a good party for the working class any more. a party becomes more competitive by actually having voters that support it. Very few people are socialists or communists, Labour would have a lot better luck positioning themselves in liberal rather than far-left territory. I currently support the Conservatives because Labour is socialist and Lib Dems are incompetent but I'm really pretty centrist. Like people were doing during the great depression? Or England before social democracy? Class is not about equality, it is about removing a power relationship. In the same way that the abolitionist movement removed the property relationship between master and slave, the Socialist movement seeks to remove the private property power relationship between bourgeois and proletariat in general. Socialism has been attempted many many times and never succeeded in peace time without degrading into a hellish dystopia - it also almost always seems to be pushed by middle class people rather than the working class, who are generally somewhere between social democrat and nationalist. The idea that inequality can be solved by handing all property to the government, the single biggest source of corruption in existence, is ludicrous and the sooner the ideas of socialism and communism die out the closer we'll be to an actual approach to raising up the working poor. > Socialism has been attempted many many times and never succeeded in peace time without degrading into a hellish dystopia - it also almost always seems to be pushed by middle class people rather than the working class Two factors are at work here; first, in a capitalist society (or modern mixed economies, which retain this feature of capitalism) visibility is driven in large part by class and wealth, so higher-status individuals will appear more significant (especially from outside the movement) simply because of their status. Second, the modern popular concept in the West of the "middle class" is almost entirely part of what socialists (and others following the classical analysis of class in capitalist societies) call the working class (the traditional capitalist-economy middle class, the petit-bourgeoisie, aligns better with the current popular concept of the"upper middle class" and lower range of the upper class.) In modern Western parlance, "middle class" is the middle income segment of the wage-labor dependent segment of society; in traditional (socialist in origin, since they first described and analyzed capitalism) the wage-labor dependent segment is the working class. And, yes, the segment of the working class that is able to afford to spend effort directed beyond immediate survival, and with the most to lose, is usually the base of most reform efforts and resvolutions (socialist or otherwise), and usually the petit-bourgeoisie is significantly involved, too (though also significantly involved in defending the status quo), since very early in the capitalist (and pre-capitalist transitional) world. it also largely seems to be university students. Basically, it always seems to be those who are doing alright by the current system and don't want to have to work. Work will always have to be enforced until society is mostly automated, and even then the automation will need to be maintained. >it also almost always seems to be pushed by middle class people rather than the working class, who are generally somewhere between social democrat and nationalist. Why does that make it a bad idea? I'm of the belief that stigma surrounding Socialism has meant that only interested academics will talk about it, but this certainly wasn't the case in the 19th century. It is not only the working poor who are of concern, it is the workers as a whole. Class consciousness must be raised. >The idea that inequality can be solved by handing all property to the government That's not what I'm proposing; rather, I propose that private property (i.e property used for social commodity reproduction) be taken over by workers, and the powers of the state be transferred to people so that the state withers away, leaving behind it a government. Decentralised government is also possible. >socialism and communism die out the closer we'll be to an actual approach to raising up the working poor. Have you read The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists by Robert Tressell?[0] He himself was a working class man making the case for Socialism, and why capitalism, a system which is designed to keep one class below the other, is not favourable. Capitalism has nothing to do with government, the idea that only 'corporatism' is bad is equivocation. The class structure still exists without a government, surplus labour is still extracted without a government, private property is still defended without a government. The workers are raised up by ideals looking out for their interests rather than those ideals looking out for the interests of the bourgeoisie. The class system prevents realisation of a meritocracy in which each person is rewarded exactly according to his labour rather than paid by the hour. I'm not saying it does - I'm saying that if the working class have rejected it then clearly they do not see it is in their benefit. The idea of "raising class consciousness" seems like a fancy way of saying "the working class are too stupid to know what's good for them". > I propose that private property (i.e property used for social commodity reproduction) be taken over by workers Such as what? Workers already own property. Most people have a TV, a house (that they own fully after their mortgage matures), a car and so on. Should we steal all of that stuff too? Or just the lambourghinis and yachts of the wealthy? Sounds like "lets just steal stuff we want from other people" to me. > Decentralised government is also possible. Sounds like an interesting idea, but I'm not sure what form of government you're referring to. > Have you read The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists by Robert Tressell?[0] He himself was a working class man making the case for Socialism, and why capitalism, a system which is designed to keep one class below the other, is not favourable. I haven't, I'll add it to my reading list. I doubt I'll be convinced though. The idea that capitalism exists to keep classes separate is one I disagree with - my understanding is that capitalism exists to allow people to compete to be the best at providing services people want. Naturally, people who are better at this will rise to the top. It's a form of talent sifting. I'd rather have competent people do things they're competent at or we'll end up with more Lysenkoism and bread lines. > Capitalism has nothing to do with government, the idea that only 'corporatism' is bad is equivocation. The class structure still exists without a government, surplus labour is still extracted without a government, private property is still defended without a government. Defense of private property makes sense though. If I own a car I like, I'm not going to just let you come and steal it from me. The idea that a community can own property that is shared seems bogus when you extend the argument to things that are scarce. Marx himself posited socialism and communism as being a state that requires a post-scarcity and automated society, which we do not have. Not even close. > The workers are raised up by ideals looking out for their interests rather than those ideals looking out for the interests of the bourgeoisie. The class system prevents realisation of a meritocracy in which each person is rewarded exactly according to his labour rather than paid by the hour. You can't calculate the value of a thing based on the labour required to create it. Otherwise what stops me spending years on some piece of junk and then demanding a reward? Value of a thing is determined by what it's worth to the person who wants to use it, i.e. utility pricing. >Such as what? Workers already own property. Most people have a TV, a house (that they own fully after their mortgage matures), a car and so on. Should we steal all of that stuff too? Or just the lambourghinis and yachts of the wealthy? Sounds like "lets just steal stuff we want from other people" to me. Marx and other 19th century writers make the distinction between private and personal property (at the time, it was simply called 'property', and personal property called 'possession'). An example of private property is a factory, machinery and land upon which people are employed to make things. These things are social means of reproduction. I don't think anybody, Communist or otherwise, is advocating for taking personal property such as cars (unless property of a limousine company), televisions, computers (unless property of a commercial software house) etc. >my understanding is that capitalism exists to allow people to compete to be the best at providing services people want I think that this is merely incidental, capitalism producing goods for exchange rather than usage is not incidental. Not even bosses are in charge of capital, capital is its own owner, and ensures its continuation through the capitalist system. This is why sometimes you see property owners giving themselves salaries of $1. I don't think that people who provide the best service rise to the top; rather, those who are the most ruthless in providing that service rise to the top; it's not even proportional to the amount of labour applied. In fact, many products are made which people wouldn't buy if it wasn't for a lot of advertising. Accumulating capital is one of the goals of a property owning actor in a capitalist system, and that can be best done by paying the workers the minimum, that is, the amount required to maintain the worker and ensure the continuance of the flow of workers. > The idea that a community can own property that is shared seems bogus when you extend the argument to things that are scarce. I think that the community should collectively own means of production; however the labourers themselves as individuals own the product of their own labour and choose when and how to distribute it, if at all. A worker who makes social means of production (i.e MoP which multiple people use) would likely be persuaded to let the community use his machine, in exchange for a certain amount of product for example. However ideally, community projects would make sure that most members of the community who wish to produce contribute to the production of means of production. >Marx himself posited socialism and communism as being a state that requires a post-scarcity and automated society, which we do not have. It's not necessary that society be post-scarcity; rather, that resources be managed without introducing artificial scarcity. Full automation is not possible under capitalism, for there has to be someone to buy back the products which are producted. Capitalism isn't a way to get to the point of full automation. >You can't calculate the value of a thing based on the labour required to create it. The Labour Theory of Value[0] attempts to do exactly this. > Otherwise what stops me spending years on some piece of junk and then demanding a reward? Marx wanted to make the distinction between private labour and social labour. Social labour calculations take place within the context of society, whereas private labour is not commodified. He writes in Capital chap. 1: "Some people might think that if the value of a commodity is determined by the quantity of labour spent on it, the more idle and unskilful the labourer, the more valuable would his commodity be, because more time would be required in its production. The labour, however, that forms the substance of value, is homogeneous human labour, expenditure of one uniform labour power. The total labour power of society, which is embodied in the sum total of the values of all commodities produced by that society, counts here as one homogeneous mass of human labour power, composed though it be of innumerable individual units. Each of these units is the same as any other, so far as it has the character of the average labour power of society, and takes effect as such; that is, so far as it requires for producing a commodity, no more time than is needed on an average, no more than is socially necessary. The labour time socially necessary is that required to produce an article under the normal conditions of production, and with the average degree of skill and intensity prevalent at the time. The introduction of power-looms into England probably reduced by one-half the labour required to weave a given quantity of yarn into cloth. The hand-loom weavers, as a matter of fact, continued to require the same time as before; but for all that, the product of one hour of their labour represented after the change only half an hours social labour, and consequently fell to one-half its former value." >and then demanding a reward? In a Socialist society, you would make things for your own usage, unless in some kind of barter or market Socialist arrangement. >Value of a thing is determined by what it's worth to the person who wants to use it, i.e. utility pricing. Marx makes the distinction between use-value: "The utility of a thing makes it a use value.[4] But this utility is not a thing of air. Being limited by the physical properties of the commodity, it has no existence apart from that commodity. A commodity, such as iron, corn, or a diamond, is therefore, so far as it is a material thing, a use value, something useful. This property of a commodity is independent of the amount of labour required to appropriate its useful qualities. When treating of use value, we always assume to be dealing with definite quantities, such as dozens of watches, yards of linen, or tons of iron. The use values of commodities furnish the material for a special study, that of the commercial knowledge of commodities.[5] Use values become a reality only by use or consumption: they also constitute the substance of all wealth, whatever may be the social form of that wealth. In the form of society we are about to consider, they are, in addition, the material depositories of exchange value." and Value (also exchange value): "Let us take two commodities, e.g., corn and iron. The proportions in which they are exchangeable, whatever those proportions may be, can always be represented by an equation in which a given quantity of corn is equated to some quantity of iron: e.g., 1 quarter corn = x cwt. iron. What does this equation tell us? It tells us that in two different things  in 1 quarter of corn and x cwt. of iron, there exists in equal quantities something common to both. [...] This common something cannot be either a geometrical, a chemical, or any other natural property of commodities. Such properties claim our attention only in so far as they affect the utility of those commodities, make them use values. But the exchange of commodities is evidently an act characterised by a total abstraction from use value. Then one use value is just as good as another, provided only it be present in sufficient quantity. [...] As use values, commodities are, above all, of different qualities, but as exchange values they are merely different quantities, and consequently do not contain an atom of use value. If then we leave out of consideration the use value of commodities, they have only one common property left, that of being products of labour. But even the product of labour itself has undergone a change in our hands. If we make abstraction from its use value, we make abstraction at the same time from the material elements and shapes that make the product a use value; we see in it no longer a table, a house, yarn, or any other useful thing. Its existence as a material thing is put out of sight. Neither can it any longer be regarded as the product of the labour of the joiner, the mason, the spinner, or of any other definite kind of productive labour. Along with the useful qualities of the products themselves, we put out of sight both the useful character of the various kinds of labour embodied in them, and the concrete forms of that labour; there is nothing left but what is common to them all; all are reduced to one and the same sort of labour, human labour in the abstract." Marx further writes: "A thing can be a use value, without having value. This is the case whenever its utility to man is not due to labour. Such are air, virgin soil, natural meadows, &c. A thing can be useful, and the product of human labour, without being a commodity. Whoever directly satisfies his wants with the produce of his own labour, creates, indeed, use values, but not commodities. [...] If the thing is useless, so is the labour contained in it; the labour does not count as labour, and therefore creates no value." but it's close enough that we can tweak the existing system through optimised taxes and regulations. It's like the political equivalent of saying "oh shit our web app is running a bit slow, best throw it all out and rebuild the whole thing in <insert hip framework here>". Except the hip framework almost always results in your co-workers getting genocided or dying in a famine. >but it's close enough that we can tweak the existing system through optimised taxes and regulations Optimised taxes and regulations do not stop exploitation[0]. >"oh shit our web app is running a bit slow, best throw it all out and rebuild the whole thing in <insert hip framework here>" This is such a false analogy; there are problems inherent with capitalism, which is what the Socialists oppose - namely, the structure of unjustified authority of the State, the exploitation of labour, the class system, the internal contradictions and crises of capitalism, and being forced by threat of starvation to sell labour-power to the class of property owners. A better analogy would be if your web app is only serving 5% or less of customers, and the rest get an extremely slow connection, which they complain about to the web app owner, and you respond "We just need to make the website a few kB/s slower for the 5% and give that speed to you!" Socialism in all real world implementations has been in the form of an all-encompassing state. The idea that socialism can exist as a form of anarchy seems to be busted - the Soviets (as in the unions that initially formed during the Russian revolution) quickly formed into a hierarchal structure of abstract Soviets that looked just like government departments. I don't agree with the extent that the State has power either, but fundamentally it can provide security from criminal behaviour via the police, protection from outside groups via the military, and welfare via taxation. Those are all positives, imo. > the exploitation of labour "Ownership of the means of production" has less and less meaning every year. Everyone can start a business from a laptop, this isn't the Victorian era where most working class are forced to work in factories to escape the poor-house. It would seem that business people do provide real value after all - managing people and structuring organised work between individuals with separate skills is an incredible value-add to a workforce. Plus, the idea of the 1% owning the vast majority of the wealth in society can in large part be attributed to their owning a large share of their own businesses, which are built with their own work and hiring people at mutually-agreed-upon wages. > the class system The class system is becoming less and less relevant. I don't have to toil away as a serf on some rich noble's land any more. I started out very much lower-middle to working class, and now I live a very comfortable life. Economic mobility is pretty good these days, we don't live in Marx's time any more. > the internal contradictions and crises of capitalism ... can be well-managed by a more competent state. Tragedy of the commons, neocolonialism, and such could be drastically reduced by improvements to the state. We know this because countries like Norway have good social standards and are military non-interventionist, and the USA is pretty much the only Western country that invades others any more. > being forced by threat of starvation to sell labour-power to the class of property owners You mean being forced to be a productive member of society? Work still needs to keep the world going, and if sitting at home consuming goods and providing absolutely no value were a viable option everyone would do it and society would collapse. For those who can't due to disability or unemployability we have welfare benefits to allow them to do exactly that. Consider this - if people don't have to sell labour-power to earn money to buy things, but can still consume the fruits of others' labour, are they not being exploitative themselves? > A better analogy would be if your web app is only serving 5% or less of customers, and the rest get an extremely slow connection, which they complain about to the web app owner, and you respond "We just need to make the website a few kB/s slower for the 5% and give that speed to you!" You, like every other socialist I've spoken to, seem far more preoccupied with punishing the wealthy than actually helping the poor. If we can establish a dignified baseline for all people to live off of, what's wrong with those who are willing to work hard and sacrifice to provide better services to their customers being able to earn more? Without incentives we wouldn't have any innovation because people don't make sacrifices without incentives. Most innovation is born of personal sacrifices. >Socialism in all real world implementations has been in the form of an all-encompassing state. The idea that socialism can exist as a form of anarchy seems to be busted I think it could exist as a distributed network of communes, no particular commune with authority over any other, voluntarily exchanging resources where needed. I'm against strengthening the State; at most the State should take the form of a government, having all its other powers handed away. >and welfare via taxation I don't think taxation can be justified, unless it is optional and agreed to by everyone paying and receiving the taxes. > Everyone can start a business from a laptop Yes, but that laptop only becomes social means of production when you start to hire other people to work on it in the form of wage labour. It's fine to be an artisan or "self-employed", because in that case, the only exploitation happening is exploitation of yourself (depends on the point of view). >managing people and structuring organised work between individuals with separate skills is an incredible value-add to a workforce Property owners are distinct from managers; there's no reason why one must cease being a manager when they cease owning property. Managers are workers, and their management would probably be decided via a democratic vote in a Socialist co-operative. Management is cruical, nobody is arguing against it; engineers etc. add value to products of course. >which are built with their own work and hiring people at mutually-agreed-upon wages. Very few businesses reach the kind of scale they are today from the labour of the owners; in fact, they reach that status due to the labour of the workers. Agreeing upon wages doesn't mean anything at all, because that agreement almost always happens in a case where one must sell his labour-power in order to survive. The Marxian analysis says that exploitation isn't a matter of wages, it's a matter of receiving the value of labour. Without exploitation, the companies would not make profit. Yes, the worker has options as to who to sell himself to piecemeal, but that does not mean that the transactions are free; considering the class of property owners as a whole, they force people knowingly by societal structure to work for them. >Economic mobility is pretty good these days, we don't live in Marx's time any more. Economic mobility is irrelevant. There are roughly three classes, which some people are able to move between: the proletariat, who must sell their labour-power for wage in order to survive, the petit-bourgeoisie who take the form of artisans or those self-employed, i.e bourgeois in potential, and the bourgeoisie who are a class of property owners. It is possible to be a property owner and work, too. For example, many small businesses have the property owner work. But that does not mean that the property owner should be entitled to the fruits of others' labour. Many (most?) people do not have sufficient capital, or have no way of accumulating sufficient capital, to move from proletarian to petit bourgeois. Even fewer have the ability to move from proletarian to bourgeois. The system is stacked agaisnt them, it's not a matter of choice and some hard work. >You mean being forced to be a productive member of society? I see no reason why one must sell labour-power in order to be a productive member of society, at least, a productive member of a society. Of course one must work to survive, but that work need not be compensated with wages, at least in jobs where goods are produced. One can work for himself, and decide how much surplus product to give to others; this kind of decision making at a large scale can be managed by a voluntary council which manages production. For example, workers may agree to give a certain percentage of their product to those who are less fortunate or unable to work. > if people don't have to sell labour-power to earn money to buy things, but can still consume the fruits of others' labour, are they not being exploitative themselves? The fruits of others' labour is never appropriated; the workers individually own it and decide what to do with it; in a society in which there are no wages, and automation is scaled up, my idea is that many people would be happy to give some amount of product as charity to those who cannot work. It's up to each individual worker whether to contribute in such a scheme. This is the fairest way I can think of doing it which doesn't involve coercion or force (like taxes). Nobdoy has the right to demand the product of your labour. >You, like every other socialist I've spoken to, seem far more preoccupied with punishing the wealthy than actually helping the poor. The analogy I was using wasn't in favour of Socialism, rather I was trying to depict what taxation for welfare is like within capitalism. I have no problem at all with people owning wealth; I have issue with people owning capital and simultaneously exploiting people using wage labour. I want to eliminate the conditions which cause this to happen. It's not even about the poor - it's about the workers as a whole; the poor are an example of the workers who have been maximally shafted by this system of capital accumulation. I don't propose redistribution of wealth or punishing people for hard work. I accept that many who are rich are there as the result of hard work, and if it's their own labour, they deserve the fruits of it. >Without incentives we wouldn't have any innovation because people don't make sacrifices without incentives. Possible incentives in a Socialist society other than money include the desire to do something, mastery, the desire for credit and recognition, to create a society that you and your family wish to live in, to help those less fortunate, to have a sense of purpose, and also that one receives what one works for - if one does not work, he must rely upon charity. For service jobs, perhaps some kind of labour voucher may be used, such that the labour voucher is given for one hour of work, adjusted for the difficulty of the job; such vouchers being untransferable because they are stamped with the receiver's name, and they are destroyed upon exchange for goods at a bank of items contributed to voluntarily by workers who produce physical items. The maximum number of vouchers one can obtain per year is equal to 365 * 24 (or rather, less than that because it is impossible for someone to work during the entire year). I'm rather undecided on this idea myself, I haven't read enough about it. It has problems such as differentiating between the work of say an electronic engineer or scientist and a street cleaner, for which one hour of work will of course carry different values (SNLT takes this into account, though). I see no way around this problem of having to work to live a good life. But the problem can be minimised by using automation for the benefit of workers, to reduce the number of labour-hours they need to perform. At the moment, automation is used against the workers, to displace them and force them into poorer jobs or no job at all. Capitalism cannot head toward full automation, because in that case, there are few people working, thus few people with wages, fewer people with money, and thus few people to buy all these products being produced by help of automation. Socialist writers such as Kropotkin have long predicted that people would have to be working less than 10 hours a week if automation would be used to help people. "Im not going to be calling a snap election. Ive been very clear that I think we need that period of time, that stability, to be able to deal with the issues that the country is facing and have that election in 2020." No - but communicating to the public that the reason you are calling an election is to silence the opposition parties and other bodies holding you to account (and espousing the view that the opposition should effectively shut up and put up) definitely registers high on my dark and scary times scale No. This is a common (and very cunning) straw man and I hope it stems from a position of ignorance not deceit. Silencing someone should never be the goal. If the Conversatives are experiencing difficulties pushing through their agenda due to opposition from other parties, then the best way to resolve that is either via compromise or by calling an election to increase their majority in parliament which should allow them to push through their agenda more easily. Even if (arguably especially if) the Conservatives win 99% of the seats in the House of Commons, the remaining 1% should be opposing, scrutinising and holding to account as well and as loudly as they can. Yet Theresa May is after something different here (a tactic which we've heard recently, but by no means exclusively, from many Brexiteers as well) - she is implying that unless opposition parties can beat the Conservatives in a general election, then they should put up and shut up as the public have spoken. That's not how democracy works. ----- edit: For those who don't see the straw man here, it is that while silencing someone who is standing up for the beliefs of people who don't exist is okay, in real life the parties who are currently opposing the government are guaranteed to be defending a none-zero number of British citizens, who we cannot allow to be silenced on principle (even if we act against their wishes). I hear you. You even see people openly embracing Enoch Powell's ideas again. Brexit and Trump removed the taboo on fascism and those long time closeted fascists are now very openly pushing their propaganda. The rest of us are too busy defending their right to destroy our society and our values. >The rest of us are too busy defending their right to destroy our society and our values. Which values are those? Unfortunately, I would argue that England has never had values I'd agree with. What about values of privacy and civil liberties? You can't even have certain drawings (yes, even their possession is illegal) and ISP have to keep your Internet usage for a year. Privacy, freedom, protection from the tyranny of the majority, equality, fraternity, respect for minorities, socialised and universal healthcare, feminism, ecologism (firefox says this is not a word?)... Democracy is "tyranny of the majority" no matter which way you look at it (I'm still in favour of it though). And I think equality, fraternity, respect for minorities, socialised and universal healthcare, feminism and focus on ecology would be much better served without capitalism. Why didn't you include the right to privacy and freedom of expression too? No, you were right first time. It is. Of course if you'd like to defend your comment with a supported argument that might be more interesting. First off you might define what you mean by fascism. On the other hand, this is not what HN is about. We've already had it! Any democracy without a free vote is a sham. Democracies have free speech, and their citizens ought to have a free conscience and privacy is a cornerstone of that - or do you wish to find out what we have to hide (plenty), make windows into all our souls and still want to know what we really, really think? Certainly democracies do not depend on nudge politics, dog-whistle tactics or the thought police, allow people to associate freely and not have to submit to arbitrary detention and interrogation and most often of all have a Law which is the same for everyone regardless of status and those who make the Law make it and those who rule on the Law do not fear for their lives! Democracies rarely have chiefs of police warning about police states. Perhaps you are unawares of your party's late-night retro-active legislation making what was once illegal legal. What sort of democracy is that? One more redolent of Pyongyang than Putney. Brexit is a nasty little englanders' nationalist working class pipe dream on something that will never be again. If you don't want to be offended by being called a fascist don't support a fascist party and hold fascist views actually. You can hold any views you like in a democracy but you can't pretend your views are conservative when they are mostly shared by fascists. It was a conservative and greatest PM who defeated the last lot of moselys, nobody thought he was a socialist. Don't rule out the very real possibility that this is about heading off the unprecedented police investigation that could lead to twenty Conservative MPs (larger than their working majority) being sent to prison. - He wants to have an actual attempt at a GE, where he can make his case to the public. - He won the leadership challenge last year, so he knows his fans are at least loyal for now. - Why does Corbyn's opinion matter? Well back when Cameron did a deal with Clegg, they did a fixed terms act, meaning elections had to happen every 5 years. This one is within 5 years of the previous, so you actually need a two-thirds majority in Parliament to trigger it. Jeremy Corbyn has put out this statement about Theresa Mays announcement. I welcome the prime ministers decision to give the British people the chance to vote for a government that will put the interests of the majority first. Labour will be offering the country an effective alternative to a government that has failed to rebuild the economy, delivered falling living standards and damaging cuts to our schools and NHS. In the last couple of weeks, Labour has set out policies that offer a clear and credible choice for the country. We look forward to showing how Labour will stand up for the people of Britain. Labour confirms it will vote for early election. > - Why does Corbyn's opinion matter? Well back when Cameron did a deal with Clegg, they did a fixed terms act, meaning elections had to happen every 5 years. This one is within 5 years of the previous, so you actually need a two-thirds majority in Parliament to trigger it. May says she'll call an election under the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act, and obviously that's the first choice, but now that the Tories are governing without the Lib-Dems, they can also simply repeal the Act (with an ordinary majority). There's no unseating Corbyn before the election. He's already faced a leadership election just last year, and there is simply not enough time. It would be political suicide for whoever challenged him. The best hope for Labour is in 2022. Some people criticize May whatever she does. If she calls election, because she wants to destroy opposition or because the election will cause more political instability, and if she doesn't, because she is afraid of democracy or something. In my fantasy of UK politics, the centre and centre-left parties would form an opposition coalition ahead of the poll, proposing some radical reforms like PR, as well as some socially progressive policies like reigning in the surveillance state, thoroughly reviewing the drug laws, reviewing basic income as an idea and instituting some sort of evidence-basis mandate for law-making. Absolutely, though we perhaps disagree on what's meant by "centre" (see Political Compass). The SNP (and the one Green MP) support Basic Income. I think John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, also supports Basic Income, but it's now too short a timescale for Labour to get a policy in place and convince the general public. The Liberal Party supported a variant of it, but the Lib Dems now oppose it. I think opposing it is a really bad idea. As a supporter of Brexit and someone who actually doesn't like the Conservatives, any party thinking they'll get votes by opposing Brexit will certainly not win them from me. I'll just not vote. This is effectively what Lib Dems would do, call another EU Referendum. Perhaps the only reason I am considering voting for them, after we've seen at how inept the current govt are at dealing with Brexit. English maybe, but the rest of the UK has different electoral systems and different popular parties. And I'm not even sure it's the English public asking for this. Are people really going to say they'd rather a strong government they disagree with than a marginal one that's forced to negotiate for support? No, I think it's English conservatives who have trouble with the concept of loyal opposition and the English press in particular who hate anything that would make politics less of a binary choice. I think that the majority of the country is generally less comfortable with the idea of coalitions/minority governments/power sharing than many other parliamentary democracies where those things happen more regularly. Consider the run-up to the 2015 GE when it looked like Labour/Lib Dems/SNP might be able to form a majority coalition even though the Conservatives were likely to be the largest party - there was a lot of sneering at the idea of a "coalition of the losers". That circumstance arises quite frequently and is largely accepted in many other countries, as can be seen from the results of Denmark's recent elections. Conspiracy theory: May expects the Art 50 talks to not go well and having the election after Brexit has fully played out over the next two years will damage her approval rate. Having the election now means she doesn't have to worry about her approval throughout the negotiations and won't have to face an election right at the time the consequences of Brexit are felt by most voters. I used to be a Conservative supporter, but now I just look at Westminster and wonder what the hell happened. Didn't David Cameron basically do this very same thing only a year ago? He expected everyone to be with him and vote Remain, and look how that turned out. Now Theresa May is literally following in his footsteps, thinking everyone is on her side. I'm so confused. I'm actually thinking of voting for Lib Dems for the first time in my life, only because they said they'd hold another EU Referendum. And I say this because I honestly don't trust any party actually want's to take us through Brexit anymore, nor will any of them do a good job of it. I feel like a Lib Dem government is currently the best of a bad bunch. LibDems/Labour should just go into these elections saying "we'll keep the kingdom together". I think there is a fair chunk of people who voted leave who didn't actually realize they were voting for England and Wales to leave Scotland and Northern Ireland, rather than voting for the UK to leave the EU. If Labour and LibDems play their cards right, couldn't they make these elections about the mandate for Conservatives the break the United Kingdom apart, rather than a mandate to negotiate with the EU. Under those circumstances: how big an upset is needed for the election results to be seen as a complete disqualification of the Brexit vote? Plus it's not clear the Scots would actually vote to leave and the talk about NI leaving the UK is nonsense. They voted, narrowly, to remain in the EU. Not to remain in the EU even if that meant leaving the UK. I don't think conservatives say that "We aren't leaving if Scotland or Northern ireland poll even close to 50% for leaving the UK in order to remain in the EU after a brexit vote". That would have been useful information before the referendum. > it's not clear the Scots wouldnactually vote Exactly, it's very uncertain. And having a referendum with that uncertainty was very strange. And if it does become clear that the leave vote actually did break up the UK, then the consequences should (and could!) have been known to voters in the referendum. All parties will indeed say that they are pro-union and that they will do what they can to keep things together. Making promises on EU membership based on ideas about union seems unwarranted though - we have no idea what the result of polls would be where it is explicit that the choice is between UK and EU membership. Nor do the respective parties know that "Stay in the EU outside of the UK" is even an option - Scotland is likely to have multiple years as part of neither one while it establishes an economic track record and a stable set of government institutions. As someone who made money betting on a Trump victory - certain topics / polls. Calling Brexit / Trump voters racist leads to a certain % of the population not disclosing their vote, oversampling of Democrats was another issue in the US polls. There's a confused conspiracy theory that it means "adding extra votes to the Democrat column". This doesn't even stand up to the most cursory of examinations, as if that was really happening then people would say "they're intentionally fudging the results to favor the Democrats" and kick up a fuss about it. Instead they say "oversampling Democrats", in the hope that people who don't know what that is will think it sounds like cheating while not actually looking like idiots to people who do know what it means. A classic dogwhistle approach to say two things to two audiences. You claim to know what it is, yet you say it's an "issue" (which it isn't) and you say that at the end of a sentence claiming that there's a "shy voter" factor leading to an undercount of Trump support. Oversampling has no logical connection here unless you mean it in the "Democrats are cheating in the polls" meaning. You claim that you mean it in the actual statistical meaning. The two obvious explanations are that you don't know what it is and have been fooled by all the chatter around it, or that you're trying to fool others despite knowing it's nonsense. I think you don't know what it is, that's why I provided the explanatory link a couple of comment above. Also, the polls did not materially undercount Trump voters. The polls were more accurate than at the last election. Some people badly mapped the accurately predicted 3 million popular vote win to electoral college results, but that's a different thing than polls being bad, Trump voters not wanting to admit who they were voting for, or being intentionally skewed. On a state by state basis polls were wrong in both directions, for various reasons, but that cancelled out overall. Ok, so when you were telling me 'that's not what oversampling means', you meant 'I disagree with what you are saying'. I would be more inclined to debate if you approached the disagreement in a more open fashion. Your partisan paragraphs further make me think I will be wasting my time here, so let's just say we have different views on the polls :). So... how big is the chance that the LibDems will promise to try to reverse Brexit, or at least go for the softest possible Brexit, and everyone who wants to remain votes for them, and they would get 51%, or at least enough to force a coalition government? She is really counting on there not being enough time for the opposition to turn this into another vote on Brexit or a vote on Scotland or a vote on the NHS or a vote on all of the above. We live in interesting times. I'll lay odds that Scotland at least will not be giving that mandate. Currently the Conservaties have 1 out of 59 MPs in Westminster from north of the border. Of course, that's irrelevant as the Tories can simply continue to completely ignore Scotland.
The car and knife assault on Westminster is the latest in a long line of attacks targeting Western cities. It raises new questions about how to respond proportionately to demands to increase security in urban centres. Since the early 1990s, London has led the way in advancing counter-terrorist security in the form of rings of steel. In the financial zones of the City and Docklands there are strategically positioned entry checkpoints, bollards and hi-tech surveillance combined with vigilant and visible policing at times of high threat. In the last decade, additional measures have been deployed throughout London, centered upon the so-called Government Security Zone encompassing Whitehall and the Palace of Westminster. Lines of crash-rated bollards, concealed barriers in the forms of balustrades and imposing steel barriers outside the Houses of Parliament, have become an everyday feature of London life. These most recent measures were put in place in the wake of 9/11 and 7/7 due to fears of indiscriminate attacks against public places. But over time, terrorist attacks have become more sophisticated, employing tactics and targeting locations which negate such traditional security architectures. In 2016, attacks in Paris, Brussels, Nice and Berlin highlighted the perpetual threat faced by cities in the war on terror. Defence of crowded places Defending vulnerable urban spaces against terrorism has long occupied state security services, but until recently these seldom impacted everyday life. As we have seen from these recent attacks, the modus operandi of terrorists has changed significantly in the new millennium. Car and truck bombs targeting major financial or political centres  such as the IRA bombs in the City of London in 1992 and 1993 and Londons Docklands in 1996  have been superseded by person-borne devices, especially suicide attacks. Subsequently, attacks have taken the form of Fedayeen-style mass shootings and the deliberate targeting of crowds with fast-moving vehicles. Traditional territorial counter-terrorism approaches such as the construction of defensive cordons are now seen as largely inadequate and have had to be rethought. The methods and tactics adopted by terror groups are increasingly novel, innovative and tactically aimed at soft targets and more generally crowded places that cannot be altered without radically changing how citizens experience the city. Security aesthetics Over the last two decades, urban revitalisation and improvements in the public realm have increasingly emphasised inclusivity, liveability and accessibility. However, these quality-of-life issues sit uneasily beside concerns to design-out terrorism as security becomes part of the urban design process. In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks in the US, many highly obtrusive security features  notably concrete planters or steel bollards  were literally thrown around key sites in major cities to stop car bombings. They were not necessarily aesthetically pleasing within the public realm. In the last decade, this initial swathe of security features has slowly given way to subtler alterations to the landscape  although in many cases bollard-type solutions still prevail. There is a predominant view among security experts that security features, where possible, should be as unobtrusive as possible. This had led to them being increasingly camouflaged and subtly embedded within the cityscape. Examples of such camouflaged features include balustrades or artwork erected as part of streetscape improvement. These designs are still capable of stopping a seven-tonne truck travelling at 50 miles per hour. Evolving urban security Today, counter-terrorism strategies seek to balance security effectiveness with social and political acceptability. As a result, more integrated approaches to designed-in counter-terrorism have emerged. Instead of reacting at pace, a more reflexive response is now possible, taking into account issues such as proportionality and design aesthetics, as well as giving greater responsibility to planners, architects and designers to deliver more humane security solutions. Yet, the implementation of design-based counter-terrorism has remained in flux, tempered by the increasing cost of urban security in an age of austerity combined with the reluctance of urban developers to consider significant security improvements within their designs. This lack of a regulatory requirement for designed-in security was reemphasised in a 2016 independent report on Londons preparedness for a major terrorist incident. It argued that London should become a city where security is designed-in and is part of the citys fabric. It also suggested that a statutory obligation should be introduced for such resilience to be designed into new and existing buildings. This will not be easy to achieve in the short term. The international reaction to the attack on a Berlin market in December 2016 showed how the difficulties in balancing reactive and proactive counter-terrorism elements within cities has brought us full circle, returning us to immediate post-9/11 security responses. Increased security inevitable In the wake of the Berlin attack, the media was awash with security experts promoting the virtues of mitigation measures to restrict access to Trojan Horse vehicle attacks. On the ground, markets and other public spaces rushed to put in place makeshift security and extra visible policing to quell public fears. In a repeat of events in the early 1990s, ring of steel security approaches resurfaced in the City of London based on armed checkpoints, rising security bollards and crash-proof barricades. This was in response to a commissioned report that identified newly established areas of Londons Square Mile as highly sensitive to a hostile vehicle-borne attack. Armed police patrol the Southbank in London the day after the Westminster attack.Jonathan Brady/PA Wire Such an approach, where one area of a city receives extra security protection, has been a long-held aspiration of counter-terrorism professionals. It could become a prominent vision of how to proceed with designing for terrorism threat if attacks remain an everyday fear in crowded city locations. The attack in central London will once again raise the spectre of a city under siege with talk of lockdowns and war zones and with the deployment of armed police on the streets to keep us all safe. This is an understandable short-term reaction. But a longer term question remains: how do you protect soft targets from terrorism through urban design and do so in a way that is both effective and does not destroy the vibrancy of an open and accessible city? In time, the provision of security in central London will undoubtedly be enhanced but this may well have an impact on the public realm. To paraphrase a design critic writing about the initial steel barriers placed around the Houses of Parliament a decade ago, the hope would be that while we might live in dangerous times, they dont have to be ugly ones, too.
Read More Westminster August 2018 terror attack In one image, two women can be seen beaming to the camera as investigative work continues on the other side of the bridge after a car ploughed into a barrier, injuring pedestrians and cyclists. Some of those horrified by their actions said they should be ashamed of themselves, taking to social media to voice their disgust. One horrified Twitter user wrote: "What's with those tourists taking selfies near parliament after the attack this morning? They wouldn't be doing that if they were the ones that got hit by the car...idiots." Jenavieve Roberta added: "Awww what a classy generation of thoughtless idiots we have indeed bred & allow to breed. They should be totally ashamed of themselves." Counter-terrorism officers have since conducted searches at two addresses in Birmingham and a residential property in Nottingham as part of the probe. Plainclothed police officers could be seen outside an address in Peveril Street, Nottingham, on Tuesday evening, said by neighbours to be home to six Sudanese people. There was also a police presence near the Bunna Internet Cafe on Stratford Road in Sparkbrook, Birmingham, but it was not confirmed whether that was in relation to the Westminster probe. The suspect, who was said to not be co-operating with officers, was not known to security services, Metropolitan Police counter-terrorism head Neil Basu said. He said the apparent deliberate nature of the act, the method used and the "iconic" location of Parliament led the force to treat it as a terrorist incident. Footage aired on BBC News showed the car's approach towards Parliament, where it crossed into oncoming traffic and collided with cyclists before entering a small road and crashing into a security barrier. Three people sustained non-life-threatening injuries. One man was treated at the scene while another man and a woman were taken to hospital but were discharged by Tuesday evening. Images posted online showed a man wearing a black puffer jacket being led away in handcuffs from the car as armed police swarmed the scene. Read More There was nobody else in the vehicle and no weapons were found, police said. Mr Basu added no other suspects have been identified and there is "no intelligence at this time of further danger" to Londoners. The car was removed from the scene late on Tuesday night. After a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee, Theresa May urged the country to come together and carry on as normal. In a statement the Prime Minister, who is on holiday, praised the "formidable courage" and professionalism of the emergency services who "ran towards" danger. Home Secretary Sajid Javid, who also thanked the emergency services, urged people to "keep an open mind" about the incident. Police officers secure Westminster Bridge going towards the Houses of Parliament after a vehicle crashed into security barriers, injuring a number of pedestrians, outside the Houses of Parliament on August 14, 2018 in London, England. US President Donald Trump said on Twitter: "These animals are crazy and must be dealt with through toughness and strength!" Witnesses described an emotionless driver ploughing through cyclists in what appeared to be a deliberate act. Kirsty Moseley, of Brixton, was a passenger in the first car behind the cyclists, who "were thrown everywhere" after being struck at what she estimated was 25mph. Ms Moseley, 31, added: "He (the driver) wasn't shouting anything, he wasn't screaming, he didn't look crazed or out of control - he was just deadpan." Jason Williams, from Kennington, was walking to work when he saw the "deliberate" crash. "It didn't look like an accident. How do you do that by accident? It was a loud bang," the 45-year-old told PA. LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 14: Police officers secure Westminster Bridge going towards the Houses of Parliament after a vehicle crashed into security barriers, injuring a number of pedestrians, outside the Houses of Parliament on August 14, 2018 in London, The Houses of Parliament are surrounded with security barriers of steel and concrete. The measures were extended after the Westminster Bridge attack in March 2017 when Khalid Masood ploughed a car into crowds on Westminster Bridge, killing four people. Masood abandoned his car then fatally stabbed unarmed Pc Keith Palmer before he was shot by armed police in a courtyard outside Parliament. The terrorist threat against the UK is seen as unprecedented. The Prime Minister's official spokesman said there were 676 live investigations being carried out by the security services and counter-terror police at the end of June, up from more than 500 in March. Some 13 Islamist plots and four by far-right extremists have been foiled in the past 18 months, he added. There are roughly 3,000 active "subjects of interest" at any one time - while there is also a wider pool of more than 20,000 individuals who have featured in probes whose threat must be kept under review.
A police officer has died after being stabbed by a knifeman in a terror attack outside the Houses of Parliament that has Westminster on lockdown Another woman was killed when the attacker ploughed his car into pedestrians on the pavement of Westminster Bridge by the parliament buildings before launching his assault on the police officers. A number of people were being treated in London hospitals after suffering "catastrophic" injuries in the attack. Witnesses described hearing people screaming and seeing bodies scatter as the car is understood to have mounted the pavement just in front of the Houses of Parliament. Another witness said they had seen a person in the River Thames - a woman was later rescued from the water. The car then smashed into railings surrounding the Palace of Westminster, close to Big Ben in Parliament Square, where the attacker got out and stabbed a policeman. As he approached a second officer, he was shot by armed police. A video has emerged showing two officers pulling up outside the Houses of Parliament and then the sounds of three shots rings out. Three police officers are said to be among those injured in the attack and the French prime minister had confirmed that three French teenage students had also been hurt in the incident. Foreign Office minister and former army office Tobias Ellwood gave mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to one of the police officers injured in the knife attack in New Palace Yard, the cobbled courtyard in front of Parliament. Parliament was immediately shut down and the Prime Minister bundled into a car as officers searched the building, evacuating floors one by one. However, the evacuation was delayed after a suspicious package was found in a vehicle and the bomb squad were called in to deal with it. Staff in other buildings around Westminster were being asked by police to stay inside their offices and Parliament was suspended for the day. Sightseers on the London Eye were being held inside the viewing pods. Scotland Yard said the attack was being treated "as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise". An air ambulance landed in Parliament Square and medics were treating a number of people who had been injured in the incident, including the man who had been shot by police. Pictures showed a number of people lying in the road on the bridge, another image showed a man lying bleeding at the foot of stairs next to the Parliament building. At least 10 people were treated on Westminster Bridge and a number of London hospitals had been put on alert, London Ambulance Service said. Witnesses described seeing an "Asian guy in his 40s" carrying a knife and running across the bridge and towards the Houses of Parliament. Alan Parry, of Sky Sports News, was at Westminster for a meeting when he heard "an almighty crash" just outside the underground station . He said he could see a vehicle on the other side of the road which had crashed into some railings. He said: "There was smoke coming this vehicle. I walked on a few paces further and saw what I assumed to be either a pedestrian or a cyclist who had clearly been hit and wasn't moving, although he did then gently move. "The guy who I assumed was the driver of this 4x4 got out of the car and suddenly sprinted away from the scene - that was followed by four of what sounded much like gunshots. "All of a sudden all hell was let loose. Police descended everywhere and the whole area was locked down." Jayne Wilkinson said: "We were taking photos of Big Ben and we saw all the people running towards us, and then there was an Asian guy in about his 40s carrying a knife about seven or eight inches long. "And then there were three shots fired, and then we crossed the road and looked over. The man was on the floor with blood. "He had a lightweight jacket on, dark trousers and a shirt. "He was running through those gates, towards Parliament, and the police were chasing him." One of the key witnesses to the attack was the Acting Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police. He was unable to make a statement because he was giving vital evidence to officers. Metropolitan Police Commander BJ Harrison said a "terrorist incident" had been declared and a "full counter terrorism operation" was under way. He said that officers had received a number of different reports which "included a person in the river, a car in collision with pedestrians and a man armed with a knife". He added: "We know there are a number of casualties including police officers but at this stage we cannot confirm numbers or the nature of these injuries." The Government has said it will chair a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee later today. Buckingham Palace declined to comment about its security arrangements but it was clear some precautions had been taken as the gates, patrolled by armed police, had been closed. MSPs have delayed a vote on a possible second independence referendum in light of the attack.
A Birmingham man was arrested today by police investigating the deadly terrorist attack on Westminster by Khalid Masood. Subscribe to our daily newsletter It came as counter-terrorism police this weekend searched a home in Birmingham where friends of Masood live. Neighbours said officers turned up at a maisonette in Bredon Croft, Hockley - just yards from where Masood had recently lived - on Saturday lunchtime. A family, who live next door, said Masood used to come wearing Islamic dress and take their neighbours' children to mosque - although they did not know where. Masood, 52, from Birmingham, had until the end of 2016 lived in Quayside, less than 200 yards away. A statement from the Metroplitan Police this afternoon said: "A new arrest has been made as part of the investigation being carried out by the Met's Counter Terrorism Command into the Westminster attack. "A 30-year-old man was arrested today, Sunday, March 26, at an address in Birmingham on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts." A 58-year-old Birimgham man who was arrested on March 23 on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts remains in police custody. A 32-year-old woman was arrested on March 24 on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts and has been released on bail until a date in late March. Advertising In total, twelve people have been arrested as part of the investigation. Nine have been released with no further action. On Sunday, specialist police search teams were still at Bredon Croft removing bags of evidence, while an unmarked van and a West Midlands Police van were parked close by. Speaking with her mother alongside her, a girl living next door to the house said she had met Masood who "seemed kind, normal". She said Masood's two children had gone to her school, nearby Brookfields Primary School. Advertising A police vehicle in Bredon Croft, Hockley, Birmingham The neighbour added: "A couple live there with their four children, they are a nice family. "I saw the man from London visiting here. "They went to London, my little sister was in his son's class. "They left last year, to go to London - before the holidays. "His children used to visit next door and he (Masood) used to pick them up, sometimes." She added: "Sometimes he used to come here and pick up their two girls to take them to mosque." The neighbours said they had not seen Masood or his children since his family left before Christmas. A woman, thought to be a plain clothes police officer, answered the door to reporters and said: "This is a scene." A West Midlands Police spokeswoman referred press queries about the property to the Metropolitan Police. Meanwhile, a 58-year-old arrested in Birmingham remains in custody after a hunt for accomplices saw 11 people held after raids across the country. One of the mothers at the primary school said her daughter was best friends with Masood's, but added "I always got the chills from him". Sabrina Hussain described how she changed her mind about taking her child, nine-year-old Skye, to his daughter's birthday party just before Christmas. Ms Hussain, 28, said: "I thought I was being a bit over-protective, but then I just thought 'no I can't let her go' and we turned the car around and I made up an excuse saying the party had been cancelled. "I just didn't want her to go. "There was just something about him that wasn't right." She said another mother at the school had raised a complaint about Masood's personal hygiene because she claimed "he smelt of B.O". Ms Hussain, from Hockley, added: "He would never meet me eye-to-eye, even though mine and his daughter were best friends. "He would speak to the other Muslim dads at the school, but not the women. "I always got the chills from him to be honest - I never felt comfortable around him. "Then, one day my daughter came home crying and told me her best friend was moving away to London because her nan was sick."
Mr Cochran, 54, was visiting London with his wife Melissa to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. His wife was injured in the attack and she is in hospital with a broken leg, rib and a cut to the head. A Facebook post by the couple's family described the loss of Mr Cochran as "heart wrenching". Aysha Frade, who worked as a sixth form Spanish teacher at the nearby DLD College London, also died in the attack. A British national, whose mother was Spanish and father was Cypriot, she lived in London with her two young daughters and her husband. She was walking to meet her daughters from school when the attack happened. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP PC Keith Palmer, a Parliamentary and diplomatic protection officer, was fatally stabbed by Masood before the attacker was shot dead by armed police.
Latest: Third victim of Westminster attack named as American tourist Kirk Cochran Thursday, March 23, 2017 - 06:09 AM Four people were killed in the attack in Westminster yesterday. These were: Aysha Frade, 43; a man in his mid 50s, PC Keith Palmer, US tourist Kirk Cochran and the attacker - 52-year-old Khalid Masood; 29 people were treated for their injuries in hospital, incuding one Irish person; seven of these are critically ill; numbers of walking wounded are still being collated; The attacker has not yet been publicly identified, and police have asked the media to not yet do so; The Westminster attacker was a British citizen who was known to the police and security services and had been investigated some years ago over violent extremism, Theresa May has confirmed; The Islamic State group has said through its Aaamaq news agency that the London attacker was a "soldier of the Islamic State"; Eight people have been arrested in raids at six addresses in connection with the investigation overnight; The raids took place in London, Birmingham and at other, undisclosed, locations; Metropolitan Police say the attacker acted alone, but was inspired by international terrorism; British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has said the working assumption is that the Westminster attack is linked to Islamic terrorism. Update 4.30pm: Donald Trump has paid tribute to tourist Kurt Cochran, who was among the three people killed in yesterday's terrorist attack in London. The U.S President's described him as a "great American" and says his "prayers and condolences are with his family and friends." He was in London as part of his 25th wedding celebrations - his wife Melissa is among the injured. Update 3.40pm The third victim of the London terror attack has been named by his family as American tourist Kurt Cochran, from Utah. Posting on social media, his relatives said he was visiting London as part of his 25th wedding anniversary. US president Donald Trump has tweeted to send his condolences to Mr Cochrans family. A great American, Kurt Cochran, was killed in the London terror attack. My prayers and condolences are with his family and friends. His wife Melissa is among the 29 people injured, who relatives say is expected to recover. Tributes have also been paid to a "wonderful" mother-of-two Aysha Frade and policeman Keith Palmer, who's been described by Theresa May as "every inch a hero." London attack victim Aysha Frade. Update 10.15am: Scotland Yard said eight people have now been arrested as part of the investigation into the Westminster terror attack. Meanwhile, victims of the attack are being treated in hospitals across London. Seven patients are critically ill. Earlier, police confirmed a total of 29 people were hospitalised after yesterday's attack. Numbers of 'walking wounded' are still being collated. King's College Hospital has confirmed its A&E department took in eight patients - six men and two women. Two of these patients are in a critical condition, while six are stable. At St Thomas' Hospital, two patients - a man and a woman - remain in a stable condition. The Royal London Hospital said it admitted one patient but a spokeswoman said no further detail could be given on whether that patient died, is being treated or has been discharged. The London Ambulance Service said 68 paramedics and crews responded to the attack, together with staff working in control rooms. Paramedics from the service treated 12 patients for serious injuries, who were all taken to hospital. Eight more patients were treated for less serious injuries at the scene. Flowers outside the Queen Elizabeth II Centre in London. Pic: PA A Go Fund Me page, set up at midnight last night, has raised more than 2,000 to help the loved ones of murdered PC Keith Palmer. The page description reads: "An officer fell in the line of duty today. The weeks ahead are going to be taxing for his family and colleagues who survive him. "Please help to support his family in any way you can. All funds raised will be donated to Keith's next of kin." A string of comments from those who knew Pc Palmer were posted, with one writing: "So proud to have worked with such a great guy, R.I.P Keith." Another wrote: "Remembering Keith as a very professional officer. Thinking of his family, friends and colleagues." Several Just Giving pages have also been set up, one of which has raised more than 4,000. The Metropolitan Police Federation will be launching their own memorial fund for Pc Palmer at 12.30pm. The Just Giving page is being set up because of pleas from Federation members who wanted to help in some way, chairman Ken Marsh said. He said: "That's why we are doing it, because of the overwhelming amount of our colleagues asking for it." Update 9.50am A minute's silence was held across the UK at 9.33am, including in the Palace of Westminster and at New Scotland Yard, to commemorate the three innocent people killed in Wednesday's assault on Westminster. The time for the silence was chosen in honour of murdered police officer Keith Palmer's shoulder number - 933. Update 8.45am: One of the victims of yesterday's attack in London has been named as 43-year-old teacher and mother-of-two Aysha Frade. London attack victim Aysha Frade. She was hit by the attacker's car, and killed, as she walked across Westminster Bridge to pick up her two daughters, aged eight and 11, from school. Mrs Frade was born in Britain and held a British passport. Her family is understood to have come from Betanzos, in north Spain. Mrs Frade worked in the administration team at DLD College London, just a few hundred metres from Westminster Bridge, principal Rachel Borland confirmed. She was "a highly regarded and loved" member of staff. Ms Borland said: "We are all deeply shocked and saddened at the news that one of the victims yesterday was a member of our staff, Aysha Frade. All our thoughts and our deepest sympathies are with her family. "We will be offering every support we can to them as they try to come to terms with their devastating loss. "Aysha worked as a member of our administration team at the college. She was highly regarded and loved by our students and by her colleagues. She will be deeply missed by all of us." Vigi Sawdon, a former neighbour of Mrs Frade in Notting Hill where the Frade family used to live, said: "If you can imagine one of the most upstanding members of society, that was her. She was just a wonderful mother and a lovely person." Ms Sawdon described her as "one of the most charming" people, and said her children were "adorable", adding: "It's just so terribly sad." She said she knew they had moved and that they were "very happy". Flowers outside the Queen Elizabeth II Centre in London. Pic: PA 'What am I hearing here? What am I hearing?' Another neighbour, Patricia Scotland, said she had lived beside the family for years and was sad when they moved, having known Mrs Frade's husband John since he was a little boy. She said: "I was in floods of tears. I said 'John, why, why are you moving?'" Ms Scotland said her daughter rang her this morning with the news that Mrs Frade had been killed. She said: "I just jumped out my bed and just paced up and down my house thinking 'What am I hearing here? What am I hearing?' And I'm just in total, total shock." She added: "I'm just wanting them to know that I'm saddened by it all and my deepest, deepest, deepest condolences to them. She will be sadly missed. "I was very saddened when they were moving and now to hear this it's like I've lost part of me, you know? Somebody who was me, because we all grew together." Update 7.45am: Police have confirmed seven people remain critically ill after yesterday's terror attack in London. Four people, including the attacker, died. The death toll was revised downwards by one this morning, to four. These include the police officer PC Keith Palmer, who was stabbed to death, two members of the public and the attacker himself. The dead members of the public were a woman in her mid 40s and a man in his mid 50s, who police have not yet publicly identified. Twenty-nine people are now confirmed as having received hospital treatment due to their injuries. The numbers of "walking wounded" are still being collated. The London attacker is moved to an ambulance yesterday. Picture: PA It has also been confirmed that seven people were arrested at six addresses in police operations overnight and this morning. The raids took place in Birmingham, London and at other undisclosed locations. The Metropolitan Police's senior anti-terror officer Mark Rowley asked the media to not identify the attacker at this stage. He said: "It is still our belief - which continues to be born out by our investigation - that this attacker acted alone yesterday and was inspired by international terrorism. "To be explicit - at this stage, we have no specific information about further threats to the public. "Clearly our investigation is ongoing - developing all the time - and is focused on his motivation, his preparation and associates. "I do recognise that the media are making progress in identifying the attacker - I would continue to ask that his name is not published whilst we are at such a sensitive stage in our investigation - and as I state still conducting arrests and searches. Earlier: Armed police have launched a late-night raid on an address in Birmingham after yesterday's deadly attack in London in which four people died and 40 were injured. The attacker, who it is believed acted alone, was shot dead by policeat the scene in London yesterday, and is numbered among the five fatalities. So is the police officer he stabbed to death, who has been named as 48-year-old father PC Keith Palmer. West Midlands Police referred inquiries about the overnight operation on Hagley Road in Birmingham city to the Metropolitan Police, who refused to say whether it was connected with yesterday's attack in Westminster. But a witness who works nearby told the Press Association: "The man from London (the attacker) lived here." Officers stormed a second-floor flat above a row of shops on Hagley Road at around 11pm, the witness said. He added: "They came and arrested three men." One of the flat's windows was covered in cardboard, with non-uniformed officers spotted taking pieces of equipment into the property. As he was describing the events, the witness was interrupted by a police officer, who had been guarding the scene. He had his details taken and was convinced to go to a police station with another officer. Meanwhile, police worked through the night to identify the roots of the deadly terror plot which brought bloodshed to the streets of London. Sky News reports that South Korean consular officials have said five of their nationals were among the injured in the Westminster attack. Three women and one man in their 50s and 60s suffered injuries including broken bones while another woman in her 60s suffered a head injury and has been in surgery. It is not known how seriously they were injured. Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-Ahn says the South Korean government is focused on bringing those injured home safely. A group of French schoolchildren were also among those targeted on the bridge, with three injured. Pic via BBC Here are some of the key questions the investigation will seek to answer: What was the background of the killer? The identity of the knifeman who injured scores of pedestrians in a car before rampaging into the Palace of Westminster has yet to be made public. Detectives will probe the man's background extensively to see if he was known to authorities. If he was was not on the radar of security services, questions will be asked about why this was, but if he had been highlighted as a potential threat, this will likely be viewed as a major security failing. If he was known to police, why was he not being closely monitored? Counter-terrorism efforts are shared between the police - spearheaded by the Metropolitan Police - and GCHQ, MI5 and MI6. Round-the-clock monitoring is only possible on a handful of high-priority terror suspects due to limited resources, potentially meaning the Westminster attacker could have slipped through the surveillance net. Top anti-terror officer Mark Rowley suggested the assailant could have been "inspired by international terrorism", which will lead officers to scour for potential links overseas. How many people were involved in planning and executing the attack? It appears only one man directly carried out the bloody assault on Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament, but others could have helped shape the plot. A key focus of the investigation will be whether the man was inspired by a terror cell such as Islamic State - receiving support and funding either domestically or from abroad - or whether he was a so-called lone wolf. How did the knifeman's rampage penetrate the Palace of Westminster, the grounds of the UK Houses of Parliament? Despite the Houses of Parliament being among the most closely guarded sites in the UK, the attacker managed to burst through the Carriage Gates. It is usually manned by armed police and blocked by metal barricades, with barriers in place to stop vehicles advancing. Described by MP Mary Creagh in reports as a "weak spot", the access point is regularly opened to allow cars to pass in and out. Why the gate was not firmly locked - especially after the car driven by the killer crashed into the nearby railings - will be a point of concern for detectives. How did the attacker make it so deep into the grounds? When he was fatally shot on the cobbled paths which feed into the Palace of Westminster, the terrorist had carried out an attack of significant breadth. He had mowed down bystanders on the length of Westminster Bridge, crashed his vehicle, ran around the corner and into the Palace grounds, past a line of security. Many will be asking how his slaughter was able to continue as long as it did.
Yuval Noah Harari: the theatre of terror Terrorists have almost no military strength so they create a spectacle. How should states respond? The author of Sapiens, a history of humanity, reflects on the past, and alarming future, of the fear factor The men who attacked the Charlie Hebdo office in Paris. Photograph: REUTERS TV/Reuters As the literal meaning of the word indicates, terror is a military strategy that hopes to change the political situation by spreading fear rather than by causing material damage. This strategy is almost always adopted by very weak parties, who are unable to inflict much material damage on their enemies. Of course, every military action spreads fear. But in conventional warfare, fear is a byproduct of material losses, and is usually proportional to the force inflicting the losses. In terrorism, fear is the whole story, and there is an astounding disproportion between the actual strength of the terrorists and the fear they manage to inspire. It is not easy to change the political situation through violence. On the first day of the battle of the Somme, 1 July 1916, 19,000 members of the British army were killed and another 40,000 wounded. By the time the battle ended in November, both sides together had suffered more than a million casualties, which included 300,000 dead. Yet this unimaginable carnage hardly changed the political balance of power in Europe. It took another two years and millions of additional casualties for something finally to snap. Compared to the Somme offensive, terrorism is a puny matter. Most terrorist attacks kill only a handful of people. In 2002, at the height of the Palestinian terror campaign against Israel, when buses and restaurants were hit every few days, the yearly toll reached 451 dead Israelis. In the same year, 542 Israelis were killed in car accidents. A few terrorist attacks, such as the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie in 1988, kill hundreds. The 9/11 attacks set a new record, killing nearly 3,000 people. Yet even this is dwarfed by conventional warfare: if you add all the people killed and wounded in Europe by terrorist attacks since 1945  including victims of nationalist, religious, leftist and rightist groups  it will still represent many fewer casualties than in any number of obscure first world war battles, such as the third battle of the Aisne (250,000 casualties) or the 10th battle of the Isonzo (225,000 casualties). A fragment of the cockpit of the Pan Am Boeing 747 that exploded over the village of Lockerbie on 21 December 1988. Photograph: Letkey/AFP How then can terrorists hope to achieve much? Following an act of terrorism, the enemy continues to have the same number of soldiers, tanks and ships as before. The enemys communication network, roads and railways are largely intact. Its factories, ports and bases are hardly touched. However, the terrorists hope that even though they can barely dent the enemys material, power, fear and confusion will cause the enemy to misuse its strength. Terrorists fight like tai-chi masters: they aim to beat the rival with the rivals own power. Thus the French in Algeria in the 1950s were not defeated by the FLN, the National Liberation Front, but by their misguided reaction to FLN terrorism. The American debacles in Iraq and Afghanistan were the result of the Americans misusing their immense power, rather than of alQaida flexing its miniature muscles. Terrorists calculate that when the enraged enemy uses its massive power against them, it will raise a much more violent military and political storm than the terrorists themselves could ever create. During every storm, many unforeseen things happen. Mistakes are made, atrocities are committed, public opinion wavers, questions are asked, neutrals change their stance and the balance of power shifts. The terrorists cannot foretell what the result will be, but they have a much better chance fishing in such troubled waters than when the political sea is calm. Reshuffling the cards Terrorism is a very unattractive military strategy, because it leaves all the important decisions in the hands of the enemy. Since terrorists cannot inflict serious material damage, all the options the enemy had prior to a terrorist attack are at its disposal afterwards as well, and it is free to choose among them. Armies normally try to avoid such a situation at all costs. When they attack, they seek not to provoke the enemy to action, but rather to reduce the enemys power to retaliate, and in particular, to eliminate its most dangerous weapons and options. For example, when the Japanese attacked the US Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor in December 1941, they could be certain about one thing: no matter what the Americans decided to do, they would not be able to send a fleet to south-east Asia in 1942. Provoking the enemy to action without eliminating any of its weapons or options is an act of desperation, taken only when there is no other way. Whenever it is possible to inflict serious material damage, nobody gives that up in favour of mere terrorism. It would have been madness if, in December 1941, the Japanese had torpedoed a civilian passenger ship in order to provoke the US but left the Pacific fleet in Pearl Harbor intact. People turn to terrorism because they know they cannot wage war, so they opt instead to produce a theatrical spectacle. Terrorists dont think like army generals; they think like theatre producers. The public memory of the 9/11 attacks is evidence of that: if you ask people what happened on 11 September 2001, they are likely to say that al-Qaida destroyed the twin towers of the World Trade Center. Yet the attack involved not merely the towers, but two other actions, in particular a successful attack on the Pentagon. Why is it that only a few people take proper notice of that? If the 9/11 operation had been a conventional military campaign, the Pentagon attack would have received most of the attention. In this attack, alQaida managed to destroy part of the enemys central headquarters, killing and wounding senior commanders and analysts. Why is it that public memory gives far more importance to the destruction of two civilian buildings, and the killing of brokers and accountants? There is an astounding disproportion between the actual strength of the terrorists and the fear they manage to inspire It is because the Pentagon is a relatively flat and unassuming building, whereas the World Trade Center was a tall, phallic totem whose collapse created an immense audiovisual effect. Nobody who saw the images of its collapse will ever forget them. We intuitively understand that terrorism is theatre, and hence we judge it by its emotional rather than material impact. With hindsight, Osama bin Laden would probably have preferred to launch the plane that hit the Pentagon against a more picturesque target, such as the Statue of Liberty. True, few people would have been killed and no military assets would have been destroyed, but just think what a powerful theatrical gesture it would have been. Like terrorists, those combating terrorism should also think more like theatre producers and less like army generals. Above all, if we want to fight terrorism effectively we must realise that nothing the terrorists do can defeat us. We are the only ones who can defeat ourselves, if we overreact in a misguided way to terrorist provocations. The rubble of the World Trade Center in New York following the 11 September 2001 attack Photograph: ALEX FUCHS/AFP Terrorists undertake an impossible mission: to change the political balance of power when they have almost no military abilities. To achieve their aim, they present the state with an impossible challenge of its own: to prove that it can protect all its citizens from political violence, anywhere, anytime. The terrorists hope that when the state tries to fulfil this impossible mission, it will reshuffle the political cards, and hand them some unforeseen ace. True, when the state rises to the challenge of protecting its citizens from political violence, it often succeeds in crushing the terrorists. Hundreds of terrorist organisations have been wiped out over the last few decades by various states. In 2002-04, Israel proved that a terror campaign can be suppressed by brute force. Terrorists know full well that the chances in such a confrontation are against them. But since they are very weak, and have no other military option, they have nothing to lose and much to gain. Once in a while the political storm created by counterterrorist campaigns does benefit the terrorists, which is why the gamble makes sense. A terrorist is akin to a gambler holding a particularly bad hand, who tries to convince his rivals to reshuffle the cards. He cannot lose anything, but he may win everything. A small coin in a big empty jar Why should the state agree to reshuffle the cards? Since the material damage caused by terrorism is negligible, states could theoretically do nothing about it, or take strong but discreet measures far from the cameras and microphones. Indeed, they often do exactly that. But every now and then states lose their tempers, and react far too forcefully and publicly, thus playing into the hands of the terrorists. Why are they so sensitive to terrorist provocations? Because the legitimacy of the modern state is based on its promise to keep the public sphere free of political violence. A regime can withstand terrible catastrophes, and even ignore them, provided its legitimacy is not based on preventing them. On the other hand, a regime may collapse due to a minor problem if it is seen as undermining its legitimacy. In the 14th century the Black Death killed between a quarter and a half of European populations, yet no king lost his throne as a result, even though no king made much of an effort to overcome the plague. Nobody back then thought that preventing plagues was part of a kings job. On the other hand, rulers that allowed religious heresy to spread in their dominions risked losing their crown, and even their head. Today, a government may turn a blind eye to high levels of domestic and sexual violence, because they do not undermine its legitimacy. In France, for example, more than 1,000 rape cases are reported to the authorities each year, with thousands more unreported cases. Rapists and abusive husbands, however, are not perceived as an existential threat to the state, because, historically, the state did not build itself on the promise to eliminate sexual violence. In contrast, the much rarer cases of terrorism are viewed as a deadly threat, because over the last few centuries modern western states have gradually built their legitimacy on the explicit promise to maintain zero political violence within their borders. Back in the middle ages, the public sphere was full of political violence. Indeed, the ability to use violence was the entry ticket to the political game, and whoever lacked this ability had no political voice. Not only did numerous noble families retain armed forces, but so did towns, guilds, churches and monasteries. When an abbot died and a dispute arose about the succession, the rival factions  comprising monks, local strongmen and concerned neighbours  often used armed force to decide the issue. Terrorism had no place in such a world. Anybody who was not strong enough to cause substantial material damage was of no consequence. If in 1150 a few Muslim extremists had murdered a handful of civilians in Jerusalem, demanding that the Crusaders leave the Holy Land, the reaction would have been ridicule rather than terror. If you wanted to be taken seriously, you should have at least gained control of a fortified castle or two. Terrorism did not bother our medieval ancestors because they had bigger problems to deal with. During the modern era, centralised states have gradually reduced the level of political violence within their territories, and in the last few decades western countries have managed to achieve almost zero political violence. Their citizens can struggle for control of towns, corporations, organisations and even of the government itself without any need of brute force. Command of hundreds of billions of euros, hundreds of thousands of soldiers, and hundreds of ships, aeroplanes and nuclear missiles passes from one group of politicians to another without a single shot being fired. People have quickly got used to this, and consider it their natural right. Consequently, even sporadic acts of political violence that kill a few dozen people are seen as a deadly threat to the legitimacy and even survival of the state. A small coin in a big empty jar can make a lot of noise. This is what makes the theatre of terrorism so successful. The state has created a huge space empty of political violence. This huge space acts as a sounding board, amplifying the impact of any armed attack, however small. The less political violence in a particular state, the greater the public shock at an act of terrorism. Killing 17 people in Paris draws far more attention than killing hundreds in Nigeria or Iraq. Paradoxically, then, the very success of modern states in preventing political violence make them particularly vulnerable to terrorism. An act of terror that would have gone unnoticed in a medieval kingdom can rattle much stronger modern states to their very core. The state has stressed so many times that it will not tolerate political violence within its borders that it has no alternative but to see any act of terrorism as intolerable. The citizens, for their part, have become used to zero political violence, so the theatre of terror incites in them visceral fears of anarchy, making them feel as if the social order is about to collapse. After centuries of bloody struggles, we have crawled out of the black hole of violence, but we feel that the black hole is still there, patiently waiting to swallow us again. A few gruesome atrocities and we imagine that we are falling back in. In order to assuage these fears, the state is driven to respond with its own theatre of security. The most efficient answer to terrorism might be good intelligence and clandestine action against the networks of money that feed terrorism. But this is not something citizens can see on television. Once its citizens have seen the terrorist drama of the World Trade Center collapsing, the state feels compelled to stage an equally spectacular counterdrama, with even more fire and smoke. So instead of acting quietly and efficiently, it unleashes a mighty storm, which fulfils the terrorists most cherished dreams. Terrorism goes nuclear Yet what about nuclear terrorism or bioterrorism? What if the doomsday prophets are correct, and terrorist organisations will acquire weapons of mass destruction, which could cause widespread material damage on a par with conventional warfare? If and when this comes to pass, the state as we know it will become outdated. However, terrorism as we know it will also cease to exist, like a parasite that dies along with its host. If tiny organisations representing a handful of fanatics could destroy entire cities and kill millions, there will no longer be a public sphere free of political violence. Politics and society will undergo radical transformations. It is hard to know how political struggles will be conducted then, but they will certainly be very different from the terror and counterterror campaigns of the early 21st century. If in 2050 the world is full of nuclear and bio-terrorists, their victims will look back at the western world of today with longing tinged with disbelief: how could people who lived such secure lives nevertheless have felt so threatened?
Midlands addresses searched after Westminster terror attack Westminster terror attack: Midlands addresses searched POLICE are searching three addresses in the Midlands after a suspected terror attack outside the Houses of Parliament. A 29-year-old man, who is a UK national, was arrested on suspicion of preparing an act of terror after the silver Ford Fiesta he was driving collided with cyclists and pedestrians before crashing into a security barrier just before 7.40am this morning. Detectives believe the privately owned car was driven from Birmingham late last night, arriving in London just after midnight. Scotland Yard said the vehicle was driven around the Westminster area from around 6am  more than an hour-and-a-half before the crash  having been in the Tottenham Court Road area between 1.25am to 5.55am. Counter-terrorism officers are carrying out searches at two addresses in Birmingham and a residential property in Nottingham as part of the probe. Metropolitan Police counter-terrorism head Neil Basu said the suspect, who is being held in custody at a south London police station, is not co-operating. "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," he told reporters. "We have not formally identified him yet. On the details we have at the moment, we don't believe this individual was known to MI5 or counter-terror police." The silver car can be seen driving along the road next to Parliament Square before moving to turn right towards Westminster Abbey in footage of the incident aired on BBC News. As an ambulance passes the car on its right-hand side, the vehicle swerves left, crossing oncoming traffic and colliding with cyclists before entering a small road and crashing into a security barrier. A police officer can be seen jumping another barrier that runs along the side of the road to get away. Images posted to social media showed a man wearing a black puffer jacket being led away in handcuffs from the car as armed police officers swarmed the scene. There was nobody else in the vehicle and no weapons were found, police said. Basu added no other suspects have been identified and there is "no intelligence at this time of further danger" to Londoners. Two people were taken to hospital, while a third person with minor injuries was assessed at the scene, the London Ambulance Service (LAS) said. One was discharged from St Thomas' Hospital before midday, while a woman was being treated for serious but not life-threatening injuries at St Mary's Hospital. After a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee, Theresa May urged the country to come together and carry on as normal. In a statement released by Downing Street, the Prime Minister praised the "formidable courage" and professionalism of the emergency services who "ran towards" danger. She said: "The threat to the United Kingdom from terrorism remains severe. "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. "The twisted aim of the extremists is to use violence and terror to divide us. They will never succeed." Reacting to the suspected attack, US President Donald Trump said on Twitter: "These animals are crazy and must be dealt with through toughness and strength!" Witnesses described an emotionless driver ploughing through cyclists in what appeared to be a deliberate act. Kirsty Moseley, of Brixton, south London, was a passenger in the first car behind the cyclists, who "were thrown everywhere" after being struck at what she estimated was 25mph. "I heard a few shouts, looked up and this silver car was driving at high speed the wrong way into the cyclists," the 31-year-old said. "It's absolutely amazing there was only one cyclist seriously injured, he went straight through them. People were thrown everywhere." Moseley, who works in marketing and spoke to police as a witness, continued: "[He had] two hands on the steering wheel and he did not look back over his shoulder to look at the damage he'd created  he was just looking deadpan straight in front of him," she said. "He wasn't shouting anything, he wasn't screaming, he didn't look crazed or out of control  he was just deadpan." Ewelina Ochab described it as an "intentional" act, while cyclist Geoffrey Woodman said he first heard a tyre-like "screeching". Woodman, a strategy consultant from Battersea, added: "This car turned round to the left and swerved into the wrong lane of traffic and into the bank where all the cyclists wait." Jason Williams, from Kennington, was walking to work when he saw the "deliberate" crash. "It didn't look like an accident. How do you do that by accident? It was a loud bang," the 45-year-old said. The Houses of Parliament are surrounded with security barriers of steel and concrete. The measures were extended in the wake of the Westminster Bridge attack in March 2017 when Khalid Masood ploughed a car into crowds on Westminster Bridge, killing four people. Masood abandoned his car then stabbed and killed unarmed Pc Keith Palmer before he was shot by armed police in a courtyard outside Parliament. The terrorist threat against the UK is seen as unprecedented. The Prime Minister's official spokesman said there were 676 live investigations being carried out by the security services and counter-terror police at the end of June, up from more than 500 in March. Some 13 Islamist plots and four by far-right extremists have been foiled in the past 18 months, he added. There are roughly 3000 active "subjects of interest" at any one time  while there is also a wider pool of more than 20,000 individuals who have previously featured in probes whose threat must be kept under review. Ipsoregulated This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's Editors' Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then please contact the editor here. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can contact IPSO here
UK Police Memorial: Help LBC Raise Vital Funds To Remember Fallen PCs LBC is getting behind a major campaign to raise funds for a new UK Police Memorial - and we need your help to make it happen. A year on from the murder of hero PC Keith Palmer, the brave role of the police has never been more clearly defined with the public. Yet this is what the UK Police Memorial currently looks like. It is not fit for purpose. That's why LBC is supporting the campaign for this new Memorial, which will be inscribed with the names of over 1,800 officers and staff from the police service who have died from injuries they sustained whilst carrying out their lawful duties. This is what the new UK Police Memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire will look like. It features over 1,400 apertures, each to represent a fallen officer. As well as funding the memorial, the money raised will also pay for a digital memorial that can be used around the world, as well as a Living Memorial Fund to support the family of officers who have been killed on duty. LBC breakfast presenter Nick Ferrari says: "After the tragic events of last month which resulted in the death of a brave police officer, there can surely be no better time to remember the sacrifices that officers like he and others have given down the years. "This is our opportunity to thank the brave men and women who stand on the front line for our security twenty-four hours a day, every day of the week and every week of the year." Chair of the UK Police Memorial Trust, Sir Hugh Orde said: "Four weeks ago a vicious and completely unprovoked attack occurred in our capital city which saw the murder of PC Keith Palmer and four other innocent members of the public. "PC Palmers death has put greater emphasis on the need to create a place where the nation can honour and commemorate our police service and where family, friends and colleagues of those killed on duty can go to carry out personal acts of remembrance. "The NMA is the place where the nation can go to remember our services and the men and women who have been killed in the course of their duty for their country. "We need to establish a fitting memorial that recognises the vital contribution that policing makes to our society and acknowledges the courage and sacrifice made by police officers and police staff who have paid the ultimate sacrifice. That tribute must become part of the fabric of our national life." The Memorial will consist of four distinct strands:  The creation of a physical memorial inscribed with the names of officers and staff that will be placed within a beautifully landscaped remembrance garden; A digital memorial that uses the latest technology for honour and tribute that can be accessed from across the world; An education programme  for use by schools and colleges - that tells the story of policing and its place in todays society, with an acknowledgement to those officers and staff who have been killedon a specific day; A Living Memorial fund that will support the families of officers and staff killed on duty in the future. Home Secretary, Amber Rudd said: "Every day, our police officers and staff work tirelessly to keep us safe and protect us from harm. They go out to work not knowing what they might face, but do so with the utmost professionalism and bravery. We all owe them a huge debt of gratitude. "In March, that bravery was plain for everyone to see in the phenomenal response of the police to the shocking events in Westminster, as a result of which PC Keith Palmer tragically lost his life. It is entirely fitting that those officers and staff who give their lives in the line of duty should be remembered with a lasting tribute. The Government has already committed 1m towards the UK Police Memorial and I hope the public also take this campaign to their hearts and recognise the importance of establishing a permanent place of remembrance." Follow Us Your privacy is important to us. We want to better help you understand how and why we use your data. Youll continue to enjoy LBC and all of its great content and features! View our Privacy Statement for more details.
Emergency service reached the scene in six minutes and quickly cordoned off the area ( Getty ) A man who appeared to take selfies in front of the scene of the deadly Westminster attack has sparked outrage. Three people were killed and dozens more injured in the terrorist rampage on Wednesday, when an attacker mowed down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before stabbing a police officer to death outside the Houses of Parliament. The suspected terrorist, named by police as 52-year-old Khalid Masood, was shot dead at the scene. Witnesses said the aftermath of the attack, which started at around 2.40 pm, looked like a Hollywood disaster movie. The emergency services said they reached the scene in six minutes and quickly cordoned off the area. Social media users expressed anger at the image of the man wearing sunglasses posing in front of the emergency services near Parliament. Alongside a post of the photo, one Twitter user wrote: This photo is everything that's wrong with humanity. Sara Dunn tweeted: Those who are actually taking selfies and photos of injured people should be found and prosecuted. It's absolutely disgusting. Many were also critical of the decision by some Twitter users to post graphic images of the victims of the attack. It emerged on Thursday that the terrorist who went on a killing spree was previously known to security security services and had been investigated by MI5 over violent extremism. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP Prime Minister Theresa May told MPs that the British-born attacker was a "peripheral" figure who was "not part of the current intelligence picture". It came as Isis claimed the perpetrator was one of its "soldiers", while police activity in connection with the investigation has been reported in a number of areas around the country.
Redditch Council lower flag and hold one minute silence "WE are not afraid" is the message from Redditch's Council leader Bill Hartnett following yesterday's Westminster terror attack. The town hall has today lowered the flag as a sign of respect and sympathy after a terror attack rocked Westminster - with a crazed knifeman running over pedestrians in a car and stabbing a police officer before being shot dead. Several Worcestershire MPs were held on lockdown inside the Commons as the horrifying incident unfolded. Redditch MP Karen Lumley was at her home in the town recovering from her illness. She tweeted: "My thoughts and prayers are with the family of the police officer killed today. They all look after us so well." Council leader councillor Bill Hartnett said: This was a tragic and shocking terrorist attack right in the heart of London on Westminster Bridge and at the gates of Parliament. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of PC keith Palmer who was murdered in this terror attack and with the other innocent people who were killed and injured." Redditch mayor councillor Joe Baker added: "As mayor of Redditch my thoughts and prayers go out to all the victims and families of those in the London attack. "This act of terrorism will not stop the work of those of us who will continue to fight for a world of equality, diversity and inclusion of all people, regardless of race, religion, gender, sexuality or political standing. "United we stand strong, we cannot let fear dictate our lifestyle or make us hide away." He added: "Today we lowered the flag and had a one minute silence in respect for those who lost their lives or who were injured and affected by the event." It comes as police have confirmed that a raid carried out in Birmingham this morning was connected to yesterday's terrorist attack at Westminster. Hagley Road was closed before being reopened at around 2am. Early reports suggest officers were at an address linked to where the car, used in the attack, was rented. Acting Deputy Commissioner Mark Rowley, from the Metropolitan police, said this morning that police searched six addresses and made seven arrests overnight in London and Birmingham. There have been unconfirmed reports that up to three people were arrested following the raid in Birmingham. Two people died after a car drove into people walking on Westminster Bridge and another 40 were injured yesterday. PC Keith Palmer, an unarmed policeman, also died after being stabbed near to Parliament before armed police shot and killed his attacker. Ipsoregulated This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's Editors' Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then please contact the editor here. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can contact IPSO here
The Westminster Attack and the Nationality of Terrorism A candlelight vigil in London, UK, for the victims of the terrorist attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar, Pakistan, on December 16, 2014 ( Kashif Haque/CC BY-SA 4.0) A terrorist attack in Pakistan is as abominable as an attack in Orlando or Westminster. What had to happen has happened, but the aftermath is even more intolerably tragic than the torturous incident itself. The killing of four people in London Westminster terrorist attack has, on the one hand, rejuvenated the peoples resolve to contain terrorism; while on the other hand, it also unveiled the stark duplicity of global actors like the international mainstream media and the global community as well. The object here is not to condone the act of barbarism, but to compare and contrast its reactions with the reactions to the terror incidents that keep taking place in other parts of the world. An appraisal of this disparity is essential if we really want to have an idea of why the countries have been failed to stifle the harrowing menace of terrorism which inconvertibly imperils the global peace today. In the wake of the Westminster terrorist attack, the world is witnessing trending hash-tags on social media websites to express solidarity with the victims, ceaseless lamentations of the international media for the death of four people who died in attack, front-page reporting, special media coverage, flood of condemnations from around the world, innumerable condoling statements and resentments from the international community. But unfortunately, most of the people who are phenomenally eloquent against terrorism today are the same people who were silent like dead when a series of bloody terrorist incidents killed at least 150 people in Pakistan last month. What comes to my mind is the question that where all this eloquence and extravagance with words, which we are seeing today, had gone when the people of Pakistan were subjected to the unprecedentedly heinous acts of terrorism? The coverage of these terrorist attacks in Pakistan by the mainstream Western media was no more than the publishing of a few trivial articles. The response of the international community was mostly indifferent like it was not a matter of their concern at all. It is pertinent to mention here that more than 60,000 Pakistanis have been killed in different terrorist attacks since 2006. In other words, Pakistan, per year, has been facing two terrorist attacks as fatal as 9/11 since 2006 by joining the war against terror. In spite of being confronted with a number of internal and external problems, the way the people of Pakistan have fought the peril of terrorism is commendably amazing. But for Western media, these efforts of Pakistan are not even worthy of being mentioned simply because they dont affect their own countries. It seems as if the international community believes in two types of terrorisms: one, which targets the Western countries and the second, which targets the comparatively poor and developing countries. So whenever a terrorist attack happens in West, the response is quick and alacritous but whenever it happens in a poor country, the response is blatantly impassive. The global community needs to be cognizant of the fact that terrorism has no nationality, no race and no religion. It is a threat to humanity as a whole. For this threat, more or less, is equally shared by all the countries, so the reactions to it should also be equal. A terrorist attack in Pakistan is as abominable as an attack in Orlando or Westminster. Then why Pakistan was made an exception? Why the western media and governments did not extend similar sympathies to the Pakistani victims of terrorism as they are extending today to the victims of Westminster? Do they think that terrorism in Western countries is a problem of the whole of the world but terrorism in smaller and poorer states is only their own problem? Such an unabashedly discriminative behavior does not only weaken the cause of containing terrorism but also is grossly detrimental to the efforts of eradicating extremism. We live a globalized world where the mainstream media enjoys the capability of building narratives and shapes the thinking of people. Freedom of speech, freedom of opinion and freedom of expression are of course among the inalienable basic freedoms. But how these freedoms are exercised by the mainstream media makes the whole difference. People have full right to freely appreciate or criticize and lament or celebrate whatever they want but when it comes to achieve the shared goals; then the strategies should also be shared by all the people. If we really want to further the cause of global peace and prosperity, we have got to understand that this cause can be served in a far more befitting fashion by acknowledging and encouraging others efforts and endeavors vis--vis the establishment of peace and by not exhibiting even an iota of duplicity for them. Western media and governments should now rethink their behavior and change it so as to make it consonant with the prerequisites of combating the filth of extremism and terrorism, otherwise overcoming these glooming threats would remain a pipedream.
Police are today seeking the identities of three Jihadi terrorists who were shot dead by armed police after killing seven people and injuring dozens of others in a horrific van and knife rampage through central London last night. The men, described as being 'of Mediterranean origin', mowed down up to 20 revellers as they careered across London Bridge in an 'S shape' at 50mph before they began 'randomly stabbing' people in nearby Borough Market. Today five people were reportedly arrested in an early morning raid on a block of flats in Barking, east London, as police launch a major investigation into what is the third terror attack on British soil in the last three months. Speaking outside No 10 today, Theresa May confirmed the London Bridge atrocity is not directly connected to last month's Manchester bombing or Westminster attack in April but that all three are linked by 'the single evil ideology of Islamist extremism'. The terror threat level remains at 'severe', meaning another attack is 'highly likely'. The three attackers, who were wearing fake suicide vests, shouted 'this is for Allah' as they used 12-inch hunting knives to attack revellers at busy bars and restaurants in the market, sending dozens of others fleeing for their lives. One of the suspects was wearing an Arsenal football shirt. Witnesses said the gang smashed pub windows and reportedly cut the throats of drinkers as civilians barricaded themselves inside and fought off the attackers with pint glasses and chairs. One witness saw a 'dark-skinned' man in a red tracksuit 'calmly' stab a man three times while another witnessed a victim being stabbed in the face. Armed police rushed to the scene and shot dead all three suspects within eight minutes of receiving the first emergency call and placed the area on lock down. Meanwhile medics wheeled away injured victims on stretchers while crying people wrapped in foil blankets were evacuated from the 'horrific' scene. Three Jihadi terrorists have been shot dead by armed police after killing seven people and injuring at least 48 more during a horrific knife rampage in central London last night. This photo appears to show the suspects lying dead on the ground outside Wheatsheaf pub in Borough Market. The man in the centre of the image appears to be wearing an Arsenal football shirt The bodies of two men, believed to be terrorists, lie in the road in Borough market after shots had been heard A wounded victim was wheeled out on stretcher by London Bridge as shocked people cried and shouted around them. At least 48 injured people were rushed to five hospitals around London after the terror attack A traumatised man who helped the wounded victim led away on a stretcher walked away with blood on his shirt. A horrified bystander wrapped in a foil blanket was led away from the police Police and medics treated injured people and carried them away at the end Thrale Street near London Bridge. Members of the public were told by police to 'run as fast as they could' westbound Dozens of ambulances lined up along the streets to ferry wounded victims to safety The atrocity on London Bridge was captured in taxi dashcam footage which showed some of the injured being treated on the side of the road Masked police officers wielding guns were seen at London Bridge on Sunday morning as the area remains on lockdown Forensic officers were seen circling blood splatter and bagging pieces of evidence as they scoured London Bridge today Several men were seen pinned to the ground with their hands tied behind their backs armed police stormed a block of flats in Barking, east London, in a raid believed to be connected to last night's terror attack A map shows how terror attack unfolded. The attackers were shot dead within eight minutes of the first emergency phone call The scene remains on lock down today as armed police and forensic officers continue to piece together what took place last night. The terror threat remains at severe, meaning another terror attack is considered 'highly likely'. Meanwhile: Witness accounts of the terrifying events started to emerge with revellers describing how they fought off knifemen with chairs and glasses after attackers stormed packed bars and restaurants A hero taxi driver revealed how he tried to knock down three men 'armed with 12in knives' while another reported seeing victim being stabbed in the face and chest Dashcam footage emerged showing the aftermath of the devastation caused by the van on London Bridge, with bystanders seen tending to victims on the side of the road Desperate families are begging for information on loved ones feared missing after the attack, including a 16-year-old girl who failed to return home last night Kindhearted Londoners offered beds, food and cups of tea to survivors as the city came together in the wake of another attack and #PrayForLondon trended on social media Today heavily armed officers raided a flat in Barking, east London, on Sunday morning as police launched a major investigation into the third terror attack on British soil in as many months The Prime Minister chaired a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee in Whitehall this morning and insisted in a press conference outside No 10 afterwards: 'Enough is enough' Politicians faced calls to cancel the election next week but Mrs May confirmed it will go ahead as planned All parties except for Ukip agreed to suspend national election campaigning today but local efforts will continue London Mayor Sadiq Khan condemned the 'barbaric' and 'horrific' event as 'deliberate and cowardly'. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the attack was 'brutal' and 'shocking' in a tweet last night President Donald Trump tweeted his support for Britain, saying 'Whatever the United States can do to help out in London and the U. K., we will be there - WE ARE WITH YOU. GOD BLESS!' Ariana Grande, whose young fans were targeted in the attack at Manchester Arena, confirmed the benefit concert to benefit victims will go ahead tonight as planned with her manager urging people to stand together Speaking from the steps of No 10 today, Mrs May said Britain faces a 'new trend in the threat we face' as she condemned the brutal attacks. The Premier said there was 'far too much tolerance' of extreme views and vowed to stand up for 'pluralistic British values' that were 'superior' to the fanatics' ideology. She vowed: 'We will take on and defeat our enemies.' Share this article Mrs May, who chaired a meeting of the emergency Cobra committee this morning, said the election campaign would resume in full tomorrow and the election on Thursday would go ahead as planned. The official terror threat level has not been changed and remains at 'severe' - meaning an attack is 'highly likely'. TERROR TIMELINE 10.08pm Police were called to reports of a vehicle hitting pedestrians on London Bridge Terrorists got out of car and ran to Borough Market stabbing people 10.16pm Three terrorists shot dead in Borough Market 10.32pm London Bridge station is closed 11pm Police said another incident was happening in Vauxhall as the station was reportedly evacuated 12.25am The incidents at London Bridge and Borough market & were declared as terrorist incidents 12.55am Police said the incident at Vauxhall was a stabbing and not connected to the terrorism The PM praised the 'great courage and great speed' with which police responded to the terror attacks and condemned the use of fake suicide vests to 'spread panic and fear'. The terror started last night when three men drove a van in an 'S shape' across London Bridge shortly before 10.10pm last night in an attempt to deliberately target pedestrians. There are unconfirmed reports that it is a B&Q and Hertz van. An on-duty British Transport Police officer who rushed to protect bystanders was among the first victims attacked as the attackers abandoned their vehicle and began stabbing at random. He suffered 'serious but not life-threatening injuries' and his family has been informed. Some 48 people have been taken to five hospitals across London after the horrific attack. One of the fatalities was at London bridge, it has been reported. 'The men said "This is for Allah" as they left the van and attacked victims. There were definitely three people sitting at the front of the van,' witness Eric Seguenzo told BBC News. He added: 'I thought the van was travelling on wrong side of the road, as though the brakes had failed. The white van had yellow stripes, veered to the right and people tried to jump out the way.' Witnesses to the terror attack heard at least 12 gunshots in the area, now believed to have been police firing at the attackers. Ben and his wife Natalie were in Borough Market near the Southwark Tavern. They told BBC Radio 5 Live that they saw a 'dark-skinned man in a red tracksuit' stabbing a man. Horrified revellers fled the scene of terror as police shouted at people to run away and hide Petrified bystanders were pictured fleeing the chaos after the jihadists started the rampage at 10.08pm on Saturday night A man was seen clutching an injured woman's face as she was led away on a stretcher by medics Pictured, the van - which is believed to be a B&Q and Hertz vehicle - that was used to mow down unsuspecting pedestrians. Witnesses said it veered in an 'S shape' across the bridge and drove towards the Shard and was south of the river Within minutes of the first emergency call, armed police were on the scene, pictured, and remain at London Bridge today Ben said: 'We saw people running away and then I saw a man in red with a large blade, at a guess 10 inches long, stabbing a man, about three times. 'I was across the road about 15m away. [The attacker] was dark-skinned and had a red tracksuit on. 'It looked like the man had been trying to intervene, but there wasn't much he could do. He was being stabbed quite coldly and he slumped to the ground.' Counter Terrorism Command have launched an investigation and anybody who has images or film of the incident have been asked to pass those to police by uploading it at www.ukpoliceimageappeal.co.uk. 'Our thoughts are with all those involved and those responding to both incidents. Those who are concerned about a loved one can contact the Casualty Bureau on 0800 0961 233,' police said in a statement. 'We are reviewing and planning to strengthen our policing stance across London over the forthcoming days, and there will be additional police and officers deployed across the Capital. A City of London police officer bows in respect as a coroner's vehicle is driven away from London Bridge this morning Armed police officers walk a detection dog through the streets around Borough Market as the investigation gets underway Forensic officers today searched London Bridge for clues as they tried to piece together what happened last night Forensics officers were seen carrying tools and bags of evidence away from London Bridge this morning Medical supplies and debris were strewn across a street near Borough Market, where dozens of victims were stabbed DASHCAM FOOTAGE REVEALS TRAIL OF DEVASTATION ON LONDON BRIDGE AFTER VAN TERROR RAMPAGE A taxi driver filmed the aftermath of last night's shocking terrorist attack on London Bridge on his cab's dash cam. The shocking video shows people receiving emergency treatment on the cycle lane of the south bound carriageway moments after the attack. Witnesses said the van swerved in an 'S' fashion to deliberately target pedestrians. Taxi driver Radoslav Petrov filmed the footage as he witnessed police cars racing across the bridge on the wrong side of the road. Shortly afterwards, pedestrians ran away from the scene, heading north having been told to flee by police. Taxi driver Radoslav Petrov witnessed injured pedestrians receiving assistance from passers by, left, moments after three jihadis ploughed through them on London Bridge last night Police raced towards the scene, left, as the jihadists abandoned their vehicle and began 'randomly stabbing' unarmed victims Police ordered survivors, right, to run north across the bridge and away from the terrorists as they responded to the emergency calls 'I would like to ask the public to remain vigilant and let us know if they see anything suspicious that causes them concern and dial 999 immediately.' Police advised people who live within the London Bridge cordon to stay somewhere else on Saturday night if they could. One witness said: 'No one was hurt from the van impact but as the men got out the van they started kicking, punching and stabbing victims they ran over. It was a rampage.' One of the men suspected of being an attacker was pictured lying on the ground after he was shot by the police outside the Wheatsheaf pub in Borough Market. Another man was seen lying on the ground a short distance away. It was earlier reported that SAS helicopters were flown in from their Hereford headquarters to hunt for the deadly terrorists. The bridge is in lock down and the area around it is closed with bus routes being diverted, as armed police and a bomb squad attended the scene and boats searched the Thames for bodies - amid reports that people were pushed into the water. Fifty armed police also stormed nearby Monument and Bank station with police dogs. The stations were closed. Revellers at the busy nightspot were pictured with their hands behind their heads as they were evacuated from the scene A helicopter, believed to be SAS, was seen at London Bridge after being flown in from the Hereford headquarters to hunt for the deadly terrorists 'Rapid gunfire' was heard in the London Bridge area as armed police shot dead three of the men Armed police and a bomb squad swarmed to the scene as boats and helicopters were seen searching the Thames Drinkers in basement German-themed bar Katzenjammers hid under tables as the terror attack unfolded around them Video shows drinkers hiding under tables as the horrific terror attack unfolded around them DESPERATE FAMILIES BEG FOR INFORMATION ON 'MISSING' LOVED ONES IN THE WAKE OF ATTACK The desperate family of a 16-year-old are spreading her image around social media after she failed to come home after last night's terror attack. Asya Mustafa, who lives near London Bridge, was due home at around 9pm after walking back through the area where dozens of innocent civilians were crushed by a van and stabbed by three men. However, as of this morning she still not been seen and her loved ones have been pleading for her safe return. As of this morning Asya still not been seen and her loved ones have been pleading for her safe return New Zealander Oliver Dowling, 32, is also in a coma after being stabbed in the face during the attack, which also left his girlfriend, Marie Bondeville, injured. Mr Dowling 's sister revealed on Facebook that he is expected to recover from stab wounds to his, face, neck and stomach, as the knife missed his vital organs. Miss Bondeville's condition is unknown. She said: 'Doctors are very happy with how hes come out the other side. A massive thank to the University of London Hospital for their tireless efforts in helping my brother out!!' 32-year-old New Zealander Oliver Dowling is also in a coma after being stabbed in the face during the attack, which also left his girlfriend injured Marie Bondeville (pictured together) Oliver Dowling (pictured, second from left) and his girlfriend were both injured in the rampage, his sister revealed on Facebook A frantic online search was also taking place for journalist Geoff Ho, who was filmed clutching his neck after seemingly being stabbed, but he has since been found. Mr Ho was stabbed at Southwark Tavern on Saturday night and rushed to hospital in an ambulance during the chaos. Dramatic video shows him clutching his neck as he staggers away from the scene just moments after the terror attack. Distressing footage also shows a sobbing woman waiting on the condition of one of her loved ones as they receive CPR. She can be heard pleading with the victim to 'keep going' as they receive emergency treatment on the floor. Photographer Gabriele Sciotto, who had been in the area watching the Champions League Final, said he ran towards the scene of the attack after the three assailants began stabbing people in the Borough Market area. OFFICIALS SAID THERE WERE 'NO PLANS' FOR BOLLARDS JUST ONE DAY BEFORE ATTACK Officials confirmed they would not place bollards or barriers on London Bridge just 24 hours before the attack last night. A spokeswoman for the City of London Cooperation said there were 'no current plans' to install barriers along the bridge, which features a pavement that is 10ft wide. On March 22, four people died in a similar attack when Khalid Masood, 52, drove a car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge. Following the massacre, anti-terror barriers were installed outside Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle. He told BBC News: 'I came in after the men stabbed some other men. I ran towards the scene because I noticed this man with this kind of explosive looking belt on his chest, they were running. 'A police officer was trying to put himself between them and the crowd. After that they were almost coming towards me and I tried to run away. Then they were going towards the main street. At that point, I ran towards them. 'More police came over, I guess they were on radio or something because in around like two or five seconds they shot all the three men down. That is what I honestly saw.' One of the terrorists was shown in a photograph lying on the ground with canisters strapped to his body after he was shot by the police, the BBC said. The possible attacker was shown on the ground outside the Wheatsheaf pub in Borough Market near London Bridge. Another man was seen lying on the ground a short distance away in the photograph. Describing what appeared to be canisters strapped to the man's chest, Mr Sciotto said: 'At first sight I thought it wasn't anything real. It didn't look real to me but I'm not like the person who could honestly say if they were real or not,' He added: 'I've been in situations like this before, I don't think you realise how scary how possibly be until you put yourself into it, a policeman could have shot me because it was me, the police and these three men so I was lucky definitely.' Witnesses to the terror attack said there was a stabbing in the Southwark venue at the Borough market while others heard at least 12 gunshots in the area Harrowing footage showed a bleeding man who was stabbed during the rampage trying to seek help at a nearby bar but reportedly being turned away by bouncers JOURNALIST IS FILMED CLUTCHING BLEEDING NECK AFTER HE IS INJURED WHEN KNIFEMEN STORM PUB One of the injured victims is journalist Geoff Ho, who was reportedly stabbed at the Southwark Tavern before being rushed to hospital during the chaos. Customers are said to have thrown chairs and glasses at the attacker as he stormed the packed pub last night. A harrowing video shows a man who is believed to be Mr Ho staggering down the street, holding his hand up to his neck to try to stop bleeding from a wound. Isabelle Oderberg, who took to Twitter to appeal for information on Mr Ho, later tweeted that he had been found. She posted: 'We have found Geoff. He is in intensive care. Thank you for the RTs and messages. I'll be going offline now until I hear more.' She added: 'I really just do want to say thank you Twitter. Thank you. xx' Journalist Geoff Ho, pictured, from London, was among those injured in the attack and is now in intensive care in hospital A man, believed to be Geoff Ho, was filmed holding his hand to his neck as he tried to stem the flow of blood from a wound Will Orton, 25, said: 'We were in the Sheaf pub. Basically lots of people came running inside, we didn't really know what was going on. 'We thought maybe there was a fight or something outside. And then there were almost hundreds of people coming inside.' He added: 'The bouncers did a really good job, they shut the doors and locked everyone in. There was panic - it seemed like it was literally outside the door. People were coming inside and saying they had witnessed people being stabbed. 'They had seen and witnessed people being stabbed. It seemed like it was happening immediately outside the entrance.' A bystander said a friend was in Applebee's Restaurant - which is opposite Wheatsheaf pub in Borough Market - when suddenly the waiters pulled down all the shutters. 'They looked outside and saw two men lying dead in the street, one had what looked like a suicide vest on him. Police told everyone in the restaurant to stay inside, then a minute or two later they heard two or three shots fired.' There were also claims earlier in the evening that a topless man had been handcuffed and taken into custody. Drinkers are said to have thrown chairs and glasses at the attacker as he stormed the pub. Video shows drinkers in the basement German-themed bar Katzenjammers hiding under tables as the terror attack unfolded around them. Armed police were seen flooding the cordoned-off streets as they launched a hunt for the jihadists Debris and abandoned cars remained in London at the scene of the terror attack Guests from the Premier Inn Bankside Hotel are evacuated and kept in a group with police on Upper Thames Street following the terrorist incidents Cordons were put up across Southwark Street before repeatedly being pushed back as police widened the critical zone around Borough Market Jamie, a witness who was in Black & Blue in Rochester Walk said: 'We hid under the table and people came into the restaurant and knocked a bunch of stuff over, like the till. 'And then we ran into the the kitchen, where there was a bunch of other people and a guy had been stabbed and he was cut and he was bleeding quite a lot.' He added that they waited in the kitchen for 'quite a while' before they were evacuated. A woman, who did not want to be named, added: 'We were in the restaurant and we just saw three guys come in, stabbed someone in the face and someone in the stomach. 'One of them had a big knife, then he came in and walked around the restaurant, I guess they just kind of stabbed anyone that they saw and knocked things on the ground and then we just hid.' Gerard Vowls, 47, who was in a pub near London Bridge, said he threw chairs and glasses at the attackers in a bid to stop them entering. He told The Guardian: 'They kept coming to try to stab me - they were stabbing everyone. Evil, evil people.' One witness reported seeing a van crash into a lamppost by the Barrowboy and Banker pub past the bridge. She added: 'Just trying to get away at the moment. There are no trains leaving so we're just panicking a little.' Barman Alex Martinez was forced to take shelter in a bin when a knifeman stormed the Borough restaurant in which he worked. A traumatised woman wrapped in a foil blanket was led away from the scene of chaos. Police officers were seen screaming to people and ordering them to run Many bystanders were in tears, with friends supporting each other and carrying people up the road A man in a black tracksuit was arrested in Vauxhall in an unrelated stabbing on Saturday night He said: 'I remember that I was working behind the bar and one man entered into my restaurant and that's it - I remember about the third table, second one, next to the door, a man dropped everything and ran out. 'I just tried to be safe, I jumped down behind a big wall, now I feel my pain in my arm, I feel pain. I saw that man with a knife in his hand and after that a man started screaming so I knew something wrong was happening. 'The man started screaming and dropping everything on the floor, the plates, the cutlery, the bottle, everything, he dropped it.' He recalled hearing someone crying near his bin and said the two exchanged reassurances. One man who was in a pub by the Shard told MailOnline: 'I was feet away from getting stabbed. Saw so many people literally dying. Was in a pub and they were at the door stabbing people.' Hours after the initial attack two loud blasts were heard near London Bridge although police were said to have looked 'calm' about the explosions. It is thought that they could have been controlled explosions carried out by officers. A witness said an attacker had 'canisters attached to his abdomen as he stabbed multiple people in nearby Borough Market. Armed police have responded to reports of stabbings there and shots have been fired A police officer stands guard on Borough High Street. One witness said she saw three people with what appeared to be their throats cut on London Bridge amid the 'utter chaos' Petrified bystanders caught up in the 'utter chaos' were pictured talking to a police officer in London Bridge Devastated revellers sat on the pavement as they comforted each other in the London Bridge area, where jihadists mowed pedestrians down London Mayor Sadiq Khan has called the terrorist incidents at London Bridge and Borough Market 'deliberate and cowardly', adding: 'There is no justification whatsoever for such barbaric acts'. Home Secretary Amber Rudd said the London attacks were 'horrific', adding they were 'targeted at people enjoying their evening with friends and family'. Police responded to a third incident in Vauxhall, south London, which later turned out to be an unrelated stabbing. Officers are telling people 'you must run, hide and tell'. The attacks in the streets of London come just days after armed troops were pulled off the streets of Britain. Thousands of soldiers were deployed by the Prime Minister following the bombing at Manchester arena as she raised the UK threat level from 'severe' to 'critical'. Police are treating injured people and carrying them away at the end Thrale Street. Members of the public were told by police to 'run as fast as they could' westbound. A police officer cleared people away from the area near London Bridge after an incident in central London Panicked workers ran through nearby Borough market, where witnesses reported a gang trying to smash into a packed pub Police in riot gear, with helmets and shields, combed the streets after the attacks on London Bridge and Borough Market Police have confirmed that the incidents in London Bridge and Borough Market are being treated as acts of terror Police have told people to 'remain calm, but be alert and vigilant.' They added: 'We are using all necessary skills and resources at London Bridge, Borough Market and Vauxhall' Kumi de Costa was caught up with her two friends at the incident in Borough Market. She told the BBC: 'The cab driver turned into the market and we got stuck right in the middle of the shooting we were in a one-way street and couldn't turn around. 'There were loads of shots being fired. Two people were on the floor behind the church with two or three people leaning over them. 'About 50 police were pointing guns at us - the cab driver had the laser pointed right at them, our hands were up, we were trying to get out so they shooed us away. 'A man was coming out of the restaurant, he had a napkin on his neck with blood pouring out, there was another man lying on the floor. I don't know if he was in the recovery position or dead. 'We weaved through little side streets where the police were telling us to go to Blackfriars Bridge and we could see people looking over the side; people had maybe jumped over the bridge. 'A couple of times we had to lie down on the floor of the cab because of the shooting around us.' Police have told people to 'remain calm, but be alert and vigilant.' They added: 'We are using all necessary skills and resources at London Bridge, Borough Market and Vauxhall.' Bursts of gunfire were heard as witnesses described how one man was arrested after police stormed towards a house in Southwark. The Asian man in his mid thirties had his hands tied behind his back as up to 30 police frogmarched him down the street shouting at people to get back. Eyewitness John Bennet said: 'As I was walking up the Borough High Street the police were crowded round a house on the right hand side.' Police cordoned off the streets as they worked diligently to evacuate as many people as possible amid multiple incidents in London Police officers worked to clear the area near Borough Market as quickly as possible after reports of stabbings 'They had shields and were wearing masks and were running across the street shouting at one another. 'I heard what sounded like short bursts of gunfire. Suddenly they started shouting at us 'run away' ' get back' and people really were running for their lives. 'About 15 of us were running down Borough High street toward London Bridge followed by 30 armed police. They were spread put across the street. 'They had a man. There were four police either side of him and others crowded round. They had his hands tied behind his back. 'He was Asian man, about 5ft 6in, dark hair, mid thirties with stubble. wearing a dark jacket. He was being frogmarched quickly down the street. They crowded round him at the first corner then we were all ushered away as they extended the cordon. 'It was really scary. The police were round on a corner on the street, they had shields and guns. Then everyone started running, they had arrested a guy and were running with him.' A security guard who oversees a number of pubs in the area has told the BBC he saw four people stabbed by three attackers. The man, who was deeply shocked and asked not to be named, said he was at the Market Porter pub when a colleague at another bar said there was a stabbing at the Borough Bistro pub nearby. He said he went towards this pub and saw that 'everybody started running' and there was screaming. Police are treating injured people and carrying them away at the end Thrale Street President Donald Trump has tweeted in the wake of the horrifying events: 'We need to be smart, vigilant and tough. We need the courts to give us back our rights. We need the Travel Ban as an extra level of safety!' Jeremy Corbyn has tweeted: 'Brutal and shocking incidents reported in London. My thoughts are with the victims and their families.' #LondonBridge' Nicola Sturgeon also tweeted her support to those affected by the horrific rampage The eyewitness added that he saw three attackers, one of whom had a long knife and stabbing people, including a girl in her early 20s. Alex Shellum was in the Mudlark pub with his girlfriend and two friends, underneath London Bridge, at the time of the incident. 'At around 10pm an injured woman came into the pub seeking assistance. She was bleeding heavily from the neck - it appeared that her throat had been cut. People sought to stem the bleeding and the pub was closed. 'Outside the pub, emergency services were performing CPR on a further individual. From there, we were instructed to move along by armed police.' They sought refuge with some others at Bill's restaurant in the market. 'Police instructed us to wait in the kitchen whilst they swept the surrounding area. We were then ordered to leave the restaurant by armed police - we were then escorted at running speed away from the area.' There are about 20 people being treated at the Andaz Hotel near Liverpool Street station. One woman has been stretchered into an ambulance along with a young man with a heavily bandaged and bloodied head. Most of the wounded have now been moved. People staying in the Premier Inn Bankside have been evacuated across Southwark Bridge. Dozens, including children, were brought across the bridge by police after the fire alarm in the hotel went off, according to one. Samuel Templeton, from Belfast, one of the guests in the hotel, said there was a heavy police presence and they were told to cross the bridge in single file. The guests have since been escorted to a nearby hotel. Downing Street said in a statement: 'The prime minister is in contact with officials and is being regularly updated on the incident at London Bridge.' Jeremy Corbyn has tweeted: 'Brutal and shocking incidents reported in London. My thoughts are with the victims and their families.' #LondonBridge'. Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon added: 'Dreadful news from London. My thoughts are with all those affected.' President Donald Trump has tweeted in the wake of the horrifying events: 'We need to be smart, vigilant and tough. We need the courts to give us back our rights. We need the Travel Ban as an extra level of safety!' 'Whatever the United States can do to help out in London and the U. K., we will be there - WE ARE WITH YOU. GOD BLESS!' An hour after the attack witnesses reported seeing 'large numbers of marked and unmarked vehicles' speeding around the streets south of London Bridge amid a hunt for the suspects. Police cars and ambulances stormed Borough High Street and Southwark Street where the knifemen reportedly went on a stabbing rampage when they first got out of the van Members of the public were told by police to 'run as fast as they could' westbound Police are also responding to an incident at Borough Market Others said they had been told to 'run' by armed officers or escorted under guard through empty streets in groups. One eyewitness who wished to remain anonymous told MailOnline: 'I was in Arabica restaurant with a friend in borough market. 'Suddenly there was commotion and people were screaming. Security guards were yelling at people to get back from the window. About 50 people piled into the restaurant. Then I heard two separate bursts of gunfire and people rushed into the restaurant kitchens to hide. It was utter chaos. 'Some people tried to leave the kitchens via the back door but some of us tried to keep people calm. We hid for 45minutes and then were evacuated from the market by armed police.' Several police officers have stormed a pub opposite the bridge and told people to 'get down' and sit on the floor. A cab driver told LBC that three men jumped out of the van. He said: 'They just had these long blades, about 12 inches long. They just went randomly along Borough High Street stabbing people. A young girl got stabbed in the chest, she was laying there - it's so sad. 'I thought, 'I'm gonna try and hit him, I'm gonna try and knock him down'. I spun the cab round, I was about to ram one of them, but he side-stepped and three police officers came running towards them with their batons drawn. 'I was shouting at everybody, just get away from the area, stay back, just run the other way. There were a good few hundred people out there.' 'He's veered across the road towards the right hand of where Southwark Cathedral is and rammed it where the steps are. 'He just rammed it towards them, wedged it in between the lamppost and the steps and so he's hit people there. 'They've jumped out of the van and started stabbing people randomly. There was a scattering of people.' Horrified bystanders ran down Borough High Street as police shouted at them to run Armed police are said to be at the scene while people have been seen fleeing the 'horrific scene' at the landmark in central London London Bridge station has been evacuated amid reports of the suspected terror attack Pictures of the white van will be circulated across London. Tony Murphy, who has a flat opposite Southwark Bridge, said he heard 'rapid gunfire'. He said: 'I'm actually former military. I heard what was significant gunfire. At first I thought it was fireworks but it was so rapid I recognised what it was. 'It went on for quite a long time. The response took about 10 minutes. I immediately text my family and they said they heard it. It was tremendous gunfire.' Holly Jones, a BBC reporter at the bridge when the incident happened, said a van had swerved off the road into a crowd of pedestrians. 'A white van driver came speeding  probably about 50mph  veered of the road into the crowds of people who were walking along the pavement,' she told BBC News. 'He swerved right round me and then hit about five or six people. He hit about two people in front of me and then three behind.' Ms Jones later reported seeing a man being arrested by police. She said he was handcuffed and had his shirt off. Witness Alessandro told the BBC that he saw a van at the end of London Bridge with no driver inside and described the 'five or six' people hit as 'very young'. He said: 'I was going up the stairs of London Bridge Station. I saw this van going left and right trying to hit as many people as he could. I tried to help people. 'At the end of the bridge we saw a van but we didn't see anyone in the van. 'I think [the driver] went to the end of London Bridge. We didn't see the van stop because we were trying to help people. 'Everything was confused. There were five or six people [hit]. Three of them were conscious. One of them was not talking at all. He was just down. The five or six people we tried to help were really young.' The bridge was seen to be on lockdown. London Bridge and the area around it has been closed due to a 'major police incident', TFL said Witnesses told the BBC that a white van veered off the road on London Bridge and hit five or six people Another taxi driver named only as Paul said: 'I was just going over London Bridge and on the left hand side it looked like someone had been knocked off a bike. 'A few yards on I saw another person laying down and a woman screaming. A few yards on from that there was a couple of bodies on the right hand side.' Nick Archer, who was in the London Bridge area, told Sky News: 'We came out (of a bar) on to the road and looked and looked to my left and there is a guy, I thought he was just drinking but he was lying on the floor. 'And then a couple of seconds later, about three police vans flew past. 'He looked in a bad way.' London Bridge station has been closed and no trains are expected until the end of service. Holly, who said she was just two metres away from being hit by a white van, described the chaos on London Bridge after the attack. She told Radio 5Live: I was probably two metres away. I saw it hit the people in front of me. I feel just so lucky now. People at the busy hotspot in central London were evacuated by diligent police after news of the attacks broke Armed police are attending the 'horrific' scene alongside ambulances 'It was all a blur, but as much as I can remember it was a male on their own [driving the van]. There are five people on the floor being attended too. There are loads of city police officers helping and boats on the Thames searching.' The BBC's Holly Jones spoke to a French woman who had been injured in the incident. She told Ms Jones: 'I don't know where those other two people are. So the police are checking the Thames. 'They were right near the edge of the bridge. It looks potentially they could have been thrown over.' Witnesses told the BBC that a white van veered off the road on London Bridge and hit five or six people when the attack happened at 10pm. Dozens were enjoying their Saturday night when the terrorists struck. Pictured, people are evacuated from the scene Women on a hen party were among those caught up in the chaos around Borough Market on Saturday night Armed police officers rushed to the scene within minutes of receiving the emergency call and were seen patrolling the area Police placed London Bridge, Borough Market and the surrounding area on lock down last night and remain on the scene Terrified members of the public were led away from the scene as police officers reacted quickly to keep people safe One witness wrote on Twitter: 'Passerby says 15-20 people have been run over. Another says 7 or 8.' 'Horrific scene at London Bridge. Bodies strewn over the pavement, B&Q van mounted the pavement. I feel sick,' one witness wrote.
Follow us: Isis's losses in Syria and Iraq will make it harder for it to recruit another Khalid Masood Isis portrayed its victories as a sign of divine intervention, but reverses in the battlefield will make it difficult to inspire individuals abroad to kill and to die for its monstrous version of Islam Iraqi forces look certain to retake Mosul, the city held by Isis since 2014 ( Getty ) Iraqi forces are stalled and suffering heavy casualties in their assault on the last Isis fighters defending close-packed buildings in the Old City of Mosul. Civilian loss of life is very high as US aircraft, Iraqi helicopters and artillery, try to target Isis strongpoints in a small area in which at least 300,000 civilians are trapped and unable to reach safety. Isis fighters shoot at government troops from houses and then escape quickly through holes they have ordered people to cut in the walls of their homes, leaving them to face retaliatory fire. In a single district of Mosul this week 237 civilians were killed by air strikes, including 120 of them in one house, according to a Kurdish news agency. The last chapter of the siege of Mosul, which has now been going on for 155 days, is likely to be more bloody than anything seen before. It will certainly end with the capture of the city or what is left of it, raising the crucial question of how far its loss will be a death blow to Isis. Westminster attacks: Two more 'significant arrests' made It was the unexpected seizure of Mosul by a few thousand Isis fighters in June 2014 after defeating an Iraqi government garrison 20 times as large, that turned the fundamentalist movement into an international force. At its peak, the self-declared Caliphate ruled an area in northern Iraq and eastern Syria as large as Great Britain. Isis had always used terrorism directed against civilians as an integral part of its tactics to show strength, spread fear and dominate the news agenda. Its atrocities  scarcely noticed outside Iraq before the fall of Mosul  have always been primarily directed against Shia victims, blown apart as they shopped in markets or took part in pilgrimages. It was only after the intervention of foreign powers in 2014 and 2015 that Isis extended it terrorist campaign outside Iraq and Syria. There is a thin but definite line connecting what happened in Mosul two and a half years ago and the impulse that led Khalid Masood to carry out his deadly rampage in Westminster this week. In Iraq and Syria, Isis knew that it had to slaughter thousands to spread terror, but in cities like London, Nice, Berlin, Paris and Brussels much smaller attacks would have similar impact. All that was needed was one or more fanatical individuals willing to get killed as a testimony to their faith. It is this willingness to die for a grotesque belief which has enabled Isis and al-Qaeda to wield so much power from the Tigris to the Thames, well beyond what could be expected from relatively small organisations. In conventional warfare, suicide attacks have enabled them to fight armies equipped with aircraft, tanks and artillery. I cannot think of a single successful armed opposition offensive in Syria which was not led by suicide bombers, a military expert told me in Damascus last year. This article is being written in Irbil 50 miles east of Mosul where there were no less than 600 attacks by men driving vehicles packed with explosives in the first six weeks of the Iraqi government offensive that began on 17 October last year. There is no doubt that the fall of Mosul will weaken Isis, but the extent and permanence of this weakness is uncertain. Isis portrayed its victories in 2014 as a sign of divine intervention on its behalf and used this as a powerful argument to win adherents. But this claim becomes counter-effective when victory on the battlefield is replaced by defeat. The Caliphate today, battered from a dozen directions, no longer looks anything like the Islamic utopia its founders were claiming to establish and was to serve as a model society for Muslims across the world. The military defeat of Isis in Mosul, combined with the likely loss of its de facto Syrian capital at Raqqa later this year, means that the movement will no longer control a quasi-state more powerful than many members of the UN. At its peak, the Caliphate not only had strong armies but an effective state machine that levied taxes and controlled the lives of five or six million people. Through its propaganda, money and expertise, it could motivate and, to a degree, organise cells and individuals to carry out terrorist acts internationally. As its last urban centres fall and its territories fragment its ability to project its power is much reduced. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP But Isis is not going to go entirely out of business and one should not underestimate its capacity to survive. It did so before against the odds in Iraq after 2006, when the surge in US troop numbers and the defection of many Sunni Arab tribes, appeared to have all but eliminated it. At the end of the day it is a sect dependent on a core of true believers and not a regular army whose organisation, once disrupted, cannot be easily rebuilt. Isis commanders are experienced soldiers who fought as guerrillas before 2014 and can do so again. Moreover, they must always have known that from a military point of view, Mosul was indefensible because of the massive firepower of the US-led air coalition supporting Iraqi ground forces. The same is true in Syria where Isis is fighting the Kurds, backed by the US, and the Syrian army, backed by Russia. There are already signs that Isis commanders can see the writing on the wall and are moving fighters back into areas outside Mosul north and west of Baghdad where they will fight on. The same process is likely to happen in Syria where Isis is being battered by a myriad of enemies, who do not like each other much but will probably hang together until Isis is defeated. The total elimination of Isis and al-Qaeda type movements in Iraq and Syria depends whether the wars that have torn apart these two countries are coming to an end. Isis and the al-Qaeda clones grew out of the chaos of war in both countries. They also relied on the toleration or covert support of Sunni states like Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar in their early growth period. Without such backing they will have difficulty in doing more than harrying Iraqi and Syrian government forces. We are seeing the end of Isis in Iraq and Syria as a force powerful enough to threaten established governments in Baghdad and Damascus as it was capable of doing less than three years ago. It is still able to inspire individuals like Khalid Masood to make high-profile terrorist attacks which dominate the headlines for days on end, but they do not seem to have a cell structure in place in Europe to carry out more wide ranging attacks. A purpose of the attention-grabbing atrocities carried out by Isis supporters in capital cities is to give an exaggerated impression of the movements strength outside its core areas. Isis is facing battlefield reverses in Iraq and Syria that will make it more and more difficult for it to inspire individuals abroad to kill and to die for its monstrous version of Islam. If peace now returns to the region then these defeats are likely to prove permanent. The Independent has launched its #FinalSay campaign to demand that voters are given a voice on the final Brexit deal.
Follow the author of this article Follow the topics within this article A driver has been arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences after a car crashed into a security barrier outside the Houses of Parliament at high speed. At least three people were injured when the silver Ford Fiesta hit a group of cyclists and pedestrians waiting for traffic lights to change. Witnesses said the car mounted the pavement on the wrong side of the road at up to 50mph and travelled around 40 metres (130ft) before hitting a bollard. Westminster was in lockdown as armed police swarmed the scene on Tuesday morning. Witnesses said they thought "it looked intentional - the car drove at speed and towards the barriers". Scotland Yard said a man in his late 20s was arrested after the incident at around 7.30am. The suspect was taken to a south London police station, where he remains in custody on suspicion of terrorism offences. He is not co-operating with officers. The Met's counter-terrorism command is leading the investigation. Officers are seeking to formally identify the suspect, but "don't believe this person is known to either MI5 or counter terrorism police". Images showed a man being led away from the vehicle in handcuffs after armed police surrounded the car. The man being taken away by armed policeCredit: Sky News A second image appears to show pedestrians hit by the vehicle at least 40 metres (130ft) away from where the car hit the barrier. Injured pedestrians can be seen at the top of the shot - around 40 metres from where the car crashed into a barrierCredit: BBC News/PA No one else was in the vehicle and police said no weapons had been recovered from the scene. Speaking outside New Scotland Yard, Neil Basu, the Mets Assistant Commissioner for counter-terrorism, said police and the intelligence services were working to establish if the suspect was part of a wider terror cell and whether he had received assistance from others in planning the attack. Mr Basu said: It appears to have been a deliberate act, but what the motive was we cant answer at the moment. We havent formally identified the suspect, but we dont believe hes known to MI5. He added that the attacker was not been pursued by police before he struck the entrance to the Palace of Westminster and that the blue lights seen behind him in footage of the incident were those of an ambulance coincidentally answering a separate emergency call. Witness Barry Williams said the car had accelerated towards the barrier after hitting the cyclists. "I turned round to see a silver car heading towards the cyclists on the wrong side of the road, they were parked waiting for the lights to change," he told the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme. "He hit the cyclists then swerved over towards where the safety barrier is.... and accelerated and hit it at quite a high speed. "I wasn't sure whether he meant to hit the cyclists, they might have just been in the way, but once he did, he accelerated towards the barrier. Smoke rises from the car after it crashed into a barrier outside ParliamentCredit: Ewelina U Ochab /PA He added: "The police were very fast, they vaulted over the safety barrier and headed towards the car. "What also happened was the police started to head away to block off people heading towards us. The cyclists...there was a few on the ground, some were holding their arms, there was bikes everywhere. It was frightening." Mr Williams added: "There was about 10 cyclists waiting for the lights to change... he hit about four or five - one of the cyclists got up and was about to chase the car." Aerial footage of the crash shows the silver Ford Fiesta coming along the road next to Parliament Square before moving to turn right towards Westminster Abbey. As an ambulance passes the car on its right-hand side, the vehicle swerves left - crossing oncoming traffic and a pavement before entering a small road and crashing into a security barrier. A police officer can be seen jumping another barrier that runs along the side of the road to get away. The car, circled, drives past Westminster Abbey After knocking down cyclists, the car mounts a pavement A police officer jumps a barrier as the car approaches Parliament Square was evacuated as a large number of police cars descended on the heart of Westminster, which has seen heightened security since the Westminster Bridge attack in March 2017. Streets around Parliament Square, Millbank and Victoria Tower Gardens were also cordoned off as dozens of armed police swooped on the scene. A series of ambulances had been sent to the scene and the London Ambulance Service said two people were treated for injuries that are not thought to be serious and taken to hospital. A third person was assessed for minor injuries at the scene. 'It looked deliberate... he hit bollard at 50mph' Local businessman Jason Williams was walking to work when he saw the crash unfold. The 45-year-old, from Kennington, south London, said: "He had driven it at speed - more than 40 mph. There was smoke coming out of the car." He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: "I have seen people on the ground, lying on the road. I don't know if they have actually been hit by the vehicle or not. I saw at least 10 people lying down. "I was told basically to move away, to run. I have run for my life." Injured cyclists on the ground after the car crashed into themCredit: Twitter Mr Williams told Good Morning Britain: "I saw a car going at high speed towards Parliament. It hit a bollard." He added: "It looked deliberate. It didn't look like an accident. How do you do that by accident? It was a loud bang." Mr Williams added: "He's obviously gone into the bollard at high speed. "It seemed it was about 40-50mph, there wasn't any shouting or anything - I've seen smoke coming from the vehicle. "He did get out [of the car], I was behind and I did hear a loud bang and I'm seeing what's going on, but I couldn't hear if the police asked him to get out. The specialists came soon after, I'd say within 5-9 minutes." He said the suspect was quiet when he was taken away by the police. A circled aerial image shows where the car ended up after the attackCredit: pixel GRG Metropolitan Police statement as man arrested The man arrested over the Westminster car crash is in his 20s and is being held on suspicion of terrorist offences, Scotland Yard said. It said in a statement: "At 07:37hrs on Tuesday 14 August, a silver Ford Fiesta collided with a number of cyclists and pedestrians, before crashing into barriers outside the Houses of Parliament. "The driver of the car, a man in his late 20s, was arrested at the scene by armed officers. He has been taken to a south London police station where he remains in police custody. "He was arrested on suspicion of terrorist offences. "There was nobody else in the vehicle, which remains at the scene and is being searched. No weapons have been recovered at this stage." Armed police in Parliament Square as the heart of Westminster is in lockdownCredit: HANNAH MCKAY /Reuters The force spokesman added: "At this stage, we are treating this as a terrorist incident and the Met's Counter Terrorism Command is now leading the investigation." Ambulance service: Three injured people treated Two people were treated at the scene in Westminster for injuries that are not thought to be serious, London Ambulance Service said. A third person was assessed for minor injuries but not taken to hospital. Assistant Director of Operations Peter Rhodes said: "We were called at 7.40am today (14 August) to reports of an incident on St Margaret Street, SW1. "We sent a number of resources to the scene including three ambulance crews, responders in cars and an incident response officer. "We have treated two people at the scene for injuries that are not believed to be serious and have taken them to hospital." And Vince Cable, leader of the Liberal Democrats, said: "Thank goodness the barriers are in place and worked." Our thoughts are with those who have been injured in the incident outside the Houses of Parliament this morning, and our thanks go out to the quick and effective response of our police and medical services. Thank goodness the barriers are in place and worked. Police treating Westminster car crash as terror attack Scotland Yard said in a new statement: "At 07:37hrs on Tuesday 14 August, a silver Ford Fiesta collided with a number of cyclists and pedestrians, before crashing into barriers outside the Houses of Parliament. "The driver of the car, a man in his late 20s, was arrested at the scene by armed officers. He has been taken to a south London police station where he remains in police custody. "He was arrested on suspicion of terrorist offences. There was nobody else in the vehicle, which remains at the scene and is being searched. No weapons have been recovered at this stage." Armed police swoop on a car that crashed outside the Houses of ParliamentCredit: VinnyMcAv/EuronewsNBC The force spokesman added: "At this stage, we are treating this as a terrorist incident and the Met's Counter Terrorism Command is now leading the investigation." Counter-terror expert: Chances of getting through barrier are very slim Chris Phillips, the former head of the National Counter Terrorism Security Office, said: "It looks a bit like a copycat of the incident from the other occasion, but however may be this is someone who has fallen asleep at the wheel, we don't know as yet, so this is what the officers will be trying to ascertain. "I think the key point is the barriers around that building are designed to stop a vehicle travelling at 50mph, but the chances of getting through that barrier are very, very slim. "Of course, now the police officers need to make sure the vehicle itself is safe, that's what they'll spend most of their time doing."
Follow us: Whatever Donald Trump Jr thinks, London needs a Muslim mayor now more than ever When your first reaction to a terror attack in London is to wrongly suggest that the capital's mayor is relaxed about terrorism, and may have said so in the immediate aftermath of that attack, then you are very deliberately and very foolishly playing a dangerous game Popular Videos Out of all the reactions to the Westminster attacks yesterday, Donald Trump Jrs was my least favourite. After news of the terror incident broke, the 39-year-old eldest son of the President of the United States shared an article written by Sadiq Khan in September 2016 on his Twitter feed, accompanied by the words: You have to be kidding me?! Terror attacks are part of living in a big city, says London Mayor Sadiq Khan. Call me crazy, but as soon as that popped up in my feed, I got the distinct feeling he wouldn't be sharing it if the Mayor of London was a man called John Jones. For sure, there were more offensive statements than Donald Trump Jrs out there last night. Former English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson, for instance, said what we were all expecting from him  The reality is these people are waging war on us. This has been going on for 1,400 years and while its going on the police leaders and the political leaders want to invite more  before tweeting: Muslims make up only 4 per cent of the UK population, look at the continued chaos and destruction they cause, what do you think it will be like with 20 per cent? Sadiq Khan on the Westminster attack: "Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism" And, of course, none of us were surprised when Islamophobic trolls unleashed their views across social media, proclaiming that it was time we kicked them out of our country suggesting that any normal Muslim is capable of random terror (never mind recent confirmations from the police that the Westminster attacker was both British-born and already known to MI5). But theres a big difference between a periphery political figure such as Robinson, and an army of disaffected trolls without any platform beyond their Twitter accounts, and a person of international influence such as Donald Trump Jr. President Trump has embraced nepotism more than any other US leader in modern history, using his position to bolster his childrens careers and afford them a huge amount of power. Earlier this week, we learned that Trump's daughter Ivanka will be given a West Wing office, government communication devices and classified security clearance  despite not taking on a paid role or being sworn in (although she does say shell voluntarily follow the ethics code shed be bound by if she had been). What the Trumps say matters, in other words. And despite their love of proclaiming FAKE NEWS at other news outlets every five minutes, theres something insidious about dredging up an article from a year earlier and sharing a quote from it out of context, when that article is an interview with the London Mayor and London is currently in the midst of a terror attack. Its not exactly fake, but its not being truthful either. Heres what else Khan said in the article shared by Donald Jr: [Combating terrorism means] being vigilant, having a police force that is in touch with communities, it means the security services being ready, but it also means exchanging ideas and best practices  Nothing is more important to me than keeping Londoners safe. I want to be reassured that every single agency and individual involved in protecting our city has the resources and expertise they need to respond in the event that London is attacked  [Terrorists] want to kill. They want to maim and terrify. It is my job to try to make sure that we are as safe as we can be. Sadiq Khan is one of the most prominent Muslims in British politics. He is a formidable politician, one who became mayor after being subjected to a shameful 'dog whistle' campaign that was even denounced by the sister of his opponent, Zac Goldsmith. The fact that his star has continued to rise despite many cynically attempting to ramp up Islamophobic sentiment against him is testament to his dignity in the face of malicious provocation and the progressive values of Londoners. When your first reaction to a terror attack in London is to wrongly suggest, through selective tweeting, that the London Mayor is relaxed about terrorism and may have said so in the immediate aftermath of that attack, you are very deliberately and very foolishly playing a dangerous game. Isis, like most militant organisations, knows that the best way to radicalise people is to put them in an environment where they have something to react strongly against. Tempting ordinary people to join a terrorist organisation is hard if youre not recruiting from a place where suspicion, prejudice and alienation are rife. Best of all is if you dont just pick off the loners, the misfits and the unstable, but you manage to penetrate ordinary households filled with people who easily blend in to the society youre targeting. The first step in piquing their interest is convincing everyone else that those people are terrorist sympathisers already. Sean Spicer: Trump has been briefed on the Westminster attack and has called Theresa May This is the reality of radicalisation, and the simple reason why London needs a Muslim mayor now more than ever. Isis is obsessed with grandstanding and symbolism  it has long known the benefits of propaganda, dedicating a substantial amount of money and manpower to publishing magazines, releasing one-off gruesome execution videos and reaching out to potential recruits over carefully crafted social media accounts. The narrative they push is simple: the West is at war with Islam. The existence of a Muslim mayor of London symbolically destroys that narrative from the outset. Sadiq Khan  or, as Katie Hopkins had it, Sadiq Khant the predictable idiot who should think again before penning some naff missive about a proud city, standing together, united by shared values  is important. I dont state his importance because Im into super-liberal sentimental love-ins (although Ill take those too) but because his very existence is some of the best proof we have that Islamist propaganda is a lie. The trouble with ranting and raving against Muslims isnt just the fact that its deplorable racism which should concern anyone with a moral conscience, but that it definitely doesnt protect the West from future acts of terrorism. It is certain to make everything worse. Parade yourself in public while proclaiming that Islam is the root of all evil if you must, but at least have the common decency to admit its all a far-right careerist exercise rather than anything to do with protecting the innocent. And if you, like Donald Trump Jr, have to put in real work to make a prominent Muslim figure look like theyre fine with a bit of terrorism now and then, it should eventually dawn on you that what youre saying doesnt actually bear any resemblance to the truth. The Independent has launched its #FinalSay campaign to demand that voters are given a voice on the final Brexit deal.
THE Met Police have searched a flat in east London in connection to the London terror attack in Westminster on Wednesday. It is understood that a first floor newly built flat in the heart of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park was searched although the police would only confirm to Express.co.uk that the property was in east London and it was in connection to the events in central London yesterday. Officers could be seen rifling through rooms on the first floor flat, although curtains in most of the windows were drawn, according to an eyewitness report. Neighbours reported that police had been searching the property all day. Related videos Another neighbour, who did not want to be named, said: "I was leaving my flat about 7.45 this morning and there was already police going into the building. "There was an ambulance and a rescue team. I thought maybe it was domestic or something. "But then on the way home about 4.45pm there was two more people going into the building. Getty The Met Police confirmed they had carried out a search of a property in east London "And I, as a joke, said to them, those are definitely police cars. And this guy said, 'oh you think so?' "I saw these guys entering the building in plain clothes. "I didn't expect it to be so serious." He added: "It's a little bit of a shock for me but it can happen anywhere. If the Mayor of London is saying we have to get used to it, that's wrong. You cannot say we have to get used to it." PA Medics attend to the attacker, who later died The action comes after the Kent-born Khalid Masood, 52, was named by police as being responsible for the deaths of three people after driving a 4x4 Hyundai into pedestrians walking along Westminster Bridge before crashing the vehicle into the gates of Parliament and going on to fatally stab a policeman. Islamic State have claimed responsibility for the attack although security sources have said they believe he was inspired rather than co-ordinated by the terrorist group. Five people died, including the attacker, and a security officer who attempted to stop him, in yesterday's attack. Getty Met Police help the injured on Westminster Bridge yesterday Kurt Cochran, from Utah, and mother-of-two Aysha Frade also died when they were struck on Westminster Bridge. While a 75-year-old man has died this evening after having his life support turned off. Forty other people were injured in the attack, with 29 treated in hospital, where seven remained in a critical condition on Thursday.
Terror Attack Suspects Becoming More Difficult to Track - PhD A 29-year-old Sudanese immigrant, Salih Khater, is reportedly thought to be behind Tuesdays terror attack near Westminster. Radio Sputnik has discussed the attack with Erika Brady, a PhD Candidate at the Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence in the University of St Andrews. Sputnik: Have British authorities released any information on the perpetrator of the attack? What do we know about him? Erika Brady: We have, in the last short while, received some information where the individual has been identified. Unfortunately, there's very little information to be had at this time. This is relatively soon after an incident like this takes place. What we do know is that the alleged attacker is Mr. Salih Khater, an individual of Sudanese origin from Birmingham in the UK. This is what we currently know about him, but bit by bit we're getting information from people who knew him, or say that they knew him. From what I understand, the authorities are still saying that he is not cooperating with police and therefore it's taking a little more time to establish details on his background.. Sputnik: The perpetrator is not believed to be known to MI5 or Counterterrorism Police; how much of a security threat is that? Erika Brady: This becomes a very complicated issue. Bearing in mind that this is a day after the event took place and it takes quite a bit of time to piece together the very many elements involved in a suspected terrorist event. Now, this isn't an excuse for the security services, but it is the reality of piecing together what could be large pieces or small pieces of information spread over very large area between various agencies. What we do understand is that the agencies have reviewed their processes following the various attacks which took place in 2017, and, given that there were things to learn from those attacks, they are working on improving their processes internally so that they can communicate across agencies better. I think that it will take some time before we realize what the agencies did or didn't know, but at this time it does not seem apparent that he was on anyones radar. This is not surprising given the current trend of low-tech kinds of attacks that we are seeing where someone doesn't necessarily need to be part of a network or a group of people where communications can be intercepted. So, it becomes quite challenging to prevent people who, in their own homes, just decide to carry out an attack. If indeed this attack is a terrorist attack. Sputnik: In your view, how organized is the process of monitoring terror suspects in Britain? Erika Brady: The process is quite organized in Britain, certainly in comparison to what I understand takes place in some other countries. One of the reasons why my research focuses particularly on the UK's counterterrorism strategies is that there is a system for oversight and a system for a review. I'm currently looking into seeing how robust those reviews are. It is something that is quite strong here, but I think that the security services themselves will agree that there's always room for improvement and this needs to be something that will be learned from because otherwise there's no progress at all. As the tactics of terrorists or people preparing to carry out violence for a particular cause are changing, I think also counterterrorism agencies need to work and change their own processes as well. Sputnik: Some experts have pointed out that the suspects may not have been linked to a terror organization and may be a copycat; how likely is that? Erika Brady: I think this is very likely. I think these kinds of events are becoming more likely as time progresses. In the current climate we're in with social media and technology there is much quicker access to information on events; and it's much easier for the public in general to be inspired or to learn from events in both a positive and in a negative way. It's not that technology or a social media itself is a negative thing, but how it is used to inspire how we behave in society is becoming a bigger issue and something that academics and other experts are looking into to try and see how we can work with that. The event of Westminster which took place last year is likely to inspire other events to take place. It looks like he [Khalid Masood] was successful in that a number of people were killed in the attack last year. So, I think the fact that it's taken place in Westminster does warrant a scrutiny of whether it is a copycat-type issue. Then again, when we find out more information we might find that there's nothing to do with terrorism here, although the coincidence would be quite strong. Certainly, there's no necessity anymore for individuals to be part of that terrorist organization or a terrorist cell to carry out an attack. The idea of the new types of terrorism where ISIS [Daesh]-inspired* people to go forth and carry out attacks in people's own countries means that an individual could just decide on a given day that they want to carry out an attack because they want a particular ideology to be supported, or a particular political belief to be aired. Sputnik: If we're talking about people who are not linked to terror organizations, what drives them to commit these atrocities? Erika Brady: I think this is a very difficult question to answer. I know that for many years academics and experts were looking to see if there was a "typical terrorist" and I don't think that these attempts to analyze that have been particularly successful. Obviously, these kinds of things take a long time to assess and to develop. I think that it's evident of a system of change that's happening. People are becoming more dissatisfied with their governments and with the current status quo, and this is combined with an access to technology and to social media where they can be inspired by a group or a person who seems to be pointing in a direction that looks like it would be more favorable to them. I think that this potentially becomes a significant point of radicalization and inspiration towards terrorist events or even just events that are violent whether we differentiate them as a terrorist event or just a violent event. What is criminality and what is terrorism becomes challenging to identify and at the same time, terrorism itself is dealt with by most countries as a criminal offense. So in the UK, individuals accused of terrorist acts go through a criminal process. It's quite difficult to differentiate the two and it's very difficult for the security services to identify where the line goes, whether a person is going to carry out a criminal offense or a terrorist offense which we associate much more with a mass casualty type of incident. Erika Brady: I do think that it is possible to prevent some of these attacks. I think that the challenge is immense and I think that it's something that is being worked on significantly by the security services. At the end of the day, nobody can be successful all the time. Can we prevent every single burglary that takes place? Can we prevent every single murder that takes place? No, of course, we can't. What we can do is to try and reduce it, reduce the impact and mitigate it as much as possible. The security services have released information over the last couple of years to try and become more transparent; there have been a lot of issues with the transparency of these organizations. The data that they have released tries to paint the picture of the counter-terrorism successes that have happened. I believe that at least seven terrorist incidents were prevented from happening last year. As we know, four incidents were successful and one was only moderately successful in the UK. This doesn't sound very good, but these are positive statistics showing that work is being done in the background. When you are dealing with a lone terrorist actor it does become much more difficult. It means that the security services and the public need to collaborate as much as possible to try and mitigate these incidents and people who see friends and colleagues who are acting differently need to alert the police. But also, maybe their friends and colleagues don't act differently before they carry out an attack, so it becomes very difficult. And with academia we can step in and take a broader and more in-depth picture to support the current police and intelligence services to try and find out how we can prevent these kinds of terrorist attacks taking place, particularly the low-tech types of attacks and the lone actor attacks as well. Sputnik: Many reports say that roads around the Parliament could be pedestrianized to prevent car ramming incidents; what else could be done to prevent terror attacks? Erika Brady: One of the hard counterterrorism tactics that has been developed in London for many years would be the physical barriers that have been set up throughout the city which not only protects government buildings, but also public spaces like Trafalgar Square or other areas where people could meet. These particular physical barriers are disguised as such. They are called street furniture and they're basically concrete, marble, or stone benches that blend with the surroundings so that people don't even realize that they're sitting on a bench that is there to prevent a car from mounting the pavement and attacking people. These are quite successful. I know that the incident last year on Westminster Bridge when Masood mounted the pavement was a challenge because bridges are difficult areas in which to create barriers in. But that being said, I think that there's an ongoing process of protecting various buildings and areas where people gather through hard barriers. I think those are the positive developments, and they are visible developments as well. I think CCTV cameras are quite helpful, but perhaps more so after the fact. The processes behind monitoring these in real-time is not very easy to implement and it would be very resource intensive. Pedestrianizing around the area would certainly be good, but as we see with the airports, if you set up a security system that prevents terrorist attacks from happening beyond certain points, terrorists will just move their tactics to another point. So, you if pedestrianize that part of London, they will move to another part. There are certainly many different targets  we saw London Bridge last year, we saw the stadium in Manchester. So, at what point you pedestrianize the whole of London city? And that's just not feasible. I think that there's still a lot of work going on to developing these kinds of counterterrorism measures but at the same time making sure that people feel free to walk about their daily lives without hindrance. I think that one of the big things that the agencies are doing is that they have reviewed their systems from last year and while their report wasn't publicized, there has been some information coming out about the attempt to improve their systems, their interagency collaboration and trying to prevent these individuals from getting to the point where they commit an attack. Going further back, of course, you're looking to the anti-radicalization or de-radicalization program which is called "Prevent" in the UK. It's very controversial and it works in the pre-crime space, but it is one of the most effective ways to prevent these attacks from happening where we can try and engage with communities and engage with individuals and hopefully prevent them from feeling that they need to carry out these attacks to be heard or to get their ideology represented. Sputnik: This is not the first time Westminster has experienced a heightened terror risk; what do you see as the main reason for that? Erika Brady: I think that Westminster is basically at the center of British politics and it's the seat of power in the UK, so Westminster will always be a target. This is not any different from other capitals around the world. I think throughout the past decades and regardless of the types of ideology that various terrorist organizations espouse, the seats of government are always going to be a target. At the same time, we have to take into consideration that these buildings are usually highly secured. So it seems that those who were intent on attacking the buildings might be satisfied with attacking people around the buildings. Westminster is in the very center of London and the area would have been particularly busy at rush hour which is when this event took place. I think the answer to the question is also combined with the definition of terrorism. Most experts agree that the definition of terrorism contains the idea of sending a message to a broader target group. Regardless of whether terrorists succeed in attacking a government building or not, if they can kill or injure civilians in front of a seat of power it shows the government could be potentially vulnerable and this can send a strong message to the target group. That being said, I think that the strong response of security and emergency services following an attack also sends a strong message. So it really depends on the perspective of the observing group. Views and opinions expressed in this article are those of Erika Brady and do not necessarily reflect those of Sputnik. Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) is a terrorist group, banned in Russia. Hello, ! We are committed to protecting your personal information and we have updated our Privacy Policy to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), a new EU regulation that went into effect on May 25, 2018. Please review our Privacy Policy. It contains details about the types of data we collect, how we use it, and your data protection rights. Since you already shared your personal data with us when you created your personal account, to continue using it, please check the box below: I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of creating a personal account on this site, in compliance with the Privacy Policy. 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A Blunder for the Books: Why Did Westminster Use Unarmed Guards? Pass one officer at one gate, gain access to hundreds of MPs A police officer stands guard in Parliament Square, opposite the Houses of Parliament in central London on March 22, 2017. Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP/Getty Images Todays terror attack at the Palace of Westminster has sent shockwaves through the British political establishment because a knife-wielding terrorist was able to penetrate tough security. When I say tough let me clarify what I mean: every gate is guarded by at least ONE UNARMED police officer. The police constables are sometimes (but not always) assisted by yet more unarmed security guards from the Metropolitan Police P Division (Parliamentary Police). Behind the scenes, Metropolitan Police D Division (Diplomatic Protection) provide firearms support, although a cursory look at the weapons shows some of them arent even loaded. Today the attacker simply had to overpower two unarmed police officers and he was in the heart of British government. Those officers could call for backupbut why werent the firearms officers at the gate in the first place? New Palace Yard is not only home to Big Ben but also the offices of many MPs, including the Prime Minister herself. It is also home to the Press Gallery, which is why there have been so many photos and videos of the incident. This is not the sort of place to be left with such lacks security. If you are shocked now, youll be even more appalled to learn that there is a major entrance to the Palace which has just one unarmed guard. Getting through this gate would be a catastrophe for Parliament, as entering here would give anyone unrestricted access to the offices of hundreds of MPs. This gate was not the target today because it is not immediately obvious to passers by that it is an entrance to Parliament. Given the seriousness of todays incident, I wont explain its location, but I will say that the Palace of Westminster is spread over multiple interconnected buildings, many of which are unknown to the general public. All this begs the obvious question: given we all knew Parliament was a target why does the practice of unarmed guards continue? The police officer who fended off the knife attacker today was stabbed multiple times before firearms officers got to the scene. Had this been almost any other country in the world this officer would have had a gun, and his tragic death would probably have been prevented. And there is no point saying we didnt realize this could happen, because New Palace Yard was the scene of one of the worst security blunders in British history. Unbelievably in 1979, the INLA smuggled a bomb into the six-story underground car park hidden below it. Margaret Thatchers spokesman for Northern Ireland was killed in the resultant blast. That incident led to all cars being checked for bombsbut trust me when I tell you the security isnt up to much there, either. Today a series of brave officers tackled an evil murderer, and they ought to be applauded. But to have so few of them, and to leave them mostly unarmed is like tying their hands behind their backs. There is no reason to leave them so vulnerable, and the authorities have a duty to offer our nations capital better protection. Andre Walker is a Lobby Correspondent covering the work of the British Parliament and Prime Minister. Before studying journalism at the University of London he worked as a political staffer for 15 years. You can follow him on Twitter @andrejpwalker
PARLIAMENT could be pedestrianised in a bid to stop ramming attacks after a suspected terrorist ploughed into cyclists yesterday morning. Today there are fresh calls to make the streets around the iconic site in London car-free following two serious attack attempts in the last 18 months. PA:Press Association The car embedded in the barriers outside Parliament  set up after a terror attack last year Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said there was no doubt talks would take place over what changes should take place to make the area safer. It follows the arrest of a man, named locally as Salih Khater, accused of trying to ram Parliament in a Ford Fiesta  where three people were left injured. Since the Westminster Bridge attack in March last year, Ms Dick said there had been an increase in the number of armed officers and barriers in place to protect the capitals political heart. But the commissioner, speaking ahead of a series of unrelated dawn raids that took place in south east London, this morning said: As with anything there is a balance to be drawn. Facebook British national Salih Khater, 29, has been named locally as the man arrested by police Rex Features The barriers stopped the car from going any further as it was driven through Westminster Sky News The terror suspect named by locals as Salih Khater, 29, pictured being arrested by cops outside Parliament Moment suspect drives a car into a Parliament barrier in Westminister She added: We are not going to give in, we are not going to just change our lifestyle, but it is important we take reasonable measures, as I think we have being doing over the last several months, to try and make sure that the most iconic sites, including those in central London, are well protected and should something happen there, that the police are able to respond very quickly with armed officers, which is exactly what we saw yesterday. Ms Dick praised the courage of the London cops who leapt into action following the ghastly incident. The suspect in the attack, said to be a 29-year-old Sudanese immigrant, left the West Midlands late on Monday night and spent hours driving around central London sparking suspicions he was looking for large crowds of tourists, according to cops. PA:Press Association The car  with a crushed bonnet  being removed last night AFP or licensors A large cordon was set up immediately after the incident as Westminster went into lockdown Armed police swoop after car crashes into barriers outside Houses of Parliament At 7.40am on Tuesday, a silver car mowed down 15 cyclists before trying to ram his way into Parliament  only to be foiled by a steel barrier in what experts believe was a copycat of the previous Westminster attack. The suspect is believed to have been spooked by an ambulance as eyewitnesses said the driver appeared to be in shock as he was pulled out by armed cops and led away in handcuffs. The man was arrested on suspicion of terror offences and taken into custody at a South London police station, but refused to cooperate with cops. Westminster onlookers said the driver rammed through a group of cyclists waiting at lights, seriously injuring one and leaving bikes strewn across the road. A builder said: There were ten to 15 cyclists and he went through them. He kept driving on and smashed into the gates. There were about three or four cyclists left on the floor. There were people chasing after him.
The Changing the Guard ceremony - which takes place on most week days - is hugely popular with tourists and more than 1.3 million people visit the castle every year. Thames Valley Police chief constable Dave Hardcastle said there had been no evidence of a threat to Windsor Castle but recent events had highlighted the need for added security. He said: 'While there is no intelligence to indicate a specific threat to Windsor, recent events in Westminster clearly highlight the need for extra security measures to be introduced. 'The Force believes that it is proportionate and necessary to put in place extra security measures to further protect and support the public and the Guard Change. This is consistent with security deployments in London. Share this article 'Preventative measures such as these have been put in place across the UK over the past 10 years at various events. 'The national threat level remains severe, which it has been since 2014, and I would urge the public to be alert to the threat of terror attacks but not alarmed, and to remain vigilant.' But not all residents of the Berkshire town are happy. One tweeted police asking: 'What law allows you to install ugly barriers with two hours notice, remove half of residents parking bays?' Another, Shami Kalra, added: 'Sad times that our beautiful streets of Windsor are now lined with anti-terrorist barriers.' Some residents of the picturesque Berkshire town say the steel barriers are 'ugly' and have reduced parking on some streets Others say that, while they reduce the chances of an attacker using a vehicle, a marauding terrorist could still attack on foot Security gates designed to stop cars are also in place around Buckingham Palace in the wake of last week's attack The gates are designed to allow people to enter the Palace grounds but prevent vehicles driving along pavements A surge in the number of armed and unarmed officers has also been announced by the Met Police in the wake of the attack It comes after Khalid Masood drove through crowds in Westminster, killing four and injuring more than 50 last Wednesday Town resident Nigel Kenyon also pointed out that the large barriers would only be of help in deterring vehicle attacks like that which took place in London last week. He told ABC News he hoped the measures would make the town safer, but added: 'One person could walk around them or come over the fields, the Great Park is behind the castle which belongs to the Queen and is open to everyone.' Security has been beefed-up across the capital in the wake of the Westminster terror attack, but some of the toughest barriers have been put out near the Queen's palace. The bright arches, as well as steel barriers on The Mall, appeared overnight on Friday on the paved area linking Green Park and Constitution Hill. Commenting on the measures at Buckingham Palace, Scotland Yard spokesman said: 'It's security measures put in place but not in response to any threat. 'Buckingham Palace is obviously a high profile area that is going to benefit from them. There is no intelligence to suggest a threat to these spots.' Armed officers and police on horseback were also patrolling outside Buckingham Palace as tourists strolled in the area today Officers with guns also remained at the entrance to Parliament after questions were raised over security last Wednesday Last Wednesday's attack has raised questions over whether more officers in the capital and at landmarks should be armed It comes after the number of armed police on patrol in the capital was doubled and blast and bullet resistant 'Guardian' trucks were stationed in Parliament Square. The seven-tonne vehicles, which can cost more than 100,000, can carry eight offices and have bullet-proof tyres, a blast-resistant floor and can withstand bullets from AK47s, grenades and bombs. Police patrolling outside the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh will be armed with tasers, it emerged today. Despite the new measures, there have been warnings that officers in other areas of Scotland are not equipped to respond to a fast-moving attack such as last week's terrorist incident in London. Two officers equipped with Tasers will be on duty at Holyrood at any one time, with the site covered 24 hours a day, it is understood. Armoured vehicles guarded roads around Parliament Square last week in a show of force in the wake of Wednesday's terror attack The heavy-duty vans, called 'Guardians', were rolled out by police in Parliament Square to enhance security last week Pictured: Armed police outside New Scotland Yard last wek. The number of armed officers in the capital has been doubled The Met's 'Guardian' vans protecting London The Jankel Guardian is based on a 4x4 Ford F-450 Super Duty truck. It is equipped with a 6.0-litre V8 turbodiesel 129bhp 4,164cc diesel engine. Bars on the front to punch through barricades. It weighs 6,804kg. 7.62 calibre bullet protection. Armour protection. Bullet-proof glass and tyres. Blast-resistant floor. Other firearms officers, while not deployed inside Holyrood, are believed to be in the vicinity of the parliament building and the wider government estate in Edinburgh. But Calum Steele, head of the Scottish Police Federation (SPF), said: 'We know that batons don't work, we know that in 40% of cases spray doesn't work, we know that unarmed police officers are not only sent to incidents of knives but also to reports of firearms. That's a disgraceful position to find ourselves in and it's unforgivable. 'The events at Westminster took place in less than 90 seconds and were able to be brought to an end because hundreds of officers were in the vicinity. 'No police force in the world can stop those kind of events, but police should be given the equipment they need to protect themselves and the public if events unfold quickly. Last Wednesday, Khalid Masood, 52, killed three and injured about 50 people after driving a car into pedestrians on London's Westminster Bridge before fatally stabbing a policeman in the grounds of parliament before he was shot dead. Detectives said they believe he was acting alone. Officers with tasers outside the Scottish Parliament today. Fears have been raised that forces north of the border are ill-equipped to deal with a similar attack to that which took place in London Two officers equipped with Tasers will be on duty at Holyrood at any one time, with the site covered 24 hours a day
Police name officer who died in Westminster terrorist attack which killed four people as PC Keith Palmer Emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament. Picture: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire Four people have been killed as serving police officer PC Keith Palmer was stabbed and his attacker shot dead in a major terrorist incident at the Houses of Parliament. EDP Political Editor Annabelle Dickson speaking live from the House of Commons It has now been confirmed four people have lost their lives in this afternoons attack in Westminster. That includes the alleged attacker and one serving police officer, PC Keith Palmer. PC Palmer was unarmed when he confronted his assailant. Around 40 others have been injured in the Westminster terror attack, Scotland Yards top anti-terror officer Mark Rowley has confirmed. Political Editor Annabelle Dickson from Parliament Prime Minister Theresa May has described the actions of the lone knifeman as sick and depraved. Speaking outside 10 Downing Street after chairing a meeting of the Governments Cobra emergencies committee, Mrs May paid tribute to the exceptional men and women of the police force who responded to the attack. She confirmed that a single attacker drove a car into pedestrians walking on Westminster Bridge, killing two of them, before running with a knife through the front gates of the Palace of Westminster, where he killed a police officer before being shot dead. She vowed that the forces of evil would never be allowed to drive us apart. The attacker mowed down several pedestrians as he drove a grey Hyundai i40 across Westminster Bridge before crashing it into railings then running through the gates of the Palace of Westminster and stabbing the officer. Police believe the incident was caused by a lone attacker. Speaking to reporters outside the central London hospital, junior doctor Colleen Anderson from St Thomas Hospital said a female pedestrian had died. She also said she treated a police officer in his 30s with a head injury who had been taken to Kings College Hospital. She said: I confirmed one fatality. A woman. She was under the wheel of a bus. She died, confirmed her death at the scene. Ms Anderson also said: There were people across the bridge. There were some with minor injuries, some catastrophic. Some had injuries they could walk away from or who have life-changing injuries. There were maybe a dozen (injured). What we know so far :: Emergency services are called at 2.40pm to an incident in the area of Parliament Square. It emerges that an attacker, armed with two large knives, mowed down pedestrians with his car on Westminster Bridge, including schoolchildren, then rushed at the gates in front of the Houses of Parliament, stabbing a policeman before being shot dead by other officers. :: MPs are told the chamber would remain in lockdown until further notice and business is suspended. :: At around 3.30pm Scotland Yard says the attack is being treated as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise. :: The first death is confirmed after 4pm when a junior doctor at St Thomas Hospital says one woman has died and a number of others have been hurt - including some with catastrophic injuries. :: Before 4.50pm, Commander BJ Harrington of the Metropolitan Police says there are a number of casualties in the attack including police officers. :: London Ambulance Service say before 5pm that at least 10 patients were treated on Westminster Bridge and a number of hospitals are on alert. Emergency personnel close to the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament. Picture: Yui Mok/PA Wire :: Before 5.40pm, sources say a police officer stabbed at the Houses of Parliament has died. :: At about 6pm, Scotland Yards top anti-terror officer Mark Rowley confirms four people were killed, including the police officer who was stabbed and his attacker. :: Before 6.45pm, a spokesman for 10 Downing Street says Prime Minister Theresa May will shortly chair a meeting of the Governments emergency Cobra committee to discuss the immediate response to the incident in which at least 20 other people were injured. She orders flags to be lowered to half mast over Downing Street as a mark of respect to the innocent people who lost their lives, and a spokesman says she is being kept updated about the investigation. Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament. Picture: Yui Mok/PA Wire Pauline Cranmer, deputy director of operations for London Ambulance Service, said: We can confirm we have treated at least 10 patients on Westminster Bridge and have put a number of hospitals on alert as we continue to respond to this incident. We were called at 2.40pm today, with the first ambulance crew arriving within six minutes. We have declared a major incident and our priority is to assess patients and ensure that they are treated and taken to hospital as soon as possible. Mounted police in Trafalgar Square, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament. Picture: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire Commander BJ Harrington of the Metropolitan Police said there were a number of casualties in the Westminster attack including police officers. Eyewitnesses said the attacker was shot by police as he approached a second officer clutching his knife. He left a trail of destruction as paramedics tended to his victims on the bridge and at the gate. A crashed car on Bridge Street by the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament. Picture:Kathy Casatelli/PA Wire Armed police cleared the area around the incident and Parliament Square was closed to traffic. A Downing Street source confirmed that Prime Minister Theresa May was OK. Mrs May was seen being ushered into a silver Jaguar car as what sounded like gunfire rang out at Parliament during the incident at around 2.45pm. Emergency personnel close to the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament. Picture: Yui Mok/PA Wire The incident comes exactly a year after suicide bomb attacks on the Brussels airport and underground system, which killed 32 people. More than 300 people were wounded in the attacks, which were claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group. The suicide bombings were Belgiums worst terror attacks. Emergency personnel close to the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament. Picture: Yui Mok/PA Wire A year on, Belgium is still on a high state of alert, with soldiers patrolling the streets. As the sitting in the House of Commons was suspended this afternoon, Commons Leader David Lidington told MPs: What I am able to say to the House is there has been a serious incident within the estate. It seems that a police officer has been stabbed, that the alleged assailant was shot by armed police. Emergency personnel close to the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament. Picture: Yui Mok/PA Wire An air ambulance is currently attending the scene to remove the casualties. There are also reports of further violent incidents in the vicinity of the Palace of Westminster but I hope colleagues on all sides will appreciate that itd be wrong of me to go into further details until we have confirmation from the police and from the House security authorities about what is going on. A spokesman for the Port of London Authority, which looks after safety on the River Thames, said: A female member of the public was recovered from the water near Westminster Bridge. She is alive but undergoing urgent medical treatment on a nearby pier. We believe she fell from the bridge. A crashed car on Bridge Street by the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament. Picture :Kathy Casatelli/PA Wire He said the river has been closed from Vauxhall to Embankment as part of the security response George Freeman, Conservative MP for Mid-Norfolk tweeted: Just walking past Portcullis entrance to vote and heard shouting and then rushed away by the Police. Two shots fired apparently.... North Norfolk MP Norman Lamb tweeted: My team are ok. Locked in an office in Portcullis House. Im in New Scotland Yard - panic set in as MPs went to vote and shot heard. Emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament. Picture: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire Vicky Ford, Conservative MEP for the East of England tweeted: In Westminster in Parliament, My team and I are all OK. Lockdown. Thinking of those outside. Brandon Lewis, Conservative MP for Great Yarmouth tweeted: Thoughts with injured police officer & all those keeping our Parliament and people safe right now. Richard Bacon, Conservative MP for South Norfolk, said MPs remained in lockdown, but the mood in Parliament was calm. He said: Theres been an announcement that at some point, we might be able to leave in groups of 20, but were waiting to see. Emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Wednesday March 22, 2017. See PA story POLICE Westminster. Photo credit should read: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire The mood here is calm. People are looking at their telephones and watching the television to get information on what has happened. Its obviously very horrific, what has been going on. I am sure there will be an extremely thorough investigation and a review of security. I think thats pretty inevitable. Alex Mayer, Labour MEP for the East of England, said: The unfolding events in London are heart breaking. Only this morning we commemorated the one year anniversary of the Brussels bombings. An Air Ambulance outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after sounds similar to gunfire have been heard close to the Palace of Westminster. A man with a knife has been seen within the confines of the Palace, eyewitnesses said. Picture Victoria Jones/PA Wire My thoughts are with everyone affected and the emergency services that we all rely on at times like this. We need to stay united. Terrorists will never destroy our way of life and democracy must always win. Witnesses described seeing a middle-aged man carrying a knife and running. Jayne Wilkinson said: We were taking photos of Big Ben and we saw all the people running towards us, and then there was an Asian guy in about his 40s carrying a knife about seven or eight inches long. And then there were three shots fired, and then we crossed the road and looked over. The man was on the floor with blood. He had a lightweight jacket on, dark trousers and a shirt. Emergency services close to the Palace of Westminster, London, after sounds similar to gunfire have been heard close to the Palace of Westminster. A man with a knife has been seen within the confines of the Palace, eyewitnesses said. Photo: Yui Mok/PA Wire He was running through those gates, towards Parliament, and the police were chasing him. Her partner David Turner added: There was a stampede of people running out. You saw the people and you thought what the hell is going on. Emergency services close to the Palace of Westminster, London, after sounds similar to gunfire have been heard close to the Palace of Westminster. A man with a knife has been seen within the confines of the Palace, eyewitnesses said. Picture: Yui Mok/PA Wire Lord Brian Paddick said there was a suspect package outside Parliament which police have had to deal with before the building can be evacuated. There was a suspect package attached to a vehicle outside Parliament, the retired police officer told the BBC. Armed officers searched the whole of the Parliament estate to make sure there were no suspects outstanding. Emergency personnel close to the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament. Photo: Yui Mok/PA Wire I heard shouts and screams from outside and looked out, and there was a group of maybe 40 or 50 people running round the corner from Bridge Street into Parliament Square, said Mr Woodcock. They appeared to be running away from something. As the group arrived at the Carriage Gates, where policemen are posted at the security entrance, a man suddenly ran out of the crowd and into the yard. He seemed to be holding up a long kitchen knife. I heard what sounded like shots - I think about three of them - and then the next thing I knew there were two people lying on the ground and others running to help them. Armed police were quickly on the scene and I heard them shouting to people to get out of the Yard. Ambulances on Westminster Bridge, London after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament. Picture: Scott D'Arcy/PA Wire Press Association reporter Laura Harding, who was in Westminster at the time of the incident, said: Everyone has been evacuated into Central Lobby, including a group of schoolchildren and kitchen staff - around 15 schoolchildren aged around 10 - with armed police coming through the lobby now. The children are really calm, the teachers are comforting them. Everyone is standing around on their phones. A police river boat on the River Thames at the Houses of Parliament, after a policeman was stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament. Picture: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire There are also a bunch of young people from the Hammersmith Boxing Club in their tracksuits and the British Lionhearts boxing group. A woman at the scene was on the opposite side of the square when she heard shots ring out at about 2.45pm. She said: We literally just heard shots and then saw people running, and we went to have a look. Emergency personnel close to the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament. Picture: Yui Mok/PA Wire The woman, from South Africa and living in Ireland, said she and two friends went towards the palace gates and saw a man lying on the floor inside. She said: I saw a body, they were working on the floor. They were just inside the gates. He had one gunshot wound to the right side of his chest. I dont know if he was dead or alive, but people were working on him. Ambulances on Westminster Bridge, London after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament. Picture: Scott D'Arcy/PA Wire I saw that needed medical attention and I asked if I could help because I am a doctor, but they said they were fine. Then the police moved us back. A witness, who did not want to be named, saw Mrs May and her undercover police detail near the area of Parliament where ministerial cars are parked. The view along Victoria Embankment towards parliament, after a policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament. Picture: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire He said there were undercover officers in a 4x4 vehicle in the car park. We just heard gunshots inside Parliament, he said. It looked like they are taking her away. Ambulances on Westminster Bridge, London after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament. Picture: Scott D'Arcy/PA Wire The Prime Minister was seen getting into the back of a silver Jaguar before driving off - first apparently heading to Black Rods entrance but then turning towards Carriage Gates, near to where the incident took place. Mrs Mays official spokesman said: The Prime Minister was brought back to Number 10 from Parliament. She is currently monitoring the situation. She will chair a meeting of the governments emergency Cobra committee later today, a Downing Street spokesman said later. A police river boat on the River Thames at the Houses of Parliament, after a policeman was stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament. Picture: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire In a statement Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: Reports suggest the ongoing incident in Westminster this afternoon is extremely serious. Our thoughts are with the victims of this horrific attack, (their) families and friends. The police and security staff have taken swift action to ensure the safety of the public, MPs and staff, and we are grateful to them. The view along Victoria Embankment towards parliament, after a policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament. Picture: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire Scotland Yard said in a statement: Police are asking people to avoid the following areas: Parliament Square; Whitehall; Westminster Bridge; Lambeth Bridge; Victoria Street up to the junction with Broadway and the Victoria Embankment up to Embankment tube. This is to allow the emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident. Officers - including firearms officers - remain on the scene and we are treating this as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise. Emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament. Picture: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire We thank the public for their assistance. The Met Police is appealing for anyone with photos or footage of the incidents to pass it to them. If you have photos or film of the incident in Westminster please make sure you pass them to police http://www.ukpoliceimageappeal.co.uk the force tweeted. Armed police at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament. Picture: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire Buckingham Palace declined to comment about its security arrangements in light of the terrorist incident and referred all inquiries to the Met Police. But with the Royal Standard flying above the palace - indicating the Queen was in residence - it was clear some precautions had been taken as the gates, patrolled by armed police, had been closed. A joint statement from Commons Speaker John Bercow and Lord Fowler, the Lord Speaker, said: On behalf of Members of both Houses of Parliament, we wish to offer our thoughts to all those affected and their families. Armed police at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament. Date: Wednesday March 22, 2017. Picture: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire We would also like to express our gratitude to the police and all emergency services. The London Eye tourist attraction, just across the Thames from Parliament, said it was on lockdown following the attack. A spokesman said: At present we are holding all of our guests within our attractions as per tried and tested security procedures. Police close to the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament. Picture: Yui Mok/PA Wire More to follow. Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood (centre) stands amongst the emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament. Picture: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire People remain in pods on the London Eye after it was stopped, after a policeman was stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament. Picture: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire A Police dog and handler close to the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament. Picture: Yui Mok/PA Wire A Police dog and handler close to the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament. Picture: Yui Mok/PA Wire The location of the terrorist attacks in London. Graphic: KAYLEIGH O'DELL
The Metropolitan Police should consider arming more of its officers guarding the Palace of Westminster with firearms and tasers after the London terror attack, Lord Carlile told IBTimes UK on Friday (24 March). The crossbench peer was the government's independent reviewer of terrorism legislation between 2001 and 2011. Someone came to the pub last night at 7.30pm to ask about the family and the farm. We don't know the family, but it's obviously a big shock to us all. I haven't heard much about it around the village as this is a community where everyone keeps themselves to themselves. I grew up in London where you read about this sort of thing, but you don't expect there to be a link to something like Wdnesday's attack in a place as rural as this. Till has also spoken about his former schoolmate to the MailOnline, saying how Masood was not religious experienced racism as the only black pupil at the school. He added: "We were good friends for about three of four years he was very bright, very academic and he was good sports  good at everything really. He was very good at football. "He wasn't religious at all. He was a big character, very friendly and a good laugh. He was always being everybody's mate. He might have been the only black kid at the school. He experienced a little bit of racism but not a lot because he always tried to be popular. "We used to socialise together up until we left school but he turned up to a party at my house with some friends after they had been smoking puff [cannabis] and my mum threw them all out. We sort of lost touch after that." Elsewhere on IBTimes UK, our reporter Josh Robbins has pulled together all we know about some of the victims of the Westminster attack, including an interview from one of the survivors. Franciso Lopez, a 26-year-old from Portugal who has lived in London for 16 years, told ITV News from his hospital bed: "I was one metre from the car and I could not run from its way so, the car hit me and I fell over the car but part of it was already broken and I think those parts injured me. "Then, when I was on the floor I saw people shouting, I saw the people distressed and shouting 'Help, help, I don't feel my legs'. They were shouting because of the pain they felt. It was awful." According to The Sun, Masood told staff "I'm off to London today" just hours before the horror attack before adding the capital "isn't like it used to be". Michael Petersen, a regular at the Preston Park Hotel, added to the BBC: How the hell can we predict who wants to do these kind of things. There was nothing in the man's demeanour, nothing whatsoever that made me think 'you've got to be wary of this guy', nothing. And the guy was calm... there was nothing in his conduct or demeanour that would have let me get a feeling there's something weird about this guy." Met Police Acting Deputy Commissioner Mark Rowley has given an update on the investigation, including the details about Masood and the scale of the operation. You can read his statement in full below: "Good morning, I am here to update you on the following areas: update you on the breadth and speed of our investigation; I want to ask for the public's help; and provide further details on the police service response. "First I want to update you regarding those who were injured. "Sadly last night another man died in hospital as a result of the injuries he sustained during the attack. "Whilst we await formal identification, we believe that he is Leslie Rhodes, aged 75, from Streatham in south London. "My thoughts are with his family at this difficult time. "Furthermore, two people remain in hospital in what is described as a critical condition, and one person is considered to have life threatening injuries. "Two of our officers who were injured on Westminster Bridge in the attack also remain in hospital and also have sustained significant injuries. "At least 50 people were injured with 31 requiring hospital treatment as the attack unfolded and those affected include a real cross section of ages and from at least 12 nationalities. "It is a poignant reminder that the impact of this attack on the Capital will reach around the world. "This is a very large, fast-paced investigation I want to give you as much information as possible and I do want to make a critical appeal to the public "Yesterday we named the dead terrorist as Khalid Masood - we stated he had a number of aliases - we now know his birth name was Adrian Russell Ajao. "I would like to put on record my gratitude to the journalists who having identified the dead terrorist soon after the attack have delayed publishing his details at my request to give us space to move on the necessary warrants, searches and arrests. "As I have said our investigation focuses on understanding his motivation, preparation and his associates. "Whilst there is no evidence of further threats you will understand our determination to find out if he either: Acted totally alone inspired by terrorist propaganda; Or, if others have encouraged, supported or directed him; "To that end in our continuing investigation and ongoing covert activity we have made two further significant arrests overnight - one in the West Midlands and one in North West. "Nine people remain in our custody and one woman has been released on bail. We have searches at five addresses ongoing - 16 searches have concluded. So far we have seized 2,700 items from our searches including massive of amounts of computer data. "We have had contact with approximately 3,500 witnesses - including 1,000 from people on Westminster Bridge and around 2,500 who were within the Parliamentary Estate, and we have received hundreds of uploads to our online platform. "Given that this attack was in the heart of the Capital we are also dealing with statements from people with range of nationalities. "At this point I want to appeal specifically to the public. "We remain keen to hear from anyone who knew Khalid Masood well; understands who his associates were; and can provide with information about places he has recently visited. "There might well be people out there who did have concerns about Masood but weren't sure or didn't feel comfortable for whatever reason in passing information to us. "I urge anyone with such information to contact us the Anti-Terrorist hotline which is 0800 789 321. "In terms of protective security: I understand why a tragic event such as this generates questions about security at Parliament. "Our current arrangements have been developed with Parliament over many years and are designed to provide access to the seat of our Government balanced carefully with security that is proportionate but not overly intrusive. "Of course after an incident like this as would be expected my team will work with Parliamentary authorities to assess whether a different tone or balance is necessary. "More widely - the police service will sustain an enhanced armed and unarmed presence over the next few days. "London, and the UK, are open for business, and we are out there in greater numbers to make sure that the public see a highly visible presence to help reassure them as they go about their daily lives. "In London the number of armed officers remains at near double strength, while in other parts of the UK there are up to a third more armed officers on duty. "Finally, last night a true cross section of people came together to stand together to remember - but also to send a message. "A strong message - to those inspired by hate and extremism of all persuasions that we will not give in to those who seek to breed discord and fear. "This is as true now as it has ever been. Our Acting Commissioner, Craig Mackey, told thousands who gathered in central London last night terrorist have tried to tear this city apart before and they have never succeeded. "The very fact London has gone back to work and so many were happy to gather in central London last night shows they have failed again. "We would like to thank our officers and staff who continue to work around the clock - both investigating this atrocity and continuing to keep our city safe. "From the staff picking responding to calls in our control centres, staff and officers still guarding our iconic buildings, the officers patrolling streets in every borough and specialist teams that are not so visible. "We are grateful for the continued support of the public and the strong calm response that has been shown, and I know that we will continue to stand together." Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley of the Metropolitan Police makes a statement outside of New Scotland YardGetty Last night (23 March), thousands of people attended a candlelit vigil for those who were killed in the Westminster attack. During the event, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: "London is a great city, full of amazing people from all backgrounds. When Londoners face adversity we always pull together. We stand up for our values and show the world we are the greatest city in the world." People light candles at a vigil in Trafalgar Square the day after an attack, in LondonReuters Mayor of London Sadiq Khan speaks as Home Secretary Amber Rudd and acting Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Craig Mackey look on during a candlelit vigil at Trafalgar SquareCarl Court/Getty Images Hundreds of people attend a candlelit vigil on Thursday evening (23 March) in the wake of the attack in WestminsterGetty The 52-year-old was previously known to have used a variety of aliases, one of which was reported to be Adrian Elms. He is also reported to have been a married father of three who worked as an English teacher. Elsewhere, police have made two more "significant" arrests in the investigation and have searched 16 addresses across the UK.
The response to the Westminster attack has been predictably farcical Share Since last weeks attack in Westminster, various readers have asked whether my list of standard responses to terrorism has held true in the aftermath of this attack as in the aftermath of so many attacks before. And since it appears that good news must now immediately be seized from any tragedy  even within minutes of that tragedy occurring  in keeping with the times, I am happy to report that my list does indeed hold true. I had already noted last week that we were swiftly into the realm of hashtaggery with Pray for London trending. I must say that Im never sure how many of the people urging people to do this actually pray themselves, or think prayer works, or what it might achieve. But at least this is an understandable phase in the unfolding of any modern attack. And one can hardly blame or scold people for saying something nice, even if it is hollow. Next, we undoubtedly saw the diversion blame-game, where everybodys rage is suddenly switched from the attacker onto whoever has said the wrong thing about, or extrapolated out the wrong thing from, the attacker. True to form the main recipients this time were Katie Hopkins (naturally), Nigel Farage (obvs) and Arron Banks. All pointed to immigration as being linked to the attack, which was a terrific gift to all those who were getting tired of the hashtags. A little later we discovered that Khalid Masood was not himself an immigrant, and so various people rejoiced in pointing out that Farage et al must be advocating that we build a wall around Kent. This drollery is always wonderful. It allows everyone to enjoy two minutes of hate followed by two minutes of forced hilarity. And it allows a lot of people to avoid dealing with any serious aspects of the case at hand. As for the traditional good news stories, this time they trod upon each others heels, so fast they followed. I was struck by the number of Muslim good news stories, of course. Todays Muslim good news stories refers to a commemoration on Westminster bridge. As the BBC news story relates: Police officers and hundreds of members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association are among those expected to join together on Westminster Bridge to mark the attack. Thus ticking two boxes at once. Yes, thats right, the most persecuted and peaceful sect within Islam are once again front and centre, reminding the public of the good that Muslims can do and simultaneously (though doubtless with the best intentions) helping to obscure part of the problem. One presumes that the Salafi and Wahhabi Youth Associations of the UK are busy. And perhaps the Iranian groups which hold the annual Al-Quds day hatefest in London only have one days marching in them each year. But it isnt just Muslim good news stories that have proliferated this time, but almost any good news stories. I am increasingly struck by this. I recently read an interview with a Jewish student who mentioned in passing how important it is to make something good come from the Holocaust. My reaction then  as always  is why? Whose reaction to the industrial-scale slaughter of millions of people is How can I feel better about things in the wake of this? I mean, this whole Holocaust thing is one serious downer. A similar scent is in the air in the wake of the Westminster terror attack. In studio discussions among others in recent days I have been very struck by the popularity of any sentiment which talks about the good that has already, or must, come from this. Again, this seems to me a very strange, self-absorbed and unhealthy way to approach the world. Three people were killed when they were mown down by a man in a car. Many others were wounded. PC Keith Palmer was then stabbed to death. Whose reaction to this is we must get some good out of this? And not just within days, but within hours? Tales of unity, and coming together and so on are all very well. But the desperation for them, and the desperation to report them leave an unpleasant taste to me at any rate. Perhaps the swiftness of the news cycles turn from tragedy to good news in hours is the reason that only a week on from the attacks, and with the dead still not buried, the attack feels like its old news. Finally, this attack has also stood out for an amazing proliferation of the now traditional addressing of questions which arent quite the point. As I mentioned on the BBC on Sunday morning, personally Im perfectly open to government inquiries into the role that drugs can play in propelling terrorists to do what they do. And Im very happy to have the widest-ranging discussion possible on what role our countrys foreign and domestic policies might have in inspiring attacks of this sort. But I dont see why a wide-ranging and official consideration of the role religion plays in such attacks could not also happen. Yet strangely enough, this is the one line of inquiry that has already been officially ruled out. The day after that attack, in the House of Commons the Conservative MP Michael Tomlinson asked the Prime Minister: It is reported that what happened yesterday was an act of Islamic terror. Does the Prime Minister agree that what happened was not Islamic, just as the murder of Airey Neave was not Christian, and that both were perversions of religion? I absolutely agree. It is wrong to describe what happened as Islamic terrorism; it is Islamist terrorisma perversion of a great faith. But where might the Islamist terrorism come from? Nobody wants to know. So the one thing that is totally off limits, only just after the blood is mopped off the streets, is a discussion of whether the blood got there through any religious reasons, perverted or otherwise? My own view is that well find out in the coming days and months a bit more about what it might have been that propelled Khalid Masood to do what he did, and I cant see any sense in completely blocking off any investigation or discussion. But a problem that will one day have to be confronted by Michael Tomlinson, Theresa May and everyone else is that the murder of Airey Neave was not only an un-Christian act, but was not carried out in the name of the Christian faith. While it is possible that Masoods propulsion, like his modus operandi was inspired by Isis. And it is hard to pretend (though many still do) that Isis is inspired by, say, a socialist political desire to unite Iraq and Syria in a great left-wing union, rather than by an ideology that is very religious indeed in the worst possible way. Anyhow, for the meantime, carefully missing part of the point appears to be in the air. The only new variant on this tradition that I have seen is from a contributor at the Guardian who has drawn a link between lone-wolf attackers and domestic violence. Again, this is a perfectly interesting aspect to look at. But why consider all these possibilities while cutting off another? Anyhow  the answer is that, yes, the usual playbook has played out. And it has been by turns farcical and tragic.
One woman has died and others being treated for 'catastrophic' injuries, according to British news agency, citing London doctor A policeman was stabbed inside perimeter of U.K. parliament An assailant was shot outside British parliament by armed police Pedestrians mowed down on nearby Westminster Bridge London Police are treating scenario as a terrorist incident No immediate claim of responsibility An attacker stabbed a police officer and was shot by police on the grounds outside Britains Parliament, sending the compound into lockdown Wednesday. Around the same time, a vehicle mowed down pedestrians on nearby Westminster Bridge. Authorities said they were treating the attack as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise. The incident in London unfolded within sight of some of the citys most famous tourist sites, including the London Eye, a large Ferris wheel with pods that have views over the capital. It stopped rotating and footage showed the pods full as viewers watched police and medical crews on the bridge, which has Big Ben at its north end. Labour Party lawmaker Mary Creagh said it was her understanding that between five and seven people were mowed down on the bridge. Rick Longley told the Press Association that he heard a bang and saw a car mow down pedestrians and come to a crashing stop. Images from the scene showed pedestrians sprawled on the ground, with blood streaming from a woman surrounded by a scattering of postcards. They were just laying there and then the whole crowd just surged around the corner by the gates just opposite Big Ben, he said. A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman. I have never seen anything like that. I just cant believe what I just saw. Dennis Burns, who was just entering Parliament for a meeting, told the Press Association he heard a radio message saying an officer had been stabbed. Police and security rushed outside as he was going in. When I got inside I was wondering what the hell was going on and I saw dozens of panicked people running down the street, he said. The first stream was around 30 people and the second stream was 70 people. It looked like they were running for their lives. Daily Mail journalist Quentin Letts said he saw a man in black attack a police officer outside Parliament before being shot two or three times as he tried to storm into the House of Commons. He had something in his hand, it looked like a stick of some sort, and he was challenged by a couple of policemen in yellow jackets, Letts told the BBC. And one of the yellow-jacketed policemen fell down and we could see the man in black moving his arm in a way that suggested he was stabbing or striking the yellow-jacketed policeman. Lett said the other officer ran to get help and the man in black ran toward the entrance. As this attacker was running towards the entrance two plain-clothed guys with guns shouted at him what sounded like a warning, he ignored it and they shot two or three times and he fell, he said. As lawmakers were voting inside Parliament, they reported hearing the sound of gunshots. Journalists there said they were told to stay in their offices. Press Association news agency reported that two people were seen lying within the grounds of Parliament. Prime Minister Theresa May was at Parliament when the incident began, but her office says she is safe. Also on The Globe and Mail Next story | Learn More Discover content from The Globe and Mail that you might otherwise not have come across. Here well provide you with fresh suggestions where we will continue to make even better ones as we get to know you better. You can let us know if a suggestion is not to your liking by hitting the  close button to the right of the headline.
Top Met cop Mark Rowley confirmed PC Keith Palmer had been killed in the attack Tributes poured in for the officer, tragically knifed to death just inside the railings at Parliament, after he was confirmed as one of the three innocent victims. the officers broken-hearted wife and seven-year-old daughter have been left devastated by the death of the popular Met police constable. Colleagues from the Metropolitan Police Federation branch yesterday set up an official crowdfunding page to raise money for the family after Keith was stabbed to death by a terrorist fanatic while on duty protecting Parliament. The fund had reached 32,00 by 12.30pm and Met Fed chairman Ken Marsh said : We are a family and trying to support our colleagues immediate family following this terrible tragedy. We have come together to raise funds for Keith Palmers wife and daughter. Nothing will ever bring Keith back and his family will have to be without him for the rest of their lives. They will need help and that is why we have launched this crowdfunding site on a Just Giving page. We would be very grateful to any of The Suns readers if they wished to contribute a donation, however small, to the fund. It is a way of showing solidarity for the family of our colleague who lost his life trying to protect the public and democracy in this country. How to donate The Metropolitan Police Federation are raising money for the family of hero PC Keith Palmer. It comes as his PC Palmers beloved Charlton placed a red and white scarf on his seat which will remain there until the clubs next home game. The League One side issued a statement today calling him a true hero and said he had held a season ticket for many years. They said: It is with great sadness that the club has learned of the tragic news of the death of PC Keith Palmer, a loyal Charlton supporter and season-ticket holder, who lost his life as a result of the terror incident in Westminster on Wednesday afternoon. Keith was a familiar face at The Valley to many supporters and sat in his same East Stand seat for many years. As an immediate tribute, a red and white scarf has been placed on his seat which will remain until the next home game on Tuesday, April 4th, while the club will discuss ways in which it can commemorate his life at the game itself. Keith was a true hero who will be greatly missed by all the Charlton family and everyone at the club would like to offer their sincere condolences to his family and friends at this extremely difficult time. The club also wish to extend condolences to the families of all those victims who were involved in yesterdays incident. MOST READ IN NEWS ALI INCOMING West on yellow alert for high winds now - and could be worst hit by Storm Ali Lost & fiend grim discovery PC Palmer was a member of the Mets Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection command with 15 years service and is believed to have been a member of the Royal Artillery before coming a cop. Mark Rowley, the national lead for Counter Terrorism Policing and the Acting Deputy Commissioner, said: He was someone who left for work today expecting to return home at the end of his shift and he had every right to expect that would happen. Pal David Darby told LBC that Palmer had always dreamed of joining the diplomatic police to serve the public and better the streets. Mr Darby, who said he trained with Palmer for five years, said: He was such a friendly guy, its just such a waste of life. He was like a guy you just want to cuddle. He was just an amazing guy. He wanted to better the streets, better serve this country. A police officer places flowers and a photo of Pc Keith Palmer on Whitehall Today James Cleverly has paid an emotional tribute to his friend Pc Keith Palmer, telling MPs he was a strong, professional public servant. The Braintree MPs voiced cracked as he rose in the Commons to remember a man he first met 25 years ago as Gunner Keith Palmer in the military. Mr Cleverly said: Whilst our hearts go to all those people who were wounded and murdered yesterday, and to all the people who sought to help them, with your indulgence Id like to turn for just a moment to Pc Keith Palmer, who I first met 25 years ago as Gunner Keith Palmer, at headquarters, Battery 100 Regiment, Royal Artillery. Would the Prime Minister, in recognition of the work that he did and the other police officers and public servants here in the House do, consider recognising his gallantry and sacrifice formally with a posthumous recognition? The horrific incident unfolded in just a matter of minutes, leaving four dead including the attack He said Palmer had been a corporal above him when they served together in the Royal Artillery Woolwich, although they were based at the Royal Yeomanry barracks in Grove Park. A woman called Nina from Orpington, south-east London, revealed how hero Keith had saved her life after a car accident in 2007. She told radio station LBC: He actually did save my life in a car accident on duty. I was a police officer at the time, in 2007. I was the passenger and he was one of the police officers who actually saved my life. I owe him everything. He was a wonderful dad, and wonderful husband to his wife and everything. A lovely man, a friend. Im heartbroken. He was just fun, he was a laugh and he cared. Everyones going to really miss him. He didnt just go to do the job and get paid, he actually cared about the people. PC Palmer was also said to be a season-ticket holder at his beloved Charlton Athletic FC. Fellow supporters shared their grief on fan forum Charlton Life. AFKABartram wrote: Our sympathies go to the friends and family of Keith. His name will always be remembered as a hero by his extended football family for which we are connected, and indeed by the whole country. Cafckev said: Went to work on a normal day expecting to do his job as normal without fuss or incident but became a national symbol of bravery. PC Palmer was unarmed when the attacker  who was wielding two large knives  came charging towards him after mowing down pedestrians in his car on Westminster Bridge. The attacker, of whom cops say they know the identity, was shot by armed police and later died in hospital. ISIS today claimed through its news agency that Westminster attacker was a soldier of the Islamic State. Paramedics fought to save Palmers life, and that of his attacker, on the floor of the cobbled courtyard in front of Parliament, with Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood giving CPR to the fallen hero in the hope of reviving him. Home Affairs Select Committee chairwoman Yvette Cooper, who was in the Palace of Westminster when the terrorist burst through the gates, said: Thank you PC Keith Palmer  to your bravery many others owe their lives and safety. The scene of the car crashed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster Labour MP Barry Gardiner was also caught up in the lockdown and posted a picture of armed police moving through Parliament. He tweeted: Going to bed alive, safe and well thanks to PC Keith Palmer. God bless him, his family and all those killed or injured. Terror will not win. Explaining why PC Palmer was unarmed, Mr Rowley said: Our parliamentary protection team are a combination of armed and unarmed officers doing different roles, and sadly the officer who lost his life today was unarmed. He was supported by armed colleagues who shot and killed the attacker. He (the attacker) tried to enter Parliament and was stopped at the gate. Four people have been confirmed dead in the attack  including the terrorist  and 29 people were injured including seven people critically. Some of those hurt have been described as suffering catastrophic injuries. Floral tributes have been left at the scene after three people were killed including a police officer Mr Rowley said there was a range of nationalities among the injured, but refused to give further information about where they were from. He praised the efforts of those involved, saying while it was an incredibly sad and sombre day, he felt pride in the swift and brave response from our officers, especially those who had to confront the terrorist. Hundreds of officers will work throughout the night on the investigation, interviewing witnesses, scouring CCTV and focusing on the suspects motivation, preparation and his associates. Mr Rowley said: We are forensically examining a complicated crime scene that covers a wide area, and as with all investigations of this nature it will take us some time to work through the painstaking work necessary to get all of the relevant evidence. The scene inside Parliament Yard where the police officer was knifed to death The lockdown on Parliament, which saw hundreds of MPs and parliamentary staff kept inside Commons buildings for their safety, has now been lifted. Parliament will reopen on Friday and parts of the crime scene will restrict some of the entrances, but business must return to normal as quickly as possible. Mr Rowley said that while the threat level of severe will remain, on a precautionary basis across the country we are stepping up police patrols  unarmed and armed  and the public will see far more of their local police forces over the forthcoming days, particularly in crowded places and iconic locations. He said: Terrorists have a clear aim, and that is to create discord, distrust and to create fear.
The funeral of PC Keith Palmer, the police officer who was killed in the line of duty during the Westminster attack, takes place on Monday at Londons Southwark Cathedral. The 48-year-old officer was stabbed by Khalid Masood on March 22 while on guard at the forecourt of the Palace of Westminster. Palmer, leaving behind a wife and a five-year-old daughter, will be given a full police funeral, a service which will see up to 2,000 Metropolitan Police Service officers patrolling and in ceremonial roles. According to Scotland Yard, full services are usually only given to those who die in service. The Queen gave special permission for Palmers body to lie overnight at Westminsters Chapel of St. Mary Undercroft, which is usually only reserved for heads of state. His family attended the Chapel on Sunday for a short private service, while police officers paid their respects to their fallen colleague throughout the night. The cortege will start off from Westminster via Lambeth Bridge to Southwark Cathedral for a service at 2pm. Ken Marsh, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, hailed Palmer, who served in the Met for 15 years, as a hero and an absolutely top cop. Speaking on BBCs Radio 4, he also said although much still had to be answered regarding police responses to such attacks, he did not think it would have made any difference if Palmer had been armed when Masood assaulted him. If you could paint a picture of a perfect policeman youd be painting a picture of Keith Palmer, PC Shaun Cartright, who had been Palmers colleague for eight years, told Sky News. One of the kindest people you will ever find. Very giving, very loyal, a true friend and a fantastic policeman. The funeral will be the first engagement for the new Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick, who was appointed in February and is due to start her new job on Monday. She will be the first woman to head the UKs largest police force in its 188-year history. Four members of the public were also killed by Masood when he mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and ploughed his rented 4x4 Hyundai Tucson into pedestrians. Victims of the 82-second attack include London sixth-form college teacher Aysha Frade, 44, and South London window cleaner Leslie Rhodes, 75. Kurt Cochran, 54, an American tourist celebrating his 25th wedding anniversary, was also killed. Romanian Andreea Cristea, 31, died on Thursday last week after succumbing to injuries sustained when she fell from Westminster Bridge during the attack. Masood, who was shot by police moments after he killed Palmer, was already known to intelligence services over extremist concerns, but Prime Minister Theresa May said he was just a peripheral figure.
Keep Calm, Tweet and Pray: How the Left Reacted After the London Islamic Terrorist Attack Nothing to see here, please go about your daily business, just a few bodies lying motionless, injured and dying on the concrete paved streets of Westminster on a typical and mundane Wednesday afternoon in London. Oh, and whatever you do, in no circumstances must you blame Islam. The usual sound of Chinese tourists clicking away at photos of Big Ben, drowned out by the sounds of bodies bouncing off Car Bonnets and the screams of normal everyday civilians just going about their usual routine of grabbing lunch from Pret a Manger during their lunch break. Again, nothing much to see here folks, just people dying, nothing out of the ordinary. And, so without fanfare and without pomp and circumstance, it happened, the inevitable happened. We always knew it was going to happen; it was only a matter of time. The official threat level for international terrorism had stood at severe for a while now in the UK, meaning an attack has been highly likely on British soil and on the 22nd March, 2017 that threat became reality and it occurred at the very heart of British democracy. On that day, at 14:40pm (GMT), a Hyundai 44 drove into pedestrians and cyclists along Westminster Bridge before crashing into the gates of Parliament. The attacker, initially described by witnesses as middle-aged and Asian, then managed to break into the grounds of the Parliament and stabbed a police officer before he was shot and later died of his injuries. Middle-aged and Asian but remember, I repeat do not blame Islam, this has nothing to do with Islamic Extremism, right? Stray trainers on the road, bodies lying dormant under buses, women being flown into the River Thames due to the impact of the car hitting them, this was the scene of Westminster, with modern-day society offering a chilling reflection of its priorities, as people took photos and selfies of the bloodshed and carnage only meters away from them. If its not on Instagram, then it hasnt happened, right? The BBC and left-wing media done their up most best in making sure that they implanted in our subconscious mind that the attacker was a lone wolf, had mental issues, loved by their families and neighbours, not on any terrorist watch list of any kind and most definitely not related to Islam in any way, shape or form, because you know, radicalism and terrorism are not synonymous with Islam. Remember, Jihad and mass genocide are not problematic issue for Europe or the U.K. Apart from 37 Islamic attacks across Europe since 2014 and the huge increase in mass immigration, what makes you think theres a problem?! CNN downplayed the ISIS-Style Parliament attack as a Firearms Incident as 4 innocent people were now dead, including Police Officer and 48-year-old father Keith Palmer. All of this happened on a year to the day when the terrorist atrocities occurred in Brussels, but again, nothing to do with Islam, just coincidence, of course. The vilified Tommy Robinson of all people happened to be within radius of Westminster when the attack occurred, yet Social Justice Warriors and left-wing millennials were more offended that the former spokesman and leader of the English Defence League, was just there by off-chance, and was now speaking to the press and media and highlighting the fact that as a civilized world, we were under attack by Islam. But again, dont listen to Tommy, he incites racial hatred and is a Nazi. Everyone has come out of the woodworks to offer their 2 cents and even crocodile tears for the camera. Professional Scottish Ginger troll, Nicola Sturgeon had the audacity to tweet her irrelevant mandatory condolences my thoughts are with everyone in and around Westminster caught up in this dreadful incident  and with the brave emergency services she wrote, joining the list of liberal virtue signallers desperately fighting to reach the front line in getting their sympathy seeking public messages out first. Sod off Sturgeon, you want to leave the U.K, youre condolences fall on death ears. Was one of the rather fitting responses to her second-rate condolences, which fell just as flat as her announcement for a second referendum. One condolence that was well received was that of President Donald Trump, who showcased the strong bond and special relationship he has with PM Theresa May and the United Kingdom. Also, proving without a shadow of a doubt that everything Trump has ever said about Islamic terrorism was right all along, just a shame Major of London Sadiq Khan did not heed the advice sooner. Many in the United Kingdom would like to see Sadiq Khan, gone immediately, but thats another story to be visited a little later. The Twittersphere was rushed with the usual influx of hashtags for London, profile photos being filtered with Union Jack colours and people sending out their thoughts and prayers (because people writing pray statuses have stopped previous terrorist incidents in the past) with the usual bunch of do-gooders urging people not to make judgments or exhibit Islamophobia (criticism of Islam) and leftists expressing their concern about people being mean to Muslims and hurting their feelings, even as victims were dying in hospital. Dont be mean to Muslims, they have feelings too you know? We must show unity and solidarity and stand side by side. We must rally in the streets and all cry in sync and on cue for the cameras to witness. #PrayForLondon Son-of-a-bus-driver and best friend of migrants everywhere, Major of London Sadiq Khan, who previously had said that terror attacks were part and parcel of living in a major city and described Moderate Muslims as uncle toms was noticeably quiet. In fact, it only took Khan 5 and a half hours to appear on video, stating that Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism. Predictably it was another showcase of love, hearts and rainbows from a man who had previously led a campaign in banning pictures of women in bikinis on the Underground because a) fat people were offended b) Muslims were offended. Yes, that will sure show them terrorists that we mean business, what next, advertisements of women in burqas highlighting the benefits of multiple wives under Sharia law? Dressed in a mourning black, Prime Minster Theresa May held a press conference on the London Attack in which she urged that the Voices of Hate and Evil Will Not Drive Us Apart No Theresa, but the voices of hate and evil, might kill you. When the terrorist attacks across Westminster occurred, you could almost see the wishful thinking and desperate hopes from liberals everywhere, that the attacker would be revealed as an English Defence League supporter with mental illness or at the very least, a Brexit supporter. Dont be Muslim, dont be Muslim they muttered underneath their breath, as TV reports and News Stations covered the tragic and horrendous events unfolding. Sure enough, when it was officially confirmed that the attacker in question was in fact Muslim, you could hear a pin drop. No one, was one bit surprised; expect the unassuming left who went on to quote the same clich speech said after the aftermath of every single terrorist attack committed by a Muslim, time and time again. How many more times must the public hear that these actions dont represent Islam or that Islam is the religion of peace before they too get sick and tired of changing their social media profile photos of the current country that has been targeted by a radical and extremist Islamist attack? The sales of tealights must sky-rocket each time an Islamic terrorist attack is carried out. Another Islamic terrorist killing in the name of Islam, when will the western world learn? Why are the liberal elite and left-wing media afraid to label the Westminster attack, as exactly what it was? An Islamic terrorist attack against western principles and life. We seem to live in a generation that is more concerned with not wanting to offend peoples feelings and not be labelled Islamophobic, then it is at actually tackling Islamic radicalism, in the first place. Oh yes, Islamophobia, that label that gets thrown around more than an ISIS hand grenade in Syria. Debunking the myth that people are scared of Islam (phobia meaning an extreme or irrational fear of or aversion to something). There is one thing that is certain. There is no such thing as Islamophobia. Just like winged horses and men floating in the sky, it is make-believe and it does not exist. It is the right of every individual to question a religion which claims to be peaceful and yet is responsible for more terror attacks than any other in history. If anything, Islam has a phobia about anything not Islamic, which is evident by the carnage left in the aftermath of Westminster. We are constantly told that terrorism has no nationality or religion. So, its just a big coincidence that Muslims keep mass murdering people, right? Liberals convince themselves multiculturalism works, yet the terrorist attacks in the name of Islam all over the world, suggests otherwise. A picture that was circulating online, quickly went viral and told a rather fitting story, setting the tone of the frenzied attack in Westminster. In the photo, a person lays critically injured as concerned passers-by stop what they are doing to tend to and treat the man. This man is a stranger to them yet they stop to help him, gathering around him in a show of unity and support. Some are on their phones, most probably calling the emergency services or calling the family of said man, slumped on the cold concrete paved streets of Westminster.Walking by him is a young Muslim girl, noticeably Muslin because of her hijab. So, did she stop like the other concerned civilians to tend to the man and see if he was OK? Did she halt in her tracks to demonstrate the love and peace that supposedly Islam represents? No, her eyes remained fixed on her phone, as she just casually walked past the hurt man. There was no act of kindness shown or any concern demonstrated by this woman and it makes you wonder. The only thing that was displayed, was an apparent lack of regard for a man who was badly injured and succumbed on the street because of Islamic Terrorism. He was slumped on the floor with blood gushing down his forehead, because a man chose to carry out pain and hurt in the name of Islam. And, what happened to that young Muslim girl? Did she feel any kind of concern or remorse, as she walked past a dozen more bodies on her way home, some with catastrophic injuries, some even dead. Didnt look like it, did it? See no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil Move along now, nothing else to see here, multiculturalism works just fine.
Birmingham's Muslims challenge 'jihadi capital' label Birmingham, England - A greying railway bridge serves as the entrance to the Birmingham neighbourhood of Sparkbrook, nondescript except for the quote written beneath the welcome sign bearing its name. "If my mind can conceive it and my heart can believe it, then I can achieve it," it reads. The quote by Muhammad Ali is one of several tributes to the legendary American boxer put up in Birmingham after his death last year. Ali's legacy has a special resonance in the neighbourhood and not just because of his achievements as a boxer; more than 70 percent of Sparkbrook's 32,000 residents share his Islamic faith. Together with its adjoining districts, the area houses much of Birmingham's 234,000-strong Muslim population, the largest in the UK, outside of London. Theirs is a community that last week found itself at the centre of international media attention when it emerged that the city was the last place the Westminster attacker Adrian Elms, or Khalid Masood, had lived in before carrying out the attack that left four people dead. Some British newspapers portrayed the attack as the latest example of extremist violence linked to the country's second largest city. The Telegraph described Birmingham as one of "Britain's terror hotspots" and the Daily Mail asked how the city had become "the jihadi capital of Britain". "It comes down to us being Muslims," said engineering student Abdullah, venting frustration at the media coverage, as he and a group of friends headed from Friday prayers to one of the area's many Middle Eastern cafes. Born in Birmingham and raised in Sparkbrook, the young man of Yemeni origin, said he was "hurt" by the reports that followed last week's attack. "They [the media] make out that it's the community here that's responsible for this whole problem, but we've got nothing to do with it. "It was one person who did it but we all get the blame. "We live side by side with our neighbours, we have no problem here." That sentiment is hardly unique among Birmingham's Muslims. There is sadness at the fact the attack happened, frustration at the resulting media coverage, surprise at the reputation the city has attained, and fatigue at having to answer for somebody else's actions. Birmingham is home to more than 234,000 Muslims [Shafik Mandhai/Al Jazeera] At a Syrian cafe in nearby Moseley, Al Jazeera spoke to Belal Ballali, originally from the Scottish capital of Edinburgh, but a resident of Birmingham for the past 24 years. In a Scottish accent with slight hints of the local West Midlands, Ballali explained that the city did have a "small number of extremists" but cautioned against thinking the city was exceptional in that regard. "There's no hard and fast rule about who becomes a terrorist," he said, explaining those who adopted such ideas developed them in "isolation from the Muslim community" and often with contributing mental health factors or substance abuse problems. Like Abdullah in Sparkbrook, Ballali criticised the media coverage after the Westminster attack for its focus on the Birmingham connection, which he said had exaggerated the connection Elms had to local Muslim communities. "[Elms] lived in a flat above a takeaway on Hagley Road ... anyone who knows Birmingham knows that it's detached from Muslim communities and mainly home to students." Ballali, who is of Libyan and Egyptian heritage, said that incidents that were criminal in nature were being spun by right-wing media outlets and think tanks to paint the entire Muslim community as problematic. I want to ask the people who push these idea that it's so bad here: what is about you that makes you assume the worst in people you don't know? Belal Ballali "When you have people constantly pushing the narrative that Muslims are a problem, that they want to take over, it's no surprise that people come up on Fox News and say things like Birmingham is a Muslim no-go zone," he said, referencing an infamous incident on the American network where pundit Steve Emerson described the city as "totally Muslim, where non-Muslims just simply don't go in". "Well look around you," Ballali said gesturing to the other, mostly white, customers in the cafe. "How many Muslims do you see here? "I want to ask the people who push these ideas that it's so bad here: what is about you that makes you assume the worst in people you don't know?" 'Emblematic of migration' When it comes to the issue of security, only the police and intelligence services definitively know the scale of threats emanating from the city, said academic and Birmingham native, Kamran Khan, of Kings College London. Khan noted that perceptions of the city have been shaped by factors that have little to do with actual security threats. "We have a large Muslim population in the city and it's a city that has traditionally welcomed migrants," Khan said "It's very easy to stoke up fears about a city which is so emblematic of migration. The Irish went through it for many years and now it's Muslims." Like Ballali, he said the city's Muslim community was not a major factor in the process of radicalisation. "There's quite a lot of literature now about online radicalisation as the space where people are taken down that path and that's, of course, open to all regardless of their city." Birmingham's Muslim residents say the city has been unfairly associated with the Westminster attacker [Shafik Mandhai/Al Jazeera] Whatever the origins of the notion that Birmingham is a hub for those sympathetic to violent groups, it is a reputation the city's Muslims are aware of and eager to eradicate. At the Birmingham Central Mosque, one of the largest in the city and a short walk from Sparkbrook, congregants at Friday prayers were flanked by several posters declaring that "Islam is against terrorism". In a font visible from across the prayer hall, the posters quoted sayings from the Prophet Muhammad where he forbids the harming of civilians. After the prayers had concluded, hundreds of worshippers at the mosque stayed behind to listen to the area's police commissioner David Jamieson, as he offered a message of solidarity to the Muslim community in advance of an upcoming demonstration by the far-right English Defence League (EDL). According to its promotional material on Facebook, the EDL wants to protest against the "continued increase in Islamic terrorism linked to Birmingham". "They're coming from outside the area and will attempt to divide us by spreading a message of division and hatred," Jamieson said. "They will not succeed in doing that, because we in Birmingham of all faiths share the British values of tolerance and mutual respect."
A terror suspect accused of deliberately crashing a car outside the Houses of Parliament was not known to the security services, Scotland Yard has said. The man, in his late twenties, was arrested on suspicion of terror offences after the silver Ford Fiesta he was driving collided with cyclists and pedestrians before crashing into security barriers just before 7.40am on Tuesday. The suspect, who is understood to be from the Birmingham area, is being held in custody at a south London police station. Metropolitan Police counter-terrorism head Neil Basu said he is not co-operating. 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, he told reporters. We have not formally identified him yet. On the details we have at the moment, we dont believe this individual was known to MI5 or counter-terror police. The silver car can be seen driving along the road next to Parliament Square before moving to turn right towards Westminster Abbey in footage of the incident aired on BBC News. As an ambulance passes the car on its right-hand side, the vehicle swerves left, crossing oncoming traffic and colliding with cyclists before entering a small road and crashing into a security barrier. (PA Graphics) A police officer can be seen jumping another barrier that runs along the side of the road to get away. Images posted to social media showed a man wearing a black puffer jacket being led away in handcuffs from the car as armed police officers swarmed the scene. There was nobody else in the vehicle and no weapons were found, police said. Mr Basu added no other suspects have been identified and there is no intelligence at this time of further danger to Londoners. Two people were taken to hospital, while a third person with minor injuries was assessed at the scene, the London Ambulance Service (LAS) said. My thoughts are with those injured in the incident in Westminster and my thanks to the emergency services for their immediate and courageous response. Geoffrey Woodman, a strategy consultant from Battersea, had stopped at the traffic lights by Parliament Square on his cycle to work when the car swerved into cyclists and towards the security barriers. I was getting off the bike and put my foot down, then there was a sound like tyres screeching, he told PA. This car turned round to the left and swerved into the wrong lane of traffic and into the bank where all the cyclists wait. Breaking: Big armed police response to car which has cashed into Parliament barriers we are now being moved back pic.twitter.com/rYAqExq6rn Masood abandoned his car then stabbed and killed unarmed Pc Keith Palmer before he was shot by armed police in a courtyard outside Parliament. The terrorist threat against the UK is seen as unprecedented. The Prime Ministers official spokesman said there were 676 live investigations being carried out by the security services and counter-terror police at the end of June, up from more than 500 in March. Some 13 Islamist plots and four by far-right extremists have been foiled in the past 18 months, he added. There are roughly 3,000 active subjects of interest at any one time  while there is also a wider pool of more than 20,000 individuals who have previously featured in probes whose threat must be kept under review. Earlier this year, the Government unveiled a refreshed counter-terror strategy. Under the blueprint, MI5 intelligence will be shared with bodies outside the security community in an attempt to stop suspects before attack plots can crystallise, while anti-terror laws are to be strengthened to allow earlier interventions.
Three people dead, suspect killed in London terror attack targeting Parliament and Westminster Bridge A deadly London terror strike plunged the city into chaos Wednesday when a bloodthirsty motorist mowed down helpless pedestrians on a historic bridge before crashing a House of Parliament gate and stabbing a police officer to death. Three people were killed, including the unarmed cop, and more than 40 people were injured before police shot and killed the driver outside the heart of Britain's political life. Advertisement The assault  the worst terror attack in England since the subway bombings of 2005  brought carnage and chaos to Westminster, putting Parliament on lockdown and politicians on high alert. "The location of this attack was no accident," said British Prime Minister Theresa May after she was whisked away from the government center to a secure command post. "The terrorist chose to strike at the heart of our capital city, where people of all nationalities, religions and cultures come together to celebrate the values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech. But let me make it clear today, as I have had cause to do before, any attempt to defeat those values through violence and terror is doomed to failure." She called the attacker  who had yet to be identified  a "sick and depraved terrorist." Police point a gun at a man on the ground. (Stefan Rousseau/AP) The nightmare began shortly after 2:30 p.m. London time, when a Hyundai Tucson SUV speeding at about 50 mph plowed through a crowd along the iconic Westminster Bridge, which spans the River Thames. Witnesses said panicked pedestrians either jumped from the bridge or were knocked over its side as the car mounted the pavement and picked off people walking. Some of the injuries suffered in the attack were described as "catastrophic." Photos and videos revealed scenes of carnage in the aftermath of the attack, which took place as Parliament was in session. One member of the British government, Tobias Ellwood, threw himself into the fray, giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to the officer who eventually died. Among the injured were three French teens on a school trip to London, according to France's Foreign Ministry. "It was horrendous," a witness told CNN, describing a scene of a dozen bodies scattered along the bridge. "Absolutely horrendous." Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May was among the lawmakers in the building and makes a statement at Downing Street in London, Britain, March 22, 2017 following the attack in Westminster. (POOL/REUTERS) The slain police officer, Keith Palmer, 48, was a husband and father who had had served in the Metropolitan Police Service for 15 years. The car's driver, carrying a pair of knives, crashed into railings on the bridge before abandoning the vehicle about 200 yards from the entrance to Parliament. Witnesses reported seeing the man, waving a knife as panicked people ran for their lives, sprinting directly toward the seat of government. "This is a day that we had planned for  that we all hoped would never happen  but sadly it is now a reality," said Mark Rowley, Britain's most senior counterterror police officer. London was already on alert for the funeral of former Irish Republican Army commander and Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, which is scheduled for Thursday. The attack came a year to the day after the Brussels airport and metro station bombings that killed 32. Advertisement Related Gallery Remembering the deadly Westminster attack in London President Trump shared his concern. "Spoke to U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May today to offer condolences on the terrorist attack in London," Trump tweeted. "She is strong and doing very well." The White House was quick to offer support to its British allies. "We condemn today's attack in Westminster, which the United Kingdom is treating as an act of terrorism," said White House spokesman Sean Spicer. Britain "has the full support of the U.S. government in responding to the attack," he added. The afternoon of terror started on London's Westminster Bridge (1), where the rampaging suspect mowed down pedestrians before crashing into a railing outside the U.K. Parliament (2). The madman was finally gunned down by cops at the entrance to the facility (3). (New York Daily News) The NYPD said after the attack that it had redeployed long-gun teams to the British Consulate, City Hall and Grand Central Terminal. The London Eye, a giant Ferris wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames, was also placed on lockdown, with many riders stuck inside its cabs. One visitor from Madrid tweeted a photo from the towering observation wheel, saying he had been up there for more than an hour. Gunshots could be heard as the House of Commons session was suspended. Members of Parliament told the BBC they heard three or four gunshots. A heavy police presence quickly filled the area, and news crews reported that two people were seen lying on the grounds of Parliament. Cops quickly surrounded the mortally wounded attacker as he lay on the cobblestone plaza. One police officer kept his foot on what appeared to be a knife, while pointing a rifle at the terrorist. Metropolitan Police Commander B.J. Harrington said "a full counterterrorism investigation was underway," and police presence around the city was ramped up for the evening rush-hour commute. The suspected attacker is treated by emergency services outside the Houses of Parliament London. (Stefan Rousseau/AP)
Quentin Letts, the Daily Mails parliamentary sketchwriter, said he saw a man in black attack a police officer outside Parliament before being shot two or three times as he tried to storm into the House of Commons, the Press Association reports. I saw a thick-set man in black clothes come through the gates into New Palace Yard, just below Big Ben, he told the BBC. He had something in his hand, it looked like a stick of some sort, and he was challenged by a couple of policemen in yellow jackets. And one of the yellow-jacketed policemen fell down and we could see the man in black moving his arm in a way that suggested he was stabbing or striking the yellow-jacketed policeman. The other officer ran to get help and the man in black ran about 15 yards towards the entrance, he said. He added: As this attacker was running towards the entrance two plain-clothed guys with guns shouted at him what sounded like a warning, he ignored it and they shot two or three times and he fell. Im outside Downing Street - 200 metres from Parliament Square - where police are in force and there is a nervy mood. Met officers have taped off the pavement and are clearing the public - tourists, workers, passersby - back towards Trafalgar Square. Unmarked police vehicles have blocked off the road to parliament at Horse Guards Parade. A helicopter is flying low above the Foreign Office and the PMs residence. Trafalgar Square is a log-jam of buses and cars. Police are telling the public to move back for their own safety. One constable said there were various serious incidents going on. Its not safe to be around here at the moment. The police are clearly agitated. Theres an air ambulance and about 15 police vehicles in the otherwise deserted square. Outside Westminster Abbey, groups of tourists are taking snaps oblivious of this afternoons incident. A senior police source has confirmed that Scotland Yards counter-terrorism command was involved in an investigation following this afternoons incidents. The early police view emerging from the chaos is that there were probably two sites of attack: Westminster Bridge where people may have been run over, and parliament itself, where it appears an officer was stabbed and the attacker shot. Plans for a London-wide emergency have been put into place as a precaution. Police are hopeful the incidents are over. Theresa May, the prime minister, was rushed into a car 40 yards from the gates outside parliament where shots were fired minutes after the incident occurred, according to footage filmed by a member of staff. She was ushered by at least eight armed undercover police, some with their firearms drawn, into a waiting black vehicle in Speakers Court, the footage seen by the Guardian shows. Loud bangs can be heard in the background as she is ushered into the car, but it is unclear whether the bangs were gunshots. The aftermath of the apparent knife attack, which seemingly saw the attacker shot by police, could be seen in Old Palace Yard, the courtyard directly outside parliament. At least one person could be seen prone on the ground, tended to by ambulance staff. An air ambulance landed on the grass of Parliament Square, and medical crews rushed in. However, they soon stepped back, and there was no sign of anyone being taken away. While police looked clam, dozens of armed officers could be seen in the area. At one point, a group of about a dozen officers armed with guns arrived, some also carrying shields. They marched into parliament.
Biting the hand of Project Fear Doing something memorable So there you are, planning to watch a movie and put your feet up because youve taken care of blogging responsibilities for the day, and then the Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament, the famously unmemorable Ken Wossisname, finally goes and does something for which hell be remembered. Its just a shame that what hell be remembered for is being the first Presiding Officer to rule that a bill to be put before Holyrood is not within the remit of the Scottish Parliament, and for being the first Presiding Officer to avoid using the word outwith, which counts as a constitutional crisis all by itself. The Continuity Bill being placed before Holyrood by the Scottish Government is the Scottish Governments response to the stalled talks on the Westminster Parliaments EU Exit Bill between the Scottish and British governments. The bill aims to maintain all the devolved laws currently exercised by the EU after Brexit takes place and will give Scottish ministers the power to alter or amend these laws after Brexit. The Scottish Government says that the purpose of the bill is to ensure that Scotland retains the powers that it currently has, and to put an obstacle in the way of a Conservative government in Westminster which seeks to grab Scottish, and Welsh, powers for itself. Speaking on Tuesday, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said that she refused to sign up to a British Government Brexit plan which effectively undermines the whole foundation on which devolution is built. Kens not convinced by this. Or if he is he doesnt care too much. In a statement, the Presiding officer said that he didnt believe that the Scottish Governments continuity bill is within the remit of the Scottish Parliament because it would make provision now for the exercise of powers which is it possible [that Holyrood] will acquire in future. So Kens legal argument, such as it is, seems to boil down to saying that you cant legislate for things which havent happened yet even if you specify that the provisions in the bill will only take effect if the thing in question does actually happen. If that were true then there wouldnt be any Brexit legislation at all, because Brexit hasnt happened yet. Im no lawyer of course, but then neither is Ken. James Wolffe, the Lord Advocate, is definitely a lawyer, the top lawyer in the land no less, and the Lord Advocate is of the opinion that the draft bill is most definitely within the competence of the Scottish Parliament. The Lord Advocate has issued a statement of his own saying that the continuity bill is carefully framed to avoid doing anything or having any effect before Brexit happens. He says that it is perfectly lawful for the Scottish Government to legislate now for what is to happen once EU law no longer applies. Ken disagrees, because hes got a degree in history and worked as a reporter for BBC Scotland. So naturally Ken is in the right here, and the Scotland in Union member of an anti-independence party is pure dead unbiased and not in any way motivated by any tribal hatred of the SNP. Oh no, not at all. Because that would be wrong. The Welsh Senedd has fewer powers than Scotland does, but a remarkably similar bill has been presented to the Welsh Senedd and has been accepted as within the competence of the Welsh legislature to vote on. The difference of course is that the Welsh Government is led by the Labour party and so their bill isnt a dastardly plot to undermine the Union even though it says pretty much the same thing and makes pretty much the same provisions as the Scottish one does. That said, Welsh devolution is underpinned by different legislation from Scottish devolution, and it is technically possible that legislation in Wales can be lawful but an equivalent in Scotland be unlawful. Morally and politically however, the case is unanswerable. Scotland has supposedly got a more powerful legislature than Wales, the powers of which were guaranteed and enshrined into law after the 2014 referendum by the same British government which is now trying to grab them for itself. Onieweys, according to Reporting Scotland at least, none of this is as important as the incredible and amazing fact that its snowing in Scotland in the winter. Because snow in the winter in Scotland totally unexpected. That Humza Yousaf should be out there personally with a snaw shovel. Actually no, strike that. He shouldnt be making any preparatory arrangements at all. He should be sitting at home and doing absolutely nothing at all, because according to the Ken Wossisname Doctrine, the snaw hasnt happened yet. Its clearly outwith the competence of the Transport Minister to make contingency plans for things that havent happened yet. But you can bet that if the Transport Minister didnt make any plans for what would occur if there is indeed a large and disruptive fall of snow, then Kens party would be amongst the first to condemn That Humza Yousaf for not doing his job. Funny then that hes so determined that the Scottish Government should refrain from making any contingency plans for the crap that is going to rain down on Scotland once Brexit hits the fan. The Scottish Government is pressing ahead with the Bill despite Kens objections. The Lord Advocate is due to explain to MSPs tomorrow (Wednesday) why he believes that the Bill is within the remit of Holyrood. Although this probably wont shut up Tory MSP Adam ITS THE LAW! Tompkins who seems determined to go down a Madrid style route and claims that the Scottish Government is acting illegally. The matter doesnt have to be resolved for now, the Scottish Parliament can vote on the Bill, which since it counts on the support of the Greens and the SNP will presumably pass. However the legality of the bill can be challenged during the period when its awaiting Royal Assent, and then the matter will be taken to the UK Supreme Court. Ken Macintosh is going to be remembered at last. Hell be remembered for being the first Presiding Officer to rule that a bill is outwith the remit of the Scottish Parliament and then being slapped down by the Lord Advocate who has ruled that it most definitely is within the competence of the Scottish Parliament. Hell be remembered for putting his British nationalism before the permanence and power of a Scottish Parliament which his own party has guaranteed to strengthen and respect. But then Kens a Labour politician, and so is constitutionally incapable of seeing a constitutional crisis looming on the horizon without making it worse. IMPORTANT NOTICE: Due to the weather, tomorrows The National Roadshow event in Peterhead has been postponed. Forecasts expect a foot of snow, high winds and -10C temperatures for the North East. The event will be rescheduled. Sorry for the inconvenience. The Wee Ginger Dug has got a new domain name, thanks to Indy Poster Boy, Colin Dunn @Zarkwan. http://www.indyposterboy.scot/ You can now access this blog simply by typing www.weegingerdug.scot into the address bar of your browser, the old address continues to function, the new one redirects to the blog. The advantage of the new address is that its a lot easier to remember if you want to include a link to the blog in leaflets, posters, or simply to tell a friend about it. Many thanks to Colin. Wee Ginger Donations & Speaking engagements You can help to support this blog with a Paypal donation. Just click the donate button. Or you can donate by making a payment directly into a special bank account, or by sending a cheque or postal order. If youd like to donate by one of these methods, please email me at weegingerbook@yahoo.com and I will send the necessary information. Please also use this email address if you would like the dug and me to come along to your local group for a talk. Tomorrow Morning, The News where you are  headline during the 93 seconds Pacific Quay Stockade bulletin during 3 1/4 hours of BBC Breakfast featuring England s White Out, will be some daft Yoon Plant in their car stuck in snow drifts on the M80, spittin teeth, howling mad that Humza and the BAD SNP had let this weather happen: they should have fired assault rifles into the howling wind and snow storms to disperse the damned thing. Thats what they are doing in Florida and it seems to be working, or not. Wee Kenny is a Brit Nat placeman. It is getting to the very angry stage now. Ruth Davidson has promised to stop eating babies; well uncooked weans at least. But if they are born as the result of rape, prove it or the bairns starve. Tomkins is a political joke, yet the MSM big him up for his bravery, a euphemism straight out of Sir Humphreys lexicon. Hell not be throwing money in the direction of the poor any more. A political reject, front and centre at Holyurood demanding that our Government let his WM Masters trample all over the democratic will of the citizens of Scotland. Idiot. Tonight Kens former employer, BBC Britland, has cancelled Scottish Programmes, a Scots soap and a Shetland Murder Mystery, and foisted an English FA Cup Replay on us Up Here. On BBC 2 a Portillo piece of self indulgence on Manchester railways, followed by a feature on Brighton. The message from Nicola MacKinnon, Jackie Bird, and Co? Scotland, you dont matter. The message from Ken Boy, Scotland you have no power. England rules Ya Bass. I dont know about the rest of you but I will leave the EU over my dead body, if you get the contradiction of terms. What an odious little man the PO is. I gather he has a family. Post Brexit Scotland ruled by English MPs. Scotland is so insignificant that the BBC can airbrush it out of existence at a stroke. Just like it did tonight. This is the future of servitude and colonisation which your daddy is preparing for you. It is clear where Ken PO takes his orders from and its from his masters in the UKGov. I think the law will take precedent here, but that is just what the UKGov would like to diminish and or remove, Scot Law. They would not just take powers devolved, but they would remove Scots laws and education which have always been the responsibility of Scotland, not dictated by or ruled over by the UKGov. Independent of England. If society was organised by Kens standards, there would be no use for laws because it would be based on hypothetical scenarios so not in the remit of the society. I see your comment Jack about bbc removing programmes in Scotland tonight and replacing them with English repeat of English football. I do hope that this will make sure that even Britnats in Scotland will switch off and think about why they are paying for the bbc. Except for the old folks around us, thy all get it free so will watch it anyway. Brainwashed. Assuming is within his ken, the Presiding Officer could perhaps focus on ensuring documents (Brexit impact assessments of the Scottish variety), that the Secretary of State for Scotland tried so very hard to prevent from being viewed by MSPs, can now be made generally available to our elected (Scottish) Parliamentary representatives and to the general public in Scotland. i.e letter received late on Wednesday 7th February to inform him that MSPs would only be able to view the document by appointment only on Thursday 8th February or on Friday 9th February between 10 am and 1pm and between 2pm and 5pm at the Scotland Office building in 1 Melville Crescent. Times when MSPs are busy with Parliamentary business or when theyre due to be holding constituency surgeries. MSPs wont be allowed to copy the papers, to photograph or scan them. They wont be allowed to take copies away with them. They wont be allowed unsupervised access to the papers, and theyve been warned that the content of the papers is not to be made public.  oh yes and even pages onlyand most definitely located behind the door with sign saying beware of the leopard. the intent and outcome of trying to hide such papers from Parliamentary / public scrutiny in respect of Brexit, cannot, unfortunately, be considered as mostly harmless. Brilliant Wee Dug. This is so correct and true, yet here again we have a native Scotsman shooting it down. Sorry, but we do seem to possess some undercover, masochistic kinsmen. Are they so conditioned they cant break free? What a mess. They are such a mess. Boris added more rubbish tonight. It was desperate nonsense from Ken Thingimebob who instructed him to declare it  not within the remit? They must be in total panic to act so crudely. The words flutter and hen-coop spring to mind, Paul. Ken Who? may be the Presiding Officer but he is clearly an irrelevance, since he cannot even find out what is and what is not legal! We plough on (no snow pun intended) regardless. The Lord Advocate has already put him in his place  all we need to do is keep calm and carry on. The thing is that as currently written the Scotland Acts mentions these powers not as being reserved but as residing in the EU. Depending on how you look at it the intent may very well have been to allow for a bit of flexibility in removing powers in the future without the tedium of consulting Holyrood in order to trade them to the EU. If that was the malicious intent then its backfired spectacularly as if/when the UK quits the EU the sum total of powers withheld due to our membership drops to zero. In other words in a sane world the Continuity Bill would be a waste of time as itd simply reiterate the current state of affairs as laid out in the Scotland Act. Going by the POs logic though, the EU powers arent yet back in the hands of either Holyrood or Westminster so any changes to existing laws involving them would be invalid in both. Finally whilst the PO might point out/advise that a Bill is outwith the competence of Holyrood that isnt a final say. For instance changes might be made to bring the Bill into said competence at which point his opinion might change. The Presiding Officer is supposed to be independent, yet its becoming increasingly obvious that Ken McIntosh isnt. Which is a shame, because his predecessor was. So, both Ken and Tompkins know better than the Lord Advocate about the legality of the Continuity Bill? And in Wales the P.O. ruled a similar Bill within the competence of the Assembly. Makes you wonder if Ken and Tompkins were better together today, doesnt it? This Whole episode and recent cr-p re PO and BJ is worrying. I dont think for one minute the Britnats have not thought this through . May and her ilk are positioning themselves getting ready for a constitutional crisis . They will have some dastardly plan or weasel words to use in an effort to blame the SNP . If it goes to the Supreme Court for a ruling then I feel we all know the outcome. Personally, Im going with the Lord Advocates advice. How and ever, if the PO wants to toddle down this particular path thatd be his choice.  Seems though, that Labour in Wales and Labour in Scotland (both the same Labour by the by) have something of a communication problem. It also seems that only one of these groups gives a damn about economic impact on a population and an already severely strained handout. The general theme is that Sturgeon threatens Brexit crisis. Few take the ground that the crisis was really introduced by UK government. That crisis for Scotlands population IS that a Brexit they didnt vote for, in a vote they didnt ask for, is being visited upon them. I am constantly bemused by the antics of Unionist supporters, be they politicians or members of the public, when the First Minister or the SNP, rains on their parade by out smarting them at every turn. For once, The Scottish Government was within, as opposed to outwith, its rights to Cry Wolffe (QC) when this odious little man abused his role as PO yet again. Its time for him to go and tend to his constituents needs. But wait, he got booted out by his constituents; hes a JobsForTheBoys ex BBC Scotland Red Tory List Freeloader, isnt he? Yet he actually believes that he can halt the now inevitable path to Scottish Self Determination. Go man, before you are booted out on your neck. btw, its snowing. We need only sit back and watch as the madness overflows into dangerous posturing over Norn Ireland, Sam. In poker parlance, Michel Barnier has called Mays Strong and Stable bluff, and upped the stakes with a Calm and Pragmatic draft resolution, operationalizing the only solution to the Irish Border question which is practicable in the 13 month window remaining for Brexit talks. Arlene isnt pleased, and neither is Ian Paisley Jnr. There is of course no solution to this mess which doesnt tear up the Good Friday Agreement and plunge Ireland back into the hands of the psychopaths, or Mays Government to fall as the Uk breaks up because of her ineptitude and dilatoriness, or should that be dilaTORYness? Arlenes spitting teeth and Ian Paisley Jnr is in No Surrrredurrrr mood. Perhaps he will emulate his old Pas Well all be Murdered in our beds! Million Man March and lead the Orangemen of the World armed with pitchforks and pikestaffs to the Border and prevent the Furren Border Reivers from contaminating Britain with their tainted European and mostly papish beef and cheese? Its all kicking off neatly. Oh Sam, thatll get them BriNats riled up! Not totally unexpected really as the EU has been telegraphing its proposals for a while. Im chuckling at the outrage by some, my view is that the UK is jealous they cannot produce legal text as watertight and neatly typed!!! OH THE OUTRAGE hahaha It is so sad that the UK, and particularly Scotland, does not have an unbiased (and truthful) media so that all of us can get at what is really going on. Many people I know are clueless about all this. I agree that the nutter Brexiteers will attack the EUs legal take of what they agreed with the UK last December. You can guess what the EU negotiating teams must be feeling at all this. Best not printed as it would be full of swear words in every language. Our negotiators must feel like chumps in front of the EU teams. Not their fault. I think SG are doing a great job. Surely the Unionist parties at Holyrood will not vote themselves out of a job and ignore the people who voted them in. Andy, as long as the Pacific Quay Stockade throws money at them for spouting SNP SHITE propaganda, and our Yoon Unis give them wee bungs as visiting professors, as long as the Old Boys Network arranges a seat on a Quango or Henry Mc Leish two decades after he resigned from politics following a financial muddle, needs a team to undertake his latest nice little earner Review of Scottish Football, then this lot of Freeloading nobodies will never be out of work, or short of a bob or two. Poor ol Professor and Bigot WATP Adam Two Jobs Its The Law Tomkins, would have to struggle along on his lecturers wage, and his index linked unelected list shoo in MSP pension. They are like bookies, you never see a poor Yoon politician, not even when we the people, have kicked them out on their self serving arses. I could not be in a room with any of them now, such is my rage and disgust at this unprincipled gang of carpetbaggers, liars and imperialists. WE are at war, in all but name now. Excellent article. British nationalist hatred of Scotland is so ingrained in their attiudes that supposedly neutral holders of positions in poiltics and the media just cant themselves when casting so-called judgement. Yesterday Lord Heseltine and today John Major gave very good speeches against Brexit. John Major was great today, he did not miss and hit the wall. It was on BBC2 after 2pm, about ten past I think, if you go to the iplayer. A real storm going on about the EU draft bill for the UK departure. Theresa looked annoyed at PMQ today. Idiots all of them. I actually want a hard Brexit as it will help the cause of Independence. I know the economical damage but for freedom I think OK. Are we now at the end of the beginning, or the beginning of the end? Are chickens coming home? Why are all those Brexiteers up a blind alley? What is that white stuff outside? Meanwhile, the EU has published the European Commission Draft Withdrawal Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community. Within that document, on Northern Ireland, we can read: HIGHLIGHTING that discussions on the other scenarios may continue to be pursued in parallel, but that this Protocol is based on the third scenario of maintaining full alignment with those rules of the Unions internal market and the customs union which, now or in the future, support North-South cooperation, the all-island economy and the protection of the 1998 Agreement, and that it applies unless and until an alternative arrangement implementing another scenario is agreed; Amongst the bluster, wind, spindrift and snowstorm of misinformation emanating from the UK government over Brexit perhaps we have missed the vital piece of information describing how the circle will be squared, how the above paragraph will be achieved, and Northern Ireland will, simultaneously, at the same time, also be within the UKs single market. Boris has a plan. Boris needs to get out more and, preferably, not return. The Maybot said that no United Kingdom prime minister could ever agree with putting barriers between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. However, the last time I looked, from near Stranraer, there is already a significant barrier. Nearer to home, the Lord Advocate tells us, and I paraphrase, that if the Scottish Governments exiting the EU bill is not competent, then neither is the UK governments version. So, Mr Presiding Officer, whatever your name is, next time, dont be a prat. The next exciting episode to look forward to, or not, is the Maybot giving a speech on Friday from an undisclosed location in Scotland  perhaps revisiting Crathes thinking she might meet Mrs Windsor going to Church which is a common mistake made up Deeside  where she is also giving a speech in Aberdeen to a puckle of ancient folk meeting in the AECC bus shelter. When the snowdrifts of confusing rhetoric are blown away and the true lie of the land is revealed, the aspect is stark. Brexit and the GFA are simply incompatible. The only way Norn Iron can in effect remain within the critical parts of the EU (no Irish border) AND the UK (no sea border) is if the UK as a whole remains inside the EU, or as near as damn it. This is the stuff of farce, no less! Well, thats another fine mess youve got us into! Well, Sam, Major didnt write this impassioned plea for cooler heads. It has all the hall marks and the vocabulary and phrasing of senior Whitehall Mandarins, backed by the City, CBI, and the Furren Car Manufacturers. 130,000 Japanese jobs. Really? This wee slip hints at who the speech writers represent, and its not a mechanic from Liverpool. Major is just not that clever. You may recall Private Eyes caricature of him tucking his shirt tails into his Y fronts? He was put up to this, and handed a line to take briefing from The Man. Plenty of mention of the 17 who voted Leave and the 16 who voted Remain and the 63% who voted Remain or didnt vote at all, but no mention of the 62% of Scots who voted Remain. Lots of references to the British People, and of course the GFA in which he had a (creditable it has to be said) hand. Major is a devils spawn of Thatcher who started the PFI wrecking ball rolling lets not forget. Maastricht wasnt his finest hour either. But fair dos, he has stepped up to the plate to advocate Soft Brexit, bur Brexit nevertheless. He takes a poke at British exceptionalism, when he in fact means English illusion of superiority. In prcis he is snarling fuck you Jacob, Boris, Michael, David, and Treeza. If it were reversed tomorrow, Major would be perfectly content if his English Party continued to rob Scotland blind, and destroy the Social Contract across these isles, and Scotland with clogs on. Lets not forget, he eats babies, to coin the chubby ruddy faced wee attention seeking, but strangely in hiding, blawhard. Im holding my flabber intact in the meantime, Sam. I assume that now Its the Law! the 27 will do a U Turn and back the Continuity Bill? Well they moved from Remain to mad zealot Leave without a backward glance at the greasy spot on the floor of the Chamber where they crushed their conscience underfoot in the quest for fame riches and power at any cost. These were their principles. We didnt like them, but they have others, to paraphrase Marx, the Funny One that is. Come on, Adam Two Jobs WATP. Youre supposed to be an expert. Is James Wolffe or Kenny Mack correct? As per the BBC twitter link, they tried to introduce a delaying/scrutiny amendment which was also defeated by 86  27 Jack. They now, after all, are behind backing the bestest possible Brexit for everyone.  Maybe they could explain how that works to our agricultural producers.
The intelligence agencies have been warning of such an attack almost since the London bombings in July 2005. As late as last November, the head of Britains domestic security agency, MI5, Andrew Parker, said unequivocally in an interview: There will be terrorist attacks in this country. Even though they had known it would happen one day, there was soul-searching at MI5 headquarters, Thames House, just a 10-minute walk from the events at Westminster. They know they cannot stop every attack but there is still a sense of devastation when it happens. There will be lots of soul-searching reviews to see whether there is anything they could have done to stop it. But the intelligence agencies have long warned that it is hard to prevent such lone-actor attacks. Knowing that eventually someone would get through, Parker had a well-rehearsed plan in place and, as soon as word came through from the police that there had been an incident at Westminster, his teams began to swing into action and will be working through the night. The security services, having established his identity, would have had to make sure that he was indeed working alone and not part of a network. The working assessment is that his actions were Islamic State-inspired. The front pages of Thursdays papers have been published, with some focused on MP Tobias Ellwoods unsuccessful fight to save the life of PC Keith Palmer, the unarmed police officer who rushed to confront the knife-wielding man; and others picturing the attacker himself. Five South Korean tourists injured It cites a tour agency official saying four sustained light injuries, and another serious injury  They are now being treated at two hospitals. Yonhap says the seriously injured tourist has been identified as a 67-year-old woman surnamed Park. It says she is being treated at St Marys hospital, in Paddington, for a head injury sustained when she fell in the scramble to leave the bridge. My colleague John Crace, the Guardians parliamentary sketchwriter, who works from our Westminster office, witnessed the death of PC Keith Palmer this afternoon. He writes here of the shock of the attack: The mind goes numb at times like these. A disconnect between brain and feeling. So it took me the best part of an hour to make sense of what I had seen. But the simple truth is this. Today I saw a man die. A police officer, someone I had almost certainly said hello to at some point over the years. Possibly even this morning  Armed police officers ran to the scene. Some started tending to the bodies; others stood around. Another man came running out. I didnt recognise him. None of us did, we must have all been in shock. It later turned out he was Tobias Ellwood, a junior foreign minister whom we had all seen countless times before. Time stretched out as people began to do CPR on both bodies. Then after what felt like an age later, but can only have been a matter of minutes, there was the noise overhead of the air ambulance preparing to land in Parliament Square. Several armed police officers ran from New Palace Yard to talk to three paramedics dressed in yellow. They bypassed the first body  the assailant  and went straight to work on the fallen policeman. The scene became more ordered, yet more urgent. They worked for several minutes, hoping for a miracle that never came. The numbing afternoon when I saw a police officer die outside parliament | John Crace London is the greatest city in the world and we stand together in the face of those who seek to harm us and destroy our way of life, the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said earlier. Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism. Mark Rowley, acting deputy commissioner of the Met, said hundreds of officers would continue through the night in their work on the investigation into the attack: We are forensically examining a complicated crime scene that covers a wide area, and as with all investigations of this nature it will take us some time to work through the painstaking work necessary to get all of the relevant evidence. But parliament will reopen on Friday, with business in the chambers expected to resume. Several MPs have already stated their intention to return to Westminster in the morning. Police have said some entrances to the parliamentary estate will be closed as they are part of the crime scene. On a precautionary basis across the country we are stepping up police patrols  unarmed and armed  and the public will see far more of their local police forces over the forthcoming days, particularly in crowded places and iconic locations.
Westminster Attack: How Has Our Ability To Fight Terror Changed Since 7/7? Yesterday London experienced its largest terrorist incident since the 2005. It was 12 years ago when terrorists detonated three bombs on the London Underground Tube network at Edgware Road, Russell Square, and Aldgate, with one other on a bus outside the British Medical Association at Tavistock Square. Since those devastating attacks, which happened now over a decade ago, terrorism has rarely been out of the news, so it seems pertinent to ask the question: How has London's terror response changed since then? Is London now better equipped to deal with a terrorist attack than it was then? First Responders Perhaps the best place to start is with the first responders. One of the major challenges on 7/7 was the inability of the emergency services to effectively communicate. In 2005, radios did not work on the Tube network, which hindered the ability to coordinate the rescue of the people trapped underground. So a new technological solution was sought. In 2009 though this problem was solved with the expansion of the police, ambulance and fire services Airwave network to cover the 125 Underground stations that are actually underground. These devices dont use the normal mobile network, but a special trunked network designed for emergency services, and is arguably more analogous to old-fashioned walkie-talkies than mobile phones. Perhaps the most significant change for first responders has been in how they can communicate with the public. With the rise of social media, various first responding actors like the Metropolitan Police and the London Ambulance Service are able to get the message out directly to people via Twitter and Facebook - as well as collect valuable on-the-ground intelligence. But here's the surprising thing: this appears to be about it in terms of cutting-edge technology, as far as I can tell. When I set out to write this article, I was hoping that it would be a run-down of James Bond-style gadgetry that has been deployed to stop terrorists, but instead it seems as though the response has been more subtle. New gadgets exist, like the Throwbot, which is essentially a camera on wheels and is designed for reconnaissance in tight spaces. But nothing like it appears to have been deployed on a large scale, at least according to publicly available information. Similarly, you might expect drones to play a role, and we know that police forces are increasingly interested in drones. But it doesn't appear that they are yet part of the standard emergency response toolkit. Responding to terrorism then is a more complex question. Essentially, if youve got a terrorist with a bomb, a gun, or a knife, it is already too late. So as a result, most of the responses have been preventative. And here there have been much bigger changes. Preventative Measures Technological change has still played a role. Since 7/7, real time CCTV has been introduced on London buses, using the 3G and 4G networks to send the signals back to base. At airports, full body scanners have become more common, which are capable of not just detecting metal but non-metallic items hidden on someone too. Millimetre Wave Scanners were introduced by the UK Borders Agency and work a bit like a sonar - using electromagnetic radiation bounced off of a person, and measuring what it gets back to generate an image. Perhaps the most intriguing subtle innovation though has been the continued expansion of militarised architecture. In 2011, Tom Dyckhoff from The BBCs Culture Show made the above film, which is a fascinating look at Londons Ring of Steel (which was actually created as a response to the IRA) and other architectural responses to the terrorist threat. Essentially, next time youre at a major public building, have a look at the bollards and plant pots surrounding it, which may have been placed more thoughtfully than you thought. As the film points out, the concrete pillars that run along Whitehall may look old or decorative, but they are actually a new addition designed to stop vehicles (ie: car bombs) getting close to the buildings. In the years following 7/7, pretty much every major building in London has been constructed or retrofitted with these sort of considerations in mind. In a sense the wall around Parliament, which long pre-date 7/7, is an early example of this sort of architecture - which, as we saw yesterday is specifically designed to prevent cars from getting inside the Parliamentary estate. The fact that it sort-of fits in with Parliament's aesthetics is just a bonus. This subtle defensive design is now commonplace. The City of London, which is home to skyscrapers, banks and other presumably desirable targets, is only accessible through a handful of entrances. Other roads into the City are closed off; not with scary looking barriers or walls, but through pedestrianisation and the creation of new gardens. By funnelling everyone who enters the City through these specific entrances, they can ensure that every vehicle that enters  and possibly every person  is recorded on CCTV. Terrorism Acts Perhaps the biggest changes since 7/7 though have been in terms of policy. Since 2005 there have been two major laws passed: The Terrorism Act of 2006, and the Counter-Terrorism Act of 2008 (despite the opposite names, both acts are designed to stop terrorism). Both were controversial. The 2006 Act let police hold terrorists without charge for up to 28 days (though Tony Blair wanted 90), on the basis that it could take that long to decrypt information from terrorist hard disks. The 2008 Act required convicted terrorists to report their whereabouts and also passed a draconian rule that effectively outlawed photographing members of the army, police or intelligence services on the basis that the photos could be used to help terrorists plan an attack. As you might imagine, photographers werent happy with this, and many commentators have argued that it could be used to harass journalists who want to write about, say, police brutality for example. There has also been a number of other laws passed and proposed. Perhaps most notably is the Investigatory Powers Act - or "Snooper's Charter", as it is also known. This requires ISPs to hold on to all customers internet records, including all messages sent and web pages accessed, for 12 months. Needless to say, this has received huge amounts of criticism from organisations that support civil liberties. The argument in favour of data retention is that it would allow the security services to run algorithmic searches to pick out terrorist activity. For example, by spotting patterns in the data that occur before one terrorist attack (certain messages sent to certain people or places), the theory is that the next one can be flagged up and interrupted before anything bad happens. This big data approach has already been tested, albeit not on terrorism as far as Im aware. By running an analysis of crime data, models for predictive policing have been developed. This isnt quite Minority Report, but the idea is that algorithms can tell police where to patrol based on the odds of crimes occurring there, and the presence of law enforcement should scare off the criminals before anyone gets hurt. Whether this is making the city any safer, and whether it better prepares London to tackle terrorists, remains an open question. What's clear is that such data retention is an enormous assault on civil liberties. And interestingly, though the law was passed last November, it has yet to come into force because it is bogged down in legal action from by rights groups. Terrorist Tactics Were not the only side changing to meet the threat of terrorism  the terrorists themselves are adapting. It has been noted, for example, that Al Qaeda and ISIS have moved away from big attacks and towards smaller, more frequent attacks - which could perhaps be why the most recent atrocities such as those in France and Tunisia have been gun attacks rather than bombings. As a result British police have long trained for what they term "Mumbai-style" attacks, named for the 2008 gun attacks there. This could also impact how easy it is to detect terrorist plots. It might be possible for security services to spot when groups of suspicious people are exchanging messages and buying the material for a bomb, but it could be more difficult to spot how one lone terrorist acquiring a gun is any different from an individual, lawful gun owner doing the same. There is also the risk that terrorists will also turn to new technology, just as we have. Surely it is a grim inevitability that at some point, say, a consumer drone will be used for nefarious purposes. With regards to that, have we taken potential new threats into account? Banning consumer drones would be stupid given how they could, by and large, improve our lives (drones could not just deliver us packages, but deliver lifesaving gadgets in emergencies). But the proliferation of drones will also create new challenges for us and opportunities for bad guys. Difficult Trade-Offs Fighting terrorism has always been about making decisions based on difficult trade-offs. And this has always meant that policy makers have to make difficult decisions where it is almost impossible to judge which option is better. And since 7/7, we've seen several of these trade-offs in action. For example, the technology exists that could make it possible to fly and land a passenger plane remotely to stop a 9/11-style attack. But so far, it doesnt appear to have been implemented anywhere, because the trade-off is that it could create enormous cyber security problems. For security people, the question is what is more likely: A hijacking or a cyber attack? How can we be sure theyve taken the right or wrong decision until something bad happens? In fact, this goes back even further. The post-9/11 decision to install locks on cabin doors was a trade-off, as we saw when pilot Andreas Lubitz deliberately crashed his Germanwings plane in the French Alps. It was a situation when getting access to the cabin could have conceivably saved lives, but because the cabin was locked out of fear of hijacking, there was nothing anyone could do. This means that while we may be doing a lot, how effective it will be is a largely open question. Actions we do take should be necessarily weighed against the cost of taking them. The Snoopers Charter as mentioned above, for example, is a hugely draconian piece of legislation that potentially gives the state access to the sort of information that the East German Stasi could only dream of. Is surrendering civil liberties worth it for the hypothetical improvements in our ability to fight terror? Interestingly, in this case it seems that most terrorists who attack Europe already tend to be known to the security services, suggesting that the current system works rather well, without the need for blanket snooping. So why do we need to surrender more liberty? (My policy analyst friend Michael has coined Storys Law to describe this phenomenon, so confident is he in it.) Ultimately, the only way were going to be 100 per cent protected against terrorism is if we lived in a totalitarian society where everything is controlled and nobody is free. But nobody wants that. So instead fighting terrorism is about minimising the probabilities of attack. So for the question of whether London is better prepared now than it was in 2005 it is really hard to say. Pic at the top: BBC. Obviously. This is an updated version of a piece first published on the 7th July 2015.
We think we know who the attacker is, Acting Deputy Commissioner & national lead for Counter Terrorism Policing Mark Rowley said but stated that they were not willing to divulge the assailants name at this time, though they did admit that it Islamic terrorism is our assumption. A/Dep Cmsr Rowley: "At this stage - but it may change - we believe approx 40 people were injured including three police officers." London Ambulance Service says it has treated at least 10 patients on Westminster Bridge. An eyewitness has told Sky News he saw a body "face down" in the Thames. Witnesses said people either jumped or were knocked over the side of the bridge as the car mounted the pavement and struck a number of pedestrians. A spokesman for the Port of London Authority, which looks after safety on the river, said a female member of the public had been recovered from the water near Westminster bridge after she "fell" or "jumped" in. "A female member of the public was recovered alive from the water, but with serious injuries. She has been brought ashore and is undergoing urgent medical treatment. The working assumption is that she fell or jumped from the bridge." I came out of Westminster Tube at about 2:45pm when police were locking down the tube, ushering people out away from Parliament. I was ushered onto Westminster Bridge, and then I looked across the bridge, onto the west pavement, he recalled. For the whole length of the bridge, from south to north, there were people lying on the ground and I was then told that a car had driven from the south end all the way up the pavement to the north end of the bridge. I counted at least eight people clearly injured on the ground. Incident in #Westminster: We are treating this as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise Another witness described seeing a middle-aged man carrying a knife running towards the Palace of Westminster. Kamal Alam, a Syrian military analyst whose office isnt far from where the attack took place, also spoke with RT. I thought its just some kind of school drill, but within a few seconds heard what sounded like gunshots and a lot of screaming, and all of a sudden there [were] dozens of armed policemen telling everyone to run away from Parliament Square and Westminster Tube Station, he said. Jayne Wilkinson told Sky News: "We were taking photos of Big Ben and we saw all the people running towards us, and then there was an Asian guy in about his 40s carrying a knife about seven or eight inches long. "And then there were three shots fired, and then we crossed the road and looked over. The man was on the floor with blood. "He had a lightweight jacket on, dark trousers and a shirt. "He was running through those gates, towards parliament, and the police were chasing him." Impossible to be sure from here, but judging by the lack of resuscitation efforts it doesn't look good for either police officer or attacker According to Doug Weeks, terrorism expert at London Metropolitan University, the attack, while softened by the high security presence in the area, could have been far bloodier. Well certainly within the Parliament compound itself, that is by far one of the most secure areas within London. There are numerous police officers and other security personnel that work in that area as well as around that area, thus its not surprising that the police have a very rapid response to this incident, Weeks told RT. Following the attack, Number 10 said Prime Minister Theresa May was safe. The spokesman declined to say where May was when the attack took place. It is understood, however, she was rushed to a car 40 yards from the gates outside parliament where the shots were fired minutes after the attack. She was ushered by at least eight armed undercover police, some with their firearms drawn. The leader of the House of Commons David Lidington said the alleged assailant was shot by armed police "inside the parliament perimeter." Terror attack outside U.K. Parliament. 2 men down on road. Man with knife/machete got into Parliament and stabbed policeman. He's been shot pic.twitter.com/aYNktTiF4d The London Eye was stopped and temporarily held all its "guests" within the attraction. An air ambulance landed in Parliament Square shortly after the incident. London Ambulance Service deputy director of operations Pauline Cranmer said it has "declared a major incident and our priority is to assess patients and ensure that they are treated and taken to hospital as soon as possible." The US State Department said it was closely following the "concerning situation" in the UK. "The Department of Homeland Security stands in solidarity alongside our friends in the United Kingdom in condemning the terrible attack at Parliament today. With our partners in federal law enforcement, we are in close contact with our British counterparts to monitor the tragic events and to support the ongoing investigation," it said in a statement. .@POTUS has been briefed on the situation in the U.K. Continuing to monitor and update
Thursday 23 March 2017 10.28 EDT First published on Thursday 23 March 2017 05.53 EDT An American on holiday in London with his wife to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary has been named as the third person killed by the Westminster attacker. Relatives of Kurt Cochran, from Utah, announced his death in a statement posted on Facebook. It read: Our family is heartbroken to learn of the death of our son-in-law, Kurt W Cochran, who was a victim of Wednesdays terrorist attack in London. Kurt was a good man and a loving husband to our daughter and sister, Melissa. They were in Europe to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary, and were scheduled to return to the United States on Thursday. Melissa also received serious injuries in the attack and is being cared for in the hospital. We express our gratitude to the emergency and medical personnel who have cared for them and ask for your prayers on behalf of Melissa and our family. Kurt will be greatly missed, and we ask for privacy as our family mourns and as Melissa recovers from her injuries. Shantell Payne, his sister-in-law, said: This pain is so heartwrenching and raw it has rocked our family and all that knew him to its core. We will miss Kurt beyond words. We love you Kurt. RIP. She said her sister, Melissa Payne Cochran, was in hospital with a broken leg, rib and a cut to her head, but would recover. Sending all the love to her for a quick recovery, Shantell Payne said. Other friends said the couple were the first to be injured on Westminster Bridge during the terror assault. These are two hardworking beautiful people. I hope the people that did this are brought to justice, said Nate Kizerian on Facebook. The couple ran a recording studio in Utah and were on a tour of Europe together. The US embassy confirmed that US citizens had been caught up in the attack. Flowers laid at the scene of the attack on Westminster Bridge in London. Photograph: Hannah Mckay/Reuters News of Cochrans death came as Theresa May said the victims of the worst terror attack in Britain since the 7 July attacks in 2005, came from 11 countries. They included a German, a Pole, a Chinese national, four South Koreans, three French children, the two Romanian tourists, an Irish citizen, an Italian and a Greek couple. The second person who died was named on Thursday as Aysha Frade, 43. Frade, who had two children, was also killed on Westminster Bridge. She taught Spanish at DLD College in London, a few hundred metres from the bridge. She was described as a a highly regarded and loved member of staff. Born in Britain and a former resident of Notting Hill, west London, she also had close family living in Spain. A woman who fell or was knocked into the river Thames as the attackers car ploughed through pedestrians on the bridge was named as Andreea Cristea, a 29-year-old architect. The Romanian embassy confirmed her identity. Her partner, Andrei Burnaz, was also taken to hospital with a fractured foot, Romanian media said. The Italian ambassador said an Italian tourist who was injured when she was hit by the assailants car was doing better. Ambassador Pasquale Terracciano said he had visited the woman and she told him she had lost consciousness for about 10 minutes after being struck by the cars bumper. The woman, a tourist from Rome, underwent surgery for a compound leg fracture. She also suffered less serious injury to two of her vertebrae near her neck and head trauma. A spokeswoman from the Greek embassy in London said a Greek couple had suffered minor injuries in the terror attack. She said they walked to hospital themselves where they were treated. Colleagues of Frade, a British national, spoke on Thursday about their loss. Rachel Borland, the principal of the college where she worked, said: We are all deeply shocked and saddened  All our thoughts and our deepest sympathies are with her family. London attack: police confirm seven people arrested  live Read more We will be offering every support we can to them as they try to come to terms with their devastating loss. Aysha worked as a member of our administration team at the college. She was highly regarded and loved by our students and by her colleagues. She will be deeply missed by all of us. Frade had left the college and was walking over Westminster Bridge when she was killed. She had family in the Spanish town of Betanzos, Galicia. The towns mayor, Ramn Garca Vzquez, confirmed Frades death, saying he had been informed early on Thursday morning. The rumours that started going round last night are sadly true, he said. I didnt know her, but she has two sisters who run an English school here and other relatives in the area. Its a tragedy  There are people here in the town hall who knew her and her family and theyre deeply affected. La Voz de Galicia reported that Frade, who was married to a Portuguese man, had always lived in London but made frequent trips to Betanzos. Andreea Cristea was in London with her boyfriend to celebrate his birthday. Photograph: Facebook Among the 29 people who were taken to hospital with injuries, some of which a doctor described as life-changing, was Cristea, who was in London with her boyfriend to celebrate his birthday. She was pulled from the river in a serious condition, according to the Port of London authority. The Romanian ambassador to the UK, Dan Mihalache, told Realitatea TV that she sustained serious head injuries and has badly damaged lungs. Her boyfriend has a fractured foot. Mihalache said: They were tourists. Unfortunately they were unlucky. They had come to celebrate his birthday. He said the pair planned to marry. The woman was being treated at St Thomas hospital on Thursday. A group of French schoolchildren was also among the injured. Two teenage French students were on Wednesday night in a critical condition in hospital after being struck on the bridge. A third was also being treated in hospital. The French president, Franois Hollande, said the parents of the three injured students were being flown to London. The three students were part of a group of teenagers visiting London from the Saint-Joseph de Concarneau lyce, or secondary school, in Brittany. They were halfway through a week-long visit. There were about 96 pupils on the trip, all aged 15 and 16. About a dozen were believed to have been walking on the bridge when the car sped towards them. The injured teenagers were taken to hospital,where doctors were reported to be trying to save the life of one of them late on Wednesday. The condition of a second teenager was said to be critical. There was no information on the third students injuries. The local French newspaper Le Tlgramme reported the pupils saying that one student ended up on the bonnet of the attackers car. They had arrived in London on Sunday evening. The newspaper said the headteacher, Xavier Rebillard, had spoken to parents who had gathered at the school to wait for news. Four British students from Edge Hill University in Lancashire were also hurt, but their injuries were not thought to be serious. They were among a group of 13 undergraduates and a lecturer on the first day of a two-day educational visit. They had just left parliament, where they had watched prime ministers questions and met MPs.
Terrorism and the law: Tech companies central to government response to Westminster attack Yola Verbruggen, IBA Multimedia Journalist Monday 3 April 2017 The chaos caused by what police believe was a lone mans killing of four people near Westminster in London has once again stirred the debate on the boundaries of the law and the remit of government bodies intended to prevent terror attacks. At the centre of the debate is messenger service WhatsApp, which the attacker is thought to have used minutes before driving a car onto the busy pedestrian lane on Westminster Bridge. Police investigation showed the attacker may have used the Facebook-owned app, but it is uncertain whether he used it to send a message or simply opened the app. Podcast: Global responses to terrorism In a statement, WhatsApp said it is cooperating with law enforcement as they continue their investigations. Home Secretary Amber Rudd said the event called for government access to encrypted messages, saying, WhatsApp cannot be a "secret place for terrorists to communicate"'. Industry experts are questioning the benefits that could be gained from such access and caution against a weakening of security. I am not aware of any laws that require to be made stricter. No laws can assure safety from terrorist acts and especially those of lone wolves abusing everyday activities such as driving a motor vehicle Richard Goldstone, Chair, IBA Task Force on International Terrorism The Home Secretary's campaign to seek access to encrypted messages  which reflects a long-standing ambition of intelligence and security services in the UK and elsewhere  is profoundly misguided, says Nicholas Bohm, a member of the Open Rights Group Advisory Council and General Counsel for the Foundation for Information Policy Research. Such access can only be achieved through the introduction of secret backdoors, which harm security and privacy, according to Bohm. The harm thus caused will be hugely disproportionate to the possible gains, he says. Related links Its essential to consider the full range of security threats faced by the UK when discussing the use of end-to-end encryption, says Walker. Encryption technologies are a fundamental tool for ensuring the UK remains cyber secure. End-to-end encryption is the best defence we have available to keep the data and services we all rely on safe from misuse. Other tech companies have come under increased pressure to stop the spread of extremist propaganda. HSBC, Lloyds and the Royal Bank of Scotland withdrew their ads from Google after these appeared alongside extremist videos. The makers of YouTube videos earn money from the companies whose banners are shown alongside their footage, once their posts receive a certain number of clicks. Rudd met with leading tech companies to discuss further cooperation, but a statement released after the meeting made no mention of encryption. Our companies are committed to making our platforms a hostile space for those who seek to do harm and we have been working on this issue for several years. We share the governments commitment to ensuring terrorists do not have a voice online, Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter and Google said in a statement released after the meeting on 30 March. The Westminster attacker, known as Khalid Masood, was shot dead by police after he stabbed PC Keith Palmer at the entrance of the Houses of Parliament shortly after he had driven his car into people walking on Westminster Bridge. A dozen people have thus far been held over the event as a police investigation continues. Ten of them have been released. The police assume the attacker, who had a violent past, acted alone. Richard Goldstone, Chair of the IBA Task Force on International Terrorism and former Chief Prosecutor of the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, urged for a measured response to the attack. I am not aware of any laws that require to be made stricter. No laws can assure safety from terrorist acts and especially those of lone wolves abusing everyday activities such as driving a motor vehicle in a crowded pedestrian area. We have to accept that we have to live with that threat as we have learnt to live with the fact of many thousands of accidental deaths that is the reality we live with every day of our lives, he says. Despite Khalid Masood being born and raised in Britain, populist leaders saw the recent event as an opportunity to express their support for stricter control on immigration. Frankly, if you open your door to uncontrolled immigration from Middle Eastern countries, you are inviting in terrorism, former UKIP leader Niger Farage told Fox News on the day of the attack as he defended Donald Trumps proposed travel bans  both of which have been blocked by US courts. Javaid Rehman, a Professor of Law at Brunel Law School and an expert on Islamic law and international terrorism, says he would dispute the assertion that by having tighter immigration controls, terrorism would be controlled because many of the individuals responsible for terrorism in Europe and the United States were born and raised in the countries where the attacks took place. Rehman was a member of the International Bar Associations International Terrorism Task Force, chaired by Richard Goldstone. Rehman calls for a different approach to counter radicalisation in the UK, saying that the increasing radicalisation and disillusionment amongst young British Muslims show that the governments current programme, Prevent, has not worked. The roots to such radicalisation are deep and need to be addressed in a much more pragmatic fashion, says Rehman, the author of Islamic State Practices, International Terrorism and Islam. Juan Mendez, former UN Special Rapporteur on Torture who also served on the IBAs Task Force on International Terrorism, warns that an overreaction to the recent attack could lead to more violence: I think the law protects us not so much from terror attacks but from excesses and unwarranted encroachments of governments on our civil liberties under the guise of protecting us from attack. The balance has to be carefully drawn. If we act irrationally or we overreach, we attack our own civil liberties, we betray our own principles and we recreate conditions for more violence in the future.
[U.K]Not less than four people have lost their lives to the London Terrorist Attack that happened at Westminster today. According to Daily Mail, three people and a terrorist are dead after an attacker brought carnage to central London today, mowing down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge and hacking at police with knives in the grounds of the Houses of the Parliament. Around 20 people have also been hit when a 44 drove along the pavement on the crowded bridge, knocking down and seriously injuring pedestrians before crashing into a fence below Big Ben. The killer, described by witnesses as middle-aged and Asian, then managed to break into the grounds of Parliament, where he fatally stabbed a police officer with two knives. The policeman died at the scene. The attacker  who was shot at least twice by armed officers guarding the building  died after he was taken to hospital. Photo Credit: BBC It is currently believed he was the only lone wolf attacker, although the police have refused to rule out other people being involved. Around 20 pedestrians and three other police officers were injured. Prime Minister Theresa May was bundled into her car by a plain-clothes police officer and driven quickly from the scene as the attack unfolded. She chaired a meeting of the Governments emergency Cobra Committee tonight. Scotland Yard said the attack, which comes a year to the day after the atrocities in Brussels, is being treated as a terrorist incident. PRIME MINISTER THERESA MAY ADDRESSES THE COUNTRY Following the attack, The Sun has reported that Prime Minister Theresa May has just addressed the country. She said: Following the sick and depraved terrorist attack on the streets of our capital this afternoon. The full details are still emerging but having been updated by police and security officials, the attacker killed two people injuring many more including three police officers. I can confirm that this appalling incident began when a single attacker drove his vehicle into pedestrians walking over Westminster Bridge, killing two people and injuring many more including three police officers. This attacker who was armed with a knife then ran towards Parliament where he was confronted by the police officers who keep us and our democratic institutions safe. Tragically one officer was killed. The terrorist was also shot dead. The United Kingdoms threat level has been set at severe for some time and this will not change. Acting Deputy Commissioner Rowley will give a further operational update will be given this evening. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected, to the victims themselves and their families and friends who waved their loved ones off but will now not be welcoming them home. For those of us who were in Parliament at the time of this attack, these events provide a particular reminder of the exceptional bravery of our police and security services, who risk their lives to keep us safe. Once again today, these exceptional men and women ran towards the danger even as they encouraged others to move the other way. On behalf of the whole country I want to pay tribute to them and to all our emergency services for the work they have been doing to reassure the public and bring security back to the streets of our capital city. That they have lost one of their own in todays attack only makes their calmness and professionalism all the more remarkable. The location of this attack was no accident. The terrorist chose to strike at the heart of our capital city, where people of all nationalities, religions and cultures come together to celebrate the values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech. These streets of Westminster, home to the worlds oldest Parliament are ingrained with a spirit of freedom that echoes in some of the furthest corners of the globe. And the values are Parliament represents democracy, freedom, human rights, the rule of law, command the admiration and respect of free people everywhere. That is why it is a target for those that reject those values. But let me make it clear today, as I have had cause to do before, any attempt to defeat those values through violence and terror is doomed to failure. Tomorrow morning Parliament will meet as normal, we will come together as normal and Londoners and others from around the world who have come here to visit this great city will get about and go about as normal. They will board their trains, they will leave their hotels, they will walk these streets, they will live their lives and we will all move forward together. Never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of evil and hate to drive us apart. PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI SYMPATHISES WITH UK President Muhammadu Buhari has recently sympathized with the people and Government of the United Kingdom. This is contained in a tweet published by the Presidents handle this evening. My sympathies to PM @theresa_may and the Government and people of the UK. Nigeria stands with you at this sad and trying moment. An attack anywhere in the world is an attack on us all. The whole world must join hands to defeat terrorists and conquer their evil. He proclaimed. MOOD IS NOW CALM AND RESIGNED  BBC The BBC has however reported that the mood is now calm and almost resigned. In a chat with reporters, a man has said resignedly, It was a matter of time I suppose, Im old enough to remember the IRA days. I remember them saying we only have to get lucky once. Father Giles Orton, a Church of England curate from Derbyshire, in London to shop for ecclesiastical supplies, says he is just shocked and saddened.
Letting Freedom Ring According to Londons Muslim Mayor Saddiq Khan, terror attacks are just part of living in a big city. Just be brave and go on about your business. Both the London mayor and British Prime Minister refused to characterize the attack as Islamic terrorism. That was how then-President Bill Clinton described the first attack on the World Trade Center in February 1993. Maybe people living in other parts of the country who had never been to New York City or held a dim view of it accepted Clintons announcement that the attack was merely the attack of a criminal. The next year, Omar Abdel-Rahman, who helped conceived the attack, was convicted of participation in a plot to blow up bridges, tunnels and landmarks around Manhattan. Maybe residents on the Left Coast or in Middle America, who had good reason to distrust New Yorkers, thought it was just another day in New York. But when Clinton announced that the World Trade Center bombing was nothing more than a criminal act, we were indignant. Liberals are unabashed about throwing in additional charges in cases where the victim is a minority. They demand special civil rights prosecution for the offenders. But in the case of Muslim terrorists, they are a special class of criminal, butchering their victims openly in the name of their religion (Allah Akbar!!) but protected from prosecution for a religiously-motivated crime by politically-motivated civil rights laws. According to the U.K. Telegraph: The attacker  now named as 52-year-old Khalid Masood  killed five pedestrians and injured around 40 other people as he mowed down members of the public with a car on Westminster Bridge  [one woman was thrown into the Thames River below, but survived]  at about 2:40 p.m., on Wednesday, before crashing into the railings in front of Parliament. Bursting through the gate to the Palace of Westminster, he stabbed unarmed Pc Keith Palmer, 48, before being shot dead by armed officers. Masood was not the subject of any current investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack, Scotland Yard said. However, he was known to police and has a range of previous convictions for assaults, including GBH, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences. His first conviction was in November 1983 for criminal damage and his last conviction was in December 2003 for possession of a knife. He has not been convicted for any terrorism offences. A Scotland Yard spokesman said research into Masoods aliases was ongoing, adding: Khalid Masood is not at this early stage believed to be his birth name. Prime Minister May told the Commons earlier, prior to the man being identified: What I can confirm is that the man was British-born and that some years ago he was once investigated by MI5 in relation to concerns about violent extremism. He was a peripheral figure. The case is historic. He was not part of the current intelligence picture. There was no prior intelligence of his intent or of the plot. Eight people have been arrested so far, and six addresses raided across London, Birmingham and elsewhere. One witness, who works in a shop near the second-floor flat, said: The man from London lived here. He added: They came and arrested three men. Searches are continuing at the flat today after it emerged that the killers car had been hired nearby. On Thursday, the car-hire firm Enterprise confirmed the Hyundai 44 used in the attack was one of its vehicles after an employee recognised the number-plate in online photos. The car is understood to have been rented from a branch in Stratford, Shirley, in Solihull, just eight miles (13km) from the scene of the flat raid. Pundit estimate that in about another 20 years  if the current low European birth rate and the rate of North African immigration continues  the native populations of Europe will be overwhelmed and under the dictates of an Islamic tyranny. There were will be no way to avoid it. Pres. Trump wants to enact a ban on Muslim immigrants from those countries. Hes been heckled into compromising on that ban and unconstitutionally thwarted by activist judges in Hawaii. There can be no compromise with Islamic terrorists. They surround themselves with herds of refugees driving them like sheep, acting as stalking horses  hiding themselves within the innocent masses  in order to enter enemy territory and wage their battle. United States law makes provisions, does it not, for religions that prove themselves dangerous to the population? That was the reasoning for the federal government attacking the Branch-Davidian Compound in Texas in 1993. A religious group that originated in 1955 from a schism in the Davidian Seventh-Day Adventists (Davidians), a reform movement that began as an offshoot from the Seventh-Day Adventist Church (Adventists) around 1930. Some of those who accepted the reform message had been removed from membership of the Seventh-day Adventist Church because of their supplemental teachings. Today, the original Davidian Seventh-day Adventists and the Branch Davidian Seventh-day Adventists are two different and distinct groups. The doctrinal beliefs differ on such teachings as the Holy Spirit and His nature, the feast days and requirements, and who had the prophetic office since Victor Houteffs death. From its inception in 1930, the reform movement believed themselves to be living in a time when Bible prophecies of a final divine judgment were coming to pass as a prelude to Christs Second Coming. In 1993 the ATF, FBI, and Texas National Guard laid siege to their property for 51 days. The siege ended with a raid which resulted in the deaths of the Branch Davidians leader, David Koresh, as well as 82 other Branch Davidian men, women, and children, and four ATF agents. The raid appears to have been the result of a power struggle between two would-be leaders of the communal group, George Rohen, son of one of the groups spiritual leaders, and new-comer David Koresh. The groups engaged in armed conflict in a battle over the compound and leadership of the group. That was when the federal government entered the scene and made things even worse. The Branch-Davidians were a small, albeit violent, sect in the wastelands of Texas. Islam dates back to the Seventh Century, unchanged in its intolerant ideology towards women and non-believers. Like the Mexican and Central and South American illegal aliens, they have been allowed to swarm our borders unchecked. Their violence is every bit as storied as any Mexican cartel that murdered witnesses at the scene of a crime. The evidence is written into their holy books and in the writs of their genocidal clerics. Those who would hold us back from vetting, or even preventing their entry, into the United States, have a similar agenda for destroying our society. Our voices must be stronger and louder than that of the Deep State media, our craven representatives, or hired thugs at a staged rally. If we dont sound our voices soon, soon we will have no voices left. The Westminster Bridge attack was just another footstep of doom for Western civilization. British civil authority gives this advice to Londoners in case of another such attack: Run. Hide. Call for help.
People are being told to avoid the areas around Parliament this afternoon following reports that two people have been shot during a police incident. Met Police has confirmed officers are dealing with a "firearms incident" outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster and have told people to avoid Parliament Square; Whitehall; Westminster Bridge; Lambeth Bridge; Victoria Street up to the junction with Broadway and the Victoria Embankment up to Embankment tube. There are unconfirmed rumours on social media that a man has attacked police officers, with further suggestions two people have been shot. Prime Minister chairs emergency meeting Prime Minister Theresa May has chaired a meeting of the Governments emergency Cobra committee to discuss the immediate response to the bloody incident at the Palace of Westminster. The 45-minute meeting brought together senior ministers as well as senior police officers, representatives of the security agencies and London Mayor Sadiq Khan. Mrs May ordered flags to be lowered to half mast over Downing Street as a mark of respect to the innocent people who lost their lives at Westminster. Among ministers attending this evenings meeting were Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon, security minister Ben Wallace, Transport Secretary Chris Grayling, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt and foreign minister Sir Alan Duncan. Absent were Home Secretary Amber Rudd, who was away on an official trip to Pakistan, and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, in the US for a summit of nations involved in the fight against the Islamic State terror group. Statement from Mayor of London Sadiq Khan Foreign Office Minister Tobias Ellwood branded "hero MP" after attempting to save the life of the police officer Foreign Office Minister Tobias Ellwood has been branded a hero MP after attempting to save the life of the police officer killed in the Westminster terror attack. The former soldier gave mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and attempted to stem the flow of blood amid the carnage in New Palace Yard. It is not the first time Mr Ellwoods life has been touched by an atrocity, as his brother Jonathan was killed in the 2002 Bali bombing. 20:03 Group of students injured in attack Four university students were injured as they were caught up in the attack on Westminster Bridge. They were among a group of 13 students and a lecturer from Edge Hill University, in Ormskirk, who were on the first day of a two-day educational visit to the Houses of Parliament. The students had just left Parliament and made their way on to Westminster Bridge after they had watched Prime Ministers Questions and met with MPs. Dr John Cater, Vice Chancellor of Edge Hill University, told BBC North West Tonight: They had just actually finished their session, were leaving the Parliament building and in the Westminster Bridge area where we understand ... they were involved in the incident. We understand that two students have been taken to hospital but as walking wounded - one with a head wound and one with a wrist injury. There are two other students who have minor injuries who are with police and acting as witnesses. The good news is that the other nine students are now back in a hostel receiving support and will return to the North West tomorrow. He added: The details are invariably hazy I guess.Our assumption is that they were either knocked over by other people or struck by the vehicle. Obviously all of them will be somewhat traumatised by what they have seen as well. Earlier, the university tweeted: All students and lecturer in Westminster have been accounted for and are being supported by the university. (From PA) 19:54 1,000 people in Westminster Abbey being processed by police Around 1,000 people who were taken to Westminster Abbey for safety are now being processed by police. Scotland Yard urged the crowd to put delays in letting them leave into context. Chief Superintendent Raj Kohli told the crowd: There are families planning funerals as we speak so lets put it into context. The people being held in Westminster Hall, including former Lib Dem leader Paddy Ashdown and former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith, have been evacuated from the Houses of Parliament. 19:43 Video shows people fleeing as gunshots heard A video has emerged showing terrified members of the people running away from the Houses of Parliament as gunshots ring out. MPs have finally been released, five hours after attacked After almost five hours MPs were allowed to leave the Commons chamber. 19:39 A monument to the police officer killed in the attack Calls have been made for a permanent memorial in honour of a police officer killed in a terrorist attack outside the Houses of Parliament. Tory MP Michael Fabricant (Lichfield) put forward plans for a monument to the courage of the unnamed officer who was killed in the line of duty. Speaking from an office in Parliament after more than four hours under lockdown, he told the Press Association: The police do a brave and marvellous job protecting us from all sorts of dangers, not just in London but all over the country. When the dust has settled, we need a permanent memorial to the brave police officer who lost his life today. The memorial should be as close as possible to the place where he died, not just as a reminder of the sacrifice he made but also to commemorate the work of all police officers who risk their lives to protect us. 19:38 Muslim Council pays tribute to emergency services The Muslim Council of Britain has released a statement paying tribute to the police officers and emergency services. They also said their thoughts are with the victims and anyone affected. The statement said: We are shocked and saddened by the incident at Westminster. We condemn this attack and while it is still too early to speculate on the motives, our thoughts and prayers are for the victims and those affected. We pay tribute too to the police and emergency services who handled this with bravery. The Palace of Westminster is the centre of our democracy and we must all ensure that it continues to serve our country and its people with safety and security. 19:08 More pictures from scene emerge For more pictures from the scene of todays terror attack that has resulted in the deaths of at least four people, see the story below: Video: four people dead including suspected attacker 18:11 The latest from Parliament Police have told hundreds of people being held in Westminster Hall they are being treated as potential witnesses and they should expect to be held there for 60 to 90 minutes. London Ambulance Service is offering medical attention to diabetics. (From PA) 18:10 'A day we hoped would never come' Acting Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Mark Rowley, has just finished speaking outside New Scotland Yard not far from where the attack happened. He said:  My thoughts are with all those who have been affected by todays attack and as a service we have lost one of our own as he acted to protect the public and his colleagues. This is a day we planned for but hoped would never happen. Sadly, its now a reality. We will continue to do all we can to protect the people of London. He also confirmed that four people had died in todays attack and that at least 20 had been injured. One of the men who died was a police officer while another is the man believed by police to be the attacker. 18:01KEY EVENT Four people have died The Met police have confirmed four people have died, including the police officer and the man believed to be the attacker. At least 20 people are believed to have been injured. The officers family have been informed. 17:55 Feltham and Heston MP praises police Could not be more grateful for our amazing police and security forces. You take such risks to keep us safe and are true heroes. The Member of Parliament for Feltham and Heston, Seema Malhotra, has tweeted her praise of the police for their work today. 17:47 At least 10 people treated by ambulance crews at Westminster Bridge London Ambulance Service said it has treated at least 10 people following the terror attack. Emergency services were called to Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament at around 2.40pm. London Ambulance Service Deputy Director of Operations Pauline Cranmer said: We can confirm we have treated at least 10 patients on Westminster Bridge and have put a number of hospitals on alert as we continue to respond to this incident. We were called at 2.40pm today, with the first ambulance crew arriving within six minutes. We have sent a number of resources to the scene including ambulance crews, Londons Air Ambulance and our Hazardous Area Response Team. We are working closely with other members of the emergency services at the scene, with our priority being to ensure patients receive the medical help they need as quickly as possible. We have declared a major incident and our priority is to assess patients and ensure that they are treated and taken to hospital as soon as possible. As we are very busy dealing with this incident, we would ask the public to only call us in a genuine emergency. 17:44KEY EVENT Police officer stabbed at Houses of Parliament has died A police officer who was stabbed at the Houses of Parliament has died, sources said. One witness described seeing an officer stabbed in the back of the head and the back of the neck. An officer was also seen stumbling before falling on the floor. According to the witness, the attacker was wielding two knives. (From PA) 17:34 French teens on school trip injured during terror attack Three French teenagers on a school visit to London were among those injured on Westminster Bridge, according to the Press Association. Le Telegramme reported the students, aged between 15 and 16, were wounded in the attack with one ending up on the roof of the car. The pupils from a school in Concarneau, Brittany, had arrived in London on Sunday evening. A spokeswoman for the Lycee Saint-Joseph de Concarneau confirmed three students were injured but said she could give no further information. Meanwhile, French President Francois Hollande said: Terrorism concerns us all and France knows how the British people are suffering today. We are doing everything to find out if French nationals have been involved. 17:31 At least two fatalities after terror attack 17:25 Video from the scene Our reporter David Rivers took this video from Victoria Embankment, which shows the police cordon near Portcullis House and the Palace of Westminster. 17:17 MPs 'to be vetted' before leaving Westminster An MP who was locked down in the commons said staff are being vetted to check theres no one here that isnt supposed to be. He said there were a lot of people there and that he expects to be there most of the night. Mole Valleys Sir Paul Beresford said he had now been moved toWestminster Abbey after being in lockdown within the Commons.Sir Paul said: We had been voting inside the chamber. There wascomplete calm but there was an astonishing number of policemeninside.Weve been moved over to Westminster Abbey and are now waiting to bevetted. They want to check theres no one here that isnt supposed tobe. Theres an awful lot of us and I think well be here most of thenight. More officers will be deployed He said more officers would be deployed this evening while people are making their way home. Commander Harrington added: We received a number of different reports - which included a person in the river, a car in collision with pedestrians and a man armed with a knife. Officers were already in the location as part of our routine policing operation. Immediately, additional officers were sent to the scene and that included firearms officers. 17:07 'Suspect package' outside Parliament There is believed to have been a suspect package outside the Parliament according to Lib Dem peer Lord Brian Paddick. He said there was a suspect package outside Parliament which police have had to deal with before the building can be evacuated. There was a suspect package attached to a vehicle outside Parliament, the retired police officer told the BBC.Armed officers searched the whole of the Parliament estate to make sure there were no suspects outstanding.
Four people including a police officer were killed and 40 injured when a knife-wielding terrorist brought horror to the gates of Westminster. The attacker mowed victims down on Westminster Bridge before crashing his car into railings beneath Big Ben and rushing at police guarding parliament through an open gate. He stabbed and killed an officer, named as Keith Palmer, 48, inside New Palace Yard before being shot dead. Prime Minister Theresa May was ushered away from parliament by her security detail after the attack. Speaking outside 10 Downing Street after chairing a meeting of the governments Cobra emergencies committee, Mrs May paid tribute to the exceptional men and women of the police force who responded to the attack. She vowed that the forces of evil would never be allowed to drive us apart. Theresa May has branded the attack 'sick and depraved'. Police said they were treating the incident, which began at about 2.40pm, as a terrorist attack. Metropolitan Police Acting Deputy Commissioner and Head of Counter Terrorism Mark Rowley said: This was a day weve planned for but hoped would never happen. Sadly it is now a reality. At Holyrood, where MSPs were due to vote on a call for a second Scottish independence referendum, parliament was suspended following the attack. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said her thoughts were with everyone caught up in the dreadful incident at Westminster. This was a day weve planned for but hoped would never happen. Sadly it is now a reality. Mark Rowley The attacker left a trail of destruction for hundreds of metres from Westminster Bridge to parliament. Victims hit by the Hyundai 4x4 were described as having catastrophic injuries by staff at St Thomas Hospital across the Thames, who rushed to aid those hurt. One woman hit by the attackers car was confirmed dead. Another woman who fell into the Thames was rescued and given urgent medical treatment on a pier. A party of French schoolchildren were among those targeted by the car, with three injured. London Ambulance Service said paramedics treated at least ten patients on Westminster Bridge. On the floor of the cobbled courtyard in front of Parliament, paramedics fought to save the life of the police officer and his attacker, with Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood among those who rushed to help. Kirsten Hurrell, who runs a newspaper kiosk in Parliament Square, told journalists that the vehicle was shot at before it careered into the fence outside parliament. She said: There were shots to stop the car, the car turned, went completely over the cycle lane and rammed nose first into the parliamentary fence. There was someone on the ground on the right of the car. Another eyewitness, Jayne Wilkinson said: We were taking photos of Big Ben and we saw all the people running towards us, and then there was an Asian guy in about his 40s carrying a knife about seven or eight inches long. He was running through those gates, towards Parliament, and the police were chasing him. A policeman points a gun at a man on the floor at the top of the frame as emergency services attend the scene outside the Palace of Westminster. Picture: PA Frazer Clarke, 25, from Burton-on-Trent, one of a group of young boxers who saw the attack, said: We heard a loud bang and screaming and then I noticed some smoke. I thought it was a car crash. I looked towards the front gate and people were running, a police officer and a fellow coming to the gate with two knives. He was stabbing the police officer with the knives. The police officer was stumbling and fell on the floor. Another police officer walked toward the guy with the knives and shot him twice. Edinburgh South Labour MP Ian Murray said he had been heading for a vote at the time of the incident. He added: Anti-terror armed police were everywhere. Security and emergency services have been unbelievable. He said he had just been attending a meeting of an all-party parliamentary group. I went back up to them to let them know what was going on and make sure they didnt leave the room we were in. Since, we have been moved to several places and locked down - currently in Westminster Abbey. MPs spent hours in lockdown in the House of Commons chamber as police initially held thousands of people in place before evacuating them from the parliamentary estate. From inside the chamber, SNP MP Ian Blackford told The Scotsman: We at least have benches to sit on - but our thoughts are with those who give us security and who put themselves in harms way just by doing their jobs. Police Federation chairman Ken Marsh expressed deepest sympathy to the family of the officer who died following the events of Wednesdayyesterday afternoon. He added: This incident sadly shows the dangers our colleagues face on a daily basis. They show incredible bravery protecting the public. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn MP, Leader of the Labour Party, said: Todays horrific attack in Westminster has shocked the whole country. All our thoughts are with the victims of this outrage, their loved ones, families and friends. This was not only an attack on innocent people. It was also an attack on our democracy. But I know that Londoners and people across the country will stand together in defence of our values and diversity. Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said: When the attacks happened, many people, both police and civilians, ran towards the danger in order to help. Their bravery was awe-inspiring. Our response is to this must be more democracy, more openness, and more humanity. We will answer hatred with love. The Scotsmans office at Westminster overlooks New Palace Yard, where the incident unfolded. Correspondent Paris Gourtsoyannis said: There was a loud bang, like a car accident, from the direction of Whitehall and Westminster Bridge, to the east of parliament. Passers-by and police officers manning the gates were beginning to move towards the sound, when there were shouts, and what looked like someone rushing into New Palace Yard. There was a melee of police officers inside the gates, and then the sound of at least two gunshots. Two people were left lying on the pavement, which loops around to the underground parking lots. It wasnt clear what the assailant was armed with. Officers immediately began giving medical attention to both of the injured, with paramedics giving CPR. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: There has been a serious incident near to Parliament Square this afternoon which is being treated as a terrorist attack until the police know otherwise. I have spoken to the Acting Commissioner. The Metropolitan Police Service is dealing with the incident and an urgent investigation is under way. My thoughts are with those affected and their families. I would like to express my thanks to the police and emergency services who work so hard to keep us safe and show tremendous bravery in exceptionally difficult circumstances.
Emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster after policeman was stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers ( PA ) The devastation imposed after a knifeman brought chaos to the heart of Westminster was captured by photographers and TV cameras at the scene. The attacker mowed down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, before slamming his car into railings and stabbing a policemanoutside Parliament. (AP) Dozens of emergency service personnel attended the incident, which left one police officer and at least two others dead. The assailant was also shot dead by police. At least 20 others were injured. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP Photographs show the desperate scenes on Westminster Bridge after the attacker's vehicle drove into pedestrians and cyclists. Picture: (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) Victims can be seen lying on the road as as police and ambulance staff attend to them. One photo shows a member of the public tending to a wounded man on the side of the road, while officers can be seen desperately trying to clear roads around the bridge, which was closed at the request of the police. Picture: (REUTERS/Toby Melville) (AP) Police are treating it as a terrorist incident. Proceedings at the House of Commons were suspended following the incident and staff inside the building were told to stay in their offices.
S. Awan is a failed journalist, a student of history, a lover of music, film, culture, and an enthusiast of the the controversial and the weird. Also a musician, and part-time freelance, involuntary human being. Also occasionally lives on the moon. Also is a ghost. And a cigarette butt that hasn't been put out properly; so, you know, there's still, like, smoke coming out of it and stuff... I used to try to cover terror incidents or suspected false-flag ops in detail: I have an archive of articles devoted solely to the various terror incidents across the West in the last several years. But I eventually got so bored of the subject, because it got to the point where it almost didnt matter anymore whether any given attack was a genuine terror attack, a false-flag or a case of state-enabled terrorism. So, as for this latest car attack in Westminster meh. Whatever. Couldve been real or couldve been staged. Does anyone care anymore? Everyones response is going to be predetermined anyway: those who believe in the false-flag ops will believe its a false-flag, while those who dont will believe it was a real terror attack  and therefore any drawn-out efforts at detailed analysis or research become purely academic and a waste of time and energy, since the majority of people are stuck firmly in the realm of memes, hashtags and/or confirmation bias. And others of course will use it to continue the Us-Versus-Them cultural/religious/racial paradigm. Dont need to bother looking at Geert Wilders or Tommy Robinsons Twitter feed this evening  it all runs like clockwork. Also  no joke  I saw people calling it a false-flag organised by Jeremy Corbyn to deflect attention away from the Anti-Semitism crisis: which just proves that we have reached a point of almost total futility. I was wondering briefly about my own apathy: and then I decided to do Google and YouTube searches to see if anyone else was talking about the latest Westminster incident being a false-flag  and I found absolutely fuck-all. Clearly, no one cares anymore: but Im not entirely sure whether this is because most people assume a false-flag or because most people no longer believe in false-flags. In the spirit of continuity, however, I will just ask a couple of random, non-forensic questions here. Firstly, who carries out a terror attack at 7.30 in the morning? Second, why did he choose Westminster/Parliament as a target, given that security there has supposedly been beefed up after last years Westminster attack? I mean, I guess youd just call it low level terrorism with little preparation  but this one seems devoid of any forethought. Was he just a tribute act to last years 3/22 car-attack on Parliament (which was pretty much a false-flag)? Who was he targeting? A bunch of random cyclists? If youre targeting a bunch of random cyclists, why bother going specifically to Parliament? Why not go somewhere more crowded for maximum harm? Also, this looks like the most pathetic, inept terror attack to date. And the perpetrator, who were told is from Sudan, mustve known he was going to be caught easily  which, psychologically speaking, makes it dubious that he would bother with such a feeble, half-arsed attack. I suppose he could just be mentally damaged or not thinking straight. Also, I havent been able to get a definitive answer as to whether Westminsters CCTV system is online again. As I noted as soon as the first attack on Parliament happened last March, the CCTV systems across Westminster had oddly been switched off a few months prior. As I noted then, its very odd for Westminster  of all places  to switch off its CCTV, given that London is reportedly otherwise the most CCTV-heavy city in the world. As I asked back then, if London is saturated in CCTV  why would they deactivate the CCTV in the part of the city that houses all of the government locations? Certainly, once the 3/22/17 Westminster attack happened, youd think there wouldve been a rush to restore all CCTV, right? Shouldnt that have been a basic response? Ive looked it up and there seems to be conflicting statements as to what the CCTV situation is in Westminster. However, I did find this BBC report from last month, in which it appears the CCTV hasnt been restored. According to the report from July, The Mayor of London has criticised Westminster Council for dragging its feet in reinstalling previously removed CCTV cameras Only 14 cameras are currently active in the centre, compared to the 75 which were operational in 2016 The article quotes London Mayor Sadiq Khan as saying Im really disappointed that the council took a decision in 2016 to decommission and remove CCTV cameras which we know are crucial for the safety of London So it seems that Westminster would be the perfect location to carry out another low-level, random false-flag. That makes sense  otherwise youd have to ask why the terrorist would bother with a second attack on Parliament, at 7.30 in the morning? If it is a false-flag, its gotten so lazy at this point that I imagine therell be another one specifically in Westminster at some point  at least until the CCTV is all restored. Its just so convenient. Funny though  that the actual false-flags have gotten so lazy and the response to the possible false-flags has also gotten so lazy. Like I said, I did some browsing  and it seems like no one cares anymore. We  as the general public  have apparently gotten so lazy and apathetic that the conspirators have also gotten sloppy, becasue they can afford to be. Either that or its a sloppy terrorist. Either way, sloppiness all around. Theres also some talk now of the white van filmed driving erratically as it pursued the terror suspect who ploughed into cyclists and pedestrians is at the centre of growing speculation that the attacker was being followed. They have said, however, that the perpetrator was unknown to the authorities (for once). So, was he being followed? Or guided? Whatever. No one cares anymore, do they? My three posts on the original Westminster/Parliament car/terror attack last year are here, here and here. Like this: Related Could write a too much/long of a comment on this with ease. Aint it weird theres you and mmmm and who else, writes about contemporary false or hoax flags? Yright its getting rarer till youre the solo shout. YToob somewhat took over  this happened. Word is Las Vegas started dpurge or shut it? Parkland became a three-line-whip. Suppose communicators recognise the ceiling. Not glass but rock. Solid. Ones who see the light go, no one gives a.. No encouragement to edit on. Cant help but remember Barry Soetoro Esq (early YT be-banned one/had close to 100k subs). In a discussion goes; Wanna change things, stop all else and lets see, not 500 channels on Sandy Hook but 5000. Thatll get em rattled. Tend to agree. And now were down to and latest? Oh, theres  you and..? OK, Aangirfan pipes up. Where oh where else written-wise? Algorithms not returning searches aside the YT portal is all so-quiet. Does this matter? Yup/me say. Theres more to these flags than pragmatic politicals. The word is ritual and  mind-control follows. The compulsion of a crackhead at it  backroom/top-floor elites, thinking themselves like a god. Dont stop. Or got nowhere else to read. Hacked vehicle? Perhaps you recall that the potential for security services or others to hack vehicles was admitted in that trove of Vault 7 leaks. So maybe some of these attacks are remote controlled (a possibility Ive only ever heard mentioned in the case of the mysterious death of Michael Hastings). But it makes about as much sense as anything so far and anyway I just thinking outloud really. Is seems to me that youve turned quite a cynical turn these last couple of weeks. Al least is seems like that to me. Theres no need for that. This blog, and many others working on these lesser known aspects of the fucked up world we live in are now living in the shadows. There will however soon be a day when this whole facade of fakery will come crashing down, my guess is that it will start with the next big financial / economic crash and a inevitable big reset. When people get hurt in their own wallets and lives by something the experts / elite say would not and could not never ever happen again, they will be completely caught by surprise, in shock and looking for answers, whilst being more open to alternative narratives, facts and explanations of how the fuck we got here. It will be at that time that more and more people will be sucked into the rabbit-holes that exist, and it will be articles like these and the immense archive youve single handedly written by now that wil help people catch up and understand. You are part of the bigger puzzle, part of the resistance you could somewhat romantically say. Keep up the good work, keep your chin up, and keep the faith. Timing of the event is curious coinciding with the denegratory coverage of Corbyns funeral attendance. Wall to wall in the Daily Mail that morning the intention being to link Corbyn to alledged islamic terrorism. DM 1st edition went to print at approx 10pm. Searching the following terms -halfon corbyn funeral- being revealing. Of course the Mail remains tight lipped regarding the visit of then PM Maragaret Thatcher to the Kind David hotel ( scene of the terrorist attack killing many British military, civillians and police ) and her fraternising with known terrorists. Fair point. The Islamic terrorism angle doesnt really work anyway, because the Palestinian terrorists from the era theyre talking about werent Islamists  they were Muslims, Christians and secularists alike. The PLO and its splinters werent really about the religious angle. But I expect most DM readers wouldnt care about that anyway. As you have noticed the quality and organisation with these latest terror attempts leaves a lot to be desired. What is a selfrespecting terrorist doing without automatic weapons and plenty of ammo? The terrorism label gets way too much use and abuse these days. But then again, these pitiful events might be geared towards putting the public to sleep. Before pulling the big one, so to speak. Lets hope not. Copyright Notice All images and videos used on this blog (unless otherwise stated) are used on a 'Fair Use' basis. If you have any objection or complaint concerning use of an image or video, please contact me directly (using the contact form at the top of the page) and the offending item will be immediately removed. Thank you. Also - to non-WordPress users - please, when re-posting articles from this site (either whole or in part), include a credit to The Burning Blogger of Bedlam and a link back to the source. 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Fears London attack terrorist Khalid Masood was assisted by others as cops arrest 11 and MI5 probes theory he was directed by ISIS There are fears the killer who carried out a devastating attack on Westminster was lured to do so by ISIS mentors By Ellie Cambridge and Mike Sullivan, Crime Editor 24th March 2017, 3:40 pm Updated: 25th March 2017, 7:53 pm POLICE are desperately trying to establish if the Westminster killer acted totally alone or if he was directed on his mission by jihadi mentors. There are fears Khalid Masood may have been encouraged by others to carry out the attack, as three more people were today arrested and police probe the theory he had been radicalised before striking in London. Counter-terrorist detectives are attempting to trace any associates of the killer as they weed out what triggered the terrorist's rampage. This comes as the number of arrests following the horrific attack on the capital rose to 11 today. Since the night of the attack on Westminster police have raided homes across the UK and arrested people on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. A 27-year-old man was held in Birmingham last night and a man aged 35 was arrested during a swoop in Manchester. A woman aged 32 was also held in Manchester this morning. They were all arrested on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts and quizzed by police trying to piece together how he came to carry out the attack. Do you have any pictures or information about London terror attacker Khalid Masood - aka Adrian Elms or Adrian Russell Ajao? We pay for your photos and stories! Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368 Security chiefs believe the father-of-three could have been assisted by others and directed on his mission of by jihadi mentors. The terror group ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack as A'map news agency reported Masoof was a "soldier of the Islamic state". Armed officers made two further significant arrests overnight in Birmingham and Manchester as part of a nationwide investigation, code-named Operation Classific, being led by the Met Police SO15 counter-terrorism command into the attack. 'WE'RE DANGEROUS PEOPLE' not adding up CHILD ALERT Cops searching for 2 Asian men after young girl disappears on UK street HOLIDAY ATTACK Brit man held by Turkish cops after woman was battered for turning down sex Acting Deputy Commissioner Mark Rowley today said: "Whilst there is no evidence of further threats you will understand our determination to find out if he either: acted totally alone inspired by terrorist propaganda; or, if others have encouraged, supported or directed him. "At this point I want to appeal specifically to the public. "We remain keen to hear from anyone who knew Khalid Masood well; understands who his associates were; and can provide us with information about places he has recently visited." Detectives have seized 2,700 items from the searches, including "massive amounts" of computer data, while around 3,500 witnesses have been spoken to. A clearer picture of Masood's movements before he wrought carnage on Westminster is beginning to emerge. He stayed in the Preston Park Hotel in Brighton, reportedly telling staff as he checked out that he was going to London. He added: "It isn't what it used to be." The manager of the hotel said the terrorist had been "laughing and joking, telling us stories about where he lived", hours before the atrocity. Meanwhile, the widow of a man attacked with a knife by Masood in a pub assault said her late husband was injured after defending someone during a row. Masood was jailed for two years over the 2000 attack in the car park of a pub in Northiam, near Rye in East Sussex, according to a news report at the time. His criminal activity was enough to catch the eye of authorities, with Prime Minister Theresa May revealing that he had been investigated by MI5 several years ago - but was dismissed as a "peripheral figure". It is now known he took on at least three names before carrying out the atrocity in the heart of London  which killed a police officer. The English teacher had a string of aliases and was born in South East London under the name Adrian Elms. He grew up in Tunbridge Wells, Sussex, where he was known as Adrian Elms before taking on his stepfather's surname of Ajao. AC Rowley added: "There might well be people out there who did have concerns about Masood but weren't sure or didn't feel comfortable for whatever reason in passing information to us. "I urge anyone with such information to contact us the Anti-Terrorist hotline which is 0800 789 321.
David Pratt: We must get to the core of what lies behind jihadists actions David Pratt: We must get to the core of what lies behind jihadists actions I WAS in Westminster on Wednesday. As I stood waiting for the security guard at Portcullis House to finish the hand search of my trolley bag that had already been X-rayed, I couldnt help noticing the threat level from terrorism on a digital wall screen read: Severe. In itself this was not particularly significant, given that it had registered the same level some months ago, when I was last in the Parliament building. Bit of nice light reading? inquired the friendly security guard, noticing the book in my bag as he rummaged through my belongings. I told him that I was here to chair a conference on jihadist terrorism. The book on the Islamic State (IS) group, I explained, was authored by a friend and colleague, who would be speaking at the event, and I wanted him to sign it for me as a memento. Just after three oclock that same day, around the time my colleague was addressing the audience, we were suddenly interrupted and ushered out of the committee room adjacent to the Parliamentary chambers. At the intersection of every corridor, special armed response police, some masked, kitted out in Kevlar body armour and helmets and carrying automatic rifles, stood on alert. Out into Speakers Courtyard we were led, along with MPs, cabinet ministers and a party of visiting schoolchildren. As we filed past the spot where the body of brave PC Keith Palmer lay, who just a short time before had been stabbed and killed at the Parliament gates, I realised once again how easy it is for terrorism to touch all our lives. I say once again, because Im no stranger to such things. The same, too, can be said of some of my conference colleagues who were with me at Westminster on Wednesday. Among then was an Arab journalist who once spent days sleeping in Afghanistans mountain caves in the company of al-Qaeda, meeting and interviewing Osama bin Laden. Two others included a Syrian peace activist, and a man who has spent a great part of his working life in the dangerous world of counter-terrorism. For all four of us the terrible human cost that lay before us at Westminster was sadly all too familiar. The bodies of the police constable and others who died on Westminster Bridge inevitably made me think of two weeks before, when I was in Iraq covering the battle for Mosul. For most of the last three years in Iraqs second city, the barbarism of IS has haunted the lives of more than one million Iraqis, just as it does countless other people in parts of neighbouring Syria. The Westminster attack came almost a year to the day when 32 people were killed at Brussels Airport in Zaventem. It came one day, too, after the US and UK governments announced that for a number of Middle East-based airlines flying to America or Britain, passengers would no longer be allowed to bring larger electronic devices such as laptops and tablets into the cabin, but instead will have to put them in their checked luggage. Sometimes its hard to remember that a generation ago jihadist terrorism was not the fact of life that it is today. Only recently in Europe did it become so, with the London and Madrid bombings, and then with the IS-inspired and controlled attacks in Paris and Brussels. Only even more recently has it graduated to the use of trucks and knives as weapons. Our Westminster conference on jihadist terrorism on Wednesday was the subject of Chatham House rules, so Im in no position to detail who precisely said what. But time and again, even before real-time Islamist inspired terror came to within yards of the event, there were recurring motifs and themes among what my colleagues were saying about the way we tackle this scourge. Whether home or abroad this is not a something that can simply be left to politicians and bureaucrats, almost all opined. I listened as each of them repeatedly called for a reassessment of just exactly what the term them and us means, which so often occupies discussions on radicalisation and terrorism. I listened too as the case was made for greater interaction with a Muslim youth that in many instances feel increasingly alienated. Over and again the words marginalisation, humiliation and military intervention all lent weight to the arguments that were made as to what provides the germ of the Islamist terrorism that has come to inhabit our modern-day lives. How many more times do we have to listen to the bankrupt proposition that the way to fight terrorism is to declare war on terrorism? To gallop into yet more overseas military adventures only succeeds in inciting more terror. We cannot bomb ourselves free of jihadist terrorism; that is no more likely than the belief of those same jihadists that such violence can bring about their caliphate. Do those who are taking the fight to IS in Mosul really believe that once the city is liberated the jihadists will not metamorphose into another form or simply export their violence somewhere else like Yemen or Libya? In tacking such terrorism we must first understand it at the human level if we are to persuade terrorists of an alternative direction. When I say this Im not talking about appeasement here, but empathy. Good human intelligence and data about terrorist organisations structures remain vital if we are to stop attacks like that at Westminster. But equally important is the need to get beneath the skin of jihadist terrorist motivation in other ways. Reluctant as many are to admit it, the time has come to recognise that this is also about the relationship between individuals and the societies in which they find themselves. Its about how much those individuals feel they have a level of emotional and intellectual engagement with the societies in which they live or the lack of it. As long as people continue to be exposed or subjected to repression and injustice, terrorism in many forms will flourish. It will continue to impact on all our lives as it did on those innocents in Westminster on Wednesday and in Mosul for the past two and a half years. Despite the tragic events in London the other day my colleague signed my copy of his book for me. Unfortunately however, the date of his inscription will now linger as y et another infamous day among many when jihadist terrorism left its scar. 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Theresa May I am Angry I am sorry Theresa May but I am looking back in anger this morning. I and many millions more in this country are really bloody angry, not at Muslims, not even at the terrorist, but angry at you and the rest of the Westminster Swamp who are failing in your first basic duty, which is to protect us. Oh, what a surprise that the latest terrorist nut job is an immigrant from Sudan or as the Security Minister, Ben Wallace, told the BBC, in typical PC language (i.e. do not mention the I or M word) "He is a British citizen who is originally from abroad." Correct Mr Wallace and now for being such a good PC poodle you can give out the pencils at the next cabinet meeting or the aptly named Cobra meeting. Is it called cobra because they must be drunk to come out with their half-baked plans on how to react to terror on the streets of the UK? Back to Mr Ben, actually mate this terror nutjob lives in Birmingham in a scruffy flat above an internet caf just ten minutes from the former home of Khalid Masood, who 17 months ago murdered innocents on Westminster Bridge. Shall I do the dot to dot for you Mr Ben? Pass me a pencil? A five-year-old could work out that no amount of Cobra or Cobra meetings or pussy footing around is going to protect us we need tough action. We need a leader who says, "Another terrorist attack in LondonThese animals are crazy and must be dealt with through toughness and strength!" Unfortunately, these are the words of Donald Trump, not Theresa the Appeaser who is probably donning a headscarf as we speak and polishing her speech about how this has nothing to do with Islam whilst telling us not to look back in anger, light a flipping candle and sing Kumbaya. In fact, she actually said, "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." "The twisted aim of the extremists is to use violence and terror to divide us. They will never succeed." So, in other words, it's a case of, move along please nothing to see here. No doubt the attention will now swiftly turn back to the real enemy of the West, Donald Trump and his comments will be condemned by our spineless politicians as "inflammatory" and "ignorant". Whereas they are in my opinion more in tune with British public than anything coming out of the Westminster swamp. Be straight with me, do you honestly feel any safer on the streets than you did 17 months ago when Khalid Masood killed 5 innocents in Westminster or after Salman Abedi slaughtered 22 in Manchester? All together now, "Don't look back in anger" In fact, Theresa Dismay yesterday told us, just before she sang Kumbaya, that the number of live counter-terror investigations had leaped from "more than 500" in March 2018 to the astonishing figure of 676. But don't worry, the security services have foiled 13 Islamist plots in the past 18 months and 4 by far-right extremists. Oh, that's a right then we can all sleep easy, can't we? Yes, we can Jon because then they tell us that this nut job, Salih Kahter was a lone wolfagain. How many lone wolves do the Establishment need to make a pack? We are also told he wasn't known to the Police or security services. Are we, therefore, meant to add him to the 23,000 in the UK that the Government warned were already a threat to us? Or should we add him to the 700 fully trained home-grown jihadists and traitors who they have recently just let back into the UK? Those in power are either stupid or deluded or perhaps they think we are? We've had days of nonsense talking about Boris comments, where he didn't even call for a ban on the Burka, as if his words were a threat to national security and community integration but we have a terror attack and we are just told to move on? There were even tweets within seconds of yesterday's attack linking Boris' views on the Burka as the reason for the attack! I thought the liberal intelligentsia had told us, plebs, to never speculate and never ever link terror with Islam? It is pathetic. Don't panic though guys, as Dick of the Yard is in charge with Sadiq Khan who has said again that, "Londoners will never be cowed, intimidated or divided by terrorism." Dick's solution is not to be cowed but instead to pedestrianize Westminster! How do these useless politicians and Coppers keep a straight face when they come out with this garbage? I was in Birmingham yesterday trying to get my daughters phone fixed and I tweeted this, "Forget London I'm in Birmingham and there are security barriers everywhere. I do not want to live like this I want my government to sort out this enemy. Stop pussy footing around. I say no to no go areas! Enough is enough. Stop getting upset with words and deal with terror. Agree" My tweet got an incredible response as I had obviously hit a nerve. I stood outside the Apple store waiting for my daughters and it is right next to the huge yellow security barriers that are there to stop a car or lorry attack I presume. I was thinking, is this how we want to live from now on as if we are in a war zone? Calm down I am not saying all people in Burkas are terrorists and I am certainly not saying all Muslims are the enemy far from it but I have to agree with the Imam Taj Hargey who says it is a symbol of resistance and defiance. We need to get beyond the debate about the piece of cloth and into the debate about the fact that it is the Saudi Arabian influence and funding of certain mosques that is at the route of the terror threat we are facing. Why are our politicians so scared of confronting this? It couldn't be anything to do with us selling them fighter jets could it! We need this debate now, in fact, we should have had it years ago but instead, we are given all this nonsense about young Muslims being radicalized or brainwashed on the internet! Donald Trump is correct, the people who carry out these attacks are animals and the people who essentially fund it are animals and butchers too. It is time our politicians admitted this and confronted it. We do not need backdoor blasphemy laws and conflated Westminster rows about words, we need action tough decisive action. Put down the Cobra, the candles, stop changing you twitter handles and let's get angry with the right people, our politicians and make them confront the real danger. If Theresa May is incapable or too weak to do it could the Conservatives for once please put country before the Party. I won't hold my breath! The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Sputnik. Hello, ! We are committed to protecting your personal information and we have updated our Privacy Policy to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), a new EU regulation that went into effect on May 25, 2018. Please review our Privacy Policy. It contains details about the types of data we collect, how we use it, and your data protection rights. 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The attack on Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament fits a pattern emerging across Europe: terrorism has gone low-tech, freelance and ever-harder to tackle The terror attack in central London fits a familiar pattern  in more ways than one. Not only did it sow fear on the streets of a major European city, but the subsequent response was one of a familiar, yet much-needed, spirit of resilience: parliament was in session on the following day, and Prime Minister Theresa May made a statement declaring the forces of hate and evil would not prevail. But, more ominously, it also fits a pattern of low-tech terrorism that is harder to counter than traditional violent campaigns, and  as with the most recent atrocities in France and Germany  indicates a change in the nature of the threat that now stalks our streets. The Westminster attack came a year to the day after an Islamist cell set off three simultaneous bombs in the Belgian capital Brussels, killing 32 and injuring over 300. Since then, however, terrorist attacks in Europe have been decentralised, often perpetrated by a single individual without access to a military arsenal. Contemporary attacks no longer require command structures or stockpiles of semtex and AK-47s. These guys dont need sophisticated equipment to carry out their death-dealing. They use tools anyone can get hold of, over the counter, like knives and cars, says author and counter-terrorism researcher Aaron Edwards. France has been Europes ground zero for terrorism in recent years, starting with the assault on the offices of satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo and on a kosher supermarket in January 2015, and continuing with the November 2015 attacks on diners in Paris restaurants and revellers at the Bataclan concert venue, and the 2016 Bastille Day massacre in Nice. But through this period there have also been a number of other lower-level  though sometimes deadly  attacks, including several attempts to mow down pedestrians with vehicles, the stabbing to death of a police officer and his partner in their home, and the decapitation of a Catholic priest. Even in the last few days, there has been a fresh eruption of violence in France, almost at background level. Much of it was not in fact Islamist terrorism  but all of it was chaotic and individualised. On Thursday March 16, a disgruntled student attempted to shoot-up a high school in Grasse and a letter bomb, reportedly sent by Greek anarchists, exploded in the Paris offices of the International Monetary Fund. The next day, just streets away from my home in Paris, two men had their throats slit by a relative. The attacker was reportedly shouting about Islam. A day later, a man now identified as Ziyed Ben Belgacem, walked into Orly airport and attempted to strangle a soldier and steal her rifle. He had earlier opened fire on police in the suburbs of the city and stolen two cars. He was shot dead in the airport terminal. Ben Belgacems father has told reporters that his son was not motivated by politics or religion, but instead was out of his mind on alcohol and drugs. French investigators say toxicology tests carried out his body showed a high blood alcohol level as well the presence of cannabis and cocaine. Time will tell what his motives were, but investigators have ruled nothing out. In many ways, the ongoing mystery about the nature of his precise motivations, almost a week on, demonstrates the changing nature of terror. We are no longer guaranteed the tidy conclusion of perpetrators pledging a clear allegiance and leaving behind a neat  however warped  justification for their actions. We must wait to learn more about the Westminster attacker, but the recent events in France indicate the kind of individual involved in terrorism may be changing. Edwards says that many have surprising backgrounds, especially as we now, hyper-vigilant about Islamist extremism, expect them to have deeply-held Salafist views. In fact, he says, they are often people living on the fringes of society, and their apparent cause can be a flag of convenience. Primary motivations could be a domestic issue, many are involved in petty crime, he said. Terrorism is a socially perverse activity, so theyre [almost certainly] bound to have been involved in other socially perverse activities. It often provokes fury, when analyses of terror attacks are perceived to play down links to Islamism. But, in reality, this is not necessarily a consequence of political correctness or squeamishness  it does seem to be increasingly the case that there is often more to these twisted minds than religion. Pre-political terrorism On Tuesday, Martin McGuinness, Northern Irelands former Deputy First Minster died. McGuinness, a senior figure in Irish republican party Sinn Fin had also been a member of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), a group which caused no end of mayhem in its three decade campaign against Britain. In fact, the last significant attack on Westminster was by another Irish republican group, the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA), which killed Tory MP and war hero Airey Neave in a car bomb attack in 1979. Today, Irish republicans seem like a relic from another era. Thankfully, todays terrorists lack the sophistication that the IRA developed over the decades, but there is also another, more worrying, difference: the ease with which self-radicalised individuals can cause mayhem and spread fear. The old saw that one mans terrorist is another mans freedom fighter no longer rings true, and recent attacks in Europe are reminiscent of scenes on the streets of Israel where people have been randomly stabbed and assaulted with the thinnest veneer of political justification. McGuinnesss journey from gunman to statesman is unimaginable today precisely because of how the nature of terrorism has changed. Not only did the IRA have an identifiable goal, leaving room, however slight, for negotiation. It also viewed itself as a regular army. Today, terrorists wield knives and drive vehicles into passers-by, and in the name of causes so unlikely as to beggar belief. In a very real sense their actions, unlike those of the IRA, African national liberation movements or Latin American guerrillas, have regressed to what might be called pre-political, because they express generalised grievances that cannot imaginably be addressed through political means. IRA atrocities were made no less horrific by the stated aims of Irish republicans, but they were driven by specific demands. By contrast, the marauders at work today have no strategy and are driven by inchoate rage. Beyond questions of strategy, the tactics are also changing. After French and Belgian authorities broke-up the terror cells operating in their countries, terrorism has taken on a new form: it is low-tech and individualistic, seemingly driven as much by alienation and self-radicalisation as by achievable political demands. As the British New York Times columnist Kenan Malik wrote last year: In the past, groups employing terror, such as the IRA or the PLO, were driven by specific political aims  a united Ireland or an independent Palestine. There was generally a close relationship between the organisations political cause and its violent activities. Malik went on to say todays jihadist killers had more in common with Munich shooter Ali David Sonboly, who described himself as Aryan, Norwegian neo-Nazi Anders Breivik and Thomas Mair, who murdered British MP Jo Cox, than they do with the explicit political actors of the past. Sometimes, there is a degree of organisation and co-ordination behind their actions  such as with the November 2015 Paris attacks, or the Brussels bombings  sometimes there is not. But as the lone wolf Berlin and Nice truck attacks show, you do not necessarily need much organisation to ensure a high death toll. And the distinction between those who work in groups, and those self-starters who operate alone should not be overstated. The former may offer the security services slightly more opportunity for detection, but they spring from the same swamp, are motivated by the same hatreds and perverted ideas, and come  mostly  from the same backgrounds. The lone wolves, after all, often tend to be not quite so solitary as they first seem. And whether organised or not, the cumulative effect of such onslaughts is telling, and is seen most obviously in France. After the January 2015 Paris attack, France was outraged. Most of the world was, in fact. Ten months later, when the same city was targeted, there was a fresh defiance: France would not change its way of life. It was more short-lived, however: the next night a lightbulb exploded and there was mass panic. Those who has been sitting in cafs tweeting Je suis en terrase bolted, stampeding in a mass panic. The months that followed were a slow grind. Life goes on, but not quite as before. Somehow the sky seemed darker. The cafs were not empty  the ctes du rhne and Affligem beer still flowed nightly from cinq  sept  but there was a slight, yet noticeable, grim undercurrent to life. A sense of sadness mixed with a determination to remain resilient  sangfroid is probably an accurate, if charitable, description of the public mood. When French friends asked me how I felt about seeing armed soldiers on the streets I wryly replied that I was Irish and so I was used to it. And yet, the scale of the attacks dwarfed what I had witnessed in Ireland. On July 13 the French government announced it would finally end the state of emergency that had been declared after the Charlie Hebdo attacks. A day later it was extended, and not capriciously: Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, drove a truck onto the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, slaughtering 86 during the Bastille Day festivities. This time there was a very different sentiment in the air: anger. This could be a question of character: I spend much of my time in Paris, which is very different to the south of France. The temperament of the people is more aggressive, and the politics are different, with the south long having been a National Front stronghold. But as the attacks continue, they are becoming a fact of life in France, as they risk becoming in other European countries. The lone wolves, and those who operate in packs, walk amongst us. 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Westminster attack: Everything we know so far Detectives are exploring the past of the middle-aged murderer of many aliases who wrought carnage on Westminster, as arrests connected to the outrage were made across the country. Khalid Masood has been identified as the individual who drove at pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before crashing his hire car and stabbing to death Pc Keith Palmer at the gates to the Houses of Parliament. Five people were killed in the attack, including Masood and Mr Palmer. What happened in Westminster? An attacker - now named as 52-year-old Khalid Masood - killed three pedestrians and injured around 40 other people as he mowed down members of the public with a car on Westminster Bridge at about 2:40pm, before crashing into the railings in front of Parliament. Bursting through the gate to the Palace of Westminster, he stabbed unarmed Pc Palmer, 48, before being shot dead by armed officers. Paramedics fought to save the life of the attacker, and that of Pc Palmer on the floor of the cobbled courtyard just yards from the House of Commons. Both were later confirmed dead. Two large knives could be seen at the scene. Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood was among those who rushed to help. Mr Ellwood, who lost his brother in the Bali bombing, was seen pumping the officer's chest then standing above him, his hands and face smeared with blood. Who was the attacker? Police say a 52-year-old British-born man called Khalid Masoodis responsible, however his birth name is understood to be Adrian Elms. Born in Kent, he has lived a nomadic existence including stints on the south coast, Kent and Luton. Detectives believe he was most recently living in the West Midlands and was known by a number of aliases, including Khalid Chaudry. They think he acted alone, although they are investigating possible associates. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) terror group claimed he was one of its "soldiers" in a statement released through its Aamaq news agency on Thursday. Isil has been explicitly threatening attacks on Britain for the past 18 months. At the end of a propaganda video claiming the Paris attacks in November 2015, Isil singled out the UK as its next target. However, commentators have pointed out the group had a record of opportunistically claiming attacks and it was significant the statement did not appear to claim it had directed the strike. Was he known to police? Masood was not the subject of any current investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack, Scotland Yard said. However, he was known to police and has a range of previous convictions for assaults, including GBH, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences. His first conviction was in November 1983 for criminal damage and his last conviction was in December 2003 for possession of a knife. He has not been convicted for any terrorism offences. The suspected London terror attacker being treated by paramedics, with the knives used in the assault circled.Credit: PA It is understood that Masood went to jail for his offences, where there is a good chance he was radicalised. It is at that stage, it is thought, he came onto MI5s radar. The Times understands that Masood spent time in Lewes jail, East Sussex, Wayland, Norfolk, and Ford open prison, West Sussex. The Sun, meanwhile, claims it has obtained Masood's CV, which is said to state that in 2005 he was working in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, then teaching workers at the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) in Jeddah. This has to be confirmed. Mrs May told the Commons earlier, prior to the man being identified: "What I can confirm is that the man was British-born and that some years ago he was once investigated by MI5 in relation to concerns about violent extremism. "He was a peripheral figure. The case is historic. He was not part of the current intelligence picture. There was no prior intelligence of his intent or of the plot." One witness, who works in a shop near the second-floor flat, said: "The man from London lived here." He added: "They came and arrested three men." Searches continued at the flat on Thursday after it emerged the killer's car had been hired nearby. According to The Sun, Masood spent the night before the attack at the Preston Park Hotel in Brighton, which police investigated on Wednesday night. Hotel staff told the Press Association: "We have been instructed not to talk." A house in Carmarthenshire, south-west Wales, was also searched, Dyfed-Powys Police said. Masood's mother lives in a farm in west Wales, the Daily Mail reported. What do we know about the car? On Thursday, car-hire firm Enterprise confirmed the Hyundai 4x4 used in the attack was one of its vehicles after an employee recognised the numberplate in online photos. The car is understood to have been rented from a branch in Stratford, Shirley, in Solihull, just eight miles (13km) from the scene of the flat raid. In a statement, Enterprise said: "We can confirm that the car used in the tragic attack in London was one of ours." The attacker's Hyundai 4x4 is seen just yards from the House of Commons after crashing into railings. Who are the dead? Pc Keith Palmer Pc Palmer, 48, was a husband and father, and had worked for the Metropolitan Police for 15 years, having previously served in the armed forces. Conservative MP James Cleverly paid tribute to the lovely man he had known for a quarter of a century. Ive known Keith for 25 years. We served together in the Royal Artillery before he became a copper, he wrote. A lovely man, a friend. Im heartbroken. My thoughts are with the family, friends and colleagues of PC Keith Palmer. A brave man. Keith PalmerCredit: Metropolitan Police Aysha Frade Spanish teacher and department head Aysha Frade, 43, worked at DLD College, London and was married with two daughters. She was believed to have been crossing Westminster Bridge to pick up her children aged eight and 11 from school when she lost her life in the attack. According to Spanish newspaper La Voz de Galicia, the woman had always lived in London, where her parents met. Her father was of Cypriot origin while her mother was born in Betanzos in northwestern Spain. According to La Voz, the woman often spent her holidays with her family back in the town. Aysha Frade pictured in 2014Credit: Facebook Kurt Cochran American tourist Kurt Cochran, in his 50s, has been named as the second person killed on Westminster Bridge. His wife, Melissa, was also injured in the attack. She sustained a broken leg and rib, but it is not believed to be critical. Injured victims are seen on Westminster Bridge this afternoon, with wreckage strewn across the pavement.Credit: Reuters The 15 and 16-year-olds were from a school in Concarneau, Brittany, and had arrived in London on Sunday evening. They were walking along the bridge when the attacker's car apparently hit them, propelling one of them up onto the bonnet of the vehicle. Romania's foreign ministry confirmed two Romanians were also wounded. Among them was a woman who plunged into the Thames to escape the attack. She has been named as 29-year-old architect Andreea Cristea and eyewitnesses told reporters they had seen her floating face-down in the Thames next to the bridge. A member of the public is treated by emergency services near Westminster Bridge. Credit: Carl Court/Getty Images She was on holiday with her fianc to celebrate his birthday. It is not known whether she was thrown into the water by the impact of the crash or jumped into the water to avoid the carnage. The South Korean Yonhap news agency said that five South Korean citizens were injured in the terror attack, including a 67-year-old woman who was in a serious condition. Malcolm Turnbull announced in parliament that a person from South Australia was also wounded. The woman's foot was ran over during the attack and is recovering in hospital, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop told the ABC. The woman, who has not been named, is originally from Germany but is a permanent resident in South Australia Watch | Eyewitness: All of a sudden there were people flying in the air 01:19 Where was the Prime Minister during the attack? When the attack happened Prime Minister Theresa May had just voted and was standing in members' lobby with other Tory MPs. She was seen being quickly ushered into a silver Jaguar in the grounds of the Palace of Westminster. A Downing Street source confirmed she was "OK". Watch | Theresa May rushed into a car as London terror attack unfolds 00:31 What happened inside Parliament? MPs were locked in the House of Commons for more than four hours and business suspended after the attack. Deputy Speaker Lindsay Hoyle halted the sitting of the House and told MPs, who had just been called to vote on a piece of legislation, to remain in the chamber as details of the incident filtered through. People being held in Westminster Hall, including former Lib Dem leader Paddy Ashdown and former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith, were later evacuated from the Houses of Parliament. It was thought they were evacuated in blocks of 20 at a time.
Share this with The man believed to be behind yesterdays Westminster terror attack has been named as Salih Khater. The Sudanese immigrant from Birmingham was identified by the Daily Mail as being the man who was arrested after a car was deliberately driven at cyclists and then a barrier at the Houses of Parliament. Houses in the West Midlands are being searched following the crash which saw two police officers diving for cover as he drove at them. Salih Khater, 29, has been named as being the driver who hit cyclists before driving at a barrier outside Westminster Palace (Picture: Facebook) The car was last night lifted away from the scene to be taken for forensic examination (Picture: PA) Fortunately nobody was killed in the incident and only one person was seriously injured. Police said that the 29-year-old, who was a UK citizen but of Sudanese origin, was not co-operating with them, however when he was arrested he seemed to go peacefully. He spent around 90 minutes driving around Whitehall and Westminster, but prior to that he was cruising around central London. Advertisement Advertisement Between 1.25am and 5.55am his car was seen visiting tourist hotspots including Tottenham Court Road. He lived in the Hall Green area of Birmingham in what has been described as a rundown flat above an internet cafe and travelled to London shortly after midnight on Monday. Sorry, this video isn't available any more. One of the cafes workers said that police had visited the cafe and took evidence including a computer. Khater remains in police custody after his arrest on suspicion of preparing an act of terror. What we know so far A car collided with cyclists and pedestrians before crashing into a security barrier outside the Houses of Parliament shortly before 7.40am. The man driving the silver Ford Fiesta, a 29-year-old UK national, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act. He is believed to have been living in the Birmingham Hall Green constituency, MP Roger Godsiff said. Three people were treated for injuries after the incident. One man was treated at the scene while a man and woman were taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Both have since been discharged. The man was alone in the car and no weapons were recovered from the vehicle. Police said in the hours after the incident that the suspect was not co-operating. The Metropolitan Police said they were treating it as a terrorist incident because of the method used, the fact it appeared to have been deliberate and due to the iconic location where it happened. The car, which is privately owned and was first registered in March 2010 according to gov.uk, was driven from Birmingham to London on Monday night and arrived into London just after midnight on Tuesday. It was then in the area of Tottenham Court Road between 1.25am and 5.55am, before being driven around the areas of Westminster and Whitehall from 6am until the time of the incident. Searches were being carried out at two addresses in Birmingham and one in Nottingham on Tuesday evening. Plain-clothed police officers could be seen outside an address in Peveril Street in Nottingham, which was said by neighbours to be home to six Sudanese people. There was also a police presence near the Bunna Internet Cafe on Stratford Road in Sparkbrook, Birmingham, but it was not confirmed whether that was in relation to the Westminster probe. Counter-terrorism officers conducted searches at two addresses in Birmingham and a residential property in Nottingham as part of the probe. Advertisement Advertisement Plain-clothed police officers could be seen outside an address in Peveril Street in Nottingham on Tuesday evening, which was said by neighbours to be home to six Sudanese people. Footage aired on BBC News showed the cars approach towards Parliament, where it crossed into oncoming traffic and collided with cyclists before entering a small road and crashing into a security barrier. Advertisement Three people sustained non-life-threatening injuries. One man was treated at the scene while another man and woman were taken to hospital but both were discharged by Tuesday evening. Images posted online showed a man wearing a black puffer jacket being led away in handcuffs from the car as armed police officers swarmed the scene. The suspect, who was said to not be co-operating with officers, was not known to security services, Metropolitan Police counter-terrorism head Neil Basu said (Picture: Sky News) A police officer can be seen diving out of the way of the car as headed towards the barrier The cyclists are believed to have been hit while waiting at a set of traffic lights near Parliament Square (Picture: BBC News) There was nobody else in the vehicle and no weapons were found, police said. Mr Basu added no other suspects have been identified and there is no intelligence at this time of further danger to Londoners. The car was removed from the scene late on Tuesday night. After a meeting of the Governments emergency Cobra committee, Theresa May urged the country to come together and carry on as normal. In a statement the Prime Minister, who is on holiday, praised the formidable courage and professionalism of the emergency services who ran towards danger. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Armed police descended on the scene immediately after the crash (Picture: ITV) The driver of the car did not immediately get out of the vehicle (Picture: GMB/ITV) Home Secretary Sajid Javid, who also thanked the emergency services, urged people to keep an open mind about the incident. Advertisement Referring to the suspected act of terrorism, US President Donald Trump said on Twitter: These animals are crazy and must be dealt with through toughness and strength! Witnesses described an emotionless driver ploughing through cyclists in what appeared to be a deliberate act. Kirsty Moseley, of Brixton, south London, was a passenger in the first car behind the cyclists, who were thrown everywhere after being struck at what she estimated was 25mph. Ms Moseley, 31, added: He (the driver) wasnt shouting anything, he wasnt screaming, he didnt look crazed or out of control  he was just deadpan. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video At least two people were injured when the car hit them outside the Palace of Westminster (Picture: PA Jason Williams, from Kennington, was walking to work when he saw the deliberate crash. It didnt look like an accident. How do you do that by accident? It was a loud bang, the 45-year-old told PA. The Houses of Parliament are surrounded with security barriers of steel and concrete. The measures were extended in the wake of the Westminster Bridge attack in March 2017 when Khalid Masood ploughed a car into crowds on Westminster Bridge, killing four people. Masood abandoned his car then stabbed and killed unarmed Pc Keith Palmer before he was shot by armed police in a courtyard outside Parliament. The terrorist threat against the UK is seen as unprecedented. The Prime Ministers official spokesperson said there were 676 live investigations being carried out by the security services and counter-terror police at the end of June, up from more than 500 in March. Some 13 Islamist plots and four by far-right extremists have been foiled in the past 18 months, he added. There are roughly 3,000 active subjects of interest at any one time  while there is also a wider pool of more than 20,000 individuals who have previously featured in probes whose threat must be kept under review.
Thank you for signing up. Oops. Something went wrong. Thank you, "When operational considerations allow, he will be publicly identified," she added. Police arrested seven people as part of an investigation into the lone-wolf attacker who killed three people and injured 40 before being shot dead by police near parliament in London, Britain's most senior counter-terrorism officer said on Thursday. Mark Rowley said there were four dead including the attacker and that 29 people, seven of whom are in critical condition, are still being treated in hospitals. Police had said on Wednesday that the death toll was five in the worst such attack in Britain since 2005. The attacker sped across Westminster Bridge in a car, ploughing into pedestrians along the way, and then ran through the gates of the nearby British Parliament building and stabbed a policeman before being shot dead. Authorities have said they are working on the assumption that the attack was Islamist-related. Britons have been shocked by the fact that the attacker was able to cause such mayhem in the heart of the capital equipped with nothing more sophisticated than a rented car and a knife. "The police and agencies that we rely on for our security have forestalled a large number of these attacks in recent years, over a dozen last year," said Defense Minister Michael Fallon. "This kind of attack, this lone-wolf attack, using things from daily life, a vehicle, a knife, are much more difficult to forestall," he told the BBC. A minute of silence was held in the Parliament and in front of police headquarters at New Scotland Yard at 9:33 A.M. local time in honor of the victims  933 was the shoulder number on the uniform of Keith Palmer, the policeman who was stabbed to death. "We're dealing with an enemy, a terrorist enemy, that is not making demands or taking people hostage, but simply wants to kill as many people as possible. This is a new element to international terrorism," Fallon said. Rowley said police had searched six addresses in London, Birmingham and other parts of the country in their investigation. "It is still our belief ... that this attacker acted alone and was inspired by international terrorism. At this stage we have no specific information about further threats to the public," Rowley said. He said there was a mix of nationalities among the dead but gave no details. The victims were the policeman, Palmer, and two members of the public, a woman in her mid-40s and a man in his mid-50s. The fourth dead was the assailant. Vigil Three French high school students aged 15 or 16, who were on a school trip to London with fellow students from Brittany, were among the injured. French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault was expected to arrive in London to visit them in the hospital, French media reported. There were also five South Koreans among the injured, South Korea's foreign ministry said in Seoul. Prime Minister Theresa May was due to make a statement to parliament on the attack at 10:30 A.M. local time. A vigil was planned in London's Trafalgar Square for 6 P.M. Fallon said security arrangements at the Parliament would be reviewed. A meeting of COBR, the government's crisis response committee, was due to take place later on Thursday morning. Westminster Bridge remained cordoned off with a strong police presence. The nearby Westminster underground rail station, normally a busy hub in the morning rush hour, was not accessible from the street as it was within the cordon. May said on Wednesday the location of the attack was not an accident. She said any assault on British values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech was doomed to failure and Britons would not be divided by such acts. But anti-immigration groups were quick to make links between immigration and the attack. Leave.EU, a group that has campaigned for immigration to be severely restrained as part of Britain's exit from the European Union, accused mainstream politicians of facilitating acts of terror by failing to secure borders. "We are sick, tired but perhaps even more so we are angry that recent governments across Europe have enabled these attacks through grossly negligible policies that have left us vulnerable," the group said in a statement. In France, far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen also drew a link, saying that events in London highlighted the importance of protecting national borders and stepping up security measures. The Scottish Parliament, which suspended a planned debate and vote on independence on Wednesday because of events in London, was due to resume those proceedings on Tuesday, the BBC reported. Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.
Members of Britains first all-female terror cell, including a mother and daughter, have been jailed for planning a knife attack on members of the public outside the Palace of Westminster in London. Rizlaine Boular, 22, was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of 16 years, after she pleaded guilty earlier this year to engaging in acts in preparation for terrorism. Her mother, Mina Dich, 44, was sentenced to six years and nine months, plus five years on extended licence, after pleading guilty to assisting Boular. Their friend Khawla Barghouthi, 21, pleaded guilty to failing to disclose information about an attack and will be sentenced next week. The plot was foiled by counter-terrorism police and MI5 agents, who bugged the family home, recorded phone conversations and posed online as Islamic State operatives. The prosecution said Boular planned to launch an attack, using knives, against members of the public, selected largely at random, in the environs of the Palace of Westminster in central London. This would have been an attack that would at the very least have caused widespread panic, but was intended to involve the infliction of serious injury and death. Mina Dich provided positive assistance and support to her daughter Rizlaine Boular, in the knowledge that she would commit an attack using knives (albeit that she did not understand that the attack would involve fatality or injury). Khawla Barghouthi, aware ... of Rizlaine Boulars desire to undertake an attack in general terms, then became aware of Rizlaine Boulars plans to commit an act of terrorism at a later stage and failed to disclose any of that information to the authorities. Lawyers for mother-of-one Boular said a very troubled upbringing had affected her mental state at the time of the offence. They alleged that she was groomed to attempt to travel to Syria in 2014. On her return, what she needed was a little tender love and care and a credible alternative voice to that of Isis, but what she actually got was a husband twice her age who abused her vulnerabilities. Rather than finding a saviour, she ended up in the hands of a monster, said Imran Khan QC. Khan said Boular wanted to die and knew that as soon as she used a knife outside Westminster, she would be shot and killed. Lawyers for Dich said she never believed her daughter would use a knife to cause injury. They said she simply accompanied Boular to the supermarket and was not privy to all the details of the plan  a telltale sign of an individual playing a lesser role. Lawyers for Barghouthi said there was a contradiction between the period of time when her conversations with Boular took place and her previous life. They said her initial meetings with Boular were totally normal social interactions and the later recorded conversations were stupid fooling around, according to Barghouthi. But the judge spoke of the extent of Boulars radicalisation and the depth of her commitment to the Isis cause and violent jihad. It was a wicked act which you planned to carry out, he told her. Of Dich, the judge said assisting her daughter to carry out an act of terrorism with the belief Boular would brandish a knife and threaten members of the public was enough to deem her a danger. He said she had shown signs of radicalisation and played a significant role in her daughters radicalisation, which resulted in them plotting terrorism in the city they were born in and lived. The court was told about a recorded phone conversation in which Boular discussed an attack with her 18-year-old sister, Safaa Boular. They spoke in coded terms, referring to an Alice in Wonderland-themed party. Around the same time, Boular and her mother visited various landmarks in London in what was believed to be a reconnaissance of potential targets. They went to a supermarket on Wandsworth Road in south London and bought a packet of kitchen knives and a rucksack. A day later, Boular was recorded discussing the planned knife attack and practising at Barghouthis home. That evening, during an armed police raid, Boular was shot and taken to hospital; she recovered fully. Dich was arrested separately. She was accused of discussing a gun and grenade attack on the British Museum with her Isis militant partner, Naweed Hussain, and of attempting to travel to Syria for terrorism. When she was detained, she allegedly passed the plot on to her sister. Safaa Boular lived with her mother in Vauxhall, south-west London, and her sister lived in Willesden, north-west London. Rizlaine Boular first tried to travel to Syria in October 2014, but was stopped in Turkey after her family reported her missing. Upon her return to the UK she married and had a child. According to police, she said it was the subsequent breakdown of this marriage and her interest in world affairs that turned her thoughts back to Syria. In August 2016, Safaa Boular returned from a holiday in Morocco with her mother. She was stopped and interviewed by police at London Stansted airport, where she gave an account of her intention to travel to Syria and suggested Rizlaine Boular had been involved in the planning. Subsequent analysis of mobile phones taken from Safaa Boular revealed evidence of conversations between her and Hussain, who sent money to Rizlaine Boular to fund the sisters journey to Syria. Duncan Atkinson QC, prosecuting, spoke of the sisters close ties. Each was committed to making an active contribution to the Isis cause, each initially seeking to make that contribution in Syria before circumstances led them to set their sights instead on a target in the UK. The prosecution case, more particularly, is that Rizlaine Boulars plan to engage in acts of terrorism in the UK was promoted by the arrest of her sister, which prevented Safaa from engaging in such acts herself  an intention of which Rizlaine was aware and which she supported. A probe device operating at the home of Dich and Safaa Boular recorded conversations about terrorism planning and the rationale or justification for such actions. During the period in which Safaa Boular is alleged to have been engaged in attack planning, probe evidence of a conversation between the sisters recorded Rizlaine Boular as saying: The bus goes past the British Museum and I thought of you.
Perpetrator In Westminster Attack First Misnamed, and Then Left Unidentified TNN has spotted numerous anomalies in the London Westminister car attack. Par for the course so far (16 hours later) there is no CCTV footage of the event going down in this high profile location. There are very strange aftermath photos and videos of people strewn about like bowling pins. Some end up laying in the busy bridge roadway as shown at right. The narrative claims the compact car traversed down the pedestrian walkway seen in the background. This bus some how rolled over a woman who was photographed in the roadway pinned under the bus in a bizarre contorted pose. She is incredibly long legged. We find it increduous that the bus wouldnt gingerly pull forward about eight inches/20 cm to at least get the full load off of this poor soul. We have seen these extreme body proportions in other terror events such as Nice and Paris. Incredibly yet another man is shown (at right) who dropped even further into the busy roadway. You can see the same red bus there in the background. The pinned woman would be on the other side of that bus. There is an officer standing in the middle of the roadway as vehicles just stream by the unsecured mass casuality scene with five dead and twenty injured (including on the roadway)- very peculiar protocol to say the least. In this footage no casualties can be seen on the pedestrian walkway at all. Perpetrator is misidentified and as of now is not revealed So far after traversing the route shown here, there is only one photo of the perp, who was shot and killed. Police are asking help in identifying this person. Curiously the photo provided shows part of his face obscured by a metal bar. Even this photo is hard to locate in news accounts. Abu Izzadeen London Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley said investigators suspect the attacker had been inspired by international terrorism. He said police believed they knew the identity of the attacker but he declined to provide details. Incredible commentary given all the trillions spent on surveillance and the war of terrorism. Not long after the event went down, Londons Channel 4 News senior home affairs correspondent Simon Israel quoted a reliable source as saying that the name of the Westminster attacker was one Abu Izzadeen, formerly known as Trevor Brooks. However later, Mr. Israel came back on the air to eat crow: shown in the video below, stating that Mr. Izzadeen has an alibi: he is sitting in a prison cell. The photo of Izzaben shown at right, could arguably pass as a doppelgnger of the one photo of the dead perp we do have. Some sort of planning or script mix up? Inquiring minds would like to know. Regardless look over the Daily Mail article, because rather than focusing on the misinformation and apologizing for the ID error, it launches into an agit-prop smear of the wrongly accused, Abu Izzadeen. They never miss a beat. Just this last weekend hundreds of armed police took part in an exercise simulating a marauding terrorist attack on the River Thames. Incidentally earlier in the week another Muslim was gunned down in Paris Orly airport. Not much detail here either. A graphic photo was provided of the dead perp. Beyond no blood and no visible head, it looks like the Dealey Plaza Zapruder camera was brought out of the museum again for this photo shoot. Who has a camera like this in the current year? Apparently one of the eye-witnesses straight after the incident gave the game away by quizzing how strange it was that a van could get by a narrow pavement/sidewalk without knocking into the lampposts. And the BBC newsreader said to cut the pre-plannedfootage. Here we go again and again and again. When are the stupefied masses going to get the scam?? Vote Up8Vote Down Reply 1 year ago Guest Anthony Roberts That dummy crisis actress went off script.so they threw her under the bus! I pay ZERO attention to these incidents anymore, especially the active shooter kind. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. Whenever this stuff happens, just ask yourself, Okay, where in the world am I NOT supposed to be looking right now? Randomly picked patsy after they screwed up narrative and got wires crossed on Abu Izzadeen: moments ago UK police said that the man they believe to be responsible for the terrorist attack in Westminster yesterday has been formally identified as Khalid Masood. Masood, aged 52 (Dec 25, 1964), was born in Kent and detectives believe he was most recently living in the West Midlands. Masood was also known by a number of aliases. Masood was not the subject of any current investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack. Vote Up1Vote Down Reply 1 year ago Guest Spicegirl I happened to watch a tv news flash. ITV I think. They were talking about a warning of a bomb under the bridge, a witness said they were told (by who or from where?) to get away from the bridge and everybody started running, but they didnt know where to run to so there was panic. Funny how that bit never got mentioned again! But then, theyd want as many out of close inspection. They showed a long shot of the bridge, nobody mentioned a double decker bus and I dont remember seeing one in the scene Read more  Women falling off bridge appears to have a bungee rope attached? https://www.facebook.com/len.duggan.1/videos/10155211742394954/ The following scenes in the clip show the wet wheel marks on street show the narrow pavements that only a moped could drive though between wall and lampposts and certainly not an SUV. Most pedestrians were ignoring the victims after the event due to the previous few days terror drills being conducted in the area For me at the time, in London, it had been raining quite heavily from 7:30 am all the way through to 1:30pm Not sure if the streets would have dried Read more 
Who is involved? At least four people are known to have died after a knifeman mowed down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before stabbing a policeman outside Parliament. One woman and a police officer have been confirmed dead and twenty injured, some with 'catastrophic injuries' after terror struck the heart of the capital at 2.30pm this afternoon (March 22). A police officer was fatally stabbed outside Westminster Hall and his attacker shot by armed officers as he tried to access the Palace of Westminster, sparking a massive security alert. Paramedics fought to save his life and that of his victim on the floor of the cobbled courtyard in front of Parliament with Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood among those who rushed to help. Two large knives could be seen at the scene. Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to playTap to play The video will start in 8Cancel Play now A woman mowed down by the attacker's car before he reached Parliament was later confirmed dead by a doctor at St Thomas' Hospital. Metropolitan Police have confirmed that the attacker has died of his injuries. The other deceased individual is not yet known. Following the incident Parliament was forced into lock-down with the Prime Minister and MPs being bundled away under police security. Witness reports say three gunshots were heard near the scene, before a car crashed into a fence on Westminster Bridge and the driver ran at police officers guarding Parliament. The knifeman drove a grey Hyundai i40 across Westminster Bridge, which ploughed into pedestrians before crashing. London Ambulance Service said paramedics treated at least 10 patients on Westminster Bridge, among them a party of French schoolchildren. Another woman who apparently jumped into the Thames as the attacker drove across the bridge was rescued and given urgent medical treatment on a nearby pier. What did witnesses see? Witnesses described seeing a middle-aged man carrying a knife and running. Jayne Wilkinson said: We were taking photos of Big Ben and we saw all the people running towards us, and then there was an Asian guy in about his 40s carrying a knife about seven or eight inches long. And then there were three shots fired, and then we crossed the road and looked over. The man was on the floor with blood. He had a lightweight jacket on, dark trousers and a shirt. Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to playTap to play The video will start in 8Cancel Play now He was running through those gates, towards Parliament, and the police were chasing him. Read More What's happening inside Parliament? Parliament was adjourned and staff in Westminster told to stay in their offices while the Prime Minister was reportedly taken away in a silver Jaguar to safety. What about our MPs? All the region's MPs Daniel Zeichner, Matt Hancock, Heidi Allen, Lucy Frazer, and Jonathan Djanogly are safe and accounted for but reports of the incident are still coming in. Heidi Allen MP Tweeted: Im fine as are colleagues but it seems one of our policeman has been stabbed and the assailant shot by police. We are all locked in. She was reported to be among the last to be 'bundled' into chamber by armed police. A member of Ms Allen's staff said: Ive been in text communication with Heidi, she is quite shaken. She was one of the last to be bundled away by armed police. They are in complete lock-down. She is OK, as are the staff, but the whole place is in lock down. Meanwhile Cambridge MP Daniel Zeichner described the scene as 'pandemonium'. He told the News : The division bell had just rung and I was going down an escalator to go and vote and then suddenly there was pandemonium and we were told to go back. Im with my staff in my office and we are all safe and well and we just hope that those people involved are also safe and well. Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to playTap to play The video will start in 8Cancel Play now Is it a terrorist attack? Metropolitan Police are now treating the incident as a terrorist attack. They Tweeted: "We were called at approx 2:40pm to reports of an incident at #Westminster Bridge. Being treated as a firearms incident - police on scene." Which other areas are affected? They are asking people to avoid the area, including Parliament Square; Whitehall; Westminster Bridge; Lambeth Bridge; Victoria Street up to the junction with Broadway and the Victoria Embankment up to Embankment tube. This is to allow the emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident. Immediately before the incident, at around 2.45pm, a crowd of passers-by was seen running from the direction of Westminster Bridge and around the corner into Parliament Square.
Police officers patrol on Westminster Bridge in London, Friday March 24, 2017. On Thursday authorities identified a 52-year-old Briton as the man who mowed down pedestrians and stabbed a policeman to death outside Parliament in London, saying he had a long criminal record and once was investigated for extremism  but was not currently on a terrorism watch list. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) British police are combing through massive amounts of computer data, have searched more than 20 sites and have contacted thousands of witnesses in a vast operation to trace how a British man became radicalized and launched a deadly attack on Parliament, a senior official said Friday. In a briefing outside Scotland Yard, Londons top counterterror officer, Mark Rowley, said more significant arrests had been made, bringing to 10 the number of people in custody over Wednesdays attack, which killed four people and the assailant. Police said the attacker, Khalid Masood, was born Adrian Russell Ajao in southern England in 1964. He was also known as Adrian Elms and may also be known by a number of other names, police said. The latest arrests were a man and a woman detained early Friday in Manchester, northwest England. Police believe Masood acted alone but Rowley said police were trying to determine whether others encouraged, supported or directed him. The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the attack on Westminster Bridge and at Parliament. Detectives have searched 21 properties in London, Brighton, Wales, Manchester and the central English city of Birmingham in one of Britains biggest counterterrorism operations in years. Wednesdays attack was the deadliest in Britain since suicide bombers killed 52 commuters on Londons transit system in July 2005. Weve seized 2,700 items from these searches, including massive amounts of computer data for us to work through, Rowley said, adding that contact had been made with 3,500 witnesses. Weve received hundreds of uploads of video images to our online platform. Given this attack was in the heart of the capital we also, of course, are dealing with statements from a wide range of nationalities. Masood drove his car into crowds on Westminster Bridge before fatally stabbing a police officer on Parliament grounds. He was shot dead by police. An American man from Utah, a British retiree and British female school administrator were killed on the bridge, and police officer Keith Palmer was stabbed to death at Parliament, police said. The latest victim, a man who died in a hospital Thursday, was identified as 75-year-old Leslie Rhodes from south London. More than 50 people of a dozen nationalities were wounded in the attack, 31 of whom required hospital treatment. Those affected include a real cross-section of ages from at least 12 nationalities, Rowley said. Its a poignant reminder, I think, that the impact of this attack on the capital will reach around the world.  Rowley said two police officers targeted in the attack have significant injuries. Two other people also remain in critical condition, one with life-threatening injuries. The 52-year-old attacker was born in southeastern England and had most recently been living in Birmingham, where several properties have been searched by police. Police say Masood has had a string of convictions between 1983 and 2003 for offenses including assault and possession of an offensive weapon. Prime Minister Theresa May said Thursday that Masood was investigated in relation to concerns about violent extremism some years ago. But she called him a peripheral figure. The manager of a hotel in the beachside city of Brighton in southern England, where Masood stayed the night before the attack, said he seemed unusually outgoing and mentioned details about his family, including having a sick father. He was normal, in fact friendly, because we spent possibly five or 10 minutes talking to him about his background, Sabeur Toumi told Sky News. Police raided the room at the Preston Park Hotel in Brighton after the attack, searching for clues. Londoners continued to lay flowers and sign condolence books for the victims on Friday, as Jewish, Christian and Muslim leaders gathered in solidarity outside Westminster Abbey. Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said terrorists seek to divide us. Londoners are showing right now that we will always stand up with strength to confront terror and we will never be cowed by it. Further details about the rampage continued to emerge. A former British army officer told the BBC that rescuers held the hand of Constable Keith Palmer and talked to him as they tried in vain to save his life after he was stabbed. Mike Crofts, a former army captain who served in Afghanistan, said he was in the courtyard outside the Houses of Parliament, then rushed toward the scene and began performing first aid. Ultimately, 20 to 30 people were working to save the officers life. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we were unable to save him, Crofts said. Palmer at the time was surrounded by a whole host of colleagues who really loved him. We held his hand through the experience. Some security experts, meanwhile, criticized police procedures after newly published video showed confusion and delays as the prime minister was being rushed out of Parliament after the attack. Ken Wharfe, a former bodyguard to the late Princess Diana, said the video reveals that May was not properly protected for about 10 seconds. Rowley, Scotland Yards counter-terrorism chief, said changes to Parliamentary security may be needed. My team will work with Parliamentary authorities to assess whether a different tone or a different balance is necessary, he said. Retired London bus driver Charlie Irvine, laying flowers outside police headquarters, said people should focus less on the killer and more on the victims and those who came to their aid. I disagree with the coverage of the guy who caused this, Irvine said. I dont think he should get the publicity. He doesnt deserve the publicity.
"The driver of the car, a man in his late 20s, was arrested at the scene by armed officers. He has been taken to a south London police station where he remains in police custody. He was arrested on suspicion of terrorist offences. "There was nobody else in the vehicle, which remains at the scene and is being searched. No weapons have been recovered at this stage." What we know so far about 'attack' Just before 7.30am a silver Ford Focus knocked over several pedestrians and cyclist before crashing into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament A 29-year-old UK man was arrested on suspicion of terror offences but has not been cooperating according to police Police have conducted searches at homes in Birmingham and Nottingham The UK terror threat level remains at a severe level The emergency services have been praised for their response to the alleged attack which injured three people - two were taken to hospital but were later discharged 20:56Kathryn Riddell Home Secretary keeping 'open mind' Home Secretary Sajid Javid has said, We must keep an open mind about the suspected terror attack. Home Secretary Sajid Javid (Image: PA) Speaking at the Home Office, Mr Javid said he was limited in what he could say as the investigation was live. He said: There are understandably a lot of questions about the incident and what has happened. I think people will appreciate its only just happened in the early hours of this morning. The briefing I have received from counter-terrorism police and the security services is that work is ongoing and they are doing everything they can to find out more about the incident. We must keep an open mind about what has happened and Im sure when they do have more information they will say more. 20:05Kathryn Riddell Commons Speakers offer sympathies The Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow and the Lord Speaker Lord Fowler offered their sympathies to those injured this morning outside Parliament. Commons Speaker John Bercow (Image: PA) They said: We would like to offer our thoughts and sympathies to those who were injured or affected by the incident. Our heartfelt thanks go to the emergency services who responded so quickly and to those who work every day to keep all of us who work in Parliament safe. 19:39KEY EVENT What we know so far about arrested man The man driving the silver Ford Fiesta, a 29-year-old UK national, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act. He is believed to have been living in the Birmingham Hall Green constituency, MP Roger Godsiff said. (Image: PA) Three people were treated for injuries after the incident. One man was treated at the scene while a man and woman were taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Both have since been discharged. The man was alone in the car and no weapons were recovered from the vehicle. Police said in the hours after the incident that the suspect was not co-operating. 19:09Kathryn Riddell Injured cyclist on the floor A Chelmsford cyclist has described the moment he saw the aftermath of this mornings rush hour terror attack in Westminster. James Maker, 30, from Chelmsford, passed the scene within minutes of the suspected terror attack to find a woman injured on the floor and the car crashed into the barrier. I looked to the right-hand side and there was a cyclist on the floor, clearly been injured, he told the Press Association. Mr Maker, head of policy at the County Councils Network, added: It was a woman, they were clearly quite injured, they werent moving and they were in the recovery position. There were a couple of cyclists who had clearly been involved who were sitting on the floor and perhaps had minor injuries. I must be honest, Ive got a young son and a wife and my initial reaction was as long as paramedics were seeing to the woman I wanted to get away from the incident. 18:40Kathryn Riddell Car's history revealed The car involved in the incident had five previous owners before its current driver, who acquired the vehicle on June 20 this year. The last owner before that owned the car until December 2017, reports Nottingham Live. Police are treating the incident as a deliberate act, confirming the investigation is being led by officers from the Mets Counter Terrorism Command. 18:15Kathryn Riddell Car driven down from Birmingham A police statement has revealed the cars movements in the hours before the attack. They said the privately owned silver Ford Fiesta travelled from Birmingham to London late on Monday night, arriving in the London area just after midnight. The vehicle was later seen in the Tottenham Court Road area 1:25am until 5:55am. (Image: PA) It was then driven around the Westminster and Whitehall area from approximately 6am, where it stayed until the time of the Westminster crash. 17:50Kathryn Riddell Houses in Birmingham and Nottingham searched Counter Terrorism officers are searching two addresses in Birmingham and an address in Nottingham in connection with the Westminster terror attack, the Metropolitan Police says. 17:27Kathryn Riddell 'Remain vigilant' but 'carry on as normal' After a meeting of the Governments emergency Cobra committee, Theresa May urged the country to come together and carry on as normal. In a statement released by Downing Street, the Prime Minister praised the formidable courage and professionalism of the emergency services who ran towards danger. She said: The threat to the United Kingdom from terrorism remains severe. 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. The twisted aim of the extremists is to use violence and terror to divide us. They will never succeed. 17:05Kathryn Riddell Damaged bikes at the scene Damaged bicycles, believed to belong to those hit by the car, have been piled up on a pavement near the crash site. The bikes, with broken wheels and bent metal, were pictured leaning against a wall outside the Houses of Parliament. Damaged bikes near the crash site, after a vehicle crashed into security barriers, injuring a number of pedestrians (Image: Getty Images Europe) 16:29Kathryn Riddell '3,000 subjects of interest' In addition to five attacks that occurred last year, authorities say they have stopped 13 Islamist and four extreme right-wing plots since the Westminster atrocity in March 2017. Police and MI5 are running at least 500 live operations involving roughly 3,000 active subjects of interest at any one time - while there is also a wider pool of more than 20,000 individuals who have previously featured in probes whose threat must be kept under review.3,000 subjects of interest 16:03Kathryn Riddell 'Known to local police' The suspect in todays incident in Westminster was believed to be known to police in the Midlands but not to security services, Sky News reports. Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said in a new conference earlier: On the details that we have at this moment we dont believe this person is known to either MI5 or counter-terrorism police. It has now been alleged that he was known to police in the Midlands - but it is not known what for. 15:31Kathryn Riddell Terror threat level still 'severe' The UKs terror threat level remains at severe following the suspected terror attack. The government website said: The threat to the UK (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland) from international terrorism is severe. A severe warning means an attack is highly likely. 15:17KEY EVENT What do we know about the terror suspect? The man, in his late twenties, is being held in custody at a south London police station but is not co-operating with officers, counter-terrorism head Neil Basu said. (Image: PA) He was arrested on suspicion of terror offences after the silver Ford Fiesta he was driving collided with cyclists and pedestrians before crashing into security barriers just before 7.40am on Tuesday. The suspect is understood to be from the Birmingham area. 14:55Kathryn Riddell Woman being treated for 'serious' injuries A woman is at St Marys Hospital, near Paddington station, being treated for serious, but non life threatening, injuries. A man, who was being treated at St Thomas Hospital, has now been discharged. A third patient who suffered minor injuries was assessed at the scene earlier and not taken to hospital. 14:29Kathryn Riddell Emergency services praised by May and Corbyn PM Theresa May has praised the response from the emergency services: My thoughts are with those injured in the incident in Westminster and my thanks to the emergency services for their immediate and courageous response. Leader of the Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn wrote: My thoughts are with those hurt and injured outside Parliament this morning in what is being treated as a terrorist incident. Our thanks go to our emergency services who responded immediately. Their bravery keeps us safe day in, day out. 13:49Tom Eden Forensics at the scene Forensics officers are gathering evidence from the scene of the crash: (Image: PA) (Image: PA) (Image: PA) 13:20Tom Eden Trump wades in Just in case anyone is interested in what he thinks... 13:10Tom Eden Watch counter-terrorism officer's statement Ive posted a transcript below, but if youd like to watch the statement, here it is: 12:44Tom Eden Follow-up questions Following questioning about whether police were pursuing the vehicle - as many believed they could see in CCTV of the incident - Mr Basu said: No, Ive heard that this morning .There wasnt a police car in pursuit of the vehicle. I believe it was an ambulance on a completely unrelated call. Mr Basu was then questioned about whether the vehicle was deliberately driven at police officers in a targeted attack, to which he replied: We cant say that at this time. It certainly appears to be a deliberate attack act but the motivation is we cant say. He was then asked whether the driver was someone that was known to officers or counter intelligence agencies, to which he replied: We havent formally identified him yet and its too early to make that judgement. On the details that we have at this moment we dont believe this person is known to either MI5 or counter-terrorism police. Anyone with information that could assist with the investigation can call 0800 789 321. The Met Polices statement in full At 7.37am a silver Ford Fiesta was involved in a collision in front of the Houses of Parliament. That vehicle collided with cyclists and pedestrians, before hitting a barrier and coming to a stop Two people have been taken to hospital. One man has already been discharged and one woman remains in hospital being treated for serious but thankfully non life threatening injuries. Another man was also treated at the scene but didnt require hospital treatment. The driver of the Feista, who was alone in the vehicle, was arrested at the scene by armed officers who were already nearby. The man is in his late 20s. He has been arrested on suspicion of terrorist offences and has been taken to a south London police station where he remains in police custody. Given that this appears to be a deliberate act, the method and this being an iconic site we are treating this as a terrorist incident and it is being led by officers from the counter-terrorism command. Officers are searching the vehicle and no other weapons have been found at this time. At this early stage of the investigation no other suspects have been identified or reported to police. There is no intelligence at this time of further danger to Londoners or the rest of the UK connected to this incident. Our priority now is to formally identify the suspect and establish his motivation if we can. He is not currently co-operating. However, as you would expect detectives form the counter-terrorism command are making various other urgent enquiries to ensure there is no outstanding risk to the public. Clearly we are treating the scene as a crime scene so cordons are likely to remain outside Parliament for some time. Thank you to the public for their patience whilst we deal with the incident. 12:28Tom Eden Cyclist describes incident Geoffrey Woodman, a strategy consultant from Battersea, had stopped at the traffic lights by Parliament Square on his cycle to work when the car swerved into cyclists and towards the security barriers. I was getting off the bike and put my foot down, then there was a sound like tyres screeching. This car turned round to the left and swerved into the wrong lane of traffic and into the bank where all the cyclists wait. He said most people managed to jump off their bikes to safety but one woman who seemed in some distress was clipped by the bonnet of the car as it passed. It went through everyone and turned round, continuing down the next 50 metres before turning into the lay-by where taxis pick up politicians, smashing into the barrier. Mr Woodman said paramedics from a passing ambulance, captured on camera passing behind the car, stopped to help the cyclists and armed police arrived on the scene within 10 seconds. They reacted really quickly and the area felt pretty secure. Id say their response was outstanding, he added. BTPTom Eden Transport police ramp up patrols British Transport Police (BTP) said it would be putting extra officers on patrols in England, Scotland and Wales on Tuesday afternoon and into the evening following the Westminster terror attack. Superintendent Chris Horton from BTP said: We know incidents such as this are likely to cause concern, so our officers will be highly visible both on board trains and at stations. We are there to reassure the travelling public, so please dont be alarmed if you see our officers, including firearms officers, on your journey. 11:57Tom Eden Sadiq Khan condemns 'attack' In a statement on the attack, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said all Londoners, like me, utterly condemn all acts of terrorism on our city. He said: The response of Londoners today shows that we will never be cowed, intimidated or divided by any terrorist attack. I have been and will continue to be in close touch with the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Transport for London and the other emergency services. My heartfelt thanks goes to the brave first responders who were so quickly on the scene following the attack. Mr Khan urged members of the public to remain calm and vigilant, and report any information about the incident to the Metropolitan Police. 11:56KEY EVENT Counter-terrorist chief's statement One woman injured in the Westminster car attack is being treated for serious but not life-threatening injuries, Scotland Yard counter-terrorism head Neil Basu has said. No other suspects have been identified and there is no intelligence at this time of further danger to Londoners following the Westminster car attack, Mr Basu said. Mr Basu added that the suspect was not co-operating with police and had not yet been formally identified. But on the basis of the information known so far, we dont believe this person is known to either MI5 or counter terrorism police, he added. The last emergency service vehicle stationed within the cordon on Millbank between College Green and Lambeth Bridge has left. A police patrol car remains in place by the roundabout where dozens of reporters, photographers and broadcast crews remain. 11:51Tom Eden Underground accepting bus tickets With the large police cordon still in place, there are disruptions to bus services. Transport for London say that the underground is accepting bus tickets in Zone 1: 11:49Tom Eden Two in hospital and another treated at scene The London Ambulance Service  who took two people to hospital  has added that a third patient with minor injuries was treated at the scene. A spokesman said the two people taken to hospital had non-life threatening injuries. 11:48Tom Eden Police appeal for information Know anything that could help police? 11:37KEY EVENT Watch moment car accelerates towards barrier Weaving across pavements, this is the moment a car accelerates towards a barrier outside the Parliament. A driver has been arrested on suspicion of terror offences after a car collided with cyclists and pedestrians before crashing into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament. The man, in his late 20s, is being held in custody at a south London police station after armed officers swarmed the scene following the suspected terror attack just before 7.40am on Tuesday. Images posted to social media showed a man, wearing a black puffer jacket, surrounded by police and being led away in handcuffs from a silver-coloured Ford Fiesta. There was nobody else in the vehicle and no weapons were found, Scotland yard said. 11:14KEY EVENT What we know so far A driver has been arrested on suspicion of terror offences after a car collided with cyclists and pedestrians before crashing into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament. The man, in his late 20s, is being held in custody at a south London police station after armed officers swarmed the scene following the suspected terror attack just before 7.40am on Tuesday. Images posted to social media showed a man, wearing a black puffer jacket, surrounded by police and being led away in handcuffs from a silver-coloured Ford Fiesta. There was nobody else in the vehicle and no weapons were found, Scotland yard said. The force said the crash is being treated as a terrorist incident and the Metropolitan Polices counter-terror command is leading the investigation. Two people were taken to hospital after being treated at the scene for injuries, which are not believed to be serious, the London Ambulance Service (LAS) said. Prime Minister Theresa May said her thoughts were with those injured in the incident and thanked the emergency services for their immediate and courageous response. She continued: I was walking on the other side (of the road). I heard some noise and someone screamed. I turned around and I saw a silver car driving very fast close to the railings, maybe even on the pavement. The car appears to have been driven through cyclists before ploughing into the security barrier. Footage shot outside Parliament showed cyclists helping at least one rider lying on the ground as ambulance crews and armed police arrived on the scene. Cyclist James Maker, 30, of Chelmsford, Essex, passed the scene in Westminster minutes later and saw a woman injured on the ground and the car crashed into the barrier. I looked to the right-hand side and there was a cyclist on the floor, clearly injured, he told the Press Association. It was a woman, they were clearly quite injured, they werent moving and they were in the recovery position. Jason Williams, 45, from Kennington, was walking to work when he saw the crash. I saw a car going at high speed towards Parliament. It hit a bollard, he told the Press Association. It looked deliberate. It didnt look like an accident. How do you do that by accident? It was a loud bang. Streets around Parliament Square, Millbank and Victoria Tower Gardens were cordoned off as police, ambulances and firefighters arrived. Bus driver Victor Ogbomo, 49, passed the scene just after the crash. All I saw was the smoke coming out of a vehicle, a silver vehicle ... I just stopped the bus, he said. The police said we have to move back, then in less than five minutes the response team came. They went to the vehicle, so we had to push back. I saw the car in the barrier, I didnt know how it got there. I think someone was inside the vehicle because many police went towards the vehicle. He said officers had their guns out when they arrested the driver. A number of armed police officers remain stationed at a cordon beside Parliament, while Westminster Bridge and Tube station are both closed. The cordon was widened twice and sniffer dogs were seen scanning the area. Scotland Yard said: At 7.37am on Tuesday August 14, a silver Ford Fiesta collided with a number of cyclists and pedestrians, before crashing into barriers outside the Houses of Parliament. The driver of the car, a man in his late 20s, was arrested at the scene by armed officers. He has been taken to a south London police station where he remains in police custody. He was arrested on suspicion of terrorist offences. There was nobody else in the vehicle, which remains at the scene and is being searched. No weapons have been recovered at this stage. A force spokesman added: At this stage, we are treating this as a terrorist incident and the Mets Counter Terrorism Command is now leading the investigation. The Houses of Parliament are surrounded with security barriers of steel and concrete. The measures were extended in the wake of the Westminster Bridge attack in March 2017 when Khalid Masood ploughed a car into crowds on Westminster Bridge, killing four people. Masood abandoned his car then stabbed and killed unarmed Pc Keith Palmer before he was shot by armed police in a courtyard outside Parliament.The terrorist threat against the UK is seen as unprecedented. In addition to five attacks that occurred last year, authorities say they have stopped 13 Islamist and four extreme right-wing plots since the Westminster atrocity in March 2017. Police and MI5 are running at least 500 live operations involving roughly 3,000 active subjects of interest at any one time - while there is also a wider pool of more than 20,000 individuals who have previously featured in probes whose threat must be kept under review. Earlier this year, the Government unveiled a refreshed counter-terror strategy. Under the blueprint, MI5 intelligence will be shared with bodies outside the security community in an attempt to stop suspects before attack plots can crystallise, while anti-terror laws are to be strengthened to allow earlier interventions.
Regions politicians unite in horror at Westminster terror attack Published: 17:31, 22 March 2017 Paramedics on the scene outside the Houses of Parliament where an incident is unfolding, March 22 2107. See National News story NNCOMMONS; Police have reportedly shot a knifeman who stabbed an officer. The House of Parliament has been locked down after the as two men are being treated inside the grounds. Pictures from the scene appear to show a car crashed into railings outside the building just before 3pm. George Eaton tweeted: "Police have just shot a man who was attacking officers at parliament's entrance." MPs and councillors from across East Anglias political divide have spoken of their horror at yesterdays terrorist attack in Westminster. Four people were killed, including one police officer, and dozens injured when a suspected terrorist drove through pedestrians before launching a knife attack. Northampton MP told to stay in Parliament after firearms incident at Westminster. Photo: South West News Service South West Norfolk MP Elizabeth Truss said: My thoughts are very much with the family and friends of all those affected by todays incident in Westminster. Praise must be given to the emergency services for their swift response and for the incredible bravery shown by police officers. Swaffham Conservative councillor Ian Sherwood was in the Palace of Westminster when the attack happened. He tweeted that he had been among a group in a room in nearby Portcullis House, which was split up and moved to another location. The scene outside the Houses of Parliament where an incident is unfolding, March 22 2107. See National News story NNCOMMONS; Police have reportedly shot a knifeman who stabbed an officer. The House of Parliament has been locked down after the as two men are being treated inside the grounds. Pictures from the scene appear to show a car crashed into railings outside the building just before 3pm. George Eaton tweeted: "Police have just shot a man who was attacking officers at parliament's entrance." In a later post, he wrote: This is terrible and to be locked in @HouseofCommons at the moment is surreal, Police & Staff keeping us safe. Mid-Norfolk MP George Freeman said he had heard gunshots before he was rushed away by police. He later praised the incredibly brave anti-terrorist officers who were involved in the lockdown operation. North Norfolks Liberal Democrat MP Norman Lamb also took to social media to say his office team were safe following the attack. A short time ago, Labour MEP Alex Mayer said: The unfolding events in London are heart breaking. Only this morning we commemorated the one year anniversary of the Brussels bombings. My thoughts are with everyone affected and the emergency services that we all rely on at times like this. We need to stay united. Terrorists will never destroy our way of life and democracy must always win.
Westminster attack suspect friends claim he ISNT a terrorist and was spooked by ambulance sirens as brother says he was visiting next week FRIENDS of the Westminster attack suspect claim he ISNT a terrorist and was spooked by ambulance sirens as his brother says he was as a result of go to him in Sudan next week. Salih Khater is being grilled by terror cops after a automotive sped via lights smashing down cyclists earlier than crashing into limitations outdoors Parliament yesterday. British nationwide Salih Khater, 29, pictured in a selfie from a social media profile The Sudan-Born British nationwide was re-arrested as we speak on suspicion of tried homicide after the suspected attack, however friends of his claim he shouldnt be a terrorist and that the harrowing smash was simply an accident. Ahrha Thomas, additionally from Birmingham, stated: It was an accident identical to anybody would have. He was a good individual. He simply misplaced management. I do know this man, he went to the embassy to get his visa to go to Sudan. There were two ambulances behind him trying to pass and he tried to get out the way and lost control. bbc information The second he veered left as an ambulance got here up behind the automotive  which his friends say might have spooked him His brother has additionally claimed Khater was a normal person who had no terrorist tendencies. He informed the BBC that his household was in a state of amazement at being accused of terrorism. He called us by telephone and told us he wanted our product after his years in Britain and spent Eid vacation with us and compensated for the years he missed Sudan, he stated. The brother added that Khater had obtained British citizenship and determined to go to his household final minute. That is what we all know to date A silver Ford Fiesta crashed into anti-terror obstacles outdoors the Homes of Parliament at 7.37am mowing down pedestrians and cyclists Three individuals have been harm  together with a man and a lady who have been taken to hospital with non life-threatening accidents whove since been discharged The 29-year-old driver, named by locals as Brit nationwide Salih Khater, initially from Sudan, has been arrested on suspicion of terror offences and tried homicide The suspect left Birmingham late on Monday night time and drove round London for a number of hours earlier than the rampage Terror cops have carried out raids at two addresses in Birmingham, together with the suspects house, and one in Nottingham as a part of their investigation Specialists are investigating whether or not it was a copycat of the earlier Westminster attack in March final yr Additional cops will now be stationed at key transport hubs throughout the nation Theresa Might praised medics and police for his or her fast response to the attack Second suspect drives a automotive into a Parliament barrier in Westminister Sky Information The fear suspect has been named by locals as British nationwide Salih Khater, 29, pictured being arrested by cops outdoors Parliament Regardless of the claims, police are nonetheless holding the person underneath the Terrorist Act after the chilling incident, which senior cops yesterday stated appeared deliberate. Police additionally added Khater was not co-operating with officers throughout questioning, as they investigated the suspected terror attack. It was revealed by cops he had left the West Midlands late on Monday night time and spent hours stalking the streets of central London earlier than mowing down 15 cyclists and making an attempt to ram his method into Parliament at 50mph. However Ali Mohammed, a group chief from the Sudanese group in Birmingham, claim Khater travelled to London for a assembly on the Sudanese embassy. He stated: He was making an attempt to use for a visa on the Sudanese embassy to return to Sudan. He went the night time earlier than. We presume he hung out in his automotive travelling round to attend for the morning to go to the embassy. Nassar Mahmood, trustee of The Birmingham Central Mosque, close to Khaters flat which is being searched by police, additionally stated it was thought he had gone to bid for a visa. He stated: He was trying to apply for a visa through the Sudanese embassy to go to Sudan. I dont think he got to that stage. Earlier as we speak it was revealed the 29-year-old terror suspect is a shy Celine Dion-loving British nationwide whose dad and brother lately died, stories claim. Particulars have now start to emerge concerning the suspect, who describes himself on Fb as a store supervisor who studied on the Sudan College of Science and Know-how. He additionally studied accountancy at Coventry College between September 2017 and Might 2018, the college confirmed at this time. It was reported Khater had goals about being a pharmacist however failed a part of his course at South & Metropolis School in Digbeth as a result of his English was too poor. Anti-terrorism police had searched a flat at Brinklow Towers, one other flat above the Bunna Web Cafe, off Stratford Street, and an as-yet-unnamed third location within the metropolis. It was additionally confirmed this afternoon that an investigation into a home in Nottingham linked to the attack has ended. Police encompass the car outdoors the Homes of Parliament on Tuesday morning Metropolitan Police Police at the moment launched this image of the battered Ford Fiesta after it crashed outdoors Parliament The proprietor of Bunna Web Cafe claimed Khater  who studied at Coventry College  had lived there for 9 months and moved out 4 months in the past. Ahmed Abdi stated: He used to smoke shisha upstairs. He all the time used to remain behind after lock down at midnight. Each night time he was smoking shish upstairs. Its very shocking and Id never expect hed do this. He was just a normal guy. Specialists are investigating whether or not the attack was a copycat of the earlier Westminster attack in March final yr that killed 5 individuals. Khater grew up in the agricultural city of Wad Madani the place his mother and father have been sorghum farmers. He got here to the UK round 5 years in the past and just lately misplaced his dad and brother inside months of one another, Mail On-line studies. Khater was additionally reportedly being investigated over irregularities in his British citizenship within the days main as much as the attack, the web site claims, however the Residence Workplace refused to remark. Childhood pal Abubakr Ibrahim, 30, advised the Solar On-line: Hes a good man. The final time I met him was about six years in the past. Hes a graduate in electrical engineering at Sudan College. Hes very type, hes no terrorist, hes a actually type man. Once I heard [what had happened] I was stunned. I actually cant consider my good friend would do this, even cannibals wouldnt do [something like] that. Hes a excellent man and he has no concept about terrorism. He defined Khater had moved from his household  together with two brothers and three sisters  in Sudan round 5 years in the past. That is the second a automotive careered throughout Westminster earlier than mowing down pedestrians and smashing into barrier at 50mph throughout a terror rampage @SnapperSK Terror suspect Salih Khater had been believed to reside above this web cafe in Sparkhill, Birmingham Nervous friends had requested about his well-being on Fb in 2011 after he went silent. Khater later wrote: Everybody had idea to say something and i will promise i will not disappear again and i will to be close to all my friend and i apologise for that thing. Terror cops yesterday raided two addresses in Birmingham, together with the suspects final recognized tackle, and a home within the Radford space of Nottingham. Cops have been in the present day search a flat on this tower block in Birmingham Police entered this tower block in Birmingham final night time He had been dwelling above an web cafe in Sparkhill till round 4 months in the past, which is ten minutes from the previous residence of Westminster Bridge attacker Khalid Masood. Abrha Tomas, 35, stated: Everyone is aware of him. I knew this man. He is a good individual. Ive recognized him for about six or seven years. I do not know the place he lives. We performed pool collectively. I dont think it was terrorism. Hes not that kind of person. Did you research at Coventry College with Salih Khater? Name Solar On-line on 0207 782 4383 or e mail holly.christodoulou@the-sun.co.uk Neighbours in Radford, Nottingham, stated plain-clothed cops pressured their method into a three-storey home with a battering ram at about 3pm, shouting: Police! An occupant of the home, who requested to not be named, stated six Sudanese males had lived there for the previous 12 months. It comes as horrified witnesses described the fear of seeing the automotive driving towards Parliament at speed earlier than listening to a loud bang as it smashed into black metal limitations. Two uniformed cops on guard dived for canopy as the entrance of the Fiesta crumpled on influence with smoke billowing from its engine. The silver Ford Fiesta crashed into a barrier close to Parliament ITV A 29-year-old man, ho has been named by locals as Salih Khater, has been arrested on suspicion of terror offences Fb Khater, 29, is claimed to have pushed down from Birmingham to London late on Monday night time A person and a lady have been taken to hospital with critical however non-life threatening accidents and have since been discharged, whereas one other man was handled on the scene. A builder stated: There have been ten to 15 cyclists and he went by means of them. He stored driving on and smashed into the gates. There were about three or four cyclists left on the floor. There were people chasing after him. Did YOU witness the crash? Contact us and ship us your footage: holly.christodoulou@the-sun.co.uk or 02077824383 PA:Press Affiliation The Ford Fiesta is recovered from the scene of the rampage by police late on Tuesday PA:Press Affiliation Forensic officers by the automotive that crashed into safety obstacles outdoors the Homes of Parliament on Tuesday night time PA:Press Affiliation A safety barrier is moved by a forklift truck in Westminster after the a automotive mowed down individuals on the morning commute PA:Press Affiliation Forensic officers by the automotive that crashed into safety obstacles outdoors the Homes of Parliament, Westminster, London Jamie Lorriman Bicycles have been left on the bottom following the rampage on the scene of one other terror attack Fearless bike owners very British response after he chased down Westminster terror suspect The Mets Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu stated: Our priority is to formally identify the suspect and establish his motivations if we can. He is not currently cooperating. He stated the driving force was not recognized to counter-terror police, however he added: Given this appears to be a deliberate act, the method and this being an iconic site, we are treating it as a terrorist incident. Chilling CCTV noticed the Fiesta on the one-way system at Parliament Sq. earlier than all of the sudden lurching left on to the incorrect aspect of the street. The automotive swerves throughout the street after ploughing into cyclists in Westminster PA:Press Affiliation Forensics officers work on the scene of the smash in Westminster EPA Forensics officers collect proof on the scene of the crash on Tuesday afternoon as they seek for a motive SUN SAYS FOR the second time in 18 months terror has come to Westminster. Once more, its the bravery of our emergency providers which stands out above all. To run in the direction of a automotive, not figuring out what or who was in it, takes extra- bizarre bravery. Its braveness that we have now develop into used to however that we should always by no means take as a right. There can be onerous questions requested over the approaching days. Its too early to inform how and why this man got here to commit his crime, or why the safety providers werent capable of forestall it. However extra broadly, its a reminder of the menace that stalks our streets. We cant overlook final yrs carnage, from London Bridge to Manchester, which noticed households ripped aside and promising lives minimize brief. The Authorities should not let terrorism slip to the again of the queue, regardless of how thorny different political points are. It stays a clear and current hazard. The information that there have been 17 foiled plots since final March is terrifying. Theresa Might should give our intelligence providers all of the help they want  together with higher powers to research social media. Terrorists are determined to divide us. Theyll by no means triumph. How the terror attack unfolded yesterday A search of the silver Fiesta, initially registered in Nottingham in 2010, discovered no weapons. It has now emerged that the automotive was written off by an insurance coverage firm final autumn and failed its MOT in Might due to a defective steering wheel  however was again on the street and bought two months in the past. Officers ask that anybody who might have seen the silver Ford Fiesta, registration quantity FL10 CWZ, or the driving force within the London space within the hours earlier than the attack to get in contact. Anybody with footage or photographs can also be urged to succeed in out to police to assist with their investigation. Chaos on the scene of the crash in Westminster after a Ford Fiesta rammed into pedestrians and cyclists Smoke billows from the bonnet of the Fiesta after it crashed into anti-terror obstacles IBIZA DEATH PLUNGE PUSHING BACK LAZY B***H Vile word left on mums automotive whereas terminally sick son was handled in hospital The attack sparked reminiscences of the terrorist atrocity in March 2017 by which Khalid Masood, 52, killed 5 in Westminster, together with PC Keith Palmer. The attack by Masood  who was shot lifeless by police  was adopted by terror atrocities in Manchester and London Bridge which killed 30. Masood lives simply a ten minute drive from Khater in a Birmingham suburb branded a breeding floor for terrorists. Sparkhill has been residence to at least one in ten British extremists jailed over terror plots  together with Mohamed Abrini, who collected funds from the world earlier than finishing up assaults in Paris and Brussels. Safety at Parliament might be reviewed following the newest attack and the police presence round historic websites, rail stations and crowded areas is predicted to be stepped up throughout the UK. HIGH ALERT: The fear attack that put Westminster on lockdown simply 18 months in the past Westminster has been placed on excessive alert earlier than, with Tuesdays crash outdoors Parliament barely 18 months because the terror attack that gripped the capital. 5 individuals have been killed and greater than 50 individuals have been injured when Kent-born terrorist Khalid Masood mowed pedestrians down alongside Westminster Bridge in March final yr. The 52-year-old then crashed his automotive into the gates of Parliament, operating into the compound with two blades when he fatally stabbed police officer Keith Palmer. Mum-of-two Aysha Frade, American vacationer Kurt Cochran and 75-year-old Leslie Rhodes have been all murdered by the evil terrorist. Fifth sufferer, Andreea Cristea, was thrown off Westminster bridge through the terror attack.Terrorist Masood was shot by police, later dying in hospital. Scotland Yard stated Masood was a violent legal convicted of a number of offences spanning 20 years.However they confirmed Masood was not the topic of any present investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack. We pay on your tales! Do you have got a story for The Solar On-line information staff? E mail us at ideas@the-sun.co.uk or name 0207 782 4368. Youll be able to WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for movies too. Click on right here to add yours.
News from David Work, Rest and Pray Remember the advert ditty? "A Mars a day helps you work rest and pray". Well almost! Here are some thoughts on work and rest and prayer - some dates and helpful information too. Prayer Ive been a follower of Jesus for nigh-on 50 years and throughout that time I have prayed. At least I thought I prayed. As we have centred our thoughts on prayer this year it has become clear to me that I have been paddling in the shallows and that I needed to learn to swim. I need to learn what prayer means and how to do it. I need to increase my understanding and faith in how prayer changes things. I need to learn how to pray more and to pray more effectively. Lots to do and learn and together we have been doing and learning this year but there is a way to go! Please check out the website resources for podcasts of all the Prayer teaching, and recommendations for good books and websites. During next term we will have one of our regular times of Prayer & Fasting. It will be called 14 Days to Pray and Fast and, as usual, although you can take part as much or as little as you wish, Im inviting you to join in from Sunday 30 September until Sunday 14 October. During this time well focus on three things: Fasting  this time well be fasting food (for those who are new, we have sometimes fasted screens or phones); Praying  for our friends and particularly about the development of Vineyard House; Inviting our friends to: Try Praying. Well be using the www.trypraying.com resource during this time. It is a really helpful way of introducing friends to the idea of prayer, and thus into a relationship with Jesus. Well speak about it at weekly worship, investigate it in small groups and do it with our friends! You can download a great App from the website and start checking it out. Nearer the time well have some booklets for those who prefer something tangible to work with. In the meantime, start asking the Lord about which friends he may want you to talk with about praying! Baptisms At the end of June we had a lovely Sunday afternoon by the river in Ilkley when we baptised six of our brothers and sisters. Such great testimonies, all so different. We really do have some better stories to tell  ones of radical life change and new life. On 23 September well be baptising some more of our friends. If you would like to be baptised please let your small group leader know as soon as possible or talk with one of the pastoral staff. Mens Getaway Also in September (14-16) but please book now! A relaxed couple of days camping near Harrogate  great to invite friends to! Vineyard House  Next Steps I trust you are receiving regular updates from Cath Storey  if not please check your Church Suite settings! You can catch up on the website (JOIN IN/STEPS 2017 or search for Vineyard House). For some two years we have been focussed on praying that we get this building and figuring out how to pay for it (thank you for your gifts!). Now that we have exchanged contracts (with completion due in December) our focus is on the core decisions about what we are going to do in the building and therefore what planning permission to apply for and what renovation work will need to be done. This in turn will cost money as well and we will be working on how to raise those funds in due course. Equipping & Training Sally, Jos and Helen have been doing Hub with some of our local Vineyard churches. This is aimed at developing leadership skills and is a must if you have a calling to church planting or pastoral ministry on staff. It consists of excellent practical training in a flipped learning environment, with a monthly evening commitment and is led by Ian & Hannah Ripping who lead Bradford Vineyard. If you are looking at theological training, then the Vineyard offers distance/web-based courses around which we build cohorts of students. An alternative is the Leeds School of Theology Gareth, Howard and Sophie have been attending this year (I did it last year). Here is what Gareth says about it: "Attending the Theology course at LSOT had been immensely rewarding. The quality of teaching has been excellent throughout and has shown me how to look at the Bible in new ways (especially from the context of the Early Church). All in all it has strengthened and deepened my faith and I am so glad I have embarked upon this particular journey." So we commend it to you if you are looking for some basic but high quality theological training and would like to do it in a flipped learning environment with only one Saturday per month to which you need to commit. Finally, in September we launch our intern programme which is based around a year long commitment to Leeds Vineyard. If you would like more information on any of these please talk with the pastoral staff or contact Matt & Anne Button. Ashburnham 2019  My Story Every other year a whole bunch of us join with friends from several other churches to spend an idyllic week at Ashburnham Place in East Sussex (that's the website for the venue). The dates for 2019 are the 1017 August and the theme is: My Story. Karl & Nicki Martin (Senior Pastor, Central, Edinburgh), Stephen & Helena Ibbotsen and Jenni Entrican (President of the European Baptist Federation) are some of our guest speakers. It will be a great week  book the dates and start saving! Booking will open soon. REST Its not a pool-side page-turner but a book I enjoyed reading on holiday is REST by Alex Soojung - Kim Pang (lets call him Alex). Hes a secular researcher out of Silicon Valley who has compiled some fascinating research about the brain and sleep. His compelling argument is that we should think as carefully about how we rest as how we work. You can get it as an audiobook too. I believe that God made us for work and rest but that we have got confused about what is good and what is not and how work and rest relate to each other. Alexs book has persuaded me to make some significant changes in how I work  not least to recognise in which parts of the day I work best and in which parts I rest well. It is also liberating to realise that some of my non-work hobbies are not only good for rest but also good for work! Alison and I are praying that you have a really good summer with plenty of rest! Next Steps Alison and I are about to go on holiday  we take ours before the school holidays and so expect to be around most of July and August. Holidays are good things, well theyre essential things actually, as is a day off each week (a Sabbath day)  but before we go I wanted to bring you up to date with some fresh news: Vineyard House Phase II  Next StepsSince my last newsmail we have indeed exchanged contracts (high fives and celebrations all round!!!!!). This is such good news. It means we are legally committed to buying (and Jim Harris, the vendor, is legally committed to selling) Vineyard House. We have paid a significant deposit and will pay the balance of the purchase price in December when we get the keys. This gives us 6 months in which to plan the Next Steps  the renovations and getting further funding in place. Perfect. Twelve months later than I first hoped for but actually, in the big picture, much much better. I had lunch with Jim yesterday and we were both very happy with where we have got to. He is delighted that the building is going to come alive (his words) and has promised to help us with preparing over the next months. Look out for opportunities to visit and check it out  which we will publicise from time to time. I am looking forward to inviting Jim to the grand opening! Through his gentle persistence Phil Hicks has got us to this point (thank you Phil) and now hands over Project Manager responsibilities to Cath and Sam and you can read all about them and the Next Steps on the Vineyard House blog. Engine RoomI would love you to get along to the Engine Room on 8 July (7.00pm  8.30pm at HMC). This is going to be such an important time of prayer, waiting on God for guidance about Vineyard House and specifically about what shape the Rocks (and primarily the Business Rock) should take. Were about to make final decisions about these things  decisions which will guide our Next Steps: the spending of money and the use of the building for years to come. Your participation and prayers are really important  the Lord is waiting for us to meet together to pray and knock on heavens door. BaptismsThe World Cup organisers didnt check our calendar before they scheduled England against Panama  but fortunately you can watch it on catch-up! Theres an even more exciting event taking place in Ilkley after church on Sunday afternoon (24 June 2018) when Cath, Dawn, Karzan, and Nicky step into the River Wharfe to be baptised. Well meet them on Sunday morning and then drive up to Ilkley. It promises to be a lovely day: bring a picnic and games and come and support these obedient disciples as they make their public commitment. Church SuiteIf you are reading this it is quite likely that you are registered on our administration App, Church Suite. But some people have had a little difficulty figuring out how to get into their account and update their data or look for information. Some of you may not realise that you can download the App to your smartphone. Please call the office and speak to Sue or Hannah if you need help with any of this. PrayerAs we continue in our fascinating studies in Prayer I would point you to the resources page on the website for some reading and watching. Id also add Philip Yanceys book, Prayer, Does It Make A Difference?, to your summer reading - Anne Buchan strongly recommends it. Times of Application, Times of Celebration To Leeds Vineyard There are times when life in the community of faith just bumbles along, moving happily from one regular event to another, experiencing some difficulties here and some merriment there but without any particular peaks or troughs. We see God at work among us, we continue to learn about growing as disciples but our story smooths out for a while. And then, all of a sudden, lots starts to happen  and we enter a season of excitement. Well the last couple of weeks have given us some excitement with two causes for prayer and application and four causes for prayer and celebration! The more challenging things have been getting on top of GDPR and closing in on the purchase of Vineyard House. GDPR Whilst being, in my view, a GOOD thing, has caused us, along with everyone else, a deal of head-scratching, small-print reading, deep discussion and lots of extra communication. The fact that you are reading this means that you have responded to our requests to stay in touch. Thank you! It would be really helpful if you could ask around your friends and family within the Vineyard and check whether or not they received News from David. If they didnt it means that either they havent responded or that they have - and they dont want to hear from us ever again! Vineyard House The team have been hard at work behind the scenes with last minute negotiations and the tying up of legal loose ends. Id continue to value your prayers over this in the next few days and Im looking forward to reporting back with good news very soon. The matters of celebration have been many but here are FOUR: We welcome Ezra James Button to planet earth. The family are doing well, learning the startling rhythms of life with child no.3 - each day bringing something new! Please pray for Anne, Matt, Reuben and Amy, as well as baby Ezra. If youd like to support them by making meals please contact Sue or Sally at the office. We welcomed Dave & Rachael into marital bliss at a wonderful wedding last Saturday. They were ministered to by 3 different denominations (Rachaels father who is an Anglican minister conducted the wedding vows; Tim Boocock, the Methodist minister at HMC took charge of the signing of the register; and Alison and I led the service, preached and prayed - with help from Richard & Sally Pollard). Nevertheless, it was a wholly Vineyard wedding with many of you turning out to serve them in many ways throughout the day. We were so proud of the way in which the Vineyard community supported and celebrated with Mr & Dr Bratley. The weekend before that the leaders had their annual retreat, this time at Ampleforth Abbey. Apart from being a gloriously beautiful weekend in a stunning setting, it was also a super- beneficial time away for the leaders to kick back a little, learn some really helpful stuff (from Tom and Helen Murphy of Derwent Valley Vineyard), worship and pray together. There were also reported sightings of Harry & Meghan late on Saturday night and dancing into the early hours. Youll have to ask the people who were there but suffice to say there was lots of fun and laughter too. One of our best ever weekends. A BIG thank you for the team who stayed behind in Leeds to ensure that weekly worship went ahead as usual. The talks have been recorded and well issue a notice when they are ready to download or listen to. The theme was Leading into a New Era and if youre a leader (or just interested) I commend Tom and Helens talks as inspirational preparation for Vineyard House and my final session when I explained about how buildings are sometimes very important to God as a way of providing an Epiphany  a demonstration of His presence  and what that means for us. And then we also celebrated with Pie Chart Sunday last weekend  remembering what God had been doing with us in the last year and being grateful for the way He had provided for us in people, money and resources. As we looked at 1 Peter 2 I reminded you that this isnt just a social club with therapeutic tendencies. No, you are a Chosen, Royal, Holy, Special people  not because of what you have done but because of what has been done for you. You have been given a new identity and it is time to let people know! A very unusual thing is happening tomorrow A very unusual thing is happening in Leeds tomorrow. 99 council seats are being voted upon in the 33 wards around Leeds. In a constitutional quirk every single councillor is being elected in one go and so there is every likelihood that Leeds City Council will look very different on Friday morning. What do they do, these councillors? Councillors are volunteers who play a leadership role in their community, both catching the vision for the city and sharing it in their neighbourhood, and also taking the neighbourhoods vision to the City. A councillor represents their ward and gives a voice to the citizens. They have to make knife-edge decisions about where scarce resources are applied, seeking to protect the vulnerable whilst serving the whole community. And they vote on the changing laws and regulations of the city, being led by their values, hopefully good ones! So we should do two things: Firstly; pray for them, Heres a useful link if you want to know more. And then pray particularly for the three in your ward and the three in the Headingley Ward. Pray that Gods kingdom will come amidst the discussions and decisions and that we will see more glimpses of heaven in Leeds! You could use the graphic above to pray into their role. Secondly; vote. If you havent already cast your postal vote then I urge you to take the time to wander down to your local polling station and place your three crosses on the ballot. Tour de Yorkshire Another big event over the next few days. Watch out for road closures although the bicycles dont get to Leeds until the afternoon so it wont affect us on Sunday morning. Another crazy event this weekend Our young people are off to DtI (Dreaming the Impossible) with 1,000 other young people from around the movement. Liz Harden and her team are thankful for a warming weather forecast but need our prayers and best wishes as they look after the youth in their care. Every year we see God at work in mighty ways amongst the young people and we look forward to hearing all about it in the following weeks. Baptisms On Sunday June 24 we are looking forward to baptising some folk in the River Wharfe in Ilkley. Book a sunny day out in your diary and let those around you know so that if anyone else would like to be baptised they can take this opportunity. Its a great celebration and a fun way to have a picnic together. Turning Ecological It is without doubt a Good Thing to serve people refreshments on a Sunday morning but we do end up using quite a lot of paper cups which are difficult to recycle. So if you have a favourite travel mug you could bring that with you (empty) on a Sunday and well gladly pour in some delicious beverage! Leaders Weekend Over the 18-20 May, many of the current leaders will be away at Ampleforth Abbey for the weekend we take out every couple of years. This year our guest speakers are Tom & Helen Murphy from Derwent Valley Vineyard. Until this year Tom and Helen were Associate Pastors to John & Debby Wright and bring a wealth of experience and expertise to us from their time at Trent Vineyard. Helen was, for many years, the leader of the Arches, a quite incredible compassion ministry. Weve asked them to help us prepare for the future as we take on Vineyard House  how can we wisely invest our time and labour to make the most difference for Gods kingdom? Vineyard House Speaking of Vineyard House, we are hard at work behind the scenes negotiating the final parts of the contract. Its been a long wait but we are getting nearer and nearer to exchange of contracts all the time. Keep praying that Gods promises to us will be fulfilled. Brilliant! Prayer So we are well into our theme for the year of Prayer. What have you learnt so far? We have spent a month thinking about Waiting  and most of us are realising that waiting is easy to say, much harder to do. Its in the waiting that so much happens. We hear, we receive and we change - less as a consequence of answered prayer; and more during the waiting in prayer. Weve thought about what prayer is: a response; emotional; turns theology into experience; you are your prayer life. We learnt about being watchmen and setting a guard and the two dynamics of the gardeners prayer (protection and abundance). Were going to look at some practical aspects to prayer in the next few weeks and then return to the theme in June/July with a series on the Lords Prayer. There are podcasts, resources, video links, book recommendations here. Elaine shared this with me recently about how prayer is changing for her, My impatience is leaving me. There is more time in my day, as I am slowed down by Jesus. I want to pray, and I have always craved that time to be completely alone with God, but always feel I have to go away to be by myself to do that. Now I just close my eyes wherever I am and He is there. Brilliant. I think the Lord has spoken through these weeks and has made it very clear that we are to be, first and foremost, a people of prayer. We are a people of action, yes indeed, Vineyard House is testament to that, but activity has to be preceded by prayer. There is kingdom power in activity that emanates from prayer and as we wait in prayer we become aware of our inadequacy and of his supremacy. He can do supernatural things through a prayerful people. Here is an illustration of what happens when we pray. Alice, one of our wonderful students, is training to be a social worker. She was sitting in on an early intervention meeting on a complex family law case. Here she describes what was said about the Child Contact Centre: I was in a room full of different professionals, all of whom recognise the Vine (as our Child Contact Centre is known) as a service they can and do use.. The contact centre is having a massive and far reaching impact on families and the work you are doing is being recognised by a range of professionals from school teachers, family outreach workers and the CAMS team. In big multi-agency meetings the Vine is being brought up in conversation as a possible intervention and being spoken very highly of. I asked my supervisor afterwards if she had used The Vine before. She gave a glowing report. She said that: the contact she had with Elaine from the referral process; the setting up of contact; and then the feedback she got from the parents and children afterwards was brilliant. She said that the contact centre is a really valuable service that is needed because that contact between the parents and children is so valuable and there are not enough places that offer it. She spoke of it being a real lifeline for some of the families she works with. I found it so exciting to be in this placement setting and to hear that professionals are turning to the Vine as an intervention to support families and to know that it is being run by the local Church. Brilliant. Vineyard House We are about to enter Phase 2 and are ready to appoint a Project Manager for the renovations and/or fund raising. Youll find the job advert on our website in the staff section. Please spread the word and prayer that the right person or people read it and get in touch. Baptism We are already looking forward to our next baptisms  this time on Sunday 24 June. Its one of our favourite days of the year! If you have not yet been baptised and would like to be please talk with your small group leader or one of the pastoral staff. Two people have signe up already! Brilliant. Leaders Weekend All current leaders should have received an invitation to the Weekend over 18-20 May. This year we are heading for the wonderfully peaceful and prayerful surroundings of Ampleforth Abbey. We have a real treat waiting for us because our guest speakers are Tom and Helen Murphy who were, up until the end of last year, John and Debby Wrights associates at Trent Vineyard but who have now planted the Derwent Valley Vineyard. Places are limited so please book up soon (via Church Suite). Global Day of Prayer If you would like to join in with a Leeds-wide prayer event please put Sunday evening 20 May at 6.30pm at Bridge Community Church. Finally, an encouraging word (prophecy) By prophecy I mean that God speaks to us through others. Prophecy is one of the gifts of the Spirit and I would encourage you all to grow in receiving it. Sometimes it includes or sounds like scripture. Sometimes it is addressed to all of us, at other times to individuals. Prophecy is part of a mature prayer life. A few weeks ago John received these words and graciously shared them. I think they bear repeating: I did not make a mistake when you were born (in fact I knew you as you grew in your mothers womb). Your Nationality is not a mistake (I love the country of your birth). I did not make a mistake putting you into the family you were born into (In fact I placed you in family). Your name is not a mistake. I did not make a mistake giving you the personality you have. Your passions and dreams are not wrong. Embrace these things they make you who you are. You are a Royal Priesthood, A Holy Nation, set apart and belonging to me. It's been a while, here's some news Dear Leeds Vineyard Its been a while so a little more to share with you than usual: I have a splendid picture in my mind. As you may know both my parents died in the last few months and then this week we learnt that Billy Graham too had been promoted to glory. In my minds eye I can imagine my father and my mother sitting in a garden with a cup of Yorkshire Tea and Mr Kipling Cake chatting with Billy Graham and C.S.Lewis. I know that my father would have been one of millions who want to tell Billy and C.S.Lewis how significant they had been in the early years of his life. But it is heaven and somehow they all have time to chat and drink tea together! Cant wait:-) In the meantime we have work to do here and whatever else God has for you to do I know that it will include prayer. This month is time which we have allocated particularly to prayer and to fasting. Many of us have been using Andrew Murrays Waiting on God to focus our devotions and to mature our prayer life. Many of you have been fasting too. How is it all going? Sign up to pray for an hour during this week. It doesnt matter which hour, any hour will do, it doesnt matter where, anywhere you happen to be is fine  we just want to have 24 people committing to pray for an hour on one or more of Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday. Sign up to pray - on your own or with your small group or with your friends or family  for an hour or two, in the sunshine room at North Lane House, between Friday evening and Sunday morning. ?Engine Room - Saturday 3rd March 8.00pm - 9.30pm at Headingley Methodist Church (enter through the side door on Chapel Street). This will be a time of stillness, worship and creative prayer with a theme based on Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles. Isaiah 40:31. Nigel Hyde This Sunday (25 February 2018) Nigel and Susan Hyde are our guests. They have an amazing track record in mission work particularly in Sierra Leone. Youll be inspired as Nigel shares about his faith and work with Home Leone. If you would like to talk with them after the service please stay on for discussion over a lunch of pizza. Vineyard House The wheels are turning, be they turning oh so slowly! Our solicitor is doing final searches and contract checks. Thanks to the generous giving of the people of the Vineyard we have also been able to submit a pragmatic mortgage application. Please pray that these last few very important steps result in us being able to exchange contracts in March with an expected completion date toward the end of August. In January Bethanie shared an amazing vision for one of the ministries we may be able to run out of Vineyard House as part of the Hungry Rock, you can read about it here. Well be sharing the vision for part of the Community Rock on Mothering Sunday. If you would like to give to STEPS for Vineyard House you can find out how to do so here. EASTER Easter comes early this year. Maundy Thursday is 29 March! If you would like to join in with a Passover there will be several run by various groups. If you would like your group to do a Passover service there are resources available to show you how and Tania can explain what to do! On Good Friday we will have our traditional frolic across Ilkley Moor with eggs and fresh air in abundance. If you prefer something more demure then you may wish to join the Headingley Churches Together Walk of Witness which starts at Headingley Methodist Church at 10.30am for the opening hymn and short reflection, then you walk round to the Rose Garden (outside the Arc), ready to start the main event at about 10.50am, after which coffee and Hot Cross Buns will be served at Headingley Methodist church hall. If you'd like to help with the music please let me know. Our Easter service is always a good time to extend an invitation to your friends and family (who has the Holy Spirit put on your heart to pray for?). Our theme will be Just Imagine. National Leaders Conference A whole bunch of us went to the National Leaders' Conference at the end of January. What a great time we had with some inspirational teaching and worship and opportunities galore to get to know our brothers and sisters from around the Vineyard. Id recommend investing some time in listening to the podcasts  particularly Pastor Agu Irukwu speaking about Prayer (the talk is titled "Interceding for the Nations"). GDPR This might be a teeny weeny bit boring but it is very very important! GDPR stands for General Data Protection Register and it represents a whole wodge of legislation that means: (1) organisations will find it harder to use and abuse your data; and (2) we (at church) have to jump through some significant hoops to ensure that our record-keeping is lawful. So please respond promptly to any requests you get from our office to change your preferences or amend your personal information. Ralph If anyone happens to have a second (or third) car which they dont need for a few weeks Ralph is in need of one to borrow. Let me know if you can help. Personal Update Alison and I have had a difficult few months and we are grateful to everyone for your prayers and support  it has been a very real solace during a harrowing time. Our bereavement is now a fact, I am getting used to being an orphan, but as you know grief has many phases and stages to negotiate and we are only just starting that particular trek. One thing I have learnt so far is the importance of praying for those closest and dearest to us. Dont wait until a crisis emerges but pray for them now, take them to Jesus, say thank you, present your petition and leave them with Him. The other thing I have learnt, or rather, experienced, is that grief affects your memory. Ive been embarrassed several times having forgotten things which I would never normally lose from memory. Although I read the Waiting on God book last year as I prepared for our Prayer theme this year I have been really glad to have it to read again this last month  it has been a real help to spending time with the Lord when other things don't seem to be working very well. I have also loved listening to Samuel Lane's new worship album, The Difference. He really is one of my favourite song-writers and worship leaders. It's also got a brilliant CD cover. Finally, I am glad to say that in the last month Alison and I have felt much better, emerging from a run-down sort of place with more energy and lightness of spirit. Thanks again for your prayers. Thankyou's for Christmas, for Healing and for church family I love this church! Its Christmas and most have us have got a lot on. Another whole bunch of us have gone down with a cold. Some have a got a lot on and have gone down with a cold. And yet, somehow, enough of you all pull together to turn an old, dark building into a welcoming, celebratory, family, Jesus-centred purlieu (my current favourite new word: environs or neighbourhood where one may range at large). Judy Hardys extraordinary animal noises, the enthusiastic entry into the prayer tunnel and the hubbub over lunch were some of my highlights from the Christmas Service. I loved the Joy To The World arrangement in the evening, along with Franks Christmas jumper, the shredding response and Greggs mince pies. A guest or visitor (of whom there were many - thank you for making your invitations) would have found it hard not to be struck by the genuine friendliness and care you have for one another and by the conviction that you have that there really is Truth to be heard and embraced. And we, the regulars, simply had a great time celebrating Gods favour  even if there was quite a bit of hard work involved. A Moslem lady came up to me at the end of the Carol Service, are you, like, the Imam? marvelling that it wasnt just words but that people were different here. So thankyou. If you would like to use your gifts or just your energy and availability for next years Christmas services please let Anne know straightaway: it could be for general help or lighting, ambience, food, music, welcome, content, technology . We will need lots of people again! On Christmas Eve we had weekly worship and communion as usual and one of the highlights there was hearing Andy Pooles testimony  I recommend that you download it to read or listen to when it gets posted in the next week or so, it is so encouraging. Christmas Day was a lot of fun too. Perhaps too much chocolate, although I have heard it argued that there can never be too much chocolate. Quite a lot of guests but also several church families having a party and worshipping together. One of my highlights for our gathering together over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day was an opportunity to witness and follow up a healing. Jenny Button (that scion of the Button family were in our church some years ago) was visiting with her family. On Christmas Eve she responded to a word of knowledge, came forward with many others and then on Christmas Day, during our Rapid-Fire thankyous, gave thanks for her healing. Jenny is a doctor and her story is worth reading  its at the end of this article. New Years Eve and New Years DayIll be finishing off our series on Gods Favour this coming Sunday as we grab onto His promise that now is the time of His favour (2 Corinthians 6:1-2). And then on New Years Day you are invited, if you are able, to join us in our traditional walk on Ilkley Moor (dont forget to ring the Cow and Calf Pub if you would like to eat there  youll need to book). Vineyard HouseIf 2017 was the year for STEPS in which we gave financially and sacrificially in order to gather the funds so as to be able to buy the pearl of great price, 2018 is going to be the year of Vineyard House in which we actual buy it and start to clean it up and prepare it for ministry. We had originally planned to exchange contracts around about now but that has been put back a few weeks as we work our way through the legal and financial processes. We are not there yet, but we will get there. Id love you to keep praying and to keep giving when you are prompted by the Lord to do so. Liz Harden found a great video of what the community of Horsforth are doing to look after their purlieu (that word again). Its on Facebook here, see if it gives you some ideas of what God may want us to do through Vineyard House. The Flowers FamilyAlison has had a serious bout of flu over the last few weeks (and is still not fully recovered) which is why you may not have seen her around much. Im fine, health-wise, but since my mothers funeral in November our family has been pre-occupied by caring for Michael, my father. You may have seen him on the occasional Sunday when he has been able to visit and will have noted that he is not doing very well. His cancer is aggressive and he has some other chronic illnesses. He is processing the loss of his wife (we would have celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary last week) and his mental faculties are ebbing away. We have admitted Michael to a Residential Care home nearby which helps but is very draining on us all. Many of you have been through this process and know what I mean. We are grateful for your prayers and support. It looks like the next few weeks/months are going to be difficult so please bear with us. The staff and leadership team at the Vineyard are stepping in and doing a great job of covering for Alison and me. We are very grateful for our church family at these times. We are looking forward to 2018. Like most years it will contain great joys and some sadnesses, well experience successes and failures. But I believe that, as a church, we will be entering onto an important, long-term, and fruitful new phase as we take ownership of Vineyard House. The Lord will grant us His favour this year as we obediently step out in faith and expectancy. May His favour rest on you and yours and bring you peace. David Jennys storyWhen I was a teenager I hurt my back ice skating- I think I fractured a vertebrae but I dont exactly recall the details as the fracture was missed in the initial assessment of the x rays and my parents received a call afterwards. Anyway, I have had a slightly curved spine and back pain since then. Its been worse recently and has more significantly interfered with day to day life. I have prayed about it and had prayer for it in the past. Going up for prayer last week wasnt something I would have done but when someone had a word of knowledge about back pain it encouraged me. Having someone pray when your own faith for that healing is at a low ebb is really special too. I felt a massive release, the ligaments in my back clicked a lot as I was prayed for. Since then I have felt a massive improvement in terms of reduced lower back pain/numbness/tingling in my right leg. Its a 95% improvement! I also felt that this physical healing was connected to a deeper spiritual healing associated with depending on God for spiritual strength rather than going solo a lot of the time. On both physical and spiritual fronts this encounter with God was very special. I feel inspired to pray for that last 5% of healing so joining me in praying for that would be amazing - thank you! Favour A young girl called Mary who lives in a strict and conservative society has an angel tell her that she is about to find herself somewhat compromised  her reputation and upcoming marriage are about to get trashed by a mysterious miracle pregnancy. Her reaction? She humbles herself before God saying, May it be done to me according to Your will and then she is able to say, The Lord has done this for me, He has shown me His favour and taken away my disgrace. You can read all about it in Luke 1. Nine months later, to the shepherds of all people, the mighty angels made the declaration, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to those on whom His favour rests. Youll find this in Luke 2. That word, favour, strikes me. It means showing goodwill towards, the giving of unmerited honour, inclining towards. It is often accompanied by gifts. And in these stories favour is directed toward the disgraced and the lowly  not toward the well off, successful or beautiful. Were used to bracing ourselves to be laughed at, told off, spurned or rejected - on account of our looks or age or awkwardness or intellect or ethnicity or weakness. Its startlingly different when we approach the God of the universe. He offers favour. Awesome. This is our theme for the Christmas season in 2017: favour. Please pray for and invite your friends and neighbours to celebrate Christmas and to hear a wonderful story of grace and favour, a story which transforms lives! Whats happening over Christmas? Christmas Service: 11.00am on Sunday 17 December, all ages celebrating Christmas together. Check the website for the dress code! Followed by festive lunch. Carol Service: 7.30pm on Sunday 17 December. A traditional service of carols and readings followed by festive snacks. Christmas Day: 11.00am on Monday 25 December. A short celebration for everyone. Wed love to match up people who are on their own on Christmas Day with those who have a spare chair at the dinner table. If you would like to offer a festive feast  or if you would like to join with others for lunch or dinner  please do let sue.richardson@leedsvineyard.org know. If you know people in Headingley who wouldn't want to come to the Vineyard please give them the flyer with details of the other churches' services. And if you can think of places where they would display such information (e.g. the post office or a cafe) please take a supply. Christmas is about giving not just receiving  but some people dont receive much so if you would like to give something extra do join with us in supporting either the Child Contact Centre or in compiling your own reverse advent hamper for Leeds Foodbank. Full details here. Extraordinary Current Leaders Meeting If you are leading a group or an area of ministry at Leeds Vineyard I would very much like you to join us on Tuesday evening, if you possibly can, for a special meeting at which well catch up about Vineyard House. If you havent received an invitation please contact the office for details. Carol Singing The churches in Headingley are joining together to sing carols at the Arndale Centre on Saturday 9 December, 11.00am  12.00pmish. Headingley Methodists Coffee Morning and Christmas Fair will be on across the road from 10.00am  12.15pm (Im told the cake is great!). All welcome to join in. Buying Books Leeds Vineyard has been approved for the More Than A Book programme with the Bible Society (www.biblesociety.org.uk). Our unique church reference number is: 12154. If you buy your books this way, the church earns a cashback. Nice. Personal update As you may know, we gave thanks for my Mums life a few weeks ago. The day went well and we felt very supported by the prayers of the saints. Thankyou. As you may also know my Dad is rather ill too. Alison and I continue to be quite involved in his ongoing care and this takes its toll. Many of you will have experienced a similar strain and transition in your lives as you have lost loved ones, so youll understand. Bear with us.
The Westminster Attack: Savagery Versus Civilization Last Wednesday afternoon, a malicious savage got behind the wheel of a car and plowed through a crowd of strolling civilians on Londons Westminster Bridge. Khalid Massood then left the car and lethally stabbed one more victim before being fatally shot by police. His rampage killed 5 and injured 50. Here we have a vivid representation of civilization versus savagery. The Way of the Civilian The Westminster Bridge pedestrians represented civilization: the way of life of the civilian. As I explained in a recent essay, the core of civilization is the division of labor. And indeed, Massoods victims were almost all specialized producers. Andreea Cristea, who was forced off the bridge and into the River Thames, is an architect. She was rescued by boat operators (who thus distinguished themselves as eminent civilians) and is in serious condition. Leslie Rhodes, who was sent flying into the air and crashing head-first into the pavement, was a retired window washer. He later died of his injuries. The division of labor breeds economic interdependence, which in turn breeds civility and mutually-recognized individual rights. Thus, Ludwig von Mises regarded the division of labor as the ultimate source of civilization. And indeed, before the attack, the strangers on the bridge were surely rubbing along peacefully and politely, making for each other all the subtle adjustments in path and pacing that pedestrians make every day on urban thoroughfares all around the world. The advantages of commerce breeds tolerance, even among people of widely different cultures. As Voltaire wrote in the 1720s: Go into the London Stock Exchange. . . and you will see representatives of all nations gathered there for the service of mankind. There the Jew, the Mohammedan, and the Christian deal with each other as if they were of the same religion, and give the name of infidel only to those who go bankrupt Indeed, in addition to Britons, the victims who had been intermingling peacefully on the bridge, according to The Telegraph, included four South Koreans, three French children, two Romanians, two Greeks and one each from Germany, Poland, Ireland, Italy, China and America. Peaceful economic cooperation, including foreign trade, creates material abundance, thanks to which civilians (and city dwellers especially) can afford cultural and leisurely pursuits: like taking a stroll on Westminster Bridge, where you can pose for pictures with Big Ben in the background. As Samuel Johnson wrote in 1777, You find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford. Civilization is most vividly represented by the human city. And in all of the above respects, the London metropolis is one of the greatest centers of civilization in human history. The Way of the Savage Massoods attack was a barbarian invasion of this civilized scene. Through the crowds harmony and spontaneous order, he cut a swath of carnage and chaos. He looked on his victims as a savage warrior looks on members of a rival tribe: not as fellow individual civilians with rights, much less potential trading partners, but as members of an enemy population to be eradicated. Just as individual rights and harmony are the essence of civilization, collectivist (tribal) warfare is the essence of savagery. That very same week, another savage attack on civilians occurred in a different city. A different tribal warrior got behind the controls of an aircraft and dropped a bomb on a building, killing over 130 civilians: men, women, and children. Airstrikes elsewhere in that city killed another 100 civilians. The act was no less barbaric for the facts that the attacker was an American military pilot, the victims were Iraqis, and the city was Mosul. Neither is the crime absolved by the fact that the civilians were not the targets of the strike, but were collateral damage in a war against the savages of ISIS. Again, savagery is characterized by collectivist violence. And it is rank tribalism to regard accidental civilian massacres to be acceptable, simply because the victims are foreigners. Such absolution is especially unwarranted, given that the new commander-in-chief (our euphemism for tribal warlord) presiding over these airstrikes has spoken of wanting to relax the rules of engagement intended to mitigate the likelihood of civilian casualties. And as Glenn Greenwald wrote yesterday: Although precise numbers are difficult to obtain, there seems little question that the number of civilians being killed by the U.S. in Iraq and Syria  already quite high under Obama  has increased precipitously during the first two months of the Trump administration. Data compiled by the site Airwars tells the story: The number of civilians killed in Syria and Iraq began increasing in October under Obama but has now skyrocketed in March under Trump. Whats particularly notable is that the number of airstrikes actually decreased in March (with a week left), even as civilian deaths rose  strongly suggesting that the U.S. military has become even more reckless about civilian deaths under Trump than it was under Obama. Any individual who pursues a course of action that he knows will directly result in the killing and maiming of civilians to that extent renounces his own status as a civilian: as a participant in civilization. He thus degrades himself to the level of a savage. This is true irrespective of his tribe, country, or office. The Cycle of Savagery The twin savageries of state warfare and terrorism (non-state warfare) are intimately related. Iraq, formerly known as Mesopotamia, is where civilization and the city first emerged. This land, known as the cradle of civilization, is now overrun by ISIS barbarians precisely because well-groomed western tribal warriors, enraged by the tribal violence of 9/11, bombed its cities back to the Stone Age and then drove its society into sectarian/tribal civil war. Iraq, at the time a highly secular society, had literally nothing to do with 9/11, which was perpetrated by religious extremists, mostly from the US-backed theocracy of Saudi Arabia. But in tribal warfare, there is no patience for such subtle distinctions. Muslims were identified as the enemy tribe, and Muslims had to pay for what happened to our tribe: it didnt much matter which Muslims. The decade and a half of hyperactive war and intervention by the West throughout the Muslim world since 9/11 has shattered a civilization that previously was basically stable, plunging the Greater Middle East into chaos and barbarism. This has radicalized some Muslims in the West, who then savagely perpetrate tribal retribution against innocent Western civilians: like Massoods car attack in London. These attacks in turn radicalize Westerners, especially nationalists, into tribal animus against Muslims in general, which feeds into support for policies that lead to still greater chaos in the Middle East and still greater casualties among Muslim civilians: like Trumps increase in airstrikes in Iraq and Syria. Tribal collectivism is the engine that keeps this cycle of violence spinning out of control. The most tribal Westerners (neo-Crusader nationalists like top Trump advisor Steve Bannon and the alt-right) insist that were at war, and that a final contest of mutual elimination between the West and Islam is inevitable due to the inherently irreconcilable nature of the Muslim religion. Islamic extremists believe in a mirror-image apocalyptic prophecy. These prophecies are only true to the extent that they are self-fulfilling. And there is nothing predetermined about the evolution of any belief system. Moreover, it just so happens that, according to research by Gallup, Muslims and Americans are equally likely to reject attacks on civilians as morally unjustifiable and Muslim Americans are the most likely of all religious groups to disavow military as well as individual or group attacks against civilians, with large majorities saying these are never justified. What makes the difference between savagery and civilization is not ones identity, but ones actions. Savagery is as savagery does: on an individual level. The prospects of peace and security hinge on our breaking the cycle of savagery: on our ability to respond to both terrorist attacks and military airstrikes, not with tribal (national, cultural, religious, racial, etc) solidarity, but with solidarity toward our fellow individual humans of any background in their civilian capacity (whether in London or Mosul), and against the savagery of collectivist violence of any form. Bridges Versus Palaces We still do not know Massoods exact motivations or affiliations. But it is probably telling that after barreling through a crowd of civilians on Westminster Bridge, he crashed into the gates of Parliament and charged on foot into the grounds of Westminster Palace, where Parliament had just finished meeting for Prime Ministers questions. It was there that he claimed his last victim, plunging a knife into Keith Palmer, an unarmed palace guard. The police officer who took Massood down was part of the security detail of British Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon. Inside the House of Commons, there was further drama. The Prime Minister and other MPs were in the voting lobbies, voting on new pensions legislation, when armed police burst in, guns raised, splintering the wooden doors. Over their walkie talkies, colleagues were shouting theres been a bomb, theres been a bomb!. At 2.45 the sitting in the House of Commons was suspended. MPs were locked in the chamber and told to stay there, but Mrs [Prime Minister Theresa] May was whisked away by her protection officers to her silver Jaguar parked outside in Speakers Yard. Mobile phone footage showed the Prime Minister briefly walking the wrong way before being ushered to the car as an officer shouts: Get in the car! Another member of her security detail shouted for his car keys, the tension of the moment abundantly clear. Savagery was not limited to Westminster Bridge, but also happens regularly within the halls of Westminster Palace. It is a plain fact that, in addition to pension legislation, these very same people (especially Prime Minister May and Defence Secretary Fallon) make policies that culminate in British pilots savagely dropping bombs on Muslim civilians. It wouldnt be surprising if that fact crossed Massoods mind before he did his own savage deed, whatever other motives he may have also had. That wouldnt make his crime any less evil. But the connection is crucial to understand for friends of civilization who seek to thwart the spread of evil. London, it must be remembered, is not only a commercial and cultural center, but it has long been an imperial capital. It started as an Imperial Roman garrison town. William the Conqueror made it the seat of power for himself and his successors. And the parliamentary government that rules there now acts as a junior partner in the western hegemony that feigns to provide security and order to world civilization. But instead of security and order, the savage military policy of this hegemony only engenders danger and chaos. The imperial aspect of London is what imperils the harmony and safety built up by its commercial and cultural aspects. The war-makers in Westminster Palace endangered the civilians on Westminster Bridge, just as the war-makers in the Pentagon endangered the civilians conducting world trade in the World Trade Center. The savagery of war and empire is no safeguard for civilization: quite the opposite. As Garet Garrett wisely warned his fellow Americans, Is it security you want? There is no security at the top of the world.
British official calls for WhatsApp access after Westminster attack Metropolitan Police remain vigilant and roads remain closed and cordoned off around Westminster after yesterday's terrorist attack on Westminster bridge and the Houses of Parliament where four victims died and 40 people were injured in London on Wednesday. The British home minister called for access to end-to-end encrypted messaging services after it was revealed the attacker used WhatsApp 2 minutes prior to the attack. Photo by Hugo Philpott/UPI | License Photo March 27 (UPI) -- British Home Secretary Amber Rudd said there should be "no place for terrorists to hide" as she suggested intelligence services have access to encrypted messaging services such as WhatsApp. Rudd's call for access to encrypted services follows last week's attack in Westminster by Khalid Masood, who died after killed four people near the Houses of Parliament. At least 12 people have been arrested by officers investigating the attack. Officials said Masood's phone connected to WhatsApp two minutes prior to launching the attack on Wednesday. Because WhatsApp has end-to-end encryption, law enforcement officials are unable to know what, if anything, he communicated using the app. End-to-end encryption would also prevent the WhatsApp company itself from reading the message if intercepted. "It is completely unacceptable, there should be no place for terrorists to hide," Rudd told BBC News. "We need to make sure that organizations like WhatsApp, and there are plenty of others like that, don't provide a secret place for terrorists to communicate with each other." Rudd's proposal is not a new idea. After the San Bernardino, Calif., mass shooting in December 2015, the FBI and Apple confronted each other for months over access to the contents of Syed Farook's iPhone 5C after he and his wife killed 14 people during an office party. The FBI wanted Apple to disable the iPhone's features that reset the device and erased its contents after too many incorrect passcode entries. Apple refused on the grounds it would create security and privacy issues in the future. Tech companies have said creating a "backdoor" into any device will make it vulnerable, meaning criminals could access the item. "Compelling companies to put back doors into encrypted services would make millions of ordinary people less secure online," Jim Killock, executive director of Open Rights Group, a British non-profit, said. "We all rely on encryption to protect our ability to communicate, shop and bank safely." London's Metropolitan Police said Masood acted alone but officers are working to determine his motive and if he was inspired by terrorist propaganda. The Islamic State took credit for the attack. "It used to be that people would steam open envelopes or just listen in on phones when they wanted to find out what people were doing, legally, through warranty," Rudd said. "But on this situation we need to make sure that our intelligence services have the ability to get into situations like encrypted WhatsApp." "I would agree something has to be done to make sure that we can apply a more consistent form of interception of communication in all parts of the way in which terrorists invade our lives," Wainwright said. Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of Britain's Labour Party, said authorities already have "huge powers," adding that there needs to be a balance between the government's "right to know" and the population's "right to privacy."
A police officer holds an order of service as they leave the funeral of PC Keith Palmer at Southwark Cathedral on April 10, 2017 in London, United Kingdom. PC Palmer was killed in a terrorist attack in Westminster whilst on duty on March 22, 2017. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) In Covering Westminster Attack, Media Aided and Abetted Terrorism LONDON, EnglandThe Westminster terror attack in March was violent, horrifying and, thankfully, not a common occurrence in the UK. But the way the British media covered the attack, that left 5 people dead and 50 injured, was criticised by some, including Simon Jenkins, former editor of The Times. The BBC today has made a choice. Theyve opted, if I may say, with the terrorist, said Jenkins on BBCs Newsnight a day after the attack. No one is suggesting you ignore it  You have a choice of prominence and the prominence given to them now is aiding and abetting terrorism. His comments have spurred further debate about how the media across the world should cover terrorism. Many viewers and readers find the sensationalist coverage of terror attacks in the West excessive and disproportionate, while others feel that downplaying them is equally as dangerous. Peter Taylor, a BBC reporter with 50 years experience covering terror, including the IRA, al-Qaeda and ISIS, stressed that the recent London attack cannot be downgraded. The media has to cover them [the terror attacks] and they have to cover it in context, he said. You cant downgrade this attack, he said, referring to the Westminster attack. Its only the tip of the iceberg  Its important to report on why the attacks cannot be foreseen. The excessive reporting of terror attacks, however, could actually cause more attacks, according to a study by Michael Jetter, a professor of political economy at the University of Western Australia. In his research he analysed how the New York Times covered over 60,000 terrorist attacks between 1970 and 2012, and claims to find a link between the number of articles that cover an initial terror attack with the number of follow-up attacks in that country, over the following weeks. Its not just a correlation, it seems to be a causality, said Jetter. The more they are in the media, the more attacks take place. Jim Naureckas from the liberal media watchdog FAIR, echoes Jetters concerns, and draws parallels between the media coverage of terrorism, with mass shootings in the US and copycat suicides. Each individual has a path that has taken them to the point that theyre picking up weapons and killing strangers, he said. In a larger sense, what is causing these mass murders, is the attention paid to the mass murders. Researchers noticed a pattern of copycat suicides when you have a well-publicised suicide event, its very often followed by similar events, he said. Would not publishing the perpetrators photographs help? After the Nice attacks last July, the French newspaper Le Monde made the decision not to publish photographs of suspected terrorists, to avoid posthumous glorification. Fiona de Londras, Chair of Global Legal Studies at the University of Birmingham, says that masking the terrorists identity probably wouldnt make the public feel more secure, or prevent further terror attacks. What would help, she said, is to add context to the attacks in the media reports. It would be useful to remind the reader that while this attack is of course grotesque and shocking, the everyday risks of re-occurrence, the everyday risks of falling foul of this form of violence are actually very low. To try to help people not to panic, I guess, she said. Dr Folker Hanusch, professor of journalism at the University of Vienna, said the reasoning behind Le Mondes in-house policy is quite understandable, particularly with the effect that the media coverage of such events can have. But, he added, The counter-argument is that you are censoring news events to some extent, and there may be a public interest in terms of finding out who these people are, to better understand what may have been the factors that drove them to those actions in the first place. As the news industry is adapting and experimenting in the competitive age of digital technology and social media, its also tempting for news organisations to over-sensationalise. I guess theres always that temptation for news organisations to cover such events in more graphic, sensationalised ways than they may need to because they want a quick fix of an audience. Today its all about clicks online. You think you might get more clicks from more sensationalised coverage, said Dr Hanusch. We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.More infomationI accept
Following the Westminster terror attacks, five people have died including the attacker himself, and 29 people are being treated in hospital. For the victims and their families, Westminster was a traumatic, awful act of violence. In the scheme of recent terrorist attacks, we should recognise that what happened at Westminster was distinctly amateurish. There was a single attacker Speaking to parliament this morning, the prime minister described the attacker as a peripheral figure who had not been part of the current intelligence picture. If we proceed on the basis that yesterday's attack was a lone wolf attack then we are dealing with an almost unstoppable phenomenon. The British-born attacker had not raised alarm bells with our security services. Isis has been known to call for attacks from individuals, and with good reason: western intelligence services and communications interception make it increasingly difficult for terrorists to work in groups. The term leaderless jihad was first described by Marc Sageman, a former CIA operations officer, in 2008 to describe how  after the London and Madrid bombings  Al Qaeda began promoting decentralised jihad. Isis has been much more effective at encouraging lone wolves, using the internet to share the necessary information and encouragement in one-way broadcasts that are harder to track. The strategy is cheaper because Isis dont have to train or arm anyone, and it is far, far harder to detect. Back in December the pro-Isis group, the Nashir Media Foundation was using the encrypted service Telegram to call for attacks after an extremist killed 12 people by driving through a Christmas market in Berlin. Isis has even published a how to manual in its Rumiyah magazine instructing would-be attackers on the preparatory steps for a vehicle attack, reminding them to ensure they have enough fuel. The good news is that without proper training, such attacks are necessarily amateur. Individuals are far less able to inflict significant damage and are easier to stop. The attack on Westminster was short, and constrained by basic resources. Isis may pretend with lone wolves that it has global reach, but this strategy comes at the cost of having no real control over their attacks. This is because we have constrained them from easily organising bigger attacks. Advertisement It was a hard target One of obvious signs that the attack in Westminster was amateurish was that the assailant chose a hard target. After inflicting death and serious injury on Westminster bridge, he drove straight into what must be one of Britains most secure places. The Palace of Westminster, the most visible symbol of our democracy and the working environment of our lawmakers, is heavily guarded by armed police. The assailant was shot shortly after stabbing PC Keith Palmer. Isis recommends attacking low-security gatherings, and recent plots have focused on less well-secured areas. The disrupted Isis attack to kill a poppy seller on Remembrance Day, like the killing of off-duty drummer Lee Rigby before it, is the sort of softer high-profile attack that radical extremists would have their lone wolves carry out. A 2016 Europol report described a shift away from hard targets to softer ones, noting that indiscriminate attacks have a very powerful effect on the public in general, which is one of the main goals of terrorism: to seriously intimidate a population. In this sense, the attack on Westminster looks poorly planned. Compared with other attacks on softer targets like the Berlin market attack or the 2016 Brussels bombings in which 32 civilians and three attackers died, it did not achieve the same impact because in part of the target selection. Weapons The attacker had only a kitchen knife and a car during the attack. As the BBCs home affairs correspondent Dominic Casciani has said: The days when terrorism meant large, complex bombs and months of planning are gone: western security agencies - particularly MI5 and its partner agencies - are very, very good at identifying those plots and disrupting them. For the pain and upset that the Westminster attack has caused, it is important to maintain a sense of perspective. On the 7 July 2005, four Islamists detonated bombs in London killing 52 people and injuring over 700. Police later found a council flat in Leeds that had been turned into a bomb factory, containing equipment and drums of chemicals. The terrorists used hot plates to concentrate large quantities of hydrogen peroxide. There is today a much closer focus on the behaviour of anyone purchasing or looking for the materials involved in bomb manufacture. Just ask Michele Catalano, the lady who in 2013 received a visit from a US terrorism task force because on the same computer her husband had been looking for backpacks and shed been researching pressure cookers. The unsophisticated nature of the Westminster attacks is testament to the work our security services do to monitor suspicious activity of the sort that could lead to much more widespread violence. The subtle tech safeguarding Britain against terror attacks Is Molenbeek really a no-go zone? In the wake of the horrifying attacks in France and Belgium, GQ investigates whether Brussels' Molenbeek district is a 'seething' no-go zone of Islamist terror, or simply the symbol of a national tragedy.
Westminster terror attack: Police seek help from public POLICE are asking for the public to help them piece together more information about Khalid Masood, the terrorist responsible for the attack in Westminster on Wednesday that left five dead and fifty injured. Assistant Deputy Commissioner Mark Rowley, of the Metropolitan Police, said they were looking at Masoods motivation, preparation and his associates and were investigating if the killer acted totally alone inspired by terrorist propaganda, or if others have encouraged, supported or directed him. Rowley added: There might be people out there who did have concerns about Masood but did not feel comfortable for whatever reason in passing those concerns to us. Two arrests were made in the West Midlands on Thursday night, bringing the total to 11, though one woman has since been released on bail. Searches are continuing at five addresses, with 16 property searches having been completed and 2,700 items seized. Its a sizeable operation, with police in contact with about 3,500 witnesses, including 1,000 from Westminster Bridge and 2,500 who were on the parliamentary estate during Wednesdays attack. Were keen to hear from anyone who knew Khalid Masood well, Rowley said. Anyone who understands who his associates were, anyone who can provide information about the places hes recently visited. More has emerged about the final hours and violent past of the 52 year old father of three. He was was laughing and joking in Brighton the night before, according to the manager of the hotel he had stayed in. We never thought anything of him. He was just another guest who checked into the hotel, Sabeur Toumi, of the Preston Park hotel, told Sky News. Masood discussed his family, saying his father was ill and mentioning his wonderful children. He was very friendly, laughing and joking, Toumi said. Police also said Masoods fourth victim was Leslie Rhodes, a 75-year-old window cleaner from south London. He died in hospital overnight from his injuries. The others killed in the attack were PC Keith Palmer, 48, who was fatally stabbed by Masood inside the parliamentary gates; Kurt Cochran, 54, an American tourist, and Aysha Frade, 43, a London teacher. Rowley said at least 50 people, of 12 nationalities, had been injured, with 31 requiring hospital treatment. Its a poignant reminder that the impact of the attack on the capital will reach around the world, he said. Prince Charles yesterday visited some of those injured. Masood has a history of attacking people using a knife. He has a conviction for assault from 2000, when he slashed a mans face in a pub. At the time he was known as Adrian Elms, and was jailed for two years. Adrian Baker, who has lived in Northiam for 25 years, said on Friday that Elms was well-known locally. He said: Im gobsmacked. He didnt appear to be very religious. He would go into the local pubs. I do remember a fracas involving a guy called Piers Mott. This was a long time ago. I remember Elms being a bit of a troubled character. Scotland Yard also revealed Masood had criminal convictions for grievous bodily harm and other assaults, possession of offensive weapons, and public order offences. His first conviction was in November 1983 for criminal damage and his last was in 2003, when he was living in Eastbourne, for stabbing a man in the nose. The attack on Wednesday began at 2.40pm when Masood drove into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before crashing his 4x4 into the fence outside parliament. He then attacked two police officers, killing PC Palmer, as he tried to enter the building. Ipsoregulated This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's Editors' Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then please contact the editor here. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can contact IPSO here
Death of Pc Keith Palmer in Westminster attack haunts MP who tended to him Death of Pc Keith Palmer in Westminster attack haunts MP who tended to him The minister who tended to a mortally wounded police officer at the climax of the Westminster Bridge attack has described how the killing still haunts him. Tobias Ellwood was hailed a hero for rushing to the side of fallen constable Keith Palmer after a knife-wielding jihadist stormed the Parliamentary estate last March. Khalid Masood murdered five people during the rampage, including the 48-year-old officer, whom he stabbed at the Palace of Westminsters gates. A picture of the defence minister  his face mottled with blood  trying to save the dying Pc Palmer was one of the days defining images. Tobias Ellwood at the scene of the attack (Stefan Rousseau/PA) Nearly a year since the attack became a grim overture to a spate of outrages on British soil, the MP said he was plagued by the fear that he could have done more. He told the Sunday Times: He was alive when I arrived on the scene. Thats what haunts me when I arrived he was alive and there was a pulse and when I left there wasnt. I didnt succeed that day and I have to live with that every day, he added. I still rack my brains about what more we could have done. Five people were murdered in the March 22 atrocity (Yui Mok/PA) Mr Ellwood had already experienced the tragic consequences of terrorism, having lost his brother, Jon, in the 2002 Bali bombing. On March 22, the horror unfolded closer to home  just yards from his place of work. Masood had accelerated through pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before darting to the carriage gates of Parliament, armed with two knives. Here he encountered PC Palmer  and dealt him a knife wound to the neck and torso. The killer was then shot dead in a hail of police gunfire. Khalid Masood was shot dead by police (Stefan Rousseau/PA) Mr Ellwood, who is a Conservative MP for Bournemouth East, recalled how he had performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on the injured officer. He said: I vividly remember the quietness in contrast to the usual busyness, then the helicopter landing, which was really noisy. And then the guys in red turned up  the ones with doctor on their uniform  a huge relief. I expected the helicopter to take him away, but clearly they needed to stabilise him before they could move him. I expected at that point to be told to move away, but I was instead told to continue with compressions. He added: I didnt know when to stop, even when the doctor said he thought we had done everything we could do for him. I said, You are going to have to tell me to stop because I am delivering the oxygen to his brain. And he looked at me and called the time of death and said, Thank you. We have done all we can. And then, as the true professionals they are, they picked up all their things and went to help the people on Westminster Bridge. It was the first in a string of terror attacks last year (Victoria Jones/PA) Another victim of the attack that day, Keith Chapman, said he was living proof the terrorists had not won. The 62-year-old grandfather from Stevenage, Hertfordshire, had been run down by Masood on the bridge, suffering a snapped vertebrae, broken right arm and smashed left leg. He told The Sun on Sunday: The night before the attack I was discussing with my wife Linda how rough my last year had been with all the people close to me who had died. Linda told me things would soon get back to normal and I thought, Youre right, things cant get much worse. The next day, I get whacked by a terrorist. He hit me at 76mph in a 44 and Im still alive. Im living proof Masood and his hate didnt win. My life has been changed for ever by what he did but I try never to think of one evil man. Instead, I focus on the dozens of brilliant people who helped me. Comments Comments & Moderation Readers comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the report this post link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments. Our Colleagues Ipsoregulated This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's Editors' Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then please contact the editor here. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can contact IPSO here
Murderous intent: police are keen to establish Khalid Massoods motivation for conducting his terror attack in London ( ) Westminster killer Khalid Masood likely acted alone and it is possible the reasons why he carried out his attack will never be known, police have said. Detectives are calling for anyone who may have spoken to Masood in the months leading up to his 82-second massacre, which claimed four lives, to come forward. Dozens were injured when he ploughed his car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge and outside the Houses of Parliament before being shot dead by police. On Saturday the family of PC Keith Palmer, who intercepted Masood as he tried to storm Parliament, issued a statement thanking those who rushed to help the stricken officer in his final moments. You did your best, they said, and we are just grateful he was not alone. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu, of the Metropolitan Police, said: We still believe that Masood acted alone on the day and there is no information or intelligence to suggest there are further attacks planned. Even if he acted alone in the preparation we need to establish with absolute clarity why he did these unspeakable acts to bring reassurance to Londoners, and to provide answers and closure for the families of those killed and the victims and survivors of this atrocity. We must all accept that there is a possibility we will never understand why he did this. That understanding may have died with him. Nevertheless, we are determined to understand if Masood was a lone actor inspired by terrorist propaganda or if others have encouraged, supported or directed him. If the latter proves to be the case, they will face justice. Whilst the attack lasted only 82 seconds it will remain in the memories of many forever. The thoughts of all those working on this investigation are with those so deeply affected. There is no evidence that anyone else accompanied Masood during the rampage in which he murdered four people and injured 50 others. But the timing and sequence of the radicalisation of Masood, born Adrian Elms, will, law agencies believe, provide important pointers towards what unfolded. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP Masood had come to the notice of MI5 and Scotland Yards Special Branch in the past for associating with known extremists, but, security officials insisted, had not been involved in plotting terrorist acts.
London Parliament Attack Live Updates: Gunshots, Injuries Reported In Westminster An injured woman is assisted after an incident on Westminster Bridge in London, Britain March 22, 2017. REUTERS/Toby Melville Photo: Reuters UPDATE: 7:50 p.m. EDT  Police upped the death toll in the attack at Westminster Abbey to five and identified the police officer killed as Keith Palmer, 48. Forty people were injured after a car driven by the suspect drove into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge The BBC said Palmer, a 15-year veteran, was part of the Mets parliamentary and diplomatic protection command. At least three of the injured were police officers. UPDATE: 3:07 p.m. EDT  Four people, including the suspect, died Wednesday after an attack in Westminster near the British Parliament building, police announced in a statement. Mark Rowley, the national lead for Counter Terrorism Policing and the acting deputy commissioner, said that a car drove over the Westminster Bridge, running down several people, before crashing near the House of Parliament. A man got out with a knife and tried to go inside, stabbing a police officer in the process, before he was fatally shot by authorities. "At least 20 people have been injured," Rowley said. "We have an ongoing operation  and whilst we currently believe there was only one attacker  I am sure the public will understand us taking every precaution in locking down and searching the area as thoroughly as possible." UPDATE: 1:45 p.m. EDT  The total number of victims remained unclear Wednesday afternoon following a stabbing, shooting and car crash outside Parliament in London. BBC News reported that a police officer had died in the incident but did not say whether the officer was one of the two deaths confirmed by Sky News. It was also not revealed whether the officer was the one stabbed by the suspect before he was shot. "[The assailant] ran in through the open gates ... He set about one of the policemen with what looked like a stick," journalist Quentin Letts told a radio station, according to Reuters. "The policeman fell over on the ground and it was quite horrible to watch and then having done that, he disengaged and ran toward the House of Commons entrance used by [members of parliament] and got about 20 yards or so when two plain-clothed guys with guns shot him." UPDATE: 1:16 p.m. EDT  Donald Trump Jr. slammed the mayor of London for making comments that seemed to downplay the severity of an apparent terror attack at and around the Parliament building in the U.K.'s capital city Wednesday. London Mayor Sadiq Khan, the first Muslim to lead the city, said terror attacks are now a way of life and "part and parcel of living in a big city," according to the Independent. The U.S. president's son seemed to take umbrage with Khan's apparent nonchalant response. Khan also released a brief statement following the attack expressing his condolences to the victims and thanks to law enforcement and first responders. UPDATE: 12:23 p.m. EDT  A doctor with St. Thomas' Hospital in London told the Press Association Wednesday that one woman had died and others had "catastrophic" injuries after a shooting at the Parliament building and car ran a group of people over on the Westminster Bridge. Politico reporter Tom McTague tweeted that he believed a suspect crashed the vehicle into the gates on the bridge before running through them, stabbing a police officer and being shot. UPDATE: 12:08 p.m. EDT  With reports still claiming dozens of people were wounded Wednesday in London, high-profile politicians were reassuring their social media followers they were O.K. Nicola Sturgeon, the leader of the Scottish National Party, tweeted that her thoughts were "with everyone in and around Westminster caught up in this dreadful incident," while Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn wrote that "reports suggest the ongoing incident in Westminster this afternoon is extremely serious." UPDATE: 11:47 a.m. EDT  The Metropolitan Police called Wednesday for people with video footage or photos of the attack near Parliament in London to submit their film for an investigation into an incident that involved both a shooting and a car crash. Though no deaths were confirmed, authorities also shut down much of the city. "Police are asking people to avoid the following areas: Parliament Square; Whitehall; Westminster Bridge; Lambeth Bridge; Victoria Street up to the junction with Broadway and the Victoria Embankment up to Embankment tube," they wrote in a news release. "Officers  including firearms officers  remain on the scene and we are treating this as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise. We thank the public for their assistance." UPDATE: 11:35 a.m. EDT  As the world waited for details on what happened near the Parliament building in London, where a man was shot by police Wednesday, several people on social media linked the incident to a 2016 terror attack. Wednesday marked the one-year anniversary of the bombings in Brussels, Belgium, where members of the Islamic State group killed more than 30 people and wounded more than 300 when they bombed an airport and train station. The Metropolitan Police tweeted that it was "treating this as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise." UPDATE: 11:23 a.m. EDT  The leader of the House of Commons told members of Parliament Wednesday in London that he had limited information on a reported shooting but there was a "serious incident," the Guardian reported. "It seems that a police officer has been stabbed; that the alleged assailant was shot by armed police," David Lidington said. "An air ambulance is attending the scene to remove the casualties. There are also reports of further violent incidents in the vicinity." UPDATE: 11:12 a.m. EDT  Police in London confirmed the unfolding incident involving a knife and gunshots outside the House of Parliament was "not a drill," a BBC News editor tweeted Wednesday amid reports of injuries. But the U.K. M15 intelligence agency told the Associated Press it was "too early to say" whether the apparent attack could be linked to terrorism. UPDATE: 11:07 a.m. EDT  An assailant who reportedly approached the House of Parliament in London with a knife Wednesday was shot by police, the Associated Press reported. Speakers in the building were blaring an announcement that the session had been suspended "until we're sure it's safe," with the doors locked, according to a BBC News reporter. UPDATE: 11 a.m. EDT  British Prime Minister Theresa May was evacuated from the House of Parliament in London Wednesday after reports of a "firearms incident" and gunshots continued to unfold, according to U.K. reporters. There were no confirmed deaths or injuries. Original story: Multiple people were injured Wednesday in the United Kingdom after a reported shooting at the Parliament building and a possible car incident nearby, Reuters reported. The Palace of Westminster went on lockdown, according to BBC News. The Metropolitan Police tweeted just before 11 a.m. EDT that they'd been called to "reports of an incident" at Westminster Bridge. They were treating it as "a firearms incident."
The Islamization of Britain in 2017 "I think we are heading towards disaster." Reports of alleged links between Islamic charities and terrorism or extremism surged to a record high, according to the Charity Commission, a charity watchdog. Azad Ali, an Islamist who has said that he supports killing British soldiers, was named a director of Muslim Engagement and Development (Mend), a controversial Muslim pressure group which advises the British government. Ali said that the jihadist attack at Westminster on March 22, 2017 was not an act of terrorism. "Politicians tell us they are unafraid, but they are never the victims. How easy to be unafraid when one is protected from the line of fire. The people have no such protections."  Manchester-born singer Morrissey. The British government refused to say whether telling people about Christianity could be a hate crime. Lord Pearson of Rannoch said that when he raised a question on the issue in the House of Lords, the government failed to state clearly whether Christians can be prosecuted just for stating their beliefs. The Muslim population of Britain surpassed 4.1 million in 2017 to become around 6.3% of the overall population of 64 million, according to a recent study on the growth of the Muslim population in Europe. In real terms, Britain has the third-largest Muslim population in the European Union, after France, then Germany. The rapid growth of Britain's Muslim population can be attributed to immigration, high birth rates and conversions to Islam. Islam and Islam-related issues, omnipresent in Britain during 2017, can be categorized into several broad themes: 1) Islamic extremism and the security implications of British jihadists; 2) The continuing spread of Islamic Sharia law in Britain; 3) The sexual exploitation of British children by Muslim gangs; 4) Muslim integration into British society; and 5) The failures of British multiculturalism. JANUARY 2017 January 1. Hundreds of adult asylum seekers lied about their age in order to enter Britain "as teenagers," according to official data provided under the Freedom of Information Act. Figures obtained by Mail on Sunday show that social workers carried out 2,028 age tests between 2013-2016, during which almost one in four of the claimants  465  were found to be over 18. By concealing their real age, migrants hope to improve their chances of being granted asylum. January 1. Reports of alleged links between Islamic charities and terrorism or extremism surged to a record high, according to the Charity Commission, a charity watchdog. The number of times the Commission shared concerns about links between charities and extremism with police and other agencies nearly tripled, from 234 to 630 in just three years. January 4. Jamshid Piruz, a 34-year-old Afghan-born Dutch citizen declared guilty of murder in the Netherlands, pled guilty to attacking two British police officers with a hammer. Piruz entered the UK unchallenged, despite being convicted of decapitating a Chinese woman in Amsterdam. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison for the murder, but released early. As a Dutch resident, Piruz was allowed to travel freely across the EU. "Britain has got to have tougher border controls," said MP Henry Smith. January 6. St. Mary's Episcopal Cathedral in Glasgow featured a reading from the Koran which denied the divinity of Jesus Christ. The Koran reading, aimed at "reaching out to Muslims," was held on Epiphany, a festival which celebrates the incarnation of God in the person of Jesus Christ. One of the Queen's chaplains, Gavin Ashenden, referred to the Koran reading as "blasphemy" and said the decision showcased the limits of interfaith dialogue. He resigned on January 23 in order to "speak more freely" about the struggle of Christianity in British culture. January 7. Tanveer Ahmed, a 32-year-old jihadist serving a 27-year prison sentence for the murder in Glasgow of Asad Shah, an Ahmadi Muslim shopkeeper, issued a recording from Scotland's Barlinnie prison in which he called for the "elimination" of the enemies of Islam. January 8. MI5 launched a manhunt for a Syrian scientist posing as a refugee and plotting a chemical attack on a British seaside town. January 9. Inspectors from Ofsted, the schools regulator, concluded that Darul Hadis Latifiah, an all-boys school in East London, was not preparing pupils "for life in modern Britain." Many of the students at the school could not name the British prime minister. Inspectors also found books which "promoted inappropriate views" on how females should behave, and found a closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera in the bathroom. January 15. Twelve of Britain's most dangerous Islamic terrorists were to be placed in containment units in three prisons at a cost of about 1 million ($1.34 million) a year, according to The Sunday Times. The aim is to prevent them from radicalizing other inmates. January 17. Cambridge Professor Wendy Ayres-Bennett called on Britons to learn languages such as Polish, Punjabi and Urdu to make immigrant families feel more at home. She said that English speakers should think of immigration as a "two-way street" and be able to communicate in another language to aid integration and social cohesion. January 18. Manchester United appointed a counter-terrorism manager to protect against jihadist attacks. It was believed to be the first Premier League football club to do so. January 20. Gloucester Cathedral invited Imam Hassan of the local Masjid-e-Noor mosque to perform the traditional Muslim invocation to worship at the launch of a multicultural Faith Exhibition. A video of the call to prayer was posted on the cathedral's Facebook page. One commenter wrote: "My ancestors built this cathedral and to allow a practicing Muslim to pray to another god is insanely naive. What did you think it would do? Encourage them to convert?" January 22. Hani al-Sibai, a 55-year-old Islamic extremist, was granted 123,000 ($165,000) in public money to help him fight deportation, even though he is alleged to be a "key influencer" of the Ansar al-Sharia movement, a terror group which murdered 30 British tourists at a Tunisian beach resort. Al-Sibai, whose three-story housing association home in West London is worth 1 million, is also said to have radicalized Mohammed Emwazi, the Islamic State executioner known as "Jihadi John." January 24. St. Clare's School, a Roman Catholic School in Handsworth, found itself at the center of a social media storm after telling the parents of a four-year-old Muslim girl that she could not wear the hijab, a traditional Islamic headscarf, in class. The school has a strict uniform policy and asked the girl's parents to respect it. The girl's father refused and asked Birmingham City Council's Labour cabinet member Waseem Zaffar to intervene. Zaffar said: "I'm insisting this matter is addressed asap with a change of policy." January 25. Abandi Kassim, a 44-year-old taxi driver in Leicester, was fined for breaching equality laws when he refused to carry a guide dog because he claimed it was against his religion. Kassim turned away Charles Bloch, 22, who is legally blind, and his dog in Leicester in July 2016. He pled guilty to refusing to convey a guide dog, an offense under the Equality Act 2010, and was fined 340 ($450) plus 200 costs and a 50 victim surcharge. January 26. The City of Edinburgh invited citizens to vote for projects designed to create a city "free from Islamophobia." Some 40,000 ($54,000) were made available for projects "to help local people deliver innovative projects which reduce prejudice and foster positive relationships between diverse communities." January 28. Changing of the Guard ceremonies at Windsor Castle were cancelled amid fears of jihadist attacks. Police said jihadis could target soldiers and the thousands of tourists who gather to watch the time-honored military tradition. FEBRUARY 2017 February 1. Prime Minister Theresa May told the House of Commons that women should feel free to wear the hijab, a traditional Islamic headscarf. Several European countries have imposed bans on parts of Muslim religious dress. "What a woman wears is a woman's choice," May said. On February 1 ("world hijab day"), UK Prime Minister Theresa May said that women should feel free to wear the hijab, a traditional Islamic headscarf, stating: "What a woman wears is a woman's choice." Pictured above: Theresa May (then Home Secretary) wears a headscarf while attending an interfaith event at Al Madina Mosque in East London, in February 2015. (Image source: Imams Online video screenshot) February 2. Six Muslim men shouted "Allahu Akbar" as they were sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court for a total of 81 years for sexually abusing two girls  including one who became pregnant at age 12  in Rotherham. February 5. Muslim pupils outnumber Christian children in more than 30 church schools, including one Church of England primary school that has a "100% Muslim population," according to The Sunday Times. St. Thomas in Werneth, Oldham, is reported to have no Christian pupils, while at Staincliffe Church of England Junior School in Batley, West Yorkshire, 98% of pupils "come from a Muslim background." The Church of England estimated that about 20 of its schools had more Muslim pupils than Christians and 15 Roman Catholic schools had majority Muslim pupils. February 7. Zakaria Bulhan, a 19-year-old Norwegian national of Somali origin, was sentenced to indefinite confinement at Broadmoor Hospital after he admitted to killing American tourist Darlene Horton and wounding five others in a rampage in central London on August 3, 2016. Bulhan, from Tooting, South London, pled guilty at the Old Bailey to "manslaughter by diminished responsibility" on the grounds that he was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia at the time of the attacks. He had been charged with murder and attempted murder, but the court accepted his plea. During his arrest, Bulhan repeatedly muttered "Allah, Allah, Allah," and police found a Muslim prayer book, "Fortress of the Muslim," in his pants pocket. The court, however, decided that Islam was not a factor in Bulhan's behavior. February 7. A Chatham House survey of more than 10,000 people from ten European countries found that an average of 55% agreed that all further migration from mainly Muslim countries should be stopped. Majorities in all but two of the ten states agreed, ranging from 71% in Poland, 65% in Austria, 53% in Germany and 51% in Italy to 47% in the United Kingdom and 41% in Spain. February 9. A 44-year-old man from Hertfordshire was arrested at Gatwick Airport on terrorism charges after he disembarked from a flight from Iraq. He was charged under Section 5 of the 2006 Terrorism Act: suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. February 12. A National Health Service (NHS) project based on research by Leeds University claimed that Muslims with mental health issues could be helped by re-embracing Islam. Lead researcher Ghazala Mir helped to create a new treatment: Patients are asked if faith was part of their life when they were well. Those who stopped being religious are re-introduced to Islam by means of a self-help booklet. February 14. Clayton McKenna, a 22-year-old Briton who converted to Islam while in prison, appeared at Newcastle Crown Court after he carried an axe through the streets of Boldon Colliery. Apparently, he had planned to confront his Christian father over "religious differences." McKenna allegedly told police that he was on his way to his father's home "to ask him to bow down to me." Judge Penny Moreland told McKenna: "I am concerned that there is no real explanation for your confused thinking that morning, nor for those threats made." February 15. Faisal Bashir, a 43-year-old father of two from Ilford, was forced to move out of his home after he renounced Islam and stopped attending a mosque. Bashir said he was subject to harassment, but police dismissed his pleas for help as "just a nuisance." The Chairman of the Ilford-based British Pakistani Christian Association (BPCA), Wilson Chowdhry, said: "Police and councils up and down the country just don't understand the level of animosity people choosing to leave Islam can face." February 16. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe urged Muslim scholars to step up efforts to counter the Islamic State. He said he believed that IS fighters were "political criminals" who were carrying out "horrific violence" which had no justification in Islam. In an interview with the Evening Standard, Hogan-Howe repeated the politically correct dogma that the Islamic State is not Islamic. February 18. Britain's first-ever "modest" fashion event was held in London with more than 40 designers displaying garments that comply with Muslim values. Event organizer Romanna Bint-Abubaker, founder of modest fashion website Haute Elan, told Sky News: "The fastest growing global consumer is at the moment the Muslim market. By 2030, one in three people will be a Muslim in the world  that is a huge population." February 19. Counter-terrorism police launched an investigation into claims that Trish O'Donnell, head of Clarksfield Primary School in Oldham, was being forced to work from home after death threats from Muslim parents opposed to her Western values. O'Donnell reportedly was subject to "harassment and intimidation" in the form of "aggressive verbal abuse" and "threats to blow up her car" from parents pushing conservative Muslim ideals. The school is mostly filled with Pakistani pupils who do not speak English as a first language. February 20. Members of Parliament debated U.S. President Donald J. Trump's state visit to Britain. Left-wing MPs called for the invitation to be withdrawn to protest Trump's travel ban on people from seven Muslim-majority countries. Conservative Party MPs accused their opponents of hypocrisy and insulting the American people. February 21. Rezzas Abdulla, a 33-year-old man from South Shields, was sentenced to eight months in prison. The sentence was then suspended so that he could receive treatment for mental health problems, for assaulting a woman and her nine-month old baby. Rebecca Telford, 25, and her daughter were strolling in South Shields in January 2016 when Abdulla leaned into the baby carriage and spat into the baby's mouth, and allegedly said, "white people shouldn't breed," before launching into a tirade of racial abuse. February 22. Jamal al-Harith, a 50-year-old British convert to Islam, blew himself up at an Iraqi army base in Mosul. He had received 1 million (1.1 million; $1.2 million) in compensation from the British government after being freed from Guantnamo Bay in 2004. Al-Harith, originally named Ronald Fiddler, was born in Manchester to parents of Jamaican origin and took the name Jamal al-Harith when he converted to Islam. He was also known more recently as Abu-Zakariya al-Britani. Captured in Afghanistan in early 2002, and released from Guantnamo Bay after two years, he later joined IS. February 23. The BBC paid "very substantial" libel damages and broadcast a full apology to Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin, founder member of the Muslim Council of Britain, who was falsely accused of calling for the lynching of author Salman Rushdie. February 26. Shahriar Ashrafkhorasani, a 33-year-old Iranian-born convert from Islam set to be ordained as a Church of England priest, accused Oxford University of discrimination and bias after he was told he could not ask a professor questions about Islam. Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali, a former senior fellow at Wycliffe Hall, said that a "politically correct" atmosphere is "very widespread in the university as a whole." He added: "If people are taking money from these [Muslim] sources, then that can limit the critical approach to the study of Islam and Muslim civilization generally." February 27. A spokesman for the West Midlands Police wrote on social media that parents caught practicing female genital mutilation (FMG) on their children should not be prosecuted. He revealed that the force is opposed to "prosecuting/jailing" parents for FGM because it would be "unlikely to benefit" children who fall victim to the crime. February 28. Patrick Kabele, a 32-year-old convert to Islam, was found guilty of preparing terrorist acts  namely attempting to travel to Syria  contrary to the 2006 Terrorism Act. During his trial, jurors at Woolwich Crown Court heard how Kabele, from Willesden in North London, tried to join the Islamic State in Syria, where he wanted to buy a "nine-year-old virgin, the younger the better." He added that if he had enough money, he would buy four wives. Kabele, who was born in Uganda and became a British citizen, told police after his arrest that he did not "owe an oath of allegiance" to the United Kingdom. MARCH 2017 March 1. A Channel 4 documentary series called "Extremely British Muslims" showed the inner workings of a sharia court inside Birmingham's Central Mosque. In the first episode, viewers witnessed the case of mother-of-four Fatima, 33, as she sought permission to divorce her drug dealer husband whom she says has abused her throughout their 14-year marriage. According to sharia law, Muslim women must plead their divorce cases in court, while Muslim men need only to say the words "I divorce you" three times to obtain a divorce. Birmingham Central Mosque said it allowed the sharia proceedings to be filmed in an effort to "break down misconceptions about Islam." Some 100 sharia courts in Britain are now dispensing Islamic justice outside the remit of the British legal system. March 2. English actor Riz Ahmed warned that the lack of Muslim faces on British television was alienating young people, driving them towards extremism and into the arms of the Islamic State. Delivering Channel 4's annual diversity lecture in Parliament, Ahmed said that television had a pivotal role to play in ensuring that Muslims felt heard, and valued, in British society. March 3. The Amateur Swimming Association changed its swimsuit regulations to allow Muslim women to wear full body outfits, after a request from the Muslim Women's Sport Foundation. The rule was changed to encourage more Muslim women to take part in the sport. March 4. Ryan Counsell, a 28-yeara-old jihadist from Nottingham who left his wife and two small children to fight with the Abu Sayyaf Islamist group in the Philippines, blamed his behavior on the Brexit vote. He told the Woolwich Crown Court that increased tension within the local Muslim community after Brexit sparked his decision to leave. He said that he wanted to escape Britain's political climate and seek an "idyllic life" under sharia law. March 5. Homegrown terrorism inspired by the Islamic State poses the dominant threat to the national security of the United Kingdom, according to a comprehensive new report on violent Islamism in Britain. The 1,000-page report  "Islamist Terrorism: Analysis of Offenses and Attacks in the UK (19982015)"  was published by the Henry Jackson Society, a foreign policy think tank based in London. March 6. British security services prevented 13 potential terror attacks since June 2013, according to Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, the UK's most senior counter-terrorism police officer. He also said that there were 500 live counter-terror investigations at any given time, and that investigators have been arresting terror suspects at a rate of close to one a day since 2014. The official threat level for international terrorism in the UK has stood at severe  meaning an attack is "highly likely"  for more than two years. March 7. The National Health Service (NHS) revealed that there were 2,332 new cases of female genital mutilation (FGM) in Britain between October and December 2016. That statistic brought the total of new cases in 2016 to nearly 5,500. March 7. The managers of the cash-strapped Sandwell General Hospital near Birmingham said they would consider building a special kitchen for preparing halal meals for Muslim patients and staff. The move followed complaints about the quality of halal meals that the hospital has outsourced from local vendors. March 10. The BBC announced that it would begin outsourcing production of Songs of Praise, a Sunday worship program that has been produced in-house for 55 years. Critics of the move said they feared that Songs of Praise will lose its Christian focus in favor of Islam. Anglican priest Lynda Rose said a recent Songs of Praise episode featuring a segment about the Muslim faith, including Church of England children visiting a mosque, exemplified the "Islamization of the BBC." More than 6,000 people signed an online petition calling for MPs to investigate the BBC after it appointed Fatima Salaria as the BBC's head of religious programming  the second Muslim in a row to hold the post. March 11. Britain's foreign aid budget was accused of funding at least two dozen Palestinian schools, some of which are named after terrorists and murderers, openly promote terrorism and encourage pupils to see child killers as role models. A Mail on Sunday investigation found pictures of "martyrs" posted on school walls, revolutionary slogans and symbols painted on premises used by youngsters, sports events named after teenage terrorists and children encouraged to act out shooting Israeli soldiers in plays. March 11. Islamic preachers may be asked to begin delivering their sermons in English under measures being prepared to rid Britain of hate preaching. The Telegraphreported that the government's counter-extremism taskforce is working on the plans amid concern that preaching in foreign languages enforces divisions between Islam and mainstream British society. March 12. An Islamic bookstore in Alum Rock, a predominately Muslim suburb of Birmingham that has produced 10% of all of Britain's convicted terrorists, was found to be openly selling books promoting jihad. March 14. A father who described himself as "Anglo-Saxon" lost a legal battle to prevent his Muslim ex-wife from sending their 10-year-old son to an Islamic secondary school. The man, who was not named for legal reasons, said he wanted to prevent his son from attending a "school inside a mosque" on the grounds that he would be "marginalized" by his son if he enrolled at the London-based school. The man's lawyer said that the mother and father had "different world views" and that it was client's wish that his son be educated in a "neutral" environment. The man had converted to Islam but renounced his faith following the separation. A High Court judge dismissed the man's appeal, ruling that the man would not be marginalized by his son. March 17. The former owners of a bookstore in Bradford apologized after copies of the Koran and other Islamic literature were found in a garbage dumpster outside the store. Police were called to the store after a group of Muslim males began abusing the staff. The imbroglio began after the bookstore's 80-year-old owner decided to close down his business, and the new owners gave him a month to move out the stock, which included a number of Korans and other Islamic books. March 17. Zameer Ghumra, a 37-year-old Leicester pharmacist, was arrested after showing a beheading video to two young children. He was charged with distributing terrorist publications under section two of the Terrorism Act 2006. March 18. The BBC apologized after a tweet from the BBC Asian Network account asked, "What is the right punishment for blasphemy?" The tweet provoked criticism that the BBC appeared to be endorsing harsh restrictions on speech. In an apology posted on Twitter, the network said it had intended to debate concerns about blasphemy on social media in Pakistan. "We never intended to imply that blasphemy should be punished," a spokesperson said. March 19. A British jihadist reportedly used social welfare payments to move his family to Syria to join the Islamic State. Shahan Choudhury, 30, who was radicalized at Belmarsh Prison while serving an 18-month sentence for stabbing to death a 17-year-old hospital worker over an alleged 15 ($18) drug debt, vanished from his apartment in London and has since used social media to urge other British Muslims to carry out terror attacks in the UK. March 20. Mohammed Karamat, 45, an imam at a mosque in Coventry who assaulted four children as young as nine, was spared jail time. Magistrates watched footage of Karamat twisting a child's arm, slapping a child, and using a pen to stab a child and pricking a child's hand with the lid of a pen. He was filmed attacking the children during a six-day period. Karamat, who admitted to four counts of assault by beating, was ordered to do 100 hours unpaid work. March 21. Minister for Higher Education, Jo Johnson, ordered British universities to include a clear commitment to freedom of speech in their governance documents to counter the culture of censorship and so-called safe spaces. Johnson said that universities had a "legal duty" to ensure as far as practicable that freedom of speech is secured for "members, students, employees and visiting speakers." University premises should therefore not be "denied to any individual or body on any grounds connected with their beliefs or views, policy or objective." March 22. Khalid Masood, 52, drove a car at pedestrians on London's Westminster Bridge and, armed with two knives, stormed the parliamentary estate. He killed five people and injured more than 50 before he was shot dead by police. Masood, a convert to Islam, was born in Kent as Adrian Elms. He was unemployed at the time of the attack and had been living on social welfare benefits. Masood, who had previous convictions for assaults, including grievous bodily harm, possession of offensive weapons and public order offenses, was reportedly radicalized in prison. March 23. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the Westminster attack. "The perpetrator of the attacks yesterday in front of the British parliament in London is an Islamic State soldier and he carried out the operation in response to calls to target citizens of the coalition," the group's Amaq news agency said in a statement. March 23. Prime Minister Theresa May said that it would be "wrong" to describe the jihadist attack on Westminster Bridge and Parliament as "Islamic terrorism." Instead, she said, it should be referred to as "Islamist terrorism" and "a perversion of a great faith." March 25. Police investigating the Westminster attack concluded that Khalid Masood acted entirely alone for reasons that may never be known. "We must all accept that there is a possibility we will never understand why he did this," deputy assistant Metropolitan police commissioner Neil Basu said. Meanwhile, British security services reportedly do not like the term "lone wolf" because they feel it glamorizes an attacker. They prefer using "lone actor" instead. March 25. An estimated 400 home-grown jihadis have returned to the United Kingdom after fighting in Syria, but only 54 of those have been prosecuted, according to a Mail on Sunday investigation, which also discovered that some returned jihadis are roaming free on the streets of Britain. March 28. Kevin Lane, a convicted murderer who spent 20 years in British prisons, including HMP Woodhill and HMP Frankland, told the BBC that he saw many inmates pressured to convert to Islam and carry out attacks on other prisoners. "One man boiled fat and poured it over someone's head because of an insult to Islam," he said. A spokesman for the Ministry of Justice said: "The allegations put forward by the former prisoner are historic." March 31. A new biography of Prince Charles revealed that the heir to the British throne tried to halt the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan to "honor" Ramadan. He made the plea in an "urgent call" to William Farish, the American ambassador to London, four weeks into the huge military operation launched after the 9/11 terror attacks. Farish recalled: "Prince Charles asked me if it would be possible to stop the invasion to honor Ramadan, and if I could convey that request to President Bush." The ambassador replied that it would be difficult to halt a military invasion already in full swing, but the prince allegedly protested: "But Americans can do anything!" Farish asked: "Sir, are you really serious?" Prince Charles replied: "Yes I am." APRIL 2017 April 1. The British Home office stripped Sufiyan Mustafa, 22, of his UK passport after he traveled to Syria to fight with jihadists. Mustafa is the youngest son of the cleric Abu Hamza, who was sentenced to life in prison in the United States after being convicted of terrorism charges. Mustafa complained that he is now stateless and stranded in Syria. April 1. Frankland Prison in County Durham became the first of its kind to open "a prison within a prison" to isolate Islamic extremists. Convicted terrorists are to be moved to a "jihadist prison block" to reduce the risk of other inmates being radicalized. April 5. A BBC investigation found that online services in Britain are charging divorced Muslim women thousands of pounds to take part in "halala" Islamic marriages. Halala involves the woman marrying a stranger, consummating the marriage and then getting a divorce, after which she is able to remarry her first husband. Some Muslims believe that halala is the only way a couple who have been divorced, and wish to reconcile, can remarry. The BBC reported that women who seek halala services are at risk of being financially exploited, blackmailed and even sexually abused. One man, advertising halala services on Facebook, told an undercover BBC reporter posing as a divorced Muslim woman that she would need to pay 2,500 ($3,250) and have sex with him in order for the marriage to be "complete"  at which point he would divorce her. The man also said he had several other men working with him, one who he claims refused to issue a woman a divorce after a halala service was complete. April 5. The Salafi Independent School, an Islamic private school in Small Heath, was found to have placed an advertisement for a male-only science teacher. Although the advertisement, which breached the Equalities Act, was retracted, the headmaster claimed that the role must be occupied by a male teacher because of "religious observance reasons." The decision prompted calls for the school to be investigated, amid fears it promotes "gender-based discrimination" and threatens to "undermine British values." April 6. Ummariyat Mirza, a 21-year-old from Birmingham, was charged with planning to carry out a jihadist attack with a knife. He was also charged with possessing a bomb-making guide, the Anarchist Cookbook, and an extremist document called the Mujahideen Poisons Handbook. Police also charged Zainub Mirza, a 23-year-old from Bordesley Green, Birmingham, with sending Islamic State propaganda videos and executions to others to encourage jihadist attacks. April 7. The Food Standards Agency launched an investigation into the Malik Food Group, one of Britain's largest halal slaughterhouses, over allegations of animal cruelty after an undercover video showed a slaughterman repeatedly sawing at the necks of sheep with a knife as they passed down a conveyor belt. The animals appeared not to have been killed instantly and some were seen heaving and jumping as they went down the line. More than 100 million animals are killed in the UK every year using the halal method, which forbids stunning animals prior to having their throats cut. April 10. Walsall Council backed out of a pilot project to introduce voter identification measures at elections amid concerns over how staff would handle Muslim women wearing veils. Conservative leader Mike Bird said the idea was "more trouble than it's worth" and may lead to "confrontation" at polling stations. The government is planning to run the pilot schemes at local elections in 2018. April 10. Azad Ali, an Islamist who has said that he supports killing British soldiers, was named a director of Muslim Engagement and Development (Mend), a controversial Muslim pressure group which advises the British government. Ali said that the jihadist attack at Westminster on March 22, 2017 was not an act of terrorism. April 11. The Charity Commission, which regulates charities in England and Wales, asked Islamic Relief to explain why it invited a hardline Muslim preacher to star in a fundraising tour of Britain. Yasir Qadhi, a Saudi-educated American academic, has been recorded telling students that killing homosexuals and stoning adulterers was part of Islam. Qadhi, who featured in an eight-city tour, described Islamic punishments such as cutting off the hands of thieves as "very beneficial to society." April 13. Twenty-nine people, facing more than 170 charges relating to the sexual exploitation of 18 children, appeared at Huddersfield Magistrates Court. The 27 men and two women were charged with offenses including rape, trafficking, sexual activity with a child, child neglect, child abduction, supplying drugs and making indecent images of children. April 14. Sainsbury's and Asda, two of Britain's largest supermarket chains, refused to sell Easter eggs that tell the story of Christianity. Both chains, however, sold eggs that are not specifically Christian, including a halal version made by the Belgian firm Guylian. Stephen Green, of the lobby group Christian Voice, said: "You are whitewashing the Christian message out of Christian holidays. It's difficult to find any explicitly Christian products, like Christmas cards, in supermarkets." April 15. Pupils at the Kilmorie Primary School in Lewisham, London were taken on a school trip to the Lewisham Islamic Centre where they met Shakeel Begg, an imam whom the High Court recently described as an "extremist" who "promotes and encourages religious violence." Mr. Justice Haddon-Cave warned that Begg's role as imam put him in a position to "plant the seed of Islamic extremism in a young mind." Begg praised the children for their desire to learn about Islam. April 22. Mohammed Aslam, an independent candidate for mayor of Greater Manchester, caused controversy after he delivered his election manifesto completely in Urdu on the BBC. Janice Atkinson, an independent member of the European Parliament, tweeted: "If you can't/won't speak English you have no right to stand in elections. You cannot represent our people, culture and values. Stand down." April 22. Nadir Syed, a 24-year-old jihadist serving life in prison for plotting to behead someone in a jihadist attack, won a High Court case which ruled that his human rights were breached after he was placed in solitary confinement. Syed was placed in isolation at the top-security Woodhill Prison after he led other Muslim inmates in chanting "Allahu Akbar" ("Allah is Greatest"), banging on cell doors and threatening to decapitate wardens. April 23. Ahmadi Muslims in Cardiff said they were facing discrimination from other Muslims in the city. The Ahmadi branch of Islam believes Mohammed was not the final prophet, a view considered blasphemous to other Muslims. April 24. The United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP), in its new general election manifesto, pledged to ban the burka from being worn in public. The manifesto also proposed to outlaw Sharia law and make it a legal obligation to report female genital mutilation to police. April 25. Prime Minister Theresa May was accused of ignoring Muslim voters after she scheduled the general election in the middle of Ramadan. Muslim politicians from Labour and the Scottish National Party said they feared reduced voter turnout among Muslims on June 8, during Ramadan, which took place between May 16 and June 14. April 26. Wealthy Pakistani asylum seekers with 250,000 ($325,000) in savings, who claimed asylum in Britain before taking 40,000-a-year in benefits, were each sentenced to ten months in prison. Syed Zaidi, 41, and his wife Rizwana Kamal, 40, claimed they were being persecuted at home so flew to Britain with their family asking the Home Office for food and shelter. The couple, who have three children, were given free accommodation and other welfare payments worth 150,000 over four years at taxpayers' expense, despite having more than 250,000 saved in seven different bank accounts. They then bought two cars and moved into a Victorian house near Manchester, but were prosecuted after a whistleblower called the Home Office. April 27. The Church of England said that British children should be required to learn about Islam. Derek Holloway of the Church of England's education office said that Christian parents who do not want their children to learn about Islam should not be allowed to withdraw their children from religious education lessons. At present, parents can insist that their children take no part in religious education lessons and do not have to provide a reason. Holloway said that parents with "fundamentalist" Christian beliefs, who did not want their children to learn about other world views, risked leaving pupils with little understanding of Islam and without the skills to live in a modern and diverse Britain. Holloway did not say whether Muslim children should be required to learn about Christianity and Judaism. April 27. Khalid Mohamed Omar Ali, 27, was arrested on suspicion of preparing a jihadist attack near the British Parliament. He was detained with a backpack full of knives just five weeks after six people were killed in a jihadist attack in the same area. April 27. Haroon Syed, 19, from Hounslow, West London, pled guilty to plotting a jihadist attack on an Elton John concert in Hyde Park on September 11, 2016. The court heard how Syed tried to obtain weapons online, including explosives and a bomb vest, and surfed the web to find a busy area in London to launch a mass-casualty attack. April 28. Jade Campbell, a 26-year-old convert to Islam from West London, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for possessing materials likely to be useful to a person planning or committing an act of terror and making a false statement to obtain a passport. Police searching her mobile phone found a copy of the al-Qaeda article, "Make a bomb in the kitchen of your Mom," which contained step-by-step instructions on how to make a homemade bomb. Another article concerned sending and receiving encrypted messages. Internet searches found on her phone included, "How to join ISIS" and "How to marry someone from ISIS," as well as searches for flights to Istanbul and border crossings between Turkey and Syria. April 29. Mohamed Amoudi, 21, was arrested on charges of planning a jihadist attack on a crowded tourist area of central London. Born in Yemen, Amoudi has been linked to a controversial human rights group, Cage, which campaigns against what it says is oppressive counter-terrorism policing against Muslims. April 30. Cardiff Crown Court sentenced Mohsin Akram, a 21-year-old asylum seeker from Pakistan, to 15 months in prison for attacking his wife, Mariam Hussain, with a hammer when she forgot to cook his dinner. MAY 2017 May 1. Army cadets in Scotland were warned not to wear their uniforms in public because they could be targeted by jihadists. May 1. Three female teenagers were arrested in East London on terrorism charges. The arrests related to an anti-terror operation in London on April 27 in which a woman wearing a burqa was shot by police. Police said that an active terror plot had been foiled. May 2. Samata Ullah, a 34-year-old jihadist from Cardiff, was sentenced to eight years in prison for five terror offenses, including membership of the Islamic State. Ullah, a British national of Bangladeshi origin, was a key member of a group calling itself the "Cyber Caliphate Army;" she gave other members of IS advice on how to communicate using encryption techniques. May 3. Damon Smith, a 20-year-old convert to Islam, was found guilty of making a bomb filled with ball bearings and leaving it on a subway train in London. Jurors at the Old Baily court were told that Smith had downloaded the al-Qaeda article, "Make a bomb in the kitchen of your Mom." The court also heard that Smith had a keen interest in Islam, guns and explosives, and had collected pictures of extremists, including the alleged terrorist behind the 2015 Paris terror attacks. Smith, who suffers from autism, admitted to making the device but claimed he only meant it as a prank. May 3. The trial began of four Muslim men who gang-raped a 16-year-old girl in Ramsgate, Kent. The girl was attacked when she got lost after a night out and asked for directions at a Kebab shop. Restaurant owner Tamin Rahani, 37, Rafiullah Hamidy, 24, Shershah Muslimyar, 20, and an unnamed teenager are accused of taking turns raping the girl in an apartment above the restaurant. May 9. Aine Davis, a 33-year-old British convert to Islam, was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison by a court in Turkey for being a member of the Islamic State. The BBC reported that Davis was one of a four-man IS cell nicknamed "The Beatles" responsible for beheading more than two dozen hostages in Syria. Davis, the only one of the group to face a trial, denied the charges against him. May 11. A mother and daughter, along with another woman, appeared at Westminster magistrates' court on charges of plotting a jihadist attack near the British Parliament. Mina Dich, 43, her daughter Rizlaine Boular, 21, and Khawla Barghouthi, 20, are accused of plotting a random knife attack. Dich and Boular appeared in court wearing burkas covering their faces. Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot asked them to lift their veils to reveal their eyes when they were identified in the dock. May 12. Female drivers in Stockport were warned about a gang of young Muslim males who have been attempting to get into cars stopped at intersections. Several women in the area reported that they had been approached by the men while waiting for traffic lights to change. May 13. A divorce practice that allows Muslim men instantly to terminate an Islamic marriage simply by repeating the word talaq, meaning divorce, three times to his wife, has been described as "really common" among Muslims in Britain, according to The Sunday Times. Women cannot use the method, known as "triple talaq." Under civil law in Britain, Islamic marriages are not acknowledged, leaving women with little power to escape an unhappy or abusive marriage, or to defend their interests in court when a marriage breaks down. May 14. Mohan Singh, founder of the Sikh Awareness Society, said that Muslim grooming gangs have been allowed to prosper in Britain because the authorities are afraid they will be labelled racist if they speak out. May 17. The first episode of the BBC's drama on Muslim rape gangs in Rochdale called "Three Girls" was broadcast with widespread approval by the mainstream media. The program did not, however, reveal that the perpetrators were Muslim or that Islamic doctrine sanctions such treatment of non-Muslim women, according to a review published by Breitbart London. May 17. Muhammad Rabbani, the international director of Cage, a controversial group critical of British anti-terrorism laws, was charged with willfully obstructing, or seeking to frustrate, a search under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000, which gives border officials sweeping search powers. Rabbani was detained at Heathrow Airport under counter terrorism stop-and-search powers; he refused to give police his computer passwords. Rabbani said he intends to fight the charge, which he regards as a test case of privacy versus surveillance. May 18. The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), an umbrella group with 500 affiliated mosques and Islamic bodies, released a list of key issues affecting Muslims before the election. It also circulated a suggested sermon for imams to deliver during Friday prayers. It read: "Muslims need to be more politically active." An Ipsos MORI poll found that 53% of eligible Muslims did not vote at the 2010 general election. May 19. Khalid Mohammed Omar Ali, 27, a jihadist arrested with a backpack full of knives on April 27 near the Houses of Parliament, told the Old Bailey court that he does not need a lawyer because he is represented by Allah. May 22. Salman Ramadan Abedi, a 22-year-old British-born jihadist of Libyan descent, detonated a suicide bomb at an Ariana Grande music concert in Manchester. Twenty-three people, including Abedi, were killed in the attack and more than 100 others were injured. The attack was the deadliest on British soil since the London bombings on July 7, 2005. The American FBI had warned British authorities in January 2017 that Abedi was planning an attack in the UK, but he was evidently not judged to be a threat. May 23. Prime Minister Theresa May announced after the Manchester bombing that the armed forces would be deployed on British streets to boost security. May said that military personnel would be positioned at key sites to free up police for patrols. May 23. The Manchester-born singer Morrissey criticized British politicians for their reaction to the bombing in his hometown, saying they were too politically correct to admit that the concert bombing was the work of an Islamist extremist. "In modern Britain, everyone seems petrified to officially say what we all say in private," the singer wrote on his Facebook page. "Politicians tell us they are unafraid, but they are never the victims. How easy to be unafraid when one is protected from the line of fire. The people have no such protections." May 24. Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said that Manchester bomber Salman Abedi was "a terrorist, not a Muslim." May 26. MI5, Britain's domestic security agency, revealed that it had identified 23,000 jihadist extremists living in the country. About 3,000 people from the group are judged to pose an immediate threat. They are under investigation or active monitoring in 500 operations being run by police and intelligence services. The 20,000 others have featured in previous inquiries and are categorized as posing a "residual risk." The number was more than seven times higher than previously known. May 27. Manchester bomber Salman Abedi used taxpayer-funded student loans and benefits to bankroll his terror plot, according to the Telegraph. Abedi is believed to have received thousands of pounds in state funding in the run-up to the attack, even while he was overseas receiving bomb-making training. May 28. A 23-year-old Libyan "trainee pilot" was arrested in Shoreham-by-Sea, Sussex, as part of the investigation into the jihadist network behind Manchester bomber Salman Abedi. May 29. Didsbury Mosque, the mosque attended by Manchester bomber Salman Abedi and his family, admitted to the BBC that it did not report him to British authorities for being a suspected Islamic extremist. The mosque was also reported to have hosted hate preachers who called for British soldiers to be killed and non-believers to be stoned to death. May 30. Five senior school leaders accused of involvement in the "Trojan Horse" controversy in Birmingham were allowed to return to the classroom, after the government's case against them was found to involve an "abuse of justice" by government lawyers. The teachers had been accused of allowing undue Islamist influence in running three Birmingham state schools, but an independent disciplinary panel, citing a repeated failure on the part of government lawyers to share crucial evidence, discontinued the proceedings against them. May 31. A new book, "Talking about Terrorism," urges schoolchildren as young as seven to "write a letter to a terrorist" to help understand their motives. The book describes the indiscriminate mass murder of innocent members of the public as a "type of war." It tells children of primary school age that terrorists kill people because they believe they are being treated "unfairly and not shown respect." May 31. The findings of an investigation commissioned by former Prime Minister David Cameron into the foreign funding and support of jihadi groups may never be published, according to the Guardian. The inquiry into revenue streams for extremist groups operating in Britain is thought to focus on Saudi Arabia. The Home Office confirmed that the report would not necessarily be published because the contents are "very sensitive." JUNE 2017 June 3. Khuram Shazad Butt, a 27-year-old Pakistani-born British citizen, Rachid Redouane, a 30-year-old who claimed to be Libyan and Moroccan and Youssef Zaghba, a 22-year-old Moroccan-Italian, murdered eight people and injured 50 others in a jihadist attack on and around the London Bridge. The three assailants were shot dead by police. It was the third major jihadist attack in Britain in as many months. June 3. Khalid Al-Mathkour, chairman of Kuwait's sharia council, and Essam Al-Fulaij, a Kuwaiti government figure known for his anti-Semitic diatribes, were listed as trustees of a UK-registered charity that is building a mosque in Sheffield, according to the Telegraph. They have helped channel almost 500,000 ($650,000) into the project from Kuwait. Another 400,000 ($525,000) has been donated to the charity, the Emaan Trust, by a Qatari organization. The stated aim of the new mosque, which will have a capacity for 500 worshippers, is to "promote and teach Islamic morals and values to new Muslim generations." June 4. Prime Minister Theresa May, after the London Bridge attack, said there was "far too much tolerance of extremism" in Britain and promised to step up the fight against Islamic terrorism. "Enough is enough," she said. May also asserted that the jihadists held to an ideology that was a perversion of true Islam: "It is an ideology that claims our Western values of freedom, democracy and human rights are incompatible with the religion of Islam [Correct]. It is an ideology that is a perversion of Islam and a perversion of the truth [Incorrect]." June 6. Khuram Shazad Butt, one of the London Bridge attackers, was known to British authorities, according to the Telegraph. He had appeared in a Channel 4 documentary about British extremists called "The Jihadis Next Door." Butt was also filmed at events attended by questionable Islamic preachers, and had tried to go to Syria to become a jihadist there. June 7. Three "Asian girls" shouting "Allah will get you" slashed a woman near a nursery in Hermon Hill, London. The victim, named as Katie, was walking along the street when she was ambushed from behind. Police said they were not treating the attack as a terrorist incident. June 10. Police increased patrols at local mosques in Cambridge after strips of bacon were left on four cars parked at the Omar Faruque Mosque. A 19-year-old man was arrested and charged with religiously aggravated criminal damage. June 13. Mak Chishty, who retired as the most senior Muslim police officer in Britain, said it was time for British Muslims to stop "skirting around the issues" and to start denouncing extremism. June 13. Lugman Aslam, 26, was sentenced to five years in prison for plowing his van into five men in Leicester after an argument during Ramadan. Aslam admitted to dangerous driving and attempting to inflict intentional grievous bodily harm. June 14. Shamim Ahmed, a 24-year-old Bangladeshi from Tower Hamlets, East London, was sentenced to six years in prison for trying to join the Islamic State in Syria. During his trial, Ahmed pointed his finger at Judge John Bevan QC and warned him that he, Ahmed, would continue to "wage jihad": "Give me 20 years, I will come out the enemy." June 15. New statistics showed that during the year up to March 2017, 304 people were arrested for terrorism-related offenses  a 20% increase compared to the previous 12 months. Combined with those people held since March, total arrests in 2017 were expected to top the previous record of 315, set in 2015. June 19. Darren Osborne, a 47-year-old unemployed father of four, drove a van into a group of worshippers close to the Finsbury Park Mosque in North London. One person was killed and eight others injured in the attack, which police said was premeditated. Osborne was "self-radicalized into his extremist hatred of Muslims," according to the Guardian. June 20. Armed police were deployed to the Neolithic Stonehenge to protect thousands of pagans, who were celebrating the summer solstice, from jihadist attacks. David Spofforth of the Pagan Federation said it was "very sad" that armed police were necessary: "I am not saying I am welcoming this, I sadly accept it. But you just have to look at the events such as at Finsbury Park, a peaceful religious gathering where people suffered so much by the actions of one hate-filled individual." June 22. A Muslim woman sued her former employers after allegedly being ordered to remove her black headscarf because the garment had "terrorist affiliations." The estate agent had been working for Harvey Dean in Bury for almost a year when she says managers took issue with her hijab. The woman said she felt "singled out" as the only Muslim woman in the office and claimed the company discriminated against her on the basis of both religion and gender. June 23. Amanda Spielman, the head of Ofsted, the schools regulator, vowed to crack down on Islamic extremism in British schools. She said that school children must be equipped with the "knowledge and resilience" required to combat the violent rhetoric "peddled" by hate preachers who "put hatred in their hearts and poison in their minds." June 24. More than 40 foreign jihadists have used human rights laws to remain in Britain, according to an unpublished report delayed by the Home Office. The study, a copy of which was leaked to the Telegraph, describes how lawyers, funded by legal aid, have successfully prevented foreign-born terror suspects from being sent back to their home countries. June 25. Michael Adebolajo, who together with Michael Adebowale murdered British soldier Lee Rigby outside Woolwich barracks in south-east London in May 2013, is now regarded as the most dangerous prisoner in the British penal system, according to prison sources. A prison officer described him as "violent, unpredictable and a major danger to other prisoners." He has also radicalized dozens of inmates, including non-Muslim prisoners who are said to have converted to Islam and sworn allegiance to the Islamic State. June 27. Muslims launched an online petition to oppose a new "veil policy" at John Thursby Community College, in Burnley, Lancashire. The school announced plans for a universal-length headscarf that some Muslims said is too short and not sufficiently modest. Previously, girls were free to choose any length they pleased. Some feel that the move is aimed at deterring girls from wearing headscarves at all. June 28. A trial began in London of four jihadists  Naweed Ali, 29, Tahir Aziz, 38, Khobaib Hussain, 25, and Mohibur Rahman, 32  for allegedly plotting a knife rampage on British soil. The men, who called themselves "The Musketeers," were accused of sharing "the same radical belief in violent jihad." Prosecutors said the terror plot involved a samurai sword and a meat cleaver with the word "Kafir" (unbeliever) scratched onto the blade. The four men were arrested after weapons, ammunition, and a pipe bomb were found in Ali's car during a counter-terrorism operation in Birmingham. June 29. Three men were arrested in the Armagh and Coalisland areas of Northern Ireland for displaying anti-Muslim posters and stickers. Police said the material  which included the slogan "Rapefugees Not Welcome"  was likely to stir up "racial hatred." June 30. Tarik Chadlioui, a 43-year-old Moroccan cleric living in Birmingham with his wife and eight children, was accused of recruiting jihadists for the Islamic State. Chadlioui, a Salafist, is believed to be the spiritual leader of an Islamic State cell in Spain and is wanted in several European countries. Chadlioui, also known as Tarik ibn Ali, is said to have formed links with jihadist groups that aim to impose Sharia law in Europe. JULY 2017 July 1. Two men, both aged 21, one from Leicester and one from Birmingham, were arrested at Heathrow Airport on suspicion of terrorism offenses after arriving on a flight from Turkey. Two days earlier, a 21-year-old woman was arrested, also on suspicion of terrorism offenses, as she arrived at the same airport on a flight from Istanbul. In May, a 30-year-old man was arrested at Heathrow, on suspicion of preparing for terrorist acts after he stepped off a plane from Istanbul. July 2. Sahnoun Daifallah, a 50-year-old Algerian chemist, sentenced to nine years in prison for contaminating supermarket food with his own excrement, avoided deportation for seven years. Daifallah came to Britain in 1999 and was granted refugee status two years later. In May 2008, he used a weed killer spray bottle to contaminate food with a mixture of urine and feces at several supermarkets in Gloucestershire. Damage to the businesses was estimated at 700,000 ($900,000). Daifallah was told he would be deported in 2010, but he remains in Britain, apparently due to bureaucratic incompetence. July 2. A new report  "The Missing Muslims: Unlocking British Muslim Potential for the Benefit of All"  concluded: "It is of great importance that British-born imams, who have a good understanding of British culture and who fluently speak English, are encouraged and appointed in preference to overseas alternatives." Imams were told they must take a "stronger stance" against persecution of others, including Jews, Christians and other Muslims. July 3. BBC One broadcast a documentary,  "The Betrayed Girls"  about the Rochdale child-exploitation ring, in which dozens of underage girls were raped and trafficked by a gang of men from Pakistan and Afghanistan. In the 90-minute film  which featured interviews with individuals from the case  former Detective Constable Maggie Oliver and Chief Prosecutor Nazir Afzal provided insights into the failings of police and other official bodies to investigate the large-scale sexual abuse, which occurred between 2008 and 2009. July 3. Haroon Syed, 19, from West London, was sentenced to sixteen-and-a-half years in prison for plotting to attack an Elton John concert in London on the 15th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Syed admitted to researching potential targets on the internet, including an Elton John concert in Hyde Park and Oxford Street, a busy shopping district. He also used the internet to try to obtain weapons to use in a possible attack, and used social media to approach people he believed were supporters of Islamic State. In one message, he wrote: "So after some damage with machine gun then do martyrdom...that's what im planning to do." July 3. Armed police swooped down on a Megabus from London after a "disruptive" man, shouting "praise Allah" and "something's about to happen," caused a driver to pull over and evacuate worried passengers. A Warwickshire Police and West Mercia Police spokesman said: "The bus stopped on Central Park Drive where a 47-year-old man from Manchester was detained under the Mental Health Act. He will now undergo a mental health assessment." July 3. Britain's domestic intelligence agency, MI5, deployed agents to Ireland to monitor jihadists there. A source interviewed by the Irish Star said: "The British think our security here is too lax and MI5 are here to try and spot any problems in Dublin before they get to England." July 4. The National Health Service (NHS) recorded 5,391 new cases of female genital mutilation (FGM) during the past year. Almost half the victims were women and girls living in London. One-third were women and girls born in Somalia, while 112 cases were UK-born nationals. Although FGM was banned in the UK in 1985, not a single person has been convicted of the crime. July 4. Northern Ireland's lead prosecutor, Barra McGrory, said he has no regrets about charging Pastor James McConnell for hate speech for making "grossly offensive" remarks during a May 2014 sermon in which he said that Islam is "satanic" and "heathen." McConnell was acquitted of the charges in January 2016. McGrory said: "There are laws which control and limit free speech in certain contexts. It's a prosecutor's nightmare trying to make these finely balanced decisions on whether or not such comments do or do not stray across the line." July 5. A new report  "Foreign Funded Islamist Extremism in the UK" from the Henry Jackson Society  highlighted the need for a public inquiry into the foreign-based funding of Islamist extremism. The report's conclusions include: "The foreign funding for Islamist extremism in Britain primarily comes from governments and government-linked foundations based in the Gulf, as well as Iran. Foremost among these has been Saudi Arabia, which since the 1960s has sponsored a multimillion dollar effort to export Wahhabi Islam across the Islamic world, including to Muslim communities in the West." July 7. A 17-year-old boy who grew up in a Christian family and converted to Islam allegedly plotted a "lone wolf" attack on a Justin Bieber concert in Cardiff. Counter-terrorism police said the boy, who was not identified because of his age, became radicalized online. The attack was to take place on June 30 as more than 40,000 fans descended on the Principality Stadium for the concert. The boy was arrested during a raid on his rural home hours before the performance. July 8. Nazim Ali, a director of the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC), claimed that the victims of the fire at the Grenfell Tower "were murdered" by "Zionists" who fund the Conservative party. July 9. Zohair Tomari, 20, was sentenced to 12 years and nine months years in prison for raping a 17-year-old girl and sexually assaulting two other girls, aged 13 and 14. Tomari, who claims to be from Morocco but is believed to be from Syria, raped the 17-year-old after plying her with alcohol. After he was granted bail, he went on to attack the two younger girls. July 12. Home Secretary Amber Rudd said that the government would not publish the much-delayed report, commissioned by former Prime Minister David Cameron in November 2015, into the funding of Islamist extremism in Britain. Opposition parties condemned the government for not publishing the report. They said that the decision appeared to be intended to bury any criticism of Saudi Arabia. July 12. British Transport Police released a CCTV image of an elderly Muslim man suspected of having sexually assaulted a 16-year-old girl on a train between Preston and Blackburn. A police spokesman said: "We do not tolerate any form of unwanted sexual behavior and we are working to identify and trace the offender." July 14. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick, Britain's senior police officer, said that a "very large number of plots" have been foiled during the last few years. "Some of them were very close, we would say, to an attack, very close." Pressed on exactly how many attacks have been thwarted, she said that five had been averted in "just the last few weeks." July 14. Jahed Choudhury, 24, thought to be one of the first British Muslims to be in a same-sex marriage, said that since his wedding, he had received death threats online and abuse on the streets: "The worst messages say, 'the next time I see you in the streets, I'm going to throw acid in your face.' Even if I walk down the streets, I have people spitting on me and calling me pig." He added: "I've been brought up Muslim and the Koran mentions you cannot be gay and Muslim. But this is how I have chosen to live my life. I will never get rid of my faith." July 16. Aniso Abulkadir, 18, from Harrow, London, claimed that she and her friends were racially assaulted at the Baker Street Tube station. After reporting the incident to police, Abulkadir shared a photo of the alleged attacker online and described how he attempted to remove her headscarf before hitting her. When the picture went viral, the man in the image identified himself on Twitter and refuted the allegations. Pawel Uczciwek, 28, from London, said he was protecting his girlfriend and attempting to defuse what he called a "racist attack from three random females." Uczciwek wrote: "The police are fully cooperating with me and will be able to obtain CCTV footage showing the three women attempting to attack my partner because we are in an interracial relationship." July 19. Jihadists linked to the Islamic State called on supporters to carry out "lone wolf" attacks on Jewish businesses and places of worship in Britain. The threat, posted on a pro-ISIS social media site called Lone Mujahid, included a list of every synagogue in Britain, as well as a list of Jewish shops and delicatessens across the country. July 20. Rachida Serroukh, 37, a single mother of three, filed a lawsuit against her daughter's school, the prestigious Holland Park School, dubbed the "socialist Eton," after being told she could not wear a face veil on its premises. The school said it is a safety issue to be able to identify all of those on school premises. Serroukh's lawyer said it was a "straightforward" test case of religious discrimination. "The government constantly talks about British values," he said. "To me, those values include diversity and multiculturalism." July 21. The British government lacks reliable immigration statistics and has no way to track who is entering or leaving the country, according to a report released by the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee. July 22. A freedom of information request revealed that Anjem Choudary, an Islamist serving a five-and-a-half year sentence for urging support of the Islamic State, has received more than 140,000 ($180,000) in taxpayer-funded legal aid for his unsuccessful bid to avoid prison. As his lawyers continue to file claims, the figure is set to rise. The father-of-five has claimed up to 500,000 ($640,000) in benefits, to which he has referred as a "Jihad seeker's allowance." July 22. Zana Hassan, a 29-year-old Iraqi who has been living illegally in Britain for nine years, avoided deportation after he stormed into a Methodist church and threatened churchgoers. "I will kill you and kill all the English," he shouted. The Crown Prosecution Service deemed the offense a "low-level disorder," which allowed Hassan to avoid time in jail. Hassan walked free after Home Office officials failed to seek a deportation order. July 25. Mujahid Arshid, 33, was charged with kidnapping, raping and murdering Celine Dookhran, a 19-year-old Indian Muslim, in a suspected "honor killing" in London. Prosecutor Binita Roscoe told the Wimbledon Magistrates' Court that the teenager was of Indian Muslim heritage and had started a relationship with an Arab Muslim man. July 25. An inmate at a prison in Norfolk shouted, "This is for Allah" before slashing the throat of a guard. After being moved to another prison, the man attacked a second officer. An official source said that the suspect was not serving a sentence for a terror-related offense, a statement that raised the possibility that he had been radicalized in prison. July 26. A 15-year-old girl was raped at a railway station in Birmingham. She was then raped again by the driver of a passing car she flagged down to help her. Police described the first attacker as an "Asian" man in his early 20s and of a skinny build. Police said the second man was also "Asian," in his 20s and of a large build. July 27. Victoria Wasteney, a Christian NHS worker, lost a protracted legal battle, for having shared her faith at work with a Muslim colleague, Enya Nawaz. Wasteney, the former Head of Forensic Occupational Therapy at St. John Howard hospital in East London, was suspended in June 2013 for "gross misconduct" after Nawaz complained that Wasteney had been attempting to convert her to Christianity. Wasteney said she was surprised by the allegations because she thought she and her colleague had become friends during the 18 months they worked together. July 27. An official report revealed that Omar Deghayes, a former detainee at Guantnamo Bay who was paid 1 million ($1.3 million) in compensation by the British Government for the time he spent at the detention center, passed some of the money on to teenage jihadists who later died fighting in Syria. Deghayes is alleged to have paid young Muslim boys to attend a gym where children were "vulnerable to radicalization." The Serious Case Review revealed that police and other authorities were warned about a network of teenage jihadists attending the gym, but that those concerns were ignored. July 27. Four members of the Rochdale sexual grooming gang received 1million ($1.3 million) in taxpayer-funded legal aid to fight their deportation to Pakistan. Lawyers for Shabir Ahmed, Abdul Aziz, Adil Khan and Abdul Rauf, pedophiles who raped and abused girls as young as 13, are leveraging Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights: "Everyone has the right to respect for his private and family life, his home and his correspondence." July 28. Iman FM, a radio station in Sheffield, was taken off the air by Ofcom, the media regulator, after it broadcast 25 hours of lectures by Anwar al-Awlaki, a former leader of al-Qaeda who was killed in an American drone strike. Ofcom said Iman FM was guilty of "extremely serious breaches" of the broadcasting code by airing material that "was likely to incite or encourage the commission of crime or to lead to disorder." July 30. Mubarek Ali, the ringleader of sexual grooming gang in Telford, was told he would be released from prison just five years into a 22-year sentence. Ali was one of seven men convicted at Worcester Crown Court in 2013 for preying on girls as young as 13. Telford MP Lucy Allan condemned the decision, which could allow Ali back into a community where his victims continue to live. July 31. Amin Mohmed, 24, Mohammed Patel, 20, and Faruq Patel, 19, were sentenced to between 18 and 42 weeks at a young offenders' institution after rampaging through Liverpool city center and attacking strangers because they were white "non-Muslims." One of the men stopped Gary Bohanna and said, "I'm a Muslim, what are you?" When Bohanna answered, "I'm a Christian," the attacker shouted, "Why aren't you a Muslim?" before punching him twice. The group then encountered St. Helens councilor Paul Lynch and his girlfriend. Faruq filmed Mohmed punching Lynch with a "sickening blow" that could be "seen and heard." The judge said: "References to the fact he was not a Muslim were made and you appeared to justify your actions because of certain beliefs you held." AUGUST 2017 August 9. Seventeen men and one woman were found guilty of involvement in a sex grooming network in Newcastle upon Tyne that plied vulnerable women and girls with drink and drugs before assaulting them. In a series of four trials at Newcastle crown court, juries found the men guilty of nearly 100 offenses  including rape, human trafficking, conspiracy to incite prostitution and drug supply  between 2011 and 2014. The victims, all females between 13 and 25, were targeted because they were vulnerable and less likely to complain about their circumstances, the prosecution argued. The court heard accounts of young women who were drugged before waking up to find themselves undressed, having been sexually assaulted. August 9. Referrals by members of the public to the British government's counter-terrorism scheme doubled since the jihadist attacks in London and Manchester. Police received around 200 referrals to the strategy known as "Prevent" from members of the public since March, when Britain suffered the first of four deadly attacks, according to Simon Cole, the National Police Chief Council's lead spokesman on deradicalization efforts. August 10. Ken Macdonald, a former Crown Prosecution chief, said there was "a major problem in particular communities" of men viewing young white girls as "trash" and available for sex. He admitted that Muslim grooming gangs were not investigated "rigorously" enough because of political correctness. Speaking on the Today program on BBC Radio 4, he said there had been "past reluctance" to look into Muslim men who had been targeting white girls. August 10. More than 700 women and girls were identified as potential victims of sexual grooming in the North East of England and authorities expected the figure to rise following the conviction of a high-profile grooming gang. "I think there's every likelihood that this is happening in every town and city across the country," Chief Constable Ashman said. August 11. The former head of MI5, Jonathan Evans, warned that Britain is likely to face an Islamic terror threat for the next 30 years. He told BBC Radio 4's Today program: "I think on the terrorism side we are at least 20 years into this. My guess is that we will still be dealing with the long tail in another 20 years' time.... I think that we are going to be facing 20, 30 years of terrorist threats and therefore we need absolutely critically to persevere and just keep doing it." August 17. Labour shadow minister Sarah Champion resigned after criticism over a newspaper article she wrote about grooming gangs. The Rotherham MP wrote that "Britain has a problem with British Pakistani men raping and exploiting white girls." She apologized for her "extremely poor choice of words." August 23. Nadeem Muhammad, a 43-year-old Pakistani national with an Italian passport, was sentenced to 18 years in prison for attempting to carry a pipe bomb onto a flight at Manchester Airport. Muhammed, who lives in Greater Manchester, was arrested on January 30 but was later released and allowed to travel because officers did not believe the device was real. He was re-arrested when he returned to Britain on February 11 and charged with possessing an improvised explosive device. "Despite extensive investigation, Nadeem Muhammad's motive for attempting to take this device on to a plane remains unknown," said Sue Hemming, the head of the special crime and counter-terrorism division in the Crown Prosecution Service. August 28. Teachers concerned about extremism in schools reported up to three warnings a day with a government terrorism hot-line. Staff raised 1,180 alerts with the Department of Education in two and a half years, making 741 phone-calls and sending 439 emails. The concerns included pupils being vulnerable to radicalization and staff members influencing their classes. August 29. Ricardo McFarlane, a 30-year-old convert to Islam accused of preaching sharia law in central London, refused to stand for the judge at Southwark Crown Court. Defense attorney Roy Hedlam said: "Because of his religious belief he believes there is only one person who he should bow to." Judge Martin Beddoe responded: "That may be, but this is not a court of religion, this is a secular court and it expects to be treated with respect." McFarlane complied. August 29. Sadia Malik, a 36-year-old primary school teacher from Wales, was charged with disseminating terrorist materials after she shared links to YouTube videos featuring Omar Bakri Mohammed, an Islamic extremist. She was accused of promoting a banned hate group and encouraging Muslims to sacrifice all their money to help establish a worldwide Islamic Caliphate. Her husband, Sajid Idris, 34, had previously been charged with four counts of disseminating terrorist publications as part of the same investigation. SEPTEMBER 2017 September 1. Britain is home to up to 35,000 "Islamist fanatics," more than any other country in Europe, according to European Union's counter-terrorism coordinator, Gilles de Kerchove. September 1. Mike Adamson, Chief Executive of the British Red Cross, wrote: "There is a risk that...an organization with the words 'British' and 'Cross' in its title is confused with a Christian, establishment organization." He added: "We are nowhere near as diverse as we need to be in our volunteer base, our staffing or our leadership...that is why, as CEO, I am personally leading our inclusion and diversity strategy." September 1. Mohiussunnath Chowdhury, 26, was charged with a terror offense after he attacked police outside Buckingham Palace with a sword and "ranted" that the "Queen and her soldiers will all be in hellfire." The British-born suspect, who is of Bangladeshi heritage, was accused of one charge of preparing terrorist acts, which carries a maximum charge of a life sentence. September 2. A Christian church in Wales was accused of a "lack of unity" after it rejected a Muslim group's request to hold Koran studies in its hall. The Muslims wanted to use the hall in the Feed My Lambs Church for "Koran and cultural studies." Reverend Roger Donaldson said: "We are not against Islam; no way. Everybody has the right to worship as they please. Feed My Lambs is used for Christian worship." September 2. Rabar Mala, a 32-year-old illegal immigrant from Iraq, was charged with supplying hundreds of SIM cards to Islamic State jihadists to set up social media accounts. Mala allegedly provided 437 cards and phone numbers to jihadists in Iraq and Syria so that they could have a platform to post propaganda online. September 2. Sarah Champion, a former Labour MP, who had said that the British left was turning a blind eye to Muslim sexual grooming gangs for fear of being branded racist, also said that many Labour members and politicians based in London had "never been challenged by a reality that's different" from their "multicultural world." She resigned under pressure after she wrote in an op-ed: "Britain has a problem with British Pakistani men raping and exploiting white girls." September 3. Thousands of schools in Britain are allowing girls as young as five to wear religious headscarves as part of their uniform policies, according to The Sunday Times. The growing trend has been criticized by campaigners who pointed out the headscarf is supposed to be worn by a girl when she reaches puberty, not as a child. September 4. Robbie Travers, a 21-year-old law student at Edinburgh University, was investigated for a hate crime after he allegedly mocked the Islamic State on social media. After the U.S. Air Force attacked an Islamic State stronghold in Afghanistan in April, Travers wrote on Facebook: "I'm glad we could bring these barbarians a step closer to collecting their 72 virgins." A fellow student, Esme Allman, claimed that Travers breached the student code of conduct with his comments. Travers ultimately was exonerated. September 5. Three members of a Muslim sex gang, who used drugs to turn abuse victims into addicts and forced them to have sex if they wanted more drugs, were sentenced to a total of 56 years in prison. Seventeen men and one woman from Newcastle were sentenced for crimes including rape, sexual assault, inciting girls into prostitution and dealing drugs. They were part of a network of nearly 40 men, including Pakistani, Indian, Iranian, Iraqi, Bangladeshi and Turkish nationals, who preyed on approximately 100 girls. Prosecutor John Elvidge said the victims, who gave evidence in court, were white and British, and the male defendants were "all of Asian extraction;" but he insisted nevertheless that the crimes were not racially motivated. September 8. Michael Adebolajo, 32, who murdered the fusilier Lee Rigby, 25, in Woolwich, London, in 2013, demanded 100,000 ($133,000) after he lost his two front teeth when staff at Belmarsh Prison tried to restrain him. "The public will be rightly outraged at the thought of this offender claiming compensation from the taxpayer," a Ministry of Justice spokesman said. September 9. Kamal Hanif, a counter-extremism expert appointed by the British government to rehabilitate schools involved in the "Trojan Horse" scandal, said that some teachers, particularly those who work in schools with a high proportion of Muslim students, are afraid of teaching about 9/11 because they fear a backlash from Muslim parents for being "Islamophobic." September 10. The Ministry of Justice revealed that Muslim inmates at HMP Prison Send, a female prison in Surrey, will be provided with special outfits for when they are checked by sniffer dogs. The overalls will be given to female prisoners who follow Islam because many Muslims believe that dogs are "impure." September 11. A Freedom of Information request revealed that Sammy Woodhouse, a woman sexually abused as a child by a grooming gang, was told by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA), a government body, that she was not entitled to compensation because she "consented" to the sexual abuse. Woodhouse was 14 when she met 24-year-old Arshid Hussain, who was jailed in 2016. Hussain was one of three brothers behind the grooming and sexual abuse of more than 50 girls, including Woodhouse. He was jailed for 35 years for 23 offenses including indecent assault and rape. Woodhouse appealed the decision: "If an adult can privately think that it's a child's fault for being abused, beaten, raped, abducted, I think you're in the wrong job." September 11. TheCityUK, London's top lobby group, urged the British government to prioritize Islamic finance to retain its status as Europe's financial hub ahead of Brexit negotiations to exit the country from the European Union. A 32-page report showed that assets of British firms offering Islamic finance services surpassed $5 billion (3.8 billion) in 2016, up 11% in two years. Britain was the first non-Muslim country to sell a bond that can be bought by Islamic investors. September 12. British Muslims are twice as likely to espouse anti-Semitic views, according to a survey produced by the London-based Institute for Jewish Policy Research. "The prevalence of negativity towards Jews and Israel is, on average, twice as high among Muslims than the general population," said the 85-page report. September 14. A Dundee woman on a city bus found a handwritten note pledging: "Sharia law will be for all human beings with Islam. The sword will be used to reach this goal." The woman said that she believed the message to be "some sort of call to Jihad." She added: "We just didn't expect to find something saying that on a bus in Dundee." September 15. A homemade bomb exploded during rush hour on a train at the Parsons Green tube station in West London and injured 30 people. The bomb, which failed to detonate properly, had been packed with knives, screws and shrapnel, as well as hundreds of grams of a homemade explosive known as TATP. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack. Ahmed Hassan, an 18-year-old refugee from Iraq, was charged with attempted murder. September 18. Online jihadist propaganda attracts more clicks in Britain than in any other European country and the main internet companies are failing to curb it, according to the Policy Exchange think tank. The report, "The New Netwar," said that the Islamic State, despite big military defeats in Syria and Iraq, is still producing, at a conservative estimate, about 100 items of new content each week, including execution videos and bomb-making instructions. The report also said that the jihadist online "ecosystem," the core of which is rooted in the Telegram app, is resilient and reaches an audience of, at a minimum, tens of thousands of users in the UK. September 20. Muhammad, with variations in spelling, was the top name for baby boys in England and Wales in 2016. The name Muhammad was given to 7,084 boys in 2016, compared to 6,623 boys with the second-most popular name, Oliver. September 20. Shabir Ahmed, a 64-year-old inmate at Wakefield prison, was found guilty of repeatedly stomping on an elderly fellow inmate's face and head after an argument about the March 2016 Brussels terror attacks, which left 32 victims dead and 340 injured. Ahmed flew into a rage when he heard 71-year-old James Palmer say that the bombers should be "eradicated." Ahmed, a former taxi driver, is currently serving a 22-year-prison term for leading a sexual grooming gang in Rochdale. He was sentenced to a further 12 months in prison on top of the term he is already serving. September 22. Hussain Yousef, a 21-year-old fast food restaurant worker who arrived in Britain from Afghanistan in 2010 and lived in London, was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison for recruiting jihadists for the Islamic State. Yousef had six Facebook accounts from which he posted Islamist propaganda and execution videos. He also shared a list claiming to be details of U.S. military personnel, including their addresses. Kingston Crown Court heard how Yousef, before becoming an enthusiastic supporter of the Islamic State, had been a gifted student who excelled at school. September 25. London Mayor Sadiq Khan revealed that since March 2017, police had foiled seven jihadist plots in the British capital. Those seven plots were in addition to the four successful attacks at Westminster, Borough Market, Finsbury Park and Parsons Green. Khan also criticized U.S. President Donald Trump for his "Muslim travel ban" and his "ignorant" views about Islam. Khan accused Trump of adopting the language of the Islamic State: "They say that there is a clash of civilizations, it is not possible to be a Muslim and a westerner, and the west hates us. And you are inadvertently playing their game, you are helping them." September 25. Muhammad Rabbani, the director of Cage, a Muslim advocacy group critical of British anti-terrorism laws, was convicted of an offense at Heathrow Airport. Rabbani, 36, was stopped on November 20, 2016 after returning home from a wedding in Doha. He refused, citing privacy and civil rights, to give his pin number or the password to his laptop. Westminster Magistrates' Court convicted him of one count of willfully obstructing a stop-and-search under Section 7 of the Terrorism Act. Schedule 7 gives officers their right to stop and search people "with or without suspicion." Rabbani was sentenced to one year conditional discharge; he plans to appeal. September 25. Most British voters believe that Arabs have failed to integrate into British society, and that their presence has not been beneficial, according to a YouGov poll commissioned by the Council for Arab-British Understanding and the Arab News newspaper. Only 28% believe that migration from the Arab world has been beneficial to the UK, and 64% believe Arabs have failed to integrate. September 26. Zameer Ghumra, a 38-year-old pharmacist from Leicester, was accused of showing beheading videos to young boys and telling them that they "had to kill" anyone who insulted Islam. Nottingham Crown Court heard that Ghumra believed in a "very, very, very extreme" form of Islam. He used a rented house to teach children about jihad and told them that they were not allowed to have non-Muslim friends. Ghumra also asked them to choose between going to Iraq or Syria, or staying in the UK and encouraging others to support the Islamic State. September 26. Police launched a probe into an alleged sexual grooming ring targeting teenagers in Glasgow. Girls as young as 14 are thought to have been targeted by men in the city center. A social worker told the Evening Times that the area is "rife" with child exploitation problems. One of the victims, a 17-year-old girl, is understood to have been taken to houses in Govanhill and Dennistoun for sex with multiple men. A relative said: "This really is just our worst nightmare, it's this Rochdale and Rotherham-type stuff but it's happening here in Glasgow in a big way. Nobody seems to be doing anything to stop it, all the girls have been made to believe these men are their boyfriends. It is white females they are hitting on, aged 14 to 19." September 26. The Wolsey Infant and Junior Academy, a school in New Addington, announced that it would only serve halal meat in the canteen. The move sparked outrage among parents, who insisted that halal should be optional. September 26. The National Secular Society (NSS) reported that girls in dozens of schools in England were being made to wear the hijab or a headscarf as part of their official uniform policy. NSS research found that out of 142 Islamic schools that accepted girls, 59, or 42%, had uniform policies that suggested a headscarf or another form of hijab was compulsory. Ishtiaq Ahmed, spokesman for the Council for Mosques, said: "We have to accept that Britain, and a city like Bradford, is a multi-faith society, and faith is an important part of people's identity. It is about tolerance and respect, and making efforts to understand people's different way of life. People should have choices without the fear of being criticized." September 27. A crowd of men wearing Islamic dress gathered outside a church in East London and repeatedly shouted "Allahu Akbar!" into a microphone while playing a recording of gunshot sounds at top volume on a loudspeaker. A video of the incident can be viewed here. A witness said: "I was alarmed, I did not know what was going on. When someone shouts Allahu Akbar while playing gunshot sounds on a speaker it is deliberately trying to alarm." Another witness said: "I was alarmed at first but you come to expect things like that, it's become common place in East London." London police said they were unaware of the incident. September 28. Kamran Hussain, a 40-year-old imam at a mosque in Stoke-on-Trent, was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison after being found guilty of two charges of supporting the Islamic State and six charges of encouraging terrorism. An undercover officer secretly recorded the Pakistan-born Hussain giving a series of sermons in which he told children as young as ten that martyrdom was better than academic success. "When you don't fulfill the command of Allah, I'm coming to remove your head," he said. September 28. Soruth Ali, a 42-year-old restaurant owner in Manchester, was sentenced to 14 months in prison for beating his 17-year-old daughter and her secret boyfriend. Bolton Crown Court heard how Ali, a devout Muslim, went into a rage and grabbed a hammer when he found the two in bed together. The daughter said she had been forced to live "two lives" at home and was forced to wear a headscarf in front of her father and that she wanted to "live her own life." September 29. Henry Bolton, a former army officer, was elected to lead the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP). Bolton, the party's fourth leader in a year, beat the two favorites, Anne-Marie Walters, an anti-Sharia activist, and Peter Whittle, who has publicly spoken of his opposition to boycotts of Israel. Bolton pledged to take a softer line on Islam: "I absolutely abhor the rhetoric that says we are at war with Islam." He also promised to review UKIP's "integration agenda," which calls for a ban on full-face veils in public. The policy changes were likely to reduce UKIP's role as the primary opposition party resisting the Islamization of Britain. September 30. British universities hosted 110 events featuring extremist speakers in the last academic year, 2016/17, with the highest proportion taking place in London institutions, according to a report by the Henry Jackson Society. The extremist events were overwhelmingly organized by Islamic societies and groups; speakers included former Guantnamo Bay detainees and Islamists. OCTOBER 2017 October 8. The integration of Pakistani women living in Britain is "shockingly bad," according to a Cabinet Office report. The findings of the UK's first disparity audit was aimed at understanding how people from different backgrounds are treated regarding access to healthcare, education, employment and the criminal justice system. "Other communities have integrated very well, but the audit shows that Pakistani women who don't speak English or go out to work are living in an entirely different society and are shockingly badly integrated," a source close to the Cabinet Office told The Sunday Times. October 9. The trial began of ten Muslim men accused of operating a "cynical and predatory" child sex ring on a "massive" scale across Oxford. The six alleged victims were all from Oxford and aged between 13 and 15 at the time. Prosecutors said the men plied the girls with alcohol and drugs as part of what prosecutors called the "grooming process" and took part in "sex parties" at a number of addresses across Oxford, including at guest houses, in cars, and at local parks, involving groups of men. October 10. Hasan Alkhabbaz, a 22-year-old Syrian refugee, sexually assaulted six women in a subway in Paddington, London. The attacks occurred one month after he was granted asylum. Alkhabbaz, who admitted to six counts of sexual assault, said he was suffering from PTSD from the conflict in his homeland. October 11. David Wood, a former director-general of immigration enforcement, told the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee that there were "enormous difficulties" in removing illegal migrants from Britain: "There are probably over a million foreigners here illegally at the moment. There's a large number, so no one could ever remove those really." October 12. Sally Jones, a former punk rocker from Kent who became the leading female recruitment officer for the Islamic State, was killed in a U.S. airstrike. October 16. Abdel-Aziz Al-Shamary, a 21-year-old Kuwaiti who entered Britain illegally, was convicted of raping a stranger on a riverbank in Darlington. The attack occurred just weeks after he was granted legal status in the UK. October 17. The director general of MI5, Andrew Parker, revealed that MI5 and police had stopped seven attacks by Islamists in the past seven months. Twenty major acts were detected in the past four years and 379 suspects were arrested in the first six months of 2017. He said there currently were 500 live operations under way targeting 3,000 people with 20,000 more who have been on the counter-terrorism radar and others who are not even known to the law agencies. October 20. Naive jihadists who return to Britain after fighting for the Islamic State should be allowed to reintegrate rather than face prosecution, according to Max Hill, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation. "The authorities have looked at them and looked at them hard and have decided that they do not justify prosecution, and really we should be looking towards reintegration and moving away from any notion that we are going to lose a generation due to this travel," he said on BBC radio. October 22. Mubashir Jamil, a 22-year-old from Luton obsessed with martyrdom, was found guilty of trying to join the Islamic State. He was arrested after he told an undercover police officer that he wanted to wear a suicide vest and "press the button." October 23. More than 100,000 Muslims registered on a website offering to help men find a "second wife." Azad Chaiwala of Sunderland told BBC Inside Out: "The second wife website came about from my need, and thinking there'll be other people in my situation. There are other deceiving ways of doing it  affairs, prostitution  those are not necessarily good for relationships. Here it's more honorable." In Britain, polygamous marriages are only recognized if they took place in countries where they are legal. British law does not, however, prevent unregistered religious ceremonies from taking place. October 26. The Lancashire County Council Cabinet banned unstunned halal meat in meals served at its 600 schools. It was the first council to do so. Council leader Geoff Driver said: "In my view, it is abhorrent to kill an animal without stunning it because of the distress it causes." The Lancashire Council of Mosques (LCM) advised Muslim families to boycott all such meat because it was not Sharia-compliant. October 27. Steve Bailey, vicar of St Peter's Church in Oadby, Leicestershire, banned the hymn "Onward Christian Soldiers" from a Remembrance Sunday service "in case it offends non-Christians." October 31. A Muslim advocacy group that works closely with police forces, politicians and councils was accused of promoting Islamist views. Mend (Muslim Engagement and Development) was described as a group of "Islamists masquerading as civil libertarians" according to a report from the Henry Jackson Society. NOVEMBER 2017 November 2. The Home Office lost track of 56,000 foreign nationals, including convicted criminals and illegal immigrants, who were told they were liable to be deported from the country, and there is little evidence the government is trying to find them, according to reviews by the Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration. Around 80,000 foreign nationals are currently required to check in regularly at police stations or immigration centers while officials prepare for them to leave the country. But by the end of 2016, there were a total of 55,974 "declared absconders" who had failed to keep appointments and "whose whereabouts are unknown and all mandatory procedures to re-establish contact with the migrant have failed." November 2. The British government and the UN are discriminating against Christians and other minorities in their refugee programs, according to Home Office statistics seen by Barnabas Fund, an aid agency that works for persecuted Christians. Barnabas Fund obtained figures proving that the UN has only recommended tiny token numbers of Syrian Christians, Yazidis and other minorities for resettlement in the UK. The overwhelming majority of refugees recommended by the UN have been Sunni Muslims who form the majority in Syria. But Christians, and other minorities have been repeatedly targeted for attack by Islamist groups such as IS. British officials tried to prevent the release of this information. November 3. Four members of a Kurdish sexual grooming gang in Newcastle were sentenced to 33 years in prison for trafficking girls as young as 13. The four men, all asylum seekers who entered Britain illegally and were allowed to stay, may face deportation. November 6. Farhana Ahmed, a 40-year-old mother of five from Wembley who urged others to launch jihadist attacks in Britain, was handed a two-year suspended sentence after a judge took pity on children. Ahmed shared a "prolific quantity" of Islamic State propaganda on a Facebook group whose aim was to support jihadists worldwide. Judge Christopher Moss said he was "moved" by a letter from her daughter and ruled that she could return to her children. November 7. Mohammed Sawalha, a trustee at Finsbury Park Mosque, one of London's best-known mosques, is a senior member of Hamas, a designated terrorist organization, according to the Times of London. His role was revealed when it was announced that he was part of a Hamas delegation to Moscow in September which held a meeting with Mikhail Bogdanov, President Putin's Middle East envoy, and a deputy foreign minister. November 7. Only 5% of honor crimes reported to police are referred to the Crown Prosecution Service, according to Sky News. Although more than 5,000 honor crimes were reported to police in 2016-17, only 256 such crimes referred to the CPS by the police in 2016-17, resulting in 122 convictions. This comes despite a large increase in the number of cases being detected and growing political awareness of the practice in recent years. November 8. A Muslim father who forced his 17-year-old daughter to drink bleach for being "too Westernized" was sentenced to a nine-month community order and 15 days of rehabilitation activities aimed at addressing his offending behavior. The girl asked magistrates to show leniency toward her father as she wished for them to mend their relationship. November 9. Students at the Kepier School in Sunderland were required to write a letter to their family about converting to Islam. Mark McLachlan refused to allow his 12-year-old stepdaughter to complete the assignment. He explained: "I know as part of the national curriculum they have to learn about all religions. I just don't see why they should ask a child to write a letter addressed to their family about converting to another religion.... Like every parent, it is our decision on how we raise them and once they are old enough to make decision, then it is their choice." November 13. Tesco, the supermarket giant, faced a social media backlash after it released a Christmas advertisement featuring a Muslim family but no Christians celebrating the holiday. Tesco said the adverts aim to promote diversity. November 17. The trial began of Akshar Ali for murdering Sinead Wooding, a 26-year-old mother or four from Leeds. She had converted to Islam and had married Ali in an Islamic ceremony in February 2015. Ali is accused of murdering Wooding in a knife and hammer attack after she continued to see a friend he had forbidden her to visit. November 17. Gangs in Birmingham were said to be tasering underage girls and gang-raping them, according to Councilor Des Flood. He said that Birmingham was facing a "tsunami of child sexual exploitation" and that schools and parents are being kept in dark about menace. November 19. Luqman Aslam, a 26-year-old delivery driver who deliberately drove his van into pedestrians in Leicester had his prison sentence reduced on appeal. He was sentenced to five years in prison at Leicester Crown Court in June after admitting to dangerous driving and attempting to inflict intentional grievous bodily harm. He appealed his sentence, saying it was too long, because at the time of the incident he had been fasting through Ramadan for 20 days. Judge Jeremy Carey cut Aslam's sentence from five to four years. November 20. A Channel 4 survey revealed that almost two-thirds of Muslim women married in Britain are not in legally recognized marriages, as they have not had a civil ceremony alongside their Nikah religious ceremony. Many of these women are unaware that they therefore do not have the same rights and protections afforded to couples who are married in the eyes of the law. The survey also found that the vast majority of women questioned did not wish to be in a polygamous relationship, and more than a third of those who were in such a relationship had not agreed to it. November 22. Imran Qureshi, a 44-year-old Pakistani doctor who sexually assaulted a student nurse at a hospital in Manchester was allowed to keep his job after blaming the incident on "cultural norms." Qureshi, a married father of two, admitted he made a mistake but said "cultural norms" were different in Britain compared to his native Pakistan and he failed to spot a "red light" warning him to make no advances towards the victim. November 27. A 17-year-old convert to Islam from South Wales was found guilty of planning an Islamic State-inspired terrorist attack on a Justin Bieber concert in Cardiff. Jurors were told the boy had written a note with bullet points including "run down the non-believers with a car" and "strike the infidels who oppose Allah in the neck." November 28. The General Secretary of the Union for Borders, Immigration & Customs, Lucy Moreton, said that Britain has "no way" of ever tracking down the hundreds of thousands illegal immigrants working on the black market. "If you are here illegally you can survive very well, you access medical services your child can go to school the chances of us catching you are very, very slim," said Morten. "If you don't break the law we are not going to get you as we don't have the resources. We can't catch you." DECEMBER 2017 December 3. The All Saints Church in Kingston upon Thames held a joint birthday celebration for Jesus and Mohammed. The "Milad, Advent and Christmas Celebration" was aimed at "marking the birthday of Prophet Mohammed and looking forward to the birthday of Jesus." The hour-long service included time for Islamic prayer and was followed by the cutting of a birthday cake. The prominent Christian blog "Archbishop Cranmer" rebuked the church for its lack of discernment: "Every time a church accords Mohammed the epithet 'Prophet,' they are rejecting the crucifixion, denying the resurrection of Christ, and refuting that the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, for Mohammed denied all of these foundational tenets of the Christian faith." December 5. Aliou Bah, a 28-yer-old Guinean migrant who served two sentences for sex crimes, was awarded 110,000 ($148,000) after a bureaucratic mix-up caused him to spend an extra 21 months in prison. Judge Madge ruled that Bah was entitled to justice. December 6. Naa'imur Zakariyah Rahman, a 20-year-old Bangladeshi-Briton, was charged with plotting to assassinate Prime Minister Theresa May. The alleged plan involved detonating a suicide bomb vest at the security gates outside 10 Downing Street, the official residence and the office of the British Prime Minister, before stabbing May. December 6. Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson told the Daily Mail that he was prepared to hunt down and use air strikes against the remaining 270 UK passport holders who have travelled to Syria and Iraq to fight with the Islamic State. "I do not believe that any terrorist, whether they come from this country or any other, should ever be allowed back into this country," he said. "We should do everything we can do to destroy and eliminate that threat." His comments sparked outrage from many on the political left. December 7. Husnain Rashid, a 31-year-old British citizen from Lancashire, was arrested for encouraging jihadists to attack Prince George at his primary school. He was also accused of calling for attacks on the Jewish community, and on British sports stadiums, in a series of encrypted messages. December 7. Abdourahman Amadeo, a 24-year-old Somali refugee, was sentenced to nine years in prison for his "animalistic" attempt to rape a drunken student. Amadeo, who was born in Somalia, fled to Italy as a refugee. He moved to Britain after obtaining Italian citizenship. December 14. The British government refused to say whether telling people about Christianity could be a hate crime. Lord Pearson of Rannoch said that when he raised a question on the issue in the House of Lords, the government failed to state clearly whether Christians can be prosecuted just for stating their beliefs. Speaking to Premier Christian Radio, Lord Pearson said the refusal to comment was "pretty unique" and "makes one very worried." He also said there is a double standard in how hate crime laws are applied to Christianity and Islam: "You can say what you like about the Virgin Birth, the miracles and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, but as soon as you say, 'come on, is Islam really the religion of peace that it claims to be,' all hell breaks loose." December 16. Mohamed Qoomaall, a 72-year-old Somalian refugee, was sentenced to 15 months in prison for pocketing 39,000 ($52,000) in welfare benefits after secretly returning to his homeland because he "missed the sunshine." Qoomaall forged an immigration stamp on his British passport and had pension credit payments sent to him for two-and-a-half years as a friend enjoyed rent-free living in his council-funded home. December 19. Four men were arrested in raids in South Yorkshire and Derbyshire on suspicion of planning an imminent jihadist attack. December 20. Mohammed Awan, the 24-year-old brother of an Islamic State suicide bomber, was sentenced to ten years in prison for terror offenses. December 21. The All-Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims, a parliamentary group composed of members of both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, issued a report, "A Very Merry Muslim Christmas," aimed at drawing attention to the "humanity" of Muslims during Christmas. December 22. Bradford Councilor Arshad Hussain warned that there were "many areas in this city" where people were afraid to go, depending on their ethnicity. He made the comments after "Asian" youths attacked three pubs in the city. "These were the only white businesses in the area," he said. "No Asian businesses were attacked. They were targeted because they were white.... There are so many areas in this city where white people are scared to go into.... I think we are heading towards disaster." December 22. Scotland's International Development Minister, Alasdair Allan, pledged nearly 400,000 ($535,000) to fund 23 events for ethnic minorities during the winter months. He described them as "key dates in our national calendar" and said the "exciting and diverse" program would help Scots "celebrate everything great about our wonderful country during the winter months." None of the events, however, had any connection to Christmas. December 23. St. Thomas Werneth, a church in Oldham, announced that it would remove its pews to make room for local Muslim community events. The church serves a "predominantly Muslim" area. Vicar Nick Andrewes said he wanted to "extend a welcome" to a wider flock. December 28. Metropolitan Police (Met Police) Service in London, Britain's biggest force, has not improved its safeguarding of children at risk of sexual exploitation and rape since a report found systemic failings a year ago. Met Police improperly handled 90% of child protection cases, according to inspection results leaked to The Times. December 29. Vast areas of East, North and South London have been declared "no-go zones" by delivery drivers because of an epidemic of acid attacks. London has more acid attacks per capita than any other city in the world, according to Labour MP Stephen Timms. December 31. Security Minister Ben Wallace accused internet giants, including Facebook, Google and YouTube, of being "ruthless profiteers" that cost the government a fortune by failing to assist the security services in identifying jihadists and stamping out extremism online. In an interview with The Sunday Times, Wallace said the internet had become "an anarchic violence space" which was being leveraged by jihadists and rogue states to threaten the UK: "That's what keeps me awake at night. We are more vulnerable than at any point in the last 100 years." Comment on this item Name: Email Address: Comments: Email me if someone replies to my comment Note: Gatestone Institute greatly appreciates your comments. The editors reserve the right, however, not to publish comments containing: incitement to violence, profanity, or any broad-brush slurring of any race, ethnic group or religion. Gatestone also reserves the right to edit comments for length, clarity and grammar. All thoughtful suggestions and analyses will be gratefully considered. Commenters' email addresses will not be displayed publicly. Gatestone regrets that, because of the increasingly great volume of traffic, we are not able to publish them all. 63 Reader Comments mike mouse  May 16, 2018 at 12:49 It is unbelievable that a 7th century religion just walked into the UK and built 2000 mosques controlling 5m muslims with sharia law, no tanks or planes just a clever manipulation of the human rights laws, with cries of racism if they did not get their own way. The most successful invasion in European history - 50m muslims invited into Europe by the EU bureaucrats in Brussels using our own money.Could not make it up- Hitler and Stalin are spinning with jealousy and disbelief. Reply-> Edward  Jan 26, 2018 at 03:14 Having read 70% of this article it's entirely possible to conclude England has fallen. The solution is to rise up in the face of this invasion. This is not a war that can be won with weapons but resistance to the ideology. England needs a leader and champion to survive this onslaught. The Queen is the leader and champion the country needs to invoke the Church of England to defend the values faith and heritage that is English. Leaving this to the police or politicians will produce more of the same. We need to hear the queen in a clear and concise way declare that English law is the law of the land not Sharia law, command the police to uphold the law and protect all citizens. Demand politicians cease being politically correct and look to the interest of the population not the interest of groups. Instruct the security service to root out destructive divisive elements that teach or preach hatred and intolerance. Time is short for such proclamations - If this is not done in the Queens lifetime the next generation of Royalty will have to deal with this issue. Prince Charles has already attempted to intervene by asking America to postpone an invasion for ramadan. These are dire times - somebody important needs to drive a petition from the people to the Queen to make proclamation that will save the country from falling into civil war. Reply-> Denis MCGOWN  Jan 11, 2018 at 06:09 Surely, if we grovel enough, they will eventually love us. Another decade should do it. Meanwhile, the extraordinary detail of the efforts made so far, accumulated by the author, do point to abject failure. But what party dare propose it? Is not the consensus of "responsible" politicians at the heart of the problem? Left, right and centre unite to defend multiculturalism and only the unelectable extremists say no. A failure of democracy, at least so far. Reply-> David Hall  Jan 6, 2018 at 15:11 Unfortunately, apart from HUNGARY, virtually all the other European governments seem to be taking on a generally anti-Christian stance and rejecting their Christian heritage. The irony being, that it's our Christian heritage that has made the WEST ideally what it is; and why person have continually flocked to western shores. I'm not sure however, that European governments are listening to persons who advocate a reasoned and measured approach to multiculturalism. Reply-> Becker L  Jan 5, 2018 at 21:32 My god, and this list just encompasses the UK. Add in the other European countries and it would take a supercomputer to compile the list of atrocities, crimes of the Islamist invaders. The West is doomed if its people do not rise up and revolt soon. The clock is ticking! Reply-> Om  Jan 4, 2018 at 23:46 Watching from India, it is funny that Europe has invited their own doom to themselves. If you want to see how the actual assimilation works just read the history of India. We Hindus are naturally assimilating people as we don't abide by a single book or faith but our ethics and wisdom. The lack of unity in us (caste system) has caused us to lose to British and Islamic invasion but it also helped us survive attacks of Islam (almost 6 centuries) and Christianity (2 centuries) due to abidance to diversity. My advise to the western civilization is that its going to get worse because your societies are individualistic and Islam religion is inherently communistic, you can look to teachings of Mahatma Gandhi (whose biggest achievement was not to give us freedom but actually reducing religious violence and holy wars in India- which were very much possible. His ideology of non-violence was awesome it held India together though partition with Pakistan was his failure) You guys have a lot to work on, we here from India are grabbing our pop-corns and enjoying the show thinking being there done that! :P You have a nuclear armed Pakistan on your doorstep, and at one stage the Taliban marched to within 60 miles of Islamabad. Did you get out the popcorn for that as well? Reply-> Dominick Perez  Jan 4, 2018 at 16:32 These cowards are a disgrace and deserve everything that's coming. Winston Churchill is spinning in his grave. His generation sacrificed their all for these craven people willingly handing their country over to invaders? Reply-> elle  Jan 3, 2018 at 14:55 There is no going back. The invasion has been well-crafted by France and the Arab nations since the 50s. The United States is the last free place on this earth, so we should be very careful. Reply-> Simon Morgan  Jan 3, 2018 at 06:50 Everywhere it goes Islam causes serious problems, yet everywhere it goes we are assured that it is a wonderful religion of peace and we must embrace as many Muslims as possible. To any rational person this just doesn't make any sense. Reply-> David Hall Simon Morgan  Jan 6, 2018 at 15:14 I agree with your comments 100 percent. Yet today it seems as if Christians are being judged way more harshly for nonviolent offenses now labelled hate crimes than those who advocate violence. Reply-> Kenneth McBride  Jan 2, 2018 at 16:07 "UK Prime Minister Theresa May said that women should feel free to wear the hijab, a traditional Islamic headscarf, stating: "What a woman wears is a woman's choice." Ah, in Islam it is NOT A WOMEN'S CHOICE! Reading through the article is astonishing, as well as sad, when is enough, enough? When? Reply-> Damien Francois  Jan 2, 2018 at 13:32 I'm living in Eastbelgistan (Eastern Belgium), close to Verviers (Djihad City 2, after Mollahbeek, Djihad City 1) and also close to the German border. Right in the middle of the continental mess. All this is sickening and there's no way we will get out of this. The demographics say it all: for 50 years, we have been digging our own grave, and paying for our islamization through our healthcare-systems. Take a look at the photograph, above: the black guy is wearing... Burberry's, May is wearing a headscarf. Eurabia-Eurafrica is not "coming", it is here. Reply-> Francis Meyrick  Jan 2, 2018 at 08:57 Hard-hitting, in its simplicity. A simple listing. Enumeration of facts. I forced myself to read the whole thing. Now I feel ill. Reply-> Martyn Marsh  Jan 2, 2018 at 08:35 Britain & Europe is run by a hard left-wing political elite with an out of touch group of people who have bleeding hearts pinned all over them & who are creating an anti-Christian/other faiths atmosphere of fear. No one it seems is allowed to speak out, as this is considered racism & all the other tripe that you can be called. We have stupid Church of England priests holding Islamic services in our churches while ignoring there own Christian faith but will the woolly-headed Archbishop of Canterbury sack these priests, NO he won't. Instead we will get a mealy mouthed words about tolerance if so why does he not ask for Christian prayers to be said in muslin temples, yea right. Does it make you wonder why our churches are empty! Our justice system (what a joke that is) finds every excuse to not enforce the law & those who want justice threaten those who complain with charges of, yes you guessed it, RACISM! Sadly nothing is going to change in the short term but as Islamism grows stronger everyday civil unrest could become a possibility in the future & we could, which is starting already, to see a huge swing to the right in europe with some elements of a very undesirable elements coming to the front. Well, done you stupid woman Merkel! I worry for my children who have been so brainwashed by the left-wing system that by the time they wake up to what is happening it might be to late. For me, I'm of an age whereby my coffin comes closer everyday so I will be spared seeing everything I believed in & severed my country for. Sad very sad. Reply-> M. Kittson  Jan 2, 2018 at 08:18 I read the whole thing carefully and I have a massive headache and want to cry in despair. I was born in UK but live in Australia. What the hell did you idiots do to my country?????? Reply-> Newspaniard  Jan 2, 2018 at 06:54 I spent an hour reading this very depressing article and at the end realized that it contained no mention of any of these guilty savages actually being deported. I hope this will change after Brexit. Reply-> jayell  Jan 2, 2018 at 04:58 "The Muslim population of Britain surpassed 4.1 million in 2017 to become around 6.3% of the overall population of 64 million." If it's true, THAT is seriously bad news. I didn't notice it quickly looking through this article, but it was recently reported jokingly in a TV show that there are now so many Muslims in UK jails that they're having to build mosques in them. When the national figure of less than 5% of the population was current, the Muslim population of London jails was quoted as 20-25%. Bearing in mind the acceleration in convictions for grooming gang and other related offences and the instances of conversions within prison, there must now be a case for a whole 'Muslim-only' sector of penal institutions within the UK, preferably isolated as far away as possible from civilised communities. Which must then lead to an official recognition of the appalling failure of the Muslim community to conform to minimum British standards civility and social conduct (as exemplified in this article), and thence to a review of their suitability for continued citizenship within the UK - with action to follow. Reply-> Damien Francois  Jan 2, 2018 at 03:21 "The strange death of Europe", as Murray puts it, is a self-destruction, a suicide rather... And Canada is very European in that respect. Eurabia and Eurafrica are not coming: They are already here. Aux armes, citoyens! Reply-> M. Kittson Damien Francois  Jan 2, 2018 at 23:13 Douglas Murray book is excellent. Should be required reading for all Western politicians. I foresee martial law, civil war and many years of extreme violence. If a county can't/won't look after its young girls what hope is there? They are collateral damage in the pursuit of appeasing Islam. These elites are dhimmis is every sense of the word! Another Winston Churchill needed desperately. Theresa May does not cut it. There doesn't seem to be any other political leader game enough to challenge the dominant Islam juggernaut either. Church of England also is a total sell-out. They should be ashamed. The Queen as head, I note, is silent while her church is destroyed by these invaders. Reply-> NadavKatz  Jan 2, 2018 at 02:31 It is rather sad that whenever we think of Islam we tend to associate our thought with violence, conflict, strife, terrorism, death and destruction. Will the day come when Muslims act while respecting the other - his/her way of thinking, belief, way of life, her/his very life - so that we can relate to them with equal amount of respect? To date, this has neither been the case in the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, Asia, the Americas, Russia or any other part of the world. Which makes me wonder, is there an inherent organic aspect about Islam that is dipped in blood and destruction while holding no respect of the other at all....?? And, if this is the case, what do western (Judeo-Christian) countries intend to do about the rapidly increasing number of Muslims in their countries and the affect that they bring upon their adopting societies toward which they have no respect....?? Reply-> Sylvan Moir NadavKatz  Jan 2, 2018 at 09:33 Well yes there is an "inherent organic aspect that is dipped in blood ". It is rooted in the koran the hadiths and the siras. The primary texts and stronger (not weaker) theological positions in Islam incite to violence against and subjugation of the unbeliever. This is consistent with Islam's history and even existence, since it only survived and grew through extreme violence. Read the koran and hadiths. Then also Islam has not gone through an enlightenment. They have not had centuries of suffering and blood shed in the cause of emancipation from theocracy as we have in the West, and their texts and religion is even more inherently savage and barbaric than the old testament can be at its worst .It is quite simple really - just people seem to refuse to want to even consider these possibilities. Also/ then remember, this religion is learnt at your mothers' knee - and onwards - from very, very, young, usually, in families completely steeped in it.- When even if the families comprise wonderful people we then have to reckon with the reality of the barbaric Islamic texts. Wafa Sultan, who escaped Islamic upbringing in Egypt to come to America and become American and has become a psychiatrist i believe, - has said it is inconceivable to her how anybody receiving early immersion in stories and readings from Islamic texts could escape being psychologically damaged by the experience (whether they know it or not). Indeed when I read the koran I feel I am in the presence of a raving lunatic. I think this is true to some extent also of upbringings pushing fire and brimstone readings of the old testament on very very young people too - but this is more a feature of our past. You cannot easily undo the weft of an adult spun out of such material. It takes generations to shift. And then you have also the matter of the terrible Islamic texts, which they are not allowed to change, ignore or interpret away. Reply-> Bishop Guy Leven-Torres  Jan 2, 2018 at 00:56 Britain will declare itself an Islamic State around 2023AD. The Moslems have apparently been told this by HM Government. I do not know if this is just the well-known tendency to exaggerate to be found among Mohammed's followers allied to "wishful thinking" but the reality we see, seem to fit their pronunciations. At some stage we will have to register to pay the "jyzia" under the eyes of Met sharia enforcing Police bootboys. No indeed, the UK is gone. The Met's "finest" are being trained in sharia and still the resistance is utterly silent. We have been sold out for a mess of pottage. There is about to be a huge scandal exposed around Oxford regarding paedophile gangs-Pakistani. Nothing will happen. Our women will soon be "encouraged" to wear the headscarf. Even Mail Columnist Peter Hitchens says so. I had better stop writing now! It makes me so angry. A resurgent traditional Christianity is the answer and a strong Church. I am Independent Anglo-Catholic (Not Rome but High Church)). All our clergy are family men-married. WE do not do political correctness either and expel any priest pandering to it and "Diversity". I have several vacancies for ordination if any body is interested. Vetting is strict though. Reply-> Doc C  Jan 1, 2018 at 23:50 This news...saddens me. We are moving to the UK in 2018, and I look at this and it is such a sign that anti-Westernism has won. Yes, colonialism was evil (though not as evil as the abuses that preceeded it in many parts of the world...but that is a discussion for another day). And yes, welcoming of strangers and aliens is part of a Christian response to the world. But hatred of your culture as a sign of having "learned your lesson" doesn't help anyone. The CofE essentially decided Islam deserves to be the primary faith of the world...is embarrassing. Allowing anti-Semitism to be preached, by whites, Asians, or anyone...is an evil. Most of the Muslims i know in the UK want to be British, to see their kids thrive, and to be part of a great nation. But the powers-that-be seem determined to give the nation to the lowest common denominator of the world. Decent and good people - secularist, moderate Muslims, Christians and others must stand up and say, "No! We will hold to the values that drew us to this land...and expect others to do likewise." And can anyone explain why the majority of refugees/immigrants/asylum recipients are not Yazidis, Christians, Druze, and Shia Muslims, who have no place to flee from the violence, instead of Sunni who can settle in Turkey, the Arabian Peninsula, or North Africa? Wisdom seems lost...and I don't know why. Please...hold your political and social leaders to sustain British/Western values and the defense of the least and the last. Reply-> Daniel  Jan 1, 2018 at 21:43 If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and poops like a duck then it is a duck. Reply-> gibby  Jan 1, 2018 at 19:05 Islam wants the UK and EU. It is taking them without a shot through demographics and exploitation of Western multi-cultural secularism. The only way they will possibly fail in the next half century would be a resurgence of 20th Century style violent nationalism. And there is no guarantee who would win that civil war. Reply-> Matthew Bostock gibby  Jan 2, 2018 at 14:47 You're absolutely right. My second greatest fear is that my two young sons will have to fight in a future war to save what remains of this armpit of a country from Islam. My greatest fear, however, is that they won't get the chance, as I don't think the pathetic people of these islands have the guts to stand up for themselves any more. Reply-> gibby Matthew Bostock  Jan 3, 2018 at 08:58 I first wrote about this in 1999 and I have not seen anything since then that would cause me to reconsider. In fact, the opposite is true. All I have seen since then has reinforced the likelihood of the scenario. Oddly, I do see a resurgent Catholicism in the former Eastern Bloc and the FSSR States along with a hard line against the invaders. I don't think that it will save all Europe but with Russia added to the mix it could create a bulwark in the east. Of course that would lead to an East--West European land war with Turkey on the southern front and the UK either side-lined, part of the caliphate or once again fighting to hold the line. I sincerely hope that your family escapes the coming whirlwind. Reply-> John Chapman Matthew Bostock  Jan 5, 2018 at 06:11 I believe if the full truth about Islam were known and what our future really entails if we stay the present course then more people would fight against it. However, the powerful institutions such as the Government, the Media, the education system, the Church and the Left are doing all they can to blind the general populace to this truth. For an individual to stand up and denounce Islam and tell the truth about the situation they risk inviting all kinds of trouble upon themselves (e.g. Tommy Robinson's book which describes his experiences). I myself attended only one Tommy Robinson book signing but was branded "Far Right" by the Daily Mirror along with everyone else who attended, who by and large were just ordinary people concerned about the future of their country. I do think awareness is growing but it is slow. Unfortunately the majority at the moment would rather buy the Establishment's line on Islam, although the increasing evidence to the contrary through increasing terror attacks, rape gangs etc. is making it harder for the Establishment to cover it all up, hence the slow awakening. Reply-> Ron  Jan 1, 2018 at 17:01 Many of the U.K.'s political, academic, journalistic, judicial, and religious leaders appear to be affected by a type of collective insanity. This psychological illness, fueled by blind dedication to political-correctness and multiculturalism, is compelling them to contribute to the demise of British society and ensure its replacement by an Islamist-controlled culture governed by Shari'a. As long as these culturally suicidal leaders continue enabling the rise of Islam in the U.K., the long-term outlook for our cousins across the pond is bleak. Reply-> Morton Winner  Jan 1, 2018 at 16:13 Many years ago, in bitter frustration over the p.c. refusal of certain local law enforcement authorities to keep certain localities safe from criminal depredation, I joined a civilian volunteer organization devoted to protecting vulnerable persons from being victimized by vicious criminals who also voted in a predictable fashion. The volunteers caused great consternation and condemnation by politicians and, of course, by the newspaper of record. Perhaps Britons who still maintain a minimum of self-respect, and who still have a faith, could come up with a similar scheme of some sort. Reply-> Edward Cline  Jan 1, 2018 at 15:27 Britain is gone. There's no more wiggle room for the likes of Theresa May. (Not that she's wiggling on Brexit, either.) Given all the incidents described by Mr. Soren (and I lost count) the British government prefers to sneak up to Islam and give it everything it wants. Sure, indicted jihadists are jailed, but how often are they let go to assault Britons and women again? Even the Monty Python troupe is afraid to make a film about Islam or even about Christianity (it would be deemed "hate speech" by the authorities. The government, entertainment, and local councils are all bowing to Islam. Farewell, Magna Carta. It won't be taught in schools anymore, just Islam and intolerance of anyone who feels victimized by Islam and the government. Reply-> Frank Joseph Verderber  Jan 1, 2018 at 13:59 You missed one important event in December; the arrest and processing for trial of the "Britian First" leaders. They were arrested for hate speach against Muslims, for telling the truth about shiara laws, beliefs of Muslims, and recent terrorist a tivities of Muslims. They all so chalanged Muslim crowds with the competing ideology of Christianity and the claims of Jesus Christ. This is hate in the eyes of the British elite. Reply-> Josephine Bacon  Jan 1, 2018 at 13:36 A friend of mine who thought he had a friend in a Pakistani acquaintance was shocked to learn that this friend thoroughly approved of Tanveer Ahmed's action in murdering Asad Shah, because Shah was an Ahmadi Muslim and thus a "heretic".. Reply-> Cliff  Jan 1, 2018 at 13:14 Many thanks, Mr Kern, for a very thorough analysis of the situation in Britain, which is where I live. This is the same Azad Ali, the vice-chair of Unite Against Fascism, who was quoted in "Siding with the Oppressor: The Pro-Islamist Left" (2013), a report for the One Law for All Campaign by John Miller, as saying: "Democracy, if it means that, you know, at the expense of not implementing the Sharia, no-one[at Unite Against Fascism]'s going to agree with that. Of course no-one agrees with that." Reply-> Fred H  Jan 1, 2018 at 12:40 Britain's elites are intent on committing national suicide and there is nothing anyone can do to stop them. Reply-> Bill  Jan 1, 2018 at 12:39 Articles like this are important. Maybe the overwhelming presentation of facts will awaken the USA to resist the Islamist Middle East, Saudi, Turk, Sunnis and the Islamist EU. THE USA is the last hope of humanity to thwart global Islam and authoritarianism. Reply-> Michael Waugh  Jan 1, 2018 at 12:29 We should all feel ashamed that our prime minister feels the need to wear a headscarf, or whatever, in the company of these people or in their so-called holy places. We have a creeping disease in our country and this does not seem to worry many of our politicians. These people hate us and have no respect for our established church, Christianity. Most British would not want to go to their countries asserting themselves and making demands for recognition. These people do not mix beyond their shores. Reply-> Michael Dable  Jan 1, 2018 at 12:21 Thank you Soeren for this compilation of political madness, on it goes unhindered by any criticism. Just finished watching the Archbishop of Canterbury's Christian (sic) New Year's address to his flock. Warms his heart he says to observe communities coming together after the Borough Market atrocity, BBC cameras deliberately picking out Muslims. Behind the scenes however is a very different picture, each day that passes sees the indigenous population venting their anger, in private of course to keep the hate police at bay. If there was just one item, in the past fourteen hundred years that illustrated Muslims integrating with the sometimes silent conquering of nations who have previously fallen to their barbaric demands, we Britons could perhaps draw succour from it. But one will not be found and the politicians coupled with the spineless media will continue with their shameless promotion of our destruction. Reply-> Barry H Campbell  Jan 1, 2018 at 12:01 After reading the many entries regarding Muslims being charged with all manner of crime, I wonder why the people of Britain haven't woke up to the reality that they have lost their country to a 7th century barbaric group who have vowed to convert or kill all non-believers. In the part of Canada where I live these facts border on insanity. Britain has always walked on the line of extreme socialism and a royal family that is totally out of touch with the real world. Anger does not begin to explain the feelings I have for a country (Britain) gone mad and may God have mercy on the remainder of us. Reply-> Edward Cline Barry H Campbell  Jan 1, 2018 at 16:54 Canada is not far behind, thanks to the Boy Wonder, Trudeau. I thought the Canadian would oust the Islam-loving idiot when they had the chance, but he's still there, threatening the U.S. Reply-> Andrew Barry H Campbell  Jan 1, 2018 at 18:20 If Britain falls, we're next. Trudeau has been cosying up to Islam for years. More than ever I am so appreciative of the 2nd Amendment rights of the USA in the event our Government decides to no longer protect its citizens, as seems to be happening in so many countries that once enjoyed peace and freedom. Reply-> George Chuck  Jan 1, 2018 at 20:25 And for the 1st Amendment as well...it will keep the 'hate speech' insanity at bay. Reply-> Erwin Hodel  Jan 1, 2018 at 10:22 It is just an example in this never-ending list which speaks for itself: February 2. Six Muslim men shouted "Allahu Akbar" as they were sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court for a total of 81 years for sexually abusing two girls  including one who became pregnant at age 12  in Rotherham.Among all these grooming cases that became known in the last few years, Rotherham seems to be the worst of them all. Anyway, there are far more people involved in this case than those six Muslims mentioned. Although they are just ordinary criminals, their reaction clearly reveals their mentality: backed by their "religion" and the way they were raised as men, they obviously cannot have committed any crime. Rather the other way round, some institution of an inferior race (as the Koran taught them) dared question their doings. No wonder that they had to turn to their god in public and rejoice at his greatness. Reply-> Phil Copson  Jan 1, 2018 at 09:35 Note that Lugman Aslam who drove his van into a group of white people in Leicester was only charged with "Intending to commit Grievous Bodily Harm" and was praised by the judge as being "a family man of good character" or similar hogwash, and allowed to get away with the preposterous claim that his judgement was affected by "fasting for Ramadan" (who hasn't gone all day without eating, anyway?, and secondly charge him with driving whilst knowingly being in an unfit condition...)- and received only a 4-year sentence despite his clear intention of committing murder, whereas (white British) Darren Osbourne who drove his van into a group of Muslims, was denounced in person by the Prime Minister who madly declared that what he had done was as bad as the bombing/ shooting/knifing jihadi attacks, and charged with attempted murder and instigating a terrorist attack- despite having a far more valid and well-attested claim to being mentally-unfit. Reply-> Kate H.A. Phil Copson  Jan 4, 2018 at 17:55 Agree 100% Phil C. The rush by British politicians to condemn the FEW British citizens who have been driven to take individual, albeit insane and personally dangerous, ACTION, is both instructive and contemptible. At the same time, every possible exculpation is offered by those same politicians for the actions of Muslims who deliberately plan, plot and succeed in murdering, torturing, abusing and reducing white British children to obedient sex slaves. All this deliberate exculpation of Islam, Islamics and other adherents of the most repugnant, aggressive and totalitarian ideology since Nazism, began with Tony Blair's ambition to be President of the EU. He and his cohort plotted to enable the silent invasion of England under which the decent, law-abiding indigenous and other integrated immigrants now suffer the consequences. I do not believe this all happened 'by chance'. The root of the calamity is worship of Mammon, the EU and UN plans for a New World Order; the elimination of the white races which fought two world wars to retain a hard-won, evolved and enlightened Civilization. It is no secret to those of us with a decent Western education that 'multiculturalism' is an enforced DECEIT. Just because all members of the human species LOOK alike, it does not mean that there is not a huge (and growing) sub-species, retarded in both evolution, enlightenment and obsessed with a totalitarian, supremacist ideology which will reduce ALL other members to the human race to obedient, persecuted, 'servants' of Islam. Islam has NEVER in its history 'integrated'. It is grounded in violent oppression and supremacy. Reply-> joe k  Jan 1, 2018 at 08:44 Ah the Drip, Drip, Drip of an Islamic takeover. What is the projected year for the flood? Reply-> notoislam joe k  Jan 1, 2018 at 10:27 It is like watching the fire being turned higher and higher as the kettle cooks the infidels (helpless and unarmed) because of their government's unwillingness to keep them safe from the "religion of peace" that wants to convert or kill them in the name of the CRIMINAL POLITICAL IDEOLOGY _islam---sickening Reply-> Jeff Page  Jan 1, 2018 at 07:38 Lovely, lovely, Britain, with its naive politicians who consider themselves "humanitarians" and saviours! The intention is to clear a path for the Islamists to eventually take control and force conversion to Islam on the people or to kill those that refuse. At every opportunity, our politicians have bowed and scraped to Muslims in the vain hope that they may accept our way of life and fully integrate into our society. All a complete waste of time of course. Any opposition to Islam has been quickly shut down usually by Muslims who don't want to hear the truth about their apparent faith. Cultural divides make the religion of Islam totally incompatible in the modern world we live in. All the evidence points to even more division in the future, but for some strange reason, our politicians refuse to open their eyes to the very real dangers. The birth rate, the violation of young girls by Muslim grooming gangs, the denial of problems within communities, the evidence is overwhelming and the ignorance is blatantly obvious! Politicians in Britain, particularly Theresa May need to get a grip on reality and open their eyes a bit wider in order to take in the full picture of what is happening in the shadows of our country. The deceit by Muslims, in all walks of life within British society. They have but one goal. Approximately 23,000 would be terrorists are free to live in this country, they have exactly the same rights as the people they would like to kill. Surely, that isn't right, is it? No matter when these people came to Britain, no matter what they have apparently escaped from in the past, after leaving their own country of birth, they were given a safe place to live. Many have been helped financially by British taxpayers, yet still, the religious hatred which is so deeply embedded within Islam is just below the surface. Islam is incompatible with British laws and culture. The government has to begin sorting this mess out, and quickly! No more bowing to Islam, no more covering women's hair, particularly by the PM. The Muslims show no respect for Christianity, they deserve none in return. Time for the politicians to man up. After all, they have the protection of their security details, when the people they are supposed to serve, do not! Reply-> Dave H Jeff Page  Jan 1, 2018 at 10:34 Politicians are generally a pretty hard-nosed bunch when it comes to filling out expense claims, taking "consultancies" etc they do not strike me as a naive bunch at all. On the contrary, I believe they are well aware of the true nature of Islam and are quite cynical about it and that is the problem we face. Reply-> gloria jones Jeff Page  Jan 2, 2018 at 00:02 Islam was chosen by elitist globalists (Soros, et al) as the best political system to overtake the world starting with the European continent. Islam is a political system that has total control over its followers (Muslims). Muslims are thoroughly brainwashed by Islam's politics/religion. Muslims know that they cannot leave Islam without the threat of violence or death. The elitists socialists/communists paved the pathway for Islam's European caliphate through political correctness, uncaring about the loss of faith in God among European citizens, open borders. Corrupt European politicians are lining their pockets with Soros' (et al) dollars to carry out Soros' plan of an Islamic caliphate. The Visegrad countries (Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia and maybe Austria) are holding strong against the EU's mass Muslim migration agenda. Imam's preach from a seventh century quran that's never been reformed. Muslims are an oppressed group under Islam's rule. Islam is pure evil with evil leaders and followers. Churches are falling and mosques are rising in the EU. That alone is the answer as to the EU's future. The EU can only be saved if it elects leaders that are as strong as the Visegrad leaders...that is the only hope. All EU infidels had better start planning for their families because Islam/Muslims hate all infidels. Reply-> Margaret Robinson Dave H  Jan 2, 2018 at 08:38 They are just self-serving politicians. Keep your head down. Do not cause any controversy. Be careful what you say. Do not utter a word that could in anyway be construed as offensive to Islam or the far left because you might lose your job or worse still Muslims may not vote for you in the next election. Their current position is much more precious to them than the future of Britain or even the future of their own grandchildren. Reply-> Pierre Rolyat Dave H  Jan 2, 2018 at 10:14 Many MP's of course, are reliant upon the Muslim vote to maintain their seat. Reply-> Matthew Bostock Jeff Page  Jan 2, 2018 at 14:55 If it even can be solved, I feel this issue will only be decided by violent, extra-parliamentary action. There is no debate to be had. There will be a civil war followed by western-style totalitarianism, or there will be an Islamic takeover, sooner than almost anyone imagines. Remember: in a so-called democratic age, you only need a majority of those who bother to vote to get your people into power. Take the cities and you have the country. It's going to happen in your lifetime, and you've got a front row seat. Reply-> montlasky  Jan 1, 2018 at 06:30 Simply put: What does Britain intend to do about this huge problem? Reply-> Abraham Edelheit montlasky  Jan 1, 2018 at 09:23 A simply put question deserves an equally simply put answer: the government intends to do absolutely nothing. Reply-> Eva montlasky  Jan 1, 2018 at 09:47 Obviously, absolutely nothing, as usual. Reply-> Phil Kershner Abraham Edelheit  Jan 1, 2018 at 10:22 Abraham: there is nothing simple about your sense of humor! H.L. Mencken would be smiling. Sadly, I fear you are not only funny but right. Reply-> Dave H Abraham Edelheit  Jan 1, 2018 at 10:51 Not quite nothing. What they will do is allow more immigration, the continued importation of second wives for Muslim men (supported by the taxpayer of course), financial support of their favoured extremists and generally bow down to all Muslim demands. Reply-> Harvey L Dave H  Jan 1, 2018 at 13:01 To think of the millions of lives lost in WW2 now the UK to be led by these self-serving cockroaches of both parties, just unbelievable. Reply-> Bill montlasky  Jan 1, 2018 at 13:28 The vast majority of the highest elites in the West obviously embrace Islam. Islam has everything a progressive desires: authoritarianism, cleptocracy, and sexual license. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. Both reserve the right not to publish replies to articles should they so choose. Gatestone Institute is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, Federal Tax ID #454724565.
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales meets paramedics and support staff who assisted...Prince Charles, Prince of Wales meets paramedics and support staff who assisted those injured in the terrorist incident in Westminster at King's College Hospital on March 24, 2017 in London, England.LessMore Prince Charles, Prince of Wales talks to nurses as he meets paramedics, nurses and support staff who assisted those injured in the terrorist incident in Westminster at King's College Hospital on March 24, 2017 in London, England. Prince Charles, Prince of Wales talks to nurses as he meets paramedics, nurses and...Prince Charles, Prince of Wales talks to nurses as he meets paramedics, nurses and support staff who assisted those injured in the terrorist incident in Westminster at King's College Hospital on March 24, 2017 in London, England.LessMore Prince Charles, Prince of Wales meets paramedics and support staff who assisted...Prince Charles, Prince of Wales meets paramedics and support staff who assisted those injured in the terrorist incident in Westminster at King's College Hospital on March 24, 2017 in London, England.LessMore Prince Charles, Prince of Wales talks to nurses as he meets paramedics, nurses and support staff who assisted those injured in the terrorist incident in Westminster at King's College Hospital on March 24, 2017 in London, England. Prince Charles, Prince of Wales talks to nurses as he meets paramedics, nurses and...Prince Charles, Prince of Wales talks to nurses as he meets paramedics, nurses and support staff who assisted those injured in the terrorist incident in Westminster at King's College Hospital on March 24, 2017 in London, England.LessMore Prince Charles, Prince of Wales talks to nurses as he meets paramedics, nurses and support staff who assisted those injured in the terrorist incident in Westminster at King's College Hospital on March 24, 2017 in London, England. Prince Charles, Prince of Wales talks to nurses as he meets paramedics, nurses and...Prince Charles, Prince of Wales talks to nurses as he meets paramedics, nurses and support staff who assisted those injured in the terrorist incident in Westminster at King's College Hospital on March 24, 2017 in London, England.LessMore Prince Charles, Prince of Wales talks to nurses as he meets paramedics, nurses and support staff who assisted those injured in the terrorist incident in Westminster at King's College Hospital on March 24, 2017 in London, England. Prince Charles, Prince of Wales talks to nurses as he meets paramedics, nurses and...Prince Charles, Prince of Wales talks to nurses as he meets paramedics, nurses and support staff who assisted those injured in the terrorist incident in Westminster at King's College Hospital on March 24, 2017 in London, England.LessMore Prince Charles, Prince of Wales talks to nurses as he meets paramedics, nurses and support staff who assisted those injured in the terrorist incident in Westminster at King's College Hospital on March 24, 2017 in London, England. Prince Charles, Prince of Wales talks to nurses as he meets paramedics, nurses and...Prince Charles, Prince of Wales talks to nurses as he meets paramedics, nurses and support staff who assisted those injured in the terrorist incident in Westminster at King's College Hospital on March 24, 2017 in London, England.LessMore Prince Charles, Prince of Wales talks to nurses as he meets paramedics, nurses and support staff who assisted those injured in the terrorist incident in Westminster at King's College Hospital on March 24, 2017 in London, England. Prince Charles, Prince of Wales talks to nurses as he meets paramedics, nurses and...Prince Charles, Prince of Wales talks to nurses as he meets paramedics, nurses and support staff who assisted those injured in the terrorist incident in Westminster at King's College Hospital on March 24, 2017 in London, England.LessMore
A student injured in the Westminster terror attack was thrown over the bonnet of the killers car as the carnage began, his mother has said. Travis Frain, 19, was walking across Westminster Bridge with other youngsters when he was mown down by the car. Seconds later, the politics student, who wants to become an MP, called his mother to say: Mum I'm safe... I know you will be worrying. He suffered a fractured leg, fractured left arm, cuts to his thigh and two broken fingers and will be operated on later today at King's College Hospital, London. Mr Frain, a politics and history undergraduate had been with 12 other students from Edge Hill University in Ormskirk, to watch Prime Ministers questions in Parliament. His mother, Angela Frain, 46, from Darwen, Lancs, said: He loves politics, that is his ideal trip, going to Parliament. He was probably buzzing with excitement. I think he would love to be an MP. She said they had a break for an hour so came out of Parliament. He just said that he came out, they were walking along the bridge, it literally happened that fast I don't think he knew what had happened. I think it hit him on his side and he went over the bonnet. Mrs Frain, a teacher, said another group of students from the college where she works were also in London when she heard the news. She added: Then I thought, My son is in London. He was not picking up on his phone. Then the police rang me. Just shock really, it was only within seconds I learned there was an incident in London and got this telephone call. Obviously I was relieved to speak to him. He just said, Mum I'm safe, I'm just letting you know, I know you will be worrying. I think I asked him a thousand questions all at once. He's very mature and sensible, I'm sure he will take it all in his stride. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP Mrs Frain is travelling to London to be with her son. She added: He will be staying in hospital for a few days, he's going to have an operation tonight. I think he was absolutely exhausted. He's up and down really, in the moment you just get on with it. The Metropolitan Police has been fantastic with him thankfully. I have not given any thought to the attack as such. Travis is my number one priority. I'm just very thankful. We have been very lucky. Three other students from the group were injured but have been released from hospital. Among those injured was Owen Lambert, 18, from Morecambe, Lancs, who needed stitches to a head wound.
This is the moment an armed police officer trains an assault rifle on the window of a suspect arrested in connection with the Westminster terror attack. The officer, wearing a balaclava and helmet, is seen in the back garden of a suburban house during a raid in Birmingham yesterday. The raid was one of a series carried out around the country by anti-terror police after Khalid Masood killed four and injured more than 50 in London on Wednesday. Police trained their guns on a house in Birmingham yesterday in a raid thought to be linked to the Westminster terror attack A total of 11 have been arrested as part of the inquiry but Scotland Yard said only four remain in custody - two men aged 27 and 58 who were arrested in Birmingham on Thursday and a 32-year-old woman and a 35-year-old man who were arrested in Manchester on Friday. Share this article Share 905 shares Six of those arrested have now been released from police custody and face no further action - two women aged 21 and 26 and four men aged 23, 26, 27 and 28 who were all arrested at addresses in Birmingham. One of the arrested was Masood's partner Rohey Hydara, 39, who lives at a property in east London's Olympic park. She has been released on bail until late March. Neighbours say armed police were at the scene for more than an hour yesterday morning Neighbours say a man who lives in the area was arrested and a BMW car seized A neighbour who took the pictures of the armed officer during the raid in Birmingham said: 'I went to my window and there three cops with guns running up to the back window. 'There was shouting and screaming for ages, I couldn't hear what they were saying but it was proper loud. It sounded like there were loads of people in there.' The neighbour added: 'They just stood there for like an hour or 45 minutes. I think they were making sure that no one was going to try and escape round the back or anything like that. 'I had no idea what the hell was going on and now people are saying it's something to do with the attack in London.' A number of local residents said they believe a man from Saudi Arabia lived at the house in the Winson Green area with his wife and children. Local resident Shekila Sahota, said a man, thought to be in his 40s or 50s, had lived at the address for about a year. She added: 'The man they led away was put in the van straight away and he had a big smirk on his face when they took him away.' The raid came ahead of the arrest of two more 'significant' suspects this morning as police try to find out whether terrorist killer Khalid Masood was aided by others. Two people, a man and a woman, were arrested in Greater Manchester in the early hours of this morning and another man, aged 27, was arrested in Birmingham. Police confirmed a 34-year-old man was arrested in a mews road in the affluent West Didsbury suburb of Manchester in the early hours of this morning. Residents who live close to the affluent gated community, where properties are believed to sell for up to 500,000, said a car had been towed from the area. The Met's top anti-terror officer Mark Rowley said police have searched 21 properties around the country, with five searches ongoing this morning, and seized 2,700 items including numerous computers. Raids have been carried out across the country as police investigate Muslim convert Masood Police are trying to work out whether Westminster terrorist Khalid Masood was aided in his murderous plot. They have now arrested 11 people, with one woman released on bail Police outside a property which was raided in Winson Green, Birmingham yesterday An arrest was also made in West Didsbury, Greater Manchester overnight following a raid Masood, 52, killed 75-year-old Londoner Leslie Rhodes, US tourist Kurt Cochran, 54, and mother-of-two Aysha Frade, 43, as he ploughed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge. He then stabbed PC Keith Palmer, 48, to death inside the grounds of Parliament. THE 11 ARRESTS MADE SINCE THE ATTACK A 39-year-old woman was arrested at an address in east London. She has since been put on bail until late March. A 21-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man were arrested at an address in Birmingham but have been released without charge. A 26-year-old woman and three men aged 28, 27 and 26 years old were arrested at a separate address in Birmingham. Further, a 58-year-old man was arrested on Thursday morning at a separate address in Birmingham and remains in custody. Another 27-year-old man was arrested in Birmingham late on Thursday and remains in custody. Two more people, a 32-year-old woman and a 35-year-old man in Greater Manchester, were arrested early Friday morning. The woman has been bailed pending further inquiries. All of the arrests have been made on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. Searches were also carried out in Carmathanshire, Wales, and Brighton, Sussex. Scotland Yard have also urged anyone who knew Masood or has any information about him to come forward. Asked about where the Muslim convert had been radicalised, Mr Rowley said: 'As I have said, our investigation focuses on understanding his motivation, preparation and associates. 'Whilst there is no evidence of further threats, you will understand our determination to find out if he either acted totally alone, inspired by terrorist propaganda; or, if others have encouraged, supported or directed him. 'To that end in our continuing investigation and ongoing covert activity we have made further significant arrests overnight - in the West Midlands and North West.' Mr Rowley said officers had spoken to around 3,500 witnesses - including 1,000 who were on Westminster Bridge and around 2,500 who were in Parliament. He added: 'We remain keen to hear from anyone who knew Khalid Masood well, understands who his associates were and can provide us with information about places he has recently visited. 'There might be people out there who did have concerns about Masood but did not feel comfortable for whatever reason in passing those concerns to us.' Asked whether Masood had travelled overseas, Mr Rowley said 'we are looking at his history'. Separately from the arrests in the Midlands and North West, police were last night searching a flat in east London which previously housed teams during the 2012 Olympic Games. It is believed the property was home to a Rohey Hydara, who is believed to have lived with Masood in at least three separate addresses. Last night, the Met said Masood's partner Hydara, 39, was released on bail pending further inquiries. She was arrested on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts. Masood is also thought to have lived in London and there was a police presence outside Lucia Heights block of flats, in East London (close to the London Stadium) last night This property in east London is one of 21 which have been searched by police this week The flat is in the Olympic Village and previously housed athletes during the 2012 Games Police have also raided the home of Masood's mother, Janet, in rural Wales. They remained at the scene today Mrs Elms gave birth to him when she was a 17-year-old living in Dartford, Kent The movements of Khalid Masood 1964 - Born Adrian Elms on Christmas Day in Dartford, Kent and takes the name Adrian Russell Ajao. 1966 - His mother, Janet Elms, marries in Crawley, West Sussex and they later move to Tunbridge Wells, Kent and Rye, East Sussex. 1983 - In November that year, he picks up his first conviction, for criminal damage. 2000 - Jailed for two years for grievous bodily harm. When he is released, he moves to the East Sussex village of Northiam. 2003 - Aged 39 and running an aerial installation firm, he is jailed for six months for possession of a knife in Eastbourne, East Sussex. 2004 - After being freed from prison, he marries Muslim Farzana Malik in Medway, Kent. It is unclear for how long they were married but they are now believed to be divorced. 2005 - Believed to have taught in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia. 2006 - Said to have lived in Crawley and to received visits from police. 2008-2009 - According to his CV, he returned to teach in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. 2009-2012 - He is believed to have lived in Luton having changed his name to Khalid Masood. His CV claims he worked at a language school. 2012 - Set up his own teaching firm in Birmingham. Officers could be seen rifling through rooms on the first floor flat, although curtains in most of the windows were drawn. Residents of the nine-storey block near to the Eurostar Stratford International Station said police had been in the building all day. Neighbours said they saw Masood at the apartment several weeks ago. Local resident Vera Amade, 21, said: 'My brother saw him a few times quite recently in the last few weeks. 'It was definitely him, the woman has two kids, one of the daughters has just had a baby. They all live in the same flat. 'She was quite polite, there was nothing bad to say about her. He was really nice and polite as well, he was very pleasant. 'I'm very shocked. We were watching it on TV last night and trying to figure out if it was definitely him and it is. 'He was always dressed in a suit, I don't know what he did for a living. He used to come back from work at about five or six.' Masood was registered to two addresses in Luton in 2010 and 2011 and was recorded as living in Forest Gate, east London, last year. Hydara was also registered as having lived at those three places. A neighbour said three children lived in the home in Forest Gate with their mother, aged between eight and 15. He said they later moved out to the Olympic Village. The man, who did not want to give his name, said: 'There was a family who lived here and then they moved out. 'They were there about five, six years. I only saw the kids and the mother. 'We saw the family there, we saw the ladies there but I never saw a man living there. I think he was clean shaven when I did see him last year. 'He was darker, seemed a bit plump. But he was cleanly shaven. I occasionally saw him, I just assumed he was working all day.' A number of addresses in Birmingham have been searched, including a flat above a takeaway A police van remained outside a flat above a takeaway, in Hagley Road, Birmingham yesterday A neighbour in London, who asked not to be named, told the Press Association: 'This guy is a local guy. I've been living in the area for 20 years. 'I don't know him personally but I believe he belongs to a mosque on Leyton High Road. 'I've seen his face many times. I saw him on the news at around 7pm last night and thought 'this is the guy I know from the mosque.' Terror hotline number Anyone with any information about Masood can call the Anti-Terrorist Hotline 0800 789 321. 'He had a beard and big eyes.' Worshippers at the Al-Tawhid mosque in Leyton were surprised to learn of Masood's alleged links with the mosque. One, Abdul Abdul, told the Telegraph: 'We condemn this attack. A true Muslim would never do this. He's not one of us, he's not a representative of us'. Masood, 52, who was born as Adrian Elms in Kent, is believed to have most recently lived in the West Midlands. Police yesterday searched a three-storey townhouse in the Winson Green area of Birmingham and neighbours said Masood had been seen there last year. At the time of the attack, Masood is thought to have returned to Birmingham and is believed to have stayed in a dingy bedsit above a shop in the Edgbaston area. A photo taken in Birmingham on Wednesday night appears to show one of the three suspects arrested at the scene sitting in the back of a police van in Hagley Road Armed police stormed a flat on Hagley Road, Birmingham on Wednesday night as part of a series of raids across the country following the Westminster attack. Iwona Romek, speaking in Winson Green, Birmingham said she could not believe it when she realised the man who had lived near her was the same person responsible for the attack. She said: 'I am very surprised, I cannot believe it. Because when I saw him, I couldn't even see that he could do something like this. 'Now I'm scared that someone like that was living close to me.' She added: 'I see pictures of him lying injured and from that picture I can see it's him. 'And my partner as well he has seen the picture, he is at work, and when I showed it him he said 'oh my God' it's him.' Ms Romek said she had seen him with a child, aged between five and six years old, and a partner but that they had moved away around two to three months ago. One of the other properties raided was a flat in this building in the Winson Green area of Birmingham, where neighbours claimed Masood lived with a woman and a young child It is thought he also stayed at a flat above a restaurant in the Birmingham's Hagley Road, which was raided on Wednesday night. Stunned residents described seeing more than a dozen black-clad officers equipped with machine guns smashing their way into the Birmingham flat, believed to be a rental, at about 11pm on Wednesday. One witness who works in a shop near the second-floor Birmingham flat said: 'The man from London lived here.' He added: 'They came and arrested three men.' Another resident said he recalled two men living there. He heard one man in the flat speaking on the phone in what he described as an 'Arabic or Pakistani accent', saying he had heard it 'for the last two or three nights'. A neighbour says he believes the man who carried out the attack in London yesterday lives in the flat above the takeaway The flat in Hagley Road is one of six properties raided around the country, with armed officers storming the flat before detectives moved in Stuart Bailey, who lives four doors down, was going for a drink with his friend when an armed officer shouted for him to 'go left'. The 25-year-old added: 'There were a load of armed police in the street and on the pavement and I could see three or four in front of me. 'They were all dressed in black and armed with what looked like MP5s (submachine guns) and one of them had six ammunition magazines strapped to his leg. 'I wasn't allowed back in my property for an hour.' A shopkeeper said police had told customers and staff to stay inside the store while the operation continued. Hagley Road was sealed off by officers for several hours as the raid was carried out. The road is in the well-heeled district of Edgbaston - a cricket-loving corner of Britain's second largest city that is unused to the sight of armed police blocking off streets. Dozens of officers, some with weapons, were seen swooping an address near to the Bearwood area of the city last night A police officer is seen at the scene on Hagley Road in Birmingham. Police are on high alert after the terror attack in London on Wednesday which claimed the lives of three victims Lucas Camoes, a 23-year-old warehouse worker, said: 'It's a very calm area. There are loads of university students here so it's very surprising this happened right here. 'I don't feel safe at all. A bit paranoid.' Car rental firm Enterprise confirmed the Hyundai 4x4 used in the attack was rented in Spring Hill, Birmingham, less than a mile from the house being searched. In a statement, the car hire company said one of its employees had identified the vehicle after seeing the licence plate in an image online and the firm had immediately contacted the authorities. The firm said in a statement: 'We are co-operating fully with the authorities and will provide any assistance that we can to the investigation. 'Our thoughts are very much with the victims of this terrible tragedy.' Masood was not currently being investigated by authorities and there was 'no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack', Scotland Yard said yesterday. These pictures are understood to show the inside of the flat which was raided by police before it was let out Neighbours said lots of people moved in and out of the building and the area and were uncertain over who lived there He was known to police and has a range of previous convictions for assaults, including GBH, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences dating back to 1983 - but none for terrorism offences. Four people died in London after terrorist Khalid Masood, driving a Hyundai 4x4, crashed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before hurtling towards the gates of Parliament. Masood also died after being shot by armed police. More than 50 people, from at least 12 nationalities were injured in the attack, with 17 still being treated in hospital, where two remain in a critical condition, with one person's injuries considered life-threatening. REVEALED: 'Lone wolf' terror attacker Khalid Masood was on WhatsApp TWO minutes before unleashing carnage in London... so who was he communicating with? 'Lone wolf' terror attacker Khalid Masood was on WhatsApp two minutes before unleashing carnage in London, MailOnline can exclusively reveal. Questions are now being raised over whether the jihadist was working with a network when he brutally murdered four innocent people and injured at least 50 during the horrific attack on Westminster on Wednesday. Masood was on Whatsapp at 2.37pm - approximately two minutes before ploughing into people on Westminster Bridge and four minutes before he was shot dead by armed officers outside Parliament. Pictured: A screen-grab of Khalid Masood's WhatsApp profile taken on Thursday by MailOnline shows the attacker was active in the app on his iPhone moments before he ploughed into innocent people on Westminster Bridge Masood had never been convicted of terror offences, although Theresa May revealed he was on MI5's radar a number of years ago. Police insist there was no intelligence suggesting he was about to unleash a terror attack. The policeman who shot the attacker on the parliamentary estate is believed to have been a close protection officer for Defence Secretary Michael Fallon rather than a member of the gate team. Masood was a married father-of-three and a religious convert who was into bodybuilding, according to Sky News. Theresa May revealed MI5 knew of the attacker but considered him a 'peripheral' figure who was 'not part of the current intelligence picture' A Scotland Yard spokesman said yesterday: 'Masood was also known by a number of aliases. He was not the subject of any current investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack. 'However, he was known to police and has a range of previous convictions for assaults, including GBH, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences. 'His first conviction was in November 1983 for criminal damage and his last conviction was in December 2003 for possession of a knife. He has not been convicted for any terrorism offences.' ISIS claimed responsibility for its first attack on British soil and said the crazed knifeman was its 'soldier'. Life of Westminster terrorist Khalid Masood's mother who sews cushions from her rural Welsh farm she shares with chickens and a border collie The mother of Westminster terrorist Khalid Masood lives in a farm in rural west Wales with a bordie collie and chickens where she runs an online business selling hand-made bags and cushions. Former Boots worker Janet Ajao, 69, is known by villagers as a 'respectable grey-haired lady' running her own business from her farmhouse in Trelech, Carmarthenshire. Mrs Ajao gave birth to Masood as a 17-year-old single mother in Dartford, Kent, on Christmas Day in 1964. Pictured: A police officer stands on guard near the house of Janet Ajao in Trelech, where she is currently being given support by a family liaison officer Just under two years later the young mother, known then as Janet Elms, married Phillip Ajao and had two more sons, Paul and Alex. Masood grew up in a 300,000 house in the seaside town of Rye, East Sussex. Paul Ajao, 50, lives in Banbury, Oxfordshire, and runs a number of florists and fabrics companies. He denied knowing Masood, while MailOnline have so far been unable to get in contact with Alex, 40, an account director. Mrs Ajao and her 77-year-old husband Philip - who is believed to be of Nigerian background - live a peaceful existence in the small village, which has a population of just 745 people. Police were still at their house on a quiet lane of five isolated homes today but Ms Ajao was 'too upset' to talk - and she was being given 'appropriate support' by a family liaison officer. Officers said the search of their house has been 'concluded' and said they had not seen her this morning. Police officers on guard near the home of Khalid Masood's mother in the village of Trelech, Carmarthenshire, Wales Pictured: Officers near the home of Masood's mother, Janet Elms, who gave birth to him when she was a 17-year-old living in Dartford, Kent Police said she told them she did not want them at the address and 'just wants to be left alone.' The mother-of-three was spotted looking outside her window and opening her door while police were concluding their investigation. She ordered police to turn people away from the farm property surrounded by fields and a public footpath. A neighbour said: 'They are very nice quiet people - I believe Phil is in hospital at the moment. It must be very, very difficult for her. 'Whatever has happened, she has lost a son. 'They've been here for years. We say hello when we see them walking the dog. 'I know they have sons but I can't recall ever seeing them visit since they moved her. 'It was a real shock when police turned up because nothing like this ever happens here. It is a very quiet place.' His mother now lives with her husband in Carmarthenshire, west Wales, where she runs an online business selling hand-made bags and cushions (pictured) Dairy farmer Mark Sillars, 59, sold the couple their three-bedroom home, called Lleiniau, almost 20 years ago. He said: 'They were typical of people who moved here - friendly, neighbourly, they wouldn't interfere with your business, and you wouldn't with theirs. 'They liked the isolation. I don't know why, but for whatever reason they wanted to live in the middle of nowhere. 'Janet is a lovely lady. She kept sheep which she sold at the local market as organic meat, she used to work in Boots in Carmarthen and a Little Chef. Then she started making handbags and cushions. 'Phillip worked in a cheese factory. He was keen on astronomy and kept a lot of telescopes. I think that's part of the reason they wanted to be so rural, because of the clear skies. 'They liked the place when I showed them round, and they bought it straight away. 'I was aware they had children who would periodically visit but I didn't know who they were. You'd know they were there because there would be three or four more cars in the drive. 'They used to come up at Christmas and on the odd weekend. People in the village are speculating that Khalid visited last week, but that might just be rumours.' Another neighbour said: 'It is a very quiet place but we see the couple occasionally. It must be a terrible shock. 'As far as we can see, Janet has done nothing wrong and this must be hell for her. She just leads a quiet life here like all of us.' On the website Folksy, Mrs Ajao sells her handmade items. In the description on the site, she says: 'Hello, I'm Janet and I live in rural west Wales with my husband, border collie and a few chickens. 'Our home is tucked away at the end of a little lane, and it's here that you'll find me making bags and cushions. 'I use natural fabrics, both new and recycled, and love to make use of old Welsh wool blankets. 'All items are one-off. You may see the same style of bag, or the same fabric may reappear in a different guise, but never the same thing twice.' Mr Ajao, a former cheese factory worker and Masood's father, is a keen photographer and astronomer who enjoys listening to classical music. He is currently being treated in hospital with a serious illness. He enjoys classical music, especially Vivaldi, and has a keen interest in photography and astronomy. It is understood he is currently away from home being treated in nearby Glangwili General Hospital.
Eyewitness accounts of Westminster attack An attack nearby the Palace of Westminster in London occured on the afternoon of Wednesday, March 22. A car mounted the sidewalk and plowed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge leading to multiple serious injuries with one death arleady confirmed. A knife-wielding attacker was killed after stabbing a policeman. Here are some eyewitness accounts. Quentin Letts, a parliamentary sketchwriter for the Daily Mail said: I was in my office overlooking New Palace Yard. This is the area where the shooting happened and I saw the shooting happen and I saw some of the stabbing or what seems to have been stabbing going on and then I saw Im afraid what looks like fruitless attempts to save a man whod fallen, who I think was one of the policemen. He was wearing black clothes, he didnt have much hair, he was quite think set. And he set about one of the policeman with what looked like a stick. The policeman fell over on the ground and it was pretty horrible to watch. Then having done that, he disengaged and ran towards the House of Commons entrance used by MPs and he got about 20 yards or so when two plainclothes guys with guns shot him. And I have to say that they were very quick to run out of wherever they ran out of and ran towards him and they did the shooting pose with their legs straight and one leg in front of the other. And they shouted something at him and he appeared to ignore it and kept running towards them and then two or three shots and he fell instantly. He ran in through the open gates. These are the gates where people drive in and out of the Parliamentary Estate and they are manned by uniformed policeman. The gates were open and this man ran through. John Campbell, who witnessed events from a passing bus told the Telegraph: I was upstairs on the number 88 bus which was stuck in a traffic jam on parliament square when I saw a lot of people running up from Westminster Bridge. I then 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 then saw him stab a police officer two or three times. His colleague then intervened and the officer managed to stagger away. I then heard two neat shots and the man went down. Richard Tyse told Sky News: I came out of Westminster tube station which was being locked down behind me (by police). I was ushered onto Westminster Bridge and looked onto the west pavement of the bridge and literally north to south I must have counted 8-10 prostrate figures on the ground. I understand a car had driven along the pavement knocking people over and thats why many people were lying on the ground. The whole length of the bridge there were people on the ground who had clearly been injured Alan Parry from Sky Sports News said: I was just outside Westminster tube station when I heard an almighty crash and a vehicle that looked like a 44 had crashed into the railings (at parliament). There was smoke coming from underneath the bonnet. I saw a pedestrian or a cyclist who had clearly been hit. The driver of the car sprinted away from the scene. That was followed by four what sounded very much like gunshots. Then all of a sudden all hell was let loose and police descended everywhere. The whole area was locked down. It was a frightening couple of minutes. Kevin Schofield, editor of Politics Home was in parliament at the time of the attack. Writing on Twitter: Then there were gunshots and lots of armed police running around everywhere. I can see someone getting treatment in New Palace Yard.
He was a psychopath Khalid Masood abused and controlled ex-wife before London attack MONSTER: Khalid Masood killed four people during the attack on Westminster Farzana Isaq was reportedly married to Masood for just three months before she fled their home and was granted a divorce. According to a relative a particularly violent confrontation led Farzana to flee to a friend's place  but the thug had also been controlling during their short marriage. Farzana was ordered what to do and what to wear by the evil Masood. GETTY INVESTIGATION: Police remove items from Masood's former property in Birmingham The relative told the Mirror: He was very violent towards her, controlling in every aspect of her life  what she wore, where she went, everything. He was a psychopath and I mean that in the very medical definition of the word. He came from a nice family, had everything, but there was something very wrong with him. He was knocking around with a crew of not very nice people. Westminster terror attack: the aftermath As the nation comes to terms with what happened, the police continue to work tirelessly to find out how this could have happened 1 / 20 Getty Images An armed police office stands guard in Whitehall He was a psychopath and I mean that in the very medical definition of the word Relative He was a loner, but the friends he had were basically criminals. The relative added: She was terrified, he was a dangerous man. She got out with a suitcase, just her clothes. She went to the other end of the country, she was scared of him. The relative also said Farzana did not recognise the killer initially when she saw the coverage on TV, as they added: We all really cant take this in. PA SECOND HOME: Masood was also registered as living in this West Ham flat Terror in the HEART of London: the Westminster attack as it happened The attack in Westminster has left four people dead and up to 20 injured after a man drove his vehicle into pedestrians, then ran into the grounds of the Houses of Parliament before being shot by police 1 / 55 PA The alleged attacker, with the suspected weapons used in the attack highlighted in red How could someone do something like that? It was part of her life Farzana put behind her, now hes brought this to her door. After the divorce, Farzana has reportedly rebuilt her life and remarried. Terror struck the heart of London on Wednesday after Masood, who was born Adrian Russell Ajao, drove a 4x4 car into pedestrians along Westminster Bridge before forcing his way through the gates at the front of the Houses of Parliament. Four people were killed in the horrific incident which was later claimed by ISIS as an act by one of their soldiers. Police have searched the home of Masoods mum and stepdad in Carmarthenshire and neither are being treated as suspects. Masood was raised as a Christian and attended a school in Tunbridge Wells in Kent, but started taking drugs at school where he was known as Adie. PA PAST: Masood as a schoolboy when he known by his birth name Adrian Ajao Classmate Stuart Knight, 52, said: His mum Janet was quite big into the local church and he would talk about religion in class. Masood, using the name Adrian Elms, later moved to Northiam, East Sussex. He reportedly attacked a man in the early 2000s and served two years in jail  where it is understood he became radicalised. A villager said: When he [Masood] got out of prison he wanted to live an Islamic life and didnt want anything to do with his past life at all.
Westminster terror attack; UK Parliament on lockdown LONDON: In this image taken from video, police officers gather around a car adjacent to Houses of Parliament in London yesterday after the House of Commons sitting was suspended as witnesses reported sounds like gunfire outside.  AP LONDON: Four people, including an armed police officer and a man believed to be the attacker, have died in a terrorist incident near the UKs Houses of Parliament, Scotland Yard has said. A woman was among several pedestrians struck by a car on Westminster bridge, before it crashed into railings. A vehicle mowed down pedestrians on Londons Westminster Bridge, killing at least one woman and leaving others with injuries described as catastrophic. Around the same time yesterday, a knife-wielding attacker stabbed a police officer and was shot on the grounds outside Britains Parliament, sending the compound into lockdown. Authorities said they were treating the attacks as a terrorist incident. The threat level for international terrorism in the UK was already listed as severe. Yesterday was the anniversary of suicide bombings in the Brussels airport and subway that killed 32 people, and the latest events echoed recent vehicle attacks in Berlin and Nice, France. There was no immediate claim of responsibility and it was not clear if there was more than one attacker. London Police Commander BJ Harrington said a full counter-terrorism investigation was underway. The incident in London unfolded within sight of some of the citys most famous tourist sites, including the London Eye, a large Ferris wheel with pods that have views over the capital. It stopped rotating and footage showed the pods full as viewers watched police and medical crews on the bridge, which has at its north end Big Ben and Parliament, two iconic symbols. The whole length of the bridge there were people on the ground, Richard Tice, a witness, told Sky News. The London Ambulance Service said it had treated at least 10 people on the bridge. Colleen Anderson of St Thomas Hospital said a female pedestrian died and around a dozen people were hurt. There were some with minor injuries, some catastrophic. Some had injuries they could walk away from or who have life-changing injuries, she said. Rick Longley told the Press Association that he heard a bang and saw a car plow into pedestrians and come to a crashing stop. Images from the scene showed pedestrians sprawled on the ground, with blood streaming from a woman surrounded by a scattering of postcards. They were just laying there and then the whole crowd just surged around the corner by the gates just opposite Big Ben, he said. A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman. I have never seen anything like that. I just cant believe what I just saw. At Parliament, a body was seen lying in the yard. It wasnt clear if it was the attacker. Dennis Burns, who was just entering Parliament for a meeting, told the Press Association he heard a radio message saying an officer had been stabbed. Police and security rushed outside as he was going in. When I got inside I was wondering what the hell was going on and I saw dozens of panicked people running down the street, he said. The first stream was around 30 people and the second stream was 70 people. It looked like they were running for their lives. Daily Mail journalist Quentin Letts said he saw a man in black attack a police officer outside Parliament before being shot two or three times as he tried to storm into the House of Commons. He had something in his hand, it looked like a stick of some sort, and he was challenged by a couple of policemen in yellow jackets, Letts told the BBC. And one of the yellow-jacketed policemen fell down and we could see the man in black moving his arm in a way that suggested he was stabbing or striking the yellow-jacketed policeman. Lett said the other officer ran to get help and the man in black ran toward the entrance. As this attacker was running towards the entrance two plain-clothed guys with guns shouted at him what sounded like a warning, he ignored it and they shot two or three times and he fell, he said. As lawmakers were voting inside Parliament, they reported hearing the sound of gunshots. Journalists there said they were told to stay in their offices. Press Association news agency reported that two people were seen lying within the grounds of Parliament. Prime Minister Theresa May was at Parliament when the incident began, but her office says she is safe. British security has thwarted some 13 terror plots over the past four years, but the UK has largely been spared major international terror attacks such as the ones seen in Belgium and France. Last year, a far-right supporter shot and killed British lawmaker Jo Cox, who had campaigned for the UK to remain in the European Union. Prior to that, an attacker stabbed three people at a train station in east London in response to the Royal Air Forces bombing of the Islamic State group in Syria. The most gruesome recent attack occurred in 2013 when two Muslim converts of Nigerian descent attacked Lee Rigby, a British Army soldier who was walking down the street. The men ran Rigby down with their vehicle and then used a cleaver to hack him to death as bystanders watched in horror. The worst peace time attack on Britain this century was on July 7, 2005, when four Al-Qaeda-inspired bombers blew themselves up on three subway trains and a bus in London, killing 52. Three of the bombers were British-born, all of Pakistani descent; the other emigrated from Jamaica.  Agencies
On the day of the 9-11 attacks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was asked what the attacks would mean for US-Israeli relations. His quick reply was: "It's very good.Well, it's not good, but it will generate immediate sympathy (for Israel)" The Five Dancing IsraelisArrested On 9-11 As the world watched in disbelief and asked the question... ...Mossad operatives were seen dancing with joy. A Mossad surveillance team made quite a public spectacle of themselves on 9-11. The New York Times reported Thursday that a group of five men had set up video cameras aimed at the Twin Towers prior to the attack on Tuesday, and were seen congratulating one another afterwards. (1) Police received several calls from angry New Jersey residents claiming "middle-eastern" men with a white van were videotaping the disaster with shouts of joy and mockery. (2) "They were like happy, you know  They didn't look shocked to me" said a witness. (3) [T]hey were seen by New Jersey residents on Sept. 11 making fun of the World Trade Center ruins and going to extreme lengths to photograph themselves in front of the wreckage. (4) Witnesses saw them jumping for joy in Liberty State Park after the initial impact (5). Later on, other witnesses saw them celebrating on a roof in Weehawken, and still more witnesses later saw them celebrating with high fives in a Jersey City parking lot. (6) "It looked like they're hooked in with this. It looked like they knew what was going to happen when they were at Liberty State Park." (7) One anonymous phone call to the authorities actually led them to close down all of New York's bridges and tunnels. The mystery caller told the 9-1-1 dispatcher that a group of Palestinians were mixing a bomb inside of a white van headed for the Holland Tunnel. Here's the transcript from NBC News: Dispatcher: Jersey City police.Caller: Yes, we have a white van, 2 or 3 guys in there, they look like Palestinians and going around a building.Caller: There's a minivan heading toward the Holland tunnel, I see the guy by Newark Airport mixing some junk and he has those sheikh uniform. Dispatcher: He has what?Caller: He's dressed like an Arab. (8) (*Writer's note: Why would this mystery caller specifically say that these "Arabs" were Palestinians? How would he know that? Palestinians usually dress in western style clothes, not "sheikh uniforms") Based on that phone call, police then issued a "Be-on-the-Lookout" alert for a white mini-van heading for the city's bridges and tunnels from New Jersey. White, 2000 Chevrolet van with 'Urban Moving Systems' sign on back seen at Liberty State Park, Jersey City, NJ, at the time of first impact of jetliner into World Trade Center Three individuals with van were seen celebrating after initial impact and subsequent explosion. FBI Newark Field Office requests that, if the van is located, hold for prints and detain individuals. (9) When a van fitting that exact description was stopped just before crossing into New York, the suspicious "middle-easterners" were apprehended. Imagine the surprise of the police officers when these terror suspects turned out to be Israelis! According to ABCs 20/20, when the van belonging to the cheering Israelis was stopped by the police, the driver of the van, Sivan Kurzberg, told the officers: "We are Israelis. We are not your problem. Your problems are our problems. The Palestinians are your problem." (10) Why did he feel Palestinians were a problem for the NYPD? The police and FBI field agents became very suspicious when they found maps of the city with certain places highlighted, box cutters (the same items that the hijackers supposedly used), $4700 cash stuffed in a sock, and foreign passports. Police also told the Bergen Record that bomb sniffing dogs were brought to the van and that they reacted as if they had smelled explosives. (11) The FBI seized and developed their photos, one of which shows Sivan Kurzberg flicking a cigarette lighter in front of the smouldering ruins in an apparently celebratory gesture. (12) The Jerusalem Post later reported that a white van with a bomb was stopped as it approached the George Washington Bridge, but the ethnicity of the suspects was not revealed. Here's what the Jerusalem Post reported on September 12, 2001: American security services overnight stopped a car bomb on the George Washington Bridge. The van, packed with explosives, was stopped on an approach ramp to the bridge. Authorities suspect the terrorists intended to blow up the main crossing between New Jersey and New York, Army Radio reported. (13) "...two suspects are in FBI custody after a truckload of explosives was discovered around the George Washington Bridge ... The FBI ... says enough explosives were in the truck to do great damage to the George Washington Bridge." What's really intriguing is that ABC's 20/20 (15), the New York Post (16), and the New Jersey Bergen Record (17) all clearly and unambiguously reported that a white van with Israelis was intercepted on a ramp near Route 3, which leads directly to the Lincoln Tunnel. But the Jerusalem Post, Israeli National News (Arutz Sheva) (18), and Yediot America, (19) all reported, just as clearly and unambiguously, that a white van with Israelis was stopped on a ramp leading to the George Washington Bridge, which is several miles north of the Lincoln Tunnel. It appears as if there may actually have been two white vans involved, one stopped on each crossing. This would not only explain the conflicting reports as to the actual location of the arrests, but would also explain how so many credible eye-witnesses all saw celebrating "middle-easterners" in a white van in so many different locations. It also explains why the New York Post and Steve Gordon (lawyer for the 5 Israelis) originally described how three Israelis were arrested but later increased the total to five. Perhaps one van was meant to drop off a bomb while the other was meant to pick up the first set of drivers while re-crossing back into New Jersey? If a van was to be used as a parked time-bomb on the GW Bridge, then certainly the drivers would need to have a "get-away van" to pick them up and escape. And notice how the van (or vans) stayed away from the third major crossing -the Holland Tunnel- which was where the police had originally been directed to by that anti-Palestinian 9-1-1 "mystery caller". A classic misdirection play. From there, the story gets becomes even more suspicious. The Israelis worked for a Weehawken moving company known as Urban Moving Systems.An American employee of Urban Moving Systems told the The Record of New Jersey that a majority of his co-workers were Israelis and they were joking about the attacks. The employee, who declined to give his name said: "I was in tears. These guys were joking and that bothered me." These guys were like, "Now America knows what we go through." (20) A few days after the attacks, Urban Moving System's Israeli owner, Dominick Suter, dropped his business and fled the country for Israel. He was in such a hurry to flee America that some of Urban Moving System's customers were left with their furniture stranded in storage facilities (21). Suter's departure was abrupt, leaving behind coffee cups, sandwiches, cell phones and computers strewn on office tables and thousands of dollars of goods in storage. Suter was later placed on the same FBI suspect list as 9/11 lead hijacker Mohammed Atta and other hijackers and suspected al-Qaeda sympathizers, suggesting that U.S. authorities felt Suter may have known something about the attacks. (22) The Jewish weekly The Forward reported that the FBI finally concluded that at least two of the detained Israelis were agents working for the Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency, and that Urban Moving Systems, the ostensible employer of the five Israelis, was a front operation. This was confirmed by two former CIA officers, and they noted that movers' vans are a common intelligence cover. (23). The Israelis were held in custody for 71 days before being quietly released. (24) "There was no question but that [the order to close down the investigation] came from the White House. It was immediately assumed at CIA headquarters that this basically was going to be a cover-up so that the Israelis would not be implicated in any way in 9/11." (25) Several of the detainees discussed their experience in America on an Israeli talk show after their return home. Said one of the men, denying that they were laughing or happy on the morning of Sept. 11, "The fact of the matter is we are coming from a country that experiences terror daily. Our purpose was to document the event." (26) It doesn't take Sherlock Holmes to connect the dots of the dancing Israeli Mossad agents - here's the most logical scenario: 1. The Israeli "movers" cheered the 9-11 attacks to celebrate the successful accomplishment of the greatest spy operation ever pulled off in history. 2. One of them, or an accomplice, then calls a 9-1-1 police dispatcher to report Palestinian bomb-makers in a white van headed for the Holland Tunnel. 3. Having thus pre-framed the Palestinians with this phone call, the Israeli bombers then head for the George Washington Bridge instead, where they will drop off their time-bomb van and escape with Urban Moving accomplices. 4. But the police react very wisely and proactively by closing off ALL bridges and tunnels instead of just the Holland Tunnel. This move inadvertently foils the Israelis' misdirection play and leads to their own capture and 40 day torture. 5. To cover up this story, the U.S. Justice Department rounds up over 1000 Arabs for minor immigration violations and places them in New York area jails. The Israelis therefore become less conspicuous as the government and media can now claim that the Israelis were just immigration violators caught in the same dragnet as many other Arabs. 6. After several months, FBI and Justice Department "higher-ups" are able to gradually push aside the local FBI agents and free the Israelis quietly. Osama bin Laden was immediately blamed for the 9/11 attacks even though he had no previous record of doing anything on this scale. Immediately after the Flight 11 hit World Trade Center 1CIA Director George Tenet said "You know, this has bin Laden's fingerprints all over it." (27) The compliant mainstream media completely ignored the Israeli connection. Immediately following the 9-11 attacks the media was filled with stories linking the attacks to bin Laden. TV talking-heads, "experts", and scribblers of every stripe spoon-fed a gullible American public a steady diet of the most outrageous propaganda imaginable. We were told that the reason bin Laden attacked the USA was because he hates our "freedom" and "democracy". The Muslims were "medieval" and they wanted to destroy us because they envied our wealth, were still bitter about the Crusades, and were offended by Britney Spears shaking her tits and ass all over the place! But bin Laden strongly denied any role in the attacks and suggested that Zionists orchestrated the9-11 attacks. The BBC published bin Laden's statement of denial in which he said: "I was not involved in the September 11 attacks in the United States nor did I have knowledge of the attacks. There exists a government within a government within the United States. The United States should try to trace the perpetrators of these attacks within itself; to the people who want to make the present century a century of conflict between Islam and Christianity. That secret government must be asked as to who carried out the attacks. ... The American system is totally in control of the Jews, whose first priority is Israel, not the United States." (28) You never heard that quote on your nightly newscast did you? [A] number of intelligence officials have raised questions about Osama bin Laden's capabilities. "This guy sits in a cave in Afghanistan and he's running this operation?" one C.I.A. official asked. "It's so huge. He couldn't have done it alone." A senior military officer told me that because of the visas and other documentation needed to infiltrate team members into the United States a major foreign intelligence service might also have been involved. (29) Bin Laden is not named as the perpetrator of 9/11 by the FBI: When asked why there is no mention of 9/11 on Bin Ladens Most Wanted web page (30), [Rex Tomb, Chief of Investigative Publicity for the FBI] said, The reason why 9/11 is not mentioned on Usama Bin Ladens Most Wanted page is because the FBI has no hard evidence connecting Bin Laden to 9/11. (31) "So we've never made the case, or argued the case that somehow Osama bin Laden [sic] was directly involved in 9/11. That evidence has never been forthcoming" - Dick Cheney. (32) To date, the only shred of evidence to be uncovered against bin Laden is a barely audible fuzzy amateur video that the Pentagon just happened to find "lying around" in Afghanistan. How very convenient, and how very fake. (33) There is no evidence, be it hard or circumstantial, to link the Al Qaeda "terrorist network" to these acts of terror, but there is a mountain of evidence, both hard and circumstantial, which suggests that Zionists have been very busy framing Arabs for terror plots against America. "I think there is very compelling evidence that at least some of the terrorists were assisted not just in financing -- although that was part of it -- by a sovereign foreign government ... It will become public at some point when it's turned over to the archives, but that's 20 or 30 years from now" - Senator Bob Graham. (34) If the sovereign foreign government mentioned by Senator Graham was an enemy of the United States the "compelling evidence" would not be kept secret for 20+ years. One final point; at 09:40 on 9-11 it was reported that the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine claimed responsibility for the attacks (35). This claim was immediately denied by the DFLP leader Qais abu Leila who said it had always opposed "terror attacks on civilian targets, especially outside the occupied territories." (36) Why would a Palestinian organisation comprising of less than 500 people (37) make the suicidal move of immediately claiming responsibility for the attacks? Sharon and the other Israeli leaders aspire to fulfil what the goals of the political Zionist movement have been since its origin a century ago: to turn all of historic Palestine into an exclusively Jewish state. A central tenet of the Zionist ideology is expressed in the racist slogan, "A land without people for a people without a land." (38) The implication of Palestinians in the 9/11 attacks would have handed Zionists a golden opportunity to achieve the above because all Palestinians would have been labelled terrorists. "Evidence linking these Israelis to 9/11 is classified. I cannot tell you about evidence that has been gathered. It's classified information."
Violence struck in Britain Wednesday in the form of a terror attack outside the British Parliament, leaving five people dead, including a police man, and many others injured. The attack occurred at about 2:40 p.m. at which time gunshots were heard near the British Parliament. It began when the driver of a car drove along the Westminster Bridge which leads to the House of Commons, mowing down pedestrians. Five people were killed and about 40 injured in London after the car plowed into pedestrians and a suspected Islamist-inspired attacker stabbed a policeman close to Britains parliament. The dead, in what police called a marauding terrorist attack, included the assailant and the policeman he stabbed. The other three victims were among those hit by the car as it sped across Westminster Bridge before crashing into railings just outside parliament. Prime Minister Theresa May condemned the attack as sick and depraved. The location of this attack was no accident, she said in a statement outside her 10 Downing Street office late in the evening. The terrorist chose to strike at the heart of our capital city, where people of all nationalities, religions and cultures come together to celebrate the values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech. After the driver plowed the pedestrians, he then alighted from the car after the crash and sprinted to Parliament where Theresa May had been answering Prime Minsters Questions in front of hundreds of MPs, there he went on a stabbing spree and stabbed to death an armed police officer guarding the place. It was the deadliest attack in London since four British Islamists killed 52 commuters and themselves in suicide bombings on the citys transport system in July 2005, in Londons worst peacetime attack. The mans momentary reign of terror was brought to an end when he was fatally shot by police. During the attack, Westminster police bundled Theresa May into a car and rushed her away from Parliament. The police said they were treating the attack as an act of terrorism, which makes it the most serious assault in London since the deadly subway bombings more than a decade ago. A number of people are in critical condition at the hospital. Among the injured were teenage schoolchildren from France. As the attack came to an end, ambulances, emergency vehicles and heavily armed security officers thronged the area outside the House of Commons. In all the confusion resulting from the attack, a man was seen shouting that his wife had jumped into the River Thames in a desperate attempt to escape the terrorist. One victim of the car attack was left floating face down in the Thames but was pulled from the river alive. The bridge above was strewn with the victims of the terror hit and run. Witnesses said the aftermath was like a scene from a Hollywood disaster movie. After the attack, sympathizers thronged the Bridge to comfort injured victims lying in a pool of their own blood. Below is one of the many videos from the attack. Video shows the moment shots were fired and people fled in all directions screaming for their lives.
London Terror Attack On Westminster Bridge Five people have died and dozens were injured in a terrorist attack outside the Houses of Parliament in London including a police officer and the attacker. The attacker is believed to have acted alone but police are investigating possible associates and do not further attacks on the public are planned. ISIS has reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack, calling the attacker a soldier of Islamic State. The attack began when 52 year old Khalid Masood drove a car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge. He struck and killed three people  two of whom died at the scene and one who later died of his injuries in the hospital. Masood crashed the vehicle into a wall outside the parliament, where he ran into New Palace Yard. Armed with two knives, he attacked two police man at the security gates as he tried to enter the building. There, he stabbed an unarmed police officer multiple times and was subsequently shot by police. At least 50 people were injured, with 31 requiring hospital treatment. Two victims remain in a critical condition, one with life-threatening injuries. Two police officers are among those still in hospital. Victims killed in the attack have been identified as 43 year old mother of two Aysha Frade who was hit by a bus while fleeing the attack and 75 year old Leslie Rhode who succumbed to his injuries in the hospital. Also killed was 54 year old Utah resident Kurt Cochran. He and his wife, Melissa, were on the last day of a trip to Europe to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. Melissa remains in hospital with serious injuries. Forty-eight year old Police Officer Keith Palmer who was a husband and father, had 15 years of service with the parliamentary and diplomatic protection service. British-born attacker Khalid Masood was known to police and had been investigated a few years ago by MI5 in relation to concerns about violent extremism but police have said he was not part of any current investigation at the time of the attack. Masood, who was born in Kent, a county east of London, had several aliases including his birth name Adrian Russell Ajao. He had a range of previous convictions for assaults- including grievous bodily harm, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences. His most recent arrest was in December 2003 for possession of a knife. London mayor Sadiq Khan, led a vigil attended by thousands in Trafalgar Square where he vowed Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism. World leaders condemned the attack and offered condolences. The US president, Donald Trump promised full support by the US government to the UK in responding to the attack. Leaders of Canada, France, Germany and Spain were among others who sent messages of solidarity. In the aftermath of the attack, London has been doubled the number of armed police and increased the number of unarmed officers. Police raided properties in Birmingham  where the culprits vehicle was rented from Enterprise  and London. Defense Minister Michael Fallon described the attack as a lone-wolf attack but said investigators were still checking whether others were involved.
In Britain MPs to return to Westminster after attack The attack began on Westminster Bridge in the shadow of Big Ben, a towering landmark that draws tourists by the millions (AFP) news British MPs were preparing to return to parliament on Thursday after a lightning attack attributed by police to "Islamist-related terrorism", which saw four people killed and 40 wounded. The attack unfolded on Wednesday across Westminster Bridge in the shadow of Big Ben, a towering landmark that draws tourists by the millions and stands over Britain's Houses of Parliament -- the very image of London. The attacker's car struck pedestrians on the bridge before crashing into the railings surrounding the heavily guarded Houses of Parliament, sowing first shock then panic in the seat of British power. The assailant then ran through the gates brandishing a knife and stabbed a 48-year-old policeman to death before being shot dead by another officer. An air ambulance flew in and police cordoned off a large area, while tourists on the London Eye, a popular visitor attraction, were stuck up to 135 metres (443 feet) in the air for more than an hour during the incident. "I saw three bodies lying on the ground and a whole lot of police. It was pretty terrifying," said Jack Hutchinson, 16, from the United States, who was stranded on the observation wheel with his parents. Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood, whose brother Jonathan was killed in the 2002 Bali bombing, was pictured with his face smeared with blood helping to give first aid to the fatally wounded police officer. 'Terror carnage at Westminster' Britain's last terror attack was the assassination of MP Jo Cox by a pro-Nazi sympathiser in her constituency in northern England. The worst previous attack in London was in 2005 when four British suicide bombers inspired by Al-Qaeda targeted the transport system, killing 52 people. Britain's allies reacted with shock and vowed to stand with London in the fight against terror. US President Donald Trump and French President Francois Hollande both spoke to May and Chancellor Angela Merkel said Germany stood with Britons "against all forms of terrorism". "Spoke to U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May today to offer condolences on the terrorist attack in London," Trump tweeted. Lights on the Eiffel Tower in Paris were switched off at midnight in solidarity with victims of the attack. The incident dominated Britain's front pages, with The Times describing it as an "Assault on Westminster" while London's Evening Standard carried the headline "Terror carnage at Westminster".
Police have named the officer who was killed by a knifeman terrorist in London and revealed the death toll in the attack has risen to five. Keith Palmer, 48, was stabbed to death outside Parliament by the attacker who brought carnage to London yesterday, mowing down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, killing three and injuring around 40 more. A Hyundai 4x4 drove along the pavement on the crowded bridge, knocking down the public before crashing into a fence below Big Ben. The killer, described by witnesses as 'middle-aged and Asian', then managed to break into the grounds of Parliament, where he fatally stabbed Mr Palmer - who had 15 years service with the police - with two knives. The attacker - who was shot at least twice by armed officers guarding the building - died after he was taken to hospital while married husband and father Mr Palmer - a former soldier in the Royal Artillery - died at the scene. Speaking after the attack, Prime Minister Theresa May vowed Britain would 'never give in to terror' and 'defeat hate and evil' after she blasted the 'sick and depraved' attack in Westminster. She added the 'forces of evil would never drive Britain apart' and praised police and security staff who 'ran towards danger even as they encouraged others to move away'. Three other police officers were injured, two of whom were last night in a 'serious condition'. Prime Minister Theresa May was bundled into her car by a plain-clothes police officer and driven quickly from the scene as the attack unfolded. She chaired a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra Committee tonight. Scotland Yard said the attack, which came a year to the day after the atrocities in Brussels, was being treated 'as an Islamic-related terrorism'. Scroll down for videos Police officer Keith Palmer was killed by a knifeman before the attacker was shot by other officers outside Parliament. Emergency services desperately tried to save him, pictured, but he succumbed to his wounds Mr Palmer, 48, pictured, was a husband and father and said to have served with the Met Police for 15 years MP James Cleverly said he had known PC Palmer for 25 years after previously serving in the Royal Artillery with him, describing him as a 'lovely man and friend' The suspected terrorist, pictured on a stretcher, is also dead, along with three pedestrians killed when the attacker drove a 4x4 across Westminster Bridge, ploughing down and seriously injuring at least 20. He had two knives (ringed) The attacker was put on a stretcher and wheeled into an ambulance inside the grounds of Parliament. He later died This was the scene as the attacker was taken away to hospital following the attack. He killed four people Two knives lay on the cobbles in front of Parliament after the attacker was shot by armed police protecting the building PC Palmer was a member of the Parliamentary Diplomatic Protection Command and had served on the force for 15 years. Paying tribute to the officer tonight, Scotland Yard's top anti-terror officer Mark Rowley said: 'He [PC Palmer] was someone who left for work today expecting to return home at the end of his shift, and he had every right to expect that would happen.' More tributes have poured in via social media for the police officer, with many describing him as a 'hero'. Others have sent their best wishes and condolences to his family and praised PC Palmer for his dedication to keeping the public safe. One Twitter user said: 'RIP Keith Palmer. We have the best police in the world the paddlers of hate will not divide us. My heart goes out to Mr Palmer's family'. Others said they would launch a petition to have the police office posthumously awarded the George Medal, a civilian honour given out for bravery. Police forces around the country also paid tribute to the officer. A statement by Nottinghamshire Police said: 'RIP Metropolitan Police officer - PC Keith Palmer. Father, husband, police officer of 15-years, who died today protecting the public. When many ran from danger, you went towards it.' Mayor of London Sadiq Khan added: 'Tonight we have learned that the courageous police officer who was killed while protecting our city was PC Keith Palmer. He was 48 and a husband and father. 'Keith Palmer was killed while bravely doing his duty - protecting our city and the heart of our democracy from those who want to destroy our way of life. 'My heart goes out to his family, friends and colleagues.' People on social media were quick to pay tribute to PC Palmer tonight, praising his bravery and service to the public Others called the officer - who is a father and husband - a 'fallen hero' and vowed London was 'not afraid' of terrorism London Mayor Sadiq Khan said PC Palmer was killed 'protecting our city and our democracy from those who want to destroy our way of life' Conservative MP James Cleverly, who served alongside Keith Palmer in the army, said he was heartbroken and paid tribute to his friend. He tweeted: Ive known Keith for 25 years. We served together in the Royal Artillery before he became a copper. A lovely man, a friend. Im heartbroken. My thoughts are with the family, friends and colleagues of PC Keith Palmer. A brave man. Acting Deputy Commissioner Rowley confirmed three members of the public had been killed in the incident, with liaison officers contacting their families. He added: 'We think we know who the attacker is, we believe they were inspired by international terrorism. Islamist related terrorism. 'We have hundreds of officers working on this investigation, and they are focusing on the suspect's motivation, preparation and his associates. 'We are forensically examining a complicated crime scene that covers a wide area and as with all investigations of this nature, it will take us some time to work through the painstaking work necessary to gather all the relevant evidence. Only then will the full picture be known.' He added statements were being taken from hundreds of witnesses while officers were also examining CCTV. Security around the Queen and the rest of the Royal Family was dramatically stepped up following the attack. The gates to Buckingham Palace  where the Monarch was in residence - were closed and armed guards took up positions. UK security services have foiled 13 potential attacks in less than four years. Counter-terrorism units are running more than 500 investigations at any time. This was the scene in the immediate aftermath of the attack, after the attacker entered the grounds of Parliament A patient believed to be the woman who plunged into the River Thames during the horrific terror attack is pictured here being treated in Westminster There were disturbing scenes on Westminster Bridge where at least 40 pedestrians were hurt after being knocked down by the car Members of the public rushed to help a man run down after the vehicle mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge Another woman was severely injured at a postcard stall opposite Big Ben following the horrific terror attack HOW TODAY'S EVENTS UNFOLDED 2.40pm: An attacker mows down several pedestrians as he drives a Hyundai i40 across Westminster Bridge before crashing it into railings then running through the gates of the Palace of Westminster and stabbing a police officer 2.41pm: Metropolitan Police and London Ambulance Service are called to a major incident 3.35pm: Police say the attack is being treated as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise 4.10pm: Junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital says one woman has died and a number of others have been hurt - including some with catastrophic injuries 4.45pm: Paramedics confirm they have treated at least ten patients on Westminster Bridge 4.49pm: Police Commander BJ Harrington says there were a number of casualties in the attack including police officers. 4.51pm: Downing Street spokesman says Prime Minister Theresa May will chair a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee later 5.40pm: Sources reveal the police officer stabbed at Parliament has died 6.01pm: Police say four people were killed in the attack, including the police officer and a man believed to be the attacker 6.56pm: Home Secretary Amber Rudd says the Government's top priority following the attack is the security of its people It is currently known that: One woman was killed on Westminster Bridge after a number of pedestrians were mowed down by a car. Two more people were killed in the incident on the bridge. Another woman ended up in the Thames and was treated for serious injuries after being pulled from the water. A group of French schoolchildren were among those targeted on the bridge. The attacker jumped out the car and fatally stabbed police officer Keith Palmer in the grounds of the Palace of Westminster. The knifeman was shot dead moments later by another officer. Police are treating the incident as a terrorist attack. Witness Jayne Wilkinson said: 'We were taking photos of Big Ben and we saw all the people running towards us, and then there was an Asian guy in about his 40s carrying a knife about seven or eight inches long. 'And then there were three shots fired, and then we crossed the road and looked over. The man was on the floor with blood. 'He had a lightweight jacket on, dark trousers and a shirt. He was running through those gates, towards Parliament, and the police were chasing him.' Her partner David Turner added: 'There was a stampede of people running out. You saw the people and you thought 'what the hell is going on'.' Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood was among those who rushed to help the policeman who had been stabbed. Mr Ellwood, who lost his brother in the Bali bombing, could be seen pumping the officer's chest then standing above him, his hands and face smeared with blood. Frazer Clarke, 25, from Burton-on-Trent, said: 'We heard a loud bang and screaming and then I noticed some smoke. I thought it was a car crash. 'I looked towards the front gate and people were running, a police officer and a fellow coming to the gate with two knives. 'He was stabbing the police officer with the knives. He was wearing black tracksuit bottoms, a black of grey top and what looked like work boots. The police officer was stumbling and fell on the floor'. This was the series of events where a knife attacker drove into pedestrians before he was shot by police The Hyundai 4x4 used by the attacker remained at the scene after it slammed into a fence before the attacker got out Armed Police opened fire and shot the attacker outside the Houses of Parliament. A vehicle was seen on social media to have crashed into the fence of the palace At least two pedestrians were hurt near where the Hyundai crashed and were helped by police at the scene A man is thought to have jumped or been knocked from Westminster Bridge and lay with terrible injuries next to the Thames This was the scene on Embankment last night after the man either fell or was knocked from the bridge during the attack Pat McCormack, 21, from Washington in Tyne-on-Wear added: 'I saw him stabbing the officer in the back of the head and the back of the neck. He was running away but then he collapsed.' Steve Voake, 55, was walking across the Westminster Bridge and saw at least two bodies lying on the road and one in the water. 'I saw a trainer lying in the road and when I looked more closely I saw that there were a couple of bodies the other side of the road,' he told the Press Association. 'And when I looked over the side there was another body lying in the water with blood all around it.' Deputy Commissioner Rowley also thanked everyone at Parliament for their cooperation with the investigation today as he announced a lockdown had ended. He added: 'We do want to reassure the public that police and partners will do everything possible to protect them. 'As a precautionary measure over the next few days we have increased the number of officers on duty, armed and unarmed, to provide a highly visible reassuring presence. This will continue for as long as is necessary. Share this article Share 24k shares 'Terrorists have a clear aim. That is to create distrust, discord and to create fear. The police stand with all communities in the UK and will take action against anybody who seeks to undermine society, especially where their crimes are motivated by hate. 'We must recognise now that our Muslim communities will feel anxious at this time, given the past behaviour of extreme right wing groups, and we will continue to work with all community leaders over the coming days. 'It is essential for us to remain vigilant, but also to work together, police and communities, to unite against those who seek through violence and extremism, to threaten, to intimidate and to cause fear.' Three police officers were on their way back from a commendation ceremony when they were knocked down on Westminster Bridge. Acting Met Police Commissioner Craig Mackey is being treated as a significant witness as he was at the scene when the incident started. A spokesman for the Port of London Authority, which looks after safety on the River Thames, said: 'A female member of the public was recovered from the water near Westminster Bridge. She is alive but undergoing urgent medical treatment on a nearby pier. We believe she fell from the bridge.' He said the river has been closed from Vauxhall to Embankment 'as part of the security response'. 'WE WILL NEVER GIVE IN': THERESA MAY VOWS UK WILL 'GO ON' AFTER LONDON TERROR ATTACK Prime Minister Theresa May vowed Britain would 'never give in to terror' today following the 'sick and depraved' London terror attack in which three people and a knifeman were killed. Speaking outside 10 Downing Street, she said: 'I have just chaired a meeting of the Governments emergency committee, COBRA, following the sick and depraved terrorist attack on the streets of our Capital this afternoon. 'The full details of exactly what happened are still emerging. But, having been updated by police and security officials, I can confirm that this appalling incident began when a single attacker drove his vehicle into pedestrians walking across Westminster Bridge, killing two people and injuring many more, including three police officers. 'This attacker, who was armed with a knife, then ran towards Parliament where he was confronted by the police officers who keep us  and our democratic institutions  safe. 'Tragically, one officer was killed. The terrorist was also shot dead. In a sombre public statement today, Prime Minister Theresa May said Britain will never surrender to the forces of hate and evil and praised the emergency services 'The United Kingdoms threat level has been set at severe for some time and this will not change. Acting Deputy Commissioner Rowley will give a further operational update later this evening. 'Our thoughts and prayers go out to all who have been affected  to the victims themselves, and their family and friends who waved their loved ones off, but will not now be welcoming them home. 'For those of us who were in Parliament at the time of this attack, these events provide a particular reminder of the exceptional bravery of our police and security services who risk their lives to keep us safe. 'Once again today, these exceptional men and women ran towards the danger even as they encouraged others to move the other way. 'On behalf of the whole country, I want to pay tribute to them  and to all our emergency services  for the work they have been doing to reassure the public and bring security back to the streets of our Capital City. 'That they have lost one of their own in todays attack only makes their calmness and professionalism under pressure all the more remarkable. 'The location of this attack was no accident. The terrorists chose to strike at the heart of our Capital City, where people of all nationalities, religions and cultures come together to celebrate the values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech. 'These streets of Westminster  home to the worlds oldest Parliament  are engrained with a spirit of freedom that echoes in some of the furthest corners of the globe. And the values our Parliament represents  democracy, freedom, human rights, the rule of law  command the admiration and respect of free people everywhere. Speaking outside 10 Downing Street, Mrs May, pictured, also praised the work of the police and security services in their response to the London terror attack 'That is why it is a target for those who reject those values. 'But let me make it clear today, as I have had cause to do before: any attempt to defeat those values through violence and terror is doomed to failure. 'Tomorrow morning, Parliament will meet as normal. We will come together as normal. 'And Londoners - and others from around the world who have come here to visit this great City - will get up and go about their day as normal. 'They will board their trains, they will leave their hotels, they will walk these streets, they will live their lives. 'And we will all move forward together. Never giving in to terror. And never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart.' Extra armed police will be on the streets of the capital following the attack in Westminster, Sadiq Khan said as he vowed that 'Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism'. The London Mayor said his thoughts were with the family of the Metropolitan Police officer who died 'doing his duty protecting our city'. The mayor stressed that London remained one of the safest cities in the world and praised citizens and emergency services for the 'tremendous bravery' they had shown. He said: 'Londoners should be aware that there will be additional armed and unarmed police officers on our streets from tonight in order to keep Londoners and all those visiting our city safe. 'I want to reassure all Londoners and all our visitors not to be alarmed - our city remains one of the safest in the world. A woman leans down on Westminster Bridge to help another woman who was injured in this afternoon's attack in London Pieces of a car's undercarriage lay scattered on the pavement of Westminster Bridge as the public went to the aid of victims Westminster bridge was strewn with injured people who were treated on the road or carried to St Thomas' Hospital A pedestrian lies stricken on Westminster Bridge after reports a car knocked down people near the Houses Parliament 'London is the greatest city in the world and we stand together in the face of those who seek to harm us and destroy our way of life. We always have, and we always will. 'Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism.' He added: 'My heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones and to everyone who has been affected. 'Tragically, a Metropolitan Police officer who was doing his duty protecting our city is amongst those who have been killed - and my thoughts are with his family this evening. 'I want to express my gratitude on behalf of all Londoners to the police and emergency services who have shown tremendous bravery in exceptionally difficult circumstances.' An injured victim walks from the scene on Westminster Bridge where around 40 people were reported knocked down A woman was either knocked, jumped or fell in the River Thames during the attack but was rescued by boat crews French media are reporting that three French students were injured when the car ploughed into walkers on Westminster Bridge. The pupils from the Lycee Saint-Joseph in Concarneau were among a group on an educational visit. There is no information as to their injuries and others in the party have returned to a nearby hostel before returning to Frances as soon as possible. A spokesman for St Joseph's school in Brittany said: 'There were four classes on a trip to London. They travelled at the start of the week and were due to return at the end of the week.' He confirmed that those injured were in St Thomas's hospital, on the south side of Westminster Bridge. France's prime minister Bernard Cazeneuve tweeted: 'Solidarity with our British friends terribly hit, all support to the French pupils wounded, to their family and their schoolmates'. A tour agency official has confirmed that the South Korean tourist was also seriously injured in today's attack, while four others sustained 'light injuries'. The Yonhap news agency in South Korea has said the seriously injured tourist was a 67-year-old woman surnamed Park. She suffered a head injury after being shoved by people fleeing the scene, and is receiving surgery at St Mary's Hospital in London, according to reports. Paramedics wheel away a victim on Westminster Bridge. A doctor at St Thomas' hospital said some have catastrophic injuries Police closed off the bridge yesterday while members of the public and paramedics helped those injured on the bridge A medic is seen walking across Westminster Bridge as paramedics and doctors give lifesaving treatment to the injured Mail journalist Quentin Letts saw the incident out of the window of a Commons office. He told the BBC: 'We heard this sound that sounded like a car crash Then we saw a thick set man in black clothes come through the gates where people would normally drive cars 'This man had something in his hand. It looked like a stick. He was challenged by two policemen. The policeman fell down. 'We could see the man in black moving his arm in a way that suggested he was either striking or stabbing.' Kevin Schofield, the editor of PoliticsHome.com heard 'a very loud bang' from the press gallery inside the Houses of Parliament followed by lots of shouting and men running around. He initially thought it was a car crash but then he looked outside the window to a heavily-guarded area outside which is out of bounds to the public. An aerial view of Westminster Bridge shows ambulance crews treating those who were mowed down by the attacker An aerial view of the scene shows the scene where victims inside Parliament were being treated A view from the opposite angle shows where the policeman was attacked in the shadow of Big Ben this afternoon An announcement made in Parliament said there was a suspicious package in a vehicle and the bomb squad had been called The attacker mowed down several pedestrians as he drove a grey Hyundai i40 across Westminster Bridge Around three shots rang out as the attacker ran through the gates into the front yard of the parliamentary compound. Mr Schofield told Sky News: 'Someone rushed through, attacked a policeman, a policeman went down, another policeman came and he was rescued. 'The man who had assaulted him got up and he appeared to be carrying either a knife or a gun. Then we heard gunfire, lots of gunfire, maybe five or six rounds. What is known about the 4x4 in the attack? The vehicle driven into Parliament's gates this afternoon was a Hyundai i40 worth between 19,000 and 28,000 new. The black diesel car was registered between September 2016 and February 2017 in Chelmsford, Essex. The car can accelerate from 0 to 60mph in 10.5 seconds and the model has been made by the South Korean manufacturer since 2011. 'All I remember seeing is the man approaching the police officer probably with a knife and then there was gunfire.' 'Although we remain open-minded to the motive, a counter-terrorism investigation is already under way led by the Met counter-terrorism command. 'We received a number of different reports which included a body in the river, a car in collision with pedestrians and a man armed with a knife. 'Officers were already in the location as part of routine policing but immediately additional officers were sent.' Tourists who were riding the London Eye when the attack took place were held inside the pods of the attraction as a safety measure. The Ferris wheel's official Twitter account said given its close proximity to the Houses of Parliament, it was keeping hold 'of all its guests as per tried and tested security procedures'. Theresa May's armour-plated car is driven from the scene after she was taken from Parliament by a plain clothes police officer Police forensic officers are pictured in white suits gathering evidence at the scene close to Westminster following the attack A group of schoolchildren were evacuated from Parliament last night. It is thought they were inside at the time Roads around the area were cordoned off, including Whitehall (pictured). Police warned members of the public to stay away The area was closed off and an air ambulance was seen landing as police sealed the area Eyewitness Rick Longley described the attack saying: 'We were just walking up to the station and there was a loud bang and a guy, someone, crashed a car and took some pedestrians out. Prime Minister Theresa May's statement The Prime Minister said in a statement: 'The thoughts of the PM and the Government are with those killed and injured in this appalling incident, and with their families. 'The PM is being kept updated and will shortly chair COBR.' 'They were just laying there and then the whole crowd just surged around the corner by the gates just opposite Big Ben. 'A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman. I have never seen anything like that. I just can't believe what I just saw.' A joint statement from Commons Speaker John Bercow and Lord Fowler, the Lord Speaker, said: 'On behalf of Members of both Houses of Parliament, we wish to offer our thoughts to all those affected and their families. 'We would also like to express our gratitude to the police and all emergency services.' After the incident, Radoslaw Sikorski posted a video to Twitter purporting to show people lying injured in the road on Westminster Bridge. Mr Sikorski, a senior fellow at Harvard's Centre for European Studies, wrote: 'A car on Westminster Bridge has just mowed down at least 5 people.' A huge investigation has begun to try to find out what happened, with hundreds of Scotland Yard officers scouring the bridge Theresa May, who was ushered away after the attack, later chaired a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee Forensic officers used cameras to collate evidence after several people were injured on Westminster Bridge (pictured) A Met armed policeman stands in the Central Lobby of Parliament near to Former Northern Ireland First Minister David Trimble as MPs gather during the lockdown, which was lifted last night A Scotland Yard superintendent addresses the crowd who had gathered in Westminster Abbey after being evacuated from Parliament Shortly after the attack, eyewitnesses reported how doctors and nurses working at St Thomas' Hospital rushed across Westminster Bridge to tend to the wounded. Police set up hotline A police Casualty Bureau hotline is now open on 0800 056 0944 and 0207 158 0010. If you are worried about family or friends involved in today's incident please call Casualty Bureau on either number listed above and choose Option 1. If you were involved in today's incident and are safe, please call Casualty Bureau on either number listed above and choose Option 2. Twitter user Abdi Duale wrote: 'One of the most uplifting scenes amidst the whole tragedy was doctors & nurses rushing out of St Thomas' Hospital to help the injured.' The hospital had been on lockdown in the direct aftermath of the incident, with staff, patients and visitors stopped from entering or exiting the building, however people are now being allowed to leave via its back entrance. Parliament's press gallery cafeteria was used a first aid post by officers. One man was present with blood on his shirt. Journalists were confined to their offices and were not allowed to leave the area. Outside Parliament, around two dozen police officers came onto the estate at around 4.20pm following an extensive briefing. All the officers were wearing gloves as they conducted forensic investigations. An armed policeman is seen inside the Central Lobby in Parliament as they continue to patrol the area following the attack Students who were visiting Parliament were held in a safe room as the incident unfolded outside the building Staff gathered in Westminster Hall during a lockdown after members of the public were told to avoid the area MPs were seen gathered in Central Lobby during a lockdown in Parliament yesterday as terror took over Westminster The dramatic incident comes weeks after it was revealed that UK security services have foiled 13 potential attacks in less than four years, while counter-terrorism units are running more than 500 investigations at any time. The official threat level for international terrorism has stood at severe, meaning an attack is 'highly likely', for more than two years. Liberal Democrat transport spokeswoman Baroness Randerson said countries seem to have been 'singled out based on religious beliefs'. 'Of course safety is paramount at all times and we all need to remain vigilant but this ban needs to be explained in detail,' she said. THE 'PATH OF DESTRUCTION' FROM WESTMINSTER BRIDGE TO THE HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT This is the path of terror left in London on Wednesday when pedestrians on Westminster Bridge were mowed down on the pavement before a police officer in the Houses of Parliament was stabbed. The horror began at the south London end of Westminster bridge when a driver in a Hyundai 4X4 mounted the pavement at around 2.30pm, mowing down the first pedestrians. He continued along the pavement, ploughing through at least a dozen victims in total, before coming to a stop at the Houses of Parliament where he crashed his Hyundai 4X4 into railings. Either he or another attacker then burst through Old Palace Yard at the Houses of Parliament where a police officer was stabbed. That assailant was shot by armed police at the scene and taken to hospital, where he later died. MP who lost a brother in the Bali terrorist attack gave mouth to mouth to policeman as he lay stricken on the floor of Westminster Tory MP Tobias Ellwood battled to save the life of a policeman stabbed outside Parliament today. The Bournemouth East MP gave mouth-to-mouth to the officer and put pressure on his wounds to stop the blood flow after he was stabbed by an assailant just inside the gates of the Parliamentary estate. He was then pictured with blood on his face after the emergency services arrived and took over medical assistance. Witnesses said Mr Ellwood rushed to help the officer after he collapsed to the ground following the stabbing He was later pictured with bloodied hands talking to police following his heroic actions Mr Ellwood's brother Jonathan, who worker at the International School Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, was killed in the 2002 Bali bombings by a Islamist militant group Jemaah Islamiyah. The attacker is described as an 'Asian' man aged in his 40s. He is said to have 'plunged a seven inch knife' into the officer, who is understood to have since died. A former soldier, Mr Ellwood remained with the victim for some time before an air ambulance arrived. He then returned to the Foreign Office, where he works as an Undersecretary of state for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. Tory colleague Maria Miller said he 'has given mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to one victim'. Eyewitness Hugh Dickinson, a 21-year-old student from High Wycombe, posted a picture of the minister on Twitter, showing the minister bleeding, but saying 'he looked to be fine'. The Bournemouth East MP was later pictured with blood on his face as he stepped back to allow the emergency services to take over His brother Jonathan, pictured, was killed in the Bali bombings in 2002. The history teacher was in Bali ahead of a conference when explosives were detonated outside nightclubs in a popular tourist area Mr Dickinson said: 'He had blood on his forehead as you can see but he wasn't bleeding profusely. 'It looked like either a smear or graze and you can see some on his cuff too if you zoom in. He looked to be fine - no obvious limp or anything.' The Bournemouth East MP is Foreign Office Minister, with the Middle East, Africa and counter terrorism listed among the areas within his brief. Eyewitnesses described scenes of terror when gunfire rang out as the attacker approached a second officer within yards of the Houses of Parliament. Two large knives could be seen at the scene. Two large knives were seen at the scene, which was overrun with police and paramedics following the attack Mr Ellwood, centre, lost his brother Jonathan in the 2002 Bali bombings by an Islamic militant group. He is pictured here with mother Caroline, right, at a 10 year memorial service in 2012 Commander BJ Harrington of the Metropolitan Police said there were 'a number of casualties' in the attack 'including police officers'. He urged Londoners to be vigilant, said more officers would be on patrol and that anti-terrorism measures were being reviewed. The knifeman drove a grey Hyundai i40 across Westminster Bridge before crashing it into railings then running through the gates of the Palace of Westminster. His attack left a trail of destruction as paramedics tended to victims on the bridge and at the gate. Westminster police bundled Theresa May into a car and rushed her away from Parliament as terror attack unfolded Prime Minister Theresa May was rushed out of Parliament as it came under terrorist attack by a man wielding two seven-inch knives after murdering police and pedestrians. Mrs May, who was in the voting lobby by the Commons, was seen being bundled into the back seat of her silver Jaguar surrounded by armed guards at around 2.45pm. The uninjured Prime Minister, who had recently finished PMQs, was driven out of the Palace of Westminster at high speed and taken safely to Downing Street. MPs were locked inside the Commons as armed police went through Parliament 'floor by floor' and 'room by room' looking for any other assailants. Prime Minister Theresa May, pictured, was rushed out of Parliament as it came under terrorist attack yesterday MailOnline political editor James Tapsfield described hearing the 'bang' of the car smashing into the fence after its Westminster Bridge rampage and then the gunfire that followed when the terrorist was shot dead below his office. He said: 'We were in the MailOnline office overlooking New Palace Yard when the attack started. 'The first sign we had that something was wrong was a loud bang. It sounded like a bomb, but I now realise it must have been the car smashing into the perimeter fence around parliament. 'Some people ran in through the gates, past the police. I didn't see the policeman being stabbed, but then spotted the man in black. He made it a few yards inside the grounds before being challenged by two men with guns and then shots - I think three of them - rang out. 'Police and staff poured on to the scene very quickly and started trying to resuscitate the attacker. 'They took the attacker away in an ambulance, but the other person - we think was the officer - was covered with a sheet.' Mrs May (pictured leaving No 10 for PMQs) is safe and uninjured. A Number 10 spokesman said: 'The thoughts of the Prime Minister and the Government are with those killed and injured in this appalling incident, and with their families' A Number 10 spokesman said Mrs May was being kept updated about the investigation. 'The thoughts of the Prime Minister and the Government are with those killed and injured in this appalling incident, and with their families,' said the spokesman. 'The Prime Minister is being kept updated and will shortly chair COBR.' David Cameron tweeted: 'My thoughts with the families of those injured & killed. Those seeking to attack our democracy with these barbarous methods will never win.' Politicians described chaotic scenes in Westminster after a security alert meant many had to be evacuated from Parliament. Peer Sheila Noakes wrote: 'Shots in Parliament Square. People running like crazy.' Fellow Tory Michael Fabricant described a similar scene, saying: 'I was walking briskly to a vote when crowds of MPs rushed towards me saying that shots have been fired and shouts of 'get back'.' Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron tweeted shortly after news of the incident broke: 'Currently with a shell-shocked group of MPs at New Scotland Yard having been evacuated following the attack. Police doing an incredible job.' Many MPs spoke about being locked inside rooms in the Parliament building. Green Party leader Caroline Lucas tweeted: 'Locked in Commons with fellow MPs. Thoughts with innocent people hurt today and thanks as ever to Police & other staff working so hard here.' Labour's David Lammy wrote: 'Locked in the Commons Chamber but my heart goes out to the police officers, those hit by the car on the bridge and their families. Stay safe.' Other deadly attacks carried out by extremists using vehicles Today's suspected terror attack in London is the latest in a string of similar incidents across the world where extremists have used vehicles as weapons. On Bastille Day in the summer of last year, 86 people were killed when a truck was driven through crowds enjoying fireworks in Nice. Four months later, a copycat ISIS-inspired massacre took place in Germany when a terrorist drove a truck through a Christmas market in Berlin. The battered front of the truck used by Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel to kill 86 people who were celebrating Bastille Day A tow truck operates at the scene where a truck ploughed through a crowd at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square near the fashionable Kurfuerstendamm avenue in the west of Berlin, Germany Twelve people were killed in the attack on December 19. This year, a Palestinian lorry driver mowed down and then reversed over Israeli soldiers. CHILLING ECHOES OF ATTACK ON CANADA'S PARLIAMENT IN 2014 Today's terror attack on Parliament bears striking similarities to the assault on Canada's Parliament in October 2014. That incident also combined the use of a vehicle as a weapon with an attack on police - and was stopped from becoming much worse by the quick reactions of the security forces. In the earlier attack, a gunman later identified as Michael Zehaf-Bibeau shot a sentry dead at a war memorial near the Parliament building in Ottawa. He then leaped into a car and drove towards Parliament, still wielding his hunting rifle, before hijacking another vehicle and heading for the main building in the complex. Zehaf-Bibeau - a 32-year-old jihadist - made it inside Parliament, shooting a policeman in the foot, before he was himself shot by the Sergeant-at-Arms Kevin Vickers and then killed by another officer. The attack occurred on January 8 and killed four people. At least one person is feared dead in the Westminster Bridge incident, which comes on the anniversary of another deadly act of terrorism in the name of Islamic State in Brussels which killed 32. ISIS' propaganda magazine has regularly called on lone wolf attackers to use lorries and vehicles as deadly weapons. In response to the terror threat, France is in the process of building an 8ft bulletproof wall around the Eiffel Tower aimed at protecting the iconic landmark from potential jihadists. On the evening of July 14, 2016, a 19-tonne cargo truck was driven into crowds celebrating Bastille Day on the Promenage des Anglais in Nice. ISIS fanatic Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel was behind the wheel and after exchanging gunfire with police, the Tunisian migrant was shot dead. Thousands had gathered on the seafront to watch the fireworks that night. Eighty-six of them died and 434 were injured. Anis Amri stole a cargo truck and killed 12 people when he drove through a Christmas market next to the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church at Breitscheidplatz in Berlin. Among the dozen people killed in the ISIS-inspired terror attack on December 19, 2016, was the original driver of the truck Lukasz Urban who was found dead with a gunshot wound in the passenger street. Amri was a Tunisian who had failed to gain asylum status in the country. He was killed in Milan four days later after an international manhunt. Israeli soldiers work at the scene where police said a Palestinian named as Fadi Qunbar, 28, rammed his truck into a group of four Israeli soldiers on a popular promenade in Jerusalem January 8, 2017 On January 8 this year, a Palestinian rammed a truck into a group of Israeli soldiers visiting a popular tourist spot in Jerusalem, killing four and wounding 15 people, in a shocking copycat of the Berlin and Nice terror massacres. Shocking video from the scene shows the driver reversing back over the soldiers, trapping ten under his wheels, during the sickening attack on Sunday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu alleged the attacker 'supported' the Islamic State group, though he provided no details on what led to the finding. He said there 'definitely could be a connection' between Sunday's attack, which killed four Israeli soldiers, and recent attacks in France and Germany. A car which police say was used by an attacker to plow into a group of students is seen outside Watts Hall on Ohio State University's campus in Columbus, Ohio A Somali refugee injured 13 people when he rammed his car into a group of people outside Ohio State University in Columbus. Abdul Razak Ali Artan was shot dead by the first responding OSU police officer and ISIS claimed through its Amaq News Agency that he had acted on behalf of the terror group. After mowing down people in the car, he jumped out of his vehicle and attempted to stab more people. Armed RCMP officers approach Centre Block on Parliament Hilll following a shooting incident in Ottawa, Canada on October 22, 2014 Today's terror attack on Parliament bears striking similarities to the assault on Canada's Parliament in October 2014. That incident also combined the use of a vehicle as a weapon with an attack on police - and was stopped from becoming much worse by the quick reactions of the security forces. In the earlier attack, a gunman later identified as Michael Zehaf-Bibeau shot a sentry dead at a war memorial near the Parliament building in Ottawa. He then leaped into a car and drove towards Parliament, still wielding his hunting rifle, before hijacking another vehicle and heading for the main building in the complex. Zehaf-Bibeau - a 32-year-old jihadist - made it inside Parliament, shooting a policeman in the foot, before he was himself shot by the Sergeant-at-Arms Kevin Vickers and then killed by another officer. THEY WILL NOT DIVIDE US: HUSBAND OF MURDERED MP JO COX SPEAKS OUT ON PARLIAMENT 'TERROR ATTACK' Jo Cox MP (pictured at Parliament) was shot and stabbed outside a constituency surgery meeting last year by Thomas Mair The husband of murdered MP Jo Cox tweeted this afternoon that terrorists would not win - following a suspected terror attack at the Houses of Parliament. Brendan Cox tweeted: 'Whoever has attacked our parliament for whatever motive will not succeed in dividing us. All of my thoughts with those injured.' Mrs Cox was shot three times and stabbed outside a constituency surgery meeting last year by Thomas Mair. Mair, 53, searched the internet for articles on the subject in the days before murdering the Labour MP as she arrived for a constituency surgery in her hometown of Batley, West Yorkshire. The neo-Nazi was handed a whole life sentence for the murder following a trial and told by her grieving widower that it was the 'most incompetent and self defeating' act of terrorism. The trial had heard how even as she lay mortally wounded in the street, the MP for Batley and Spen tried to protect her aides by urging them to leave her and save themselves. A jury deliberated for just over 90 minutes to find Mair guilty of killing the 41-year-old mother of two. Mair shouted 'Britain first' as he fired three shots at Remain campaigner Mrs Cox and stabbed her 15 times on the afternoon of June 16, days before the EU referendum. Bernard Kenny, 78, who was stabbed as he tried to halt the onslaught by jumping on Mair's shoulders from behind, described Mair's actions as a 'pure act of evil'. He said in a statement that he would do the same thing again as it was 'the right thing to do', even though his actions were not enough to save Mrs Cox. Mair was silenced by trial judge Mr Justice Wilkie who refused his request to address the court before he was sentenced. The judge paid tribute to Mrs Cox's 'generosity of spirit' as she tried to help others - even as she was facing a violent death. Brendan Cox, the husband of murdered MP Jo Cox, tweeted this afternoon that terrorists would not win - following a suspected terror attack at the Houses of Parliament How Parliament has beefed up security to protect against a terror attack Additional Metropolitan Police firearms officers are regularly put on detail around the grounds of the Houses of Parliament in the aftermath of terror attacks. Following the Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris two years ago, armed officers were positioned at the front vehicle gates to the Palace of Westminster, in a change from normal practice. Concrete blocks have also been installed around the premises of the Houses in a bid to protect the building from a possible attack. In recent years, MPs have been told to consider fitting their constituency offices with panic buttons and designating a 'safe room' in their homes. Pictured is the main vehicle entrance to the Houses of Parliament. Former Prime Minister David Cameron had dispensed with the traditional motorcycle escort in 2010, but it was reintroduced in 2014 following an increase in security arrangements They are also being briefed on the security plans in case of an attack on the Commons. Following the stabbing to death of Jo Cox, MPs spent almost 640,000 on boosting security. During the four months after her murder, politicians spent four times on security measures what they had done in the whole previous year. Spending on MP's office and home security also rocketed after Mrs Cox was shot three times and stabbed outside a constituency surgery meeting. Last year it was revealed that 130 MPs had requested additional security measures, including bomb-proof letter boxes and reinforced windows. A sniffer dog and police officers undertake a bomb search at the Houses of Parliament in 2013, the day before the funeral of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher Members have also been offered classes in self-defence techniques in a bid to ward off would-be attackers. Speaking after the attack, Will Geddes, CEO of ICP Group said: 'Westminster is an obvious terrorist target so it is very well protected. 'It is surrounded by concrete wallls and there are specially trained police officers who are well prepared for attacks. 'It would appear to me that they have done everything they could in this case.' Speaking of the challenges of preventing a lone wolf attack, Geddes said: 'It's always going to be a challenge to prevent lone wolf attacks.' Swords and imitation guns are just some of the items that have been confiscated by police at public entrances to the Houses of Parliament in the past decade. Police officers walk down Westminster Bridge in September 2001. As many as 1,500 extra policemen and women were drafted into the capital in the aftermath of 9/11 in a bid to shore up security at London's major attractions London on high alert: Police urge public to keep off streets of capital as they issue list of NO GO AREAS following Parliament terror attack Londoners have been warned to stay off the streets after one of the capital's busiest areas was placed one lockdown today after a police officer and at least three more people were killed in an attack on the Palace of Westminster. Westminster Tube station has been closed following the attack, before which at least ten more were injured as the attacker mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed down pedestrians and cyclists in a 4x4. A huge area around the palace has now been cordoned off, including Westminster Bridge, as police continue to assess the damage and guard against any potential attempts to attack Whitehall. Police asked people to avoid Parliament Square, Whitehall, Westminster Bridge, Lambeth Bridge, Victoria Street up to the junction with Broadway and the Victoria Embankment up to Embankment tube Policewere out in force in Parliament Square (pictured), while they conducted searches of the surrounding area to make sure it was safe Parliament Square, usually packed with tourists coming to look at one of the nation's oldest and most iconic buildings. This evening it is filled with emergency vehicles, police and scene of the crime investigators The police warned people throughout London to expect armed guards at Tube stations and manning the streets, and the Army is now poised to descend upon London amid the high security alert. Police asked people to avoid Parliament Square, Whitehall, Westminster Bridge, Lambeth Bridge, Victoria Street up to the junction with Broadway and the Victoria Embankment up to Embankment tube. The Thames was closed from Vauxhall to Embankment 'as part of the security response', after a member of the public, believed to have been hit by the car, was recovered from the water near Westminster Bridge. The closure of the river, along with roads in the centre and Westminster, used by thousands of people visiting and working in Whitehall every day, is already causing travel chaos in central London. Deputy Commissioner Rowley said officers are now searching the area for any other threats, adding: 'We are satisfied at this stage that it looks like there was only one attacker. But it would be foolish to be overconfident early on.' Acting commander BJ Harrington said that there were 'a number of casualties' but would not confirm how many. This map shows the area now cordoned off after the attack yesterday, as well as where people were hurt Police wearing body armour and carrying guns were at the scene. People across London can expect to see armed officers at Tube stations and other significant areas as security services remain on high alert Usually rammed with cars ambling along the road, nose-to-bumper, this road in central London was closed to traffic and police offers appearing to be making their way home after a busy shift walk across the empty street He urged people in London to stay away from the area - usually populated by thousands of tourists visiting some of Britain's most iconic architecture - as police continue to investigate. Commander Harrington also said they were not yet sure of the motive, but Scotland Yard said that the attack - a year after the Brussels bombing - was being treated as terrorist 'until we know otherwise'. The commander told reporters: 'I can confirm we are treating this as a terrorist incident, although we remain open-minded as it the motives for the incident. A full investigation is underway. Prime Minister Theresa May, who was evacuated from Parliament in an armoured car, is to chair a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee to discuss the immediate response to the bloody incident. The Cobra committee brings together government ministers with senior officials of the emergency services and security and intelligence agencies. Normal parliamentary discussions were suspended when the news broke today. CHILLING ECHOES OF 2016 BRUSSELS ATTACK: WESTMINSTER TARGETED ONE YEAR LATER The terror attack on Parliament comes exactly one year to the day since the deadliest act of terrorism in Belgium's history. On March 22, 2016, three co-ordinated suicide bombings hit the capital of Brussels killing 32 people and injuring hundreds more. At 8am, two bombs were detonated at Zaventem Airport killing 14 people near the check-in desks. More than an hour later, at 9.19am, a third bomb was detonated at Maalbeek Metro station killing 20 more people. An injured air stewardess (right) who became a symbol of the Brussels terror attacks when she was seen covered in blood and dust has returned to the scene one year on Nidhi Chaphekar, Jet Airways flight attendant and a victim of the Brussels airport terror attack, lays a rose on a memorial in Brussels Witnesses said the heat from the explosion on the Metro carriage was so intense people in the street were burned. Nidhi Chaphekar, an air stewardess who became a symbol of the attacks, returned to the scene today to mark the one year since the event. She broke down in tears as she joined hundreds of others, including Belgium's King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, when the city fell silent today one year on from the devastating attacks. Former pro basketball player Sebastien Bellin who lives in Battle Creek, Michigan, was also among those paying tribute today. Pictures taken in the aftermath of the bombing showed him lying in a pool of blood in the departure lounge. Their tributes began at 7.58am, the time the airport was brought to a halt by the first bomb. More than 300 people were wounded in the attacks, claimed by ISIS, but around 900 people now number themselves among the victims to have suffered physical or mental trauma. King Philippe (right) and Queen Mathilde (second left) pose for photographs with Indian flight attendant Nidhi Chaphekar, who was injured in the Brussels airport attack and her husband Rupesh Chaphekar (left) in Brussels King Philippe said Belgium had stayed united after the attacks on March 22, 2016, and told families of the victims they had responded to the 'deadly madness' of the attacks with 'dignity'. Watched by relatives and survivors, the royals also unveiled a new stainless steel memorial near the European Union's headquarters to the dead and the more than 320 wounded in Belgium's worst ever peacetime attacks. 'It is the responsibility of each and every one of us to make our society more humane and more just,' King Philippe said at the memorial. 'And above all, let us dare to be tender.' Sick ISIS celebrating blessed London attack posting Allahu Akbar next to horrific photos of the attack Sick ISIS supporters appear to be celebrating the deaths of three people and an attacker in London during a terror attack on Westminster. Messages have been shared on an unofficial 'ISIS Telegram Channel' sharing the news of the attack in Westminster on Wednesday afternoon, with people writing 'Allahu Akbar'. According to Ahmet Yayla, a senior research fellow at the International Centre for the Study of Violent Extremism (ICSVE), the messages are being shared on a 'credible' ISIS channel. Shocking mocked-up picture of the Queen Elizabeth clock tower on fire were shared with a stark 'warning' that there will be a battle on 'your land' Terror expert Ahmet Yayla explained these channels are not official, but they are credible He shared screengrabs on his Twitter account, showing content of groups where messages included 'blessed London attack'. One user shared pictures of the route the attacker took across Westminster Bridge and into the gates of Parliament, while another shared this website's headline of 'Terror at Westminster'. In other apparent messages from supporters, a picture shows a mocked-up image of the Elizabeth Tower on fire. The message with the smoke billowing out reads: 'Soon. Our battle upon your land. Not started yet. Be upon you. Only waiting.' Rita Katz, director of SITE Intelligence Group, said the lack of media campaign from ISIS could show there was no coordination with ISIS if it was linked with the terror group. The channel users have been sharing maps showing the route of the terror attack as well as the headlines from this website Similar pro-ISIS 'channels' shared blow by blow updates after the attacks in Nice, Paris and Orlando. ISIS claim on an event can be 24 hours afterwards, and usually not until the attacker is confirmed dead, according to terror experts. Other ISIS chat rooms show mocked up images of fighters super imposed over the Houses of Parliament, according to a paper by the ICSVE. The paper reveals ISIS supporters have been urged and shown how to carry out attacks with vehicles. 'A guy was shouting his wife had jumped into the Thames': Eyewitnesses reveal horror of attack A bus driver saw a man shouting that his wife had jumped into the River Thames in a desperate bid to escape a terrorist using a 4x4 as a weapon. The terror suspect, an Asian man in his 40s, ploughed along Westminster Bridge in his two-ton Hyundai SUV, frequently mounting the crowded pavement, and mowed down pedestrians like skittles. One victims of the car attack was left floating face down in the Thames but was pulled from the river alive and the bridge above was strewn with the victims of the terror hit and run. Witnesses said the aftermath was like a scene from a 'Hollywood disaster movie'. Terrifying: One woman was found floating in the Thames after being thrown into the water but was pulled out by a boat Michael Adamou, 25, was driving the 453 bus when he said he saw the grey Hyundai 4x4 speeding in the direction of Parliament. He said: 'As I turned left out of Whitehall, so turning left to go over the bridge, I saw a car knock two people over. 'Initially I thought he's lost control of the car but then I see quite a few people rushing into Parliament and police trying to stop everyone. 'After a few seconds I just heard gunshots. Everybody on my bus was panicking.' He said the driver 'literally started from the hospital heading towards Parliament and just mowed down whoever was in his way. Turmoil: 20 people have been ploughed into by the car by the terrorist who was shot dead in the courtyard of Parliament 'I did not see him coming over the bridge but I saw everybody laying on the bridge, not moving.' Mr Adamou, who lives in central London, said he believed at least one woman had jumped into the Thames to escape. 'The first thing I saw was the two people laying lifeless on the floor. They were on the pavement. 'He must have come down the whole side of the bridge on the pavement. I would say there were at least 15 or 20 people. 'When I was getting everybody off the bus, because they made us leave the bus on the bridge, I heard one guy come running behind me shouting his wife had jumped into the river to avoid getting knocked down.'
VIDEO of Houses of Parliament suspected terror attack released A video of the moment a suspected terrorist drove his car into pedestrians outside the Houses of Parliament has been published by the BBC. A number of people were injured in the attack, none with serious injuries. Metropolitan Police say that several pedestrians were injured when a silver Ford Fiesta hit barriers outside the Houses of Parliament around 8am local time on Monday. One woman is being treated in hospital for serious but not life-threatening injuries, while two others were also injured. The Met's Counter Terrorism Command is now leading the probe into the incident. The driver, reportedly a man in his late 20s, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of terrorist offences. He has been taken to a station in south London, police say. Neil Basu, Scotland Yard's head of counter terrorism, said there was "no intelligence at this time of further danger" to London or the rest of the UK. Given that this appears to be a deliberate attack, the method and this being an iconic site, we are treating it as a terrorist incident, said Basu. No arms have been found in the car and no one, except for the arrested driver, was inside. Police are still searching the vehicle and officers remain at the scene and cordons are in place to assist the investigation. British Prime Minister Theresa May said her thoughts were with those injured in the incident. My thoughts are with those injured in the incident in Westminster and my thanks to the emergency services for their immediate and courageous response, the PMs office tweeted. "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 The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, said: My thoughts are with those hurt and injured outside parliament this morning in what is being treated as a terrorist incident. Our thanks go to our emergency services who responded immediately. Their bravery keeps us safe day in, day out. Since the Westminster Bridge attack last year, the Houses of Parliament have been surrounded by steel security barriers. In March 2017 Khalid Masood rammed crowds along Westminster Bridge, killing four people. The attacker then abandoned his car outside parliament, where he stabbed and killed PC Keith Palmer before being shot by armed police.
Westminster attack: Murdered police officer named as PC Keith Palmer The 48-year-old was killed by lone attacker protecting the Houses of Parliament. The police officer killed in a terror attack at Westminster today (22 March) has been named as PC Keith Palmer. The 48-year-old was unarmed as he was fatally stabbed by an attacker near the Houses of Parliament. Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood, who was at the scene as the horrifying incident unfolded, attempted to give mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to the fallen police officer. However, PC Palmer's injuries were too severe and he died at the scene. The attacker was shot dead by police. PC Palmer was a member of the Met's parliamentary and diplomatic protection command and had 15 years service. He was married with children. Acting Deputy Commissioner and head of counter-terrorism at the Metropolitan Police, Mark Rowley, paid tribute to PC Palmer, saying: "He was someone who left for work today expecting to return home at the end of his shift - and he had every right to expect that would happen." Four others, including the attacker, are also confirmed dead and at least 40 other people were injured after a car struck pedestrians on nearby Westminster Bridge before it crashed. Eyewitnesses described scenes of panic and carnage on the streets of London in the aftermath of the attack. Three police officers were among those injured, two of whom are in a serious condition, while some of the pedestrians are said to be in a critical condition. Rowley confirmed that the attacker was known to police and was believed to be inspired by international terrorism. PC Keith Palmer was fatally stabbed by a terrorist in the grounds of the Houses of ParliamentMet Police Handout Speaking in Downing Street after chairing a meeting of the government's Cobra emergencies committee, Prime Minister Theresa May said it was a "sick and depraved" attack on the heart of the capital and attempts to defeat UK values were "doomed to failure". May paid tribute to the "exceptional men and women" of the police force who responded to the attack, saying: "We will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart." The prime minister said the UK terror threat level would remain at severe - its second highest - meaning an attack is "highly likely", BBC News reports. Members of the public have turned to social media to express their shock at the attack in the heart of the capital and to pay tribute to PC Palmer. Counter-terrorism police unit tweeted: "Our thoughts are with the family of PC Keith Palmer@metpoliceuk a husband, a father and a colleague." RIP PC Keith Palmer, an absolute hero who sacrificed his own life for the sake of others today ????
A bus driver saw a man shouting that his wife had jumped into the River Thames in a desperate bid to escape a terrorist using a 4x4 as a weapon today. The terror suspect, an Asian man in his 40s, ploughed along Westminster Bridge in his two-ton Hyundai SUV, frequently mounting the crowded pavement, and mowed down pedestrians like skittles. After crashing into Parliament's railings, he then rushed the gates and stabbed a Met police officer being being shot dead. The officer was tonight named as 48-year-old PC Keith Palmer. One victim of the car attack was left floating face down in the Thames but was pulled from the river alive and the bridge above was strewn with the victims of the terror hit and run. Witnesses said the aftermath was like a scene from a 'Hollywood disaster movie'. It left at least five people dead and more than 40 people injured including some with 'catastrophic' injuries. Scotland Yard said tonight that they think they who the attacker is and believe they were 'inspired by international terrorism...Islamist related terrorism.' Scroll down for video Suspect: An Asian man in his forties, believed to be the attacker, is put on the stretcher and wheeled into an ambulance inside the grounds of Parliament with a knife left on the cobbles Carnage: Westminster bridge was strewn with injured people who were treated on the road or carried to the nearby St Thomas' Hospital Terrifying: One woman was found floating in the Thames after being thrown into the water but was pulled out by a boat The car started its path of destruction on Westminster Bridge taking out pedestrians before the assailant sprinted from the car and stabbed the police officer before being shot The killer driver aimed at a group of tourist taking selfies in front of Big Ben and armed with two knifes stabbed an officer protecting Parliament in the head and neck. He began his rampage on Westminster Bridge, hitting and injuring a number of members of the public, including three police officers. Timeline: How terror came to Westminster 2.40pm: An attacker mows down several pedestrians as he drives a Hyundai i40 across Westminster Bridge before crashing it into railings then running through the gates of the Palace of Westminster and stabbing a police officer 2.41pm: Metropolitan Police and London Ambulance Service are called to a major incident 3.35pm: Police say the attack is being treated 'as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise' 4.10pm: Junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital says one woman has died and a number of others have been hurt - including some with 'catastrophic' injuries 4.45pm: Paramedics confirm they have treated at least ten patients on Westminster Bridge 4.49pm: Police Commander BJ Harrington says there were 'a number of casualties' in the attack 'including police officers'. 4.51pm: Downing Street spokesman says Prime Minister Theresa May will chair a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee later 5.40pm: Sources reveal the police officer stabbed at Parliament has died 6.01pm: Police say four people were killed in the attack, including the police officer and a man believed to be the attacker 6.56pm: Home Secretary Amber Rudd says the Government's top priority following the attack is 'the security of its people' Michael Adamou, 25, was driving the 453 bus when he said he saw the grey Hyundai 4x4 speeding in the direction of Parliament. He said: 'As I turned left out of Whitehall, so turning left to go over the bridge, I saw a car knock two people over. 'Initially I thought he's lost control of the car but then I see quite a few people rushing into Parliament and police trying to stop everyone. 'After a few seconds I just heard gunshots. Everybody on my bus was panicking.' He said the driver 'literally started from the hospital heading towards Parliament and just mowed down whoever was in his way. 'I did not see him coming over the bridge but I saw everybody laying on the bridge, not moving.' Mr Adamou, who lives in central London, said he believed at least one woman had jumped into the Thames to escape. 'The first thing I saw was the two people laying lifeless on the floor. They were on the pavement. 'He must have come down the whole side of the bridge on the pavement. I would say there were at least 15 or 20 people. 'When I was getting everybody off the bus, because they made us leave the bus on the bridge, I heard one guy come running behind me shouting his wife had jumped into the river to avoid getting knocked down.' Witness Rob Lyon, 34, from Rugby, who works in marketing, said: 'I heard a wheel definitely hit a kerb and quite a large crunch noise, I looked up and saw a car clearly hitting people as it came towards me. 'A colleague I was with, I heard him shout but I just instinctively jumped off the pavement and I could see people getting hit. Then the car just carried on up the bridges and I just looked round me in shock. 'I just saw people being hit by a car at speed, it was harrowing. I just sort of went into shock mode. 'I just looked around me and couldn't really work out what had happened. 'I was numb it felt like I was in the middle of a Hollywood movie, you see these things but suddenly I was in the middle of it. 'My first thought is I wanted to tell my wife I was OK and my children. 'Then I wanted to check a lady I was near and I gave her coat as a pillow and waited with her. 'I called the emergency services I think I was one of the first to do so and waited with her. I couldn't see the driver. I saw it come up onto the kerb and then just drive straight. It was so quick it probably joined the pavement ten or 15 metres in front of me'. Share this article 'I saw the car mounting the cycle lane and gone into the fencing and then the next thing I could see was a cyclist, I think, or some pedestrian laying down and there was a lot of steam coming out of the car and an awful lot of noise and shouting.' Radoslow Sikorski, former Polish foreign minister, was in a taxi on Westminster Bridge. He told the BBC: 'I was just walking across the bridge when suddenly I saw a bus stopped and everybody started screaming. People came off the bus very upset and I saw what appeared to be a trainer by the side of the road and then on the other side of the road there was a body. 'When I looked further up, there was another body and then when I looked over the side of the bridge, there appeared to be a body in the water as well.' Doctors at St Thomas's Hospital  which is at the south end of the bridge  raced out to help, and described finding 'catastrophic injuries'. Colleen Anderson, a junior doctor, said: 'I was on the ward and we all just went out and helped and got blankets. We are trained for these events. 'I walked past about nine injuries, some weren't so significant. Some were unconscious, some regained consciousness.' Stage one: Terrified witnesses today described watching a terrorist using a 4x4 as a weapon sending pedestrians flying like skittles including one victim who was thrown from Westminster Bridge (pictured) Stage 2: The killer driver was seen speeding along Westminster Bridge mounting the pavement and running down 20 or more people Stage three: The attacker sent victims flying like skittles including one who was thrown into the river but was pulled out alive Stage four: The terrorist crashed into more people next to Parliament including pedestrians and a cyclist Stage five: The killer ran from the driving seat, around the corner and then towards the main gates used by cars Stage six: He ran through the gates on the left and side of the picture and chasing into the yard where MPs are picked up and stabbed a policeman with a seven inch knife Stage seven: A police officer shot the terrorist (pictured top left) from around 10 yards and then twice more and the stabbed officer was treated at scene (bottom right) Steve Voake, 55, was walking across the Westminster Bridge towards the South Bank when he saw the aftermath. He said he saw at least two bodies lying on the road and one in the water. 'I saw a trainer lying in the road and when I looked more closely I saw that there were a couple of bodies the other side of the road,' he told the Press Association. 'And when I looked over the side there was another body lying in the water with blood all around it.' STUDENTS FROM EDGE HILL UNIVERSITY INJURED IN ATTACK Four university students were injured as they were caught up in the attack on Westminster Bridge. They were among a group of 13 students and a lecturer from Edge Hill University, in Ormskirk, who were on the first day of a two-day educational visit to the Houses of Parliament. Dr John Cater, Vice Chancellor of Edge Hill University, told BBC North West Tonight: 'They had just actually finished their session, were leaving the Parliament building and in the Westminster Bridge area where we understand ... they were involved in the incident. 'We understand that two students have been taken to hospital but as walking wounded - one with a head wound and one with a wrist injury. There are two other students who have minor injuries who are with police and acting as witnesses. 'The good news is that the other nine students are now back in a hostel receiving support and will return to the North West tomorrow.' Four university students were injured as they were caught up in the attack. They were among a group of 13 students and a lecturer from Edge Hill University, in Ormskirk, who were on the first day of a two-day educational visit to the Houses of Parliament. Among those injured were Owen Lambert, 18, from Morecambe, who needed stitches to a head wound, and Travis Frain, from Darwen, in Lancashire. Travis's mother, Angela Frain, told the Guardian he was in 'good spirits' and in hospital. He reportedly suffered a cracking rib and minor injuries to his hand and arm in the attack. Mrs Frain said: 'I have spoken to him at 20 past three and I know he's okay. I'm waiting to hear back; his phone's actually dead at the moment. He's at the hospital with a police officer and his phone's on charge so I haven't spoken to him properly. 'The police officer just said he was in good spirits and he's waiting to be x-rayed. I think that's just for minor injuries. I haven't got any information at all [about his injuries]; when I spoke to him at 20 past three it was just a quick call to say that he was okay. I'm hoping to hear back from him in the next few hours but at this point that's the only information I have.' Three French school pupils were fighting for their lives after one reportedly ended up on the car's bonnet. The pupils, who are believed to be 15 or 16 and attend the private Lyce Saint- Joseph in Concarneau, Brittany, had been on a school trip to London. Fellow pupils told of how they were 'seconds' from death after the driver targeted them. One boy, named only as Kilian, said: 'We saw the car smash into a group. 20 seconds later and it would have been us,' Le Telegramme reported. Another, named only as Johan, told French newspaper Ouest France: 'The car hit three boys, we all had the reflexes to move back. 'Then the bloke got out the car and started to run towards Parliament. We heard the two gun shots. Then I saw people on the ground, I think they had been stabbed.' A Romanian couple on holiday are also thought to be among the injured. Andrei, an engineer in his mid-20s, and Andreea, his girlfriend, were caught up in the attack. Retired surveyor Patrick Tracey, said he believed Andreea had been severely injured while Andrei had suffered an injury to his leg after being hit by the car. Mr Tracey, 64, from Derby, said he arranged to meet the pair by the London Eye and Andrei had called him to tell him he had lost Andrea. A message on the Romanian Embassy's Facebook said two of the country's citizens had been injured and taken to local hospitals. Kirsten Hurrell, 70, who owns a news stand at the scene, said she heard the car crashing into fencing surrounding parliament and initially thought there had been an accident. 'I heard a couple of shots which I now know are gunshots so I began to realise it was something a little more serious,' she told AFP. 'There was a lot of shouting going on...and a lot of police presence coming from everywhere.' American tourist Bradford Buck added: 'A car had ploughed into the gate and a man was on the ground curled into the foetal position. Someone was treating him but he looked in a very bad way. 'There was a lot of commotion. Armed police clutching machine guns swooped in and told us to get back. Nobody knew what was going on. It was a very nerve-wracking experience.' Turmoil: 20 people have been ploughed into by the car by the terrorist who was shot dead in the courtyard of Parliament Eyewitness Rick Longley said: 'A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman' After crashing his car into railings outside Parliament, the attacker leapt from the vehicle and approached the main vehicle entrance to the Westminster complex. He apparently breached the gates for his final murderous stand-off with police with relative ease, running through, before immediately attacking a police officer in high-visibility gear. The officer was backing away as he was attacked and finally tumbled over backwards. One of those who witnessed the horror was Frazer Clarke, 25, from Burton-on-Trent, who said: 'He was stabbing the police officer with the knives. The police officer was stumbling and fell on the floor'. Pat McCormack, 21, from Washington in Tyne-on-Wear added: 'I saw him stabbing the officer in the back of the head and the back of the neck. He was running away but then he collapsed.' The attacker then began to run across the yard in the direction of the entrance to Westminster Hall. As he ran, witnesses saw a plain-clothes police officer running towards him, holding a handgun, which was pointed at the attacker. He shouted a warning, but the attacker kept running. Witnesses described hearing several shots, before the attacker collapsed on the ground. Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood - a former Army officer whose brother died in the Bali terrorist bombing in 2002 - attempted mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on the injured police officer. He tried to administer first aid to the stabbed police officer and was pictured covered in blood as he desperately performed mouth-to-mouth. A woman police officer next to him looked utterly distraught as paramedics joined the effort but it became increasingly clear it was a lost cause. When it was over, she was led away close to tears while Mr Ellwood looked shocked and defeated. A few feet away, a separate team of medics were working to save the life of the terrorist. He lay with his bloodied knife by his feet. An armed police officer was standing on the knife and pointing his rifle at the killer. A former Army soldier made a desperate attempt to revive the stabbed policeman after witnessing the attack. Tony Davis, a coach for the British Lionhearts boxing team, went to help the stricken police officer moments after he was stabbed. He was due to be at the House of Commons with students from the Hammersmith Boxing Academy in West London to launch a community project. A team-mate, who asked not to be named, told the Guardian: 'The attacker has two knives and was stabbing the officer. Then, shots rang out and the attacker fell to the floor. 'Tony jumped over a fence and ran to the police officer and tried to revive him. The officer started to fit, but Tony was still working on him. 'There were lots of officers around, but they were trying to revive both men.' Mail journalist Quentin Letts saw the incident out of the window of a Commons office. He told MailOnline: 'We heard this sound like a car crash. Then we saw a thick set man in black clothes come through the gates where people would normally drive cars. 'This man had something in his hand. It looked like a stick or a stave, it was quite long. He was challenged by two policemen in yellow jackets at the gates. 'One of the policemen fell down. He seemed to be stabbed four or five times. 'The other policeman got away and ran to get help.' 'It was very, very quick to come. As this attacker was running toward the entrance used by MPs to go into the House of Commons, he made it about 15 yards. Then two plain clothes guys came out of Westminster Hall with guns. 'They shouted at him, uttered what sounded like a warning. Then they shot two to three times and he fell.' Labour MP Mary Creagh, who was confronted by crowds and armed guards on her way to parliament, spoke of 'a real sense of panic'. 'I was met by about 40 people running towards me saying: 'Get back, get back, there's been a shooting!'' she said. She added: 'It was very, very frightening.' Richard Jones, a 31-year-old bar manager, who reached the scene just after the attack said he saw police cars and ambulances arriving along with an initial six police officers. He said: 'After a few seconds, another 25 police officers in full tactical gear with helmets and body armour, and then they stormed into the Houses of Parliament. 'Then they started to evacuate the MPs in black unmarked police cars.' In the aftermath of the attack, the hundreds of people inside Parliament were warned to stay away from any windows before being evacuated. Armed police from the Met's elite terror squad combed the estate to ensure it was secure keeping people in the 900-year-old Westminster Hall. Prime Minister Theresa May was later seen being bundled into the back seat of her silver Jaguar surrounded by armed guards. A counter-terrorism investigation is already under way, police said. HUNDREDS OF TOURISTS TRAPPED ON LONDON EYE Hundreds of tourists were trapped on the London Eye For three hours while the terror attack unfolded below them. Teachers were seen comforting groups of crying schoolchildren and as police cars swarmed to the bridge, a short distance away. Christina Lewis, who lives in Camden, described 'screams' as the wheel ground to a halt. The 26-year-old said: 'It was scary at first everybody screamed and we thought the wheel had broken.' Tourists were eventually brought down from the Eye and led to the nearby Sea Life Centre where their details were taken by police. One Portuguese woman was seen sobbing as she left the area. Her husband said: 'She's crying because she is pregnant. My baby will be born with lots of adrenaline running around its body. We didn't see much, just people on the bridge. It wouldn't put us off coming to London again.' Kody Davis, from Utah, said: 'We saw all the sirens coming from the bridge we saw a lot of stretchers, it was scary not knowing what was going on. 'At first it just looked like a small accident on the bridge. At first we were pleased it (the London Eye) had stopped because it was safe up there. We were up there maybe two or three hours. 'We immediately thought it was a terror attack. That's the world we live in right now.' Jack Hutchinson, 16, who was visiting London with his parents from Boston, was stuck at the top of the London Eye for three hours. He said: 'I saw all the ambulances over towards Westminster street and that's what alerted me first. 'I saw the bodies and I saw the police running around on the police and I thought wow, that's probably something important. I was terrified.' Jack's father, Jim Hutchinson, said: 'We were one of the last groups to board the Eye. 'We didn't see the assailant do anything but we did see three different people wounded on the bridge. 'One of the thing that struck us was how long the medics were spending with the victims on the ground so we were wondering what they hell is going on. 'I thought they weren't moving patients quickly because they were all dead. 'We wondered is there any other incident that's going to happen related to this because sometimes with these terrorist attacks it's not just one person or one assailant doing one thing, it's a coordinated series of things happening so some people wondered... will anything happen in the Eye. 'But then three hours of nothing happened and they relaxed. We were up there for three straight hours and it got a bit tedious and long.'
Four were known to have died, after the death toll was revised from five by London's Metropolitan Police based on the latest information. They include two members of the public - a woman in her mid-40s and a man in his mid-50s - a police officer and the attacker himself. Scores of others were hurt, with 29 people still hospitalised - seven in critical condition. Image: Kieran Cuddihy The woman has been named as mother-of-two Aysha Frade (43) who was on her way to pick up her children from school when she was killed on Westminster Bridge. Mrs Frade was born in Britain, but her mother was born in Betanzos, near the Galician city of La Coruna in north Spain, and her father was of Cypriot origin. Her two sisters run a large language academy in Bentanzos. Mrs Frade taught Spanish at DLD College London, based close to the scene of the attack, where she was described by the principle as "a highly regarded and loved" member of staff. Her family in Spain are making their way to London and are expected to arrive later today. American visitor Kurt Cochran has also been named as a victim. Mr Cochran was visiting London from his native Utah as part of his wedding anniversary celebrations with his wife of 25 years Melissa. The couple were due to return to the United States on Thursday. Melissa is said to be in hospital with a broken leg, rib and a cut on her head. Theresa May speech The British Prime Minister Theresa May has made a speech in the House of Commons about the attack. British Prime Minister Theresa May speaks in the House of Commons | Image: UK Parliament "Yesterday an act of terrorism tried to silence our democracy - but today we meet as normal. "As generations have done before us and as future generations will continue to do, to deliver a simple message: we are not afraid. And our resolve will never waiver in the face of terrorism. "We know that democracy and the values it entails will always prevail", she said. "Those values free speech, liberty, human rights and the rule of law are embodied here in this place, but they are shared by free people around the world. "A terrorist came to the place where people of all nationalities and cultures gather to celebrate what it means to be free. And he took out his rage indiscriminately against innocent men, women and children. "Mr Speaker, this was an attack on free people everywhere and on behalf of the British people, I would like to thank our friends and allies around the world who have made it clear that they stand with us at this time. "What happened on the streets of Westminster yesterday afternoon sickened us all." Mrs May also confirmed the attacker was a British-born man who was known to police and MI5 intelligence services. He was once investigated by MI5 in relation to concerns about violent extremism - with Mrs May calling him "a peripheral figure". "Inspired by international terrorism" The attack began Wednesday as a man in a car drove into a number of pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, before crashing into railings and then running through the Houses of Parliament gates and stabbing a police officer. The attacker, who was armed with two large knives, was killed after being shot by police. The officer - named as PC Keith Palmer - also died of his wounds. Mark Rowley is the acting deputy commissioner at the Metropolitan Police. He said: "Greater clarity is now developing regarding the casualty figures as we have now collated information from the public and five hospitals - the latest figures I have are that there are currently four dead and 29 people were treated in hospital. "We are still collating numbers of walking wounded and of those in hospital sadly seven of them are in a critical condition. It is still our belief - which continues to be born out by our investigation - that this attacker acted alone yesterday and was inspired by international terrorism." Minute silence at Westminster | Image: PA/PA Wire/PA Images Speaking on Wednesday night, Mrs May condemned the "sick and depraved" attack. She praised the "exceptional bravery" of police and security services during the attack, and also paid tribute to the emergency services as a whole. She insisted any attempt to defeat the values parliament stands for was "doomed to failure". Mrs May ordered flags to be lowered to half mast over Downing Street as a mark of respect to the innocent victims of the attack. Minister battled to save life of police officer A British government minister gave first aid to Keith Palmer, the unarmed police man who was stabbed to death outside Westminster Parliament. Tobias Ellwood, whose brief includes anti-terrorism, performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on the officer. The Tory MP and former army officer also tried to stem the flow of blood from the injured police officer, working with emergency services to try to save the officer's life. He was photographed with a bloodied face after he was among those who tried to save the officer, who later died. Undated handout photo issued by Metropolitan Police of PC Keith Palmer who was killed during the terrorist attack on the Houses of Parliament, London | Image: Metropolitan Police/PA Wire/PA Images The politician, whose brother was killed in the 2002 Bali bomb attacks, told The Sun: "I tried to stem the flow of blood and give mouth to mouth while waiting for the medics to arrive but I think he had lost too much blood. "He had multiple wounds, under the arm and in the back." The officer had been stabbed by a suspected terrorist, who moments earlier had driven a car into a number of pedestrians on Westminster Bridge. Eyewitness Hugh Dickinson, a 21-year-old student from High Wycombe, posted a picture of the minister on Twitter, showing him with a bloodied face but saying "he looked to be fine". Mr Dickinson said: "He had blood on his forehead as you can see but he wasn't bleeding profusely." One woman who was at the scene of the attacks Wednesday, Susan, said: "I think we all expected it to happen or something like it to happen. He's just a madman. "It really shows how well our gun laws work here. I know it's bad but all he had was knife. "Imagine he had one of those big rifles like you see in America? That'll probably happen eventually though."
Four dead, at least 20 injured in UK parliament 'terrorist' attack Emergency services respond after an incident on Westminster Bridge in London, Britain March 22, 2017. /REUTERS An assailant stabbed a policeman and was shot by police just outside Britain's parliament building in London on Wednesday in what police described as a "terrorist incident." Amid confusing scenes, it appeared the incident may have unfolded in several locations, including on the nearby Westminster bridge where eyewitnesses said a car had crashed into pedestrians. Two people died in the incident, according to Sky News, but the total number of casualties was unclear. "Officers - including firearms officers - remain on the scene and we are treating this as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise," London's Metropolitan Police said in a statement. The incident took place on the first anniversary of attacks by Islamist militants that killed 32 people in Brussels. Reuters reporters inside the parliament building heard loud bangs and shortly afterwards saw two people lying on the ground in a courtyard just outside, within the perimeter of the parliamentary estate. A Reuters photographer said he saw at least a dozen people injured on Westminster Bridge, next to parliament. His photographs showed people lying on the ground, some of them bleeding heavily and one apparently under a bus. "I just saw a car go out of control, and just go into pedestrians on the bridge," a woman who gave her name as Bernadette told Sky News. She was on a tour bus on the bridge at the time. "As we were going across the bridge, we saw people lying on the floor, they were obviously injured. I saw about 10 people maybe. And then the emergency services started to arrive. Everyone was just running everywhere." 'Horrible to watch' Some people suffered catastrophic injuries in the incident, British news agency the Press Association reported, citing a doctor at St Thomas's Hospital which is located directly across the River Thames from parliament. Officials said an assailant had stabbed a policeman and then been shot. Witness reports suggested the assailant and the stabbed policeman were the people seen lying on the ground just outside the parliamentary building by Reuters reporters. The House of Commons, which was in session at the time, was immediately suspended and lawmakers were asked to stay inside. Prime Minister Theresa May was safe after the incident, a spokesman for her office said. He declined to say where May was when the attack took place. Journalist Quentin Letts of the Daily Mail newspaper told LBC radio that he had witnessed the stabbing of the policeman and the shooting of the assailant from his office in the parliament building. "He (the assailant) ran in through the open gates ... He set about one of the policemen with what looked like a stick," Letts said. "The policeman fell over on the ground and it was quite horrible to watch and then having done that, he disengaged and ran towards the House of Commons entrance used by MPs (members of parliament) and got about 20 yards or so when two plain-clothed guys with guns shot him." Reuters reporters inside parliament saw a large number of armed police, some carrying shields, pouring into the building. US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House he had been briefed on events in London but gave no details. In Edinburgh, the Scottish parliament suspended a planned debate and vote on independence as news of events in London came in. Britain is on its second-highest alert level of "severe" meaning an attack by militants is considered highly likely. In May 2013, two British Islamists stabbed to death soldier Lee Rigby on a street in southeast London. In July 2005, four British Islamists killed 52 commuters and themselves in suicide bombings on the British capital's transport system in what was London's worst peacetime attack.
Ambulances line Westminster Bridge after Parliament was put on lockdown on Wednesday afternoon ( Getty ) Details of a jihadi manifesto sent by the Westminster attacker on WhatsApp minutes before launching the atrocity have been revealed in a report that probed why police arrested a dozen potential suspects and then set them free. Khalid Masood placed a photo of himself on the front page of the document, which was entitled Jihad and included extracts from the Quran and other Islamic sources that he claimed to support violence. A report by the Independent Reviewer of Legislation detailed how police traced the contacts who received Masoods final message to launch a wave of arrests across the country, starting in Birmingham. Read more Max Hill QC said investigators initially believed Masood had sent the document to specific individuals who may be of interest, but it quickly transpired to the police that a large number of individuals received this message and it wasnt targeted at specific associates. Intelligence investigations found he had researched Isis online, alongside methods of attack using knives and vehicles favoured by its followers, but the discovery raises the prospect that the terrorist group issued its claim opportunistically and without proof of his support. Mr Hill found no major fault with the investigation but made four recommendations for police to improve practices. I considered very hard the fact that 12 people were arrested and detained but none were charged, but I reached the conclusion that this was an efficient investigation, and a reasoned and proportionate use of the relevant terrorism legislation, he told The Independent. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP This this was a standing start, the police had to work with what they found on the bridge on that day and it is extremely important not to apply too much hindsight. Those arrested in the wake of the attack included Masoods ex-wife, who had two young children with the attacker. In a statement released through police, she said she was saddened and shocked by his attack, condemning his actions. Notifications on the terrorists phone showed she had tried to call him on the day of the attack, when she contacted police identifying him as the attacker. She stated in interview that she received a text message from Masood with a pdf named Jihad, the report said. When she saw the incident on Twitter she was worried he might be involved and tried several times to get a hold of him. The woman cooperated fully with police and passed on details of Masoods other associates. Among them was a 58-year-old man who had also tried to call the attacker and was due to travel abroad with him imminently, sparking suspicion that he was complicit in the attack. He was initially not forthcoming as to the full extent of his relationship with Masood, claiming he had only met him weeks before and complained about his arrest and the impact on his children. One of Masoods relatives, a 27-year-old man, was also arrested after he refused to hand police his phone because he needed it for work. People look at floral tributes left for the victims of the Westminster terrorist attack (file photo) (Getty) Officers uncovered messages the man sent to Masood two hours after the attack reading: I will take care of her inshallah [God willing]. Ameen. Please give us a call when possible, and then minutes later: May Allah grant you peace and honour Ameen. Later the same evening, he texted Masood saying he had visited his home: Khalid... called you and no answer..what is going on? We just knocked for you but no answer. The report said the man fully cooperated with police and denied knowledge of the attack, describing himself as a strict Muslim but ignores the situation in Syria as he finds it too depressing. Another man, a 30-year-old associate of Masood was arrested after police found out he had received religious instruction from the terrorist had was becoming more extreme and talking about jihad. Call data showed he had been in contact with Masood in the days and weeks leading up to the attack, and had visited Westminster for unclear purposes earlier in March. He refused to answer questions in his first police interview on the advice of a solicitor, but later told investigators he met Masood at a gym, describing him as a mentor who assisted him with his separation and child access issues. The man said he had not seen the terrorist for some time before the attack and knew nothing about it. Four Hungarians who lived at an address where Masood was a former tenant were arrested, but did not know him. Nor did a man and woman in their 20s living in a homeless hostel, which they moved into hours before being arrested. Police also detained a Saudi Arabian married couple who were in a professional relationship with Masood through his teaching work. Financial records showed the wife paid a total of 2,100 into Masoods bank account in the two months before the attack with the reference friend, but they told police the payments were for educational work completed. The evidence will be considered in ongoing inquests into the deaths of Masood and his five victims, British mother Aysha Frade, Romanian architect Andreea Cristea, pensioner Leslie Rhodes, American tourist Kurt Cochran and PC Palmer. Mr Hill said police had fully accepted the findings of his report, which called on officers to give greater thought to transporting detainees hundreds of miles from the place of arrest, as was seen following the Westminster attack. The lawyer, who has himself prosecuted several high-profile terror cases involving Isis and other groups, called on authorities to consider making it possible to release people arrested under the Terrorism Act on bail, make sure detainees are given their rights as soon as possible and review training on how people are questioned on their religion. None of them are major criticisms but they present learning opportunities, Mr Hill said. I wanted to present as much information on the public as possible on Masood and his plans. There little public information as to what process follows when people are arrested on suspicion terror offences its at the heart of this countrys response to terrorism and theres a right to understand what police and individuals in their charge go through. Amber Rudd, the Home Secretary, said she would carefully consider the reports recommendations and respond formally in due course. It was published the day after an independent review into the emergency services response to the Manchester attack in May exposed failings by the fire service, which did not respond to the bombing for two hours after poor communication with police.
At least three people were injured in what the witnesses described as a deliberate crash. The area was the site of a terror attack in March 2017 when a man ploughed a car into crowds, killing four people. Armed police officers at the site where a car crashed outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, London, Britain, August 14, 2018. ( Reuters ) A man detained on Tuesday on suspicion of deliberately targeting pedestrians outside Britain's parliament is Salih Khater, a British citizen of Sudanese origin who was not previously known to intelligence agencies, a European security source said. Police arrested a 29-year-old man after he appeared to drive his car at cyclists and pedestrians before ramming his car into barriers. "It is still being treated as terrorism but the motive is unknown as yet," said a European security source. Police have not given any further details about the man's identity. The British citizen originally came from another country, UK Security Minister Ben Wallace said. The crash appeared to be the second terrorist attack at the building in just under 18 months At least three people were injured. The driver, a 29-year-old man, was arrested by armed officers moments later. He was not cooperating with detectives, the British police counter-terrorism chief 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," Metropolitan Police London Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu told reporters. In March 2017, Khalid Masood, 52, killed four people on nearby Westminster Bridge and stabbed an unarmed police officer to death in the grounds of parliament before being shot dead. It was the first of five attacks in Britain last year that police designated as terrorism, three of which used vehicles as weapons. "The threat to the United Kingdom from terrorism remains severe," British Prime Minister Theresa May said in a statement. Basu said the suspect in Tuesday's incident was in custody but not cooperating. He said the man had not been formally identified but was not believed to be known to security forces. TheBBC, citing unnamed sources, said the man was from the Birmingham area and known to police, although not to intelligence or counter-terrorism agencies. TRT World'sSarah Morice has the latest from London. No other suspects Basu said there were currently no other suspects from the scene of the incident, and no indications of further danger. The police said detectives searched two properties in Birmingham and one in Nottingham over the car crash at parliament. Police said a silver Ford Fiesta had driven through a group of cyclists and pedestrians during the morning rush hour before hitting a barrier in front of the Houses of Parliament at 7:37 am (0637 GMT). Video footage showed the vehicle making an illegal turn before veering across the road and into a security lane leading to parliament before smashing into the protective barrier as two police officers jumped to safety. The man was detained on suspicion of terrorist offences and no weapons were found, Basu said. Two people were taken to a hospital and one woman was still receiving treatment for serious but not life-threatening injuries. Armed officers swarmed the scene and sealed off a large area around parliament that is usually bustling with tourists and government workers. "I saw the cyclists, injured cyclists. I don't know if he's hit these people or if they've just dived to escape," bystander Jason Williams told reporters. "It didn't swerve, there was not another car going behind him. It looked like it was planned." Images shot by a Euronews journalist showed police pointing their guns at the vehicle shortly after the crash. Footage on social media showed a man being led away in handcuffs. 'Terrible scenes' May, who like other lawmakers is on holiday during parliament's summer recess, urged Britons to remain vigilant but to carry on as normal. "For the second time in as many years the home of our democracy, which is a potent symbol of our precious values of tolerance and freedom, has just witnessed terrible scenes just yards from its door," she said in a statement. Britain is on its second-highest threat level, "severe", meaning an attack is considered highly likely. US President Donald Trump, who has previously spoken out about security issues in London, tweeted, "These animals are crazy and must be dealt with through toughness and strength." Cordons around parliament began to be lifted about six hours after the incident and Westminster Underground station, close to parliament, was reopened. However, streets immediately surrounding the scene remained closed off.
Up to 50 members of PC Palmers heartbroken family including his wife, five-year-old daughter, mother and father, brother and sisters attended the private service. PC Keith Palmer was stabbed to death as he tried to stop crazed killer Khalid Masood after the terrorist crashed into the gates of the Palace of Westminster before being shot dead. Four other innocent people were killed in the attack on March 22. Killed in terror attack: PC Keith Palmer (Metropolitan Police) His funeral cortge was led by the Metropolitan Police Colour Party and a "Black Guard" of mounted officers. A floral tribute left on top of the hearse read: "No 1 daddy". Metropolitan Police commissioner Cressida Dick, the first female head of Scotland Yard in its 188-year history, made her way to the cathedral with deputy commissioner Craig Mackey on her first day in the new role. It is Ms Dick's first major public engagement in the role and she was expected to read a poem called Funeral Blues. PC Keith Palmer Funeral - In pictures PC Keith Palmer Funeral - In pictures 1/43 The coffin of Pc Keith Palmer is removed from Westminster's Chapel of St Mary Undercroft in London before it makes its way to Southwark Cathedral Alex Lentati 2/43 The funeral of Pc Keith Palmer Sky News 3/43 Pall bearers carry the coffin of PC Keith Palmer into the Southwark Cathedral in London 24/43 25/43 26/43 Police officers and well-wishers line the route in Southwark as the funeral procession of PC Keith Palmer makes its way to Southwark Cathedral Dan Kitwood/Getty Images 27/43 Police at a ceremony by the Police Roll of Honour Trust to add the names of fallen officers Pc Keith Palmer and Pc Gareth Browning to the National Police Officers Roll of Honour & Remembrance in London 24/43 25/43 26/43 Police officers and well-wishers line the route in Southwark as the funeral procession of PC Keith Palmer makes its way to Southwark Cathedral Dan Kitwood/Getty Images 27/43 Police at a ceremony by the Police Roll of Honour Trust to add the names of fallen officers Pc Keith Palmer and Pc Gareth Browning to the National Police Officers Roll of Honour & Remembrance in London 38/43 39/43 A young girl looks at floral tributes at Paliament Square ahead of the funeral of PC Keith Palmer Chris Jackson/Getty Images 40/43 Police officers march towards Southwark Cathedral in London Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP/Getty Images 41/43 A couple watch as the coffin of PC Keith Palmer, who was killed in the recent Westminster attack, is transported from the Palace of Westminster Stefan Wermuth/Reuters 42/43 The coffin of Pc Keith Baker is removed from Westminster's Chapel of St Mary Undercroft in London Jeremy Selwyn 43/43 Police officers line the route in Southwark as the funeral procession of PC Keith Palmer makes its way to Southwark Cathedral Dan Kitwood/Getty Images MP Tobias Ellwood, who fought to save the life of PC Palmer in Old Palace Yard, was also pictured leaving Westminster as the funeral procession got under way. The first horse leading the funeral procession was the Pointer, led by Mounted Inspector Russell Pickin, from the Met's stables at Great Scotland Yard. The funeral procession was led by a "Black Guard" of mounted officers. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) The pointer led a row of four horses followed by the cortege. A further four black horses followed from the rear. Police Horse Lionheart, a black Irish Draught horse, was selected as the Pointer. The other horses came from stables around London. The Met's police horses are highly trained and have experience of major public events such as the Notting Hill Carnival, demonstrations and regular sporting events such as football matches. A single red rose in front of the police helmet of PC Keith Palmer (Ben Stansall/PA ) As the funeral procession made its way over Lambeth Bridge, boats from the Marine Policing Unit led river emergency services and lifeboats in a ten-second horn salute. The boats formed an arrow shape as NPAS helicopters flying above created the missing man formation salute  commonly done at funerals and memorials. Police arriving at PC Keith Palmer's funeral One of the police helicopters broke away and hovered over the Cathedral and, as PC Palmers coffin was carried in, performed the bow manoeuvre. Hundreds of officers from police forces all over the country arrived on coaches in Southwark hours before the funeral which is thought to be the largest ever gathering of officers in Britain. PC Keith Palmer's coffin is lowered into the hearse (Alex Lentati) Rows of uniformed officers, many with service medals pinned to their jackets and wearing white gloves, marched towards the cathedral as on-duty colleagues involved in the security operation stood guard. Well-wishers lined the barriers along the cortge route with between 40,000 to 50,000 members of the public expected to turn out to pay their respects. Mandy Daniel, 51, a finance manager from Crouch End, said: "We work nearby and we wanted to come and pay our respects. I had a tear in my eye during it. A police officer wipes away a tear at the funeral of PC Keith Palmer (Hannah McKay/Reuters) "It was very emotional seeing such support, I can't imagine how many police have lined this route. "These things are usually for state funerals. It's incredible to see it for this chap who gave his life for this country." She said: "I think it's a statement of unity and defiance that we'll not back down over any terrorist threat. "We're one nation and we'll stand strong and show what Great Britain is made of." Public line the streets for funeral of PC Keith Palmer Daniel Connor, 28, an IT worker from Mitcham, said: "I work here so I wanted to come down and show some respect. "What happened to him was really tragic, this is the least he deserves." He added: "To see so many police line the road was incredible. They all bowed their heads and it was incredibly powerful." Chief Constable Sara Thornton, head of the National Police Chiefs' Council, said the scale of the funeral would be unprecedented as officers hold a two-minute silence at 2pm. She told the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire Show: "I don't think we will have ever seen a police funeral of this size. "Officers from all over the country are coming to London to join their Metropolitan Police colleagues to line the route. "We all want to pay honour to the ultimate sacrifice that Keith made." The Queen gave permission for PC Palmer's body to rest in Westminster's Chapel of St Mary Undercroft, an honour normally reserved for senior figures. The funeral cortge arrives (Sky News) Ms Thornton said the gesture had had a "tremendous impact" on police as they go about their duty. She said: "The fact Keith has laid in rest in the Palace of Westminster is a sort of acknowledgement on behalf of the whole country of the sacrifice that he made but also the job that officers do day in, day out." PC Palmer's name has been added to the roll of honour and remembrance at a ceremony at the National Police Memorial on The Mall, in central London, complete with a guard of honour. Steve Lloyd, of the Police Roll of Honour Trust, said: "We hope that knowing their loved one's name are to be forever remembered will bring some small comfort to the families of the fallen officers." Four other innocent people were killed and dozens of others injured in the 82-second atrocity in Westminster, which ended with Masood, 52, being shot dead.
Aysha Frade and Kurt Cochran, who were both killed in the London terror attack. Composite: Facebook We will miss Kurt beyond words Kurt Cochran was walking across Westminster Bridge with his wife, Melissa, on the last day of a trip to Europe when the car being driven by Khalid Masood struck him. The 54-year-old American musician from West Bountiful, Utah, is believed to have fallen from the bridge on to the concrete steps beneath. He died from his injuries. His wife was also thrown to the ground by the impact and was pictured lying on the road being tended to by passersby. On Thursday, Melissa Payne Cochran, 46, remained in hospital in London, suffering from a broken leg, rib and head wounds. The couples family said they were the first to be hit when Masood accelerated his vehicle across the bridge towards Parliament Square, mounting the pavement and ploughing into crowds of tourists and Londoners going about their daily life. London attack: what we know so far Read more Cochrans death was announced by his family on social media. Relatives described him as someone who was generous, adventurous and above all a lover of music, who picked up his first guitar at the age of seven. With a heavy heart I must pass the sad news of our beautiful brother, father, husband, son and friend Kurt Cochran, said his sister-in-law Shantell Payne. This pain is so heart-wrenching and raw it has rocked our family and all that knew him to its core. We will miss Kurt beyond words. We love you Kurt. RIP. Cochran and his wife had been touring Europe to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. They had travelled to Germany, the Netherlands, Ireland and Scotland, posting pictures for their friends back home to see. London was their last stop and they were visiting Melissas parents, who are Mormon missionaries at the Church Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the capital. They had been due to fly home on Thursday. Clive Payne, Cochrans father-in-law, released a statement through the church. Kurt was a good man and a loving husband to our daughter and sister, Melissa, it read. They were scheduled to return to the United States on Thursday. The family launched a Just Giving page to help Melissa  who like her husband was self-employed. They said that the couple had built their recording studio from the ground up over the last 10 years often donating their time and studio to local schools and other worthy causes. Melissa needs funds to help cover her regular monthly expenses and loss of income, the family said. This fund is administered by her brother, who is the family spokesman in this tragedy. He will deliver the funds to her. Cochran and his wife were well known in their home town in Utah. Ten years ago, he fulfilled a dream by setting up a recording studio in his house, known as the Onion Street studio. He told a local newspaper in 2014 how he and his friend had set up a band when they were younger. We played for a few years, played a few gigs and then decided that instead of a half-assed band we would build a kick-ass studio. Rather than renting or leasing a place, we decided to remodel our home to create a state of the art studio that would rival the big dogs. We took out a loan, gutted the basement and started soundproofing. Cochran, who was hailed in death as a great American by Donald Trump, had grown up in Maryland and lived in Texas before moving to Salt Lake City, the state capital of Utah. He put his love of music down to his parents. Mom loved jazz and dad loved country. Music was very prevalent in my early years, he told the newspaper. His first guitar was in his hands at the age of seven and by 10 he was recording music on a handheld tape recorder. Family, colleagues and MPs pay tribute to PC Keith Palmer Read more Nate Kizerian, a longtime friend, said Cochran was a vital member of the local music scene. Hes just an amazing person, he said by phone on Thursday. He brought these musicians from all over the place together. Cochran was passionate about his studio and family, Kizerian said. He lived his dream. He did everything he wanted to do  The two things that made him light up was talking about music and talking about his wife. Steve Hatch, a 46-year-old musician, said he was in the process of recording an album at Cochrans studio and only had four songs left that they planned to finish when he returned from his trip. Im just devastated. He was such a great guy, Hatch said. Im going to cherish what I got recorded with him and put it out there and hopefully hell be smiling down on me. Cochran was modest and would have been shy about all the attention he was receiving, Hatch said. He is the person who would just wish the whole world would get along ... For somebody like that to be a victim, how random is that? Sean Wentland, another friend from the music scene, said it seemed clear that Cochran made the most of his time. He was the kind of person who was getting everything he wanted from life, he said. Hes the kind of guy who would do anything he could do for anybody else. Hes the last person in the world you would think that would happen to. Aysha Frade was walking over Westminster Bridge to pick up her daughters from school. Photograph: facebook She was just such a lovely person Aysha Frade, 43, a mother of two who worked at a sixth-form college in London, had left work and was walking over the bridge to pick up her daughters from school when she was killed in the attack. Frade, a British national, had lived in Britain for many years and had close family in the Spanish town of Betanzos, in Galicia. On Thursday, her sisters Sylvia and Michelle flew to London to be with her husband and children. Ramon Garcia Vzquez, the mayor of Betanzos, said many people in the small town knew her and Frade spent every summer there with her children. Betanzos town hall held a minutes silence for the family at noon on Thursday and Vzquez announced three days of mourning, cancelling all official activities in the town. Vzquez confirmed Frades death, saying he had been informed early on Thursday morning. The rumours that started going round last night are sadly true, he said. Westminster vigil: we will never be cowed by terrorism, says mayor Read more I didnt know her, but she has two sisters who run an English school here and other relatives in the area. Its a tragedy  there are people here in the town hall who knew her and her family and theyre deeply affected. In London, where Frade lived with her family, neighbours and colleagues described her as a wonderful mother and a lovely person. Rachel Borland, principal of DLD college, where Frade worked  a few hundred metres from the bridge  said she was highly regarded and loved. We are all deeply shocked and saddened ... All our thoughts and our deepest sympathies are with her family, he said. Patricia Scotland, one of Frades former neighbours in Notting Hill, west London, said: She was just such a lovely person, with two lovely, lovely girls. John Frade, a relative of her husbands, told the London Evening Standard: Aysha was my cousins wife and when I heard I was just absolutely shocked. Im still just feeling terrible, its a terrible thing to happen and you just dont expect it to happen so close to home in this way. Andreea Cristea was in London with her boyfriend to celebrate his birthday. Photograph: Facebook They had come to celebrate his birthday A Romanian tourist who was in London to celebrate her boyfriends birthday was pulled from the river by a passenger boat after falling into the Thames during the attack. Andreea Cristea, a 29-year-old architect, was knocked into the Thames as Masood drove towards Parliament Square. She was plucked to safety when the crew on a passing boat saw her floating downstream. Westminster attacker named by police as Khalid Masood Read more Staff on the Milennium Diamond used a boat hook to grab her clothing. She was then picked up by a rescue boat and treated by paramedics. Kyle Haughton, managing director at the firm, said: City Cruises Millennium Diamond was in the area of the incident at the time and worked alongside Londons emergency services to support in the rescue efforts of a woman in the water. Once alerted by people on the bridge, the ships captain reacted fast on spotting her. He halted the boat in order to hold her out of the water and stop her from being carried any further by the current. The emergency services were called immediately and arrived within minutes to take over the rescue operation. Members of the public light candles during a vigil for the Westminster attack victims in Trafalgar Square. Photograph: Yui Mok/PA The others injured Victims of the attack came from 11 different countries. They included four tourists from South Korea, a Greek couple, a German, a Pole, an Irish citizen and an Italian. Twelve Britons were also injured in the terror atrocity. The Greek embassy said a Greek couple sustained minor injuries and had been able to make their own way to hospital for treatment. The Italian ambassador said an Italian tourist who was injured when she was hit by Masoods car was recovering from her injuries. Pasquale Terracciano said he had visited the woman and she told him she had lost consciousness for about 10 minutes after being struck by the cars bumper. Three police officers who were injured as they walked from a commendation cermemony were also among the victims. Two were seriously injured, one with head injuries. A spokeswoman for Kings College hospital said doctors were still treating eight patients on Thursday. Two were in a critical condition and six were stable.
34/36 35/36 36/36 Members of the public wait at locked doors outside St Thomas' hospital Carl Court/Getty Images Matt Haikin, 44, was cycling across Westminster Bridge just after the car had knocked people over. He told the Standard: I saw a car and as I came up to it I noticed someone next to it covered in blood. There were people standing around and others running towards. I assumed it was just an accident. Fairly shortly after I heard some shots. I thought then that something was going on. As I went over to see what was going on they were starting to move people back. I think I saw a couple of bodies on the ground. I couldn't tell if they were injured. Westminster Bridge is completely cordoned off after the incident (Sky News) Ruchi Sherrikari tweeted: "I'm shaking. I was on the opposite side of Westminster Bridge as the car ran over everyone on the sidewalk. Holy s***. The car is believed to have eventually crashed into the railings of Parliament at the end of Westminster Bridge. Steve Boulton and his wife Karen, from Caversham in Reading, had travelled to Parliament to watch Prime Ministers Questions as a treat for his 50th birthday. The couple were having lunch in a nearby restaurant when they heard some muffled bangs in the distance. Mrs Boulton said: We came out of the restaurant and hit this horde of people coming the other way. We got a little way along Westminster Bridge when someone said you have to go back and it was a terrorist incident. We saw two bodies in the road. It was really frightening. A pedestrian is looked after by members of the public (Toby Melville/Reuters) Christopher Hope, a journalist at the Daily Telegraph, witnessed part of the Westminster Bridge attack. He told BBC Radio 5 live: There was a loud bang on Westminster bridge opposite the pub there, the Westminster Tavern I think its called, next to Boots. Then there was screaming and shouting and I saw about 100 people running from the bridge across down towards Westminster Abbey. And then as they were running it was clear something was going on because people were looking where the bang was and it sounded maybe like an explosion or maybe a car hit some railings or maybe someone was hit by a car but it was a big bang and then there was shooting several shots were fired and there were two individuals lying outside Westminster Hall on the road being treated by medics and an ambulance had just pulled up. Eyewitness describes what he saw Tourist Bradford Buck was outside Parliament when the attack happened and said he saw a victim curled up on the ground following the attack. In a video clip posted on Twitter by journalist Jim Waterson, Mr Buck said: We came up from the Westminster Underground and we saw a car crashed into the gate, the fence around the Parliament. There was a man lying on the ground and then the police officers were running with machine guns so the first thing I said to my wife and friend is get behind the concrete and we were all kind of watching, everybodys in a little bit of shock. Then pretty quickly the London police were here just shooing everybody out of here. There was a person on the ground. It was a regular civilian, somebody on the ground. They looked pretty bad. They werent moving too much. They were kind of curled up on the ground. The bridge has been cordoned off while paramedics treat the injured. Vauxhall to Embankment has also been closed "as part of the security response", according to the Port of London Authority.
People look at floral tributes to victims of Wednesday's attack on Parliament Square outside the Houses of Parliament in London, Friday March 24, 2017. On Thursday authorities identified a 52-year-old Briton as the man who mowed down pedestrians and stabbed a policeman to death outside Parliament in London, saying he had a long criminal record and once was investigated for extremism  but was not currently on a terrorism watch list. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) London Mayor Sadiq Khan looks at floral tributes to victims of Wednesday's attack outside the Houses of Parliament in London, Friday March 24, 2017. On Thursday authorities identified a 52-year-old Briton as the man who mowed down pedestrians and stabbed a policeman to death outside Parliament in London, saying he had a long criminal record and once was investigated for extremism  but was not currently on a terrorism watch list. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) Floral tributes to victims of Wednesday's attack outside the Houses of Parliament in London, Friday March 24, 2017. On Thursday authorities identified a 52-year-old Briton as the man who mowed down pedestrians and stabbed a policeman to death outside Parliament in London, saying he had a long criminal record and once was investigated for extremism  but was not currently on a terrorism watch list. (AP Photo/Tim Ireland) Britain's Prince Charles, right, meets paramedics and support staff who assisted those injured in the attack in Westminster, at King's College Hospital in London, Friday March 24, 2017. Police are combing through "massive amounts of computer data" and have contacted thousands of witnesses as they look for clues about why a British-born man became radicalized and launched a deadly attack on Parliament, a senior police official said Friday. (Yui Mok/Pool Photo via AP) Britain's Prince Charles, background centre right, meets paramedics and support staff who assisted those injured in the attack in Westminster, at King's College Hospital in London, Friday March 24, 2017. Police are combing through "massive amounts of computer data" and have contacted thousands of witnesses as they look for clues about why a British-born man became radicalized and launched a deadly attack on Parliament, a senior police official said Friday. (Yui Mok/Pool Photo via AP) London Mayor Sadiq Khan walks on Westminster Bridge near floral tributes to victims of Wednesday's attack outside the Houses of Parliament in London, Friday March 24, 2017. On Thursday authorities identified a 52-year-old Briton as the man who mowed down pedestrians and stabbed a policeman to death outside Parliament in London, saying he had a long criminal record and once was investigated for extremism  but was not currently on a terrorism watch list. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) Britain's Prince Charles, centre, meets paramedics and support staff who assisted those injured in the attack in Westminster, at King's College Hospital in London, Friday March 24, 2017. Police are combing through "massive amounts of computer data" and have contacted thousands of witnesses as they look for clues about why a British-born man became radicalized and launched a deadly attack on Parliament, a senior police official said Friday. (Yui Mok/Pool Photo via AP) Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood walks past floral tributes to victims of Wednesday's attack outside the Houses of Parliament in London, Friday March 24, 2017. Ellwood desperately tried to save the life of Constable Keith Palmer, the police officer killed on Wednesday when a man went on a deadly rampage, first driving a car into pedestrians then stabbing a police officer to death before being fatally shot by police within Parliament's grounds in London. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) Tributes to victims of Wednesday's attack laid outside the Houses of Parliament in London, Friday March 24, 2017. On Thursday authorities identified a 52-year-old Briton as the man who mowed down pedestrians and stabbed a policeman to death outside Parliament in London, saying he had a long criminal record and once was investigated for extremism  but was not currently on a terrorism watch list. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) In this Oct. 14, 2016, image provided by Claire Thorogood, Andrew Thorogood, left, and his daughters, Alexsandra, second right, and Georgia, right, smile next to Officer Keith Palmer, second left, outside the Houses of Parliament in London. Palmer was one of four people killed in an attack in Westminster while on duty at Parliament when he was stabbed to death on Wednesday, March 22, 2017. (Claire Thorogood via the AP) Metropolitan Police counterterrorism chief Mark Rowley speaks to the media about the terrorist attack, outside New Scotland Yard in London, Friday March 24, 2017. London's top anti-terror officer says two more "significant arrests" have been made in connection with the Westminster attack, in central and northern England. (Lauren Hurley/PA via AP) People light candles at a vigil for the victims of Wednesday's attack, at Trafalgar Square in London, Thursday, March 23, 2017. The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for an attack by a man who plowed an SUV into pedestrians and then stabbed a police officer to death on the grounds of Britain's Parliament. Mayor Sadiq Khan called for Londoners to attend a candlelit vigil at Trafalgar Square on Thursday evening in solidarity with the victims and their families and to show that London remains united. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) A woman holds up a sign at a vigil for the victims of Wednesday's attack, at Trafalgar Square in London, Thursday, March 23, 2017. The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for an attack by a man who plowed an SUV into pedestrians and then stabbed a police officer to death on the grounds of Britain's Parliament. Mayor Sadiq Khan called for Londoners to attend a candlelit vigil at Trafalgar Square on Thursday evening in solidarity with the victims and their families and to show that London remains united. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) Britain's Prince Charles, right, meets paramedics and support staff who assisted those injured in the attack in Westminster, at King's College Hospital in London, Friday March 24, 2017. Police are combing through "massive amounts of computer data" and have contacted thousands of witnesses as they look for clues about why a British-born man became radicalized and launched a deadly attack on Parliament, a senior police official said Friday. (Yui Mok/Pool Photo via AP) People view floral tributes to victims of Wednesday's attack outside the Houses of Parliament in London, Friday, March 24, 2017. On Thursday authorities identified a 52-year-old Briton as the man who mowed down pedestrians and stabbed a policeman to death outside Parliament in London, saying he had a long criminal record and once was investigated for extremism  but was not currently on a terrorism watch list. (AP Photo/Tim Ireland) PC recruits observe a minute's silence at their passing out parade at Peel House, in Colindale, England, Friday, March 24, 2017, with the Police Colours' Flag lowered and a Union flag flown at half mast following the death of policeman Keith Palmer during an attack in Westminster. In a briefing outside Scotland Yard, London's top counterterror officer, Mark Rowley, said two more "significant" arrests had been made, bringing to nine the number of people in custody over Wednesday's attack. (Nick Ansell/PA via AP) Floral tributes to victims of Wednesday's attack outside the Houses of Parliament in London, Friday March 24, 2017. On Thursday authorities identified a 52-year-old Briton as the man who mowed down pedestrians and stabbed a policeman to death outside Parliament in London, saying he had a long criminal record and once was investigated for extremism  but was not currently on a terrorism watch list. (AP Photo/Tim Ireland) A police officer places flowers as a man gestures beside floral tributes to victims of Wednesday's attack, on Parliament Square outside the Houses of Parliament in London, Friday March 24, 2017. On Thursday authorities identified a 52-year-old Briton as the man who mowed down pedestrians and stabbed a policeman to death outside Parliament in London, saying he had a long criminal record and once was investigated for extremism  but was not currently on a terrorism watch list. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) A police officer looks at floral tributes to victims of Wednesday's attack on Parliament Square outside the Houses of Parliament in London, Friday March 24, 2017. On Thursday authorities identified a 52-year-old Briton as the man who mowed down pedestrians and stabbed a policeman to death outside Parliament in London, saying he had a long criminal record and once was investigated for extremism  but was not currently on a terrorism watch list. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) People view floral tributes to victims of Wednesday's attack outside the Houses of Parliament in London, Friday, March 24, 2017. On Thursday authorities identified a 52-year-old Briton as the man who mowed down pedestrians and stabbed a policeman to death outside Parliament in London, saying he had a long criminal record and once was investigated for extremism  but was not currently on a terrorism watch list. (AP Photo/Tim Ireland) People look at floral tributes to victims of Wednesday's attack on Parliament Square outside the Houses of Parliament in London, Friday March 24, 2017. On Thursday authorities identified a 52-year-old Briton as the man who mowed down pedestrians and stabbed a policeman to death outside Parliament in London, saying he had a long criminal record and once was investigated for extremism  but was not currently on a terrorism watch list. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) The Latest: UK honors lawmaker who tried to save policeman Mar. 24, 2017 A lawmaker who battled to save the life of a police officer stabbed in the Parliament attack has been honored with an appointment as an adviser to Queen Elizabeth II. British Prime Minister Theresa May's office says Tobias Ellwood has been named to the Privy Council, a committee of senior lawmakers, judges and others that advises the queen. The institution dates back a millennium, and members are entitled to be addressed as "Right Honorable." Security Minister Ben Wallace, who helped coordinate the government response to Wednesday's attack, has also been named to the Privy Council. Ellwood, a former army officer whose brother died in the 2002 Bali bombing, gave mouth-to-mouth-resuscitation to Constable Keith Palmer after he was stabbed by attacker Khalid Masood as he was guarding the Parliament. Palmer died of his injuries. ___ 8:05 p.m. British police say six of the 10 people being held in connection with the attack near Britain's Parliament have been released without charge. The two women and four men were all arrested in the central England city of Birmingham, where attacker Khalid Masood recently lived. All had been arrested on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts. Four other people remain in custody as police try to learn how Masood became radicalized and went on a rampage Wednesday in London with an SUV and knives that killed four people. He was later shot to death by police. Al-Hilli expressed his condolences Friday for the four people killed and dozens wounded in the car and knife rampage on Wednesday, saying "we utterly condemn this terrorist act." Mirvis played on the theme of unity among people of faith, saying "Londoners are showing right now that we will always stand up with strength to confront terror and we will never be cowed by it." ___ 2:50 p.m. Prince Charles has visited people injured in the London attack, meeting privately with victims at a hospital. The heir to the British throne thanked staff at King's College Hospital for their "marvelous efforts." He shook hands with nurses, who took photos of him as he left the ward. Charles said: "How you do it, I don't know." The hospital has treated eight victims. ___ 2:30 p.m. Romania's embassy in Britain says a Romanian woman wounded during a terrorist attack on Westminster Bridge is showing signs of improvement although she remains in a serious condition. Romanian officials have not identified the woman, who fell into the Thames River when a SUV plowed into pedestrians on Wednesday, citing privacy regulations. Friends have identified her as Andreea Cristea, an interior designer, from the Black Sea port of Constanta. The embassy said Friday any further health updates would need to be approved by her family. Ambassador to Britain Dan Mihalache said on Thursday she underwent surgery to remove a blood clot from her brain. The embassy said her boyfriend has been discharged from the hospital. ___ 2:20 p.m. London Mayor Sadiq Khan has joined other Londoners in leaving floral tributes to honor the police officer killed in the London terror attack. Khan's note and flowers were placed outside of New Scotland Yard, the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Force. Khan's note said: "You will always be in our hearts. Londoners will never forget the innocent people who lost their lives." British Transport Police officers from Lambeth, South London left a note that said simply: "For Pc Keith Palmer. HERO. Never forgotten." Palmer was stabbed to death by an attacker on Wednesday as he guarded the British Parliament in the heart of London. ___ 12:10 p.m. A former British Army officer told the BBC on Friday that rescuers held the hand of Constable Keith Palmer and talked to him as they tried in vain to save his life after he was stabbed during the attack on Parliament. Mike Crofts, a former Army captain who served in Afghanistan, said he was in the courtyard outside the Houses of Parliament following a meeting with politicians about using boxing to engage young men when the attack took place. "Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we were unable to save him," Crofts said. "(Police Constable) Palmer at the time was surrounded by a whole host of colleagues who really loved him. We held his hand through the experience. We talked to him throughout, but unfortunately he passed away." ___ 11:30 a.m. The manager of a hotel where the London attacker stayed the night before he plowed his 4x4 into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge and then stabbed a police officer at Parliament says he seemed unusually outgoing and mentioned details about his family, including having a sick father. "He was normal, in fact friendly, because we spent possibly five or 10 minutes talking to him about his background and where he came from," Sabeur Toumi told Sky News on Friday. Police raided the room at the Preston Park Hotel in Brighton after the attack, searching for clues about Khalid Masood, who was identified Friday by his prior name, Adrian Russell Ajao. Toumi said Masood checked in under his own name and mentioned having a couple of children, as well as troubles with an ailing father. Among the items seized were the trouser press and the toilet paper holder. ___ 10:15 a.m. He was the perfect British bobby, patiently and politely posing for a photo with a family of tourists from Australia, a wry smile on his face. Keith Palmer, the policeman stabbed to death in the Westminster attack on Wednesday, left a lasting warm impression on the Thorogoods on that day last October, as he willingly posed with the family for a picture. Parliament, the building that Palmer was guarding when he was murdered, was in the background. In a post on his Facebook page , Andrew Thorogood recalled how happy Palmer was "to pose with us for a photo once he learned that we had travelled all the way from Alice Springs." Describing Palmer as "a genuinely nice bloke," Thorogood recalled that the officer "said he would love to visit Australia with his family one day." Thorogood added that "he was happy to chat and smile for a photo ... whilst still remaining vigilant and carrying out his duties as a police officer." ___ 8:30 a.m. London's top terror officer says Khalid Masood, who attacked Britain's Parliament, killing four people and wounding some 50, was born Adrian Russell Ajao. Counter-terror chief Mark Rowley revealed the name in a briefing Friday outside Scotland Yard in which he also said there were two other significant arrests. That brought the total number of people in custody for the Wednesday attack to nine. The attacker was born in southeastern England and had most recently been living in the central city of Birmingham. ___ 8:20 a.m. London's top anti-terror officer says two more "significant arrests" have been made in connection with the Westminster attack, in central and northern England. Nine people are currently in custody, while one has been released on bail. Counter-terror chief Mark Rowley on Friday also identified the latest victim, who died in the hospital on Thursday, as 75-year-old Leslie Rhodes from Streatham, south London. The attacker, identified as Khalid Masood, drove his car into crowds of people on Westminster Bridge on Wednesday afternoon, killing three and wounding some 50, before stabbing a police officer to death at the Houses of Parliament. He was shot dead by police.
Islamic State is using the Westminster terror attack to help recruit terrorists in a wave of YouTube videos glorifying the massacre. Khalid Masood, who killed four people on Wednesday in a rampage in London, is being hailed a hero by twisted extremists in videos that Google has failed to block. Several videos are still live, including one entitled 'Westminster attack documentary (must watch)' posted by a user called Luke Taylor, in which radicalised Muslims preach at the camera in a 10-minute clip which features a prisoner being burned to death. A screenshot of ISIS' Westminster Attack Documentary (MUST WATCH) which is being used to recruit terrorists MailOnline has contacted Google for a comment amid growing pressure on the internet giants to take more responsibility over its content. A YouTube spokeswoman said: 'We have clear policies against inciting violence and we remove content that is illegal or that breaks our rules when were made aware of it.' A number of videos by the terror group are still being circulated online mentioning Wednesday's atrocities. Amber Rudd and Boris Johnson have stepped up the heat on firms over their 'disgusting' failure to block extremist content. The Cabinet ministers warned that companies such as Google and Facebook are acting as a 'conduit' for murderous terrorists, and demanded they be more 'proactive' in tackling the problem. The government is also calling for security services to be given access to encrypted WhatsApp messages, warning it is 'completely unacceptable' that terrorists can plot in secret. Islamic terrorist Khalid Masood, who was born in Kent as Adrian Elms Focus on the issue has intensified in the wake of the deadly attack on Westminster last week, when Khalid Masood used a hired car to mow down dozens of pedestrians before stabbing a policeman to death at the gates of parliament. Concerns have been raised that information on how to mount a terror attack is still easily accessible online. Before the atrocity Google had already been forced to promise it would take a 'tougher stance' on hateful content after an outcry and boycotts from advertisers over its content appearing alongside extreme material. Home Secretary Ms Rudd named and shamed lesser known websites like Telegram, Wordpress and Justpaste.it today as she widened the Government's criticism. The Home Secretary left the door open to changing the law if necessary. But she said she would rather see an industry-wide board doing it independently, as the best people to take action are those who understand the technology and the 'necessary hashtags'. RELATED ARTICLES Share this article On encrypted messaging services, she told BBC One's Andrew Marr Show: 'It is completely unacceptable, there should be no place for terrorists to hide. 'We need to make sure that organisations like WhatsApp, and there are plenty of others like that, don't provide a secret place for terrorists to communicate with each other. 'It used to be that people would steam-open envelopes or just listen in on phones when they wanted to find out what people were doing, legally, through warrantry. 'But on this situation we need to make sure that our intelligence services have the ability to get into situations like encrypted WhatsApp.' Ms Rudd said she was calling in a 'fairly long list' of relevant organisations for a meeting on the issue this week, including social media platforms. Ms Rudd said she was calling in a 'fairly long list' of relevant internet organisations for a meeting on the issue of extremism this week Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said he found it 'disgusting' that net firms were not taking tougher action against extreme literature 'What these companies have to realise is that they are now publishing companies, they are not technology companies, they are platforms and we need to make sure that that (hosting extremist material) stops,' she said. 'You are right, we will not resile from taking action if we need to do so.' But she went on: 'I would rather get a situation where we get all these people around the table agreeing to do it. 'I know it sounds a bit like we're stepping away from legislation but we're not. 'What I'm saying is the best people who understand the technology, who understand the necessary hashtags to stop this stuff even being put up, not just taking it down, but stopping it being put up in the first place, are going to be them.' Mr Johnson called on internet providers and social media companies to develop new technology to detect and remove jihadist and other extreme material. He accused them of 'not acting when they are tipped off', adding in an interview with the Sunday Times: 'I'm furious about it. 'It's disgusting. 'They need to stop just making money out of prurient violent material.' Mr Johnson added: 'They are not acting when they are tipped off. Khalid Masood used a hired car to mow down dozens of pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before entering the grounds of Parliament and stabbing Pc Keith Palmer to death Theresa May vowed to show terrorists that 'we are not afraid' as she addressed the House of Commons in the wake of the attack 'Evil flourishes when good men do nothing - and that's what's happening here. 'They are putting up adverts next to it.' The interventions come after Prime Minister Theresa May urged internet companies to do more to prevent terror and hate being spread in cyberspace. An investigation by the Sunday Mirror uncovered a host of messages encouraging extremist violence exchanged on the encrypted Telegram messaging site. They included an image of a sword-bearing jihadi fighter standing in front of a burning Big Ben, sent weeks before Wednesday's terror attack on Parliament. Another reportedly shared details of how to carry out an atrocity, saying: 'Methods can include entering the stadium and detonating an explosive(s). 'Attacking fans/security at full time in the vicinity of the car park area or exits of the stadium. 'Devices can be left in around the stadium, bars, cars, busses, trains, transportation etc.
Share: UK Parliament resumes, holds minutes silence after attack LONDON (AP)  Britains Parliament observed a minute of silence Thursday to remember a police officer and two civilians killed a day earlier in an attack at the heart of London, while authorities raided homes in central England to search for evidence. Eight people were arrested in raids, including some in the city of Birmingham. Police searched for clues as to why a man driving an SUV plowed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, killing two and injuring more than 30 others, before he fatally stabbed a police officer on Parliaments grounds. Police shot and killed the attacker, whose identity they have not yet disclosed. Parliament was locked down after the attack, and the return to business was seen as an important act of defiance. The silence began at 9:33 a.m., to honor the shoulder number of the murdered officer, Keith Palmer. Those who carry out such wicked and depraved acts as we saw yesterday can never triumph in our country and we must ensure it is not violence, hatred or division but decency and tolerance that prevails in our country, Trade Secretary Liam Fox said. The other lawmakers responded: Hear, hear! Mayor Sadiq Khan called for Londoners to attend a candlelit vigil at Trafalgar Square on Thursday evening in solidarity with the victims and their families and to show that London remains united. London went on. Parliament Square, Westminster Bridge and several surrounding streets remain cordoned off by police. Scores of unarmed officers in bright yellow jackets were staffing the perimeter tape, guiding confused civil servants trying to get to work. In Parliaments New Palace Yard, a blue police tent was erected over the spot where the stabbing and shooting occurred, and two forensic officers worked at a trestle table nearby. Metropolitan Police counterterrorism chief Mark Rowley said that he believed the attacker acted alone and was inspired by international terrorism. The attacker has been identified and was known to British security, according to a security official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about ongoing security operations. He declined to name the man and to give any other details about his identity, nationality or hometown. Rowley revised the death toll from five to four, including the attacker, the police officer and two civilians. He said that 29 people required hospitalization and seven of them were in critical condition. He also said that authorities were still working out the number of walking wounded. Police had previously given the total number of injured as around 40. One of those killed was Aysha Frade, a British national whose mother is Spanish, the Spanish Foreign Ministry said. A doctor who treated the wounded from the bridge said some had catastrophic injuries. Three police officers, several French teenagers on a school trip, two Romanian tourists and five South Korean visitors were among the injured. Before Rowleys news conference, British media reported that armed police carried out a raid on a property in Birmingham. The Press Association on Thursday quoted an unnamed witness saying that the operation was linked to the attack. The witness said that police raided an apartment and arrested three men. Police in the West Midlands, where Birmingham is located, directed inquiries about the operation to Londons Metropolitan Police. The threat level for international terrorism in the U.K. was already listed at severe, meaning an attack was highly likely. Defense Secretary Michael Fallon told the BBC that authorities assume the attack was linked to Islamic terrorism in some form. Investigators worked around the clock. They have been working right through the night, looking into his background, how he got hold of the vehicle, where the vehicle has been in the last day or two, and who may or may not have helped him, he said. Speaking outside 10 Downing St. after chairing a meeting of governments emergency committee, COBRA, Prime Minister Theresa May said Wednesday that level wouldnt change. She said attempts to defeat British values of democracy and freedom through terrorism would fail. Londoners and visitors will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart, May said. President Donald Trump was among world leaders offering condolences. London has been a target for terrorism many times over past decades. Just this weekend, hundreds of armed police took part in an exercise simulating a marauding terrorist attack on the River Thames. Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Up to four people and the perpetrator have been killed in the horrific incident with more than 40 injured, with several being reported as in being a serious condition. The knifeman driving a 4x4 had mowed down pedestrians en route to Parliament on Westminster Bridge, injuring dozens including schoolchildren. The attacker was shot dead at the scene by officers outside Parliament. TWITTER The car used by the attacker at the scene of the London terror attack Speaking out after the horrific event, MPs have claimed it could have been prevented if the Parliaments gate had been bolted and better guarded. Mary Creagh, the MP for Wakefield, told the Telegraph: Its a terrible, terrible day for Parliament, the one weak spot on our estate is those carriage gates. We have four police officers there, two on the gate going in, two on the gate going out, we see them every day, we are friends with lots of them. She added: I think we will need to look at security at the Palace [of Westminster] in the wake of this incident, but that is a plan for another day. I think tonight we need to be remembering all those who have been caught up in todays tragic events. EXPRESS The attacker mowed through pedestrians on Westminster Bridge en route to the Houses of Parliament Related articles I think we will need to look at security at the Palace [of Westminster] in the wake of this incident, Mary Creagh, the MP for Wakefield Parliamentary pass holders, who include MPs, journalists and staff, are allowed to enter the Westminster building through secure turnstiles without bag checks or scanners, while the public are screened via airport-type security at pedestrian entrances. But the attack has raised questions about whether security outside Parliament may have slipped. Security for MPs was reviewed after the murder of Jo Cox last year, although she was killed in her constituency, not near Parliament. The threat level in the UK still remains at severe, which has been the case since 2014. "But there will be in place some sort of physical presence with police officers, for anybody rushing through the gates." Despite the apparent criticism, MPs have also praised the response of the officers on duty outside Parliament. PA HERO: Police officer Keith Palmer tried to stop the attacker but was killed outside of Parliament Ms Creagh continued: They put their lives in harms way for us and I just want to thank them for what theyve done. My thoughts and prayers are with them and their families as they have been absolute heroes. They are the people who stand there and have witnessed this attack on our building and our security. Richard Benyon, a Conservative MP, said he was irritated by reports that parliamentary security was breached. REUTERS Emergency services responding to the scene He said on Twitter: Attacker was taken down at gate. Highly professional response. Security was also tightened around Buckingham Palace following the attack and the Queen has cancelled her visit to the New Scotland Yard later today where she was due to open the Metropolitan Polices new headquarters at Victoria Embankment, only a few hundred yards from the scene of the terror attacks.
Family pay tribute to Romanian tourist, 31, 'cruelly ripped from our lives' as she dies in hospital two weeks after she was thrown off Westminster Bridge during terror attack on the day her boyfriend planned to propose Andreea Cristea has died in hospital following Westminster Bridge terror attack The 31-year-old Romanian architect was thrown from the bridge in the atrocity Family said Andreea was 'most unique and life loving person you can imagine' Said she was 'cruelly and brutally ripped away from our lives in the most heartless and spiritless way' Her death brings the number of innocent victims who died in the attack to five After being rescued from the Thames by fire crews and rushed to hospital for treatment, Ms Cristea was diagnosed with a blood clot on the brain and underwent surgery. Her 29-year-old boyfriend, who suffered a broken foot, had remained by her bedside and was said to be destroyed by her death. After the atrocity, his mother Violeta said Mr Burnaz staggered around the bridge screaming his girlfriends name as he looked for her, unaware she was 20ft below him, face-down in the water. Friends described the couple, who had dated for two years and were planning to move in together, as deeply in love. Her family said some 3,000 in donations raised to aid her recovery would now be given to charity. Mr Burnaz had an operation on a broken foot but has since been discharged and attended a poignant vigil on Westminster Bridge last week. He was pushed in a wheelchair to the scene of the attack where he placed a single rose. The architect from Romania, died in hospital after she fell from Westminster Bridge Just days ago, Andrei Burnaz attack returned for a poignant vigil on the bridge in a wheelchair 'CRUELLY AND BRUTALLY RIPPED FROM OUR LIVES' A statement from Andreea's family together with her partner Andrei Burnaz, read: 'After fighting for her life for over two weeks, our beloved and irreplaceable Andreea - wonderful daughter, sister, partner, dedicated friend and the most unique and life loving person you can imagine - was cruelly and brutally ripped away from our lives in the most heartless and spiritless way. 'She will always be remembered as our shining ray of light that will forever keep on shining in our hearts. 'Andreea is now unfortunately not able to have part of the money that was raised for her recovery, so we would like to donate it to charity. She would not have it any other way. 'There are no words to even begin to describe the crushing pain and emptiness that is left in our hearts. 'Our family, together with Andrei, are deeply touched and eternally grateful for the unimaginable efforts and never-ending dedication provided to her and us by the entire medical personnel of each and every hospital involved. 'Their kindness and empathy are beyond compare. 'We would not have been able to live through these trying and tragically hurtful weeks without the support of the Metropolitan Police, the UK Government and every department involved. 'Our hearts and love go out to our two Family Liaison Officers, Detective Sergeants Tony De-Wilde and Geraint Jones, who stood beside us every single step of the way. You were our lifeline and we will never be able to thank you enough.' Flowers have been laid at Parliament Square to remember the innocent victims who died in the terror attack FIVE INNOCENT VICTIMS KILLED Romanian tourist Andreea Cristea's death brings the number of innocent people killed in the Westminster terror attack to five: :: Andreea Cristea Andreea Cristea, 31, was on Westminster Bridge with her partner Andrei Burnaz when the car driven by Khalid Masood ploughed into them. Ms Cristea was thrown into the River Thames and subsequently suffered a blood clot on the brain for which she was operated on. She had been receiving hospital treatment and life support was withdrawn on Thursday. According to reports, the couple were in London celebrating Mr Burnaz's birthday, and he was due to propose to Ms Cristea later that day. :: Leslie Rhodes Leslie Rhodes, 75, from Clapham, south London, died at King's College Hospital on the night after the attack after life support was withdrawn. Neighbours described the retired window cleaner as a 'lovely man' and said the pensioner was a keen music fan. :: Kurt Cochran Kurt Cochran, a US tourist from Utah, was killed on Westminster Bridge after Masood drove his car into unsuspecting pedestrians. He and his wife Melissa, on the last day of a trip celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary, were visiting her parents, who are serving as Mormon missionaries in London. Mrs Cochran was badly injured. :: Aysha Frade Aysha Frade, who worked in administration at independent sixth-form school DLD College London in Westminster, also died on the bridge. The 44-year-old was described by her family as a 'caring daughter, loving sister, amazing wife, irreplaceable aunt, thoughtful, supportive friend and the best and coolest of mummies'. Mrs Frade's family is well known in Betanzos, Spain, where her older sisters, Silvia and Michelle, run the Notting Hill English language academy. :: Pc Keith Palmer Pc Keith Palmer, a 48-year-old husband and father and Charlton Athletic season ticket-holder, was stabbed to death in the attack. He was praised as a 'strong, professional public servant' who served in the military before joining the Metropolitan Police's parliamentary and diplomatic protection command. Pc Palmer served as a reservist from August 1987 to August 2001, leaving as a bombardier, and had 15 years of service as a police officer. His full police service funeral will take place at Southwark Cathedral on Monday. Kurt Cochran was with his wife on the final day of a European trip to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary when he died in the attack Today the family of another of the victims appeared on Good Morning Britain to pay tribute and insist his death would not be in vain. Kurt Cochran from Utah died after he was thrown onto a concrete underpass. The 54-year-old was with his wife on the final day of a European trip to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. RELATED ARTICLES Share this article His sister and brother-in-law Sandy and Larry Murphy appeared on the ITV show and paid an emotional tribute to the father-of-two. Mr Cochran's sister Sandy said: 'People were drawn to him, no matter where he went people just wanted to be his friend.' They admitted they never suspected a family member had been hurt when news of the attack broke. Sandy and Larry Murphy appeared on the ITV show and paid an emotional tribute to father-of-two Kurt Cochran Recalling the day they got the news, Mr Murphy said: 'I'd heard something briefly early that morning and then we got a call later that day from a family member who said they thought it was Kurt and Melissa who had been affected.' Mrs Murphy added: 'What are the odds? Out of all the people in the world. What are the odds?' They told the show Mr Cochran's wife Melissa was slowly recovering in hospital fater injuring her leg in the attack. The couple also revealed Melissa was planning a family reunion next month, where they would plant a tree in memory of Kurt.
Two people have died and others are seriously injured in a suspected terrorist incident at the Houses of Parliament. Police outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after sounds similar to gunfire have been heard close to the Palace of Westminster. Picture: Victoria Jones/PA Wire The Metropolitan Police are treating it as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise, Scotland Yard said. MPs who were debating in the Commons have been in a lock down situation while police make a sweep of Parliament. Deputy Speaker Lindsay Hoyle suspended the sitting of the House and told MPs: This House is now suspended but please wait here. The main doors into the House of Commons were shut as MPs sat on the benches and checked their phones while others stood in groups and spoke to each other. MPs in House of Commons, London after a major security alert at the Palace of Westminster after a man apparently carrying a knife charged through the gates into the front yard of the parliamentary compound. Picture: PA Wire Poplar and Limehouse MP Jim Fitzpatrick was one of those caught up in the lock-down of Parliament after having just voted in a Commons debate on the Pensions Bill. I cant leave the Chamber, he told the East London Advertiser. I can see the public located in the Lobby and my staff are in lockdown in their office. Its all isolated while police make a sweep of Parliament. We were in the middle of going through the voting lobby. I had just cast my vote and was heading out to meet other MPs when the lights started lashing and the alert signal went off. Door keepers immediately activated the procedure and closed inner and outer doors from the central lobby to the members lobby and Commons chamber. These prevent MPs getting out and others getting in. The procedure came in after the Tony Blair incident a few years ago when he was hit with powder. Mr Fitzpatrick immediately phoned his constituency office in Poplar to cancel several appointments due later today and told the staff to go home for the day. But his Parliamentary staff at Westminster werent so lucky. They have also ben in lock-down while police were carry out a full sweep of the Palace of Westminster. Police outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after sounds similar to gunfire have been heard close to the Palace of Westminster. Picture: Victoria Jones/PA Wire We have occasional drills, but this was for real, he added. They drills are and procedure ware arranged by the Commons Fire Safety Committee, which Mr Fitzpatrick is a member of. He is also a former minister in the Blair government serving in employment, road safety and the sensitive aviation department. All Commons business has had to be abandoned. The MPs are still waiting for the all clear before the Parliament buildings can be reopened. Labours David Winnick raised a point of order to try to seek clarity. He said: Something serious has apparently happened. Could we know if we were to have a statement either from the leader of the House or the Home Secretary? Mr Hoyle replied: Its not the time or appropriate to this moment until I have got further information. What I would say is the House is suspended. I want members to stay in here until we know where we are. Its far too serious to get into a debate. We can worry about that later. Scotland Yard said in a statement: Police are asking people to avoid Parliament Square, Whitehall, Westminster Bridge, Lambeth Bridge, Victoria Street up to the junction with Broadway and the Victoria Embankment up to Embankment Underground station to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident. Officers, including firearms officers, remain on the scene which is being treated as a terrorist incident. Westminster Underground station has also been closed. In another incident on Westminster Bridge, a woman has died after a vehicle drove into pedestrians. Junior doctor Colleen Anderson from St Thomas Hospital said she treated a police officer in his 30s with a head injury who had been taken to Kings College Hospital. She said: I confirmed one fatality. A woman. She was under the wheel of a bus. She died, confirmed her death at the scene. Ms Anderson said: There were people across the bridge. There were some with minor injuries, some catastrophic. Some had injuries they could walk away from or who have life-changing injuries. There were maybe a dozen (injured). A spokesman for the Port of London Authority, which looks after safety on the River Thames, said: A female member of the public was recovered from the water near Westminster Bridge. She is alive but undergoing urgent medical treatment on a nearby pier. We believe she fell from the bridge. He said the river has been closed from Vauxhall to Embankment as part of the security response. A financial health centre is being opened today to help families struggling to make ends meet as the government completes its roll-out of Universal Credit to postcodes around Bethnal Green and part of Shoreditch. PROMOTED CONTENT Are you a landlord looking for a fixed rental income, paid whether the property is empty or not? Steve Westley, general manager at estate agents Elliot Leigh, explains their Guaranteed Rent Scheme and how it takes the stress out of letting your property.
Christian MPs call for prayers as politicians return to work after Westminster attack Thu 23 Mar 2017 By Premier Journalist Christian MPs have asked for prayers as they and their colleagues return to the Palace of Westminster the morning after a suspected terrorist attack. Labour MP Alex Cunningham told Premier that politicians felt they had a duty to return to work. A lady prays near flowers outside the Queen Elizabeth II Centre in London He said: "We have a duty to be there and more important than that, we have a duty to our democracy and to our people. We mustn't be cowered by the things that happened yesterday and in the past as well." Parliament was placed on lockdown in accordance with protocol call after shots were heard outside the Palace of Westminster at approximately 2.40pm on Wednesday. Four people died - including the attacker, a man in his 50s and a woman in for 40s - in the incident. The perpetrator hit pedestrians on Westminster Bridge yesterday before fatally stabbing PC Keith Palmer at the gates of the palace. Twenty-nine people were treated in hospital and seven remained in a critical condition on Thursday. SNP MP Carol Monaghan told Premier that she was mid debate in the second chamber as the incident unfolded. "The doors were slammed shut in the chamber and we were told to stay in - we were shouted at to stay in - so at that point there was a lot of confusion. We didn't know how serious it was at that point," Monaghan said. She added: "At one point in the chamber I lay down and said a prayer for those affected. "We just need to keep them all in our prayers; there's people who have lost their lives including a policeman who was protecting us. "We also need to keep in our prayers people who are so consumed with hate that they feel the need to take other people's lives." Westminster Bridge on Thursday morning Labour MP Alex Cunningham told Premier that we should remember those at home and abroad affected my terrorism. "We often in our church pray for peace; we must recognise that life has to go on. "[A friend] sent me a text that said 'And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.' And I got that just after I returned back to my flat." Members of the House of Parliament observe a minutes silence to pay respect to the victims of yesterday's terror attack in Westminster At 9.33am on Thursday, MPs and parliamentary staff observed a one minute's silence in the Commons and in Whitehall. Conservative MP John Glen who was at the Commons this told Premier that the mood was very subdued. "All colleagues and staff working in Parliament feel a sense of numbness and bewilderment everyone is subdued as you'd imagine but there is a very clear resolve that we must continue as we would have done. "These vile acts of terror will never take us away from the democratic principles that we live by," he said. He added that Christians need to be "slow to make judgements on exactly what happened until we know what has happened. "Christians bear a responsibility to be as measured and to reflect Christ's love in how we conduct ourselves and what we say and what we do." Glen urged Christians to pray for all those affected by the events and pray for wisdom for the police as they put together what happened. An hour after the minute silence, Prime Minister Theresa May told the House of Commons that Parliament was sending out the following message after Wednesday's attack: "We will never waver in the face of terrorism." Mrs May also said the attacker had been identified as someone known by police and MI5, and the working assumption was that he was inspired by Islamist terrorism. She told MPs: "Yesterday an act of terrorism tried to silence our democracy, but today we meet as normal, as generations have done before us and as future generations will continue to do, to deliver a simple message: 'We are not afraid and our resolve will never waver in the face of terrorism'." The Prime Minister went on to pay tribute to PC Keith Palmer, who died after being stabbed, she said: "He was every inch a hero and his actions will never be forgotten." A vigil will be held at Trafalgar Square at 6.00pm tonight in memory of the victims.
...'acting' inspector cole in august 2007 working for livingstone et al, before 2008 and alan duncan and vitol oil and 2010 + 'democracy village' An Andre Walker was actually a Tory rent boy at both City Hall and the Houses of Westminster employed to conduct the usual stock in trade smear tactics which dont work well against the public. If we re-visit what Walker's 'mentor' Andrew Gilligan wrote in 2007 [see below] what they were actually doing although they were Boris mouthpieces, was publicly repeat and actually publish Livingstone's smears, while trying to quietly cover up for Ken Livingstone over an assault on Babs on August 17th 2007. I was with Steve, Kitty Kat, and Gary by Old Palace Yard on the same day that by no co-incidence, STWC and Mayor of London, not so anti-war Ken Livingstone had been trying to remove our Parliament Square Peace Campaign, when a man came up to us and started kicking off. I was viciously punched in the head and the man was pursued by Steve and Gary and members of the public before he literally ran into the arms of police who had to arrest him, before Livingstone and Co disappeared him from Charing Cross Police Station. ...one of ken livingstone et al's rent boys Following that assault, Livingstone got Acting Inspector Cole to later typically unlawfully arrest me on some trumped up Public Order charge in Parliament Square to try and cover up the earlier assault at Old Palace Yard. When that inevitably fell apart, Livingstone had to try and find some wriggle room so it is now clear Tory mouthpiece Andrew Gilligan wrote a disingenuous pile of shit to try and gloss over what had really happened that is obviously now part of High Court proceedings against HM Government. ...the london evening standard bizarrely changed the date of the 2007 article to friday 13th 2012, in what is now in any event, evidence in legal proceedings of their lies I declined to speak to Gilligan in 2007, (and it was not me speaking on the loudspeaker either) because he was just on a fishing expedition over very serious legal proceedings. The same day that Gilligan's article appeared as a two page spread, of course no charges were brought against Brian and I, but Livingstone's smears were published by the Tory Party's Gilligan !! Gilligan makes no mention of Livingstone's unlawful arrests. [Brian had been unlawfully arrested many hours after me, because Livingstone would have looked even stranger taking on one woman] Suffice to say Andrew Gilligans weasel words were not accepted as any kind of apology from anyone. The Tories Senior Press Officer at City Hall [working with Andrew Gilligan] at that time was Andre Walker who then visited me in person in December 2011in Parliament Square, while he was working in the Houses of Parliament for a Tory MP, to beg me to take a "blank cheque" [name my price] if I would just "fuck off". ...westminster rent boy andre walker is for sale to the highest 'political' bidder This was several months after I had filed the mother of all counterclaims in the High Court in HQ11X00563 and the eejits thought they could invent errr...more legislation to try and cover that up ! Andre Walker was sent because as Press Officer at City Hall in 2007, he was "in the know" that both the former Mayor of London Ken Livingstone and current Mayor of London Boris Johnson were by that time, in very deep shit over much including the Democracy Village undercover operation. the circle jerk:...in this 'political' squabble andre walker plainly did not disclose he was a tory rent boy working in...the houses of parliament...and nor did breitbart who had no qualms about subsequently employing andre walker either Of course, the two war mongering 'political' parties often tangoed. Livingstone did a surreal performance sharing the stage in Parliament Square with Gordon Brown in their Nelson Mandela moment in 2007. When I made a lawful citizens arrest of Ken Livingstone in April 2008, which the media he was with would have found difficult to deny, that finally made Livingstone a permanent liability. So the next day out of revenge, Acting Inspector Cole & District Judge Snow had me unlawfully imprisoned without legal representation or trial over the bogus Alan Duncan S5 Public Order, because the Tories were equally anxious to try and cover up the Vitol Oil scandal. My imprisonment without legal representation or trial in August 2011 was pretty much a re-run of that again with Cole and his S5 Public Order using agent provocateurs from 'Democracy Village' and Vitol Oil working with MI6 in Libya. In legal terms you cannot even be imprisoned over S5 Public Order if it were real ! All the bunch of losers ever really proved was we are law abiding civilians doing the right thing. All political sides have only ever protected each other. All corporate legislation should just be repealed, because all it does is undermine the certainty of the rule of law that exists to protect life, with an entirely self-serving lottery of all 'politics'. Please note: Our long-standing civilian resistance that began on June 2nd 2001 is not a 'news' media outlet. We only publish information to help save civilian lives. Babs Tucker: "I learned everything I learned from Brian who was the real information superhighway, and our many years of real 24/7 experience campaigning on the front-line in Parliament Square, Central London, not from the divide and rule spin of the whole spectrum of MSM & alt 'news' media" unlawfully arrested, never charged with anything It was that original deliberate failure and cover up by Bindmans Solicitors & Garden Court Chambers 'lawyers' who failed to immediately go to the High Court with a jury lawsuit over my unlawful arrest on 23 May 2006 when I was released without charge that: a) obviously left me seriously vulnerable thereafter (because they were then actually only trying to cover up what they had done too) and b) was why multi-billion dollar legislation a High Court jury would have ruled incompatible with the rule of law, way back in 2006 took so long to repeal. [Babs was unlawfully arrested 48 times to try and cover up her 'void ab initio' win against the British Parliament & Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police and his 30,000 thugs on 14 September 2006] In 2008 Chez Cotton from Bindmans was threatening Brian if I went to the High Court and then in February 2010 Mike Schwarz from Bindmans was ordering barristers to withdraw from representing me, threatening they would lose any business from Bindmans if they didn't etc etc etc etc 'Sir' Kier Starmer, [the Head of Doughty Chambers] was made Director of Public Prosecutions & a Labour MP to cover up what he had done. 9 July 2006 unlawfully arrested, never charged with anything In the revolving doors between the veneer of 'politicians' and 'journalists' hides they are all violent uncivilized corporate 'lobbyists'. _____________________ U.K. POLICE STATE 10 April 1933, 1998, 2008 & 2013. The violent attack and unlawful arrest of Brian below [and also Steve when we managed to break through police lines to try and rescue Brian] by TSG riot police happened after my massive win at Southwark Crown Court on 13 December 2007. One of the immediate consequences of that win was the food chain at Charing Cross Police Station had to be disbanded from the top, down. The reality is arbitrary political policing just involves outright corruption with money changing hands. [When I had won in court on 9 July 2007 in a case connected to the case that we then also won in December 2007 all hell had broken loose when we walked outside the court straight into a police ambush and four of us were unlawfully arrested, and I was tortured again and obviously none of us were ever charged with anything] 10 April 2008: This is the case [below] that originally signposted overt collusion between Labour & Tory under the cover of the London Mayoralty election, before they escalated to starting their MI5 'Democracy Village' under the cover of 2010 general election. Labour and Tory hide 8 March 2007 emails while always refusing to comply with High Court Order, to explain how anyone could be imprisoned without legal representation or trial over the false pretext of an alleged 'S5 Public Order' which is not imprisonable [Vitol Oil and politicians bunged brown envelopes to public officials] 10 April 2013: City of London: MET Police & City of London 'secret' Police ambush over our going to High Court Clear evidence of British Parliament illegally trying to obstruct lawsuits. hitler loses to hindenburg 10 april 1933 blair signs good friday agreement on 10 april 1998 to wage war on terror, invading iraq 2003 westminster loses 10 april 2008 case against us, with our getting high court order against them 31 January 2007: Tony Blair's armed personal 'Diplomatic' police & MET Police unlawfully arrest Babs to try and cover up their pushing her into the roadway. I was kidnapped from court -during- live proceedings at Southwestern Magistrates Court on 19 July 2007, to stop me giving evidence in the malicious prosecution I subsequently won, involving Special Branch too, when the CPS were forced to concede "the state put in place a sequence of events that only put my life at risk". "these are real people's lives we are talking about" The Tories -Vitol Oil- with its annual 'turnover' of $270 billion stashed in Swiss vaults only slithered out of Moscow in March 2016, in the run up to Brexit Blair's Genocide: "these are all people, flesh and blood like you and me" ... updated ... Brian and Babs tapes of MET Police on 9 March 2006 in Parliament Square, Central London 7/7 Gold Commander goes after peaceniks !! 23 May 2006 23 May 2006: MET Police unlawfully arrest Babs knowing that, as proves to be the case, they can't find anything to charge her with. 5 August 2006 Unlawfully arrested and tortured. When I won the court case [above] on 9 July 2007, when it finally had to be admitted the police never had any evidence to arrest, bail me to Charing Cross Police Station and charge me on 4 September 2006, we walked out of the court into a police ambush where four of us were unlawfully arrested and I was tortured again [and obviously no-one was ever charged with anything] November 2006 unlawfully arrested, never charged with anything 27 June 2007: Blair & Brown trade places unlawfully arrested, never charged with anything Bush visit June 2008 STATE OPENING: 18 NOVEMBER 2009 November 2009: MET Police trying to cover up "torture that was used to try and cause organ failure and death" on September 3 & 4th 2009 at Belgravia Police Station, when I was violently attacked, unlawfully arrested and never charged with anything. The MET Police have always illegally refused to hand over to me, the CCTV that does exist and was secured. MET Police twist metal handcuffs over Babs broken bones in her hand from September 2009. The malicious prosecution was 'suddenly adjourned' on 29 April 2010 so their MI5 Democracy Village could start on 1 May 2010. They were really our High Court jury lawsuits too, because they knew searches that only began in July 2008, where they never found anything were always illegal. STATE OPENING: 25 May 2010 25 May 2010: a seriously, seriously corrupt MET police officer from the dirty tricks brown envelope dept. desperate to cover up his -latest- lying witness statement from November 2009 mega money changes hands Babs unlawfully arrested on 25 May 2010, in undercover operation over lawfully 'blowing the whistle' in legal proceedings on 13 January 2010, over London torture spy ring. The BBC & MET Police illegally edit and maliciously publish audio to hide the 'complainant' against me in my unlawful arrest on 25 May 2010 is MI5 Democracy Village !! when my best friend was dying 'Low': The circle jerk of multiple layers of govt. 'departments' acting for all political parties, all having a go, often at the same time. There's no doubt Westminster Council and the MET Police et al collude in their racketeering. N.B: Their 'covert' government run campaigns called Peacestrike & Democracy Village also came legally unstuck incl. because they were really the one and same, run by the same people, who were publicly -lying- about 'complying' with ss 132-138 SOCPA 2005 that while being used against our Parliament Square Peace Campaign, was not ever used against their Democracy Village who built a tent -city- in Parliament Square !! The 'covert' government operation used undercovers to unlawfully arrest Brian and Babs on a number of occasions including 25 May 2010. 26 February 2011 August - September 2011: illegally imprisoned without legal representation or trial after Brian dies... 31 August 2011 The British Parliament knew they had lost our 17 August 2011 High Court jury lawsuit, when they waded in to steal whatever they could lay their hands on, in an act of revenge on 31 August 2011, and then later on 16 January 2012. On 16 January 2012, the MET Police just stole our shelter while not taking us to court, while leaving their MI5 Democracy Village with shelter. No-one could produce the supposed injunction protecting MI5 Democracy Village because it didn't exist until 7 February 2012, AFTER I started asking questions in the High Court, who confirmed no injunction existed. Our 17 August 2011 High Court jury lawsuit THEN illegally had a 'stay' put on it in March 2012, while MI5 Democracy Village argued an extraneous Judicial Review until 4 May 2012, that had nothing whatsoever to do with us. It is self evident that everything the British Parliament of all political shades and their 'departments' had ever done to us was an obvious wilful obstruction of the administration of justice, that after 17 August 2011 they did all then know, was in Contempt of our High Court jury lawsuit. 8 December 2012 you learn something every day to be honest, never thought of using a big leaf april 2008 24/10/2017: Sorry website has been offline the past week. We were hacked by Government Agents !!
7 arrested as ISIS claims London terror attack Mar 23, 2017 5:50 PM EDT World CBS News LONDON -- Police in Britain arrested seven people in overnight raids in London, Birmingham and elsewhere in connection with the Wednesday attack on the Houses of Parliament by a knife-wielding man who first drove a vehicle down a crowded sidewalk. The death toll in the attack increased from four to five, including the attacker, on Thursday night, when a 75-year-old man was taken off life support, Londons Metropolitan Police said. An American man was also confirmed to have been among the three civilians killed in the first stage of the attack, on Westminster Bridge over the River Thames. Speaking earlier Thursday morning, the top antiterrorism officer for the Metropolitan Police (Scotland Yard), Mark Rowley, said two civilians -- a woman in her 40s and a man in his 50s -- were killed, along with a police officer and the attacker. Cochrans brother-in-law Clint Payne confirmed his death in a statement released by the couples church, adding that Cochrans wife Melissa was being treated for serious injuries. After London attack, overnight raids lead to arrests Payne said in his statement that Cochran and his wife were in London celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary, and had been due to fly home on Thursday. Greater clarity is now developing regarding the casualty figures as we have now collated information from the public and five hospitals, Rowley said Thursday. He also said 29 people were wounded, including seven who remained in critical condition on Thursday. That toll was also significantly lower than reported the previous day in the wake of the attack, when Rowley said 40 people were injured. British media quoted witnesses as saying the suspect had lived at a home raided in Birmingham, which is about 120 miles north of the capital city. Behind the investigation into London attack The man from London lived here. They came and arrested three men, a man who works near one of the raided buildings told the Press Association news agency. Officials did not confirm the specifics of the raid at that location, or any of the six others. The suspect, who police identified as 52-year-old Khalid Masood, was fatally shot by an armed police officer after he stabbed the first officer he encountered just inside a gated entrance to the Parliament campus. Police Constable Keith Palmer died of his stab wounds. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) claimed responsibility on Thursday for the attack, but offered no evidence of any prior communications with or links to the attacker. The claim was made in a simple statement posted on the website of ISIS pseudo-news agency, AMAQ, saying the man carried out the attack in response to calls for the targeting of citizens of coalition countries. The statement did not include any details of the attackers identity or imagery of him. Prime Minister Theresa May said Thursday in the House of Commons that the attacker was British-born and known to intelligence agencies. He was investigated by domestic spy agency MI5 historically, in relation to concerns about violent extremism, but had no longer been deemed part of the current intelligence picture, according to May. The civilian deaths occurred on Westminster Bridge, which spans the River Thames. The attacker drove an SUV down the wide sidewalk of the bridge, plowing through throngs of tourists and other people going about their business in the heart of central London on Wednesday afternoon. Spoke to U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May today to offer condolences on the terrorist attack in London. She is strong and doing very well. May said the victims include 12 Britons, three French students, two Romanians, four South Koreans, a German, one Pole, one Chinese, one American and two Greeks. May did not appear to include the seriously-injured American mans wife among the casualties. My heart goes out to the victims and their families in London. No act of terror can shake the strength and resilience of our British ally. One of the slain civilians was identified Thursday by her employer, a London high school, as Aysha Frade. According to British media, she was a 43-year-old mother of two who worked as an administrator at the school, which is located just across the Thames from Parliament. At the north end of the bridge, on the bank of the Thames, sit the Palaces of Westminster, home of the oldest parliament in the world and where the attackers car smashed into a perimeter fence and came to a stop. From there the attacker, armed with at least one knife, walked through the same gate into the parliamentary estate that is used by lawmakers. He was immediately challenged by Palmer. He stabbed Palmer and was shot by another, armed officer moments later as he tried to walk into the Houses of Parliament. Rowley reiterated on Thursday morning that Scotland Yard does not believe any other suspects were directly involved in the attack. At this stage, we have no specific information about further threats to the public, said Rowley. Clearly our investigation is ongoing -- developing all the time -- and is focused on his motivation, his preparation and associates. Speaking Thursday morning, British Secretary of Defense Michael Fallon said investigators working assumption is that this is linked to Islamic terrorism. He sounded a defiant tone: We are going to be reassuring people today that people are going back to normal. London has seen terrorism before and London has faced it down. Parliament will be going about normal business. This site uses cookies, tokens, and other third party scripts to recognize visitors of our sites and services, remember your settings and privacy choices, and  depending on your settings and privacy choices  enable us and some key partners to collect information about you so that we can improve our services and deliver relevant ads. By continuing to use our site or clicking Accept, you agree that CBS and our key partners may collect data and use cookies for personalized ads and other purposes, as described more fully in our privacy policy. You can change your settings at any time by clicking Manage Settings.
Islamic State is using the Westminster terror attack to help recruit terrorists in a wave of YouTube videos glorifying the massacre. Khalid Masood, who killed four people on Wednesday in a rampage in London, is being hailed a hero by twisted extremists in videos that Google has failed to block. Several videos are still live, including one entitled 'Westminster attack documentary (must watch)' posted by a user called Luke Taylor, in which radicalised Muslims preach at the camera in a 10-minute clip which features a prisoner being burned to death. A screenshot of ISIS' Westminster Attack Documentary (MUST WATCH) which is being used to recruit terrorists MailOnline has contacted Google for a comment amid growing pressure on the internet giants to take more responsibility over its content. A number of videos by the terror group are still being circulated online mentioning Wednesday's atrocities. Amber Rudd and Boris Johnson have stepped up the heat on firms over their 'disgusting' failure to block extremist content. The Cabinet ministers warned that companies such as Google and Facebook are acting as a 'conduit' for murderous terrorists, and demanded they be more 'proactive' in tackling the problem. The government is also calling for security services to be given access to encrypted WhatsApp messages, warning it is 'completely unacceptable' that terrorists can plot in secret. Islamic terrorist Khalid Masood, who was born in Kent as Adrian Elms Focus on the issue has intensified in the wake of the deadly attack on Westminster last week, when Khalid Masood used a hired car to mow down dozens of pedestrians before stabbing a policeman to death at the gates of parliament. Concerns have been raised that information on how to mount a terror attack is still easily accessible online. Before the atrocity Google had already been forced to promise it would take a 'tougher stance' on hateful content after an outcry and boycotts from advertisers over its content appearing alongside extreme material. Home Secretary Ms Rudd named and shamed lesser known websites like Telegram, Wordpress and Justpaste.it today as she widened the Government's criticism. The Home Secretary left the door open to changing the law if necessary. But she said she would rather see an industry-wide board doing it independently, as the best people to take action are those who understand the technology and the 'necessary hashtags'. RELATED ARTICLES Share this article On encrypted messaging services, she told BBC One's Andrew Marr Show: 'It is completely unacceptable, there should be no place for terrorists to hide. 'We need to make sure that organisations like WhatsApp, and there are plenty of others like that, don't provide a secret place for terrorists to communicate with each other. 'It used to be that people would steam-open envelopes or just listen in on phones when they wanted to find out what people were doing, legally, through warrantry. 'But on this situation we need to make sure that our intelligence services have the ability to get into situations like encrypted WhatsApp.' Ms Rudd said she was calling in a 'fairly long list' of relevant organisations for a meeting on the issue this week, including social media platforms. Ms Rudd said she was calling in a 'fairly long list' of relevant internet organisations for a meeting on the issue of extremism this week Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said he found it 'disgusting' that net firms were not taking tougher action against extreme literature 'What these companies have to realise is that they are now publishing companies, they are not technology companies, they are platforms and we need to make sure that that (hosting extremist material) stops,' she said. 'You are right, we will not resile from taking action if we need to do so.' But she went on: 'I would rather get a situation where we get all these people around the table agreeing to do it. 'I know it sounds a bit like we're stepping away from legislation but we're not. 'What I'm saying is the best people who understand the technology, who understand the necessary hashtags to stop this stuff even being put up, not just taking it down, but stopping it being put up in the first place, are going to be them.' Mr Johnson called on internet providers and social media companies to develop new technology to detect and remove jihadist and other extreme material. He accused them of 'not acting when they are tipped off', adding in an interview with the Sunday Times: 'I'm furious about it. 'It's disgusting. 'They need to stop just making money out of prurient violent material.' Mr Johnson added: 'They are not acting when they are tipped off. Khalid Masood used a hired car to mow down dozens of pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before entering the grounds of Parliament and stabbing Pc Keith Palmer to death Theresa May vowed to show terrorists that 'we are not afraid' as she addressed the House of Commons in the wake of the attack 'Evil flourishes when good men do nothing - and that's what's happening here. 'They are putting up adverts next to it.' The interventions come after Prime Minister Theresa May urged internet companies to do more to prevent terror and hate being spread in cyberspace. An investigation by the Sunday Mirror uncovered a host of messages encouraging extremist violence exchanged on the encrypted Telegram messaging site. They included an image of a sword-bearing jihadi fighter standing in front of a burning Big Ben, sent weeks before Wednesday's terror attack on Parliament. Another reportedly shared details of how to carry out an atrocity, saying: 'Methods can include entering the stadium and detonating an explosive(s). 'Attacking fans/security at full time in the vicinity of the car park area or exits of the stadium. 'Devices can be left in around the stadium, bars, cars, busses, trains, transportation etc. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. Well ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. The post will be credited to your MailOnline username. 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New video recorded On Westminster Bridge, London (London Terror Attack 2017)  London Videos The police and rescue workers rushed to Parliament on Wednesday after an assailant stabbed one police officer before being shot and killed by another. Emergency personnel also responded to nearby Westminster Bridge, where a vehicle had struck several people. The authorities described the events as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise. Inside the Palace of Westminster, the House of Commons suspended debate and the building was placed on lockdown. Witnesses said a driver mowed down people Wednesday on Westminster Bridge, which crosses the River Thames What We Know  The police said officers had been summoned to the bridge around 2:40 p.m. after reports of a firearms incident, and witnesses reported gunfire near an office building for lawmakers and members of their staff.  A woman who was run over on the bridge has died. An assailant stabbed one person near the entrance to Parliament, and then was killed by the police.  The Metropolitan Police said it was treating the violence as a terrorist incident.  The BBC reported that Prime Minister Theresa May was taken from the scene in a silver Jaguar as the gunfire erupted.  One of the busiest sections of London was cordoned off and evacuated, and the Westminster station of Londons subway system was closed. What We Dont Know  How many people were involved in the attack, or the identity of the attacker or attackers.  How many people were killed and wounded in the attack.  Who was stabbed inside the gates of Parliament and whether that person has died. European politicians really need to get real and call it for what it is this is Islam, jihad and they also need to start accepting this is what is motivating those people. Any Muslim who does not accept democracy needs to go. Any Muslim who want to implement sharia law is a radical to our democratic system, until they start addressing Islamic doctrine this will continue and even escalate as Islam gets a foothold in western nations Politicians. Home grown or immigrant Islam doctrine is the motivator. It's a clash of civilisations and has been going on for centuries.We have been shafted by Cultural Marxism for the past 50 odd years. Time to throw off the gloves. But the likes of Merkel think it's wonderful to let several million Muslims into Europe. Multiculturalism will never work.Stop the Islamification of Europe. Wake up people I bet if a white person went an shoot up a mosque with mates N blacks beside him be complete different they're racist if a Muslim does it it's alright now I hope all you lefties who want refugees here open your eyes cause it's them who are doing it.all the Muslims who saying its Islam why you not stopping it the mayor part off it.he knows them all Muslims know each other so war on.all non Muslims attack dirty Muslims bastards this is when need the skin heads back As an American my hearts and payers go out to you all over there in the UK your our family we just got a little disobedient lol but we still stand with y'all as we always have since before WWI go out there and live your lives like nothing happened don't be afraid just live they can scare us but they can't ruin our way if life
London attacker identified as 52-year-old Khalid Masood Armed police secure the area across the road from the Palace of Westminster housing the Houses of Parliament in central London on March 23, 2017 after Westminster bridge reopened following its closure by security services during and after the March 22 terror attack at the British parliament. (Photo by AFP) The British police have identified the attacker who struck in the heart of London on Wednesday as 52-year-old Khalid Masood. "Masood was not the subject of any current investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack," London's Metropolitan Police said in a statement on Thursday. The police added that Masood was known by "a number of aliases" and had been living in the West Midlands. He was born in Kent in southeast England. At least four people were killed and 40 others were injured in the attack after the assailant plowed a car into pedestrians and stabbed a police officer, an incident that has been declared a terrorist incident. The attacker was also shot dead by the police. One injured man succumbs to his injuries "Five people remain in a critical condition and two have life-threatening injuries," London police said in a statement. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan speaks during a vigil in Trafalgar Square in central London on March 23, 2017 in solidarity with the victims of the March 22 attack at the British parliament and on Westminster Bridge. (Photo by AFP) One of the injured persons -- a 75-year-old man -- succumbed to his wounds in hospital on Thursday night. The latest death comes as hundreds of people gathered at an iconic square in the British capital to remember the victims of the attack. People held flowers and volunteers handed out candles in Londons Trafalgar Square during an evening vigil. Those in attendance said the attack had nothing to do with religion. London Mayor Sadiq Khan, was among several officials who addressed the gathering. Armed police officers secure the area near the Houses of Parliament in central London on March 23, 2017. (Photo by AFP) Hours earlier, the Daesh (ISIL) terrorist group claimed responsibility for the British Parliament attack, that left several people dead, including the attacker. A statement published by the Amaq News Agency, which is seen as the group's official press service, said the assailant was a "soldier of Daesh. The statement said the man launched the attack because of Britains participation in the US-led bombing on territories in Syria and Iraq. The person "carried out the operation in response to calls for targeting citizens of the coalition," Daesh said. The wording of the statement did not however clearly show that if the attack was directly orchestrated or facilitated by the terror group, but indicated that the assailant was inspired by Daesh ideology. It comes after Prime Minister Theresa May said the attacker was British-born and known to the countrys domestic intelligence agency, MI5, and had been investigated before. British Prime Minister Theresa May speaking in parliament in London on n March 23, 2017. (Photo by AFP) "What I can confirm is that the man was British-born and that some years ago he was once investigated by MI5 in relation to concerns about violent extremism," she told MPs on Thursday, a day after an attack outside the UK Parliament in London which also injured some 40 people. "He was a peripheral figure," she added. "The case is historic, he was not part of the current intelligence picture." She added that "when operational considerations allow, he will be publicly identified. In a defiant speech to the Parliament, May said, "We are not afraid and our resolve will never waver in the face of terrorism." Lawmakers earlier held a minute's silence in honor of the victims. The assailant plowed a car on Wednesday into pedestrians and stabbed a police officer, an incident that has been declared a terrorist incident. In a still image taken from footage broadcast by the UK Parliamentary Recording Unit (PRU) on March 23, 2017 shows British Prime Minister Theresa May speaking in parliament. (Photo by AFP) Police have arrested eight people during the investigation into the incident.
The incidents high-profile nature, capturing world headlines, creates obvious suspicions about whether what occurred may have been other than whats reported  especially given numerous false flags in Western cities in recent years. Read down below, proofs given that the bombing at the Ariane Grande Concert in Manchester was also a false flag attack! False Flag A false flag operation is a covert operation an operation that is so planned and executed as to conceal the identity of or permit plausible denial by the perpetrator. They are designed to deceive in such a way that the operations appear as though they are being carried out by other entities. Following are a dozen or so points that cannot be denied proving that this was probably another false flag operation: 1. The Drill Remember terror drills are a routine part of false flag operations: Hundreds of armed police in speedboats zoomed down the river Thames today as part of major anti-terrorist drill in London.  Just a few days before on 19th March, 2017. More than 200 armed police have practiced their response to a terrorist attack on a Thames pleasure boat in the first drill of its kind on Londons main river. A sightseeing ship became the scene of a fierce mock gun battle between armed officers and police posing as terrorists shortly after 11am on Sunday. The exercise, close to the London Docklands area, marks the first time the Metropolitan police have staged a live, waterborne exercise like this. Armed officers boarded the ship in a hail of gunfire just over two hours after five officers posing as armed terrorists hijacked the vessel. At least one body, played by a volunteer, was thrown overboard. The Met, the Port of London Authority, London Coastguard, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), London ambulance service and London fire brigade took part in the exercise aimed at testing the effectiveness of emergency rescue. 2. The Speeding Attacker(s) The ONE thing that looks really odd is that the attacker was able to drive AT SPEED over Westminster Bridge and mow down pedestrians. It is a VERY busy bridge  why was it empty enough for anyone to drive at speed at that hour??? It should have been jam packed with traffic  you would be lucky to do 10mph! If one looks at the pictures afterwards, there are several buses and cars stopped on the South bound lane  but almost nothing stopped on the North bound lane used by the attacker, that lane is almost empty 3. Lack or Absence of Security The main GATE into the grounds of parliament was left open and reportedly nobody was guarding the gate. Normally these gates are always kept shut. Why was the main gate into the grounds of parliament left open and why was nobody guarding the gate? There are claims that no-one was on duty on the gate when the attacker entered. That place is a fortress. There is no way anyone could get into that area. There are armed guards at every entrance. At least four staff are usually stationed at all the gates, two outside and two inside. How did he get inside those gates? No one can enter that region. How could he knife down a constable? This was probably staged to make it appear that he was going after the Prime Minister. How could you get out of an SUV and approach a guard with a knife without getting shot FIRST after crashing a gate in a place like that? Why so slow to react? Why caught off guard despite the drills a few days before? Police is located within the vicinity and did nothing to stop the suspicious, abnormal driving. Police officer who was attacked did not have a gun! With all this talk about the police officer not having a gun it makes me think that arming the police might be one endgame to this? 4. The Non-Functional Numerous CCTVs London has more CCTV per square mile than any city, so wheres the footage of this incident? Possibly CCTV videos are for limited audience only, for the average person films are from Hollywood and fake news is from mass media! The CCTV cameras for Westminster were reported to have been taken off-line. CCTV offline? Again? SAME OLD SAME OLD STORY, JUST LIKE LONDON 7/7 UNDERGROUND BOMBINGS. CCTV onboard buses also offline then and same Isareli Company who ran 911 airport security, ran London bus CCTV during attack: This Videos camera swing around footage & brief wide angle shots & wide pan reveals that numerous ambulances are staged right at the end of the bridge!! Yet the on the Thames bridge & even next to the staging area no emergency medical staff are present to help the (Hoax!) Victims! The BBCs Daniel Sandford says eye-witness reports have referred to a bald white man and a black man with goatee beard in association with the incident. It is possible, although he stresses this is not confirmed, that both may have been in the car when it was driven at high speed down Westminster Bridge  knocking down an estimated eight people. We have two Muslim terrorists, who have no doubt been in several meetings with their controllers, discussing this attack, it has all been planned down to the last detail, the terrorists supposedly travel from Essex to Westminster  right on the doorstep of Parliament. One passenger runs off and disappears into thin air while the other jumps out of the car and runs into Parliament brandishing a knife and killing a policeman on duty?? Who was the person accompanying the assailant? Zionist agent forcing assailant under duress? There were first news of the assailant being a Mr. Abu Izzadeen but later identity of killed assailant was given as Khalid Masood. The man originally alleged to be the main attacker, Trevor Brooks aka Abu Izzadeen, has links to MI6. The UK Prime Minister has said that Adrian Elms aka Khalid Masood was known to the police and intelligence services. If he was well-known to the police, then what was he doing roaming free, to help them in a future false flag? 7. Video Footage Remarkable is it not that people unknown just happened to be filming at just the right moment? Remarkable is the highly elevated position of the camera  not a building which leaves a helicopter or a plane. Where was the camera located??? Is it a real or ghost car produced by camera trick in respect to the amount of rush normally on this bridge as mentioned above? The footage of the car on the bridge was first released on the Twitter account of Dominic Casciani, BBC Home Affairs Correspondent. Since removed. 8. The Girl Under the Bus The person is not injured or run over. Its just for shock effect, nothing else, meant to manipulate public consciousness. One cant understand how you can go under 2 wheels of a double decker bus (note iconic London symbol) and just look like youve climbed under there to lie down. 9. The Bleeding Woman Thats fake blood, not real blood, make no mistake. If she was bleeding out that bad, she wouldnt be staring at the camera. She would be in shock, period. This woman, despite being potentially mortally wounded, is taking time to look directly into the camera. 10. The Shot Assailant: Lack of Blood While in some places there are pools of blood, in other places there is a lack of it. It was said to be a gruesome, bloody scene (as shown earlier but with fake blood), but there is no real blood anywhere, including on the knife. Where are the bullet wounds? How is he dead? Where is all the blood? Maybe that is why they always kill him or get him killed: So that the alleged perpetrator isnt alive to explain what really happened. 11. The Journalist Actor And after that we had to panic and try to call the police What does he mean We had to panic? Why not simply state We panicked It seems a give-away of being a crisis actor. Notice the attention-seeking journalist asking questions. Who the hell writes anything with a pen and paper anymore? Where is her phone to record video or audio? 12. The Skull and Bones Society The incidence occurred on 3/22 (March 22) 2017, exactly a year after the Brussels false flag on same day last year. 322 is a sacred number of one of global elites secret society called skull and bones. Many past US presidents are supposedly members of this society. The Motives of the False Flag Who benefits from a increase in terror? Migrants? Immigrants? The 3rd World? Or the NEW WORLD ORDER? As was asked in the pre 2012 era of conspiracy research, cui bono? Orwho benefits? Perhaps 2012 brought neither the end of the world nor a collective shift in consciousness but rather a new reality in which official stories are more believable to the masses. What is the cause? What is the agenda? Recall that false flag attacks are psychological warfare operations targeting the minds of the masses. Real or fabricated events can be used to further an agenda or maintain an illusory narrative. The world needs to believe in the boogieman terrorist. As such, the propaganda media need only label an event a terrorist attack to reinforce the agenda. People are now becoming more and more aware of false flag attacks: The bottom line here is that whenever and wherever a terror event is carried out, there are very specific goals to be accomplished by the true perpetrators. The perpetrators typically include CIA, MI6, MOSSAD, DGSE and GID. This means that the Muslim and/or Arab patsies who are arrested for the crimes are merely planting their Middle Eastern false flags at the crime scene. Thats not to say they didnt do the crime, only that they were sent in to do it by their handlers at a specific time and place. Like all false flag operations, the Westminster Bridge terror attack has various goals which are seemingly unrelated. Here are some of the possible objectives of this false flag: 1. Disrupt Brexit Debate/ Vote on Leaving European Union Attack stopped parliament from voting on leaving the EU. Its highly likely, that this is a false flag with sinister background. The Prime Minister knows that there is a festering discontent among the manipulated Bremain (opposite of Brexit) minority that wanted to stay in the European Union; although much smaller than the Brexit majority, they have been very vocal in this dismay. In fact, only the County of London voted against Brexit throughout all of England proper (See map below.). In the wake of the London attacks, there is likely to be very little resistance going forward to finalizing Brexit. That the terror attacks were executed so close to both Houses of Parliament well demonstrated how very vulnerable the MPs and government officials really are. If the enemies of Brexit can disable Parliament for a critical few days next week, could they stop the article being triggered? Is this attack just the opening shot in a wider terrorist campaign to cause such a critically timed disruption? A virtual state of emergency exists in central London, plans to extend it city-wide, perhaps to be followed in other European cities beyond repressive measures already in place. 3. Enforce Anti-Islam Attitude Attitude of EU governments & courts toward Islam & Muslims is changing very swiftly & big moves are already underway. This was seen concretely in the recent EU Court decision that businesses may ban women from wearing Muslim religious veils at work. A new framework is evolving, with key ideas that: European values means Europe needs to stop victims such as children & women being abused by religious fundamentalists of any kind  In short, the Muslim womans veil, is intrinsically a reminder that some percentage of those women are being coerced, beaten, threatened, forced into wearing such veils Countries like Hungary, Czechia, Poland & Slovakia, are making it clear that they are ready to follow Britain & exit the EU rather than accept increasing Islamist presence in their countries, this is under intensive discussion in EU corridors EU citizens are discontent with issues related to Muslims, has become anger at the EU itself  approximately a third of EU voters in some countries, are showing significant anti-Islamisation tendencies in their voting Donald Trumps USA administration has made it clear he is not interested in assisting Europes internal difficulties & is even downplaying NATO, also cleverly asking Europeans to at last pay full price per the NATO agreements if they want to keep it  Trump seems ready to let the euro currency or EU fall apart  Trump sees Islam-tied terrorism in Europe as resulting in part from Europes own stupid policies  hence EU leaders are thinking & moving in new directions re Islam, as a matter of EU survival Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said that while in the past few years the Islamist group has called on would-be jihadis to attack police and the military, their plots are now broader plans to attack Western lifestyle. The UK is facing the threat of enormous and spectacular attacks by Islamic State (IS) as the extremist group aims to wage war on Western lifestyles, the national head of counter-terrorism has warned. 5. Divert World Attention from Grave Atrocities being Committed in Iraq, Syria, Yemen & Burma/Promote Muslim Genocide in Middle East These countries are facing a lot of atrocities especially these days in Iraq, Yemen and Burma. Poor little Yemeni Children are being born with Deformities after the Arch Saudi Abominators and their Wicked Zionist allies let off uranium enriched cluster bombs. These attacks may be even used to promote or enhance Muslim genocide in the Middle East in the name of War on Terror. In this case these false flag attacks may be a ploy to get the globalists favorite candidates winning in elections i.e. Theresa May instead of Jeremy Corbyn. 7.Preclude to Coming Economic Collapse The global elites know full well that the Global Economic & Financial System is on the verge of collapse and that the banksters in London are the primary culprits. Hence, they feel compelled to put into place all of the controls and safeguards, laws and technology necessary to preclude a replay of the French Revolution    in London There may be many other known or unknown motives behind this false flag (GCHQ scandal), some of which have been mentioned in earlier blogs like this one:
JUST WATCHED Neighbors describe London attacker MUST WATCH Neighbors describe London attacker02:29 Story highlights As student, Khalid Masood "liked to party" and play soccer, report says Police are investigating how London attacker became radicalized Birmingham, England (CNN)Khalid Masood, the man responsible for the worst terrorist attack in London in more than a decade, kept to himself in recent years, neighbors say. But he had a checkered past involving a series of aliases and a string of convictions for violence and possession of weapons. Police kept his identity quiet at first as they sought to track down his associates and search related properties. But a fuller picture is emerging of the 52-year-old who drove an SUV onto a sidewalk Wednesday on Westminster Bridge, killing four people and injuring dozens more before being shot dead by a firearms officer just inside the grounds of the Houses of Parliament. The early years Masood was born on December 25, 1964, in Kent in southeast England. His birth name was Adrian Russell Ajao, although he went on to use multiple aliases. Read More As a boy, Adrian Ajao -- as he was then known -- was a popular pupil who "liked to party" and was a keen soccer player, former high school classmate Stuart Knight told Britain's Press Association news agency. The pair attended Huntleys Secondary School for Boys in the well-heeled town of Tunbridge Wells, Kent, for five years, Knight said. They left the school -- which has since closed -- in 1981. An undated school photo shows Ajao, smiling and with his arms folded, with members of a soccer team. Khalid Masood, then known as Adrian Ajao, appears in a school photo with the soccer team. "He was a very nice guy, down to earth, liked by everyone around him," Knight told PA. "There was nothing unassuming about him, he was a very good sportsman, his mother was a Christian, he was an all-round nice guy." Criminal convictions It's not clear how Masood developed from being a well-liked, athletic schoolboy to a man with a string of criminal convictions. JUST WATCHED London Attack: An animated map MUST WATCH London Attack: An animated map00:55 His first conviction -- for criminal damage -- was in November 1983 when he would have been 19, according to police. It was followed by convictions for assaults including causing grievous bodily harm, possession of offensive weapons and public order offenses. His most recent conviction was in December 2003 for possession of a knife, police said. However, he had not been accused of any terrorism offenses. Police first identified him as Khalid Masood but said he had also gone by the name Adrian Elms. A report published in November 2000 in the East Sussex newspaper The Argus said Adrian Elms, then 35, was given a two-year prison term for slashing the face of a cafe owner in an argument in a pub. Masood had prior convictions for violent offenses but none for terrorism. According to the report, Elms, from the village of Northiam, near Rye, admitted charges of unlawful wounding and criminal damage at Hove Crown Court. He was one of only two black men living in the village at the time, and there were "racial overtones" to the row, the court heard. "His wife and family have now become (ostracized) in the village. It is a very small community and his wife and family have been extremely affected by this," his attorney, Alexander Taylor-Camara, told the court. "He will effectively have to move his family from the village and start to live his life all over again. It will leave the village with a view of black people in the area. The trust that may have been there in the beginning is now completely lost." Travel to Saudi Arabia The Saudi Embassy in London confirmed that the London attacker lived in the kingdom between November 2005 and November 2006 as well as April 2008 and April 2009. During that time, Masood was an English teacher, according to a statement published on the state-run Saudi Press Agency. The embassy statement added that in 2015, he procured an Umra visa -- required for pilgrimage to Mecca throughout the year outside of Hajj -- and visited the country between March 3 and 8. "During his time in Saudi Arabia, Khalid Masood did not appear on the security services' radar and does not have a criminal record in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," it said. Birmingham connections After prison, Masood appears to have moved around over the years -- most recently in Birmingham in central England. Police searched two properties where Masood and his family were thought to have lived -- the Winson Green and Hagley Road areas of Birmingham. Eight of the 11 arrests made as of Friday afternoon in connection with the investigation were in Birmingham. Police carry boxes this week from a Birmingham address in connection with the London attack. Police were seen Friday carrying boxes from a modern, redbrick townhouse in a quiet cul-de-sac in Winson Green. Masood is believed to have lived there until December. Marjoli Gajecka, 26, told CNN she had seen Masood and his family often when she visited her mother, who lives on the same street. Masood was calm and kept to himself, she said, adding: "He was never really talkative with neighbors." She said Masood had two children, a boy and a girl, whose ages she estimated to be 6 or 7. A police van is outside a residential building Thursday in Birmingham. She said she was shocked by the news he had carried out the attack in London. "They just seemed a normal family, a normal Muslim family. We never suspect anything," she said. Masood wore "Islamic clothes" most of the time, Gajecka said. A woman she presumed to be Masood's wife wore a veil with her face uncovered. She also saw the young girl wearing a headscarf. Masood and his family would not have stood out in this multicultural, diverse neighborhood. People are close here, popping in and out of each other's homes. Some voiced shock over how the atrocity in Westminster had been brought to their doorsteps. Police stand guard Thursday at the entrance to an apartment on Hagley Road in Birmingham. About two miles south, on Hagley Road, is the apartment where Masood and his family are thought to have moved at the end of the year. Several arrests were made at the property after police raided it Thursday. Raviyar Sedighi, who owns a shop below the apartment, told CNN he recognized Masood and that "he was a normal customer, normal man." He knew him as a "bodybuilding man," Sedighi said, going to the gym and buying energy drinks. Sometimes Masood wore a cap, at other times he didn't wear Islamic dress, he said. Radicalization The wide-ranging police inquiry is focused on how Masood became radicalized. Asked about his possible conversion to Islam and subsequent radicalization, Britain's top counterterror officer, Mark Rowley, said: "Clearly that's the main line of our investigation -- is what led him to be radicalized. Was it through influences in a community, influences from overseas or through online propaganda?" Prime Minister Theresa May said the attacker was known to authorities for links to "violent extremism." He was investigated "some years ago" by security services but was regarded as a "peripheral figure," May told the House of Commons. He was not part of the "current intelligence picture," and authorities did not know he was about to mount an assault. A UK official told CNN that Masood's age was not typical for an ideologically driven attacker: "Fifty-two is interesting. Not the usual young pup profile." The ISIS-linked Amaq news agency asserted the attack was carried out by one of its "soldiers." But that does not necessarily mean the group had any direct connections to Masood, whom it did not name. CNN's Nic Robertson and Salma Abdelaziz reported from Birmingham, while Laura Smith-Spark wrote and reported from London. CNN's Lauren Said-Moorhouse, Laura Goehler and Judith Vonberg contributed to this report.
UK parliament attack A counter-terrorism investigation is ongoing into Wednesday's events, after an attacker killed three people and injured dozens before being shot dead by police just outside the British parliament in London. In a less-than-slick escape from parliament when her staff appeared rattled as a lone assailant rampaged just yards away, Prime Minister Theresa May dashed around a car park and looked lost as she searched for her ride before escaping. British police said they had made two further significant arrests in the investigation into the attack on London's parliament and gave the birth name of the man behind the assault as Adrian Russell Ajao. The attacker who ploughed a car through a throng of pedestrians and then stabbed a policeman outside Britain's parliament was named on Thursday as Khalid Masood, a British-born man who was once investigated by MI5 intelligence officers over concerns about violent extremism. by Reuters_TonyTharakan3/24/2017 8:58:47 AM MORE: UK's top anti-terrorism officer says will work with parliamentary authorities to see if security needs to be changed by Reuters_TonyTharakan3/24/2017 8:18:11 AM MORE: The attackers birth name was Adrian Russell by Reuters_TonyTharakan3/24/2017 8:11:52 AM MORE: No evidence of further threats by Reuters_TonyTharakan3/24/2017 8:11:47 AM MORE: Two further significant arrests overnight by Reuters_TonyTharakan3/24/2017 8:11:44 AM MORE: Police have nine people in custody and have released one woman on bail. by Reuters_TonyTharakan3/24/2017 8:10:50 AM MORE: UK's top anti-terrorism officer says two people remain in hospital in a critical condition by Reuters_TonyTharakan3/24/2017 8:09:30 AM BREAKING: UK's top anti-terrorism officer says two officers have very significant injuries. Poland's prime minister drew a link between an attack in London targeting the British parliament and the European Union's migrant policy, saying the assault vindicated Warsaw's refusal to take in refugees. Before he killed at least four people in Britain's deadliest attack since the 2005 London bombings, Khalid Masood was considered by intelligence officers to be a criminal who posed little serious threat. The attacker who plowed a car through a throng of pedestrians and then stabbed a policeman outside Britain's parliament was named on Thursday as Khalid Masood, a British-born man who was once investigated by MI5 intelligence officers over concerns about violent extremism. ReutersHours before Wednesday's attack in London, the head of the European Union police agency Europol warned that a large group of radicalized individuals posed a constant threat to Britain and Europe. Four people were killed and about 40 injured in London on Wednesday. Explore this Reuters interactive graphic to understand how the attack unfolded. by cassandra.garrison3/23/2017 6:50:05 PM People attend a candlelight vigil in Trafalgar Square, London, to honour the victims of Wednesday's attack. Four people were killed and about 40 injured, after a car plowed into pedestrians and a suspected Islamist-inspired attacker stabbed a policeman close to Britain's parliament. We are #FacebookLive. by cassandra.garrison3/23/2017 6:40:54 PM SLIDESHOW: VIGIL IN TRAFALGAR SQUARE People attend a vigil in Trafalgar Square the day after an attack. REUTERS/Hannah McKay People attend a vigil in Trafalgar Square the day after an attack. REUTERS/Hannah McKay People attend a vigil in Trafalgar Square the day after an attack. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth Britain's Home Secretary Amber Rudd listens as London Mayor Sadiq Khan speaks at a vigil in Trafalgar Square. REUTERS/Hannah McKay A baby holds a bunch of flowers at a vigil in Trafalgar Square. REUTERS/Darren Staples 1 of 5 by Canice Leung3/23/2017 6:29:10 PM UPDATE: London police say of those arrested in connection with London attack, six are being detained on suspicion of preparing terrorist attacks. Reuters UKA defiant message purportedly scrawled on a board at an underground railway station condemning a deadly attack in London was read out in Britain's parliament and widely shared on social media before being revealed as a computer-generated fake. ReutersThe attacker who killed three people near parliament in London before being shot dead was named on Thursday as British-born Khalid Masood, who was once investigated by MI5 intelligence officers over concerns about violent extremism. Reuters UKHours before Wednesday's attack in London, the head of the European Union police agency Europol warned that a large group of radicalised individuals posed a constant threat to Britain and Europe. by Nigel Stevenson (Reuters)3/23/2017 4:51:32 PM by elizabeth.culliford3/23/2017 4:35:11 PM PM May has visited victims of London attack in hospital - spokesman Theresa May has visited a hospital where she spoke to victims of Wednesday's attack near parliament as well as hospital staff, her spokesman said. About 40 people were injured in the attack, of whom 29 remain in hospital, seven in critical condition. Four people, including the attacker, died. "She has signed the book of condolence and she has recently returned to Number 10 (official residence) after a private visit to a hospital where she spent around 40 minutes speaking with victims of yesterday's events, ward staff, clinical staff ... to thank them for their work," the spokesman told reporters. May also met Queen Elizabeth on Wednesday evening for a regular meeting, he said. ReutersA Utah man was killed and his wife badly injured during Wednesday's attack near the British parliament in London, a relative and a spokesman from the couple's church said on Thursday. by elizabeth.culliford3/23/2017 4:29:39 PM Johnson says we will share information with partners of emerging threats. by cassandra.garrison3/23/2017 4:20:54 PM MORE: Johnson says social media companies must look at the content of their websites, take steps to take down extremist propaganda. Johnson also says cooperation with U.S. intelligence agencies is intense and will continue. by cassandra.garrison3/23/2017 4:19:57 PM JUST IN: British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson says attack on London is an attack on the world by cassandra.garrison3/23/2017 4:17:08 PM by Maria Caspani3/23/2017 3:54:12 PM This video taken by David Davies, a member of Britain's parliament, shows the panic and confusion inside Westminster as Wednesday's attack unfolded outside. by natalie.armstrong edited by jamillah.knowles3/23/2017 3:33:34 PM JUST IN: London police name attacker London police name attacker as Khalid Masood Police say he was born in Kent and detectives believe he was most recently living in the West Midlands He was known to police but has not been convicted for any terrorism offences London police say he had a range of previous convictions for assaults, including grievous bodily harm, possessions of offensive weapons and public order offences "I heard a thud, turned round and there was a man lying about 10 yards away from me," Reuters photographer Toby Melville recalls, describing the moment a man fell from London's Westminster Bridge to the pavement below during Wednesday's attack. by cassandra.garrison3/23/2017 1:38:19 PM Live from London following Wednesday's attack in Westminster. by david.lucas edited by cassandra.garrison3/23/2017 1:35:00 PM by oli.rahman3/23/2017 1:28:38 PM French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault visits London following an attack in Westminster. The attacker who killed three people near the British parliament before being shot dead was British-born and was once investigated by MI5 intelligence agents over concerns about violent extremism, Prime Minister Theresa May said on Thursday. Reuters UKFar-right leader Marine Le Pen on Thursday said the lone-wolf attack outside parliament in London underscored the need for tighter border controls, as France shuddered at an incident that reopened wounds inflicted by similar assaults at home. Eight people have been arrested after what police called a 'marauding' terror attack in Westminster yesterday. We are #FacebookLive from the police cordon near Westminster Bridge with Reuters reporter Jacob Greaves. Any questions? Please post them in the comments. ReutersBritish police have arrested seven people in the investigation into an attacker who killed three people and injured about 40 before being shot to death by police, Britain's most senior counter-terrorism officer said on Thursday. SEOUL Leaders of South and North Korea plan to announce steps aimed at rekindling stalled nuclear talks and deepening bilateral ties after they meet for a second day of summit talks on Wednesday in the North's capital Pyongyang. Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the worlds largest international multimedia news provider reaching more than one billion people every day. Reuters provides trusted business, financial, national, and international news to professionals via Thomson Reuters desktops, the world's media organizations, and directly to consumers at Reuters.com and via Reuters TV. Learn more about Thomson Reuters products:
Westminster attacks: context, fallout and consequences On Wednesday afternoon, British-born Khalid Masood drove his car across Westminster Bridge in London, mowing down a group of pedestrians, before crashing into the gate at the side of the Houses of Parliament and stabbing a police officer. While most people ran from the danger, government minister Tobias Ellwood and passing ex-soldier Tony Davis ran to assist the policeman and fought to keep him alive. Doctors and nurses ran from a nearby hospital to help. Meanwhile, an armed police officer shot the assailant. Politicians, journalists and visitors to the Houses of Parliament were locked into the building as the attack unfolded and as investigations were carried out. The entire Westminster estate was locked down to maintain safety and security and to avoid the contamination of evidence. Five dead Police officer PC Keith Palmer, who was stabbed multiple times by Masood, died on Wednesday. Masood himself also died, as a result of the gunshot wounds inflicted by the police, along with Aysha Frade, a 43-year-old woman who worked at an educational college, and Kurt Cochran, an American citizen in London to celebrate his 25th wedding anniversary. His wife was also injured. On Friday morning, a further casualty passed away; Leslie Rhodes, aged 75. The 40 people injured in the attacks came from 11 different countries, demonstrating the very multiculturalism that London boasts and celebrates in a terribly sad way. But London is tough. Londoners are tough. So how did this happen? Context London  like the UK as a whole  is no stranger to terrorist attacks. Well into the 1990s, there was the constant threat of bombs by the northern Irish Republican IRA, and I saw the aftermath of many such attacks in the news as I grew up. We also saw the combined attacks of 7/7 in 2005, when tube trains and a bus were blown up, killing 56 people in total. Since then, parliamentarian Jo Cox was killed in the street. Prior to all of this, the Second World War saw parts of the country, including many cities, flattened under constant bombing. Put simply, Britain is used to fights being carried out on its own shores. It is frightening, and it is depressing, but it is not new and it is not, even, always shocking. Brits assess the situation and see how they can carry on as normal, as Eddie Izzard explained back in the 90s: Islamic terror? Daesh has claimed responsibility for the attack, but there is no real way of knowing whether this is pure opportunism or whether Masood was in contact with the terrorist group. Either way, Masoods assaults were quickly described as terrorism by the police and are still being treated as such. He has a Muslim name (having been given a different name at birth) and was a person of colour, so assumptions about his motives ran rampant. Masood was born in the UK and was not a refugee or immigrant from another country. It is important to point this out in a probably vain bid to prevent this incident from stirring up even more hate against refugees, one of the most vulnerable groups on the globe. The Westminster attack was perhaps an incident of Islamic terror. It was certainly, and incontrovertibly, an incident of extreme male violence. We do not know whether Masood worshipped Allah, or whether he had trained with Daesh. We do know that he was a man, and the perpetrators of the vast, vast majority of these attacks are men. In fact, it is so common it is barely commented upon. Masood had a criminal record made up of a list of violent crimes, so all we really know about him is that he was a violent man. Sometimes that is motive enough. Yet society, the right-wing in particular, is keen to look for reasons to back up its Islamophobic attitudes and justify its prejudice. Tommy Robinson, formerly of the racist English Defence League, managed to show up on camera shortly after the attacks; Nigel Farage spouted hate on the radio later that day; Katie Hopkins wrote for the Mail and spoke on American TV channel Fox News about how frightened and fragmented London now was. Even Donald Trump Junior weighed in, misquoting London Mayor Sadiq Khan in a bid to highlight the Mayors Islamic identity and stir up hate around him. Walking around the fear The following morning, MPs were packed into parliament to take back control and demonstrate that they did not have fear. They always were in one of the most protected buildings in the country and the police officer who died was there to protect them, which is what he did. The rest of us carry on because we must, and because we dont want to give in to fear or avoidance. Something terrible could happen tonight or not for another ten years, and predicting and planning around it is impossible. We try to trust in the flawed, flawed law enforcement and intelligence services and we hope that British Muslims do not suffer as a result of this one violent man. Share this: Philippa Willitts Philippa Willitts is a British freelance writer who specialises in writing about disability, women's issues, social media and tech. She also enjoys covering politics and LGBT-related topics. She has written for the Guardian, the Independent, New Statesman, Channel 4 News, Access Magazine, xoJane and many more publications. She can be found on Twitter @PhilippaWrites. E. Young is a small town country author of horror and sci-fi works. Strives to cultivate a general sense unease and wholesome pop culture references. Owns a multitude of cats and probably wants to talk to you about a movie or music from a band you've never heard of. Can also be found at Bright Nightmares or on the Twitter machine @xenoxands. Philippa Willitts is a British freelance writer who specialises in writing about disability, women's issues, social media and tech. She also enjoys covering politics and LGBT-related topics. She has written for the Guardian, the Independent, New Statesman, Channel 4 News, Access Magazine, xoJane and many more publications. She can be found on Twitter @PhilippaWrites. Anna Hamilton is a writer, cartoonist, and gadfly residing in the Bay Area. Disclaimer GlobalComment.com aims to publish the commentaries and other creative materials of artists all over the world, largely regardless of the views expressed therein. We strive to be a free and unbiased forum. Therefore, responsibility for the opinions and the accuracy of the facts presented in articles published on this site falls entirely upon the concerned author. If you disagree with any opinion or fact presented in an article on our site, please submit a response to us. We will aim to publish said response, provided it is well-written. 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Michael Settle on the scenes at Westminster in the wake of the terror attack Michael Settle on the scenes at Westminster in the wake of the terror attack IT happened in an instant; just after 230pm. Shots were heard and my colleagues and I immediately crouched down onto the floor. My office, two floors up in the Commons press gallery, has a panoramic view of Parliament Square and below us just a few metres away is New Palace Yard, where the incident took place and where ministerial cars enter and park nearby. As I tentatively made my way towards the window, which has anti-bomb blast net curtains, to see what had happened, shouts could be heard. I saw people rushing around and two bodies lying on the ground. Armed police rushed over to attend the injured while others pointed their guns towards the iron railings that screen the pavement between the Commons and Bridge Street that runs onto Westminster Bridge. Looking down from my vantage point I could see one body nearer our office window and directly outside the entrance to the historic Westminster Hall and one a few yards further away towards the main gated Commons entrance, known as Carriage Gates. Soon, it appeared that not only armed police were at the scene but paramedics, plying bandages to the two injured people. It was a scene of urgency as those tending the injured could clearly be seen vigorously applying CPR, trying to rescusitate them. As this went on, more police cars arrived on the scene and Parliament Square was swiftly cordoned off with vehicles and tape. Armed police officers could be seen running around the perimeter of the area, no doubt trying to see if the knife-wielding assailant had an accomplice or accomplices. One colleagues muttered nervously: This is just like a Hollywood movie. Some 15 minutes after the incident with the two injured still being attended to, an air ambulance was seen landing noisily in Parliament Square. Two ambulances arrived at the same time. More medical staff were now on the scene. The person nearer my window had a good dozen people around him and it seemed as if there was more urgency around this person than the other one. But both were receiving CPR. Then more activity as vehicles pulled up outside Carriage Gates and a line of armed and helmeted anti-terror police arrived, wearing bullet-proof vests. They congregated outside Westminster Hall for a conference with other officers and then disappeared in different directions. By now 30 minutes had elapsed. Police officers with sniffer dogs could be seen running around the perimeter of the Commons precinct. A person in a white forensic suit was spotted walking quickly towards Westminster Bridge, where it appeared others had been injured. By 3.15pm one ambulance was leaving with the person injured near Carriage Gates while it seemed hope had been lost for the person lying on the cobbled yard nearest my office window. A sheet now covered the dead body, which was surrounded by debris, including dozens of bandage pads, a collection of bags and a stretcher. The ambulance was still there with its back door open but no one was inside. The scene, which had been a hive of activity just minutes ago, was now eerily still. Police officers were still milling around. One could be seen nonchalantly drinking a mug of tea. Staff at Westminster have always been alerted to the prospect of a terror attack. Given the iconic nature of the building, it is clear that someone at some time might decide to target it. That some time was today. Comments Comments & Moderation Readers comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the report this post link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments. Our Colleagues Ipsoregulated This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's Editors' Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then please contact the editor here. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can contact IPSO here
The deceased police officer has been named as Keith Palmer, a 48-year-old married man who was also a father. He had been in the police force for 15 years. Three members of the public were also killed. The attacker, armed with two large knives, mowed down pedestrians with his car on Westminster Bridge, including schoolchildren, then rushed at the gates in front of the Houses of Parliament, stabbing a policeman before he was shot by armed officers. Eyewitnesses described scenes of terror when gunfire rang out as the attacker approached a second officer within yards of the Houses of Parliament. Paramedics fought to save his life and that of his police victim on the floor of the cobbled courtyard in front of Parliament. The police officer was wheeled away on a stretcher with his face covered and sources later confirmed he had died. One woman hit by the attacker's car before he reached parliament was confirmed dead by a doctor at St Thomas' Hospital. Around three shots rang out outside the Palace of Westminster after a man ran through the gates into the front yard of the parliamentary compound apparently waving a knife. Two people were seen being treated on the ground in New Palace Yard amid shouts and screams. An air ambulance landed in Parliament Square and a regular ambulance came in through the front gates as medics rushed to help the injured people. As the sitting in the House of Commons was suspended, Commons Leader David Lidington told MPs: "What I am able to say to the House is there has been a serious incident within the estate. It seems that a police officer has been stabbed, that the alleged assailant was shot by armed police. "An air ambulance is currently attending the scene to remove the casualties. "There are also reports of further violent incidents in the vicinity of the Palace of Westminster but I hope colleagues on all sides will appreciate that it'd be wrong of me to go into further details until we have confirmation from the police and from the House security authorities about what is going on." A spokesman for the Port of London Authority, which looks after safety on the River Thames, said: "A female member of the public was recovered from the water near Westminster Bridge. She is alive but undergoing urgent medical treatment on a nearby pier. We believe she fell from the bridge." He said the river has been closed from Vauxhall to Embankment "as part of the security response". A Downing Street source confirmed that Prime Minister Theresa May was "okay". Mrs May was seen being ushered into a silver Jaguar car as what sounded like gunfire rang out at Parliament during the incident at around 2.45pm. Mrs May's official spokesman said: "The Prime Minister was brought back to Number 10 from Parliament. She is currently monitoring the situation." Mrs May will chair a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee later tonight, a Downing Street spokesman said. Immediately before the incident a crowd of passers-by was seen running from the direction of Westminster Bridge and around the corner into Parliament Square. Scotland Yard said it was called to a firearms incident on Westminster Bridge amid reports of several people injured. Witness Don Brind told the Press Association he heard shots being fired and saw two people apparently injured on the ground. Mr Brind, a researcher for MPs, said: "I heard some shouting and saw some running out of the corner of my eye and then a short time after that there was a shot. I looked and I saw a civilian on the ground, with somebody standing over him with what I assumed to be a gun. "Then I looked and about ten yards away, there was a yellow jacketed person on the ground, who appeared to be alive and talking." He said he assumed the person in the high-visibility jacket was a police officer. I heard shouts and screams from outside and looked out, and there was a group of maybe 40 or 50 people running round the corner from Bridge Street into Parliament Square. "They appeared to be running away from something. As the group arrived at the Carriage Gates, where policemen are posted at the security entrance, a man suddenly ran out of the crowd and into the yard. He seemed to be holding up a long kitchen knife. "I heard what sounded like shots - I think about three of them - and then the next thing I knew there were two people lying on the ground and others running to help them. Armed police were quickly on the scene and I heard them shouting to people to get out of the Yard." Press Association reporter Laura Harding, who was in Westminster at the time of the incident, said: "Everyone has been evacuated into Central Lobby, including a group of schoolchildren and kitchen staff - around 15 schoolchildren aged around 10 - with armed police coming through the lobby now. "The children are really calm, the teachers are comforting them. "There are also a bunch of young people from the Hammersmith Boxing Club in their tracksuits and the British Lionhearts boxing group." We are monitoring situation in Westminster, #London. Anyone with serious concerns for Irish people can contact 01-4082527/+44 20 72352171 RT.ie is the website of Raidi Teilifs ireann, Ireland's National Public Service Broadcaster. RT is not responsible for the content of external internet sites. Images courtesy of Inpho.ie and Getty Images
The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the terror attack that left four people dead, including the assailant and a police officer, outside of Londons Parliament building on Wednesday, according to the Amaq media agency. "The perpetrator of the attacks yesterday in front of the British Parliament in London is an Islamic State soldier and he carried out the operation in response to calls to target citizens of the coalition," the Amaq statement said. The claim of responsibility comes fewer than 24 hours after a man driving an SUV plowed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge near the Parliament building. Two people were killed and more than 30 others injured before the attacker fatally stabbed police officer Keith Palmer on the Parliaments grounds. Police shot the attacker, who later was pronounced dead. The attacker's identity has not been revealed, but British Prime Minister Theresa May said he was born in Britain and known to authorities who had once investigated him for links to religious extremism. "Our working assumption is that the attacker was inspired by Islamist ideology," she told members of Parliament. We know the threat from Islamist terrorism is very real. But while the public should remain utterly vigilant, they should not and will not be cowed by this threat. Related News... British officials did not release the attacker's identity or confirm a link with the Islamic State group, though May did say it would be wrong to describe the attack as "Islamic" extremism. "It is Islamist terrorism," she said. "It is a perversion of a great faith." On Thursday, British police announced that six homes were raided and eight arrests were made in connection to the Wednesday terror attack that left four dead, including the attacker and a police officer. Armed police carried out the raid in the central city of Birmingham, about 130 miles north of London; however, police said they believed the terror attacker acted alone during his assault on the Westminster Bridge near Parliament. May called the attack sick and depraved, and stood defiant against it. An act of terrorism tried to silence our democracy, but today we meet as normal  we are not afraid and our resolve will never waver in the face of terrorism, she said. Democracy and the values it entails will always prevail. While she honored the police, May also saluted the everyday actions of millions who went about their lives in London as normal and describing it as proof that the attack failed to break the determination of Londoners and Britons. "As I speak, millions will be boarding trains and airplanes to travel to London, and to see for themselves the greatest city on Earth," she told the House. "It is in these actions -- millions of acts of normality -- that we find the best response to terrorism -- a response that denies our enemies their victory, that refuses to let them win, that shows we will never give in." Parliament began its moment of silence at 9:33 a.m. (5:33 a.m. ET), honoring the slain police officer, 48-year-old Palmer, a 15-year veteran of the Metropolitan Police and a former soldier. Parliament then returned to business, an act of defiance to those who had attacked British democracy. "Those who carry out such wicked and depraved acts as we saw yesterday can never triumph in our country and we must ensure it is not violence, hatred or division, but decency and tolerance that prevails in our country," Trade Secretary Liam Fox said. Mayor Sadiq Khan called for Londoners to attend a candlelit vigil at Trafalgar Square on Thursday evening in solidarity with the victims and their families and to show that the city remains united. "I really believe that some very searching questions are now being asked," former leader of the UK Independence Party Nigel Farage, now a Fox News contributor, said on "Fox & Friends." "I think the population of this country and indeed most of the other European states -- we're now saying to our governments, look, frankly, you have brought this upon us through immigration policies and through not cracking down on extremism that has grown in communities. What are you going to do for us? So we're calm, but I do think we demand answers." Parliament Square, Westminster Bridge and several surrounding streets remain cordoned off by police. Scores of unarmed officers in bright yellow jackets were staffing the perimeter tape, guiding confused civil servants trying to get to work. Metropolitan Police counterterrorism chief Mark Rowley revised the death toll from five to four: the police officer, two civilians and the attacker. He said that 29 people required hospitalization and seven of them were in critical condition. He also said that authorities were still working out the number of "walking wounded." Police had previously given the total number of injured as around 40. President Trump was among world leaders offering condolences. Former President Obama tweeted that this attack would not "shake the strength and resilience of our British ally." My heart goes out to the victims and their families in London. No act of terror can shake the strength and resilience of our British ally.
LONDON  The roster of the dead and wounded spanned the globe: a veteran Scotland Yard constable, a Mormon couple from Utah, South Korean tourists, French high schoolers and Romanian lovers. The killer turned out to be homegrown, a 52-year-old Briton, Khalid Masood, who had a criminal record but was not on any police-monitoring lists. The Islamic State, which rejects peace and coexistence, described Mr. Masood on Thursday as a disciple and a hero for the assault carried out a day earlier in the shadow of Big Ben. Keith Palmer, Aysha Frade, Kurt Cochran  an American  and a 75-year-old man, later identified as Leslie Rhodes, died in the terrorist attack in London.Published OnMarch 23, 2017 On Thursday evening, another seriously injured victim died, bringing the total number of dead to five, including Mr. Masood. Details about Mr. Masood emerged on Thursday as the government worked to project normalcy and calm nerves. The authorities emphasized that they thought the assailant had acted alone, and that they did not expect any further attacks. But they raided six properties across the country, detaining eight people in London and Birmingham. Yesterday, an act of terrorism tried to silence our democracy, Prime Minister Theresa May told Parliament, addressing colleagues who a day earlier had been placed on lockdown for hours. We are not afraid, and our resolve will never waver in the face of terrorism. She called the violence an attack on free people everywhere. Video The police say a 52-year-old British man, Khalid Masood, was the attacker who left four people dead and dozens injured near British Parliament on Wednesday. Mr. Masood was killed by police at the scene.Published OnMarch 23, 2017CreditCreditImage by Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times At the United Nations, where the Security Council observed a minute of silence, Britains foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, said, The world is united to defeat the people who launched this attack and to defeat their bankrupt and odious ideology. Even as the British capital returned to its daily rhythms, and as Parliament resumed business, police officers were trying to learn whether they had missed signs of Mr. Masoods radicalization. He was born on Dec. 25, 1964, in Kent, in southeastern England, and had recently lived near Birmingham, historically known for its automotive industry and now home to many South Asian and Caribbean immigrants and their children. It was there, in the Spring Hill neighborhood, that Mr. Masood rented from an Enterprise branch the Hyundai Tucson that he used in the attack. Mr. Masood had a record of convictions, from 1983 to 2003, for assault, weapons possession and violations of public order. But he was not the subject of any current investigation, and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack, the London police said. Birmingham has a history of connections with radicalism. It was home to Rashid Rauf, a liaison to Al Qaeda and a main suspect in a plot to blow up trans-Atlantic airliners in 2006; he was killed in 2008 in an American airstrike in northern Pakistan. Last year, security services foiled a bomb plot in Birmingham, linked to extremists. The Home Office made support for the Islamic State a criminal offense in June 2014, when Mrs. May was home secretary, and experts on radicalism said that the change had driven many extremists underground. On Thursday morning, the Islamic State issued a statement on the messaging app Telegram, calling the attacker a soldier who had carried out the operation in response to appeals to fight Western powers involved in military operations in the Middle East. The group has called for attacks on Britain, and Mr. Masoods assault was reminiscent of attacks in France and Germany carried out with vehicles. A man tried to drive into a crowd in Antwerp, Belgium, on Thursday but was stopped. Mrs. May visited victims at a hospital in London for 40 minutes on Thursday, according to her office. Details about most have not been released, but some information has dribbled out. Image Londoners gathered at Trafalgar Square for a candlelight vigil for the victims of Wednesdays attack.CreditSergey Ponomarev for The New York Times Police Constable Keith Palmer, 48, a member of the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command, was patrolling the Parliament building when the assailant fatally stabbed him. Tributes for Constable Palmer have poured in, and the Metropolitan Police announced on Twitter that his badge number would be retired. Keith Palmer was killed while bravely doing his duty  protecting our city and the heart of our democracy from those who want to destroy our way of life, Londons mayor, Sadiq Khan, said. Kurt W. Cochran, an American traveling in Europe with his wife, Melissa Payne Cochran, died of injuries, according to a statement from the family issued through the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City. Clint Payne, Mr. Cochrans brother-in-law, said in the statement that the couple had been traveling in Europe for their 25th wedding anniversary, and had been scheduled to fly home on Thursday. He called Mr. Cochran a good man and a loving husband. Image A crowd at the vigil. Earlier Thursday, Parliament observed a minute of silence for the victims of the attack.CreditAndrew Testa for The New York Times Mr. Cochrans wife was wounded in the attack, and hospitalized with a broken leg, a broken rib and a cut on her head, her sister, Sarah Payne-Mcfarlane, said in a post on Facebook. Their parents were serving as missionaries in London, according to the church. The couple ran a recording studio in West Bountiful, Utah, and Mr. Cochran had shared pictures of their stops in Germany and Scotland. Aysha Frade, 43, a British teacher who lived in London, was fatally injured as she was heading to pick up her two daughters. She taught Spanish not far from Westminster Bridge, according to the Spanish newspaper La Voz de Galicia, and she had family in Spain, according to the Spanish Foreign Ministry. The injured also included three 10th-grade boys from the Brittany region of France who were on the bridge with other visiting students and who sustained leg and arm fractures. On Thursday, the French Education Ministry said that their conditions were no longer life-threatening. Five South Koreans were wounded when they were mobbed by a crowd fleeing the attack site, according to the South Korean Foreign Ministry. Four of them  three women and a man in their 50s and 60s  suffered fractures and other injuries. A 67-year-old woman, however, required surgery for a head injury, according to South Korean news reports. The two Romanian victims, Andreea Cristea, 31, and Andrei Burnaz, 32, were from the Black Sea port city of Constanta, according to the Romanian news agency Mediafax, which quoted an official saying they had been visiting London to celebrate Mr. Burnazs birthday. Ms. Cristea was rescued after she plunged off the bridge into the Thames as the assailant careened the S.U.V. through the crowd, and news reports said she suffered serious head injuries and lung damage. Mr. Burnazs foot was fractured. An area outside Parliament remained a large crime scene on Thursday, as police officers examined the pavement stones for clues. The Palace of Westminster, which includes the Houses of Parliament, is a bewildering warren of corridors, and the work of ensuring that it was clear of assailants took time in the immediate aftermath of the assault. A group of visiting schoolchildren  some in tears  were among those caught up in the confusion, which lasted for hours. Lawmakers were confined to specific areas, where they were given water and in some cases sandwiches. But what some lacked most of all was the power to communicate, and to check that their staff was safe. Over all, the atmosphere was one of calm and cooperation, however. People appreciated the gravity of the situation, said Nigel Evans, a Conservative lawmaker. That may have been partly because an attack of this type had not been completely unexpected. Security has been noticeably tightened in Parliament in recent years, with large barriers placed in front of parts of the building to thwart the threat of a truck bomb. Police officers with submachine guns patrol the grounds routinely. Image People lit candles at the vigil for the victims of the attack, which the Islamic State claimed responsibility for.CreditAndrew Testa for The New York Times But the complex is by a busy street, and some lawmakers still wonder whether some of the security was designed with the idea of fending off the type of attacks once mounted by the Irish Republican Army, which in 1979 assassinated a Conservative lawmaker, Airey Neave, using a car bomb in Parliament. I am shocked, but I am not surprised, Chris Bryant, a Labour lawmaker, said of the latest attack. We have always known that a marauding attack by an individual would be the most difficult to prevent. On Thursday, with tightened security, lawmakers crowded into the parliamentary chamber determined to show that they would not be deterred. Ed Miliband, a former leader of the opposition Labour Party, said the mood had been one of shock and determination and also admiration for the job that the security people are doing. I think we are seeing peoples increased determination to carry on with their normal business, he said.
UK: 5 die, assailant killed in Westminster terror attack 23rd Mar 2017 By Ahmet Gurhan Kartal LONDON (AA):- At least five people were killed Wednesday and 40 others injured in a terror attack in U.K.s capital, British police confirmed. Several people have been arrested linked to the Westminster terror attack in a raid in Edgebaston, Birmingham. The car involved in the attack was hired in Birmingham. A single unidentified attacker drove into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, killing at least three victims and injuring dozens before attacking and fatally injuring a police officer in the Old Palace Yard, the courtyard directly outside parliament. Three police officers from Scotland Yard were among the injured, Mark Rowley, high-ranking anti-terror officer, said in a press briefing. Palmer was stabbed to death by the assailant who was then shot dead by police. Prime Minister Theresa May said following an emergency high security meeting (COBRA) that the attacker carried out the sick and depraved act and deliberately chose the parliament which stands for democracy, freedom and rule of law. These streets of Westminster  home to the worlds oldest parliament  are engrained with a spirit of freedom that echoes in some of the furthest corners of the globe, May said. And the values our Parliament represents  democracy, freedom, human rights, the rule of law  command the admiration and respect of free people everywhere. She said it was why it is a target for those who reject those values and any attempt to defeat those values through violence and terror is doomed to fail. Spokesman from the Muslim Council of Britain, said they werr shocked and saddened by the incident at Westminster. We condemn this attack and while it is still too early to speculate on the motives, our thoughts and prayers are for the victims and those affected. We pay tribute too to the police and emergency services who handled this with bravery. The Palace of Westminster is the centre of our democracy and we must all ensure that it continues to serve our country and its people with safety and security. Metropolitan Police said it was treating the incident as a terrorist attack and a full scale investigation was underway.  French students among wounded Three pupils from the Saint-Joseph de Concarneau high school in Brittany were among those wounded in the bridge incident, according to French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault. Solidarity with our terribly struck British friends, full support for injured French students, their families and their comrades, French Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said on Twitter. We express our full support to the British people. Terrorism concerns us all and France know how the British people are suffering today, said French President Francois Hollande. Metropolitan Police asked the public to avoid areas of central London surrounding Parliament Square. Parliament Square is under a complete security lockdown, with all roads into the square cordoned off by police. St. Thomas Hospital, which was under lockdown, said some victims it received were being treated for catastrophic injuries. Police Commander BJ Harrington earlier appealed for public information and urged the public to stay away from the Westminster area.  International reaction In addition to condemnations by Turkish and French officials, international reaction to the attack and expressions of solidarity began soon after the news broke. U.S. President Donald Trump offered his condolences to May and pledged the full cooperation and support of the United States Government in responding to the attack and bringing those responsible to justice, the White House said. Deeply shocked by attacks on police & members of public in London, was German Chancellor Angela Merkels reaction on Twitter. My thoughts are with injured & our solidarity goes out to the UK, she added. My thoughts are with the victims of the Westminster attack. Europe stands firm with the UK against terror and ready to help, said European Council President Donald Tusk. Pedro Agramunt, president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), said in a statement: I strongly deplore todays serious terrorist incident at Westminster, the home of British democracy, which comes exactly a year after the Brussels attacks. He added, My thoughts are with the families of the victims, the police and the men and women of the emergency services, who responded swiftly and resolutely. Whoever carried out this attack, they will fail in their aim of creating division or fear  democracy will never bend to terror. *Hajer Mtiri and Michael Hernandez contributed to this story from Paris and Washington Additional reporting by The Muslim News [Photo: Police forensics team examine a car in Parliament Square on March 22, 2017 in London, England. A police officer and a knife-wielding attacker were killed in an attack outside parliament Wednesday, March 22 2017. Photographer: Muhabiri Ray Tang/AA] Over 120 people attended a landmark conference on the media reporting of Islam and Muslims. It was held jointly by The Muslim News and Society of Editors in London on September 15. The Muslim News Awards for Excellence 2015 was held on March in London to acknowledge British Muslim and non-Muslim contributions to the society. The Muslim News Awards for Excellence 2015 was held on March in London to acknowledge British Muslim and non-Muslim contributions to the society. The Muslim News Awards for Excellence event is to acknowledge British Muslim and non-Muslim contributions to society. Over 850 people from diverse background, Muslim and non-Muslim, attended the gala dinner.
At least four people were killed and at least 20 injured in London on Wednesday after a car plowed into pedestrians and an attacker stabbed a policeman close to the British parliament, in what police called a terrorist incident. The dead included the assailant and the policeman he stabbed, while the other two victims were among the pedestrians hit by the car as it tore along Westminster Bridge, which is right next to parliament. Weve declared this as a terrorist incident and the counter-terrorism command are carrying out a full-scale investigation into the events today, Mark Rowley, Britains most senior counter-terrorism officer, told reporters. The attack started when a car was driven over Westminster Bridge, hitting and injuring a number of members of the public, also including three police officers on their way back from a commendation ceremony. A car then crashed near to parliament and at least one man, armed with a knife continued the attack and tried to enter parliament. Reuters reporters who were inside parliament at the time heard loud bangs and shortly afterwards saw the knifeman and the stabbed policeman lying on the ground in a courtyard just outside, within the gated perimeter of the parliamentary estate. A Reuters photographer said he saw at least a dozen people injured on the bridge. His photographs showed people lying on the ground, some of them bleeding heavily and one under a bus. A woman was pulled alive, but with serious injuries, from the Thames, the Port of London Authority said. The circumstances of her fall into the river were unclear. Three French schoolchildren aged 15 or 16 were among those injured in the attack, French officials said. The attack took place on the first anniversary of attacks by Islamist militants that killed 32 people in Brussels. PARLIAMENT SESSION SUSPENDED I just saw a car go out of control and just go into pedestrians on the bridge, eyewitness Bernadette Kerrigan told Sky News. She was on a tour bus on the bridge at the time. As we were going across the bridge, we saw people lying on the floor, they were obviously injured. I saw about 10 people maybe. And then the emergency services started to arrive. Everyone was just running everywhere. The House of Commons, which was in session at the time, was immediately suspended and lawmakers were asked to stay inside. Prime Minister Theresa May was safe after the incident, a spokesman for her office said. He declined to say where May was when the attack took place. Journalist Quentin Letts of the Daily Mail newspaper told LBC radio that he had witnessed the stabbing of the policeman and the shooting of the assailant from his office in the parliament building. He (the assailant) ran in through the open gates ... He set about one of the policemen with what looked like a stick, Letts said. The policeman fell over on the ground and it was quite horrible to watch and then having done that, he disengaged and ran towards the House of Commons entrance used by MPs (members of parliament) and got about 20 yards or so when two plain-clothed guys with guns shot him. Britain is on its second-highest alert level of severe meaning an attack by militants is considered highly likely. In May 2013, two British Islamists stabbed to death soldier Lee Rigby on a street in southeast London. In July 2005, four British Islamists killed 52 commuters and themselves in suicide bombings on the British capitals transport system in what was Londons worst peacetime attack. Also on The Globe and Mail Next story | Learn More Discover content from The Globe and Mail that you might otherwise not have come across. Here well provide you with fresh suggestions where we will continue to make even better ones as we get to know you better. You can let us know if a suggestion is not to your liking by hitting the  close button to the right of the headline.
An eye witness to the attack at Westminster in which a police officer was stabbed and the alleged assailant was shot by armed police has offered a harrowing account of how the event unfolded. Four people, including the policeman and the attacker, have died and several people have suffered 'catastrophic' injuries after a car mowed down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before crashing into railings close to Parliament on the way to the knife attack. Witness Rick Longley told the Press Association: "We were just walking up to the station and there was a loud bang and a guy, someone, crashed a car and took some pedestrians out. The view from the scene of the incident... Credit:Ruptly "They were just laying there and then the whole crowd just surged around the corner by the gates just opposite Big Ben. "A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman. "I have never seen anything like that. I just can't believe what I just saw." Lawmaker Adam Holloway told the AP he saw people running and immediately sprinted into his offices in Parliament to be with his staff. "A lot of us are locked in with our staff at the moment," he added. And describing the incident on the bridge, witness Richard Tice said he 'counted between eight and 10 prostrate figures on the ground' after he came out of Westminster underground station and moved on to Westminster Bridge. Emergency personnel close to the Palace of Westminster, London. Credit: PA Images Matt Haikin, from London, 44, said he was in shock after seeing the aftermath of the crash on the bridge. He said: "I just saw a car that had clearly driven off the road into the fence outside Parliament. "As I went past I noticed there was a body next to it and quite a lot of blood and people standing around. "Fairly shortly after I heard some shots, at which point it was clear it wasn't just an accident, something else was going on." The following footage emerged of the aftermath of the attack... Credit: Twitter He then moved to look through the Palace of Westminster gates and saw 'a lot of people, people in uniform, I think I saw a couple of bodies on the ground, I couldn't tell you if they'd been asked to lie down or if they were injured'. Police have confirmed that they are responding to the attack as an on-going terrorist incident. Speaking from their Twitter account, Metropolitan Police said: "We are treating this as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise." An Air Ambulance outside the Palace of Westminster, London. Credit: PA Images Police have asked people to avoid the following areas in light of the events: Parliament Square Whitehall Westminster Bridge Lambeth Bridge Victoria Street up to the junction with Broadway Victoria Embankment up to Embankment tube A number of counter terrorism officers are currently responding to the attack. Downing Street has confirmed that British Prime Minister Theresa May was in Parliament when the attack happen but is now safe, and Transport for London said Westminster underground station has been shut at the police's request. Featured Image Credit: PA Images James Dawson James Dawson is a Journalist at LADbible. He has contributed articles to LADbibles Knowing Me, Knowing EU series on the EU referendum, the 'Electoral Dysfunction' series on the 2017 general election, the U OK M8? series tackling mental health amongst young men, and for its Climate Change initiative in partnership with National Geographic. arrow-downarrow-leftarrow-rightarrow-upcameraclockclosecommentcursoremailfacebook-messengerfacebookInstagramlinknew-windowphoneplaysharesnapchatsubmittwittervinewhatsapplogoInlineLADbiblesafari-pinned-tab Created by potrace 1.11, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2013
A man lies injured after a shootings incident on Westminster Bridge in London, March 22, 2017. REUTERS/Toby Melville Injured people are assisted after an incident on Westminster Bridge in London, March 22, 2017. REUTERS/Toby Melville A woman lies injured after a shotting incident on Westminster Bridge in London, March 22, 2017. REUTERS/Toby Melville A woman assist an injured person after an incident on Westminster Bridge in London, March 22, 2017. REUTERS/Toby Melville Emergency personnel tend to an injured person close to the Palace of Westminster, London, Wednesday, March 22, 2017. London police say officers called to a 'firearms incident' on Westminster Bridge, near Parliament. The leader of Britain's House of Commons says a man has been shot by police at Parliament. David Liddington also said there were "reports of further violent incidents in the vicinity." London's police said officers had been called to a firearms incident on Westminster Bridge, near the parliament. Britain's MI5 says it is too early to say if the incident is terror-related. Yui Mok/PA via AP Police close the area near Houses of Parliament, London, after sounds similar to gunfire have been heard close to the Houses of Parliament, London, Wednesday, March 22, 2017. Victoria Jones/PA via AP An injured man is assisted after an attack on Westminster Bridge in London, Britain, March 22, 2017. - REUTERS/Toby Melville People are seen inside the pods on the London Eye after it was stopped following an attack on Westminster Bridge in London, Britain, March 22, 2017. - REUTERS/Eddie Keogh Emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament, March 22, 2017. - AP Photo Police officers work at the scene after an attack on Westminster Bridge in London, Britain, March 22, 2017. - REUTERS/Hannah McKay Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May makes a statement at Downing street in London, Britain, March 22, 2017 following the attack in Westminster. - REUTERS/Richard Pohle/Pool
Prime Minister Theresa Mays statement on attack in Westminster. Prime Minister Theresa May makes a statement about the terrorist attack carried out at Westminster today 22 March 2017. The Prime Minister delivered her statement on Downing Street in front of press Prime Minister Theresa May said: I have just chaired a meeting of the Governments emergency committee, COBRA, following the sick and depraved terrorist attack on the streets of our capital this afternoon. The full details of exactly what happened are still emerging. But, having been updated by police and security officials, I can confirm that this appalling incident began when a single attacker drove his vehicle into pedestrians walking across Westminster Bridge, killing two people and injuring many more, including three police officers. This attacker, who was armed with a knife, then ran towards Parliament where he was confronted by the police officers who keep us  and our democratic institutions  safe. Tragically, one officer was killed. The terrorist was also shot dead. The United Kingdoms threat level has been set at severe for some time and this will not change. Acting Deputy Commissioner Rowley will give a further operational update later this evening. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all who have been affected  to the victims themselves, and their family and friends who waved their loved ones off, but will not now be welcoming them home. For those of us who were in Parliament at the time of this attack, these events provide a particular reminder of the exceptional bravery of our police and security services who risk their lives to keep us safe. Once again today, these exceptional men and women ran towards the danger even as they encouraged others to move the other way. On behalf of the whole country, I want to pay tribute to them  and to all our emergency services  for the work they have been doing to reassure the public and bring security back to the streets of our Capital City. That they have lost one of their own in todays attack only makes their calmness and professionalism under pressure all the more remarkable. The location of this attack was no accident. The terrorists chose to strike at the heart of our Capital City, where people of all nationalities, religions and cultures come together to celebrate the values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech. These streets of Westminster  home to the worlds oldest Parliament  are ingrained with a spirit of freedom that echoes in some of the furthest corners of the globe. And the values our Parliament represents  democracy, freedom, human rights, the rule of law  command the admiration and respect of free people everywhere. That is why it is a target for those who reject those values. But let me make it clear today, as I have had cause to do before: any attempt to defeat those values through violence and terror is doomed to failure. Tomorrow morning, Parliament will meet as normal. We will come together as normal. And Londoners  and others from around the world who have come here to visit this great City  will get up and go about their day as normal. They will board their trains, they will leave their hotels, they will walk these streets, they will live their lives. And we will all move forward together. Never giving in to terror. And never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart.
Leslie Rhodes has been pictured for the first time today as an inquest was opened into his death and those of fellow victims of the Westminster terror attack The tearful families of the Westminster terrorist attack victims were offered 'sincere condolences' by the coroner investigating their killing at the opening of inquests today. Westminster Coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox told relatives of the four victims  Kurt Cochrane, Aysha Frade, Leslie Rhodes and PC Keith Palmer  that today's proceedings were the 'first step' in an extensive inquiry that 'will be a long, difficult and complex process'. 'But I would like to assure you all that everything that can be done by this court will be done,' she added. Family members huddled together and wiped tears from their eyes as coroner Fiona Wilcox offered them words of comfort at the Westminster Coroner's Court, a stone's throw from the scene of attack near the Houses of Parliament last week. Among the distraught relatives were the families of all four victims including Spanish teacher Aysha Frade's husband John. It comes as the relatives of Mrs Frade paid an emotional tribute to her, describing the 43-year-old as their 'guardian angel.' Anti-terrorist Police Superintendent John Crossley told the court that the attack - that devastated the lives of 'in excess of 35 people' - lasted just 82 seconds. One of the injured remains in a coma in hospital, the detective told the court. An inquest has been opened into the deaths of four people and a terrorist killed in the attack on Westminster last Wednesday Hundreds of police officers and members of the public today walked across the bridge in an act of remembrance to those who died Mr Rhodes was pictured for the first time today as a coroner heard he was pronounced dead at London's King's College Hospital the day after the attack. A coroner heard today Mr Cochran died on the bridge from multiple injuries after being hit by the car, while Ms Frade suffered head and chest injuries, also dying on the bridge. PC Palmer died at the scene after being stabbed in the chest. Attacker Khalid Masood died after he was shot at the scene by an armed police officer 'The driver mounted the pavement twice in the an apparently deliberate attempt to target pedestrians, before mounting the pavement for a final time and crashing his vehicle into the east parliament gates of the Houses of Parliament.' He added: 'The male then exited the vehicle carrying two large knives and ran into the vehicle entrance gateway known as Carriage Gate at the northern perimeter fence of the Houses of Parliament. 'The male attacked a police officer in the grounds with knives, causing grave wounds and killing the officer. 'The male was then shot and killed by other officers.' Det Supt Crossley told the court 'in excess' of 35 people have been hurt, with injuries ranging from cuts and bruises to 'extensive bone fractures'. He said: 'Two people in addition to the police officer and the attacker died at the scene; one other person was taken to hospital from the scene and died from his injuries.' Det Supt Crossley confirmed that one of those injured remains in a coma in hospital. The incident lasted 82 seconds, and Mr Crossley said CCTV footage provided a 'clear visual chronology' of the events. The aftermath of the attack in which Masood (top) was shot after stabbing PC Palmer (right) A carpet of flowers has since been laid in Parliament Square to remember the victims After the inquests, a Met Police spokesman said: 'Mrs Aysha Frade, aged 44, a British national, died at the scene. Her time of death is recorded as 15:08hrs on Wednesday, 22 March. 'Police Constable Keith Palmer, aged 48, a British national, died at the scene. His time of death is recorded as 15:34hrs on Wednesday, 22 March. 'Mr Kurt Cochran, aged 54, a USA national, died at the scene. His time of death is recorded as 17:34hrs on Wednesday, 22 March. 'Mr Leslie Arthur Rhodes, aged 75, a British national, was taken from the scene to King's College Hospital with critical injuries. On Thursday, 23 March at around 20:25hrs life support was withdrawn. This is recorded as the time of death.' The full inquest will be heard at London's Royal Courts of Justice, with a pre-inquest review set by the coroner for May 19. Mrs Frade's family gave a separate statement later in the day, paying tribute to her and saying she had been taken from them in 'the most cowardly of ways.' 'Our beloved Aysha; caring daughter, loving sister, amazing wife, irreplaceable aunt, thoughtful, supportive friend and the best and coolest of mummies,' they said, in a statement released through the Metropolitan Police. 'You were ripped away from our lives in the cruellest and most cowardly of ways. We now pray that you guide and protect not only us, but all of London, from further evil. 'You will always be remembered as our guardian angel who never shied away from facing up to bullies. 'There are no words to even begin to describe the crushing pain and eternal void left in our hearts.'
Gunfire rang out in Parliament as the attacker was himself shot dead by police. Victims included one police officer, who died after being stabbed. Others were hit by a vehicle, apparently driven by the assailant, on Westminster Bridge, a main road next to Parliament which is often busy with tourists. BBC Two's flagship news show Newsnight reported that the vehicle may have been hired in Birmingham. Newsnight correspondent Richard Watson told viewers extremism experts at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation, at Kings College, London, had shared evidence that the car used in the attack was hired from Enterprise Rentals in Birmingham on the 16th of March. A spokesman for the Prime Minister said she later chaired a meeting of the Governments emergency Cobra committee. Mrs May ordered flags to be lowered to half mast over Downing Street as a mark of respect to those who lost their lives. Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to playTap to play The video will start in 8Cancel Play now Police confirmed they were treating the incident as terrorism. Mark Rowley, Metropolitan Polices Acting Deputy Commissioner and Head of Counter Terrorism, said: Weve declared this as a terrorist incident and the counter-terrorism command are carrying out a full-scale investigation into events today. Read More He said police detectives currently believe it was a lone attacker, although some reports have suggested there may have been a second person involved. Eyewitnesses described seeing a heavy-set man carrying a knife and running towards the Houses of Parliament. Police standing guard at the scene of the attack near the Houses of Parliament (Image: Jack Taylor/Getty Images) One, Jayne Wilkinson, told the Press Association: We were taking photos of Big Ben and we saw all the people running towards us, and then there was an Asian guy in about his 40s carrying a knife about seven or eight inches long. Read More Frazer Clarke, aged 25, from Burton-on-Trent, said: We heard a loud bang and screaming and then I noticed some smoke. I thought it was a car crash. I looked towards the front gate and people were running, a police officer and a fellow coming to the gate with two knives. He was stabbing the police officer with the knives. He was wearing black tracksuit bottoms, a black or grey top and what looked like work boots. The police officer was stumbling and fell on the floor. Another police officer walked toward the guy with the knives and shot him twice. Theresa May vowed Britain would never give in to terror. In a statement outside 10 Downing Street, Mrs May insisted "the forces of evil" would never be allowed "to drive us apart". She said: "We will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart." The White House said US President Donald Trump spoke with Mrs May to offer his condolences on todays terror attack in London and his praise for the effective response of security forces and first responders.
London Attack: 75-Yr-Old Succumbs to Wounds, Death Toll Rises to 5 Follow Us On: Death Toll Rises to Five The death toll from Wednesdays attack on the heart of Britain's democracy grew to five as police said one of the injured, a 75-year-man, had died in hospital after his life support was withdrawn. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan condoled the death on Twitter. 3:38 PM, 23 Mar Attacker Identified as Khalid Masood The UK Parliament attacker has been identified as Khalid Masood, a 52-year-old Briton with criminal convictions. 2:50 PM, 23 Mar Identities of the Three Victims Revealed The three people killed in the London terror attack were a 43-year-old teacher, a veteran police man and an American tourist. Keith Palmer, 48, was the unarmed police officer outside the parliament when he has stabbed to death by the attacker. Kurt Cochran, who was visiting London from Utah with his wife, was identified as the second victim. Aysha Frade, a teacher with family in Spain, was identified as the third victim. 12:29 PM, 23 Mar ISIS Claims Responsibility for Attack ISIS on Thursday claimed responsibility for the London attack. 11:45 AM, 23 Mar Queen Elizabeth's Visit to New Scotland Yard Cancelled Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philips visit to the New Scotland Yard was cancelled following the attack. 11:05 AM, 23 Mar Attacker Was British-Born: Theresa May The man who launched Wednesday's attack at the parliament was born in Britain and known to the intelligence services, Prime Minister Theresa May said on Thursday. What I can confirm is that the man was British-born and that some years ago he was once investigated by MI5 in relation to concerns about violent extremism, she told lawmakers. He was a peripheral figure, she added. The case is historic, he was not part of the current intelligence picture. She said there had been no prior intelligence of his intent nor of the plot. 10:59 AM, 23 Mar Revised Death Toll Indicates 4 Were Killed, Including Attacker British police said they believe the attacker who killed three people including a police officer outside Parliament acted alone and was inspired by international terrorism. Metropolitan Police counterterrorism chief Mark Rowley said that police have raided six addresses and arrested seven people in connection with Wednesday's attack by a knife-wielding man who also mowed down pedestrians with an SUV. Rowley refused to identify the attacker. He revised the death toll down to four, including the attacker, a police officer guarding Parliament and two civilians. He said that 29 people required hospitalisation and seven of them are in critical condition. 7:52 AM, 23 Mar 7 Arrested in Connection with Parliament Attack British authorities have arrested seven people in connection with the London parliament attacks, reports AFP. 7:10 AM, 23 Mar India Stands by UK, Says Pranab Mukherjee President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday took to Twitter to express his condolences after the London attack. 6:57 AM, 23 Mar Police Makes Several Arrests After Birmingham Raid British police made several arrests in a raid on a house in Birmimgham as part of an investigation into Wednesday's attack on parliament, Sky News television channel quoted unidentified sources as saying on Thursday. 4:16 AM, 23 Mar New York Security Tightened in the Aftermath of London Attack New York police ramped up security at British sites across the city on Wednesday after an assailant fatally stabbed a policeman outside Britain's parliament and was then shot and killed by police. Heavily armed officers and explosives-detecting dogs were deployed to locations including the British Consulate and the British Mission to the United Nations in Manhattan. Hardliner Abu Izzadeen Not the Attacker But Izzadeens brother and lawyer confirmed that Izzadeen was serving his prison sentence over an unrelated matter. Izzadeen had converted to Islam at age 17. In 2016, he was sent to prison for two years for breaching the Terrorism Act by leaving the UK illegally. 3:03 AM, 23 Mar Eiffel Turns Dark Eiffel Tower goes dark in a mark of respect to those who lost their lives at the London terror attack. 2:29 AM, 23 Mar Deeply Saddened by the Terror Attack in London: PM Modi Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences after the London terror attack. He said India stands with UK in its fight against terrorism. 9:15 PM, 22 Mar UK Won't Change Terror Threat Level After Attack: Theresa May Prime Minister Theresa May condemned the attack as a "sick and depraved terrorist attack." Speaking outside 10 Downing Street, she said attempts to defeat British values of democracy and freedom through terrorism would fail. The location of this attack was no accident. The values our parliament represents - democracy, freedom, human rights, the rule of law - command the admiration and respect of free people everywhere.That is why it is a target for those who reject those values. "Tomorrow morning, Parliament will meet as normal," she said. She said Londoners and visitors "will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart." 8:44 PM, 22 Mar Londoners Will Never be Cowed by Terrorism: Mayor The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, addressed Londoners in a video posted on Twitter and reassured that London is safe for both the residents and tourists. 7:04 PM, 22 Mar UK PM May's Thoughts Are With Killed, Injured in "Appalling Incident" Theresa May's thoughts are with those killed and injured in an attack close to parliament and the British prime minister is being kept updated with developments, her office said on Wednesday. "The thoughts of the PM and the government are with those killed and injured in this appalling incident, and with their families," her office said in a statement. "The PM is being kept updated and will shortly chair COBR," the statement said, referring to a meeting of the government's emergency security committee to be held later on Wednesday. 6:27 PM, 22 Mar No Indian Casualty Reported: Sushma Swaraj Minister of External Affairs, Sushma Swaraj, tweeted hours after the attack and said that she was in touch with the Indian High Commission in London. 5:55 PM, 22 Mar Trumps Speaks With May After Attack US President Donald Trump and British PM Theresa May talked over the phone after the London attack, White House informed on Wednesday. He offered British Prime Minister Theresa May the full cooperation and support of the United States in responding to an attack close to the British Parliament, the White House said in a statement. 5:50 PM, 22 Mar Police Officer Dead, Death Now Rises to 5 Police officer identified as 48-year Keith Palmer was stabbed by the unknown assailant inside the parliament in line of duty. The officer who served for 15 long years succumbed to his injuries, reports said. The number of killed in the attack has now risen to five including the cop and the attacker. 5:28 PM, 22 Mar Ministry of External Affairs of India Expresses Grief The ministry of external affairs of India took to Twitter to condemn the attack. 5:21 PM, 22 Mar Woman Pulled Out Alive from River Thames A woman was pulled out alive from River Thames after the attack and has serious injuries, the Port of London Authority said. 5:17 PM, 22 Mar Emergency Security Committee Meeting Convened British Prime Minister Theresa May will convene emergency security committee meeting, said a spokesperson. 5:08 PM, 22 Mar Police Investigation Underway The attack has been declared a terrorist incident and a full counterterrorism investigation is underway, police officers said. We know there are a number of casualties, including police officers, but at this stage we cannot confirm numbers or the nature of these injuries, Metropolitan police commander, BJ Harrington said. The Mayor of London also tweeted about the investigation. 4:19 PM, 22 Mar Two Killed in the Attack Two people have been killed, while several others have endured catastrophic injuries in the attack, Reuters reported. 3:59 PM, 22 Mar Westminster Tube Station Shut After Attack The Westminster Tube station has been closed after the shooting incident. 3:40 PM, 22 Mar Police Treating it as a "Terror Attack" The Westminster police is treating the UK attack as a terrorist act, unless known otherwise. 3:38 PM, 22 Mar Prime Minister Theresa May is Safe British Prime Minister Theresa May is safe after an assailant was shot outside parliament by armed police on Wednesday, a spokesman for her office said. The spokesman declined to say where May was when the attack took place. Five people have been killed, including one police official and the attacker, while 40 were injured The attacker has been identified as 52-year-old Briton Khalid Masood ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack Seven people have been arrested in connection with the attack in raids on six different addresses A knife-wielding man charged at police officers outside the Parliament in London before he was shot by the police on Wednesday The assailant mowed down several people on Westminster Bridge before the car crashed into a roadside railing 3:21 PM, 22 Mar Eyewitnesses Narrating Sequence of Events Outside UK Parliament George Eaton, political editor at New Statesman, was present at the Parliament and posted a sequence of events. From the window of the parliamentary Press Gallery, Eaton saw police shoot a man who charged at officers while carrying what appeared to be a knife. The assailant then entered the parliamentary estate. He was then swiftly shot by the armed police. Quentin Letts, the Daily Mails parliamentary sketchwriter, also narrated what he witnessed: I saw a thick-set man in black clothes come through the gates into New Palace Yard, just below Big Ben. He had something in his hand, it looked like a stick of some sort, and he was challenged by a couple of policemen in yellow jackets. And one of the yellow-jacketed policemen fell down and we could see the man in black moving his arm in a way that suggested he was stabbing or striking the yellow-jacketed policeman. The other officer ran to get help and the man in black ran about 15 yards towards the entrance. As this attacker was running towards the entrance, two plain-clothed guys with guns shouted at him what sounded like a warning, he ignored it and they shot two or three times and he fell, he told BBC. 3:16 PM, 22 Mar Police Officer Injured Inside Parliament A police officer was reportedly stabbed inside the parliament. Paramedics have arrived at the spot. 3:09 PM, 22 Mar Alleged Assailant Shot by Police: UK Minister An alleged assailant was shot dead by the police outside the UK parliament, a UK minister said. 3:05 PM, 22 Mar Eyewitnesses Post Accounts From Outside Parliament Immediately after loud shots were heard outside the UK parliament, several took to Twitter to post videos from the spot. Another person tweeted saying that an air ambulance had landed at Parliament Square and a dozen police cars are at the spot now. 3:03 PM, 22 Mar Car Mows Down 5 People A car on Westminster Bridge has reportedly mowed down at least 5 people. 3:00 PM, 22 Mar House of Commons Suspended The UK House of Commons sitting has been suspended as witnesses report sounds like gunfire outside. Armed police officers were seen running to exit from UK parliament after the loud bangs were heard. Wednesday also marks the one year anniversary of the Brussels bombings. 2:56 PM, 22 Mar Loud Bangs Heard Outside UK Parliament, Two Shot Loud shots were heard outside the UK parliament late on Wednesday evening. The building has been locked down. Two people were shot and at least a dozen people have been injured on Westminster Bridge near UK parliament, Reuters reported. There was a loud noise that sounded like a car crash, followed by screams, followed by a handful of people rushing, Gordon Rayner posted on Twitter. (With inputs from Reuters and AP.) (The Quint is now on WhatsApp. To receive handpicked stories on topics you care about, subscribe to our WhatsApp services. Just go to TheQuint.com/WhatsApp and hit the Subscribe button.)
Some further details on how the injured were treated today in Londons hospitals. In total five London hospitals treated casualties. Staff from St Thomass, yards from the attack on Westminster Bridge, rushed to help the injured there. But the most seriously hurt were taken to three of the capitals four regional trauma centres: Kings College in Camberwell, St Marys in Paddington and the Royal London in Whitechapel. The Chelsea and Westminster hospital also dealt with some of the injured. Four university students were injured as they were caught up in the attack on Westminster Bridge, the Press Association has reported. They were among a group of 13 students and a lecturer from Edge Hill University, in Ormskirk, who were on the first day of a two-day educational visit to the Houses of Parliament. The students had just left Parliament and made their way on to Westminster Bridge after they had watched Prime Ministers Questions and met with MPs. Among those injured were Owen Lambert, 18, from Morecambe, Lancs, who needed stitches to a head wound, and Travis Frain, from Darwen. Dr John Cater, Vice Chancellor of Edge Hill University, told BBC North West Tonight: They had just actually finished their session, were leaving the Parliament building and in the Westminster Bridge area where we understand ... they were involved in the incident. We understand that two students have been taken to hospital but as walking wounded - one with a head wound and one with a wrist injury. There are two other students who have minor injuries who are with police and acting as witnesses. The good news is that the other nine students are now back in a hostel receiving support and will return to the North West tomorrow. He added: The details are invariably hazy I guess.Our assumption is that they were either knocked over by other people or struck by the vehicle. Obviously all of them will be somewhat traumatised by what they have seen as well. Earlier, the university tweeted: All students and lecturer in Westminster have been accounted for and are being supported by the university. Romanias foreign ministry says two Romanians were wounded in a deadly attack in Londons Westminster, the Associated Press have reported. The ministry said the two had been taken to a hospital for treatment. There were no further details on the identity of the two or how seriously they were injured. The ministry said it had been informed by authorities in London. My colleague Haroon Siddique earlier talked to a man who was waiting outside St Thomass A&E trying to glean information about Two Romanian friends who he feared had been caught up in the attack. He said a Romanian couple he met on a trip to Thailand, were on the bridge when it occurred. He was supposed to meet them at the London Eye but called when they failed to show up. We cant confirm if it is the same people confirmed as injured by the Romanian foreign ministry. Commenting on todays attack in Westminster a spokesman for the Public and Commercial Services union, which represents Met police security staff in the Palace of Westminster and civil servants in nearby government buildings, said: Our thoughts are with the victims of this horrific attack and their families. We also send our solidarity to police and security staff in parliament and all those who work in and around Westminster, including MPs, their employees and civil servants.
World leaders stand with Britain after London attack World leaders unanimously condemned the attack in the heart of London by a man who was shot dead by armed police, with many saying they stand with Britain. 23.03.2017 (ADW/AFP) World leaders unanimously condemned the attack in the heart of London by a man who was shot dead by armed police, with many saying they stand with Britain. At least four people were killed and more than 40 injured in the attack outside parliament Wednesday when a man mowed down pedestrians with a car then leapt out and stabbed a police officer. In an address outside her Downing Street office, Prime Minister Theresa May described the attack as "sick and depraved" saying the assailant chose the site as an assault on Britain's democratic values. Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel was actually due to meet UK Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday, but the talks were understandably cancelled following the attack in London. Bettel stated, "My thoughts are with the victims of the terror attack in London and their families. We have to stand together to fight against terrorism." Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel said Germany stood "firmly and resolutely alongside Britons in the struggle against all forms of terrorism" while President Frank-Walter Steinmeier added: "In these grave moments, we Germans feel very close to the British people." France President Francois Hollande sent a message of "solidarity" and "support to the British people" saying France could identify with their pain after the attack, in which three French high school students were also wounded. "France, which has been hit so hard in recent times, knows what the British people are suffering today," he said. And Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve tweeted: "Solidarity with our British friends, horribly attacked, full support for the injured French students, their families and their friends." Belgium "Our condolences are with those who mourn and all who are affected in London," Prime Minister Charles Michel tweeted. "Belgium stands with U.K. in fight against terror." The Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte told Dutch television he was shocked by the "horrific" news and said: "The city is in our hearts. We are following the situation closely, and are in contact with the British authorities." Italy Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, who observed a moment of silence at the start of a meeting with Social Democratic lawmakers, expressed his "condolences" and said: "Italy and the United Kingdom remain side-by-side in our condemnation and firm response to all forms of terrorism". European Union European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said the attack left him "highly emotional". In Brussels to commemorate the one-year anniversary of attacks on the main airport and a metro station, Juncker said "the fact that exactly on the same day something similar happened in London, and to London, is really putting me in the situation of someone who does not have... enough words to express how I am deeply feeling." European Council President Donald Tusk tweeted: "My thoughts are with the victims of the Westminster attack. Europe stands firm with the UK against terror and ready to help". United States The White House condemned the attack and pledged "the full support of the US government in responding to the attack and bringing those to justice who are responsible," spokesman Sean Spicer said at a briefing. Canada Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted: "Our thoughts are with the victims of today's attack in London and their families. Canadians remain united with the people of the UK." Russia "We consider it an evil to which it is necessary to fight collectively. In this moment, as always, our hearts are with Britons and we share their pain". Turkey Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan emphasised that "Turkey feels and shares deeply in the United Kingdom's pain" and that it stood in "solidarity" with Britain "in the fight against terrorism". Erdogan had earlier warned Europeans in a speech on Wednesday that "no European, no Westerner will be able to take steps on the street safely and peacefully," as a crisis between Ankara and the EU showed no signs of abating. Japan "We are shocked and angered at the terror attack that generated many deaths and injuries," Japan's top government spokesman Yoshihide Suga told reporters Thursday at a regular briefing. "The government absolutely condemns the despicable terror attack. We express our heartfelt condolences to victims and bereaved families," he said, adding: "Japan expresses a keen sense of unity with the British people." Greece Spain Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy tweeted: "Spain stands with the British people. I condemn the attack in the vicinity of Westminster, London. Solidarity with the victims." Portugal "This attack clearly shows the priorities on which Europe must concentrate. It's only when we are united that we have the capacity to face these threats," said Portugal's Prime Minister Antonio Costa. Australia Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said the assault was an attack on "freedom and democracy everywhere". "But we will never, ever let the terrorists win. We will defeat and destroy them on the battlefield, we will defeat and defy them at home," he said. "We will never change the way we live. We will never let them divide us." China "We send our condolences to the prime minister of the UK and together we condemn terrorism and we stand against all forms of terrorism," Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said in Canberra, speaking alongside Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. Singapore Singapore's ministry of foreign affairs said "the people of Singapore stand in solidarity with the people of the United Kingdom at this difficult time." Qatar Qatar stressed its rejection of violence "in all its forms" and its support for the UK government "in all the measures it takes to maintain the country's security." Venezuela Venezuela's socialist President Nicolas Maduro expressed "full support for the people of London and our absolute rejection of all forms of terrorism." "Enough terrorism, enough war, enough violence. We condemn terrorism in all its forms and support the victims and their families," he said in televised comments.
A north MP has spoken of the shocking moment he witnessed the horrific terrorist attack unfolding inside the Houses of Parliament yesterday. Drew Hendry was in New Palace Yard at Westminster when the attacker was fatally shot after stabbing an armed police officer to death. The MP for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey said he saw the assailant being taken down by police and the attempts to resuscitate the fallen officer. Speaking to the Press and Journal from the locked down chamber of the Commons yesterday evening, Mr Hendry said: We are all fine. Obviously our thoughts are with the other people who have been involved, the police and security staff who were doing their job. I was down in the palace yard when the suspect was being taken down and saw the efforts to resuscitate the police officer. It was a pretty shocking thing to see. I was told to stay where I was in the palace yard and eventually I was escorted to the chamber. Many MPs were walking to the Commons chamber to vote at the time of the incident. The route from many MPs offices goes via New Palace Yard, where the attack took place. Mr Hendry said he was always kept safe as the incident unfolded, and praised the response he witnessed from the emergency services. You just have to feel for the families of the people involved. Its an unimaginable situation for most people to be in, he said. The response of the emergency services in such grim circumstances was absolutely amazing. Mr Hendry added last night that he was reflecting on bravery of others and those senselessly killed and injured. Western Isles MP Angus MacNeil was also in the Commons yesterday afternoon when the horror unfolded. He said he had previously warned about a potential security blindspot at the parliament building which could be exploited by terrorists. Speaking from inside the chambers after the attack Mr MacNeil said he had raised concerns about the lack of ballistic cover to shield officers in the event of an assault on Parliaments St Stephens Entrance. The entrance was not the target of yesterdays attack, but the MP, who is chairman of the Commons International Trade Committee, was worried about the possible security loophole. I spoke to the Commons Serjeant-At-Arms about the lack of ballistic cover for officers to shield behind in the event of an attack and that was acted upon. There are now protective steel plates up there, said Mr MacNeill last night. I was in the division lobby when todays attack happened. An MP came running towards us and said there had been shots. My reaction was one of disbelief, but at the same time its always in the back of your mind that it could happen because the building is obviously a target. Theres not a lot one could have done to prevent todays attack  it just takes somebody with a car and a knife, as we have seen elsewhere. We are all very grateful to the people who protect us and the security is good. But sadly a police officer is among the dead and our condolences go to his family and colleagues. The police and Army came in and are scouring the area. I think well be here for another half an hour or so. Banff and Buchan MP Dr Eilidh Whiteford said politicians had been given no further information beyond what had been reported to the house. She said at around 4pm: We are still in lockdown and awaiting evacuation. My thoughts are with the security and emergency services at this time. Ian Blackford, MP for Ross, Skye and Lochaber, said: The MPs are safe in the chamber. The shooting was outside. Its obviously dreadful that innocent people have been caught up in this. People are responding to messages, people are calm. Obviously we dont know what has happened but theres an impression its a terrorist attack.
This can't be real. Those are the words I heard over and over as I and several MPs and staff looked out of the window at Portcullis House and saw a car slam into the railings. Someone mentioned Jo Cox. Someone else  a Muslim  muttered a prayer for safety. In the last year Ive worked in Israel, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia  but only in London have I felt sheer terror. It was only later, hearing the words coming out of my mouth whilst being interviewed for the News at Ten, that I realised that Wednesday is a day that neither I nor my city will ever forget. Im embarrassed to admit that my shock is turning into anger. Embarrassed because anger is the last thing we need  its anger, one mans anger, that has got us here in the first place. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP Im angry at the perpetrator. Im angry at myself for being so helpless. And Im angry that all my fellow Muslims can do is condemn the attack. Isnt there more? And do I really need to remind my fellow Londoners, my fellow Brits, my fellow human beings, that the only jihad fought that day was by the ambulance crews? That the only martyrs are PC Keith Palmer and four pedestrians? And most of all, Im angry that I dont know what we do next. A vigil? A hashtag? A meme? Ive started a campaign to raise money for the victims, Muslims United for London, joining forces with friends, and two British Muslim MPs, Naz Shah and Yasmin Qureshi. But what else? Im a professional communicator, but Im lost for words. What was this? Simply calling it an attack seems too remote, too clinical. And what kind of attack? I dont want to give Isis credit, but we must face the fact that the attack was likely inspired by their ideology. But what is Islamist about this? Islamism  political Islam  is usually about banning alcohol or imposing the hijab. Mowing down schoolchildren from Brittany and a mum on her way to pick up her kids isnt Islam or Islamism or any other ism. Its murder. Deranged, soulless murder. The perpetrator, who I choose not to name, according to reports seems to have converted to Islam in prison, after a criminal career going back to the age of 18. His story is typical: a longstanding disregard for the rule of law and the rights of others being given a religious veneer after the fact. His violent nature was a pre-existing condition. This is the Islamisation of criminality. The absurd fact is, if Imams carried out CRB checks before accepting Muslim converts many terrorist attacks would be averted  we'd just call them murders instead, or maybe GBH attacks (for which the perpetrator had a prior conviction). Candlelit vigil for Westminster attack victims held in Trafalgar Square Yet we cannot deny that soulless murder is being justified in the name of Islam. A lot has been said about the UKs Prevent strategy, especially amongst my Muslim friends. Many of them have joked about it being the Agitate strategy, perhaps oblivious to the fact that a quarter of Prevent reports relate not to Muslims, but to far-right groups. Prevent may mean you worry about your nephews tweets, but it may also stop him being stabbed in his mosque. At least thats the idea. What we now know is that the current strategy hasnt prevented this. It has often cast the net of suspicion so wide that it alienates perfectly loyal Brits while letting real extremists slip through. But the attack outside Parliament shows that the need for a strategy to prevent Britons engaging in acts of mindless killing has never been greater. Prevent is being reviewed and relaunched. The temptation to resist and reject, given past failures, is understandable  but it is not workable. We British Muslims need to be part of the new strategy. Prevent 2.0 needs to be more ambitious, but also more nuanced than our previous attempts. And it must be more than a rebranding exercise. It must work in and with our communities to enable them to build resilience against those who would divide us. The wall that Prevent has hit in the past requires both government and communities to make renewed efforts to speak to each other and create new ways to work together: because we all suffer when extremists strike. To succeed, we will continue to need police and security services, but we will also need social workers  and psychiatrists. Because, as I was told at the UN last year, wars begin in the minds of men, and it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed. This can be real. It has already been real in Tel Aviv, Brussels, Berlin, Paris, Nice and Dewsbury. It has been real in Baghdad, Istanbul, Dhaka, Tripoli, Tunis, Sanaa, Cairo, Beirut, and beyond. Now it is real in London. Either we live together  or we die together. That is real. The Independent has launched its #FinalSay campaign to demand that voters are given a voice on the final Brexit deal.
Victims of the Westminster terror attack returned to the scene a week after Khalid Masood carried out his crazed rampage. Many of those who were injured when Masood mowed down crowds in his car went back to Westminster Bridge seven days on, joined by thousands of others. Also in attendance were some of the relatives of the four people killed in the attack, including the family of American Kurt Cochran. Andrei Burnaz, whose girlfriend Andreea Cristea was thrown from the bridge in last week's attack returned for the poignant event today in a wheelchair and his leg in a cast. Scroll down for video. Family members of US citizen Kurt Cochran, who was killed during the Westminster attack, embrace each other Andrei Burnaz, whose girlfriend Andreea Cristea was thrown from the bridge in last week's attack returns for the poignant event today in a wheelchair Mr Burnaz is one of many people holding flowers as they attend the vigil to remember the victims of last week's Westminster terrorist attack This group, believed to be Aysha Frade's relatives, including husband John (middle), carry roses across the bridge The Hands Across Westminster Bridge vigil sought to show that 'we will not be divided', linking 'all nations, faiths, orientation and sexes', organisers said Members of the public joined hands on the bridge in a show of solidarity, before honouring the victims of the attack in a minute's silence. Police officers, many of whom were mourning the loss of their colleague PC Keith Palmer, stood side-by-side with those wearing T-shirts which said: 'I am a Muslim, ask me anything'. The Hands Across Westminster Bridge vigil sought to show that 'we will not be divided', linking 'all nations, faiths, orientation and sexes', organisers said. An aerial shot shows the crowds standing on the bridge. Some can be seen holding up banners and messages Another helicopter photograph shows the crowd in full on the bridge, in the exact areas where Khalid Masood carried out his rampage Hundreds of people have congregated on Westminster Bridge to mark seven days since the devastating terror attack on London which left four people dead Thousands of police officers and the general public stand in solidarity for the victims of the Westminster terror attack The Hands Across Westminster Bridge vigil sought to show that 'we will not be divided', linking 'all nations, faiths, orientation and sexes', organisers said Muslim men pray during an event to mark one week since a man drove his car into perdestrains on Westminster Bridge then stabbed a police officer in London Officers who attended the scene of the attack were urged to 'come to pay their respects, as well as victims, witnesses and anyone else', according to a statement on the Metropolitan Police Federation website Those gathered on the bridge fell silent at 2.40pm - the time the first call was made to police exactly seven days ago Share this article Share 1.7k shares Officers who attended the scene of the attack were urged to 'come to pay their respects, as well as victims, witnesses and anyone else', according to a statement on the Metropolitan Police Federation website. The bridge, still adorned with floral tributes to the victims, was closed to traffic. Nurses and doctors from St Thomas' hospital, where many of the injured were treated, joined those on the bridge. School children aged nine and 10 from Al-Sadiq and Al-Zahra Schools clasped yellow roses and held signs which read 'Islam says no to terror' and 'please don't kill innocent people' as they walked across the river. Hundreds of members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association were on the bridge, wearing T-shirts with the message 'I am a Muslim, ask me anything'. Victims, witnesses and over 500 faith leaders from across the country link hands across Westminster Bridge from the south to the north Police officers congregated on Westminster Bridge this afternoon (pictured) to mark seven days since the devastating terror attack on London which left four people dead Children walk over Westminster Bridge during a vigil to remember the victims of last week's Westminster terrorist attack Police officers, many of whom were mourning the loss of their colleague PC Keith Palmer, stood side-by-side with those wearing T-shirts which said: 'I am a Muslim, ask me anything' Members of the public joined hands on the bridge in a show of solidarity, before honour the victims of the attack in a minute's silence March of solidarity by police officers across Westminster Bridge, a week on from the terror attack in London Zafir Malik, an imam from the association, said they were asked by the police to come along to show solidarity, and that they wanted to 'show that what happened here last week had nothing to do with the so-called religious aspect that this has been given'. '[It has] nothing to do with Islam, nothing to do with what we believe in and preach on a daily basis. 'We're here to show that we are united with our fellow countrymen and remembering those who have fallen, especially Pc Keith Palmer. We are here and showing our solidarity for the country.' Vigils were also held across the country to coincide with the Westminster event. Those gathered on the bridge fell silent at 2.40pm - the time the first call was made to police exactly seven days ago. Rain began to fall as the vigil paused for a minute's silence for the victims on the bridge, in the shadow of the Palace of Westminster, where the deadly attack took place. Armed police officers monitor the area as people arrive for a vigil on Westminster Bridge in London, exactly a week since the Westminster terror attack took place People hold roses on Westminster Bridge as they attend a vigil to remember the victims of last week's terror attack Vigils were also held across the country to coincide with the Westminster event. Those gathered on the bridge fell silent at 2.40pm - the time the first call was made to police exactly seven days ago Deputy Commissioner Craig Mackey of the Metropolitan Police speaks to the media after observing a minute's silence outside New Scotland Yard during a vigil to remember the victims of last week's terror attack The Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association was also involved. The show of solidarity comes as an inquest for the victims is to open and adjourned at Westminster's Coroner's Court as police continue to investigate the attack. A separate inquest for Masood will be opened at the same court on Thursday. Several victims are still being treated in hospital. Among those are Andreea Cristea, 29, who was pushed over a barrier into the River Thames before being rescued by a fire crew. This week, Masood's widow Rohey Hydara and mother Janet Ajao spoke out to condemn the atrocity. WESTMINSTER VICTIM WAS OUR 'GUARDIAN ANGEL' Aysha Frade was one of the four people killed by Khalid Masood. Her family has described her as their 'guardian angel' Westminster terror attack victim Aysha Frade will be remembered as 'our guardian angel who never shied away from facing up to bullies', her family has said. The 44-year-old was one of four people killed during Khalid Masood's 82-second murderous rampage last Wednesday. In a statement released through the Metropolitan Police, her family said she had been 'ripped away from our lives in the cruellest and most cowardly of ways'. 'You were ripped away from our lives in the cruellest and most cowardly of ways. We now pray that you guide and protect not only us, but all of London, from further evil. 'You will always be remembered as our guardian angel who never shied away from facing up to bullies. 'There are no words to even begin to describe the crushing pain and eternal void left in our hearts.' A group of Muslim men stood on the bridge holding flowers and signs which read 'Love for All, Hatred for None' At 2.15pm, precisely the moment that the attack began, the group linked hands across Westminster Bridge from the south to the north. A man is pictured holding a flower during the event Mrs Ajao said she was 'deeply shocked, saddened and numbed' by her son's actions and said she had 'shed many tears' for his victims. Ms Hydara added: 'I express my condolences to the families of the victims that have died, and wish a speedy recovery to all the injured. 'I would like to request privacy for our family, especially the children, at this difficult time.' Scotland Yard has said there is 'no evidence' Masood was linked to ISIS or al Qaida but he 'clearly' had an interest in jihad. The force is continuing to urge anyone who was in contact with Masood on the day of the attack to come forward. His communications on March 22 are a main line of inquiry, amid reports his phone connected with encrypted messaging service WhatsApp just before the attack. Khalid Masood launched an 82-second rampage, driving at pedestrians on the bridge before stabbing PC Keith Palmer in the Palace of Westminster's cobbled forecourt Among the people he mowed down on the bridge were American Kurt Cochran, 54 (right), who died, and his girlfriend Melissa (left who is still in hospital) Two men arrested in connection with the investigation remain in custody after police requested warrants for further detention. Officers have until 6.50am on Thursday to question a 58-year-old arrested at an address in Birmingham on the day of the attack. A 30-year-old man who was arrested in Birmingham on Sunday can be detained until 11.35am this Sunday. Floral tributes have been left on the wrought iron gates of the Palace of Westminster, paying tribute to those who died Hundreds of people gathered on Thursday night last week, a day after the attack, for a candlelit vigil at Trafalgar Square Police continue to investigate the attack. Scotland Yard has said there is 'no evidence' Masood was linked to ISIS or al Qaida but he 'clearly' had an interest in jihad. Pictured: Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley making a statement to the media A vigil is held on Salford Quays Bridge by The Lowry in Salford, exactly a week since the Westminster terror attack took place On Monday the family of American tourist Mr Cochran said they bore no ill-will over the incident. Mr Cochran and his wife Melissa, from Utah, were on the final day of a trip to London to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary when they were mown down on Westminster Bridge by Masood's car. Mr Cochran was killed and his 46-year-old wife was taken to hospital with a broken leg and rib and a cut head. Ms Frade is believed to have been a married mother-of-two, while Mr Rhodes, from Clapham, south London, was described by neighbours as a 'lovely man'. Twelve people are still being treated at hospitals across London. Meanwhile, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will join the families of Westminster terror attack victims at a special service. The 'Service of Hope' will take place at Westminster Abbey next Wednesday, marking two weeks since the attack which left five dead, including terrorist Khalid Masood.
It is necessary for the civilised Western democracies to acknowledge that Islam has declared war on socially liberal society and respond accordingly, in a similar manner that Japanese and Germans suspected of being a threat to security and social order were dealt with in the Second World War. A ban on all terror-supporting organisations  especially the Moslem Brotherhood and all charities supporting terrorist organisations throughout the Middle East and in particular Palestine should be introduced immediately, with especial reference to all organisations funded by the United Nations. For starters. The seventh century death cult of Islam has been engaged in a practically continuous war against the civilised West since the seventh century, and is entirely incompatible with socially liberal civilised democratic society. If we wish to preserve over a millenniums scientific, philosophical and humanitarian progress, we must take drastic action, the longer we delay the more bloody will be the result. Cat, no need to ban Islam. Just enforce existing sedition ,murder and rape laws against any group or individual that wishes to legalise murder ( all Islamic jursprudence) rape, same thing, honor killings, FGM, etc. When Islam formerly rejects such barbarity in thought, written word or deed, then treat them like any other group, until then treat them like ANY OTHER CRIMINAL group with such immoral illegal proveably seditious ideology. Rapes, killings, terror attackes will continue as long as the sociapath leadership in Europe refuses to draw the line and finaly undertake a serious effort to protect the people that voted them into power. They have to act because is they dont they will be removed from office. Today the Turks came up with new threats stating that people in Germany would no longer be able to walk the streets safely if freedom and democracy was no longer enforced. This comes from a country and a leader that prepares for a vote that will abolish democracy completely and operates with total discard of human right and which third biggest city is called Berlin. In France today a poll was published stating that 1/3 of the islamic population believed that terror was an acceptable practice to obtain their objectives (with no reference to what those objectives migt be) We already know that all the pink views of integration pushed by MSM and the political establishment are a total failure and Merkel went, like many of her ilk responsible for the mandated acceptance of islamic refugees in Europe, totally bunkers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqmN69aWTs4 We have similar sociopaths in office all over the USA as well and with the rape attack in Md today, just as they anounced to uphold a sanctuary status for illegals, the need to act has never been bigger: http://nation.foxnews.com/2017/03/20/brutal-new-details-emerge-alleged-rape-maryland-girl-two-teens-one-here-illegally It is completely clear that the entire concept for flooding Western Civilizations with assylum seekers and refugees that are not competative with our social standards is planned and simply serves Agenda 21 to destroy the West and its populations. Trump knows but he cant break steel with his bare hands as he is currently stuck in the very DC swamp he wanted to drain. We will desperately need the old fashioned Tar and Feathers approach to rid ourselves of those running us into the ground and remove the illegals and criminals at any price. Its hard and in Europe it will be even harder but this is now about the survival of our civilization and without fierce opposition and a thorough clean up of all our political fortresses and institutions we are finished. That an islamic terrorist attacked the political hart of the UK only confirms that Brexit has been the right decission. I only wonder how long it will take before we see boats with fleeing refugees cross the English Channel back to the Continent. People are really fed up with this shit. For those who follow such things, 322 is a special number, not just because of the attacks in Brussels last year. Look up HotelZaZa and Skull and Bones (who have a special Room 322 ritual). Numerology is big to these folks, who plan everything by the numbers. Same sort of thing as people who have astrologers or diviners (sounds crazy, but when youre that rich and/or powerful). Manly P. Hall explains some of this, and vigilantcitizen, cuttingedge. and crossroad.to touch on it. I see numeric significance here in Germany a lot, and apparently Hitler was obsessed by it (certainly more than a few apples short of a full strudel there) At some point the public at large will turn a corner over some similar provocation and they will strike out if the government refuses to do their duty to protect them by stopping this slow motion invasion. The the price paid as a result, will fall at the feet of those who have defended the madness of massive influx of groups which categorically oppose all forms of western cultural norms and assimilation. The social infection will reach a crisis and like a sudden onset fever the body politic will strike back  the result like a massive immune reaction will result in an effort one way or another to throw out or destroy the invaders. It is a predictable as the sunrise and only the fools and the brainwashed will be surprised when it happens. Hotel ZaZa is indeed in Houston, and is a very posh place. They have a room, 322, which is neither listed, nor reservable, yet guests have addidentally been booked into it. Gargle ZaZa room 322 to see what the room is. Pretty much a dungeon setup. As I said, its mentioned on a number of sites, some off-the-wall, others journo, and yet others like reddit: Wierd. I just posted the link, and the entire article posted, even though my cut buffer was empty. Sorry about that. Never happened before (usually I get stuff eaten out of my comments because I forgot about .gt. and .lt. being special sigh The interesting point is that in a sense this already exists both in statute and custom but has been strongly suppressed over the last couple of decades by propaganda that serves the leftist agenda. In statue every able bodies male from 18  45 is already in the militia 10 U.S. Code  246  Militia: composition and classes (a) The militia of the United States consists of all able-bodied males at least 17 years of age and, except as provided in section 313 of title 32, under 45 years of age who are, or who have made a declaration of intention to become, citizens of the United States and of female citizens of the United States who are members of the National Guard. (b) The classes of the militia are (1) the organized militia, which consists of the National Guard and the Naval Militia; and (2) the unorganized militia, which consists of the members of the militia who are not members of the National Guard or the Naval Militia. This is also the legal basis for the draft if it is needed. By custom in common law the concept of a sheriff or other authorized person could call out a posse to assist law enforcement dating back to Anglo-Saxon England, around the time of King Alfred the Great in the ninth century. Although often thought of as obsolete it still exists and is occasionally used. Here in Colorado there are at least 17 county Sheriffs Offices who have set up organized posses. Today they are treated as authorized police auxiliary units to the Sheriffs department but in time of emergency average citizens could be engaged to assist law enforcement under this standing authority. In fact even today you often read stories of average citizens taking on urgent policing rolls until the official law enforcement agency can get personnel on scene. This common law concept is little used but still exists, but recently has been neutered by the constant drum beat on a number of themes like strongly suppressing appropriate violence by citizens to protect themselves and others and nip more severe violence in the bud. Although it should not be encouraged the days of street Justice may need to make a come back if official law enforcement agencies continue to look the other way when favored groups freely and openly attack peaceful protesters. It will be interesting to see the outcome of the case of Based Stick Man (Kyle Chapman) and charges filed against him for defending other Trump supporters from the attacks of Antifa thugs on May 4 2017, while the police authorities in Berkley ignored violence by the Antifa assault groups. IMHO, there was a point where the EU got in bed with the House Of Saud. About the same time, the Masons added the Koran to the Torah and Bible as accepted book to pledge upon, and the Royals of the UK started hanging out with the Royals of Jordan and Saudi. I suspect all as part of the Globalist Agenda moving forward to adopt the Muslim World into the Globalist sphere. Getting all that loverly oil inside the tent, so to speak As part of that, the cultural jihad approach of The House of Saud was the price of entry of the oil into the Globalist Agenda. Basically, the Globalists thought they could civilize and tame Islam, and the Islamists saw it as their opportunity for a Cultural / Demographic Jihad. So far, the Jihadis are winning At this point, IMHO, with Soros and the rest of the Globalist Cabal (including the Royals  at least until Her Majesty approved BREXIT  so may have caught clue perhaps when Di died) bought into a unification of Europe and Islam (as part of the destruction of religion and nation as dividers): they have failed to appreciate that Islam will NOT be diluted nor modified and so TPTB will NOT reject the influx of it into the EU until it is way too late. It is, after all, their goal; and they have a deal with the House of Saud. (And had one with Turkey when it first applied to the EU  now not so much) Until the Globalists realize their error and that Islam can not mutually exist with Western Values (as the basic values of both are exactly opposite on many critical key points  vis Palmyra) and realize there must be at least a bi-polar world, and likely a multi-polar one (as I think there are other non-compatible world views elsewhere in the world), this mess will fester and become a systemic disease. In short, until the Globalists give up their ideological core, or are defeated, things will get worse. The Regular Folks of the world will be faster to figure this out (process already at about 40% to 50% in most EU countries) and that will lead to a 3 way battle (ideological or physical TBD) between the Globalist Elite, Islam, and The People. Brexit, Nexit, Frexit, etc. are just one manifestation. Islamic Violence (it isnt terrorism Im not terrified, I know just what to expect) will increase in the EU. And the Globalist Elite will continue their propaganda wars, their escalating Police State, and their waves of migrants. How the end game blows up into chaos and destruction, Im not sure. That that is what will happen unless the islamization of the EU is reversed, soon, is clear. Just look at Christian Lebanon of the pre-Carter era as the model I love the way he writes and his tale triggered some memories of my own about minor events that left a lifetime mark. I find I also have the same experience with remembering mean people vs the special ones who provided a benchmark for behavior or taught an important lesson. I remember the mean ones existed and retain a rough sketch of them in my mind but the nice folks, the little things like sitting on the grass watching the bees on the garden flowers are much more vivid to recall. I really hope and pray that President Trump goes full bore with domestic oil production and exploration, and that he (and others) basically say Saud off to the oil cartels. They are sponsoring terrorism, robbing and subjugating their own people, and basically causing major problems wherever they get involved. And their interests, rarely, if ever, align with ours. Never have, never will. I tend to think that the globalists are using the Moslems (in their blind pursuit of the Caliphate, cf Erdogan) to further their own Georgia Guidestones goals. Would be interesting to see what would happen if the Jihadis got a clue. Dont know if it would be any better for us (especially here in Germany), but maybe it might make Soros et. al. run for the hills I used to drive through that tunnel (Rue de Peripherique) where Lady Di died a couple of times a month. Ugly, ugly tunnel, lots of traffic, crazy drivers, trucks, etc., but still one wonders about that. Seems more than just greedy Paraparazzi at work there. Methinks globalists (or other, erm, well-lit names) at work there Saw a very good investigative bit on it. White paint from a particular kind of car on the Mercedes. A car of that type had been repainted to orange just after the event. Etc. etc. Even looked at tire marks and paint on the wall leading into the tunnel. Decent forensics. The upshot is that at 100 mph a little white (something  fiat?) was doing a normal entry to the roadway. The Mercedes (at that speed, out of nowhere) clipped it, and that sent it a little up the wall, where it ricocheted off and went airborne as the roadway drops away. By the time it touches down, there is not enough control time to avoid the pillars. Their math and physics works. So it looks like mostly a somewhat drunk driver being way too fast exceeded his ability to avoid a surprise entry of another car into the roadway and encountered a descending bit of road where he had no ability to even attempt control at that speed and angle. The rest is physics. Car was owned by a Vietnamese? immigrant who didnt want to be a photo op so left the scene. Others at the scene claimed to have seen a little white something leaving (which coupled with the white paint on the Mercedes was why they went looking). Postings By Date Prior Months; postings by date Meta To Donate via Paypal or Credit card Paypal Donation Site. To make a donation, visit Paypal at the link above and put in the email address pub4all @ aol (DOT) com (leaving out the gratuitous blanks and putting in a "." for (DOT) that is in the text here to defeat spam bots). Many thanks to all!
An attacker spread chaos in the heart of London for several hours on Wednesday as he went about first plowing a car into pedestrians on the Westminster Bridge and later stabbing a police officer to death inside the gates of the British Parliament. The assailant, treated as a terror suspect, was later gunned down by an armed officer. Five people, including the attacker and the police officer, were killed. Three of them were pedestrians run over on the bridge. At least 40 people have been injured, some of them with catastrophic injuries. British Prime Minister Theresa May called the incident as a sick and depraved attack on democratic values. Tomorrow morning, Parliament will meet as normal, she said. Londoners and visitors will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart. She also chaired a meeting of COBRA, the governments emergency committee. Metropolitan Police counterterrorism chief Mark Rowley said the security force will treat the attack as a terrorist incident although no group has claimed responsibility for it. He said the police were determining whether the attacker was working alone or as part of a group. Two policemen stand guard at a cordoned off area on the way to the Houses of Parliament in central London, Wednesday, March 22, 2017 (AP Photo/ Matt Dunham) After plowing the SUV into the group of pedestrians, witnesses told Associated Press that they saw the attacker rushing out of the car and running towards the Parliament building with a knife in his hand. The car was parked less than 200 yards from the entrance to the building. A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman. I have never seen anything like that. I just cant believe what I just saw, Rick Longley, a witness, told AP. 48-year-old Keith Palmer was named as the officer killed in the attack. He had been with the force for 15 years and was married with children. Parliament was under lockdown for several hours as the attacker rushed to the gates of the building. Even though he was shot down, police feared more attacks and restricted lords, lawmakers and staff to inside the complex. Several world leaders including prime minister Narendra Modi and US president Donald Trump condemned the attack and offered support to the UK. Deeply saddened by the terror attack in London. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. At this difficult moment, India stands with UK in the fight against terrorism, PM Modi wrote on Twitter. Trump said he spoke with PM May and offered condolences on behalf of the US government.
LONDON  A terrorist hurtled a car into one of the world's most famous thoroughfares Wednesday, fatally smashing into horrified pedestrians before hopping out and killing a police officer near Britain's Parliament. He killed a total of four, including three civilians, before being shot to death by police. The attack began mid-afternoon in the heart of London when the killer, who police had not yet identified, used his car to mow down several people on the Westminster Bridge. At least 40 were hurt, including some with "catastrophic injuries," police said. The driver then rammed the car into the gates outside Parliament. London's Metropolitan Police said they would treat the attack "as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise." "Although we remain open minded to the motive, a full counterterrorism investigation is already underway  this is led by the Met's Counter Terrorism Command," Commander B.J. Harrington of New Scotland Yard said. The attack came on a particularly busy day in London. Tourists crowded the historic sites, and most members of Parliament had gathered in the House of Commons for Prime Minister's Questions, a 30-minute session of questions with Prime Minister Theresa May that takes place every Wednesday at noon. Local media reported that May is safe after security officials whisked her from the scene as shots were heard. "The location of this attack was no accident. The terrorists chose to strike at the heart of our Capital City, where people of all nationalities, religions and cultures come together to celebrate the values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech," May said in statement Wednesday. "Any attempt to defeat those values through violence and terror is doomed to failure." May said Parliament will meet Thursday. London Mayor Sadiq Khan echoed May's sentiments, saying, "There will be additional armed and unarmed police officers on our streets from tonight in order to keep Londoners and all those visiting our city safe." "Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism, Khan said in a statement. The murdered police officer was identified as Keith Palmer, a member of the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command. "Keith - aged 48 - had 15 years' service and was a husband and a father," said Mark Rowley, the national lead for Counter Terrorism Policing and the Acting Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police. "He was someone who left for work today expecting to return home at the end of his shift and he had every right to expect that would happen." Rowley said the working assumption is that the attacker was motivated by "international terrorism." "Terrorists have a clear aim and that is to create discord, distrust and to create fear," he said. "The police stand with all communities in the UK and will take action against anyone who seeks to undermine society, especially where their crimes are motivated by hate. We must recognize now that our Muslim communities will feel anxious at this time given the past behaviour of the extreme right wing and we will continue to work with all community leaders in the coming days." France's prime minister said some people injured on the bridge were French high school students. Colleen Anderson, a doctor at St Thomas Hospital, in an interview with the Associated Press, confirmed the death of a female pedestrian. Police on the scene after sounds similar to gunfire have been heard close to Parliament in London on March 22, 2017. (Photo: Victoria Jones, AP) "There were people across the bridge," Anderson told the AP. "There were some with minor injuries, some catastrophic. Some had injuries they could walk away from or who have life-changing injuries." Port officials said they pulled a woman from the Thames River, injured but still alive. The assault comes on the one-year anniversary of the Brussels suicide bomb attacks that killed 32 people and wounded hundreds. It is the first serious terrorist incident in Britain since 2013, when an off-duty soldier named Lee Rigby was killed by two al-Qaeda-inspired extremists. Since 2013, British counterterrorism forces have thwarted 13 potential terrorist attacks. The assault on the bridge was the latest in a string of incidents, including in Berlin and Nice, France, in which attackers have used vehicles as weapons. Posted! A link has been posted to your Facebook feed. Britain's Prince Charles, meets nursing staff King's College Hospital, Friday, after meeting with paramedics and support staff who assisted those injured in the March 22 terrorist incident. British police said, Friday, they had made two further "significant" arrests over the Islamist-inspired terror attack on parliament, as they appealed for information about the homegrown killer who left four people dead. Yui Mok, AFP/Getty Images People lay floral tributes to the victims of the March 22 terror attack in Parliament Square outside the Houses of Parliament in central London on Friday. Counter-terrorism police commander Mark Rowley said nine people are now in custody over the rampage in Westminster, in which at least 50 people were injured, 31 requiring hospital treatment. Adrian Dennis, AFP/Getty Images A taxi drives down Westminster Bridge in London, Friday. A fourth person has died after Khalid Masood drove a car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before going on to fatally stab PC Keith Palmer on March 22. Jack Taylor, Getty Images Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, left, speaks as Home Secretary Amber Rudd and QMP and acting commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Craig Mackey look on during a candlelight vigil at Trafalgar Square. Carl Court, Getty Images Armed police officers secure the area on Whitehall leading toward the Houses of Parliament in central London on March 23, 2017 the day after the March 22 terror attack in Westminster claimed at least three lives including that of police officer Keith Palmer. Britain's parliament reopened on Thursday with a minute's silence in a gesture of defiance a day after an attacker sowed terror in the heart of Westminster. Somber-looking lawmakers in a packed House of Commons chamber bowed their heads and police officers also marked the silence standing outside the headquarters of London's Metropolitan Police nearby. Niklas Halle'n, AFP/Getty Images An undated picture released by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints shows U.S. citizens Kurt W. Cochran, who was killed in the London terror attack, and his wife, Melissa. The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints /Family Handout via AFP/Getty Images Forensic police officers search the ground in Parliament Square outside the Houses of Parliament in central London on March 23, 2017, as the investigation continues. Daniel Leal-Olivas, AFP/Getty Images Metropolitan Police Service Acting Commissioner Craig Mackey, right, salutes during a minute of silence for their fallen officer, PC Keith Palmer, outside New Scotland Yard in London. Scotland Yard said that police have made seven arrests in raids carried out overnight in Birmingham, London and elsewhere in the country after the attack, leaving four people dead, including the attacker, and 29 people injured. Andy Rain, European Pressphoto Agency Police secure the area on the south side of Westminster Bridge close to the Houses of Parliament in London. The leader of Britain's House of Commons says a man has been shot by police at Parliament. David Liddington also said there were "reports of further violent incidents in the vicinity." London's police said officers had been called to a firearms incident on Westminster Bridge, near the parliament. Matt Dunham, AP A police officer stops traffic as the car of British Prime Minister Theresa May is driven away from the Houses of Parliament in central London on March 22, 2017 during an emergency incident. Daniel Leal-Olivas, AFP/Getty Images Quentin Letts, a journalist at the Daily Mail whose office overlooks the attack scene, told the BBC: The attacker "had something in his hand. It looked like a stick of some sort and he was challenged by a couple of policemen in yellow jackets and one of the yellow-jacketed policemen fell down. "We could see the man in black moving his arm in a way that suggested he was either stabbing or striking the yellow-jacketed policeman, and one of the policemen then ran to get help, which was very quick to come and as this attacker was running toward the entrance used by (parliamentarians) to get into the House of Commons. "As he was running  he ran about I'd say 15 yards perhaps  two plainclothes guys with guns shouted at him what sounded like a warning. He ignored it and they shot two or three times and he fell." Office workers negotiated police cordons as they headed home for the day, using alternative routes because the Westminster subway station, which sits directly opposite Parliament, was closed for security reasons. Police officers acted as guides for tourists and those confused about how to reach their destinations. "I think it's shocking but for me, it's not surprising, said Vanessa Fischer, 21, visiting London from Germany. She added that big cities were often a target for attacks. "I don't associate these kinds of scenes with London," said Alexander Castro, 33, an IT engineer on his way home Wednesday. "We take security for granted." CLOSE British police are treating the attack as a "terrorist incident." USA TODAY Queen Elizabeth IIs visit to open Scotland Yards new headquarters Thursday in London is being postponed, Buckingham Palace announced to British media late Wednesday. The queen, 90, and her husband, Prince Philip the Duke of Edinburgh, 95, had been scheduled to visit the new Yard headquarters on the Victoria Embankment, nearby to Westminster. The visit is one of hundreds of engagements the royal couple undertake every year. In light of today's events the decision has been taken to postpone The Queen's engagement to New Scotland Yard tomorrow. The visit will be rearranged for a later date," a Buckingham Palace statement said. Earlier in the day, before the suspected terrorist attack, the queen went about her routine as usual, holding a private audience at the palace to accept the credentials of Thailands new ambassador to the U.K. .@POTUS has been briefed on the situation in the U.K. Continuing to monitor and update
A victim lies in the road as passers-by comfort him, marking one many casualties in the trail of destruction left in the wake of the attacker's onslaught ( Reuters ) Amid the devastation that struck Westminster on Wednesday, killing three innocent people and injuring dozens more, humanity rang strong as passers-by rushed to the aid of victims. Members of the public were quick to respond to the sight of wounded people caught in the path of the attacker's car on Westminster Bridge, comforting and in some cases performing first aid on casualties as they lay in the road in the minutes before emergency services arrived. The devastation arose after the attacker, armed with two long knives, drove his car through a crowd of people on the bridge, before stabbing a police officer to death on the grounds of Parliament. Read more Images show strangers tending to casualties in the trail of destruction left in the wake of the attackers onslaught, which saw him mount the 4x4 onto the pavement and plough into pedestrians. One woman can be seen cradling a female victims head on the pavement as blood trails from underneath her, while another shows a member of the public appearing to give CPR to an injured man lying on the side of the road. In other images a bloodied man can be seen lying on the ground with several strangers comforting him, and an elderly man can be seen clutching his leg in the road while two members of the public kneel down beside him. One woman hit by the attacker's car before he reached Parliament was confirmed dead by a doctor at St Thomas' Hospital after suffering catastrophic injuries. Speaking to reporters outside St Thomass Hospital following the attack, which is situated immediately at the southern end of Westminster Bridge, junior doctor Colleen Anderson confirmed the woman was the first fatality in the attack. She was under the wheel of a bus. She died, [medics] confirmed her death at the scene, she said. Ms Anderson added that she treated a police officer in his thirties with a head injury who had been taken to King's College Hospital. In his statement to the press, Metropolitan Police acting deputy commissioner Mark Rowley said three officers were among those injured on the bridge. Another woman who fell into the Thames was rescued and given urgent medical treatment on a nearby pier. A party of French schoolchildren were among those targeted on the bridge, while four students from Edge Hill University in Ormskirk were also hurt  two described as walking wounded, and another couple said to have minor injuries. Romanian and South Korean tourists were also caught up in the tragedy. Van driver Mitchell Spree, 27, told The Independent he was driving along Embankment when he saw people being evacuated from nearby buildings. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP He said: Then we pulled on to the bridge. A lady was lying at the entrance to the bridge. There were about five more people. "She was crying. She was speaking to the paramedic. I don't know what the others were like. The police asked us to leave our van. It's still on the bridge. It's shocking." Deputy Commissioner Mark Rowley said the attack had been declared a terrorist incident, and a major counter-terror operation has been launched across the country in its wake.
A statement on the mayors website said: There will be a candlelit vigil in Trafalgar Square from 6pm this evening  Thursday 23 March. The Mayor invites all Londoners  and everyone visiting our city  to come together in solidarity to remember those who have lost their lives, to express sympathy with their families and loved ones and to show the world that we are more committed than ever to the values that we hold dear  that we remain united and open. London is the greatest city in the world. We will never be cowed by terrorism. We stand together, in the face of those who seek to harm us and destroy our way of life. We always have, and we always will. MPs will fall silent at 9.33am (Pictures: Reuters) (Picture: PA) Two people in overalls and masks were seen sorting through material near the area in New Palace Yard where the attacker was shot and Pc Keith Palmer stabbed, and an area in the courtyard remained cordoned off. The popular Terrace cafeteria was open and serving a hot breakfast as normal as MPs, peers and staff arrived for work. Advertisement Advertisement The Union flag was flying at half-mast over the Houses of Parliament and other nearby buildings. Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said Westminster was a sombre place in the wake of the loss of a member of the parliamentary family. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The mood in Parliament will be pretty sombre, Sir Michael told the BBC. Weve lost one of our own parliamentary police officers, who we talk to every morning going in and out of Parliament, and who gave his life to protect Parliament. It will be sombre, but I think you will also find determination. This was an attack on Parliament for a reason. We come together in Parliament to discuss very sharp differences, but we do so respectfully and we do so together. Thats not what terrorists believe in, thats not what they want. Its no accident that this was an attack on Parliament, and I think you will find a very real determination and solidarity that we reinforce the values that keep us together. A sombre calm hung over Westminster the morning after the attack. There were none of the large groups of tourists usually seen taking photos outside Big Ben. Instead the whole area was cordoned off as MPs and staff working in Parliament flashed their passes and filed quietly into an entrance at the side of the building. The police presence is heavy with dozens of officers, many armed with guns, keeping guard at the entrance. Advertisement But despite the shock of the terror attack, MPs were determined it will be business as usual in Parliament. SNP MP Alan Brown (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) told the Press Association on his way in: I feel a slight sense of apprehension, but we cant let the crimes of one person prevent the working of Parliament. Obviously, our thoughts are with the family of the policeman and other people who were killed. I suspect it will be an emotional day, it will certainly be a very sombre day, in Parliament. Today it is back to business. Ive got a question on the order paper and a constituency matter to raise, so it is back to the day job of being an MP. Mr Brown had just voted in the division lobbies when the attack took place and he sought refuge with a group of other MPs in the members tea room, where they sat glued to the television as the events unfolded. He praised the bravery of Tobias Ellwood, the Foreign Office Minister who ran towards the gunfire and tried to save the life of Pc Keith Palmer, who died from his injuries. Mr Brown said: I think that was so brave of him. I saw the pictures showing him with blood on his face having tried to give CPR. It is also a testament to the training he has received. Barry Gardiner, the shadow international trade secretary, told the Press Association: Everything has to be seen to get back to normal as quickly as possible so that people realise that this sort of attack is ultimately a futile gesture. Advertisement I think the police have been absolutely right not to release details of the attacker, to give it no publicity. What happened yesterday was sordid, shameful and vile. The attacker caused the most appalling carnage in the lives of 20 to 25 families. I think everyone in Parliament will want to pay tribute to the security services and the police and how they responded yesterday, and the officer who tragically died. What happened outside Parliament? Members of the emergency services work to help vicitms on Westminster Bridge, alongside the Houses of Parliament in central London on March 22, 2017, during an emergency incident (Picture: Getty) A massive police investigation is under way after a terror attack in central London. Here's everything we know so far about the Westminster attack: Six people have died - a police officer, the attacker, a woman named as Aysha Frade, 43, US tourist Kurt Cochran, 75-year-old Leslie Rhodes and Romanian tourist Andreea Cristea who died 15 days after being pulled from the Thames. The officer was Pc Keith Palmer, a 48-year-old husband and father with 15 years of police service.
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A silver Ford Fiesta hit a group of cyclists waiting at traffic lights and then veered into a barrier at the Palace of Westminster at 7:40am Share by Rachel Bishop, Chris kitching Updated21:48, 14 Aug 2018 CCTV shows the moment a car accelerates towards a barrier outside the House of Parliament A suspected terror attack outside Parliament sparked police searches at three Midlands properties after a car smashed into security barriers injuring three people. A silver Ford Fiesta hit a group of cyclists waiting at traffic lights and then veered into a barrier at the Palace of Westminster at 7:40am. Dramatic images show armed police pulling a man from of a smoking Ford at gunpoint on a slip road while cyclists lay in the road nearby. The driver of the car, a 29-year-old man, who is a UK national, was arrested at the scene by armed officers on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act, contrary to section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006. Two addresses in Birmingham and one in Nottingham are being searched by police. In a statement revealing the car's movements hours before the suspected attack, they said the privately owned silver Ford fiesta travelled from Birmingham to London late on Monday night, arriving in the London area just after midnight. The vehicle was later seen in the Tottenham Court Road area 1:25am until 5:55am. It was then driven around the Westminster and Whitehall area from approximately 6am, where it stayed until the time of the Westminster crash. Security minister Ben Wallace has called for the public to be vigilant Security minister Ben Wallace has called for the public to be vigilant about odd behaviour and report it to police to help stop future terror attacks. The MP warned that as attackers use everyday items such as knives and cars to strike a free and open society, individuals, community leaders and car hire businesses among others should get ahead of the game. Mr Wallace also suggested that terrorists were driven to pick nearby items - as instructed by terrorist grooming materials, he said - because of the difficulty in obtaining guns as a result of police and Government efforts. Security minister Ben Wallace has called for the public to be vigilant(Image: REUTERS) 21:01 Birmingham MP says suspect lived in Hall Green Birmingham MP Roger Godsiff has said he believes the Westminster terror suspect lives in his Hall Green constituency. The Labour MP made his comment as he tweeted his full support to the Metropolitan Police as they investigate the crash which left at least three people injured. The Metropolitan Police have separately confirmed they are searching three houses linked to the attack - of which two are in Birmingham. Mr Godsiff tweeted: My deepest sympathies to the cyclists and pedestrians who were injured in the attack. I have told the police and security services that they have my total support in doing whatever is necessary to protect the public in London and Birmingham. Comment from Home Secretary Sajid Javid Home Secretary Sajid Javid has said, We must keep an open mind about the suspected terror attack. Speaking at the Home Office, Mr Javid said he was limited in what he could say as the investigation was live.He said: There are understandably a lot of questions about the incident and what has happened. I think people will appreciate its only just happened in the early hours of this morning.The briefing I have received from counter-terrorism police and the security services is that work is ongoing and they are doing everything they can to find out more about the incident.We must keep an open mind about what has happened and Im sure when they do have more information they will say more. Javid was speaking at the Home Office after this morning's suspected terror attack(Image: PA) Six people were said to live in a property being searched in Nottingham(Image: Nottingham Post/BPM Media) 19:56 Plain clothes officers at Nottingham property Plain-clothed police officers could be seen outside an address in Peveril Street in Nottingham. Neighbours have said the house - which is shared by six occupants - is home to six Sudanese people. Ibrahim Ahmed, 24, who lives in the same terrace row, said: Its Sudanese people who live there. Benas Butkevicius, who lives next door to the house that was raided, said: I was asleep when it happened. I just heard some banging and scratching. I work night shifts - at about 4pm I woke up to the scratching. An occupant of the house said: They thought the car was insured or registered here but it isnt. They were asking about a silver Fiesta. They said they were investigating what happened in Westminster. Police at the scene in Westminster(Image: REUTERS) 19:25 Speaker of the House of Common and Lord Speaker issue statement The Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow and the Lord Speaker Lord Fowler offered their sympathies to those injured this morning outside Parliament. They said: We would like to offer our thoughts and sympathies to those who were injured or affected by the incident. Our heartfelt thanks go to the emergency services who responded so quickly and to those who work every day to keep all of us who work in Parliament safe. John Bercow, Speaker of the House of Commons(Image: PA) Lord Fowler issued a joint statement with John Bercow offering thanks to emergency services and sympathies to those involved in the suspected attack(Image: PA) 18:48 Specialist officers now patrolling Westminster Project Servator officers, who have specialist skills to recognise when a person is displaying minute signs of anxiety, have now been deployed in Westminster, to identify anyone who may be in the area for terrorist or other criminal purposes. Police said in a statement: These officers are both in uniform and plain clothes and will confront anyone they suspect may be in an area for criminal purposes. Officers at the scene of the crash in Westminster(Image: Getty Images Europe) 18:29 Details of car ownership revealed The car involved in the incident had five previous owners before its current driver, who acquired the vehicle on June 20 this year. The last owner before that owned the car until December 2017, reports Nottingham Live. Police are treating the incident as a deliberate act, confirming the investigation is being led by officers from the Mets Counter Terrorism Command. A statement from the Met Police said: Given that it appears to have been a deliberate act, the method used and the iconic location, it is being treated as a terrorist incident and the investigation is being led by officers from the Mets Counter Terrorism Command. At this early stage, there is no intelligence of further danger to Londoners or the rest of the UK in connection with this incident 18:05 Details of addresses searched Two addresses in Birmingham and one in Nottingham are being searched. Counter Terrorism officers, supported by Nottinghamshire Police, are undertaking a search at a flat in the Radford/Arboretum area of Nottingham. A statement read: Counter-terrorism officers, supported by Nottinghamshire Police, are undertaking a search of a residential property in Nottingham this evening. The activity, at a flat in the Radford/Arboretum area of the city, is in response to this mornings declared terrorist incident in Westminster. Damaged cycles piled on pavement Damaged cycles, believed to belong to those hit by the car, have been piled up on a pavement near the crash site. The cycles, with broken wheels and bent metal, were pictured leaning against a wall outside the Houses of Parliament. Bikes lean on a wall outside the Houses of Parliament(Image: REUTERS) The bikes are believed to belong to those injured in the suspected terror attack(Image: AFP) 16:38Key Event Theresa May releases further statement In a statement from Theresa May, the Prime Minister said: Todays suspected attack outside of the Houses of Parliament is shocking. For the second time in as many years the home of our democracy, which is a potent symbol of our precious values of tolerance and freedom, has witnessed terrible scenes just yards from its door.My thoughts are with the innocent members of the public who were hurt in this appalling incident. I wish them a speedy recovery and we must be thankful that nobody suffered life-threatening injuries.I also wish to praise the formidable courage of our emergency services, who were on the scene immediately and in significant numbers.Once again, they did not flinch and ran towards a dangerous situation in order to protect the public. The country is hugely grateful for their calmness and professionalism.The threat to the United Kingdom from terrorism remains severe. 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.The twisted aim of the extremists is to use violence and terror to divide us. They will never succeed. Theresa May, pictured on a previous occasion, has condemned the suspected terror attack in a statement this afternoon Dramatic moment driver pulled from car after crash Dramatic footage shows the moment armed police pulled a driver out of a car after it smashed into security barriers outside parliament and injured pedestrians. Officers swooped on the scene and pulled the male driver out of the car at gunpoint. Footage shows police surrounding the vehicle with one officer aiming his firearm inside the drivers window. Police surround the man as officers run to and fro in the chaotic scene. 15:59 Cyclist's account of crash aftermath Cyclist James Maker, 30, of Chelmsford, Essex, passed the scene in Westminster minutes after the crash and saw a woman injured on the ground and the car crashed into the barrier.He said: I looked to the right-hand side and there was a cyclist on the floor, clearly injured.It was a woman, they were clearly quite injured, they werent moving and they were in the recovery position. Cordon update Many streets around the crash site were cordoned off for hours during rush hour this morning. As forensic work continues, many of these cordons have been removed or scaled back. Cordons along Victoria Embankment have been lifted and Parliament Square is reopened. The extended cordon running the length of Whitehall has also been lifted, with vehicles and pedestrians now using the road again. Police have moved the cordon on Millbank closer to the Parliamentary estate. The immediate area around the incident is still taped off and the site of the crash is screened by white temporary fencing. Some of the cordons have been removed or scaled back(Image: PA) 15:26 Witness describes 'screams' after crash impact An eyewitness from the scene at Westminster described hearing screaming at the scene and claims the silver Ford Fiesta was travelling without a front licence plate. Ewalina Ochad said: I was walking on the other side. I heard some noise and someone screamed. I turned around and saw a silver car driving very fast close to the railings, maybe even on the pavement. Sky News reports that Ewalina claimed the car had no front registration plate. Forensics remain at the crash site as investigation work continues throughout this afternoon. Westminster suspect 'known to police in the Midlands where he is from' The suspect in todays incident in Westminster was believed to be known to police in the Midlands but not to security services, Sky News reports. Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said in a new conference earlier: On the details that we have at this moment we dont believe this person is known to either MI5 or counter-terrorism police. It has now been alleged that he was known to police in the Midlands - but it is not known what for. 15:01 Police units roll into the area More police units have been seen rolling into Westminster this afternoon. The Met Polices assistant commissioner Neil Basu said earlier: We are treating the scene and Parliament Square as a crime scene. Cordons are likely to be in place for some time as the investigation team continues to carry out its important work to establish what happened. I appreciate that this has caused a great deal of disruption to those who may live, work or be visiting the area, and I thank the public for their patience and understanding whilst we deal with this incident. We will be working as quickly and diligently as possible in order to reopen the area, but in the meantime I would ask that the public avoid the area. 14:57 Screens have been put up at the scene Screens up at the scene(Image: PA) Screens have been put up around the vehicle as forensics officers continue their work. The incident happened just after 7.30am today(Image: Nicola Bartlett) Police warned the area could be closed for some time following the incident just after 7.30am today. It's believed the officers could be there for a while(Image: Nicola Bartlett) 14:50 UK's terror threat level remains at 'severe' TV crews and forensics are seen side-by-side(Image: PA) The UKs terror threat level remains at severe following the suspected terror attack. The government website said: The threat to the UK (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland) from international terrorism is severe. A severe warning means an attack is highly likely. It is the second highest warning there is - following on from critical - which is issued when an attack is expected imminently. 14:46 Update on those injured A woman is at St Marys Hospital, near Paddington station, being treated for serious, but non life threatening, injuries. A man, who was being treated at St Thomas Hospital, has now been discharged. A third patient who suffered minor injuries was assessed at the scene earlier and not taken to hospital. 14:12 Tourists seen posing just a few feet from suspected terror attack Tourists are seen posing on Westminster Bridge(Image: REUTERS) Tourists have been seen posing on Westminster Bridge - just a few metres from where three people were injured in a suspected terror attack. A man stands metres from where a group of cyclists were hit(Image: REX/Shutterstock) One woman was seriously injured and two others suffered minor injuries after a car - driving from Westminster Bridge - veered onto the wrong side of the road and into a group of cyclists. People took the chance to pose in the middle of the bridge while it was closed(Image: REUTERS) The car remains at the scene surrounded by forensics officers, while some vehicles that were inside the taped-off area have now left. 13:58 Westminster Tube is open again Westminster Tube station has re-opened. 13:57 Driver believed to be from the Midlands Forensics officers at the scene(Image: PA) The man driving the car that crashed into Parliament was believed to be from the Midlands, Sky News reports. The vehicle was also registered in Nottingham and had several previous owners, according to reports. 13:53 US ambassador: Americas prayers are with all the innocent people hurt" Woody Johnson, US ambassador to the UK, tweeted: Terrible events at Westminster. Americas prayers are with all the innocent people hurt this morning. As the investigation continues, one thing is clear: the police, the paramedics, the ambulance drivers - they ALWAYS do this country proud. 13:39 Cordons have lifted along Whitehall and Embankment Cordons along Victoria Embankment and Whitehall have been lifted and Parliament Square is reopened. The immediate area around the incident is still taped off and the site of the crash is screened by white temporary fencing. Police have moved the cordon on Millbank closer to the Parliamentary estate. 13:02 Jeremy Corbyn says Westminster incident is 'very disturbing' Jeremy Corbyn praised emergency staff(Image: PA) Speaking of the events at Westminster, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: I heard about it as soon as it happened first thing this morning. I got calls from colleagues straight away and my officers have been in touch with all the appropriate authorities on this. Its appalling, its shocking and I think we say a big thank you to the emergency response - police, fire and ambulance - for assisting people. An arrest has been made and an investigation will take place. They have labelled it a terrorist incident and so I think we will have to see what events unfold from there. US President Donald Trump has tweeted a typically inflammatory statement following the incident. He wrote: Another terrorist attack in London...These animals are crazy and must be dealt with through toughness and strength! 12:20Key Event Police: 'It was a deliberate attack but we don't know the motive' Neil Basu asked whether the vehicle was deliberately driven at police officers in a targeted attack, to which he replied: We cant say that at this time. It certainly appears to be a deliberate attack act but the motivation is we cant say. The Met Police's statement in full Met Police assistant commissioner Neil Basu said: At 7.37am a silver Ford Fiesta was involved in a collision in front of the Houses of Parliament. That vehicle collided with cyclists and pedestrians, before hitting a barrier and coming to a stop Two people have been taken to hospital. One man has already been discharged and one woman remains in hospital being treated for serious but thankfully non life threatening injuries. Another man was also treated at the scene but didnt require hospital treatment. The driver of the Feista, who was alone in the vehicle, was arrested at the scene by armed officers who were already nearby. The man is in his late 20s. He has been arrested on suspicion of terrorist offences and has been taken to a south London police station where he remains in police custody. Given that this appears to be a deliberate act, the method and this being an iconic site we are treating this as a terrorist incident and it is being led by officers from the counter-terrorism command. Officers are searching the vehicle and no other weapons have been found at this time. At this early stage of the investigation no other suspects have been identified or reported to police. There is no intelligence at this time of further danger to Londoners or the rest of the UK connected to this incident. Our priority now is to formally identify the suspect and establish his motivation if we can. He is not currently co-operating. However, as you would expect detectives form the counter-terrorism command are making various other urgent enquiries to ensure there is no outstanding risk to the public. Clearly we are treating the scene as a crime scene so cordons are likely to remain outside Parliament for some time. Thank you to the public for their patience whilst we deal with the incident. Following questioning about whether police were pursuing the vehicle - as many believed they could see in CCTV of the incident - Mr Basu said: No, Ive heard that this morning .There wasnt a police car in pursuit of the vehicle. I believe it was an ambulance on a completely unrelated call. Mr Basu was then questioned about whether the vehicle was deliberately driven at police officers in a targeted attack, to which he replied: We cant say that at this time. It certainly appears to be a deliberate attack act but the motivation is we cant say. He was then asked whether the driver was someone that was known to officers or counter intelligence agencies, to which he replied: We havent formally identified him yet and its too early to make that judgement. On the details that we have at this moment we dont believe this person is known to either MI5 or counter-terrorism police. Anyone with information that could assist with the investigation can call 0800 789 321. Police: 'We dont believe the suspect was known to police' Met Police give an update on the situation after the Westminster 'terror attack' Neil Basu was asked whether the driver was someone that was known to officers or counter intelligence agencies, to which he replied: We havent formally identified him yet and its too early to make that judgement. On the details that we have at this moment we dont believe this person is known to either MI5 or counter-terrorism police. 11:49 Police: Officers were not pursuing the vehicle before it crashed Many believed CCTV showed police pursuing the car before it crashed - but police have refuted this(Image: PA) Following questioning about whether police were pursuing the vehicle - as many believed they could see in CCTV of the incident - Neil Basu said: No, Ive heard that this morning .There wasnt a police car in pursuit of the vehicle. I believe it was an ambulance on a completely unrelated call. 11:48Key Event Police: 'Suspect is not co-operating with officers' A cyclist at the scene(Image: PA) The Met Polices assistant commissioner Neil Basu said The man is not co-operating with authorities at this stage. 11:42 London Mayor Sadiq Khan: 'I utterly condemn this attack' London's mayor has condemned the attack(Image: REUTERS) In a statement on the attack, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said all Londoners, like me, utterly condemn all acts of terrorism on our city. The response of Londoners today shows that we will never be cowed, intimidated or divided by any terrorist attack, he said. He added: I have been and will continue to be in close touch with the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Transport for London and the other emergency services. My heartfelt thanks goes to the brave first responders who were so quickly on the scene following the attack. Mr Khan urged members of the public to remain calm and vigilant, and report any information about the incident to the Metropolitan Police. Mr Khan urged members of the public to remain calm and vigilant(Image: London News Pictures Ltd) 11:40 Cobra meeting to be held at 2pm today A meeting of the Governments emergency cobra committee will be held at 2pm. This afternoons Cobra session will be a meeting of officials, with no cabinet ministers expected to attend at the moment, No 10 said. Prime Minister Theresa May is currently away in Switzerland on the second leg of her summer holiday. 11:38 Jeremy Corbyn praises bravery of emergency crew Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn tweeted: My thoughts are with those hurt and injured outside Parliament this morning in what is being treated as a terrorist incident. Our thanks go to our emergency services who responded immediately. Their bravery keeps us safe day in, day out. 11:32 Terrified eyewitnesses 'ran for their lives' at Westminster after car crash A silver car crashed into the barrier(Image: BBC) Eyewitnesses have described the terrifying scene that unfolded at Westminster this morning when a man drove his car at speed into security barriers outside parliament. The Met Police confirmed a number of pedestrians have been injured in the incident which occurred during rush hour this morning. Police are seen rushing to the scene(Image: BBC) Armed police swooped on the scene and dramatic footage shows officers pull the driver out of the silver Ford at gunpoint. Those who were nearby have told of how they had to run as the scene unfolded in central London at around 7.30am. Scott Hawkins, who works in IT support for the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors in Westminster, was given the warning by police - sparking fears of snipers or a follow up attack.He said: Police advised us to stay in the basement of our building as being near windows is a security risk right now.I was walking through Parliament Square just before the crash so I missed the actual event.The police have put our building on lockdown.I have no idea when we will be allowed out.Theyre going to give us an update at 11am. 10:39 Cyclist describes aftermath Cyclists seen on the ground(Image: BBC) An eyewitness, who gave his name only as James, described how he had been cycling past Parliament shortly after the incident happened. There was a cyclist clearly injured on the floor, there was a number of cyclists off their bikes. As I went past, an ambulance turned up, he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme. As I carried on down I was told to get off my bike by a police officer. He said thered been an incident. As I looked up as I got off my bike, I saw there was a car in the barrier. My natural reaction was to get away from the scene. 10:33 Man in his 20s being held over terror offences, police confirm Police are still at the scene(Image: REUTERS) The man arrested over the Westminster car crash is in his 20s and is being held on suspicion of terrorist offences, Scotland Yard said. Scotland Yard said: At 7.37am on Tuesday 14 August, a silver Ford Fiesta collided with a number of cyclists and pedestrians, before crashing into barriers outside the Houses of Parliament. The driver of the car, a man in his late 20s, was arrested at the scene by armed officers. He has been taken to a south London police station where he remains in police custody. He was arrested on suspicion of terrorist offences. There was nobody else in the vehicle, which remains at the scene and is being searched. No weapons have been recovered at this stage. The force spokesman added: At this stage, we are treating this as a terrorist incident and the Mets Counter Terrorism Command is now leading the investigation. Prime Minister Theresa May said her thoughts were with those injured in the Westminster car crash and thanked the emergency services for their immediate and courageous response. Parliament is in recess and May is currently on holiday outside of the UK. 10:27 Statement from Police and Crime Committee Two people were injured in the incident(Image: AFP) During a collision between a car and barriers outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster this morning two people were injured. Unmesh Desai, Deputy Chair of the Police and Crime Committee, said: This is a serious incident but thankfully those injured have not suffered life threatening injuries. Our thoughts are with them at this time. While it is too early to speculate about the reasons for this incident, our thanks go to the police for their speedy and effective response. We would remind Londoners to stand united and be vigilant as always.
Counter-terror police have taken over the investigation into an incident Tuesday morning which saw a silver car strike several members of the public and crash into the counter-terror security barrier ringing the Houses of Parliament. Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu has now confirmed that one woman is in hospital with serious but thankfully, non-life threatening injuries after a black male in a silver Ford Fiesta collided with cyclists and pedestrians before hitting a barrier and coming to a stop. Assistant Commissioner Basu sais that the suspect, who is in his late 20s, was arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences and has been taken to a south London police station where he remains in custody. He added: 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. Police and emergency response teams work outside the Houses of Parliament following an incident where a car crashed into barriers on August 14, 2018.  A number of pedestrians were injured when a car crashed into barriers outside Britains Houses of Parliament today, with armed police swooping in to arrest the driver, Scotland Yard said / DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images Police secure a cordon outside the Houses of Parliament following an incident where a car crashed into barriers on August 14, 2018. / DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images The Metropolitan Police Force has said that Counter-Terrorism Command is leading the investigation into the crash, but that they are keeping an open mind. A man has been arrested after a car crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament. A number of pedestrians have been injured The event triggered a significant response by the emergency services. Eyewitnesses who took to the micro-blogging platform Twitter described seeing at least one cyclist receiving medical attention from paramedics. The Met is urging anyone who thinks they may have information that could assist the investigation to call police on 0800 789 321. They are also asking members of the public who captured footage or images of the incident as it unfolded to send them in via our website www.ukpoliceimageappeal.co.uk. Police forensics officers outside the Houses of Parliament following an incident where a car crashed into barriers, in central London on August 14, 2018. / DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images Police officers stand on duty at a cordon near to the Houses of Parliament following an incident where a car crashed into barriers in central London on August 14, 2018. / DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images Associated Press Image Large sections of road and the London Underground subway were shut down and hundreds of commuters cleared out as police establish cordons around the area, and travel in and around the area remains disrupted. Security around Londons Palace of Westminster, which houses both houses of the British Parliament, remains tight after a string of terror attacks in 2017. One of those attacks saw Islamic extremist Khalid Masood mow down pedestrians with a vehicle before dismounting and killing a police officer guarding the Palace with a knife.
Popular Videos This was the harrowing scene after a terrorist turned Westminster Bridge into a bloodbath by mowing down at least 20 people on his way to attack Parliament. The attacker, driving a Hyundai Tucson, left screaming tourists running for their lives after he mounted the pavement and began ploughing through pedestrians . After smashing his car into the gates of Parliament, the terrorist stabbed a police officer to death before he was fatally shot This footage, taken by a shell-shocked woman, shows the carnage on the bridge moments after the attack which left a further two people dead and seven fighting for their lives. Carnage: at least 20 people were mowed down on Westminster Bridge (Toby Melville/Reuters) She can be heard talking about how scared she is as the camera pans around the bridge, beginning with a man lying on his back at the side of the road. Speechless tourists are stood motionless on the bridge, staring at the devastating scene of bodies strewn over the blood-spattered pavement. Debris, seemingly from the car driven by the attacker, is also seen scattered over the pavement as the woman walks slowly along it. Wounded people are slouched on the concrete in pools of blood, as passers-by crouch over them waiting for paramedics to arrive. One is using an emergency first-aid kit, while others are trying to reassure the victims. Attack at Parliament, March 22, 2017 Attack at Parliament, March 22, 2017 1/36 A policeman points a gun at a man on the floor as emergency services attend the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London Stefan Rousseau/PA 2/36 Emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminste PA 3/36 The scene of the incident @Lukesteele4 4/36 The scene at Westminster bridge this morning, the day after a terrorist attack Jeremy Selwyn 5/36 The scene at Westminster bridge this morning, the day after a terrorist attack Jeremy Selwyn 6/36 The scene at Westminster bridge this morning, the day after a terrorist attack Jeremy Selwyn 7/36 The flag above the Houses of Parliament in London flies at half mast the day after a terrorist attack Jeremy Selwyn 8/36 A forensics tent on Westminster Bridge seen from Victoria Embankment in London the day after a terrorist attack Jonathan Brady/PA 9/36 Police officers walk accross Westminster Bridge the morning after an attack by a man driving a car and weilding a knife Darren Staples/Reuters 10/36 Emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster Stefan Rousseau/PA 11/36 A knife on the cobbles at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London
Plastic candles lie along Westminster Bridge in tribute to the victims of the terrorist attack. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA What Khalid Masood wreaked on Westminster last week was depraved and shocking. It was not, however, another 7/7. The attacks on the tube and a bus by four suicide bombers on 7 July 2005 were relatively sophisticated; the bombers had been commissioned and trained by al-Qaida and their actions carefully choreographed. Wednesdays attack was, in comparison, as crude and as low-tech as such attacks could be  a man causing mayhem armed simply with a car and a knife. The crudity of the Westminster attack is of a piece with much recent Islamist violence in Europe. There are certainly co-ordinated, well-planned operations, such as the slaughter on the streets of Paris in November 2015, in which 130 people lost their lives, and that in Brussels, a year to the day before the Westminster attack. Increasingly, though, jihadi violence involves individuals, without access to semtex or AK-47s, but with a desire to cause bloody turmoil. Low-tech terrorists driving vehicles into pedestrians is becoming more common, such as the assault on a Christmas market in Berlin last December, or, most horrifically, the truck attack on Bastille Day revellers in Nice last year. The day after the Westminster horror, a similar attack, in which a man tried to drive a car into a crowd, was foiled in Antwerp. Knife attacks, too, are becoming a common feature of low-tech terrorism, from the beheading of Lee Rigby on the streets of south London in 2013 by Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale, to the wounding in 2015 of three people in Leytonstone tube station in east London when 29-year-old Muhaydin Mire, ran amok with a knife, apparently as some form of deluded response to the war in Syria, to the murder last year of a priest, Father Jacques Hamel, in a church in Saint Etienne-du-Rouvray, in northern France by two teenage Islamists, Adel Kermiche and Abdel Malik Petitjean. What such attacks expose is the continuing degeneration of Islamist terror and the increasingly blurred lines between ideological violence and sociopathic rage. Last August, Zakaria Bulhan, a 19-year-old Norwegian of Somali descent, went on a rampage in Russell Square in London, stabbing six people, one of whom died from her injuries. It was originally seen as a terrorist incident. Later, Bulhan was diagnosed as suffering from paranoid schizophrenia. Last month, a court ordered him to be detained indefinitely in Broadmoor maximum security hospital. A week before Bulhans rampage, a 21-year-old Syrian refugee had hacked a woman to death in Reutlingen, near Stuttgart in Germany. That, too, was first regarded as a terrorist incident, only later as the actions of a mentally disturbed man. In both cases, many refused to believe that these were not terrorist incidents and social media spawned dark conspiracy theories of official cover-ups. Such theories may be irrational, but they reflect, too, the difficulty, often, in drawing a distinction between jihadi violence and the fury of disturbed minds. James Harris Jackson appears in court last week accused of killing a black man on the streets of New York. Photograph: Steven Hirsch/AP The death last week of Martin McGuinness, the former IRA leader, has led to much discussion about the relationship between the young, violent firebrand and the older patient peacemaker. What has been less discussed is the changing character of terrorism from the IRA to Islamic State. In the past, groups employing terror, whether the IRA or the PLO, were driven by specific political aims  a united Ireland or an independent Palestine. There was generally a close relationship between the organisations political cause and its violent activities. And, whatever one thinks of such groups, those activities were governed by certain norms and contained a rational kernel. Many civilians were certainly killed through IRA violence, but, unlike jihadis, the starting point of the IRA was not the mere killing of random individuals. It is the arbitrariness of jihadist violence, and its disregard for any moral bounds, that can make it seem so terrifying. Isis has claimed responsibility for the Westminster attack, calling Masood one of its soldiers (though it did not name him). Whether Masood had any real links to Isis remains unclear. Soldiers of the Islamic State are often just unstable young men with only the most tenuous relationship to Isis but driven by a sense of inchoate, personal rage. Masoods story, a petty criminal, lacking direction, but converting to Islam after finding in Salafism a sense of order and meaning, and of making sense of his inner furies, is not unusual among jihadis. Deranged fury cloaked in ideological rage is not uniquely Islamist. Two days before Masood mowed down his victims on Westminster Bridge, James Harris Jackson allegedly stabbed to death Timothy Caughman in Manhattan. Jackson was white, Caughman black. Jackson is said to have come to New York from Baltimore armed with a knife and a sword and with the aim of killing as many black people as possible. I hate blacks, he allegedly told police. He chose to make New York the scene of his murderous act because it was the media capital of the world and he wanted to make a statement, investigators say. The police are uncertain whether Jackson had any formal links to racist groups. But, as with many Islamist killings, this stabbing blurs the line between ideological violence and psychotic rage. At his arraignment, the prosecutor called it an act, most likely, of terrorism. Defence counsel talked of Jacksons obvious psychological issues. This murderous act is not an isolated incident. In 2015, Dylann Roof, a 21-year-old American obsessed with white supremacist ideas, shot dead nine African-American worshippers in a church in Charleston, South Carolina. Last July, Ali David Sonboly went on a rampage in a Munich shopping mall, shooting dead nine people, and injuring another 36. He was of Iranian origin. But being Iranian meant to him not Muslim, but Aryan. He was obsessed by mass shootings and lauded Anders Behring Breivik, the Norwegian neo-Nazi. A month earlier, in Britain, Thomas Mair, a 53-year-old man with links to far-right groups, had shot and stabbed to death Jo Cox, a Labour MP, while she was campaigning in the EU referendum, in Birstall, Yorkshire. All this exposes both how the character of ideological violence has degenerated and how rage has become a feature of public life. The social and moral boundaries that act as firewalls against such behaviour have weakened. Western societies have become socially atomised. The influence of institutions that once helped socialise individuals and inculcate them with a sense of obligation to others, from the church to trade unions, has declined. So has that of progressive movements that gave social grievance a political form. Dylann Roof appears at a hearing in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015. Photograph: Reuters The Khalid Masoods and James Harris Jacksons of this world may be few but they are proliferating  angry, unbalanced individuals, detached from wider society and its norms, denied political outlets for their disaffections and who find in Islamism or white nationalism the salve for their resentments and justification for their actions. From one perspective, low-tech terrorism reveals the weaknesses of jihadi groups and the difficulties they have in organising more high-profile atrocities such as 7/7 or the Paris attacks. From another perspective, however, we have to accept that because such attacks are low-tech, they are more difficult to prevent. This raises questions about how the authorities, the media and the public should react to such events. The immediate response to the Masood attack  the courage of those who went to help the injured, the stoicism of Londoners carrying on as usual  was measured and inspiring. But the wall-to-wall media coverage and speculation that followed, and the high-publicity nationwide police operations, have had the effect of making a low-tech attack seem more like a major 7/7 kind of incident. The authorities need to gather information on perpetrators and ensure public safety. But what the past week has shown is the need to reset the balance between pursuing such aims and giving exaggerated weight to the attack. Otherwise the reaction to terror will itself provide the statement that terrorists crave. While low-tech terror may become more common, we need to maintain a sense of perspective. The Westminster attack, like similar ones before it, reveals how easy it is to cause mayhem and disruption in an open, urban, society. But it should also remind us that, given how easy it is to sow terror, these kinds of attacks are relatively infrequent, even allowing for the fact that many are prevented before they come to fruition. Most people have access to cars and knives. The fact that such attacks are, nevertheless, so rare  and, hence, so shocking when they do occur  tells us something powerful about the enduring strength of social bonds.
British MPs back at work but parliament remains a crime scene Forensic experts are combing every inch of the area for evidence Forensic experts are combing every inch of the area for evidence (AFP Photo/Justin TALLIS) London (AFP) - Defiant British lawmakers returned to parliament Thursday but outside, the forensic work and eerie absence of people and traffic at one of London's most popular tourist spots was a poignant reminder of the previous day's terror. MPs and peers, aides, staff and journalists returned to work a day after a police officer was killed and his assailant shot dead on the cobbled yard of the Palace of Westminster in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group. The House of Commons chamber was packed for the minute's silence in tribute to the victims, before MPs held a planned session on international trade, insisting it was "business as usual". But just outside, forensic officers worked in a blue tent at the scene of the attack, before later combing the ground in a fingertip search for evidence. At a location normally characterised by noisy traffic and hoards of tourists coming to see the world-famous building, the streets were silent. Westminster's Underground station was closed, while Parliament Square, Westminster Abbey and adjoining roads were cordoned off -- although Westminster Bridge re-opened around lunchtime. Parliament was locked down for several hours after the attack, in which the suspect rammed his car into crowds of people on the bridge, leaving two members of the public dead and dozens injured. He then stabbed a diplomatic protection officer, Keith Palmer, on New Palace Yard just inside parliament's gates, before being shot dead by police. Prime Minister Theresa May had been working not far from the scene, but was swiftly driven away. On Thursday, she returned to the Commons to update MPs on the investigation and led tributes to the victims and the emergency services. Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood stood at the back of the chamber as colleagues thanked him for his "heroic" effort in trying to resuscitate Palmer. Early on Thursday, a bloodied rag was the only remnant left of the frantic efforts to save the policeman, a 48-year-old husband and father. "This country will not be cowed," May said, watched from the Commons gallery by French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, who was in London to visit three French schoolchildren hurt in the attack. Conservative MP James Cleverly was in tears as he paid tribute to the murdered policeman, with whom he had previously served in the army. Labour MP Harriet Harman meanwhile echoed the views of many, when she said: "As an act of terror, it has failed because we are here and we are going to go about our business." - 'Air of nervousness' - A bouquet of flowers lay next to the security cordon outside Westminster Abbey as a tribute to the victims, while a single bloom was tucked into the knot of a police tape. Flags on government buildings around Westminster flew at half-mast, but many people walked or cycled into work as usual. "There's definitely an air of nervousness, you can feel that. It's very obvious to see that something very serious happened here," said Jason Llewelyn, a civil servant. Staff were initially escorted into parliament through a side entrance and the House of Lords coatroom, although a larger entrance was later opened and visitors were also allowed in. Tourists milled around the edge of the cordon, some taking photographs on their smartphones. Stephanie Scheider, a 20-year-old nurse from Germany, took pictures in front of parliament's famous Big Ben clock tower, but expressed concern at the security situation. "We won't go to Buckingham Palace because we feel not safe there but it's the only place we will avoid," she told AFP. Queen Elizabeth II was due to visit a new police headquarters next to parliament on Thursday, but postponed the engagement. Jemma Jackson, a paediatric nurse heading to work nearby, said: "I think it's right that we continue to carry on. "I think people probably feel there is an element of fear, but really, we won't let this beat us."
London Attack: Ten Minutes of Terror2:04 These are the chilling moments one man rampaged through the streets of London, killing four innocent people including a Police officer. March 23rd 2017 a year ago /display/newscorpaustralia.com/Web/NewsNetwork/Network News/World/ A police officer stands guard near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament where a police officer was stabbed. Picture: Jack Taylor/Getty ImagesSource:Getty Images THE fatal terror attack that killed five people and injured 40 in London has shocked the western world, and one image sums up its impact better than any other. Sketching the capitals iconic Big Ben clock tower covered in a single teardrop, Italian artist Diego Cusano has created a symbol for the citys grief and mourning thats being shared widely on social media. The sympathetic artist shared his illustration this morning with the simple caption: London stay strong! Since then the image has been shared thousands of times and caught the attention of news outlets around the world. Speaking with CBS news, Mr Cusano said he always expressed his emotions with drawings and images. He offered some insight into why his drawing and message may resonate with the rest of the world, saying: We are all suffering the same way. The messages of solidarity follow confirmation from police that a fifth person has died and about 40 are injured following a terror attack in the heart of London. A police officer and his attacker are among the dead, and injured casualties include three police officers. A number of schoolchildren are also reportedly being treated for injuries. An Australian national is believed to have been injured during the attack and is recovering in hospital, according to the ABC. The attack unfolded on Wednesday afternoon when a man drove a car across Westminster Bridge mowing down pedestrians before storming a security checkpoint outside the UK Houses of Parliament and stabbed a police officer. The officer has been identified by Scotland Yard as PC Keith Palmer, a 48-year-old husband and father with 15 years of service to the police force. The attacker was shot by police outside the Palace of Westminster. Police have confirmed that both the officer and the alleged terrorist died. Police believe they know the identity of the attacker, but those details are yet to be made public. The attacker was wrongly identified as a known extremist and hate preacher, but it has since been confirmed the man named by several British media outlets is in prison. News Corp reports armed police have stormed an address in Bermingham in an early morning raid, believed to be in connection to the London attack. BBC Newsnight reports the house may be linked to the car used to run down pedestrians. The property on Hagley Road was cordoned off about 10am AEST and neighbours were warned to stay inside. News Corp reports the West Midlands Police said in a statement it was an ongoing investigation but witnesses told local media people were removed from the home. It is not yet known the exact link between the address and the London attacks. UPDATE: Armed police raided an address in Birmingham reportedly in connection to the London terror attack, not yet known the exact link. pic.twitter.com/y30WvQ7TlV Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has offered Australias sympathy and solidarity with the United Kingdom, saying we are staunch allies in the war against terrorism. The attack on British Parliament is an attack on parliaments, freedom and democracy everywhere, he said. Almost every tradition here in Australia is modelled on that of the Houses of Parliament in London. The birth place of our great, free parliamentary democracy and the rule of law which sustains it. We send our condolences, especially to the families of the victims, those injured, including a police officer murdered by the terrorist as he attempted to enter the Houses of Parliament. Mr Turnbull said the attack was reminder of the risk that our security agencies, police forces and members of the Australian Defence Force take on as they defend us every day. The Prime Minister was defiant, saying we must be clear-eyed about the risk. The terror threat is set at probable, but we will never ever let the terrorists win, he said. We will defeat and destroy them on the battlefield, we will defeat and defy them at home. We will never change the way we live. We will never let them divide us. Speaking outside 10 Downing Street after chairing emergency government meetings, British Prime Minister Theresa May labelled the incident a sick and depraved terrorist attack on the streets of our capital. Ms May paid tribute to the exceptional men and women of the police force who responded to the attack. She vowed that the forces of evil would never be allowed to drive us apart. We will all move together, never giving into terror, and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart, she said. The Queen was scheduled to open Londons new police headquarters at New Scotland Yard today, but the visit has now been postponed. The leader of the House of Commons, David Lidington, said an assailant at Parliament was shot and that there were reports of further violent incidents in the vicinity. Journalists were told to stay in their offices. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, speaking from Washington DC where she is attending a terrorism conference, said there were no known Australian casualties. She said the incident had all the hallmarks of an ISIS-inspired attack. Asked if the London attack meant there was an elevated danger level to Australia, Ms Bishop said there was no doubt foreign fighters may carry out attacks as they fled Syria and Iraq after pressure from countries like Australia. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull issued a message of solidarity with Britain and sympathy with victims of the attack. Australia stands in resolute solidarity with the people of Britain in war against terrorism, he said in a tweet. Our heartfelt sympathies are with the victims. An injured man is assisted after an attack on Westminster Bridge in London, Britain March 22, 2017. REUTERS/Toby MelvilleSource:Reuters Emergency personnel tend to an injured person near the Palace of Westminster in London. Picture: Yui Mok/PA via APSource:AP George Eaton, a journalist with the New Statesman, said that from the window of Parliaments Press Gallery, he saw police shoot a man who charged at officers. A large crowd was seen fleeing the man before he entered the parliamentary estate, he wrote on the publications website. After several officers evaded him he was swiftly shot by armed police.
London terror attack: What we know so far about the attack at Parliament in Westminster London terror attack: What we know so far about the attack at Parliament in Westminster LONDON remains in shock after an attacker mowed down pedestrians and stabbed a police officer to death before being shot dead by armed police at Parliament. Here is what we know so far about the attack that also killed two pedestrians and injured at least 40. Prime Minister Theresa May issued a statement on Wednesday evening after she chaired a meeting of the Governments emergency committee, Cobra. The 45-minute meeting brought together senior ministers as well as senior police officers, representatives of the security agencies and London Mayor Sadiq Khan. Mr Khan also issued a statement, saying: "Today London suffered a horrific attack near Parliament Square which we are treating as a terror attack. A number of people have lost their lives and at least twenty people have been injured. "My heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones and to everyone who has been affected. Tragically, a Metropolitan Police officer who was doing his duty protecting out city is amongst those who have been killed and my thoughts are with his family this evening. I want to express my gratitude, on behalf of all Londoners, to the police and emergency services who have shown tremendous bravery in exceptionally difficult circumstances." Mrs May also offered her condolences to the families victims, and branded the attack as "sick and depraved". PA MP Tobias Ellwood tried to save the life of the police officer She said: This attacker, who was armed with a knife, then ran towards Parliament where he was confronted by the police officers who keep us and our democratic institutions safe. "Tragically one officer was killed. The terrorist was also shot dead. "The United Kingdom's threat level has been set at severe for some time and this will not change. Acting deputy commissioner Rowley will give a further operational update later this evening. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to all who have been affected - to the victims themselves and their family and friends who waved their loved ones off but will not now be welcoming them home. "For those of us who were in Parliament at the time of this attack these events provide a particular reminder of the exceptional bravery of our police and security services who risk their lives to keep us safe. "Once again today these exceptional men and women ran towards the danger even as they encouraged others to move the other way. "On behalf of the whole country, I want to pay tribute to them - and to all our emergency services - for the work they have been doing to reassure the public and bring security back to the streets of our capital city." - These are the first images of the suspect on a stretcher Yesterday afternoon Met Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said: "The attack started when a car was driven over Westminster Bridge, hitting and injuring members of the public, also including three police officers on their way back from a commendation ceremony. The car then crashed near to Parliament and at least one man armed with a knife continued the attack and tried to enter Parliament." London terror attack: What we know so far about shooting at the Parliament in Westminster It is still possible that there could be other attackers out there and armed police officers have been deployed to keep Londoners safe this morning. Mrs May was bundled into a car by plain-clothed police officers and taken away from Westminster in the wake of the attack. Donald Trumps spokesman Sean Spicer said: We obviously condemn todays attack in Westminster which the United Kingdom is treating as an act of terrorism. Sky News A kitchen knife is shown in this photograph of the scene The Lords and Commons plan to sit as usual today after Parliament went into lockdown yesterday with MPs, staff, journalists and others held inside the building. In the chaos after the attack, air ambulance landed in Parliament Square and paramedics rushed to help multiple casualities lying on the ground. Footage of the Westminister bridge showed at least four injured people bleeding on the pavement where police condons had been set up. - Leader of the House of Commons David Lidington told MPs: There has been a serious incident within the estate. It seems that a police officer has been stabbed, that the alleged assailant was shot by armed police, an air ambulance is currently attending the scene. There are also reports of further violent incidents in the vicinity of the Palace of Westminster. Europe is today marking the one-year anniversary of the terror attacks in Brussels. Lib Dem leader Tim Farron told Express.co.uk: "I can see people injured on Westminster bridge. There are a lot of ambulances. "I was coming down the escalators with loads of other people and police suddenly stopped us all. There was no way back up and it was a bottleneck. "It was very scary. Everyone was panicking but the solidarity shown was inspiring. We're not sure if it was one or two attackers, or if it was the bloke in the 4x4 who attacked everyone on the bridge. I heard gunshots, but that was the police taking down the attacker."
Five people were killed and 40 others injured when a terrorist suspect mowed down pedestrians on a bridge and stabbed a police officer outside parliament complex before being shot dead by Scotland Yard officers in an incident inspired by international terrorism. The knife-man behind the attack in the heart of London was shot dead by armed Scotland Yard officers. The Metropolitan Police named the police officer killed as 48-year-old Keith Palmer and also confirmed that the attacker was known to the police. I can also now confirm three members of the public also lost their lives in this attack. And I confirmed earlier, the suspected attacker was shot dead by an armed officer  therefore meaning we now have five people in total who have died, said Mark Rowley, national lead for Counter Terrorism Policing and the Acting Deputy Commissioner. I will not comment at this stage on the identity of the attacker, but our working assumption that he was inspired by international terrorism, Rowley said. Also, at this stage, but it may change  we believe approximately 40 people were injured, some with serious injuries, including three police officers, two of whom are in a serious condition, he said. A woman assists an injured person after an incident on Westminster Bridge in London, Britain March 22, 2017. REUTERS/Toby Melville Prime Minister Theresa May condemned the terror strike as sick and depraved attack on democratic values, which was doomed to failure. May also paid tributes to the exceptional men and women of the police force who responded to the attack. We will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart, she said. Scotland Yard had earlier called on the public to remain vigilant and said a review of policing strategy across the city was underway, with additional police officers being deployed across London. The Indian High Commission in London has set up a special Public Response Unit for any Indians caught up in the terror attack. The incident unfolded on Wednesday afternoon as a man tried to gain entry into the British Parliament via the main entrance and stabbed a police officer. Plainclothes armed officers shouted warnings at him before shooting a number of rounds. He was later seen being covered by blankets, presumed dead. UK Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood administered mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to the stabbed police officer but said he died at the scene. In an incident just minutes earlier, a speeding grey Hyundai i40 mowed down several pedestrians on Westminster Bridge nearby before ramming into the iron railings of the side of the House of Commons building. The driver of this vehicle then ran out of the vehicle to try and enter the Parliament building, where he attacked the police officer and was eventually shot dead. Dozens of injured people were rushed to hospital from the scene and one woman was confirmed dead by doctors at St Thomas Hospital near Parliament hours later. We are working closely with other members of the emergency services at the scene, with our priority being to ensure patients receive the medical help they need as quickly as possible, London Ambulance said in a statement. French Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said French school pupils are among the injured and offered solidarity with our British friends, and full support for the wounded students and their families. Commons Leader David Lidington, who suspended the Parliament session as this unfolded outside, told MPs the alleged assailant was shot by armed police. It seems that a police officer has been stabbed, that the alleged assailant was shot by armed police. An air ambulance is currently attending the scene to remove the casualties, Lidington said. There are also reports of further violent incidents in the vicinity of the Palace of Westminster but I hope colleagues on all sides will appreciate that itd be wrong of me to go into further details until we have confirmation from the police and from the House security authorities about what is going on, he added. Witnesses said the attacker was shot by police as he approached a second officer clutching his knife during the incident. May, who had just completed her weekly Prime Ministers Questions, was seen being ushered into a car as gunfire rang out at Parliament during the incident. Downing Street said the PM was safe as an emergency services helicopter was seen landing in Parliament Square, which has been cordoned off and closed to traffic. The Prime Minister was brought back to Number 10 from Parliament. She is currently monitoring the situation, a Downing Street spokesperson said. May chaired a meeting of the governments emergency Cobra committee at Downing Street. MPs and peers were in lockdown inside the Parliament building for an extended period before being walked down across the road to Westminster Abbey. Workers and members of public in buildings in surrounding areas were also held up behind the cordoned off area. A number of schoolchildren were also held back until the police cordon was lifted. Tourists on the famous London Eye attraction were among those trapped in the pods as part of the lockdown. There was chaos in the area as people were seen running and being pushed back by Scotland Yard officers. In a statement, Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: Reports suggest the ongoing incident in Westminster this afternoon is extremely serious. Our thoughts are with the victims of this horrific attack, (their) families and friends. The police and security staff have taken swift action to ensure the safety of the public, MPs and staff, and we are grateful to them. London mayor Sadiq Khan said his thoughts were with those affected and expressed his gratitude to the citys police and emergency services who work so hard to keep us safe and show tremendous bravery in exceptionally difficult circumstances.
There has been a big response from world leaders in condemning the attack. US president, Donald Trump, offered his condolences during a call to the prime minister, Theresa May and pledged the "full cooperation and support of the United States government in responding to the attack and bringing those responsible to justice". Meanwhile, the Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, also condemned the attack, saying in a statement: "I was shocked and saddened to learn of the innocent people who were killed and injured as a result of this cowardly attack. "Canada and the UK are the closest of friends and allies. Our friendship is based on shared values and history  indeed, Canada's parliament is a descendant of the chamber targeted this morning. "Today's attack on the UK parliament is an attack on democracies around the world." British prime minister Theresa May has described the attack as "appalling" and "sick" in a press conference outside Downing Street. "The United Kingdom's threat level has been set at 'severe' for some time and this will not change. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all who have been affected. "Let me make it clear today... any attempt to defeat those values through violence is doomed to failure. "Parliament will come together as normal... and Londoners will get up and go about their day as normal... they will walk these streets, they will live their lives... never giving into terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart." In a show of solidarity, lights on the Eiffel Tower will be turned off at midnight CET (11pm GMT) after the Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo said that the cities "share a common love of freedom and an attachment to democracy". In Israel, the Tel Aviv city hall is lit up in the colours of the Union flag. Westminster is on lockdown after police officer was stabbed and pedestrians were mowed down by 4x4 in what police are treating as terrorist incident.Getty London Ambulance Service deputy director of operations, Pauline Cranmer said 12 patients have been treated for serious injuries, who were all taken to hospital. Eight further patients were treated for less serious injuries at the scene. "We have been working closely with other members of the emergency services at the scene, with our priority being to ensure patients received the medical help they needed as quickly as possible," she said, in a statement. The Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has issued a statement, saying: "Today's horrific attack in Westminster has shocked the whole country. All our thoughts are with the victims of this outrage, their loved ones, families and friends. "Those victims include civilians and police officers, Londoners and visitors, subjected to a brutal and indiscriminate assault. Our thanks and gratitude go to the police and emergency services who responded so bravely, and to those  including the MP Tobias Ellwood  who went to the aid of the injured and dying. "This was not only an attack on innocent people. It was also an attack on our democracy. But I know that Londoners and people across the country will stand together in defence of our values and diversity." The Metropolitan police head of counter-terrorism and acting deputy commissioner, Mark Rowley has said in a statement: "We have an ongoing operation - and whilst we currently believe there was only one attacker - I am sure the public will understand us taking every precaution in locking down and searching the area as thoroughly as possible. "I know that the officials working within Parliament and the public completely understand why we need to do this and I thank them for their patience and support." Home Secretary Amber Rudd is on her way back to London from Lahore and she said that the attack on Britain's "shared values" will "never be destroyed". In a a statement, she said: "The British people will be united in working together to defeat those who would harm our shared values. Values of democracy, tolerance and the rule of law. Values symbolised by the Houses of Parliament. Values that will never be destroyed." 2/2 We have the best police & security services in the world & we will let them get on with their job. Donald Trump Jr has caused a Twitter row after sharing a six-month old interview by London's mayor with the Independent, headlined: Sadiq Khan: 'London mayor says terror attacks 'part and parcel' of living in a major city.' It was interpreted by many as goading the London mayor, during an ongoing crisis. Donald Trump Junior has sparked a Twitter storm after seemingly goading the London mayor while the terror attack at Westminster was ongoingTwitter Tory MP Tobias Ellwood has been hailed as a hero after he tried to save the life of a policeman who was stabbed in Houses of Parliament. He was seen attempting to give the police officer mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and stem the blood flow by applying pressure to his wounds, according to The Telegraph. Elwood  a former soldier  lost his brother Jon in the Bali terror attack in 2002 that killed 202 people, including 27 Britons. He has been an MP for Bournemouth South since 2005 and most recently worked as parliamentary under-secretary at the Foreign Office.
Mrs May said the atrocity, which left three victims dead, was an attack on free people everywhere. Yesterday an act of terrorism tried to silence our democracy, but today we meet as normal, as generations have done before us and as future generations will continue to do, to deliver a simple message: 'We are not afraid and our resolve will never waver in the face of terrorism', the Prime Minister said. Read more She added that the terrorist had targeted a place where people of all nationalities and cultures gather to celebrate what it means to be free and taken out his rage on innocent men, women and children. Aysha Frade was the second victim named following Wednesdays attack, where PC Keith Palmer was stabbed to death outside the Houses of Parliament. She and another member of the public, a man in his 50s, died of injuries sustained on Westminster Bridge as an attacker sped his car along the pavement. He crashed it into gates next to the Houses of Parliament before getting out and bursting through the entrance, stabbing PC Palmer before being shot dead at around 2.40pm. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP Of the casualties admitted to hospital, 12 were British, three were French children, two Romanians, four South Koreans, two Greeks and one citizen each from Germany, Poland, Irish, China, Italy and the US. Tobias Ellwood, the Foreign Office minister, was at the scene and attempted to save PC Palmers life. Mrs May paid tribute to his heroic efforts and those by PC Palmer and all emergency services and parliamentary staff, with security at the Palace of Westminster under automatic review. Yesterday we saw the worst of humanity, but we will remember the best, she added. The greatest response lies not in the words of politicians, but in the everyday actions of ordinary people. It is in these actions - millions of acts of normality - that we find the best response to terrorism. A response that denies our enemies their victory. That refuses to let them win. That shows we will never give in.
Police raid addresses in Nottingham and Birmingham over Westminster 'terror attack': British suspect who WAS known to officers but not MI5 'used a Ford Fiesta bought two months ago to mow down 15 cyclists' Police have raided addresses in Nottingham and Birmingham over the Westminster terror attack after it emerged the suspect who ploughed into 15 cyclists and pedestrians today was known to officers but not MI5, MailOnline can reveal. The suspect is believed to have lived above an internet caf in Sparkhill, Birmingham, reports Sky News. Police have been searching the flat for several hours today. Officers from the Met's Counter Terrorism Command are searching another address in Birmingham, where the suspect is said to be known to police, and a flat in the Radford area of Nottingham over the attack, but have not arrested anyone else. Security Minister Ben Wallace described the 29-year-old suspect as 'a British citizen who came from another country originally' on BBC News this evening. Roger Godsiff, the Labour MP for Birmingham Hall Green, tweeted earlier this evening to say that the suspect was believed to live in his constituency. The Metropolitan Police have said the Fiesta the suspect used in the attack travelled from Birmingham to London late last night before arriving just after midnight. The car was seen in the Tottenham Court Road area between 1.25am and 5.55am before being driven around the Westminster and Whitehall area from 6am. It stayed in the area until the attack at 7.30am. Horrifying CCTV footage from earlier today captured the moment the driver sped through crowds at up to 50mph before ploughing into barriers outside the Houses of Parliament. Forensic officers by the Ford Fiesta that crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament today in the first terror attack in Britain this year The car was stopped in its tracks by a new security barrier designed to stop a lorryborne attack used in Nice or Berlin Cyclists abandoned their bikes after the collision with one being treated for injuries in the middle of the road as terror came to London's streets again Armed officers swamp a crumpled silver car after a rush hour crash at Westminster today that left two pedestrians needing hospital treatment The man in the left of the picture was arrested at the scene where two people were injured at just after 7.30am yesterday and he is refusing to speak to detectives. Security sources say he is from the West Midlands CCTV footage of the car unearthed by the BBC shows the car on the wrong side of the road then swerve left, hitting cyclists and pedestrians before hitting a barrier Forensic officers were still at the scene where the Ford Fiesta crashed near the Houses of Parliament Other officers were seen loading abandoned bicycles into vans after the crash that involved 15 cyclists and pedestrians Counter Terrorism officers, supported by Nottinghamshire Police, undertook a search at a flat on Peveril Street in the Radford area of Nottingham Police officers searched the flat on Peveril Street in connection with the terror attack at Westminster earlier today This is the location of the barrier crash - just around the corner from where Khalid Masood killed six people in March 2017 Share this article The man looked dazed as he was dragged from the smoking silver Ford Fiesta by around a dozen armed officers who had their rifles trained on him. Three people were injured and one female cyclist is being treated for serious but not life-threatening injuries in hospital, which MailOnline understands is a broken hip. Neighbours of the house searched in Nottingham have said the flat is home to six Sudanese people, and a security source told HuffPost that the suspect is a British citizen of a Sudanese origin. There has been no suggestion that the suspect lived in the address searched in Nottingham, nor has it been established what its connection to the crime was. Although Scotland Yard have been treating the incident as a terrorist attack, Home Secretary Sajid Javid has said 'we must keep an open mind'. Speaking at the Home Office, Mr Javid said: 'The briefing I have received from counter-terrorism police and the security services is that work is ongoing and they are doing everything they can to find out more about the incident. 'We must keep an open mind about what has happened and I'm sure when they do have more information they will say more.' A 'loud bang' followed by screams echoed around Parliament Square at 7.30am this morning and footage uncovered by the BBC shows the car swerve the wrong way down the road and 'intentionally' veer through crowds before smashing into a security barrier. Two uniformed police officers manning the checkpoint designed to withstand a high speed lorry attack are shown diving away and detectives are investigating if they were the true targets. Geoffrey Woodman, 27, from Battersea, heard a 'loud screech' and told MailOnline: 'It [the Ford Fiesta] cut out in front of us through the red light on the wrong side of the road. It swerved left and hit the lady two bikes to my left. Its windscreen hit her quite hard. One slight turn of the wheel and it would have taken me out. It was chaos'. A suspected terrorist arrested at gunpoint after ploughing a car into pedestrians near parliament is refusing to talk to police as detectives try to identify him, the Met's terror chief said today. Neil Basu, the Met's Assistant Commissioner Specialist Operations, said the man, in his 20s, is 'not currently cooperating' after his arrest shortly after 7.30am. A woman remains in hospital in a serious but stable condition after the suspected attacker drove a silver Ford Fiesta into cyclists before crashing into security barrier. Police are treating the incident as a 'deliberate' terrorist incident. It is not yet known whether the suspected attacker was on the radar of security services. Speaking outside New Scotland Yard, Mr Basu said: 'At 7.37am a silver Ford Fiesta was involved in a collision at the front of the Houses of Parliament. 'That vehicle collided cyclists and pedestrians before it hit the barrier and came to a stop. 'Two people have been taken to hospital, one man has already been discharged and a woman has serious but non life threatening injuries. 'Another man was also treated at the scene but didn't require hospital treatment.' Mr Basu said the suspect was the only person in the vehicle and was 'arrested at the scene by armed officers' and taken to a police station in south London. Mr Basu added: 'This appears to be a deliberate act, the method and this iconic site, we're treating it as a terrorist incident. 'Officers are searching the vehicle but no other weapons have been found at this time.' He said no other suspects were identified or reported, adding: 'There's no intelligence at this time of further danger to Londoners or the rest of the U.K.' He said: 'The priority is to formally establish the ID and his motives. He is not currently cooperating.' Police are now carrying out 'various other urgent inquiries' and appealed for anyone with information to come forward. Mr Basu said: 'Clearly we are treating the scene and parliament square as a crime scene so cordons are likely to be in place for some time. 'This has caused a great deal of disruption to those who live, work or were visiting this area.' Asked whether police were tailing the man before the incident, he said: 'There was not a police car in pursuit of the vehicle.' Scotland Yard said the crash is being treated as a 'terrorist incident'. Counter-terror chief Neil Basu said that he appears to have been working alone and there is 'no intelligence at this time of further danger' to Londoners following the car attack. He said: 'It appears to be a deliberate act. We are treating it as a terrorist incident. The man is in his late 20s and he's been arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences and has been taken to a South London police station where he remains in custody. 'Our priority now is to formally establish the identity of the suspect and establish his motivation if we can. He is not currently co-operating'. Security minister Ben Wallace has also called for the public to be vigilant about odd behaviour and report it to police to help stop future terror attacks. The MP warned that as attackers use 'everyday items' such as knives and cars to strike a 'free and open' society, individuals, community leaders and car hire businesses among others should 'get ahead of the game'. Mr Wallace also suggested that terrorists were driven to pick 'nearby' items - as instructed by terrorist grooming materials, he said - because of the difficulty in obtaining guns as a result of police and Government efforts. Parliament is closed today but most MPs are away because it is during the summer recess, and a huge 'Terror cordon' stretching nearly a mile around Parliament Square is in place. In a statement earlier today, a Nottinghamshire Police spokesperson said: 'Counter Terrorism officers, supported by Nottinghamshire Police, are undertaking a search of a residential property in Nottingham this evening (Tuesday). 'The activity, at a flat in the Radford/Arboretum area of the city, is in response to this morning's declared terrorist incident in Westminster. 'As a result we have increased patrols in the area in a bid to provide reassurance to local residents. If anyone has any concerns we would encourage them to speak to a uniformed officer. 'We are continually monitoring the situation closely and will of course respond appropriately should any direct threat to public safety be identified. 'Further enquiries relating to the police investigation should be referred to the Metropolitan Police Service on 020 7230 2171.' An occupant of the house searched in Nottingham said: 'They thought the car was insured or registered here but it isn't. 'They were asking about a silver Fiesta. They said they were investigating what happened in Westminster.' Benas Butkevicius, who lives next door to the house that was raided, said: 'I was asleep when it happened. I just heard some banging and scratching. 'I work night shifts - at about 4pm I woke up to the scratching.' Today's crash came 17 months after Khalid Masood drove into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge - killing five - before stabbing to death PC Keith Palmer at the gates of Parliament. Ewalina Ochab saw the incident and said: 'I think it looked intentional - the car drove at speed and towards the barriers', while Jason Williams said: 'I saw at least 10 people lying down. I had to run for my life', and Barry Williams said: 'One of the cyclists jumped up and ran after the driver'. The moment the suspect was arrested was caught on camera and witness, Donovan, told LBC: 'Six four-by-fours shot past us and armed police jumped out and over the barrier. They were just dragging him out, but they were pointing guns in the car'. As a suspected terrorist appears to have launched a carborne attack in London again, it also emerged: Ford Fiesta bought two months ago crashes into cyclists, pedestrians and then barriers outside Houses of Parliament at 7.30am; Armed officers seen leaping over barriers and training rifles on the car before dragging suspect from the driver's seat. He was in vehicle alone and there were no weapons, bombs or chemicals found; Suspect from the West Midlands was arrested on suspicion of terror offences and taken to south London police station. He is refusing to co-operate; Detectives investigate if attack was indiscriminate or aimed at two police officers manning checkpoint; Two people are treated in St Thomas' Hospital but several more were also treated at the scene and say car 'deliberately' swerved towards them; Giant 'terror cordon' surrounds Houses of Parliament but most MPs are away because of summer recess; Attack came 17 months after Khalid Masood's Westminster rampage killed six and tested new barriers installed to stop similar carnage happening again; Donald Trump wakes up and tweets about the Westminster terror incident and said: 'These animals are crazy and must be dealt with through toughness and strength!' A meeting of the Government's emergency cobra committee was held at 2pm today - but no cabinet ministers were expected to attend. Prime Minister Theresa May is currently away in Switzerland on the second leg of her summer holiday but she said her thoughts were with those injured in the Westminster car crash and thanked the emergency services for their 'immediate and courageous' response. Home Secretary Sajid Javid said: 'Huge thanks to our emergency services for their rapid reaction to incident in Westminster this morning. My thoughts are with those injured.' Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn tweeted: 'My thoughts are with those hurt and injured outside Parliament this morning in what is being treated as a terrorist incident. 'Our thanks go to our emergency services who responded immediately. Their bravery keeps us safe day in, day out.' On arrival at Parliament, Boris Johnson said: 'If it is indeed confirmed to be a terror incident, then it's very sad and very troubling indeed. 'Hopefully people will be able to go about their normal days as soon as possible.' More than 200 officers flooded Westminster and moved members of the public away from the area in every direction in the aftermath of the attack. Specialist officers and sniffer dogs 'sanitised' the scene - a term used when checking for a bomb or dangerous chemicals. Witnesses said officers initially stood back and said it seemed as if they were concerned that the car may have contained a bomb. Forensics officers have spent the say getting evidence from the Ford Fiesta, which was bought just two months ago First responders treat victims lying in the road on Parliament Square in an attack that did not claim any lives Bicycles are sat against a wall near the scene of the crash at the Houses of Parliament today This is the scene in the minutes after the crash and shows the vehicle was within the network of barriers outside Parliament. These were increased after the terror attack there last year A forensics officer photographs the smashed remains of the Ford Fiesta next to a no 3 Routemaster bus and other abandoned vehicles Van after van of police have flooded the area and Parliament Square is likely to be closed for most of today as the terror investigation continues Forensics officers are examining the Ford Fiesta and Parliament Square but only after specialist officers and dogs checked it for weapons, explosives or chemicals A huge cordon only used in the event of terror attacks has been put in place spreading for a mile away from Parliament Square Witnesses are still being interviewed by the police and many described seeing the driver veer towards people hitting between 10 and 15 people This is the first suspected terror attack in Britain this year - there were five last year including four in the capital A police helicopter hovered over Parliament for several hours as officers tried to see if the suspect was working alone Trump blasts 'animal' after 'another terrorist attack in London' US President Donald Trump today branded the London terror suspect an 'animal'. The president has previously said Sadiq Khan was failing to tackle extremism and crime in the city - blaming high levels of immigration. The tycoon spoke out again shortly after 7.30am in Washington and said on Twitter: 'Another terrorist attack in London...These animals are crazy and must be dealt with through toughness and strength!' Previously he said there were areas of London where police were scared to go because of extremism. Witness Jason Williams told ITV's Good Morning Britain that the incident was 'very, very scary'. He said: 'Basically I've seen a man driving a vehicle, and he's gone into one of the bollards. There was a loud bang. 'Straight away I thought "Oh no, this is another terrorist attack". So I've just started to run and the police were saying 'get out, get out of the area'. 'It looked deliberate. It didn't look like an accident. How do you do that by accident? It was a loud bang. 'I was very surprised (the police didn't go in straight away). They seemed to be standing back. They were obviously a bit wary, like what's going to happen next? 'I don't know if it was a tip-off, a warning, that this was a bomb. There seems to be maybe about 200 police here now, and it's all happened very quickly in the space of half an hour. 'I have seen people on the ground, lying on the road. I don't know if they have actually been hit by the vehicle or not. I saw at least 10 people lying down. I had to run for my life.' Bus driver Victor Ogbomo, 49, was driving passengers past the front of Westminster when he saw the crash. He said: 'All I saw was the smoke coming out of a silver vehicle. I just stopped the bus. 'The police said we have to move back, then in less than five minutes the response team came. They went to the vehicle, so we had to push back. I saw the car in the barrier'. The car (circled bottom right) may have struck cyclists Scotland Yard put out this statement this morning confirming an incident had taken place but said it was too early to tell if it was terror-related. Two hours later they said they were keeping 'open mind' by counter-terror police took over the case Police closed off Westminster Bridge (pictured) and all major roads leading to Parliament Square in the aftermath of the crash Armed officers were among the hundreds of police who flooded into the Westminster area in the aftermath Westminster Tube was also closed as a precaution and is being patrolled by armed British Transport Police (pictured) The cordon has been extended along Millbank and around 200 officers are at the scene Members of the public and press were moved back further from the area as police put up a 'Terrorism Act cordon', according to an officer at the scene Suspected terror attack tests beefed up Westminster security Security measures around Westminster and on central London bridges were beefed up in the wake of terror attacks last year. Within days of the atrocity at London Bridge and Borough Market in June 2017, barriers were put in place on bridges including Westminster, Waterloo and Lambeth in a bid to stop terrorists mowing down pedestrians. Tactics for armed officers were also changed, with marksmen allowed to shoot at a vehicle being used in such an attack. Previously, firearms officers had the option of shooting at a moving car, van or lorry, but this was discouraged as it was felt it could increase the risk to the public. But the approach was revised so that firing at a car, van or lorry when it is on the move is an accepted tactic for such incidents. There are also more armed patrols on the streets at any one time, with the number of firearms officers and vehicles having gradually increased since 2016. A 143 million plan to boost armed policing was announced in the months after the terrorist attacks in Paris in November 2015, in which 130 people died and hundreds more were injured. Security arrangements around Parliament are likely to come under fresh scrutiny at the forthcoming inquests into the deaths of five people including police officer Keith Palmer who were killed in the Westminster Bridge attack last year. Khalid Masood ploughed a hired SUV into pedestrians on the bridge before getting out and fatally stabbing Mr Palmer, who was guarding the Palace of Westminster but was unarmed. Around a month later, former Taliban bomb maker Khalid Ali was arrested in Parliament Square with three knives ready to attack MPs and police. He was later jailed for at least 40 years for making the explosive devices and 25 years for the knife plot. Scotland Yard said the public can expect to see more police officers, both armed and unarmed, on the capital's streets in the wake of Tuesday's incident. Questions will be raised about why the attack took place during recess when Parliament is not sitting. Cyclist James Maker, 30, of Chelmsford, Essex, passed the scene in Westminster within minutes of the crash to see a woman injured on the floor and the car crashed into the barrier. 'I looked to the right-hand side and there was a cyclist on the floor, clearly injured,' he said. 'It was a woman, they were clearly quite injured, they weren't moving and they were in the recovery position.' Fellow cyclists were helping her, he said, adding: 'There were a couple of cyclists who had clearly been involved who were sitting on the floor and perhaps had minor injuries. 'I must be honest, I've got a young son and a wife and my initial reaction was as long as paramedics were seeing to the woman, I wanted to get away from the incident.' The head of policy at the County Councils Network then saw the silver Ford Fiesta crashed into the barrier outside Westminster Palace. 'You've got to have an intent to go for that barrier, there's so many security barriers and the way the car ended up in that part it would appear deliberate to me. It's gone up the driveway and hit the actual barrier thinking perhaps it would open,' he said. A huge police cordon continued to expand this morning, stretching from Parliament Square to St James's Park. A number of high-profile buildings within the cordon included the Supreme Court, HMRC and the Treasury. The usually busy roads were taped off with police officers on guard at every road. Among the roads closed off include Old Queen Street and Birdcage Walk. Westminster Bridge and the Tube station were both closed and the length of Whitehall was completely shut off to traffic, with the cordon extended up to where the road meets Trafalgar Square. A police officer said: 'It is such a big cordon it's chaos at the moment but the public's safety is of course paramount.' Police evacuated dozens of people and cars from St James's Park as they extend their cordon around a vehicle which crashed earlier today. The driver of a van asked a policeman at the scene if it was a terror attack. The officer replied: 'It's looking that way.' British Transport Police (BTP) said it would be putting extra officers on patrols in England, Scotland and Wales today and into the evening following the Westminster terror attack. Superintendent Chris Horton from BTP said: 'We know incidents such as this are likely to cause concern, so our officers will be highly visible both on board trains and at stations. 'We are there to reassure the travelling public, so please don't be alarmed if you see our officers, including firearms officers, on your journey.' Holidaymaker Justin Davey, 48, was going on a morning jog through St James's Park with his family when they were suddenly told to leave the park. He told MailOnline: 'Police just shouted, "get out of the park".' Mr Davey admitted that it was a scary experience, with the family having only just arrived from Mexico for their holiday to London. He said: 'It's not what to see when you're on holiday - helicopters flying around and this type of thing. It is quite scary. The police are very well organised though.' The cordon also extended the other way up Whitehall and past the Cenotaph and Downing Street A witness, who gave his name only as James, described how he had been cycling past Parliament shortly after the incident happened. How the Westminster car's current owner has been registered for only two months The car involved in todays crash was a 2010 Ford Fiesta, first registered near Nottingham in March 2010. Forensic officers by the car that crashed into security barriers outside Parliament It has had five previous owners before the current keeper  who has only been registered to it since June 20. The car, which has a manual transmission, is valued at about 4,500 and has an estimated mileage of around 68,000. It previously failed an MOT in 2015 due to issues with the front brake pad, front tyre and front windscreen wiper. It was also said to have suffered serious structural damage last November and written off - but then passed its most recent MOT this May. 'There was a cyclist clearly injured on the floor, there was a number of cyclists off their bikes. As I went past, an ambulance turned up,' he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme. 'As I carried on down I was told to get off my bike by a police officer. He said there'd been an incident. As I looked up as I got off my bike, I saw there was a car in the barrier. 'My natural reaction was to get away from the scene.' Two people were treated at the scene in Westminster for injuries that are not thought to be serious, London Ambulance Service said. Assistant Director of Operations Peter Rhodes said: 'We were called at 7.40am today to reports of an incident on St Margaret Street, SW1. 'We sent a number of resources to the scene including three ambulance crews, responders in cars and an incident response officer. 'We have treated two people at the scene for injuries that are not believed to be serious and have taken them to hospital.' The police response suggests they will be considering if a terror attack was a motive. Security expert Chris Phillips told ITV's Good Morning Britain: 'Clearly this vehicle has crashed into the barriers. The barriers are there to protect the building and the people inside. They've been there a long time actually. 'I think one of the biggest issues for police officers when they approached the vehicle was could it explode. So the fact that the officers have got in there, got the man out and are dealing with it is a really good sign. 'This could well be some form of an attack that's not quite worked properly for the attacker. The whole point of those barriers is they are to stop and slow down any vehicles getting close to the building and people inside. 'So if you tried to crash through those barriers, it just wouldn't work. They're strong enough to stop a vehicle at 50mph. So the fact that the officers are taking it very seriously obviously means that they've got some concerns. 'And of course they also now want to search the vehicle to make sure there's nothing inside it that could cause anyone damage.' Tourists risk backlash as they pose for selfies next to Westminster Bridge police cordon shortly after Parliament terror crash Tourists have been caught posing for selfies next to a police cordon shortly after the terror attack outside the Houses of Parliament today. The visitors seemed to be unaware of the seriousness of the attack which saw a car collide with cyclists and pedestrians before crashing into security barriers. The tourists risked a backlash as they smiled for the camera this morning in front of police officers standing on Westminster Bridge to guard the scene. Three tourists pose for a group selfie at the police cordon on Westminster Bridge today Ben Lewis, chief Europe correspondent for Australian network SBS News, tweeted how it was 'bizarre' that a tourist photographed her daughter in front of the scene. He said: 'Will never understand people who take selfies at crime scenes. One tourist taking photos of her little daughter next to me with armed police in background.' And BBC journalist Edward Lawrence, who was also at the scene, added: 'There's literally a tourist group at the terror cordon having a tour, in the middle of road.' Following the attack at about 7.40am today, police cordoned off a large area around Parliament, which is usually bustling with tourists and government workers. A man poses for a photo on Westminster Bridge today after it was cordoned off to traffic Journalist Ben Lewis said it was 'bizarre' that a tourist photographed her daughter at the scene Today, Scotland Yard said the terror suspect accused of deliberately crashing a car outside the Houses of Parliament was not known to police or MI5. The man, in his late 20s, is being held in custody at a police station but is not co-operating with officers. He was arrested on suspicion of terror offences. The silver car can be seen in footage of the incident coming along the road next to Parliament Square before moving to turn right towards Westminster Abbey. As an ambulance passes the car, the vehicle swerves left, crossing oncoming traffic and a pavement before entering a small road and crashing into a security barrier. Some 13 Islamist plots and four right-wing plots foiled over past 18 months By James Tapsfield, Political Editor for MailOnline The security services are conducting 676 'live' terrorism investigations and have foiled 13 Islamist plots over the last 18 months, it was revealed today. Evidence of the scale of the threat to the UK came as Theresa May urged the public to be 'vigilant' and defy the extremists. In a statement after the suspected terror attack at Westminster, when a man in a Ford Fiesta mowed down cyclists before crashing into barriers around Parliament, the Prime Minister said the incident was'shocking'. Theresa May (pictured at a commemoration in Amiens last week) is on holiday in Switzerland today, but Downing Street insisted she was being kept fully briefed on the situation 'The threat to the United Kingdom from terrorism remains severe. 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.' The PM's spokesman said that over the past 18 months 13 Islamist terrorist plots had been foiled, and four far-right plots. There are 676 live terrorism investigations in progress, he said. The previous figure given in March was that there were 'over 500'. The government's COBRA emergency committee met to consider the situation earlier, but no ministers were present. Share this article Mrs May is on holiday in Switzerland, but Downing Street insisted she was being kept fully briefed on the situation. Chancellor Philip Hammond is the ranking minister on duty in Westminster. Home Secretary Sajid Javid is breaking his family holiday - which was only just starting - to help with the response. 'For the second time in as many years the home of our democracy, which is a potent symbol of our precious values of tolerance and freedom, has witnessed terrible scenes just yards from its door,' Mrs May said. 'My thoughts are with the innocent members of the public who were hurt in this appalling incident. 'I wish them a speedy recovery and we must be thankful that nobody suffered life-threatening injuries. 'I also wish to praise the formidable courage of our emergency services, who were on the scene immediately and in significant numbers. 'Once again, they did not flinch and ran towards a dangerous situation in order to protect the public. 'The country is hugely grateful for their calmness and professionalism.' How today's crash comes 17 months after Westminster Bridge attack that left five people dead and 50 injured Muslim convert Khalid Masood plouged car into crowds on bridge in March 2017 Car collided with cyclists and pedestrians before crashing into security barriers Police patrols were today stepped up across Britain after a car collided with cyclists and pedestrians before crashing into security barriers in Westminster. British Transport Police said commuters will see extra officers this afternoon and evening on trains and at stations around England, Scotland and Wales. And workers trapped inside Parliament Square buildings were told to hide in basements and stay away from windows after the crash at about 7.40am today. British Transport Police said commuters will see more of its officers this afternoon (file picture) Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said there was 'no intelligence at this time of further danger' to Londoners following the attack. But he added: 'Detectives from the counter-terrorism command are making various other urgent enquiries to ensure that there is no outstanding risk to the public.' Scott Hawkins, who works in IT support for the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors in Westminster, was told to hide in the basement of his building by police. He did not know when they would be allowed out, saying: 'Police advised us to stay in the basement of our building as being near windows is a security risk right now. Westminster station on the London Underground's Circle, District and Jubilee lines is closed 'I was walking through Parliament Square just before the crash so I missed the actual event. The police have put our building on lockdown.' BTP said anybody with concerns following the incident outside the Houses of Parliament can speak to a member of rail staff or a police officer. Superintendent Chris Horton said: 'We know incidents such as this are likely to cause concern, so our officers will be highly visible both on board trains and at stations. 'We are there to reassure the travelling public so please don't be alarmed if you see our officers, including firearms officers, on your journey.' Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said today (pictured) that there was 'no intelligence at this time of further danger' to Londoners following the attack Surrounding roads including Westminster Bridge, Abingdon Street and Whitehall all closed today, along with Westminster station on the London Underground. On arrival at Parliament, former foreign secretary Boris Johnson said: 'Hopefully people will be able to go about their normal days as soon as possible.' The driver, who is in his late 20s, has been arrested on suspicion of terror offences and is being held in custody at a police station in South London. Armed officers swarmed the scene following the suspected terror attack and the man, wearing a black puffer jacket, was led away in handcuffs from a Ford Fiesta. 'I heard a car screeching... it swerved left and hit the lady two bikes to my left': Cyclists are left sprawled in the road next to their mangled bikes after car smashes into them in Parliament 'terror attack'
London Terror attack: 5 dead in Westminster terror attack It was really a bad day for the people of Britain as violence struck in London on Wednesday in the form of a terror attack outside the British Parliament, leaving five people dead, including a police man, and many others injured. The attack occurred at about 2:40 p.m. at which time gunshots were heard near the British Parliament. The suspected terrorist plowed a car into pedestrians on Londons Westminster Bridge on Wednesday, then fatally stabbed a police officer before being shot. The attack left at least five people dead: three members of the public, the stabbed officer and the attacker, Mark Rowley, assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police said in the Wednesday evening press briefing. Police said about 40 others were injured in the British Parliament complex on Wednesday. Rowley said that figure included three police officers, two of whom are in serious condition. Local law enforcement currently believe that the dead attacker is the only suspect, but Rowley declined to comment on the assailants identity. The polices working assumption is that the attacker was inspired by international terrorism. The Parliament was quickly placed on lockdown in accordance with protocol for what authorities call a marauding terrorist attack. Prime Minister Theresa May and Queen Elizabeth II were reported safe. While the lockdown has been lifted, much of the area remains cordoned off as police continue with their investigation. On Wednesday evening, May gave a stirring speech, in which she applauded the heroism demonstrated by the police. The location of the attack, steps away from the seat of British government, was no accident, May said. The terrorist chose to strike at the heart of our capital city, where people of all nationalities, religions and cultures come together to celebrate the values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech, she said. But let me make it clear today, as I have had cause to do before, any attempt to defeat those values through violence and terror is doomed to failure. Londoners and tourists will wake up on Thursday and go about their lives as normal, May said. Mayor Sadiq Khan made similar remarks earlier, saying Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism. I want to reassure all Londoners and all our visitors not to be alarmed  our city remains one of the safest in the world, Khan said. London is the greatest city in the world and we stand together in the face of those who seek to harm us and destroy our way of life. We always have, and we always will. Police confirmed that a full counterterrorism operation is underway and that they are increasing law enforcement presence around the city. The incident at Parliament occurred on the first anniversary of the terrorist bombings in Brussels that killed 32 people. Frances Foreign Ministry said in a statement that three French high school students were in serious condition after being run over on Westminster Bridge. French Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve tweeted in French, Solidarity with our British friends terribly stricken, full support to the injured French students, their families and their comrades. The press office for the prime minister said May is safe and at work. The prime minister had been in the House of Commons about two hours before the incident for her weekly Question Time session. NBC News has confirmed that she has since returned to 10 Downing Street. Queen Elizabeth II was at Buckingham Palace during the incident, according to a palace spokesman. The U.K. government said both the House of Commons and House of Lords will sit their scheduled sessions on Thursday. President Donald Trump has spoken with May, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said during his daily press briefing. The president pledged the full cooperation and support of the United States government in responding to the attack and bringing those responsible to justice, according to the White House readout of the call. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson expressed his condolences in a statement. The American people send their thoughts and prayers to the people of the United Kingdom. We condemn these horrific acts of violence, and whether they were carried out by troubled individuals or by terrorists, the victims know no difference, Tillerson said in a Wednesday statement. A spokesman for the U.S. State Department said, We are closely following the concerning situation outside the U.K. Parliament. Our hearts go out to those affected. We stand ready to assist in any way the U.K. authorities would find helpful. The safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas is one of our highest priorities, said the spokesman Mark Toner. Our embassy in London is monitoring the situation closely. We stand ready to provide all possible consular assistance should we become aware of any affected U.S. citizens, Toner said. We urge U.S. citizens in London to contact family members and loved ones to notify them that you are safe. Share this: Like this: About Author Hi,my name is Obinna Nwala; Founder of Henzyworld.com,I am a Life Coach an IT and Relationship Expert with so much passion in adding positively to people's life and i love solving people's problem within my maximum capacity. From my experiences in life i have come to understand that most people suffer a lot of relationships and life problems which makes them frustrated but Henzyworld is a blog to get inspired where your problems will be solved and where you get latest gist around your environment. Blog Stats You Need to Check This Out Check This Out Custom Sidebar Check it out, this is a custom one-off sidebar made specifically for this page. You can make unlimited custom sidebars for any page or post you want. 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Ambulances line Westminster Bridge after Parliament was put on lockdown on Wednesday afternoon ( Getty ) Soon after the invasion of Iraq in 2003, the street furniture around Westminster transformed into street armour. The Houses of Parliament were regarded as a trophy target for terrorists. An ugly ribbon of steel and concrete sprang up, aimed at preventing a suicide bomber with a truck bringing carnage to the heart of London. The loser who set out intent on mass murder at Westminster used instead a weapon as commonplace as it is deadly: a car, driven at speed into crowds of tourists and Londoners. They were the softest of targets. As a city, as a nation and as a world, we must accept that those who seek to trample on our liberal, open and tolerant way of life will turn increasingly to such rudimentary tactics. And we need to move swiftly to protect the crowds who sightsee, stroll and pose for selfies in the tourist heartland of London. As attacks in Nice, Berlin and now London have demonstrated, cars and trucks are as potentially lethal as bombs and Kalashnikovs  but far easier to procure, and therefore presenting an incalculable risk to the people who congregate in the great cities of the world. Westminster Bridge is the busiest tourist thoroughfare in Britain, connecting Parliament Square and Westminster Abbey with the London Eye and the other visitor attractions on the South Bank. At any hour during the day hundreds of visitors crowd the pavements and point their cameras, charmed by the miscellany of monuments in the centre of western Europes biggest city. Westminster attack: What we know so far To mangle Wordsworths early 19th-century view of Westminster Bridge, Earth has much to show more fair than the awkward, if endearing, muddle where SE1 meets SW1. Yet in one sense we must turn the clock back to around 1802, a time without motorised transport. Buses, taxis and bikes, of course, must flow across the Thames. But we need to learn from Brussels, which suffered so badly exactly a year earlier. The main thoroughfare that previously carved from north to south has been closed to normal traffic, and life at the core of the Belgian capital is returning to walking (or cycling) pace. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP Barcelona, Copenhagen and every other great European city should also take note and begin to protect tourists and locals against mass murderers in secondhand saloons by accepting that heavy traffic and large crowds cannot mix. This is a day we planned for but hoped would never happen, said Mark Rowley, assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, as the toll of human suffering emerged. With the greatest of respect to him and the brave men and women who serve with him, we must urgently plan for a city with humanity at its heart. The Independent has launched its #FinalSay campaign to demand that voters are given a voice on the final Brexit deal.
By Tyler Durden / ZeroHedge.com An assailant was shot outside the British parliament by armed police, the leader of the House of Commons said on Wednesday after loud bangs were heard and a Reuters photographer saw at least a dozen injured people on a nearby bridge. A four-wheeled drive SUV said to have driven over Westminster Bridge knocking down pedestrians this afternoon, which according to VoA reports have lead to at least five casualties Knifeman then got into the grounds of Parliament where he reportedly stabbed a police officer The middle-aged attacker was then shot by armed officers as the area was cleared by emergency services The London Police say they are treating the parliament attack as a terror incident. Parliament was suspended and the Prime Minister was rushed from the scene in an unmarked police car The UK Commons leader adds that a man policeman was apparently stabbed and that the assailant has been shot. A parliamentary official earlier said two people had been shot outside parliament and the building was in lockdown. The House of Commons session was suspended and members of parliament who were in the chamber were told to remain there. A Reuters reporter inside the building said medical staff were treating two people inside the gates of the parliamentary estate. According to the Mail, a knife-wielding attacker was shot by armed police in the grounds of Parliament today after pedestrians were mowed down on Westminster Bridge. Emergency teams were seen carrying out CPR inside the palace grounds in New Palace Yard More than 10 people are said to have been hit by a car on Westminster Bridge after a vehicle described as a 44 SUV reportedly drove into pedestrians and cyclists. The alleged vehicle that mowed down people A middle-aged armed intruder then managed to break into the grounds of the Houses of Parliament and stabbed a police officer before he was shot, reports suggest. Three injured people were seen on the floor outside Parliament and the Palace was placed on an immediate lock down. Prime Minister Theresa May is said to have been bundled into a car by a plain-clothes police officer and driven quickly from the scene. It is thought a lone attacker drove the vehicle across Westminster Bridge before crashing into a fence at the Houses of Parliament and getting into the grounds. He is then said to have stabbed a police officer before he was shot by another policeman. Commons Leader David Lidington told MPs a police officer has been stabbed and the alleged assailant was shot by armed police following a serious incident within the parliamentary estate. The House of Commons was suspended by Deputy Speaker Lindsay Hoyle. MPs have been ordered to wait inside the Commons chamber. People outside the palace could be seen running from the scene when the shots were heard. An eye witness said that a car was seen to mow down five people on Westminster Bridge. Police are then believed to have shot a man who tried to enter the Parliamentary Estate. The Air Ambulance landed in to Parliament Square. Twelve police cars and vans were outside the Palace in the moments after the incident. The dramatic incident comes weeks after it was revealed that UK security services have foiled 13 potential attacks in less than four years, while counter-terrorism units are running more than 500 investigations at any time. The official threat level for international terrorism has stood at severe, meaning an attack is highly likely, for more than two years. Liberal Democrat transport spokeswoman Baroness Randerson said countries seem to have been singled out based on religious beliefs. Of course safety is paramount at all times and we all need to remain vigilant but this ban needs to be explained in detail, she said. Injured people are seen on Westminster Bridge in London after a major incident. Keep up to date with our live blog: http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/uk-parliament-shooting-man-armed-knife-shot-palace-westminster-1613133  Two people have reportedly been shot outside the U.K. parliament building in London, in a developing incident that may have taken place on the adjacent Westminster Bridge. A parliamentary clerk told Reuters two people had been shot, but there was no official confirmation from the police. A Reuters photographer said he saw at least a dozen people injured on Westminster Bridge near the parliament building. Reports said that a man was seen waving a knife and police said they treating the situation as a firearm incident. * * * Eariler Shots have been reportedly fired outside UK parliament in London, where two people have been reportedly shot outside the gates to parliament, Reuters and Bloomberg report with iTV adding that explosions heard outside British Parliament, the building on lockdown. The Sun reports that a car mowed down a dozen pedestrians on Westminster Bridge. According to SkyNews, waves of people have been seen running from Parliament amid reports of gunfire, while Reuters adds that around six people are injured on Westminster Bridgeg. As BBC adds, politicians and journalists have tweeted about hearing loud crashes outside the buildings, as witnesses said they saw people being treated for injuries. Witnesses have reported seeing a man with a knife within the palace grounds. A police officer has also told a BBCs political editor that someone has been shot outside Portcullis House. SHOTS FIRED OUTSIDE U.K. PARLIAMENT IN LONDON: BBG PEOPLE ON GROUND ARE WITHIN PRECINCTS OF PARLIAMENT IN LONDON HOUSE OF COMMONS SITTING HAS BEEN SUSPENDED REUTERS PHOTOGRAPHER SEES AROUND SIX PEOPLE INJURED ON WESTMINSTER BRIDGE OUTSIDE BRITISH PARLIAMENT This is the 40-Day Season of Sacrifice: March 19th or 22nd to May 1st which is traditional ritual for Dark Cults who carries out false flag terrorist attacks against humanity keeping the masses in FEAR, panic etc for world domination. Time has reached for people to become aware for this insanity but theyre still allow to be misled, manipulated, deceive etc by such entities. We would hear more of these extremist attacks during this period & maybe after this period we (humans) do not END their game.
After last Wednesdays devastating attack at Westminster, plenty of people expressed distress at images being shared online, asking whether it was ethical to distribute images of victims, particularly as their loved ones may not have been informed of events yet. Its a question that occurs often, now that we live in an era when photos can travel instantly and widely on the internet. In a moment, a photo can go viral and the ethics and consequences of the sharing of that photo are usually only considered after the event. Take a picture of the woman who was crossing Westminster Bridge at the time of the attack  she was wearing a hijab, clutching a phone  and, suddenly, that image was being used to suggest that she, as a Muslim woman, did not care about the victims of the attack. An out-of-context image of a woman staring her phone was used to stoke hatred and religious prejudice at a time when the country was bruised and low, at a time when victims of a vicious hate-filled attack lay in hospital. This Muslim woman fought back after being falsely criticised for her response to the Westminster terror attack. pic.twitter.com/omFfJdk1Ud The woman has since spoken to TellMAMA, an organisation that measures anti-Muslim attacks, telling them that she was shocked and dismayed at the way the image was shared on social media: To those individuals who have interpreted and commented on what my thoughts were in that horrific and distressful moment, I would like to say not only have I been devastated by witnessing the aftermath of a shocking and numbing terror attack, Ive also had to deal with the shock of finding my picture plastered all over social media by those who could not look beyond my attire, who draw conclusions based on hate and xenophobia. She is not the only woman who has seen out-of-context photographs spread online or in the media in the days following the Westminster attack. A junior doctor who treated victims of the attack at the scene was interviewed about the medical response by several media outlets  but newspapers were not content to simply use the photos of her in her doctors scrubs, and instead most reports about 25-year-old Colleen Anderson featured at least one photo taken from Facebook. So, alongside quotes from Anderson praising the NHS are pictures of her in evening attire on a night out and holiday snaps. Its a bizarre approach to covering a news story, but one that is widespread. Photos of women are generally more interesting; womens clothing usually signifies more than mens clothing does A former newspaper reporter tells me: When Facebook first emerged, it was a newer and easier way to put a face to a news story. Previously, people who were the subject of news reports provided a picture, or someone who knew them did. Family would generally give out a picture of someone who was deceased. There was a conversation about it. Facebook took that all away. With Facebook, there is no need to rely on family members being willing to issue photographs because everything you need to illustrate your report is a few clicks away. It's the modern equivalent of stealing framed pictures from someone's home  something that many journalists did or were instructed to do on death knocks. Except Facebook was slightly more legitimised  the general consensus was that someone had actively self-published photographs of themselves and made them available to the public. And then there is the type of pictures. The more shocking, the better. Some people had hundreds of public photographs and, often, it's not the prim and proper one which will catch the attention of a newspaper editor or reader. Its clear that the types of photos taken and republished are indeed those deemed to be the most attention-grabbing and, consequently, this does seem to be an issue that affects women more than men. Photos of women are generally more interesting; womens clothing usually signifies more than mens clothing does. That can mean that Muslim women  who are more visible than Muslim men  can bear the brunt of the Islamophobia that occurs after a terror-related attack. And it can mean that a doctor will see pictures of herself on a beach used to illustrate a straight news story. Yesterday, The Sunday Times published a picture of one of the Westminster attackers daughters on its front page. She is young, beautiful and glamorous. And many on social media pointed out that it felt inappropriate. In a week when she had discovered that her father, Khalid Masood, was a murderer, is it right that she should see herself smiling, hand-on-hip, on the cover of a Sunday broadsheet? The Sunday Times have a sensitive & newsworthy angle on the Khalid Masood story - "What about his daughter though, eh, lads?" pic.twitter.com/WxgzWT41C8 At four oclock yesterday afternoon, women lined the bridge at Westminster, many of them Muslim, many of them wearing blue for peace. For five minutes, the 100 or so women stood still, remembering the atrocities of last week. This morning, images of the vigil have appeared on front pages and websites, and its a reminder of the power of an image. These are women in control of the way they are presented to the world  and how different it feels to instances where women are manipulated or misrepresented. Sign up Thank you for joining The Pool Love this? Sign up to receive our Today in 3 email, delivering the latest stories straight to your inbox every morning, plus all The Pool has to offer. 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Edinburgh, Scotland-based photographer and videographer Daren Frankish spends a lot of time travelling around the country shooting architectural, Festivals, lifestyle and action assignments for editorial and advertising clients. Daren is also European contributing editor and correspondent for the United States Press Agency USPA NEWS - Battle continues with Round 15 of the 2017 season from the Sepang International Circuit Toto Talks Malaysia Featured this Week: Handling the Heat in Malaysia Stat Attack: Malaysia and Beyond Toto Talks Malaysia - The result in Singapore came as a surprise for us all - and the danger of a result like that is to misjudge your own level of performance. USPA NEWS - The Mercedes-AMG Project ONE will celebrate its world premire at the International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt/Main: for the first time, the two-seater supersports show car brings the very latest and efficient, fully-fledged Formula 1 hybrid technology from the race track to the road almost par for par to represent the highlight of AMG's 50th anniversary. USPA NEWS - GCHQ marks the life and achievements of its first Head, Commander Alastair Denniston, by hosting the launch of a new book. Written by Joel Greenberg and published by Frontline, "Alastair Denniston: Code-Breaking from Room 40 to Berkeley Street and the Birth of GCHQ" charts the career of a man held in the highest esteem at GCHQ. USPA NEWS - Lewis to start the 200th race of his career from pole position Lewis claimed his 68th career pole position - equaling Michael Schumacher's all-time record Valtteri will start tomorrow's Belgian Grand Prix from P3 on the grid It is Lewis' seventh pole of the 2017 season and USPA NEWS - At this year's gathering of the most magnificent classic cars at Pebble Beach in California, Mercedes-Benz is once again set to present a highlight: the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 Cabriolet is a car which, with its sensual, emotionally appealing design and innovative technical concept solutions, defines the ultimate in luxury of the future. USPA NEWS - Silver Arrows end the last race before the summer break in P3 and P4 Valtteri came home in P3 today with Lewis finishing in P4 Lewis (188 points) remains P2 in the Drivers' Championship,14 points off Sebastian Vettel (202 points). USPA NEWS - MercedesBenz has announced a strategic repositioning of its motorsport activities: the company will conclude its participation in DTM at the end of 2018 and enter Formula E in the 2019/20 season. USPA NEWS - Lewis storms to his fifth British Grand Prix pole at Silverstone Lewis claimed his 67th career pole position - his fifth at the Silverstone Circuit and sixth of the 2017 season Lewis' fifth British Grand Prix pole equals the great Jim Clark' s long-time British GP pole USPA NEWS - Battle continues with Round 10 of the 2017 season from Silverstone Toto Talks Great Britain Featured this Week: 2017 Aero, Put to the Test Stat Attack: Great Britain and Beyond Toto Talks Great Britain The British Grand Prix is one of the highlights of any Formula One season. USPA NEWS - Toto Talks Austria - Every great Formula One season is marked by a great rivalry. Last year it was our internal battle between Lewis and Nico and this year it seems that the fight is on between Ferrari and Mercedes and Lewis and Sebastian. USPA NEWS - Lewis storms to Azerbaijan Grand Prix pole, as Valtteri completes a front-row lockout Lewis claimed his 66th career pole position to move into second on the all-time pole list It is Lewis' first pole in Baku, the fifth of the 2017 season, and his seventh in 10 USPA NEWS - 19 June 2017 - Prime Minister Theresa May gave a statement in Downing Street following the terror attack in Finsbury Park. This morning, our country woke to news of another terrorist attack on the streets of our capital city: the second this month and every bit as sickening as those which have come before. USPA NEWS - Lewis storms to Canadian Grand Prix pole to equal Ayrton Senna's career total. Lewis stormed to his 65th Formula 1 pole position to equal his hero Ayrton Senna's long-standing pole total. It is Lewis' sixth pole position at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve and his fourth of the 2017 season. USPA NEWS - On 19 June 1927, Rudolf Caracciola won the inaugural race for sports cars at the Nrburgring in a Mercedes-Benz Model S.This marked the beginning of one of the greatest success stories in motorsport. USPA NEWS - London terror attack: 4 June 2017. Prime Minister Theresa May gave a statement in Downing Street following the terrorist attack in London. Last night, our country fell victim to a brutal terrorist attack once again. USPA NEWS - Valtteri just falls short of the podium, as Lewis fights back to seventh. Valtteri came home in P4, behind Daniel Ricciardo, but ahead of Max Verstappen, after an intense battle with the Red Bulls in Monte Carlo. Lewis battled from P13 on the grid to claim seventh at the chequered flag. USPA NEWS - Valtteri scores P3 in Qualifying, as Lewis misses out on Q3. Valtteri will start tomorrow's Monaco Grand Prix from P3, after missing out on pole by 0.045s in a tight-fought Qualifying. Lewis completed a single run in Q1 and two runs in Q2 - like Valtteri, all on the UltraSoft. USPA NEWS - Battle continues with Round Six of the 2017 season from the Circuit de Monaco Toto Talks Monaco Featured this Week: Monaco - One of a Kind (Includes Driver Video) Stat Attack: Monaco and Beyond Toto Talks Monaco "It's always good to come away from a race weekend with a points advantage, no matter how small. USPA NEWS - United Kingdom Prime Minister statement following terrorist attack in Manchester: 23 May 2017. Prime Minister Theresa May gave a statement today from Downing Street following the terrorist attack in Manchester. I have just chaired a meeting of the government's emergency committee COBR, where we discussed the details of - and the response to - the appalling events in Manchester last night. USPA NEWS - Scuderia Ferrari edge the Silver Arrows in tense Sochi Qualifying shootout. Valtteri Bottas claimed P3 on the grid, with the top three cars covered by just 0.095s. Lewis Hamilton will start tomorrow's Russian Grand Prix from P4. Valtteri Bottas - I think we can see Ferrari were quicker today. USPA NEWS - 2017 Russian Grand Prix Preview - Battle royal continues with Round Four of the 2017 season from the Sochi Autodrom. The 5.848-kilometre (3.634 mi) circuit is the third-longest circuit on the Formula One calendar, behind Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium and Silverstone in the UK. USPA NEWS - The Key to the Cold War. At the end of World War II, the main Allied powers-the United States, France, United Kingdom, and the U.S.S.R ( Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) -divided Germany into two zones. USPA NEWS - Centimetres separate the top three in Shanghai pole position shootout. Lewis today claimed his 63rd career pole position - his sixth at the Shanghai International Circuit, second of the 2017 season and sixth in succession. Lewis Hamilton - It's been an interesting weekend so far, obviously, after missing running yesterday. USPA NEWS - Prime Minister's letter to Donald Tusk triggering Article 50. Prime Minister Theresa May has written to European Council President Donald Tusk to notify him of the UK's intention to leave the EU. Read the full text of the Prime Minister's letter below: On 23 June last year, the people of the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union. News USPA NEWS - Economy Secretary Keith Brown has today informed the Parliament's REC Committee the expected opening date will be achieved in a window between mid-July and the end of August, 2017, approximately 4 to 10 weeks later than predicted. on a six year construction programme. USPA NEWS - London Attack - Statement 22/03/2017 Prime Minister Theresa May gave a full statement from 10 Downing Street this evening following today's terrorist attack in Westminster. The Prime Minister Theresa May said: I have just chaired a meeting of the Government's emergency committee, COBRA, following the sick and depraved terrorist attack on the streets of our Capital this afternoon. USPA NEWS - The Enjoy MPV is a low cost budget eight seater people carrier with three model options (LS, LT, and the LTZ) built by Chevrolet, built for the Indian market. The car price starts from Rs. 6,30,000 ($9,600 USD) . USPA NEWS - Several EU countries have decided to raise money for organisations offering sexual health and family planning services after US President Donald Trump decided to reintroduce a rule banning US financing for NGOs providing or promoting abortion to women in developing countries. This policy is often referred to as the global gag rule. USPA NEWS - Mercedes-Benz Cars at the 2017 Geneva International Motor Show - A Big Stage for Sporty Elegance. As spring arrives, Mercedes-Benz is using the 87th Geneva Motor Show as a stage for an array of elegant and sporty new models. USPA NEWS - Ruth Davidson announces 'back to basics' review of Scottish curriculum in attack on SNP education record. Below is the full text of Ruth Davidson's keynote speech to the Scottish Conservative conference Knowing this: that if we want to lift children out of poverty, they have no greater aid than an education that provides them with the knowledge and facts empowering them to do so. USPA NEWS - Prime Minister Theresa May has called on her fellow Conservatives to continue "loudly and clearly" putting the case for the "precious Union" of the UK. During a speech to the Scottish Tory conference in Glasgow she said "we are four nations, but at heart one people". USPA NEWS - North Atlantic Treaty Organization ( NATO headquarters) Joint press point With NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the Vice President of the United States of America, Michael Pence. (As delivered) NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg - So good afternoon, Vice President Pence, welcome to NATO headquarters. USPA NEWS - Mercedes-AMG and Cigarette Racing teamed up again this year to continue to set new benchmarks and push the limits of performance by presenting the Cigarette Racing Team 50' Marauder AMG boat inspired by the breathtaking Mercedes-AMG GT R. Politics USPA NEWS - "Ceta is not only about commerce, imports and exports, about profits. It aims to improve people's lives," said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, while addressing MEPs in Strasbourg, one day after the the European Parliament approved the EU-Canada trade agreement. USPA NEWS - The Italian aerospace and defence company Alenia Aermacchi, working closely with its Eurofighter partners, has successfully conducted the first release of a Storm Shadow missile from a Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft as part of its missile integration programme. USPA NEWS - The Valletta summit on migration brought together European and African Heads of State and Government in an effort to strengthen cooperation and address the current challenges but also the opportunities of migration. Remarks by President Donald Tusk, Good afternoon. USPA NEWS - Albania needs to implement EU-related reforms credibly, and ensure that its June parliamentary elections are free and fair, if it is to start EU accession negotiations, said Foreign Affairs Committee MEPs today. USPA NEWS - Debate on migration, security, Russia, Brexit and investment in jobs - Political group leaders discussed how to relieve the humanitarian tragedy in Aleppo, sanctions against Russia and ways to boost European defence capacities ahead of the European Summit.
One with the caption getting stronger every day! showed Mrs Cochran wearing a hospital gown, standing with the aid of crutches and her leg in a protective frame. Another showed her on the phone with loved ones in the US, surrounded by family in her hospital bed. Talking with loved ones at home is some of the best medicine, Mr Payne said. He posted the photos to a GoFundMe page raising money for in the memory of Mr Cochran and for his wifes treatment and loss of income. Westminster attack: Vigils are held around the UK The fund has so far raised more than $75,000 (60,000) from well-wishers around the world. Mr Payne said his sister was so grateful and overwhelmed with your generosity and outpouring of love and thanked almost 2,000 donors for their kind words and support. Although the days since the attack had been "humbling and difficult" for the family, he said relatives took comfort from the idea that Mr Cochran focused on "the positive" things in life, adding: "Those of us who knew Kurt in life know that Kurt would not bear ill feelings towards anyone, and we can draw strength as a family from that. His whole life was an example of focusing on the positive, not pretending that negative things don't exist, but not living our life in the negative. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP He died of injuries sustained in Masoods car attack on Westminster Bridge, as did British mother Aysha Frade and pensioner Leslie Rhodes. The suspected Isis supporter then crashed into railings outside the Houses of Parliament, ran into an entrance and stabbed PC Keith Palmer to death, before being shot dead by armed police.
The 2017 Westminster terrorist attack in astrogeography The 2017 Westminster terrorist attack in astrogeography. Westminster Bridge and Palace of Westminster on the west bank of the Thames were the sites of the terrorist attack. For mophogenetic field level 3 Westminster Bridge leads from Leo on the Westminster Palace side of the river into Virgo. That means the attacker drove from Virgo into Leo. The astrogeographical latitude coordinate lies in Scorpio. During the attack the ascendant moved through the last degrees of Leo.ph: Daniel Bron, ccbysa3.0 On 22 March 2017, a terrorist attack occurred on Westminster Bridge, in Parliament Square and within the grounds of the Palace of Westminster, in central London. Five people died in the attack and at least 40 were injured. The attacker drove a vehicle into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge and a crowd of people near the palace gates, then fatally stabbed a police officer. The attacker was then shot by other officers. Five peoplethree pedestrians on the bridge, the stabbed police officer and the assailantwere confirmed dead. Find more more details and sources in the wiki article. Astrogeographic position for morphogenetic field level 1 which shows the supraregional and international qualities of London: The british capital and historical center of the Commonwealth London is located at 24 of aristocratic, courtly air sign Libra and 27 of conservative, hierarchical earth sign Capricorn. In fact I feel really too disgusted to try and mistify the newest attack through much astrogeographical explanation. It`s needless to discuss the motives of such attackers in detail or even relate the whole thing to the energetical situation in the morphogenetic field of London. I have discussed before what I believe needs to be understood about the roots and reality of islamic terrorism  which I believe was created as an alibi shield for the hypercapitalist players behnd the global political situation organized by the only military superpower and its saudi allies. Yes the moon at 24Capricorn at the very moment of the attack was in exact square to London`s 24 Libra positionindicating questioning and criticism. But the Moon was conjunct Pluto indicating the urge for revenge and castration of imagined opponents a surrealist an propagandistic aspect. The fact that Saturn was in house 5 and in Sagittarius the sign of the priest castes, playgrounds, shooting, aiming and preaching explains the attitude of habitual exicutionism of the contract killers, hired to keep the image and reflexes of that psycho war alive with the propaganda preacher sitting on their backs to keep the attackers crown chakras closed and keep their businesses running. Astrological event chart for the Westminster attack on 22 March 2017, 14:40 in London The astrological chart for yesterday`s terrorist attack has the last degrees of self-centered, royal fire sign Leo the indicator for the urge for self-esteem and the reflex for projection of individual profile-neurosis rising. The sun as the ruler of Leo was on the second degree of fire sign Aries sign of personal strength, action and warfare and in house 8 the house of other peoples property  indicating as a central personal motive for the attack  the urge to qualifiy in social hierarchy by dominating others. Mars the ruler of Aries near midheaven in Taurus the sign of conquering and possessing territory further outlines the same motive. And Mars in Taurus also points out that the attack was carried out for the money paid attacks from the Saudi-Arabian/US backed financiers of the alibi terrorism they created for keeping modern politics in the grip of their hypercapitalist system.
Westminster vigil: Many gather to pay tribute one week after terror attack Mar 30, 2017 11:26 IST / A Muslim man holds a flower as he stands in line with others on Westminster Bridge during an event to mark one week since a man drove his car into pedestrians then stabbed a police officer in London, Britain. (Stefan Wermuth/REUTERS) / People embrace after laying flowers during an event. Hundreds of people gathered at Westminster Bridge and outside the Houses of Parliament for a silent vigil to commemorate the four people who were murdered in last weeks terror attack. (Hannah McKay/Reuters) / People hold posters on Westminster as they gather to mark one week since a man drove his car into pedestrians then stabbed a police officer. Precisely a week before Khalid Masood drove into crowds on the bridge before stabbing a police officer at the nearby Palace of Westminster (Stefan Wermuth/reuters) / Among them were dozens of young Muslims from the Ahmadiyya community, several holding banners that read: Love for all, hatred for none.They stood alongside senior police officers, Muslim and Jewish faith leaders, schoolchildren, tourists, workers from nearby offices and passersby, who had begun gathering hours earlier to pay their respects. (Oli Scarff/AFP) / Police officers carry flowers during the event. The police presence was highly visible on the bridge, with police vans and mounted officers securing the ends of the bridge, and others in uniform mingling with the crowd, along with a number of heavily armed officers carrying semi-automatic weapons. (Hannah McKay/REUTERS) / Police officers and members of faith groups lay flowers during a vigil on Westminster Bridge. (Oli Scarff/AFP) / Police officers, members of the public and faith groups take part in a vigil. (Oli Scraff/AFP) / A police officer and British Muslims (blue T-shirt) take part in a vigil on Westminster Bridge. A 30-year-old man remains in custody and a 32-year-old woman has been bailed, having been arrested on suspicion of the same offence. (Oli Scraff/AFP) / People pay their respects during the event. The other nine have been released. Officers have carried out searches at 17 addresses across England and Wales. (Hannah McKay/REUTERS) / Muslim children seen holding posters during the vigil. The mourners also observed a minutes silence at the very moment on March 22 when Khalid Masood ploughed his car into a crowd in a rampage that killed three people on Westminster Bridge in the shadow of Big Ben. (Oli Scraff/AFP) / Organizers said the event would show that people would not be divided by the attack, with many holding hands in a show of unity. (Stefan Wermuth/REUTERS) / Police officers are reflected in a window as they hold a minute's silence outside New Scotland Yard to mark one week since a man drove his car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge then stabbed a police officer in London, Britain. (Peter Nicholls/REUTERS) / Some people dropped flowers into the River Thames, while others wore T-shirts reading: I AM A MUSLIM. ASK ME ANYTHING. (Stefan Wermuth/REUTERS) / Britains Prince William also paid tribute to dead policeman Keith Palmer by laying a wreath at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, in the West Midlands, one of several events held around the country to remember the victims of the attack. (Hannah McKay/REUTERS) / A muslim man holds a flower and a message on a placard as he stands in line with others on Westminster Bridge. (Stefan Wermuth/REUTERS) / Earlier, an inquest was opened into the death of those killed at Westminster Coroners Court. (Stefan Wermuth/REUTERS)
Last month, French police thwarted an attempted terrorist attack at Paris Notre Dame Cathedral. Luckily, the cell of radicalized French women who were taking orders from Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) commanders in Syria did not get away with it, but it seems that more often than not, they do. How is this possible? On July 14, when the people of France were celebrating the anniversary of the liberation of the Bastille prison by secular Republican revolutionaries in 1789, an apparent lone-wolf terrorist drove a truck into a holiday crowd in Nice. Eighty-four people were killed and more than 300 were wounded, some of whom may be disabled for life. Media coverage of the incident followed a now-familiar pattern. At first, it was reported that Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, a Tunisian citizen living in France, had carried out the attack on his own. Initial investigations suggested that he was not religious or interested in Islam, ate pork, drank alcohol, was sexually active and perhaps had mental problems. And, of course, the Internet was filled with claims by ISIL that it had masterminded the attack. VALERY HACHE / AFP / Getty Images French authorities soon discovered that Bouhlel had been planning this for a long time, that he had been visiting jihadist websites and that he had at least seven accomplices  five fellow Tunisians and two Albanian Muslims  who were all well armed. Hours after the massacre, one of his accomplices visited the site to film the reaction of people in and around it. What is worse, is that the evidence strongly suggests that they were planning a second bomb attack a few weeks later, during the height of the French holiday season in August. As there is no death penalty in France, when and if these people are convicted, they will enter a prison system where 70 per cent of the prisoners are Muslims, many of whom have been radicalized behind bars. Other prisoners will treat them like heroes. They will be well protected, even privileged. Europe is now a hotbed of terrorist attacks by Muslims. In Belgium, on March 22, two suicide bombings took place, at the Brussels airport and the Maalbeek metro station. The terrorists died with their victims. Thirty-two people were killed and more than 300 were wounded. Security officials searched the airport after the explosion and found another bomb. Again, we can assume that many of those who survived will be disabled for life. And yes, ISIL took automatic credit for the attack. How is it that in Europe, one of the most advanced and well-organized societies on the face of the Earth, Muslim terrorists seem to just come out of the woodwork  fully armed with trucks filled with explosives, assault rifles and bombs  and wreak havoc on civilian society? How is this possible, given the sophistication, wealth and training that are the pride of the French and other European police forces, as well as their intelligence and security agencies? The clue to the answer to these questions begins in Molenbeek in Brussels, the capital city of the European Union and the NATO alliance. Molenbeek is what terrorism and security experts call a no-go zone. In Europe, no-go zones are what North Americans would call ghettos. But French and Belgium no-go zones have a distinct profile. They are usually ethnic enclaves in otherwise prosperous cities, like Paris and Brussels. They are almost exclusively populated by Muslims. In France, these are largely Muslims from North Africa and former French West Africa. Some are French citizens and some are illegal residents. These no-go zones are areas of high unemployment, especially high youth unemployment. Anthropologists and sociologists who study these phenomena point out that inevitably these conditions result in the creation of violent gangs. So, although a significant number of usually middle-aged men and women commute outside their no-go zones to work in the wider society, they come home to these lawless suburbs. Well, not quite lawless, given that a new set of laws is replacing those of secular France or Belgium in many of these areas. I-TELE via Associated Press Television / APAP Gangs dominate these suburbs and make their living by selling drugs. As the young gang members are looking for authority and endorsement, they have turned to the radical Islamic preachers who come from countries like Algeria, and who are members of radical Islamic movements in countries such as Morocco and Iran. The Saudis and the Iranians often bankroll these preachers and the radical imams who live in these ghettos. Those imams who cannot get financial support from foreign benefactors often collect welfare from the French state and still preach jihad in the ghetto. Mosques become hotbeds of radical activity. They are also ideal places to store and transfer weapons and explosives, to be used in the growing number of terrorist attacks taking place across western Europe. At the same time, in these no-go zones there is a push for the implementation of Sharia law and Sharia courts. Let us remember that Sharia law condones polygamy and recommends amputation for theft and the death penalty for any apostate who leaves Islam. Non-Muslim wives, and sometimes husbands, of these children of the ghetto are often forced, or pressured, to convert to Islam. As this dynamic reaches its extreme, non-Muslim owners of apartments and residents of these areas are forced out, often under threat of violence, or after having been attacked. Once radical Muslims have gained control over these no-go zones, the general non-Muslim population does not enter them, out of fear of being attacked. And soon after, the police and the fire departments fear to enter them, as well, and stop patrolling them altogether. Given the fact that the radical Muslim preachers of these ghettos are fundamentally anti-Semitic in their preaching, Jews in countries like France and Belgium, whose parents may have survived the Nazi occupation, are even more frightened of entering these no-go zones than other citizens. Not surprisingly, their synagogues in nearby suburbs are regularly attacked and vandalized. The state can neither protect Jewish citizens and their property, nor exert its authority in the no-go zones. Despite the fact that both the liberal American press and numerous think-tanks and research institutes in France, Belgium and Britain have done studies and written articles about this growing phenomenon, there are still elite politicians like the mayor of Paris who deny that there is any such thing as a no-go zone in the French republic. In August 2014, the French magazine Contemporary Values suggested that France had more than 750 areas of lawlessness, a.k.a. no-go zones. In a 2011 study, comprising 2,200 pages, Giles Kepel, a political scientist and specialist on Islam at the Institut Montaigne, and his colleagues conclude that these no-go zones are now becoming separate Islamic societies. In these areas, Sharia is replacing French civil law and the residents are rallying under the banner of radical Islam and violent jihad, against their fellow French citizens. No doubt a similar dynamic has been taking place in the South Asian Muslim enclaves in Britain, as well as in the Turkish and Balkan Muslim enclaves in Germany. Not all recent immigrants to Europe behave this way, however. The British Sikhs who moved there in large numbers after the Second World War have, as a group, one of the highest living standards in the country. Many of the Argentinians who entered western Europe during the period of the junta have also mixed effortlessly with their host societies, as have thousands of Poles. The answer to how these terrorists are able to appear all of a sudden, as if out of nowhere, and strike at the heart of Western civilization should now be clear. The reason apparently lone assassins suddenly materialize in prosperous European cities and are able to kill scores of people and wound hundreds is that they have a state within a state that gives them refuge, the no-go zone. There they do not need a passport. There they can store arms. There they can prepare their attack plans. From there they can quickly go out and wreak havoc. If they get lucky, their co-conspirators can disappear back into the no-go zones, knowing they will be seen as heroes by their neighbours, their religious leaders and the growing number of alienated, drug-dealing youth gangs. Before the French, Belgian, German and British governments  including their police, courts, schools and housing authorities  offer resident Muslims in Europe the blessings of a secular society, they will have to take back the ghettos. They will have to disarm the militants, deport scores of preachers, pacify the gangs, cut off the drug supply and cut off funding from Saudi Arabia and Iran. And they will have to persuade key players in the ghetto to stand up to their violent neighbours and instead support the peaceful aims of the state. However, if the European ruling elites and the mainstream media have stopped believing in the libert, galit, fraternit (liberty, equality, fraternity) that was proclaimed on that fateful day of July 14, 1789, then the future of France and much of western Europe will be one of a growing series of terrorist nightmares. They will have lost the war against the jihadists, the authority of the state will wither, and the French and other European majorities will be treated like a conquered people in their own lands. The same fate awaits the British, if they do not soon take preventative action.
London attacks: 'We are not afraid', PM says British Prime Minister Theresa May has told MPs at their first meeting since the London terror attacks that democracy "will always prevail". Photo: AFP "We are not afraid and our resolve will never waiver in the face of terrorism," she said. In the attack on Wednesday UK time, a man drove a car into people on Westminster Bridge, injuring dozens of pedestrians, before reaching the Houses of Parliament. There, the man got out and stabbed police officer Keith Palmer and was shot. Both Mr Palmer and the attacker died at the scene. At least 40 others were injured - seven of whom were in a critical condition. The victims included 12 Britons, three French children, two Romanians, four South Koreans, two Greeks, and one person each from Germany, Poland, Ireland, China, Italy and the United States. Aysha Frade, a college worker, died after being struck on Westminster Bridge. Three police officers were also hurt, two of them seriously. After the attacks, Mrs May said Parliament would meet as normal the next day to show it would not disrupt British democracy or normal life in the capital. Foreign Office Minister Tobias Ellwood, who gave first aid to killed policeman Keith Palmer, was in the House of Commons to hear Mrs May. "We meet here ... because we know that democracy, and the values it entails, will always prevail," Mrs May said. "A terrorist came ... and he took out his rage indiscriminately against innocent men, women and children. "This was an attack on free people everywhere." Mrs May thanked allies around the world who stood with Britain. The Pope has also offered his sympathy. Attacker known to MI5 Earlier, Ms May said the attacker was previously known to MI5. Mrs May said the man "acted alone" and there was no reason to believe there would be imminent further attacks. The attacker was British born and was investigated by MI5 "some years ago", she said. Mrs May said he was not part of the current intelligence picture. The prime minister said the UK's threat level was set at severe and would not change after the attacks. She paid tribute to Mr Palmer, who was stabbed to death in the attack, saying he "was every inch a hero". Eight arrested in raids British police earlier made eight arrests after six searches, in Birmingham and other parts of the country. Acting Deputy Commissioner and Head of Counter Terrorism Mark Rowley speaks to media after arrests relating to the attack were made. Photo: AFP Acting Deputy Commissioner and Head of Counter Terrorism Mark Rowley told media hundreds of detectives had worked through the night, carrying out searches at six addresses. "It is still our belief ... that this attacker acted alone and was inspired by international terrorism. At this stage we have no specific information about further threats to the public," he said. Mr Rowley corrected earlier statements that three civilians had died, saying the two killed, other than the assailant and the officer, were of mixed nationalities and were a woman in her 40s and a man in his 50s. He said 29 people were still being treated in hospital, seven of whom were in a critical condition. Police believe they know the identity of the attacker, but have not yet named him.
Terrorist Attack At The British Parliament In London's Palace Of Westminster Leaves 5 Dead And 40 Injured (Videos) March 23. 2017 A terrorist attack occurred on March 22, 2017 at approximately 2:30PM GMT in London, England at the Palace of Westminster (the location of landmark Big Ben), where the British Parliament meets, serving as the nation's legislature. An Islamic terrorist drove along Westminster Bridge, mowing down innocent people. Two victims died on the bridge from being run over by the terrorist. Due to the force of the impact, an innocent lady was hurled into the Thames River sustaining serious injuries. Emergency services were able to pull her out of the river alive. ITV News is reporting, "A group of French schoolchildren were among those targeted on the bridge." The terrorist crashed the SUV into a gate and proceeded to run into the Palace of Westminster, where he fatally stabbed 48-year-old police officer and married father of three, Keith Palmer, with a large knife. Police then shot and killed the terrorist. It was initially reported there were two terrorists, one who mowed down pedestrians and another who ran into Westminster, killing PC Palmer. However, police have stated they are not certain there was a second attacker. This incident is reminiscent of the terror attack in Nice, France, where innocent people, including small children, were cruelly run over by a terrorist driving a large truck. It has become a method used by Islamic terrorists to harm and kill people they brand "infidels" "kuffar" and "non-believers" (80 People Dead And 100 Injured In ISIS Terrorist Attack In Nice, France). Emergency services giving medical assistance to murderous terrorist, who later succumb to his fatal injuries ITV News is reporting "Palace of Westminster security under scrutiny after attack. The Palace of Westminster is not as secure as it could be. It is a set of working buildings where MPs, Lords, their staffs and journalists come and go constantly. It will be a matter of concern that today's attacker was able to get inside the security cordon. But he did not get far inside. Arguably this meant the security succeeded. But only just." "The terrorist mindset sees the destruction of landmarks as an achievement. They see it as symbols of nations. While this behavior is unquestionably wrong and sometimes creates loss of life, law enforcement must be vigilant in protecting landmarks. Terrorism makes no sense to the average person. Nonetheless, it has become a reality in our world and one that must be tackled head on and defeated wherever it exists. Landmarks such as Big Ben and the Eiffel Tower, among others, must be protected due to their beauty and historic significance." Once again, he government needs to increase security around the Palace of Westminster, among other places. After the September 11th terrorist attack, it became evident terrorists are attacking popular landmarks in the West (the US government needs to protect the Statue of Liberty as well). A news photo illustration of crime scenes in terrorist attack In 2012 I loved walking from Charing Cross to the Victoria station in London, England for exercise. I always felt safe. I always found the view and sound of Big Ben very reassuring and comforting. The view at night of Westminster flanked by the Thames is also romantic. For a terrorist to disturb the epicness and historic nature of that space is truly horrible. Governments needs to drop political correctness and look at the situation for what it is, as there is no logic, rationale or humanity to terrorists' behavior. You are facing an ideology that states as one of its main doctrines that they must murder westerners. Security needs to be increased at places such as Westminster, even employing police/military snipers on roof tops, with a clear vantage point of events transpiring on the ground. STORY SOURCE Palace of Westminster security under scrutiny after attack 22 March 2017 at 6:39pm - The Palace of Westminster is not as secure as it could be. It is a set of working buildings where MPs, Lords, their staffs and journalists come and go constantly. It will be a matter of concern that today's attacker was able to get inside the security cordon. But he did not get far inside. Arguably this meant the security succeeded. But only just. The gate where today's attacker appears to have gained access is often open for ministerial cars to come and go. The attacker's car crashed into the railings outside the Palace of Westminster. There are further layers of security in and around the Palace meaning that even inside the estate, you can't move about freely, but where the attacker got to was more or less the final layer of defence... Westminster terror attack: Five dead as pedestrians mowed down and police officer stabbed Five people have died and more than 40 have been injured after a knifeman brought terror to the heart of Westminster before being shot by armed officers on Wednesday. Here is what we know so far: The attacker, armed with two large knives, mowed down pedestrians with his car on Westminster Bridge He then rushed at the gates in front of the Houses of Parliament, fatally stabbing a police officer The knifeman was shot dead moments later by another officer The officer killed has been named as 48-year-old husband and father Keith Palmer Two people are thought to have died in the incident on the bridge A group of French schoolchildren were among those targeted on the bridge A woman ended up in the Thames and was treated for serious injuries after being pulled from the water Prime Minister Theresa May praised the bravery of police officers and said any attempt to defeat the values Parliament stands for was "doomed to failure"
Westminster killer's family apologize to victims of London attack The wife of the man who killed four people in an attack on the U.K. Parliament last week said Tuesday that she was shocked and saddened by the actions of Khalid Masood, expressing her condolences for the victims and their families. In a statement issued through the police, Masoods wife, Rohey Hydara, said: I am saddened and shocked by what Khalid has done. I totally condemn his actions. I express my condolences to the families of the victims that have died, and wish a speedy recovery to all the injured. I would like to request privacy for our family, especially the children, at this difficult time. Hydara is thought to have lived with Masood since 2010. She was among those arrested in the wake of the attack but has since been released and completely cleared of any involvement in it. The Telegraph reported on Sunday that Masood, killed by police in the attack, had lied to Hydara, telling her he was traveling to Saudi Arabia before carrying out the attack. Masood, born Adrian Elms and also known as Adrian Ajao, took just 82 seconds to kill four people in the attack last week. He drove across Westminster Bridge in a hired car, knocking down and injuring 50 people before driving the car into the fence surrounding the Houses of Parliament. He then fatally stabbed a policeman before being shot dead by another officer. Hydaras comments follow those of Masoods mother, Janet Ajao, who said Monday she was deeply shocked, saddened, and numbed by the actions my son has taken that have killed and injured innocent people in Westminster. She added that she had shed many tears for the victims, and said she did not condone his actions or support the beliefs he held that led to him committing this atrocity. The wife of the man who killed four people in an attack on the U.K. Parliament last week said Tuesday that she was shocked and saddened by the actions of Khalid Masood, expressing her condolences for the victims and their families. In a statement issued through the police, Masoods wife, Rohey Hydara, said: I am saddened and shocked by what Khalid has done. I totally condemn his actions. I express my condolences to the families of the victims that have died, and wish a speedy recovery to all the injured. I would like to request privacy for our family, especially the children, at this difficult time. Hydara is thought to have lived with Masood since 2010. She was among those arrested in the wake of the attack but has since been released and completely cleared of any involvement in it. The Telegraph reported on Sunday that Masood, killed by police in the attack, had lied to Hydara, telling her he was traveling to Saudi Arabia before carrying out the attack. Masood, born Adrian Elms and also known as Adrian Ajao, took just 82 seconds to kill four people in the attack last week. He drove across Westminster Bridge in a hired car, knocking down and injuring 50 people before driving the car into the fence surrounding the Houses of Parliament. He then fatally stabbed a policeman before being shot dead by another officer. Hydaras comments follow those of Masoods mother, Janet Ajao, who said Monday she was deeply shocked, saddened, and numbed by the actions my son has taken that have killed and injured innocent people in Westminster. She added that she had shed many tears for the victims, and said she did not condone his actions or support the beliefs he held that led to him committing this atrocity. The so-called Islamic State initially claimed credit for the attack, but Scotland Yard Monday ruled out any direct link between Masoods actions and the terrorist group. The deputy assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Neil Basu, who is also the senior national coordinator for U.K. counterterrorism policing, said that there was no evidence Masood had discussed the planning of his attack with anyone else. Basu added that the main line of inquiry now was the messages the attacker sent just prior to carrying out the atrocity. According to reports, Masood was active on WhatsApp just before he drove onto Westminster Bridge, and on Sunday U.K. Home Secretary Amber Rudd called on Facebook  which owns WhatsApp  to stop giving terrorists a secret space to communicate.
This includes a former counter-terrorism detective  a lead investigator in the 7 July 2005 London bombings  who said "we could have done more" to prevent the attack happening in the first place. Khalid Masood, the 52-year-old Muslim convert who police say was behind the carnage outside Parliament this week, was able to drive uninterrupted along Westminster Bridge, mowing down dozens of pedestrians. Crashing his 4X4 Hyundai into some railings, he then ran through the entrance gates of the Palace of Westminster, stabbing a policeman to death before being fatally shot. On Thursday, the government announced a review of Parliament's security arrangements, which included looking into whether police officers protecting politicians are sufficiently armed. But David Videcette, an ex-Scotland Yard detective who now works as a security consultant, suggested the review should also look into what he said were serious security weak spots on Westminster Bridge. "We haven't really looked at what is the possibility of somebody getting a large vehicle like this  a 4X4  onto a pavement somewhere that's particularly sensitive around parliament," he told IBTimes UK. "And when you look at Westminster Bridge, we don't have things like street furniture on it  lamp posts, benches, bollards, bins  all of those sorts of things that we see on the average street. Westminster Bridge doesn't have any of that. "The [street] lights are on posts which are away from the pavement, so if you can get a vehicle onto the pathway [you have] a completely unobstructed run of several hundred metres." He added: "Parliament is a sensitive area and I think we could have done more to address [that] and put some preventative measures in place, like some bollards along the side of the road to stop vehicles getting on pavements." His comments were echoed by crossbench peer Lord Carlile, the government's former independent reviewer of terrorism legislation between 2001 and 2011, who raised specific concerns over the bridge's cycle lane. He said while Wednesday's attack was the "most difficult kind of attack to anticipate", he hoped the announced security review would be wide-ranging enough to include changes to traffic arrangements outside Westminster. "One of the things that concerns me is the way in which the recently introduced road changes were planned for the very wide cycle lane that exists as you come off Westminster Bridge going north," he told IBTimes UK. "[It] was used by the perpetrator to drive along and onto the pavement at high speed, so it would seem. "I don't believe that that would have been possible if that very wide cycle lane had not been there. We may have to look at the safety arrangements on these cycle lanes to prevent large vehicles from using them. Or any vehicles from using them." Forensic officers work on Westminster Bridge one day after the attack, in LondonCarl Court/Getty Images Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon, whose close protection officer reportedly shot dead Masood, said the security review would look into whether police at the front gates should be permanently armed. Masood had been able to access the Palace of Westminster by breaching the Carriage Gates, which are at times left open to cater for delivery vans. He then stabbed to death unarmed PC Keith Palmer. It emerged the same gates had been highlighted as a weak point in a previous security review carried out after the July 7 bombings in 2005. The review concluded that while the volume of van deliveries through the gates made the entrance vulnerable, options to mitigate the risk were rejected as too cumbersome, The Times reported. A parliamentary spokesperson said the security of MPs, staff and the visiting public is "our highest priority" and for parliament to fulfil its democratic function, it is "crucial" that it remains open and accessible to the public. "While we cannot comment on the specifics of our security, we work closely with the police, security services and others to ensure that our security measures are effective and meet whatever level of security risk Parliament faces," the spokesperson added. "These measures are always, and will continue to be, under constant review. As is good practice following any significant incident, the houses in conjunction with the police and other bodies will also be carrying out a review of security around this specific incident. As this is the subject on an ongoing investigation, we cannot comment further at this time."
I had to protect my son, says mum at Westminster during terror attack I had to protect my son, says mum at Westminster during terror attack MUM Ceri Cryer's first instinct was to shield her young son with her body when a man burst into the canteen at Westminster shouting to warn of the terror attack on Wednesday. Her son Bede, eight, had accompanied his cheesemaker mum with his dad and grandparents to the awards ceremony for the Countryside Alliances Rural Oscars and they had just sat down to lunch with North Wiltshire MP James Gray when there was a commotion on Wednesday afternoon. They now know that they were at the centre of a terrorist attack unfolding on Westminster Bridge and the gates of Westminster Palace. Ceri, of Brinkworth, said: There was lots and lots of shouting and a policeman came in and shouted: Move, move, move! Instantly the atmosphere changed. I pushed Bede under the bench and got on top of him, she said from her dairy. They had no idea who the man was until her husband Chad demanded ID and was told in no uncertain terms that he was a police officer. We were moved to the centre of the building away from the windows," she said. At first it was scary. It was confusing. Announcements were made but it wasnt possible to hear what was being said. After they were safe she felt her first priority was to reassure Bede. He is a sensitive soul and he was anxious, she said. But as the hours passed boredom and hunger became the challenge. Ceri had left her mobile in the canteen and although Chad could send and receive texts, he couldnt get on to the internet to find out what was happening outside. They relied on messages from friends who were monitoring the news at home and relaying it in text message form to them. Staff passed round water and crackers and a member of the Lords even shared his packet of Jelly Babies with the assembled crowd. The Apprentice star Baroness Karren Brady offered her mobile phone for Bede to play on to help combat the boredom. Lord Mandelson sat on the steps just below us, said Ceri. All of the politicians were there. It was comforting that we were all together. After five hours everyone was released but as they left the palace the eerie silence of the street struck them. But Ceri said they were thankful that they had been kept out of harms way and their thoughts were with the injured and bereaved. It is the families of those people that have really suffered. It is awful. I dont know what motivates someone to do that. The terrorist behind the attack has been named by The Metropolitan Police as Khalid Masood. Three people were killed when the knife-wielding attacker ploughed a car through pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, before storming the Parliamentary estate. He was shot dead. Among his victims were PC Keith Palmer who was on duty within the grounds of the palace, DLD College London worker Aysha Frade and holidaymaker Kurt Cochran who was visiting the capital from the US. A 75-year-old man died in hospital yesterday as result of the injuries he suffered in the attack. Around 40 people from 11 different countries were injured in the attack, 29 of whom needed hospital treatment, while seven remain in a critical condition. It is believed that a Faringdon man was one of the pedestrians hit by the car on Westminster Bridge in yesterdays terror attack. The man, thought to be a driver for Bookers in Elgin Drive, is believed to be in an induced coma in hospital in London. The extent of his injuries is not yet known and Bookers refused to comment. Members of Londons Muslim community have created a LaunchGood page to fundraise for the victims of the terror attack in Westminster, raising over 18,000 with further funds coming in. The project, Muslims Unite for London, was set-up by Muddassar Ahmed who was in Parliament when the attack happened Muddassar launched Muslims Unite for London with Akeela Ahmed, Hassan Hoque, Mohammed Marikar and two British Muslim MPs, Naz Shah and Yasmin Qureshi. A statement by the organisers says: "The British Muslim community stands with all Britons and Londoners during these difficult times and extends their support in raising funds to help with the immediate, short-term needs of the families of Keith Palmer, the other victims and the families of the victims. "While no amount of money will bring back lives lost or take away from the pain the victims and their families are going through, we hope to lessen their burden in some way. "Though this is a Muslim-led campaign, we welcome contributions from our friends from other faiths and none. Ipsoregulated This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's Editors' Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then please contact the editor here. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can contact IPSO here
KEITH Palmers family have paid tribute to a wonderful dad and husband as police name his killer as Khalid Masood. PC Keith Palmer was stabbed to death in the Westminster terror attack. The 48-year-old father and husband has been praised as a strong, professional public servant" who served in the military before joining the Met Police's parliamentary and diplomatic protection command. His family have released a statement saying they are devastated and shocked. PC Palmers family said: "Keith will be remembered as a wonderful dad and husband. A loving son, brother and uncle. A long-time supporter of Charlton FC. Related articles "Dedicated to his job and proud to be a police officer, brave and courageous. "A friend to everyone who knew him. "He will be deeply missed. We love him so much. "His friends and family are shocked and devastated by his loss and ask that they are left to grieve alone in peace." PA/EPA/TWITTER MPs have been leaving tributes to PC Keith Palmer, who was killed in Wednesday's attack PC Palmer joined the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command in April 2016 and before that was in the Territorial Support Group (TSG), based at Catford but patrolling and working across London. Prior to the TSG, he was based on Bromley borough between 2002 and 2009. He joined the Met in November 2001, was married with a five-year-old daughter. The family tribute come as politicians have offered heartfelt tributes to the victims of the horrific terror attack in London on Wednesday, including PC Keith Palmer who was stabbed to death defending Westminster. TWITTER Foreign Minister Boris Johnson's reaction to Wednesday's events TWITTER Jeremy Corbyn's statement following the attack TWITTER Great Yarmouth MP Brandon Lewis tweeted his condolences The Houses of Parliament were on lockdown for hours as authorities dealt with the incident, which has left at least five people dead and around 40 injured. MPs have praised the efforts of Met Police officer Keith Palmer, who confronted the attacker after he tried to storm Parliament but was tragically killed in the incident. Leading the tributes was James Cleverly, the Conservative MP for Braintree who served alongside Mr Palmer in the British Armed Forces. He tweeted: Huge thank you to the security staff in Parliament, @metpoliceuk @LondonFire & @Ldn_Ambulance for their great work today. TWITTER Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage said he was 'not surprised' by the attack TWITTER Former PM David Cameron's tribute Ive known Keith for 25 years. We served together in the Royal Artillery before he became a copper. A lovely man, a friend. I'm heartbroken. My thoughts are with the family, friends and colleagues of PC Keith Palmer. A brave man. Nigel Huddleston, the Tory MP for Mid Worcestershire, wrote: I & all MPs will be forever grateful to PC Keith Palmer who gave his life to protect us today. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family. London Mayor Sadiq Khan tweeted a brief statement, in which he praised the courageous police officer and said the people of London are grateful to him The statement read: Tonight we have learned that the courageous police officer who was killed while protecting our city was PC Keith Palmer. He was 48 and a husband and father. Keith Palmer was killed while bravely doing his duty - protecting our city and the heart of our democracy from those who want to destroy our way of life. My heart goes out to his family, friends and colleagues. He personifies the brave men and women of our police and emergency services who work around the clock to keep us safe - tonight all Londoners are grateful to them. Other notable political figures also offered tributes to the victims of Wednesdays attack, thanking him for his service to his country. TWITTER Tory MP Helen Whately braded the attack 'disgusting' TWITTER Lib Dem leader Tim Farron applauded the police for their efforts Former Labour leader Ed Miliband wrote: We all mourn for PC Keith Palmer and send the deepest condolences to his family. He died protecting all of us at Westminster. Tory MP David Lidington, Lord President of the Council & Leader of House of Commons, added: Entire House of Commons united in thanks to our police & security staff today and heartfelt sympathy for those who were injured or bereaved. Scotland Yard Police named the attacker as Khalid Masood, 52, was born in Kent and was most recently living in the West Midlands. Metropolitan Police said in a statement: Masood was not the subject of any current investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack. "However, he was known to police and has a range of previous convictions for assaults, including GBH (grievous bodily harm), possession of offensive weapons and public order offences."
BREAKING:Four people are confirmed to have died in a car and knife attack on Westminster in central London, including a police officer who was protecting Parliament and the suspected assailant, who was shot dead by armed police. The attacker, dressed in black and armed with two large knives, drove a car over Westminster Bridge, ramming into members of the public before crashing his car into the rails outside the Houses of Parliament. Police said the attacker, who is believed to have acted alone, then entered the gates of New Palace Yard and repeatedly stabbed a male police officer. He was shot by the officer's colleagues. Two people were killed when the attacker's car mounted the bridge's pavement. Twenty others were injured in all, including two people who were standing by the railings where the attacker's black Hyundai came to a stop. Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner Mark Rowley said the attack had been declared a terrorist incident, and Theresa May is due to chair a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee later today. Mr Rowley said a major counter-terror operation was underway, though police currently believe there is only one attacker. "Looking forward, people of London will see extra police officers on our streets, and we could call on the support of military," he said. The attack began at around 2.40pm and proceedings in the House of Commons were immediately suspended. Deputy speaker David Lidington announced to the House that a police officer had been stabbed and the "alleged assailant shot by armed police". Security sources have described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who attacked the officer on foot with a seven-to-eight inch knife. Images have emerged of a man dressed in black, believed to be the suspect, being treated on a stretcher within Parliament grounds. A knife could be seen lying on the ground nearby. Thanks for visiting DTB, We hope to see you again!
Yesterday following the horrific terror attack in London, which left 5 dead including an American tourist and 20 injured, British journalist Tommy Robinson unloaded on other reporters at the scene of the attack in front of the Parliament Building. Tommy Robinson, a former English Defense League leader, ripped into liberal politicians who have opened the doors to Islamic terror attacks in the UK. During an interview with Rebel Media, Robinson criticized the political leaders of Britain and their choice to allow open borders in which millions of largely unvetted migrants take advantage of. The reporter asks Robinson why he is so quick to label the event a terrorist attack. He responds by saying, Because my head is not up my a**. Robinson then goes on to cite a report that claims over 50,000 British Muslims downloaded Al Qaedas terrorist publication called Inspire, which includes radicalizing messages and even detailed guides on how to carry out terror attacks on the West. I have information that shows there was four terrorist attacks last week in France, shot back Robinson. There was 12 planned last year. Driving your car like this man has done is exactly what the Inspire magazine, which is Al Qaedas magazine, which was downloaded by 50,000 British Muslims last year 50,000 British Muslims downloaded a terrorist manual. There was 12 planned last year. Driving your car like this man has done is exactly what the Inspire magazine, which is Al Qaedas magazine, which was downloaded by 50,000 British Muslims last year 50,000 British Muslims downloaded a terrorist manual in our country. Not 10, not 20. 50,000 people who want to see exactly what you see there  thats what they want. Robinson said, The reality is this is a war. These people have been waging war on us for 1400 years, this is nothing new. The whole time this goes on, the political leaders want to invite more, they want to invite more! The reference Robinson made to the 50,000 downloads (actually its closer to 55,000 according to the article) of Al Qaedas terrorist magazine by British citizens appears to come from a report published by The Sun, a UK News outlet, on January 18th, 2015. This report was picked up by another UK news outlet, The International Business Times, and in actuality the timeframe for these 50,000 downloads was in only a 3 months period, not an entire year. A terrorist magazine which gives step by-step guides on how to make a bomb and urges an attack on the UK is being read by 4,000 Britons a week, according to a report. The online magazine titled Inspire, released by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), has been downloaded 55,000 times from UK IP addresses in the past three months, according the Sun on Sunday. The magazine, infamous for articles with titles such as How to build a bomb in your Moms kitchen, has been linked to the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing as well as the killing of a Canadian soldier last October. In March 2013, the magazine alsoincluded Charlie Hebdo editor Stephane Charbonnier in their hit listof people wanted dead or alive for crimes against Islam, which also included author Salman Rushdie and Dutch politician Gert Wilders. Charbonnier was one of 12 people killed in the recentterror attack at the officers of the French satirical magazine. According to reports, between 14 October to 12 January, 54,723 people using a British IP address downloaded an edition of Inspire magazine, the vast majority of which was the spring edition which told readers how to make a car bomb. The publication also called for readers to commit lone wolf style Jihadi attacks on the West. To be fair, it doesnt mean that all 55,000 of the British citizens who downloaded this terror manual are Muslims, although its logical to assume most of them are since they comprise Al Qaedas target audience. Issues of Al Qaedas terrorist magazine, Inspire, has published many articles encouraging spiritual warriors to strike at infidels using common items and how to inflict maximum casualties. In one issue of Inspire, which included a Mujahid Pocketbook guide to terror, they featured an article titled The Ultimate Mowing Machine and showed a picture of a large Ford truck, evidently intending for readers to use large vehicles to mow down infidels. Part of the article reads as follows (translated): Pick your location and timing carefully. Go for the most crowed locations.  The ideal location is a place where there are a maximum number of pedestrians and the least number of vehicles. In fact if you can get through to pedestrian only locations that exist in some downtown (city center) areas, that would be fabulous. There are some places that are closed down for vehicles at certain times due to the swarms of people. If you have access to firearms, carry them with you so that you may use them to finish of your work  it should be considered a martyrdom operation. This idea could be implemented in countries like Israel, the U.S., Britain, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Denmark, Holland and other countries where the government and public sentiment is in support of the Israeli occupation of Palestine, the American invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq or countries that had a prominent role in the defamation of Muhammad This particular article clearly delivers tips on how to use vehicles as a weapon, which is exactly what one radical Muslim did in yesterdays London terror attack. Shockingly, the issue of Inspire magazine that included this article (page 53) can be found in PDF format here, all 74 pages of it, which shows how easily available these materials are for fanatics wishing to unleash a radical Islamic terror attack on innocent citizens or non-believers. Oddly enough, the article starts out by saying America is a terrorist state and subjects Muslim countries to the worst forms of terrorism. As if mowing down innocent civilians with vehicles in Western countries isnt the worst form of terrorism? As far back as 2013 the Inspire magazine encouraged using household materials for terror attacks, famously publishing the article titled, How to build a bomb in the kitchen of your Mom. Despite liberal activists criticizing Tommy Robinson for his statements regarding Islam, the speeches and documents coming out of radical Islamists are clearly encouraging their followers to commit Jihad against the West. In fact, it doesnt get any clearer than tens of thousands of Muslims downloading and reading terrorist handbooks, and even if only the smallest fraction of them carry out terror attacks, it would cause national chaos on an unimaginable scale. This is the very future that Donald Trump is trying to prevent for America, despite biased judges preventing his travel bans from taking place, and it seems no matter how many terror attacks are carried out around the world, liberal activists will still lobby for allowing radicals to enter the country. The full video of Tommy Robinsons interview can be viewed below (Warning: Language). Why in the world is this terrorist magazine even available for download in the West? Im all for free speech, but youd think with the liberals constant attacks on hate speech, they would be out in droves protesting this. How many more radical terrorist are reading this magazine and getting tips and inspiration for attacks? Tommy Robinson is right. We are at war, and have been for centuries, against an oppressive political system seeking to dominate the world and destroy the West. Why not be scared of a cult who publish their aims to either kill or subjugate every one of us? stephen_geneva Tommy Robinson will be remembered in the future as a HERO like Geert Wilders and Marine Le Pen who fought against the Islamization of Europe that the UN EU Soros and his like and liberal media all support. The number of attacks increases with the muslim population so expect things to get much much worse not better. These 55,000 muslim scumbags and their entire families should be repatriated as well as the 3000 jihadis on 24hr terror Watch (which costs taxpayers 9bn a year). The NHS needs that money much more. The 72 terrorists let out of prison should also be sent packing as well as the 40% of the prison population who are muslims (who only make up 4% of the population.) Cutting benefits completely will mostly affect these scumbags. Muslims mainly Pakistanis Bangladeshi Afghanis Syrian Iraqi Sudanese and Somali in the UK. 90% are reliant on benefits which is taking up billions in social welfare. Stop it and they will go to Sweden or Germany. The leaders in the west apart from Putin Orban and Trump are WEAK and blind to the issue.
A total of 29 people were treated in hospital following the carnage, with seven people remaining in a critical condition on Thursday morning. Watch | How the Westminster terror attack unfolded on video 02:28 Mark Rowley, the Met's senior anti-terror officer, said it was still his belief the attacker worked alone and was inspired by "international terrorism", adding that there was no specific information to suggest any further threat to the public. Police and the Defence Secretary, Sir Michael Fallon, have said the working assumption is that the attack is linked to Islamic terrorism. A minute's silence was held in Westminster at 9.33am to pay respects to the victims, before Theresa May was due to give a statement to MPs in the Commons at 10.30am. A candlelit vigil will be held in Trafalgar Square on Thursday evening. Stay with us for the latest updates throughout the day. Pictures from sombre Westminster as MPs return to 'business as usual' A sombre calm hung over Westminster the morning after the attack. There were none of the large groups of tourists usually seen taking photos outside Big Ben. Instead the whole area was cordoned off as MPs and staff working in Parliament flashed their passes and filed quietly into an entrance at the side of the building. The police presence is heavy with dozens of officers, many armed with guns, keeping guard at the entrance. Forensics investigators and police officers work at the site near Westminster Bridge Credit: NEIL HALL/Reuters But despite the shock of the terror attack, MPs were determined it will be business as usual in Parliament. SNP MP Alan Brown (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) said: "I feel a slight sense of apprehension, but we can't let the crimes of one person prevent the working of Parliament. "Obviously, our thoughts are with the family of the policeman and other people who were killed. "I suspect it will be an emotional day, it will certainly be a very sombre day, in Parliament. Today it is back to business. "I've got a question on the order paper and a constituency matter to raise, so it is back to the day job of being an MP." Police cordon in Westminster the day after the terror attackCredit: Geoff Pugh for the Telegraph Barry Gardiner, the shadow international trade secretary, said: "Everything has to be seen to get back to normal as quickly as possible so that people realise that this sort of attack is ultimately a futile gesture. "I think the police have been absolutely right not to release details of the attacker, to give it no publicity. "What happened yesterday was sordid, shameful and vile. The attacker caused the most appalling carnage in the lives of 20 to 25 families. "I think everyone in Parliament will want to pay tribute to the security services and the police and how they responded yesterday, and the officer who tragically died." Minute's silence was chosen for 9.33am to honour murdered Pc's 933 shoulder number A minute's silence was held nationwide at 9.33am, including in the Palace of Westminster and at New Scotland Yard, to commemorate the three innocent people killed in Wednesday's assault on Westminster. The time for the silence was chosen in honour of murdered police officer Keith Palmer's shoulder number - 933. 'They were all dressed in black and armed with machine guns' : The moment police stormed Birmingham flat linked to terror attack Neighbours have described the dramatic moment armed police stormed a Birmingham flat linked to the Westminster terror attack. Stunned residents watched as more than a dozen black-clad officers equipped with machine guns smashed their way in to an address in Hagley Road at about 11pm on Wednesday. The Metropolitan Police have confirmed the overnight raid was part of a wider operation in which several addresses were searched and seven arrests made. One witness, who works in a shop near the second-floor flat, said: "The man from London lived here." He added: "They came and arrested three men." A police cordon in Hagley Road, BirminghamCredit: Caters Stuart Bailey, who lives four doors down, was going for a drink with his friend when an armed officer shouted for him to "Go left". The 25-year-old said: "There were a load of armed police in the street and on the pavement and I could see three or four in front of me. "They were all dressed in black and armed with what looked like MP5s (submachine guns) and one of them had six ammunition magazines strapped to his leg. "I wasn't allowed back in my property for an hour." Officers enter the flat where the suspect is believed to have livedCredit: Caters The road was sealed off by balaclava-wearing officers for several hours as the raid continued, although the busy main road into the city has since reopened. Another man who have lived in the neighbouring flats said he was "scared and frightened" when he glanced out of the window and saw about a dozen armed police wearing Kevlar helmets and body armour in the street. One man, asked if he knew anything about the men in the flat, recalled two men living there. He heard one man in the flat speaking on the phone in what he described as an "Arabic or Pakistani accent", saying he had heard it "for the last two or three nights". Hagley Road was cordoned off for several hoursCredit: Caters Describing the raid, he said: "There were armed police and some important-looking guys in suits as well. "They had tools and they were trying to break the doors down, trying to force themselves in. "We were basically staying in our house, we didn't know what was happening. Even today still we don't know what has happened. "Somebody said it was to do with the attack on Parliament, and now we're very scared and frightened." On Thursday morning there was still police activity at the flat, with one of its windows covered with cardboard. Lord Carlile: 'It is very rare for lone wolves to have no connections' Lord Carlile, the former independent government reviewer of terrorism legislation, told BBC Radio 4: "This is the sort of attack that we feared, the sort of attack that was predicted by the authorities. "There may have to be changes in the way that Parliament and other major public buildings are guarded. We have to study what occurred and lean the lessons. It is very rare for so called lone wolves to have no connections whatsoever. "However, I suspect that when we see the background of this perpetrator we will probably see that he was inspired by something external and we have to address the causes that drive people to commit these terrible crimes." Security review to investigate if Palace of Westminster police should be armed Security arrangements at Westminster are to be reviewed following Wednesday's horrific attack. Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said the review would look at whether current security arrangements are "adequate" and whether police at the front gates should be armed. But he said it was neither possible nor desirable to seal Parliament off from the public. Police outside the Palace of Westminster shortly after the attackCredit: Victoria Jones/PA Recap: What we know so far about the Westminster attack If you're just joining us this morning, here's a quick recap of what we know so far about the Westminster attack. You can read a fuller version here. Four people have died - a police officer, the attacker, a woman in her mid 40s and a man in his mid 50s The officer was Pc Keith Palmer, a 48-year-old husband and father with 15 years of police service Seven people have been arrested and six addresses raided across London, Birmingham and elsewhere The woman was killed on Westminster Bridge as a number of pedestrians were mowed down by a grey Hyundai It is believed the man was also killed in the incident on the bridge Seven people are in a critical condition, and 29 have been treated in hospital One woman ended up in the Thames and was treated for serious injuries after being pulled from the water The attacker, armed with two large knives, jumped out of the car after smashing it into the railings encircling the Palace of Westminster, fatally stabbing Pc Palmer as he entered the grounds. He was shot dead moments later by another officer Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has said the working assumption is that the attack is linked to Islamic terrorism Parliament and Whitehall to hold minute's silence MPs, peers and staff working in Parliament and Whitehall will observe a minute's silence at 9.33am to pay respects to the victims of the terror attack. A large area around the Palace of Westminster, including Parliament Square and Westminster Bridge, remained cordoned off on Thursday morning, but staff were able to access the building and return to work. The House of Commons will sit after prayers at 9.30am, with the minute's silence expected to follow, and then questions to Liam Fox and ministers from his Department for International Trade. Two people in overalls and masks were seen sorting through material near the area in New Palace Yard where the attacker was shot and Pc Keith Palmer stabbed, and an area in the courtyard remained cordoned off. The popular Terrace cafeteria was open and serving a hot breakfast as normal as MPs, peers and staff arrived for work. The Union flag was flying at half-mast over the Houses of Parliament and other nearby buildings. Flag at half mast in Westminster on Thursday morningCredit: Eddie Mulholland for The Telegraph Forensics officers remain in Westminster this morning Investigators 'looking at who might have helped' attacker Sir Michael Fallon, the Defence Secretary said investigators were working around the clock. He said: "They have been working right through the night, looking into his background, how he got hold of the vehicle, where the vehicle has been in the last day or two, and who may, or may not, have helped him." Asked if he was known to police, Sir Michael said: "I can't confirm that, you will have to ask the police that." Full statement from Mark Rowley, senior anti-terror officer Here is the full statement on the Westminster terror attack made by Mark Rowley just now: "Good morning - I am here to update you on our ongoing counter-terrorism operation following the horrific attack in Westminster. "Greater clarity is now developing regarding the casualty figures as we have now collated information from the public and five hospitals - the latest figures I have are that there are currently four dead and 29 people were treated in hospital. "We are still collating numbers of walking wounded and of those in hospital sadly seven of them are in a critical condition. "Tragically the deaths included Pc Keith Palmer who was protecting Parliament, and two members of the public - a woman aged in her mid 40s and a man aged in his mid 50s. "The fourth man of course was the terrorist who was shot dead by armed police at the scene. "Hundreds of detectives have been working through the night and during that time I can confirm we have searched six addresses - and made seven arrests. The inquiries in Birmingham, London and other parts of the country continue. "It is still our belief - which continues to be born out by our investigation - that this attacker acted alone yesterday and was inspired by international terrorism. "To be explicit - at this stage, we have no specific information about further threats to the public. "Clearly our investigation is ongoing - developing all the time - and is focused on his motivation, his preparation and associates. "I do recognise that the media are making progress in identifying the attacker - I would continue to ask that his name is not published whilst we are at such a sensitive stage in our investigation - and as I state still conducting arrests and searches. "The large and complicated crime scene remains in place and our work there continues - I would like to thank everyone for their support and patience as we finish this work. "As people are out and about on the streets of the Capital this morning they will see more police officers on duty - armed and unarmed - and a mix of British Transport Police and the City of London. "We have cancelled some leave and increased some duty hours and are working to make sure that we can out in force to reassure the public. "We must not allow terrorists to create discord, distrust and fear. "The police stand with all communities - later today a meeting of faith leaders will be held here at New Scotland Yard. "Whilst our work to investigate and understand what happened yesterday continues with vigour - we must also reflect. "I want to thank the public for their support and all their good wishes - I know it is appreciated by all those men and women who are out there today protecting us. "Finally, I would also like to ask the public for their continued help and continued vigilance and if you see anything that causes you concern or raises your suspicions do not hesitate to call us - 0800 789 321 - or in an emergency 999. Thank you." Video: Attacker killed three; 29 treated in hospital Latest summary from overnight Armed police have carried out an overnight raid on a Birmingham property, which was reportedly linked to the attack in Westminster on Wednesday. Counter-terror detectives are continuing to search for clues about about how an armed attacker, believed to have "inspired by international terrorism", brought death and destruction to the streets of London. Five people were killed in the "sick and depraved" terror attack, including a police officer who was stabbed and his assailant, while dozens more were injured. Armed police launched a late-night raid on a second-floor flat above a row of shops on Hagley Road in Birmingham. Witnesses have said three people were taken away by police. Sky News cited unnamed sources as saying the action was linked to the attack in London. BBC Newsnight had earlier reported there was a suggestion the car used in the attack was hired from an address in Birmingham. However, this has not been confirmed. Mark Rowley, Scotland Yard's top anti-terror officer, confirmed that 40 people were injured after the attacker - armed with two large knives - mowed down pedestrians with his car on Westminster Bridge then rushed at the gates in front of the Houses of Parliament, stabbing a plain-clothes policeman before he was shot by armed officers. Keith PalmerCredit: Metropolitan Police The officer who died was named as Keith Palmer, 48, a husband and father, whose bravery was hailed by colleagues, friends and the many MPs whom he was charged with protecting. The three other fatalities are understood to be people who were hit by the car on Westminster Bridge. Mr Rowley declined to name the attacker, but said police suspect he was "inspired by international terrorism" - and that they believed they knew who he was. Watch | London attack: car speeds along bridge and ploughs into pedestrians 00:33 Witnesses described scenes of terror when gunfire rang out as the attacker approached a second officer within yards of the Houses of Parliament. The suspected attacker was pictured being treated by paramedics on a stretcher, as two knives used in the assault lay on the ground nearby. Paramedics fought to save his life and that of Mr Palmer on the floor of the cobbled courtyard in front of Parliament, with Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood among those who rushed to help. "Heartbroken" former colleague, Conservative MP James Cleverly, paid tribute to the "lovely man" he had known for a quarter of a century. "I've known Keith for 25 years. We served together in the Royal Artillery before he became a copper. A lovely man, a friend. I'm heartbroken. "My thoughts are with the family, friends and colleagues of Pc Keith Palmer. A brave man." The suspected London terror attacker being treated by paramedics, with the knives used in the assault circledCredit: Stefan Rousseau/PA The killer managed to get in through a vehicle gate in New Palace Yard  used by the Prime Minister and other members of the Government  because it was not locked. Prime Minister Theresa May has described the attack as "sick and depraved". Speaking outside 10 Downing Street after chairing a meeting of the Government's Cobra emergencies committee, Mrs May paid tribute to the "exceptional men and women" of the police force who responded to the attack. Mrs May said that any attempt to defeat the values that Parliament stands for was "doomed to failure". And she vowed: "We will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart." Footage later emerged of the moment police opened fire after the attacker drove a grey Hyundai i40 across Westminster Bridge before crashing it into railings then running through the gates of the Palace of Westminster. In other developments, another woman who apparently fell into the Thames was rescued and given urgent medical treatment on a nearby pier. Watch | How the Westminster terror attack unfolded on video 02:28 London Ambulance Service said paramedics had treated at least 10 patients on Westminster Bridge. A party of French schoolchildren were among those targeted on the bridge, with three injured. Mrs May, who was ushered away from Parliament after the attack, was chairing a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee. The attack left a trail of destruction as paramedics tended to victims on the bridge and at the gate.
The Westminster attacker's online communications have now become the core of the investigation around the terror raid with security forces keen to ascertain if he was receiving instructions from a jihadist master moments before he unleashed carnage. Khalid Massod was on WhatsApp at 2.37pm on Wednesday, approximately two minutes before ploughing into people on Westminster Bridge and four minutes before he was shot dead by armed officers outside the Palaces of Westminster, the MailOnline exclusively revealed yesterday. Now, Masood's messages with others on the encrypted messaging service have prompted police to up their search for jihadist associates of the killer. Pictured: A screengrab of Khalid Masood's WhatsApp profile taken on Thursday by MailOnline shows the attacker was active in the app on his iPhone moments before he ploughed into innocent people on Westminster Bridge Masood being lifted into an ambulance after being shot, moments after messasing Whatsapp contacts. His communications have now become the core of the investigation around the attack Theories include that the 52-year-old was receiving a final bit of advice from a terror master, seeking religious authority for the attack or saying goodbye to his associates. On Friday, Metropolitan Police Assistant Deputy Commissioner Mark Rowley said the investigation would look at whether Masood 'acted totally alone inspired by terrorist propaganda, or if others have encouraged, supported or directed him'. However investigators will not be able to access the messages without breaking into his phone as WhatsApp is an 'end-to-end' encryption messaging service. WHAT IS END-TO-END ENCRYPTION? With 'end-to-end' encryption, messages are visible only to the person who has sent them and the individuals that were meant to receive. The system works by using a 'lock' to secure messages between individuals or in a group chat. This lock is paired with a distinct 'key,' which only the sender and the recipients will have. This will will lock out cybercriminals, hackers, 'oppressive regimes,' and even WhatsApp officials to keep your data private, the blog says. This means communications sent on the Facebook owned app are visible only to the person who has sent them and the individuals that were meant to receive. The system works by using a 'lock' to secure messages between individuals or in a group chat. This lock is paired with a distinct 'key,' which only the sender and the recipients will have. The California based company updated the app in April last year with 'end-to-end' encryption amid a heightened international debate over how much access law enforcement should have to digital communications. CEO Mark Zuckerberg hailed the addition as an 'important milestone for the WhatsApp community' however cyber law expert Pavan Duggal said the feature can only benefit terrorists. Duggal told The Quint: 'WhatsApp's end-to-end encryption provides more encouragement to terror groups to be more bold in their communications in coded languages which can then be transmitted without the fear of being cracked on the way. ' The man police believe to be responsible for the terrorist attack in Westminster has been identified as Khalid Masood, 52. It also emerged yesterday the attacker was known to MI5 after an investigation many years ago, but was considered 'peripheral' Apple and U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) were involved in a high-profile legal tussle after authorities announced they accessed an iPhone used by a shooter in the 2015 San Bernardino terror attacks. The phone in contact with Masood has been linked to a flat above a curry house in Hagley Road, Birmingham where police arrested a woman, 21, and a man 23, hours after the attack. THE 11 ARRESTS MADE SINCE THE ATTACK A 39-year-old woman was arrested at an address in east London. She has since been put on bail until late March. A 21-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man were arrested at an address in Birmingham but have been released without charge. A 26-year-old woman and three men aged 28, 27 and 26 years old were arrested at a separate address in Birmingham. Further, a 58-year-old man was arrested on Thursday morning at a separate address in Birmingham and remains in custody. Another 27-year-old man was arrested in Birmingham late on Thursday and remains in custody. Two more people, a 32-year-old woman and a 35-year-old man in Greater Manchester, were arrested early Friday morning. The woman has been bailed pending further inquiries. All of the arrests have been made on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. Searches were also carried out in Carmathanshire, Wales, and Brighton, Sussex. Since the attack, police have arrested 11 people on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts. However on Friday they released eight without charge, having eliminated them from their inquiries, and one woman was released on Thursday on bail. Those still in custody are: A 58-year-old man from Birmingham and a 27-year-old man also from Birmingham. Those who were released included six from Birmingham who were freed after they fully co-operated with the investigation and found they had no connection with the atrocity. Assistant Chief Constable Marcus Beale, who leads the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit, said: 'As a result of their co-operation and our enquiries we are completely satisfied that they are not connected in any way to the terrorist attack in Westminster on Wednesday. 'We are very appreciative of their co-operation and support.' Investigators believe Masood was inspired by Islamist terrorism and ISIS have claimed responsibility for the massacre that left four victims dead, describing him as a 'soldier' of theirs. However the extent of the group's involvement is not yet known by authorities. The Dartford, Kent born 'lone wolf' terror killer mowed into pedestrians while driving a Hyundai 4x4 along Westminster Bridge before attacking Pc Keith Palmer, fatally stabbing him in the head, arm and side of his ribs. Masood was also said to be 'joking around' and being 'very friendly' by the manager of Brighton's Preston Park Hotel, where he stayed the night before the atrocity, Sky News reported. RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Masood had never been convicted of terror offences, although Theresa May revealed yesterday that he had been on MI5's radar a number of years ago. Police insist there was no intelligence suggesting he was about to unleash a terror attack. The policeman who shot the attacker on the parliamentary estate is believed to have been a close protection officer for Defence Secretary Michael Fallon rather than a member of the gate team. Masood was a married father-of-three, former English teacher and a religious convert who was into bodybuilding, according to Sky News. Metropolitan policeman Keith Palmer (left), Mother-of-two Aysha Frade (centre) and US tourist Kurt Cochran (right) have been named as victims of the attack A Scotland Yard spokesman said yesterday: 'Masood was also known by a number of aliases. He was not the subject of any current investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack. 'However, he was known to police and has a range of previous convictions for assaults, including GBH, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences. 'His first conviction was in November 1983 for criminal damage and his last conviction was in December 2003 for possession of a knife. He has not been convicted for any terrorism offences.' Masood stabbed PC Keith Palmer to death with two knives outside parliament after killing 43-year-old mother-of-two Aysha Frade, 75-year-old Londoner Leslie Rhodes, and US tourist Kurt Cochran, 54, as he ploughed along a crowded pavement on Westminster Bridge. A 75-year-old man, named as Leslie Rhodes from south London, who was injured in the attack, died on Thursday night after his life support was switched off. Meanwhile, hundreds of police swooped in dramatic raids across the nation making eight arrests on Thursday. Theresa May revealed MI5 knew of the attacker but considered him a 'peripheral' figure who was 'not part of the current intelligence picture' On Thursday evening police were searching a flat close to the Olympic village, in East London, where a woman named locally as Rohey Hydara lived. She had lived with Masood in at least two separate addresses but it was unclear what their relationship was. Giving details of the attacker's background in Parliament yesterday, Prime Minister Theresa May said: 'The man was British-born and - some years ago - he was once investigated in relation to concerns about violent extremism. He was a peripheral figure. 'The case is historic - he was not part of the current intelligence picture. There was no prior intelligence of his intent - or of the plot. Intensive investigations continue.' The movements of Khalid Masood 1964 - Born Adrian Elms on Christmas Day in Dartford, Kent. 1966 - His single mother, Janet Elms, later marries in Crawley, West Sussex and they later move to Tunbridge Wells, Kent and Rye, East Sussex. 1983 - In November that year, he picks up his first conviction, for criminal damage. 2000 - Jailed for two years for grievous bodily harm. When he is released, he moves to the East Sussex village of Northiam. 2003 - Aged 39 and running an aerial installation firm, he is jailed for six months for possession of a knife. 2004 - After being freed from prison, he marries Muslim Farzana Malik in Medway, Kent. It is unclear for how long they were married but they are now believed to be divorced. 2005 - Believed to have taught in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia. 2006 - Said to have lived in Crawley and to received visits from police. 2008-2009 - According to his CV, he returned to teach in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. 2009-2012 - He is believed to have lived in Luton having changed his name to Khalid Masood. His CV claims he worked at a language school.
Follow us: I survived the 7/7 bombings and I have a positive message for those caught up in yesterday's attack I still keep in touch with my particular saviours and with other amputees and injured victims. We meet up every 7/7, also with the paramedics, prosthetists and police who helped us that day, who got us walking again, who became part of our lives. The love I have experienced has outweighed the hate My wife and I named our daughter, born in 2008, after the paramedic who saved my life ( Getty ) On 7 July 2005, I shared an Edgware Road tube carriage with a radical Islamist. I survived his attack, and the company I shared in that single tube train has been good to me ever since. And that is what I remember every time I hear about a new terror attack on ordinary people going about their daily lives. On 7/7 the tube bombers struck at 8:50am. I was four stops away from work. I lost a leg in the ordeal, but I survived. I remember thinking later that a small mercy was that it was only adults caught up this attack and that, at the age of 50, I was one of the oldest affected. But yesterdays horrible events in Westminster involved children and students, and that thought hit me hard. As a survivor of terrorism, this weeks attack certainly affected me. I barely took in the news at work in the afternoon, glancing up at the screens in the office, and the Evening Standard that I read on the bus home was out too early to catch the news. But at home, there followed the grim rolling news on the various channels. My son Matthew, only 20-months-old on 7/7 and now aged 13, was sent home early from his school not too far from the terrible scene. Parliament holds a minute-long silence in memory of the victims of the Westminster attack I have always said my experience on 7/7 helped me to empathise with others caught in similar circumstances. I am certainly better equipped to deal with and comfort the dying and the bereaved. Yet watching the coverage of the attack last night, my experiences prompted two feelings. The first was a terrible sadness and empathy and love for all those innocents, those who died and their bereaved who will never forget them, and those who have been brutally injured. Some I suspect, like me, will be seriously injured. Though this is initially a terrible experience to endure, they will be shown love and will be supported, as I was too. Fellow travellers with me on that day of 7/7, some injured themselves, stayed on that carriage. They helped and prayed for those who died, and tended to those who survived in the 45 minutes before the paramedics arrived. I still keep in touch with my particular saviours and with other amputees and injured victims. We meet up every 7/7, also with the paramedics, prosthetists and police who helped us that day, who got us walking again, who became part of our lives. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP The second feeling was one of great respect and understanding for all the emergency services who responded at Westminster. It was very obvious yesterday that they arrived at the scene very quickly and worked with courage and efficiency. I have a great admiration for them. The family liaison officers in the police were very supportive of my wife on 7/7 itself, and of me and the family later. I am grateful for one of the police who helped me in the carriage before the emergency teams arrived. I am alive because of one paramedic who tended to me after nearly an hour of losing blood (we named our daughter, born in 2008, after her). I am constantly grateful to the teams at St Marys and Stanmore hospitals who put me back together again. I relate all this because I see, and I know, that dedicated public servants will do their good work for the innocents caught up in the events yesterday. The love that I saw seemed to outweigh the hate. After my days in intensive care my wife relayed to me all the good wishes and prayers there had been, how it brought together people from around the world  including from South Africa, where I was born. Last night, similarly, I heard from my sister in New Zealand and a brother in Australia asking after us and thinking of you all in London. (David outside Edgware Road Tube Station) Of course the scourge of terror will always resonate with me. It makes me sad, but I always know that goodness does show itself at the same time. A part of me cries at the terrible things done to innocent civilians, but a part of me hopes people know that there is more love in the world. I have in the years since 7/7 been proud to speak to my experience, eschewing politics and generalisations of those responsible; I speak as a survivor thankful to all those who showed love. My speeches always used to say that since 7/7 there thankfully hadnt been an event like that in London again  but the murder of Lee Rigby and now yesterdays attack on Westminster show what a hard task our security and emergency services have. So my message, as a survivor, is this: let us support those who endeavour to keep us safe and show love to all  and especially now to all those caught up in this weeks devastating terror attack. The Independent has launched its #FinalSay campaign to demand that voters are given a voice on the final Brexit deal.
A policeman and two members of the public are among four people killed in a major terrorist incident at the Houses of Parliament. Pc Keith Palmer, who was stabbed while trying to protect Parliament, died along with a woman in her mid 40s and a man in his mid 50s. The killer, who is as of yet unnamed, also died. This morning, the Mets top anti-terror officer Mark Rowley said 29 people had been treated in hospital and seven remain in a critical condition following the attack in which several pedestrians were mowed down on Westminster Bridge. He added: As people are out and about on the streets of the capital this morning they will see more police officers on duty - armed and unarmed - and a mix of British Transport Police and the City of London. We have cancelled some leave and increased some duty hours and are working to make sure that we can out in force to reassure the public. Seven people were also arrested overnight following raids in London, Birmingham and elsewhere, police confirmed. Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said the working assumption was that the attack was linked to Islamic terrorism in some form. Prime Minsister Theresa May praised the bravery of police officers, saying: Any attempt to defeat those values through violence and terror is doomed to failure. She said the House of Commons and the House of Lords will sit at their normal times today. It has also been confirmed that a party of French schoolchildren were among those targeted on the bridge. Four students from Edge Hill University in Ormskirk were also hurt - two described as walking wounded, and another couple were said to have minor injuries. Eyewitness Rick Longley described the attack. We were just walking up to the station and there was a loud bang and a guy, someone, crashed a car and took some pedestrians out. They were just laying there and then the whole crowd just surged around the corner by the gates just opposite Big Ben. A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman. I have never seen anything like that. I just cant believe what I just saw. Police are asking people to avoid the following areas: Parliament Square; Whitehall; Westminster Bridge; Lambeth Bridge; Victoria Street up to the junction with Broadway and the Victoria Embankment up to Embankment tube. What we know so far: :: A massive police operation is under way after an attack in the heart of central London. :: Four people have died - a police officer, the attacker, a woman in her mid 40s and a man in his mid 50s :: The officer was Pc Keith Palmer, a 48-year-old husband and father with 15 years of police service :: Seven people have been arrested and six addresses raided across London, Birmingham and elsewhere :: The woman was killed on Westminster Bridge as a number of pedestrians were mowed down by a grey Hyundai i40 :: It is believed the man was also killed in the incident on the bridge :: Seven people are in a critical condition, and 29 have been treated in hospital :: One woman ended up in the Thames and was treated for serious injuries after being pulled from the water :: The attacker, armed with two large knives, jumped out of the car after smashing it into the railings encircling the Palace of Westminster, fatally stabbing Pc Palmer as he entered the grounds :: He was shot dead moments later by another officer :: Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has said the working assumption is that the attack is linked to Islamic terrorism :: A group of French schoolchildren were among those targeted on the bridge, with three injured :: Prime Minister Theresa May later chaired a meeting of the Governments emergency Cobra committee, branding the attack sick and depraved The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining, so the saying goes. So if some warm weather is making your conservatory uninhabitable, think about replacing its roof with a flat one and adding a roof lantern instead.
The incident began on Westminster Bridge on Wednesday at 2.40 pm G.M.T., when a car ran into several civilians. Toby Melville / Reuters The car injured at least a dozen people on Westminster Bridge, including three French school children on a trip. Reuters / Toby Melville Victims of the car attack were not yet been named. They were taken to the nearby St. Thomas' Hospital. One victim died there. Toby Melville / Reuters One civilian (not pictured) either jumped into the Thames in order to escape from the attack or was thrown by the oncoming car. She was recovered from the river alive. Toby Melville / Reuters Ordinary people immediately went to help the injured. A woman assists an injured person after an incident on Westminster Bridge in London, March 22, 2017.Reuters / Toby Melville Radosaw Sikorski, a Polish politician, captured the scene on Westminster Bridge moments after the attack, reporting that he saw at least five people injured. Shortly afterwards, a car crashed into railings outside the Houses of Parliament. It was reportedly the same vehicle involved in the bridge attack. Twitter user Luke Steele uploaded the image below: Moments after the car crashed, Metropolitan police shot an unidentified person in Parliament's New Palace Yard. The man had entered the grounds of Parliament and stabbed a police officer with a knife. Google Maps / Business Insider Journalist Quentin Letts, who witnessed the incident, said: "I saw a fairly thick-set man wearing black clothes running through the open gates, the security gates where people drive their cars." Letts added: "He started beating a policeman who had fallen over on the ground. The policeman managed to shake him off and the attacker then ran towards the entrance of the House of Commons, which is used by our members of Parliament and he got about 15 yards before the authorities responded." Emergency services who arrived at the scene reported "catastrophic injuries." A statement from the London Ambulance Service said: "We can confirm we have treated at least 10 patients on Westminster Bridge and have put a number of hospitals on alert as we continue to respond to this incident. We were called at 2.40pm today, with the first ambulance crew arriving within six minutes." Toby Melville / Reuters The area around Westminster Bridge was cordoned off by armed police immediately. Toby Melville / Reuters A witness close to Westminster Bridge told Business Insider that there were "lots of sirens" and "people running" at the scene. Paramedics tried to revive the injured in New Palace Yard, Westminster. According to the Telegraph, Ellwood attempted to give the officer mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and stemmed the blood flow by applying pressure to the wounds. The BBC reports that the officer in question has now died. The police set up a guard next to the statue of Winston Churchill. Facebook quickly activated its "Safety Check" in London, which lets people tell their loved ones they are OK. BI/Facebook This is the first photo of the suspected attacker being carried away from New Palace Yard. PA Many peers from the House of Lords  along with parliamentary staff and a handful of MPs  were evacuated to nearby Westminster Abbey. Pictured, a Metropolitan Police superintendent addresses the crowd from the pulpit at the Abbey. The bulk of MPs were evacuated to Westminster Hall, where they remained as of 6.30 pm G.M.T. As of 6.30 p.m. GMT on Wednesday, police were yet to confirm that the incident was officially over. Commander BJ Harrington of the Metropolitan Police made a statement on the incident outside of New Scotland Yard. He confirmed that the matter is being treated as a terrorist incident. Jack Taylor / Stringer Prime Minister Theresa May then went to chair a 45 minute meeting of the emergency COBR committee to discuss the government's immediate response to the incident. Olivier Matthys AP/Press Association Images London Mayor Sadiq Khan released a video on his Facebook page saying "Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism." Then May addressed the nation around 9 p.m. GMT and condemned the "sick and depraved" attacks in London. She pledged normality for Britons despite Wednesday's events. At around 10.30 p.m. GMT, Scotland Yard confirmed that 4 people, including the suspect, had died and 40 others were injured. The police would not name the suspect. However, the police confirmed that PC Keith Palmer, a 48-year-old husband and father, was killed in Westminster attack. He was in the police force for 15 years. Scotland Yard Meanwhile, around 11 p.m. GMT, France demonstrated its support and solidarity with Britain  after experiencing a series of horrific terrorist attacks previously  by switching off the lights on the Eiffel Tower. Several French school children are believed to be injured in the attacks in London. Sky News In the early hours of Thursday morning, police raided six addresses and made seven arrests in connection to the London attacks. However, the Metropolitan Police still refused to confirm the identity and nationality of the terrorist suspect. Then at 10.30 a.m. GMT, Prime Minister Theresa May told MPs that the country is "not afraid" as she delivered her first speech to the House of Commons since the attack. Around midday, ISIS (also known as the Islamic State and Daesh) claimed responsibility for the attack in London via the jihadist propaganda news site Amaq. The first civilian victim that has been identified is Aysha Frade, a 43-year-old year mother of two (L). An American tourist from Utah in the US, Kurt Cochran, was the second civilian believed to have been killed in the attack. Sky News/Facebook Later on Thursday, the police identified the terror suspect as Khalid Masood  a 52-year-old father of three children. PA Later that evening, thousands of people gathered to light candles in a vigil to commemorate the dead and pledge solidarity with the victims of the London attack. People light candles at a vigil in Trafalgar Square the day after an attack, in London, Britain March 23, 2017.Reuters Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, Home Secretary Amber Rudd, and Acting commissioner of the Met Police Craig Mackey all gave speeches about rising above the events and gave thanks to the service people involved in helping people during the attack. Sky News On Friday morning, the Met police confirmed that the 75-year-old man who died in hospital on Thursday night was named Leslie Rhodes. Business Insider/Adam Payne However, while Londoners are returning to normality, it will be several days or even weeks until we find out the identities of all those affected by the attacks as well as more information about Masood, who carried out the atrocities.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has expressed her concern for those caught up in the terrorist attack at Westminster. She spoke of a "sense of solidarity" felt in Scotland for people in London. Four people have died after a car was driven at pedestrians near the UK parliament before the occupant jumped out and stabbed a police officer. The Scottish Parliament suspended a debate on an independence referendum following the attack. Ms Sturgeon said: "My thoughts, as I'm sure the thoughts of everybody in Scotland tonight, are with people caught up in this dreadful event. "My condolences in particular go to those who've lost loved ones. "My thoughts are with those who've sustained injuries and we all feel a sense of solidarity with the people of London tonight." She said Scotland would consider whether there were any wider lessons for public safety. The first minister added: "I convened a meeting of the Scottish Government's Resilience Committee to review what is currently known about the incident at Westminster and also to review any implications for Scotland. "(But) it is important to stress that there is no intelligence of any risk to Scotland." Media playback is unsupported on your device Media captionKen Macintosh: "The fact that our sister parliament has had a serious incident is affecting this particular debate." The Scottish Parliament had been close to concluding its debate on a call for a referendum on Scottish independence when Presiding Officer Ken Macintosh announced that the sitting would be suspended. He said the incident in London was affecting the contributions of MSPs, and that the debate would resume at another time. A vote had been due to be held at 17:30, but politicians including Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson called for the session to be suspended. Image copyrightPAImage caption The London attack is currently being treated as a terrorist incident Image copyrightPAImage caption Politicians and staff immediately left the chamber once the debate had been suspended Parliament officials initially ruled that the debate should continue as planned, before Mr Macintosh decided that it should be halted. The presiding officer said: "The fact that our sister parliament has had a serious incident is affecting this particular debate, and is affecting the contribution of members. And so it is for that reason we are deciding to suspend the sitting. "We will resume this debate and we will be able to do so in a full and frank manner, but I think to continue at the moment would not allow members to make their contributions in the manner they wish to." The debate is expected to continue next week, with a decision due to be made on Thursday morning. Conservative MSP Fin Carson tweeted ahead of the presiding officer's ruling that he had left the parliament chamber, saying: "I can't understand how this debate can go on. At least a suspension would have shown some respect." However, some politicians were unhappy about the decision to suspend the debate. Liberal Democrat MSP Mike Rumbles was among those to argue it was a "mistake", telling BBC Scotland that had huge sympathy for those affected by the attack, but that: "We should not be giving in to terrorism, and I believe we've done that". Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham was also unhappy with the decision - but was later said to agree entirely after learning the full details of the London attack. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon had been expected to win the backing of a majority of MSPs for her plan to ask the UK government for a section 30 order, which would be needed to hold a legally-binding referendum on independence. The UK government has already said it will block the move, and will not enter into any negotiations until after the Brexit process has been completed. Image copyrightPAImage caption Security has been increased around the parliament building Image copyrightPAImage caption Several MSPs called for the debate to be suspended out of respect for those affected - but some argued it was "giving in to terrorism" An increased police presence could be seen in and around the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood on Wednesday afternoon. An email to MSPs, staff and Holyrood pass-holders from the Scottish Parliament chief executive's office said: "While there is no intelligence to suggest there is a specific threat to Scotland, Edinburgh or Holyrood, we have increased security with immediate effect at the Scottish Parliament as a precaution." Police vehicles were seen outside the parliament building, with a spokesman for Police Scotland saying the force was "liaising with colleagues in London and will ensure appropriate safety and security plans are in place based upon what we know".
Westminster terror attack suspect named as Sudanese immigrant who drove around London looking for targets before driving car into cyclists A TERROR suspect who tried to ram Parliament in a Ford Fiesta has been recognized as a Sudanese immigrant who allegedly drove around London looking for targets. The lone attacker has been named by locals as British nationwide Salih Khater, 29, who reportedly lives in a rundown flat above an web cafe in Sparkhill, Birmingham. Sky Information The terror suspect has been named by locals as British nationwide Salih Khater, 29, pictured being arrested by cops outdoors Parliament Cops stated he left West Midlands late on Monday night time and spent hours driving around central London sparking suspicions he was looking for giant crowds of vacationers. At 7.40am on Tuesday, a silver car mowed down 15 cyclists before making an attempt to ram his approach into Parliament at 50mph  solely to be foiled by a metal barrier in what specialists consider was a copycat of the earlier Westminster attack. That is what we all know up to now A privately-owned silver Ford Fiesta crashed into anti-terror limitations outdoors the Homes of Parliament at 7.37am mowing down pedestrians and cyclists Three individuals have been harm  together with a person and a lady who have been taken to hospital with non life-threatening accidents and have since been discharged The 29-year-old driver, named by locals as Sudanese immigrant Salih Khater, has been arrested on suspicion of terror offences He stays in custody at a South London police station and is refusing to cooperate with cops The suspect left Birmingham, the place is believed to reside within the Sparkhill space, late on Monday night time and drove around London for a number of hours before the rampage Terror cops have carried raids at two addresses in Birmingham, together with the suspects house, and one in Nottingham as a part of their investigation Specialists consider it was a copycat of the earlier Westminster attack however say the suspect had acquired spooked by a passing ambulance Additional cops will now be stationed at key transport hubs throughout the nation Theresa Might has praised medics and police for their fast response to the attack Witnesses described the terror of seeing the car driving towards Parliament at speed before listening to a loud bang as it smashed into black metal limitations. Two uniformed cops on guard dived for cowl as the entrance of the Fiesta crumpled on impression with smoke billowing from its engine. British nationwide Salih Khater, 29, pictured in a selfie from a social media profile Police encompass the car outdoors the Homes of Parliament on Tuesday morning That is the second a car careered throughout Westminster before mowing down pedestrians and smashing into barrier at 50mph throughout a terror rampage The silver Ford Fiesta then crashed into a barrier close to Parliament A person and a lady have been taken to hospital with critical however non-life threatening accidents and have since been discharged, whereas one other man was handled on the scene. The suspect is believed to have been spooked by an ambulance as eyewitnesses stated the driving force seemed to be in shock as he was pulled out by armed cops and led away in handcuffs. Undercover armed officers then poured out of a white van which was on the scene in seconds. Did YOU witness the crash? Contact us and ship us your footage: ideas@the-sun.co.uk or name: zero20 778 24368 Terror cops raided two addresses in Birmingham, together with the suspects flat, and a home within the Radford space of Nottingham. Neighbours in Radford stated plain-clothed cops pressured their method into a three-storey home with a battering ram at about 3pm, shouting: Police! An occupant of the home, who requested to not be named, stated six Sudanese males had lived there for the previous 12 months. PA:Press Affiliation The Ford Fiesta is recovered from the scene of the rampage by police late on Tuesday PA:Press Affiliation Forensic officers assist as the car is winched away from the place it struck 15 pedestrians and cyclists in Westminster When proven an image of the arrested man, he claimed to not recognise him, or the silver Fiesta concerned within the incident. The person added: They (the police) have been right here about what occurred in London. They informed me they thought the car concerned was registered and insured right here, nevertheless it wasnt. They have been asking a few silver Fiesta All of us work night time shifts, and I used to be asleep once they got here this afternoon. It was a shock, however we dont know something about what occurred. PA:Press Affiliation Forensic officers by the car that crashed into safety limitations outdoors the Homes of Parliament on Tuesday night time PA:Press Affiliation A safety barrier is moved by a forklift truck in Westminster after the a car mowed down individuals on the morning commute PA:Press Affiliation Forensic officers by the car that crashed into safety obstacles outdoors the Homes of Parliament, Westminster, London I have lived here a year and I dont know that guy. Neighbours confirmed the property was a shared home occupied by Sudanese males  however none recognised the suspect when proven an image. One stated: They have been plenty of them [police] they usually have been fairly aggressive. They broke in, and broke a few doorways down inside. They wouldnt say who they have been. It was fairly scary. The driving force is handcuffed after he drove his car into limitations outdoors Parliament at around 7.40am on Tuesday morning The suspect is led away from the scene by armed cops following the chaos in the course of the Tuesday morning rush hour It makes you fairly fearful that a home so shut is being linked to what occurred in London. It is a shared house, people come and go there, they all have six bedrooms in this row. But Ive never seen the guy they arrested at the scene. One, Ibrahim Ahmed, 24, stated: Some men arrived this afternoon and were going in and out. We just know the people there to say hello to. Benas Butkevicus added: I was woken up by a lot of banging and scratching, but I dont really know who lives there. Jamie Lorriman Bicycles have been left on the bottom following the rampage on the scene of one other terror attack Reuters Various cyclists have been hit through the terror attack Officers have been seen leaving the property at around 7.30pm clutching paperwork. Scotland Yard stated that at this stage, there have been no different arrests in reference to this a part of the investigation. Labour MP Roger Godsiff final night time stated the terror suspect is believed to return from his Birmingham Corridor Inexperienced constituency. Labours Mr Godsiff final night time stated West Midlands Police had contacted him, including: The person identified as being involved is suspected as coming from my constituency. It will be inappropriate for me to be any more specific. Second suspect drives a car into a Parliament barrier in Westminister The Mets Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu stated: Our priority is to formally identify the suspect and establish his motivations if we can. He is not currently cooperating. He stated the driving force was not recognized to counter-terror police, however he added: Given this appears to be a deliberate act, the method and this being an iconic site, we are treating it as a terrorist incident. It emerged yesterday that the Fiesta was pushed from Birmingham late on Monday, arriving in central London within the early hours of yesterday. The car speeds by way of Westminster before colliding into harmless victims The car swerves throughout the street after ploughing into cyclists in Westminster The car crashes into the anti-terror limitations outdoors of the Homes of Parliament It was parked within the Tottenham Courtroom Street space from 1.25am till 5.55am. The lone occupant then drove around Westminster and Whitehall for greater than 90 minutes before the attack. CCTV noticed the Fiesta on the one-way system at Parliament Sq. before all of the sudden lurching left. It careered by means of cyclists then headed down the incorrect aspect of the street into Abingdon Road, reverse Parliament. PA:Press Affiliation Forensics officers work on the scene of the smash in Westminster EPA Forensics officers collect proof on the scene of the crash on Tuesday afternoon as they search for a motive One, Geoffrey Woodman, stated: It hit the lady two bikes to my left. It was going about 40 to 50mph. Its windscreen hit her hard as she was trying to jump off. He stated there was chaos as the sufferer, in her 40s, was left badly harm on the ground with bikes everywhere. The Fiesta then accelerated down a slip street before smashing into the barrier to the Previous Palace Yard car park on the Lords. Ex-Met counter-terror detective Brian Tarpey stated: The barriers are designed to stop trucks getting through. Theres no way a Fiesta would succeed. Armed cops sprang out of an unmarked Ford van which was within the space, although police later dismissed hypothesis it had been following the car. SUN SAYS FOR the second time in 18 months terror has come to Westminster. Once more, its the bravery of our emergency providers which stands out above all. To run in the direction of a car, not figuring out what or who was in it, takes extra- odd bravery. Its braveness that we have now grow to be used to however that we should always by no means take for granted. There shall be onerous questions requested over the approaching days. Its too early to inform how and why this man got here to commit his crime, or why the safety providers werent capable of forestall it. However extra broadly, its a reminder of the menace that stalks our streets. We cant overlook final yrs carnage, from London Bridge to Manchester, which noticed households ripped aside and promising lives reduce brief. The Authorities should not let terrorism slip to the again of the queue, regardless of how thorny different political points are. It stays a transparent and current hazard. The information that there have been 17 foiled plots since final March is terrifying. Theresa Might should give our intelligence providers all of the help they want  together with higher powers to research social media. Terrorists are determined to divide us. Theyll by no means triumph. A search of the silver Fiesta, initially registered in Nottingham in 2010, discovered no weapons. It has now emerged that the car was written off by an insurance coverage firm final autumn and failed its MOT in Might due to a defective steering wheel  however was again on the street and bought two months in the past. Officers ask that anybody who might have seen the silver Ford Fiesta, registration quantity FL10 CWZ, or the driving force within the London space within the hours before the attack to get in contact. Anybody with footage or pictures can also be urged to succeed in out to police to assist with their investigation. Chaos on the scene of the crash in Westminster after a Ford Fiesta rammed into pedestrians and cyclists Smoke billows from the bonnet of the Fiesta after it crashed into anti-terror obstacles Footage from the scene confirmed two cops being pressured to leap out of the street as the car careers in the direction of them before mowing down civilians. Injured cyclists are then seen being handled by paramedics as bikes lay strewn throughout the street. Armed police have been heard shouting move back as quick as you can, were asking you for a reason as they swarmed by means of Westminster when the car got here to a halt. Witness Barry Williams earlier stated: It did look like an attack Once he hit the cyclists he accelerated towards the barrier. The attack sparked reminiscences of the terrorist atrocity in March 2017 during which Khalid Masood, 52, killed 5 in Westminster, together with PC Keith Palmer. discuss with caption. A person is led away from the silver car by armed cops outdoors Parliament on Tuesday Police dash to the scene of the crash after the car ploughed into safety limitations Terrified members of the general public are lead away from Parliament Sq. by cops The attack by Masood  who was shot lifeless by police  was adopted by terror atrocities in Manchester and London Bridge which killed 30. Safety at Parliament shall be reviewed following the newest attack and the police presence around historic websites, rail stations and crowded areas is predicted to be stepped up throughout the UK. Parliament is at present in summer time recess. Tory Defence Minister Tobias Ellwood, hailed a hero for making an attempt to save lots of PC Palmer final yr, stated it was a stark reminder of the threats we continue to face. He praised police for once again swiftly and courageously responding to what looks like a crude and deliberate attack on Parliament. BABY BODY IN BIN Physique of schoolgirls new child child was present in bin at her mother and father house LOVE RAT USA Brit dad reported lacking by companion turned up in US married to a different lady HIGH ALERT: The terror attack that put Westminster on lockdown simply 18 months in the past Westminster has been placed on excessive alert before, with Tuesdays crash outdoors Parliament barely 18 months because the terror attack that gripped the capital. 5 individuals have been killed and greater than 50 individuals have been injured when Kent-born terrorist Khalid Masood mowed pedestrians down alongside Westminster Bridge in March final yr. The 52-year-old then crashed his car into the gates of Parliament, operating into the compound with two blades when he fatally stabbed police officer Keith Palmer. Mum-of-two Aysha Frade, American vacationer Kurt Cochran and 75-year-old Leslie Rhodes have been all murdered by the evil terrorist. Fifth sufferer, Andreea Cristea, was thrown off Westminster bridge through the terror attack.Terrorist Masood was shot by police, later dying in hospital. Scotland Yard stated Masood was a violent felony convicted of a number of offences spanning 20 years.However they confirmed Masood was not the topic of any present investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack. We pay for your tales! Do you have got a narrative for The Solar On-line information staff? E mail us at ideas@the-sun.co.uk or name 0207 782 4368. You possibly can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for movies too. Click on right here to add yours.
Islamic State claims London terror attack Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the terror attack by a knife-wielding man that left four people dead and 40 injured in Westminster, London, describing him as one of their "soldiers." The knife-wielding attacker ploughed a car into pedestrians on London's Westminster Bridge before fatally stabbing a police officer inside the gates of parliament, before he himself was shot dead. Four people were killed, including the assailant, and 40 others were injured in the heart of Britain's seat of power, in what British Prime Minister Theresa May has condemned as a "sick and depraved terrorist attack". Metropolitan Police counter-terrorism chief Mark Rowley on Thursday revised the death toll down to four, including the attacker, a police officer guarding parliament and two civilians. He said that 29 people were in hospital and seven were in critical condition. UK police have raided six addresses, including some in Birmingham, and arrested seven people in connection with Wednesday's attack. An Australian permanent resident named by News Corp as Trish Neis-Beer, a German national who lives and works in the Adelaide Hills, was among those injured in the attack. Related Articles Australian Attorney-General George Brandis told the Senate on Thursday that she was receiving treatment in hospital and consular staff were providing assistance. A doctor who treated the wounded from the bridge said some had "catastrophic" injuries. Three police officers, several French teenagers on a school trip, two Romanian tourists, and five South Koreans were among the casualties. Rowley identified the police officer who died as Keith Palmer, 48, a husband and father. Islamic extremism was suspected in the attack, Rowley said, adding that authorities believe they know the assailant's identity but would not reveal it while the investigation was ongoing. The threat level for international terrorism in the UK was already listed at severe, meaning an attack was "highly likely". Speaking outside 10 Downing St. after chairing a meeting of the government's emergency committee COBRA, May said that level would not change. She said attempts to defeat British values of democracy and freedom through terrorism would fail. US President Donald Trump was among world leaders offering condolences, and in Paris, the lights of the Eiffel Tower were to be dimmed in solidarity with London. Wednesday was the anniversary of suicide bombings in the Brussels airport and subway that killed 32 people last year, and the latest events echoed recent vehicle attacks in Berlin and Nice, France. Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood, whose brother was killed in the Bali terror attack in 2002, performed first aid on the wounded police officer, who later died. Metres away lay the assailant. "I tried to stem the flow of blood and give mouth to mouth while waiting for the medics to arrive but I think he had lost too much blood," Ellwood said. "He had multiple wounds, under the arm and in the back." The attack began early on Wednesday afternoon (Thursday AEDT) as a driver in a grey SUV slammed into pedestrians on the bridge linking parliament to the south bank of the River Thames. Former Polish foreign minister Radek Sikorski was in a car crossing the bridge when he heard "something like a car hitting metal sheet" and then saw people lying on the pavement. "I saw one person who gave no signs of life. One man was bleeding from his head. I saw five people who were at least seriously injured," Sikorski told Poland's TVN24. Police said one injured woman was pulled from the river. The car crashed into railings on the north side of the bridge, less than 200 metres from the entrance to parliament. As people scattered in panic, witnesses saw a man holding a knife run towards the building. "The whole crowd just surged around the corner by the gates just opposite Big Ben," said witness Rick Longley. "A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman. I have never seen anything like that. I just can't believe what I just saw." Daily Mail journalist Quentin Letts said a man in black attacked the police officer before being shot two or three times as he tried to storm into the building. "As this attacker was running towards the entrance two plain-clothed guys with guns shouted at him what sounded like a warning, he ignored it and they shot two or three times and he fell," Letts told the BBC.
A teenager plotted with her mother and sister to launch ISIS-inspired terror attacks at the British Museum or in Westminster after she was prevented from becoming a jihadi bride in Syria, a court has heard. In Britain's first alleged all-female terror plot, 18-year-old Safaa Boular, from Vauxhall, south London, is accused planning an atrocity in the capital with her mother Mina Dich and older sister Rizlaine Boular, 21. Her sister, of Clerkenwell, central London, has already admitted planning an attack in Westminster, allegedly involving knives, the Old Bailey was told. Safaa Boular is accused of plotting terror attacks in London with her mother and sister RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Share Boular had initially planned to travel to Syria and become a suicide bomber with her ISIS-fighter fiance Naweed Hussain, and depart the world holding hands, and taking others with them,' the Old Bailey was told. But when Hussain was killed in Syria, she switched her plans to Britain, the court heard. It is claimed that she had previously made plans to join Hussain in Syria and booked a flight to Istanbul. Her support for him 'would extend to each of them donning a suicide belt,' Duncan Atkinson QC told the court. 'Together they would, as Hussain put it, 'depart this world holding hands and taking others with them' in an act of terrorism,' he said. Rizlaine Boular (left) has already admitted planning an attack in Westminster with the help and support of their mother Mina Dich (right), the jury was told Boular allegedly struck up a friendship with an ISIS female recruiter, Umm Isa Al-Amriki, based in Aleppo, and would retweet ISIS material posted by her, and they later spoke on Telegram, the court heard. Al-Amriki, who was married to an ISIS fighter, was killed in a drone strike in May 2016. Boular had developed a group of contacts within ISIS through her, and received videos of executions and propaganda, jurors were told. During one chat, Hussain asked Boular how she would kill President Barack Obama 'if u had da choice', the court heard. She told him 'shake my hand with Mr President' and sent two images of explosions. During one chat, on 16 August 2016, they discussed marriage, having children and the 3,000 Hussain had sent to fund their travel, the court heard. In a later message, she said: 'When ur teaching me how to use it in sha Allah Don't actually pull the pin k.' Hussain then told her 'it is us vs' followed by a photo of former US President Barack Obama. 'This was not a conversation in which Mr Hussain was bullying Safaa or tricking her,' said Mr Atkinson. 'This was a conversation in which she was signing up to what he was suggesting.' The Old Bailey were told she planned to attack people at random at the British Museum When Hussain was killed on April 4 last year, she allegedly arranged to receive weapons in order to conduct an attack in the UK, and received instructions on how to train and use weapons, the court heard. Mr Atkinson, told the Old Bailey: 'Based on her preparation and discussion, it appears she planned to launch an attack against members of the public, selected largely at random, in the environs of that cultural jewel and most popular of tourist attractions, the British Museum, in central London. 'This would have been an attack that would, at the very least have caused widespread panic, but was intended to involve the infliction of serious injury and death.' She also told a police officer posing as an ISIS fighter that all she needed was a 'car and a knife to get what I want to achieve', the court heard. After Safaa, 18, was remanded in custody she encouraged her older sister to carry out an attack instead, referring it to as a 'party', it was said. Boular, 18, sat in the dock at the Old Bailey next to a custody officer. She denies terrrorism Prosecutor Mr Atkinson said Boular had intended to carry out an attack using a 'Tokarev', a type of Russian pistol, or a grenade, referred to as 'pineapples'. Mr Atkinson told the Old Bailey: 'This was therefore a plan to unleash violence and terror in the heart of London, and more particularly at a location busy with members of the public and tourists.' Boular allegedly told an undercover officer Hussain she 'mentioned something about a British Museum and the tokarev and pineapple.' Boular was remanded into Medway Secure Training Unit in Kent on April 12, but phone calls with her older sister and their mother showed the plan was to be handed over to Rizlaine. Within a week they were discussing having a 'party', which the prosecution suggested was code for a terrorist attack. Rizlaine Boular later told her they would be having a 'party' on April 27, the court heard. Boular joked about putting flowers in Westminster after last year's terror attack, the jury heard References were made to 'recipes', to what people would wear, as well as to 'mad hatters tea party' and 'Alice in Wonderland', jurors were told. The prosecutor said: 'Rizlaine Boular admitted she was going to carry out an attack on that day.' On April 25 Rizlaine and her mother went on a reconnaissance journey around the major landmarks in Westminster and the next day bought a pack of knives, including one with a six inch blade, and a rucksack, jurors heard. In his opening speech, defence barrister Joel Bennathan QC said: 'Safaa Boular was groomed. She was a child who was sexually groomed. 'Someone who was groomed to be radicalised. That's what happened to this young person. 'She was at the age of 15 in ill health with badly controlled diabetes, from an unhappy, very difficult home background. An unloved 15-year-old when suddenly she found new friends.' Investigators listened in to calls Boular made from Medway Secure Training Unit in Kent But the woman she had befriended was actually an ISIS recruiter, jurors heard. She also found a man, Naweed Hussain, who appeared to 'like her and love her', the QC added. But he was a married man in his 30s with ISIS in Syria. 'He made it his business to recruit and radicalise women. A number of women over the internet, groomed, sexually groomed we say,' Mr Bennathan said. He added: 'You might think she suddenly got what she never got before - which was approval, warmth, admiration and love. 'Even with a very normal teenager talking on their phone, it's probably a mix of some truth, some exaggeration, some make belief fantasies about what they think will impress people. 'You really can't take what she is saying literally as the prosecution would have you do.' He said the evidence of her allegedly plotting a UK attack 'doesn't get close to showing she had that real genuine intention'. He added: 'Did her family stop this process happening? No, they encouraged it, they celebrated it.' Safaa Boular denies two charges of preparing acts of terrorism between January 1 2016 and April 13 2017.
Police identify British man as assailant and arrest eight in probe into deadly attack near UK parliament. The suspect of a deadly attack outside the UK parliament in London was British-born, Prime Minister Theresa May said, as police arrested eight people after several overnight raids across the country. British police named the man as Khalid Masood, saying he had a string of criminal convictions. Masood, 52, was born in Kent to the southeast of London and had been most recently living in central England, London police said. "Masood was not the subject of any current investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack," a police statement said. "However, he was known to police and has a range of previous convictions for assaults, including GBH [grievous bodily harm], possession of offensive weapons and public order offences." He had not been convicted previously for any terrorism offences, it said. In a statement to the House of Commons on Thursday, May said Masood was once investigated by intelligence officers over concerns of "violent extremism". "He was a peripheral figure," she said. "The case is historic, he was not part of the current intelligence picture." The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group claimed responsibility on Thursday for the attack. It said on its Amaq website the attacker "carried out the operation in response to calls for targeting citizens of the coalition" of countries fighting ISIL in Syria and Iraq. It was not possible for MWC News to independently confirm the claim, which did not offer any details of the attack or name Masood, casting doubt on whether there is any direct link between ISIL and the London killings. Some 40 people were wounded in the attack, 29 of whom were being treated in hospital, according to police. Seven were still in critical condition. May said those wounded in the attack included 12 Britons, three French children, two Romanians, four South Koreans, two Greeks, and one each from Germany, Poland, Ireland, China, Italy and the United States. Three police officers were also wounded. The victims included Keith Palmer, a 48-year-old police officer who was stabbed to death, and two members of the public - a woman in her mid-40s and a man in his mid-50s. The fourth death was the attacker. Earlier on Thursday, police said eight people had been arrested after raids on six homes in London, Birmingham and other parts of the country in their investigation into the attack, in which a man ploughed into pedestrians in a car and then went on a stabbing spree before being shot dead. Mark Rowley, acting deputy commissioner at the Metropolitan police, also revised down the number of victims to three from four. "It is still our belief that the attacker acted alone [and] was inspired by international terrorism," Rowley said. Rowley said he had no specific information about any further risk to the public, but repeated that more officers were on the streets - armed and unarmed - and that many had leave cancelled or were working extended hours. "We saw a black vehicle at full speed and it ran down a number of people. I could see people flying all around," tourist Babi Nagy said. "Immediately it came to mind this was a terrorist attack." Polish politician and journalist Radoslaw Sikorski posted a video on Twitter of the aftermath on the bridge, showing several wounded people lying on the ground. "As I was walking up the steps, there was a man who had fallen and medics were taking care of him. There was a lady who was also stabbed or shot. There was a lot of blood," Martin Pearce said at the scene. The last major attack to hit London was in July 2005, when a coordinated series of bomb blasts targeted its public transportation system during rush hour. The bombings killed 52 people and wounded more than 700 others. Mayor Sadiq Khan said Londoners will "never be cowed by terrorism". "There will be additional armed and unarmed police officers on our streets from tonight in order to keep Londoners, and all those visiting our city, safe," he said. "I want to reassure all Londoners, and all our visitors, not to be alarmed." Leaders across the world condemned the attack, while lights on the Eiffel Tower in Paris were switched off at midnight in solidarity with victims of the attack. US President Donald Trump and French President Francois Hollande both spoke to May and Chancellor Angela Merkel said Germany stood with Britons "against all forms of terrorism". "Spoke to UK Prime Minister Theresa May today to offer condolences on the terrorist attack in London," Trump tweeted. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that "Turkey feels and shares deeply in the United Kingdom's pain" and that it stood in "solidarity" with Britain "in the fight against terrorism". Several international tourists visiting one of London's most iconic sights were caught up in the violence. Five South Korean tourists were wounded, Seoul's foreign ministry said, while the Romanian government said two of its citizens were also injured. Samir Puri, a lecturer in terrorism and security studies at Kings College London, said that the attack raises profound questions over the wisdom of automatically framing such incidents as being of a "terrorist" nature. "If it was a lone attacker, then perhaps we should really be saying that is a criminal and a mass-murderer, and kind of leaving it at that. And I think those are questions that will be quite politically resonant." Puri predicted an upcoming narrative battle between, on the one hand, the British "centre-right tabloid press" who might be eager to try to link the attack explicitly to "jihad" and "international terrorism" and, on the other hand, "voices of caution and tolerance to try to maybe de-link the actions of one individual from any kind of wider community or any kind of wider cause". "I think what we should say, even at the outset, is to handle all of these messages with extraordinary care, because this is the way in which terrorism has a disproportionate impact on public opinion."
Police name alleged attacker involved in Westminster terrorist attack Newbury MP among people confined in Parliamentary lock-down POLICE have named the alleged attacker involved in the Westminster terrorist incident outside the Houses of Parliament yesterday (Wed) afternoon. According to the Metropolitan Police, he was Khalid Masood, aged 52, who was born in Kent and lived in the West Midlands. Police earlier today confirmed four people died in the terrorist attack, including the attacker, who was armed with a knife and shot by police at the scene and died shortly afterwards. An unarmed policeman who died was named as Pc Keith Palmer. A London college worker who died has also been named as Aysha Frade and the fourth person who died has also been named as Kurt W Cochran, a US tourist. 40 people were injured, including other police officers. Seven of the injured remained critically ill in hospital today. Eight arrests have been made, including in London and Birmingham, after the House of Commons yesterday became the scene of a lock-down, with gun shots heard in Westminster, following the attack. An increased police presence across the UK was announced by New Scotland Yard yesterday evening. One minutes' silence was held before the start of today's Parliamentary proceedings. Newbury MP Richard Benyon was among MPs shut inside the main Parliamentary chamber for several hours. Mr Benyon yesterday Tweeted he was among MPs locked inside Parliament following the attack in which the armed man attempted to enter the House of Commons. Mr Benyon told NewburyToday that he had walked through the gate just minutes before the attack. I came in just a couple of minutes before it happened at that gate. I didnt hear anything but others said that people jumped through the barriers and over the gate and attacked a policeman. Shots were fired and theres a man down," he said. Im sitting here in the chamber. Were in lock down which usually means they are worried about someone still on the premises or a secondary attack; but everyone is very calm. Mr Benyon said that he told his staff to stay in his office and to wait for the all clear to be given. "Theres about 400 people sat in the chamber and we are well protected but the parliamentary estate is a very big rambling area and there are lots of nooks and crannies. It will take quite some time I imagine, he said. According to eye-witness reports on social media, several bodies were reported on Westminster Bridge after people were mowed down by a vehicle, which then crashed into railings outside Parliament. Prime Minister Theresa May was rushed away in a car from Parliament by armed police. Downing Street afterwards confirmed Mrs May was unharmed. The Metropolitan Police said police were called at approximately 2.40pm, initially to a firearms incident. Parties of schoolchildren were visiting Parliament, including some from Hampshire. Occupants were safely escorted outside the parliamentary building around 4.30pm, however MPs within the House of Commons chamber remained under the lock down at 6.30pm. Other MPs were evacuated to Westminster Abbey. At 5.30pm, armed police were seen combing the Palace of Westminster, after it was earlier thought there may have been a second suspected terrorist. North West Hampshire MP Kit Malthouse also earlier Tweeted: "House in lockdown following shooting incident outside palace. All NW Hants team found and safe." London tube stations afterwards closed included Westminster and Westminster Bridge.
Terrorism Timeline Timeline View Munich Olympics Massacre The Munich massacre was an attack during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany, at which eleven Israeli Olympic team members were taken hostage and eventually killed, along with a German police officer, by the Palestinian terrorist group Black September. Shortly after the crisis began, they demanded 234 prisoners jailed in Israel and the German-held founders of the communist Red Army Faction (Andreas Baader and Ulrike Meinhof) be released. The terrorists and hostages were taken to Frstenfeldbruck airport by helicopter. The Germans had decided to confront the terrorists at the airport and had snipers waiting for them. Once on the ground, the terrorists realized there was a trap. Snipers started shooting at them and they shot back. Two terrorists and one policeman were killed. A stalemate then developed. The Germans requested armoured cars and waited for over an hour for them to arrive. The terrorists realised they were trapped and shot their hostages before the police could stop them. Three terrorists survived the attack and were taken into custody. Less than two months later, the three remaining terrorists were released by the German government after two other Black September members hijacked a plane and threatened to blow it up unless the three were released. Following the massacre, the Israeli government organized a retaliation against Black September, called Operation Wrath of God. Dublin & Monaghan pub bombings The Dublin and Monaghan bombings of 17 May 1974 were a series of coordinated terrorist attacks in Dublin and Monaghan, Ireland. Three bombs exploded in Dublin during rush hour and a fourth exploded in Monaghan almost ninety minutes later. They killed 33 civilians and injured almost 300. The bombings were the deadliest attack of the conflict known as the Troubles, and the deadliest terrorist attack in the Republic's history. Most of the victims were young women, although the ages of the dead ranged from five months to 80 years. The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), a loyalist paramilitary group from Northern Ireland, claimed responsibility for the bombings in 1993. It had launched a number of attacks in the Republic since 1969. There are allegations taken seriously by inquiries that elements of the British state security forces helped the UVF carry out the bombings, including members of the Glenanne gang. The Irish Parliaments Joint Committee on Justice called the attacks an act of international terrorism involving British state forces. No-one has ever been charged with the bombings. Birmingham pub bombings On 21 November 1974, bombs exploded in two pubs in Birmingham. The explosions killed 21 people and injured 182. The attacks were seen as the deadliest act of terrorism to occur in the UK between the Second World War and the 2005 London bombings. Six Irishmen were arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment. These men became known as the Birmingham Six, and maintained that they were innocent. After 16 years imprisonment, their convictions were declared unsafe and unsatisfactory and were quashed by the Court of Appeal in 1991. The Provisional Irish Republican Army have never officially admitted responsibility for the bombings, but in 2014 a former senior officer confessed their involvement. Grand Mosque Siege, Mecca The Grand Mosque seizure occurred during November and December 1979 when extremist insurgents calling for the overthrow of the House of Saud took over Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The insurgents declared that the Mahdi (the "redeemer of Islam") had arrived in the form of one of their leaders  Mohammed Abdullah al-Qahtani  and called on Muslims to obey him. In the early morning of 20 November 1979, the imam of the Grand Mosque was preparing to lead prayers for the fifty thousand worshipers who had gathered for prayer. He was interrupted by insurgents, led by Juhayman al-Otaybi, who produced weapons from under their robes, chained the gates shut and killed two policemen who were armed with only wooden clubs. The number of insurgents has been given as "four to five hundred" and included several women and children who had joined al-Otaybi's movement. Soon after the rebel seizure, about a hundred security officers of the Ministry of Interior attempted to retake the mosque, but were turned back with heavy casualties. The survivors were quickly joined by units of the Saudi Arabian Army and Saudi Arabian National Guard. The battle lasted for more than two weeks, and had officially left 255 dead and another 560 injured ... although diplomats suggested the toll was higher. US Embassy bombing, Beirut The United States embassy bombing was a suicide bombing in Beirut, Lebanon, that killed 63 people, mostly embassy staff members, several soldiers and one Marine. 17 of the dead were Americans. It is thought of as marking the beginning of anti-U.S. attacks by Islamist groups. The attack came in the wake of the intervention of a Multinational Force, made up of Western countries including the U.S., in the Lebanese Civil War, to try to restore central government authority. On the afternoon of 18 April 1983 a van gained access to the embassy compound, and packed with about 2,000 pounds (910kg) of explosives, exploded at the front of the embassy building. U.S. President Ronald Reagan denounced the "vicious terrorist bombing" as a "cowardly act". US envoys continued their peace mission in Beirut to discuss Lebanese troop withdrawals with a renewed sense of urgency. A pro-Iranian group calling itself the Islamic Jihad Organization took responsibility for the bombing in a telephone call to a news office immediately after the blast. The anonymous caller said, "This is part of the Iranian revolution's campaign against imperialist targets throughout the world. We shall keep striking at any crusader presence in Lebanon, including the international forces. Beirut barracks bombing In 1982, Israel invaded its neighbour Lebanon because the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) was using it as a base for its terrorist attacks. During this war, a pro-Israeli Lebanese group carried out a massacre of between 800 and 2,000 Palestinian civilians in refugee camps at Sabra and Shatila. To prevent further bloodshed, the USA and other nations sent a peacekeeping force to Lebanon. Many Muslims resented the arrival of these Western forces and believed they were there to help Israel. In 1983, two suicide bombers killed 299 French and American soldiers in their bases at Beirut. Within four months, the Americans withdrew their troops from Lebanon. Years later, Osama bin Laden and other extremists used this as an example to show that the USA would pull out of its Middle Eastern bases and end its support for Israel if it was directly attacked by terrorists. Harrods bombing, London The Harrods bombing refers to the car bomb that exploded outside Harrods department store in central London on 17 December 1983. Members of the Provisional IRA planted the time bomb and sent a warning 37 minutes before it exploded, but the area was not evacuated. The bomb was understood to have detonated killing three police officers as they approached it. As the area was heavily crowded with Christmas shoppers, the blast also killed three civilians and injured a further 90. The IRA Army Council claimed it had not authorised the attack and expressed regret for the civilian casualties. The IRA had been bombing commercial targets in England since the early 1970s, as part of its "economic war". The goal was to damage the economy and cause disruption, which would put pressure on the British government to withdraw from Northern Ireland. Air India Flight 182 Air India Flight 182 was an Air India flight operating on the Montreal, CanadaLondon, UKDelhi, India route. On 23 June 1985, the aircraft was destroyed by a bomb at an altitude of 31,000 feet (9,400 m). It crashed into the Atlantic Ocean while in Irish airspace. It was the first bombing of a 747 jumbo jet. A total of 329 people were killed, including 268 Canadian citizens, 27 Britons and 24 Indians. The majority of the victims were Canadian citizens of Indian ancestry. The incident was the largest mass murder in Canadian history. It was the deadliest terrorist attack involving an aeroplane until the 9/11/2001 attacks. It is also the deadliest aircraft bombing. The main suspects in the bombing were members of the Sikh militant group Babbar Khalsa. The attack is thought to have been a retaliation against India for the operation carried out by the Indian Army to flush out several hundred Sikh militants who were within the premises of the Golden temple and the surrounding structures. Though a handful of members were arrested and tried, Inderjit Singh Reyat, a Canadian national, remains the only person convicted of involvement in the bombing. Singh pleaded guilty in 2003 to manslaughter. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison for building the bombs that exploded aboard Flight 182. The subsequent investigation and prosecution lasted almost twenty years. Hipercor bombing, Barcelona The 1987 Hipercor bombing was a car bomb attack by the Basque separatist organisation ETA which occurred on 19 June 1987 at the Hipercor shopping centre in Barcelona, Spain. The bombing killed 21 people and injured 45. This represents the deadliest attack in ETA's history. Acting on orders received from the ETA leader, three members of ETA's 'Barcelona Commando' Ernaga, Troitio and Simn, decided to place an incendiary bomb inside the store. Controversy surrounded the timing of telephone warnings made before the attack and the authorities' response to them. The attack occurred on a Friday afternoon. The car bomb, hidden in the boot of the vehicle, had been placed on the first floor of the three-storey subterranean car park below the commercial centre. Initially 15 people were killed, 10 of them women (one of whom was pregnant) and 2 children and 3 men. In a subsequent communique ETA claimed that they had given advance warning of the bomb but the police had declined to evacuate the area. The police claimed that the warning had come only a few minutes before the bomb exploded. In 1989 Troitio and Ernaga were given sentences of 794 years in prison and fined more than 1,000 million pesetas. In 2003 Simn was sentenced to 790 years in prison for his role in the attack. Lockerbie bombing / PAN AM 103 On 21 December 1988 an aircraft flying from Frankfurt to Detroit was destroyed by a terrorist bomb, killing all 243 passengers and 16 crew, in what became known as the Lockerbie bombing. Large sections of the aircraft crashed onto residential areas of Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 11 more people on the ground. Following a three-year joint investigation by Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), arrest warrants were issued for two Libyan nationals in November 1991. In 1999, Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi handed over the two men for trial at Camp Zeist, Netherlands after protracted negotiations and UN sanctions. In 2001, Libyan intelligence officer Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was jailed for life after being found guilty of 270 counts of murder in connection with the bombing. In 2003, Gaddafi admitted Libya's responsibility for the Lockerbie bombing and paid compensation to the victims' families. In August 2009, Megrahi was released by the Scottish Government on compassionate grounds after being diagnosed with cancer. Megrahi later died in May 2012, the only person to be convicted for the attack. He had continually asserted his innocence. Tarata bombing Two trucks, each with over 1,000kg of explosives exploded in a business district of the Peruvian capital city, Lima. The blast killed 25 and wounded 155, damaging 183 homes and 400 businesses. This bombing was the start of a week long campaign by the Shining Path terrorist group -and its deadliest. It was preceded by smaller attacks by the militant group against police stations to clear the way and to disorganize the police forces. Once the trucks were in the street, the drivers abandoned their vehicles, leaving them to smash into buildings and force an explosion. In 1992, Peru was in the midst of a civil war, with several violent political insurgencies occurring, Shining Path were involved in these, being a militant offshoot of the Peruvian Communist Party. 1993 World Trade Center Bombing In 1993 a terrorist cell led by Ramzi Yousef detonated a truck bomb in the parking lot beneath the twin towers at the World Trade Center site in Manhattan, New York City. Yousef had planned for the explosion to cause Tower 1 to collapse, leading to the collapse of Tower 2, killing all the civilians inside. However, although the explosion caused significant damage to the parking lot and lower floors of the World Trade Center, the towers remained standing. 6 people were killed in the attack. Yousef had spent time with al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and was the nephew of Khaled Sheikh Mohammad, one of the principal architects of the September 11th 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon buildings. Yousef had received training and financial support from his uncle and al-Qaeda to launch an attack against the United States. In pre-planned letters and his own trial, Yousef cited United States support for Israel as a justification for attacking the World Trade Center. As a symbol of the economic might of the USA, the World Trade Center would remain a target for terrorists linked to al-Qaeda. Mumbai bombings The 1993 Mumbai bombings were a series of explosions that took place in Mumbai, India on 12 March 1993 at locations including the Mumbai Stock Exchange, hotels, banks and a major shopping mall. The coordinated attacks were the most destructive bomb explosions in Indian history. This was first such group of serial bombings in the world. Beginning with a car bomb which exploded in the basement of the Mumbai Stock exchange killing 50 people, a total of 13 bombs exploded throughout Mumbai soon afterwards. A double decker bus was very badly damaged in one of the explosions and that single incident accounted for the greatest loss of life  perhaps up to ninety people were killed. In total the attacks resulted in 257 fatalities and 717 injuries. The attacks were coordinated by Dawood Ibrahim, leader of the Mumbai-based international organised crime syndicate named D-Company, who have been linked to terrorist groups including Al-Qaeda. Ibrahim is believed to have ordered and helped organise the bombings in Mumbai, through his subordinates Tiger Memon and Yakub Memon. The Supreme Court of India gave its judgement on 21 March 2013 after over 20 years of judicial proceedings sentencing over 100 of the accused. However, the two main suspects in the case, Ibrahim and Tiger Memon, have not yet been arrested. Hebron massacre / Cave of the Patriarchs massacre The Cave of the Patriarchs massacre, also known as the Ibrahimi Mosque massacre or Hebron massacre, was a shooting massacre carried out by American-Israeli Baruch Goldstein, also a member of the far-right Israeli Kach movement. Goldstein opened fire on a large number of Palestinian Muslims who had gathered to pray inside the Ibrahimi Mosque (also Mosque of Abraham), at the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron, West Bank. It took place during the overlapping religious holidays of both Jewish Purim and Muslim Ramadan. The attack left 29 people dead and 125 wounded. Goldstein was only stopped after he was overpowered and beaten to death by survivors. The massacre immediately set off mass Palestinian protests and riots throughout the West Bank. Goldstein was widely denounced in Israel and by communities in the Jewish diaspora. Two separate suicide bombings took place in March 1994, carried out by Palestinian militants inside Israel in retaliation for the massacre carried out by Goldstein. A total of 15 Israeli civilians were killed and 34 wounded in the attack, which took place in Afula on April 6, at the end of the forty-day mourning period for Goldstein's victims. Those were the first suicide bombings carried out by Palestinian fighters inside Israel. AMIA bombing The AMIA bombing was an attack on the Asociacion Mutual Israelita Argentina, a Jewish centre, in Buenos Aires in 1994. The attack was the deadliest in Argentinas history, killing 85 and injuring over 300. A van loaded with 275kg of explosives was driven by a suicide bomber into the building and the resulting explosion caused the building to almost totally collapse. This bombing came two years after the bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires, which caused the death of 29 people. No suspects have been convicted of the AMIA attack  leading to calls of incompetence on the part of the Argentinian government. In 2006 two Argentinian prosecutors accused the then government of Iran and the Hezbollah militia as responsible for carrying out the attack. Iran has repeatedly and vehemently denied any involvement in the attack. Tokyo Subway Sarin Attacks The Tokyo subway sarin attack was an act of domestic terrorism perpetrated on March 20, 1995 in Tokyo, Japan, by members of the cult movement Aum Shinrikyo. In five coordinated attacks, the perpetrators released sarin, a powerful nerve gas, on several lines of the Tokyo subway during the rush hour, killing 12 people, severely injuring 50 and causing permanent or temporary vision problems for over 1,000 others. The attack was directed against trains passing through Kasumigaseki and Nagatach, home to the Japanese government. It is the most serious attack to occur in Japan since the end of World War II. The prosecution later said that it was an attempt to bring down the government and install Shoko Asahara, the group's founder, as the "emperor" of Japan. Shortly after the attack, Aum lost its status as a religious organization, and many of its assets were seized. The Diet (Japanese parliament) rejected a request from government officials to outlaw the group, which continues to exist today although it has officially renounced violence. Oklahoma City bombing The Oklahoma City bombing was a domestic terrorist bomb attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. Carried out by Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, the bombing destroyed one-third of the building, killed 168 people, and injured more than 680 others. The blast destroyed or damaged 324 other buildings within a 16-block radius, and destroyed or burned 86 cars, causing an estimated $652 million worth of damage. Within 90 minutes of the explosion, McVeigh was stopped by police for driving without a license plate and arrested for illegal weapons possession. Forensic evidence quickly linked McVeigh and Nichols to the attack; Nichols was arrested, and within days both were charged. McVeigh, a U.S. militia movement sympathizer, had detonated a rental truck full of explosives parked in front of the building. McVeigh's co-conspirator, Nichols, had assisted in the bomb preparation. Motivated by his hatred of the U.S. federal government and angered by its handling of the 1993 Waco siege, McVeigh timed his attack to coincide with the second anniversary of the deadly fire that ended the siege at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas. McVeigh was executed by lethal injection on June 11, 2001, and Nichols was sentenced to life in prison in 2004. It was the deadliest terrorist attack on American soil until the September 11 attacks and still remains the deadliest domestic terrorism incident in United States history. Colombo Central Bank bombing, Sri Lanka One of the deadliest attacks carried out by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE or the Tamil Tigers) during the Sri Lankan Civil War (1983-2009). The bomb was detonated by a suicide bomber driving a lorry which contained 440 pounds of high explosive, killing 91 and injuring 1,400 others. The Tamil Tigers were separatist fighters, aiming for an independent state in the north and east of the island. Ultimately they were defeated in 2009 by the Sri Lankan military. Over the course of its operations, the LTTE carried out many attacks and assassinations, including those of the former Indian Prime Minister in 1991 and the Sri Lankan President in 1993. According to the FBI, the LTTE were the first organization to use suicide belts. Arndale Centre, Manchester The 1996 Manchester bombing was an attack carried out by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) in Manchester, England. The 3,300-pound (1,500kg) bomb, placed in a van on Corporation Street in Manchester city centre, targeted the city's infrastructure and economy and caused widespread damage, estimated by insurers at 700 million (1.2 billion as of 2016). The IRA had sent telephoned warnings about 90 minutes before the bomb detonated. The area was evacuated, but the bomb squad were unable to defuse the bomb in time. Two hundred and twelve people were injured, but there were no fatalities. Although Manchester had been the target of IRA bombs before, it had not been subjected to an attack on this scale; the biggest bomb detonated in Great Britain since World War II. The bombing was condemned by the British and Irish governments. Five days after the blast the IRA issued a statement in which it claimed responsibility, but regretted causing injury to civilians. US Embassy bombings, Nairobi and Dar Es Salaam The 1998 United States embassy bombings occurred on 7 August 1998; over 200 people were killed in truck bomb explosions in two East African cities, at the United States Embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya. The attacks, which were linked to local members of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, brought Osama bin Laden and the terrorist organization al-Qaeda to the attention of the American public for the first time, and resulted in the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) placing bin Laden on its ten most-wanted fugitives list. The bombings are widely believed to have been revenge for American involvement in the extradition, and alleged torture, of four members of Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ) who had been arrested in Albania in the two months prior to the attacks. 213 people were killed in the Nairobi blast, while 11 were killed in Dar es Salaam. An estimated 4,000 in Nairobi were wounded, and another 85 in Dar es Salaam. In response to the bombings, President Bill Clinton ordered a series of cruise missile strikes on targets in Sudan and Afghanistan, announcing the planned strike in a prime time address on American television. Omagh bombing The Omagh bombing was a car bombing that took place in Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It was carried out by the Real Irish Republican Army, a Provisional Irish Republican Army splinter group who opposed the IRA's ceasefire and the Good Friday Agreement. The bombing ultimately killed 31 people (including a mother pregnant with twins) and injured some 220 others, the highest death toll from a single incident during the Troubles. Telephoned warnings had been sent about 40 minutes beforehand, but were inaccurate and police had inadvertently moved people towards the bomb. The bombing caused outrage both locally and internationally, spurred on the Northern Ireland peace process, and dealt a severe blow to the 'dissident' republican campaign. The Real IRA apologized and declared a ceasefire shortly after. The victims included people from many backgrounds: Protestants, Catholics, a Mormon teenager, five other teenagers, six children, a mother pregnant with twins, two Spanish tourists, and other tourists on a day trip from the Republic of Ireland. Both unionists and Irish nationalists were killed and injured. 1999 London nail bombings David Copeland, who became known as the London nail bomber let off three nail bombs over successive weekends in Brixton, Brick Lane and finally Soho. The bombs resulted in three deaths and over 100 injuries and were targeted at Londons black, South Asian and gay communities. Copeland, a Neo-Nazi and former member of the British Nationalist Party and the then Nationalist Socialist Movement, placed holdalls filled with up to 1,500 four-inch nails at each target location. Despite being diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and pleading for manslaughter he was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. The first bomb, in Electric Avenue (the site of Brixton market), may have resulted in more severe injuries had it not been moved by a young trader -who grew suspicious of the unattended bag- away from the central market area. This trader realized the bag was actually a bomb and notified the police, but just as they were arriving the bomb detonated. The second bomb was picked up by a man on Brick Lane and brought to the police station, which was shut, and exploded in the boot of his car. The third and final bomb detonated on Friday evening at a pub in the centre of Londons gay scene, causing three deaths. 11 September attacks 19 terrorists from al-Qaeda, hijacked four commercial airplanes, deliberately crashing two of the planes into the upper floors of the North and South towers of the World Trade Centre complex and a third plane into the Pentagon in Arlington. The Twin Towers ultimately collapsed because of the damage sustained from the impacts and the resulting fires, which weakened the support columns. After learning about the other attacks, passengers on the fourth hijacked plane, Flight 93, fought back, and the plane was crashed into an empty field in western Pennsylvania about 20 minutes by air from Washington, DC. In total the attacks killed 2,977 people, 2,753 people were killed in New York, 184 people were killed at the Pentagon and 40 people were killed on Flight 93. When the towers were struck, between 16,400 and 18,000 people were in the WTC complex, as many of these rushed out, emergency services were rushing in to try and save those injured or trapped. (For further information on 9/11, its causes and consequences, please see the other resources on our website). The shoe bomber On December 22nd 2001, only months after the September 11th terrorist attacks, Richard Reid, also known as the shoe bomber attempted to detonate an explosive device packed into the shoes he was wearing, while on American Airlines flight 63 from Paris to Miami. Reid, a British citizen of British and Jamaican decent, was involved in petty crime and converted to Islam while in prison; later becoming radicalised. In 2001 Reid is believed to have travelled to Afghanistan and Pakistan to receive training with Al-Qaeda. It was in Afghanistan that Reid was given 'shoe bombs'; footwear laden with explosives adapted to be smuggled onto planes, as part of al-Qaedas broader strategy to target aviation. While aboard passenger flight 63 from Paris to Miami, Reid caught the attention of crew and passengers while trying to light matches in order to detonate the explosives in his shoes. It took several passengers to restrain Reid, and the flight was immediately diverted to the nearest US airport - Logan International, Boston, where Reid was arrested upon landing. On 16th January 2002, Reid was charged with eight criminal counts related to terrorism, to which he pleaded guilty. He was sentenced to 3 life sentences with no possibility of parole. During his trial, Reid stated he was an enemy of the United States and in league with Al-Qaeda, as well a soldier of God under the command of Osama Bin Laden. Passover massacre A suicide bombing, known as the Passover massacre, was carried out by Hamas, at the Park Hotel in Netanya, Israel on 27 March 2002 during the Passover Seder. A Palestinian bomber, Abdel-Basset Odeh, disguised himself as a woman and entered the hotel carrying a suitcase containing explosives. He successfully passed the security guards and detonated the bomb. 30 people were killed and 140 were injured. Bojaya massacre The Bojaya massacre occurred against the backdrop of violent conflict between the rebel militant left wing group FARC and the paramilitary group AUC. The AUC were positioned in a church in the Colombian town of Bojaya and were using civilians as a human shield. FARC fired gas cylinder bombs into the city, one bomb exploded in the church and killed 119 civilians. A UN investigation found FARC guilty of breaking international humanitarian law with regards to failing to distinguish between civilian and combatant and causing unnecessary civilian casualties. AUC were found guilty of using civilians as human shields and failing to protect civilians from the effect of their military operations. Bali bombings The 2002 Bali bombings occurred on 12 October 2002 in the tourist district of Kuta on the Indonesian island of Bali. The attack killed 202 people (including 88 Australians, 38 Indonesians, and people from more than 20 other nationalities). A further 209 people were injured. Various members of Jemaah Islamiyah, a violent Islamist group, were convicted in relation to the bombings, including three individuals who were sentenced to death. The attack involved the detonation of three bombs: a backpack-mounted device carried by a suicide bomber; a large car bomb, both of which were detonated in or near popular nightclubs in Kuta; and a third much smaller device detonated outside the United States consulate in Denpasar, causing only minor damage. An audio-cassette purportedly carrying a recorded voice message from Osama bin Laden stated that the Bali bombings were in direct retaliation for support of the United States' war on terror and Australia's role in the liberation of East Timor. Podshipnikov Zavod Theatre hostage crisis, Moscow The Moscow theatre hostage crisis was the seizure of a crowded Dubrovka Theatre by 40 to 50 armed Chechens on 23 October 2002 that involved 850 hostages and ended with the death of at least 170 people. The attackers claimed allegiance to the Islamist militant separatist movement in Chechnya. They demanded the withdrawal of Russian forces from Chechnya and an end to the Second Chechen War. The attackers had numerous explosives, with the most powerful in the centre of the auditorium, that, if detonated, could have brought down the ceiling. After the murder of two female hostages two-and-a-half days in, Spetsnaz operators from Federal Security Service (FSB) Alpha and Vega Groups, supported by a Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) SOBR unit, pumped an undisclosed chemical agent into the building's ventilation system and raided it. All 40 of the attackers were killed, with no casualties among Spetsnaz; about 130 hostages died, including nine foreigners, due to adverse reactions to the gas. All but two of the hostages who died during the siege were killed by the toxic substance pumped into the theatre to subdue the militants. The use of the gas was widely condemned as heavy-handed. Madrid train bombs The 2004 Madrid train bombings were nearly simultaneous, coordinated bombings against the commuter train system of Madrid, Spain, three days before Spain's general elections. The explosions killed 192 people and injured around 2,000. The official investigation by the Spanish judiciary found that the attacks were directed by an al-Qaeda-inspired terrorist cell, although no direct al-Qaeda participation has been established. The Spanish judiciary stated that a loose group of Moroccan, Syrian, and Algerian Muslims and two Guardia Civil and Spanish police informants were suspected of having carried out the attacks. On 11 April 2006, the courts charged 29 suspects for their involvement in the train bombings. Bombing in Ba`qubah, Iraq The 2004 Baqubah bombing occurred next to a local market and a police station on 28 July 2004, in Baquba, Diyala Governorate in Iraq, targeting civilians that were lined up waiting to sign up as police volunteers. According to witnesses, a suicide car bomber rammed his vehicle into the queue outside the building and detonated the explosive charges. The force of the blast was huge and destroyed a minivan that was parking nearby, killing all 21 people inside. A total of 68 Iraqis perished in the attack and scores more were wounded. The city of Baqubah was declared to be the centre of operations for Al-Qaeda in Iraq in late 2003 - early 2006, then it became a major location for Islamic State, before US troops moved in and forced the group to relocate. It was the site of almost daily incidents, including major attacks in 2004-2005, 2008 and 2010. Beslan School Siege The Beslan school siege started on 1 September 2004, lasted three days, involved the capture of over 1,100 people as hostages (including 777 children), and ended with the deaths of at least 385 people. A group of armed Islamist terrorists, mostly Ingush and Chechen, occupied School Number One (SNO) in the town of Beslan, in the Russian region of North Ossetia. The hostage-takers demanded recognition of the independence of Chechnya, and UN and Russian withdrawal from Chechnya. On the third day of the standoff, Russian security forces stormed the building with the use of tanks, incendiary rockets and other heavy weapons. At least 330 hostages were killed, including 186 children, with a significant number of people injured and reported missing. In the wake of Beslan, the government proceeded to toughen laws on terrorism and expand the powers of law enforcement agencies. One spokesman for the Chechen independence cause stated, "Such a bigger blow could not be dealt upon us...People around the world will think that Chechens are monsters if they could attack children". London Transport Bombings The 7 July 2005 London bombings, often referred to as 7/7, were a series of coordinated terrorist suicide bomb attacks in central London which targeted civilians using the public transport system during the morning rush hour. Four Islamist extremists separately detonated three bombs in quick succession aboard London Underground trains across the city and, later, a fourth on a double-decker bus in Tavistock Square. Fifty-two civilians were killed and over 700 more were injured in the attacks, the United Kingdom's worst terrorist incident since the 1988 Lockerbie bombing as well as the country's first ever Islamist suicide attack. The 52 victims were of diverse backgrounds; among them were several foreign-born British nationals, foreign exchange students, parents, and one British couple of 14 years. All but one were London residents. Three of the bombers were British-born sons of Pakistani immigrants; the other was a convert born in Jamaica. Mumbai railway bombings The Mumbai railway bombings were a series of seven bomb blasts that took place over a period of 11 minutes on the Suburban Railway in Mumbai, the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the nation's financial capital. The bombs were set off in pressure cookers on trains on the Western line of the Suburban Railway network. 209 people were killed and over 700 were injured. A state of high alert was declared in India's major cities and both of Mumbais airports. Some 350 people were detained 36 hours after the incident in Maharashtra; police claim that these were people rounded up for investigations. On 14 July, Lashkar-e-Qahhar, a terrorist organisation possibly linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), claimed responsibility for the bombings. In an e-mail to an Indian TV channel, the outfit says it organised the bombings using 16 people who are all "safe". According to the e-mail, the main motive seems to have been a retaliation to the situation in the Gujarat and Kashmir regions, possibly referring to the alleged oppression of Muslim minorities in certain parts of the region. Yazidi community bombings These were four co-ordinated suicide bomb attacks in the Yazidi towns of Kahtaniya and Jazeera in the Iraqi province of Ninawa. The coordinated bombings involved a fuel tanker and three cars. Iraqi Red Crescent's estimated the bombs killed 500 and wounded 1,500 people, making this the Iraq War's deadliest car bomb attack during the period of major American combat operations. For several months leading up the attack, tensions had been building up in the area, particularly between Yazidis and Sunni Muslims. Leaflets were distributed denouncing Yazidis as "anti-Islamic" and warning them that an attack was imminent. The blasts targeted the Yazidi, a religious minority in Iraq. The coordinated bombings involved a fuel tanker and three cars. No group claimed responsibility for the attack. Iraq's President, Jalal Talabani, accused Iraqi Sunni insurgents of the bombings, pointing at the history of Sunni violence against Yazidis. US authorities suspected the involvement of Al-Qaeda in Iraq/Islamic State in Iraq. Mercaz HaRaz shooting On 6 March 2008, a lone Palestinian gunman shot at multiple students at the Mercaz HaRaz yeshiva, a religious school in Jerusalem, Israel. Eight students were killed and a further eleven seriously injured before the perpetrator was shot dead by a part-time student and off-duty Israel Defence Forces Captain. The attack was committed by Alaa Abu Dhein, a resident of East Jerusalem who worked as a driver that made deliveries to the yeshiva. He entered the school with several magazines, shooting over 500 rounds within a twenty-minute period, before being shot twice by the part-time student. Many of the students at the school are on courses that combine religious study with service in combat units in the Israeli Army. The shooting was criticised by the then UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon who described it as a savage attack. Siege of Mumbai In November 2008, 10 members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, an Islamist militant organisation based in Pakistan, carried out a series of 12 coordinated shooting and bombing attacks lasting four days across Mumbai. Transport terminals, cafes, hotels, cinemas and a hospital were targeted. LeT reiterated its aim to introduce an Islamic state in South Asia and to "liberate" Muslims residing in Indian Kashmir. The attacks drew widespread global condemnation, killing 164 people and wounding at least 308. On 29 November, India's National Security Guards (NSG) conducted 'Operation Black Tornado' to flush out the remaining attackers; it resulted in the deaths of the last remaining attackers at the Taj Hotel and ending all fighting in the attacks. The Government of India said that the attackers came from Pakistan, and their controllers were in Pakistan. On 7 January 2009, Pakistan confirmed the sole surviving perpetrator of the attacks was a Pakistani citizen. Breivik shootings The 2011 Norway attacks were two sequential terrorist attacks by Anders Behring Breivik against the government, the civilian population, and a Workers' Youth League (AUF)-run summer camp. The attacks claimed a total of 77 lives. The first attack was a car bomb explosion in Oslo. The van was placed next to the tower block housing the office of the Prime Minister, killing eight people and injuring at least 209 people, twelve of them seriously. The second attack occurred less than two hours later at a summer camp on the island of Utya. The camp was organized by the AUF, the youth division of the ruling Norwegian Labour Party. Breivik, dressed in a homemade police uniform and showing false identification, took a ferry to the island and opened fire at the participants, killing 69 of them, and injuring at least 110 people. It was the deadliest attack in Norway since World War II, and a survey found that one in four Norwegians knew "someone affected by the attacks". According to his attorney, Breivik has acknowledged that he is responsible for both the bomb and the shooting during interrogation but denies culpability, as he asserts that his actions were "atrocious but necessary". He held Islamophobic views and a hatred of Islam, and considered himself as a knight dedicated to stemming the tide of Muslim immigration into Europe. Maymana mosque bombing At least 32 people were killed in this suicide bombing of a mosque in northern Afghanistan just as worshippers held morning prayers at the start of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. Most provincial government officials were also at the mosque, which was crowded on the first day of the four-day holiday. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but suicide bombings were commonly used by Taliban Islamists trying to topple the Western-backed government of President Hamid Karzai. Northern Afghanistan was relatively peaceful, with the Taliban, who were ousted from power in a US-led invasion in 2001, concentrating their operations in the south and east of the country. Between 2007 and 2014 over 20,000 people were killed by terrorist attacks in Afghanistan; this mosque bombing is one of many tragic attacks over this period. Kunming mass stabbing A gang of eight knife wielding attackers left 29 people dead and many more injured at Kunming railway station in Yunnan province, south-west China. The attackers were dressed in black, according to eyewitnesses, who also said they targeted civilians indiscriminately. Six of the eight were men, the other two women, all hailed from Xinjiang, a province in northwest China that is home to many ethnic minority groups. The region is on edge and has seen violence for decades as the Uyghur ethnic minority fight for greater independence. It is claimed the attack was partly in response to police suppressing a demonstration there against the closure of a mosque. Four of the assailants were killed at the scene, three were later sentenced to death and one was sentenced to life in prison. Boston Marathon bombing The Boston Marathon bombing was a terrorist attack, and related shootings, that occurred when two pressure cooker bombs exploded during the Boston Marathon in April 2013. The bombs exploded about 12 seconds and 190m apart near the marathon's finish line. The explosion killed 3 civilians and injured an estimated 264 others. The FBI took over the investigation and, on April 18, released photographs and a surveillance video of two suspects. The suspects were identified later that day as Chechen brothers Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev. Shortly after the FBI released identifying images, the suspects killed a policeman, carjacked a civilian car, and initiated an exchange of gunfire with the police in nearby Watertown. During the firefight, a two police officers were injured; one dying from his wounds nearly a year later. Tamerlan Tsarnaev was shot several times in the firefight and his brother subsequently ran him over with the stolen car in his escape. Tamerlan died shortly after arriving at hospital. Dzhokhar said they were motivated by extremist Islamist beliefs and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and that they were self-radicalized and unconnected to any outside terrorist groups. The murder of Lee Rigby On Wednesday 22 May 2013, 25-year-old British Army soldier, Fusilier Lee Rigby of the Royal regiment of Fusiliers, was killed near the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich, Southeast London. Rigby was off duty when his attackers, Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale, hit him with a car before using knives and a cleaver to stab him to death in the middle of the street. The men stood by Rigbys dead body and told passers-by that they were avenging the killing of Muslims by the British armed forces. Adebolajo and Adebowale were both raised as Christians but converted to Islam. Both men were found guilty of Lee Rigbys murder and sentence to life imprisonment. Sue Hemming, head of special crime and counter terrorism at the Crown Prosecution Service, described the attack as an appalling terrorist murder, which was brutal and calculated; it was also designed to advance extremist views. Westgate Mall shootings, Nairobi The attack resulted in at least 67 deaths, and more than 175 people were reportedly wounded in the mass shooting. The extremist Islamist group al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the incident, which it characterised as retribution for the Kenyan military's deployment in the group's home country of Somalia. Many media outlets also suspected the insurgent group's involvement in the attack based on earlier reprisal warnings it had issued in the wake of Operation Linda Nchi from 2011 to 2012. Kenyan authorities arrested dozens of people in the aftermath of the attack, but had not announced any suspects directly related to the siege. Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping On the night of 14-15th April 2014, 276 female students (aged 16-18) were kidnapped from the Government Secondary School in Chibok, Nigeria. Boko Haram, an extremist and terrorist organization based in Northeast Nigeria, claimed responsibility for the kidnappings. Of the 276 children, 53 were able to escape at the beginning of May. In May 2016, Amina Ali, one of the missing girls, was found. She said that the girls were still being held, but that six of them had died. Ali also revealed that the girls are being held in Sambisa forest, where they are being starved and had resorted to eaten raw maize, that some had died in captivity, broken bones or gone deaf from being too close to explosions. Three videos have been released by Boko Haram. A video released on 14 August 2016 showed approximately fifty of the girls, and demanded the release of imprisoned militants in exchange for the girls. It also said that some of the girls have been killed or injured by government air strikes. Another video was released in April 2016, while the first video was released in May 2014, and shows around 130 of the girls reciting the Koran together. Boko Haram (which means non-Islamic education is a sin) have been involved in an armed rebellion against the Nigerian government since 2009, with violence at its height in 2014, when the conflict resulted in over 10,000 deaths. Isla Vista Killing Spree On 23rd May 2014, six people were killed and 14 injured when Elliot Rodger conducted a killing spree at the University of California at Santa Barbaras off campus housing quarter, Isla Vista. Rodger began his attacks in his apartment, where he killed his roommates and another friend - each victim received multiple stab wounds. Rodger was seen sitting in his car following the stabbings, in the parking of his apartment building working on his laptop. It was at this time that he uploaded a video onto Youtube titled Retribution in which he spoke about revenge for his loneliness and rejection from women, as well as his hatred for sexually active men, he also spoke of the details of his planned attack. Straight after he sent an email containing what came to be known as his manifesto - "My Twisted World: The Story of Elliot Rodger", copies were sent to 34 individuals including his parents and therapist. Approximately 3 hours after the first assaults, Rodger proceeded to a sorority house, after not getting an answer at the door he starting shooting people nearby before returning to his car and speeding across Isla Vista, firing 55 rounds of ammunition in total, which resulted in 3 fatalities and 14 injuries within 8 minutes. According to reports released by the Santa Barbara County Sheriffs Office, Elliot Rodger had been planning his attack for more than a year and spent thousands of dollars in arming and training himself. Rodger was found dead by police in his car, with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. All six murder victims were students at the Universty of California, Santa Barbra and were declared dead at the scenes of their attacks. Peshawar school massacre Seven militants from the Pakistani Taliban attacked an army-run school in the north-west of Pakistan, killing 132 children and nine adults. The victims were mostly aged between 12 and 16 and were gunned down in their classrooms by the militants. This was the deadliest ever terror attack to occur in Pakistan and resulted in the death penalty being reinstated for six of the attackers (the seventh and mastermind, Omar Khorasani, was killed in a drone attack in 2016), all of whom were foreign nationals. The massacre sent shockwaves through the country and the Pakistani Taliban was widely condemned. Parallels in the nature and preparation of the attack have been drawn with the Beslan school siege in North Ossetia, Russia, in 2004. Charlie Hebdo shootings Two brothers, Sad and Chrif Kouachi, forced their way into the offices of the French satirical weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris. Armed with assault rifles and other weapons, they killed 11 people and injured 11 others in the building. After leaving, they killed a French National Police officer outside the building. The gunmen identified themselves as belonging to the Islamist terrorist group Al-Qaeda's branch in Yemen, who took responsibility for the attack and blamed Islamophobic cartoons and jokes published in the newspaper. Several related attacks followed in the le-de-France region, where a further five were killed and 11 wounded. France raised its Vigipirate terror alert and deployed soldiers in le-de-France and Picardy. A major manhunt led to the discovery of the suspects, who exchanged fire with police. The brothers took hostages at a signage company in Dammartin-en-Gole on 9 January and were shot dead when they emerged from the building firing. On 11 January, about two million people, including more than 40 world leaders, met in Paris for a rally of national unity, and 3.7 million people joined demonstrations across France. The phrase Je suis Charlie became a common slogan of support at the rallies and in social media. Hyper Cacher kosher deli siege Two days after the Charlie Hebdo shootings, Amedy Coulibaly attacked the people in a kosher food shop in Porte de Vincennes in Paris. Four people were killed in this attack, all of whom were Jewish, as fifteen others were held hostage. In an interview during a stand off with police, Coulibaly said that he had specifically targeted Jews. Coulibaly's wife, Hayat Boumeddiene, was a suspected accomplice. The siege was ended when the police stormed the store, and Coulibaly was shot and killed. It was later revealed that Coulibaly had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and was a close friend of the Charlie Hebdo shooters, Sad Kouachi and Chrif Kouachi, after meeting them in jail in 2005. Sousse beach attack On 28th June 2015, 23 year old electrical engineering student, Seifeddine Regzui, committed a massacre in which 38 people lost their lives, and a further 39 were injured. At around noon, Regzui, strolled along the beach outside the Imperial Marhaba hotel in the popular tourist resort area of Port El Kantaoui, 10km north of the city of Sousse, Tunisia. Regzui opened fire at tourists on the beach, after pulling out a Kalashnivok assault rifle which he had concealed in a parasol, as well as throwing grenades. As holidaymakers fled for their lives, the gunman continued his attack, entering the hotel via the pool area and shooting at more victims. The gunman then left the hotel and began firing in the street before police arrived and returned fire, killing Regzui  an hour after the attack began. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack. Rezgui is believed to have trained at an Islamic State camp in Libya, alongside gunmen who had committed an attack at the Bardo National Museum also in Tunisia, just 3 months before the Sousse attack. According to an Interior Ministry spokesman, it is believed that others helped the attacker at the scene though were not involved directly. The attack received worldwide condemnation. 30 of the victims were British, making it the largest loss of British life in a terrorist attack since the 2005 London bombings. The nationalities of the other victims included 3 Irish, 2 German, 1 Russian, 1 Belgian and 1 Portuguese victim(s). It was also the deadliest terrorist attack in the history of modern Tunisia. Bangkok bombing On 17 August 2015, a bomb exploded in Erawan Shrine in Bangkok, killing 20 people and injuring 125. CCTV footage showed a man, believed to be the bomber, leaving a bag on the floor in the shrine and walking out before the bomb exploded. Adem Karadag was arrested and accused of being the bomber. Police also gave an account of a network of around 17 people who they believed helped to plot, prepare and plant the bomb. Ankara bombings The death toll of 103 civilians outside Ankara Central railway station on 10 October was the deadliest terror attack in Turkeys history. The two bombs that detonated were seemingly targeted at a peace march that was protesting against the growing conflict between the Turkish Army and the separatist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). It was also timed to be close to the upcoming general election to cause maximum disruption. Although no organization claimed responsibility for the attacks, both bombers had links to ISIL, who the Turkish government in turn placed the blame. Metrojet flight 9268 Metrojet Flight 9268 disintegrated above the northern Sinai on 31 October 2015 on route from Egypt to Russia. The aircraft was carrying 217 passengers and seven crew members; all of whom were killed. Of those aboard, mostly tourists, there were 219 Russians, four Ukrainians, and one Belarusian. The possibility that a bomb was put on the aircraft at Sharm el-Sheikh led several countries to suspend flights to that airport. Although the cause was initially unclear, shortly after the crash, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)'s Sinai Branch, claimed responsibility for the incident. By November, British and American authorities suspected that a bomb was responsible for the crash and the Russian Federal Security Service announced on 17 November that they were sure that it was a terrorist attack, caused by an improvised bomb. Beirut bombings Another major attack from ISIL in a short space of time  sandwiched between the Metrojet bomb and the Paris attack and received less media attention as a result. Two men wearing suicide vests were responsible for the attack which killed 43 and injured over 200 civilians; this was the biggest terrorist attack in Beirut since the end of the Lebanese Civil War, 25 years before. The targets were Shia Muslims, with the aim of dividing Lebanon, which was facing political unrest at the time. ISIL were also attempting to pressurize Hezbollah (a Shia paramilitary group and political party based in Lebanon) into withdrawing from Syria where they are helping to fight ISIL. A national day of mourning was held on the day after the attack. Paris attacks Three suicide bombers struck near the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, followed by suicide bombings and mass shootings at cafs, restaurants and a music venue in central Paris. The attackers killed 130 people, including 89 at the Bataclan theatre, where they took hostages before engaging in a stand-off with police. Another 368 people were injured, 8099 seriously. Seven of the attackers also died. The attacks were the deadliest on France since World War II, and the deadliest in the European Union since the Madrid train bombings in 2004. France had been on high alert since the January 2015 attacks on Charlie Hebdo offices and a Jewish supermarket in Paris that killed 17 people and wounded 22, including civilians and police officers. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying that it was retaliation for the French airstrikes on ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq. The President of France, Franois Hollande, said the attacks were an act of war by ISIL planned in Syria, organised in Belgium, and perpetrated with help from citizens of France. All of the known Paris attackers were EU citizens who had fought in Syria. Some of them had returned to Europe among the flow of migrants and refugees. San Bernardino shooting On December 2nd 2015, a terrorist attack consisting of a mass shooting and attempted bombing, killed 14 and seriously injured 22 in San Bernardino, California. The perpetrators were 28-year-old Syed Rizwan Farook, a U.S born citizen of Pakistani descent and 27-year-old, Pakistani-born Tashfeen Malik, who lawfully came to the United States to marry Farook in 2014. The couple had a 6-month-old daughter and were living in the city of Redlands, CA, with Farooks mother at the time of the attack. Farook, who worked at the San Bernardino County Health Department, was attending a holiday party for the department at the Inland Regional Centre, where he left after a dispute and later returned with his wife to carry out the attack. After killing two people outside the building, Farook then opened fire on the 80 employees in attendance. He was followed by Malik - both wore ski masks and black tactical gear and were armed with semi-automatic pistols and rifles. They fired up to 75 rounds before fleeing in a rented SUV. The 14 victims all died of multiple gunshot wounds. The perpetrators left behind three home-made explosive devices, described as pipe bombs, that failed to detonate. Authorities believe they were meant to target the emergency personnel responding to the scene. Four hours later, after having identified Farook from an interview given by a co-worker, police pursued their vehicle and both Farook and Malik were killed in a shootout. Authorities discovered 1,600 rounds of ammunition in the rented SUV; as well as 4,000 rounds of ammunition and bomb-making equipment at the couples home. According to the FBIs investigation, the perpetrators were homegrown violent extremists inspired by foreign terrorist groups. Brussels bombing On the morning of 22 March 2016, three coordinated nail bombings occurred in Belgium: two at Brussels Airport in Zaventem, and one at Maalbeek metro station in Brussels. In these attacks, 32 victims and three perpetrators were killed, and over 300 people were injured. Another bomb was found during a search of the airport. Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) claimed responsibility for the attacks. The bombings were the deadliest act of terrorism in Belgium's history. Two suicide bombers, carrying explosives in large suitcases, attacked a departure hall at Brussels Airport. A third bomb was found in a search of the airport and was later destroyed by a controlled explosion. Another explosion took place just over an hour later in the middle carriage of a three-carriage train at Maalbeek metro station, located near the European Commission headquarters in the centre of Brussels. A total of five attackers were involved, with three of them dying in suicide bombings and the remaining two arrested in the weeks after. All had involvement in the planning and organization of the November 2015 Paris attacks. Orlando nightclub shooting In a phone call to 911 shortly after the shooting began, Mateen swore allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), and stated that the shooting was triggered by the US killing of Abu Waheeb in Iraq in May. Mateen was shot and killed by the police following a three-hour standoff. The attack was the deadliest mass shooting by a single shooter, the deadliest incident of violence against LGBT people in US history, and the deadliest attack in America since the 9/11 attacks in 2001. The CIA found no links between Mateen and ISIL. Jo Cox Murder On 16th June 2016, one week before the EU referendum, Labour MP for Batley and Spen, Jo Cox died after being shot and stabbed multiple times. Cox was on her way to a meeting with voters, at the library in Bristall when the attack took place. Thomas Mair, was found guilty of her terrorist murder. While attacking her, Mair is reported to have yelled: Britain first, keep Britain independent, Britain will always come first and this is for Britain A local man, Bernard Kenny, 77, was also injured in the attack as he tried to fend off the attacker. Mair was sentenced to whole-life imprisonment. The judge claimed that the murder was inspired by admiration for Nazism, and similar anti-democratic white supremacist creeds. Dhaka bakery attack Six militants attacked a bakery and held hostages in Dhaka on the evening of 1 July 2016. 22 civilians were killed, 18 of whom were foreigners, making this the worst terrorist attack in Bangladeshs history. A commando battalion set up a perimeter in the early hours of the next morning and launched a raid to rescue the remaining hostages. 13 hostages were saved, whilst five of the militants were killed during the counter-attack. Whilst ISIL claimed responsibility for the attack, the Bangladeshi government blamed Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen, an Islamic fundamentalist organization that operates in Bangladesh. All the attackers were in their late teens or early 20s and identified as wealthy men from the elite, having attended private schools and universities in Bangladesh and educated with western curricula. Saudi Arabia bombings Four suicide bombings exploded across Saudi Arabia on 4 July 2016. Four people were killed when a bomb exploded in the parking lot of the Al-Masjid an-Nabawi. The second and third suicide bombers targeted the Shia mosque in Qatif, but no one else was harmed. The final explosion occurred after police tried to arrest the suicide bomber near the US consulate in Jeddah. Two Saudi Arabian police officers were injured. The attack was the first ever terror attack that occurred in Medina. No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks but ISIS is suspected. Nice attack On the evening of 14 July 2016, a 19-tonne cargo truck drove into crowds celebrating Bastille Day on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, France. 86 people were killed and a further 434 were injured. The driver, Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, was shot and killed by the police during an exchange of gunfire. Two agencies linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) claimed that the attack was inspired by the organisation. Prosecutor Franois Mollins stated that the attack had been planned for months and that Lahouaiej-Bouhlel had help from accomplices. In August, at least five people were taken into custody on charges of terror offense. In September, 8 more suspects were arrested. Berlin attack A truck was deliberately driven into the Christmas market at Breitscheidplatz in Berlin, leaving 12 people dead and 56 injured. One of the victims was the original driver, Lukasz Urban, from Poland, who was found shot dead in the passenger seat. The subsequent investigation found that the driver had been killed several hours before the truck was driven into the market. The perpetrator was Anis Amri, a failed asylum seeker from Tunisia. Amri had previously been sentenced to four years in prison for violence and robbery, which he served in two jails in Sicily. He was then told to return to Tunisia, but the authorities there refused to accept him, around this time (in 2015) it is believed he went to Germany. After a four day manhunt, Amri was killed in a shootout with police in Milan, Italy. Istanbul nightclub shooting A lone gunman killed 39 and injured 70 more at the Reina nightclub in the Besiktas district of Istanbul at around 01:15 on New Year's Day, 2017. The attacker escaped a police cordon on the night, but was later arrested in the city on January 17, ISIL claimed credit for his actions. 2016 had seen heightened tensions between ISIL and Turkey, as Turkish forces had used military force in Syria against ISIL for the first time. Istanbul had also been subject to several terror attacks, such as an attack on their airport and the Vodafone Arena, which had killed 48 and 46 people respectively. 17,000 police officers were on duty in the city, including one that was shot dead as the perpetrator stormed the nightclub. In the aftermath of the attack, the Turkish government ordered a temporary media blackout, citing concerns over security and public order. The Turkish police forces arrested dozens of individuals before capturing Abdulkadir Masharipov in a residential district of Istanbul on January 17. The Turkish military also carried out attacks against ISIL targets in the Syrian town of al-Bab, killing 22 people. Security sources indicated thatMasharipov was well trained, believed to have received militant instruction in Afghanistan and Pakistan, he is also thought to have had combat experience in Syria. Masharipov is an Uzbek national, who is able to speak four languages. After his arrest, he stated he was directed by ISIL to stage his attack at Taksim Square, but after conducting surveillance, he changed the location of his attack to the Reina nightclub. Westminster attack A car was deliberately driven into pedestrians on the pavement along the south side of Westminster Bridge, killing five and injuring 50. After the car crashed into a perimeter fence at the Westminster side of the bridge, the attacker abandoned it and ran into New Palace Yard where he fatally stabbed an unarmed police officer. A nearby firearms police officer, seeing the attack, shot and killed the assailant. The attack lasted just 82 seconds in total. The perpetrator of the attack was Khalid Masood, a 52 year-old British man who changed his name and converted to Islam in 2005. He had previously served two prison sentences; for grievious bodily harm in 2000 and for posession of an offensive weapon in 2003. Whilst MI5 did know of Masood - in 2010 he had been investigated as a potential Islamist extremist - he was described as a "peripheral" figure and not considered a terrorist threat. The Metropolitan Police said he was not the subject of any current investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack. ISIL claimed responsibility for the attack, but this has been questioned by UK investigative authorities who believe he acted alone, although Masood is believed to have had an interest in jihad. The attack condemned across the UK and the world. On 23 March, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh faith leaders met officers at Scotland Yard to discuss responses to the attack. In the evening of 23 March there was a public candlelit vigil in Trafalgar Square to honour victims of the attack. It was led by the Mayor of London Sadiq Kahn and the Home Secretary Amber Rudd. Manchester Arena bombing On 22 May 2017, a suicide bombing occurred at Manchester Arena in Manchester, England, following a concert by American singer Ariana Grande. The attacker was 22-year-old Salman Ramadan Abedi. Abedi detonated a shrapnel-laden homemade bomb at the exit of the arena after the show. Twenty-two people were killed - including victims as young as eight years old. A further 119 were injured, 23 critically. Abedi was initially suspected of working within a terrorist network, and various people were arrested in connection with the incident. ISIS later claimed responsibility for the attacks though police later said they believed he had acted largely alone. This attack came just weeks after an attack on Westminster and one week before 8 people were killed in a van and knife attack on London Bridge. London Bridge attack In the late hours on the evening of 3rd June 2017, three Islamist terrorists: ringleader Khuram Shahzad Butt, Youssef Zaghba and Rachid Redouane committed the third major terrorist incident in the United Kingdom of the year. Two of the three men were known to police. Butt was a Pakistani born British citizen, an investigation had been opened on him by counter-terrorism officers following reports of him attempting to radicalise children. He was also featured on a Channel 4 documentary The Jihadis Next Door. Zaghba, born in Morocco to a Moroccan father and Italian mother, was living in east London and held a dual Moroccan and Italian citizenship. He was monitored continuously whilst living in Italy and had been placed on a watch list that was shared with several countries including the UK. Redouane was not previously known to police and was claimed to be either Moroccan or Libyan. The three men drove a hired white Renault van into pedestrians on London Bridge, mounting the pavement and killing three. Armed with 30cm kitchen knives tied to their wrists using leather straps, they then fled the van and ran to the Borough market area, where they stabbed four people. The attackers were shot dead within 8 minutes of the incident by City of London and Metropolitan police services. They were also discovered to have been wearing fake bomb vests. In total, eight people lost their life; a Briton, Spaniard, Canadian, 2 Australians and 3 French citizens, with a further 48 injured. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack on the following day. There was a resonance of praise for the emergency services following the incident for their quick and effective response. A vigil was held to remember the victims led by London mayor, Sadiq Khan. Khan was quoted saying  by standing together as a city we will send a powerful message here and around the world - that Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism. Finsbury Park attack On 19th June 2017, as large crowds of worshippers were leaving the Finsbury Park Mosque after their nightly prayers in the holy month of Ramadan, they were struck by a hired van, driven by Darren Osborne, a father of four from Wales. Osborne was not known to police, and was not described as suspicious or racist by his neighbours, friends or relatives, but is said to have been troubled for some time. He drove over 150 miles throughout the evening in the hired van to north London, and mounted the pavement in a similar fashion to the London Bridge attack just weeks before. He was detained by members of the public present before the police arrived. The attacker acted alone and was self-radicalised against Muslims following the recent Islamist attacks in London and Manchester. He was quoted as shouting I want to kill Muslims and this is for London Bridge. The attack has been treated as a terrorist incident by police and terrorism charges have been applied. One person died of multiple injuries, who was already being treated at the scene when the attack happened. A further 10 were injured. The mosque claims to have received letters containing death threats since the incident, and members of the Muslim community as well as politicians have described the attack as evidence of rising Islamophobia in the country. A candlelight vigil was held the same day, and messages of condolences were left at the scene. Prime minister, Theresa May described the attack as every bit as sickening as other recent attacks. Barcelona & Cambrils attacks On the afternoon of 17th August 2017, a van was driven into pedestrians, crashing for about 550m, on La Ramblas in Barcelona, Spain. The attack claimed the lives of 13 victims, and injured a further 130. The driver then fled on foot and hijacked a car, by stabbing and killing his 14th victim. Nine hours later, on the 18th of August 2017 in nearby Cambrils, five men in an Audi A3, thought to be linked to the van attacker, drove the car into a crowd of people before it overturned. The 5 men then exited the vehicle wearing fake suicide vests and began to attack bystanders with knives. Police shot dead all five assailants, who killed one woman and injured 6 others. Younes Abouyaaqoub, believed to be the driver of the van used in Barcelona attack, was shot and killed by police four days later on 21 August, near a gas station in Subirats about 25 miles from Barcelona. The overall death toll rose to 16 after a woman died of her injuries in hospital on 27th August 2017. More than a 100 people from over 34 nations were also injured, 15 critically, in the attacks. Parsons Green explosion On 15 September 2017, at around 8:20am BST, a partial explosion occurred on a busy London Underground train, at Parsons Green tube station, in London, England. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the incident through its news outlet, Amaq. The explosion was the result of a homemade bomb, that had been left in a bucket inside a shopping bag. It is believed parts of the device were bought online. In the aftermath wires could be seen hanging out as well as a black towel. It was reported that the device also had a timer attached and was packed with knives and screws. Security minister, Ben Wallace, said the bomb contained TATP, the same explosive used in the 2005 London Underground bombings and the November 2015 Paris attacks. The improvised device sent a fireball through the carriage during the Friday morning rush hour, leaving some passengers with flash burns and others with crush injuries as a result of the rush to leave the scene. 30 people were injured, 19 of whom were taken to hospital by ambulance, to be treated for mostly burn related injuries. Marseille attack On the afternoon of Sunday 1st October 2017, in the Southern French port city of Marseille, two young women, Mauranne, 20, a medical student rom Marseille, and Laura, 21, a trainee nurse from Lyon, were stabbed to death outside Saint-Charles train station. The attack was claimed by Islamic States media arm, Amaq The suspect arrived at the main station at 13.32 and sat on a bench in the square outside. At 13.45 he approached his first victim whom he stabbed several times, after which he fled the scene only to return and claim his second victim, whom he also stabbed repeatedly. Witnesses reported him shouting Allahu Akbar before each attack. Soldiers patrolling the station then shot the attacker dead as he ran towards them. It is believed he had multiple fake identities that he had been using in France and North African Countries since 2005, but was officially named by police as Ahmed Hanachi, a 29-year-old Tunisian illegal immigrant. Mogadishu attack On 14th October 2017, Somalia witnessed the worst terrorist attack in its history when a blast caused by a truck bombing in the capital, Mogadishu, killed over 350 people and injured over 400. Two attackers, driving a Toyota minivan and large truck carrying both homemade and military style explosives intended to bomb an airport compound in the Somali capital where international peace keeping organisations are based. After the minivan was detained at a checkpoint, the truck detonated earlier than planned, in the heart of the capital. The al-Qaeda linked Jihadist group, Al-Shabaab, are believed to be behind the deadly attack, though no official claim has been made by the organisation. The incident drew international condemnation and Somali president, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, declared three days of mourning following the attack. This was then met with strong protests from the public in a show of defiance. New York attack On 31st October 2017, shortly after 3pm local time, a rented vehicle struck cyclists and pedestrians in New York, as it drove down a cycle path on West Houston Street, Lower Manhattan. It was driven for many blocks before hitting a school bus and coming to a halt. The driver exited the vehicle holding what appeared to be two hand guns before he was shot in the abdomen by a police officer. The incident killed 8 people and injured 12 (including the suspect). It was the worst act of terror New York has seen since 9/11. The attacker was named as Sayfullo Saipov, a 29-year-old Uzbek Immigrant who claimed to be inspired by Islamic State. Videos containing Islamic State propaganda were found on his phone. The attack fits the recent pattern of vehicle attacks perpetrated by Islamic State. Saipov appeared in federal court in a wheelchair the next day where he did not enter a plea, and was then transferred from hospital to prison. New York mayor, Bill de Blasio, called the incident a particularly cowardly act of terror. Sinai mosque attack On 24th November 2017, as worshippers were gathered for Friday prayers in the al-Rawda mosque, in Bir al-Abed, a suicide bomb was detonated. It is reported up to 30 attackers then opened fire on people trying to flee. The attackers also set parked vehicles in the vicinity on fire to block access to the mosque, and fired at ambulances trying to help victims. The attack resulted in a death toll of 305, with a further 128 people injured, and was the countrys deadliest attack in recent history. In response to the attack, the nation set aside three days of mourning, and President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi ordered the armed forces to build a memorial for the victims. Airstrikes were also launched in retaliation by the military at targets in the Sinai, as the president promised to respond with brute force. Islamic state has been linked to the attack. According to eye-witnesses, the Islamic State flag was carried by some of the assailants. Many of the worshippers are believed to be Sufi Muslims; Sufism is seen as heretical by many Jihadist groups, including Islamic State. Carcasonne and Trbes attack On the morning of 23rd March 2018, Moroccan born French national, Radouane Ladkim, 25, killed four people and injured a further 16 after carrying out a series of attacks. The petty criminal known to police and on the radar for links to radical Salafist networks, first approached a parked car in Carcasonne, wounding the driver and shooting dead an accompanying passenger, whose body was later found hidden in a bush. Lakdim then drove the car towards military and police barracks, shooting at four officers returning from a jog, seriously injuring one. The attacker then continued to Super U supermarket in Trbes, armed with a gun, knife and explosives. He is reported to have declared being a soldier of ISIS upon entry and immediately shot dead a staff member followed by a customer. Dozens of shoppers managed to flee before Lakdim proceeded to hold hostages inside the supermarket. The hostage situation lasted over 3 hours, during which the attacker was heard screaming "Vengeance for Syria!" and also demanded the release of Paris attacker Salah Abdeslam. All hostages were eventually released and police officer Lt. Col. Arnaud Beltrame offered to trade places with one of the female hostages who Lakdim was using as a human shield. The officer left his phone on and to one side inside the supermarket, so that his colleagues on the outside could hear his interactions with the attacker. As soon as gunfire were heard, police entered and shot dead Lakdim. Beltrame was shot whilst entering the supermarket, and later died in hospital from bullet and stab wounds. French president, Emmanuel Macron, praised Lt. Col. Arnaud Beltrame in a statement following his death, saying he died in the service of the nation to which he had already contributed so much, by giving his life to end the murderous escapade of a jihadist terrorist, he died a hero." Toronto Van Attack On Monday 23rd April 2018, a rented van mounted a curb, running into pedestrians on a busy stretch of Yonge Street, Toronto, killing 10 people and injuring a further 16. The driver was identified as Alek Minassian, a 25 year old male with connections to the online movement, incel; the term is short for involuntarily celibate and the community that uses the label is typically dominated by men voicing their frustration for their lack of sexual relationships. Moments before the attack, Minassian took to Facebook to share a post: "Private (Recruit) Minassian Infantry 00010, wishing to speak to Sgt 4chan please. C23249161. The Incel Rebellion has already begun! We will overthrow all the Chads and Stacys. All hail the Supreme Gentleman Elliot Rodger!". The post referenced the online image/message board site, 4chan, and Eliot Rodger, who shot six people dead on the University of California campus in Santa Barbara in 2014. The day before the killing spree, Rodger had uploaded a video to the internet complaining about the perceived treatment he received from women. The Incel Rebellion refers to the online movement of those who consider themselves Incels  or involuntarily celibate. Followers of the Incel movement perceive themselves to have been sexually rejected by society, and believe that society is sexually promiscuous, excluding them. Rodger, who Minassian referenced prior to his attack, wrote a 10,000 page manifesto before his rampage. Toronto police announced that the victims were predominantly female, making up 8 of the 10 people who lost their life. The victims ranged in age from 22 to 94. As of 24th April 2018, Minassian has been charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder and 13 counts of attempted murder. On Sunday 29th April 2018 thousands of mourners attended a vigil in Toronto, including Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau. Before the vigil thousands took part in a walk, that roughly followed the route of the attack, and dubbed as a walk of healing and solidarity. Surabaya Suicide Bombing On 13th May 2018, 3 suicide attacks targeting churches were carried out in the Indonesian city of Surabaya, in which 13 people lost their lives. A family of 6 were behind the wave of blasts, which the youngest member being a nine-year-old girl. The two brothers of the family carried out the first attack by detonating explosives they were carrying on motorcycles at the first church location. The other two attacks took place 5 minutes apart, with the mother and 2 daughters detonating suicide vests at one church, while the father of the family targeted another with a vehicle full of explosives. The blasts were coordinated to target those attending morning services. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, with police confirming that the family had recently spent time in Syria. The bombings were the deadliest on Indonesian soil since 2005. Hours later, another exploded in an apartment in the city of Sidoarjo, as police were conducting a raid. The explosion killed 3 adults inside who were believed to be planning similar attacks. The following day, on 14th May 2018, another suicide attack was launched at police headquarters in Surabaya by a family of 5, believed to have been friends with the family who had carried out the deadly church attacks the day before. 4 of the perpetrators were killed in the attack, with the 7-year-old daughter surviving the blast. 10 civilians were injured. Paris Stabbing On 13th May 2018, In Paris, France an attacker stabbed 5 people in the Opera district, which resulted in the death of one 29 year old man. The attacker was Chechen-born Frenchman, Khamzat Azimov, 20, who was shot dead by police at the scene, after initial non-lethal attempts to subdue him failed. Police were praised for their quick response and composure, with French president Emmanuel Macron paying tribute to the courage of the police in neutralising the terrorist. Azimov was reported as shouting Allahu Akbar before staring his stabbing spree in one of the most popular areas of the city. Police revealed Azimov had previously been interviewed by counter-terrorism police for his contact with a group of young people wanting to travel to Syria. He had been on a watch list of people considered a potential security risk since 2016 but was not believed to show any signs of extremism in his everyday life. The attackers parents and a friend were detained for questioning following the incident. Islamic State later claimed responsibility in a brief statement via its news outlet, saying that one of its soldiers had carried out the attack. Lige Shooting On Tuesday 29th May 2018, in the city of Lige, Belgium, Benjamin Herman, who had been given temporary release from prison the day before, stabbed two police officers as they were checking parking meters and then shot them dead with one of their service revolvers. They were identified as Lucile Garcia, 53, and Soraya Belkacemi, 45. He then shot dead university student, Cyriel Vangriecken, 22, who was in the passenger seat of a car stopped at a red light close to where where the officers had been killed. Herman went on to enter a nearby school, taking a cleaner hostage. Herman agreed not to harm the cleaner, named only as Darifa, once he had confirmed that she was a Muslim observing Ramadan. Herman was subsequently shot by police as he left the school building. It was confirmed that Herman shouted Allahu Akbar several times during his shooting spree, and the next day the Islamic States news outlet declared him a soldier of the caliphate. The following day it also emerged that Herman had committed a murder on Monday night as well, killing his former prison-mate, Michael Wilmet by hitting him repeatedly with a hammer in his apartment. The attacks were treated as terrorist murder by prosecutors, with local media reporting that he may have been radicalised whilst in jail. The gunman had been in and out of prison since he was a teenager, with his criminal record including assault and drug offences. Mastung Suicide Bombing On 13th July 2018, in South-Western Pakistan, the country saw its third deadliest attack when a suicide bombing was conducted by the Islamic State during an election rally for Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), in the Mastung area of the Balochistan province. 149 people lost their lives, including the leader of BAP, Siraj Raisani, who was running for a provincial assembly seat. The attack came ahead of the countrys general election on 25th July, in a period which was marked by a number of other violent incidents and attacks. Altogether at least 158 people were killed and more than 670 wounded in about 120 attacks in the six weeks leading up to the election, as reported by Al-Jazeera. Sweida Assault On Wednesday 25th July 2018, in the early hours of the morning, a surprise coordinated offensive by the Islamic State in the city of Sweida and nearby towns and villages in south-western Syria, claimed the lives of more than 240 people. The attack involved four suicide bombings in mainly government-held Sweida, and simultaneous raids in which militants stormed nearby villages, slaughtering civilians, by knocking on doors and shooting them in their homes. Islamic State claimed responsibility by saying 'soldiers of the Caliphate' attacked Syrian government positions and security outposts in Sweida city, then detonated explosive belts. The areas were mostly populated by the minority Druze sect, who were targeted for their belief system as they are considered heretics by the Islamic State. The offensive developed into armed clashes with the local militiamen, with government forces killing two suicide bombers before they had an opportunity to detonate their vests. At least 56 jihadists died carrying out the assault. The attack was one of the deadliest in the history of the Syrian civil war. Danghara, Tajikistan Attack On 29th July 2018, four foreign cyclists in Tajikistan were killed in a terrorist attack claimed by Islamic State (IS). The tourists were on a cycling tour in the central-Asian country. Of the four, two were American nationals, one Swiss and one Dutch, all of whom were hit by a car in Danghara, south-east of the capital Dushhanbe. The attackers then went on to stab their victims. Two other foreigners were also injured during the attack. The following day, IS claimed responsibility  the first for an attack within Tajikistan, citing the assailants as their soldiers. Tajikistan saw some of the largest numbers of citizens from a single country travel to join the jihad in Iraq and Syria. Following the attack, the car was recovered and four suspects were killed by the authorities, along with four others who were arrested; all were Tajik natives.
And it has been revealed that Masood spent his last few hours in a 59-a-night hotel in Brighton. Staff at the hotel said Masood gorged himself on a kebab before travelling to London in the rented Hyundai. TRIP ADVISOR SEASIDE: Police do not know why Masoud was in Brighton Terror in the HEART of London: the Westminster attack as it happened The attack in Westminster has left four people dead and up to 20 injured after a man drove his vehicle into pedestrians, then ran into the grounds of the Houses of Parliament before being shot by police 1 / 55 PA The alleged attacker, with the suspected weapons used in the attack highlighted in red You would have thought if you were hellbent on committing a terror attack you'd chuck it all on a credit card and forget the cost Hotel source No-one knew why he was staying at the hotel, as he brazenly chatted to staff about travelling to London. A hotel source told The Sun: "No one knows why he came. He used a credit card with the name Masood to check in on Tuesday at 11.30am. "Police traced him to the hotel because he got a receipt and left it in the car. London remembers: vigil held to honour the victims of Westminster terror attack Mayor of London Sadiq Khan held a candlelit vigil in Trafalgar Square to honor the memory of those who lost their lives in the Westminster terror attack 1 / 15 Getty Images People gather ahead of a candlelit vigil at Trafalgar Square in memory of the victims of the Westminster terror attack "It was definitely the car he used in the attack because that was parked in the car park when he stayed here. It was a hire car. "He was very English but mixed race with a big beard. "He said he lived above a guitar shop in Birmingham but he's not originally from the Midlands and had a London accent. PA TERRORIST: Masood died after being shot by police "But he said London wasn't like what it used to be. Police told us later it was definitely the Westminster attacker." Police swooped on the hotel after finding Masood's recent in the terror car. Another staff member revealed Masood to be a cheapskate, right up until his death. The source added: "On both occasions he was asking for a cheaper rate. You would have thought if you were hellbent on committing a terror attack you'd chuck it all on a credit card and forget the cost." It is not known why Masood was in Brighton prior to the attack. Staff even liked him so much they put "nice guy" on his records while staying there. Five people, including Masood, were killed in the attack, and 40 have been injured.
The Prime Minister has praised the "extraordinary" bravery of Tobias Ellwood as calls grew for him to be given an honour after he battled to save the life of a police officer in the Westminster terror atrocity. Mr Ellwood, a Conservative Foreign Office Minister, ran towards the gunfire to help Pc Keith Palmer, who was stabbed in the attack. He tried to give the officer mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and stem the blood amid the carnage in New Palace Yard, but the officer died from his injuries. His bravery was praised by many MPs, who had gathered in the House of Commons chamber to listen and respond to Theresa May's statement on the terror attack. But Mr Ellwood, a former soldier and now MP for Bournemouth East, and whose brother Jonathan was killed in the 2002 Bali terrorist bombing, shook his head as a fellow MP called for him to be recognised in the honours list. Conservative MP Matthew Offord (Hendon) said: "Does the Prime Minister agree with me that we should actually use the honours system to recognise those people who made a contribution yesterday, including the honourable member for Bournemouth East?" Picture from PA. Tobias Ellwood in the House of Commons today Mrs May replied: "I think proper consideration will be given to the issue that you raise. "But if I may just say about the member for Bournemouth East, who I spoke to yesterday evening, I think we should all recognise that not only did he show huge professionalism in putting his past training to the use and the hope that he had of rescuing the life of Pc Keith Palmer. "But of course, it was in the middle of a terrorist attack and our right honourable friend is somebody who knows the trauma and tragedy of losing somebody in a terrorist attack." She had earlier singled out the minister for praise, telling MPs: "Yesterday we saw the worst of humanity but we will remember the best. "We will remember the extraordinary efforts to save the life of Pc Keith Palmer, including those by my right honourable friend, the member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood)." MPs packed into the Commons to hear the Prime Minister condemn the terror attack, and several were emotional and on the verge of tears as they spoke. Throughout, Mr Ellwood stood at the back of the chamber with his arms crossed and his head bowed as he listened to his colleagues condemn the attacks and praise the bravery of those, including himself, who helped defend Parliament. Several politicians walked up to have a quiet word with Mr Ellwood and pat him on the shoulder, while others across the chamber glanced over to him as the PM delivered her statement. Mr Ellwood's wife Hannah, a lawyer, spoke of her pride in her husband's actions. She told the Evening Standard: "I'm proud of him." The MP has been hailed a hero after battling to save the life of a police officer stabbed in yesterday's terrorist attack at Westminster. Mr Ellwood, a foreign officer minister, gave CPR and mouth to mouth to the officer in the grounds of the Palace of Westminster amid scenes of chaos. It is not the first time Mr Ellwood's life has been touched by an atrocity, as his brother Jonathan was killed in the 2002 Bali bombing. Mr Ellwood, who was pictured with blood on his face and clothes as he battled to help the police officer, was quoted by The Sun as saying the Westminster incident was a "huge tragedy". "I am a witness, I was the last one on the scene before he died so I am not allowed to say anything. Number 10 has been in touch so I'll get into trouble. "It is now murder, I was on the scene and as soon as I realised what was going on I headed towards it. "It is a huge tragedy, it really is. "I tried to stem the flow of blood and give mouth to mouth while waiting for the medics to arrive but I think he had lost too much blood. "I'm not allowed to say anything, I'll get into trouble. "It's very sad," the newspaper reported him saying. Eyewitness Hugh Dickinson, a 21-year-old student from High Wycombe, posted a picture of Mr Ellwood on Twitter, showing the minister bleeding, but saying "he looked to be fine". Mr Dickinson said: "He had blood on his forehead as you can see but he wasn't bleeding profusely. "It looked like either a smear or graze and you can see some on his cuff too if you zoom in. He looked to be fine - no obvious limp or anything." The Bournemouth East MP is Foreign Office Minister, with the Middle East, Africa and counter terrorism listed among the areas within his brief. His actions drew praise from across the political spectrum, with Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron saying: "He was utterly heroic, pure and simple. He went above and beyond and did all he could to save a police officer." Tory MP Ben Howlett, tweeted: "Tobias Ellwood is an absolute hero for what he did to help the policeman this afternoon!" Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also added to the cross-party praise for Mr Ellwood. "Our thanks and gratitude go to the police and emergency services who responded so bravely, and to those - including the MP Tobias Ellwood - who went to the aid of the injured and dying," he said. Conservative MP Adam Afriyie saw his long-time friend Mr Ellwood try to save the life of the police officer. He told BBC News: "We were going about our duties as MPs. I was walking from Portcullis House to the Westminster chamber to vote. As I was walking through (New) Palace Yard with many other MPs to vote, at about the fifth arch, then suddenly I heard gunfire. "I have heard it before. I recognised it immediately so ducked in behind a pillar. "We were then instructed very quickly by the house services and security services to basically go back to Portcullis House. "I obeyed the instructions and as I turned around and started to walk back, my good friend Tobias Ellwood of 20 years was marching towards us with determination. "I shouted something out to him along the lines of 'You look like you are on a mission'. "He walked straight past and straight to where the incident had taken place. Then it occurred to me that he had lost his brother in Bali and he was going to do anything he possibly could to help the situation. "I am really really proud of him. I am sure his family is too and the rest of us are for actually trying to give life support of the police officer who was injured." Brendan Cox, the husband of murdered MP Jo Cox told Radio Fours Today programme the way to deal with incidents such as this was to focus on the victims and the heroic actions of people like Tobias Ellwood, rather than giving the perpetrator notoriety. As paramedics treated the victim, the foreign minister walked back to onlookers who were watching from a distance, shaken and grim faced. One embraced him before another patted his shoulder. He later arrived back at the Foreign Office. A spokesperson from the Foreign Office said Mr Ellwood was safe and well. Mr Ellwood has been Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Foreign Office since July 2014, covering the Middle East and Africa brief. He has been the MP for Bournemouth East since 2005. Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner, Martyn Underhill said: This reminds us all that police officers put themselves in harms way every day to keep us safe. The officer paid the ultimate price to protect the very seat of democracy in our country. He said he had the utmost respect for Mr Ellwood, who stepped in to try and save a life using his Army training. Four innocent people, including the armed police officer, were killed in the attack yesterday. The attacker, armed with two large knives, mowed down pedestrians with his car on Westminster Bridge, including schoolchildren, then rushed at the gates in front of the Houses of Parliament, stabbing the policeman before being shot dead by other officers. Ipsoregulated This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's Editors' Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then please contact the editor here. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can contact IPSO here
On Tuesday, a terrorist attack occurred on Westminster Bridge about a mile and a half from my flat in central London, killing four and injuring 40, seven of whom are in critical condition. The attack occurred when a car drove into a crowd on Westminster Bridge before crashing into the gate surrounding the House of Parliament. The attacker then reportedly exited the car and fatally stabbed a police officer before being shot down. When I was first alerted of the attack, what struck me was fear. I was less than a mile from the attack, it was ongoing, and I had to get home. There was speculation that this was just one of many attacks planned for around London. I avoided the tube, I half-walked, half-ran the full half mile home, with my palms sweating and pulse quickening. When I finally got to my flat, turned around and locked the door behind me, I thought there would be a sense of relief, safety or comfort. But there was none. Instead, there was a deep emptiness I felt in the pit of my stomach, turning on the BBC and seeing the images of Big Ben and Westminster Bridge shrouded in blood, fear and unsightly human suffering. The golden beacon that is Big Ben was drenched in the shadow of red and blue sirens. It was difficult for me to put into words at the time what exactly I was feeling. I was at home, safe in my flat, and all of my friends were safe as well. I should feel grateful, or at least a sense of relief, but instead I felt horror, and I felt disillusionment. The night after the attack, I couldnt sleep. My mind was racing and once I woke up the next morning, I realized it was not so much that the attacks occurred in a city that I have called home for the last few months, it was Westminster Bridge. Since I have moved here, I have walked across the Westminster Bridge dozens of times. Its a wide, expansive pathway over the Thames River, with low walls that make you almost feel like youre walking on water. Look to your left and you see the London Eye  representing the new, the future of London. Look to your right and you see Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament  rising up against the skyline as a symbol of the stalwart, impenetrable institution of the city of London and their system of democracy. On a good day, the Houses of Parliament glitter in the sunlight as its reflection dances across the Thames. But even still, I wasnt so affected because the attack occurred at a beautiful place. Its because this piece of London belongs to everyone, and thats what kept drawing me back to it. Some parts of London are exclusive, designated for the native Londoner. The Westminster Bridge was never exclusionary. From the second you step onto the bridge for the first time, you belong. It is a piece of London that belongs to everyone. Whether its your first day in London or your last, the bridge belongs to everyone. It is where you become a Londoner. And that is why the attack is particularly gruesome for me. This place, this slice of London that is accessible and recognizable by all, became a scene of heartbreak and pain. I have been those people on the bridge. It was the one place in London that I always felt like I belonged. I was there a few days ago, if it had not been so rainy and cold the day of the attacks, I may have been there again. The day prior I had given someone directions to the bridge, telling them it was a beautiful way to see the city and recommending they go. I hope they didnt. Im still sorting through how I feel about the incident, how long until Ill go back to Westminster Bridge. But I will go back. And when I do, I hope it is still filled with the same joy, awe and sense of belonging that it once was. This part of London still belongs to all of us, it does not and cannot belong to fear.
Stylist.co.uk brings you a fresh take on current affairs and opinion; from food and fashion, to feminist issues affecting you. Subscribe to the Stylist channel to make sure you don't miss out http://bit.ly/SubcribeStylistMagazine The UK was sent into shock this week when on Wednesday (22 March), Khalid Masood ploughed a car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge in London before stabbing a police officer at the Houses of Parliament, killing four people and injuring at least 50 others. While the horrific events have resulted in many people coming together in a show of strength and resilience, others have taken to Twitter to spread further hatred and intolerance online. Now one young Muslim woman has been forced to respond after an innocent image of her walking at the location of the attack has been used as a way of spewing further racial and religious abuse, saying she is shocked, dismayed and devastated. The unnamed woman is pictured wearing a hijab with a grey coat and trainers as she walks past an injured individual. The victim lies on the pavement surrounded by seven other individuals, some of whom are on the phone and offering assistance. The woman has her hand held to her face and appears visibly shocked as she glances down at a mobile phone in her hand. A floral tribute at the site of the attack on Westminster Bridge One Twitter user posted the image online with the caption: Muslim woman pays no mind to the terror attack, casually walks by a dying man while checking phone #PrayForLondon #Westminster #BanIslam. Another stated: A picture says 1,000 words. London terrorist attack, and this Muslim woman can't be bothered to put down her phone.#ReligionOfPeace #MAGA The slew of abuse obviously sparked outrage online, with many users coming to the womans defence and calling out the lack of context to the image. Some have pointed out that other members of the public, including a white male, were photographed passing the scene in the same manner but have not been subjected to such abuse, highlighting the racial and religious sentiment behind the tweets. Both the freelance photographer who captured the image and the woman pictured have now responded, with the woman requesting via Tell MAMA  a project which provides a means for such incidents to be reported, recorded and analysed  that media outlets also stop reproducing the image. The young woman has been subjected to a slew of misdirected abuse While the woman remains unnamed, she has released the following statement: Im shocked and totally dismayed at how a picture of me is being circulated on social media. To those individuals who have interpreted and commented on what my thoughts were in that horrific and distressful moment, I would like to say not only have I been devastated by witnessing the aftermath of a shocking and numbing terror attack, Ive also had to deal with the shock of finding my picture plastered all over social media by those who could not look beyond my attire, who draw conclusions based on hate and xenophobia. My thoughts at that moment were one of sadness, fear, and concern. What the image does not show is that I had talked to other witnesses to try and find out what was happening, to see if I could be of any help, even though enough people were at the scene tending to the victims. I then decided to call my family to say that I was fine and was making my way home from work, assisting a lady along the way by helping her get to Waterloo station. My thoughts go out to all the victims and their families. I would like to thank Jamie Lorriman, the photographer who took the picture, for speaking to the media in my defence. Speaking to MailOnline, the photographer, Jamie Lorriman, explained that he was underneath Westminster Bridge at the time of the attack and began photographing at the scene just moments later. Lorriman said: I saw dozens of people walk past and the woman on the phone had just come from the part of the bridge where most of the victims were struck. That is why she clearly looks mortified and it is obvious that she is in shock. The woman would have seen people under buses  she had just walked past the worst of it. She wasn't the only one walking past injured people and it looked like she just wanted to get off the bridge as quickly as possible. He went on to say that the people who took on that picture are being rather selective. "To assume she was ignoring someone is impossible to know, the look on the woman's face, she's horrified, she's in the middle of a traumatic situation. Tell MAMA has highlighted the impact of the abuse directed at the young woman, stating that the situation has undermined the confidence of an innocent young woman who was also caught up in the melee after the attacks. The reality is that the victim has informed us of her shock having seen and walked into the incident and her further distress on having her pictures circulated by US and UK based anti-Muslim haters. In fact, pictures were also circulated of her with Nazi Swastikas around her arms, thereby playing to anti-Muslim tropes of all Muslims being extremists and potential killers.
Ahrha Thomas, also from Birmingham, said: It was an accident just like anyone would have. He was a good person. He just lost control. I know this guy, he went to the embassy to get his visa to go to Sudan. I know him because we live in the same area. There were two ambulances behind him trying to pass and he tried to get out the way and lost control. A trustee of the Birmingham Central Mosque Nassar Mahmood told Sky News Khater was in London to apply for a visa and had his papers with him. Ahmed Al-Athwari, 48, deputy chairman of the Yemeni community in Birmingham, said: Two to three days before the incident he applied for a visa to visit his country. Thats what I have heard from people in Sudan. I hope its not a terrorist attack. People are shocked. We are lucky nobody was injured or killed. I think it was an accident. The incident became bigger because of the place where it happened. People think he could not do it because he didnt have a bad history. Khater appears to have become a lover of Western music and football and recent posts include pictures of a Sudanese mosque and desert scenes. His Facebook profile includes videos from pop stars Celine Dion, Eminem and Rihanna  including Canadian Celine singing Because You Loved Me in Memphis. He posted another video of Eminem and Rihannas Love The Way You Lie. Khater also supported Al-Merrikh SC  based in Omdurman, Sudan  and was seen wearing an Aston Villa shirt while living in Birmingham. Metropolitan Police Police today released this picture of the battered Ford Fiesta after it crashed outside Parliament Childhood pal Abubakr Ibrahim, 30, told the Sun Online: Hes a good man. The last time I met him was about six years ago. Hes a graduate in electrical engineering at Sudan University. Hes very kind, hes no terrorist, hes a really kind man. When I heard [what had happened] I was surprised. I really cant believe my friend would do that, even cannibals wouldnt do [something like] that. Hes a very good man and he has no idea about terrorism. He explained Khater had moved from his family  including two brothers and a sister  in Sudan around eight years ago. This is the moment a car careered across Westminster before mowing down pedestrians and smashing into barrier at 50mph during a terror rampage Isaac Solomon, 33, who studied at South & City College with Khater said he was a very, very quiet man who didnt have a lot of friends. He had undertaken a Pre Entry English (ESOL) course between 2010 and 2011 before studying for a diploma in science between 2014 and 2017. Worried friends had asked about his well-being on Facebook in 2011 after he went silent. Khater later wrote: Everybody had idea to say something and i will promise i will not disappear again and i will to be close to all my friend and i apologise for that thing. Terror cops yesterday raided two addresses in Birmingham, including the suspects last known address, and a house in the Radford area of Nottingham. @SnapperSK Terror suspect Salih Khater had been believed to live above this internet cafe in Sparkhill, Birmingham Two uniformed cops on guard dived for cover as the front of the Fiesta crumpled on impact with smoke billowing from its engine. The silver Ford Fiesta crashed into a barrier near Parliament ITV A 29-year-old man, ho has been named by locals as Salih Khater, has been arrested on suspicion of terror offences Facebook Khater, 29, is said to have driven down from Birmingham to London late on Monday night A man and a woman were taken to hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries and have since been discharged, while another man was treated at the scene. The man was arrested on suspicion of terror offences and taken into custody at a South London police station, but refused to cooperate with cops. The Metropolitan Police said today: Given that it appears to have been a deliberate act, the method used and the iconic location, it is being treated as a terrorist incident and the investigation is being led by officers from the Mets Counter Terrorism Command. It has since emerged he drove 115 miles from Birmingham to London on Monday night and drove around Tottenham Court Road area between 1.25am and 5.55am before heading to Westminster and Whitehall at 6am. He then circled the area before ramming through a group of cyclists waiting at lights  leaving bikes strewn across the road. A builder said: There were ten to 15 cyclists and he went through them. He kept driving on and smashed into the gates. There were about three or four cyclists left on the floor. There were people chasing after him. The Ford Fiesta is recovered from the scene of the rampage by police late on Tuesday PA:Press Association Forensic officers by the car that crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament on Tuesday night PA:Press Association A security barrier is moved by a forklift truck in Westminster after the a car mowed down people on the morning commute PA:Press Association Forensic officers by the car that crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament, Westminster, London The driver is handcuffed after he drove his car into barriers outside Parliament at around 7.40am on Tuesday morning The suspect is led away from the scene by armed cops following the chaos during the Tuesday morning rush hour Jamie Lorriman Bicycles were left on the ground following the rampage at the scene of another terror attack Moment suspect drives a car into a Parliament barrier in Westminister The Mets Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said: Our priority is to formally identify the suspect and establish his motivations if we can. He is not currently cooperating. He said the driver was not known to counter-terror police, but he added: Given this appears to be a deliberate act, the method and this being an iconic site, we are treating it as a terrorist incident. It emerged yesterday that the Fiesta was driven from Birmingham late on Monday, arriving in central London in the early hours of yesterday. It was parked in the Tottenham Court Road area from 1.25am until 5.55am. The lone occupant then drove around Westminster and Whitehall for more than 90 minutes before the attack. Chilling CCTV saw the Fiesta on the one-way system at Parliament Square before suddenly lurching left on to the wrong side of the road. The car swerves across the road after ploughing into cyclists in Westminster PA:Press Association Forensics officers work at the scene of the smash in Westminster EPA Forensics officers gather evidence at the scene of the crash on Tuesday afternoon as they search for a motive SUN SAYS FOR the second time in 18 months terror has come to Westminster. Again, it is the bravery of our emergency services which stands out above all. To run towards a car, not knowing what or who was in it, takes extra- ordinary bravery. It is courage that we have become used to but that we should never take for granted. There will be hard questions asked over the coming days. It is too early to tell how and why this man came to commit his crime, or why the security services were not able to prevent it. But more broadly, it is a reminder of the threat that stalks our streets. We cannot forget last years carnage, from London Bridge to Manchester, which saw families ripped apart and promising lives cut short. The Government must not let terrorism slip to the back of the queue, no matter how thorny other political issues are. It remains a clear and present danger. The news that there have been 17 foiled plots since last March is terrifying. Theresa May must give our intelligence services all the support they need  including greater powers to investigate social media. Terrorists are desperate to divide us. Theyll never triumph. How the terror attack unfolded yesterday A search of the silver Fiesta, originally registered in Nottingham in 2010, found no weapons. It has now emerged that the car was written off by an insurance company last autumn and failed its MOT in May because of a faulty steering wheel  but was back on the road and sold two months ago. Officers ask that anyone who may have seen the silver Ford Fiesta, registration number FL10 CWZ, or the driver in the London area in the hours before the attack to get in touch. Anyone with footage or images is also urged to reach out to police to help with their investigation. Chaos at the scene of the crash in Westminster after a Ford Fiesta rammed into pedestrians and cyclists Smoke billows from the bonnet of the Fiesta after it crashed into anti-terror barriers Scotland Yard said Masood was a violent criminal convicted of multiple offences spanning 20 years. But they confirmed Masood was not the subject of any current investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack. We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368. You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.
Westminster attack: Police officer killed A police officer is among four people killed in a major terror attack outside the Houses of Parliament, police have confirmed. Two others were killed when the attacker ploughed his car into pedestrians on the pavement of Westminster Bridge by the parliament buildings before launching an assault on police officers outside the parliament building. A number of people were being treated in London hospitals after suffering catastrophic injuries in the attack. Witnesses described hearing people screaming and seeing bodies scatter as the car is understood to have mounted the pavement just in front of the Houses of Parliament. Another witness said they had seen a person in the River Thames  a woman was later rescued from the water. Video:Witness: A body was lying face down in the water The car then smashed into railings surrounding the Palace of Westminster, close to Big Ben in Parliament Square, where the attacker got out and stabbed a policeman. As he approached a second officer, he was shot by armed police and later died. Image Caption:The Westminster attacker being tended by medics Three police officers are said to be among those injured in the attack and the French prime minister had confirmed that three French teenage students had also been hurt in the incident. Foreign Office minister and former army office Tobias Ellwood gave mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to one of the police officers injured in the knife attack in New Palace Yard, the cobbled courtyard in front of Parliament. Parliament was immediately shut down and the Prime Minister bundled into a car as officers searched the building, evacuating floors one by one. Video:Police officers are seen entering Westminster to secure the area after an incident involving firearms. However, the evacuation was delayed after a suspicious package was found in a vehicle and the bomb squad were called in to deal with it. Staff in other buildings around Westminster were being asked by police to stay inside their offices and Parliament was suspended for the day. Sightseers on the London Eye were being held inside the viewing pods. Scotland Yard said the attack was being treated as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise. An air ambulance landed in Parliament Square and medics were treating a number of people who had been injured in the incident, including the man who had been shot by police. Video:An emergency services helicopter takes off from Parliament Square following a firearms incident in Westminster. Pictures showed a number of people lying in the road on the bridge, another image showed a man lying bleeding at the foot of stairs next to the Parliament building. At least 10 people were treated on Westminster Bridge and a number of London hospitals had been put on alert, London Ambulance Service said. Witnesses described seeing an Asian guy in his 40s carrying a knife and running across the bridge and towards the Houses of Parliament. Alan Parry, of Sky Sports News, was at Westminster for a meeting when he heard an almighty crash just outside the underground station . He said he could see a vehicle on the other side of the road which had crashed into some railings. Video:MP describes the dramatic moment the PM was led to safety He said: There was smoke coming this vehicle. I walked on a few paces further and saw what I assumed to be either a pedestrian or a cyclist who had clearly been hit and wasnt moving, although he did then gently move. The guy who I assumed was the driver of this 44 got out of the car and suddenly sprinted away from the scene  that was followed by four of what sounded much like gunshots. All of a sudden all hell was let loose. Police descended everywhere and the whole area was locked down. Video:Witness: Man drove along bridge knocking people over Jayne Wilkinson said: We were taking photos of Big Ben and we saw all the people running towards us, and then there was an Asian guy in about his 40s carrying a knife about seven or eight inches long. And then there were three shots fired, and then we crossed the road and looked over. The man was on the floor with blood. He had a lightweight jacket on, dark trousers and a shirt. He was running through those gates, towards Parliament, and the police were chasing him. One of the key witnesses to the attack was the Acting Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police. He was unable to make a statement because he was giving vital evidence to officers. Metropolitan Police Commander BJ Harrison said a terrorist incident had been declared and a full counter terrorism operation was under way. He said that officers had received a number of different reports which included a person in the river, a car in collision with pedestrians and a man armed with a knife. He added: We know there are a number of casualties including police officers but at this stage we cannot confirm numbers or the nature of these injuries. The Government has said it will chair a meeting of the Governments emergency Cobra committee later today. Buckingham Palace declined to comment about its security arrangements but it was clear some precautions had been taken as the gates, patrolled by armed police, had been closed. MSPs have delayed a vote on a possible second independence referendum in light of the attack. Related eBooks Disclaimer Thisissnews aims to update, educate, uplift and entertain you. Rather than have stories lower our faith in humanity, Thisissnews aims to inspire and uplift. 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The British-born jihadi who killed four and injured 29 in Westminster was last night revealed to be a middle-aged criminal career who MI5 had investigated in the past and had a previous conviction for stabbing a man in the nose. English teacher Khalid Masood, 52, a 'lone wolf' attacker, who was living in the Birmingham area, had a series of convictions for assault and other crimes. Scotland Yard revealed how Masood was known by a number of aliases and MailOnline can reveal he was born Adrian Elms to a single mother in Kent before his religious conversion. Masood has used the names Khalid Choudry and Adrian Ajao among others. He grew up in a 300,000 house in the seaside town of Rye, East Sussex and had a long criminal history. His first conviction was for criminal damage in November 1983, when he was just 19. His last was for an attack in 2003, where he stabbed a 22-year-old man in the face, leaving him slumped in the driveway of a nursing home in Eastbourne. The victim was left needing cosmetic surgery after the vicious attack. Masood is understood to have spent time in Lewes jail in East Sussex, Wayland prison in Norfolk and Ford open prison in West Sussex, The Times reported. He was sentenced to two years for wounding in 2000 and sent back to jail in 2003 for the attack in Eastbourne. Scroll down for video The man police believe to be responsible for the terrorist attack in Westminster has been identified as Khalid Masood, 52. It also emerged today the attacker was known to MI5 after an investigation many years ago, but was considered 'peripheral' Masood had never been convicted of terror offences, although Theresa May revealed this morning that he had been on MI5's radar a number of years ago. Police insist there was no intelligence suggesting he was about to unleash a terror attack. Masood was a married father-of-three, and a religious convert who was into bodybuilding, according to Sky News. He had falsely given his profession as a teacher. The night before launching the attack he had stayed at a budget hotel in Brighton. A Scotland Yard spokesman said this afternoon: 'Masood was also known by a number of aliases. He was not the subject of any current investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack. 'However, he was known to police and has a range of previous convictions for assaults, including GBH, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences. 'His first conviction was in November 1983 for criminal damage and his last conviction was in December 2003 for possession of a knife. He has not been convicted for any terrorism offences.' Masood stabbed PC Keith Palmer to death with two knives outside parliament after killing mother-of-two Aysha Frade and US tourist Kurt Cochran as he ploughed along a crowded pavement on Westminster Bridge. A 75-year-old man who was injured in the attack died tonight. ISIS claimed responsibility for its first attack on British soil and said the crazed knifeman was its 'soldier'. Terror group ISIS today claimed they inspired the attack which killed three and injured 29 others in Westminster yesterday Mother-of-two Aysha Frade (left), Metropolitan policeman Keith Palmer (centre) and US tourist Kurt Cochran (right) have been named as victims of the attack Searches continue at a number of addresses in Birmingham where police are trying to gather as much information as possible on Masood and any potential associates One of the other properties raided was a flat in this building in the Winson Green area of Birmingham. Neighbour Iwona Romek said: 'I am very surprised, I cannot believe it.' Masood is believed to have moved around a number of address in recent years, including these houses in east London (left) and Winson Green, Birmingham (right) Theresa May revealed MI5 knew of the attacker but considered him a 'peripheral' figure who was 'not part of the current intelligence picture' Elsewhere today, hundreds of police swooped in dramatic raids across the nation making eight arrests. Last night police were searching a flat close to the Olympic village, in East London, where a woman named locally as Rohey Hydara lived. She had lived with Masood in at least two separate addresses but it was unclear what their relationship was. Giving details of the attacker's background in Parliament today, Prime Minister Theresa May said: 'The man was British-born and - some years ago - he was once investigated in relation to concerns about violent extremism. He was a peripheral figure. 'The case is historic - he was not part of the current intelligence picture. There was no prior intelligence of his intent - or of the plot. Intensive investigations continue.' Share this article Masood, 52, was born on Christmas Day 1964 in Kent as Adrian Elms, to his unmarried mother, Janet Elms. A little under two years later she married Phillip Ajao in Crawley, West Sussex. Twenty years later they moved to Tunbridge Wells where they set up home with his stepfather and two half-brothers, Alex and Paul. Paul Ajao, 50, lives in Banbury, Oxfordshire, and runs a number of florists and fabrics companies. He denied knowing Masood, while MailOnline has so far been unable to get in contact with Alex. His mother now lives in rural west Wales with her husband, where she runs an online business selling hand-made bags and cushions. By now using the surname Ajao, Masood met a woman and they had a child in 1992 before settling in the village of Northiam, near Hastings, East Sussex. What happens over the next decade is unclear, but in 2003, he was accused of stabbing a man in the face. Masood was running a television aerial installation business at the time, The following year, he appeared in Medway, in Kent, where he married a local Muslim woman. Six years later, he was living in Luton, which is known for its links to extremism. Masood then moved to Birmingham, although he was also registered as living in a terraced house in West Ham last year. A photo taken after a raid in Birmingham appears to show one of the three suspects arrested at a flat above a takeaway sitting in the back of a police van A neighbour, who asked not to be named, told the Press Association: 'This guy is a local guy. I've been living in the area for 20 years. 'I don't know him personally but I believe he belongs to a mosque on Leyton High Road. 'I've seen his face many times. I saw him on the news at around 7pm last night and thought 'this is the guy I know from the mosque.' 'He had a beard and big eyes.' Worshippers at the Al-Tawhid mosque in Leyton were surprised to learn of Masood's alleged links with the mosque. One, Abdul Abdul, told the Telegraph: 'We condemn this attack. A true Muslim would never do this. He's not one of us, he's not a representative of us'. Armed police stormed a flat on Hagley Road, Birmingham last night as part of six raids across the country following the Westminster attack. The address is close to where the Hyundai used as a weapon in the attack was rented Police have been searching a three-storey townhouse in the Winson Green area of Birmingham and neighbours said Masood lived there for around seven months until December last year. Neighbour Iwona Romek, 45, said: 'When I saw the pictures on TV and in the papers of the man who carried out the attack, I recognised him as the man who used to live next door. 'I would see him quite often, but it would just be a 'hello' and a 'how are you'. He had a young child, who I'd think was about five or six years old. 'There was a woman living there with him, an Asian woman. He seemed to be quite nice, he would be taking care of his garden and the weeds. 'He moved out in December. One day he was gone, there were delivery vans outside all of a sudden. Last night I just heard banging of the door and police shouting 'open the door, open the door'. They were saying 'it's on the second floor.' 'I heard the helicopters flying above too. Men were going in the forensics outfits, it was very strange... I just thought it was a normal family.' A team of heavily armed police in riot gear arrived in unmarked cars last night and stormed the flat in the east of the city By the time of the attack, Masood was living with friends in a flat above a restaurant in the city's Hagley Road, which was raided on Wednesday night. Aged in their 20s, they are believed to be among those arrested during the series of raids. Stunned residents described seeing more than a dozen black-clad officers equipped with machine guns smashing their way into the Birmingham flat, believed to be a rental, at about 11pm on Wednesday. One witness who works in a shop near the second-floor Birmingham flat said: 'The man from London lived here.' He added: 'They came and arrested three men.' Another resident said he recalled two men living there. He heard one man in the flat speaking on the phone in what he described as an 'Arabic or Pakistani accent', saying he had heard it 'for the last two or three nights'. One resident said: 'There were definitely two men and one woman and they were fairly young. There are horrible conditions up there and there have been problems with that row of flats before.' Hagley Road was sealed off by officers for several hours as the raid was carried out. The road is in the well-heeled district of Edgbaston - a cricket-loving corner of Britain's second largest city that is unused to the sight of armed police blocking off streets. Stuart Bailey, who lives four doors down from one of the flats raided, said: 'There were a load of armed police in the street. They were all dressed in black and armed with what looked like MP5s (submachine guns) and one of them had six ammunition magazines strapped to his leg.' Lucas Camoes, a 23-year-old warehouse worker, said: 'It's a very calm area. There are loads of university students here so it's very surprising this happened right here. 'I don't feel safe at all. A bit paranoid.' A neighbour says he believes Masood, who carried out the attack in London yesterday, lived in the flat above the takeaway Landlord Farhad Makanvand said he didn't know who had been staying at the flats above his curry house as it was rented out by a separate letting agents. Mr Makanvand, who also owns the next door curry house Shiraz, said: 'I wasn't at the scene last night, I don't live there. 'I bought the property six years ago for over 300,000. It is contracted to the letting agents so I have no idea who lives there or how many people.' A spokesperson for Initial Property, who let the flats on behalf of the landlord, said: 'Initial Property are not making any comment at the moment.' Car rental firm Enterprise confirmed the Hyundai 4x4 used in the attack was rented in Spring Hill, Birmingham, less than a mile from the house being searched. In a statement, the car hire company said one of its employees had identified the vehicle after seeing the licence plate in an image online and the firm had immediately contacted the authorities. The firm said in a statement: 'We are co-operating fully with the authorities and will provide any assistance that we can to the investigation. 'Our thoughts are very much with the victims of this terrible tragedy.' A police van remained outside a flat above a takeaway this morning as police revealed five other properties had been raided ARRESTS MADE BY THE MET OVERNIGHT A 39-year-old woman was arrested at an address in east London. A 21-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man were arrested at an address in Birmingham. A 26-year-old woman and three men aged 28, 27 and 26 years old were arrested at a separate address in Birmingham. All were arrested on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. Further, a 58-year-old man was arrested on Thursday morning at a separate address in Birmingham on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. Searches were also carried out in Carmathanshire, Wales, and Brighton, Sussex. Armed police arrested eight people in total following raids on six properties in London and Birmingham as they attempt to find any associates Masood may have had. They included a woman in east London; a man and a woman arrested in Birmingham; and a woman and three men arrested at a separate location in Birmingham. In addition, a man was arrested on Thursday morning at a third address in Birmingham. All were arrested on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. Their ages range from 21 to 58. Searches were also carried out in Carmathanshire, Wales, and Brighton, Sussex. Earlier today, Middle East terror group ISIS claimed responsibility for the terror attack. In a statement, they said: 'The attacker yesterday in front of the British Parliament in London was a soldier of the Islamic State executing the operation in response to calls to target citizens of coalition nations.' ISIS is currently being squeezed in its stronghold of Syria and has previously urged jihadists around the world to attack people in their own countries rather than travel to join them. Experts believe Masood did not receive direct orders or help from ISIS but may have been inspired to carry out the attack by material online. Masood is also thought to have lived in London and there was a police presence outside Lucia Heights block of flats, in East London (close to the London Stadium) tonight Police are believed to be raiding the East London property in connection with yesterday's terror attack in Westminster Worshippers at the Al-Tawhid mosque in Leyton were surprised to learn of Masood's alleged links with the mosque The flat is one of six properties raided around the country, with armed officers storming the flat before detectives moved in Dozens of officers, some with weapons, were seen swooping an address near to the Bearwood area of the city last night What's happening in the investigation? :: Anti-terror officers arrested eight people, and several addresses were raided overnight in London and Birmingham :: Detectives are continuing to search a number of addresses linked to the investigation, including one in Carmarthenshire, three in Birmingham and one in east London :: Searches at addresses in Brighton and south east London have concluded :: Investigators are working on the basis that the attacker acted alone :: Car firm Enterprise confirmed the Hyundai used in the attack was one of its vehicles :: Islamic State claimed the killer was one of its 'soldiers' :: A review of security arrangements at Westminster has been launched The attack had echoes of the atrocities in Nice and Berlin when trucks ploughed into crowds of people, killing 86 people in the French Riviera city last July and 12 at a market in the German capital just days before Christmas. He was not on an MI5 list of 3,000 people thought to be capable of mounting an attack, The Guardian reported. The details of Masood's background will raise questions over what security officials knew about the assailant and what decisions were taken when he first appeared on the radar. Shashank Joshi, senior research fellow at security think tank the Royal United Services Institute, said: 'We have always known that it is exceptionally hard to understand who will become a terrorist. 'Masood is unusual in that only a minority become radicalised over the age of 30. 'His criminal record is unsurprising, as some studies shows that a significant proportion of jihadists have had prior convictions.' Speaking to the BBC, Home Secretary Amber Rudd said: 'All I can tell you is what the police have said so far, which is that he was someone known to them but that he was on the periphery of the intelligence agencies. 'I think we'll hear more from them in due course but we have to remember that this man was known to them partially because he had been in jail but not for terrorist offences.' Scotland Yard, rather than West Midlands Police, is behind the raid, but the force has not spoken due to 'operational reasons' A police officer is seen at the scene on Hagley Road in Birmingham. Police are on high alert after the terror attack in London on Wednesday which claimed the lives of three victims Three people and the attacker died in London on Wednesday afternoon after a man driving a Hyundai 4x4 crashed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before hurtling towards the gates of Parliament Police officers enter the property on Hagley Road in Birmingham. Witnesses in the area said three people had been detained The road, which has a number of takeaways and restaurants, is said to have been closed at 11pm and reopened by 2am West Midlands Police gave a short statement which read: 'There is an ongoing police operation, no further details are being given at this stage' Speaking this morning, Mark Rowley, the Met's senior anti-terror officer, said: 'Hundreds of detectives have been working through the night and during that time I can confirm we have searched six addresses - and made seven arrests. 'The inquiries in Birmingham, London and other parts of the country continue. It is still our belief - which continues to be borne out by our investigation - that this attacker acted alone yesterday and was inspired by international terrorism. 'To be explicit - at this stage, we have no specific information about further threats to the public. 'Clearly our investigation is ongoing - developing all the time - and is focused on his motivation, his preparation and associates. 'The large and complicated crime scene remains in place and our work there continues - I would like to thank everyone for their support and patience as we finish this work.' The scene in Whitehall this morning, where a number of streets are closed off while investigators examine the scene Forensics experts have been scouring Westminster Bridge for clues following the horrific events of yesterday Victims: What we know about the four dead and 29 injured Four people - excluding the attacker - were murdered. 29 are injured. Seven critically. Theresa May revealed today that among the injured there were 12 Britons, three French, two Romanians, four South Koreans, one German, one Chinese, one Irish, one Italian and two Greeks. The foreign victims are likely to all have been tourists. This is what we know: Husband and father Pc Keith Palmer, 48, was stabbed to death by terrorist at gates of Parliament Aysha Frade, 43, was on her way to meet her two children, aged eight and 11, when she was killed on Westminster Bridge Kurt Cochran, 54, from Utah was knocked off bridge and died A 75-year-old man died tonight Three French school children are in a critical condition last night. The students are believed to be 15 or 16 and attend the private Lyce Saint-Joseph in Brittany. The attacker also targeted 13 students from Edge Hill University in Ormskirk, Lancashire. The university said four were hurt. One had head injuries, another wrist injuries, while two were walking wounded. A Romanian couple on holiday are also thought to be among the injured. Andrei Burnaz , an engineer in his mid-20s, and Andreea Cristea , his girlfriend, 29, were caught up in the attack. Five Korean tourists were also reported to be among the injured, one seriously. A Portuguese man was also hurt in the rampaged Italian woman was hit by the bumper of the car and had to have an operation to her left leg Chinese tourist was also hospitalised after being hit by the speeding vehicle and had bone fracture near the shoulder and numerous bruises Pc Keith Palmer, a member of the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Squad, was killed as he tried to stop Masood at around 2.30pm on Wednesday. The other confirmed victims are American tourist Kurt Cochran, 54, Aysha Frade, 43, a Spanish teacher who had been on a school run, and a 75-year-old man who has not yet been named. Masood, who was armed with two knives, injured around 40 people as he mowed down pedestrians with a car on Westminster Bridge before crashing at the railings in front of Parliament. Bursting through the gate to the Palace of Westminster, he stabbed Pc Palmer before being shot dead by armed officers. Theresa May visited some of the 29 victims, seven of whom are in a critical condition, in hospital today. The Prime Minister had earlier led tributes to PC Palmer, a 48-year-old father. In the House of Commons today she saluted the heroism of police as well as the bravery of ordinary people in the British capital who simply went about their lives in the aftermath of the attack. She said: 'As I speak, millions will be boarding trains and airplanes to travel to London, and to see for themselves the greatest city on Earth. 'It is in these actions - millions of acts of normality - that we find the best response to terrorism. A response that denies our enemies their victory, that refuses to let them win, that shows we will never give in.' This evening, multi-faith leaders, residents, tourists, police and politicians gathered at the candlelit vigil in London's Trafalgar Square, which was led by mayor Sadiq Khan. Crowds were told the 'evil and twisted acts of terrorism will be defeated.' In a statement yesterday Pc Palmer's family said he was a 'wonderful dad and husband, a loving son, brother and uncle' who would be 'deeply missed'. They said the avid Charlton FC supporter was 'dedicated to his job and proud to be a police officer, brave and courageous'. Paying tribute to Pc Palmer, who had served the police for 15 years, Mr Rowley said: 'In Westminster we saw tragic events unfold, and our thoughts are with those who lost loved ones, those who were injured and all those affected by this attack. 'One of those who died today was a police officer, Pc Keith Palmer, a member of our parliamentary and diplomatic protection command. Keith, aged 48, had 15 years' service and was a husband and father. 'He was someone who left for work today expecting to return home at the end of his shift, and he had every right to expect that would happen.' Donald Trump was among world leaders to offer their support. Shortly after 1.30am UK time, the US president tweeted: 'Spoke to UK Prime Minister Theresa May today to offer condolences on the terrorist attack in London. She is strong and doing very well.' The attack came exactly a year after the Brussels airport atrocity and a day after restrictions were announced on air travel from six countries because of the terror threat. Multi-faith leaders, residents, tourists, police and politicians gathered at the candlelit vigil in London's Trafalgar Square, which was led by mayor Sadiq Khan Should ALL officers be armed? Questions over security at landmarks after unarmed officer is killed and it emerges the attacker was shot by a minister's guard The attack in Westminster has raised questions over whether all police protecting landmark buildings should be armed. Pc Keith Palmer, who was stabbed and died outside the Houses of Parliament, did not have a weapon and it was other armed officers who shot and killed the attacker. The policeman who shot the attacker on the parliamentary estate is believed to have been a close protection officer for Defence Secretary Michael Fallon rather than a member of the gate team. Mr Fallon's ministerial car was parked in New Palace Yard as a vote was taking place in the Commons at the time. It has also been reported that the gate was open because Acting Police Commissioner Craig Mackey was leaving the Houses of Parliament. Luckily, Mr Mackey was not injured and is now being treated as a witness. The Hyundai, said the have been rented in Birmingham, crashed in at least 40 pedestrians before crashing into Parliament After stabbing and killing unarmed PC Keith Palmer in Parliament grounds, he was shot by an armed officer and later died It is understood the attacker was shot by a bodyguard of Defence Secretary Michael Fallon rather than Parliament police Former Met firearms officer Roger Gay said Britain may need to move away from the idea of 'traditional' unarmed policeman in important locations. He told Sky News today: 'In my opinion, I would have all of them in that location, I think, should be armed. What you have there, and I hate to use the term, is perhaps a sacrificial pawn. 'But one wonders if he had a sidearm, would he have been able to react that quickly and, if he had been carrying a carbine then he would be less of the traditional policeman. Perhaps we should let go of that and ratchet it up one notch.' Speaking on Radio 4 this morning, Defence Secretary Mr Fallon confirmed Parliament's security would now be reviewed. He said of the attacker: 'They did not get into Parliament. They only got as far as the gate. They did not breach the security of the House of Commons and he gave his life to protect the security of our democracy. 'Parliament cannot be hermetically sealed. People are coming and going all the time. 'There was a division going on at the time, people arriving through the gates either by car or foot, to vote. This is something that will now be reviewed by the House authorities.' Armed police in Westminster today. The death of unarmed officer has raised questions all police in such locations should have guns Security experts have pointed out that 'low-tech' lone wolf attacks are extremely difficult to prevent. Raffaello Pantucci, Director of International Security Studies at the Royal United Services Institute, said: 'It's always been the case that going out and getting a car or a knife is far easier than building a device like a bomb. 'Incidents such as Lee Rigby are examples of this. Other terrorists could be inspired by this and it's becoming the acceptable way of doing things. It's certainly something that could be copied.' He added: 'If you haven't told anyone what you are doing, police are going to find it harder to stop you. 'But what is worrying is a trend of lone wolves who carry out the attacks alone, but gain ideas or weapons from other terrorists before they do so.' Just days ago a suspected terrorist was shot dead at Orly airport in Paris after trying to grab a gun from a security official. Forensic officers search the road on their knees next to Westminster Abbey this morning as investigations continue Police officers paying their respects to fallen colleague Keith Palmer at the National Police Memorial today Mr Pantucci said: 'Obviously we are on high alert, but we have been on high alert for some time. What has been happening with banning laptops on planes makes that clear.' Reflecting on the reaction of the police, Mr Pantucci said: 'From what we have seen it appears the police shut down the operation very quickly. 'It could be that more bollards are placed outside Parliament to prevent this sort of thing happening again, but is is difficult to know when to stop putting bollards in.' Theresa Villiers, the former Northern Ireland secretary, suggested the issue of whether police who patrol areas 'known to be of interest to terrorists' should carry a weapon for personal protection should now be examined. Ms Villiers said: 'As we reflect on what happened, is it time to consider whether the police who guard sensitive sites known to be of interest to terrorists like Parliament or like airports should routinely carry personal protection weapons, even when those officers are not part of the units formally tasked with armed response?' HOW ISIS EXTREMISTS HAVE BROUGHT TERROR TO EUROPE The London terror attack is the latest in a deadly series of strikes linked to radical Islamists against European targets in the last two years. FRANCE France has been hit the hardest, with 238 deaths since early 2015. The first attack comes on January 7, 2015 when two brothers who claim allegiance to Al-Qaeda gun down 12 people in an attack against the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo in Paris. The next day, a man linked to ISIS shoots dead a policewoman in a Paris suburb. He takes hostages in a Jewish supermarket near Paris the following day, killing four people. All three gunmen are killed by police. In April 2015, a woman is killed by a radical Islamist, in June a deliver firm boss is killed and then decapitated, and in August a man opens fire in the Thalys train between Amsterdam and Paris before he is overwhelmed by passengers. Two people are wounded. On November 13, 2015 France suffered its worst ever terror attack, when suicide bombers struck several targets in Paris, killing 130 people and wounding 350. These were the scenes outside the Bataclan theatre where 90 were slaughtered On July 14, a French national holiday, a man rammed a truck into a crowd in the Mediterranean resort of Nice, killing 86 people and wounding more than 400. ISIS claimed responsibility On November 13, 2015 France suffers its worst ever terror attack, when suicide bombers strike several targets in Paris, killing 130 people and wounding 350. The sites include the Bataclan concert hall, bars and restaurants, and the Stade de France stadium just north of the capital. ISIS claims responsibility. In June 2016, a policeman and his companion are killed at their home west of Paris by a man who swears allegiance to ISIS. On July 14, the national holiday, a man rams a truck into a crowd in the Mediterranean resort of Nice, killing 86 people and wounding more than 400. He is shot dead by police. ISIS claims responsibility. Twelve days later, two jihadists slit a priest's throat in his church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, Normandy. They too are shot dead. ISIS claims that attack as well. BELGIUM On March 22, 2016, a year to the day before the London attack, suicide attacks claimed by ISIS kill 32 people and wound more than 340 at Brussels airport and Maelbeek metro station, near the European Union headquarters. On August 6, a machete-wielding man attacks two policewomen in Charleroi, southern Belgium, slicing the face of one before being shot dead by a third officer. ISIS claims responsibility. On March 22, 2016, a year to the day before the London attack, suicide attacks claimed by ISIS kill 32 people and wound more than 340 at Brussels airport and Maelbeek metro station GERMANY On December 19, 2016, a man hijacks a truck, kills its Polish driver, and slams into a crowd of people at a packed Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 people and injuring 48. The attacker is shot dead by Italian police in Milan four days later, and the rampage is claimed by ISIS. Six months earlier, the group claims two attacks in less than a week, the first on July 18 when a 17-year-old asylum-seeker believed to have been Afghan or Pakistani attacks passengers on a Bavarian train with an axe, injuring five people. He is shot dead by police. On July 24, a Syrian refugee blows himself up near a music festival in the same region, killing himself and wounding 15 others. On December 19, 2016, an ISIS fanatic hijacked a truck, killed its Polish driver, and slammed into a crowd of people at a packed Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 people and injuring 48 DENMARK On February 14-15, 2015, a gunman opens fire on a cultural centre in Copenhagen as it is hosting a forum about Islam and free speech attended by a Swedish cartoonist who has penned a controversial caricature of the Prophet Mohammed. A filmmaker is killed. Hours later a man is shot dead outside the city's main synagogue. Police later kill a man in a shootout, who had pledged allegiance to ISIS.
According to Twitter, the following terms surrounding Westminster Bridge are being searched for, including Westminster Bridge mowed down and Westminster Bridge pictures, and Westminster Bridge incident photos, along with the trending #PrayForLondon hashtag. Westminster Bridge car and Westminster Bridge terror attack are also trending. As seen in the above photo from Westminster Bridge on Wednesday, March 22, a man who was injured sat covered with a blanket as he received medical care in the wake of an attack on the south side of Westminster Bridge. The below video shows the wake of the melee that happened nearby the Houses of Parliament in London, with the graphic video appearing to show a car that has crashed into the side of the Westminster Bridge, with a person gravely injured or killed in the incident. It is not known if the video shows the terror attack car that mowed down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, or if the video shows another car involved in the attack as a victim. Warning: The below videos of the aftermath of the Westminster Bridge terror attack is graphic and might be disturbing to viewers. London police also dealt with a gun and knife incident at Britains Parliament and called it a terrorist incident until authorities knew anything different. In the meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police are still investigating the incident that seemed to happen in different locations, with a man who attacked a Parliament police officer with a knife having been shot by officers. On Westminster Bridge, a car moved down several people with the vehicle in a terror attack. At 10:44 a.m. ET, Claudia @claudiascore on wrote in all caps that people should avoid not only Westminster Bridge, but the Westminster area altogether. AVOID WESTMINSTER AREA. Score next reported that she was on Westminster Bridge when she heard a loud band and saw what was reflected on her video in the wake of the car running over people. Claudia saw a man running with shots being fired at him, and she wrote that she heard screams for people to get down to avoid being shot. There was panic, Claudia wrote, and she tried to attend to the man who was stuck beneath the car, but she could not get to the man stuck under the car. Claudia wrote the attack on Westminster Bridge left her shaken up and that she also searched for a co-worker after the terror attack. However, she found his or her photo in the news reports about the Westminster Bridge incident, with the person being treated for minor injuries. I was on Westminster when the loud bang happened. Saw whats on my vid but then saw a man run and shots fired at him. Get down!. Panic. Tried to check on the guy stuck under the car but couldnt get to him. Looked in really bad shape. Im shaken up to say the least. Couldnt get in touch with a colleague that left work at the same time  just found a photo on news, being treated to minor injuries.
Article share tools Selective schools help social mobility - minister Social mobility debate House of Commons Parliament HoC Education Minister Nick Gibb responds to the debate and says he agrees with the importance of improving social mobility. He points to the pupil premium, the 30 hours of free childcare for the parents of working children, Teachfirst, and a 75m teaching innovation fund as evidence the government is tackling social mobility. He says the new T-levels will also help pupils. The government has pushed to raise educational standards, he says, and there is more to do. He says the government wants more choice for parents, and that includes lifting the ban on selective school places. "We know that selective schools are vehicles of social mobility," he says. Thanks to the academy and free school programme, teachers have more freedom to tackle poor behaviour in the classroom, he says. Call from Labour to abandon grammar school policy Shadow education minister, Labour's Mike Kane, says the report into social mobility presents the government with proposals but "there's no evidence the government has listened". The Department for Education has made no indication it would adopt the policies outlined in the report, he says. What will the 30 hours of free childcare mean for low income families? he asks. He references Nick Clegg's reference to the importance of quality in childcare, not just quantity. And he turns to grammar schools, and the recommendation to "rethink" the proposal for grammar schools. He asks the government for the promised white paper, and for the policy on grammar schools to be based on evidence, not on dogma - "and to abandon this discredited policy," he says. Cuts to school budget will make it impossible to deliver on many of the recommendations in the report, Mr Kane says, and the 3bn cut from school budgets will not help. Article share tools Labour: Nobody made environmental case in the referendum campaign Brexit and the environment debate House of Lords Parliament Labour spokesman Lord Grantchester winds up for the opposition, claiming that the environment played "little part" in the EU referendum campaign and "no one made the case" for the EU's role in protecting the natural environment. He agrees with the EU Committee's general finding that the "challenges and potential pitfalls [of writing EU regulations into UK law] remain daunting". The committee found upholding environmental standards after Brexit will be hard and an enforcement system similar to that provided by EU regulators and courts is needed to maintain existing protections. Article share tools UK 'does not need EU help' to protect the environment House of Lords Parliament Conservative the Earl of Caithness highlights steps taken by the UK to protect the natural environment without EU involvement, including the 1848 public health act, and the formation of the National Trust in 1907. Clegg: target resources to most deprived families It's the turn of Nick Clegg, the former Lib Dem leader. He looks back to his time in government and efforts to promote social mobility. When he came into government, he says, he was astonished to find paid interns who were employed on who they knew. He goes on to talk about the importance of intervention in the early years. Neuroscience and academic research by educationists has confirmed how crucial the early years are; and how much can be fostered by early years and pre-school support. He says he is proud of the 15 hours entitlement to support for two-year-olds; and says he believes the government is going to have problems delivering the expanded hours it has promised - and wonders whether it is the best use of resources. He says he believes limited resources should be targeted earlier and to the most deprived families. Article share tools Debate on social mobility begins in Commons House of Commons Parliament MPs have moved on to a debate on social mobility. The debate is focusing on the content and recommendations of the annual report from the Social Mobility Commission - and it's been by Labour's Lucy Powell, Conservative Nicky Morgan and Liberal Democrat Nick Clegg. The motion calls for the government to improve social mobility, which they say has got worse in recent years. The motion also asks for the government to lead a renewed approach to improving social mobility from younger years. The report highlights that children from poorer backgrounds spent less time in education that wealthier counterparts, and that in the last decade, 500,000 poorer children were not school-ready by the age of five. The report said that those born in the 1980s are the first post-war group not to earn more than previous generation, and it said only one in 10 people on low pay are able to "escape" the salary trap. Other findings from the report include: Only 4% of doctors, 6% of barristers and 11% of journalists are from working-class backgrounds Rates of home ownership for under-44s have fallen by 17% in the last decade, the report says The report also highlights a clear divide between those living in the north, Wales, Midlands and the south. 'High hopes' for Nigeria fading Conservative Pauline Latham is now speaking on the International Development Committee's report on Nigeria. She says she is concerned on slow progress tackling corruption by the Nigerian government. "The people will not wait forever for change," she says. She asks the minister to respond on the UK government's relationship with the Nigerian government, given the long absence of President Buhari last year and ongoing rumours about his state of health. She asks if the minister can update MPs on the Chibok schoolgirls who were kidnapped by Boko Haram in 2014, how many have been released and how many are still missing. She closes saying Nigeria "held out so much hope" when the committee visited, but that high hopes in the Nigerian government are beginning to fade due to a failure to make progress on corruption and development. Peer warns of Brexit impact on the environment The committee highlighted the need to map out the EUs environmental laws to assess where the Great Repeal Bill will not be able to preserve legislative and policy stability, and act accordingly to ensure that environmental protection does not diminish as a result of Brexit. Lib Dem Lord Teverson, who sits on the committee, says there is a recognition among the public that the EU "had an important role" in environmental protection and it is something we should be "working together as nations" to achieve. He expresses concern that recreating the regulations and directives relating to the environment after Brexit will be "extremely difficult". Article share tools Minister: UK will champion science after Brexit Brexit and science debate House of Lords Parliament BBC After some sustained criticism, Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Lord Prior of Brampton tells the House the government will "support a healthier science and technology ecosystem than ever before". He says they are funding the biggest increase in research funding since 1979, have underwritten all successful bids for Horizon 2020 funding, and taken steps to "reassure" current students from the EU that their studies will not be affected. UK government supporting Lebanese government on help to refugees International Development Minister James Wharton is now answering the debate in Westminster Hall. He addresses the committee's Syria report first, the debate on Nigeria will follow on. Mr Wharton says the Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC) is looking at future opportunities to assist refugees in Syria and the surrounding region. On Lebanon, Mr Wharton says the government there has relaxed its toughened measures slowing the flow of refugees. The UK government has made representations and the Lebanese government has now waived the residency permit fee. Mr Wharton says the UK government has been able to assist the Lebanese government to give school places to over 200,000 refugee school children. Brexit is 'worst challenge' to UK science Lib Dem peer Baroness Walmsley says she intends to speak in "forthright" terms in the debate. She describes Brexit as the "worst challenge" to UK science, putting international collaboration at risk, and closing access to UK science's biggest market. Baroness Walmsley says she welcomes government pledges to continue funding the Horizon 2020 scheme, which had attracted EU funding. Good regulation "gives us the right to sell and the confidence to buy" she says, urging the government to negotiate to keep the UK within the EU's medicine regulation framework. She goes on to speak on the uncertainty around the immigration status of research students, and the forthcoming immigration fees to be applied to tier two visa applicants. She calls for NHS workers to be included in the exempted list of scientific disciplines. Article share tools Doctoral research 'backbone of British science' Brexit and science debate House of Lords Parliament HoL Lord Winston says the government's response to concerns of the scientific community is "totally inadequate", with no reassurance on the ability of post-doctoral students to continue their research in the UK or elsewhere in the EU. "They are the backbone of British science," he says of EU post-doctoral students and their UK counterparts. He goes on to speak about his own specialism in reproductive medicine, saying it is important for understanding not just fertility but human growth, genetic disease and cancer treatments. "It is, in my view, the very foundation of biological science," he says, listing all the nationalities of research scientists who worked at his own clinic in Hammersmith Hospital and Imperial College. He fears Imperial College will fail to find a suitable candidate to chair its Reproductive Science department, as professors in the EU will be reluctant to apply given the uncertainty over post-Brexit immigration rules. Article share tools MPs move on to backbench debate Backbench debate House of Commons Parliament MPs now turn to one of the backbench business debates on compensation for Equitable Life policyholders. Conservative MP Bob Blackman is moving the motion. The motion calls on the government to give full compensation to Equitable Life policyholders who were not fully repaid. Nearly a million policyholders lost money due to the life insurer's mismanagement in the 1980s and 1990s. In 2000, the business closed with policyholders receiving low payouts in order to keep the business solvent. In 2008, the Parliamentary Ombudsman said the government should compensate the 4.1bn lost by customers - she said government departments and regulators should have noticed Equitable Life's mounting mismanagement problems. Former Chancellor George Osborne agreed with the Ombudsman's findings in 2010, but so far only 1.5bn has been paid. Conservative Bob Blackman is chair of the all-party parliamentary group on justice for the policyholders. The group has 227 members from across all political parties. Article share tools Lord Speaker says security arrangements to be reviewed Westminster attack statement House of Lords Parliament BBC A little earlier, the Lord Speaker told peers he wanted to "reassure" them that the House of Lords Commission would - with its Commons counterparts - be reviewing security arrangements to see if there are any "lessons to be learned". Article share tools 'We stand for the values of democracy' says PM at end of statement Westminster attack statement House of Commons Parliament The final question following the prime minister's statement goes to Labour's Geraint Davies who relays a message from the Imam of his constituency mosque in Swansea, who wished to share his shock and condolences. He calls for attempts to divide communities to be resisted. The prime minister agrees that terrorist acts are not done in the name of any religion, but the result of a "warped ideology". "We must be very clear that we stand for the values of democracy, the values of the rule of law, that make the society in which we all live," she says. With that, Speaker Bercow brings this statement to a close, thanking all members "for what they have said, and the way in which they have said it." MPs now move on to hear the regular Business Statement from the Leader of the House.
Redux: The Proofs, Viral Expose of Those Behind Syrian Gas Attack [ Editors Note: VT has long covered the aiding and abetting of terrorists by the US coalition, and by derivation NATO, for some time now. We view its going on unchecked as a major national security threat to all countries. Unfortunately Western corporate media, with financial resources far beyond VT, has played Mickey the Dunce on this whole story, the case usually being that the respective country intelligence agencies have warned them to stay away from it all, or suffer the consequences. VT has also followed closely the long series of false flag chemical weapons attacks, both sarin and military-grade chlorine because we knew the Syrians would never be so stupid as to hand their heads to the US Coalition in a silver platter by doing something with no chance of any gain, but exactly the opposite. We were also concerned that the longer they got away with doing this, the more innocent people would be murdered by the alleged protectors of freedom and democracy in the world, but who we know to be currently among the worst enemies of mankind. Unfortunately, despite our best labors, the citizens of these countries have done almost nothing to hold those accountable in their own countries. The SAA capturing this chemical weapons facility was a huge turn of events. The guilty parties knew what the Syrians had on them now. We have been waiting to see who would do what. Now that might have changed, with our long pleadings for the Syrians to give us photographic proof of the chemical weapons assets they have been capturing  serial numbers and all  so we could cram it down the throats of the guilty, thinking maybe someone inside the respective countries might want to start asking some hard questions. The flurry of military accidents also caught our attention, as we know historically that this method is used by the military to hide overseas combat deaths for which any public investigation would be embarrassing. In Vietnam, if a thousand of our troops were lost in one week, the announcement would be spread out, the families lied to. Welcome to the dark underside of America. The impending attack on Damascus by the US was partially due to what the SAA might uncover in East Ghouta; and because they were able to move fast, they overran the US Coalitions chemical weapons operations faster than anyone thought possible. Our pleading with Syria has been rewarded with these new photos. The SAA has US Coalition chemical weapons officers in custody; and Russia has told the US, Brits, Israelis, and Saudis that they will have to deal with Damascus. How long US media and our own Congress can pretend they know nothing about who some of the major terrorist elements are that most are afraid to mention? Their house of cards is crumbling, and they will be more dangerous in that situation, as we are talking about some serious crimes here. We are suspicious of why the Brits would throw together what appears to us to have been a sloppy false flag, even to use against Russia, for putting Russias feet in the fire to get the Brits people back from Syria and keep this story out of major news distribution. Is now the time for some of the really guilty to have to pay the piper? We shall see. But for that to happen, what is left of non-compromised public institutions has to step up to the plate, when they have shown a hesitancy to do so when their countries really needed them. We hope they will get to see this and start asking the obvious questions Jim W. Dean ] Today another chemical weapons stockpile was found in East Ghouta, produced in Germany, fully weaponized and commercially produced by Merck. Merck was the primary producer of chemical weapons for Germany in World War I and George Merck founded the War Research Service along with Frank Olson in 1944, which using captured Germany and Japanese scientists and research facilities, took control of Americas biological and chemical warfare production which continues to this day in facilities at Fort Meade, Maryland and at the Lugar Lab in Tibilisi, Georgia in partnership with the current government of Ukraine. Chlorine gas-filled shell from Porton Down, Salisbury, found in East Ghouta with al Qaeda [ Editors Note: Sure, this canister has smoke colored staring out at us. For those who think we did not see that, what do you think Intel operatives do when they are moving banned weapons around, label them as Vx or Military grade chlorine or whatever? No, they just put them into a camouflage container in case someone is taking a quick peek it a shipment. Used ones are even better as they look like old stocked being shipped out to a third world conflict. As for what these could be used for, how about throwing into a cellar filled with human shield pro-Damascus family members to generate a nice pile of bodies for our un-free Western media. We are still waiting for the first verifiable report of a jhadi and or family that has been killed by one of these attacks, or a cemetery of the gassed martyrs, or even a headstone for such. The amateur script writers forgot about that part. Of course, experienced Western journalists, and all your intelligence professional people have been aware of this, but how many have come forward for the people to blow the lid off this gassing hoax garbage when it is so obvious. Even if they were not involved they are now stained for going along it. Of course if they did not have any of this stuff they could just do a Hollywood chemical weapons attack, the kind where you see White Helmet people dealing with victims without even wearing any kind of face mask Jim W. Dean ] Last week, Russia and Syria announced the capture of British chemical weapon stockpiles in East Ghouta along with the capture of a coalition command and chemical weapons facility with all personnel. Taken from the combined statement censored from the western press, from March 25, 2018 The Syrian Arab Army and with the help of Russian captured a shipment of chemical weapons destined for the Eastern Ghouta. These were British weapons produced at Porton Down in Salisbury. Russian suspects that the Skripal incident is related as by their records, Skiripal was working at Porton Down as a chemical weapons trafficker in partnership with a Ukrainian firm. Russia denies attacking Skripal but admits he was under surveillance for his activities involving support of terrorism in Syria and arms trafficking. Russia also confirms that there are British, American, Israeli and Saudi intelligence officers who were caught by the Syrian army in one of the heavily fortified operations rooms during the invasion of the Syrian army and its allies of the East Ghouta. VT asked the Syrian government for serial numbers and closeup photographs of chemical weapons used. Syria sent them to us today. Today, the Syrian Army captured the following German made poison gas shells, shipped into Syria though Ukraine and Turkey and delivered to Jeish al Islam by a US CH53 helicopter, according to statements allegedly gotten from POW interrogations. American, British and Israeli military personnel captured in Syria have confirmed they were ordered to stage chemical attacks in East Ghouta by their governments. The Americans are still being held along with Israelis while British prisoners are being negotiated for. Sources in Damascus told us that representatives of Oman in Damascus approached the Russian Office of Reconciliation on behalf of Britain for the return of British chemical warfare personnel. The shells in the above video are identified as VX gas from British stockpiles. Russian officials in Syria informed Britain through Oman that they would have to directly deal with Syria for the return of their personnel. We have received no further information since, Damascus has remained silent on how or if negotiations were proceeding. We do know that US Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, a US Army combat veteran of Iraq, met with both President Assad and Donald Trump, in order to arrange for covert exchange, for substantial financial consideration, of captured Americans. Initial introductions for this meeting were done by VT. Israel bought back a Brigadier General (they claimed he was a colonel) in 2015 that we know about. The recent gas attack in Syria, timed as the last terrorists were surrendering for relocation inside the Douma region of the Ghouta pocket, was planned personally by nominated presidential advisor John Bolton and President Donald Trump personally, according to highly placed sources. Our sources in Russia, highest level, told us the attack was coming based on information they received from US and Israeli prisoners taken in East Ghouta after an evacuation attempt failed. US casualty announcements in this effort have been released over the past few days as happening in other areas to cover US complicity in terrorism. This dishonors families of the dead, not just in the misuse of service members to support terrorism but in lying to families about combat deaths. This shame goes directly to coward Trump! The loss of our Marines weighs heavy on our hearts, Maj. Gen. Mark Wise, commanding general of 3rd MAW, said in a statement. Our priority is to provide support for our families and HMH-465 during this critical time. Other US casualties were listed as a US Air Force F16 that allegedly crashed at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada and up to 6 Americans who the US claims were killed by Kurdish forces in the north of Syria. All died in a failed combined US/Israel rescue operation to remove not only communications and command personnel but also chemical weapons operations teams as well. Last week, VT Damascus received evidence that Americans, US Army Special Forces along with Israeli chemical weapons officers had been captured in East Ghouta. We were told that not only was a command facility captured with modern weapons but a stockpile of British made 81mm poison gas mortar shells, numbering in the hundreds, was seized as well. Videos were viewed by former MOD weapons specialists who identified the green stripe on the shells seized in East Ghouta as VX gas from British stockpiles. The Obama administration investigated alleged chemical attacks in 2012 and 2013 and advised Syria to turn over chemical stockpiles as a way of discouraging terrorists from continuing to stage chemical attacks to blame on Damascus. Most efforts had their roots in Britains MI6 and its affiliates, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the White Helmets. The US is currently facing combined military operations against its occupied zone in Syria by Iraq, Syrian and Russian forces. The US has been told to remove forces from Syria or face a wider conflict. The US and Russia have been at war against one another inside Syria for about a month now. Gordon Duff is a Marine combat veteran of the Vietnam War. He is a disabled veteran and has worked on veterans and POW issues for decades. Gordon is an accredited diplomat and is generally accepted as one of the top global intelligence specialists. He manages the world's largest private intelligence organization and regularly consults with governments challenged by security issues. Duff has traveled extensively, is published around the world and is a regular guest on TV and radio in more than "several" countries. He is also a trained chef, wine enthusiast, avid motorcyclist and gunsmith specializing in historical weapons and restoration. Business experience and interests are in energy and defense technology. 8 COMMENTS MIT Prof. Postal also agrees gas attacks staged:https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/mit-expert-claims-latest-chemical-weapons-attack-syria-was-staged-1617267 Quote: Theodore Postol, a professor emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), issued a series of three reports in response to the White Houses finding that Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad perpetrated the attack on 4 April. More from IBTimes UK  Iran, China and Bolivia call for independent probe into Syrian chemical weapon attack  US airstrikes under Trump killing more civilians in Syria and Iraq than anytime before  Boris Johnson calls Assads denials absurd as Russia says chemical weapon attack was fake He concluded that the US governments report does not provide any concrete evidence that Assad was responsible, adding it was more likely that the attack was perpetrated by players on the ground. Kudos to Gordon and Jim for getting the data from the Syrians and running with it. This exposes the dirty hand inside Washington, including Germany and Britain. The leaders/presidents of those three nations need to be hauled before the world Court for justice. We know that wont happen. If Syria goes down, we know what will happen to Assad. the same way Saddam was dealt with. meanwhile the real criminals, Obama, Trump, Bibi, May , MBS and Merkel all have a get out of jail free card. The shameless coverup of the deaths of these American troops belies everything America once stood for. Instead of truth, the people are told nothing but lies. Instead of peace, we get war. Instead of prosperity, we get debt and inflation. Instead of freedom and liberty we get a police security state. The rest of the world now despises America and isrealhell. The west is failing and will soon become just another addition to the dustbin of history. Americas military adventurism is about to come to an end. Here should be an easy question to answer  have we seen a single Syrian Arab Army soldier wearing gas masks (at least) or other chemically protective gear? No! Why not? Because they are not expecting to advance into a cloud of chlorine or VX. Because they are not using it. So, Trump, May, Macron, show us one reliable recording of an operation where SAA soldiers wear chemically protective gear. You cant, so stop behaving like mugs. Or are US soldiers asked to walk into a chemical battle-field without protective gear? I didnt think so. the USA Military doesnt care much about the Used up People , besides When Iraq was Sprayed with Depleted Uranium nobody was advised any Protection , Everyone From Iraq wars is kinda Radioactive , Military Higher ups did it Knowingly , They dont care about Soldiers . Never did . Othervise VA would have been a Smooth running department therefore Uknown . When USA Soldiers are used theyre Perked up on Pills and basically most are too drugged to actually rationalise the situation , theyre Trigger Happy  Never demanding Radioactive Protection .. Frome Stop War will be hosting its third Media on Trial event this May. We will be hosting our expert panel Former UK Ambassador to Syria, Peter Ford, independent investigative journalist Vanessa Beeley, Professor of Politics Society and Political Journalism at Sheffield University, Piers Robinson, Tim Hayward, Professor of Environmental Political Theory at Edinburgh University, Media Analyst and Blogger, Robert Stuart, and Independent Journalist, Broadcaster and Radio Show host Patrick Henningsen. The panel of experts will this time focus on the medias propensity to either embed its journalists directly with terrorist forces, most notably Channel 4s Krishnan Guru-Murthy embedded with Nour Al Zinki in Syria, or disseminate material directly from terrorist sources. In Syria, the White Helmets have been overwhelmingly the source from which establishment and corporate media have taken their information. Previous reporting from Libya in 2011 followed a similar pattern when the BBCs Ian Pannell was embedded with Islamic extremist, anti-government forces, while the overwhelming media narrative complied with information from those same sources.https://www.mediaontrial.uk/media-on-trial-leeds-2018/ DISCLOSURE NOTICE TO ALL VISITORS: All content herein is owned by author exclusively. Expressed opinions are NOT necessarily the views of VT, authors, affiliates, advertisers, sponsors, partners, technicians or Veterans Today Network (VT). Some content may be satirical in nature. All images within are full responsibility of author and NOT VT.About VT  Full Disclosure, Fake News Policy and Legal Notice  Comment Policy
Menu We must unite after the Westminster attack NOWHERE else is a more iconic symbol of democratic life than the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, the oldest Parliament anywhere in the world. On Wednesday, it endured a cheap and cowardly assault that led to the death of four innocent people plus the attacker, which brought the total toll to five. One was an unarmed policeman dedicated to keeping parliamentary life safe. Many were injured, including schoolchildren from France. I was one of many in Parliament as it happened, having lunch with an MP. Loud male shouting alerted us to a serious incident. We had no idea what. Was it a bomb alert, a fire, a fight? Then everyone started hiding, some in a cupboard, others under tables or sofas. There were young children beside us on a school visit. We realized that some people were starting to move. A heavily armed policeman started asking people to leave the large dining room. We still had no idea what was going on. Some were in tears. Everyone was corralled into the center of the palace, away from the windows. Many MPs were still locked in the chamber. Parliament went into lockdown for the next six hours, nobody was allowed in or out except streams of armed security. Politicians and Cabinet members waited together with members of the public, cooks, waiters, researchers and schoolchildren on educational visits. The police performed magnificently, not least as it was in the knowledge that one of their members had been killed and others injured. It seemed an age at first but the reality was that a huge parliamentary estate at the core of British power was, within a very short time, under total control and tight protection. For 25 years, I have wandered into this this magnificent palace  from the days when one could simply walk in with no checks or security to the era of passes, barricades and airport-style screening. However, the fundamental principle of access to our elected politicians will not be thwarted by cowardly idiots. The police have confirmed that they are treating this as a terrorist incident but whoever did this, whatever their reason, failed. Parliament resumed its normal functions the day after the attack. Britain has seen far worse and so has Parliament, going back to 1605 when Catholic plotters had 36 barrels of gunpowder ready to ignite under the palace. In 1979, Airey Neave, an MP, was killed by a car bomb planted by the Irish National Liberation Army as he drove out of Parliament. There were the IRA attacks of the 1970s and 1980s and the 2005 London bombings saw 52 killed. Only last June, MP Jo Cox was killed by a man with links to the far-right. British people pride themselves on their resilience and stoicism in the face of such threats and there is no sign that this is changing. In 2005, after the July 7 attacks, people walked to work the following day. There was a grim inevitability about such an attack. The UK threat level has been at severe for some time, with 10 attacks thwarted in the last two years. Perhaps the surprising thing was that  given the horrors in Brussels, Paris, Berlin and Nice  London had not been hit before like this. Some claimed the government had hyped the threat. This attack proves how false this was. The fear must be that this could be the opening salvo in a series of attacks. This was a low-tech attack, weaponizing a car and using a knife. The killer used a knife possibly because Britains gun laws are so tough, though no doubt Donald Trump would disagree. Of great concern is the fact that he was within meters of huge numbers of MPs en route to voting and was close to the area which the prime minister drives through to reach Parliament. It has been confirmed that the attack was carried out by a lone assailant and this presents an even tougher challenge for those involved in the investigation. However, research indicates a lone wolf is rarely alone. Already arrests are being made. Most pundits suspect that this was a Daesh or Al-Qaeda-inspired attack. It is possible, given their previous attempts and repeated threats and the fact that Britain is participating in the bombing of Daesh targets in both Syria and Iraq. Perhaps the most dangerous repercussion could be if the attack exacerbates already existing divisions in Britain and creates deeper fissures between communities. In 2005, Spanish friends were amazed at how the bombings did not cause intercommunal tensions as had happened after the Madrid attacks. Hate is no solution to the threat. Far-right extremists could not wait five minutes to exploit the opportunity. The notorious Tommy Robinson, former leader of the English Defense League, rushed to Westminster to spew his racist anti-Islamic venom. Perhaps most important of all is that when the dust settles, people should remember that despite all the horror in Westminster, this is but a small fraction of the almost daily terror experienced by people in Syria or Iraq, for example, and that Muslims are still far and away the biggest victims of Al-Qaeda and Daesh. That is one reaction that can knock back this extremist menace. The other was very clear the morning after the attack  Londoners made their way into work for it is business as usual in the capital.
It might be unfortunate wording but I know what he meant. We've had big attacks in countries across Europe, the UK is a prime target and people were saying it was almost certain that something would happen sooner or later. In pure cold figures three dead is small compared to 87 dead in Nice, 35 in Brussels, 137 in Paris and so on. The fact he chose such a hard target, probably the place with more armed police than anywhere else in the country, is why he was stopped so quickly, if not quickly enough. And little consolation to the relatives of those victims. It was inevitable, overdue and nothing anyone could have done would have stopped it? Thank you, voice of optimism. Any further wisdom you'd like to share? FTA:From this language, it is possible that the attacker had proactively gone "dormant" in his overt extremist activities, so as to reduce the "threat to life" assessments from security services -- meaning they would turn their attention and resources elsewhere. At this stage, it is hard to say whether this was deliberate. If so, then it is extremely likely that other would-be attackers will be doing exactly the same thing. So... if I see some Musliny looking character *not* acting suspicious then I should get suspicious? quatchi:It was inevitable, overdue and nothing anyone could have done would have stopped it? Thank you, voice of optimism. Any further wisdom you'd like to share? FTA: From this language, it is possible that the attacker had proactively gone "dormant" in his overt extremist activities, so as to reduce the "threat to life" assessments from security services -- meaning they would turn their attention and resources elsewhere. At this stage, it is hard to say whether this was deliberate. If so, then it is extremely likely that other would-be attackers will be doing exactly the same thing. So... if I see some Musliny looking character *not* acting suspicious then I should get suspicious? Is that really where we are now? Cos this is not a good place to be is my point here. That's really a rather understated comment. It makes me wonder if there's more to Mr quatchi than meets the eye. If that's even his real name. KiwDaWabbit:No attack can be prevented if someone wants it to happen badly enough, but further alienating people for cultural and/or religious reasons ain't helping. I live here, and I see no sign of that. And when the July 7 attack happened, with far more casualties, I was working in a place where half the people were Muslim and can't remember anything like that happening there either. When McVeigh bombed Oklahoma did Americans blame all Christians? This guy was a terrorist, not a Muslim. We've even had a Muslim MP say the same thing in the House today. Terror attacks will continue to happen all over the world. You can't stop them no matter how much you marginalize non-white people. There will never be enough background checks, surveillance and border checkpoints. You can pass law after law, slowly stripping away people's rights and people's privacy. Keeping religious and ethnic minorities won't stop violence because terrorism can be home-grown as well. Nothing will stop someone determined to cause harm and mayhem. quatchi:It was inevitable, overdue and nothing anyone could have done would have stopped it? If a lone radicalised guy wants to drive a car into a crowd there isn't really much you can do. I suspect more barriers will be put up around Parliament, but you can't put barriers up on every road in the country. If someone acts alone there won't be any communications to intercept. This terrorist sounds like he was the same as the guy who shot Ronald Reagan, only inspired by a terror group not a Hollywood actress. DubyaHater:Terror attacks will continue to happen all over the world. You can't stop them no matter how much you marginalize non-white people. There will never be enough background checks, surveillance and border checkpoints. You can pass law after law, slowly stripping away people's rights and people's privacy. Keeping religious and ethnic minorities won't stop violence because terrorism can be home-grown as well. Nothing will stop someone determined to cause harm and mayhem. Let's be honest, Trump and the Republicans don't give 2 shiats about stopping terror. Making people afraid is just a tactic they use to get people to vote to Republican (and to transfer wealth to the top). And you have to admit, it works. Ron Vibbentrop:quatchi: It was inevitable, overdue and nothing anyone could have done would have stopped it? If a lone radicalised guy wants to drive a car into a crowd there isn't really much you can do. I suspect more barriers will be put up around Parliament, but you can't put barriers up on every road in the country. If someone acts alone there won't be any communications to intercept. This terrorist sounds like he was the same as the guy who shot Ronald Reagan, only inspired by a terror group not a Hollywood actress. Yeah, I get that there is no such thing as perfect security. Just increased vigilance and target hardening. Stochasticly inspired lone wolf terrorism of the domestic home grown variety (the killer was born in the UK) is indeed virtually impossible to eliminate almost by definition. I just found the tone to be a bit overly bleak and one sided and imagined the writer to be of the sort that one would tend to avoid at parties. /I only wrote the above in a vain and ultimately doomed attempt to impress Jodie Foster. quatchi:Ron Vibbentrop: quatchi: It was inevitable, overdue and nothing anyone could have done would have stopped it? If a lone radicalised guy wants to drive a car into a crowd there isn't really much you can do. I suspect more barriers will be put up around Parliament, but you can't put barriers up on every road in the country. If someone acts alone there won't be any communications to intercept. This terrorist sounds like he was the same as the guy who shot Ronald Reagan, only inspired by a terror group not a Hollywood actress.Yeah, I get that there is no such thing as perfect security.Just increased vigilance and target hardening. Saw on the news today that the Home Office has anti terror barriers, but they're made to look like period ornamental features. That low wall half way between the road and the building? Yep, it's actually a hardened steel structure capable of stopping am eighteen wheeler hitting it at speed. Would not surprise me if the same thing was installed around Parliament and on Westminster Bridge. Ron Vibbentrop:quatchi: Ron Vibbentrop: quatchi: It was inevitable, overdue and nothing anyone could have done would have stopped it? If a lone radicalised guy wants to drive a car into a crowd there isn't really much you can do. I suspect more barriers will be put up around Parliament, but you can't put barriers up on every road in the country. If someone acts alone there won't be any communications to intercept. This terrorist sounds like he was the same as the guy who shot Ronald Reagan, only inspired by a terror group not a Hollywood actress.Yeah, I get that there is no such thing as perfect security.Just increased vigilance and target hardening. Saw on the news today that the Home Office has anti terror barriers, but they're made to look like period ornamental features. [img.fark.net image 833x503] That low wall half way between the road and the building? Yep, it's actually a hardened steel structure capable of stopping am eighteen wheeler hitting it at speed. Would not surprise me if the same thing was installed around Parliament and on Westminster Bridge. Ron Vibbentrop:quatchi: It was inevitable, overdue and nothing anyone could have done would have stopped it? If a lone radicalised guy wants to drive a car into a crowd there isn't really much you can do. I suspect more barriers will be put up around Parliament, but you can't put barriers up on every road in the country. If someone acts alone there won't be any communications to intercept. This terrorist sounds like he was the same as the guy who shot Ronald Reagan, only inspired by a terror group not a Hollywood actress. Jodi Foster was at least more attractive than anyone in daesh. Also, I'm guessing there are barriers around Trafalgar Square where a whole lot of people gathered today - or yesterday for you. It's still today for me. Girl From The North Country:DubyaHater: Terror attacks will continue to happen all over the world. You can't stop them no matter how much you marginalize non-white people. There will never be enough background checks, surveillance and border checkpoints. You can pass law after law, slowly stripping away people's rights and people's privacy. Keeping religious and ethnic minorities won't stop violence because terrorism can be home-grown as well. Nothing will stop someone determined to cause harm and mayhem. Let's be honest, Trump and the Republicans don't give 2 shiats about stopping terror. Making people afraid is just a tactic they use to get people to vote to Republican (and to transfer wealth to the top). And you have to admit, it works. I think it goes beyond that. He WANTS a terrorist attack on US soil. That will confirm his narrative and allow him to justify more draconian crackdowns and dehumanizing of certain groups. I want very much to be wrong, butI believe our President and his advisors are intentionally provoking an attack. Hey, it's the guy who took four hours to reply to a thread, to criticise me for taking hours to reply to a thread! That's comedy gold right there. hello to you in the uk! i was hoping you would make it up by the crack of midday, but i guess that was asking too much. glad you're awake now, though so, tell me about this problem with me failing to reply for four hours. we were having a discussion, weren't we, and you repeatedly took quite a few hours to reply without any warning that you would be doing so. so, of course, i then stated that i would not continue to discuss the issues with you in that thread, but would raise them again in another thread on the same topic. obviously, i felt the issues i was nailing you on were important, but was concerned that your failure to respond in a timely manner was a way of avoiding the conversation as far as possible until the thread died after i had told you i would be addressing the matter in a subsequent thread on the topic, you then tried to continue the conversation at the end of the thread. and i reminded you of what i had already stated. but you are now complaining about the delay in my providing this reminder of the fact that i had already drawn attention to what you were doing in failing to respond in a timely manner and would be continuing the conversation in another thread on the topic rather than that one? ok. that's about the worst weak sauce i've ever seen, but, ok. do you want to try again, or do you need a little longer to wake up, little man? you were caught lying in that thread, as well, weren't you, repeatedly, Ron 'the sun has serious political reporting' Vibbentrop? as well as all your normal nonsense, typified by you claiming 'the sun has serious political reporting' you also started on about an "eu army." when another poster responded with "Clueless paranoid typing detected" you stated "Maybe you should check who originally mentioned "EU Army" in this thread. It wasn't me. I replied to them. Then I mentioned it again as a possibility." that was a clear lie, wasn't it? a simple search showed you were the first to mention "EU Army." you brought it up as a way of trying to pretend russia was against brexit. regarding the claims you were making about the sun, perhaps you would like to toddle off t'paper shop and pick up the print edition today and you can lay out for me the 'serious political reporting' that fills those pages you also claimed: A lot of the Mails print output is serious news, though with an agenda. what's the front page of the print edition of the mail today? from what i can see, it looks to me like "Yesterday it took the Mail two minutes on web to find a terror manual on how to use a car for mass murder" on a black background under the name of the paper, followed by huge great writing right across the middle, also over a black background, stating 21-7-b:you were caught lying in that thread, as well, weren't you, repeatedly, Ron 'the sun has serious political reporting' Vibbentrop? as well as all your normal nonsense, typified by you claiming 'the sun has serious political reporting' you also started on about an "eu army." when another poster responded with "Clueless paranoid typing detected" you stated "Maybe you should check who originally mentioned "EU Army" in this thread. It wasn't me. I replied to them. Then I mentioned it again as a possibility." that was a clear lie, wasn't it? a simple search showed you were the first to mention "EU Army." you brought it up as a way of trying to pretend russia was against brexit. regarding the claims you were making about the sun, perhaps you would like to toddle off t'paper shop and pick up the print edition today and you can lay out for me the 'serious political reporting' that fills those pages No, I wasn't lying. Someone made a comment mentioning Putin and Merkle, someone replied bringing up the proposed EU army and I responded to that. The Putin/Merkel post was deleted for violating Fark's T+C and all posts quoting it were deleted as well. I emailed a mod to check. So no, I didn't lie. And since we are apparently now required to log in to Fark and stay logfed in ready to reply within minutes, I shoukd warn you I'm working this afternoon so will only be checking Fark every now and then. you also claimed: A lot of the Mails print output is serious news, though with an agenda. what's the front page of the print edition of the mail today? from what i can see, it looks to me like "Yesterday it took the Mail two minutes on web to find a terror manual on how to use a car for mass murder" on a black background under the name of the paper, followed by huge great writing right across the middle, also over a black background, stating "GOOGLE, THETERRORISTS'FRIEND ..." The Mail also led the campaign to bring the killers of Stephen Lawrence to justice. Ron 'the sun has serious political reporting' Vibbentrop:No, I wasn't lying. Someone made a comment mentioning Putin and Merkle, someone replied bringing up the proposed EU army and I responded to that. The Putin/Merkel post was deleted for violating Fark's T+C and all posts quoting it were deleted as well. I emailed a mod to check. uh-huh i can't see any mention in the thread prior to me asking you whether you were aware of an appearance of farage on a russian propaganda channel within the last couple of week where a pre-teen girl "knights" him. you responded "I have no idea. It's unclear that Russia would benefit from Brexit. The UK was the biggest obstacle to the EU Army, so the UK leaving could lead to the formation of a powerful EU military force, that could act far quicker than trying to get twenty seven countries to agree. So how would Putin benefit from Brexit? " don't worry, this thread isn't about brexit and it is too far into it to raise the issues relating to brexit that i want you to answer. they will wait for another time. i do want you to buy a copy of the sun and give us that feedback, though 21-7-b:Ron 'the sun has serious political reporting' Vibbentrop: No, I wasn't lying. Someone made a comment mentioning Putin and Merkle, someone replied bringing up the proposed EU army and I responded to that. The Putin/Merkel post was deleted for violating Fark's T+C and all posts quoting it were deleted as well. I emailed a mod to check. uh-huh i can't see any mention in the thread prior to me asking you whether you were aware of an appearance of farage on a russian propaganda channel within the last couple of week where a pre-teen girl "knights" him. you responded "I have no idea. It's unclear that Russia would benefit from Brexit. The UK was the biggest obstacle to the EU Army, so the UK leaving could lead to the formation of a powerful EU military force, that could act far quicker than trying to get twenty seven countries to agree. So how would Putin benefit from Brexit? " you aren't referencing any previous, 'disappeared,' conversation Ron 'the sun has serious political reporting' Vibbentrop: So no, I didn't lie. sure Ron 'the sun has serious political reporting' Vibbentrop: And since we are apparently now required to log in to Fark and stay logfed in ready to reply within minutes, I shoukd warn you I'm working this afternoon so will only be checking Fark every now and then. don't worry, this thread isn't about brexit and it is too far into it to raise the issues relating to brexit that i want you to answer. they will wait for another time. i do want you to buy a copy of the sun and give us that feedback, though Ron 'the sun has serious political repoerting' Vibbentrop: The Mail also led the campaign to bring the killers of Stephen Lawrence to justice. a weak sauce distraction: stephen lawrence was killed 25 years ago. address the headline i gave you from today directly, or admit you were trying to mischaracterize the paper in the same way you were the sun Hey, it's the guy who took four hours to reply to a thread, to criticise me for taking hours to reply to a thread! That's comedy gold right there. hello to you in the uk! i was hoping you would make it up by the crack of midday, but i guess that was asking too much. glad you're awake now, though so, tell me about this problem with me failing to reply for four hours. we were having a discussion, weren't we, and you repeatedly took quite a few hours to reply without any warning that you would be doing so. so, of course, i then stated that i would not continue to discuss the issues with you in that thread, but would raise them again in another thread on the same topic. obviously, i felt the issues i was nailing you on were important, but was concerned that your failure to respond in a timely manner was a way of avoiding the conversation as far as possible until the thread died after i had told you i would be addressing the matter in a subsequent thread on the topic, you then tried to continue the conversation at the end of the thread. and i reminded you of what i had already stated. but you are now complaining about the delay in my providing this reminder of the fact that i had already drawn attention to what you were doing in failing to respond in a timely manner and would be continuing the conversation in another thread on the topic rather than that one? ok. that's about the worst weak sauce i've ever seen, but, ok. do you want to try again, or do you need a little longer to wake up, little man? Are we allowed lunch breaks? Do we have to put the new cover sheet on our TPS reports? i know what i wrote and i read what you wrote to me. i asked you about the leader of brexit being recently "knighted" by a pre-teen girl on a russian propaganda channel and asked you, someone who rabidly argues the supposed benefits of brexit, to explain that to me. in response you started off about an eu army. your comment was the first mention of an eu army in the thread when you made the comment, and you even went on to defend the idea further. If you are right you'd be able to get me on another lie by having a mod confirm you were right. So why are you "too busy" to do so? Strange..... 21-7-b:i know what i wrote and i read what you wrote to me. i asked you about the leader of brexit being recently "knighted" by a pre-teen girl on a russian propaganda channel and asked you, someone who rabidly argues the supposed benefits of brexit, to explain that to me. in response you started off about an eu army. your comment was the first mention of an eu army in the thread when you made the comment, and you even went on to defend the idea further. Except the EU army had already been bought up by another poster in the thread, which is what I said. And why is the idea of a EU army so bizarre? If you believe, as many in Europe do, that the EU should be a power in its own right, a United States Of Europe, then why wouldn't it have its own army? It's a perfectly reasonable idea, and if they want to do so then why shouldn't they? My objection was that I didn't want the UK to be part of this super state, or the UK military swallowed up by a EU military, but now we're leaving I don't have any problem with the EU going ahead. If you are right you'd be able to get me on another lie by having a mod confirm you were right. So why are you "too busy" to do so? Strange.... there was no mention of an eu army in the thread when you made the comment. none. you were asked about russian views of brexit and you went to "EU ARMAY" nothing strange about it, as the other poster stated, "Clueless paranoid typing detected" Ron Vibbentrop:Except the EU army had already been bought up by another poster in the thread, which is what I said. not in any conversation with me and not that was visible at the time you brought it up Ron Vibbentrop:And why is the idea of a EU army so bizarre? If you believe, as many in Europe do, that the EU should be a power in its own right, a United States Of Europe, then why wouldn't it have its own army? It's a perfectly reasonable idea, and if they want to do so then why shouldn't they?My objection was that I didn't want the UK to be part of this super state, or the UK military swallowed up by a EU military, but now we're leaving I don't have any problem with the EU going ahead. as i stated, if you did a google search for the term you got masses of wingnut websites at the top of the results. that should have told you something Ron Vibbentrop:So, no comment to the Guardian article I linked to? The one that praised the UK tabloids? Any comments on what that article said? Or is the Grauniad an untrustworthy tabloid as well? i haven't read it. and i'm not going to until after you've explained today's mail front page and shown me "the serious political reporting" in the sun today. then we can discuss it, if it's important to you. i'm sure we can find plenty of guardian articles ripping into the daily mail and the sun, though, so i'm not sure why you think it is so important first things first though. at the moment it looks like you jumped in top defend the mail and the sun, but now you are not prepared to, beyond "some random guardian article" and "stephen lawrence" If you are right you'd be able to get me on another lie by having a mod confirm you were right. So why are you "too busy" to do so? Strange.... there was no mention of an eu army in the thread when you made the comment. none. you were asked about russian views of brexit and you went to "EU ARMAY" nothing strange about it, as the other poster stated, "Clueless paranoid typing detected" Ron Vibbentrop: Except the EU army had already been bought up by another poster in the thread, which is what I said. not in any conversation with me and not that was visible at the time you brought it up Ron Vibbentrop: And why is the idea of a EU army so bizarre? If you believe, as many in Europe do, that the EU should be a power in its own right, a United States Of Europe, then why wouldn't it have its own army? It's a perfectly reasonable idea, and if they want to do so then why shouldn't they?My objection was that I didn't want the UK to be part of this super state, or the UK military swallowed up by a EU military, but now we're leaving I don't have any problem with the EU going ahead. as i stated, if you did a google search for the term you got masses of wingnut websites at the top of the results. that should have told you something Ron Vibbentrop: So, no comment to the Guardian article I linked to? The one that praised the UK tabloids? Any comments on what that article said? Or is the Grauniad an untrustworthy tabloid as well? i haven't read it. and i'm not going to until after you've explained today's mail front page and shown me "the serious political reporting" in the sun today. then we can discuss it, if it's important to you. i'm sure we can find plenty of guardian articles ripping into the daily mail and the sun, though, so i'm not sure why you think it is so important first things first though. at the moment it looks like you jumped in top defend the mail and the sun, but now you are not prepared to ... i just wouldn't. i would expect that sort of thing from a whiny child, tbh. the fact is that there was no mention of an eu army in the thread when you brought it up to me in response to a question i put to you about russia. i had not been talking to anyone about an eu army. i had not seen you discussing the matter previously. you brought it up of your own free will. it's probably a big thing to you tell me about how you think these esteemed organs have today educated people like you and are helping you to come to have a deeper, fairer and more useful understanding of the political landscape, Ron 'the sun has serious political reporting'Ribbentrop there's no point running from it and no need to be ashamed. i think we all knew. have a try, though. i'll have a look at deprogramming techniques and we'll see if we can't help you 21-7-b:now, if you please, Ron 'the sun has serious political reporting'Ribbentrop today's sun and the mail front page can you bring yourself to discuss them? Since I bought up the Guardian article pointing out that the tabloids do in fact do a lot of proper journalism shouldn't you respond to that first? After all why ask me to defend tabloids when I have posted a link to the Guardian defending the tabloids? Isn't the word of the Guardian worth considering? Isn't that your whole argument, that only the broadsheets do serious journalism? Then why do you refuse to discuss one of their articles? Ron Vibbentrop:Since I bought up the Guardian article pointing out that the tabloids do in fact do a lot of proper journalism shouldn't you respond to that first? After all why ask me to defend tabloids when I have posted a link to the Guardian defending the tabloids? Isn't the word of the Guardian worth considering? Isn't that your whole argument, that only the broadsheets do serious journalism? Then why do you refuse to discuss one of their articles? at the moment we're trying to establish your claim that, "Many have a slightly distorted opinion of British tabloids. They're not really like US tabloids. Even The Sun has serious political reporting for example. The DM newspaper is not the same as the online where to fill up their website they have teams of writers plagiarising other websites, with wild and inaccurate headlines and so on. A lot of the Mails print output is serious news, though with an agenda" which came in response to my pointing out that " you had the sun behind brexit, didn't you? and the daily mail? and the express was even more behind it? ... what do you think of those sources? good quality, generally?" i'm starting to think that there a reason you don't want to discuss today's mail front page or todays' sun, but instead want to focus on an article in the guardian "comment is free" section by an ex-tabloid hack. i'll address it briefly, and we can come back to your guardian article once you address the content i have asked you to today. is that fair? your article is about phone hacking, and defending the tabloids after that scandal. it concludes "I suspect the real reason we love them is the same reason we love binge drinking and fox hunting; it's a national delight in base pleasure and ritual cruelty" having earlier stated "I emphasise how competitive our newspaper market is and that the tabloids are very popular, so they must be doing something right." so, that doesn't really support your claim that the sun "has serious political reporting" the most the article really says on the point is that tabloids have a "heady punch of politics, sex and sport in such an aggressive, swaggering style"
Lockdown London: How British Security Services Plan for Attack The major reason why the police and security services response to the Westminster attacks, March 22, was so fast was because of lessons learned over the years from the 7/7 bombings of 2005 as well as years of dealing with the threat from the IRA, which targeted the UK for decades. Britain has been on the highest level of terrorist warning  classed by the security service MI5 as 'severe'  since 2014, meaning that an attack is "highly likely", which has meant that across all UK airports and ports and in its major cities  especially London  security levels are high. A policeman points a gun at a man on the floor as emergency services attend the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London, Wednesday, March 22, 2017. The pedestrians' vulnerability was a balancing act the security services have to take, weighing up freedom to roam, with the need for security. In Westminster, the entrance the attacker went through is a common entrance staffed by two unarmed policemen. In the UK, the general rule is that the police are not armed. It is a cultural issue, supported by the police unions, who believe that a totally armed police service would encourage increased use of firearms. However, in the highly protected Palace of Westminster, there are many armed police and the attacker was shot dead within meters of the gate. The security system worked and parliament was protected, albeit with the tragic loss of a policeman's life. Misinformation London's resilience is built on previous major incidents  most recently the 7/7 bombings of 2005 which saw a series of bomb attacks across London in the space of 45 minutes. On July 7, 2005, the police Casualty Bureau phone line received many more calls in the first 24 hours than in any previous emergency. At its peak it received 43,000 attempted calls an hour and over the whole incident received details of 7,823 persons believed missing. The scenes at Edgware Road Tube Station in London following an explosion, Thursday July 7, 2005. An explosion destroyed a double-decker bus in central London during rush hour Thursday, police said. In the moments after the bombs went off, the emergency services were faced with multiple false calls  as happened in Westminster, March 22. Most false calls are innocent  the result of panic, misinformation or simple hearing the same 'bang', but from a different direction. Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron, second from left, and London Mayor Boris Johnson, fourth from left, stand beside senior representatives from the ambulance, left, fire, third left, and police services as they wait to lay wreaths at the 7/7 memorial in Hyde Park in London, Tuesday, July 7, 2015. Since 7/7, when communications difficulties meant that there was confusion between the blue light services, the London emergency services share common radio systems. That has led to faster and clearer communications between all the emergency services. The area around Westminster has hundreds of CCTV cameras, making it one of the most watched areas in Britain, meaning the security services were quick to react and kill the attacker. Following 7/7, there are regular rehearsals for terrorist attacks and the major incident plan was invoked quickly and smoothly, March 22. The fact that the emergency and security services had the situation in Westminster under total control within half an hour of the attacks  a total lockdown on parliament and surrounding buildings  is a sign that lessons were learned from their response to 7/7. Finally, the strategic control of the incident and its aftermath was dictated at the highest level through a COBRA meeting (Cabinet Office Briefing Room A), chaired by the prime minister with the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, MI5, MI6, GCHQ, the Foreign Office, Home office, Mayor of London and other top level staff. They will  over the coming days  steer the investigation into the atrocity of March 22, yet balance the need for vigilance and increased security, against the freedom of citizens to use the capital city, which is no stranger to terrorism and bombings, going back to the Second World War. Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May makes a statement at Downing street in London, Britain, March 22, 2017 following the attack in Westminster. "The threat level to the UK has been set at 'severe'  meaning an attack is highly likely  for some time.This is the second highest threat level. The highest level 'critical' means there is specific intelligence that an attack is imminent," Mrs. May told the House of Commons, March 23. "As there is no such intelligence, the independent Joint Terrorism Analysis Center has decided that the threat level will not change in the light of yesterday's attack," she said, in a sign that the security services have got their man and do not expect another associated attack, but remain vigilant for the next. Hello, ! We are committed to protecting your personal information and we have updated our Privacy Policy to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), a new EU regulation that went into effect on May 25, 2018. Please review our Privacy Policy. It contains details about the types of data we collect, how we use it, and your data protection rights. 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Pages Thursday, March 30, 2017 The Westminster Jihad Attack: 'Europe will be Islamic by the end of the century' Andrew McCarthy sees the writing on the wall, and what the escalating plague of Islamic jihad attacks really means: the rise of Islam and the End of the West as we know it. Islam and the Jihad in LondonIts not non-Western. Its anti-Western. By Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review Online via AINA, March 25, 2017: It was a careful choice of words, Bernard Lewis being nothing if not careful. In 2004, the West audibly gasped when its preeminent scholar of Islam famously told the German newspaper Die Welt,"Europe will be Islamic by the end of the century," if not sooner. Listen carefully. He did not say that Muslims will be the majority population in what is still recognizably Europe. No, Professor Lewis said "Europe will be Islamic." We are not talking about Muslims here. We are talking about Islam. Lots of individual Muslims desire peaceful coexistence, even assimilation. But Islam's aim is to prevail. So, yet again this week, Lewis's foreboding has been brought to the fore by a jihadist mass-murder attack, this time in London. As we go to press, five innocent people are dead after Khalid Masood, a terrorist acting on unambiguous scriptural commands to war against non-Muslims, rammed his rental Hyundai SUV into dozens of pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, many of them tourists taking in the iconic views of Parliament. About 50 people suffered injuries, some of them grave, so the death toll may yet rise. Masood, a burly 52-year-old weightlifter with a long criminal record that included vicious stabbings, then crashed the car through the gate at Westminster Palace, home of the West's most venerable democratic legislature. He alighted brandishing two long knives, which he used to kill Keith Palmer, a police officer who, pursuant to British policy, was unarmed despite being assigned to provide security at one of the world's foremost terror targets. Masood was finally shot dead by a protection officer attached to England's defense minister. There immediately began the ritual media pondering over Masood's motive. Yes, what could it possibly have been? I'm going to stick with the patently obvious. Masood was born as Adrian Russell Ajao on Christmas Day, 1964, in Kent county, just outside London. His 17-year-old single mother remarried two years later, and he was known as Adrian Elms (his stepfather's surname) until converting to Islam when he was about 40. Prior to that point, while fathering three children with his wife, he had several arrests, some for violent attacks. During at least one of the resulting stints in prison, like many inmates, he began indoctrination into Islam. Masood "gravitated to Birmingham, a city enveloped by sharia enclaves that have become 'no-go zones' for non-Muslims and police." Between 2004 and 2005 came the critical transition: the formal conversion, marriage to a Muslim woman, and relocation to Saudi Arabia (you know, be our "ally" against terrorism). For five years, Masood was immersed in the kingdom's Wahhabism -- fundamentalist Islam rooted in scriptural literalism. He became an English language-teacher working for the Saudi government. Masood returned to England from Jeddah about seven years ago. By the time of Wednesday's attack on Westminster Bridge, he had seamlessly gravitated to Birmingham, a city increasingly enveloped by sharia enclaves that, to varying degrees, have become "no-go zones" for non-Muslims and agents of the state, including police. There is diversity in Islam, including millions of Muslims who adhere only to its spiritual elements or see themselves as more culturally than doctrinally Islamic. But when we speak of Islam, as opposed to Muslims, we are not speaking about a mere religious belief system. We are talking about a competing civilization -- that is very much how Islam self-identifies. It has its own history, principles, values, mores, and legal system. Islam, thus understood, is not non-Western. It is anti-Western. Like the conversion of Masood, the conversion of Birmingham has been a function of this defining Islamic attribute. Individual Muslims may assimilate, but Islam doesn't do assimilation. Islam does not melt into your melting pot. Islam, as Muslim Brotherhood founder Hassan al-Banna proclaimed, is content with nothing less than political, cultural, and civilizational dominance. As Soeren Kern relates in a comprehensive Gatestone Institute report on Islam in Britain, the metamorphosis of Birmingham, along with several other U.K. population centers, signifies this resistance. When the Islamic presence in a Western community reaches a critical mass, Islam's hostility to Western mores and demands for sharia governance result in non-Muslim flight. Marriages between Muslims resident in the Western community and Muslims overseas tend to result in childbirth rates and household growth that dwarfs that of the indigenous population. Arranged, intra-familial, and polygamous marriages, endorsed by Islamic mores, drastically alter the fabric of communities in short order. Birmingham, in particular, has been ground zero of "Operation Trojan Horse," a sharia-supremacist scheme to Islamize the public schools. Before ISIS and al-Qaeda and the Khomeini revolution and Hezbollah and the Blind Sheikh and the Brotherhood and Khalid Masood, there was the single thing that unites them all. There was Islam. Kern repeats an account of life in "inner-city Birmingham" by the wife of a British clergyman, first published by Standpoint in 2011. She explained how the neighborhood in which she'd lived for four years had become a "police no-go zone," in which the large number of newly arrived Somali immigrants now approached that of Pakistanis already resident. Then she recalled her husband's encounter with an immigrant who had just arrived from Belgium -- on an EU passport, like an increasing number of Muslims these days. The migrant was surprised when the clergyman asked why he had chosen to move into their neighborhood. Finally, he replied, "Everybody knows. Birmingham--best place in Europe to be pure Muslim." The memory moved the clergyman's wife to a salient insight: Well, there must be many places in Europe where Muslims are entirely free to practice their faith, but I suspect there are few places in which they can have so little contact with the civic and legal structure of a Western state if they choose. To a London reader, born and bred with multiculturalism, I know that my stories may come across as outlandish and exaggerated. . . When I recently told a friend how a large Taliban flag fluttered gaily on a house near St Andrew's football stadium for some months, her cry of "Can't you tell the police?" made me reflect how far many of our inner cities have been abandoned by our key workers: our doctors and nurses drive in from afar, the police, as mentioned before, have shut down their stations and never venture in unless in extremis -- they and ambulance crews have been known to be attacked -- even the local imam lives in a leafier area. It is in that milieu that Khalid Masood made his decision, rented an SUV, and drove to Westminster Bridge. Naturally, the Islamic State terror network (ISIS) took credit for the atrocity, as it has been wont to do since issuing its plea that Muslims conduct attacks "in place" -- i.e., against the Western societies where they live. Western leaders have been content to accept these claims, at least as inspirational, if not operational. It is easier to indulge the fiction that ISIS catalyzes jihadism then to ask what catalyzed ISIS. But the remorseless fact is that before ISIS and al-Qaeda and the Khomeini revolution and Hezbollah and the Blind Sheikh and the Brotherhood and Khalid Masood, there was the single thing that unites them all. There was Islam. Western political and opinion elites remain willfully blind to this. They cannot help but project onto Islamic beliefs and practices their own progressive pieties -- which take seriously neither religion nor the notion that there is any civilization but their own. In their minds, and therefore ingrained in the media's coverage, is the notion that a Muslim community is just like any other community. Same with the mosque -- it is just a "house of worship," no different from a church, a safe harbor from worldly concerns and hostilities. Islam, however, does not separate mosque from state; the mosque is every bit as much a center for sharia indoctrination, assimilation resistance, and anti-Western politics as it is a prayer venue. That is why al-Banna regarded the mosque and the Islamic community center commonly attached to it as the "axis" of the "movement" in every community where Islam takes hold. The movement does not want cohabitation. It wants conquest. It starts with assimilation-resistant enclaves that nurture sharia supremacism today and thereby breed the jihadists of tomorrow. This week, it took the campaign to Westminster Bridge. The Armenian Genocide Special Resource Page RESIST MOSQUES Professional Help for Your Neighborhood MANHATTAN DECLARATION Learn - Sign - Share The Way of Martyrdom in Our Times "The Church today must prepare her children and those who love Christ and His salvation for martyrdom, to become martyrs for Christ... The great Elders during the time of the Turkish occupation were coaches of the martyrs. This is what the great Elders are doing also today." Now They Reveal Who They Really Are "Yes, there were times when Muslims tried to live in peace with their neighbors, they even acknowledged that we Christians are people, too. But for many, those times have passed, and now they reveal who they really are." Not from the Good God "It is true that Muhammad started from the east and came to the west, as the sun travels from east to west. Nevertheless he came with war, knives, pillaging, forced enslavement, murders, and acts that are not from the good God but instigated by the chief manslayer, the devil." The Heresy of Islam "There is also the superstition of the Ishmaelites which to this day prevails and keeps people in error, being a forerunner of the Antichrist... "From that time to the present a false prophet named Mohammed has appeared in their midst. This man devised his own heresy. Then, having insinuated himself into the good graces of the people by a show of seeming piety, he gave out that a certain book had been sent down to him from heaven. He had set down some ridiculous compositions in this book of his and he gave it to them as an object of veneration." Copyright Notice: 2. I strive to provide accurate copyright info on my blog, with links to the original copyright holder/author where available. All references and use of citations, text, images, videos, audio and indeed, all content, on the Facing Islam Blog is presumed to be protected under the Fair Use clause, and no copyright infringement is intended. 3. The Facing Islam Blog is a personal weblog that is free and open to the public. No fees are required, and there is no advertising, paid content or any monetization of the Facing Islam Blog. (Donations are accepted, and are so infrequent as to be virtually non-existent.) 4. In the rare event that a copyright holder should request an image or other content be removed from the Facing Islam Blog, I am happy to immediately comply. Please contact me at zosimas at mac dot com with any related queries.
Multiple Injuries In Westminster Terror Attack28 pictures Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood stands amongst the emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at...More Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood stands amongst the emergency services at the scene...Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood stands amongst the emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament.LessMore Armed police walk past emergency services attending to a man on the floor (top) and a police officer (centre right) outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after a policeman was stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in...More Armed police walk past emergency services attending to a man on the floor (top) and...Armed police walk past emergency services attending to a man on the floor (top) and a police officer (centre right) outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after a policeman was stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament.LessMore A member of the public is treated by emergency services near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament on March 22, 2017 in London, England. A police officer has been stabbed near to the British Parliament and the alleged...More A member of the public is treated by emergency services near Westminster Bridge and...A member of the public is treated by emergency services near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament on March 22, 2017 in London, England. A police officer has been stabbed near to the British Parliament and the alleged assailant shot by armed police. Scotland Yard report they have been called to an incident on Westminster Bridge where several people have been injured by a car.LessMore A policeman points a gun at a man on the floor (top) while emergency services attend him and a police officer (bottom) outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman was stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in...More A policeman points a gun at a man on the floor (top) while emergency services...A policeman points a gun at a man on the floor (top) while emergency services attend him and a police officer (bottom) outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman was stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament.LessMore A policeman points a gun at a man on the floor as emergency services attend the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident...More A policeman points a gun at a man on the floor as emergency services attend the...A policeman points a gun at a man on the floor as emergency services attend the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament.LessMore Emergency services at the scene while two knives lay on the floor outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after a policeman was stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of...More Emergency services at the scene while two knives lay on the floor outside the...Emergency services at the scene while two knives lay on the floor outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after a policeman was stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament.LessMore People are seen in the Houses of Parliament on March 22, 2017 in London, England. At least one man was shot dead by police outside the U.K. parliament Wednesday afternoon after stabbing a police officer, said Commons Leader David...More People are seen in the Houses of Parliament on March 22, 2017 in London, England....People are seen in the Houses of Parliament on March 22, 2017 in London, England. At least one man was shot dead by police outside the U.K. parliament Wednesday afternoon after stabbing a police officer, said Commons Leader David Lidington. Parliament Square is under a complete security lockdown with all entrances and exits suspended, with all roads into the square cordoned off by police.LessMore A member of the public is treated by emergency services near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament on March 22, 2017 in London, England. A police officer has been stabbed near to the British Parliament and the alleged...More A member of the public is treated by emergency services near Westminster Bridge and...A member of the public is treated by emergency services near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament on March 22, 2017 in London, England. A police officer has been stabbed near to the British Parliament and the alleged assailant shot by armed police. Scotland Yard report they have been called to an incident on Westminster Bridge where several people have been injured by a car.LessMore An armed police officer stands guard near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament on March 22, 2017 in London, England. A police officer has been stabbed near to the British Parliament and the alleged assailant shot by armed...More An armed police officer stands guard near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of...An armed police officer stands guard near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament on March 22, 2017 in London, England. A police officer has been stabbed near to the British Parliament and the alleged assailant shot by armed police. Scotland Yard report they have been called to an incident on Westminster Bridge where several people have been injured by a car.LessMore Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood (centre) helps emergency services attend to a police officer outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after a policeman was stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security...More Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood (centre) helps emergency services attend to a police...Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood (centre) helps emergency services attend to a police officer outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after a policeman was stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament.LessMore Emergency services make their way down Westminster Bridge towards the Houses of Parliament on March 22, 2017 in London, England. A police officer has been stabbed near to the British Parliament and the alleged assailant shot by armed...More Emergency services make their way down Westminster Bridge towards the Houses of...Emergency services make their way down Westminster Bridge towards the Houses of Parliament on March 22, 2017 in London, England. A police officer has been stabbed near to the British Parliament and the alleged assailant shot by armed police. Scotland Yard report they have been called to an incident on Westminster Bridge where several people have been injured by a car.LessMore Prime Minister Theresa May makes a statement in Downing street following the terrorist incident in westminster on March 22, 2017 in London, England. Four people including a police officer and his attacker have been killed in two...More Prime Minister Theresa May makes a statement in Downing street following the...Prime Minister Theresa May makes a statement in Downing street following the terrorist incident in westminster on March 22, 2017 in London, England. Four people including a police officer and his attacker have been killed in two related incidents outside the Houses of Parliament and on Westminster Bridge in what Scotland Yard are treating as a terrorist incident.LessMore TOPSHOT - People leave after being evacuated from the Houses of Parliament in central London on March 22, 2017 during an emergency incident. Britain's Houses of Parliament were in lockdown on Wednesday after staff said they heard shots...More TOPSHOT - People leave after being evacuated from the Houses of Parliament in...TOPSHOT - People leave after being evacuated from the Houses of Parliament in central London on March 22, 2017 during an emergency incident. Britain's Houses of Parliament were in lockdown on Wednesday after staff said they heard shots fired, triggering a security alert. / AFP PHOTO / Daniel LEALLessMore A member of the public is treated by emergency services near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament on March 22, 2017 in London, England. A police officer has been stabbed near to the British Parliament and the alleged...More A member of the public is treated by emergency services near Westminster Bridge and...A member of the public is treated by emergency services near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament on March 22, 2017 in London, England. A police officer has been stabbed near to the British Parliament and the alleged assailant shot by armed police. Scotland Yard report they have been called to an incident on Westminster Bridge where several people have been injured by a car.LessMore An Air Ambulance at the scene by Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament on March 22, 2017 in London, England. A police officer has been stabbed near to the British Parliament and the alleged assailant shot by armed police....More An Air Ambulance at the scene by Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament on...An Air Ambulance at the scene by Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament on March 22, 2017 in London, England. A police officer has been stabbed near to the British Parliament and the alleged assailant shot by armed police. Scotland Yard report they have been called to an incident on Westminster Bridge where several people have been injured by a car.LessMore Ambulances, police vehicles and emergency services on Westminster Bridge on March 22, 2017 in London, England. A police officer has been stabbed near to the British Parliament and the alleged assailant shot by armed police. Scotland...More Ambulances, police vehicles and emergency services on Westminster Bridge on March...Ambulances, police vehicles and emergency services on Westminster Bridge on March 22, 2017 in London, England. A police officer has been stabbed near to the British Parliament and the alleged assailant shot by armed police. Scotland Yard report they have been called to an incident on Westminster Bridge where several people have been injured by a car.LessMore A member of the public is treated by emergency services near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament on March 22, 2017 in London, England. A police officer has been stabbed near to the British Parliament and the alleged...More A member of the public is treated by emergency services near Westminster Bridge and...A member of the public is treated by emergency services near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament on March 22, 2017 in London, England. A police officer has been stabbed near to the British Parliament and the alleged assailant shot by armed police. Scotland Yard report they have been called to an incident on Westminster Bridge where several people have been injured by a car.LessMore Police officers close the roads around Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament on March 22, 2017 in London, England. A police officer has been stabbed near to the British Parliament and the alleged assailant shot by armed...More Police officers close the roads around Westminster Bridge and the Houses of...Police officers close the roads around Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament on March 22, 2017 in London, England. A police officer has been stabbed near to the British Parliament and the alleged assailant shot by armed police. Scotland Yard report they have been called to an incident on Westminster Bridge where several people have been injured by a car.LessMore A member of the public is treated by emergency services near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament on March 22, 2017 in London, England. A police officer has been stabbed near to the British Parliament and the alleged...More A member of the public is treated by emergency services near Westminster Bridge and...A member of the public is treated by emergency services near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament on March 22, 2017 in London, England. A police officer has been stabbed near to the British Parliament and the alleged assailant shot by armed police. Scotland Yard report they have been called to an incident on Westminster Bridge where several people have been injured by a car.LessMore A police Land Rover pulls a car transporter alongside the scene where a grey vehicle crashed into the railings of the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, central London on March 22, 2017, in the aftermath of a terror incident. At...More A police Land Rover pulls a car transporter alongside the scene where a grey...A police Land Rover pulls a car transporter alongside the scene where a grey vehicle crashed into the railings of the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, central London on March 22, 2017, in the aftermath of a terror incident. At least three people were killed and 20 injured in a 'terrorist' attack in the heart of London Wednesday when a man mowed down pedestrians on a bridge, then stabbed a police officer outside parliament before being shot dead. Police guarding the iconic House of Commons building shot the man but several people were left with 'catastrophic' injuries on Westminster Bridge, a busy traffic junction popular with tourists with views of Big Ben. / AFP PHOTO / Daniel LEALLessMore Commander BJ Harrington of the Metropolitan Police makes a statement outside of New Scotland Yard on March 22, 2017 in London, England. A police officer has been stabbed near to the British Parliament and the alleged assailant shot by...More Commander BJ Harrington of the Metropolitan Police makes a statement outside of New...Commander BJ Harrington of the Metropolitan Police makes a statement outside of New Scotland Yard on March 22, 2017 in London, England. A police officer has been stabbed near to the British Parliament and the alleged assailant shot by armed police. Scotland Yard report they have been called to an incident on Westminster Bridge where several people have been injured by a car.LessMore Ambulances line up on Westminster Bridge as they respond to an armed incident on March 22, 2017 in London, England. A police officer has been stabbed near to the British Parliament and the alleged assailant shot by armed police....More Ambulances line up on Westminster Bridge as they respond to an armed incident on...Ambulances line up on Westminster Bridge as they respond to an armed incident on March 22, 2017 in London, England. A police officer has been stabbed near to the British Parliament and the alleged assailant shot by armed police. Scotland Yard report they have been called to an incident on Westminster Bridge where several people have been injured by a car.LessMore London's air ambulance arrives at the Houses of Parliament in central London on March 22, 2017 during an emergency incident. Britain's Houses of Parliament were in lockdown on Wednesday after staff said they heard shots fired,...More London's air ambulance arrives at the Houses of Parliament in central London on...London's air ambulance arrives at the Houses of Parliament in central London on March 22, 2017 during an emergency incident. Britain's Houses of Parliament were in lockdown on Wednesday after staff said they heard shots fired, triggering a security alert. /LessMore A police forensic tent is erected on a walkway beside Westminster Bridge following a terrorist attack in which a number of pedestrians were mowed down on March 22, 2017 in London, England. Four people including a police officer and his...More A police forensic tent is erected on a walkway beside Westminster Bridge following...A police forensic tent is erected on a walkway beside Westminster Bridge following a terrorist attack in which a number of pedestrians were mowed down on March 22, 2017 in London, England. Four people including a police officer and his attacker have been killed in two related incidents outside the Houses of Parliament and on Westminster Bridge in what Scotland Yard are treating as a terrorist incident.LessMore Assistant Commissioner, Mark Rowley of the Metropolitan Police makes a statement outside of New Scotland Yard on March 22, 2017 in London, England. A police officer has been stabbed near to the British Parliament and the alleged...More Assistant Commissioner, Mark Rowley of the Metropolitan Police makes a statement...Assistant Commissioner, Mark Rowley of the Metropolitan Police makes a statement outside of New Scotland Yard on March 22, 2017 in London, England. A police officer has been stabbed near to the British Parliament and the alleged assailant shot by armed police. Scotland Yard report they have been called to an incident on Westminster Bridge where several people have been injured by a car.LessMore People are seen in Westminster Abbey Cathedral after being brought from the Houses of Parliament by police on March 22, 2017 in London, England. At least one man was shot dead by police outside the U.K. parliament Wednesday afternoon...More People are seen in Westminster Abbey Cathedral after being brought from the Houses...People are seen in Westminster Abbey Cathedral after being brought from the Houses of Parliament by police on March 22, 2017 in London, England. At least one man was shot dead by police outside the U.K. parliament Wednesday afternoon after stabbing a police officer, said Commons Leader David Lidington. Parliament Square is under a complete security lockdown with all entrances and exits suspended, with all roads into the square cordoned off by police.LessMore
London Ambulance statement Westminster Hall being evacuated The building has been on lockdown since 2.45pm. 19:09Tom Davidson Independent referendum discussion postponed A Holyrood vote expected to back Nicola Sturgeons calls for a second Scottish independence referendum has been put on hold following the terror attack in Westminster.The Scottish Parliament suspended business in the wake of the incident outside the UK Houses of Parliament, which resulted in the deaths of four people, including an armed police officer. 19:07Tom Davidson Rhyl war veteran in Houses of Parliament during attack Stewart Harris has helped to raise money for the Royal British Legion after serving overseas. 18:59Tom Davidson One Met Police officer killed 18:41Tom Davidson Manchester Police to review security 18:27Tom Davidson Parliament to sit as normal tomorrow. The correct decision in my eyes. 18:16Tom Davidson Met Police statement 20 people have been injured, some seriously. 18:01Tom Davidson 'Four people dead' The Met Police have confirmed four people have died in the attack, including the attacker. 17:59Tom Davidson Story so far - This is what we know so far: A police officer and a pedestrian have been killed after a knifeman brought terror to the heart of Westminster.The attacker, armed with two large knives, mowed down pedestrians with his car on Westminster Bridge, including schoolchildren, then rushed at the gates in front of the Houses of Parliament, stabbing a policeman before he was shot by armed officers. 17:44Tom Davidson Picture from Rhyl man Stewart Harris, who has raised hundreds of pounds for the Royal British Legion, sent us this photo. 17:40Tom Davidson Susan Elen Jones MP 17:37Tom Davidson Westminster attack: what we know so far At least two dead, several others seriously hurt. A policeman was stabbed. Several pedestrians were struck by a car on Westminster bridge. The attacker was shot by police and said to be clutching a knife. The incident is being treated as a terrorist attack. The BBC are reporting a police officer has died and that one attacker is still being hunted by police. 17:22Tom Davidson Ynys Mon MP Albert Owen praises emergency services 17:21Tom Davidson 'Unaccounted for suspect' Senior Government sources say the police are still lookIng for an unaccounted for suspect in the Houses of Parliament, reports the Daily Telegraph. 17:16Tom Davidson Emergency personnel outside Palace of Westminster Emergency personnel outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after sounds similar to gunfire have been heard close to the Palace of Westminster. (Image: PA) 17:09Tom Davidson Woman pulled from Thames A woman has been pulled alive from the River Thames, it is being reported. 17:06Tom Davidson Cobra meeting to be chaired Prime Minister Theresa May is to chair a meeting of the Governments emergency Cobra committee to discuss the immediate response to the bloody incident at the Palace of Westminster.The Cobra committee brings together government ministers with senior officials of the emergency services and security and intelligence agencies. 17:05Tom Davidson Several pedestrians have been injured at Westminster bridge 17:01Tom Davidson Plaid Cymru statement Statement from Plaid Cymru on incident in Westminster today. A spokesman said: The horrific incident at Westminster today has shocked people everywhere. Plaid Cymru sends its commiserations to all those affected by the events. Our Members of Parliament and staff are safe and accounted for, but our thoughts are now with those colleagues and members of the public who have been caught up in the attack. 16:56Tom Davidson '10 people treated' 16:49Tom Davidson Dramatic photo of apparent attacker A policeman points a gun at a man on the floor as emergency services attend the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament. (Image: PA) 16:47Tom Davidson Police stance across London being 'reviewed' Met Police are currently giving a statement. 16:46Tom Davidson Rhun ap Iorwerth AM tweets: 16:44Tom Davidson A busy day for MPs Today is one of the busiest days of the week for the Houses of Parliament with PMQs and Welsh Questions. MP's in House of Commons, London after a major security alert at the Palace of Westminster after a man apparently carrying a knife charged through the gates into the front yard of the parliamentary compound. (Image: PA) 16:42Tom Davidson David Jones MP also in the lockdown Five North Wales MPs are presently being held in the Houses of Parliament: I am currently in Speakers Court , I was in my office when it happened and we could hear shouting and running around. We were sent to a conference room where there were several hundred people, I was talking to a driver who saw the incident, he said a man ran into the grounds at an officer who slipped and he stabbed the officer with a long blade and the attacker was shot immediately. I saw a picture of the blade and it was about nine inches long. 16:34Tom Davidson Two people killed in terror attack At least two people have died after a knifeman brought terror to the heart of Westminster, mowing down pedestrians then stabbing a policeman before being shot by armed officers.Eyewitnesses described scenes of terror as the attacker was shot several times as he approached a second officer within yards of the Houses of Parliament. 16:33Tom Davidson Areas involved in terror attack Heres a map of the areas involved in the attack. 16:29Tom Davidson Liz Saville Roberts Dwyfor Meirionnydd MP, Liz Saville-Roberts said: Police just came into the chamber and told the Speaker that until the car at the Carriage Gate (which is where cars are driven into the Palace of Westminster) has been checked we will have to stay here, so I think we will be here for a number of hours. The atmosphere in the chamber is quietly tense, but its about as safe a space as we can be in. The SNP whips office looks out onto one of the internal spaces of the Palace and they saw police ordering someone to put their hands on their head.
Wearside boxer: I saw policeman stabbed in Westminster attack News Reporter A Wearside boxer has spoken of his shock and horror after witnessing a policeman being stabbed during today's attack outside of the Palace of Westminster. Pat McCormack was among a group from Great British Boxers who were leaving a press conference ahead of the World Series Boxing event against Italy in York Hall on Thursday when they came face to face with the alleged assailant. Police forensic officers on Westminster Bridge, close to the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament. A police officer and a pedestrian have been killed after a knifeman brought terror to the heart of Westminster. The attacker, armed with two large knives, mowed down pedestrians with his car on Westminster Bridge, including schoolchildren, then rushed at the gates in front of the Houses of Parliament, stabbing a policeman before he was shot by armed officers. Eyewitnesses described scenes of terror when gunfire rang out as the attacker approached a second officer within yards of the Houses of Parliament. Wearside boxer Pat McCormack Paramedics fought to save his life and that of his police victim on the floor of the cobbled courtyard in front of Parliament, with Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood among those who rushed to help. The police officer was wheeled away on a stretcher with his face covered and sources later confirmed he had died. Boxer Pat, 21, from Washington, who was part of the Great Britain team at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, said: "We were just coming out when I heard a huge bang and a car smashed into the fence. "A man got out and ran around to the gate to come in. He had a beard and a bald head and he pulled out two big knives, what looked like kitchen knives. People were starting to run, we were just stood there stunned. "I saw him stabbing the officer in the back of the head and the back of the neck. "He was running away but then he collapsed. "I wasn't scared. I just couldn't believe what was happening. "The man then started to come towards we were, which was only about ten metres away, but there were other people and police in front of us. "There was then three shots and the man hit the ground. Then there were police everywhere. We were then ushered back inside. We just couldn't believe what was happening." The group of boxers were among the hundreds of people being held in the lobby during the security alert. Frazer Clarke, 25, from Burton-on-Trent, was walking to the coach with his teammates when he witnessed the horror. He told the Press Association: "We heard a loud bang and screaming and then I noticed some smoke. I thought it was a car crash. "I looked towards the front gate and people were running, a police officer and a fellow coming to the gate with two knives. "He was stabbing the police officer with the knives. "He was wearing black tracksuit bottoms, a black or grey top and what looked like work boots. "The police officer was stumbling and fell on the floor. "Another police officer walked toward the guy with the knives and shot him twice. I didn't think they were proper bullets, they seemed like rubber bullets. "Then people started shouting at us to get inside. "Time stood still and I was shocked. The first thing I thought was this was a terrorist attack. "It all happened so fast." One woman hit by the attacker's car before he reached Parliament was confirmed dead by a doctor at St Thomas' Hospital. Others on the bridge suffered 'catastrophic injuries'. Another woman who apparently fell into the Thames was rescued and given urgent medical treatment on a nearby pier. London Ambulance Service said paramedics had treated at least 10 patients on Westminster Bridge. A party of French schoolchildren were among those targeted on the bridge, with three injured. Downing Street said Prime Minister Theresa May, who was ushered away from Parliament after the attack, was chairing a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee. Commander BJ Harrington of the Metropolitan Police said there were "a number of casualties" in the attack "including police officers". He urged Londoners to be vigilant, said more officers would be on patrol and that anti-terrorism measures were being reviewed. The knifeman drove a grey Hyundai i40 across Westminster Bridge before crashing it into railings then running through the gates of the Palace of Westminster. His attack left a trail of destruction as paramedics tended to victims on the bridge and at the gate. Mrs May was seen being ushered into a silver Jaguar in the grounds of the palace as what sounded like gunfire rang out at around 2.45pm.
London attack: four dead after rampage outside UK parliament Police have said four people, including the attackers, have been killed in an attack in London. Some 40 other people are wounded, many seriously. Police are treating the attack as "Islamist-related terrorism." A knife-wielding attacker plowed a car into a crowd of pedestrians on London's Westminster Bridge and stabbed a policeman to death outside the British Parliament on Wednesday. Four people are confirmed to have been killed, including the attacker, and around 40 more were injured in the deadly rampage. Authorities said they suspect that "Islamist-related terrorism" was behind an attack. Police on Wednesday had said five people were killed in the attacks but later revised the death toll. The assailant was shot by police just yards away from the entrance to Parliament under the iconic Big Ben clock tower, moments after he had stabbed the officer. He died, as did the officer and two pedestrians on the bridge. Doctors on the scene described some of the injuries as "catastrophic." Politics Shots ring out Shortly before 15:00 UTC, multiple shots followed by screaming were reported outside London's Houses of Parliaments. Authorities rushed to the scene as the House of Commons went into lockdown. The first reports came in from political reporters barred from leaving the premises. Politics Injuries on Westminster Bridge A male attacker first ran down pedestrians with an SUV on Westminster Bridge, an area highly frequented by tourists. The vehicle then rammed into a gate near Big Ben. Politics Police cordon off the area The knife-wielding assailant then fatally stabbed a police officer on Parliament's grounds. The attacker was subsequently shot and killed while authorities secured the area around the Palace of Westminster. Politics An attack in the heart of downtown London Transport for London, greater London's public transport authority, diverted buses in the area of the attacks. People working in the area sought alternative routes home as traffic remained blocked at the end of the work day on Wednesday. Politics International leaders react International leaders offered their condolences following the attack. German Chancellor Angela Merkel reaffirmed Germany's support for the UK "in the struggle against all forms of terrorism." The Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also expressed her sympathies as the Scottish Parliament canceled a debate on a second independence referendum. Politics Emergency response blankets the area Individuals present in the affected area described sirens blaring and the drone of helicopters overhead. British media reported "catastrophic injuries" while police confirmed four individuals had been killed. Another 29 people were being treated in hospital for their injuries - seven of them were critically wounded. Politics Police raid homes in Birmingham and London A few hours after the attack, police made eight arrests after conducting armed raids on six homes in London and the central city of Birmingham (pictured above). The raids were part of an investigation into the Westminster attacker. Politics Attacker 'acted alone' Metropolitan Police counterterrorism chief Mark Rowley told reporters that he believed the assailant "acted alone" and that he was "inspired by international terrorism." Prime Minister Theresa May later said the attacker was British-born and was known to authorities. Politics 'IS' claims attack The militant "Islamic State" (IS) group claimed responsibility for the attack later on Thursday, saying the attacker was one of its "soldiers," according to the IS Aamaq news agency. It was not immediately clear whether the attacker was directly connected to the group. Politics Normality is 'greatest response to terror' Prime Minister May hailed the millions of people in London who went about their lives the day after the attack. "It is in these actions - millions of acts of normality - that we find the best response to terrorism," she said. The city will hold a candlelight vigil for the victims on Thursday evening. Prime Minister Theresa May condemned the attack as "sick and depraved," adding that the UK would not give in to terror. "We will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart." Lawmakers, lords, staff and visitors were locked down inside Parliament for several hours in the wake of the attack. The prime minister was near the House of Commons at the time of the attack, and security officers swiftly ushered her back to her residence in Downing Street. London Mayor Sadiq Khan announced that the police would deploy additional officers on the city streets to keep locals and tourists safe. "We stand together in the face of those who seek to harm us and destroy our way of life. We always have, and we always will," Khan said. "Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism." Identifying casualties Among the casualties struck on Westminster were three French teenagers on a school trip from the Brittany town of Concarneau, as well as two Romanian tourists, each country's respective Foreign Ministry confirmed. The police officer who died has been identified as Keith Palmer, aged 48. Related Subjects Mark Rowley, Britain's most senior counterterrorism officer, told reporters that authorities had "declared this as a terrorist incident and the counterterrorism command are carrying out a full-scale investigation into the events today." Rowley also said police believed they knew the identity of the attacker, thought to be the sole perpetrator but declined to provide further details. As of Wednesday night no group had claimed responsibility for the attack. Wednesday's incident occurred a year to the day of the terror attacks in Brussels, in which Islamists killed 32 people. The manner of the vehicle attack also echoed last year's terror incidents in Nice and Berlin. It was also the deadliest terror attack in London since Islamists killed 52 people in a series of suicide bombings on the British capital's transport system in July 2005. Eyewitness accounts Several eyewitnesses reported that a man dressed in black left the crashed car and ran towards the entrance to Parliament holding a knife. After getting past a gate into the fenced-in New Palace yard area just under the shadow of Big Ben, the assailant stabbed the policeman. He was then shot two or three times by officers as he tried to storm the building. An eyewitness who declined to be named told DW that he was traveling by bus towards Westminster Bridge when the driver ordered all passengers to disembark. "I walked off the bus and saw someone laid down by the side with tourist guidebooks around them," he said. "As I walked along I saw more bodies on the ground, and people holding each other. I saw about 12 on the ground, laid out, and the next guy's leg is all broken and to the side." Quentin Letts, a journalist at the British "Daily Mail" newspaper, told the BBC that as he saw the attacker running towards the entrance, "two plain-clothed guys with guns shouted at him what sounded like a warning, he ignored it and they shot two or three times, and he fell." Former Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski witnessed the attacker plow into the crowd of pedestrians as he was crossing Westminster Bridge in a taxi. He uploaded a video of the incident to Twitter. Sikorski later told the BBC that he had "heard what I thought was just a collision, and then I looked through the window of the taxi and [saw] someone down, obviously in great distress. "Then I saw a second person down, and I started filming. Then I saw three more people down, one of them bleeding profusely." Among the heroes in the aftermath of the attack was Conservative lawmaker Tobias Ellwood, who performed first aid on the wounded officer who later died. Ellwood's brother had been killed in the Bali terror attack in 2002. "I tried to stem the flow of blood and give mouth to mouth while waiting for the medics to arrive, but I think he had lost too much blood," the Tory politician said. "He had multiple wounds, under the arm and in the back." World reacts Leaders around the world have expressed their solidarity with the United Kingdom. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she learned of Wednesday's attack "with sorrow" and that her thoughts were "with our British friends and all of the people of London." Merkel also affirmed Germany's commitment to the fight against terror in light of Wednesday's attack. "I want to say for Germany and its citizens: We stand firmly and resolutely by Great Britain's side in the fight against all forms of terrorism," she said. "We are all concerned with terrorism," French President Francois Hollande told reporters during a visit in Villepinte, just outside of Paris. "France, which has been struck so hard lately, knows what the British people are suffering today." Hollande added that the French government had flown the families of the three wounded schoolchildren out to London to be with their loved ones. Paris' Eiffel Tower went dark on Wednesday night in mourning for the people that were killed in the attack. In the US, the White House condemned the attacks and applauded "the quick response of British police and first responders." President Donald Trump is said to be monitoring developments, although the US Homeland Security Department said the country's security posture had not changed in the wake of the attack.
Express.co.uk relies on cookies to collect and process data. We may use this data to make assumptions on what content or advertising may interest you. By clicking "Continue and Accept All", you agree to allow cookies to be placed. You can decline these settings . To get more information about these cookies and the processing of your personal data, check our Privacy Policy & Cookie Policy. Sadiq Khan FINALLY responds to London terror attack after being slammed for silence' MAYOR of London Sadiq Khan has responded to the London terror attack, vowing Londoners "will not be cowed by terrorism" after being criticised for his "deafening silence" after five people were killed in Westminster. Related articles My heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones and to everyone who has been affected. Tragically, a Metropolitan Police officer who was doing his duty protecting out city is amongst those who have been killed and my thoughts are with his family this evening. I want to express my gratitude, on behalf of all Londoners, to the police and emergency services who have shown tremendous bravery in exceptionally difficult circumstances. I have spoken to the Acting Commissioner Metropolitan Police Commissioner Craig Mackay and national lead for Counter-Terrorism Policing and Acting Deputy Commissioner Mark Rowley and remain in close contact with them. Londoners should be aware that there will be additional armed and unarmed police officers on our streets from tonight in order to keep Londoners, and all those visiting out city safe. I want to reassure all Londoners, and all our visitors, not to be alarmed. Our city remains one of the safest in the world. London is the greatest city in the world and we stand together in the face of those who seek to harm us and destroy our way of life. We always have and we always will. Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism. Hours earlier the Mayor was criticised for his "deafneing silence" after issuing a brief statement before Scotland Yard confirmed the fatalities in todays atrocity. Scotland Yard confirmed the deaths shortly before 6pm, but Mr Khans office remained silent until 7.30pm pointing to their earlier statement made hours earlier. Westminster terror attack in pictures Emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament PA Security services staff pick through debris, including a car number plate, left following the March 22 terror attack on Westminster Bridge in central London AFP/Getty Images Police forensic officers in Parliament Square outside the Houses of Parliament in London, after seven people were arrested in raids in London, Birmingham and elsewhere linked to the Westminster terror attack PA Concrete blocks en route to reinforce security in London Twitter Concrete blocks en route to reinforce security in London Twitter Concrete blocks en route to reinforce security in London Twitter Police forensic tent on Westminster Bridge SWNS.com Forensics investigators and police officers work at the site near Westminster Bridge the morning after an attack by a man driving a car and weilding a knife left five people dead and dozens injured, in London REUTERS A forensics investigator works near Westminster Bridge the morning after an attack by a man driving a car and weilding a knife left five people dead and dozens injured, in London REUTERS Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood (left) stands amongst the emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London PA London terror attack in Westminster Twitter Westminster terror map PA Emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament PA Emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament PA Armed police following major incidents outside the Houses of Parliament in central London EPA Emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament PA A member of the public is treated by emergency services near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament Getty Images An injured woman is assisted after an incident on Westminster Bridge in London REUTERS Emergency personnel close to the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament PA Emergency services make their way down Westminster Bridge towards the Houses of Parliament Getty Images A member of the public is treated by emergency services near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament Getty Images Mounted police in Trafalgar Square, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament PA Armed police respond outside Parliament during an incident on Westminster Bridge in London REUTERS Armed police respond outside Parliament during an incident on Westminster Bridge in London REUTERS A member of the public is treated by emergency services near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament Getty Images A member of the public is treated by emergency services near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament Getty Images Armed police respond outside Parliament during an incident on Westminster Bridge in London REUTERS Police close to the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament PA Armed police following major incidents outside the Houses of Parliament in central London, Britain 22 March 2017 EPA Injured people are assisted after an incident on Westminster Bridge in London REUTERS London terror outside in Westminster Twitter Injured people are assisted after an incident on Westminster Bridge in London REUTERS London terror outside in Westminster Twitter Palace of Westminster incident PA CPR inside palace gardens grounds Facebook London terror outside in Westminster An Air Ambulance outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after sounds similar to gunfire have been heard close to the Palace of Westminster PA Police outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after sounds similar to gunfire have been heard close to the Palace of Westminster An armed police officer gets out of a car inside a police cordon outside the Houses of Parliament AFP/Getty Images Police tapes off Parliament Square after reports of loud bangs, in London REUTERS London terror outside in Westminster At 4.26pm Sadiq Khan issued a statement saying: "There has been a serious incident near to Parliament Square this afternoon which is being treated as a terrorist attack until the police know otherwise. I have spoken to the Acting Commissioner. The Metropolitan Police Service is dealing with the incident and an urgent investigation is underway. My thoughts are with those affected and their families. I would like to express my thanks to the police and emergency services who work so hard to keep us safe and show tremendous bravery in exceptionally difficult circumstances." But shocked Londoners used Twitter to ask why their Mayor had not responded to the attack earlier.
Exeter MP Ben Bradshaw has described the Westminster car crash, which police say is being treated as a terror attack, as alarming'. A driver has been arrested on suspicion of terrorist offences after a car ploughed into security barriers outside Parliament during morning rush hour. Two people were rushed to hospital after witnesses said a vehicle hit a number of cyclists and then hit the barrier at the Palace of Westminster. Terrified eyewitnesses told how it appeared the car was deliberately driven into the barriers at 40mph, and they ran away fearing it was another terror attack in central London, The Mirror reports. Police vehicles and response teams work around a vehicle after it crashed into security barriers, injuring a number of pedestrians, outside the Houses of Parliament on August 14, 2018 in London, England. A man has been arrested and it is currently unknown whether the crash was a deliberate act (Image: Leon Neal/Getty) Read More Mr Bradshaw, who divides his time between Exeter and the capital, thanked the efforts by the emergency services, and says his thoughts are with those who have been injured. He told Devon Live: Its alarming for people who work in and around Parliament to have another incident like this. Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to playTap to play The video will start in 8Cancel Play now My thoughts go out to those injured and my thanks to the police and emergency services who responded with such speed and professionalism. My Westminster staff are all fine. Nobody was in my office at the time of the incident and my staff are waiting to see if they can go in later, otherwise theyll be working from home. Parliament is relatively empty during the summer recess, with most MPs working back in their constituencies. Police forensics officers work at the scene outside the Houses of Parliament in central London on August 14, 2018, where a car was driven into the barriers. - A car crashed into barriers outside Britain's Houses of Parliament in a suspected terror attack on Tuesday, injuring a "number of pedestrians" yards from where five people were killed last year. Police said they had arrested the driver, in his 20s, and were holding him on suspicion of terrorist offences (Image: DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty) At 7.30 in the morning there would also not have been the large number of tourists who fill Parliament Square later in the day. But this is a busy commuter cycling route, which I use regularly, and that might explain why cyclists are among those injured. Read More Video footage captured the moment a speeding car hit cyclists and pedestrians before crashing into safety barriers at Westminster this morning. The video shows the silver Ford Fiesta travelling westbound along the Palace of Westminster before it swerved into eastbound traffic. The car hit pedestrians and cyclists before smashing into the safety barriers. Police forensics officers work at the scene outside the Houses of Parliament in central London on August 14, 2018, where a car was driven into the barriers. - A car crashed into barriers outside Britain's Houses of Parliament in a suspected terror attack on Tuesday, injuring a "number of pedestrians" yards from where five people were killed last year. Police said they had arrested the driver, in his 20s, and were holding him on suspicion of terrorist offences (Image: DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty) Two police officers appear to jump out of the way before the car crashed. A man in his 20s has been arrested on suspicion of terror offences and the Met Police Counter Terrorism Command is investigating the possible terror attack. The London Ambulance Service have confirmed three people were injured with two taken to hospital. Read More Prime Minister Theresa May said her "thoughts are with those injured in the incident in Westminster and thanked to the emergency services for their "immediate and courageous response". Eyewitness Barry Williams told the BBC: "I heard a commotion and I turned around to see a silver car hitting towards the cyclists on the wrong side of the road. Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to playTap to play The video will start in 8Cancel Play now "They were parked, waiting for the lights to change. He hit the cyclists, then swerved over to where the safety barrier is...and accelerated and hit it at quite high speed. A video grab taken from AFP TV video footage shows police officers cordonning off Westminster Bridge, leading to Parliament Square in central London on August 14, 2018, after a car was driven into barriers at the Houses of Parliament. - A "number of pedestrians" were injured when a car crashed into barriers outside Britain's Houses of Parliament today, with armed police swooping in to arrest the driver, Scotland Yard said (Image: WILLIAM EDWARDS/AFP/Getty) "When it hit the barrier there was a lot of smoke, it hit it with quite a jug and it actually came off the ground and landed again because it's such a light car. "After the police first got to the car, they then turned around and started to push us back towards the lights...that's when I saw the cyclists, there was a few on the ground. Read More "It was frightening but that's why I was walking backwards away from it because you're never sure about what's in the car. Police and emergency response teams work outside the Houses of Parliament following an incident where a car crashed into barriers on August 14, 2018. - A "number of pedestrians" were injured when a car crashed into barriers outside Britain's Houses of Parliament today, with armed police swooping in to arrest the driver, Scotland Yard said (Image: DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty) "There was about 10 cyclists waiting for the lights to change and I don't think he hit all of them, maybe about four or five. I was very impressed, one of the cyclists got up and started to chase the car.
In the middle of Londons rush hour on Tuesday, a man crashed his car into the security barriers outside of the Houses of Parliament. Police are treating the incident, which left three people injured, as a potential terrorist attack. President Trumps response was quick and followed his usual pattern: He fired off an early-morning tweet about another terrorist attack in London, comparing the suspect to an animal. Another terrorist attack in London...These animals are crazy and must be dealt with through toughness and strength! A sense of deja vu is understandable. A little over a year ago, a similar attacker  using a vehicle and then a knife  killed five people and injured more than 50 others outside the Houses of Parliament and the adjacent Westminster Bridge. Trump also tweeted (twice) about that attack  among the 46 tweets mentioning terror he made in 2017. Despite such high-profile attacks and responses, however, statistics released this month by the University of Maryland suggest that 2017 was the third consecutive year that the number of terrorist attacks around the world  and the deaths caused by them  had dropped. So far, 2018 looks on track to be lower still. The universitys Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) program found there were 10,900 terrorist attacks around the world last year, which killed a total of 26,400 people, including perpetrators. That was a drop from 2016, which was in turn a drop from 2015. Right now, the number of terrorist attacks and deaths from terrorism appears to have peaked in 2014, when there were nearly 17,000 attacks and more than 45,000 victims. What explains the downward trend? In Western Europe, where the number of attacks increased slightly in 2017  but the number of victims dropped by 65 percent  it may be matters of policing and counterintelligence. British Prime Minister Theresa May said Tuesday that the country had foiled 13 Islamist terrorism plots and four far-right plots since March 2017, when last years attack near the Houses of Parliament occurred. On a global scale, however, the answer is clear. Though there was a surge in terrorist attacks in Europe in recent years, most attacks still occur in the Middle East and Africa, and those regions saw a big decline in 2017. The number of terrorist attacks in the Middle East and North Africa dropped by 38 percent year on year according to START; the number of victims declined by 44 percent. That can largely be attributed to the Islamic States' loss of territory and military defeats throughout 2017. Without a stable base, the number of attacks the jihadist group could stage in countries like Iraq and Syria dropped sharply, as did the damage it could inflict on civilian populations. Indeed, it was largely thanks to the rise of the Islamic State and other extremist groups like Boko Haram that 2014 became such a remarkable year for global terrorism in the first place. In 2015, the Institute for Economics and Peace released a report that found there was an 80 percent increase in the number of deaths from terrorism in just one year  and the number of deaths from terrorism in 2014 was ninefold what it had been in 2000. But a closer read of the 2014 statistics paints a nuanced picture. STARTs data from the year found just three countries  Iraq, Nigeria and Afghanistan  accounted for 60 percent of deaths from terrorism. Even though the total number of deaths globally from terrorism that year was clearly terrible (more than 45,000, according to START), it was still less than the number of deaths due to drug overdoses that same year in the United States alone. The United States was largely spared from the worst of this global increase in terrorism  START found 27 deaths in the country from terrorism in 2014, which included perpetrators. But terrorism has still shaken American politics. A Pew poll from July 2016, for example, found that voters thought that terrorism should get more time than any other subject in presidential debates. Its too early to say whether 2018 will continue the encouraging trend of the past three years. Another monitoring group, Janes IHS Markit, has warned that there may be a surge in attacks in Europe as Islamic State fighters return from the Middle East. Notably, on Tuesday, two separate reports suggested the number of fighters still with the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria is considerably higher than previously estimated. But a bigger question is whether we can even know that terrorism is declining. Measuring global terrorism is a complicated task: START is one of only a handful of projects that strives to monitor it on a global level (Janes, mentioned above, is another). For the past six years, the State Department provided funding to START, effectively subcontracting the job of data collection on terrorism. But Erin Miller, the program manager for STARTs Global Terrorism Database, said in an email that her team has been told the State Department did not renew its contract. Though the team is now seeking alternative funding, Miller said, there are currently no plans to publish data for 2018. In its place, we may be left with more unscientific, emotional measures of global terrorism. Even there, however, things are looking calmer: Trump has only tweeted the word terror nine times so far in 2018.
Two men still remain in police custody over the Westminster terror attack A police officer places flowers and a photo of Pc Keith Palmer on Whitehall near the Houses of Parliament in London, after seven people were arrested in raids in London, Birmingham and elsewhere linked to the Westminster terror attack. Dominic Lipinski/PA Images Seven of the 11 people arrested in connection with the Westminster terror attack have been released, Metropolitan Police said on Friday. Two men  a 58-year-old man and a 27-year-old man, both from Birmingham  still remain in police custody. Police raided addresses across the country earlier this week  including in London, Manchester and Birmingham  as they looked to establish whether Westminster attacker Khalid Masood acted alone or with accomplices who directly encouraged, supported, or directed him. The attack on Wednesday killed four people and injured 50 as Masood drove a car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, before stabbing a police officer  PC Keith Palmer  who died from his injuries. Two people are currently in a critical condition  one with life-threatening injuries  in hospital. Masood was shot dead by police on the scene on Wednesday. Of those arrested: A 39-year-old woman arrested at an address in east London on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts has been released on bail until a date in late March A 32-year-old woman arrested in Manchester was bailed pending further enquiries until a date in late March. A 35-year old man arrested in Manchester was released with no further police action. A 21-year-old woman arrested at an address in Birmingham was released with no further action. A 23-year-old man arrested in Birmingham at the same address was released with no further action. A 26-year-old woman and three men aged 28, 27, and 26-years-old who were arrested at separate addresses in Birmingham were also all released with no further action.
Woman who fell off bridge into Thames River after London attack is ID'd Pedestrians cross Westminster Bridge in the shadow of the Houses of Parliament in central London after the bridge reopened to traffic following its closure during the March 22 terror attack.(Photo: Niklas Halle'n AFP/Getty Images) "They were tourists, unfortunately they were unlucky. They had come to celebrate his birthday," he said. Police say Khalid Masood, 52, drove his car into a crowd on the bridge before slamming into a gate outside Parliament and fatally stabbing a police officer. Four were killed, and dozens injured. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack. Posted! A link has been posted to your Facebook feed. Britain's Prince Charles, meets nursing staff King's College Hospital, Friday, after meeting with paramedics and support staff who assisted those injured in the March 22 terrorist incident. British police said, Friday, they had made two further "significant" arrests over the Islamist-inspired terror attack on parliament, as they appealed for information about the homegrown killer who left four people dead. Yui Mok, AFP/Getty Images People lay floral tributes to the victims of the March 22 terror attack in Parliament Square outside the Houses of Parliament in central London on Friday. Counter-terrorism police commander Mark Rowley said nine people are now in custody over the rampage in Westminster, in which at least 50 people were injured, 31 requiring hospital treatment. Adrian Dennis, AFP/Getty Images A taxi drives down Westminster Bridge in London, Friday. A fourth person has died after Khalid Masood drove a car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before going on to fatally stab PC Keith Palmer on March 22. Jack Taylor, Getty Images Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, left, speaks as Home Secretary Amber Rudd and QMP and acting commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Craig Mackey look on during a candlelight vigil at Trafalgar Square. Carl Court, Getty Images Armed police officers secure the area on Whitehall leading toward the Houses of Parliament in central London on March 23, 2017 the day after the March 22 terror attack in Westminster claimed at least three lives including that of police officer Keith Palmer. Britain's parliament reopened on Thursday with a minute's silence in a gesture of defiance a day after an attacker sowed terror in the heart of Westminster. Somber-looking lawmakers in a packed House of Commons chamber bowed their heads and police officers also marked the silence standing outside the headquarters of London's Metropolitan Police nearby. Niklas Halle'n, AFP/Getty Images An undated picture released by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints shows U.S. citizens Kurt W. Cochran, who was killed in the London terror attack, and his wife, Melissa. The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints /Family Handout via AFP/Getty Images Forensic police officers search the ground in Parliament Square outside the Houses of Parliament in central London on March 23, 2017, as the investigation continues. Daniel Leal-Olivas, AFP/Getty Images Metropolitan Police Service Acting Commissioner Craig Mackey, right, salutes during a minute of silence for their fallen officer, PC Keith Palmer, outside New Scotland Yard in London. Scotland Yard said that police have made seven arrests in raids carried out overnight in Birmingham, London and elsewhere in the country after the attack, leaving four people dead, including the attacker, and 29 people injured. Andy Rain, European Pressphoto Agency Police secure the area on the south side of Westminster Bridge close to the Houses of Parliament in London. The leader of Britain's House of Commons says a man has been shot by police at Parliament. David Liddington also said there were "reports of further violent incidents in the vicinity." London's police said officers had been called to a firearms incident on Westminster Bridge, near the parliament. Matt Dunham, AP A police officer stops traffic as the car of British Prime Minister Theresa May is driven away from the Houses of Parliament in central London on March 22, 2017 during an emergency incident. Daniel Leal-Olivas, AFP/Getty Images
Khalid Masood: police said there is no evidence he was radicalised while in prison in 2003. Photograph: Metropolitan Police/PA Khalid Masood, the Westminster attacker, had a clear interest in jihad and his methods echoed the rhetoric of Islamic State leaders, Scotland Yard has said. Six days into the investigation, the Metropolitan polices deputy assistant commissioner Neil Basu, who is also senior national coordinator for UK counter-terrorism policing, said there was no evidence that Masood had discussed the planning of his attack with others. But he made clear that the attackers communications on 22 March  when he drove a car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge and fatally stabbed a police officer guarding the Palace of Westminster, killing four people in total  are the main line of enquiry. Masoods phone was reported to have connected with the encrypted messaging app WhatsApp just before the attack. The Mets comments came as Masoods mother, Janet Ajao, broke her silence, saying she was shocked, saddened and numbed by the actions my son has taken that have killed and injured innocent people in Westminster. Should we blame Islam for terrorism? | David Shariatmadari Read more Masood was shot dead by a protection officer in the courtyard of the Palace of Westminster. His attack claimed the lives of PC Keith Palmer, Kurt Cochran, an American tourist, Aysha Frade, an administrator at a London sixth form college, and Leslie Rhodes, a 75-year-old window cleaner. Since the attack, Ajao, 69, has been living under armed police guard in west Wales where she runs a craft business. Since discovering that it was my son who was responsible, I have shed many tears for the people caught up in this horrendous incident, she said. I wish to make it absolutely clear, so there can be no doubt, I do not condone his actions or support the beliefs he held that led to him committing this atrocity. In a public appeal for people who were in contact with Masood to give evidence, Basu said: If you heard from him on 22 March, please come forward now. The information you have may prove important to establishing his state of mind. His attack method appears to be based on low sophistication, low tech, low cost techniques copied from other attacks, and echoes the rhetoric of Islamic State leaders in terms of methodology and attacking police and civilians but, at this stage, I have no evidence he discussed this with others. Police officers stop to look at floral tributes to the victims of the 22 March terror attack in Westminster. Photograph: Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images There is no evidence that Masood was radicalised in prison in 2003, as has been suggested. This is pure speculation at this time. Whilst I have found no evidence of an association with Islamic State or al-Qaida, there is clearly an interest in jihad. Scotland Yard confirmed that he had changed his name from Adrian Ajou to Khalid Masood in 2005. At that time, he had just married Farzana Malik, a Muslim marketing assistant in Medway, Kent. A school friend, Mark Ashdown, 52, has said that he became a Muslim while in prison. After two spells teaching English in Saudi Arabia he moved to Luton, Bedfordshire, in about 2009 and lived at addresses in the Bury Road area of the town, near to several radical Islamists and where the subsequently banned group al-Muhajiroun was active. In 2010, he became known to the security services as a potential extremist. However, Basu said that as Masoods last criminal offence took place in 2003 he was not a current subject of interest or part of the current domestic or international threat picture for either the security service or counter-terrorism policing. He added: I know when, where and how Masood committed his atrocities, but now I need to know why. Most importantly, so do the victims and families. Earlier, outside Scotland Yard, Clint Payne, a spokesman for the Cochran family, said that Kurt Cochrans wife, Melissa, who was injured in the attack was steadily improving and she has been strengthened by the presence of her family, who had travelled from the US. The most difficult part of all of this is that Kurt is no longer with us and we miss him terribly, Payne said. He was an amazing individual who loved everyone and tried to make the world a better place. He left a legacy of generosity and service that continues to inspire us. The evidence that Masood was using WhatsApp just before the attack sparked a debate over authorities capacity to intercept suspects communications as part of national security investigations. Lord Carlile, the former independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, said encryption presented security services with a considerable problem. He said he hoped new legislation would not be needed but added that it may have to be considered if service providers did not cooperate. WhatsApp said it was co-operating with law enforcement as they continue their investigations. An inquest for the four victims will open and adjourn on Wednesday at Westminster coroners court, while Masoods inquest will open on Thursday.
Read More Armed police walk past emergency services attending to a man on the floor (top) and a police officer (centre right) outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after a policeman was stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament. (Image: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire) The Met Police confirmed an incident - being treated as a firearms incident - is unfolding in the heart of the capital. An air ambulance has landed on Parliament Square. One eyewitness wrote Heard a bang and then screams with people running from Parliament Square. Saw an attacker come for a police man and lunge at him while on the floor. Police were called to an incident on Westminster Bridge at about 2.40pm. Scotland Yard confirmed it was called to a firearms incident and said several people had been injured Accounts from the scene suggest a police officer may have been hurt, while unconfirmed reports have added that a man was seen within the Palace of Westminster with a knife. Armed police are in attendance and activity in the House of Commons has been suspended MPs had originally been told to stay in the chamber. They have now been evacuated. The Press Association has reported that MPs were told there is a suspicious package alert outside Westminster which halted an evacuation. Is it being treated as a terrorist attack? Scotland Yards full statement reads: Police are asking people to avoid the following areas: Parliament Square, Whitehall, Westminster Bridge, Lambeth Bridge, Victoria Street up to the junction with Broadway, and the Victoria Embankment up to Embankment tube. This is to allow the emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident. Police were called at approximately 2.40pm to reports of an incident in Westminster Bridge, SW1. It is being treated as a firearms incident. Officers - including firearms officers - remain on the scene and we are treating this as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise. We thank the public for their assistance. How many people have been injured? Current reports say that two people have died and around 12 others are injured. Channel 5 news tweeted to say a junior doctor at St Thomas described some of the injuries as catastrophic. Currently none of those injured are thought to be MPs. An eyewitness in Parliament, who can see the scene from the window, says one of the two people who was being worked on has now been covered by a red blanket and blue blanket on the ground. The scene outside Westminster (Image: Luke Steele) The other person has been fitted with an oxygen mask, strapped to a trolley and loaded into an ambulance as medical staff continue to work. Colleen Anderson, a junior doctor at St Thomas hospital, said a woman was killed as the attacker drove a grey Hyundai i40 across Westminster Bridge before crashing it into railings then running through the gates of the Palace of Westminster. She also said she treated a police officer in his 30s with a head injury who had been take to Kings College hospital. She said: I confirmed one fatality. A woman. She was under the wheel of a bus. She died. Confirmed her death at the scene. At least one of the people being treated in the palace courtyard was wheeled away on a stretcher with their face covered. Were any Merseyside MPs involved? Politics reporter Liam Thorp has spoken to a number of Merseyside MPs to confirm they are safe.
A friend of the Westminster terror suspect described him as a 'kind, quiet' and 'decent' person who is 'always smiling' -and that the car crash outside the Houses of Parliament was an 'definitely an accident'. Speaking to ITV News this evening, Anwar Khater said he was sure Salih Khater did not mean to injure people yesterday when his car rammed through pedestrians and cyclists during the morning rush-hour. He said: 'You can take three words to describe any good person, he is. He is very generous, very smiley... even in any event that happens. He is always participating in a good way. 'All the media and all the stuff now, they are all coming into a lie. Because the accident, it is an accident. It is nothing to do with terrorists, it is nothing to do with any kind of organisation that tries to attack any government department or something like that.' He added: 'You don't expect what happened would be from him. I will put my word on it. It is an accident. It's definitely an accident. 'I don't hear, I don't listen to any change of characters. He is the same person I saw seven, eight years ago.' 'The reason he went to London, the reason he was he had been to that area early is because he needed to go early to the embassy for a visa so that's why he went to London and go see his family back home which he didn't see for seven, eight years.' Earlier today, the suspect's family today insisted he is a 'normal person' as it emerged he told friends he was going to London for a Sudanese visa so he could holiday in the country he fled as a refugee. Salih Khater's brother Abdullah said they are all in a 'state of shock' about his sibling's carborne rampage outside the Houses of Parliament at 7.30am yesterday morning. Khater told friends he had a visa appointment at Sudan's embassy in St James' Park - less than a mile away from Westminster - and left Birmingham the night before to avoid early morning traffic. Salih Khater, 29, (pictured) who veered off the road careering into pedestrians and cyclists at Parliament Square, faced a Home Office probe over his citizenship application and had recently been thrown out of university Anwar Khater (pictured) told ITV News that Salih Khater 'definitely' did not mean to mow down people outside the Houses of Parliament during the morning rush-hours yesterday But police believe he cruised the capital for six hours before deliberately ploughing his Ford Fiesta through crowds of cyclists and pedestrians before careering into terror-proof security barriers, narrowly missing two policemen. Khater came to the UK eight years ago as an asylum seeker fleeing the wartorn Darfur region of Sudan and became a British citizen two years ago after settling in Birmingham. But security sources told MailOnline today the Home Office had recently told him he was being investigated over 'irregularities' in his successful citizenship application. Friends said he had also been depressed after he was also thrown off his Coventry University accountancy course for failing his first year and was 'devastated' when his father and a brother died in the past six months. MailOnline has asked the Metropolitan Police, West Midlands Police and the Home Office to comment on what they knew about Khater, what he was doing in London and his immigration status. All three have refused. This is the moment Khater was pulled from the Ford Fiesta and arrested after he hit cyclists, pedestrians and then a security barrier at full tilt yesterday morning The Westminster terror suspect was a big football fan and regularly played with friends, it is believed. He also supported Aston Villa, a team near his Birmingham home CCTV has revealed that he drove from Birmingham to London late on Monday and spent six hours driving around the capital before finally launching the attack in Parliament Square Police have today released this close up image of his car in the aftermath of the attack as part of an appeal for the public to help trace his movements before the attack Khater lived in a flat in Sparkhill, home to one in 10 British jihadis already jailed over terrorist plots and police have raided two properties in Britain's second city and Nottingham overnight CCTV footage of the car unearthed by the BBC shows the car on the wrong side of the road then swerve left, hitting cyclists and pedestrians before hitting a barrier outside Parliament yesterday The car was stopped in its tracks by a new security barrier designed to stop a lorryborne attack used in Nice or Berlin Cyclists abandoned their bikes after the collision with one being treated for injuries in the middle of the road as terror came to London's streets again Share this article Share 17k shares The terror suspect has been described as a quiet loner who loved Aston Villa, Celine Dion, smoking shisha and whiling away time at an internet cafe below his old flat in the Sparkhill area of Birmingham. His tenth floor council flat in Birmingham is just ten minutes from the former home of Khalid Masood and police will be probing if he was inspired by his murderous rampage 17 months ago. Khater grew up in the rural town of Wad Madani, around 150 miles south-east of Khartoum, Sudan, where his mother and father farmed millet, and came to the UK in around 2010 as an asylum seeker. Internet cafe owner says terror suspect 'paid 50p to use computer just 24 hours before leaving for London to carry out car attack' The Westminster car attack suspect spent the night in a Birmingham internet cafe before heading to London, MailOnline can reveal. Police seized computer number two Salih Khater used for less than half an hour, along with the hard drive and CCTV at the Bunna Internet Cafe in Sparkbrook, Birmingham. Detectives will be probing what he was doing online and if someone was helping him plot an attack. Mohammed Hussein told MailOnline how Khater, 29, a regular customer had been into his cafe three times on Sunday, twice to buy a baguette and coffee and the third time to use a computer - just hours before the Westminster attack which injured three cyclists on Monday morning. He said: 'I last saw him in here about 9.30-10pm shortly before we closed. He was using computer number two and was on it for less than 30 minutes having paid fifty pence. He had been in twice earlier in the day to buy a baguette and coffee but didn't use the computer, that was only in the evening 'He has been a customer for the last two years and I know him because he used to rent the flat alone above the cafe until four months ago. He moved out to find a cheaper place.' Mr Hussein, 32, who has spoken to police investigating the attack, said: 'He's a good guy, a normal guy and what's happened is shocking. We don't know anything about it but it possible he was using the internet to plan it, he was behaving as he normally does, nothing different. He is a quiet guy, a loner.' His manager, who saw the terror suspect on Sunday, explained: 'This us a really popular place and I was shocked when I heard what had happened in London. I was having stomach pain. It gives the local Sudanese community here a really bad reputation.' The cafe owner told how officers turned up yesterday afternoon to seize the computer and CCTV to aid their Investigation. He said: 'Police said it would be very helpful. They took the computer, it's serial number, the hard drive and CCTV footage. They were grateful for assistance.' Friends said he was recently devastated when his brother and father died in recent months, reportedly in a car crash. In another blow he was studying accountancy at Coventry University until May but had his place 'terminated' after failing the first year, while friends said his poor English meant he couldn't complete a pharmacy course 12 months earlier. As police investigate the motive behind the attack, it emerged: Sudanese-born Briton Salih Khater, 29, was the man arrested by police after his Ford Fiesta ploughed through pedestrians and cyclists before smashing into security barriers yesterday; Home Office understood to have been investigating potential irregularities in his successful British citizenship application; Muslim community in Birmingham say he told Sudanese friends he was heading to the embassy for a visa on the day of the attack; Police say suspect is not co-operating but have arrested him on suspicion of terror offences and attempted murder; Searches of his Birmingham council flat continue today and police are analysing PC from internet cafe he used on the day before launching attack; He drove from Birmingham to London on Monday night and spent time in Tottenham Court Road and Whitehall before circling Westminster until attack at 7.37am; Khater had recently failed courses in Birmingham and Coventry with friends saying he had problems with English; He is the son of millet farmers in Sudan and was devastated when his brother and father died in a car crash, friend says Parliament Square could be pedestrianised after another Westminster carborne attack; Friends say they are shocked he may have launched a terror attack. Dr Mahdi Khair, who plays football with Salih, said: 'He wasn't the kind of man who you'd throw the allegation of terrorist attack at. He was so polite and a decent chap. 'He never got into conflict with any of us at all. He said he worked for a security company and had lost his dad and brother. He always made peace with everybody. He was working very hard. 'I don't know why they're accusing him. Anything could have happened. Something could have happened to the car or he could have had mental issues.' Massar Mahmood, a trustee of Birmingham's Central Mosque, said: 'From our own inquries at the Mosque and from people of a similar background in the Sudan community he has shown no sign of doing any harm to anyone.' He said: 'There is no sign that he had been radicalised. He was not a fervent worshipper and had not shown any signs of that. 'As far as we known he was trying to get a visa. He went the night before and presume he spent the time there travelling round to wait to visit the embassy.' Ali Mohamed, an elder in Birmingham's Sudanese community, said from their inquiries Khater was not deeply religious and they had been told he travelled to London to get a visa from the embassy. 'He had all the paperwork in his car. As a British national it is difficult to get a visa to Sudan. That is why he had gone to London', he said. Mohamed said Khater was well known in the community and was a keen footballer supporter of Birmingham's Aston Villa. 'He is a very sociable and stable person. We don't know if he was tired and got into the incident. 'He was a very good person and nothing related to abnormal activity. He is a stable person and very a good person and everyone think he was a good person.' Neighbours described him as a quiet man who regularly visited an internet cafe and a shisha lounge near to his home. Local resident Ahmen Abdi said he was a man who 'never spoke to anybody'. 'I recognised his picture from the news and I was shocked,' Mr Abdi said. One customer at the internet cafe visited by Khater, who would only give his name as Adam, said he had been served coffee by Khater and that he was a polite and apparently humble man. 'I am still in shock. I've known him for about a year and he is a very, very good man," he told the Press Association. 'I can't see him doing anything stupid. 'He was polite, humble and he kept himself to himself. The whole community is upset. I can't see it not being an accident - I couldn't see him hurting a fly, never mind a human being.' Yesterday Khater spent six hours stalking the streets of London before hurtling into 15 cyclists and driving at police officers manning a Westminster security barrier during the morning rush hour. He drove 115 miles to London late on Monday night and toured the Tottenham Court Road area between 1.25am and 5.55am before heading to Westminster and Whitehall at 6am and circled until he struck at just after 7.30am yesterday. Armed police dragged him from the smoking wreckage of his car and arrested him on suspicion of terror offences. Detectives today also arrested him on suspicion of attempted murder. He is refusing to co-operate but MailOnline can reveal Khater moved to Britain around five years ago and enjoys listening to Rihanna, Celine Dion and Eminem as well as watching Premier League games and football in his native Sudan. One man, who lived near him at the Brinklow tower block told MailOnline: 'He was a Muslim and would go to the mosque but I never once heard him say anything about hating the west. 'He was just a normal guy and we would sit and have a laugh and a drink. In all the time I have known him he never seemed angry or upset about what was going on.' Another friend said Khater had seemed unhappy in recent weeks. He said: 'He was always on his mobile phone and would use the charger in the shop all the time. He was never off the phone and for the last couple of months he was unhappy. I do not know what was affecting him, but he was not himself.' 'Loner' Salih Khater, 29, pictured, was a regular at an internet cafe below his flat in the Sparkhill area of Birmingham and was seen there on the day before the attack Police raided this flat and internet cafe in Sparkhill Birmingham where Khater is believed to have lived until around four months ago but he had been seen here on the day before the attack The terror suspect lives on the tenth floor of this tower block, which is close to Birmingham's Central Mosque Counter Terrorism officers, supported by Nottinghamshire Police, undertook a search at a flat on Peveril Street in the Radford area of Nottingham, which is believed to be linked to the Ford Fiesta On Facebook he spoke about loving western music, putting music videos for friends to watch online, especially songs by Celine Dion, Eminem and Rihanna. But in recent years his posts, which were a mix of English and Arabic, became rare until a month ago when he posted pictures of a Sudanese mosque and desert scenes. Cars could be banned from Parliament Square after another terror attack, says Met chief The streets around Parliament could be pedestrianised to stop vehicle attacks, Britain's most senior police officer has said. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick praised officers' courage as they leapt into action following the 'ghastly' incident on Tuesday. Since the Westminster Bridge attack in March last year, Ms Dick said there had been an increase in the number of armed officers and barriers in place to protect the capital's political heart. Discussions between parliamentary authorities, security agencies, the police and London's mayor will 'no doubt' take place about whether the site should be further pedestrianised, she said. But the commissioner, speaking ahead of a series of unrelated dawn raids that took place in Lewisham, south east London, on Wednesday said: 'As with anything there is a balance to be drawn.' She added: 'We are not going to give in, we are not going to just change our lifestyle, but it is important we take reasonable measures, as I think we have being doing over the last several months, to try and make sure that the most iconic sites, including those in central London, are well protected and should something happen there, that the police are able to respond very quickly with armed officers, which is exactly what we saw yesterday.' He vanished in 2011 and it led to an apology where Khater wrote mysteriously on social media: 'I promise I will not disappear again and I apologise for that thing'. British police will be contacting his 300 friends on Facebook as part of their investigation into his background. Khater's Facebook page states he as a shop manager, although it appears he was studying rather than working. He has also posted images of himself using a laptop on a train and one of him on a mobile phone, as well as desert scenes, and one of Nelson Mandela. Likes on the page include Fort Wayne Indiana, London Metropolitan University, I Am Sudanese and the sport of basketball, with status updates in both English and Arabic. As well as listing his favourite quote as 'love is only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend' (sic), he also states he is interested in both men and women. In April he liked a blog post about how a Birmingham school is giving students the skills to deal with and protect themselves from extremism and radicalisation. This afternoon his account was deleted. The Metropolitan Police declined to comment while Facebook confirmed staff are investigating. Today he is in a south London police station after he veered off the road careering into pedestrians and cyclists on Parliament Square, after spending the night cruising around in a Ford Fiesta bought two months ago. Terrorist Khalid Masood, 52, had lived ten minutes away and ploughed a car into crowds on Westminster Bridge in London in March 2017, before abandoning his car then stabbing and killing unarmed PC Keith Palmer in a courtyard outside Parliament. Masood converted to Islam in prison after being jailed for a series of violent crimes - and unleashed his rampage after turning his back on his family in Birmingham. The father-of-three, born Adrian Elms in Kent, changed his name after amassing a series of criminal convictions and spent years living in a series of terrorist hotbeds. After Masood's rampage, there were four further attacks - at the Manchester Arena, London Bridge, Finsbury Park in North London and Parsons Green in West London. He lives in a scruffy flat above an internet cafe in Sparkhill, an area of Birmingham that has housed jihadi cells linked to terrorist plots at home and abroad. This stalking of London streets will raise suspicions that he was looking for crowds and later plumped for Westminster, where violent extremist Masood killed six in March 2017. There were screams as the Ford Fiesta mounted the pavement and mowed people down at up to 50mph at 7.37am before he crashed into a security barrier outside Parliament, narrowly missing two police officers. Within seconds brave armed officers surrounded the car not knowing if he was armed or had a bomb and dragged him from the smoking vehicle. In a chilling echo of Khalid Masood's murderous rampage on Westminster 17 months ago, the driver, from Birmingham, sped towards the Palace of Westminster  narrowly missing two police officers guarding the access road who jumped out of his path. He then smashed into a security barrier outside Parliament. Despite hitting at least 15 cyclists and pedestrians during rush hour, no one was killed with only one female cyclist seriously injured. Within minutes the driver, dressed in a white shirt, jeans and a black puffa jacket, was dragged from the driving seat of the crumpled vehicle by armed officers. Khalid Masood (left) ploughed a car into crowds on Westminster Bridge in March 2017, before abandoning his vehicle then stabbing and killing unarmed PC Keith Palmer (right) and lived ten minutes from Khater A policeman points a gun at Masood on the ground at the Houses of Parliament in March 2017 Suspected terror attack tested beefed up Westminster security Security measures around Westminster and on central London bridges were beefed up in the wake of terror attacks last year. Within days of the atrocity at London Bridge and Borough Market in June 2017, barriers were put in place on bridges including Westminster, Waterloo and Lambeth in a bid to stop terrorists mowing down pedestrians. Tactics for armed officers were also changed, with marksmen allowed to shoot at a vehicle being used in such an attack. Previously, firearms officers had the option of shooting at a moving car, van or lorry, but this was discouraged as it was felt it could increase the risk to the public. But the approach was revised so that firing at a car, van or lorry when it is on the move is an accepted tactic for such incidents. There are also more armed patrols on the streets at any one time, with the number of firearms officers and vehicles having gradually increased since 2016. A 143 million plan to boost armed policing was announced in the months after the terrorist attacks in Paris in November 2015, in which 130 people died and hundreds more were injured. Security arrangements around Parliament are likely to come under fresh scrutiny at the forthcoming inquests into the deaths of five people including police officer Keith Palmer who were killed in the Westminster Bridge attack last year. Khalid Masood ploughed a hired SUV into pedestrians on the bridge before getting out and fatally stabbing Mr Palmer, who was guarding the Palace of Westminster but was unarmed. Around a month later, former Taliban bomb maker Khalid Ali was arrested in Parliament Square with three knives ready to attack MPs and police. He was later jailed for at least 40 years for making the explosive devices and 25 years for the knife plot. Scotland Yard said the public can expect to see more police officers, both armed and unarmed, on the capital's streets in the wake of Tuesday's incident. Questions will be raised about why the attack took place during recess when Parliament is not sitting. The terror suspect  thought to be a lone wolf  remained strangely calm and utterly silent, offering no resistance as he was handcuffed. Police found no weapons or explosives. Last night it emerged Khater, who was said to be of Sudanese origin, drove from his rundown flat in Hall Green, Birmingham, to London on Monday evening arriving just after midnight. He spent all night driving around central London, cruising around tourist hotspots such as Tottenham Court Road between 1.25am and 5.55am. He then spent 90 minutes driving around Whitehall and Westminster, leading to suspicions he may have been hunting for large crowds of tourists to target. The man had not spoken a word since being arrested despite hours of questioning last night. Officers raided two addresses in Birmingham and one in Nottingham where the vehicle was registered. Hours after the attack, Britain's head of counter terrorism announced the suspect was not known to Scotland Yard or MI5 for any previous terrorist activity. But last night it emerged he was an immigrant known to West Midlands police. Security minister Ben Wallace said the suspect was born in another country but had been given British citizenship. The vehicle that police say he used 'deliberately' as a weapon was written off by insurers last autumn and had failed an MOT as it had problems with headlights, a hand brake lever and the steering rack. But it was put back on the road and sold again eight weeks ago. The attack was caught on CCTV showing the car swerve the wrong way down the road and veering across a pedestrian crossing through crowds of cyclists waiting at a set of traffic lights. He hit a female cyclist who was left lying motionless in the road suffering from a suspected broken hip, while other injured cyclists lay sprawled in the road by their mangled bikes. A man and the female cyclist were taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries and were later discharged. Robert Nicholson was heading to work and waiting in a 'safe cycling box' near Parliament when the man struck. He said: 'There were about 15 cyclists there. All of a sudden, whipping round the corner  just from the traffic lights  was this small car and just rammed straight through the group of ten to 15 cyclists that were stood there.' One cyclist, a management consultant, told MailOnline how he cheated death as the speeding car ploughed past him - knocking down the cyclist next to him. Geoffrey Woodman, 27, from Battersea, was cycling to work when he heard a 'loud screech' and the car slammed into the woman on the bicycle next to him. 'I felt very shocked,' he said. 'It was a very odd experience to have. It happens more and more but you never expect it to be you. It was so close. 'One slight turn of the wheel and it would have taken me out. I had pulled up to the red light by Parliament Square and put my foot down. 'After about ten seconds I heard a car screeching over the bridge. It was obscured behind a van at first but then it cut out in front of us through the red light on the wrong side of the road. 'It swerved left and hit the lady two bikes to my left. It was going about 40 to 50mph. Its windscreen hit her quite hard as she was trying to jump off to the left.' Police officers were spotted removing the damaged Ford Fiesta Khater used from the scene last night The car was written off by insurers last autumn and had failed an MOT as it had problems with headlights, a hand brake lever and the steering rack. But it was put back on the road and sold again eight weeks ago The location of the barrier crash was just around the corner from where Khalid Masood killed five people in March 2017 Armed officers swamp a crumpled silver car after a rush hour crash at Westminster yesterday that left two pedestrians needing hospital treatment First responders treat victims lying in the road on Parliament Square in an attack that did not claim any lives Forensic officers by the Ford Fiesta that crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament in the first terror attack in Britain this year Bicycles are abandoned against a wall near the scene of the crash at the Houses of Parliament today How the Westminster car's current owner has been registered for only two months The car involved in todays crash was a 2010 Ford Fiesta, first registered near Nottingham in March 2010. Forensic officers by the car that crashed into security barriers outside Parliament It has had five previous owners before the current keeper  who has only been registered to it since June 20. The car, which has a manual transmission, is valued at about 4,500 and has an estimated mileage of around 68,000. It previously failed an MOT in 2015 due to issues with the front brake pad, front tyre and front windscreen wiper. It was also said to have suffered serious structural damage last November and written off - but then passed its most recent MOT this May. Kirsty Moseley, 31, of Brixton, south London, was a passenger in the first car behind the cyclists. She said: 'I heard a few shouts, looked up and this silver car was driving at high speed the wrong way into the cyclists. 'People were thrown everywhere. [He had] two hands on the steering wheel and he did not look back over his shoulder to look at the damage he'd created  he was just looking deadpan straight in front of him.' Westminster was quickly locked down, with more than 200 officers flooding the area including police 'super spotters' dispatched to look for other attackers using their specialist skills to recognise when a person is displaying minute signs of anxiety. A large cordon was initially set up but police later announced there was no threat after ruling out the possibility of further attackers. British Transport Police said commuters would see extra officers on trains and at stations around England, Scotland and Wales in response to the attack. Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said there was 'no intelligence at this time of further danger' to Londoners following the attack. But he added: 'Detectives from the counter-terrorism command are making various other urgent enquiries to ensure that there is no outstanding risk to the public.' BTP said anybody with concerns following the incident outside the Houses of Parliament can speak to a member of rail staff or a police officer. Superintendent Chris Horton said: 'We know incidents such as this are likely to cause concern, so our officers will be highly visible both on board trains and at stations. 'We are there to reassure the travelling public so please don't be alarmed if you see our officers, including firearms officers, on your journey.' Neil Basu, the Met's Assistant Commissioner Specialist Operations, said: 'This appears to be a deliberate act... we're treating it as a terrorist incident.' Home Secretary Sajid Javid has said 'we must keep an open mind' about the suspected terror attack. He added: 'The briefing I have received from counter-terrorism police and the security services is that work is ongoing and they are doing everything they can to find out more about the incident.' How Sudanese immigrant who 'carried out parliament terror outrage' hails from British jihadi hotspot linked to past extremist plots and home to one in 10 convicted Islamic terrorists The Sudanese immigrant accused of trying to kill pedestrians in Parliament Square hails from a Midlands suburb considered a terror hotspot because of the extraordinary number of jihadis who have lived there. Salih Khater, 29, a British citizen who moved to the UK from Sudan five years ago, lived in a flat in Sparkhill, an area of south Birmingham home to one in 10 UK extremists jailed over Islamic terrorist plots. His council flat is also just ten minutes from the former home of Khalid Masood, whose murderous rampage 17 months ago appears to have inspired Khater's own carborne attack yesterday. Last year it was reported that one in ten convicted Islamic terrorists come from the tiny area of Birmingham, south-east of the city centre. Most recently a group of extremists from the area who called themselves the 'Three Musketeers' were jailed for life last year. Sparkhill neighbours Naweed Ali, 29, Khobaib Hussain, 25 and Mohibur Rahman, 33, planned to launch murder on Britain's streets using a car before attacking people with meat cleavers etched with 'Kafir' and setting off a pipe bomb. Belgian jihadi Mohamed Abrini, better known as the 'man in the hat', collected 3,000 to fund his terrorism during a secret handover in Sparkhill's nearest park months before masterminding terror attacks in Paris and Brussels in 2015. Khater (left) lived close to the home of Khalid Masood (right), who ploughed a car into crowds on Westminster Bridge in March 2017, before abandoning his vehicle then stabbing and killing unarmed PC Keith Palmer Abrini later became one of the world's most wanted men after 130 people died in ISIS attacks on Paris in 2015 - and was arrested after he accompanied suicide bombers into Brussels Airport where 33 died but he fled. 'Man in the hat' Mohamed Abrini collected cash from a terror suspect in Birmingham before the Paris and Brussels terror attacks And last year a British-based imam accused of recruiting Jihadists to fight for ISIS is being extradited to Spain to face terror charges. Tarik Chadlioui, 43, allegedly tried to recruit and radicalise fighters for ISIS as part of a terror cell from his home in the Sparkhill area of Birmingham. Sparkbrook contains five highly concentrated Muslim council wards, occupying a few square miles, which have produced 26 of the country's 269 known jihadis, according to analysis of terrorism in the UK last year. The Birmingham wards of Springfield, Sparkhill, Hall Green and Hodge Hill in particular have been home to a high proportion of convicted terrorists. It was one of the main conclusions of a 1,000-page report to be published by think tank the Henry Jackson society in Parliament in March last year. The overall number of Islamic terrorists revealed to have had a Birmingham address down the years is even higher: 39 in total. This figure is more than for the whole of West Yorkshire, Greater Manchester and Lancashire put together. Friends say Khater, who is refusing to speak to police, was last seen on the day before the attack at the Bunna Internet cafe below his old Sparkbrook flat, where police took away a PC last night. The terror suspect had recently moved to a tower block behind Birmingham's central mosque, and his tenth floor council flat was also stormed by counter-terrorism officers yesterday and remains sealed off today. Counter-terrorism officers also raided a Nottingham property believed to have links to the Ford Fiesta bought two months ago. Today Khater is in a south London police station after veered off the road careering into pedestrians and cyclists on Parliament Square, after spending the night cruising around in a Ford Fiesta bought two months ago. Police say he drove 115 miles to London late on Monday night and toured the Tottenham Court Road area between 1.25am and 5.55am before heading to Westminster and Whitehall at 6am and circled until he struck at just after 7.30am yesterday. This stalking of London streets will raise suspicions that he was looking for crowds and later plumped for Westminster, where British extremist Masood killed six in March 2017. Sparkhill terror gang Naweed Ali, 29, Mohibur Rahman, 33, and Khobaib Hussain, 25, (left to right) were jailed for life last year over a plot to kill people with a car, knives and a bomb Imam Tarik Chadlioui, 43, (pictured) allegedly tried to recruit and radicalise fighters for ISIS as part of a terror cell from his home in the Sparkhill area of Birmingham. Was Westminster 'terrorist' spooked by an ambulance? How suspect drove from Birmingham to London overnight then staked out scene for 90 minutes before 'launching attack when sirens went off behind him' The alleged Westminster terrorist who stalked the streets of London for almost six hours was being followed by an ambulance with its sirens blaring just seconds before ploughing into 15 cyclists. Shocking CCTV released yesterday shows Sudanese born Salih Khater, 29, making a sharp left turn as the emergency vehicle passes the right hand side of his silver Ford Fiesta. He had circled the area for 90 minutes before he veered off the road, raising suspicions he could have been on a reconnaissance mission and was spooked into taking action when he saw flashing blue lights. Earlier Khater had driven 115 miles overnight from Birmingham to the capital and toured the Tottenham Court Road area from 1.25am to 5.55am. He then headed to Westminster and Whitehall, and at just after 7.30am yesterday his vehicle is caught on CCTV, appearing to show Khater react when the emergency lights appear closely behind his vehicle. Footage released from the BBC shows Khater's ford Fiesta being closely followed by an ambulance to his right (circled) The emergency vehicle, with its sirens blaring, passes him closely , then just seconds later his car veers to the left Khater's car can then be seen heading into crowds just outside the Houses of Parliament as the ambulance moves out of shot Officers guarding the area had to leap out of the car's path before armed colleagues rushed to detain the driver early on Tuesday morning. It struck during parliament's summer recess and ahead of the daily rush of tourists to the area, leaving it relatively deserted. Despite hitting at least 15 cyclists and pedestrians, no one was killed with only one female cyclist seriously injured. Within minutes the driver, dressed in a white shirt, jeans and a black puffa jacket, was dragged from the driving seat of the crumpled vehicle by armed officers. The terror suspect  thought to be a lone wolf  remained strangely calm and utterly silent, offering no resistance as he was handcuffed. Police found no weapons or explosives. Yesterday police were forced to deny the terror suspect was being followed by a mysterious unmarked van. The CCTV showed a silver Ford Transit clearly slowing down and then changing lanes as the suspects car veered towards Parliament. The mystery van then stops after cyclists and pedestrians are run down and then changes lanes again to try to follow the driver. But BBC footage of the crash, which remarkably didn't claim any lives, shows the Transit gets stuck in traffic as the terror suspect smashes into road barriers. Counter-terrorism chief Neil Basu ruled out that the Fiesta was being monitored despite experts claiming the CCTV shows the opposite. Mr Basu said: 'No, I've heard that this morning. There wasn't a police car in pursuit of the vehicle'. Experts, including retired Met detective David Videcette, who worked in counter-terrorism on 7/7, believes the Transit may have had a police officer behind the wheel. But it could be on a different job and noticed the strange behaviour of the driver. He said: 'There appears to be silver Transit van following the Fiesta, the van has its lights on. The silver van carries on following the Fiesta wherever it goes. 'The consensus between those of us who are ex-Police, is that this is likely an unmarked police vehicle, who spotted the Fiesta acting strangely before it rammed the barrier. The mystery van (circled in red) stops after cyclists and pedestrians are run down and then changes lanes as it appears to follow the driver (highlighted in white shade). The ambulance can be seen in the background The Transit van (circled) gets stuck in traffic as the terror suspect smashes into road barriers Britain faces 700 live terror probes: After new attack on Westminster, officials reveal the scale of the threat to the UK by John Stevens, Deputy Political Editor for the Daily Mail Almost 700 terror investigations are being carried out by the security services. The figures were revealed yesterday after a car ploughed into cyclists outside Parliament in an apparent extremist attack. Britain was on a heightened state of alert last night, with Theresa May warning that the threat was now 'one of the starkest we have faced'. Security minister Ben Wallace said the increased danger of attacks was 'here to stay'. Their warnings came as anti-terror police tried to question a suspect over the latest feared targeting of Westminster. The man  named last night as Salih Khater and said to be a British citizen of Sudanese origin  was arrested by armed police after the car hit cyclists and pedestrians before crashing into a security barrier at around 50mph during the morning rush-hour. Police raided a string of addresses in the Midlands as they tried to discover what was behind his actions. He was refusing to cooperate with police. Britain was on a heightened state of alert last night after a car ploughed into cyclists outside Parliament in an apparent extremist attack Officials revealed that there were 676 live investigations being conducted by the security services and counter-terror police at the end of June, up from more than 500 three months earlier. The genocide that forced millions to flee About three million people were killed or displaced by the long campaign of war and genocide in Darfur, Western Sudan. Government forces and Arab militias known as the Janjaweed burned villages and carried out mass murders, rapes and torture in the region. The Arab word Janjaweed means a man with a gun on a horse. Millions of civilians fled into neighbouring Chad or UN refugee camps on the border, and official statistics showed more than 5,000 Sudanese people claimed asylum in Britain between 2003 and 2010. In 2010, the year Salih Khater is understood to have come to the UK as a refugee, 573 Sudanese people claimed asylum and 377 were allowed to stay in this country. Many had stowed away in boats, trucks and lorries to reach the UK, although in 2016 a Sudanese man Abdul Haroun walked the 31-mile length of the Channel Tunnel, and was later granted asylum. Sudan is a former British colony, but asylum claims and study or work visa applications from its citizens are subject to the same rules as those from other countries. Once a person is granted indefinite leave to remain in the UK, they can apply for citizenship once they have been in the country five years. Some 13 Islamist plots have been foiled since March 2017  including one in the past month. A further four far-Right plots have been stopped. Officials also said that between 2010 and 2017 there were 2,029 terrorist arrests in Britain, but 412 of those were in the year to December  the highest on record. Mrs May yesterday called on the country to come together as she voiced her disgust at the attack outside Parliament. It follows the Westminster Bridge attack in March last year in which Khalid Masood killed five pedestrians before stabbing to death PC Keith Palmer at the gates of Parliament. The Prime Minister said: 'For the second time in as many years the home of our democracy, which is a potent symbol of our precious values of tolerance and freedom, has witnessed terrible scenes just yards from its door. 'The threat to the United Kingdom from terrorism remains severe. 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. 'The twisted aim of the extremists is to use violence and terror to divide us. They will never succeed.' Mrs May voiced relief that no one had been killed in the latest attack as she praised the 'formidable courage' of the armed officers who apprehended the driver within minutes of him driving into the security barrier outside Parliament. 'My thoughts are with the innocent members of the public who were hurt in this appalling incident,' she said. The Prime Minister, who is on holiday in Switzerland, was informed of the incident at 8am yesterday  less than half an hour after it took place. She was kept abreast of the situation throughout the day. Home Secretary Sajid Javid last night returned to the UK from his holidays. A meeting of the Cobra emergency committee was held by security officials in Whitehall yesterday afternoon. Last night Mr Wallace told 5 News: 'We have seen a shift since 2017 in the numbers of terrorist plots and the number of live investigations that are going on  both from the far-Right and Islamist extremists.' Asked if people should feel worried, he said: 'I think worried is the wrong word. People should realise that this is at the moment going to be here to stay, that the shift in threat is a phenomena of this generation.' The Prime Minister's official spokesman added: 'We have been clear that the threat from terrorism is one of the starkest we have faced, the nature of the threat is changing and so is our response.' Officials revealed that there were 676 live investigations being conducted by the security services and counter-terror police at the end of June, up from more than 500 three months earlier (pictured: armed police outside Westminster station yesterday)
Islamic State claims British parliament attack The Islamic State group said Thursday one of its "soldiers" carried out the deadly rampage at the British parliament, as Prime Minister Theresa May vowed the nation would not be cowed by its deadliest attack in 12 years. Police identified the assailant as 52-year-old Khalid Masood, a British-born man with a string of previous convictions but who was not subject to a current investigation. The IS claim came after armed police arrested eight people in raids linked to Wednesday's attack that left three people dead and sowed panic in the heart of London. "An act of terrorism tried to silence our democracy," May told a packed House of Commons, which stood for a minute's silence in remembrance of the victims of the strike on the very symbol of British democracy. "We are not afraid and our resolve will never waver in the face of terrorism." Just hours after she spoke, Belgian police arrested a man as he tried to drive into a crowd at high speed in a shopping area in the port city of Antwerp. That was the third incident in a week in Europe after London and a weekend attack at Paris's Orly airport, and came a day after the first anniversary of the Brussels suicide bombings that killed 32 people and were also claimed by IS. - First IS claim of British attack - IS said it was responsible for the London murders, according to the Amaq propaganda agency, the first time the jihadists have claimed an attack on British soil. "The perpetrator of yesterday's attack in front of the British parliament was a soldier of the Islamic State and the operation was carried out in response to calls to target coalition countries," Amaq said citing a "security source." Police in London said there was "no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack." Floral tributes to the victims of the terror attack were left near Westminster Abbey in central London, on March 23, 2017 DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS, AFP Britain is a member of the US-led coalition fighting IS in Iraq and Syria that the jihadist group has urged its followers to target. The latest attack carried echoes of the atrocities in Nice and Berlin when trucks ploughed into crowds of people, killing 86 people in the French Riviera city in July and 12 at a market in the German capital just days before Christmas. As the British flag over parliament flew at half-mast, lawmakers returned to "business as usual" in the surreal silence of an area in the heart of London normally thronged with tourists. Hundreds of extra police were on patrol as officers worked around the clock to piece together what happened in the deadliest attack in Britain since four suicide bombers killed 52 people on London's transport system in July 2005. The UN Security Council also observed a minute of silence Thursday in honour of those killed, as Britain's allies vowed to stand by London in the fight against terrorism. - 'No prior intelligence' - Wednesday's attacker mowed down pedestrians with a car along Westminster Bridge -- a busy traffic route and popular tourist spot with views of parliament and the Big Ben clock tower. British Pc Keith Palmer was killed during the terror incident at the Houses of Parliament on March 22, 2017 , British Metropolitan Police/AFP/File He then rammed the railings outside parliament and jumped out of the car, fatally stabbing a police officer before being shot dead. The unarmed officer, 48-year-old Keith Palmer, was hailed as a hero by May after he died despite frantic efforts to save him. The other victims were a 43-year-old British woman and an American in his 50s, while 29 people were treated in hospital including French school children and foreign tourists. May said the attacker had been a "peripheral figure" investigated over concerns about violent extremism. Pictures believed to be of the knifeman lying on a stretcher showed a burly man with black clothes and a beard. - 'Acted alone' - Police in forensic suits conduct searches outside the British parliament in central London Justin TALLIS, AFP Top anti-terror officer Mark Rowley said police arrested eight people in raids on six houses in London, the central city of Birmingham and elsewhere. "It is still our belief... that this attacker acted alone yesterday and was inspired by international terrorism," he said. In Birmingham, which is home to large South Asian and Muslim communities, Muhammad Afzal, the head of the central mosque, said the attacker's motivations had nothing to do with true Islam. Rowley acknowledged that Muslim communities will "feel anxious" over fears of an Islamophobic backlash, and said police would work with community leaders to ensure protection. London Mayor Sadiq Khan has called a candlelit vigil later Thursday. - 'On way to collect children' - Britain's last terror attack was the 2016 assassination of MP Jo Cox by a pro-Nazi sympathiser shortly before the historic but deeply divisive vote to leave the EU. Scotland, where there is a fresh push for independence following Brexit, delayed a parliamentary debate on a new referendum until Tuesday, the day before Britain is to trigger the Article 50 two-year EU divorce process. A Spanish diplomatic source confirmed that one of the dead was 43-year-old British citizen Aysha Frade, whose mother was Spanish. Media reports said she was on her way to pick up her two daughters, aged seven and nine, from school. Kurt Cochran from the United States was named as the third victim by President Donald Trump, who called him a "great American".
Masood, who was born in Kent as Adrian Elms and known as Adrian Ajao following his mothers marriage, was shot dead by police after murdering four people in a terror attack outside the Houses of Parliament. Police are appealing for anyone who knew Masood to come forward as they investigate whether he acted totally alone inspired by terrorist propaganda, or whether he was encouraged, supported or directed by others to carry out the atrocity. Read more Masood was using the encrypted messaging service WhatsApp at 2.37pm on Wednesday, just minutes before the atrocity, Sky News reported. The discovery suggests he sent a final message before launching the attack, although what it said and to who it was sent to is unclear. He had stayed at Brighton's Preston Park Hotel on the previous night, where staff described him "laughing and joking". Michael Peterson, a fellow guest who bumped into Masood before he left on Wednesday morning, said he seemed "totally, perfectly normal", adding: "Articulate, polite, presentable - and the guy is on his way to commit mass murder. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP Scotland Yards Acting Deputy Commissioner, Mark Rowley, said police want to hear from anyone who understands who Masoods associates were and can provide information about places he has recently visited. There might well be people out there who did have concerns about Masood but weren't sure or didn't feel comfortable for whatever reason in passing information to us, he added. Detectives are continuing to search two homes in Birmingham and another in East London linked to the attacker, after completing others elsewhere in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Brighton, Surrey and Camarthenshire in Wales. A total of 11 people have been arrested as part of the investigation and 10 remain in custody after a 39-year-old woman detained in London on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts was bailed. A 21-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man were arrested at one address in Birmingham, while a 26-year-old woman and three men aged 28, 27 and 26 were detained at another. All six suspects were arrested on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts, as was a 58-year-old man arrested in Birmingham on Thursday morning. Police made two more significant arrests overnight  a 27-year-old man in Birmingham and a 35-year-old man in Manchester  while a 32-year-old woman was arrested on Friday morning in Manchester. KhalidMasood during his school days, when he was known as Adrian Ajao (Huntley&#039;s School) A disjointed picture of Masoods life is starting to emerge, showing a long journey from a popular and well-liked teenager, to violent criminal, family man, bodybuilder and finally a suspected Isis supporter. Former classmates at the Huntley School for Boys near Tunbridge Wells in Kent remembered Masood as a big personality who everyone liked but his first criminal conviction came when he was just 19. Offences including grievous bodily harm, assault and possession of an offensive weapon saw him jailed at Lewes Prison in East Sussex, Wayland Prison in Norfolk and Ford open prison in West Sussex. One of his jail terms was a two-year stint for a fight in 2000 outside the Crown and Thistle in Northiam, near Rye in East Sussex, that left a man needing 20 stitches in his face. Hove Crown Court heard that Masood had moved to the village to give his family and himself a better and more tranquil way of life and but felt ostracised as one of only two black men in the village. An argument with his victim allegedly had racial overtones, which a judge said partly explained but did not excuse Masoods behaviour while jailing him for two years. The Telegraph reported that Masood was jailed again three years later for stabbing another man in the nose, but he still managed to work as an English teacher after his release. Mark Rowley, Acting Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, speaks to the media outside New Scotland Yard in London (PA wire) His CV, seen by The Sun, lists him as a university-educated English teacher with experience working in places such as Saudi Arabia and Luton, although it is believed he never taught at any state schools in the UK. The killer, believed to have a wife and three children, most recently appeared to be based in the West Midlands, but also spent time in London, Sussex and Luton. Theresa May told MPs packed into the House of Commons that he was the subject of a historical MI5 investigation over suspected violent extremism but was not charged with terror offences. His attack left four victims dead and 50 others injured of 12 different nationalities, with 31 requiring hospital treatment. The 75-year-old was the third victim to die from injuries sustained as Masood ploughed his car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, killing mother-of-two Aysha Frade and American tourist Kurt Cochran, who was in London with his wife to celebrate their 25th anniversary. Masood then crashed the vehicle into a fence outside the Houses of Parliament before running to an entrance and fatally stabbing PC Keith Palmer, before he was shot dead.
Khalid Masood died after killing five people after driving car into pedestrians in London A shocking BBC documentary showing hospital staff realise Westminster killer Khalid Masood has just died on a stretcher is set to be aired next week. The extraordinary footage, filmed in a London hospital, shows victims being treated and discussing what they remember during the terrorist attack, which took place on March 22. Five people died in the rampage, which saw Masood drive at pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before fatally stabbing Pc Keith Palmer in the grounds of the Palace of Westminster. The 52-year-old attacker was then shot by armed police and was the first casualty to arrive at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, where he was pronounced dead. A camera crew filming series two of the BBC Two documentary Hospital were at St Mary's and captured the fatally wounded Masood being stretchered in. Shortly after his arrival, a member of staff is heard saying: 'The first one is RIP.' The episode tracks the progress of three people injured during the attack in the capital Throughout the dramatic programme, doctors are seen working hard to save peoples' lives The episode also tracks the progress of three people injured during the attack - two French teenagers on a school trip, and a 40-year-old British man who was on a birthday excursion in the capital. Simon Dickson of programme maker Label1, said of the decision to include the attacker: 'He's part of the story, and his appearance in the film is as you see it. RELATED ARTICLES Share this article 'It's brief, but his arrival is a key part of the day, and that is fully reflected in the way that scene is handled.' Masood's family were not consulted about showing him, and his face is blurred out in the footage. One medic looks shocked after receiving news from another member of staff at St Mary's BBC Two controller Patrick Holland said: 'The decision was made to treat him in exactly the same way, from the point of view of the hospital. 'That's where we're seeing him, that's where the audience is being allowed to see this incident unfold, he's the first casualty that comes to the hospital and we followed the same protocol that we do with any other patient which is that if they don't consent, you blur them.' The Hospital camera crew were just two or three days into recording the new series, which follows the Imperial College Healthcare Trust, when a meeting being filmed at St Mary's was interrupted by news of the attack. Staff at the hospital, one of London's 'major trauma centres', are seen quickly putting a major incident plan into place as they prepare to receive the first casualties. Two victims are filmed discussing what they remembered during the attack on March 22 The other patient says 'yes, little bits', remembering the car on the pavement and a 'big shock' He adds that he remembers having blood in his eyes and not being able to see anything The student jokingly adds 'Your new look is working for you' to his friend during the discussion All non-emergency surgery is cancelled, and doctors must decide which existing patients are well enough to be transferred to another hospital to free up beds. Dr Alison Sanders, clinical director at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, said: 'When a major incident happens, within 12 minutes the entire hospital has kicked into a completely different way of working, and obviously, subsequently we've had to do that twice more since this programme was made (with the London Bridge attack and the Grenfell Tower fire). 'It just demonstrates, that's something that won't be unique to us, it's a countrywide ability of the NHS to step up on top of what is already huge pressure.' She added: 'We have to do something entirely different with zero notice, and you see everybody just switch into it, and then the following day we have to go back to normal because the work is still building up, the ambulances will still be coming in, as soon as we open the doors again, the floodgates open.' The first episode of Hospital series two airs on BBC Two on Tuesday June 20
Britain's EU Security Chief Says No 'Zero Terror Risk' as Further Arrests Made Britain's most senior ambassador to the EU has said there is no such thing as "zero terror risk" in Europe and that it was no coincidence that the London attack came on the anniversary of the Brussels attacks last year. EU Security Commissioner Sir Julian King told the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, March 23, that it was no coincidence the attacks took place on the first anniversary of the Brussels attacks, March 22, 2016, when three attackers set off bombs in Brussels Airport and at the Maalbeek metro station in Brussels, killing 32 people, plus the bombers and injuring 340. people were injured. Rescue teams evacuate wounded people outside the Maalbeek metro station in Brussels on March 22, 2016 after a blast at this station located near the EU institutions "I don't think it was a complete accident that this attack took place on the first anniversary of the Brussels attacks, when we were solemnly recalling the murders of 32 people and the wounding  in many cases of life-changing consequences  of many more," Sir Julian said. Five people died and 50 were injured after an attacker named by the police as Khalid Masood  born Adrian Russell Ajao  drove a car across Westminster Bridge in London, mowing down pedestrians before crashing to the railings of the Houses of Parliament. He then ran through a gate, where he was accosted by two policemen, stabbing one of them to death. The assailant was then shot dead by police firearms officers. In this March 22, 2017 file photo, the attacker Khalid Masood is treated by emergency services outside the Houses of Parliament London. British Police named on Thursday March 23, 2017, Khalid Masood as The Houses of Parliament attacker. "Those who carry out these attacks want to target our way of life, target our values, but we're not going to let them win. There's never going to be 100 percent security. There's ever going to be zero risk. But we can and will continue to make further attacks as difficult and unlikely as we can," Sir Julian said. "I do believe we are making progress in our collective, shared efforts to bear down on the space in which terrorists  and others who wish to do us harm  operate and out shared efforts to build our resilience." The London Metropolitan Police said March 24 that at least 50 people were injured in the Westminster attack with 31 requiring hospital treatment as the attack unfolded and those affected include a real cross section of ages and from at least 12 nationalities. "It is a poignant reminder that the impact of this attack on the Capital will reach around the world. The Counter Terrorism Command investigation  Operation Classific  continues, involving hundreds of officers from across the counter terrorism network," Acting Deputy Commissioner, Mark Rowley said. A/Deputy Cmsr Rowley "We would like to thank our officers & staff who are working round the clock to keep #London safe" #WestminsterAttack "Nine people remain in our custody and one woman has been released on bail. We have searches at five addresses ongoing  16 searches have concluded. So far we have seized 2,700 items from our searches including massive of amounts of computer data. "We have had contact with approximately 3,500 witnesses  including 1,000 from people on Westminster Bridge and around 2,500 who were within the Parliamentary Estate," Rowley said. Hello, ! We are committed to protecting your personal information and we have updated our Privacy Policy to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), a new EU regulation that went into effect on May 25, 2018. 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FNN: Deadly TERROR Attack in London  People Struck on Westminster Bridge  FULL COVERAGE  London Videos Brought to you by Desert Diamond: http://ddcaz.com LONDON (AP)  A knife-wielding man went on a deadly rampage in the heart of Britains seat of power Wednesday, plowing a car into pedestrians on Londons Westminster Bridge before stabbing a police officer to death inside the gates of Parliament. Four people were killed, including the assailant, and about 20 others were injured in what Prime Minister Theresa May condemned as a sick and depraved terrorist attack. Lawmakers, lords, staff and visitors were locked down after the man was shot by police within the perimeter of Parliament, just yards (meters) from entrances to the building itself and in the shadow of the iconic Big Ben clock tower. He died, as did two pedestrians on the bridge, and the police officer. A doctor who treated the wounded from the bridge said some had catastrophic injuries. Three police officers, several French teenagers on a school trip and two Romanian tourists were among the casualties. Police said they were treating the attack as terrorism. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Metropolitan Police counterterrorism chief Mark Rowley said police believed there was only one attacker, but it would be foolish to be overconfident early on. The threat level for international terrorism in the U.K. was already listed at severe, meaning an attack was highly likely. Speaking outside 10 Downing St. after chairing a meeting of governments emergency committee, COBRA, May said that level would not change. She said attempts to defeat British values of democracy and freedom through terrorism would fail. Tomorrow morning, Parliament will meet as normal, she said. Londoners and visitors will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart. U.S. President Donald Trump was among world leaders offering condolences, and in Paris, the lights of the Eiffel Tower were to be dimmed in solidarity with London. London has been a target for terrorism many times over past decades. Just this weekend, hundreds of armed police took part in an exercise simulating a marauding terrorist attack on the River Thames. Wednesday was the anniversary of suicide bombings in the Brussels airport and subway that killed 32 people last year, and the latest events echoed recent vehicle attacks in Berlin and Nice, France. In the House of Commons, legislators were holding a series of votes on pensions when deputy Speaker Lindsay Hoyle announced that the sitting was being suspended and told lawmakers not to leave. Parliament was locked down for several hours, and the adjoining Westminster subway station was shuttered. Conservative lawmaker Tobias Ellwood, whose brother was killed in the Bali terror attack in 2002, performed first aid on the wounded police officer, who later died. About 10 yards away lay the assailant. I tried to stem the flow of blood and give mouth to mouth while waiting for the medics to arrive but I think he had lost too much blood, Ellwood said. He had multiple wounds, under the arm and in the back. The attack began early Wednesday afternoon as a driver in a gray SUV slammed into pedestrians on the bridge linking Parliament to the south bank of the River Thames. Former Polish foreign minister Radek Sikorski was in a car crossing the bridge when he heard something like a car hitting metal sheet and then saw people lying on the pavement. I saw one person who gave no signs of life. One man was bleeding from his head. I saw five people who were at least seriously injured, Sikorski told Polands TVN24. Ambulances arrived within minutes to treat people who lay scattered along the length of the bridge. One bloodied woman lay surrounded by a scattering of postcards. Police said one injured woman was pulled from the river. The car crashed into railings on the north side of the bridge, less than 200 yards (meters) from the entrance to Parliament. As people scattered in panic, witnesses saw a man holding a knife run toward the building. The whole crowd just surged around the corner by the gates just opposite Big Ben, said witness Rick Longley. A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman. I have never seen anything like that. I just cant believe what I just saw. The attacker managed to get past a gate into Parliaments fenced-in New Palace Yard, a cobbled courtyard in the shadow of the Big Ben clock tower. Daily Mail journalist Quentin Letts said a man in black attacked the police officer before being shot two or three times as he tried to storm into the building. As this attacker was running towards the entrance two plain-clothed guys with guns shouted at him what sounded like a warning, he ignored it and they shot two or three times and he fell, Letts told the BBC. & what did the British Parliament "officials" say???????? "TRUMP DOES NOT DESERVE A CEREMONIAL STATE VISIT" because TRUMP IS A RACIST BASED ON THE TRAVEL VETTING well there u go!!!!!!At least OUR PRESIDENT is protecting our country!!!!!!!!!!
Share this with A police officer points a gun at a man on the floor while an officer puts his foot on a knife (Picture: PA) A police officer and a pedestrian are among five people who have been killed after a knifeman brought terror to the heart of Westminster. The attacker, armed with two large knives, mowed down pedestrians with his car on Westminster Bridge, including schoolchildren, then rushed at the gates in front of the Houses of Parliament, stabbing a policeman before he was shot dead by armed officers. Eyewitnesses described scenes of terror when gunfire rang out as the attacker approached a second officer within yards of the Houses of Parliament. Paramedics fought to save his life and that of his police victim on the floor of the cobbled courtyard in front of Parliament, with Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood among those who rushed to help. The police officer was wheeled away on a stretcher with his face covered and sources later confirmed he had died. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Emergency workers move a man, believed to be the suspect, towards an ambulance (Picture: PA) One woman hit by the attackers car before he reached Parliament was confirmed dead by a doctor at St Thomas Hospital. Others on the bridge suffered catastrophic injuries. Another woman who apparently fell into the Thames was rescued and given urgent medical treatment on a nearby pier. London Ambulance Service said paramedics had treated at least 10 patients on Westminster Bridge. A party of French schoolchildren were among those targeted on the bridge, with three injured. Downing Street said Prime Minister Theresa May, who was ushered away from Parliament after the attack, was chairing a meeting of the Governments emergency Cobra committee. Commander BJ Harrington of the Metropolitan Police said there were a number of casualties in the attack including police officers. He urged Londoners to be vigilant, said more officers would be on patrol and that anti-terrorism measures were being reviewed. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Several people were tended where the car crashed into a fence of the House of Commons (Picture: Sky News) The knifeman drove a grey Hyundai i40 across Westminster Bridge before crashing it into railings then running through the gates of the Palace of Westminster. Advertisement Advertisement His attack left a trail of destruction as paramedics tended to victims on the bridge and at the gate. Mrs May was seen being ushered into a silver Jaguar in the grounds of the palace as what sounded like gunfire rang out at around 2.45pm. Eyewitness Rick Longley described the attack. We were just walking up to the station and there was a loud bang and a guy, someone, crashed a car and took some pedestrians out. They were just laying there and then the whole crowd just surged around the corner by the gates just opposite Big Ben. The area around the Palace of Westminster has been put into lockdown (Picture: PA) A member of the public is treated by emergency services (Picture: Getty) To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video A man being taken off Westminster Bridge after he was injured (Picture: AP) As the sitting in the House of Commons was suspended, Commons Leader David Lidington told MPs: What I am able to say to the House is there has been a serious incident within the estate. It seems that a police officer has been stabbed, that the alleged assailant was shot by armed police. Witnesses described seeing a heavy-set man carrying a knife and running towards the Houses of Parliament. Advertisement Advertisement Jayne Wilkinson said: We were taking photos of Big Ben and we saw all the people running towards us, and then there was an Asian guy in about his 40s carrying a knife about seven or eight inches long. And then there were three shots fired, and then we crossed the road and looked over. The man was on the floor with blood. He had a lightweight jacket on, dark trousers and a shirt. Armed officers have been extending the cordon throughout the afternoon (Picture: Reuters) Westminster Tube station and roads have been closed (Picture: AP) A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman. I have never seen anything like that. I just cant believe what I just saw. An air ambulance landed in Parliament Square and a regular ambulance came in through the front gates as medics rushed to help. Armed police cleared the area around the incident and Parliament Square and surrounding streets were closed to traffic while Parliament went into lockdown. He was running through those gates, towards Parliament, and the police were chasing him. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Emergency workers tend to people near the crashed car (Picture: PA) A car crashed into the perimeter fence (Picture: @westicles69/Twitter) Paramedics help two people in Parliament Square (Picture: PA) A group of young boxers who witnessed the attack said the terrorist pursued the officer. Advertisement Frazer Clarke, 25, from Burton-on-Trent, said: We heard a loud bang and screaming and then I noticed some smoke. I thought it was a car crash. I looked towards the front gate and people were running, a police officer and a fellow coming to the gate with two knives. He was stabbing the police officer with the knives. He was wearing black tracksuit bottoms, a black of grey top and what looked like work boots. Around half an hour after the attack, former cabinet minister Anna Soubry claimed she and the Security Minister, Ben Wallace MP, were ordered into the Parliament lobby at gun point by police officers. Colleagues taken out of the library at gun point by counter terrorist armed police officers, she tweeted. Another witness, from South Africa and living in Ireland, said she and two friends went towards the palace gates and saw a man lying on the floor inside. She said: I saw a body, they were working on the floor. They were just inside the gates. He had one gunshot wound to the right side of his chest. I dont know if he was dead or alive, but people were working on him. I saw that needed medical attention and I asked if I could help because I am a doctor, but they said they were fine. (Picture: Reuters) Police and paramedics tend to the injured (Picture: PA) Theres a heavy police and ambulance presence outside the Houses of Parliament this afternoon Several people have been injured on Westminster Bridge (Picture: Reuters) A woman lies injured (Picture: Reuters) Witnesses described seeing a middle-aged man carrying a knife and running. Jayne Wilkinson said: We were taking photos of Big Ben and we saw all the people running towards us, and then there was an Asian guy in about his 40s carrying a knife about seven or eight inches long. And then there were three shots fired, and then we crossed the road and looked over. The man was on the floor with blood. He had a lightweight jacket on, dark trousers and a shirt. He was running through those gates, towards Parliament, and the police were chasing him. Her partner David Turner added: There was a stampede of people running out. You saw the people and you thought what the hell is going on. The cordon in central London continues to get bigger (Picture: Reuters) I heard shouts and screams from outside and looked out, and there was a group of maybe 40 or 50 people running round the corner from Bridge Street into Parliament Square, said Mr Woodcock. They appeared to be running away from something. As the group arrived at the Carriage Gates, where policemen are posted at the security entrance, a man suddenly ran out of the crowd and into the yard. He seemed to be holding up a long kitchen knife. Police are going through parliament floor by floor (Picture: EPA) (Picture: Reuters) (Picture: AFP) To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video (Picture: Getty) (Picture: Getty) (Picture: Reuters) (Picture: Getty) Terror attack outside U.K. Parliament. 2 men down on road. Man with knife/machete got into Parliament and stabbed policeman. He's been shot pic.twitter.com/aYNktTiF4d
Islamic State claims responsibility for Westminster terror attack Islamic State claims responsibility for Westminster terror attack The Islamic State terror group has claimed that the Westminster attacker was one of its "soldiers". The man, a British citizen who was known to the police and security services, had been investigated some years ago over violent extremism. Prime Minister Theresa May told MPs he was a "peripheral" figure, adding: "He was not part of the current intelligence picture." Delivering a defiant message to a packed House of Commons, Mrs May said: "We will never waver in the face of terrorism." A statement released through IS's Aamaq news agency said the attacker was a "soldier of the Islamic State". According to the SITE Intel Group, which monitors jihadist groups, the IS statement said: "The attacker yesterday in front of the British Parliament in London was a soldier of the Islamic State executing the operation in response to calls to target citizens of coalition nations." The Prime Minister addressed MPs as they gathered at the usual time inside the Palace of Westminster, which a day earlier had come under attack from the knife-wielding terrorist. An hour after MPs had stood for a minute's silence in honour of the innocent people killed in the attack, Mrs May delivered a statement with details of the atrocity. Paying tribute to Pc Keith Palmer, who died after being stabbed, she said: "He was every inch a hero and his actions will never be forgotten." Describing the terrorist, Mrs May said: "What I can confirm is that the man was British-born and that some years ago he was once investigated by MI5 in relation to concerns about violent extremism. He was a peripheral figure. "The case is historic. He was not part of the current intelligence picture. There was no prior intelligence of his intent or of the plot." Anti-terror police have arrested eight people in the wake of the attack. Several addresses were raided overnight in London and Birmingham as Mark Rowley, the Metropolitan Police's senior anti-terror officer, said he believed the attacker was working alone. A minute's silence was held nationwide at 9.33am, including in the Palace of Westminster and at New Scotland Yard, to commemorate the three innocent people who were killed. The timing of the silence was chosen in honour of Pc Palmer's shoulder number - 933. Aysha Frade was the first member of the public to be identified as a victim, with her principal at DLD College London describing her as "highly regarded and loved". Forty other people were injured in the attack, with 29 treated in hospital, where seven remained in a critical condition on Thursday. The casualties included 12 Britons, three French children, two Romanians, four South Koreans, two Greeks, and one each from Germany, Poland, Ireland, China, Italy and the United States. Three police officers were also hurt, two of them seriously. At the scene of one of the police raids, a flat in Hagley Road, Birmingham, one witness told the Press Association: "The man from London lived here." Surrey Police would not comment on whether there was police activity in their county as part of the investigation into the Westminster attack, instead directing queries about the matter to the Metropolitan Police. A Met spokesman said the force would not discuss locations "for operational reasons". Comments & Moderation Readers comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the report this post link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments. Ipsoregulated This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's Editors' Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then please contact the editor here. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can contact IPSO here
Express.co.uk relies on cookies to collect and process data. We may use this data to make assumptions on what content or advertising may interest you. By clicking "Continue and Accept All", you agree to allow cookies to be placed. You can decline these settings . To get more information about these cookies and the processing of your personal data, check our Privacy Policy & Cookie Policy. PHILLIP SCHOFIELD walked across Westminster Bridge in an attempt to defy the terrorist attack that occurred in London on Wednesday. The This Morning host paid his respect to the victims of the devastation, which saw terrorist Khalid Masood drive a vehicle into the crowds on Westminster Bridge before reaching the Houses of Parliament where he stabbed police officer Keith Palmer to death. Sharing a snap of the UK landmark as the sun set, the 54-year-old wrote: "Walking across Westminster Bridge in tribute and defiance." The image quickly garnered more than 50,000 "likes" from fans and spurred many to share their messages of support. Westminster terror attack in pictures Emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament PA Security services staff pick through debris, including a car number plate, left following the March 22 terror attack on Westminster Bridge in central London AFP/Getty Images Police forensic officers in Parliament Square outside the Houses of Parliament in London, after seven people were arrested in raids in London, Birmingham and elsewhere linked to the Westminster terror attack PA Concrete blocks en route to reinforce security in London Twitter Concrete blocks en route to reinforce security in London Twitter Concrete blocks en route to reinforce security in London Twitter Police forensic tent on Westminster Bridge SWNS.com Forensics investigators and police officers work at the site near Westminster Bridge the morning after an attack by a man driving a car and weilding a knife left five people dead and dozens injured, in London REUTERS A forensics investigator works near Westminster Bridge the morning after an attack by a man driving a car and weilding a knife left five people dead and dozens injured, in London REUTERS Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood (left) stands amongst the emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London PA London terror attack in Westminster Twitter Westminster terror map PA Emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament PA Emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament PA Armed police following major incidents outside the Houses of Parliament in central London EPA Emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament PA A member of the public is treated by emergency services near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament Getty Images An injured woman is assisted after an incident on Westminster Bridge in London REUTERS Emergency personnel close to the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament PA Emergency services make their way down Westminster Bridge towards the Houses of Parliament Getty Images A member of the public is treated by emergency services near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament Getty Images Mounted police in Trafalgar Square, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament PA Armed police respond outside Parliament during an incident on Westminster Bridge in London REUTERS Armed police respond outside Parliament during an incident on Westminster Bridge in London REUTERS A member of the public is treated by emergency services near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament Getty Images A member of the public is treated by emergency services near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament Getty Images Armed police respond outside Parliament during an incident on Westminster Bridge in London REUTERS Police close to the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament PA Armed police following major incidents outside the Houses of Parliament in central London, Britain 22 March 2017 EPA Injured people are assisted after an incident on Westminster Bridge in London REUTERS London terror outside in Westminster Twitter Injured people are assisted after an incident on Westminster Bridge in London REUTERS London terror outside in Westminster Twitter Palace of Westminster incident PA CPR inside palace gardens grounds Facebook London terror outside in Westminster An Air Ambulance outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after sounds similar to gunfire have been heard close to the Palace of Westminster PA Police outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after sounds similar to gunfire have been heard close to the Palace of Westminster
A Derbyshire police officer ran towards a terrorist atrocity that was unfolding in London and helped a group of 50 French students who had witnessed the horrific attack. Detective Inspector Karl Mortimer was last night commended by Derbyshire police held at an awards ceremony in Pride Park for his heroic actions in helping the students including two who were in a state of shock and getting them to safety. Along with a colleague, DI Mortimer spent more than 10 hours comforting the group. Three of their party had been victims of the attack. The terrorist struck on March 22 and murdered five people and injured 50 when he drove into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before he stabbed a police officer, PC Keith Palmer. Khalid Masood was subsequently shot outside the Houses of Parliament. Read More During the chaos DI Mortimer ran towards the chaotic scenes with his colleague Detective Inspector Simon Dewfall from Somerset and Avon Constabulary. The pair of them had been seconded to work for the Metropolitan Police in counter terrorism and had finished a meeting at New Scotland Yard when the incident happened. Police and paramedics at the scene of the attack on Westminster Bridge (Image: Press Association) DI Mortimer said: "We were not far away when we were getting information about the attack and were reading reports on social media. We straight away decided to go to Westminster Bridge. We went there because of what the incident was and because we thought our experience would be useful. Read More "As we got there we were opposite the London Eye and came across two teenagers who were on the ground who appeared to be injured and they were surrounded by a group of people. We were in plain clothes so showed our identities and said we were police officers and were there to help. "The two people on the floor were in an absolute state of shock and had collapsed on the pavement. They had been on the bridge, witnessed what happened and realised three of their colleagues had been hit by the car on the bridge. "We gave first-aid to the two that were in shock. They were in a bad way and we helped them as much as we could. There were two teachers and all the students there as well that we looked after. "It was absolute chaos. The attack had only happened minutes before and there were police and paramedics everywhere. They had no idea what had happened to the three that had been hit, whether they were dead or alive. "Our first reaction was to get these people safe. They needed our help. We're police officers and that's what we do. We're there to help people when we can and I'm sure other colleagues would have done the same thing that day. Read More "If we had not come across this group then we would have gone towards the bridge and helped anybody who needed us there." DI Mortimer then asked people working on a boat bar that was on the River Thames if the group could stay on there for safety and for them to recover from shock. They did and the officers got the group to a triage centre near where the incident happened and they stayed with them until the early hours of the morning. The two victims who had suffered badly were cared for by paramedics and then returned to the rest of the group and the officers later took them to a hotel. Once there, the officers called on colleagues for assistance, as well as a French speaking officer to act as translator and informed staff from the French embassy. Derbyshire police assistant chief constable Bill McWilliam said: "A police officer will tell you the four things you need most to do this job are courage, compassion, the ability to communicate and a large helping of common sense. Karl showed every one of the four C's. He and his colleagues acted in the finest tradition of British policing. Karl, you did us proud, thank you."
Express.co.uk relies on cookies to collect and process data. We may use this data to make assumptions on what content or advertising may interest you. By clicking "Continue and Accept All", you agree to allow cookies to be placed. You can decline these settings . To get more information about these cookies and the processing of your personal data, check our Privacy Policy & Cookie Policy. A WITNESS of the Westminster attack has described the terror as she saw a knifeman running towards Parliament as three shots were fired in the London attack. Car mowed down up to a dozen people on Westminster Bridge - just outside the Palace of Westminster Police officer dies after being stabbed by knife-wielding attacker Scotland Yard says five people have died including a policeman and the suspected attacker At least 40 people injured Houses of Parliament on lockdown Met Police treating incident as terror attack Theresa May was in the division lobby when she was whisked away by plain clothes policeman in a car Eyewitnesses said bodies were scattered on the ground on Westminster Bridge near Parliament. Scotland Yard said the attack is being treated "as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise". At least five people have died after a knifeman mowed down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge then stabbed a policeman in front of Parliament before being shot by armed officers. One witness said she saw an Asian man carrying an eight-inch knife heading towards the building. Jayne Wilkinson said: "We were taking photos of Big Ben and we saw all the people running towards us, and then there was an Asian guy in about his 40s carrying a knife about seven or eight inches long. Westminster terror attack in pictures Emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament PA Security services staff pick through debris, including a car number plate, left following the March 22 terror attack on Westminster Bridge in central London AFP/Getty Images Police forensic officers in Parliament Square outside the Houses of Parliament in London, after seven people were arrested in raids in London, Birmingham and elsewhere linked to the Westminster terror attack PA Concrete blocks en route to reinforce security in London Twitter Concrete blocks en route to reinforce security in London Twitter Concrete blocks en route to reinforce security in London Twitter Police forensic tent on Westminster Bridge SWNS.com Forensics investigators and police officers work at the site near Westminster Bridge the morning after an attack by a man driving a car and weilding a knife left five people dead and dozens injured, in London REUTERS A forensics investigator works near Westminster Bridge the morning after an attack by a man driving a car and weilding a knife left five people dead and dozens injured, in London REUTERS Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood (left) stands amongst the emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London PA London terror attack in Westminster Twitter Westminster terror map PA Emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament PA Emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament PA Armed police following major incidents outside the Houses of Parliament in central London EPA Emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament PA A member of the public is treated by emergency services near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament Getty Images An injured woman is assisted after an incident on Westminster Bridge in London REUTERS Emergency personnel close to the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament PA Emergency services make their way down Westminster Bridge towards the Houses of Parliament Getty Images A member of the public is treated by emergency services near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament Getty Images Mounted police in Trafalgar Square, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament PA Armed police respond outside Parliament during an incident on Westminster Bridge in London REUTERS Armed police respond outside Parliament during an incident on Westminster Bridge in London REUTERS A member of the public is treated by emergency services near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament Getty Images A member of the public is treated by emergency services near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament Getty Images Armed police respond outside Parliament during an incident on Westminster Bridge in London REUTERS Police close to the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament PA Armed police following major incidents outside the Houses of Parliament in central London, Britain 22 March 2017 EPA Injured people are assisted after an incident on Westminster Bridge in London REUTERS London terror outside in Westminster Twitter Injured people are assisted after an incident on Westminster Bridge in London REUTERS London terror outside in Westminster Twitter Palace of Westminster incident PA CPR inside palace gardens grounds Facebook London terror outside in Westminster An Air Ambulance outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after sounds similar to gunfire have been heard close to the Palace of Westminster PA Police outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after sounds similar to gunfire have been heard close to the Palace of Westminster An armed police officer gets out of a car inside a police cordon outside the Houses of Parliament AFP/Getty Images Police tapes off Parliament Square after reports of loud bangs, in London REUTERS London terror outside in Westminster Watching the incident unfold from the press gallery inside the Houses of Parliament, George Eaton the political editor of the New Statesman told Sky News: "I saw a large crowd fleeing the attacker who appeared to be carrying a knife, fleeing him from close to the Tube station. "He then entered the gates of Parliament and charged at officers. We now know that one of them was sadly stabbed. He was then very swiftly shot by armed police." Kathy Casatelli, 58, saw a car rammed into the front gates of the palace and a man being treated on the floor. She said: "We were coming up from the Tube and we walked out and there were officers there with their guns drawn. She said: I saw this car that was smashed into the gate. It was a grey BMW, it looked like a nice car. The whole windshield was smashed. "There was a man on the ground, it looked like he was moving. I don't know if he was the driver." Police extended the cordon back up Broad Sanctuary beyond Westminster Abbey to the junction with Victoria Street. After the incident, Radoslaw Sikorski posted a video to Twitter purporting to show people lying injured in the road on Westminster Bridge. Mr Sikorski, a senior fellow at Harvard's Centre for European Studies, wrote: "A car on Westminster Bridge has just mowed down at least five people." At least four people were seen lying on the ground, some bleeding heavily and apparently unconscious, on Westminster Bridge near Britain's parliament on Wednesday, Reuters photographs showed. One of the photographs showed a body lying under the wheels of a London bus. An assailant was shot outside parliament by armed police, the leader of the House of Commons said after loud bangs were heard with at least a dozen injured people on the nearby bridge. Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said: "I can see people injured on Westminster bridge. There are a lot of ambulances. I was coming down the escalators with loads of other people and police suddenly stopped us all. There was no way back up and it was a bottleneck. It was very scary. Everyone was panicking but the solidarity shown was inspiring. We're not sure if it was one or two attackers, or if it was the bloke in the 4x4 who attacked everyone on the bridge. I heard gunshots, but that was the police taking down the attacker. Witness Quentin Letts said he saw a man in black attack a police officer outside Parliament before being shot two or three times as he tried to storm into the House of Commons. "I saw a thick-set man in black clothes come through the gates into New Palace Yard, just below Big Ben," he told the BBC. "He had something in his hand, it looked like a stick of some sort, and he was challenged by a couple of policemen in yellow jackets. "And one of the yellow-jacketed policemen fell down and we could see the man in black moving his arm in a way that suggested he was stabbing or striking the yellow-jacketed policeman." PA Scotland Yard are treating the incident as a terror attack The other officer ran to get help and the man in black ran about 15 yards towards the entrance. Mr Letts said: "As this attacker was running towards the entrance two plain-clothed guys with guns shouted at him what sounded like a warning, he ignored it and they shot two or three times and he fell." Kevin Schofield, the editor of PoliticsHome.com heard "a very loud bang" from the press gallery inside the Houses of Parliament followed by lots of shouting and men running around. He initially thought it was a car crash but then he looked outside the window to a heavily-guarded area outside which is out of bounds to the public. He told Sky News: "Someone rushed through, attacked a policeman, a policeman went down, another policeman came and he was rescued. "The man who had assaulted him got up and he appeared to be carrying either a knife or a gun. Then we heard gunfire, lots of gunfire, maybe five or six rounds. EPA Shocked witnesses said they saw bodies lying on the ground on Westminster Bridge near Parliament "All I remember seeing is the man approaching the police officer probably with a knife and then there was gunfire. "He was walking towards a second policeman with his arm outstretched, with what looked like a knife in his hand, having already assaulted another policeman. "It was at that moment that you realised that something serious was happening - a man had broken in to Parliament and had a weapon." Steve Voake, 55, was walking across the Westminster Bridge towards the South Bank when he saw the aftermath. He said he saw at least two bodies lying on the road and one in the water. "I saw a trainer lying in the road and when I looked more closely I saw that there were a couple of bodies the other side of the road," he told the Press Association. "And when I looked over the side there was another body lying in the water with blood all around it." Westminster underground station has been closed and pedestrians moved away from the scene. One witness told Express.co.uk: "There's no tubes, no taxis, and people can't even walk anywhere because the police are moving people further and further away. It's chaos." In the Commons, MP John Pugh says MPs are being evacuated from the building. Helicopters are circling overheard as officers at the scene say they are unable to confirm how long the cordon will be in place. Police have cordoned off the Mall to cars with officers seen in Trafalgar Square. EXPRESS The attacker struck on Westminster Bridge Metropolitan Police said in a statement: Police are asking people to avoid the following areas: Parliament Square; Whitehall; Westminster Bridge; Lambeth Bridge; Victoria Street up to the junction with Broadway and the Victoria Embankment up to Embankment tube. This is to allow the emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident. Police were called at approximately 14:40 hours to reports of an incident in Westminster Bridge, SW1. It is being treated as a firearms incident. Officers - including firearms officers - remain on the scene and we are treating this as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise. We thank the public for their assistance. Police are appealing for any members of the public who may have images or footage of the incident to send them to this address: www.ukpoliceimageappeal.co.uk.
A Warrington man made a heartwarming gesture to police to show his gratitude in light of the terror attack in Westminster. Cheshire Police took to social media to share a picture of a bunch of flowers handed in by a concerned member of the public to thank police for the work they do. The force shared the image on their Facebook page, alongside the caption: These flowers were delivered to Warrington Helpdesk this evening by a concerned member of the public due to the incident in London. He wanted officers to know that he thanked them for everything that they do. The kind-hearted gesture follows the news that an officer from Londons Metropolitan Police was one of four people killed in a terror attack which unfolded in the capital this afternoon. Read More Three other people died, and as many as 20 are thought to be injured - including three other officers from the force. Over 1,000 people commented on the picture in less than an hour. Tracy Moorhouse said: What we run away from, you run into. Risk your life to keep us safe from harm. Im grateful and proud of our selfless emergency service. Doing what you do in your call of daily duty. Pat Bennion added: Its so sad that the policeman gave his life to save the public. My thoughts are with his family and the families of who was caught up in the terrible day in London. Read More Thank you to the police and everyone who put their life on the line today, for our country. Steve Acrs commented: With all the criticism of the emergency services and police in particular, its easy to forget how many of these brave men and women pu ttheir lives on the line each and every day to keep us all safe. Thoughts are with the family, friends and colleagues. Mark Rowley, Acting Deputy Commissioner and head of counter terrorism at the Metropolitan Police confirmed a major investigation was underway and confirmed the incident was being treated as a terrorist incident. Read More He also said that after the car crashed, the man armed with a knife continued the attack and tried to enter Parliament. Although it is believed there is only one attacker he said: I am sure the public will understand us taking every precaution in locking down and searching the area as thoroughly as possible. MPs were locked in the House of Commons for over four hours after the incident unfolded. All of Merseysides MPs at Westminster escaped unharmed. Prime Minister Theresa May was reportedly just 40 yards from the attack, and was rushed away by armed police. Meanwhile, outside the chamber Foreign Office Minister Tobias Ellwood was among those who rushed to help paramedics who fought to save the life of the suspected attacker, and of his victim, on the floor of the cobbled courtyard in front of Parliament.
It was one of the worst school shootings in American history, but some people insist that the Sandy Hook massacre never happened. They post YouTube videos and spread rumours online, and their false theories have been repeated by a media mogul conspiracy theorist who has been linked to Donald Trump. Now, after years of harassment, the families of the victims are fighting back online. Leonard Pozner clicks on a YouTube video showing his street and the outside of his home. The camera zooms in on his balcony, and his address and a route to his door flash up on the screen. There's no narration on the video - but there doesn't need to be. The message is clear: "We know where you live." Because of videos like this one - there are dozens on YouTube, and more appear ever day - Pozner doesn't want to disclose the city where he now lives. He's had death threats and has moved several times in recent years. Media playback is unsupported on your device Media captionNoah Pozner was one of the children killed in the massacre. His father is leading the fight against the conspiracy theorists Leonard Pozner has been targeted because he's fought back against trolls and conspiracy theorists who make sweeping and false allegations about the murder of his son. "Noah was just a regular six-year-old child," says Leonard, who's also known as Lenny. "I dropped him off that morning - it really was an ordinary day of getting the kids ready for school. "Then an hour-and-a-half later it was just the worst nightmare. Worse than any nightmare I could have imagined." The nightmare began on 14 December 2012 when a young man named Adam Lanza killed his mother and then drove to Sandy Hook Elementary School. In a matter of minutes, he shot dead 20 children and six adults, before taking his own life. Even in a country where mass shootings are common, Sandy Hook stood out. The pupils were so young, and there were so many of them. Hundreds were traumatised - and many still are - after witnessing the carnage and its aftermath. And yet despite extensive investigations and a report which determined that Lanza acted alone, conspiracy theorists have constructed a fake alternate reality in which the whole thing was an elaborate hoax, staged by the government to try to introduce strict gun control laws. They seize on small inconsistencies between initial news reports from the chaotic scene and the facts. The more extreme among them have targeted the families of Sandy Hook victims. There have been at least two arrests linked to the hoax theories. On Wednesday, a warrant was issued for a Florida woman who is accused of harassing Lenny Pozner. "We're a luckier family," says Hannah D'Avino, whose sister Rachel was a behavioural therapist at Sandy Hook Elementary School. "I personally will get about like three death threats a year because we don't speak up that much." On a sunny, late winter's day in New England, Hannah sits in the stately Newtown Public Library, down the road from where her sister was murdered. She recalls her sister's spirit, her profound positive influence on her life, and her work with autistic children. Her voice is subdued, but quivers with quiet determination. "My sister was murdered 11 days before Christmas and I consider myself lucky because I don't have a stalker," she tells me. "That's the situation I'm in right now." Some of the conspiracy theorists are regular visitors to this small hamlet in suburban Connecticut. In addition to the death threats and harassment directed at Lenny, Hannah and others, they've made videos of the school and local area and ask questions of locals and family members, and have posted the footage on YouTube. And their theories have been picked up by one of America's most popular conspiracy theorists, a man who has been linked with President Donald Trump. The online storm has prompted Lenny to form a volunteer network to track and take down the conspiracy theory videos and websites. And other Sandy Hook residents are pleading with President Trump, asking him to speak out and help stop the madness. Hear more Image caption Wolfgang Halbig is one of the chief conspiracy theorists who denies the massacre happened Wolfgang Halbig lives in a big yellow house in a sunny, lavishly landscaped gated community in Florida. He's a retired school administrator and safety advisor, and he says that when he first heard news of the Sandy Hook shootings, he was sitting in a chair in his living room, drinking coffee. Halbig donated money to the Sandy Hook families. But he soon became both obsessed with the tragedy - and, somehow, convinced that it never happened. "I think 14 Dec 2012 is an event that was in planning for a long, long time," he tells me. "I think it probably took them two, two-and-a-half years to write the scripts for all the participants that were invited to participate in that exercise - or drill as I will call it." Halbig has since devoted years of his life to "exposing" what he thinks is a government plot. He started a website. He's revealed personal information about the victims of his attacks, including names, addresses, legal documents and financial information. And he's personally travelled to Sandy Hook a number of times. "I call it an illusion. The biggest government illusion that's ever been pulled off by [the US Department of] Homeland Security." In his office, ghoulish blown-up pictures of the crime scene mingle with pictures of his family and his days as an American football player. His so-called evidence consists of a string of tiny details, small anomalies which are for the most part easily explained by the inchoate nature of a horrific breaking news event. "I'll be honest with you," he says, "if I'm wrong, I need to be institutionalised." Media playback is unsupported on your device More from BBC Trending Conspiracy theories are a perennial feature of American life. But now they can be picked up by extremists and spread virally through social media. And that process has been fuelled by America's deeply partisan political environment. Hundreds of videos online are pushing false Sandy Hook narratives. Collectively, they have millions of views. Falsehoods are repeated by Twitter accounts and on Facebook. Still, the theories might have stayed quarantined in some of the darker corners of the internet, were they not picked up and amplified by one of America's most popular conspiracy theorists. Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption Alex Jones of Infowars Alex Jones is a talk show host and the founder of the multimedia portal Infowars. Regular listeners and readers are used to his rants on everything from 9/11 to attacks across Europe. And on several broadcasts he embraced the Sandy Hook conspiracy theorists. Less than two years after the attacks, he welcomed Halbig on his programme and talked about an Infowars story headlined "FBI says no one killed at Sandy Hook". "Internet sleuths immediately took to the web to stitch together clues indicating the shooting could be a carefully-scripted false flag event, similar to the 9/11 terror attacks, the central tenet being that the event would be used to galvanize future support for gun control legislation," the story stated. He returned to the theme several months later on his radio show: "I've had the investigators on, the state police have gone public, you name it - the whole thing is a giant hoax. And the problem is, how do you deal with a total hoax? How do you even convince the public something's a total hoax?" Later he said: "Sandy Hook is a synthetic, completely fake with actors, in my view, manufactured. I couldn't believe it at first. I knew they had actors there clearly but I thought they killed some real kids, and it just shows how bold they are, that they clearly used actors." The liberal think tank Media Matters for America has listed other instances of Jones accusing the parents of murdered children being actors or casting doubt on the Sandy Hook investigation. Matt Gertz of Media Matters says that online and on air, Jones has an audience of about 8 million. "It's kind of remarkable, but believing that Sandy Hook was a hoax is actually fairly small ball for an Alex Jones conspiracy," Gertz says. "He thinks that a set of global elites are planning to murder 80% of the world populace and enslave the rest of them. He has claimed that the federal government has a weather machine that they use to target tornado strikes on unfriendly populaces. "He is sort of the nexus for what's really a distributed network of conspiracy theorists who are on Facebook or on Twitter or using sites like Reddit or 4Chan or 8Chan." Jones, who did not respond to repeated requests for an interview, has also been linked to President Trump. In late 2015, Trump appeared on Jones's radio programme. At the end of a half-hour interview, the candidate told the host: "I just want to finish by saying your reputation's amazing. I will not let you down, you will be very very impressed I hope. "And I think we'll be speaking a lot... a year into office, you'll be saying 'Wow, I remember that interview, he said he was going to do it, and he did a great job.' You'll be very proud of our country." Trump has retweeted Infowars reporters and stories (for example here and here) and stories of dubious provenance that first appeared on the site have regularly shown up in Trump speeches and tweets. To take just one example: in November 2016, Trump tweeted: "In addition to winning the Electoral College in a landslide, I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally." Trump has not endorsed the Sandy Hook conspiracy theory, nor has he spoken about Jones's claims that the massacre was a hoax. The White House did not respond to a number of requests for comment, including a series of questions about the relationship between the president and Jones. Jones himself has tried to make the most of his connections to Trump. He claims the president called him shortly after winning the election and has spoken to him since, although the the New York Times reported that a Trump aide, speaking on condition of anonymity, "played down the frequency of their contact". Gertz, from Media Matters for America, says that there is evidence that Jones does talk with the president. But he cautions that both men have had a history of pushing conspiracy theories and presenting "alternative facts". "So trying to nail down for sure what their relationship is, based on the statements that they say about each other, is pretty dicey," he says. Image copyrightGetty Images Less than two weeks after the 2016 presidential election, Jones posted a video which he declared was his "final statement" on Sandy Hook. In it, he claimed he had been unfairly treated by the media. "I've always said I'm not sure what really happened, but there's a lot of anomalies and there has been a cover-up of what did happen there," he said. "There is some evidence that people died there," he said. "I don't know what the truth is, all I know is the official story of Sandy Hook has more holes in it than Swiss cheese." He then played a montage of news clips and material from his Sandy Hook programmes over the years, including footage of Wolfgang Halbig. He did not include his "Sandy Hook is a synthetic, completely fake with actors" quote. In signing off, he took another swipe at parents of murdered children who spoke to the media in the aftermath of the attacks. "If children were lost in Sandy Hook, my heart goes out to each and every one of those parents and the people who say they're parents that I see on the news. The only problem is, I've seen a lot of soap operas, and I've seen actors before, and I know when I'm watching a movie and when I'm watching something real. Let's look into Sandy Hook." In front of his computer screen in his undisclosed location, Lenny Pozner is taking on the conspiracy theorists. He flicks through a YouTube page and points out a new video. "Look - this was just posted," he says. "It's a hoaxer type video - it's insulting, it has images of people who were connected to the tragedy." The thumbnail picture has a photo of his son Noah's headstone. There's text on the picture which reads: "empty grave". In the video, there's a picture of Lenny himself. "Here's a photo of me taken two days after my child was killed and I'm being called a liar fraud and terrorist," he says. "That's how they vilify people." Lenny used to be a casual Infowars listener - he liked to listen to conspiracy theories as entertainment. That's how he initially found out that his son's murder was being denied by the conspiracy theorists. At first he tried to engage with them through a Facebook group. But soon the mood among the hard-core hoaxers hardened. "The only people that would come into the groups were trolls," he says. "They were just coming in for their own amusement... after that I decided that the most important thing would be to start taking down content that's spreading this information," he says. Every day, Lenny scrolls though reams of conspiracy minded content, complaining to social networks and attempting to get videos and posts taken down using network rules about copyright, decency and harassment. And he's created an organisation, the Honr Network, to help the fight against the hoaxers. Image copyrightGetty Images After four years of pain, compounded by the harassers and the conspiracy mongers, people in Sandy Hook are tired - and some of them are asking the president to step in. I meet Eric Paradis, a local Democratic Party official, in a bar down the road from Sandy Hook. One of Paradis's daughters was at Sandy Hook Elementary on the day of the shooting - she survived. Although Alex Jones has not been involved in the harassment of the families, Paradis says the president could use his influence to push Jones and the conspiracy theorists to the fringes, and help stop the harassment of Sandy Hook victims. "The town committee wanted to put a letter together asking the president to denounce these hoaxers and tell them look these are real children who died," he says. His letter is still under consideration by local officials. It reads: "[Jones] continues to spread hate and lies towards our town, towards the people and organizations who came to help us through those darkest days. Jones repeatedly tells his listeners and viewers that he has your ears and your respect. He brags about how you called him after your victory in November. Emboldened by your victory, he continues to hurt the memories of those lost, the ability of those left behind to heal." The letter goes on to ask Trump to "intervene and stop Jones and others hoaxers like him". Paradis says he and other Democrats tried to avoid making the letter about Trump's larger political agenda. "I really do think he can help us put a stop to it, because he does have a unique position with these hoaxers," he says. "If he can help us out then that's fantastic and a Democrat [like me] would be very grateful if he could." Lenny Pozner continues to take action against the trolls. He's filed a lawsuit against Halbig, alleging invasion of privacy. Halbig is fighting the suit, which is just getting underway, and says that if he loses, he'll check himself into a mental institution. Lenny turns back to his computer, where he spots more conspiracy theory videos. So will he ever stop trying to fight the hoaxers? He takes a deep breath and a long pause. "I don't know," he says. "I would like not to have to do this. I would like to just leave it alone and feel the memory of my child is sacred and other people are also treating it that way," he says, "but as long as they're not - I feel I need to defend that memory."
More than 200 people turned out in Victoria Square, holding banners that read Not in our name - Muslims oppose Isis, in an event organised by Birmingham Central Mosque. Surrounded by civic and multi-faith religious leaders, Dr Waqar Azmi told the crowd: For too long, we've had terrorist and extremists in all communities, in Muslim and non-Muslim, who try to define us. The figures of far-right extremists do not define the British values that we hold. Those people who are Daesh and Isis do not define the values that Muslims would hold. We refuse now to allow them to misrepresent us, and refuse now to allow them to define us. Because we are defined by a shared value of love thy neighbour. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP Henna Rai, founder of Women Against Radicalisation Network (WARN), said: Like so many others, I felt compelled to come to this important event in Victoria Square. What happened in London was an appalling act, carried out by a pathetic individual. It was an indiscriminate attack on innocent people that sought to turn communities against one another. By standing together with people of all faiths and none, to reject hatred in all its forms, will we show terrorists and extremists that they can never divide us, they can never break our communities, and they can never win.
London attacker kills 4, injures 40 LONDON  A terrorist hurtled a car into one of the world's most famous thoroughfares Wednesday, fatally smashing into horrified pedestrians before hopping out and killing a police officer near Britain's Parliament. He killed a total of four, including three civilians, before being shot to death by police. Author: WUSA Staff Published: 7:59 AM EDT March 23, 2017 Updated: 7:59 AM EDT March 23, 2017 LONDON  A terrorist hurtled a car into one of the world's most famous thoroughfares Wednesday, fatally smashing into horrified pedestrians before hopping out and killing a police officer near Britain's Parliament. He killed a total of four, including three civilians, before being shot to death by police. The attack began mid-afternoon in the heart of London when the killer, who police had not yet identified, used his car to mow down several people on the Westminster Bridge. At least 40 were hurt, including some with "catastrophic injuries," police said. The driver then rammed the car into the gates outside Parliament. London's Metropolitan Police said they would treat the attack "as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise." "Although we remain open minded to the motive, a full counterterrorism investigation is already underway  this is led by the Met's Counter Terrorism Command," Commander B.J. Harrington of New Scotland Yard said. The attack came on a particularly busy day in London. Tourists crowded the historic sites, and most members of Parliament had gathered in the House of Commons for Prime Minister's Questions, a 30-minute session of questions with Prime Minister Theresa May that takes place every Wednesday at noon. Local media reported that May is safe after security officials whisked her from the scene as shots were heard. "The location of this attack was no accident. The terrorists chose to strike at the heart of our Capital City, where people of all nationalities, religions and cultures come together to celebrate the values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech," May said in statement Wednesday. "Any attempt to defeat those values through violence and terror is doomed to failure." May said Parliament will meet Thursday. London Mayor Sadiq Khan echoed May's sentiments, saying, "There will be additional armed and unarmed police officers on our streets from tonight in order to keep Londoners and all those visiting our city safe." "Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism, Khan said in a statement. The murdered police officer was identified as Keith Palmer, a member of the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command. "Keith - aged 48 - had 15 years' service and was a husband and a father," said Mark Rowley, the national lead for Counter Terrorism Policing and the Acting Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police. "He was someone who left for work today expecting to return home at the end of his shift and he had every right to expect that would happen." Rowley said the working assumption is that the attacker was motivated by "international terrorism." "Terrorists have a clear aim and that is to create discord, distrust and to create fear," he said. "The police stand with all communities in the UK and will take action against anyone who seeks to undermine society, especially where their crimes are motivated by hate. We must recognize now that our Muslim communities will feel anxious at this time given the past behaviour of the extreme right wing and we will continue to work with all community leaders in the coming days." France's prime minister said some people injured on the bridge were French high school students. Colleen Anderson, a doctor at St Thomas Hospital, in an interview with the Associated Press, confirmed the death of a female pedestrian. PHOTOS: Incident outside UK Parliament 01/17 A member of the public is moved into an ambulance by emergency services near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament on March 22, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) 02/17 A member of the public is treated by emergency services near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament on March 22, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) 03/17 A member of the public is treated by emergency services near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament on March 22, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) 04/17 Armed police officers guard at a police cordon outside the Houses of Parliament in central London on March 22, 2017 during an emergency incident. (DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images) 05/17 A police officer sets up a police cordon outside the Houses of Parliament in central London on March 22, 2017 during an emergency incident. (DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images) 06/17 An armed police officer gets out of a car inside a police cordon outside the Houses of Parliament in central London on March 22, 2017 during an emergency incident. (DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images) 07/17 A police officer stops traffic as the Jaguar car of British Prime Minister Theresa May (R) is driven away from the Houses of Parliament in central London on March 22, 2017 during an emergency incident. (DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images) 08/17 The Jagaur car of British Prime Minister Theresa May (R) is driven away from the Houses of Parliament in central London on March 22, 2017 during an emergency incident. (DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images) 09/17 An armed police officer guards inside a police cordon outside the Houses of Parliament in central London on March 22, 2017 during an emergency incident. (DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images) 10/17 A member of the public is treated by emergency services near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament on March 22, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) 11/17 A member of the public is treated by emergency services near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament on March 22, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) 12/17 A member of the public is treated by emergency services near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament on March 22, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) 13/17 An Air Ambulance at the scene by Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament on March 22, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images) 14/17 Armed police officer stand guard near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament on March 22, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images) 15/17 Armed officers attend to the scene outside the Houses of Parliament on March 22, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images) 16/17 Emergency services make their way down Westminster Bridge towards the Houses of Parliament on March 22, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images) 17/17 A member of the public is treated by emergency services near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament on March 22, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) "There were people across the bridge," Anderson told the AP. "There were some with minor injuries, some catastrophic. Some had injuries they could walk away from or who have life-changing injuries." Port officials said they pulled a woman from the Thames River, injured but still alive. The assault comes on the one-year anniversary of the Brussels suicide bomb attacks that killed 32 people and wounded hundreds. It is the first serious terrorist incident in Britain since 2013, when an off-duty soldier named Lee Rigby was killed by two al-Qaeda-inspired extremists. Since 2013, British counterterrorism forces have thwarted 13 potential terrorist attacks. The assault on the bridge was the latest in a string of incidents, including in Berlin and Nice, France, in which attackers have used vehicles as weapons. Quentin Letts, a journalist at the Daily Mail whose office overlooks the attack scene, told the BBC: The attacker "had something in his hand. It looked like a stick of some sort and he was challenged by a couple of policemen in yellow jackets and one of the yellow-jacketed policemen fell down. "We could see the man in black moving his arm in a way that suggested he was either stabbing or striking the yellow-jacketed policeman, and one of the policemen then ran to get help, which was very quick to come and as this attacker was running toward the entrance used by (parliamentarians) to get into the House of Commons. "As he was running  he ran about I'd say 15 yards perhaps  two plainclothes guys with guns shouted at him what sounded like a warning. He ignored it and they shot two or three times and he fell." Office workers negotiated police cordons as they headed home for the day, using alternative routes because the Westminster subway station, which sits directly opposite Parliament, was closed for security reasons. Police officers acted as guides for tourists and those confused about how to reach their destinations. "I think it's shocking but for me, it's not surprising, said Vanessa Fischer, 21, visiting London from Germany. She added that big cities were often a target for attacks. "I don't associate these kinds of scenes with London," said Alexander Castro, 33, an IT engineer on his way home Wednesday. "We take security for granted." Queen Elizabeth IIs visit to open Scotland Yards new headquarters Thursday in London is being postponed, Buckingham Palace announced to British media late Wednesday. The queen, 90, and her husband, Prince Philip the Duke of Edinburgh, 95, had been scheduled to visit the new Yard headquarters on the Victoria Embankment, nearby to Westminster. The visit is one of hundreds of engagements the royal couple undertake every year. In light of today's events the decision has been taken to postpone The Queen's engagement to New Scotland Yard tomorrow. The visit will be rearranged for a later date," a Buckingham Palace statement said. Earlier in the day, before the suspected terrorist attack, the queen went about her routine as usual, holding a private audience at the palace to accept the credentials of Thailands new ambassador to the U.K. .@POTUS has been briefed on the situation in the U.K. Continuing to monitor and update
Bishops in Parliament respond to Westminster attack A BISHOP has told of how he was caught up in the attack on the Palace of Westminster on Wednesday, in which four people were killed. The Bishop of Rochester, the Rt Revd James Langstaff, said that he was just entering the building as the incident unfolded  he saw people running along the street outside Parliament, and then police officers shutting the gates. So I got myself inside fairly quickly, he said, speaking shortly after the attack occurred. He was one of the first inside the chamber of the House of Lords to tell other bishops and peers of the incident. It was clear that some were aware of it but others were not. It was only ten minutes after things began that announcements were made in the House. The Metropolitan Police have confirmed that 52-year-old Khalid Masood, a British-born man living in the West Midlands, crashed his car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, before leaving the vehicle to attack police officers guarding the gates of the Palace of Westminster with a knife. After stabbing one policeman to death, Mr Masood was shot and killed by one of the defence secretary Sir Michael Fallon's bodyguards, who happened to be passing. The officer who was killed has been named as Keith Palmer. So far, three people have died after they were mowed down on Westminster Bridge - a teacher in her 40s called Aysha Frade, an American tourist in his 50s called Kurt Cochran, who was visiting the UK on holiday with his wife to celebrate 25 years of marriage, and a 75-year-old man from Streatham called Leslie Rhodes. At least 40 others have been injured in the attack, including Mr Cochran's wife, seven of them critically. The entire parliamentary estate was immediately locked down. MPs, peers, journalists, and others were unable to leave the Palace while armed police searched the building. The Bishop of Leeds, the Rt Revd Nick Baines, was due to open the session of the House of Lords at 3 p.m. with prayers. He said that, after a short period when peers were locked into the chamber, they were evacuated to an internal courtyard while officers swept the building to check for any other attackers. Everyone was very calm, although there were heavily-armed anti-terrorist police everywhere, he said. There was probably about 40 people in the chamber, but we couldnt hear anything [from outside as the attack happened]. Some MPs and other parliamentary staff were later moved to Westminster Abbey, which had earlier closed to all visitors, while police completed their search. The Archbishop of Canterbury told the House of Lords on Thursday morning that one of the Lambeth Palace security guards, who is a Muslim, narrowly missed being hit by the car on Westminster Bridge. "[He] arrived at the gate having been missed by the vehicle very narrowly and spent time helping those who had been injured," Archbishop Welby told peers. "It was typical of this community and this country that he refused to go home until the end of his shift and simply spent the time doing his job as he expected. "This has been typical of so many in this city, the emergency services who contained the incident within six minutes, the staff in this extraordinary place who give so much of themselves on normal occasions and extraordinary occasions. Earlier Archbishop Welby had tweeted: "Deeply shocked and saddened by events in Westminster. We are praying for all affected and those responding so bravely." Bishop Langstaff said that he hoped churchpeoples response would be one of prayerfulness. We dont know the story behind this, or what their motivation might have been, he said. But an attack on Parliament is an important thing in our national life. The Church of Englands prayerful presence within Parliament and Westminster is important. I hope people would be prayerful for the wellbeing of those who have been injured, and the wellbeing of our democracy. Bishop Baines agreed: The first thing you do is pray for those involved  you dont ask too many questions." The Church House communications office released a prayer on Twitter one hour after the attack had begun. Defend us, your humble servants, in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in your defence, may not fear the power of any adversaries, it said. The attack came exactly one year after a terrorist attack in Brussels where three co-ordinated suicide bombings at the airport and a metro station killed 32 people. That attack was later claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group, who have also now said in a statement to their own news agency that Mr Masood was a "soldier of the Islamic State" who attacked the UK because it had joined the coalition of nations battling IS in Syria and Iraq. It was not clear if IS had merely inspired Mr Masood or had actually been involved in planning Wednesday's attack, although the claim did not name Mr Masood or offer any further information on the atrocity. The Acting Bishop of London, the Rt Revd Pete Broadbent, said: "The message from those who carried out this assault at the heart of our freedom and democracy is painfully stark. Londons response must be equally clear. To those who seek to strike terror into our daily lives: you cannot win; you have already lost." Bishop Broadbent has also written to all London clergy urging them to hold local prayer services, and the diocese has helped organise an interfaith vigil, with partners including the East London Mosque, at St John on Bethnal Green at 6.30 p.m. on Thursday evening. There will also be a a gathering of faith leaders from across the capital on the steps of St Martin-in-the-Fields where they will keep a period of silence ahead of a vigil in Trafalgar Square at 6 p.m., organised by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan. The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, released a statement asking his clergy and congregants to pray for those who have lost loved ones in the incident. "We pray in particular as well for Keith Palmer, the police officer who died, and for his family, thanking God that so many show such brave dedication to keeping our society safe," he said. "Let our voice be one of prayer, of compassionate solidarity, and of calm." Cardinal Nichols also shared a message he had received from the Pope, assuring him of his prayers. "Deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life and of the injuries caused by the attack in central London, His Holiness Pope Francis expresses his prayerful solidarity with all those affected by this tragedy," the message read. The General Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the UK, Bishop Angaelos, who was inside Parliament as the attack took place, also released a statement. "I witnessed the tireless efforts of hundreds of individuals whose primary goal was to look after and secure all those under their care." He particularly praised the Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons, the Revd Rose Hudson-Wlikin, "who stood from beginning to end mingling with, and reassuring all those who were there".
Updated Attacker was British-born, had been investigated by MI-5 Police raid 6 addresses, arrest 8 4 killed, including attacker, and 40 injured The man who killed three people including a police officer and injured 40 outside Britain's Parliament on Wednesday was British-born and had been investigated by British intelligence "some years ago," said Prime Minister Theresa May. She said the man, who has not yet been named publicly, had been investigated by MI-5, the U.K.'s intelligence service, "in relation to concerns of violent extremism," but that he was not part of what she called the current intelligence picture, saying he was a "peripheral figure." The assailant sped across Westminster Bridge in a car, ploughing into pedestrians along the way, then ran through the gates of the nearby Parliament building and fatally stabbed an unarmed policeman before being shot dead. U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May said there will be more armed and unarmed police officers patrolling the city in the wake of the attack. (Justin Tallis/Getty Images) May and British police say they believe he acted alone and was "inspired by international terrorism." She said there is no reason to believe that "imminent further attacks" are planned. She called Wednesday's events "an attack on free people everywhere." ISIS, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, claimed responsibility for the attack, the group's Amaq news agency said on Thursday. The group has been responsible for numerous bloody attacks around the globe, but also has claimed certain attacks in a show of opportunism. Britain's government has not identified the suspect. Though ISIS says one of its "soldiers" carried out the attack, it doesn't confirm they organized it, inspired it or had anything to do w/ it Forty people were injured and 29 remain in hospital, seven of whom are in critical condition. Those still in hospital include: 12 Britons 3 French children 2 Romanians 4 South Koreans 1 German 1 Pole 1 Irish 1 Chinese 1 Italian 1 American 2 Greeks Queen sends condolences Westminster Bridge and the area just around Parliament were still cordoned off on Thursday morning and a line of forensic investigators in light blue coveralls were on their hands and knees, examining the scene where the attacker was shot. Queen Elizabeth sent her condolences on Thursday to those affected by the attack. "My thoughts, prayers, and deepest sympathy are with all those who have been affected by yesterday's awful violence," she said in a statement. The Queen was due to officially open the new headquarters of London's police force on Thursday but will now do so at a later date. Britain's Parliament this morning observed a minute of silence to mourn the victims. Since the attack, police have raided six addresses, including in London and Birmingham, which have resulted in eight arrests in total. Mark Rowley, assistant commissioner with the Metropolitan Police, said they are continuing to investigate the attacker's "motivation, his preparation and his associates." May and Rowley said there will be an increased police presence in the city, including armed and unarmed officers, as well as more patrols. GRAPHIC WARNING: Security video shows SUV attack on London bridge0:31 MP tried to save officer's life The policeman has been identified as Keith Palmer, 48. Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood, whose brother was killed in the Bali terror attack in 2002, performed first aid on the wounded police officer, who later died. About 10 yards away lay the assailant. "I tried to stem the flow of blood and give mouth to mouth while waiting for the medics to arrive but I think he had lost too much blood," Ellwood said. "He had multiple wounds, under the arm and in the back." May praised Palmer, calling him a hero who "devoted his life to the service of his country." She said the husband and father had been a member of the parliamentary and diplomatic protection command for 15 years. He had also been a soldier in the Royal Artillery. Details emerging about victims Police were not to ready to publicly name the other two deceased until notification of next of kin. Those victims were identified as a woman in her 40s, and a man in his 50s. But the Spanish Foreign Ministry says a British national whose mother is Spanish has been identified as one of the people killed. A spokesman says that Spanish consular officials made contact with Aysha Frade's relatives in Spain's northwestern region of Galicia after her identity was confirmed. He was unable to give any further details. The regional Voz de Galicia newspaper said that Frade was 43 years old and was teaching Spanish in London. Romanian officials say the woman who plunged into the River Thames was a Romanian tourist in London to celebrate her boyfriend's birthday. Foreign Ministry spokesman Ionut Valcu said Thursday that the woman fell into the Thames. It wasn't clear if she jumped or was thrown into the water by the SUV. Romanian Ambassador Dan Mihalache told Realitatea TV late Wednesday that the woman sustained serious head injuries and has badly damaged lungs. Her boyfriend suffered a foot fracture. The pair haven't been named. Mihalache said: "They were tourists, unfortunately they were unlucky. They had come to celebrate his birthday." He said the pair planned to wed. 'I was lucky,' says injured man A 26-year-old Portuguese man was among the injured. Francisco Lopes told Portuguese channel TVI that he heard shouts behind him as he walked across Westminster Bridge and, when he turned around, he was struck by the vehicle which had mounted the sidewalk. He said he lost consciousness and woke up racked with pain. He sustained cuts on a knee and a hand but was released from Chelsea-Westminster hospital after treatment.
Transcript for London terror attack: Police and faith leaders join Londoners for memorial on Westminster Bridge This could mean MSU it ABC is it we asked at Westminster bridge in London where people have gathered our government remembrance events. Exactly one week after an attack happened here where headed muscle it. Was sorry and you pedestrians. And killed Sparky balls. You later stopped a police officer. Yeah within its Fox News and its people weren't there. It's. Face time. Can you fuss about why you're here. Yet on the heads and Chicago respective eight hailed. Throughout things and so on Saturday they had also without it David the rest London it's not worry about that terrorism bay. And how are you viewing. On the alternates all those anger and upside. Obviously falling us and the brutal side to all life's rich. Is tired on this and I'm might manga. Now a failed. We have to shy of a Soviet isolation that revived it Bateman. And they'd get back IB runs come together expedite. 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Investigators say they believe they know the identity of the attacker, and that he is thought to have acted alone but was inspired by international terrorism. The House of Commons will sit this morning, with prime ministerTheresa May saying the country would not be cowed: Parliament will meet as normal. We will come together as normal. And Londoners  and others from around the world who have come here to visit this great city  will get up and go about their day as normal. They will board their trains, they will leave their hotels, they will walk these streets, they will live their lives. And we will all move forward together. Never giving in to terror. And never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart. London is the greatest city in the world and we stand together in the face of those who seek to harm us and destroy our way of life. UK foreign minister Boris Johnson, who is in the US for an international meeting discussing the Isis threat, said: Heartbreaking. This is not the first attack on London or our Parliament  and wont be the last  but our values will prevail. The terror threat level for the UK remains unchanged, at severe. The Metropolitan police said extra patrols, armed and unarmed, would be in place, particularly in crowded places and iconic locations. The Queen has postponed a planned visit to Scotland Yard that was due to take place today. Overnight, a police raid took place in the southwest of Birmingham. It is not clear if it is connected to the attack in London. 5.41am GMT Shinzo Abe, the Japanese prime minister, has offered his condolences: A terrorist attack has occurred in the United Kingdom. I offer my deepest condolences to the victims and extend my sympathy to all those who were wounded. Terrorism is absolutely intolerable. Japan stands in solidarity with Prime Minister May of the United Kingdom, as well as with its people during this difficult time. Prime Minister May has conveyed the message that the United Kingdom is firm in the fight against terrorism. Japan offers its full support to Prime Minister May and will combat terrorism in cooperation with the international community. Wall Street Journal: London rampage leaves 4 dead The attack outside the Houses of Parliament in London is the latest in a series of terrorist atrocities involving a vehicle being driven at speed into pedestrians  a tactic actively promoted by Islamic State. If you are not able to find a bomb or a bullet, then smash his head with a rock, or slaughter him with a knife, or run him over with your car, or throw him down from a high place, or choke him, or poison him, he said. Though al-Adnani, who was killed in 2016, pointed a finger specifically at France, where there were two vehicle attacks in 2014, he also cited the UK among preferred targets.  This section of the live blog was amended on 23 March 2017 to clarify a reference to the Berlin truck attacker. Comedian and actor Margaret Cabourn-Smith characterised this tenor of the response, tweeting: #WeAreNotAfraid Or rather I am; but Im damned if Im going to let that stop me doing anything differently. Malcolm Turnbull and Australian Labor leader Bill Shorten are offering condolences to the UK in the Canberra parliament now, with the British High Commissioner Menna Rawlings looking on. Turnbull said: As prime minister Theresa May said earlier this morning, the values of the British parliament command the admiration and respect of free people everywhere. And so they do because they are our values too. We stand, all of us, with the UK. Comforted that we share those values. Theyre ours. Freedom of speech, democracy, the rule of law. We will never give in to terror. He said of British MP Tobias Ellwood, who assisted attempts to resuscitate the police officer, PC Keith Palmer, who was fatally stabbed: This act of heroism is just one of the extraordinary stories that are emerging from this tragedy. Shorten paid tribute to Palmer: The murder of the Metropolitan police officer reminds us of the risks our security agencies take on our behalf to keep us safe. And on behalf of all honourable members I want to acknowledge and thank our Australian federal police and the parliamentary security officers for whom this news must strike a particular chord. Australian resident injured in London attack Australias attorney general, George Brandis, has said an Australian permanent resident was injured in the attack in Westminster and is in hospital. Consular staff in London are offering the woman assistance, he said. He added: We stand in solidarity with the people of the United Kingdom. Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull says the injured person lives in South Australia. Updated at 3.26am GMT 3.00am GMT Thursdays Guardian editorial calls for solidarity in the wake of the terror attack on Westminster and pays tribute to the officers who intervened: The security forces and police have planned for what they call a marauding attack for years. The awful choreography of the response to terror was fast and well-rehearsed. The police officer who later died of his injuries stopped the attacker at the gates off Parliament Square. Before the man had gone a pace or two further, he himself was shot by an armed officer. These two courageous interventions almost certainly saved scores of lives in a busy area thronged with politicians, visitors and some of the hundreds of staff who work in the palace. There will be many questions to ask in the coming days about what was known of the attacker and his associates, but for now, there can only be a wholehearted appreciation of the professionalism with which the police did their job. Flowers have been laid at the scene after the attack on Westminster Bridge.Photograph: Hannah Mckay/Reuters 2.32am GMT Donald Trump Jr is facing a backlash for criticising London mayor Sadiq Khan with a scornful tweet sent hours after an attack at the Houses of Parliament left five dead, including a police officer and the attacker. The US presidents eldest son tweeted a link to a September 2016 story in the Independent, which quoted Khan saying terror attacks were part and parcel of living in a big city  I want to be reassured that every single agency and individual involved in protecting our city has the resources and expertise they need to respond in the event that London is attacked. You have to be kidding me?! Trump Jr tweeted, quoting only the headline: Terror attacks are part of living in big city, says London Mayor Sadiq Khan. You have to be kidding me?!: Terror attacks are part of living in big city, says London Mayor Sadiq Khan https://t.co/uSm2pwRTjO The Hyundai driven by the attacker raced over Westminster Bridge, mounting the pavement and mowing down pedestrians. Three members of the public are now believed to have been killed here, and up to 40 injured. The car then veered across a cycle lane and smashed into parliaments perimeter wall. A man jumped out of the car and rushed through the gates into New Palace Yard where he fatally stabbed PC Keith Palmer. The attacker was then shot several times by armed officers. What happened in Westminster was witnessed by a number of parliamentary journalists, whose offices immediately overlook New Palace Yard, the cobbled square through which many MPs and peers drive each day to access parliaments underground carpark: Quentin Letts, the Daily Mails parliamentary sketchwriter, has a desk near the window overlooking the yard; on hearing a loud crash and some screams, he told BBC news, he and his colleagues rushed to see what was happening. Then I saw a thick-set man dressed in black clothes, he looked I would say about 40 years old, I dont think he had much hair, running  through the gates. He seemed to have something in his hand, a stick or something like that. A policeman who tried to challenge the man had fallen over, Letts said, and the attacker was hitting him, possibly striking him or knifing him. The weapon was a knife, and the stab wounds inflicted would prove fatal. The victim was later named as PC Keith Palmer, a 48-year-old officer with 15 years service who was a husband and father. The attacker then ran towards the entrance of the parliament building that is used by MPs each day. He got about 15 yards or so when he was shot by two plain-clothes men who had come out of the building, having been summoned by the uniformed police, said Letts. Before shooting, they shouted something at the man, and he appeared to ignore them and still ran towards them, and they shot him about three times. Australian PM pays tribute to mother of parliaments The Australian prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, has extended Australias heartfelt sympathy and resolute solidarity to the people of the UK. The attack in the British parliament is an attack on parliaments, freedom and democracy everywhere. Westminster is rightly known as the mother of parliaments. Almost every element of our parliamentary tradition, here in Australia, is modelled on that of the houses of parliament in London. We send our condolences, especially to the families of the victims, those injured, including a police officer murdered by the terrorist. Turnbull said he had received briefings on the attack from Australias counter-terrorism coordinator, Tony Sheehan, and the high commissioner in London, Alexander Downer. He had also spoken to the Australian federal police commissioner and the director general of security, Duncan Lewis. Turnbull added that there would be an increased police presence in Canberras Parliament House on Thursday. Australians should be reassured that our agencies are today, as every day, working relentlessly to keep Australians safe. We are very alert to the vulnerabilities of places of mass gathering and the risk of lone attackers, like the terrorist in London. Keeping Australians safe is our highest priority. It is the first duty of my government. The South Korean embassy in London has sent officials to two London hospitals where five South Korean victims are being treated, media in Seoul have reported. All of the injured South Koreans are believed to be aged in their 50s or 60s. A South Korean foreign ministry official said the embassy had entered emergency mode since the terrorist attack, according to KBS World Radio. The report added that South Korean nationals travelling in the UK had been sent text messages alerting them about possible risks. Three of the four women and a man sustained relatively light injuries but the other woman sustained an injury to her head and underwent surgery at a nearby hospital, KBS World Radio reported, saying the tourists were hurt when they were caught in a stampede of people fleeing the attack on Westminster Bridge. The Seoul Shinmun, a daily broadsheet, reported that the 67-year-old female victim, who has been identified only as Park, was not directly injured by the vehicle driven deliberately by the attacker into pedestrians on the bridge, but fell to the floor. She is undergoing surgery at St Marys hospital, Paddington. Park arrived in London a day earlier together with her husband and was scheduled to leave for Paris later on Wednesday, Yonhap news agency reported, citing officials. Of the four other South Koreans injured in the incident, two required surgery due to a clavicle fracture or arm fracture, and the remaining two patients complained of pain, according to the Seoul Shinmum. 1.37am GMT Donald Trump has tweeted for the first time about the attack on London (a tweet was earlier sent from the @Potus account, which is run by White House staff). Spoke to U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May today to offer condolences on the terrorist attack in London. She is strong and doing very well. Edge Hill University, in Ormskirk, Lancashire, has confirmed that some of its students were injured on Westminster Bridge. In a statement, the university said the group  believed to have been 13 students and their lecturer  had been visiting the capital on a field trip. Two students were taken to hospital. Owen Lambert, 18, from Morecambe, Lancashire, needed stitches to a head wound, and Travis Frain from Darwen, who, according to a tweet from a local journalist, had a cracked rib plus hand and arm injuries. His mother, Angela Frain, confirmed he was in hospital: I have spoken to him at 3.20pm and I know hes OK. Hes at the hospital with a police officer. The police officer just said he was in good spirits. Two other students are believed to have minor injuries but were not hospitalised. All others on the trip were safe and accounted for, the university said. Dr John Cater, vice-chancellor of Edge Hill, told BBC North West Tonight: They had just actually finished their session, were leaving the parliament building and in the Westminster Bridge area where we understand  they were involved in the incident. We understand that two students have been taken to hospital but as walking wounded  one with a head wound and one with a wrist injury. There are two other students who have minor injuries who are with police and acting as witnesses. The good news is that the other nine students are now back in a hostel receiving support and will return to the north-west tomorrow. The details are invariably hazy  Our assumption is that they were either knocked over by other people or struck by the vehicle. Obviously all of them will be somewhat traumatised by what they have seen as well. The students are due to return to Ormskirk on Thursday. 12.56am GMT What we know so far Five people are now confirmed to have died in the attack on Westminster on Wednesday: one police officer, three members of the public, and the attacker. The police officer has been named as PC Keith Palmer, 48, a member of the parliamentary and diplomatic protection command, with 15 years service in the force. He was a husband and father. The other victims of the attack, and the assailant, have not yet been identified. Police said 40 other people were injured; many remain in hospital tonight, some in a serious condition. Investigators say they believe they know the identity of the attacker, and that he is thought to have acted alone but was inspired by international terrorism. Parliament will resume on Friday morning. 12.43am GMT The intelligence agencies have been warning of such an attack almost since the London bombings in July 2005. As late as last November, the head of Britains domestic security agency, MI5, Andrew Parker, said unequivocally in an interview: There will be terrorist attacks in this country. Even though they had known it would happen one day, there was soul-searching at MI5 headquarters, Thames House, just a 10-minute walk from the events at Westminster. They know they cannot stop every attack but there is still a sense of devastation when it happens. There will be lots of soul-searching reviews to see whether there is anything they could have done to stop it. But the intelligence agencies have long warned that it is hard to prevent such lone-actor attacks. Knowing that eventually someone would get through, Parker had a well-rehearsed plan in place and, as soon as word came through from the police that there had been an incident at Westminster, his teams began to swing into action and will be working through the night. The security services, having established his identity, would have had to make sure that he was indeed working alone and not part of a network. The working assessment is that his actions were Islamic State-inspired. Police have not yet identified the attacker, who died after being shot by an armed police officer within the Westminster security cordon. The Guardian understands the initial working theories of the investigation are that the attacker was inspired by Isis and was most likely a lone actor. Police have said they believe they know who he is and described him as inspired by international terrorism. 12.17am GMT The front pages of Thursdays papers have been published, with some focused on MP Tobias Ellwoods unsuccessful fight to save the life of PC Keith Palmer, the unarmed police officer who rushed to confront the knife-wielding man; and others picturing the attacker himself. Five South Korean tourists injured It cites a tour agency official saying four sustained light injuries, and another serious injury  They are now being treated at two hospitals. Yonhap says the seriously injured tourist has been identified as a 67-year-old woman surnamed Park. It says she is being treated at St Marys hospital, in Paddington, for a head injury sustained when she fell in the scramble to leave the bridge. Updated at 12.05am GMT 11.57pm GMT My colleague John Crace, the Guardians parliamentary sketchwriter, who works from our Westminster office, witnessed the death of PC Keith Palmer this afternoon. He writes here of the shock of the attack: The mind goes numb at times like these. A disconnect between brain and feeling. So it took me the best part of an hour to make sense of what I had seen. But the simple truth is this. Today I saw a man die. A police officer, someone I had almost certainly said hello to at some point over the years. Possibly even this morning  Armed police officers ran to the scene. Some started tending to the bodies; others stood around. Another man came running out. I didnt recognise him. None of us did, we must have all been in shock. It later turned out he was Tobias Ellwood, a junior foreign minister whom we had all seen countless times before. Time stretched out as people began to do CPR on both bodies. Then after what felt like an age later, but can only have been a matter of minutes, there was the noise overhead of the air ambulance preparing to land in Parliament Square. Several armed police officers ran from New Palace Yard to talk to three paramedics dressed in yellow. They bypassed the first body  the assailant  and went straight to work on the fallen policeman. The scene became more ordered, yet more urgent. They worked for several minutes, hoping for a miracle that never came. London is the greatest city in the world and we stand together in the face of those who seek to harm us and destroy our way of life, the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said earlier. Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism. Mark Rowley, acting deputy commissioner of the Met, said hundreds of officers would continue through the night in their work on the investigation into the attack: We are forensically examining a complicated crime scene that covers a wide area, and as with all investigations of this nature it will take us some time to work through the painstaking work necessary to get all of the relevant evidence. But parliament will reopen on Friday, with business in the chambers expected to resume. Several MPs have already stated their intention to return to Westminster in the morning. Police have said some entrances to the parliamentary estate will be closed as they are part of the crime scene. On a precautionary basis across the country we are stepping up police patrols  unarmed and armed  and the public will see far more of their local police forces over the forthcoming days, particularly in crowded places and iconic locations. 11.35pm GMT The Metropolitan police has confirmed that PC Keith Palmer was unarmed. Acting deputy commissioner Mark Rowley explained: Our parliamentary protection team are a combination of armed and unarmed officers doing different roles, and sadly the officer who lost his life today was unarmed. He was supported by armed colleagues who shot and killed the attacker. [The attacker] tried to enter parliament and was stopped at the gate. 11.30pm GMT Around the world, and as we have seen with other terror attacks in recent years, expressions of solidarity with London, and the UK, have been made. Tel Aviv, Israel The building of the city hall in Tel Avivs Rabin square is illuminated in solidarity for the attack on Westminster.Photograph: Nir Elias/Reuters Speaking a short while ago, Met police acting deputy commissioner Mark Rowley said PC Keith Palmer, who was a member of the parliamentary and diplomatic protection command, had given 15 years service: He was someone who left for work today expecting to return home at the end of his shift and he had every right to expect that would happen. Rowley confirmed that, besides Palmer, three members of the public were killed: Also, at this stage, but it may change  we believe approximately 40 people were injured, some with serious injuries, including three police officers, two of whom are in a serious condition. He added: Terrorists have a clear aim and that is to create discord, distrust and to create fear. The police stand with all communities in the UK and will take action against anyone who seeks to undermine society, especially where their crimes are motivated by hate. We must recognise now that our Muslim communities will feel anxious at this time given the past behaviour of the extreme right wing and we will continue to work with all community leaders in the coming days. Its essential for us to remain vigilant but to also work together  policing and communities  and unite against those who seek, through violence and extremism, to threaten, intimidate and cause fear. We ask the public to be alert and to report any suspicious activity to the police by calling 0800 789 321, or dialling 999. Whilst today is an incredibly sad and sombre day, especially for the MPS and everyone affected, it is only right that I mention the pride I feel in the swift and brave response from our officers  especially those who without fear for their own safety had to confront the terrorist. Updated at 10.59pm GMT 10.55pm GMT UK foreign minister Boris Johnson, who is in the US for an international meeting discussing the Isis threat, has tweeted about the attack in London: Heartbreaking. This is not the first attack on London or our Parliament  and wont be the last  but our values will prevail. Police have issued a picture of PC Keith Palmer, the 48-year-old police officer killed at Westminster today. He was a member of the parliamentary and diplomatic protection command and had 15 years service in the force. He was a husband and father. PC Keith Palmer.Photograph: Metropolitan police Updated at 10.54pm GMT 10.31pm GMT He said the police believed they knew the identity of the attacker and were working to identify any associates, though he declined to give any further details. He said the man was thought to be inspired by international Islamist-related terrorism. He added that he recognises Britains Muslim communities will feel vulnerable at this time, given the past actions of right-wing extremists. Updated at 10.53pm GMT 10.28pm GMT The Met police have now confirmed that five people, including the attacker, died in the attack today. At least 40 people have been injured. Updated at 10.37pm GMT 10.27pm GMT Police officer named as PC Keith Palmer Assistant deputy commissioner Mark Rowley names the police officer who died as Keith Palmer, a 48-year-old husband and father. Updated at 11.20pm GMT 10.13pm GMT On behalf of Govt. I send our support to PM May & British people. Condolences to the families of the victims and thoughts with the injured. Both May and Khan are expected to make further public statements on Thursday; but the House of Commons will sit as planned. The idea is very much business as usual, the source said. Updated at 10.14pm GMT 9.58pm GMT The campaign group Cage has expressed sympathy for todays victims. It also called on the UK government to enact policies that will bring an end to the global cycles of violence. Dr Adnan Siddiqui, its director, said: We express our deepest sympathies to all those who have lost their lives in this incident and to those many injured. While we accept that the security services and the police play a crucial role in keeping the public safe, such attacks which require very little planning cannot be thwarted by ever more securitisation and policing of communities. Reactionary policies in the UK have a global ramification and it is important that the government leads with policies that seek to end the global cycles of violence rather than further them. 9.53pm GMT Buckingham Palace has announced the Queen has postponed a planned visit to Scotland Yard tomorrow. World leaders have condemned the attack in Westminster. The US president, Donald Trump, offered his condolences during a call to the prime minister, Theresa May, the White House said. He also pledged the full cooperation and support of the United States government in responding to the attack and bringing those responsible to justice. The Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, also condemned the attack: I was shocked and saddened to learn of the innocent people who were killed and injured as a result of this cowardly attack. Canada and the UK are the closest of friends and allies. Our friendship is based on shared values and history  indeed, Canadas parliament is a descendant of the chamber targeted this morning. Todays attack on the UK parliament is an attack on democracies around the world. The Canadian parliament withstood a similar attack not so long ago by those who sought to instil fear and divide Canadians against themselves. Instead, Canadians came together. I am confident the British people will do the same, and will emerge from their grief stronger and more united than ever before. On behalf of all Canadians, I offer our full support to prime minister May and to the people of the United Kingdom. We stand ready to offer all possible assistance to the British government, to do what we can to bring to justice those responsible for this heinous act. Canadians stand united with the British people in the fight against terrorism. We will continue to work together with the UK and all our allies to show the world that freedom and democracy will always triumph. The leader of the Democrats in the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, also released a statement: Today, our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, survivors, and people of the United Kingdom. The American people share in the outrage and horror at this brutal terrorist attack in London. The special relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States has been critical to securing peace around the world. Together, we will remain strong and smart as we confront terrorists and defeat the threats to our nations. The United Kingdom will always have a friend and partner in the American people. During this difficult hour, we stand with the British people. 9.33pm GMT Some clarification from the Met police. Acting deputy commissioner Mark Rowley said earlier that the officer who was killed was armed. It has now been confirmed that he was not armed, Scotland Yard says. 9.17pm GMT Prime ministers statement on todays attack I have just chaired a meeting of the governments emergency committee, Cobra, following the sick and depraved terrorist attack on the streets of our capital this afternoon. The full details of exactly what happened are still emerging. But, having been updated by police and security officials, I can confirm that this appalling incident began when a single attacker drove his vehicle into pedestrians walking across Westminster bridge, killing two people and injuring many more, including three police officers. This attacker, who was armed with a knife, then ran towards Parliament, where he was confronted by the police officers who keep us and our democratic institutions safe. Tragically, one officer was killed. The terrorist was also shot dead. The United Kingdoms threat level has been set at severe for some time and this will not change. Acting deputy commissioner Rowley will give a further operational update later this evening. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all who have been affected; to the victims themselves and their family and friends who waved their loved ones off, but will not now be welcoming them home. For those of us who were in Parliament at the time of this attack, these events provide a particular reminder of the exceptional bravery of our police and security services who risk their lives to keep us safe. Once again today, these exceptional men and women ran towards the danger even as they encouraged others to move the other way. On behalf of the whole country, I want to pay tribute to them and to all our emergency services for the work they have been doing to reassure the public and bring security back to the streets of our capital city. That they have lost one of their own in todays attack only makes their calmness and professionalism under pressure all the more remarkable. The location of this attack was no accident. The terrorists chose to strike at the heart of our capital city, where people of all nationalities, religions and cultures come together to celebrate the values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech. These streets of Westminster  home to the worlds oldest parliament  are engrained with a spirit of freedom that echoes in some of the furthest corners of the globe. And the values our parliament represents  democracy, freedom, human rights, the rule of law  command the admiration and respect of free people everywhere. That is why it is a target for those who reject those values. But let me make it clear today, as I have had cause to do before: any attempt to defeat those values through violence and terror is doomed to failure. Tomorrow morning, Parliament will meet as normal. We will come together as normal. And Londoners  and others from around the world who have come here to visit this great city  will get up and go about their day as normal. They will board their trains, they will leave their hotels, they will walk these streets, they will live their lives. And we will all move forward together. Never giving in to terror. And never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart. Updated at 10.16pm GMT 8.59pm GMT The statement is over and the prime minister does not take any questions Updated at 9.51pm GMT 8.58pm GMT May says it is no accident that the attacker chose parliament which stands for democracy, freedom and rule of law. She said that was why it is a target for those who reject those values, adding that any attempt to defeat those values through violence and terror is doomed to fail. Parliament will be open as normal tomorrow. These streets of Westminster are ingrained with the spirit of freedom that echoes in some of the furthest corners of the globe. Updated at 9.07pm GMT 8.55pm GMT She praises the exceptional bravery of police and security services who ran towards the danger as they encouraged others to move away. And pays tribute to the officer died. Once again today these exemplary men and women ran towards the danger even as they encouraged others to move the other way That they have lost one of their own in todays attack only makes the calm and or under pressure all the more remarkable. Updated at 9.03pm GMT 8.53pm GMT Prime minister Theresa May is speaking. She describes the attacks as sick and depraved. 8.50pm GMT Westminster attack: what we know Four people have died and at least twenty have been injured in what police are treating as a terrorist incident in Westminster. Police were called to an incident at Parliament square in central London at 14.40 (GMT). An attacker drove into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, killing at least two and seriously injuring others. A badly-injured woman was rescued from the Thames. The attacker then crashed into the railing of the Houses of Parliament, before attacking a police officer inside the gate of the Houses of Parliament. The police officer died of his injuries. His assailant was shot and killed by police. MP Tobias Ellwood attempted to resuscitate the officer, but he died at the scene. A group of French students and students from the north West of England were among the injured. Five London hospitals treated casualties: hospital officials said 12 people were treated for serious injuries, eight more were treated for less serious injuries at the scene. Home Secretary Amber Rudd condemned the attack on our shared values, but said they would never be destroyed. Large areas of central London were shut off to the public, and workers in the Palace of Westminster, including MPs were placed in lockdown for several hours. 8.20pm GMT Some further details on how the injured were treated today in Londons hospitals. In total five London hospitals treated casualties. Staff from St Thomass, yards from the attack on Westminster Bridge, rushed to help the injured there. But the most seriously hurt were taken to three of the capitals four regional trauma centres: Kings College in Camberwell, St Marys in Paddington and the Royal London in Whitechapel. The Chelsea and Westminster hospital also dealt with some of the injured. 8.12pm GMT Four university students were injured as they were caught up in the attack on Westminster Bridge, the Press Association has reported. They were among a group of 13 students and a lecturer from Edge Hill University, in Ormskirk, who were on the first day of a two-day educational visit to the Houses of Parliament. The students had just left Parliament and made their way on to Westminster Bridge after they had watched Prime Ministers Questions and met with MPs. Among those injured were Owen Lambert, 18, from Morecambe, Lancs, who needed stitches to a head wound, and Travis Frain, from Darwen. Dr John Cater, Vice Chancellor of Edge Hill University, told BBC North West Tonight: They had just actually finished their session, were leaving the Parliament building and in the Westminster Bridge area where we understand  they were involved in the incident. We understand that two students have been taken to hospital but as walking wounded  one with a head wound and one with a wrist injury. There are two other students who have minor injuries who are with police and acting as witnesses. The good news is that the other nine students are now back in a hostel receiving support and will return to the North West tomorrow. He added: The details are invariably hazy I guess.Our assumption is that they were either knocked over by other people or struck by the vehicle. Obviously all of them will be somewhat traumatised by what they have seen as well. Earlier, the university tweeted: All students and lecturer in Westminster have been accounted for and are being supported by the university. 8.10pm GMT Ken Marsh, Chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, has offered his sympathy to the family to the fallen officer and all those killed and injured. He said: We offer our deepest sympathy to the family of the officer who has died. Our thoughts are also with all those killed and injured. This incident sadly shows the dangers our colleagues face on a daily basis. They show incredible bravery protecting the public. The Metropolitan Police Federation will be supporting the officers colleagues in any way we can. 8.08pm GMT Jeremy Corbyn: attack has shocked the country Jeremy Corbyn MP, Leader of the Labour Party, has issued a statement: Todays horrific attack in Westminster has shocked the whole country. All our thoughts are with the victims of this outrage, their loved ones, families and friends. Those victims include civilians and police officers, Londoners and visitors, subjected to a brutal and indiscriminate assault. Our thanks and gratitude go to the police and emergency services who responded so bravely, and to those  including the MP Tobias Ellwood  who went to the aid of the injured and dying. This was not only an attack on innocent people. It was also an attack on our democracy. But I know that Londoners and people across the country will stand together in defence of our values and diversity. 8.06pm GMT Romanias foreign ministry says two Romanians were wounded in a deadly attack in Londons Westminster, the Associated Press have reported. The ministry said the two had been taken to a hospital for treatment. There were no further details on the identity of the two or how seriously they were injured. The ministry said it had been informed by authorities in London. My colleague Haroon Siddique earlier talked to a man who was waiting outside St Thomass A&E trying to glean information about Two Romanian friends who he feared had been caught up in the attack. He said a Romanian couple he met on a trip to Thailand, were on the bridge when it occurred. He was supposed to meet them at the London Eye but called when they failed to show up. We cant confirm if it is the same people confirmed as injured by the Romanian foreign ministry. 7.59pm GMT Andy Sparrow is among those making his way home from Westminster, after all those who had been on lockdown were allowed to leave. But stay with us here on the Guardian liveblog for news updates as we get them. We are still waiting for a fuller statement from the prime minister who is chairing a Cobra emergency meeting this evening. 7.53pm GMT Pauline Cranmer, London Ambulance Service deputy director of operations, has given further details of the injured. She said: Our thoughts are with the friends and families of those affected by todays incident. We treated 12 patients for serious injuries, who were all taken to hospital. Eight further patients were treated for less serious injuries at the scene. We were called to the incident at 2.40pm today, with the first ambulance crew arriving within six minutes. We sent a number of resources to the scene including ambulance crews, Londons Air Ambulance and specialist teams trained to respond to this type of incident. We have been working closely with other members of the emergency services at the scene, with our priority being to ensure patients received the medical help they needed as quickly as possible. We declared a major incident and our priority was to assess patients and ensure that they were treated and taken to hospital as soon as possible. I would like to thank our staff and the other emergency services who responded today. 7.49pm GMT Commenting on todays attack in Westminster a spokesman for the Public and Commercial Services union, which represents Met police security staff in the Palace of Westminster and civil servants in nearby government buildings, said: Our thoughts are with the victims of this horrific attack and their families. We also send our solidarity to police and security staff in parliament and all those who work in and around Westminster, including MPs, their employees and civil servants. Updated at 7.52pm GMT 7.44pm GMT Westminster lockdown over The lockdown of Westminster seems to be over, after several hours. Around 1,000 people were in Westminster Abbey, including parliament workers as well as MPs. They were interviewed by police to see if they had any information that could help the inquiry. All the people working on the parliamentary estate who were being held in Westminster Hall have also been allowed to leave. MPs who were held in other parts of the building have also been allowed out. Updated at 7.55pm GMT 7.41pm GMT Londons mayor, Sadiq Khan, has issued this video statement, saying Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism. MPs have been released from inside the Chamber and Ive just spoken to Green MP Caroline Lucas who was locked in along with many other MPs. She told me: I was in the voting lobby and the doors slammed quite firmly and then we were told to stay inside. Everyone was mostly quiet, on their phones or iPads watching the news. A lot of people were thanking the chamber staff, security staff who we see every day who keep us safe. We were told the House will sit as normal and then it was asked if well be given a chance to pay tribute tomorrow and we were told that we would. And everyone filed out. Updated at 10.58am GMT 7.33pm GMT These are from Brendan Cox, whose wife, Jo, the Labour MP, was murdered last year by a far-right terrorist. Whoever has attacked our parliament for whatever motive will not succeed in dividing us. All of my thoughts with those injured. Travis Frain, a politics student at Edge Hill University, was one of those injured on Westminster Bridge, his family have confirmed. Traviss mother, Angela Frain, told the Guardian he was in good spirits and was in hospital. He reportedly suffered a cracked rib and minor injuries to his hand and arm in the attack. Angela Frain, from Darwen in Lancashire, said: I have spoken to him at 3.20pm and I know hes OK. Im waiting to hear back; his phones actually dead at the moment. Hes at the hospital with a police officer and his phones on charge so I havent spoken to him properly. The police officer just said he was in good spirits and hes waiting to be x-rayed. I think thats just for minor injuries. I havent got any information at all [about his injuries]; when I spoke to him at 3.20pm it was just a quick call to say that he was OK. Im hoping to hear back from him in the next few hours but at this point thats the only information I have. Full story of MP Tobias Ellwoods heroism Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood (centre) helps emergency services attend to a police officer outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after a policeman was stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament. PRESS ASSOCIATIONPhotograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA A visitor to Parliament jumped to the aid of the stricken police officer moments after he was attacked. Tony Davis, a coach for the British Lionhearts, the British boxing team, tried to revive the officer moments after seeing him stabbed with two knives. Davis was identified from photographs by members of his team. They said he went to help the police officer moments after he was stabbed. One member of the team, who asked not to be named, said: The attacker has two knives and was stabbing the officer. Then, shots rang out and the attacker fell to the floor. Tony jumped over a fence and ran to the police officer and tried to revive him. The officer started to fit, but Tony was still working on him. There were lots of officers around, but they were trying to revive both men. Davis, who is a former serviceman, was leading the British Lionhearts boxing team at the House of Commons to attend a press conference. Davis was with the team on a publicity visit ahead of an international bout. Tony hopped over the fence to assist straight away, said a member of the team. He was later seen being comforted by police officers as he wore a bloodied team T-shirt. Updated at 9.49pm GMT 6.55pm GMT Parliamentary staff have been emailed by security saying people in Millbank and Tothill Street can leave the buildings. But everyone in the Palace of Westminster must continue to stay put until further notice. Welfare support has been offered to anyone who needs it. Most MPs and staff stuck in the offices and corridors of Norman Shaw North are pretty calm though  most glued to television sets or huddled round mobile phones, and a few quietly getting on with their work. Updated at 6.57pm GMT 6.54pm GMT The UK Parliament has confirmed it will be open as usual tomorrow. We can confirm that both the House of Commons and the House of Lords will sit tomorrow at their normal times. Home Secretary Amber Rudd has called the attack on our shared values, but said they would never be destroyed. Rudd has been in Lahore in Pakistan, but is currently making her way back to London. She said: We do not yet know the full impact of this terrible incident. But I know that the whole country will be thinking and praying for those who are affected as I am. I want to thank the emergency services for the quick response and pay tribute to their bravery their courage and their professionalism. Ive been briefed by the Met Police and by the security services and the security minister has also been updated. This is an ongoing incident and the government will continue to be updated. The Prime Minister will chair Cobra today. The Governments top priority is the security of the people and I urge everyone to remain calm but to be vigilant and if they see anything they are concerned about they should report it to the police. We have the best police, the best security services in the world and we must make sure that we let them get on with doing their job. The British people will be united in working together to defeat those who would harm our shared values. Values of democracy, tolerance and the rule of law. Values symbolised by the Houses of Parliament. Values that will never be destroyed. Updated at 6.56pm GMT 6.46pm GMT Downing Street have just issued this statement. Its from a Number 10 spokesman. The thoughts of the PM and the government are with those killed and injured in this appalling incident, and with their families. The PM is being kept updated and will shortly chair COBR. 6.42pm GMT The Ukip leader, Paul Nuttall, has issued this statement about the attack. A terrible attack on our democracy has taken place today. My thoughts tonight go out to the victims of this terrorist atrocity and their families. Once again the emergency services have demonstrated the extraordinary work they do on our behalf. That a police officer is among the dead underlines the debt of gratitude we all owe those who work to keep us safe. In the coming hours and days more information will doubtlesly emerge about the attacker or attackers and their motivation. In the meantime everyone should resolve that terrorism will never beat us. Updated at 6.46pm GMT 6.39pm GMT Im in Westminster Hall waiting to be evacuated and have just bumped into Julian Lewis, the Conservative MP who chairs parliaments defence committee. He told me: It is always open to any lunatic with a fanatical outlook on life to mount an attack against innocent people in pursuit of their fixations and we have to be ever grateful to those who defend us on the perimeter of this building which was attacked before by the IRA and which has been anticipating this possibility ever since 11 September 2001. We were recalled to parliament for an emergency session on Friday 14 September, and that was the first time we had he presence of police armed with sub machine guns openly guarding the Palace of Westminster  and theyve been here ever since. Updated at 6.47pm GMT 6.33pm GMT Five of the injured and have been taken to the major trauma centre at Kings College Hospital London, according to the BBC. 6.32pm GMT Every officer across the UK will be feeling todays loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with the officer and their family and all involved. No words can capture how members of the policing family will feel after todays horrific events. We have lived in the knowledge that an attack on UK soil has been highly likely for nearly three years. Everyone is firmly aware of this fact, but it makes it no less shocking when it becomes a reality. This incident highlights the very real risks that police face each and every day. Officers will tonight take the opportunity to hug loved ones and seek comfort in the company of friends and family. But one will not. The pain of that officers family, friends and colleagues will be shared by us all. Our hearts go out to their family and our thoughts are with them and their colleagues at this terrible time along with others who have been injured today. Updated at 6.36pm GMT 6.28pm GMT Here is some more international reaction to the attack. From Donald Tusk, president of the European council: My thoughts are with the victims of the Westminster attack. Europe stands firm with the UK against terror and ready to help. Even if the background to these attacks has yet to be cleared up, I would like to emphasise on behalf of Germany and its citizens: we stand resolutely on Britains side in the fight against any form of terrorism. Berlin mayor, Michael Mller, expressed his solidarity with the citizens of London while speaking at a campaign event with SPD candidate Martin Schulz, saying he had been due to meet the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, next week. Especially in times like these, it is important that friends stand together, Mller said. More details are emerging about the French students injured on Westminster Bridge during the attack. Ouest France reported that three students from the Saint-Joseph de Concarneau lyce (secondary school) were injured in the car attack. The paper said two of them were in a critical condition. The condition of the third is not known. The pupils were in 2nd grade  aged 15 or 16. There were four classes from the school on a week-long visit to London, meaning more than 100 teenagers. Around a dozen were believed to have been on Westminster Bridge at the time of the attack. Forough Salami, vice-president of the Brittany regional council, was in London with two colleagues Anne Gallo and Mona Bras. She was with a delegation of 40 people from business and cultural circles invited to the Australian embassy. At the time of the attack, we werent nearby and we had difficulty having information, but weve just learned what hospital the three injured lycens from Concarneau were being treated. The rest of the class was held on a boat with psychological councillors before being taken back to their youth hostel, she told the local newspaper. Updated at 6.29pm GMT 6.22pm GMT The former prime minister David Cameron has tweeted this. My thoughts with the families of those injured & killed. Those seeking to attack our democracy with these barbarous methods will never win. Rex Tillerson, the new US secretary of state, said the thoughts and prayers of the American people were with the UK. He said: We condemn these horrific acts of violence, and whether they were carried out by troubled individuals or by terrorists, the victims know no difference. The White House press secretary, Sean Spicer, said that President Trump had spoken by phone to Theresa May about the incident, adding that the US was continuing to monitor the situation. We obviously condemn todays attack in Westminster, he told reporters, noting that the UK government was treating it as a terrorist incident. We applaud the quick response of British police and first responders. Spicer said our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and the UK has the full support of the US government in bringing those responsible to justice. 6.14pm GMT Police press conference  Assistant commissioner, Mark Rowley, head of counterterrorism, confirmed that four people have died including one police officer and the attacker.  Attacker ploughed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before crashing into the railing of the Houses of Parliament and exiting the car to continue the attack.  Attacker then stabbed one of the armed officers protecting parliament, who has died.  Police are currently working on the assumption that there was only one attacker.  Two people died on Westminster Bridge  At least 20 people have been injured, including three police officers who were returning from a commendation ceremony.  The public should expect a heavier police presence on the streets of London in forthcoming days. He said: Please be vigilant you will see more police officers armed and unarmed on the streets of London.  Police have deployed massive resources but they can call on the military if needed. Rowley said: This is a day weve planned for but hoped would never happen, sadly its now a reality. Updated at 6.18pm GMT 6.01pm GMT Four people have died, police confirm, at least 20 injured Police confirm that four people have died in the London attack today, including one police officer and the attacker. Officers believe there was only one attacker at this stage. At least twenty people have been injured. Updated at 6.03pm GMT 6.01pm GMT President Trump has spoken to Theresa May about the incident, NBC News reports. Picture of suspected attacker A picture of the suspected attacker being treated by emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster has emerged. The suspected attacker is treated by emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster.Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA Updated at 6.00pm GMT 5.52pm GMT Nicola Sturgeon, Scotlands first minister, has issued this statement about the attack. My thoughts are with everyone caught up in the dreadful incident at Westminster today, including the emergency services who responded bravely to ensure the safety of the many people nearby. Following the incident the Scottish government has been liaising closely with Police Scotland and the cabinet secretary for Justice has been briefed by the chief constable. This afternoon our officials held a Scottish government resilience (SGoRR) meeting with Police Scotland, to ensure that any potential implications for Scotland are considered and I will convene a Ministerial SGoRR meeting later this evening. We have been in regular dialogue with the parliament and I fully support the decision of the presiding officer to suspend proceedings this afternoon. It should be made clear, however, that this was not because of any specific threat to the parliament or to Scotland We are liaising with our counterparts in the UK government and the Scottish government stands ready to support in any way we can. 5.48pm GMT Reports of heroic behaviour from the MP and minister Tobias Ellwood, who has been pictured trying to resuscitate the police officer stabbed by an assailant. The BBC is reporting that Ellwood has said that the officer died at the scene. Updated at 5.54pm GMT 5.45pm GMT A police officer is addressing us now. (By us, I mean the journalists and other people working in the Commons being held in Westminster Hall.) He says there has been a significant incident, and outside the building, New Palace Yard, is a crime scene. We are also witnesses, he says. So we will be held here for about 60 to 90 minutes. After about an hour and a quarter they will take details from people. After that we will be allowed to leave, he says. A second official is speaking now. He says they will prioritise anyone who needs medical help. Then they will pass around details allowing us to upload pictures and video of the incident. That will save them having to seize phones, he says. Finally, they will triage witnesses, he says. He says this will require patience. People in other buildings are going through the same process. He asks anyone with medical needs to make themselves available. In about half an hour they will pass round information about how to submit evidence, he says. We are shocked and saddened by the incident at Westminster. We condemn this attack and while it is still too early to speculate on the motives, our thoughts and prayers are for the victims and those affected. We pay tribute too to the police and emergency services who handled this with bravery. The Palace of Westminster is the centre of our democracy and we must all ensure that it continues to serve our country and its people with safety and security. Updated at 5.46pm GMT 5.35pm GMT Police officer has been killed, the Guardian understands The Guardian understands that a police officer has been killed in the London attack. Another police press conference is expected shortly. Updated at 5.37pm GMT 5.32pm GMT 5.32pm GMT The Speaker of the House of Commons and the Speaker of the House of Lords have issued a statement: An extremely serious incident has occurred in the Westminster area this afternoon. The Metropolitan police is dealing with this and an investigation is under way. On behalf of members of both Houses of Parliament, we wish to offer our thoughts to all those affected and their families. We would also like to express our gratitude to the police and all emergency services. Updated at 5.34pm GMT 5.30pm GMT The journalists who were in the press gallery are now being held in Westminster Hall. Armed police seem to be searching the Palace of Westminster room by room  quite an undertaking, because its a rabbit warren, with endless cellars, cubby holes, etc. And Ive just seen a team go into the room where the Westminster Hall chamber is, guns raised as if they were on the alert. Were told that they believe there may still be one suspect on the loose. French PM confirms French students injured in London attack The French prime minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, has confirmed that a number of French students were among casualties on Westminster Bridge. Some witnesses said a group of French students were present. Unconfirmed French media reports also state that students were present on Westminster Bridge at the time of the attack and that three have been hospitalised. There are no details as to their condition. Journalist Polly Boiko tweeted: Group of French students said have been among those hit by attackers car on Westminster Bridge #londonattack The Labour MP Clive Efford wrote the following tribute to the work of those in the House of Commons: Estimate about three to four hundred MPs on lockdown together in the HoCs. Were huddling around TVs in the voting lobbies to find out what is going on. There is a calm quietness around the place. We all knew a day like could come. One of our police officers guarding the Palace of Westminster has been stabbed and have just heard the terrible news that a person has died. Our thoughts go out to those who have been injured and the family of the person who has died. The staff and police of the House of Commons are doing a fantastic job. They know that this building is very high on the list as a possible terrorist target which puts them at risk. They have been calmly going about their business and are showing complete dedication throughout this incident. They deserve a great deal of praise. We are all extremely grateful to them. Updated at 5.11pm GMT 5.02pm GMT Weve closed our GuardianWitness callout for eyewitness accounts as the Metropolitan police is asking for witnesses to share images and video with them. If you have any information heres the link. A female member of the public was recovered alive from the water, but with serious injuries. She has been brought ashore and is undergoing urgent medical treatment. The working assumption is that she fell or jumped from the bridge. He added: The river is completely shut between Vauxhall Bridge and the Embankment. It was shut down almost immediately. Updated at 5.05pm GMT 5.01pm GMT A police officer has just come into the Guardian office in the Commons. Journalists are being asked to leave the press gallery, and the police dont know if, or when, we will be allowed back. That means this blog will now be in the hands of my colleague Alexandra Topping. Updated at 5.03pm GMT 4.59pm GMT Here is an extract from the statement from the Metropolitan police commander, BJ Harrington. Although we remain open-minded to the motive, a full counter-terrorism investigation is already under way. This is led by the Met counter-terrorism command. At this stage I will confirm what we know has happened but I will not speculate. We received a number of different reports which included a person in the river, a car in collision with pedestrians and a man armed with a knife. Officers were already in that location as part of routine policing but immediately additional officers were sent to the scene and that included firearms officers. We are working closely with the London ambulance service and the London fire brigade  We know there are a number of casualties, including police officers, but at this stage we cannot confirm numbers or the nature of these injuries  The acting commissioner, Craig Mackey, is being treated as a significant witness as he was at the scene when the incident started. Whilst he is not injured, it would be inappropriate for him to be here to talk about this incident at this stage. Our thoughts and his thoughts are with all those involved and responding to that incident this evening. I would stress that if anyone has information about todays incident they are urged to call 0800789321 and I want to stress that if the public have any information or see anything suspicious to dial 999 immediately. Updated at 5.02pm GMT 4.58pm GMT At least 10 injured, LAS confirm The London ambulance service deputy director of operations, Pauline Cranmer, has confirmed that they have treated at least 10 patients on Westminster Bridge. He said: We can confirm we have treated at least 10 patients on Westminster Bridge and have put a number of hospitals on alert as we continue to respond to this incident. We were called at 2.40pm today, with the first ambulance crew arriving within six minutes. We have sent a number of resources to the scene including ambulance crews, Londons air ambulance and our Hazardous Area Response Team. We are working closely with other members of the emergency services at the scene, with our priority being to ensure patients receive the medical help they need as quickly as possible. We have declared a major incident and our priority is to assess patients and ensure that they are treated and taken to hospital as soon as possible. As we are very busy dealing with this incident, we would ask the public to only call us in a genuine emergency. Updated at 5.00pm GMT 4.56pm GMT Police press conference  Commander BJ Harrington said there were a number of casualties but would not confirm any fatalities or the nature of injuries.  We know there are a number of casualties including police officers but at this stage we can not confirm numbers or the nature of these injuries, he said.  Craig Mackay, the acting Met commissioner, is being treated as a significant witness as he was at the scene when the attack started.  An investigation was launched immediately after the force received a number of different reports, which included a person in the river, a car in collision with pedestrians and a man armed with a knife. Updated at 4.57pm GMT 4.50pm GMT This is from ITVs Chris Ship. A woman was pulled alive from the River Thames and is being treated by paramedics on a nearby pier. Its thought she was on bridge at time At 4.40pm some MPs and visitors to parliament were led out through Westminster Hall, the oldest part of the Palace of Westminster, walking across the corner of New Palace Yard where the incident occurred. There are still around 20 police cars, at least six ambulances and five fire engines on Parliament Square, next to the New Palace Yard entrance. Updated at 4.51pm GMT 4.48pm GMT Q: Is the incident over? Harrington says officers are still at the scene. And thats it. His briefing is over. 4.47pm GMT Commander BJ Harrington from the Metropolitan police is speaking to reporters now. Firearms officers were sent to the scene, he says. He appeals to the public to avoid areas around Westminster. This is to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident. He says there are a number of injuries, including police. He says extra police officers are being deployed across the capital. The acting commissioner is a significant witness, because he was at the scene, he says. He asks anyone with information about this to call the police. Updated at 4.50pm GMT 4.43pm GMT The Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood gave mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to the policeman who was stabbed, the Telegraphs Ben Riley-Smith says. World leaders have begun to react with shock to the incident in Westminster in which at least one person has died. The US president, Donald Trump, described the incident as big news after he was updated on the situation. Trump told reporters: I was just getting an update on London  some big news having to do with London just happened, according NBC. The US State Department said it was ready to assist the UK authorities in any way. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said: We are following the concerning situation outside the UK parliament. Our hearts go out to those affected. We stand ready to assist in any way the UK authorities would find helpful. The safety and security of US citizens overseas is one of our priorities. Our embassy in London is monitoring the situation closely. The Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte, said: Horrible images from London. The very heart of the city has been struck. Our thoughts are with the British people. Gibraltars chief minister, Fabian Picardo, said: Shocked at attack on London. Yesterday I spent the day at Westminster. Luckily not today. Londons Parliament is the mother of democracy! Updated at 4.42pm GMT 4.38pm GMT The Met police are appealing for pictures or video footage of the incident. In Victoria Street teams of firefighters, some arriving in unmarked cars, have gathered and are pulling on burgundy overalls with the word rescue on the back. They appear to be wearing body armour and helmets and are moving towards parliament. Updated at 4.37pm GMT 4.34pm GMT One woman has died, others left with catastrophic injuries Speaking to reporters outside the central London hospital, junior doctor Colleen Anderson from St Thomas hospital has said a female pedestrian had died. She also said she treated a police officer in his 30s with a head injury who had been taken to Kings College hospital. She said: I confirmed one fatality. A woman. She was under the wheel of a bus. She died, confirmed her death at the scene. Anderson said: There were people across the bridge. There were some with minor injuries, some catastrophic. Some had injuries they could walk away from [others] have life-changing injuries. There were maybe a dozen [injured]. Updated at 4.37pm GMT 4.32pm GMT London mayor Sadiq Khan has issued a statement. The London mayor said an urgent investigation is underway and his thoughts are with those affected and their families. He also expressed his thanks to the police and emergency services for their rapid response. The intelligence agencies immediately put together teams to work on identifying who was involved in the attack and whether there was a link to a terrorist group. If the attacker or attackers are from the UK, the domestic intelligence service MI5, which works closely with the police, will be looking at whether they were part of a wider network and working to track down associates. The overseas intelligence agency MI6 will seek to establish whether there are any links to terrorists organisations in other countries. One of the first questions raised will be whether the attacker or attackers had been under surveillance. The immediate response of the intelligence agents would be that if they had someone under surveillance and became aware an attack was imminent, they would have stepped in. But MI5 does not have the resources to maintain 24-hour surveillance on all possible suspects and has to make hard choices about who poses the highest risk. Although symbolically parliament is one of the most high-profile targets in the UK, it is also one of the most heavily guarded. Without the high level of security, the casualty list could have been much higher. Updated at 4.31pm GMT 4.23pm GMT Holyroods sitting to debate Nicola Sturgeons independence referendum demand was suspended at just after 15.55, after parliament authorities reversed an earlier decision to keep sitting. About 20 minutes after his deputy Linda Fabiani told MSPs it would be business as usual, Ken McIntosh, the Scottish parliaments presiding officer, told MSPs he was postponing the debate out of respect for Holyroods sister parliament. He said: Members will know that there has been a serious incident at Westminster and Westminster has been locked down because of security concerns. I have certainly no reason to cause undue alarm here and security has been increased here. 4.23pm GMT Mike Jephcott, 38, was working at the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors which overlooks Parliament Square when he heard three gunshots. I looked at my colleague and said Im sure thats gunshots. There was panic and people running around, he told the Guardian. Police were running around. We saw the car on the side down by Big Ben. It was quite scary. Our offices were on lockdown and we have been asked to evacuate now. More from Kirsten Hurrell, who witnessed the incident from her newspaper kiosk in Parliament Square. (See 3.51pm.) Hurrell said that the car had come to a halt following shots. There were shots to stop the car. The car turned, went completely over the cycle lane and rammed nose-first into the parliamentary fence. There was someone on the ground on the right of the car. They didnt look very good. Hurrell said her family had had her Newsstand kiosk for nearly 100 years. Im not surprised by what happened, she said. This was always potentially a hot spot. I lived through the IRA incidents. We have got a lot of experience with terrorism. With whats going on in the world its not surprising. The emergency services had responded amazingly, she said. They were magnificent. Quick to respond and quick to evacuate. Updated at 4.23pm GMT 4.18pm GMT Matt Haikin, 44. Westminster attack eyewitnessPhotograph: Rob Booth Matt Haikin, 44, from London who works in international development was on the scene immediately after one person was hit by a car and as shots were fired inside the parliament grounds. He told the Guardian he feared another Paris attack was under way. I was cycling from the West End up the Embankment and saw a black car on the pavement right next to Big Ben with the front all smashed in with a body next to it. I thought it was just an accident and carried on cycling past and noticed people running around and I thought what is going on. A few seconds later I heard shots coming from inside the parliament grounds. I then realised this was not just another accident. He said the body next to the car wasnt moving and there was a lot of blood. There were students shouting because there was a lot of blood. It felt like about 10 seconds after [that I heard the shots] but it could have been a bit longer because by that point I was starting to get a bit scared. I think there were three or four shots but I couldnt swear to that. He said the shots came from the yard in front of the Palace of Westminster. As I looked [through the railings] there were people milling around and I think a couple of bodies on the floor. I couldnt tell if they were injured or had just been asked to lay down. The police at that point started to appear and were moving everybody back. I felt shock. At the point that I thought maybe this was a bigger thing I started to get scared, but it calmed down pretty quickly and then it was just, shit, what is going on. Updated at 4.24pm GMT 4.12pm GMT There is no official estimate of the number injured in the incidents today in Westminster, but police fear they may run into double digits. Updated at 4.14pm GMT 4.11pm GMT An eyewitness has told Sky News that he saw a body in the Thames after the car drove into people on Westminster Bridge. 4.07pm GMT The London Eye has stopped and is currently holding all its guests within the attraction. 1/5 There is an ongoing incident on Westminster Bridge and in the vicinity of the Palace of Westminster After giving urgent medical attention to two injured people in Old Palace Yard  including CPR  medics have taken away one person in an ambulance. Another person remains prone on the cobbles, covered completely in a blanket. It seems certain they are dead. It is not known who the two people are, police, a potential attacker or attackers, or others. Emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster.Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA UPDATE: This is speculation, but fact no police are standing near the body outside parliament indicates to me its not likely to be fellow officer. Kirsten Hurrell, 70, was at her newspaper kiosk in Parliament Square when the incident happened. What I heard myself was a crash. I looked up. I saw this car ploughing into the parliament fence. I thought initially it was some kind of accident. Then I heard a couple of sharp noises. It could have been gunshots. I wasnt sure. There was a lot of steam from the car. I thought it might explode. I telephoned the police but someone had already called them. I heard from someone else that the car had mown down people on the bridge. I saw myself someone lying on the floor near the car. It looked like a cyclist. The car was in the fence. Hurrell said she fled the scene without locking up her kiosk outside Portcullis House, home to dozens ofMPs. There was a lot of steam coming out of the car. It looked like steam rather than smoke. I thought it was going to explode. Updated at 3.54pm GMT 3.50pm GMT Video: footage of people on Westminster Bridge Updated at 3.54pm GMT 3.49pm GMT London Ambulance Service deputy director of operations, Pauline Cranmer, said: We were called at 2.40pm to Westminster Bridge to reports of an incident, with the first crew arriving within six minutes. We have sent a number of resources to the scene including ambulance crews, Londons Air Ambulance and our Hazardous Area Response Team. We are working closely with other members of the emergency services at the scene, with our priority being to ensure patients receive the medical help they need as quickly as possible. We have declared a major incident and our priority is to assess patients and ensure that they are treated and taken to hospital as soon as possible. As we are very busy dealing with this incident, we would ask the public to only call us in a genuine emergency. As news of the attack at Westminster broke, Nicola Sturgeon, Scotlands first minister hurried from the debating chamber at Holyrood midway through the debate on her new Scottish independence referendum bid. It is thought Sturgeon may be heading for a meeting of the Scottish governments security and resilience committee. However, there was no obvious change in the level of policing and security at Holyrood where parliamentary business continued uninterrupted. Murdo Fraser, the Scottish Tory economy spokesman, raised a point of order during the debate asking whether the sitting should be suspended due to events at Westminster. Linda Fabiani, the deputy presiding officer, said the Holyrood authorities would not suspend the sitting. It has been considered and it has been decided to carry on with business as usual, she told Fraser. 3.43pm GMT The police says no terrorists have got into the parliament building. We have been evacuated from Portcullis House to Norman Shaw North, the building next door. MPs have been told to go back to their rooms. We are being told conflicting information about where to go. Im currently penned in a corridor with hundreds of people. Updated at 4.20pm GMT 3.43pm GMT Owen Bennett, deputy political editor of the Huffington Post, posted an account on Twitter. I heard what sounded like an explosion and raised voices outside parliament, and so I rushed to the window. I saw people running past the entrance to the New Palace Yard entrance to parliament and then at least one person try to run into the Yard itself. A police officer chased this person and wrestled them to ground. Shots were then fired but I cant remember how many and I didnt see who fired them. I ran down the stairs from my office overlooking the Yard to get more information, but the police prevented us from leaving the stairwell. When I returned to my office, I could see two people lying on the ground outside Westminster Hall, but neither of these were the person I saw wrestled down by the police officer minutes earlier. Updated at 3.45pm GMT 3.38pm GMT Quentin Letts, the Daily Mails parliamentary sketchwriter, said he saw a man in black attack a police officer outside Parliament before being shot two or three times as he tried to storm into the House of Commons, the Press Association reports. I saw a thick-set man in black clothes come through the gates into New Palace Yard, just below Big Ben, he told the BBC. He had something in his hand, it looked like a stick of some sort, and he was challenged by a couple of policemen in yellow jackets. And one of the yellow-jacketed policemen fell down and we could see the man in black moving his arm in a way that suggested he was stabbing or striking the yellow-jacketed policeman. The other officer ran to get help and the man in black ran about 15 yards towards the entrance, he said. He added: As this attacker was running towards the entrance two plain-clothed guys with guns shouted at him what sounded like a warning, he ignored it and they shot two or three times and he fell. 3.36pm GMT This is to allow the emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident. Officers  including firearms officers  remain on the scene and we are treating this as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise. We thank the public for their assistance. Police close to the Palace of Westminster.Photograph: Yui Mok/PA Updated at 4.01pm GMT 3.35pm GMT Im outside Downing Street  200 metres from Parliament Square  where police are in force and there is a nervy mood. Met officers have taped off the pavement and are clearing the public  tourists, workers, passersby  back towards Trafalgar Square. Unmarked police vehicles have blocked off the road to parliament at Horse Guards Parade. A helicopter is flying low above the Foreign Office and the PMs residence. Trafalgar Square is a log-jam of buses and cars. Its a serious incident, sir. Please keep moving, one officer said. Updated at 3.36pm GMT 3.35pm GMT Im at the police cordon at Victoria Street and Parliament Square. Police are telling the public to move back for their own safety. One constable said there were various serious incidents going on. Its not safe to be around here at the moment. The police are clearly agitated. Theres an air ambulance and about 15 police vehicles in the otherwise deserted square. Outside Westminster Abbey, groups of tourists are taking snaps oblivious of this afternoons incident. Updated at 3.37pm GMT 3.33pm GMT A senior police source has confirmed that Scotland Yards counter-terrorism command was involved in an investigation following this afternoons incidents. The early police view emerging from the chaos is that there were probably two sites of attack: Westminster Bridge where people may have been run over, and parliament itself, where it appears an officer was stabbed and the attacker shot. Plans for a London-wide emergency have been put into place as a precaution. Police are hopeful the incidents are over. Updated at 3.35pm GMT 3.29pm GMT Theresa May, the prime minister, was rushed into a car 40 yards from the gates outside parliament where shots were fired minutes after the incident occurred, according to footage filmed by a member of staff. She was ushered by at least eight armed undercover police, some with their firearms drawn, into a waiting black vehicle in Speakers Court, the footage seen by the Guardian shows. Loud bangs can be heard in the background as she is ushered into the car, but it is unclear whether the bangs were gunshots. Updated at 3.30pm GMT 3.28pm GMT What we know so far There have been two serious incidents near the British parliament. Police have confirmed they are currently treating the events as a terrorist incident. A police officer has been stabbed inside the gate of the Houses of Parliament in central London, the Commons leader, David Lidington, has said. The Guardian understands that a police officer has been killed in the attack. The alleged assailant was shot by armed police following a serious incident. There are further reports of a car driving into a number of people on Westminster Bridge, before driving into the railings of the Palace of Westminster. Police fear the number of injured is in double digits. The London Ambulance Service confirmed they have treated ten victims. Westminster is currently in lockdown with MPs told to remain in the main chamber or in their offices. Scotland Yard said it was called to a firearms incident on Westminster Bridge amid reports of several people injured. Transport for London said Westminster underground station has been shut at the polices request. Updated at 5.40pm GMT 3.24pm GMT The aftermath of the apparent knife attack, which seemingly saw the attacker shot by police, could be seen in Old Palace Yard, the courtyard directly outside parliament. At least one person could be seen prone on the ground, tended to by ambulance staff. An air ambulance landed on the grass of Parliament Square, and medical crews rushed in. However, they soon stepped back, and there was no sign of anyone being taken away. While police looked clam, dozens of armed officers could be seen in the area. At one point, a group of about a dozen officers armed with guns arrived, some also carrying shields. They marched into parliament. Updated at 3.26pm GMT 3.22pm GMT More from the Met police  Officers  including firearms officers  are on scene and dealing with the incident in #Westminster Police secure the area on the south side of Westminster.Photograph: Matt Dunham/APA armed police officer stands guard outside the Houses of Parliament.Photograph: Kirsty Wigglesworth/APPolice secure the area on the south side of Westminster BridgePhotograph: Matt Dunham/APArmed police officers enter the Houses of ParliamentPhotograph: Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP 3.17pm GMT Here is David Lidingtons statement to MPs about 20 minutes ago in full. Colleagues will have appreciated that events have been moving rapidly and I want to emphasise that the knowledge that I have which is definite is so far very limited. What I am able to say to the House is that there has been a serious incident within the estate. It seems that a police officer has been stabbed; that the alleged assailant was shot by armed police. An air ambulance is attending the scene to remove the casualties. There are also reports of further violent incidents in the vicinity. Police officer stabbed, and attacker shot by armed officers, MPs told Commons leader David Lidington has told MPs a police officer has been stabbed and the alleged assailant was shot by armed police following a serious incident within the parliamentary estate, PA reported. In a packed House of Commons, Lidington said: At the moment the very clear advice from the police and director of security in the house is we should remain under suspension and the chamber remain in lockdown until we receive advice that it is safe. Updated at 3.17pm GMT 3.10pm GMT Sky have spoken to an eyewitness who said he saw a 44 vehicle crash into a person and a railing near Parliament, before the driver fled. Minutes after the incident, an emergency services helicopter landed in Parliament Square, as sirens were heard outside. Air ambulance medics came from the helicopter to assist the casualties. Two people lay on the ground in the yard. One of them appeared to have had clothes removed as emergency workers attempted to resuscitate the pair. Parliament Square was closed to traffic. An ambulance entered the gates to New Palace Yard. Witness Don Brind told the Press Association he heard shots being fired and saw two people apparently injured on the ground. Brind, a researcher for MPs, said: I heard some shouting and saw some running out of the corner of my eye and then a short time after that there was a shot. I looked and I saw a civilian on the ground, with somebody standing over him with what I assumed to be a gun. Then I looked and about 10 yards away, there was a yellow jacketed person on the ground, who appeared to be alive and talking. He said he assumed the person in the high-visibility jacket was a police officer. Pictures emerged of a car having crashed into the railings of Parliament at the end of Westminster Bridge Press Association reporter Laura Harding, who was in Westminster at the time of the incident, said: Everyone has been evacuated into Central Lobby, including a group of schoolchildren and kitchen staff. There are also a bunch of young people from the Hammersmith Boxing Club in their tracksuits and the British Lionhearts boxing group. Dennis Burns, who was just entering Parliament for a meeting when the security alert happened, told the Press Association: As I was coming through the doors at Portcullis House, a policeman grabbed someone who was coming in and threw him out. As we were coming though the glass doors I was told by one security guard to get out while another one told me to get in. As I walked in I heard a security guard get a radio message saying a policeman has been stabbed. Then I walked in as police officers and security start rushing out of the front doors on to the street. When I got inside I was wondering what the hell was going on and I saw dozens of panicked people running down the street. The first stream was around 30 people and the second stream was 70 people. It looked like they were running for their lives. 3.05pm GMT Radosaw Sikorski, a Polish politician, has spoken to the BBC saying: I didnt see a car but I heard what I thought was a collision, I looked through the window of the taxi and I saw someone down obviously in great distress. He then saw a further four people down on the ground, one bleeding profusely, he said. 3.05pm GMT According to Reuters, two people have been shot and at least a dozen injured. Nicola Sturgeon will be advised by one of her most senior colleagues to postpone a second independence referendum until she has overcome Scots opposition to it. Alex Neil, a former Scottish Government Minister, is to tell Holyrood on Wednesday that calling a rerun of the 2014 vote without strong public support for another poll would damage the Nationalists chances of victory. Speaking ahead of the conclusion of a two-day Scottish Parliament debate on a second referendum, Mr Neil told the Telegraph said Ms Sturgeon has to make sure people are with us before committing to a timetable. In the key vote before the first referendum, MSPs unanimously agreed in November 2013 to pass the required bill. There was no such consensus yesterday. It was trench warfare  The pro-UK parties tried to put a question mark over the final decision, which is non-binding, pointing out the SNP government has ignored a series of awkward votes against it of late, yet now holds up a vote in the Scottish Parliament as the pinnacle of democracy. There was also a slew of insults. One SNP MSP said there was a gang of social media abusers on the Labour side, while a Tory likened Ms Sturgeon to a fanatic. Some say the first referendum was a giant party. The next looks like the monstrous hangover. Last time, people such as myself, arguing for a no vote, were able to talk of the UK as a force for good in the world  liberal, tolerant, multicultural, diverse, with a dynamic popular culture, fizzing with creative energy. This is still true, to an extent. But it has been obscured for the moment by a Brexit campaign that has emboldened an atavistic side of Britain that, to Scottish eyes, is not only foreign but alien. This is a Britain that turns away refugee children fleeing war. This does not feel like home. This does not feel like a country worth fighting for. It feels less precious than before. In 2014 the UK survived because turnout in No areas was higher than turnout in Yes areas. I find it hard to imagine, next time, the same rush to the polling stations to rescue this Union  Another factor is the apparent inability of Theresa May to envisage a Brexit Britain that involves good news for Scotland. I was speaking to a source close to the first minister last week who admitted that if the prime minister had packaged up some key powers to be repatriated from the EU and presented them to Holyrood last month, tied up with a neat tartan ribbon, it would have made it very hard for Ms Sturgeon to have taken the first step last week towards a new referendum. May has defended the Conservative partys response to the accusations that led to it receiving a record 70,000 fine for not properly declaring election expenses. At PMQs the SNPs Pete Wishart asked: Last week the Electoral Commission issued its largest-ever fine on the Conservative party for breaking vital and crucial election rules. What did the prime minister, the cabinet, her aides, know about any of this activity? Who was responsible for designing and signing off all of this? Do you agree with me that this is at best woeful negligence, and at worst pure electoral fraud? May replied: You are asking me to respond to what is a party matter, but I can assure you that the Conservative party did campaign in 2015 across the country for the return of a Conservative government, and we should be clear that such campaigning will be part of the partys national return, not candidates local return, as the Electoral Commission itself has said. The party accepted in April 2016 it had made an administrative error on its national spending, it brought that to the attention of the Electoral Commission in order to amend its national return. As I say, national electoral spending is a question for the national party, not for individual members. The Electoral Commission has looked into these issues, as it has for issues for the Liberal Democrat party and the Labour party. It has issued fines to all three parties and those fines will be paid. May has said that MPs will get a free vote on the proposals to decant from the House of Parliament to an alternative Westminster venue to allow multi-billion repair works to be carried out. Chris Grayling, the transport secretary, has told MPs that an evolving threat led to his decision to impose the laptop cabin ban on flights from some countries. In response to an urgent question in the Commons, he said: We respond in aviation security to the evolving threat that we face from terrorists. And there are some things that we make public and others that we dont. Im not going to give [MPs] full details of the background to the decision we have taken. It is a response to an evolving threat  Suffice to say to the House, we have taken the steps that we have taken for good reason. Tim Farron, the Lib Dem leader, renewed is call for a referendum on the final Brexit deal, saying David Davis, the Brexit secretary, backed the idea until quite recently. Proposing a 10-minute rule bill on this, Farron told MPs: The secretary of state for Exiting the European Union not long ago made the case very eloquently for what is now the Liberal Democrat proposal. He used the phrases: mandate referendum, and decision referendum  I couldnt agree with the secretary of state more. It is a shame that the secretary of state doesnt agree with himself anymore. The SNPs Alan Brown says the announcement implies the government does not trust the security arrangements at airports in the countries affected. Grayling says he does not want this to be seen as a vote of no confidence in security arrangements in these countries. 1.12pm GMT Tom Pursglove, a Conservative, asks what consultation there was with airlines before this was announced. Grayling says the government has been in regular contact with them over recent days. 1.09pm GMT Grayling says he is not saying to people that they should not travel to the countries affected. 1.08pm GMT Grayling says he hopes these measures will ultimately prove to be temporary. But decisions will be taken on the basis of passenger safety. 1.07pm GMT Labours Lilian Greenwood asks what discussions Grayling has had with his counterparts in other countries about the rules for transfer passengers. Grayling says the government has been in contract with other countries. They will take their own decisions. 1.05pm GMT In the huddle for journalists after PMQs, Downing Street sources doubled down on Mays personal remarks about where Jeremy Corbyn and other members of the shadow cabinet sent their children to school: and indeed where the Labour leader himself was educated. She was clearly making the point that there seems to be one rule for the people mentioned, and another rule for the rest of us, the source said, adding that, consistency was important in politics. Some of the Tory critics of the governments grammar schools, including Stroud MP Neil Carmichael, have admitted sending their own children to grammars. 1.04pm GMT Labours Derek Twigg asks if Grayling is confident that a terrorist would not be able to get a laptop with a bomb onto a plane leaving a UK airport. Grayling says he thinks security at UK airports as high as anywhere in the world. He says the government is happy with the rules currently in place, but keeps them under review. 12.59pm GMT The SNPs transport spokesman, Drew Hendry, asks what extra resources will be made to UK airports to help them deal with this. Grayling says these rules do not apply to UK airports. But the government has asked them to think ahead in case that changes. Labours Jack Dromey says 96% of schools in Birmingham will lose 20m under the new schools funding formula. But places like Windsor and Maidenhead will gain. How can this be fair? May says the current system is unfair. Some schools in London get twice as much as schools in other parts of the country. 12.40pm GMT Anne-Marie Trevelyan, the Conservative, asks about the Jo Cox commission on loneliness and asks if May will meet women working on this. May says they are doing very good work. 12.39pm GMT Labours Julie Cooper says shocking pay rises have been given to Liverpool CCG. Will the government investigate failures in Liverpool CCG. May says NHS England is investigating this. 12.37pm GMT Plaid Cymrus Jonathan Edwards says in triggering article 50 next week May is the modern day equivalent of Lord Cardigan at the Charge of the Light Brigade. May says in triggering article 50 she is responding to the will of the British people. 12.31pm GMT Snap PMQs verdict Some of Corbyns best PMQs have been on education, and on Mays plans to extend grammar schools, and this was one of his best outings for weeks, although he was probably at his most effective in the first half of the exchange, when he was focusing on school funding, not selection. He put the figures about cuts well, and, for the first time in ages, resorted to the heres a question from a voter tactic (once his hallmark), which today worked effectively. May was bland and unconvincing on the general funding point, although she was right to say that the school funding formula was an issue that governments have dodged for too long. She seemed much more animated defending grammars, the domestic policy initiative to which she seems most personally committed, but Corbyn held his ground well, helped by being able to quote Tories opposed to this. You could tell May was under pressure because resorted to the personal, attacking Corbyn for a decision about this sons education (which reportedly helped to break up his second marriage  he did not support his wifes desire to send their son to a grammar), but if you are going to go personal, you probably have to be ruthless to make it decisive, and May did not press her point, with the result that Corbyn was not thrown off his stride. So it was an effective performance by him, if not a decisive win. Robertson focused on two well-rehearsed SNP complaints: Mays failure to reach an agreement with Scotland on Brexit, and her refusal to commit to offering Scotland an independence referendum. Both are relatively easy hits, although, in her second answer, May was able to come back with a particularly well-honed soundbite about how she is honouring the results of the UKs last two referendums, while the SNP is doing neither. (Regular readers will notice that the snap verdict now includes Angus Robertson. Weve decided to experiment with featuring him here, along with Jeremy Corbyn, because indyref2 is now firmly on the agenda. Let us know what you think.) UPDATE: Ive corrected the paragraph above. It was Corbyns second marriage that reportedly broke up partly because of the grammar school decision, not his first marriage. Updated at 2.23pm GMT 12.21pm GMT The SNPs Angus Robertson also offers condolences to the family and friends of Martin McGuinness. He says May said she would secure a UK-wide agreement before triggering article 50 on Brexit. Since then May has blocked, been intransigent and lectured. There is no agreement. Will these be Mays tactics with the EU? May says she has made every effort to take into account the views of the devolved administrations. She wants the best possible deal for the people of Scotland. At heart we are one people. Robertson says May has admitted that she has reached no agreement. She wants the people to know the outcome of the Brexit deal before Scotland votes on independence. If the Commons, the Lords, the European parliament and EU parliaments can get a choice on Scotlands future after the deal is concluded, why shouldnt the Scottish people get a choice too? May says the people of Scotland voted to stay in the UK. The people of the UK voted to leave the EU. She is respecting both of those votes. Robertson is respecting neither. 12.15pm GMT Corbyn says the former education secretary criticised grammar schools. Was he wrong? May says in grammar schools the attainment gap does not apply. Corbyn says the chair of the education committee has criticised grammar schools too. This is a vanity project. It will only benefit a few children. Is May happy to see this generation see its life chances decline. May says the government has protected school funding. There are more teachers with first class degrees. It is not a vanity project to want better schools. There is a difference between her and Corbyn. Corbyn recorded a video this week urging people to think of his movement first. That is the difference. Labour put the party first; she puts the country first. 12.13pm GMT Corbyn says May was elected on a manifesto of no school cuts. But that is what is happening. He itemises things that are being cut. And he reads a letter from Eileen, a teacher, saying teachers are having to pay for pens and other items themselves. This is disgraceful. Does May agree? May says budgets and the pupil premium have been protected. She says what matters is the quality of education. That is what this government is about. She wants people to get on on the basis of merit, not privilege. That is what she is delivering. Labour has opposed every policy that has improved education. Corbyn says May should speak to the Tory MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown who said all his schools would have a cut under this budget. But May found 320m for divisive grammar schools. What kind of priority is that? May says the new funding formula addresses a problem Labour ignored. MPs have been saying this for years. She said it 15 years ago when she was shadow education secretary. The government has proposed a new approach. She says the government has put money into offering diversity. She says Diane Abbott and Shami Chakrabarti sent their children to private schools. Corbyn sent his son to a grammar. He went to a grammar too. But now he wants to pull up the ladder. 12.07pm GMT Jeremy Corbyn starts by echoing what May said about Martin McGuinness. He played an immeasurable role in bringing about peace in Northern Ireland, he says. He says the schools budget will be cut by 6.5% by 2020. And the new school funding formula will lead to some schools facing further cuts. Why is cutting tax for business more important? May says the government has plans to improve schools. The schools budget has been protected. The national funding formula is a consultation. Corbyn says the Tory manifesto said the amount of money following your child into school will be protected. No wonder even the Evening Standard editor is concerned. Is May advocating larger class sizes, a shorter school day or fewer teachers? May says there are more good teachers, and more outstanding schools. She believes in diversity in education; Corbyn believes in a one-size-fits-all model. 12.04pm GMT Lucy Allan, a Conservative, asks if May will tell us how Telford will prosper from Brexit. May says the referendum was a vote not just to leave the EU, but to change the way the country works. That is why her plan for Britain sets out ideas to make a stronger Britain. It will deliver a more united country. 12.03pm GMT Labours John Mann says hospital units in Bassetlaw have been closed or cut back. He is offering to work with the PM to solve this. Will she work with him? May says the Bassetlaw clinical commissioning group is getting more funding. Mann talks about listening to local people. That is what sustainability and transformation plans are about. 12.01pm GMT Theresa May says she would like to express her condolences to the family and colleagues of Martin McGuinness. She will not condone what he did in his early life but he played an indispensable role in taking the republican movement away from violence. 11.56am GMT This is from the Birmingham Posts Jonathan Walker. Watching whip @GuyOpperman telling ministers where to sit as they come in to the Chamber for #pmqs And it suggests Theresa May (47%) has a 33-point lead over Jeremy Corbyn (14%) on who would make the best prime minister, although May is not that far ahead of the dont knows (39%). 10.47am GMT Teachers have voted to merge two unions to form a new super union for education workers, the Press Association reports. Members of the National Union of Teachers and the Association of Teachers and Lecturers backed the link up by more than 2-1. The National Education Union will be formed later in the year, representing 450,000 teachers and other education workers. It will be the biggest union in Europe for teachers and education professionals and the fourth biggest union in the UK. 10.42am GMT Given that Ken Livingstone has a theory on how Jeremy Corbyn can improve relations with the parliamentary Labour party (see 10.05am), perhaps he should apply for a new job that has been advertised on the w4mp website  Labour party political liaison officer. The successful candidate will have to help support and develop the relationship between, among others, Corbyn and Labour MPs. The person appointed will get a salary of 40,000. And they will be on a fixed-term contract for the period only that Corbyn is the leader of the Labour party. If youre still interested, you can find out more, including application details, here. And if you do get the job, good luck. You may need it. 10.24am GMT According to a story by Francis Elliott and Sam Coatesin the Times (paywall), the plans for a new post-Brexit immigration law being drawn up by the government would involve penalties for employers and landlords who take on people without permission to live and work in the UK. Heres an extract. Businesses have been reassured that they will not face a cliff edge, with any changes brought in gradually and allowances made for low-skilled migration such as seasonal agricultural work. The leading options include work permits and a five-year working visa with strict curbs on benefit entitlements. Ministers privately admit, however, that businesses and private landlords will be made to shoulder much of the burden of policing the system, whatever is eventually introduced. We will be making landlords and employers do a lot of the heavy lifting on the enforcement. Thats the direction of travel, a senior minister involved in drawing up the system said. Landlords already face a maximum five year jail term for knowingly letting to illegals under the legislation that came into effect last year. That could increase as part of efforts to make them shoulder the burden of a new migration system. Livingstone urges Corbyn to suspend around 12 disloyal MPs Ken Livingstone, the former Labour mayor of London and veteran leftwinger, has been speaking to Radio 5 Lives Emma Barnett this morning. There were two news lines. Livingstone urged Jeremy Corbyn to suspend around a dozen Labour MPs most critical of his leadership. He said: Those that have been most over the top I think should be suspended. I think the other thing that Jeremy should do is re-introduce automatic re-selection. Its really ridiculous that MPs in safe seats have a job for life  Im particularly talking about Chuka Umunna, Wes Streeting  basically its the same group of MPs who were screaming that Id said Hitler was a Zionist and I was anti-semitic. The moment that issue went on hold, they were then blaming Jeremy for Britain voting to leave. Just endless criticism. Its only about a dozen of them. The simple fact is they are consciously undermining Jeremy and damaging the Labour party. Im afraid well have to be off to a judicial review in the courts and in the court the issue will be, what was actually said and what is the truth, and the Labour party has got no chance of winning a judicial review. Im basically retired. Im not seeking office. I havent asked Jeremy or didnt ask Ed Miliband to send me to the House of Lords or anything like that. Im a house husband, but Im not having my political career defined at the end that Im anti-semitic. Ken Livingstone.Photograph: Roger Askew/REX/Shutterstock 9.48am GMT This is what the government has said in response to the Lords committee report warning that leaving the EU without a trade deal would cause significant damage to the services sector. (See 9.11am.) A spokesman said: The prime minister has been clear that we will pursue a bold and ambitious free trade agreement with the European Union as a priority  it should allow for the freest possible trade in services, as well as goods, between Britain and the EU. On top of that, we believe a phased process of implementation will be in our mutual self interest  allowing UK and EU institutions, member states and businesses to prepare for the new arrangements. The nature of any interim arrangements will be a matter for negotiation. 9.46am GMT Boris Johnson, the foreign secretary, is in Washington today for the conference about countering Islamic State (Isis). He is due to be meeting senior US officials including secretary of state Rex Tillerson, and as he arrived last night he tweeted a picture of himself with the US national security adviser, HR McMaster. This is what Whitty said in a statement explaining why this is so important. The UK is the second largest exporter of services in the world and the EU receives 39% of the UKs non-financial service exports. This trade is critical to the UKs economy as it creates employment and supports goods exports  we cant afford to lose that. To protect the UKs status as a global leader of trade in services, the government will need to secure the most comprehensive FTA that has ever been agreed with the EU. Walking away from negotiations without a deal would badly damage UK plc, particularly in sectors such as aviation and broadcasting which have no WTO rules to fall back on. And heres an extract from the report explaining this case in more detail. Trade in services is inherently different from, and in many ways more complex than, trade in goods. Services are intangible and can be traded either online, in person, via a subsidiary business located in another territory or (increasingly) embedded within manufactured goods  Unlike trade in goods, trade in services is largely unaffected by tariffs, but instead can be restricted by non-tariff barriers. Such barriers may not only increase the cost of trade but can also prohibit trade altogether. For example, without the right qualifications or licence, some UK service providers may not be able to deliver a service abroad  A no deal scenario, or a deal which gave no special consideration to UK trade in non-financial services, would risk significant damage to these sectors. For instance, WTO rules do not provide for trade with the EU in aviation or broadcasting services at all. Instead, UK firms would have to rely on outdated and restrictive agreements. While the UKs global standing in services may mitigate some negative consequences, faced with a no deal scenario, businesses could be forced either to re-structure or relocate in order to continue to operate in the way that they do today. Moreover, WTO rules would also not sufficiently facilitate the cross-border movement of persons that supports the UKs trade in services with the EU, nor would they ensure the free flow of data. Rules on market access also differ between EU member statesincreasing the regulatory complexity for UK firms. We are likely to hear more about this this afternoon, when David Davis, the Brexit secretary, gives evidence to the Lords EU committee. Here is the agenda for the day. 10am: Nick Hurd, the business minister, gives a speech on industrial strategy to the Localis thinktank. 12.30pm: Tim Farron, the Lib Dem leader, proposes a 10-minute rule bill calling for a referendum on the final Brexit deal. Around 2.30pm: MSPs resume their debate on the SNPs call for a second independence referendum. They will vote at 5.30pm. 4pm: David Davis, the Brexit secretary, gives evidence to the Lords EU committee. As usual, I will be covering breaking political news as it happens, as well as bringing you the best reaction, comment and analysis from the web. I plan to post a summary after PMQs and another in the afternoon. I try to monitor the comments BTL but normally I find it impossible to read them all. If you have a direct question, do include Andrew in it somewhere and Im more likely to find it. I do try to answer direct questions, although sometimes I miss them or dont have time. Alternatively you could post a question to me on Twitter.
Tobias Ellwood: Military Training Gave Me Confidence To Help After Westminster Attack Defence Minister, Tobias Ellwood has told Forces News his military training and experience gave him the confidence to step forward and help after the terror attack at Westminster last year. The reservist and former regular in the British Army was hailed as a hero after he tried to save the life of PC Keith Palmer who was stabbed while on duty in the Palace of Westminster. Mr Ellwood was walking through the Palace of Westminster when Khalid Masood ploughed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before fatally stabbing unarmed police officer PC Palmer a year ago. Speaking to Forces News about that day in parliament, he said: It was a normal day in the House of Commons until you hear something you never expect to hear in parliament, and thats the sound of high-velocity gunshots firing out, and then it was absolute panic and chaos. I immediately saw the incredible professionalism of the police force - they were already establishing a gun line. And then I saw PC Palmer on the ground, bleeding profusely with a couple of officers trying to help him. I think it was coming from an armed forces background that helped me understand; we are all very supportive of each other, theres a comradeship that we have and it's exactly the same with the police force. Every day, they dont know how their day is going to unfold. I am a reservist, and I was in the regular force as well, and its that which gave me the confidence to step forward. Anybody in the military will know that if they were there, then they would have done the same thing." The former Army officer whose brother, Jonathan, was killed in the 2002 Bali terror atrocity described how he is "haunted by" the fact he could not save PC Keith Palmer: Im haunted by the fact that I found someone with a pulse, and sadly we werent able to save him. But in the armed forces, you learn to accept that death is part of what we have to deal with; anyone that spends a significant amount of time in the army will confront it. As with all military people and police officers, you find ways to deal with it, but it is tough. He paid tribute to the police for their work in a country "that seems to be getting more dangerous and more volatile". The Defence Minister said the threats faced by the UK were not going away and involved not just terrorism but "resurgent nations challenging the world order". Mr Ellwood, who has lobbied within government for extra funding for the armed forces, said: "There are some big questions, wider questions, about what we do because this terrorist attack - non-state, caused by Daesh - they are not going away. "These attacks will continue unless we step forward and actually participate, become more pro-active in dealing with what is a very changing and dark chapter that we are enduring." Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme he said: "From 2002 to today, extremism is still there." He added: "We are still not able to better understand why people with a scant understanding of Islam are able to be recruited with a false promise of a fast-track to paradise. "Until that is grasped, until we can better ensure that the peaceful religion of Islam is better understood - probably at a very younger age - so these people aren't recruited, this threat will continue." The threats faced around the world meant "the relative peace that we have had for the last three or four decades is going to be challenged". "We are in a difficult time at the moment, there's no doubt about it." He also again praised the work of the police on duty during last year's terror attack at Westminster. "They were the ones that were defending Parliament and us, huge tribute to them," he said. "They get up every day, they don't know how their day is going to unfold. They are the heroes."
Made in Westminster: The source of the USS crisis  and the solution [The USS crisis] is the result of the misrepresentation of the finances of the USS, and the desire of a new breed of university managements to cut their pension liabilities and thereby ease the financing of new buildings and campuses. Successive Pension Acts have encouraged managers of private sector schemes to exaggerate the risks of default. Combined with Quantitative Easing, this has led to a headlong abandonment of Final Salary Defined Benefit to Defined Contribution schemes, where employees rather than employers bear investment risk. Higher Education today is shaped by frantic competition for students and huge building projects. Universities can recruit unlimited UK undergraduates paying an annual 9,000 plus, backed by taxpayer loans. The Higher Education and Research Act 2017 even allows universities to go bankrupt. Much of this argument will be familiar to colleagues. The debate about the University Superannuation Scheme (USS) deficit has been an active subject of discussion on campuses since last summer when the press first announced that the pension scheme was at risk. Initial press claims were of a deficit of 17.5bn, while at exactly the same time USS themselves reassured pensioners that the scheme was in surplus. But it is worth considering the source of this deficit in more detail than the Guardian letters pages will permit. Is the deficit real, as the employers and USS themselves have asserted, or is it an accounting artefact, as the UCU trade union has claimed? This is a key question, of course. Most important of all, until we know the source of the deficit we cannot begin to propose solutions. We will turn to these shortly. First we need to summarise briefly the methodology that is used for valuing USS. How USS is valued The USS is obliged by the Pension Regulator, an arm of Government (technically, a non-departmental public body), to triennially review the valuation of its assets and future liabilities. Future liabilities are estimated on the basis of a number of actuarial assumptions, including life expectancy for men and women, projections of wage and consumer price inflation, and so on. Several of these assumptions have been criticised for over-estimating the liabilities. Small changes in assumptions can have very large consequences thanks to the effect of compound interest. In the most recent valuation, it has been the method for valuing the assets of the scheme that has been the focus of most public challenges. At the time of writing in February 2018, USS has its investments in some 70% stocks and shares, which are high yield but high risk, and around 10% in government stock and gilts: low yield and low risk. The remaining 20% or so is in a number of other investment vehicles. Over the last five years the investments have performed well, and the last Annual Report was able to boast that the assets had grown by an average of 12% per annum for the last five years to 60bn. One might think that the scheme should be valued in terms of the assets it holds. Suppose you own a house and you want to use your house value to ease your retirement. Your principal concern will be about the market value of that house in the future (and future remortgaging conditions). Working for UCU, First Actuarial examined USSs actual assets, its income projections (contributions from the sector) and pension liabilities. They found that income and liabilities closely match for the next 40 years without touching the assets. Figure 1: Doing nothing is a genuine option: income (green) closely matches outgoings (blue) for the next 40 years with some modest assumptions. From Salt and Benstead (2017) Progressing the Valuation of USS. London: First Actuarial. That is, if no action were taken, USS would be able to pay its pensioners well into the future without even touching its assets. Its assets could therefore continue to be invested in a mixed portfolio, and (although past performance is no guarantee) grow at a rate exceeding inflation. Like the house buyer, they are not about to sell their house at current market prices. However, this is not how USS values its assets. Instead, the USS valuation uses a method called self-sufficiency in gilts. In the 2014 USS valuation this was sometimes referred to as a Gilts+ methodology. A new test, Test 1, was introduced which placed further conditions on this valuation. But essentially the idea is as follows. Assume that USS closes tomorrow. In order to guarantee payments to pensioners it needs to shield assets from stock market variability. To do this, it moves its assets from the current mixed portfolio dominated by stocks and shares to government stocks and gilts (for reasons of brevity we will refer to a range of government stock investments as gilts, although technically the term applies more narrowly). This process is called de-risking because government stock is meant to be secure  far more stable than an individual stock price at least. It means selling stock at current prices and buying gilts, and predicting future gilt yields. Unfortunately gilt yields are very low, and likely to remain low, thanks to Quantitative Easing (see below) undermining the UK Governments credit rating and sterling value. Crucially, they are likely to stay well below inflation for the near and long term. Note that this is a counterfactual assumption. Assets are still 70% invested in stocks and shares. It is not a model of the running of the scheme. It is a model of what would need to happen if the employers ceased to operate. If all universities went bankrupt tomorrow, staff would not be paid, and USS would receive no employer and employee contributions. The scheme would close, and would then have to pay out its liabilities. The obvious question has to be whether sectoral bankruptcy is a meaningful basis for valuing this pension scheme. (Note: some in the pensions industry are questioning whether it is a reasonable basis for valuing any pension scheme.) Private sector pension scheme regulations say that valuations must take place by modelling this scenario. In the case of single-employer schemes, the worst-case assumption is important. Employers like BHS and Carillion were the sole employer paying into their pension schemes. The single employer can declare bankruptcy, leaving the pension scheme to pay out entirely on its assets. But the 68 large pre-92 Higher Education institutions who are the principal members of USS are not a single employer. (USS cites 350 employer members, but most are small.) The model assumes all institutions go bankrupt simultaneously. This is an extraordinary assumption, one that in political terms can be said to have zero probability. That is, if the entire pre-92 university sector declared bankruptcy, I would contend that the government of the day would be faced with a political crisis of unprecedented scale, compelling them to intervene to protect staff, students and pensions. Moreover, if the government of today is genuinely envisaging this scenario, they have a political obligation to say so, and explain now what they will do about it! There has been no instance of a single bankruptcy of a pre-92 university since USS was established. Instead, universities have been obliged to merge, teach out courses and thereby transfer staff and students. Thus when University College Cardiff was in financial difficulty in 1987, it merged with the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology (UWIST, also in some difficulty) and the University of Wales College of Cardiff, to become Cardiff University. This means that even in cases of financial hardship for one institution the sector itself may continue to grow. The joint and several liability for the pension scheme means other employers pick up the tab, just as they grow market share. Let us consider the shocking scenario where a large Russell Group university declares bankruptcy. This is a more realistic possibility than sectoral closure. It is a scenario newly envisaged by the Higher Education and Research Act. Instead of being obliged to manage institutional exit, as the 2016 HE White Paper euphemistically called the process, the legislation now permits, in theory at least, an institution being permitted to shut down overnight. Worse, let us also assume that the Government takes a zero-intervention approach, and does not fund a gradual withdrawal from the undergraduate market. The exit of a large player from a market of many competing institutions may be a severe shock, causing (say) 10,000 USS active members to be without employment, and their contributions to cease. In 2017, USS had a total of 190,546 active members (those paying into their scheme). In the short term, USS would lose 5% of its income. Note: the figure of 10,000 reflects one of the big institutions like UCL. There are 68 pre-92 university employers out of the 350 participating employers. Considering only these employers would obtain an average of 2,802 active USS members per institution. But markets with many players can absorb market share relatively easily. Students will need to move somewhere, and staff will be required to teach them. Grant-funded research activity is hypothecated (funding is earmarked solely for that purpose) and much of it will relocate, with staff. So the redundancies will be absorbed by employment elsewhere. In other words, the obligation to share risk across the sector is, in fact, offset by the ability of institutions to absorb market share. None of the above is intended to be blas about the human and social consequences of a large bankruptcy of this nature. Rather, it is to point out that for USS, these consequences should not be exaggerated. Yet exaggerating the risk of bankruptcy lies at the heart of this valuation model. The result of the USS valuation in September 2017 was the following distribution. Using a model of gradual de-risking over the next ten years, the mean projected deficit (the best estimate) was 8.3 billion in surplus. The sketch below illustrates the principle. The distribution is approximately Normal, and symmetric. Sketch of the probability distribution of the difference between USS assets and liabilities projected on September valuation assumptions (gradual de-risking). The deficit is the lower bound of a 33% confidence interval of 8.3bn  13.4bn. (The standard deviation is an astounding 31bn). There is thus a one in three chance that the actual deficit will be more than 5.1bn. But there is a two in three chance that the deficit will be smaller than 5.1bn, or the scheme will be in surplus. Indeed, the zero point is 0.27 standard deviations below the mean, a probability of 0.21 of the area on the left hand side of the mean. There is a 60% chance that the assets will outstrip the liabilities, and a below 40% chance that (in the imaginary situation of gradual scheme shutdown), the assets will not meet the liabilities. Of course, this entire model hinges on the need to de-risk. What happens if the scheme de-risks immediately? The university employers federation Universities UK asked this question in November last year. Having consulted their members, they concluded that the sector would not like to carry the theoretical declining risk of a mixed portfolio for the next ten years, and would wish to model immediate de-risking. This obtained the following graph. Sketch of the probability distribution of the difference between USS assets and liabilities projected by November Technical Provisions (immediate de-risking). Again, the scheme is in surplus. But thanks to the fire-sale of assets and the greater exposure to the below-inflation value of gilts, the projected mean declines to 5.2bn. The lower bound of the 33% interval (0.43 standard deviations) is -7.5bn. The projection has become slightly more certain. Applying the same calculation as before, the chance of scheme default has increased from 39.5% to 43%. Indeed, conducting de-risking under current market conditions is a sure-fire way to turn a projected deficit into an actual one. The actuarial term is extremely misleading. Actual de-risking is not only counterfactual, it would be an imprudent way to manage the pension scheme! Now that we have understood the valuation method currently in operation, we can consider the three causes outlined in our letter. Cause 1: The Pensions Acts and the Pension Regulator There have been a flurry of Pensions Acts since 2004. There were Pensions Acts in 2004, 2007, 2008 (which established automatic enrolment), 2011, 2014 and 2017. The key ones for our argument concern the office of the Pension Regulator. The Pension Regulator was established by the Pensions Act 2004. On paper, a Pensions Regulator is a good thing, attempting to ensure through intervention that private pension schemes are self-standing in the circumstances where an employer goes bankrupt. However, the regulatory requirements of the Pension Regulator primarily concern Defined Benefit schemes. These schemes have an employer covenant, a legal obligation for the employer to guarantee defined benefits should the employer go bankrupt. As bankrupts cannot pay bills, this duty means intervening in the valuation and regulation of live schemes. The Pension Regulator insists on cautionary estimates of pension scheme deficits. to minimise any adverse impact on the sustainable growth of sponsoring employers when exercising its functions relating to scheme funding. The Pension Regulator has a number of statutory obligations, the central one being of course to ensure that pension schemes do not fall into deficit. But the new statutory duty of 2014 places the commercial interests of sponsoring employers over the responsibility to fund private sector pension schemes. As Willis Towers Watson comment It will be important to think through arguments [for corporates] to defend against any methodologies which result in building in excessive prudence through the back door. The obvious point is that modelling a multi-employer pension scheme (especially one whose income stream is an hypothecated section of public sector finances) as if it were a single employer is absurd. Modelling any risk of default on a zero-probability event is to model a zero probability. The real chance of deficit is zero, unless USS themselves pull the plug and de-risk the scheme. Indeed the way to risk deficit is to do precisely this. Therefore the Pension Regulator simply needs to accept that the valuation method being used is meaningless, and recognise that efforts to address a non-existent deficit risk are counter-productive. They are examples of excessive prudence. Cause 2: Quantitative Easing Quantitative Easing is the process whereby since the 2008 banking crisis, first Labour and then the Conservatives have increased money supply (printed money) to bail out the banking sector. The current manifestation of QE is the retention by the Bank of England of artificially low interest rates. This has had the effect of pushing up the cost of buying gilts but depressing their rate of return (yield). Gilt yields increased after the vote to leave the EU, but to a peak of 1.1%. But this has been overtaken by inflation. The crucial factor for a pension fund is whether gilt yields exceed CPI. If all the assets are in gilts, any below-inflation growth is a real-terms decline in asset values. Inflation erodes the pension assets. This is precisely why early de-risking (despite its name) increases the chance of scheme default. Cause 3: The Higher Education and Research Act and its precursors Government HE policy since 2010 culminated in the Higher Education and Research Act 2017. This commenced with the introduction of 9,000 a year undergraduate fees and the partial abolition of the block grant (total abolition for Arts and Humanities). Universities found that they could make a tidy profit by pile em high practices. But they were still restricted in the numbers of students they could recruit. This all changed with the removal in 2014 of caps on student numbers. Universities could now compete with each other for students, and market share. The first set of victims have been the post-92 universities, the ex-polytechnics, whose staff are not in the USS pension scheme. Students considering an expensive degree at London Metropolitan University, for example, now found places at Kings College. In London, LMUs pain has been swiftly followed by that of Westminster University, currently engaged in serial cutbacks of staff. In this first wave, the USS employers have boomed. Indeed, the Higher Education Statistics Agency reports that sector surpluses rose by a factor of 10 from 158m in 2005/6 to 1.5bn in 2016/17. However, to accommodate the new student numbers, universities needed estate capacity. They started a major programme of investment in new buildings, campuses and student accommodation. To do this they needed to borrow. Whereas some initial loans may have been on favourable terms, as construction costs have increased, institutions have had to borrow on the open market. Of course, when you borrow in this way you have to declare your assets and your liabilities, including the liability toward the pension fund. It is this new obligation that I believe explains why, in the USS negotiations, UUK employers (led by the most expansionist Russell Group employers) focused on Defined Contribution, rather than, say, a worse Defined Benefit scheme. This is because a shift to Defined Contribution removes any future liability the employers have towards the stability of the scheme. It ends the employer covenant. Conclusion The fight over the USS pension is the first national dispute over the finances and shape of the UK Higher Education sector since the enactment of the Higher Education and Research Bill as an Act. Market competition and the new regulatory environment are causing employers to try to limit their liabilities and reduce their costs. One can read the specific solutions proposed by the employers as signifiers of their priorities towards staff more generally. When we wrote the Alternative White Paper for Higher Education, we did not predict that the first victim of the new HE regime would be university pensions. But the links between government policy, institutional behaviour and the USS crisis are not hard to see. For decades USS was strong and stable. There is no evidence that any intrinsic factor has changed. USS has a set of internal regulations and parameters for managing stock market risk. There is no need to de-risk the portfolio. The deficit is a projection under imagined conditions. It is counterfactual, and not real. To compound this observation, even in these impossible conditions the scheme is odds-on to achieve a surplus. The deficit that arises is an artefact of the scale of uncertainty assumed in the model. What has changed in the reporting of the scheme finances has been due to the pressure of the Pension Regulator to report finances on the mathematically incoherent self sufficiency in gilts basis, and the impact of Quantitative Easing on this gilts-based modelling. All three of these extrinsic factors arise as a result of Government policy, whether they be Pension Acts, QE or the fees-and-loans market in education. If we want to fix the crisis in the USS pension scheme, the rational solution is to address its causes directly. A compromise solution that leaves the valuation methodology in place invites future cuts in the scheme. We need to fix the problem at source. The Government could take any of the following steps: instruct the Pension Regulator to move deadlines, instruct the Pension Regulator to set aside the self-sufficiency valuation requirement, agree to act as guarantor of last resort until the next valuation cycle, opt to put money into the scheme / buy a stake in it, engage in full nationalisation. Given that the risk of scheme default is actually zero unless the USS Board order a disinvestment programme (choose to de-risk), for the Government to agree to act as a guarantor of last resort is an extraordinarily cheap intervention. Moreover, providing this assurance to scheme Trustees until the next valuation would also permit the National Audit Office to review the valuation methodology and propose rational alternatives. USS is required to value the scheme every 3 years and to do so in a way that considers long and short term, but it is not required to use the current approach. This is a crisis Made in Westminster  and the solution lies in Ministers hands. There is already an Early Day Motion 619 signed (at the time of writing) by 65 MPs. The problem and the solution lies in Westminster. It is time to resolve this dispute by preserving the scheme as-is. In the meantime, staff in universities are absolutely correct to strike. Unless they do, Government minds will not be concentrated. The main problem we faced in campaigning over the HE Bill was not that we did not convince senior Government figures of our analysis. It was that there was not a mass movement outside of Parliament to defend our Universities. A reasonable valuation of the assets taking into account the plural nature of employing institutions is of course a big issue, but the calculation of the liabilities needs also to be taken into account. Final salary scheme pensions are calculated based on the best year in a period of some 12 years prior to retirement updated by inflation (CPI now rather than the previous RPI). University staff salaries have been held down to well below both measures of inflation for a decade or more. This means in the coming years the salary base used in pensions calculations of many staff with significant years of service will actually begin to fall reducing, not increasng, USS liabilities for those staff. As many in universities and some vice chancellors (e.g. Imperial and Edinburgh) have now been suggesting it is essential that a fair and transparent valuation of assets on a proper considered basis (not some simplified worst case scenario) and the liabilities (using the real data on salaries) is done by some group able to do a proper evidence and data based analysis, not using some unbelievable formulaic approach. This needs to be thorough, detailed and transparent so it is accepted by all sides before any change is made to the current USS scheme so soon after the recent significant changes. The evidence base will also be needed if challenges to regulator formulae or government rules are necessary. In terms of the liabilities calculation it is a mix of previous and current schemes Sean but my point, as I am sure you realise, is that a proper calculation is needed ased on real data and not some simplistic and silly formulaic one.
HuffPost UK Politics team take a swipe at the week in Westminster, which this week moved at a frenetic pace. There was ducking and diving, tantrums and ultimatums as Brexit once again took centre stage. David Davis continues to go lone wolf, while over. The HuffPost UK Politics team check all the shadowy corners and eavesdrop in phone boxes to find out whether Mr Corbyn really did try to help the Communists. Did he pass on secrets or was he just a useful idiot? Or did he do absolutely nothing untoward. Clean#90 - Commons People From The Conservative Conference: James Cleverly HuffPost UK's Owen Bennett sat down with Conservative backbencher James Cleverly to talk about the party's failure to convincingly win the election, what's next as Brexit looms ever nearer and regale us with tales of Boris' odd shoes. #james cleverly . As Westminster heads into recess, Owen Bennett sits down for a chat with our very own Graeme Demianyk who is based in the US to talk about Theresa May's government, what they think of Brexit and to get the inside view of one Mr Trump. #Donald Trump #B. The HuffPost UK politics team have packed the sun tan lotion and flip flops as Westminster breaks for summer recess but before that there's the little matter of Tory factions sniping at one another quietly through the medium of front page splashes. Ove. We'll admit the title doesn't quite have the right ring to it. HuffPost UK Politics team take stock of a busy week in which Theresa May reflects on a year at the helm. Brexit is happening but how is anyone's guess at this point. Labour open old wounds . Chuka Umunna sat down with HuffPost UK's Owen Bennett to talk about his new group of MPs fighting the good fight against Brexit. He also talks about Emily Thornberry, what he's learned from Jeremy Corbyn and reaction to Anne Marie Morris' racist commen. The HuffPost UK Politics team take a look through the week's events in Westminster. This week, Jeremy Corbyn opens up the battle for control on his party's right flank (see what we did there?), we shoe-horn Roy Jenkins into proceedings once again, whil. Kate Forrester sat down with Conservative MP Nicky Morgan to talk about Glastonbury, the failures of the election campaign and what's next for the party, country and Brexit. #Nicky Morgan #conservatives #glastonbury #Theresa May HuffPost UK Politics welcome back returning member Graeme for this week's podcast. The team discuss the DUP's confidence and supply arrangement with the Conservatives. Who will it best serve? Also, Lib Dems have kind of picked a leader and Graeme retur. The HuffPost UK Politics team weave their way through the week's events in Westminster. Grenfell Tower and the response by local and national government took the spotlight, while Theresa May's government handed in a threadbare Queen's Speech for the na. HuffPost UK's Owen Bennett sat down with Labour's Tom Watson to reflect on a quasi-successful election for Labour and try and work out what's gone right for Jeremy Corbyn all of a sudden. #Labour #tom watson #jeremy corbyn #election #ge2017 #conservati HuffPost UK Politics team take a forensic look at the week in Westminster, which has seen Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn swap monikers, he's strong and stable and she's the new ministry of chaos. Elsewhere, the fire in West London looks like it will too. HuffPost UK Politics take stock of a night of election shocks, spills and thrills. For the second time in three elections we have a hung parliament, a result that has left Theresa May in the firing line and with huge questions of where to go next for t. HuffPost UK Politics continues on the campaign trail, stopping by the BBC and Sky studios for the leaders' debates. The team showed more interest in the television spectacles than Theresa May, who ducked out of the 7-way clash on Wednesday. Has that . HuffPost UK Politics take a look at the week in politics, which this week took time to stand with the people of Manchester following the terrible events of Monday night. With campaigns on pause, questions need to be answered on whether police cuts by t. HuffPost UK Politics report on the week in Westminster, which this week wasn't in Westminster much as the parties launched their manifestos. Jeremy Corbyn tried to show his working out, Theresa May is at the back of the class coasting by and Tim Farron. As the election rundown gathers pace, the HuffPost UK politics team take a look at the week in Westminster. First of all, a leak from Labour HQ (or is it from closer to Corbyn?) sees the manifesto fall into the public domain. People seem to like the po. HuffPost UK's politics team take a look at the week on the campaign trail, which saw our intrepid team go beyond the bubble to Slough where it's clear Brexit is still being fought on, Theresa May sees her opponents whispering on the continent and Jerem. Clean#67 - a strong and stable podcast for a strong and stable election HuffPost UK politics team take a look at the first week on the campaign trail. So far, the conservatives seem to be hammering home their message but will Boris be different? Meanwhile Labour go hard on policy while the "progressive alliance" takes shap. Clean#66 - It's Been A Really Long Time Since We Had To Vote On Something The HuffPost UK politics team return from a well-deserved break, only to be thrown in the deep end by Theresa May and her snap election. Well, it's been at least 10 minutes since we last voted on something. #theresa may #election2017 #election #vote #. The HuffPost UK politics team take a look at the week in Westminster, which this week was dominated by Theresa May writing a letter. But what a letter. Yes, it's every "remoaner's" nightmare as Article 50 was invoked by the PM. Elsewhere, G4S might hav. The week in Westminster was overshadowed by events on 22/3, when an attacker drove a car at pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before attempting to gain access to the Palace of Westminster. Owen Bennett steers tries to make sense of the day, talking to . The HuffPost UK politics team try to get their heads round a bewildering week in Westminster. Philip Hammond was forced to back down over NI, not that Jeremy Corbyn could make it pay. Meanwhile, Nicola Sturgeon threatened to out-referendum Theresa May . The HuffPost UK politics team take a look at the week in Westminster, which this week was filled with the fallout of Philip Hammond's budget and his National Insurance changes for self-employed workers. What are the implications for brexit and Britain . Labour's Jess Phillips sat down with HuffPost UK's Owen Bennett for a special Commons People Live. She discussed Brexit, working in an anti-brexit constituency and whether she'd run to be Labour leader if the opportunity came. #Jess Phillips #Labour #. The HuffPost UK Politics team takes a look at the week in Westminster. This week, Brexit hit the rocks when the motion to trigger Article 50 hit the House of Lords, Nigel Farage gets angsty about not being the anti-elitist elitist and Matt Forde gives . The HuffPost UK politics team are down one this week but carry on regardless. Much like a by-elections. This week, the NHS becomes a political tool. Again. Tony Blair makes a visit and schools funding makes a noise. #tony blair #theresa may #copeland. The HuffPost UK Politics team take a look at the week in Westminster which this week saw everyone talk about...Brexit! Clive Lewis had enough and wore a suit to say farewell to the shadow cabinet while it all left Diane Abbott with a sore head. HuffPost UK Politics return from a jaunt across the Atlantic Ocean, where Theresa May tried to be BFFs with Donald Trump. Back home Jeremy Corbyn worked within the system, to mixed results, as the vote on Article 50 hit the Commons. This week Westminster heads stateside as PM Theresa May goes to meet Mr Trump in Washington DC. Will his views on torture end our torturous use of "the special relationship"? Elsewhere Brexit proves to be Labour's woe as everyone has an opinion and a f. The HuffPost UK Politics team, sans Ned Simons, delve into the week in Westminster where Theresa May broke her omerta on what sort of Brexit we're having, Nick Clegg said the opposite and Jeremy Corbyn said one thing and looked the other way. #Theresa. The HuffPost UK Politics team return for 2017 with jingles! And a look at the world of Westminster, which this week saw the NHS in crisis, Jeremy Corbyn getting rather confused by his own proposal and Brexit continuing to dominate the thoughts and hear. The HuffPost UK Politics team take a swipe at the week in Westminster. This week, Boris Johnson unleashes his latest gaffe, talking lederhosen instead of sanctions against the Syrian regime. Everyone is still talking about Brexit but all sound exactly . The Common People discusses the new world political order, discussing the fallout of the leaked Brexit memos and President-elect Donald Trumps new friendship with Nigel Farage and what this means for Britain special relationship with the US. Finishing . The HuffPost UK politics team tackle the week's news, which was rather trumped by the election result in America. Britain tried to remain tactful, wondering whether Brexit unleashed this torrent of populism. #Donald Trump #Brexit #US Elections #elec... The HuffPost UK politics team discuss the reactions to the announcement of the runway at Heathrow airport, including Zac Goldsmith's reaction in parliament, Jeremy Corbyn's quoting Baldrick at PMQs and Emily Thornberry discussing Yemen. #Heathrow #Zac. The HuffPost UK Politics team discuss the week in Westminster (and Vegas this week). In Britain, the choice between hard and soft Brexit continues to rumble on, with the position of Theresa May coming no clearer as to which way she'll go. A similar the. The HuffPost UK Politics team take a look at the week in Westminster. As the parties return from their conference fun, the new world order takes shape. Brexit is throwing up all manner of problems for both parties but it's Corbyn unexpectedly on the su. The HuffPost UK Politics team wind up in Birmingham at the Conservative Party conference 2016. Joined by Heidi Allen, the team discuss the big themes from this conference, as Theresa May wrestles with Brexit and all it means. #Heidi Allen #politics #c.. The HuffPost UK Politics team were met down the pub by Wes Streeting and Alison McGovern to talk about the week's event in Liverpool and the repercussions and next steps now that Jeremy Corbyn has won a second leadership battle. #Jeremy Corbyn #Labo... The HuffPost UK politics team take a look at the week in Westminster. This week, Lib Dems continued conference season with a sturdy look at where they are. No one's quite sure where they are though. Labour meanwhile have olive branches and leadership b. The HuffPost UK Politics team take a look at the week in Westminster. This week, Theresa May started her premiership by harking back to Thatcher, Jeremy Corbyn was quietly aggressive and Donald Trump is now head of the house at the Republican conventio. The HuffPost UK politics team welcomes a new member to take a look at the week in Westminster. Brexit havoc doesn't show any signs of making the UK political scene any less barmy, with a new PM, a new cabinet with some surprising inclusions and a Labou. The HuffPost UK politics team take a look at the week in Westminster. This week, the Chilcot report was finally published after a seven year search for the truth around why the UK went to war in Iraq. The report mainly confirmed suspicions but what it . HuffPost UK Politics try to make sense of a wild week in Westminster, as Brexit threatens to bring the houses down of Labour and Conservatives. It's politics at its most brutal, with a just a whiff of Banana Republic. We're entering exceptional times. . The HuffPost UK Politics team take a look at the week in Westminster as we reach our EU referendum deadline. It's been long, it's been nasty, ridiculous and tragic but what have we learned from it all? Not to hold referendum's, mostly. #EU #Brexit #... The HuffPost UK Politics team take a look at the week in Westminster. This week Brexit reaches it's long, slow climax but not before Nigel Farage is tackled by that pirate Sir Bob on the River Thames and Boris admits to not reading the fine print. The HuffPost UK politics team take a look at the week in Westminster. This week, like every other week, EU referendum took up everyone's energy, with defections and rancour amongst the party ranks spilling over. Meanwhile, Jeremy Corbyn does his best n. The HuffPost UK Politics team take a look at the week in Westminster. As Brexit draws near, people are actually starting to listen on the leader's opinions. With Labour, this isn't as easy to clarify as it should be. Meanwhile, gloves are off in Conser. The HuffPost UK politics team take a look at the week in Westminster. This week, the IFS released numbers on Brexit at the same time as migration numbers came out. With the likes of potential future leaders like Boris Johnson running them down in pursu. The HuffPost UK Politics team take a look at the week in Westminster. This week, even the Queen's speech couldn't detract from Brexit as both campaigns begin to throw the kitchen sink at one another. #Brexit #EU referendum #politics #UK #EU #Hitler ... The HuffPost UK Politics team take a look at the week in Westminster. This week, with local elections out of the way, the EU referendum came back to the fore, to everyone's delight. Meanwhile, back in London, Sadiq Khan's win in the Mayoral race meant . The HuffPost UK Politics team take a look at the week in politics, which this week had 7yr olds going on strike. Yes, the education reform has proved to be the breaking point for the kids. Meanwhile, our US cousins have opted for child-in-chief to be t. The HuffPost UK politics team take a look at what was a very busy week in the Westminster. Labour failed to capitalise on junior doctor's strikes and the migration of unaccompanied children, instead letting Ken Livingstone do the talking. You know how . The HuffPost UK Politics team tackle the week in Westminster. This week, Jeremy Corbyn started to land some punches on the PM. Sadiq Khan pulls ahead in the London Mayor race, which causes consternation on Conservative benches and the House of Lords co. The HuffPost UK Politics team are back in podcast action, just in time to see that the Leave EU campaign continues to resemble an alliance from Games of Thrones, that David Cameron is rich (but legally so) and Jeremy Corbyn applies his "on my terms" to. The HuffPost UK Politics team take a look at the week in Westminster, which was dominated by Tata Steel announcing their decision to leave the UK steel industry. The government response has been verging on incoherent, while Labour find themselves in th. The HuffPost UK Politics team cast an eye over the week's events in Westminster, which was dominated by Iain Duncan-Smith's resignation. Just when it seems Labour can't fail to capitalise they manage to self-sabotage, with a hit list of those following. The HuffPost UK Politics team take a look at the week in Westminster, which this week was dominated by George Osborne's budget. He may have announced the sugar tax to sweeten the deal, but did it work? And how much was left unsaid by it dominating the . The HuffPost UK politics team take a look at the week within Westminster. This week could be the start of the "Oust Jeremy" campaign within his own party. Do they have the momentum though? On the other side of the House, David Cameron accepted defeat o. The HuffPost UK politics team take a look at the week in Westminster. Jeremy Corbyn snubbed his Labour's PLP this week to take a seat in a TV studio, causing a lot of problems for his loyal fans in the shadow cabinet. Prostitution gained a voice in a s. The HuffPost UK politics team look at the week in Westminster that wasn't dominated by EU talk. This week, boundary changes threaten the existence of parliamentary seats, which would suit one party, while an e-petition is used for good for once. Meanwh. In a new weekly special, the HuffPost UK Politics team discuss the week's movement in the in and out campaigns as Britain chooses whether to remain an EU country. This week, the date of June 23rd was confirmed by PM David Cameron, who lost two big name. Europe is on the minds of Parliament as we approach the start of the start of the real campaigning for Britain's future with the EU. The HuffPost UK politics team take a look at the week's maneuvres from Cameron et al and Boris Johnson's continued game. The HuffPost UK politics are back to full strength and looking to determine the right prescription for Westminster this week. Jeremy Hunt takes on the Junior Doctors while Labour look to figure out the course of action on Trident and pretty much everyo. The week of Westminster dissected by the HuffPost UK politics team. This week, EU negotiations dominated the political news, with David Cameron trumpeting his wins. But were they substantial enough? Meanwhile, back in the House, male politicians were c. The Huff Post UK politics team take a look at the week's news in Westminster, which saw a lot of bad news coming on top of bad news. George Osborne tweeted of his conquest late Friday night, which didn't look so good in the morning light. We've all bee. The HuffPost UK politics team take a look at the week in Westminster, which had one foot in the future and one foot in the past. Trident has given Jeremy Corbyn trouble and the Conservatives a chance to attack while a range of reports looking into the . The HuffPost UK politics team take on another week in Westminster, this time without Owen Bennett but instead joined by Lucy Sherriff. This week, rebellion is in the air as some Conservative MPs head for Brexit, Labour risk a Corbyn missile crisis and . The Huff Post UK Politics team charge into the New Year, yawning their way through a shadow cabinet reshuffle and non-excuses from government over flood defenses. It's good to see 2016 hasn't brought change to Westminster. The Huff Post UK politics team take a swipe at the week's news, which this week included an historic agreement on climate change. Will David Cameron's attempts at EU change be as successful? And who was the winner and loser of 2015? The Huff Post UK politics team take a look at the week in Westminster, which this week saw potential leaders stand in at PMQs, while the voting age for the EU referendum was debated in both chambers of Parliament. The Huff Post UK Politics team take a look at the week in Westminster, which was dominated by the 10hr debate on Wednesday about whether UK air strikes should extend from Iraq into Syria to wipe ISIS out. The debate stirred strong emotions and has led . The Huff Post UK politics team take a look at the week in Westminster, which was dominated by George Osborne and his autumn statement. In a much-welcomed U-turn he ditched tax credits, but continued to play his game of brinksmanship with the opposition. The Huff Post UK Politics team take a look at the week that was in Westminster, which was obviously dominated by the attacks on Paris. As France bombs ISIS-held parts of Syria, Jeremy Corbyn said yes and no to "shoot to kill" policy on British streets.. The Huffington Post UK politics team take a weekly look at Westminster. This week, Simon Burns worries about the ridicule that would follow if they allowed breast feeding in the Commons, oblivious to the ridicule by saying that. David Cameron's letter . The Huffington Post UK Politics team take a look at the week in Westminster. This week, the Snoopers Charter unveiled by Theresa May had Ned Simons worried, students protested for the hell of it and an Oldham byelection could be the making or, if not b. The Huff Post UK Politics team discuss the week in Westminster. This week, the government saw their first defeat over tax credits, when the House of Lords rejected the proposals. This of course was met with decorum and rational discussion. Does it also.
Many journalists work inside the Parliamentary estate, in a series of offices known as the Press Gallery. Demonstrations take place outside on a regular basis. So when journalists heard sounds of screaming and shouting outside our windows, and a series of bangs, it took us a moment to respond. The bangs sounded like gunshots but then again, Im not sure Ive ever heard gunshots in real life before. I ran outside my office to a window in the corridor outside, to get a better view. I saw a crowd of people away from Westminster Bridge, a major road next to Parliament. They ran round the corner into a neighbouring road. Westminster Bridge is used by people who work at Parliament and nearby government buildings. They might be coming from Waterloo Station, or from the cafes and restaurants on the south bank of the Thames. Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to playTap to play The video will start in 8Cancel Play now Its also popular with tourists, as its a great spot to take a selfie with Big Ben in the background. We later learned, though I didnt know it at the time, that this is where a vehicle had been driven into pedestrians. I also saw police officers inside the Parliamentary estate running towards the House of Commons. They were coming from a gate, used by MPs and other passholders, and running down a short stretch of road which is inside the estate itself. Typically, this road might be used by MPs who take their cars into an underground car park. A police officer - identifiable by his yellow visibility jacket - was on the ground. Other officers rushed to his aid. Journalists crowded round the window, which I imagine may have been a foolish thing to do as it would not be the safest place if any more shots were fired. We were motivated, of course, by a desire to see what was going on, and not by a rational assessment of the risks. A police officer appeared and told us to get out of the way and go back into our rooms. Police forensic officers close to the Palace of Westminster, London (Image: PA) I heard screaming from nearby, within the House of Commons. From everything I know, this was not because anyone was in immediate danger. My guess is that somebody had begun to work out what had happened and responded with understandable fear. As we as we all knew, the incident was confined to the Parliamentary estate. But reports soon came in of a vehicle mounting the pavement on Westminster Bridge and hitting people. MPs were voting when it all happened. Televised footage of Commons proceedings, shown on television screens in journalists offices, was replaced by images of the clock inside the Commons Chamber, indicating that the Commons sitting had been suspended. Read More David Lidington, the Leader of the Commons - a fairly obscure Cabinet position - then made a short statement, providing probably the first authoritative information on what had taken place. He said: There has been a serious incident within the estate It seems that a police officer has been stabbed; that the alleged assailant was shot by armed police. An air ambulance is currently attending the scene to remove the casualties There are also reports of further violent incidents in the vicinity of the palace of Westminster. MP's in House of Commons, London after a major security alert at the Palace of Westminster after a man apparently carrying a knife charged through the gates into the front yard of the parliamentary compound (Image: PA) MPs were kept in the Chamber of the House of Commons for a time, before being moved to a safer location. Journalists were also moved out of their offices, and into an area called Westminster Hall and its surrounding offices. In the meantime, a number of journalists had published photos or videos showing scenes from outside their windows. This is against Parliaments rules and is likely to lead to some harsh words from the Parliamentary authorities, or worse. In theory, journalists who break the rules can have their pass, giving them access to the Commons buildings, taken away. However, can my colleagues be blamed for wanting to show people what was going on, in the circumstances? I was working in Parliament when the 9-11 attacks took place. Some London buildings were evacuated on that day, but Parliament carried on as usual.
Share this with Eight people have been arrested in London, Birmingham and elsewhere in the country (Picture: SWNS) Eight people have been arrested and six addresses raided in London, Birmingham and elsewhere in connection with the Westminster terror attack, Mark Rowley, the Mets senior anti-terror officer, has said. Officers stormed a flat in Birmingham late on Wednesday night, with West Midlands Police directing inquiries about the operation to the Metropolitan Police. Prime Minister Theresa May told MPs Pc Keith Palmer was every inch a hero and his actions will never be forgotten. Mrs May said the Westminster attacker was a British citizen who was known to the police and security services, and had been investigated some years ago over violent extremism. Mrs May said he was a peripheral figure, adding: He was not part of the current intelligence picture. Mrs May said those injured in the Westminster terror attack included 12 Britons, three French children, two Romanians, four South Koreans, two Greeks, and one each from Germany, Poland, Ireland, China, Italy and the United States. Three police officers were also hurt, two of them seriously. He said: They have been working right through the night, looking into his background, how he got hold of the vehicle, where the vehicle has been in the last day or two, and who may, or may not, have helped him. Asked if he was known to police, Sir Michael said: I cant confirm that, you will have to ask the police that. The Met Police initially refused to comment on the raids connection to the bloody assault on Westminster, but one witness told the Press Association: The man from London lived here. Acting deputy commissioner of the Met Police Mark Rowley said: It is our believe that the attacker acted alone during the Westminster attack yesterday and was inspired by international terrorism. To be explicit  we have no specific information about further threats to the public at this time. The House of Commons and the House of Lords will sit at their normal times on Thursday, despite the parliamentary estate playing unwilling host to the attack the previous day. Around 30 people were injured in the attack (Picture: Reuters) Police had previously said that five people had died in the attack, however that number has been revised down to four. Advertisement Advertisement A total of 29 people have been injured and seven of them are in a critical condition. Police said that a man woman in her 40s and a man in his 50s had both been killed. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video And Londoners  and others from around the world who have come here to visit this great city  will get up and go about their day as normal. They will board their trains, they will leave their hotels, they will walk these streets, they will live their lives. And we will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart. Donald Trump was among world leaders to offer their support. Shortly after 1.30am UK time, the US president tweeted: Spoke to UK Prime Minister Theresa May today to offer condolences on the terrorist attack in London. She is strong and doing very well. Counter-terror detectives will continue searching for clues to how an armed attacker brought destruction to London. Several people have been arrested as a result of the raid in Birmingham (Picture: SWNS) (Picture: SWNS) Speaking outside Scotland Yard on Wednesday night, Acting Deputy Commissioner Mark Rowley, the Mets senior anti-terror officer, said police believe the suspect was inspired by international terrorism, and they believe they know who he was. Paying tribute to Pc Palmer, who had served the police for 15 years, Mr Rowley said: Today in Westminster we saw tragic events unfold, and our thoughts are with those who lost loved ones, those who were injured and all those affected by this attack. Advertisement One of those who died today was a police officer, Pc Keith Palmer, a member of our parliamentary and diplomatic protection command. Keith, aged 48, had 15 years service and was a husband and father. He was someone who left for work today expecting to return home at the end of his shift, and he had every right to expect that would happen. The attack has delayed the Queens planned visit to the new headquarters of the Metropolitan Police. A picture taken through the door of the flat in Hagley Road, Birmingham (Picture: SWNS) A Buckingham Palace spokesman said the decision had been taken to postpone the engagement in light of the attack. Stories of heroism and bravery emerged from the incident, which brought central London to a standstill and closed transport networks around the capital shortly after 2.30pm on Wednesday. Paramedics fought to save Pc Palmer, and his attacker, on the floor of the cobbled courtyard in front of Parliament, with Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood among those who rushed to help. Mr Ellwood, who lost his brother in the Bali bombing, could be seen pumping the officers chest then standing above him, his hands and face smeared with blood. Investigations continue today near the Houses of Parliament (Picture: Reuters) Terror struck at the heart of British democracy yesterday (Picture: PA) Armed officers, some in plain clothes and wearing balaclavas, swarmed around the yard feet from where MPs had earlier attended Prime Ministers Questions. The knifemans attack left a trail of destruction as paramedics tended to victims on the bridge and at the gate. One woman hit by the attackers car before he reached Parliament was confirmed dead by a doctor at St Thomas Hospital. Others on the bridge suffered catastrophic injuries. Another woman who fell into the Thames was rescued and given urgent medical treatment on a nearby pier. A party of French schoolchildren were among those targeted on the bridge, while four students from Edge Hill University in Ormskirk were also hurt  two described as walking wounded, and another couple said to have minor injuries. Romanian and South Korean tourists were also caught up in the tragedy. Mark Rowley's statement in full Good morning  I am here to update you on our ongoing counter terrorism operation following the horrific attack in Westminster. Greater clarity is now developing regarding the casualty figures as we have now collated information from the public and five hospitals  the latest figures I have are that there are currently four dead and 29 people were treated in hospital. We are still collating numbers of walking wounded and of those in hospital sadly 7 of them are in a critical condition. Tragically the deaths included PC Keith Palmer who was protecting Parliament, and two members of the public  a woman aged in her mid 40s and a man aged in his mid 50s. The fourth man of course was the terrorist who was shot dead by armed police at the scene. Hundreds of detectives have been working through the night and during that time I can confirm we have searched six addresses  and made seven arrests. The inquiries in Birmingham, London and other parts of the country continue. It is still our belief  which continues to be born out by our investigation  that this attacker acted alone yesterday and was inspired by international terrorism. To be explicit  at this stage, we have no specific information about further threats to the public. Clearly our investigation is ongoing  developing all the time  and is focused on his motivation, his preparation and associates. I do recognise that the media are making progress in identifying the attacker  I would continue to ask that his name is not published whilst we are at such a sensitive stage in our investigation  and as I state still conducting arrests and searches. The large and complicated crime scene remains in place and our work there continues  I would like to thank everyone for their support and patience as we finish this work. As people are out and about on the streets of the Capital this morning they will see more police officers on duty  armed and unarmed  and a mix of British Transport Police and the City of London. We have cancelled some leave and increased some duty hours and are working to make sure that we can out in force to reassure the public. We must not allow terrorists to create discord, distrust and fear. The police stand with all communities  later today a meeting of faith leaders will be held here at New Scotland Yard. Whilst our work to investigate and understand what happened yesterday continues with vigour  we must also reflect. I want to thank the public for their support and all their good wishes  I know it is appreciated by all those men and women who are out there today protecting us. Finally, I would also like to ask the public for their continued help and continued vigilance and if you see anything that causes you concern or raises your suspicions do not hesitate to call us  0800 789 321  or in an emergency 999.
Britain: heading towards disaster Reports of alleged links between Islamic charities and terrorism or extremism surged to a record high, according to the Charity Commission, a charity watchdog. By  Soeren Kern Azad Ali, an Islamist who has said that he supports killing British soldiers, was named a director of Muslim Engagement and Development (Mend), a controversial Muslim pressure group which advises the British government. Ali said that the jihadist attack at Westminster on March 22, 2017 was not an act of terrorism. Politicians tell us they are unafraid, but they are never the victims. How easy to be unafraid when one is protected from the line of fire. The people have no such protections.  Manchester-born singer Morrissey. The British government refused to say whether telling people about Christianity could be a hate crime. Lord Pearson of Rannoch said that when he raised a question on the issue in the House of Lords, the government failed to state clearly whether Christians can be prosecuted just for stating their beliefs. The Muslim population of Britain surpassed 4.1 million in 2017 to become around 6.3% of the overall population of 64 million, according to a recent study on the growth of the Muslim population in Europe. In real terms, Britain has the third-largest Muslim population in the European Union, after France, then Germany. The rapid growth of Britains Muslim population can be attributed to immigration, high birth rates and conversions to Islam. Islam and Islam-related issues, omnipresent in Britain during 2017, can be categorized into several broad themes: 1) Islamic extremism and the security implications of British jihadists; 2) The continuing spread of Islamic Sharia law in Britain; 3) The sexual exploitation of British children by Muslim gangs; 4) Muslim integration into British society; and 5) The failures of British multiculturalism. JANUARY 2017 January 1. Hundreds of adult asylum seekers lied about their age in order to enter Britain as teenagers, according to official data provided under the Freedom of Information Act. Figures obtained by Mail on Sunday show that social workers carried out 2,028 age tests between 2013-2016, during which almost one in four of the claimants  465  were found to be over 18. By concealing their real age, migrants hope to improve their chances of being granted asylum. January 1. Reports of alleged links between Islamic charities and terrorism or extremism surged to a record high, according to the Charity Commission, a charity watchdog. The number of times the Commission shared concerns about links between charities and extremism with police and other agencies nearly tripled, from 234 to 630 in just three years. January 4. Jamshid Piruz, a 34-year-old Afghan-born Dutch citizen declared guilty of murder in the Netherlands, pled guilty to attacking two British police officers with a hammer. Piruz entered the UK unchallenged, despite being convicted of decapitating a Chinese woman in Amsterdam. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison for the murder, but released early. As a Dutch resident, Piruz was allowed to travel freely across the EU. Britain has got to have tougher border controls, said MP Henry Smith. January 6. St. Marys Episcopal Cathedral in Glasgow featured a reading from the Koran which denied the divinity of Jesus Christ. The Koran reading, aimed at reaching out to Muslims, was held on Epiphany, a festival which celebrates the incarnation of God in the person of Jesus Christ. One of the Queens chaplains, Gavin Ashenden, referred to the Koran reading as blasphemy and said the decision showcased the limits of interfaith dialogue. He resigned on January 23 in order to speak more freely about the struggle of Christianity in British culture. January 7. Tanveer Ahmed, a 32-year-old jihadist serving a 27-year prison sentence for the murder in Glasgow of Asad Shah, an Ahmadi Muslim shopkeeper, issued a recording from Scotlands Barlinnie prison in which he called for the elimination of the enemies of Islam. January 8. MI5 launched a manhunt for a Syrian scientist posing as a refugee and plotting a chemical attack on a British seaside town. January 9. Inspectors from Ofsted, the schools regulator, concluded that Darul Hadis Latifiah, an all-boys school in East London, was not preparing pupils for life in modern Britain. Many of the students at the school could not name the British prime minister. Inspectors also found books which promoted inappropriate views on how females should behave, and found a closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera in the bathroom. January 15. Twelve of Britains most dangerous Islamic terrorists were to be placed in containment units in three prisons at a cost of about 1 million ($1.34 million) a year, according to The Sunday Times. The aim is to prevent them from radicalizing other inmates. January 17. Cambridge Professor Wendy Ayres-Bennett called on Britons to learn languages such as Polish, Punjabi and Urdu to make immigrant families feel more at home. She said that English speakers should think of immigration as a two-way street and be able to communicate in another language to aid integration and social cohesion. January 18. Manchester United appointed a counter-terrorism manager to protect against jihadist attacks. It was believed to be the first Premier League football club to do so. January 20. Gloucester Cathedral invited Imam Hassan of the local Masjid-e-Noor mosque to perform the traditional Muslim invocation to worship at the launch of a multicultural Faith Exhibition. A video of the call to prayer was posted on the cathedrals Facebook page. One commenter wrote: My ancestors built this cathedral and to allow a practicing Muslim to pray to another god is insanely naive. What did you think it would do? Encourage them to convert? January 22. Hani al-Sibai, a 55-year-old Islamic extremist, was granted 123,000 ($165,000) in public money to help him fight deportation, even though he is alleged to be a key influencer of the Ansar al-Sharia movement, a terror group which murdered 30 British tourists at a Tunisian beach resort. Al-Sibai, whose three-story housing association home in West London is worth 1 million, is also said to have radicalized Mohammed Emwazi, the Islamic State executioner known as Jihadi John. January 24. St. Clares School, a Roman Catholic School in Handsworth, found itself at the center of a social media storm after telling the parents of a four-year-old Muslim girl that she could not wear the hijab, a traditional Islamic headscarf, in class. The school has a strict uniform policy and asked the girls parents to respect it. The girls father refused and asked Birmingham City Councils Labour cabinet member Waseem Zaffar to intervene. Zaffar said: Im insisting this matter is addressed asap with a change of policy. January 25. Abandi Kassim, a 44-year-old taxi driver in Leicester, was fined for breaching equality laws when he refused to carry a guide dog because he claimed it was against his religion. Kassim turned away Charles Bloch, 22, who is legally blind, and his dog in Leicester in July 2016. He pled guilty to refusing to convey a guide dog, an offense under the Equality Act 2010, and was fined 340 ($450) plus 200 costs and a 50 victim surcharge. January 26. The City of Edinburgh invited citizens to vote for projects designed to create a city free from Islamophobia. Some 40,000 ($54,000) were made available for projects to help local people deliver innovative projects which reduce prejudice and foster positive relationships between diverse communities. January 28. Changing of the Guard ceremonies at Windsor Castle were cancelled amid fears of jihadist attacks. Police said jihadis could target soldiers and the thousands of tourists who gather to watch the time-honored military tradition. FEBRUARY 2017 February 1. Prime Minister Theresa May told the House of Commons that women should feel free to wear the hijab, a traditional Islamic headscarf. Several European countries have imposed bans on parts of Muslim religious dress. What a woman wears is a womans choice, May said. On February 1 (world hijab day), UK Prime Minister Theresa May said that women should feel free to wear the hijab, a traditional Islamic headscarf, stating: What a woman wears is a womans choice. Pictured above: Theresa May (then Home Secretary) wears a headscarf while attending an interfaith event at Al Madina Mosque in East London, in February 2015. (Image source: Imams Online video screenshot) February 2. Six Muslim men shouted Allahu Akbar as they were sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court for a total of 81 years for sexually abusing two girls  including one who became pregnant at age 12  in Rotherham. February 5. Muslim pupils outnumber Christian children in more than 30 church schools, including one Church of England primary school that has a 100% Muslim population, according to The Sunday Times. St. Thomas in Werneth, Oldham, is reported to have no Christian pupils, while at Staincliffe Church of England Junior School in Batley, West Yorkshire, 98% of pupils come from a Muslim background. The Church of England estimated that about 20 of its schools had more Muslim pupils than Christians and 15 Roman Catholic schools had majority Muslim pupils. February 7. Zakaria Bulhan, a 19-year-old Norwegian national of Somali origin, was sentenced to indefinite confinement at Broadmoor Hospital after he admitted to killing American tourist Darlene Horton and wounding five others in a rampage in central London on August 3, 2016. Bulhan, from Tooting, South London, pled guilty at the Old Bailey to manslaughter by diminished responsibility on the grounds that he was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia at the time of the attacks. He had been charged with murder and attempted murder, but the court accepted his plea. During his arrest, Bulhan repeatedly muttered Allah, Allah, Allah, and police found a Muslim prayer book, Fortress of the Muslim, in his pants pocket. The court, however, decided that Islam was not a factor in Bulhans behavior. February 7. A Chatham House survey of more than 10,000 people from ten European countries found that an average of 55% agreed that all further migration from mainly Muslim countries should be stopped. Majorities in all but two of the ten states agreed, ranging from 71% in Poland, 65% in Austria, 53% in Germany and 51% in Italy to 47% in the United Kingdom and 41% in Spain. February 9. A 44-year-old man from Hertfordshire was arrested at Gatwick Airport on terrorism charges after he disembarked from a flight from Iraq. He was charged under Section 5 of the 2006 Terrorism Act: suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. February 12. A National Health Service (NHS) project based on research by Leeds University claimed that Muslims with mental health issues could be helped by re-embracing Islam. Lead researcher Ghazala Mir helped to create a new treatment: Patients are asked if faith was part of their life when they were well. Those who stopped being religious are re-introduced to Islam by means of a self-help booklet. February 14. Clayton McKenna, a 22-year-old Briton who converted to Islam while in prison, appeared at Newcastle Crown Court after he carried an axe through the streets of Boldon Colliery. Apparently, he had planned to confront his Christian father over religious differences. McKenna allegedly told police that he was on his way to his fathers home to ask him to bow down to me. Judge Penny Moreland told McKenna: I am concerned that there is no real explanation for your confused thinking that morning, nor for those threats made. February 15. Faisal Bashir, a 43-year-old father of two from Ilford, was forced to move out of his home after he renounced Islam and stopped attending a mosque. Bashir said he was subject to harassment, but police dismissed his pleas for help as just a nuisance. The Chairman of the Ilford-based British Pakistani Christian Association (BPCA), Wilson Chowdhry, said: Police and councils up and down the country just dont understand the level of animosity people choosing to leave Islam can face. February 16. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe urgedMuslim scholars to step up efforts to counter the Islamic State. He said he believed that IS fighters were political criminals who were carrying out horrific violence which had no justification in Islam. In an interview with the Evening Standard, Hogan-Howe repeated the politically correct dogma that the Islamic State is not Islamic. February 18. Britains first-ever modest fashion event was held in London with more than 40 designers displaying garments that comply with Muslim values. Event organizer Romanna Bint-Abubaker, founder of modest fashion website Haute Elan, told Sky News: The fastest growing global consumer is at the moment the Muslim market. By 2030, one in three people will be a Muslim in the world  that is a huge population. February 19. Counter-terrorism police launched an investigation into claims that Trish ODonnell, head of Clarksfield Primary School in Oldham, was being forced to work from home after death threats from Muslim parents opposed to her Western values. ODonnell reportedly was subject to harassment and intimidation in the form of aggressive verbal abuse and threats to blow up her car from parents pushing conservative Muslim ideals. The school is mostly filled with Pakistani pupils who do not speak English as a first language. February 20. Members of Parliament debated U.S. President Donald J. Trumps state visit to Britain. Left-wing MPs called for the invitation to be withdrawn to protest Trumps travel ban on people from seven Muslim-majority countries. Conservative Party MPs accused their opponents of hypocrisy and insulting the American people. February 21. Rezzas Abdulla, a 33-year-old man from South Shields, was sentenced to eight months in prison. The sentence was then suspended so that he could receive treatment for mental health problems, for assaulting a woman and her nine-month old baby. Rebecca Telford, 25, and her daughter were strolling in South Shields in January 2016 when Abdulla leaned into the baby carriage and spat into the babys mouth, and allegedly said, white people shouldnt breed, before launching into a tirade of racial abuse. February 22. Jamal al-Harith, a 50-year-old British convert to Islam, blew himself up at an Iraqi army base in Mosul. He had received 1 million (1.1 million; $1.2 million) in compensation from the British government after being freed from Guantnamo Bay in 2004. Al-Harith, originally named Ronald Fiddler, was born in Manchester to parents of Jamaican origin and took the name Jamal al-Harith when he converted to Islam. He was also known more recently as Abu-Zakariya al-Britani. Captured in Afghanistan in early 2002, and released from Guantnamo Bay after two years, he later joined IS. February 23. The BBC paid very substantial libel damages and broadcast a full apology to Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin, founder member of the Muslim Council of Britain, who was falsely accused of calling for the lynching of author Salman Rushdie. February 26. Shahriar Ashrafkhorasani, a 33-year-old Iranian-born convert from Islam set to be ordained as a Church of England priest, accused Oxford University of discrimination and bias after he was told he could not ask a professor questions about Islam. Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali, a former senior fellow at Wycliffe Hall, said that a politically correct atmosphere is very widespread in the university as a whole. He added: If people are taking money from these [Muslim] sources, then that can limit the critical approach to the study of Islam and Muslim civilization generally. February 27. A spokesman for the West Midlands Police wrote on social media that parents caught practicing female genital mutilation (FMG) on their children should not be prosecuted. He revealed that the force is opposed to prosecuting/jailing parents for FGM because it would be unlikely to benefit children who fall victim to the crime. February 28. Patrick Kabele, a 32-year-old convert to Islam, was found guilty of preparing terrorist acts  namely attempting to travel to Syria  contrary to the 2006 Terrorism Act. During his trial, jurors at Woolwich Crown Court heard how Kabele, from Willesden in North London, tried to join the Islamic State in Syria, where he wanted to buy a nine-year-old virgin, the younger the better. He added that if he had enough money, he would buy four wives. Kabele, who was born in Uganda and became a British citizen, told police after his arrest that he did not owe an oath of allegiance to the United Kingdom. MARCH 2017 March 1. A Channel 4 documentary series called Extremely British Muslims showed the inner workings of a sharia court inside Birminghams Central Mosque. In the first episode, viewers witnessed the case of mother-of-four Fatima, 33, as she sought permission to divorce her drug dealer husband whom she says has abused her throughout their 14-year marriage. According to sharia law, Muslim women must plead their divorce cases in court, while Muslim men need only to say the words I divorce you three times to obtain a divorce. Birmingham Central Mosque said it allowed the sharia proceedings to be filmed in an effort to break down misconceptions about Islam. Some 100 sharia courts in Britain are now dispensing Islamic justice outside the remit of the British legal system. March 2. English actor Riz Ahmed warned that the lack of Muslim faces on British television was alienating young people, driving them towards extremism and into the arms of the Islamic State. Delivering Channel 4s annual diversity lecture in Parliament, Ahmed said that television had a pivotal role to play in ensuring that Muslims felt heard, and valued, in British society. March 3. The Amateur Swimming Association changed its swimsuit regulations to allow Muslim women to wear full body outfits, after a request from the Muslim Womens Sport Foundation. The rule was changed to encourage more Muslim women to take part in the sport. March 4. Ryan Counsell, a 28-yeara-old jihadist from Nottingham who left his wife and two small children to fight with the Abu Sayyaf Islamist group in the Philippines, blamed his behavior on the Brexit vote. He told the Woolwich Crown Court that increased tension within the local Muslim community after Brexit sparked his decision to leave. He said that he wanted to escape Britains political climate and seek an idyllic life under sharia law. March 5. Homegrown terrorism inspired by the Islamic State poses the dominant threat to the national security of the United Kingdom, according to a comprehensive new report on violent Islamism in Britain. The 1,000-page report  Islamist Terrorism: Analysis of Offenses and Attacks in the UK (19982015)  was published by the Henry Jackson Society, a foreign policy think tank based in London. March 6. British security services prevented 13 potential terror attacks since June 2013, according to Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, the UKs most senior counter-terrorism police officer. He also said that there were 500 live counter-terror investigations at any given time, and that investigators have been arresting terror suspects at a rate of close to one a day since 2014. The official threat level for international terrorism in the UK has stood at severe  meaning an attack is highly likely  for more than two years. March 7. The National Health Service (NHS) revealed that there were 2,332 new cases of female genital mutilation (FGM) in Britain between October and December 2016. That statistic brought the total of new cases in 2016 to nearly 5,500. March 7. The managers of the cash-strapped Sandwell General Hospital near Birmingham said they would consider building a special kitchen for preparing halal meals for Muslim patients and staff. The move followed complaints about the quality of halal meals that the hospital has outsourced from local vendors. March 10. The BBC announced that it would begin outsourcing production of Songs of Praise, a Sunday worship program that has been produced in-house for 55 years. Critics of the move said they feared that Songs of Praise will lose its Christian focus in favor of Islam. Anglican priest Lynda Rose said a recent Songs of Praise episode featuring a segment about the Muslim faith, including Church of England children visiting a mosque, exemplified the Islamization of the BBC. More than 6,000 people signed an online petition calling for MPs to investigate the BBC after it appointed Fatima Salaria as the BBCs head of religious programming  the second Muslim in a row to hold the post. March 11. Britains foreign aid budget was accused of funding at least two dozen Palestinian schools, some of which are named after terrorists and murderers, openly promote terrorism and encourage pupils to see child killers as role models. A Mail on Sunday investigation found pictures of martyrs posted on school walls, revolutionary slogans and symbols painted on premises used by youngsters, sports events named after teenage terrorists and children encouraged to act out shooting Israeli soldiers in plays. March 11. Islamic preachers may be asked to begin delivering their sermons in English under measures being prepared to rid Britain of hate preaching. The Telegraphreported that the governments counter-extremism taskforce is working on the plans amid concern that preaching in foreign languages enforces divisions between Islam and mainstream British society. March 12. An Islamic bookstore in Alum Rock, a predominately Muslim suburb of Birmingham that has produced 10% of all of Britains convicted terrorists, was found to be openly selling books promoting jihad. March 14. A father who described himself as Anglo-Saxon lost a legal battle to prevent his Muslim ex-wife from sending their 10-year-old son to an Islamic secondary school. The man, who was not named for legal reasons, said he wanted to prevent his son from attending a school inside a mosque on the grounds that he would be marginalized by his son if he enrolled at the London-based school. The mans lawyer said that the mother and father had different world views and that it was clients wish that his son be educated in a neutral environment. The man had converted to Islam but renounced his faith following the separation. A High Court judge dismissed the mans appeal, ruling that the man would not be marginalized by his son. March 17. The former owners of a bookstore in Bradford apologized after copies of the Koran and other Islamic literature were found in a garbage dumpster outside the store. Police were called to the store after a group of Muslim males began abusing the staff. The imbroglio began after the bookstores 80-year-old owner decided to close down his business, and the new owners gave him a month to move out the stock, which included a number of Korans and other Islamic books. March 17. Zameer Ghumra, a 37-year-old Leicester pharmacist, was arrested after showing a beheading video to two young children. He was charged with distributing terrorist publications under section two of the Terrorism Act 2006. March 18. The BBC apologized after a tweet from the BBC Asian Network account asked, What is the right punishment for blasphemy? The tweet provoked criticism that the BBC appeared to be endorsing harsh restrictions on speech. In an apology posted on Twitter, the network said it had intended to debate concerns about blasphemy on social media in Pakistan. We never intended to imply that blasphemy should be punished, a spokesperson said. March 19. A British jihadist reportedly used social welfare payments to move his family to Syria to join the Islamic State. Shahan Choudhury, 30, who was radicalized at Belmarsh Prison while serving an 18-month sentence for stabbing to death a 17-year-old hospital worker over an alleged 15 ($18) drug debt, vanished from his apartment in London and has since used social media to urge other British Muslims to carry out terror attacks in the UK. March 20. Mohammed Karamat, 45, an imam at a mosque in Coventry who assaulted four children as young as nine, was spared jail time. Magistrates watched footage of Karamat twisting a childs arm, slapping a child, and using a pen to stab a child and pricking a childs hand with the lid of a pen. He was filmed attacking the children during a six-day period. Karamat, who admitted to four counts of assault by beating, was ordered to do 100 hours unpaid work. March 21. Minister for Higher Education, Jo Johnson, ordered British universities to include a clear commitment to freedom of speech in their governance documents to counter the culture of censorship and so-called safe spaces. Johnson said that universities had a legal duty to ensure as far as practicable that freedom of speech is secured for members, students, employees and visiting speakers. University premises should therefore not be denied to any individual or body on any grounds connected with their beliefs or views, policy or objective. March 22. Khalid Masood, 52, drove a car at pedestrians on Londons Westminster Bridge and, armed with two knives, stormed the parliamentary estate. He killed five people and injured more than 50 before he was shot dead by police. Masood, a convert to Islam, was born in Kent as Adrian Elms. He was unemployed at the time of the attack and had been living on social welfare benefits. Masood, who had previous convictions for assaults, including grievous bodily harm, possession of offensive weapons and public order offenses, was reportedly radicalized in prison. March 23. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the Westminster attack. The perpetrator of the attacks yesterday in front of the British parliament in London is an Islamic State soldier and he carried out the operation in response to calls to target citizens of the coalition, the groups Amaq news agency said in a statement. March 23. Prime Minister Theresa May said that it would be wrong to describe the jihadist attack on Westminster Bridge and Parliament as Islamic terrorism. Instead, she said, it should be referred to as Islamist terrorism and a perversion of a great faith. March 25. Police investigating the Westminster attack concluded that Khalid Masood acted entirely alone for reasons that may never be known. We must all accept that there is a possibility we will never understand why he did this, deputy assistant Metropolitan police commissioner Neil Basu said. Meanwhile, British security services reportedly do not like the term lone wolf because they feel it glamorizes an attacker. They prefer using lone actor instead. March 25. An estimated 400 home-grown jihadis have returned to the United Kingdom after fighting in Syria, but only 54 of those have been prosecuted, according to a Mail on Sunday investigation, which also discovered that some returned jihadis are roaming free on the streets of Britain. March 28. Kevin Lane, a convicted murderer who spent 20 years in British prisons, including HMP Woodhill and HMP Frankland, told the BBC that he saw many inmates pressured to convert to Islam and carry out attacks on other prisoners. One man boiled fat and poured it over someones head because of an insult to Islam, he said. A spokesman for the Ministry of Justice said: The allegations put forward by the former prisoner are historic. March 31. A new biography of Prince Charles revealed that the heir to the British throne tried to halt the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan to honor Ramadan. He made the plea in an urgent call to William Farish, the American ambassador to London, four weeks into the huge military operation launched after the 9/11 terror attacks. Farish recalled: Prince Charles asked me if it would be possible to stop the invasion to honor Ramadan, and if I could convey that request to President Bush. The ambassador replied that it would be difficult to halt a military invasion already in full swing, but the prince allegedly protested: But Americans can do anything! Farish asked: Sir, are you really serious? Prince Charles replied: Yes I am. APRIL 2017 April 1. The British Home office stripped Sufiyan Mustafa, 22, of his UK passport after he traveled to Syria to fight with jihadists. Mustafa is the youngest son of the cleric Abu Hamza, who was sentenced to life in prison in the United States after being convicted of terrorism charges. Mustafa complained that he is now stateless and stranded in Syria. April 1. Frankland Prison in County Durham became the first of its kind to open a prison within a prison to isolate Islamic extremists. Convicted terrorists are to be moved to a jihadist prison block to reduce the risk of other inmates being radicalized. April 5. A BBC investigation found that online services in Britain are charging divorced Muslim women thousands of pounds to take part in halala Islamic marriages. Halala involves the woman marrying a stranger, consummating the marriage and then getting a divorce, after which she is able to remarry her first husband. Some Muslims believe that halala is the only way a couple who have been divorced, and wish to reconcile, can remarry. The BBC reported that women who seek halala services are at risk of being financially exploited, blackmailed and even sexually abused. One man, advertising halala services on Facebook, told an undercover BBC reporter posing as a divorced Muslim woman that she would need to pay 2,500 ($3,250) and have sex with him in order for the marriage to be complete  at which point he would divorce her. The man also said he had several other men working with him, one who he claims refused to issue a woman a divorce after a halala service was complete. April 5. The Salafi Independent School, an Islamic private school in Small Heath, was found to have placed an advertisement for a male-only science teacher. Although the advertisement, which breached the Equalities Act, was retracted, the headmaster claimed that the role must be occupied by a male teacher because of religious observance reasons. The decision prompted calls for the school to be investigated, amid fears it promotes gender-based discrimination and threatens to undermine British values. April 6. Ummariyat Mirza, a 21-year-old from Birmingham, was charged with planning to carry out a jihadist attack with a knife. He was also charged with possessing a bomb-making guide, the Anarchist Cookbook, and an extremist document called the Mujahideen Poisons Handbook. Police also charged Zainub Mirza, a 23-year-old from Bordesley Green, Birmingham, with sending Islamic State propaganda videos and executions to others to encourage jihadist attacks. April 7. The Food Standards Agency launched an investigation into the Malik Food Group, one of Britains largest halal slaughterhouses, over allegations of animal cruelty after an undercover video showed a slaughterman repeatedly sawing at the necks of sheep with a knife as they passed down a conveyor belt. The animals appeared not to have been killed instantly and some were seen heaving and jumping as they went down the line. More than 100 million animals are killed in the UK every year using the halal method, which forbids stunning animals prior to having their throats cut. April 10. Walsall Council backed out of a pilot project to introduce voter identification measures at elections amid concerns over how staff would handle Muslim women wearing veils. Conservative leader Mike Bird said the idea was more trouble than its worth and may lead to confrontation at polling stations. The government is planning to run the pilot schemes at local elections in 2018. April 10. Azad Ali, an Islamist who has said that he supports killing British soldiers, was named a director of Muslim Engagement and Development (Mend), a controversial Muslim pressure group which advises the British government. Ali said that the jihadist attack at Westminster on March 22, 2017 was not an act of terrorism. April 11. The Charity Commission, which regulates charities in England and Wales, asked Islamic Relief to explain why it invited a hardline Muslim preacher to star in a fundraising tour of Britain. Yasir Qadhi, a Saudi-educated American academic, has been recorded telling students that killing homosexuals and stoning adulterers was part of Islam. Qadhi, who featured in an eight-city tour, described Islamic punishments such as cutting off the hands of thieves as very beneficial to society. April 13. Twenty-nine people, facing more than 170 charges relating to the sexual exploitation of 18 children, appeared at Huddersfield Magistrates Court. The 27 men and two women were charged with offenses including rape, trafficking, sexual activity with a child, child neglect, child abduction, supplying drugs and making indecent images of children. April 14. Sainsburys and Asda, two of Britains largest supermarket chains, refusedto sell Easter eggs that tell the story of Christianity. Both chains, however, sold eggs that are not specifically Christian, including a halal version made by the Belgian firm Guylian. Stephen Green, of the lobby group Christian Voice, said: You are whitewashing the Christian message out of Christian holidays. Its difficult to find any explicitly Christian products, like Christmas cards, in supermarkets. April 15. Pupils at the Kilmorie Primary School in Lewisham, London were takenon a school trip to the Lewisham Islamic Centre where they met Shakeel Begg, an imam whom the High Court recently described as an extremist who promotes and encourages religious violence. Mr. Justice Haddon-Cave warned that Beggs role as imam put him in a position to plant the seed of Islamic extremism in a young mind. Begg praised the children for their desire to learn about Islam. April 22. Mohammed Aslam, an independent candidate for mayor of Greater Manchester, caused controversy after he delivered his election manifesto completely in Urdu on the BBC. Janice Atkinson, an independent member of the European Parliament, tweeted: If you cant/wont speak English you have no right to stand in elections. You cannot represent our people, culture and values. Stand down. April 22. Nadir Syed, a 24-year-old jihadist serving life in prison for plotting to behead someone in a jihadist attack, won a High Court case which ruled that his human rights were breached after he was placed in solitary confinement. Syed was placed in isolation at the top-security Woodhill Prison after he led other Muslim inmates in chanting Allahu Akbar (Allah is Greatest), banging on cell doors and threatening to decapitate wardens. April 23. Ahmadi Muslims in Cardiff said they were facing discrimination from other Muslims in the city. The Ahmadi branch of Islam believes Mohammed was not the final prophet, a view considered blasphemous to other Muslims. April 24. The United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP), in its new general election manifesto, pledged to ban the burka from being worn in public. The manifesto also proposed to outlaw Sharia law and make it a legal obligation to report female genital mutilation to police. April 25. Prime Minister Theresa May was accused of ignoring Muslim voters after she scheduled the general election in the middle of Ramadan. Muslim politicians from Labour and the Scottish National Party said they feared reduced voter turnout among Muslims on June 8, during Ramadan, which took place between May 16 and June 14. April 26. Wealthy Pakistani asylum seekers with 250,000 ($325,000) in savings, who claimed asylum in Britain before taking 40,000-a-year in benefits, were each sentenced to ten months in prison. Syed Zaidi, 41, and his wife Rizwana Kamal, 40, claimed they were being persecuted at home so flew to Britain with their family asking the Home Office for food and shelter. The couple, who have three children, were given free accommodation and other welfare payments worth 150,000 over four years at taxpayers expense, despite having more than 250,000 saved in seven different bank accounts. They then bought two cars and moved into a Victorian house near Manchester, but were prosecuted after a whistleblower called the Home Office. April 27. The Church of England said that British children should be required to learn about Islam. Derek Holloway of the Church of Englands education office said that Christian parents who do not want their children to learn about Islam should not be allowed to withdraw their children from religious education lessons. At present, parents can insist that their children take no part in religious education lessons and do not have to provide a reason. Holloway said that parents with fundamentalist Christian beliefs, who did not want their children to learn about other world views, risked leaving pupils with little understanding of Islam and without the skills to live in a modern and diverse Britain. Holloway did not say whether Muslim children should be required to learn about Christianity and Judaism. April 27. Khalid Mohamed Omar Ali, 27, was arrested on suspicion of preparing a jihadist attack near the British Parliament. He was detained with a backpack full of knives just five weeks after six people were killed in a jihadist attack in the same area. April 27. Haroon Syed, 19, from Hounslow, West London, pled guilty to plotting a jihadist attack on an Elton John concert in Hyde Park on September 11, 2016. The court heard how Syed tried to obtain weapons online, including explosives and a bomb vest, and surfed the web to find a busy area in London to launch a mass-casualty attack. April 28. Jade Campbell, a 26-year-old convert to Islam from West London, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for possessing materials likely to be useful to a person planning or committing an act of terror and making a false statement to obtain a passport. Police searching her mobile phone found a copy of the al-Qaeda article, Make a bomb in the kitchen of your Mom, which contained step-by-step instructions on how to make a homemade bomb. Another article concerned sending and receiving encrypted messages. Internet searches found on her phone included, How to join ISIS and How to marry someone from ISIS, as well as searches for flights to Istanbul and border crossings between Turkey and Syria. April 29. Mohamed Amoudi, 21, was arrested on charges of planning a jihadist attack on a crowded tourist area of central London. Born in Yemen, Amoudi has been linked to a controversial human rights group, Cage, which campaigns against what it says is oppressive counter-terrorism policing against Muslims. April 30. Cardiff Crown Court sentenced Mohsin Akram, a 21-year-old asylum seeker from Pakistan, to 15 months in prison for attacking his wife, Mariam Hussain, with a hammer when she forgot to cook his dinner. MAY 2017 May 1. Army cadets in Scotland were warned not to wear their uniforms in public because they could be targeted by jihadists. May 1. Three female teenagers were arrested in East London on terrorism charges. The arrests related to an anti-terror operation in London on April 27 in which a woman wearing a burqa was shot by police. Police said that an active terror plot had been foiled. May 2. Samata Ullah, a 34-year-old jihadist from Cardiff, was sentenced to eight years in prison for five terror offenses, including membership of the Islamic State. Ullah, a British national of Bangladeshi origin, was a key member of a group calling itself the Cyber Caliphate Army; she gave other members of IS advice on how to communicate using encryption techniques. May 3. Damon Smith, a 20-year-old convert to Islam, was found guilty of making a bomb filled with ball bearings and leaving it on a subway train in London. Jurors at the Old Baily court were told that Smith had downloaded the al-Qaeda article, Make a bomb in the kitchen of your Mom. The court also heard that Smith had a keen interest in Islam, guns and explosives, and had collected pictures of extremists, including the alleged terrorist behind the 2015 Paris terror attacks. Smith, who suffers from autism, admitted to making the device but claimed he only meant it as a prank. May 3. The trial began of four Muslim men who gang-raped a 16-year-old girl in Ramsgate, Kent. The girl was attacked when she got lost after a night out and asked for directions at a Kebab shop. Restaurant owner Tamin Rahani, 37, Rafiullah Hamidy, 24, Shershah Muslimyar, 20, and an unnamed teenager are accused of taking turns raping the girl in an apartment above the restaurant. May 9. Aine Davis, a 33-year-old British convert to Islam, was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison by a court in Turkey for being a member of the Islamic State. The BBC reported that Davis was one of a four-man IS cell nicknamed The Beatles responsible for beheading more than two dozen hostages in Syria. Davis, the only one of the group to face a trial, denied the charges against him. May 11. A mother and daughter, along with another woman, appeared at Westminster magistrates court on charges of plotting a jihadist attack near the British Parliament. Mina Dich, 43, her daughter Rizlaine Boular, 21, and Khawla Barghouthi, 20, are accused of plotting a random knife attack. Dich and Boular appeared in court wearing burkas covering their faces. Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot asked them to lift their veils to reveal their eyes when they were identified in the dock. May 12. Female drivers in Stockport were warned about a gang of young Muslim males who have been attempting to get into cars stopped at intersections. Several women in the area reported that they had been approached by the men while waiting for traffic lights to change. May 13. A divorce practice that allows Muslim men instantly to terminate an Islamic marriage simply by repeating the word talaq, meaning divorce, three times to his wife, has been described as really common among Muslims in Britain, according to The Sunday Times. Women cannot use the method, known as triple talaq. Under civil law in Britain, Islamic marriages are not acknowledged, leaving women with little power to escape an unhappy or abusive marriage, or to defend their interests in court when a marriage breaks down. May 14. Mohan Singh, founder of the Sikh Awareness Society, said that Muslim grooming gangs have been allowed to prosper in Britain because the authorities are afraid they will be labelled racist if they speak out. May 17. The first episode of the BBCs drama on Muslim rape gangs in Rochdale called Three Girls was broadcast with widespread approval by the mainstream media. The program did not, however, reveal that the perpetrators were Muslim or that Islamic doctrine sanctions such treatment of non-Muslim women, accordingto a review published by Breitbart London. May 17. Muhammad Rabbani, the international director of Cage, a controversial group critical of British anti-terrorism laws, was charged with willfully obstructing, or seeking to frustrate, a search under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000, which gives border officials sweeping search powers. Rabbani was detained at Heathrow Airport under counter terrorism stop-and-search powers; he refused to give police his computer passwords. Rabbani said he intends to fight the charge, which he regards as a test case of privacy versus surveillance. May 18. The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), an umbrella group with 500 affiliated mosques and Islamic bodies, released a list of key issues affecting Muslims before the election. It also circulated a suggested sermon for imams to deliver during Friday prayers. It read: Muslims need to be more politically active. An Ipsos MORI poll found that 53% of eligible Muslims did not vote at the 2010 general election. May 19. Khalid Mohammed Omar Ali, 27, a jihadist arrested with a backpack full of knives on April 27 near the Houses of Parliament, told the Old Bailey court that he does not need a lawyer because he is represented by Allah. May 22. Salman Ramadan Abedi, a 22-year-old British-born jihadist of Libyan descent, detonated a suicide bomb at an Ariana Grande music concert in Manchester. Twenty-three people, including Abedi, were killed in the attack and more than 100 others were injured. The attack was the deadliest on British soil since the London bombings on July 7, 2005. The American FBI had warned British authorities in January 2017 that Abedi was planning an attack in the UK, but he was evidently not judged to be a threat. May 23. Prime Minister Theresa May announced after the Manchester bombing that the armed forces would be deployed on British streets to boost security. May said that military personnel would be positioned at key sites to free up police for patrols. May 23. The Manchester-born singer Morrissey criticized British politicians for their reaction to the bombing in his hometown, saying they were too politically correct to admit that the concert bombing was the work of an Islamist extremist. In modern Britain, everyone seems petrified to officially say what we all say in private, the singer wrote on his Facebook page. Politicians tell us they are unafraid, but they are never the victims. How easy to be unafraid when one is protected from the line of fire. The people have no such protections. May 24. Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said that Manchester bomber Salman Abedi was a terrorist, not a Muslim. May 26. MI5, Britains domestic security agency, revealed that it had identified 23,000 jihadist extremists living in the country. About 3,000 people from the group are judged to pose an immediate threat. They are under investigation or active monitoring in 500 operations being run by police and intelligence services. The 20,000 others have featured in previous inquiries and are categorized as posing a residual risk. The number was more than seven times higher than previously known. May 27. Manchester bomber Salman Abedi used taxpayer-funded student loans and benefits to bankroll his terror plot, according to the Telegraph. Abedi is believed to have received thousands of pounds in state funding in the run-up to the attack, even while he was overseas receiving bomb-making training. May 28. A 23-year-old Libyan trainee pilot was arrested in Shoreham-by-Sea, Sussex, as part of the investigation into the jihadist network behind Manchester bomber Salman Abedi. May 29. Didsbury Mosque, the mosque attended by Manchester bomber Salman Abedi and his family, admitted to the BBC that it did not report him to British authorities for being a suspected Islamic extremist. The mosque was also reportedto have hosted hate preachers who called for British soldiers to be killed and non-believers to be stoned to death. May 30. Five senior school leaders accused of involvement in the Trojan Horse controversy in Birmingham were allowed to return to the classroom, after the governments case against them was found to involve an abuse of justice by government lawyers. The teachers had been accused of allowing undue Islamist influence in running three Birmingham state schools, but an independent disciplinary panel, citing a repeated failure on the part of government lawyers to share crucial evidence, discontinued the proceedings against them. May 31. A new book, Talking about Terrorism, urges schoolchildren as young as seven to write a letter to a terrorist to help understand their motives. The book describes the indiscriminate mass murder of innocent members of the public as a type of war. It tells children of primary school age that terrorists kill people because they believe they are being treated unfairly and not shown respect. May 31. The findings of an investigation commissioned by former Prime Minister David Cameron into the foreign funding and support of jihadi groups may never be published, according to the Guardian. The inquiry into revenue streams for extremist groups operating in Britain is thought to focus on Saudi Arabia. The Home Office confirmed that the report would not necessarily be published because the contents are very sensitive. JUNE 2017 June 3. Khuram Shazad Butt, a 27-year-old Pakistani-born British citizen, Rachid Redouane, a 30-year-old who claimed to be Libyan and Moroccan and Youssef Zaghba, a 22-year-old Moroccan-Italian, murdered eight people and injured 50 others in a jihadist attack on and around the London Bridge. The three assailants were shot dead by police. It was the third major jihadist attack in Britain in as many months. June 3. Khalid Al-Mathkour, chairman of Kuwaits sharia council, and Essam Al-Fulaij, a Kuwaiti government figure known for his anti-Semitic diatribes, were listed as trustees of a UK-registered charity that is building a mosque in Sheffield, according to the Telegraph. They have helped channel almost 500,000 ($650,000) into the project from Kuwait. Another 400,000 ($525,000) has been donated to the charity, the Emaan Trust, by a Qatari organization. The stated aim of the new mosque, which will have a capacity for 500 worshippers, is to promote and teach Islamic morals and values to new Muslim generations. June 4. Prime Minister Theresa May, after the London Bridge attack, said there was far too much tolerance of extremism in Britain and promised to step up the fight against Islamic terrorism. Enough is enough, she said. May also asserted that the jihadists held to an ideology that was a perversion of true Islam: It is an ideology that claims our Western values of freedom, democracy and human rights are incompatible with the religion of Islam [Correct]. It is an ideology that is a perversion of Islam and a perversion of the truth [Incorrect]. June 6. Khuram Shazad Butt, one of the London Bridge attackers, was known to British authorities, according to the Telegraph. He had appeared in a Channel 4 documentary about British extremists called The Jihadis Next Door. Butt was also filmed at events attended by questionable Islamic preachers, and had tried to go to Syria to become a jihadist there. June 7. Three Asian girls shouting Allah will get you slashed a woman near a nursery in Hermon Hill, London. The victim, named as Katie, was walking along the street when she was ambushed from behind. Police said they were not treating the attack as a terrorist incident. June 10. Police increased patrols at local mosques in Cambridge after strips of bacon were left on four cars parked at the Omar Faruque Mosque. A 19-year-old man was arrested and charged with religiously aggravated criminal damage. June 13. Mak Chishty, who retired as the most senior Muslim police officer in Britain, said it was time for British Muslims to stop skirting around the issues and to start denouncing extremism. June 13. Lugman Aslam, 26, was sentenced to five years in prison for plowing his van into five men in Leicester after an argument during Ramadan. Aslam admitted to dangerous driving and attempting to inflict intentional grievous bodily harm. June 14. Shamim Ahmed, a 24-year-old Bangladeshi from Tower Hamlets, East London, was sentenced to six years in prison for trying to join the Islamic State in Syria. During his trial, Ahmed pointed his finger at Judge John Bevan QC and warned him that he, Ahmed, would continue to wage jihad: Give me 20 years, I will come out the enemy. June 15. New statistics showed that during the year up to March 2017, 304 people were arrested for terrorism-related offenses  a 20% increase compared to the previous 12 months. Combined with those people held since March, total arrests in 2017 were expected to top the previous record of 315, set in 2015. June 19. Darren Osborne, a 47-year-old unemployed father of four, drove a van into a group of worshippers close to the Finsbury Park Mosque in North London. One person was killed and eight others injured in the attack, which police said was premeditated. Osborne was self-radicalized into his extremist hatred of Muslims, according to the Guardian. June 20. Armed police were deployed to the Neolithic Stonehenge to protect thousands of pagans, who were celebrating the summer solstice, from jihadist attacks. David Spofforth of the Pagan Federation said it was very sad that armed police were necessary: I am not saying I am welcoming this, I sadly accept it. But you just have to look at the events such as at Finsbury Park, a peaceful religious gathering where people suffered so much by the actions of one hate-filled individual. June 22. A Muslim woman sued her former employers after allegedly being ordered to remove her black headscarf because the garment had terrorist affiliations. The estate agent had been working for Harvey Dean in Bury for almost a year when she says managers took issue with her hijab. The woman said she felt singled out as the only Muslim woman in the office and claimed the company discriminated against her on the basis of both religion and gender. June 23. Amanda Spielman, the head of Ofsted, the schools regulator, vowed to crack down on Islamic extremism in British schools. She said that school children must be equipped with the knowledge and resilience required to combat the violent rhetoric peddled by hate preachers who put hatred in their hearts and poison in their minds. June 24. More than 40 foreign jihadists have used human rights laws to remain in Britain, according to an unpublished report delayed by the Home Office. The study, a copy of which was leaked to the Telegraph, describes how lawyers, funded by legal aid, have successfully prevented foreign-born terror suspects from being sent back to their home countries. June 25. Michael Adebolajo, who together with Michael Adebowale murdered British soldier Lee Rigby outside Woolwich barracks in south-east London in May 2013, is now regarded as the most dangerous prisoner in the British penal system, according to prison sources. A prison officer described him as violent, unpredictable and a major danger to other prisoners. He has also radicalized dozens of inmates, including non-Muslim prisoners who are said to have converted to Islam and sworn allegiance to the Islamic State. June 27. Muslims launched an online petition to oppose a new veil policy at John Thursby Community College, in Burnley, Lancashire. The school announced plans for a universal-length headscarf that some Muslims said is too short and not sufficiently modest. Previously, girls were free to choose any length they pleased. Some feel that the move is aimed at deterring girls from wearing headscarves at all. June 28. A trial began in London of four jihadists  Naweed Ali, 29, Tahir Aziz, 38, Khobaib Hussain, 25, and Mohibur Rahman, 32  for allegedly plotting a knife rampage on British soil. The men, who called themselves The Musketeers, were accused of sharing the same radical belief in violent jihad. Prosecutors said the terror plot involved a samurai sword and a meat cleaver with the word Kafir (unbeliever) scratched onto the blade. The four men were arrested after weapons, ammunition, and a pipe bomb were found in Alis car during a counter-terrorism operation in Birmingham. June 29. Three men were arrested in the Armagh and Coalisland areas of Northern Ireland for displaying anti-Muslim posters and stickers. Police said the material  which included the slogan Rapefugees Not Welcome  was likely to stir up racial hatred. June 30. Tarik Chadlioui, a 43-year-old Moroccan cleric living in Birmingham with his wife and eight children, was accused of recruiting jihadists for the Islamic State. Chadlioui, a Salafist, is believed to be the spiritual leader of an Islamic State cell in Spain and is wanted in several European countries. Chadlioui, also known as Tarik ibn Ali, is said to have formed links with jihadist groups that aim to impose Sharia law in Europe. JULY 2017 July 1. Two men, both aged 21, one from Leicester and one from Birmingham, were arrested at Heathrow Airport on suspicion of terrorism offenses after arriving on a flight from Turkey. Two days earlier, a 21-year-old woman was arrested, also on suspicion of terrorism offenses, as she arrived at the same airport on a flight from Istanbul. In May, a 30-year-old man was arrested at Heathrow, on suspicion of preparing for terrorist acts after he stepped off a plane from Istanbul. July 2. Sahnoun Daifallah, a 50-year-old Algerian chemist, sentenced to nine years in prison for contaminating supermarket food with his own excrement, avoided deportation for seven years. Daifallah came to Britain in 1999 and was granted refugee status two years later. In May 2008, he used a weed killer spray bottle to contaminate food with a mixture of urine and feces at several supermarkets in Gloucestershire. Damage to the businesses was estimated at 700,000 ($900,000). Daifallah was told he would be deported in 2010, but he remains in Britain, apparently due to bureaucratic incompetence. July 2. A new report  The Missing Muslims: Unlocking British Muslim Potential for the Benefit of All  concluded: It is of great importance that British-born imams, who have a good understanding of British culture and who fluently speak English, are encouraged and appointed in preference to overseas alternatives. Imams were told they must take a stronger stance against persecution of others, including Jews, Christians and other Muslims. July 3. BBC One broadcast a documentary,  The Betrayed Girls  about the Rochdale child-exploitation ring, in which dozens of underage girls were raped and trafficked by a gang of men from Pakistan and Afghanistan. In the 90-minute film  which featured interviews with individuals from the case  former Detective Constable Maggie Oliver and Chief Prosecutor Nazir Afzal provided insights into the failings of police and other official bodies to investigate the large-scale sexual abuse, which occurred between 2008 and 2009. July 3. Haroon Syed, 19, from West London, was sentenced to sixteen-and-a-half years in prison for plotting to attack an Elton John concert in London on the 15th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Syed admitted to researching potential targets on the internet, including an Elton John concert in Hyde Park and Oxford Street, a busy shopping district. He also used the internet to try to obtain weapons to use in a possible attack, and used social media to approach people he believed were supporters of Islamic State. In one message, he wrote: So after some damage with machine gun then do martyrdomthats what im planning to do. July 3. Armed police swooped down on a Megabus from London after a disruptive man, shouting praise Allah and somethings about to happen, caused a driver to pull over and evacuate worried passengers. A Warwickshire Police and West Mercia Police spokesman said: The bus stopped on Central Park Drive where a 47-year-old man from Manchester was detained under the Mental Health Act. He will now undergo a mental health assessment. July 3. Britains domestic intelligence agency, MI5, deployed agents to Ireland to monitor jihadists there. A source interviewed by the Irish Star said: The British think our security here is too lax and MI5 are here to try and spot any problems in Dublin before they get to England. July 4. The National Health Service (NHS) recorded 5,391 new cases of female genital mutilation (FGM) during the past year. Almost half the victims were women and girls living in London. One-third were women and girls born in Somalia, while 112 cases were UK-born nationals. Although FGM was banned in the UK in 1985, not a single person has been convicted of the crime. July 4. Northern Irelands lead prosecutor, Barra McGrory, said he has no regrets about charging Pastor James McConnell for hate speech for making grossly offensive remarks during a May 2014 sermon in which he said that Islam is satanic and heathen. McConnell was acquitted of the charges in January 2016. McGrory said: There are laws which control and limit free speech in certain contexts. Its a prosecutors nightmare trying to make these finely balanced decisions on whether or not such comments do or do not stray across the line. July 5. A new report  Foreign Funded Islamist Extremism in the UK from the Henry Jackson Society  highlighted the need for a public inquiry into the foreign-based funding of Islamist extremism. The reports conclusions include: The foreign funding for Islamist extremism in Britain primarily comes from governments and government-linked foundations based in the Gulf, as well as Iran. Foremost among these has been Saudi Arabia, which since the 1960s has sponsored a multimillion dollar effort to export Wahhabi Islam across the Islamic world, including to Muslim communities in the West. July 7. A 17-year-old boy who grew up in a Christian family and converted to Islam allegedly plotted a lone wolf attack on a Justin Bieber concert in Cardiff. Counter-terrorism police said the boy, who was not identified because of his age, became radicalized online. The attack was to take place on June 30 as more than 40,000 fans descended on the Principality Stadium for the concert. The boy was arrested during a raid on his rural home hours before the performance. July 8. Nazim Ali, a director of the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC), claimed that the victims of the fire at the Grenfell Tower were murdered by Zionists who fund the Conservative party. July 9. Zohair Tomari, 20, was sentenced to 12 years and nine months years in prison for raping a 17-year-old girl and sexually assaulting two other girls, aged 13 and 14. Tomari, who claims to be from Morocco but is believed to be from Syria, raped the 17-year-old after plying her with alcohol. After he was granted bail, he went on to attack the two younger girls. July 12. Home Secretary Amber Rudd said that the government would not publish the much-delayed report, commissioned by former Prime Minister David Cameron in November 2015, into the funding of Islamist extremism in Britain. Opposition parties condemned the government for not publishing the report. They said that the decision appeared to be intended to bury any criticism of Saudi Arabia. July 12. British Transport Police released a CCTV image of an elderly Muslim man suspected of having sexually assaulted a 16-year-old girl on a train between Preston and Blackburn. A police spokesman said: We do not tolerate any form of unwanted sexual behavior and we are working to identify and trace the offender. July 14. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick, Britains senior police officer, said that a very large number of plots have been foiled during the last few years. Some of them were very close, we would say, to an attack, very close. Pressed on exactly how many attacks have been thwarted, she said that five had been averted in just the last few weeks. July 14. Jahed Choudhury, 24, thought to be one of the first British Muslims to be in a same-sex marriage, said that since his wedding, he had received death threats online and abuse on the streets: The worst messages say, the next time I see you in the streets, Im going to throw acid in your face. Even if I walk down the streets, I have people spitting on me and calling me pig. He added: Ive been brought up Muslim and the Koran mentions you cannot be gay and Muslim. But this is how I have chosen to live my life. I will never get rid of my faith. July 16. Aniso Abulkadir, 18, from Harrow, London, claimed that she and her friends were racially assaulted at the Baker Street Tube station. After reporting the incident to police, Abulkadir shared a photo of the alleged attacker online and described how he attempted to remove her headscarf before hitting her. When the picture went viral, the man in the image identified himself on Twitter and refuted the allegations. Pawel Uczciwek, 28, from London, said he was protecting his girlfriend and attempting to defuse what he called a racist attack from three random females. Uczciwek wrote: The police are fully cooperating with me and will be able to obtain CCTV footage showing the three women attempting to attack my partner because we are in an interracial relationship. July 19. Jihadists linked to the Islamic State called on supporters to carry out lone wolf attacks on Jewish businesses and places of worship in Britain. The threat, posted on a pro-ISIS social media site called Lone Mujahid, included a list of every synagogue in Britain, as well as a list of Jewish shops and delicatessens across the country. July 20. Rachida Serroukh, 37, a single mother of three, filed a lawsuit against her daughters school, the prestigious Holland Park School, dubbed the socialist Eton, after being told she could not wear a face veil on its premises. The school said it is a safety issue to be able to identify all of those on school premises. Serroukhs lawyer said it was a straightforward test case of religious discrimination. The government constantly talks about British values, he said. To me, those values include diversity and multiculturalism. July 21. The British government lacks reliable immigration statistics and has no way to track who is entering or leaving the country, according to a report released by the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee. July 22. A freedom of information request revealed that Anjem Choudary, an Islamist serving a five-and-a-half year sentence for urging support of the Islamic State, has received more than 140,000 ($180,000) in taxpayer-funded legal aid for his unsuccessful bid to avoid prison. As his lawyers continue to file claims, the figure is set to rise. The father-of-five has claimed up to 500,000 ($640,000) in benefits, to which he has referred as a Jihad seekers allowance. July 22. Zana Hassan, a 29-year-old Iraqi who has been living illegally in Britain for nine years, avoided deportation after he stormed into a Methodist church and threatened churchgoers. I will kill you and kill all the English, he shouted. The Crown Prosecution Service deemed the offense a low-level disorder, which allowed Hassan to avoid time in jail. Hassan walked free after Home Office officials failed to seek a deportation order. July 25. Mujahid Arshid, 33, was charged with kidnapping, raping and murdering Celine Dookhran, a 19-year-old Indian Muslim, in a suspected honor killing in London. Prosecutor Binita Roscoe told the Wimbledon Magistrates Court that the teenager was of Indian Muslim heritage and had started a relationship with an Arab Muslim man. July 25. An inmate at a prison in Norfolk shouted, This is for Allah before slashing the throat of a guard. After being moved to another prison, the man attacked a second officer. An official source said that the suspect was not serving a sentence for a terror-related offense, a statement that raised the possibility that he had been radicalized in prison. July 26. A 15-year-old girl was raped at a railway station in Birmingham. She was then raped again by the driver of a passing car she flagged down to help her. Police described the first attacker as an Asian man in his early 20s and of a skinny build. Police said the second man was also Asian, in his 20s and of a large build. July 27. Victoria Wasteney, a Christian NHS worker, lost a protracted legal battle, for having shared her faith at work with a Muslim colleague, Enya Nawaz. Wasteney, the former Head of Forensic Occupational Therapy at St. John Howard hospital in East London, was suspended in June 2013 for gross misconduct after Nawaz complained that Wasteney had been attempting to convert her to Christianity. Wasteney said she was surprised by the allegations because she thought she and her colleague had become friends during the 18 months they worked together. July 27. An official report revealed that Omar Deghayes, a former detainee at Guantnamo Bay who was paid 1 million ($1.3 million) in compensation by the British Government for the time he spent at the detention center, passed some of the money on to teenage jihadists who later died fighting in Syria. Deghayes is alleged to have paid young Muslim boys to attend a gym where children were vulnerable to radicalization. The Serious Case Review revealed that police and other authorities were warned about a network of teenage jihadists attending the gym, but that those concerns were ignored. July 27. Four members of the Rochdale sexual grooming gang received 1million ($1.3 million) in taxpayer-funded legal aid to fight their deportation to Pakistan. Lawyers for Shabir Ahmed, Abdul Aziz, Adil Khan and Abdul Rauf, pedophiles who raped and abused girls as young as 13, are leveraging Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights: Everyone has the right to respect for his private and family life, his home and his correspondence. July 28. Iman FM, a radio station in Sheffield, was taken off the air by Ofcom, the media regulator, after it broadcast 25 hours of lectures by Anwar al-Awlaki, a former leader of al-Qaeda who was killed in an American drone strike. Ofcom said Iman FM was guilty of extremely serious breaches of the broadcasting code by airing material that was likely to incite or encourage the commission of crime or to lead to disorder. July 30. Mubarek Ali, the ringleader of sexual grooming gang in Telford, was told he would be released from prison just five years into a 22-year sentence. Ali was one of seven men convicted at Worcester Crown Court in 2013 for preying on girls as young as 13. Telford MP Lucy Allan condemned the decision, which could allow Ali back into a community where his victims continue to live. July 31. Amin Mohmed, 24, Mohammed Patel, 20, and Faruq Patel, 19, were sentenced to between 18 and 42 weeks at a young offenders institution after rampaging through Liverpool city center and attacking strangers because they were white non-Muslims. One of the men stopped Gary Bohanna and said, Im a Muslim, what are you? When Bohanna answered, Im a Christian, the attacker shouted, Why arent you a Muslim? before punching him twice. The group then encountered St. Helens councilor Paul Lynch and his girlfriend. Faruq filmed Mohmed punching Lynch with a sickening blow that could be seen and heard. The judge said: References to the fact he was not a Muslim were made and you appeared to justify your actions because of certain beliefs you held. AUGUST 2017 August 9. Seventeen men and one woman were found guilty of involvement in a sex grooming network in Newcastle upon Tyne that plied vulnerable women and girls with drink and drugs before assaulting them. In a series of four trials at Newcastle crown court, juries found the men guilty of nearly 100 offenses  including rape, human trafficking, conspiracy to incite prostitution and drug supply  between 2011 and 2014. The victims, all females between 13 and 25, were targeted because they were vulnerable and less likely to complain about their circumstances, the prosecution argued. The court heard accounts of young women who were drugged before waking up to find themselves undressed, having been sexually assaulted. August 9. Referrals by members of the public to the British governments counter-terrorism scheme doubled since the jihadist attacks in London and Manchester. Police received around 200 referrals to the strategy known as Prevent from members of the public since March, when Britain suffered the first of four deadly attacks, according to Simon Cole, the National Police Chief Councils lead spokesman on deradicalization efforts. August 10. Ken Macdonald, a former Crown Prosecution chief, said there was a major problem in particular communities of men viewing young white girls as trash and available for sex. He admitted that Muslim grooming gangs were not investigated rigorously enough because of political correctness. Speaking on the Today program on BBC Radio 4, he said there had been past reluctance to look into Muslim men who had been targeting white girls. August 10. More than 700 women and girls were identified as potential victims of sexual grooming in the North East of England and authorities expected the figure to rise following the conviction of a high-profile grooming gang. I think theres every likelihood that this is happening in every town and city across the country, Chief Constable Ashman said. August 11. The former head of MI5, Jonathan Evans, warned that Britain is likely to face an Islamic terror threat for the next 30 years. He told BBC Radio 4s Today program: I think on the terrorism side we are at least 20 years into this. My guess is that we will still be dealing with the long tail in another 20 years time. I think that we are going to be facing 20, 30 years of terrorist threats and therefore we need absolutely critically to persevere and just keep doing it. August 17. Labour shadow minister Sarah Champion resigned after criticism over a newspaper article she wrote about grooming gangs. The Rotherham MP wrote that Britain has a problem with British Pakistani men raping and exploiting white girls. She apologized for her extremely poor choice of words. August 23. Nadeem Muhammad, a 43-year-old Pakistani national with an Italian passport, was sentenced to 18 years in prison for attempting to carry a pipe bomb onto a flight at Manchester Airport. Muhammed, who lives in Greater Manchester, was arrested on January 30 but was later released and allowed to travel because officers did not believe the device was real. He was re-arrested when he returned to Britain on February 11 and charged with possessing an improvised explosive device. Despite extensive investigation, Nadeem Muhammads motive for attempting to take this device on to a plane remains unknown, said Sue Hemming, the head of the special crime and counter-terrorism division in the Crown Prosecution Service. August 28. Teachers concerned about extremism in schools reported up to three warnings a day with a government terrorism hot-line. Staff raised 1,180 alerts with the Department of Education in two and a half years, making 741 phone-calls and sending 439 emails. The concerns included pupils being vulnerable to radicalization and staff members influencing their classes. August 29. Ricardo McFarlane, a 30-year-old convert to Islam accused of preaching sharia law in central London, refused to stand for the judge at Southwark Crown Court. Defense attorney Roy Hedlam said: Because of his religious belief he believes there is only one person who he should bow to. Judge Martin Beddoe responded: That may be, but this is not a court of religion, this is a secular court and it expects to be treated with respect. McFarlane complied. August 29. Sadia Malik, a 36-year-old primary school teacher from Wales, was charged with disseminating terrorist materials after she shared links to YouTube videos featuring Omar Bakri Mohammed, an Islamic extremist. She was accused of promoting a banned hate group and encouraging Muslims to sacrifice all their money to help establish a worldwide Islamic Caliphate. Her husband, Sajid Idris, 34, had previously been charged with four counts of disseminating terrorist publications as part of the same investigation. SEPTEMBER 2017 September 1. Britain is home to up to 35,000 Islamist fanatics, more than any other country in Europe, according to European Unions counter-terrorism coordinator, Gilles de Kerchove. September 1. Mike Adamson, Chief Executive of the British Red Cross, wrote: There is a risk thatan organization with the words British and Cross in its title is confused with a Christian, establishment organization. He added: We are nowhere near as diverse as we need to be in our volunteer base, our staffing or our leadershipthat is why, as CEO, I am personally leading our inclusion and diversity strategy. September 1. Mohiussunnath Chowdhury, 26, was charged with a terror offense after he attacked police outside Buckingham Palace with a sword and ranted that the Queen and her soldiers will all be in hellfire. The British-born suspect, who is of Bangladeshi heritage, was accused of one charge of preparing terrorist acts, which carries a maximum charge of a life sentence. September 2. A Christian church in Wales was accused of a lack of unity after it rejected a Muslim groups request to hold Koran studies in its hall. The Muslims wanted to use the hall in the Feed My Lambs Church for Koran and cultural studies. Reverend Roger Donaldson said: We are not against Islam; no way. Everybody has the right to worship as they please. Feed My Lambs is used for Christian worship. September 2. Rabar Mala, a 32-year-old illegal immigrant from Iraq, was chargedwith supplying hundreds of SIM cards to Islamic State jihadists to set up social media accounts. Mala allegedly provided 437 cards and phone numbers to jihadists in Iraq and Syria so that they could have a platform to post propaganda online. September 2. Sarah Champion, a former Labour MP, who had said that the British left was turning a blind eye to Muslim sexual grooming gangs for fear of being branded racist, also said that many Labour members and politicians based in London had never been challenged by a reality thats different from their multicultural world. She resigned under pressure after she wrote in an op-ed: Britain has a problem with British Pakistani men raping and exploiting white girls. September 3. Thousands of schools in Britain are allowing girls as young as five to wear religious headscarves as part of their uniform policies, according to The Sunday Times. The growing trend has been criticized by campaigners who pointed out the headscarf is supposed to be worn by a girl when she reaches puberty, not as a child. September 4. Robbie Travers, a 21-year-old law student at Edinburgh University, was investigated for a hate crime after he allegedly mocked the Islamic State on social media. After the U.S. Air Force attacked an Islamic State stronghold in Afghanistan in April, Travers wrote on Facebook: Im glad we could bring these barbarians a step closer to collecting their 72 virgins. A fellow student, Esme Allman, claimed that Travers breached the student code of conduct with his comments. Travers ultimately was exonerated. September 5. Three members of a Muslim sex gang, who used drugs to turn abuse victims into addicts and forced them to have sex if they wanted more drugs, were sentenced to a total of 56 years in prison. Seventeen men and one woman from Newcastle were sentenced for crimes including rape, sexual assault, inciting girls into prostitution and dealing drugs. They were part of a network of nearly 40 men, including Pakistani, Indian, Iranian, Iraqi, Bangladeshi and Turkish nationals, who preyed on approximately 100 girls. Prosecutor John Elvidge said the victims, who gave evidence in court, were white and British, and the male defendants were all of Asian extraction; but he insisted nevertheless that the crimes were not racially motivated. September 8. Michael Adebolajo, 32, who murdered the fusilier Lee Rigby, 25, in Woolwich, London, in 2013, demanded 100,000 ($133,000) after he lost his two front teeth when staff at Belmarsh Prison tried to restrain him. The public will be rightly outraged at the thought of this offender claiming compensation from the taxpayer, a Ministry of Justice spokesman said. September 9. Kamal Hanif, a counter-extremism expert appointed by the British government to rehabilitate schools involved in the Trojan Horse scandal, saidthat some teachers, particularly those who work in schools with a high proportion of Muslim students, are afraid of teaching about 9/11 because they fear a backlash from Muslim parents for being Islamophobic. September 10. The Ministry of Justice revealed that Muslim inmates at HMP Prison Send, a female prison in Surrey, will be provided with special outfits for when they are checked by sniffer dogs. The overalls will be given to female prisoners who follow Islam because many Muslims believe that dogs are impure. September 11. A Freedom of Information request revealed that Sammy Woodhouse, a woman sexually abused as a child by a grooming gang, was told by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA), a government body, that she was not entitled to compensation because she consented to the sexual abuse. Woodhouse was 14 when she met 24-year-old Arshid Hussain, who was jailed in 2016. Hussain was one of three brothers behind the grooming and sexual abuse of more than 50 girls, including Woodhouse. He was jailed for 35 years for 23 offenses including indecent assault and rape. Woodhouse appealed the decision: If an adult can privately think that its a childs fault for being abused, beaten, raped, abducted, I think youre in the wrong job. September 11. TheCityUK, Londons top lobby group, urged the British government to prioritize Islamic finance to retain its status as Europes financial hub ahead of Brexit negotiations to exit the country from the European Union. A 32-page report showed that assets of British firms offering Islamic finance services surpassed $5 billion (3.8 billion) in 2016, up 11% in two years. Britain was the first non-Muslim country to sell a bond that can be bought by Islamic investors. September 12. British Muslims are twice as likely to espouse anti-Semitic views, according to a survey produced by the London-based Institute for Jewish Policy Research. The prevalence of negativity towards Jews and Israel is, on average, twice as high among Muslims than the general population, said the 85-page report. September 14. A Dundee woman on a city bus found a handwritten note pledging: Sharia law will be for all human beings with Islam. The sword will be used to reach this goal. The woman said that she believed the message to be some sort of call to Jihad. She added: We just didnt expect to find something saying that on a bus in Dundee. September 15. A homemade bomb exploded during rush hour on a train at the Parsons Green tube station in West London and injured 30 people. The bomb, which failed to detonate properly, had been packed with knives, screws and shrapnel, as well as hundreds of grams of a homemade explosive known as TATP. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack. Ahmed Hassan, an 18-year-old refugee from Iraq, was charged with attempted murder. September 18. Online jihadist propaganda attracts more clicks in Britain than in any other European country and the main internet companies are failing to curb it, according to the Policy Exchange think tank. The report, The New Netwar, said that the Islamic State, despite big military defeats in Syria and Iraq, is still producing, at a conservative estimate, about 100 items of new content each week, including execution videos and bomb-making instructions. The report also said that the jihadist online ecosystem, the core of which is rooted in the Telegram app, is resilient and reaches an audience of, at a minimum, tens of thousands of users in the UK. September 20. Muhammad, with variations in spelling, was the top name for baby boys in England and Wales in 2016. The name Muhammad was given to 7,084 boys in 2016, compared to 6,623 boys with the second-most popular name, Oliver. September 20. Shabir Ahmed, a 64-year-old inmate at Wakefield prison, was found guilty of repeatedly stomping on an elderly fellow inmates face and head after an argument about the March 2016 Brussels terror attacks, which left 32 victims dead and 340 injured. Ahmed flew into a rage when he heard 71-year-old James Palmer say that the bombers should be eradicated. Ahmed, a former taxi driver, is currently serving a 22-year-prison term for leading a sexual grooming gang in Rochdale. He was sentenced to a further 12 months in prison on top of the term he is already serving. September 22. Hussain Yousef, a 21-year-old fast food restaurant worker who arrived in Britain from Afghanistan in 2010 and lived in London, was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison for recruiting jihadists for the Islamic State. Yousef had six Facebook accounts from which he posted Islamist propaganda and execution videos. He also shared a list claiming to be details of U.S. military personnel, including their addresses. Kingston Crown Court heard how Yousef, before becoming an enthusiastic supporter of the Islamic State, had been a gifted student who excelled at school. September 25. London Mayor Sadiq Khan revealed that since March 2017, police had foiled seven jihadist plots in the British capital. Those seven plots were in addition to the four successful attacks at Westminster, Borough Market, Finsbury Park and Parsons Green. Khan also criticized U.S. President Donald Trump for his Muslim travel ban and his ignorant views about Islam. Khan accused Trump of adopting the language of the Islamic State: They say that there is a clash of civilizations, it is not possible to be a Muslim and a westerner, and the west hates us. And you are inadvertently playing their game, you are helping them. September 25. Muhammad Rabbani, the director of Cage, a Muslim advocacy group critical of British anti-terrorism laws, was convicted of an offense at Heathrow Airport. Rabbani, 36, was stopped on November 20, 2016 after returning home from a wedding in Doha. He refused, citing privacy and civil rights, to give his pin number or the password to his laptop. Westminster Magistrates Court convicted him of one count of willfully obstructing a stop-and-search under Section 7 of the Terrorism Act. Schedule 7 gives officers their right to stop and search people with or without suspicion. Rabbani was sentenced to one year conditional discharge; he plans to appeal. September 25. Most British voters believe that Arabs have failed to integrate into British society, and that their presence has not been beneficial, according to a YouGov poll commissioned by the Council for Arab-British Understanding and the Arab News newspaper. Only 28% believe that migration from the Arab world has been beneficial to the UK, and 64% believe Arabs have failed to integrate. September 26. Zameer Ghumra, a 38-year-old pharmacist from Leicester, was accused of showing beheading videos to young boys and telling them that they had to kill anyone who insulted Islam. Nottingham Crown Court heard that Ghumra believed in a very, very, very extreme form of Islam. He used a rented house to teach children about jihad and told them that they were not allowed to have non-Muslim friends. Ghumra also asked them to choose between going to Iraq or Syria, or staying in the UK and encouraging others to support the Islamic State. September 26. Police launched a probe into an alleged sexual grooming ring targeting teenagers in Glasgow. Girls as young as 14 are thought to have been targeted by men in the city center. A social worker told the Evening Times that the area is rife with child exploitation problems. One of the victims, a 17-year-old girl, is understood to have been taken to houses in Govanhill and Dennistoun for sex with multiple men. A relative said: This really is just our worst nightmare, its this Rochdale and Rotherham-type stuff but its happening here in Glasgow in a big way. Nobody seems to be doing anything to stop it, all the girls have been made to believe these men are their boyfriends. It is white females they are hitting on, aged 14 to 19. September 26. The Wolsey Infant and Junior Academy, a school in New Addington, announced that it would only serve halal meat in the canteen. The move sparked outrage among parents, who insisted that halal should be optional. September 26. The National Secular Society (NSS) reported that girls in dozens of schools in England were being made to wear the hijab or a headscarf as part of their official uniform policy. NSS research found that out of 142 Islamic schools that accepted girls, 59, or 42%, had uniform policies that suggested a headscarf or another form of hijab was compulsory. Ishtiaq Ahmed, spokesman for the Council for Mosques, said: We have to accept that Britain, and a city like Bradford, is a multi-faith society, and faith is an important part of peoples identity. It is about tolerance and respect, and making efforts to understand peoples different way of life. People should have choices without the fear of being criticized. September 27. A crowd of men wearing Islamic dress gathered outside a church in East London and repeatedly shouted Allahu Akbar! into a microphone while playing a recording of gunshot sounds at top volume on a loudspeaker. A video of the incident can be viewed here. A witness said: I was alarmed, I did not know what was going on. When someone shouts Allahu Akbar while playing gunshot sounds on a speaker it is deliberately trying to alarm. Another witness said: I was alarmed at first but you come to expect things like that, its become common place in East London. London police said they were unaware of the incident. September 28. Kamran Hussain, a 40-year-old imam at a mosque in Stoke-on-Trent, was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison after being found guilty of two charges of supporting the Islamic State and six charges of encouraging terrorism. An undercover officer secretly recorded the Pakistan-born Hussain giving a series of sermons in which he told children as young as ten that martyrdom was better than academic success. When you dont fulfill the command of Allah, Im coming to remove your head, he said. September 28. Soruth Ali, a 42-year-old restaurant owner in Manchester, was sentenced to 14 months in prison for beating his 17-year-old daughter and her secret boyfriend. Bolton Crown Court heard how Ali, a devout Muslim, went into a rage and grabbed a hammer when he found the two in bed together. The daughter said she had been forced to live two lives at home and was forced to wear a headscarf in front of her father and that she wanted to live her own life. September 29. Henry Bolton, a former army officer, was elected to lead the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP). Bolton, the partys fourth leader in a year, beat the two favorites, Anne-Marie Walters, an anti-Sharia activist, and Peter Whittle, who has publicly spoken of his opposition to boycotts of Israel. Bolton pledged to take a softer line on Islam: I absolutely abhor the rhetoric that says we are at war with Islam. He also promised to review UKIPs integration agenda, which calls for a ban on full-face veils in public. The policy changes were likely to reduce UKIPs role as the primary opposition party resisting the Islamization of Britain. September 30. British universities hosted 110 events featuring extremist speakers in the last academic year, 2016/17, with the highest proportion taking place in London institutions, according to a report by the Henry Jackson Society. The extremist events were overwhelmingly organized by Islamic societies and groups; speakers included former Guantnamo Bay detainees and Islamists. OCTOBER 2017 October 8. The integration of Pakistani women living in Britain is shockingly bad, according to a Cabinet Office report. The findings of the UKs first disparity audit was aimed at understanding how people from different backgrounds are treated regarding access to healthcare, education, employment and the criminal justice system. Other communities have integrated very well, but the audit shows that Pakistani women who dont speak English or go out to work are living in an entirely different society and are shockingly badly integrated, a source close to the Cabinet Office told The Sunday Times. October 9. The trial began of ten Muslim men accused of operating a cynical and predatory child sex ring on a massive scale across Oxford. The six alleged victims were all from Oxford and aged between 13 and 15 at the time. Prosecutors said the men plied the girls with alcohol and drugs as part of what prosecutors called the grooming process and took part in sex parties at a number of addresses across Oxford, including at guest houses, in cars, and at local parks, involving groups of men. October 10. Hasan Alkhabbaz, a 22-year-old Syrian refugee, sexually assaulted six women in a subway in Paddington, London. The attacks occurred one month after he was granted asylum. Alkhabbaz, who admitted to six counts of sexual assault, said he was suffering from PTSD from the conflict in his homeland. October 11. David Wood, a former director-general of immigration enforcement, told the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee that there were enormous difficulties in removing illegal migrants from Britain: There are probably over a million foreigners here illegally at the moment. Theres a large number, so no one could ever remove those really. October 12. Sally Jones, a former punk rocker from Kent who became the leading female recruitment officer for the Islamic State, was killed in a U.S. airstrike. October 16. Abdel-Aziz Al-Shamary, a 21-year-old Kuwaiti who entered Britain illegally, was convicted of raping a stranger on a riverbank in Darlington. The attack occurred just weeks after he was granted legal status in the UK. October 17. The director general of MI5, Andrew Parker, revealed that MI5 and police had stopped seven attacks by Islamists in the past seven months. Twenty major acts were detected in the past four years and 379 suspects were arrested in the first six months of 2017. He said there currently were 500 live operations under way targeting 3,000 people with 20,000 more who have been on the counter-terrorism radar and others who are not even known to the law agencies. October 20. Naive jihadists who return to Britain after fighting for the Islamic State should be allowed to reintegrate rather than face prosecution, according to Max Hill, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation. The authorities have looked at them and looked at them hard and have decided that they do not justify prosecution, and really we should be looking towards reintegration and moving away from any notion that we are going to lose a generation due to this travel, he said on BBC radio. October 22. Mubashir Jamil, a 22-year-old from Luton obsessed with martyrdom, was found guilty of trying to join the Islamic State. He was arrested after he told an undercover police officer that he wanted to wear a suicide vest and press the button. October 23. More than 100,000 Muslims registered on a website offering to help men find a second wife. Azad Chaiwala of Sunderland told BBC Inside Out: The second wife website came about from my need, and thinking therell be other people in my situation. There are other deceiving ways of doing it  affairs, prostitution  those are not necessarily good for relationships. Here its more honorable. In Britain, polygamous marriages are only recognized if they took place in countries where they are legal. British law does not, however, prevent unregistered religious ceremonies from taking place. October 26. The Lancashire County Council Cabinet banned unstunned halal meat in meals served at its 600 schools. It was the first council to do so. Council leader Geoff Driver said: In my view, it is abhorrent to kill an animal without stunning it because of the distress it causes. The Lancashire Council of Mosques (LCM) advised Muslim families to boycott all such meat because it was not Sharia-compliant. October 27. Steve Bailey, vicar of St Peters Church in Oadby, Leicestershire, banned the hymn Onward Christian Soldiers from a Remembrance Sunday service in case it offends non-Christians. October 31. A Muslim advocacy group that works closely with police forces, politicians and councils was accused of promoting Islamist views. Mend (Muslim Engagement and Development) was described as a group of Islamists masquerading as civil libertarians according to a report from the Henry Jackson Society. NOVEMBER 2017 November 2. The Home Office lost track of 56,000 foreign nationals, including convicted criminals and illegal immigrants, who were told they were liable to be deported from the country, and there is little evidence the government is trying to find them, according to reviews by the Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration. Around 80,000 foreign nationals are currently required to check in regularly at police stations or immigration centers while officials prepare for them to leave the country. But by the end of 2016, there were a total of 55,974 declared absconders who had failed to keep appointments and whose whereabouts are unknown and all mandatory procedures to re-establish contact with the migrant have failed. November 2. The British government and the UN are discriminating against Christians and other minorities in their refugee programs, according to Home Office statistics seen by Barnabas Fund, an aid agency that works for persecuted Christians. Barnabas Fund obtained figures proving that the UN has only recommended tiny token numbers of Syrian Christians, Yazidis and other minorities for resettlement in the UK. The overwhelming majority of refugees recommended by the UN have been Sunni Muslims who form the majority in Syria. But Christians, and other minorities have been repeatedly targeted for attack by Islamist groups such as IS. British officials tried to prevent the release of this information. November 3. Four members of a Kurdish sexual grooming gang in Newcastle were sentenced to 33 years in prison for trafficking girls as young as 13. The four men, all asylum seekers who entered Britain illegally and were allowed to stay, may face deportation. November 6. Farhana Ahmed, a 40-year-old mother of five from Wembley who urged others to launch jihadist attacks in Britain, was handed a two-year suspended sentence after a judge took pity on children. Ahmed shared a prolific quantity of Islamic State propaganda on a Facebook group whose aim was to support jihadists worldwide. Judge Christopher Moss said he was moved by a letter from her daughter and ruled that she could return to her children. November 7. Mohammed Sawalha, a trustee at Finsbury Park Mosque, one of Londons best-known mosques, is a senior member of Hamas, a designated terrorist organization, according to the Times of London. His role was revealed when it was announced that he was part of a Hamas delegation to Moscow in September which held a meeting with Mikhail Bogdanov, President Putins Middle East envoy, and a deputy foreign minister. November 7. Only 5% of honor crimes reported to police are referred to the Crown Prosecution Service, according to Sky News. Although more than 5,000 honor crimes were reported to police in 2016-17, only 256 such crimes referred to the CPS by the police in 2016-17, resulting in 122 convictions. This comes despite a large increase in the number of cases being detected and growing political awareness of the practice in recent years. November 8. A Muslim father who forced his 17-year-old daughter to drink bleach for being too Westernized was sentenced to a nine-month community order and 15 days of rehabilitation activities aimed at addressing his offending behavior. The girl asked magistrates to show leniency toward her father as she wished for them to mend their relationship. November 9. Students at the Kepier School in Sunderland were required to write a letter to their family about converting to Islam. Mark McLachlan refused to allow his 12-year-old stepdaughter to complete the assignment. He explained: I know as part of the national curriculum they have to learn about all religions. I just dont see why they should ask a child to write a letter addressed to their family about converting to another religion. Like every parent, it is our decision on how we raise them and once they are old enough to make decision, then it is their choice. November 13. Tesco, the supermarket giant, faced a social media backlash after it released a Christmas advertisement featuring a Muslim family but no Christians celebrating the holiday. Tesco said the adverts aim to promote diversity. November 17. The trial began of Akshar Ali for murdering Sinead Wooding, a 26-year-old mother or four from Leeds. She had converted to Islam and had married Ali in an Islamic ceremony in February 2015. Ali is accused of murdering Wooding in a knife and hammer attack after she continued to see a friend he had forbidden her to visit. November 17. Gangs in Birmingham were said to be tasering underage girls and gang-raping them, according to Councilor Des Flood. He said that Birmingham was facing a tsunami of child sexual exploitation and that schools and parents are being kept in dark about menace. November 19. Luqman Aslam, a 26-year-old delivery driver who deliberately drove his van into pedestrians in Leicester had his prison sentence reduced on appeal. He was sentenced to five years in prison at Leicester Crown Court in June after admitting to dangerous driving and attempting to inflict intentional grievous bodily harm. He appealed his sentence, saying it was too long, because at the time of the incident he had been fasting through Ramadan for 20 days. Judge Jeremy Carey cut Aslams sentence from five to four years. November 20. A Channel 4 survey revealed that almost two-thirds of Muslim women married in Britain are not in legally recognized marriages, as they have not had a civil ceremony alongside their Nikah religious ceremony. Many of these women are unaware that they therefore do not have the same rights and protections afforded to couples who are married in the eyes of the law. The survey also found that the vast majority of women questioned did not wish to be in a polygamous relationship, and more than a third of those who were in such a relationship had not agreed to it. November 22. Imran Qureshi, a 44-year-old Pakistani doctor who sexually assaulted a student nurse at a hospital in Manchester was allowed to keep his job after blaming the incident on cultural norms. Qureshi, a married father of two, admitted he made a mistake but said cultural norms were different in Britain compared to his native Pakistan and he failed to spot a red light warning him to make no advances towards the victim. November 27. A 17-year-old convert to Islam from South Wales was found guilty of planning an Islamic State-inspired terrorist attack on a Justin Bieber concert in Cardiff. Jurors were told the boy had written a note with bullet points including run down the non-believers with a car and strike the infidels who oppose Allah in the neck. November 28. The General Secretary of the Union for Borders, Immigration & Customs, Lucy Moreton, said that Britain has no way of ever tracking down the hundreds of thousands illegal immigrants working on the black market. If you are here illegally you can survive very well, you access medical services your child can go to school the chances of us catching you are very, very slim, said Morten. If you dont break the law we are not going to get you as we dont have the resources. We cant catch you. DECEMBER 2017 December 3. The All Saints Church in Kingston upon Thames held a joint birthday celebration for Jesus and Mohammed. The Milad, Advent and Christmas Celebration was aimed at marking the birthday of Prophet Mohammed and looking forward to the birthday of Jesus. The hour-long service included time for Islamic prayer and was followed by the cutting of a birthday cake. The prominent Christian blog Archbishop Cranmer rebuked the church for its lack of discernment: Every time a church accords Mohammed the epithet Prophet, they are rejecting the crucifixion, denying the resurrection of Christ, and refuting that the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, for Mohammed denied all of these foundational tenets of the Christian faith. December 5. Aliou Bah, a 28-yer-old Guinean migrant who served two sentences for sex crimes, was awarded 110,000 ($148,000) after a bureaucratic mix-up caused him to spend an extra 21 months in prison. Judge Madge ruled that Bah was entitled to justice. December 6. Naaimur Zakariyah Rahman, a 20-year-old Bangladeshi-Briton, was charged with plotting to assassinate Prime Minister Theresa May. The alleged plan involved detonating a suicide bomb vest at the security gates outside 10 Downing Street, the official residence and the office of the British Prime Minister, before stabbing May. December 6. Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson told the Daily Mail that he was prepared to hunt down and use air strikes against the remaining 270 UK passport holders who have travelled to Syria and Iraq to fight with the Islamic State. I do not believe that any terrorist, whether they come from this country or any other, should ever be allowed back into this country, he said. We should do everything we can do to destroy and eliminate that threat. His comments sparked outrage from many on the political left. December 7. Husnain Rashid, a 31-year-old British citizen from Lancashire, was arrested for encouraging jihadists to attack Prince George at his primary school. He was also accused of calling for attacks on the Jewish community, and on British sports stadiums, in a series of encrypted messages. December 7. Abdourahman Amadeo, a 24-year-old Somali refugee, was sentencedto nine years in prison for his animalistic attempt to rape a drunken student. Amadeo, who was born in Somalia, fled to Italy as a refugee. He moved to Britain after obtaining Italian citizenship. December 14. The British government refused to say whether telling people about Christianity could be a hate crime. Lord Pearson of Rannoch said that when he raised a question on the issue in the House of Lords, the government failed to state clearly whether Christians can be prosecuted just for stating their beliefs. Speaking to Premier Christian Radio, Lord Pearson said the refusal to comment was pretty unique and makes one very worried. He also said there is a double standard in how hate crime laws are applied to Christianity and Islam: You can say what you like about the Virgin Birth, the miracles and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, but as soon as you say, come on, is Islam really the religion of peace that it claims to be, all hell breaks loose. December 16. Mohamed Qoomaall, a 72-year-old Somalian refugee, was sentencedto 15 months in prison for pocketing 39,000 ($52,000) in welfare benefits after secretly returning to his homeland because he missed the sunshine. Qoomaall forged an immigration stamp on his British passport and had pension credit payments sent to him for two-and-a-half years as a friend enjoyed rent-free living in his council-funded home. December 19. Four men were arrested in raids in South Yorkshire and Derbyshire on suspicion of planning an imminent jihadist attack. December 20. Mohammed Awan, the 24-year-old brother of an Islamic State suicide bomber, was sentenced to ten years in prison for terror offenses. December 21. The All-Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims, a parliamentary group composed of members of both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, issued a report, A Very Merry Muslim Christmas, aimed at drawing attention to the humanity of Muslims during Christmas. December 22. Bradford Councilor Arshad Hussain warned that there were many areas in this city where people were afraid to go, depending on their ethnicity. He made the comments after Asian youths attacked three pubs in the city. These were the only white businesses in the area, he said. No Asian businesses were attacked. They were targeted because they were white. There are so many areas in this city where white people are scared to go into. I think we are heading towards disaster. December 22. Scotlands International Development Minister, Alasdair Allan, pledged nearly 400,000 ($535,000) to fund 23 events for ethnic minorities during the winter months. He described them as key dates in our national calendar and said the exciting and diverse program would help Scots celebrate everything great about our wonderful country during the winter months. None of the events, however, had any connection to Christmas. December 23. St. Thomas Werneth, a church in Oldham, announced that it would remove its pews to make room for local Muslim community events. The church serves a predominantly Muslim area. Vicar Nick Andrewes said he wanted to extend a welcome to a wider flock. December 28. Metropolitan Police (Met Police) Service in London, Britains biggest force, has not improved its safeguarding of children at risk of sexual exploitation and rape since a report found systemic failings a year ago. Met Police improperly handled 90% of child protection cases, according to inspection results leaked to The Times. December 29. Vast areas of East, North and South London have been declaredno-go zones by delivery drivers because of an epidemic of acid attacks. London has more acid attacks per capita than any other city in the world, according to Labour MP Stephen Timms. December 31. Security Minister Ben Wallace accused internet giants, including Facebook, Google and YouTube, of being ruthless profiteers that cost the government a fortune by failing to assist the security services in identifying jihadists and stamping out extremism online. In an interview with The Sunday Times, Wallace said the internet had become an anarchic violence space which was being leveraged by jihadists and rogue states to threaten the UK: Thats what keeps me awake at night. We are more vulnerable than at any point in the last 100 years. Please help our independent journalism by spreading this article! Share!
Tools Typography British police named the man who killed three people near parliament before being shot dead as Khalid Masood, saying he had a string of criminal convictions but none for terrorism-related offences. Masood, 52, was born in Kent to the southeast of London and had been most recently living in central England, police said. Masood was not the subject of any current investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack, they said in a statement. However, he was known to police and has a range of previous convictions for assaults, including GBH (grievous bodily harm), possession of offensive weapons and public order offences. Earlier, British Prime Minister Theresa May told parliament that the suspect was previously known to intelligence services, but was considered a peripheral figure. What I can confirm is that the man was British-born and that some years ago he was once investigated by MI5 in relation to concerns about violent extremism, she said. The case is historic, he was not part of the current intelligence picture, she added. Police have arrested eight people at six locations in London and the central city of Birmingham in connection with the investigation into the attack. IS group claims attack Chaos erupted in the heart of London on Wednesday after Masood sped his vehicle across Westminster Bridge, ploughing into pedestrians. He then fatally stabbed an unarmed officer at a nearby parliament building, before being shot dead by the police. Three people were killed in the attack, which was claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group on Thursday. The victims included the stabbed policeman, Keith Palmer, and two civilians  American tourist Kurt Cochran and a British woman identified as Aysha Frade. Around 40 people were injured, of whom 29 remain in hospital, seven in critical condition. The casualties included 12 Britons, three French students, two Romanians, four South Koreans, one German, one Pole, one Chinese, one American and two Greeks. My thoughts, prayers and deepest sympathy are with all those who have been affected by yesterdays awful violence, Queen Elizabeth said in a message. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump paid homage to Cochran in a tweet, calling him a great American and expressing condolences to his family and friends. Westminster Bridge and an area around parliament were still cordoned off early on Thursday and forensic investigators in light blue overalls examined the scene where the attacker was shot. The bridge re-opened on Thursday afternoon. The attack took place on the first anniversary of attacks that killed 32 people in Brussels, and resembled IS group-inspired attacks in France and Germany where vehicles were driven into crowds. It was the deadliest such incident in Britain since 2005, when 52 people were killed by Islamist suicide bombers on Londons public transport system.
Collective defence - Article 5 The principle of collective defence is at the very heart of NATOs founding treaty. It remains a unique and enduring principle that binds its members together, committing them to protect each other and setting a spirit of solidarity within the Alliance. Highlights Collective defence means that an attack against one Ally is considered as an attack against all Allies. The principle of collective defence is enshrined in Article 5 of the Washington Treaty. NATO invoked Article 5 for the first time in its history after the 9/11 terrorist attacks against the United States. NATO has taken collective defence measures on several occasions, for instance in response to the situation in Syria and in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine crisis. NATO has standing forces on active duty that contribute to the Alliances collective defence efforts on a permanent basis. More background information Article 5 In 1949, the primary aim of the North Atlantic Treaty  NATOs founding treaty  was to create a pact of mutual assistance to counter the risk that the Soviet Union would seek to extend its control of Eastern Europe to other parts of the continent. Every participating country agreed that this form of solidarity was at the heart of the Treaty, effectively making Article 5 on collective defence a key component of the Alliance. Article 5 provides that if a NATO Ally is the victim of an armed attack, each and every other member of the Alliance will consider this act of violence as an armed attack against all members and will take the actions it deems necessary to assist the Ally attacked. Article 5 The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all and consequently they agree that, if such an armed attack occurs, each of them, in exercise of the right of individual or collective self-defence recognized by Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, will assist the Party or Parties so attacked by taking forthwith, individually and in concert with the other Parties, such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area. Any such armed attack and all measures taken as a result thereof shall immediately be reported to the Security Council. Such measures shall be terminated when the Security Council has taken the measures necessary to restore and maintain international peace and security. The out-of-area debate This article is complemented by Article 6, which stipulates: Article 61 For the purpose of Article 5, an armed attack on one or more of the Parties is deemed to include an armed attack: on the territory of any of the Parties in Europe or North America, on the Algerian Departments of France 2, on the territory of Turkey or on the Islands under the jurisdiction of any of the Parties in the North Atlantic area north of the Tropic of Cancer; on the forces, vessels, or aircraft of any of the Parties, when in or over these territories or any other area in Europe in which occupation forces of any of the Parties were stationed on the date when the Treaty entered into force or the Mediterranean Sea or the North Atlantic area north of the Tropic of Cancer. According to one of the drafters of the Treaty, Theodore C. Achilles, there was no doubt in anybodys mind that NATO operations could also be conducted south of the Tropic of Cancer3. This was confirmed by NATO foreign ministers in Reykjavik in May 2002 in the context of the fight against terrorism: To carry out the full range of its missions, NATO must be able to field forces that can move quickly to wherever they are needed, sustain operations over distance and time, and achieve their objectives. (Extract from the Reykjavik communiqu). The principle of providing assistance With the invocation of Article 5, Allies can provide any form of assistance they deem necessary to respond to a situation. This is an individual obligation on each Ally and each Ally is responsible for determining what it deems necessary in the particular circumstances. This assistance is taken forward in concert with other Allies. It is not necessarily military and depends on the material resources of each country. It is therefore left to the judgment of each individual member country to determine how it will contribute. Each country will consult with the other members, bearing in mind that the ultimate aim is to to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area. At the drafting of Article 5 in the late 1940s, there was consensus on the principle of mutual assistance, but fundamental disagreement on the modalities of implementing this commitment. The European participants wanted to ensure that the United States would automatically come to their assistance should one of the signatories come under attack; the United States did not want to make such a pledge and obtained that this be reflected in the wording of Article 5. Article 6 has been modified by Article 2 of the Protocol to the North Atlantic Treaty on the Accession of Greece and Turkey. On January 16, 1963, the North Atlantic Council modified this Treaty in its decision C-R(63)2, point V, on the independence of the Algerian departments of France. The 9/11 terrorist attacks The United States was the object of brutal terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001. The Alliance's 1999 Strategic Concept had already identified terrorism as one of the risks affecting NATOs security. The Alliances response to 9/11, however, saw NATO engage actively in the fight against terrorism, launch its first operations outside the Euro-Atlantic area and begin a far-reaching transformation of its capabilities. Moreover, it led NATO to invoke Article 5 of the Washington Treaty for the very first time in its history. An act of solidarity On the evening of 12 September 2001, less than 24 hours after the attacks, the Allies invoked the principle of Article 5. Then NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson subsequently informed the Secretary-General of the United Nations of the Alliance's decision. The North Atlantic Council  NATOs principal political decision-making body  agreed that if it determined that the attack was directed from abroad against the United States, it would be regarded as an action covered by Article 5. On 2 October, once the Council had been briefed on the results of investigations into the 9/11 attacks, it determined that they were regarded as an action covered by Article 5. By invoking Article 5, NATO members showed their solidarity toward the United States and condemned, in the strongest possible way, the terrorist attacks against the United States. Taking action After 9/11, there were consultations among the Allies and collective action was decided by the Council. The United States could also carry out independent actions, consistent with its rights and obligations under the United Nations Charter. On 4 October, once it had been determined that the attacks came from abroad, NATO agreed on a package of eight measures to support the United States. On the request of the United States, it launched its first ever anti-terror operation  Eagle Assist  from mid-October 2001 to mid-May 2002. It consisted in seven NATO AWACS radar aircraft that helped patrol the skies over the United States; in total 830 crew members from 13 NATO countries flew over 360 sorties. This was the first time that NATO military assets were deployed in support of an Article 5 operation. On 26 October, the Alliance launched its second counter-terrorism operation in response to the attacks on the United States, Active Endeavour. Elements of NATO's Standing Naval Forces were sent to patrol the Eastern Mediterranean and monitor shipping to detect and deter terrorist activity, including illegal trafficking. In March 2004, the operation was expanded to include the entire Mediterranean. The eight measures to support the United States, as agreed by NATO were: to enhance intelligence-sharing and cooperation, both bilaterally and in appropriate NATO bodies, relating to the threats posed by terrorism and the actions to be taken against it; to provide, individually or collectively, as appropriate and according to their capabilities, assistance to Allies and other countries which are or may be subject to increased terrorist threats as a result of their support for the campaign against terrorism; to take necessary measures to provide increased security for facilities of the United States and other Allies on their territory; to backfill selected Allied assets in NATOs area of responsibility that are required to directly support operations against terrorism; to provide blanket overflight clearances for the United States and other Allies aircraft, in accordance with the necessary air traffic arrangements and national procedures, for military flights related to operations against terrorism; to provide access for the United States and other Allies to ports and airfields on the territory of NATO member countries for operations against terrorism, including for refuelling, in accordance with national procedures; that the Alliance is ready to deploy elements of its Standing Naval Forces to the Eastern Mediterranean in order to provide a NATO presence and demonstrate resolve; that the Alliance is similarly ready to deploy elements of its NATO Airborne Early Warning Force to support operations against terrorism. On the request of Turkey, on three occasions, NATO has put collective defence measures in place: in 1991 with the deployment of Patriot missiles during the Gulf War, in 2003 with the agreement on a package of defensive measures and conduct of Operation Display Deterrence during the crisis in Iraq, and in 2012 in response to the situation in Syria with the deployment of Patriot missiles. Since Russias illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the rise of security challenges from the south, including brutal attacks by ISIL and other terrorist groups across several continents, NATO has implemented the biggest increase in collective defence since the Cold War. For instance, it has tripled the size of the NATO Response Force, established a 5,000-strong Spearhead Force and is deploying multinational battlegroups in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. NATO is also increasing its presence in the southeast of the Alliance, centred on a multinational brigade in Romania. The Alliance has further stepped up air policing over the Baltic and Black Sea areas and continues to develop key military capabilities, such as Joint Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance. At the Warsaw Summit in July 2016, Allies also recognised cyber defence as a new operational domain, to enable better protection of networks, missions and operations. Collective defence measures are not solely event-driven. NATO has a number of standing forces on active duty that contribute to the Alliances collective defence efforts on a permanent basis. These include NATOs standing maritime forces, which are ready to act when called upon. They perform different tasks ranging from exercises to operational missions, in peacetime and in periods of crisis and conflict. Additionally, NATO has an integrated air defence system to protect against air attacks, which also comprises the Alliances ballistic missile defence system. NATO also conducts several air policing missions, which are collective peacetime missions that enable NATO to detect, track and identify all violations and infringements of its airspace and to take appropriate action. As part of such missions, Allied fighter jets patrol the airspace of Allies who do not have fighter jets of their own. They run on a 24/7 basis, 365 days a year.
Absent were Home Secretary Amber Rudd, who was away on an official trip to Pakistan, and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, in the US for a summit of nations involved in the fight against the Islamic State terror group. Speaking outside 10 Downing Street after chairing a meeting of the Government's Cobra emergencies committee, Mrs May paid tribute to the "exceptional men and women" of the police force who responded to the attack. She confirmed that a single attacker drove a car into pedestrians walking on Westminster Bridge, killing two of them, before running with a knife through the front gates of the Palace of Westminster, where he killed a police officer before being shot dead. She vowed that "the forces of evil" would never be allowed "to drive us apart". Mrs May said that any attempt to defeat the values that Parliament stands for was "doomed to failure". Theresa May's speech in full "I have just chaired a meeting of the Government's emergency committee, Cobra, following the sick and depraved terrorist attack on the streets of our capital this afternoon. "The full details of exactly what happened are still emerging, but having been updated by police and security officials I can confirm that this appalling incident began when a single attacker drove his vehicle into pedestrians walking across Westminster Bridge, killing two people and injuring many more, including three police officers. "This attacker, who was armed with a knife, then ran towards Parliament where he was confronted by the police officers who keep us and our democratic institutions safe. "Tragically one officer was killed. The terrorist was also shot dead. "The United Kingdom's threat level has been set at severe for some time and this will not change. Acting deputy commissioner Rowley will give a further operational update later this evening. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to all who have been affected - to the victims themselves and their family and friends who waved their loved ones off but will not now be welcoming them home. "For those of us who were in Parliament at the time of this attack these events provide a particular reminder of the exceptional bravery of our police and security services who risk their lives to keep us safe. "Once again today these exceptional men and women ran towards the danger even as they encouraged others to move the other way. "On behalf of the whole country, I want to pay tribute to them - and to all our emergency services - for the work they have been doing to reassure the public and bring security back to the streets of our capital city. "That they have lost one of their own in today's attack only makes their calmness and professionalism under pressure all the more remarkable. "The location of this attack was no accident. The terrorists chose to strike at the heart of our capital city, where people of all nationalities, religions and cultures come together to celebrate the values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech. "These streets of Westminster, home to the world's oldest Parliament, are ingrained with a spirit of freedom that echoes in some of the furthest corners of the globe. And the values our Parliament represents - democracy, freedom, human rights, the rule of law - command the admiration and respect of free people everywhere. "That is why it is a target for those who reject those values. "But let me make it clear today, as I have had cause to do before: any attempt to defeat those values through violence and terror is doomed to failure. "Tomorrow morning, Parliament will meet as normal. We will come together as normal. "And Londoners - and others from around the world who have come here to visit this great city - will get up and go about their day as normal. "They will board their trains, they will leave their hotels, they will walk these streets, they will live their lives. "And we will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the forces of hate and evil to drive us apart."
The residents of London are not impressed with Donald Trump Jr.'s criticism of their mayor in the wake of the terror attack that shook the city on Wednesday, and have taken to Twitter to slam President Trump's son. 'You use a terrorist attack on our city to attack London's Mayor for your own political gain. You're a disgrace,' wrote British Labour MP Wes Streeting. Mayor Sadiq Khan was also asked to respond to Don Jr's comments on Thursday morning during an interview with CNN, and said: 'I'm not going to respond to a tweet from Donald Trump Jr. I've been doing far more important things over the past 24 hours.' Four people were killed and 40 more injured on Wednesday when lone-wolf attacker Khalid Masood drove his car through crowds on Westminster Bridge before crashing into the parliament building and fatally stabbing an unarmed officer. Masood was then shot dead. Scroll down for video Smug as a bug: London residents are attacking Donald Trump Jr. (above with brother Eric at the White House in january) for his criticism of their mayor on Wednesday just two hours after a terror attack 'You have to be kidding me?!: Terror attacks are part of living in big city, says London Mayor Sadiq Khan,' write Don Jr. on Wednesday 'You use a terrorist attack on our city to attack London's Mayor for your own political gain. You're a disgrace,' wrote British Labour MP Wes Streeting 'Did you even read the article before goading London's Mayor during a live incident?' asked Channel 4 News correspondent Ciaran Jenkins It was just two hours after the attack when Don Jr. tweeted a link to an interview that Mayor Khan gave in September in which he said the threat of terrorism was 'part and parcel' of living in any major city. 'It is a reality I'm afraid that London, New York, other major cities around the world have got to be prepared for these sorts of things,' he told the Evening Standard. 'That means being vigilant, having a police force that is in touch with communities, it means the security services being ready, but also it means exchanging ideas and best practice.' Don Jr. left out a crucial part of that statement however when he wrote: 'You have to be kidding me?!: Terror attacks are part of living in big city, says London Mayor Sadiq Khan.' RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Author Aaron Gillies was among those to criticize him for how he presented the interview, writing: 'Learn to read the article not just the headline you tangerine goblin spawn.' Channel 4 News correspondent Ciaran Jenkins made a similar comment on Twitter, asking: 'Did you even read the article before goading London's Mayor during a live incident?' Jenkins then added: 'Headline is based on very first sentence, which if you'd bothered to read it could apply to any major city in the world. Key word: "threat."' Another London resident composed a brief letter to Don Jr. on Twitter, writing: 'Dear @DonaldJTrumpJr, Before you start, don't you DARE use our tragedy to justify your racism. Yours, A proud Londoner.' There were also a number of Americans who lashed out at Don Jr on Wedensday/ In a since deleted tweet, 'The Ellen Show' producer Andy Lassner wrote: 'You did it @DonaldJTrumpJr! You're as big a d*** as your dad!' Donald Jr was quickly criticized for his comments, which many said were inappropriate and ill timed Lone-wolf attacker Khalid Masood killed four and injured 40 on Wednesday before being shot dead outside the parliament building in the heart of London Mayor Sadiq actually made his comments about the threat terror in big cities in response to the bombing this past September in Manhattan that injured 31 people. Don Jr. meanwhile made his comments about Mayor Sadiq at the same time that a hate crime in New York City cost one black man his life. The president's son has yet to make any statement or comment however about the fatal stabbing of the man by a white Supremacist that occurred less than a mile away from Trump Tower. ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement issued by its Amaq news agency, but it gave no name or details and it was not clear whether Masood was directly connected to the jihadist group. Police arrested eight people at six locations in London and Birmingham in the investigation into the lone-wolf attack that Prime Minister Theresa May said was inspired by a warped Islamist ideology. About 40 people were injured of whom 29 remain in hospital, with seven in critical condition. The incident on Wednesday resembled Islamic State-inspired attacks in France and Germany where vehicles were driven into crowds. He sped across Westminster Bridge in a car while ploughing into pedestrians before running through the gates of the nearby parliament building and fatally stabbing an unarmed policeman. Massod, who it has been revealed was British-born, was then shot dead.
Senior investigating officer Supt John Crossley said Masood was armed with two knives and caused grave wounds when he attacked PC Palmer. The inquest into Masoods death will be opened and adjourned on Thursday. Commons Speaker John Bercow has told MPs that two reviews are to be held, examining security and Parliaments response to the incidents. A preliminary report into how the perimeter of the parliamentary estate is secured and protected will be published by the end of April, and a review into the lessons learned from the response will report back by the end of June. The families of Ms Cristea and Mr Burnaz have issued three new photographs of the couple through the Metropolitan Police, including one taken on Westminster Bridge the day before the attack. They said: Our family is so grateful for the first responders, the medical personnel and the assistance of the UK government agencies. Image caption Andrei Burna and Andreea Cristea were on Westminster Bridge a day before the attack They said Ms Cristea benefits from the best medical healthcare possible. We are overwhelmed by the love, support and respect for our Andreea. Mr Burnaz sustained a broken foot in the attack but has been discharged from hospital. Last week, Romanias UK ambassador, Dan Mihalache, revealed that Ms Cristea had been due to receive a marriage proposal from her boyfriend on the day of the attack. Image caption Andreea Cristea was on holiday with Andrei Burnaz He said it was thought Masoods car had mounted the pavement and hit Mr Burnaz, before pushing Ms Cristea into the Thames. Meanwhile, the Met has announced that the funeral of PC Palmer will take place at Southwark Cathedral on 10 April. He will receive a full police service funeral, which will be followed by a private cremation. The other people killed in the attack were Aysha Frade, 44, who worked at a London sixth-form college, US tourist Kurt Cochran, 54, from Utah, and retired window cleaner Leslie Rhodes, 75, from south London. Image copyrightPA/Facebook Image caption PC Keith Palmer (L), Kurt Cochran and Aysha Frade all died in the attack Speaking to London Assembly members, acting Met Police commissioner Craig Mackey said last Wednesday had been a terrible day but the capitals response had brought about hope. He said the force now had an extraordinary level of firearms capability and it was quickly made available after the attack. Mr Mackey added there had been a slight increase in Islamaphobic incidents reported to police the day after attack but it was far smaller than after previous events. He also said the attack was a bit of a wake up call for technology firms to put [their] own house in order over extremist material circulated on the internet. Media captionFarasat says he was horrified and bewildered when he learned Khalid Masood, his former employee, was the Westminster attacker The so-called Islamic State group has said it was behind Masoods attack, but Deputy Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said that while Masood clearly had an interest in jihad, police had so far found no evidence of an association with the group or al-Qaeda. Two men arrested in Birmingham under the Terrorism Act by police investigating the attack remain in custody after officers were granted warrants for further detention. Will you be at the event on Westminster Bridge to mark the attack? Were you in Westminster at the time of the attack? Share your views and experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways:
Two separate reviews into Parliament's security procedures will be held following last week's terror attack at Westminster, the Speaker has told MPs. John Bercow said one independent review would look into how the perimeter fence of the parliamentary estate is secured, while a second externally-led review would analyse how Parliament responds to major incidents. The reviews were announced days after knife-wielding attacker Khalid Masood tried to gain access to Parliament, killing incident bystanders with his car and a police officer with a knife, before he was shot dead. "I am sure members across the House will join me in offering our deepest condolences to their friends and families. "The police and security services' investigation continues and two people have now been arrested and remain in custody." In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP Video released by The Times newspaper after the attack showed that Carriage Gates, the House of Commons vehicle gates, remained open for a short period after the attack  apparently unguarded. Witnesses have also raised questions about the location of armed police in New Palace Yard and whether they could have been better deployed. Since the incident police officers armed with submachineguns have been posted near the gates.
Mark Rowley, the head of counter-terrorism at the Met, said a police officer had been killed after being stabbed by a lone attacker attempting to enter the House of Commons. The suspect was shot and killed. Two other people died moments earlier, when the attacker drove a vehicle at speed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, near parliament, at about 2.40pm on Wednesday. Rowley said at least 20 people, including three officers, were hurt in the attack on the bridge. A diplomatic source told Reuters three French students were among the injured Officer dies from stab wounds and police shoot dead attacker after assault on Houses of Parliament This is a day weve planned for but hoped would never happen, sadly its now a reality, he said. The attack started when a car was driven over Westminster Bridge hitting and injuring a number of members of the public, also including three police officers on their way back from a commendation ceremony. The car then crashed near to parliament and at least one man armed with a knife continued the attack and tried to enter parliament. Sadly, I can confirm that four people have died. That includes the police officer protecting parliament and one man we believe to be the attacker, who was shot by a police firearms officer. The officers family have been made aware. At least 20 people have been injured. One woman is believed to have been thrown over the bridge into the river Thames  and later pulled alive from the water  while another fell on to a hard surface below the bridge. The vehicle came to a halt on the pavement, up against railings to the north of New Palace Yard, the green space adjacent to Big Ben, opposite an entrance to Westminster tube station. A man with a knife was then seen running through the gates of the Palace of Westminster, across New Palace Yard and stabbing a police officer. The attacker continued his rampage, targeting a second officer, according to witnesses, but was shot by police as he approached the second officer clutching his knife. WHILE YOU ARE HERE The mass censorship of independent media is exploding. Our content is being silenced on social media and demonetized by mega-corporations who want to eliminate competition. But you can help us in this fight. Your freedom matters. Your voice matters. You have the power to fight those who seek to silence us. You are our most important ally. We need your support now. Donate to help us fight Big Brother censorship. The White Helmets are kidnapping children with disabilities in order to use them in another staged chemical attack, according to Syrian mothers. Leave our children in peace. Let our children play, stop playing with our [...] Popular Articles A CDC doctor has warned this years disastrous flu shot may be responsible for the deadly flu epidemic sweeping the country. Some of the patients Ive administered the flu shot to this year have died, the [...] President Trump has created a new division within the Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights, with the express purpose of banning mandatory vaccinations across the country, and ensuring citizens have a right to [...] Two people who were connected to the Flint water company investigation were both found dead in the space of a week this month. Water Treatment Plant Foreman, Matthew McFarland, and the woman leading the lead [...] An ex illuminati member has penned a letter outlining the plans the secret society has in store for humanity in the next few years. After spending 47 years as a high-ranking illuminati member, the anonymous [...] A Harvard immunologist has written an open letter explaining why unvaccinated children pose no risk to their vaccinated counterparts. Vaxxter.com reports: Dear Legislator: My name is Tetyana Obukhanych. I hold a PhD in Immunology. I [...]
Terror attack at the gates of the British Parliament sent waves of fear across Europe Assailant was shot and killed by the police, but after he stabbed a police office and killed other people He ploughed a vehicle through terrified pedestrians along a landmark bridge too LONDON, U.S. - Hundreds of detectives reportedly worked overnight as the police launched investigations to understand the attacker's motivation, preparation and associates in the deadliest terror attack in central London in 12 years. Post the raids conducted at six addresses, eight people had been arrested, Britain's Acting Deputy Commissioner and Head of Counter-Terrorism, Mark Rowley said on Thursday. On Thursday afternoon, the Islamic State terror group claimed the deadly attack and stated through its affiliated A'maq News Agency that the man behind the attack was a soldier of the Islamic State. The news agency quoted a security source claiming the killer answered ISIS call to target citizens of the #coalition. Further, addressing MPs in the Commons on Thursday, Prime Minister Theresa May revealed that the attacker was born in Britain and had previously been investigated by MI5 for violent extremism. She added that security services had not had any warning an attack was imminent. Further, the man had reportedly been investigated by MI5 several years ago, and May described him as a peripheral figure. May said, His identity is known to the police and MI5 and when operational considerations allow, he will be publicly identified. The man was British-born and some years ago was investigated by MI5 over concerns into violent extremism. He was a peripheral figure. The case is historic. He was not part of the current intelligence picture. There was no prior intelligence of his intent or the plot. May also clarified that it was still believed he had acted alone. She said, The police have no reason to believe there are imminent further attacks [planned] on the public." The Prime Minister even praised the exceptional bravery of police officers and said, Yesterday we saw the worst of humanity but we will remember the best. Those who were killed in the attack were identified as a woman in her 40s, and the 48-year-old police officer PC Keith Palmer and the attacker, Rowley said. Seven people that were injured in the attack meanwhile are still being treated at the hospital and are in a critical condition. Rowley added that 29 others were also being treated at the hospital, while a total of 40 people, including tourists were injured. Officials from Seoul and Paris confirmed that five South Koreans and three French high school students were injured. Australian authorities confirmed that an Australian national had been hospitalised and a Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman said one Chinese tourist was slightly injured. On Wednesday, the assailant, whose details have not been revealed, traced a path across the Westminster Bridge, running down people with an SUV. He then rammed his vehicle into the fence encircling the Parliament, leaving dozens of people injured. He then charged at officers stationed at the iron gates leading to the Parliament grounds with a knife, Scotland Yard narrated from the incident spot. He managed to kill two people, including a police officer, before he was shot and killed by police. The scene of terror left many people traumatised and those trampled under his vehicle lay in shock on the Westminster Bridge over the River Thames. For more than two hours, the Parliament chambers and officers were put on full lockdown and the famous London Eye Ferris wheel close by too was shut down. Rowley issued a statement outside the Scotland Yard and said, "The inquiries in Birmingham, London and other parts of the country are continuing. It is still our belief - which continues to be borne out by our investigation - that this attacker acted alone and was inspired by international terrorism. To be explicit, at this stage we have no specific information about further threats to the public." He urged journalists not to publish the attacker's name while searches were continuing. Rowley said that the number of police officers on the streets have been incidents and officers' leave had been cancelled and duty hours extended. Earlier, reports noted that three people were killed in the attack - but Rowley mentioned that two people were dead. Some reports pointed out that the car used in the attack was hired from an address in Birmingham, but no confirmations were made. Meanwhile, Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said that security situation at the Parliament would be reviewed. Fallon said that the "working assumption" was that the attack was linked to "Islamic terrorism in some form. The Defence Secretary also paid tribute to the police officer who had lost his life in the attack. He said PC Palmer was an unarmed member of the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Squad who had served for 15 years. PC Palmer stopped the attacker getting into Parliament and "gave his life for the democracy we all cherish, Fallon told BBC. Further, he said, London is getting back to normal. They've seen terrorism like this before and they are not going to let it triumph." Meanwhile, Prime Minister Theresa May said the attack was a "sick and depraved" attack on the heart of the capital. She added that such attempts to defeat U.K. values were "doomed to failure. On Wednesday, hours after the attack, May had said in a statement, Tomorrow morning, Parliament will meet as normal. We will come together as normal. And Londoners - and others from around the world who have come here to visit this great City - will get up and go about their day as normal. They will board their trains, they will leave their hotels, they will walk these streets, they will live their lives. And we will all move forward together. Never giving in to terror. And never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart." Earlier on Thursday morning, the Cabinet Office observed a one-minute silence at 9.33 am to pay respect to the victims and the flag over the Houses of Parliament was seen flying at half mast. A member of the government, Tobias Ellwood was appreciated after he attempted to save the police office PC Palmer. A statement by London Mayor Sadiq Khans office said that on Thursday evening, a candlelit vigil will be held in Trafalgar Square, close to Westminster, to show solidarity and remember the victims. The statement noted, London is the greatest city in the world. We will never be cowed by terrorism. We stand together, in the face of those who seek to harm us and destroy our way of life. We always have, and we always will. Khan had earlier stated, "My heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones and to everyone who has been affected." The incident is the first mass-casualty terrorist attack in Britain since 2005, after the July 7 bomb attacks on the London public transportation system claimed 52 lives and led to the death of the four attackers. People also posted a powerful photo online, that showed the London Underground logo emblazoned with the words "We are not afraid." Late on Wednesday, the White House said that U.S. President Donald Trump, who had been briefed on the London attack, spoke to Prime Minister Theresa May. White House Press Secretary, Sean Spicer told reporters, We condemn todays attack in Westminster. We applaud the quick response of the British police and the first responders. U.S. President Donald Trump spoke by phone to British Prime Minister Theresa May to offer his condolences and to praise the effective response of U.K. security services. The White House said in a statement that Trump pledged the "full co-operation and support" of the U.S. government in bringing those responsible for the attack to justice. Later, Trump tweeted, "Spoke to U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May today to offer condolences on the terrorist attack in London. She is strong and doing very well. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security too said that it was in close contact with our British counterparts to monitor the tragic events and to support the ongoing investigation. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said that security around the country's parliament building in Canberra was to be enhanced. In a tweet he noted, "Australia stands in resolute solidarity with the people of Britain in war against terrorism. Our heartfelt sympathies are with the victims." Even French President Francois Hollande expressed his "solidarity" with the British people, saying "terrorism concerns us all and France knows how the British people are suffering today. In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel said her thoughts were "with our British friends and all of the people of London. Adding, "I want to say for Germany and its citizens: we stand firmly and resolutely by Great Britain's side in the fight against all forms of terrorism. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker recalled it was the first anniversary of the Brussels attacks and said his thoughts were "with London tonight. In a statement, he said, "Today marks one year since the people of Brussels and Belgium suffered a similar pain and felt the support of your sympathy and solidarity. At this emotional time, we at the European Commission can only send that sympathy back twofold." Similar incidents across Europe have put authorities on an alert over the last few years. In July last year, the Islamic State claimed a deadly attack carried out by a man who drove a lorry into pedestrians in the French city of Nice, killing 84 people. Then, in December last year, Germany witnessed a similar attack claimed by ISIS, after a lorry mowed into a packed Christmas market, killing 12 people in Berlin.
Why do they hate us? Nothing to do with Western foreign policy, apparently ianjs2014 4 years ago Advertisements Why do they hate us? Nothing to do with Western foreign policy, apparentlyby Ian Sinclair2 May 2017 There is a lot that is out there that you guys dont know about. In order to get this message across I came back in person. To let you know, those who are running the country, to give them that message. Leave the Muslim lands, just leave them.  police interview with Khalid Ali, who was stopped in Whitehall in April 2017 (Taliban bomb-maker Khalid Ali guilty of plotting knife attack in Westminster, Evening Standard, 26 June 2018) Tell everyone that I love them and that they should struggle against the enemies of Allah with their lives and their property. The Queen and her soldiers will all be in the hellfire. They go to war with Muslims around the world and kill them without any mercy. They are the enemies that Allah tells us to fight.  suicide note allegedly written by Mohiussunnath Chowdhury before he attacked police with a samurai sword outside Buckingham Palace (Man attacked police with sword near Buckingham Palace, court hears, Guardian, 18 June 2018) The man accused of the Parsons Green Tube bombing blamed Britain and America for the deaths of his parents in Iraq, the Old Bailey has heard. College lecturer Kayte Cable said Ahmed Hassan told her it was his duty to hate Britain because of what happened to his family. The court also heard he believed his father had been killed by US bombing Ms Cable said she could remember Mr Hassan telling her his father was blown up and his mother had been shot. She said he talked about Tony Blair and events in Iraq, adding: I believe the anger was very clear. He referred to being angry several times.  Ahmed Hassan, who is accused of attempting to set off a bomb on the London underground on 15 September 2017 (Parsons Green: Tube bomb accused blamed West for fathers death, BBC News, 12 March 2018) Officials said Ullah was radicalized online, and had acted in retaliation for US airstrikes in Syria and elsewhere against the Islamic State  Akayed Ullah, who tried to set off an explosive device in New York City in December 2017 (Jamiles Lartey, New York bombing suspect reportedly posted Trump failed to protect US, Guardian, 12 December 2017) He saw the explosives America drops on children in Syria, and he wanted revenge  sister of Salman Abedi, who carried out the Manchester attack on 22 May 2017 (Chris Graham, Salman Abedi wanted revenge for US air strikes in Syria, Manchester bombers sister says, Telegraph, 25 May 2017) The last message left by the killer Khalid Masood on the WhatsApp messaging service, revealing his motivation for the lethal attack in Westminster, has been uncovered by the security agencies, The Independent has learnt. In the message, sent just minutes before he began the rampage in which five people died and 50 were injured, the 52-year-old Muslim convert had declared that he was waging jihad in revenge against Western military action in Muslim countries in the Middle East.  Khalid Masood, killed after carrying out the terrorist attack in Westminster, UK on 22 March 2017 (Kim Sepgupta, Last message left by Westminster attacker Khalid Masood uncovered by security agencies, Independent, 29 April 2017) In the series of phone calls with the negotiator during the Orlando massacre, Mateen also railed against U.S. airstrikes in Syria and Iraq, saying they were killing women and children. What am I to do here when my people are getting killed over there. You get what Im saying? he said.  Omar Mateen, killed after carrying out a terrorist attack on a nightclub in Orlando on 12 June 2016 (Transcripts of Orlando shooters conversation with police reveal ISIS influence, Wall Street Journal, 28 September 2016) police found a letter in Ziamanis jeans addressed to his beloved parents, saying he was a changed person. He wrote of being martyred and going to paradise, and referenced people being raped, tortured and killed in Iraq and Syria. He said he had a duty to help them. In the message, he wrote: Because I have no means ov gettin there I will wage war against the british government on this soil the british government will have a taste of there own medicine they will be humiliated this is ISIB Islamic State of Ireland and Britain [sic].  Brusthom Ziamani, arrested in August 2014 for planning to behead a British soldier (Press Association, Muslim teenager planned to behead soldiers in London, court hears, Guardian, 9 February 2015) Muslims are dying daily by British soldiers. This British soldier is an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. By Allah, we swear by the almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you until you leave us alone you lot are extreme. Do you think when you drop a bomb it picks one person? Or rather your bomb wipes out a whole family. This is the reality tell them [the UK Government] to bring our troops back so you can all live in peace.  Michael Adebolajo speaking immediately after killing British soldier Lee Rigby on 22 May 2013 (Lee Rigby trial: jury shown eye for an eye video, Telegraph, 25 November 2014) The two suspects in the Boston bombing that killed three and injured more than 260 were motivated by the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, officials told the Washington Post. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the 19-year-old suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings, has told interrogators that the American wars in Iraq and Afghanistan motivated him and his brother to carry out the attack, the Post writes, citing US officials familiar with the interviews. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who carried out the 15 April 2013 Boston bombing (Boston Bombing Suspects Motivated By Afghanistan, Iraq Wars: Report, Huffington Post, 24 April 2013) If the United States does not get out of Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries controlled by Muslims, he said, we will be attacking US, adding that Americans only care about their people, but they dont care about the people elsewhere in the world when they die As soon as he was taken into custody May 3 at John F. Kennedy International Airport, onboard a flight to Dubai, the Pakistani-born Shahzad told agents that he was motivated by opposition to US policy in the Muslim world, officials said.  Faisal Shahzad, who tried to detonate a car bomb in Times Square, New York City on 1 May 2010 (Jerry Markon, Shahzad pleads guilty in failed Times Square bombing, warns of future attacks, Washington Post, 22 June 2010) I had an agreement with at least one person to attack the United States in retaliation for US support of Israel and in retaliation of the killing of innocent and civilian Muslim populations in Palestine, especially in the blockade of Gaza, and in retaliation for the killing of innocent and civilian Muslim populations in Yemen, Iraq, Somalia, Afghanistan and beyond, most of them women, children, and noncombatants.  Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, aka the underwear bomber, who attempted to blow himself up on a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit on 25 December 2009 (Detriot Free Press Staff, Transcript: Read Abdulmutallabs statement on guilty plea, Detroit Free Press, 12 October 2011) Part of his disenchantment was his deep and public opposition to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, a stance shared by some medical colleagues but shaped for him by a growing religious fervor. The strands of religion and antiwar sentiment seemed to weave together in a PowerPoint presentation he made at Walter Reed in June 2007 For a masters program in public health, Major Hasan gave another presentation to his environmental health class titled Why The War on Terror is a War on Islam.  Nidal Hasan, who killed thirteen people at Foot Hood, Texas on 5 November 2009 (Scott Shane and James Dao, Investigators Study Tangle of Clues on Fort Hood Suspect, New York Times, 14 November 2009) The story of his personal conveyor belt towards political violence starts with one word: Iraq The destruction of his home country was the catalyst he says he watched the country implode under sanctions and Saddam Husseins dictatorship  and his view of the West began to change He said he had no doubt a rise in childhood leukaemia was caused by depleted uranium shells, special armour-piercing US ammunition used in the first Gulf War. Abdulla blamed the US and its allies for the deteriorating situation  and he wasnt standing and applauding when they came again in 2003 My political views changed dramatically towards the [British] government, he said. They shared in murdering my people. It was the British government and American government. Without Blair, Bush couldnt have invaded Iraq.  Bilal Abdulla, who attempted to detonate a car bomb at Glasgow Airport on 30 June 2007 (Dominic Casciani, Iraqi doctors road to radicalism, BBC News, 16 December 2008) The London bomb plot suspect arrested in Rome has allegedly confessed to Italian interrogators, lifting the lid on the plan to bring a wave of terror to Britain. Anti-terror police in the Italian capital say Osman Hussain has told them that the bombers watched videos of British and American troops exterminating Iraqi women and children before embarking on the attack on Londons transport network on July 21.  Osman Hussain, one of the failed 21 July 2005 suicide bombers (Confession lifts lid on London bomb plot, Scotsman, 30 July 2005) He said the public was responsible for the atrocities perpetuated against his people across the world because it supported democratically elected governments who carried them out. Until we feel security, you will be our targets, he said. Until you stop the bombing, gassing, imprisonment and torture of my people we will not stop this fight. We are at war and I am a soldier. Now you too will taste the reality of this situation.  Mohammad Sidique Khan, in his 7/7 suicide bomber martyrdom video (London bomber video aired on TV, BBC News, 2 September 2005) The suspect, Amrozi, who was arrested on Wednesday, Maj Gen Made Mangku Pastika, the chief investigator of the multinational police team, said Amrozi described the attack as revenge because of what Americans have done to Muslims.  Amrozi, who was convicted and executed for his role in the 12 October 2002 Bali bombing (Alex Spillius, Bali bombers were trying to kill Americans, Telegraph, 9 November 2002) Two days before he boarded United Airlines Flight 63 last December 22, accused Al-Qaeda shoe-bomber Richard Reid wrote what federal prosecutors say was a farewell email to his mother Prosecutors say that Reid wrote, The reason for me sending you [a will] is so that you can see that I didnt do this act out of ignorance nor did I do just because I want to die, but rather because I see it as a duty upon me to help remove the oppressive American forces from the Muslim land and that this is the only way for us to do so as we do not have other means to fight them.  Richard Reid, who tried to blow himself up on a transatlantic flight on 22 December 2001 (Elaine Shannon, Did Richard Reid Let Mom Know?, Time, 23 May 2002) Why are we fighting and opposing you? The answer is very simple Because you attacked us and continue to attack us You attacked us in Palestine which has sunk under military occupation for more than 80 years You attacked us in Somalia; you supported the Russian atrocities against us in Chechnya, the Indian oppression against us in Kashmir, and the Jewish aggression against us in Lebanon Under your supervision, consent and orders, the governments of our countries which act as your agents, attack us on a daily basis You steal our wealth and oil at paltry prices because of you international influence and military threats. This theft is indeed the biggest theft ever witnessed by mankind in the history of the worldYour forces occupy our countries; you spread your military bases throughout them You have starved the Muslims of Iraq, where children die every day. It is a wonder that more than 1.5 million Iraqi children have died as a result of your sanctions, and you did not show concern. Yet when 3000 of your people died, the entire world rises and has not yet sat down.  Osama bin Laden sets out the reasons why the US was attacked on 9/11 (Full text: bin Ladens letter to America, Guardian, 24 November 2002) Law-enforcement officials said yesterday that the suspects in the [1993] World Trade Center bombing mailed a letter around the time of the attack claiming responsibility and attributing the action to deep resentment against United States policy in the Middle East.  (Alison Mitchell, Letter explained motive in bombing, official now say, New York Times, 28 March 1993)
Emergency services near the Houses of Parliament on Wednesday ( Getty ) The London attacker used WhatsApp just two minutes before he ploughed his car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, it has emerged as police investigate a possible wider extremist network. Khalid Masood was active on the encrypted messaging service at 2.37pm on Wednesday, although it remains unclear whether the 52-year-old was sending, receiving or simply viewing messages. Investigators believe he was inspired by Islamist terrorism and Isis has claimed responsibility for the massacre that left four victims dead, although the extent of the groups involvement is not yet known. Scotland Yard's acting deputy commissioner, Mark Rowley, said police were probing whether Masood acted completely alone after being inspired by terrorist propaganda or was encouraged, supported or directed by others. Westminster terror attacker named as KhalidMasood Nikita Malik, a senior researcher at Quilliam, said WhatsApp and social media has been used for a variety of purposes by Isis-inspired terrorists. In a lot of other incidents people have shared material, she told The Independent. It can act as a sort of a modern suicide note to explain their justification. Read more The perpetrators of several terror attacks in Europe in the past year have sent messages immediately before or during their murders. Anis Amri, the Berlin attacker, sent a selfie and message saying he was ready to a contact, asking him to pray for him from the cab of the lorry he would use to massacre 12 people. Months before, Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel had sat behind the wheel of his truck in Nice and texted a contact asking for more weapons minutes before speeding into crowds celebrating Bastille Day last July, killing 86 people. Other Isis supporters have sent messages declaring allegiance to the terrorist group, even broadcasting them during an attack, while the Orlando gunman Omar Mateen texted his wife while carrying out the massacre. Ms Malik said that attackers are frequently part of a wider extremist network incorporating family members and friends, and that true lone wolves are rare. AnisAmri, the Berlin attacker, messaged a contact just before launching his attack (Facebook) Radicalisation is very much a social phenomenon, she added, noting that the bulk of known British Isis fighters had travelled abroad in groups. You also have what we call remote-controlled actors who will continue to receive instructions from someone based here or even in Syria or Iraq on what to do, but are not directly linked to the group. Isis is not training them  theres not the investment, not a physical location like al-Qaeda or the Taliban might have. Its a very easy way of carrying out attacks. Isis hailed Masood as a soldier of the Islamic State in a propaganda statement released a day after he murdered four people and injured 50 more. Brief remarks echoing those issued after previous attacks across Europe claimed the atrocity was carried out in response to calls to target citizens of coalition countries. Experts said the claims lack of biographical information and specifics suggested Isis did not directly commission or facilitate the attack outside the Houses of Parliament. But Jean-Marc Rickli, a research fellow at Kings College London and the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, said the groups recruiters could have been in contact with Masood online. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP When Isis has not directly ordered an attack, it does some kind of vetting process and background check to see if the person has been in contact with Isis members in one way or another, he told The Independent. Theresa May said Masood was not part of the current intelligence picture, describing him as a peripheral figure. There was no prior intelligence of his intent, or of the plot, she added. The Prime Ministers speech to the House of Commons highlighted one of the key risks posed by the shifting tactics of Isis and its supporters, who have been forced to use it to increasingly low-tech methods of attack amid security crackdowns and huge territorial losses in Syria and Iraq. Masood, a father-of-three, worked as an English teacher in Saudi Arabia and recently lived in London, Birmingham and Luton.
Read more I was shocked to see the injuries and loss of life outside my window, he wrote. I reflected on what it means to be a born-and-bred Londoner and found myself proud of how security and medical services responded, how ordinary passers-by offered first aid, and what our Parliament means to me, an institution that is the oldest of its kind in the world and how, regardless of our critiques of government policies or political parties, remains an institution that reflects how the will of the people can be expressed with civility and dignity. He has now raised the funds target to 20,000 because of the unexpected high demand and heartwarming response. Candlelit vigil for Westminster attack victims held in Trafalgar Square He was the third victim to die from injuries sustained as Khalid Masood ploughed his car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, killing mother-of-two Aysha Frade and American tourist Kurt Cochran, who was in London with his wife to celebrate their 25th anniversary. Masood, a 52-year-old Muslim convert from Kent, then ploughed the vehicle into a fence outside the Houses of Parliament before running to an entrance and fatally stabbing PC Keith Palmer, before he was shot dead. Born Adrian Elms and using a series of aliases through his life, Masood had been jailed repeatedly for violent crime dating back to the 1980s, including grievous bodily harm, possession of offensive weapons and assault. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP A minutes silence was held for his victims as faith leaders, the Home Secretary and Mayor of London joined thousands of Londoners at a memorial held in Trafalgar Square on Thursday evening. Among the attendees was the head of the Muslim Council of Britain, Harun Khan, who condemned the cowardly and depraved terror attack. There is no justification for this act whatsoever, he added. The best response to this outrage is to make sure we come together in solidarity and not allow the terrorists to divide us. Sadiq Khan urged Muslims to be vigilant against the dangers of Islamist ideology and hate preachers. He urged people to ensure young people know true Islam from online propaganda to help them combat the risk of grooming and radicalistation. Terrorists want to attack London is because they hate the fact that we dont just tolerate each other  whether youre a Christian, Muslim, Jew, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, member of an organised faith or not, we respect, embrace and celebrate each other and thats going to carry on, Mr Khan said. Police have arrested three women and five men on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts after raids in London and Birmingham, while a house in Camarthenshire was also searched
Police are asking people to avoid the following areas: Parliament Square; Whitehall; Westminster Bridge; Lambeth Bridge; Victoria Street up to the junction with Broadway and the Victoria Embankment up to Embankment tube. This is to allow the emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident. "This is a very large, fast-paced investigation I want to give you as much information as possible and I do want to make a critical appeal to the public "Yesterday we named the dead terrorist as Khalid Masood - we stated he had a number of aliases - we now know his birth name was Adrian Russell Ajao. "I would like to put on record my gratitude to the journalists who having identified the dead terrorist soon after the attack have delayed publishing his details at my request to give us space to move on the necessary warrants, searches and arrests. "As I have said our investigation focuses on understanding his motivation, preparation and his associates. "Whilst there is no evidence of further threats you will understand our determination to find out if he either: Acted totally alone inspired by terrorist propaganda; Or, if others have encouraged, supported or directed him; "To that end in our continuing investigation and ongoing covert activity we have made two further significant arrests overnight - one in the West Midlands and one in North West. "Nine people remain in our custody and one woman has been released on bail. We have searches at five addresses ongoing - 16 searches have concluded. So far we have seized 2,700 items from our searches including massive of amounts of computer data. "We have had contact with approximately 3,500 witnesses - including 1,000 from people on Westminster Bridge and around 2,500 who were within the Parliamentary Estate, and we have received hundreds of uploads to our online platform. "Given that this attack was in the heart of the Capital we are also dealing with statements from people with range of nationalities. "At this point I want to appeal specifically to the public. "We remain keen to hear from anyone who knew Khalid Masood well; understands who his associates were; and can provide with information about places he has recently visited. "There might well be people out there who did have concerns about Masood but weren't sure or didn't feel comfortable for whatever reason in passing information to us. "I urge anyone with such information to contact us the Anti-Terrorist hotline which is 0800 789 321. "In terms of protective security: "I understand why a tragic event such as this generates questions about security at Parliament. "Our current arrangements have been developed with Parliament over many years and are designed to provide access to the seat of our Government balanced carefully with security that is proportionate but not overly intrusive. "Of course after an incident like this as would be expected my team will work with Parliamentary authorities to assess whether a different tone or balance is necessary. "More widely - the police service will sustain an enhanced armed and unarmed presence over the next few days. "London, and the UK, are open for business, and we are out there in greater numbers to make sure that the public see a highly visible presence to help reassure them as they go about their daily lives. "In London the number of armed officers remains at near double strength, while in other parts of the UK there are up to a third more armed officers on duty. "Finally, last night a true cross section of people came together to stand together to remember - but also to send a message. "A strong message - to those inspired by hate and extremism of all persuasions that we will not give in to those who seek to breed discord and fear. "This is as true now as it has ever been. Our Acting Commissioner, Craig Mackey, told thousands who gathered in central London last night terrorist have tried to tear this city apart before and they have never succeeded. "The very fact London has gone back to work and so many were happy to gather in central London last night shows they have failed again. "We would like to thank our officers and staff who continue to work around the clock - both investigating this atrocity and continuing to keep our city safe. From the staff picking responding to calls in our control centres, staff and officers still guarding our iconic buildings, the officers patrolling streets in every borough and specialist teams that are not so visible. "We are grateful for the continued support of the public and the strong calm response that has been shown, and I know that we will continue to stand together." ++++ At 07:45hrs on Thursday, 23 March, Mark Rowley, the national lead for Counter Terrorism Policing and the Acting Deputy Commissioner, said: Good morning - I am here to update you on our ongoing counter terrorism operation following the horrific attack in Westminster. Greater clarity is now developing regarding the casualty figures as we have now collated information from the public and five hospitals - the latest figures I have are that there are currently four dead and 29 people were treated in hospital. We are still collating numbers of walking wounded and of those in hospital sadly 7 of them are in a critical condition. Tragically the deaths included PC Keith Palmer who was protecting Parliament, and two members of the public - a woman aged in her mid 40s and a man aged in his mid 50s. The fourth man of course was the terrorist who was shot dead by armed police at the scene. Hundreds of detectives have been working through the night and during that time I can confirm we have searched six addresses - and made seven arrests. The inquiries in Birmingham, London and other parts of the country continue. It is still our belief - which continues to be born out by our investigation - that this attacker acted alone yesterday and was inspired by international terrorism. To be explicit - at this stage, we have no specific information about further threats to the public. Clearly our investigation is ongoing - developing all the time - and is focused on his motivation, his preparation and associates. I do recognise that the media are making progress in identifying the attacker - I would continue to ask that his name is not published whilst we are at such a sensitive stage in our investigation - and as I state still conducting arrests and searches. The large and complicated crime scene remains in place and our work there continues - I would like to thank everyone for their support and patience as we finish this work. As people are out and about on the streets of the Capital this morning they will see more police officers on duty - armed and unarmed - and a mix of British Transport Police and the City of London. We have cancelled some leave and increased some duty hours and are working to make sure that we can out in force to reassure the public. We must not allow terrorists to create discord, distrust and fear. The police stand with all communities - later today a meeting of faith leaders will be held here at New Scotland Yard. Whilst our work to investigate and understand what happened yesterday continues with vigour - we must also reflect. I want to thank the public for their support and all their good wishes - I know it is appreciated by all those men and women who are out there today protecting us. Finally, I would also like to ask the public for their continued help and continued vigilance and if you see anything that causes you concern or raises your suspicions do not hesitate to call us - 0800 789 321 - or in an emergency 999. Thank you + Casualty Bureau is now open on 0800 056 0944 and 020 7158 0010. If you are worried about family or friends involved in today's incident please call Casualty Bureau on either number listed above and choose Option 1. If you were involved in today's incident and are safe, please call Casualty Bureau on either number listed above and choose Option 2. Demand on Casualty Bureau will be high. Please keep trying. Staff at Casualty Bureau are working hard to speak to as many people as they can. If you are safe please let friends and family know. This will relieve pressure on Casualty Bureau. Casualty Bureau is not for general enquiries. Call 999 in an emergency only. ++++ At 22:30hrs on Wednesday, 22 March, Mark Rowley, the national lead for Counter Terrorism Policing and the Acting Deputy Commissioner, said: "Today, in Westminster we saw tragic events unfold and our thoughts are with those who lost loved ones, who were injured, and all those affected by this attack. "One of those who died today was a police officer - PC Keith Palmer - a member of our Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command. "Keith - aged 48 - had 15 years' service and was a husband and a father. "He was someone who left for work today expecting to return home at the end of his shift and he had every right to expect that would happen. "I can also now confirm three members of the public also lost their lives in this attack. Specially trained family liaison officers will be deployed to support them. "And I confirmed earlier, the suspected attacker was shot dead by an armed officer - therefore meaning we now have five people in total who have died. "I will not comment at this stage on the identity of the attacker, but our working assumption that he was inspired by international terrorism. "Also, at this stage, but it may change - we believe approximately 40 people were injured, some with serious injuries, including three police officers, two of whom are in a serious condition. "Our investigation is continuing and is moving at a fast pace this evening - we will work through the night. "We have hundreds of officers working on this investigation and they are focusing on the suspect's motivation, preparation and associates. "We are forensically examining a complicated crime scene that covers a wide area. "As with all investigations of this nature it will take us some time to work through painstakingly all the evidence. Only then will the full picture be known. "Officers are taking statements from the hundreds of people who were nearby as today's attack unfolded. "We are seizing CCTV and carrying out a fast-time examination of it. "The lock down on Parliament has been lifted and we are working hard to reduce the areas we have cordoned off. "I'd like to thank the public and Parliamentarians for their continued patience as we carry out detailed forensic examinations in the areas. "The UK threat level has been at 'Severe' for some time and this level will not change. "We have enhanced the scale of the policing operation to protect our communities across the country. "As we continue to investigate today's horrific events we do want to reassure the public that police and partners are doing everything possible to protect them. "As a precautionary measure over the next few days we have increased the number of officers on duty to provide a highly visible, reassurance presence - both armed and unarmed - across the country. "This will continue for as long as is needed. "Terrorists have a clear aim and that is to create discord, distrust and to create fear. The police stand with all communities in the UK and will take action against anyone who seeks to undermine society, especially where their crimes are motivated by hate. "We must recognise now that our Muslim communities will feel anxious at this time given the past behaviour of the extreme right wing and we will continue to work with all community leaders in the coming days. "It's essential for us to remain vigilant but to also work together - policing and communities - and unite against those who seek, through violence and extremism, to threaten, intimidate and cause fear. "We ask the public to be alert and to report any suspicious activity to the police by calling 0800 789 321, or dialling 999. "Whilst today is an incredibly sad and sombre day, especially for the MPS and everyone affected, it is only right that I mention the pride I feel in the swift and brave response from our officers - especially those who without fear for their own safety had to confront the terrorist." ++++ At 17:50hrs on Wednesday, 22 March, Mark Rowley, the national lead for Counter Terrorism Policing and the Acting Deputy Commissioner, said: "I want to make a statement and will cover three main areas: = what we know about the incident;= the ongoing operation; and = what London can expect over the coming days. "As you know we have declared this a terrorist incident and the Counter Terrorism Command are carrying out a full scale investigation into the events today. "The attack started when a car was driven over Westminster Bridge, hitting and injuring a number of members of the public and three police officers who were on their way back from a commendation ceremony. "The car then crashed near to Parliament and at least one man - armed with a knife - continued the attack, trying to enter Parliament. "Sadly - I can now confirm that four people have died. That includes a policeman who was protecting Parliament from the attack and one man we believe to be the attacker who was shot by a police firearms officer. "The officer's family have been made aware. "At least 20 people have been injured. "As part of long established and well rehearsed plans, Parliament was locked down and the Met responded in line with our plans for a marauding terrorist attack. "We have an ongoing operation - and whilst we currently believe there was only one attacker - I am sure the public will understand us taking every precaution in locking down and searching the area as thoroughly as possible. "I know that the officials working within Parliament and the public completely understand why we need to do this and I thank them for their patience and support. "This investigation has the full weight and expertise of the Counter Terrorism Command behind it. If there are people who saw the events unfold but haven't yet spoken to police please get in touch with us. "A crime scene will remain in place in the affected areas in Westminster - it is vital that we carry out a painstaking investigation to recover all possible evidence. "Looking forward, throughout the rest of the day including when people are commuting home and over the days that follow, the people of London will see extra police officers - both armed and unarmed - out on our streets. "This includes our officers working longer hours and extra shifts and with our colleagues at British Transport Police and the City of London. "We can call on the support of the military should we need to at a future point. "We are also in the process of opening our specialist Casualty Bureau to help those people who are worried that friends or family may have been caught up in the attack. "We are reaching out and engaging with all communities across London to help reassure them. "Our strength as a city is our ability to stand together at such terrible times. "My thoughts are with all those who have been affected by today's attack - and as a service we have lost one of our own as he acted to protect the public and his colleagues. "This is a day that we had planned for - that we all hoped would never happen - but sadly it is now a reality. "The Met Police will continue to do all we can to protect the people of London." +++++ In a statement given today by Commander BJ Harrington at 16:45hrs on Wednesday, 22 March at New Scotland Yard, he said: "Since 14:40hrs this afternoon (Wednesday, 22 March) the MPS has responded to an incident in the area of Parliament Square, and the Senior National Coordinator has declared this a terrorist incident. "And although we remain open minded to the motive, a full counter terrorism investigation is already underway - this is led by the Met's Counter Terrorism Command. "At this stage I will confirm what we know has happened, but I will not speculate. "We received a number of different reports - which included a person in the river, a car in collision with pedestrians and a man armed with a knife. "Officers were already in the location as part of our routine policing operation. Immediately, additional officers were sent to the scene and that included firearms officers. "We are working closely with the London Ambulance Service and the London Fire Brigade. "I'd like to repeat our request for the public to avoid the following areas: "Parliament Square; Whitehall; Westminster Bridge; Lambeth Bridge; Victoria Street up to the junction with Broadway and the Victoria Embankment up to Embankment tube. "This is to allow emergency services to deal with this ongoing incident. "There is an ongoing investigation being led by the Counter Terrorism Command and we would ask anybody who has images or film of the incident to pass those to police. "We know that there are a number of causalities, including police officers, but at this stage we cannot confirm numbers or the nature of these injuries. "Our response will be ongoing for some time as it is important that we gather all possible information and evidence. "Public safety is our top priority and we are reviewing our policing stance across London and throughout the course of this afternoon there will be additional police and officers deployed across the Capital. "I would like to ask the public to remain vigilant and let us know if they see anything suspicious that causes them concern and dial 999 immediately. "The Acting Commissioner Craig Mackey is being treated as a significant witness as he was at the scene when the incident started. Whilst he is not injured, it would be inappropriate for him to talk about the incident at this stage. Ours and his thoughts are with all those involved and those responding to both incidents.
"The first public awareness of the nexus between Mossad and Mormon secret agents was published by Norman Mailer in A Harlot High and Low in the 60's.." According to an article at Scoop (Bush And The Mormons), Mormons have had 'a disproportionate representation in the CIA and FBI through the years, and J. Edgar Hoover started the FBI with Mormon agents'. 50 comments: The (perhaps Jewish) King Abdullah II of Jordan to be soon a key figurehead on the world stage ... 'leading the Muslim world away from terrorism'? Five major Muslim national leaders said to be Jewish: (1) President Al-Sisi (El-Sissi etc) of Egypt, has a Moroccan Jewish mother connected to the founders of the regime in Israel -http://www.veteranstoday.com/2013/09/16/al-sisi-jew/ (2) The Saud monarchs ruling Arabia are said to be Jewish in origin, & their Wahhab religious cult is also said to be founded by a Jewish familyhttp://aanirfan.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/moslems.html (3) Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoan & his wife, are said to be crypto-Jews, as is also said of the Turkish Republic's founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatrk, in Turkey's long tradition of 'Donmeh' Jews associated with 17th century Turkish Jewish 'violate all laws' false messiah Shabtai Tzvi (Sabbatai Zevi etc)http://aanirfan.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/turks-elect-jewish-president.html (5) King Abdullah II of Jordan, is said to be Jewish, with his mother Princess Muna al-Hussein, born Antoinette 'Toni' Avril Gardiner, said to be an 'aristocratic British Jew', her great-grandmother being 'Ruth Green' & a grand-mother being a 'Tovell', names which can be Jewish King Abdullah II via his father is a Hashemite, a clan said to be descendants of Islam's Prophet Mohammed, with his British(-Jewish?) mother said to be giving King Abdullah the heritage of the British & Roman Empires as well The (Jewish?) Sauds are Custodians of the top 2 Muslim holy places, Makkah including the Ka'aba, & Medinah, whilst (Jewish?) King Abdullah II is the Custodian of Islam's 3rd holiest site, the Al-Aqsa Mosque - Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem ... So all three of Islam's holiest places are maybe in the custody of Jews? King Abdullah's Hashemite ancestors ruled over the Muslim holy areas of Mecca & Medina over many hundreds of years & through the Ottoman period ... King Abdullah II & his Hashemites may soon become rulers of that part of Arabia once again if the West decides to depose & remove the Sauds King Abdullah II, with his suave 'moderate' image much-promoted by Western media, & his combining Muslim & British 'royal' heritages, is said thus to be a possible new grand caliph of the Muslim world; a figurehead for the New World Order, that may have a new headquarters declared in Jerusalem ... or also in events involving a possible coming of true or false messiahs, Mahdi, anti-Christ etc An estimated 30 percent of ISIS members are of Jordanian nationality ... King Abdullah II oversees semi-secret regular military manoeuvres in Jordon by the Gulf States & the Western powers, exactly in the area where ISIS - Daesh can be covertly supplied thru Jordan Yeah, I read all of that at HenryMakow.com the other day. I like Henry, he understands that Putin is an NWO stooge and his fake fight with the west is a total scam. That sort of thinking will get a person censored on a surprising number of sites. " Putin is an NWO stooge and his fake fight with the west " :of course he is :if he wouldn't be , he wouldn't be THERE in russian govt, on a first position.There's a LOT of watering down and disinfo among konspiracy truthers, purposedly ( For the sheeples who believe to be better more aware sheeples, believing in fairy tales like fulton, white brotherhood scams etc. ) Deeper through the rabbit hole !Myself, feel deeply that is better to practise spiritual life and meditation ( best is Vedic ) than indulge in non ending analysys and speculations on the topic what happened in London, 9/11 etc. Read bedlam burning blogger recently, sane view. NO HOAX, REAL people were hurt and died. But , most like body double was used as attacker. MK and this dark stuff. You need to look into some of the crisis actors that where used.Masonic.This lad, Owen Lambert is a political student (as where all his friends). His dad is the Masonic editor of the local newspaper, The Visitor (which took an interest but refused to run my child abuse story)...'causalities taken to a nearby hotel' Why would they take some of the injured past the ambulances and into the Marriott Hotelhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5QWDidkH7MThe one on a stretcher looks like the (terrorist)(Marriott hotels are really unlucky being involved in lots of terrorist incidences)Also so many people that have lost there shoes.Looking at the very poor video of the car passing the busses. The Busses come to a stop quite quickly. It does not look like they travel a busses length before stopping after the car passes in front of each of them. bridge warning sign would stop car driving down bridge.injured before and after sign. The car would have to swerve into and off buss lane. Also most if not all the busses would have cameras. For insurance and safety It's not terrible! Certainly gave me a laugh. I think you are right, they aren't trying very hard. Seems the message could be "we are going to construct your reality and we don't give a stuff if you know it." Theres already enough information here to debunk the official story on the Westminster terrorist attack, in the following thread some more: http://letsrollforums.com//brussels-sprouts-one-year-t32227.html 1) The ridiculous picture of Aysha Frade under a red bus.2) A second picture of the attacker on a stretcher, with a photoshopped face.3) A second (better) picture of the face of Khalid Masood.4) The crash scene of the Hyundai car leaving no damage to the fence (why would the attacker crash?). And a victim in front below the car.5) Doctors on the scene financed with millions from the London Freemasons. The identity of Ms Cristea is in doubt. Look at the photo of her with her alleged boyfriend where she's doing the V sign. She has a very pronounced notch in her chin. Look at the photo of her with red hair and huge red lips and the chin is smooth. Look at the photo where she has her back to the swimming pool looking out on a night time city scape. That girl has a totally different build and arm thickness compared to the super-model-like girl coming out of the sea. Try to find online coverage of the two Romanians in Romanian websites and you will be out of luck. The dearth of stories is a giveaway. There are so many Andreea Cristeas and they all look like super models and are very similar. The main Romanian "Andreea Cristea" visible on Facebook is like a Bond Girl with a lavish lifestyle and she works for and is the owner of Medical PR. She has left clues to the attack - by way of a Tissot watch with the time the "Hero" (indicated by a tiny wristband and a badge saying Hero) did his stuff outside Westminster is timed at 2:52pm - 12 minutes after the attack went down. You cannot find the two Romanians in Facebook that appear in the Sun article. ~ TM "Three boys from St Josephs school in Brittany, in London on a visit, were seriously injured when the British Muslim convert Khalid Masood ploughed into a crowd last Wednesday. A former pupil from the same school was murdered during the Bataclan attack in Paris." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfuXc36kMsIPhotographs from the event provided by two photographers with top connections.https://widerimage.reuters.com/photographer/toby-melvillehttp://stefanrousseau.com/about-contact Took them a while to come up with this ......http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4371770/Vile-video-shows-knife-expert-penetrating-stab-vest.html Many people (not least on here) questioned how the police officer was stabbed to death in seconds even though all police wear stab vests, so here's the Daily Mail and their attempt at damage limitation for the sheeple Ive been investigating this false flag attack since March 23; my research is finished: http://letsrollforums.com//brussels-sprouts-one-year-t32227p5.html First I will introduce independent star witness Graham Neale: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39VJfKdhSR8 Since August 2016 Graham Neale is copywriter and editor for Aflatoun International; an international NGO affiliated with the United Nations that specialises in teaching children and young people about their responsibilities (to become a good slave?) and limited resources (the problem of overpopulation...): https://himself.wordpress.com/2014/06/18/progressivism-re-education-via-video-game-for-teens-aflateen-digital-demonics-aflatoun/ Aflatoun was launched in 2005 by Princess (now Queen) Maxima of the Netherlands.Aflatoun is even promoted by the Brookings Institute: https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/FINAL-Aflatoun-Case-Study.pdf From 2012  2015 Neale was chairman for the Green Liberal Democrats, lobbying for a sustainable policy framework (the problem of overpopulation...): https://www.linkedin.com/in/grahamnealepublic/Since April 2016 Graham Neale is producer for the Italian state network RAI Uno housed in the Millbank towerThe Millbank tower is interesting because from here the video of the see-through Hyundai car racing over Westminster Bridge was shot. The Reuben brothers (David and Simon), who own the Millbank tower, have financed a campaign of Boris Johnson (who was in the infamous Bullingdon club with Nat Rothschild and David Cameron).The Millbank tower is also home to the Henry Jackson Society (a think tank), whose members include MPs, former heads of British intelligence agencies, CFR, Homeland security, Israel, NATO, and former CIA-director James Woolsey. The Henry Jackson Society is one of those organisations that push for a strong military to fight the War on terror.Dr. Alan Mendoza, founder and executive director of the Henry Jackson Society, quickly proclaimed that the Westminster attack follows the modus operandi of ISIS-related attacks.The terrorist was part of a vast network of British-based Islamists.According to research by the Henry Jackson Society anywhere between 2,000 and 3,000 people are so dangerous that they require active surveillance: http://www.breitbart.com/london/2017/03/23/mendoza-westminster-attacks-modus-operandi-islamic-state-related-attacks/ There are even connections with the hero MP Tobias Ellwood, who was appointed to the Queens Privy Council for his heroic efforts to save hero cop Keith Palmer.In 2010, Ellwood was involved in a discussion with the Henry Jackson Society about terrorism: http://henryjacksonsociety.org/2010/07/22/the-dynamics-of-terrorism-in-the-afpak-conflict/Ellwood is also listed as co-writer for a paper for the Henry Jackson Society in 2013: http://henryjacksonsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Blue-light-Report_LR.pdf Just 4 weeks before the Westminster terror attack (on 21 February 2017), Robert Kagan of the Brookings Institute was invited by the Henry Jackson Society to come over from the USA to discuss urgent matters.They claim it was about Donald Trumps influence on the international world order: http://henryjacksonsociety.org/2017/02/21/event-summary-the-trump-administration-and-international-relations/ So there you have it, my conclusion is that 29 days before 22 March, the final details for this false flag attack were figured out by the Brookings Institute and the Henry Jackson Society.The trail of Aflatoun International leads directly to the Dutch Royal crime family.And independent star witness Radoslaw Sikorksi was present at the 2016 Bilderberg meeting... The old name for the Tower card was "Le maison Dieu" or the House of God. The image is of a tower being hit by lightning and two figures are shown falling. Tarot cards can be interpreted positively or hegatively depending on the cards around them or if they are the right way up or inverted. Some say the tower is the Tower of Bavel (Babylon) which is traditionally considered to have been destroyed by God for daring to aspire to the heights of heaven. So the lesson is that going against the will of God/Goddess/Nature/Tao brings destruction whether due to hubris or stupidity. That's the positive meaning. The negative reading would suggest the person is ignoring this message and continuing to believe themself as superhuman. Some say the figures are male and female and the male falls while the female glides. This represents the contrasting natures of ego/will and subconscious/acceptance for male and female respectively, and suggests it is better to go with the Tao/flow rather than try to resist or fight the inevitable. In the Golden Dawn deck there is an illustration of the Qliphoth to the left of the tower and the Tree of Life on the right. In the Book of Thoth the All-Seeing Eye features at the top of the card and a fire-breathing serpent appears at the bottom. The card is ruled by Scorpio with loys of reds, oranges and flame yellows. The Tower is Atu or Trump no. 16. For synchronicity with topic of this article ( and as I've just finished reading the book and am tarot reader) see book below. WARNING - not for the easily upset, there are some really gruesome passages. There seems to be a lot of creepy occult imagery concealed in much of Anglo-zionist media and entertainment industry.I Used to think this was all so much tin-foil hat stuff in my less enlightened days but now i keep an open mind. The burning tower or tower struck by lightning is an important card of the Tarot deck a form of divination replete with Kabbalistic symbolism. Amongst other things it foretells Physical disaster, upheaval, revolutionary change. On some decks it is surmounted by a falling crown symbolising among other things the fall of kings, materialistic thought etc. On the Rider-Waite deck small flames representing the Hebrew letter Yod are depicted. Yod represents the divine spark or potential God within man which the Kabbalists hope to liberate ( Ye Shall be as Gods ). Interesting to see the numerous references to Crowns, Reigns, triangles, eyes, Red bracelets in the current r&b, Rap, Hip-Hop " culture" Could they be trying to tell us that the work is near completion? NWO, New Age, Fabian Utopia, Open Conspiracy Jewish Messianic Age. Whatever the moniker it smells evil and you can be sure there is Money behind it and its been a long time in the making. On the other hand perhaps its all just one big CIA PsyOp. Just a thought regarding the Magician card depicted on The Economist cover. In this depiction there is a factory and conveyer belt on the magician's table. This is churning out housing units. Could there be a connection with the Grenfell Fire and the very rapid condemnation of a large number of High rises in London?( normally reports would have been commissioned over months) Could it be " foretelling " a strategy of mass construction to boost a flagging economy whilst simultaneously re- structuring the social composition of Electoral Wards? Any Thoughts? The Magician manipulates all four tarot suit symbols and adopts a Baphomet pose with one hand pointing up and the other pointing down - as above so below - signifying connecting the spiritual with the material. Or this could be understood as the process of making ideas manifest, so your explanation makes a lot of sense. This whole scam would constitute a typical magician's trick - everyone watches the fire while the real action is elsewhere. Listening to the " Ministry Of Truth " on the radio today they were saying samples from 75 high rises have been sent to the Building Standards laboratory for analysis. This suggests pre-planning to me akin to the " Je Suis Charlie " placards i.e too quickly on the heels of the actual event. Perhaps this housing will be used to house the new commonwealth Gastarbeiter needed post Brexit. Poor souls they aren't to blame they just want a living wage. It seems to me our Government however are intent on destroying what is left of British culture outside of obesity, illiteracy, tattoos and the conspicuous consumption of crap in pursuit of some vision of Britain a la Rhodes-Milner. Wish I had emigrated in my Youth. Anonymous @ 04:47, interesting point regarding Baphomet. During Trump's Inaugoral swearing-in ceremony, I noticed for the first time how the left hand on the Bible and right hand raised is precisely the Baphomet gesture (as above ,so below). And of course it is the same gesture used to swear an oath in court.I never saw it before even though it was in plain sight! For those interested in Baphomet symbolism I would suggest taking a look at the highly engaging and entertaining "In Search of Black Assassins" blog. While I don't always agree with everything on this site, I've spent many hours lost in the rich mix of occult exposes of celebrities and people of power. This site is funny and scary in equal measure and well worth visiting. Strange how so many Mormons crop up as victims in the "attacks". Mormons are of course Zionists who apparently used to believe Black skin was the " Mark Of Cain ", but no longer do. Absolutely remarkable coincidence that a terror drill involving a body being thrown into the Thames is replicated in real life several days later (Ms Cristea). Also remarkable that two unarmed Tory MPs Tobias Elwood and Ben Wallace, both with high level military connections emerge to grapple with crazed " Muslim covert". Probably just coincidence. I used to live adjacent to the regional office of the Church of Latter Day Saints and their young missionaries would often call at our house. They were mostly intelligent well-spoken young people but a few seemed pretty vacant and (looking back with more knowledge) possible mind kontrol candidates. So in response to the interesting comment above, I agree, it probably was more than a coincidence, which of course is what you ironically suggest. This article is about false flags. Can I ask the community what ppl think about the Internet show, False Flag Weekly News? The show goes out weekly on No LIes Radio and is hosted by Prof Anthony Hall of Lethbridge Uni, Canada and editor of the International Herald Tribune, and Dr Kevin Barrett, senior editor at Veterans Today and author of various books and articles about 9/11, Charlie Hebdo and other "truther" works. I've been watching for a while now and several things are making me feel uneasy. I'll give three example; Their admiration for the Islamic Republic of Iran for a start. The men are regualrly on PressTV and attend lots of conferences in Iran This site and others have provided plenty of evidence that the Iranian leadership have very suspicious connections to western powers and Israel. Yet the guys never mention that. As far as I know from talking to Iranians, the religious goons killed all the real student revolutionaries and subverted the revolution against the Shah. On Friday they claimed that Qatar supports "democratic Islamic government". Yet according to wikipedia, "Qatar is a hereditary monarchy and its head of state is Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qatar They claim they are being attacked by B'nai B'rith, and seem to expose ZioNazi bad deeds, yet something doesn't feel right to me. No mention of historical links to SAS, MI5/6, Special Branch or police. Yet includes this claim, "... al-Muhajiroun was allowed to recruit in towns across the UK for years, largely unfettered by the state ..."
Express.co.uk relies on cookies to collect and process data. We may use this data to make assumptions on what content or advertising may interest you. By clicking "Continue and Accept All", you agree to allow cookies to be placed. You can decline these settings . To get more information about these cookies and the processing of your personal data, check our Privacy Policy & Cookie Policy. THE farm where the mother of London terrorist Khalid Masood lives in rural Wales is under police guard. Janet Elms' home in Carmarthenshire, west Wales, was searched by counter-terror police on Thursday as part of the "fast-paced investigation" into her son Masood who mowed down dozens of pedestrians on Westminster Bridge on Wednesday before fatally stabbing PC Keith Palmer in the grounds of Parliament. Three of the pedestrians were killed by Masood, who also called himself Adrian Elms and whose birthname was Adrian Russell Ajao. Following yesterday's search on Ms Elms' home, police have been seen guarding the farm where she lives with her husband, chickens and her border collie. Related articles She runs a business selling hand-made bags and cushions on hand crafted gifts website Folksy. On the site, she says: "Hello, I'm Janet and I live in rural west Wales with my husband, border collie and a few chickens. "Our home is tucked away at the end of a little land, and it's here that you'll find me making bags and cushions. "I use natural fabrics, both new and recycled, and love to make use of old Welsh wool blankets. "All items are one-off. You may see the same style of bag, or the same fabric may reappear in a different guise, but never the same thing twice." Ms Elms gave birth to Masood on as a 17-year-old single mother and within two years she married Phillip Ajao and lived in a 300,000 house in the coastal town of Rye, East Sussex. Twenty years after that they moved to Tunbridge Wells with Masood's two half-brothers, Alex and Paul. Neighbours of his mother said there was a heavy police presence in the village yesterday, which can now be revealed as a search on her home. Dimitris LegakisAthena Pictures Masood's mother's house in Carmarthenshire was being guarded by police today One local, said: "We heard rumours early yesterday. Then police streamed up the drive to the house. I've heard what the connection is and I'm stunned." Today police were seen entering 50-year-old Paul Ajao's home in Banbury, Oxfordshire. Officers made two more "significant arrests" overnight in the West Midlands and the North West of England, Mark Rowley, the Met Police Assistant Commisioner, said during a briefing this morning. Dimitris LegakisAthena Pictures Ms Elms runs an online business selling homemade bags and cushions The number of arrests has now risen to ten, with nine still in custody after a woman from Birmingham was released on bail. He revealed two of the victims of Masood's attack on Wednesday afternoon remain in critical condition in hospital, with one in a life-threatening condition. Yesterday terror group Islamic State (ISIS) claimed Masood was a "soldier of the caliphate" and praised him for carrying out the attack in which he stabbed PC Keith Palmer to death inside the grounds of Parliament and killed three others by running them down on Westminster Bridge. Questions have now been raised as to how the 52-year-old, born in Dartford, Kent and raised in the picturesque seaside town of Rye in East Sussex, then Royal Tunbridge Wells in Kent, was radicalised - to such an extent he changed his name entirely and carried out an attack against Western civilisation. Mr Rowley, said: "Clearly thats a main line of our investigation. What led him to be radicalised? Was it through influences in our community, influences from overseas or influences from online propaganda? "Our investigations, our arrests will help in that but the public appeal will make a big difference in that, if people come forward with more information. "It would be wrong for me to say any more than what the Prime Minister said in Parliament yesterday. "But, were looking at his history. Several years ago he had been a peripheral figure, hes never been part of the mainstream intelligence picture about terrorism." Westminster terror attack in pictures Emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament PA Security services staff pick through debris, including a car number plate, left following the March 22 terror attack on Westminster Bridge in central London AFP/Getty Images Police forensic officers in Parliament Square outside the Houses of Parliament in London, after seven people were arrested in raids in London, Birmingham and elsewhere linked to the Westminster terror attack PA Concrete blocks en route to reinforce security in London Twitter Concrete blocks en route to reinforce security in London Twitter Concrete blocks en route to reinforce security in London Twitter Police forensic tent on Westminster Bridge SWNS.com Forensics investigators and police officers work at the site near Westminster Bridge the morning after an attack by a man driving a car and weilding a knife left five people dead and dozens injured, in London REUTERS A forensics investigator works near Westminster Bridge the morning after an attack by a man driving a car and weilding a knife left five people dead and dozens injured, in London REUTERS Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood (left) stands amongst the emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London PA London terror attack in Westminster Twitter Westminster terror map PA Emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament PA Emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament PA Armed police following major incidents outside the Houses of Parliament in central London EPA Emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament PA A member of the public is treated by emergency services near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament Getty Images An injured woman is assisted after an incident on Westminster Bridge in London REUTERS Emergency personnel close to the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament PA Emergency services make their way down Westminster Bridge towards the Houses of Parliament Getty Images A member of the public is treated by emergency services near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament Getty Images Mounted police in Trafalgar Square, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament PA Armed police respond outside Parliament during an incident on Westminster Bridge in London REUTERS Armed police respond outside Parliament during an incident on Westminster Bridge in London REUTERS A member of the public is treated by emergency services near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament Getty Images A member of the public is treated by emergency services near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament Getty Images Armed police respond outside Parliament during an incident on Westminster Bridge in London REUTERS Police close to the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament PA Armed police following major incidents outside the Houses of Parliament in central London, Britain 22 March 2017 EPA Injured people are assisted after an incident on Westminster Bridge in London REUTERS London terror outside in Westminster Twitter Injured people are assisted after an incident on Westminster Bridge in London REUTERS London terror outside in Westminster Twitter Palace of Westminster incident PA CPR inside palace gardens grounds Facebook London terror outside in Westminster An Air Ambulance outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after sounds similar to gunfire have been heard close to the Palace of Westminster PA Police outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after sounds similar to gunfire have been heard close to the Palace of Westminster
Get live updates from RT Click icon aboveto allow notifications from RT Select 'Allow'Once prompted by Chrome Driver who hit London pedestrians was British citizen - security minister Updated / Tuesday, 14 Aug 2018 20:00 Forensics officers work around the silver Ford Fiesta car that was driven into a barrier at Westminster A man who drove a car into London pedestrians outside Britain's parliament this morning was a British citizen who originally came from another country, British security minister Ben Wallace has said. Police arrested the man early today after he hit pedestrians and cyclists before ramming his car into barriers in Westminster. "He's a British citizen," Mr Wallace told the BBC. "He came from another country originally. It's only being treated at the moment as a terrorist incident and we haven't yet fully confirmed that." Police said the man detained is 29 years old, and they are carrying out searches at three addresses in the midlands in relation to the incident. Scotland Yard has said the man was not known to police or MI5. He is being held in custody at a south London police station but is not co-operating with officers, counter-terrorism head Neil Basu said. He was arrested on suspicion of terror offences after the silver Ford Fiesta he was driving collided with cyclists and pedestrians before crashing into security barriers just before 7.40am. The suspect is understood to be from the Birmingham area. "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," said Mr Basu. "We have not formally identified him yet. On the details we have at the moment we don't believe this individual was known to MI5 or counter-terror police." The silver car was seen driving along the road next to Parliament Square before moving to turn right towards Westminster Abbey. As an ambulance passes the car on its right-hand side, the vehicle swerves left, crossing oncoming traffic and a pavement before entering a small road and crashing into a security barrier. A police officer can be seen jumping another barrier that runs along the side of the road to get away. Two white vehicles appear to be behind the car shortly before the crash but Mr Basu insisted: "There was not a police car in pursuit of the vehicle." Images posted to social media showed a man wearing a black puffer jacket being led away in handcuffs from the car. There was nobody else in the vehicle and no weapons were found, police said. Mr Basu added no other suspects have been identified and there is "no intelligence at this time of further danger" to Londoners. Two people were taken to hospital, while a third person with minor injuries was assessed at the scene, the London Ambulance Service (LAS) said. One was discharged from St Thomas' Hospital before midday, while a woman is being treated for serious but not life-threatening injuries at St Mary's Hospital. British Prime Minister Theresa May said the attack is shocking and warned that the terrorism threat to the United Kingdom remained severe. "The threat to the United Kingdom from terrorism remains severe. I would urge the public to remain vigilant," Mrs May, who is out of the country on holiday, said in a statement. Mrs May's spokesman said she has had regular briefings with security officials throughout the day. My thoughts are with those injured in the incident in Westminster and my thanks to the emergency services for their immediate and courageous response. Geoffrey Woodman, a strategy consultant from Battersea, had stopped at the traffic lights by Parliament Square on his cycle to work when the car swerved into cyclists and towards the security barriers. "I was getting off the bike and put my foot down, then there was a sound like tyres screeching," he 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." He said most people managed to jump off their bikes to safety but one woman who "seemed in some distress" was clipped by the bonnet of the car as it passed. Another terrorist attack in London...These animals are crazy and must be dealt with through toughness and strength! RT.ie is the website of Raidi Teilifs ireann, Ireland's National Public Service Broadcaster. RT is not responsible for the content of external internet sites. Images courtesy of Inpho.ie and Getty Images
Police are appealing for information as they try to establish whether Westminster attacker Khalid Masood acted alone or was directed by others. They said the investigation would focus on Masood's "motivation, preparation and his associates". His fourth victim has been named as Leslie Rhodes, 75, from Clapham, south London - one of three people killed by Masood's car on Westminster Bridge. Police have now released seven of the 11 people arrested since Wednesday. The Metropolitan Police said they had been released "with no further police action". Six of those had been arrested in Hockley, Birmingham, on Thursday morning and one had been arrested in Manchester. A 32-year-old woman, who was arrested in Manchester, has been released on bail until late March. A 39-year-old woman, from east London, had already been released on bail until late March. Those still in custody are: A 58-year-old man from Birmingham A 27-year-old man from Birmingham Earlier, in appealing for information from the public, Mark Rowley, of the Metropolitan Police, said they would investigate whether Masood "acted totally alone inspired by terrorist propaganda, or if others have encouraged, supported or directed him". The assistant deputy commissioner added: "There might be people out there who did have concerns about Masood but did not feel comfortable for whatever reason in passing those concerns to us." Image copyrightTravis FrainImage caption Prince Charles has visited some of the injured at King's College Hospital, including Travis Frain Fifty people were injured in Wednesday's attack, with 31 receiving hospital treatment. Two are in a critical condition, and one has life-threatening injuries. The injured include Andreea Cristea, who had an operation for a blood clot on her brain after Masood's car hit her on Westminster Bridge and knocked her into the River Thames. Two officers remain in hospital with "very significant" injuries, one of whom has been identified as PC Kristofer Aves. PC Keith Palmer, 48, died on Wednesday after being stabbed by Masood. On Friday evening it was announced that Tobias Ellwood, the MP who battled to save the life of PC Palmer, and security minister Ben Wallace have been appointed to the Privy Council - the historic group that advises monarchs - in recognition of their responses to the attack. Of those killed on Westminster Bridge, Aysha Frade, a teacher in her 40s, and US tourist Kurt Cochran, 54, died on Wednesday, while Mr Rhodes, a retired window cleaner, died on Thursday evening when his life support machine was turned off. Masood, 52, had driven his car onto the pavement and into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, before crashing the vehicle into railings and running into the grounds of Parliament. He was armed with a knife and stabbed PC Palmer, before being shot dead by police. The Metropolitan Police said Masood, who had a number of previous convictions but none for terrorism, had used a number of aliases. Registered as Adrian Russell Elms, in Dartford, Kent, at birth, Masood was also known as Adrian Russell Ajao in childhood.
Terror Attack at London, British Parliament goes into lock-down mode In an Islamophobic tweet, Donald Trump Jr, son of Donald Trump pointed fingers at the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan. He tweeted a quote of Sadiq Khan given six month prior to the attack. In an interview, Khan has said Part and parcel of living in a great global city is youve got to be prepared for these things, youve got to be vigilant, youve got to support the police doing an incredibly hard job. You have to be kidding me?!: Terror attacks are part of living in big city, says London Mayor Sadiq Khan https://t.co/uSm2pwRTjO There is only one attacker involved in the attack. The attacker first ploughed the pedestrians at Westminster Bridge before crashing into the railing of the Houses of Parliament and exiting the car to continue the attack. One police officer and two pedestrians have died in the attack. The attacker has also been killed. About 20 people have been injured, including one women who had jumped into the river. - In a terror attack at London, an unknown assailant stabbed a policeman at British Parliament with a knife and was shot dead immediately. The terrors suspect appears to be of Asian origins. Before attacking the policeman, the suspect had used his Hyundai 44 vehicle as a weapon by running over pedestrians Westminster Bridge. 10 people have been severely injured in this attack, whereas 2 people are confirmed dead. There are also conflicting reports from various British media outlets on whether the attack was carried out by one attacker or two attackers. As the word about the attack spread, the entire British Parliament has gone into a lockdown mode. All the members of British Parliament are safe. Muslim Council of Britain has issued the following statement: We are shocked and saddened by the incident at Westminster. We condemn this attack and while it is still too early to speculate on the motives, our thoughts and prayers are for the victims and those affected. We pay tribute too to the police and emergency services who handled this with bravery. The Palace of Westminster is the centre of our democracy and we must all ensure that it continues to serve our country and its people with safety and security.
Five Muslim community workers have accused MI5 of waging a campaign of blackmail and harassment in an attempt to recruit them as informants. The men claim they were given a choice of working for the Security Service or face detention and harassment in the UK and overseas. They have made official complaints to the police, to the body which oversees the work of the Security Service and to their local MP Frank Dobson. Now they have decided to speak publicly about their experiences in the hope that publicity will stop similar tactics being used in the future. Intelligence gathered by informers is crucial to stopping further terror outrages, but the men's allegations raise concerns about the coercion of young Muslim men by the Security Service and the damage this does to the gathering of information in the future. Three of the men say they were detained at foreign airports on the orders of MI5 after leaving Britain on family holidays last year. After they were sent back to the UK, they were interviewed by MI5 officers who, they say, falsely accused them of links to Islamic extremism. On each occasion the agents said they would lift the travel restrictions and threat of detention in return for their co-operation. When the men refused some of them received what they say were intimidating phone calls and threats. Two other Muslim men say they were approached by MI5 at their homes after police officers posed as postmen. Each of the five men, aged between 19 and 25, was warned that if he did not help the security services he would be considered a terror suspect. A sixth man was held by MI5 for three hours after returning from his honeymoon in Saudi Arabia. He too claims he was threatened with travel restrictions if he tried to leave the UK. An agent who gave her name as Katherine is alleged to have made direct threats to Adydarus Elmi, a 25-year-old cinema worker from north London. In one telephone call she rang him at 7am to congratulate him on the birth of his baby girl. His wife was still seven months' pregnant and the couple had expressly told the hospital that they did not want to know the sex of their child. Mr Elmi further alleges: "Katherine tried to threaten me by saying, and it still runs through my mind now: 'Remember, this won't be the last time we ever meet.' And then during our last conversation she explained: 'If you do not want anything to happen to your family you will co-operate.'" Madhi Hashi, a 19-year-old care worker from Camden, claims he was held for 16 hours in a cell in Djibouti airport on the orders of MI5. He alleges that when he was returned to the UK on 9 April this year he was met by an MI5 agent who told him his terror suspect status would remain until he agreed to work for the Security Service. He alleges that he was to be given the job of informing on his friends by encouraging them to talk about jihad. Mohamed Nur, 25, a community youth worker from north London, claims he was threatened by the Security Service after an agent gained access to his home accompanied by a police officer posing as a postman. "The MI5 agent said, 'Mohamed if you do not work for us we will tell any foreign country you try to travel to that you are a suspected terrorist.'" Mohamed Aden, 25, a community youth worker from Camden, was also approached by someone disguised as a postman in August last year. He alleges an agent told him: "We're going to make your travelling harder for you if you don't co-operate." None of the six men, who work with disadvantaged youths at the Kentish Town Community Organisation (KTCO), has ever been arrested for terrorism or a terrorism-related offence. They have repeatedly complained about their treatment to the police and to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, which oversees the work of the Security Services. In a letter to Lord Justice Mummery, who heads the tribunal, Sharhabeel Lone, the chairman of the KTCO, said: "The only thing these young people have in common is that they studied Arabic abroad and are of Somali origin. They are not involved in any terrorist activity whatsoever, nor have they ever been, and the security services are well aware of this." Mr Sharhabeel added: "These incidents smack of racism, Islamophobia and all that undermines social cohesion. Threatening British citizens, harassing them in their own country, alienating young people who have committed no crime other than practising a particular faith and being a different colour is a recipe for disaster. "These disgraceful incidents have undermined 10 years of hard work and severely impacted social cohesion in Camden. Targeting young people that are role models for all young people in our country in such a disparaging way demonstrates a total lack of understanding of on-the-ground reality and can only be counter-productive. "When people are terrorised by the very same body that is meant to protect them, sowing fear, suspicion and division, we are on a slippery slope to an Orwellian society." Frank Dobson said: "To identify real suspects from the Muslim communities MI5 must use informers. But it seems that from what I have seen some of their methods may be counter-productive." Last night MI5 and the police refused to discuss the men's complaints with The Independent. But on its website, MI5 says it is untrue that the Security Service harasses Muslims. The organisation says: "We do not investigate any individuals on the grounds of ethnicity or religious beliefs. Countering the threat from international terrorists, including those who claim to be acting for Islam, is the Security Service's highest priority. "We know that attacks are being considered and planned for the UK by al-Qai'da and associated networks. International terrorists in this country threaten us directly through violence and indirectly through supporting violence overseas." It adds: "Muslims are often themselves the victims of this violence  the series of terrorist attacks in Casablanca in May 2003 and Riyadh in May and November 2003 illustrate this. "The service also employs staff of all religions, including Muslims. We are committed to recruiting a diverse range of staff from all backgrounds so that we can benefit from their different perspectives and experience." MI5 and me: Three statements Mahdi Hashi: 'I told him: this is blackmail' Last month, 19-year-old Mahdi Hashi arrived at Gatwick airport to take a plane to visit his sick grandmother in Djibouti, but as he was checking in he was stopped by two plainclothes officers. One of the officers identified himself as Richard and said he was working for MI5. Mr Hashi said: "He warned me not to get on the flight. He said 'Whatever happens to you outside the UK is not our responsibility'. I was absolutely shocked." The agent handed Mr Hashi a piece of paper with his name and telephone contact details and asked him to call him. "The whole time he tried to make it seem like he was looking after me. And just before I left them at my boarding gate I remember 'Richard' telling me 'It's your choice, mate, to get on that flight but I advise you not to,' and then he winked at me." When Mr Hashi arrived at Djibouti airport he was stopped at passport control. He was then held in a room for 16 hours before being deported back to the UK. He claims the Somali security officers told him that their orders came from London. More than 24 hours after he first left the UK he arrived back at Heathrow and was detained again. "I was taken to pick up my luggage and then into a very discreet room. 'Richard' walked in with a Costa bag with food which he said was for me, my breakfast. He said it was them who sent me back because I was a terror suspect." Mr Hashi, a volunteer youth leader at Kentish Town Community Organisation in north London, alleges that the officer made it clear that his "suspect" status and travel restrictions would only be lifted if he agreed to co-operate with MI5. "I told him 'This is blatant blackmail'; he said 'No, it's just proving your innocence. By co-operating with us we know you're not guilty.' "He said I could go and that he'd like to meet me another time, preferably after [May] Monday Bank Holiday. I looked at him and said 'I don't ever want to see you or hear from you again. You've ruined my holiday, upset my family, and you nearly gave my sick grandmother in Somalia a heart attack'." Adydarus Elmi: 'MI5 agent threatened my family' When the 23-year-old cinema worker from north London arrived at Chicago's O'Hare airport with his pregnant wife, they were separated, questioned and deported back to Britain. Three days later Mr Elmi was contacted on his mobile phone and asked to attend Charing Cross police station to discuss problems he was having with his travel documents. "I met a man and a woman," he said. "She said her name was Katherine and that she worked for MI5. I didn't know what MI5 was." For two-and-a-half hours Mr Elmi faced questions. "I felt I was being lured into working for MI5." The contact did not stop there. Over the following weeks he claims "Katherine" harassed him with dozens of phone calls. "She would regularly call my mother's home asking to speak to me," he said. "And she would constantly call my mobile." In one disturbing call the agent telephoned his home at 7am to congratulate him on the birth of his baby girl. His wife was still seven months pregnant and the couple had expressly told the hospital that they did not want to know the sex of their child. "Katherine tried to threaten me by saying  and it still runs through my mind now  'Remember, this won't be the last time we ever meet", and then during our last conversation explained: 'If you do not want anything to happen to your family you will co-operate'." Mohamed Nur Mohamed Nur, 25, first came into contact with MI5 early one morning in August 2008 when his doorbell rang. Looking through his spyhole in Camden, north London, he saw a man with a red bag who said he was a postman. When Mr Nur opened the door the man told him that he was in fact a policeman and that he and his colleague wanted to talk to him. When they sat down the second man produced ID and said that he worked for MI5. The agent told Mr Nur that they suspected him of being an Islamic extremist. "I immediately said 'And where did you get such an idea?' He replied, 'I am not permitted to discuss our sources'. I said that I have never done anything extreme." Mr Nur claims he was then threatened by the officer. "The MI5 agent said, 'Mohamed, if you do not work for us we will tell any foreign country you try to travel to that you are a suspected terrorist'." They asked him what travel plans he had. Mr Nur said he might visit Sweden next year for a football tournament. The agent told him he would contact him within the next three days. "I am not interested in meeting you ever." Mr Nur replied. As they left, the agent said to at least consider the approach, as it was in his best interests.
This undated photo provided by Clint Payne shows his sister, Melissa, and her husband, Kurt Cochran. A statement from the Mormon church issued Thursday, March 23, 2017, on behalf of relatives said Kurt Cochran was among those killed in the London attack Wednesday and Melissa was seriously injured. (Courtesy of Clint Payne via AP) Undated handout photo released by Metropolitan Police on Wednesday, March 22, 2017 of police officer Keith Palmer who was killed during the attack on the Houses of Parliament in London. A knife-wielding man went on a deadly rampage in the heart of Britain's seat of power Wednesday, plowing a car into pedestrians on London's Westminster Bridge before stabbing a police officer to death inside the gates of Parliament. Five people were killed, including the assailant, and 40 others were injured in what Prime Minister Theresa May condemned as a "sick and depraved terrorist attack." (Metropolitan Police via AP) A police officer places flowers and a photo of fellow police officer Keith Palmer, who was killed in yesterdays attack, on Whitehall near the Houses of Parliament in London, Thursday March 23, 2017. On Wednesday a knife-wielding man went on a deadly rampage, first driving a car into pedestrians then stabbing a police officer to death before being fatally shot by police within Parliament's grounds in London. (Dominic Lipinski/PA via AP) In this image taken from video, members of Britain's House of Parliament observe a minute of silence paying respect to the victims of yesterday's attack in London, Thursday March 23, 2017. On Wednesday a man went on a deadly rampage, first driving a car into pedestrians then stabbing a police officer to death before being fatally shot by police within Parliament's grounds in London.(PA via AP) The British national flag set on half-staff paying respect to the victims of yesterday's attack in London, at the British embassy in Berlin, Thursday, March 23, 2017. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber) Francisco Lopes, a Portuguese national who was injured during the London terror attack, at his home in London, during an interview with the Associated Press, Thursday, March, 23, 2017. Lopes, a 26-year-old who has lived in London for 15 years, is now awaiting surgery for his hand but is struggling to sleep. (AP Photo/ Sophie Berman) Bret Layton cries as he talks with reporters about his friend and business associate, Kurt W. Cochran, Thursday, March 23, 2017, in West Bountiful, Utah. Kurt W. Cochran was killed and his wife, Melissa Cochran, was among dozens who were injured in Wednesday's London attack according to a statement issued Thursday by the family through a Mormon church spokesman. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer) Bret Layton cries as he talks with reporters about his friend and business associate, Kurt W. Cochran, Thursday, March 23, 2017, in West Bountiful, Utah. Kurt W. Cochran was killed and his wife, Melissa Cochran, was among dozens who were injured in Wednesday's London attack according to a statement issued Thursday by the family through a Mormon church spokesman. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer) A look at victims of the attack outside London's Parliament A look at victims of the attack outside London's Parliament By JOHN LEICESTER Mar. 23, 2017 LONDON (AP)  The four victims killed and at least 30 wounded in the attack in Westminster were a cosmopolitan snapshot of one of the world's most cosmopolitan cities. The dead included a British policeman stabbed to death, an American tourist celebrating his 25th wedding anniversary and a British school administrator adored in the Spanish town where she spent summer vacations with her family. A 75-year-old man also died Thursday of his wounds, London police said. The injured came from 12 countries. In addition to Britons, they included schoolchildren from France, a Romanian couple, a Portuguese man who had just finished his shift at a food store, and others who had traveled from as far away as China to explore London. Here's what's known about the victims: ___ Police Officer Keith Palmer, 48, had been a member of Britain's parliamentary and diplomatic protection forces for 15 years and a soldier in the Royal Artillery before that. He was on duty protecting Parliament when he was stabbed to death on Wednesday. Honoring Palmer, Prime Minister Theresa May said he was "a husband, a father ... he was every inch a hero. The Charlton Athletic Football Club said Palmer was a long-time fan and "a familiar face" at its London stadium, The Valley. As a tribute, the club placed one of its red-and-white scarves on his seat in the East Stand where he sat "for many years." It said the scarf will stay there until the team's next game on April 4. ___ Aysha Frade, a British citizen whose mother is Spanish, was one of two people killed on the bridge. In the northwestern Spanish town of Betanzos, where her mother was born and her two sisters run an English-language school, the mayor said: "The whole town is shocked." Although Frade, 43, was born and lived in London, she spent weeks every summer in Betanzos visiting relatives, said Ramon Garcia Vazquez, mayor of the town of 13,000 in Spain's Galicia region. He told The Associated Press that her family "was very well known in the village and loved by everybody here." He said her two elder sisters, Silvia and Michelle, flew to London early Thursday. The Betanzos town hall held a minute of silence for the family at noon Thursday and the mayor announced three days of mourning. Frade worked as an administrator at the DLD College  a school in Westminster a stone's throw from Parliament. "She was highly regarded and loved by our students and by her colleagues. She will be deeply missed by all of us," said Rachel Borland, the college principal. Kurt W. Cochran from Utah was on the last day of a European trip celebrating his 25th wedding anniversary when he was killed on Westminster Bridge. His wife, Melissa, was seriously injured and remains hospitalized. She suffered a broken leg, a broken rib and cuts and bruises, said friend Mike Murphy. They were visiting her parents, who are serving as Mormon missionaries in the British capital, a church spokesman said. The couple ran a recording studio in the basement of their home just outside Salt Lake City. Murphy, owner of Murphy's Guitars, said Kurt Cochran regularly came to his shop to buy recording equipment for the studio where he tried to help young bands get started by charging them very little. "He loved music," Murphy said. "He was always around when there were music things going on." Pictures on Kurt Cochran's Facebook page show the couple enjoying their trip through Europe prior to the attack. In one post, he was smiling and holding a German beer under the caption, "After a long day of sightseeing." A fourth victim of Wednesday's attack on Westminster Bridge died Thursday, London police said, without releasing his name or nationality. The 75-year-old man had been receiving medical treatment in the hospital following the attack and life support was withdrawn on Thursday evening, a police statement said. ___ Those injured in the attack included 12 Britons, four South Koreans, three French, two Romanians, two Greeks, two Irish, and one person each from Germany, Poland, China, Italy, Portugal and the United States. Police earlier said several people were in critical condition. ___ Francisco Lopes, a 26-year-old from Portugal who has lived in London for 15 years, suffered severe cut on his hands and legs when he was hit by the car on Westminster Bridge. He had just finished work at a food store and was walking along the bridge to catch the Tube home. "I was scared for my life," Lopes told the AP. "I didn't want to die. I was trying to convince myself that I was going to be OK and that my legs were going to be OK." "I had no, literally no, time to get out of the way," he said. "I tried to defend myself as I could. So I put my arms forward, and the car just tumbled me over." Lopes, who will have surgery on one of his hands, says he is struggling to try to sleep. "I started to close my eyes and then that image just started coming over again, you know the fear, the people screaming," he said. ___ Romania's ambassador to Britain, Dan Mihalache, said a critically injured Romanian woman successfully underwent surgery Thursday to remove a blood clot from her brain, but she also has lung injuries. The woman was rescued from the Thames River  it was not clear whether she jumped in to escape the car or was thrown into the water by its impact. Romanian authorities did not name her or the man she was traveling with, citing privacy rules. Romanian media reported that the couple in their 20s had traveled to London to celebrate his birthday later this week. The ambassador told the national news agency Agerpres the man suffered a foot fracture.
Big Ben Still Tolled Times Insider delivers behind-the-scenes insights into how news, features and opinion come together at The New York Times. LONDON  I was leaving work and putting on my motorcycle jacket when news broke of an attack on Parliament. As a print and video journalist, I always carry a go bag of notebooks, camera equipment and a phone charger, especially after Londons police chief warned last year that a terrorist attack in the city of my birth was a case of when, not if. So I ran straight to the motorcycle. As I rode across town, I received phone calls and text messages confirming an attack, so I sped toward Westminster and slammed the bike onto the last side street before Parliament Square itself. All still seemed very calm. Bloke with a knife. Someones down, a maintenance worker vouchsafed as he sat eating his sandwich outside the Red Lion pub. And then he went on with his sandwich. London, innit? It is a very strange feeling to report on a city that you have known for decades, both as a news reporter and as a media consumer of its biscuit-tin, iconic images. Big Ben almost isnt a real thing to me anymore; its ever-present on television and movies and social media, much like the Eiffel Tower or the Empire State Building. It has become more of a symbol, a celluloid emoji used by tourists and filmmakers as a shorthand way of conveying time and place. My 6-year-old daughter puts her pocket money into a miniaturized version of the clock tower. Then people suddenly die beneath it, and reality crashes headlong into artifice. Yet there is work to be done. That sounds easy enough, in the middle of a major city. But in the journalistic trinity of get it first, get it right, get it out, the get-it-out part is harder than it sounds. For the newspaper and the website, emailing quotes and facts back to the office is relatively easy; its all done on cellphone, or a laptop balanced on a window ledge. But transmitting video clips, far bigger packets of information, is next to impossible when thousands of people are all simultaneously trying to use the same cellphone network in the same place to send photographs, to scroll through news websites or to update their Facebook safety status. One bar of reception in a war zone can be more accommodating than four bars beside the River Thames in a world capital. Once I had spoken to the witnesses, the only option was to move away from Parliament and find a sweet spot of cellphone reception, far enough away from the area of heavy phone use and yet near enough to have a continuing sense of what was happening. Not least for the possibility of a secondary attack on that inviting maelstrom of emergency workers, survivors, witnesses, bystanders and journalists. And sealing the whole area off, a cordon of police officers, some old enough to remember the Irish Republican Army attacks of decades past, some brought up in the era of jihadist violence. At one point, during a live video interview near Parliament, it was too dark for me to read the time on my watch clearly. Then behind me came seven bongs from Big Ben  which is the bell, not the clock, as every Londoner knows. It is a symbol, and yet it is also Westminsters working timepiece. Of course, the symbolic status of the Parliament building and its democratic institutions also make the landmark site a target for those who want to send a loud message by attacking it. The first witness I met was Robert Vaudry, a fund manager who missed being caught up in the attack by only moments. He had been heading to Parliament when he was grabbed by armed police officers and pushed away to safety. Mr. Vaudry, quintessentially English, is from William Shakespeares hometown, Stratford-upon-Avon. The member of Parliament he was there to meet, Nadhim Zahawi, is an immigrant whose Kurdish parents left Iraq in the 1970s, fearing persecution by Saddam Hussein. So far, so very, very London. Past us walked Kirsten Hurrell, who sold newspapers opposite the Parliament building. She was moving briskly, carrying for refreshment a glass containing an ample measure of some amber liquid. Behind her, police officers emerged from Parliament Square pushing everyone back and shouting, Move back, back, all the way back past Downing Street. I was asked by Facebook Live viewers and radio interviewers how London was coping, were people nervous, was there panic? Perhaps fueled by last years sensationalist movie London Has Fallen. But London and Britain are no strangers to conflict. When slicing through traffic on my motorcycle to Parliament Square minutes after the attack, I drove through Trafalgar Square, dominated by the giant column commemorating Lord Nelson from an era when present allies were past enemies. I went past the site of the poll tax riots that Id accidentally walked into on my brothers birthday in 1990. I weaved around the red double-decker buses filled with tourists and raced down Whitehall past the statue to Field Marshal Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, a British commander in World War II, past Downing Street (into which the I.R.A. launched mortar shells in 1991) and past the Cenotaph memorial honoring the legions of those who have died in wars gone by. Just ahead was the jarring sight of a scarlet ambulance helicopter parked on the grass of Parliament Square itself, right next to the bronze statue of Sir Winston Churchill. The deaths caused on Wednesday by Khalid Masood saddened and chastened everyone in the city lucky enough to be able to go about their business that day. Yet violence, and the threat of it, are nothing new. Parliament itself has come under attack before. In 1605, Guy Fawkes tried to blow up the palace of Westminster using barrels of gunpowder. And a courtroom directly opposite the Parliament building used to display a list of judges dating all the way back to George Jeffreys, the Hanging Judge, who in 1685 had more than 100 people executed at the Bloody Assizes following a failed rebellion. Two months before Mr. Masood plowed his vehicle into innocent people on Westminster bridge, that same bridge had to be closed while an unexploded World War II bomb was dredged up from the river, a stark reminder of the tens of thousands of Britons killed in London and other cities by German bombing raids during the Blitz from September 1940 to May 1941. That is still within living memory. I am too young to remember the war, as it is still called, but there was still a bomb shelter at my school in the 1960s, reminding us. Every Londoner is brought up on tales of defiance and resolution showed by the citys civilian population during that era. And all Londoners now commute daily past the statues, buildings and memorials that stand like pieces on a chessboard, commemorating centuries of war, conflict, empire and colonialism, of violence meted out, violence suffered and violence defied. Furthermore, many who are now Londoners have in recent years fled conflicts in the Balkans, Middle East, South Asia and elsewhere, having experienced atrocities far more recent than most of us.
Jihadis Living on Support Payments from the Europe They Vowed to Destroy Al Harith's story reveals the depth of one of Europe's biggest scandals: the jihadis' use of European cradle-to-grave entitlements to fund their "holy war". Europe gave them everything: jobs, homes, public assistance, unemployment benefits, relief payments, child benefits, disability payments, cash support. These Muslim extremists, however, do not see this "Dependistan", as Mark Steyn called the welfare state, as a sign of generosity, but of weakness. They understand that Europe is ready to be destroyed. Filled with religious certainty and ideological hatred for the West, not required to assimilate to Europe's values and norms, many of European Muslims seem to feel as if they are destined to devour an exhausted civilization. Public policy goals instead need to be to move people off welfare -- shown to be basically a disincentive to looking for work -- and toward personal responsibility. There need to be legal limits on the uses to which welfare funds can be put -- for example, welfare funds should not to be used for purchasing illegal drugs, gambling, terrorism or, as there is no free speech in Europe anyway, for promoting terrorism. One could create and fine-tune such a list. Disregarding the limitations could result in losing benefits. This would help fight the ghettoization and Islamization of Europe's Muslims. The cycle of welfare and jihad needs to be stopped. Four years ago, the British liberal newspaper, The Guardian, ran a story about the "survivors of Guantanamo", the "victims of America's 'icon of lawlessness'", "Britain's survivors of the detention centre that has been called the 'gulag of our times'". The article featured a photograph of Jamal al Harith. Al Harith, born Ronald Fiddler, a Christian convert to Islam, returned to Manchester from detention at Guantanamo Bay thanks to activism of David Blunkett, Home Secretary of then-Prime Minister Tony Blair. Al Harith was immediately welcomed in England as a hero, the innocent victim of the unjust "war on terror" after September 11. The Mirror and ITV gave him 60,000 ($73,000) for an exclusive interview about his experience at Guantanamo. Al Harith was also compensated with one million pounds by the British authorities. The victim of the "gulag of our times" bought a very nice house with the taxpayers' cash. A few weeks ago, al Harith made his last "journey": he was blown up in Mosul, Iraq, on behalf of the Islamic State. Al Harith had also been recruited by the non-governmental organization "CAGE" (formerly known as "Cageprisoners") as part of its testimony advocating the closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. Celebrities such as Vanessa Redgrave, Victoria Brittain, Peter Oborne and Sadiq Khan appeared at CAGE's fundraising events. The NGO has been funded by the Joseph Rowntree Trust, a fund created by the chocolate magnate, and by the Roddick Foundation, the charity of Anita Roddick. Al Harith was also invited to the Council of Europe, to give testimony against retaining Guantanamo. Al Harith's story reveals the depth of one of Europe's biggest scandals: the jihadis' use of European cradle-to-grave entitlements to fund their "holy war". Europe gave them everything: jobs, homes, public assistance, unemployment benefits, relief payments, child benefits, disability payments, cash support. These Muslim extremists, however, do not see this "Dependistan", as Mark Steyn called the welfare state, as a sign of generosity, but of weakness. They understand that Europe is ready to be destroyed. They have no respect for it. From Marseille to Malm, many Muslim children have been raised to despise the societies that have made them so comfortable. Most Islamists in Europe are now living on support payments from the nations they had vowed to destroy. A few days ago, the Danish press revealed that the Danish government has been paying sickness and disability benefits to Muslim extremists fighting in Syria for the Islamic State. "It is a huge scandal that we disburse money from the welfare fund in Denmark for people who go to Syria," said Employment Minister Troels Lund Poulsen. The terrorists who struck Paris and Brussels have also used the generous British welfare system to fund their jihad. It is emerging from a trial in the UK that Mohamed Abrini, known as "the man with the hat" after the deadly attack at Brussels airport, received 3,000 in benefits before flying to Paris and disappearing. It is not the first time that the role of the welfare state emerges in the Islamic infrastructure of terror: The family of Omar Abdel Hamid el Hussein, the terrorist behind the attack in Copenhagen in February 2015, which killed two people, received money from Danish social programs. British Islamist Anjem Choudary, convicted of encouraging people to join the Islamic State, urged the faithful to leave work and to seek unemployment benefits to devote full-time to war against the "infidels". Choudary himself pocketed 25,000 a year in benefits. In Germany, when the newspaper Bild ran an analysis of the 450 German jihadists fighting in Syria, it found that more than 20% of them have received benefits from the German state. In the Netherlands, a jihadist named Khalid Abdurahman appeared in a video of the Islamic State in front of five heads just cut off. The Dutch newspaper Volkskrant revealed that he had been declared "unfit for work" and was paid for a treatment of claustrophobia. Europe's welfare system has created a cultural toxin for many in a sullen, unproductive Muslim underclass who live in the segregated enclaves such as the banlieues of Paris or "Londonistan". Filled with religious certainty and ideological hatred for the West, not required to assimilate to Europe's values and norms, certain of these European Muslims seem to feel as if they are destined to devour an exhausted civilization. Muhammad Shamsuddin, a 39-year-old London-based Islamist, was featured in a documentary called "The Jihadis Next Door." Shamsuddin, a divorced father of five who lives on state handouts and claims he cannot work because he has "chronic fatigue syndrome," was filmed preaching hate against non-Muslims on British streets. (Image source: Channel 4 video screenshot) Public policy goals instead need to be to move people off welfare -- shown to be basically a disincentive to looking for work -- except in extraordinary cases, and toward personal responsibility. There need to be legal limits on the uses to which welfare funds can be put -- for example, welfare funds should not to be used for purchasing illegal drugs, for gambling, for terrorism or, as there is no free speech in Europe anyway, for promoting terrorism. One could create and fine-tune such a list. Disregarding the limitations could result in losing the benefits. Measures such as that would will help fight against the ghettoization and Islamization of Europe's Muslims. Who is winning here? Democracy or Islamic extremism? The cycle of welfare and jihad needs to be stopped. Now. Giulio Meotti, Cultural Editor for Il Foglio, is an Italian journalist and author. Comment on this item Name: Email Address: Comments: Email me if someone replies to my comment Note: Gatestone Institute greatly appreciates your comments. The editors reserve the right, however, not to publish comments containing: incitement to violence, profanity, or any broad-brush slurring of any race, ethnic group or religion. Gatestone also reserves the right to edit comments for length, clarity and grammar. All thoughtful suggestions and analyses will be gratefully considered. Commenters' email addresses will not be displayed publicly. Gatestone regrets that, because of the increasingly great volume of traffic, we are not able to publish them all. 28 Reader Comments Neville J. Angove  Mar 13, 2017 at 06:43 How will they collect welfare if there are no workers left to tax to pay for it? Keep some alive as slaves, import cheap labour from Asia, and let the very few live in comfort (as happens in the Arab countries)? Reply-> Mike  Mar 12, 2017 at 00:21 Here's the way I look at it: if you're on welfare, or were in the last electoral cycle, you shouldn't get to vote. Think of how many problems this could sort out. I'd happily extend this to civil servants who have any decision-making capacity, as well (i.e., a plumber who happens to work for the government, I see as no different from a plumber working anywhere else, but beyond that?). I'd say that if you choose to be an employee of the people, you've temporarily stopped being one of the people. Reply-> Sarah  Mar 11, 2017 at 18:28 I am sickened by this but wholly unsurprised. As time goes on, based on the words, deeds and actions of the EU and Western Europe in general, I really do believe that despite it being an incomprehensible notion, they really are committed to their own suicide and utter destruction. Reply-> Gregory S.  Mar 11, 2017 at 09:24 Giulio, most eye opening and also disturbing article, thanks for writing it.Welfare is designed to help the society of a country not harm it! The definition of Society is as follows: A society is a group of people involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. A society can also consist of like-minded people governed by their own norms and values within a dominant, larger society. This is sometimes referred to as a "subculture", a term used extensively within criminology. This should be applied to the religion of Islam because it is a non-conforming isolationist "subculture society" allowed to exist within all societies that it permeates just like the criminal element and they even coexist and capitalize on the criminal societies to achieve their desired goals whenever needed. The term "society" came from the Latin word societas, which in turn was derived from the noun socius ("comrade, friend, ally"; adjectival form socialis) used to describe a bond or interaction between parties that are friendly, or at least civil. This is the attribute missing in the Islamic religion that advocates "jihad" against all others"....! Giving welfare aide and even cash rewarding non-assimilating Islamists is tantamount to supporting Warfare (Islamic Jihad) upon ones own nation and should be stopped by all nations immediately. If people don't assimilate in to a society they should be refused aid and assistance whatever their conditions. This is not cold heartedness but a simple necessity to prevent evil from entering a normal society...! Reply-> Sarony  Mar 11, 2017 at 03:46 That rabble rouser Anjem Choudary publicly mocked the payment in the UK of Job Seeker's Allowance as 'Jihad Seeker's Allowance', and urged his fanatical followers to ditch their jobs and claim it, tells you all you need to know.That he wasn't prosecuted for years also tells you all you need to know.Mind you, he was preaching to the converted as it is estimated that 50% of Muslim men and 75% of Muslim women in the UK are not in work. Reply-> B.C.  Mar 11, 2017 at 02:57 The government forces the apple tree to pay for its own apples all the time.The government taxes the apple tree and then demands it pay for its own water. So far the government does not charge the apple tree for its sunlight. Plato once said that wise men speak because they have something to say;Fools speak because they have to say something. Reply-> Daniel  Mar 10, 2017 at 20:50 I say enough is enough with the nonsense. Put them away! Do unto them as they wish to do unto you that they may know that their ways are of no good and be saved from themselves rather than feed their hatred. Reply-> stevenl  Mar 10, 2017 at 16:40 Islamofascism! However Europe still considers Jews as the Enemy Nb 1! Reply-> Elizabeth  Mar 10, 2017 at 14:24 The West continues to dance with the devil because they have been blinded by their unbelief in the true God. (2 Corinthians 4:3,4) Reply-> DM  Mar 10, 2017 at 13:48 Muslims believe they are receiving Jizya their just due tax on infidels. We are it appears happily paying the Jizya and perception is everything. The sooner ALL western govts stop paying Jizya disguised as welfare to the invaders the sooner at least some of them will rethink of their hijra. The purpose of migration (hijra) is to start jihad and the purpose of jihad is install the Sharia. Reply-> Andronicus  Mar 10, 2017 at 13:04 This is no different in Canada. Canada may in fact be even stupider. Our new Child Benefit basically pays most or all the costs for raising one's children unless one's income is quite high. Perfect for jihad by emigration to Canada and by outbreeding your hosts. Canada is being swamped with Muslim migrants. One should know that Islam basically teaches that the entire world belongs to Muslims and that Muslims are entitled to live off the avails of the non-believers. Reply-> Rene' Donk  Mar 10, 2017 at 11:39 My goodness gracious...!!!!Reading that headline hurts your heart doesn't it? They all know it and yet NOTHING is done about it. They laugh if they read stuff like that about America. Now who is the dummkopf here? Still think Trump is on the wrong track...? Think again. That is how the Communist works, quietly but pulling strings behind the iron curtain. Throw a bomb of chaos here and there, stir up hate and discord among all nations and the country explode from within. War won. Nothing to it. The people that are against the Trump administration are working silently with great precision. They have infiltrated the Democratic Party and any other Party you can name. Remember the bombs names "Chaos", "discord", "Hate", "discrimination", "dissatisfaction" and most dangerous bomb is named "brain washed"....those seed has been planted long time ago and are now being heard again through Hollywood and the Media that call them selves News reporters. The filth, the lies, the fake and drummed up fairy tales over the TV, radio,Newspapers, magazines etc., are fed daily to the citizens. And if you listen long enough you succumb to the pressure of getting brain washed by the lying hyena's. It is up to you the citizens of all the countries to stand up to evil. May God have mercy with His children and may God Bless America and deliver it from the evil one. Reply-> David Wichman  Mar 10, 2017 at 11:12 This is infuriating. The west is financing it's own demise. It has to stop. In Canada (where I live), our most famous terrorist and Guantanamo Bay resident, Omar Khadr, has been propped up by Canada's welfare state. As has his whole family. His sisters and mother have raged against the west, condemning it at every opportunity, but still somehow manage to render themselves unemployable and continue to fill their personal coffers with taxpayer largesse. It would be interesting to see how these bane's of our planet and existence could manage without unmerited assistance. I would personally revel in the opportunity to tell the Khadr's (amongst many others) that the terrorist gravy train has run dry! You want to kill us? Get a job! Reply-> Phil Atterley  Mar 10, 2017 at 10:43 Islamists are laughing at us. Even our own governments are acting against us. Here in the UK, the latest juducial guide-lines are that judges should go easy on them as "they might have had a difficult upbringing"!Another recent event in Europe, just one of many. A slap on the wrist for the rape of a young boy - it was a 'sexual emergency' and the disgusting pervert "didn't understand that the boy was protesting." No deportation - just go to your free home and we (the law-abiding tax payers) will keep giving you money to sit on your backside doing nothing legal.Meanwhile, a close relative on her FOURTH bout of cancer, with all sorts of other health issues, and despite her age, is still unable to get early retirement (on health grounds) from the LEA as she is declared 'fit for work'.Enoch Powell was almost right. He just got the ethnicity wrong. It will happen. Of that, I have no doubt whatsoever. Reply-> Jack Thomas Phil Atterley  Mar 10, 2017 at 19:47 On the face it absolutely insane, but it would be a mistake to consider them all to be so afflicted. They are part of a deliberate plot hatched many years ago, albeit some are naive enough to support it without considering its intent. They are truly the "Enemy Within" described so eloquently by Cicero long before their plot came into being. We need to try and raise awareness at every opportunity but I guess expectations of the Facebook generation visiting Gatestone would be pointless. Reply-> Richard  Mar 10, 2017 at 10:43 Here in the USA, we are following the same absurd path to destruction, just at a slower pace. The Welfare State has already shown that it creates anger and hatred of those supplying the benefits, in our case, white working class Americans who foot the bill and politicians who oppose these handouts. Except for the religious "jihad" component, our own black ghettos give proof of this isolation, joblessness and criminal activity. Throw Islam into the mix, as Obama has done at a record pace, and we have the formula for a similar disaster to that now at Europe's doorstep! Liberal compassion, so called, is nothing but a "mental disconnect" from reality which will, if not forcefully terminated, destroy US too! Reply-> DockyWocky  Mar 10, 2017 at 09:52 I cannot understand why normal, reasonable people tolerate hate mongers like this islamic Shamsuddin character. Not only tolerate, but actually financially support the schmuck. Of course, the support is beyond the control of the average citizen. No society can tolerate this kind of hate from a group of unappreciative welfare clients, and if the larger society can't tolerate them, why pay for them? Every last one of these hate critters should be repatriated back to their mother society where they can exercise their hate where it does the most good. Reply-> Pat  Mar 10, 2017 at 09:23 While this is an excellent article in general, I have one important point of disagreement. Limiting welfare or even ending it, will NOT stop jihadis, nor stop Islamization of Europe. Islam is a TOTALITARIAN POLITICAL IDEOLOGY, to which, too much of Europe's gov'ts have submitted. Islam is militantly expansionist, and if you read the Qur'an and Sunnah of Mohammed, you will see the REQUIREMENTS FOR JIHAD, for making 'ALL OF RELIGION FOR ALLAH'. While many Muslims don't agree with this, as the numbers of Muslims gets larger, the more fundamentalists among them grow, and DEMAND the Muslims surrounding them, either follow the Qur'an or be known as apostates. In Islam, the punishment for apostasy is death. Reply-> Kenneth McBride  Mar 10, 2017 at 09:05 the jihadis' use of European cradle-to-grave entitlements to fund their "holy war".---- "They understand that Europe is ready to be destroyed." When you read this insanity, not only in Europe but North America as well, you have to ask is there anyone in authority with any common sense? Western Civilization is committing suicide! Example, what is Merkel thinking? The classic idiocy is paying benefits while the Islamic terrorists are serving ISIS! Reply-> George Guansing  Mar 10, 2017 at 08:53 Just wondering when can the present generation of the European Political Leaders opens their Eyes to the reality Facts and Truth is actually destroying the very existence of the European Future. The European leaders are staring into Europe's future with a close eyes.Very sadly we have in Europe leaders of Blind Visionaries. Reply-> Enrique Villarreal  Mar 10, 2017 at 08:18 The political correctness imposed through out the years on the western civilization by the left policies has permitted the infiltration of a political system disguised as a religion. Islam is a seditious political system which is contrary in every sense to democracy. Bowing to the wealth given to the barbaric nations by the western technology, political leaders have permitted this infiltration which now empowering Islam in their goal of total world domination. Remember this goal is a must for Islam. It is their primary objective. Through the immigration jihad they will become the majority and once again abuse our democratic system to impose their political goals. Terrorism is only part of this jihad. Where does it have it's principals? In Islam. That is the true enemy. Reply-> Jeff Page  Mar 10, 2017 at 07:40 Most people in the West have known about this for a long time. But with the present attitude of the politicians attempting to close down any opposition to this and charging some with (Islamophobia) interpreted as "hate speech" the normal taxpayer footing these bills is forced by unscrupulous means to keep silent and are not allowed to complain about this outrage. It has also come to light that some of these "refugees" have been collecting their benefits, including "disability benefits" whilst still being fit and able enough to murder innocent civilians using a Kalashnikov AK47, or in some cases wielding a knife when beheading someone. This state of affairs is the sort of thing you normally read in a book! It's not the sort of thing you would expect your own government to be part of, simply by letting it happen, this is crazy, it's insane! The Wests leaders have to look deeper and further into what they are doing to our countries. They are mounting up many problems for the future. Why take in and pay benefits to a culture that has one goal, to rid the world of all but those of the Muslim faith? There is no other reason than they either want to change our lives and culture, or they are on a mass suicide drive to completely change the world's population! Yet again there is a total blackout by the media when realities such as this come to light. They keep up the farce of hiding the truth from the people. The problem with most media outlets these days is that many Muslims are employed within them, and I honestly think that the CEOs and owners are ducking their responsibilities in informing the public for fear of being singled out for attack by Muslim terrorists in an effort to prevent any criticism of Islam. And that's basically the excuse for not reporting honestly on the state of affairs in many European countries suffering rape epidemics and other criminal activity by the people they would like to replace the world with! Stop the world! I want to get off!!! Reply-> Rene' Donk Jeff Page  Mar 10, 2017 at 13:01 Never Jeff, they are part of this insidious sinister plot to destroy the human race and they are a perfect example of brainwashed loonies. Listening to the filth and such what rolls of the lips of Hollywood and the silver screen and you have a good idea how easy it is to brainwash weak minded people. Hate speech is another form of brainwashing especially the young in schools. The Universities have become hotbeds for brainwashing. Especially those Universities were the Professors have been done something grave as blowing up buildings or even killing cops but never were really punished by the LAW and yet were allowed to get a job in a University or any University for that matter. But in the end Good will win over evil. So buckle in and in the meantime endure a rough ride. Reply-> Pat Walker Jeff Page  Mar 10, 2017 at 14:50 Obviously, many do not like President Trump. The man is bumbling and not always articulate. He has a temper and very often does not think before he talks. He does not possess the charisma that manipulative leaders have. We all know this about President Trump. Let's look at something else. He is not politically correct. He usually calls a spade a spade. He loves America. And he knows what is happening in Europe. He is trying to prevent the same from occurring in America. His progress is continually impeded with ridiculous oppostion. Barack Obama left behind a legacy of that accursed political correctness and something else I will not repeat. President Trump is now fighting to erase it and bring America back to one of secure borders and safety for all citizens. That is his prime concern. Our safety. Everything else will follow. One thing is an absolute. He has shaken the foundations of America and in other parts of the world. One other thing is also for certain. Foundations can never be shaken if they are strong and firm. Only weakness can be shaken. America's President is not weak. He is not afraid to challenge political correctness. Nations are not used to this kind of American President. Unfortunately, this is what is necessary to rouse the world. A man who is brusque and egotistical. A man with a colorful past. A man who tweets everything on his mind. A man who has never been a politician. A man with enough money of his own that he cannot be bought and become anyone's puppet. A man who is not going to let his country be destroyed without a very noisy fight. Can you conceive of ANY better way to get the attention of the entire world? And this is not an act. This is Mr. Trump, the person. He now has the world's attention, including the rogue nations. It is fair to say that the attention is quite often unfavorable. It is also fair to say that this is the result of "baby kissing, empty promise politicians". In time, slowly, the climate towards President Trump will change, and as Europe sinks further into despair, America just may wake up in time and stand behind their President. He is my President, and countless others see what I see...a man who is determined that America will not fall. For this reason, we overlook the outer shell and see what is inside - a man who genuinely cares about his country enough to allow himself to be the butt of all jokes. Do not underestimate him. Nobody ever became a billionaire without some measure of foresight. For those who want nothing but charm, manners, political correctness and a pretty package, your countries will fail. The free world has fallen to such a level that sticky syrup can no longer repair it. We are now fighting extreme Islam as well as a myriad of other social and economic issues. Let Europe stand as the example to the entire West as the result of syrup offerings. Reply-> Juanita Skelton  Mar 10, 2017 at 06:55 Funding terror; funding death!!! The day welfare programs actually fund killers who cause death and destruction, is a very sad day.What makes me even sadder is that when there is that kind of welfare abuse,the generosity factor with in a nation dies too. This "factor" dies within the hearts and minds of tax paying citizens. A sense of failure tends to cause a bitter root to grow. Then comes a wave of retaliatory disregard for the truly needy. In the U.S, the Clintons brought in a wave of "welfare reform" because the hatred towards the needy was perceived as a necessary response to those less capable or disabled. The actual fraud was low, but people just blamed the welfare system for what was called a "dis-incentivization" of the people. If you look carefully into those types of recipients, they suffer from a lack of self-actualizing strategies and opportunities. Women with babies, who have no active partner helping to provide, etc., are certainly at a disadvantage.What I am trying to bring to light is that when there is abuse of the original mandate for a social welfare program, the innocent are "rounded-up", as well.In all my time of economic disadvantage, the challenge for me was to not get sucked into the downward "vortex of poverty". Poverty is anathema in a capitalistic society. "Pick yourself up by your bootstraps" is a favorite philosophy for elitists who have never known lack on any front.There is a cascade of circumstances that can just happen to individuals but usually it is the break down of family systems that require each of us to "tithe into the storehouse" for the welfare of the disadvantaged. It has an honorable component until someone with dishonorable motives contrives to exploit.Another aspect of the whole of this very complex subject is the tendency to create "no-win" strategies for the poor. For instance, legislators in our Congress want NOT to fund abortions. Okay! But, if your plan is that females will NOT have unplanned pregnancies before they are fifteen years old, out-of-wedlock babies, or only practice safe sex, then you must have ways for those females to obtain birth control. Underfunding those organizations with the expertise in dealing with that demographic, is creating a no-win situation for everybody. An unrealistic, unattainable, goal only causes problems, it never "causes" solutions.Thank you, Mr. Meotti, for bringing this raving lunacy to our attention. The more we know, the more we can do to truly help. Reply-> Ted Crawford  Mar 10, 2017 at 06:25 Have these jihadis never heard the story of the greedy farmer who cut open his chicken that was laying golden eggs. Dead chicken; no more golden eggs. The parasite kills the host. Then, it's back to the economic situation that these jihadi left behind in their home country. They bring what they're fleeing from with them. Islamic dystopia. Reply-> robert davis  Mar 10, 2017 at 05:39 Excellent article : eu is destroying europe to to set up a strong islam in the middle of europe just as they are trying to do in Israel by trying to weaken Israel thru boycotts and harassing in order to create an arab state in the middle of Israel. That's all eu does : creating an arab state or empire in the middle of europe and...flooding europe with arch stupid laws about everything from foods to lacing one's shoes! Every day thousands such laws are produced by eu to strangle europe and its citizens. Marine Le Pen is right eu is a pest + cholera + ebola etc. Reply-> Ora robert davis  Mar 12, 2017 at 10:57 More insanity. The EU and America give the Palestinian Authority hundreds of millions of dollars every year. One of Barack Obama's final actions in office before the inauguration of President Donald Trump, was to release $221 million to the Palestinian Authority. (It has been temporarily blocked.) Where does this money go? A large part of this goes to paying the "salaries" of Palestinian terrorists held in Israeli jails. The more people he murders, the larger his monthly salary, which is larger than most Palestinians earn. What about the terrorists who have been killed during their terror acts? Their families then get a large monthly salary from the PA. But that's O.K. with the Europeans. After all, it's only Jewish Israelis who are being killed. As for the U.S. maybe this insanity will stop under Trump. MAYBE. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. Both reserve the right not to publish replies to articles should they so choose. Gatestone Institute is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, Federal Tax ID #454724565.
Is it safe to travel to London? Official advice after terror attack at Parliament Is it safe to travel to London? Official advice after terror attack at Parliament PARLIAMENT was locked-down after gunshots were heard and a 'firearms incident' took place outside the building yesterday afternoon. The police confirmed a 'terror incident' took place and it is being referred to as a London terror attack. Is it safe to travel to the capital? Sally Leivesley spoke out on This Morning. A car mowed down up to a dozen people on Westminster Bridge just outside the Palace of Westminster yesterday afternoon, killing two. Moments later Parliament was immediately locked-down after twin gunshots were heard in the chamber. The attacker attempted to storm into Parliament before being confronted by a police officer. This officer was fatally shot while stopping the killer, who was then shot dead. Thousands of people are discussing the incident on social media including Twitter - with many questioning whether it's safe or not to travel to the capital. Whenever ISIS are in a tight spot, they go into a capital city to do an attack like this because it takes the view away from their losses Sally Leivesley, This Morning Metropolitan Police say they are treating it as a terrorist incident "until we know otherwise". They requested people avoid the following areas: Parliament Square; Whitehall; Westminster Bridge; Lambeth Bridge; Victoria Street up to the junction with Broadway and the Victoria Embankment up to Embankment tube. Sally Leivesley spoke out on This Morning today about the safety of people in London. She told Holly and Phillip: "Obviously the police will give us their findings. This was a suicidal attack by the individual. "I don't see it being associated by specific dates. What we've seen with ISIS is, whenever they're in a tight spot, they go into a capital city to do an attack like this because it takes the view away from their losses." Related articles Westminster attack: Is it safe to travel to London following 'firearms incident' Mark Williams Thomas added: "If you have a really planned attack there's lots of chatter. When you have an individual, that's less planned and therefore less chatter and less communication. The police will now need to build up a picture of the person." Later in the programme, Mark said: "I think the most important thing is to be reassured. The fear of crime is greater than the chance of being affected by crime directly. "Plan your route correctly. Be aware of what you're going to do - be clear in terms of timelines. Be fairly military. Plan where you go - and tell people where you're going. Tell family members where you're going. "Have confidence in what you do. Go there without fear of something happening. The chances of it are so slim. "Children pick up on concern - go with some confidence. London is an amazing place, have fun and don't worry." Deirdre, This Morning's ITV agony aunt added: "Just do a bit of relaxation at home. Breath out a little bit longer than you breath in. Don't let them win. it's the ineffective and failing movements that make these dramatic and horrible gestures. "News is always about bad things that are happening." GETTY Westminster: Police have attended a terror incident near Parliament Is London safe? The MI5 class the current threat level for international terrorism in the UK as severe - the UK has been on this 'severe terror' threat level since May 2016. Speaking outside Number 10 this evening, Theresa May confirmed the UK's terror threat level will remain at "severe following today's events. Putting minds at ease, the Met Police explain on their website that over 2,500 police and police community support officers patrol buses, the tube, Docklands Light Railway and London Overground. And all of London's 8,500 buses, London Underground and London Overground stations are fitted with extensive CCTV. Frank Brehany, Consumer Director of HolidayTravelWatch, told Express.co.uk: "The unfolding horror of Westminster Bridge will raise urgent questions and enquiries as to the identity and motive of the attacker(s). "This is a pressure point in Central London as many thousands of Foreign visitors visit to take in the sights and sounds of the Palace of Westminster and the River. ITV London terror attack: Sally Leivesley and Mark Williams Thomas appeared on This Morning GETTY Westminster attack: Police have attended an incident near Westminster "Like many Capitals around the world, London demonstrably shows its efforts on security through barriers, no car zones and armed police. In Westminster it is normal to see armed Police particularly around the Palace and Portcullis House. "It is regrettably a sign of the times and all tourists to London, British or Foreign should always remain on alert, take note of the security around you, report anything suspicious and always, as we are currently seeing, do exactly what the police instruct you to do." What can I do as someone who works in London? The Met Police write: "We need the help and support of individuals, businesses and communities across London to remain alert and maintain the safety and security of those places in which we live, work and socialise. "Crowded places, events, public transport, and iconic locations are some examples of locations that could be potential targets for terrorists. All of these are to be found in London. "You are familiar with your workplace and surrounding area, so youre ideally placed to spot when something is amiss. In this period of heightened alert, it is vital to remain vigilant, trust your instincts and report possible terrorist activity to the police." GETTY Is it safe to travel to London: Official advise after 'terror' incident in Westminster They ask people to look for anything that seems out of the ordinary, such as: - People in stationary vehicles watching a building or structure- Vehicles moving slowly near public buildings, structures or bridges, or parked in suspicious circumstances - People using recording equipment, including camera phones, or seen making notes or sketches of security details - Someone suspicious paying close attention to specific entry and exit points, stairwells, hallways or fire escapes - People loitering at or near premises for long periods and watching staff, visitors and deliveries for no apparent reason - People asking detailed or unusual questions about buildings and business operations, facilities (such as room layouts), security or parking for no apparent reason - Challenge those in offices and off limits areas, plant rooms and similar  report matters immediately to your security manager or dial 999.Members of the public should always remain alert to the danger of terrorism and report any suspicious activity to the police on 999 or the anti-terrorist hotline: 0800 789 321.
Terror attack clues MISSED by MI5 that could have saved 35 lives: Security services were alerted months before Manchester blast, email was lost on London Bridge knifeman and Westminster terrorist scoped out scene days ahead of attack Review of intelligence services' actions before four attacks published today It reveals security services were told about Manchester bomber before bombing Meeting to discuss intelligence on him was due to take place a week after attack Report reveals ringleader behind London Bridge attack was under investigation An email about an Italian extremist involved in London Bridge was missed Westminster attacker visited scene days before and sent WhatsApp messages Security services missed vital clues in the days leading up to several of the terror atrocities that have hit Britain this year, it has been revealed. It is now thought that 35 lives could have been saved at Manchester, London Bridge and Westminster if police had correctly acted on intelligence. Detectives had intelligence about Manchester bomber Salman Abedi in the months before his attack killed 22 adults and children outside an Ariana Grande concert, David Anderson QC found. The information would have caused an investigation into him to be opened 'had its true significance been properly understood', the review said. It also emerged that a meeting to discuss Abedi's threat level was due to be held a week after he carried out his deadly bombing. The review also revealed that London Bridge attacker Khuram Butt was being actively investigated by security services at the time of his attack and Westminster terrorist Khalid Masood scoped out the bridge days before he drove a car along its pavement, killing tourists. Scroll down for video Manchester bomber Salman Abedi was flagged up to security services before his attack killed 22 people including children at an Ariana Grande concert An independent review of the counter-terrorism performance by British police and intelligence services suggests the deadly suicide bombing at Manchester Arena might have been prevented if information had been handled differently The review, published today, discloses that three terrorists involved in four attacks that hit Britain between March and June this year had at some point been on authorities ' radar. Manchester attacker Abedi was identified by a 'data-washing exercise' as falling within a small number of former subjects of interest who merited further consideration. However, a meeting scheduled to consider the results of this process had not been held at the time of the bombing. It was due to take place a week later. Reviewer Mr Anderson says: 'It is conceivable that the Manchester attacks in particular might have been averted had the cards fallen differently.' RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Share An opportunity was also missed to place Abedi on 'ports action' after he travelled to Libya in April. Despite the issues raised, MI5 says the attack would not have been thwarted had more investigation been carried out. Attacks at Westminster, Manchester, London Bridge, and Finsbury Park killed and injured dozens of people between March and June this year. MI5 and police launched independent reviews to examine what was known about the terrorists before they struck and the review of those investigations was published today. Khuram Butt, who led the three-strong gang behind the London Bridge van and knife attack in June, was the principal subject of an MI5 investigation from mid-2015 until the date of the deadly assault. Three terrorists lie dead in Borough Market after a van and knife attack on London Bridge. The ringleader, Khuram Butt, was being investigated at the time of the atrocity Butt was previously thought to have been planning an attack, but an operation examining him was suspended due to other priorities. Fellow London Bridge attacker Youssef Zaghba was flagged up by Italian authorities but an email to UK security services was missed Three THOUSAND terror suspects being tracked by authorities The scale of the threat facing the UK was laid bare in today's report. It revealed counter-terror teams are running about 500 live investigations involving 3,000 individuals at any one time, while there is also a wider pool of 20,000 subjects previously looked at who must be kept under review. A total of nine Islamist terrorist plots have been thwarted in the UK over the past year, the director general of MI5 has told Cabinet earlier today. And it emerged 22 potentially deadly plans have been thwarted since Drummer Lee Rigby was murdered near his barracks in Woolwich in south London in May 2013. Meanwhile, Home Secretary Amber Rudd told MPs that Islamic State (IS) jihadis fleeing defeats in the Middle East are plotting attacks in the West. The scale of the current threat facing the UK is seen as unprecedented. Butt was also tracked by Operation Hawthorn, but that was suspended due to lack of resources. The Operation was resumed on the day he attacked. The report stated: 'From mid-2015 until the date of the attack, Khuram Butt was the principal subject of Operation Hawthorn, an MI5 investigation which was opened following information suggesting that he aspired to conduct an attack in the UK.' 'From late 2015 to early 2016 there was no further indication of attack-planning, and Khuram Butt appeared to be disengaging from former associates in ALM (banned organisation Al-Muhajiroun). His focus seemed to be moving towards overseas travel, including potentially to Syria to fight with Daesh (ISIS).' 'On 21 March 2017, prior to the Westminster attack on the following day, investigation of Khuram Butt was suspended. Investigation of the other SOIs (subjects of interest) investigated under the operation had been suspended the previous week due to resourcing constraints brought on by a large number of P1 (high priority) investigations.' The report says material relating to Butt received in the two weeks prior to the attack added little to the intelligence picture and did not identify activity that led up to the attack. London Bridge attacker Khuram Butt had been hiding in plain sight, even appearing on TV documentary The Jihadi Next Door. He is pictured, third from the left, in the back row Another of the London Bridge gang, Youssef Zaghba, was placed on an EU warning list in March last year. However, Italian authorities placed him on the database under a marker identifying him as being subject to checks for serious crime rather than one which would have led to him being automatically identified as a national security risk. It was also revealed that, in June 2016, MI5 received an inquiry from Italian authorities about Zaghba but the agency has no record of responding - 'noting by way of possible explanation that it arrived in the incorrect mailbox'. The request was not chased up by Italian officials. 'The story is not a happy one, but, as MI5 points out, even if the request had been actioned, it would have resulted in a nil return,' the report adds. Zaghba, and the third London Bridge attacker, Rachid Redouane, were never investigated by MI5. Police take Khalid Masood to the ground after he drove into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge then stabbed a police officer in the grounds of the Houses of Parliament. The review found he had visited the area a week before the carry out reconnaissance A van which ploughed into worshippers near Finsbury Park mosque in an attack which killed one. Today's report states: 'In regards to Finsbury Park, neither MI5 nor the police had any intelligence about this attack.' Manchester attack survivor backs finding no one is to blame Steve Milward survived the attack but said he is keen not to blame police and secret services for not stopping Abedi. He said in a Twitter message to the report's author David Anderson QC: 'David, as a victim of the Manchester attack, thank you for conducting a thorough review of the Police and MI5 reports and information. 'Hindsight is a wonderful thing and we must learn and move on, as you state with systemic improvements rather than apportion blame. Thank you'. Mr Anderson responded to say: 'Steve, it seems a public place to say this, but please accept my condolences on your loss, and many thanks for your kind words which mean a lot'. Outlining the review findings, Home Secretary Amber Rudd told the Commons: 'Based on the MI5 and police reviews, David Anderson explains that in the case of the Westminster attack, Khalid Masood was a closed subject of interest at the time of the attack. 'Neither MI5 nor the police had any reason to anticipate the attack. 'Regarding the Manchester Arena attack, Salman Abedi was also a closed subject of interest at the time of the attack, and so not under active investigation. 'In early 2017, MI5 nonetheless received intelligence on him, which was assessed as not being related to terrorism. In retrospect, the intelligence can be seen to be highly relevant. 'Had an investigation been reopened at the time, it cannot be known whether Abedi's plans could have been stopped. MI5 assess that it would have been unlikely. 'Across the attacks, including Manchester Arena, David Anderson notes that MI5 and CT policing got a great deal right. 'However, in relation to Manchester, he also commented that, quote, 'it is conceivable that the attack might have been averted had the cards fallen differently'.' Home Secretary Amber Rudd told the House of Commons MI5 had not find any key moments where the attacks could have been stopped Ms Rudd went on to say: 'In the case of London Bridge, Khuram Butt was an active subject of interest who had been under investigation since mid-2015. 'A number of different investigative means were deployed against him, but they did not reveal his plans. 'His two conspirators had never been investigated by MI5 or CT policing. 'In regards to Finsbury Park, neither MI5 nor the police had any intelligence about this attack. 'Taken as a whole, MI5 and CT policing conclude they could not, quote, 'find any key moments where different decisions would have made it likely that they could have stopped any of the attacks'.' Westminster, 5 dead: The career criminal Muslim convert who changed name after prison stretch Khalid Masood, 52, killed five people and injured nearly 50 when he drove a hired 4x4 along the pavement of Westminster Bridge before stabbing a policeman outside Parliament. Masood (right) was a low level criminal who racked up a number of convictions while growing up in Kent and Sussex. But he changed his name from Adrian Ajao to Masood and was rarely seen by his family after a 2003 prison sentence for a violent attack. Instead he moved into an area of Luton known for its extremism and was alleged listed as a contact for a website which slammed Christians and Jews urged 'war' against 'the enemy of Allah'. It emerged today he was known to police and MI5 for association with extremists. But he was a closed subject of interest at the time of the atrocity in March, and intelligence officers and police had no reason to anticipate his murderous actions, according to the report. It also reveals how in the days prior to the attack, Masood conducted reconnaissance of Westminster Bridge in person and online, and browsed YouTube for videos relating to terrorism. Minutes before he struck, the terrorist shared a 'Jihad document' with numerous WhatsApp contacts. Manchester, 22 dead: Warning signs over suicide bomber who spent time in Libya before attack Flagged up: Salman Abedi Salman Abedi killed 22 including children as young as eight when he detonated a suicide bomb at the exit of an Ariana Grande concert in May. The 22-year-old British-born son of Libyan immigrants to the UK, Abedi (right) was on MI5's radar after security services were alerted to his extremist views. Today's report revealed security services were passed two pieces of information on the bomber earlier this year. The report said security services did not consider the intelligence terror-related at the time, but now says it was 'highly relevant'. 'It is conceivable that the Manchester attack in particular might have been averted had the cards fallen differently,' the report said. He had travelled to extremism-plagued Libya and Istanbul shortly before the attack and authorities have said he did not act alone. UK prosecutors are currently trying to negotiate the extradition of his brother Hassem, who was arrested in Libya after the attack having previously been pictured online brandishing a machine gun. The ringleader of the London Bridge terror gang was the subject of a two-year MI5 investigation prior to the atrocity, the report reveals. Khuram Butt was the subject of various kinds of 'coverage' from the middle of 2015 following information suggesting he aspired to carry out an attack in the UK. The assessment of intelligence handling published on Tuesday said: 'Though it continued to varying degrees until the day of the attack, it did not reveal the plans of Khuram Butt and his two co-conspirators.' On June 3 a van ploughed into people on London Bridge before 27-year-old Butt, Moroccan Rachid Redouane, 30, and 22-year old Italian/Moroccan Youssef Zaghba launched a knife rampage around Borough Market. Eight victims were killed, while the perpetrators were shot dead by police. Butt was the only terrorist involved in the four attacks examined in the review who was a live 'subject of interest' and under active investigation at the time of the attack. Born in Pakistan in 1990, his family moved to England in 1998, claiming asylum before being given indefinite leave to remain in 2004. Butt was given British citizenship in 2005. In January 2016 Butt, who had no criminal convictions, was identified posing with an Islamic State flag in the Channel 4 television documentary The Jihadis Next Door. While under investigation by MI5, Butt was arrested for fraud in October 2016 and granted bail. Two days before the attack, a decision was made not to prosecute him. Moroccan Redouane had been refused asylum in 2009, when he was using the name Rachid Elkhdar, yet managed to stay in Britain after marrying an Irish woman in Dublin. CCTV showed the moment armed police arrived at the scene and killed the trio He had previously been arrested in Scotland attempting to travel to Northern Ireland by ferry on a fake passport. Moroccan-born Italian Youssef Zaghba meanwhile to the Italian authorities in March 2016 when he tried to fly from Bologna to Syria via Istanbul. His name was put on The Schengen Information System - a red flag warning system informing other European nations if criminals are trying to enter their country. Yet British border guards did not stop him entering the UK at least twice. Finsbury Park, one dead: Attack suspect 'was seen by police in van' A Londoner leaves flowers at the site where a man was killed and 11 injured On Monday, 19 June a man in a hired van mounted the pavement outside the Muslim Welfare House in Finsbury Park. The centre is down the road from the Finsbury Park Mosque, which previously had problems with extremism but has since worked to tackle the issue. The area was busy with Muslim worshippers attending Ramadan night prayers at the time. One man, 51-year-old Makram Ali, died from his injuries after the attack and 11 others were injured. It was claimed after the attack that police had seen the suspect asleep and drunk in the vehicle 24 hours before the attack, but took no action. Today's report found neither police nor MI5 had any information about the attack or any suspects before it was carried out. Calls for more funding and better technology as terrorist threat continues to grow Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott has warned ministers they 'cannot keep people safe on the cheap' as stretched security services failed to stop the Manchester suicide bomber. The head of Scotland Yard Cressida Dick also called for more cash to fight terror to pay for new technology, better infrastructure and staff. Ms Abbott spoke out as an independent terror assessment noted a reduction of 7.2% in grant funding over the next three years. Home Secretary Amber Rudd hit back at the suggestion, saying the Government was ensuring the UK was 'always properly resourced on this subject'. Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott criticised the government over police funding Ms Abbott said: 'The Home Secretary concedes that linked to the implementation of review recommendations are resources - as we say on this side of the House, you cannot keep people safe on the cheap. 'She will shortly be announcing the budgets for policing in 2017/18; she talks about ensuring that counter-terrorism policing has the resources it needs. 'But does she expect the part in David Anderson's report where he notes that the counter-terrorism indicative profile of their grant allocation over the next three years sees a reduction of 7.2% in their budgets? Met Police Commissioner called for 'rapid progress' in bringing in new technology 'Does she agree with David Anderson when he talks about the reliance of MI5 and counter-terrorism on community policing? Does she accept that proper funding for community policing is at least as important as resources for counter- terrorism proper?' Ms Rudd responded: 'I would not want her to imply that the report covers any suggestion that these attacks wouldn't have taken place if there was more resourcing. 'It's fine to ask about more resourcing, and I have acknowledged that there's going to be a need for more, but I would also point out that in 2015 the Government recognised the need for more resourcing and put an increase from 11.7 to 15.1 billion over 2015 to 2020 into the CT budgets to ensure that this country, through this Government, is always properly resourced in this subject.' Speaking outside Parliament, Manchester's mayor and former shadow home secretary Andy Burnham said the report 'would be difficult reading for everyone in Manchester' and called for more funding to local police to tackle the terror threat. Mr Burnham said: 'I accept [the report's] conclusion that there's no way of knowing whether the Manchester attack could have been stopped, but it's clear that things could and perhaps should have been done differently and also that wrong judgments have been made.' Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, pictured at the funeral of the youngest Manchester bombing victim, eight-year-old Saffie-Rose Roussos, said the report was 'difficult reading' He welcomed the report's call for two-way intelligence sharing between national counter-terrorism units and local police forces and urged the government to increase funding to Greater Manchester Police. 'Real-term cuts to the police budget must stop and increases are given to reflect the greater work load and the growing threat,' he said. Mr Burnham praised security services, saying: 'It's right and important to note that the authorities got a lot right in respect of the Manchester Attack. 'The fact that they were closing in on the perpetrator should reassure the public of the professionalism of our police and security services and the systems that they use. It would be much more worrying if nothing had been known about the attacker.' But he added: 'Clearly systems can be improved further still.' Director General of MI5 Andrew Parker said his agency would learn from the report Met Commissioner Cressida Dick said: 'We need to make rapid progress in implementing the recommendations, many of which require new technology, better infrastructures and resources at a time when the threat from terrorism poses significant challenges for police and security services. 'The growth in the number of dangerous individuals who have been radicalised is a major issue for us. 'We will be redoubling our efforts in enforcement activity both to disrupt and confront the threat and to safeguard the vulnerable from radicalisation.' In its full response to the report released on Tuesday, the Met said the 'tempo' of activity being confronted by counter-terror agencies is 'more intense than ever'. The force said: 'Although we work tirelessly to keep the country safe the reality of the terrorist threat means that we will not stop every attack.' Andrew Parker, the Director General of MI5, said the agency is committed to implementing the recommendations identified in the report. He added: 'We and our partner agencies used the harsh light of hindsight under independent challenge to ensure we squeezed every drop of learning out of these dreadful events. 'MI5 and our partners continue to bring the full weight of our growing capabilities to counter this new intensity of threat. 'Our unrelenting focus remains on doing everything in our power every day to keep the country safe.'
5 Thoughts on the Westminster Attack Early analysis of the March 21 terrorist incident in London Information is still forthcoming, but enough is public knowledge to draw some conclusions. 1  Car Attacks Are Nearly Impossible To Stop In the middle of the afternoon, an SUV plowed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge near the UK Parliament, killing two and injuring dozens. The driver then got out and stabbed a constable to death, before he was shot and killed by police. The attack was reminiscent of an assault in Nice, France on July 14, 2016  in which a man drove a 19-ton truck into Bastille Day crowds, killing 86 and injuring more than 400  and a truck attack on a Berlin Christmas market on December 19, 2016 that killed 12. The Westminster attack was smaller, but the security concern is the same. It is virtually impossible to stop someone from deliberately mowing down innocents with a vehicle. Many areas allow pedestrians near cars and trucks, and thats not going to change. And vehicle attacks happen so quickly that even alert, trained security officers cannot react in time to prevent at least some damage. Parliament is one of the most secure locations in London, with numerous armed guards. A Palestinian killed four off duty Israeli soldiers in Jerusalem with a truck in January 2017, and tried to kill more but was shot by police. If someone really wants to do this, we cant stop them. 2  Self-Starters ISIS claimed responsibility, but there is no indication the group knew the attacker, Khalid Masood, until they heard about him on the news. After the attack, British police conducted a series of raids, arresting 10 people for possible connections to Masood, but they believe he was not a member of any terrorist group. Masood thus falls into a category of terrorists known as self-starters  individuals inspired by, but not trained or sent by a terrorist group. They often communicate with like-minded people online, but take it upon themselves to plan and execute attacks. This differs from lone wolf terrorists who act in isolation. Self-starters are like international activists, seeing themselves as part of a larger movement. Think globally, act locally. Inspiring self-starters is a central part of ISIS strategy, because theyre difficult to stop. Intelligence agencies map terrorist networks by monitoring the communications of known members. But individuals who never communicate with known terrorists are hard to discover. This allows ISIS to mix smaller, amateur attacks, such as the San Bernardino shooting, with larger, professional operations, such as the Paris attacks. Professional terrorism does more damage, but is easier to thwart, while self-starter attacks do less, but are harder to catch in advance. 3  Converts to Islam Masood was born Adrian Russell Ajao, and some reports say he converted to Islam, though it remains unclear. However it turns out, it would not be surprising if he was a convert, because many self-starters and ISIS recruits are. And of those born Muslim, many undergo something like a conversion, switching from a milder, mainstream version of Islam to the radical, fundamentalist strand advocated by jihadists. Thats because terrorism is more political than religious. In many cases, rather than starting with religious beliefs that push them to violence, individuals radicalize politically  becoming angry at their government, or the American-led international order more generally  and then adopt the ideology of the most prominent extremist groups. A good example of this is Omar Mateen, who killed 49 at a gay nightclub in Orlando in June 2016. Mateen is an unusual case, straddling the line between lone wolf and self-starter, because it is unclear to what extent he targeted the LGBT community on his own, or targeted the United States as a contribution to the international jihadist movement. But one thing is clear: his motivation was political. Mateen tried to join al-Qaeda and Hezbollah, eventually pledging allegiance to ISIS  though, like the San Bernardino shooters, he never had direct contact with the group. Those three organizations are all fighting each other in Syria. Al-Qaeda and ISIS are Sunni while Hezbollah is Shia. Anyone open to joining all of them is looking for an excuse to commit violence, not driven to action by religious belief. 4  Expect Extreme Immigration Hawks to Try to Capitalize The Westminster attacker was a UK citizen, born in England, but that wont stop anti-immigrant extremists from claiming he proves the need for Brexit, or for the United States to ban Syrian refugees, or whatever they thought before this happened. Masoods British, but hes not white. Its unclear where his parents or grandparents were born, but at some point his family immigrated to the UK. Once that becomes public knowledge, well hear if we didnt let them in, this never would have happened. The U.S. saw something similar after the Orlando nightclub shooting. Omar Mateen was born in New York, but his parents emigrated from Afghanistan in the 1980s. Then-candidate Donald Trump claimed the attack showed why America needed to ban immigration from various Muslim-majority countries. Of course, neither Trump nor his more extreme supporters impose collective blame in response to terrorist attacks by whites, such as when Dylann Roof killed 9 in a South Carolina church in June 2015, or when Alexandre Bissonnette killed 6 in a Quebec mosque in January 2017. Nor do they offer statistical evidence regarding how often children or grandchildren of immigrants commit violence. That being said, some countries have done a poor job of integrating immigrants, leading to weak economic prospects and increased risk of radicalization. For example, the Paris and Brussels attackers included first-generation Belgian citizens from an area near Brussels called Molenbeek. Many residents come from North Africa, youth unemployment is over 40%, and Belgian security services admitted they do not really control all of it. However, Britain and America are both better at integrating newcomers. The Westminster attack was the worst terrorist incident in the UK since the London transportation bombings in July 2005 killed 52. The total number of UK residents killed in Islamic terrorist attacks in the 21st century is now 56 (52 in the bombings, 3 this week, and one British soldier shot to death in May 2013). This weeks attack is tragic, and British security services should take the threat seriously. But its clearly not a major crisis. 5Terrorists Who Were Previously Investigated Britains domestic intelligence agency MI5 had looked into Masood years ago for violent extremism, but he was no longer on their radar. According to UK Prime Minister Teresa May: He was a peripheral figure. The case is historic. He was not part of the current intelligence picture. There was no prior intelligence of his intent or of the plot. Masood had been convicted of various small crimes  vandalism in 1983, possession of a knife in 2003  but had not violated any terrorism-related laws before his attack on Westminster Bridge. Similarly, the FBI looked into Omar Mateen years before the Orlando attack, and investigated Tamerlan Tsarnaev, one of the Boston Marathon bombers, on a tip from Russian intelligence. Though Tsarnaev had participated in jihadist forums online, he hadnt committed a federal crime, and the FBI closed the case. In all these cases it is tempting to say security services screwed up. That they should have arrested Tsarnaev, Mateen, or Masood before they had a chance to attack. But thats hindsight bias. The FBI and MI5 inquire into thousands of people, and almost all of the ones they choose not to prosecute do not end up killing anyone. And law enforcement efforts have stopped terrorist attacks in advance, but we dont hear as much about those. Unfortunately, the choice is between bad and worse. We could outlaw certain political beliefs or statements, throwing anyone guilty of those thoughtcrimes in jail for life, or we can accept that sometimes, a small minority of the people who espouse radical beliefs will end up pulling off an attack. My preference is maintaining our foundational ideals of individual freedom, while doing the best we can within those parameters to keep people safe. Theres no terrorism in 1984, but that doesnt mean its a pleasant place to live.
Irish woman among 40 injured in attack in London Speaking in the House of Commons, British Prime Minister Theresa May has confirmed that one Irish person was among the injured after an attack on Westminster. Video: Parliament TV Kurt Cochran and his wife Melissa are shown in this photo released by the family in Salt Lake City, US. Mr Cochran was killed and his wife badly injured during Wednesdays attack in London. Photograph: Payne family/via Reuters London One was a veteran police constable with the Metropolitan Police force in London. A second was a teacher who, according to reports, was walking from her school when she was mowed down by a sport utility vehicle on Westminster Bridge. Another was a man from Utah who was on vacation with his wife, celebrating their 25th anniversary. They were all killed by an assailant who ploughed into pedestrians on the bridge, crashed his vehicle into a fence and then emerged with knives, injuring at least 40 others in the heart of the city. Among the wounded, many of them foreign tourists, were 12 Britons, four South Koreans, three French high school students, two Romanians, two Greeks and one citizen each of China, Germany, Ireland, Italy and the United States. On Thursday afternoon, police identified the assailant, who was fatally shot by the police, as Khalid Masood, (52). UK prime minister Theresa May said in parliament that the suspect was British-born and was previously investigated by MI5, Britains domestic counterintelligence agency, for possible ties to violent extremism. The prime minister visited victims at a hospital in London for 40 minutes on Thursday, according to her office. Many of them had not been publicly identified. At a news conference, Mark Rowley, the assistant police commissioner, cited both the police investigation and the need to notify family members as reasons. But information has dribbled out. Keith Palmer The police constable was 48, a 15-year member of the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command, and was patrolling the Parliament building when the assailant fatally stabbed him. Tributes for Palmer have poured in. A picture of British policeman Keith Palmer is seen among flowers near the Houses of Parliament in central London. Photograph Facundo Arrizabalaga/EPA He was someone who left for work today expecting to return home at the end of his shift, and he had every right to expect that would happen, Rowley said in a statement. Mayor Sadiq Khan said, Keith Palmer was killed while bravely doing his duty  protecting our city and the heart of our democracy from those who want to destroy our way of life. James Cleverly, a Conservative MP, said on Twitter that he had served in the Royal Artillery with Palmer, calling him a lovely man, a friend. On Thursday, the Metropolitan Police announced in a Twitter post that his badge number would be retired. It was not immediately clear if he was the third, unidentified person in his mid-50s who died in the attack. Clint Payne, Cochrans brother-in-law, said in the statement: Our family is heartbroken to learn of the death of our brother- and son-in-law, Kurt W Cochran, who was a victim of Wednesdays terrorist attack in London. Kurt was a good man and a loving husband to our sister and daughter, Melissa. They were in Europe to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary, and were scheduled to return to the United States on Thursday. Cochrans wife was also wounded in the attack, and she was hospitalized with a broken leg, a broken rib and a cut on her head, said her sister Sarah Payne-Mcfarlane in a post on Facebook. Their parents were serving as missionaries in London, according to the church. The couple ran a recording studio in West Bountiful, Utah, and Cochran had shared pictures of their stops in Germany and Scotland. Aysha Frade The 43-year-old British teacher lived in London with her husband and two daughters. She taught Spanish not far from Westminster Bridge, according to the Spanish newspaper La Voz de Galicia, and she had family in Spain, according to the Spanish Foreign Ministry. An employee sets the Spanish flag at half mast on a balcony of the council of Betanzos, northwestern Spain. One of the victims was Aysha Frade, a daughter of a Galician mother from Betanzos. Photograph: Miguel Riopa/AFP/Getty Images Frades mother immigrated to Britain from Betanzos, a Galician town in northwestern Spain. Frades two sisters run the Academia Notting Hill language school in Betanzos and live in a village nearby. Her father is of Turkish Cypriot descent, a family friend said. On Thursday, the Betanzos town hall held a moment of silence at noon to honour Frade. Local leaders decreed three days of mourning. Frade was a British citizen, but her link with our town was always very strong, Jos Luis Pariente, a Betanzos town hall official, said by phone. She came back here to visit every summer. Amy Winter, the family friend and a neighbour in the Notting Hill district of London, said on the phone: When I think of Aysha, I think of her radiant smile. She always cheered people up. It crushes me to know that she was going to pick up her girls when she was killed, she said, adding, They were everything to her. Rachel Borland, the principal of DLD College London, said in a statement: We are all deeply shocked and saddened at the news that one of the victims yesterday was a member of our staff, Aysha Frade. All our thoughts and our deepest sympathies are with her family. The wounded The Irish Times understands that the Irish woman injured in the attack on Westminster Bridge remains in hospital, where she is being treated for non-life threatening injuries. The Irish embassy in London said it is in contact with the relevant authorities and stands ready to provide the woman with support. Three of the wounded were 10th-grade boys from France who were on the bridge with other visiting students. The three attended St Joseph high school in Concarneau, Brittany, according to the French Foreign Ministry. The mother of one of the injured students told French news media that he had borrowed a friends cellphone to text that he was okay. His phone didnt work, but he must have known I would try to reach him because I immediately got a text message from him, the mother, Isabelle Calvez, said on French television. He told me he was okay, but had the incident happened 20 seconds later, he wouldve been hit by the car. She added that two of the other students had fractured arms and legs, while another had a neck injury. On Thursday, the French Education Ministry said that the injured students from Brittany had been treated and that their conditions were no longer life-threatening. Juliette Meadel, government minister for victims affairs, told CNEWS that the three students were among a group of 56 that went to a nearby hostel after the attack. A second group from the high school, with 36 students, was in another location in London when the attack occurred. Meadel said the uninjured students would return to France on Thursday. There are more than 4,200 students in London on school trips from France, according to the Education Ministry. Most of the other planned school trips to London on Thursday or Friday have been postponed. Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve of France expressed solidarity with our British friends hurt in the attack and offered full support to the injured French pupils, their families and their classmates. A member of the public is treated by emergency services near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament on March 22th in London. Photograph: Carl Court/Getty Images Five South Koreans were among the 29 people hospitalised. They were injured when they were mobbed by a crowd fleeing the attack site, according to the South Korean Foreign Ministry. Four of them  three women and a man in their 50s and 60s  sustained fractures and other injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening. A 67-year-old woman, however, suffered a head injury when she was pushed by the fleeing crowd, according to South Korean news reports. She later had surgery to treat her injuries. The two Romanian victims, Andrei Burnaz, (32), and Andreea Cristea, (31), are from the Black Sea port city of Constanta, according to the Romanian news agency Mediafax, which quoted an official as saying they were in London to celebrate Burnazs birthday. At least three of those injured after being driven at by a vehicle were members of the police force, and were in stable condition. A woman who was an Australian permanent resident was among the wounded, according to the Australian government. News outlets there reported that the assailants vehicle had run over her foot on the bridge. The woman, originally from Germany, lives in South Australia, according to an Australian news report. Two Greeks were hospitalised for minor injuries, according to the Greek Embassy in London.
Terms of service We use cookies to collect and analyse information on site performance and usage, and to enhance and customise content and advertisements. By clicking "Accept" you agree to allow cookies to be placed. To decline please click here. To find out more or to change your cookie settings, visit the cookies section of our Privacy Policy. How strangers rushed to help victims of Westminster terrorist attack Members of the public gather to help one of the victims of the attack on Westminster Bridge Adam Boult 23 March 2017  1:30 PM Amid the chaos around Westminster in the immediate aftermath of yesterday's terror attack, in which four people were killed and dozens more injured, members of the public rushed to help the victims, offering comfort and first aid. At around 2:40 on Wednesday afternoon an attacker, who has not yet been identified, drove a car at speed along Westminster Bridge, aiming deliberately at pedestrians and cyclists. Amid the chaos around Westminster in the immediate aftermath of yesterday's terror attack, in which four people were killed and dozens more injured, members of the public rushed to help the victims, offering comfort and first aid. At around 2:40 on Wednesday afternoon an attacker, who has not yet been identified, drove a car at speed along Westminster Bridge, aiming deliberately at pedestrians and cyclists. A woman assists an injured person after the attack on Westminster Bridge Credit: REUTERS/Toby Melville The driver of the Hyundai 4x4 then crashed the vehicle into the iron railings that surround the Palace of Westminster, hitting at least two more pedestrians. He leapt from the car and ran around the corner to New Palace Yard, where he slashed and stabbed at an unarmed policeman, PC Keith Palmer who would later die of his wounds, before being shot dead by armed officers. Photos and amateur video footage from Westminster Bridge show several members of the public attending to the victims before the emergency services had arrived. Injured people are assisted after an incident on Westminster Bridge in London Credit: REUTERS/Toby Melville A friend of the former servicemen told the Telegraph: "They were first on the scene and shouted for a medic, but soon realised they were probably the best trained there and didn't flinch. "They demanded an air ambulance which arrived shortly after, but they are both just terribly sad they couldn't save him. They would like to say how courageous and dedicated the police were." Mr Davis told ITV's This Morning: "Everything happened so quick but my natural instinct was to get over there and give some assistance if need be. I'm not that specially trained in first aid but I know the basics and can put someone at ease. View more! "The MP did a tremendous job, everyone there did," added Mr Davis. "I can't commend the air doctor enough. Very professional. very thorough. It was a great show of solidarity." Prime Minister Theresa May described the location of the attack as 'no accident': "The terrorist chose to strike at the heart of our capital city where people of all nationalities, religions and cultures come together to celebrate the values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech. View more! "These streets of Westminster, home to the world's oldest parliament are ingrained with a spirit of freedom that echoes in some of the furthest corners of the globe.
The Islamic State terror group has claimed through its news agency that the Westminster attacker was a "soldier of the Islamic State". The man, a British citizen who was known to the police and security services, had been investigated some years ago over violent extremism. According to the SITE Intel Group, which monitors jihadist groups, the IS statement said: "The attacker yesterday in front of the British Parliament in London was a soldier of the Islamic State executing the operation in response to calls to target citizens of coalition nations." The claim comes after British Prime Minister Theresa May told the House of Commons that Parliament was sending out the message following Wednesday's attack: "We will never waver in the face of terrorism." The prime minister addressed MPs as they gathered at the usual time inside the Palace of Westminster, which a day before had come under attack from a knife-wielding terrorist. An hour after MPs had stood for a minute's silence in honour of the innocent people killed in the attack, Mrs May delivered a statement with details of the atrocity. Paying tribute to Pc Keith Palmer, who died after being stabbed, she said: "He was every inch a hero and his actions will never be forgotten." Mrs May said the attacker had been identified as someone known by police and MI5, and the working assumption was that he was inspired by Islamist terrorism. Mrs May told MPs: "Yesterday an act of terrorism tried to silence our democracy, but today we meet as normal, as generations have done before us and as future generations will continue to do, to deliver a simple message: 'We are not afraid and our resolve will never waver in the face of terrorism'." The policeman who died in yesterday's attack at Westminster has been named as Keith Palmer (48) Mrs May said that what happened on the streets of Westminster had "sickened us all". The PM set out how events unfolded, telling MPs that the attacker drove his vehicle at speed into innocent pedestrians on Westminster Bridge at around 14.40, killing two people and injuring around 40. Flowers left at the scene of the attack The victims admitted to hospital included 12 Britons, three French children, two Romanians, four South Koreans, one German, one Pole, one Irish, one Chinese, one Italian, one American and two Greeks. Mrs May said the government was in close contact with counterparts in all the countries affected. Mrs May praised the police for "heroically" doing their job by stopping the attacker getting access to Parliament. "We should be clear first of all that an attacker attempted to break into Parliament and was shot dead within 20 yards of the gate," the PM said. "If his intention was to gain access to this building, we should be clear that he did not succeed. "The police heroically did their job." She said it was still believed that the attacker acted alone and there was "no reason to believe" further attacks on the public were planned. The scene in Westminster She added: "His identity is known to the police and MI5 and when operational considerations allow, he will be publicly identified. "What I can confirm is that the man was British-born and that some years ago he was once investigated by MI5 in relation to concerns about violent extremism. "He was a peripheral figure. The case is historic. He was not part of the current intelligence picture. "There was no prior intelligence of his intent or of the plot." Mrs May said it was an attack on free people all over the world as she thanked global allies including US President Donald Trump for their support. "We meet here in the oldest of all parliaments because we know that democracy and the values it entails will always prevail," the PM said. "Those values - free speech, liberty, human rights, and the rule of law - are embodied here in this place but they are shared by free people around the world. "A terrorist came to the place where people of all nationalities and cultures gather to celebrate what it means to be free. "And he took out his rage indiscriminately against innocent men, women and children. "This was an attack on free people everywhere, and on behalf of the British people I would like to thank our friends and allies around the world who have made it clear that they stand with us at this time." Mrs May said the victims also included three police officers who were returning from an event to recognise their bravery. "Two of those three remain in a serious condition," she added. Concluding her statement, Mrs May said that by continuing with life as normal, Londoners and Britons were sending a message to the terrorists that they will not win. She said: "The greatest response lies not in the words of politicians, but in the every day actions of ordinary people. For beyond these walls today, in scenes repeated in towns and cities across the country, millions of people are going about their days and getting on with their lives. Westminster Bridge, close to the Palace of Westminster, London, after five people died following a terror attack. Picture by Lauren Hurley, Press Association "The streets are as busy as ever, the offices full, the coffee shops and cafes bustling. "As I speak, millions will be boarding planes and aeroplanes to travel to London and to see for themselves the greatest city on Earth. "It is in these actions - millions of acts of normality - that we find the best response to terrorism. "A response that denies our enemies their victory, that refuses to let them win, that shows we will never give in. "A response driven by that same spirit that drove a husband and father to put himself between us and our attacker and to pay the ultimate price. "A response that says to the men and women who propagate this hate and evil 'You will not defeat us'. "Mr Speaker, let this be the message from this House and this nation today. Our values will prevail." More than 20,000 has been raised online for the family of the police officer who was killed. Several Just Giving pages have been set up in the wake of the deadly attack to help the loved ones of Pc Keith Palmer.
Live updates Six people arrested in connection with the investigation into Wednesday's terror attack in Westminster have been released "with no further police action", Scotland Yard said. A total of 11 people have been arrested since the inquiry was launched but only four remain in custody - two men aged 27 and 58 who were arrested in Birmingham on Thursday and a 32-year-old woman and a 35-year-old man who were arrested in Manchester on Friday. All are being held on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. The six released without facing further action are two women aged 21 and 26 and four men aged 23, 26, 27 and 28 who were all arrested at addresses in Birmingham. A 39-year-old woman arrested in east London has been released on bail until late March. Police forces in the Midlands have received flowers in the wake of the London terror attack Credit: Northamptonshire Police Police forces in the Midlands have received flowers in sympathy for the loss of an officer who was killed in a terrorist attack in London. More than half a million pounds has been raised to support the family of murdered Pc Keith Palmer who was stabbed to death on Wednesday as he attempted to disarm Khalid Masood outside the Palace of Westminster. Masood, 52, had been living in Birmingham. Police made multiple arrests and raided several properties in the city in the wake of the attack. Northamptonshire Police revealed they have been sent flowers in sympathy for the loss of their colleague in blue. Police in Dudley received cake from a member of the public in recognition of their work. Scotland Yard has confirmed that eight people, three women and five men, have been arrested in Birmingham and London on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts by detectives investigating the Westminster attack. On Wednesday night, a 39-year-old woman was arrested in east London and a 21-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man were arrested at an address in Birmingham. At a separate address in Birmingham a 26-year-old woman and three men aged 26, 27 and 28-years-old were also arrested. On Thursday morning, an eighth arrest was made of a 58-year-old man at another address in Birmingham. The force added that officers are continuing to search a number of addresses linked to the investigation:
Police officers patrol on Westminster Bridge in London, Friday March 24, 2017. On Thursday authorities identified a 52-year-old Briton as the man who mowed down pedestrians and stabbed a policeman to death outside Parliament in London, saying he had a long criminal record and once was investigated for extremism  but was not currently on a terrorism watch list. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) This is an undated photo released by the Metropolitan Police of Khalid Masood. Authorities identified Masood, a 52-year-old Briton as the man who mowed down pedestrians and stabbed a policeman to death outside Parliament in London, saying he had a long criminal record and once was investigated for extremism  but was not currently on a terrorism watch list. (Metropolitan Police via AP) Floral tributes to victims of Wednesday's attack are tied to a lamppost outside the Houses of Parliament in London, Friday March 24, 2017. On Thursday authorities identified a 52-year-old Briton as the man who mowed down pedestrians and stabbed a policeman to death outside Parliament in London, saying he had a long criminal record and once was investigated for extremism  but was not currently on a terrorism watch list. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) In this Oct. 14, 2016, image provided by Claire Thorogood, Andrew Thorogood, left, and his daughters, Alexsandra, second right, and Georgia, right, smile next to Officer Keith Palmer, second left, outside the Houses of Parliament in London. Palmer was one of four people killed in an attack in Westminster while on duty at Parliament when he was stabbed to death on Wednesday, March 22, 2017. (Claire Thorogood via the AP) A woman holds up a sign at a vigil for the victims of Wednesday's attack, at Trafalgar Square in London, Thursday, March 23, 2017. The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for an attack by a man who plowed an SUV into pedestrians and then stabbed a police officer to death on the grounds of Britain's Parliament. Mayor Sadiq Khan called for Londoners to attend a candlelit vigil at Trafalgar Square on Thursday evening in solidarity with the victims and their families and to show that London remains united. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) Metropolitan Police counterterrorism chief Mark Rowley speaks to the media about the terrorist attack, outside New Scotland Yard in London, Friday March 24, 2017. London's top anti-terror officer says two more "significant arrests" have been made in connection with the Westminster attack, in central and northern England. (Lauren Hurley/PA via AP) Police officers patrol on Westminster Bridge in London, Friday March 24, 2017. On Thursday authorities identified a 52-year-old Briton as the man who mowed down pedestrians and stabbed a policeman to death outside Parliament in London, saying he had a long criminal record and once was investigated for extremism  but was not currently on a terrorism watch list. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) Flowers for the victims of Wednesday's attack are placed in a gate outside the Houses of Parliament in London, Friday March 24, 2017. On Thursday authorities identified a 52-year-old Briton as the man who mowed down pedestrians and stabbed a policeman to death outside Parliament in London, saying he had a long criminal record and once was investigated for extremism  but was not currently on a terrorism watch list. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) London Mayor Sadiq Khan talks with a police officer outside the Houses of Parliament in London, Friday March 24, 2017. On Thursday authorities identified a 52-year-old Briton as the man who mowed down pedestrians and stabbed a policeman to death outside Parliament in London, saying he had a long criminal record and once was investigated for extremism  but was not currently on a terrorism watch list. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) London Mayor Sadiq Khan stands on Westminster Bridge near floral tributes to victims of Wednesday's attack outside the Houses of Parliament in London, Friday March 24, 2017. On Thursday authorities identified a 52-year-old Briton as the man who mowed down pedestrians and stabbed a policeman to death outside Parliament in London, saying he had a long criminal record and once was investigated for extremism  but was not currently on a terrorism watch list. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) London Mayor Sadiq Khan looks at floral tributes to victims of Wednesday's attack outside the Houses of Parliament in London, Friday March 24, 2017. On Thursday authorities identified a 52-year-old Briton as the man who mowed down pedestrians and stabbed a policeman to death outside Parliament in London, saying he had a long criminal record and once was investigated for extremism  but was not currently on a terrorism watch list. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) London attacker cheerful, joking on eve of deadly rampage By PAISLEY DODDS and LORI HINNANT Mar. 24, 2017 BIRMINGHAM, England (AP)  Long before his short stints in jail turned into years behind bars, Khalid Masood was known as Adrian Elms, with a reputation for drinking and an unpredictable temper. At least twice he was convicted of violent crimes, well before he stabbed a police officer to death Wednesday in London with a motion that one horrified witness described as "playing a drum on your back with two knives." But as he checked out of his hotel to head toward London for his deadly rampage, the manager said he was struck by his guest's friendly manner. Within hours, Masood drove his rented SUV across the crowded Westminster Bridge, leaving a trail of dead and wounded. Then he jumped out and attacked Constable Keith Palmer, an officer guarding Parliament, stabbing him to death before being shot to death by police. In all, he killed four people and left more than two dozen hospitalized. Masood, who at 52 is considerably older than most extremists who carry out bloodshed in the West, had an arrest record dating to 1983. The violence came later, first in 2000 when he slashed a man across the face in a pub parking lot in a racially charged argument after drinking four pints, according to a newspaper account. The victim, Piers Mott, was scarred for life, said his widow, Heather. Masood's last conviction was in 2003, also involving a knife attack. It's not clear when he took the name Masood, suggesting a conversion to Islam. Heather Mott said Masood appeared to come out of jail "even worse." She said she got chills when she learned the identity of the London attacker. "What a pity they didn't realize he was a nutter," she said. Police are combing through "massive amounts of computer data" and have contacted 3,500 witnesses as they look for clues as to why the British-born man launched the deadly attack. "Clearly that's a main line of our investigation is what led him to be radicalized: Was it through influences in our community, influences from overseas or through online propaganda? Our investigations and our arrests will help in that, but the public appeal will make a big difference if people come forward with more information," said Britain's top counterterrorism officer, Mark Rowley. A security official who spoke Friday on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about an ongoing investigation confirmed that Masood had spent time in Saudi Arabia but said investigators were still trying to determine how long he stayed and what he was doing. Prime Minister Theresa May said Masood was "investigated in relation to concerns about violent extremism" years ago. But she called him "a peripheral figure." The Islamic State group described Masood as "a soldier," claiming responsibility for the attack. Rowley said police are investigating whether he "acted totally alone inspired by terrorist propaganda, or if others have encouraged, supported or directed him." People made arrests across the country as they investigate whether anyone else helped Masood prepare his attack. Six people were released without charge Friday night, leaving four in custody on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts. Detectives have searched 21 properties in London, Brighton, Wales, Manchester and the central English city of Birmingham in one of Britain's biggest counterterrorism operations in years. Wednesday's attack was the deadliest in Britain since suicide bombers killed 52 commuters on London's transit system on July 7, 2005. Once Masood's identity became known, police and the media began tracing his final hours. The manager of the Preston Park Hotel in the beachside city of Brighton where Masood stayed the night before the attack said he seemed unusually outgoing and mentioned details about his family, including having a sick father. "He was normal, in fact friendly, because we spent possibly five or 10 minutes talking to him about his background and where he came from," Sabeur Toumi told Sky News. He was "laughing and joking, telling us stories about where he lived." Police raided the room, searching for clues about Masood. Masood's mother lives in rural Wales, according to a website on which she sells handmade cushions and handbags. The listings on Folksy by Janet Ajao have been taken down, but in an archived version of the site, she describes living in "rural west Wales with my husband, border collie and a few chickens." Calls to the home in remote Trelech, Wales, went unanswered Friday. When Masood was in school, he took his stepfather's name, Ajao. He was athletic and popular in high school, known as someone who liked to party, according to Stuart Knight, a former classmate, who said the young man was one of only two black students in the school of 600. "I am in shock  that is not sympathy for what he has done  he was a nice guy and I'm surprised he turned and did what he did," Knight said. In one of the last places Masood lived, a home in Birmingham, neighbors recalled him as a quiet man whose wife was veiled and who wore traditional Muslim clothing. But the neighborhood is not among one of the city's many Muslim enclaves, suggesting he was not deeply embedded in its religious community. Moazzam Begg, a former Guantanamo prisoner born and raised in Birmingham, said the details emerging of the attacker's life raised questions about where was radicalized. "He did not live in a Muslim neighborhood. In my mind, in my analysis, he was probably a drifter," said Begg, adding that no one he knew in the community had met Masood. "I'd also be surprised if he had any connection with a mosque, because sadly they are places where you can no longer discuss politics or air grievances." Since British authorities began cracking down on mosques, many people are instead being radicalized online, Berg added. Cultural and religious alienation can fuel such violence, he added. Begg helps run a group called Cage that has encountered extremists who spoke of their alienation before they committed attacks. While in prison, Begg said he saw others who succumbed to radicalism. He said groups like IS can exploit people's weaknesses and criminality. Late Friday, the British government honored a lawmaker who battled to save the life of the police officer slain in the Parliament attack, giving him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. May's office said Tobias Ellwood has been named to the Privy Council, a committee of senior lawmakers, judges and others that advises Queen Elizabeth II. The institution dates back a millennium. Security Minister Ben Wallace, who helped coordinate the government response to Wednesday's attack, was also named to the council.
Westminster attack: Sudanese immigrant Salih Khater named as suspect A Sudanese immigrant, thought to be behind Londons latest terror attack, has been revealed as a shy Celine Dion-loving British national whose dad and brother recently died. Salih Khater, 29, who veered off the road careering into pedestrians and 15 cyclists at Westminster on Tuesday morning, was most recently living in a rundown flat above an internet cafe in Sparkhill, BirminghamLast night he refused to answer police questions over the incident which sent the citys parliamentary precinct into lockdown. Details have now begin to emerge about the suspect, who describes himself on Facebook as a shop manager who studied at the Sudan University of Science and Technology. He also studied accountancy at Coventry University between September 2017 and May 2018, the university confirmed. Khater grew up in the rural town of Wad Madani where his parents were farmers. He came to the UK around five years ago and recently lost his dad and brother within months of each other, the Daily Mail reported. One friend said he understood his relatives died in Sudan in separate car crashes and he was devastated by his sudden loss. Khater was also reportedly being investigated over irregularities in his British citizenship in the days leading up to the attack, the website claims, but the Home Office refused to comment. He is understood to have told friends he was going to London to collect a visa for Sudan before the attack yesterday morning. His Facebook profile includes videos from pop stars Celine Dion, Eminem and Rihanna  including Dion singing Because You Loved Me in Memphis. He posted another video of Eminem and Rihannas Love The Way You Lie. Friends described their shock at hearing about his alleged involvement in the attack, describing him as quiet and a good person. Abrha Tomas, 35, said: Everybody knows him. I knew this guy. Hes a good person. Ive known him for about six or seven years. I dont know where he lives. We played pool together. I dont think it was terrorism. Hes not that kind of person. Mr Tomas suggested the incident was unintentional. It was an accident just like anyone would have, he said. There were two ambulances behind him trying to pass and he tried to get out the way and lost control. Childhood friend Abubakr Ibrahim, 30, told The Sun: Hes a very good man and he has no idea about terrorism. When I heard (what had happened) I was surprised. I really cant believe my friend would do that, even cannibals wouldnt do (something like) that. British counter terrorism police yesterday raided three properties, including one in Nottingham where the Ford Fiesta used in the attack was registered. Khater is reported to have driven from his flat in Birmingham, in the Midlands, to London late on Monday night. He spent the early hours of Tuesday driving around central London, including the tourist hot spots along Tottenham Court Road. He then spent 90 minutes driving around Whitehall and Westminster, before the 7.37am attack. Three people were injured. One of the victims was treated for minor injuries at the scene, while a man and a woman were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Both were discharged overnight. Armed police surrounded a car and arrested a man after a number of pedestrians were hit before ploughing into security barriers outside Parliament in Westminster, London. Picture: Sky TVSource:Supplied The Metropolitan Police Service said the attack appeared to have been deliberate and it is being treated as a terrorist incident led by the Mets Counter Terrorism Command.
The man suspected of driving the car that injured several cyclists and pedestrians outside the Houses of Parliament has reportedly been identified by police. The suspect, in his late twenties, is being held in custody at a south London police station but counter-terrorism head Neil Basu said he is not co-operating with officers. He was arrested on suspicion of terror offences after the silver Ford Fiesta he was driving collided with cyclists and pedestrians before crashing into security barriers just before 7.40am on Tuesday morning. Officers and forensic teams stand by the car that crashed into security barriers (PA) Police say they have identified the suspect in the attack (PA) The suspect is understood to be from the Birmingham area. His name has not yet been released but police said he was not known to MI5 or counter-terror police. Westminster was sent into lockdown this morning after a motorist ploughed into a barrier outside the Houses of Parliament. Several pedestrians were injured and the male driver immediately arrested after the Fiesta smashed into a black security barrier near Westminster Bridge during the morning rush hour. The car, circled in red, sent Parliament into lockdown after crashing into barriers early on Tuesday morning. (BBC/PA) She said: I was walking on the other side [of the road]. I heard some noise and someone screamed. I turned around and I saw a silver car driving very fast close to the railings, maybe even on the pavement. Police activity on Millbank, in central London, after a car crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament (PA) An aerial impression of Westminster (PA) The person driving did not go out of the vehicle, she said. The vehicle did not appear to have a front registration plate when it crashed, she added. An eyewitness, who gave his name only as James, described how he had been cycling past Parliament shortly after the incident happened. There was a cyclist clearly injured on the floor, there was a number of cyclists off their bikes. As I went past, an ambulance turned up, he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme. Two people were treated at the scene in Westminster for injuries that are not thought to be serious, London Ambulance Service said. The patient being treated at St Thomas Hospital was discharged before midday, a Guys and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust spokesman said. Assistant Director of Operations Peter Rhodes said: We were called at 7.40am today (14 August) to reports of an incident on St Margaret Street, SW1. We sent a number of resources to the scene including three ambulance crews, responders in cars and an incident response officer. We have treated two people at the scene for injuries that are not believed to be serious and have taken them to hospital. The length of Whitehall remains completely shut off to traffic, with the cordon extended up to where the road meets Trafalgar Square. A forensics investigator works at the scene after a car crashed outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, London (Reuters) In a statement on the attack, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said all Londoners, like me, utterly condemn all acts of terrorism on our city. The response of Londoners today shows that we will never be cowed, intimidated or divided by any terrorist attack, he said. He added: I have been and will continue to be in close touch with the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Transport for London and the other emergency services. My heartfelt thanks goes to the brave first responders who were so quickly on the scene following the attack. Mr Khan urged members of the public to remain calm and vigilant, and report any information about the incident to the Metropolitan Police. 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/A3tADzEv3jpic.twitter.com/ULIHRncdMO
REVEALED: SAS team to be based in London to protect capital from future terrorist attacks ELITE TROOPS: SAS team is to be stationed in London to deal with possible terror incidents The elite soldiers will be placed on standby at a secret location in the centre of the capital. They will be on immediate notice to move in the event of a future atrocity. And they will stay in London for at least a year to deal with possible terror incidents, including a marauding firearms attack or hostage-taking. The move is one of a string of new security measures being taken to protect the UK. PA POLICE: Armed police officer outside the Palace of Westminster Others include: At the moment MI5 are working 24/7 trying to establish whether this attack is a one off or the first part of a wider plan Terror in the HEART of London: the Westminster attack as it happened The attack in Westminster has left four people dead and up to 20 injured after a man drove his vehicle into pedestrians, then ran into the grounds of the Houses of Parliament before being shot by police 1 / 55 PA The alleged attacker, with the suspected weapons used in the attack highlighted in red Metal barriers have gone up around the centre of the capital to strengthen defences and prevent another attack. No system is perfect but its important that any perceived weaknesses are addressed. People need to know how to react in an emergency. The SAS troops selected for the London team will be able to enter buildings using explosives or fast-rope from helicopters on to roofs. They will also be armed with special take-down bullets designed to kill instantly. The plans to move SAS officers, normally based in Hereford, came after Khalid Masood, 52, killed four people. PA EVIL: Khalid Masood killed four people in a horrific terrorist attack at Westminster in London Yesterday, it was also revealed that the SAS will train MPs in how to react to a terror attack. Plans for new escape tactics came after footage emerged showing armed police scrambling to evacuate PM Theresa May moments after the attack. The outrage will also see plainclothes armed police officers stationed outside major London landmarks. And MI5 is believed to be reviewing its intelligence gathering in the wake of the attack. A source said: This is not the first time that a terrorist who was on MI5s radar has carried out a criminal act. At the moment MI5 are working 24/7 trying to establish whether this attack is a one off or the first part of a wider plan. The special forces boost was revealed as calls grew last night for security at Westminster to be stepped up. Former Scotland Yard boss Lord Blair said the soft security at the gates of Parliament needed toughening to match measures inside. Yesterday, the first visible signs of increased security came as metal barriers and bollards were erected around Westminster. Meanwhile, the number of bobbies on the beat has doubled nationwide since Wednesday.
Kevin Schofield witnessed Westminster attack Kevin Schofield, editor of PoliticsHome.com, witnessed the terrorist attack at Westminster. He joins 7.30 from London to discuss what he saw. Transcript plusminus LEIGH SALES, PRESENTER: Many of the witnesses to the terrorist attack were political journalists working at Westminster. One of them was Kevin Schofield, the editor of PoliticsHome.com. He spoke to me moments ago. Kevin Schofield, thanks very much for making time to speak to us. What drew your attention to look outside the window? KEVIN SCHOFIELD, EDITOR, POLITICSHOME.COM: We heard a loud bang, like a car crash, coming from the Westminster Bridge area. It was very, very loud, so we knew it was something pretty serious. So, looked out, myself and some other journalists, looked out the window and it was difficult to see really what was happening. It looked like maybe there'd been a bus crash or something like that. And at that point I noticed to my left a bit of, a bit of commotion. And I saw a man force his way through some security gates and head straight for a police officer and then attack him. And they both went down to the ground very, very quickly afterwards. Another police officer approached that incident and the attacker got up and went towards that policeman with his arm outstretched, holding what looked like a knife. And at that point they just sort of went out of sight as far as I was concerned, and then, within a few seconds, I heard the sound of gunfire which was obviously when I realised it was a very serious, very serious incident. 'Cause I didn't know whether it was the attacker had the gun or whether someone else within the parliamentary precinct had a gun or whether it was police officers. So, that was the point at which we realised something. something very serious had happened. LEIGH SALES: And then what happened next after that? KEVIN SCHOFIELD: Well, it was just a bit of panic, really. We were, the parliament instantly went into lockdown. We were told we couldn't leave our offices. Being journalists, obviously, we wanted to see and look and see what was happening and try and get as much information to people as we possibly could. There was a lot of armed police running around trying to contain the situation. We're used to seeing armed police, obviously, in parliament every day, but it seemed to be heavily stepped up presence. And there just, there seemed to be a lot of sort of chaos and confusion as they tried to establish whether anyone else was, had managed to sort of breach the security cordon around parliament, and it took some time before it was all sort of brought under control. And it was quite a long time later we saw some heavily armed, very specialised police officers who were, we saw them being briefed by their superiors. And then turning around and looking at all the windows within parliament. So, they were obviously still very, very worried that someone might be loose within the parliamentary estate. And that was why we were all told to stay exactly where we were, and the palace was in lockdown for quite some time afterwards. LEIGH SALES: The scene that you saw outside when you saw the man with what looked like a knife and so on, how quickly did that all play out? KEVIN SCHOFIELD: Oh, it was very, very quick, Leigh. You know, it's about a clich when you hear people talk about these things, they say, "Oh, it happened in slow motion, but, I mean, it was, like, it was all over in the blink of an eye." Really it was, between seeing him with the knife and the gunfire was probably 10, 15 seconds, maximum. It was just, clearly the police officers were very well trained for such an incident. And the whole strategy swung into action very, very quickly. So the whole incident itself was over quite quickly. But then, obviously, there was the aftermath as the police tried to establish whether the whole site was secure and make sure that there was no-one else that had managed to get inside. LEIGH SALES: And I can hear plenty of noise behind you still there, this morning - sirens and helicopters and whatnot. What's the mood on the streets and around parliament like today? KEVIN SCHOFIELD: You see people are just sort of going about business as normal. I think London's quite a very stoic city. Just people will try to get back to work as normal. Parliament is sitting again today. I think that's quite an important defiant message that parliament is sending out to anyone who might wish to do us harm. You know that we won't be thrown off course, as it were, we won't be cowed by attacks such as yesterday. So, I think people are just trying to get on with their normal daily lives. But you're right, there is a sense of, a little bit of a sense of nervousness because there is still heavy police activity, there's lots of sirens, unmarked police cars, as you say, helicopters flying above. So there's clearly an ongoing operation. But people are just trying to sort of get on with their business as normal, really. LEIGH SALES: Well, we'll let you get on with your business as normal too. Kevin Schofield, thank you very much.
Four dead in vehicle, knife attack near British Parliament The Associated Press Someone identified by the Associated Press as an attacker in the terror incident in London is treated by emergency services outside the Houses of Parliament. London police say they are treating the attacks "as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise." Officials say a man with a knife attacked a police officer at Parliament and was shot by officers. Nearby, witnesses say a vehicle struck several people on the Westminster Bridge. (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP). LONDON (AP)  A knife-wielding man went on a deadly rampage at the heart of Britains seat of power Wednesday, mowing down pedestrians on Londons Westminster Bridge before stabbing an armed police officer to death inside the gates of Parliament. Four people were killed, including the attacker, and about 20 others were injured. Lawmakers, lords, staff and visitors were locked down as the man was shot by police within the perimeter of Parliament and just yards from entrances to the building itself. He died, as did two pedestrians on the bridge, and the police officer. A doctor who treated the wounded said some had catastrophic injuries. In the House of Commons, deputy Speaker Lindsay Hoyle announced that the sitting was being suspended and told lawmakers not to leave. Police said they were treating the attacks as a terrorist incident and had launched a full counterterrorism investigation. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. We are satisfied at this stage that it looks like there was only on attacker, said Metropolitan Police counterterrorism chief Mark Rowley. But it would be foolish to be overconfident early on. The threat level for international terrorism in the U.K. was already listed at severe, meaning an attack is highly likely. Wednesday was the anniversary of suicide bombings in the Brussels airport and subway that killed 32 people, and the latest events echoed recent vehicle attacks in Berlin and Nice, France. As lawmakers were voting inside Parliament, many reported hearing the sound of gunshots. Parliament was locked down for two hours, and adjoining Westminster subway station was shuttered. Conservative parliamentarian Tobias Ellwood, whose brother was killed in the Bali terror attack in 2002, performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on the police officer who was stabbed and later died. About 10 yards away from the police officer was the attacker who was shot dead by police after scaling the security wall toward the Parliaments grounds. Ellwood, who served in the British military and served in Bosnia, Northern Ireland, Kuwait and Cyprus, applied pressure to the police officers multiple lacerations. Photographs showed Ellwoods bloodied hands and face from the police officers wounds while the alleged attacker was seen nearby. Ellwood has been an undersecretary at the Foreign Office since 2014, covering the Middle East and Africa. After leaving a trail of destruction on the bridge in a gray SUV, the attacker managed to get through tall iron gates and into Parliaments New Palace Yard, a cobbled courtyard in the shadow of the Big Ben clock tower. Just yards to the right is the entrance to 1,000-year-old Westminster Hall, the oldest part of the parliamentary complex, busy with visitors and school groups. Beyond that, a corridor leads to the buildings Central Lobby, flanked by House of Commons and House of Lords chambers. Prime Minister Theresa May was among lawmakers near the Commons at the time of the attack, and was quickly ushered away by security officers and driven back to Downing St. To get that far, the attacker would have had to evade the armed officers who patrol the Parliament complex in pairs, as well as Parliaments own security staff, who dont carry guns. The attack unfolded within sight of some of the citys most famous tourist sites, including the London Eye, a large Ferris wheel with pods that overlook the capital. It stopped rotating and footage showed the pods full as viewers watched police and medical crews on the bridge, which has at its north end Big Ben and Parliament, two iconic symbols. The whole length of the bridge there were people on the ground, witness Richard Tice told Sky News. The London Ambulance Service said it had treated at least 10 people on the bridge, and British port officials said a woman was pulled from the River Thames, injured but alive. Dr. Colleen Anderson of St. Thomas Hospital said a female pedestrian died and around a dozen people were hurt. There were some with minor injuries, some catastrophic. Some had injuries they could walk away from or who have life-changing injuries, she said. The French Foreign Ministry said that three students on a school trip from Saint-Joseph in the Brittany town of Concarneau were among the injured. French Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve offered support to the British and to the French students wounded, their families and their schoolmates. London is a common destination for French school trips. Witness Rick Longley told the Press Association that he heard a bang and saw a car plow into pedestrians and come to a crashing stop. Images from the scene showed pedestrians sprawled on the ground, with blood streaming from a woman surrounded by a scattering of postcards. They were just laying there and then the whole crowd just surged around the corner by the gates just opposite Big Ben, he said. A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman. I have never seen anything like that. I just cant believe what I just saw. At Parliament, a body was seen lying in the yard. It wasnt clear if it was the attacker. Dennis Burns, who was just entering Parliament for a meeting, told the Press Association he heard a radio message saying an officer had been stabbed. Police and security rushed outside as he was going in. When I got inside I was wondering what the hell was going on and I saw dozens of panicked people running down the street, he said. The first stream was around 30 people and the second stream was 70 people. It looked like they were running for their lives. Daily Mail journalist Quentin Letts said he saw a man in black attack a police officer outside Parliament before being shot two or three times as he tried to storm into the House of Commons. He had something in his hand, it looked like a stick of some sort, and he was challenged by a couple of policemen in yellow jackets, Letts told the BBC. And one of the yellow-jacketed policemen fell down and we could see the man in black moving his arm in a way that suggested he was stabbing or striking the yellow-jacketed policeman. Lett said the other officer ran to get help and the man in black ran toward the entrance. As this attacker was running towards the entrance two plain-clothed guys with guns shouted at him what sounded like a warning, he ignored it and they shot two or three times and he fell, he said. London has often been the target of terrorist attacks, from IRA campaigns in the 1970s and 80s to more recent Islamist plots. On July 7, 2005, four Al-Qaida-inspired British bombers blew themselves up on three subway trains and a bus in London, killing 52 people. British security forces say they have thwarted some 13 terror plots over the past four years, but in recent years the U.K. has largely been spared major international terror attacks such as the ones seen in Belgium and France. Last year, a far-right supporter shot and killed British lawmaker Jo Cox, who had campaigned for the U.K. to remain in the European Union. Prior to that, an attacker claiming to be motivated by Syria stabbed three people at a London subway station. The most gruesome recent attack occurred in 2013 when two Muslim converts of Nigerian descent attacked Lee Rigby, a British Army soldier who was walking down the street. The men ran Rigby down with their vehicle and then used a cleaver to hack him to death as bystanders watched in horror.
The vehicle was seen careering through Parliament Square in Westminster before smashing into a barrier. Armed police swooped on the scene and dramatic footage shows officers pull the driver out of the silver Ford at gunpoint. Those who were nearby have told of how they had to run as the scene unfolded in central London at around 7.30am. The Met Police confirmed a number of pedestrians have been injured in the incident, which occurred during rush hour this morning. (Image: PA) Police urged Londoners to remain vigilant, adding: "At this stage, we are treating this as a terrorist incident and the Met's Counter Terrorism Command is now leading the investigation." Terrified eyewitnesses said it appeared the car was deliberately driven into the victims and barriers, and they ran for their lives fearing it was another terror attack in central London, the Mirror reports. Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to playTap to play The video will start in 8Cancel Play now The incident happened at the height of the morning commute and put the Palace of Westminster and surrounding area on lockdown. Afterwards, the man who was arrested was not cooperating with detectives, and police were still trying to formally identify him, said Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu, head of Scotland Yard's Counter-Terror Command. Video shows horrifying series of events Metropolitan Police undated handout photo of the silver Ford Fiesta after it crashed outside the Houses of Parliament in a suspected terror attack (Image: PA) The harrowing incident was captured on a number of CCTV cameras in the area. The footage shows the police pulling up and surrounding the driver of the car that had smashed into security barriers. Time Line Westminister Incident: Timeline of events 7.40am: Car is seen careering through Parliament Square At around 7.40am a car is seen driving erratically through Parliament Square, first crashing into a group of cyclists. The driver then moves off through the roads in the square before smashing into a barrier. Hundreds of officers swarm the scene Seconds later, police officers storm the scene and pull the driver of the vehicle at gunpoint - understood to be a man in his late 20s.Reports say he did not resist arrest and remained in the car until the police arrived. 'Smoke and flames were coming out the vehicle' Bus driver Victor Ogbomo, 49, was driving passengers past the front of Westminster when he saw the crash. All I saw was the smoke coming out of a vehicle, a silver vehicle ... I just stopped the bus, he said. The police said we have to move back, then in less than five minutes the response team came. They went to the vehicle, so we had to push back. I saw the car in the barrier, I didnt know how it got there. I think someone was inside the vehicle because many police went towards the vehicle. He said officers had their guns out when they arrested the driver. Car hits cyclists and pedestrians 'at 40mph' There were scenes of panic and chaos as the car crashed at 40mph, leaving victims injured on the floor in the aftermath, say eyewitnesses. Police assemble cordon Police assemble a cordon around Parliament Square and beyond into Westminster.Westminster tube station is closed and no-one is allowed in or out of the barriers.The cordon remains in place as investigations take place. Scott Hawkins, who works in IT support for the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors in Westminster, was given the warning by police - sparking fears of snipers or a follow up attack.He said: Police advised us to stay in the basement of our building as being near windows is a security risk right now.I was walking through Parliament Square just before the crash so I missed the actual event.The police have put our building on lockdown.I have no idea when we will be allowed out.Theyre going to give us an update at 11am. 11am: London Ambulance confirm third person injured London Ambulance Service have confirmed a third patient was treated at the scene - but was not taken to hospital.In its latest statement the emergency service said: Two patients were treated at the scene and taken to hospital and a third patient with minor injuries was assessed at the scene. 11.30am: MET Police release official statement The Metropolitan Police release an official statement.The Met Polices assistant commissioner speaks to members of the press about the incident. Suspect is "not cooperating" Neil Basu said The man is not co-operating with authorities at this stage. Suspect not known to the authorities Neil Basu was asked whether the driver was someone that was known to officers or counter intelligence agencies, to which he replied: We havent formally identified him yet and its too early to make that judgement. On the details that we have at this moment we dont believe this person is known to either MI5 or counter-terrorism police. A deliberate attack but unknown motive Neil Basu asked whether the vehicle was deliberately driven at police officers in a targeted attack, to which he replied: We cant say that at this time. It certainly appears to be a deliberate attack act but the motivation is we cant say. Transport police putting on extra patrols throughout the city British Transport Police (BTP) said it would be putting extra officers on patrols in England, Scotland and Wales on Tuesday afternoon and into the evening following the Westminster terror attack. Superintendent Chris Horton from BTP said: We know incidents such as this are likely to cause concern, so our officers will be highly visible both on board trains and at stations. We are there to reassure the travelling public, so please dont be alarmed if you see our officers, including firearms officers, on your journey. Cobra meeting to be held at 2pm today A meeting of the Governments emergency cobra committee will be held at 2pm. This afternoons Cobra session will be a meeting of officials, with no cabinet ministers expected to attend at the moment, No 10 said. Prime Minister Theresa May is currently away in Switzerland on the second leg of her summer holiday. No other suspects Scotland Yard says there are no other suspects for the Westminster terror incident at this time, only the man arrested early this morning and there is "no intelligence at this time of further danger" to people in the capital 12.40pm: Forensic officers continue to work at the scene Suspect is 'believed to be from the midlands' Sources from Sky News confirm the suspect is believed to be from the midlands. Westminster Tube is open again Westminster Tube station has re-opened. Tourists seen posing just a few feet from suspected terror attack Photos have emerged of tourists posing for selfies on Westminster Bridge, just metres away from the scene of the suspected terror attack. Suspect is named It is believed the driver of the car is a 29-year-old British citizen of Sudanese origin called Salih Khater, understood to be from Birmingham Police raid tower block in Birmingham Police search a 10th floor flat in Brinklow Tower in Highgate Street, Birmingham in relation to the suspected terror attack on Westminster.Police in the midlands are carrying out searched in both Birmingham and Nottingham. Eyewitness says 'Car hit cyclists on wrong side of road before swerving into barrier' Barry Williams told the Victoria Derbyshire show: I heard a commotion and turned around to see a silver car heading towards the cyclists on the other side of the road. They were parked waiting for the lights to change. It hit the cyclists then swerved over towards where the safety barrier is where police make sure cars go through. Read More I wasnt sure whether he meant to hit the cyclist they may just have been in the way but he accelerated hard towards the barrier Police were very fast they vaulted over the safety barrier and headed towards the car followed by obviously loads of armed police who were in the area. He said the police then pushed people back from the crash. when it hit the barrier there was quite a lot of smoke and it hit with quite a jog - It actually came off the ground and landed again because its quite a light car. A low-loader arrives at the scene near to the Houses of Parliament, Westminster in central London, after a car crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament (Image: PA) (Police) rushed to the scene and they grabbed the bloke but then they seemed to walk away. After police got to the car they then started pushing us back towards where the lights were and thats when I walked past and saw lots of pedestrians but also the cyclists -there was a few on the ground - some were holding their arms. There was bikes everywhere. He then added: It was frightening but thats why I was walking backwards - you never know who's in the car. Attack condemned by many In a statement on the attack, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said all Londoners, like me, utterly condemn all acts of terrorism on our city. The response of Londoners today shows that we will never be cowed, intimidated or divided by any terrorist attack, he said. PM Theresa May has praised the response from the emergency services: Leader of the Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn wrote: "My thoughts are with those hurt and injured outside Parliament this morning in what is being treated as a terrorist incident. "Our thanks go to our emergency services who responded immediately. Their bravery keeps us safe day in, day out." US President Donald Trump has tweeted a typically inflammatory statement following the incident. He wrote: Another terrorist attack in London...These animals are crazy and must be dealt with through toughness and strength! Official statement from The Met Police from Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu in relation to this morning's incident in Westminster: Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to playTap to play The video will start in 8Cancel Play now "At 07:37hrs a silver Ford Fiesta was involved in a collision in front of the Houses of Parliament. That vehicle collided with cyclists and pedestrians before hitting a barrier and coming to a stop. Two people have been taken to hospital. One man has been discharged and one woman remains in hospital being treated for serious but thankfully, non-life threatening injuries. Another man was also treated at the scene but didnt require hospital treatment. The driver of the Fiesta, who was alone in the vehicle, was arrested at the scene by armed officers who were already nearby. The man, who is in his late 20s, was arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences and has been taken to a south London police station where he remains in custody. Read More Given that this appears to be a deliberate act, the method and this being an iconic site we are treating this as a terrorist incident and it is being led by officers from the counter-terrorism command. Officers are searching the vehicle and no other weapons have been found at this time. At this early stage of the investigation no other suspects have been identified or reported to police. There is no intelligence at this time of further danger to Londoners or the rest of the UK connected to this incident. Our priority now is to formally identify the suspect and establish his motivation if we can. He is not currently co-operating. A car that crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament stands to the right of a bus in London, Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2018. London police say that a car has crashed into barriers outside the Houses of Parliament and that there are a number of injured. (Image: AP) However, as you would expect detectives form the counter-terrorism command are making various other urgent enquiries to ensure there is no outstanding risk to the public. Clearly we are treating the scene as a crime scene so cordons are likely to remain outside Parliament for some time. Thank you to the public for their patience whilst we deal with the incident. "Following questioning about whether police were pursuing the vehicle - as many believed they could see in CCTV of the incident - Mr Basu said: No, Ive heard that this morning .There wasnt a police car in pursuit of the vehicle. I believe it was an ambulance on a completely unrelated call. A forensic officer attends the scene near the Houses of Parliament, Westminster in central London, (Image: PA) Mr Basu was then questioned about whether the vehicle was deliberately driven at police officers in a targeted attack, to which he replied: We cant say that at this time. It certainly appears to be a deliberate attack act but the motivation is we cant say. He was then asked whether the driver was someone that was known to officers or counter intelligence agencies, to which he replied: We havent formally identified him yet and its too early to make that judgement. Timeline of recent terror attacks in UK The Metropolitan Police has confirmed its Counter-Terrorism Command is leading the investigation after a car crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament. It comes just 11 months after a partially exploded bomb was left on a Tube train - the last major incident to rock Britain. Here is a timeline of attacks in recent years: September 15, 2017: A partially exploded device planted on a District line train left more than 51 people injured. Ahmed Hassan, 18, was jailed for at least 34 years for planting the Parsons Green tube bomb which caused a huge fireball. June 19, 2017: One man dies and several others are injured after a man rammed his van into worshippers in north London. Darren Osborne, 47, of no fixed address in Cardiff - who had been radicalised by far-right material, was jailed for at least 43 years after being found guilty in February of murder and attempted murder. June 3, 2017: Eight people are killed in a terror attack around London Bridge. A van ploughed into people on the bridge before the three attackers carried out a knife rampage in Borough Market. The perpetrators - Khuram Butt, 27, Rachid Redouane, 30, and Youssef Zaghba, 22 - were shot dead by police. May 22, 2017: Twenty-two people - including children - are killed in a bombing at a pop concert in Manchester. Lone suicide attacker Salman Abedi detonated an explosive device as crowds of music fans, many of them youngsters, left Manchester Arena following a performance by US singer Ariana Grande. March 22, 2017: Five people are killed in a car and knife attack in Westminster. Khalid Masood drove a hire car over Westminster Bridge, near the Houses of Parliament, mounted the pavement and hit pedestrians before crashing into railings outside the Palace of Westminster. The 25-year-old serviceman was walking near his barracks in Woolwich, south-east London, when the pair rammed him with a car before attempting to hack off his head with knives. The killers were jailed at the Old Bailey in February 2014. July 7, 2005: Four suicide bombers kill 52 and injure hundreds of others in blasts on the London Underground network and a bus. Twenty-six died in the bombing at Russell Square on the Piccadilly line, six in the bombing at Edgware Road on the Circle line, seven in the bombing at Aldgate on the Circle line, and 13 in the bombing on a bus at Tavistock Square.
Follow the author of this article Follow the topics within this article An all female Isil gang plotted to murder tourists at attractions including the British Museum, a court has heard. Safaa Boular, then 17, planned to "martry" herself in a bomb and grenade ambush on the museum after her Islamic State fighter fiance was killed in Syria. In what is alleged to be Britain's first all female terror plot, she was supported by her mother, Mina Dich, and elder sister and intended to carry out an attack using a 'tokarev', a type of Russian pistol, or a grenade, referred to as 'pineapples'. But when Boular was arrested for an earlier attempt to travel to Syria to marry Naweed Hussain, she passed the baton to her sister, Rizlaine Boular, who began plotting a knife attack in Westminster. In calls from jail after her arrest, she talked about a "party" with her 21-year-old sibling, which was said to be a code word for a terror attack which her sister was planning in her place. The pair also made reference to a "Mad Hatter" and having an "Alice In Wonderland" themed tea party, jurors heard. Over the next three days, Rizlaine and their mother, 43, carried out reconnaissance around major landmarks in Westminster and bought a pack of knives and a rucksack, the court heard. But on April 27 last year - the day of the proposed knife attack around the Palace of Westminster - police swooped to arrest Rizlaine Boular, jurors were told. The Old Bailey heard that both sisters had attempted to travel to the Syria to wed Isil fighters. Safaa Boular appearing at the Old Bailey in London Credit: Elizabeth Cook /PA Rizlaine was caught in 2014 but never charged and was returned to the UK, whilst her younger sister attempted to make the journey two years later. She had declared her love for Hussain after the couple had been chatting on social media for just three months, prosecutor Duncan Atkinson QC said, and she planned to travel to Raqqa where they would don suicide belts and in her lover's words "depart the world holding hands and taking others with them in an act of terrorism," jurors heard. After police uncovered Safaa Boular's plan to travel in August 2016, she allegedly switched her attention to Britain, keeping contact with Hussain on a secret phone through encrypted Telegram chat. But British Security Services had deployed specially trained "role play" officers to engage in online communication with the pair, jurors heard. Mr Atkinson said: "It was clear that Hussain had been planning an act of terrorism with Safaa Boular in which she could engage if she remained in this country. Both Hussain and Safaa Boular talked of a planned ambush involving grenades and or firearms." She also told an officer posing as an IS fighter that all she needed was a "car and a knife to get what I want to achieve", the court heard. Mr Atkinson said: "Based in her preparation and discussion, it appears she planned to launch an attack against members of the public selected largely at random in the environs of that cultural jewel and most popular of tourist attractions, the British Museum in central London." An attack would have caused at least "widespread panic" and was intended to cause injury and death, it was claimed. When she learned Hussain had been killed in April 2017, Boular's determination was strengthened, the court heard. She was allegedly encouraged by her mother and sister to join her fiance and become a "martyr". But within days of his death she was charged over her earlier plans to go to Syria in 2016, so was unable to carry out her "chilling intentions", the prosecutor said. He went on: "However, that those intentions were not just chilling but sincere and determined is demonstrated by the fact that she did not abandon them even when she was unable to put them into effect herself. Rather, she sought to encourage her sister Rizlaine to carry the torch forward in her stead." Rizlaine Boular, 21, of Clerkenwell, central London, has already admitted planning an attack in Westminster, allegedly involving knives and with the help and support of their mother Mina Dich, 43, the jury was told. "Based on her preparation, reconnaissance and discussion, it appears that (Rizlaine) planned to launch an attack, using knives against members of the public, in the environs of the Palace of Westminster in central London. "Like her sister's thwarted plan, this was an attack that was intended to involve the infliction of serious injury and death." Their mother provided "positive assistance and support" to Rizlaine, knowing she would commit a knife attack, but did not necessarily understand it would involve death or injury, the court heard. Police recovered extremist material from her phones, including photos of women holding AK47, one of a child wearing a suicide belt, and images and videos of beheadings, the court heard. She also had an image captioned "Sisterhood in jihad, where we fight together get martyred together and fly together inshallah" and revealed to police she had struck up a friendship with Isil's female recruiter, Umm Isa Al-Amriki, who was based in Aleppo.
People place flowers outside Britain's parliament in London, Saturday March 25, 2017, for the victims of the Westminster attack on Wednesday. Khalid Masood killed four people and left more than two dozen hospitalized, including some with what have been described as catastrophic injuries. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) A fifth victim who was injured in the Westminster terror attack has died Image released through the Metropolitan Police on Friday April 7, 2017 of Andreea Cristea with her boyfriend Andrei Burnaz. Cristea, a 31-year-old Romanian tourist who was knocked into the River Thames from Westminster Bridge during an attack on Britain's Houses of Parliament more than two weeks ago has died, London police said Friday. (Metropolitan Police via AP) Handout/AP UPDATE at 7:09a.m.: The Metropolitan Police on Friday released this photo of Andreea Cristea with her boyfriend Andrei Burnaz. UPDATE April 7 at 6:12 a.m.: A Romanian tourist who was knocked into the River Thames from Westminster Bridge during an attack on Britains Houses of Parliament more than two weeks ago has died, London police said Friday. Andrea Cristea, 31, is the fifth person to have lost their life after Khalid Masood drove his car into a crowd of people on Westminster Bridge on March 22. Critea was rescued from the cold water after the attack, but Scotland Yard confirmed Friday the woman was taken off life support. UPDATE March 25 at 8:11p.m.: London attacker Khalid Masood had a reputation for drinking and an unpredictable temper, according to the Associated Press. His attitude, however, on the day of the bloody rampage couldn't have been more different. A hotel manager said he was struck by Masood's friendly demeanor. This is an undated photo released by the Metropolitan Police of Khalid Masood. Authorities identified Masood, a 52-year-old Briton as the man who mowed down pedestrians and stabbed a policeman to death outside Parliament in London, saying he had a long criminal record and once was investigated for extremism  but was not currently on a terrorism watch list. (Metropolitan Police via AP) "He was normal, in fact friendly, because we spent possibly five or 10 minutes talking to him about his background and where he came from," Preston Park Hotel manager, Sabeur Toumi told Sky News. He was "laughing and joking, telling us stories about where he lived." UPDATE 11:32 a.m. EST: The London attacker was identified by police as Khalid Masood. He was 52 and a native of Kent, England, The Guardian reports. Earlier Thursday, Prime Minister Theresa May said Masood has been investigated by British intelligence agencies, but had been deemed not a terrorist threat. However, his criminal record included assault and weapons possession charges. His last conviction was in 2003 for possession of a knife. A great American, Kurt Cochran, was killed in the London terror attack. My prayers and condolences are with his family and friends. Prime Minister Theresa May said the attacker was known to British intelligence agency MI5 and was a "peripheral figure" in terrorist investigations, The Guardian reports. She also said the injured included 12 Britons, three French, two Romanians, four South Koreans, one German, oneChinese, one Irish, one Italian and two Greeks. This is the response that shows we will never give in to terrorism ... Let this be the message for us today. Our values will prevail. Prime Minister Theresa May May stressed the importance of returning to daily life after the attack. ORIGINAL STORY: Eight people have been arrested after the deadly terrorist attack in London Wednesday, city police said. Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said 29 people injured in the attack were treated in the hospital while seven remained in critical condition. The attacker, who was one of four people who died in the incident, has still not been named by police. Police reported five deaths Wednesday, but revised the death toll Thursday. Parliament opened after a minute of silence, the BBC reports. We must ensure that it is not hatred, violence and division, but decency, goodness and tolerance that prevails in our country. Liam Fox, MP Prime Minister Theresa May will speak on the incident at 10:30 a.m. local time. 1 of The flag flies at half staff above The House of Lords following Wednesday's attack in London, Thursday March 23, 2017. On Wednesday a knife-wielding man went on a deadly rampage, first driving a car into pedestrians before stabbing a police officer to death and then was fatally shot by police within Parliament's grounds in London. Five people were killed, including the assailant.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) A flag flies at half staff above the Supreme Court in Westminster, following Wednesday's attack in London, Thursday March 23, 2017. On Wednesday a knife-wielding man went on a deadly rampage, first driving a car into pedestrians before stabbing a police officer to death before being fatally shot by police within Parliament's grounds in London. Five people were killed, including the assailant.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Police direct pedestrians around a cordon in place following Wednesday's terror attack, in London,Thursday March 23, 2017. On Wednesday a knife-wielding man went on a deadly rampage, first driving a car into pedestrians before stabbing a police officer to death before being fatally shot by police within Parliament's grounds in London. Five people were killed, including the assailant. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Police direct pedestrians around a cordon in place following Wednesday's terror attack, in London, Thursday March 23, 2017. On Wednesday a knife-wielding man went on a deadly rampage, first driving a car into pedestrians before stabbing a police officer to death and then was fatally shot by police within Parliament's grounds in London. Five people were killed, including the assailant.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Police work at the scene of a terror attack in London, Thursday March 23, 2017. On Wednesday a knife-wielding man went on a deadly rampage, first driving a car into pedestrians then stabbing a police officer to death before being fatally shot by police within Parliament's grounds in London. Five people were killed, including the assailant. (AP Photo/Tim Ireland) The flag flies at half staff above The House of Lords following Wednesday's attack in London, Thursday March 23, 2017. On Wednesday a knife-wielding man went on a deadly rampage, first driving a car into pedestrians then stabbing a police officer to death before being fatally shot by police within Parliament's grounds in London. Five people were killed, including the assailant.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Here's a look at London today. The first civilian victim of the attack was identified Thursday morning as Aysha Frade, whom The Guardian reports is a mother of two and a teacher in London. The police officer who was stabbed to death was identified as Keith Palmer.
Scotland Yard said the attacker drove around London for hours before the crash and arrived in the capital just after midnight before the horrifying scenes unfolded at about 7.40am. The man was not known to security services, police said last night. Police recover the silver Ford Fiesta involved (PA) This morning, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan praised the response of the police in the seconds after the car crashed into a barrier at Parliament, saying London is "one of the safest global cities in the world". He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I think what it shows is that the planning, the practice, the preparation, that the police, the security services, the emergency services do, should give us some confidence that we are one of the safest global cities in the world. "I say that realising that terrorists are trying to cause damage, trying to kill people in not just London and Manchester, Paris, Berlin, Brussels, Boston, New York, Istanbul and elsewhere around the world. "We've got to carry on evolving and finding new ways to keep ourselves (safe), just like the terrorists and bad guys are finding new ways to cause us damage." Sadiq's comments come after Donald Trump posted on Twitter: "Another terrorist attack in London...These animals are crazy and must be dealt with through toughness and strength!" Officers were last night searching the houses of two addresses in Birmingham and a residential property in Nottingham as part of the terror probe. Plain-clothed police could be seen outside an address in Peveril Street in Nottingham, which was said by neighbours to be home to six Sudanese people. There was also a police presence near the Bunna Internet Cafe on Stratford Road in Sparkbrook, Birmingham, but it was not confirmed whether that was in relation to the Westminster probe. Birmingham Hall Green MP Roger Godsiff said it is believed the suspect had been living in his constituency. Politicians react to Westminster car attack The Labour politician tweeted: "I have told the police and security services that they have my total support in doing whatever is necessary to protect the public in London and Birmingham. The suspect, who was said to not be co-operating with officers, was not known to security services, Metropolitan Police counter-terrorism head Neil Basu said. Parliament Crash - In pictures Parliament Crash - In pictures 1/23 A Man detained (circled) by Police on Millbank, in central London, after a car crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament Sky News 2/23 Forensic officerS attend the scene near the Houses of Parliament, Westminster in central London, after a car crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament Alex Lentati 3/23 Police activity on Millbank, London after a car crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament 4/23 5/23 6/23 7/23 8/23 9/23 A forensic officer attends the scene near the Houses of Parliament, Westminster in central London, after a car crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament PA 10/23 BBC News 11/23 BBC News 12/23 PA 13/23 Reuters 14/23 Sky News 15/23 PA 16/23 PA 17/23 Police activity on Millbank, in central London, after a car crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament PA 18/23 Police on Westminster Bridge, central London, after a car crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament PA 19/23 Armed police stand in the street after a car crashed outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster REUTERS 20/23 Police activity on Millbank, in central London, after a car crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament PA 21/23 Police activity on Millbank, in central London, after a car crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament PA 22/23 Police forensics officers work at the scene outside the Houses of Parliament in central London AFP/Getty Images 23/23 Forensic officers by the car that crashed into security barriers outside Parliament PA He said the apparent deliberate nature of the act, the method used and the "iconic" location of Parliament led the force to treat it as a terrorist incident. Shocking footage showed the car's approach towards Parliament, where it crossed into oncoming traffic and collided with cyclists before entering a small road and crashing into a security barrier. Three people sustained non-life-threatening injuries. One man was treated at the scene while another man and woman were taken to hospital but both were discharged by Tuesday evening. Armed police stand in the street after the car crashed outside the Houses of Parliament (REUTERS) Images posted online showed the suspect wearing a black puffer jacket being led away in handcuffs from the car as armed police officers swarmed the scene. What we know so far - A car collided with cyclists and pedestrians before crashing into a security barrier outside the Houses of Parliament shortly before 7.40am yesterday - The man driving the silver Ford Fiesta, a 29-year-old UK national, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act. He is believed to have been living in the Birmingham Hall Green constituency, MP Roger Godsiff said. - Three people were treated for injuries after the incident. One man was treated at the scene while a man and woman were taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Both have since been discharged. - The man was alone in the car and no weapons were recovered from the vehicle. Police said in the hours after the incident that the suspect was not co-operating. - The Metropolitan Police said they were treating it as a terrorist incident because of the method used, the fact it appeared to have been deliberate and due to the "iconic location" where it happened. - The car, which is privately owned and was first registered in March 2010 according to gov.uk, was driven from Birmingham to London on Monday night and arrived into London just after midnight on Tuesday. It was then in the area of Tottenham Court Road between 1.25am and 5.55am, before being driven around the areas of Westminster and Whitehall from 6am until the time of the incident. - Searches were being carried out at two addresses in Birmingham and one in Nottingham on Tuesday evening. Plain-clothed police officers could be seen outside an address in Peveril Street in Nottingham, which was said by neighbours to be home to six Sudanese people. There was also a police presence near the Bunna Internet Cafe on Stratford Road in Sparkbrook, Birmingham, but it was not confirmed whether that was in relation to the Westminster probe. There was nobody else in the vehicle and no weapons were found, police said. Mr Basu added no other suspects have been identified and there is "no intelligence at this time of further danger" to Londoners. The car was removed from the scene late on Tuesday night. Armed police outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster following the incident (EPA) After a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee, Theresa May urged the country to come together and carry on as normal. In a statement the Prime Minister, who is on holiday, praised the "formidable courage" and professionalism of the emergency services who "ran towards" danger. Home Secretary Sajid Javid, who also thanked the emergency services, urged people to "keep an open mind" about the incident. Witnesses described an emotionless driver ploughing through cyclists. Forensic officers by the car that crashed into security barriers outside Parliament (PA) Kirsty Moseley, of Brixton, south London, was a passenger in the first car behind the cyclists, who "were thrown everywhere" after being struck at what she estimated was 25mph. Ms Moseley, 31, added: "He [the driver] wasn't shouting anything, he wasn't screaming, he didn't look crazed or out of control - he was just deadpan." Jason Williams, from Kennington, was walking to work when he saw the crash. How the Westminster terror attack unfolded "It didn't look like an accident. How do you do that by accident? It was a loud bang," the 45-year-old said. The Houses of Parliament are surrounded with security barriers of steel and concrete.
Candle-lit Abbey tribute to those killed in Westminster terror attack Hope, not despair: the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry in Westminster Abbey on Wednesday Hope, not despair: the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry in Westminster Abbey on Wednesday HUNDREDS of candles were lit in Westminster Abbey on Wednesday as Londons political and faith leaders gathered for a service of hope  14 days after five people were killed and 50 injured in a terrorist attack just a stones throw away across Parliament Square. Together let us affirm our shared humanity and our resolve to bring light and life to all, the Dean of Westminster, the Very Revd John Hall, said, as candles held by the congregation were lit one by one along the rows of national dignitaries, police officers, paramedics, and relatives of those killed. The service was sombre but intended to inspire, its organisers conscious that it was taking place just a fortnight after Khalid Masood mowed down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge and knifed PC Keith Palmer in the grounds of the Palace of Westminster (News, 24 March). On Friday morning it was confirmed that a fourth person, Romanian tourist Andreea Cristea, had died from her injuries suffered after being hit by Mr Masood's car on the bridge. Ms Cristea was knocked into the River Thames, while her boyfriend, Andrei Burnaz  who had been planning to propose to Ms Cristea during their holiday in Britain  suffered a broken foot. The families of PC Palmer and those who died on the bridge through the terrorists actions had lost the most, the Dean said, while everyone had been left bewildered and disturbed. Quoting John Donne, the Dean reminded the Abbey: No man is an island, entire of itself; because of this any mans death diminishes me. Indeed, the attack was not just against London but against the world, he said. Those killed and injured included visitors from countries as far afield as South Korea, Australia, and the United States. Mr Masoods deadly assault on Westminster defied sense, the Dean said. What could possibly motivate a man to drive fast at people he had never met, against whom he had no personal grudge, no reason to hate them, and then run at the gates of the Palace of Westminster to cause another death? After his address ended, the haunting melody of a cellist, playing a traditional Catalan melody in the nave, echoed around the Abbey. The Old Testament reading, from the book of Jeremiah, pursued the theme of lament: A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children . . . because they are no more. But the second reading, the parable of the Good Samaritan, was chosen as a direct challenge to those who sought to drive a wedge between those of different faiths who lived in London, just as it originally tackled the enmity between Jews and their brethren in Samaria, the Dean explained. It was read by the Duke of Cambridge, who was joined at the service by his wife and Prince Harry. That enmity is no bar to the Samaritan doing a good deed for the Jew, Dean Hall said. The people who should have been the first responders, the ones who walked past quickly, were of the same faith and nationality as the injured man. But they did nothing. Perhaps they feared the man was dead and thus ceremonially unclean, the Dean suggested; but Jesus condemns them  they have failed the test of compassion and love, the test of mercy, which Jesus rates far more highly than adherence to narrow religious conventions. Christ was calling people to reach out in brotherly and sisterly love to those of other faiths and backgrounds, the Dean said. He recalled the example of the Archbishops of Canterbury and Westminster, who joined the Chief Rabbi and leading Sunni and Shia Muslim imams to proclaim a mutual respect and abhorrence for violence outside the Abbey in the days after the attack (News, 31 March). We stand together; just as in this service the world faiths are represented and will pray together  above all for the gift of hope, the Dean concluded. Prayers were said by faith representatives, including a Commander of the Metropolitan Police, Mak Chishty, a Muslim, and Constable Jaskaran Garcha, a Sikh. The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, concluded the time of prayer by quoting the prayer ascribed to St Francis of Assisi: Lord, make us channels of your peace. . . Where there is hatred let us bring your love. . . . Where there is despair in life, let us bring hope. Where there is darkness, only light.
Follow the topics within this article In the Telegraph's office on the top floor of the Houses of Parliament, my colleagues and I darted to our window overlooking Parliament Square to see what was going on. It was 2.40pm, and to our right, opposite Westminster Underground station, there was a commotion happening around a grey car that appeared to have crashed into the railings surrounding New Palace Yard. Oh God, theres been a car crash, one of my colleagues said. Thats terrible - you can see the car on the pavement. Air Ambulance outside the Palace of WestminsterCredit: PA But something was wrong with the picture in front of us. People were running away from the car in every direction, clearly in a state of terror. Even when they were a safe distance from the car, they kept on running, some shouting and screaming, and a group of around a dozen of them dashed around the corner into Parliament Square. When they reached the iron double gates used as the vehicle entrance to New Palace Yard - through which Theresa May had driven hours earlier when she arrived for Prime Ministers Questions - they appeared to rush the gates, which are always manned by two uniformed policemen. From my vantage point directly opposite the gates, I was, at first, unsure whether the gates had been forced open or the policemen had allowed people in to give them sanctuary. A second later though, it was clear that Parliament was under attack. Police officers in yellow high-visibility jackets appeared to be making a grab for some of the intruders. People who had been about to leave through the pedestrian exit next to the vehicle gate turned around and ran for their lives towards Westminster Hall. Journalists in the press corridor began shouting to each other. Oh my God, were being attacked! shouted one. Outside, a moment of confusion: those who had run in through the gates were mixed up with parliamentary workers as they all ran towards us. Policemen darted in different directions, clearly struggling to make sense of what was going on. Still I was clinging to the hope that this was a rowdy protest, rather than something worse, but my worst fear was suddenly confirmed: a man who appeared to be carrying a knife, who had got around 25 yards inside the gates, was rushing towards a plain clothes policeman, wearing a dark raincoat, who pulled a pistol and fired three shots into his chest from around six feet away. Knocked off his feet by the impact of the bullets, he fell backwards onto the cobbles. Inside the building, struggling to process what they had just seen, journalists feared for their own lives, terrified that this might be a marauding attack and that accomplices might be trying to enter the building. Its a terrorist attack! What do we do? Do we run? my colleagues asked. I told them to stay, and within a minute a female uniformed police officer appeared at the door of our office telling us to stay where we were, to shut the door and stay put. Hearts racing, we were drawn back to the window, despite knowing that the advice is to stay away from windows in the event of a terrorist attack. Westminster Bridge scene Outside, two people were lying on the cobbles in New Palace Yard - the man who had been shot, and another person who we later found out was a policeman who had been attacked. In the blur of activity that had just unfolded over a matter of seconds I hadnt seen the policeman being injured, but his colleagues and a man in a suit were frantically giving him CPR. Around 15 yards from him, a man in a high-vis jacket was pumping the chest of the man who had been shot. We still had no idea whether we were safe, but watching what was happening at least provided a distraction from our own fears. Armed officers filed into the Parliament buildings and images of the Mumbai terrorist attack flashed through my mind as I wondered whether a gunman had managed to get into the building. I was not alone in that train of thought, as my colleagues comments confirmed. Across the patch of grass in the centre of New Palace Yard, I looked at the ramp to the underground car park and remembered black and white images of the last terrorist attack on the Parliamentary estate, when the Conservative MP Airey Neave was killed by an IRA car bomb on that spot in 1979. Trying to stay calm, I made brief phone calls to the Telegraph newsdesk to alert them to what was going on, to my family to reassure them I was safe, and began tweeting my first reports of what I had seen. Only then did I see others tweeting about the car ploughing into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge. An air ambulance landed in the middle of Parliament Square. Moments later two ambulances arrived and paramedics took over from the police officers attending to the two people on the ground. The man in the suit who had been helping administer first aid to the injured police officer peeled away and we could see that it was Tobias Ellwood, the Foreign Office minister and former soldier whose brother died in the Bali terrorist attack. He had blood on his hands. A woman hugged him and he was led away, out of sight. In our office, we finally drew breath, beginning to believe that it was over.
Vil Mirzayanov holds a copy of his book State Secrets at his home on 13 March 2018, in Princeton, New Jersey. Photograph: Dominick Reuter/AFP/Getty Images The Russian chemist who revealed the existence of the novichok family of chemical agents to the world has dismissed the notion that a non-state actor could be behind the poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury, England, earlier this month. Quick guide Timeline: the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal 1.30pm Police have confirmed that Skripal and his daughter were in Salisbury city centre by 1.30pm. It is not known if they walked from his home or whether they drove or were driven in. Between 1.30pm and around 4pm Skripal and his daughter strolled around Salisbury and visited the Zizzi restaurant on Castle Street and the nearby Mill pub. They are believed to have been in Zizzi for about 40 minutes from 2.30pm. 3.47pm A CCTV camera at Snap Fitness in Market Walk captured two people initially thought to be Skripal and his daughter. The woman appeared to be carrying a red handbag. Later it became clear the pair were probably not the Russian and his daughter. Police have been keen to speak to the couple. 4.03pm The same camera caught personal trainer Freya Church. She turned left out of the gym and in front of her saw Skripal and the woman on a bench at the Maltings shopping centre. She said the woman had passed out and the man was behaving strangely. Church walked on. 4.08pm Footage that emerged on Friday from a local business showed that people were still strolling casually through Market Walk. Approx 4.15pm A member of the public dialled 999. The Friday footage shows an emergency vehicle racing through the pedestrianised arcade shortly after 4.15pm. A paramedic also ran through. Police and paramedics worked on the couple at the scene for almost an hour in ordinary uniforms. 5.11pm The woman was airlifted to hospital; Skripal was taken by road. 5.13pm Images taken by a passerby show that officers were still clearly unaware of the severity of the situation. They did not have specialist protective clothing and members of the public also strolled nearby. 5.48pm Police told Salisbury Journal they were investigating a possible drug-related incident. At about this time officers identified Skripal and his daughter and by Sunday evening they were at his home  in normal uniform or street clothes. At some point DS Nick Bailey, now seriously ill in hospital, visited the Skripal house, but it is not known where he was contaminated. Officers were hosing themselves down. It was not until the next day that a major incident was declared. Photograph: Ben Stansall/AFP Was this helpful? Thank you for your feedback. Vil Mirzayanov, 83, said the chemical was too dangerous for anyone but a high-level senior scientist to handle and that even he  who worked for 30 years inside the secret military installation where novichok was developed and gained extensive personal experience in handling the agent  would not know how to weaponize it. He said he did not see how a criminal organization or other non-state group could pull off such an attack. Its very, very tough stuff, Mirzayanov told the Guardian at his home in New Jersey, where he has lived in exile since 1996. I dont believe it. You need a very high-qualified professional scientist, he continued. Because it is dangerous stuff. Extremely dangerous. You can kill yourself. First of all you have to have a very good shield, a very particular container. And after that to weaponize it  weaponize it is impossible without high technical equipment. Its impossible to imagine. Skripals poisoning: what we know so far Read more The British government has announced sanctions against Moscow over the poisoning of Skripal, and the foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, said on Friday it was overwhelmingly likely that the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, personally took the decision to use the nerve agent against the ex-spy. But the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, said on Wednesday that the chemical agent identified in the Salisbury attack could have been used by someone else other than the Russian state, and a Corbyn spokesperson suggested a mafia-like group or oligarchic interests in London might have been responsible. Mirzayanov said those theories did not make sense owing to the facilities and multiple layers of expertise that would be required to prepare such an attack. Chemists synthesizing the agent would have to be working somewhere with an antidote close at hand, he said, and they would have to be working with someone who knew how to weaponize it, which, he emphasized, he himself did not. We had no idea how to weaponize it, he said. We dont know because its not our business. Weaponization would also need to take place at a different facility from the one where the agent was made, he said. Mirzayanov said the perpetrator of the attack must have been the Russian state. No one country has these capabilities like Russia, because Russia invented, tested and weaponized novichok, he said. The theory that the agent was stolen for use in a crime was weak for similar reasons, Mirzayanov said. If you steal it, and after that, what to do with that? he said. You cannot weaponize, no exceptions, you cannot weaponize that. Mirzayanov further said that there was probably no current stockpile of novichok to steal, because it has a limited shelf life and the preferred form would be a binary version in which two relatively benign, non-banned substances were mixed to produce novichok. The final product, in storage, after one year is already losing 2%, 3%. The next year more, and the next year more. In 10-15 years, its no longer effective. Mirzayanov worked inside the secret military installation where novichok was developed; his job was testing the surrounding air and soil for traces of novichok. When he realized that Moscows military was lying about the possible applications of novichok and that the program risked undermining global chemical weapons bans, he said, he decided to expose it, publishing his first account in the Russian press in 1991. He was arrested in 1994 and charged with divulging state secrets. Intervention by the US government, the Soros foundation and activists including his wife Gale, an American, secured his asylum in the United States. Mirzayanov thinks the Salisbury attack was performed with a binary version of the agent brought through customs and automatically mixed at the time of the attack. Quick guide How hard is it to make a nerve agent? Nerve agents are not hard to make in principle, but in practice it takes specialised facilities and training to mix the substances safely. The raw materials themselves are inexpensive and generally not hard to obtain, but the lethality of the agents means they tend to be manufactured in dedicated labs. The main five nerve agents are tabun, which is the easiest to make, sarin, soman, GF and VX. The latter was used to kill Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, at Kuala Lumpur airport last year. VX is particularly stable and can remain on clothing, furniture and the ground for a long time without proper decontamination. All pure nerve agents are colourless organophosphorus liquids which, after they were discovered to be highly poisonous in the 1930s, became the dominant chemical weapons of the second world war. Once made, the substances are easy to disperse, highly toxic, and have rapid effects. Most are absorbed swiftly through the skin or inhaled, but they can also be added to food and drink. The agents take their toll on the body by disrupting electrical signals throughout the nervous system and the effects are fast and dramatic. Victims find it increasingly hard to breathe. Their lungs produce more mucus which can make them cough and foam at the mouth. They sweat, their pupils constrict, and their eyes run. The effects on the digestive system trigger vomiting. Meanwhile the muscles convulse. Many of those affected will wet themselves and lose control of their bowels. At high doses, failure of the nerves and muscles of the respiratory system can kill before other symptoms have time to develop. There are antidotes for nerve agents, such as oxime and atropine, which are particularly effective against VX and sarin, but they should be given soon after exposure to be effective. Was this helpful? Thank you for your feedback. I believe they brought binary version, Mirzayanov said. Its two ampules, small containers, like a big bullet, put them together in a spray or something, and after that, some mechanism which is mixing them, a couple seconds and after that youre shooting. Mirzayanov said the danger for people in the area of the attack before or afterward would depend on the dosage used. Its extremely poisonous, about 10 times more potent than VX gas, he said. It could touch any skin and in a couple minutes would take effect. The first sign of exposure is a shrinkage of pupils and darkening of vision, he said. After that vomiting, [difficulty] breathing and convulsions. An antidote can delay or partially reverse the effects of the poison but would not necessarily save the life of the victim, he said. Mirzayanov said he did not feel fear for himself or his family in speaking about novichok and Russia. It may be a little bit crazy, but when I decide something, Im going exactly to do it, without any distraction, to some goal, he said. Im a very determined person. Because of that, if Ive decided, all of it is gone, any fear  I dont feel any fear.
London attack: Four dead in Westminster terror incident Four people, including a police officer and the lone attacker, have died in a terror attack near the Houses of Parliament in London. Two of those killed were among more than 20 pedestrians hit by a car on Westminster Bridge, before it crashed. The man stabbed the officer outside Parliament before being shot dead. PM Theresa May said it was a sick and depraved attack on the heart of the capital and attempts to defeat UK values were doomed to failure. Speaking in Downing Street after chairing a meeting of the governments Cobra emergencies committee, Mrs May paid tribute to the exceptional men and women of the police force who responded to the attack. We will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart, she said. The prime minister added: The location of this attack was no accident. The terrorist chose to strike at the heart of our capital city where people of all nationalities, religions and cultures come together to celebrate the values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech. The attacker has not yet been identified. Acting Deputy Commissioner and head of counter terrorism at the Metropolitan Police, Mark Rowley, said a major investigation was under way into the marauding terrorist attack. He said emergency services were called at 14.40 GMT after the car was driven over Westminster Bridge, hitting and injuring a number of members of the public and three police officers, who were on their way back from a commendation ceremony. After the car crashed into the railings of the Houses of Parliament, a man armed with a knife continued the attack and tried to enter the building. Eyewitnesses said police fired three or four gunshots as the knifeman lunged towards a second officer. In latest developments: The prime minister said the UK terror threat level would remain at severe  its second highest  meaning an attack is highly likely Westminster underground station was shut and remains open for interchange only Home Secretary Amber Rudd urged everyone to remain calm but be vigilant and if they see anything they are concerned about report it to the police A group of French schoolchildren were on the bridge and three were injured 13 students from Edge Hill University in Lancashire were also caught up in the incident  two were taken to hospital and described as walking wounded; two others had minor injuries There are two police casualty bureau numbers: 0800 056 0944 and 0207 158 0010 for people worried about family and friends, or eyewitnesses Kings College Hospital says eight patients are being treated there  six male, and two female. Two are critical and two are stable St Thomas Hospital said two patients had been admitted  both are stable The Port of London Authority said a woman was pulled alive from the River Thames near the bridge and was being treated for serious injuries Around 1,000 people were taken to Westminster Abbey for safety and were then being processed by police MPs were locked in the House of Commons for more than four hours and business suspended The House of Commons and Lords will sit at their usual times on Thursday Over the following days there will be extra unarmed and armed officers on the streets of London Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo says the Eiffel tower will go dark at midnight in homage to the London victims London mayor Sadiq Khan praised citizens and emergency services for their tremendous bravery and said: Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism. Witnesses say there was what appeared to be a warning shout and then the crack of three or four shots before the attacker fell to the floor. Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood  a former Army officer whose brother died in the Bali terrorist bombing in 2002  attempted mouth-to-mouth resuscitation of an injured police officer.
On Wednesday, 4 people were killed and many were injured after a vehicle drove into a crowd on Londons Westminster Bridge near the UK Parliament building. One man was later shot by police after he stabbed an officer inside the Parliament compound. The UK prime minister said that a British-born man inspired by Islamist ideology, who had been previously investigated by MI-5 is responsible for the attack. "The man was British born and some years ago he was once investigated by MI5 in relation to concerns about violent extremism," she told the parliament, adding: "He was not part of the current intelligence picture." She added that the Westminster attack perpetrator "was a peripheral figure." "Our working assumption is that the attacker was inspired by Islamist ideology." According to May, there was no intelligence of the suspect's intentions before the London attack. "It is still believed this attacker acted alone and police have no reason to believe there are imminent further attacks on the public." Theresa May said that a total of 12 people, inluding 9 foreigners, are victims of the Westminster attack. "A single attacker drove his vehicle at speed into innocent pedestrians crossing Westminster Bridge, killing two people and injuring around 40 more. In addition to 12 Britons admitted to hospital, we know the victims include three French children, two Romanians, four South Koreans, one German, one Pole, one Irish, one Chinese, one Italian, one American and two Greeks," May told the parliament. She praised the slain policeman as a hero. The British prime minister said that the UK terror level is "severe" as there is no information of a specific threat. May said she will have more security meetings after the London attack. "I can confirm police have searched six addresses and made eight arrests in Birmingham and London," May told the parliament. She said that it is "an attack on people everywhere." The UK prime minister said that terrorists will be defeated. May refered to the Westminster attack as an act trying to silence democracy, adding that "we are not afraid." "Over the next five years we will invest an extra 2.5 billion [pounds, $3.1 billion] in building our global security and intelligence network, employing over 1,900 additional staff at MI5, MI6 and GCHQ and more than doubling our global network of counterterrorism experts working with priority countries across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia." "[I] will have further meetings with security officials today. The threat level to the UK has been set at severe, meaning attack is highly likely for same time. This is the second highest threat level. The highest level, critical, means there is specific intelligence that an attack is imminent. As a result of no such intelligence the independent joint terrorism analysis center has decided that the threat level will not change in the light of yesterdays attack." "This was an attack on free people everywhere and on behalf of the British people I would like to thank our friends and allies around the world who have made it clear they stand with us," May said.
One Irish person confirmed injured in Westminster terror attack An Irish person has been injured in the Westminster attack, British Prime Minister Theresa May has confirmed. One Irish person has been admitted to hospital along with twelve Britons, three French children, two Romanians, four South Koreans, one German, one Pole, one Chinese, one Italian, one American and two Greeks, Ms May told the House of Commons this morning. The Irish persons injuries are not life-threatening, however no further details are available at this time. Flowers outside the Queen Elizabeth II Centre in London, after seven people were arrested in raids in London, Birmingham and elsewhere linked to the Westminster terror attack. Pic: PA A lone terrorist ploughed into a crowd of pedestrians on Westminster Bridge yesterday, killing two people and sending more than 20 to hospital with catastrophic injuries. Among the four people dead are policeman Keith Palmer, who was stabbed by the assailant outside the House of Parliament, and Spanish teacher Aysha Frade, who was on her way to pick her children up from school. Speaking to the House today Ms May told MPs that PC Keith Palmer was every inch a hero and his actions will never be forgotten. Members of the House of Parliament observe a minutes silence to pay respect to the victims of yesterdays terror attack in Westminster. Pic: PA We will never waver in the face of terrorism. MPs had stood for a minutes silence in honour of the innocent people killed in the attack. Ms May said the lone attacker was British-born and had been identified as someone known by police and MI5. The police are working under the assumption that he was inspired by Islamist terrorism. Westminster attack: How the day unfolded after five people, including a police officer and the suspect, were killed in London pic.twitter.com/qwmKolGnhJ A British diver who helped in the Thai cave rescue is suing Elon Musk for $75,000, alleging that the Tesla CEO falsely accused him of being a pedophile.Vernon Unsworth contends that the tech billionaire... President Michael D Higgins has signed into law the legislation amending the Constitution in relation to abortion. It follows the referendum vote to repeal and replace the 8th Amendment. Legislation to allow for abortions will... Ireland has recovered the full 13.1bn in disputed taxes owed by Apple, plus interest of 1.2bn, ahead of the state's appeal against the seismic EU state aid decision.Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohoe, confirmed today... A man has been charged with the premeditated murder of Spanish golf star Celia Barquin Arozamena.Investigators have said the 22-year-old was assaulted and killed on a golf course in the US state of Iowa after...
In my last articleWar in a public place: The Bastille Day attack, the strategy and tactics of InsurgenciesI stipulated civilians are deemed part of the enemy, and this has, yet again, played out in the London Westminster Bridge attack of 22 March, 2017.[1] Notwithstanding the pain and sorrow that is inflicted on the populace  the immediate recipients and their families and friends  and the simple truth that civilians and/or non-combatants should not be part of any solution that a group may desire, the fact remains that groups utilize public places as locations to advance their cause, and/or causes. This remains true to the edict that terrorism essentially embraces three core principles: the method (violence), the target (civilian or government), and the purpose (to instil fear and force political or social change). [2] This issue is however that the microcosm of an eventthe direct targeting of civiliansis the reflection of a greater sphere of what needs to be done in order for those that feel polarised and disenfranchised from their beliefs to reinvigorate an existential connection to them. The rage and anger that a person feels towards an assemblage, in this case a group of people walking along a bridge pathway, means that the group presents an overt expression of the political bloc that the individual is raging against, and within this understanding all people become worthwhile targets; ones which offer the most potential for change; and of delivering the utmost form of personal sacrifice should the person be challenged. This attitude towards a populace is historically not restricted to the microcosm of a single person as in the recent Westminster Bridge carnage, although in this case for the actor the people do reflect a group deemed to be supporting the United Kingdom if only by their presence. Therefore their age, nationality, gender or religion or religion do not matter. In simpler terms all on the bridge come under the banner of tourism, visiting or living and therefore all are supporting the government of the United Kingdom economically in some way, and therefore are deemed to be a form of support for the government; and if the targets are killed in the process, then for the attacker, it is an advantage. The enforced homogeneity of peoples by the West To understand the aforementioned rage that a lone wolf attacker feels towards a group of innocents on a bridge it helps to reflect on how this mindset has been incrementally, and then exponentially, put into place by Western-driven historical events. A single person such as the Westminster Bridge attacker, although perhaps not aware that he forms a part of a culture that has long been associated with Western references toward, and about others (read non-Westerners), is pertinent to mention. The Middle Eastoften referred to as the OrientAfrica, East Asia, Southeast Asia and Central Asia have historically been the target of comment, although the Middle East has been of particular focus. According to Said Orientalism or the Orientalist attitude which is a construct of and by the West consists of Arabs being thought of as camel-riding, hook-nosed venal lechers whose undeserved wealth is an affront to real civilization. Always there lurks the assumption that although the Western consumer belongs to a numerical minority he (sic) is entitled to own or expend (or both) the majority of the Worlds resources.[3] Hence, history is littered with examples of entire nation-states (and cultures) being branded with appalling levels of existential non-awareness, blind stupidity and ignoranceor in the vernacular of the English language, that of being sheep. A singular and stunning example of this dogma is writ large in the postulating of President John F. Kennedy of the United States of America (US) in 1961 in which he spoke about the doors of Communism being open wide,[4] in the Southeast Asian region as the ideas of Ho Chi Minh gained a level of regional acceptance. Whilst this statement was premised on motivating and developing a gathering need to begin an escalation of US involvement in Vietnam, it was also done with a (somewhat false) notion that Southeast Asia without a strong and committed US involvement in the first instancewhich signifies an involvement of the West and its values in generalwould evolve into a long-term and powerful Communist stronghold. In the second instance, the state-of-affairs would contribute to an unregulated non-Western world which would, in some bizarre way, contribute to the death of democratic nation-states worldwide. To be sure, Kennedys words were essentially, a timely reverberation and reinforcement of President Eisenhowers statement about Indo-China being part of a region where  the United States must, if necessary, resist the communists with its own military forces. If any one country of Southeast AsiaLaos for examplefell to the communists, all the rest would tumble over like a row of dominoes.[5] To wit, the domino-theory, was born and it resided in an ill-informed notion that Communism was an all-consuming force that would subsume all populations that were in its path. Communism would be so great in its delivery that it would condemn Southeast Asian nations to non-Western ideals and eventually, political slavery. Underpinning this assumption that Communism would roll on unhindered, is that Southeast Asian nation-state governments would be fundamentally incapable of articulate and intellectual nuance, and therefore, would be totally incapable of coming to terms with what was to befall their region. In simpler terms, and from a Western Imperialism/Imperialist[6] perspective, Southeast Asian nationsconsisting of hundreds of millions of peoplewould be too dumb and too stupid to react differently than their regional counterparts and would fall under the hammer of Communism like sheep to the slaughter. The level of insult and pain that must have reverberated through Southeast Asian communities then (and perhaps to the present day), must have been palpable and might yet, have repercussions. The way it is: the demands of the West Returning to the notion of the incandescent rage of those that carry out acts of terror against liberal-democratic populations is to note that, as uncomfortable as it is, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is exerting its influence through violence (often on those within its own regional populaces), in order to reject the historical and centuriesold presence of Imperial powers within the Middle East region. A perspective of the presence is needed here. Under the auspices of the British government the sovereign nation-state of Kuwait[7] was given protectorate status by said government and whether this was a worthwhile political act remains a moot point however, it does amount to an extreme meddling in the cultural- and tribal-boundaries of millennia-old ethnicities. Returning to the abovementioned disenfranchisement what the actor hopes to trigger is a (re)questioning of Imperialist interventions that have been on a grand-scale; and to bring attention to the way in which the tribal and cultural peoples of the Middle East in particular have been treated in the political and territorial milieu. Meddling in the Middle East has become a somewhat normal part of Western policy and it is underpinned by the post-World War Two intrusions into the Southeast Asian region; and persistent divisive commentary about how the Middle East should behave according to the West. President George H. W. Bush after the successes of the First Persian Gulf War would argue that a Western ideal had been achieved, one that had delivered [A] foreign policy that assumes one world of compatible social, political, and economic values; that promotes democracy, open-market economics, international law, and international organization; and that insists upon U.S. leadership because [according to Secretary Baker[ [8]] our moral principles and our material interests make us a leaderThe United Nations played a central role in the Bush administrations pursuit of a New World Order[9] Whether the vanquished agreed, or were given a say in the matter of having a New World Order thrust upon them must do little to appease the rage that they must feel within, and one that will eventually no doubt coalesce in an attempt to expel those that feel the need to tell a culture how to liveand yet another war will begin. The world that the New World Order demands is essentially, what was in the nineteenth century what the French deemed a mission civilastrice,[10]or a civilising mission. Conclusion The difficulty in the argument is that whilst people should not be killed going about their business, whether as an officer of the law, or an ordinary citizen, it is also too simplistic to refer to an act of terror as not having motivations that the West in general has helped to generate. Being homogenized and having a formulaic of government and governance thrust upon a population and/or ethnic or religious group, one which ignores cultural traditionswhether they be satisfactory or unsatisfactory to Western ideals remains a moot pointthere is only one pathway for those that feel enraged to the point of the worth of their life being secondary to their cause. The microcosm of the tragedy is that a person feels he or she (in the Westminster Bridge case it was a male), feels the powerlessness of centuries old Western-juggernaut input into their societies, as briefly dealt with in the abovementioned, and is an actor is only able to deal with this by the sacrifice of innocents; and their own death. The macrocosm of the tragedy is and remains: the West maintaining its stronghold on regions, including the Middle East involves a seeming unpreparedness to willingly disengage from its Imperialist roots; is unable to embrace a nuanced approach with regards to cultural and traditional sensitivities; is resistant to understanding that East Asian, Southeast Asian and Central Asian governments and peoples are actually capable of dealing with their own economic and political issues; and that Western influence, if it is required/requested, should be moderated and sensitive in its economic and governance applications. The West must resist and desist from its past actions or, unfortunately, face more of the pain associated with the Westminster Bridge attack. This is surely echoed in the fact that Londons Metropolitan Police claim to have interrupted eight attacks in recent months.[11] This factor reflects a dyad: the efficiency of the Metropolitan Police; and the extent that functionalist rage that exists in individuals, a group, or groups within British society. [4] John Kennedy. Address in New York City before the General Assembly of the United Nations. September 25, 1961. United States Government Public Papers. http//www.jfklinl.com/speeches/jfk/publicpapers/1961/jfk387_61.html [6] Imperialism, according to dictionary.com is the policy of extending the rule or authority of an empire or nationover foreign countries, or of acquiring and holding colonies and dependencies. See: http://www.dictionary.com/browse/imperialism [8] On September 11, 1990 Bush, in the United Nations General Assembly, declared (in part) Out of these troubled times a New World Order can emerge, under the United Nations that performs as envisioned by its founders, We stand at a unique and extraordinary moment. This crisis in the Persian Gulf, as grave as it is, also offers us a rare opportunity to move toward an historic period of cooperation. Today that New World Order is struggling to be born. A world quite different from the one weve known. See: Gabriel Kolko. A Century of War, 217. My italics.
Westminster attack: British police make arrests Reuters | March 23, 2017 15:02 MYT Police officers stand on Westminster Bridge the morning after an attack by a man driving a car and weilding a knife left five people dead and dozens injured, in London, Britain, March 23, 2017. REUTERS LONDON: British counter-terrorism police were investigating the background of an attacker who killed four people and injured about 40 before being shot to death by police just outside the British parliament in London. Police have described the attack on Wednesday as a "marauding terrorist incident" and said they were working on the assumption that it was "Islamist-related". Police believe they know the identity of the attacker but have not named him. Armed police raided a house in Birmingham overnight. The local police force, West Midlands Police, referred questions about the raid to London's Metropolitan Police, which is in charge of the investigation into the attack on parliament. FOLLOW OUR LIVE BLOG HERE Police made several arrests during the raid, which was connected to the investigation, Sky News television channel reported on Thursday, citing unidentified sources. The Met Police declined to comment on whether there was a link. Britain's most senior counter-terrorism officer, Mark Rowley, was due to make a statement at 0730 GMT. The attack on Wednesday started when the assailant sped across Westminster Bridge in a car, ramming pedestrians along the way. He then ran towards parliament and stabbed a policeman before he was shot. The dead were the assailant, the policeman he stabbed and three people who were hit by the car. Others were in hospital with very serious injuries. Three French high-school students aged 15 or 16, who were on a school trip to London with fellow students from Brittany, were among the injured. French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault was expected to arrive in London to visit them at hospital, French media reported. Westminster Bridge remained cordoned off with a strong police presence. The nearby Westminster underground train station, normally a busy hub in the morning rush hour, was not accessible from street level as it was within the cordon. Parliament was due to convene later in what Prime Minister Theresa May said late on Wednesday was a sign that the attack would not disrupt British democracy or normal life in the capital.
Investigators are racing to find out how Britains counter-terrorism defences were breached for the third time in 10 weeks, as police mounted multiple raids and arrested a dozen people following the London Bridge attack. Britains top anti-terrorism officer, Metropolitan police assistant commissioner Mark Rowley, said detectives were urgently investigating to discover if the three men who killed seven people and left 21 in a critical condition on Saturday night by running over pedestrians in a rented van and stabbing people in Borough Market were assisted or supported. The attack was stopped when eight armed officers killed them in a hail of about 50 bullets, fearing it was a life or death situation. Police respond to incidents at London Bridge and Borough Market  live Read more Armed police raided homes in Barking, east London, on Sunday, including the home of one of the suspected attackers who neighbours described as a married father of two young children who regularly attended two local mosques. Five people  four men and a woman  were taken by armed police from the apartment block where he was believed to have lived. Three women were led away from the same flats and police raided a flat above a bookmakers on Barking Road. Work is ongoing to understand more about [the three attackers], about their connections and about whether they were assisted or supported by anyone else, said Rowley. Play Video 1:23 One member of the public caught in police crossfire during London attack  video He would not comment on whether or not the attackers were known to the police or intelligence services, citing ongoing efforts to confirm their identities. However, a woman who lives in the block that was raided told the Guardian she had expressed concerns to Barking police about the mans extremist opinions. Erica Gasparri said she had gone to the police two years ago after she feared the man was radicalising children in a local park. I took four photographs of him and gave them to the [local] police, Gasparri said. They rang Scotland Yard when I was there and said the information had been passed on. They were very concerned. They told me to delete the photos for my own safety, which I did, but then I heard nothing. That was two years ago. No one came to me. If they did, this could have been prevented and lives could have been saved. Police believe all the attackers were killed in what Rowley described as a critical confrontation given that the terrorists were wearing what appeared to be suicide belts, but turned out to be hoaxes. I am not surprised that faced with what they must have feared were three suicide bombers, the firearms officers fired an unprecedented number of rounds to be completely confident they had neutralised those threats, he said. I am humbled by the bravery of an officer who will rush towards a potential suicide bomber thinking only of protecting others. One official confirmed that police and MI5 had been reviewing a large pool of 20,000 former terrorism suspects to see if they needed to be reassessed. Rowley said additional police, armed and unarmed, would be placed on patrol in the capital, policing plans for forthcoming events would be reviewed and increased physical measures would be used in order to keep the public safe on Londons bridges. On Sunday night, 36 people remained in hospital after the attack. One of the dead was a Canadian, another was French, while the injured included several other French nationals, two Australians and two New Zealanders. The Canadian victim was named as Christine Archibald, who worked in a homeless shelter until she moved to Europe to be with her fiance. Her family said in a statement: We grieve the loss of our beautiful, loving daughter and sister. She had room in her heart for everyone and believed strongly that every person was to be valued and respected. She would have had no understanding of the callous cruelty that caused her death. Two police officers were also injured. They were an on-duty member of the British transport police armed only with a baton who was stabbed in the face and head when he confronted an attacker and an off-duty member of the Metropolitan police. One member of the public was hit by a stray bullet and was hospitalised but their injuries are not life-threatening. Witnesses told the BBC that the attackers shouted this is for Allah before launching assaults with knives and blades said to be 10 inches long. Elizabeth ONeill, the mother of one of the victims, 23-year-old Daniel ONeill, who was being treated in Kings College hospital, said: A man ran up to him and said: This is for my family, this is for Islam, and stuck a knife straight in him. Hes got a seven-inch scar going from his belly round to his back. Gabrielle Sciotto, a documentary maker who was on the scene, said the terrorists were fleeing a policeman who was chasing them out of Borough Market when they were shot. They ran towards me because the police officer was trying to chase them, he said. Suddenly lots and lots of police came from the other direction. There was a lot of shouting: Stop, stop, get on the floor. Then the police shot them. A picture that has been circulating showing a man on the ground, apparently with canisters strapped to his body. Photograph: Gabriele Sciotto Before that, members of the public had fought back. Gerard Vowls, 47, said he saw a woman being stabbed by three men in their 30s and threw chairs, glasses and bottles in an attempt to stop them. They kept coming to try to stab me, he said. They were stabbing everyone. Evil, evil people. Sciotto took photographs of the dead terrorists, which allowed neighbours of one suspected attacker at a modern apartment complex in Barking to identify him. He lived here for about three years. I used to see him with his wife in a burka, said one woman who asked not to be named. She was pregnant but recently had a baby and they had a small boy of about two. There was a succession of unusual cars coming and going here in the last while. There was a foreign-registered BMW which was just stacking up [parking] tickets. Then in the last week the activity stopped. He used to play with the children in the park and playground, said Jamal Bafadhal, 63, a neighbour. From the outside to look at him you thought he was a good guy. But he was a little bit removed from us. Salahudee Jayabdeen, 40, said the man had been forcibly removed from a local mosque, Jabir bin Zayd. He started questioning what the imam was saying, he said. He was asked to leave. He didnt want to and was forcibly taken out. A mosque spokesman confirmed the incident had happened, but said the man involved was not a regular and was not known to them. The three attacks in Westminster, Manchester, and now London Bridge have claimed 33 lives in total, and constitute the worst wave of atrocities to hit the UK since the London suicide bombings on 7 July 2005. Five other plots believed to be at an advanced stage have been disrupted since the Westminster Bridge attack on 22 March  four in London and one in Birmingham. Following a Cobra emergency committee meeting on Sunday, attended by police and security chiefs, the prime minister, Theresa May, said that while terrorists involved in the three attacks were not connected by common networks, a new threat was emerging of attackers who are inspired to attack not only on the basis of carefully constructed plots after years of planning and training  but by copying one another. May announced a review of counter-terrorism legislation including the possibility of longer sentences for terror offences and a campaign against the evil ideology of Islamist extremism. She said enough is enough and reiterated her call for international agreements to regulate cyberspace, accusing internet companies of creating a safe space in which extremist ideology could breed. Facebook, Google and Twitter all defended their record and said they wanted to work with government to prevent terrorists using their platforms. We want Facebook to be a hostile environment for terrorists, said Simon Milner, director of policy at Facebook UK, Middle East and Africa. The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, announced that a vigil would be held next to City Hall, by Tower Bridge, on Monday evening from 6pm to show the world that we stand united in the face of those who seek to harm us and our way of life. The Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre has left the UK terror threat level at severe, meaning an attack remains highly likely. It was raised to critical  the highest level  in the wake of the Manchester arena bombing and was returned to severe last Saturday.
Of the thousands and thousands of vehicular casualties that happen every day all over the world, a tiny fraction just occurred near the Parliament building in London. The logical inference: Somebody spent a rather small sum of money to arrange a publicity stunt which did not even make a faint blip on the days (much less the years) accident statistics  but which reaped hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars worth of virtually free publicity for the perpetrators. Now who would do a thing like that? As in all criminal cases, we must answer that question with another: Cui bono? Who benefits? More often than not, these things are blamed on radical Muslims. (The dead perp in the photo has the typical, iconically-Muslim salafi beard.) But its hard to see how actual radical Muslims, whose goal is to push Western imperialists and colonialists out of historically Muslim lands, gain anything from such deeds. On the contrary, attacks on Western civilians provide a huge PR boost to the imperialists and colonialists, and free up huge sums of money to be spent on military action against radical Muslims. So whoever did this presumably wants to convince you to give up your hard-earned money, and perhaps your freedom as well, and support the hyper-militarization of the West  and an accelerated war against Muslims. Just like the previous London attack in July 2005! Watch terror consultant Peter Power confess that his company was running terror drills at the exact times and locations that the real bombs went off! Another clue: The vehicular attack and stabbing attack motifs are Israeli. These are among the types of attacks that have characterized the latest Intifada, or Palestinian war of self-preservation against slow-motion Zionist genocide. (The real Palestinian attacks target Israeli soldiers and settlers, who are defined as Occupation forces and thus legitimate targets under international law; while any attacks targeting civilians should be assumed to be false flags.) Israel wants the West to join its genocidal war on the people of the Middle East. As the Dancing Israelis, part of the Israeli team that blew up the Twin Towers and WTC-7, told the police who arrested them on September 11th, 2001: We are Israelis. We are not your problem. Your problems are our problems. The Palestinians are your problem. (ABC News) After Israeli agent Michael Chertoff shipped the 9/11 perp Dancing Israelis home to Israel, they went on national television and stated: The fact of the matter is we are coming from a country that experiences terror daily. Our purpose was to document the event. (ABC News) The Israelis are desperate to drag the West into the Israeli war against Islam, Muslims, and Middle Eastern people in general. That is why virtually every major Islamic terror event since the Cold War ended in 1989 is a known or suspected Gladio B operation with Israeli fingerprints all over it. Another sign of a suspected false flag is the dead perps dont talk syndrome. If a terror event were real, the authorities would do everything possible to capture the perp alive in order to interrogate him and take down his terror network. But when terror perps are shot down like dogs, with no attempt made to save their lives so they can be interrogated, one must suspect that they are being silenced. (Seriously: How hard would it be to kneecap or otherwise incapacitate a guy with a knife?) And yet another sign of a false flag is iconic location. Londons Parliament, with Big Ben in the background, is as iconic as they come. Thats why the filmmakers in V for Vendetta chose it for their most spectacular scenes. Londons Parliament is also the site of the false flag that created the modern world as we know it: the gunpowder plot, in which radical Catholic patsy Guy Fawkes was set up with a barrel of wet gunpowder beneath Parliament in a fake terror plot designed to whip up hatred of Catholics and unleash a century of war against Spain and Portugal. Did we just witness a modern-day gunpowder plot false flag? The perp with a car and a knife posed relatively little threat, statistically at least, but garnered billions in free publicity; just as Guy Fawkes posed no threat whatsoever to Parliament with his wet gunpowder, yet provided British imperialists with the equivalent of billions in free publicity and launched the wars that created the British Empire. In this case, however, it is the Israeli Empire, not the British Empire, that stood to gain the most from the crime. Another sign of a false flag is the iconic date, often featuring the numeral 11 or multiples thereof. Today is 3/22, the first anniversary of the false flag attack in Brussels Airport. (322, a big time satanic number and date, is the identifier of the Skull and Bones secret society.) As I wrote one year ago today: As the freemasonic Satanists invoke Isis (or ISIS) on 3/22 (the culmination of the three-day satanic feast of Pelusia) they also pay homage to another female deity: Ishtar, the goddess of fertility, love, war, and sex. So to sum up: It seems the ISISraelis are continuing their heroic efforts to convince the West that radical Islam (i.e. the Palestinians that Israel is exterminating) are a threat to all of civilization. Maybe its time to set off the chimes in Big Bens belltower and wake the world up to the truth? UPDATES: Here are some of the questions being raised about this suspected false flag: *Did Rita Kaatz and SITE Intelligence Group  an unofficial branch of Mossad  just take credit for London attack? If not, why would radical Muslims use the Israeli Mossad as their public relations agency? *Is Thursdays Antwerp reckless driver who couldnt even hit a single pedestrian part of a follow-up false flag operation? (A minor incident like this would barely even be noticed if there hadnt been a lethal vehicle attack the day before.) *Was alleged London attacker Khalid Masood on the radar of MI5 (like almost all false flag patsies) because he was an intelligence asset? He also has appeared many times on Fox, CNN, PBS and other broadcast outlets, and has inspired feature stories and op-eds in the New York Times, the Christian Science Monitor, the Chicago Tribune, and other leading publications. Dr. Barrett has taught at colleges and universities in San Francisco, Paris, and Wisconsin; where he ran for Congress in 2008. He currently works as a nonprofit organizer, author, and talk radio host. Wahhabism!? The official version is that the dude was a drunk and petty criminal, and he just decided to mow people down after drinking several pints in the pub!! If that is wahhabism it is a variety I am not familiar with ;  ) It is a win-win for Bibi every time a terrorist event  false flag, occurs. Thousands of fearful Jews are drawn by the peace and security of Apartheid Israel and hundreds move there. Meanwhile, Bibi deflects his many domestic problems into false-flag operations overseas to remind everyone how his uncompromising acts against Palestinians and Muslim terrorists is in their best interests. Gutter politics in other words and satanically inspired. You dont need to search for any Rabbinical discourse on this in the Talmud but Shakespeare nails it in Henry IV, Part 2. To lead out many to the Holy Land, Lest rest and lying still might make them look Too near unto my state. Therefore, my Harry, Be it thy course to busy giddy minds With foreign quarrels; that action, hence borne out, May waste the memory of the former days. It is a lose-lose for Muslims the world over. Alex Jones and Paul Joseph Watson are the outstanding anti-Muslim racists on the polluted air of US broadcasting wallowing in the after-birth of this slimy Zionist-NeoCon monster. A pair of hypocrites who lambaste the NWO-Globalists with venom on the one hand while at the same time promoting this Zionist-driven hatred of Muslims, the raison detre or sole justification for this Zionist venture of Greater Israel and a One World Order. and they wheeled out Brendan Cox, husband of murdered Jo Cox, her from Brexit if you remember, so he could empathise with the ensuing carnage that was taking place from this stabbing (hold the press, its a terror attack with a knofe)..Ive seen bigger knife fights in Glasgow in the gangs of the 70s and 80s..FFS..pathetic..time to bin the smartphone as all that MI6 spyware theyll roll out now will be taking up memory space for my music and photos Wiggins..hahahaha..for our non native English tongue friends what that name is is Aysha Frade (I is afraid).hahaha..laughable..this morning on GMTV poor phone in Edna has yet to tell her 8 yr old son of what happened.even though they dont live in London.eh???..and Rita phoned in to ask if her and her friend who are visiting London in 3 months time. will it be safe? she asked??..FFS..dumb I posted this on another article here yesterday, before this article was up darkplace123  March 22, 2017 at 10:13 am has anyone seen the farcical False Flag in London today (22nd March 2017).man whatta joke.BBC covering this terror attack all the while a bodybag being put into an ambulance has a couple of tourists with backpacks on standing right next to the ambulance as the body is wheeled in be it the attacker or the stabbed policeman..how could they get so near these touristsWestminster in lockdown says the BBC reporter, if so, how can these 2 dumpling tourists be standing next to the ambulance?COBRA meeting to be held they sayI cant stop laughing, the only person killed is the so called perpetrator of the attack if he existsFalse Flags are getting cheaper by the dozen..now back in the 80s the IRA knew how do terror attacks by blowing up shopping malls or mortar attacks on Downing Street..those were the days of terror..watch the footage if you get the chance..watch how those running away have faces of fear on them..laughing instead of screaming Log in to Reply 3/22 wtf? code? no. just isolated amerikanismus spreading its mental miasma all over the place Lucifer is the only sane intelligence in the KosmiK Arkanum get your head out of your asphixiating hallucinatiory Amerikanismus and let you brain breathe take a deep breath Im with you on this article, Kevin, but must make a small point, which unfortunately is magnified by occurring at the very start of the piece. If 270,000 pedestrians are killed every year, and there are 365 days in a year, its wrong to write that more than a thousand are killed every day. Also, assuming for the moment this was an intentional vehicular murder, thats clearly different than accidentally running over a person. Excellent article. Yes, it was another Gladio-style Left-Behind Nazi army(NATO) false-flag attack run by Mossad and MI-5&6 with US Military backing. Some of these have no dead victim just crises actors and dummies; some have real dead victims, some are hybrid types which have both real dead and faked deaths. Occasional dead bodies from narcotic overdoses are substituted at the morgue and autopsied to maintain the psyop. anyone who knows London probably knows that the police officers who stand around Parliament buildings are very well trained and are armed with at least a hand-gun. And wear anti-stab vests; so a guy being stabbed to death doesnt really make sense, unless he was literally asleep on the job; which is very unlikely. Those guys tend to be alert. Of course, I wasnt there, so what do I know. But it all does sound strange to anyone who knows the area. Ill be reading Chris Spivey, as well as more of Kevin in order to find out what it was that most likely happened here. Unfortunately, we all do know what the outcome is going to be. More dead women, children , and non-noncombatants. Sick. Trakkath, portions of the 40 Day Season document are self-serving lies, or perhaps self-delusion, not at all grounded in the real way the universe works. I wont tell you which portions. But the writer is either a liar, an idiot, or both. The whole thing is a believe system, remember the song If you believe and it works as we can see over and over again. There is no need to have god or satan as long as those followers believe in it and follow the guidelines it works in this world. Even if the universe works against it and breaks the spell at the end. DISCLOSURE NOTICE TO ALL VISITORS: All content herein is owned by author exclusively. Expressed opinions are NOT necessarily the views of VT, authors, affiliates, advertisers, sponsors, partners, technicians or Veterans Today Network (VT). Some content may be satirical in nature. All images within are full responsibility of author and NOT VT.About VT  Full Disclosure, Fake News Policy and Legal Notice  Comment Policy
US President Donald Trump tweeted this afternoon: Another terrorist attack in London These animals are crazy and must be dealt with through toughness and strength! The incident comes just over a year after terrorist Khalid Masood drove into pedestrians and rammed the gates of Parliament in a terror attack. The jihadi killed five people including Westminster cop PC Keith Palmer before he was shot dead by armed police. Security expert Chris Phillips said todays could be a botched terror attack. He told GMB: I think one of the biggest issues for police officers when they approached the vehicle was could it explode. PA:Press Association Armed police at the scene of the crash today Reuters A police cordon has been set up around Parliament Square in Westminster this morning PA:Press Association Westminster Bridge has been closed by cops in light of the crash HIGH ALERT: The terror attack that put Westminster on lockdown just 18 months ago Westminster has been put on high alert before, with this mornings crash outside Parliament barely 18 months since the terror attack that gripped the capital. Five people were killed and more than 50 people were injured when Kent-born terrorist Khalid Masood mowed pedestrians down along Westminster Bridge in March last year. The 52-year-old then crashed his car into the gates of Parliament, running into the compound with two blades when he fatally stabbed police officer Keith Palmer. Mum-of-two Aysha Frade, American tourist Kurt Cochran and 75-year-old Leslie Rhodes were all murdered by the evil terrorist. Fifth victim, Andreea Cristea, was thrown off Westminster bridge during the terror attack.Terrorist Masood was shot by police, later dying in hospital. Scotland Yard said Masood was a violent criminal convicted of multiple offences spanning 20 years.But they confirmed Masood was not the subject of any current investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack. This could well be some form of an attack thats not quite worked properly for the attacker.  Streets around Parliament Square, Millbank and Victoria Tower Gardens have been cordoned off with dozens of police, ambulances and firefighters at the scene. Westminster Bridge has been closed to cars and pedestrians and nearby Lambeth Bridge is also to be shut imminently. CRUSHED BY RUBBLE BUTCHERED LIKE AN ANIMAL STOKES HITS BACK Stokes says he was only defending gay men from serious abuse in brawl VAPING FEARS E-cigarettes are MORE harmful than first feared, experts warn RED RED WHINE Mum horrified to find period stains in dress ordered from Pretty Little Thing Theresa May has praised medics and police for responding to the attack. The PM tweeted: My thoughts are with those injured in the incident in Westminster and my thanks to the emergency services for their immediate and courageous response. Number 10 said there would be a COBRA meeting later today to discuss the attack on Westminster. We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368. You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.
Kurt Cochran: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know A Utah man who was the lone American fatality in the terror attack on London was on a dream vacation throughout Europe with his wife. Kurt Cochran was on a wedding anniversary tour with his wife, who was also injured in the attack, when a terrorist struck Westminster Bridge and the UK Parliament complex. Melissa Cochrans parents are also in London, where they are serving as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints missionaries. Heres what you need to know: 1. The Cochrans Owned a Home Recording Studio in Utah Melissas Facebook page says the couple owned Onion Street Studio. Her brother has established a GoFundMe site to help Melissa in the wake of the tragedy. The site says, Melissa & Kurt are self-employed, having built a recording studio business from the ground up over the last 10 years. During that time they donated their recording and sound skills to the Summerfest celebration in Bountiful, Utah, to local school productions, and many other worthy causes. Melissa needs funds to help cover her regular monthly expenses and loss of income. A friend wrote on Facebook, My friends Melissa Payne Cochran and Kurt Cochran were the first two people injured in the London terror attacks. All I know right now is their injuries are critical. They own an amazing home studio in West Bountiful, Utah. The friend added, They offered to let me come over and record. I never got around to it and I should have done it. Life is short and precious. Get well soon so I can come down and drop a few tracks. The recording youve been doing for Steve Hatch sound amazing! Ive known Melissa for over 20 years. She used to work at my Dentists office. These are two hard working beautiful people. I hope the people that did this are brought to justice. 2. Kurt Fell Off the Edge of Westminster Bridge During the Terrorist Attack According to UK Daily Mail, Kurt Cochran is believed to have either jumped or been pushed over the edge of the bridge onto steps beneath it, and the Cochrans were the first people hurt on the bridge. Newspapers ran a photo of Melissa on their covers as a stranger comforted her while she lay bleeding on the sidewalk. At least 40 people were injured (seven critically), and three other people, including the suspect, were killed in the attack. Among the victims was Keith Palmer, a police officer who was stabbed by the still unidentified terrorist. ISIS has claimed the terrorist was a soldier of the Islamic state. Aysha Frade, a college worker, was named as the other victim, according to BBC. 3. Melissa Cochran Was Also Injured in the Attack Melissas sister provided an update on her condition and Kurts death on Facebook. She wrote, SO, SO SORRY to inform everyone  Kurt has passed away from the injuries he received during the attack in London. My sister, Melissa, has a broken leg, a broken rib, and a cut on her head. While we are glad she survived, our hearts are broken and will never be the same after losing our dear uncle, brother-in-law, father. Kurt, you are a HERO, and we will never forget you.   Another relative wrote of the familys heartwrenching loss: With a heavy heart I must pass the sad news of our beautiful brother, father, husband, son and friend Kurt Cochran, he could not overcome the injuries he received in the London terror attacks. This pain is so heart wrenching and raw it has rocked our family and all that knew him to its core. We will miss Kurt beyond words. We love you Kurt. RIP. Melissa Payne Cochran is in the hospital with a broken leg, rib and a cut on her head but will recover from her injuries. Sending all the love to her for a quick recovery. 4. The Cochrans Had Traveled Throughout Europe in the Month of March for Their Anniversary Melissa Cochrans brother said in a statement that the couple as was in Europe to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary and were scheduled to return to the United States March 23, the day after the attack. Kurt Cochrans Facebook page contains photos of the trip throughout Europe. A week before the London terror attack, Kurt Cochran posted photos from Germany. Trier Germany. Another WOW! he wrote on March 15. One friend wrote on that post in what was then a joke, I guess youre never coming home then? Cochran also posted recent photos from Ireland and Scotland. 5. Friends Remembered Kurt for His Kindness & Intelligence Tributes remembered Cochran as one of the good ones. A friend wrote on Facebook, I was absolutely stunned to learn just now that the American killed in the London terrorist attack was my close friend Kurt Cochran, who was one of my roommates in SLC when I lived there in the 80s and a person who I truly admired and respected. I never met his wife, who is recovering from the injuries she suffered during the attackbut I can only imagine what shes going through. They were touring EuropeI was just checking out the pictures of Germany on his timeline the other day. And in an instanthes gone. People were shocked that a terrorist attack had taken the life of someone they knew. We see reports about terrorist attacks almost every daybut I guarantee younothing will send a shiver down your spine like finding out someone you know or love was a victim, the friend wrote. And especially someone like Kurt who didnt deserve to die this way. RIP brother. Ill always remember you for your intelligence and kindness. You were one of the good ones. 5 Comments Have you noticed, that a lot of people have been getting hit by cars ? That is a Muslim terrorist MO. Are government officials know this, but they remain silent ! Using a car as a weapon to kill innocent civilians, is like a Pastime ,a favorite pastime for these Muslim terrorist, the threat is real .
Theresa May Reaction To The Westminster Terror Attack Theresa May Reaction To The Westminster Terror Attack http://Lybio.net The Accurate Source To Find Transcript To Theresa May Reaction To The Westminster Terror Attack. [Theresa May Reaction To The Westminster Terror Attack] [Theresa Mary May (Prime Minister of the United Kingdom) (Leader of the Conservative Party):] I have just chaired a meeting of the Governments emergency committee, COBRA, following the sick and depraved terrorist attack on the streets of our Capital this afternoon. The full details of exactly what happened are still emerging. But, having been updated by police and security officials, I can confirm that this appalling incident began when a single attacker drove his vehicle into pedestrians walking across Westminster Bridge, killing two people and injuring many more, including three police officers. This attacker, who was armed with a knife, then ran towards Parliament where he was confronted by the police officers who keep us  and our democratic institutions  safe. Tragically, one officer was killed. The terrorist was also shot dead. The United Kingdoms threat level has been set at severe for some time and this will not change. Acting Deputy Commissioner Rowley will give a further operational update later this evening. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all who have been affected  to the victims themselves, and their family and friends who waved their loved ones off, but will not now be welcoming them home. [Theresa Mary May:]Source: LYBIO.net For those of us who were in Parliament at the time of this attack, these events provide a particular reminder of the exceptional bravery of our police and security services who risk their lives to keep us safe. Once again today, these exceptional men and women ran towards the danger even as they encouraged others to move the other way. On behalf of the whole country, I want to pay tribute to them  and to all our emergency services  for the work they have been doing to reassure the public and bring security back to the streets of our capital city. That they have lost one of their own in todays attack only makes their calmness and professionalism under pressure all the more remarkable. The location of this attack was no accident. The terrorists chose to strike at the heart of our capital city, where people of all nationalities, religions and cultures come together to celebrate the values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech. These streets of Westminster  home to the worlds oldest Parliament  are engrained with a spirit of freedom that echoes in some of the furthest corners of the globe. And the values our Parliament represents  democracy, freedom, human rights, the rule of law  command the admiration and respect of free people everywhere. That is why it is a target for those who reject those values. But let me make it clear today, as I have had cause to do before: any attempt to defeat those values through violence and terror is doomed to failure. Tomorrow morning, Parliament will meet as normal. We will come together as normal. And Londoners  and others from around the world who have come here to visit this great city  will get up and go about their day as normal. They will board their trains, they will leave their hotels, they will walk these streets, they will live their lives. [Theresa May:]Source: LYBIO.net And we will all move forward together. Never giving in to terror. And never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart. Theresa May Reaction To The Westminster Terror Attack [Connect and Follow Theresa May Reaction To The Westminster Terror Attack:] Theresa May Reaction To The Westminster Terror Attack. Never giving in to terror. Complete Full Transcript, Dialogue, Remarks, Saying, Quotes, Words And Text.
London Terror Attack: Within a few hours, there were signs that normalcy was returning. Five people, including a policeman, were killed on Wednesday close to Britain's Houses of Parliament in what police said they were treating as a terrorist incident. The dead included the attacker, while the other two victims were among the pedestrians hit by the car as it tore along Westminster Bridge, which is right next to parliament. Indian-origin lawmaker Keith Vaz was among those inside the building along with 400-odd members. "We are all locked in the chamber in the House of Commons, there are 400-odd MPs here and we cannot leave," Mr Vaz told NDTV. Mr Vaz, 59, said members heard gunshots. "We have been told that the attacker was shot. An air ambulance has arrived and everything is in a lockdown situation. This is all very alarming. We do not know what is happening." The attacks come a day after UK, following the US, banned passengers traveling from airports in several middle-eastern airports from bringing laptops, tablets and other portable electronic devices on board with them when they fly. Here are latest updates on attack near UK Parliament: President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed sadness over the terror attack on the UK Parliament on Wednesday, where five people - including the perpetrator - were killed and dozens were severely injured. Mar 23, 2017 08:40 (IST) President Pranab Mukherjee condemns the Parliament attack in London India stands by UK ; terrorism must be met through collective action by international community # PresidentMukherjee The US president's oldest child took aim at Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, who was quoted last year by the Independent, a London newspaper, saying terrorism preparedness had to become part of the fabric of major cities. European Commission President said the attack left him "highly emotional". In Brussels to commemorate the one-year anniversary of attacks on the main airport and a metro station, Juncker said "the fact that exactly on the same day something similar happened in London, and to London, is really putting me in the situation of someone who does not have...enough words to express how I am deeply feeling." Mar 23, 2017 07:03 (IST) "I Turned Around To Find A Man Lying In A Pool Of Blood," Says Witness on Westminster Bridge "I heard a thud, turned round and there was a man lying about 10 yards away from me," Reuters photographer Toby Melville recalls, describing the moment a man fell from London's Westminster Bridge to the pavement below Canada has tightened security, especially on Parliament Hill, after the deadly attack outside parliament in London, an official said. Mar 23, 2017 02:39 (IST) British Prime Minister Theresa May said that "UK won't change terror threat level after attack." Mar 23, 2017 02:18 (IST) German Chancellor Angela Merkel condemned attack near British Parliament Merkel said Germany stood by Britain "firmly and resolutely". "Although the background to these acts are not yet clear, I reaffirm that Germany and its citizens stand firmly and resolutely alongside Britons in the struggle against all forms of terrorism," Merkel said in a statement. "In these grave moments, we Germans feel very close to the British people," President Frank-Walter Steinmeier added. British PM Theresa May issues statement on attack on parliament Theresa May's thoughts are with those killed and injured in an attack close to parliament and the British prime minister is being kept updated with developments, her office said on Wednesday. Mar 23, 2017 00:29 (IST) We can confirm that both the House of Commons and the House of Lords will sit tomorrow at their normal times. Security tightened at UK sites in New York after Westminster attackNew York police ramped up security at British sites across the city, reports news agency Reuters. Heavily armed officers and explosives-detecting dogs were deployed to locations including the British Consulate and the British Mission to the United Nations in Manhattan, senior New York Police Department officials said at a news conference. Around 20 people were injured and four reported dead in London on Wednesday after a car crashed into pedestrians near the British parliament and an assailant stabbed a policeman in what police called a terrorist incident. Four people - including the attacker and the policeman he stabbed - were killed in the attack, they said. Mar 22, 2017 23:44 (IST) India condemned the terror strike in Westminster near the UK Parliament, saying there is no place for terrorism in democracies and civilised societies. India strongly condemns Westminster terrorist incident & condoles loss of life. No place in democracies & civilised societies for terrorism. Police still seeking one assailant in London attack: British mediaPolice are still searching for one of the two people believed to have launched Wednesday's attack outside the British parliament building, Daily Telegraph newspaper reported. Mar 22, 2017 23:08 (IST) #Westminster Brg & all entries to Parliament Sq remain closed. Northumberland Ave and the Mall also closed. Severe delays in the area. A forensics investigator works at the scene after an attack on Westminster Bridge in London Mar 22, 2017 23:03 (IST) Woman Pulled Alive From River Thames After London AttackA woman has been pulled from the River Thames alive after Wednesday's attack on a bridge near Britain's parliament in Westminster, the Port of London Authority (PLA) said, adding that she was being treated for serious injuries. Mar 22, 2017 23:01 (IST) MPs locked inside parliament have been allowed to leaveMPs who were locked inside parliament after the parliament attack have been allowed to leave. According to reports there were 400 lawmakers inside the parliament when the incident took place. We are inside a sealed chamber in UK Parliament. 400-odd MPs here and we can't leave: UK lawmaker Keith Vaz to NDTV on Westminster incident pic.twitter.com/U7N1pUXEG9
Westminster attack: Terrorist named by police Share A terrorist who killed four people and injured forty others in yesterdays depraved attack in Westminster has been named by police. Khalid Masood, 52, who was born in Kent and is believed to have been living in the West Midlands, was a career criminal with a series of previous convictions. Scotland Yard named the Westminster attacker hours after Theresa May told MPs that the man responsible had previously been investigated by MI5. In her statement to the Commons, the PM also paid tribute to the dead police officer, PC Keith Palmer, who she said was every inch a hero. Aysha Frade, 43, who worked at a college in Westminster, Kurt Cochran, an American tourist, and 75-year-old Leslie Rhodes, from Streatham in south London, were also named among the dead. Those injured included a dozen Brits, three French children, two Romanians, four South Koreans, two Greeks, and one person each from Germany, Poland, Ireland, China, Italy and the United States. The Prime Minister confirmed that the attacker, who was shot dead by police, had previously been investigated for violent extremism but was not part of the current intelligence picture. Police said that eight people have so far been arrested in connection with the attack as officers raided properties in London and Birmingham. The Mets head of Counter Terrorism, Mark Rowley said they believe the attacker acted alone and was inspired by international terrorism. The attack unfolded yesterday afternoon when a rented 44 car was driven into pedestrians, including three police officers, on the pavement of Westminster Bridge before the vehicle crashed into railings outside Parliament. A man armed with a knife then emerged from the car and ran into the entrance of the Palace of Westminster, where he fatally stabbed the unarmed officer before being shot. Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood gave first aid to the injured officer in the aftermath of the attack. In an emotionally-charged statement on the steps of Downing Street last night, Theresa May said: The location of this attack was no accident. The terrorists chose to strike at the heart of our Capital City, where people of all nationalities, religions and cultures come together to celebrate the values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech. These streets of Westminster  home to the worlds oldest Parliament  are engrained with a spirit of freedom that echoes in some of the furthest corners of the globe. And the values our Parliament represents  democracy, freedom, human rights, the rule of law  command the admiration and respect of free people everywhere. That is why it is a target for those who reject those values. But let me make it clear today, as I have had cause to do before: any attempt to defeat those values through violence and terror is doomed to failure. The House of Commons was immediately suspended and its lockdown procedure initiated. The Prime Minister was bundled into a car and evacuated from Parliament at around 2.40pm, just after the attack took place. The Scottish Parliament, which was about to vote on a second independence referendum, was also suspended for the day, as was the Welsh Assembly. Parliament sat as normal today with MPs gathering at 9.30am for a minutes silence to those who lost their lives. Here is the latest footage and photographs from the scene in Westminster: Radek Sikorski, former Foreign Minister of Poland, tweeted this video in the aftermath of the incident of passer-by helping the wounded.
Parliaments security is under review following the attack in Westminster. But, when pedestrians could be hit next to Big Ben, there may be more to review than the protection of the building alone. Patrick Dunleavy asks whether our approaches to security are as effective as they could be, considering the constantly shifting terrorist methods. He explains why in combating future plots, the authorities must take into account their own blind spots. In its own ghastly and callous fashion, terrorism is an innovative force  constantly ushering in new ways of implementing death and destruction so as to convey a political message. To stay relevant and effective, homeland security services must constantly seek to counter new forms of attack, evolving their processes so as to expect the unexpected. This is not easy for large, immortal bureaucracies to do, partly because apparently small shifts in techniques used by terrorist groups can have large effects. Most commonly, terrorists (like everyone else) innovate by finding some new way to re-combine elements that are already well-known, but have previously been kept separate. Governments are often terribly slow in perceiving such re-combinations. For example, the 9/11 attacks put together suicide bomber attacks (a technique with hundreds of examples in the previous decade) with aircraft hijackings, so as to turn the planes themselves into bombs. US authorities had practiced anti-hijacking scenarios just the day before the 9/11 attacks  so recently indeed that some officials could not believe the incident was not a drill. But all their scenarios envisaged hijackings where passengers were held hostage for demands by hijackers anxious to escape and survive, not ones where hijackers were keen to die. For the London 2017 case, the re-combination was to adapt the truck terror technique already used in dreadful Nice and Berlin Christmas market incidents the year before, this time employing a small SUV to mow down dozens of pedestrians and cyclists on the iconic walkway of Westminster Bridge next to Big Ben, as a prelude to a final suicidal assault on the hard target of Parliament itself. The very high casualty toll of this attack owes everything to the fact that the terrorist could drive unimpeded from one end of the bridge to the other, with no barriers of any kind to protect walkers and cyclists from vehicular assault. Yet both Parliament and all the government departments down Whitehall next door are covered by anti-terror barriers. The Westminster ones are huge, black, and ugly  apparently deliberately left obvious and out-of-place, perhaps as a visual signal to potential attackers not to even try. The Whitehall ones are more subtle  see picture below  with strange, balustraded stone effect walls and bollards, discreetly making it impossible for any vehicle to crash into government buildings. The purpose of the Whitehall and Parliament barriers is to guard against ram-raider-style efforts at what security sources call penetrative assaults, by holding vehicles at a safe distance from the building fabric itself. Most of these barriers are in the middle of pavements  so that they protect only the few pedestrians likely to be inside the barrier, not those exposed on the road-side of it. The UK homeland security services have previously warned of the threats of terror attacks in crowded places, and a 2012 document officially defines what these are and outlines a number of different kinds of threats. The emphasis is mainly on static events like celebrations or night-scene activities, and nowhere does the advice dwell on the possibility that vehicles will just be used to run down spectators in crowds. Similarly, a 2016 Royal Institute of British Architects advice document focuses only on vehicles as ram-raid objects, not vehicles as ISIS videos have encouraged supporters to see them  as weapons of indiscriminate assaults on ordinary people. Since the Nice and Berlin street attacks, the lags in official advice here look obvious, with hindsight. Of course, it is always far easier to recognize the unexpected after it has happened, but identifying it beforehand is far harder. None the less, that difficult role is exactly what homeland security is for  its key rationale. So why then was Parliaments security (mostly) effective  although one policeman tragically lost his life  while security on Westminster Bridge next door was apparently so weak? After all, the bridges pavement, just below Big Ben itself, is one of the most iconic settings in all of London, and it is, together with Westminster tube station, one of the most obvious crowded places in the capital during the day. It will be vital that these issues are rapidly addressed, and some possible explanations of the high casualty toll this time are fully explored. Often a failure to expect the unexpected can be traced back to organizational limits creating gaps in coverage. So was the bridge itself part of the same organizational unit within the police that handled parliamentary security, and perhaps also Whitehall security? Or was responsibility for these high-profile targets so narrowly defined that the bridge actually fell into some other units ambit of responsibility? Similarly, organizational cultures often impose constraints on homeland security thinking, with each type of organization focusing on doing what it is good at doing, but responsibilities shared with other organizations being de-emphasized. Bridges are exposed settings for walkers and cyclists, placed cheek by jowl with vehicles. Whose responsibility was it to consider in a timely way  after Nice and Berlin  what measures are needed to protect people here? Policing agencies provide intelligence and protective personnel, but they dont install highway barriers  that is not their thing. How focused, fast and effective was the liaison between homeland security and highway authorities? The fact that the terrorist on 22 March could mow pedestrians and cyclists down across the whole length of the bridge is not reassuring. Learning lessons quickly from terror attacks is vital in combatting future ones, and in taking immediate steps to prevent further copycat incidents. Longer term, homeland security agencies need to respond agilely and imaginatively, thinking constantly about their own organizational culture, blind spots, and biases. In the 9/11 attacks, dozens of passengers and flight attendants on the hijacked planes tried to contact the police, FBI or anyone in authority using mobile phones and back-of-seat credit card phones. Not one got through, because in the official mindset, all communications to official bodies were routed exclusively through the plane cockpits. No one in authority had realized that tech developments made ordinary passengers a useful source of information. Yet in the end, it was the passengers on United 93 who alone pieced together what was going on, by talking to their families and loved ones, and took the actions that saved the White House or the US Congress from attack. 5 Comments [] it became clear that protecting citizens from vehicular assaults would require a far-reaching re-assessment of roadside barriers (belatedly introduced on London bridges) and other passive measures. [] Something that recent attacks seem to have in common is the private vehicle: either as a means of transport to the scene of the attack (with weapons which would otherwise be difficult to transport); or as a weapon itself (as in Westminster Bridge and Nice). An effective, quick, and cheap solution may be to simply pedestrianise the streets around high-risk and crowded locations. We do a good job at reducing terrorism, but the media is against this because they get to prattle on endlessly about what happened what may happen why it happened etc etc etc giving terrorists what they crave which is to spread fear. a short report on what actually happened not conjecture is all that is need not three days of wall to wall guess work. Disclaimer All articles posted on this blog give the views of the author(s), and not the position of LSE British Politics and Policy, nor of the London School of Economics and Political Science. Please read our comments policy before commenting. We use cookies on this site to understand how you use our content, and to give you the best browsing experience. To accept cookies, click continue. To find out more about cookies and change your preferences, visit our Cookie Policy.
UK Arrests 11 Other Muslims over London Attack Eleven Muslims now arrested, but bite your tongue if you even think of tying this to Islam, you greasy islamophobe. Dramatic moment gun-toting police raided the home of a Saudi Arabian and arrested terror suspect who LAUGHED as he was led away as total arrested hits 11 Raids have taken place across the country after attack killed four on Wednesday More than 20 properties have been raided and 11 people have been arrested Police are trying to work out whether Khalid Masood had accomplices Scotland Yard anti-terror chief urges anyone who knew him to contact them See more of the latest news on the London terror attack investigation By Richard Spillett and Keiligh Baker and Thomas Burrows for MailOnline, 25 March 2017: This is the moment an armed police officer trains an assault rifle on the window of a suspect arrested in connection with the Westminster terror attack. The officer, wearing a balaclava and helmet, is seen in the back garden of a suburban house during a raid in Birmingham yesterday. The raid was one of a series carried out around the country by anti-terror police after Khalid Masood killed four and injured more than 50 in London on Wednesday. Police trained their guns on a house in Birmingham yesterday in a raid thought to be linked to the Westminster terror attack A total of 11 have been arrested as part of the inquiry but Scotland Yard said only four remain in custody  two men aged 27 and 58 who were arrested in Birmingham on Thursday and a 32-year-old woman and a 35-year-old man who were arrested in Manchester on Friday. All are being held on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. Six of those arrested have now been released from police custody and face no further action  two women aged 21 and 26 and four men aged 23, 26, 27 and 28 who were all arrested at addresses in Birmingham. One of the arrested was Masoods partner Rohey Hydara, 39, who lives at a property in east Londons Olympic park. She has been released on bail until late March. Neighbours say a man who lives in the area was arrested and a BMW car seized A neighbour who took the pictures of the armed officer during the raid in Birmingham said: I went to my window and there three cops with guns running up to the back window. There was shouting and screaming for ages, I couldnt hear what they were saying but it was proper loud. It sounded like there were loads of people in there. The neighbour added: They just stood there for like an hour or 45 minutes. I think they were making sure that no one was going to try and escape round the back or anything like that. I had no idea what the hell was going on and now people are saying its something to do with the attack in London. A number of local residents said they believe a man from Saudi Arabia lived at the house in the Winson Green area with his wife and children. Local resident Shekila Sahota, said a man, thought to be in his 40s or 50s, had lived at the address for about a year. She added: The man they led away was put in the van straight away and he had a big smirk on his face when they took him away. The raid came ahead of the arrest of two more significant suspects this morning as police try to find out whether terrorist killer Khalid Masood was aided by others. Two people, a man and a woman, were arrested in Greater Manchester in the early hours of this morning and another man, aged 27, was arrested in Birmingham. Police confirmed a 34-year-old man was arrested in a mews road in the affluent West Didsbury suburb of Manchester in the early hours of this morning. Residents who live close to the affluent gated community, where properties are believed to sell for up to 500,000, said a car had been towed from the area. The Mets top anti-terror officer Mark Rowley said police have searched 21 properties around the country, with five searches ongoing this morning, and seized 2,700 items including numerous computers. An arrest was also made in West Didsbury, Greater Manchester overnight following a raid Masood, 52, killed 75-year-old Londoner Leslie Rhodes, US tourist Kurt Cochran, 54, and mother-of-two Aysha Frade, 43, as he ploughed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge. He then stabbed PC Keith Palmer, 48, to death inside the grounds of Parliament. THE 11 ARRESTS MADE SINCE THE ATTACK A 39-year-old woman was arrested at an address in east London. She has since been put on bail until late March. A 21-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man were arrested at an address in Birmingham but have been released without charge. A 26-year-old woman and three men aged 28, 27 and 26 years old were arrested at a separate address in Birmingham. Further, a 58-year-old man was arrested on Thursday morning at a separate address in Birmingham and remains in custody. Another 27-year-old man was arrested in Birmingham late on Thursday and remains in custody. Two more people, a 32-year-old woman and a 35-year-old man in Greater Manchester, were arrested early Friday morning. The woman has been bailed pending further inquiries. All of the arrests have been made on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. Searches were also carried out in Carmathanshire, Wales, and Brighton, Sussex. Scotland Yard have also urged anyone who knew Masood or has any information about him to come forward. Asked about where the Muslim convert had been radicalised, Mr Rowley said: As I have said, our investigation focuses on understanding his motivation, preparation and associates. Whilst there is no evidence of further threats, you will understand our determination to find out if he either acted totally alone, inspired by terrorist propaganda; or, if others have encouraged, supported or directed him. To that end in our continuing investigation and ongoing covert activity we have made further significant arrests overnight  in the West Midlands and North West. Mr Rowley said officers had spoken to around 3,500 witnesses  including 1,000 who were on Westminster Bridge and around 2,500 who were in Parliament. He added: We remain keen to hear from anyone who knew Khalid Masood well, understands who his associates were and can provide us with information about places he has recently visited. There might be people out there who did have concerns about Masood but did not feel comfortable for whatever reason in passing those concerns to us. Asked whether Masood had travelled overseas, Mr Rowley said we are looking at his history. Separately from the arrests in the Midlands and North West, police were last night searching a flat in east London which previously housed teams during the 2012 Olympic Games. It is believed the property was home to a Rohey Hydara, who is believed to have lived with Masood in at least three separate addresses. Last night, the Met said Masoods partner Hydara, 39, was released on bail pending further inquiries. She was arrested on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts. 1964  Born Adrian Elms on Christmas Day in Dartford, Kent and takes the name Adrian Russell Ajao. 1966  His mother, Janet Elms, marries in Crawley, West Sussex and they later move to Tunbridge Wells, Kent and Rye, East Sussex. 1983  In November that year, he picks up his first conviction, for criminal damage. 2000  Jailed for two years for grievous bodily harm. When he is released, he moves to the East Sussex village of Northiam. 2003  Aged 39 and running an aerial installation firm, he is jailed for six months for possession of a knife in Eastbourne, East Sussex. 2004  After being freed from prison, he marries Muslim Farzana Malik in Medway, Kent. It is unclear for how long they were married but they are now believed to be divorced. 2005  Believed to have taught in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia. 2006  Said to have lived in Crawley and to received visits from police. 2008-2009  According to his CV, he returned to teach in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. 2009-2012  He is believed to have lived in Luton having changed his name to Khalid Masood. His CV claims he worked at a language school. 2012  Set up his own teaching firm in Birmingham. Officers could be seen rifling through rooms on the first floor flat, although curtains in most of the windows were drawn. Residents of the nine-storey block near to the Eurostar Stratford International Station said police had been in the building all day. Neighbours said they saw Masood at the apartment several weeks ago. Local resident Vera Amade, 21, said: My brother saw him a few times quite recently in the last few weeks. It was definitely him, the woman has two kids, one of the daughters has just had a baby. They all live in the same flat. She was quite polite, there was nothing bad to say about her. He was really nice and polite as well, he was very pleasant. Im very shocked. We were watching it on TV last night and trying to figure out if it was definitely him and it is. He was always dressed in a suit, I dont know what he did for a living. He used to come back from work at about five or six. Masood was registered to two addresses in Luton in 2010 and 2011 and was recorded as living in Forest Gate, east London, last year. Hydara was also registered as having lived at those three places. A neighbour said three children lived in the home in Forest Gate with their mother, aged between eight and 15. He said they later moved out to the Olympic Village. The man, who did not want to give his name, said: There was a family who lived here and then they moved out. They were there about five, six years. I only saw the kids and the mother. We saw the family there, we saw the ladies there but I never saw a man living there. I think he was clean shaven when I did see him last year. He was darker, seemed a bit plump. But he was cleanly shaven. I occasionally saw him, I just assumed he was working all day. The Truth Must be Told Your contribution supports independent journalism Please take a moment to consider this. Now, more than ever, people are reading Geller Report for news they won't get anywhere else. But advertising revenues have all but disappeared. Google Adsense is the online advertising monopoly and they have banned us. Social media giants like Facebook and Twitter have blocked and shadow-banned our accounts. But we won't put up a paywall. Because never has the free world needed independent journalism more. Everyone who reads our reporting knows the Geller Report covers the news the media won't. We cannot do our ground-breaking report without your support. We must continue to report on the global jihad and the left's war on freedom. Our readers contributions make that possible. Geller Report's independent, investigative journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we believe our work is critical in the fight for freedom and because it is your fight, too. Books & Movies By Pamela Geller Today Islamic supremacists are demanding more accommodation of Islamic principles and practices than ever, and daily growing more aggressive in eroding our freedoms  with politically correct public officials only too happy..
A witness who shot the footage described hearing a loud bang and the driver running from the scene as a hail of gunfire rang out. A crowd of stunned tourists could be seen stood next to the 4x4 vehicle as a victim lay injured on the ground just metres away. In the background, a mans voice could be heard shouting: My God, my God. Aftermath: The crashed car on Westminster Bridge (@ claudiascore) The witness, named Claudia, who filmed the footage, described the aftermath in a series of tweets. She wrote: I was on Westminster when the loud bang happened. Saw what's on my vid but then saw a man run and shots fired at him. "Get down!" Panic. Tried to check on the guy stuck under the car but couldn't get to him. Looked in really bad shape. I'm shaken up to say the least. She later added: Couldn't get in touch with a colleague that left work at the same time - just found a photo on news, being treated to minor injuries. Medical crews were seen treating patients on Westminster Bridge after the 4x4 vehicle ploughed into the crowd. Terror attack: The car ploughed into pedestrians on the bridge (@ Lukesteele4) At least four shots were reportedly heard after the vehicle mowed down pedestrians on the bridge. A police officer was then stabbed. Four people have been killed, including the armed police officer, who was protecting Parliament, and the attacker. One woman died as tourists fled in terror on the bridge, according to a junior doctor at nearby St Thomas' Hospital. Others suffered "catastrophic injuries." Attack at Parliament, March 22, 2017 Attack at Parliament, March 22, 2017 1/36 A policeman points a gun at a man on the floor as emergency services attend the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London Stefan Rousseau/PA 2/36 Emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminste PA 3/36 The scene of the incident @Lukesteele4 4/36 The scene at Westminster bridge this morning, the day after a terrorist attack Jeremy Selwyn 5/36 The scene at Westminster bridge this morning, the day after a terrorist attack Jeremy Selwyn 6/36 The scene at Westminster bridge this morning, the day after a terrorist attack Jeremy Selwyn 7/36 The flag above the Houses of Parliament in London flies at half mast the day after a terrorist attack Jeremy Selwyn 8/36 A forensics tent on Westminster Bridge seen from Victoria Embankment in London the day after a terrorist attack Jonathan Brady/PA 9/36 Police officers walk accross Westminster Bridge the morning after an attack by a man driving a car and weilding a knife Darren Staples/Reuters 10/36 Emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster Stefan Rousseau/PA 11/36 A knife on the cobbles at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London
The number of hate crime offences in England and Wales recorded by police saw a four-month surge after the Westminster Bridge attack on 22 March, with figures reaching a higher level than what followed the EU referendum.According to provisional police figures, since March 2017 the number of hate crimes continued to increase after the attacks in Manchester, London Bridge and Finsbury Park. Pay growth in Britain is accelerating "quite slowly", despite the unemployment rate falling to a more than four-decade low, Bank of England rate-setter Gertjan Vlieghe said in a newspaper interview published on Wednesday.A number of indicators showed employers were finding it increasingly hard to hire or keep the workers they need, putting some pressure on pay, Vlieghe told the Journal newspaper during a visit to the northeastern English city of Newcastle.The BoE raised interest rates last month The United Kingdom and the European Union are close to agreeing an orderly Brexit, British Prime Minister Theresa May wrote in a German newspaper on Wednesday, urging the European Commission to evolve its position for the sake of a deal.Writing in Die Welt daily, May said both sides needed to show goodwill to avoid a disorderly U.K. exit from the bloc next March, which some fear would unleash major economic disruption."We are near to achieving the orderly withdrawal that is the essential basis f UK advertising watchdog says firm broke rules on junk food promotion by using games and videos of toys for toddlersA series of websites, an app and a YouTube channel promoting Kinder chocolate and toys have been banned in the UK for aiming junk food advertising at children.The homepage of the Kindernauts website featured cartoons of a sun and rainbow, the promise of fun activities and prizes, a Kinder chocolate branded video showing children playing and a cartoon map leading to act Exams and social media blamed for finding that only 25% of respondents describe themselves as very happy There has been a sharp decline in happiness among girls and young women in the UK in the last decade, with the majority of them blaming exams and social media for causing stress, a major survey has found.Just one in four (25%) girls and young women between the ages of seven and 21 described themselves as very happy in the latest girls attitudes survey for the Girlguiding Leaked document shows BusinessEurope group would oppose more ambitious goalsCompanies including Facebook, Google and Microsoft have failed to distance themselves from a lobby groups proposal to fight any effort by the EU to set more ambitious climate change goals.A leaked document shows that BusinessEurope, Europes biggest business lobbying group, will urge members to oppose any moves by the European Commission to ratchet up the blocs 2030 targets for clean energy, carbon cu BERLIN/LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May said Britain and the European Union were nearing a divorce deal but called on the bloc to show "goodwill and determination" to avoid a disorderly Brexit and secure a close future partnership.Just before an informal EU summit in Austria, May showed no sign of backing away from her Brexit plan, shrugging off criticism at home and in Brussels over her proposals for future trade after Britain quits the bloc, the biggest foreign policy shift for th The seasoned presenter is on arresting form as she meets victims, perpetrators and those trying to stop the decades old practice of kneecappingNorthern Irish teenager John left home one evening knowing he would be shot, so he changed into his tracksuit bottoms first. Me mummy was, like: Where are you going? and I said just to a bar for a pint. He had been summoned by the local paramilitary group for punishment for his antisocial behaviour in the local ar Theresa May appeared to receive a significant Brexit boost on the eve of a crucial EU summit when Michel Barnier pledged to break the deadlock over the Irish border.Speaking in Brussels, the EU's chief Brexit negotiator said the European Union was ready to improve its proposal on the so-called Irish "backstop" after Brexit.Mr Barnier, speaking on the eve of an informal meeting of EU leaders in Mozart's birthplace of Salzburg, said a full EU summit to be held in two weeks' time would be "the mome Risk in over-50s increases by 40% where highest nitrogen oxide levels exist, study showsAir pollution may increase the chance of developing dementia, a study has suggested, in fresh evidence that the health of people of all ages is at risk from breathing dirty air.People over 50 in areas with the highest levels of nitrogen oxide in the air showed a 40% greater risk of developing dementia than those with the least NOx pollution, according to the research, based on data from London. Continue readi  Atltico come back from 1-0 down to win 2-1  Borussia Dortmund grab late victory at Club BruggeAtltico Madrid battled their way back from a goal down to pull off a confidence-boosting 2-1 win at Monaco in Group A, a defiant response to their poor start to the domestic season.Atltico have won only one La Liga game and their problems at home looked to have followed them into Europe when some haphazard defending allowed Samuel Grandsir to score from close range i Theresa May is pledging a 2bn handout to housing associations in a bid to provide tens of thousands of new affordable homes.Claiming it is her personal mission to get more people on the housing ladder, the Prime Minister is promising long-term funding for housing associations.In a speech at a National Housing Federation summit, Mrs May will say housing associations have a central role to play in building homes and challenging attitudes about social housing. Childrens show responded that the characters are best friends and are puppets and do not have a sexual orientationThe Sesame Street characters Bert and Ernie are not gay and in a relationship, the childrens show was moved to say on Tuesday after a former writer said they were.In an interview with Queerty, Mark Salzman was asked if the question had ever come up when he worked on the show in the early 1980s. Continue reading... President said he feels terribly for nominee as Senate firms up hearing details following sexual assault allegations Donald Trump again rushed to the defense of embattled supreme court nominee Brett Kavanaugh on Tuesday, saying he feels terribly for the judge as he faces a public hearing over an allegation of sexual assault from a California professor.I feel so badly for him. This is not a man who deserves this, Trump said of Kavanaugh at a news conferen Pro-EU campaigners have set out how parliament could force the British government to call a fresh vote on Brexit, arguing that there is still time for another referendum.Prime Minister Theresa May is struggling to win support at home and in Brussels for her exit plan.May has rejected the idea of a second referendum on leaving the EU, but the campaign for a so-called "People's Vote" on whether to accept any deal that May is able to agree, has won support from some in parliament. Leader defeated in key votes over plans to increase the influence of the grassroots Labours ruling body agreed to park some of the most controversial proposals for party reform at a marathon 10-hour meeting on Tuesday, which saw Jeremy Corbyn defeated in a series of close votes.The national executive committee (NEC) set aside for a year plans for Labour councillors to be forced to defer to new local government committees before publishing their own manifesto, and for council Labours ruling national executive committee set aside many of Jeremy Corbyns plans after a 10-hour meeting.Labours ruling body agreed to park some of the most controversial proposals for party reform at a marathon 10-hour meeting on Tuesday, which saw Jeremy Corbyn defeated in a series of close votes.The national executive committee (NEC) set aside for a year plans for Labour councillors to be forced to defer to new local government committees before publishing Theresa May to tell housing federation it needs to take more initiative in returnTheresa May is to announce 2bn in extra money for housing associations over a decade, arguing that secure long-term funding for new schemes is one of the key ways to ease the housebuilding crisis.Speaking at the National Housing Federation (NHF) summit in London on Wednesday, the prime minister will promise longer-term cash for housing associations, asking in return that they take more of a lead in building t  Joshua says he is in great shape for Alexander Povetkin  Its about preserving you body, adds heavyweight championAnthony Joshua expects to be in the best shape of his career against Alexander Povetkin on Saturday after ditching his alarm clock in favour of long lie-ins. The WBA, IBF and WBO champion has also scrapped his early-morning runs and introduced specific eye exercises into his training regime after sports scientists found he could do more to improve his It wasnt until the 83rd minute that Kylian Mbapp decided it was time to introduce himself to Anfield properly and at that stage PSG must have imagined they had salvaged a draw. Unfortunately for them, Roberto Firmino had other ideas and the game was deep into stoppage time when the substitute provided the decisive moment with an emphatic right-footed drive.Until that point, it had seemed as though they might not fully appreciate why Anfield, without exaggeration, might currently b Chief negotiator says EU ready to improve proposal, but will not accept British ideas for compromise Michel Barnier has rebuffed British calls for the European Union to change its stance on the contested issue of the Irish border, as he said a moment of truth was fast approaching on a Brexit deal.The EUs chief negotiator said the bloc was ready to improve its proposal on avoiding a hard border on the island of Ireland, but stopped short of accepting British ide The European Union is ready to address key British concerns over Northern Ireland, the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier said on Tuesday, in a clear push to get a Brexit deal effectively done in the next month.Speaking on the eve of an EU summit in Salzburg, Austria, where British Prime Minister Theresa May will brief fellow leaders before they huddle on Thursday to agree on how to play what they hope will be the end-game with London, Barnier called the next summit, in Brussels on Oct. 18, th  Spurs manager loses cool over selection questions  You disrespect the players  its so painful to hearMauricio Pochettino accused journalists of disrespecting his players after Tottenham opened their Champions League campaign with a 2-1 defeat at Internazionale.Spurs led through Christian Eriksen and the manager described the performance as having been the best of the season. But there would be a sting in the tail, with Mauro Icardi equalising with a sens The striker has run out of puff, and failed to get a shot on target against Inter, but Spurs have no one in reserveWell, that escalated quickly. A goal up on 85 minutes: 2-1 down at the final whistle. Defeat for Tottenham to Internazionale in the Champions League makes it three defeats in three  Watford then Liverpool before this one  all of them by the same scoreline, all of them without a goal from Harry Kane. Muddled at the back and lacking energy in the middle: this is becoming Chair of judges Bidisha pays tribute to collection Dont Call Us Deads passionate and very contemporary verseThe 29-year-old African American poet Danez Smith has beaten writers including the US poet laureate to become the youngest ever winner of the prestigious Forward prize for best poetry collection  and the first winner to identify as gender-neutral.Smith, who prefers the pronoun they, confronts race, police brutality and gender in their collec Noel Edmonds has branded the Archbishop of Canterbury a "reincarnation of evil" for failing to meet HBOS fraud victims and investing in Lloyds Banking Group.The TV presenter also called Justin Welby a "hypocrite", claiming he tried to book an appointment with the head of the Church of England on numerous occasions.The former Deal or No Deal host is seeking 64m in damages after allegedly falling victim to fraud by former staff at the Reading branch of HBOS, which Lloyds rescued at the heig Lionel Messi scored the eighth Champions League hat-trick of his career as 10-man Barcelona eased to an emphatic 4-0 victory over PSV Eindhoven in Group B.The Argentinian was once again in imperious form as the hosts overcame a low-key start to cruise past their Dutch opponents, with Ousmane Dembl also getting on the scoresheet. 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Police in Wales have increased patrols following Wednesdays terrorist attack in Westminster. There is also understood to have been specific police activity at a location in Wales linked to Wednesday's attack. The BBC reported that the activity may be related to arrests or just searches, or both. The location is unknown. Searches have already been carried out in London and Birmingham with other activity in Surrey and Sussex. Four people died following the attack, including a police officer protecting Parliament, and the man believed to be the attacker. South Wales Police Chief Constable Peter Vaughan said: I want to reassure the public that there is no specific threat to this region. However, the public are urged to be extra vigilant and to report suspicious incidents. Police visibility will increase in certain areas, such as crowded places and iconic locations across the South Wales Police force area. The threat level across the UK is currently at severe. The force has also reviewed security the Senedd in the wake of the terror attack. Read More Gwent Police also said more police officers would be patrolling the streets. Chief Constable Jeff Farrar said: Its times like these when communities really come together and show their strength. Whilst there is no information to suggest that anything similar will happen in Gwent, please remember that the threat level, nationally, remains at severe. Finally, during the next few days and weeks, you will see additional officers and community support officers in the community and at any events you may be attending. I hope you find this additional presence reassuring. Prime Minister Theresa May speaking to MPs in the House of Commons in the aftermath of yesterday's terror attack on the Palace of Westminster. Theresa May has said that as a precautionary measure, the number of armed police patrols across the country would be rolled out. She told MPs this morning: The threat level to the UK has been set at severe - meaning an attack is highly likely - for some time. This is the second highest threat level. The highest level - critical - means there is specific intelligence that an attack is imminent. As there is no such intelligence, the independent Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre has decided that the threat level will not change in the light of yesterdays attack. She added: We are stepping up policing to protect communities across the country and to reassure the public. And, as a precautionary measure, this will mean increasing the number of patrols in cities across the country with more police and more armed police on the streets. Four people were killed including a police officer who has been named by Scotland Yard as Keith Palmer, a 48-year-old husband and father, and the Met Police are treating it as a terrorist incident. Read More Police forensic officers close to the Palace of Westminster (Image: Yui Mok/PA Wire)) Mark Rowley, the Mets senior anti-terror officer, said that the other victims were a woman in her mid 40s and a man in his mid 50s, who were mown down as the terrorist sped across Westminster Bridge in his car. He added that 29 people had been treated in hospital with seven people in a critical condition. Because of Wednesdays events, the force said it is reviewing its current security arrangements and monitoring updates from Londons Metropolitan Police Service. Chief Constable Vaughan added: I extend the sympathies of all of us at South Wales Police to those affected by the grave events in London yesterday. Our thoughts are with the family and friends of those affected by yesterdays terrorist incident.
London security stepped up as city remembers Westminster terror attack one year on London security stepped up as city remembers Westminster terror attack one year on EXTRA police patrols will be on duty in central London tomorrow on the first anniversary of the Westminster terror attacks which left five people and crazed attacker Khalid Masood dead and dozens injured. Scotland Yard said additional officers were being drafted in to offer reassurance to Londoners and tourists 12 months after the atrocity that lasted just 82 seconds but sent shockwaves across the country. A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: There will be some additional reassurance patrols in the area tomorrow. Gunshots and sirens rang out around Parliament after 52-year-old Masood launched his murderous rampage at the centre of British democracy, killing five people before he was shot dead by police in the grounds of Westminster. Mr Cochran's widow Melissa said: "We all miss Kurt very much and speak of him often. I continue to focus on my recovery and think of all of the victims of that terrible day at this difficult time. "While I continue to grieve my husband Kurt and all the victims of that day, I strive to move ahead and focus on my recovery as well as honouring Kurt's life by advocating love, forgiveness and peace." Related articles There will be some additional reassurance patrols in the area tomorrow Met Police spokesman MPs will observe a minute's silence to mark the first anniversary of the attack. Speaker John Bercow confirmed the act of commemoration is scheduled to take place at around 9.33am before the Commons starts its business for the day. Services are also to be held in Parliament to remember those killed and injured in the attack. Prime Minister Theresa May told the Commons: "It was a sick and depraved attack on the streets of our capital. "But what I remember most is the exceptional bravery of our police and security services, who risked their lives to keep us safe. "I know members will be attending the events tomorrow and over the weekend to mark this tragic anniversary." GETTY The Westminster terror attack sent shockwaves across the country Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn added: "We should all remember this as an attack on democracy within our society." Well-wishers will be able to leave messages in a digital book of hope at City Hall from tomorrow and members of the public will be able to send messages to the installation - which will remain open until June - using #LondonUnited on social media, and their words will be projected on to a map of the capital. London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: "Londoners will never forget the horrific terror attacks on our city in 2017. We will never forget the bravery of our emergency services and first responders who ran towards danger while urging the rest of us to run to safety. "And we will never forget the courage of Pc Keith Palmer, who paid the ultimate sacrifice whilst protecting Parliament. "These were not only attacks on our city and our country, but on the very heart of our democracy and the values we cherish most - freedom, justice and tolerance. "As we enter this period of remembrance and reflection, we stand together as Londoners, united against terrorism and in hope for the future." The planned memorial was agreed following meetings with bereaved families, survivors, members of the emergency services and local councils. Tomorrow also marks the second anniversary of a co-ordinated terror attack in Belgian capital Brussels where 32 people were killed and more than 300 injured when three ISIS suicide bombers struck at the citys airport and Maalbeek metro station.
Emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster where PC Keith Palmer was fatally stabbed by Khalid Masood after he ploughed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA Police were reasonable and proportionate in arresting 12 innocent people after the Westminster terrorist attack, but should review when its right to interrogate suspects about their religious views, an official report has said. The report into the police investigation by Max Hill QC, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, concludes that detectives from Scotland Yards counter terrorism command got it right and mounted an impressive operation. Westminster victims remembered on first anniversary of attack Read more Police officers, under Operation Classific, hunted for any accomplices to the 22 March 2017 attack, which was the first mass casualty terrorist atrocity to strike Britain in over a decade. Those arrested were mainly British Muslim, though did include Hungarian and Saudi nationals as well as Masoods wife. All were released without charge having come under suspicion for reasons ranging from repeated phone or electronic contact with Masood, connection with an address Masood had lived at in Birmingham and placing money in his bank account for professional reasons. Hill said questioning people about their religion will cause understandable concern, but police believed the attack may have been incited by the violent extremist ideology of Islamic State. Masood sent a document via WhatsApp and an Apple iMessage justifying violence to a number of people while behind the wheel of the vehicle he used to stage the attack. The document contained passages from the Quran and was called Retaliation. Hill said: Operation Classific did not lead to the arrest and detention of any person based on ethnicity or religion. When challenged by me as to why questions about religious belief and adherence were asked during post-arrest interviews, Operation Classific officers pointed to the religious extremist nature of Masoods views and intention, evidenced in his final communications before crossing Westminster Bridge on 22 March. The police reasonably believed there was a pro-Islamic State element to the attack that day. The independent reviewer, a barrister by profession, said police should carry out a review: It does not follow that it would be appropriate to ask detailed religious questions in every case where a Muslim has been arrested on suspicion of [terrorism]. I therefore recommend, in the interest of clarity, that the police take this opportunity to review training on the circumstances and extent to which such questions will be necessary in future interviews. I accept, however, that questioning detainees about religion or any other matter occurs with careful thought and planning. Hill praised the police operation: It is against that background that Operation Classific amounted to what in my view was an impressive, flexible, fast-moving investigation which appeared to face significant challenges, but which reached fruition over several days, where a longer exercise might have been understandable or expected. The security minister, Ben Wallace, said: Our comprehensive terrorism legislation gives the police the powers they need to investigate terrorist atrocities and we were all witness to their swift and effective work following the Westminster attack. We are pleased that Max Hill QC has concluded that the investigation was impressive, flexible and fast-moving.
UK Attack: Seven held after Westminster attack Seven arrests have been made in raids following the Westminster attack that left four dead, police have said. Acting Deputy Commissioner and Head of Counter Terrorism Mark Rowley said hundreds of detectives have worked through the night, carrying out searches at six addresses. Those who died were a woman in her 40s, a man in his 50s, PC Keith Palmer and the attacker, he said. Seven of the injured are still in hospital in a critical condition. A further 29 had been treated in hospital, Mr Rowley added. In the attack on Wednesday, a man drove a car along a pavement in Westminster knocking down pedestrians, leaving dozens injured. He then stabbed a policeman and was shot dead by police in the grounds of Parliament. In a statement made outside Scotland Yard, Mr Rowley said: "The inquiries in Birmingham, London and other parts of the country are continuing. "It is still our belief - which continues to be borne out by our investigation - that this attacker acted alone and was inspired by international terrorism. "To be explicit, at this stage we have no specific information about further threats to the public." He said he would not name the bridge victims yet, who were "a mix of nationalities", and urged journalists not to publish the attacker's name while searches were continuing. He said Londoners should expect to see more police officers on the streets, after officers' leave had been cancelled and duty hours extended. It was initially thought that three members of the public had been killed on Westminster Bridge, but Mr Rowley referred to just two in his statement. One of the raids by armed police, thought to be linked to the attack, took place in Hagley Road, Birmingham, on Wednesday night. A witness told the Press Association: "They came and arrested three men." BBC Newsnight reported there was a suggestion the car used in the attack was hired from an address in Birmingham, although this has not been confirmed. In latest developments: The Cabinet Office says it will observe a one-minute silence at 9.33 am to pay respect to the victims Comments Post a Comment Popular posts from this blog Does one need to know more details on bonuses, free spins Or maybe see all the latest casinos available on the market? Here are several practical guides that you may perhaps discover extremely helpful: One more system that Tangeier Casino have applied is to supply top high quality and realistic casino expertise to all of their gamers. They've manufactured certain to get the newest and finest software package from minds at betsoft and Pragmatic Participate in, so gamers have plenty of alternative when it comes to good quality online games. Features may be utilized only ONCE Except if normally specified. 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Khalid Masood, a man who had used a string of aliases, was described by police as a criminal with a 20-year record of offending, who had once been investigated for extremism but was assessed as posing a low risk. It was being reported that Masoods birth name was Adrian Elms and that he had converted to Islam. Theresa May told MPs Masood had been previously known to MI5: Some years ago, he was once investigated in relation to concerns about violent extremism. He was a peripheral figure. The case is historic  he was not part of the current intelligence picture. Amber Rudd, the home secretary, later added that Masood had spent time in jail, but not for terrorist
 Spanish teacher Aysha Frade and American tourist Kurt Cochran named as victims  Queen and Duchess of Cambridge offer public sympathies to all those affected  Mosques urged to step up security as Muslim leaders denounce attack  Messages of support pour in from around the world  French foreign minister attends Parliament Following the horror scenes in Westminster yesterday afternoon - which left four dead, including the attacker, and 40 injured - Islamic State (ISIS) jihadists have published a claim of responsibility for the attack. The group's propaganda outlet, the Amaq News agency, claimed the attacker was a "soldier of the Islamic State" who had responded to recent ISIS calls to target citizens in Western nations. The man mowed down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge in a grey Hyundai i40 before he entered Parliament on foot and killed a police officer. He was shot dead by an armed officer. Aysha Frade, a Spanish teacher who worked at DLD College London, has been named as a victim murdered as she crossed Westminster Bridge. American tourist Kurt Cochran, who had been celebrating his 25th wedding anniversary with a trip to Europe, has been named as the third victim. His wife, Melissa, remains in hospital with serious injuries. The attacker has yet to be named although, making a statement to MPs this morning, the Prime Minister confirmed he was a British man who had historically been known to security services. PA Theresa May addressed MPs less than 24 hours after the terror attack on Parliament The Queen has said her "thoughts, prayers, and deepest sympathy" are with all those who have been affected by yesterday's "awful violence" while, speaking at a mental health charity this afternoon, the Duchess of Cambridge said: "I know you would all want to join me in sending our thoughts and prayers to all of those sadly affected by yesterday's terrible attack in Westminster. "We will be thinking of all the families." Speaking in the House of Commons this morning, just yards from where hero police officer PC Keith Palmer was stabbed to death as he tackled the assailant, the Prime Minister defiantly told MPs: "Yesterday an act of terrorism tried to silence our democracy. "But today we meet as normal as generations have done before us and as future generations will continue to do. "To deliver a simple message: We are not afraid and our resolve will never waver in the face of terrorism. "We meet here in the oldest of all parliaments because we know that democracy and the values that it entails will always prevail." Earlier a packed House of Commons had held a minute's silence for the victims of the attack. The Prime Minister told MPs two people had been killed on Westminster Bridge yesterday afternoon, where the attacker had driven his vehicle at speed into pedestrians. The 40 injured included 12 Britons, three French children, two Romanians, four South Koreans, one German, one Pole, one Irish, one Chinese, one Italian, one American and two Greeks. Three police officers, who had been returning from an event to recognise their bravery, were also injured with two remaining in a serious condition. Mrs May told the House of Commons the actions of PC Palmer - who had tackled the attacker as he entered through Parliament's gates with a large knife - would "never be forgotten". She said: "He was a husband and a father, killed doing a job he loved. He was every inch a hero." PA A police officer lays flowers next to a portrait of PC Keith Palmer Having chaired a meeting of the Cobra emergency committee at 7.30pm last night, Mrs May was able to update MPs on the profile of the attacker. She said: "It is still believed that this attacker acted alone, and the police have no reason to believe there are imminent further attacks on the public. "His identity is known to the police and MI5, and when operational considerations allow, he will be publicly identified. "What I can confirm is that the man was British born and that  some years ago  he was once investigated in relation to concerns about violent extremism. He was a peripheral figure. "The case is historic  he was not part of the current intelligence picture. "There was no prior intelligence of his intent  or of the plot. Intensive investigations continue." Mrs May confirmed the Met Police's "working assumption" that the attacker was "inspired by Islamist ideology". PA The Prime Minister confirmed the attacker was a British man who had previously been investigated Muslim leaders strongly condemned the attack as the "worst of humanity" as they urged mosques to step up security measures amid concerns at the threat of vigilante actions in the wake of the Westminster horror. Mohammed Shafiq, chief executive of the Ramadhan Foundation, wrote to more than 1,500 mosques and Islamic centres this morning advising them to "speak to local police to discuss precautions and take any measures to ensure the safety of worshippers and visitors". He said: "The coming days will be difficult for British Muslims; we are dealing with the immediate response to the terrorist attack and then have to put up with hatred and violence directed towards members of our community." This was an attack on free people everywhere. Theresa May Mrs May described how the attacker had come to where people "gather to celebrate what it means to be free" before he "took out his rage indiscriminately against innocent men, women and children". Paying tribute to the words of support from around the world - with French foreign minister Jean-Marc Ayrault present in the House of Commons for the Prime Minister's statement this morning - Mrs May said: "This was an attack on free people everywhere." The Prime Minister told MPs the terror threat level would not be increased from 'severe' in the wake of yesterday's attack. She said: "This is the second highest threat level. The highest level critical means there is specific intelligence that an attack is imminent. "As there is no such intelligence, the independent Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre has decided that the threat level will not change in the light of yesterdays attack." PA Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said Britain would 'defeat the poison and division of hatred' She said: "In terms of security here in Westminster, we should be clear first of all that an attacker attempted to break into Parliament and was shot dead within 20 yards of the gates. "If his intention was to gain access to this building, we should be clear that he did not succeed. The police heroically did their job." The Prime Minister hailed the "extraordinary efforts" to save the life of PC Palmer inside Parliament's cobbled New Palace Yard yesterday, including Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood who fought to save the fallen officer's life. PA Mrs May paid tribute to Tory minister Tobias Ellwood who fought to save the life of PC Palmer In a defiant message, Mrs May told the House of Commons the "greatest response" to yesterday's attack "lies not in the words of politicians, but in the everyday actions of ordinary people". She said: "As I speak millions will be boarding trains and aeroplanes to travel to London, and to see for themselves the greatest city on Earth. "It is in these actions  millions of acts of normality  that we find the best response to terrorism. "A response that denies our enemies their victory. That refuses to let them win. That shows we will never give in. "A response driven by that same spirit that drove a husband and father to put himself between us and our attacker, and to pay the ultimate price. "A response that says to the men and women who propagate this hate and evil: you will not defeat us. "Let this be the message from this House and this nation today: our values will prevail." In response to the Prime Minister's statement, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: What happened yesterday within metres of where we sit now was an appalling atrocity. "The police are still piecing together what took place and what lay behind it. It behoves us all not to rush to judgement, but to wait for the police to establish the facts. To stay united in our communities and not to allow fear or the voices of hatred to divide or cower us. Today, we are united by our humanity and by our democratic values and by that human impulse for solidarity to stand together in times of darkness and adversity. I express my condolences to the family and friends of PC Keith Palmer, who gave his life yesterday in defence of the public and of our democracy." He added: It is by demonstrating our values of solidarity, community, humanity and love that we will defeat the poison and division of hatred. PA Tory MP James Cleverly paid an emotional tribute to his friend PC Palmer Tory MP James Cleverly, who had known PC Palmer for 25 years with the pair having served together in the Royal Artillery, paid an emotional tribute to his friend. He said: "He was a strong, professional public servant and it was a delight to meet him again only a few months after being elected." Mr Cleverly called for PC Palmer to be given posthumous recognition for his actions. In a broken voice, the Conservative MP said: "Whilst our hearts go to all those people who were wounded and murdered yesterday, and to all the people who sought to help them, with your indulgence I'd like to turn for just a moment to Pc Keith Palmer, who I first met 25 years ago as Gunner Keith Palmer, at headquarters, Battery 100 Regiment, Royal Artillery. "Would the Prime Minister, in recognition of the work that he did and the other police officers and public servants here in the House do, consider recognising his gallantry and sacrifice formally with a posthumous recognition?" FACEBOOK American tourist Kurt Cochran died in the attack while his wife Melissa remains in hospital FACEBOOK Spanish teacher Aysha Frade was a victim of the attack Responding to Mr Cleverly, the Prime Minister said: "I thank him for the obvious, not just compassion, but passion with which he has spoken about an individual he knew, and he bears witness to the tremendous public service that Keith Palmer had given this country in so many ways. "Having served in our armed forces and then come here to this place and paid the ultimate sacrifice here at the heart of our democracy, I can assure him that the issue that he's raised is of course one that will be considered in due course." Tory MP Michael Tomlinson asked the Prime Minister whether she agreed yesterday's attack should not be described as "Islamic terror". Referring to the assassination of a Conservative MP in a 1979 car-bomb attack at the House of Commons by Irish republican paramilitaries, Mr Tomlinson said: "It is reported that what happened yesterday was an act of Islamic terror. "Will the Prime Minister agree with me that what happened was not Islamic just as the murder of Airey Neave was not Christian and that in fact both are perversions of religion?" Mrs May replied: "I absolutely agree and it is wrong to describe this as Islamic terrorism. It is Islamist terrorism, it is a perversion of a great faith." Love this message from tube staff: "This is London. And whatever you do to us we will drink tea and jolly well carry on." pic.twitter.com/b2mHGaiCe6 In a lighter moment, Conservative backbencher Simon Hoare praised an apparent London Underground sign being widely shared on social media. The North Dorset MP asked Mrs May: "Would you agree with these words, written by a worker on the London Underground yesterday afternoon, penned on a public notice board shortly after the events? "My judgment is that he or she speaks for the whole country, irrespective of faith or creed, when they wrote: 'All terrorists are politely reminded that this is London and whatever you do to us we will drink tea and jolly well carry on'." Mrs May replied with a smile: "I think that is a wonderful tribute and in a very simple way I think it has encapsulated everything everybody in this House has said today."
24/43 25/43 26/43 Police officers and well-wishers line the route in Southwark as the funeral procession of PC Keith Palmer makes its way to Southwark Cathedral Dan Kitwood/Getty Images 27/43 Police at a ceremony by the Police Roll of Honour Trust to add the names of fallen officers Pc Keith Palmer and Pc Gareth Browning to the National Police Officers Roll of Honour & Remembrance in London 24/43 25/43 26/43 Police officers and well-wishers line the route in Southwark as the funeral procession of PC Keith Palmer makes its way to Southwark Cathedral Dan Kitwood/Getty Images 27/43 Police at a ceremony by the Police Roll of Honour Trust to add the names of fallen officers Pc Keith Palmer and Pc Gareth Browning to the National Police Officers Roll of Honour & Remembrance in London 38/43 39/43 A young girl looks at floral tributes at Paliament Square ahead of the funeral of PC Keith Palmer Chris Jackson/Getty Images 40/43 Police officers march towards Southwark Cathedral in London Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP/Getty Images 41/43 A couple watch as the coffin of PC Keith Palmer, who was killed in the recent Westminster attack, is transported from the Palace of Westminster Stefan Wermuth/Reuters 42/43 The coffin of Pc Keith Baker is removed from Westminster's Chapel of St Mary Undercroft in London Jeremy Selwyn 43/43 Police officers line the route in Southwark as the funeral procession of PC Keith Palmer makes its way to Southwark Cathedral Dan Kitwood/Getty Images "Pc Keith Palmer paid the ultimate sacrifice for his bravery, but thanks to him many, many more deaths were prevented that day. "For Pc Charlie Guenigault, there was no such thing as 'off duty'. "He ran towards a situation that most of us can't even imagine, putting himself in grave danger and thinking only of helping others." The pair were honoured among eight regional winners who risked their lives to save others. The eight regional winners were: - Greater Manchester Police - Pc Mohammed Nadeem, wearing his full body armour, jumped into a freezing river to save a distressed man. He tried to swim away towards a weir, but the constable caught up and dragged him to safety. - Northumbria - Pcs Gary Sharpe and Victoria Threadgold were called to a domestic incident where a violent man was armed with a Samurai sword. Pc Threadgold took the woman victim to safety while Pc Sharpe confronted him. The man, who had been drinking and suffered from a multiple personality disorder, was persuaded to put down the sword, but then produced a handgun and pointed it at the officer. Despite this, the constables used CS spray and managed to restrain him. - West Mercia - In her second week on patrol, Pc Kimberley Morris arrived at a blood-spattered house where a man had an eight-inch wound to his neck. She gave first aid to the victim, who was bleeding heavily from an artery, while talking to the man who had attacked him to keep him in sight while back-up arrived. - Norfolk - Pc Frances Peters arrived alone at a remote farmhouse after a man called in claiming he was going to kill his wife. At first, he was playing music, talking to himself and using a mobile phone. But then he grabbed two swords and moved towards Pc Peters, who used pepper spray and managed to restrain him. - Thames Valley Police - Sergeant Mark Allmond was out shopping with his family when he heard a man shouting threats. The officer was not aware at that point that the offender had walked into a shop, taken a knife from the shelves and murdered an innocent member of the public. Sgt Allmond followed the man through the town centre as he continued to make threats. He tried to distract the man away from a member of the public that he was talking to, but the knifeman got angry. Pc Alex Quigley then arrived and challenged him with her Taser, getting him to drop the knife. The pair then worked together to restrain him. She ran onto the railway line as a train approached, but the inspector managed to grab her and pull her out of its path, with the train missing them by a couple of feet. His colleague described it as "like something out of a movie". - North Wales - Pcs David Hall and Rhys Rushby spotted a fugitive murder suspect hiding in a car. He attacked Pc Hall with a claw hammer, hitting his shoulder, arms and hands. The suspect screamed that he had a gun and would kill them, before holding a knife to Pc Rushby's throat. Eventually the pair managed to Taser and handcuff him.
David is a lifelong dissident and intellectual rebel. He despises political correctness, which replaces real, needy victims with narcissistic leftists out for a free meal. Though still a young man, he has watched society descend into its present morass with great sadness, combined with a determination to help make things better. He tweets when there's something worth tweeting here. From Britain to the United States and beyond, police resources are stretched like never before. But instead of deciding to then use the means they have at their disposal in wiser ways, politicians and politically correct (or politically intimidated) police chiefs are opting to go after what amounts to little more than thought crimes. Jokes about women in the kitchenposted in Canada are even receiving considerable police attention in the United Kingdom, all while true, violent crimes like burglaries are being openly neglected by police leaders. The tragedy this week at Westminster in London, which led to scores of people being mowed by an Islamic terrorist named Khalid Masood, is an example of incidents that the police should be trying to prevent more. And although the police do devote significant time to tracking terror suspects, their other priorities, motivated by SJW and feminist agitations, suggest they could be exerting themselves more in trying to stop real crimes, not the pet ideological projects of leftist extremists. This perverted fascination with non-crimes, which at best can be called having bad manners, also endangers police themselves. The issuing of instructions to give violent offenders like robbers a wide berth in favor of prosecuting online trolls only encourages those with actual malice to offend further. British beat cops, most of whom are unarmed, are therefore exposed to greater threats than they should be, as is the general public. So here are four categories of purported British crime that should not be warranting any investigation by police whatsoever: 1. Saying women are fat or suggesting they should be in the kitchen Criticizing someones appearance is not something I usually recommend, especially if they cannot control it through disease or disability. Whilst there is nothing wrong with wanting to sleep with attractive women at the expense of unattractive women, going out of your way to mock someones bodily features is ill-advised. Return Of Kings, however, has rightfully drawn a line when it comes to the promotion of obesity by choice and demands that healthy heterosexual men find fat girls sexually appealing. The problem is that police in the UK are enforcing unofficial politeness laws, which only seem to protect people like offended feminist women, and digitally tracking down offenders so they can visit them in person. Around the time of the womens marches, Facebook critics of attention-seeking female SJWs pointed out that disproportionate numbers of the marchers rallying against rape were overweight and amongst the least likely to arouse anyones sexual interest, whether criminal or model citizen. This mirrors a number of other situations where women portray themselves as being attractive by pretending they are at a high risk of sexually-inspired violence. Meanwhile, other anti-feminist shitlords on Facebook said women were better off in the kitchen, an observation at least partially supported by happiness surveys showing females felt better in the age of the housewife. The result? Triggered Canadian women contacted British police, who then tracked some men down and went to their doorsteps. The irony here is that if a man is ever called ugly or a loser, the state will not zealously prosecute the offender on his behalf. In fact, as you will see below, if a man is perceived as unattractive or not successful (or a woman just isnt interested in small talk), the police can now label his approach a hate crime. Whereas local UK burglaries are now routinely ignored, despite the high risk that a thief will return to intimidate or re-victimize a homeowner, law enforcement has decided to go after men who have a 99.99% chance of never meeting those they criticize, let alone physically or sexually attacking them. I guess they temporarily forgot about terrorist sympathizers like Khalid Masood. 2. Men approaching women (with no threats or violence) being called hate criminals Hate criminal! Did you approach a woman in England recently and she didnt like what you offered with your appearance and/or conversation? Chances are you can be described as a hate criminal by local police. Particularly in Nottingham, where this pathetic program was piloted, imagine how much time has been diverted from burglaries, serious assaults, and the investigation of terror suspects to cataloguing and rebuking men who simply try to talk to women. Paradoxically, British authorities werent so keen to publicly label Khalid Masood a hate criminal in recent years after he was deemed to be an Islamic radical, well before he killed innocent people. Loading... In two months after the introduction of this policy, Nottingham police had arrested a grand total of two men for public order offences and actual bodily harm designated as misogynistic acts. The city itself numbers over 300,000 and attracts more people still as commuters to work, tourists, and students. Consequently, this is a ridiculously small number of people, though politicized directives from above will lead to the expansion of what constitutes so-called sexism against women on the streets. 3. Walking past women who accuse you of rape with absolutely zero evidence Rape because a geriatric woman wants to feel sexually sought after. Some time ago I brought you the story of Mark Pearson, who was falsely accused by actress Souad Faress over an alleged rape that was physically impossible for him to have committed. It turns out, in a development I did not cover in my original article, that Pearson was not shown the CCTV evidence against him until six months after his arrest. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) bears significant responsibility for this debacle, too, but think about the general law enforcement resources unacceptably and absolutely wasted in this case. Yet Pearsons plight is not the only one. Though I am for police listening to complaints of rape, there is no doubt that most allegations involve nothing but the testimony of an accuser, sometimes many years after the claimed attack. Compare this to the information police accumulated about the Westminster terrorist Khalid Masood. MI5, Britains version of the FBI, had previously investigated Masood. There was always much more evidence that he was a potential terrorist than there is evidence suggesting that a man accused of rape is actually a rapist. But try telling that to the upper echelons of British law enforcement! 4. Criticizing open border policies or mass immigration Let them in or youre a racist! Early last year Scottish police arrested a man for offensive comments about Syrian refugees. They used the spectacularly amorphous Communications Act and declined to elaborate on what he actually said. The Scottish legal system operates separately from England and Wales, but shares many features and, importantly, many of the saddening trends that elevate political correctness above common sense. The ability of British citizens to express concerns about rapidly declining social cohesion is not only significantly curtailed in modern times, but liable to get them imprisoned. Another British man was arrested for asking a Muslim woman to explain Brussels (the terrorist attack of 2016). Notwithstanding that this is a more combative strategy for debating a topic, how this man found himself in the hands of law enforcement is a disgrace, especially as police termed his behavior racial hatred when Islam is, in fact, a religion. By that standard, a person criticizing Roman Catholicism should be prosecuted for anti-Irish, anti-Italian, or anti-Polish racism. I wonder how many would-be Khalid Masoods could have been looked at in the time it took to chase down and interrogate this man? If the police cant protect us, who will? Wow, terrorism defeated! No one should expect the police to counter every threat in society, including the specter of terrorist attacks. But when law enforcement is being consistently pushed to stop rather harmless social infractions or stifle freedom of expression, we have a problem. In addition to the run-of-the-mill criminals who benefit from such a focus, even more bloodthirsty terrorists greatly appreciate the lessened attention they get from the powers that be. If the West is really serious about preventing mass fatalities and injuries from terrorist attacks, rather than just using them as an opportunity to change Facebook profile photos, the time is ripe for police forces to stop going after people who have done nothing warranting an official investigation. Lets put it this way. There is a lot of discontent squashed by the government. But there is a tipping point after which no amount of police can suppress dissidents, just look at the Soviet Union and such. Spreading our worldview is the most imortant thing. We need parallel systems, like Muslims in the West. We need our own media and memes, as well as our own currency (Bitcoin) and afterwards the action in the real world is icing on the cake. It is the culmination of cultural warfare. I like the NorthWest front concept, but I dont think it is an efficient model. It has been tried on a small scale by some WNs and it doesnt pick up steam. It would be useful in case of a Civil War, but not until then. The Weev approach is better. Radicalize a significant chunk on the right and become the new counter-culture, like the 68ers. You need 5% of the population to be on board with something like Global White Supremacy, or hardcore hatred of the left. Then ultra-radical right-wing politicians gain a few seats and then its just a matter of time until you get to the Night of Long Knives scenario. Most people are apathetic, and things change overnight, we just need critical mass. The separatist model doesnt pick up steam because cultural struggle is safer. A lot of people in the racially conscious right have things to lose (status, family, money), are lazy or are simply cowards. Tapping on a keyboard, writing clever essays and doing conferences and dinner parties is safer than open rebellion against the US government. I wish them godspeed but thats a dead end. Also, I and most of the racially conscious right ARE NOT white supremacist. We dont want to rule over other races; we want total separation from them. I think Trump, /pol/, Sam Hyde, Murdoch Murdoch, Richard Spencer, BlackPigeonSpeaks, and Pepe did the most for WN since Ive started paying attention to it imo. It cant just be hardcore fascists or delicate intellectuals. Stefan Molyneux-type analysis is necessary, but insufficient. I think youre right that only a very small percentage would have to go that way to tip the situation, and the powers that be are fighting extremely hard to stop that happen, as they probably know it too. Man, its a pity the left is going to such extremes, and using underhand methods to push their agenda. If something happens like you suggest above a reasonable chunk of the political middle would be quietly pleased. 1. Yes, but that doesnt get a pass from me. In the military, someone who obeys orders to kill civilians could claim he was just doing his job, but thats no excuse. He is duty bound to the constitution and has an obligation to disobey unlawful orders. Even more so for cops as police have prosecutorial discretion and can choose whether to charge someone with an offense or not. If youre doing something morally indefensible, there is only so long that you can hide behind the law. The Go after the soft touch middle class white guy attitude filters down to the day-to-day low-level stuff too. When I was robbed at knifepoint (there was CCTV and possibly fingerprints on the knife so its not like all they had to go on in IDing the perp was a vague description) and the polices response was We dont have the resources to investigate; heres your crime number, now sod off. This isnt a recent phenomenon either. Back in the good ol days when smash the window, grab the radio thefts were common my friends car was the victim of such a crime. The polices lack of interest was astounding; they seemed genuinely surprised that my friend wasnt satisfied with the investigation being opened and shut with him receiving a crime reference number to pass to his insurer. However, there is one crime which the police throw all their resources behind solving; the sad degenerates who commit this crime will be hounded to the ends of the earth. What is this crime so bad that the police view it as the worst crime one could ever commit? Murder? Child molestation? Aggravated arson? Nope. In the eyes of those who enforce the law, the worst crime a person could ever commit is speeding. Parking violations come in at a close second, mind. This also explains why police are so eager to go after drug users and sellers. Officially they give reasons like Drug addicts are likely to commit theft to fund their habit and Drug users need to be protected from the negative health effects of their own poor choices etc. This might be true for drugs like heroin and crack, but have you ever met a violent thug who burgles as a result of his penchant for cannabis? Im sure there are some out there, but theyre a small minority of users and a far smaller proportion than comparably antisocial alkies. To demonstrate the real reason, a story told by the aforementioned friend some years later: My friend was driving along minding his own business one evening. He had a moderate amount of weed in his car which he planned to smoke later. He wasnt driving while high and the amount was small enough that it was obviously only for his personal use. The cops were running a DUI checkpoint. Although the breathalyser didnt flag him up as being drunk  nor even having had a drink  somehow one thing led to another and the cops found his stash. They said Were going to confiscate this either way, but what happens next is up to you. If you insist we go down the official route well have to take you to the station and youll get an official caution. But Im sure you dont want to waste your evening and have a mark against you, and we dont want to spend all night filling in the paperwork. So how about we dispose of your contraband here and now then we can all go about our business. My friend agreed, and the officers made a big show of disposing of the cannabis. But it was dark enough that they could easily have stashed it. Thats what my friend and I reckon they did; stashed it so they could sell it on later. Pound to a penny a large proportion of cops who catch someone with drugs let the druggie off with a warning after confiscating the drugs; the druggie is so relieved they got off easy that they dont make a fuss and the cop is quids in when he sells the gear on. How strange it is ! Filthy canadian pussies complain to the British police because someone called them fat and should be in the kitchen ! Even strange is the police responding to these kind of preposterous complaints by pussies who did slut walks !! I think this PC madness will continue untill something happends that drastically reduces quality of life in the West. But even then even if patriarchy returns, how do you sustain in? Easy life = Liberalism. Wont happen for quite some time as long globalist control power. It is much easier to bolster the market on the back end through a marginal investment than to allow citizens the ability to believe their individual actions warrant any change on the political and social sphere. It wont be until men meet to start a grassroots influence within their inner circles and we expand this idea to a global sphere, that the government will have no choice but to relent. Until then the globalist/liberals will rule the day. This is an article Ive been waiting for. Western governments are forcing multiculturalism (on to the nations they are supposed to represent the interests of) illegally and against the will of the host population. All of this while they are telling police chiefs to let muslims, social justice radicals, feminists, and other tentacles of the leftist horde have free reign of violence and political upheaval. I find it hysterical that leftists who think they are the free thinking deviants are actually acting as the Orwellian useful idiots that are stifling all forms of freedom and giving absolute power to the feds that are trying to displace them from their own country. Its like the worst case of Stockholm Syndrome in the continuum of human existence. Are the people getting charged for these absurd crimes suing the government on the grounds that these charges are a sickening violation of their basic human rights? Can anyone tell me why our own fucking governments are against us? Technically speaking, its not the western governments but the real powers behind them. Adrian Salbuchi, Argentinian political analyst, makes the distinction between the Formal Power (States, Governments) and the Real Power (international organizations like the CFR, international banks like Goldman Sachs, influential people like Soros). The Formal Powers are just the CEOs, while the Real Powers are the Board of Directors, the first only execute the directives that comes from the former. Yeah that seems to be the prevailing opinion of this community, treasonous unelected bureaucrats furthering their own interests at the expense of everyone else. Would you happen to have a link to Salbuchis article? What still puzzles me is why they want all of the political upheaval. These scumbags were billionaires before the culture war, the peacetime economy is what made them rich. Whats with all the division propaganda? Once money becomes nearly fictional in your life, iow, you have so much that everything can be bought and you still wouldnt even affect your bottom line, then power enters to fill the void to give their lives direction. At least thats what it seems to be to me, because what else really would motivate somebody to intentionally destroy a system that gives them everything in life on a silver platter? Youd think. My thought is that since cultural and socio-economic Marxism is what was taught and advocated when they were in college, they go with it by default. Or who really knows? I genuinely dont understand peoples thirst to put others in chains, or the masses desire to be put back into the same thrall, slavery and miserable conditions that we only recently escaped from the last two centuries. The bulk of human history until 200 years ago was written in pain and suffering. Fun side note, a kid and his dad came into a bar where I was last year. Kid graduated economics. I congratulated him and offered to buy him a drink, and while it was being poured I asked who his favorite economist was. Karl Marx I called the waitress over and told her quite clearly Never mind, I wont be buying that drink after all. Fuck these people. hahaha good on ya. Would have loved to see the look on the kids face. Not completely his fault I guess, they start the brainwashing early these days Shame he wasnt intelligent enough to see through it. Certain (((rootless Globalists))) care more than just profit, but seek the racial extermination of Europeans to seat themselves as World leaders of a One World Government due to their egomania. Soros is not driven by profits, thats for sure. Neither are the makers of the new Ghostbusters. They want cultural dominance and in the end they want to be able to rule in the open and be worshiped as gods. These people view us as parasites. Worms. They want to phase us all out eventually, and reduce the population, largely to preserve the beauty of the earth. The end goal is, for all intents and purposes, to become demigods. My wifes grandmother reached 101 and passed away one week after her 101st birthday. She had no diseases or operations, it was simply time to pass on. She was of German stock and never had a lot of money, but she did raise 4 children and support her husband who was a farmer all of his life. At her funeral a large gathering turned out of good, decent, simple folk in the Lutheran Church where she attended since being a child. The church pealed the bells in the town 101 times in her honor as she was driven to the cemetery. Thatthingin your picture died after fighting death tooth and nail; he is hated, despised and many of us spit on his memory. It certainly looks like this is the case. What doesnt make sense is why they are favoring volatile cultures with high birth rates to power a depopulation agenda. Why do you think they arent supporting higher IQ and more docile westerners for a smoother transition? It seems like that would be the best course of action if that is indeed what they are trying to do. Do lower IQ cultures simply make better puppets? If so, how are they going to stifle their birth rates? They already started working on that with hCG (sterilization drug) laced Tetanus vaccines in Africa, the Philippines & Nicaragua. These vaccines were provided by the Gates foundation and World Health(?) Organization. There were administered to women age 14  25. This is what Bill Gates alluded to in his Ted talk when he mentioned vaccination as a path to population control. Dont worry, they havent just singled out those of European decent; its multipronged attack strategy against humanity in general carried out on various fronts with different tactics. The end game is a sustainable population of 500 million worldwide. Enough for the elite to have their artisans, craftsmen and servants; nothing more. Because that is the nature of the governmental apparatus. This whole government is supposed to protect the people is just bullshit they tell you in school so youll grow up to be a good little slave and give Master your cotton without a fight. Government isnt supposed to protect you. They just want you to believe that so it is easier to rob you. I partly agree, but that still doesnt fully explain why they are favoring and funding all of the groups that hate the host culture. Political instability puts holes in the profit margins. Can any of this really be helping their quest for power? Mercantilists care about profits and support women in the workforce and open borders in order to get more labor and move to where business is cheaper. But thats where it stops Jews go beyond pure profit and finance anti-White agitators, promote degeneracy like homosexuals and transsexuals and denigrate Western culture because they seek to eradicate the White race, their biggest enemy. Supposing this is true, why has the only culture that accepts all ethnicities and ideologies been marked for death by the alleged Jewish elite? What is going to come out of this is all western nations becoming islamic republics where systematic murder of Jews will be state sponsored and legal. Do they not fear the end game of their own policy? My take is that the elite globalist Jews (e.g., Soros, Rothschilds) are Jews in name only. They could care less about the rank and file Jews who suffer. however, due to Jewish ethnocentrism and elitism, they tend to pull in Jewish organizations readily by appealing to their baser drives. Hence the ADL being the major sponsor of immigration reform in the USA that led to third world waves hitting American shores. Diminishing the number of whites sounds like a great idea, until you see the consequences. Jews fleeing France, etc etc. They have an escape valve, though. If things indeed do become that bad, Jews will simply move to Israel (many have already fled from Europe to Israel). The Jewish power players know that Israel is their safety net. For decades, the Israeli lobby in America has ensured that their enemies in the Middle East were destabilized, ensuring their hegemony and ultimate safety in the region; not to mention the fact that they are a nuclear-armed state. Jewish neocons within the Clinton, Bush, and Obama administrations dominated our foreign policy direction with think tanks like Project for a New American Century (PNAC), and lobby groups like AIPAC helped deliver them the loyalty (and souls) of our Congress members. Nearly every move we made in the Middle East under these administrations was good for Israel, and was done at the expense (in the trillions) of American taxpayers. It almost hurts me to type this, but we essentially funded the getaway plan for the enemy tribe in our midst. Jewish neocons within the Clinton, Bush, and Obama administrations dominated our foreign policy direction with think tanks like Project for a New American Century (PNAC), and lobby groups like AIPAC helped deliver them the loyalty (and souls) of our Congress members. If you look up the position paper A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm (1996), written by a group of Israeli-American dual citizens for Israeli PM Netanyahu, you will see the PNAC positions, and later US strategy in the Middle East, prefigured almost exactly. Subvert, break up, or destroy the countries surrounding Israel. Even the order of the countries to be targeted is the same Iraq, Libya, Syria Comparing the names of the dual-citizen authors of A Clean Break with the names of the dual-citizens high in the W administration who pushed for the Iraq War can be enlightening as well. Many of them are the same people. PNAC, of course, is the group founded by notorious neocons (((Robert Kagan))) and (((William Kristol))), that produced the infamous plan entitled Rebuilding Americas Defenses: Strategies, Forces and Resources for a New Century, Its a little difficult to find on the interwebz these days, for some reason. This plan advocated for major increases in US defense spending, as well as (in line with the goals of A Clean Break), attacking many of Israels perceived enemies in the Middle East. Published in September of 2000, Rebuilding was perhaps most notable for the sentence The process of transformation is likely to be a long one, absent some catastrophic and catalyzing event  like a new Pearl Harbor. Interesting. Of course, this idea of paving the way for Greater Israel by subverting and destroying the surrounding countries, at least in part through use of the American golem, goes even farther back at least to the Yinon Plan (1980s). Doing a search for Samson option can also be edifying for those who might think that the Tribe is capable of gratitude. A book by David Icke called Alice in Wonderland and the World Trade Center Disaster is the book that sent me down the so-called rabbit hole. Of course, Icke either ignores or deliberately avoids the (((elephant in the room))) and goes into tin-foil tier theories about reptilian and Illuminati overlords. That said, after becoming aware of the JQ and then ultimately understanding the history of Jewish/Gentile relations, this presentation by David Icke is actually VERY interesting. Whats so interesting (almost humorous) is that he names Jew after Jew during the presentation, and even correctly identifies that the (((media))) helped program the American public for the desired reaction to 9/11. Of course though, instead of bundling everything together with the JQ, he uses a combination of globalists/Illuminati/reptilian scapegoats with seemingly no ethnic/racial link. This would be the proper link that ties together the media, the banks, and the neocons behind the ME wars. When you gave that quote, The process of transformation is likely to be a long one, absent some catastrophic and catalyzing event  like a new Pearl Harbor., I was reminded of Ickes presentation, as he uses that quote at about the 12:30 minute mark. Ill leave the video for you to watch if you are interested, as a person who is wise to the JQ will find it rather useful to help tie things together and possibly lead to new enlightenment on our current situation. Thanks. Ive got a low tolerance for info in video form it seems to take forever compared to reading for ideas/ political stuff, although its great for practical things. Ill see how much I can get through on 2x. My impression of Icke, from my limited experience, is that hes sort of the Alex Jones/ InfoWars type of controlled opposition hes got enough truth there to keep the interest of a lot of people who sense that theres something wrong with the standard narrative, but its mixed in with a lot of really weird stuff, which serves the dual purpose of misleading his listeners/ readers, and marking them as obviously crazy from the normie standpoint. Whether this type of partial truth mixed with craziness is a deliberate strategy, funded from higher up, or a result of suppressing those who address the JQ directly, while allowing those who take this sort of approach to flourish (relatively speaking) is another question. The comments on this sort of site, as well as sites on the right edge of the mainstream, are potentially fertile ground for sowing a few seeds on the JQ. Of course, they know it, which is why Breitbart has so many hasbara/ JIDF shills on any topic remotely related to the Tribe/ Palestine/ muh holyco$t. On the particular issue of Iraq/ Syria/ etc., the No blood for oil!/ evil, greedy oil companies are behind all of these Middle East wars! is a back up explanation for those who realize that muh democracy! let alone rational US national interests, doesnt provide anything approaching an adequate explanation for our Middle East adventures. A lot of people fall for it, especially leftists. Of course, its easy to refute this with a simple question, such as How many oil company executives served in the W administration, and pushed for the Iraq war? How many Israeli-American, dual-citizen jews did the same? No one in the legacy media would ever dare to ask that question, though. I dont think anyone could write a book laying out the political power of the oil lobby, and end up with anything even a fraction as convincing as Mearsheimer and Walts The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy,  which bends over backwards to avoid the appearance of anti-semitism, but is remarkably convincing nonetheless. And of course, no matter how fair one tries to be, if the facts are anti-semitic, as they are when one points out the power of AIPAC/ the Israel lobby, then truth is no defense. Mearsheimer and Walt were vilified in the legacy media for pointing out the man behind the curtain. Reading your post on the video you dubbed a Bible Prophecy type, which Ive yet to check out, I thought to share with you a few things that came to mind. Where to begin. Albert Pikes prophecies. Friend and others say its not much more than a hoax. Interesting nonetheless. Biblical and Islamic scriptures both link the second coming of Jesus with the city of Damascus. Quick Google search reveals there are plenty of articles penned on the subject. One piece suggests some Christians point to Isaiah 17:1, which states: The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap. (King James version) Not sure youll like this one much but theres also the blind Bulgarian clairvoyant, who was known as Nostradamus from the Balkans Youd think at this stage in the war, itd become clearer that the more outside involvement there is in Syria, the less likely a speedy solution will be found. The more Syrians will die. Friend says hey, at least Britain has no intention of getting involved in airstrikes. The Commons vote in 2013 is still binding, although the liberal democrats are busy banging the war drums. Russia has its own strategic interests. America and Israel have theirs. Those interests have no regard for human life. It may just work out in such a way that America and Russia do a deal so they both get what they want. Im not sure if Russia will be prepared to throw Assad under the bus to achieve their objectives. America, however, will please the Jewish lobby. Israel no doing sees an American and Russian detente as being crucial for their security interests. Yesterday Trump hit Syria again, but this time rebel forces were hit on what was supposed to be a strike against ISIS. You had pro-Trump folks assuring everyone it was just a token strike and that Russia was made aware of it before it happened the first time round. Now Trump is hitting the rebels and ISIS and Assad. According to the Syrian military the bomb they dropped killed over 100 people. But theyll stay steady trying to pump out excuses for him. Its a strange world we live in where those who are facing reality are shunned as taking a defeatist approach. I understand now why you and others oppose miscegenation so vehemently. You might recall I spoke about the importance of sexual purity over racial purity. At the time I wondered why people should say no race mixing but not no sex before marriage. It implied, to me anyway, that these people were saying it was okay to sleep around so long as you were sleeping with White men only. My Polish friends mum tells us preserve your blonde genes. Have blonde kids when its time. So I raised the miscegenation issue with her and she suggested the reasoning behind it all is likely that should these girls end up pregnant at some point in their endeavours at least the kid will be White if theyre affiliating with White men only. Who knows. I suppose its not so much that most men are unmanly than that they learn to tolerate what they must when thats all the choice they have. You cant stop certain women from being promiscuous or certain men from engaging in the same. Such things as women having affairs and men not caring so long as they get what they want from the adulteress are part of life but you raise an important point. It is up to men to set the standard for what is and isnt acceptable as far the behaviour of women is concerned. A little healthy misogyny is preferred to the slavish worship of women for being women. If you know you know. I find it funny the way some people are comfortable just posting online and when others, like you, suggest hard line or what is in their eyes extreme measures to combat the ills facing our society even if only at a personal level they balk at the solutions and suggestions. Sad that women are failing to realise their Divine roles as mothers. How are we to fix the outside world when we look to people put in positions of leadership to shut us up the way pacifiers are given to babies all while being completely incapable of making the first changes in ourselves. Cant even start at home but theyre mad about saving whats left of this crumbling civilisation. Discussion is important and healthy but eventually there will come a time when people wont be able to afford simply sitting back and commenting on things. Posted. No telling if itll make its way to you in the form of a notification or sit in my comment history Marked as Spam like the other 6. I did this to myself. If after the fuss Ive made over it the post doesnt go through I think I might just give up on bothering you about it. I doubt what I had to say even made it into your notifications to begin with. Its the oddest thing. I will post the comment and its looking at me like hey, its okay, dont frown at me. Im here to stay. I go away. Come back only to be told psyche! I wasnt sure what to do. The first time it happened. What else could I do? I chose another thread and then another open, inactive one a few days later. Same thing each time. Not a time consuming activity given Im only copy & pasting it. Quite beyond being baffed now. Its belated, the Trump part where Im referring to yesterday which isnt todays or yesterdays yesterday but the day I wrote you the replys yesterday. Still havent watched the video by the Evangelist. I wanted to have you cue me in on what the portentous sign is but at the same time didnt really want you to reply. The reason why I skipped sites where I considered it was likely that I would get comments on my comment. Avoiding active threads. I know thats the whole point of this place but I dont have the patience or enthusiasm for entertaining replies from people my comment wasnt intended for who I came to realise when I was speaking to Joseph werent looking to have a discussion or take an interest in answering my questions so much as for excuses to talk, well, bull dung. I want to get away with not saying the exact same things as everyone else. Had written a little something out on Depeche Mode last night before re-posting it with the original. Plan was to tell you that you may wish to bookmark the links but the problem might be the reading material Ive tried to share. Whoever knows! It was getting itchy fingers reading some of your posts led me to get back on Disqus and write you this. The comment will go with the account. Let me try a different approach with the doomed for spam comment. We live in a time when the states purpose is inverted. What once protected us  today it fights us, what once kept law  now keeps anarchy, what once enlightened us  today it keeps us in the dark and what once gave us purpose  today it gives us only despair. The hippies of may 68 were never taken seriously enough. They openly said that education was indoctrination and voila they made it be only indoctrination. Modern education offers no useful knowledge but only in vestigial form. Through this process they made sure that the knew generation of politicians and lawmakers would have been on their side. Even worse than that the previous institutions have failed to protect from that rise and even worse did allow them to start initially. Ask yourself, what has the constitution, any constitution, really protected? Has it protected school prayers? Has it protected free speech? Has it protected the borders? The police and the citizens? To what has it not fail in the end? That I say having read 4 constitutions: the Greek, American, Russian and Weimar (it was in the appendix of Carl Schmitts Constitutional theory, which I read in preparation). In the end the American Constitution not only did NOT bar people from destroying the countrys traditions and character, but for the European ones they either have just failed to protect the countries or even have been helping to force entry to national saboteurs in the worst case. The problem why this happens is humanism, the god-less religion that puts man at the center of the universe and structures its conception of the world around humans. This doesnt sound as bad at the start, in truth it sounds as a very good idea! There is a problem though: what is the holier human if human life is understood as being of infinite and equal worth and holiness at the same time! It creates the snow-flake paradox, under which if all are unique and equal, then no one is unique! In the end due to the influence of the echoing Frankfurt school we have been substituted for the more beautiful human beings that exist beyond us. But today beauty is understood by how more lowlier or animal-like the human is. The more stupid, impolite and immoral a human is he is being seen as a fugitive of the unequallness of his own society: a victim of an oppressive system. The bad woman, the one you want far away from your kids or your wife, is the novo-femina, the new woman, who inverts whatever once was holy and gracious to unholy and evil and what was repulsive, ugly and bad to attractive, beautiful and good in other words: the feminist. But do not be stuck with the example, which I used mostly to tie to the sites thematic. Once only did humanism was the base for a whole society: in France after the French revolution, before the reign of terror by Robespierre, who later got overthrown by Napoleon who beheaded him with the use of the guillotine. To give an idea of how that system worked imagine that you got a lender who owes you money that he has no problem to give them to you but because his human rights are hit he refuses, goes to court and wins. Also think if every criminal did object to his punishment as being restrictive of his rights, for anything while having legitimate chances to win. In short if a human damages a human, damaging that human for damaging, in any way, another human is worse than leaving that human free for his crime. It hits the classic if all have infinite worth, then they have NO worth if all are different but equal, how can they be different*. In the end you, your parents, your friends, your wife and your children are being put to the same bin that all the scum of the Earth are being put. In short a drug dealer, a thief or a legitimate rapist (Muslims are allowed to rape in Sweden, Germany and England but not Europeans) are regarded as high as you and your loved ones by the state and the intellectual, of the modern times! Even worse this makes the hysterics and the criminals more equal than you. When the afforementioned people become the state their inner inefficiencies and corruption arise and build a state to their image. That of inverted eudaimonia (the Aristotelic conception of happiness as a good balanced state of being). The system of the modern times was refered to as anarcho-tyranny: Anarcho cause it is an anarchy, but tyranny because its laws enforce anarchy which is a lack of system and does not stop order from developing. *Differences occur in quantity( which indicates scarcity. i.e. a welder is useful but by virtue of being more common than an inventor he is regarded of lower position) and quality (a good welder versus a bad welder) besides mode, or else the difference between a welder and plumber or that between Newton and lavoisier (read the wikipedia entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoine_Lavoisier , it is a disgrace not to know the first chemist and his sad fate and the reason for it) i.e. both are worker/scientists but they do different things, hence useful in different ways. *EDIT* I forgot to add the difference between types: or that between a worker and a scientist. Anarcho-Tyranny? That is two opposing concepts. How can you have Tyranny while simultaneously live under a system of no rulers? Anarchy literally means no rulers. Without rulers, how can there be tryanny? You dont have to make up words to make a point. If a term is so imperfect that is its completely wrong by its own definition, then it should be discarded, not embraced. Just because it is popular doesnt mean its right. It just means a lot of people are wrong. Dont count it down and out yet. Unlike places like Germany and Sweden, youll still find nationalist Englishmen who are not afraid to step forward. The Brexit is something that could only happen in Britain as other European nations like Germany, France, Sweden etc. are so far gone that theres no will to fight left. Do you really think the Euro authorities devote much time to tracking the usual suspects? Some intel guy over there said they need to devote at least 11 people to properly surveil a potential problem citizen/refugee/whatever- they dont have the manpower Im just saying that it doesnt have to be a lot, and that they can in fact focus those eleven people once or twice a year in order to maintain the illusion of theyre watching you!. No need for a full time staff or anything when fear will do the work for you. Pork is a sort of cultural thing in that corner of Europe so with the Muslim push to eliminate it from shops, school lunches, etc, inevitably there will be a backlash. This month, a Danish couple were beaten for ordering ham on their pizza. The same happened late last year in France. The Danish woman was beaten so severely she lost hearing in one ear. Is that a hate crime against women, I wonder? Slightly off topic (but still about British Laws), Keira was topless in a really crap film The Hole (2001) when she was only 16, owning this film in the UK would technically make you a pedophile and liable to arrest. and on the sex offenders register for life. (Against the law to posses any media of under 18s in a sexual context in the UK). Same for the movie American Beauty, chubby bird (shit, now Ive done an online hate crime) with big tits only 17. (Surprisingly the skinny one was absolutely legal) In the UK you can legally have sex with a 16 year old girl .. but if you take sexy photos of her on your mobile phone, they can arrest and charge you as a pedophile (Yeah, an 18yo boy got convicted for having sexy photos of his 16yo gf on his mobile phone). This article makes the false assumption that the police are here to protect us in the first place. The police are just like any other government organization they go after the easy targets to pad their numbers, and the targets that will most advance their careers. In the US the supreme court has ruled that the police have no duty to protect any citizen. They might from time to time do so, but it is not their job, despite all those to protect and serve signs on police cars. In the US the supreme court has ruled that the police have no duty to protect any citizen. They might from time to time do so, but it is not their job, despite all those to protect and serve signs on police cars. Do you having any source citing for that? I wouldnt doubt it but I would be curious to look it up. No one should expect the police to counter every threat in society, including the specter of terrorist attacks The police are in fact helping the terrorists attack their host nations as unofficially mandated by the politicians. When one thinks of the enemy combatants most think of the sharia apes that are running amock raping, stealing, and vandalizing, and of course collecting welfare. But everytime anyone in England sees a policeman, know that he / she / is your enemy and they are there to protect the migrants, while trying to come with reasons to throw you in jail. I sincerely hope that the nation built by Alfred the Great, and continued with Longshanks, Marlborough, Wellington, Nelson, Disraeli, Churchill and Thatcher turns around. All hope rests with Boris Johnson and his wing of the Conservative Party. Winston Churchill foresaw the situation we have today: he called out Clement Atlee in 1945. He knew that the left-wing policies of Labor would require a Gestapo-like organization to advance their causes. What we have now is the Gestapo of Social Justice. Protecting the people is not the primary job of a police force. The primary function of a police force is to enforce the laws. Criminal laws, conceptually, are supposed to be a deterrent: preventing crime by punishing people who break the law. The police force is part of the mechanism to find people who have broken the law and punish them for it. Even when police are out on patrol  which they do a lot less of these days (setting up speed traps doesnt count as patrol)  they are primarily deterring crime by being visible, not protecting people. Some police forces engage in some level of surveillance and intelligence gathering, but the functions there again are not the protection of average people, but amassing evidence of current and ongoing crimes. Politicians and government officials are often afforded police protection in the form of bodyguards and police details, but not average citizens. Only very rarely do average citizens receive any such protection, and when they do receive it, it is usually because they have already been the victim of a crime, they have been seriously threatened with immediate bodily harm, and/or the police want something from them (e.g., their testimony in a case, etc.). (Note: this is not a knock on cops. Most cops I have known admit that rarely do they actually prevent crime before it happens or truly stand in between a criminal and his intended victim.) A good friend of mines sister is disabled. She cant walk on her own, cant raise her arms above her head. She is still able to live on her own, but just barely. She is virulently anti-gun. She was railing one day on how insane it was that just anyone off the street can get a gun from anywhere and kill a bunch of people. She kept going on about how guns were this evil scourge that no modern society should ever permit. She mentioned a recent city ordnance that had raised the bar for people where she lived to have guns, and said it was weak and meaningless. I turned to her and calmly, rationally walked her through the scenario of someone breaking into her place while she was home alone. There had been a couple rapes and a home invasion in her neighborhood, and I reminded her of that. I went step by step  what would happen, what she would/would not be able to do, how long the cops would take, etc. Watching her snarky the-cops-will-protect-me illusion crumble as I explained how the real world and time works to her was almost sad. She had literally never considered the fact that, if someone wanted to break into her home and rape/torture/kill her, there was absolutely nothing that the cops (or anyone else) could do about it. She was actually in tears by the end of it but I was never mean or in her face. I was totally calm and 100% factual the entire time. But at the moment, the very moment, that she considered that maybe, just maybe, she might have to think about maybe possibly potentially getting a gun for her own protection, I stood up and laughed in her face. That city ordinance she said was weak and meaningless? I reminded her that by one of its terms, through no real direct fault of her own, she wasnt allow to have a gun. To this day, she refuses to be in the same room with me. She also remains virulently anti-gun because her only other option is to face reality  and she sure as hell cannot do that. The police are typically crime historians. They usually show up after the smoke clears, take names & pictures, interview witnesses and write a report. The reason cases where they do show up and thwart a violent crime in progress are high profile is because they are infrequent. In 1987 my (now ex-) wife shot a serial rapist in our home. It took the police 50 minutes to get there after she called. EMS was there much quicker, but only because we had a neighbor who was an EMT and rushed over when she heard the call go out on her scanner. Unfortunately, she saved the scumbags life. Sowhich would you rather have at time like that, a gun or a phone? I look at my pistol like that old American Express card ad: Dont leave home without it! Seriously though policing the boundaries of stupid shit is far more important to the elites than real crime. Real crime is useful for the same reason terror incidents are useful: they are acts which can be used to instil fear and push agendas to control domestic populations etc. Policing the boundaries of speech (stupid shit) is how ideology is maintained and reproduced, which is the real role of the police in todays world. Violent crime, terrorism above all, isnt a danger to the state, indeed it serves the state. Speech on the other hand is genuinely dangerous When the day of vengeance comes I will look forward to seeing these donut eating, judas goat, system pig cops butchered on meat hooks along with politicians and the evil jews responsible for these insane, evil era we live in. 14/88!!!! Britain is a totalitarian craphole, to be honest. They spend more time investigating politically incorrect behaviour than anything else. Legions of muslim rape gangs are actually abetted by police, while schoolgirls who complain about not having classmates who speak english are arrested. Nuke it and have done with it, the people there have failed their ancestors. Top 5 Most Popular Posts Submit an article for ROK and get paid Starting in March, we are running a promotion where we will pay you in Litecoin cryptocurrency for any article of yours that we publish. If you have something to say to your fellow man, now is a great time to do it. Click here to learn all the details. 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France: No-Go Zones Now in Heart of Big Cities "There are several hundred square meters of pavement abandoned to men alone; women are no longer considered entitled to be there. Cafs, bars and restaurants are prohibited to them, as are the sidewalks, the subway station and the public squares."  Le Parisien. "For more than a year, the Chapelle-Pajol district (10th-18th arrondissements) has completely changed its face: groups of dozens of lone men, street vendors, aliens, migrants and smugglers harass women and hold the streets."  Le Parisien. In the heart of Paris, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Marseille, Grenoble, Avignon, districts here and there have been "privatized" by a mix of drug traffickers, Salafist zealots and Islamic youth gangs. The main victims are women. They are  Muslim and non-Muslim -- sexually harassed; some are sexually assaulted. The politicians, as usual, are fully informed of the situation imposed upon women. In January, 2015, a week after the attack on the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, the American television channel Fox News created a scandal in France by claiming that Islamic "no-go zones" were established in the heart of Paris. For the French media, the existence of no-go zones -- where non-Muslims are unwelcome and Islamic law, sharia, holds sway -- in the heart of the capital was pure nonsense and horrifying "fake news." Paris's mayor, Anne Hidalgo, said she planned to sue Fox News and that the "honor of Paris" was at stake. By May 2017, however, the tone had changed. The French daily, Le Parisien,disclosed that, in fact, no-go zones are in the heart of the capital. It seems that the district of Chapelle-Pajol, in the east of Paris, has become very much a no-go zone. Hundreds of Muslim migrants and drug dealers crowd the streets, and harass women for wearing what many of these migrants apparently regard as immodest clothing: "Women in this part of eastern Paris complain that they cannot move about without being subjected to comments and insults from men. "There are several hundred square meters of pavement abandoned to men alone; women are no longer considered entitled to be there. Cafs, bars and restaurants are prohibited to them, as are the sidewalks, the subway station and the public squares. For more than a year, the Chapelle-Pajol district (10th-18th arrondissements) has completely changed its face: groups of dozens of lone men, street vendors, aliens, migrants and smugglers harass women and hold the streets." Natalie, a 50-year-old resident of the area said: "The atmosphere is agonizing, to the point of having to modify our routes and our clothing. Some [women] even gave up going out." Aurlie, 38, who has lived in the area for 15 years, said that the caf-bar below her apartment had been a pleasant place, but has turned into an exclusively male establishment. "I have to listen to a lot of remarks when I pass by, especially since they drink a lot," she said. A local 80-year-old woman is reported to have totally stopped leaving her apartment after being sexually assaulted one day as she was returning home. Another woman is said to suffer a flood of insults simply by standing at her window. Mayor Hidalgo is not talking about suing the media for defaming the honor of Paris anymore. She even said that this security issue has been "identified for several weeks", and proposed launching an "exploratory process" to combat discrimination against women and a "local delinquency treatment group". It was slightly hollow, Orwellian "newspeak," and aroused mockery and indignation on social networks. Mentioning no-go zones in France was, until recently, taboo. It was regarded as "racist" or "Islamophobic" -- most of the time both -- to talk about that. In May 2016, Patrick Kanner, France's Minister for Urban Areas, harassed by journalists, finally acknowledged the truth : "There are today, we know, a hundred neighborhoods in France that present potential similarities with what has happened in Molenbeek." He was referring to the infamous neighborhood in Brussels, under Salafist control, which has become the epicenter of jihad in Europe. What is new, is that no-go zones are no longer relegated to the suburbs, where migrants and Muslims have usually been concentrated. No-go zones, through mass migration, have been emerging in the heart of Paris, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Marseille, Grenoble, Avignon -- districts "privatized" here and there by a mix of drug traffickers, Salafist zealots and Islamic youth gangs. The main victims are women. They are -- both Muslim and non-Muslim -- sexually harassed; some are sexually assaulted. Politicians, as usual, are fully informed of the situation imposed upon women. A 2014 report from the High Commissioner on Equality revealed that in the so-called "sensitive urban areas," nearly one in ten women has suffered physical or sexual violence. Another report handed to the government, in September 2016, by the organization "France Mdiation" revealed significant details, albeit written in chastened terms: Public areas are "occupied" exclusively by men who "park" there, and women are merely authorized to pass through them... It's not unique to this city: in the past 10 years, women have been seen public spaces desert them. "You have to stay away, not provoke. I always go out with my children so there is no problem." In some places, male groups "monopolize" public spaces and sometimes block the access to the entrances of buildings Women are obliged to avoid the elevator in order to flee glances and remarks that are sometimes unpleasant. They have go up the stairs -- dirty, unlit and several stories high. Cafs are occupied exclusively by men; women do not dare to enter them; they even avoid passing by. The newly elected French president, Emmanuel Macron, ostensibly avoided security questions during the election campaign. No doubt, security questions will overtake him sooner than he thinks. (Image source: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images) Yves Mamou, author and journalist, based in France, worked for two decades as a journalist for Le Monde. Comment on this item Name: Email Address: Comments: Email me if someone replies to my comment Note: Gatestone Institute greatly appreciates your comments. The editors reserve the right, however, not to publish comments containing: incitement to violence, profanity, or any broad-brush slurring of any race, ethnic group or religion. Gatestone also reserves the right to edit comments for length, clarity and grammar. All thoughtful suggestions and analyses will be gratefully considered. Commenters' email addresses will not be displayed publicly. Gatestone regrets that, because of the increasingly great volume of traffic, we are not able to publish them all. 44 Reader Comments BOOM!  May 24, 2017 at 11:26 France: the Progressive playground where political correctness has run amok for years. The Islamists, along with their useful idiots the Progressives, will make sure that the population cowers to their will before the exterminations begin. Reply-> Jeff Page  May 24, 2017 at 03:41 A sign of things to come! Courtesy of your local liberal elitists, the people who are rich enough to fly out of the country they have made a mess of and on to a Muslim free zone! Reply-> Paul  May 23, 2017 at 22:27 This is not the first time that France has had 'No Go' Zones in the last 100 years. There was 'no go' East of the Western Front 1914-18. 'No go' Vichy France 1940-44. There are lots of crosses from all over the Western World in France that rejected them. Lets hope France does not allow this to happen again through their voluntarily passive acceptance of invasion from an enemy that is as recognizable today as was the uniform worn by past aggressors. FRANCE must accept that unlike in the past, the Western Countries who came to Her aid are unable to help out this time, because we are all fighting the same cancer in our own countries. Reply-> Christopher Shearwood  May 23, 2017 at 20:19 Paris has lost its heart. France has lost its soul. The French people have lost their common sense and the national pride that once made them great.Macron is already proving worthless and yet another "fence sitter". Their only hope is Marine Le Pen ..... and she is waiting to pounce like a cat hunting a mouse. Her time will come. Reply-> lj  May 23, 2017 at 20:10 Part of me wants to say the election was their chance, now own it. But having narrowly escaped the warmongering one world Muslim brotherhood Clinton cartel in our own election and knowing with fraud it could have gone either way, I do have sympathy for the few in France who see the endgame, the crushing au revoir to freedom and decency in their nation. Reply-> John  May 23, 2017 at 19:02 It is time for the French to consider their anthem before it is too late: France knew about this long before the election. France saw all of this, long before the election. France experienced some utterly horrific terror attacks, long before the election. And they democratically exercised their right to vote and they voted for Macron. Now they can accept the consequences that come as a result of the accountability to take when exercising your democratic right to vote. France you made your bed, now you lie in it. I will devote my compassion, tolerance, sympathy and support for those who are actually trying to fight this, not the Quislings who submit to it. Reply-> Paul Sarah  May 23, 2017 at 21:57 Pretty well my thoughts too Sarah! As for the vote for Macron, I take on board that most of Germany still supported HITLER until his 'dream' came crashing down. Lets hope that it doesn't get to that stage with France or the rest of Europe. I fear however that it has already reached tipping point and it may be too late to turn back. Many of their laws and the UN charter of Human Rights would have to be severely rejected and the only way that can occur is a Civil War. Reply-> Ken Kess  May 23, 2017 at 18:49 Has Mayor Hidalgo apologised to Fox News? Unlikely. Will Macron admit that France has a problem? Also unlikely.Roll on, Brexit. Reply-> Framk Verderber  May 23, 2017 at 18:48 The French easily capitulate. That is why there was a vichy France. Now there shall be roasted frogs. They will claim to be unoccupied, while the black flag of Islam flies over the French flag that will fly upside down. Your cordon-blue will become chicken and chips. Your Foie gras will become brown lentils served with sheep eyes in mothers milk! Reply-> Kesselman Framk Verderber  May 24, 2017 at 10:47 The French capitulated the instant they met the German's fierce brutality. France meets the same mindset today. The indolent Westerners aren't capable of confronting Islamonazism. They have gone soft in pussy-hats and LGBTQ idiocy. Reply-> Kesselman  May 23, 2017 at 18:47 The newly elected Macron is for sure not the man to take back the sidewalks, cafs, and the quarters of the no-go. Fully aware as the policy-makers are they turn the blind eye to the horrible conditions offered to the decent population. Macron is just that immersed in the prevalent ideology of the globalist liberal New World Order that he has to abstain from doing anything effective. Much more outcries of "Je Suis.." in the future -- unfortunately. Reply-> Richard  May 23, 2017 at 17:57 If there are any real men left in socialist/effete France, they need to step forward and be counted now. The politicians are allowing France to be overrun by Seventh Century throwbacks who realize just how feckless those politicians are. France is being conquered by soldiers of Allah without resistance it appears. The French don't seem to have heart for the fight but those Islamists certainly do. Reply-> Poliwatch Richard  May 24, 2017 at 23:25 The French never have been 'for the fight'. They've always left it to other nations to rescue them. Unfortunately for them and used-to-be tourists, those other nations aren't much better off. And the sheep still don't realize the enormity of the hell that is the EU. One World Order is in charge and seems it may just meet it's goals. On a different note, NAFTA (North America Free Trade Agreement) is being reviewed by Trump. He knows what it's significance is. NAFTA is the basis for NAU (North American Union). One World Order's next "EU". If Trump pulls out of NAFTA, that could very well be the end of Globalization. If NAFTA survives, there is significant support for globalization in Canada and U.S. So Trump will have a fight to keep American sovereignty and not become a union with Canada and Mexico and another 'union' run by One World Order. Interesting times. Reply-> Ritch  May 23, 2017 at 17:34 Unfortunately France is the canary in the mine. The Mohammedans have been to France before and it wasn't different from now. The Mohammedans were gangsters then and they are gangsters now. Every country that has Islam in its name or has Shariah as its Constitution is a JIHAD country. Every organisation, charity, foundation or institution that defines itself by Shariah is a JIHAD entity. Reply-> linda goudsmit  May 23, 2017 at 17:06 Muslims who embrace Western freedoms and cultural norms are not a Western problem. It is the Muslims who embrace the supremacist, misogynist, homophobic, pedophile, and savage customs of sharia law that are an existential threat to democracy and our Western way of life. If European leaders wish to personally surrender to Islam let them live in a Muslim country ruled by sharia. Freedom loving citizens who want secular constitutional law, equality, and pluralism should VOTE THEM OUT! If they don't - then they get what they deserve - no go zones and enslavement by Islamic sharia law. This is not complicated - you just have to be in objective reality and face the threat of Islamic sharia law and REJECT IT! Reply-> Sarah linda goudsmit  May 23, 2017 at 20:03 Linda, I used to feel much the same way as yourself. Until I took the time to study and understand Islam. To read the Quran, the Hadith and the Sira's (I have only read some of the Sira's, to be fair). There is a problem here with the view you maintain (and I mean no disrespect to you by saying that!). You are placing a line down the middle, between the Muslims who follow Islam and the Muslims who follow Islam. They are one and the same, unfortunately. That line is pointless and does not exist, Linda. Granted, there are many Muslims, the ones that some people label as 'moderates', who do not advocate openly for Sharia, who do not do the terrible things we see happening around the world. They, presumably, work for a living rather than live off welfare, they do not mutilate their daughters and teach their sons to view women as meat. They do not commit or openly support terrorism. They are happy to live in the West and to take advantage of secularism laws and the privileges that come with the first world. But they believe in Islam. And they advocate Islam. They support Islam and they lower themselves onto their prayer mats frequently and they submit to Islam. It is Islam that is the reason, the cause, the justification, the instruction and the approval given that causes all of the terrible things we are seeing occur. There is no such thing as moderate Islam or fundamentalist Islam. The only variations within Islam are the sects. Sunni, Shiite etc etc. And they all still follow the same Islam. Their minor variations all come from the Sira. Not to be confused with the Sura, as the Sura as the chapters in the Quran. The Sira are a collection of biographies essentially, and each strain of Islam has chosen elements from various Sira as to what they believe represents 'true' Islam. But we are talking about things like the succession line, after the death of Mohammed. The Sunni for instance, believe that after Mohammed, the Muslims would choose who would succeed and lead (being Imam's) while the Shiite believe it should be more dynastic and thus a member of his family should take the mantle up, much like a royal family. We are not talking about actual interpretations of the Quran or Hadith, like a Baptist and a Catholic would employ and believe in. Not one sect has turned around and 'reformed' elements of the Quran. Not one sect has said 'we deny the Quran of the Mecca for the Medina or vice versa'. Not one sect has said that they prefer the unabrogated verses in the Quran, over the abrogated. (It is the abrogated that are the justification for most of the violence and obscenities that Islam brings to the world). So those Muslims who are so-called Moderates - they are still believers in and supporters of Islam exactly the same as any terrorist, or 'hardliner'. They still demand on the right to worship and follow a religion that is also a culture and is also a political ideology, that provides the evidence, advice, approval and instruction that the terrorists and Muslims of that ilk follow. There is no difference. And none of these Muslims whether 'moderate' or otherwise, are renouncing the violence, the obscenities, the viciousness and brutality of Islam. They are all, holding the Quran as the 'Perfect and Unalterable word of God'. They do not wish to change it, or disregard parts of it, or renounce any of it. I feel very confident in saying, that even if you targeted 'moderate' Muslims, you would not find a single one on the planet who would be prepared to become an apostate if required, so as to live in the West and enjoy the privileges and freedoms that comes with being a Westerner. Ultimately they will take Islam over the West. That is, at best, divided loyalties. As a best case scenario. Worst case scenario, if forced to choose, they WILL take Islam - and you can paint your own picture on the worst case scenario. I would suggest reading the Quran, understanding the difference between an abrogated verse and an un-abrogated, understanding that the abrogations are the ones that are employed today as per Mohammed's commands. Read the Mecca Suras in the Quran and the Medina Suras, understanding that the Mecca verses were created back when Mohammed was trying to gain followers and often preached peace and love and is why we hear 'Islam is the religion of peace' etc etc, as people mistakenly draw from those verses. Whist understanding that once Mohammed gained enough power behind him, he literally changed those verses, replacing them with new, warlike, violent, filthy ones (these are abrogations) in the Medina version. Mohammed himself said that these are the ONLY ones to follow and they cancel out the older ones. They are the violent, dirty, nasty verses. You see, according to Mohammed, Allah spoke to him later on and updated the verses - conveniently to suit Mohammed's new warmongering phase. I recommend you read the Hadith, which is an account of the life of the Prophet Mohammed and is what Muslims the world over, use as evidence of him being a most perfect man and thus, the values and beliefs and behaviour's as to what they too, should emulate. You will see for yourself just what Islam states. What it promises. What it demands of every follower. In truth, no-one who submits to Islam is in any way, a moderate human being. Reply-> linda goudsmit Sarah  May 24, 2017 at 15:50 Sarah, I hear you and I understand what you are saying completely. I understand that there is only one Islam. I understand that Islam is a supremacist socio-political movement with a religious wing intent on ruling the world. I believe that Islam is an evil ideology like fascism and communism. I believe that there is only one Islam but there are moderate Muslims and non-moderate Muslims just like there are moderate and non-moderate devotees of every religion on the planet. An individual can identify with a religion and not take its tenets literally. I believe that there are many Muslims living in the West who identify as Muslims and who at the same time embrace Western freedoms. So, I was trying to distinguish between the moderate and non-moderate Muslims - those who embrace sharia and those who do not. I just do not believe that every individual who identifies as a Muslim believes in the depravity of sharia law. Women like Raheel Raza and Ayaan Hirsi are examples of outspoken Muslim reformers but there are many who are silent. Reply->  Sarah  Jun 5, 2017 at 08:06 A very impressive assessment Sarahla, I thought I had a good working knowledge of the current situation but you obviously know more, and I could probably benefit from some of your expertise. Keep up the good work. Reply-> Avi Green  May 23, 2017 at 16:50 What I'd like to know is why nobody concerned about these situations protests in front of French embassies in the USA, or why no support groups are making arrangements with sources in France/Europe to make special solidarity trips to help out? Or, why no experts go to testify before US Congress about how terrible it's become in Europe now? Speaking before Congress can have an effect, so how about if people were to start campaigning now to encourage anybody who's a realist to bring the case to those who can help? Yes, seriously. Reply-> robert m owen  May 23, 2017 at 16:45 Having watched this situation from the safety of the U.S. for a number of years, I have an idea or two. One might ask, "Why France?". France has a world-wide reputation as a nation of effeminate, surrendering men. I can only attest to the FACT that France has surrendered "her" sovereignty to the EU and suffered the inevitable consequences of that "collaboration"(another rumored French habit)in the form of invasive immigration from less passive cultures. Even French citizens who retain a vestige of the fighting spirit of Charlemagne are handicapped by the difficulty of acquiring and retaining weapons, which my sainted father referred to as "equalizers". In the U.S., especially the SOUTHERN U.S., women would never tolerate the conditions described in this article. Not that they'd have to, since MEN from this same region would quickly eliminate the problem. I suspect that MANY French men and women would be a great deal LESS passive, and therefore less BURDENED, if they possessed the means of defending themselves and were assured of the protection of their own government rather that its' SURE censure. So, Pierre, I encourage you to do all you can to restore your rights (Frexit?) by law. In the meantime, protect yourself, your significant other, your children and your mother regardless of the legality of such protection. There are forces standing by to support your effort but you are THERE and must take the first step. Reply-> Pat Walker  May 23, 2017 at 16:44 "...and proposed launching an "exploratory process..." Really? A bit late, to explore the whys, and it is now necessary to take strong action...as Marine Le Pen would have done. Reply-> Gene  May 23, 2017 at 16:30 This is the madness of bringing Islamic savages into a Western Culture-they reject it and despise it. The USA needs to halt all immigration from Muslim lands, lest our cities become like this. Islam is indeed antithetical to Western Post-Enlightenment culture. Reply-> BOOM! Gene  May 24, 2017 at 11:20 And you think the media and their Democrat puppets would allow that? Reply-> Lynette  May 23, 2017 at 14:55 Why are the French so dumb as to allow what is happening? If Macron can make a difference more power to him but somehow the French people, having once been so proud of the beautiful cities, seem to be now handing them over to street riff-raff and horrible undesirables. We can only hope that Macron will make Frenchmen proud to be French again and really give them back their country. More power to him. Reply-> rkt Lynette  May 23, 2017 at 17:05 Much of Europe is similarly complicit. Germany is oblivious. They're actually confiscating houses for the benefit of immigrants. If repairs are required, the government is having them done, and billing the owners! As someone said, Europe is committing demographic suicide. This will not end well. Reply-> Katie  May 23, 2017 at 12:03 Can confirm. In 2008, I stayed (with my mother) in a hotel on Rue Riquet. We are savvy, safe, and seasoned travellers. We love Paris (yes, I speak fluent French) and know our way around. It doesn't bother me if a Maghrebian guy teases me by saying "konichiwa". It has never gone beyond that; these types have never laid a hand on me. Actually, after the initial "konichiwa", they were kind and helpful. We liked La Chapelle because it was a down to earth, working class neighbourhood where everybody minds their own business. We went to Paris again just a few weeks ago. I knew La Chapelle was a no-go zone, but I wanted to see it with my own eyes. The minute we stepped off the bus, people were sizing us up. We were NOT comfortable. So we went with our gut and got the heck out of there. Reply-> Mark Cleminson Katie  May 23, 2017 at 16:45 What does "konichiwa" mean? Reply-> Katie Mark Cleminson  May 23, 2017 at 19:11 "Hello" in Japanese. I'm Asian. Reply-> C P Henson  May 23, 2017 at 11:08 Don't worry - help is at hand. Macron will make Frenchmen" proud to be French again". He will give them back "pride in their country". He may find even more superlative platitudes to disguise the fact that he, unfortunately, has no program, no solutions other than "more of the same", nothing substantial to offer. There will be opportunities though for us to vote on who is the most attractive young politician of the 21st century - Trudeau Jr or Macron. This will get exciting! Reply-> donna sherwood  May 23, 2017 at 11:05 A self-inflicted wound. It is apparent that concern over some cultural image is of greater import than the survival of the French people who is this idiot and why is he not using his platform as a call to arms. One's breath was taken away with the election of that fool "Justin" Macron. When a civilisation is committed to suicide let them commit it. Hope they are not relying on us for a third round. Reply-> Mike Briggs  May 23, 2017 at 11:04 The way the EU is going now, all of Western Europe will be a 'No Go Zone' by 2050. Eastern Europe (Former Soviet bloc nations) will probably avoid that fate however, as their leaders are still remembering what they were fortunate (thanks President Reagan) to emerge from in 1991, and will not willingly go back down that road. Radical Jihad needs to be crushed now as it is a far greater threat to the civilized world than Soviet Communism ever was. President Trump is the 'strong horse' who can and must lead all nations in that endeavor. If he is not allowed (by his enemies foreign and domestic) to lead that effort, it is unlikely the effort will be lead and Western Civilization will die a slow death, strangled by what Andrew McCarthy calls a 'Grand Jihad'! Radical Leftism and Radical Jihad must be stopped by this Administration. This next 4-8 years may be our best, if not last chance, to win this 'Longest War', and I hope somebody will tell: The Dims, The MSM, The Deep State, The RINO 'Never Trumper's this truth ... before they kill the opportunity?! Reply-> b.a. freeman Mike Briggs  May 23, 2017 at 13:31 excellent post, Mike! the only part with which i take issue is when all of eurabia will be a no-go zone. i think most of them will first have leftist dictatorships installed when the chaos and death makes everyday life impossible, and the various States impose martial law. if these dictatorships *immediately* round up and murder everybody who is muslim, they might stay leftist dictatorships. muslims, however, are trained from birth to, at the very least, accept that mass murder is acceptable in at least some circumstances, and any attack from the State would just start the civil war, with leftists on one side and muslims on the other. my money is on the muslims. and since the pious muslims only need to make everyday life intolerable, not actually seize control (the left will do that for them), i expect that we will start seeing freedom get snuffed out in one nation after another in 10 years or so. i don't think that it will take longer than 10 years after that for all but a few east european nations to become islamic hellholes. the east europeans may be overwhelemed anyhow; just hating islam is not enough if the army of jihadis headed your way is big enough. Reply-> Trilby  May 23, 2017 at 09:54 This is outrageous. How dare elected public officials cede whole neighborhoods to these 7th century invaders? Why are they not protecting the rights of women citizens. I'm choking with rage right now! Reply-> Lynette Trilby  May 23, 2017 at 16:24 They cede because they can and because they're weak and ineffectual.... plus they don't care strongly enough about their country, do not have enough patriotism to stir their blood. Thus French patriotism now seems to be dying or is already dead. Reply-> Pat Walker Trilby  May 23, 2017 at 16:48 One has to first find out what is motivating them to do so. Then, who is paying them to do so. There must be incentives somewhere to destroy their own country, especially to a radical group who will destroy them when given the chance. Reply-> Dr David Salinger  May 23, 2017 at 09:34 Mr Mamou, your closing remark that Security Questions will overtake him sooner than he thinks is 100 percent accurate and to the point. Reply-> Moki Mac Moki  May 23, 2017 at 09:04 Not really surprising. Been witnessing similar behavior of the new "Europeans" in Milan, Italy. I don't live there but I have visited the city close to 100 times in the past 19 years. It's not like women can no longer walk through town in the "Arabic" part but it is utterly strange that approx. 80% of the people in the streets are ..... guess what ..... male. European politicians are - of course - perfectly relaxed about such a development or even openly support the new madness. Reply-> Shmuel Ben Matan  May 23, 2017 at 08:52 My son and I experienced this ourselves while visiting Paris a few years ago. Saturday night in Paris, after Shabatt, we thought we would walk from Champs Elise to the Louvre. From there we would catch subway. As we walked down the street we noticed it was predominantly Muslim. We were wearing kipot. We were told we had a lot of nerve walking around like that here by the sooo tolerant Muslim as well as other more threatened comments. I felt for the safety of my son so we left the area. This was four years ago. How unfortunate this "tolerant "society suffers the intolerances of these barbaric invaders. Reply-> Dennis  May 23, 2017 at 07:30 It seems to me that the French politicos are into denial. Havent they seen enough? It will obviously take an immense incident for the lazy French to rise up and take back their nation. Welcome back to ancient times, when ignorance, barbarism and abuse of women ruled the day. Well, at least it is a "new experience", with NO---GO zones for women everywhere. In other words, women are going back to being "SLAVES". It is hard to believe that the French --- of all people --- the "envy" of much of the world --- are THAT stupid. In any case, it is too late!!! The Muslims are taking over and barbarism is here to stay. Sorry President Emmanuel Macron, your Presidency might be short lived. And for the last time, the French people should have kept their Jews. Thank you Yves Mamou and Gatestone. Reply-> Kahemingway  May 23, 2017 at 04:59 From libert, galit, fraternit to women being afraid to even leave their homes. To think, this was the same country that had women marching on Versailles to demand reform from the monarchy. As for Macron doing anything about the security situation in the country, I'm not holding my breath. I can only hope that more of the French people begin to wake up to their deteriorating situation. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. Both reserve the right not to publish replies to articles should they so choose. Gatestone Institute is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, Federal Tax ID #454724565.
Family members of the American tourist killed during the Westminster Bridge terror attack in London joined victims and hundreds of well-wishers to mark seven days since the horrific incident. The Westminster Bridge fell silent at 2.40pm to mark the moment when Khalid Masood began mowing down pedestrians, killing three, before fatally stabbing a policeman in a courtyard on the grounds of Parliament. Police say Masood, a native Briton, was inspired by extremist ideology, but that there's no evidence he had direct links to the Islamic State group or al-Qaida. Relatives of 54-year-old Kurt Cochran, the American tourist who died in the attack, were in attendance as well as relatives of three victims -retired window cleaner Leslie Rhodes, 75, and mother-of-two Aysha Frade, 44, and PC Keith Palmer 48. On Monday, Cochran's family said they bore no ill-will over the incident. Cochran, who worked as an engineer, and his wife Melissa, from Utah, were on the final day of a trip to London to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary when they were mowed down on Westminster Bridge by Masood's car. His 46-year-old wife survived the attack and is still being treated for a broken leg and rib and a lacerations to her head in a local hospital. Scroll down for video Hundreds of people congregated on Westminster Bridge to mark seven days since the devastating terror attack on London which left four people dead Family members of American tourist Kurt Cochran, who was killed during the Westminster attack, embrace each other Cochran's family looked heartbroken with grief over their loss at the vigil on Wednesday Dimmon, center left, and Sandra Payne the parents of U.S. tourist Melissa Cochran, who was injured and her husband Kurt Cochran killed in last Wednesday's London attack, walk to lay flowers Andrei Burnaz, whose girlfriend Andreea Cristea was thrown from the bridge in last week's attack returns for the poignant event today in a wheelchair The Hands Across Westminster Bridge vigil sought to show that 'we will not be divided', linking 'all nations, faiths, orientation and sexes', organizers said Members of the public joined hands on the bridge in a show of solidarity, before honoring the victims of the attack in a minute's silence. Andrei Burnaz, whose girlfriend Andreea Cristea was thrown from the bridge in last week's attack returned for the poignant event on Wednesday in a wheelchair and his leg in a cast. Police officers, many of whom were mourning the loss of their colleague PC Keith Palmer, stood side-by-side with those wearing T-shirts which said: 'I am a Muslim, ask me anything'. The Hands Across Westminster Bridge vigil sought to show that 'we will not be divided', linking 'all nations, faiths, orientation and sexes', organizers said. At 2.15pm, precisely the moment that the attack began, the group linked hands across Westminster Bridge from the south to the north. At 2.40pm, there was a minute's silence to remember those who died. Before the event, the Metropolitan Police Federation, who organised the tribute, said it would show 'we will not be divided'. They added it would link 'all nations, faiths, orientation and sexes'. Among the people he mowed down on the bridge was Utah man Kurt Cochran, 54 (right), who died, and his wife Melissa (left). She is still in the hospital being treated for her injuries sustained during the attack Khalid Masood (left) drove at pedestrians on the bridge before stabbing PC Keith Palmer (right) in the Palace of Westminster's cobbled forecourt Mother-of-two Aysha Frade (left) and Leslie Rhodes (right) also died on the bridge after the terrorist drove into them Hundreds of police officers and the general public stand in solidarity for the victims of the Westminster terror attack The Hands Across Westminster Bridge vigil sought to show that 'we will not be divided', linking 'all nations, faiths, orientation and sexes', organizers said Muslim men pray during an event to mark one week since a man drove his car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge then stabbed a police officer in London Officers who attended the scene of the attack were urged to 'come to pay their respects, as well as victims, witnesses and anyone else', according to a statement on the Metropolitan Police Federation website Those gathered on the bridge fell silent at 2.40pm - the time the first call was made to police exactly seven days ago Officers who attended the scene of the attack were urged to 'come to pay their respects, as well as victims, witnesses and anyone else', according to a statement on the Metropolitan Police Federation website. The bridge, still adorned with floral tributes to the victims, was closed to traffic. Nurses and doctors from St Thomas' hospital, where many of the injured were treated, joined those on the bridge. School children aged nine and 10 from Al-Sadiq and Al-Zahra Schools clasped yellow roses and held signs which read 'Islam says no to terror' and 'please don't kill innocent people' as they walked across the river. Hundreds of members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association were on the bridge, wearing T-shirts with the message 'I am a Muslim, ask me anything'. People hold flowers as they attend a vigil to remember the victims of last week's Westminster terrorist attack Victims, witnesses and over 500 faith leaders from across the country link hands across Westminster Bridge from the south to the north Police officers congregated on Westminster Bridge this afternoon (pictured) to mark seven days since the devastating terror attack on London which left four people dead Children walk over Westminster Bridge during a vigil to remember the victims of last week's Westminster terrorist attack Police officers, many of whom were mourning the loss of their colleague PC Keith Palmer, stood side-by-side with those wearing T-shirts which said: 'I am a Muslim, ask me anything' Members of the public joined hands on the bridge in a show of solidarity, before honor the victims of the attack in a minute's silence March of solidarity by police officers across Westminster Bridge, a week on from the terror attack in London Zafir Malik, an imam from the association, said they were asked by the police to come along to show solidarity, and that they wanted to 'show that what happened here last week had nothing to do with the so-called religious aspect that this has been given'. '[It has] nothing to do with Islam, nothing to do with what we believe in and preach on a daily basis. 'We're here to show that we are united with our fellow countrymen and remembering those who have fallen, especially PC Keith Palmer. We are here and showing our solidarity for the country.' Vigils were also held across the country to coincide with the Westminster event. RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Share The Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association was also involved. The show of solidarity comes as an inquest for the victims is to open and adjourned at Westminster's Coroner's Court as police continue to investigate the attack. A separate inquest for Masood will be opened at the same court on Thursday. Several victims are still being treated in hospital. Among those are Andreea Cristea, 29, who was pushed over a barrier into the River Thames before being rescued by a fire crew. This week, Masood's widow Rohey Hydara and mother Janet Ajao spoke out to condemn the atrocity. Ajao said she was 'deeply shocked, saddened and numbed' by her son's actions and said she had 'shed many tears' for his victims. People hold roses on Westminster Bridge as they attend a vigil to remember the victims of last week's terror attack Vigils were also held across the country to coincide with the Westminster event. Those gathered on the bridge fell silent at 2.40pm - the time the first call was made to police exactly seven days ago Deputy Commissioner Craig Mackey of the Metropolitan Police speaks to the media after observing a minute's silence outside New Scotland Yard during a vigil to remember the victims of last week's terror attack Hydara added: 'I express my condolences to the families of the victims that have died, and wish a speedy recovery to all the injured. 'I would like to request privacy for our family, especially the children, at this difficult time.' Scotland Yard is continuing to urge anyone who was in contact with Masood on the day of the attack to come forward. His communications on March 22 are a main line of inquiry, amid reports his phone connected with encrypted messaging service WhatsApp just before the attack. Two men arrested in connection with the investigation remain in custody after police requested warrants for further detention. Officers have until 6.50am on Thursday to question a 58-year-old arrested at an address in Birmingham on the day of the attack. A 30-year-old man who was arrested in Birmingham on Sunday is likely to be detained until 11.35am on Sunday. A group of Muslim men stood on the bridge holding flowers and signs which read 'Love for All, Hatred for None' At 2.15pm, precisely the moment that the attack began, the group linked hands across Westminster Bridge from the south to the north. A man is pictured holding a flower during the event Floral tributes have been left on the wrought iron gates of the Palace of Westminster, paying tribute to those who died A vigil was also held on Salford Quays Bridge by The Lowry in Salford, exactly a week since the Westminster terror attack took place Twelve people are still being treated at hospitals across London. Meanwhile, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will join the families of Westminster terror attack victims at a special service. The 'Service of Hope' will take place at Westminster Abbey next Wednesday, marking two weeks since the attack. The service will take place at noon and will be broadcast live on the BBC. 'So many people have been so kind' Kurt Cochran's family's statement As spokesman for the family said: 'Thank you for coming this morning and most especially for your kindness and consideration of our family. 'This has been a humbling and difficult experience, but we've felt the love of so many people during these past several days. 'It has been a tender experience for our family to be together with Melissa here. Her health is steadily improving and she has been strengthened by the presence of her family. Mr Cochran and his wife had run a recording studio from their Utah home for 10 years 'She is so grateful for the outpouring of love and generosity. Our family is so grateful for the first responders, the medical personnel, the assistance of government agencies in the United States and Great Britain along with the generosity and assistance of Delta Airlines in arranging for our travel to and from London. 'So many people have been so kind, and we are deeply touched by their goodness and generosity. Your notes, prayers, donations and love have helped us so much. 'The most difficult part of all of this is that Kurt is no longer with us, and we miss him terribly. He was an amazing individual who loved everyone and tried to make the world a better place. 'He left a legacy of generosity and service that continues to inspire us. We are deeply saddened to lose him but are grateful that the world is coming to know him and be inspired by him. 'Thank you for your many stories that have touched our family and helped us remember and celebrate his life. Thank you.'
Advertisement Terror suspect in Westminster attack not known to police or MI5 A man is being detained by police outside the Houses of Parliament (Sky News/PA) A terror suspect accused of deliberately crashing a car outside the Houses of Parliament was not known to police or MI5, Scotland Yard has said. The man, in his late twenties, is being held in custody at a south London police station but is not co-operating with officers, counter-terrorism head Neil Basu said. He was arrested on suspicion of terror offences after the silver Ford Fiesta he was driving collided with cyclists and pedestrians before crashing into security barriers just before 7.40am on Tuesday. The suspect is understood to be from the Birmingham area. 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, said Mr Basu. We have not formally identified him yet. On the details we have at the moment we dont believe this individual was known to MI5 or counter-terror police. The silver car can be seen coming along the road next to Parliament Square before moving to turn right towards Westminster Abbey in footage of the incident aired on BBC News. As an ambulance passes the car on its right-hand side, the vehicle swerves left, crossing oncoming traffic and a pavement before entering a small road and crashing into a security barrier. POLICE Westminster Credit: PA Graphics A police officer can be seen jumping another barrier that runs along the side of the road to get away. Two white vehicles appear to be behind the car shortly before the crash but Mr Basu insisted: There was not a police car in pursuit of the vehicle. Images posted to social media showed a man wearing a black puffer jacket being led away in handcuffs from the car. There was nobody else in the vehicle and no weapons were found, police said. Mr Basu added no other suspects have been identified and there is no intelligence at this time of further danger to Londoners. Sorry, this content isn't available on your device. Two people were taken to hospital, while a third person with minor injuries was assessed at the scene, the London Ambulance Service (LAS) said. One was discharged from St Thomas Hospital before midday, while a woman is being treated for serious but not life-threatening injuries at St Marys Hospital. Sorry, this content isn't available on your device. Prime Minister Theresa May said her thoughts were with those injured and thanked the emergency services for their immediate and courageous response. A meeting of the Governments emergency cobra committee will be held at 2pm. The car, right, which crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament Credit: Ewelina Ochab/Twitter/PA US President Donald Trump said on Twitter: These animals are crazy and must be dealt with through toughness and strength! Sorry, this content isn't available on your device. Geoffrey Woodman, a strategy consultant from Battersea, had stopped at the traffic lights by Parliament Square on his cycle to work when the car swerved into cyclists and towards the security barriers. I was getting off the bike and put my foot down, then there was a sound like tyres screeching, he 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. Sorry, this content isn't available on your device. He said most people managed to jump off their bikes to safety but one woman who seemed in some distress was clipped by the bonnet of the car as it passed. Mr Woodman said paramedics from a passing ambulance stopped to help before armed police arrived on the scene. Cyclist James Maker, 30, of Chelmsford, Essex, passed the scene in Westminster minutes later and saw a woman injured on the ground and the car crashed into the barrier. I looked to the right-hand side and there was a cyclist on the floor, clearly injured, he told the Press Association. It was a woman, they were clearly quite injured, they werent moving and they were in the recovery position. Jason Williams, 45, from Kennington, was walking to work when he saw the crash. I saw a car going at high speed towards Parliament. It hit a bollard, he told the Press Association. It looked deliberate. It didnt look like an accident. How do you do that by accident? It was a loud bang. Sorry, this content isn't available on your device. Streets around Parliament Square, Millbank and Victoria Tower Gardens were cordoned off as police, ambulances and firefighters arrived. Bus driver Victor Ogbomo, 49, passed the scene just after the crash. All I saw was the smoke coming out of a vehicle, a silver vehicle I just stopped the bus, he said. The police said we have to move back, then in less than five minutes the response team came. The Houses of Parliament are surrounded with security barriers of steel and concrete. The measures were extended in the wake of the Westminster Bridge attack in March 2017 when Khalid Masood ploughed a car into crowds on Westminster Bridge, killing four people. Masood abandoned his car then stabbed and killed unarmed Pc Keith Palmer before he was shot by armed police in a courtyard outside Parliament. The terrorist threat against the UK is seen as unprecedented. In addition to five attacks that occurred last year, authorities say they have stopped 13 Islamist and four extreme right-wing plots since the Westminster atrocity in March 2017. Police and MI5 are running at least 500 live operations involving roughly 3,000 active subjects of interest at any one time  while there is also a wider pool of more than 20,000 individuals who have previously featured in probes whose threat must be kept under review. Earlier this year, the Government unveiled a refreshed counter-terror strategy. Under the blueprint, MI5 intelligence will be shared with bodies outside the security community in an attempt to stop suspects before attack plots can crystallise, while anti-terror laws are to be strengthened to allow earlier interventions.
Read more Turning my head, I saw a police officer fall to the ground, clutching his arm or his shoulder. In the confusion, as shouts and screams rang out around me, it appeared the officer had been shot, although we later learned he had been stabbed. I saw his attacker running towards Parliaments main gates, trying to escape it seemed, but he was quickly cut down by the shots from other police officers. There were shouts before the shots came  a warning for the man in dark clothes to drop his weapon, presumably  but it was ignored and he paid the price. As the man lay motionless, other officers rushed to usher away a large crowd standing outside Westminster Hall, just a few yards from the violence. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP Some MPs started to ask me what was going on, while others rushed away as the severity of the incident started to become clear. Then we were ordered to follow them. Back in the office, I and other reporters watched from the window overlooking New Palace Yard as paramedics tended to the stricken officer. A few yards away, it seemed clear that his attacker was fighting for life, a paramedic kneeling over him furiously pumping his chest over-and-over again to keep his heart going. As we watched, Parliament went into lockdown and the Commons was suspended as disbelieving MPs were told what had happened outside the supposedly super-secure Palace of Westminster. There has been a serious incident within the estate, Commons Leader David Lidington said. It seems that a police officer has been stabbed, that the alleged assailant was shot by armed police. An air ambulance is currently attending the scene to remove the casualties. Only then did it emerge that an even worse horror had taken place just outside Parliaments railings, with reports of many bodies on Westminster bridge  mowed down by a car which then crashed into Parliaments gates.
Police try to establish if Khalid Masood had support as number of arrests rises to 10 Speaking in the House of Commons, British Prime Minister Theresa May has confirmed that one Irish person was among the injured after an attack on Westminster. Video: Parliament TV A mugshot of Khalid Masood released by the Metropolitan Police in London. Masood was born Adrian Russell Ajao and he grew up in Tunbridge Wells with two half-brothers. Photograph: Metropolitan Police/Reuters The final hours and violent past of the ex-convict who launched the terror attack in Westminster in which he and four others were killed has begun to emerge. The Metropolitan police released a photo of Khalid Masood on Friday afternoon, as the acting deputy commissioner, Mark Rowley, said officers were keen to establish whether he had acted totally alone inspired by terrorist propaganda or whether he had support. Details of Masoods complex past, which included criminal convictions, a nomadic lifestyle and the use of at least three names, emerged on Friday, along with eyewitness accounts of his final hours. Masood (52) was laughing and joking in Brighton the night before making his fatal journey to London, according to the manager of a hotel in Brighton where he stayed on Tuesday. We never thought anything of him. He was just another guest who checked into the hotel, Sabeur Toumi, of the Preston Park hotel, told Sky News. Masood discussed his family, saying his father was ill and mentioning his wonderful children. He was very friendly, laughing and joking, Mr Toumi said. The room where Masood stayed was swabbed for DNA evidence by the police as detectives worked to piece together his movements in the days before the attack. He was also found to have checked WhatsApp moments before ploughing into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge. The police made two more significant arrests overnight and a third on Friday morning, taking the number of people in custody to 10. And they announced the name of a fourth person killed by the attack: Leslie Rhodes (75), of south London, died in hospital overnight from his injuries sustained on Westminster Bridge on Wednesday. Detectives were still searching two addresses in Birmingham and one in east London on Friday afternoon. Three cars were seized in an armed raid linked to the investigation, Press Association reported. Racial overtones It also emerged that Masood had a conviction for slashing a mans face in a pub row in 2000, an assault described in court as having racial overtones, and had links to a string of properties across the UK. Masood, known in 2000 as Adrian Elms, was jailed for two years for the attack. Lawyers involved in the case said he and his family were forced to move from their home in Northiam, Sussex, after being ostracised because of the attack. The court heard that Elms was one of only two black men living in the village, near Rye, at the time of the attack which left his victim, Piers Mott, with an 8cm gash to his face. Adrian Baker (51), who has lived in Northiam for 25 years, told the Press Association on Friday that Elms was known as a troubled character. He said: Im gobsmacked. He didnt appear to be very religious. He would go into the local pubs. I do remember a fracas involving a guy called Piers Mott. This was a long time ago. I remember Elms being a bit of a troubled character. Masood was born Adrian Russell Ajao and the Guardian has established he grew up in Tunbridge Wells with two half-brothers. He changed his name when his mother married. A classmate from Huntleys secondary school said he was really, really shocked to hear of Masoods attack. Stuart Knight, who runs a butchery in Tunbridge Wells, said: He was a smashing guy, really nice chap . . . He was a bright student. He loved sport. He was in the rugby team. Mr Knight said they lost touch after Masood left school at 16. He was very well-liked, he had a lot of friends. He was one of only two black people out of 600 children . . . I dont know if he had girlfriends but he did party very well, he liked to have a good time. Arrests Mr Rowley said the two arrests overnight were made in the West Midlands and northwest England, and the Friday morning arrest was in Manchester. Eight people had been arrested earlier, but one woman has since been released on bail. Our investigation focuses on [Masoods] motivation, his preparation and his associates, said Mr Rowley, who is head of the Mets counter-terrorism command. While theres still no evidence of further threats, youll understand our determination is to whether he acted totally alone inspired by terrorist propaganda or if others have encouraged supported or directed him. Mr Rowley gave details on the breadth of the investigation, which has been named Operation Classific: searches were continuing at five addresses, with 16 property searches having been completed and 2,700 items seized. Police had had contacts with about 3,500 witnesses, including 1,000 from Westminster Bridge and 2,500 who were on the parliamentary estate during Wednesdays attack. Mr Rowley confirmed that Mr Rhodes, from Streatham, had died overnight. The retired window cleaner lived alone and was described by his neighbour Philip Williams as the nicest man you ever met. The others killed in the attack were PC Keith Palmer (48), who was fatally stabbed by Masood inside the parliamentary gates; Kurt Cochran (54), an American tourist, and Aysha Frade (43), a London teacher. Mr Rowley said at least 50 people, of 12 nationalities, had been injured in the attack, with 31 requiring hospital treatment. Its a poignant reminder that the impact of the attack on the capital will reach around the world, he said. The attack The attack began at 2.40pm on Wednesday when Masood drove into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before crashing his rented four-wheel drive into the fence outside parliament and attacked two police officers as he tried to enter the building. Dramatic footage emerged on Friday of Theresa May running towards a car, surrounded by her security detail, as she left parliament in the aftermath of the attack. The prime minister told MPs on Thursday that Masood had been previously known to MI5 in relation to concerns about violent extremism, although he was a peripheral figure and had fallen from the intelligence picture. Scotland Yard also revealed that, apart from the 2000 assault, Masood had a string of criminal convictions, including grievous bodily harm and other assaults, possession of offensive weapons, and public order offences. His first conviction was in November 1983 for criminal damage and his last was in 2003, when he was living in Eastbourne, for stabbing a man in the nose during an altercation outside a rest home. According to local newspaper reports at the time he was charged with GBH wounding with intent. He also faced two charges of possessing an offensive weapon, said to be a knife and a baton. In September 2004, he married Farzana Malik in Medway, Kent. Other reports claimed to detail his professional career, saying that Masood recorded on his CV that he had taught English in Saudi Arabia in 2005 and returned to the UK in 2009 when he became a senior English teacher at a TEFL college in Luton. In 2012, he reportedly set up an English language tutoring business, named IQRA, based in Birmingham. Public appeal Mr Rowley launched an appeal to the public for help with the investigation. Were keen to hear from anyone who knew Khalid Masood well, he said. Anyone who understands who his associates were, anyone who can provide information about the places hes recently visited. There might well be people out there who did have concerns about Masood but werent sure about passing that information to us. Mr Rowley said police chiefs had ordered the number of armed officers in London to be doubled in the wake of the attack, as well as an increase in the number of unarmed officers. This is being done by extending shifts from eight to 12 hours, cancelling rest days and stopping annual leave. In the rest of the UK the number of armed officers deployed is up by one-third. The boosted police presence is expected to last until the weekend at least, in an attempt to provide maximum deterrence to anyone plotting a follow-up attack, or hate crimes against Muslim people.
Popular Videos MPs, peers and staff working in Parliament and Whitehall led a minute's silence to pay respects to the victims of the Westminster terror attack. A large area around the Palace of Westminster, including Parliament Square and Westminster Bridge, remained cordoned off the morning after the attack but staff were able to access the building and return to work. The House of Commons sat after prayers at 9.30am, when the minute's silence followed, and then questions to Liam Fox and ministers from his Department for International Trade. Westminster attack: Theresa May vows Britain will never give in to terror Prime Minister Theresa May will lead a show of defiance in the wake of the attack, which left four people dead including the terrorist, and many others injured, by giving a statement to MPs in the Commons at 10.30am. Two people in overalls and masks were seen sorting through material near the area in New Palace Yard where the attacker was shot and PC Keith Palmer stabbed, and an area in the courtyard remained cordoned off. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP The popular Terrace cafeteria was open and serving a hot breakfast as normal as MPs, peers and staff arrived for work. The Union flag was flying at half-mast over the Houses of Parliament and other nearby buildings.
London Ambulance said it had treated at least 10 people on Westminster Bridge. The Port of London Authority said a woman has been pulled alive from the River Thames near the bridge and was being treated for serious injuries. Junior doctor Colleen Anderson from St Thomas' Hospital confirmed the death of the woman and said a number of other people were hurt - some with "catastrophic" injuries. She said she also treated a police officer in his 30s with a head injury, who had been taken to King's College Hospital. She said the woman had died at the scene. "There were people across the bridge. There were some with minor injuries, some catastrophic," she added. "Some had injuries they could walk away from or who have life-changing injuries. There were maybe a dozen [injured]." Analysis Image copyrightPA By Dominic Casciani, home affairs correspondent The incident outside Westminster, while at this stage unclear, is the kind of scenario security chiefs have been planning for. Just last week there was a major counter-terrorism exercise on the River Thames as part of plans to prepare for the worst. What's not clear is whether this incident was anything that could have been foreseen. But the fact that the Metropolitan Police's counter-terrorism armed response swung into action so quickly indicates how much work has been done since the killing of Lee Rigby in 2013. Scotland Yard's counter-terrorism command, MI5 and, where relevant, other major agencies, will throw absolutely everything at trying to establish the background of the suspect - whether they were working alone or whether there could be more of the same on the way. And while they are treating this as a terrorist incident, they will know full well they will have to test the evidence to ensure this theory is correct. MPs said they had heard three or four gunshots and staff inside Parliament were told to stay inside their offices. "I heard shouts and screams from outside and looked out, and there was a group of maybe 40 or 50 people running round the corner from Bridge Street into Parliament Square. "They appeared to be running away from something. "As the group arrived at the Carriage Gates, where policemen are posted at the security entrance, a man suddenly ran out of the crowd and into the yard. "He seemed to be holding up a long kitchen knife. "I heard what sounded like shots - I think about three of them - and then the next thing I knew there were two people lying on the ground and others running to help them. "Armed police were quickly on the scene and I heard them shouting to people to get out of the yard." 'Mowed down' An eye witness, Radoslaw Sikorski, a senior fellow at Harvard's Centre for European Studies, posted a video to Twitter showing people lying injured in the road on Westminster Bridge. Image copyrightAlison BaskervilleImage caption Parliament went into lockdown after the attack Image copyrightAP Image copyrightAP He wrote: "A car on Westminster Bridge has just mowed down at least 5 people." Scotland Yard said it was called to a firearms incident on the bridge amid reports of several people injured. Transport for London said Westminster underground station has been shut at the police's request, and buses diverted. Media captionAerial views of Houses of Parliament Mr Lidington said: "It seems that a police officer has been stabbed, that the alleged assailant was shot by armed police. "An air ambulance is currently attending the scene to remove the casualties. "There are also reports of further violent incidents in the vicinity of the Palace of Westminster but I hope colleagues on all sides will appreciate that it'd be wrong of me to go into further details until we have confirmation from the police and from the House security authorities about what is going on." Are you in the area? If it is safe to do so, please get in touch with us. Email us at haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk If you are happy to be contacted by a BBC journalist please leave a telephone number that we can contact you on. In some cases a selection of your comments will be published, displaying your name as you provide it and location, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. When sending us pictures, video or eyewitness accounts at no time should you endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws. Please ensure you have read the terms and conditions.
Pictured, Westminster terror attack victim, Aysha Frade. Spanish teacher who lost her life. Aysha Frade identified as the fifth fatal Westminster attack victim. A Spanish teacher whod just finished work and was en route picking up her two daughters. Aysha Frade a 43 year old British citizen of Galician origin has been identified as one of the victims who died yesterday during Londons Westminster attack. The woman who worked as a Spanish teacher was making her way across Westminster Bridge, en route to collect her children from school when she was mowed over by the Westminster terrorist as they plowed down in their four wheel drive. Frade had only just left her place of work at nearby college, DLD College London and like most days was now making her way to pick up her two children when fate intervened. Spanish media said the woman had been born in Britain and had a Portuguese husband called John Frade. The couple had two daughters, aged eight and 11. Rachel Borland, DLD College Londons principal, the college where Frade worked saidstaff were deeply shocked and saddened at news of the teachers death. All our thoughts and our deepest sympathies are with her family,she added. We will be offering every support we can to them as they try to come to terms with their devastating loss. Aysha worked as a member of our administration team at the college. She was highly regarded and loved by our students and by her colleagues. She will be deeply missed by all of us. In the aftermath of the teachers callous death, colleagues and friends paid tribute to the much beloved teacher My heart aches for her family, one wrote, while another called her a wonderful, lovely woman. Aysha Frade pictured with her two daughters. Aysha Frade pictured with her husband, John Frade. Aysha Frade, a British citizen, had familial links to the Spanish municipality of Betanzos, where relatives were notified of her death on Wednesday afternoon. Her two sisters run an English academy in the area, which suspended classes as news of the tragedy spread, La Vos de Galiciareported. Mrs Frade was the second victim named following Wednesdays attack, where PC Keith Palmerwas stabbed to death outside the Houses of Parliament. She and another member of the public, a man in his 50s, died of injuries sustained on Westminster Bridge as an attacker sped his car along the pavement. He crashed it into gates next to the Houses of Parliament before getting out and bursting through the entrance, stabbing PC Palmer before being shot dead at around 2.40pm. Aysha Frade Westminster terror attack timeline. Frade was one of five people killed, including the Westminster suspect, a police officer he had stabbed and a man in his fifties was the terrorists third victim  he was believed to have been knocked off Westminster Bridge on to a concrete underpass below. The other victim was an individual who succumbed to their injuries after being run over by a bus after being knocked onto traffic by the plowing terrorist motorist. To date, numerous tourists and students from Britain, France and Korea are among the injured with 29 in hospital on top of the walking wounded. Seven are critically ill with catastrophic injuries  potentially including two other police officers. The Westminster suspect, to date unnamed, despite earlier confirmations which proved to be false, was a British-born man believed to be in his forties who was known to MI5
Westminster/London Attack  A Few Interesting, Early Notes Just want to throw a few interesting points out here, pending a more considered thought-process as more substantial information is released. As Im pressed for time and as the information about this attack is still being updated all the time, the notes below are just a quick, provisional observation. But I include the usual disclaimer: nothing here is meant to downplay or question any suffering, trauma, injury or death that has occurred. I also fully acknowledge that todays event in Westminster couldve been a straight-up lone-wolf IS-inspired attack by an Islamo-Fascist jihadi: London has been on high alert for some time and an attack has been predicted. But, as I said, a few notes. This incident occurs on the anniversary of the Brussels airport attack  which itself was suspect for several reasons. Indeed, a memorial event was being held today to commemorate the Brussels attack. The date (22/3) may be of occult/ritual significance, as was very much the case with the Friday 13th Paris attacks. Last year, in fact, just prior to the Belgium attack, a Reddit conspiracy theorist even posted a question asking what false-flag attack might occur on 22nd March. The significance of March 22nd in some areas of conspiracy-theory lore, is that the emblem of the secret society Skull & Bones features the number 322 (with March 22nd being 3/22). Another curious thing. A few days before the attack, a story appeared in multiple newspapers revealing  oddly  that when the Queen eventually dies, she will be referred to by the code-word London Bridge and that civil servants will state the phrase London Bridge is Down on secure lines. I say odd not because such a code exists: but because it has been in place for decades and, for some reason, someone just randomly decided to reveal it via the media (a few days before the attack). So, could this strangely-timed story have actually been a pre-arranged signal or launch code for a false-flag op in Westminster, involving an attack on the bridge? Why else reveal that code in multiple newspapers at a random time, when that code has been in place for years and is hardly a big news story? Interestingly also is that, today, UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnston is in the US, meeting with the Trump administration and representatives from 68 countries in a conference on how to deal with the ISIS threat and radical Islamism. This attack in Westminster also forced the cancellation of a key parliamentary vote on the issue of Scottish independence. Interestingly the CCTV cameras for Westminster were reported to have been taken off-line as of September,apparently due to the costs of maintaining them. See here, here and here. As a result, Ive seen several police requests on TV for witnesses to come forward  presumably, among the usual reasons, to compensate for the absence of CCTV. Also interesting is that Cressida Dick was just recently appointed the new head of Scotland Yard a month or so ago. This appointment was met by some controversy, as she is best known as having been the officer in command of the operation which led to the fatal shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes in 2005. Amid a career that has included Head of Counter-Terrorism and an unspecified role at the Foreign Office, she also has held such posts as Assistant Commissioner for Specialist Operations. Terror drills involving simulated attacks on Parliament have taken place in recent years, such as this one in 2014, which is specified to have involved Specialist Operations according to the report from the time  which is during the time that Cressida Dick was still Assistant Commissioner for Specialist Operations. As Im writing this, I am aware that neither ISIS nor any other terror group has yet claimed responsibility. As of now, pictures have emerged showing the alleged attacker being carried on a stretcher  a bearded individual being widely described as an Asian man. Presumably this is the attacker. And we are generally being told that this was a lone attacker. However, worth noting that one or two outlets reported more than one attacker. RTreported (17:30 GMT) the following: Reuters are reporting that police are currently looking for a second suspect in the Houses of Parliament. A BBC reporter says a witness described two assailants as being a bald white man and a black man with goatee beard Its a muddy picture of events right now. As Ive covered these sorts of incidents here countless times by now, Im foregoing the usual points and contexts about the nature of the terrorist threat, false-flag operations or Operation Gladio  most people here are probably bored of all that by now. A more final, official story will coalesce probably by this evening in mainstream media. My thoughts are with any of the Londoners hurt or killed in this event.
Mr Mackey, who witnessed the fatal attack, also reiterated concerns voiced by the Home Secretary, Amber Rudd this week, that secure communication platforms can hamper terrorism investigations ( PA ) The London terrorist attack was a wake up call for technology companies, the head of the Metropolitan Police said on Wednesday. Tech giants including Google and Facebook have come under fire recently for not doing enough to stop extremist content being hosted on their networks I think these sorts of incidents and the others we've seen in Europe are probably a bit of a wake-up call for the industry in terms of trying to understand what it means to put your own house in order, Acting Chief Commissioner Craig Mackey told the London Assembly's police and crime committee. If you are going to have an ethical statement and talk about operating in an ethical way, it actually has to mean something. That is the sort of thing that obviously politicians and others will push now, he said. He said the Met had a whole team that spends most of its time working to taking down extremist content, but it could not access all material. Google, which owns YouTube, has come in for particularly heavy criticism in recent weeks after it emerged companies' adverts had appeared next to videos promoting hate crimes, extremism and racism. Hundreds of firms as well as the UK government have suspended advertising with the company until it can give reassurances that it will crack down on the issue. He said that with an attack such as the one on Westminster, there was an enormous amount of information to dig through, some in encrypted applications, some in easier to analyse formats. We work hard with the industry to highlight the challenges of these very secure applications, Mr Mackey said. It's a challenge when you are dealing with companies that are global by their very nature because they don't always operate under the same legal framework as us. On Monday the Home Secretary said: Its completely unacceptable. There should be no place for terrorists to hide. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP "We need to make sure that organisations like WhatsApp, and there are plenty of others like that, dont provide a secret place for terrorists to communicate with each other ... "On this situation we need to make sure that our intelligence services have the ability to get into situations like encrypted WhatsApp. Technology companies have said that they use secure features such as end-to-end encryption to protect users' privacy. This means that even the companies themselves cannot see the messages, only the sender and recipient can read them.
Leaders speak following Westminster attack Prime Minister Theresa May gave a statement in Downing Street last night following the attack in Westminster which saw five people killed and forty more injured. Prime Minister Theresa May said: I have just chaired a meeting of the Governments emergency committee, COBRA, following the sick and depraved terrorist attack on the streets of our capital this afternoon. The full details of exactly what happened are still emerging. But, having been updated by police and security officials, I can confirm that this appalling incident began when a single attacker drove his vehicle into pedestrians walking across Westminster Bridge, killing two people and injuring many more, including three police officers. This attacker, who was armed with a knife, then ran towards Parliament where he was confronted by the police officers who keep us  and our democratic institutions  safe. Tragically, one officer was killed. The terrorist was also shot dead. The United Kingdoms threat level has been set at severe for some time and this will not change. Acting Deputy Commissioner Rowley will give a further operational update later this evening. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all who have been affected  to the victims themselves, and their family and friends who waved their loved ones off, but will not now be welcoming them home. For those of us who were in Parliament at the time of this attack, these events provide a particular reminder of the exceptional bravery of our police and security services who risk their lives to keep us safe. Once again today, these exceptional men and women ran towards the danger even as they encouraged others to move the other way. On behalf of the whole country, I want to pay tribute to them  and to all our emergency services  for the work they have been doing to reassure the public and bring security back to the streets of our Capital City. That they have lost one of their own in todays attack only makes their calmness and professionalism under pressure all the more remarkable. The location of this attack was no accident. The terrorists chose to strike at the heart of our Capital City, where people of all nationalities, religions and cultures come together to celebrate the values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech. These streets of Westminster  home to the worlds oldest Parliament  are ingrained with a spirit of freedom that echoes in some of the furthest corners of the globe. And the values our Parliament represents  democracy, freedom, human rights, the rule of law  command the admiration and respect of free people everywhere. That is why it is a target for those who reject those values. But let me make it clear today, as I have had cause to do before: any attempt to defeat those values through violence and terror is doomed to failure. Tomorrow morning, Parliament will meet as normal. We will come together as normal. And Londoners  and others from around the world who have come here to visit this great City  will get up and go about their day as normal. They will board their trains, they will leave their hotels, they will walk these streets, they will live their lives. And we will all move forward together. Never giving in to terror. And never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has expressed her sympathy and has offered Scotlands solidarity and support. She said: My thoughts are with everyone caught up in the dreadful incident at Westminster today, including the emergency services who responded bravely to ensure the safety of the many people nearby. Following the incident the Scottish Government has been liaising closely with Police Scotland and the Cabinet Secretary for Justice has been briefed by the Chief Constable. This afternoon our officials held a Scottish Government resilience (SGoRR) meeting with Police Scotland, to ensure that any potential implications for Scotland are considered and I will convene a Ministerial SGoRR meeting later this evening. We have been in regular dialogue with the Parliament and I fully support the decision of the Presiding Officer to suspend proceedings this afternoon. It should be made clear, however, that this was not because of any specific threat to the parliament or to Scotland We are liaising with our counterparts in the UK Government and the Scottish Government stands ready to support in any way we can.
Car rams British Parliament during morning rush hour hitting group of cyclists SO15 Counter Terror Special Operations have confirmed they have arrested one suspect on suspicion of terror offences in relation to an incident at Westminster Parliament this morning. Special Operations 15 Armed Counter Terror Forces are investigating after a car ploughed through a group of cyclists waiting at traffic lights rammed the reinforced security gates to the British Houses of Parliament today, during morning rush hour. At least 15 cyclists have been injured with two being hospitalised with serious but injuries not thought to be life threatening, after the driver of a silver Ford Fiesta accelerated across a central divide onto the wrong side of the road, through a crowd of cyclists and into the security barriers protecting the gates to Parliament at 07.40 this morning. The London Ambulance Service said it had taken two people to hospital and that their injuries were not thought to be life threatening. Video footage shows the moment the car travelling over 40mph in a 20mph zone swerved and accelerate at the last minute, hitting the group of cyclists at aproximately 50mph before ploughing into barriers outside Parliament. The impact was severe enough to lift the vehicle clean off the ground. Images posted on social media showed a man in a black puffer jacket and office attire of an ironed white shirt and black trousers, being pulled out of the car at gunpoint with machine guns and long range rifles aimed at him, before being dragged away in handcuffs. Police said a man in his late twenties had been arrested on suspicion of terror offences. No weapons were found in the vehicle, officers added. Detectives are now trying to establish the identity of the arrested man who reportedly was unable or unwilling to provide any officially recognised identification. The suspect remained silent and did not shout, talk or respond to questions at the scene. Witnesses said the car was travelling at approximately 50mph and appeared to intentionally swerve towards the cyclists and Parliament and smash into a security checkpoint barrier near the St Stephens entrance, where armed police officers were standing. No police were injured as they werent standing behind the bomb proof anti-tank barriers, that guard many of Londons key locations, at the time. A builder who saw the crash unfold told Al-Sahawat Times: There were 15/20 or so cyclists in their lane and he went through them. He kept driving on and smashed into the gates. There were about half a douzen cyclists left on the floor. There were people chasing after him and shouting for him to stop. I couldnt tell how badly the cyclists were injured, it all happened so quick. The police were there so quickly with their guns running up the road. A witness identifying as Mr. B. Williams, said: two police officers had to dive out of the way as the car ploughed into security barriers outside Parliament. Within minutes police threw an SO15 cordon al commonly referred to as a terror cordon around Westminster, closing the Underground stations, bridges and roads around Parliament Square has the adjacent areas. Armed officers stood guard outside the Tube and bomb squad experts and sniffer dogs were brought in to examine the crashed car. The Houses of Parliament were placed in lockdown and all entrances were closed after the incident. MPs are currently away for the summer recess with no key persons present at the time of the incident. The incident came 17 months after a 52 year old male mowed down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, before stabbing and killing a police officer at the gates of Parliament. In total five people were killed and more than 50 injured. In the wake of the attack on March 22 last year, a network of military, steel and concrete security barriers and unspecified reinforcements were installed around the Houses of Parliament and other key London locations including; buildings, stations, parks religious sites and bridges. This morning a police spokesman said: At 7.37am, a silver Ford Fiesta collided with a number of cyclists and pedestrians, before crashing into barriers outside the Houses of Parliament. The driver of the car, a man in his late-20s, was arrested at the scene by armed officers. He has been taken to a south London police station where he remains in police custody. There was nobody else in the vehicle, which remains at the scene and is being searched. No weapons have been recovered at this stage. The spokesman added: At this stage, we are treating this as a terrorist incident and the Mets Counter Terrorism Command is now leading the investigation. Last year an videotape initially declared a terror attack outside Parliament was reclassified as an unintentional accident. A male taxi driver suffering from diabetes became unconscious at the wheele of his cab and drove over a pedestrianised area before crashing into row of parked cars. No one was injured in the incident, but the driver was initially arrested on suspicion of terror offences, no charges relating to terrorism were brought against the driver. Yet a large number of British newspapers, who at the time incorrectly claimed Muslims were responsible for the attack failed to publish the later developments and deescalation of the incident. Since youre here   we have a small favour to ask. More people are reading Al-Sahawat Times than ever but advertising revenues across the global media industry are falling fast. And unlike many news organisations, we havent put up a total paywall. We want to keep our journalism as open as we can. So you can see why we need to ask for your help. Al-Sahawat Times independent, investigative journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we believe truly ethical media and an unbias perspective really matters. I appreciate there not being a paywall: it is more democratic for the media to be available for all and not a commodity to be purchased by a few. Im happy to make a contribution so others with less means still have access to information. If everyone who reads our reporting, who likes it, helps fund it, the future of ethical media and the futures of our staff and their families would be much more secure. For as little as 1, you can support Al-Sahawat Times and it only takes a minute. 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Queen's visit cancelled The Queens visit to New Scotland Yard has been postponed, Buckingham Palace has announced.Her Majesty had been due to visit the forces new headquarters tomorrow. In a statement to Sky News, Buckingham Palace said: In light of todays events the decision has been taken to postpone The Queens engagement to New Scotland Yard tomorrow. 21:41 COBRA meeting chaired Prime Minister Theresa May chaired a meeting of the Governments emergency Cobra committee earlier tonight.Senior ministers and police discussed the immediate response to the bloody incident at the Palace of Westminster during the 45-minute meeting.Flags will be lowered to half mast over Downing Street as a mark of respect to those who lost their lives. 21:35 University students Four university students from the North West were injured during the attack on Westminster Bridge.Owen Lambert, from Morecambe, and Travis Frain, from Darwen, were among a group of 13 students and a lecturer from Edge Hill University visiting the capital at the time.The students had just left Parliament as part of an educational visit to the Houses of Parliament and were walking down Westminster Bridge after watching Prime Ministers Questions.Owen, 18, needed stitches to a head wound after the attack.Dr John Cater, Vice Chancellor of Edge Hill University, told BBC North West Tonight that two students were taken to hospital as walking wounded.There are two other students who have minor injuries who are with police and acting as witnesses.Our assumption is that they were either knocked over by other people or struck by the vehicle. 21:07 Attackers are 'doomed to failure' Prime Minister Theresa May has spoken for the first time since todays sick and depraved terrorist attack.She said the people of Britain will never allow the voices of evil and hate to drive us apart. Mrs May said anyone who attempts to defeat British values through terror is doomed to failure. Mrs May said her thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected, the victims and their families and friends who waved their loved ones off but will not now be welcoming them home.She praised the exceptional men and women who ran towards the danger even as they encouraged others to move away.We want to pay tribute to them and the emergency services for all they have been doing, she said.The PM said the location of todays attack was no accident. The terrorist chose to strike at the heart of our city, she said. 20:56 'Sick and depraved' Theresa May described the Westminster attacks as sick and depraved in a statement tonight. 20:44 Eiffel Tower The lights on the Eiffel Tower will be switched off at midnight tonight as a gesture of solidarity from the French people. 20:40 Eyewitness One Government worker saw the drama unfolding from offices at Whitehall. She told the M.E.N: I heard nothing but the sirens racing down Whitehall. When I went out to take a look I saw the police on motorbikes racing through the traffic. There are still sirens going off now and helicopters circling the area. Were on lockdown so weve been told not to leave the office. Its quite scary. Network Rail have advised people due to travel down to London today to check for delays before travelling. A Network Roil spokesman said: Our advice to anyone travelling down to the capital would be to check with your train operator or with National Rail before travelling. Flights to London from Manchester Airport have not been affected by todays events. There are several flights due to leave for the capital today which are scheduled to go ahead as normal. 20:37 Social media response People are using the hashtags #PrayForLondon and #WeAreNotAfraid, to show solidarity with Londoners caught up in todays attack. 20:35 MPs have now left the chamber After almost five hours MPs have been allowed to leave the Commons chamber.Around 1,000 people who were taking shelter in Westminster Abbey have also been allowed to leave the area.Hundreds of people are currently streaming away from Westminster after todays terror attack. 20:30 Statement from Sadiq Khan Extra armed police will be on the streets of London following the attack in Westminster. London mayor Sadiq Khan has vowed that Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism.He stressed that London remained one of the safest cities in the world and praised citizens and emergency services for the tremendous bravery they had shown.He said: Londoners should be aware that there will be additional armed and unarmed police officers on our streets from tonight in order to keep Londoners and all those visiting our city safe.He added: Tragically, a Metropolitan Police officer who was doing his duty protecting our city is amongst those who have been killed - and my thoughts are with his family this evening. 20:18 Suspect 'armed with two large knives' The suspect was allegedly armed with two large knives when he was shot by police. The blades were pictured lying on the ground as the man was transported to hospital. It is believed at least one of the weapons was used to stab to death the police officer. 20:07 Statement from Jeremy Corbyn Todays horrific attack in Westminster has shocked the whole country. All our thoughts are with the victims of this outrage, their loved ones, families and friends. Those victims include civilians and police officers, Londoners and visitors, subjected to a brutal and indiscriminate assault. Our thanks and gratitude go to the police and emergency services who responded so bravely, and to those  including the MP Tobias Ellwood  who went to the aid of the injured and dying. This was not only an attack on innocent people. It was also an attack on our democracy. But I know that Londoners and people across the country will stand together in defence of our values and diversity. 20:01 Schoolchildren reportedly sang hymns Schoolchildren locked in Parliament broke into singing Easter hymns as they were trapped with hundreds of others after todays terror attack. Staff and visitors in grand Central Lobby were serenaded by the group from St John & St Francis Church School in Bridgwater, Somerset. The school was one of 13 scheduled to visit Parliament on the day of the attack - which happened while some children were just a few yards away. 19:54 Police officer who lost their life Every one of us will want to pay tribute to the incredible courage and professionalism of the brave police officer who has lost his life today and given everything to protect others. All our thoughts are with his family, friends and colleagues now in the face of this terrible attack. Police officers do an incredible job every single day, never knowing what risks they will face, facing danger so others can get away. We owe them our safety and our gratitude. The police, security, emergency services and the Government need our continued support as they work immensely hard to deal with this vile attack, to care for those who have been hurt, and apprehend those responsible. They prepare and plan together for awful events like this and they have done an amazing job preventing many other such incidents over many years. They are responding with great professionalism, courage and skill now. Everyones thoughts will be with all those who have been hurt and their families. Terrorists try to divide us, and spread hatred, terror and fear. But we will not let them succeed. The messages of solidarity with those who have been hurt, and with our emergency services from communities across the country show the determination we have never to let terrorists win. 19:53 Official statement from No.10 The thoughts of the PM and the Government are with those killed and injured in this appalling incident, and with their families. The PM is being kept updated and will shortly chair COBR. 19:51 England football team to pay respects to victims England football team plan to pay their respects to the victims of the suspected terror attack, FA Chairman Greg Clarke has confirmed. He said: Our thoughts are with all of those who have been affected by this terrible incident. We will be recognising the bravery of the security services and all those involved at the England v Lithuania match on Sunday. 19:50 Mirror chief reporter Andy Lines says he has spoken to TV anchors who say they may have previously interviewed the suspect on College Green. Some of the TV anchors down here at #Westminster believe they interviewed the killer in the past on College Green.
Christopher Spivey Now I wasnt actually going to bother writing about the Westminster Bridge fake terrorist attack, since at first glance the event appeared to be the usual poorly-put-together staged production that anyone with a fully functioning mind and at least one seeing eye (watch the paedo-trolls pounce on those last 3 words  the scabby arsed slugs) would be able to conclude for themselves that the atrocity was in fact all an act. Moreover, since I could see at a quick glance that the terrorist attack aimed at the very heart of all that is good and proper was nothing more than an easily debunked, ill-conceived, comedy of errors, I [correctly] deduced that the bought-and-paid-for big named writers in the alternative-media would be all over the shite; exploiting the obvious failings in the poorly executed performance (albeit for the usual nefarious reasons), along with the lesser known wannabee journalists & Facebook Government Watchers  whom I also [correctly] figured would be eagerly clambering to be the first to uncover & expose the blatantly obvious failings in the sham production  I therefore saw no reason for me to add my two cents worth. And as such I would have been more than happy to let them get on with it, leaving me free to continue writing my forth coming expos on how the British Government (past & present) has been behind every major crime committed since the 1950s  especially since this Bridge Over Troubled Water Saga was literally becoming more and more ridiculous by the hour And then I twigged what was really occurring here. You see, the fraud event had by that point become so [seemingly] amateurish that I could no longer ignore it. And by that I mean; just because I constantly refer to the British Security & Intelligence Services as being totally incompetent and their faked events being amateur dramatics it doesnt make it so. In fact nothing could be further from the truth given their vast experience  dating back well over 100 years  in staging hoax productions, using technology not readily available or even generally known to exist, financed by a multi-million pound tax funded budget and planned by the crme-de-la-crme of devious, deviant, razor sharp, evil minded Monsters that our world renown Universities have churned out. Indeed, all that really lets them down is their inability to think and talk like the ordinary man on the street  hence the shit dialogue that is inevitably spouted by the bought & paid for witnesses to these hoaxes. Moreover, these Monsters have infiltrated and do in fact infest  at the very highest level  EVERY single department that govern and shape our lives, thus by way of a few examples: Gift them the ability to invent people who were never born, complete with the appropriate paperwork needed to give them life. Indeed, arrests and charges can also be fabricated in order to give credibility to those alleged to be responsible for a staged crime. After which the insidious, wholly corrupt judiciary can then imprison these non-persons for life. But do bear in mind that sending a persona to prison for life is not the same as sending a person to prison for life. Yet these fractured  yet none the less brilliant  minded Monsters are greatly handicapped by an almost inherent fear of discovery, whilst at the same time having to leave themselves vulnerable to exposure by having to invent huge, improbable fictions in order to be able to maintain control over us and stage these hoax productions in the first place Think in terms of the non-existent, totally implausible, ISIS. And obviously the only way that is possible is to have TOTAL control of the mainstream media who constantly drum these fictions into the minds of an unthinking, mentally dumbed-down, inwardly frightened population  hence all news is either invented or non-news. Therefore, with that in mind I suddenly found myself asking; just why the fuck these hoax events have been getting steadily more amateurish in production to a point where we are now presented  nay bombarded  with this latest Westminster Bridge farce that if it were any more transparent, it would be glass! In fact the hoax contains so many glaringly obvious anomalies in the story-line that I am left looking totally bemused at what I am seeing and reading on my computer screen. Indeed it makes no sense. I mean why stage such an ambitious attempt at subterfuge  although it has fuck all on the Shoreham Shite  if it is going to be done so unnecessarily poorly? Incidentally, you can read all about the Shoreham-Flight-Shite by clicking HERE for Part 1. Now, on top of all the gaffes in the London Bridge Pantomime, the government stooges were far too obvious and quick to reveal [some] of the intent behind the charade Namely the arming of police in sensitive areas (despite the fact that they already are), thus paving the way for arming the police as standard: Theresa May faced a call to arm all police officers at Parliament and other targets, as she confirmed a review to beef up security following the terror attack. PC Keith Palmer, who was stabbed to death in the shadow of Big Ben, was not carrying a firearm  as is the case with many officers stationed around the Parliamentary estate. Indeed if that was the true intent, no politician or senior figure would have so much hinted at the fact so soon afterwards, let alone voice the issue.Source Course, quite obviously the Monsters have capitalized on their fairy-tale Terrapin attack by making their wish for the plod to be armed known But that really wasnt the main point of the exercise. And then there was the despicable Homo-Secretary, the under achieving actress, Amber Fudd  sister of Elmer (possibly)  with her embarrassing call for a back door into encrypted messages sent on social media websites such as Whats App, from which the Security Services can gain access: Amber Rudd has vowed to call time on internet firms who give terrorists a place to hide as it emerged security services are powerless to access Westminster attacker Adrian Ajaos final WhatsApp message. The Home Secretary said it was completely unacceptable that Whats App  which is owned by Facebook  was enabling terrorists to communicate in secret, knowing the police and security services will not be able to read their encrypted communications. She has summoned WhatsApp, Facebook, Google and a host of other online firms to showdown talks at the Home Office on Thursday, where she says she will call time on extremists using social media as their platform. Source Indeed, anyone dumb enough to think that the non-existent ISIS is a credible threat to us is Dumb with a capital D. In fact anyone who thinks that the non-existent ISIS send each other encrypted messages over social media is Dumber still. And anyone who thinks that the security services are unable to read any encrypted messages sent from a phone or computer is just plain conkers-bonkers pal. Now obviously the real intent behind Dud-Rudds battle cry is obviously to give the security services even more sweeping powers, whilst at the same time stripping us of ours  not to mention more censoring of the internet. But even so, I still dont believe that those reasons were the main intention behind the hoax either, albeit as far as the Monsters are concerned it is always a case of never look a gift horse in the mouth. Nevertheless, I should point out that the Monsters are much more subtle about things than the useful idiot actor, Dud Rudds hysterics would have you believe. So with all that in mind, I will venture that the main reason for this latest, incredibly bad am-dram is that the Monsters were conducting an experiment. Huh Do fucking what Spiv? You heard Or read as the case might be. And I will remind you of the quote attributed to former CIA director William Casey. Now whether or not he really said that (the quotes authenticity has been questioned) is irrelevant because it is an accurate quote all the same. And with that in mind,  albeitobviously replacing the American public with the British public  I would wager that the reason the London Bridge story is falling down is because the Monsters want to know exactly how gullible we have become as a nation A test  with added benefits  if ya like. However, before I go any further I have to point out that the Westminster fraud continues to evolve  just like all of these government sponsored hoaxes. And as is the norm, the first year following any hoax is the time that the story evolves the most, with bits and pieces being made public which were not made public at the time of the drama happening. Course, this is done as a kind of catch-up caper by the security services as they try to close the massive holes in the official narrative  usually unsuccessfully as it happens. Nevertheless, when putting together a project as ambitious as this one in order to fully tear to pieces the officially story these later released snippets can play havoc with continuity and what have you, and whilst I have tried to make these updates in the story line fit in with the information released months earlier, you may still be able to detect the joins here and there. Okay, now that is out of the way lets get back to that gullibility test. And indeed, the test actually involves the British public being told what to believe over what their own eyes tell them Pure and simple. For example, take the following Chimp report interviewing Francisco Lopes  a Portuguese victim of the drama, which also carries a video of Lopes talking to the the articles author from his hospital bed: Got that? He only clocked the motor  which we have since learned from the POLICE was travelling at 76 MPH on the pavement  when it was 3 foot 3 inches away from him: After entering the bridge from the southside, Ajao mounted the pavement accelerating to speeds in excess of the legal limit allowed on motorways,wreaking carnage as he went.Source But the fact is that Lopes certainly wasnt the first to be hit, yet he obviously didnt hear any screaming or fuck all Roger that. Well he certainly looks healthy enough in the photos to me, although he has a very square head. Nevertheless, the Chimp caption tells us that Lopes is speaking from his hospital bed and indeed he is wearing a hospital gown so we can now take that as fact. Carry on: So we now have further confirmation that Lopes was speaking to the hack from his hospital bed. And as you can see from the above screenshot, Lopes then tells him that after only seeing the 44 hurtling towards him at 70 MPH, from a distance of 3 3, he put his arms out to save himself Like ya do. Therefore, we can only deduce from that old bollox that his quick thinking and lightning reflexes meant that the two tonne motor just tumbled him over. Which certainly makes a mockery of the following: If someone is hit by a car at 40 mph they are 90% likely to be killed. If someone is hit by a car at 30 mph they are 50% likely to be killed. If someone is hit by a car at 20 mph they are 10% likely to be killed. Source Nevertheless, the fact based article continues: Impactful event indeed Hes a funny cunt is Franny Lopes I like him. Course, some might say that the article appears a bit repetitive but that is how the MSM hypnotises you But fuck that shit, what about Franny Lopes? What a fucking trooper aye? Did I just say trooper  sorry about that. I meant to say what a lying little shithead. You see, with all that bullshit in mind, I then watched the accompanying video: In which he is wearing a hospital gown  complete with blood stains  and there does seem to be something that looks like a bit of medical equipment that I have circled for you in the background On the other hand, since when did hospitals start using quilts for their rather large looking beds? Hmmm! Lets have a closer look at those legs of his since he states that he had surgery on them  Surgery being defined by the Cambridge online dictionary as: the treatment of injuries or diseases in people or animals by cutting open the body and removing or repairing the damaged part. Hmmm, there doesnt appear to have been much surgery done there But at least he is in hospital, right? Well no he isnt as it happens. Yet the cameraman deliberately pulled back so as to reveal Liar Lopes surroundings and bizarrely, no cunt seems to have notice the glaring contradiction  never mind the fact that had he been hit by such a large motor at 70 odd MPH, then the lying shit-head would just be coming into land about now. In fact those errors are so in-ya-face that logically thinking, the only explanation for them is that they are meant to be that way. And as such, it isnt unreasonable to assume it is all in-ya-face so as the Monsters can test public awareness and reaction to being mugged off. Not that every aspect of the fraud was meant to be so transparent. After all, the Monsters needed to leave enough room for doubt in the publics minds that the event was not a government play act, since not to do so could have had very dire consequences. Yet to my horror no one appeared to pick up on the fucking bleeding obvious! I mean will ya just look at the comments on that article, which supposedly have not been moderated: Unbe-fucking-leavable Especially so giving mind to the following press snippet: Yet no mention whatsoever of any Portugeezers. Although to be honest I do believe that Loopy Lopes is a copper Or at least he played one. Mind you, its okay if you dont believe that the Plod is Lopes right now because you will do by the end Just sayin. Course, if you dont believe that Loopy-Lopes is that plod stretcher bearer then you wont believe that the paramedic with him on stretcher bearer duty also turned up later as a witness I also strongly believe that the (inset photo) fella was involved in my [fraud] illegal court case but I will deal with that another time. Okay, turning now to the speed which the plod claim that the terrorist, Mad Masood was allegedly travelling at when he was playing skittles, and let me tell you that I know this area of London very well having actually worked (as a builder) in the Cabinet Offices and the HM Customs & excise building  AKA The Treasury  in the past. And as such I can tell you that travelling at 16 MPH around Westminster during working hours would be a result, never mind your 76 Miles-Per-Fucking-Hour bollox. In fact I was listening to Radio Two the other week and the DeeJay gave the average speed in Central London over a 24 hour period as being just 7 MPH Which in my experience rings true. Nevertheless, there is quite an amusing anecdote connected to that government contract that I was working on back in the day which I will tell you about now, although I will end the true story in red font so as those of you who dont want to read it know how far to fast forward And its no skin of my nose if ya do or not. Now, it is true to say that I did once have my own fairly successful building firm but in reality it was nowhere near big enough to be given a government contract in the very offices that the high-wanking Paedo-Monster-Minions hang out in. However, the building firm owned by my very good friend, Tony Spicer fit the bill nicely  although I havent seen him for quite a few years now. Now I did in fact know Tony from school  or more accurately, I knew who he was at school although being in the year above me (it may even have been two years, I cant remember), he probably didnt know me Although in truth I was a proper little shit back then and very well known  for all the wrong reasons  so he may have heard the odd mention of my name a time or two. Nevertheless, the reason that I knew who Tony was back then, before I had ever even spoken to him was because he was cool as fuck And I mean cool as fuck Still is, I would imagine since he was the last time that I spoke to him. And of course everyone at school knew who the older cool dudes were. But all the same, around 5 or 6 years after leaving school I did hear on the grapevine that Spicer had married a bird called Sally Paul  who was a proper looker from the school year below me and who I did in fact know well enough to talk to. Anyway, we now fast forward to late 1994 by which time Id had my own building firm for around 5 years, although I had also started Tattooing by then  something that I had always fancied doing although it was only a hobby at the time  when out of the blue I get a phone call from this bird who had been in my year at school called Tracey. Unfortunately I cannot for the fucking life of me remember her surname, which is a bit naughty since we had actually had a bit of a romance for a week or two when we were around 14 or 15 years old Never shagged her or nothing mind  although I am sure that I must have tried. But then again, and in my defence, it is no secret that I am lousy at remembering names And to be fairer still, the name Tracey is not what you would call a rarity in my neck of the woods. So anyway, as I was saying; Tracey rings me up out of the blue as she had heard that I was doing a bit of tattooing and wondered if I would do her one  which I was of course happy to oblige. Mind you, I had at that point in time come off a scaffolding a week or two earlier and broken my leg as well as doing a lot of nerve damage to my foot, so I was in a plaster cast when she came for the tattoo  which is why I am able to recall this part of the tale with such clarity. And who brought her to mine? Why, none other than Tony Spicer. You see, it turned out that Tony had just left Sally because of his affair with Tracey Which surprised me a bit because despite being a long way off what you would call a Pig, Tracey had struck proper gold by landing Tony. And I should tell you at this point that Tony did in fact  and probably still does for that matter  look quite a bit like Tony Hadley from the group Spandau Ballet (albeit maybe not quite as good looking). PHOTO: TONY Hadley or TONY Spicer Its a bit hard to tell. Whats more, just like Mr Hadley, Tony also had plenty of money, which he was never flash with  albeit not quite as much money as Tony Hadley. Moreover Mr Spicer was a big, strong, likable fella and oozed charisma like no one else that I have ever met And Im not even gay or bicycle, honest. So anyway, being a lot older by now than we were at school and both having building firms  although Tony employed anywhere up to a hundred people at a time whereas the most I ever employed at any one time was eight  we got on like a house on fire and gradually began to socialise more and more with each other. However, to give you an idea of the kind of charisma Tony possessed we used to go to a club in Southend on a Friday night called Mr Bs which was also the night that the club would usually have a [fading] celebrity appear, such as Leo Sayer or Anita Baker They even had Tony Blackburn & Diddy David Hamilton appear on one Friday Betcha youre impressed now? No me neither. But anyway, this one particular Friday night Gwen Dickey  formerly of Rose Royce  was appearing and I am telling you now, as soon as she clapped eyes on Tony, which was more or less straight away, she didnt take her eyes off him for the whole 4 or 5 songs that she sung. Not that Tony was interested in her and indeed took it all in his laid-back stride. Unfortunately, Gwen Dickey is crippled up these days. However, back then at Mr Bs, Gwen was in full working order. Mind you, I probably wouldnt have bothered either if Gwen had been making eyes at me since I was still in love with Lillian Lopez  lead singer with Odyssey  at the time. Unfortunately Lillian is now dead as fuck hence the video below is from back in the day: I can also tell you that having just watched that video, I am still in love with Lillian Here, have another:  Where did all those yesterdays go  Where indeed Lillian, where indeed. Thank you for the mamories. Anyway, come mid 1997 and things had gone a bit Pete Tong for me financially being as Id had to close down my building firm when my then baby daughter, Stacey had come to live with me in mid 1996. You see, although tattooing was by then my main source of income, it was still early days in my new career and as such there were periods when bookings were a bit thin on the ground. Moreover, to make matters worse my car had given up the ghost so getting any where with an 18 month old baby was missions  fuck the buses then, and fuck the buses now. However, Tony also had a bit of a problem at this time because he was 4 or 5 months into a one year driving ban after being caught over the DD limit. Well I say a problem but it was more of an irritation really because to give him his due, Tony still worked on building sites himself two or three days a week  albeit only on small jobs usually  for which his Foreman, Paul would take him to and from, whilst the other two or three days he would spend working in his office which required no transport. Therefore the irritation only came about when either Paul couldnt drive him  Tony had big jobs in Essex, London and Kent which Paul had to pay a daily visit to  or when he had a business meeting, which is why he let me have one of his Astra vans to use; the deal being that I could use the van as my own but I would have to drive him to these meetings as and when, for which I would also receive a drink obviously. Course on the (few) occasions when Paul couldnt pick Tony up and bring him home, I would have to do it  which usually meant that I would end up working with him for the day For which I obviously got paid of course. And that is how I ended up working in the Cabinet Offices for 3 or 4 days. PHOTO: The Cabinet Office that I worked in for Tony (ringed in red) and its proximity to the Masood Mayhem Now, this was right at the arse-end of the Cabinet Office job and just involved finishing off a bit of skirting board here and there, replacing the light switch & plug socket fascias and fitting any new door handles that hadnt been done yet. Course, although the building was still only partially occupied security was still tight  in case we decided to plant a bomb or something I suppose. This meant that Tony had to be given security clearance, as was his foreman Paul. Now the way it worked was there HAD to be someone there with security clearance (either Paul, Tony or another couple of Tonys men who I never met) for as long as whoever else was working there was on the premises, which meant that they would all enter together in the morning and sign in. However, as you can see from the above photo, the Cabinet Offices are not particularly big so there was never an army of us which meant that once we were signed in we could nip in and out to get a drink or whatever with just a nod to the downstairs security guards without having any drama getting back in. Course, that was just as well since security was proper, proper tight on Whitehall way before 1997 because of the IRA *big yawn and all that nonsense. This meant that we couldnt even park up outside the job to off load our tools without a squad car pulling up to see who we were going to bomb and as such everything had to be carried from the underground car park that we used, which was just up past the Houses of Parliament  16 per day (8 hours): What a fuckin liberty and I hate to think what it would cost now to park there. Nevertheless, the Cabinet Office is almost opposite the Treasury Building and whilst I was up there with Tony for those 3 or 4 days, he told me that he had a job to do over there, which was due to start sometime in the near future. Moreover, he wasnt best pleased about it because it was looking increasingly like he would have to be the one on site since Paul and the other two with security clearance had all the other jobs  far and wide  to visit. Now, although the job in the Treasury Building was only scheduled to last around two weeks, the fact of the matter was that whilst Tony might well have been happy to muck in 2 or 3 times a week on the small local sites, the Traffic in London was an absolute fucking nightmare  and must be even worse now  so he didnt want to do the 5.30 AM set offs from home and then be forced to stay there all day And besides, he needed to be in the office at least a couple of times per week. Furthermore, it wasnt the nicest of jobs  in fact to a qualified 1st & 2nd fixer Carpenter like Tony, the job could have been described as mind numbingly boring. You see, how the job had came about was; a few months previous there had either been a fire in the Treasury building or there had been a crane there for some reason  Im pretty sure it was the latter  and when the vehicle (which ever it was) had put its hydraulic stabilizers out, the ones that were sat on the pavement had started to disappear into the ground Or to put it another way, the Treasury Building goes down below the ground for fuck knows how many levels whilst at the same time spreads out beyond the external walls of the building that you see above ground, thus the pavement in effect forms the basement roof. Course, when the Treasury was built they didnt have great big fuck-off fire engines or cranes that required hydraulic stilts to keep them from toppling over and as such, the weight on the stilts had started to collapse the basement ceiling. Therefore, it became a concern that should there ever be a major fire or what not, requiring one of those big rescue fire engines to attend, they would be fucked because they wouldnt be able to get close enough to the building for fear of ending up in the basement. However, the saving grace was that the basement rooms around the perimeter were no longer used and none of the basements below that were used at all  as far as we knew anyway. Therefore the plan was for a team of 4 or 5 men to pin half inch thick sheets of ply to the underside of the basement ceilings directly under the pavement using acroes (adjustable metal props), spaced a foot apart from each other Mind you, fuck knows how they were going to get the acroes offloaded at the building with the over zealous plod I never asked. So anyway, come the end of this conversation and Tony casually says  all innocent like, as if he had just thought about it  ere, if I get you security clearance, you could run the job for me couldnt you? To which I just as casually replied  all innocent like, having really just thought about it  What with my past! You got no chance of them giving me security clearance And that was the end of that, until one morning a month or so later I went to pick Tony up only to find a bright red MG Metro sat on his drive, which he beckons me over to have a look at and ask me what I think. PHOTO: The Treasury Building (circled) Now, although the car wasnt in bad nick it was far too old and shabby for Tony to buy as a runaround for himself (He had a Cosworth sat in his garage doing nothing). And Tracey  by then his 2nd wife, hence I can only remember her as Tracey Spicer  would not have been seen dead in it. So I asked him if he had gone bankrupt or something, to which he replies that he had bought it for him and the lads to go up to London in for the job under the treasury building Except Tony had no intention of going up to London to do the job and as such says to me that if I run the job for him he will make it financially very worth my while  also adding that when the job was completed I could keep the car Whilst emphasizing to me that he only had a couple of months left on his driving ban and when that was up he would need his van back. Well I would I replied, but I dont have security clearance Tony, you know that, which was genuinely the case since the only real draw back for me running the job would be that I would have to stay at my Mothers house for the 2-3 week job duration so as she could look after Stacey for me while I was up there. To which Tony replied; thats not a problem Chrissie boy, with the biggest Spicer grin possible. You see, at that point Tony had never so much as stepped foot in the Treasury Building (as he had left that all to Paul to deal with), which unlike the Cabinet Office had multiple entrances, with a lot more security guards than the likes of old Horace & Maurice over the road in the Cabinet Offices, making things a lot more official like and the security guards much more stand-offish. Moreover, the building (unlike the Cabinet Offices) was fully occupied with people coming and going all day long  not that we would see any of them from where we were going to be stationed. Therefore Tonys plan was for me and the two other fellas starting the job with me (later to become three) to meet Paul on the first morning up there in the underground car park located on the opposite side of the road to Westminster Palace, from where we would then all hike back to the Treasury Building to sign in. Course, Paul having security clearance  which back then was just a document with a persons personal details on, along with the reason that they needed to be in the building and with which you might also be asked to provide your own proof of who the document said you were  was enough to get us all signed in, but this was to be the one and only time that he would be there apart from if I needed him to get me something for the job or if we hit up on any problems. Therefore, as Paul explained at the security desk who we were and why we were there as he handed his security clearance to the guard, he added that although he was in overall charge of the job, he would only be there for an hour or so that day, whilst stressing to the fella in uniform; that by him (Paul) leaving us there alone, there wouldnt be a security issue because Tony here also has security clearance At which point I was to also hand over my security clearance Made out in my newly adopted name of Anthony J Spicer  which was all obviously done in order to test the water and to give the guard an opportunity to look me up and down. PHOTO: The red line indicates roughly where the outer basement walls are and for some reason unbeknownst to me, we only had to shore up the the basement ceilings within the area of that red line. And from that day to the last I never once had a single problem getting me and the lads signed in and indeed by the time we got round to shoring up the rooms under King Charles Street (the final week), we had started to use that exit at dinner time or when nipping out for a drink, because all the shops were up towards Trafalgar Square. This in turn led us to becoming quite friendly with the security guards on that exit and when I told the chief that it was costing us 16 a day just to park, he was shocked that I hadnt said so before and allowed us to park the bright red MG Metro in the circular, center car park for fuck all Shame that there was only two days left on the job by then. However, there was one sublime moment during the course of the Job when Tony dropped in with Paul to see how the job was going and had to sign in under an assumed name since I was already signed in as him So he signed in as Christopher Spivey. Now interestingly enough, although the basement appeared largely empty (least the rooms we had to be in were), we did find some printed pamphlets from WW2 (warning of the need to not have your car lights on when driving at night and shit like that). And then there were all these staircases dotted about leading down to locked doors with signs on them stating that Unauthorized Access Is Forbidden and Strictly no entry for unauthorized persons However there were other staircases with doors that were not locked which just had No Entry signs on them Which with my naturally curious nature, obviously translated to me as; oh alright then, go and have a quick butchers, but be swift about it. Now the thing is, these unlocked doors led into a big room like area with entrances to a number of seemingly endless passages which we gingerly edged our way down in the spooky pitch blackness, cept for the occasional flicking of our lighters just to make sure that there was no Monsters immediately ahead. Mind you, it was impossible to keep track of which direction we were heading in and eventually every passage that we edged down ended up as a dead end with a brick wall blocking us going any further. However, it was quite obvious that these brick walls were an awful lot newer than the building was, so quite where these passages led to on the other side is anyones guess. And there were also plenty of staircases dotted about leading to doors opening onto another staircase leading down to what I imagine would be another (lower) basement, to which all the doors were locked and adorned with the more serious type of no entry sign. So, that means that there are at least 3 basement floors  some of which contain fuck knows what  under the Treasury building to my certain knowledge, with blocked off passages stretching way beyond the basement perimeter walls and leading to fuck knows where. Now apart from me reminiscing, the point of that story was  as I mentioned earlier  to tell you that I know for a fact that driving anywhere around Westminster on a Monday to Friday between 8 AM and 7 PM is impossible to do at more than a stop-start-queue-snail-pace. And I will also point out that there are also multiple spy cameras literally everywhere your eyes look. Moreover, the place is literally swarming with plod, many of whom carried firearms  even back in 1997  especially at the gates of Downing Street and at the gates and entrances to the Houses of Parliament. Course these days its all about making women macho whilst portraying fellas as Daisies Which to be fair an awful lot of men are. The bird on the right looks right at ease holding that machine gun In fact I bet she could strip it down and put it back together in fuckin seconds Although there would probably be bits & pieces going everywhere  sloppy seconds I suppose you could call it. But even so, I cant imagine many men wanting to go sloppy seconds with her. Even if she does moonlight as an actress. Also be aware that the bird in the tracksuit has a very, very photoshopped face. And despite appearances the photo wasnt taken on the day of Masoods Mayhem It was in fact taken on the 29th of March at a tribute to the Metropolitan Police for how well they handled Masoods Mayhem Nothing like blowing your own trumpet is there? Yet a tribute to the wholly corrupt shower of shit is not a tribute It is an absolute piss take. Course, the question is: Are these real coppers out to deceive for gain or are they actors playing a part? The same of which applies to the male plod: You see, the Mush with the beard also plays the part of Scaffolder, Danny Smith  the fella who claims that Mad Masood sliced his nose in half and split his tongue back in the day: Isnt it strange how many photos there arent of Massood and the only decent one (seen above) has been taken with one of those fish-eye type camera lenses, thus horribly distorting his face? Smith doesnt look any the worse for his catastrophic injuries does he? Especially since he claims that he needed plastic surgery. Nevertheless, when you put Smith side by side with the machine-gun toting Bacon-Bugger you get the following: Check out the ear and take no notice of the tattoo on Smiths neck as they are randomly added or if needs be easily hidden with photo paint  the case being in this instance is that Smiths tattoo is fake hence the lack of any stubble on it. As for Armed Police Orifficer Smiths partner in crime, well it is interesting that on the 24th of March  two days after the shooting  Prince Buggerlugs AKA Prick Charles, affectionately known as Dobby by no one but me, visited some of the victims (strangely not filmed on video) at Kings College Hospital The hint from the press is in the hospital name of course. The following is a screenshot of the [Spy controlled] Telegraphs article reporting on that visit: Okay, now I will admit that I may have accidentally altered some of Prick Charles features in the photo But not by fucking much. And of course Dobby had bodyguards present with him at the visit which I find strange given the fact that we all supposedly adore him (at least according to the press we do), and he is portrayed as a military man with a row of medals longer than your lower fucking arm. Nevertheless, Dobbys man looks very much like the other armed copper in the photo with Smith. And once again, the copper has a very [badly] photoshopped nose Now why would that be? Course you also need to ask yourselves just why the video footage taken by an officially sanctioned film crew is of such shite quality. Moreover, the fraud plodman is in all probability 44 year old Mark Haikin  one of the many fake witnesses to the hoax who appeared in the press and on the TV news and is seen here in the comparison photo below. And now that the coppers photo is enlarged it is easier to see where the slight alterations have been made to his boat-race. Mind you, a couple of days earlier Big Ears had been in the newspaper reporting on some visit or other that he had made to somewhere of no interest to anybody. However the [hidden] purpose of the article was obviously to show what a great King he would make, as he cast aside royal protocol and let a couple of children (boys) give him a hug Least that is how the Chimp described it. Although looking at the photo you have to ask yourself who hugged who and who is enjoying it more Just sayin. Course, those Bacon Buggers above are not the only ones doubling up in this fraud. For example take a butchers at these four brave Trotters in the photo below, bravely crossing the Westminster Bridge on the day after the atrocity  in defiance of Terrapinism. And in particular pay close attention to Sgt Porkchester Pigg (second left) because he too played a witness to the fraud. Course, as is real life; one day youre a Sargent the next youre just a Cunt-Stable. But I am getting ahead of myself so more on these actors later. Now, not even the far-fetched Sun Newspaper (hence forth referred to as the Scum) was wearing the Metroplods claim that Terrapin, Khalid Masood was travelling across the bridge at anywhere up to 76 MPH, and instead attributed his speed to being 50 MPH on average. Nevertheless, the Scum have still stuck by the Metroplods official timeline of 82 seconds  start to finish  allocating 30 seconds of those to the bridge crossing. Likewise, the Spy owned Telegraph Newspaper amended the Metroplods 76 MPH to an average 40 MPH, whilst also allowing a 30 second bridge crossing, yet they too still stuck to the 82 second overall time of the attack: It was just after 2.40pm that Ajao, in the grey Hyundai Tucson 44, appeared on the eastern approach to the bridge, two large kitchen knives by his side. He mounted the pavement, reaching more than 40mph, and would take 30 seconds to cross the 250-yard span of the bridge.Source Mind you, the Shit-Rag is actually also wrong about the bridge span being 250 yards long (228.6 Meters), since it is actually 252 Meters long  albeit Wikipedia has the length down at 250 Meters. So  in orderto be fair for the next point that I am going to make  we will take Wikis 250 Meter guess as our benchmark, thus only making the Telegraph 70 ft out in their estimation. Mind you, I must point out first that with the Met having Masood (named after the EastEnders postman so as the brain-drained public will remember him) doing 76 MPH across the bridge, the Scum having him doing 50 MPH and the Telegraph having him zooming at 40 MPH, I am not altogether sure how all three still managed to come up with an overall 82 second timeline, but there ya go. Nevertheless, for Masood to have cleared the crowded bridge in 30 seconds  knocking over at least 50 Serfs Smurfs in the process, if ya buy into the official bollox  all 3 Bastions of the Truth must be miles (per-hour) out in their calculations see what I did there? Course, this would be a deliberate mistake on their part because to travel 820 feet (250 M) in 30 seconds, Mad Masood would have been roughly averaging a super-scary speed of 18 MPH. Indeed, I arrived at that 18 MPH figure based on [the approximate] converting of MPH to FPS (feet per second), which is calculated by dividing the MPH by 2 and then multiplying by 3 Source. Therefore 18 (MPH)  2 = 9, then multiplied by 3 = 27 (FPS). So, just to clarify for the thick-fucks: Someone travelling at 18 MPH will cover a distance of 27 feet every second. And since  we are told  it took Mad-Max 30 seconds to cross the bridge, we times 30 by the 27 (FPS) which gives us 810 feet (the bridge is 820 feet long according to Wikipedia and 827 feet long according to other sources), whereas 19 MPH would take the distance traveled over 30 seconds to 855 feet: The new [Westminster] bridge that is still there today is 827 feet long, and built of iron. It has withstood everything the city has been able to throw at it, and shows few signs of aging.Source Course, as I pointed out earlier getting hit by a two tonne motor at 76 MPH is certain fucking death, whereas on the other hand, getting hit at 18 MPH by a two tonne motor is going to give you a nasty bruise. Fuck me, its no wonder that the Westminster Bridge is also known as the Bridge of Fools: The new bridge at Westminster wasnt funded in the typical way (with private enterprise and tolls); instead, money was raised via a then-fashionable lottery. Lotteries at the time were subject to abuse and fraud: some even saw them as being immoral, and a threat to society. This lottery funding led Henry Fielding to dub the new crossing The Bridge of Fools. The name stuck as the bridges construction dragged on much longer than planned. Mind you, if you ask me it ought to have been called the Cock Bridge. I mean have you seen what happens to the pavement when the sun shines? You couldnt make this shit up! But anyway we now know that the speed Mad Masood was travelling at wasnt fast enough to kill anyone, yet we are being told to believe that 4 people were killed on the bridge (or just after it at the point where Mad Masood crashed) and up to 50 people were injured  some critically. The following is from the Daily Chimpanzee AKA the Daily Mail and from this point forward referred to as the Chimp: It is worth pointing out  since I am sure that there will be people reading this who dont know  that all of the British news media is owned & tightly controlled by the elite who use it as a propaganda tool and for the manipulation of public opinion or the spreading of disinformation. The two biggest selling British Newspapers are the Scum and the Chimp  in that order  and are known for their blatant lies Dog knows, they have told some whoppers about me in their time. However, before we look at the victims lets have a look at the timeline of the attack which has now been officially clocked at a starting time of 2:40:08 PM: You see, my problem with that timeline is that the Chimp Online PUBLISHED its first article on the event at 2:43:53. Or put another way, The Chimp had written and released its first article about the unfolding drama just 2 minutes and 54 seconds after the 999 switchboard had put the first emergency call through to the police. And although the article was updated at 5:37, it is safe to assume that by then (nearly 3 hours after the fact), the Monkey-Boyz would have been aware that there was only one attacker, not two  note attackers and not terrorists. Therefore it is safe to assume that the headline is the original one published at 2:43 PM and was not amended when the article was updated at 5:37 PM, even though it was updated again the following day when the headline was most certainly changed: I also noticed that despite amending the bullet points, they still had not altered Masoods identity being as not only was he born in England  making him British  he was half-caste with a white mother and black father Or put another way, there was nothing Asian about him at all. Nevertheless, the time of the original article  especially given the headline  begs the question as to how in the name of fuck was it possible to come up with those details approximately 3 minutes after the attack began and a mere 2 minutes after it had ended? Moreover, the Monkey-Boyz beat the Associated Press to it by 6 minutes, and the Press Association by 10 minutes  both of whom are usually the main source feeds of all news for all of the British newspapers. Certainly smells a bit fishy doesnt it? There were also glaring anomalies posted on Twitter: Now this is a screenshot that I took from footage of the live BBC news, who were covering the terrapin incident Much quicker than you would have thought possible to be honest. You see the time of that live reporting would have been approximately 2:50 PM (22nd March 2017 obviously)  less than ten minutes after Masood had been shot dead. The live stream was coming from a helicopter showing parliament and Westminster bridge from the air when the BBC posted the (above) tweet over the top of the footage. And as you can see, the time that the tweet appears to have been originally posted by the BBCs Political Editor was 7:44 AM that morning (22nd March), which in theory would be impossible since it would have been sent 7 hours prematurely of the attack taking place. However, I do not understand the (apparently complicated) workings of Twitter timings  or so Im told  with some helpful people telling me that the time shown on the tweet would be American time + 1 hr (Twitter is an American Corporation) Which to me sounds like a proper crock of shit, but what do I know. Well actually, I do know that when I post a Tweet or People Tweet me or I see Tweets that have recently been posted by others unconnected to me, the time on them is ALWAYS in Greenwich Mean Time without any + hrs added on. Therefore, if the BBCs Political Editor  Laura Kuenessberg  had just posted that Tweet  say at 2:44 PM  from LONDON, then surely it should have shown up on the BRITISH BROADCASTING Corporations live film footage of the event in ENGLISH time? Moreover, it is strange that Kuenessberg did not tag the BBC Newsroom in the Tweet yet the BBC had picked up on it 6 minutes after she had posted it, a mere 2 minutes after the event was over. I should also point out that Portcullis House (Where Kuenssberg posted the tweet from) is directly opposite where Mad Masood crashed his Hyundai 44 into the Westminster Palace wall. It is also the building in which most MPs now have their offices  what with Portcullis House and the Palace apparently being connected by an underground pedestrian walkway. But in any event, the Tweet certainly needs investigating especially given the lack of traffic in the area at 2:44 PM and which in fact was far more consistent with early morning traffic that you would expect to see at around or before 7:44 AM. (see photo below) PHOTO: The traffic situation around 10 minutes after the Masood Mayhem had ended. Nevertheless, returning to those extremely suspect early articles published by the Chimp and you have wonder what is the point of the Chimp having an archive if what is kept in the archive isnt the original news? And neither can the super-speed with which that first article was written & published be attributed to senior Monkey-Boy, Quentin Crisp Letts who alleges that he was in the Houses of Parliament at the time of the attack. Indeed given mind to the content in the above screenshot it is not unfair to say that it is an atrocious retelling of the events, coming from an experienced journalist  or any journalist for that matter. I mean: We heard this sound that sounded like a car crash Huh? Who the fuck is we? And instead of sound that sounded he should have wrote something along the lines of: We heard a loud noise that sounded like a car crash. Just sayin. Letts then continues: Then we saw a thick set man . Again, who the fuck is we? And worse still: This man had something in his hand. It looked like a stick. He was challenged by two policemen. The policeman fell down Which makes no sense whatsoever. I mean, did PC Twinkle-Toes trip? Did he faint? Was he sticked? And what was the other plod with him doing while all this was going on? However, do keep in mind those two challenging policemen for later reference. The hack then goes on to say: We could see the man in black moving his arm in a way that suggested he was either striking or stabbing We again, yet Quentin doesnt say if Masood was making stabbing motions through the air or into PC Sure-Footes body Or even if he was stood over PC Twinkle-Toes stabbing him for that matter  the useless wanker. Although I strongly suspect that he was being deliberately evasive. Yet Letts get no credit for writing the bullshit article which he would certainly have done so even if he had only dictated the events over the phone In fact I did notice that Chief Monkey, Martin Robinson was given a writing credit on the third edition of that lightningly quick delivered article. And besides, for Letts to say what we saw what took place he would still have been in no position to see what took place on the bridge and as such those details could not have come from him Which is very fucking strange indeed, although he could have at least put his colleagues right on the number of attackers involved. However, there are more clues to the action taking place sometime outside of the official time-line. For instance the following report on one of the obligatory vigils that have to be held after each one of these government hoaxes: 2:15 pm ??? The action didnt start at 2:15 pm Did it? And on the 22nd of March at 3:18 PM  thirty eight minutes after the attack had commenced  Chief Reporting Monkey-Boy, MARTIN ROBINSON released his own article for the Chimp. Now why on earth would our (at the time) unelected, transvestite, Prime Mincer have been bundled into the back seat of her car at 2:30 PM if the attack didnt commence until 10 minutes later? I mean at some point someone must have relayed that 2:30 pm time to Robinson  a traitor to his country & fellow man  for him to include it in his article Chief Reporters do not make schoolboy fuck-ups like that. And how the fuck does the Shit-Stain know that it was a terrorist attack? I mean fuck me, not even the corrupt Met had declared it such at 3:18 pm. Rumbled Robinson then revises his estimated time for Mays evacuation to fall in line with the official narrative, namely 2:45 PM  although that revision almost doubtlessly came when the article was updated at 7:06 PM that same day. However, that wasnt enough for Robinson because he updated the article again at 11:33 pm THE NEXT DAY! In fact why update at all? I mean why not just write a whole new article? After all, the Monkey-Boyz have been known to publish up to 700 articles in a month about an event, if they feel the need to push the subject. But then again, to do so would leave their opening lies and bullshit open to scrutiny. Indeed the first two must not have been exciting enough to Robinsons way of thinking so he changed the headline and added to the detail. Yet strangely he didnt feel the need to change the 2:30 PM time of action: Course, this new melodrama wasnt added until nearly 32 hours later Unless of course he made another alteration along the way. Yet even if the Yobbo-Robo did add the made-up old bollox in between the 2nd and final update he was still hopelessly wrong according to the now official timeline. The 333 number obviously being significant Yet by that time the action had allegedly been over for the best part of an hour. But even so, you still have to wonder how Robbo and the rest of the Presstitutes got it so wrong? In fact the pond life had got it that wrong that they reported on Un-El-Tels departure before it had even fucking happened! PHOTO: Seconds after the attack the police are seen shutting the Palace gates. The bullshit article then continues: Now I will deal with the unchallenged Courier shortly but for the moment I want to get back to the point that I was making about the Monsters not wanting the public to get too close to our MPs. You see, when the evil-parasites are sufficiently far enough away from us it will of course be impossible to tell our Michael Fabricunts from our Graham Allens: And unsurprisingly Micky Fabricunt MP did his part to further the fiction: I mean, as if there is ever a crowd of MPs in Westmonster! They are all too busy lining their pockets elsewhere. And although Fabricunt is obviously gay he certainly doesnt believe in human rights for the masses. After all, if he almost always voted for equal gay rights but generally voted against laws to promote equality and human rights, it stands to reason that he voted for the laws on equality but against the laws for human rights. In fact Fabricunts voting history makes for good reading what with the war mongering, poor people hating, little turd obviously holding on to the belief that only the elite should be able to attend university. (see HERE) However, in reality Terry May  who believe it or not, like Princess Diana, does not in all probability exist  was never in any danger. Yes I do and if you dont I suggest that you read my article about Good Old Tel (found HERE) PHOTO: The Mind Controlled, Actor/Prime Mincer, Terry May and the French Prime Mincer, Bernard French-Name, formally known as Henri Paul Chauffeur to Princess Diana. Henri Paul is of course a perfect example of the heights you can rise to if you give your all to the Monsters Even though he is almost short enough to be classed as a midget. Nevertheless and as I say, Un-El-Tel was never in any danger Despite in theory she could have been in the line of fire Had the modern day Terrapins been supplied with guns instead of knives. Yet even if she was in the potential firing line, by the time she now officially left the premises he/she couldnt have been in any danger anyway since the terrapin had been brown-bread for the best part of an hour. Not that the chemically-coshed-actor knew which car was hers in the first place But I will deal with that later on. Nevertheless, in that screenshot a little way up (and republished below for your convenience  dont thank me) there is an accusation that the Palace gates were left open, unattended and vulnerable, whilst using the motorbike courier who turned up three minutes after the shooting to drive home the point  the inference being that the courier could have been a terrapin too for all that the gate-plod knew. So for now, lets fuck the official version off and pretend that Un-El-Tel was whisked away at 2:45 PM, whilst obviously ignoring that original, repeated departure time of 2:30PM. Now wouldnt the wheels be blurred if the car was racing away Mind you, to be fair the press done fucking well to be all set up and ready to take the photo three and a half fucking minutes after the 82 second drama had ended. Indeed they must be telepathic is all that I can say. Nevertheless, according to the above screenshot the gates had only been opened to let an official vehicle out, after which they were left unmanned whilst those plods on guard-duty nipped off to help their dying mate  Who was the gate-guard-plod on duty But ignore that. And indeed, the Chimp snippet/screenshot feigns outrage that a motorbike courier turns up 3 minutes later and is left to enter the Palace Estate unchallenged. Ohhh, but I can see all of this leading too much unnecessary spending of taxpayers money There also appears to be an awful lack of activity going on outside the gates considering the alleged time and the fact that this is one of the main tourist heartlands in the world. However, since we are told that the courier arrived 3 minutes after the shooting there must indeed have been a lot of faffing about since there are no armed plod to be seen in the photo above apart from the shooter and his two mates who appear to be stood admiring their kill. Certainly there doesnt look to be many people attending to our hero plod, Keith Palmer who was stabbed to death by Mad Masood. Indeed if that was the crime scene 3 minutes after Masood had been shot that we see in the above photo perhaps the Metroplod bosses ought to liaise with the press who can apparently receive a report of an incident, grab the necessary equipment, make their way over to the scene of the crime and have their cameras set up and ready all within three and a half minutes Fucking marvelous. Nevertheless, to be fair the courier didnt just actually ride through the gates like he owned the place and is in fact stationary in the photo Although obviously that doesnt alter the fact that the gates were [apparently] left vulnerable to attack in that period Or could be misinterpreted as being unattended thus making them vulnerable. Mind you, given the scene that greeted the courier, I too would be a bit reluctant to enter if I saw 3 mushes with guns stood over a dead body. Moreover, we can see a plod closing the other gate in the photo Which considering that they were only open to let an official Vehicle out  or at least they were according to the press  it isnt bad going considering what PC Gatekeeper has just had to witness But once again, the point being made is that the gates were still left unattended and vulnerable to attack, prompting many calls for greater protection for our selfless, hard-working MPs. And then there is this none-too-subtle piece written by the Monkey Boyz. Which is exactly the kind of exploitation that the Monster Minions would use when deliberately trying to start conspiracy theories. Course, unlike 9/11 of which  according to George Wanker Bush  no one could have predicted terrorists hijacking airplanes to fly into tall buildings  cunt the same cannot be said for the Westminster Palace gates: What an amazing coincidence! Now, before I go any further let me show you how those TWO sets of gates work. I dont half look after you lot. Course, what the Chimp didnt mention was the fact that the reason for the In gate  correctly used by the courier  also being open had fuck all to do with the police-guard getting sidetracked after letting a car out Of the wrong gate, I hasten to add Now that may sound cryptic but all will be revealed shortly. Yet the fact of the matter is that the gates are always open. In fact I can honestly say that to the best of my recollection, I never once saw the gates which Mad Masood supposedly entered the Palace grounds through, closed when I was working up there or on any of the occasions that I have been up there since. You see, in my experience there would more often than not be a car going in or coming out of the gates by the time that they were out of my view And yes, I did take note because every time a car went in or out, I would look to see if it was one of the big-knobs. However, in the whole 4 weeks or so that I was up there working in the Cabinet Offices and the Treasury Building I only ever saw one MP that I knew  although to be fair, most of my time up there was spent underground  and that was Margaret Beckett who I clocked in the back seat of a dark green Jag as it pulled out of Downing Street. And I should also point out that the gates to Downing Street were always firmly closed as far as I could see  except for that one occasion of course. Mind you, since at least half of our 650 MPs do not exist  as I have just said  and those that do are all busy working a fiddle elsewhere, looking back on it now I am really not surprised that I only saw the one MP. And indeed it is fair to say that it is easier to find photos with the Palace gates opened rather than them closed Which you will also notice that portable railings are more often than not, used to stop people trying to walk through the gates, willy-nilly. Indeed if the Westminster Palace gates were normally closed then the gate house a bit further in  which has those big solid metal barriers that are lowered into the ground to let cars drive over them  and the two lane barrier checkpoint would be pointless. The two men-who-point-a-lot seen in the above photo look radioactive dont they? Indeed why the Monster-Minions insist on having these Men-Who-Point-A-Lot cretins present and repeatedly photographed at these fake events is beyond me It really is. I mean to my mind having them present at the crime-scene, pointing in every direction possible or having them filmed in a row down on their hands and knees takes away the little credibility that these hoaxes have The Men-Who-Point-A-Lot certainly do not add any, that is for sure. I mean take the mush in the above photo Not withstanding that he must make the category of Midget he is wearing a space-suit, gloves, face mask and disposable boots on a crime scene that is more contaminated than Chernobyl. Course, the rows and rows of crime-scene tape are another giveaway to a fraud and indeed havent been seen as being so randomly pointless and in such quantity since the Jo Cox fraud. PHOTO: The Jo Cox Fraud So no surprise when the useful idiot Brendan Cox was one of the first to tweet on the Westminster Bollox: Mrs Cox wasnt shot or stabbed any fucking times because she didnt exist Just sayin. Nevertheless, someone has to pay for the pointless chumps in the photos below: I mean what in the name of fuck are they hoping to find? Masood was never on the Parliament Square green! A complete fucking joke used to make the hard-of-thinking believe that the old bollox really took place. I am literally cringing as I add these photos and if you cannot see the pointlessness of what the plankton are doing there then you are too in that hard-of-thinking group And the answer to who is paying for these human Slugs to mug you off is: YOU ARE. But I digress. So if I am wrong about the gates always being open (at least during the day)  perish the thought  and the truth is actually as the press claim i.e that the exit gate was only left opened because the Parli-Plod had just let an official vehicle out (of the wrong gate), then that would indicate that the car pulled out of the Palace as Masood ran in wouldnt it? And do also think on that despite the recent press claims, most of the plod around Westminster do actually carry firearms as a matter of routine Especially with the fact that we are constantly being told that the chances of an imminent Terrapin attack are at critical level. So, with all that in mind and not losing track of the Terry May emergency evacuation timeline either, have a butchers at the following screenshots taken from a video of the amateur dramatics, that I have compiled and which given the way that the video starts, you would be entitled to conclude must have been the precise moment that Mad Masood left his crashed 44. Now who would that be because like I say; the car would have had to run over Masoods body to get passed him, because at 19 seconds after the last shot was fired, Masood must have surely been on the deck. And quite clearly the car leaving is not one of those things that you are supposed to pick up on as it is serious shit. Worse still  at least for the Monsters at any rate  if the car didnt somehow maneuver around Masoods downed body, then the car MUST have been waiting in front of the exit barrier when Masood ran onto the estate with all guns knives blazing. Or put another way, Masood must have squeezed his fat arsed body around the motor Although it is possible that the fat-cunt could have leaned on the bonnet whilst catching his breath, because despite the press trying to portray him as a super-fit bodybuilder, Mad Masood clearly was not. Wouldja just look at the big fat guts on him! Although as another aside, in the above report we have a clear example of what the Monsters are trying to achieve i.e get you to believe something that is the total opposite of what your eyes can see. And in this case it is the press telling you that Masood was a bodybuilder accompanied by a photo which proves that he clearly was not. Therefore, for the 53 year old pot-bellied traitor-to-his-own-people to have sprinted from his motor to where the stabbing took place (around 265 foot), the eater of all the pies must have been fucking knackered Especially since he ran that fucking fast that he wasnt picked up on the film footage that the screenshots I have used came from. However, there is a point that I need to clarify before I go on any further in order to put a stop to any arsehole troll-nonces desperately trying to discredit my work. You see, what you might not have noticed (although I dropped enough hints about it) is that the car comes out of the Entrance Gate as opposed to the Exit Gate that it should have used Why would that be? I mean the exit gate was open and nearer to the car than the entrance gate that the car came out of In fact the car had to drive passed the OPEN exit gate to drive out of the Entrance gate. But even so, there can be no doubt that the car came from the crime scene area  as any vehicle leaving the premises would have had to have done. Now it is clear that after the fuck-up was noticed by the Minions, a damage limitation exercise was launched which saw an article written by a very senior Momkey-Boy released by the Chimp at 11:23 PM on the 23rd of March  the day after the attack. The article itself asks questions as to why the Acting (literally) Metroplod Commissioner, Craig Mackey  who as coincidence would have it, just so happened to be on site at the time of the event  immediately left the Palace after the attack had taken place (82 seconds start to finish). The article then goes on to speculate that Mackey actually witnessed the shooting himself  which given the location of the car and the timing means that he would most definitely have done so. Also take note that no mention was made of the car being caught on camera leaving  despite the film footage appearing in the press long before that old bollox about Mackey was published Which is as follows: As with all police officers, I therefore had a duty to secure my evidence Are you getting that despicable old nonsense? I mean, if what the fat arsed, fatter jowled Donkey is saying is true then all of those other plod who witnessed the killing should have immediately withdrawn from the scene. And with that in mind it is little wonder that the ultra vain, Acting Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Mark Rowley subsequently took the leading role in the Westminster Am-Drams over Acting Met Commissioner, Craig Mackey Acting being the operative word to describe the pair of criminals Although you have to wonder if any of these senior-rwankers have permanent positions. Nevertheless to be fair Mark Rowley did appear to do a Stirling job whilst posing model-like to deliver his updates on the Westminster nonsense. He is in his fucking element look, standing there with one outstretched leg forward of the other Yet in reality, Skid-Mark is anything but the cool, calm & authoritative police spokesman that he would have us believe. You see, Rotten Rowley hadnt even read the Westmonster script properly before facing the worlds press and made one almighty fuck up when asked by a reporter if [allegedly] un-armed PC Palmer (supposedly stabbed to death by terrorist, Mad Masood) was in fact armed at the time of his murder. And when Rattled Rowley confirmed that Palmer was indeed carrying a firearm, before almost immediately realizing his fuck up, his reaction is a sight to behold. Now obviously the footage of this almighty fuck up wasnt shown over here, but I still anticipate the video that I saw of Rampant-Rowley making a proper cunt of himself will disappear in the near future  if it hasnt done so already. Therefore I videoed the video for posterity Watch and listen carefully I cant stop watching that I fucking love it when the mugs trying to mug us mug themselves off. And then there is this taken from a live news-feed on The Journalwebsite: 6:05PM  22 MAR 17 Assistant Commissioner Rowley added: A crime scene will remain in place, and a painstaking investigation is taking place to collect all possible evidence. Our strength as a city depends on our ability to stand together. We have lost one of our own as he acted to protect the public and his colleagues. The officer shot was an armed officer tasked with protecting parliament, he said. He said commuters should remain vigilant on their way home. Now lets just ponder on that sentence: The officer shot was an armed officer tasked with protecting parliament I mean we all know that the press make things up but surely The Journal wouldnt make that up? And then when you take into regard what Rowley says in the above video you can only conclude that somebody neglected to inform the second most senior policeman in the country that the script had now changed. I mean if no one had informed Skid-Mark that the plod Palmer was neither shot nor armed a whole 3 hours & 24 Minutes after the event had finished, then it shows you that Rowley is nothing more than a face A front man. And as for the mug cunt trying to insult my intelligence  and anyone elses in possession of at least half a brain  with his bollox propaganda We have lost one of our own as he acted to protect the public and his colleagues. Repugnant-Rowley can go and fuck himself because even if the actor Palmer had been real he wasnt trying to protect the public In fact as you will find out later; going on the video evidence Palmer was running for his life  and he lost. Cheeky cunt!  Rowley, not Palmer obviously. Whats more  as most of you already know  in order to be in the club you have to compromise yourself. And as such I wasnt surprised when Rowley turned up as an Australian tourist, recounting to the press the horrors that he saw on the 22nd of March 2017. And that should be a matter of grave concern to everyone And I am not even joking. THAT IS THE SECOND MOST SENIOR POLICE ORIFFICER IN THE CUNTRY PRETENDING TO BE AN AUSTRALIAN WITNESS TO THE CARNAGE! Honest to fucking Dog you people must love being taken for cunts. Course all these criminal acts are why these Monster Minions are given medals that they havent earned and dont deserve? What truly great role models they arent! Nevertheless, to re-cap we have here a scenario that sees Britains most senior police orrificer miraculously being at a place other than his office, at the exact time a terrorist attack takes place there. More coincidentally still, the Top-Knob-Plod just so happened to be leaving the place of attack at the time that it happened, putting him right at the center of the action! Yet no one thought to mention the fact until a day and a half later. That fact then becomes more curious still because the witness photographs taken of the actual shooting from the Palace windows  which were subsequently used by the press  had in them what must surely have been Mackeys car leaving the Palace gates. Yet instead of highlighting the issue they kept schtum about it and even cropped the photos in order to hide the fact before publication. PHOTO: The car leaving the gates is not one of those used by the press I wonder why? Moreover, despite one of his orifficers being stabbed to death and another one of them shooting the attacker three times, Mackey thought that there was no point in getting out of the car to at least have a butchers, let alone take charge Which would not have compromised his evidence in any way shape or form. However, instead he bizarrely told his Chauffeur to drive on my good man, a mere 15-19 seconds after the 3rd shot had been fired and his fatally injured orifficer, Keith Palmer was still staggering around upright like a dying Swan Are you having that old bollox, because I am fucked if I am! I mean not withstanding the fact that he is fleeing the scene of the crime, he didnt so much as even get out of the bleedin car. Now take note that the following photos that you are about to see are screenshots taken from film footage of the attack, which I have had to go through frame by frame to obtain in order to show you the cars movement  which certainly would not have been picked up on by the viewer unless they were specifically looking for it. I should also point out that I am going to deal with the actual stabbing of PC Palmer  who looks like he is on an invisible pogo stick  a bit later on, so for now all you need to know is that Masood is running forward at this point (proving that he ran past the car which was waiting to go) and is just about to get shot. Therefore, with Palmer being where he is in the photo and just a second away from collapsing, whilst Masood is still running forward (as you will see when I talk about the stabbing) then fuck knows how PC Jumping Jack Flash had been stabbed in the first place! Yet the fact remains that he must have been running away from the terrorist, which far from making him a hero, actually makes him a chicken-shit coward (something else that I will deal with further on). Now the screenshot states: Sky News HD although they too must be having a fucking laugh. Especially since I have enhanced the screenshot as best as I can  which is certainly a lot clearer than it was. Nevertheless, the photo shows the exact moment that Masood is stopped in his tracks by the bullets. Now Im not quite sure why, but we dont see the second fella (red arrowed)  who is obviously aiming a gun at Masood in the above photo  in the photo below, but there ya go. Must be a hit n run type of thing. But then again dont be expecting to see Fearless Fred Mackey mounting a challenge from the rear either because you will be very disappointed if you are. However, from this point on the car will remain where it is for at least 15 more seconds Which is a long time to spend twiddling your trotters in this kind of situation. And down Palmer goes. Therefore the next screenshot must have come a second or two later. Which makes it hard to understand why the copper seen putting his jacket on or tucking his shirt in or whatever he is doing, in the photo above this one, then goes to try and hide behind the outside intercom instead of going to PC Palmers aid Who is most definitely not in capable hands in the above photo As you shall also find out later. Furthermore, it is strange that there is someone seen running over to the car in the top of the above photo Not to mention damn lucky for him that he didnt do that a second or two earlier as he might have found himself either knifed to death or shot dead by the fellas doing the shooting Although the mere presence of that fella further goes to prove that the gates were not left unattended. Although you do have to ask how the shooter-plods and the copper with them arrived so quickly. Course the shooters are still stood with their guns trained on Masood in case he gets up after being shot three fucking times  that is to say that three bullets were fired anyway  although the copper next to them appears to be stood with his hands on his lard-arse hips talking to someone. But then again the screenshot is hardly conclusive proof of course  given the [purposely] shite quality. And the following is the screenshot in full. Who knows, perhaps the coppers think that Masood is one of those British holidaymakers on holiday in Tunisia who can withstand being shot too many times to count But I am just being sarcastic now. Oh, and by the way the group filming in the lower left hand corner are supposedly boxers, but I will come to them when I tell you about the witnesses. Nevertheless, the press were given an absolute cracker of a story to work with in regard to the fella who supposedly shot Mad Masood And indeed that honour  at the time  went to MP Michael Fallons bodyguard Although that old bollox now appears to have been quietly dropped. And below is a photo of the Right Dishonourable MP Mary Mary Quite Contrary giving one of the many interviews that she gave calling for tighter security for herself and her fellow no-mark MPs Despite the fact that they apparently already have armed bodyguards. Although fuck knows why she is giving the interview in front of a totally made up background Or why she was standing around pretending to be with a film crew as seen in the photos below  although I must stress that I am not 100 percent certain that it is Bloody-Mary in which case we will blitz Creagh Ha ha, blitz Creagh  bitzkrieg I do make myself fucking chuckle. Although only myself apparently so here are the photos: And to be fair, Bloody Mary wouldnt be the first or last MP to be involved in this criminal caper. I will also tell you that the RT reporter seen in the photos is Eisa Ali and he most definitely is in the proper thick of things. Indeed, the fella that Ali is just about to interview  seen in the screenshot above this one  is also in on the fraud. You see he is an RT colleague of Alis who was supposedly making a program at the time of the attack and as such is pretending to be an eye-witness to the attack Its just a shame that no one told him that he is at the wrong end of the set Not that I knew that information at the time, you understand. But anyway, I think that the pair were having some kind of laugh at our expense because every time that Ali began the interview he would grab hold of the fellas arm to shut him up, before turning to the camera whilst making out that he was taking instructions from a voice in his earpiece. He would then nod his head silently every few seconds with a quizzical look on his face as he totally ignored the fella that he was about to interview. Course I found that rather amusing although as I say, I wasnt going to include it in this expos. However, since then I have come to realize that they are both in on the fraud, as you will see from the photos below taken sometime prior to the above interview And as such, I wish I had paid closer attention to the footage now. And even more so when I discovered that Eisa Ali took part in the Belgian International Airport fraud which [only pretend] happened exactly a year to the day prior to this Westminster nonsense. Would ya look at the fucking ears! And believe it or not, Ali just so happened to be in France when the November 2016 Terrapin Attack took place. However, for now lets get back to that car seen leaving the Palace gates seconds after Mad Masood had been gunned down  albeit not by the corrupt MP, Micky Fellons bodyguard Probably. The fella seen running to the car in our previous screenshots is obviously from the land of the giants and now appears to be holding out his arm for some reason And why does the car boot look fake? And this is the screenshot in full. Doesnt knifed PC Palmer appear to have covered a lot of distance considering that he was supposedly stabbed at the gates. And of course Mad Masood was quite a good way behind him when he was shot? There ya go, the Giant opens the car door Must be something to do with that dynamic decision. Note that the car could have driven out of the [nearer] correct, opened exit gate but instead opted to drive past that in favour of using the incorrect, opened entrance gate. However it has to be said that he looks like very poor quality CGI as does the car door given the apparent thickness of it. Course, the reason for that CGI might be so as the scriptwriters can use it to help explain away why the motor drove off  if indeed it was the criminal copper, Craig Mackeys car Although how the fuck they can realistically explain it away is beyond me. Nevertheless, Mackey did have a fucking good go at it: To date there has been no plausible excuse for Mackeys actions  who MUST HAVE witnessed the WHOLE event  forthcoming. Yet according to what hero MP Toby Elmer-Fudd  or whatever the fuck the criminal MP, Tobias Ellwood is called  told the press; he too was a vital witness Although he managed to refrain from calling himself a fucking hero, but he did have plenty to fucking say  which kinda makes a mockery of Mackeys claim does it not? Really Toby Elmer Fudd? Because I dont believe a fucking word you say And not just because our greedy, psychopathic, criminal MPs do fuck all to help anyone. I mean for starters the lying arse-wipe says that he tried to stem the flow of blood but declines to say exactly how he did that Neither is there much blood around and you need to lose a hell of a lot before it becomes too much. But what convinces me that he is a lying slug most of all is that the armed plod are all medically trained: Authorised Firearms Officer are trained in all weapons issued to his or her police force as well as battlefield medicine, which includes the treatment of gunshot wounds. Source: Wikipedia. I mean here is Elmer trying to stop Palmer from floating away I say that because if you look at the coppers shoes by the PARAMEDICS bag towards the bottom left side of the photo, it is quite clear that Palmer must not be on the ground. I would also like to know how Tony Red-Trainers got his left foot between the copper kneeling on Palmers head and the kerb stone! However, the scenario just carried on getting more and more ridiculous. Here, have a butchers: I will show you close ups of this photo next but it is quite obvious that they are preparing to move the body away from the steps, presumably because Tony Red-Trainers  another hero who I will deal with later  has had to move after an epic battle to free his left foot. The evidence to suggest that the group are about to move more into the open so as the Monster Minions can crowd more people around the non-existent body lays with the fact that the ginger haired suited fella is now moving the PARAMEDICS yellow bag out of the way  although fuck knows where the PARAMEDIC himself has fucked off to! Mind you, fair play to the Minions, the copper about to shoot the hedge is a nice touch. I mean cmon! Look closely and tell me how there is a body under that lot? In fact what are they even doing; as in what procedure are they carrying out to help save Palmers life? That is your starter for ten and I want you to list the task each of the SEVEN actors around the body are performing Although we already know that Elmer Fudd is stopping Palmer from floating away. I will then be giving out bonus points to the first one who can tell me how in the name of fuck the fat bastard below is a real copper: And looking at the trigger finger of the copper about to shoot the hedge, it was lucky that there were no more terrapins following Mad Masood because the cunt would never have got that elongated digit in place in time to fire the gun before the invading jihadists cut off his head. I like the way that Tony Red-Trainers is reaching for the dirty old bandage that rolled over to him from the PARAMEDICS little yellow bag. I mean just what in the name of fuck is he going to do with it? Mind you, Dead-Eye-Long-Finger has fuck all on his mate over the way who is making sure that Mad Masood doesnt try any funny stuff after being shot dead. Now that is what you call a finger. Nevertheless there are still a few other issues I have with MP Elmer Fudds photo shoot. For instance, what happened to all the medical equipment already laid out on the ground for Palmer when the PARAMEDIC arrived with his little yellow bag Or box Or whatever the fuck it was: I mean will ya just look at it all Indeed they are only a defibrillator short of a hospital! Yet when Ginger Pubes kindly comes to move the PARAMEDICS little yellow box, bag, whatever, while the medic is off on his lunch break, the other equipment is all gone Loud Gasps please. I mean it isnt as if Mad Masoods Mob over the way have nicked it They have their own shit. Which they used to amputate Mad Masoods legs with. Mind you the ambulances havent even arrived yet so fuck knows where all the medical equipment came from But that fact still doesnt solve the mystery of who nicked all the medical equipment If only there was a policeman around! Course, I suppose that the air ambulance crew could have nicked it After all they will nick anything if its not nailed down. And while I dont want to point the finger at anyone (as the two armed plods would put my finger to shame), the equipment was certainly still there when they arrived. But nevertheless, can someone tell me what is going on with the geezers arm that I have enlarged in the inset photo? Mind you, you couldnt blame the flying doctors if they did nick the medical equipment since the London Air Ambulance is a charity Which of course like all big charities is operated by the elite, hence the Masons moniker on the Helicopter and the fact that they are happy to take part in this criminal enterprise. Nevertheless, with the Paramedic popping off for a cheese & pickle sandwich and a couple of pints of lager, I would imagine that the air ambulance crew will take over from Elmer Fudd in trying to save old PC Palmers life. After all, Toby Fudd did say that he only gave Palmer mouth to mouth and tried to stem the flow of blood  blow flow in other words  until the medics arrived. And to be fair those Air-Heads dont fuck about: The crew usually consists of one advanced trauma doctor, one advanced trauma paramedic and two pilots. There is occasionally an observer, who is a doctor or paramedic in training. The team can provide advanced life-saving medical interventions, including open heart surgery, blood transfusion and anesthesia, at the scene. Londons Air Ambulance was the first service in the world to perform open heart surgery (thoracotomy) at the roadside. The service has the worlds highest survival rates from this procedure in pre-hospital environment, with patients chances of survival rising from zero to 18%. Londons Air Ambulance was the first service in the UK to carry a senior doctor in addition to a paramedic at all times, provide a 24/7 advanced trauma care outside of hospital, provide general anaesthetics on scene, and carry blood on board and administer blood transfusion on the roadside. In fact I bet that the fly-boy is saying to Toby & his Mugs in the photo below: Cmon lads, push the victim over here and let the dog see the rabbit. And of course the Fly-By-Nights leapt straight into action. After they had a cup of tea and what not So, total, total bollox then. Nevertheless Elmer Fudd was quickly rewarded for being a hero And the cretin appears to have no shame whatsoever as he basked in the applause from other nonce MPs. In fact according to the Scum, Elmer fought back tears as Tranny May heaped praise upon him the very next day in the House of Conmans. The following is from the Spy owned Telegraph newspaper. They really are sick in the fucking head! And neither was it just our nonce MPs heaping praise upon the fraud cunt. And there were many more like that, although these slug-mugs are awarded medals and what have you for fuck all  making them worthless. I mean fake PC Dead Palmer got an award for running away: The heroic police officer killed after confronting the Westminster terror attacker outside Parliament and the heroic passer-by stabbed trying to protect MP Jo Cox have been awarded medals for their bravery. Their recognition came in this years Queens Birthday Honours list. Police Constable Keith Palmer, who was stabbed to death by attacker Khalid Masood in March on the forecourt of the Palace of Westminster, has been posthumously awarded the George Medal for confronting an armed terrorist to protect others and Parliament. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said she and her colleagues were immensely proud of Pc Palmers bravery. Paying tribute, she said: Keith acted that day with no thought for his own safety, intent simply on doing his job and protecting members of the public and Parliament. He paid the ultimate price for his selfless actions.Source However unlike our perverted MPs, at least those thick fucks who tweeted about Toby Juggs heroics have the excuse of not knowing any better. And then there is the matter of Tobys brother Jon who coincidence of coincidences was killed in 2002 by a terrapin bomb in Bali Balicks more like. In fact I would imagine that brother Jon and brother Elmer are the same person. Certainly Elmer hasnt aged over much when you look at the photo below.. Indeed I will go further still and suggest that Elmer Fudd  the MP for Bournemouth  is also the disgraced leader of Bournemouth Council, Cllr Stephen MacLoughlin who to his shame was caught with porn on his Council laptop computer Not that these cunts have fuck all else to do. Regular readers of mine will of course recognize the clues such as enlarged ears and shortened noses. And they do in fact both look incredibly like one of the last tourists to have their photo taken with the now deceased, hero, Keith Palmer. Furthermore I would imagine that the fraudster, Fudd is also shop-keeper, Nigel  brought into the play act to give Mad Masood a past life. And neither would I discount Elmer Fudd being PC Keith Palmer himself. Although I must stress that I am also not 100 percent sure about this one Its just something about the smile which makes it worth a mention. And the above photo of Palmer is supposedly the last one of him ever taken In fact the bird in the photo with him is allegedly an American tourist named Staci Martin. Course strangely spelled names are common to fraud events and whilst I have seen the name Stacey spelled Stacey, Stacy and even Stacie, I have never ever seen it spelled, Staci. Now obviously Elmer was also the darling of the Met after all that he did for PC Palmer At least he was if the faked photos are to be believed anyway. What a smug-mug-fucking-tosser! And if the following photo is the best that the press can come up with for Elmers army career then his army career is as fake as what he fucking is. And finally  at least where Elmer is concerned anyway  I feel that I should just point out to you, the Chimps gross hypocrisy. You see, whilst the Monkey-Kuntz have been championing Elmer Fudd they have at the same time been busy scaremongering their readers about some bollox legal high named Spice that supposedly turns users into Zombies: Shocking footage shows homeless people being turned into the walking dead after taking the drug Spice. The video, shot in Manchester city centre, captures disturbing scenes of people frozen like statues as the substance takes hold of their whole body. The city has experienced a surge in ambulance call outs after users have fallen victim to the drugs lethal side effects, with some left keeling over and smashing up their faces. Meanwhile in Wrexham, north Wales, pictures have emerged of bloody needles and other drug paraphernalia discarded on a bus station floor, alongside images of people slumped against walls and even a flower pot. Source Yet when it comes to Elmer Fudd tripping out on Spice The Monkey-Boyz turn a totally blind eye to it Just sayin. But forget about shit like that because at this point I was going to try to squeeze in the bit about how the Paramedics first put Mad Masood into the ambulance feet first. Before realising that the patient doesnt go into an ambulance that way And as such, they had to take Mad Masood off of the lift and turn him around (see photos below). But then I thought that I best not tell you about that fuck up as we need to get back to the car drama. Although the ambulance demonstrates how it would have been impossible for Acting Chief Cunt, Mackeys car to have driven passed Masoods body, and as such you now have proof that Masood MUST HAVE ran past Mackeys car to have been shot where he was Hence Mackey was present before, during and after the attack yet never once so much as got out of his motor! And with that being the case, I best remind you that we were up to the part seen in the screen shot below. However, the smudging around the edges of those people present in some of the screenshots that we have seen so far, indicates to me that they have been added to the photos. Therefore it is quite possible that no real acting out of the drama took place anyway. See it? The smudging I mean. Nevertheless, at this point the camera then goes haywire in the footage of the car leaving the Palace, almost as if the person holding it chucks the camera into the air and then catches it again. Course, that sort of thing is common to hoaxes in order to hide something that you are not meant to see, which in this case is probably PC Palmer stand up and take his fluorescent coat off. But obviously it takes a split second or two for the camera to refocus and as such the screen-grab above is the first one that I could take where it is possible of sorts to make out what is what. There was also a lot more people running around once the camera had refocused albeit it went haywire and returned to the action a lot, lot quicker that PC Dead could possibly have taken his coat off Which incidentally was never seen again and given the fact that they are fluorescent, cumbersome and dead easy to spot, makes that fact quite bizarre. Worse still, by the time the gatehouse came back on the screen, the car had gone As had all those legs that you can see at the top of the screenshot above this one. And the barrier was now down. Course, given the location of PC Palmer and his close proximity to the kerb/steps, the fella in the white shirt must be stood on him! We also appear to be missing one of the fluorescent-coat-wearing Blobby-Bobbies Quite fucking amazing the changes that can occur in a couple of seconds, dont cha think? Furthermore, what the fuck is that plod-twat doing walking along the barrier wall in the photo above? Indeed there is no reason whatsoever for him to do so! Wanker. Mind you, I would imagine that the reason the mush is shutting the gate in the photo is obviously to try and convince us  should the need arise  that the car went out of that gate Which obviously it should have done being as that is the exit gate. However, keep all of that in mind too because I will be returning to the car and why I believe that it exited via the entrance gate shortly. And at this point we need to return to the original footage of the car coming out of the Palace Estate that I showed you screenshots of earlier. However  just so as you know dont cha know  the bike courier rode up to the gate exactly 1 minute and 3 seconds after the shooting. PHOTO: The last of the 3 shots fired was heard at 13 seconds in the continuous video that this screenshot was taken from. Therefore it would be nice to know where the press got their THREE minutes after the shooting timeline for the couriers arrival. And with that being the case, along with the fella shutting the gate immediately after the car had left  thus, proof that the gates were not left unattended  Despite the plod being short staffed at that point, it becomes increasingly obvious that the press are lying in order to further their Monster masters agenda. Nevertheless, when the car pulled out of the Palace grounds it swung a left which under normal circumstances the driver would have no choice but to do being as he would have been pulling out onto a one-way-street. However, by turning left  if indeed Mackey was in the car  the driver would have been heading in the wrong direction to where the New Scotland Yard building is, albeit his intention would no doubt have been to go around Parliament Square after which the driver would have then gone down Whitehall in order to get back to the swanky new Met HQ. Course, I say that the driver would have gone down Whitehall because of the traffic that would have been chaotic literally minutes after the fiasco had occurred  had the event been real. However, on any other day the driver might just as easily have gone down Victoria Embankment to get back to the Met HQ although he would still have had to turn left out of the Palace and go around Parliament Square.. Nevertheless, as I have already pointed out this area is an exceptionally busy one and traffic would have been chockablock within minutes were this a real situation Which of course makes it harder to understand why so little traffic was passing the gates immediately following the shooting. After all, despite us being told that there was quite a number of coppers patrolling the area as a matter of routine, they would not have reacted that fast as to close off all roads in the area a minute or so after the event had taken place Coppers are mindless thugs and cannot think for themselves. They need to be told every little thing that needs doing. And as we shall see shortly there was no traffic heading towards Parliament Square from the other way (the Abingdon Street end) either, immediately after the shooting  indeed if not before Very, very fucking strange. In fact there was that little traffic on the road outside the Houses of Parliament that people were just walking across Parliament Street without so much as even looking left or right. Or even taking notice of where the action was at for that matter! Never mind the fact that a minute earlier people were seen running around screaming like Banshees. Nevertheless, the Monster-Scriptwriters did have a half-hearted attempt at creating a traffic jam over on the other side of Parliament Square which in theory, around half of that traffic would have come down passed the Palace from Abingdon Street. PHOTO: The half hearted attempt at creating a traffic jam on Parliament Square. PHOTO: Half of the traffic around Parliament Square would have come via Abingdon Street. But I will make mincemeat of that in due course. So anyway, given the lack of flowing traffic and the obvious  albeit unexplained  need for Mackey to get away from the crime scene so quickly, you would have thought that his driver would have hung a cheeky right at the Palace Gates instead. I mean by doing so it would have saved Mackey having to sit in the traffic queue that probably wasnt even really there. And indeed when you look at the photos of the car leaving the Palace grounds you would be forgiven for thinking that a cheeky right turn was indeed the plan which would also explain why the driver took the entrance gate out instead of the correct, nearer-to-him exit gate. See what I mean? The car certainly looks as if it is going to hang a right turn. Now at this juncture I will tell you that on my research-travels I came across a video uploaded to YouTube that was filmed from a dash-cam belonging to a motorist travelling around Parliament Square, allegedly around ONE hour before the Pantomime began. However, I strongly suspect that all is not as it appears with the footage and as such I will point out the anomalies as we go through the screenshots of the journey. Nevertheless, the footage starts halfway down Abingdon Street with his destination being Whitehall, and the film instantly makes a mockery of the lack of traffic that I pointed out to you three photos ago. Now the screenshot above is where the video starts and as you can see the video counter is on 0.00. Moreover, the fella is stuck in a queue waiting for the traffic lights. However the video counter is in fact conveniently hiding the time that the film was made, which after a bit of fucking about with the photo levels on my part now clearly shows the time as 14:32:11 (see photo below) Which is just 8 minutes before the attack officially started and indeed if the early press reports were to be believed, 2 minutes after it had actually started. Unfortunately I know fuck all about dash-cams so I suppose that his might not have updated from when the clocks last changed, which on the 22nd March 2017 would have been 30th October 2016  making the real time of filming, 13:32:11. However, the 22nd of March 2017 was just 4 days away from the clocks going forward so he  or she  was a bit fucking tardy. Nevertheless, lets have the next screen shot: Now obviously I am not going to show you every single screenshot that I took but this one illustrates how conveniently Big Ben was nearly always just a tad away from revealing the time Incidentally I take screenshots of film footage because it is easier to examine them and more often than not the films are removed at a later date. And as the driver  we shall call him Frank  begins to move a police BMW 44 hacks past him with siren blazing. That Plod-Motor may or may not have been involved in the old bollox, but if it was I am fucked if I can find it Yet. And in the screenshot immediately above we see another Plod-Motor tucked away proving that they really are all over the shop in Westminster. Twenty One seconds gone and it is very slow moving I will now remind you of that traffic queue following the shooting. But I think you will find that what we are witnessing in the above photos is just your normal EARLY morning traffic queue. So back to Franks film and the next thing we know is, that Plod BMW that had been sitting in a forecourt on the left pulls out in front of him Now interestingly this police motor, registration number: BX 66 HDK. with the 3 digit code: DNJ was very, very much involved in the later action. As you shall see. Could that be why Frank let him out, so as eagle eyed researchers would clock it and as such there would be no shadow cast over the plod vehicles attending the attack? Or could it be just a coincidence? Nevertheless, we now see Big Ben properly for the first time. Do those hands look correct to you? I mean old Biggus Benus is not a fine, precision, Cartier watch with continually moving hands. Indeed its big hand only moves twice every minute (once on the 30 second mark and then again on the minute mark). In fact the big hand is so big that you can actually see it clunk into place when it moves. And by the same token  although I do not know for sure  I would imagine that the little hand moves at a slower pace  probably once a minute. Nevertheless, Big Ben is never wrong and as an instrument of time with set moves and the fact that the time is now 13:33:30 (or 14:33:30 according to his dash-cam), the little hand should look from this distance; half way between the one and the two Just sayin. We are now 0:39 seconds into the footage and since we started at 0:00 when the time on Franks dash-cam was set at 14:32:11, the time on the dash-cam should now be 14:32:50 yes? Of course yes. But it isnt. In fact the time on Franks dash-cam is now 14:34:18 Not that he is cheating or fuck all. You see, every time Frank gets held up, the film fast forwards  which I suppose Frank has done to stop us getting bored to death. What do you mean you wish Id do the same? Philistines! Nevertheless, this means that in 2 minutes and 7 seconds Frank has moved the distance seen on the map below. However, I will also just draw your attention briefly to the tail-end of the passing van which is an ice water delivery van, which maybe something or maybe nothing But worth keeping in mind. And that distance should take no more than 10 seconds at an average 30MPH. At least the time looks more correct now (see below). The first photo of the clock face is taken at 14:33:34 whilst the other clock face on that 1st photo looks to have melted. The second photo of the clock face is taken at 14:35:09 (1 minute and 35 seconds later). Time must be going backwards if the little hand is anything to go by. And as for the other face in the 2nd photo? Well that appears to read as a different time altogether, again going on the little hand. Going round Parliament Square now and there is another stop for Traffic Lights. And there was me thinking that overall, it has been a nice clear, good quality picture when all of a sudden Frank starts fucking about with registration numbers and smudging faces out Weird. I mean take this photo for instance. Lets have a closer look to the right. The pedestrians look like they are all on Spice! Although I cant see if Tobias Fudd is there. Then again, it is clear that Frank has been doing a lot of playing about with the footage. And when we look to our left: We see this big long crowd of smudged up people. Indeed they remind me quite a bit of the people in the following photo: And if you look properly you will see that they are stood either side of the road Like in Franks film in fact. However, as the van next to Frank  from the boiling tap company  pulls away the smudging appears to decrease, yet in the Frank photos before this one, you could see writing on the van door. Although it is hard to make out exactly what it says Miami perhaps? Yet in the photo after, it appears to have disappeared altogether That registration plate looks a bit dodgy too. And I will also point out that we have now seen Ice and boiling water vans  which still maybe something or nothing, but do keep them in mind since the Monsters live and breathe by numbers, logos and symbolism. Course by the time that Frank gets round to the other side, the cop car, red taxi and Boiling Tap van have left him standing. However, look how quiet the road is compared to all those people stood outside the Palace gates Which you cant see because they have been smudged to fuck. Very strange when you consider how few people were stood outside the gates an hour later. Must be the recession because it wasnt like that two years ago as you can see in the photo above. Dead as a dickie bird for Frank though. And as Frank turns into a curiously dead-quiet Whitehall (Downing Street is a maximum 2 minute walk away), the film ends. However it has taken Frank just 5 seconds short of 4 minutes to get from Abingdon Street to where he is now and it has to be said that the traffic is a lot milder than it normally is. That fact in itself is very suspect and made even more so by the fact that the footage was [allegedly] taken an hour before Mad Masood did his thing. Therefore I shall be returning to Franks video later on, but for now lets pick up where we left off talking about whether or not Mackeys car turned a cheeky (albeit illegal) right turn out of the entrance gate to Westminster Palace. Now another reason for the car exiting via the entrance gate would be to avoid the action so to speak Or put another way, to avoid getting in the way of Mad Masood and the Gate-Plod as they performed their amateur dramatics. Mind you, it was handy for Masood that the barrier was raised making it one less obstacle to overcome. Yet with both gates open at the time you cant help but wonder why Masood ran straight past the first one in favour of entering via the second Weird. Moreover, since this is undoubtedly a fake event it is indeed highly likely that the car driver did turn right at the gates in the safe knowledge that they were not going to have a head-on collision. And as I say, by doing so Mackey wouldnt have needed to sit in the traffic queue building up around Parliament Square, thus enabling him to go and check much quicker on how the actors on the bridge were fairing. Course, whilst I am only speculating here the following photo taken on Westminster Bridge makes that scenario very plausible. Although that motor looks to be covering another car next to it, or it is over-laid on top of another car to in order to hide something. Or perhaps it is just the poor quality film and I am being overly suspicious. And I will remind you once again that I am having to enhance  as best as I can  all of these screenshots of the early film footage, as quite obviously the Monster-Minions have deliberately filmed the scenes in Techni-Crap. Now it goes without saying that the car in the above photo could be anyones but do bear in mind that if the event was real no traffic should have been able to access the bridge by the time that the film was made Just sayin. Course, and as I have already shown you, the car did indeed turn left at the Palace gates At least it did in the film footage. However, I can also now tell you that the actual attack inside the Palace grounds was filmed at least three times (3 screen takes as opposed to 3 different cameras)  which I imagine some of you are by now already conscious of that fact being made obvious just by the photos that I have already shown you. However, I will be proving that the grand finale was filmed 3 times beyond all doubt in due course  so if you hadnt already cottoned on to the fact, then you will just have to trust my word for now. And this is also where Terry Mays, Escape to Witch Mountain part of the play-act possibly comes in And I stress the word possibly because it is nowhere near a given fact but cannot be ruled out at this stage. Therefore you will hopefully remember from earlier that the first press reports had Un-El-Tel being hastily bundled away to safety at the impossible time of 2:30 PM. That time was then [in part] amended to the very-highly improbable time of 2:45 PM  before the Metropolitan Police finally settled for the Satanic 333 Or as they put it 3:33 PM. Now the following is a screenshot taken from a Chimp report in regard to the inquest held in the aftermath of the attack (29th March) and for the purposes of the timeline pay particular attention to the final paragraph. Got that? The information is clearly expressed as direct quotes from a senior police orrificer and as such Terry Mays departure must also be subject to CCTV timings Although all of the 75 CCTV cameras are switched off in Westminster: A central London council has made the controversial decision to switch off its entire network of CCTV cameras. Conservative-run Westminster City Council agreed the move at a cabinet meeting on Monday evening as part of an effort to cut costs. It means all the local authoritys 75 cameras will be turned off on September 1 to save up to 1 million a year. Continue reading But ignore that old fanny and instead I will remind you once again that 3.33 PM is now the official Met record of the Prime Mincers departure. And of course, that fact makes those original 2:30 & 2:45 PM press reports pie-in-the-sky unless of course the attack took place around, say 2:15  2:25 PM. Indeed the only other alternative  given mind to the quick release of the first article  is that the press had been tipped off before hand that the terroristattack was going to happen which in turn proves that it was a government staged play act. Yet by the same token the 3.33 PM timeline cannot possibly be correct either because it was reported in the press (with photos) that Terry May had left the building in an article released before 3:30 PM. Unless of course  once again  the press were told beforehand that Un-El-Tel was to be bundled away from Parliament at that time Again, information that unless the event was scripted (which it was of course) no one would have been in a position to forecast in the first place Understand? Of course you fucking do. Now there is a video that at the time of writing can be found HERE, in which the Sky News reporter says the following: Got that? Sky News reporter, Robert Nesbit stated that he had seen what he thought was the Prime Mincer leaving the Palace an estimated five minutes prior to mentioning it. Yet the time of that live broadcast (14:52 in the screenshot) is just 11 minutes maximum after the shooting had ended! Which once again is fucking good going especially if he saw Un-El-Tels car leaving the Palace at the press-agreed time of 14:45 PM. Course the wording that Nisbet uses gives SKY News a get-out clause, yet the article containing the video of Mays Jag leaving the Palace was published by the Daily Mirror at 3:26 PM on the 22nd of March. Or put another way, the article in regard to Terry May being evacuated from Parliament was published by the Daily Mirror 7 minutes before she officially left at 3:33 PM  as per according to the Met Police. That Daily Mirror article states: Theresa May was led out of the Commons chamber by the SAS and bundled into a waiting bulletproof car and sped away, after the Westminster terror shooting. A British Special Forces team attached to the Police Counter Terrorist Command spearheaded the search of the House of Commons for any other killers and oversaw the Prime Ministers removal. The SAS team, based at New Scotland Yard, bundled her to safety, along with her usual security detail. Okay, pausing briefly here before continuing with the article in order to raise an important point mentioned in the above: How could the SAS  allegedlybased at Scotland Yard  get to the Houses of Parliament and evacuate the Prime Mincer at 2:45 PM (let alone 2:30 PM), when the first 999 emergency call wasnt made until [allegedly] nearly 2:41 PM I mean, suppose that the SAS had been bumming each other or taking a dump or something? Course by the same token, had Telli May been evacuated at 3:33 PM then there would have been no need whatsoever for the SAS to be involved. Yet the fact also remains that we did not see any SAS enter the building to [presumably] evacuate Tranny May before 2:45 PM. Although I would imagine that this is them seen in the photo below. In which case they are at least a minimum of 15 minutes too late. And with that being the case you have to wonder why the supposedly best of the best would embarrass themselves by posing for photographs like they were on some kind of dangerous mission I mean Bold Finger had already checked out the greenery seen above the pair in the photo, for any hiding terrapins fifteen minutes previously. But Roger That  carry on the Daily Mirror: Minutes after the attack a fast-travelling RAF Chinook helicopter crew at RAF Odiham in Hampshire was alerted ready to fly in and evacuate the PM from the capital in case of a second attack. A government source confirmed the Prime Minister is OK. I am fucking made up that it is okay Sorry, dont mind me. Although you will note that the press report states that the Chinook crew were alerted Minutes after the attack, which would be more in keeping with reality Carry on: The Prime Minister returned safely to Downing Street to chair an emergency meeting of the COBR committee later.Source Errr, since it definitely wasnt the SAS doing the marching then surely Mr May would have been marched out of the Chamber by her own appointed protection squad, who would be ever present with the Prime Mincer? I mean what would the point of them be if some other elite protection squad took over at the first sign of trouble? Now that may sound as if I am being pedantic but since the quote was attributed by the press to the serving MP, Andrew Bridgen, then it is safe to deduce from his words that he was either: Talking bollocks. In which case why would someone in his position resort to lying for headlines? Deliberately lying in an effort to add further credence & drama to an event that he knew was fake. He rarely  if ever  sees Un-El-Tel, adding more proof to my claim that our Prime Mincer is a non-entity played by a series of actors playing the role of a figurehead for a British Government dictated to by the shadow-figures who really run the country. And as such far from me nitpicking, I personally find all three of those possibilities grossly unacceptable. Mind you, unsurprisingly Bridgen (there is a clue in his name as to why he was chosen to further the old bollox) is up to his neck in sleaze, has ears that put Prince Dobbys to shame and HD photos of the criminal politician are in the minority You can draw your own conclusions from the latter two points although the following photos are interesting. And they all have dimples in their chin Remember, only between two thirds to a half of our 650 MPs actually exist, with the rest being played by those that do. Just sayin. Now, with the attack in the Palace grounds being filmed at least three times, that fact adds to the possibility that the car we saw leaving could have been the Prime Mincers. Hence when we saw the rear view of the car leaving the gates it looked to be doing so as if the driver intended to do a cheeky right. Yet when we saw the car leave from a front view it definitely hung a left. Which if that were the case, then the car we saw appearing to be about to do a right turn would obviously have been Mackeys leaving to check on the bridge action. On the other hand, when we saw the car in photos taken from the opposite perspective, we know for a fact that the driver turns left which could possibly be Mays motor on its way up to the photo shoot that we saw in all the newspapers. And as such, what we were actually seeing was two different film takes made to look as one. So with that in mind, I will now show you the screenshots taken of Old Tel being hurriedly bundled into her car to escape the danger zone Although I should point out that this footage could have been filmed at anytime since the car park where Tels car is parked is pretty much hidden well away from prying eyes. Well if they can take the piss then so can I. Mind you, I didnt see any SAS there either. But then again that could be to do with the very fact that they are SAS and as such trained not to be seen Indeed this whole fiasco gets sillier by the minute. And as for the actor walking passed and away from its officially car despite the motor being impossible to miss Well that is extremely bizarre and at best proves that Tel cracks up under pressure. Yeah but TM the PM didnt leave via those Palace gates Spiv! I hear you cry in unison. Which going on what we are being told would indeed be correct Although fuck knows where in the world Unison is Probably in America. But all the same, this next lot of screenshots shows the escape route that the Prime Mincers driver would have taken to avoid the attack area. Indeed, if these ISIS terrapins were more organised and had launched a simultaneous attack at both ends of the Estate with a dozen or so of their highly trained 12 year-olds  as opposed to one middle-aged fat cunt  Terry Turbo and her handlers would have been fucked! You see, there were still major hurdles to get over having reached the House of Gay Lords car park. The alleged journey then continued. My bad, the Back-up Range Rover is actually a Back-Up Land Rover Which makes no difference to what I am showing you anyway and I only mention it now before some prat pulls me up on it instead of concentrating on what is important. Okay, we now need to go back in time to the Car Park where Tels Jag has just pulled off and is heading for the first exit Exciting stuff or what! Now why on earth would PC Pist be told to reverse away from the exit that we were told the driver took and turn the car wheels as if to head out in the direction of the shooting? I mean the Monsters do like to deliberately add these kind of anomalies as a means of starting conspiracy theories, being as there are always going to be mistakes made in these fake dramas anyway. In turn these mistakes will inevitably be picked up on by someone or other and cause controversy. Therefore the Monsters add their own conspiracy theories, as doing so stops researchers digging too deeply and diverts attention away from how the show is really being run. Moreover they like these conspiracies to flourish as it keeps the nation divided. For example, how many times have you heard people tut when anyone mentions conspiracy? However, the explanation for the Jag reversing and turning towards the normal exit  which like most of the Monsters explanations for their homegrown conspiracy theories are out there but tucked away  just doesnt hold water. You see, it is claimed by a security expert that the driver reversed and turned the cars wheels so as to give him the option of either escape route. However, the jags driver must have known by then that the normal exit was a no-no and that the Lords end was not under attack. And even had the driver not known, then why would he move to take the exit that he would normally never take  as opposed to the normal one  and indeed have to be stopped from doing so by the driver of the back-up motor? See? When you think things through logically it really isnt hard to cast aside what is bollox and what isnt. Therefore could it in fact not be a case of what I said earlier which saw Take 1 of the shooting appear to have been Mackeys car  or at least the car of the fella running the show  doing a Cheeky right turn at the gates and Take 2 being Old Tels motor which we then saw from the front view turning to the left? Course, some will then say that the car that we saw leaving the Palace appeared to be black (as opposed to TMs silver Jag) and didnt have a Back-Up motor with it. And to that I would say that the film quality of the car departing the gates is so poor that for the Monster-Minions, changing the vehicles colour from grey/silver to black would be a piece of piss and indeed could just have easily been changed by the lighting alone. I mean even Masoods grey Hyundai 44 has been described by the press as being Black a time or two. Could that be the back-up motor Just askin. But there is more There is always more dont cha know. And for that we need to go back to where we saw the Prime Mincers driver turn into Great Peter Street  although I doubt very fucking much that Peter was! Nevertheless, Great Peter Street is located off Millbank, the name of the road that evolves from Abingdon Street (see map below). Here, have a little reminder of Tels driver making that turn (below): And let me also remind you of that Sky News live broadcast that took place at 2:50 PM  an unbelievable 9 minutes after the shooting had stopped  in which Robert Nisbet stated that he was pretty certain that he had seen Terry May being whisked away 5 minutes earlier. Indeed it would seem that Sky News even had time to interview eyewitnesses who said that they heard sounds similar to gunfire close to the Palace  which to me suggests that they werent eyewitnesses at all But in the grand scheme of things I really am being a bit pedantic now. Nevertheless, you see that car in the far left of the above pic, with the 3 blokes wearing fluorescent jackets (film set security disguised as builders) stood in front of it? Well that is the exact same car as seen in the photo of Old Tels Jag turning into Great Peter Street  as in the car that was made to look as if it was crossing the carriageway in order to turn right but had stopped to let the Prime Mincers car and Back-Up motor make their turn. Therefore by the time that Nisbet is seen reporting in the above screenshot, the car  which I think is a Ford Focus or a Hyundai  had been sat there in the middle of the road for at least 6 or 7 minutes. Moreover, given the apparent traffic build up that the car is causing and the fact that the road was not closed off with police crime-scene tape strung across the road when Tels transport turned into Great Peter Street  because her car didnt snap it  yet there is clearly police tape in place 5 or 6 minutes later because we can see it in the above screenshot of the Nisbet report; in theory it is safe to assume that the Focus had been blocking the road before the police even turned up. And since we can see a Taxi pulling alongside the Focus in order to also turn right (presumablythe cabbie must have got pissed off with waiting behind the car), you have to wonder how Tels transport was able to turn into Great Peter Street in the first place since the Taxi would most certainly have been blocking the Jags path  what with Great Peter Street only having the two opposing single lane carriageways PHOTO: The junction at Great Peter Street looking out on to Abingdon St/Millbank. Great Peter Street  despite how it may appear in this photo  is not a one-way-street. However the fact that the taxi (which must be in the left lane) is alongside the Ford Focus and the fact that Terrys Jag can also [somehow] fit alongside the taxi, logically means that the bus at the head of the tailback must have stopped an awfully long way back to let the Focus driver pull out in preparation to make the turn in the first place And anyone used to driving in London knows that you never leaves large gaps because some cheeky sod will always use it to jump in front of you. Therefore the matter of the car blocking the road needs looking into much deeper. But first I want to give greater scrutiny to the live Sky News Broadcast given the amazingly quick time that it was shown, what with our most Senior-Bacon-Buggers being adamant that the main event STARTED at 14:40:08. Course the fella taking no notice of the police woman in those screenshots is our old mate Bob from earlier. Now a bit later on I also found more footage of the same live Sky News report but filmed before the broadcast switched over to Nisbet  from which the next batch of screenshots are taken from. And although the time located on the bottom left of the screen which is usually on show for Sky News viewers had been covered in this newly discovered footage  probably because the footage was a repeat showing later on in the day  it is quite obvious that it had been filmed a maximum five minutes after the Masood Show had actually started. So Sky News really were quick off the fucking mark werent they? Nevertheless, take note of where the little hand is on Big Bens clock face in relation to the number 3 in the above screenshot and then think back to where the little hand was in Franks video in relation to the number two and hopefully you will get the point that I am making here. Whats more, notice how much traffic there is to be seen in the screenshots which makes the fact that there was hardly any traffic going past the Palace Gates in the film footage of people running across the road following Masood crashing his 4 x 4, all the more suspect Not to mention Franks [deserted-road] film footage allegedly taken an hour before kick-off. Moreover  and as I noted in the first photo above  it is also clear that eight or nine minutes after the event had taken place that there was still traffic moving onto and across the bridge. However, if you hadnt clocked that fact, take a look at the screenshots below And by this time I had managed to find the original footage that Sky News had broadcast live. And more evidence of the police having a large presence on the scene 8 minutes after the shooting can be seen in the screenshots below  although how they managed to get past all the traffic coming the other way, not to mention the 50 odd victims scattered over the road is a bit of a mystery. So we now know that Sky News had a live feed to the action a mere 5 minutes maximum after the shooting had stopped (2:46 PM). And as a quick aside, if you look at the screenshot where I have arrowed the time showing at 14:49 (the 2nd screenshot up), that Panoramic view that you see is what the Sky broadcast had on the screen for almost the entire duration of the three minutes that it was shown (14:46  14:49), at which point the broadcast switched to the split screen that you see in the photo above. Now that is an extremely strange fact which cannot go unmentioned giving mind to what was also going on inside the Palace gates at the time  not to mention that crowd of panicked bystanders running around in unison like some kind of scene from the Benny Hill Show. In fact it is almost like Sky News had been told what areas they couldnt film until the show directors were ready for them to show other areas in the immediate vicinity. You also have to ponder on how Sky News had their cameras set up, presumably on the roof of a building opposite the Palace within 5 minutes of Masood being shot. I mean the above scenes cannot have been filmed from a helicopter as the camera never so much as blinks Unless of course someone like Super Prince Little Willie was at the controls of the chopper. Yet even then you would have to ask how Sky News had put a big chopper & little willie into the air so quickly. Nevertheless, there was actually a quick break from that panoramic view shown between 2:46 and 2:50 PM when Sky News switched over live to the House of Commons to hear Deputy Speaker, Lindsey Hoyle suspend the House. However, according to the official story Hoyle suspended the Commons at 2:55 PM, not 2:47 PM and as such Sky News done brilliantly catching live the exact moment that the House was suspended. Mind you, Hoyle is a proper dodgy character as you will already know if you have read my eBook called Sick Benefit. And I rather suspect him of also playing the role of Dr Alistair Chesser in this caper. Cheeser is reportedly the Chief Medical Officer at Barts Health Trust and was being interviewed about the victims being taken to his hospital. Nevertheless, the fact that the traffic is still moving onto and across the bridge ten minutes after the action had finished is made more suspect still by the fact that the Old Bill are already on the scene and they have a legal duty to secure and preserve a crime scene In other words there should have been nothing at all coming onto or off the bridge at that point Especially with there being up to as many as 50 people injured on the crossing Although how 10 people injured jumped to 50 people by the next day is beyond me! Now as we know, the Sky News footage went over to Nisbet at 2:50 PM replacing the face of Big Ben with the face of Big Bob on the split screen. However, just so as you know, dont cha know, the following screenshot is taken at the exact moment that the GMT moved to 14:51. And armed with that information I can now use the video counter to work out the time of all that goes on for the next nine minutes of the fraud since the broadcast is a 14.05 minute continual live feed Allegedly Furthermore, since I know that the actors posing as those caught up in the drama by the Gates started running across the road to Parliament Square at exactly 2 seconds into the video showing the bullshit in real time (from which I took the screenshots that I used earlier)  and the fact that the third and final shot rang out at the 12/13 second mark into the same footage (making the time exactly: 14:41:30 at that 12 second mark), I can now use the video counter to work out the timing of other happenings in that footage and cross-reference them with the events happening up at the other end of the Palace Estate on Abingdon Street and Millbank as per the Sky News video. PHOTO: The actors started running en-masse at 2 seconds into the video. The only realistic, possible reason for doing so is because Mad-Masood had got out of his crashed motor and started running towards them whilst brandishing his knife  or knives as we were later told. Now as I say, Mad Masood charging with his knife  or knives  is the one and only possible reason for the panic run since there is no sound whatsoever to indicate Masood crashing his hired motor into the suspiciously undamaged Palace perimeter wall at that 2 second point on the video counter A noise you most certainly would have heard since you can clearly hear all three gunshots being fired 10 seconds later. And to further back that claim I will remind you that the reporters inside of the Palace were allegedly first alerted to the drama unfolding by the sound of Masood crashing into the Palace wall. Therefore, giving mind to all of the other noises that we hear in the video it is inconceivable that the camera wouldnt have picked up on the noise made by the car crash. Are we agreed on that? Of course we fucking are The time then of that mad panic run MUST have been 14:41:20. And besides, a car crashing into a wall would not spark a mass panic run blindly across a busy road would it? Yet the fact of the matter is that I have watched this film footage frame by frame, time and again and can only conclude that Mad-Masood is the invisible man He doesnt appear in it which he surely should have done. Or are we supposed to believe that the crowd of spectators to the crash only ran in panic once Masood had charged passed them? And indeed back up at the Robert Nisbet end of things, the fact that it is all amateur dramatics becomes more obvious still by the police crime-scene tape strung across the road at the junction of Great College Street because as we have already seen, the crowds are kept back by another line of police-tape strung across the road just after the junction at Great Peter Street That is to say that the crowds are kept back by this line of tape except for the actors playing spectators who are milling around in between the two lines of tape  which we will call no mans land  along with the traitorous journalists & their camera crews. Moreover, Nisbet states in the following screenshot: Which is fucking good going by anyones standards since that would put Nisbet and his film crew on site at around 2:46 PM at the latest. Which is of course the same time that Sky News started live streaming their broadcast on the incident from Parliament Square, which in turn was just 5 short minutes maximum after the event lasting 82 seconds had taken place. And giving mind to Bobs statement about seeing Terry May fuck off would indeed back the timeline up. Mind you, Nisbet does say that Sky News offices are on Millbank but even so the timing is still far too quick for them not to have known that the fake event was going to take place Moreover, Bobby Nisbet isnt the only journalist spreading & filming the bullshit as you can see in the above screenshot and in some of those found below And think on, even in this day and age camera crews still have a lot of equipment to lug about. Now I know that I am being a bit long winded at this point but what goes on here is an important factor in this fraud because what I am going to show you will blow the official timeline out of the water and as such It is important not to cut corners and leave some readers scratching their fucking heads Or their arses or whatever the fuck it is that they scratch when they are confused. And trust me, it does get very complicated  as you would expect from the Monsters. Therefore, just bear with me because you have to appreciate that the plot will be difficult to keep track of for some thick bastards Only joking  Probably. Now Abingdon Street was not taped off at all when Terry Mays car appeared at 2:45 PM (ignoring the 3:33 PM official timeline). And that short journey from the top of Abingdon Street to Great Peter Street took just 10 seconds  at least it did according to the video counter. Mind you, since that journey is only around a distance of 100 meters, the Jags driver  making a super speed dash to safety  would have been travelling at an average 22 MPH Just saying. And we also know  thanks to the Nisbet video  thatboth the Great College Street junction and Great Peter Street junction were taped off a maximum 6 minutes later by 2:51 PM. Therefore we can hopefully use that six minute window to get a better indication of just how long those other reporters & film crews (of which there were plenty) had been at the scene of the crime, as well as the many other strange occurrences that took place within the same time frame. After all the earlier that the film crews got there, the easier it is to prove that they knew the attack was going to happen all along, albeit the fact that Sky News were live streaming at 2:46 PM and given the location that they were filming from, already all but proves the fact. Or do Sky News just have camera crews & reporters sitting around waiting for events to happen? Indeed if that is the case, the likes of Robert Nisbet must have very boring albeit relaxing working days. However, do bear in mind that I am going on the newspapers departure time of 2:45 PM for Terry May leaving the Palace. Now I say that because if the car that we saw leave the Palace gates via Parliament Square was in fact the Prime Mincers and not Craig Mackeys, then the time of departure would have been 14:42:00 exactly. Nevertheless there are also a couple of other things that I will now point out to you which occurred in that 5 or 6 minute window (2:45  2:51 PM) that you need to remember because we can also use them as a point of reference later. So, the first of those two things is the fact that we see a Police BMW heading towards Parliament Square as Terry May allegedly leaves at 2:45 PM. The Police BMW 44 carries the registration number: BX 66 HFD and has a 3 digit code number: HXW. And I will remind you that there is no police tape strung across the road at this time This then is the first police motor we see heading to the Palace gates at a time of around 2:45  2:46 PM. The second point of reference is another Police BMW 44 that we see in the screenshot below parked sideways across the road in the Nisbet video. This BMW 44 carries the registration number: BX 66 HDK and has a 3 digit code of: DNJ. And as you can clearly see, there is now police tape strung up across the road. This is also the Plod BMW that we saw in Franks video allegedly filmed an hour and fifteen minutes before the screenshot above was filmed. And with all that in mind, take a butchers of the following screenshots. Now, what we can ascertain from the above screenshots is that the Plod Ford Focus, registration number: BV 16 UWZ with a 3 digit code of: GFH and the Plod Transit Van, registration number: BV 16 UXW, with a 3 digit code of: CLL, must have gone passed beforeRobert Nisbet had begun his live broadcast at 2:50 PM. Moreover, at this juncture there is now police tape strung across the road at the Great College Street junction (which the plodman had to stand on in order for the Plod-Focus to pass over), but there is still no tape strung across the road at the Great Peter Street junction as of yet And neither has the BMW 44  which was sat across the carriageway and which we saw in Franks video  arrived yet. And I will also point out that whilst the barrier behind the coach appears closed in the screenshot above, the barrier wall that it attaches to appears to have disappeared! Yet we know that the barrier was definitely open when Terry Mays motor stopped to pose for photos at 2:45 PM. And as an aside, I hope you noticed what I had written on the screenshot of Nisbet 3 photos up and asked yourself why a copper would be telling him to fuck off out of it whilst ignoring the other camera crew behind him, as she stopped to pose for her photo to be taken by yet another photo-journalist. Weird to say the least. Now I can track the Plod-Focus & Vans journey right back to when they exited Great Peter Street  because that is certainly where they came from. Therefore, at the risk of stating the bleedin obvious, the two cop-motors had to have been heading towards Parliament Square between 2:46 PM and 2:49 PM at the very latest. However, you may have noticed from the screenshots that I have already shown you that there appeared to be a lack of media-hacks milling about when Un-El-Tels Jag made the 10 second journey from the Lords car park barrier to where the motor turned into Great Peter Street If indeed El-Tel did depart from there. Very quiet Apparently. Yet there must have been some photo journalists already at the scene else we wouldnt have that photo of Un-El-Tels [apparently stationary] car that appeared in all of the national newspapers would we? On the other hand, by the time the Plod Focus came hacking down Millbank & Abingdon Street there was a big crowd building up at the junction of Great Peter Street & Millbank and plenty of reporters & camera crews milling about a little further up the road by Great College Street. Yet minutes after that  by around 2:51 PM at the very latest  there was a bigger crowd still, stretching across the road at the Millbank/Great Peter Street junction Not to mention an awful lot of journalists too. Indeed those two last photos are taken seconds before the Plod Focus & Transit appeared. And with so many reporters & camera crews stood in Great Collage Street with their backs to any oncoming traffic (as well as cameramen with cameras on tripods stood in the middle of Millbank); it is a good indication that Great College Street is indeed closed off at the far end. However, we can now take a closer look at that Ford Focus (we will call it a Ford focus for reference purposes even if it isnt) blocking the road as this anomaly also ties in with the Plod-Focus & Transit. Now in the screenshot below we can see that black cab  that pulled alongside the Focus as Terry Mays Jag turned into Great Peter Street  pulling out to make its right turn into Millbank. And as we know that Focus had been sat with its front end in the middle of the road for at least a minimum of 5 minutes by 2:50 PM. And dont forget that Great Peter Street is only a two carriage way road which makes it harder to understand how Tels transport managed to navigate round the obstructing black cab. No room for tels motor to get passed see. And a Jag is a wide motor  I know, I drive one On a Y Plate I hasten to add before anyone starts accusing me of having a few bob. But even so, Jags hardly ever drastically change in shape & size and as such there would have been all manner of complications when Tels driver tried to turn into Great Peter Street. However, having said that; things are never quite as they seem when dealing with Monsters As you will see after viewing the following screenshots taken from yet another video of Terry Turbos escape, albeit one that is very rare now. So rare in fact that I didnt come across it in until very nearly 4 weeks into looking for evidence of a fraud taking place. And even then I had to go to America to find it Well an American media website anyway. But all the same, the following is the first of a series of screenshots taken from that rare footage: And would ya just look at the huge crowd despite Terry Turbo having just finished the cars photoshoot! Indeed we did not see anywhere near a crowd like that as the Jag made its way down Millbank towards Great Peter Street in the other footage. Therefore we now have a case of either a different background had been given to the footage we saw screenshots taken from earlier or there were some very carefully worked out camera angles employed and equally careful herding of actors around whilst the filming took place. Yet why on earth would they go to such extreme lengths if all was above board? Whats more, quite obviously this footage had to have been filmed from the window that I have circled on the screenshot below. The A3212 obviously being Millbank. And take note that the pavement is very wide at the part of the building where the window is located  due to the buildings entrance being built at an angle between the two exterior walls instead of being built with a square corner. However, I would imagine that the window is double glazed and the cameraman is way up from where the shooting took place in Parliament Square so I doubt that he or she would have even heard much from where he or she is stationed. And even if he or she heard 3 muffled bangs, they took place at least 5 minutes previous to when he or she started filming  we will say he since a fella who sounds black speaks throughout the footage. Furthermore the siren from the Plod BMW 44 was hardly likely to send him scurrying to the window. It is London after all. But even so, we shall still put it down to a lucky coincidence that he caught Mays Mayday on film. More screenshots please Mr Screenshot-Man Who is me obviously: Wanna see those last two screenshots again but closer together this time? Thought so. Here ya go then: Now why would they do that  as in cut & splice the film as well as change the background or at least make it look deserted when clearly it wasnt? I mean take the bird on the bike in the second to last screenshots. You see, you can get a clearer indication of how different these two pieces of footage are of Terrys escape to safety in the two screenshots below. Indeed this difference in films along with the obvious cut & splice at the 38 second mark destabilizes the entire time line that I am trying to establish, which at this stage in the proceedings the time should be around 2:46 PM Although on the other hand it kinda proves that the British media do not want us to know that there was such a big build up of people so soon after the attack And when I say the British Media I mean the Monsters because they own the British Media. Which is funny that I should say that. You see the building that the rare footage was filmed from is Number 4, Millbank. And Number 4 Millbank is home to Millbank Studios who provide facilities for all the major news networks. Which is probably the building that Nesbit was gesturing towards when he stated that: Our offices are two minutes down the road Although he wasnt being entirely honest since the Sky News offices are based across the road from the Shard building  across on the other side of the river, in the opposite direction to what Bob was gesturing. Now did you notice how many of those people milling about were in fluorescent vests? Although to be fair there is a lorra, lorra building work going on in Millbank and the surrounding area yet the vast majority all looked far too clean in the close ups to be doing much building work. Course you also have to ask why such a big crowd is milling around Great Peter Street in the first place when there is no plod tape preventing them from going nearer to have a butchers. After all, those gawpers are still over a quarter of a mile away from where the shooting took place and well over half a mile from where the attack started. Still, we have no choice but to carry on abiding to the first draft of the Minions script More screenshots please Mr Screen Shot Man Me Now I say that certainly the cameraman doesnt think the driver is going to make the turn because at this point the fella doing the filming quickly turns the camera to his right in order to film out of the next window. Therefore Tels driver couldnt have been indicating  which is very strange, not to mention dangerous, given the car and the taxi waiting to pull out  and he certainly didnt move closer to the central white line to signal his intent to turn right Perhaps at 22 mile per hour he thought such things unnecessary. Moreover, you will remember that I pointed out that the part of the building where the window is situated has a very large frontage between the building and the road which means that the cameraman would only have to move to the next window along in order to film the Jag if it was to carry straight on down Millbank. The time now would still be 2:46 PM in all likelihood. And now it gets really, really confusing you will be pleased to know  although I will try and make things as painless as possible for you whilst at the same time hopefully unravel the fraud. You see, immediately prior to the Plod Ford Focus & Tranny Van pulling out of Great Peter Street, the Plod Force Fuckers & Tranny Man had [probably] turned into that very same road after evacuating Westminster Palace And the two driving maneuvers were executed just seconds apart. Now I know that it was only seconds because of the screenshot below. I have arrowed the Plod Focus for you in the above photo. Indeed the fact that the Focus is sat there  presumably with the Transit behind it  makes the fact that the Jag and Land Rover appeared to have no problems getting round the motors all the more suspicious. Moreover, the fact that the Plod Focus hasnt its blues n twos going suggests that the plod-car-driver knew that Tels transport was on the way and the back-up Land Rover was their cue to hot-tail it down to Parliament Square. So lets now have a closer look at the motor sat in the middle of the road: And fuck knows where those two blokes that I pointed out in the rare video screenshots have got to (see screenshot below) I mean if you look at the screenshot below it is clear that in a matter of seconds they have been replaced by birds And the trees have also got a lot wider And the railings now look dodgy as fuck. Nevertheless, I would imagine that the taxi was probably also just used as a decoy in order to add a bit of normality to the exceptionally quiet roads They have a lot of London cabs do the spooks. As you will find out shortly. But for now, lets have some more screenshots. So to recap we now know that a large crowd was there all the time  which is strange given the fact that the attack only happened 5 minutes prior  except they were made to deliberately move out of the way when the carefully filmed Terry May evacuation scene was taking place Hence we dont see them in the following picture: But there is no hiding them in the rare film. Hmmm! And a few minutes after that: We also now know that the car in the middle of the road was used as a covert means to block it and should in theory of rendered Great Peter Street inaccessibly from Millbank, once the black cab pulled up alongside the car to make a right turn But somehow it didnt. However, that fact becomes more bizarre still when you see how far over towards the center of Great Peter Street the decoy car actually was. Indeed you could have almost driven the Jag through the gap between the kerb and the silver decoy car. Nevertheless lets get back to the Squad Car & Van and hopefully you will remember that I told you to keep in mind a car that I had circled a few photo batches up? Of course you do, it was in a photo showing the car in question coming up Abingdon Street just as the Plod Focus had passed the photographers in the opposite direction However, dont worry if you cant because I have reproduced the photo below for you. Now take note that this car is apparently the first motor to come up the road from Parliament Square since Terry May started her run from the Lords car park to Great Peter Street And this is indeed a very important point which we know to be true because nothing was following Terry Mays jag apart from the Back-Up Land Rover and as soon as that turned into St Peter Street, the Plod Focus & Transit pulled out followed by a whole host of other motors which all turned right into Millbank (the opposite way to the crime scene)  proving that nothing was coming down the road towards them. And since no motors were seen to pass in the opposite direction to the Plod Focus & Transit Van as they raced towards the Great College Street junction on Abingdon Street, we know that the fact is indisputable. However, as the Plod-Focus & Transit continue on their journey towards the Palace gates the car coming towards them is overtaken by a squad car which appeared out of the blue. It then becomes obvious that the squad car is also overtaking the unmarked plod-car in order to act as an escort. Now let me show you some of those screenshots again and you need to look very, very closely at them: And if you have really studied them well you will now know that they are a split screen with the first photo using the right hand side of the Plod-Focus and the inverted corner of the Palace to hide the join. As for the other two the van is obviously used to hide the join although look closely at the back of the van to your left where the back meets the side. Indeed it looks to me as if the back has been added to a totally different van. On top of that, there are also overlays (pieces of film laid over the top of an existing piece of film usually to hide something) all over the shop. However, I have cropped those photos down too much to show you where the joins occur on them, but I can show you on one of the screenshots that I took at the same time. Now I dont know if this is some new kind of technology being tried out here or what but it is done very well, although the contrast in the road surfaces on either side of the motors give it away. There are also a couple of angles wrong mainly in the last quarter splice on the right in as much as the plod glass-house is too sideways on. The road also bends too sharply but if you look at the traffic light that I have circled in black and the way that it runs up in line with the outer edge of the Palace wall and then compare the same area in the bottom Google Map photo you will see that I have got the exact same angle that the monsters screenshot is taken from. However, I will say it again: The Monster Minions have done an excellent job of putting their film footage together. Course, the fact that so much work has gone into making the hybrid film footage (those who have read my Night Of The Living Dead think along the lines the Princess Diana CCTV, but much more advanced) proves that this film footage could not have been filmed on the 22nd of March because it would have taken too long to put together Thus this terrapin attack was in production for many months before the day itself. In fact it looks to me to be made up of a combination of CGI, real footage and green-screen all rolled into one. Nevertheless, moving on and we now revert back to the original Ruptley film footage that I had been taking the screenshots from. And the fella in the green is without doubt MI5 but I will deal with him and all the other agents present later, although the fact that he is being filmed in Techni-Shite by a professional camera crew should tell you all that you need to know. But here is the thing: That grey/black car with the police escort can only have been the [Mackey] car that we saw pull out of the Palace gates more or less straight after the shooting had stopped Indeed, logically it cannot possibly be any other car, taking into account all that I have just painstakingly showed you. And besides, no other car with a police escort and its siren blaring with flashing blue lights coming from behind the radiator grill had any business departing the danger zone. However, in theory we can also rule the car out as being that of the Prime Mincers since the Jag had already departed 30 Seconds to a minute prior to where we are now. Yet that fact also makes no sense since Mackeys car pulled out of the Palace gates 3 minutes before Mays Jag started its 10 second sprint down Millbank so how the fuck does that work, since it shouldnt have taken Mackeys car much more than 10-15 seconds to reach the point that Terrys motor took off from! And why on earth would Mackeys driver go all the way up Abingdon Street anyway  as in; where the fuck would he have been heading for? After all, if Parker didnt take the earlier aforementioned cheeky right turn at the Palace gates, then he would have surely gone around Parliament Square to get back to Met HQ. Especially as traffic going up Whitehall was still running normally at that time. And of course, if the intention was to go right around the fucking houses and come back down Whitehall via Trafalgar Square to reach the Met HQ the traffic would have been worse still that way. However, as you know, the Mackey story was only invented to explain the car away if someone happened to pick up on the strange behaviour of the occupants and of course, in order to start the official conspiracy theories needed in all government dirty trick campaigns to prop up the official story. Yet on the other hand, Terry Mays driver had every reason to go down Great Peter Street Except most definitely not in a car leaving via the Palace Gates seconds after the shooting had occurred. However, if Mays driver had indeed run the Palace gauntlet and exited via the Lords car park, then Great Peter Street would be the ideal road to use under the circumstances. So at the risk of being boring lets have a revue of the times that we know to be correct Trust me, you will be glad we did. Now, since the helpful criminals running the Metropolitan Police Disservice have given us the time of the final shot being fired as 14:41:30 exactly, we now know for a fact that the mysterious posh-car pulled up to the Palace Gates at exactly 14:41:50  departing 10 seconds later at 14:42:00 precisely. And by the same token we also [sort of ] know that Terry Mays Jag pulled away from the top of Abingdon Street approximately 3 minutes later at 2:45 PM. That is to say that we sort of know that 2:45 pm is correct if we ignore the Mets timeline of 3:33 pm and the original 2:30 pm press timeline. Indeed, the 2:45 PM timeline has the backing of the later press reports and Sky-Reporter, Robert Nisbet with the claim he made at 2:51 PM stating that he saw the Prime Mincers car leave 4 or 5 minutes earlier. So why was Mackeys car only halfway up Abingdon Street 4 or 5 minutes later at around 2:46  2:47 PM, when in theory the car should have been ahead of Un-El-Tels Jag by at least 3 minutes? I mean it is after all only a very short distance between the Palace gates and the Lords car park  especially on a deserted straight-ish road in a powerful car racing away from danger. In fact at an average 60 MPH a car would cover the 300 meters in under 11 seconds. So what was Mackey doing for 4 minutes after he left the Palace gates? Apart from braying like a Donkey of course. Well there is only one way to find out. Now you have no doubt heard about the Men-Who-Count-Goats? Well we are going to be the men who count cars. And by that I mean that I am going to attempt to plot the movements of all the cars that went up Abingdon Street from Parliament Square in the seconds before the shooting and the minutes after. Moreover, by doing so I am confident that there will be further anomalies crop up contrary to the official story which all go to prove that our government have knowingly committed a criminal act against the country. So, follow me because we are back off down to Parliament Square. Now despite the very poor quality of the above screenshot the actual footage was taken by a professional cameraman and as such it is made to look amateurish and shite on purpose. Moreover we can see in the upper inset photo that they all started to run in unison despite the little red man on the traffic light telling them that it was unsafe to cross. Whats-more, despite the white van being the only motor visible, there are actually three motors abreast of each other. That fact in turn makes the fact that those three motors arent moving even stranger unless by some freak coincidence the traffic lights turned red at the very same moment Masood caused the crowd to panic. Nevertheless, we are not going to count the white van as our first motor because it doesnt move from where it is sat straight away. Therefore the honour of being our Number 1 goes to a black cab which was mysteriously sat in the middle of the road just after the crossing. Indeed quite why the cab was sat there is anyones guess since if we are going to accept that the traffic lights behind the cab have just turned red, then it must have been sat there for a few seconds at least and would not have been doing so because of the people running in panic. But all the same, the cab then is our Number 1 car. Course the traffic lights must then have changed back to green very quickly because just 8 seconds later the traffic began to flow again. And two seconds after that, the first of the 3 gunshots is heard. Which makes the two taxi vans in the above photo, Numbers 2 & 3 in our counting cars crusade. Next up is Number 4  the white van we saw sat at the traffic lights which belongs to Tandi Sprinklers apparently So another motor with a water connection. And very dodgy sign-writing to boot. However, there is a reason for that which I wont go into right now as I dont want you to lose count. At 5 we have our second black-cab moving up on the outside-center at just 8 seconds (14:41:38) after the shooting, followed closely by the Specialists just four seconds later at Number 6. I notice that the Specialists also favour crap sign writing Must be the new in thing What can you tell us about that Posh Barry? Oh yaa, most definitely old boy. One is no one without frightfully shite sign writing, what, what, what. Thanks for the heads-up Posh Barry, and at Number 7 we have a Right State  I do beg pardon, I meant White Estate. And I think that I am right in saying that we have some earlier footage of number 7? Yes, yes indeed we do. Here we see the White Estate  our Number 7  looking like a Silver Estate. A perfect example then of how colours can be manipulated. And I do believe that is the Specialists in front of him, Posh Barry? Posh Barry?  Oh hes nipped out for a fag. Never mind, here is some more footage of that magnificent motor. Mind you, it is easy to see why the Specialists is so far in front of him as they get round the corner Our number 7 obviously couldnt stop fucking gawping. Now the more astute of you may have noticed that the above screenshot is taken from live TV news footage also courtesy of Sky News As is the one below. And for you statisticians  easy for you to fucking say  you may be interested to learn that this live footage had a time stamp on it which was obviously removed before it was shown live on TV  a pretty damn fucking impressive thing to do when you think about it. In fact if you look closely you can still see the remnants of the time stamp on the above screenshot but for those who cant be arsed to look I have shown you where it is on the screen shot below. Now far be it for me to state the bleedin obvious, but this means that Sky News  otherwise know as dirty stinking arseholes  had a live feed set up just 43 seconds after Mad Masood had developed Road Rage and 13 seconds after the fat-fuck had done a runner. However  and just for the record, you understand  The Metroplod allocated 52 Seconds from the time that Mad Masood stacked his Hyundai 4 x 4 to the time that he was shot brown-bread Which the traitors say that they calculated by using their CCTV evidence (that Westminster Council say wasnt recording) and no doubt their fingers & toes  which would explain why their account does not tally with the available evidence that we have. Nevertheless, the Met tell us that Masood crashed his rented motor at 14:40:38. Moreover, we know from the available video footage that there was 10 seconds from when the crowd started running to when the 3rd shot was fired at Masood. Therefore Mad Masood must have been sat in his wrecked car for 42 seconds before making his mad dash for the Palace gates which begs the question as to why we dont see the terrapin still sat in the 44 in the above photo since it was apparently taken just 13 seconds after hed pranged it? Mind you, the fact that there is a large crowd building up to the left of Mad-Masoods-Motor in that photo would back up my claim that the crowd we saw running across Parliament Square were doing so because the Terrapin got out of his motor brandishing a knife or knives  depending on whose version you believe  as opposed to them running away from the car crash itself Absolutely fascinating stuff. And as the White Estate pulls out of shot we see the Board-Man carrying his board down to the wreck in order to hide the fact that there is no fucking damage to the wall-pier whatsoever What a Trooper. I should also say for the benefit of our younger readers that no one was hurt during the making of this car crash Not even the car And Posh Barry isnt really posh Or real That was just me pretending to be him But Santa Clause is really real. You see, as it happens the Hyundai 44 rented by Masood was mostly computer generated Least the damaged bit was but I will elaborate on that fact later. But in the interim, look very closely at it. Nevertheless the White Estate (Number 7) passes the Palace gates 13 seconds after the final gunshot rang out meaning that the driver was there (at the gates) at 14:41:43  if we accept the Mets timeline that masood had hit the deck at 14:41:30. Therefore, it logically took Number 7 fifty two seconds to get from where we see it at the Hyundai wreck to the Palace gates. However, the Mets timeline is a bit unclear here because the 14:40:38 timing is the 30 seconds that it took Masood to cross the bridge. Therefore, if we look at the timeline republished below See you at the bottom. There is also the time of 14:40:59 which is confusing as it appears to relate to when the police received the first 999 call  which again I find it hard to believe that it took someone on the bridge 51 seconds to get on the blower to the emergency services, especially with there being over 1000 people on there At least that is what the *aherm, aherm, top-plod Mark Rowley told the inquest on the 29th of March 2017. Mind you, knowing my critics and the way that the government paedo-trolls like to try and dismiss the evidence that I put forward; in view of that hidden time stamp on the screenshot being barely visible, I thought that I best embark on a mission to find footage with the time stamp still in place And I am nothing if not tenacious. Although the footage that I found relates to the bridge. Which means that the paramedics got there in proper superhero time too Literally Although according to the Ambulance service it took them 6 minutes to get there But like a lot of other things so far; we will ignore that anomaly for now. Okay, lets get back over to the racing car action. And at Number 8 we have a Bit Of A Beast passing the gates at dead on 31 seconds according to the video counter  19 seconds after the final bullet had been fired for those of you who study form. I should perhaps just add that it is best if you dont look too closely at the Bit Of A Beast  especially at the wheels because the car is a ringer So swiftly moving on and up to ninth position is the Specialists twin brother, the Shit-Stain. However, I would once again advise you not to look too closely, especially at the wheels. Oh you already did! Well not to worry because I will divert your attention by showing you Top Knob Mackeys car leaving the Palace grounds Or is it Big Knob Mays car despite her leaving the Palace unofficially 3 minutes later Who knows, I certainly dont Perhaps. However, since the driver is cheating we wont give this car a number and as such the Number 10 spot goes to a silver taxi. There was in fact 13 seconds between that silver taxi appearing outside the Palace gates and the Number 9, Shit-Stain van doing the same before it. That 13 second lull in traffic was followed by another 20 second pause in passing motors  very fucking peculiar  which ended with the first Police motor to arrive on the scene. This Copmobile did in fact arrive from the wrong direction at 14:42:26 (56 seconds after the shooting), which made the filth fucking lucky that there was a pause in traffic, else there could well have been a head on collision. And of course that Police BMW could not possibly be the plod BMW that we see heading towards Parliament Square in the photo below, carrying the registration number BX 66 HFD with the 3 digit HXW code number, because there would be around 3 minutes difference in arrival times. And that would also mean that it took Terry Mays minders around 45 seconds to react to the shooting, round her up  or him, it is fucking hard to tell  get him/her into the car, drive at break-neck snail pace through the Houses of Parliament, get out of the Gay-Lords car park and stop to pose for the photo that we see above Therefore we can say that unless the timeline is bollox (it is) then the Plod BMW is definitely not the Plod BMW arriving at the gates at 42 minutes and 26 seconds after 2 pm. Nevertheless, we wont issue the bent-coppers with a number either since they came from the wrong direction and as such the BMW wont be any use to us whatsoever in our quest for the truth Probably. Therefore, the motor seen in the following screenshot is our Number 11  which didnt drive passed the gates for a further 17 seconds (14:42:43) after the Plod had arrived Again, an awful long time given the location. Indeed if you disregard the plod BMW which didnt actually drive passed the gates, there was a break in all traffic lasting 37 seconds between our Number 10 and Number 11 motors. Moreover, from the time that our Number 9 passed the gates to the time that our Number 11 did the same; only one motor had driven passed (the silver taxi at Number 10) in 50 seconds  so something must have been happening off camera I mean to say, ONE fucking motor driving passed Westminster Palace in a 50 second period? Impossible! Nevertheless, we are 1 minute 13 seconds after the shooting now putting the time at 14:42:43. So moving on swiftly and our Number 12 spot goes to a fella on a moped with a very dodgy looking top box on the back. Now he becomes important later on but to tell you why now would only confuse the matter further and as such you will have to wait to find out why. So suffice to say for now that our Number 12 drives passed the Palace gates at 14:42:46. Moving on and unfortunately I could only catch a fleeting glimpse of the van which is at Number 13  lucky for some  although I am not sure whether the driver was issuing some kind of warning or not. However, you will no doubt have noticed that the company van supplies water coolers  making the total number of vans that we have seen to do with water: four. And dont go and dismiss the possibility that these vans are some kind of hidden message because there were many messages being displayed on wagons & buses that day. The one below for instance. We can make up words obviously being a reference to making up the news. Indeed, even the inevitable peace symbol that was supposedly adopted from a member of the public and which always appear after these fake acts, shows the true nature of the insidious Monsters mentality and aim. You know the symbols that Im on about: PHOTO: The French symbol of hope adopted following the November 2015 Paris Terrapin hoax And below is the symbol adopted after this London bollox. Yet as far as I can see there is fuck all peaceful to be seen in that symbol. In fact what that symbol of peace screams at me is this: Which given the current climate thanks to warmongering American President, Donny Fart, I found rather apt. And that is exactly how the Monsters operate; they turn everything on its head. Nevertheless, lets crack on with car Number 14, else we will be here all fucking day. Which is actually another shite-sign-written van And once again, do not look too closely at the back wheel Or the wheel arch for that matter. Number 15 is a car roof thus the cameraman must be a giant Is that Gordon Ramsey over by the gate? Has he been riding a horse? Is he John Gordon Wayne-Ramsey by any chance? Number 16 is the CBBeeies taxi cab which has had all manner of joins and overlays added to it (see below). Quite why it does is anybodys guess. And Number 17 is a Boy-Racer. Although it is also another cut n shut and whatever you do, do not look at the wheels. Number 18 is another car roof filmed by our giant cameraman, followed a second later by another black cab at number 19, which appears to have a design of some sort on its back door. It is now 1 minute & 25 seconds after the shooting making the time 14:42:55. Another second passes and yet another strange van appears. The advertised firm is called Clearabee yet appears to have no phone number on the side. Nevertheless, at this point the camera starts to wobble whilst swinging to the left. However, luckily  andyou will find out just how lucky in a moment  I was just able to catch car Numbers 21 & 22 before the camera went totally haywire. The video counter is at 1 minute and 38 seconds at this point  1 minute 26 seconds after the shooting  making the time 14:42:56 . However, as I am sure you can see for yourself, the taxi-van has a clear overlay on the drivers door and does in fact appear to try and disguise the fact that the door is open and the driver (spook) is stepping out Moreover, there appears to be someone stood on one of the seats with his head and shoulders poking out of the sun roof: Why would they do that? Nevertheless, the lucky part comes in because of the light blue bus behind the red bus in the background. Now those two buses have to be the same red bus and light blue bus that I drew your attention to in the Sky News footage in order to prove that traffic was still driving onto Westminster Bridge 9 minutes after the event had kicked off: Moreover, since those two buses then remained on the scene for hours afterwards I would imagine that they were ferrying actors, directors, camera crews & production staff onto the bridge. Just sayin of course. However, getting back to our car counting and at that point the cameraman must have fell off his fucking ladder because the camera picture went all over the place with no clear images at all to be had. Course, and as I think I mentioned earlier, this kind of thing is very common in the filming of frauds and is done to not only hide something that they dont want you to see, but also to add or take away extra footage. Furthermore you need to bear in mind that this video is meant to be continuous, untampered-with footage, which obviously we know that it isnt. Nevertheless, four seconds later Alchie-Alan gets his act together and the picture resumes. However, the camera has now been turned about 270 degrees and shows the following: Now obviously I am just guessing at those motor numbers and of course in theory it is possible that some of them we see could have arrived via Abingdon Street, since we cannot see what traffic is coming from there in the video. However, having said that we have seen in the screenshots taken from footage of Abingdon Street that the only motors to head on down towards Parliament Square after 2:45 PM are police cars & a police van. And by that time we also know that the abandoned Ford Focus was blocking Millbank in the direction of the Palace. Course, if I am right about the motors that I have identified then you have to question why it took so long for them to get there. For example, if the car that I have identified as number 2 is correct then it has taken the motor 1 minute 30 seconds to get from the Palace gates. Nevertheless, at this point the camera is slowly moving full circle back around to where it started. And as such the next motors we see are the following. We are now on 1:43 seconds as the camera continues to turn making the time 14:43:01. And at that point we see our car number 21, yet fuck knows what that is to the right of the motor. It kinda looks like a bus but it appears to have entered Abingdon Street via the one way system designed for motors heading into Parliament Square. But all the same, as the camera continued to turn we were once again treated to the view of numbers 20 & 22. Course the fact that we see these two motors again means that they have only moved a matter of feet in 6 seconds and car number 21 has zoomed ahead despite the driver and his passenger  who seemed to think that he was on safari  holding the proceedings up. Nevertheless, to complete our line up we have cars 23, 24 and 25. That brings the time on the video counter to 1:46 making the time 14:43:04  in theory, although it is quite obvious that the film has been tampered with Now why would they do that if all was as meant to be? And the answer to that is they wouldnt, so it cant be. Course 25 passing motors in 1 minute 46 seconds must set an all time low record for cars on Parliament Square at 2:40 PM on a Wednesday afternoon I mean that works out at one car every 4.24 seconds on a 5 lane carriageway! However, luckily for us  and not for the first time either  we can [sort of] check if all is above board thanks to the Monsters eagerness to convince us that this was a real event In other words, the Monsters desire to con us via means of taking plenty of film footage means that we can cross reference the traffic flow using footage taken from inside the Palace, which was specifically taken to show us what took place inside the Palace gates following the shooting of Mad-Masood. And in doing so, the cameraman inadvertently filmed the traffic passing outside the gates at the same time. Here, have a butchers and straight away you will notice that the positioning of the motors on view does not tally with the one motor every 4.24 second lark. And neither does the traffic build up that we see to the left of the first screenshot: So, safe to say that film footage is fake as fuck then. But lets try and make some sense of the nonsensical. Now you may remember that mystery van that I pointed out to you apparently heading up Abingdon Street as the posh-car readied itself to pull out of the gates (as seen in the photo below). And we know that this was taken at 14:41:48. So grab your stuff because were off up to the other end again. Now in the following screenshot taken from another (rather animated) video, we see the mystery van followed by what surely must be car number 2, which I will remind you had already started travelling up Abingdon Street whilst the Mackey Posh-Car was still on Parliament square. And as the two motors made there way up the road a big mouthed copper began flapping his arms and bellowing at the actors to run, run (circled in black) How long is that fucking barrier? However, the mystery-van had begun travelling up Abingdon Street whilst the posh motor was still inside the Palace gates at 14:41:48 meaning that it had a 12-15 second head start on the posh-car. Now as I have already mention a couple of times this is only a short stretch of road which the mystery van would easily cover  top to bottom  in 21 seconds if driving at an average 30 MPH. So starting with the mystery van, if we chart the motors coming up Abingdon Street we should be able to gain a better understanding of how the fraud worked. But instead we get a London Taxi However, before we go there I need to point out another little matter to you. You see, as our number 2 taxi van began to go off camera it began to change Fuck knows how it did that but it did: Now why would they do that? To which I would answer: I think we all know why they would But anyway, what happened to our Plod BMW  as in why did we get a London Cab instead? Another good question to which I would be inclined to say that we got both. But anyway, with the time now being at the very earliest 14:42:20 there can be little doubt that the taxi should have been the plod BMW. So best we have a closer look at the taxi. Now as the driver pulled into view PC Short-House Big-Mouth started going proper, proper hyper. Course, that footage is fake as fuck too Which is why the taxi appears to hit the barrier wall but continues as if nothing has happened. And the reason for that is it is not real Its CGI: And with that being the case it is also very possible that as this taxi was coming down the road it was in reality the Plod BMW that was the first to arrive at the Palace gates. That possibility increases with the fact that the taxi arrived in the footage at the exact same moment that the Plod BMW should have done. Furthermore that would explain why the taxi looked a bit like a hot rod: Am I speculating? Of course I fucking am but it is without doubt that the official version of events are fake and my speculation is based on what my eyes can see not what my eyes are told to see. Indeed, you havent seen nothing yet as to how fake and bizarre the official version actually gets. Course, the plod BMW can  if ever the need arises  be dismissed as arriving at the Palace gates having driven the wrong way around Parliament Square (see map below). But the chances of the plod BMW coming via that route are extremely unlikely, yet cant be proved beyond all doubt thus it becomes just another un-provable conspiracy theory which the Monsters love so much And while Im just sayin, I will also just slip the following in: Not that I am saying the Minions used the same CGI for both I mean the pair could be from the Mets Hoppy-Coppy Division. Nevertheless, the next motor to grace us with its presence wasnt Mackeys posh-car, but our number 9, the Shit-Stain instead. And as you can see by the 20 seconds on the video counter, the van is coming to a halt. So at this point the time should be approximately 14:42:29. That fact in turn means that the Shit Stain has taken well over double the time that it should have done to get to where it is now. And before I forget I best point out that the strange shadow on the van has been touched up in the above photo to make it look more shadow-like, but it still shouldnt be there. Indeed I would suggest the reason for it being there is either something to do with the CGI or it is covering something up. You will also recall that Shit Stain is the van that looks remarkably similar to the Specialists  our Number 6 motor  which drove by the Palace gates at just 12 seconds after the shooting  making the time 14:41:42 when it did  thus being ahead of our Number 9 by 11 seconds. Number 9 was also the last motor to pass the gates before Mackeys posh-car pulled into the road which in theory should have meant that the order of the motors that we are now seeing further up the road is correct. However, I also told you that after the morph car, the next car up should have been Mackeys posh car. This is because when the posh car pulled out into the road behind our number 9, the van then came to a virtual stop (which is why it took so long to get up to where we now see it), while the posh car accelerated passed it as if the intention of the driver was to go around Parliament Square. However, at the very last moment the posh car shot back over to the left and went up Abingdon Street instead Which is what I showed you in the screenshot in which the posh car appeared to break in half. Course, we were not meant to see that front bit of the car at all which should have been covered with an overlay, whilst the CGI model appeared to be going to bear right in order to follow Parliament Square round  which was then further hidden by the picture fading due to the footage ending Understand? Of course you fucking do. However, dont switch off because Im not done yet. You see there were two motors seen passing the Palace gates in the 11 seconds between number 6 and number 9 passing them. Those two motors were obviously numbers 7 & 8. And if you look at the positioning of our number 6 (The Specialist) in the photos below I am sure that you will agree that it is indeed bearing right to go around Parliament Square, although in the above it appears to be bearing left to go up Abingdon Street. Furthermore, given the lanes that cars 7 & 8 are in, they too appear to be going to do the same. This would of course explain why we didnt see number 6 up at the other end of Abingdon Street after the mystery (cheetah) van and our car number 2 had both sailed by  although the driver of number 2 is busy fucking chatting whilst impaled on the Palace wall in the last photo. However, if you blow those photos up you will see that car number 8 is actually a Computer Generated Image (CGI) and as such it would make sense that our Morph car is indeed actually number 8 (as I suggested earlier was a possibility), hence the arrival of our car (van) number 9 appearing at the other end of Abingdon Street as the very next motor after Morph Taking into account of course that our posh car  which looks extremely like a Jag in the first of the above 3 photos and does not look at all like the driver intends to hang a cheeky right  seemingly vanished into thin air. Okay lets get back to where we were at the top of Abingdon Street with motor number 9. Now two seconds after stopping to chat to the loud mouthed Parli-Plod, number 9 is on the move again and straight away we see a white van coming in the other direction. The time now is 14:42:30. And for the record the van coming down Abingdon Street in the photo above is 15 seconds behind the brown & cream taxi heading the same way. However, I do believe that this oncoming van is actually our motor number 6. You see, as I will explain shortly, I believe that not only was this film footage shot last year (or at least most of it was), I also believe that Abingdon Street was closed off from Parliament Square (which may also have been closed off although not necessarily) right up to Great Peter Street  with the latter being closed to allow a constant flow of police & security service vehicles in and out. But as I say, I will go into much more detail shortly but for now all you need to know is that number 6  minus its shite sign writing that isnt really there  took the following route, which due to road closures would have been pretty traffic free. Or a route very similar possibly involving Tufton Street. Nevertheless, the two van drivers stopped for a quick chat. Now note the plod looking back down the road Indicating that there is another motor about to arrive. And with that in mind, that motor could be the Mackey posh-car which had to wait a few seconds or so for the police escort-BMW that we saw pulling in front of it in the screenshots up yonder. After all, the posh-car of his didnt have the plod escort with it when it left the Palace, but on the flip side, if that was the case then we should have seen the Escort-Car go past the Palace gates too But we didnt. That fact in turn  in theory  means that the escort motor must have been parked ready and waiting at the bottom of Abingdon Street. But once again, had that been the case then that would strongly infer that Craig Mackey, who at the time of the event was the acting Head of the Metropolitan Police (making him the most senior policeman in the UK at the time) knew that the terrorist attack was going to take place. And I also have to say how strange it is  not to mention fucking coincidental  that whenever these staged attacks take place, the Head of the Police Force with jurisdiction over the event is only acting as such in a temporary capacity. For instance take Dee Collins, Temporary Head of the West Yorkshire Police who had jurisdiction over the fake Jo Cox murder: Having joined West Yorkshire Police as assistant chief constable last January, she was promoted to temporary chief constable in June when Mark Gilmore was suspended following the announcement of a probe into alleged criminal activity during his time in his native Northern Ireland.Source Very convenient. Now at this point I will tell you that when I was watching the Ruptly footage of the Plod Focus & Van tearing down the road towards Parliament Square; the posh-car coming up the other way appeared to be on its own before what looked to be, either a white or a silver London taxi appeared from out of nowhere. That fact (in regard to the posh car originally being alone as it came up the road) also applied to the other [faked] footage that I found of the Plod Focus & Transit Van, except  as you have already seen  this second lot of footage was much better quality and shot from the other side of the road to the Ruptly footage. However, you will see exactly what I mean about the car being on its lonesome in the photo batch below which starts with screenshots taken from the second  better quality albeit faked  lot of film footage, after which the images are taken from the Ruptly video where we see the posh-car overtaken by the Plod BMW which appears to be in reality; a disguised London taxi. And what I think No, hang on let me start that sentence again And what I know for a fact is going on here is; not only was the Ruptly video footage filmed at a different time to the better quality one  given that the latter would have taken months to put together  but the posh car is in fact a different motor in each. Indeed the poor quality Ruptly video would have been filmed at the same time as our counting cars video. Moreover, I know for a fact that the car that we see in the better quality film is the one below. Namely Terry Mays motor. Now to add further credence to this scenario is the fact that in the counting cars video footage, the posh-car pulled out of the Palace gates straight after our Number 9 motor (the Shit-Stain van) had driven past, after which a further 7 seconds ticked away before the next motor happened along. And of course that next motor was our Number 10: A silver taxi Least it looked silver-ish although it also appeared to have been spray painted by a monkey and had a series of overlays plonked over it. A ringer in other words. Nevertheless. there was a total of 13 seconds in all between the Shit-Stain van (Number 9) and the silver taxi (Number 10) passing the Palace gates. And that 13 second window does indeed tie in with what we saw at the other end of Abingdon Street, because the very next motor to appear at that end of the roadafter the Shit-Stain van had paused to talk to the driver of the white van coming the other way was indeed the silver taxi Twelve seconds later. Therefore, if our Number 10 (the silver taxi) was the taxi we see disguised as the plod BMW that would make the running order all present and correct because  as we saw in the Ruptly video  the silver taxi come plod BMW had by that time overtaken the posh-car (which was then either parked up or hidden by overlays). The time now would be approximately 14:42:39  although that is going by the video counter and the footage has doubtlessly been cut & spliced in places and as such the actual time is in all likelihood a good few seconds later at the very least. However, we have no choice but to go on what is shown as supposedly continuous footage and as such there is still a time difference at this point of around 3 minutes between the silver taxi in the above photo and the Plod Focus & Transit racing down the other way  given the fact that they did not start their run until Un-El-Tels jag had finished the 10 second snail-dash down to Great Peter Street. Nevertheless, this turn of events means that the next motor to appear from Parliament Square HAS to be the posh-car itself But life is never that simple where the Monsters are concerned. You see, the posh car had to be hidden, hence the reason why it was made to appear to have gone around Parliament Square just as the original car counting footage ended. Course, hiding the posh-car would involve nothing more than diverting the camera away from the two motors, just like we did in fact see happen as the taxi (disguised as a plod BMW) and the posh car got too close to the cameras Like thus: And that is why the posh-car was made to appear as if it was following Parliament Square round when it pulled out of the Palace gates, so as anyone who was suspicious about the fraud  like my good self  and as such then decided to track the car movements (like we have) would not expect to see the posh car come up Abingdon Street after the silver taxi Or even before it for that matter, had those suspiciously minded chaps like myself not clocked the silver taxi overtaking it. Course, that then also goes a long way to explaining why the silver taxi was disguised as a plod BMW. However, that fact in turn throws up the anomaly of the Plod-Focus & Transit-Van bearing down on the posh-car and its escort from the opposite direction, since they shouldnt be coming down the road for another 2 or 3 minutes. However, I will address this matter in due course. Now, as the taxi drove past the loud mouthed copper (or should I say pretend copper), he became really animated (pun intended), lost the plot completely and went proper bon-bons. He then starts to run up the street: And at this point we see the front of the white van again, which I believe to be our number 6. Also take note that this is now a full 17 seconds after we saw the two white vans pull alongside each other and also be aware that the film footage at this point is made up of two halves with the lamp post being used as a divider  as you can see by the red line that I have added along the yellow stripe on the barrier wall which doesnt correspond correctly at the middle join. Therefore, to prevent people looking too closely at the film our CGI plod is loudly bellowing Get Back. Get Back whilst flapping his arms around like he is trying to take off  despite the fact that the van was already executing a U-turn Thus there was absolutely no need for the shouting. And in this screenshot the CGI copper has come to life whilst the footage on the left off the lamp post remains CGI, hence the difference in the road surface and kerb stones I told you that the fraud was in reality very cleverly done didnt I. But anyway, the video counter is now at 39 seconds as the camera then begins to pan back down the road towards Parliament Square Just as our Number 11 car appears. The time on the counter is now at 42 seconds which is 11 seconds on from when the silver taxi (car Number 10, sometimes pretending to be a plod BMW) drove by at the same spot. Therefore the time now is: 14:42:50 Now that 11 second difference in time is an interesting fact because the silver taxi (Number 10) drove past the Palace gates 36 seconds after the final shot had been fired at Mad-Masood, making the time 14:42:06 Which means that it has taken the driver 33 seconds to get where he is now, thus he must have had Miss Daisy in the back since he was only doing a maximum 20MPH. Yet our Number 11 car didnt pass the gates for a further 37 seconds. Making the time 14:42:43 when it did. Therefore, in the space of 300 meters (the distance between the Palace exit gates and Great Collage Street) which is a 21-22 second journey to a car travelling at an average of 30 MPH or a 41 second journey to a car travelling at an average 16 MPH, car Number 11 made up 26 seconds on the taxi. Yet somehow it has only taken our Number 11 car 7 seconds to travel that 300 meters. In other words he must have been doing 94 MPH! In a 30 MPH zone! See, the timeline makes no sense what so fucking ever. Moreover, in reality we know that our Number 10  the silver taxi  was knocking its bollocks out in its disguise as a plod BMW in order to overtake the posh car in front of it so how could the taxi possibly have been only doing 18 MPH? This then is further proof that the film footage was cut in order for the posh-car photo shoot to go ahead, but for the sake of continuity the cut footage also had to be taken into account at the Parliament Square end and that is where the Plod BMW pulling up at the Palace gates [presumably] having come down Abingdon Street comes into play. You see by doing so, the 37 second gap between car Number 10 and car Number 11  which has to be pie in the sky  went unnoticed. Therefore if you take that plod BMW as being added footage, the time between Numbers 10 & 11 passing the Palace gates is reduced to somewhere around 15-18 seconds  after other time adjustments have been taken into account Its not rocket science Although to be fair it isnt far off it. And that would explain why we didnt see the Plod-BMW pass our motors on the way up Abingdon Street. So with that now sorted out, lets get our arses back up to the other end, where the camera was slowly panning away from the white van doing a U-turn. And at that point we saw the motor in the screenshot below come into view. Time now: 14::42:53 Now this motor was trailing our car Number 11 by 3 seconds and those of you who are proper on the ball will know that we didnt allocate this car a number in our car counting quest. Course the reason for that is the fact that the motor wasnt shown in our counting car video and has in all probability been added to the footage as a gap filler in order to distance the silver taxi from the posh car. And looking at the motor there are some funny goings on with the body work. Indeed if the car has been added to the footage as a gap filler then it is likely to be a repeat of our car Number 23. Indeed, further evidence to back that probability is that the camera took one of those convenient dips as the car passed. Now there is quite a bit more to tell you about this car but to do so now would really leave you scratching your heads and as such I will come back to it in due course. So moving on swiftly and as the camera continued to pan to the left our brightly coloured, Number 16 came into view, trailing that un-numbered car by 2 seconds. Again this is all CGI. The time now would be 14:42:55. And behind our brightly coloured Number 16 is our boy-racer, Number 17, which looked to also have been used as the morph car when it was parked alongside the Palace railings. Therefore we have lost Numbers 12-15 Which could have course gone around Parliament Square. Nevertheless, behind our Number 17 is our Number 20  the Clearabee van. Also notice the photo journalist already on site and snapping away. Number 20 is followed 1 second later by our Number 22 (another taxi) meaning that we have also lost our Numbers 18, 19 & 21. And indeed if you look closely at the advert at the rear of the car you can see that it is clearly fake and I wouldnt be surprised if it is the same taxi that we saw earlier which the plod prevented coming down Abingdon Street in the opposite direction (the taxi seen in the photo below). After all, to be one and the same all that the turned-away-cab would need to do was travel the same route as I believe that our Number 6 van did, except in reverse That is to say the cab took the same journey as the Number 6 van but in the opposite direction, whereas he didnt take the same route as the Number 6 van whilst driving backwards That would just be silly. Nevertheless, after the taxi (Number 22) came the real Number 23 followed by a black cab which is our Number 24. Meaning all is [relatively] as it should be with those 2 motors despite being surrounded by CGI. The time now is: 14:43:o6. However, as the taxi passes we see another non-numbered motor coming up the rear Coming up the rear is of course typical behaviour for the Monsters and their Minions. So I best remind you that the last car we counted (our Number 25) on the counting cars video appeared to be a very slow moving black Merc  which the motor behind most definitely is not. Moreover, if the black cab (Number 24) was travelling at an average 30 MPH the time now would be 14:42:24 yet according to the counters the time is 14:43:10 so fuck knows how you lose 46 seconds in a 20 second journey which has taken the driver One minute & Six seconds to complete! Also bear in mind that Robert Nisbet started his live broadcast for Sky News at 14:50 pm by which time there was no traffic coming or going along Abingdon Street and a plod BMW was also parked sideways in the middle of the carriageway. And of course there was also police tape strung from one side of the road to the other Just sayin. But anyway, best we have a look at what is coming up behind our Number 24. And its another badly sign written van which appears to have a big erect dick as the company logo How very queer. The cameraman then charts the vans journey, panning back to the right as he does so. Which is where we see the scene in the above screenshot. This screenshot reveals that the footage is again made up of two different pieces of film with the road surface once again being the instant giveaway and the bus stop being used to try and disguise the fact. However, there are other clues as to the footage being fake such as the midget stood in front of the gate barrier which is different on either side of him. The camera then continues to pan right. And it is just after the above screenshot when we get to see what is going on. You see what the security guard is doing is waiting for the traffic to clear so as the white van that I believe to be our Number 6 can do its U-turn Just as a black Audi Estate car pulls up. With a very dodgy looking front end to boot. So unless by some freak coincidence this is another white van; the driver has been waiting to make the turn for nearly half a minuteHUH? Half a minute! Yet the van had its nose across the other carriageway when we last saw it! And here is a reminder. Notice the 38 seconds on the counter. And dont forget that at the time the security guard whom I mistook for a plodman  my bad  had been screaming at the driver to fuck off. Nevertheless, despite the black Audi Estate with the dodgy front end slowing right down, the security guard bizarrely waves the driver through before allowing the van to make its turn. And the above screenshot tells us that half a minute has now gone by with the van still waiting. Which is strange. The time now is: 14:43:16. So to have a recap, the traffic that we have seen go passed the white van whilst it was waiting to make its turn are as follows in order of appearance: The silver car which was our Number 11 The blue/black Focus (?) car which we didnt allocate a number The brightly coloured taxi which was our Number 16 The white Audi boy-racer which was our Number 17 The Clearabee van which was our Number 20 The London Taxi with yellow side advert  our Number 22 The purple/blue Focus (?) which was our Number 23 The all black cab which we had at Number 24 The van with a big cock as its company logo And finally the black Audi Estate. That makes 10 motors in total that the white van had to wait for to pass before the driver could double back on himself, despite the animated, verbally abusive, loud mouthed security guard shouting at him to fuck off. Personally I reckon than the van was either picking up the runners who we saw in the background fleeing up Abingdon Street in order to take them up to the bridge or dropping off JournalistsWhom appeared to have AAA. But that is of course just a theory Albeit a good one since the van was held up for a long time. Indeed there were also some big motors go by as the van waited despite the front end of the vehicle appearing to be a good way over the center white line of the two lane carriageway. I mean why [pretend to] shout at the driver to GO. GO and then hold him up for 30 seconds  as a potential road hazard  in order to let a further 10 fairly slow moving motors go passed? Doesnt make sense does it? Neither does the fact that the cameraman panned away at that exact moment (38 seconds into the video) leaving the viewer with the impression that the turn would be made there & then. Or I should say that it was suspicious rather than not making sense? After all, the camera only returned to the van  nigh ona full 30 seconds later  as the black Audi Estate drove up to it In other words, it was almost as if the cameraman knew that the van would make its U-turn straight after the Audi had been let through. I mean it isnt as if the Audi was the last motor to come up Abingdon Street  as you shall shortly find out. Nevertheless, since the security wannabee plod was directing the van driver on his U-turn, you have to wonder why the real plod  or real looking anyway  came and took over? And all that I can come up with by way of an answer is that it was a carefully stage-managed-act played out in order to deceive. However, I really think that this needs a little more investigation. And to do that we need to look at another video of the operation taken from a slightly different angle, which means that there was more than just the one fella filming and once again proves that the press were present from the outset Not to mention the Clown, PC Big Mouth putting on an act by telling people to fuck off. Dont they always. Now once again I know that some of you will find this all a bit tedious but if I cut corners it will give the Monster Minions a chance to fill in the gaps with their own version and I do not intend to give the arseholes a chance to wriggle out of this fraud. Therefore, just bear with me because it does have a damning conclusion. Nevertheless, by the time that he recovers we have the following scene: Now around about this time PC Big Gob blows a whistle whilst shouting at the imaginary people on Great College Street which was really strange because the place is eerily quiet and he has a big fucking mouth. Moreover, this was the first time that Big Gob had used the whistle in all the time that he had been shouting And that is what drew me to it in the first place. I mean do coppers still even have whistles? Nevertheless, the reason for him blowing the ear splitting monstrosity was to give the runners waiting down the bottom of Abingdon Street their cue to start running. I must say that I strongly suspect that we have seen that van before. And the time now is 14:43:49 At least it is in theory. Now these runners go on to form a large group of those people stood at the junction of Great Peter Street  as seen in that rare video of Terry Mays evacuation yet suspiciously mostly all are concealed from view in the official press version of Terry A-Go-Go. However, before I deal with the Monkees you probably wont be surprised to learn that there was yet another amateur photographer filming the car action. And whoever it was did us a favour because he/she caught on camera  albeit non to clearly  the white van as it completed the U-turn. Course, just prior to the above photo, he/she too had an epileptic fit and as such this was the first clear-ish image that I could get, hence anyone not following the plot would be forgiven for thinking that the van had come straight up Abingdon Street. I wonder where PC Big Gob is in this footage and why he didnt tell the fella filming on the corner to fuck off? Oh but hang on I do know why he didnt! The mush filming is our MI 5 operative. Remember him? Of course you fucking do. But anyway, lets do the runners. However, I believe that there was another cut at the point where the presstitute went out of shot because for some unknown reason the camera inexplicably zoomed in on PC Big Gobs shoes. Very strange. The time now is 14:44:03 And when the camera zoomed out enough to see the road again the van was nowhere to be seen  so it must be a turbo charged van since it went from a standing start with a slow moving taxi in front of it to nowhere to be seen in less than 2 seconds. Very strange. Nevertheless, take a look at Red Riding Hood in that last photo. She has an umbrella in her right hand and a bag with an impossible white sheen on it. Now look at these next photos. Beyond suspect arent they? However, there is more. There is always more dont cha know! And at this point we see the female presstitute come back into the picture Lets call her Ethel. Exciting isnt it Im on tenterhooks. How bizarre, how bizarre Carry on: Curiouser & Curiouser! Time now: 14:44:16 And its only our last car from our counting car caper, the number 25 car (a Merc that appeared to not be moving). Time now: 14:44:40. Which means that it is 3 minutes 10 seconds after the shooting and the Merc has taken 1 minute 4 seconds to do the 20 second journey Dont cha just love statistics? Oh dear. Oh dear. Oh dear However, you can find him for the fourth time yourself As well as all the other duplicates. Nevertheless, it would still be pointless me telling you whats going on here because what is going on here is a small part of a big thing that has to be seen as a whole to understand how the Monster Minions made this criminal fraud work. Therefore, just continue to bear with me and I will blow your socks off once we have got the car counting and runners out of the way. Related 35 Comments callaFebruary 18, 2018 @ 1:02 pm You can always spot the actors . They just cant stop smirking. BBC school of acting obviously. I swear both Diana and Sharon Tate are both trying hard not to smile in THEIR death/ near death photos. And again in your exposee . Just look at those smirking faces. I cant work out what TPTB are up to but it sounds like you have got them bang to rights. ZodianFebruary 18, 2018 @ 5:58 pm Well, I would say that this dissertation pretty much nails it. Game, Set, and Match. Check-mate, Game Over. You should have been a forensic analyst. They wont be able to talk their arses out of this one. Let me know when the crucifixion is (because, sure as shit, they will be preparing your crown of thorns as I type) so that we can organize a decent turn out. Always look on the bright side of life pal. Zodian.x jimboFebruary 19, 2018 @ 5:10 pm Well done Chris another very in depth analysis of another blatantly fake event you have literally uncovered thousands of glaring anomilies to expose the completely false narrative of the evil traitorous twisted psychopathic scumbags who perpetrate these corny badly executed psyops, One glaringly bollock dropping event which so far only you have exposed was the massive gaff that rotten rowley made in admitting that PC Palmer who obviously never did and never will exist apart from the mythical legend that they gave him, was actually armed with a handgun and in real life would obviously have shot the terrapin in a trice DUH DUH ho ho also the usual white smoke emanating from the handguns of the armed plod showing again that blanks were used also the unconvincing way the ham actor PC Palmer wanders about with no sign of any blood on his yellow day-glo jacket before collapsing several feet away from where he was supposed to be stabbed a true corny badly made fake movie with no emmy,s or oscars given out for this one ha ha ha ha anyways i will have to re-read it again tomoro as my 2hour library allowance wasn,t enough to take it all in ,well done bro laters j AlanFebruary 19, 2018 @ 8:00 pm Great article Chris, unbelievable what lengths they will go to con the public into thinking that this was a genuine terrorist attack. Freemason helicopter and other signs everywhere. I dont know whether or not this video is real or fake. I just came across it on youtube. Four days after this piece was uploaded to the site and only 4 comments (as yet). What is going on? Did everybody suddenly just leave, or is there something more sinister occurring? Thinking back to other works, (Drummer Man, Glasgow Bin Wagon Bollocks etc) comments and opinions were flying in at a high rate of knots. So what is happening? A fantastic piece of work and only (so far) 4 comments? Are there any statistics available to show a year-on-year / month-on-month level of site visits? There has obviously been some kind of shift and it would be interesting to find out why and when this occurred, IMHO. Love to all, Zodian.x callaFebruary 20, 2018 @ 1:22 pm The truth is like an onion. So many layers. The deeper down the rabbit hole Spivey gets the less people want to follow.Living is easy with eyes closed ( now where have I heard those words before ? ) and you can lead a horse to water but you cant make it drink. I can honestly say from experience that my internet connection goes haywire after visiting the Spivey site so I tend to download its contents. AlanFebruary 20, 2018 @ 1:30 pm I think to be blunt Zodian, and I know that Chris will totally disagree, 1. The articles are very long and need to be read at least two or more times to be able to digest all of the information. For me that is fine because I am retired, but people who are working for a living might not have the time to read all of the articles especially if they need to read them several times. 2. Again Chris will strongly disagree, but my opinion for what it is worth I think the photo comparisons are tedious and I suggest that people get bored with them and dont bother to read the articles. But hey, what do I know, not a lot. One thing I do know is that this is still very much the best site on the internet, and I am sending Chris another tenner for all of his hard work. ZodianFebruary 21, 2018 @ 1:21 am Hi Alan and thanks for the response. I can agree with you to a point. Previous articles have also been very long and have taken time for readers to plough through and digest however, this has never seemed to be an obstacle for fans wishing to commentate. I can also agree (to a point) that the photo-comparison thing can get a bit tedious but, Chris is highlighting the extent that these twats will go to, to try and pull the wool over our eyes. Some people need to be guided through the process more meticulously than others in order for the penny-to-drop. Its easy for people in the know to recognize photo-shopping and image manipulation when you know what to look for, but less easy for those who are just waking up. Also, you have to overcome their barrier of disbelief. I think it is to this end that Chris has had to labour the point and lay things out, one step at a time, as to how these things are done. With that said, Im still not satisfied as to why the drop in comments. There arent even any dumb fuckers posting their two pennorth any more. I also concur with you that this remains the best site on the internet and I will continue to follow and support all the hard work Chris devotes. AlanFebruary 21, 2018 @ 7:03 pm Thank you Zodian, I probably over emphasized the points I made earlier. I am inline with your thinking, I was just trying to give reasons why comments have dropped off. I dont know whether Chris monitors the number of vivits or not. Regards LandlFebruary 20, 2018 @ 9:33 am Zodian i too have noticed this great shift, but not just here but across the internet and on other sites. Its unnerved me. I did ask myself was 5G implemented. It all started to feel wrong around November through new years. ZodianFebruary 21, 2018 @ 1:29 am Hi Landl. I think you may be right. Things did seem to tail-off a bit late last year. But the question is, WHY? Some of the Old School crowd seem to have disappeared and I miss their contributions. Maybe its a seasonal thing ! Zodian. KozmikFebruary 21, 2018 @ 5:20 am Superb writing as ever, Chris. Took me ages to digest. Donation to follow. Peace out yall. Jock StrappFebruary 21, 2018 @ 5:33 am When you have read/sighted the same CON-trol shite, different day, different location, that comes from the Guberment, as you realize that it is so obvious, that for those that want to comment, in the past they may have & did, now they may find the info is already there in plain sight and do not need to add to it. i.e. no new information there. They are moving forward and higher in vibration/consciousness and feel it is wasteful (drains your battery). Responses, I note, can be based on the emotive aspects = Polarity of Consciousness = out of your POWER POINT = Heart Centre. This leaves people drained. Disease/Illness then sets in. Health is always a good indicator of your consciousness level!!! i.e. much headless chook runabout and no Commanding = Not Speaking your Truth and the Energy goes forth = manifestation. (remember the line, COMMAND ye Me?) So, you have to do your thing when the situation comes into your path, as this is how the cosmos works. If you stay in the drama poor me, powerless thinking, nothing changes = what the shysters want you to do (divide & conquer). A divided Mind (mined) has no power, as it is in polarity = charged (+/-), like courts, pol-ice, current, currency, money (mon-eye = single minded = heart centred = driven to purpose) = sucking your energy = electricity is extracted and you are battered (battery) as you have no energy left = a flat battery you bepowerless. All is Energy = Thought/Vibration/Consciousness. Another way to put this is detached from the outcome = not forcing things to happen. Can I suggest that you all check this following site out (from UK) to get the gist of what you can actually do to improve your own lot and not give your energy to the shysters, whom create this crap drama to DIVIDE your MIND into Polar Points. i.e. be cool as a cucumber and do your thing as it comes into your path one step at a time you rise and as you do, the shysters are going down the gurgler, as they can only live of the Energy you provide, if you are in Polarity. That Energy is in multi-form, the physical aspects are in the lowest level of energy made manifest. Emotive is a tad higher, in the next sub-octave band of vibration. This is a new site not given before, check it out  http://www.yourstrawman.com/ I do not want to keep repeating the same info (preaching to the choir), but such is my overview and the need to now comment. One of the positives of Chriss work is, it brings together those that want a better world (Not whirled = spin) and this connection lifts your Spirit, as it does not drain your Energy, but drives you on to do better and help others where you can. This is Cosmic Service = Self Empowerment made Manifest = The Master in Action = you are expressing your true Self = Empowered by Living your Truth. No Ego = Selfless Service to the ALL. Cheers MoonbeamFebruary 22, 2018 @ 1:12 am that for those that want to commentin the past they may have & did, now they may find the info is already there in plain sight and do not need to add to it. i.e. no new information there Bulls eye. Question Everything 1February 22, 2018 @ 12:58 pm Moonbeam, hi, hope you are well?. I dont comment as much as I used to, there will always be a troll lurking ready to cause shite! Where is Dogman these days, his imput is sadly missed. T C xxx Question Everything 1February 22, 2018 @ 12:55 pm Jock Strapp..WOW thanx, the strawman article is great. I had watched a vid on youtube ages ago, this is much better. xxx PaulFebruary 21, 2018 @ 4:21 pm long time supporter here, very rare poster as I often feel a bit out of my league to be honest, not being sarky there I really do go `bloody hell` at some of what`s reported and am at a bit of a loss to be able to add anything worthwhile. The site helps me a great deal, I don`t agree with everything on here but I think that`s one of the little nudges Chris gives me in being able to question everything for myself, even when it`s content that he`s put up. Keep up the great work Chris and I hope the famiy are thriving, take care JohnFebruary 21, 2018 @ 5:22 pm Fewer posts ? I would suggest it is a mixture of things  complexity/size of the articles  as someone commented, hard to find time if working, with young kids, etc.; people can see for themselves, partly due to Chriss work, and so spend less time on the web; fashions change; Mossad/MI5/CIA are somehow targeting, or rounding up and killing, people. Best wishes to all. ZodianFebruary 22, 2018 @ 7:37 am A comment does not always have to be an agreement or a disagreement. A comment can simply be an acknowledgement that posts have been transmitted, received and understood. A Thank You or Fuck You remark is the minimum I would expect, but we dont seem to get any of these anymore. What happened to Dog Man and Wolfie et-al ? Just saying. Zodian.x MelFebruary 23, 2018 @ 11:45 am In the two years or so that I have been visiting this site I have found this message board to be an unpleasant place, not always, but enough to put me off posting as much as I would have liked to have done, and others may have experienced the same. Look above and see that there are almost no comments about the article itself which is what normally seems to happen. Is that because objective comment is not welcomed? I always thought that the purpose of a particular site having a message board is so we the readers can talk about the subject matter and educate each other within our ignorance. I think that the answer to your question is that some posters feel uncomfortable expressing views or even simply asking questions about the articles and have been put off. Unless the poster directly asks someone by name it should be assumed that the poster is asking the forum generally. Katy Morgan DaviesFebruary 22, 2018 @ 10:03 pm As someone who has experienced being held prisoner by my own family I applaud anyone exposing the evil in this world. My partner was also persecuted for yeaes by the media and is still being targetted by trolls and other narrow minded bigots. Myself and Nigel support you all the way. Always winning. X KylieFebruary 23, 2018 @ 3:36 pm Hello lovely,, been looking at the site but not much to say, you do know that bad publicity is as good, if no better than good publicity. Do you think you can do a Jordan Peterson and really get peoples backs up, because my friend I think you might need to do something like that. Now Peterson is a arrogant fuck, but he can debate the best of them like a champ, just like you. Put yourself out there and take risks, we only go this way once. Comments are less than half from your hay days. Your site fees are out of this world and your main clients are on the bones of their asses, no offence to the readers (great people, hey Dog hope youre well xx) but seriously, I know its against your religion to back track, but those early posts you wrote made me laugh, cry, and fucken make my day !!! Best of luck buddy, Im with ya, but your business plan needs a overhaul xx jimboFebruary 23, 2018 @ 4:54 pm yo i,d just like to concur with some of the comments regarding a bridge too far i do agree that because chris goes very deep into the subjects it can be a mammoth task trawling through the photos and information especially as the subject may be the same topic all the way through, however i for one do read the articles in their entirety.However i must admit i have my favourites the main one of late being Book ends part 1 which i thought was a masterpiece and also highly entertaining in the sense that the sheer number of fake murders and psyops are mind boggling also because they are all different the variety factor makes for very interesting reading.On top of that i feel that the truth being revealed also actually unbrainwashes us and it really does bring a feeling of wellbeing that nobody has died in the psyops dreamed up by these sick twisted perverts who are living like kings on the money they have stolen off us the formally ignorant of the fact that these evil bastards have been ripping us off from the day we were born, however i think that you have to be very strong minded to absorb the truth and i have lost friends who cannot handle The Conspiracy and try to pretend that it doesn,t exist, my take on it is that when youv,e opened Pandora,s Box instead of the fit attractive looking bird you were hoping for you are gonna get a double ugly hag like thatcher or theresa may ha ha ha ha l8ers j AlisonFebruary 23, 2018 @ 11:00 pm what Id like to know is  if the (un)intelligence services are focused on making shit made-for-TV mini series such as The Westminster Bridge Bollox, or The Florida School Shooting -etcetc ad nauseam  why are we still paying our taxes? The only Government services I am Ok paying for at this point are  getting my bins emptied every week, and paying for the NHS. Two tangible real services I actually received, last time I checked. Other than that, it seems to me our taxes are funding the whole bloody operation. And theres several points of revenue collection  from the Tax Office to the coppers who hand out achievement certificates for going 1 mile over the speed limit, to the BBC and its stupid license fee. We. need. To. Stop. PAYING! Jock StrappFebruary 24, 2018 @ 5:22 am A slave is one who waits for someone to come and free them.  Ezra Pound It is not so much we need to stop paying as oneself does. All letters/bills requesting, or in guise usually, suggesting payment, or dues from the government are requests only requests to contract with them. Always look at the wording always look at the wording for the deception legalese is rife in the crook system. ALWAYS deception. This is how they have got away with the CON job for so long. Words are everything! They are offers for you to CON-tract, unless you had prior gone into contract with them. Are you doing any of this, or extracting yourself from the scam Alison? Governments are private businesses and all businesses work by contract. Courts are private businesses and all businesses work by contract. All letters from the government are OFFERS only! Are you CON-tracting with them by accepting their offers? Contract MAKES the law = binds (bonds) you. Contracts done without full disclosure are non-binding. Yes, agree 100%. Its all a big con. I dont respond to anyone who sends me letters with my name written in capital letters. So, I know the drill. But, there are many people who dont know this, and it would take too long to explain why the capital letters you is a fraud. Much easier to just say  dont pay. Dont give one sodding red cent to help the system create news content, err, I mean protect us all from the terrapins. callaFebruary 24, 2018 @ 9:15 am I think that the posters on here who are complaining that Chris is not ENTERTAINING enough should go out and buy themselves some comics and box sets and sit down in glorious isolation and thoroughly enjoy themselves. I come to this site to be EDUCATED not amused though Chris has the ability to do both when he wants. There are plenty of other blogs out there that will provide a good laugh if thats what you want. KozmikFebruary 24, 2018 @ 11:43 am Agree, calla. Chris can write entertainingly but thats not what he is doing this for. At times I have pissed myself laughing and once fell out of the fucking chair I was convulsing so badly. Its more of a horror story these days and laughs arent so frequent. He reports what he sees. artyFebruary 26, 2018 @ 10:22 pm Chris Spivey`s style is damn honest and never patronizing ; he makes me feel like I`m listening to a good mate .Yes, I may not follow all of the technicalities but I KNOW I`m not being taken for a numpty -unlike the snot rags on sale in very nook and cranny that millions soak up every day into their unthinking ,non thinking souls .Please, don`t be persuaded to think that his message isn`t getting through -it is. Moreover, his work is (I believe) reaching a tipping point that will find and reveal a truth which will create an irrevocable and massive upheaval in our society .from little acorns will there grow, our mighty, English oaks. DastardlyMarch 9, 2018 @ 12:32 am Thats my thinking as well. BarneyFebruary 28, 2018 @ 5:42 pm On the subject of refusing to CONTRACT with the CON-merchants, a couple of years ago I was near to death and unable to return to my own place for quite a long time (Im ok now). During my enforced absence, the tel-aviv-zion licensing thugs wrote repeatedly DEMANDING to know why I didnt have a licence (because I choose not to have a brainwashing box, you idiots  meaning them, not anyone here) and threatening to take me to court. The letters became increasingly threatening, until by the time I was able to deal with them, the bastards were threatening to obtain a court order and break my door down! Even if Id had a tv stashed in a cupboard (which I didnt and dont), it wouldnt prove I was using it. I returned in time to reply, telling them in no uncertain terms what I thought of their threats. More recently the threatening letters started again, so I started returning them marked NO CONTRACT  RETURN TO SENDER. The bastards totally ignored that, and the threats continued as before, so I wrote (again) telling them I dont have one of their brainwashing boxes, dont want one of their brainwashing boxes and to get off my back. Its peaceful again, for a while, but I can guarantee the scum wont take any notice of Common Law. Another year or so and those threatening letters will be arriving again. I dont answer the door to strangers, and I DONT want scum like these breaking in and ransacking the place. Im not always here, but if anyone tries to break the door down when Im in, hell be met by a hard object poked rapidly through my letterbox, court order or no court order. I may well end up in the gulag, but hell end up in hospital. DanMarch 8, 2018 @ 11:19 pm Amazing stuff Chris; disturbing is a under statement. Ive read the first part, slowly took all afternoon but worth it will soak up the next part soon! Just a comment regarding video manipulation: there is a new-ish technology that you may of heard of called Diminished Reality when in real time a live video can alter objects or remove or add them including real or computer generated people as needed, mostly flawlessly. A Youtube video called These people do not exist by SecureTeam 10 explains a little of its capabilities. As for a donation Im as skint as a Son of a Bitch today but I will however like to purchase A Bridge Too Far as an e-book sometime. PS didnt Un-El-Tel move strange the other day while moving backwards like a alien puppet towards the doorstep of number 10 while with the tall sheik dood. Odd! Bye! tcMarch 13, 2018 @ 5:06 pm Its nice to be able to visit this site again, after the silverraven fuck off charade that Ive been experiencing for the last three weeks. In my opinion, this is Chris Spivey at his best. Picking apart the fraud, piece by piece. Took me two days to read part 1. Going to read part 2 shortly. I especially liked the tiny little sword Chris stuck in that one fellas hand. I saw that and nearly spit my Dr. Pepper all over my laptop. He looks like hes doing Shakespeare in the Street. Thats hilarious. NeedlzMarch 13, 2018 @ 6:34 pm Hi tc. I am pleased to see that you pay proper attention to the articles. I will bet most people didnt notice If they even got that far. Here, have a kiss X Chris. Help keep this site live Keeping this site going, takes an incredible amount of my time and effort. Other commitments mean that finding the time to do so is not always easy. A small donation per week, would certainly take a lot of the pressure off me and leave me free to concentrate exclusively on this site and give you the hard to find info you deserve , this link will not work on IE (Internet Explorer) as it is crap lol , use Mozilla or Chrome ok
Security at the Palace of Westminster is under intense scrutiny, amid concern among MPs about weak points in the perimeter and whether the man involved in Wednesdays attack could have reached the House of Commons chamber. A string of MPs identified Carriage Gates, the entrance on Parliament Square used by the attacker, as a vulnerable point as the officers most closely guarding it are not armed and the gate tends to be left open during parliamentary votes. The attacker, Khalid Masood, is thought to have been shot by a member of the close protection team of Michael Fallon, the defence secretary, whose car happened to have been parked in New Palace Yard because a vote was happening at the time. London attack: Theresa May says Westminster assailant was British-born and known to MI5  live Having breached the perimeter of the Palace of Westminster estate at Carriage Gates, there are several routes an intruder could take to the House of Commons chamber area without passing through locked doors accessible by a security pass. But it would take several minutes and there are a number of points where police officers are stationed along the way. At the time of the attack, Theresa May was in a voting lobby, which hundreds of MPs were passing through before being shut into the chamber for security. May was extracted from the estate swiftly when news of the attack broke. Alan Johnson, the Labour former home secretary, said the Carriage Gates were a point of vulnerability, particularly during votes when they were left open to give easy access for ministers. He said: When the votes are on, the gates are open so that ministers can drive in from wherever they are in their different departments in Whitehall. Johnson agreed with suggestions made by Theresa Villiers, a Conservative former cabinet minister, that there might be a case for arming all police on duty at the Palace of Westminster. The armed police are the second line of defence, he said. The first line of defence, all too often, are the unarmed police, which we might need to rethink. Liberal Democrat MP Tom Brake, a member of the House of Commons commission and a former deputy leader of the Commons, said: There is the Carriage Gates issue. That is the weak point within the boundary of the Palace of Westminster. I cant preempt what any review is likely to find but I would be surprised if there werent attempts to direct traffic through the Black Rods entrance because traffic there is channeled through very heavy barriers. It is hard to see how a gate that can be opened to provide access to cars as quickly as Carriage Gates is not always going to create a security risk. One senior ministerial source expressed alarm about the fact that the attacker had managed to penetrate the perimeter of the parliamentary estate  and had apparently been shot by a ministerial protection officer. What would have happened if it hadnt been Wednesday in parliament when the prime ministers in town? How far could he have got? There will have to be significant things that happen as a result of this, the source said. However, the shadow home secretary, Diane Abbott, played down the risks that the attacker could have got further into parliament without being brought down by armed police. She said it was important to avoid kneejerk reactions to incidents such as Wednesdays attack. It doesnt make me think we need new powers and I would be wary, actually, of making parliament more militarised, because I value the fact that the public still have reasonable access  although much less access than when I began as an MP in the 80s, she said. London attack: citizens of 11 countries injured as victim named Read more I wouldnt want parliament to become more militarised and us more cut off from our constituents. There might be something we can do around Carriage Gates, but the truth is its very hard to guard against suicide attacks, and that was in effect a suicide attack. He would have known that he would have been shot. There are so many armed police milling around. The Metropolitan police, the parliamentary authorities and the Cabinet Office, which is responsible for the secure zone, are reviewing security arrangements in light of the incident. Unarmed officers act as the public face of parliament at the entrance, where imposing iron gates are the symbol of the estate. These officers are not just the first line of defence but are often seen posing for photographs with tourists keen to get a clear view of Big Ben. Any review will examine procedures at the gates, which are often left unlocked or ajar because they are in such frequent use. Armed officers are usually several metres behind the unarmed officers, but MPs and ministers can be seen frequently walking to and fro less than 50 metres beyond them, from parliaments offices and the House of Commons chamber on the other side of New Palace Yard. The dilemma for the security forces and the parliamentary authorities is how to provide safety without infringing the right of the public to turn up and lobby MPs. There are already airport-style checks at some parliamentary entrances, including those at St Stephens entrance, and at Portcullis House, the new building housing most MPs offices. There are no such checks at Carriage Gates. London terror attack: what we know so far Read more The former government minister Grant Shapps said: We will no doubt review arrangements and look again at procedures. It is a difficult balancing act, but safety of police officers and MPs must be the priority. Mary Creagh, the Labour MP for Wakefield, told the BBC: I think we will need to look at security at the Palace [of Westminster] in the wake of this incident, but that is a plan for another day. Lord Kerslake, the former head of the civil service, said there would have to be a complete overhaul of security from top to bottom. At present, there is a mix of armed and unarmed police officers as well as security guards protecting more than 5,000 people who work on the estate. There are at least eight separate entrances to parliament; most are protected by secure turnstiles and a mix of armed and unarmed officers. Parliamentary pass holders  who include MPs, peers, journalists and staff  are allowed to enter the building through the secure turnstiles without bag checks or scanners. The review may involve Eric Hepburn, the parliamentary security director, who is responsible for security for both houses. He works with the Met, which provides policing for parliament. Others who might be involved include: John Bercow, the Speaker and the highest authority of the House of Commons; Kamal El-Hajji, the serjeant at arms, who is responsible for keeping order in the Commons; David Beamish, the clerk of the parliaments; and Lord Fowler, the current Lord Speaker. A parliamentary spokesman said: Security of members, staff and the visiting public is our highest priority. For parliament to fulfil its democratic function, it is crucial that it remain open and accessible to the public. While we cannot comment on the specifics of our security, we work closely with the police, security services and others to ensure that our security measures are effective and meet whatever level of security risk parliament faces. These measures are always, and will continue to be, under constant review. As is good practice following any significant incident, the house in conjunction with the police and other bodies will also be carrying out a review of security around this specific incident. As this is the subject on an ongoing investigation, we cannot comment further at this time.
A police officer and a woman have been killed near Parliament in central London in what Scotland Yard are treating as a terrorist incident. The woman was among several pedestrians struck by a car on Westminster bridge, before it crashed into railings. An officer was stabbed in the Houses of Parliament by an attacker, who was shot by police. Police said there were "a number of casualties" and a "full counter-terrorism inquiry" was under way. Writing on Twitter, BBC home affairs correspondent Dominic Casciani said it is understood from multiple sources that two people were in the vehicle on the bridge. Prime Minister Theresa May is to chair a meeting of the government's emergency Cobra committee later. Met Police Commander BJ Harrington said he was unable to confirm details of casualties. Speaking outside Scotland Yard, he urged the public to stay away from the area around Westminster to allow emergency services access. London Ambulance said it had treated at least 10 people on Westminster Bridge. The Port of London Authority said a woman has been pulled alive from the River Thames near the bridge and was being treated for serious injuries. A man believed to be the suspect received medical treatment The French Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said three French school pupils were among the injured and offered "solidarity with our British friends, and full support" for the wounded students and their families. Junior doctor Colleen Anderson from St Thomas' Hospital confirmed the death of the woman and said a number of other people were hurt - some with "catastrophic" injuries. She said she also treated a police officer in his 30s with a head injury, who had been taken to King's College Hospital. She said the woman had died at the scene. "Some had injuries they could walk away from or who have life-changing injuries." The incident outside Westminster is exactly the kind of scenario that security chiefs have been planning for. It looks like the type of attack that jihadis have wanted to carry out in Britain - mainly attacking people with a vehicle and taking on the security forces with knives. But the fact that the Metropolitan Police's counter-terrorism armed response swung into action so quickly indicates how much work has been done since the killing of Lee Rigby in 2013. Scotland Yard's counter-terrorism command, MI5 and, where relevant, other major agencies, will now throw absolutely everything at trying to establish the background of the suspects - whether they were working alone or whether there could be more of the same on the way. At the same time, while they are treating this as a terrorist incident, they will know full well that they will have to test the evidence to ensure that this theory is correct. MPs said they had heard three or four gunshots and staff inside Parliament were told to stay inside their offices. "I heard shouts and screams from outside and looked out, and there was a group of maybe 40 or 50 people running round the corner from Bridge Street into Parliament Square. "They appeared to be running away from something. "As the group arrived at the Carriage Gates, where policemen are posted at the security entrance, a man suddenly ran out of the crowd and into the yard. "He seemed to be holding up a long kitchen knife. "I heard what sounded like shots - I think about three of them - and then the next thing I knew there were two people lying on the ground and others running to help them. "Armed police were quickly on the scene and I heard them shouting to people to get out of the yard." 'Mowed down' An eye witness, Radoslaw Sikorski, a senior fellow at Harvard's Centre for European Studies, posted a video to Twitter showing people lying injured in the road on Westminster Bridge. Parliament went into lcokdown after the attack He wrote: "A car on Westminster Bridge has just mowed down at least 5 people." Scotland Yard said it was called to a firearms incident on the bridge amid reports of several people injured. Transport for London said Westminster underground station has been shut at the police's request, and buses diverted. Mr Lidington said: "It seems that a police officer has been stabbed, that the alleged assailant was shot by armed police. "An air ambulance is currently attending the scene to remove the casualties. "There are also reports of further violent incidents in the vicinity of the Palace of Westminster but I hope colleagues on all sides will appreciate that it'd be wrong of me to go into further details until we have confirmation from the police and from the House security authorities about what is going on."
Muslim women stand with victims of Westminster attack [London : Floral tributes to the victims of the Westminster attack are placed outside the Palace of Westminster, London, Monday March 27, 2017. Attacker Khalid Masood is believed to have used the messaging service WhatsApp before running down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge and storming a gate outside Parliament armed with two knives, Wednesday. Four died in the rampage, including a police officer. /PTI] London, March 27 : A group of Muslim women stood on Westminster Bridge in a show of solidarity with victims of last weeks terror attack outside the British Parliament that killed four people. The group, who said they were wearing blue as a symbol of hope, stood holding hands for five minutes on the Westminster Bridge as the Big Ben struck 4 p.m. on Sunday, The Telegraph reported. People from a range of backgrounds joined the event, organised by Womens March On London. Three civilians were killed and many more were injured after a lone attacker, Khalid Masood, sped along the bridge before storming the parliamentary estate and stabbing to death a police officer on March 22. Masood was shot dead by police. The feeling of what happened here on Wednesday was really strong, Fariha Khan from Surbiton said. We thought of the ordinary people who were here and were mowed down, standing here like this, it was very overwhelming. She said the women wanted to add to the condemnation of the violent attack and stand defiant in the face of terrorism. When an attack happens in London, it is an attack on me, The Telegraph quoted Sarah Waseem from Surrey as saying. So far, 12 people have been arrested in relation to the attack, CNN reported. The latest was a 30-year-old man who was detained on Sunday in Birmingham on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts , the Metropolitan Police said. Nitin Jain / Chandigarh Reversing the trend of more and more students from Punjab going abroad for higher education, the Guru Nanak DevUniversity (GNDU) has recorded a whopping 21.5 per cent increase in the admissions this academic session. This includes 15 per cent increase in the intake of students from outside Punjab. Confirming the development, [] Share this: Chandigarh: A day after the Punjab Government banned the Shiromani Akali Dals Pol Khol rally that was scheduled to be organised on Sunday at Faridkot, the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Saturday allowed permission to the party to hold the rally. The High Court held a special hearing on a plea filed by the [] Manish Tiwari / Chandigarh Close on the heels of Punjab DGP Suresh Arora getting a 3-month extension in service after his superannuation, the Haryana Government has decided to recommend the extension of Haryana DGP B S Sandhu who is due to retire on September 30. A top Haryana government officer informed Daily World that Sandhus []
Policeman Keith Palmer was killed in the London terror attack yesterday. The Westminster terror attack was the second direct assault on British democracy within a year after the killing of Jo Cox, and the first in a series of brutal atrocities which plagued the country in 2017. But for one MP who was hailed for her bravery amid chaotic, confusing and horrifying scenes, there was at least a sliver of a silver lining in that it improved the much maligned culture in Parliament. Mary Creagh, MP for Wakefield Despite the recent slew of bullying claims, Mary Creagh said MPs from all parties from around the country, police, staff and other workers in the Palace of Westminster have a stronger sense of solidarity since experiencing the trauma of a terror attack together. The Wakefield MP told The Yorkshire Post: Whether from the most senior MP to the most straightforward worker in Parliament, everybody experienced what it was like, and so theres a kinder atmosphere. I know this runs counter to the bullying narrative, but actually every morning I talk to the police officers on the gate, I didnt used to do that, every day I say hello to the armed police officers guarding the Westminster entrance, I didnt used to do that. People take the time to treat the officers, the security staff, but also the people who serve the food (well). I think its changed how we relate to each other as people and its changed it for the better. The day itself is etched very clearly in her mind - she was on her way to vote in the Commons when she was confronted with Conservative Minister Penny Mordaunt running towards her in high heels shouting get back, someones been shot - it was Khalid Masood, shot dead by police in New Palace Yard after ploughing into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before fatally stabbing unarmed officer Keith Palmer. It was one of those moments where you dont stop to say is she telling the truth? because its definitely the truth, Ms Creagh said. The Labour former frontbencher and others were left banging on an exit door which led into Westminster Underground station, demanding to be let out, before a policeman defied his orders to allow them into the Tube. Once there, Ms Creaghs first thought was not to run away, but to urge control room staff to shut the station down to protect Tube passengers from the carnage just yards away, for which she was honoured by leading rail union TSSA with a life membership for her courage. Five innocent people were killed in Masoods rampage - 48-year-old Pc Palmer, who was on duty at the Palace of Westminster, along with US tourist Kurt Cochran, Romanian tourist Andreea Cristea, 31, and Britons Aysha Frade, 44, and 75-year-old Leslie Rhodes, who were mown down on the bridge. Ms Creagh said: There was the worst of humanity, one misguided ideologist caused all that carnage and killed five people, their lives were stolen from them by him. But what it also showed was how we respond is all about the best of humanity, its about people reaching out to strangers, people caring for each other, people coming together in solidarity. Tributes to murdered police officer The unarmed constable murdered in the Westminster Bridge terror attack was a proud and courageous police officer who did his job and never wanted any fuss, his friend has said. Pc Shaun Cartwright paid tribute to Keith Palmer, who was killed as he stood guard at the Palace of Westminster on March 22 last year. In a statement released through Scotland Yard he said: Keith loved being a police officer, he just wanted to help people and do his best. Keith was always happy, always the first to help anyone out, first in to work and the last one out.
He said police believed they knew the identity of the attacker but he declined to provide details. Rowley said the violence started when a car was driven over Westminster Bridge, hitting and injuring a number of civilians and three police officers on their way back from a commendation ceremony. The car then crashed close to parliament where at least one man armed with a knife continued the attack and tried to enter the building. The assailant was shot dead after he stabbed a policeman to death. The other three victims were among those hit by the car as it sped across Westminster Bridge before crashing into railings just outside parliament. Many people were lying on the ground - some bleeding heavily and apparently unconscious - after the attack, which Prime Minister Theresa May condemned as "sick and depraved". "The location of this attack was no accident," she said in a statement outside her Downing Street office late in the evening. "The terrorist chose to strike at the heart of our capital city, where people of all nationalities, religions and cultures come together to celebrate the values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech." Some of the wounds suffered by the victims were described as "catastrophic". One woman was pulled out alive from the River Thames with serious injuries by port authorities. Witnesses initially reported multiple attacks near parliament. "We saw a black vehicle at full speed and it ran down a number of people. I could see people flying all around," tourist Babi Nagy said. "Immediately it came to mind this was a terrorist attack." Polish politician and journalist Radoslaw Sikorski posted a video on Twitter of the aftermath on the bridge, showing several injured people lying on the ground. "As I was walking up the steps, there was a man who had fallen and medics were taking care of him. There was a lady who was also stabbed or shot. There was a lot of blood," Martin Pearce, visibly shaken, told Al Jazeera at the scene. Security analyst Afzal Ashraf said vigilance by the public and authorities was now necessary. "One of the features of these forms of attacks is a follow-on attack. They like to have publicity. The potential threat is huge," Afzal said. The last major attack to hit London was in July 2005, when a coordinated series of bomb blasts targeted its public transportation system during rush hour. The bombings killed 52 people and wounded more than 700 others. London Mayor Sadiq Khan said on Twitter that an urgent investigation had been launched. "My thoughts are with those affected and their families," he said. International messages of condolence were offered to the United Kingdom. Chancellor Angela Merkel said Germany stood by Britain following the deadly attack. "Although the background to these acts are not yet clear, I reaffirm that Germany and its citizens stand firmly and resolutely alongside Britons in the struggle against all forms of terrorism," Merkel said in a statement. US President Donald Trump offered May the full cooperation and support of the United States in responding to the attack, the White House said in a statement. In Paris, the lights of the Eiffel tower were switched off. Three French schoolchildren on a visit to London were injured in the attack.
New Year Honours: Officer who witnessed Westminster attack among police recognised A senior police officer who witnessed the Westminster terror assault is amongst these recognised for his or her service within the New 12 months Honours. Craig Mackey, the Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, has been awarded a knighthood for achievements all through his lengthy profession in policing Whereas the performing head of the Metropolitan Police, he was being pushed previous the Homes of Parliament when Khalid Masood ploughed a automobile into pedestrians and stabbed one in all his personal officers to demise in March. Sir Craig confirmed he was a key witness to the brutal assault on PC Keith Palmer and carried out his responsibility to safe proof within the aftermath of the atrocity  which was to be the primary of 5 terror assaults in England this 12 months. His knighthood is just not associated particularly to the Westminster assault, with the deadline for nominations which means that honours will probably be awarded over the response to terror assaults and the Grenfell Tower hearth subsequent 12 months. Scotland Yard praised Sir Craigs function in reforming the pressure, which is enacting controversial measures to save lots of 400m by 2020 amid a funding dispute with the Authorities. He additionally launched a serious initiative to enhance group belief over cease and search, in addition to pushes for elevated variety amongst police  with half of the UKs black and ethnic minority officers now serving within the Met. Westminster assault: Vigils are held across the UK Sir Craig mentioned he was amazed and deeply honoured by the knighthood, including: I actually imagine its a recognition not only for me however for the dedication of all of the women and men of the police service that Ive had the privilege to serve with over the last 33 years. It comes on the finish of what has been an awfully tough 12 months, when so a lot of our officers have demonstrated enormous braveness, compassion and professionalism within the very worst of circumstances. Additionally, most significantly I need to point out my spouse Debbie. It will merely not have been doable for me to have had this profession with out her love and unstinting assist. Each professionally and personally, I take into account myself to be a really fortunate man. Terrorism was a recurrent theme among the many dozens of law enforcement officials honoured for his or her service and officers who have been injured whereas making an attempt to cease the London Bridge assault and who responded to atrocities in Manchester, Westminster and Finsbury Park anticipated to function closely in 2018. The Police Federation, which represents 120,000 officers, is asking for applicable recognition for 2 unarmed officers who have been severely injured taking up three armed Isis supporters Borough Market in June. These nominations [for PC Charlie Geunigault and British Transport PC Wayne Marques] have been acknowledged by Authorities and assurance on condition that theyre receiving the eye they deserve, a spokesperson mentioned. PC Palmers heroism was formally recognised with a posthumous award of the George Medal earlier this 12 months. PC Matthew Hone, of Metropolis of London Police, was awarded a Queens Police Medal (QPM) after being praised by superiors as a chief within the discipline of counter-terrorism and somebody who commonly goes above and past the decision of responsibility. The consequences of his work in disrupting the exercise of not simply terrorists, but in addition different criminals, have been clear to see within the Metropolis and have contributed to different forces throughout the UK utilizing related ways with their very own officers to maintain the general public secure. I want to take this chance to supply my honest congratulations to Matt on behalf of the entire pressure, Commissioner Ian Dyson mentioned. London Bridge Terror Assault Additionally it is encouraging to see that greater than half of the QPMs proceed to be awarded to rank and file law enforcement officials, in recognition of their onerous work in holding our communities secure, he added. A number of Metropolitan Law enforcement officials and workers have been recognised within the annual checklist, with Performing Detective Inspector John Simm being made an Officer of the Order for his companies to nationwide safety and counter-terrorism. DCI Simm, whos connected to the Mets Counter Terrorism Command, mentioned the nice private honour was a mirrored image of the work carried out by the whole crew in a 12 months that noticed 9 terror plots foiled within the UK. Theyve and proceed to assist me, and who go above and past day in and day trip as a part of our counter-terrorism operational response, he added. Scotland Yard colleague Paul Lockhart gained a QPM for his service. Mr Lockhart, who has lately retired after a 360-year-career, is a tremendous recogniser with distinctive talents to establish and hint suspects and helped crush a number of prolific legal networks. Policing has all the time been my ardour and the best precedence is all the time the victims of crime, he mentioned. I hope Ive served them effectively. Chief Superintendent Richard Wooden was additionally awarded a QPM after overseeing crime discount because the borough commander of Lambeth  as soon as described by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary as probably the most difficult policing environments in Western Europe. He mentioned being a police officer was a childhood dream, including: This award demonstrates the alternatives that policing presents to these from a humble background and its equally consultant of the various devoted and gifted colleagues Ive labored with over time; certainly that is their award as a lot as its mine. Joe Holness, who had policing profession spanning 32 years and based the Nationwide Police Memorial Day, has been made an OBE (Provided) Additionally receiving a QPM is retired PC Neill Tully, who was a youth engagement officer in Bromley and recruited weak and troubled kids to the police cadets. Scotland Yards assistant director of authorized companies, Naz Saleh, was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) after engaged on contentious circumstances together with the inquest into Princess Dianas demise and public inquiries. She has skilled officers on the lawful train of their powers, the pressure mentioned, calling her a function mannequin each to ladies and to members of minority communities as essentially the most senior feminine member of its non-officer workers. A British Empire Medal (BEM) was awarded to Detective Superintendent Fiona McCormack, whos a homicide detective at the moment engaged on the legal investigation into the Grenfell Tower hearth, for companies to policing and schooling. Sergeant Stephen Collingwood, former Inspector Rodney Paul Feichtinger; and Inspector Douglas Ian Thompson, from royalty and specialist safety, have been made members of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO). Cressida Dick, Commander of the Metropolitan Police, mentioned: I congratulate these extraordinary members of the Met whove devoted their working life to policing and to defending and serving London. Theyve achieved some superb accomplishments. Its to their credit score that theyre function fashions to all, for his or her dedication, onerous work and innovation. Im very proud of all of them, as they need to be of themselves. To be honoured on this means is so very particular and well-deserved. The following most-honoured pressure was the Police Service of Northern Eire (PSNI), with six officers recognised. Two QPMs have been awarded to Superintendent Alywin Barton and retired Detective Inspector Jeremy McFarland for companies to policing and the group. Officers who requested their names to not be publicised have been additionally recognised with two BEMs and two MBEs. In South Wales Police, Chief Constable Matt Jukes was awarded a QPM after a profession spanning violent medication gangs and counter-terrorism, seeing him symbolize British policing on the G8. Sergeant Gary Evans  whose father Bob was awarded the QPM three a long time in the past  was awarded the BEM for his companies to policing and the group in South Wales. The Assistant Chief Officer at Durham Constabulary, Gary Ridley, was made an OBE for his companies to policing after coming into the sphere from native authorities. A former Kent Police inspector, Joseph Holness, was upgraded from a QPM to an OBE for his work founding the Nationwide Police Memorial Day. He began the annual occasion  which is now supported by the royal household and Authorities, in 2000 following the demise of a fellow officer who was run over and killed whereas on responsibility in Margate. Im so happy the Nationwide Police Memorial Day has turn out to be such an vital annual occasion and Im humbled and honoured to have my efforts rewarded on this means, he mentioned. Different officers awarded together with a PC who tackled an armed robber whereas buying off-duty along with her son. Calum Macleod, the incoming Chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, mentioned: We lengthen enormous congratulations to everybody who has been recognised with these prestigious honours for exemplary service and dedication. Were grateful every single day for the sheer heroism and dedication proven by officers all through the nation and well by no means lose sight of the sacrifices made or neglect those that gave their lives to guard us.
Uncovering the mainstream media lies The attack outside and inside Londons Westminster Parliament just before 4 pm local time on Wednesday 22nd March resulted in five deaths, including the assailant and forty injured. The confirmed British-born attacker, Adrian Elms  but with a number of alias including the much quoted Khalid Masood  drove a grey Hyundai SUV over Westminster Bridge, which spans the River Thames as it flows past Parliament, mounting the pavement and mowing down pedestrians crossing the great span, with its panoramic city views. Some forty people were injured, twenty nine treated in hospital, with seven initially in a critical condition. Speaking in Parliament the next morning Prime Minister, Theresa May listed the injured including twelve Britons, three of whom were police officers returning from an Award ceremony, three French children, two Romanians, four South Koreans, one Pole, one Irish, one Chinese, one Italian, an American and two Greeks. Killed was American Kurt Cochran who ran a recording studio from his home in Utah who, with his wife, Melissa had been touring Germany, Scotland and Ireland before arriving in London to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary, it was the last day of their visit. Melissa was seriously injured. Also killed was Aysha Frade, originally from the municipality of Betanzos, Spain, an administrator and Spanish teacher at a nearby College, on her way to collect her daughters, aged eight and eleven, from school. Seventy five year old Londoner, Leslie Rhodes also died from his injuries the following night. The car turned left at the end of the bridge, driving outside the Parliament building, crashing in to the wrought iron railings. The driver then ran through gates in to the New Palace Yard entrance, just below Big Ben, reportedly armed with two knives, fatally wounding unarmed Parliamentary Protection Officer and former soldier, PC Keith Palmer who attempted to stop him. An act of courage and compassion came from MP Tobias Ellwood, Minister for Middle East and Africa, who gave CPR and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to PC Palmer, in spite of the chaos breaking out after the attacker was shot, ignoring possible threat to his own safety. Ellwoods attempts failed and his bent body as he looked down at Keith Palmer, his mouth and face smeared with Palmers blood as the cuffs of his formerly immaculate shirt and suit are both a haunting image of grief and a tribute to one who gave no thought but to trying to save a familiar face. There was courage from countless police, paramedics, doctors and nurses who rushed unhesitatingly towards potential danger with emergency equipment from the nearby hospital to help the injured. Ellwood himself is no stranger to violent tragedy having lost his brother Jonathan in the 2002 Bali bombing. He wrote a searing account of dealing with the seemingly endless official bureaucratic red tape involved in both countries whilst trying to bring his brothers body home whilst stricken with grief. I actually ended up nailing the lid of the coffin down myself, he said. That cant be right. Not everyone showed the courage of Mr. Ellwood and others. As Parliament went in to total lockdown with MPs and all staff trapped inside for hours, the Guardian reported: Theresa May, the Prime Minister, was rushed into a car 40 yards from the gates outside Parliament where shots were fired minutes after the incident occurred, according to footage filmed by a member of staff. She was ushered by at least eight armed undercover police, some with their firearms drawn, into a waiting black vehicle in Speakers Court, the footage seen by the Guardian shows. Loud bangs can be heard in the background as she is ushered into the car, but it is unclear whether the bangs were gunshots. Safely back in her official residence, behind Downing Streets fortified walls and soaring iron gates, guarded by colleagues of PC Palmer, she paid tribute to the emergency services:   these exceptional men and women ran towards the danger even as they encouraged others to move the other way. She talked of terrorists targeting Parliament because they hated the: values our Parliament represents  democracy, freedom, human rights, the rule of law and the spirit of (its engendered) freedom that echoes in some of the furthest corners of the globe. It has to be wondered whether those still under bombardment from the UK or its ally the US, in Afghanistan after sixteen years, Iraq after fourteen years, in Libya, Syria, Yemen; Palestinians remembering the decimation the Balfour Declaration has wrought on them for generations  when May had declared that in this, its centenary year it is to be remembered in special UK celebrations  share quite such a starry eyed view of the values, human rights and freedoms etc., emanating from the Mother of Parliaments. She concluded:  Any attempt to defeat those values through violence and terror is doomed to failure. Tomorrow morning, Parliament will meet as normal. We will come together as normal. And Londoners  and others from around the world who have come here to visit this great City  will get up and go about their day as normal. They will board their trains, they will leave their hotels, they will walk these streets, they will live their lives. And we will all move forward together. Never giving in to terror. Breathtaking stuff from the woman who gave in instantly, running away, protected by eight armed guards, in a bullet proof limo, rather than remaining in solidarity with her colleagues and the extensive staff who were in lockdown, not knowing whether further unhinged potential assassins were prowling Parliament. No doubt if challenged she would say that such an emergency demanded she convened the COBRA group  another silly acronym which refers to the crisis response committee which meets in instances of national or regional crisis. However there are plenty of telephones in Parliament and an on line conference is not exactly rocket science. The following morning she told MPs: Yesterday an act of terrorism tried to silence our democracy, but today we meet as normal, as generations have done before us and as future generations will continue to do, to deliver a simple message: We are not afraid and our resolve will never waver in the face of terrorism. Her resolve it seems not so much never wavered, it collapsed in a pile of dust. What a contrast to President Bashar Al Assad and his wife, who with their children have never fled in terrorist attacks on their country ongoing since March 2011, terrorist attacks which include entirely illegal, massive bombings by UK and US air power. See for example (1) for just one months UK decimation from the UK governments very own horses mouth. A week before the Westminster attack a suicide bomber blew himself up in the Syrian capitol, Damascus, Palace of Justice killing reportedly thirty nine people. President Assad and his wife stayed put in their residence in the city. Their resolve has absolutely never wavered in the face of terrorism, indeed never giving in to terror, plotted from inside the US Embassy in Damascus in 2006 and in Washington well before, he has been called by the US, UK and their allies a tyrant, a despot and a war criminal. The Western backed moderate head choppers are now a mere several kilometres distance from Damascus, still the first family remain. I was born in Syria and I will die in Syria, the President has stated. Given that Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi also refused to abandon their people in the face of Western onslaughts and remembering their terrible fates, whatever observers varying views, it is undeniable Assad shows a particular kind of towering courage seemingly rare in the West. George W. Bush of course, on 9/11, although already over 1,000 miles away in Florida, was rushed to a top-secret military bunker in Louisiana. Not alone the standards but the language differs in the West. Attacks in Paris, Brussels, Nice, London, are undoubtedly terrorism. In Syria attacks of enormity are declared a rebel offensive usually quotes provided by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights which is allegedly funded by the EU and another government, thought to be the UK. (2) The founder, Rami Abdulrahman, with a couple of other aliases:   has direct access to former (UK) Foreign Minister William Hague, who he has been documented meeting in person on multiple occasions at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London and shares (Abdulrahmans) enthusiasm for removing Assad from power. The reaction to an attack in the West also differs. The UK Prime Ministers office received condolences from Heads of State across the globe. The lights of the Eifel Tower were shut off at midnight, Berlins Brandenburg Gate was lit, in marks of sympathy. President Putin also conveyed his condolences, in spite of the street level insults he has received from the British parliamentary establishment. The UN Security Council observed a minutes silence in respect of a tragic, horrific incident, but nevertheless one which would be an unusually quiet day in any of the countries the UK is enjoining in occupying, bombing or has invaded. A friend also commented succinctly: If terrorists will not succeed in the UK and other Western countries, why should the West expect the Syrian government and its allies to allow the Western, GCC, Israeli backed terrorists, to succeed in Syria and seize control of the country after six years of global terror? Terrorists from up to ninety countries gaining access via the borders left open by the occupiers of Iraq from the time of the 2003 invasion and via NATO ally Turkeys borders and blind eyes. Coincidentally, Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had said on the morning of the Westminster attack, after a series of verbal spats with European countries that: If Europe continues this way, no European in any part of the world can walk safely on the streets. Europe will be damaged by this. A few hours later he stated that: Turkey feels and shares deeply in the United Kingdoms pain and that it stood in solidarity with Britain in the fight against terrorism. If a week is a long time in politics, so, clearly, is six hours. In Iraq in just two catastrophic liberation assaults on Mosuls ancient, beautiful city, US coalition bombings killed up to three hundred and fifty souls, wiping out entire families in the week before Londons one man attack: Journalists saw children and a pregnant woman among at least 50 bodies recovered from the rubble, with limbs and shoes protruding from destroyed houses. (3) No condolences from world leaders, no Eifel Tower or Brandenburg Gate markings for them. A spokesman for the US led Mosul slaughter: Operation Inherent Resolve, responded with: The coalition respects human life, which is why we are assisting our Iraqi partner forces in their effort to liberate their lands from ISIS brutality. He has clearly forgotten what the US has demonstrated in Iraq  with a brief break  fourteen years of their respect for human life  and the comment from a bewildered senior US military man to Major General Antonio Taguba during his investigation in to the horrors, torture and death inflicted by US forces at Abu Ghraib: But they were only Iraqis. Another friend provided me unwittingly with the conclusion for this inadequate piece on towering double standards. Thank you: Do we not all bleed the same? 8/3 Kabul, Afghanistan  49 dead. Silence 9/3 Tikrit, Iraq  30 dead. Silence 11/3 Damascus, Syria  74 dead. Silence 15/3 Damascus, Syria  40 dead. Silence 16/3 Al-Jineh, Syria  46 dead. Silence 21/3 Raqqa, Syria  33 dead. Silence 21/3 Westminster, London  5 dead. 22/3 Mosul, Iraq  240 dead. Silence They say we are all born equal. But only the (Western deemed) worthy die as humans. The others are simply forgotten. UK residents have responded with generosity to funds for Westminsters injured and grieving families with large sums being raised including 500,000 for the family of PC Palmer. Muddassar Ahmed set up the Muslims United for London page after witnessing the attack from Parliaments Portcullis House: I happened to be trapped inside the building yesterday, and saw the carnage  His appeal raised 3,000 in the first hour. Last weekend hundreds of Muslim women joined hands along Westminster Bridge, in memory and solidarity  as the UK continues to bomb or threaten many of their countries. Their gesture should both humble and shame. And since the perpetrator of the London attack is dead, it will likely never be known whether it was a coincidence that the attack was on the first anniversary of three suicide bombers killing thirty two people and injuring three hundred and sixteen in Brussels on 22nd March 2016. (4) In another other coincidence, on 19th March, armed anti-terror police carried out a terrifyingly realistic boat drill a little further down the Thames: A sightseeing vessel became the scene of a fierce mock-gun battle between armed officers and police volunteers posing as terrorists shortly after 11am on Sunday  (5) At least one body, played by a police volunteer, was cast overboard, and officers were deployed in an effort to assess the effectiveness of rescue operation tactics in life-like conditions. The multi-agency operation was carried out between the Met, the Port of London Authority, London Coastguard, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), London Ambulance Service and London Fire Brigade. Police stressed that there was no specific threat but with London on high alert for two years: I do hope there is a deterrent effect in this when they see how effective our people are. After last Wednesdays attack Romanian architect Andrea Cristea was pulled from the Thames, alive but badly injured, it is uncertain whether she jumped to escape the car or fell off in the chaos. On the day of the 7th July 2005 London tube and bus bombings, Visor Security were running a live exercise outside every tube station affected. Managing Director Peter Power told the BBC: At half past nine this morning we were actually running an exercise for a company of over a thousand people in London based on simultaneous bombs going off precisely at the railway stations where it happened this morning, so I still have the hairs on the back of my neck standing up right now. (6) Videos Farmageddon - The truth about the food and dairy industry 9/11 - Press for Truth (full movie) Iraq For Sale - Full Movie Let Your Life Be a Friction to Stop the Machine The American Dream Film-Full Length America: A Government Out of Control Police State 4: The Rise Of FEMA Fall of the Republic The New rulers of The World The Israel Lobby HOME American Drug War:The Last Hope ROMERO Full Movie Nicaragua - A Nations Right To Survive Word is that Michael Bloomberg, the mega-billionaire former mayor of New York City who watched his wealth more than double while he sat in the mayor's office is thinking of running for President as a Democrat in 2020. Why does that suck? Michael Bloomberg and the NYPD cops he ordered as mayor to attack the Wall Street Occupy movement in November 2011 We [] This article is running on the website of RT-TV Yet another upstart socialist-leaning candidate, Ayanna Pressley, ousts a long-time liberal Democratic House incumbent The Democratic Party leadership, composed of centrist and conservative Democrats who covet the money donated into party coffers by big Wall Street banks, arms manufacturers and the drug and med [] One morning, at breakfast, Creator took a bite out of his toast. He held it up to his wife proudly. Moon, he said. He took another bite. Mushroom, he said. His wife frowned. He took another bite. Anteater, he said. And another: Acacia. Now his wife glared at him. Acacia!? Creator was squirming in his chair. He had to pee. He took several quick bites, Leaving [] Liberal opponents of serious, aggressive action on climate change like California Governor Jerry Brown are the strange bedfellows of right-wing survivalists on one thing: Both are quick to warn darkly that if environmentalists have their way and impose strict cuts on oil, gas and coal production or on mileage standards for automobiles and pollution controls [] The politically ambitious mainstream Democratic Senator Cory Booker has been posing as a courageous man ready to put his seat in the Senate at risk by violating Senate rules and releasing confidential emails of Supreme Court nominee and current Appeals Court Judge Brett Kavanaugh at Kavanaughs confirmation hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Former [] As we know from the political puppets and their mouthpieces in the controlled corporate media, Syrian President Basher al-Assad is a bloodthirsty monster responsible for the wanton slaughter of (fill in the number) of his own citizens, and he particularly enjoys dropping chemical weapons on women and children despite knowing that this is the one thing that w [] In this video, Luke Rudkowski of WeAreChange gives you the latest breaking news on the China World Order and why it is here on purpose. We talk about the real news while exposing fake news media censorship on the topic of China with James Corbett of the Corbett report. [audio mp3="http://www.corbettreport.com/mp3/2018-09-14%20James%20Corbett.mp3"][/audio]In this video, Luke Rudkowski of WeAreChange gives you the latest breaking news on the China World Order and why it is here on purpose. We talk about the real news while exposing fake news media censorship on the topic of China with James Corbett of the Corbett r [] This week on the New World Next Week: false flags fly over Syria as the Trump neocons begin to circle Idlib; the technocrats patent our Orwellian nightmare future; and a cancer researcher is called out for undisclosed links to Big Pharma.
A 30-year-old man has been arrested in Birmingham by officers investigating the Westminster terror attack. The man was arrested on Sunday on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. He was detained under the Terrorism Act and is currently in police custody. It comes after extremist Khalid Masood stabbed PC Keith Palmer to death in an 82-second rampage which also left three others dead and dozens injured. In total, a dozen people were initially held after raids across the country. Scroll down for video Metropolitan Police officers were seen carrying out two computers, CD-Roms and paper documents from the family house Today, officers carried out searches at a Birmingham home which Masood regularly visited and from where he took children to pray at a nearby mosque. Metropolitan Police officers were seen carrying out two computers and documents from the family house, the fourth to be raided in the city since Wednesday's atrocity. Neighbours say Sherif and Fatima Drameh, who lived at the home, allowed Masood to take their children to the local mosque. A mother who lives next door to the property under investigation, said: 'We saw Khalid Masood come by often in his traditional Islamic dress and took the children to Mosque with his own. 'Suddenly before Christmas Khalid said they were moving to London and took his children out of school and we havent seen any of them since, he was a nice man. Large bags of documents were removed from the home, where Masood was allegedly a regular visitor An officer leaves the home carrying a hard drive (left), and large amounts of paperwork and CD-Roms were removed 'His children, also at school with my daughter would go round next door too.' Two addresses, less than a mile away, have also been raided by police. A neighbour who gave his name only as Erroll, said: 'He was the friendliest neighbour you could imagine and clearly a devoted father, always taking them to after school activities. Khalid Masood (pictured) stabbed PC Keith Palmer to death and also left three others dead and dozens injured 'He was very active and would rush out on Friday afternoon to walk to mosque which was basically a sprint. 'He used to be visited by two black guys with beards and long black Muslim robes but I havent seen them pop by in a while.' Neighbours say they have not seen the 'friendly' dad-of-four who lived there since Thursday. Resident Jola Puziak said: 'Theyre a very friendly family and we would always say hello and goodbye in passing. 'Whenever he could smell me smoking in the garden he would tell me I must stop which never failed to make me laugh. 'I rarely see his wife, she seems to be home most of the time looking after their girls and boy who cant even be two. Hes the last person Id expect to get into trouble with the police.' Earlier this month a report by security think-tank the Henry Jackson Society found the Sparkbrook district of Birmingham had produced 26 of the countrys 269 known jihadis. Unarmed Police pulled into the Breford Croft cul-de-sac at 1am on Saturday morning according to residents. A police officer outside the Birmingham family home, which is linked to the Westminster terrorist Neighbours noticed Police Officers had kept watch of the three storey, canalside family home throughout Saturday night in an unmarked black Skoda car. At around 8.30am a police van returned to the street and officers have not been seen leaving the building since their arrival. A neighbour who asked not to be named said: 'I don't understand why the Police would come here to speak to anyone. It's a very nice neighbourhood where we might not know each other's names but we always smile and say hi to everyone. 'I've never had a problem with him he's always been very friendly to me so it is a shock to think he's done anything wrong.' A police van outside the address, which is the latest to be raided by officers investigating Wednesday's terror attack A woman visiting her grandmother on the street said: 'I'm pretty sure I've seen Khalid Masood come and go when I've dropped by. 'When I saw his face on the news I thought he looked familiar. I'm pretty sure I've seen him outside my nan's house on several occasions but I never spoke to him. 'It's very scary to think my Nan who's very old could live next to someone connected to terrorism in any way.' Masood drove his car along Westminster Bridge at speed, mowing down pedestrians. He was shot dead by police after he stormed the parliamentary estate on Wednesday afternoon. Police said they now believe the knifeman acted alone, adding they were investigating why he carried out the atrocity. Counter-terrorism officers have spent days piecing together what led the 52-year-old to shed his birth name and later unleash carnage on the capital. Only one other man, 58, who was also arrested in Birmingham remains in police custody after a 27-year-old man was released with no further action on Saturday.
London terror attack leaves 4 dead, 40 injured near UK Parliament A knife-wielding man went on a deadly rampage in the heart of Britain's seat of power Wednesday, plowing a car into pedestrians on London's Westminster Bridge before stabbing a police officer to death inside the gates of Parliament. Four people were killed, including the assailant, and 40 others were injured in the London terror attack. Lawmakers, lords, staff and visitors were locked down after the man was shot by police within the perimeter of Parliament, just yards (meters) from entrances to the building itself and in the shadow of the iconic Big Ben clock tower. He died, as did three pedestrians on the bridge, and the police officer. A doctor who treated the wounded from the bridge said some had "catastrophic" injuries. Three police officers, several French teenagers on a school trip, two Romanian tourists, a Chinese citizen and five South Korean visitors were among the injured. Metropolitan Police counterterrorism chief Mark Rowley said police believed there was only one attacker, "but it would be foolish to be overconfident early on." The threat level for international terrorism in the UK was listed at severe. Wednesday was the anniversary of suicide bombings in the Brussels airport and subway that killed 32 people. The incident in London unfolded within sight of some of the city's most famous tourist sites, including the London Eye, a large Ferris wheel with pods that have views over the capital. It stopped rotating and footage showed the pods full as viewers watched police and medical crews on the bridge, which has Big Ben at its north end. Deputy Parliament Speaker said that lower chamber House of Commons sitting suspended as witnesses report sounds like gunfire. Speaking outside 10 Downing St. after chairing a meeting of government's emergency committee, COBRA, May said that level would not change. She said attempts to defeat British values of democracy and freedom through terrorism would fail. "Tomorrow morning, Parliament will meet as normal," she said. Londoners and visitors "will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart." Journalists at the Parliament building said they were told to stay in their offices. The Press Association news agency reported that two people were seen lying within the grounds of Parliament. A Reuters reporter inside the building said medical staff were treating two people inside the gates of the parliamentary estate. Nearby Westminster underground train station was closed at the request of police. London Ambulance Service Deputy Director of Operations Pauline Cranmer said her service had sent "a number of resources to the scene including ambulance crews, London's air ambulance and our hazardous area response team." Sky News reported that the attacker at parliament, apparently armed with a knife, forced his way through security gates and assaulted a police officer. The BBC and other media said police shot and seriously injured the attacker. David Lammy, a London lawmaker, said on Twitter that he was locked in the Commons chamber at parliament, "but my heart goes out to the police officers, those hit by the car on the bridge and their families."
Owen Smith, the Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary, has also been openly criticising Corbyn. He tweeted this this morning: The editorial in question says: The Leader of the Oppositions response to the Prime Minister was dispiriting. Jeremy Corbyn invited Mrs May to acquiesce to Russias requests that a sample be sent to Moscow for verification  on the supposition that the Kremlin might then honestly try to match it with its own stores. He sounded too keen to find another explanation for the use of the nerve agent novichok in the attack." This tweet from Debbie Abrahams is already setting tongues wagging. She was moved from her position as Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary last week and accused members of Mr Corbyn's team of bullying... A joint report published today by four parliamentary committees finds toxic air is now a "national health emergency" and criticises the Government's plan to reduce air pollution as needing "significant improvements". Full story here: Toxic air in the UK is now a national health emergency responsible for 40,000 early deaths and 20bn in economic costs each year, MPs have warned. The Governments approach to reducing air pollution amounts to little more than box-ticking because ministers have failed to show the national leadership required, a highly damning joint report by four parliamentary committees found. Breaking: Police and an ambulance response team have just arrived at Parliament after a suspicious package was sent to an MP. Several other packages have been sent to Muslim MPs along with Islamophobic letters this week. More on this as we get it. Russia says it will "soon" expel British diplomats in response to Theresa May's announcement that 23 "undeclared intelligence officers" posing as Russian diplomats would be ejected from the UK. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said it was unacceptable for Britain to blame Russia for the poisoning of the ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal in Salisbury. Gavin Williamson, the Defence Secretary, is current delivering a speech at the Policy Exchange think tank. On Russia he says: "The Kremlin is ripping up the international rule book, using its growing hybrid capabilities to subvert, undermine and influence countries around the world. "Its cyber operations are active and brazen. It uses social media to muddy the waters and spread confusion. Last year, Russia's military intelligence organisations directed the NotPetya ransomware activity, overwhelming systems in Ukraine, from its power grid to its postal service, and causing hundreds of millions of pounds of damage to companies around the world, including here in the United Kingdom. But Russia is capable of much more. It is already increasingly using proxies to undermine sovereign states. Its involvement in the Ukraine conflict has cost tens of thousands of lives. In Syria, we're seeing a humanitarian crisis where Russia is using private military companies such as the Wagner Group to reduce their liability and limit criticism on the world stage. Russia is also using its operatives insidiously to interfere in the political processes of other nations. Security authorities have compelling evidence to show Russia was involved in the attempted 2016 coup in Montenegro, just prior to that country joining Nato. And if we doubted the threat Russia poses to our citizens, we only have to look at the shocking example of their reckless attack on Salisbury. " Downing Street has just confirmed Theresa May will visit Salisbury later today to meet residents and receive an update on the investigation there. It's her first visit to the city since the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. Here's the Met Police statement on the ongoing incident at Parliament, where another suspicious package has been sent to an MP. "Police were called at 10:14hrs on Thursday, 15 March to reports of a suspicious package delivered to an office at the Palace of Westminster. Specialist officers are on scene and the package is being assessed. London Ambulance Service is on scene. A woman is being assessed as a precaution. Enquiries continue." Gavin Williamson is responding to questions after his speech. Asked how the UK will respond to Russia saying it will expel UK diplomats from Moscow, the Defence Secretary called the Salisbury poisoning attack "atrocious and outrageous" and added: "Frankly Russia should go away and should shut up, but if they do respond to the action we have taken we will look at it carefully and consider our options." Asked whether the current relationship with Moscow constitutes a new Cold War, he said: "Let's face it, relations ain't good are they? Russia has, in my view, made a deliberate political decision in terms of what they did in attacking Britain. It's often described as a cool war that we're entering into. I would say it's feeling exceptionally, exceptionally chilly at the moment." Emmanuel Macron has said he will unveil measures against Russia in response to the poisoning of the former spy Sergei Skripal on British soil in the coming days. The French president spoke with Theresa May on the phone on Thursday morning about progress of the investigation in the nerve agent attack, which the British Government says was carried out by Russia. BREAKING: The leaders of the UK, US, France and Germany have issued a joint statement condemning Russia over the Salisbury nerve agent attack. Here's the statement in full: "We, the leaders of France, Germany, the United States and the United Kingdom, abhor the attack that took place against Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury, UK, on 4 March 2018. A British police officer who was also exposed in the attack remains seriously ill, and the lives of many innocent British citizens have been threatened. We express our sympathies to them all, and our admiration for the UK police and emergency services for their courageous response. This use of a military-grade nerve agent, of a type developed by Russia, constitutes the first offensive use of a nerve agent in Europe since the Second World War. It is an assault on UK sovereignty and any such use by a State party is a clear violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention and a breach of international law. It threatens the security of us all. The United Kingdom briefed thoroughly its allies that it was highly likely that Russia was responsible for the attack. We share the UK assessment that there is no plausible alternative explanation, and note that Russias failure to address the legitimate request by the UK government further underlines its responsibility. We call on Russia to address all questions related to the attack in Salisbury. Russia should in particular provide full and complete disclosure of the Novichok programme to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). Our concerns are also heightened against the background of a pattern of earlier irresponsible Russian behaviour. We call on Russia to live up to its responsibilities as a member of the UN Security Council to uphold international peace and security."
Westminster attack fits increasingly familiar pattern The terror attack in Westminster on Tuesday fits an increasingly familiar pattern. An attacker, using a car to mow down pedestrians and a knife to assault police, went on a deadly rampage at the heart of one of Europe's great cities, seizing headlines and putting terrorism centre-screen once more. By late Tuesday afternoon, no claim of responsibility for the attack had been made. But social media and messaging channels used by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) were predictably awash with crowing celebrations of the deed soon after news of it broke. It was a year to the day since ISIS' attack in Brussels, in which three coordinated suicide bombings killed 32 and wounded hundreds more. ISIS has shown a particular fondness for anniversaries in the past. In the months since Brussels, and the European security clampdown that has followed, the terrorists have also exhorted and guided their followers to undertake exactly this kind of assault. The Westminster incident recalls those claimed by the group in Berlin last December and Nice last June. In those circumstances, lone attackers, without active support networks to easily arm or train them, were manipulated and radicalised rapidly in communications with ISIS to act. They used trucks to ram into crowded gatherings of civilians. Such attacks may be the pattern for the future. One of the injured after the terror attack in Westminster on Tuesday. PHOTO: REUTERS In London, the response from the security forces was swift. The parliamentary estate is ordinarily heavily policed: the attack lasted moments before police gunfire stopped it. Scotland Yard's restructured counter-terrorism response forces were put to their first real-life test. Armed teams were on the scene quickly. In the new model of digitally mediated terror, and with a greater number of radical persons of interest to keep tabs on than at any time before, no place can claim to be completely immune. Reassurance from such a response can only go so far, however. A marauding assault - such as that in Paris, with multiple attackers on a less-heavily defended site, or a location in a crowded area less easily reached by police forces, such as London's West End - may have been far harder to contain. Urban counter-measures, such as concrete bollards around sensitive buildings or public areas to prevent vehicle attacks, have limits too. Public thoroughfares, such as Westminster Bridge, by their nature cannot be made invulnerable. As ISIS comes under more and more territorial pressure in its heartlands in Syria and Iraq, its incentives to strike out against the civilian populations of its adversaries will meanwhile only increase. Spectacular bomb and gun attacks will probably remain the terrorists' goal, but opportunism will probably be the more dominant factor, say Western security officials. Simpler attacks, as those in Nice, Berlin and now London show, need not be less deadly. Details of ISIS' attack model that have become clearer to law enforcement agencies investigating the spate of atrocities in Europe and the US in recent months bear out such expectations. ISIS has a multi-layered approach to planning attacks abroad, say Western intelligence officials. It calls upon both trained operatives - returnee fighters from its ranks in Syria and Iraq - and radical or vulnerable individuals who may never have actually joined the network or met others in it. The authority to organise attacks is devolved to key lieutenants in its attack planning department. Many are Europeans. They run networks of direct, often skilled and trained acquaintances in Europe who aim to facilitate Paris-style attacks. They may dispatch individuals to directly perpetrate actions, as appeared to be the case with the Sousse beach massacre. They also seek to recruit and link digitally with individuals or networks of radicals - people they may not directly know or may never have met in real life - guiding and training them online. It is like a game of chess, says one European security official: "Some are just pawns. Some are more powerful - small groups, maybe - and some have even more flexibility and resources." Until now, Britain has taken succour from its natural advantages in the West's fight against ISIS. The country's borders and tight gun laws make larger-scale, coordinated attacks in Britain harder to pull off. Security forces also have a long and bloody history of handling them. But in the new model of digitally mediated terror, and with a greater number of radical persons of interest to keep tabs on than at any time before, no place can claim to be completely immune. "There will be terrorist attacks in this country," the chief of MI5, Britain's domestic security service, warned in a November interview last year. "The threat level is severe and that means likely." FINANCIAL TIMES The writer is the Financial Times' defence and security editor. A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on March 24, 2017, with the headline 'Westminster attack fits increasingly familiar pattern'. Print Edition | Subscribe The Straits Times We have been experiencing some problems with subscriber log-ins and apologise for the inconvenience caused. Until we resolve the issues, subscribers need not log in to access ST Digital articles. But a log-in is still required for our PDFs.
We use cookies to collect and analyse information on site performance and usage, and to enhance and customise content and advertisements. By clicking "OK" or by clicking into any content on this site, you agree to allow cookies to be placed. To find out more visit the cookies section of our privacy policy. Liam Morgan: Heroes entered the ring in Bethnal Green after tragic day in Westminster Hero is a word bandied around far too often these days, but it is an apt description of one of the British Lionhearts team present here tonight. That man is Tony Davis, the coach of the Lionhearts who valiantly tried to save the life of police officer Keith Palmer during the horrific terrorist attack in Westminster yesterday. Davis, a former staff sergeant in the British Army, disputed the hero tag in an interview on British television show This Morning. But his actions were nothing short of heroic. When police were urgently calling for people outside of the Palace of Westminster  myself included  to get back inside the building as quickly as possible, Davis was one of those who went against the grain. He was one of the first on the scene to attend to Palmer, a 48-year-old husband and father, who sadly died inside the gate of the Palace as a result of his injuries sustained at the hands of crazed attacker Khalid Masood in the devastating incident in the British capital. Such was the volume of blood that Davis went on This Morning without any shoes. He simply had not had enough time to replace the ones he wore the previous day. It was not until I sat here and saw Davis in the ring that my own picture of events yesterday became clearer. As I attempted to leave the Palace of Westminster yesterday, the commotion began. A group of police officers were running towards the entrance shouting for us to hurriedly return to the building and then the gunshots came. Two, maybe three. My memory remains hazy. As this was all unfolding, someone not far from me attempted to jump the barrier in front of us and ran towards Palmer, into the commotion and not away from it, in an example of bravery I did not quite appreciate at the time. That person was Davis. Today was supposed to be a good day at House of Commons, but it weren't!! I am so sorry for the policeman I tried to help. RIP K God Bless  Davis was mentioned in glowing terms prior to the start of the World Series of Boxing (WSB) clash between the British Lionhearts and the Italia Thunder, which went ahead despite both teams witnessing the unspeakable terror just over 24 hours earlier, and rightly so. In fact, all of the boxers who took to the ring on a poignant and emotional night deserve immense credit. As Lionhearts boxer Pat McCormack said, the two sides saw everything, so it would have been easy to call the fight off and reschedule for a safer and more appropriate time. Instead, they agreed the show must go on. Super heavyweight Frazer Clarke put it best when asked how important it was that the contest took place as planned. Im not the victim, the victims were yesterday  I was in there boxing tonight so I dont want any sympathy, he said following his win over Guido Vianello, which completed a 5-0 whitewash for the home team. If we cant get in there and fight after we saw yesterday, how do the rest of the people that were there get on with their lives? Everyone was there and everyone has seen it. Policemen have lost colleagues, families have lost friends and they have to get on with their lives. We were the lucky ones yesterday. We had every reason to get in there and put a show on. They did exactly that. Amid difficult and troubling circumstances, the Lionhearts and the Thunder produced a compelling spectacle and each boxer who spoke afterwards did so with an attitude sportsman all over the world will do well to follow. We had to try and concentrate and focus our mindset on the boxing instead of what happened yesterday, WSB debutant Callum French said. My heart goes out to all the families and their friends. What happened was terrible and the most tragic thing Ive seen in my life. The incident, which occurred at around 2:40pm, took place mere minutes after an event to launch the second year of the highly-successful and award-winning British Lionhearts in the Community scheme had concluded. It had been full of celebration and smiles. British Sports Minister Tracey Crouch even came down, donned the gloves and sparred briefly with one of the coaches. It had been a normal, pleasant day. What was to follow was anything but. Its horrible to be honest, McCormack, who represented his country at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, said. When we came out we were right there and right in front of it. It was just weird timing as we were right there and we saw it all. I didnt really sleep much last night  my head was a bit all over the place and I couldnt really stop thinking about it. The community spirit within the world of boxing was very much evident here this evening. Respect between the two squads appeared heightened; what they had gone through was unquestionably haunting but it seemed to have brought the athletes and coaching staff closer together. Another clear emotion tonight, among the boxers and fans, was defiance and a refusal to let the terrorist involved in the shockingly cowardly attack win. By going about their business as normal, they proved they would not let those who commit such atrocities get the better of them. Boxing often comes attached with a bad name. It is a sport full of thugs and miscreants, critics say. Judging by those who admirably took to the ring tonight, nothing could be further from the truth. In that sense, boxers have something in common with Members of Parliament (MPs) and the police in general. They are all an easy target. The actions of MPs, some of whom guided frightened tourists and children to safety inside the building while Foreign Office Minister Tobias Ellwood joined Davis in tending to the stricken policeman, deserve widespread acclaim. The same goes for the police, who responded quickly, effectively and calmly to the worst terrorist attack on British soil since the July 7 bombings in 2005. The name of one MP, Minister for Northern Powerhouse Andrew Percy, strikes a personal chord as I ended up in his office during the period of lockdown in the Houses of Parliament along with seven or so complete strangers - a vast mix of people from a wide spectrum of industries and professions. As Clarke said, we were the lucky ones. It leaves a bitter taste in the mouth that heroes such as Palmer, who gave his life to protect others, cannot say the same. Timeline About the author Since joining insidethegames.biz, in 2015 Liam Morgan has covered a variety of international multi-sport events and conferences, including the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics, the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games and the Lillehammer 2016 Winter Youth Olympics. He also reported from the 2017 IOC Session in Lima and three editions of the FIFA Congress. He graduated from Southampton Solent University in 2014 with a BA First Class honours degree in Sports Journalism. inside the photos Fact of the day At the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Iranian judoka Arash Miresmaeili was disqualified for weighing in at nearly four pounds above the limit for his weight class of his under-66 kilograms match against an Israeli opponent Ehud Vaks in the first round. It was claimed Miresmaeili had gone on an eating binge to protest the International Olympic Committee's recognition of the state of Israel. Iran does not recognise the state of Israel, and Miresmaeili's actions won praise from high-ranking Iranian officials. Mohammad Khatami, the country's President at the time, was quoted as saying Miresmaili's actions would be "recorded in the history of Iranian glories". He was later awarded $125,000 by the Government - the same amount given to Olympic gold medallists. Featured Job The EURO 2020 Digital Media Specialist requires excellent technical IT and broadcast know-how and digital media expertise for duties that range from ensuring the integration of digital and TV production workflows, systems operational implementation at the venue/IBC and efficient delivery of next-generation digital media and broadcast solutions and services. The Big Read David Lappartient is approaching his one year anniversary as President of the International Cycling Union. Mike Rowbottom speaks to the Frenchman about a first 12 months which has not been short of incident.
Theresa May today revealed that police and security services are currently running 676 investigations into suspected terrorism. The Prime Minster described this mornings apparent attack on Parliament as an appalling incident and urged the public to come together and carry on as normal. In a statement released by her office she said: The twisted aim of the extremists is to use violence and terror to divide us. They will never succeed. Home Secretary Sajid Javid was rushing back from holiday this evening, interrupting a break with his wife and children in order to oversee the response to the incident. The Javids only flew out this morning. 4/23 5/23 6/23 7/23 8/23 9/23 A forensic officer attends the scene near the Houses of Parliament, Westminster in central London, after a car crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament PA 10/23 BBC News 11/23 BBC News 12/23 PA 13/23 Reuters 14/23 Sky News 15/23 PA 16/23 PA 17/23 Police activity on Millbank, in central London, after a car crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament PA 18/23 Police on Westminster Bridge, central London, after a car crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament PA 19/23 Armed police stand in the street after a car crashed outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster REUTERS 20/23 Police activity on Millbank, in central London, after a car crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament PA 21/23 Police activity on Millbank, in central London, after a car crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament PA 22/23 Police forensics officers work at the scene outside the Houses of Parliament in central London AFP/Getty Images 23/23 Forensic officers by the car that crashed into security barriers outside Parliament PA Mrs May is on holiday in Switzerland but being kept informed. Her full statement read: Todays suspected attack outside of the Houses of Parliament is shocking. For the second time in as many years the home of our democracy, which is a potent symbol of our precious values of tolerance and freedom, has witnessed terrible scenes just yards from its door. Moment man is led away by police after car smashes into Parliament in London My thoughts are with the innocent members of the public who were hurt in this appalling incident. I wish them a speedy recovery and we must be thankful that nobody suffered life-threatening injuries. I also wish to praise the formidable courage of our emergency services, who were on the scene immediately and in significant numbers. Once again, they did not flinch and ran towards a dangerous situation in order to protect the public. The country is hugely grateful for their calmness and professionalism. The threat to the United Kingdom from terrorism remains severe. 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. The twisted aim of the extremists is to use violence and terror to divide us. They will never succeed.
Paradise lays at the feet of the mother The Holy Prophet (pbuh) Westminster Terror Attack; What is the Ahmadiyya Community Doing to Stand up Against it? Last week on Wednesday 2nd March 2017 a man named Khalid Masood made the devastating choice to mow down people walking on Westminster Bridge, then he ran towards the parliament buildings where he stabbed and killed a police officer, Keith Palmer. Another police officer managed to stop him from continuing his terror and he shot and killed the assailant. Unfortunately, five people died and fifty were others injured. Though I live in Canada, I was born and brought up in London England. My first thought just like many others, was whether my family members and friends were ok. How heart wrenching it must be for those individuals who were given the sad news of the death of their loved ones. I must say, whenever a terror attack happens I pray its not another so-called Muslim killing in the name of Allah (God), and this time was no different. Soon enough, when he was identified as a Muslim, it just made me sink even lower in sadness. It is hard for me to understand how some Muslims can be so misinformed, and brainwashed that they believe that Allah would approve of them carrying out such atrocities in His name. Never. True teachings of Islam would never allow such atrocity! What is the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Doing? Often after a terror attack Muslims are criticized for not publicly condemning these heinous acts. However, Ahmadi Muslims have always condemned terror attacks. They have always stood by their countries and cities around the world. We see them doing exactly that after the Westminster attack. On Saturday 25th March 2017 the leader of the worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim community, His Holiness Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, said the terrorist attacks carried out in the name of Islam were against its true teachings. He said, First of all, I would like to extend my deepest condolences to all of those affected by Wednesdays terror attack at Westminster. Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of London at this tragic time. On behalf of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, I wish to make it categorically clear that we condemn all such acts of terrorism and offer our heartfelt sympathies to the victims of this atrocity. He added: No matter what terrorists may claim, under no circumstances are indiscriminate acts or killings ever justified. Their barbaric acts are a violation of everything that Islam stands for. Our Ahmadi sisters across the Atlantic stood wearing blue as a symbol of hope and peace and held hands for five mins as Big Ben chimed 4pm on Sunday 26th March 2017 in remembrance of the victims of the attack. They created a human chain to show they stand defiant in the face of terrorism. The event was organized by Womens March London, and 50 Ahmadi sisters turned up to the event. In addition, a vigil was held on Wednesday 29th March 2017, to mark the one week anniversary of the attack. Thousands of people from all faiths turned up, and among them were hundreds of Ahmadi men. They held banners announcing the Ahmadiyya Muslim community motto Love for All Hatred for None, to make it clear that Islam is about peace and not violence. Many came wearing blue T-shirts with the words I am a MuslimAsk Me Anything. This was done to promote dialogue and remove any misconceptions. Most importantly, they came to show solidarity for their country and its democracy. An Ahmadi Imam Zafir Malik said, Were here today to show that we are united with our fellow countrymen and remembering those who have fallen, especially (police officer) Keith Palmer. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association UK, has setup clinics around the country, for people to ask them anything about Islam, to show them we are peaceful people. Another Ahmadi Imam, Farhad Ahmad said on the day, We hope to engage with the public and foster greater unity through open and honest dialogue. We want to show people the peaceful Islam we follow and denounce the perverted version promoted by hate preachers. Islam does not teach hatred or violence, Islam teaches love, peace and tolerance. In the Holy Quran, it is made clear that if you kill a person it shall be as if he had killed all of mankind (Chapter 5 verse 33). The word Islam means peace, how can the followers of this religion be violent? The Ahmmadiyya Community doesnt just hold banners saying Love for All Hatred for None, they live by it. If every person lived by this motto, we would indeed achieve world peace.
Panic in Westminster as attack rocks Britain's seat of power (VIDEO) Published 1 year ago on 23 March 2017 A fire officer works at the scene after an attack on Westminster Bridge in London, Britain, March 22, 2017.  Reuters pic LONDON, March 23  Britains political heart in lockdown, shaken MPs evacuated from parliament, blood on the road and tourists running: Westminster was in chaos yesterday as a deadly attack struck the capital. Eyewitnesses spoke of their shock as a car mowed down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before crashing into railings outside the Houses of Parliament, where a man leapt out with a knife and stabbed a police officer. Gunfire rang out as armed police fired on the attacker, who later died after a bloody rampage which killed three people, including the police officer, and wounded at least 20 others. Lawmaker Mary Creagh, who was confronted by crowds and armed guards on her way to parliament, spoke of a real sense of panic. I was met by about 40 people running towards me saying: Get back, get back, theres been a shooting! she told reporters. Police cars and ambulances flooded the area of the attack  one of several guarded entrances to Houses of Parliament, a warren of rooms and staircases which was later evacuated. An air ambulance was also at the scene, while police taped off the area. MP Damian Collins said he heard shouts and gunshots before being told by police to get on the ground along with around 30 other lawmakers, where they waited for a minute before being told to go to their offices in Portcullis House. When the incident happened they (police) were very quick, very professional and very brave. They did what they are there for  to protect the people who work in the Palace of Westminster, he told AFP. Police did not identify the other two people killed in the attack  one of whom was reportedly a woman  and said at least 20 others were wounded, among them three police officers. One injured woman was pulled from the River Thames, and three French school children were also hurt, officials in Paris said. A junior doctor quoted by local media said they were treating catastrophic injuries. Theres a lot of people who feel very very shaken up, said Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron who was evacuated along with a number of other MPs to the nearby Metropolitan Police headquarters. A staff member in one of the buildings close to the Houses of Parliament told AFP they were shocked and dazed by the attack. A lot of shouting Kirsten Hurrell, 70, who owns a news stand at the scene, said she heard a car crashing into fencing surrounding parliament and initially thought there had been an accident. I heard a couple of shots which I now know are gunshots so I began to realise it was something a little more serious, she told AFP. There was a lot of shouting going on... and a lot of police presence coming from everywhere. Richard Jones, a 31-year-old bar manager, who reached the scene just after the attack said he saw police cars and ambulances arriving along with an initial six police officers. After a few seconds, another 25 police officers in full tactical gear with helmets and body armour, and then they stormed into the Houses of Parliament, he told AFP. Then they started to evacuate the MPs in black unmarked police cars. Also seen driving away was Prime Minister Theresa May as she prepared to chair a meeting of the governments COBRA emergencies committee. View from the Eye Tourists who usually flock to the area for a glimpse of Londons iconic Big Ben clock tower looked on as heavily-armed police officers cordoned off the roads. Buses on Westminster Bridge were evacuated and the London Eye was also eventually emptied of visitors. Jack Hutchinson, a 16-year-old American, said he spent three hours stranded on the London Eye with his parents. Once the carriage moved, he looked down and saw three bodies lying on the ground, and a whole lot of police. It was pretty terrifying, he told AFP. I dont think Ill go on the London Eye again. But I thought that London was a great place and I dont think that can be spoiled because of one incident, he added.  AFP
Members of Londons Muslim community have created a LaunchGood page to raise money for the victims of the Westminster attack. The project, called Muslims Unite for London, has so far raised almost 18,000. It was set up by Muddassar Ahmed who was in parliament when the attack happened and captured footage of the scene on his phone. Ahmed and others spent nearly five hours in the building as authorities secured the area. He described the experience in an interview with ITV News on Wednesday evening. The project was launched with MPs Naz Shah and Yasmin Qureshi. Organisers said: The British Muslim community stands with all Britons and Londoners during these difficult times and extends their support in raising funds to help with the immediate, short-term needs of the families of Keith Palmer, the other victims and the families of the victims. While no amount of money will bring back lives lost or take away from the pain the victims and their families are going through, we hope to lessen their burden in some way. Though this is a Muslim-led campaign, we welcome contributions from our friends from other faiths and none. According to reports around today, Masood claimed on his CV to have taught English in Saudi Arabia in 2005 and returned to the UK in 2009 when he became a senior English teacher at a TEFL college in Luton. In 2012, he reportedly set up an English language tutoring business, named IQRA, based in Birmingham. The Guardian has not been able to verify this. Mark Rowley would not be drawn into discussing details of Masoods past during his briefing. Rowley made a plea for information that could help with the investigation. He said: We remain keen to hear from anyone who knew Khalid Masood well, understands who his associates were and can provide us with information about places he has recently visited. There might be people out there who did have concerns about Masood but did not feel comfortable for whatever reason in passing those concerns to us. Rowley said at least 50 people were injured with 31 requiring hospital treatment. Two people remain in a critical condition, with one considered to have life-threatening injuries. He said the police investigation is focused on understanding Masoods motivation, preparation and associates. Our determination is to find out if he acted totally alone inspired by terrorist propaganda or if others encouraged or supported him. Rowley added that he understood why tragic events such as this generated questions about the security of parliament, and that the current system was proportionate but not overly intrusive. My team will work with parliamentary authorities to assess whether a different tone or balance is necessary, he said. Detectives are exploring Masoods past. What we know is that he was born in Kent on Christmas Day and named Adrian Russell Ajao. Earlier reports said he was named Adrian Elms. After leaving Kent, he spent periods living in London, Sussex and Luton, and most recently lived in Winson Green in the West Midlands. Neighbour Iwona Romek said Masood was a keen gardener who lived in the modern mews house with his wife and young child. Romek, 45, said her experience of him was as a nice man: I used to see him outside doing his garden. Never any trouble. The attacker He had a number of convictions  for assaults, grievous bodily harm, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences  spanning 20 years, and had spent time in jail, though not for terrorist-related offences. Masood was previously known to MI5 was once investigated in relation to concerns about violent extremism, but was considered a peripheral figure, prime minister Theresa May said. The Sun reports today that Masood spent the night before the attack at the Preston Park hotel in Brighton. The Guardian has not been able to verify this. The arrested Eight people were arrested as a number of addresses were raided in London, Birmingham and elsewhere: A 39-year-old woman at an address in east London on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. A 21-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man at an address in Birmingham on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. A 26-year-old woman and three men aged 28, 27 and 26 at a separate address in Birmingham on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. A 58-year-old man at a separate address in Birmingham on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. Im now handing over the live blog to my colleague Nadia Khomami. Thanks for reading. The man who photographed a Muslim woman walking past a victim of the Westminster terrorist attack has defended her and said the image has been misappropriated. The photograph  showing a woman looking at her phone as a group of people gathered around an injured person on Westminster bridge  was used by some on social media to criticise the woman for an alleged lack of concern. Anti-Brexit march will go ahead on Saturday The pro-EU march will go ahead in London on Saturday, organisers have insisted. On Thursday evening, Stephen Dorrell, chair of European Movement UK, said it would not go ahead, citing the extra burden on police following Wednesdays terror attack. But Unite4Europe, the umbrella group that has organised the anti-Brexit protest, says the march will go ahead as planned: We have spoken to the police and the GLA [Greater London Authority]. We can confirm that the march will go ahead. All plans remain the same. We will only move to our contingency if the police are still investigating the crime scene come Saturday. Our contingency will include the same march start point and time (Park Lane, 11am) with an alternate end point nearby. We will not be intimidated. We will stand in unity and solidarity. We will march on the heart of our democracy and reclaim our streets in honour and respect of those that fell yesterday. We will be observing a minute of silence and remembrance at the start of the rally. We would encourage all attendees to bring with them some symbol of respect and to act in the appropriate fashion on the day. European Movement UK has issued a clarification, saying that while the march will go ahead, it will not be participating: We dont want to increase the burden on the police at this difficult time.
London Ambulance said it had treated at least 10 people on Westminster Bridge. The Port of London Authority said a woman has been pulled alive from the River Thames near the bridge and was being treated for serious injuries. Image copyrightAPImage captionA man believed to be the suspect received medical treatment The French Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said three French school pupils were among the injured and offered "solidarity with our British friends, and full support" for the wounded students and their families. Junior doctor Colleen Anderson from St Thomas' Hospital confirmed the death of the woman and said a number of other people were hurt - some with "catastrophic" injuries. She said she also treated a police officer in his 30s with a head injury, who had been taken to King's College Hospital. She said the woman had died at the scene. "Some had injuries they could walk away from or who have life-changing injuries." Analysis Image copyrightPA By Dominic Casciani, home affairs correspondent The incident outside Westminster is exactly the kind of scenario that security chiefs have been planning for. It looks like the type of attack that jihadis have wanted to carry out in Britain - mainly attacking people with a vehicle and taking on the security forces with knives. But the fact that the Metropolitan Police's counter-terrorism armed response swung into action so quickly indicates how much work has been done since the killing of Lee Rigby in 2013. Scotland Yard's counter-terrorism command, MI5 and, where relevant, other major agencies, will now throw absolutely everything at trying to establish the background of the suspects - whether they were working alone or whether there could be more of the same on the way. At the same time, while they are treating this as a terrorist incident, they will know full well that they will have to test the evidence to ensure that this theory is correct. MPs said they had heard three or four gunshots and staff inside Parliament were told to stay inside their offices. "I heard shouts and screams from outside and looked out, and there was a group of maybe 40 or 50 people running round the corner from Bridge Street into Parliament Square. "They appeared to be running away from something. "As the group arrived at the Carriage Gates, where policemen are posted at the security entrance, a man suddenly ran out of the crowd and into the yard. "He seemed to be holding up a long kitchen knife. "I heard what sounded like shots - I think about three of them - and then the next thing I knew there were two people lying on the ground and others running to help them. "Armed police were quickly on the scene and I heard them shouting to people to get out of the yard." 'Mowed down' An eye witness, Radoslaw Sikorski, a senior fellow at Harvard's Centre for European Studies, posted a video to Twitter showing people lying injured in the road on Westminster Bridge. Image copyrightALISON BASKERVILLEImage captionParliament went into lockdown after the attackImage copyrightAPImage copyrightAP He wrote: "A car on Westminster Bridge has just mowed down at least 5 people." Scotland Yard said it was called to a firearms incident on the bridge amid reports of several people injured. Transport for London said Westminster underground station has been shut at the police's request, and buses diverted. Media captionAerial views of Houses of Parliament Mr Lidington said: "It seems that a police officer has been stabbed, that the alleged assailant was shot by armed police. "An air ambulance is currently attending the scene to remove the casualties. "There are also reports of further violent incidents in the vicinity of the Palace of Westminster but I hope colleagues on all sides will appreciate that it'd be wrong of me to go into further details until we have confirmation from the police and from the House security authorities about what is going on." Total Pageviews Translate Follow by Email MITRA-MANDAL This blog is exclusively created for information purpose from all authentic sources of knowledge related to scientific,industrial and current -affairs.Your comment,suggestion and feedback is awaited .It is content navigation service for enhance of your knowledge not for commercial purpose.
Express.co.uk relies on cookies to collect and process data. We may use this data to make assumptions on what content or advertising may interest you. By clicking "Continue and Accept All", you agree to allow cookies to be placed. You can decline these settings . To get more information about these cookies and the processing of your personal data, check our Privacy Policy & Cookie Policy. Victims of the Westminster terror attack Andreea Cristea died of her injuries following the Westminster terror attacks SWNS.com Andrea Christie, the 31-year-old who fell into the Thames in the Westminster terror attack has died in the Westminster terror attack has died PA London terror attack victim Aysha Frade Facebook London terror attack victim PC Keith Palmer PA London terror attack victim Kurt Cochran was on a dream holiday from the US Facebook London terror attack victim Aysha Frade Facebook London terror attack victim Aysha Frade Facebook London terror attack victim Aysha Frade Facebook London terror attack victim Kurt Cochran Facebook Kurt Cochran, from Utah, was was on a dream holiday around Europe with his wife Facebook London terror attack victim Kurt Cochran Facebook In a moving statement, her family and partner Andrei Burnaz said: After fighting for her life for over two weeks, our beloved and irreplaceable Andreea - wonderful daughter, sister, partner, dedicated friend and the most unique and life loving person you can imagine - was cruelly and brutally ripped away from our lives in the most heartless and spiritless way. She will always be remembered as our shining ray of light that will forever keep on shining in our hearts. There are no words to even begin to describe the crushing pain and emptiness that is left in our hearts. MET POLICE Her partner Andrei Burnaz released a moving statement after her death MET POLICE Andreea Cristea was on a short break to London The Romanian tourist was on a short break to London with her boyfriend at the time of the shocking attack. He had been due to propose later that day, but their happiness was shattered when Masood drove an SUV down the pavement of Westminster Bridge. Footage from the scene showed the shocking moment Ms Cristea fell from the edge of the bridge into the river 17ft below, as people desperately rushed to rescue her from the water. She was pulled out by firefighters who directed a boat towards her, but died in hospital on Thursday - two weeks after the attack. Her family have now decided to give the money, donated by generous well-wishers to aid her recovery, to charity following her tragic death. A statement read: Andreea is now unfortunately not able to have part of the money that was raised for her recovery, so we would like to donate it to charity. She would not have it any other way. Our family, together with Andrei, are deeply touched and eternally grateful for the unimaginable efforts and never-ending dedication provided to her and us by the entire medical personnel of each and every hospital involved. Our hearts and love go out to our two Family Liaison Officers, Detective Sergeants Tony De-Wilde and Geraint Jones, who stood beside us every single step of the way. You were our lifeline and we will never be able to thank you enough." Mr Burnaz, also from Romania, suffered a knee injury but has since been discharged from hospital. Masood killed five people before he was shot dead following his 82 seconds rampage in the UK's capital city. Victims included Kurt Cochran, a US tourist from Utah who was celebrating his wedding anniversary, Aysha Frade, a mum-of-two who was on her way to collect her children, and 75-year-old Leslie Rhodes who was described as "the nicest man you ever met". MET POLICE Andreea Cristea's boyfriend was due to propose later that day After crashing his car into railings, Masood then got out and stabbed PC Keith Palmer to death just yards from the Houses of Parliament.
Popular Videos Nigel Farage has suggested support for multiculturalism is to blame for the Westminster attack. The former Ukip leader claimed the political support for multiculturalism had created a "fifth column" of terror supporters in Western societies. Mr Farage argued this was the fault of former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, claiming his government ordered search parties to track down immigrants from around the world to bring to the UK. Mr Farage argued people would be keen for answers in the wake of the London attack which killed three people and questioned Theresa May and Sadiq Khans insistence Britain was united in the wake of the incident. The Ukip MEP failed to mention the fact many of the victims of the attack were in fact foreigners themselves. Aysha Frade, a Spanish teacher on her way to pick up her children from school, was one of those who died. Of the casualties admitted to hospital, 12 were British, three were French children, two Romanians, four South Koreans, two Greeks and one citizen from both Germany, Poland, Ireland, China, Italy and the US. Mr Farage, who has forged a blossoming relationship with President Donald Trump in recent months, said the atrocity strengthened Mr Trumps arguments for creating more extreme vetting for immigrants coming to the US. Nigel Farage's most controversial moments Nigel Farage's most controversial moments 1/12 When he unveiled that 'breaking point' poster during the referendum Mr Farage was accused of deploying Nazi-style propaganda when he unveiled a poster showing Syrian refugees travelling to Europe under the next Breaking point. Users on social media were quick to compare the advert to a Nazi propaganda film with similar visuals and featuring Jewish refugees. The poster was particularly controversial because it was unveiled the morning of the killing of Labour MP Jo Cox Rex 2/12 When he said hed be concerned if his neighbours were Romanian In May 2014 Mr Farage was accused of a racial slur against Romanians after he suggested he would be concerned living next to a house of them. I was asked if a group of Romanian men moved in next to you, would you be concerned? And if you lived in London, I think you would be, he told LBC radio during an interview. Asked whether he would also object to living next to German children, he said: You know the difference Bongarts/Getty Images 3/12 When he said the EU campaign was won 'without a bullet being fired' Nigel Farage has said the next Prime Minister has to be a Leave supporter AFP/Getty 4/12 When he resigned as Ukip leader and came back days later After failing to win the seat of South Thanet at the general election, Nigel Farage stepped down as Ukip leader  as he had promised to do during the campaign. Days later on 11 May he un-resigned and said he would stay after being convinced by supporters within the party. Well see how long his resignation lasts this time AP/Matt Dunham 5/12 When he blamed immigrants for making him late Mr Farage turned up late to a 25-a-head meet the leader style event in Port Talbot, Wales in December 2014. Asked why he was late, he blamed immigrants. It took me six hours and 15 minutes to get here - it should have taken three-and-a-half to four, he said. That has nothing to do with professionalism, what it does have to do with is a country in which the population is going through the roof chiefly because of open-door immigration and the fact that the M4 is not as navigable as it used to be Getty 6/12 When he wanted to ban immigrants with HIV from Britain Mr Farage has used his platform as Ukip leader call for people with HIV to be banned from coming to Britain. Asked in an interview with Newsweek Europe in October 2014 who he thought should be allowed to come to the UK, he said: People who do not have HIV, to be frank. Thats a good start. And people with a skill. He also repeated similar comments in the 2015 general election leadership debates Getty 7/12 When he defended the use of a racial slur against Chinese people Defending one of Ukips candidates, who used the word ch**ky to describe a Chinese person, Mr Farage said: If you and your mates were going out for a Chinese, what do you say you're going for?" When he was told by the presented that he honestly would not use the slur, Mr Farage replied: A lot would Lintao Zhang/Getty Images 8/12 When he said parts of Britain were like a foreign land The Ukip leader used his 2014 conference speech to declare parts of Britain as being like a foreign land. He told his audience in Torquay that parts of the country were unrecognisable because of the number of foreigners there. Mr Farage has also previously said he felt uncomfortable when people spoke other language on a train Screengrab 9/12 When he said the British army should be deployed to France At the height of trouble at Britains Calais border Mr Farage proposed a novel solution. The Ukip leader called for the British army to be sent to France to put down a migrant rebellion. In all civil emergencies like this we have an army, we have a bit of a Territorial Army as well and we have a very, very overburdened police force and border agency, he said. If in a crisis to make sure weve actually got the manpower to check lorries coming in, to stop people illegally coming to Britain, if in those circumstances we can use the army or other forces then why not AFP/Getty 10/12 When he said breastfeeding women should sit in the corner Mr Farage sparked protests from mothers after he told women to sit on the corner if they wanted to breastfeed their children. I think that given that some people feel very embarrassed by it, it isnt too difficult to breastfeed a baby in a way that's not openly ostentatious, Mr Farage said. He added: "Or perhaps sit in the corner, or whatever it might be AFP/Getty Images 11/12 When he said the gender pay gap exists because women are worth less At a Q&A on the European Union in January 2014 Mr Farage said there was no discrimination against women causing the gender pay gap. Instead, he said, women were paid less because they were simply worth far less than many of their male counterparts. A woman who has a client base, has a child and takes two or three years off - she is worth far less to her employer when she comes back than when she went away because that client base won't be stuck as rigidly to her portfolio, he said Getty 12/12 When he said he actually couldnt guarantee 350m to the NHS after Brexit During the EU referendum campaign the Leave side pledged to spend 350 million a week on the National Health Service  claiming that this is what the UK sends to Brussels. Nigel Farage didnt speak out against this figure and also pledged to spend EU cash on the health service and other public services himself. Then the day of the election result he suddenly changed his tone, saying he couldnt guarantee the cash for the NHS and that to pledge to do so was a mistake Getty 1/12 When he unveiled that 'breaking point' poster during the referendum Mr Farage was accused of deploying Nazi-style propaganda when he unveiled a poster showing Syrian refugees travelling to Europe under the next Breaking point. Users on social media were quick to compare the advert to a Nazi propaganda film with similar visuals and featuring Jewish refugees. The poster was particularly controversial because it was unveiled the morning of the killing of Labour MP Jo Cox Rex 2/12 When he said hed be concerned if his neighbours were Romanian In May 2014 Mr Farage was accused of a racial slur against Romanians after he suggested he would be concerned living next to a house of them. I was asked if a group of Romanian men moved in next to you, would you be concerned? And if you lived in London, I think you would be, he told LBC radio during an interview. Asked whether he would also object to living next to German children, he said: You know the difference Bongarts/Getty Images 3/12 When he said the EU campaign was won 'without a bullet being fired' Nigel Farage has said the next Prime Minister has to be a Leave supporter AFP/Getty 4/12 When he resigned as Ukip leader and came back days later After failing to win the seat of South Thanet at the general election, Nigel Farage stepped down as Ukip leader  as he had promised to do during the campaign. Days later on 11 May he un-resigned and said he would stay after being convinced by supporters within the party. Well see how long his resignation lasts this time AP/Matt Dunham 5/12 When he blamed immigrants for making him late Mr Farage turned up late to a 25-a-head meet the leader style event in Port Talbot, Wales in December 2014. Asked why he was late, he blamed immigrants. It took me six hours and 15 minutes to get here - it should have taken three-and-a-half to four, he said. That has nothing to do with professionalism, what it does have to do with is a country in which the population is going through the roof chiefly because of open-door immigration and the fact that the M4 is not as navigable as it used to be Getty 6/12 When he wanted to ban immigrants with HIV from Britain Mr Farage has used his platform as Ukip leader call for people with HIV to be banned from coming to Britain. Asked in an interview with Newsweek Europe in October 2014 who he thought should be allowed to come to the UK, he said: People who do not have HIV, to be frank. Thats a good start. And people with a skill. He also repeated similar comments in the 2015 general election leadership debates Getty 7/12 When he defended the use of a racial slur against Chinese people Defending one of Ukips candidates, who used the word ch**ky to describe a Chinese person, Mr Farage said: If you and your mates were going out for a Chinese, what do you say you're going for?" When he was told by the presented that he honestly would not use the slur, Mr Farage replied: A lot would Lintao Zhang/Getty Images 8/12 When he said parts of Britain were like a foreign land The Ukip leader used his 2014 conference speech to declare parts of Britain as being like a foreign land. He told his audience in Torquay that parts of the country were unrecognisable because of the number of foreigners there. Mr Farage has also previously said he felt uncomfortable when people spoke other language on a train Screengrab 9/12 When he said the British army should be deployed to France At the height of trouble at Britains Calais border Mr Farage proposed a novel solution. The Ukip leader called for the British army to be sent to France to put down a migrant rebellion. In all civil emergencies like this we have an army, we have a bit of a Territorial Army as well and we have a very, very overburdened police force and border agency, he said. If in a crisis to make sure weve actually got the manpower to check lorries coming in, to stop people illegally coming to Britain, if in those circumstances we can use the army or other forces then why not AFP/Getty 10/12 When he said breastfeeding women should sit in the corner Mr Farage sparked protests from mothers after he told women to sit on the corner if they wanted to breastfeed their children. I think that given that some people feel very embarrassed by it, it isnt too difficult to breastfeed a baby in a way that's not openly ostentatious, Mr Farage said. He added: "Or perhaps sit in the corner, or whatever it might be AFP/Getty Images 11/12 When he said the gender pay gap exists because women are worth less At a Q&A on the European Union in January 2014 Mr Farage said there was no discrimination against women causing the gender pay gap. Instead, he said, women were paid less because they were simply worth far less than many of their male counterparts. A woman who has a client base, has a child and takes two or three years off - she is worth far less to her employer when she comes back than when she went away because that client base won't be stuck as rigidly to her portfolio, he said Getty 12/12 When he said he actually couldnt guarantee 350m to the NHS after Brexit During the EU referendum campaign the Leave side pledged to spend 350 million a week on the National Health Service  claiming that this is what the UK sends to Brussels. Nigel Farage didnt speak out against this figure and also pledged to spend EU cash on the health service and other public services himself. Then the day of the election result he suddenly changed his tone, saying he couldnt guarantee the cash for the NHS and that to pledge to do so was a mistake Getty Speaking on Fox News, Mr Farage said: "The idea that this whole country is united, which is what we are hearing from our leaders, I'm not sure is true. "I think the British people want some answers from our leaders as to what they are now going to do, he continued. "I do actually think that the moment has come for us to actually point the blame. What these politicians have done in the space of just 15 years may well affect the way we live in this country over the next 100 years." Mr Farage went on to discuss the possible causes behind the incident with Sean Hannity, a conservative TV personality and well-known supporter of President Trump. The British politician, who has recently become a commentator on the US network, said: "We've made some terrible mistakes in this country, and it really started with the election of Tony Blair back in 1997, who said he wanted to build a multicultural Britain. "His government even said they sent out search parties to find immigrants from all over the world to come into Britain. Do you know what? I don't think we vetted a single one of them. He continued: "The problem with multiculturalism is that it leads to divided communities. It's quite different to multi-racialism. That's fine, that can work very happily and extremely well. But we've finished up with very divided communities. "I'm sorry to say that we have now a fifth column living inside these European countries. Surely an American audience seeing this horrendous thing happening in Westminster should start to say to itself that when Donald Trump tries to put in place vetting measures, he is doing it to protect your country." Mr Farage attacked protesters in Fifth Avenue in New York and in wider America, saying: "Frankly, if you open your door to uncontrolled immigration from Middle Eastern countries, you are inviting in terrorism." Mr Farage was the first foreign politician to meet Mr Trump in person and met him before Theresa May. He has met with the president on a number of occasions since, having both attended a heroes and villains costume party in New York in early December. The Metropolitan Police is deploying extra armed and unarmed patrols across the capital to provide protection and reassurance in the aftermath of the tragedy, which investigators are treating as an Islamist-inspired terror attack.
Security forces move to identify dead suspect in Westminster attack Violence was at one of Britains most important and heavily guarded institutions British Prime Minister Theresa May vows to move forward following a deadly attack in London, saying the country will never give in to terror. Video: Reuters Armed police outside parliament on Wednesday. Scotland Yard said police were called to a firearms incident in the Westminster grounds and on Westminster Bridge. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA As Theresa May convened a meeting of her emergency Cobra group on Wednesday night, the first question Britains security service was asking about the alleged assailant was: do we know him? If he was known to them, security officials would try to establish if he was part of a network and move quickly to either shut it down or put it under close surveillance. If they know who he is and he did something, they failed. But at the same time, if they didnt know who he is, then its even worse because then theyve completely failed, Rafaello Pantucci, director of international security studies at the Royal Institute for Security Studies, told The Irish Times. At least if they had some awareness of the person, if its someone on their radar, then they can say, okay, our process of managing the information has failed rather than our information collection. Britains security service has been on a severe alert level for almost three years, which means that a terrorist attack was highly likely. Although the number of large-scale Islamist-inspired attacks in Europe has diminished in recent months, there were two incidents in France during a single weekend last week. Terrorist incident The Metropolitan Police said on Wednesday that they had an open mind about the motivation for the attack at Westminster, although they were treating it as a terrorist incident. The fact that it happened on the anniversary of last years coordinated bombings in Brussels has heightened suspicions that it may have been inspired by the so-called Islamic State. Most recent attacks in Europe have been on relatively soft targets such as the Bataclan nightclub in Paris, venues which are difficult to protect or even to identify as likely targets. Wednesdays attack in London was not only on one of Britains most important and high-profile institutions, but one of its most heavily guarded. Security at Westminster will almost certainly be reviewed, but Mr Pantucci said that, if the attack was as low-tech as reports suggest, it would have been difficult to prevent. So far, weve heard reference to knives and cars being used, both of which are fairly common household items, he said. So frankly speaking, if thats what they used, then its very difficult to look at it from the equipment perspective and think about how youre going to prevent something like this. Wide cordon Shortly after the attacks, police threw a wide cordon around the Palace of Westminster, closed the Thames from Vauxhall Bridge to Embankment, and suspended rides on the London Eye across the river. The authorities greatest fear was that the Westminster attack could be the first of a number of co-ordinated incidents around London. Terrorist groups like to launch multiple attacks at the same time because it has a far more dramatic effect, Mr Pantucci said. So the immediate concern is to ensure that you have an adequate understanding of what youre looking at and an understanding of what other things might happen. We reserve the right to remove any content at any time from this Community, including without limitation if it violates the Community Standards. We ask that you report content that you in good faith believe violates the above rules by clicking the Flag link next to the offending comment or by filling out this form. New comments are only accepted for 3 days from the date of publication.
His family have thanked those paying tribute to the fallen PC, saying: We have been overwhelmed by the love and support for our family, and most especially, the outpouring of love and respect for our Keith. Facebook Kurt Cochran died while on a tour of Europe with his wife We want to thank everyone who has reached out to us over the past few days for their kindness and generosity. The police have been a constant, unwavering support at this very difficult time. It has made us realise what a caring, strong and supportive family Keith was part of during his career with the police. We cant thank them enough. We would also like to express our gratitude to the people who were with Keith in his last moments and who were working that day. There was nothing more you could have done. You did your best and we are just grateful he was not alone. We care about him being remembered for his selfless bravery and loving nature. We miss him so much, but we are also incredibly proud of Keith. Masood, also known as Adrian Elms, was fatally shot by a police officer after his killing spree. How has DIY SOS helped Kris Aves? In September, it was announced that TV show DIY SOS were to renovate his home in East Barnet. Hundreds responded to a televised appeal to help make fix up his house for an episode which airs 8pm tonight on BBC1. It means Kris can now put his kids  Tom, six, and Aoife, four  to bed for the first time since March last year. He could not go home because his wheelchair could not navigate its large front step, as well as its narrow doorways and rooms. BBC An army of volunteers helped modify Aves home In just nine days after the biggest response ever, volunteers have completely modified his home, even fitting a stair lift. Im not going to pretend we had to find an army, said the shows host Nick Knowles. because the moment people knew what we were doing we had the biggest response ever. He said the amazing volunteers worked tirelessly to allow PC Aves to return home to his family. One volunteer said: We want to give back to the people that protect us. What did Theresa May say and where was the PM when shooting took place? The Prime Minister led tributes to fallen hero Keith Palmer branding him every inch a hero and described him as a wonderful dad and husband. On the evening of the attack, Theresa May said: The terrorist chose to strike at the heart of our capital city. She was bundled into a car 40 yards from the gates outside Parliament where shots were fired minutes after the incident occurred. The PM was ushered out by at least eight armed undercover officers to her a black vehicle in Speakers Court, which then sped out of the Parliamentary estate to an undisclosed location away from Downing Street. EPA Theresa May held a Cobra meeting as more details about the attacker emerged What is Parliament doing to its security following the London terror attack? It emerged on March 26 that security services were aware of gaps in Parliaments security after a simulated attack ended with most MPs being killed. A source quoted by the Sunday Times claimed a table-top exercise revealed four terrorists with automatic weapons could shoot their way into the House of Commons. Questions are now being asked about why there were no armed cops posted to the vulnerable Carriage Gates when Islamist fanatic Masood ran through them brandishing two knives on Wednesday. And when the attacker was eventually shot dead, it was not by officers assigned to guard Parliament  but by plainclothes protection officers assigned to Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon. A security review is now expected to consider either stationing firearms officers permanently at the Carriage Gates or closing them entirely. Reuters Armed police officers stand at the Carriage Gates entrance to the Houses of Parliament, following the attack in Westminster earlier in the week Officials are also set to examine whether to increase the number of electronically locked doors amid claims that, if Masood had not been killed, he could have reached the PM in the Commons via three unlocked doors. On the official Parliament website, a range of security measures have been listed to prevent another atrocity. Airport-style searches are in place are a number of items from knives to flags are banned.
LONDON ATTACK: UK threat level to remain at 'severe' LONDON (AP)  The Latest on a crash outside the House of Parliament in London (all times local): CNN VAN 4:40 p.m. Britain's government has kept its threat level for terrorism at severe after a car slammed into a barrier outside the Houses of Parliament. The decision not to elevate the threat level followed a meeting of the government's emergency committee Tuesday. Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu of the Metropolitan Police has said no other suspects have been identified and police believe there is no further threat to Londoners. Prime Minister Theresa May urged the country to come together and carry on as normal, even as she urged the public to "remain vigilant" British authorities say they have foiled 13 Islamic extremist plots and four far-right plots since March 2017, and currently have 676 live counterterrorism investigations. ___ 2:15 p.m. Police say they are lifting cordons that had sealed off much of London's Westminster government district after a car crashed into Parliament, injuring three people. The Metropolitan Police force says cordons are being lifted apart from a stretch of road around the scene of Tuesday morning's crash. A man in his 20s has been arrested. Police say they are investigating the incident as terrorism but have not determined the driver's motive. Forensics officers in coveralls can be seen collecting evidence from the silver car, which plowed into pedestrians and cyclists before striking a barrier outside Parliament. ___ 1:10 p.m. U.S. President Donald Trump has called a crash outside Britain's Parliament "another terrorist attack in London." Trump tweeted: "These animals are crazy and must be dealt with through toughness and strength!" Three people were hurt when a speeding car struck pedestrians and cyclists before crashing into a barrier at Parliament on Tuesday morning. British police say the crash appears to be deliberate they are treating is as an act of terrorism, but they have yet to determine the driver's motive. Trump has a history of tweeting about violence, or alleged violence, in London. He angered many when he said a London hospital was like a war zone because of knife violence. ___ 12 noon London police say an incident in which a car was driven into a barrier near the Houses of Parliament appears to be a deliberate act. London Assistant Police Commissioner Neil Basu say the motorist who slammed into pedestrians and cyclists near Britain's Houses of Parliament was arrested on suspicion of terrorist offenses. The suspect is not cooperating with police. Basu says no other suspects have been identified and there is no "intelligence" of further danger to London. ___ 11:45 a.m. Britain's government will be holding a session of its emergency committee following what it described as a suspected terrorist incident near the Houses of Parliament. The session of the COBRA committee was called after a motorist slammed into pedestrians and cyclists before hitting a barrier near the House of Lords on Tuesday. Two people were hurt, but authorities said none of the injuries is life-threatening. Prime Minister Theresa May has offered her praise for the emergency services for their "immediate and courageous response," following the incident. ___ 10:30 a.m. London's Metropolitan Police say that they are treating the crash outside of Parliament as a terrorist incident. Authorities said in a statement Tuesday that a man in his 20s was arrested on suspicion of terrorist offenses after the silver Ford Fiesta collided with a number of cyclists and pedestrians before crashing into the barriers during the morning rush hour. He is in custody. No one else was in the car, which is being searched at the scene of the accident. Two people were hurt, but authorities said none of the injuries were life-threatening. ___ 9:35 a.m. London's Metropolitan Police say that the Counter-Terrorism Command is leading the investigation after a car crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament. There were a number of people injured in Tuesday's incident, though none are in life-threatening condition. The police force says it is keeping an open mind about the incident, which comes only a year after Khalid Masood ploughed a car into crowds on Westminster Bridge, killing four people. Masood abandoned his car then stabbed and killed a police officer before being shot in a courtyard outside Parliament. ___ 8:55 a.m. London's Metropolitan Police say no one is in a life-threatening condition following a car crash outside the Houses of Parliament. Armed police have swooped on the area, cordoning off streets around Parliament Square, Millbank and Victoria Tower Gardens. Sky News video showed a man being arrested after the incident on Tuesday. The car slammed into barriers that had been extended following the Westminster Bridge attack in March 2017 when Khalid Masood ploughed a car into crowds on Westminster Bridge, killing four people. ___ 8:15 a.m. London police say that a car has crashed into barriers outside the Houses of Parliament and that there are a number of injured. Police said that the driver of car, a man, was arrested at scene after the incident which took place at 7:37 a.m. Tuesday in London. No other details were immediately available, but Metropolitan Police said on Twitter that they will issue more information when they have it. Online Public Information File Viewers with disabilities can get assistance accessing this station's FCC Public Inspection File by contacting the station with the information listed below. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, 888-835-5322 (TTY), or fccinfo@fcc.gov.
Westminster Bridge car attack: A history of the vehicle as a weapon of terror A car has been used to mow down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, London, in what the Metropolitan Police said is a terrorist attack. The motive of the alleged perpetrator is presently unknown, but many people were left injured in the incident in one of the busiest areas of the city. At least four people have died, including one police officer and the attacker, and at least 20 were injured. It is often a tool of Palestinian militants because vehicles can quickly cause mass injuries and are difficult for security services to stop. Isis has instructed its supporters across the world to carry out terror attacks with vehicles. Here are some of the most high-profile terror attacks with vehicles in recent years. A hijacked truck driven by 24-year-old Anis Amri ploughed into a Christmas market in central Berlin killing 12 people, including the Polish driver from who the vehicle was stolen, and injuring 56. Amri, a failed Tunisian asylum seeker, had pledged allegiance to Isis before carrying out the attack. He went on the run for several days before being discovered in Milan, Italy, where he was shot dead during a confrontation with police. Nice, France  14 July 2016 On the evening of 14 July 2016, a 19-tonne truck was deliberately driven through crowds celebrating Bastille Day on a promenade in Nice in southern France. The driver, Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, a Tunisian resident of France, zig-zagged his way through the crowds, resulting in the deaths of 86 people, including children. He injured more than 400. The attack ended after an exchange of gunfire, during which Lahouaiej-Bouhlel was shot and killed by police. Islamic State later claimed responsibility for the attack. Fourteen people were injured when Palestinian 21-year-old Abdul Mohsen Hassouna ploughed his car into a group of people at a bus stop in Jerusalem. The assailant was shot dead by a civilian, a member of Israel's security forces and a private security guard, according to a police spokesperson. Nantes, France  22 December 2014 In Nantes, one person died and 10 people were injured when 37-year-old Sbastien Sarron drove his van into a Christmas market shouting "Allah akbar". Police said he was a mentally ill alcoholic. Sarron hanged himself in prison in April 2016. Dijon, France  21 December 2014 Over the course of 30 minutes, the driver of a van travelled to five different areas of Dijon, injuring 13 people as he yelled "Allah akbar". The AFP reported he had also been heard shouting that he was "acting for the children of Palestine". French prosecutors said the 40-year-old man was mentally unstable and had "serious and long-established psychiatric issues". Jerusalem  22 October 2014 In October 2014, a 21-year-old Palestinian man called Abdel-Rahman Shaloudi drove his car into a crowd of people at a light rail stop in Jerusalem, killing a three-month-old girl and a 22-year-old tourist from Ecuador. Seven other people were injured and Shaloudi was shot and killed by police. The child killed in the attack was later named as Chaya Zissel Braun, a US citizen. Shaloudi's family told journalists the incident was an accident, but Israeli officials stated Shaloudi was a nephew of Mohiyedine Sharif, a known bombmaker for Hamas. Berlin Christmas market Quebec, Canada  20 October 2014 Two members of the Canadian Armed Forced were killed when Martin Couture-Rouleau deliberately drove his car into them in a shopping centre car park in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec. The 25-year-old had reportedly been watching the two victims for several hours before the attack. He was eventually shot and killed by police. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police later stated officials had been monitoring Couture-Rouleau closely with concerned "he had become radicalised." A report by the Toronto Sun reported Couture-Rouleau had called 911 before the attack to state his acts were carried out in the name of Allah. London, UK  22 May 2013 British soldier Lee Rigby was attacked and killed by Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale near the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich, southeast London. The attackers ran Rigby over with a car before killing him with knives. The Islamic extremists were sentenced to life imprisonment in February 2014. Apeldoorn, Netherlands  30 April 2009 Eight people were killed in Apeldoorn, a small town south-east of Amsterdam, when 38-year-old Karst Roeland Tates drove his car into spectators attending a royal parade in 2009. Eleven people were injured in the attack. The Dutchman steered the car at high speed through police barriers, missing the royal family, before crashing the vehicle into a monument. Tates later died of head injuries sustained in the attack. The motive is still unclear.
Interested in London Attack? Police officers, young Muslims and other Londoners with flowers in their hands walked across Westminster Bridge, where the attack took place exactly one week ago. More than 500 young people from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in London were part of the ceremony, according to one of the organizers. When the attack happened we knew that a lot of people would have questions about whether this is actually what Islam teaches, Farhad Ahmad, an imam with the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, told ABC News. Carl Court/Getty Images People hold a banner reading "Love for all, hatred for none" on Westminster Bridge as they attend a vigil to remember the victims of last week's Westminster terrorist attack, March 29, 2017, in London. Carl Court/Getty Images Children hold banners as they walk over Westminster Bridge during a vigil to remember the victims of last week's Westminster terrorist attack, March 29, 2017, in London. Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images Mounted police officers patrol Westminster Bridge near the Houses of Parliament in London, March 29, 2017, before a vigil to commemorate the terror attack that killed four last week. He and other young Muslims on the bridge were wearing shirts that said Im a Muslim on the front and Ask me anything on the back. In this moment in time its very crucial that the Muslim community comes out and tells people what the true teachings of Islam are as compared to what people think Islam says based on some individuals actions," he said. "The Quran says that if you kill one person its like killing the whole of humanity. If we can get that true message of Islam across to people it will build bridges and bring communities together. On March 22, 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. Four people were killed in the attack, including the officer. Masood was shot and killed by police.
" This is our daily news that we feel is important & we want to tell people about the truth behind the story " (LONDON) Court Report: Westminster terror suspect Khalid Ali had skills to make explosives, court told, he planned an attack in the UK after spending five years making bombs with the Taliban in Afghanistan, the jury heard and is accused of preparing acts of terrorism as case continues on Monday #AceNewsDesk reports #AceNewsReport  June.09: A man arrested with three knives by armed police in Westminster had the skills to create explosives, a court has heard: Khalid Ali, 28, was detained at the Parliament Street junction in April last year, a month after Khalid Masood killed five people in the Westminster Bridge attackAli is currently on trial at the Old Bailey, accused of preparing acts of terrorismHe planned an attack in the UK after spending five years making bombs with the Taliban in Afghanistan, the jury heard #AceNewsDesk reports Body-worn camera footage has shown the moment Khalid Ali was taken down by armed police  By Lucia Binding, news reporter The defendant was sufficient and knowledgeable in the manufacture and use of explosives, a military explosives expert, named only as Soldier A, told the court: After reviewing Alis police interviews, Soldier A  a serving British soldier  made a report. 2:32Khalid Ali on ground as police make knife arrest Giving evidence from behind a screen, he told the court: He definitely knew more than you would expect someone who was non-military or a non-expert. Ali is sufficient and knowledgeable in the manufacture and use of explosives. He concluded: The level of knowledge he displayed strongly suggests that he had a practical knowledge and specific training of the manufacture and use of IEDs. I think it is unlikely that this level of knowledge could have been gleaned from peripheral cursory observation. Ali, of Edmonton, north London, denies two charges of possessing explosives with intent abroad in 2012 and one charge of preparing terrorist acts in Britain. He said he had not intended to kill anybody and that the knives were for his protection. He carried out hostile reconnaissance around Downing Street, New Scotland Yard, the Ministry of Defence, the MI6 building and the Cenotaph on 18 March and 22 April last year, the court was told. Ali denies the terror charges against him The prosecution alleges Ali was planning to attack MPs, police and members of the armed forcesOn Thursday, footage of Alis arrest was played to the court, showing him on the pavement surrounded by armed officers..Ali is seen on the ground as an officer asks him if he has anything on him that would cause harmThe defendant replies: Youll see.The hearing was adjourned to Monday. Cama Vacia Tempo | Format: MP3 Music Sales Rank in Songs: 393 (previously unranked) From the Album: Back To The GameDownload: $0.99 (Visit the Movers & Shakers in Songs list for authoritative information on this product's current rank.) Originally posted on Dear Kitty. Some blog: https://youtu.be/alIQCoW75QM This video from the USA says about itself: Facebook Fact Checkers Include Science Denying Right-Wing Propagandists 14 September 2018 From the United States liberal site Media Matters for America: Facebook is fueling far-right extremism  and profiting off of it September 4, 2018 5:13 [] Originally posted on Trump:The American Years: Although it feels as though every corner of the media has been politicized, there are still a whole lot of people who just want to know whats going on in the world. These are people like myself (when Im off the clock) who are news consumers, who want Originally posted on Trump:The American Years: of course the brownshirts, I mean #antifa can still operate freely on #FaceBook and #Twitter the left protects its ownalways https://t.co/JKOeFkS5iB ? Bethann (@sewwutnow) September 14, 2018 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Originally posted on ukgovernmentwatch: Facebook has banned Brandon Straka, the former Democrat who founded the Walk Away campaign and its viral hashtag #WalkAway, after he linked to Infowars.com  which has been banned from the platform. https://twitter.com/usminority/status/1040010205843648519 https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-09-12/facebook-bans-ex-de [] Originally posted on PUMABydesign001's Blog: Every week, the WoW! community and our invited guests weigh in at the Forum, short takes on a major issue of the day, the culture, or daily living. This weeks question: Whats Your Reaction to Barack Hussein Obamas New Speech? Jeffrey Avalon Friedberg: I didnt read it, or hear Originally posted on Trump:The American Years: Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) sat down with Breitbart News this week to talk about censorship of conservatives on social media.Rep. Jim Jordan sat down with Breitbart News Neil Munro at FAIRs Hold Their Feet to the Fire Annual Radio Row event this week to discuss social medias censorship #AceFinanceReport  Sept.07: The unemployment rate stayed at 3.9%, near historical lows, the Labor Department reported #AceNewsDesk reports Average hourly earnings grew 2.9% compared with a year ago, the strongest rate since 2009. That number is not adjusted for inflation, which has been rising in recent months and eating into workers paychecks. And its lo [] #AceFinanceReport  Sept.06: China is ready to retaliate if U.S. President Donald Trump goes ahead with a tariff hike on Chinese goods and is confident it can maintain steady and healthy economic growth, a government spokesman said Thursday.The Trump administration is poised to impose 25% penalties this week on $200 billion of Chinese goods in [] #AceFinanceReport  Aug.08: Editor says but the markets reacted positively Dow closes up 127 points, S&P 500 and Nasdaq up 0.3% apiece. Tesla soars 11% after Elon Musk says he wants to take the company private. https://cnnmon.ie/2ARtM5G to the news: The Trump administration on Tuesday unveiled a list of roughly $16 billion worth of imports [] Originally posted on theglocaljournal: We absolutely loved this place as the food taste and quality is standard . I love the Mahalaxmi outlet for its beautiful decor and being by the racecourse . 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Nothing can protect you from the storms of life, not enough the biggest umbrella (thanks Rhianna/Jay-Z, Ill never get that song out of my head). [] #AceNewsDesk  Aug.22: Its only diamond in shape, though  asteroid 162173 Ryugu is thought to be composed of mostly nickel and iron.: Asteroids like Ryugu are interesting for several reasons, perhaps foremost because they are near the Earth and might, one day in the far future, pose an impact threat. In the nearer term, [] From: Our Jungle Road to Tokyo Generals Eichelberger & MacArthur I remembers a story Bob Shoe told on himself. During the hottest of the fighting on Negros, he was making a trip to the front to look over the situation. His jeep passed through a weary column of the 503rd Parachute Regiment which had been [] [continued from the previous post where the Generals were on the island of Labaun after the Australian troops had landed to take it back from the Japanese.] From: General Kenney Reports The Borneo Campaign Map We got to the USS Boise and the next morning we all went over to the beach near Brooketon. Gen. 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Westminster terror attack: Man arrested in Birmingham A man has been arrested in Birmingham by police investigating the Westminster terror attack, The 30-year-old was being held on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts. A man has been arrested in Birmingham by police investigating the Westminster terror attack, in which four people were killed. The Met Police said the 30-year-old was being held on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts. Another man, 58, arrested in Birmingham on Thursday, remains in custody. Khalid Masood, 52, killed three people when he drove a car into pedestrians on Wednesday. He then fatally stabbed a policeman before police shot him dead. The entire attack on Westminster Bridge and in the grounds of Parliament was over within 82 seconds. The latest arrest is the 12th to be made by the Met Police in connection with the attack. Nine people have so far been released without charge. A 32-year-old woman arrested in Manchester remains on police bail until late March. On Saturday police said they believed Masood acted alone but they were also determined to find out whether he had been inspired by terrorist propaganda. However, Scotland Yard said it was possible they would never understand why he did this. Revelations that Masoods phone may have connected with messaging app WhatsApp two minutes before he struck have prompted a debate about the responsibilities of messaging services. Home Secretary Amber Rudd said encrypted messages must be accessible to intelligence services fighting terror, stressing there must be no place for terrorists to hide. She is meeting technology firms this week. A WhatsApp spokeswoman said the company was horrified at the attack and was co-operating with the investigation. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said authorities already had huge powers, and a balance was needed between the right to know and the right to privacy. All messages sent on WhatsApp have end-to-end encryption, meaning messages are unreadable if they are intercepted by anyone, including the authorities and WhatsApp itself. So while Masoods phone is believed to have connected with the app, police may not know what, if anything, was communicated. Those who died in the attack were: 48-year-old PC Keith Palmer; Aysha Frade, who worked at a college near Westminster Bridge; Kurt Cochran, who was on a trip from the US to celebrate 25 years of marriage; and 75-year-old retired window cleaner Leslie Rhodes. In a tribute to them at Wembley Stadium on Sunday evening, four wreaths were laid on the pitch by Metropolitan Police Acting Commissioner Craig Mackey, London Mayor Sadiq Khan, FA chairman Greg Clarke and Culture Secretary Karen Bradley. Fans and players at Englands World Cup qualifier against Lithuania also observed a minutes silence before kick-off. Facebook is taking fresh action to prevent so-called revenge porn from being spread across its platforms. The social network is making it impossible to repost or share intimate images of people thought to have been []
Advertisement ITV Report 22 March 2017 at 5:29pm Westminster terror attack: What we know so far A police officer and a pedestrian have been killed after a knifeman brought terror to the heart of Westminster. The attacker, armed with two large knives, mowed down pedestrians with his car on Westminster Bridge, including schoolchildren, then rushed at the gates in front of the Houses of Parliament, stabbing a policeman before he was shot by armed officers. Eyewitnesses described scenes of terror when gunfire rang out as the attacker approached a second officer within yards of the Houses of Parliament. Emergency services at the scene while two knives lay on the floor Credit: PA Paramedics fought to save his life and that of his police victim on the floor of the cobbled courtyard in front of Parliament, with Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood among those who rushed to help. The police officer was wheeled away on a stretcher with his face covered and sources later confirmed he had died. One woman hit by the attacker's car before he reached Parliament was confirmed dead by a doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Others on the bridge suffered 'catastrophic injuries' Another woman who apparently fell into the Thames was rescued and given urgent medical treatment on a nearby pier London Ambulance Service said paramedics had treated at least 10 patients on Westminster Bridge A party of French schoolchildren were among those targeted on the bridge, with three injured Downing Street said Prime Minister Theresa May, who was ushered away from Parliament after the attack, was chairing a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee Commander BJ Harrington of the Metropolitan Police said there were "a number of casualties" in the attack "including police officers". He urged Londoners to be vigilant, said more officers would be on patrol and that anti-terrorism measures were being reviewed The knifeman drove a grey Hyundai i40 across Westminster Bridge before crashing it into railings then running through the gates of the Palace of Westminster. His attack left a trail of destruction as paramedics tended to victims on the bridge and at the gate. Mrs May was seen being ushered into a silver Jaguar in the grounds of the palace as what sounded like gunfire rang out at around 2.45pm. We were just walking up to the station and there was a loud bang and a guy, someone, crashed a car and took some pedestrians out. They were just laying there and then the whole crowd just surged around the corner by the gates just opposite Big Ben. A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman. I have never seen anything like that. I just can't believe what I just saw.
A Met Police officer lays a bouquet at the scene as the force remembered PC Palmer An officer comforts a tearful collague as tributes were paid to the victims of the attack One police officer wiped away a tear as Westminster fell silent today (left) and another paid a personal tribute to the victims (right) Speaker John Bercow asked members in the House of Commons chamber to pause 'in respectful memory' of those who died on March 22 last year. With heads bowed, MPs from different parties stood side-by-side along the green benches to pay their respects ahead of digital, culture, media and sport questions. Five people died, including Pc Keith Palmer, and dozens more were injured when 52-year-old Khalid Masood launched a car and knife attack on Westminster Bridge and the Palace of Westminster before he was shot dead. Tearful members of the public watch on and one grief-stricken man covers his face with his hands The Prime Minister, who was whisked out of Parliament on the day of the attack, pictured today Victims of the Westminster terror attack have been remembered at a special vigil. The ceremony in Westminster Hall was held to mark the first anniversary of the attack and was attended by politicians, senior police officers and people involved in the incident. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, told the gathering in Westminster Hall: 'A year ago, darkness struck across Westminster Bridge and in this palace. It spread across the bridge like a snake, driving to left and right, killing and harming' Khalid Masood (right) launched his sickening attack on March 22, 2017, mowing down and killing four pedestrians before stabbing unarmed Pc Palmer (left) as he stood guard Culture Secretary Matt Hancock said: 'I'm sure the whole House will want to associate ourselves to mark the memory of those who passed away a year ago, as we have just noted in the one minute's silence, and to thank once more the emergency services who keep us safe and, especially on this day, those who put others' safety ahead of their own. 'We remember those who have lost their lives defending democracy. They will not be forgotten.' Labour's Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield) said: 'While thinking of the victims of the terrorist outrage last year, I think all of us on the benches hope that the families of those people who were tragically killed have been looked after.' RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Share Sports minister Tracey Crouch, in her reply, said: 'Pc Keith Palmer was an avid Charlton Athletic fan and it was only right that the club actually respected him by turning his usual red seat in The Valley white with his number written on it, so his memory will always live on at the football club.' MP Tobias Ellwood broke down on television today as he recalled the moment he comforted his young son after he had tried in vain to save the life of Pc Palmer in the Palace of Westminster. Mr Ellwood was in Parliament when terrorist Khalid Masood launched his sickening attack, mowing down and killing four pedestrians before stabbing unarmed Pc Palmer as he stood guard. In an emotionally-charged interview one year on, the politician fought back tears as he recounted the conversation he had with his son in the wake of the atrocity. Defence minister Tobias Ellwood pictured at the scene as he desperately tried to save PC Palmer MPs observed a minute's silence in memory of those killed in the 2017 Westminster terror attack in the House of Commons this morning MEMORIALS TO HONOUR OFFICERS AND TERROR VICTIMS Pc Palmer's name will be one of 1,400 inscribed on a new UK Police Memorial commemorating officers killed on duty. Another 4,000 of those who died on duty will be remembered inside the memorial in Staffordshire. Plans have also been revealed for a memorial for victims and survivors of the four terrorist atrocities that took place in the city last year - at Westminster Bridge, London Bridge, Finsbury Park and Parsons Green. Well-wishers will be able to leave messages in a digital book of hope at City Hall from today. Members of the public will be able to send messages to the installation - which will remain open until June - using #LondonUnited on social media, and their words will be projected on to a map of the capital. The phrase #LondonUnited will be projected on to the Houses of Parliament, London Bridge, Finsbury Park Mosque and Parsons Green Tube station on the anniversaries of the attacks. Five innocent people were killed in Masood's rampage - 48-year-old Pc Palmer, US tourist Kurt Cochran, Romanian tourist Andreea Cristea, 31, and Britons Aysha Frade, 44, and 75-year-old Leslie Rhodes, who were mown down on the bridge. Mr Ellwood told the BBC: 'The other reflection and vivid image I have is returning home after what had happened and finding my son on the top of the stairs. 'He was in tears and he was just on his own. I sat next to him and he just asked 'why'? 'He couldn't understand why I had stepped forward, why someone had been killed, why someone was yielding a knife in a place that he had visited so many times. 'And all I could offer him was that there are some bad people in the world but there are good people and it is the good people who win.' Pc Palmer's friend has also paid tribute, saying he was 'a proud and courageous police officer who did his job and never wanted any fuss.' In a statement released through Scotland Yard, Pc Shaun Cartwright said: 'Keith loved being a police officer, he just wanted to help people and do his best. 'Keith was always happy, always the first to help anyone out, first in to work and the last one out. 'He was a proud and courageous police officer who did his job and never wanted any fuss or to be the centre of attention. Keith was a true and loyal friend, utterly reliable. 'Most of all I will remember him as a family man who idolised his wife, daughter and his family; they're the important ones that I think about a year on from the Westminster attack.' Mr Ellwood, a former Army officer whose brother Jonathan was killed in the 2002 Bali terror atrocity, has paid tribute to the police for their work in a country 'that seems to be getting more dangerous and more volatile'. The Defence Minister said the threats faced by the UK were not going away and involved not just terrorism but 'resurgent nations challenging the world order'. He also recounted the moment of the attack on ITV's Lorraine. This harrowing picture of Mr Ellwood as he and members of the emergency services desperately tried to save Pc Palmer's life became one of the defining images of the attack Pc Palmer (pictured posing for a photo at the Palace of Westminster), was 'a proud and courageous police officer who did his job and never wanted any fuss', his friend has said MET POLICE PAY TRIBUTE TO VICTIMS It read: '22nd March 2017 is a day that remains vivid in many of our minds. Our thoughts are also with all those who died that day or whose lives were turned upside down.' 'Aysha Frade; Keith Palmer; Kurt Cochran; Leslie Rhodes and Andreea Cristea. All of whom remain much loved and missed by their families and loved ones. Today it is only natural for many of us to stop and pause and remember in our own way. 'The horror of that day was marked by acts of astonishing compassion and bravery as those who responded rushed to help the injured; to comfort those in distress and to bring calm to chaos.' 'I know that today we will remember, those taken from us, those who were injured and all those that day has had a lasting impact on. We owe it to them to carry on with courage, professionalism and determination; to do our very best to prevent future attacks and keep people safe.' Mr Ellwood told the host today: 'Huge respect to all police officers, because they don't know how their day is going to unfold and they just go to work and get on with it. 'I saw PC Keith Palmer lying there and could see he had lost a lot of blood and that's when I stepped forward to try and help. 'I just recall how professional the police were in moving into a situation where they were taking control and command of everything up to the silence of what is usually a busy place, until there was no-one around except for police. 'Our thoughts and prayers are with PC Palmer's friends and family. He did what he loved doing. He applied to stay on and do this work and loved every minute of it. 'We know these police officers well. They are part of the fabric of the community, so it is one of ours - it felt. 'But there was this feeling that we will not be cowed by this. We will not let this affect us. Life goes on. The next day, Parliament did sit - we weren't going to stop. 'Likewise, these terrorist activities try to rip us apart but they do they do the opposite. It makes us more determined that we are going to stand up to this.' He added: 'When we go back to when I first became aware of terrorism was the loss of my brother in 2002 (in the Bali bombings). 'Fifteen years ago and today these attacks are still taking place. We are going through a very dangerous and volatile period. 'We are at a pivotal moment and ask 'do we just look after ourselves?' Or do we see where things are going wrong. Al Shabab or Boko Haram or Al Qaeda - all these flourish where there isn't any governance. 'Not only that, the religion of Islam itself is being used - a peaceful religion - these terrorists have scant understanding of it and think they are going to paradise for what they do and that's the work that we need to embark on. 'There is a determination that we will not be defeated. And we walk by that location every day - it's right by the main entrance so all MPs are very conscious. Let's not forget Jo Cox was killed by an extremist too and her plaque is inside the chamber itself which we all look at. 'We live in a very dangerous world and it's up to us to work out the strategy we're going to hold in order to stand up to our values which we've spent decades, millennia, developing. 'That's what we need to remember. We will not be defeated by these terrorist. We will move forward and be positive - and that's the message that I told my son.' Mayor of London Sadiq Khan remembered the victims of the attack at City Hall today This horrifying picture captured the moment Masood crashed his car on Westminster Bridge One year from the attack, floral tributes and notes expressing messages of solidarity against terrorism, have been left on the bridge
This Is Whats Really Going On With Islamist Extremism In Prisons One month on from the Westminster terror attack, questions remain about the role prison may have played in the radicalisation of the attacker, Khalid Masood. BuzzFeed News examines how big the problem of extremism in jails really is. It's only in the last few days that concrete clues have emerged about the lone attacker who managed to kill five people, including an on-duty police officer, in the Westminster attack on 22 March. The Independent reported on Friday that Khalid Masood's final WhatsApp message said he had declared war on the West in retaliation to military action in Muslim countries in the Middle East. Masood is thought to have converted to Islam while serving a prison sentence. And various media reports claimed that he had not just converted while in prison, but had been radicalised there too. If he did convert behind bars, Masood would have joined the growing Muslim population in British jails  14.4% of prisoners follow Islam, more than three times the proportion in the country at large. Experts have told BuzzFeed News that a grievance narrative in prison may have enabled Masood's feelings of alienation to flourish, after a review found evidence of aggressive encouragement of conversions to Islam and fears over addressing extremism that have effectively paralysed the prison service. As the number of terrorist convictions has increased in the last decade, so has the concern that other inmates could too be lured into extremism. In 2014, Michael Adebolajo, one of two men convicted for the brutal murder of fusilier Lee Rigby a year earlier, was reportedly moved to a different prison over fears he was radicalising other prisoners. But what role did prison really play in influencing Masoods actions? And why are so many prisoners converting to Islam? A Muslim prisoner prays on his mat inside his cell at Wandsworth prison, southwest London. Masood, originally from Kent, served in three different prisons: Lewes in East Sussex, Waylands in Norfolk, and HM Ford, an open prison in West Sussex. He is believed to have converted to Islam in prison after being sentenced to two years in jail for slashing a man's face with a knife after a row in a pub in 2000. He had a long history of violent crime, all unrelated to religious extremism. Ian Acheson, a former prison governor who led a review into Islamist extremism in prisons commissioned by the then-justice secretary, Michael Gove, is cautious about linking the Masood case to prison-based extremism. I was very, very circumspect about any causality between his being in prison and his being radicalised. It sounds like there was very little in way of a direct relationship between the two, he told BuzzFeed News. A childhood friend, Mark Ashdown, told The Sun that Masood converted while inside: When he first came out he told me hed become a Muslim in prison and I thought he was joking. Then I saw he was quieter and much more serious. But the prison radicalisation theory has its limits. One news report said Masood was radicalised while living in Birmingham during the last 12 months, which would help to explain why in the wake of his attack a police investigation in the city centred on Birmingham and led to the arrest of seven suspects there. Its believed Masood previously known as Adrian Elms  changed his name because of his 2004 marriage to a Muslim woman, Farzana Malik, in Medway, Kent. The routes in and out of violent extremism are extremely complex, said Acheson. There are few common denominators for Islamist terrorist offenders. Much more research is needed to understand how extremism takes root  the answers almost certainly lie in formative experiences within the family and community. However, Achesons report highlighted how a growing Muslim population in prison had led to feelings of persecution that, for some, chimed with radicalisers message of victimisation. While the total prison population grew by 20% between 2002 and 2015, the number of Muslim prisoners rose by 122%. If youre talking about the psychological ingredients necessary, a grievance narrative seems to be one of the things thats very prominent, said Acheson. That often gets magnified in prison if you think youre unjustly there, and particularly if you are a violent and impulsive person, which he seemed to be, his prison experiences almost certainly wont have helped. Whatever the truth of Masoods supposed prison radicalisation, the Ministry of Justice considered Achesons findings so serious that it is about to introduce separate wings for dangerous extremists to isolate them from the wider prison population, following one of his proposals. The first of these units, which will hold other types of extremists as well as Islamists, will house 28 of the most subversive offenders and opens at HMP Frankland in County Durham in the coming weeks. Prisons minister Sam Gyimah said in a statement last week: Any form of extremism must be defeated wherever it is found, and it is right that we separate those who pose the greatest risk in order to limit their influence over other prisoners. These centres are a crucial part of our wider strategy to help tackle extremism in prisons and ensure the safety and security of both our prisons and the wider public. The review found evidence of a growing problem, exacerbated by charismatic self-styled emirs having a controlling and radicalising influence on the wider Muslim population. It also found signs of aggressive encouragement of conversions to Islam. Acheson welcomed the partial implementation of the reports recommendations, but warned that the cultural elements of his proposals, such as better training for staff and tackling the availability of extremist materials, were equally important. The idea is you separate the hate preacher from his audience, because we believe each relies on the other psychologically for reinforcement and support, he told BuzzFeed News. By doing so you then create a new opportunity for restoring the balance of power in prisons, so in other words with these controlling minds  those most subversive people that are actively proselytising Islamism  taken out of the equation, you then have a vacuum that the prison service can fill by creating conditions of order, security, stability, legitimacy, and purposefulness to tackle all the problems that are plaguing the service at the minute. These ills arent caused by Islamist extremism but they are certainly added to by it. And being able then to reinstate a rehabilitation culture in the main prison, countering an ideology that is profoundly anti-British in its values and oppositional to any sort of state control  thats the challenge. Acheson explained that the prison service has struggled to offer a strong counter-narrative to the Islamist message, with staff unsure whether they should tackle hate speech and lacking the training to do so. Staff told us they were unsure of their ground in confronting hateful behaviour and extreme views on the landings  they often didnt feel supported either by senior management. In some cases it appeared to us that the most vile extremist views espoused by prisoners had become almost normalised  just what prison is like nowadays. Underlying all of that was an absolute fear that intervention exposed officers to accusations of racism, which made staff back away. I have no doubt that this uncertainty has been exploited by extremist prisoners to increase their sphere of influence. This fear, more than anything else, has effectively paralysed the prison service. It was so prevalent at so many levels in the system, I coined a phrase for it: institutional timidity. Home Office data suggests that there is a higher proportion of Muslims in high-security jails than in regular ones. HMP Whitemoor in Cambridgeshire made headlines in 2015 after its independent monitoring board reported that about half the prisoners on its main wings were Muslim, a development that was profoundly affecting the social nature of the jail and disrupting established hierarchies. Against this background we note that some prisoners and staff found the Muslim presence overwhelming, the observers said. / PA Wire/PA Images The front pages of national newspapers the day after the terrorist attack on the Palace of Westminster Despite tabloid newspaper reports that high-profile prisoners such as Levi Bellfield and Peter Sutcliffe have converted to Islam, it is not known exactly how many converts there are. But Kim Lennon, who served from 2004 to 2015 as a prison officer at HMP Lewes  one of the jails where Masood served part of his sentence  said that a growing number of converts had become a common feature of prison life. Yes, you could see it happening in Lewes. There are some people who get interested in it because they are looking for something they haven't got, they want to fit in, she said. You get some people who are actually interested in it and actually want to be a Muslim, while some people do it because they are bullied into it or they are protected by it. And you get some who are weak, vulnerable, and easily manipulated. We used to do the prayers on a Friday afternoon and you could see that the amount of prisoners was accumulating over time  some of the English guys, you could [see] they started to want it to be their thing and they took over a bit. Lennon said that interest in Islam among prisoners appeared to rise over time, partly in response to the growth of al-Qaeda and ISIS. The prison also had a big influx of prisoners from London due to the 2011 riots, which sharply increased the Muslim population. Lennon, a whistleblower who lost her job for speaking out about levels of violence and overcrowding, added that it was often converts from non-Muslim backgrounds that proved problematic. I would say it was the English guys who converted that caused the problems. They thought they knew everything about it and some of them thought it was about being aggressive  they got the wrong end of the stick, she said. I felt that some of them were choosing it because it got mentioned so much in the media, usually some violent aspect of it, and they're taking that on board more than the actual true meaning of Islam. Some of them would act aggressively in their interpretation. The young man, who is African-Caribbean and was first jailed aged 16, left prison without knowing how to practise his faith or how to engage with the local Muslim community, before travelling the Middle East and then returning to the UK, where he was again arrested and imprisoned. Only a few prisoners converted due to pressure from others, he said, and too many Muslim prisoners were mistakenly accused of being extremists. Now reformed and acting as a social worker for prisoners, he said Islam taught me to be a citizen. But he asked what was being done to help Muslim prisoners reform after being released: Without support, what are they going to do? Go back to the lives they know, but with a veneer of Islam. And wheres the faith in that? Usman Raja, founder of The Unity Initiative, which has provided rehabilitation services to extremist prisoners and ex-offenders since 2009, said that while extremism is a problem in prisons, he has only ever dealt with, at most, two prisoners who converted to a radicalised version of Islam while serving a sentence. Traditionally, Islam was seen as something positive in prisons  in many ways Muslims used to be the good guys. But now you have a new form of Islam. Its still only represented by a minority; its not the default type of Islam. The default is still something safe, he said. As for the reasons prisoners are attracted to Islam, Raja stressed that its hard to imagine how bad prison life is, how much prisoners need something to cling to. Everyone imagines what prison is like but its only when you go in there you get to see how horrific the environment is. Its concrete walls and barbed wire fences and youre in there with guys who are validating themselves physically. Its like a jungle in there. Islam in prison offers collective support; to an outsider it can seem very disciplined  theyre not drinking, theyre not smoking, theyre not taking drugs. Within the prison system its like a monastic brotherhood. And there is a deep sense of love and brotherhood and genuine sincerity. On top of which is the other side of things, which is that if you mess with these guys youre not going to come off very well. When you see all that, the genuine community they have, and I cant emphasise how hostile prison is, as much as you want to put on a facade and pretend youre not a little child who is somewhere they dont wanna be, thats what you are. Anthony Devlin / PA Wire/PA Images Maqsood Ahmed, director of community development at the Muslim Hands charity, often visits prisons as part of its prisoner rehabilitation and resettlement programme. He said there is little evidence to show that those who convert to Islam in prison retain their faith after being released. He visited Whitemoor prison a year after the Daily Mail reported that half of prisoners on its main wings were Muslim. There were sizeable white and African-Caribbean Muslim [communities] compared to those who had been born Muslim, he said. But there is absolutely no research on what attracts them to Islam and whether they are still Muslims when they come out of incarceration. Anecdotally in the community, there are people who come into the mosque and hand over a Quran and say, My son was in prison and had this book, but hes gone back to his normal life and he doesnt want it. And once or twice weve picked them up from the dustbin as well. Previously, Ahmed was a government adviser who led a project to professionalise the chaplaincy service within prisons. From 1999 to 2003 he visited 100 prisons and found that some prison imams couldnt speak a word of English and were ignorant of what life was like for the Muslim prison community. Around six or seven of them were sacked for not having the proper security clearance or providing an address. Now, he said, there are between 150 and 200 chaplains providing religious services across several faiths who are trained to recognise and act on signs of extremism. To combat people being coerced into converting, there is a cooling off period during which chaplains determine whether the decision to convert genuinely is the prisoners own. As for Masood, Ahmed believes his conversion may have had more to do with his marriage than prison culture, and cautions against seeing him as more than a criminal. Did he convert in prison? No one has given us that kind of information, Ahmed said. There are a lot of conversions from outside the community because a young man has met someone from another religion. That man was an outright criminal. Somewhere along the line, he met a Muslim woman, he married her and chose the name Khalid Masood. The issue for me is that he is not a terrorist, he is a criminal  he needs to be dealt with without the label of Khalid Masood. Patrick Smith is a senior reporter for BuzzFeed News and is based in London.
UK : Woman dies in Westminster attack Reviewed by Momizat on Mar 23. A woman has died and a police officer has been stabbed in the Houses of Parliament in London, in what police are treating as a terrorist incident. The attacker,A woman has died and a police officer has been stabbed in the Houses of Parliament in London, in what police are treating as a terrorist incident. The attacker, Rating: 0 UK : Woman dies in Westminster attack A woman has died and a police officer has been stabbed in the Houses of Parliament in London, in what police are treating as a terrorist incident. The attacker, who was shot by police officers, is reported to have earlier mowed down several pedestrians as he drove a car across Westminster Bridge. He crashed it into railings before running into the Palace of Westminster and stabbing the officer. A Downing Street source said Prime Minister Theresa May was safe. Prime Minister Theresa May was seen being ushered into a silver Jaguar car as what sounded like gunfire rang out at Parliament during the incident. MPs said they had heard three or four gunshots and staff inside Parliament were told to stay inside their offices. Commons Leader David Lidington told MPs the alleged assailant was shot by armed police. Tom Peck, political editor for the Independent, tweeted: There was a loud bang. Screams. Commotion. Then the sound of gunshots. Armed police everywhere. I heard shouts and screams from outside and looked out, and there was a group of maybe 40 or 50 people running round the corner from Bridge Street into Parliament Square. They appeared to be running away from something. As the group arrived at the Carriage Gates, where policemen are posted at the security entrance, a man suddenly ran out of the crowd and into the yard. He seemed to be holding up a long kitchen knife. I heard what sounded like shots  I think about three of them  and then the next thing I knew there were two people lying on the ground and others running to help them. Armed police were quickly on the scene and I heard them shouting to people to get out of the yard. Mowed down An eye witness, Radoslaw Sikorski, a senior fellow at Harvards Centre for European Studies, posted a video to Twitter showing people lying injured in the road on Westminster Bridge. He wrote: A car on Westminster Bridge has just mowed down at least 5 people. Scotland Yard said it was called to a firearms incident on Westminster Bridge amid reports of several people injured. Transport for London said Westminster underground station has been shut at the polices request, and buses diverted. Mr Lidington said: It seems that a police officer has been stabbed, that the alleged assailant was shot by armed police. An air ambulance is currently attending the scene to remove the casualties. There are also reports of further violent incidents in the vicinity of the Palace of Westminster but I hope colleagues on all sides will appreciate that itd be wrong of me to go into further details until we have confirmation from the police and from the House security authorities about what is going on.
Emergency services are called at 2.40pm to an incident in the area of Parliament Square. It emerges that an attacker, armed with two large knives, mowed down pedestrians with his car on Westminster Bridge, including schoolchildren, then rushed at the gates in front of the Houses of Parliament, stabbing a policeman before being shot dead by other officers. MPs in the House of Commons are told the chamber will "remain in lockdown" until further notice and business is suspended. At around 3.30pm Scotland Yard says the attack is being treated "as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise". The first death is confirmed after 4pm when a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital says one woman has died and a number of others have been hurt - including some with "catastrophic" injuries. Before 4.50pm, Commander BJ Harrington, of the Metropolitan Police, says there are "a number of casualties" in the attack "including police officers". Before 5.40pm, sources say the police officer who was stabbed has died. At about 6pm, Scotland Yard's top anti-terror officer, Mark Rowley, confirms four people were killed, including the policeman and his attacker. Before 6.45pm, Prime Minister Theresa May orders flags to be lowered to half-mast over Downing Street as a mark of respect to the innocent people who lost their lives. Downing Street says Mrs May will shortly chair a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee. Speaking after the meeting, Mrs May gives a statement, branding the attack "sick and depraved". Before 10pm it is announced that the Queen's visit to the new headquarters of the Metropolitan Police in London has been postponed. Before 10.30pm the dead police officer is named as 48-year-old husband and father Pc Keith Palmer. Thursday March 23 Before 7.45am Mr Rowley says six addresses have been raided and seven people arrested across London, Birmingham and elsewhere in connection with the attack. He confirms that the death toll stands at four and 29 people were treated in hospital. Shortly after 8am Defence Secretary Michael Fallon says the working assumption is that the Westminster attack is linked to Islamic terrorism. Around an hour later, Aysha Frade, one of the victims of the Westminster terror attack, is described as a "a highly regarded and loved" member of staff at DLD College London.
Express.co.uk relies on cookies to collect and process data. We may use this data to make assumptions on what content or advertising may interest you. By clicking "Continue and Accept All", you agree to allow cookies to be placed. You can decline these settings . To get more information about these cookies and the processing of your personal data, check our Privacy Policy & Cookie Policy. LONDON Mayor Sadiq Khan blamed police cuts for the difficulty in battling terrorism following the Parliament attack after he was called deluded for not taking terrorism seriously enough. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan claimed cuts to police funding has led to a loss of confidence within local communities, threatening the fight against terrorism. Mr Khan responded to yesterday's attempted terror attack on Westminster Palace suggesting Police cuts were reducing the confidence of the public to report suspicious activities. Speaking to the BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Khan said: "Members of the public do respond not simply to the appeals but also to the confidence they have with the local bobby on the beat to provide intelligence. "One of the reasons why Ive been so passionate about arguing for the police to have their cuts reversed is because I know members of the public having confidence with their local police gives them the confidence to report things they find suspicious." Related articles "Thats why cutting the bobby on the beat, cutting community services, cutting police staff actually makes it more difficult for the Police to fight terrorism as well." Mr Khan, however, maintained London remains "one of the safest cities in the world" and locals should remain "calm." He continued: "I think we are one of the safest global cities in the world. I think people should be reassured by the Police response yesterday. "Members of the public will see an increase to police presence in central London. We must all be calm but vigilant and never complacent." After the attack on Parliament yesterday people voiced their frustrations on Twitter. One said: London needs someone world class as mayor. This guy is out of his depth. Another said: Someone like Trump takes terrorism seriously and knows things need to be done about it. Biggest problem in London is Sadiq Khan (not because he is Muslim) but the man is deluded. They need to get rid of the bloke because he is not doing anything about it. A 29-year-old UK national was arrested by armed officers on suspicion of terror offences after a car mowed down pedestrians and cyclists before crashing into security barriers, installed to prevent terror attacks. Scotland Yard counter-terrorism head Neil Basu said it is now their priority to establish the driver's motive but he is "not cooperating". He 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." Mr Basu said there is "no intelligence at this time of further danger" to Londoners after the car attack. But on the basis of the information known so far, "we don't believe this person is known to either MI5 or counter-terrorism police," he added.
FOUR PEOPLE DEAD, Many Injured in LONDON TERRORIST ATTACKS on Britains Parliament & the Westminster Bridge London was terrorized on Wednesday afternoon by a terrorist. The two-part attack on Britains Parliament and the Westminister Bridge left four people dead, including a cop and his murderer, more than a dozen injured and an entire city in chaos. At about 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, the horror of it all came out of nowhere, witnesses say. It started at the Westminister Bridge, when a car sped into pedestrians who were on the bridge. Then, outside Parliament, came a violent confrontation Authorities are almost positive the same man is responsible for horrible carnage that took place in London. Some of the injuries, according to eyewitnesses, are catastrophic. The car that sped through the crowd on the bridge was going about 50 mph. Frances foreign ministry says that three teenagers from France were injured in the terrorist attack. They were on a school field trip to London. It was horrendous, an eyewitness told CNN, describing a scene of a dozen bodies scattered along the bridge. Absolutely horrendous. The cars driver, carrying a pair of knives, then abandoned the vehicle and ran toward the Parliament. The building was immediately put on lockdown after the knife-wielding attacker fatally stabbed a police officer  and was then shot to death by other London cops. Witness Rick Longley told the Press Association that he saw a man crash a car into the gate outside of Parliament just opposite Big Ben. The man exited the vehicle and approached the police officer. A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman, Longley told the Press Association. I have never seen anything like that. I just cant believe what I just saw. The White House was quick to offer support to its British allies. We condemn todays attack in Westminster, which the United Kingdom is treating as an act of terrorism, said White House spokesman Sean Spicer. The U.K. has the full support of the U.S. government in responding to the attack, he added. The NYPD announced that it had re-deployed long gun teams to the British Consulate, City Hall and Grand Central Station after the attack. Bangs and gunshots could be heard around 2:30 p.m. local time as Britains House of Commons was suspended. Members of Parliament told the BBC they heard three or four gunshots. A heavy police quickly filled the area, and news crews reported that two people were seen lying within the grounds of Parliament. A police officer was seen with his foot on what appears to be a knife while pointing a gun at a man on the ground  apparently the mortally injured attacker. Metropolitan Police Commander B.J. Harrington said a full counterterrorism investigation is underway and police presence around the city has been ramped up for the evening rush hour commute. He was running through those gates, towards Parliament, and the police were chasing him, she told Sky News. At least 10 people were treated on the Westminster Bridge, according to the London Ambulance Service. Former Polish foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski tweeted that a car mowed down at least five people on the bridge, along with a video of people lying injured on the road. Another woman was pulled alive from the Thames River after jumping for her life. Sikorski told Polish channel TVN24 he was in a cab when he heard a crash. When he looked up, Sikorski said saw multiple people lying on the pavement. People started running up to them, he told TVN24. I saw one person who gave no sign of life, another man was bleeding from his head. Prime Minister Theresa May was in the building at the time of the attack, and was seen being ushered away by plainclothes officers, according to Sky News. She was later reported to be safe and unharmed. The London Eye was also placed on lockdown with many riders still in the inside its cabs. One visitor from Madrid tweeted a photo from the towering obersvation wheel, adding that hed been up there for more than an hour. London was already on alert for the funeral of former IRA commander Martin McGuinness, which is scheduled for Thursday. The attack comes a year to the day of the Brussells airport bombing that killed 32 people.
One tribute for the victims of the Westminster attack has a painful but urgent message Spread the word: Tributes to those killed or injured in the 22 March Westminister attack, and to those who tried to protect people from it, have flowed in. France turned off the lights on the Eiffel Tower in respect. Politicians from around the globe sent words of support. And the worlds general public, of all ethnicities and religions, filled social media platforms with messages of unity. CAGE, an advocacy group seeking to empower communities impacted by the war on terror, also put out a statement. And its a message that people, and those who represent them, need to hear. CAGE statement We express our deepest sympathies to all those who have lost their lives in this incident, and to those many injured. At the time of writing, four people are dead as a result of the attack. Another 29 people are in hospital with injuries; seven in a critical condition. Casualties resulted from a man driving into people on Westminster Bridge, before entering Old Palace Yard and stabbing police officer Keith Palmer. While we accept that the security services and the police play a crucial role in keeping the public safe, such attacks which require very little planning cannot be thwarted by ever more securitisation and policing of communities. The manner of attack has drawn attention. The Guardianasserts that the attacks crude nature suggests Daesh (Isis/Isil) has a limited network in the UK. But the commonality of weapons used in the attack  a car and a knife  also suggest it was difficult to predict. Reactionary policies in the UK have a global ramification and it is important that the government leads with policies that seek to end the global cycles of violence rather than further them. Painful but urgent This final sentiment was not a focus on the day of the attack. And naturally so, because people were acknowledging the loss, and the bravery, that happened in those fateful hours. But 22 March did provide us with an awful illustration of why that sentiment is key. On the same day as the Westminister attack, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claimed that at least 33 people were killed in an air strike. The strike happened earlier this week near the Daesh-held city of Raqqa in Syria. The group alleges that the US-led coalition carried out the air strike and hit a school sheltering displaced civilians. The UK is also in that coalition. A spokesperson for US Central Command said there was no indication the coalition had killed civilians in an airstrike; but that it had conducted several strikes, so it will investigate. But civilian casualties from air strikes, carried out by all sides in the Syrian conflict, are not unusual. The US-led coalition only recently admitted having killed at least 220 civilians in air strikes in Syria and Iraq. This is the cycle of violence CAGE is referring to. Eyes wide open When Prime Minister Theresa May responded to the Westminister attack, she said that the location of the attack was no accident. The terrorists, she explained, chose a place where people of all nationalities, religions and cultures come together to celebrate the values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech. She continued: the values our parliament represents  democracy, freedom, human rights, the rule of law  command the admiration and respect of free people everywhere. That is why it is a target for those who reject those values. But her statement missed out an important point. It was indeed an indiscriminate attack; as many people of different nationalities, religions and cultures were near parliament when it happened. But parliament is not just a symbol of democracy. It is a symbol of power. And how authorities use (and have used) that power is crucial. Not only because it reveals the standards to which we hold ourselves, but because its use impacts communities and the world at large. Overwhelmingly, the public have responded to this tragedy with calls for kindness, peace and unity.
Westminster Bridge looked like a war zone yesterday following three minutes of carnage which left at least five dead and 29 injured after a terrorist went on a devastating rampage. Harrowing video footage captured the aftermath of the attack, which happened at 2.38pm in central London on Wednesday, an area packed with thousands of workers and tourists. British-born 'lone-wolf' attacker Khalid Masood, who was in his forties and who was investigated by MI5, mounted the pavement in a 4x4 Hyundai and drove into passengers after 'zig-zagging' across the busy bridge. Prime Minister Theresa May today said those injured included 12 Britons, three French children, two Romanians, four South Koreans, two Greeks and one each from the US, Germany, Poland, Ireland, China and Italy. After mowing people down on the bridge, the attacker then crashed his vehicle into a fence before he ran towards Parliament. He was eventually shot dead at 2.43pm after he fatally stabbed police officer and father-of-two Keith Palmer, 48. Underneath, MailOnline has created a detailed graphic to highlight the trail of destruction left by the terrorist and where the victims fell during the attack. The terrorist, who was born in Britain and known to MI5, drove onto Westminster Bridge (pictured) at 2.38pm and left a path of destruction behind him, as shown in each of the images BLONDE WOMAN WHOSE HUSBAND WAS KILLED WAS LYING IN A POOL OF BLOOD ON WESTMINSTER BRIDGE Melissa Cochran, wife of US tourist Kurt who died, was left covered in blood on the pavement of Westminster Bridge and comforted by a passer-by. Ms Cochran, 46, was struck and lay frozen on the bridge among postcards from a toppled tourism stand with blood pouring from her head while strangers consoled her. She was seen laying on the ground after the terrorist struck at 2.38pm yesterday. Her husband, Kurt Cochran, was killed following the attack. She appeared to have suffered a head wound after the British-born man, who was known to MI5, went on a rampage. Blood covered the pavement and a stand which was full of maps, postcards and leaflets was knocked over just inches from her. Theresa May confirmed that 12 Britons had been injured but the severity of the woman's injuries is not yet known. MAN FELL ALMOST 20FT FROM THE BRIDGE AND LANDED ON THE GROUND BELOW A 54-year-old father is believed to have died after he fell almost 20ft and landed on the ground beneath Westminster Bridge. Kurt Cochran, 54, from Utah, was touring Europe with his wife Melissa to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. They were the first people mowed down by a terrorist on the south end of Westminster Bridge before he drove along it, ploughing through at least 12 people. Mr Cochran is believed to have either jumped or been pushed over the edge of the bridge onto steps beneath it. He died of his injuries. He was seen laying motionless on the ground just after the attacker struck at 2.38pm. A man and a woman rushed to his aid as the carnage continued to unfold on the bridge which was just above him. MOTHER-OF-TWO, 43, WAS KILLED AS SHE WALKED TO PICK UP HER TWO CHILDREN FROM SCHOOL Mother-of-two Aysha Frade, 43, was on her way to meet her daughters, aged eight and 11, when she was hit by the killer's car and then thrown under a bus. She worked at a college near the scene of the terrorist massacre, named in Spain as DLD College London. She was born in Britain and had a Portuguese husband called John Frade. Mrs Frade was pronounced dead and was the first victim to be identified. Rachel Borland, the college's principal, said staff were 'deeply shocked and saddened' at news of her death. She said: 'All our thoughts and our deepest sympathies are with her family. We will be offering every support we can to them as they try to come to terms with their devastating loss.' Her family hail from Betanzos near the Galician city of La Coruna and are now said to be travelling to London. BLEEDING BUSINESSMAN WAS HELPED AFTER HE WAS LEFT LAYING MOTIONLESS ON THE GROUND A bleeding businessman wearing a suit was helped by three people after they noticed he was badly injured following the attack. The injured man, who was missing one of his shoes, is believed to have been struck by the Hyundai 4x4 which was being driven by the terrorist. Kind-hearted bystanders rushed to his aid as blood was seen on the pavement. Just seconds before, an unnamed man went on a three-minute rampage along Westminster Bridge, in an attack which killed four people - including a police officer. The man in the suit was motionless on the ground and blood could also be seen towards the edge of bridge.
A man mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and drove the Hyundai through a crowd of people, including schoolchildren. He was then shot dead by armed officers in the courtyard outside the Houses of Parliament after he stabbed PC Keith Palmer, who died of his wounds. Westminster falls silent in memory of terror attack victims A spokesperson for Enterprise Holdings said: We can confirm that the car used in the tragic attack in London yesterday afternoon was one of ours. "An employee identified the vehicle after seeing the licence plate in an image online. We ran another check to verify, and immediately contacted the authorities." They added: "We are co-operating fully with the authorities and will provide any assistance that we can to the investigation. "Our thoughts are very much with the victims of this terrible tragedy. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP Earlier, the BBC reported the car had been hired from Solihull, however the Enterprise spokesperson confirmed this was not the case.
media_cameraFirearms officers from the British police detain a man on Whitehall near the Houses of Parliament in central London. Undercover police were waiting for the man after they were tipped off about his alleged plans by a member of the Muslim community concerned about his behaviour, according to multiple media sources in the UK. According to The Sun the tip-off came from a family member. The man was followed by police and MI5 operatives as he travelled towards Westminster. British media is reporting he was also on the radar of counter-terrorism police. media_cameraPolice say they received a tip-off from a member of the Muslim community. The man was arrested outside the Westminster tube station near the Palace of Westminster. The House of Commons was not in session because of the upcoming UK elections. He was a few hundred metres away from 10 Downing Street and it is not clear whether the alleged target was Westminster or the government offices of Whitehall. A spokesman for the PM said that the British leader was not at her Downing Street residence at the time of the incident. media_cameraA police officer photographs a knife on the ground at the scene following a mans arrest. The area was packed with tourists and civil servants at the time of the arrest. Shortly after the arrest, police began circulating messages on social media urging people to report any terrorism suspicions they might have. In a statement on the arrest, Scotland Yard said: The man was arrested in Parliament Street, junction with Parliament Square, by armed officers from the Mets Specialist Firearms Command. media_cameraA British police forensics officer passes a knife to a colleague as they collect evidence on Whitehall near the Houses of Parliament in central London. The man, aged in his late twenties, was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism. Knives have been recovered from him. He is being detained under the Terrorism Act and is in custody in a south London police station. Detectives from the counter-terrorism command are continuing their investigation, and as a result of this arrest there is no immediate known threat. The member of parliament who was praised for his efforts to save the life of the fatally-wounded police officer in the attacks on March 22, Tobias Elwood, was one of many MPs who took to social media platform Twitter to thank police yesterday. Well done to our courageous @metpoliceuk for arresting an armed terrorist suspect on #Whitehall by House of Commons today & keeping us safe, he wrote. London Mayor Sadiq Khan tweeted: Thanks to all officers who dealt swiftly & professionally with the incident in Whitehall. The Met Commissioner has briefed me on the arrest. Thanks to all officers who dealt swiftly & professionally with the incident in Whitehall. The Met Commissioner has briefed me on the arrest. https://t.co/qyB7HqNiGE A NOTE ABOUT RELEVANT ADVERTISING: We collect information about the content (including ads) you use across this site and use it to make both advertising and content more relevant to you on our network and other sites. This is also known as Online Behavioural Advertising. You can find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out here.
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Updated Police believe attacker acted alone, was 'inspired by international terrorism' British police say they believe the attacker who killed three people including a police officer outside Parliament on Wednesday acted alone and was "inspired by international terrorism." About 40 people were also injured, some critically. Britain's Parliament this morning observed a minute of silence to mourn the victims. Prime Minister Theresa May will address Parliament at 6:30 a.m. ET. She earlier condemned the "sick and depraved terrorist attack." Since the attack, police have raided six addresses, including in London and Birmingham, which have resulted in seven arrests in total. Mark Rowley, assistant commissioner with the Metropolitan Police, said that police are not ready to publicly identify the attacker and they are continuing to investigate "his motivation, his preparation and his associates." The raids come after the attacker drove an SUV into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before crashing the vehicle into the gates of Parliament on Wednesday. He scaled the fences and later fatally stabbed a policeman before being gunned down by officers. While there is an increased police presence on Thursday, Rowley said there was no credible information of further threats. Mark Rowley, acting deputy commissioner and head of counterterrorism for British Metropolitan Police, said there were no known immediate threats in the wake of Wednesday's attack, but that authorities are being vigilant. (Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images) Details emerging about victims The policeman has been identified as Keith Palmer, 48. Rowley said that 29 people had been treated in hospital and a further seven are in critical condition. British PM calls London attack 'sick and depraved'4:11 Police were not to ready to publicly name the other two deceased until notification of next of kin, with at least one of the victims not from Britain. Those victims were identified as a woman in her 40s, and a man in his 50s. BBC reported that in addition to Britons, the injured included people from France, Romania and South Korea. Romanian officials say the woman who plunged into the River Thames was a Romanian tourist in London to celebrate her boyfriend's birthday. Foreign Ministry spokesman Ionut Valcu said Thursday that the woman fell into the Thames. It wasn't clear if she jumped or was thrown into the water by the SUV. Romanian Ambassador Dan Mihalache told Realitatea TV late Wednesday that the woman sustained serious head injuries and has badly damaged lungs. Her boyfriend suffered a foot fracture. The pair haven't been named. Mihalache said: "They were tourists, unfortunately they were unlucky. They had come to celebrate his birthday." He said the pair planned to wed.
The Latest: Man, 75, dies of wounds from London attack LONDON (AP)  The latest on the attack outside Britain's Parliament (all times local): 9:20 p.m. London police say a 75-year-old man injured in the attack on Westminster Bridge has died of his wounds. In a statement late Thursday, police said life support was withdrawn from the man and his family has been notified. The announcement brings to four the number of victims killed in the attack Wednesday in central London. The man identified as the driver of the car that rampaged across the bridge into pedestrians was also killed by police after he jumped out and stabbed a police officer to death. 7:45 p.m. Several thousand people have gathered in London's Trafalgar Square for a candlelit vigil to honor the victims and their families and to show London's unity in the face of militant attacks. Dignitaries, police and clergy, including Buddhist monks in brown robes, gathered on the steps leading to the National Gallery. There was a strong sense of solidarity and camaraderie, with Muslims mingling with Jews and people stopping to thank the police for their work. After speeches and a minute's silence  the crowd was so quiet that Big Ben could be heard chiming in the distance  the home secretary, mayor and acting police commissioner lit the three oversize candles to applause from the crowd Sughra Ahmed, a Muslim woman who traveled from northwest England for the vigil, said she'd been reduced to tears on the square by a woman who went out of her way to embrace her. "Britain is one," she said. "An attack on one is an attack on us all." 6:20 p.m. Lights depicting the British Union flag have been projected onto Berlin's Brandenburg Gate in a show of solidarity after a deadly attack outside London's Parliament on Wednesday. A night before, the Eiffel Tower in Paris switched its lights off and went dark to honor those killed in the London attack. Those injured in the rampage included many tourists from around the world, including one from Germany and three French schoolchildren. 6:10 p.m. British police say eight people have been arrested on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts in connection to the Westminster attack. The arrests had been reported earlier but police did not specify the reason for the arrests until Thursday evening. Seven were arrested overnight. Police say they included a woman arrested in east London; a man and a woman arrested in Birmingham; and a woman and three men arrested at a different location in Birmingham. In addition, a man was arrested Thursday morning at a third address in Birmingham. None have been charged and they have not been identified. Their ages range from 21 to 58. The Met Police also say there were searches in Brighton and southeast London that have been concluded. Searches ongoing at addresses in Birmingham, east London and in Wales. 5:55 p.m. Jordan's government spokesman says a deadly London attack by the extremist group Islamic State underscores the need for "coming all together to fight this evil." The group has claimed responsibility for the attack by a man who plowed an SUV into pedestrians and stabbed a police officer to death at Britain's Parliament. Jordan is part of a U.S.-led military coalition against IS, which controls territory in neighboring Syria and Iraq. Spokesman Mohammed Momani said Thursday that Jordan "strongly condemns" the attack and stands with Britain "in these difficult days." He said his country is fighting the group militarily and ideologically, and that "this evil and terrorism will be defeated sooner than later." 5:05 p.m. Britain's Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson says the fact that victims from the London attack came from 11 countries shows that "an attack on London is an attack on the world." Johnson, who is in New York to preside over the U.N. Security Council, told reporters Thursday he is confident the extremists will be defeated "because our values are superior ... freedom, democracy, the equality of human beings under the law." He said countries everywhere are uniting to defeat those responsible and their "bankrupt and odious ideology." During his meetings in Washington on Wednesday and at the United Nations, Johnson said he has seen countries including from the Islamic world coming together to defeat the Islamic State extremist group "and I think that will have a big effect." But Johnson said extremists must be defeated "in the hearts and minds" of their followers. He said Internet providers and social media companies must take responsibility, and remove sites that are radicalizing people. 4:50 p.m. Iwona Romek, who said she lived for about five months next door to the man identified as the assailant in Wednesday's attack, said he had a wife and young child and appeared like a "normal family man who liked to take care of his garden." Romek, a former neighbor of 52-year-old Khalid Masood in Birmingham, central England, took one look at a photo of the attacker on a stretcher and said "That is 100 percent him." The home where Masood lived until he abruptly moved just after Christmas was raided by police late Wednesday. Romek said Masood would walk the child, around 6 years old, to school in the morning, and that he rarely left in the evening. But one day she saw him packing their belongings in the black van he bought to replace a red Fiat, and then they were gone, months after moving in. 4:30 p.m. Theresa May's spokesman says the British prime minister has visited a London hospital to meet victims of Wednesday's attack. Spokesman James Slack says May also met hospital staff and thanked them. He said the 40-minute visit was private and he did not disclose what hospital May visited. Three people were killed and at least 30 injured in Wednesday's attack on Westminster Bridge and Parliament. The attacker was shot dead. 3:45 p.m. Car rental company Enterprise has confirmed that the car used in the terror attack in London this week was owned by them and rented in Birmingham. The company said in a statement Thursday that the car "used in the tragic attack in London yesterday afternoon was one of ours." The company says an employee identified the vehicle after seeing the license plate in an online image. The company checked and immediately contacted authorities. It says it is cooperating fully. The company says "our thoughts are very much with the victims of this terrible tragedy." 3:40 p.m. U.S. President Donald Trump is offering prayers and condolences to the family and friends of the Utah man killed in an Islamic State attack in London. Trump tweeted Thursday that Kurt Cochran was "a great American," adding, "my prayers and condolences are with his family and friends." Cochran and his wife, Melissa, were on the last day of a special European trip celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary when an attacker plowed an SUV into pedestrians Wednesday on London's Westminster Bridge. The assailant was shot dead by armed officers. The White House said Wednesday that the president had spoken with U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May and has offered U.S. assistance. 3:35 p.m. British police have identified the person responsible for the terror attack near Parliament as 52-year-old Khalid Masood. The police say in a statement Thursday that Masood was born in southeastern England and was most recently living in the West Midlands, in central England. Police say Masood, who had a number of aliases, wasn't the subject of any current investigation and that "there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack." He had been arrested previously for assault, possession of offensive weapons and public order offenses. His first conviction was in November 1983 for criminal damage and his last was in December 2003 for possession of a knife.3:10 p.m. Spain's royal family has expressed condolences for the victims of Wednesday's deadly attack in London. "Spain feels very close to the United Kingdom in this moment of pain," King Felipe VI said in a telegram Thursday to Queen Elizabeth II. The king expressed "deep sorrow ... for a despicable act that violates the fundamental values that sustain our democracy and our societies." He added that he wished for "normality to return to life in London." Felipe and his wife Queen Letizia are scheduled to pay the first Spanish royal visit to Britain in three decades in June. 3:05 p.m. The prime minister of Israel, which has faced a wave of Palestinian assaults on civilians and soldiers since 2015, has condemned "the murderous terror attack in London." Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday "The citizens of Israel were among the first to face the challenge of vehicular ramming and stabbing attacks." In a statement he sent condolences to the victims and wished the wounded a speedy recovery. "We must stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the citizens of Britain and the entire civilized world against radical Islamic terrorism," he said. Palestinians have killed 41 Israelis and two visiting Americans in a wave of attacks, mainly stabbings, car ramming and shootings, since September 2015. Israeli forces have killed 238 Palestinians during the same period, most identified by Israel as assailants involved in the attacks. 3 p.m. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's office says the Turkish leader held a telephone conversation with British Prime Minister Theresa May during which he expressed Turkey's solidarity with Britain in the fight against terrorism. Officials from Erdogan's office said Thursday the Turkish leader also told May that Turkey shared Britain's pain over the attack in London. The two leaders also reasserted their "determination" to jointly combat terrorism and share intelligence, the officials said. 2:50 p.m. British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, speaking on behalf of the U.N. Security Council, has strongly condemned the "cowardly terrorist attack" in London that killed or seriously injured "many innocent people." Johnson, who was presiding at a meeting of the U.N.'s most powerful body, opened Thursday's session with the statement on behalf of the council's 15 members. He then asked everyone in the packed chamber to stand in silent tribute to the victims. The British minister was in Washington at the time of Wednesday's attacks near Parliament that killed two civilians and a policeman, and wounded over 30 others. The attacker was shot dead by police. Britain currently holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council and Johnson decided to go ahead with plans to travel to New York to preside over meetings on Somalia and later on South Sudan. 2:40 p.m. Italian Olympic boxer Vincenzo Mangiacapre has demonstrated how an unidentified attacker killed a policeman on the grounds of Parliament in front of the shocked members of his boxing team. The killer, he said, had a knife in each hand and used them like drumsticks plunging into policeman Keith Palmer. "He gave him around 10 stabs in the back, then he left the policeman and came toward us," the 2012 Olympic light welterweight bronze medalist said. Mangiacapre and other members of the Italia Thunder boxing team were touring the grounds of Parliament when the lethal attack unfolded. They are in London preparing for a World Series boxing match against a British team, Lionhearts. 2:30 p.m. A Mormon church official says a Utah man was killed and his wife was seriously wounded in the London attack. Kurt W. Cochran and his wife, Melissa, were on the last day of a trip celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary on Wednesday when the attacker struck in the heart of London. He plowed an SUV into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, killing two and wounding dozens, then stabbed police officer Keith Palmer to death inside the gates of Parliament. The assailant was shot dead by armed officers. The woman remains hospitalized. The church said Thursday the Utah couple was also visiting the woman's parents, who are Mormon missionaries in London. 13:35 p.m. European Union Security Commissioner Julian King is suggesting there could be a link between Wednesday's attack in London and the suicide bombings in Brussels exactly one year ago. King said Thursday that "l don't think it was a complete accident that this attack took place on the first anniversary of the Brussels attacks." He did not say whether the link went beyond that both took place on March 22. The attacks on Brussels' airport and subway last year killed 32 people. King also said that "the methodology of the London attacker fits into a pattern of behavior which we have seen before" in vehicle attacks in Berlin and Nice last year. King, who is from Britain, added that "the terrorist threat remains extremely high across Europe." 13:25 p.m. British police say Westminster Bridge has reopened to traffic less than 24 hours after Wednesday's attack. The landmark bridge across the River Thames had been shut since an unidentified assailant hit a number of pedestrians with his vehicle. He was later shot to death after rushing onto the Parliament grounds and stabbing a policeman. The busy bridge is a popular tourist site for visitors seeking selfies near Parliament and the London Eye. 13:20 p.m. Italy's ambassador to Britain says an Italian tourist who was injured when she was hit by the assailant's vehicle in Wednesday's attack is doing better. The Italian news agency ANSA, reporting from London, quoted Ambassador Pasquale Terracciano, as saying Thursday she told him she had lost consciousness for about 10 minutes after being struck by the car's bumper. The ambassador had visited the woman in the hospital. The woman, a tourist from Rome, underwent surgery for a compound leg fracture. She also suffered less serious injury to two of her vertebrae near her neck and head trauma. 12:55 p.m. Queen Elizabeth II says her "thoughts, prayers, and deepest sympathy" are with those affected by Wednesday's attack in London. The monarch said: "I know I speak for everyone in expressing my enduring thanks and admiration for the members of the Metropolitan Police Service and all who work so selflessly to help and protect others." She also sent a message of apology to London's police force after plans to have her preside over the opening of the New Scotland Yard building were cancelled following the attack. The queen said in the statement Thursday that she looks forward "to visiting at a later date." 12:40 p.m. A British lawmaker has choked back tears as he remembered his friendship with the police officer killed on Wednesday's attack on Parliament. His voice breaking, Conservative legislator James Cleverly called for Constable Keith Palmer to receive posthumous recognition for his "gallantry and sacrifice." He said he first met Palmer 25 years ago as "Gunner Keith Palmer" when both men served in the Royal Artillery. Cleverly said the 48-year-old police officer, stabbed to death by an attacker trying to enter Parliament, was "a strong, professional public servant and it was a delight to meet him again only a few months after being elected." Prime Minister Theresa May said Palmer had "paid the ultimate sacrifice here at the heart of our democracy" and that the suggestion of posthumous recognition would be considered. 12:35 p.m. The Islamic State group says the attack outside the British parliament in London was carried out by one of its "soldiers." The IS-linked Aamaq news agency said Thursday that the person who carried out the "attack in front of the British parliament in London was a soldier of the Islamic State." It added that the person "carried out the operation in response to calls for targeting citizens of the coalition." IS has called on its supporters to carry out attacks against citizens of the U.S.-led coalition that has been targeting the group since 2014. IS, who have been responsible for numerous bloody attacks around the globe, have also previously claimed certain attacks in a show of opportunism. Britain's government has not identified the suspect. 12:30 p.m. Visible armed police officers were seen outside Sweden's Parliament and the government's headquarters following Wednesday's London attack. Parliament's head of security told Expressen daily that safety measures had been taken "in consultation with the police" and Sweden's domestic intelligence agency "due to the event in London." The Sapo agency had not changed the threat assessment against Sweden. In neighboring Denmark, the Security and Intelligence Service said it was following the situation after the events in London. The agency said Thursday the situation led to no reason to change the assessment of the terror threat against Denmark, "which remains serious." In Copenhagen, Denmark, heavily armed police also were seen outside the Danish Parliament. 12:25 p.m. A Romanian diplomat said a woman who plunged into the Thames when a SUV plowed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge Wednesday has successfully undergone surgery to remove a blood clot from her brain. She remains in a critical state. Romania's Ambassador to Britain, Dan Mihalache, told national news agency Agerpres Thursday that the woman had major problems with her lungs. He said the woman, who has not been named, was transferred early Thursday to another London hospital that is better equipped to deal with her injuries. Mihalache said her family was traveling to London. The woman and her boyfriend were on vacation in the British capital to celebrate his birthday this week. The boyfriend suffered a foot fracture. 12:15 p.m. Poland's prime minister has suggested a link between the European Union's migration policies and terrorism  and has used the London attack to make her point, even though the identity of the attacker has not been released. Beata Szydlo spoke just hours before British Prime Minister Theresa May said police know the identity of the attacker, who was British-born. Szydlo said on TVN24: "I often hear in Europe, in the EU: Let's not link the migration policy with terrorism, but it's impossible not to link them." The attack before the British Parliament left four people dead, including the attacker, and 29 hospitalized, including one Pole. Poland's nationalist government is at odds with the EU on a number of issues including migration. 12 p.m. Pope Francis is sending prayers and solidarity to victims of the London attack. In a telegram of condolence, Francis said he was "deeply saddened" to learn of the "tragedy" in central London on Wednesday. He said he was praying for "divine strength and peace" for the families of the injured and dead. 11:35 p.m. The world's largest body of Islamic nations and the Saudi king have condemned the attack in London, saying they reject such acts of terrorism. Yousef Bin Ahmad Al-Othaimeen, who heads the Saudi-headquartered organization, said acts of terrorism contradict the fundamentals of Islam. The OIC is comprised of 57 Muslim-majority countries from around the world. Meanwhile the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, which includes Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman, described the attack as "a terrible crime that is incompatible with all values and principles of humanity." The Saudi Press Agency reports that Saudi Arabia's King Salman sent a cable of condolences to British Prime Minister Theresa May in which he says the kingdom "strongly condemns this terrorist act." London is a popular destination for thousands of Saudi and Arab Gulf tourists. 11:20 a.m. Spanish politicians gathered on parliament's steps in Madrid for a minute's silence for the victims of the attack in in London, among them a British national with Spanish ancestry. At the same hour, officials and residents of the northwestern town of Betanzos stood in silence in memory of 43-year-old Aysha Frade, one of the attack victims and whose mother was born in the town. In a note on its Facebook page, the town hall said that "Aysha was the daughter of a Betanzos resident and was linked by family and emotionally to our town." Betanzos declared three days of mourning for the victims. Flags at the town hall and the parliament building were flown at half-staff. 11:15 a.m. Iran's foreign ministry spokesman has condemned the attack outside Britain's Parliament, according to the official IRNA news agency. Bahram Ghasemi expressed his sympathy with the bereaved families of the victims. Ghasemi underlined that Iran invites all countries to form a coalition and foster cooperation aimed at tackling terrorism. He added that terrorism is not limited to geographical boundaries. 11:10 a.m. A 26-year-old Portuguese man was among the injured when a man plowed into pedestrians with an SUV on London's Westminster Bridge. Francisco Lopes told Portuguese channel TVI that he heard shouts behind him as he walked across the bridge and when he turned around he was struck by the vehicle which had mounted the sidewalk. He said he lost consciousness and woke up wracked with pain. He sustained cuts on a knee and a hand but was released from Chelsea-Westminster hospital after treatment. "I was lucky," said Lopes, who lives in London with his mother. Britain's prime minister says people from 11 countries were hospitalized after the attack outside Parliament. Theresa May said that 12 Britons, 3 French, 2 Romanians, 4 South Koreans, 1 German, 1 Pole, 1 Irish, 1 Chinese, 1 Italian, 1 American and two Greeks required hospital treatment. Police earlier said that seven of the 29 who are hospitalized are in critical condition. A knife-wielding attacker driving an SUV mowed down pedestrians, killing two on Westminster Bridge before breaching Parliament's grounds and fatally stabbing a police officer. The attacker was then shot dead by police. 10:45 a.m. Prime Minister Theresa May says "millions of acts of normality" are the best response to terrorism. In the House of Commons, May saluted the "everyday actions" of "millions people ... going about their days and getting on with their lives." Though streets around Parliament are cordoned off, the vast majority of London is open and bustling as usual. Parliament resumed sitting Thursday, less than 24 hours after the attack. May says the resolve of ordinary people shows "our values will prevail." 10:40 a.m. British Prime Minister Theresa May says police know the identity of the British-born man who went on a car and gun rampage at Parliament. May says he was once investigated for extremist links but was considered a peripheral figure. She didn't disclose his name. May says police believe the man acted alone and there is no reason to believe "imminent further attacks" are planned. 10:35 a.m. British Prime Minister Theresa May has delivered a defiant message after a deadly attack, saying "we are not afraid." May has told lawmakers in the House of Commons that "yesterday an act of terrorism tried to silence our democracy, but today we meet as normal." She called the car and knife rampage that killed three victims "an attack on free people everywhere." 10:30 a.m. France's foreign minister says three French teenagers hospitalized after the attack outside London's Parliament are not in life-threatening condition. Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, after visiting the victims in London, said democratic nations should not be cowed by this kind of attack. "We must say no to those who want to kill our democracy," he told reporters. "We will not put up walls." While no information has been released bout the attackers' identity, Ayrault said authorities should fight against the radicalization of young people and against the Islamic State group in particular. Ayrault was at a meeting in Washington about fighting IS when the London attack hit. The three French teens, part of a large group on a high school trip to London, were among those injured Wednesday. 10:25 a.m. London's mayor has paid tribute to a slain police officer who tried to stop a knife-wielding attacker who had entered Parliament's grounds. Mayor Sadiq Khan says that 48-year-old police officer Keith Palmer "was doing the job he loved and protecting our city, protecting Parliament, protecting Londoners, unarmed, and he died in the course of his duty. And I pay tribute to him." The attacker, who had earlier mowed down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, was shot dead by police after stabbing Palmer. Two other people were killed in the attack. Khan says that there have been "13 occasions over the last three or four years where attempts to terrorize us, to kill and to maim, have been thwarted." 10:05 a.m. Britain's defense secretary has praised the work of police officers after the attack outside Parliament by a knife-wielding man driving an SUV. Michael Fallon says that a "very urgent investigation" had been going on around the clock to determine whether "anybody else was involved." Earlier, police said they believe the attacker who killed three people, including a police officer, acted alone and was "inspired by international terrorism." Police have conducted major raids overnight and detained seven people. 9:55 a.m. The Spanish Foreign Ministry says that a British national whose mother is Spanish has been identified as one of the people killed in the London attack. A spokesman says that Spanish consular officials have made contact with Aysha Frade's relatives in Spain's northwestern region of Galicia when her identity was confirmed. He was unable to give any further details. The regional Voz de Galicia newspaper said that Frade was 43 years old and was teaching Spanish in London. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in keeping with ministry regulations. 9:40 a.m. The British Parliament has observed a minute of silence to remember those killed in the attack at that heart of the government. The sitting Thursday is an important act of defiance, showing a commitment to the values at the core of the nation's government. A man driving an SUV plowed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge on Wednesday before he fatally stabbed a police officer on Parliament's grounds. Two other people were killed, and police shot dead the attacker. Parliament was put into lockdown after the attack. 9:25 a.m. French prosecutors have opened a terrorism investigation into the attack outside London's Parliament because three French teens were among those injured. The Paris prosecutor's office says that its anti-terrorism section has opened an investigation into attempted murder in relation with a terrorist enterprise. The move means French police would likely travel to London to pursue their investigation. French authorities, whose country has suffered a string of deadly extremist attacks, have offered to work with British authorities on the investigation. The injured French were part of a group of high school students from Brittany in western France on a school trip to London. Three people were killed and many injured when a man mowed down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge and stabbed a police officer Wednesday. The attacker was killed by police. 9:20 a.m. Romanian officials say a woman who plunged into the River Thames when a man plowed into pedestrians with an SUV on London's Westminster Bridge was a Romanian tourist in London to celebrate her boyfriend's birthday. Foreign Ministry spokesman Ionut Valcu said Thursday that the woman fell into the Thames. It wasn't clear if she jumped or was thrown into the water by the SUV. Romanian Ambassador Dan Mihalache told Realitatea TV late Wednesday that the woman sustained serious head injuries and has badly damaged lungs. Her boyfriend suffered a foot fracture. The pair haven't been named. Mihalache said: "They were tourists, unfortunately they were unlucky. They had come to celebrate his birthday." He said the pair planned to wed. 8:40 a.m. Russian President Vladimir Putin says the attack outside Parliament in London underlined the need for pooling global efforts against terrorism. In a letter to British Prime Minister Theresa May released by the Kremlin Thursday, Putin said the "forces of terror are acting in an increasingly treacherous and cynical way." He emphasized that "it's necessary to unite efforts of all members of international community to confront the terror threat." Putin offered condolences to the families of the victims and wished a quick recovery to those injured in Wednesday's attack. 7:50 a.m. British police say they believe the attacker who killed three people including a police officer outside Parliament acted alone and was "inspired by international terrorism." Metropolitan Police counterterrorism chief Mark Rowley says that police have raided six addresses and arrested seven people in connection with Wednesday's attack by a knife-wielding man who also mowed down pedestrians with an SUV. Rowley refused to identify the attacker. He revised the death toll down to four, including the attacker, a police officer guarding Parliament and two civilians. He said that 29 people required hospitalization and seven of them are in critical condition. The rampage occurred hours after Erdogan warned that the safety of Western citizens could be in peril if European nations persist in what he described as their arrogant conduct. In a series of tweets posted late Wednesday, Erdogan said Turkey shared "the pain of the United Kingdom." Erdogan tweeted: "We stand in solidarity with the U.K., our friend and ally, against terrorism, the greatest threat to global peace and security." Earlier Wednesday, Erdogan warned that Europeans wouldn't be able to walk the streets safely, in remarks he made amid tensions over Dutch and German restrictions on Turkish ministers wanting to hold campaign meetings with Turkish citizens. 7:15 a.m. British armed police have carried out a raid on a property in the central city of Birmingham, after an attacker killed four people before being fatally shot by police within Parliament's grounds. Police refused to say if the raid was linked to the rampage in the heart of Britain's seat of power. But British media including the Press Association on Thursday quoted an unnamed witness saying that the operation was linked to the attack that also injured around 40 people. A knife-wielding man drove an SUV into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before crashing the vehicle into the gates of Parliament on Wednesday. He scaled the fences and later fatally stabbed a policeman before being gunned down by officers. He hasn't been identified. Three pedestrians were among the dead. 4:10 a.m. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang says the attack outside the British Parliament in London was the first subject of discussion when he met with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull of Australia on Thursday morning in Canberra. Li says that "together, we send our condolences to the prime minister of the U.K. and together we condemn terrorism and we stand against all forms of terrorism." The Chinese leader says that "there cannot be continued instability in the world," adding: "We must cherish peace and stability." 1:35 a.m. New Zealand's prime minister is condemning the attack outside Britain's Parliament that resulted in five deaths, including the assailant. Prime Minister Bill English told reporters in Rotorua that he has written to British Prime Minister Theresa May to express support for her government and to offer his country's condolences to the victim's families. A knife-wielding man went on the deadly rampage in the heart of Britain's seat of power Wednesday, plowing a car into pedestrians on London's Westminster Bridge before stabbing a police officer to death inside the gates of Parliament. Other officers fatally shot the attacker. In addition to the dead, 40 people have injuries. May has condemned the incident as a "sick and depraved terrorist attack." 12:15 a.m. South Korea's Foreign Ministry says five South Koreans in their 50s and 60s were among the 40 people injured in London during the terror attack outside Parliament. The ministry says the five were hurt when they were caught up in a stampede of people trying to escape the attack. It says four of the South Koreans suffered broken bones and other injuries and a woman in her late 60s needed an operation to treat a head injury. Online Public Information File Viewers with disabilities can get assistance accessing this station's FCC Public Inspection File by contacting the station with the information listed below. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, 888-835-5322 (TTY), or fccinfo@fcc.gov.
Read more In conversations dating back to 2015, he used Twitter to make contact with Junaid Hussain, a jihadi from Birmingham who travelled to Syria in 2013. Hussain was killed in a drone strike in August 2015 because of his role as a recruiter and terror instructor linked to a shooting in Texas earlier that year, as well as heading Isiss hacking unit. After his death, another recruiter made contact with Inside Outs undercover reporter to continue the conversation and detailed a plot to assassinate a police officer, including how to obtain firearms and bullets. In July 2016, we discovered that the terrorist organisation was touting on Twitter and Facebook for British Muslims to stage attacks at specific London locations, he said. JunaidHussain spoke to the BBCs reporter before being killed in a drone strike We began conversing with one of their recruiters, who then invited us to chat privately on a secret messaging site. The authorities were fully aware of our contact with the terrorist organisation. In a conversation in July 2016, the reporter claimed his family were Muslim but that he fell off the wagon before getting back on track  mirroring several British terrorists who were radicalised after being involved in crime, drugs and gangs. Three days later, the suspected Isis recruiter started asking questions about the boys knowledge of London and crowded places, suggesting Westminster as a potential target. His attack, the first claimed by Isis in the UK, killed five victims and Masood was shot dead at the scene. The Independent revealed that a WhatsApp message sent by Masood from behind the wheel declared that he was waging jihad and investigations into his potential communication with Isis recruiters continue. The atrocity was followed by a suicide bombing that killed 22 people at Manchester Arena on 22 May, and a van and knife rampage at London Bridge on 3 June. The BBC reporter said the Isis agent named the bridge as a potential target in July last year, and gave the option of either doing it alone or along with a team. London Bridge Terror Attack London Bridge Terror Attack 1/16 Armed police on Borough High Street as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge PA 2/16 Armed Police talk to members of the public outside London Bridge Hospital as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge PA 3/16 Police Officers outside the Barrowboy and Banker Public House on Borough High Street as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge PA 4/16 Armed Police talk to members of the public outside London Bridge Hospital as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge PA 5/16 Armed police on Borough High Street as police deal with a 'major incident' at London Bridge PA 6/16 Emergency services near the scene of the incident Screengrab 7/16 People run down Borough High Street as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge Reuters 8/16 Emergency services arrive at the scene near Borough market at London Bridge Carl Court/Getty Images 9/16 Emergency personnel on London Bridge as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge PA 10/16 Police sniffer dogs on London Bridge as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge PA 11/16 A second helicopter lands on London Bridge as police are responding to three incidents in the capital, amid reports that a vehicle collided with pedestrians on London Bridge, Scotland Yard said. Officers are dealing with reports of stabbings in Borough Market, where armed officers attended and shots were fired. They are also at an incident in the Vauxhall area PA 12/16 Police attend to an incident on London Bridge in London REUTERS 13/16 Police attend to an incident on London Bridge in London, Britain Reuters 14/16 A police officer escorts members of the public to safety at London Bridge Getty Images 15/16 Police attend to an incident on London Bridge in London, Britain REUTERS 16/16 Police attend to an incident near London Bridge in London, Britain Reuters 1/16 Armed police on Borough High Street as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge PA 2/16 Armed Police talk to members of the public outside London Bridge Hospital as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge PA 3/16 Police Officers outside the Barrowboy and Banker Public House on Borough High Street as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge PA 4/16 Armed Police talk to members of the public outside London Bridge Hospital as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge PA 5/16 Armed police on Borough High Street as police deal with a 'major incident' at London Bridge PA 6/16 Emergency services near the scene of the incident Screengrab 7/16 People run down Borough High Street as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge Reuters 8/16 Emergency services arrive at the scene near Borough market at London Bridge Carl Court/Getty Images 9/16 Emergency personnel on London Bridge as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge PA 10/16 Police sniffer dogs on London Bridge as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge PA 11/16 A second helicopter lands on London Bridge as police are responding to three incidents in the capital, amid reports that a vehicle collided with pedestrians on London Bridge, Scotland Yard said. Officers are dealing with reports of stabbings in Borough Market, where armed officers attended and shots were fired. They are also at an incident in the Vauxhall area PA 12/16 Police attend to an incident on London Bridge in London REUTERS 13/16 Police attend to an incident on London Bridge in London, Britain Reuters 14/16 A police officer escorts members of the public to safety at London Bridge Getty Images 15/16 Police attend to an incident on London Bridge in London, Britain REUTERS 16/16 Police attend to an incident near London Bridge in London, Britain Reuters Now target setting is the thing. London Bridge  what you say about that? a message said. Truck, axe, anything can work. In December, a second Isis agent outlined how such an attack could be carried out and urged the reporter to make the kuffar [non-believers] scared. Kill a lot. The best way you can do [it] is to kill normal people. He was also directed to terrorist tutorials on the dark web, including Isis videos and propaganda magazines instructing followers on how to kill people with knives, launch vehicle attacks and build bombs. Finally, there was a description of how to create a fake suicide vest, and how it can be used to stop the police from attacking you if you are standing next to civilians, the reporter added. The instructions bear a striking similarity to the attack mounted by attackers Khuram Butt, 27, Rachid Redouane, 30, and Youssef Zaghba, 22, who rammed a van into pedestrians on London Bridge before stabbing pedestrians and customers at bars and restaurants in Borough Market. All three men wore fake suicide vests, running towards armed police to ensure they were martyred at the end of the rampage. While Britain and other European countries have successfully cracked down on people travelling to the groups territories, there is growing evidence that those extremists may turn instead to launching a terror attack on home soil. Isis has released a steady stream of propaganda enforcing its ideology and instructing supporters on how to carry out bombings, vehicle attacks, stabbings, arson attacks and hostage-takings in multiple languages, including Arabic, English, French, Russian and Turkish. Bjrn Stritzel, a journalist with Germanys Bildnewspaper, carried out similar research earlier this year and published the results of extensive conversations with German-speaking Isis recruiters. Having been introduced to agents via encrypted messaging service Telegram, he was directed to use another called Wickr. The guidance received shows a notable change in tactics from the coordinated Brussels and Paris attacks, with Mr Stritzel being urged to be quick to operate. The more time you take the more chances there are for failure, a recruiter said. Please just be careful since the arrests in Germany are increasing. The reporter said he was repeatedly approached by at least two agents who urged him to launch an attack, giving him advice on how to word his claim of responsibility. Investigators said his contacts included an Isis supporter who carried out an arson attack on a Shia community centre in Sweden last year, and evidence suggests the group has multiple agents working in several languages to recruit attackers across Europe. Ben Wallace, the security minister, said encrypted messaging between planners and attackers had been used ahead of several recent atrocities. That I am afraid is common throughout every one of these incidents and there is also a role of watching videos online to either prepare themselves or train themselves, he added. I think that they are both, I am afraid, current occurrences in these terrorist attacks. The Government is intensifying efforts to remove extremist propaganda from the internet, taking down 250,000 pieces of data or videos so far. Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp and other technology firms have been working with governments across the world to limit the use of their platforms. Despite their efforts, Isis propaganda remains available through conventional online platforms, with The Independent accessing a bomb-making manual and knife attack instructions in less than a minute.
Russian Nerve Agent Attack : Complete Hoax? (Updated) I have some experience with NBC (Nuclear/Biological/Chemical) weapons. Ian is right. A non-fatal dose of nerve agent is recovered from immediately. Bio-toxins are not. We are describing a bio-toxin, not a nerve agent. I got an accidental minuscule hit of sarin a decade ago. I dropped like a rock but recovered in less than 5 minutes. Aftereffects were 0. Damage is through paralysis of the autonomic nerve system, not through organ damage as with toxins. Toxins can shut down nerve systems but also cause organ damage as well requiring life support. Nearly all are natural in origin and transferred through touch with DMSO or ingested. Issues are dehydration, pneumonia and liver/kidney failure. Any idiot can access these. A former close friend, now deceased Mossad officer Eduardo Leonardi (real first name Lenny used to sell this stuff to pay his back child support. Israel whacked him for it while he was working as an emergency physician at Mt. Sinai in Miami. Details like this are inserted to remind people that information is out there.) Now to Ian: * It has been two weeks now since retired military intelligence officer Mr Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, were found slumped on a bench in Salisbury city centre, they remain critically ill in hospital after allegedly being poisoned by an unknown chemical substance. A few days later the chemical was allegedly identified by experts at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) at Porton Down  Britains military research base, the identity being announced when Prime Minister Theresa May told MPs that Porton Down had identified the substance used as being part of a group of military-grade nerve agents developed by the Soviet Union known as Novichok. May had pointed the finger of blame at Russia almost immediately after the Skripals were hospitalised; but now she had this alleged evidence of the use of a Russian nerve agent, she went full bore on the Russia did it narrative. May said on Thursday during a visit to Salisbury, the site of the attack in Wiltshire: We do hold Russia culpable for this brazen, brazen act and despicable act Its a load of old Novichoks As I wrote a week ago, in my prior article on the Skripal case, I do not, for one second, believe the governments narrative nor do I think Russia is to blame. As more time passes and more embarrassing rhetoric is issued by the British government, I become ever more convinced that the whole thing, the entire narrative, is a scripted psyop rather than a real incident. Maybe the Skripals were indeed dosed with something, but I am pretty damn sure it wasnt Novichok or any other nerve agent. Considering both Skripals and the policeman that fell ill are still alive, either it was a very weak, ineffective nerve agent or the dose they received was very tiny indeed  we are told that a pinhead sized drop of VX, developed in the 1950s by the British, is sufficient to kill and that these Novichok things can be upto 8 times more deadly, so were the Skripals really poisoned with a nerve agent? Then there is the strangely muted government response where they took several days to issue any instructions to the public as to what precautions to take if they might have come into contact with this nerve agent in any of the places police had sealed off around Salisbury. The government simply told people to wash the clothes they had been wearing, preferably in a washing machine and to wipe any objects they couldnt wash, such as mobile phones and spectacles, with baby wipes. This doesnt sound like the correct way to deal with a deadly nerve agent, surely anyone who had been exposed would have already fallen ill in the 3 or 4 days it took to issue even this warning, but no-one has reported feeling ill. So it really doesnt sound like there was any deadly nerve agent, advanced Russian one or not, at play here, in fact, it sounds more like a scripted false narrative, something the British government has a track record in; the Saddam and his stockpiles of WMDs fiasco that lead to the death of Dr. David Kelly and the Invasion of Iraq being one of the more prominent and recent examples. The appearance of this photograph only served to strengthen my suspicions: The British Retaliation On Wednesday, the British government gave 23 Russian diplomats, identified as undeclared intelligence officers, one week to leave, in the largest mass expulsion in the UK in more than 30 years. There is no alternative conclusion other than that the Russian state was culpable, Mrs May told Parliament, calling it an unlawful use of force. Other measures taken against Russia include: Increased checks on private flights, customs and freight The freezing of Russian state assets where there is evidence they may be used to threaten the life or property of UK nationals or residents Ministers and Royal Family members to boycott the World Cup in Russia later this year The suspension of all planned high level bilateral contacts between the UK and Russia Plans to consider new laws to increase defences against hostile state activity. This could come through a British version of the 2012 US Magnitsky act, which punishes Russians involved in corruption and human rights violations with asset freezes and travel bans. MPs have pushed for a Magnitsky amendment to be added to the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Bill going through Parliament The UK will also create a new chemical weapons defence centre, Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has said. Announcing the measure, Mr Williamson acted in a most unbecoming way for a senior politican when he said Russia should go away  it should shut up. The facility is to be located at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in Porton Down, just 8 miles from Salisbury where the Skripals were allegedly poisoned. Boris Piles on the Lies While Williamson uttered perhaps the most embarrassing and childish piece of rhetoric, it was Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson who lead the verbal assault on Russia and two days ago he ramped up the barrage of lies by claiming that Russia has been stockpiling the nerve agent used in the attack. Johnson told the BBCs Andrew Marr Show: We actually have evidence within the last 10 years that Russia has not only been investigating the delivery of nerve agents for the purposes of assassination, but has also been creating and stockpiling Novichok. Adding further insult by once again resorting to the crudest innuendo, Johnson said Russias reaction to the incident: was not the response of a country that really believes itself to be innocent. On the same day, the UK foreign office said it had information indicating that: Within the last decade, Russia has investigated ways of delivering nerve agents likely for assassination. Part of this programme has involved producing and stockpiling quantities of novichok. No evidence whatsoever had been presented to support any of the claims that Russia did it that have been made by the British government; neither does it seem that either Johnson or May feel the need to put forward any evidence to support their claims. I doubt any real evidence to incriminate Russia will be forthcoming and whatever is presented will be fraudulent, I firmly believe we are being sold a completely fake narrative, just the latest installment in the ongoing and long running demonisation of Putins Russia. The Skripal case is just the latest in a long-running campaign to demonise Putin and stir up fear and loathing of Russia. Last August I reported on the fabricated news story that Russia was planning to invade Europe: Then there is the whole Russian doping scandal that enveloped the Olympics, again many people in Britain rightly viewed that fiasco as being politically motivated, and now we have the upcoming football World Cup to be held in Russia, another sporting event that looks likely to be overshadowed by the political situation. Hosting the world cup should be a major boost to Russian prestige, but it threatens to become a poisoned chalice. The influx of tens of thousands of foreign fans presents the Russian authorities with a huge problem, not just the usual issues of hooliganism and alcohol-fuelled violence that accompany ever major international football tournament. The world cup is the perfect opportunity to enact a psy op that gravely damages Russias image on the world stage, to paint the country and its police as brutal, ruthless and cruel. It would be very easy to insert operators into the vast throngs of fans who are tasked with instigating violence, of manufacturing confrontations with the Russian police with the intention of provoking a response that can be sold to the worlds press as being brutal and unnecessarily violent. A few dead fans would provide them with ample ammunition to unleash a black propaganda onslaught on the Russian authorities. There is, however, reason to take a less gloomy view of the prospect of escalating the campaign of demonisation into an actual conflict with Russia. Talking to people locally, it seems a good deal of the British public are not buying this Russia did it narrative and realise that it is just part of an ongoing demonisation of Putin. This gives me hope that whatever nefarious plans are in the works, it will not be possible to trick the British public into supporting the government should the rhetoric and propaganda escalate into an attempt to start an actual conflict  the British people have no appetite for war with Russia. 19 COMMENTS The narrative of Russia being an innocent, unjustly vilified party in all these shenanigans quickly falls to sand when Israel & Russias deep ties are fully investigated. I have no doubt that this nerve agent fiasco is utter nonsense but the bigger play by these global elites remains to be seen. One thing you can be sure of  it will involve war, it will be in the middle east & it will serve the best interests of Greater Israel, Russia & The Sons of The City of London. This is a complete farce, a joke, like the one about a two-seater plane that crashes in a cemetery. May deploys local rescue services and after 9 hours is informed by Boris Johnson (Johnson conveniently is Cockney rhyming slang for  wazool) have recovered 436 bodies and are still digging. Why they do it? For the MONEY . . . Britain will invest 48 million pounds ($67 million) in a new chemical warfare defense center at its Porton Down military research laboratory, Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said on Thursday. Good . . . maybe theyll be able to buy MORE of those cutesy HAZ MAT outfits. Don we now our gay apparel! Is this the way they create jobs these daze? Cant bomb Yemen, so well fake a snooze story, invest in the labor-atory and buy supplies . . . suppLIES for all. The vendors clap. THANKS RUSSIA, says Theresa Bloody Mary May. Youre not only the red herring but our scapegoat! WHEW . . . we have GOT to remain empireish. If Porton Down is the WORLD CLASS FACILITY, and so high-tech that it could identify the nerve agent . . . within daze . . . then why would it need more (tax payer) money? Seems as though theyve been doing a good job of being state of the art, high-tech, blah, blah, blah, no?!?!? They need more (tax payer) money to make it mo better?!?!? Since they already could identify the nerve agent at Proton Down On Our Knees facility, and in so doing, blamed the entire nation of RUSSIA has being the culprits behind it all, yeah, go down on me some more. My wank hasnt been pulled enough . . . . Proton Down is nominated for this years PUTZ PULLER award in Chemistry.https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-russia-williamson/uk-to-invest-48-million-pounds-in-new-chemical-weapons-defense-center-idUSKCN1GR1IR I am an English football fan , amongst other things , and if I was Putin I would ban English fans from entering Russia for the upcoming world cup. Our politicians need to be ridiculed and punished for this BS false flag . Where are the updates from the hospitals ? How is the policeman doing ? The photo is a deffo give away and amusing to think how incompetent they are these days at their fake happenings. Maybe that will bring the wanted outrage they are waiting for, but when sport is abused for political gains it is worth nothing and fails the goal of spirit of sports. Or sport will also be a racket with other sort of weapons? No one cares about them at another white helmet stage. Litvinenko, highly likely poisoned with polonium was 24 hours online. Skripals are hidden. No pictures, no video, no documents. The british Boris and May annouced that they will dig out from the graves several Russians like Berezovski in order to examine their bodies for highly likely toxic attack. Let them do this fake. Did anyone listen to Amy Goodmans interview with Brazils ex-president Mr. LuLu yesterday? He is an ex-president of Brazil, and the current leading presidential candidate in Brazils upcoming elections. Of course any talk about election interfering by the US has to mention the Ukraine, and the ME nations however, Brazil must be included. Very flagrant US election rigging goes on in the worlds 6th most populous country. Anyone who cares to spend an hour researching why Brazils president Dilma Rousseffs was given the boot will find it leads directly to Wall Street and, Clintons State Department with an easy tie in to big oil. An easier clue can be found in bags gathering dust in some evidence locker in Sao Palo. In August 2015 in Sao Palo six shooters killed 15 in 3 separate seemingly coordinated attacks. If you think that is odd add to the curious; the shell casings found at the scenes were traced back to ammunition purchased by our very own DHS, and attackers were over heard asking some victims if they had criminal records before killing them. This was covered in the Guardian at the time it happened. Lula and Dilma are accused of corruption while Jewish Billionaire Temer is a Brasilian President who openly buys votes from the opposition! The Jewish elite runs many countries in South America since WW2, Brasil is no exception. Very strange though that especially in Brasils 60/70ties the hidden elite massively pulling strings in Brasilian politics/military dictatorships were mostly involving German Jews and German Nazis having fled Europe after WW2, in quite a cosy and very friendly business relationship. Freemasons were everywhere where power was found in Brasil these days. The timing is curious as well, with the Cambridge scandal being viewed across the world. Elections in foreign countries being tampered with using honey traps, bribery, fake internet personas and illegal data gathering, The deflection toward Russia now looks like a child with chocolate on his face blaming the dog for the missing candy bars. It all makes sense, now, and the open admission on tape of Nix, incredulously explains he uses Israel for intelligence gathering in the process. Britain and Israel have very much egg on their face. The fact that the US has not yet , summoned the British ambassador to the senate, tells us how much influence Britain and Israel have directly over our government, a complete disdain for our sovereignty. Those gob-shites walking around in space suits straight out of the movies (Contagion, anyone?) with the regular fireman looking onnonplussed, it seems, to boot. What a classic photo. And another clanger to reveal that yes, indeed this is just another stinking pile of fake BS. Am forwarding the article and the pic as we speak. This drama is too far-fetched to be believable, and maybe part of the set up of another false flag chemical attack in Syria where they can shout Assad did it and Russian supplied nerve agents. People are waking up, its not working any more and they are getting more desperate and careless. Good article. As 9/11s go, this was a pretty amateurish event. They made absolutely no effort. Maybe thats the whole point. Its a bit of muscle-flexing to show Russia how easily they can smear them with no evidence and no written script  just turn up with some bunny suits and stand around for a while and the whole World will lap it up. DISCLOSURE NOTICE TO ALL VISITORS: All content herein is owned by author exclusively. Expressed opinions are NOT necessarily the views of VT, authors, affiliates, advertisers, sponsors, partners, technicians or Veterans Today Network (VT). Some content may be satirical in nature. All images within are full responsibility of author and NOT VT.About VT  Full Disclosure, Fake News Policy and Legal Notice  Comment Policy
Salih Khater (Salihk Hater) was the driver who ploughed a Ford Fiesta into a barrier outside of Parliament at just after half past seven of the hour, this past Tuesday gone. However, he wasnt the only one making crazy manoeuvres on the streets of Westminster amongst all the skittled cyclists as they headed to work. The driver of the mystery van also cut across a reservation dividing two roads  and he wasnt the only other civilian doing something naughty. In fact, there was so much going on in a matter of a minute or so of footage captured by the BBC (from the same equipment that captured the Westminster Bridge incident in 2017, no doubt), that altogether it started to scream false flag attack. Naturally, the fun and games have not been demonstrated to the public in all their glorious fullness; only the suspicious meanderings of the mystery van have achieved examination  and exoneration. Evidently, this vehicle made itself so conspicuous as to intrude upon whatever simple narrative was going to serve as an explanation for Khaters stunt performance, and as such needed to be discussed by official parties out in the open in order to encourage the public to rationalise it as being perfectly normal. Reader, take note: a new record for the quickest time after an incident where the Establishment acts to counter a conspiracy theory. Indeed, the mystery van was such a sore thumb sticking out that it was raised by reporters at a press briefing by the head of counter-terrorism at the Metropolitan Police, Neil Basu (the latter-day Inspector Lestrade of Salisbury debacle fame) so that he could refer to it, and sweep it out of anyones further notice: No, Ive heard that this morning. There wasnt a police car in pursuit of the vehicle. This information comes from the Daily Mail, the only big corporate-media that gives room for the story on internet pages one doesnt have to pay for (a reference to the Telegraph). The Mails treatment will be related in due course  its quite obvious by the time one reads to the end of it what the objective is. To appreciate the array of odd behaviour on display in the BBC footage of the so-called terror attack outside Parliament on the 14th August, one needs to understand the lay of the roads thereabouts. The A3212 runs parallel to the Thames with Parliament on its left, and the Square on its right. At the corner of Parliament Square, there is a choice to bend around to the right to travel perpendicularly with the river along the southern edge of the garden area, or to tend to the left and continue, eventually, to Millbank. It is off this south-heading section of the A3212 that there is a slip road leading to the St Stephens entrance of the Westminster Palace  for authorised vehicles, of course. Khater found himself in a barrier placed across the road to stop those who arent authorised. This south-to-north section of the A3212 merges into the western-travelling traffic after the right-hand bend (abovementioned), so essentially there are three pieces of road at the south-east corner of Parliament Square that are separated from each other by central reservations. The arrangement is plain to see on the map below: As far as the main incident goes  that is, the erratic journey of the silver Ford Fiesta that everyone is supposed to know about  it starts after Khater has already entered the bend. For pictorial assistance to understanding events, please refer to the image array  basically a post containing all the images, and more, mentioned in this text  at the FBEL page here. Moments later, an ambulance on a call (its lights flashing) that has weaved from the very left-hand side of the road into the very right-hand side, speeds past Khater, who turns, as if triggered to do it, sharply onto the reservation that separates the bend and the south-to-north section of the A3212. Luckily (by design, some might say) traffic lights have stopped oncoming vehicles so that Khater can drive the wrong way along a one-way road without coming to any harm, and over the reservation onto the A3212 going south. He then swerves onto the slip road  and the rest is history. By the way  some cyclists waiting on the reservations to cross got knocked over. So much for the main plot. In the background behind the Fiat is a silver van with its lights on (Fig. 1). This is the mystery van, and it probably starts to veer to the left from its starting position on the right hand side of the road when the ambulance gets in between it and the Fiesta (Fig.2). In doing this, the mystery van starts to cut up another vehicle  what we will call the paddy wagon for reasons about to be revealed. These two vehicles, and a third to their right, proceed to come to a halt  so presumably they are all stopped by traffic lights (Fig. 4). The mystery van is still waiting by the time the Fiesta has crossed the two central reservations in the junction complex at the south-east corner of Parliament Square (Fig. 5), but finally moves  technically jumping the lights  to cut in front of the paddy wagon just as the Fiesta is about to enter the slip road to the St Stephens entrance (Fig. 6). Moreover, the mystery van then itself cuts over central reservation to follow the Fiesta. Note  it does this before the Fiesta crashes, so it is not motivated by good will to a fellow driver whose crash might have appeared to have been an accident. Indeed, the person driving the mystery van is not a typical vehicle operator on the streets of London because he shows too much interest in a car that is about to commit a terror attack. Moreover, the driver of the mystery van gets stuck behind another vehicle, a white van (seen manoeuvring into position in Fig. 3), and cannot possibly see that the Fiesta has crashed, but is still in a tremendous hurry to keep up with it. This is demonstrated by the way it continuously showed its right-hand headlight along the side of the white van, which was travelling sedately, as if it was always looking for a way to pass even by mounting the kerb. In fact, the driver of the mystery van did put more than a wheel over the line to do this in the end so that it could stop in front of the white van near the scene of the crash (Fig. 7). Without a doubt, someone from the police or the security services has been caught tailing a terror suspect immediately prior to the attack he was about to commit. The Establishment has dealt with this officially and unofficially. Basu of the Met Police denied the police tail, as we have seen, but also made it be known that Mi5 had never heard of Khater. The distancing from the suspect is therefore complete in a way that rarely happens in such a case. Unofficially, at least one ex-policeman and Scotland Yard detective, David Videcette, has had his expert opinion telegraphed for public consumption. The following is from the Mail article linked to above: Experts, including retired Met detective David Videcette, who worked in counter-terrorism on 7/7, believes the Transit [mystery van] may have had a police officer behind the wheel. But it could [have] be[en] (sic) on a different job and noticed the strange behaviour of the driver. He said: There appears to be silver Transit van following the Fiesta, the van has its lights on. The silver van carries on following the Fiesta wherever it goes. The consensus between those of us who are ex-Police, is that this is likely an unmarked police vehicle, who spotted the Fiesta acting strangely before it rammed the barrier. He added: Perhaps the Fiesta was just on hostile reconnaissance, never intended on an attack today, but then realised hed been spotted by someone, and hence carried out the attack in a small vehicle? The question that leaps out to the reader is how did Khater know that the police were operating an unmarked vehicle? He would only know if he was an insider on the operation. From the perspective of an Establishment voice whose experience of state crime includes involvement in the 7/7 bombings, there are no patsies who are insiders on the operation. Therefore, Videcettes opinion cancels itself into nothing. His contribution is merely to encourage people not to think too much. The authors opinion is this: the mystery van interjected when the driver saw the white van following the Fiesta  this is why it was in such a hurry to get past and in front of what was very likely a civilian vehicle getting itself into a position, by freak chance, that it shouldnt have been in. Fig. 11 of the image array shows the white van turned back into the northward traffic, and the mystery van has effectively blocked the road. This would imply that the mystery van was part of a convoy to get the Fiesta to the right place at the right time  and that convoy could well have involved a marked police vehicle. It is quite devastating stuff for whatever is left of the reputation of the state crime enablers formerly known as UK police forces. The reader must understand that study of such events has taught the author a fact: there is not an arrangement that is ever too complex to rule it out from being employed by Government to perpetrate its state crime. And in this event, it is quite possible that the traffic lights on the junction complex coming from the south into Parliament Square were set to red at an appointed time, and then stayed red for an interminable time (and undeterminable time as far as we are concerned) for the purposes of the operation. Fig.12 of the image array shows a line of traffic coming from the south that has, at its head, the same vehicles that were waiting there when the incident started. For whatever other reason there was for closing down the flow of traffic at that point by traffic lights, this much we do know  it allowed speedy access for medical assistance to attend to all those unlucky cyclists. The reader might be astonished to learn that an ambulance arrived on the scene coming the wrong way up this road 39 seconds after the Fiesta crashed into that barrier (Fig. 10). The south-to-north road into the junction complex was also the scene of its own odd behaviour involving what we are calling the three-point-turn car, and its passenger, who disembarked moments after the Fiesta crashed (see Figs. 13-19). This man runs across all the roads to stand by yards away from the Fiesta, where he appears to signal with a raised hand. This is extraordinary, as there are also police present at the scene, amongst them, the ones famously leaping out of the way of the crashing vehicle (the same ones who may yet be decorated for bravery, by all accounts). And yet, this character is permitted to stand by the vehicle belonging to the suspect in a crime unmolested. Not only that, the three-point-turn car starts to manoeuvre, in the manner described by the appellation given to it, just as soon as its passenger starts crossing the roads. Eventually it is turned so that it can drive across the central reservation, and down into the crash scene. If the reader consults Fig. 11 of the image array, this car is very likely the one that is seen parked next to the mystery van. Again, the occupants of this vehicle have too much interest in the Fiesta, and act with too much authority for them to be well meaning passers-by. While this case is already possibly the dopiest false flag attack that ever took place in the history of the world, the floundering British Authorities are not through being incompetent yet. The police appear to be briefing the corporate-media, who is telling its audience that Khater is not playing ball. Apparently, he was in London to collect a Sudanese visa  thats his story and he appears to be sticking to it (police have applied for more time for questioning). Does it indicate a patsy who figured it out a la James Earl Ray? Well, theres a lot more can happen before we should start to speculate. Suffice it to say (and this is the authors opinion) they might not even be able to get him on a count of attempted murder, let alone terrorism.  Heres something very interesting. It appears that there is an attempt to explain the paddy wagon away as an ambulance. The Wikipedia entry for the incident says: An ambulance immediately behind the Ford stopped and gave assistance to the injured. [Basu] added the attacker was not been pursued by police before he struck the entrance to the Palace of Westminster and that the blue lights seen behind him in footage of the incident were those of an ambulance coincidentally answering a separate emergency call. Basu is talking about the ambulance that sped past the Fiesta. There was no ambulance immediately behind the Fiesta to give assistance. Below is an image of the paddy wagon (at the centre, in the front) and the weaving ambulance (on the right as the viewer looks at it) together at the top of the shot. The paddy wagon clearly does not have the same NHS yellow-green hue. The author is of the opinion that an effort to misrepresent the nature of the one vehicle behind the Fiesta that did actually stop is evidence that it was a police vehicle after all.  Update 17/08/18: The following is from the Evening Standard, written, it says, by a man named Justin Davenport (because it is about time that names started to be noted in connection with journalism to aid and abet State Crime). What it constitutes is an attempt to explain the mystery van  now white in colour  as driven by a sort of have-a-go hero. The authors criticism has been added in brackets, and by emphasis in bold. A mystery white van seen pursuing the alleged terrorist who drove into cyclists outside the Houses of Parliament was a member of the public trying to stop the attack, it emerged today. [Passing off unsubstantiated claims as fact and relying on an appeal to authority]. The unknown male driver of the Ford Transit van spotted suspect Salih Khaters car veering into the security lane and immediately changed direction to give pursuit. [The male driver cannot be unknown if security services then retail a yarn about his adventures from his perspective. Rather, this civilian has been invented]. He raced after the suspect but became stuck behind another vehicle as Khaters Ford Fiesta smashed into a security barrier. [This confirms that the Evening Standard is claiming that the mystery van was driven by a well-meaning civilian]. At first there was speculation that the mystery van was a police surveillance team who were secretly following Khater. [Basically the copper on another job fable didnt cut the mustard]. However security sources confirmed that the driver was a member of the public who wanted to help. [The appeal to authority; it must be true because some unaccountable shadowy figures insist upon it]. A source said: He stopped when he saw the car crash into the barriers. He wanted to help but when he saw the armed police arrive so quickly he realised there was little he could do. [A source invented. In fact, the tale might just as well be a creation of the articles writer, Davenport]. Of course, this information, which wont name the driver despite his having made himself known to security services, apparently, to reveal his intentions, and which comes from an unnamed source from organisations that cannot be trusted, will appear highly unreliable  and a bit stupid  to the few of us who can think. However, the magic does work on the Muggles, and there are many, many more of them. It's important to donate to FBEL - please see here to find out whyA PayPal account not required. This talking point established incredibly (suspiciously) quickly after Russian admit apparent loss of aircraft; a Twitter brigade materialised like a school of piranhas. #Latakiatwitter.com/rabrowne75/sta
MI5 launches inquiry into whether it could have prevented Westminster terrorist attack Britains domestic intelligence agency MI5 has launched an internal inquiry into whether it could have stopped Westminster terrorist Khalid Masood  an ex-convict who it investigated in the past, but had dropped off its radar. MI5 will face questions, as it did after the London bombings in 2005 and the murder of soldier Lee Rigby in 2013, about why the attacker slipped through the net. Prime Minister Theresa May told MPs that Masood, 52, was investigated by MI5 some years ago but was not part of the current intelligence picture. She added there was no prior intelligence of his intent or the plot [for the Wednesday attack]. Police and security services monitor 3,000 Britons, mainly Islamists, regarded as capable of domestic terrorism. Of these, about 500 are the subject of active investigations, while only a limited number are targets of physical surveillance. Masood was regarded as so peripheral he was not even on the list of 3,000. Security agencies have repeatedly warned it is difficult to guard against unsophisticated lone wolf attacks like the one mounted by Masood. When more than one person is involved, there is a chance of picking up the plan through informers or electronic surveillance. Ex-GCHQ chief Sir Francis Richards says its not a question of whether attacks like this take place but when. Speaking to BBC Radio 4, he said: I think the security service has been absolutely consistent for more than the last 10 years in warning that its not a question of whether attacks like this take place but when. This is a low-tech attack, anybody with a driving license could physically have carried it out. Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) has claimed its soldier carried out the attack, responding to a call for attacking citizens of coalition states. Richards believes the likelihood of an organic connection between IS and Masood is small. Its very likely he has been radicalized  Ive seen speculation that he was radicalized in prison by contact with violent extremists there. And I expect there will be a discussion of how wise it is to allow violent extremists to associate with vulnerable criminals in prisons. Richards said Masood became Muslim without, one suspects, knowing a great deal about Islam. I suspect that he would have been a person with serious identity problems and vulnerable to the kind of extremist recruitment that happens both in prisons and indeed on the internet. Top anti-terrorism cop hits out at nonsense from armchair critics Meanwhile, Scotland Yards top anti-terrorism officer, Mark Rowley, has hit out at armchair critics who are criticizing security services following the Westminster attack. Rowley made the comments to reporters after it emerged Deputy Commissioner Craig McKay had been rushed away from the scene of the crime on Wednesday. McKay, who is temporarily in charge of the Metropolitan Police, was in Parliament for a routine meeting when the incident occurred. Its frustrating when we are wrestling with an incident like this and the acting commissioner is doing an amazing job, that we get nonsense from armchair critics, Rowley said. Can we focus please on the investigation and the public appeal. Who is Khalid Masood? MI5 is building a detailed file on Masoods background and recreating his movements over the last few weeks. So far 2,700 items have been seized and 3,500 witness statements taken, with five searches ongoing and 16 searches already concluded. Police have revealed that Masood, born in Kent and reportedly a convert to Islam later in life, had a string of aliases. His birth name was Adrian Russell Ajao, although this was earlier reported as Adrian Elms. Masood was described by police as a criminal with a 20-year record of offending, who had once been investigated for extremism but was assessed as low risk. His first conviction was in 1983 for criminal damage and his last conviction was in December 2003 for possession of a knife. He was married with three children, and had been living with his family in an inner city suburb of Birmingham, police say. According to reports, Masood claimed on his CV to have taught English in Saudi Arabia in 2005 and returned to the UK in 2009, where he became a senior English teacher at a TEFL college in Luton. In 2012, he reportedly set up an English language tutoring business, named IQRA, based in Birmingham. As police search for any evidence of a wider conspiracy, eight people remain in custody after properties across the UK were raided. Leslie Rhodes, 75, was named by police as the fourth victim to die in the attack. From Streatham in South London, Rhodes died in hospital on Thursday night after life support was withdrawn as a result of injuries he sustained during the attack. The three other victims killed in the attack were police officer Keith Palmer, 48, teacher Aysha Frade, 43, and US citizen Kurt Cochran, 54. Rowley said at least 50 people were injured with 31 requiring hospital treatment. Two people remain in a critical condition.
Update: The Metropolitan Police says counter-terror officers are carrying out searches at three addresses in the Midlands as part of their investigation. One is in Nottingham, a flat in the Radford/Arboretum area, and two are in Birmingham. It has also been revealed the suspect is a 29-year-old man, who is a UK national, and he is still not cooperating with police. The car he allegedly used, a silver Ford Fiesta, was privately owned and traveled from Birmingham to London late on Monday night. Previous report: A man has been arrested on suspicion of terror offenses after three people were injured when a car crashed into security barriers outside Parliament. The silver Ford Fiesta hit cyclists and pedestrians at 7.37 a.m. before crashing into the security barriers. Sky sources say the suspect, a man in his 20s, has been identified and is known to police in the Midlands, where he is from. Three people were treated at the scene, two of whom were taken to the hospital. A woman has serious but not life-threatening injuries while a man has been discharged. The incident is being investigated by counter-terror officers. The driver, wearing a white shirt and a black hooded puffer jacket, was detained at the scene. The man was led backwards away from the car, which was registered in Nottingham, after police held him at the scene for a few moments. The Metropolitan Police said: "There was nobody else in the vehicle, which remains at the scene and is being searched. No weapons have been recovered at this stage." In a statement, Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said: "There is no intelligence at this time of further danger to Londoners or to the rest of the UK connected to this incident. "Our priority is to formally establish the identity of the suspect and his motivation if we can. He is not currently cooperating." He said it appeared the suspect had not previously been known to MI5. A number of armed officers appear to have now been stood down at the scene, and forensics officers have begun investigations. A later update added: "While we are keeping an open mind, the Met's counter-terrorism command is leading the investigation into the #Westminster incident." The Met has appealed for information from anyone nearby at the time of the incident. An ambulance passes the car on its right-hand side, and the car swerves left, crossing oncoming traffic and the pavement, before crashing into the barrier. A police officer jumps out of the way as the crash happens. Slideshow by photo services British Transport Police said they would have more officers on patrol around the country after the incident. Superintendent Chris Horton said: "We know incidents such as this are likely to cause concern, so our officers will be highly visible both on board trains and at stations. "We are there to reassure the traveling public so please don't be alarmed if you see our officers, including firearms officers, on your journey." One witness said he saw the car hit a cyclist, before accelerating toward the barriers and hitting them. Mark White, Sky's home affairs correspondent, said: "Eyewitnesses are telling us this vehicle was traveling at speed, headed onto the opposite side of the road where a number of cyclists where waiting at the traffic lights, heading into Parliament Square. "The vehicle then collided with those cyclists before crashing into the security barrier." Reports suggest people are being held inside Westminster station at police request. She added: "I was walking on the other side [of the road]. I heard some noise and someone screamed. I turned around and I saw a silver car driving very fast close to the railings, maybe even on the pavement." The suspect did not get out of the car, she added. According to witnesses, cyclists were seen "lying in the road" after the crash. Westminster station was closed for a period of time, while streets around Parliament Square, Millbank and Victoria Tower Gardens were cordoned off but are now starting to reopen. A police vehicle removal truck was waved through at about 12.30 p.m. Parliament is in summer recess, and so there are fewer politicians working in London, but there are numerous other people working nearby. MI5's headquarters is also nearby. One man who witnessed the crash told Sky News it was "very very dramatic." He added: "I seen smoke coming out of a vehicle. It's all been high speed - you've got the specialists coming in  it's been dramatic." Bus driver Victor told Sky News: "I stopped the bus because of the crash, and police told us to move back. "I think it's not a regular traffic accident, because there's a barrier there. So I don't know why someone would drive into the barrier." A COBRA meeting was scheduled to take place at 2 p.m., but no cabinet ministers were expected to attend. Prime Minister Theresa May said: "My thoughts are with those injured in the incident in Westminster and my thanks to the emergency services for their immediate and courageous response." U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted: "Another terrorist attack in London ... These animals are crazy and must be dealt with through toughness and strength!" Sky's policing analyst Graham Wettone said: "The officers will be looking at the actual scene itself, the route the vehicle came in and trying to establish who is behind it and the reason why - and if there is any support network helping this individual - or if it's just literally someone who has had a road traffic collision." "That vehicle is likely to remain in place - they want to make sure it's got nothing in it that's suspicious before they go in and examine it. "In any incident like this we've got so many other important venues and locations, they will be increasing visibility and security patrols just to make sure nothing else happens."
Reports are coming in of a shooting outside the House of Commons. MPs have been locked inside the chamber and police have cordoned off the street outside. All the region's MPs are safe and accounted for, but reports of the incident are still coming in. An air ambulance is outside. Two people were seen lying within Old Palace Yard, immediately outside Westminster Hall. The sitting in the House of Commons has been suspended while police officers sealed off the area around the incident. There was a major security alert at the Palace of Westminster after a man apparently carrying a knife charged through the gates into the front yard of the parliamentary compound. Amid shouts and screams, sounds similar to gunfire rang out. Two people were seen to be lying within Old Palace Yard, immediately outside Westminster Hall. The sitting in the House of Commons was suspended while police officers sealed off the area around the incident. Immediately before the incident, at around 2.45pm, a crowd of passers-by was seen running from the direction of Westminster Bridge and around the corner into Parliament Square. London's mayor speaks My heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones and to everyone who has been affected 19:20 Cambridegshire officers pay their respect 18:52 Pictures of today's events Here are some of the pictures that show the scenes on the streets of the capital today, as terrorism struck at the heart of Britains political establishment. Police close to the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament. Photo: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire Some readers may find these images disturbing. 18:35 Statement from the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn says his thoughts are with the victims, their friends and families 18:18 Metropolitan Police confirm the number of casualties Assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Mark Rowley has confirmed that four people have died and at least 20 have been injured. 18:15 Region's MEP Alex Mayer - event's are "heartbreaking" The serious incidents in Westminster have taken place exactly a year to the day of the terrorist attack in Brussels. Alex Mayer MEP said: The unfolding events in London are heart breaking. Only this morning we commemorated the one year anniversary of the Brussels bombings. My thoughts are with everyone affected and the emergency services that we all rely on at times like this. We need to stay united. Terrorists will never destroy our way of life and democracy must always win. 18:09KEY EVENT Suspected attacker among the dead 18:03KEY EVENT At least four, including police officer, dead Mark Rowley, Acting Dep Commissioner and Head of Counter-Terrorism giving statement - At least four people,including police officer, were killed in attack today 17:50 Sad news 17:48 Policeman reported dead despite best medical efforts 17:46 Former Cambridge reporter on the scene praises people's bravery - especially MP Tobias Ellwood who rushed to administer first aid 17:44 Police give a statement in the wake of the attack They say there are a number of casualties, including police officers. 17:40 MP Mary Creagh tells what happened MP Mary Creagh tells how she was on her way to vote in parliament when she was told there had been an attack. 17:26 Leader of the House suspending the commons Parliament went into lockdown after the attack. This video shows leader of the house David Lidlington addressing the commons. 17:23 PM to chair Cobra meeting Prime Minister Theresa May is to chair a meeting of the Governments emergency Cobra committee to discuss the immediate response to the bloody incident at the Palace of Westminster. The Cobra committee brings together government ministers with senior officials of the emergency services and security and intelligence agencies. Meeting in a briefing room of the Cabinet Office on Whitehall, Cobra co-ordinates the high-level response to serious incidents, and has previously gathered after terrorist atrocities including the July 7 attacks on the London transport network and the murder of soldier Lee Rigby. There was no immediate information on who will attend Wednesdays meeting. 17:21 Junior doctor Colleen Anderson tells of injuries Junior doctor Colleen Anderson tells of treating a police officer for head injuries on Westminster Bridge. 17:14 Bomb squad on the scene? Reports the bomb squad is at the scene dealing with a suspicious package... 17:11 Person in river, knife man and number of people hit by vehicle Police had a number of calls, including ones about a person in river, a knife man and a number of people hit by a vehicle 17:10 Another eyewitness describes the scene This men explains what he experienced. 17:10 Full statement from Commander Harrington following the incident - full counter terrorism investigation underway 17:02 Police officer being treated at the scene 17:01KEY EVENT At least two dead. At least two people have died after a knifeman brought terror to the heart of Westminster, mowing down pedestrians then stabbing a policeman before being shot by armed officers. Eyewitnesses described scenes of terror as the attacker was shot several times as he approached a second officer within yards of the Houses of Parliament. Paramedics fought to save his life and that of his victim on the floor of the cobbled courtyard in front of Parliament with Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood among those who rushed to help. Colleen Anderson, a junior doctor at St Thomas hospital, said a woman was killed as the attacker drove a grey Hyundai i40 across Westminster Bridge before crashing it into railings then running through the gates of the Palace of Westminster. She also said she treated a police officer in his 30s with a head injury who had been take to Kings College hospital. She said: I confirmed one fatality. A woman. She was under the wheel of a bus. She died. Confirmed her death at the scene. At least one of the people being treated in the palace courtyard was wheeled away on a stretcher with their face covered. The attack left a trail of destruction as paramedics tended to victims on the bridge and at the gate. Prime Minister Theresa May was seen being ushered into a silver Jaguar in the grounds of the palace as what sounded like gunfire rang out at around 2.45pm. A Downing Street source confirmed she was OK. Eyewitness Rick Longley described the attack. We were just walking up to the station and there was a loud bang and a guy, someone, crashed a car and took some pedestrians out. They were just laying there and then the whole crowd just surged around the corner by the gates just opposite Big Ben. A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman. I have never seen anything like that. I just cant believe what I just saw. 17:00 Footage shows person being treated outside parliament This clip from Marco Di Salvo shows a person being treated outside parliament. 16:55KEY EVENT Reports lock-down has been lifted More as we get it - MPs appear to be leaving parliament 16:48 Woman dead. Others reported to have "catastrophic" injuries 16:46 Multiple casualties confirmed 16:44 London Eye locked down with people on board 16:40 Heidi Allen MP pays tribute to the police 16:32 "We knew it was something big" A witness who had just crossed the Thames from Parliament describes what he saw happen. 16:32KEY EVENT South East Cambridgeshire MP Lucy Frazer: "There has been a tragic incident" South East Cambridgeshire MP Lucy Frazer said: I am fine, but we are all locked in. There has been a tragic incident and none of us know a lot about it or what has happened, but we are all being kept secure in Westminster Hall until we are told we can go again.
JUST WATCHED 'Engage but beware': UK PM cautions Trump on Putin MUST WATCH 'Engage but beware': UK PM cautions Trump on Putin03:52 (CNN)Majority Leader (Mitch) McConnell, Mr. Speaker, distinguished members of the Senate and representatives of the House. I would like to thank Congress and the Congressional Institute for the invitation to be here today. The opportunity to visit the United States is always special. And to be invited to be the first serving head of government to address this important conference is an honor indeed. I defy any person to travel to this great country at any time and not to be inspired by its promise and its example. For more than two centuries, the very idea of America -- drawn from history and given written form in a small hall not far from here -- has lit up the world. That idea -- that all are created equal and that all are born free -- has never been surpassed in the long history of political thought. Read More And it is here -- on the streets and in the halls of this great city of Philadelphia -- that the founding fathers first set it down, that the textbook of freedom was written, and that this great nation that grew "from sea to shining sea" was born. Since that day, it has been America's destiny to bear the leadership of the free world and to carry that heavy responsibility on its shoulders. But my country, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, has been proud to share that burden and to walk alongside you at every stage. For the past century, Britain and America -- and the unique and special relationship that exists between us -- have taken the idea conceived by those "56 rank-and-file, ordinary citizens," as President Reagan called them, forward. And because we have done so, time and again it is the relationship between us that has defined the modern world. One hundred years ago this April, it was your intervention in the First World War that helped Britain, France, our friends in the Commonwealth and other allies to maintain freedom in Europe. A little more than 75 years ago, you responded to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor by joining Britain in the Second World War and defeating fascism not just in the Pacific but in Africa and Europe, too. And later, in the aftermath of these wars, our two countries led the West through the Cold War, confronting communism and ultimately defeating it not just through military might, but by winning the war of ideas. And by proving that open, liberal, democratic societies will always defeat those that are closed, coercive and cruel. But the leadership provided by our two countries through the special relationship has done more than win wars and overcome adversity. It made the modern world. The institutions upon which that world relies were so often conceived or inspired by our two nations working together. JUST WATCHED May: International institutions need reforming MUST WATCH May: International institutions need reforming01:21 The United Nations -- in need of reform, but vital still -- has its foundations in the special relationship, from the original Declaration of St James' Palace to the Declaration by United Nations, signed in Washington, and drafted themselves by Winston Churchill and President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The World Bank and International Monetary Fund, born in the postwar world at Bretton Woods, were conceived by our two nations working together. And NATO -- the cornerstone of the West's defense -- was established on the bonds of trust and mutual interests that exist between us. Some of these organizations are in need of reform and renewal to make them relevant to our needs today. But we should be proud of the role our two nations -- working in partnership -- played in bringing them into being, and in bringing peace and prosperity to billions of people as a result. Because it is through our actions over many years, working together to defeat evil or to open up the world, that we have been able to fulfill the promise of those who first spoke of the special nature of the relationship between us. The promise of freedom, liberty and the rights of man. "We must never cease," Churchill said, "to proclaim in fearless tones the great principles of freedom and the rights of man which are the joint inheritance of the English-speaking world and which through Magna Carta, the Bill of Rights, the Habeas Corpus, trial by jury, and the English common law, find their most famous expression in the American Declaration of Independence." So it is my honor and privilege to stand before you today in this great city of Philadelphia to proclaim them again, to join hands as we pick up that mantle of leadership once more, to renew our special relationship and to recommit ourselves to the responsibility of leadership in the modern world. Change in America And it is my honor and privilege to do so at this time, as dawn breaks on a new era of American renewal. For I speak you not just as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, but as a fellow conservative who believes in the same principles that underpin the agenda of your party. The value of liberty, the dignity of work, the principles of nationhood, family, economic prudence, patriotism, and putting power in the hands of the people. Principles instilled in me from a young age. Principles my parents taught me in the vicarage in southern England in which I was raised. And I know it is these principles that you have put at the heart of your plan for government. And your victory in these elections gives you the opportunity to put them at the heart of this new era of American renewal, too. President Trump's victory, achieved in defiance of all of the pundits and the polls, and rooted not in the corridors of Washington, but in the hopes and aspirations of working men and women across this land, you're part of his victory, in both the Congress and the Senate, where you swept all before you, secured with great effort, and achieved with an important message of national renewal. And because of this, because of what you have done together, because of that great victory you have won, America can be stronger, greater, and more confident in the years ahead. And a newly emboldened, confident America is good for the world. An America that is strong and prosperous at home is a nation that can lead abroad. But you cannot -- and should not -- do so alone. You have said that it is time for others to step up. And I agree. Sovereign countries cannot outsource their security and prosperity to America. And they should not undermine the alliances that keep us strong by failing to step up and play their part. This is something Britain has always understood. It is why Britain is the only country in the G-20 -- other than yours -- to meet its commitment to spend 2% of GDP on defense, and to invest 20% of that in upgrading equipment. It is why Britain is the only country in the G-20 to spend 0.7% of gross national income on overseas development. It is why my first act as Prime Minister last year was to lead the debate in Parliament that ensured the renewal of Britain's independent nuclear deterrent. And it is why the government I lead will increase spending on defense in every year of this Parliament. It is why Britain is a leading member -- alongside the United States -- of the coalition working successfully to defeat Daesh; why we have agreed to send 800 troops to Estonia and Poland as part of NATO's forward presence in Eastern Europe; why we are increasing our troop contribution to NATO's Resolute Support mission that defends the Afghan government from terrorism; and it is why we are reinforcing our commitment to peacekeeping operations in Kosovo, South Sudan and Somalia. And it is why Britain is leading the way in pioneering international efforts to crack down on modern slavery - one of the great scourges of our world - wherever it is found. I hope you will join us in that cause -- and I commend Sen. (Bob) Corker in particular for his work in this field. It is good to have met him here today. As Americans know, the United Kingdom is by instinct and history a great, global nation that recognizes its responsibilities to the world. JUST WATCHED May: We aren't turning our back on EU MUST WATCH May: We aren't turning our back on EU02:33 And as we end our membership of the European Union -- as the British people voted with determination and quiet resolve to do last year -- we have the opportunity to reassert our belief in a confident, sovereign and global Britain, ready to build relationships with old friends and new allies alike. We will build a new partnership with our friends in Europe. We are not turning our back on them, or on the interests and the values that we share. It remains overwhelmingly in our interests -- and in those of the wider world -- that the EU should succeed. And for as long as we remain members we will continue to play our full part, just as we will continue to cooperate on security, foreign policy and trade once we have left. But we have chosen a different future for our country. A future that sees us restore our parliamentary sovereignty and national self-determination, and to become even more global and internationalist in action and in spirit. A future that sees us take back control of the things that matter to us -- things like our national borders and immigration policy, and the way we decide and interpret our own laws -- so that we are able to shape a better, more prosperous future for the working men and women of Britain. A future that sees us step up with confidence to a new, even more internationalist role, where we meet our responsibilities to our friends and allies, champion the international cooperation and partnerships that project our values around the world, and continue to act as one of the strongest and most forceful advocates for business, free markets and free trade anywhere around the globe. This is a vision of a future that my country can unite around -- and that I hope your country, as our closest friend and ally, can welcome and support. Renewed special relationship So as we rediscover our confidence together -- as you renew your nation just as we renew ours -- we have the opportunity -- indeed the responsibility -- to renew the special relationship for this new age. We have the opportunity to lead, together, again. Because the world is passing through a period of change -- and in response to that change we can either be passive bystanders, or we can take the opportunity once more to lead. And to lead together. I believe it is in our national interest to do so. Because the world is increasingly marked by instability and threats that risk undermining our way of life and the very things that we hold dear. The end of the Cold War did not give rise to a new world order. It did not herald the end of history. It did not lead to a new age of peace, prosperity and predictability in world affairs. For some -- the citizens of Central and Eastern Europe in particular -- it brought new freedom. But across the world, ancient ethnic, religious and national rivalries -- rivalries that had been frozen through the decades of the Cold War -- returned. New enemies of the West and our values -- in particular in the form of radical Islamists -- have emerged. And countries with little tradition of democracy, liberty and human rights -- notably China and Russia -- have grown more assertive in world affairs. The rise of the Asian economies -- China yes, but democratic allies like India, too -- is hugely welcome. Billions are being lifted out of poverty and new markets for our industries are opening up. But these events -- coming as they have at the same time as the financial crisis and its fallout, as well as a loss of confidence in the West following 9/11, and difficult military interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan - have led many to fear that, in this century, we will experience the eclipse of the West. But there is nothing inevitable about that. Other countries may grow stronger. Big, populous countries may grow richer. And as they do so, they may start to embrace more fully our values of democracy and liberty. But even if they do not, our interests will remain. Our values will endure. And the need to defend them and project them will be as important as ever. So we -- our two countries together -- have a responsibility to lead. Because when others step up as we step back, it is bad for America, for Britain and the world. It is in our interests -- those of Britain and America together -- to stand strong together to defend our values, our interests and the very ideas in which we believe. This cannot mean a return to the failed policies of the past. The days of Britain and America intervening in sovereign countries in an attempt to remake the world in our own image are over. But nor can we afford to stand idly by when the threat is real and when it is in our own interests to intervene. We must be strong, smart and hard-headed. And we must demonstrate the resolve necessary to stand up for our interests. And whether it is the security of Israel in the Middle East or the Baltic states in Eastern Europe, we must always stand up for our friends and allies in democratic countries that find themselves in tough neighborhoods, too. We each have different political traditions. We will sometimes pursue different domestic policies. And there may be occasions on which we disagree. But the common values and interests that bring us together are hugely powerful. And -- as your foremost friend and ally -- we support many of the priorities your government has laid out for America's engagement with the world. It is why I join you in your determination to take on and defeat Daesh and the ideology of Islamist extremism that inspires them and many others terrorist groups in the world today. It is in both our national interests to do so. This will require us to use the intelligence provided by the finest security agencies in the world. And it will require the use of military might. But it also demands a wider effort. Because one of the lessons of fighting terrorism in the last 15 years or so is yes, killing terrorists can save innocent lives. But until we kill the idea that drives them, the ideology, we will always have to live with this threat. And as they are defeated on the ground, the terrorists are exploiting the internet and social media to spread this ideology that is preying on vulnerable citizens in our own countries, inspiring them to commit acts of terror in our own cities. That is why the UK has led the world in developing a strategy for preventing violent extremism, and why the British and American governments are working together to take on and defeat the ideology of Islamist Extremism. I look forward to working with the President and his Administration to step up our efforts still further in order to defeat this evil ideology. But of course, we should always be careful to distinguish between this extreme and hateful ideology, and the peaceful religion of Islam and the hundreds of millions of its adherents - including millions of our own citizens and those further afield who are so often the first victims of this ideology's terror. And nor is it enough merely to focus on violent extremism. We need to address the whole spectrum of extremism, starting with the bigotry and hatred that can so often turn to violence. Yet ultimately to defeat Daesh, we must employ all of the diplomatic means at our disposal. That means working internationally to secure a political solution in Syria and challenging the alliance between the Syrian regime and its backers in Tehran. JUST WATCHED Trump and May: The new Thatcher and Reagan? MUST WATCH Trump and May: The new Thatcher and Reagan?02:24 When it comes to Russia, as so often it is wise to turn to the example of President Reagan who -- during his negotiations with his opposite number Mikhail Gorbachev -- used to abide by the adage "trust but verify". With President Putin, my advice is to "engage but beware." There is nothing inevitable about conflict between Russia and the West. And nothing unavoidable about retreating to the days of the Cold War. But we should engage with Russia from a position of strength. And we should build the relationships, systems and processes that make cooperation more likely than conflict -- and that, particularly after the illegal annexation of Crimea, give assurance to Russia's neighboring states that their security is not in question. We should not jeopardize the freedoms that President Reagan and Mrs. Thatcher brought to Eastern Europe by accepting President Putin's claim that it is now in his sphere of influence. And progress on this issue would also help to secure another of this nation's priorities -- to reduce Iran's malign influence in the Middle East. This is a priority for the UK too as we support our allies in the Gulf States to push back against Iran's aggressive efforts to build an arc of influence from Tehran through to the Mediterranean. The nuclear deal with Iran was controversial. But it has neutralized the possibility of the Iranians acquiring nuclear weapons for more than a decade. It has seen Iran remove 13,000 centrifuges together with associated infrastructure and eliminate its stock of 20% enriched uranium. That was vitally important for regional security. But the agreement must now be very carefully and rigorously policed -- and any breaches should be dealt with firmly and immediately. Strong institutions and nations To deal with the threats of the modern world, we need to rebuild confidence in the institutions upon which we all rely. In part that means multinational institutions. Because we know that so many of the threats we face today -- global terrorism, climate change, organized crime, unprecedented mass movements of people -- do not respect national borders. So we must turn towards those multinational institutions like the UN and NATO that encourage international cooperation and partnership. But those multinational institutions need to work for the countries that formed them, and to serve the needs and interests of the people of those nations. They have no democratic mandate of their own. So I share your reform agenda and believe that, by working together, we can make those institutions more relevant and purposeful than they are today. I call on others, therefore, to join us in that effort and to ensure they step up and contribute as they should. That is why I have encouraged Antonio Guterres, the new UN Secretary General, to pursue an ambitious reform program, focusing the United Nations on its core functions of peacekeeping, conflict prevention and resolution. And it is why I have already raised with my fellow European leaders the need to deliver on their commitments to spend 2% of their GDP on defense -- and 20% of their defense budgets on equipment. It is also why I have already raised with Jens Stoltenberg -- the Secretary General of NATO -- the need to make sure the Alliance is as equipped to fight terrorism and cyber warfare, as it is to fight more conventional forms of war. America's leadership role in NATO -- supported by Britain -- must be the central element around which the Alliance is built. But alongside this continued commitment, I am also clear that EU nations must similarly step up to ensure this institution that provides the cornerstone of the West's defense continues to be as effective as it can be. Yet the most important institution is -- and should always be -- the nation state. Strong nations form strong institutions. And they form the basis of the international partnerships and cooperation that bring stability to our world. Nations, accountable to their populations -- "deriving" as the Declaration of Independence puts it "their just powers from the consent of the governed" -- can choose to join international organizations, or not. They can choose to cooperate with others, or not. Choose to trade with others, or not. Which is why if the countries of the European Union wish to integrate further, my view is that they should be free to do so. Because that is what they choose. But Britain -- as a sovereign nation with the same values but a different political and cultural history -- has chosen to take a different path. Because our history and culture is profoundly internationalist. We are a European country -- and proud of our shared European heritage -- but we are also a country that has always looked beyond Europe to the wider world. We have ties of family, kinship and history to countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and countries across Africa, the Pacific and Caribbean. And of course, we have ties of kinship, language and culture to these United States too. As Churchill put it, we "speak the same language, kneel at the same altars and, to a very large extent, pursue the same ideals". And, today, increasingly we have strong economic, commercial, defense and political relationships as well. So I am delighted that the new Administration has made a trade agreement between our countries one of its earliest priorities. A new trade deal between Britain and America must work for both sides and serve both of our national interests. It must help to grow our respective economies and to provide the high-skilled, high-paid jobs of the future for working people across America and across the UK. And it must work for those who have too often felt left behind by the forces of globalization. People, often those on modest incomes living in relatively rich countries like our own, who feel that the global system of free markets and free trade is simply not working for them in its current form. Such a deal -- allied to the reforms we are making to our own economy to ensure wealth and opportunity is spread across our land -- can demonstrate to those who feel locked out and left behind that free markets, free economies and free trade can deliver the brighter future they need. And it can maintain -- indeed it can build -- support for the rules-based international system on which the stability of our world continues to rely. The UK is already America's fifth largest export destination, while your markets account for almost a fifth of global exports from our shores. Exports to the UK from this State of Pennsylvania alone account for more than $2 billion a year. The UK is the largest market in the EU -- and the third largest market in the world -- for exporters here. America is the largest single destination for UK outward investment and the single largest investor in the UK. And your companies are investing or expanding in the UK at the rate of more than ten projects a week. British companies employ people in every US state from Texas to Vermont. And the UK-US Defense relationship is the broadest, deepest and most advanced of any two countries, sharing military hardware and expertise. And of course, we have recently invested in the new F-35 strike aircraft for our new aircraft carriers that will secure our naval presence -- and increase our ability to project our power around the world -- for years to come. Because of these strong economic and commercial links -- and our shared history and the strength of our relationship -- I look forward to pursuing talks with President Trump and his new Administration about a new UK/US Free Trade Agreement in the coming months. It will take detailed work, but we welcome your openness to those discussions and hope we can make progress so that the new, Global Britain that emerges after Brexit is even better equipped to take its place confidently in the world. We can build a better future Such an agreement would see us taking that next step in the special relationship that exists between us. Cementing and affirming one of the greatest forces for progress this world has ever known. Seventy years ago in 1946, Churchill proposed a new phase in this relationship -- to win a Cold War that many had not even realized had started. He described how an iron curtain had fallen from the Baltic to the Adriatic, covering all the capitals of the ancient states of Central and Eastern Europe: Warsaw, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade, Sofia and Bucharest. Today those great cities -- homes of great culture and heritage -- live in freedom and peace. And they do so because of the leadership of Britain and America, and of Mrs. Thatcher and President Reagan. JUST WATCHED UK PM: Not afraid to speak frankly to Trump MUST WATCH UK PM: Not afraid to speak frankly to Trump00:59 They do so -- ultimately -- because our ideas will always prevail. And they do so because, when the world demands leadership, it is this alliance of values and interests -- this Special Relationship between two countries -- that, to borrow the words of another great American statesman, enters the arena, with our faces marred by dust and sweat and blood, to strive valiantly and know the triumph of high achievement. As we renew the promise of our nations to make them stronger at home -- in the words of President Reagan as the "sleeping giant stirs" -- so let us renew the relationship that can lead the world towards the promise of freedom and prosperity marked out in parchment by those ordinary citizens 240 years ago. So that we may not be counted with the "cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat", but with those who "strive to do the deeds" that will lead us to a better world.
Armed police deployed in Scotland after London terror attack A police officer and three members of the public died in the Westminster attack. Attack: Carnage in central London. Armed police have been deployed to locations around Scotland following a terror attack in Westminster. Police Scotland said the patrols were "reassurance measures" and there was no information to suggest the London incident was anything other than an isolated attack. PC Keith Palmer, 48, a husband and father, and three members of the public died in the attack. Around 40 people were injured. The knifeman was killed by police. Chief constable Phil Gormley said: "This afternoon there has been an attack on the Houses of Parliament. It's now been confirmed it's being treated by Metropolitan Police as a terrorist incident. There has been at least one fatality. "We have increase armed patrols around key sites in Edinburgh. There will be armed patrols around key locations in Scotland. "We've put in place what you'd expect in terms of contingencies. We've uplifted and deployed a number of armed officers into key places and we're working very closely with colleagues in London to understand exactly what has happened and what we need to do to support them and keep Scotland safe." Keith Palmer: Police officer killed in attack. Dozens of other people were also injured after a knifeman drove into pedestrians then fatally stabbed the police officer before being shot by armed officers. Eyewitnesses described scenes of terror as the attacker was shot several times as he approached a second officer within yards of the Houses of Parliament on Wednesday afternoon. The attack left a trail of destruction as paramedics tended to victims on the bridge and at the gate. "Although we remain open-minded to the motive, a counter-terrorism investigation is already under way led by the Met counter-terrorism command. "We received a number of different reports which included a body in the river, a car in collision with pedestrians and a man armed with a knife. "Officers were already in the location as part of routine policing but immediately additional officers were sent." Prime Minister Theresa May is to chair a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee to discuss the immediate response to the bloody incident at the Palace of Westminster. In the Scottish Parliament, a vote on the proposed independence referendum was suspended after the attack. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: "My thoughts are with everyone caught up in the dreadful incident at Westminster today, including the emergency services who responded bravely to ensure the safety of the many people nearby. "Following the incident the Scottish Government has been liaising closely with Police Scotland and the Cabinet Secretary for Justice has been briefed by the Chief Constable. "This afternoon our officials held a Scottish Government resilience (SGoRR) meeting with Police Scotland, to ensure that any potential implications for Scotland are considered and I will convene a Ministerial SGoRR meeting later this evening. "We have been in regular dialogue with the Parliament and I fully support the decision of the Presiding Officer to suspend proceedings this afternoon. It should be made clear, however, that this was not because of any specific threat to the parliament or to Scotland "We are liaising with our counterparts in the UK Government and the Scottish Government stands ready to support in any way we can." Postcode iThere are some shows on the STV Player that you can only watch if you live in one of our license regions. Your postcode is a simple and easy way for us to check this.OkayWe need this to check that you live in an STV region. 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Dudley MP leads praise for police following Westminster attack Dudley MP leads praise for police following Westminster attack A DUDLEY MP who was evacuated from Parliament following yesterdays attack on Westminster, has praised police officers for their extraordinary actions. Labour MP Ian Austin was in Parliament answering emails from constituents when the attacker mowed down pedestrians with his car on Westminster Bridge before smashing it into the railings encircling the Palace of Westminster, Armed with two knives, the attacker jumped out of the car and fatally stabbed Pc Keith Palmer as he entered the grounds. He was shot dead moments later by another officer. Mr Austin, who was evacuated to a basement before heading over to Westminster Abbey, where he stayed until later that evening, said: My thoughts are with the brave police officer and his family and the victims on the bridge and their families. The police did an extraordinary job and I can't praise them enough. We don't yet know all the details but the British Parliament is a symbol of freedom and democracy and the British people have to stand united in opposition to terrorism. Dudley South MP Mike Wood, who is working from home while recovering an almost fatal bout of sepsis, said he hoped the family of Pc Palmer could draw some comfort and pride from the bravery that he showed. The Conservative MP continued: Not only yesterday, in confronting the evil attacker trying to force his way through security, but every day in working to protect our democracy by helping to keep all of us who work in Parliament safe. The police officers and security team in Parliament do a remarkable job - many unarmed - in making sure that the heart of our democracy remains accessible to both visitors and those wanting to meet with their representatives, whilst also keeping out those who would do us serious harm. "The fact that so many officers go unnoticed on a daily basis is just one sign of the effectiveness with which they do their difficult job. The Metropolitan Police have lost a brave long-serving officer and Parliament has lost a dedicated servant, but above all PC Palmer's family have lost a loving dad and husband. UKIP defence spokesman Bill Etheridge has also spoke of his gratitude to the police officers and security teams who were in the midst of the attack that left four dead and 29 requiring hospital treatment. Councillor Etheridge, who represents Sedgley and is also a West Midlands MEP, said: We should never forget the amount of concentration and alertness our security forces maintain to keep us all safe. The loss of life could have been so much worse without the actions of these brave men and women. My condolences go to those who have lost their lives in this incident and my sympathies are extended to those injured, some of whom have catastrophic life changing injuries. Ipsoregulated This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's Editors' Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then please contact the editor here. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can contact IPSO here
Westminster Attack  Whats needed now is dispassion and clarity, not a lawless blame game A terrorist attack has taken place near the Houses of Parliament in London. What do we know so far? At 14:40, an attacker drove a car across Westminster Bridge killing four innocent people, including one police officer named as 48-year old Keith Palmer who had been in the force for 15 years, and injuring at least forty in this heinous attempt on human life. The suspect who is yet to be identified was carrying two large knives. He mowed down pedestrians, including one woman who fell into the Thames but was later rescued, with his car before disembarking and stabbing the unarmed PC Palmer. He was then shot by armed police. He was taken away in a stretcher to an ambulance but since died. In the early hours of this morning, Police arrested seven people in connection with the attacks in Birmingham. This is no time for idle speculation as to who the attacker may be. Until we know for certain we mustnt decide for ourselves on the identity of the suspect. Channel 4 falsely reported an Islamic hate preacher as being behind the attack, however he is in prison. Channel 4 have since retracted that statement and apologised for that error which is commendable. These things unfortunately happen in the wake of such events. This has all the hallmarks of a jihadist attack and judging by the recent history of terrorism it is likely to be a jihadist attack. It has echoes of last years attacks in Nice and Berlin. However, it is necessary to not speculate over the identity of an attacker. Regardless of your political leanings, your allegiance should be to dispassion, truth, empathy, and rationality. This is no time for speculation, innuendo, or blinkered viewpoints. No matter who has committed this atrocity, we must condemn it as fervently as we would any attack. Knives kill, cars kill no matter who has used them. Death is death regardless. For arguments sake we will say this is a jihadist attack as it is being treated as such and will continue to be until we know the facts. Judging by the beard of the attacker, he was likely radicalised and acting in the name of a malevolent ideology or mindset. It goes without saying that our thoughts should be with those who have been killed, injured and the families and friends of those people as well as with the first responders, hospital staff, and anyone who tried to help in the immediate aftermath or will be involved with the investigation and preventing similar crimes in the future. The problem is this doesnt always happen. Both the far-left and the far-right muddy the discussion and turn it into an I told you so type of argument. This is not conducive to any kind of responsible or reasoned discussion. While the far-right likes to claim immediately that this was a Muslim, the far-left simultaneously likes to immediately preempt any suggestion this may be a Muslim. Both are anti-intellectual positions. The far-left responds with the notion that we should not use this as a brush to paint all Muslims with and that Islamophobia is terrible. Islamophobia is only terrible because its not real. Anti-Muslim bigotry is real but thats not the issue here, those who were killed needs to be our focus. I couldnt give a toss if someone said Islam is violent, and neither should anyone else. Words < cars ploughing over pedestrians and stabbing a police officer to death. Stop worrying that the far-rights words are dangerous and instead focus on stopping this kind of atrocity. Granted the far-right are dangerous but they arent killing anybody in central London. In many ways author Douglas Murray has hit the nail on the head with this. Murray says that the far-right is given ammunition by jihadists, if we take the jihadists out of the equation, the far-right have no fuel and thus we should focus on the main problem of jihadists and not the byproduct of jihadists, the opportunistic far-right. Another thing the far-left likes to do in the wake of these types of attacks and atrocities is to find every single mitigating factor they can. After the Orlando massacre last year in which 49 people were killed plus the attacker, the far-left went for guns. While American gun laws may be an issue, I personally believe they are but wont get into that here, there has to be a motivation to use them too. The far-left tried to claim he had mental problems. Again that may have been true, although it could certainly be argued that jihadism is a mental illness. The far-left tried to claim that he was secretly a homosexual and was therefore dealing with it in the most counterproductive way possible. Again, it appears as though that is true as he had a profile on gay dating app Grindr, however he was in one of the greatest countries on earth to be gay in. His jihadism very likely made him self-hating and thus made him carry out such an attack. Poverty, financial difficulties and exclusion, political or otherwise are often cited as motivations for attacking. If this were true, explain to me why someone from Ballybough (a rough part of north inner city Dublin) isnt a terrorist. They dont have the pernicious religious motivations behind them, thats why. Not all those who are politically excluded turn to terrorism and in some cases, political inclusion can also lead to an increase in terrorism. (Jackson, Smyth, and Gunning, 2010) Just look at Jihadi John, he was well to do, and went to the University of Westminster. He was hardly excluded from society. The final straw that the far-left likes to clutch at here is that this attacker, and any attacker like him was a lone wolf or are lone wolves and their religion has nothing to do with it. That type of statement is blisteringly stupid. Do you really believe that an attacker picked their ideology off the ground? I suppose Mao was a lone wolf as well? This type of argument is like when you see Bono perform on his own and wonder if U2 has broken up. No one thinks this and the same is applicable to lone-wolf arguments. The attackers are incubated in environments that breed this type of hatred and behaviour. A level of sympathy and residual support enables lone wolves. If they were genuinely lone wolves, why do they keep pledging allegiance to Daesh, shouting the Takbir (Allah Akbar)? Why do they cite their religious convictions? Some may be that stupid but are they all? At least do those who want to kill you the common courtesy of believing their motivations for wanting to do you in. Stop acting like their work is just derivative of Daesh. Theyre not just 16 year-olds doing a Ramones cover down at the local youth club on a Friday night. Theyre not just inspired by Daesh. They are doing the work of Daesh. In other words, theyre not just a Daesh tribute act. Just because they havent met Daesh doesnt mean theyre not doing their bidding. Because Daesh is voluntary, it is wherever they want it to be. Ideology transcends borders and can infect anywhere on earth. This may be an argument as to why bombing an ideology is difficult but thats for a different article. Daesh, and other organisations but especially Daesh, are social media savvy. They are all-inclusive. By this, I mean that membership is voluntary. There is not exclusivity. They reach out online and attempt to radicalise people and recruit people by playing on Muslim identities and preying on identity crises. They create the dichotomy and then exploit it masterfully. Just because lone wolves operate in isolation doesnt mean there isnt support behind them. An end to this type of specious reasoning that comes from the far-left on this issue is desirable. The far-right go into politicisation mode in the immediate aftermath of these kinds of attacks. Tommy Robinson and associates were interviewed near the scene. Robinson and co. blamed the left for wanting to allow more immigrants come into the country. This is such an unrefined and simplistic view, its hard to know where to begin but Ill try. First, this argument doesnt acknowledge that homegrown terrorism is a massive problem. Granted immigrants do bring terrorism and some refugees have brought terrorism upon European shores, however homegrown terrorism is crucial here. Take the IRA for example. The IRA were homegrown terrorists. Northern Ireland is in the union and therefore the IRA were homegrown. The 7th of July, 2005 bombings in London that killed 52 innocent people were perpetrated by jihadis born and bred in the north of England. They spoke with west Yorkshire accents, they sounded like Fred Elliot from Coronation Street. One can argue that Islam is an outside influence and granted in the past century Islam has more or less been introduced to Britain and large parts of Europe however it must be stressed that anyone can convert to Islam or any other religion of their own accord, at least in Britain and Europe anyway. Religion and ideologies transcend borders. This is where the argument against immigrants comes crashing down. Acknowledging all aspects of a problem is the starting point, not just those that sound good for 15 seconds on a video on the news or fit in a 140 character tweet on Twitter. Blaming immigrants or all Muslims isnt helping anybody and in fact helps groups like Daesh exploit a dichotomy of Muslim against the rest. Dont help them, stop them. A conversation on immigration is necessary but lying about it and misleading people isnt going to help. In fact, by acting as though Islam and jihadism are entirely outside influences is dangerous. What this does is mislead people and will lead to complacency when jihadis are cultivated in your midst. Jihadis arent always imported and very often arent and that is why calling for a halt to immigration is not the prudent thing to do. Creating counter-narratives so jihadism is no longer attractive is advisable thing to do here. Make jihadism unattractive. Dont create dichotomies. Offer alternatives to poisonous ideologies. Dont become the caricature that groups like Daesh like to portray of England, Europe, or anywhere they wish to attack. The second issue with the argument made by Robinson and co. is that what the left says on this doesnt matter. So what if the left wants fully open border, whether they do or not is irrelevant to this argument. Is Theresa May left-wing? Are the Tories left-wing? The answer to both of these questions in a resounding no. The left havent been in power for seven years and are therefore not setting immigration policy. Thats if we agree that pre-Corbyn and Miliband Labour were even left-wing at all. It seems that Robinson was happy to use this attack as a stick to beat the left with or to beat those he disagrees with. Hes fallen for the oldest new trick in the book and that is this; just because some egg says so on his blog, posts it on Facebook, tweets it, puts it in a vlog, or writes it in his column for the Guardian doesnt make it so. Hes playing to a crowd and only dealing in soundbites. Hes not alone though. Geert Wilders posted a picture to his Twitter page of Angela Merkel with blood on her face and hands after the attacks in Berlin last Christmastime. While the far-left likes to blame so-called Islamophobia and claim that this had nothing to do with Islam, the far-right are content to blame host societies for being too tolerant and letting others in. Both are too busy looking for someone to blame that they simply forget to blame those who committed the atrocity. This should be the first port of call. We can look at causes such as immigration policies that are too liberal, a lack of integration, Islamism and jihadism, poverty, racism, anti-Muslim bigotry, what have you, but it is wrong to blame politicians for this. Angela Merkel didnt perpetrate the Berlin attack and the left didnt perpetrate yesterdays attack. Seeing people like Robinson, Wilders, or any other radical politician try to use this to prop themselves up is frankly deplorably opportunistic. It is reprehensible, however, this again must be stressed is not the main issue. The attack is, and tracking down those responsible for perpetrating such attacks should be the number one priority. One other thing that pops up from some people is a hierarchy of victimhood. Around the time of the Paris attacks in November 2015, my Facebook feed was full of people playing the deflection game. The deflection game is an attempt at whataboutery. What about the mudslide in Brazil? What about the attacks in Lebanon? What about the tsunami in Japan? Might I add that this tsunami killed nobody. It was just dramatic. Its amazing how these people start to care about other things when something closer to home happens just so they can seem enlightened. This type of thing doesnt get more coverage because its a Muslim who attacked, its not because he/she has brown skin, its not because they may or may not be an immigrant, its because its unusual in the developed world and because its closer to home. I can tell you from experience that tsunamis in Japan get more coverage than terrorist attacks in Europe. To these type of people I would ask one question; can you name the island that tsunami befell without looking at an internet search engine? It was Kyushu. The (monolithic) media (that all thinks alike and is inherently racist and Islamophobic apparently) is just pushing this attack and playing on fears to get coverage and sell papers. Stop with this and stop trying to say we should be focusing on other atrocities. Other people are doing that. This type of attitude is narcissistic as it behaves as though the west is the only place where coverage can happen. Every country has their media and will focus on the events in their respective countries and regions. This is a time for unity, not for blaming the other side for goading the attacker into an atrocity or for blaming the other side for letting him in. This is a time for tracking down those responsible and bringing them to justice. Prime Minister Theresa May said in the wake of the attacks that the streets of Westminster were ingrained with a spirit of freedom and any attempt to defeat those values through violence and terror is doomed to failure. Talk may be cheap, but I would say that I hope the Prime Minister is correct and follows through on these words. What the Prime Minister has said here is commendable and laudable. Our reaction after these kinds of events should not be dont be mean to Muslims, because that reaction never comes with the addition of thats why theyre doing this, although it may be implied, its rather just left as that. Dont get upset because PEGIDA decides to have a moronic hate-preaching march, get upset because these attacks are becoming banal and far too usual in Europe. I dont give a damn if someone says something insulting about Muslims after an attack half as much as I care about helping those who have been victims and hunting down the perpetrators and bringing them to justice. In the case of this particular attacker, he has been killed and many other die trying, however an investigation with take place and others who may have helped plan and coordinate such attacks may be found. The far-right must stop blaming all Muslims when a jihadist attack takes place and the far-left must stop blaming foreign policy or mean people on Twitter. The should instead both blame the jihadist narrative and the wicked interpretation of Islam as well as other enabling factors such as lack of integration, poverty etc. It must be acknowledged that the through line is the wicked interpretation of the religion of Islam and Islamism and jihadism that have resulted from that particular interpretation as well as the radicalisers/recruiters. Do you remember the French-Algerian police officer who was killed during the attacks on the Charlie Hebdo offices in Paris two years ago? He was a Muslim too, however he didnt have the same interpretation of the religion. Its not Muslims, its a particular strand of Islam and therefore a particular type of Muslim who does this. The ideological narrative is the driving force and must be stopped, not every single adherent to the religion. To act as though it is every single Muslim is to play into the ideological narratives hands. Did you ever wonder why PEGIDA or EDL demonstrations are never bombed? Its because they are helping the narrative and propaganda of groups like Daesh that the west hates Muslims. In many ways the jihadis and the far-right are symbiotic. They need the other for their propaganda in many ways. That said the jihadis dont need the far-right the same way the far-right need the jihadis. We mustnt approach this as a problem that has to be solved as many orthodox terrorism research advocates, we must approach this as a process of anti-radicalisation or de-radicalisation. We cant blame or bomb our way our of these problems. Dont blame foreign policy for this. Blame the perpetrator. Dont go down to your local mosque or kebab shop and start berating the gentleman behind the counter just trying to get by. Talk to each other. Show each other that youre not enemies. Instances of terrorism is not a chance to say I told you so, in fact terrorism is a chance to reflect and improve and find solutions to stop this ever happening again. I would also add that our reaction after such atrocities must be calm. These types of occasions are no time for bellicosity. We should not be raring to point the finger of blame until we know just who carried out the attack nor should we once we know who has carried out the attack blame all people of that description whether that be Muslims, Christians, Jews, heterosexuals, homosexuals, men, women, blacks, whites, Arabs, Pakistanis, English, etc. As well as being bigoted and intolerant, this is not useful and will only polarise further. In many way this kind of reaction is counterproductive. We, as civilised societies, must blame those responsible solely those responsible. Getting caught up in a mire of who has enabled them will only serve to distract us from creating counter-narratives to prevent further atrocities taking place. We must make jihadism and Islamism or any ideology that is hellbent on bringing destruction to our societies as unattractive as Communism, Nazism, or Fascism have become. The questions that we need to ask ourselves are; 1) Do we care about our fellow human being and wish to not have them slaughtered in our streets? 2) Will we do what we have to to stop anyone intent on committing such crimes? If you have answered yes to both of those questions, you are on the right track. While we may disagree exactly who has enabled these beasts, we must agree that these beasts are responsible and no one else. Our epistemological positions may differ, but ontologically we must agree. All sides, barring the jihadist side, have more in common that we think and must stop antagonising each other and focus on tracking down these terrorists and assisting their victims in any way we can whether that be something as simple as donating blood. Stand united against these horrible people. I would like to offer the deepest condolences of both myself and Ethan of Straight Down the Centre to those who were killed, injured, or otherwise affected by this atrocity. Id like to wish the best fortune upon the Prime Minister Theresa May, the politicians and the police in the investigation that will follow and in the prevention of further attacks. I would like to also applaud the ongoing efforts of first responders and medical staff in dealing with the tragedy. I would especially like to applaud the efforts that were ultimately in vain of Foreign Office Minister Tobias Ellwood who tried to resuscitate the fallen police officer, PC Keith Palmer, as well as those of PC Palmer who died in the line of duty. To all Londoners, dont let this cow you. Mayor Sadiq Khan said today that Londoners will not be cowed by terrorism and I have the utmost faith and confidence that he is correct. On that note, Id like to leave you with a tweet that was sent out by Maajid Nawaz, co-founder of the Quilliam Foundation, in the early hours of the morning. In many ways it summed up the spirit of the city of London. It simply read; London is the greatest city in the world.
Sunday, 26 March 2017 A chance remark, a horror attack and why cars and violence are so closely linked During a brief stop-off on Wednesday morning at Brixton Cycles, I fell into the kind of chit-chat thats a customary part of any healthy relationship with a cycle retailer. Recalling that the staff member serving me had previously complained about cycling conditions on Westminster Bridge, I remarked to him on the news that Transport for London is due to start installing protected bike paths on either side of the crossing. Its good news about Westminster Bridge, isnt it? Id asked. The parliamentary clock tower: tourist icon turned site of terror The comment was to appear darkly ironic within hours, after Khalid Masood, a convert to Islam, deliberately drove a vehicle at pedestrians on the bridge, killing three, before fatally attacking a policeman guarding the Houses of Parliament. Masood was himself fatally shot following his attack. Ive had particular cause to ponder my comment, however, because following the attack I was called away from my normal reporting duties onto the effort to try to identify what led Masood to commit mass murder in the name of his islamist ideology. It was the latest of a large number of extremist attacks Ive covered stretching back nearly 20 years to the 1998 Omagh bombing, which killed 29 people in a town in Northern Ireland. As I tried to work out key details of the killers life, it struck me how many of the incidents Ive covered have had some connection with motor vehicles. Two days before another islamist, Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, killed a guard outside Canadas parliament in October 2014, one of Zehaf-Bibeaus associates had deliberately used a car to run over two Canadian soldiers, killing one. In the aftermath of the 2013 Boston bombing, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and his brother, Tamerlan, who had planted the two bombs, hijacked a car a went on a high-speed chase through the Boston suburbs. Tamerlan died during the subsequent gun battle when his brother accidentally drove the car over him. The Omagh bomb was planted in a car. The Westminster attack follows two other recent serious attacks by motor vehicles. In July last year, a driver killed 86 people in Nice by driving a truck at them. In December, an attacker killed 12 people in Berlin with a truck. The motor vehicle is an ideal weapon, it occurred to me, not only because it is so familiar and humdrum an item but also because it provides the dehumanising distance thats a vital aspect of many weapons. Its easier psychologically as well as practically to kill people via the familiar action of pressing down on the accelerator pedal than if one is looking them in the eye and throttling them. The site of a raid on Hagley Road, Birmingham: one of many parts of the city made more miserableby its dependence on a deadly dangerous transport mode As I rode my bike around Birmingham trying to make sense of Masoods act, however, I had a further thought. It was impossible to miss how much of Birminghams landscape was blighted by the presence of sweeping dual carriageways full of high-speed motor vehicles. It was, in particular, a miserable experience spending time by Hagley Road, the six-lane thoroughfare next to which Masood seems to have spent the last few months of his life. While no-one but Masood bears responsibility for his appalling crime, it is unsurprising that cities criss-crossed by such barriers to walking and cycling end up feeling like atomised, impersonal places where its hard to make human connections with strangers. None of this should minimise the horror of Wednesdays events. There is something uniquely shocking about seeing coverage of such gruesome events in a place that one knows intimately. Masoods attack ended on a cycle track down the side of parliament that I use frequently, most recently the day immediately before the attack. I spend a reasonable amount of time around Westminster and had been invited to an event in the Palace of Westminster last Tuesday, though I hadnt attended. Cyclists wait by the Palace of Westminster: a familiar sight, easily transformed by a moment's violenc It is an appalling shock to be reminded of how quickly a single, malicious act can transform such a setting. One of the injured people, for instance, had to be rescued from the Thames. It had never occurred to me that a person might be thrown by a car over the parapet and into the river. I often roll my eyes as I ride through Parliament Square at how tourists take delight in simple things like being photographed in a British telephone booth or pretending to hold the parliamentary clock tower between their fingers. I will regard the scene differently in future knowing that people engaged in such goofy sight-seeing were mowed down because of one mans misdirected anger and confused ideology. There is, it seems to me, an especial horror that the deaths and injuries that Masood caused were a result of a deliberate act. In the aftermath of the attack, some people have sought to relativise the attack by pointing out that the attacks death toll of four was smaller than the five or so average daily deaths on Great Britains roads. But it must deepen the pain of the bereaved to know that their loved ones deaths resulted from someones deciding they were expendable, rather than from negligence, however blameworthy. There is a clear, well-established legal and moral difference between a premeditated and deliberate act and other deadly driving. A car crash I encountered on Thursday morning: a reminder that automotive mayhem is a constant, not an exception Nevertheless, motor vehicle terrorism is effective precisely because it can be so hard to distinguish the start of a deliberate, pre-meditated terror attack with a car from normal bad driving. When Masood first started revving his engine and speeding up on Wednesday afternoon, his behaviour cant have seemed that different from the deliberately aggressive driving I encounter on a daily basis in London. I see countless drivers speeding up to grossly excessive speeds to express their momentary fury over having been held up, often by me on my bicycle. The closer the interest one takes in road safety, the less removed from day-to-day driving an attack like Masoods appears. In December, the driver of a Ferrari supercar was racing another driver down a street in Battersea, near my home in south London, when he lost control, mounted a pavement and hit six school pupils, including one who was thrown over a bridge abutment onto a car below. This past Saturday evening, the police were forced to clarify they didnt suspect terrorism after a driver ploughed onto a pavement in Islington, north London, at 50 mph, hitting a group of people queuing to get into a pub. A car combines huge destructive power and ease of use in exactly the same dangerous way as a gun. While there is a moral difference between being willing to race a powerful sports car down a public road around pedestrians and deliberately seeking to kill people, the difference is not as big as the racers would like to think. Sparkbrook: an area with problems, but less blighted than many plusher parts But I was struck anew by how pervasive the dehumanising effects of motor vehicle dominance are when I headed to Birmingham on Thursday to research Masoods last days. When I first headed west from Moor Street station to Hagley Road, I struggled to find a viable cycle route and found myself on one-way streets wholly dominated by unbroken streams of fast-moving cars. When I finally reached the miserable stretch of Hagley Road where Masood lived latterly, I discovered an area blighted to an extraordinary degree by Birminghams planners decision to base the citys transport around private cars. When I headed off to the traditional heart of the citys Muslim communities, in south-east Birmingham, I encountered still more dystopian roads. It seemed to me impossible to ride a bike on the fast-moving, six-lane Queensway system that carries the vast bulk of the traffic. In places, I resorted, shamefully, to riding down the pavement. The only consolation was that my decision jeopardised barely anyone since so few people walk in such a hostile environment. One of the ironies of my trip was that the rougher, poorer areas such as Sparkbrook that have produced many of Birminghams jihadis were far less unpleasant for a cyclist than plusher areas such as Edgbaston. The narrow streets of brick, terraced houses in the poorer areas at least kept vehicle speeds lower. Even in these areas, however, cars crowded pavements and clogged the streets. Residents clearly preferred their cars to the buses that were trapped in the same traffic. Orlando's Pulse nightclub: scene of a previous horror There are, of course, multiple, complex reasons for the spread of violent jihadism. The more Ive learned about Khalid Masood, for example, the more Ive been struck by how his act last Wednesday seems largely to have been an expression of nihilistic rage, rather than a defined ideology. I was struck by the obvious similarities with the personal story of Omar Mateen, who killed 49 people last June at a nightclub in Orlando, another incident on which I personally reported. Yet my experience this past week in both London and Birmingham has led me to think that societies where people shut themselves off in cars will always be wary and fearful. A car provides a near-perfect shield for the violent, obscuring their faces and making their intentions harder to read. Like most cyclists, I know the terrifying readiness of many drivers to point their vehicles at cyclists and force their way past. The ultimate threat is a violent one: if you get in my way, Im more than ready to drive over you. While there is more work, clearly, to be done on weeding out Islamist ideology and shutting down Jihadi networks, its also obvious that western societies have for far too long shrugged at letting drivers wield deadly power with minimal accountability. That danger has seemed until now for most people an inevitable yet unavoidable side effect of cars flexibility and convenience as a means of transport. But no other killing machine as potent as private cars is given such free rein in most European countries as motor vehicles are. The logic of a renewed effort to boost alternatives becomes still more compelling as horrors like Thursdays mount. The views in this blogpost are entirely my own private reflections and are unrelated to my work for my employer. 25 comments: I'm grateful for this post. As one who for a quarter-century has campaigned against killer-driving, I've wrestled with the simultaneous similarities and differences between "normal bad driving" that kills innocents and "deliberate premeditated terror attacks" carried out with cars. This post is helping me understand the likenesses and the distinctions, without trivializing any of the horrors. I tweeted it: https://twitter.com/Komanoff/status/846176746730913792. Apologies for mangling a quote to fit it in. The point about future autonomous vehicles is an interesting - and I think rather fraught - one. It's certainly true that autonomous vehicles will be programmed to drive more safely than human drivers. They'll pay attention and keep working reliably in a way that humans don't. It's noteworthy, for example, that the death toll in last year's Berlin Christmas Market attack was limited because the truck had an automatic braking system that stopped the driver from carrying out more than a small fraction of the attack he apparently attended. But I was at a meeting recently where someone raised the possibility that autonomous vehicles might in future be used to deliver car bombs. So I suspect that, as in many fields, there will be swings as well as roundabouts as this technology matures. There is a closer link between Masood's act and the daily death toll on our roads than you care to admit. Someone *has* decided that vulnerable road users are expendable - the government and other authorities who persistently refuse to make roads safe for us. So it's the exact same thing, just a different ideology - the primacy of motor transport, 'smoothing traffic flow' and the willingness to ignore the danger it poses. Thanks for the comment. The ultimate purpose of this blog is to reflect on the moral philosophy issues behind use of the roads. It makes no sense at all to me to claim that poor road design and a deliberate, ideologically-driven attack are the "exact same thing". The UK has one of the world's best road safety records. It's deeply regrettable that the record for vulnerable road users is far less good than that of many other countries. But, while I wish that record were better, the failure stems from nothing like the desire to kill for ideological reasons that seems to have driven Khalid Masood. I've laid out in the piece some of the many ways that I think British planners have got these issues terribly wrong over the last 70 years. But it helps no-one, it seems to me, to pretend that there's deliberate malice of the kind you suggest. Good read, thanks, though "... poorer areas such as Sparkbrook that have produced many of Birminghams jihadis ..." reads as being harsh on Birmingham which isn't actually a 'jihadi-factory' - and doesn't 'Jihad' mean only 'Struggle' rather than the more ominous connotation it picks up along the way? I was careful in my use of language. A single institution in Sparkbrook - the Darul Ihsaan Islamic and Fitness Centre - has been at the centre of two separate terror trials in the last five years. One trial led to the conviction of six men planning a gun and bomb attack on an EDL march in 2012, while the second led to the conviction of 11 men in 2013 on charges of planning a rucksack bombing campaign against UK targets. I don't think these are the only recent convictions of people associated with Sparkbrook. So, while it's clear that the vast majority of Sparkbrook's Muslim population finds the beliefs and actions of such people abhorrent, the area has produced more than its fair share of violent would-be attackers. You also queried the use of the term Jihadi. I'm aware, of course, that jihad means only "struggle" in Arabic. But Jihadi is by now an accepted term to describe those who view violence as an integral part of their religious obligation to jihad and who seek to use violence to further their islamist ideology. While any term to describe ideological violence inevitably falls short, I prefer this one to loaded terms such as terrorist and I certainly prefer it to ones that link the islamists' ideology to islam as a whole, rather than strictly to their marginal and tendentious interpretation of the religion. The English (and Scots) legal systems certainly have many shortcomings when it comes to the treatment of death on the roads. There is certainly scope for improving its handling of such issues. I'm not sure it makes sense, however, to point to two individual, extreme cases and suggest that they paint a picture of a system that justifies killing. The very same day as the London terror attack, a driver on the Wirral was cleared of death by dangerous (and careless) driving, even though he drove his truck onto a pavement, killing a four-year-old child. Dehumanising indeed.http://www.chesterchronicle.co.uk/news/chester-cheshire-news/delivery-man-cleared-causing-neston-12781152 That's a very sad, and sobering, story. What's clear is that the driver was driving dangerously by the very act of using the pavement as a convenient place to park his van. Pavement parking is, as we know, all too common in the UK and seen as perfectly acceptable by many drivers. So I'm not surprised the jury saw nothing wrong in it and found him not guilty. They completely missed the point - or chose to miss the point - that he shouldn't have been driving on the pavement in the first place. If he'd parked properly - on the road - the little girl would not have been killed. Thoughts to her and her family. It so happens that I'm very familiar with Neston, since my wife's parents live on the outskirts of the town, and I know exactly where that awful incident happened. I'll repeat the point that I've made in response to another post. I believe there are terrible shortcomings in how road death cases are prosecuted. I wasn't in court for the case in question so don't know all the evidence, nor why the prosecutors didn't pursue the lines that Russell has already outlined. It's clear, nevertheless, that the system should do a much better job of instilling in drivers a full sense of their responsibility for their vehicles' terrible killing power. Prosecutors should be more forthright in pursuing cases against drivers who fail to recognise that responsibility. Most important of all, of course, is that roads should be better designed to guard against the risk of this kind of tragedy, which is all too predictable when drivers are routinely allowed to park on both sides of a street that's too narrow for it. The bottom line, of course, is the little girl should have been safe walking on the pavement. The danger was introduced by the van driver. Last Thursday I was walking up Crwys Road (busy, lots of shops and people) in Cardiff and in front of me a small child was walking slightly ahead of her mum. A large parcel delivery van pulled up and mounted the pavement ahead of us, swung across almost the pavement's full width and then parked halfway across it. He was no further than 10 feet from the little girl and clearly couldn't give a rat's arse about anyone apart from his urgent need to deliver his goods. The similarities between this incident and the one that killed the little girl struck me hard at the time. I was tempted to say something - I sometimes do - but was in no mood for the verbal assault that would undoubtedly have been flung my way. I think I've already discussed this issue with you on Twitter. While I don't like Britain's high degree of car dependence and don't like many of the attitudes that it encourages, I'll reiterate two points I made on Twitter in response to this neat piece of equivalence. The first point is that, as someone who lived four years in the United States, I can assure you that Americans express their rage with cars even more than people in the UK. The US last year suffered more than 40,000 road deaths, compared with 1,810 in the UK. Since the US's population - around 320m - is around five times the UK's 65m, that's a far higher death rate per head of population than the UK's. It's also a far higher death rate per mile driven. The other point is that, while the UK's record isn't as good as it should be, particularly for vulnerable road users, the UK still boasts some of the world's safest roads. I wish, of course, that the UK's roads were safer. But it's also worth bearing in mind that the UK's roads are, shockingly, relatively civilised compared with those of somewhere like Germany or, worse still, eastern Europe and the developing world. Yes - I was aware of that and didn't get into it because it's just a piece of stupidity by a man who was once very sensible but seems to have gone a bit off track lately. I decided to concentrate on the real issues instead. Your post is timely, though forlorn. My wife thinks my suggestion of a "not allowed in cars" list (starting with those on the no fly list), along with extreme vetting of drivers, will not fly politically, even though riding/driving in cars is a privileged subset of the right to travel, unlike the explicit, stated guarantee of the right to bear arms. Certainly my suggestions might reduce car-related violence, which would make all of us safer. You in the UK don't benefit from a proper, written constitution. We in the US do, though it's more ignored than observed... Thanks, as ever, for your comment. I'd certainly like to think it would be very hard for anyone who's on the no-fly list to rent a car. In common with many of the recent horrors, the Westminster attack was carried out with a rented vehicle. It could be challenging, I imagine, to prevent anyone who hasn't been convicted of a crime from ever getting into a vehicle. I certainly think it should be harder to get a driver's license in the US. I say that as someone who's sat both a UK and US driving test: http://invisiblevisibleman.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/a-driving-test-mistaken-questions-and.html On the constitutional point, meanwhile, I think you're slightly underselling your own country. While I would gladly repeal the 2nd amendment, it seems to me that your checks and balances are currently doing a pretty good job of reining in Donald Trump's extremes. In the UK, by contrast, we're in the course of blowing up a key cornerstone of our constitution and there seems to be very little anyone can do to limit the damage. With respect to the 2nd Amendment (or any other part of the US Constitution): our founding fathers, in their wisdom, provided a means to do that. Hint, it is the same means by which Prohibition was repealed, not by chipping around the edges with activist judges. I'm heartened that your comment cites the 2nd as a "repeal" issue rather than as a simple making rules one. That being said, I'm not sure it is a good idea for even "well regulated milita" to have atomic weapons or even biological WMD. In between we reach some "gray" area (grey to you). My love affair with the car ended seven years ago when I took up cycling to commute to work. The fog lifted and I began to see the thousands of cars parked up and littering our streets and dominating our roads. I cannot bear to drive in the city now and despair at the poor standards of driving shown by far too many drivers. I used to think these drivers were out to get me but now realise most are simply distracted by the toys in their car, mobile phone or desire to get somewhere quickly. They do not see me because they are not paying attention. I am not on their radar at all. Thanks for your comment. I agree that one gains an entirely different perspective on the state of the roads when one tries as a cyclist to share them with drivers. Even though standards in the UK are far higher than in many other countries, people behave shockingly dangerously. Future generations will struggle to understand how anyone put up with it. About Me I'm a hefty, 6ft 5in Scot. I moved back to London in 2016 after four years of living and cycling in New York City. Despite my size, I have a nearly infallible method of making myself invisible. I put on an eye-catching helmet, pull on a high visibility jacket, reflective wristbands and trouser straps, get on a light blue touring bicycle and head off down the road. I'm suddenly so hard to see that two drivers have knocked me off because, they said, they didn't see me. This blog is an effort to explain to some of the impatient motorists stuck behind me, puzzled friends and colleagues and - perhaps most of all myself - why being a cyclist has become almost as important a part of my identity as far more important things - my role as a husband, father, Christian and journalist. It seeks to do so by applying the principles of moral philosophy - which I studied for a year at university - and other intellectual disciplines to how I behave on my bike and how everyone uses roads.
A young girl, 11, has penned a touching tribute to the British officer killed in the Westminster terror attack, saying she will remember him as a 'friendly policeman.' Georgia Thorogood and her family travelled from Alice Springs in the Northern Territory to London in October and asked PC Keith Palmer to pose for a photo with them at the gates of the Houses of Parliament. The photograph was taken in the same spot where Mr Palmer was stabbed to death by Khalid Masood after the 'lone wolf' terrorist ploughed his car into crowds of people on Westminster Bridge on Wednesday. Scroll down for video An Australian family have shared a tribute to the British police officer killed in the Westminster terror attack, saying he was a 'genuinely nice bloke' after they met him at Houses of Parliament in October (pictured) Georgia wrote a heartfelt letter to Mr Palmer, thanking him for taking time to pose with her family A young girl, 11, has penned a touching tribute to the British officer killed in the Westminster terror attack, saying she will remember him as a 'friendly policeman' An Australian family have shared a tribute to the British police officer killed in the Westminster terror attack (From left Claire Thorogood, Andrew Thorogood, Alex Thorogood, Georgia Thorogood) Georgia wrote a heartfelt letter to Mr Palmer, thanking him for taking time to pose with her family. 'Hi, my name is Georgia and I would like to share this photograph of me, my sister Alex, my dad and Keith Palmer,' she wrote. 'Keith was a police officer patrolling the gates of the Houses of Parliament in London. This picture was taken last October whilst on holiday. RELATED ARTICLES Share this article 'Keith tragically lost his life defending the people inside parliament. I will always remember him as a nice friendly policeman who took the time to pose for a photograph with us and talk to us.' On Thursday Georgia's father Andrew posted the picture to Facebook. 'With everyone so suspicious of everyone else these days, he was happy to chat and smile for a photo with a bunch of Territorians on holiday,' Mr Thorogood wrote on Facebook alongside the picture. The Thorogood family pictured at their home in Mount Johns, Alice Springs The Thorogood family shared a tribute to the officer after meeting him in October The photo, posted to Facebook by the Thorogood family, shows Mr Palmer in his uniform with his arms around the Alice Springs father and his two daughters smiling at the entrance to the Houses of Parliament 'It sent a shiver down my spine when I realised Keith was the officer who was killed in the London terror attack,' Mr Thorogood wrote. He said after Mr Palmer told them he would love to visit Australia, his daughters offered to show him how 'special' their home town Alice Springs is. 'That will never happen now, all because he was doing his job and trying to keep people safe in the face of yet another crazy terror attack,' Mr Thorogood said. 'Our thoughts are with his wife and family'. The photo shows Mr Palmer in his uniform with his arms around the Alice Springs father and his two daughters smiling at the entrance to the Houses of Parliament. A total of four people were killed by Masood, 52, in the horrific attack, before he was shot dead by police near where Mr Thorogood's photo was taken. Mr Palmer's family gave their own tribute to the 'courageous' policeman on Thursday, saying he was a 'wonderful dad and husband'. Police officer Keith Palmer was killed by a knifeman before the attacker was shot by other officers outside Parliament. Emergency services desperately tried to save him, pictured, but he succumbed to his wounds 'With everyone so suspicious of everyone else these days, he was happy to chat and smile for a photo with a bunch of Territorians on holiday,' Mr Thorogood wrote on Facebook alongside the picture 'Keith will be remembered as a wonderful dad and husband. A loving son, brother and uncle. A long-time supporter of Charlton FC,' a statement released by his wife Michelle (both pictured) read A police officer places flowers and a photo of Pc Keith Palmer on Whitehall near the closed-off Houses of Parliament in London after the horrific attack 'Keith will be remembered as a wonderful dad and husband. A loving son, brother and uncle. A long-time supporter of Charlton FC,' a statement released by his wife Michelle and his five-year-old daughter read. Keith Palmer poses for a selfie with Parliament visitors 'Dedicated to his job and proud to be a police officer, brave and courageous. A friend to everyone who knew him. He will be deeply missed. We love him so much'. Mr Palmer's colleagues revealed he was nominated for the best thief taker in the Commissioner's Excellence Awards in 2015, after making over 15 arrests in 12 months. He has also been credited with saving the life of former Met officer Nina Whitehead who was involved in a car crash when she was in the passenger seat of a patrol car. Ms Whitehead said Mr Palmer kept her alive until paramedics arrived. 'He was already a hero. In my eyes he always will be. I literally owe him my life,' she said. PC Palmer's portrait rests against a wall close to the spot where he was murdered
5 killed in terror attack outside British Parliament Armed police officers stand on duty on The Embankment, near to the Houses of Parliament in central London on March 22, 2017, during an emergency incident. British police shot a suspected attacker outside the Houses of Parliament in London on Wednesday after an officer was stabbed in what police said was a 'terrorist' incident. One woman has died and others have 'catastrophic' injuries following a suspected terror attack outside the British parliament, local media reported on Wednesday citing a junior doctor. / AFP PHOTO / Joel FordJOEL FORD/AFP/Getty Images Police secure the area on the south side of Westminster Bridge close to the Houses of Parliament in London, Wednesday, March 22, 2017. The leader of Britain's House of Commons says a man has been shot by police at Parliament. David Liddington also said there were 'reports of further violent incidents in the vicinity.' London's police said officers had been called to a firearms incident on Westminster Bridge, near the parliament. Britain's MI5 says it is too early to say if the incident is terror-related. Emergency services transport an injured person to an ambulance, close to the Houses of Parliament in London, Wednesday, March 22, 2017. London police say they are treating a gun and knife incident at Britain's Parliament 'as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise.' The Metropolitan Police says in a statement that the incident is ongoing. Officials say a man with a knife attacked a police officer at Parliament and was shot by officers. Nearby, witnesses say a vehicle struck several people on the Westminster Bridge. Getty Images LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 22: Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley speaks of the Metropolitan Police makes a statement outside of New Scotland Yard on March 22, 2017 in London, England. A police officer has been stabbed near to the British Parliament and the alleged assailant shot by armed police. Scotland Yard report they have been called to an incident on Westminster Bridge where several people have been injured by a car. (Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images A police boat patrol on the River Thames, near to the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, central London on March 22, 2017, during an emergency incident. British police shot a suspected attacker outside the Houses of Parliament in London on Wednesday after an officer was stabbed in what police said was a 'terrorist' incident. One woman has died and others have 'catastrophic' injuries following a suspected terror attack outside the British parliament, local media reported on Wednesday citing a junior doctor. / AFP PHOTO / Joel FordJOEL FORD/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images Armed police officers stand on duty on The Embankment, near to the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, central London on March 22, 2017, during an emergency incident. British police shot a suspected attacker outside the Houses of Parliament in London on Wednesday after an officer was stabbed in what police said was a 'terrorist' incident. One woman has died and others have 'catastrophic' injuries following a suspected terror attack outside the British parliament, local media reported on Wednesday citing a junior doctor. / AFP PHOTO / Joel FordJOEL FORD/AFP/Getty Images LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 22: Armed officers attend to the scene outside Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament on March 22, 2017 in London, England. A police officer has been stabbed near to the British Parliament and the alleged assailant shot by armed police. Scotland Yard report they have been called to an incident on Westminster Bridge where several people have been injured by a car. (Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images) Police officers walk through Parliament in London, Wednesday, March 23, 2017 after the House of Commons sitting was suspended as witnesses reported sounds like gunfire outside. The leader of Britain's House of Commons says a man has been shot by police at Parliament. David Liddington also said there were 'reports of further violent incidents in the vicinity.'(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) LONDON  A knife-wielding man went on a deadly rampage in the heart of Britain's seat of power Wednesday, plowing a car into pedestrians on London's Westminster Bridge before stabbing a police officer to death inside the gates of Parliament. Five people were killed, including the assailant, and 40 others were injured in what Prime Minister Theresa May condemned as a sick and depraved terrorist attack. Lawmakers, lords, staff and visitors were locked down after the man was shot by police within the perimeter of Parliament, just yards from entrances to the building itself and in the shadow of the iconic Big Ben clock tower. He died, as did three pedestrians on the bridge, and the police officer. A doctor who treated the wounded from the bridge said some had catastrophic injuries. Three police officers, several French teenagers on a school trip and two Romanian tourists were among the casualties. Police said they were treating the attack as terrorism. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Metropolitan Police counterterrorism chief Mark Rowley said police believed there was only one attacker, but it would be foolish to be overconfident early on. He said an unarmed policeman, three civilians and the attacker died. Forty others, including three police officers, were injured. Islamic extremism was suspected in the attack, Rowley said, adding that authorities believe they know the assailant's identity but would not reveal it while the investigation was ongoing. The threat level for international terrorism in the United Kingdom was already listed at severe, meaning an attack was highly likely. Speaking outside 10 Downing St. after chairing a meeting of the government's emergency committee, COBRA, May said that level would not change. She said attempts to defeat British values of democracy and freedom through terrorism would fail. Tomorrow morning, Parliament will meet as normal, she said. Londoners and visitors will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart. President Trump was among world leaders offering condolences, and in Paris, the lights of the Eiffel Tower were to be dimmed as a sign of solidarity with London. London has been a target for terrorism many times over past decades. Just this weekend, hundreds of armed police took part in an exercise simulating a marauding terrorist attack on the River Thames. Wednesday was the anniversary of suicide bombings in the Brussels airport and subway that killed 32 people last year, and the latest events echoed recent vehicle attacks in Berlin and Nice, France. In the House of Commons, legislators were holding a series of votes on pensions when deputy Speaker Lindsay Hoyle announced that the sitting was being suspended and told lawmakers not to leave. Parliament was locked down for several hours, and the adjoining Westminster subway station was shuttered. Conservative lawmaker Tobias Ellwood, whose brother was killed in the Bali terror attack in 2002, performed first aid on the wounded police officer, who later died. About 10 yards away lay the assailant. I tried to stem the flow of blood and give mouth to mouth while waiting for the medics to arrive, but I think he had lost too much blood, Ellwood said. He had multiple wounds, under the arm and in the back. The attack began early Wednesday afternoon as a driver in a gray SUV slammed into pedestrians on the bridge linking Parliament to the south bank of the River Thames. Former Polish foreign minister Radek Sikorski was in a car crossing the bridge when he heard something like a car hitting metal sheet and then saw people lying on the pavement. I saw one person who gave no signs of life. One man was bleeding from his head. I saw five people who were at least seriously injured, Sikorski told Poland's TVN24. Ambulances arrived within minutes to treat people who lay scattered along the length of the bridge. One bloodied woman lay surrounded by a scattering of postcards. Police said one injured woman was pulled from the river. The car crashed into railings on the north side of the bridge, less than 200 yards from the entrance to Parliament. As people scattered in panic, witnesses saw a man holding a knife run toward the building. The whole crowd just surged around the corner by the gates just opposite Big Ben, witness Rick Longley said. A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman. I have never seen anything like that. I just can't believe what I just saw. The attacker managed to get past a gate into Parliament's fenced-in New Palace Yard, a cobbled courtyard in the shadow of the Big Ben clock tower. Daily Mail journalist Quentin Letts said a man in black attacked the police officer before being shot two or three times as he tried to storm into the building. As this attacker was running towards the entrance, two plain-clothed guys with guns shouted at him what sounded like a warning, he ignored it and they shot two or three times and he fell, Letts told the BBC. The attacker fell to the cobbles just yards from the entrance to 1,000-year-old Westminster Hall, the oldest part of the parliamentary complex, busy with visitors and school groups. Beyond that, a corridor leads to the building's Central Lobby, flanked by House of Commons and House of Lords chambers. The prime minister was among lawmakers near the Commons at the time of the attack, and was quickly ushered away by security officers and driven back to Downing Street. To get that far, the attacker would have had to evade the armed officers who patrol the Parliament complex in pairs, as well as Parliament's own security staff, who don't carry guns. The attack unfolded near some of the city's most famous tourist sites, including the London Eye, a large Ferris wheel with pods that overlook the capital. It was halted after the attack, stranding visitors in the pods, with an aerial view of the attack scene. London Ambulance Service said medics treated 12 people for serious injuries and eight who were less seriously hurt. Dr. Colleen Anderson of St. Thomas' Hospital said some of the wounded had catastrophic injuries. The French Foreign Ministry said three students on a school trip from Saint-Joseph in the Brittany town of Concarneau were among the injured. Two Romanians were also among the injured, the country's Foreign Ministry said. Trump spoke with May by telephone and applauded the quick response of British police and first responders, spokesman Sean Spicer said. London has often been the target of terrorist attacks, from IRA campaigns in the 1970s and '80s to more recent Islamist plots. On July 7, 2005, four al-Qaida-inspired British bombers blew themselves up on three subway trains and a bus in London, killing 52 people. British security forces say they have thwarted some 13 terror plots over the past four years, but in recent years the country has largely been spared major international terror attacks such as the ones seen in Belgium and France. Last year, a far-right supporter shot and killed British lawmaker Jo Cox, who had campaigned for the United Kingdom to remain in the European Union. Prior to that, an attacker claiming to be motivated by Syria stabbed three people at a London subway station. You are solely responsible for your comments and by using TribLive.com you agree to our Terms of Service. We moderate comments. Our goal is to provide substantive commentary for a general readership. By screening submissions, we provide a space where readers can share intelligent and informed commentary that enhances the quality of our news and information. 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Follow the author of this article Follow the topics within this article Five people died and 50 are injured following a terror attack near the Houses of Parliament on Wednesday. Khalid Masood has now been identified as the man shot dead by police after he ploughed a car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, killing three people before storming the Parliamentary estate and stabbing Pc Keith Palmer to death. Police Statement Acting Deputy Commissioner Mark Rowley, this morning, Friday, 24 March, appealed for the publics help. He said: We named the dead terrorist as Khalid Masood, and as I said, our investigation focuses on understanding his motivation, preparation and his associates. "Whilst there is no evidence of further threats you will understand our determination to find out if he either: "- Acted totally alone inspired by terrorist propaganda; "- Or, if others have encouraged, supported or directed him; "At this point I want to appeal specifically to the public. "We remain keen to hear from anyone who knew Khalid Masood well; understands who his associates were; and can provide us with information about places he has recently visited "There might well be people out there who did have concerns about Masood but weren't sure or didn't feel comfortable for whatever reason in passing information to us. "I urge anyone with such information to contact us the Anti-Terrorist hotline which is 0800 789 321. Who was he? Burly body-building enthusiast Khalid Masood, 52, was born in Dartford in Kent on Christmas Day 1964. His mother Janet Ajao gave birth when she was just 17 years old and brought him up as Adrian Russell Ajao. The married father-of-three spent years moving round the country - and the prison system - with a host of different identities, including Adrian Elms. He was most recently based in the West Midlands and had a history of violent knife crime, converting to Islam after years of criminality. Khalid Masood pictured in his school days. London attacker Khalid Masood, 52, is treated by paramedics after being shot by police on Wednesday. He later died.Credit: PA/Stefan Rousseau Where was he from? When Masood was two years old, his mother, now 69, married Philip Ajao in 1966 and they brought him up in a 300,000 house in the seaside town of Rye, East Sussex, and later upmarket Tunbridge Wells, Kent. A childhood classmate of Masood described him as a popular pupil who "liked to party". He was also a keen schoolboy footballer. Then, two decades later, they moved to Tunbridge Wells, Kent, where they lived with Masoods half-brothers, Alex and Paul. Paul lives in Banbury, Oxfordshire where he runs florist and fabric companies. From Luton, Masood and his family moved to Forest Gate in east London where neighbours said he frequented a mosque in nearby Leyton. At some stage Masoods wife had moved to a new property on the site of the Olympic Village. A property there was raided by police on Wednesday night. Did he have previous convictions? Yes, he was known to police and had several previous convictions across 20 years, although he had never been convicted of any terrorism offences. His first conviction was in November 1983 for criminal damage when he was 18. In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said: He was known to police and has a range of previous convictions for assaults, including GBH, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences. Paramedics treat Pc Keith Palmer and the attacker just yards from the Palace of Westminster.Credit: Stefan Rousseau/PA What was the most serious? In July 2000, aged 35, Masood snapped and slashed a man across the face with a knife after an argument that had "racial overtones". He was living in the quiet Sussex village of Northiam when in he attacked cafe owner Piers Mott in the face with a knife. Hove Crown Court heard that the attack left Masood and his young family "ostracised" in the village. He had been in conflict with his victim before. After leaving the Crown and Thistle in Northiam, near Rye in East Sussex, in which he argued with his victim, Masood lost his temper and slashed seat covers in Mott's car. When Mott arrived at his car, Masood waved the knife at him and caught his face, leaving him needing more than 20 stitches. The court heard at the time that Masood had consumed four pints during the afternoon and had the knife because he was decorating his daughter's bedroom. Judge Charles Kemp sentenced Masood - then Elms - to two years in prison. Three years later, and now out of jail, Masood was accused of stabbing a man in the nose in Eastbourne, leaving him needing cosmetic surgery. He was sent back to jail for another six months for possession of an offensive weapon. What else do we know about him? By 2005 he was working in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, teaching workers at the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) in Jeddah, according to The Sun, which says it obtained a copy of Masood's CV. In the CV he is said to describe himself as British, friendly and approachable and a good listener and the document reportedly claims he had a economics degree. He apparently began in sales and was later promoted to manager at Aaron Chemicals in Bodiam, East Sussex. In 2004 he is understood to have married a Muslim, Farzana Malik. It is unclear what became of their marriage and whether Masood converted to Islam at the time. In the same year, The Sun reports, Masoods CV claims he gained a TESOL certificate, allowing him to teach English to foreigners. A childhood friend of the man then known as Adrian Elms told The Sun newspaper he emerged as a Muslim after serving a jail sentence. Mark Ashdown, 52, said: "When he first came out he told me he'd become a Muslim in prison and I thought he was joking. "Then I saw he was quieter and much more serious. "I gave him some cash-in-hand work for a few months as a labourer. "He said he needed time to pray and read the Koran - something about finding inner peace." He added: "There were still flashes of the old Ade, but they were few and far between. "I heard he'd split from his partner and got even more deeply into religion. But nothing could have prepared me for hearing his name on the radio." Did he have links to Isil? The terrorist group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) claimed Masood was one of its "soldiers" in a statement released through Isil's Aamaq news agency on Thursday. Isil has been explicitly threatening attacks on Britain for the last 18 months. At the end of a propaganda video claiming the Paris attacks in November 2015, Isil singled out the UK as its next target. Did he act alone? Police believe he acted alone, although they are investigating possible associates.
Share this article He told the programme: 'We were leaving the exit parallel to where the crash happened, I had my phone out to take footage for social media about the event. 'I didn't realise there was a crash then at the time, I thought it was a student demonstration, there were people running, coming round towards the gate. A lot of police were screaming 'he's been stabbed in the head' Tony Davis, boxing coach who tried to revive PC Keith Palmer 'All of a sudden I saw a large chap brandishing two knives come through the gates and start attacking the policeman. 'At that point instinct kicked in, I leaped over the fence because that guy needed assistance. 'The police were holding their ground and that is when poor Keith got attacked. You start moving back with adrenaline pumping in. The boxing coach (rear top right, with blue jacket and white shirt) also revealed on TV how he put his raincoat underneath the officer to try to stem the blood as much as he could. 'At this point the assailant was coming towards us and I recall out of the corner of my eye one of the marksmen coming out and putting three rounds in him.' Appearing on the show without shoes on because they are still being cleaned, Mr Davis told how he rushed in to give the office CPR. He said: 'I just knew he was in a great deal of difficulty. Everything happened so quick but my natural instinct was to get over there and give some assistance if need be. I'm not that specially trained in first aid but I know the basics and can put someone at ease. 'Initially when he fell to the ground I tried to have a look at him and put him in the recovery position and check his pulse. 'He had a weak pulse, he was bleeding profusely, He had an initial head wound which didn't look too bad although it was bleeding. 'I know a lot of police were screaming "he's been stabbed in the head" but he had another wound in his arm and another one which I believe was probably the fatal one under his rib cage.I put my raincoat underneath to try to stem the blood.' Mr Davis, pictured on ITV's Good Morning Britain today, was due to be at the Commons with students from the Hammersmith Boxing Academy in London to launch a community project Mr Davis later tweeted: 'Today was supposed to be a good day at House of Commons, but it weren't! I am so sorry for the policeman I tried to help. RIP K God Bless' He added: 'I've obviously reviewed the footage and audio on my phone which I've given to the police. About 90 seconds into it another guy called Mike came and joined in and at this time there were lots of police around, Keith's colleagues. Three and a half minutes was when the MP came in and sort of took over CPR.' Davis added that he stayed at the scene after he stopped administering CPR, saying: 'I got up and went and looked at the assailant, he was being attended to. 'The MP did a tremendous job, everyone there did, I can't commend the air doctor enough. Very professional. very thorough. It was a great show of solidarity.' He said he is not sure what happened has fully sunk in, telling the show: 'I'm just carrying on, I'm down here for a job as a GB Boxing coach, I've got to look after my boxers for tonight. Maybe tomorrow or the day after it will sink in. I'm not brave, I'm not a hero.' Meanwhile one of his team-mates told the Guardian: 'The attacker had two knives and was stabbing the officer. Then, shots rang out and the attacker fell to the floor. 'Tony jumped over a fence and ran to the police officer and tried to revive him. There were lots of officers around, but they were trying to revive both men.' Mr Davis was at the Houses of Parliament yesterday along with North East boxers Callum French and Olympian Pat McCormack as the horror unfolded. Mr French, 21, said: 'It was heroic, it really was. He's a military man, it must have been second nature to him. I was taken back watching him. Captain Mike Crofts also helped at the scene after the police officer was attacked 'I thought how much courage it must have taken for him to run towards that and put someone else first.' Mr Davis later tweeted: 'Today was supposed to be a good day at House of Commons, but it weren't! I am so sorry for the policeman I tried to help. RIP K God Bless.' The group were leaving the building when they heard a loud bang. Mr French added: 'My first thought was that it was a bomb. As we were leaving I heard the loud bang. I thought I better get back inside the building if it was a bomb. 'I heard lots of people screaming, running towards the gates and the building, then I saw him. He ran past with two big knives. 'I saw him scuffling with the police man. He managed to escape and ran towards us, he was covered in blood, then he fell to the floor.' Mr Davis made a desperate attempt to revive PC Palmer, and Army Captain Mike Crofts rushed with him to help out. Good Samaritan: One of the victims holds a bloodied hand in the air as a woman cradles his head on Westminster Bridge yesterday Scene of horror: A victim - with shock in her eyes - is comforted by a passerby amid scattered tourist postcards A friend told the Telegraph: 'They were first on the scene and shouted for a medic, but soon realised they were probably the best trained there and didn't flinch. 'They demanded an air ambulance which arrived shortly after, but they are both just terribly sad they couldn't save him. They would like to say how courageous and dedicated the police were'. PC Palmer was one of at least four people who died in the terrorist attack at Westminster yesterday afternoon, which left 29 others injured. An unnamed attacker mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge, mowing down pedestrians before he stabbed PC Palmer and was shot dead by police. As the maniac ploughed along the bridge in his two-ton Hyundai SUV, frequently mounting the crowded pavement, he mowed down pedestrians like ninepins. Of those who managed to dive out of his path, one woman ended up under a bus and at least two more leapt over the bridge parapet in a desperate bid to escape. Among those struck were three police officers returning from a commendation ceremony. Three French teenagers on a school visit were also targeted. A group of concerned passers-by surround one of the victims who was injured on the bridge A bloodied man who was injured on Westminster Bridge is comforted by a group of people Three were killed and many were left with 'catastrophic' injuries amid a scene of horrifying carnage. The killer began his rampage at the south side of the bridge. One of his first victims was a blonde woman. She was seen lying on the ground with blood pouring from a head wound  and shock in her eyes. A few feet away another person lay on their back, surrounded by people trying to help. A man appeared to have either jumped or been thrown from the bridge, and had fallen to concrete steps about 18ft below. He lay motionless with a dark pool of blood around his head and his leg obviously broken. Moving along the bridge, a bald man lay on the white line between the bus lane and main carriageway, clutching his head. One of the most harrowing scenes was the sight of a woman's legs poking out from under the wheel of a London double-decker bus. It appeared she was either struck by the terrorist or may have tried to dodge him, only to run into the path of the No 53. Eyewitnesses were visibly distressed by the sight of so many injured and blooded victims A woman lies injured following the horrific incident on Westminster Bridge yesterday A few feet further along was a man on his back. His trainers were scattered nearby and his socks torn. He held one bloodied hand up in the air. A smartly dressed woman was crouched by his head, cradling him, bent over so her face was almost touching his. Then there was a shell-shocked person with curly hair, sitting up. Nearby on the pavement lay fragments of what looked like parts of the car, possibly the bumper. A little further along was a bearded man, wearing a black blazer, lying on his back with his face smeared with blood. He was surrounded by passers-by, one of whom appeared to be taking his pulse. A woman in long black boots was next, lying on her back as people tried to help her. The last victim on the bridge, on the Palace of Westminster side, appeared to be a man who was receiving urgent treatment from paramedics administering oxygen and inserting a drip into his arm. Rob Lyon, 34, from Rugby, Warwickshire, was visibly shaking as he told how a walk across the bridge turned to terror. He said: 'I heard a wheel hit a kerb and quite a large crunch noise. I looked up and saw a car clearly hitting people as it came towards me. Doctors at St Thomas' Hospital  at the south end of the bridge  raced out to help, and described finding 'catastrophic injuries' A man lay on the white line between the bus lane and main carriageway, clutching his head 'I heard the clang of metal on the pavement. I saw a man flung into the air from the impact, and a woman was under a bus. She didn't look like she had much chance. 'A colleague I was with, I heard him shout but I just instinctively jumped off the pavement and I could see people getting hit. 'Then the car just carried on up the bridge and I looked round me in shock. 'I just saw people being hit by a car at speed, it was harrowing. I sort of went into shock mode. I was aware of all the people I had walked passed who were previously having selfies with Big Ben. 'I was numb  it felt like I was in the middle of a Hollywood movie, you see these things but suddenly I was in the middle of it.' 'There was a big group of Chinese tourists and I hope they're all okay. I was about a metre away from being hit myself.' Ismael Hassan described seeing the 4x4 'zig zag' along the bridge, while Richard Tice said: 'Literally from north to south, the whole length of the bridge, there were people on the ground who had clearly been injured. I must have counted between eight and ten prostrate figures on the ground.' Radoslow Sikorski, a former Polish foreign minister, was in a taxi on the bridge. He said: 'I heard what I thought was just a collision, then I looked through the window of the taxi and I saw someone down, obviously in great distress, and then I saw a second person down. 'Then I saw three more people down, one of them bleeding profusely.' Steve Voake, 55, of Somerset, said: 'I was just walking across the bridge and suddenly a bus stopped and everyone started screaming. Eyewitnesses described seeing the 4x4 'zig zag' along the bridge, mowing down pedestrians Video footage taken in the aftermath of the attack showed people tending to the wounded 'I saw a trainer lying in the road and when I looked more closely I saw that there were a couple of bodies the other side of the road. And when I looked over the side there was another body lying in the water with blood all around it.' Sri, a 32-year-old pharmacist heading home from work at St Thomas's Hospital, said: 'I fell to the ground as the car came towards us. I just collapsed, it was so quick. 'I saw two men on the ground, there was blood everywhere. I saw a woman, a Chinese tourist I think, she had been hit too. They were all alive I think and they were rescued by the ambulance.' Doctors at St Thomas' Hospital  at the south end of the bridge  raced out to help, and described finding 'catastrophic injuries'. Colleen Anderson, a junior doctor, said: 'I was on the ward and we all just went out and helped and got blankets. We are trained for these events. 'I walked past about nine injuries, some weren't so significant. Some were unconscious, some regained consciousness.' Three French teenagers were among those hit on the bridge, their school in Concarneau, Brittany, confirmed. The students, aged 15 and 16, were wounded. Travis Frain, 19, a politics student at Edge Hill University, was one of those injured on the bridge, his family confirmed. Mr Frain's mother, Angela, told the Guardian that he was in 'good spirits' in hospital. He reportedly suffered a cracked rib and minor injuries to his hand and arm. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. Well ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. The post will be credited to your MailOnline username. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. 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They thought they were on a dream vacation but yesterday afternoon 'ISIS' attacker left Utah man crumpled and dead after hurling him over bridge and his wife bloodied and weeping in a pile of scattered postcards in image that went around the world Kurt and Melissa Cochran were the first pedestrians hit on Westminster Bridge Mr Cochran, 54, was hurled over the edge and on to a walkway beneath it His wife lay frozen on the bridge with a broken leg as strangers tended to her Photos of them at the bridge swept the world as news of the attack spread Mr Cochran died and his 46-year-old wife is recovering in hospital in the UK The pair were touring Europe to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary London, where Mrs Cochran's parents work as missionaries, was their final stop President Trump paid tribute to Mr Cochran as a 'great American' on Thursday A Utah couple celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary on a dream tour of Europe are among the victims of the London terror attack. Kurt Cochran, 54, died after being thrown over Westminster Bridge onto a walkway beneath it when ISIS terrorist Khalid Masood mowed him down in his Hyundai 4x4. His 46-year-old wife Melissa was also struck. She lay frozen on the bridge among postcards from a toppled tourism stand with blood pouring from her head while strangers consoled her. Mrs Cochran was taken to hospital in the UK where she is being treated for a broken leg and rib. They were the first people hit when Masood, who later died in hospital after being shot by police, embarked on his murderous path across the bridge where at least ten more innocent pedestrians were hit. Chilling photos of the couple at the bridge swept the world as news of the attack spread. Scroll down for video Kurt and Melissa Cochran from West Bountiful, Utah, were among those who were run over by a terrorist in a 4x4 on Westminster Bridge on Wednesday. Mr Cochran died while his wife remains in hospital Mr Cochran hurled over the parapet and landed on the concrete walkway under the bridge Strangers consoled Mrs Cochran as she lay on the bridge next to a toppled postcard stand before an ambulance arrived The 46-year-old mother desperately cluthced on to a stranger who held her bleeding head as she lay among scattered postcards while they waited for an ambulance. The chilling image swept the world yesterday before the pair were identified A mother who was on her way to collect her children from school was also killed before the terrorist came to a stop at the Houses of Parliament, crashing his car into railings. A 75-year-old man died from his injuries today. A policeman standing guard in New Palace Yard was stabbed and died at the scene. Distraught family confirmed Mr and Mrs Cochran's involvement in the atrocity on Thursday, telling how they 'ached' for the couple's children. London was their final stop after a tour of other European destinations. They had already visited Holland, Germany, Ireland and Scotland and were in the English capital to spend time with Mrs Cochran's parents who work there as missionaries for the Church of the Latter Day Saints. Share this article 'Our family is heartbroken to learn of the death of our son-in-law, Kurt W. Cochran, who was a victim of Wednesday's terrorist attack in London. 'Kurt was a good man and a loving husband to our daughter and sister Melissa. 'They were in Europe to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary and were scheduled to return to the United States on Thursday,' Mrs Cochran's parents said in a statement. Other relatives reeled from the news on social media. 'This pain is so heart wrenching and raw it has rocked our family and all that knew him to its core. We will miss Kurt beyond words. We love you Kurt. RIP,' said one. The pair were on the south London end of the bridge, opposite the Houses of Parliament, when they were hit. Mr Cochran was either pushed over the edge or jumped on to the walkway beneath it Mr Cochran's family confirmed that he had succumb to his injuries on Facebook on Thursday. The pair have run a recording studio from their Utah home for the last 10 years They were in London as part of a tour of Europe when they were struck on Wednesday afternoon President Trump paid tribute to the man as a 'great American' on Thursday morning Mrs Cochran's family is fundraising on her behalf while she reels from the tragedy She is currently in a London hospital recovering from a broken leg and a broken rib Mr Cochran's sister-in-law paid tribute to him as a 'hero' while his brother-in-law said: 'Our hearts ache for her and their children in losing their loving companion and father. Please continue to pray for our family.' They are now fundraising on her behalf. President Donald Trump eulogized Mr Cochran as a 'great American.' The pair excitedly shared photographs from their travels including this one, posted by Mr Cochran days before his death 'My prayers and condolences are with his family and friends,' he said in a tweet on Thursday morning. Mr Cochran is among three innocent victims who died in the attacks. The other two include a mother who was on her way to collect her children from school and a policeman who was stabbed by the terrorist outside the Houses of Parliament. Aysha Frade, 43, was on her way to collect her daughters aged eight and 11 when she was hit and thrown under a bus. Policeman Keith Palmer was stabbed by the terrorist in New Palace Yard outside the Houses of Parliament. A fundraising page launched for his family has reached nearly 130,000 ($160,000). British Prime Minister Theresa May said of the 48-year-old father: 'He was every inch a hero. And his actions will never be forgotten.' ISIS claimed responsibility for the atrocities on Thursday. Masood drove his 4x4 from the south end of Westminster Bridge President Trump said he had shared a phone call with Prime Minister Theresa May to express his condolences on Wednesday night. Aysha Frade was also killed on the bridge. She was on her way to collect her daughters from school. PC Keith Palmer died after being stabbed by the terrorist at the Houses of Parliament ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attacks which also saw a policeman stabbed to death outside the Houses of Parliament Terrorist Khalid Masood was shot by police in New Palace Yard outside the Houses of Parliament. He died in hospital
A policeman was stabbed and his attacker shot dead by officers after a major terrorist attack close to the Houses of Parliament in London that saw up to a dozen pedestrians hit by a car. An 'Asian man in his 40s with eight-inch long knife' was reportedly shot dead after he "mowed down" at least a dozen pedestrians by a car and stabbed a policeman close to Britain's Houses of Parliament -- also called Palace of Westminster -- in London on Wednesday in what police said they were treating as a terrorist incident. Witnesses said a vehicle struck several people on Westminster Bridge, and photos showed a car plowed into railings. According to reports, three people, including the policeman, have died in the attack. Incident in #Westminster: We are treating this as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise Although exact details are yet to emerge, it is believed that a man armed with a knife attempted to force his way past a security check-point at the front of Parliament, and attacked a police officer. The attacker was then shot by police. The House of Commons, which was in session at the time, was immediately suspended and lawmakers were asked to stay inside. Prime Minister Theresa May was safe after the incident, a spokesman for her office said. Numerous witnesses reported hearing gunfire near Portcullis House, an office building housing lawmakers and members of their staff. The Metropolitan Police in London confirmed that officers had been summoned at about 2.40 pm to Westminster Bridge over reports of "a firearms incident." Police are asking people to avoid the following areas: Parliament Square, Whitehall, Westminster Bridge, Lambeth Bridge, Victoria Street up to the junction with Broadway and the Victoria Embankment up to Embankment tube. "Officers - including firearms officers - remain on the scene and we are treating this as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise," the Metropolitan Police said in a statement. The incident took place on the first anniversary of attacks on Brussels in Belgium.
Vitandum mortis (This article was originally going to be posted on the 19th of April, exactly 4 weeks after the incident in question. However, due to our darling wannabe Iron Lady, I now have another article on the upcoming election to publish. So it is time to accelerate) You know whats surreal? Coming to terms with the fact that you could quite easily have been dead just a few weeks ago. This isnt some attention-seeking sob story or anything. I despise that and wouldnt use social media for it. I barely use social media at all, which is probably why a lot of people are unaware that since graduating from university last year, I have been working in Parliament. I do some cool work as part of Labours Foreign Office Team and specifically, the Shadow Minister for Europe, as well as the Shadow Foreign Secretary, and the Leader, Jeremy Corbyn. Theyre pretty great bosses to be frank and they hand me a ton of really engaging work that actually means something. Westminster is a cool place to be and I have been loving it. Then that happened. Im not afraid of death. In a strange and perhaps psychotic way, I have already accepted the simple fact that I wont live forever. I certainly hope to live a reasonably full and healthy life though. There is much that I need to accomplish, to ensure that I dont waste my limited time. But isnt that strange? If not for an act of utter stupidity and foolish oversight, I might well have died already. Im going to shun convention here and put the moral of the story up front. You only have a limited time so make sure that you make the most of it. Not YOLO exactly. Try something better than that. Basically, you never know which day might be your last. So make sure that whatever it is you set out to do, you do. Whatever you want to say to someone, you say. Whatever you want to be, you just ARE. There may be more than one moral to this story (if my ramblings can be called that) but I think that is a definite takeaway. Soto the story. Around mid-March, I suddenly felt a bit homesick. My family is currently a bit scattered, with my mum and little sister living abroad since 2012. After a great concert in Hyde Park a few years ago, I remember a similar feeling, probably brought on as a side-effect of my post-gig euphoria vibes. I woke up the next morning to find that I had done more than just enquire; Id actually gone ahead and booked flights to Pakistan. It was impulsive, quite accidental, and it drained my bank account, but I was pretty pleased about it anyway. I basically did this again in March and booked the first flight out, which was on the 22nd. I had work in London that day and a huge project to present on British foreign policy relating to the reunification of Cyprus. I had arranged it all nicely so I would do my thing in Westminster, leave in the afternoon, pick up my stuff from my sisters place, and get to Heathrow for my evening flight. I allowed myself around 4 hours to do all of this and thought I would have enough flexibility to leave around 2.30pm to make the 7.25pm flight. However, as I went over my reports while simultaneously checking my bags the night before my flight, it suddenly hit me that my visa was not with me. I knew it before I looked. The government of Pakistan has helpfully provided me with an identity card that basically gives me nationality as an overseas Pakistani, which means I dont need a visa. I usually dont have to worry about this since its tucked away with my passport. However, it had been a year since Id taken a trip out there and I had not expected to go back for a while. I had decided to avoid risk by putting it in a safe place til I needed it. I had also moved house after graduating. I had a list of places it could be but did not know exactly. The only thing I did know was that my visa was definitely not near me in London. Great job past-Sahir. You tried to learn from your mistakes but just ended up playing yourself. All of this hit me at once and I tried to quell panic. As my sister justifiably raged at me for being a moron, I resolved not to stress, grabbed my laptop bag, and headed for the station at 4am. I had 17 hours to sort this, at least 1.5 of which would be wasted at check-in at the airport. I also had to finish my work and somehow send it in. I obviously wouldnt be going in to work that day. Long story short, I travelled to my home in Warwickshire (I recently moved after losing patience with the appalling state of London accommodation) only to find my visa was not there either. So I went straight to Southampton to check the storage space that I had used after leaving university. At around 1.15pm, I found it and fucking hell was that a relief. The lack of sleep was hitting me hard but through rugged determination, I was just about managing it. So at 2.30pm, I was almost back in London, exhausted and annoyed (mostly at myself) but relieved. I had basically done a triangular trek across the entirety of England. My sister had decided to bring my bags to me in central London, saving a couple of valuable hours and also my sorry ass. The huge diversion had been overcome and all was about to go according to the original plan of action. Then the first message arrives. Almost immediately, another follows as my friends Penn and Will ask if Im near Westminster because something bad has gone down. I didnt quite understand the gravity of the situation, assuming some drunk tourist was causing a ruckus. But departure lounges and planes give you time to think and take stock. I had just regained some measure of calm as I sat down, finally free of pre-flight stress. Calm which was quickly shattered as more news and messages flooded in. I rushed to check that my colleagues were all ok. They were on lockdown inside the chambers but safe, also wondering what precisely had gone on outside. I cannot help but feel incredibly thankful for all those who thought of me, which was a lot more people than I thought. The strange reality is that when the attack took place at 2.40pm, I would have been getting ready to leave the Parliamentary Estate. My boss would have been in the Commons chamber and I would have been vaguely nearby. There are many exits to Westminster and a lot of us opt for the one into the Underground station. That requires walking across New Palace Yard to Big Ben, and under the main road. However, I prefer going straight out of the palace gates, walking north for a while til I reach Victoria station. One way or another, it was entirely possible that I would have been either in the courtyard, or worse, going out of the EXACT exit where it all happened. Through an insane twist of fate, I wasnt there at all. But a police officer named Keith Palmer was. And just around the corner were the hundreds of people on Westminster Bridge. I have walked around those halls and that courtyard countless times. I have merrily chatted to those security guards with assault rifles and wondered if they were really necessary, at least inside the buildings. Perhaps they arent. Assault weapons cant stop a lunatic using a car as a battering ram. Any of us could do that. But regardless of their necessity, I never imagined that they would actually be used. The response of all those involved in an incident of pure malevolence like this was absolutely amazing. And for the first time in a long time, there was a huge downplay on an Islamophobic angle. ISIS claimed responsibility but were ignored. The perpetrator, going by the name Khalid Masood, had been a Christian from Kent with violent tendencies and a long-running cocaine habit. He had also been called Adrian Ajao for the majority of his life. The Deputy Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Neil Basu stated on the 25th of March that Masood seemed to have acted alone, adding: there is a possibility we will never understand why he did this. The motivations were unclear and did not matter. For the mind of a deranged idiot determined to hurt is not worth anyones time. Even a group of them like ISIS are not deserving of anything but disgust and resistance. The attack served to unite people, at least from what I saw. The funeral of PC Keith Palmer was held at Southwark Cathedral on the 10th of April. Thousands lined the streets, coming together to honour and pay tribute to him. And four weeks on, there is still a whirlwind of emotion and conflicting viewpoints. The realisation that this man died doing his job and his job was keeping us safe. The idea of families waiting for days in hospitals only to have to decide when to turn off the life support of their loved ones. The news that the boyfriend of a woman who was killed on the bridge had been planning to propose to her that day Im not entirely sure where we go from here. I hope that as a nation, we prove that these incidents are cruel one-offs, an unfortunate and natural side effect of freedom and human nature. I hope that we do not let them divide us, particularly since we choose such stupid reasons to divide ourselves in the first place. With Brexit, a new rise of fascism, and a ridiculous array of inequality and discrimination, we did not need more emotional confusion yet we received another tsunami. Heartbreak, anger, sorrow, thankfulness, fear, misanthropy. The actions of one man caused all of this. And perhaps thats the most important thing. One person may be capable of a lot of harm. But if soperhaps we are all capable of an enormous amount of good too.
Theresa May I am Angry I am sorry Theresa May but I am looking back in anger this morning. I and many millions more in this country are really bloody angry, not at Muslims, not even at the terrorist, but angry at you and the rest of the Westminster Swamp who are failing in your first basic duty, which is to protect us. Oh, what a surprise that the latest terrorist nut job is an immigrant from Sudan or as the Security Minister, Ben Wallace, told the BBC, in typical PC language (i.e. do not mention the I or M word) "He is a British citizen who is originally from abroad." Correct Mr Wallace and now for being such a good PC poodle you can give out the pencils at the next cabinet meeting or the aptly named Cobra meeting. Is it called cobra because they must be drunk to come out with their half-baked plans on how to react to terror on the streets of the UK? Back to Mr Ben, actually mate this terror nutjob lives in Birmingham in a scruffy flat above an internet caf just ten minutes from the former home of Khalid Masood, who 17 months ago murdered innocents on Westminster Bridge. Shall I do the dot to dot for you Mr Ben? Pass me a pencil? A five-year-old could work out that no amount of Cobra or Cobra meetings or pussy footing around is going to protect us we need tough action. We need a leader who says, "Another terrorist attack in LondonThese animals are crazy and must be dealt with through toughness and strength!" Unfortunately, these are the words of Donald Trump, not Theresa the Appeaser who is probably donning a headscarf as we speak and polishing her speech about how this has nothing to do with Islam whilst telling us not to look back in anger, light a flipping candle and sing Kumbaya. In fact, she actually said, "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." "The twisted aim of the extremists is to use violence and terror to divide us. They will never succeed." So, in other words, it's a case of, move along please nothing to see here. No doubt the attention will now swiftly turn back to the real enemy of the West, Donald Trump and his comments will be condemned by our spineless politicians as "inflammatory" and "ignorant". Whereas they are in my opinion more in tune with British public than anything coming out of the Westminster swamp. Be straight with me, do you honestly feel any safer on the streets than you did 17 months ago when Khalid Masood killed 5 innocents in Westminster or after Salman Abedi slaughtered 22 in Manchester? All together now, "Don't look back in anger" In fact, Theresa Dismay yesterday told us, just before she sang Kumbaya, that the number of live counter-terror investigations had leaped from "more than 500" in March 2018 to the astonishing figure of 676. But don't worry, the security services have foiled 13 Islamist plots in the past 18 months and 4 by far-right extremists. Oh, that's a right then we can all sleep easy, can't we? Yes, we can Jon because then they tell us that this nut job, Salih Kahter was a lone wolfagain. How many lone wolves do the Establishment need to make a pack? We are also told he wasn't known to the Police or security services. Are we, therefore, meant to add him to the 23,000 in the UK that the Government warned were already a threat to us? Or should we add him to the 700 fully trained home-grown jihadists and traitors who they have recently just let back into the UK? Those in power are either stupid or deluded or perhaps they think we are? We've had days of nonsense talking about Boris comments, where he didn't even call for a ban on the Burka, as if his words were a threat to national security and community integration but we have a terror attack and we are just told to move on? There were even tweets within seconds of yesterday's attack linking Boris' views on the Burka as the reason for the attack! I thought the liberal intelligentsia had told us, plebs, to never speculate and never ever link terror with Islam? It is pathetic. Don't panic though guys, as Dick of the Yard is in charge with Sadiq Khan who has said again that, "Londoners will never be cowed, intimidated or divided by terrorism." Dick's solution is not to be cowed but instead to pedestrianize Westminster! How do these useless politicians and Coppers keep a straight face when they come out with this garbage? I was in Birmingham yesterday trying to get my daughters phone fixed and I tweeted this, "Forget London I'm in Birmingham and there are security barriers everywhere. I do not want to live like this I want my government to sort out this enemy. Stop pussy footing around. I say no to no go areas! Enough is enough. Stop getting upset with words and deal with terror. Agree" My tweet got an incredible response as I had obviously hit a nerve. I stood outside the Apple store waiting for my daughters and it is right next to the huge yellow security barriers that are there to stop a car or lorry attack I presume. I was thinking, is this how we want to live from now on as if we are in a war zone? Calm down I am not saying all people in Burkas are terrorists and I am certainly not saying all Muslims are the enemy far from it but I have to agree with the Imam Taj Hargey who says it is a symbol of resistance and defiance. We need to get beyond the debate about the piece of cloth and into the debate about the fact that it is the Saudi Arabian influence and funding of certain mosques that is at the route of the terror threat we are facing. Why are our politicians so scared of confronting this? It couldn't be anything to do with us selling them fighter jets could it! We need this debate now, in fact, we should have had it years ago but instead, we are given all this nonsense about young Muslims being radicalized or brainwashed on the internet! Donald Trump is correct, the people who carry out these attacks are animals and the people who essentially fund it are animals and butchers too. It is time our politicians admitted this and confronted it. We do not need backdoor blasphemy laws and conflated Westminster rows about words, we need action tough decisive action. Put down the Cobra, the candles, stop changing you twitter handles and let's get angry with the right people, our politicians and make them confront the real danger. If Theresa May is incapable or too weak to do it could the Conservatives for once please put country before the Party. I won't hold my breath! The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Sputnik.
London attack: Should UK police be armed after Westminster? One month before the Westminster terrorist attack, the head of London's police union called for more officers to be armed in case of an attack - specifically the sort that came on Wednesday (London time). Metropolitan Police Federation chairman Ken Marsh used the example of the Nice attack last July, in which a terrorist drove a truck through a crowd, killing 86 people. "My cops are not armed and they would not have been able to respond like the French police did, and instead would have had to make the call," Mr Marsh said. UK police and security agencies had been warning for some time that a terrorist attack was due; the attack that came was similar to the one the union chief had feared. A suspected Islamist terrorist drove a car through a crowd on Westminster Bridge, and then stabbed an unarmed officer to death. Responding officers shot the man dead. At the time of publication, five people, including the attacker, have died, and 40 more have been injured. One question now will be whether the Metropolitan Police Force reviews its policy of not arming the vast majority of officers; whether the long and venerable tradition of community policing will survive the arrival of mass-casualty low-tech terrorist attacks. Established in 1829 by Sir Robert Peel (UK officers are called Bobbies after 'Bobby' Peel), the Metropolitan force has always operated on a 'policing with consent' model. Sir Robert made his officers wear blue uniforms to contrast with the red coats of the British military; he wanted Londoners to see their police as a service and not as an occupying army. Riot police stand guard as demonstrators protest the shooting death of teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri August 13, 2014 Mario Anzuoni At the other end of the spectrum is the highly militarised, confrontational model of policing that has been rolled out in parts of the United States. UK officers have long prided themselves on not being armed, but there are signs this may be slowly beginning to change, according to Steve Lloyd, a retired Detective Constable of 30 years experience and Trust Manager for the Police Roll of Honour Trust. A survey of Metropolitan officers in January found nearly half want more firearms specialists and three-quarters believe officers should all be issued with Tasers. About a quarter thought officers should be routinely armed; 12 per cent said they never wanted to carry a firearm on duty under any circumstances. "The vast vast majority of police officers don't carry firearms," Steve Lloyd told Hack from the UK, speaking hours after the London attack "It's only recently that there's been a rollout of the Taser weapon." In my day all you had was a wooden truncheon and a pair of handcuffs; the wooden truncheon had to be kept out of sight and even the handcuffs had to be covered up." "We've gone from that style of policing to more recently officers wearing stab-proof vests and - as we've seen on news reports in the last 12-15 hours - officers looking more like American SWAT teams. "That is not the norm in the UK." Armed police worked to move people on as they locked down the area around the British Parliament in London. Reuters: Stefan Wermuth Australian police forces will be closely watching how the London force responds to the Westminster attack, according to Dr Terry Goldsworthy, an Assistant Professor of criminology at Bond University and a former Detective Inspector in Queensland. "I'm sure they will be reticent, but they will be asking, 'Is this effective?'." "What is the accepted level of danger you have for your people and the accepted collateral danger you accept to preserve a policy?" Would a gun have saved PC Palmer? The terrorist attacker reportedly rammed into the railings outside Parliament, pulled out a knife, climbed out of the car and entered Parliament's grounds. PC Palmer was a member of the parliamentary and diplomatic protection command; he confronted the attacker and was fatally stabbed in the struggle. "A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman," one witness said. London's Metropolitan Police are treating the attack as a terrorist incident. AP: Stefan Rousseau Steve Lloyd said it was impossible to speculate if a gun would have saved the officer, and we may never know the answer. A gun is no sure defence, he said. "In all the reports at the moment, poor Keith was taken by surprise - he wasn't expecting something like this to happen," Mr Lloyd said. "We have seen both in Australia and around the world where police carry guns routinely, officers can be taken by surprised and killed whether they're carrying firearms or not. "I don't know whether he would have been in position to draw his weapon and defend the public and himself if he'd been armed." "Certainly other armed officers that were there did neutralise the threat." Dr Goldsworthy said a Taser would not have helped, as the killing range of a man with a knife was about 10 metres but Tasers were only effective within three metres. By the time a determined knife attacker got close enough to Taser, it was often too late. "If someone is running towards you aggressively with a knife, you're not going to reach for a Taser; you're going to reach for a firearm," he said. "If you miss with the Taser you don't have time to get your firearm out." 'Low-tech terrorist attacks hard to police' Police forces around the world are grappling with big questions around how to prevent low-tech attacks against pedestrian targets - crowded streets or busy festivals. "There are no good answers to that at the moment," said Dr Julian Droogan, a senior lecturer in criminology at Macquarie University. "In the past, we've been much better at monitoring and securing things like shopping centres, bus stations and airports." "But the sorts of places like city streets, festivals and fetes come under the jurisdiction of local government in Australia. "And local government doesn't have a counter-terrorism agenda." London police after the Westminster attack. Getty Images One proposed solution has been: arm more police. Dr Droogan suggested this would be a move in the wrong direction, and could alienate a community further. "Often terrorists or those engaged in violent extremism might come out of communities that perceive themselves to be at odds with law enforcement," he said. They feel under siege." "Police forces are putting more resources into community liaison work. The perception of heavily armed law enforcement can be problematic. In Australia, states and territories make laws about whether officers carry guns and in what circumstances. We're generally more armed than UK police forces. "In Australia, we have police liaisons and community policing, but at the same time we also have police who focus on counter terrorism," Dr Droogan said. "Australia does both very consciously." "An argument could be made that the best way to prevent these sort of individual self-radicalised low-tech events is to put more resources into counter-radicalism programs. "This is the opposite to militarised policing." Facebook Comments Recommendations About Hack Hack talks about the stuff that matters to young Australians. 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His funeral cortege travelled from the Palace of Westminster, where the coffin had rested overnight in the chapel of St Mary Undercroft, to Southwark Cathedral. The 2.6-mile route avoided Westminster Bridge, where Khalid Masood, a Muslim convert, brought terror, chaos and death on that day, killing four others by driving into pedestrians. PC Keith Palmer's funeral  in pictures Read more At the police ceremonial funeral, the procession through Londons streets was headed by a Metropolitan police service colour party carrying the flag bearing the Mets service crest. Immediately behind a black escort of five Irish draught horses from the Met police mounted branch rode in front of the hearse. Four other horses brought up the rear. Each wore a saddlecloth emblazoned with the Met crest worn only on ceremonial occasions. About 5,000 officers in dress uniform from the Met and forces around the country formed a line along the approach to Southwark Cathedral. They dipped their heads as the cortege passed. Red and white floral tributes atop the hearse spelled out No 1 Daddy, husband, son, brother, uncle and Keith. There was a red heart made out of roses. Well-wishers gathered in the streets nearby as the cathedral bell tolled. Officers from the Met police and forces around the country line the approach to Southwark Cathedral. Photograph: Gareth Fuller/PA On the Thames a small flotilla had formed outside the Houses of Parliament as Palmers coffin left. Three police boats were joined by others from the fire service, RNLI and Port of London Authority and sailed in arrow formation to Lambeth Bridge as the funeral cortege passed overhead. At London Bridge, as the coffin arrived at Southwark Cathedral, the vessels sounded whistles in tribute. The boats had been part of the first response to the Westminster terror attack, pulling from the river the Romanian tourist Andreea Cristea, who was thrown into the Thames during the incident but died on Thursday. A flypast of the cortege was conducted by two police helicopters. One of the aircraft dipped to perform a bow salute over the south door of the cathedral as Palmers coffin arrived. Six pallbearers, made up of Palmers colleagues from Bromley borough, territorial support and diplomatic protection groups, carried his coffin into the cathedral past a guard of honour formed by his closest colleagues. His helmet and service medals were borne with his coffin. Southwark Cathedral had been chosen as Palmer was a south Londoner and a loyal Charlton Athletic supporter who had spent most of his policing career in the area. The home secretary, Amber Rudd, and the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, were among those attending. Delivering the tribute Ch Insp Neil Sawyer, who worked with Palmer both in Bromley borough and the territorial support group, said on 22 March Palmer did not waver and stood firm and made the ultimate sacrifice in doing his duty. He is a hero to us all. We are all very proud of him. He added: His spirit will never leave us and he will remain an inspiration to us all. Keiths blue lamp will shine bright forever. And on behalf of us all, we say thank you. Keith made a difference and we will not forget. Those gathered had come to say goodbye to first and foremost a husband and father, but also a servant and defender of both our nation and city. The cortege makes its way to Southwark Cathedral. Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images The dean of Southwark, the very Rev Andrew Nunn, who delivered the address, said: Keith was doing his duty, doing what he always did, and then what happened, happened. He added Palmer had laid down his life for his friends. Keith laid down his life for each one of us here. And each one who have lined the streets and filled the bridges of this city today, who kept vigil last night, who gathered in the abbey last week, who laid flowers on Westminster Bridge and Parliament Square, who posted messages on social media, all who cried in front of their TVs, who listened in disbelief to their radios. We are those friends, known and unknown. He died for the politicians who represent us. He died for the democracy he was protecting. He died for the freedom we should treasure. The new Met police commissioner, Cressida Dick, on her first day in the post, read WH Audens poem Funeral Blues. At the end the Last Post was sounded by a bugler from the Honourable Artillery Company. Speaking after the funeral, Dick said: He was genuinely the friendly face of British policing and in this horrible, horribly sad time, I think all of us in policing hope that todays tribute to him gives some sort of comfort to his family, who we cant possibly imagine what they have been going through. But were incredibly proud of him and we know they are, too. All are hearts are with them. People offering kindness, support, friendship; wanting to say to their police officers how much they respect what they do. And how proud they are of what Keith did and what sort of person he was. In this terrible, terribly sad business, if we can take some positives forward, then thats something. Before the service the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, remembered a smiling, cheerful man, always talking to visitors. He died defending our parliament, he said.
The group had been attending the Countryside Alliance food awards in the House of Lords when they were invited on a tour of the Commons. They were heading to the steps of Westminster Palace for a photo when Masood, 52, launched his onslaught. Strolenberg, of Lavenham, Suffolk, said they dashed to the safety of the Commons as the horrific attack unfolded. Emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament (Picture: PA) The shell-shocked dad said theyd have been walking down Westminster Bridge as Masood drove his car on to the pavement and mowed down dozens of people. Advertisement Advertisement You have to try and carry on as normal, said Strolenberg. People were screaming and one of my first thoughts was it was kids playing a stupid YouTube prank. Then I think it was the police told us to get inside and you realise it is real. I was thinking of Paris  we heard the two gunshots but you dont know who is shooting. He said he was also just moments away from the devastating 7/7 Islamist terrorist atrocity on the Tube and buses in London in 2005. A staggering 52 people were killed and 700 injured in the attack which shocked the world. I was working as a driver picking up from Smithfield Meat Market when it happened the last time, said Mr Strolenberg. I was right there near Kings Cross. The butcher claims he was also caught up in the 7/7 bombings (Picture: PA) The butcher, who also runs Elmswell Butchers, said he wouldnt take his children to London and said Londoners must be very scared. We were just there for one day and it ended up being when this horrific attack happened, he said. Mr Strolenberg praised the police after heroic PC Keith Palmer was brutally stabbed to death as he battled to protect Parliament and the public. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the police, he said. You see them in their hi-vis jackets and dont think much of it, but they are prepared to put themselves at risk to help us and keep us all safe. What happened outside Parliament? Members of the emergency services work to help vicitms on Westminster Bridge, alongside the Houses of Parliament in central London on March 22, 2017, during an emergency incident (Picture: Getty) A massive police investigation is under way after a terror attack in central London. Here's everything we know so far about the Westminster attack: Six people have died - a police officer, the attacker, a woman named as Aysha Frade, 43, US tourist Kurt Cochran, 75-year-old Leslie Rhodes and Romanian tourist Andreea Cristea who died 15 days after being pulled from the Thames. The officer was Pc Keith Palmer, a 48-year-old husband and father with 15 years of police service.
Mourners fill Trafalgar Square after police identify British man who killed four people near parliament. Thousands of mourners have filled Trafalgar Square for a vigil for the victims killed in Wednesday's car and knife attack in the heart of London. MPs and members of the Metropolitan Police were among those who held lit candles in honour of the victims on Thursday. Police raised the death toll from the attack to five after the death of a 75-year-old. This included the attacker. "Those evil and twisted individuals who tried to destroy our shared way of life will never succeed and we condemn them," Mayor Sadiq Khan said in an address to the crowd. "London is a great city full of amazing people from all backgrounds and when Londoners face adversity we always pull together. We stand up for our values and we show the world we are the greatest city in the world," he said. Police have identified the assailant in the attack as Khalid Masood, 52, who was born in Kent, southeast England. Masood drove into pedestrians who were on the Westminster Bridge before being shot dead by police after fatally stabbing Police Constable Keith Palmer. WHO WAS KILLED IN THE ATTACK? Kurt W Cochran from Utah, US was on the last day of a European trip celebrating his 25th wedding anniversary when he was killed on Westminster Bridge. His wife was seriously injured and remains in hospital. Aysha Frade, a British citizen whose mother is Spanish, was also killed on the bridge. Police Officer Keith Palmer, 48, was on duty protecting parliament when he was stabbed to death. A 75-year-old man who had been receiving medical treatment following the attack had life support withdrawn on Thursday evening. Attacker Khalid Masood, 52, was shot dead by police. Twenty-nine people injured in the attack are still being treated at the hospital. Seven are in a critical condition. Police said Masood had a string of criminal convictions and had been most recently living in central England. "Masood was not the subject of any current investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack," a police statement said. "However, he was known to police and has a range of previous convictions for assaults, including GBH [grievous bodily harm], possession of offensive weapons and public order offences." He had not been convicted previously for any terrorism offences, it said. In a statement to the House of Commons on Thursday, Prime Minister Theresa May said Masood was once investigated by intelligence officers over concerns of "violent extremism". "He was a peripheral figure," she said. "The case is historic, he was not part of the current intelligence picture." The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group claimed responsibility on Thursday for the attack. It said on its Amaq website the attacker "carried out the operation in response to calls for targeting citizens of the coalition" of countries fighting ISIL in Syria and Iraq. It was not possible for MWC News to independently confirm the claim, which did not offer any details of the attack or name Masood, casting doubt on whether there is any direct link between ISIL and the London killings. Joseph Downing, from the London School of Economics, expressed scepticism over ISIL's claim. "To me, this is something quite common over the last couple of years, over the terrorist attacks in Europe, that ISIL jumps on the bandwagon in the most horrific way and says 'yeah, this our soldier', when there's actually no link between the person carrying out the attack and any particular group," he said. Police said eight people had been arrested after raids on six homes in London, Birmingham and other parts of the country in their investigation into the attack. May said that those wounded in the attack included 12 Britons, three French children, two Romanians, four South Koreans, two Greeks, and one each from Germany, Poland, Ireland, China, Italy and the United States. Three police officers were also wounded. The last major attack to hit London was in July 2005, when a coordinated series of bomb blasts targeted its public transportation system during rush hour. The bombings killed 52 people and wounded more than 700 others.
Muslim children carrying flowers join a vigil on Westminster Bridge in London on 29 March ( EPA ) Muslim schoolgirls, police officers, faith leaders and tourists were among thousands of people who joined hands on Westminster Bridge in a show of defiance a week after a terror attack that killed four people. The vigil came before crowds held an 82-second silence at 2.40pm, to mark the time Khalid Masood launched his massacre. Nurses and doctors from St Thomas' Hospital, where many of the injured were treated, joined those on the bridge, alongside police officers and members of the emergency services. People hold hands on Westminster Bridge during an event to mark one week since the Westminster attack on 29 March (Reuters) Rain began to fall as the crowd fell silent in the shadow of the Palace of Westminster, before dozens of people laid flowers near the site of the attack and along the bridge. One of more than 35 victims injured when Masood ploughed his car into pedestrians was pushed in a wheelchair to lay a tribute to the four people killed in the rampage. Craig Mackey, Acting Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, told mourners: This afternoon is about remembering the victims of last week's events. Our thoughts, our prayers, go out to everyone who was affected by the events last week. "I would urge you, if you get time, to go on to the bridge, talk to Londoners, talk and get a feel for this great city and how it's come together in responding to these events." Organisers of the Hands Across Westminster Bridge memorial said they wanted to show that London would not be divided by the atrocity, linking all nations, faiths, orientation and sexes. Members of Ahmadiyya Muslim Association pay their respects in Parliament Square, London, exactly a week since the Westminster terror attack took place. (PA) More than 500 faith leaders from across Britain walked across the bridge together as part of the memorial, the Metropolitan Police Federation said. School pupils aged nine and 10 from the Al-Sadiq and Al-Zahra Schools clasped yellow roses and held signs reading "Islam says no to terror" and "please don't kill innocent people" as they walked across the Thames. Hundreds of members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association were on the bridge, wearing T-shirts with the message "I am a Muslim, ask me anything". Zafir Malik, an imam from the association, said they were invited by police and wanted to "show that what happened here last week had nothing to do with the so-called religious aspect that this has been given". "[It has] nothing to do with Islam, nothing to do with what we believe in and preach on a daily basis, he added. Westminster attack: Londoners share messages of unity We're here to show that we are united with our fellow countrymen and remembering those who have fallen, especially PC Keith Palmer. We are here and showing our solidarity for the country. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended
Why the Westminster attack was a lucky escape It is understandable that one looks for consolation in the aftermath of tragedy and malice. It is a natural response, but not always a healthy one. One might, for example, see it as a jolly good thing that Islamic State, which has claimed responsibility for yesterdays attack, has so little by way of operational and strategic command over its assets that it has squandered a chillingly real opportunity to do serious damage. Had the attack been planned with any real thought, or prepared with any rigour, the results would have been far, far worse. But this, I think, is false consolation. No man, and no state, should be comforted by the knowledge that he is secured only by the incompetence of his enemy. And already, what little information we have about the way events unfolded shows us how the consequences of a well-organised attack would have been devastating. Notwithstanding the obvious bravery of the first responders, whom we are right to praise, the facts would seem to suggest that we are lucky things were not worse, such were the holes in our security and lapses in the coordinated response procedure. The examples are numerous. The attacker, for example, would seem to have used a rented car to carry out the first stage of the operation. Yet anyone who has ever moved house knows that it is possible to rent a van, or even a lorry, at very short notice. Had this been done, the bodies on Westminster Bridge would have been more numerous, the injuries more severe. The attacker was armed only with a knife, and we should be thankful that guns are not as readily available in this country as they are in France or the US. Yet they are still available. There could be as many as four million guns in the UK, several hundreds of thousands of which are illegal. Even this is a conservative estimate, since criminals, by definition, are disinclined to report their own firearms. And Theresa May, whilst at the Home Office, oversaw such drastic cuts to UK border patrol forces  we have barely any boats (at one stage, just three) to patrol the entire East Coast of the UK  that it is impossible to estimate what is being smuggled into the country, or how much, or by whom. The death of Martin McGuiness reminds us that the IRA had no trouble whatever procuring huge quantities of explosives and firearms, and all serious criminal gangs enforce their territory with armed militias. And this is just background. Consider now the events of the day: it now transpires that the attacker was halted not by an armed member of the police force but by one of the personal bodyguards of the Defence Secretary, Michael Fallon. These bodyguards are only in the palace of Westminster when their charge is present, and are always in close proximity to him. Consider what might have happened had Mr. Fallon arrived early, or late, or had not been there at all. The attacker need only have looked at the schedule for parliamentary business in order to time his attack. We do not yet know where the armed police, detailed to guard the Carriage Gates, were at the time, yet Will Heaven of The Spectator asks whether, since the first sound heard at Westminster was that of the car crashing against the railings, and nobody knew anything of what was happening, they might not have disappeared to investigate. He is right to ask this question, and it must be answered. If he is correct in his supposition, then a well-planned attack would make use of distraction, anticipating the departure of the police to investigate and circling around to the newly unguarded entrance. As it was, this would appear to have happened by accident; again, reason to be thankful, but not something which should make us feel particularly secure or happy. Sam Coates, in The Times, points out that a courier, looking to deliver a package, entered by the same gate only moments after the attacker. He was not stopped. Why was the gate not closed? Why was it left undefended? The death of the police officer, Keith Palmer, is made more tragic by the knowledge that it was perfectly avoidable and unnecessary. The unarmed police guarding Westminster Palace are supposed to have an armed detail behind them, to deal with serious events. Where was this armed detail? And in what circumstance is an attack on Westminster not a serious event? Wary though one is of advocating a more heavily armed police force, one has to wonder why, once weve accepted the need for armed police at Westminster, we continue to station unarmed officers in front of them. And we must consider the manner in which the evacuation was carried out. Emily Thornberry, of whom I am not overly fond, was able to conjure, on the Daily Politics, a perfectly believable scenario in which attackers, having entered by one way, might have been able to trap the hundreds of people  running without any particular sense of direction  in the corridors, or the single meeting room in which many had been told to gather, and murder them. She was wise to act by her own initiative and to encourage those around her to scatter and barricade themselves in separate rooms. I understand that members of the House of Lords have expressed concerns regarding the evacuation procedure. And of the attacker? We heard, from the Prime Minister, that he had been investigated by Mi5 in the past, but that concerns were dismissed and the surveillance was deemed unnecessary. Is this supposed to be a defence of our security and intelligence services? The same was true of the suicide murderers of 7/7 and 9/11. Worse, in fact, in the latter case, for the perpetrators were still under surveillance at the time of the attack. (Indeed, the first words uttered by the head of the CIA in the latter case were to the effect of Gee, I hope it was nothing to do with those guys from the flight school in Indiana.") In what world is the failure of the intelligence services a defence of the intelligence services? All of this might be called alarmist, yet I think it right to be so. There are numerous examples, in the very recent past, which make the scenarios I postulate real to us. All it would have taken was a modicum of forethought and some semblance of a plan aimed at more than mere self-destruction for the situation to have been far worse. I could have done a better job. Serious questions arise, and they must be answered if we are to have any confidence that our most important offices and institutions of state are properly defended and secured. We have already ceded billions of pounds, and many of our liberties, to the intelligence services; these same questions must be answered before any further obeisance is paid to them. I hope in earnest that the forthcoming review of security, by the Cabinet Office and the Metropolitan Police, takes into account these most basic of failings. If it does, the attacker will have squandered the Islamic States best chance to inflict damage upon us. If it does not, this will happen again. And next time, it will be far worse.
The False-Flag Attack at Douma (2) The Russians are winning the argument on Douma and no wonder  they happen to be right. There was no chemical attack at Douma, by the Syrians or anyone else. I have no doubt that someone was distributing a bit of chlorine, but that was purely for effect. You always have some chlorine handy when youre faking a chemical weapons attack. The White Helmets probably have tons of the stuff. Whilst the use of chlorine as a chemical weapon is banned, chlorine is a widely-available substance. You can even use it in your swimming pool. The Russian government has done an excellent demolition job on the supposed bomb and I have nothing to add. It was a pretty crude false flag. Mind you, you dont have to get up too early in the morning to fool Theresa May, the State Department or the MSM. I dont think the French were fooled for one moment. They used to run Syria, dont forget. There was even a brief period of Vichy control. (Syria was liberated in Operation Exporter in 1941, with the Australian 21st Brigade in particular doing excellent work, along with 11, 45 & 84 Squadrons RAF (Bristol Blenheims  a lovely old kite) and 70 Squadron RAF (Hawker Hurricanes.) A Bristol Blenheim  this is a Mark IV. I am quite sure that Paris went along with the phoney claim that Assad had ordered the attack because it suited them. It certainly suited the British government, with the complete collapse of their offensive claim that Russia was responsible for the poisoning of the Skripals in Salisbury, Wiltshire. Lord West of Spithead Admiral West and I rarely agree on anything. He was a prosecution witness against me, is out of the loop on the DVD and recently intervened with a colleague on the Labour benches in the House of Lords to stop her supporting a Royal Pardon for me. Hes opinionated and arrogant, no offense intended, doesnt always have his cap on straight and was next to useless as Chief of Defence Intelligence. However even idiots can get it right occasionally and His Lordship has got it right on Douma, publicly questioning the claim that Assad was responsible. In fairness Lord West is not a complete idiot. Obviously hes not too bright, with respect, or they would never have made him head of defence intelligence. Under British naval tradition, BTW, only dashing admirals are permitted to wear their caps askew. A fine study of the battlecruiser HMS Lion, with Admiral Beatty inset. Admiral of the Fleet Earl Beatty famously wore his cap askew, but then David Beatty was a dasher, Flag Officer of the Battlecruiser Fleet at the Battle of Jutland and later First Sea Lord. He also did good work against the German-sponsored Mad Mahdi in the Sudan, who was madder than bin Laden, and the German-sponsored Boxer terrorists in China. It was a shame that the Admiralty did not persist with the plan to name the last of the mighty King George V class fast battleships HMS Beatty  she was renamed HMS Howe. I hope that the omission will be rectified when we resume capital ship construction. HMS Howe transiting the Suez Canal on her way to join the British Pacific Fleet. Storm Shadow I was wrong about Brimstone, BTW. Apparently the RAF used the MBDA Storm Shadow, which is a nice bit of kit, although its a bit short-ranged and the warheads a bit small. The idea that I dont change my opinion is a lie and rumor spread by my competitors, of course! With the premature retirement of the lovely old Avro Vulcan the RAF was reduced to what is essentially a tactical force. It is more than ironic that the only aircraft currently in RAF service capable of delivering a heavy weapon is PA474, the Battle of Britain Memorial Flights Avro Lancaster, which rolled off the production line in 1945. I daresay that MOD would have objected to the RAF using PA474. It might have caused renewed controversy over defence cuts and inspired pointed comparison with the USAF, which sensibly retains the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress in service. Avro Vulcan  this is a B Mk 2. The Russian Navy The operation did not go entirely to plan, however. Military operations often dont! There are whispers going around that the Royal Navy was tasked to attack the Him Shansar chemical weapons facility with Tomohawk cruise missiles fired from an Astute class SSN. However the Russian Navy had a sub or subs in the area, possibly one or more of their excellent Kilo class SSKs. Word is that the Astute was boxed in. If so that was pretty skillful work from the Russian Navy. If this happened  and the intelligence is unconfirmed at this time  then praise is due to the sub skippers on both sides for not escalating the situation. The target had been evacuated anyway and whilst useful was not critical. The idea that President Assad risked a major reverse in the Syrian Civil War by using chemical weapons at Douma is strictly for morons like journalists or Cabinet Ministers. No serious intelligence officer should have had anything to do with it, indeed the overheads rule out Syrian Air Force involvement. Since this was a pinprick attack, launched for political not military effect, there would have been no particular need for the Astute skipper to take unnecessary risks. There were enough collisions in the Cold War between Western and Soviet subs! Im sure that the Royal Navy have not forgotten the collision between that Oberon class sub and a Vietnam Peoples Navy patrol boat during the Vietnam War! Thats right, folks: Britain was a covert belligerent in the Vietnam War, on the side of the Good Guys (thats the same side Gordon Duff was on!). There was at least one combat action between the British and North Vietnamese navies. I should explain, dear readers, that the US Navy had largely got out of the SSK business by Vietnam and that nuclear boats are too large and noisy for inshore work. Enter the superb Oberon class boats of the Royal Navy and the Royal Australian Navy. Quiet SSKs, they were ideal for closing the North Vietnamese coast. BTW the aerials fitted to the Oberons for monitoring Bad Guy ground-air coms (and some other stuff) were designed by one of my late intel contacts, who featured in my trial. The Crown Prosecution Service didnt have a clue who he was of course  they just thought that he was some old geezer I met in a boozer somewhere. (Gordon Duff knows who he was.) An Oberon class SSK Salisbury Update Hilariously, the MSM are still misreporting the nerve agent used as Novichok. As revealed on VT last week by Ian Greenhalgh and others, including myself, it was actually BZ, a Western weapon. In a panic the British Government have rolled out their chief scientific adviser, whos a global warming propagandist and so has some experience of hoaxes, no offense intended, to claim that there are nine Novichok hot-spots in Salisbury. This has several consequences, not the least of which is that I still cant drink take-away cups of coffee from Greggss nice coffee shop in the Maltings in the park by the River Avon. (In case youre wondering why Salisbury is nowhere near Stratford-on-Avon, Britain, confusingly, has several rivers named the Avon  I know you guys have different arrangements regarding the Mississippi.) The people of Salisbury are being led up the garden path. Sadly the Salisbury Journal isnt doing much to enlighten them. Theresa May The hysterical Remoaner MP Nicky Morgan admitted on BBCs Sunday Politics show this afternoon that the pro-Brexit, pro-British rebels probably now have enough signatures to force a leadership contest. I rarely agree with her, but I suspect that on this occasion shes right. The British governments false narrative over Douma is unravelling even faster than its false narrative over Salisbury. I really cannot see Theresa May lasting beyond the fall. A number of Tory backbenchers are now aware that the government, advised by its officials, are lying about Salisbury and then collaborated in an unlawful armed attack on a sovereign country with whom we are not in a state of war in order to distract attention from the first lie. Its not a pretty picture. JIC reform One of the lessons of the Salisbury and Douma fiascos is that we badly need to re-professionalize our intelligence assessments machinery. The Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) was never as effective as British intelligence academics would have you believe, thanks to German penetration. Absurdly, the JIC still maintains, for example, that the Cambridge Spy Ring were Soviet, not German, spies. (Its difficult to believe that any current member of the JIC has ever spoken, as I have, to intelligence officers who actually knew Kim Philby  the idea that he was a communist is just silly.) We need to get the Cabinet Offices hands off the JIC and the Assessments Staff. Politicized intelligence is of no use to anyone. The JIC chair should be a four-star. Its not a job for civilians, frankly. They have made a mess of it, just as they have of running the Met. We also need new intelligence agencies specializing in scientific and financial intelligence, areas where the current JIC is badly under-informed. This Weeks Movie Review: We Joined The Navy(1962, dir. Daniel Angel) Recently given an airing on cable in the UK by Talking Pictures, this is a charming naval comedy starring that fine actor Kenneth More, with a very strong supporting cast led by Lloyd Nolan as the American admiral. The movie was one of Derek Fowlds first appearances  he later played loyal civil servant Bernard Woolley to excellent effect in Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister. John Le Mesurier, Dirk Bogarde, Laurence Naismith, Warren Mitchell and Andrew Cruickshank make cameo appearances. Its a gentle British comedy. You wont roar with laughter, but itll raise a smile or two. American audiences and naval historians will enjoy the movies real star, the Cleveland class light cruiser USS Springfield (CL-66), and pick up on the joke about an American admiral having a cruiser, not a carrier, as a flagship. By 1962 of course the Springfield had been refitted as a fleet flagship and was in fact the Sixth Fleet flagship. Springfield had also been refitted with the excellent Convair SAM-N-7 (later RIM-2) Terrier SAM system. There are some fine shots of the missile launcher, which back in 62 was state of the art. The Terrier was a great credit to Convair and the US Navy. The plot revolves around a naval officer (More) who is too truthful for his own good, and three hapless midshipmen, who are clearly destined to be appointed chief of defence intelligence. They all end up on an exchange visit to the Springfield, where much of the movie was shot. The producers enjoyed splendid cooperation from the Admiralty and the US Navy. Michael Shrimpton is a barrister, currently suspended of course, called to the Bar in London in 1983. He is a specialist in National Security and Constitutional Law, Strategic Intelligence and Counter-terrorism. He has wide ranging connections both in Western Intelligence agencies and amongst ex-Soviet Bloc agencies. The late Generaloberst Markus Wolf, of the Stasi and DVD, was one of his contacts. Michael has earned respect in the intelligence community for his analysis of previously unacknowledged post-WWII covert operations against the West by the German DVD organization based in Dachau, near Munich, Germany, and its British, French and American client agencies. These continue to the present day, as politicians and the media are too nervous of standing up to them. Michael was formerly an Adjunct Professor of Intelligence Studies in the Department of National Security, Intelligence and Space Studies at the American Military University, teaching intelligence subjects at Masters level to inter alia serving intelligence officers. He has represented US and Israeli intelligence officers in law and briefed in staffers on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the Joint Congressional Inquiry into 9-11. In the wake of that murderous attack he addressed panels on terrorism in Washington DC and Los Angeles organized by the respected Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs. Fellow panelists included a former head of Special Operations Command and a former Commander of the US Atlantic Fleet. Michael's active assistance to Intelligence and Law Enforcement agencies in the Global War on Terror produced some notable successes, including the exposure of the Abu Ghraib 'hood' photograph as a fake. His work on strategic intelligence took him to the Pentagon and he has also met with senior advisors to the President of the Russian Federation, in Moscow, in November 2005. He participated in the Global Strategic Review conference in Geneva in 2005 and was a speaker at both the Intelligence Conference (Intelcon) in 2005, and the Intelligence Summit in 2006, each at Crystal City. In 2006 he was flown out to, and flew off from, the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN-65), as part of the US Navy's Distinguished Visitor Program. She was then working up her air group off the Eastern Seaboard of the United States, before operational deployment to the Persian Gulf. It is comparatively unusual for a foreign civilian to complete a carrier landing and launch cycle. Michael's ground-breaking, 700 page intelligence text "Spyhunter: The Secret History of German Intelligence" was published in England by June Press in April 2014. It features on a number of intelligence syllabuses, as does intelligence analysis prepared by Michael, e.g. on the brutal 2003 assassination of British weapons scientist Dr David Kelly CMG. In their unlawful raid on Michaels home in Wendover, Buckinghamshire in April 2012 Thames Valley Police officers seized the manuscript of Spyhunter and all of Michaels onshore backups. Publication was only possible because the draft had been backed up offshore. The police hung onto the seized copies long after it was decided not to use them as evidence. In November 2014 Michael was convicted at Southwark Crown Court by a tampered-with jury panel on two bogus bomb-hoax charges. Prior to bringing in the police the British Ministry of Defence, after consulting with the Cabinet Office, destroyed their recordings of Michaels initial contact and qualified intelligence briefing re a DVD operation to target the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Olympics using a stolen Russian SS-N-19 warhead. Happily the NSA intercepted both Michaels call to MOD and their call to him (on a number he had provided) and the intercepts are now in the hands of MI5. As Michaels distinguished Veterans Today colleagues Gordon Duff and Ben Fulford have confirmed on this website, his intelligence briefing to MOD was substantially correct and two warheads, both off an SS-19, were recovered by the US. After inspection the Department of Energy estimated their yield at 20KT. DISCLOSURE NOTICE TO ALL VISITORS: All content herein is owned by author exclusively. Expressed opinions are NOT necessarily the views of VT, authors, affiliates, advertisers, sponsors, partners, technicians or Veterans Today Network (VT). Some content may be satirical in nature. All images within are full responsibility of author and NOT VT.About VT  Full Disclosure, Fake News Policy and Legal Notice  Comment Policy
JUST WATCHED Car crashes into UK parliament barrier MUST WATCH Car crashes into UK parliament barrier01:00 London (CNN)A 29-year-old man arrested after he crashed a car into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament in what's being treated as a terrorist incident has been named as Salih Khater, according to Reuters news agency. London's Metropolitan Police has not yet named the man but said he was a UK national originally from Sudan. The force said in a statement Wednesday that it was "satisfied" it now knew his identity. Three people were injured when the suspect's car careened into cyclists and pedestrians during the Tuesday morning rush hour outside one of London's most iconic locations. He was arrested at the scene and is currently being detained at a south London police station. Salih Khater Khater is understood to have studied accounting at Coventry University, also in the Midlands, between September 2017 and May 2018. In a statement to CNN, the university said: "Salih Khater studied accountancy at Coventry University between September 2017 and May 2018. As of May 2018 he is no longer enrolled at the university." Read More Little else is yet known about the suspect, who has now been arrested for attempted murder, the police statement said. He was initially arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism. Detectives continue to search an address in Birmingham, police said. They have concluded searches at two other addresses in Birmingham and one in Nottingham. Both cities are in the Midlands, in central England. Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said Tuesday that the suspect was "not cooperating" with police. He was not believed to have been known to MI5 or counter-terrorism police, Basu said. No other arrests have been made. Roger Godsiff, a member of Parliament who represents Birmingham Hall Green, said on Twitter the suspect was believed to have been from his constituency. Today's attack at Westminster was carried out by an individual who is believed to have been living in my constituency in Birmingham. My deepest sympathies to the cyclists and pedestrians who were injured in the attack. "I have told the police and security services that they have my total support in doing whatever is necessary to protect the public in London and Birmingham," he said. The vehicle used in the attack left Birmingham late Monday night and arrived in London just after midnight Tuesday, authorities said. The car was in the Tottenham Court Road area of the capital for several hours before being driven round the Whitehall and Westminster areas from about 6 a.m. to the time of the attack, just after 7:30 a.m. Tuesday. Police officers stand guard near bicycles believed to have been damaged in the crash Security increased Security in the area has been increased since a pair of deadly attacks near landmarks in the British capital last year. The first took place in March 2017, when a 52-year-old British man, who had been living in Birmingham, rammed a rental car onto the sidewalk on Westminster Bridge, killing four. He also stabbed an unarmed police officer. Weeks later, in June, seven people were killed when a white van struck pedestrians on London Bridge. Authorities are now trying to learn more about the suspect in Tuesday's attack in Westminster. Police forensics officers work around a silver Ford Fiesta car that was driven into a barrier at the Houses of Parliament in central London on August 14. The driver was alone in the car and no weapons were recovered at the scene, an area popular with tourists visiting the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. Authorities do not believe there is any further danger to Londoners or the wider UK related to the crash, Basu said. The official threat level for terrorism in the United Kingdom remains "severe," meaning an attack is highly likely. The attack Reports on the attack dominated UK front pages Wednesday. The man's car collided with cyclists and pedestrians before crashing into the barrier. He was then detained at gunpoint. Three people were injured but no one was killed. A man and a woman were treated in the hospital but have since been discharged, and another man was treated at the scene. Parliament is currently in summer recess, meaning the normally bustling center of British government was relatively empty. "I heard some noise, and someone screamed. I turned around and I saw a silver car driving from the crossing -- very fast and close to the railings, maybe even on the pavement," witness Ewelina U. Ochab said. "There was a loud bang from the collision and a bit of smoke. The driver did not get out. The guards started screaming to people to move away. One elderly man rushed me to hide behind a monument, just in case." Police stand guard outside the Houses of Parliament following the incident. UK Prime Minister Theresa May chaired an emergency COBRA meeting Tuesday to discuss the incident, which she called "shocking." "For the second time in as many years the home of our democracy, which is a potent symbol of our precious values of tolerance and freedom, has witnessed terrible scenes just yards from its door," said May. "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. The twisted aim of the extremists is to use violence and terror to divide us. They will never succeed," May said. US President Donald Trump also weighed in on Twitter. "Another terrorist attack in London...These animals are crazy and must be dealt with through toughness and strength!" Trump said. Another terrorist attack in London...These animals are crazy and must be dealt with through toughness and strength! Trump and London Mayor Sadiq Khan have sparred in the past over immigration policy. The US President drew the ire of a number of British politicians last year for appearing to criticize Khan in the wake of the June terror attack in London. When asked about Trump's Tuesday tweet, Khan demurred. "I think all of us are angry when it comes to these acts of terror being committed. The British Parliament, the Prime Minister Theresa May, works closely with me as the Mayor to make sure we do all that we can do," Khan said in an interview with CNN. CNN's Laura Smith-Spark wrote from London and Joshua Berlinger wrote from Hong Kong. CNN's Sheena McKenzie, Livvy Doherty, Gianluca Mezzofiore and Sarah Tilotta contributed to this report.
Share This Story! Victims of London terror attack honored at Westminster Abbey service Britain's Prince William, left, Kate the Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry, second right, walk with John Hall, the Dean of Westminster, second left, after William laid a wreath after their arrival for a "Service of Hope" at Westminster Abbey. Post to Facebook CancelSend Sent! A link has been sent to your friend's email address. Posted! A link has been posted to your Facebook feed. Join the Nation's Conversation Victims of London terror attack honored at Westminster Abbey service Britain's Prince William, left, Kate the Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry, second right, walk with John Hall, the Dean of Westminster, second left, after William laid a wreath after their arrival for a "Service of Hope" at Westminster Abbey. Matt Dunham, AP None Britain's Prince William, left, Kate the Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry, second right, walk with John Hall, the Dean of Westminster, second left, after William laid a wreath after their arrival for a "Service of Hope" at Westminster Abbey. Matt Dunham, AP Prince William, Duke of Cambridge lays a wreath before attending the Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey on April 5, 2017, in London. The multifaith Service of Hope was held for the four people killed when Khalid Masood committed an act of terror in Westminster on March 22. Survivors, bereaved families and members of the emergency services joined the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry, Home Secretary Amber Rudd and London Mayor Sadiq Khan in the congregation. Dan Kitwood, Getty Images None Prince William, Duke of Cambridge lays a wreath before attending the Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey on April 5, 2017, in London. The multifaith Service of Hope was held for the four people killed when Khalid Masood committed an act of terror in Westminster on March 22. Survivors, bereaved families and members of the emergency services joined the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry, Home Secretary Amber Rudd and London Mayor Sadiq Khan in the congregation. Dan Kitwood, Getty Images The wreath laid by Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge is pictured prior to a Service of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey in central London on April 5, 2017, following the March 22 Westminster terrorist attacks. Daniel Leal-Olivas, AFP/Getty Images None The wreath laid by Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge is pictured prior to a Service of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey in central London on April 5, 2017, following the March 22 Westminster terrorist attacks. Daniel Leal-Olivas, AFP/Getty Images Britain's Prince William, his wife Kate the Duchess of Cambridge and brother Prince Harry, right, stand together as they reflect after William laid a wreath after arriving for a "Service of Hope" at Westminster Abbey. Matt Dunham, AP None Britain's Prince William, his wife Kate the Duchess of Cambridge and brother Prince Harry, right, stand together as they reflect after William laid a wreath after arriving for a "Service of Hope" at Westminster Abbey. Matt Dunham, AP People arrive for a "Service of Hope" at Westminster Abbey, two weeks after the March 22 terrorist attack in London on April 5, 2017. Matt Dunham, AP None People arrive for a "Service of Hope" at Westminster Abbey, two weeks after the March 22 terrorist attack in London on April 5, 2017. Matt Dunham, AP Sandra, second from right, and Dimmon Payne, right, the parents of U.S. tourist Melissa Cochran, who was injured and her husband Kurt Cohran killed in the March 22 London terrorist attack, arrive with Kurt's sister Sandy Murphy, left, and her husband Larry Murphy, second left, for a "Service of Hope" at Westminster Abbey, two weeks after the attack, in London. Matt Dunham, AP None Sandra, second from right, and Dimmon Payne, right, the parents of U.S. tourist Melissa Cochran, who was injured and her husband Kurt Cohran killed in the March 22 London terrorist attack, arrive with Kurt's sister Sandy Murphy, left, and her husband Larry Murphy, second left, for a "Service of Hope" at Westminster Abbey, two weeks after the attack, in London. Matt Dunham, AP None Melissa Cochran, wife of Kurt Cochran who was killed in the attack, attends the Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey. Pool photo by Eddie Mulholland London Mayor Sadiq Khan, second from right, attends a service at Westminster Abbey in central London on April 5, 2017, following the March 22 Westminster terrorist attacks. Eddie Mulholland, AFP/Getty Images None London Mayor Sadiq Khan, second from right, attends a service at Westminster Abbey in central London on April 5, 2017, following the March 22 Westminster terrorist attacks. Eddie Mulholland, AFP/Getty Images Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge speaks to acting Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Craig Mackey at the "Service of Hope" at Westminster Abbey, two weeks after the March 22 London terrorist attack on April 5, 2017. The service took place near Westminster Bridge, where Khalid Masood mowed down pedestrians before stabbing a police officer outside Parliament. Pool photo by Eddie Mulholland None Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge speaks to acting Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Craig Mackey at the "Service of Hope" at Westminster Abbey, two weeks after the March 22 London terrorist attack on April 5, 2017. The service took place near Westminster Bridge, where Khalid Masood mowed down pedestrians before stabbing a police officer outside Parliament. Pool photo by Eddie Mulholland The exterior of Westminster Abbey is shown during the Service of Hope. Dan Kitwood, Getty Images None The exterior of Westminster Abbey is shown during the Service of Hope. Dan Kitwood, Getty Images First responders from the Metropolitan police attend Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey on April 5,2017, in London. The multi-faith Service of Hope was held for the four people killed when Khalid Masood committed an act of terror in Westminster on March 22. Survivors, bereaved families and members of the emergency services joined The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry, the Home Secretary, Amber Rudd and London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, in the congregation. Pool photo by Eddie Mulholland None First responders from the Metropolitan police attend Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey on April 5,2017, in London. The multi-faith Service of Hope was held for the four people killed when Khalid Masood committed an act of terror in Westminster on March 22. Survivors, bereaved families and members of the emergency services joined The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry, the Home Secretary, Amber Rudd and London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, in the congregation. Pool photo by Eddie Mulholland Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, left, and Prince Harry attend the Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey. Pool photo by Eddie Mulholland Interested in this topic? You may also want to view these photo galleries: None Britain's Prince William, left, Kate the Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry, second right, walk with John Hall, the Dean of Westminster, second left, after William laid a wreath after their arrival for a "Service of Hope" at Westminster Abbey.
Two people were seen being treated on the ground in New Palace Yard amid shouts and screams. An air ambulance landed in Parliament Square and a regular ambulance came in through the front gates as medics rushed to help the injured people. A cordon is in place at the scene (Image: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire) Armed police cleared the area around the incident and Parliament Square was closed to traffic. A Downing Street source confirmed that Prime Minister Theresa May was "OK". Mrs May was seen being ushered into a silver Jaguar car as what sounded like gunfire rang out at Parliament during the incident at around 2.45pm. Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to playTap to play The video will start in 8Cancel Play now Footage emerged purporting to show people lying injured in the road on Westminster Bridge. Sources claim pedestrians were "mowed down" by a vehicle. The Met Police have announced the incident is being treated as a terrorist incident. US President Donald Trump "has been briefed on the situation" in London and is monitoring events. Eyewitness Rick Longley described seeing a crashed a car which had taken some pedestrians out. He said: "They were just laying there and then the whole crowd just surged around the corner by the gates just opposite Big Ben. A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman. I have never seen anything like that. I just can't believe what I just saw." Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to playTap to play The video will start in 8Cancel Play now The ambulance service was called at 2.40pm to Westminster Bridge. A number of resources were sent to the scene including ambulance crews, Londons Air Ambulance and a Hazardous Area Response Team. A further announcement made in Parliament said there was a suspicious package in a vehicle and the bomb squad had been called which halted a planned evacuation An announcement made in Parliament said there was a suspicious package in a vehicle and the bomb squad had been called which halted a planned evacuation. One pedestrian hit by the attackers car before he reached Parliament was confirmed dead by a doctor at St Thomas Hospital. Others on the bridge suffered catastrophic injuries. At least one of the people being treated in the palace courtyard was wheeled away on a stretcher with their face covered. Another woman who apparently jumped into the Thames as the attacker drove across the bridge was rescued and given urgent medical treatment on a nearby pier. London Ambulance Service said paramedics had treated at least 10 patients on Westminster Bridge. (Image: PA) A party of French schoolchildren were among those targeted on the bridge. Three of them were injured. Police confirm a counter-terrorism investigation is already under way. Commander BJ Harrington of the Metropolitan Police said there were a number of casualties in the attack including police officers. Police say the knifeman drove a grey Hyundai i40 across Westminster Bridge before crashing it into railings then running through the gates of the Palace of Westminster. A police officer stabbed at the Houses of Parliament has died, according to sources. Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to playTap to play The video will start in 8Cancel Play now The Met Police have confirmed that four people have died and at least 20 have been injured in the attack. Police confirm a police officer and the attacker are among the dead. The other two who have died were pedestrians on Westminster Bridge. Four university students were injured as they were caught up in the attack on Westminster Bridge.They were among a group of 13 students and a lecturer from Edge Hill University, in Ormskirk. Prime Minister Theresa May has chaired a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee to discuss the immediate response to the bloody incident at the Palace of Westminster. The 45-minute meeting brought together senior ministers as well as senior police officers, representatives of the security agencies and London Mayor Sadiq Khan. The Met Police have now confirmed five people have died and around 40 people injured. The police officer who died has been named by Scotland Yard as Keith Palmer, a 48-year-old husband and father. Head of Counter Terrorism Mark Rowley says while he will not comment at this stage on the identity of the attacker, the "working assumption is that he was inspired by international terrorism"
Police probe background of Khalid Masood Khalid Masood, a 52-year-old with a string of convictions stretching back decades, was unmasked by police as the home-grown terrorist responsible for Wednesdays attack in London. Eight people remain in custody after properties across the UK were raided, while a picture built up of the lone-wolf killers apparently nomadic lifestyle. The death toll from his assault on the capital rose again on Thursday when a 75-year-old man became the fourth innocent victim to die. The man, who has not been named, had his life support withdrawn at Kings College Hospital. 07:09 Boxing team witness attack A British boxing team recalled the horror of witnessing Pc Keith Palmer being stabbed. Coach Tony Davis was outside the Houses of Parliament after attending a community event with the British Lionhearts team when terror unfolded in front of him. Davis, 42, a former soldier, leapt over a fence and rushed to the scene to assist police amid the unfolding chaos. His attentions quickly turned to treating Pc Palmer, who had sustained what were to prove fatal injuries. He said: Were devastated he didnt pull through, even with the additional support. It was just devastating. The four fighters at his side spoke of their trauma after seeing the hopeless efforts to revive the officer. Flyweight and 2016 Olympian Muhammad Ali, who won his fight by unanimous decision on Thursday night, said: All day, I couldnt get it out of my head because we saw everything. Fellow member of the British Lionhearts, welterweight Pat McCormack, added: I didnt really sleep much. My head was a bit all over and I couldnt really stop thinking about it but Im just glad Ive come, got the job done and the win. 22:48 Mayor of London pays tribute to victim 22:32 Keith Palmer fund raises more than 320,000 Well-wishers have donated more than 320,000 online for the family of murdered police officer Keith Palmer.Multiple fundraising pages have been set up to help the loved ones of the husband and father who was stabbed outside Parliament, as well as other victims of the deadly Westminster attack. Next of kin has been informed A Scotland Yard spokesman said: The man had been receiving medical treatment in hospital following the attack and life support was withdrawn this evening. Next of kin have been informed and are receiving support from specially trained family liaison officers. 21:23KEY EVENT A 75-year-old man injured in terror attack has died A 75-year-old man who was injured in the Westminster terror attack has died in hospital, Scotland Yard said.Detectives investigating the terrorist attack in Westminster can confirm that pensioner passed away tonight. Next of kin have been informed and are receiving support from specially trained family liaison officers. 21:01 'Controlled explosion of suspicious package' in Westminster There have been reports of a controlled explosion in Westminster tonight. Sky News says that a suspicious package was found close to Westminster about 40 minutes ago, close to the Treasury. Police say it was a routine controlled explosion, cordons have now been lifted. 20:43 Manchester town hall shows solidarity with London Manchester Town Hall was lit red, white and blue to show solidarity with London following the terror attack. People from across the region gathered for a vigil in Albert Square to pay tribute to those who lost their lives and the people who were injured. During the event the town hall was bathed in the colours of the British flag as a mark of respect, while the flag was flown at half-mast in tribute. Manchester Town Hall lit red, white and blue in tribute to those killed and injured 20:17 More pictures from tonight's vigil People held candles during the vigil in Trafalgar Square (Image: PA) People remember those who lost their lives in the Westminster terrorist attack (Image: PA) A young girl looks as members of the public hold candles during the candlelight vigil (Image: PA) Neighbours described terror suspect as 'the vampire' Speaking to BBC News, Mr Gardner said locals described him as the vampire because he usually went out at night and dressed in black. He said he felt it was unlikely Masood acted alone, adding: Theres no such thing as a lone wolf attack. Frank Gardner 19:36Alex Pesic Evening summary: What we now know Police have named the attacker as 52-year-old Khalid Masood, who was born in Kent and had a number of previous convictions. Police arrested eight people overnight, including a 39-year-old woman in east London, and seven other people in Birmingham on suspicion of preparation of terrorist attacks. US tourist Kurt Cochran from Utah, USA, was named as one of the victims. Its understood his wife of 25 years, Melissa, remains in hospital. Five people injured in the attack remain in a critical condition and two are said to have life-threatening injuries. A vigil has been held to remember the victims in Trafalgar Square, and others across the country, where candles were lit for each of the victims. 19:22Alex Pesic Here's the view from Berlin tonight 19:18Alex Pesic Candlelit vigil in tribute to victims of Westminster terror attack - in pictures 18:55Alex Pesic Latest on terror attack casualties Five people injured in the attack remain in a critical condition and two have life-threatening injuries, police say. Guys and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust has released an update about two patients who were treated at St Thomas Hospital following yesterdays attack. 18:26Alex Pesic IPCC: No police officers are under investigation The Independent Police Complaints Commission has said no police officers are under investigation over the Westminster terror attack, but it is currently investigating the circumstances. IPCC deputy chair Sarah Green said: I recognise that this is a very difficult time for the police service, following the tragic loss of Pc Keith Palmer and the injuries to other officers. We are giving this investigation the highest priority and we will conclude it as soon as possible. 18:19KEY EVENT Latest update from the Met Police on the arrests made overnight A 39-year-old woman was arrested at an address in east London. A 21-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man were arrested at an address in Birmingham. A 26-year-old woman and three men aged 28, 27 and 26 years old were arrested at a separate address in Birmingham. All were arrested on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. A 58-year-old man was arrested on Thursday morning at a separate address in Birmingham on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. 18:10Alex Pesic Gary Neville joins crowd to pay respects in vigil at Manchester Town Hall 18:07Alex Pesic Vigil begins at Trafalgar Square, London 18:05Alex Pesic Romanian woman who fell from bridge is named The Romanian embassy in London has confirmed that Andreea Cristea is the woman who fell from Westminster Bridge during the attack. Ms Cristea has undergone surgery after suffering multiple injuries. (Image: Getty) Her boyfriend, Andrei Burnaz, suffered a broken foot. The couple, who are engaged, were visiting London to celebrate Mr Burnazs birthday. 17:45Alex Pesic Police conduct raids in Brighton and Wales There are reports that police have carried out raids in Brighton and Wales today, as well as Birmingham. No official details have yet been released and media outlets are being told: All questions about the operation should be referred to the Metropolitan Police. Crowds will gather in Albert Square from 6pm tonight to show solidarity with London. The Town Hall will be lit up red, white and blue. 17:06Alex Pesic Update on conditions of casualties from south London hospital Kings College NHS Foundation Trust has just tweeted: 17:01Alex Pesic Terrorist was 'dad-of-three English teacher' Khalid Masood, the man named by police as the terrorist behind Wednesdays attack, is believed to be a dad-of-three. Sky News also reports he was an English teacher. Khalid Masood is transported to hospital but later died (Image: PA) Terror group ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack, saying Masood was a soldier of Islamic State, but theres no firm evidence yet which shows any links between the two. 16:51Alex Pesic Met Police retires killed PC's ID number The force says itll no longer be used as a mark of respect. 16:24KEY EVENT PC Keith Palmer's family pay tribute to 'wonderful dad and husband' The family of PC Keith Palmer have paid an emotional tribute to him. In a statement, they described him as a wonderful dad and husband, a loving son, brother and uncle. They added that he was dedicated to his job and proud to be a police officer, brave and courageous. 15:56Alex Pesic JustGiving page for family of killed PC raises over 100,000 The site reached its 100,000 target in just over six hours. JustGiving made a donation of 10,000. People have also been donating money to the London Air Ambulance. 15:41KEY EVENT Statement from Met Police Heres the official statement from the Met Police... The man police believe to be responsible for the terrorist attack in Westminster yesterday, Wednesday, 22 March, has now been formally identified as Khalid Masood. Masood, aged 52 (25.12.1964), was born in Kent and detectives believe he was most recently living in the West Midlands. Masood was also known by a number of aliases. Masood was not the subject of any current investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack. However, he was known to police and has a range of previous convictions for assaults, including GBH, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences. His first conviction was in November 1983 for criminal damage and his last conviction was in December 2003 for possession of a knife. He has not been convicted for any terrorism offences. Anyone with any information about Masood can call the Anti-Terrorist Hotline 0800 789 321. 15:37KEY EVENT Police name attack suspect 14:23Simon Smith Security in alert in Belgium after car runs red lights Belgian authorities have raised security in the port of Antwerp after a suspicious car ran a red light before being stopped at the docks. The bomb squad was brought in and the authorities raised security in the centre of town, in places where people normally gather. Antwerp police chief Serge Muyters said the driver of the car was detained once it was stopped. No further information could be given.
After the attacks on the twin towers in September 2001, Wall Streets Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted and major stock markets shut for four trading days the first time since the Great Depression. Considering the sheer scale of the damage, the impact was not surprising. The FTSE 100 ended the session around 0.7 per cent lower on the day, but losses were largely seen as unrelated to the devastating attacks. Instead, they were a reflection of a selling spree that had gripped Wall Street earlier in the week, stemming from lingering doubts around US President Donald Trumps economic policies. The pound dipped slightly when headlines started breaking, but later recovered. A day after the attack, strategists said that the reason for that resilience is two-fold. Firstly, the attack, while horrific in nature, was not completely unexpected. The current threat level in the UK has been classified as 'severe' for some time, meaning an attack is highly likely. Secondly, it was fairly limited in scale, both in terms of deaths and causalities, compared to some of the other acts of brutality that weve seen in recent decades. Markets reflect risk and while this event was both deadly and shocking, it doesnt really alter perceptions about risk to valuations, said Neil Wilson, a market analyst at ETX Capital. He said that Wednesdays attacks would have had the potential to move markets if they had been larger, having implications for geopolitical relations. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP Joshua Mahony, an analyst at financial services firm IG agreed. An attack with state sponsorship, or one that could lead to transnational conflict will certainly impact markets, with the government likely to raise military spending as a result. However, markets are much less likely to respond to a one-off attack like yesterdays, which can only be attributed loosely to a group that we are already at war with. Mr Mahony said that to some extent Londoners had already been expecting some form of attack for several years. Whilst distressing in nature, the events in Westminster change very little in relation to the UKs response to terrorism.
Follow us: Where homegrown terrorism is concerned, there's something to be said for letting British jihadis go to Syria Hundreds of Muslims now find themselves trapped in the UK, frustrated that they can't travel to Islamist and rebel strongholds and perform what they regard as their religious duty. Britain's zero-tolerance policy on Syria has filled our prisons with young jihadists already marginalised and isolated inside mainstream society 'Our prisons are now full of frustrated radical Islamist youths' ( Reuters ) The only predictable outcome of yesterday's terror atrocity in Westminster was the appearance of Nigel Farage on the US television networks, urging Americans to link the attack to failures in immigration controls. In a vacuum of facts and intelligence, the former Ukip leader told Fox News that the events unfolding around Parliament should help remind Americans that lax immigration rules were an "open door inviting terrorism." Farage was not alone in a cynical rush to judgment. Across the other side of the world, Australia's One Nation leader Pauline Hanson responded to the attack by asking Australians to use the hashtag #PrayForAMuslimBan. Today we have been told that the attacker was British-born and already known to the security services. The willingness of politicians to make political capital out of terror shows how entrenched the kneejerk debate on counterterrorism policy has become. Reaction from the scene for terrorist attack at Westminster While Farage and Hanson were repeating their tired old lines about immigration, Islamic activists were putting the other side of the debate. Cage, the human rights group which once infamously branded Jihadi John a "beautiful young man", released their own statement warning the government about the dangers of enacting "reactionary policies". In the next few days politicians, advised by counterterrorism experts, will turn their attention to how to combat home-grown terrorists who answer the call to jihad by using their cars and kitchen knives to carry out atrocities. There will be no doubt demands for more armed police officers, greater surveillance and powers to tap our phones and computers. But the horror of yesterday's terror attack on Westminster exposed Londoners to what the citizens of Paris, Berlin and Nice already know: that in the current, febrile climate of violent Islamist terrorism there is no defence against those who are committed to killing. Where once the Kalashnikov and the bomb were the terrorists weapons of choice, they have been ditched for the low-tech car and knife. In 2015, well-armed terror cells closely controlled from inside Syria were able to bring carnage to the streets of Paris and Brussels in carefully planned attacks. The hardline counterterrorism response across Europe was slow but effective, making it difficult for terror cells to organise themselves within the Muslim communities where they had sought shelter. But this has isolated many young Muslims who have removed themselves from mainstream society so that they have become easy prey to online radicalisers. Footage shows woman jumping into Thames to escape terrorist Security services across Europe have discovered very quickly that there is little they can do to stop a lone wolf terrorist who keeps his deadly plans to himself. In Britain, we have already thwarted 13 terror plots since 2013. All that MI5 and the police can say for sure is that there will be more attacks like that witnessed in Westminster yesterday. So the choice is as stark as it is clear: we either accept this new nihilist reality or find radical ways to end the daily threat of terror. Some have argued that we should permit young Muslims who wish to follow their dreams of jihad to leave Britain for Syria. During the Bosnian war in the early 1990s hundreds of British Muslims were allowed to join the ranks of the mujahideen without harassment from the security services. The vast majority fought and quietly returned to the UK where they peacefully carried on with their lives. But the security services argue that the nature of the conflict in Syria and Iraq is markedly different because groups like Isis are targeting the West as part of their war. By allowing British Muslims to travel to Syria they fear they will acquire gun and bomb training and then return to Britain to carry out mass attacks, similar to those witnessed in Paris and Brussels. This containment policy presents its own domestic security issue as hundreds of Muslims now find themselves trapped in the UK, frustrated that they can't travel to Islamist and rebel strongholds and perform what they regard as their religious duty. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP Britain's zero-tolerance policy on Syria has filled our prisons with young jihadists already marginalised and isolated inside mainstream society. In jail, they associate with like-minded Muslims which only helps to radicalise them further. When they leave prison, they often pose more of a risk to security than they did before they were arrested. The resources of the security services are being stretched to the limit as they try to keep tabs on an estimated 3,000 extremists living in the UK. Across Europe, governments are experimenting with more radical policies. France has discussed re-establishing a Devils Island for jihadis. Germany, which has been at the vanguard of enlightened approaches to the terror threat by opening its doors to refugees, has now brought in measures to deport German citizens suspected of terrorism to countries where their parents were born. In Britain, we must be careful not to let one terror incident end centuries of hard-won universal rights. @robertverkaik1 The Independent has launched its #FinalSay campaign to demand that voters are given a voice on the final Brexit deal.
Westminster attack: What we know Westminster attack: What we know A massive police operation is under way after a terror attack in Westminster, in the heart of London. What we know so far about the Westminster attack: Five people have died  Pc Keith Palmer, 48, mother-of-two Aysha Frade, US tourist Kurt Cochran and Leslie Rhodes, 75, from Streatham, south London. The attacker, Khalid Masood, also died. Masood, 52, had a string of criminal convictions including possession of a knife, but he was not the subject of any current investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack. Masood was born Adrian Russell Ajao in Kent on Christmas Day 1964. The attacker was investigated by MI5 some years ago over concerns of violent extremism. Ten people have been arrested and a number of addresses raided across London, Birmingham and elsewhere. Nine people remain in custody and one, a woman, has been released on bail. How the national newspapers reported the attack (PA) Those arrested include a 39-year-old woman held at an address in east London the night after the attack on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. A 21-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man were also arrested at an address in Birmingham the night after the attack on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. A 26-year-old woman and three men aged 28, 27 and 26 were arrested at a separate address in Birmingham the night after the attack on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. A 58-year-old man was arrested on Thursday morning at a separate address in Birmingham on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. (Lauren Hurley/PA) Two people were arrested overnight on Thursday/Friday in the West Midlands and the North West. The woman killed on the bridge was Ms Frade, who worked at DLD College London. Mr Cochran, 54, from Utah, was the man killed in the incident on the bridge. Mr Rhodes died after life support was withdrawn at Kings College Hospital on Thursday night. At least 50 people of 12 different nationalities were injured, including 12 Britons, three French children, two Romanians, four South Koreans, two Greeks, and one each from Germany, Poland, Ireland, China, Italy and the United States. (Jonathan Brady/PA) One of the injured has life-threatening injuries and two others are in a critical condition. Three police officers were also hurt, two of whom remained in hospital in Friday with significant injuries. Police have seized 2,7000 items in searches, including massive amounts of computer data. Approximately 3,500 witnesses  including 1,000 from Westminster Bridge and 2,500 from within the Parliamentary estate, have contacted police. The Hyundai used to mow down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge was hired from a branch of car rental firm Enterprise in Spring Hill, Birmingham. Attacker Masood, armed with two large knives, jumped out of the car after smashing it into the railings encircling the Palace of Westminster, fatally stabbing Pc Palmer as he entered the grounds. He was shot dead moments later by another police officer. Islamic State has claimed the attacker was one of its soldiers. Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon has said the working assumption is that the attack is linked to Islamic terrorism. Prime Minister Theresa May chaired a meeting of the Governments emergency Cobra committee on Wednesday night, later branding the attack sick and depraved. Police forces around the UK are reviewing their security arrangements in the wake of the Westminster attack. Ipsoregulated This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's Editors' Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then please contact the editor here. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can contact IPSO here
Mark Rowley, Acting Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, speaks to the media outside New Scotland Yard in London ( PA ) The Governments former adviser on counter-terror laws has said traditional surveillance would most likely have been unable to stop the Westminster attack as security services face questions over Khalid Masood. Critics have questioned how Masood could have slipped through the net, with suggestions of a wider extremist network arising with the arrest of at least 11 people on suspicion of terror offences in London, Birmingham and Manchester. Lord Carlile, who acted as the UKs independent reviewer of terrorism legislation for a decade, said MI5 and the other agencies have to make judgements based on evidence and information they have at the time. My experience is that on the whole theyre extremely good at it, he told The Independent. After directly deploying militants from Syria to carry out the sophisticated bombing and shooting attacks seen in Paris and Brussels, international security crackdowns and the groups huge territorial losses has forced it to promote increasingly low-tech methods of attack. Isis leaders have called on supporters no longer able to join their ranks in Syria and Iraq to wage jihad in their home countries in the West, by whatever means available. Propaganda magazines issued in October and November contained lengthy articles on how to carry out knife and vehicle attacks, with detailed instructions on how to pick crowded and unguarded targets and optimise casualties. While some previous terror plots have been thwarted after suspects were detected buying weapons or bomb-making materials, the use of everyday, legal items presents an increasing challenge for intelligence agencies. Their reach was broadened by the Investigatory Powers Act 2016, which includes measures forcing internet providers to make records of websites visited by customers available to a wide range of government and security departments, as well as forcing firms to access private phone communications. The law was opposed by a 212,000-strong petition, with critics arguing the unprecedented levels of surveillance were disproportionate and an absolute disgrace to both privacy and freedom. Lord Carlile said those opposing the IPA, including legal experts at the United Nations, offered no useful alternative to its provisions. My view is that its good law, its proportionate and its subject to appropriate levels of scrutiny, he added, saying he would resist calls for change. The barrister said legislative powers worked alongside other efforts to tackle extremism, including the removal of tens of thousands of radical internet websites. I dont think one can fault the level of activity by the security services, and what we need to examine is whether they have enough resources to keep up the requisite level of activity, Lord Carlile said. I would like us to have a more joined up approach to the issues that might affect whether such an attack occurs. The new independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, Max Hill QC, vowed that the Westminster attack will be subjected to full scrutiny and investigation by the police and intelligence services. It seems highly likely that what happened provides an unwelcome reminder of the existence of the threat from terrorism which we all face, he said. In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP 1/9 An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire 2/9 MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News 3/9 Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News 4/9 Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP 5/9 Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters 6/9 Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire 7/9 Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP 8/9 One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters 9/9 At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP The instant response by the police and emergency services has been exemplary, and has been followed by the thorough investigation which is now under way. I have no doubt that we will reflect on the events for a long time to come. Four people were killed in the atrocity, which saw Masood plough into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before crashing his car into railings surrounding the Houses of Parliament. The 52-year-old, known before his conversion as Adrian Ajao or Elms, ran inside an entrance to the Commons and fatally stabbed a police officer, before being shot dead.
JUST WATCHED Witnesses describe 'horrendous' Parliament attack MUST WATCH Story highlights Tim Stanley: UK terror attack reminder of threat but also professionalism of police, citizens quick to help each other He says we have seen this violence before, will endure more to come, but won't give in to terrorists Timothy Stanley is a historian and columnist for Britain's Daily Telegraph. He is the author of "Citizen Hollywood: How the Collaboration Between LA and DC Revolutionized American Politics." The opinions expressed in this commentary are his. This story has been updated to reflect the latest number of fatalities from London Metropolitan Police. London (CNN)The terror attack that left four victims and an assailant dead near the Houses of Parliament in London showed the worst and the best of British life. It was a reminder of the threat we've lived under for a very long time. But it also was a demonstration of a professional police service swinging into action and of our citizens rushing to each other's aid. We have a saying here: Keep calm and carry on. I'm sure that even on a day such as this we'll live up to it. Timothy Stanley Britain has been dealing with various forms of political violence since the 1960s, when the sectarian Troubles erupted in Northern Ireland. Last year, one of our members of Parliament, Jo Cox, was murdered by a sympathizer of the racist far-right. And we've been on alert against Islamist terrorism since 9/11. On July 7, 2005, 52 people were killed by suicide bombers in London. Our security services are second to none and are believed to have prevented 13 terror attacks since 2013. Their job, however, is made all the more difficult by the situation in the Middle East. The Syrian civil war has radicalized some young Britons; around 850 of them are believed to have traveled to Syria or Iraq to support or join the fighting. About half that number are thought to have returned. Others have tried to travel to the region and been stopped. JUST WATCHED Police treating UK attack as an act of terror MUST WATCH That Britain hadn't had a significant, successful attack since 2013, when a soldier, Fusilier Lee Rigby, was beheaded in the street, is a testament to how well our security agencies have been coping. So was the swift response of London's police force on Wednesday. We know that one officer lost his life. The officer was given CPR by Tobias Ellwood, an MP and former soldier who lost his brother in a bombing in Indonesia. There's no greater testament to the strength of Britain's institutions than the selflessness of our police and the quality of MPs like Ellwood. As for the attacker, there's a lot of speculation at the moment. But the location of this attack was surely picked to say something about the British state and its vulnerability. Reports indicate that an attacker drove along Westminster Bridge, mowing down tourists, and then into the railings outside the Houses of Parliament. JUST WATCHED The moment the UK Parliament stopped MUST WATCH The moment the UK Parliament stopped00:32 An attacker then approached the grounds of the Houses of Parliament and stabbed a police officer. This is a place where, as a journalist, I go all the time. My newspaper colleagues were inside the building in the lobby offices. There were MPs at work in the Commons. The Prime Minister was inside the palace grounds. What if the attacker had a bomb? What if he had got farther into the complex? The situation could have been even worse. One piece of good news is that Parliament intends to sit tomorrow, Thursday, and continue its business as normal. That's how a democracy wins. Britain's extremist right will demand tough measures -- it has always confused me that people who claim to love their country as much as the far-right does are so keen to change it at a moment's notice. Modern Britain is defined by tolerance. Please don't believe the worst that you might read online: We have fine community relations here. We are a generally peaceful and good-natured country. We are also known for our coolness under fire. We have seen this violence before and will endure more to come. But we don't give in to terrorists. A barbarian cannot change a country as old and civilized as ours.
BRITISH police officers have sensationally backed Donald Trumps controversial claim that parts of the country are no-go areas because of growing Islamist extremism. Serving officers in terrorist hotspots including London and Birmingham said that forces are becoming increasingly nervy over the rising threat of Islamic State (ISIS) inspired attacks, with some telling staff not to wear their uniforms in their OWN patrol cars. One officer in London said the firebrand presidential hopeful was pointing out something plainly obvious whilst another in Lancashire said the police have to ask local Muslim leaders for PERMISSION before sending patrols into their communities. Their shocking testimonies are in stark contrast to the official responses from politicians and the Metropolitan Police, who have rounded on Mr Trumps controversial claims. The Republican frontrunner provoked fury across the globe on Monday when he said that all Muslims should be banned from entering America to combat terrorism. Related articles During a tub thumping speech to party activists he also took a swipe at Britain, saying: We have places in London and other places that are so radicalised that police are afraid for their own lives. His comments were widely derided by British politicians including David Cameron, who called them divisive, unhelpful and quite simply wrong. The Metropolitan Police also issued a withering statement saying Mr Trump could not be more wrong whilst London Mayor Boris Johnson said his claims were utter nonsense. But they have been fatally undermined by members of the rank and file, who have said that fear of Islamist extremism within Britains police is widespread despite the protestations of the authorities. GETTY The outspoken Republican said police are too scared to enter radicalised parts of London GETTY One serving police officer said Mr Trump 'isn't wrong' One serving officer in west London said: Islamification has and is occurring. You have to have extra vigilance in certain parts when you are working." Speaking to Breitbart he added: When I was a teenage lad in Burnley there were no go white areas. This is the case still nationally, including London where you have to have extra vigilance in certain parts when you are working. Another officer with Lancashire police said that officers have to contact local community leaders to get their permission before they are allowed to patrol in Muslim areas of Preston. And a policeman posted in Yorkshire said police top brass were so afraid of potential terrorist attacks he had been ordered not to wear police uniform in his own patrol car. He isn't wrong - our political leaders are best either ill-informed or simply being disingenuous Serving police officer The anonymous officer wrote on the online forum Police.Community: Im not allowed to travel in half blues to work anymore IN MY OWN CAR as we're All at risk of attack - yet as soon as someone points out the obvious it's 'divisive.'" He added: In this instance he (Trump) isn't wrong. Our political leaders are best either ill-informed or simply being disingenuous. He's pointed out something that is plainly obvious, something which I think we aren't as a nation willing to own up to - do you think a US Police Department would ban officers from wearing their uniforms under jackets etc due to FEAR of their cops being killed by extremists? We implement half measures such as No-one is allowed to come into work half blues, even in your own cars because if you get beheaded it'll be your own fault. It would be seen as un-American, un-democratic, not the done thing... In the UK though we accept it. IG A petition calling for Donald Trump to be banned from the UK will be debated by MPs His comments were backed up by another officer, serving with the Met Police, who told LBC Radio: There has been a time when it's been advised not to wear half-blues or uniform to and from work. "It's like damage limitation. You try to do the most you can to prevent anything bad from happening. "All intelligence is around you and you do the best with that to essentially stay safe. And if that means taking measures to not identify yourself off-duty too much then so be it. "It's covering your backs. It's a common sense approach." Wow, what a day. So many foolish people that refuse to acknowledge the tremendous danger and uncertainty of certain people coming into U.S. Meanwhile in an interview last year Tom Winsor, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary, warned that there are cities in the Midlands where the police never go because local communities refuse to engage with law enforcement.
Westminster Terror Attacks: What we know now Five people, including a police officer, have been confirmed as dead with 50 people injured following Wednesdays terror attacks outside Westminster. Police have begun to piece together the attack that shocked the city of London and targeted Westminster, the heart of British democracy. The attacker, Khalid Masood, a 52 year-old father of three, was seen on nearby CCTV mounting the curb in a hire car on Westminster bridge, where he mowed down oblivious pedestrians. One women, Andreea Cristea, fell into the River Thames but the unconscious Ms Cristea was immediately pulled to safety and given urgent medical attention. She was directly taken to St Bartholomews Hospital from the banks of the Thames. Aysha Frade and Kurt Cochran, a tourist from the United States, where both killed on the bridge. Mrs Frade, who worked at DLD College London was killed after being hit by the attackers car as he motored towards Parliament. Its believed that Mrs Frade was on her way to pick up her children from school. Kurt Cochan, from Utah, was in London celebrating his 25th wedding anniversary with his wife, Melissa, who has also been hospitalized. The pair were due to return to the US on Thursday to conclude their European trip of a lifetime. A third person, 75-year-old Leslie Rhodes from Streatham, South London, was hit on the bridge and died on Thursday. Mr Rhodes was rushed to Kings College Hospital but later died of the injuries he had sustained. Multiple eye-witnesses described the chaos and scattered bodies left lying over the pavements in the streets of London. After flattening those on Westminster Bridge, Masood crashed the car into a barrier just outside the Houses of Parliament where he approached the unarmed police officer, PC Keith Palmer, who he stabbed. Mr Palmer, 48, had served as a police officer for 15 years.The injuries he suffered defending the Palace of Westminster consequently took his life. Tobias Ellwood, a former Conservative foreign officer and former soldier attempted to revive PC Palmer on the scene by performing CPR and mouth-to-mouth. Masood was then shot on sight by armed officers and died on the scene despite efforts to stabilize him. Theresa May later announced those injured in the attack which included: 12 Britons 3 French students 2 Romanians 4 South Koreans 2 Greeks And individuals from Germany, Poland, the Irish Republic, China, Italy and the US. Footage shows Theresa May being rushed out of the Houses of Parliament just 100 yards away from the attacker, Masood. Since Wednesdays attacks police confirm that 10 people have been arrested in connection with the attacks and multiple addresses in London and Birmingham have been raided. In London, the number of armed officers remains at near double strength, Acting Deputy Commissioner Mark Rowley said across the UK there are up to a third more armed officers on duty.
Reports are coming coming in of bodies everywhere after a car drove into a crowd on London Bridge, mirroring the March 25 Islamic State attack on Westminster Bridge. According to BBC, the car was a white van driven by a male driver and was going at least 50 MPH. Fatalities have been reported. The attack seems to be part of a coordinated attack numbering two in total now. A third stabbing reported in Vauxhall appears to be unrelated according to Metropolitan police. Prime Minister Theresa May said has confirmed the attacks as terrorism. More than one dead at London Bridge, police say, amid reports of stabbings in Borough and incident in Vauxhall https://t.co/Dtp4IubDPi About the initial attack, a witness named Mark Roberts told CNN, The van hit several people, knocking one person about 20 feet into the air. It swerved into oncoming lanes before hitting a bus stop and coming to a stop. Within my line of sight, there were five or six people on the ground that were not moving. Witnesses said they saw two men stabbing people outside the well-known Roast restaurant in Borough market. A chef from the nearby Fish restaurant said: I saw two guys with big knives downstairs outside Roast. They were stabbing people. The police were running away, they were community police. They were normal officers, they were running away. The guy with the knife was killing two people. We were shouting stop, stop and people threw chairs at them. Police came and shot straight away. Just come out of Borough Bistro where attack happen  saw man wielding knife and people on the floor in blood. In total shock #LondonBridge Following the ramming, London Bridge has been shutdown. A man was seen nearby being handcuffed by police, reports the BBC. The ramming comes just over a month after the Westminster Bridge attack that sent Britains Parliament into lockdown. During that attack, a man stabbed and killed an officer and was then shot and killed by police. Prior to being shot, the man drove a vehicle into pedestrians on nearby Westminster Bridge. 3 people died, including an American, Kurt Cochran. The attack was carried out by a 52-year-old British-born man with a violent criminal record named Khalid Masood, born Adrian Elms. Masood was an ISIS supporter. ISIS claimed him as a soldier to their cause. Its currently unconfirmed if todays attack was orchestrated or inspired by the Islamic State, but it carries ISIS hallmarks. In an ISIS magazine article from November 2016, ISIS suggested to jihadists how to carry out a successful attack as a lone wolf operative. In the article, ISIS said that a lone wolf should use a vehicle to plow into a crowd and to carry a secondary weapon. 1) You just defended islamic terrorism, and for this, you should be placed under surveillance 2) You compared apples with oranges. 3) Islams followers have committed more than 30,584 attacks since 9/11, which is more that 5 terrorist attacks every day. IRA could not do that in 100 years 4) Islam has state protection and legal protection, unlike the ideology of IRA which was illegal. I think youll find that in the 2000 years Christianity has existed the organised church has raped, pilliged and financially rinsed every civilisatation it has come in to contact with. How many Christian murders do ya reckon?. Reports are coming coming in of "bodies everywhere" after a car allegedly drove into a crowd on London Bridge, mirroring the March 25 Islamic State attack on Westminster Bridge. Stabbings have also been reported nearby.
What happened in Westminster? An attacker - now named as 52-year-old Khalid Masood - killed three pedestrians and injured around 40 other people as he mowed down members of the public with a car on Westminster Bridge at about 2:40pm, before crashing into the railings in front of Parliament. Bursting through the gate to the Palace of Westminster, he stabbed unarmed Pc Keith Palmer, 48, before being shot dead by armed officers. Paramedics fought to save the attacker, and that of Pc Palmer on the floor of the cobbled courtyard just yards from the House of Commons. Both were later confirmed dead. Two large knives could be seen at the scene. Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood was among those who rushed to help. Mr Ellwood, who lost his brother in the Bali bombing, was seen pumping the officer's chest then standing above him, his hands and face smeared with blood. Who was the attacker? Born in Kent, detectives believe he was most recently living in the West Midlands and was known by a number of aliases. They think he acted alone, although they are investigating possible associates. The Islamic State terror group claimed he was one of its "soldiers" in a statement released through IS's Aamaq news agency today. Isil has been explicitly threatening attacks on Britain for the last 18 months. At the end of a propaganda video claiming the Paris attacks in November 2015, Isil singled out the UK as its next target. Was he known to police? Masood was not the subject of any current investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack, Scotland Yard said. However, he was known to police and has a range of previous convictions for assaults, including GBH, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences. His first conviction was in November 1983 for criminal damage and his last conviction was in December 2003 for possession of a knife. He has not been convicted for any terrorism offences. A Scotland Yard spokesman said research into Masood's aliases was ongoing, adding: "Khalid Masood is not at this early stage believed to be his birth name." Mrs May told the Commons earlier, prior to the man being identified: "What I can confirm is that the man was British-born and that some years ago he was once investigated by MI5 in relation to concerns about violent extremism. "He was a peripheral figure. The case is historic. He was not part of the current intelligence picture. There was no prior intelligence of his intent or of the plot." The suspected London terror attacker being treated by paramedics, with the knives used in the assault circled.Credit: PA One witness, who works in a shop near the second-floor flat, said: "The man from London lived here." He added: "They came and arrested three men." Searches are continuing at the flat today after it emerged that the killer's car had been hired nearby. What do we know about the car? On Thursday, car-hire firm Enterprise confirmed the Hyundai 4x4 used in the attack was one of its vehicles after an employee recognised the numberplate in online photos. The car is understood to have been rented from a branch in Stratford, Shirley, in Solihull, just eight miles (13km) from the scene of the flat raid. In a statement, Enterprise said: "We can confirm that the car used in the tragic attack in London yesterday afternoon was one of ours." The attacker's Hyundai 4x4 is seen just yards from the House of Commons after crashing into railings. Who are the dead? Pc Keith Palmer Pc Palmer, 48, was a husband and father, and had worked for the Metropolitan Police for 15 years, having previously served in the armed forces. Conservative MP James Cleverly paid tribute to the lovely man he had known for a quarter of a century. Ive known Keith for 25 years. We served together in the Royal Artillery before he became a copper, he wrote. A lovely man, a friend. Im heartbroken. My thoughts are with the family, friends and colleagues of PC Keith Palmer. A brave man. Keith PalmerCredit: Metropolitan Police Aysha Frade Spanish teacher and department head Aysha Frade, 43, worked at DLD College, London and was married with two daughters. She was believed to have been crossing Westminster Bridge to pick up her children aged eight and 11 from school when she lost her life in the attack. According to Spanish newspaper La Voz de Galicia, the woman had always lived in London, where her parents met. Her father was of Cypriot origin while her mother was born in Betanzos in northwestern Spain. According to La Voz, the woman often spent her holidays with her family back in the town. Aysha Frade pictured in 2014Credit: Facebook Kurt Cochran American tourist Kurt Cochran, in his 50s, has been named as the second person killed on Westminster Bridge. His wife, Melissa, was also injured in the attack. She sustained a broken leg and rib, but it is not believed to be critical. Injured victims are seen on Westminster Bridge this afternoon, with wreckage strewn across the pavement.Credit: Reuters The 15 and 16-year-olds were from a school in Concarneau, Brittany, and had arrived in London on Sunday evening. They were walking along the bridge when the attacker's car apparently hit them, propelling one of them up onto the bonnet of the vehicle. Romania's foreign ministry confirmed two Romanians were also wounded. Among them was a woman who plunged into the Thames to escape the attack. She has been named as 29-year-old architect Andreea Cristea and eyewitnesses told reporters they had seen her floating face-down in the Thames next to the bridge. A member of the public is treated by emergency services near Westminster Bridge. Credit: Carl Court/Getty Images She was on holiday with her fianc to celebrate his birthday. It is not known whether she was thrown into the water by the impact of the crash or jumped into the water to avoid the carnage. The South Korean Yonhap news agency said that five South Korean citizens were injured in the terror attack, including a 67-year-old woman who was in a serious condition. Malcolm Turnbull announced in parliament that a person from South Australia was also wounded. The woman's foot was ran over during the attack and is recovering in hospital, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop told the ABC. The woman, who has not been named, is originally from Germany but is a permanent resident in South Australia Watch | Eyewitness: All of a sudden there were people flying in the air 01:19 Where was the Prime Minister during the attack? When the attack happened Prime Minister Theresa May had just voted and was standing in members' lobby with other Tory MPs. She was seen being quickly ushered into a silver Jaguar in the grounds of the Palace of Westminster. A Downing Street source confirmed she was "OK". What happened inside Parliament? MPs were locked in the House of Commons for more than four hours and business suspended after the attack. Deputy Speaker Lindsay Hoyle halted the sitting of the House and told MPs, who had just been called to vote on a piece of legislation, to remain in the chamber as details of the incident filtered through. People being held in Westminster Hall, including former Lib Dem leader Paddy Ashdown and former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith, were later evacuated from the Houses of Parliament. It was thought they were evacuated in blocks of 20 at a time. Both the House of Commons and the House of Lords are sitting today at their normal times.
He tweeted: "Another terrorist attack in London...These animals are crazy and must be dealt with through toughness and strength! Scotland Yards counter-terror team, which is leading the probe, say the car crash appears to be a deliberate attack and is being treated as a terrorist incident. The forces assistant commissioner Neil Basu said the method and iconic location of the apparent car rampage bears the hallmarks of a terrorist incident. A suspect in his late-20s, whose identity is not known, has been arrested on suspicion of terrorism and is being held at a south London police station, where he is being questions. DS TERROR FURY: Donald Trump said terrorists must be dealt with through 'toughness and strength' The car crash happened just metres away from where Khalid Masood, 52, killed four people on nearby Westminster Bridge before he stabbed to death an unarmed police officer in the grounds of parliament. If confirmed, todays suspected car attack in Westminster could be the sixth example of terrorism in Britain within 18 months, with five in London and one in Manchester. Police are seeking to identify a man arrested on suspicion of terrorism after the silver Ford Fiesta he was driving collided with cyclists and pedestrians before crashing into security barriers just before 7.40am. GETTY US PRESIDENT: Trump has been vocal about defeating terrorism at home and abroad Related Articles The man, wearing a black puffer jacket, was pulled from the smoking vehicle by armed cops and led away in handcuffs. Shocking CCTV footage shows the vehicle drive down the wrong side of the road before appearing to swerve into pedestrians and cyclists and slamming into a security barrier. Five people, including pedestrians and cyclists, were injured in the apparently deliberate attack, but none of them are in a life threatening condition. PA CAR CRASH: A vehicle has ploughed into pedestrians before hitting a security barrier Jason Williams, 45, from Kennington, was walking to work when he saw the crash."I saw a car going at high speed towards Parliament. It hit a bollard," he told the Press Association."It looked deliberate. It didn't look like an accident. How do you do that by accident? It was a loud bang." PA INJURIES: Multiple pedestrians have been hurt after the car crashed in Westminster In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said: "At 07:37am on Tuesday 14 August, a silver Ford Fiesta collided with a number of cyclists and pedestrians, before crashing into barriers outside the Houses of Parliament. "The driver of the car, a man in his late 20s, was arrested at the scene by armed officers. He has been taken to a south London police station where he remains in police custody. "He was arrested on suspicion of terrorist offences. "There was nobody else in the vehicle, which remains at the scene and is being searched. No weapons have been recovered at this stage. "A number of people were injured as a result of the collision and they have been taken to hospital. "At this early stage none of the injuries appear to be life-threatening."
Pages Friday, 28 April 2017 Another London Westminster Attack Terror With Rucksack Full Of Knives Detained Armed police 'swarmed like bees' on the bearded man just before 2.30pm after his concerned family reportedly alerted security services. The terror suspect who was detained with a 'rucksack full of knives' near Parliament square had been tracked on an intricate web of CCTV cameras by police and MI5. Witnesses said the man, who was wearing a tracksuit and trainers, was crossing Whitehall amid the usual crowds of tourists and political staff when a police car suddenly pulled up and officers confronted him, just five weeks after the Westminster terror attack killed that five people. But, unbeknown to him, the suspect had been tailed from the moment he got off the Underground at St James's Park - where he had travelled from east London - and headed towards Westminster. While covert teams trailed him on the ground, a live feed was being sent to control rooms in New Scotland Yard and the MI5's Thames House before they gave the order for them to swoop in. A large number of armed police then flooded the area as the suspect was pinned to the ground just yards from Downing Street. He was held against a wall of the Treasury before being taken away in a van to a police station. Security sources say police were tipped off by the man's family, which may have allowed officers the chance to detain him before they had to resort to opening fire. The suspect has not been named but is 27 years old and thought to be known to police, who kept tabs on him via surveillance cameras on the streets and on the Underground. It is believed that the suspect had been under round-the-clock surveillance and was tracked by two teams today with armed officers on standby, and that his phone and other means of communication were being monitored. Eyewitness Ian Grant was walking through the area when armed police rushed passed him and arrested the suspect, who is believed to have a British passport, but was not born here. The 56-year-old, from Poplar in the east of the capital, said: 'I came out of the tube station and saw a police car go flying by. Then all of a sudden it slowed down and two cops got out. 'Then an armed cop with a rifle came passed me, I thought it was just a drill at first. Then he shouted "Armed police, stop" and they got this guy down on the ground. 'When they shouted at him he didn't resist or say a word, he just put his hands up and stopped. Then they got the cuffs on him in the central reservation. 'First there was one, then two police officers, then they all came from nowhere like a swarm of bees. There was about a dozen cop cars. ' The area was sealed off as Scotland Yard's forensics experts scoured the scene, where at least three knives and a rucksack were seen laying on the ground on a central reservation. Police say the arrest was made following a 'stop and search' which was part on an ongoing operation. He is being questioned by anti-terror detectives at a south London police station. Mr Grant added: 'Before he was arrested he was just walk along normally, but he must have known they were after him because he didn't say anything when they stopped him. 'It was uncomfortable seeing that happen, it wasn't scary at first, it all happened so fast. But given what happen a month ago, it makes you really nervous.' The man was arrested just 350ft (116 yards) from where previous attacker Khalid Masood was shot 36 days ago. A Scotland Yard spokesman said: 'A man has been arrested in Whitehall this afternoon, at approximately 14:22, following a stop and search as part of an ongoing operation. 'The man, aged in his late twenties, was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism. Knives have been recovered from him. 'He is being detained under the Terrorism Act and is in custody in a south London police station. 'Detectives from the Counter Terrorism Command are continuing their investigation, and as a result of this arrest there is no immediate known threat.' A government spokesman for said Theresa May was not in Downing Street at the time of the incident. The Prime Minister paid tribute to the security services this afternoon. She said: 'I think it shows our police and intelligence and security services are on alert, as they always are, looking to keep us safe and secure. We owe them a huge debt of gratitude. 'They are often unseen, unheard, yet the job they do, day in and day out, is really important and we should thank them for it.' Passer-by Jose Noronha, 47, from Southall, west London, saw the man get arrested by police. He said: 'I saw the cops arresting him as I walked towards the main road. People were everywhere watching and police cars and officers were everywhere. 'Forensic officers have been looking all over the scene now. It was a very scary situation.' Paul Morris, 29, who works in Westminster, was walking out of the Underground entrance next to where the man was stopped by police. He said: 'As I came out of the subway on the Downing Street side of Whitehall there was shouting. You could hear the police yell at the man to "get down". 'Officers with guns quickly herded people down the stairs into the underground station for safety. One man who came back down looked as white as a ghost, he was so shaken. 'There were armed police everywhere and crowds of tourists. It was really busy.'
Images from this afternoons incident show gun cops arresting the suspect -close to the junction of Parliament Street and Westminster Bridge Road on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon and preparing acts of terrorism. He is now being held under the terrorism act at a south London police station. After the man was detained, forensic officers in full protective gear were seen photographing evidence at the scene - including a brown rucksack featuring the Union Jack flag and the word "London" as well as at least three knives. One of the weapons appeared to be a bread knife, according to witnesses. A discarded mobile phone was also reportedly found at the scene. At least one police helicopter could be seen hovering over Parliament in the immediate aftermath, while more than 10 armed police units were scrambled to the scene. The scene is close to Britain's finance ministry and Prime Minister Theresa May's official residence. She told Sky News: I am aware that an individual has been arrested in Whitehall today and that that individual has been arrested on the basis of a terrorism charge. "Obviously I cant say much more about it because it is an ongoing police investigation. "But I think it shows that our police and our intelligence and security services are on the alert as they always are - looking to keep us safe and secure. "We owe a huge debt of gratitude to these people. "Many of whom are unseen, unheard, yet the job they do, day in, day out to keep us secure is an important one and we should thank them for it." It shows that our police and our intelligence and security services are on the alert as they always are - looking to keep us safe and secure. Prime MinisterTheresa May A spokesman for the PM said that she was not at her Downing Street residence at the time of the incident. They added: "It is an ongoing police operation and we are monitoring it." London Mayor Sadiq Khan tweeted: "Thanks to all officers who dealt swiftly & professionally with the incident in Whitehall. The Met Commissioner has briefed me on the arrest." JOINT VENTURE Ian Grant, who was just yards away from where the 27 year old suspect was arrested, said: "An armed cop with a rifle came passed me, I thought it was just a drill at first. "Then he shouted 'armed police, stop' and they got this guy down in the ground. "When they shouted at him he didn't resist or say a word, he just put his hands up and stopped. When they shouted at him he didn't resist or say a word, he just put his hands up and stopped. "Then they got the cuffs on him in the central reservation. "Loads of people had stopped and were watching what was going on. "First there was one, then two police officers, then they all came from nowhere like a swarm of bees. "There was about a dozen cop cars." Scotland Yard confirmed no one had been injured in the incident. Reuters Reuters Reuters Reuters Getty Images Getty Images Sky News SWNS:South West News Service Another witness, Helen Chandler-Wilde, 22, was near Westminster Abbey when the commotion unfolded just a few yards away. She said: "There are loads of police, about 10 of them, as well as six police cars, and a forensic officer. "We ran down from just behind Westminster Abbey to see what was going on, we're about 20 yards from the entrance to the Treasury. "The traffic is still flowing, it's just a small bit of the road which is closed." She added: "Everything seems totally normal, it's under control." Hospitality manager Wojtek Kaczmarkiewicz, was working in the Treasury Building when it was put on lockdown. The 34-year-old said: "We were on lockdown for around two hours, it's getting really scary coming to work here to be honest. "First we knew something was going on was when security locked the door and we had to stay inside. "Then an email was sent round saying it was over two hours later. "It was really scary not knowing what was going on outside. We could hear people shouting outside 'it's a bomb, it's a bomb'. But thankfully it wasn't. "Everytime something like this is in the news I get calls from my family and friends, they grab the phone and ask 'are you ok, what's going on down there?' "I'm starting to think I might have to go and apply for another job at another location after what happened last month." Knives have been recovered from him. He is being detained under the Terrorism Act and is in custody in a south London police station Met Policespokesman Britain's current terror level is at "severe," meaning an attack is highly likely. Security has been increased around Parliament since the terror attack last month. Next Thursday is Parliament's last sitting day before Britain's June 8 election. A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "The man, aged in his late twenties, was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism. "Knives have been recovered from him. "He is being detained under the Terrorism Act and is in custody in a South London police station."
Mar. 24, 2017 08:31 am JST Mar. 24, 2017 08:40 am JST IS said through its Aamaq News Agency that the London attacker  whom it did not name  was a soldier of the Islamic State who carried out the operation in response to calls for targeting citizens of the coalition fighting IS in Syria and Iraq. Not a soldier at all. Just an aging violent man with deep mental issues. Mar. 24, 2017 09:10 am JST As much we we are all angry now and want to blame someone for this, the fact is we could all carry out such an attack. What stops us is our sanity and healthy relationship with society and our fellow human beings. We can never completely prevent such attacks. I realise this provides zero comfort for the victims and their families. Such a waste. So pointless. Mar. 24, 2017 09:46 am JST Nigel Farage, former leader of the right-wing UK Independence Party, blamed the attack on multiculturalism. Nigel, Haven't you done enough damage already? Just be quiet. Sughra Ahmed, a Muslim woman who traveled from northwest England for the vigil, said shed been reduced to tears on the square by a woman who embraced her. Britain is one, she said. An attack on one is an attack on us all. Mar. 24, 2017 09:47 am JST "But most politicians said the violence should not divide Britain, and May called the rampage a perversion of a great faith. Like clockwork. Words like 'perverted' and 'twisted' always get trotted out whenever people get killed in incidents like this. Looking around the world, there seems to be a lot of 'perversions' of this faith. I've heard people with far more knowledge about this faith than May give justifications for violence based on this faith. Not a discussion most people generally like to have. I suppose we'll call it perverted, dust of the cliches light the candles again the next time. Mar. 24, 2017 09:58 am JST The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for Wednesdays attack, Why wouldn't they, it's in their interest to do so even though they were most probably unaware of the attack, didn't know this man etc. Had he even been radicalised? Don't see this man as an IS soldier and not even sure what he did falls under so called 'IS-inspired acts of terrorism" but media and govts alike love to think they have 'identified' and isolated the threat rather than admit they/we are vulnerable and somehow powerless against this. Mar. 24, 2017 10:13 am JST @JeffLee There weapons all around you. To have access to weapons all someone needs to do is go to the kitchen. Remember the soldier in UK killed with meat cleavers in 2013? Most western homes have one of those so anyone has weapons. Mar. 24, 2017 10:49 am JST We're not talking about future aspirations, we're talking about past convictions. Question should be why would an aspiring terrorist need past convictions for weapons possession, assault or disorderly behavior? That pretty much describes the majority of most prison populations around the world. Mar. 24, 2017 11:17 am JST Very difficult to see how these things can be prevented. Cars can be used as mass casualty weapons while knives are freely available. Attacking the causes of these events is the best way forward, and considering IS claimed this attack and that lone wolf attacks like this exploded due to their rise, destroying IS as quickly as possible is the best way forward. Wannabe terrorists would then have less incentive to carry out these attacks once the group's territory in the ME is retaken as the media response presumably won't be as big Mar. 24, 2017 11:39 am JST Very difficult to see how these things can be prevented. They can't. But people want someone to blame, so that they can feel secure. So they blame the Muslims for sharing a faith with the extremists, or they blame the security agencies for not finding something that the terrorists were doing their utmost to ensure didn't get discovered. The fact is, it's pretty much impossible to stop all terrorist attacks. Terrorism is an idea, not something substantial that can be eliminated. If you removed all terrorists from the earth today, and struck the idea from all books, and prevented people from talking about it, then came back and looked at the earth in a few decades, we'd have terrorism again. When you accept that terrorism is something that cannot be eliminated, you realize that we need to start working on risk management, rather than terrorism eradication. This means taking actions like not invading countries for their oil, not banning people from countries based on their religion, and not bombing innocents with drones. The less people we push to terrorism, the less terrorists there will be. Mar. 24, 2017 12:10 pm JST @Strangerland The less people we push to terrorism, the less terrorists there will be. What a load of nonsense. What did the innocent victims of this attack do to push this man to terrorism? What did my neighbour who died in the 7/7 attacks do to push these people to plant bombs on trains? You've really outdone yourself today Strangerland. But people want someone to blame, so that they can feel secure. So they blame the Muslims for sharing a faith with the extremists You chastise people for holding the entire Muslim community responsible for reigning in their terrorists, but at the same time you have no hesitation to hold everyone living in the west responsible for civilian drone deaths. Do you really not see your own hypocrisy? Mar. 24, 2017 01:11 pm JST When you accept that terrorism is something that cannot be eliminated, you realize that we need to start working on risk management, rather than terrorism eradication. This means taking actions like not invading countries for their oil, not banning people from countries based on their religion, and not bombing innocents with drones. The less people we push to terrorism, the less terrorists there will be. @Strangerland: I had to log in (from a location I probably shouldn't) just to say thank you. And I believe that is one of the best, most realistic comments/posts I have seen in a long while. I wholeheartedly agree. Too many seem to suffer from damage to their frontal cortex and therefore unable to see (from the "enemy's" perpective) and understand what put us in all this trouble. They should understand how their complicity and ignorance is a big part of the cause of what's referred to as 'terrorism'. And they should be able to see all that has been stolen from us and other nations around the globe for the benefit of a few (i.e. a stable future). But they. Just. Don't. Get. It... Mar. 24, 2017 01:22 pm JST I'm inclined to agree with strangerland. Unfortunately, bombing the daylight out of other nations only breeds more terrorism. Civilians in one nation can not be placed in higher regard than civilians in another. Unfortunately it is only the civilians who suffer and acts of violence only bring more acts of violence. There is no Islamic State. And why is a terrorist group permitted a News Agency? Exactly this. No more real than the tooth fairy or Easter Bunny. What makes them real is the media. Quit referring to them and they will be hit harder than anything that has happened to them before. Mar. 24, 2017 01:40 pm JST Clearly the perpetrator had mental issues and his experiences of social failure culminating in periods of incarceration no doubt fed his anger and aggression. Even if his ties to islamic radicalism were superficial, ISIS has become a brand and a powerful international meme that can be used by disaffected Muslims to give justify their violent acts and burnish their image as jihadis. That this flourishing meme continues to attract thousands of disgruntled individuals thirsting for revenge proves that the bill incurred by Western warmongers for the invasion of Iraq (not to mention the never-ending tragedy of the Zionists and Arabs) has not yet been fully paid by ordinary citizens regardless of whether they supported the wars of aggression waged by their governments. This looks to be a long-running saga since history teaches that humans learn nothing from it. Mar. 24, 2017 01:43 pm JST Born Adrian Elms in Kent in 1964. First criminal act in 1983 when he was 19. In 2003 when 38 he stabbed a man in the face and was sent to prison. By 2005 he was teaching English in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia. In 2004 he was married. In 2009 on his return to the UK he became a senior English teacher at a TEFL college in Luton. In 2012 set up his own business in the West Midlands. an English Language tutoring business named IQRA. On Wednesday, at 52 years Khalid Masood, made his terrorist attack in Westminister. It not common for muslims to be radicalise after 30 years. He travelled from Birmingham to Brighton in a Hyundai hire car used in his attack, He stayed at the 59-a-night Preston Park Hotel and checked out on Wednesday morning. The police and security forces have a watch list of 3,000 jihadist. Masood was never on it. Moderator: It's not necessary to copy and paste from other sources. The URL will suffice. Mar. 24, 2017 02:13 pm JST And why is a terrorist group permitted a News Agency? I don't quite get what you mean here. Amaq isn't IS news agency per se or at least both sides are very vague about that. The way I see it is that it's the only media who's basically tolerated/accepted by IS and has relationships with the group and its fighters etc. I actually think it's very valuable to us westerners to have something/someone/somewhere who can talk to these guys and report about the organisation, what they do etc. It sure is some sort of propaganda but aren't all news, fake or real, propaganda anyway? Mar. 24, 2017 04:30 pm JST Nigel Farage, former leader of the right-wing UK Independence Party, blamed the attack on multiculturalism. Okay you grinning loon, this killer was not born Khalid Masood but Adrian Elms, born in Kent and probably converted to Islam later in life. So he's not an immigrant Nigel, he was a natural born Briton. You can't blame this on immigration no matter how hard you try. As for IS, they'd claim the 'credit' for the opening of an envelope if it got them publicity in the West. Mar. 24, 2017 05:48 pm JST "Ahh, so we just need to stop all immigration everywhere" No, but stop the open-door policies, which allowed in wanted terrorists (true) and other non-integrating undesirables. Not all immigration policies are the same. There are smart policies and there are dumb, irresponsible policies. Even Blair and other European leaders have admitted that "serious mistakes" were made in their countries' past policies. Mar. 24, 2017 06:01 pm JST "Some of the children born in Britain have become jihadist, a very low percentage" True, the foot soldiers are few at any given time. There are many, many more sympathizers, as the Salmon Rushdie case showed. UK police said 3 years ago they'd thwarted 40 serious Islamist plots in Britain. I guess the number is now, what, 60? It's a constant intensive war the UK must fight against a segment of its own population. Mar. 24, 2017 06:11 pm JST @JeffLee Yes. I've been called a racist, bigot and an 'Islamophobe' for agreeing with the party I have almost always voted for in saying the Labour Party in the UK made mistakes with immigration. I've been a bit more encouraged recently in that saying this doesn't always automatically lead to stupid shouts of racism. Reactions to filth like what happened in London is another example of what infuriates many. Majid Nawaz, a Muslim, called this kind of thing the 'Voldemort effect' because politicians are too afraid to name it. You'll here general comments about 'hate', 'intolerance' and 'evil' but next to no comments about what this 'hate' is and where it's coming from. The sad thing is trash like the likes of Trump, Farage and Le Pen see this as something to really get their teeth into. Trump won the US election, Farage was a major player in Brexit and Le Pen is a real menace in France - everything that liberals ( I count myself as one ) generally dispise. Mar. 24, 2017 06:37 pm JST @JeffLee Which ever way you want to call the figures, the number of jihadist in the UK are small compared to the size of the muslim population. We can't have any kind of collective punishment which is illegal under international law. The parents of a son who becomes a jihadist terrorist can't be punished for those crimes. The family of OBL were not held responsible for the 9/11 attacks. Yesterday the British PM stated in parliament that in recent times the police and security forces had prevented 13 acts of terrorism. They don't always reveal those figures especially if there are on going investigations. Mar. 24, 2017 06:49 pm JST "Until these issues are addressed, the insanity will continue." Perhaps it could help but there are extremists who state that their goals are not simply redress. They are actively preaching a goal of UK under sharia. Opinion polls suggest that hundreds of thousands of UK Muslims see this as a good idea. Mar. 24, 2017 08:43 pm JST @SenseNotSoCommon I fully agree that what the UK was involved in in Iraq was an utter disgrace and Blair should have stood trial. The 2005 election is the only election I didn't vote Labour - I couldn't bring myself to vote for a party involved in this bloodbath. There are legitimate and serious grievances which need to be addressed. However, I notice you didn't deal with my point about sharia. I don't see how legitimate grievances about Iraq are related to extremist ideas about supporting sharia in the UK. The numbers are horrifying and the squirming you see from many moderate Muslims on this point is very disturbing. I'm sure you remember a former head of the supposedly moderate Muslim Council of Britain declaring death "too good" for the blasphemer Salman Rushdie. The inability of many Muslims to state categorically that there shouldn't be a penalty for leaving Islam is monstrous. There is a serous problem here. These kinds of ideas are very dangerous an far too close to what people hate in the hate preachers for my liking. As long as people make excuses for this, call people who state these facts 'islamophobes' or claim the only problem is 'islamophobia', we can't even begin to talk honestly about the problem, let alone deal with it. Mar. 24, 2017 10:00 pm JST @Jimizo "The sad thing is trash like the likes of Trump, Farage and Le Pen see this as something to really get their teeth into." My hope is that the deer-in-headlights mainstream parties will figure out exactly WHY the populists are able to get their teeth into these ongoing attackers. And then respond in new ways -- such as public consultation (perish the thought!) -- that take the teeth out of the populist platform. Mar. 24, 2017 10:08 pm JST I disagree with sharia law which is only arbitration law just like the Jewish Beth Din or other forms of arbitration. All should follow common laws of the land. I dislike all religions and favour none over another. I have many issues with the Islamic faith including the issues involving women and homosexuals. I believe people should have the freedom to follow a religion provided it does not force others to do so. I oppose any kind of no go areas. I oppose religious schools receiving public funding. I oppose all forms of war. In war there are only losers. The Muslim jihadist is not something which suddenly appeared. It's an effect of a cause set in motion decades ago. Mar. 24, 2017 10:45 pm JST @JeffLee The strangest thing for me is what I mentioned earlier. If someone who had somehow managed to avoid all news for a few decades and heard May speak yesterday about 'hate', the person would have wondered what this hate is, what it's based on and who is doing the hating. The same thing happened in the US with Obama and Clinton after terrorist atrocities there and the exasperation was clear from many. It was a gift-wrapped present to Trump. The Dutch PM spoke out about the fears Dutch people have about these issues before the election ( no doubt to try to deflate Wilders ). Mar. 24, 2017 11:04 pm JST I don't see how legitimate grievances about Iraq are related to extremist ideas about supporting sharia in the UK. In 1970s and 1980s Belfast, churches of all denominations were overflowing, as people's religious identities - and the challenges to them - were at their height. Having somewhere to hang your hat on a Sunday was all the rage. These days people's religious identities aren't challenged, and churches are closing down. The same will be true for British muslims. Make peace with Islam, and the more morally challenged of the imams will go the way of the dodo. Believers and their kids will lapse, becoming nominal muslims and eventually born-again atheists like yourself. Of course this also requires seizing the salafist nettle of the Gulf thiefdoms, as part of inviting extremists in all quarters - big and small - to Foxtrot Oscar. Human evolution demands it, but dare we do it, Jim? Mar. 25, 2017 07:47 am JST "Make peace with Islam" Yeah, that should be easy. So who has made peace with Islam? The Chinese? No. The Thais? No. The Russians? No. The Americans? No. The Burmese? No. The Philippinos? No. The Sudanese? No. The French? No.The Nigerians? No. And so on and so on. That faith is designed to create division and intolerance, matter where in the world. Mar. 25, 2017 08:20 am JST Thunderbird2 wrote: "Okay you grinning loon (Nigel Farage), this killer was not born Khalid Masood but Adrian Elms, born in Kent and probably converted to Islam later in life. So he's not an immigrant Nigel, he was a natural born Briton. You can't blame this on immigration no matter how hard you try." I suspect that at a deeper level this event has everything to do with immigration - and in particular its racial component.
Share this article Share 3.7k shares Mr Cochran's wife, Melissa, was seriously injured. Three French students, aged 15 and 16, and a 67-year-old South Korean tourist also suffered serious injuries. Theresa May revealed earlier today - before the latest death was announced - that among the injured there were 12 Britons, three French, two Romanians, four South Koreans, one German, one Chinese, one Irish, one Italian and two Greeks. The foreign victims are likely to all have been tourists. A woman who was pulled alive from the Thames after jumping off Westminster Bridge to escape the attacker was among the victims in yesterday's atrocity. ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack. Romanian architect Andreea Cristea, 29, was visiting London with her future husband, engineer Andrei Burnaz, to celebrate his birthday tomorrow. A third member of the public, a 75-year-old man, has died tonight, police have confirmed Thousands of people tonight gathered at a vigil in memory of those who died Terrorist Khalid Masood died after being shot by police outside the Houses of Parliament yesterday afternoon Earlier this evening King's College Hospital had revealed that two victims were fighting for their lives. People injured in yesterday's attack have been taken to hospitals across London. King's College NHS tweeted: 'We regret to report that one of the patients we treated following the #WestminsterAttack who was in a critical condition has sadly died.' The hospital took in eight patients. Four are stable, while two were today discharged. Today Prime Minister Theresa May paid a private visit to those injured in yesterday's terror attacks and staff whop treated them at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. She stopped to thank staff for their efforts and spent time speaking to the patients. A spokeswoman for Chelsea and Westminster Hospital confirmed the PM made the visit this afternoon. Thousands joined the vigil in the heart of London this evening to pay tribute to those killed in yesterday's terror attack The latest victim died at King's College Hospital, where medics earlier today said two people were fighting for their lives She said: 'The prime minister paid a private visit to staff and patients today, I can confirm. 'She took the time to speak to the staff at the hospital and took the time to praise their hard work and continued efforts to treat the patients following the yesterday's incident.' A statement from police this evening said: 'Detectives investigating the terrorist attack in Westminster on Wednesday, 22 March can confirm that a 75-year-old man died tonight, Thursday, 23 March. 'The man had been receiving medical treatment in hospital following the attack and life support was withdrawn this evening. 'Next of kin have been informed and are receiving support from specially trained family liaison officers.' Three members of the public were killed by terrorist Khalid Masood, who crashed a car into railings outside Big Ben before stabbing PC Keith Palmer yesterday afternoon The terrorist drove into pedestrians along Westminster Bridge at 2.40pm yesterday before crashing into railings close to Big Ben and bursting through security before being shot Details about the identity of the victim will not be released by the Metropolitan Police tonight, a spokesman told MailOnline. The news of his death came as thousands gathered in Trafalgar Square for a candlelit vigil to remember yesterday's terror attack victims. In a moving tribute to the policeman and three members of the public slain by the 'lone wolf' terrorist, locals and tourists stood shoulder to shoulder and held up their flames which flickered in the cold evening breeze. Thousands gathered in Trafalgar Square this evening for a vigil in memory of the innocent victims of terrorist Khalid Masood Candles were lit in Trafalgar Square in tribute to those who died in the London terror attack Masood had never been convicted of terror offences, although Theresa May revealed this morning that he had been on MI5's radar a number of years ago. Police insist there was no intelligence suggesting he was about to unleash a terror attack. Masood was a married father-of-three, former English teacher and a religious convert who was into bodybuilding, according to Sky News. A Scotland Yard spokesman said this afternoon: 'Masood was also known by a number of aliases. He was not the subject of any current investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack. 'However, he was known to police and has a range of previous convictions for assaults, including GBH, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences. 'His first conviction was in November 1983 for criminal damage and his last conviction was in December 2003 for possession of a knife. He has not been convicted for any terrorism offences.'
Police make new arrest in Birmingham after Westminster terror attack London (AFP) - British police investigating the terror attack on parliament made a new arrest on Sunday as authorities try to piece together the assailant's motive. Floral tributes to the victims of the March 22 terror attack are seen on Westminster Bridge near the Houses of Parliament in central London. AFP London (AFP) - British police investigating the terror attack on parliament made a new arrest on Sunday as authorities try to piece together the assailant's motive. A 30-year-old man was arrested in the central city of Birmingham on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts, London's Metropolitan Police said in a statement. A dozen people have been arrested since 52-year-old Briton Khalid Masood launched an assault on parliament on Wednesday, killing four people and leaving 50 injured before he was shot by police. Nine people have been released without charge, while a 58-year-old man remains in custody and a 32-year-old woman has been released on bail. Police on Saturday admitted they may never know why Masood chose to drive his hire car into pedestrians before crashing into the fence of the Houses of Parliament and fatally stabbing a policeman. "We must all accept that there is a possibility we will never understand why he did this. That understanding may have died with him," said senior counter-terrorism officer Neil Basu. Basu appealed to the public to come forward with information which may shed light on the motive of Masood, a convert to Islam with a violent criminal past. Police believe he acted alone on the day, although investigators are trying to find out whether he was encouraged or directed by others. The Islamic State group claimed that one of its "soldiers" carried out the attack, the worst in Britain since the July 2005 bombings which left 52 people dead.
A bigger picture of the final hours and violent past of Westminster terrorist Khalid Masood is being created by detectives who are trying to find out if he acted alone or had support. Share this A bigger picture of the final hours and violent past of Westminster terrorist Khalid Masood is being created by detectives who are trying to find out if he acted alone or had support. Eleven people have been arrested as part of the inquiry but Scotland Yard said only two men remained in custody - two men aged 27 and 58 who were arrested in Birmingham on Thursday. All are being held on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. Seven of those arrested have now been released from police custody and face no further action - two women aged 21 and 26 and four men aged 23, 26, 27 and 28 who were all arrested at addresses in Birmingham and a 35-year-old man arrested in Manchester. A 32-year-old woman, also arrested in Manchester, has been bailed pending further inquiries, while a 39-year-old woman arrested in east London has been released on bail until late March. Masood, 52, killed four people including unarmed Pc Keith Palmer and injured dozens more when he ploughed a hired car across Westminster Bridge and stormed the parliamentary estate armed with two blades before being shot by police. The middle-aged Muslim convert was born Adrian Elms and also called himself Adrian Russell Ajao. Before the attack Masood had stayed at the Preston Park Hotel in Brighton, and the manager says he had been "laughing and joking, telling us stories about where he lived", just hours before the atrocity. Sky News claimed he used the WhatsApp messaging service seconds before launching the attack. Scotland Yard's head of counter-terrorism Mark Rowley said detectives want to understand his "motivation, preparation and associates" and if he "either acted totally alone, inspired by terrorist propaganda, or if others have encouraged, supported or directed him". Detectives have seized 2,700 items from the searches, including "massive amounts" of computer data, while around 3,500 witnesses have been spoken to. Searches at three addresses are continuing. Mr Rowley said: "We remain keen to hear from anyone who knew Khalid Masood well, understands who his associates were, and can provide us with information about places he has recently visited. "There might well be people out there who did have concerns about Masood but weren't sure or didn't feel comfortable for whatever reason in passing information to us. "I urge anyone with such information to contact us." Meanwhile, the widow of a man attacked with a knife by Masood in a pub assault said her late husband was injured after defending someone during a row. Masood was jailed for two years over the 2000 attack in the car park of a pub in Northiam, near Rye, East Sussex, according to a news report at the time. The Brighton Argus reported that Masood, who stood trial as Adrian Elms, "left Piers Mott with a three-inch gash on his left cheek" requiring 20 stitches, after an altercation with "racial overtones". Adrian Baker, 51, who has lived in Northiam for 25 years, said Elms was known as a "troubled" character. Alice Williams, landlady of the Rose and Crown pub in the village of Beckley, near Rye, where Masood would sometimes drink, described him as "intelligent but odd". Mrs Williams, 59, said: "He would do the Telegraph crossword and, to be fair, would make intelligent conversation, but he was a bit racist." Hero MP Tobias Ellwood, who ran towards gunfire to try and unsuccessfully tried to save the life of stabbed Pc Palmer, and security minister Ben Wallace have been appointed to the Privy Council for their roles in responding to the atrocity. Downing Street announced that the Queen was "pleased" to approve the appointments. Mr Wallace helped co-ordinate the Government's response. In other developments: :: A fourth victim who died after being hurt in the attack was named as Leslie Rhodes, a retired window cleaner from Clapham, south London, who neighbours described as a "lovely man". :: Police chiefs launched a major increase in the number of firearms officers on duty around the country. :: Two people remain in hospital in a critical condition, one with life-threatening injuries. Two police officers hurt in the attack are also in hospital with "significant injuries". The family of Pc Kristofer Aves said he had just received a commendation for his work as a family liaison officer when "what started as a celebratory day, ended in tragedy" when he was seriously injured as he crossed Westminster Bridge. Masood was known to police and MI5 but was a "peripheral figure" who was not implicated in any current probe. He had convictions for assaults, including grievous bodily harm, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences. Masood's victims on the bridge included US tourist Kurt Cochran and his wife Melissa, from Utah, who were on the last day of a trip celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary. Mrs Cochran was badly injured. Aysha Frade, who worked in administration at independent sixth-form school DLD College London, in Westminster, also died. She is believed to be a 43 year-old married mother of two. Police said armed patrols would take place around Wembley Stadium and extra officers would be at the ground as England played a World Cup qualifier against Lithuania on Sunday.
An assailant armed with a knife has been shot outside the Houses of Parliament in London, and at least a dozen people have been injured on Westminster Bridge. The number of casualties is unclear. Stay up to date with the latest updates on the Westminster terror attack on our blog. The leader of the House of Commons, David Lidington, said in the chamber that an assailant who stabbed a policeman had been shot by police. Amid confusing scenes, it appeared the incident may have unfolded in several locations, including the busy bridge where tourists often congregate to take pictures of Big Ben and other attractions. The incident took place on the first anniversary of attacks on Brussels in Belgium. Paramedics treat an injured person after an incident on Westminster Bridge in LondonToby Melville/ReutersInjured people are assisted after an incident on Westminster Bridge in LondonToby Melville/ReutersA woman assist an injured person after an incident on Westminster Bridge in LondonToby Melville/ReutersA member of the public is treated by emergency services near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament in London,Daniel Leal-Olivas/Getty ImagesA member of the public is treated by emergency services near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament in LondonDaniel Leal-Olivas/AFPPeople leave after being evacuated from the Houses of Parliament, LondonDaniel Leal-Olivas/Getty ImagesPeople leave after being evacuated from the Houses of Parliament in central LondonDaniel Leal-Olivas/AFPAn air ambulance lands in Parliament Square during an incident on Westminster Bridge in LondonToby Melville/ReutersArmed police respond outside Parliament during an incident on Westminster Bridge in LondonToby Melville/ReutersArmed police respond outside Parliament during an incident on Westminster Bridge in LondonStefan Wermuth/ReutersA medic is seen near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament in LondonCarl Court/Getty ImagesAn armed police officer runs accross the road during an incident on Westminster Bridge, LondonToby Melville/ReutersA man lies injured after a shottingt incident on Westminster Bridge in LondonToby Melville/ReutersA police officer stands guard near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of ParliamentJack Taylor/Getty ImagesA police officer stops traffic as the Jagaur car of British Prime Minister Theresa May (R) is driven away from the Houses of Parliament, LondonDaniel Leal-Olivas/Getty ImagesArmed police officers guard at a police cordon outside the Houses of Parliament in LondonDaniel Leal-Olivas/AFP
The page on LaunchGood has so far raised nearly 18,000 since it was set up yesterday The page on LaunchGood has so far raised nearly 18,000 since it was set up yesterday, and has a target of 20,000. A statement by the organisers said: 'The British Muslim community stands with all Britons and Londoners during these difficult times and extends their support in raising funds to help with the immediate, short-term needs of the families of Keith Palmer, the other victims and the families of the victims. I'm worried that the hate will divide societies further, I'm worried that hate on both sides will increase as a result Muddassar Ahmed, Muslims Unite for London 'While no amount of money will bring back lives lost or take away from the pain the victims and their families are going through, we hope to lessen their burden in some way. 'Though this is a Muslim-led campaign, we welcome contributions from our friends from other faiths and none.' Prime Minister Theresa May said the attacker was someone known by police and MI5, and the working assumption was that he was inspired by Islamist terrorism. Khalid Masood had been investigated some years ago over violent extremism. The Islamic State terror group has claimed that the attacker was one of its 'soldiers'. The attack on Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament left at least five people dead, including PC Keith Palmer, and a further 50 injured. Multiple fundraising pages have been set up to help the family of PC Palmer who was stabbed outside Parliament, as well as other victims. The attack on Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament left at least five people dead, including PC Keith Palmer (pictured) The Metropolitan Police Federation launched an official memorial page at 9.13am on Thursday which had reached 300,000 just 12 hours later. The association, which has 30,000 constables, sergeants, inspectors and chief inspectors, was prompted to set up the page after receiving a huge number of pleas from members who wanted to help, chairman Ken Marsh said. He said: 'That's why we are doing it, because of the overwhelming amount of our colleagues asking for it.' Stephen Redgewell, who set up the page said: 'A quick thank you for all those of you that have made your generous gifts in memory of Keith. 'It is heart warming to see the messages that have been posted and those that have chosen not to post a message, the gift alone speaks a thousand words.' A separate page, set up by a serving police officer in a personal capacity on Go Fund Me at midnight, has raised more than 5,000. The page description reads: 'An officer fell in the line of duty today. The weeks ahead are going to be taxing for his family and colleagues who survive him. 'Please help to support his family in any way you can. All funds raised will be donated to Keith's next of kin.' A policeman points a gun at attacker Khalid Masood on the floor (top) while emergency services attend him and a police officer (bottom) outside the Palace of Westminster A string of comments from those who knew Pc Palmer were posted, with one writing: 'So proud to have worked with such a great guy, R.I.P Keith.' Another wrote: 'Remembering Keith as a very professional officer. Thinking of his family, friends and colleagues.' A Go Fund Me page has been set up to help the wife of Kurt Cochran, who also died on Wednesday. Family said the American tourist's wife, Melissa, had suffered a broken leg, a broken rib, and a cut to the head but would recover from her injuries. Clint Payne, Melissa's brother, said the pair were in Europe to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary, and were scheduled to return to the United States on Thursday. The terror attack on Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament left at least five people dead, including PC Keith Palmer, and a further 50 injured He said: 'Melissa also received serious injuries in the attack, and is being cared for in the hospital. We express our gratitude to the emergency and medical personnel who have cared for them and ask for your prayers on behalf of Melissa and our family.' More than $28,000 (22,000) has been raised so far to help Melissa 'cover her regular monthly expenses and loss of income', he added. The couple were self-employed having built a recording studio business. Meanwhile, London's air ambulance revealed it had received 10,000 by 10am yesterday. Dr Gareth Davies, medical director of the charity, said: 'We have been blown away by the generosity of Londoners who have, in less than 24 hours, donated 10,000 to the London's air ambulance charity. Thank you. 'We are a service for Londoners, funded by Londoners. London is a great city and we all stand together, especially in difficult times.'
Mark Rowley, the national lead for counterterrorism, said there had been two significant arrests overnight, one in the West Midlands and one in the north west of England. Nine people remain in custody and one woman has been released on bail, Rowley said. Police continue to search five addresses and another 16 searches have concluded, in what Rowley said was a fast-moving and wide-ranging investigation. Officers have seized 2,700 items, including computer data, and have had contact with 3,500 witnesses to the attack, many of them of different nationalities, Rowley said. The attack left four people dead and injured at least 50 more, 31 of whom needed hospital treatment, Rowley said. Two of those in hospital are in critical condition, one of them with life threatening injuries. The fourth victim, a 75-year-old man, died Thursday night after his life support was withdrawn at a hospital where he had been receiving treatment, according to Londons Metropolitan Police. Arrests were made in London and Birmingham, while homes were also searched in Brighton and Carmarthenshire, in west Wales. Police said the addresses were linked to the investigation of Wednesdays attack. A 39-year-old woman was arrested at an address Thursday night in East London on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts, police said. The woman, who has not been named, is being held under the Police and Criminal Evidence (PACE) act. Six people  two women and four men, their ages ranging from 21 to 28  were arrested at two addresses in Birmingham, a city in central England. The six were also held on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. Another man, 58, was also arrested Friday morning at another address in Birmingham, and held on the same charge. Photos: Deadly attack outside UK Parliament Who was the attacker? Not a great deal is known about Masood, who was shot dead by a police firearms officer after he rammed a car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge and stabbed an unarmed police officer outside parliament. Born in Kent, Masood had been living in Englands West Midlands region  where Birmingham is located  and had previous convictions, but not for terrorism offenses, police said. His most recent conviction was in 2003 for possession of a knife. But police said he was not the subject of any recent investigations and there was no intelligence about any intent to mount an attack. British Prime Minister Theresa May said Masood was not part of the current intelligence picture. While a tweet from ISIS-affiliated news agency Amaq claimed Masood as a soldier of the terror group, inspired by its message, it provided no evidence of direct links with ISIS and did not name him. CNNs terrorism analyst Paul Cruickshank said the language used by ISIS asserting the attack was by one of its soldiers did not necessarily mean the group was claiming direct connections to the attacker. This phrasing has been used in the past by the group for attacks ISIS believes it helped inspire, he said. The attack was the first mass-casualty terrorist outrage in Britain since 2005 when 52 people died in the July 7 bomb attacks on the London public transportation system. London Mayor Sadiq Khan told CNN that the city was protected by the best police and security services in the world. Im confident that we are doing all that we can to keep our city safe, to keep Londoners safe and to keep visitors safe, he said. Extra police officers will be patrolling London, he said. We come together as Londoners tonight to remember those who have lost their lives and all those affected by the horrific attack yesterday. But also to send a clear message, Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism, Khan told the crowd.
TERROR struck at the heart of British democracy on Wednesday as a knifeman attempted to storm the Houses of Parliament and members of the public were mown down on the street outside, leaving five people dead. The latest figures I now have are that there are currently only four dead and 29 people were treated in hospital. We are still collecting numbers of walking wounded. Sadly seven of those in hospital are still in a critical condition. "Tragically the deaths included PC Keith Palmer who was protecting parliament. Two members of the public. "A woman aged in her mid 40s and a man aged in his mid 50s." Mr Rowley clarified that the fourth man who died was the terrrorist who was shot dead by armed police. He said: "We have searched six addresses and made seven arrests. "The enquiries in Birmingham, London and other parts of the country are continuing." Two patients from the attack are being treated at St Thomas Hospital following the attack. The hospital has reported that one man and one woman have been admitted to the hospital and are in a stable condition. Mr Mohammed Shafiq, Chief Executive of the Ramadhan Foundation has called for increased security outside mosques following the attack. Mr Shafiq said: Following on from yesterdays terrorist attack at Westminster the Ramadhan Foundation has called for all Mosques to step up security and remain vigilant to any possible vigilante attacks. GETTY British police officers during a minute's silence to commemorate the victims Mr Rowley said the attacker acted alone and was inspired by international terrrorism. Pedestrians were forced to jump over walls and into the Thames in an attempt to avoid being hit by the car on the bridge. One woman was pulled alive from the river - albeit in a serious condition. Forty people were injured, several seriously. Prime Minister Theresa May was bundled into a police car and evacuated from the scene. Speaking outside Number 10 this evening, May vowed the city will continue as normal in the face of terror as she condemned the "sick and depraved" attack in Westminster. After chairing a meeting of the Government's Cobra emergencies committee, Mrs May paid tribute to the "exceptional men and women" of the police force who responded to the attack. The PM said: We will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart. She added any attempt to defeat the values that Parliament stands for was "doomed to failure". The PM confirmed the UK's terror threat level will remain at "severe. A suspicious package was then discovered at Parliament sparking an evacuation, which also saw teams of police dogs swarm Parliament square. Scotland Yard are treating the incident as "terror attack until we know otherwise". The attacker were described by witnesses as being a middle-aged Asian. "Although we remain open-minded to the motive, a counter-terrorism investigation is already under way led by the Met counter-terrorism command. "We received a number of different reports which included a body in the river, a car in collision with pedestrians and a man armed with a knife. "Officers were already in the location as part of routine policing but immediately additional officers were sent." Former president of the US, Barack Obama, tweeted: My heart goes out to the victims and their families in London. No act of terror can shake the strength and resilience of our British ally. Barry Gardiner, the shadow international trade secretary, has said: "Everything has to be seen to get back to normal as quickly as possible so that people realise that this sort of attack is ultimately a futile gesture. The former Italian Olympic athlete Maurizio Stecca, who won the gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics, was in Westminster when the tragedy struck. He said: I was going out with the Italia Thunder team when we heard screams. We saw the attacker holding two knives, he hit the guard at the entrance, and soon after he was shot with three bullets by an undercover agent. It was like being in a movie. POLICE PC Keith Palmer died while protecting Parliament from the attacker Theresa May was in Westminster at the time of the attack and was bundled into a car by plain-clothed police officers. A Government spokesperson said she was safe. She has just chaired a meeting of Britain's emergency response committee COBRA. A spokesperson said: "The thoughts of the Prime Minister and the Government are with those killed and injured in this appalling incident, and with their families." She ordered the flags at Downing Street to be lowered to half-mast. The Queen has spoken out after the terror attack saying her thoughts, prayers and deepest sympathy are with everyone affected. Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said that some police outside parliament are unarmed, which should be reviewed. He said: PC Palmer did keep Parliament safe by making the ultimate sacrifice - the attacker didnt get into Parliament, into the chamber, to the Prime Minister. ISIS is a new challenge for the security services because these are very ordinary things, a knife and a 4x4 and terrorists who dont want to negotiate. "London has seen terrorism before and its faced it down. We will make it through this and get back to normal as quickly as possible." GETTY MP Tobias Ellwood tended to victims following the attack Home Secretary Amber Rudd said that the Government's top priority following the Westminster attack was "the security of its people". Speaking during a visit to Pakistan, Ms Rudd urged the public to remain calm and keep vigilant. She said: "I know the whole country will be thinking of and praying for those affected by this terrible incident. Our top priority is people's security. "We have the best police and security services in the world and we will let them get on with their job." Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: Our thanks and gratitude go to the police and emergency services who responded so bravely, and to those, including the MP Tobias Ellwood, who went to the aid of the injured and dying. "This was not only an attack on innocent people. It was also an attack on our democracy. "But I know that Londoners and people across the country will stand together in defence of our values and diversity." Four British students are believed to be among those injured during the incident. Owen Lambert, 18, and Travis Frain, 19, are thought to have been struck by the grey Hyundai i40 outside the Houses of Parliament yesterday. Angela Frain, Traviss mum, said he was rushed to hospital where he is being treated for a cracked rib and injuries to his hand and arm. Among the other victims are five South Koreans, according to the foreign ministry in Seoul. Three women and one man in their 50s and 60s suffered injuries including broken bones during the attack, while another woman in her 60s suffered a head injury while falling and is now in hospital receiving surgery. The seriousness of the injuries is not yet known but the five South Koreans are being treated in two London hospitals. Meanwhile a spokesman confirmed three French schoolchildren were among those injured in the attack. He added that the three pupils are from the Saint-Joseph high school in Concarneau, Brittany. French prime minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, tweeted: "Solidarity with our British friends struck terribly, full support to the injured French pupils, their families and their classmates." Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has also confirmed that an Australian woman was among those injured in the attack. Her foot was run over during the attack and she is recovering in hospital, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop told Australian media. STEVE REED Labour & Co-op MP took a photo showing a barricaded door in Parliament The House of Commons was suspended for the day, with hundreds of MPs, staff and visitors held inside the building. Along with the House of Lords it will sit as usual tomorrow. Express.co.uk reporter Vickiie Oliphant reported dozens of ambulances and police vehicles were at the scene with more arriving every second. She said an air ambulance later landed in Parliament Square, while three helicopters were spotted in the skies above Westminster. And strict police cordons are in place, with police continuing to extend the area taped off to members of the public and reporters. Speaking to reporters outside the central London hospital, junior doctor Colleen Anderson from St Thomas' Hospital said a female pedestrian had died. She also said she treated a police officer in his 30s with a head injury who had been taken to King's College Hospital. She said: "I confirmed one fatality. A woman. She was under the wheel of a bus. "She died, confirmed her death at the scene." EXPRESS A map showing what happened in yesterday's attacks Ms Anderson said: "There were people across the bridge. There were some with minor injuries, some catastrophic. "Some had injuries they could walk away from or who have life-changing injuries. There were maybe a dozen (injured)." NHS staff at St Thomas' Hospital, which is adjacent to the bridge, dropped everything as they fled from their workstations and across Westminster bridge after the chaos unfolded. Images from the scene show hospital staff attending to casualties, as nurses pile up blankets to distribute to those involved in the attack. Express.co.uk was alerted to the incident by a series of blasts before a group of people were seen running towards Parliament from Westminster Bridge. A handful of people then entered the parliamentary estate before one appeared to repeatedly attack a police officer with an implement. Journalists in the press gallery were told to stay inside offices and keep away from windows as security officers dealt with the incident. MP Tobias Ellwood was pictured at the scene tending to victims. TWITTER An incident has occurred outside Parliament in Westminster this afternoon The Government minister, seen with blood smeared on his face, served in the British Army from 1991. He battled to save the life of the police officer who was injured outside Parliament. Mr Ellwood's brother died in a bombing in Bali in 2002. Tory MP Michael Fabricant has now called for a memorial to be created to the courage of the police officer who was killed in the line of duty. He said: The police do a brave and marvellous job protecting us from all sorts of dangers, not just in London but all over the country. When the dust has settled, we need a permanent memorial to the brave police officer who lost his life today. The memorial should be as close as possible to the place where he died, not just as a reminder of the sacrifice he made but also to commemorate the work of all police officers who risk their lives to protect us. Witnesses described seeing a middle-aged man carrying a knife and running." GETTY Forensics teams at Westminster Bridge following today's attack Quentin Letts, the Daily Mails sketchwriter, said he saw a man attack police outside Parliament before being shot. He said: I saw a thick-set man in black clothes come through the gates into New Palace Yard, just below Big Ben." He said the man was carrying what looked like a stick as he carried out the attack. One eye-witness at the scene told our reporter Vickiie Oliphant that he didn't see the incident took place, but heard several shouts and screams as he stood in Parliament square. He added many were running away from the incident, but when he turn to look at what was happening he also saw many more running towards the attack. His wife said: "Police cars and ambulances were here in what felt like seconds, the area was packed so quickly. "So many people semed to rush to help, it was amazing but terrifying at the same time." REUTERS Heavily armed police outside Westminster today PA A map outlining the route taking by the car in today's attack Witness Jayne Wilkinson said: "We were taking photos of Big Ben and we saw all the people running towards us, and then there was an Asian guy in about his 40s carrying a knife about seven or eight inches long. "And then there were three shots fired, and then we crossed the road and looked over. The man was on the floor with blood. "He had a lightweight jacket on, dark trousers and a shirt. "He was running through those gates, towards Parliament, and the police were chasing him." They said: "There's no tubes, no buses, no taxis and people can't even walk anywhere. It's chaos." Westminster tube station was evacuated and under lockdown from 3pm, while buses were unable to operate properly due to huge swathes of roads being closed - from Whitehall to much of the area around St James Park. One eyewitness told Express.co.uk he was walking past the square in the aftermath of the attack, and "suddenly there were ambulances, police cars, everything. "People were running but I couldn't work out where to or why, and all you could hear for hours afterwards was the sound of sirens and helicopters overhead." PA Emergency services at the scene of the incident in Westminster Bridge today According to one woman who syas she was on the bridge when the car struck, the silver people carrier car mounted the pavement "hitting five or six or seven people" at first. She said: "It was very frightening to see people running towards you. Obviously it was police dealing with the incident, but to think someone could have got inside the building... "My thoughts are with all those people, they were the absolute heroes of the situation." Around 1,000 people who were taken to Westminster Abbey for safety are now being processed by police. Scotland Yard urged the crowd to put delays in letting them leave into context. Chief Superintendent Raj Kohli told the crowd: "There are families planning funerals as we speak so let's put it into context." EPA An armed police officer running outside Parliament After the incident, Radoslaw Sikorski posted a video to Twitter purporting to show people lying injured in the road on Westminster Bridge. Mr Sikorski, a senior fellow at Harvard's Centre for European Studies, wrote: "A car on Westminster Bridge has just mowed down at least five people." Commons Leader David Lidington said: At the moment the very clear advice from the police and director of security in the house is we should remain under suspension and the chamber remain in lockdown until we receive advice that it is safe. A spokesman said: Police are asking people to avoid the following areas: Parliament Square; Whitehall; Westminster Bridge; Lambeth Bridge; Victoria Street up to the junction with Broadway and the Victoria Embankment up to Embankment tube. EPA Police at Westminster following the incidents GETTY A victim of the attack being treated by paramedics Tim Farron Lib Dem leader told Express.co.uk: "I can see people injured on Westminster bridge. There are a lot of ambulances. I was coming down the escalators with loads of other people and police suddenly stopped us all. There was no way back up and it was a bottleneck. "It was very scary. Everyone was panicking but the solidarity shown was inspiring. We're not sure if it was one or two attackers, or if it was the bloke in the 4x4 who attacked everyone on the bridge. I heard gunshots, but that was the police taking down the attacker." Philip Davies MP said: "Yes, we were in the middle of a vote when the incident happened and so along with many other MPs I am currently locked in the voting lobby watching the news on the TV in there. "People are shocked. Through the window of the voting lobby we can see armed police units going round the parliamentary estate. We were told there were attackers by the doorkeepers" PA Police officers comforting each other after a colleague was attacked in Westminster today Extra armed police will be on the streets of the capital following the attack in Westminster, Sadiq Khan said as he vowed that "Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism". The London Mayor said his thoughts were with the family of the Metropolitan Police officer who died "doing his duty protecting our city". He said: "Londoners should be aware that there will be additional armed and unarmed police officers on our streets from tonight in order to keep Londoners and all those visiting our city safe. "I want to reassure all Londoners and all our visitors not to be alarmed - our city remains one of the safest in the world. "London is the greatest city in the world and we stand together in the face of those who seek to harm us and destroy our way of life. We always have, and we always will. "Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism." VICKIIE OLIPHANT Westminster is in lockdown following two incidents today GETTY One woman was pulled alive from the river after a car struck a crowd in Westminster Bridge A joint statement from Commons Speaker John Bercow and Lord Fowler, the Lord Speaker, said: "On behalf of Members of both Houses of Parliament, we wish to offer our thoughts to all those affected and their families. "We would also like to express our gratitude to the police and all emergency services." David Morris MP said: "I don't think this was an organised attack. It seemed a bit lone wolf and police handled it quickly. "We've been told not to go to the terrace. Lots of shouting heard. Security is marvellous everyone calm. "We think there might be another attack." Genina Hoffman, from Canada, was at an event around the corner from the Westminster on Carlton street at the time of the attack. She told the Express.co.uk: There was a private event so as soon as we arrived we had heard this had happened. We were told our guest might be delayed because the Tube was closed because of what was happening here. We had a beautiful balcony from where our event was held, so we could look on and saw the helicopters that were hovering around the scene. Everyone was drawn to what was happening down below. She added: Its pretty shocking. You feel quite invincible until those events do happen and they are close by you. Then we heard the news went global and us being right around the corner was a little bit surreal. GETTY Police running in Westminster following the attack today A spokesperson from Guys and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust said: Two patients are being treated at St Thomas Hospital following todays security incident in Westminster  one man and one woman. "Both patients have been admitted to St Thomas and both are in a stable condition. A later statement from the hospital on Thursday evening said: "Two patients were treated at St Thomas Hospital following yesterdays security incident in Westminster  one man and one woman. The man has now left hospital and the woman remains in a stable condition." Other victims are being treated at the trauma unit at King's College Hospital. PA Theresa May said evil would not win during a speech tonight NC A car crashed into a gate outside Parliament after ploughing through Westminster Bridge European Union's chief negotiator for Brexit Michel Barnier said: "Im sure youre aware as I speak in front of you here today there are some serious events unfolding at the parliament in London there are victims. Seeing as we will be talking about this topic I wanted to take a moment to express my solidarity with the British authorities and citizens." He also said today's events show how we'll still need to work together on security after Brexit. In December, a report from the EU law enforcement agency said London was among the countries high on the target list from Islamic State. NC An Air Ambulance in front of Westminster this afternoon Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said: "Our thoughts are with the victims of today's attack in London and their families. Canadians remain united with the people of the UK." A White House spokesman said: "President Donald J. Trump spoke today with Prime Minister Theresa May of the United Kingdom to offer his condolences on today's terror attack in London and his praise for the effective response of security forces and first responders. "He pledged the full co-operation and support of the United States government in responding to the attack and bringing those responsible to justice." Italian President, Sergio Mattarella, has sent a message to the Queen expressing his condolences. He said: In the fight against all forms of terrorism, the United Kingdom can count on the firm commitment of Italy, in the belief that international cooperation will continue to be a vital aspect to effectively combat violence and intolerance. The Spanish Royal Family has tweeted: Shocked by the London attack, all our solidarity with the British people and their institutions in the fight against terror. PA Police confronting the attacker outside Parliament Met Police have opened a hotline for those concerned about family members. The Casualty Bureau is now open on 0800 056 0944 and 0207 158 0010. A spokesman said: "If you are worried about family or friends involved in today's incident please call Casualty Bureau on either number listed above and choose Option 1. "If you were involved in today's incident and are safe, please call Casualty Bureau on either number listed above and choose Option 2. "Demand on Casualty Bureau will be high. Please keep trying. Staff at Casualty Bureau are working hard to speak to as many people as they can. "If you are safe please let friends and family know. This will relieve pressure on Casualty Bureau. "Casualty Bureau is not for general enquiries. Call 999 in an emergency only."
